The LuLac Edition #3664, December 7th, 2017

JERUSALEM AND THE PRESIDENT

Anyone who has read LuLac and my Facebook postings knows I am a hawk on Israel. I believe and always did that Israel is in constant peril for survival as a nation. Ever since the 1967 war, this country has had to fight to remain strong. The fact that President Trump kept his campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as the Capitol city gave me mixed feelings. It is something that in the past I would have celebrated. But times are way different now. And I think that this recognition can only destabilize a region that every few years blows up.
It will serve the extremists groups to act violently. Even Egypt and Turkey have weighed in against it saying that there will be no good percentage in this. Great Britain has also said it would do no favors for anyone either in this region.
A very good friend of mine said that a shared capitol keeps the peace. He even suggested that perhaps the UN can be headquartered there.
The main concern I have is that the proclamation, decree, if you will was made by a President with an administration that does not yet have a diplomatic or state department fully geared to deal with the ramifications. 
Plus the great negotiator, by doing this has taken away one of the biggest chips we had in peace. By declaring this, there is nothing to essentially talk about, live up to or even work toward.  
Plus, once you start messing with religious sites, you get war.
This big deal designation needs planning and execution. It has been proven that this President and his team will not be able to handle the geo politics of this.

TIME FOR FRANKEN TO GO

Senator Al Franken (Photo: CNN)

If the Democrats are going to have any credibility whatsoever in the debate about Sexual assault, Al Franken has to go. As a member of the Liberal wing of the party, Franken has made a lot of sense in calling out the shortcomings of the new REPUBLICAN party that is out to screw the Middle Class.
But by him staying, it fortifies the belief that Democrats look the other way with this issue.
It is not just one woman, but a few. Seven! Time for Al to go and land a gig on MSNBC.
But if he stays…..it will hurt the Democrats as they shudder at the specter of Roy Moore.

CONYERS GOES….BUT RELATIVE WANTS TO TAKE OVER 

 John Conyers III (CNN)

Long serving John Conyers said he was retiring from his seat in Congress. He did the Fred Sanford “I’m coming to join you Elizabeth” deal by getting himself hospitalized for stress before he departed.
The man has had a great Legislative career and got caught up in this recent spate of bad behavior of which he was a participant. The excuse of a closet in the office doesn’t hold water. The guy could have afforded a partition. But I digress.
Now word comes that his son wants to ascend to the seat. As a matter of fact Conyers endorsed him. Again folks, this is THE POLITICAL CLASS at its best. It has been in the family so long, let’s keept there.
This may or may not work because Sonny has issues of his own. Conyers IIII was arrested earlier this year for allegedly brandishing a knife and “body slamming” his girlfriend — but was never prosecuted for the melee, a report said on Wednesday.
The domestic incident took place on Feb. 15 in Los Angeles when the unnamed girlfriend said Conyers III attacked her, then tried to prevent her from calling the police, according to documents obtained by NBC News.
Inquiring mind want to know if little Conyers was in his underwear when he was body slamming his girl.
The POLITICAL CLASS ladies and gentlemen, ENTITLED because we let them be! 

ALAN HOWE MEETING ON MONDAY 

PEARL HARBOR @ 76

It was 76 years ago today that the attack on the United States took place. It was a Sunday morning and by day's end we were at war with Japan. Here's a recap and a look back.

