U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

Biden debuts $1 billion meatpacking competition plan

President Joe Biden unveiled plans Monday to allocate $1 billion in federal money to increasing competition in the meatpacking industry.

“Without meaningful competition, farmers and ranchers don’t get to choose who they sell to,” Biden said. “Put another way, our farmers and ranchers have to pay whatever these four big companies say they have to pay.”

The top four companies in the pork, beef and poultry industries control more than half of their markets. Biden said the lack of competition allows those companies to drive up the prices of meat at the grocery store without paying more to farmers.

“This reflects the market being distorted by lack of competition… Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism, it’s exploitation,” Biden said in a livestreamed address.

Biden’s initiative to increase competition has four components, he explained:

- Investing $1 billion in new and expanded meat and poultry processing. The funding will come from the American Rescue Plan and is meant to give farmers more options than “giant processing conglomerates.”

- Strengthening federal rules to protect meat producers. Biden ordered the USDA to rewrite rules in the Packers and Stockyard Act, a 1921 law that regulates meatpackers.

- Enforcing existing competition laws “vigorously,” including launching a new program to make it easier for individuals to report violations of laws that restrict anti-competitive behavior. 

- Making the industry more transparent by requiring additional reporting on meat prices

Congress is also working to address competition in the industry. Iowa lawmakers have led an effort to increase price transparency between packers and producers. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst introduced the bill in the Senate, and all four of Iowa’s representatives introduced it in the House.

.@ChuckGrassley and I have been working across the aisle to return fairness to the cattle marketplace and improve market transparency for Iowa’s hardworking cattle producers.

Our bipartisan effort needs to be part of President Biden’s conversation with farmers today.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle and the White House to pass the legislation to help level the playing field for family farmers,” Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday.

Biden has led several initiatives in the past year to address meatpacking competition.

In July, Biden ordered the Department of Agriculture to write new rules that would give farmers more power in pricing their livestock. He pointed toward meatpacking monopolies as the cause of increased meat prices in the U.S.

“Four large meatpacking companies dominate over 80% of the beef market and, over the last five years, farmers’ share of the price of beef has dropped by more than a quarter — from 51.5% to 37.3% — while the price of beef has risen,” a July White House fact sheet read.

The USDA announced a $500 million grant program to establish new meat-processing facilities or support existing small operations.

The White House announced in September that the USDA would invest $1.4 billion in pandemic assistance to small producers and processes.

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/biden-debuts-1-billion-meatpacking-competition-plan/

[Rick Plant]

Schumer says U.S. Senate to consider changing the filibuster if voting rights stalls

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned on Monday that the Senate is prepared to debate changes in the filibuster if Republicans continue to block the advancement of voting rights legislation.

In a sternly worded letter to other senators, the New York Democrat set a deadline of Jan. 17 for the chamber to consider revising the filibuster rules, which require a 60-vote threshold for legislation to move ahead in the evenly divided Senate.

Jan. 17 is also Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“We must ask ourselves: if the right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, then how can we in good conscience allow for a situation in which the Republican Party can debate and pass voter suppression laws at the State level with only a simple majority vote, but not allow the United States Senate to do the same?” Schumer wrote in the letter.

It’s unlikely that enough Senate Republicans will join Democrats to pass the current versions of voting rights legislation.

Another sticking point for Schumer is that not all Democrats are on board either with reforming or pushing for a carve out of filibuster rules.

With the midterm elections approaching, congressional Democrats have without success pushed for enactment of broad voter rights protections. Since the 2020 presidential election, Republicans at the state level have introduced hundreds of bills that would impose strict voting requirements, in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the presidential election.

Schumer argued that with the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this week, Congress needs to understand that the attack “was a symptom of a broader illness — an effort to delegitimize our election process, and the Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an aberration — they will be the new norm.”

“Given the urgency of the situation and imminence of the votes, we as Senate Democrats must urge the public in a variety of different ways to impress upon their Senators the importance of acting and reforming the Senate rules, if that becomes a perquisite for action to save our democracy,” he said.

Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked debate on a voting rights bill. Only one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, said in November that she would back Senate Democrats in a compromise voting rights measure named after a civil rights icon, the late Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.

In his letter, Schumer did not specify which voting rights bill the Senate aims to pass — Democrats have introduced several.

But Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota has spent the last few months working on a package that has the support of West Virginia’s Sen. Joe Manchin III, a Democrat who has expressed his opposition to changing the Senate’s rules.

The same stance is shared by Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who opposes any type of filibuster reform.

“As she has throughout her time in the U.S. House and Senate, Senator Sinema also continues to support the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, to protect the country from repeated radical reversals in federal policy which would cement uncertainty, deepen divisions, and further erode Americans’ confidence in our government,” her office wrote in a statement, the same one she made in December in response to questions about her position on the filibuster.

The bill backed by Klobuchar, known as the Freedom to Vote Act, has the support of every Senate Democrat, including Sinema.

The legislation would establish Election Day as a national holiday and set minimum standards that each state must have for elections, such as two weeks of early voting and an option for same-day voter registration. Manchin has vowed to get 10 Senate Republicans on board, but so far has not succeeded.

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/01/03/schumer-says-u-s-senate-to-consider-changing-the-filibuster-if-voting-rights-stalls/

[Rick Plant]

President Biden is creating a record number of jobs and the Biden Boom continues.

U.S. added 807,000 private jobs in December, more than twice the number expected

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Private companies in the United States added more than 800,000 jobs during the month of December, an amount more than twice what analysts expected.

