Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Sanders calls for Federal Reserve reform in NYT oped:

SHELL INSATIABLE GREED

Sanders calls for Federal Reserve reform in NYT oped:“Banking industry executives must no longer be allowed to serve on the Fed’s boards and to handpick its members and staff.”

MORNING MESSAGE

Dave Johnson

It might not seem so in the middle of a day’s news cycle, especially with that news always being about Donald Trump, but 2015 marked a year of change in a progressive direction. And the country is solidly behind this move ... The public might be moving left, but The Money isn’t, and so far The Money talks. So federal policies aren’t moving anywhere. If enough people walk to the polls in 2016, we can change that.

SANDERS TAKES ON FED

Sanders calls for Federal Reserve reform in NYT oped:“Banking industry executives must no longer be allowed to serve on the Fed’s boards and to handpick its members and staff.”

Both Sanders and Clinton camps say they might get out-fundraised. W. Post:“With the end of the latest fundraising quarter drawing near, the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders played the expectations game Tuesday — with both camps suggesting the other Democratic hopeful very well might raise more money.”

Trump’s tax plan would cost nearly $1 trillion per year. W. Post:“‘If you wanted to cut spending to offset these tax cuts you’d have to eliminate all of national defense and still a bunch of discretionary spending or spending on Medicare and Social Security to do it.’ said Tax Policy Center Director Leonard Burman…”

Cruz pledges to scrap Paris climate dealreports The Hill.

RIGHT-WING BLOWBACK

Grassroots conservatives lash out at Speaker Ryan after spending deal. W. Post:“…the rumblings of discontent in conservative circles should worry Ryan. We’ve learned not to underestimate the power the outside agitator class has on much of the Republican caucus.”

Franklin Graham quits Republican Party over Planned Parenthood funding. Politico:“[Graham] declared himself an independent in a lengthy Facebook post … ‘I have no hope in the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or Tea Party to do what is best for America.’ … Graham also announced a state-by-state tour of the country to hold prayer rallies. His tour — which will hit every state capital — kicks off Jan. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa.”

SOLAR SETBACK

Big loss for rooftop solar in Nevada. Politico:“…the Nevada Public Utilities Commission … voted to slash the payments that [Warren] Buffett-owned NV Energy must pay to homeowners whose rooftop solar panels feed electricity into the grid, and to hike the fees for homeowners to connect their panels to the wider power system … payments will stop and the fees will rise even for homeowners who had installed their panels under the previous program.”

Coal’s decline hurts budgets in West Virginia and Wyoming. WSJ:“In West Virginia, officials project a $250 million state budget deficit for the current fiscal year, including $190 million from plummeting coal-tax revenue … In Wyoming, Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican, said this month that the state is facing a $159 million revenue shortfall for the fiscal year 2016.”

OBAMACARE STILL WORKS

Obamacare health plan signups break 8 million. The Hill:“The quicker pace likely indicates people are seeking to avoid the higher cost of being uninsured in 2016. People without insurance by tax season will face far steeper penalties, almost double the fee from the previous year … this year’s sign-ups include 2.1 million people under age 35 — nearly double the number of young people enrolled during the same period last year.”

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