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Democrats' $3.5T reconciliation bill's top 10 woke handouts...

30CAT

Heisman Winner
Gold Member
May 29, 2001
51,454
12,153
708
Williamstown, WV
Leftists are destroying our country

LINK: Here are 10 simply embarrassing examples of corporate welfare, cronyism and corrupt political payoffs

1. $3.5 billion for the Green New Deal youth patrol: A make-work program for jobless climate activists

At a time when small businesses cannot find willing workers, the Democrat bill shovels $3.5 billion of your money so DC bureaucrats can create something called the "Civilian Climate Corps" – a make-work program for young climate activists. Instead of getting a real job, these Green New Deal hall monitors will be deployed across the country to engage in unspecified "green" actions. One stated aim is boosting enrollees’ "outdoor recreation." Perhaps they’ll knock on your door with a clipboard and tell you to put on a sweater instead of heating your home adequately. The climate brigade youths will receive taxpayer-funded lodging, transportation, and healthcare, possibly even uniforms. The Democrats even want to make sure they are unionized. Perhaps not by coincidence these union dues would find their way into the coffers of Democrat congressional campaigns.

2. Fake news tax handout for reporters at "local" newspapers with up to 750 employees

The proposal creates a tax credit for "local newspapers" with up to 750 employees – a largely left-of-center group of workers. It gives a payroll tax credit for journalists of up to $12,500 in wages per employee per quarter. This reporter tax carve-out amounts to $1.3 billion. The vast majority of newspapers in the country have fewer than 750 employees, so this will shovel money to long-established daily newspapers as well as weekly left-wing "alternative" papers.

3. Tax credit for $8,000 "Electric Bicycles"

The bill creates a 15 percent refundable tax credit for "electric bicycles." A credit of up to $1,500 for electric bicycles costing as much as $8,000 per bike. As a reminder, a tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax liability. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this provision alone amounts to $7.4 billion. If you are a "local reporter" and in the market for an "e-bike" this is your lucky day.

4. Solar Subsidies to "Promote Environmental Justice"

This provision gives solar tax credits to select areas to "promote environmental justice" wherein "the Secretary makes an allocation of environmental justice solar capacity limitation."

5. Tax breaks for elite, well-funded private universities

The bill would reduce, potentially down to zero, the excise tax on investment income of private colleges and universities depending on the amount of financial aid they offer their students. Notably, universities who can provide a lot of grants and scholarships are typically universities with the largest endowments, such as Harvard and Yale. This adds up to another $2.3 billion.

6. Tax credit for "Environmental Justice" programs

A $1 billion refundable tax credit for university "environmental justice programs."

7. $10 billion "Green Workforce" tax credit

Democrats allocate $10 billion in a section titled "Investment in the Green Workforce. This contains several niche credits including $400 million for "green" projects in "automotive communities." Automotive communities are defined as communities that have "experienced major job losses in the automotive manufacturing sector" – likely from big-government policies.

8. $15 billion for "Green" doors and windows

The bill would replace a $500 lifetime cap on nonbusiness energy property credits with an annual $1,200 credit. This credit allows up to $600 in credits for "energy efficient" windows and skylights and up to $500 for doors.

9. Big Labor tax break

Union bosses could more easily raise membership costs as the cost will be partially hidden by a new above-the-line deduction for up to $250 in "dues" to a labor organization. These dues would again find their way right back to Democrat political campaign coffers in order to elect more Democrats who will grow the size of the DC bureaucracy. Rinse, repeat.

10. Tax credit for contributions to university "research infrastructure projects"

Democrats are creating a credit for contributions to public universities’ "research infrastructure projects." Much of the Democrat tax plan (higher business taxes) would slow growth and make us uncompetitive with China and Europe. The items above are simply embarrassing examples of corporate welfare, cronyism and corrupt political payoffs creeping back into the U.S. tax code. Chicago-style politics playing with billions rather than millions.
 
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Leftists are destroying our country

LINK: Here are 10 simply embarrassing examples of corporate welfare, cronyism and corrupt political payoffs

1. $3.5 billion for the Green New Deal youth patrol: A make-work program for jobless climate activists

At a time when small businesses cannot find willing workers, the Democrat bill shovels $3.5 billion of your money so DC bureaucrats can create something called the "Civilian Climate Corps" – a make-work program for young climate activists. Instead of getting a real job, these Green New Deal hall monitors will be deployed across the country to engage in unspecified "green" actions. One stated aim is boosting enrollees’ "outdoor recreation." Perhaps they’ll knock on your door with a clipboard and tell you to put on a sweater instead of heating your home adequately. The climate brigade youths will receive taxpayer-funded lodging, transportation, and healthcare, possibly even uniforms. The Democrats even want to make sure they are unionized. Perhaps not by coincidence these union dues would find their way into the coffers of Democrat congressional campaigns.

