Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Texas Longhorns with newborn calf in Bluebonnets

Please note I have a new phone number...

512-517-2708

Alan Maki

Alan Maki
Doing research at the LBJ Library in Austin, Texas

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

It's time to claim our Peace Dividend

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

We need to beat swords into plowshares.

A program for real change...

http://peaceandsocialjustice.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-progressive-program-for-real-change.html


What we need is a "21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity" which would make it a mandatory requirement that the president and Congress attain and maintain full employment.


"Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens"

- Ben Franklin

Let's talk...

Let's talk...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

One of the big solutions to climate change and global warming...

Fare-free public transportation... bus and rail: city, state and nationally.

Wages and Poverty

A wage study from the Social Security Administration no one wants to talk about... people work so they aren't poor... yet, here are the facts that working often makes people poor:

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2014&fbclid=IwAR3sfvx3eYzOb1LvZyKtOw0lio6hDBuxL9NDyD-N1ka1ECdW_8NVyeusvtU

This study below is from 2014...

Now check out the latest study from 2018:

https://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/netcomp.cgi?year=2020


Facts do matter:

Note: None of these studies take into consideration wages versus the actual "cost-of-living." When the real "cost-of-living" factors are figured in, the working class as a whole, which produces all wealth, is more impoverished now than in 2014.

Question:

What kind of society allows those who produce all the wealth, the working class, to live in worsening social and economic conditions after creating so much wealth?

Question:

Should we be discussing wealth and poverty and wage labor and capitalist exploitation?

Question:
How do we correct this?




Social Security Online Automatic Increases

Office of the Chief Actuary SSA logo: link to Social Security home page

Wage Statistics for 2014

Enter another year?
Year must be after 1989  

Automatic increases
Development of the AWI
The national average wage index (AWI) is based on compensation (wages, tips, and the like) subject to Federal income taxes, as reported by employers on Forms W-2. Beginning with the AWI for 1991, compensation includes contributions to deferred compensation plans, but excludes certain distributions from plans where the distributions are included in the reported compensation subject to income taxes. We call the result of including contributions, and excluding certain distributions, net compensation. The table below summarizes the components of net compensation for 2014.
Net compensation components for 2014
Compensation subject to Federal income taxes $6,797,372,805,419.35
Deferred compensation plan
   Contributionsa
   Distributionsb

+ 255,336,805,992.78
- 2,450,397,767.58
Net compensation 7,050,259,213,644.55
a Wages on which contributions were paid by 53,592,754 workers.
b Distributions, to the extent included in reported wages (see text above), paid to 60,572 workers.
The "raw" average wage, computed as net compensation divided by the number of wage earners, is $7,050,259,213,644.55 divided by 158,186,786, or $44,569.20. Based on data in the table below, about 67.2 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the $44,569.20 raw average wage. By definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage, which is estimated to be $28,851.21 for 2014.
Distribution of wage earners by level of net compensation

