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Category: Big Business

The Trump “Gilded Age” Government Restructuring Plan

I have no doubt that there are any number of "Hey, we can cut down on government oversight and regulation of big business" consolidations going on here in the name of "efficiency". Also any number of "If we consolidate this stuff, then we can more easily cut its budget!" ploys.

But I'll zero in on one headliner in particular, the consolidation of the Department of Education and Department of Labor into the Department of Proles Department of Child Labor Department of Education and the Workforce (page 25):

❝ This proposal would merge the Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) into a single Cabinet agency, the Department of Education and the Workforce (DEW). The new agency would be charged with meeting the needs of American students and workers, from education and skill development to workplace protection to retirement security. Merging ED and DOL would allow the Federal Government to address the educational and skill needs of American students and workers in a coordinated way, eliminating duplication of effort between the two agencies and maximizing the effectiveness of skill-building efforts. ❞

I.e., we're going to create a Department of Vocational Ed and Skills Training, to focus both our schools and our workforce on creating good workers for the factories and mines and sweatshops and fields of the future, under the auspices of the federal government.

Make America Gilded Again!

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Government-Reform-and-Reorg-Plan.pdf

[h/t +Stan Pedzick]

 

Original Post

Let’s raise a glass to trade wars!

When you bump up tariffs, and other countries bump up tariffs in response, guess what happens?

  1. Stuff that’s imported or relies on imported materials gets more expensive for American consumers.
  2. American businesses that rely on exports — and the American states that rely on tax income from them — lose bigly.

The American Bourbon industry — and, pretty much, all American distilled spirits — just got shivved by Donald Trump. But, hey, at least he gets to look tough, and that’s the important thing, right?

Cheers!




Trump’s Trade War Just Firebombed The Bourbon Industry In Kentucky
The European Union and Mexico have kept a promise to retaliate against Trump’s nonsensical trade tariffs with trade tariffs of their own.

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As Trump pushes for more coal, GOP Congress is bankrupting the black lung fund

There’s actually a new epidemic of a very serious black lung variant appearing out there, even as the Trump administration is pushing hard for coal consumption to go up again.

But this is the year when a special tax on coal which helps pay for a black lung medical fund dramatically drops. The GAO has estimated that, in fact, to keep the fund solvent, the tax needs to be increased beyond current levels.

The coal industry is outraged … that they might be asked to pay more.

Increasing the tax or even leaving the current rate in place would burden the coal industry, says Bruce Watzman, an executive at the National Mining Association. “The competition among fuels for electric generation is intense and a couple cents a kilowatt hour makes a difference in the fuel source that’s generating the electricity,” Watzman adds.

Mr Watzman, if you can’t actually make money to cover all the costs on your product … maybe your product needs to go out of business.

Or, alternately, don’t worry — Trump is considering plans to force utilities to buy coal power regardless of the price differential. Your Association should be just fine. Unlike your workers.




Coal Miners’ Fund Set For Deep Cuts As Black Lung Epidemic Grows : NPR

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Demagogue’s gotta demagogue

Trump wants the entire Philadelphia Eagles team, as Super Bowl champs to visit the White House.

Some of them decline to visit, esp. given Trump’s shenanigans about the anthem protests.

So Trump disinvites the entire team.

“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” Trump said in a statement. “The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better,” he added.

Trump said Eagles fans are still invited to the White House “to be part of a different type of ceremony — one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem. I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America,” he said.

To my mind, Trump disgraces the flag and the anthem through his grandstanding on the subject more than any protester ever could.




Trump disinvites Eagles from White House, plans ‘different type of ceremony’ for fans
President Trump on Monday abruptly announced that Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles would not visit the White House on Tuesday, citing the team’s participation in national anthem protests.

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American Airlines REALLY does not want my money

You know what, I’ll flat-out say it — unless it is the only way to get to my destination (and I’m talking even if that means flying at an inconvenient time or a more expensive flight), I will not set foot on an American Airlines micro-bathroom-equipped airplane. Period.

(At least until all the other airlines hop on the same bandwagon, because, a dozen extra seats per flight? To the extent that they are flying money-making equipment, not transportation for human beings, sure, every airline exec is going to be foaming at the mouth for that. At least back in steerage class.)

I mean, what next? A slop bucket would take up too much leg room. Catheterization? Bring-your-own Depends?




American Airlines’ Tiny New Bathrooms Test Limits Of What U.S. Passengers Will Put Up With
Flight attendants and passengers are complaining that at just 24 inches wide, the tiny restrooms installed on AA’s new Boeing 737-MAX airplanes are too small and problematic for use by most adults. Here’s why the airline likely won’t change a thing.

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Regulation and Price Fixing and Socialism Are Bad!

Except, of course, when they’re apparently not.

(The assertion, by the by, that nuclear and coal-fired plants are immune to natural disasters and can just keep on chugging out energy in case of one, appears to be dubious, e.g. ,, https://www.nirs.org/wp-content/uploads/factsheets/naturaldisaster&nuclearpower.pdf .)

Originally shared by +Stan Pedzick:

I love how so called “free market” conservatives will do the complete opposite at the drop of a hat. Also, this should provide much entertainment as the entire power industry sues the DOE so that they do not have to raise rates to buy expensive power.

