Economic Stimulus Package; Who Really Gains?
This week the White House and Congress reached a deal on an economic stimulus package totaling $150 billion in relief. While the package does have admirable goals it will not go far enough in assisting those who truly need the help, and will not stimulate the economy anywhere near enough to keep out of recession.
The main thrust of the package will give most individual tax filers refunds of up to $600, married couples up to $1,200, and an additional $300 for each child. The package also allows businesses to immediately write off 50% of purchases, and permits small businesses to write off additional purchases of equipment. The other main target of the bill concerns the housing market, and raises the limits on loans and mortgages the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchases from $362,000 and $417,000, respectively, to $725,000.
The main problems with what the bill addresses is that the economic stimulus provided for will not come for many months, and that it targets people who are not in as desperate need and will not boost the economy. The tax refunds will take many months to actually reach the hands of consumers, especially considering that the IRS is about to start gearing up for the tax season, this additional responsibility will only slow them down. It is unlikely that the rebate checks will be mailed out before late spring or early summer, which is an extremely long time to wait considering the dire state of today's stock and housing markets.
Secondly, raising the FHA limits will only help people who are looking to buy more expensive homes, namely the upper-middle class. Those who need the economic stimulus, the lower and middle classes, will not receive much, if any, benefit from this provision.
Thirdly, while the package will be putting money into the hands of most Americans, many of us will chose to pay down old debt or put the money into savings, which does not help boost a sagging economy. Paying down debt and putting money into savings are wonderful ideas, and the smart financial decision to make, but if the economy needs help the best way to do this is by getting the money to people who will spend it immediately, such as those who will use the money to buy groceries or other necessary items. The people most likely to do this are lower income individuals and families, which brings up where the economic package falls far too short.
Democrats wanted to include provisions that would extend unemployment benefits past the 26 week limit and boost food stamp benefits. These provisions would address all of the current problems with the bill: it would get money into peoples hands immediately, it would go to the people who need it the most, and it would be put into the hands of those who would boost the economy best. Unfortunately, Republicans and conservative Democrats cut these provisions from the bill, leaving many top Democratic leaders upset.
In order for a more progressive, more common-sense, bill to make it through Congress we would have needed a greater number of progressive Democrats in Congress. If we had the numbers to override a veto than there would have been no reason to compromise these important provisions. Help elect progressive Democrats to the US House of Representatives by donating to DAPAC today!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Weekly Update (1/18/08)
Early Democratic Primaries in Illinois in Two Weeks; DAPAC Candidates Need Your Help
In just over two weeks the first Congressional Primaries take place in Illinois. DAPAC has endorsed two candidates who will be facing tough opposition in their primaries. The first is John Laesch, running for Dennis Hastert's former seat. Laesch was a 2006 DAPAC candidate, running in Illinois' 14th district. He had a tough race, as he was running against former Speaker Dennis Hastert, but still made an impressive showing, winning 40% of the vote. Hastert recently retired, and Laesch is running an aggressive campaign for this open seat. For more information about Laesch, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.john08.com. In addition, remember that for every dollar you contribute directly to us, we will help candidates raise 12 dollars more. Therefore, It is best to contribute both directly to us and to the candidate.
The second candidate is Jay Footlik, running in Illinois' 10th Congressional district. Footlik will be facing tough opposition in his Democratic primary from a more conservative candidate. It is crucial that Footlik wins his primary, so he will be the Democratic challenger in the general election. The seat is currently held by Mark Kirk, a Republican who has tried to portray himself as a moderate, while really rubber stamping Bush's policies. In the last two presidential elections, the 10th district voted Democratic, and this cycle a Democrat should take Kirk's place and bring progressive leadership to the district. For more information about Footlik, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.jayfootlik.com.
Both Footlik and Laesch are truly progressive candidates, supporting all of the issues we at DAPAC champion, such as being 100% pro-choice, supporting same-sex marriage, taking immediate steps to end the war in Iraq, supporting publicly funded universal healthcare, and many others. They have pledged to vote for these issues once in Congress. Both of these candidates are facing tough opposition and need your help today!
