@snoopydawg

Working class under attack in D.C. and Baltimore

Working class residents in both Washington and Baltimore have been caught in the throes of the carnage wreaked by wealthy developers, including slumlords operating with little accountability. In both cities, tenants and organizers have been fighting back through grassroots organizing campaigns that have exposed the practices of elected officials and developers working together closely to oversee the displacement of working-class people and the rapid gentrification of both cities.

Brookland Manor, a 535-unit affordable housing complex in Ward 5 of Northeast Washington, has some of the few remaining affordable family-sized apartments left in the city, including three-, four- and five-bedroom units. It is also the site of a $600 million proposed luxury redevelopment project pushed by developer MidCity Financial. The project will reduce overall affordability in the historically black working-class neighborhood, and eliminate almost all of the multi-bedroom size units. The plan? To replace 535 units of affordable housing with over 1,750 luxury apartments; tripling density on 20 acres of land.

Meanwhile tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs after companies promised Trump that if he cut their taxes they would give people raises, but instead they are closing their companies and laying people off. So people are not only unable to find places to live they are also having to look for jobs in the decreasing job market.

$7 trillion for wars in less than 20 years on top of the pentagon not knowing how they can't account for the missing $21 trillion. We must find a way to stop congress from destroying our country. I just wish I knew how. Massive work stoppages and boycotting the companies that receiving huge subsidies even though they have offshored their companies. Like Facebook, Google and Apple that are moving to Israel after laying off Americans, but still receiving subsidies. This is just robbery IMO..

#2.3.1.1.1

while the American people are suffering because the amount of money spent on war are our sanctions. I'm working on an essay on how bad things are for so many people here whilst congress just passed another obscene military budget that was increased more than Trump asked for? Why? For our upcoming war with Russia or China or...

Here's a good article about how the sanctions on Venezuela are hurting Americans.

How the Coup in Venezuela and the US Housing Crisis are Inextricably Connected

The United States economy is organized such that all commodities, including both weapons and housing, drive the lion’s share of profits upward, into the pockets of a wealthy elite class, at the expense of the masses of working people who generate those profits through their labor power. The functioning of this system in the interest of a tiny few at the expense of the many is made equally apparent by the orchestration of war against Venezuela by the U.S. ruling class and the orchestration of a massive housing crisis within U.S. borders by wealthy developers.

Meanwhile, in the cities of Washington and Baltimore, a small minority of wealthy developers are the controlling force in making housing policy — a function carried out with the assistance of banks and political administrators like Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, whose office released a press statement earlier this year titled, “Bowser Makes Historic $138 Million Investment in Affordable Housing.” However, the reality on the ground is thousands of homeless families and children — with 19 percent of the total D.C. population living in poverty, while the city boasts a $14.5 billion budget, with $2.4 billion in reserve. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, approximately 7,000 families get evicted yearly for nonpayment of rent.

Clearly, problems like the affordable housing crisis or underfunding of schools and hospitals could be alleviated if our country prioritized the needs of the masses of working people over the needs of weapons manufacturers and oil barons. To make clear the contradiction between the United States’ stated values and actions, let’s consider the function of the U.S. economy and U.S. foreign policy, whom these policies are intended to benefit, and whom these policies leave out of the picture.

What does the war economy have to do with the housing crisis?

The war economy is the last stage of a capitalist empire. It is when the rich resort to using war to violently force open new markets so they can invest the surplus value (profit) they’ve accumulated to continue making new profits. The U.S. military serves as a battering ram for U.S. corporations seeking to exploit a foreign country such as Venezuela or Iran. Non-military industries like the U.S. oil industry, banking, fast-food, soda, car manufacturing, or technology industries have historically leaned heavily on the U.S. military’s ability to overthrow governments and install puppet leaders who create a favorable environment for investment and profit making.

Despite worker productivity reaching historic highs, wages remain stagnant. Coinciding with massive increases in living costs, particularly the cost of rent, the war economy has displaced over 20,000 people, primarily native Washingtonians right here in Washington, D.C. No amount of tweeting will convince working-class people that the war economy, under both Obama and Trump, hasn’t failed them.

Trump's budget for domestic stuff cuts $1.5 trillion in 10 years from our social programs including social security and Medicare. Gee...wasn't that amount how much the tax cuts added to the deficit?

HUD housing is a f'cking joke. It's already underfunded and people have to wait 2-8 on lists to get apartments or section 8 vouchers. You should see what the apartments and houses for it look like.

But of course there is always enough money for our special interests wars!

Would it even phase Americans to listen to the Israeli political and military leaders discussing how they intend to goad America into sending their sons and daughters to die for Israel's benefit?