Wage earnersNet compensation
Net compensation interval NumberCumulative
number
Percent
of total
Aggregate amountAverage amount
$0.01 — 4,999.99 22,574,440 22,574,440 14.27075 $46,647,919,125.68 $2,066.40
5,000.00 — 9,999.99 13,848,841 36,423,281 23.02549 102,586,913,092.61 7,407.62
10,000.00 — 14,999.99 12,329,270 48,752,551 30.81961 153,566,802,438.45 12,455.47
15,000.00 — 19,999.99 11,505,776 60,258,327 38.09315 200,878,198,035.07 17,458.90
20,000.00 — 24,999.99 10,918,555 71,176,882 44.99547 245,317,570,246.88 22,467.95
25,000.00 — 29,999.99 10,192,863 81,369,745 51.43903 279,865,461,187.05 27,457.00
30,000.00 — 34,999.99 9,487,840 90,857,585 57.43690 307,828,947,411.16 32,444.58
35,000.00 — 39,999.99 8,578,215 99,435,800 62.85974 321,200,755,103.44 37,443.78
40,000.00 — 44,999.99 7,553,972 106,989,772 67.63509 320,563,569,965.15 42,436.43
45,000.00 — 49,999.99 6,542,882 113,532,654 71.77126 310,391,706,424.23 47,439.60
50,000.00 — 54,999.99 5,723,269 119,255,923 75.38931 300,016,377,448.51 52,420.46
55,000.00 — 59,999.99 4,846,517 124,102,440 78.45310 278,354,367,841.41 57,433.90
60,000.00 — 64,999.99 4,201,232 128,303,672 81.10897 262,203,932,128.68 62,411.20
65,000.00 — 69,999.99 3,573,471 131,877,143 83.36799 240,948,179,180.40 67,426.93
70,000.00 — 74,999.99 3,094,739 134,971,882 85.32437 224,145,278,103.36 72,427.85
75,000.00 — 79,999.99 2,684,481 137,656,363 87.02140 207,853,372,824.62 77,427.77
80,000.00 — 84,999.99 2,297,338 139,953,701 88.47370 189,370,862,869.17 82,430.56
85,000.00 — 89,999.99 1,975,400 141,929,101 89.72248 172,719,042,418.70 87,434.97
90,000.00 — 94,999.99 1,714,370 143,643,471 90.80624 158,442,931,588.44 92,420.50
95,000.00 — 99,999.99 1,486,636 145,130,107 91.74604 144,858,203,365.61 97,440.26
100,000.00 — 104,999.99 1,309,068 146,439,175 92.57358 134,083,282,259.67 102,426.52
105,000.00 — 109,999.99 1,117,128 147,556,303 93.27979 120,020,513,136.11 107,436.67
110,000.00 — 114,999.99 977,055 148,533,358 93.89745 109,855,105,705.14 112,434.93
115,000.00 — 119,999.99 865,889 149,399,247 94.44483 101,693,061,676.62 117,443.53
120,000.00 — 124,999.99 773,339 150,172,586 94.93371 94,660,281,091.31 122,404.64
125,000.00 — 129,999.99 673,971 150,846,557 95.35977 85,886,152,964.93 127,433.01
130,000.00 — 134,999.99 595,827 151,442,384 95.73643 78,899,843,713.01 132,420.73
135,000.00 — 139,999.99 527,341 151,969,725 96.06980 72,476,546,845.30 137,437.72
140,000.00 — 144,999.99 466,992 152,436,717 96.36501 66,519,743,635.12 142,443.00
145,000.00 — 149,999.99 419,003 152,855,720 96.62989 61,787,674,520.19 147,463.56
150,000.00 — 154,999.99 384,581 153,240,301 96.87301 58,607,775,121.57 152,393.84
155,000.00 — 159,999.99 335,391 153,575,692 97.08503 52,801,735,517.69 157,433.37
160,000.00 — 164,999.99 296,048 153,871,740 97.27218 48,087,213,596.86 162,430.46
165,000.00 — 169,999.99 265,309 154,137,049 97.43990 44,426,198,104.69 167,450.78
170,000.00 — 174,999.99 239,515 154,376,564 97.59131 41,304,379,348.95 172,450.07
175,000.00 — 179,999.99 216,255 154,592,819 97.72802 38,370,042,895.27 177,429.62
180,000.00 — 184,999.99 200,592 154,793,411 97.85483 36,588,064,085.78 182,400.42
185,000.00 — 189,999.99 179,005 154,972,416 97.96799 33,554,727,208.93 187,451.34
190,000.00 — 194,999.99 165,277 155,137,693 98.07247 31,807,897,759.84 192,452.05
195,000.00 — 199,999.99 154,070 155,291,763 98.16987 30,425,466,536.83 197,478.20
200,000.00 — 249,999.99 1,039,897 156,331,660 98.82726 230,863,458,226.21 222,006.08
250,000.00 — 299,999.99 565,105 156,896,765 99.18450 153,945,762,663.99 272,419.75
300,000.00 — 349,999.99 333,584 157,230,349 99.39537 107,708,119,615.81 322,881.55
350,000.00 — 399,999.99 219,923 157,450,272 99.53440 82,117,070,706.61 373,390.10
400,000.00 — 449,999.99 151,162 157,601,434 99.62996 63,997,346,472.50 423,369.28
450,000.00 — 499,999.99 108,881 157,710,315 99.69879 51,583,042,398.64 473,756.14
500,000.00 — 999,999.99 345,935 158,056,250 99.91748 230,331,407,862.96 665,822.79
1,000,000.00 — 1,499,999.99 65,548 158,121,798 99.95892 78,672,933,288.58 1,200,233.92
1,500,000.00 — 1,999,999.99 24,140 158,145,938 99.97418 41,431,838,733.52 1,716,314.78
2,000,000.00 — 2,499,999.99 12,137 158,158,075 99.98185 26,997,226,154.27 2,224,373.91
2,500,000.00 — 2,999,999.99 6,871 158,164,946 99.98619 18,747,446,313.27 2,728,488.77
3,000,000.00 — 3,499,999.99 4,799 158,169,745 99.98923 15,507,304,422.66 3,231,361.62
3,500,000.00 — 3,999,999.99 3,258 158,173,003 99.99129 12,166,741,762.34 3,734,420.43
4,000,000.00 — 4,499,999.99 2,353 158,175,356 99.99277 9,970,953,222.98 4,237,549.18
4,500,000.00 — 4,999,999.99 1,822 158,177,178 99.99393 8,633,941,395.34 4,738,716.46
5,000,000.00 — 9,999,999.99 6,468 158,183,646 99.99802 43,887,775,808.42 6,785,370.41
10,000,000.00 — 19,999,999.99 2,230 158,185,876 99.99942 30,065,006,121.19 13,482,065.53
20,000,000.00 — 49,999,999.99 776 158,186,652 99.99992 22,450,911,983.01 28,931,587.61
50,000,000.00 and over 134 158,186,786 100.00000 11,564,829,969.82 86,304,701.27

