Friday Facts and Fireworks: July 5, 2019

From NJPP

Friday Facts and Figures is a brief digital newsletter focusing on data points from NJPP reports, research, and policy debates in New Jersey and beyond. This is a special edition with four facts to celebrate the Fourth of July.  Sign up here


72 Percent
A majority of corporate tax subsidies are sold to companies that never applied for them, according to a new analysis by NorthJersey.com. From 2014 to 2017, corporations receiving Grow NJ or residential ERG tax credits sold 72 percent of their subsidies to other companies. These sales are allowed — tax free — under the existing laws governing the state’s corporate tax incentive programs. Corporations are incentivized to sell their tax credits as they often exceed their annual tax liabilities. Until this summer, the state Treasury Department could not fully track the sale and transfer of tax credits between companies. [NorthJersey.com / Ashley Balcerzak]

$235 Million
On Sunday, Governor Murphy signed the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, averting a state shutdown just in time for the holiday weekend. The budget does not include the millionaires tax, meaning there is no new, sustainable revenue to offset the increased spending proposed by lawmakers (the budget passed by the legislature paid for new spending with rosy revenue projections). To protect against a revenue shortfall later in the year, the governor put $235 million worth of line items in a “lock box,” freezing the appropriations until the state has the revenue to pay for them. This fiscally responsible maneuver symbolizes a much-needed departure from gimmicky budgets of the past and could motivate lawmakers to pass a millionaires tax later this year. [NJ.com / Samantha Marcus]

$9 Million
This was a big week for the 2020 Census. First, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s rationale for a citizenship question, then a few days later, the Justice Department pledged the census would be printed without the question. Now, the Justice Department has reversed course and is searching for new ways to get the question back in. Amidst the chaos, New Jersey is taking proactive measures to ensure an accurate count. In the FY 2020 budget signed by Governor Murphy, the state will appropriate $9 million for census outreach and assistance. This appropriation protects against an undercount, which would risk the loss of billions of dollars in federal funds, fewer congressional seats and Electoral College votes, and inaccurate legislative district boundaries. [The Philadelphia Inquirer / Michaelle Bond]

$3.1 Million
The budget signed by Governor Murphy also includes $3.1 million for legal aid in immigration courts, representing a near-50 percent increase from last year. Free, court-appointed counsel for low-paid immigrants ensures due process and increases the odds of residents winning their case and being reunited with their family. A 2018 report by NJPP found that individuals detained for civil immigration violations are three times as likely to prevail in their cases when they have legal representation. [Asbury Park Press / ​Stacey Barchenger and Ashley Balcerzak]

ICYMI
Catch up on this year’s budget season with NJPP’s FY 2020 Budget: Rapid Reaction. This informal recap includes the data and analysis NJPP is known for — with plenty of gifs! Click the link to see what’s in the budget, what’s out, and why we’re so excited about Governor Murphy’s $401 million deposit into the state’s rainy day fund (spoiler: it’s a budgeting best practice that prepares the state for the next economic downturn). NJPP President Brandon McKoy and Flyers’ mascot, Gritty, make cameo appearances. [NJPP / Louis Di Paolo et al.]

Have a fact or figure for us? Tweet it to @NJPolicy.

The Future of "American" Is Up To Us

Published on Monday, July 09, 2018
by People's Action Blog & CommonDreams.org

Many of our nation’s best moments have been when we heeded the call to stand down hatred and racism. Now should be one of those times.
by George Goehl

The Future of "American" Is Up To Us

We should be skeptical of the motivation and messengers behind calls for civility.

We hear people say that what is happening to migrants in the United States right now is un-American. I wish that were true. Sadly, American history is full of periods where children of color were routinely taken from their parents. Resistance and organizing, on the other hand, are truly American. In fact, many of our nation’s best moments have been when we heeded the call to stand down hatred and racism.

The Trump Administration has been off the rails since day one. But Donald Trump’s zero tolerance policy of arresting and detaining families seeking asylum in the US is a new kind of off the rails. History tells us in crises like these, if we do not stand up together in mass and say — no, yell: ‘this has to stop!’ — it will undoubtedly be a long and ugly haul to get back on track.

From the genocide of Native Americans to Slavery to Japanese internment camps, there is a well-documented history of forced separation, detention, and enslavement of people of color in the United States. Wreaking irreparable harm to indigenous, African-American, Asian-American, Latinx children is, sadly, a through-line in the American story.

But that does not have to be the America we are building. The future of “American” is up to us.

The America many of us want to build is one where all people have what we need to reach our highest human potential. An America that takes care of who is here now, has addressed sins of the past, and is welcoming of those to come. This would be an America that more fully lives up to the ideals of a beacon of democracy and land of opportunity.

