The dollars and cents of politics

I had a hearty chuckle yesterday when I saw something about one of the Koch brothers said that under certain circumstances he might be able to support Hillary Clinton, I think it was Chuckie, but don't hold me on that.  Of course, many are believing his comments were made to tweek Donald Trump since he's not in the least bit dependent upon their secret financing.  Me?  I don't think so.  I think some brave soul smacked them right between their dollar bill eyes with the reality stick.  You see, they've been helping to fund the campaigns of those (Republican) candidates they felt easiest to control, and while they've had some success with local elections, presidentially speaking, they've been flushed down the toilet.  Remember Scotty Walker from up north?  He was a fav of theirs.  So was Ted Cruz.  That's right, Teddie's a bit beholding to the Koch brothers.  Of course, Ted can't possibly win in a general election.  In fact, there's a whole laundry list of Republicans who are... indebted.  Translation?  The Koch brothers are one of the reasons the GOP is on the verge of going down the shitter, not that they'd ever understand this.  Not that they'd ever really support Hillary since she'd probably find some way to raise their taxes.

So, why would Chuck even bring up Hillary?  Damage Control.  You see if they can get all of the Libertarian followers, the one's who would normally vote Republican, to go Democrat for this election cycle  Hillary might actually win by a landslide.  At that point they could go knock, knock, knocking on her door and say, "hey, remember that landslide you won by?  We helped."  The Kochs have realized that this year, the GOP is going to tank and when that ship goes down they want to make damn sure their on one of the lifeboats.  To them it's just the dollars and cents of politics.

US Chamber of Commerce - breeding stupidity

A number of news organizations are reporting a number of business organizations are now feeling very unhappy about the House of Representatives, especially those Tea Party members who staunchly refuse to budge.  This is funny, I mean really hilarious.  One article was on how the Koch brothers are truly displeased the way things are going.  I suppose that's because if the country does default they may end up losing a lot of money, much more then the 230 million plus which they invested in various ultra-conservative groups to get this very House of Representatives elected.  Ha ha.  From what I've been able to glean, the US Chamber of Commerce is truly pissed, to put it bluntly.  I am curious.  What did they believe was going to happen when they courted hard-line conservatives, when they gave money to groups fostering these extreme beliefs?  Didn't they understand what they were doing?  Of course not.  All they were interested in doing was putting individuals into public office who would pass legislation reducing business taxes.  They wanted to give business as close to a free ticket as possible, so the damned The Affordable Health Care Act to hell.  It's an expense, you see, and business should have as little expense as possible - they cut into profit.

Now you hear reports how both parties are trying to move to a common area where both sides can save face.  I don't think that's true.  No matter what decision is reached, it's going to look bad for Republicans.  It's going to look bad for the US Chamber of Commerce because they meddled in politics out of self-interest.  Something like 71% of voting Americans are already blaming the GOP.  and the GOP?  They can thank the Koch brothers and other like minded individuals for putting them in this position.  Of course you have to remember, the GOP did run to these individuals and these organizations for help.  They said "give us money and get us elected and we'll give you what you want."  Now they're trying to deliver and no one wants to be home to receive the package.  No one ever told them greed always breeds stupidity.

Retail and the IRS

Yes, that time of year is approaching when vast numbers of Americans file with Turbo Tax as fast as possible in order to get their return.  Oh, yes, and quite a number of Americans do get refunds.   What do they do with those refunds?  Spend them! I can tell you, I work in Retail and Retail looks forward to Income Tax Time.  Why?  Because those checks are spent on things like, appliances, and x-box's, and carpet, and a host of other things people put off buying until they get that check.  Christmas helps grow the economy and so does Tax Time.  Which makes me wonder why the Republicans are so dead set on screwing over the middle class and their tax cuts in order for the wealthy to keep theirs.  Face it, the Koch brothers don't race down to Home Depot in order to take advantage of their $37 whole house installed carpet.  Yet, if you're a middle class home owner that is something which may be high on your refund spending agenda.  I know there are going to be people in my community who will go out and buy a new refrigerator, or washer and dryer, on mattress set.  They may decided to replace that sofa which, after ten years of kids jumping up and down on it, has no spring left.  Do you think the rich have to wait until income tax time to make these purchases?  No way.  It's almost as if the Republicans are expecting to hear "hey, let me drop the soap so I can bend over."

I always like getting the check.

And, as always, they want entitlements on the table (define entitlements as social security).  Do you really think the wealthy are worried about paying their bills in their retirement years?  Are they concerned about whether their social security check will cover all of their medications and still let them put food on the table?  Of course not, but somebody needs to pay.  They prefer to penalize the middle and lower classes then those upper crusters who seem to have them on a very short leash.  I don't think they comprehend that stability is only maintained when there is a balance to the structure.