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Wage Statistics for 2018

Enter another year?
Year must be after 1989  

Automatic increases
Development of the AWI
The national average wage index (AWI) is based on compensation (wages, tips, and the like) subject to Federal income taxes, as reported by employers on Forms W-2. Beginning with the AWI for 1991, compensation includes contributions to deferred compensation plans, but excludes certain distributions from plans where the distributions are included in the reported compensation subject to income taxes. We call the result of including contributions, and excluding certain distributions, net compensation. The table below summarizes the components of net compensation for 2018.
Net compensation components for 2018
Compensation subject to Federal income taxes $8,068,989,240,801.19
Deferred compensation plan
   Contributionsa
   Distributionsb

+ 317,553,567,481.16
- 3,002,179,766.84
Net compensation 8,383,540,628,515.51
a Wages on which contributions were paid by 61,607,387 workers.
b Distributions, to the extent included in reported wages (see text above), paid to 63,661 workers.
The "raw" average wage, computed as net compensation divided by the number of wage earners, is $8,383,540,628,515.51 divided by 167,669,326, or $50,000.44. Based on data in the table below, about 67.4 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the $50,000.44 raw average wage. By definition, 50 percent of wage earners had net compensation less than or equal to the median wage, which is estimated to be $32,838.05 for 2018.
Distribution of wage earners by level of net compensation

