The gross domestic product (GDP) declined in the first quarter at an annual rate of 4.8 percent according to an advance estimate by the Bureau of Economic Research. The next estimate for the same quarter based on more complete data will be released on May 28, 2020. Before the effects of the coronavirus were felt, that is the last quarter of 2019, GDP increased at a 2.1 percent annual rate.
Yes, we are in a slump. People have lost jobs and stimulus checks are being sent out. President Trump's focus initially was business; the House insisted on more help for people. A stimulus check is now in the mail, but who is going to pay for it?
Raising taxes on fat cats and corporations who have enjoyed historically low rates for some three decades sounds like a reasonable solution. Corporate tax rates in the 1950s quickly ran into 50 percent plus without hindrance to growth. For rich individuals, it was over 90 percent -- and taxing Trump at a 90 percent rate would appeal to most. Of course, the real estate industry is notorious for hiding behind depreciation to pay little or no taxes. Remember Leona Helmsley? It was her boast that only the poor pay taxes till the IRS goaded long enough went after her. Yet who could quarrel with her wish to leave a few million to her Maltese, so she could continue to live in the style to which she was accustomed.
Then there is Joe Biden. Touchy, feely, Joe Biden for whom women are like catnip to a cat or a juicy bone to a dog. Yes, he can't keep his paws off 'em. More like creepy Joe with a penchant for gynecological exploration, as alleged by Tara Reade, a young staffer to then Senator Biden, who was asked to deliver a gym bag to the illustrious man. 'He just had me up against the wall and ... he went down down my skirt, but then up inside it and ...'
Well, you never know! Bill Clinton was accused of rape in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, and of using troopers to watch for Hilary while he chased his bimbos. Running against a man with a spotless reputation and who had taught Saddam a lesson, guess what happened? He won.
Perhaps the American voter likes a man with an advertised libido, so take your pick in November. "I don't wait ... Grab 'em by the p---y," Trump, or Creepy Joe, who has denied the allegation. Tara Reade said she did file an official complaint then with the Senate Personnel Office and was subsequently relieved of some responsibilities, including managing interns.
Forbes has a timeline of events that has others confirming her story at different points in time since 1993. For example, her mother is said to have called the Larry King Live show saying her daughter had "problems" working for a prominent senator. The script was unearthed by The Intercept, which reported on the story in March.
Two more people have corroborated Reade. A former neighbor of hers in California, Lynda LaCasse told the Business Insider that Reade recounted the assault to her in 1995 or 1996 after she had left D.C. Then there is Lorraine Sanchez, who worked with Reade in the office of a California state senator during the mid-1990s. She remembers Reade telling her about being harassed by her former boss while she was in D.C. and she had to leave.
That is the choice for women in November: "Grab 'em by the ...", Trump, or "...down the skirt ... up inside it" Biden. What's wrong with Democrats?
