Robert B. Reich's Blog, page 54

THE ROADBLOCK TO COMMON SENSE PENSION REFORM55 million Americans...

THE ROADBLOCK TO COMMON SENSE PENSION REFORM

55 million Americans — about half of the entire private-sector
workforce — have no employer-sponsored retirement plan at all. Many work for
small businesses in the low-wage service and hospitality sectors. If they don’t
save money independently, they will have nothing when they stop working. 

This is very different from four decades ago when most workers retired with a company
pension.

The good news is that several states – including Oregon,
California, Illinois, Connecticut, and Maryland — now let such workers put
money away in state-sponsored retirement plans that allow them to withdraw
their accumulated savings, tax free, when they hit retirement.

The bad news is that the investment industry is aggressively
seeking to block these plans, fearing the competition. 

That’s because the fees
charged by most state retirement plans are capped at around 1 percent – much
lower than the fees of similar plans operated by banks and investment
companies. And state fees are expected to drop even lower as more workers
enroll. 

If each of America’s 40 million retirees saved on average $50,000 in
the state program, they’d have an additional $20 billion in the first year.
That’s $20 billion more in the pockets of retirees, not financial
institutions. 

Right now, the industry’s efforts appear to be winning. 

Republicans in Congress – backed by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce and a coalition of Wall Street investment firms – are seeking to
block states from implementing these plans at all. 

Investment and insurance
companies are also spending like mad on election campaigns of friendly state
legislators and threatening lawsuits. Which is why many proposed state-run
retirement plans are languishing in statehouses around the country. 

Folks,
the anger and frustration that led to Trump continues to simmer. If we allow
the moneyed interests to block common-sense reforms like this, in future years,
America could face an even worse fate than Trump. 

When you vote in November,
vote for legislators who want to allow workers to save for retirement and
against legislators who are shills for the financial sector.

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6 REASONS FOR HOPE IN TRUMP TIMESIn these darkest of days,...

6 REASONS FOR HOPE IN TRUMP TIMES

In these darkest of days, here’s what gives me hope:

First, Donald Trump has been a giant wake-up call that we can’t take democracy for granted. The young people of America get this. I’ve been teaching for 40 years and I don’t recall a generation as committed to social justice, reforming this country, and making it work for all and not just a few. 

Look at those kids in Parkland, Florida. Or the millions more who are getting involved in their communities and in politics. They are America’s future, and they won’t give up.  

The second thing that makes me optimistic is occurring at the grassroots of America, where there’s more activism than I remember in half a century. The #MeToo movement, Time’s Up, #BlackLivesMatter, #Neveragain, the Poor People’s Campaign, Indivisible.org, swingleft.org. 

They and thousands of other groups and millions of Americans are united by a commitment to end abuses of power – whether by sexual predators, or the police, the National Rifle Association, or billionaires out to undermine our democracy.

Third, Fueled by Trump’s election, more women are running for office than ever before. According to Emily’s List, more than 36,000 women are interested in running for office in 2018 and beyond. By comparison, 920 women contacted Emily’s List in the 2016 campaign.

Fourth, I’m optimistic because America’s history shows that every time we’ve gotten off track, Americans mobilize to get our country back on track. We did this after the Gilded Age of the 1880s and 1890s, when robber barons monopolized the economy; politics was poisoned by money; and poverty, and disease, and horrendous working conditions claimed thousands of lives each year. 

We did it again in the Depression decade of the 1930s, after the economy collapsed because of Wall Street’s excesses. And again in the 1960s and 1970s, when we embraced civil rights and voting rights, Medicare and Medicaid, and environmental protection. If history teaches us anything, we will again reform this system.

Fifth, I’m also optimistic because these grueling years of the Trump presidency have made us all realize how fragile our democracy really is, and what we need to reform–from the Electoral College and super-delegates to gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and hacker-proof voting machinery. 

And most of us now know how important it is to vote.