As we create the tension needed to strive toward these ideals, there will be calls for civility. Merriam Webster dictionary describes “civil” as “ adequate in courtesy and politeness”. One of my organizing mentors, Shel Trap, said the “be nice rule” was really the “be nice to those in power rule.” It tells us to go through the formal channels to have your concerns addressed. Stand in line to file your complaint, submit your grievance in writing, wait patiently for the conclusions of the committee created to study the problem. Channels that were designed to wear down dissent and enforce subordination.

It’s easy to call for civility when you are doling out inhumane policy under the cloak of the law. I doubt the power structures that sought to enforce segregation, bust unions, or restrict voting rights would call the actions on the part of the movements that countered them “civil”. Count me among the thankful that these movements resisted such calls. This history of resistance continued last Saturday as 780 Families Belong Together marches and rallies were organized, and dozens more that led to protestors being arrested. Clearly millions of Americans find the President’s zero tolerance policy to be anything but civil and are responding accordingly.

The news of the day can be demoralizing and sap energy and hope from each of us: the Supreme Court upholding the Muslim Ban, the killing of Antwon Rose by a police officer, family separation at the border, Justice Kennedy’s retirement. Each another punch in the gut.

Before his execution, the labor organizer and songster Joe Hill famously said, “don’t mourn, but organize”. I think it’s ok to mourn. It’s human and we will fall apart without acknowledging the pain and disappointment we are experiencing. Some of us may need to rest and sit one out. At the same time others can say put me in coach, I’m ready to march. To risk arrest. To organize to elect candidates who want to create a country where when egregious events happen we can truly say “this is un-American”. And it will actually be true.

BBC News Video: The missing - consequences of Trump's immigration crackdown

A sad commentary on the state of immigration and how it effects a community:

In a rural county that voted for Trump, people are shocked to see friends deported and schoolmates disappear. Now a community is coming to terms with the economic and emotional consequences.

Pallone Slams Trump Plan to Deport Millions of Immigrants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2017

Joins Immigration Advocates in Perth Amboy to Discuss Contributions of Immigrants to America

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06) slammed the Trump administration’s plans to deport millions of immigrants. As a result of today’s directives, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are required to apprehend and quickly deport virtually every undocumented immigrant they encounter. The administration also announced the beginning of the planning stage for President Trump’s expanded border wall between the United States and Mexico.

“On the campaign trail and in his first month in office, President Trump has made it a priority to target and falsely scapegoat immigrants to justify his disturbing world view,” said Pallone. “Now, he is pursuing unprecedented police action that will create fear and anxiety throughout our country, rip families apart and pit law enforcement and local governments against the communities they serve.

“Whereas President Obama followed a policy of pursuing undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes, President Trump intends to escalate the situation by removing even those who have not been convicted of any criminal offense. His orders call for ICE, CBP, and local police to apprehend first and ask questions later, a call for racial profiling that flies in the face of civil liberties guaranteed in this country. Rather than working towards real solutions to address the reality that 11 million undocumented immigrants are currently living in the U.S., President Trump is focused on building an unnecessary and impractical wall that Mexico will never pay for. These actions are deeply troubling, costly, and will leave our country worse off in the end.”

“Meanwhile, President Trump continues to act hastily without consulting law enforcement professionals and by turning away members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from a meeting with ICE last week. In calling for thousands more to be hired to deport immigrants, President Trump is prioritizing ripping apart our communities, while numerous agencies are being inhibited by an arbitrary hiring freeze.”

Today in Perth Amboy, Congressman Pallone also spoke at an event hosted by Mayor Wilda Diaz on the enormous contributions immigrants make to our country, including our economy.

“As we saw in ‘a day without immigrants’ last week, immigrants are a core component of our economy and they make our country stronger. We need to be working to be more inclusive of immigrants and I will stand against President Trump’s appalling actions on immigration and call on Congress to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform and a pathway to citizenship.”

If I Had A Bowl Of Skittles....

Received  from a friend:

Skittles

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, "If I had a bowl of Skittles and told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?"

This was the best response I have seen.

Written by Eli Bosnick:

"If I gave you a bowl of skittles and three of them were poison would you still eat them?"

"Are the other skittles human lives?"

"What?"

"Like. Is there a good chance. A really good chance. I would be saving someone from a war zone and probably their life if I ate a skittle?"

"Well sure. But the point-"

"I would eat the skittles."

"Ok-well the point is-"

"I would GORGE myself on skittles. I would eat every single freakin skittle I could find. I would STUFF myself with skittles. And when I found the poison skittle and died I would make sure to leave behind a legacy of children and of friends who also ate skittle after skittle until there were no skittles to be eaten. And each person who found the poison skittle we would weep for. We would weep for their loss, for their sacrifice, and for the fact that they did not let themselves succumb to fear but made the world a better place by eating skittles.