More Early Democratic Primaries: Ohio
The Ohio primaries follow Illinois shortly after on March 4th. The first DAPAC-endorsed candidate in Ohio is Victoria Wulsin. She is facing some primary competition and needs your help. Please visit her website at www.wulsinforcongress.com. Recently she has announced multiple labor endorsements for the 2008 Democratic primary. A public health doctor board certified in occupational medicine, Vic has long worked with organized labor on workplace health and safety issues. Her background includes work at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and as a uniformed officer in the US Public Health Service. She announced support from some of the largest and most active labor unions in the region and the nation, including:
"Dr. Wulsin has demonstrated her commitment to working Americans," said Jerry Giesting, President of the NALC Branch 43. "We know that when she goes to Washington, her priorities will be in the right place."
“These unions are focused on finding solutions, from providing a safe work environment and respect on the job to ensuring a good education for every child and the basic services the public expects," said Wulsin. "When I’m elected to Congress, I’ll work with them and with everyone in my district to create good jobs and support our families.”
In just over two weeks the first Congressional Primaries take place in Illinois. DAPAC has endorsed two candidates who will be facing tough opposition in their primaries. The first is John Laesch, running for Dennis Hastert's former seat. Laesch was a 2006 DAPAC candidate, running in Illinois' 14th district. He had a tough race, as he was running against former Speaker Dennis Hastert, but still made an impressive showing, winning 40% of the vote. Hastert recently retired, and Laesch is running an aggressive campaign for this open seat. For more information about Laesch, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.john08.com. In addition, remember that for every dollar you contribute directly to us, we will help candidates raise 12 dollars more. Therefore, It is best to contribute both directly to us and to the candidate.
The second candidate is Jay Footlik, running in Illinois' 10th Congressional district. Footlik will be facing tough opposition in his Democratic primary from a more conservative candidate. It is crucial that Footlik wins his primary, so he will be the Democratic challenger in the general election. The seat is currently held by Mark Kirk, a Republican who has tried to portray himself as a moderate, while really rubber stamping Bush's policies. In the last two presidential elections, the 10th district voted Democratic, and this cycle a Democrat should take Kirk's place and bring progressive leadership to the district. For more information about Footlik, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.jayfootlik.com.
Both Footlik and Laesch are truly progressive candidates, supporting all of the issues we at DAPAC champion, such as being 100% pro-choice, supporting same-sex marriage, taking immediate steps to end the war in Iraq, supporting publicly funded universal healthcare, and many others. They have pledged to vote for these issues once in Congress. Both of these candidates are facing tough opposition and need your help today!
More Early Democratic Primaries: Ohio
The Ohio primaries follow Illinois shortly after on March 4th. The first DAPAC-endorsed candidate in Ohio is Victoria Wulsin. She is facing some primary competition and needs your help. Please visit her website at www.wulsinforcongress.com. Recently she has announced multiple labor endorsements for the 2008 Democratic primary. A public health doctor board certified in occupational medicine, Vic has long worked with organized labor on workplace health and safety issues. Her background includes work at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and as a uniformed officer in the US Public Health Service. She announced support from some of the largest and most active labor unions in the region and the nation, including:
- the American and Ohio Federation of Teachers,
- the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
- the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
- the United Auto Workers (UAW)
- the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
"Dr. Wulsin has demonstrated her commitment to working Americans," said Jerry Giesting, President of the NALC Branch 43. "We know that when she goes to Washington, her priorities will be in the right place."
“These unions are focused on finding solutions, from providing a safe work environment and respect on the job to ensuring a good education for every child and the basic services the public expects," said Wulsin. "When I’m elected to Congress, I’ll work with them and with everyone in my district to create good jobs and support our families.”
Friday, January 11, 2008
Weekly Update (1/11/08)
More Good News for Progressive Democrats in New Hampshire Primary
The results for New Hampshire are final, and in both Iowa and New Hampshire Democrats turned out in record numbers, eclipsing the Republican turnout in these states! This is extremely encouraging for the general election where Democratic candidates should receive more votes than Republicans, dragging in more progressive Democrats to Congress.