Finally, I’m optimistic because I don’t like the alternative. We must have hope. 

The fate of this nation depends on every one of us becoming an activist, joining with others, and reclaiming this land from those bent on destroying it.

WE’RE LIVING A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISISI keep hearing that if Trump...

WE’RE LIVING A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

I keep hearing that if Trump fires Mueller, we’ll face a
“constitutional crisis.” Or if Mueller subpoenas Trump to testify and Trump
defies the subpoena, it’s a “constitutional crisis”. Or if Mueller delivers
substantial evidence that Trump is guilty of colluding with Russia or of
obstructing justice, and the House does nothing to impeach him, we have a
“constitutional crisis.” 

Well, I have news for you. We’re already in a “constitutional
crisis.” 

You see, the Constitution is a tiny document. It requires that
presidents and others in positions of power be bound by norms, unwritten rules,
and long-established understandings of their constitutional responsibilities. 

Yet look at what’s happened since January 2017:

Trump fires the head of the FBI and conjures up a plot that the
FBI installed a spy in his campaign; blames the entire Mueller investigation on a conspiratorial
“deep state” that’s out to remove him from office; uses pardons to demonstrate to people already under
investigation that they don’t need to cooperate because he can pardon them,
too; and asserts that the appointment of the special counsel was
unconstitutional, and that he has the power under the Constitution to end the
investigation whenever he wants. 

He initially denies that Russia intruded in the 2016 election, when all America’s intelligence agencies show it has; and even now asserts that they are not continuing to mount a cyberattack on America, when his intelligence chiefs say otherwise.   

Beyond this, he berates judges who disagree with him, and journalists and news organizations that criticize
him; uses the presidency like a personal fiefdom to enrich himself
and his family; unilaterally breaks treaties, starts trade wars with
long-standing allies, and cozies up to some of the most murderous dictators in
the world; treats Americans who didn’t vote for him and disapprove
of him as his enemies; and tweets and holds rallies with his followers that fuel
division and hate.   

There is no exact definition of a constitutional crisis.
Presumably it’s when the United States Constitution is in crisis. And it is in crisis now, today, because the president of the
United States is abusing it to entrench his power. 

As long as he can get away with it, as long as Republicans who
control Congress won’t stand up to him, as long as Americans who oppose this
have no capacity to stop him, even though they may be in the majority, this
rogue president will do more and more damage to our system of government. And
the constitutional crisis will worsen. 

A malignant megalomaniac facing no countervailing power will
continue to expand his terrain until he is stopped. 

The
best response is to vote for a Congress this November that will constrain him.
And then, in November 2020, vote him and his regime out of office. 

If he
refuses to accept the results of that election – as he threatened to do if he
lost the 2016 election – he must be removed from office.

A Time for Integrity

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IS TRUMP A TRAITOR?Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in...

IS TRUMP A TRAITOR?

Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki was a betrayal
of the nation he has a sworn duty to protect.

Under Article III Section 3 of the Constitution, the crime
of treason is defined as “giving aid and comfort” to enemies of the
United States. Trump has betrayed the American people in 5 ways we already know
of:

1. He ignores attacks on our democracy. According to American intelligence, there’s no
doubt about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. And no doubt they’re continuing to attack, and planning further attacks, on our democratic institutions and even our energy infrastructure. 

Yet Trump casts
doubt about the conclusions of the intelligence community, blames past
presidents, and turns a blind eye to safeguarding America from current and future attacks. 

2. He publicly undermines U.S. intelligence officials –
taking the side of Putin, a former KGB officer, when Putin claims Russia didn’t
interfere in the election. And Trump accuses his own government officials of
being part of a so-called “deep-state” conspiracy out to get
him. 

3. He attacks our closest allies, weakening America’s
standing in the world and playing into Putin’s hands. During his trip to
Europe, Trump insulted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mocked British Prime
Minister Theresa May, and was rebuked by the French President. His unreasonable
demands on NATO – that members increase their military expenditures to 4 percent of their GDPs – have frayed our most important security alliance.  