2. Fake news tax handout for reporters at "local" newspapers with up to 750 employees

The proposal creates a tax credit for "local newspapers" with up to 750 employees – a largely left-of-center group of workers. It gives a payroll tax credit for journalists of up to $12,500 in wages per employee per quarter. This reporter tax carve-out amounts to $1.3 billion. The vast majority of newspapers in the country have fewer than 750 employees, so this will shovel money to long-established daily newspapers as well as weekly left-wing "alternative" papers.

3. Tax credit for $8,000 "Electric Bicycles"

The bill creates a 15 percent refundable tax credit for "electric bicycles." A credit of up to $1,500 for electric bicycles costing as much as $8,000 per bike. As a reminder, a tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax liability. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this provision alone amounts to $7.4 billion. If you are a "local reporter" and in the market for an "e-bike" this is your lucky day.

4. Solar Subsidies to "Promote Environmental Justice"

This provision gives solar tax credits to select areas to "promote environmental justice" wherein "the Secretary makes an allocation of environmental justice solar capacity limitation."

5. Tax breaks for elite, well-funded private universities

The bill would reduce, potentially down to zero, the excise tax on investment income of private colleges and universities depending on the amount of financial aid they offer their students. Notably, universities who can provide a lot of grants and scholarships are typically universities with the largest endowments, such as Harvard and Yale. This adds up to another $2.3 billion.

6. Tax credit for "Environmental Justice" programs

A $1 billion refundable tax credit for university "environmental justice programs."

7. $10 billion "Green Workforce" tax credit

Democrats allocate $10 billion in a section titled "Investment in the Green Workforce. This contains several niche credits including $400 million for "green" projects in "automotive communities." Automotive communities are defined as communities that have "experienced major job losses in the automotive manufacturing sector" – likely from big-government policies.

8. $15 billion for "Green" doors and windows

The bill would replace a $500 lifetime cap on nonbusiness energy property credits with an annual $1,200 credit. This credit allows up to $600 in credits for "energy efficient" windows and skylights and up to $500 for doors.

9. Big Labor tax break

Union bosses could more easily raise membership costs as the cost will be partially hidden by a new above-the-line deduction for up to $250 in "dues" to a labor organization. These dues would again find their way right back to Democrat political campaign coffers in order to elect more Democrats who will grow the size of the DC bureaucracy. Rinse, repeat.

10. Tax credit for contributions to university "research infrastructure projects"

Democrats are creating a credit for contributions to public universities’ "research infrastructure projects." Much of the Democrat tax plan (higher business taxes) would slow growth and make us uncompetitive with China and Europe. The items above are simply embarrassing examples of corporate welfare, cronyism and corrupt political payoffs creeping back into the U.S. tax code. Chicago-style politics playing with billions rather than millions.
I'll address these individually:
1. One of the jobs that this is supposed to handle is reducing risks of forest fires. That's a noble enough cause, but that's also not likely to be $3.5 billion in cost. It sounds like it's a reinvention of the CCC. We owe lots of park infrastructure to that old program. I'm not sure we need this, maybe tack this onto an Americorps program, or re-focus some of that work. Seems like it might be cheaper to add onto existing to get the same benefits. Basically, I wouldn't care if this one got struck from or dramatically reduced in the bill.

2. Local newspapers got rid of lots of reporters years ago because the freelance/wire model was much more profitable. Let's be honest, newspapers are not what they once were. Why prop them up?

3. I'm suspicious of the math. A 15% credit on bikes up to $8k, capped at $1.5k? 15% of $8 is $1200. The tag is misleading, making it sound like they get to deduct the full $8k. Regardless, I hate electric bikes. F that crowd.

4. Is this about solar for affordable housing? In the form of tax credits, I don't think that's a huge deal.

5. On the face of it, I'm not really bothered by the idea of letting private universities write off hits they take by offering scholarships to students. There are definite possible problems, namely the university sets the tuition rate and decides the scholarships. What's to stop Joe's University from jacking up tuition by $10k then granting everyone a $10k scholarship? I wouldn't hate to see this one struck. I would love to see the cost of higher education be addressed, but I doubt this really helps that.

6. That sounds like propping up the offering of specific majors at schools. I understand doing that to a certain degree (no pun intended) with teachers, doctors, nurses, etc. This one sounds like a bridge too far.

7. I guess it depends on what we are talking about. If this is a set of incentives to try to get solar panel, turbines, and other such things built in the US, I've seen worse ideas. It helps build manufacturing, and it sets us up to export that sort of stuff. I need to know more details. Maybe the number is too large, but the overall idea as I'm trying to describe it isn't bad.

8. An annual credit? I'm assuming this means that you get to write them off if you replace them every year. As long as it isn't a credit where you get to take it forever based on one purchase, what do I care? For folks to earn it, they have to buy the products and install them.

9. I don't really care on this one. $250 isn't a huge amount, and that's money lots of folks have to shell out for their union (non-right to work states). That would also include police and fireman union dues, correct? The union political donations are not entirely one-sided any more.

10. What's meant here? If I donate $1 million to WVU so they can build some new lab or testing facilities, I can take that as a credit? Maybe I'm missing the big reason for concern here.
 
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