Because your REAL question...the one you hid behind a shitty little inaccurate, insensitive, dehumanizing racist little candy metaphor is, IS MY LIFE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF MEN, WOMEN, AND TERRIFIED CHILDREN...

... and what kind of monster would think the answer to that question... is yes?"

President Obama's Weekly Address 6/6/15: Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President recognized Immigrant Heritage Month, an occasion that allows us to celebrate our origins as a nation of immigrants. The basic idea of welcoming people to our shores is central to our ancestry and our way of life. That’s why the President asked everyone to visit whitehouse.gov/NewAmericans and share stories of making it to America. And as we celebrate our heritage and our diversity, the President promised to continue to fight to fix our current broken immigration system and make it more just and more fair, strengthening America in the process.

The First Thanksgiving...

http://luckovich.blog.ajc.com/

President Obama's Weekly Address 1/11/14 : Ensuring 2014 is a Year of Action to Grow the Economy

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama called 2014 a year of action, which should start with Congress quickly passing emergency unemployment insurance for the 1.3 million Americans who lost this vital lifeline as they fight to find jobs and make ends meet.

Christie's Conservative Buddy: Steve King

from Josh Levitt
Buono for Governor

Last week, Congressman Steve King commented that many undocumented youth were involved in the drug trade. These outrageous and insulting remarks were criticized by elected leaders across the aisle. However, Governor Christie today refused to rule out campaigning for King in the future. Let's see what Governor Christie did last time King made derogatory remarks....

We're Running Out of Helium

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Helium is useful for much more than filling party balloons. It is required for the operation of MRI machines and quantum computers, the manufacture of microchips and optoelectronics, and the conduct of countless scientific experiments. For many decades, recognizing its value, the United States has stockpiled the gas, which is found as a trace component in some natural gas fields. Under the Gingrich-inspired drive toward privatization of government resources, the 1996 Helium Privatization Act required selling off the national reserves, eventually to leave users of helium at the mercy of the international market. The law was poorly crafted and required helium to be sold at a price that is far below fair market value. This fire-sale pricing has squandered a relatively rare and valuable resource, has reduced returns to taxpayers, and, most important, has resulted in an unreliable supply of helium.

In collaboration with both the Republican and Democratic leadership on the Committee on Natural Resources, I have introduced legislation to establish public auctions to set a fair price for helium. Although our legislation does not provide the long-term fix we will need ultimately to insure adequate supply, it would allocate a portion of our helium reserves for research and defense purposes and stop the firesale of public resources. I wish that when the 1996 bill was passed, lawmakers had cared less about whether a policy was nominally “public” or “private” and more about whether it was intelligently crafted and carefully executed with the long-term future in mind.

The Coming Demographic Deficit

For the past half century, America’s economy has benefited from what you might call a “demographic surplus.” Because of the post-World War II baby boom, our population has consisted of many working-aged adults. Yet as America ages and Baby Boomers retire, we will be at risk of running a “demographic deficit”: that is, the population will begin to skew toward people beyond their most productive years.

We can see similar demographic forces at work in other countries. China is growing at a blistering pace, but due to its “one child per family” policy, its population contains few young people. As an increasing share of China’s population retires, the nation’s economic growth could stagnate. India presents a near-opposite picture. About half of India’s population is under the age of 25. In the years to come, its working-age population will increase, potentially providing an economic boost.

Here in the U.S., politicians sometimes talk about our demographic challenges by saying that the costs of Social Security and Medicare will rise in the years ahead, but that is an incomplete view. A vibrant economy capable of supporting workers, non-workers, and their families depends not only on the number of people in each age bracket but also on the training, education, communications, transportation, research, and other things that are provided to make the workers most effective, knowledgeable, and productive.

How can America overcome our “demographic deficit?” One possibility is to make full use of immigrants in our economy, which could add more working-aged adults to our population and allow them to find jobs where they can contribute the most. Government and businesses also can invest in projects that are likely to produce big payoffs down the road, such as infrastructure and R&D and education, which will help our economy continue to grow despite demographic headwinds.

National Serve Weather Preparedness Week

As Hurricane Sandy and other recent storms have reminded us, severe weather can strike anywhere at any time. This week is National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, a good time to learn about and prepare for severe weather.

In particular, please take a few minutes to prepare a family emergency plan, build an emergency kit, and ensure that your important papers and valuables are stored in a safe place. Also, learn whether your cell phone is equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, and consider subscribing to receive severe weather alerts from government or private forecasters.

Further information is available online at ready.gov/severe-weather.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

The 32 Dumbest And Most Devastating Sequester Cuts

And they go on and on and on....