Of course, the easiest solution, the one that conservatives will not do, would be to buy and operate the aging expensive facilities themselves if they were so concerned about it. The USBR already operates almost every major hydro facility in the US, so it would be easy for them to drop a billion dollars to buy these plants and maintain and run them in case of an emergency.




Trump Prepares Lifeline for Money-Losing Coal Power Plants
Trump administration officials are making plans to order grid operators to buy electricity from struggling coal and nuclear plants in an effort to extend their life, a move that could represent an unprecedented intervention into U.S. energy markets.

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Complete this pattern …

Granted there are lots of twists and turns and nuances involved, but the basic sequence of events in each pair is clear:

1. People who can make money doing dangerous and risky things try to do so, leading to substantial societal loss and harm (affecting most strongly those who weren’t making the money).

2. Everyone wrings their hands and Stern Measures Are Taken to Ensure This Never Happens Again.

3. People who can make money doing dangerous and risky things convince Congress that the Stern Measures are overreaching, unnecessary, and, hey, what are the chances this could ever possibly happen again now that we are so much wiser? Also, here’s some money to help you get elected next time around.

4. Congress gets rid of the Stern Measures.

5. GOTO 1

Originally shared by +Katie H.:

Original Post

On the NFL putting a stop to anthem protests

RT @Popehat: Political correctness is ruining free speech in America. To fight it, we insist that professional athletes participate in nati…

Trump loses in a congressional face-down on ZTE

Apparently, even GOP lawmakers aren’t interested in helping a Chinese tech company prosper in the face of actions that supported folk we may have actual troops fighting against soon.




House panel rebukes Trump, upholds sanctions on Chinese tech megafirm – POLITICO

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The Chemical Plant Margin Must Flow (Scott Pruitt Edition)

2013 is only five years ago, folks. But Scott Pruitt is driving the EPA to roll back the additional regulations imposed after a Texas plant blew up and killed a bunch of people.

Aside from gutting how manufacturing plants need to plan and report on potentially hazardous materials and incidents regarding them, my “favorite” part is where residential neighbors of such plants cannot be allowed to know about toxic or explosive or otherwise menacing materials at the plants because … terrorists might learn about it.




washingtonpost

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If the Socialism fits …

Because clearly Jesus was wildly in favor of offshore tax havens.

If Fox and Varney & Co. Aren’t careful in their tone-deaf, knee-jerk denunciations, people might actually begin to associate “socialism” with positive things, like caring for the poor and powerless.




Fox attacks Pope Francis for making “authoritarian socialism … part of Catholic doctrine”
Stuart Varney: Pope Francis’ denunciation of offshore tax havens suggests “we now believe that authoritarian socialism is part of Catholic doctrine”

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Sad Individual Hedge Fund Managers Are Sad

Because even though they got a nice tax cut from the GOP this year, major corporations got a bigger tax cut, which is clearly, obviously, ideologically so unfair.

So they are cutting down (though not, of course, eliminating, because that would be insane) their campaign contributions to the GOP congressional committees this year. That’ll teach those penny-pinching GOP congressional leaders!

(“Pity the Gelth!”)




Hedge fund managers are mad Republicans didn’t give them a bigger tax cut
Major GOP donors are holding back contributions because corporations got a bigger tax cut than them, CNN reports.

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It’s GOOD to be the Secretary of For-Profit Education!

It means you get to get rid of / reassign the folk looking into fraud at for-profit schools and provide government jobs for all your buddies at those very same institutions without any more embarrassing encounters with the investigating team at the water cooler! It’s win-win for everybody!




Education Department Unwinds Unit Investigating Fraud at For-Profits
A team of lawyers and investigators had looked into advertising at big colleges. Now it mostly processes student loan forgiveness applications.

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Still not clear what Trump is on about regarding ZTE

Is it a sop to American high-tech companies that were suppliers to the Chinese telecomm giant?

Is it negotiating tactics regarding other Chinese trade kerfuffles?

Is it that the original charges against ZTE were filed during the Obama Administration, so Trump thinks this is more dismantling of the Obama legacy?

Because, frankly, tweeting “Too many jobs in China lost” seems kind of weird from the America First president, especially since ZTE got slammed in the first place for violating sanctions against Iran and North Korea, tools that Trump has repeatedly relied upon, doubled down on, and generally treated as acts of paramount national interest.

Now he seems to be saying, “Yeah, we need to impose new sanctions on Iran, and even take action against our allies if we’re not happy with how they follow suit, unless, of course, they’re a giant Chinese company, in which case we’ll roll back any punishment for violating sanctions.”

It’s still a head-scratcher.




President Trump Puts ‘America First’ On Hold To Save Chinese Jobs : The Two-Way : NPR

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Trump meeting with automakers about how to consume more gasoline

Because of course he is.

Though to be fair, it seems that Trump’s plans actually go further than even the automobile manufacturers want. They kind of seem to like being able to show increasing fuel efficiency and value for consumers. They just want more time to implement them than the Obama Administration had given them.