Democrat Hilary Clinton and Republican John McCain upset their rivals for comeback wins in the New Hampshire primary. Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were unable to capitalize on their momentum coming out of Iowa, leading to these upset victories. The fact that both Clinton and Obama have each won is extremely significant for progressive politics.
Obama has been running his campaign as the progressive alternative to politics as usual in Washington, and Clinton's recent victory is a triumph for women. Clinton trailed Obama by as many as 10 percentage points in the polling that took place between Iowa and New Hampshire. The fact that record numbers of Democrats, women in particular, voted is testament to the power of progressive voters. This is extremely encouraging for the results of the Presidential election in November. No matter who wins the Democratic nomination, it is increasingly likely that he or she will become President. These statistics backup DAPAC's research that America is experiencing a progressive upswing.
DAPAC needs to capitalize on this opportunity by getting a greater number of progressive Democrats elected to the US House of Representatives. This is the only way to affect policy, no matter who wins the Democratic presidential nomination. The next president will need plenty of progressive legislation to sign into law once in office. The only way to make this happen is to make Congress more progressive.
We are eagerly awaiting the next primaries in Michigan and Nevada.
Results of New Hampshire Primary
Here are the results in terms of percentages for all the major candidates in the New Hampshire primary. On the Democratic side:
Clinton: 39%
Obama: 37%
Edwards: 17%
Richardson: 5%
Kucinich: 1%
On the Republican side:
McCain: 37%
Romney: 32%
Huckabee: 11%
Giuliani: 9%
Paul: 8%
Thompson: 1%
Hunter: 0%
Early Democratic Primaries in February; DAPAC Candidates Need Your Help
In just over three weeks the first Congressional Primaries take place in Illinois. DAPAC has endorsed two candidates who will be facing tough opposition in their primaries. The first is John Laesch, running for Dennis Hastert's former seat. For more information about Laesch, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.john08.com. The second candidate is Jay Footlik, running in Illinois' 10th Congressional district. For more information about Footlik, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.jayfootlik.com. Both of these candidates are facing tough opposition and need your help today!
The results for New Hampshire are final, and in both Iowa and New Hampshire Democrats turned out in record numbers, eclipsing the Republican turnout in these states! This is extremely encouraging for the general election where Democratic candidates should receive more votes than Republicans, dragging in more progressive Democrats to Congress.
Democrat Hilary Clinton and Republican John McCain upset their rivals for comeback wins in the New Hampshire primary. Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were unable to capitalize on their momentum coming out of Iowa, leading to these upset victories. The fact that both Clinton and Obama have each won is extremely significant for progressive politics.
Obama has been running his campaign as the progressive alternative to politics as usual in Washington, and Clinton's recent victory is a triumph for women. Clinton trailed Obama by as many as 10 percentage points in the polling that took place between Iowa and New Hampshire. The fact that record numbers of Democrats, women in particular, voted is testament to the power of progressive voters. This is extremely encouraging for the results of the Presidential election in November. No matter who wins the Democratic nomination, it is increasingly likely that he or she will become President. These statistics backup DAPAC's research that America is experiencing a progressive upswing.
DAPAC needs to capitalize on this opportunity by getting a greater number of progressive Democrats elected to the US House of Representatives. This is the only way to affect policy, no matter who wins the Democratic presidential nomination. The next president will need plenty of progressive legislation to sign into law once in office. The only way to make this happen is to make Congress more progressive.
We are eagerly awaiting the next primaries in Michigan and Nevada.
