The Biden Presidency

[bruto]

Yes, because it is hard to quantify. It's hard to understand the economic impact of that new bridge because you can't directly see the economic effects of it. The gains are indirect. Since it's indirect, it's hard for people to make the mental connection between the two. Tolls are easier to understand because you can directly see "this bridge made $X".

My favorite bumper-sticker version of this is "Pay for Schools Today or Prisons Tomorrow."

 

[acbytesla]

Also the tax cuts under Kennedy. In both cases, they also coincided with increased spending. So, you can draw what ever conclusions you want.

This makes me laugh. In the Post WW2 years until JFK, the top marginal tax rate hovered around 91 percent.

Kennedy lowered that rate to 65 percent. He lowered the corporate tax rate from 52 to 47 percent. (Kennedy introduced it but it was pass under LBJ) This was the Revenue Act of 1964. Its affect was nominal at best. Spending increased for a multiple of reasons and tax collection actually increased slightly. Whether it is attributable to the reduction is arguable.

Today the top personal rate is 37 percent and the corporate rate is 24 percent.

Arguing that all tax cuts or raises are alike is moronically simplistic.

 

[Delvo]

In the Post WW2 years until JFK, the top marginal tax rate hovered around 91 percent.

Kennedy lowered that rate to 65 percent. He lowered the corporate tax rate from 52 to 47 percent...

Today the top personal rate is 37 percent and the corporate rate is 24 percent.

To still be pushing for tax cuts now when they're already so stupendously low even goes against one of the original justifications they gave for tax cuts ages ago. The Laffer Curve had government revenue rising from 0 with a 0% tax rate to a peak above 0 with a tax rate somewhere between 0% and 100% taxes, and going back down to 0 with a 100% tax rate. The idea then was that there are some parts of it when the slope is positive and some parts when it's negative, and the farther to the right your starting point is, the more likely you are to be in negative-slope territory... which means the more you shift the tax rates back to the left side of the graph, the more certain you are to end up back in positive-slope territory... where lowering taxes would reduce revenues, even according to the Laffer Curve itself. Strangely, the lower the taxes have gotten, the less we'd heard about this particular proof of why it was a good idea.

 

[Bob001]

My favorite bumper-sticker version of this is "Pay for Schools Today or Prisons Tomorrow."

You may imagine that the answer is obvious. But a pretty substantial percentage of the population, especially anybody who benefits from the vast private prison industry, would choose option two.

 

[Aridas]

Here's one of the latest developments in nonsense attempts to undermine the Biden Presidency.

Right-wing Judicial Watch sues Dept. of Homeland Security to get information about ... Biden's dog

Judicial Watch said it filed the lawsuit because the Secret Service has been slow to process a Freedom of Information Act request seeking “all records of communications between USSS officials responsible for protection at the White House regarding the Biden family dogs, named Champ and Major.”

The JW lawsuit claims that the Secret Service has been dilatory in providing this information, and that the group is suffering “irreparable harm” as a result. The reality is (as the complaint itself acknowledges) that the Secret Service already advised the group that the documentation it requested under FOIA is being compiled and processed. Presumably, the slight delay is due to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) having more pressing responsibilities.

Irreparable harm? Seriously?

This is about the dog biting incident officially, either way.

 

[KDLarsen]

Here's one of the latest developments in nonsense attempts to undermine the Biden Presidency.

Right-wing Judicial Watch sues Dept. of Homeland Security to get information about ... Biden's dog



Irreparable harm? Seriously?

This is about the dog biting incident officially, either way.

It's Judicial Watch, their entire reason for existing is to file frivolous and/or weaponised FOIA requests, and then going crying to the friendly right-wing media when it's either turned down or delayed.

 

[ahhell]

You may imagine that the answer is obvious. But a pretty substantial percentage of the population, especially anybody who benefits from the vast private prison industry, would choose option two.

Vast? Its less then 10% of the prison industry. Prison guard unions on the other hand......

 

[gnome]

10 percent of the prison industry is pretty vast IMO. It should be 0%.

 

[acbytesla]

Vast? Its less then 10% of the prison industry. Prison guard unions on the other hand......

Commercial Prisons raking in billions of dollars isn't the problem, but a union prison guard making 50 to 70k a year is?

Man do you have your priorities screwed up.

 

[dudalb]

Yeah and your guy tried to steal an election. Backatcha' bitch.

That's my go-to response right now with the morons. Short, simple, and shuts them up.

I don't care what Biden does for the next, oh say year and a half. I'm still getting over the jackass before him, and trying to cope with the fact that people all over this country still like him.

People like him becuase he tells them what they want to hear:that White Christian Amricans are God's true chosen people.
Hate is a very powerful drug.

 

[Belz...]

Is pay now to save later really that hard of a concept?

Yes.

Humans aren't great at thinking long-term.

 

[ahhell]

Commercial Prisons raking in billions of dollars isn't the problem, but a union prison guard making 50 to 70k a year is?

Man do you have your priorities screwed up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Correctional_Peace_Officers_Association#Political_activity

The CCPOA is deeply involved in a variety of political activities. Most spending is done through political action committees.[citation needed] Although its membership is relatively small, representing only about one tenth the membership of the California Teachers Association, CCPOA political activity routinely exceeds that of all other labor unions in California. The union spends heavily on influencing political campaigns, and on lobbying legislators and other government officials. CCPOA also hires public relations firms and political polling firms.

As calls for reform of the state's prison system escalated during 2006, putting pressure on former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to take a more aggressive stance on reform.
Lobbying
Lobbying efforts and campaign contributions by the CCPOA have helped secure passage of numerous legislative bills favorable to union members, including bills that increase prison terms, member pay, and enforce current drug laws. The CCPOA takes the position that correctional officers perform an essential public service that work in great danger, and strives for a safer California.

