Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

[ZiprHead]

I watched AOC grilling the Gilead drug company people. She zeroed right in on the problem.

 

[lpetrich]

"Gilead" is likely from  Balm of Gilead: "Balm of Gilead was a rare perfume used medicinally, that was mentioned in the Bible, and named for the region of Gilead, where it was produced. The expression stems from William Tyndale's language in the King James Bible of 1611, and has come to signify a universal cure in figurative speech."

More recently, in Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel "A Handmaid's Tale", the fundie theocracy that the US becomes is named "The Republic of Gilead".

 

[blastula]

Yeah.

 

[lpetrich]

SocialSecurityWorks on Twitter: ""People's lives are not commodities...you cannot ask the question how much will you pay to live, because the answer is everything. That is what makes the price of medicine different than the price of an iPhone." - @AOC… https://t.co/nMVCjDlKCg"
I like that she knows economic jargon like "demand curve" and "elasticity".

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "To the GOP extremists trying to invoke “the unborn” to jail people for abortion: Where are you on climate change? OH right, you want to burn fossil fuels til there’s hell on Earth. If they were truthful about their motives, they’d be consistent in their principles. They’re not."
I think that their real objection to abortion is that it is a form of shirking the duty of childbearing. That it enables them to get all weepy is an additional bonus. This shirking-duty theory explains why they are so indifferent to children after they are born.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "The GOP doesn’t care about babies at all - especially brown, black, or poor ones. If they did, they’d: - cosponsor the Green New Deal or at LEAST have a real climate plan - guarantee healthcare so ALL can get prenatal care - not stand for the death+caging of babies on our border"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "What angers me about the GOP’s attempts to turn the United States into a far-right Christian theocracy is how dishonest they are about it. At least be forthright about your desire to subvert and dismantle our democracy into a creepy theological order led by a mad king."
Mad king - that's a good way to put it.

Public Citizen on Twitter: ".@AOC nails it here. "Small, incremental policy solutions are not enough... There is no justice and there is no combatting climate change without addressing what has happened to indigenous communities. There is no fixing our economy without addressing the racial wealth gap."… https://t.co/ZG1RDoshWL"

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Fun fact: #GreenNewDeal is a **resolution** - aka an overarching policy framework - NOT a bill. So if you’re curious about what a world with a #GreenNewDeal might look like, @MikeLevinCA’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Bill is a great example! … https://t.co/kuPlqtTTCa" noting Mike Levin on Twitter: "Just introduced the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act with @JeffMerkley — an important step to combat climate change. Thanks to @KamalaHarris @BernieSanders @SenGillibrand @brianschatz @SenWhitehouse @JoeNeguse for being with us on day one! #ZEVAct https://t.co/vUHMIdzgGC" noting California legislator introduces bill to end sales of gas-powered cars in US by 2040 - The San Diego Union-Tribune
I find that a rather drastic solution. I'd prefer massive development of synfuels. As wind generation and solar generation increase, synfuels manufacture will be a good way of using the excess energy of strong winds and high Sun.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "When a mass shooting is committed by a Muslim, the crime is almost automatically labeled as Domestic Terrorism. But when White Supremacists like Dylann Roof shot up a black church, or attack the Tree of Life Synagogue, the FBI declined to charge them w/ Domestic Terrorism. Why?… https://t.co/ZZxueHxpKO"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "White Supremacists get charged w hate crimes. Muslims get charged w terrorism. This is a HUGE difference. Hate crimes are underreported, deprioritized, + aren’t treated as seriously as domestic terror charges. Yet in the US, Neo-Nazi violence far outnumbers Islamic extremism."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It still blows my mind that the CEOs who crashed our economy + caused millions of people to lose their homes not only escaped handcuffs; but got bonuses, too. Many still have influential roles shaping the economy today. But we’re the crazy ones for wanting to tax ‘em, right?… https://t.co/yWDxxgrN82" noting CNBC on Twitter: "Warren Buffett thinks CEOs of failing banks should lose literally everything they're worth. https://t.co/NFBMU12oOo" https://twitter.com/cnbc/status/1129748081002668033 noting Warren Buffett: If a bank needs a government bailout, the CEO and spouse should lose 'net worth'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Our radical, totally crazy idea to reduce the demand on our social safety net (food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, etc): Pay people more.… https://t.co/mwI00EUwnf" noting Yahoo Finance on Twitter: "@AOC will pay entry-level staffers a minimum of $52,000 per year. [url]https://t.co/xzPvnbYdTR… "[/url]
Which had this response when the news came out: Fox News hosts criticize Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to raise salaries in her office as "socialism."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "How to Bail Out Main Street, Not Wall Street: Cap All Interest Rates at 15% (includes Credit Cards & all lending) Federal Student Loan Cancellation (for the past) Tuition-Free Public Colleges (for the future) *Medicare for All (no egregious medical debt w/single payer)"