Wage earnersNet compensation
Net compensation interval NumberCumulative
number
Percent
of total
Aggregate amountAverage amount
$0.01 — 4,999.99 20,912,646 20,912,646 12.47255 $43,795,099,366.21 $2,094.19
5,000.00 — 9,999.99 12,993,812 33,906,458 20.22222 96,170,371,134.60 7,401.24
10,000.00 — 14,999.99 11,550,542 45,457,000 27.11110 143,915,223,674.78 12,459.61
15,000.00 — 19,999.99 10,937,984 56,394,984 33.63465 191,083,130,375.42 17,469.68
20,000.00 — 24,999.99 10,930,426 67,325,410 40.15368 245,963,571,026.59 22,502.65
25,000.00 — 29,999.99 10,649,685 77,975,095 46.50528 292,595,699,011.64 27,474.59
30,000.00 — 34,999.99 10,157,201 88,132,296 52.56316 329,598,837,106.29 32,449.77
35,000.00 — 39,999.99 9,281,197 97,413,493 58.09858 347,575,046,812.88 37,449.38
40,000.00 — 44,999.99 8,242,459 105,655,952 63.01448 349,799,179,987.80 42,438.69
45,000.00 — 49,999.99 7,405,906 113,061,858 67.43145 351,372,718,041.82 47,444.93
50,000.00 — 54,999.99 6,542,812 119,604,670 71.33366 343,025,577,206.83 52,427.85
55,000.00 — 59,999.99 5,612,864 125,217,534 74.68124 322,379,314,296.40 57,435.80
60,000.00 — 64,999.99 4,920,595 130,138,129 77.61594 307,114,651,240.23 62,414.13
65,000.00 — 69,999.99 4,239,330 134,377,459 80.14433 285,846,106,689.33 67,427.19
70,000.00 — 74,999.99 3,682,829 138,060,288 82.34081 266,740,577,128.07 72,428.17
75,000.00 — 79,999.99 3,208,818 141,269,106 84.25459 248,463,045,944.21 77,431.33
80,000.00 — 84,999.99 2,780,381 144,049,487 85.91284 229,208,728,016.53 82,437.88
85,000.00 — 89,999.99 2,403,623 146,453,110 87.34639 210,164,860,939.67 87,436.70
90,000.00 — 94,999.99 2,117,062 148,570,172 88.60904 195,678,875,591.61 92,429.45
95,000.00 — 99,999.99 1,836,034 150,406,206 89.70407 178,907,004,914.35 97,442.10
100,000.00 — 104,999.99 1,625,690 152,031,896 90.67365 166,523,614,588.61 102,432.58
105,000.00 — 109,999.99 1,410,799 153,442,695 91.51507 151,582,528,351.71 107,444.45
110,000.00 — 114,999.99 1,251,905 154,694,600 92.26172 140,759,527,453.30 112,436.27
115,000.00 — 119,999.99 1,112,417 155,807,017 92.92518 130,658,936,970.24 117,455.00
120,000.00 — 124,999.99 1,008,410 156,815,427 93.52660 123,445,569,084.30 122,416.05
125,000.00 — 129,999.99 893,730 157,709,157 94.05964 113,899,350,244.55 127,442.68
130,000.00 — 134,999.99 795,949 158,505,106 94.53435 105,394,346,162.49 132,413.44
135,000.00 — 139,999.99 704,467 159,209,573 94.95450 96,825,136,762.18 137,444.53
140,000.00 — 144,999.99 632,559 159,842,132 95.33177 90,103,990,021.70 142,443.61
145,000.00 — 149,999.99 568,126 160,410,258 95.67060 83,773,312,894.63 147,455.52
150,000.00 — 154,999.99 514,078 160,924,336 95.97721 78,345,402,361.02 152,399.83
155,000.00 — 159,999.99 457,177 161,381,513 96.24987 71,980,277,465.39 157,445.10
160,000.00 — 164,999.99 413,863 161,795,376 96.49671 67,227,968,053.70 162,440.15
165,000.00 — 169,999.99 369,549 162,164,925 96.71711 61,877,593,240.22 167,440.84
170,000.00 — 174,999.99 327,834 162,492,759 96.91263 56,534,539,025.14 172,448.68
175,000.00 — 179,999.99 297,171 162,789,930 97.08987 52,729,141,686.28 177,437.04
180,000.00 — 184,999.99 275,711 163,065,641 97.25431 50,292,801,283.59 182,411.30
185,000.00 — 189,999.99 246,893 163,312,534 97.40156 46,281,835,141.84 187,457.06
190,000.00 — 194,999.99 227,017 163,539,551 97.53695 43,688,908,036.57 192,447.74
195,000.00 — 199,999.99 213,964 163,753,515 97.66456 42,253,967,707.90 197,481.67
200,000.00 — 249,999.99 1,422,744 165,176,259 98.51310 315,840,558,223.01 221,993.95
250,000.00 — 299,999.99 770,463 165,946,722 98.97262 210,183,088,243.46 272,801.01
300,000.00 — 349,999.99 465,576 166,412,298 99.25029 150,344,927,027.33 322,922.42
350,000.00 — 399,999.99 301,514 166,713,812 99.43012 112,548,961,845.06 373,279.39
400,000.00 — 449,999.99 207,014 166,920,826 99.55359 87,659,845,451.61 423,448.88
450,000.00 — 499,999.99 145,935 167,066,761 99.64062 69,122,112,993.00 473,650.00
500,000.00 — 999,999.99 446,625 167,513,386 99.90700 296,291,408,374.06 663,400.86
1,000,000.00 — 1,499,999.99 79,292 167,592,678 99.95429 95,099,320,931.96 1,199,355.81
1,500,000.00 — 1,999,999.99 28,756 167,621,434 99.97144 49,367,971,329.43 1,716,788.54
2,000,000.00 — 2,499,999.99 14,321 167,635,755 99.97998 31,866,540,833.10 2,225,161.71
2,500,000.00 — 2,999,999.99 8,173 167,643,928 99.98485 22,303,744,889.78 2,728,954.47
3,000,000.00 — 3,499,999.99 5,302 167,649,230 99.98801 17,132,086,593.98 3,231,249.83
3,500,000.00 — 3,999,999.99 3,634 167,652,864 99.99018 13,569,833,052.39 3,734,131.27
4,000,000.00 — 4,499,999.99 2,719 167,655,583 99.99180 11,502,119,789.27 4,230,275.76
4,500,000.00 — 4,999,999.99 2,024 167,657,607 99.99301 9,581,300,012.15 4,733,843.88
5,000,000.00 — 9,999,999.99 7,861 167,665,468 99.99770 53,257,917,392.30 6,774,954.51
10,000,000.00 — 19,999,999.99 2,684 167,668,152 99.99930 36,478,246,019.07 13,591,000.75
20,000,000.00 — 49,999,999.99 963 167,669,115 99.99987 27,613,022,901.01 28,673,959.40
50,000,000.00 and over 211 167,669,326 100.00000 20,201,257,572.92 95,740,557.22

