The six most powerful Senators in America.

[vtsnowedin]

Well with Louisiana going to the GOP it looks like the US senate will be split 54 GOP to to 46 Dems. and independents. A nice gain for the GOP but not enough for the 60 votes needed to override a presidential veto. To get anything done the GOP needs to get six votes from the other side. You have to wonder if there are six Democratic senators that realize the power they now have? To get their votes the GOP will have to give them much more then they gave any of their own members during negotiations. Can we say PORK and Ear Marks in the extreme? These six if they form a group and work together can place their stamp on ALL of the legislation that passes over the next two years. They have limits of course. They can't push through a provision that is so liberal one of the GOP switches their vote but the GOP needs to get things done so might yield quite a bit of the middle ground to get things passed.
I'll bet the GOP leadership is sending out feelers right now looking for volunteers for this gang of six. Don't be late for the party, once they have the six a seventh vote is worthless.

[emordnilap]

Both 'sides' pursue the same agenda, with only a surface veneer of difference.

[kenneal - lagger]

Unfortunately for us we are now living in a corporatist society where the corporations own nearly all the politicians and the corporations get all they want to the exclusion of us. The bosses take all the profits and the shareholders, which might include a few of us, pick up the scraps that are left. They are now too big to fail so we, the taxpayer and that doesn't include the corporations because they don't pay tax, pick up the pieces when they make a cock up.

[emordnilap]

Democrats often vote with Republicans. Nothing new to see here. Examples abound, from promoting and supporting the coal industry, to advocating oil exploration to voting down a minimum wage hike. 99% bastards, just like this side of the Atlantic.

[vtsnowedin]

Both 'sides' pursue the same agenda, with only a surface veneer of difference.

As both sides court the undecided voter in the middle that "thin veneer of difference" can make all the difference in the world. The liberal theory that every problem is best solved by a government program paid for with an unknown amount of future taxes paid by somebody other then themselves is quite different then the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. The conservatives do become quite liberal when it is time to build the road and infrastructure to their place of business.

[kenneal - lagger]

.....the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. .....

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. At the moment the greedy bastards at the top are keeping most of it for themselves. The only option then if for the government to tax it back from TGBs and redistribute it. If that is inefficient the greedy bastards have the option of paying people a living wage in the first place and reducing their taxation that way.

If they arrange their business affairs such that the company doesn't pay any tax the tax will have to come direct from their pockets. People who are doing the work have an entitlement to a living wage just as much as or even more than a business owner has an entitlement to a return on his capital. Most businesses these days are about arranging the use of cheap fossil fuel to power an industry efficiently. The human input is fairly negligible unless it is in the form of intellectual input. It should be possible to pay everyone a living wage on that basis.

[emordnilap]

that "thin veneer of difference" can make all the difference in the world.

Well, we all know how successful that's been.

[Little John]

.....the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. .....

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. At the moment the greedy bastards at the top are keeping most of it for themselves. The only option then if for the government to tax it back from TGBs and redistribute it. If that is inefficient the greedy bastards have the option of paying people a living wage in the first place and reducing their taxation that way.

If they arrange their business affairs such that the company doesn't pay any tax the tax will have to come direct from their pockets. People who are doing the work have an entitlement to a living wage just as much as or even more than a business owner has an entitlement to a return on his capital. Most businesses these days are about arranging the use of cheap fossil fuel to power an industry efficiently. The human input is fairly negligible unless it is in the form of intellectual input. It should be possible to pay everyone a living wage on that basis.

Yes to all of this.

[vtsnowedin]

.....the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. .....

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. .......

Why "Give them"? Why not pay them for their work?
Today the average US after tax monthly income is $3258.85 and in the UK it is $2960.54. Socialist Cuba pays out just $25.05
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-inf ... /After-tax

[another_exlurker]

.....the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. .....

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. .......

Why "Give them"? Why not pay them for their work?
Today the average US after tax monthly income is $3258.85 and in the UK it is $2960.54. Socialist Cuba pays out just $25.05
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-inf ... /After-tax

The average wage is highly misleading and is deliberate obfuscating propaganda from TPTB and their puppet masters that bears no resemblance to reality.

<waggles finger> You should know better than that young man! Lies, damned lies and statistical manipulation.

Actual wages for everyone not in the top 10% have remained stagnant (at best).

[vtsnowedin]

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. .......

Why "Give them"? Why not pay them for their work?
Today the average US after tax monthly income is $3258.85 and in the UK it is $2960.54. Socialist Cuba pays out just $25.05
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-inf ... /After-tax

The average wage is highly misleading and is deliberate obfuscating propaganda from TPTB and their puppet masters that bears no resemblance to reality.

<waggles finger> You should know better than that young man! Lies, damned lies and statistical manipulation.

Actual wages for everyone not in the top 10% have remained stagnant (at best).

I don't find that figure misleading at all as my family of five which are all employed or in my case retired average out to above the figure given which makes sense given the amount of education the girls have. I realize it takes a lot of Walmart floor clerks to balance out a CEO but I'd rather be median in the USA then near the top in Cuba.

[Little John]

Why "Give them"? Why not pay them for their work?
Today the average US after tax monthly income is $3258.85 and in the UK it is $2960.54. Socialist Cuba pays out just $25.05
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-inf ... /After-tax

The average wage is highly misleading and is deliberate obfuscating propaganda from TPTB and their puppet masters that bears no resemblance to reality.

<waggles finger> You should know better than that young man! Lies, damned lies and statistical manipulation.

Actual wages for everyone not in the top 10% have remained stagnant (at best).

I don't find that figure misleading at all as my family of five which are all employed or in my case retired average out to above the figure given which makes sense given the amount of education the girls have. I realize it takes a lot of Walmart floor clerks to balance out a CEO but I'd rather be median in the USA then near the top in Cuba.

What's the mode V? I bet it aint anywhere near the median.

[another_exlurker]

I don't find that figure misleading at all as my family of five which are all employed or in my case retired average out to above the figure given which makes sense given the amount of education the girls have. I realize it takes a lot of Walmart floor clerks to balance out a CEO but I'd rather be median in the USA then near the top in Cuba.

The problem with the median wage is that every time the CEO's give themselves a huge pay rise and increase their bonuses, the median wage rises, regardless of what actually happens lower down the earnings ladder. Which is why it is misleading when looking at the wider economy.

Given enough time, you and your family will no longer be in the median or slightly above bracket, you'll be below it.

[vtsnowedin]

What's the mode V?

That is a new term to me so don't know what it is or where to find it. Perhaps your thinking of something like this chart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Distr ... s_2012.png
Note that the chart does not include income from welfare payments or subsidized housing and food stamps etc. To get a sense of how that effects things check here.
http://www.budget.senate.gov/republican ... in-poverty

[emordnilap]

.....the conservative recognition that government is incompetent at most things and the money would be better spent by the taxpayers themselves. .....

For that to work someone has to give the taxpayer some money to spend. .......

Why "Give them"? Why not pay them for their work?

Yes, why not just pay them? Give people something to live for, a decent wage at the end of the week.

They had a vote today in the House of Representatives on whether or not to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 by 2015. All the Republicans voted against it. Every single one. But six Democrats also voted against it. Here are their names:
John Barrow- (Georgia- 12th District)
Jim Matheson- (Utah- 4th District)
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina- 7th District)
Bill Owens- (New York- 21st District)
Colin Peterson- (Minnesota- 7th District)
Kurt Schrader- (Oregon- 5th District)

$10.10 is fúck all in an era of colossal profits and record CEO giveaways but even so-called democrats won't even sanction that.