 

[Harry Bosch]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "When a mass shooting is committed by a Muslim, the crime is almost automatically labeled as Domestic Terrorism. But when White Supremacists like Dylann Roof shot up a black church, or attack the Tree of Life Synagogue, the FBI declined to charge them w/ Domestic Terrorism. Why?… https://t.co/ZZxueHxpKO"
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "White Supremacists get charged w hate crimes. Muslims get charged w terrorism. This is a HUGE difference. Hate crimes are underreported, deprioritized, + aren’t treated as seriously as domestic terror charges. Yet in the US, Neo-Nazi violence far outnumbers Islamic extremism."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It still blows my mind that the CEOs who crashed our economy + caused millions of people to lose their homes not only escaped handcuffs; but got bonuses, too.?????? Many still have influential roles shaping the economy today. But we’re the crazy ones for wanting to tax ‘em, right?… https://t.co/yWDxxgrN82" noting CNBC on Twitter: "Warren Buffett thinks CEOs of failing banks should lose literally everything they're worth. https://t.co/NFBMU12oOo" https://twitter.com/cnbc/status/1129748081002668033 noting Warren Buffett: If a bank needs a government bailout, the CEO and spouse should lose 'net worth'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "Our radical, totally crazy idea to reduce the demand on our social safety net (food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, etc): Pay people more.… https://t.co/mwI00EUwnf" noting Yahoo Finance on Twitter: "@AOC will pay entry-level staffers a minimum of $52,000 per year. [url]https://t.co/xzPvnbYdTR… "[/url]
Which had this response when the news came out: Fox News hosts criticize Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's decision to raise salaries in her office as "socialism."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "How to Bail Out Main Street, Not Wall Street: ?????? Cap All Interest Rates at 15% (includes Credit Cards & all lending) ?????? Federal Student Loan Cancellation (for the past) ?????? Tuition-Free Public Colleges (for the future) ????????????*Medicare for All (no egregious medical debt w/single payer)"

-
?? Are these old tweets? The 08/09 crash was 10 years ago! Secondly, I'm struggling to understand why 15% is okay, 16% is bad? As a total aside: why do some many of the politicians today refer to themselves in the third person?

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What a stupid question! It's in the same league as a reporter asking backstabber/shifty Bill Shorten [Australia's new PM come next Monday] a question about the cost of a very dishonest policy and his non reply. Except for those of her swooning fans and far left Dems, everyone else know she's a brainless bimbo. She makes Sarah Palin seem like genius in comparison. As if further proof was needed......................................

https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/top-cortez-moments-2018/

Sarah Palin took how many years and colleges to get a degree verses Ocasio Cortez getting a college degree, straight up and cum laude, from Boston University.

She's supposedly graduated with an economics degree, yet economics is far beyond her grasp in reality. I'd say she most likely got her degree from a box of breakfast cereal.

The problem is she is blinded by her ideology.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "It still blows my mind that the CEOs who crashed our economy + caused millions of people to lose their homes not only escaped handcuffs; but got bonuses, too.������ Many still have influential roles shaping the economy today. But we’re the crazy ones for wanting to tax ‘em, right?… https://t.co/yWDxxgrN82" noting CNBC on Twitter: "Warren Buffett thinks CEOs of failing banks should lose literally everything they're worth. https://t.co/NFBMU12oOo" https://twitter.com/cnbc/status/1129748081002668033 noting Warren Buffett: If a bank needs a government bailout, the CEO and spouse should lose 'net worth'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "How to Bail Out Main Street, Not Wall Street: ������ Cap All Interest Rates at 15% (includes Credit Cards & all lending) ������ Federal Student Loan Cancellation (for the past) ������ Tuition-Free Public Colleges (for the future) ������������*Medicare for All (no egregious medical debt w/single payer)"

-
?? Are these old tweets? The 08/09 crash was 10 years ago!

Those aren't old tweets. She was asking why justice wasn't done.

Secondly, I'm struggling to understand why 15% is okay, 16% is bad?

It's an arbitrary threshold, like lots of such thresholds.

As a total aside: why do some many of the politicians today refer to themselves in the third person?

I'm copying Twitter page titles, because those titles contain tweets.

