Obama's jobs and poverty proposals are great

[Recursion]

Obama wants to make it possible for America's poor to get out of poverty. Here's how:

He wants to invest $1 billion in seed money for transitional employment and "pathway" career programs

In coordination with his energy and environment policies, he will create a Green Jobs Corps that recruits disadvantaged young people for "green" jobs in their communities, which will provide both employment for now and training for later on.

His transportation budget will focus Federal money on providing poor communities with access to public transportation. Transportation is an often-overlooked barrier to poor people trying to find work. And I hope I don't have to explain the environmental advantages of public transportation on DU...

His work on strengthening and enforcing lead paint regulations in Chicago was quite simply the best of any politician. Lead paint is a devastating blight on many poor communities and is linked to poor academic performance, criminal behavior, and poor economic prospects.

He will propose a national prison-to-work incentive program that will help reduce the barriers ex-convicts face trying to return to the workforce.

He will change EITC regulations to allow more families to benefit from this most-progressive tax

He will credit $500 of FICA levies to all workers

He proposes legislation that mandates paid sick days for all workers

He will invest in the technological and transportation infrastructures of rural areas so that they are no longer left behind by the rest of the country

Obama is right about jobs and poverty

[Radical Activist]

1. But I thought only Edwards has a poverty plan!

Amazing. Who would expect a candidate that personally went door to door to organize the poor in their own communities would actually do something about poverty as President? Go figure.

[jackson_dem]

4. Edwards was the only one who talked about it...

Poverty didn't enter the Obama campaign until Edwards' poverty tour. I haven't seen Obama mention his plan since...

Still it is a solid plan. Does Hillary have one?

[Radical Activist]

14. I heard him talk about it.

Its something Obama has talked about a long time and worked on since his 20's and later in the Illinois State Senate.

I'm sure Hillary has something that will make people feel a little better as they keep getting screwed by neoliberal trade policies.

[Recursion]

18. Delete

Oops! Wrong thread...

[jackson_dem]

19. Not during his presidential campaign

He has worked on it before and spoken out in the past. He was quiet on it in his campaign until Edwards' poverty tour and since then it hasn't been a part of his campaign. Sure he mentions it when in poor areas but so does Hillary. It was a core part of Edwards' campaign.

Obama's policies on trade are, you guessed it, just like Hillary's!

[Radical Activist]

20. Trade

No, its not just like Hillary. I wish Obama were more aggressive about changing NAFTA and the WTO but he has condemned them and won't make the same mistake Bill Clinton made. He did vote against CAFTA.

[jackson_dem]

24. What differences are there on trade?

He favors "free trade" and that is clear from his book. CAFTA? Hillary voted against it too. They both supported South Korea and Peru trade just last year.

Hillary has also spoken out on NAFTA. Every Democrat decries the excesses of free trade. The real test is what they propose to do about it and Hillary and Barack represent more of the same on trade.

[Radical Activist]

27. No, he doesn't advocate free trade in his book.

He very specifically says he favors fair trade.

Yes, they both condemn NAFTA now but I find Obama more believable based on his progressive voting record and Hillary's past defense of free trade.

[jackson_dem]

29. Every Democrat says he is for "fair" trade

The devil is in the details. Obama and Hillary are, as the details reveal, free traders. Hillary and Obama have the same voting record on trade. Even on CAFTA Obama basically cast a protest vote because the concerns of labor weren't discussed enough. He didn't disagree with the merits of CAFTA.

[Radical Activist]

30. Could you link the details

that lead you to believe Obama is a free trader?

[jedgarbauer]

34. Trade Discussion is WINNER for DEMS!

It's time to show the American people that a $170Billion "stimulous package" only stimulates CHINA'S economy!!! China bought the bonds and T-Bills to finance the parachute of the cash, and its the Republicans and idiot poor who will go to Walmart and spend the same $170Billion to STIMULATE the CHINEESE ECONOMY!!!!!!!!!