THE GOP TAX BILL — AN ASSAULT ON ECONOMIC EQUALITY AND DEMOCRACY

Our Friends at the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center weighed in on the REPUBLICAN tax cut plan. It is a lengthy summary prepared by Mark Stier, but it is required reading for people concerned about who will pay for this.
Budgets, it is frequently said, are an embodiment of our moral ideals and commitments. If so, the tax plan adopted by the Senate on Friday represents an extreme moral failure on the part of the senators from the Republican Party who voted for it. At a time when incomes are becoming ever more unequal, the Republican tax plan will ultimately make the rich richer and the poor and middle class poorer. Not only will working people and the middle class suffer, but so will our whole country.
And not only that: one has to wonder what kind of democracy America has, when our government acts in such utter disregard of a majority of the country and the common good.
Many of the features of this bill that work to help the rich and harm everyone else are now well known. So let’s quickly review them with links to the hard evidence that supports our claims.
To begin with, there are all the ways the tax cuts benefit the wealthy and upper middle class while doing little in the first few years to reduce taxes for the poor. And ultimately, by 2027, the bill actually increases taxes on working people and the middle class.
•The benefits of the tax cuts flow largely to the rich. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the official scorekeeper of Congress, under the Senate bill only 15.9% of all households will see a tax cut as a result of this law in 2027. Households with income at or below $75,000—which make up a bit more than 65% of all households—will, on average, see their taxes go up. But in that same year, 60.1% of households with incomes above $1 million will get a tax cut. All told, 87 million Americans will see their taxes go up as a result of this bill.
•The rich do so well, in part, because they own the American corporations that receive a deep cut in their tax rate even though they currently pay no more than corporations in other countries because of corporate tax loopholes. (Foreign owners of these corporations will receive about 35% of corporate tax cuts, too.) And yet those loopholes are expanded under the bill. Multi-national corporations are the biggest beneficiaries. Corporations that currently have huge overseas profits will be allowed to pay only a portion of what they owe. The bill also creates a new loophole that will lead to even larger corporate tax avoidance while encouraging corporations to move jobs overseas. These corporate tax cuts will cost the American treasury $1.35 trillion.
•The wealthy also benefit because, under the guise of helping small businesses, the bill gives deep cuts to pass-through businesses, such as S-corporations, limited liability corporations, and partnerships. About 60% of the tax cuts to pass-through businesses — benefit goes to the top 1% who own large businesses, hedge funds, the wealthiest professional partnerships, and real estate companies. The bottom 60% of households, with incomes less than $93,000, will receive only 2% of the benefit in 2027. This tax cut costs the treasury $362 billion. And it opens up new possibilities for tax avoidance by unfairly allowing people to lower their taxes if they are paid as independent contractors instead of employees.
•Heirs and heiresses in the top 1% benefit by a doubling of the estate tax exemption to $11 million.
•Wealthy and upper middle-class people who send their kids to private school will benefit from a new provision that allows them to use money put aside in a 529 account, which is allowed to grow tax free, to pay for private K-12 education as well as higher education.
•And then there is the impact of the new inflation measure called the chained consumer price index, which will replace the more familiar consumer price index in adjusting various tax provisions. Because chained CPI tends to show lower rates of inflation than the usual CPI, low-income Americans will be hurt immediately because the Earned Income Tax Credit, which helps working Americans, will grow more slowly. And eventually, chained CPI will increase taxes for all but the very rich because chained CPI will show lower estimates of the extent to which inflation increases the standard deduction and pushes us into higher tax brackets. Those adjustments will take place more slowly and our taxes will go up more quickly compared to what would happen with the conventional measure of inflation. Of course, the value of these adjustments are far less to the top 1% given how small a share of their income is affected by the standard deduction and how large a share of their income is already in the top tax bracket.
Then there are all the other provisions — both tax and non-tax — that will undermine government support for working people and the middle class.
•About 13 million Americans — 500,000 in Pennsylvania — will no longer have health insurance through Medicaid, the individual market or their employer as a result of a repeal of the individual mandate according to analyses based on a Congressional Budget Office report. That will lead to 1,000 to 2,000 premature deaths in our state alone. By 2027, most Pennsylvanians who purchase insurance on the individual market will see their insurance premiums go up more than their taxes are cut.
•Federal spending on Medicare will be cut by $25 billion next year and $400 billion over ten years according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) because of the impact of the PAYGO provisions already in federal law, which require mandatory cuts when deficits increase. The same law will lead to mandatory reductions in the Social Services Block Grant program and student loans.
•People who suffer from chronic and debilitating medical conditions or disabilities that are very expensive to treat will suffer because the legislation eventually eliminates the provision that allows people to deduct medical expenses that are more than 10% of adjusted gross income. (The threshold amount temporarily drops to 7.5% for two years and then the provision is eliminated entirely.)
