Welcome to the World of Pulitzer Prize Winning Political Cartoonist Michael P. Ramirez
Fireworks 07-04-17 See Michael's latest cartoons HERE
America celebrates Freedom while Congress plays with a safe alternative
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Congress’ Inaction on Trump’s Agenda Costs America Nearly 1,000 Jobs Per Day
Ed Feulner / @EdFeulner / June 27, 2017 “Drain the swamp!” It was the battle cry of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Many Republican members of Congress echoed that call as well, riding it to victory—and control of both legislative chambers. The American people rallied around the cry because it reinforced their impression of what Washington had become: a swamp infested with special-interest groups and power-hungry bureaucrats. They rallied, too, because it held the promise of getting our country back on track—by reforming the tax code, repealing Obamacare, cutting spending, and eliminating the needless red tape that stifles entrepreneurship and innovation. But more than five months into the new Congress and the new administration, precious little draining has occurred. The delay in action is not only frustrating, it’s expensive: With the promised reforms, the U.S. could have created as much as $5 billion per day in economic output. If nothing changes, the swamp will end up costing more than 2 million prospective jobs over the next decade. Elites argue that piles of regulations and special rules keep everyone safe. But most Americans understand that these policies serve mainly to enrich special interests and keep upstart entrepreneurs from gaining a foothold. All the regulation keeps new businesses from offering innovative goods and services at lower prices. All too often, these regulatory schemes not only fail to protect consumers—they create huge problems, like financial crises and housing busts. And then the elites point to the problems as proof of the need for even further governmental intervention. The bailouts lead to new programs and federal agencies and, of course, even more rules. But most Americans don’t want more government. Rather, they want relief from big government so that they can make their own decisions and improve their own communities. read more |
No reason to light fireworks this Fourth of July
BY ROSS ROSENFELD, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 06/28/17 THE HILL In years past, I was about as patriotic an American as ever you would find. Heck, as a kid I put up an American flag in my room and pledged allegiance to it every day, school or no school. But those days are long past, and for the first time this year, I won’t be celebrating July 4th because, honestly, I just don’t see my country the way I used to. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the sacrifices of the many who gave their lives to ensure my freedom; I do. It’s just that I can’t pretend any longer that we are the bastion of hope and freedom that I once thought we were. We’re no longer the “Land of Opportunity.” According to the Brookings Institution, 42 percent of babies born in the bottom fifth of the economic strata in the US will remain there as adults, and only 8 percent will ever make it to the top fifth. In European countries, the first number tends to be 25 percent to 30 percent and the latter 11 percent to 14 percent. We aren’t even among the world’s strongest democracies. In fact, according to the Economist’s Democracy Index, the U.S. is a “flawed democracy.” Frankly, they’re being lenient. When one takes into account gerrymandering, the Electoral College, voter disenfranchisement, shadow organizations like ALEC drafting legislationfor legislators, and the amount of money that is now being allowed to affect our politicians, it is evident that we are considerably worse than simply flawed. We’re certainly not a dictatorship; but our institutions have been undermined, our freedom of speech is under attack from our own president and from corporations (through restrictive employment contracts and excessive litigation – consider, for instance, the case just brought against John Oliver for his mocking of Robert Murray), there is a tremendous wealth gap, and our justice and patent systems are largely determined by the financial resources of those involved. read more |