[caligirl]

40. November can't get here fast enough can it?

[woolldog]

2. stop it

I just don't see any substance here.

[caligirl]

3. can someone comment on the effect of this component

He will credit $500 of FICA levies to all workers

[jackson_dem]

6. A tax credit for $500 on payroll taxes I assume

This is apparently a takeoff on the EITC, something the DLC and Bill Clinton expanded. ;)

[caligirl]

8. Just wondering what the intent is. effect he's looking for.

[Recursion]

11. Oh. It's a creative way to give a working-class tax refund n/t

[sandnsea]

13. A tax cut for low income single people

ALL working people, a real one. Most of the time 25-30% of workers don't benefit from tax cuts because by the time they deduct their dependents, they don't owe any taxes anyway. Parents can take the EIC, but it's next to nothing for working people. It also might encourage people to not work under the table so we've got more FICA going into the system.

[Radical Activist]

16. Makes the tax system more progressive as well.

[Recursion]

10. Here's my layman's understanding

Currently the first I think $75,000 of wages (though I think that was recently raised?) has FICA (ie, Social Security) levied against it. If you look at your pay stub, you'll see tax withheld, but you'll also see FICA and (a much smaller amount of) Medicaire levied. In fact, depending on how your withholdings, etc., shake out, if you make less than about $65,000 per year you pay more in FICA than you do in taxes.

Obama's plan is to give a refundable tax credit of $500 to compensate for some of the FICA levies you are paying; that is, the first $500 of FICA levies you pay will be subtracted from your year-end tax bill. So if you owed the government $100 in taxes after withholding, you would end up getting a $400 refund. If you were already getting a $100 refund, you would get $600.

It's essentially a way to give a working-class tax break that highlights the regressive nature of the FICA levy system. Income after $75,000 (or whatever it is now) is not levied against, and capital gains are not levied at all. That's right, the postman bringing a dividend check to someone's house pays for social security through his wages, while the guy getting the dividend check isn't paying anything.

[caligirl]

17. Okay i thoght they were revamping of the range of SS taxable income

so people in the higher tax brackets would pay into it more. I think that is what he wants to do but maybe this is in addition to it.

[sandnsea]

23. Looks to be in addition

I think it is awesome because I am SO angry that our FICA created the budget surplus and then they just handed it over to the wealthy with the Bush tax cuts. These are the kinds of little things that show me the man cares about the little people.

[caligirl]

28. don't worry sandandsea that bully in the WH will never be able to

walk freely among his neighbors without the glare of disapproval. The books and the history he and his grandkids, who aren't even born, will face won't be forgiving. I think this is why that wedding is in Texas and not the WH. Can't have a tomato or egg fest now though.

[jackson_dem]

5. What is Hillary's plan to deal with poverty?

[caligirl]

21. I take it your still waiting for an answer. I don't have one. sorry.

[Recursion]

22. CAFTA. And no, I'm not kidding, sadly nt

[Tatiana]

41. She doesn't even have poverty listed as one of her "issues" on her website. n/t

[jedgarbauer]

7. One Billion Plus 999 Billion

Barack will spend $1 Trillion WAY BETTER than Hillary.

All we have to do is convince the American people that our program is better than Hillary, which is not that hard.

Hillary's "Nationalized Health Care" Program is proposed at $110 Billion, which is ridiculous.

If free prescription drugs for seniors costs $100 Billion per year in the current enviornment, there is no way Hillary can get a similiar priced package through the congress with similiar results. It's time to defeat the Clintons and RALLY around a NEW DEMOCRAT!!!!

[caligirl]

12. remember people, no canddidates plan will look like they do now

no matter who they are. The Senate and House and all those peole get to write this and vote on it. End product is a different animal.

[Recursion]

15. No argument here

He's going to face significant opposition on most of his plans, and a lot of them will have to either be compromised or have something else added in as sweetener. But, hey, I like the way this platform is going, and like the farm platform I posted a few minutes ago I think it would have pretty strong support from a lot of different constituencies.

