Saturday, March 30, 2013

Obama Laid Off Jobs Council

I hope he included himself....

"Obama won’t extend jobs council’s mission" February 01, 2013

WASHINGTON — President Obama is letting his jobs council expire, cutting off one source of input from business leaders....

As if they didn't have enough.

White House officials said Obama would seek input about the economy from business leaders in other ways....

Gee, I wonder what tho$e could be?

Adding to the concern about the job market’s vulnerability, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the US economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.1 percent from October through December of last year, the first quarterly drop since 2009. 

It shrank during the black-ink holiday season in this age of economic recovery? 

The Federal Reserve said the economy appears to have ‘‘paused in recent months.’’

Critics have asserted that the council’s primary purpose was to create the appearance of action at a time when the nation was pining for something to rein in soaring joblessness.

That's all they ever do down there. 

The administration acted on many of the council’s recommendations, including suggestions to streamline permitting and small business loans, increase tourist visas, and boost energy-efficiency.

But the White House was at odds with several council members on tax policies, particularly a proposal to exclude overseas corporate earnings from US taxes. That idea divided even the jobs council, whose membership included labor and Obama’s political allies.

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Also seeSlow Saturday Special: Obama Bends Over Backward For Business

What, the booming banks and record corporate profits in this golden age not enough?

Related:  GE paid "no federal tax bill last year, even though it turned a $14.2 billion profit" that got GE a $3.2 billion refund(?).  

Just Immelt$ your heart, doesn't it?

How did they do last year? 

"GE 1Q profit falls 12% but tops estimates" Associated Press, April 21, 2012

NEW YORK - General Electric Co.’s first-quarter net income topped Wall Street expectations on a strong performance from the conglomerate’s industrial businesses.

GE said Friday that net income fell 12 percent to $3.03 billion, or 29 cents per share. That compares with $3.4 billion, or 31 cents per share, for the same part of 2011.

Yeah, that's with a B, and it haoppens to be about a BILLION BUCKS a MONTH in PROFIT!

Excluding charges, GE earned 34 cents in the quarter, a penny better than Wall Street estimates.

The industrial and financial giant said its primary manufacturing operation has rebounded after posting weak results following the global recession....

That’s an improvement from 2011, when GE was able to grow revenue in the industrial segment but operating profit remained flat.

The Fairfield, Conn., company has a stake in almost every sector of the economy....

Thus making it too big to jail.

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Good start. 

At least he is looking out for Labor:

Obama poised to make Labor pick

"Some Republicans vow to oppose choice for Labor Dept." by Sam Hananel and Jim Kuhnhenn  |  Associated Press, March 19, 2013

WASHINGTON — President Obama gave a glowing rollout Monday to Thomas Perez, his choice to lead the Labor Department after an aggressive stint as the nation’s chief civil rights enforcer. But the nomination quickly ran into trouble as a Republican senator declared he would block the nomination until GOP concerns about Perez’s Justice Department tenure are addressed.

Senator David Vitter said he objects because Perez enforced Louisiana’s voting rights laws in a way ‘‘that specifically benefits the politics of the president and his administration at the expense of identity security’’ of registered voters in the state. The Justice Department, he said, has not responded to Vitter’s 2011 letter on the subject.

But Obama and his allies pressed ahead with Perez’s nomination, saying they expect him to bring the same aggressive mindset to the Labor Department. He would replace Hilda Solis, who left the post in January.

See: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis resigns

Obama called Perez a ‘‘consensus builder’’ whose ‘‘story reminds us of this country’s promise.’’

‘‘Tom’s made protecting that promise for everybody the cause of his life,’’ Obama said in an appearance with Perez in the White House East Room.

The son of Dominican immigrants who worked as a garbage collector to pay his way through college, Perez is a graduate of Brown University, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Harvard Law School and had served as a top adviser to Senator Edward Kennedy. Perez is the only Hispanic so far to be named to Obama’s second-term Cabinet.

‘‘Our nation still faces critical economic challenges, and the department’s mission is as important as ever,’’ Perez said, sprinkling some Spanish throughout his remarks.

Perez has led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division since 2009. If confirmed, he would take over the Labor Department as Obama pushes several worker-oriented initiatives, including an overhaul of immigration laws and an increase in the minimum wage.

But he could face spirited opposition from some Republicans lawmakers who say his tenure at Justice has been guided too much by political ideology. His nomination comes days after a report from the Justice Department’s inspector general found the agency’s voting rights section has been plagued by ideological divisions and unprofessional conduct over two presidential administrations.

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Who cares if he gets the job?