4. His campaign knowingly sought help from a Russian
agent. In June, 2016, senior members of Trump’s campaign, including
Don Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort, met with a Russian lawyer who, before they met, had
promised them damaging information on Clinton. 

5. Then in July 2016 Trump publicly encouraged Russia to
meddle in our election, asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s email
server and release the emails to the public. That same day Russian operatives
initiated their cyberattack, and weeks later released the emails. 

Never
before has a President of the United States so brazenly sided with a ruthless
dictator intent on destroying American democracy.

 If this is not treason, what
is it? 

THE FOG OF TRUMPTrump uses 5 tactics to create a fog of...

THE FOG OF TRUMP

Trump uses 5 tactics to create a fog of confusion and
bewilderment, so we don’t pay attention to the real damage he’s doing – undermining our democracy; rewarding the rich and hurting the working class, middle class, and the poor; stoking hatefulness; and undercutting America’s standing in the world. 

1. His first tactic is to distract us – dominate the news with
tweets and rants, accusations, who he’s fired, who he’s insulted, what he’s
demanded. He wants us to be so preoccupied with all this that we lose sight of
the big picture.

2. His second tactic is to divide and conquer, pitting groups
against each other, riling up his base, stoking racial tensions, and vilifying opponents. He targets transgender people in the military. Goes after athletes –
mostly black – who won’t stand for the anthem. Fuels fears of immigrants and
foreigners, of liberals and Democrats. This way, public dialogue and discussion
becomes so angry, bitter, and vitriolic that we end up shouting at each other
instead of seeing the damage Trump is actually doing.  

3. His third tactic is to lie and distort. He generates a torrent of “alternative
facts” so we become disoriented and confused. Asserting that 3 to 5 million
people fraudulently voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election, with no
evidence they did. That unauthorized immigrants are responsible for a
disproportionate number of murders and rapes. That climate change isn’t caused
by people. His goal is for us to lose confidence in the truth so we can’t be
sure of what he’s doing.  

4. Fourth: conjure up conspiracies. He fuels paranoia about a “deep
state” that’s intent on removing him from office, engaged in a “witch hunt” to undermine
him, plotting to impeach him. But he never identifies who or what this “deep
state” actually is. The mere assertion of a conspiracy is enough to generate
suspicion, erode trust in the political system and in the media, and sow doubts
about anyone who criticizes him or any findings that could show he acted
illegally. 

5. Fifth and finally: accuse the accusers. He alleges that others
are doing what he is in fact doing. When the media catch him in a lie, he
accuses them of disseminating fake news. He allows corporate lobbyists to run
departments and agencies, and then accuses critics of being part of the
Washington swamp. He seeks to cover up whatever he and his aides did with
Russian operatives, and then accuses investigators of a being involved in a coverup. 

These 5 tactics are all designed to hide what Trump is actually
doing so we don’t mobilize against him. Be aware. Don’t allow Trump’s fog to
cloud the truth.

7 TRUTHS ABOUT IMMIGRATION 1. A record high of 75 percent of...

 7 TRUTHS ABOUT IMMIGRATION 

1. A record high of 75 percent of Americans now say immigration
is a “good thing” for the country. 

2. America needs more immigrants, not fewer, because our
population is rapidly aging.  

3. Historically, new immigrants have contributed more to society
in taxes than they have taken from society in terms of public assistance. 

4. Most immigrants don’t take jobs away from native-born
Americans. To the contrary, their spending creates more jobs. 

5. Trump’s claim that undocumented immigrants generate more
crime is dead wrong. Both legal and undocumented immigrants are significantly
less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. 

6. Violent crime rates in America are actually at historical
lows, with the homicide rate back to its level from the early 1960s. 

7. Illegal border crossings have been declining since 2014 –
long before Trump’s “crackdown.” There is no “surge” in illegal immigration. 

Please
spread the truth. 

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