I'm curious how that benefits prison guards aside from job security.

Over 90% of prisoners in the US are in publicly owned facilities and you want to focus the the tiny minority of them. Private prisons are a red herring. They are however useful in knowing who hasn't actually looked at the issue other than to shoe horn criminal justice issues into their pre-existing ideology.

https://reason.com/2015/06/02/are-for-profit-prisons-or-public-unions/

In 2010, California prison guards spent twice as much money on lobbying as the two biggest private prison companies combined, but, you're probably right, its the private prisons that are the problem.

Edit: I missread, twice as much money between 1989 and 2015. Not sure how I got that so far off.

 

[acbytesla]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Correctional_Peace_Officers_Association#Political_activity

I'm curious how that benefits prison guards aside from job security.

Over 90% of prisoners in the US are in publicly owned facilities and you want to focus the the tiny minority of them. Private prisons are a red herring. They are however useful in knowing who hasn't actually looked at the issue other than to shoe horn criminal justice issues into their pre-existing ideology.

https://reason.com/2015/06/02/are-for-profit-prisons-or-public-unions/

In 2010, California prison guards spent twice as much money on lobbying as the two biggest private prison companies combined, but, you're probably right, its the private prisons that are the problem.

Edit: I missread, twice as much money between 1989 and 2015. Not sure how I got that so far off.

You're right and I'm wrong. (Except I don't believe for profit prisons should exist . I see it as a monstrosity that is full of conflicts of interests)

As someone who believes in Unions and collective bargaining for better working conditions and such, I see this much like I do the Police Unions. They have gone way past a point where I can support their goals.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Yes.

Humans aren't great at thinking long-term.

I meant you guys.

Once the infrastructure becomes law the public will only be concerned with how the state uses their share.

McConnell is back to his usual stand, block the bill. I hope Manchin figures that out.

 

[acbytesla]

I meant you guys.

Once the infrastructure becomes law the public will only be concerned with how the state uses their share.

McConnell is back to his usual stand, block the bill. I hope Manchin figures that out.

I agree.

If Manchin blocks the bill, he's an idiot. No one who voted for him the last time won't vote for him the next time because of him supporting infrastructure and jobs.

 

[gnome]

You're right and I'm wrong. (Except I don't believe for profit prisons should exist . I see it as a monstrosity that is full of conflicts of interests)

As someone who believes in Unions and collective bargaining for better working conditions and such, I see this much like I do the Police Unions. They have gone way past a point where I can support their goals.

That's what reform is for--when a needed institution is dysfunctional.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Two things about private prisons do mean the issue needs to be addressed: States vary from using none to ~50% and the number of prisoners held in them is increasing.

Sentencing Project

They need to be gotten rid of. One can give it lower priority but it should not be ignored.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Here's one of the latest developments in nonsense attempts to undermine the Biden Presidency.

Right-wing Judicial Watch sues Dept. of Homeland Security to get information about ... Biden's dog

Irreparable harm? Seriously?

This is about the dog biting incident officially, either way.

Vanity Fair pondered what they might be looking for:

Last month, Major was sent away for a second round a training after nipping a Secret Service agent’s hand in March and then a National Park Service employee in April. It’s not clear, exactly, what Judicial Watch believes it may uncover through this not-at-all waste of taxpayer dollars, but strong possibilities likely include:

Emails showing Champ received $100,000 from a lobbying firm working on behalf of Big Kibble

A cover-up by the White House communications staff regarding a Washington Post story it had killed about both dogs not letting the Secret Service agents detailed to them use their bathrooms

A multiyear endorsement deal Major signed with Pup-Peroni three days after the inauguration, despite it being illegal for first pets to profit off of the presidency

Evidence pointing to Major’s involvement with Hunter Biden’s Burisma dealings

A sex scandal​

 

[acbytesla]

Two things about private prisons do mean the issue needs to be addressed: States vary from using none to ~50% and the number of prisoners held in them is increasing.

Sentencing Project

They need to be gotten rid of. One can give it lower priority but it should not be ignored.

Yes,

 

[ahhell]

You're right and I'm wrong. (Except I don't believe for profit prisons should exist . I see it as a monstrosity that is full of conflicts of interests)

As someone who believes in Unions and collective bargaining for better working conditions and such, I see this much like I do the Police Unions. They have gone way past a point where I can support their goals.

I give you a great deal of respect for saying that and apologize for my snark. I occasionally joke that the only unions conservatives like are the same ones progressive don't like.

To be clear, I don't much care about private prisons, I just don't think they matter all that much. Get rid of all of them all today, and all you've done is increase the population in the public systems. You still have all the issues associated with private prisons.

The thing I don't understand about the anti-private crowd, its not as though self-interest and greed go away just because the obvious profits are removed.


Edit to add. What I really like to see is some State work out a bonus program for private prisons that rewards reduced recidivism. Something like, they get an extra 10 grand for every 10 years a former inmate doesn't re-offend. We might actually see some sort of innovation that might actually improve society. Hell, even if all they do is give ex-cons low end jobs that might be an improvement.

Anyrate, prior to getting rid of private prisons we need to:
End the war on drugs, at least decriminalize.
Let ex-cons vote.
Stop preventing them from getting decent jobs after they get out.
Increase education in prisons including general ed and vocational training. Let unions set up shop in prisons to teach plumbing and what not.
Take a look around the world at the systems that have reduced recidivism and do some of that.
Convince Americans not be so vindictive.

If you look at incarceration rates, crime rates, and growth of private prisons over time. Private prisons trail. Crime rose from the 60s and peaked in the 90s. Incarceration rates increased late 70s and early 80s. The private prison industry started just a bit after that.