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kpete

Frum sets low bar for SOTU: "As long as he doesn’t poke someone in the eye he will be praised"

(Raw Story) President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address will likely benefit from epically low expectations, according to CNN’s Monday morning panel discussion.

During “New Day,” Republican commentator David Frum of The Atlantic, noted that all Trump must do is clear an extremely low bar.

“Look, if President Trump gets through the hour without putting a fork in somebody’s eye he will be praised as the most presidential president since the most presidential president,” he said.

louis c

Why $1,000 One Time Bonuses are Part of the Tax Scam

Let me give you a little background of what I've done for the past 22 years as work. I represent a union in the Greater Boston area and part of my responsibilities is to negotiate contracts with the employer on behalf of the union employees. The people I represent are mostly in the maintenance departments of schools, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, museums and sports' facilities.

The pay ranges from a low of about $26 per hour for unlicensed employees, to a high of $40 an hour for licensed personnel (electricians, plumbers, HVAC). So. let's just put the average at about $33 an hour for the sake of this argument.

A $1,000 bonus is not a pay raise. It represents less than fifty cents ($.50) an hour for the year. 40 hours a week x 52 weeks = 2080 x 50 cents is $1,040.

The one time bonus, instead of a 50 cent raise means the bonus is only for one year. A fifty cent raise is every year, as your salary has increased. On top of that, overtime is now calculated at the higher rate of pay, compounding the increase when you work the overtime...

babylonsister

Lindsey Graham: firing Mueller would be the end of the Trump presidency

(Vox) Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is taking a hard line on the Russia investigation and the president’s seeming inability to stay out of it. On Sunday, Graham warned that Firing Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the Russia scandal, would be the end of the Donald Trump presidency — adding that everyone surrounding the president knows it.

“It’s pretty clear to me that everybody in the White House knows it would be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he fired Mr. Mueller,” Graham told ABC’s Martha Raddatz in an appearance on This Week on Sunday. The remarks come amid revelations that Trump ordered Mueller’s firing last June, reported by the New York Times this week and subsequently confirmed by other outlets, including the Washington Post and CNN. Top White House lawyer Don McGahn threatened to quit instead of going through with the president’s order, which apparently stopped the president from going through with it. The report provides another example of President Trump’s attempts to interfere with ongoing investigations — a pattern of behavior that has put him under scrutiny for potential obstruction of justice.

DonViejo

Home Depot Co-Founder Tells Democrats: "Use Your Stupid Brains" "You Don't Have Any Brains!"

(Mediaite) Following the passage of the GOP tax reform bill, a number of corporations have announced bonuses and wage increases for its employees, citing the tax cuts as the main reason. One company that handed out one-time bonuses was Home Depot. And the co-founder had some strong words for Democrats who have criticized these bonuses as “crumbs” and dismissed them as PR moves.

Appearing on Fox News Saturday, Bernie Marcus took aim at Democratic leaders, telling host Neil Cavuto that derisive comments about the bonuses will come back to haunt Democrats as it paints them as elitist. “These are things that the [Nancy] Pelosi and [Chuck] Schumer group don’t have a clue about. It’s why they lost the election, it’s as simple as that,” Marcus said. “[Hillary] Clinton never knew about the real people out there. That’s why they lost the election, and that’s why they’re going to lose the next election for the same reason.”

Towards the end of the interview, Marcus then straight up sad Democrats were brainless:

“You’ve got to use your brains! Democrats, use your stupid brains. You don’t have any brains!”

highplainsdem

Ex-GOP chair to Tony Perkins: "shut the hell up and don’t preach to me about anything ever again"

(Rawstory) Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele blasted Family Research Council president Tony Perkins for giving President Donald Trump a “mulligan” on paying hush money to former adult film star.

“I have very simple admonition: just shut the hell up and don’t preach to me about anything ever again,” Steele suggested.

“After telling me who to love, what to believe, what to do and what not to do and now you sit back and the prostitutes don’t matter, the grabbing the you-know-what doesn’t matter, the outright behavior and lies don’t matter, just shut up!” Steele blasted.

brooklynite

Tammy Duckworth is pregnant; will be 1st senator to give birth

(Chicago Sun-Times) In the history of the nation, only 10 members of Congress have given birth while in office and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is one of them.

Soon Duckworth will be in a class by herself.

Duckworth told me she is expecting her second child, another girl, in late April, a few weeks after she turns 50. The birth will make Duckworth the nation’s first senator to have a baby while serving in the chamber.

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