From ThinkProgress.org

Health care

$20 million cut from the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs
$10 million cut from the World Trade Center Health Program Fund
$168 million cut from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
$75 million cut from the Aging and Disability Services Programs

Housing

$199 million cut from public housing
$96 million cut from Homeless Assistance Grants
$17 million cut from Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
$19 million cut from Housing for the Elderly
$175 million cut from Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Disaster and Emergency

$928 million cut from FEMA’s disaster relief money
$6 million cut from Emergency Food and Shelter
$70 million cut from the Agricultural Disaster Relief Fund at USDA
$61 million cut from the Hazardous Substance Superfund at EPA
$125 million cut from the Wildland Fire Management
$53 million cut from Salaries and Expenses at the Food Safety and Inspection Service

Obamacare

$13 million cut from the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program (Co-ops)
$57 million cut from the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control
$51 million cut from the Prevention and Public Health Fund
$27 million cut from the State Grants and Demonstrations
$44 million cut from the Affordable Insurance Exchange Grants program

Education

$633 million cut from the Department of Education’s Special Education programs
$184 million cut from Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research
$71 million cut from administration at the Office of Federal Student Aid
$116 million cut from Higher Education
$86 million cut from Student Financial Assistance

Immigration

$512 million cut from Customs and Border Protection
$17 million cut from Automation Modernization, Customs and Border Protection
$20 million cut from Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology

Security

$79 million cut from Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance
$604 million cut from National Nuclear Security Administration
$232 million cut from the Federal Aviation Administration
$394 million cut from Defense Environmental Cleanup

The latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nation’s deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Meanwhile, budget cuts have already reduced spending by $1.5 trillion and even with the revenue included in the fiscal cliff deal, the ratio of cuts to revenue stands at an unbalanced 3 to 1.

After TEA Party and Coffee Party What's Next? A Tequila Party of Course

While Republicans enjoy TEA and Progressives partake in Coffee another group would rather party with Tequila.

That's right, there is a new party in town called the Tequila Party and both sides of the political fence should start taking notice because now the potentially largest minority voting block, the Hispanics, has come together to see that their interests in jobs, immigration and education do not go unnoticed by Republicans and Democrats in office.

...The newly formed grass-roots group sprouted from a growing frustration among Hispanic voters that neither party is doing much to help the nation's immigrant population and that the tea parties have turned the tide against them.

Rather than swear allegiance to one party or the other, Tequila Party members said they plan to form a Hispanic voting bloc so strong that they can no longer be ignored.

"We're not telling anybody how to vote. We don't care, because we do bad anyway at the polls. Right now, we need to get over that hurdle," said DeeDee Garcia Blase, the group's founder and president....

..."Democrats take the Latino community for granted, and Republicans tend to assume that Latinos don't vote or that they always vote Democrat," Quasius said. "We think both parties' perceptions of Latinos need to be fairly shaken up."...

You can read more about this online at Roll Call

What the Next President Inherits

What could be more important than the upcoming election? What the next president actually does once elected. While a feverish media dissects Palins wardrobe and plumbs Joe Wurzelbachers biography, real challenges for America are piling up. Domestic struggles over marriage and abortion rights will define who we are, and our response to global conflicts and crises will define our place in the world. The end of the campaigning is just the beginning.

McCain's history of hot temper raises concerns

By David Lightman and Matt Stearns | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — John McCain made a quick stop at the Capitol one day last spring to sit in on Senate negotiations on the big immigration bill, and John Cornyn was not pleased.

Cornyn, a mild-mannered Texas Republican, saw a loophole in the bill that he thought would allow felons to pursue a path to citizenship.

McCain called Cornyn's claim "chicken-s---," according to people familiar with the meeting, and charged that the Texan was looking for an excuse to scuttle the bill. Cornyn grimly told McCain he had a lot of nerve to suddenly show up and inject himself into the sensitive negotiations.

"F--- you," McCain told Cornyn, in front of about 40 witnesses.

It was another instance of the Republican presidential candidate losing his temper, another instance where, as POW-MIA activist Carol Hrdlicka put it, "It's his way or no way."

There's a lengthy list of similar outbursts through the years: McCain pushing a woman in a wheelchair, trying to get an Arizona Republican aide fired from three different jobs, berating a young GOP activist on the night of his own 1986 Senate election and many more.

McCain observers say the incidents have been blown out of proportion.

"I've never seen anything in the way of an outburst of temper that struck me as anything out of the ordinary," said McCain biographer Robert Timberg.

"Those reports are overstated," said Rives Richey, who attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., with McCain in the early 1950s.

Historians point out that it's not unusual for a president to have a fierce temper, but most knew how to keep it under control.

"Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them," said author Robert Dallek.

"George Washington spent a lifetime trying to control his temper," added historian Richard Norton Smith.

But Washington didn't have YouTube replaying videos of his tantrums, nor did he have to make decisions about nuclear weapons.

Read the full article hereimmigration