US politics general thread

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Pitbull

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What did corporate America do with that tax break? Buy record amounts of its own stock
The White House promised '70 percent' of the tax cut would go to workers. It didn't.




Before the tax cut:
Report: Companies Will Use Tax Cut Savings to Buy Back Stocks, Reward Investors
GOP: No they won't, it'll trickle down into wages and buff the market to increase 401ks.

After the tax cut:
Report: Companies Used Tax Cut Savings to Buy Back Stocks, Reward Investors
GOP: What a crazy turn of events. Well, water under the bridge, right? Now we have to pay for it by slashing Medicare and Medicaid.

Let me understand this bit...

So companies use the saving to expand their business's value and thus growing the business. How would this not affect the workers positively? Even create more employment?
 

RanzB

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Let me understand this bit...

So companies use the saving to expand their business's value and thus growing the business. How would this not affect the workers positively? Even create more employment?

Have you found that source you were asked for multiple times when making dubious claims or are you just here to troll again?
 

Cray

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Let me understand this bit...

So companies use the saving to expand their business's value and thus growing the business. How would this not affect the workers positively? Even create more employment?

How does buying their own stock back from investors expand the value of the business?
 

cerebus

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Let me understand this bit...

So companies use the saving to expand their business's value and thus growing the business. How would this not affect the workers positively? Even create more employment?

So we give tax cuts to the wealthy, who rather than hoarding it for themselves and widening the wealth gap, use their extra money to pay their workers more and 'trickle down' their newfound wealth into the local economy. What's so hard to understand about that?
 

Pitbull

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How does buying their own stock back from investors expand the value of the business?

They are decreasing their liabilities to their share holders by buying back stock. Which increases their Equity. They can now either create fresh stock for investor capital or since they have less liabilities to investors, invest more of their equity into the business for expansion.

Simple accounting tbh :eek:
 

Cray

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They are decreasing their liabilities to their share holders by buying back stock. Which increases their Equity. They can now either create fresh stock for investor capital or since they have less liabilities to investors invest more of their equity into the business for expansion.

:crylaugh: So they are going to use the cash that they have on hand to buy back stock from investors so that they can then create more stock to sell to investors to get cash which they already had in the first place....?
 

konfab

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Frum is generally pretty good, but this piece is pretty bad, even though I agree (in general) with what he's saying.

He, as many, starts with a false premise. There is no crisis. Illegal immigration is at a 46 year low.

Also, this part is plainly false:



Note how he can't even name one elected Democrat official that has this policy.

Bit of a necro-reply, but this interested me:


Created in 2003 by President George W. Bush, ICE has become increasingly unpopular among Democrats as evidence of its abuses continues to grow. Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who voted against the agency’s creation, wrote in a Medium post on Sunday that it’s time to “abolish ICE and start over.” On Monday, Congressman Mark Pocan of Wisconsin formally introduced legislation to disband the agency. Insurgent left-wing candidates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is challenging Congressman Joe Crowley, have already begun to campaign on the issue.

Ocasio-Cortez belongs to a cohort of Democratic candidates who have positions in common with Sanders: Medicare for All, free higher education, and a $15 minimum wage. But by seeming to support ICE’s continued existence, Sanders has put a wedge between himself and those seeking to pick up the torch he carried in 2016. In the process, he’s undermining his position as the nation’s most prominent left-wing politician.

We should abolish ICE and start over, focusing on our priorities to protect our families and our borders in a humane and thoughtful fashion. Now is the time for immigration reform that ensures people are treated with compassion and respect. Not only because it is the moral thing to do, but it’s better policy and will cost less.
https://medium.com/@earlblumenauer/its-time-we-abolish-ice-b29efabe6e24

https://newrepublic.com/article/149378/bernie-sanders-not-left
 

Pitbull

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:crylaugh: So they are going to use the cash that they have on hand to buy back stock from investors so that they can then create more stock to sell to investors to get cash which they already had in the first place....?

Not that they have to, but they can.

Decreasing liabilities should be priority number one don't you agree? The more equity they have the better their chances are of giving up equity again in the future if needed.

Let me ask you this: If you get a raise of let's say R 2 000 a month. Do you spend more or do you use that R 2 000 extra to reduce your debt? That is what the companies are doing. It's actually the right place to start tbh.
 

konfab

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:crylaugh: So they are going to use the cash that they have on hand to buy back stock from investors so that they can then create more stock to sell to investors to get cash which they already had in the first place....?

Picture you are in the US. You know the US election system usually wings one way or another.

Trump's tax cut will only last as long as there are people who understand economics in the white house. Since the Democrats will eventually win back power and wind up the taxes, it makes sense not to increase your costs (i.e worker wages).

What they are doing is making an investment in their own companies so they have capital to expand the business sustainably. When businesses expand, employees get promoted and new people get employed.

But don't bother with any of this. Just tax those evil corporations at 80%. After all how dare shareholders ask for a return on investment.
 
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Cray

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Not that they have to, but they can.

Decreasing liabilities should be priority number one don't you agree? The more equity they have the better their chances are of giving up equity again in the future if needed.
Except that stock issues are not considered liabilities because there is no requirement to ever pay them back and dividends are paid at the discretion of the board.
 

Pitbull

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Except that stock issues are not considered liabilities because there is no requirement to ever pay them back and dividends are paid at the discretion of the board.

So giving up equity in return for investment is not seen as a liability? Those stock have a face value and is pretty liquid. So investors can call in those stocks at any time if they wanted to. It's a liability on a company either way you look at it. It's the obvious thing to do when you come into to extra cash... You decrease your liabilities.
 

OrbitalDawn

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Trump's tax cut will only last as long as there are people who understand economics in the white house.

:crylaugh:

Like Larry Kudlow?

Larry Kudlow may have been more wrong about the economy than anyone alive

Or Donald "Trade wars are easy to win" Trump?

I want some of the stuff you're smoking.

Reality:

The Democrats Are the Party of Fiscal Responsibility

konfab said:
But don't bother with any of this. Just tax those evil corporations at 80%. After all how dare shareholders ask for a return on investment.

Back to inane strawmen, eh? Difficult when you can't deal with reality, I suppose. :)
 

Techne

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Trump wins the travel ban.
Now build the wall you idiot, otherwise you will remain a loser president.
Then give the 11 million or more illegal immigrants work permits with e-tracking they have to renew for a max of three years but tell they have to go back.
 

Techne

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ROFL, saying any American party is the party of fiscal responsibility is pure MSM idiocy. Truth is both parties screw the American public and the banks laugh all the way to ....the bank.
 

OrbitalDawn

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So he couldn't name one, and neither can you. Okay.

And ICE should be abolished.

It would be amusing, if it wasn't so horrible, how one of the government agencies that act the most like the right wing "tyrannical government" trope gets a free pass because the people they target are a certain... demographic. ;)
 

Aquila ka Hecate

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Yeah. Fear of Brown People sounds a bit Pythonesque - except that it's pretty universal in poorly-educated Europeans.

I wonder what the Native Americans are thinking of all this? Should they have secured their borders earlier?
 
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