[jedgarbauer]

31. 1.3 Trillion Budget - Barack Difference

What you say is not necessarily the case. When you have the Veto pen over a 1.3 Trillion dollar budget, I would never say the "end product is a different animal". In effect, what you are saying is that there is no virtual difference between the candidates.

1.) The media concentrates on "the change" factor, but does not address how the budget process works with respect to appropriations.

2.) The Bush Tax cuts could be repealed and there is virtually no discussion on how Hillary would deal with this issue (at least none of what I have heard since I have only watched the last four debates)

3) Health Care Reform is actually a $2 Trillion proposition over a minimum of 10 years if one is even remotely realistic about how the U.S. Government can intervene on behalf of those who opt in to a Government plan. I for one am sick and tired of 3 minute sound bite interviews with MSNBC on actual solutions!

4) I don't trust ANY politician to deal with Social Security Reform unless they admit that it will go bankrupt in 2030 or even beyond. Nobody wanted to trust Bush with the reform and that makes sense. Now we actually have to deal with it.

5) Our corporate taxes are THE HIGHEST in the world (35%), isn't it about time for a DEMOCRAT to address offshoring / outsourcing and being fiscally responsible by lowering corporate tax rates or at least addressing the outlandish IRS tax statutes?

[caligirl]

35. I see your point, I think I was just referring to the legislative

process that any President would face. What one brings to the table and ends up with is also dependent on how that leader approaches and works with the congress, and the reverse. And the media well, I sent my share of letters to them, disgusting. either has the veto power and the override power. Still Congress legislates.

[jackson_dem]

9. Obama on poverty in 2005

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/18/obama_urges_alumni_to_help_fight_poverty/

http://usliberals.about.com/b/2005/09/11/senator-barack-obama-condemns-white-house-indifference-to-poverty.htm

[caligirl]

25. that first article was nice to read. Haven't seen the second yet.

[anigbrowl]

26. Another nice aspect of his plan...

...is for those who are self-employed, like myself. Obama proposes a $500 tax credit for those who file on schedule C. Currently, because those who are self-employed don't have an employer matching their social security payments etc., we get taxed more to make up for it.

This is fair enough in principle, but trying to get a small business off the ground is usually quite expensive and it's a little alarming to find you take an extra whack because you've now decided to work for yourself, in addition to the other high costs - buying equipment if you need to do that, being your own collections agent because people don't always pay on time, and suchlike. A $500 tax break won't give a free ride to thriving businesses or successful professionals, but does give some much-needed breathing room anyone who's striking out on their own.

[Broken_Hero]

32. Welcome to DU,

:hi: :toast:

[Bodhi BloodWave]

33. Welcome to DU, and a great and sensible first post

:party: :toast: :smoke: :toast: :party:

[Recursion]

36. Welcome to DU, and thanks!

I had missed that he wanted to extend the credit to Schedule C. Good catch!

:hi:

[caligirl]

37. Hey I just saw this is your first post, good on ya. but is 500 enough?

[Tatiana]

43. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[caligirl]

38. I have to get to sleep, but before I shut down I want to say thank you

to all of you above for this talk. Everyone here choose to give to the discussion in a positive and informative way. So I voted it up too. I am especially happy about this because we have a first time poster here tonight and this thread is a good one to start with.

I learned some thing here about my own candidate, I was for Edwards. Now Obama.

[Recursion]

39. Night Cali

Check out the farm policy thread I started down the page a bit, too, if you haven't.

And don't thank me; this is possible because DU is full of awesome people, and when you actually try to work with them and explore areas of common ground amazing things happen. Just like in the real world...

[caligirl]

42. I am curious about that, as it has to do with the food our kids get in the

school lunches in public schools.

[Recursion]

44. Yes!

And it's all the more reason we need Obama's regional food networks and support for organic farming. Healthy food makes healthy kids.

[caligirl]

45. He needs to get together with the famous chef in Berkeley who works

with their public schools. She's done national speaking on this. She grows her produce for her restaurant up there.