She's supposedly graduated with an economics degree, yet economics is far beyond her grasp in reality. I'd say she most likely got her degree from a box of breakfast cereal.

The problem is she is blinded by her ideology.

Why is she supposed to be ignorant of economics? This is someone who can use economics jargon.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I watched AOC grilling the Gilead drug company people. She zeroed right in on the problem.

She's good at holding the fire to those who need it. She's not so good at offering effective ideas.

 

[Arctish]

I watched AOC grilling the Gilead drug company people. She zeroed right in on the problem.

She's good at holding the fire to those who need it. She's not so good at offering effective ideas.

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I watched AOC grilling the Gilead drug company people. She zeroed right in on the problem.

She's good at holding the fire to those who need it. She's not so good at offering effective ideas.

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Interest rates are mostly tied to risk. For example, an individual seeking a secured loan who has good credit and verified cash flow might can probably get a loan today right around 4.75%. An unsecured loan to a person without verified cash flow but good credit score might be around 11 or 12% A person without a good credit score who needs fast emergency money to tide over until the next payday is going to be much higher (probably over 15%). If you cap the rates, the banks will just tighten the risk pool and not make the emergency unsecured fast loans. That might be painful for people who are desperate. Might be better for them in the long run. Either way, I don't see it as helping the middle class much.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Those aren't old tweets. She was asking why justice wasn't done.

Secondly, I'm struggling to understand why 15% is okay, 16% is bad?

It's an arbitrary threshold, like lots of such thresholds.

As a total aside: why do some many of the politicians today refer to themselves in the third person?

I'm copying Twitter page titles, because those titles contain tweets.

She's supposedly graduated with an economics degree, yet economics is far beyond her grasp in reality. I'd say she most likely got her degree from a box of breakfast cereal.

The problem is she is blinded by her ideology.

Why is she supposed to be ignorant of economics? This is someone who can use economics jargon.

Thank you for explaining how twittering works. First off, it's always shocking when we discover that white collar criminals get off!! Not. But the larger issue is what laws did they break?

 

[ZiprHead]

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Interest rates are mostly tied to risk. For example, an individual seeking a secured loan who has good credit and verified cash flow might can probably get a loan today right around 4.75%. An unsecured loan to a person without verified cash flow but good credit score might be around 11 or 12% A person without a good credit score who needs fast emergency money to tide over until the next payday is going to be much higher (probably over 15%). If you cap the rates, the banks will just tighten the risk pool and not make the emergency unsecured fast loans. That might be painful for people who are desperate. Might be better for them in the long run. Either way, I don't see it as helping the middle class much.

The loans typically come with high fees — the average annual percentage rate equates to nearly 400%, according to the CFPB. But a 2016 report from the Center for Responsible Lending found that payday interest rates in states can reach as high as 662%.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-you-desperate-and-considering-a-payday-loan-there-are-other-less-dangerous-options-2019-02-08

"over 15%" indeed.

 

[Harry Bosch]

The loans typically come with high fees — the average annual percentage rate equates to nearly 400%, according to the CFPB. But a 2016 report from the Center for Responsible Lending found that payday interest rates in states can reach as high as 662%.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/are-you-desperate-and-considering-a-payday-loan-there-are-other-less-dangerous-options-2019-02-08

"over 15%" indeed.

I don't disagree. Putting a cap on the rate will stop most of the payday lenders. I think that is probably a good thing over time. It's kinda like taking away crack from a crack addict. But it will hurt some people desperate for a short term emergency loan...

 

[lpetrich]

Right-wingers have been objecting that this policy will make it more difficult for poor people to get loans, but given their belief that poor people ought to be punished for their sins, I expect that such an outcome would be a selling point for them.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: ".@JayInslee’s climate plan is the most serious + comprehensive one to address our crisis in the 2020 field. It meets key marks: Big enough Fast enough Economically stimulating for working people Acknowledges injustice + w/ an eye to make communities whole… https://t.co/iZJfqU1Xqd" noting Alexander Kaufman on Twitter: "NEW: @JayInslee just released a stunning detailed, 15,000-word economic plan to decarbonize much of the U.S. by 2030 and revivify the labor movement by repealing right-to-work laws and making it easier to form unions. https://t.co/ryBKQ2YokI" noting Jay Inslee Unveils $9 Trillion Climate Jobs Plan To Cut Emissions And Bolster Unions | HuffPost

The proposal lays out a five-pronged strategy to launch an unprecedented deployment of renewable energy, fortify the nation’s infrastructure to cope with climate change, spur a clean-tech manufacturing boom, increase federal research funding fivefold and level income inequality by repealing anti-union laws and enacting new rules to close the racial and gender pay gaps. By spending $300 billion per year, the plan projects another $600 billion in annual economic activity generated by its mandates.