ADP and Moody's Analytics said in their monthly report on Wednesday that private employers made about 807,000 hires last month.

Most experts projected the report would show around 380,000 new jobs.

According to the report, larger businesses -- those with more than 500 employees -- made the most hires, about 389,000. Medium-sized businesses made 214,000 and smaller businesses about 204,000.

"December's job market strengthened as the fallout from the Delta [coronavirus] variant faded and Omicron's impact had yet to be seen," Nela Richardson, ADP chief economist, said in a statement.

"Job gains were broad-based, as goods producers added the strongest reading of the year, while service providers dominated growth."

The services sector was responsible for most of the growth, almost 670,000 jobs, particularly in leisure and hospitality. The goods-producing sector added close to 140,000, with manufacturing contributing more than half of that figure.

"December's job growth brought the fourth quarter average to 625,000, surpassing the 514,000 average for the year. While job gains eclipsed 6 million in 2021, private sector payrolls are still nearly 4 million jobs short of pre-COVID-19 levels."

The report from ADP and Moody's came two days before the Labor Department issues its official December jobs report. Most analysts expect that report, which includes the public sector, to show about 400,000 new jobs.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2022/01/05/adp-moodys-private-jobs-report-december/6931641388838/

[Rick Plant]

Thanks President Biden! 

The US economy grew 5.7% throughout last year, the fastest expansion since 1984

It's "Morning in America" all over again.

US gross domestic product grew 5.7% through 2021, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced Thursday morning.

That marks the strongest annual economic growth since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan was hoping for his second term in the White House. The 40th president ran with the now famous "Morning in America" message as he looked to pull the US out of its inflation nightmare and into a new era of economic prosperity.

Similarities abound with the country's present situation. Thursday's GDP print caps a standout year for the US economy. Job growth was the strongest in the country's history, with the US adding 6.4 million jobs. Consumer spending fully recovered and then some. The economy isn't just booming; it's recovering at a pace much faster than in the wake of previous recessions.

Biden isn't seeking reelection for another couple years, but the latest GDP data gives the president another metric to tout as he hits the campaign trail ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

It also places his first-year economic scorecard far above what most economists anticipated. GDP growth through 2021 exceeded forecasts from the Federal Open Market Committee, Congressional Budget Office, and the country's top business economists, according to Jason Furman and Wilson Powell, researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-gdp-growth-best-since-reagan-inflation-economic-recovery-1984-2022-1

[Rick Plant]

The Biden Boom is going strong and even bigger than we thought.

[Rick Plant]

'Get tested' for COVID if you run into potential super spreader Sarah Palin: NYC mayor's spokesman



Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been spotted dining out on the town in Manhattan despite the fact that she recently tested positive for COVID-19 and should be in isolation.

The New York Daily News reports that a spokesman for New York Mayor Eric Adams has now put out an advisory warning New Yorkers about the danger of coming in contact with Palin.

"We encourage any New Yorker who came into contact with Sarah Palin to get tested, just as we encourage all New Yorkers to get tested regularly, especially those who believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19,” Adams spokesman Jonah Allon said.

The Daily News notes that Palin, who has steadfastly refused to get vaccinated, was spotted on Wednesday at an Upper East Side Italian eatery just days after she revealed her infection.

Luca Guaitolini, the manager of the restaurant, tells the Daily News that Palin's visit was "unfortunate" but that "we’ve moved on" from talking about it.

https://www.rawstory.com/sarah-palin-2656496893/

[Richard Smith]

Thanks President Biden! 

The US economy grew 5.7% throughout last year, the fastest expansion since 1984

It's "Morning in America" all over again.

US gross domestic product grew 5.7% through 2021, the Bureau of Economic Analysis announced Thursday morning.

That marks the strongest annual economic growth since 1984, when President Ronald Reagan was hoping for his second term in the White House. The 40th president ran with the now famous "Morning in America" message as he looked to pull the US out of its inflation nightmare and into a new era of economic prosperity.

Similarities abound with the country's present situation. Thursday's GDP print caps a standout year for the US economy. Job growth was the strongest in the country's history, with the US adding 6.4 million jobs. Consumer spending fully recovered and then some. The economy isn't just booming; it's recovering at a pace much faster than in the wake of previous recessions.

Biden isn't seeking reelection for another couple years, but the latest GDP data gives the president another metric to tout as he hits the campaign trail ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

It also places his first-year economic scorecard far above what most economists anticipated. GDP growth through 2021 exceeded forecasts from the Federal Open Market Committee, Congressional Budget Office, and the country's top business economists, according to Jason Furman and Wilson Powell, researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-gdp-growth-best-since-reagan-inflation-economic-recovery-1984-2022-1

This propaganda reminds me of Bagdad Bob and his proclamations of victory during the Iraq war.  Biden's polls numbers have cratered to Watergate-like numbers.  Even the leftist media has conceded that he is a disaster.  The Dems closed the country down in 2020 bringing it to ruin.  When it is reopened (ironically with even more virus cases than when this started - thanks Joe!) and the people go back to work, they proclaim economic success.  HA HA HA.  It's a miracle!  You can't make that up.  Imagine the economy improving after being closed down for a pandemic?   Amazing Joe!  Another record to add to inflation, crime, illegal immigration, and possibly WWIII due to his blundering.   As Cool Hand Luke said, "Wish you'd stop being so good to me Captain."