• An increase in the child care tax credit (CTC) in the tax law is heavily touted by Republicans. Families with higher incomes than in the past will benefit from the program. Yet because it limits how much of the tax credit is refundable to those who owe payroll taxes but not income taxes, the full benefits of the program will not be available to 26 million children in very low-income families nation-wide, including 1.4 million in Pennsylvania. In addition, the Senate tax bill denies children of immigrants, including those who are American citizens, benefits under both the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
•Access to higher education for those who are not wealthy will be undermined because of new taxes on the university endowments that provide scholarships for low-income students and also because the free tuition and other benefits now given to graduate students will be taxed under the bill.
•Another provision of the tax law will undermine the ability of the states to fund education and human services. Most pre-K, K-12, and higher education spending; about half of Medicaid spending for senior care and health care for those with low incomes; and a great deal of the human services provided to those who are disabled or suffer from problems like opioid addiction comes from state and local governments not the federal government. The Senate tax bill, however, will no longer allow taxpayers to deduct state and local income and / or sales taxes from their federal taxes and will limit property tax deductions as well. The result will be that states with high levels of state and local taxation, and even states like Pennsylvania with moderate tax levels, will feel pressure to cut taxes. And raising taxes for education, health care, human services, and infrastructure improvements will become far more difficult.
And then there is the deficit and the consequences of it for not just our economy but the future of of public life.
Republican senators such as Marco Rubio and Pennsylvania’s Pat Toomey already admit what those of us who follow their strategy already know: the additional $1 to $1.5 billion in deficits created by this legislation will soon lead Republicans to again propose deep cuts to Medicaid as well as bring back the cuts to Medicare and Social Security they have proposed in the past. In the middle of the debate Senator Orrin Hatch said that it is difficult to continue the CHIP program because “we don’t have money anymore.” A reduction of Medicare by $500 billion and Medicaid by $1 trillion is already allowed under the budget resolution passed this year. And we know that their strategy has long been to cut taxes and create deficits in order to justify deep reduction to the programs that help working people and the middle class. There is no mystery about why this is their goal. On the one hand, they simply do not believe that the rich owners of American business — as the prime beneficiaries of not only good fortune but of our history of public investments in research and development, infrastructure, and education — have a responsibility to ensure that the benefits of our prosperity are broadly shared. Nor do they recognize or care that equality of opportunity — the basic notion that every child deserves the same opportunity to make the best use of his or her talents and abilities and that the community benefits when this happens — as well as political equality is undermined when economic inequality becomes too severe.
These lawmakers attempt to defend their policies by saying that everyone will benefit from the economic growth created by tax cuts. But this claim is a sham in two different ways.
First, reputable economic analysts, including the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) staff, conclude that the Republicans are far overstating the economic benefit of tax cuts.According to the JCT, the $1.4 billion increase in deficits over ten years will only be reduced by about $400 million of additional economic growth.
This conclusion should come as no surprise. The American economy continues to grow as the effects of the Great Recession move into the past. While additional investment might lead to faster growth, there is little reason to think that tax cuts for businesses will spur a great deal of new investment. Business profits are near record highs, as are corporate savings, while interest rates are near record lows, which means that businesses have little trouble finding funds to make additional investments.
And even if one does believe that we need to spur investment, the real barrier to additional business investment is not access to money to invest but slow growth in consumer demand. Even very large tax cuts for the richest Americans are not likely to increase consumer demand as the rich are likely to save much of their additional income. If we want to spur investment we should be increasing wages for people who will spend their additional earnings by increasing the minimum wage, restoring the Obama overtime rules, and creating new jobs by investing in infrastructure and education.
So we come back to where we started: the dispute about the Senate GOP tax bill is fundamentally not about different economic theories but about our morality, about whether we believe the benefits of our economy — that is, of the work we all do — should be broadly shared among the American people or whether it should be concentrated in the hands of the owners of corporations and other large businesses.
Thinking about that question raises an even deeper one: should Senate approval of this bill lead us to wonder whether our democracy itself is at risk? How could legislation that is so heavily weighted towards the top 1% of households and is so harmful to 60% to 70% of American families even get a hearing, let alone a majority in a democratically elected Congress?
The most plausible answer is disturbing. It appears that our democracy is being distorted by many factors that give the rich too much sway over public policy — from the Citizens United decision that allows them to make unlimited political contributions, to laws that suppress the vote of those with low incomes to the gerrymandering of political districts to favor Republicans. And of course, the very inequality that has been growing so rapidly in the last forty years gives the very rich a greater capacity to skew our politics to serve them.
The consequences of a political system that is tilted to the corporate elite is seen in this tax bill, which should shock the conscience of anyone who believes in caring for those who need a hand, in equality of opportunity, and in democracy.