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Poverty and Wages

Low-Wage Workers:

Poverty and Use of Selected Federal Social Safety Net Programs Persist among Working Families

GAO-17-677: Published: Sep 22, 2017. Publicly Released: Oct 23, 2017.

Multimedia:

Additional Materials:

Contact:

Cindy Brown-Barnes
(202) 512-7215
brownbarnesc@gao.gov

Oliver M. Richard
(202) 512-8424
richardo@gao.gov

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

What GAO Found

According to GAO's analysis of data in the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), on average, low-wage workers worked fewer hours per week, were more highly concentrated in a few industries and occupations, and had lower educational attainment than workers earning hourly wages above $16 in each year GAO reviewed—1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2016. Their percentage of the U.S. workforce also stayed relatively constant over time. About 40 percent of the U.S. workforce ages 25 to 64 earned hourly wages of $16 or less (in constant 2016 dollars) over the period 1995 through 2016. The combination of low wages and few hours worked compounded the income disadvantage of low-wage workers and likely contributed to their potential eligibility for federal social safety net programs.
About 20 percent of families with a worker earning up to the federal minimum wage (currently $7.25 per hour), 13 percent of families with a worker earning above federal minimum wage to $12.00 per hour, and 5 percent of families with a worker earning $12.01 to $16 per hour were in poverty in each year GAO reviewed (see figure).The extent of poverty varied considerably by the type of family in which a worker lived. For example, single-parent families earning the federal minimum wage or below comprised a higher percentage of families in poverty. In contrast, married families with no children comprised the lowest percentage of families in poverty, and generally had family incomes at or above the poverty line.
HL_5-v08-100837
Note: All references to the “federal minimum wage” are based on 110 percent of the hourly federal minimum wage in effect that year or the equivalent hourly calculated wage for salaried workers. Brackets are used to represent margins of error of estimated percentages at a 95 percent confidence level.
Families with a worker earning $16 or less per hour consistently used selected federally funded social safety net programs between 2005 and 2016, with varied factors affecting eligible families' participation. GAO estimated that the percentage of these families enrolled in Medicaid rose significantly over the past 2 decades, almost tripling among families with a worker earning more than the federal minimum wage between 1995 and 2016. In contrast, an estimated 5 percent or less of these families received cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program at least once in the prior calendar year from 1995 through 2016. A low-wage worker's family type also influenced the extent that families used selected social safety net programs. For example, among families with minimum wage earners in 2016, GAO estimated that about half or more married families used none of the programs GAO examined—Medicaid, TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Additional Child Tax Credit—while more than half of single-parent families used three or more. Program officials and others told GAO that eligible working families may not participate in programs for a variety of reasons, including time needed to apply for benefits, low benefit amounts, and assumed ineligibility.