I would like to think that if we could sit in on the war planning meetings that yes it would make people think about sending their families to war. I just don't understand why people don't see already that the military is not fighting for our country, but for big oil and the defense companies profits! But on my local news site in the articles that talk about Iran people are all for a war. They parrot the propaganda that Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism and that they hate America. As Caitlin says, "those that control the narrative..." this is why we are constantly bombarded with propaganda. It works.

@snoopydawg

Security are mostly 'bait & switch.' By that, I mean that they are intentionally misleading, at least to the approximately 95% (or so) seniors who receive one, or both, of our primary so-called entitlements--'Old Age and Survivors' Social Security (OASI) and Medicare.

Obviously, this was/is no accident.

Consider, while Cohn and Heitkamp are actually 'schooling' Harvard students on making proposals (to present to Congress to slash these benefits), print media is splashing headlines/banners that scream of massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare--with no explanation, or clarification, as to what is meant.

(IOW, what part of the programs the cuts pertain to, or, if they result in diminished benefits to seniors.)

Of course, in spite of Dems like Budget Chair John Yarmuth voicing the hope that there can be a 'bipartisan' agreement to cut these programs (I've already posted the video at EB), Dems pretend (to believe) that these budget proposals--not backed up by legislation, that I know of--would actually take away most seniors benefits.

Not so.

Politifact

The proposed Medicare savings would have meant little to no change for beneficiaries, according to Paul Van de Water, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Trump's budget would have reduced reimbursement rates for services, lowering the overall cost. The lower rates would not have changed the care received by people on Medicare, he said. Rather, it would force providers to charge the government less for services.

"The Medicare cuts were for the most part reductions to payments to providers, and that latter category is something members of Congress from both parties have been working on for decades," Van de Water said. "The reason the U.S. spends more on health care is that we end up paying much more to providers than other countries."

The same idea was included in Obamacare. The law included lower reimbursement rates for providers — something Republicans criticized as a cut at the time.

Here's the exception, that I saw, which applies to "medical residents."

But some of the projected savings will be spent elsewhere outside the program, Goldwein said.

"For example, Medicare currently pays medical residents in the United States – not just those who serve the elderly, but all residents," Goldwein said. "The president’s budget would instead create a new program to pay those residents outside of Medicare."

Also, regarding OASI (regular Social Security) -

As for Social Security, experts agreed that Trump’s budget would cut the program by about $25 billion, or less than one-fifth of 1 percent. The savings would come from several proposals, the largest of which would cut retroactive disability benefits from 12 to six months.

From everything that I've read, the 'cuts' to this program are from SSDI and SSI--not, OASI.

Also, this is a budget--not legislation.

Having said that, I absolutely don't agree that there should be ANY CUTS to Medicaid--which would be cut drastically is legislated, SSDI--which should be bolstered, and, certainly, I don't support any cuts to SSI, which goes to help the most vulnerable and low income folks.

But, in order for the Dem Party Base to not be duped, they need to know exactly what's going on. And, if you listen to Dem lawmakers, alone, you won't have a clue. Which is why I always try to go to the think tanks, less partisan sources, etc.--to interpret budget proposals, proposed bills, etc.

Both parties demagogue the issues.

Which is 'why' Dems almost got a "Grand Bargain" through--with probably 90-95% of their Base, totally unaware. I'm 'guessing,' to this day.

(Excluding folks, here, of course! )

I'm probably going to post a link to some of this material in one of my sig lines, 'cause I'd prefer to move on from commenting on 'entitlements.' Still, I'm quite concerned that there's a truckload of mis- and disinformation out there.

After all, "knowledge, is power." (as they say)

Happy Weekend!

Mollie

“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made. ”
~~Roger Caras

#2.3.1.1.1

while the American people are suffering because the amount of money spent on war are our sanctions. I'm working on an essay on how bad things are for so many people here whilst congress just passed another obscene military budget that was increased more than Trump asked for? Why? For our upcoming war with Russia or China or...

Here's a good article about how the sanctions on Venezuela are hurting Americans.

How the Coup in Venezuela and the US Housing Crisis are Inextricably Connected

The United States economy is organized such that all commodities, including both weapons and housing, drive the lion’s share of profits upward, into the pockets of a wealthy elite class, at the expense of the masses of working people who generate those profits through their labor power. The functioning of this system in the interest of a tiny few at the expense of the many is made equally apparent by the orchestration of war against Venezuela by the U.S. ruling class and the orchestration of a massive housing crisis within U.S. borders by wealthy developers.