CARTWRIGHT LEADS DISCUSSION ON CREATING JOBS THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT WITH PENNSYLVANIA EXPERT

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

This week, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright, a co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus Rebuilding America Task Force, led a discussion with Members of Congress and experts on how infrastructure investments would dramatically benefit working men and women by injecting trillions into our economy and putting hard-working Americans to work.
As part of the House Democratic Caucus Jobs for America effort, the Rebuilding America Task Force discussed how investment by the federal government could improve American cities and create jobs for middle-class families.
Rep. Cartwright invited the Lackawanna County Department of Planning and Economic Development Director, George W. Kelly, to provide expert testimony at the forum.
“Not only would investments in infrastructure repair aging bridges and roads, but it would also spur economic development and reinvigorate our communities. One of the best ways to create jobs in Pennsylvania is through infrastructure investment,” said Rep. Cartwright. “I thank Mr. Kelly for sharing his insight on this issue.”
“Investing in our infrastructure is investing in our future,” said Mr. Kelly. “We need to explore ways to drive the reshoring of lost jobs and to provide pathways to prosperity for our work force. These investments are crucial as we all come together to prepare, educate, and partner to create and retain family sustaining jobs across America.”
As towns across America continue to grow, it puts a strain on our infrastructure system. In order to continue serving the American people sufficiently, these structures must be up to date and properly functioning. Investments in these projects would mean more jobs and skill development for hard-working Americans. The five Democratic Caucus Jobs for America Task Forces will create opportunities for growth, boost hardworking families, and give every worker the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
“Investing in our nation’s infrastructure is a win for everyone. Our roads, bridges, schools, and hospitals get a much-needed update to better serve all Americans, while investments create jobs for millions,” said Chairman of the Democratic Caucus Joe Crowley. “I look forward to hearing from Rep. Cartwright on creating jobs and infrastructure projects.”
“With nearly 100,000 bridges in our country old enough to qualify for Medicare and Social Security, there is no doubt that America’s infrastructure is in need of serious TLC,” said Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Linda Sánchez. “The Rebuilding America Task Force, led by Rep. Cartwright, is focused on investing in jobs and our future by developing innovative ways to modernize our nation’s infrastructure. By investing in a robust infrastructure, we will ensure that our country and our workers will be able to compete in the global marketplace.”
For more information on the Jobs for America Task Forces, please visit www.dems.gov/jobsforamerica.

MEDIA MATTERS

WALN TV

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

Tune in Sunday morning at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400-The Game, NEPA's Fox .Sports Radio and 106.7 fm; and at 7:30 on 105 The River.

ECTV LIVE

One of the most unique Christmas displays in northeastern Pennsylvania will be highlighted on ECTV Live during the week of December 11th! Joe Spinelli of Newfoundland, Pa. joins ECTV
Live hosts Rusty Fender, David DeCosmo. and program Director Mark Migilore to discuss his display of antique Department store window animated figures which will open to the public next week through December 29th.

Spinelli has recovered and restored a large collection of the Christmas figures and sets them out for the public each Christmas free of charge. Donations for area charities are accepted.
ECTV Live can be seen on Comcast channel 19 (61 in some areas) and is aired during the Noon, 6pm and Midnight hours each day of the week. Following Monday's Live program the show will become available on Electric City Television's YouTube channel which can be viewed on your computer.

SUE HENRY’S SPECIAL EDITION

Tune in to Sue Henry's "Special Edition" this week as Sue recaps the week's news. The show will run Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. on WILK, and on KRZ, Froggy and Max 102 early Sunday morning.

BUDDY RUMCHEK

Want to hear some great parodies on the news? Tune in to WILK Radio at 6:40 and 8:40 AM on Mondays. As Ralph Cramden used to say, “It’s a laugh riot!”

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SOCK HOP

SUNDAY NIGHTS!

1977

Our 1977 logo

Jean-Bédel Bokassa, president of the Central African Republic, crowns himself Emperor.Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 passengers and crew on board......after losing 26 games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the US National Football League record their very first win; against the New Orleans Saints.........a chartered Douglas DC-3 aircraft carrying the University of Evansville basketball team to Nashville, Tennessee, crashes in rain and dense fog about 90 seconds after takeoff from Evansville Regional Airport; 29 people die in the crash, including 14 members of the team and head coach Bob Watson……in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia readies for the Mummers Parade……in Luzerne County speculation runs rampant as to whether Mayor Walter Lisman was going to go for second term and forty years ago this week the number one song in LuLac land and America was  “Sentimental Lady” by Bob Welch.