Why GAO Did This Study

According to the Department of Labor, private-sector employers have added millions of jobs to the economy since the end of the most recent recession in 2009; however, many are in low-wage occupations. GAO was asked to examine several characteristics of low-wage workers and their families, including their use of federally funded social safety net programs over time.
This report answers the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics of the low-wage workforce and how have they changed over time? (2) To what extent are families with low-wage workers in poverty? and (3) To what extent do families with low-wage workers participate in selected social safety net programs and what factors affect their participation?
GAO analyzed CPS data from 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2016 on worker characteristics, family poverty, and participation in social safety net programs. GAO defined low-wage workers as those workers ages 25 to 64 earning $16 or less per hour. In addition, GAO interviewed officials with state and local social safety net programs and other experts in four metropolitan areas—Atlanta, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Washington, D.C.—representing a range of local minimum wage levels relative to the federal minimum wage, costs of living, and participation rates in five selected federally funded social safety net programs.
For more information, contact Cindy Brown-Barnes at (202) 512-7215 or brownbarnesc@gao.gov and Oliver Richard at (202) 512-8424 or richardo@gao.gov.

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6ac424f0f049b3f3c999d6bab8febfb288d1dba0c553c0efdf8e29637faacbef.jpg?fbclid=IwAR2eeIatRN-0eC800p-f7lpi9RIM3eFLS-rFywLpVRd0UTKI2iHLh6oNjSQ

Trump takes the wrong approach to the coronavirus

Trump and Pence are approaching this coronavirus in almost the exact same way Eisenhower, the American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical industry approached the polio epidemic, as a money-making opportunity, which Dr. Salk described as “doing everything wrong.”


Polio was only eradicated when Dr. Salk and those working with him finally convinced Eisenhower that it would take a massive public effort from research through getting the vaccine out to the people for free to eradicate polio.


The effort to eradicate polio took massive public health measures including:


Public funding.


Public administration and coordination.

Public research and development for the vaccine.

Public and free distribution of the vaccine.

Dr. Salk pointed out that if left to the free enterprise for profit health care industry it was very unlikely polio would be eradicated...


Unfortunately, many people had to suffer the consequences of polio before Eisenhower came to his senses and established a public health care approach towards eradicating polio.


Dr. Salk was a firm believer and advocate of socialized health care just like Frances Perkins and Floyd Olson were two decades before him.


Had Dr. Salk not brought this discussion into the public square in a way that convinced the American people to act in a way that forced Eisenhower to come to his senses, polio would not have been eradicated here in our country.


The first thing the moron Trump has done wrong with this coronavirus is to place an ass-kissing imbecile advocate of free market for-profit health care Mike Pence in charge of overseeing this grave (pun intended) health concern.


What we are now getting is “the vaccine will be long in coming” because the pharmaceutical industry has to asses the profitability of developing the vaccine and then whatever the market will bear will determine who will be able to afford the vaccine. Once again, profits come before the health and well-being of the people. Isn’t anyone going to have the courage of a Dr. Salk to come forward and challenge Trump in a way that mobilizes the American people to demand a massive public approach to this dangerous health care crisis?


Is there such a total commitment to for-profit health care now in the health care community that no one dares to challenge the utterly stupid approach Trump has taken which has been proven wrong over and over again?


This is going to require a massive public effort.