Meanwhile, in the cities of Washington and Baltimore, a small minority of wealthy developers are the controlling force in making housing policy — a function carried out with the assistance of banks and political administrators like Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, whose office released a press statement earlier this year titled, “Bowser Makes Historic $138 Million Investment in Affordable Housing.” However, the reality on the ground is thousands of homeless families and children — with 19 percent of the total D.C. population living in poverty, while the city boasts a $14.5 billion budget, with $2.4 billion in reserve. Meanwhile, in Baltimore, approximately 7,000 families get evicted yearly for nonpayment of rent.

Clearly, problems like the affordable housing crisis or underfunding of schools and hospitals could be alleviated if our country prioritized the needs of the masses of working people over the needs of weapons manufacturers and oil barons. To make clear the contradiction between the United States’ stated values and actions, let’s consider the function of the U.S. economy and U.S. foreign policy, whom these policies are intended to benefit, and whom these policies leave out of the picture.

What does the war economy have to do with the housing crisis?

The war economy is the last stage of a capitalist empire. It is when the rich resort to using war to violently force open new markets so they can invest the surplus value (profit) they’ve accumulated to continue making new profits. The U.S. military serves as a battering ram for U.S. corporations seeking to exploit a foreign country such as Venezuela or Iran. Non-military industries like the U.S. oil industry, banking, fast-food, soda, car manufacturing, or technology industries have historically leaned heavily on the U.S. military’s ability to overthrow governments and install puppet leaders who create a favorable environment for investment and profit making.

Despite worker productivity reaching historic highs, wages remain stagnant. Coinciding with massive increases in living costs, particularly the cost of rent, the war economy has displaced over 20,000 people, primarily native Washingtonians right here in Washington, D.C. No amount of tweeting will convince working-class people that the war economy, under both Obama and Trump, hasn’t failed them.

Trump's budget for domestic stuff cuts $1.5 trillion in 10 years from our social programs including social security and Medicare. Gee...wasn't that amount how much the tax cuts added to the deficit?

HUD housing is a f'cking joke. It's already underfunded and people have to wait 2-8 on lists to get apartments or section 8 vouchers. You should see what the apartments and houses for it look like.

But of course there is always enough money for our special interests wars!

Would it even phase Americans to listen to the Israeli political and military leaders discussing how they intend to goad America into sending their sons and daughters to die for Israel's benefit?

I would like to think that if we could sit in on the war planning meetings that yes it would make people think about sending their families to war. I just don't understand why people don't see already that the military is not fighting for our country, but for big oil and the defense companies profits! But on my local news site in the articles that talk about Iran people are all for a war. They parrot the propaganda that Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism and that they hate America. As Caitlin says, "those that control the narrative..." this is why we are constantly bombarded with propaganda. It works.

@dfarrah

Ben Carson Wants To Evict Families With Undocumented Immigrants From Public Housing

#2.3.1.2.1 turns out.

I wasn't celebrating Trump as a peacemaker; only that I thought his decision was sound. After all, who do you think presented the attack action to Trump amongst different choices? (or another way to look at it, Trump really pulled the chair out from under Bolton, now, didn't he?)

My job depends largely on HUD funding; Carson was celebrating some of the housing programs the other day (but I don't recall the details). So, after 2 years of hysteria on the dem side, I'm not sweating Carson at the moment.

Also, I wouldn't take a person's history as the be all and end all in predicting what they will do. After all, Kavanaugh has already sided with (and written) court decisions that could not have been read from his history, and Jack Kemp was assigned to wreck HUD until he realized how intractable the housing issues were.

But, DeVos certainly seems true to her faith in school choice.

So, you never really know.

@snoopydawg just need to get a grip.

I am sick of feelings. I am sick of people freaking out over just about everything. I am sick of the way people use their feelings to manipulate and control others.

Things done by our government, including Trump, are extremely upsetting to me, too, and I hate, hate, hate economic sanctions of any type.

But I can still give credit where it is due.

#3.1.1.1.3

Just because you believe that Trump isn't going to get us into a war with Iran shouldn't allow you to dismiss what others feel or think.

Civilian casualties have increased by a lot since he became president because he relaxed the rules of engagement. Have you seen the picture of some Syrian cities where the military dropped bombs on it?

Besides we wouldn't be worrying about war with Iran if he had kept the deal intact and relaxed the sanctions he has put on them. Sanctions aren't allowed to be put on food or medicine, but because he's refusing to let them sell their oil and the restrictions he's put on the banks it's happening. People are dying because of this. And 40,000 Venezuelan people have died from their sanctions.

Trump is not wearing a white hat here. He's no different than Obama or Bush or Clinton and people are hurting because of his actions.