Trump, apparently, wants to freeze the standards (not just delay them), and keep states (California and others who follow their lead) from requiring higher standards. The automakers like that last bit in concept (because a single standard is easier to work with), but are concerned that too hard a push will trigger court cases that will keep them uncertain about the future for an excessive period of time.

We’ve always been told that businesses don’t like uncertainty. The Trump administration seems determined to give it to them, in the guise of “helping” them.




Trump to meet with automakers on push to relax efficiency rules
Automaker do not want the administration to freeze the standards, with no future increases.

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Because OF COURSE the Trump Admin wants to roll back child labor laws

“Are there no work houses?”

Now, to be sure, what’s being discussed are some easing of regulations on edge cases, in the context of apprenticeships. The argument is made, for example, that if once someone turns 18 they can operate hazardous machinery full-time, why have stringent restrictions on an apprentice who is only 17½? Or 17? Or 16?

Well, maybe for the same reason we have other hard-and-fast cutoffs, even if you can point to individual cases where they don’t work. We don’t say, “Hey, since you can binge-drink at 21, then at 20 you can drink up to X amount of alcohol per day, under supervision.” Because the situation is inherently open to abuse.

And open to the slippery slope, too. Why stop at 16? And if it’s okay within an apprenticeship program, and if, well, keeping close watch on teens doing this stuff is hard, why not allow it outside of apprenticeship programs, so that all poor teenagers can work full time for their welfare, instead of just sponging off the system?

Are there ways that this could be done carefully, cautiously, in limited fashion, and in ways that won’t lead to teenagers being killed on the job? I’m sure there probably are. Do I trust that the Donald Trump Dept. of Labor is going to make sure that’s the case, vs. simply giving companies access to cheap teen-aged labor and justifying workfare requirements? I’m sure I do not.




Trump Administration Wants to Train Teens in ‘Hazardous’ Jobs
The Labor Department plans to unwind decades-old youth labor protections by allowing teenagers to work longer hours under some of the nation’s most hazardous workplace conditions, sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg Law.

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So last year’s Equifax breach was even more awful than previously revealed

Largely because Equifax didn’t reveal a lot of the details because state laws didn’t require them to.

A certain amount of the data stolen for millions (tens of millions, hundreds of millions) of Americans is of vague concern because it’s private information that is now presumably available to any black hat who wants to buy it.

But the real impact is on identity theft — being able to claim to some entity, “Well, yes, of course I am Jason Quill — here, I know the last four digits of Jason Quill’s Social Security Number, his birthdate, and his drivers license number.” Because those bits of data were stolen from Equifax.

Aside from hitting Equifax with legal baseball bats for a while, the only other obvious solution is to stop treating these data as “secret” and “proof of identity.” If someone said, “Of course I’m Jason Quill, because I know my first name,” people would laugh. We need to treat SSN, DL, DoB, email address, credit card number, as similarly compromised.

That’s tough. And expensive. How does Internet commerce work if we assume that’s the case? But it is the case, and pretending otherwise is not going to solve the problem.




Equifax breach exposed millions of driver’s licenses, phone numbers, emails
17.6 million driver’s license numbers, thousands of ID images stolen in breach.

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A monopoly on providing police body cameras … what can go wrong?

Monopolies are generally not good. They distort prices. They stifle innovation. They allow a single point of failure, or manipulation.

Now graft that onto something that’s not only intimately involved in law enforcement, but in a way that’s right at the flash point of social (in)justice, violence, and oppression …

Yeah, what could possibly go wrong here?




Body-cam giant snaps up its biggest rival to create near-monopoly
Deal worries law prof, who notes dominant firm can have undue influence over policing.

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Ford is turning into a Truck and SUV manufacturer

It’s dropping pretty much all of its car line-up.

This is clearly a market-driven decision. Americans, famously, like SUVs and trucks. But I have to wonder how much of it is a gamble on gasoline prices remaining fairly low, coupled with being a result of That Man in the White House deciding to roll back fuel economy standards. Which may also turn out to be a gamble for Ford.




Say goodbye to nearly all of Ford’s car lineup: Sales end by 2020
It’s killing the Focus, Fiesta, Fusion, and Taurus, will focus on SUVs and trucks.

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SmugMug rescues Flickr from the Yahoo demise

The press on this, tech and photo, has been largely positive (if for no other reason than the Verizon acquisition of Yahoo is seen as spelling doom for the properties not sold off). SmugMug, as a paid photography site, has a good rep, so I’m not immediately worried about something awful happening to my many Flickr photos (while I’ve been lax in posting stuff up there recently, vs Google Photos, I have a lot of content from the past there).

So, optimistic, until I hear something otherwise.

Some other notes:
— https://petapixel.com/2018/04/21/thoughts-on-the-smugmug-flickr-acquisition/
— https://www.geekwire.com/2018/smugmug-acquires-flickr-hopeful-picture-emerges-pioneering-photo-platform/
— https://www.cnet.com/how-to/two-ways-to-get-your-photos-out-of-smugmugs-flickr/
— https://www.smugmug.com/together/faq




Flickr bought by SmugMug as Yahoo breakup begins | Technology | The Guardian

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