Congressman Alan Grayson took the House floor Wednesday night to gab about Hermés bags and the best Benz that tax cuts can buy. The Florida Democrats opposes an extension of Bush-era tax cuts to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. We’re talking peeps who pull in at least $1.4 million a year. To prove his point, he made an extravagant shopping list for the “high and mighty,” as he called them, complete with visual aids.
With their extra $83,347 a year, Grayson sarcastically suggested buying a $64,000 Hermés bag, a 1787 bottle of Chateau D'Yquem wine, 20,000 jars of Grey Poupon, and 800 luxury cigars or a $83,000 Mercedes Benz E-Class car.
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Yes, force the vote. The ones who "don't get it" are the top down (trickle down your butt-crack) Republicans. Fire them all.
Hey, I just saw the opening segment with Reps Weiner and Mica. Here's my question; in this ridiculous "conversation" (or exercise in rhetorical diatribes), why is no one talking about living wages? Not the $10/hour put forthe by small community movements, but a federal standard wage that grants all independent adults a full wage for housing, food, transportation, and savings in tandem with tight regulation on essential goods and services should be the central issue. Painful to biz at the get go but long haul it provides stable economy and financial self-sufficiency. If the GOP want to make it "Constutional" then any economic policy that prevents citizens from providing for themselves is an infringement on personal liberty. As it is our current standard does not "provide for the general welfare" by any measure.
Krista, you have a point, but so does jae -- see below. Federal minimum wage is $7.20/hour. I make a dollar more than that on a part-time basis in a retail store in NC. This is considered "good money" in a "right to work" state where collective bargaining is basically illegal.
A living wage is a relative thing. It depends upon your household circumstances. Are you single? Married with a child or two? Does your spouse also work? Are you also supporting elderly relatives. If you're young and single, $15/hour -- which works out to $30,000 a year -- is sufficient in most areas of the country for just about anything you want to do. But if you're trying to support dependents and want to buy a home...well, think again. AND if you live in, say, the New York Metropolitan area -- or Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, DC, or one of the other top cities of the country -- your cost of living will be MUCH higher than if you live in rural North Carolina.
So, just setting wage and price controls isn't the way to improve the economy or to offer a "living wage" to the workers of America. That's been tried before and doesn't do the job. We want to adjust policy to favor more and better-paying jobs that produce things as opposed to services (flipping burgers, waiting on customers, etc.). We can change tax policy and business regulations. We can take the burden of providing healthcare off of business with a single payer system. We can encourage labor unions to begin to organize in the right to work states with some different legislation. And we can use government stimulus funding for things like improvements in the electrical grid and high-speed rail, which will both provide jobs and improve our infrastructure.
I just sent my worthless rep Mica an email and told him how full if $hit he is- He has been sucking money and doing Nothing for years.
@ Krista: Honey, if you live in FL $10/hr is good money in the 'right to work' state.
So if you're looking to Mica for help- he'll be the one at the podium introducing the bill to eliminate minimum wage.
Maybe O'Donnell and Barney Frank can use all of Rangel's money and use it on assorted sex toys to shove up their a55es.
No, no, Christine O'Donnell thinks masturbation is a sin!
Just watched Ari and that conservative democrat. He called himself a 'moderate democrat'. His poll and MSNBC's exit polls fail to drill down and further ask Americans if they think that government has gotten too big, then would they have rather seen the government work to bring more infrastructure jobs to put Americans to work rather than bailout the banks? Would they rather have had the bailout money come down directly from the government to the American Homeowner to help them keep their homes? Rather than giving $1Trillion to the Financial industry that has not sent the money down to main street?
If you ask Americans if they would want a Medicare for all, most would say yes. That was the poll at the beginning of the health care debate. Almost always, when asked questions that are progressive in nature, without identifying the ideas as progressive, most Americans agree with the ideas.
Yes I agree with Ari, the Change we wanted was for our politicians to stop giving our tax money to the rich and mega rich and corporations and help us down here. That is what Obama said he would do and failed to do. He says he is a Democrat but refuses to stand up for Democratic principles. If he had punished and prosecuted the thieves on Wall Street and started with Medicare for all, Democrats would have swept the house.
I ask you and MSNBC to commission a more comprehensive poll that asks these questions. See what answers you get. If the Democrats go further to the right they will lose the White House in 2012.
I'm really going to miss Alan Grayson.
How about Restructioning the Corpwhorational Government we have now. From the FOUNDATIONS up ...
What is JP Morgan Chase? http://ow.ly/3d7ti #What #JP #Morgan #Chase #bank #fed #government #ownership #raping #citizens #wealth #robbers #pen
Bob
"Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen." (Woody Guthrie, "Pretty Boy Floyd")