Important headlines for December 27th:
Bottom Line: These are stories you don't want to miss and my hot takes on them...
Military poised to accept transgender troops, despite Trump tweets, as courts block ban Sun-Sentienal
EXCERPT: Barring last-minute intervention by the Supreme Court, the military’s ban on enlisting transgender troops is set to fall next week, despite President Donald Trump’s tweets.
A series of federal judges has rejected the president’s position, most recently with rulings on Friday, and administration lawyers are running out of time to revive the ban before the Pentagon plans to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1.
Hot Take: First, how many federal court rulings on President Trump's actions have been overturned by the Supreme Court this year? Second, do you think we should be paying for military personal to attempt to change their gender? That's absurd in my view.
GOP Bets the House They Can Change Opinions on Tax Bill Jamelle Bouie, Slate
Excerpt: Republican lawmakers think a little extra spending money can reverse the outrage over their tax overhaul.
Hot Take: The entire story from Slate is yet another hit piece on the new tax law but the premise of the headline is what I wanted to address. First, this is a pet-peeve of mine, will you please stop calling the new tax law a bill? Numerous outlets, not just Slate, continue to do this. Go back and watch the School House Rock episode on a bill if you're still not sure how this whole Representative Republic thing works (here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFroMQlKiag). Anyway, here's the deal. Is $1,780 "a little extra spending money" to you? That's the average annual savings for the average American making just under $45,000 due to this new law. That characterization is the first clue on how out-of-touch many of these national media types really are to begin with. Secondly, and this is the most important point of all, you can lie to someone about that of which they don't see, touch and feel. To the ignorant you may have success in perpetuating those lies. Here's the rub however... You can't lie about what is or isn't in someone's wallet. They know if they have less or more money. Just as the media in conjunction with the Obama administration perpetuated an endless array of lies about the virtues of the ACA (savings of $2500 per family, keep your doctor, keep your plan, etc.), it came apart quickly to millions who realized that it wasn't true once it became policy. The same is true here.
The usual suspects in the media that are enemies of the Trump administration have lied at length about will and won't happen with the new tax law. Like the ACA the truth will come down to cold hard cash. Who doesn't want a 4% raise starting next Monday? How many that are still devout anti-Trumpers will refuse to pay lower taxes and instead send their savings to the federal government? In other words, the same media who have been lying to you since they perpetuated the lies of the ACA will once again prove themselves as dishonest hypocrites and you'll know the truth in your paycheck and when you file taxes. And yes, I'd bet the House on Americans getting to keep more of the money they earn in their pockets as opposed to letting politicians in Washington waste it.
Left Now Angry About 'Pro-Trump' Year-End Bonuses New York Post
Excerpt: Following President Trump’s signing of the act, which lowers the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, leading companies began — in his words — “showering their workers with bonuses.” AT&T announced $1,000 bonuses for its 200,00 workers. So did Sinclair, the nation’s largest TV broadcaster, for 9,000 employees, and Comcast, MSNBC’s parent company. Wells Fargo and Fifth Third Bankcorp are boosting their minimum wage to $15 an hour — a major goal for Democrats these days — and many of the same companies also announced new business and philanthropic investments of up to $1 billion. So what was the Democrats’ reaction when corporations began passing on their anticipated added profits to workers?
Democratic (and former Hillary Clinton) strategist Jesse Ferguson called it an attempt to “curry favor” by “playing to the ego of the president.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed the AT&T bonus had already been negotiated as part of a new union contract and was an attempt to “pin a rose on this tax bill” — only to learn that it was an extra$1,000 bonus on top of the earlier one. Many other Dems and their media supporters labeled it a p.r. stunt. MSNBC’s Joy Reid, who’ll soon pocket an extra $1,000, called it “corporate America trying to convince you that their naked greed is charity.” It’s literally no-win with this crowd. As economist Steve Moore has rightly said: “Democrats are for jobs, but they’re against business.” That’s never been more obvious.
Hot Take: Is there any question that for many, if not most, on the left care about politics more than people?
Until tomorrow...