“The thing that can really cost is the path of inaction, the path of letting Paradise, California, keep burning down, the path of letting Davenport, Iowa, keep flooding, the path of letting Miami be inundated,” Inslee told HuffPost by phone on Wednesday. “It’s too expensive, besides being too deadly.”

The breadth is stunning, with few problems left untouched. The plan includes specifics on everything from national parks to drinking water, “ultra-high-speed” rail to electric scooters, climate literacy education to a new Climate Conservation Corps.

An Evergreen Economy for America | Inslee for America -- Clean Energy, Infrastructure, Manufacturing, R&D, Labor

“It’s a doozy,” said Evan Weber, political director at Sunrise Movement, the grassroots group pushing for a Green New Deal. “It’s extremely thorough.”

Republicans, who routinely smear the Green New Deal with false claims it’d ban cows and flights and even trigger genocide against white men, are likely to dismiss Inslee’s plan as socialism. Yet the plan makes no calls to nationalize industries, as some in the climate movement are beginning to entertain, nor does it embrace the federal job guarantee proponents of the Green New Deal. Inslee, moreover, is quick to tout the leading role for private industry under his proposal, which is largely dependent on generous market incentives.

“It’s a combination of public investment, which succeeded when we went to the moon and defeated fascism, and it leverages and partners with private entrepreneurs and skilled workers,” Inslee said.

But it is nevertheless much of the Green New Deal.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "On Oversight, Chairman @RepCummings reserves a gratitude for those who testify after experiencing unimaginable loss: “Thank you for turning your pain into power.” Pain like this should never happen. To turn it into power takes a strength that many of us may never understand. … https://t.co/pCe0dLrjli" noting David Smiley on Twitter: "Trayvon Martin’s mom is running for office in Miami… "

Getting responses
I'm That Type Of Guy on Twitter: "And if people don't pay attention, Ron Desantis will deliver voting machines without plugs or no machines at all and will do everything in his power to make sure lines are 6+ hours long like Brian Kemp did here on Georgia.… https://t.co/hn0kguc1Gu"
John on Twitter: "They did it here last year as well… "

 

[angelo]

I watched AOC grilling the Gilead drug company people. She zeroed right in on the problem.

She's good at holding the fire to those who need it. She's not so good at offering effective ideas.

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Wouldn't the economy get an even bigger boost if there was an increase in productivity and everyone benefits?

 

[ZiprHead]

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Wouldn't the economy get an even bigger boost if there was an increase in productivity and everyone benefits?

Ah, you silly boy. The only people that benefit from increased productivity in the US is the CEO and investor classes.

 

[Elixir]

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Wouldn't the economy get an even bigger boost if there was an increase in productivity and everyone benefits?

Ah, you silly boy. The only people that benefit from increased productivity in the US is the CEO and investor classes.

View attachment 21480

Another case of a person who is being raped by a gorilla, remaining convinced that he is a prince making love to a princess.
Trump has made half of the toothless bible belt morons certain that they will be billionaires like he is(n't), if only they let him keep fucking them.

 

[lpetrich]

A 15% cap in interest rates would be tremendously effective at boosting the buying power of the lower and middle class without raising wages. And as we all know, when members of the middle class experience an increase in their ability to buy the goods and services they want and need, the entire economy gets a boost.

Wouldn't the economy get an even bigger boost if there was an increase in productivity and everyone benefits?

Ah, you silly boy. The only people that benefit from increased productivity in the US is the CEO and investor classes.
View attachment 21480

That class often gets very butthurt when anyone else gets anything.

American Airlines gave its workers a raise. Wall Street freaked out. - Vox

“This is frustrating. Labor is being paid first again,” wrote Citi analyst Kevin Crissey in a widely circulated note. “Shareholders get leftovers.”

No, Chipotle isn’t paying workers too little.

But this one had another problem: the wages of the generally low-paid people who staff Chipotle’s locations. While the company has aggressively cut down on the number of hours per employee as its sales have fallen, analyst Gregory Francfort noted, “We believe further gains from trimming hours will prove difficult which limits the opportunity to get labor below 27 percent of sales even if traffic recovers.” Simply put, Francfort is down on the stock because Chipotle can’t lower the percentage of every dollar of revenue it spends on labor.

So anything more than 27% is intolerably high for the investor class.