It was the American Public Heath Association which mobilized health care workers and the American public to seek a massive public approach to solving the polio epidemic... and they had to fight tooth and nail against the private free market for-profit health care industry and the politicians that were being bribed by this industry in order to win their position.


Why isn’t the American Public Health Association (ALPHA) showing the same kind of leadership role today in fighting the coronavirus that it did with the polio epidemic? Do they fear being branded as “socialists?”


The unhealthy political environment in this country today with attacks on everything “public” in defense of the “free market for-profit” approach may leave many sick and dead... do we really have to live through such a “learning experience,” again?


Just like capitalism itself, the health care system it has spun is sick... the result:


Needless human misery and death from a disease that could be treated and prevented if only the efforts wasted on militarism and wars became a public effort.


By the way, China is a socialist country without a socialized health care system which has largely relied on profit-making entrepreneurs to provide health care with an “insurance” scheme... hopefully this coronavirus has brought Chinese leaders to their senses that they need to get rid of this method of providing health care which was pushed on them by capitalist corporations who found socialized health care to be “too great a burden” in developing joint enterprises... see the article in the Wall Street Journal: “Is Socialism Too Great a Burden for Foreign Investment?” in which a publicly owned Chinese auto manufacturing plant was providing workers with free health care.

Do we need paid sick-leave for all workers?

From friend Liane Gale:

What a socially un-caring country this is. "Employees in the service industry especially, like food workers or personal care assistants, are much less likely than their peers in more lucrative fields to have paid time off if they get sick. But they also make less money in general, meaning a lost day of work hurts their families’ budgets more. That gives them a strong motivation to go into work — even if they’re not feeling well.


There is no federal law guaranteeing paid time off for illness, and paid sick leave is comparatively rare for lower-wage workers. Just 63 percent of people working in service occupations have paid sick leave, versus more than 90 percent of people in management positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For people working part-time, just 43 percent can get sick leave from their employer."

The coronavirus makes a good case for America finally guaranteeing paid sick leave.

A "great economy?"

I wonder why Trump has stopped boasting about how well the stock market and 401k’s are doing?

Something to think about... U.S. military spending compared


A thought to ponder as the economy goes to hell...

Here is a thought you may want to ponder:


Even when the economy is in economic recession or depression, the economy remains booming for the rich as they never suffer from poverty.

Capitalist selfishness; can we cure this disease? Working class consciousness is the anti-dote.

Capitalist selfishness permeates our society and even infects the working class. We see this with Obamacare. Some workers praise it because they benefit from it and don’t consider others who are left to fend for themselves.


We saw this same kind of selfishness expressed by the crooked and corrupt millionaire leaders of the Culinary Union in Nevada, lacking all class consciousness, who would deny other workers health care because they are making (and stealing) millions of dollars from managing their union’s health and welfare funds.


The only real health care reform that will benefit all working people just like public education does would be a National Public Health Care System...


Publicly funded.


Publicly administered.


Publicly delivered.


I challenge anyone to refute that this would be the best health care system for the working class.
Free health care for everyone provided through a network of neighborhood and community health care centers... just like public education.


Much better than we have now; and better than this campaign gimmick being pitched by the Bernie Sanders and his Democratic colleagues and middle class Greens being called “Medicare for All” which even if implemented maintains a market-driven for-profit health care system.


Working people need to think this through for themselves and not be so quick to grab onto these campaign gimmicks... that is all they are: gimmicks intended to trick you out of your votes getting nothing in return until you get another worthless promise come the next election.


“Medicare for All” has been used as a campaign gimmick by the Democrats since 1948... used them as a cheap trick to hoodwink workers to vote for Harry “Atom Bomber” Truman instead of the progressive Henry Wallace who had a real plan for full employment with real living wages providing the American people with things required to live a decent life like socialized health care.


And, just like with Harry “Atom Bomber” Truman... we now get this slick talk about health care reform along with the introduction of another round of anti-Communist red-baiting... from the Wall Street Democrats who are no better than Trump... and these Wall Street Democrats still deliver wars along with the Republicans even when they promise peace... another of their campaign gimmicks.

Thoughts about the coronavirus.