Results of New Hampshire Primary
Here are the results in terms of percentages for all the major candidates in the New Hampshire primary. On the Democratic side:
Clinton: 39%
Obama: 37%
Edwards: 17%
Richardson: 5%
Kucinich: 1%
On the Republican side:
McCain: 37%
Romney: 32%
Huckabee: 11%
Giuliani: 9%
Paul: 8%
Thompson: 1%
Hunter: 0%
Early Democratic Primaries in February; DAPAC Candidates Need Your Help
In just over three weeks the first Congressional Primaries take place in Illinois. DAPAC has endorsed two candidates who will be facing tough opposition in their primaries. The first is John Laesch, running for Dennis Hastert's former seat. For more information about Laesch, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.john08.com. The second candidate is Jay Footlik, running in Illinois' 10th Congressional district. For more information about Footlik, and a quick and easy way to contribute to his campaign, please visit his website at www.jayfootlik.com. Both of these candidates are facing tough opposition and need your help today!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Weekly Update (1/4/08)
Iowa Caucus is a Referendum on Progressive Politics
The results are in! Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus, both upsetting the favored candidates. For months polls have leaned towards a Clinton victory on the Democratic side and a Romney victory on the Republican.
The fact that the top two candidates on the Democratic side were Obama and Edwards is extremely significant for progressive politics. Obama has been running his campaign as the progressive alternative to politics as usual in Washington, and Edwards has been running on a strong economically progressive platform. Clinton trailed Edwards by just one percentage point to come in third. Some significant statistics to consider are that Obama took an overwhelming 57% of the under 30 vote, a larger percentage of women's votes than any other Democratic candidate, and received far more votes than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican. These statistics backup DAPAC's research that the country is experiencing an increasingly progressive trend, especially with young voters.
DAPAC needs to capitalize on this opportunity by getting a greater number of progressive Democrats elected to the House. This is the only way to affect policy. No matter who wins the Democratic presidential nomination, it is increasingly likely that that person will become president. He or she will need plenty of progressive legislation to sign into law once in office. The only way to make this happen is to make Congress more progressive.
With the New Hampshire primary only a few days away it is important to build off this progressive momentum. This success should translate to the Congressional primaries where DAPAC has endorsed progressive candidates, some of which are only a month away. These candidates need your support now more than ever, so donate today.
Results of Iowa Caucus
Here are the results in terms of percentages for all the major candidates in the Iowa caucus. On the Democratic side:
Obama: 38%
Edwards: 30%
Clinton: 29%
Richardson: 2%
Biden: 1%
Uncommitted: 0%
Dodd: 0%
Gravel: 0%
Kucinich: 0%
On the Republican side:
Huckabee: 34%
Romney: 25%
Thompson: 13%
McCain: 13%
Paul: 10%
Giuliani: 4%
Hunter: 1%
The results are in! Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucus, both upsetting the favored candidates. For months polls have leaned towards a Clinton victory on the Democratic side and a Romney victory on the Republican.
The fact that the top two candidates on the Democratic side were Obama and Edwards is extremely significant for progressive politics. Obama has been running his campaign as the progressive alternative to politics as usual in Washington, and Edwards has been running on a strong economically progressive platform. Clinton trailed Edwards by just one percentage point to come in third. Some significant statistics to consider are that Obama took an overwhelming 57% of the under 30 vote, a larger percentage of women's votes than any other Democratic candidate, and received far more votes than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican. These statistics backup DAPAC's research that the country is experiencing an increasingly progressive trend, especially with young voters.
DAPAC needs to capitalize on this opportunity by getting a greater number of progressive Democrats elected to the House. This is the only way to affect policy. No matter who wins the Democratic presidential nomination, it is increasingly likely that that person will become president. He or she will need plenty of progressive legislation to sign into law once in office. The only way to make this happen is to make Congress more progressive.
With the New Hampshire primary only a few days away it is important to build off this progressive momentum. This success should translate to the Congressional primaries where DAPAC has endorsed progressive candidates, some of which are only a month away. These candidates need your support now more than ever, so donate today.
Results of Iowa Caucus
Here are the results in terms of percentages for all the major candidates in the Iowa caucus. On the Democratic side:
Obama: 38%
Edwards: 30%
Clinton: 29%
Richardson: 2%
Biden: 1%
Uncommitted: 0%
Dodd: 0%
Gravel: 0%
Kucinich: 0%
On the Republican side:
Huckabee: 34%
Romney: 25%
Thompson: 13%
McCain: 13%
Paul: 10%
Giuliani: 4%
Hunter: 1%
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