The Freedom Dividend of $1,000 a month, no questions asked, will enable Iowans to expand the businesses and worry less about daily needs.

The American Dream is dying by the numbers.

I’ve seen it in Iowa, where farm bankruptcies have gone up 71% since 2018. Where your water supplies are contaminated. Where opioid deaths have more than tripled since 2005. Where more than one in seven of your children live in poverty, while the state is short 359,000 child care spaces. Where over 55% of your kids leave the state for new opportunities.

I’ve seen it across the country, where 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck while 57% can’t afford an unexpected $500 bill.

By the numbers, the economy is not working for us. It’s working for the 91 Fortune 500 companies that paid $0 in federal taxes. It’s working for pharmaceutical companies who rely on taxpayers to fund their research, only to massively overcharge those same taxpayers. It’s working for oil and coal companies, who demand tens of billions of dollars in government subsidies while poisoning our air and water. Most of all, it’s working for politicians in Washington, D.C., who sold out the American people for campaign donations and lobbyist cash.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2020/01/09/andrew-yang-democrat-president-iowa-caucus-change-the-rules-economy/2853514001/

The Freedom Dividend of $1,000 a month, no questions asked, will enable Iowans to expand the businesses and worry less about daily needs.

The American Dream is dying by the numbers.

I’ve seen it in Iowa, where farm bankruptcies have gone up 71% since 2018. Where your water supplies are contaminated. Where opioid deaths have more than tripled since 2005. Where more than one in seven of your children live in poverty, while the state is short 359,000 child care spaces. Where over 55% of your kids leave the state for new opportunities.

I’ve seen it across the country, where 78% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck while 57% can’t afford an unexpected $500 bill.

By the numbers, the economy is not working for us. It’s working for the 91 Fortune 500 companies that paid $0 in federal taxes. It’s working for pharmaceutical companies who rely on taxpayers to fund their research, only to massively overcharge those same taxpayers. It’s working for oil and coal companies, who demand tens of billions of dollars in government subsidies while poisoning our air and water. Most of all, it’s working for politicians in Washington, D.C., who sold out the American people for campaign donations and lobbyist cash.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/caucus/2020/01/09/andrew-yang-democrat-president-iowa-caucus-change-the-rules-economy/2853514001/

Two of the largest library systems in the St. Louis region are axing fines for overdue library materials.

St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library join a trend of major metropolitan library districts across the U.S. — including those of Kansas City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago — that have eliminated fines for their users in an effort to increase access and equity within the communities they serve.

“We have seen a lot of studies out there that say fines are not the incentive to get people to bring their books back,” said Kristen Sorth, the director of the St. Louis County Library district. “And so, we still want the books back. You just don’t have to come back and pay a fine.”

The policy change does not mean library users are off the hook.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-city-county-libraries-are-now-officially-fine-free?

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/06/business/pier-1-imports-bankruptcy/index.html?

New York (CNN Business)Pier 1 Imports will close nearly half of its stores and is reportedly nearing a bankruptcy filing.

The home goods retailer has been struggling for years against rising pressure online and from big-box rivals. Its stock, which was at $300 a share in 2015, is trading at around $5 today.
Pier 1 (PIR) shares tumbled nearly 17% Monday. after Bloomberg reported the news of a potential bankruptcy.
Pier 1 operated 942 stores in the United States and Canada at the end of its latest quarter. It said Monday that it will close up to 450 stores "in order to better align its business with the current operating environment." Pier 1 will also close distribution centers and lay off corporate employees.

"I have signed a pledge to end the Forever Wars. We have been in a constant state of armed conflict for 19 years at a disastrous cost to both our people and our resources. This must end."

He further states: "War with Iran is the last thing we need and is not the will of the American people. We should be acting to deescalate tensions and protect our people in the region."

ST. LOUIS — County and municipal leaders in St. Louis, St. Charles and Jefferson counties are looking at the possibility of buying St. Louis Lambert International Airport from the city and putting it under the control of a regional board.

The heads of some of the region’s largest governments have discussed a massive special sales taxing district spanning St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and even Franklin counties, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

If voters in those jurisdictions approved it, a half-cent sales tax could generate some $80 million to $100 million annually — money that could be used to acquire the airport from St. Louis, much as a private operator would have done under a long-term lease contemplated during the recently aborted privatization process.

“We have talked to St. Louis (County and) St. Charles (County) and the issue’s been brought up to Jefferson County,” said Bridgeton Mayor Terry Briggs, who has pitched the idea and discussed it with other area mayors and county leaders.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/regional-leaders-float-idea-to-buy-lambert-from-st-louis/article_21facd25-b47e-53d0-af6d-453f21d8eb8c.html

The minute they said Sales Tax Increase to pay for this...They lost me.