Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

The EPA Is Spending $25,000 To Build Scott Pruitt A Private Phone Booth
HP | Nick Visser | 09/27/17

The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $25,000 to build a soundproof communications booth in Administrator Scott Pruitt's office, according to media reports.

... Under Pruitt, the EPA has faced allegations of a lack of transparency throughout the agency. Until recently, the EPA refused to release the administrator's schedule to the public, and media reports say some employees have been told to leave behind cellphones during meetings with him and to not take notes.

Pruitt also has a full-time security detail, something none of his predecessors had requested. The administrator is also one of several Cabinet officials to come under fire for taking costly private flights. ... Read more

*Corporate Consolidation | John Oliver | 09/24/17 | 15:09

Trump hits the road to sell tax plan -- but some worry what he'll say
Politico | Nancy Cook | 09/26/17

President Donald Trump is expected to tout the Republicans' new tax blueprint as one of the biggest tax cuts in recent American history at a Wednesday rally in Indiana -- but Republican lawmakers, lobbyists and others are worried about exactly what he'll say.

Administration officials and top congressional leaders are calling for a 20 percent top rate for corporations. But the president has demanded in multiple meetings that tax negotiators stick with a 15 percent corporate rate even as senior congressional Republicans and members of his own administration including National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn told him such a number wasn't possible without blowing up the deficit.

"He's the one guy left in Washington who still wants a 15 percent corporate rate," said one person close to the president and the tax reform discussions. ... Read more

Everything you need to know about the Big 6 tax plan
Politico | Brian Faler | 09/27/17

After months of closed-door negotiations, the "Big Six" on Wednesday unveiled its long-awaited plan to rewrite the tax code. The task now is selling the sweeping proposal to rank-and-file lawmakers. Republicans hope to get a bill to President Donald Trump's desk by the end of the year. Here's what you need to know about the plan negotiated by the top Republican lawmakers and administration officials:

For individuals: The big surprise here is that Republicans are backing away from plans to slash taxes on the rich. They are floating the idea of some sort of surtax on the well-to-do, though details are scant. That's a major shift from what Republicans campaigned on in last year's elections, when they proposed steep tax cuts for the wealthy. But they are trying to head off the inevitable attacks from Democrats, and maybe even win some of their support. ... Read more

Trump, GOP tax plan omits details on who pays
Politico | Brian Faler | 09/27/17

The trick is to provide enough detail to satisfy lawmakers whose votes they'll need but not so much that they get eaten alive by lobbyists.

President Donald Trump is heading to Indiana Wednesday to sell a tax-reform plan that glosses over one key question: Who loses? The long-awaited proposal released Wednesday morning by the so-called Big Six is heavy on the GOP's tax cut desires and light when it comes to explaining whose taxes will have to go up to help control costs.

After months of meeting behind closed doors, the Trump administration and the Republican leadership in both chambers announced they want to slash the corporate rate to 20 percent from the current 35 percent, while reducing taxes on unincorporated businesses to 25 percent. They're proposing nearly doubling the standard deduction, expanding a tax credit for having children and creating a special low rate on multinational companies' overseas earnings. ... Read more