Michigan State University economist Mark Skidmore, discussing his team’s startling finding about the Pentagon’s expenditures (MSU scholars find $21 trillion in unauthorized military spending; Defense Department to conduct first-ever audit).
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I’m a Depression historian. The Republican tax scam is straight out of 1929.
“Republican policies in the ’20s instead pushed to concentrate more of the income at the top. Nine decades later, Republicans are rushing to do it again — and they are sprinting toward an economic cliff. Another round of Government of the People, by the Republicans, for the super-rich will be catastrophic. The American people must call a halt before it’s too late,” writes Robert S. McElvaine.
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Congress can give every American a pony (if it breeds enough ponies)
Professor Stephanie Kelton, who teaches public policy and economics at SUNY Stony Brook, has written the op-ed of the year, explaining how U.S. fiscal policy really works.
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What’s up with Washington State’s tax system?
KCTS9: What’s Up With Washington State’s Tax System? Washington state’s vibrant and diverse economy doesn’t hint at it. Neither does Seattle’s red-hot construction and tech
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There are three types of single-payer ‘concern trolls’ — and they all want to undermine universal healthcare
Money for war is magically always there; money for healthcare must be counted bean by bean. — Adam Johnson: There are three types of single-payer
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B.C. government raising taxes for high earners and corporations to help pay for $51.9B balanced budget
“B.C.’s new. government will spend $51.9 billion for this fiscal year to support the NDP’S stated goal of making the province more affordable for residents,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports. The budget will be balanced through increases in the corporate income tax, personal income tax (for wealthy families), and pollution tax.
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Irritated by his own party, Trump makes deal with Democrats to keep government open
This is arguably the first real “deal” Donald Trump has made as President. It comes more than seven months after his regime came into power.
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Pramila Jayapal blasts immoral cuts in front of Trump budget director Mick Mulvaney
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal questioned Budget Director Mick Mulvaney about Trump’s new budget proposal during the House Budget Committee hearing today. Watch the video and read the transcript.
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Where anti-tax fervor means ‘all services will cease’
Southwestern Oregon’s public services are rotting away or shutting down due to voter unwillingness to pay dues to keep them running. The New York Times looks at the collapse of the commons in an often-ignored area of the Pacific Northwest.
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Washington state ranks nearly last in new tax-transparency index
“Ranked second from the bottom in a new report, the state’s tax system makes it tough for taxpayers to find out just how much they’re coughing up to the government. Oregon’s system ranks as the most transparent of all,” writes The Seattle Times’ Gene Balk.
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U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene lambastes Trumpcare in blistering House floor speech
Suzan DelBene lambastes Trumpcare in blistering House floor speech TRANSCRIPT: If Republicans crafted legislation that lived up to the promise of ‘insurance for everybody,’ they’d
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Dave Reichert is undecided on Trumpcare bill — Call his office and tell him to vote NO
A spokesperson for Dave Reichert has told The Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner he is not yet committed to voting for the Trumpcare bill being pushed
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Watch Pramila Jayapal and Suzan DelBene denounce Trumpcare bill in the House Budget Committee
U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene and Pramila Jayapal have been forcefully speaking out against the House Republicans’ extremely destructive Trumpcare bill as it has speedily made
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Bernie Sanders fires back at Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein for “dangerous moments” comment
I have to say, I find it a little beyond comprehension that Lloyd Blankfein would lecture our campaign about “dangerous moments” after Wall Street received
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As oil money disappears, Alaska mulls first income tax in thirty-five years
Drill, baby, drill. For years, that silly slogan has been a part of the Republican lexicon. But now, with global oil prices tumbling due to excess supply (caused in part by the North American oil boom), fossil fuel-dependent Alaska finds itself in a huge fiscal morass. Independent Governor Bill Walker, a former Republican, has proposed reinstituting a state income tax to ensure that the state can continue to provide public services to its citizens.
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Washington State ranks second in the nation for corporate subsidies
Washington State ranks second in the nation for corporate subsidies Seattle Times columnist Jon Talton discusses data from the Good Jobs First initiative, which shows
LaunchThe crazies and the con man
To understand Mr. Ryan’s role in our political-media ecosystem, you need to know two things. First, the modern Republican Party is a post-policy enterprise, which
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Initiative profiteer Tim Eyman has become part of the Washington State Republican Party’s brand
I was so tired of partisan politics. It was all Tim Eyman and no new taxes… That’s not me. I’m interested in community building. —
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The Blackmail Caucus, also known as the Republican Party
John Boehner was a terrible, very bad, no good speaker of the House. Under his leadership, Republicans pursued an unprecedented strategy of scorched-earth obstructionism, which
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John Boehner to CBS: There won’t be another federal government shutdown on my watch
CBS’ JOHN DICKERSON: Four days, the government runs out of money. Is there going to be a shutdown? JOHN BOEHNER: No. The Senate is expected
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DFA’s Charles Chamberlain: White House promises on TPP as empty as Nike’s commitment to American jobs
The only thing weaker than sweatshop-king Nike’s empty promises is the White House’s willingness to hype them as a victory in its push for a
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