What the coronavirus is proving are two things:


1. The failure of the scientific and medical community to work together in cooperation internationally thwarted by the profit-driven free market of those greedy business people seeking to get rich from our suffering; and,


2. The failure of the profit-driven free market health care system manipulated by the millionaire and billionaire monopolists.


China, limited by their reliance on “entrepreneurial” health care, is fortunate that over-all they have a socialist political system in place which has enabled them to respond very quickly to this coronavirus...


Compare the Chinese response to what Trump and Pence have to offer...



“Healthy people have nothing to worry about; they will just go through a process and that will be it.” Trump


In the meantime... one person in a nursing home in the state of Washington has died from this coronavirus while one-hundred other people living in the this nursing home went unprotected and without being tested; most of these people had people coming and going visiting them unaware of the danger they were being subjected to; with some two-hundred nursing home employees coming and going without any testing or protections... all of these visitors and workers out mingling with family, friends, co-workers and the general public... while Trump assures us he is doing everything possible to protect us... ya, sure; you betcha.


All the while the for-profit companies and health care industry will make trillions of dollars in profits.
It’s called capitalism...


Don’t shake hands with anyone and wash your hands often... kind of like suggesting kids should “duck and cover” in case of nuclear war.


Isn’t anyone else sick of this shit already?


Quite frankly, the only real hope we have in fighting this coronavirus seems to be coming from “public enemy Number One,” little socialist Cuba with a fully nationalized scientific and research community and a fully socialized health care system.


And, in spite of what anyone says, from what I see going on with the massive hate campaign against socialist China coming from Trump, all these pathetic Democrats including Bernie Sanders, the media and ilk like Steve Bannon, I am convinced this coronavirus comes from a CIA laboratory and demented Frankenstein-like scientists- monsters- found a way to deliver this virus through injecting it into animals as a way to evade detecting where it originated.



Whether or not this is what happened here is something to think about:


Why are our tax dollars funding these monsters calling themselves “scientists” to work in laboratories creating and concocting these horrendous biological weapons intended to create massive human misery aimed at our “enemies” when they should be working on finding vaccinations and cures for the coronavirus, cancers and heart diseases?


If anyone thinks this coronavirus was not concocted in one of these CIA laboratories; how do you explain the government funding this kind of research while leaving the cures for the coronavirus in the hands of profit-driven Wall Street corporations?


Sheer madness.


If anyone thinks my thinking on this is crazy... how do you describe this government engaged in such barbarity when it comes to planning for such massive death and destruction? Is this not crazy and sheer madness?

Looking forward to meeting with Tulsi Gabbard tomorrow...

I will be discussing some things on my mind with Tulsi Gabbard tomorrow.

Will Trump try to stop the Election?

Will Trump use the nation under threat of the spread of the coronavirus to “suspend” the 2020 Elections?

Mayor Pete has dropped out...

Good riddance!

Let's have some openness conducive to a democratic society.

We have never seen the full “Church Commission” report that included the joint FBI-CIA report known as “The Family Jewels” that remains mostly redacted and highly censored with complete sections blacked-out.


Perhaps if this document was released to the American people in its entirety without censorship the American people would have a better understanding of just how dirty and rotten this government has been in suppressing and repressing democracy since the end of World War II, both at home and abroad.


And let’s have all the FBI’s “COINTELPRO” files fully disclosed.


Why would anyone who believes in democracy continue to support anything other than full and open disclosure?


Why are these CIA biological warfare laboratories still operating if the horrors they create are not being used? We know they were used against Cuba; why wouldn’t they be unused against China?
We know the way anti-Communism and red-baiting were used in the past to pervert U.S. foreign policy... aren’t we going to stand up and question why these ideological poisons are still being used today?


The Democratic Party establishment, using the most vicious and pernicious anti-Communism and red-baiting, is trying to cripple liberal, progressive and left thinking which is critical to having a peaceful foreign policy towards other countries and integral to domestic policies intended to make life better for the working class.


Do we want to go into another long, protracted era of anti-Communist red-baiting and all that that entails from never-ending wars making us all poor to an attack on worker’s rights and livelihoods?