(This is a rough transcript of the Social Media Video. Feel free to download the spreadsheet at the bottom of the post!)

Did Democrats increase taxes on the working class or was it just the top 1%? Let’s do some math.

Now, some tax plans like the Bush tax cuts last more than one administration, and I show how that works later in the video.

In my last post, I broke down how Democrats save the government money when they have a full majority and the presidency, however, there have been a lot of comments on my social media video on that topic saying that the Democrats are only better fiscally because they increase taxes. So, I added the average tax rates by quintile of income.

If you want to download the spreadsheet, it’s at the bottom of the post!

Now, keep in mind this isn’t a tax bracket. This is after their taxes were filed, how much taxes they actually paid

Here are the results for the lower class:

Ronald Reagan took Jimmy Carter’s overall 8.9% tax rate for bottom income earners in the first half of his presidency. He increased it in 1983. It increased by 13%, 1984, 9%, and while he did bring them back down a little bit, he still left them considerably higher than Jimmy Carter.

Bill Clinton, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He took Ronald Reagan’s 10% tax rate on the lowest income earners, and he brought it down to 7.2%. So, the lowest income earners paid less tax under Bill Clinton.

George W. Bush then made it a little bit more complicated because the Bush tax cuts lasted through half of the Obama administration. George W. Bush lowered taxes across the board, and Obama decided to keep the tax cuts for people making less than $450,000 per year, and they have roughly stayed that way even under Donald Trump.

Here are the results for the Top 1%:

While Ronald Reagan increased taxes on the bottom income earners, he decreased taxes for the highest income earners, taking Jimmy Carter’s 33.1% income tax on the top 1% and bringing it down to 29.6%.

The Clinton administration brought this right back up again to over 33%, then the George W. Bush tax cuts brought them back down.

But with Obama, while he did eventually keep the Bush tax cuts for the lowest income earners, he increased the tax rates for the top 1%. Again, back to where it was before George W. Bush.

Here’s the spreadsheet if you want to look at the data yourself!

Usa In History

186KB ∙ XLSX file

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Download

I posted a video about spending by political party, replying to a podcast clip claiming that Republicans and Democrats are the same when it comes to spending.

“Democrats are the wife that wants spending, and the Republicans are the guy that says their household needs to stop spending, but he has a gambling problem.”

This is a super popular talking point, but our Democrats and Republicans actually the same when it comes to spending.

Let’s do some math.

For this spreadsheet, I grabbed the president for every year and the House and the Senate majority, so now we can see every single year that Congress and the presidency were split as well as the years that they were all unified.

I grabbed the deficit in surplus for every year since 1980, and I also jotted down the rate of change. Now to factor in inflation and the fact that our economy changes in size every year, I grabbed the GDP, so now we can track the rate of change in our deficit or surplus every year by percentage of the GDP.

Now, it’s important to note that since the 1990’s, the Democrats have not had a filibuster proof majority. All of the numbers might be amplified if the Democrats take office again, because in modern history, they haven’t been able to pass legislation with a filibuster.

But let’s get into the meat and potatoes. Does either party actually save the United States money, and which party spends the most?

The Democrats on average decrease the deficit or increase the surplus by a rate of 0.41% of the GDP. On average every year, Republicans on average increase the deficit by 0.63% every year, and when it’s split, Democrats and Republicans together increase the deficit by about 0.34% of the GDP every year on average.

What does this mean?

Well, in modern history, that means that Democrats, while they were in power, have saved the United States an average of $167 billion every year. But the Republicans have spent $77 billion more than the average every year. So, the Democrats are saving money, and the Republicans are spending more of it.

Here’s the spreadsheet:

Spending By Party

155KB ∙ XLSX file

Download

Download

In 1994, Bill Clinton signed a federal assault ban into law. It lasted until 2004 when George W. Bush’s administration failed to renew it. There have been many studies about its effects on gun violence, but I created a spreadsheet so that you can see the data yourself.

After the ban, the total number of firearms began to decrease, followed by firearm related deaths per 100k people. After the ban lapsed in 2004, firearm sales began to increase again, and firearm deaths closely followed.

If you’d like to see the spreadsheet, I’ve attached it below.

Gun Violence

25KB ∙ XLSX file

Download

Download

On March 4^th of this year, the US House of Representatives introduced a resolution that directs the House Committee on Ethics to preserve and publicly disclose records related to violations or alleged violations involving sexual harassment, unwelcome sexual advance, or sexual assault by a member, delegate, or commissioner.

The resolution has had one roll call vote, with 357 votes in favor, 65 against, 1 present, and 9 not voting.

Here is a list of all of the members of the House of Representatives who voted against the resolution or declined to vote in favor.

1. Barrett, Tom [R-MI]

2. Bean, Aaron [R-FL]

3. Bergman, Jack [R-MI]

4. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ]

5. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO]

6. Burchett, Tim [R-TN]

7. Burlison, Eric [R-MO]

8. Cammack, Kat [R-FL]

9. Comer, James [R-KY]

10. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA]

11. Crane, Elijah [R-AZ]

12. Crawford, Eric A. “Rick” [R-AR]

13. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC]

14. Donalds, Byron [R-FL]

15. Downing, Troy [R-MT]

16. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX]

17. Fine, Randy [R-FL]

18. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA]

19. Gill, Brandon [R-TX]

20. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME]

21. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA]

22. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ]

23. James, John [R-MI]

24. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA]

25. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ]

26. Khanna, Ro [D-CA]

27. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL]

28. Langworthy, Nicholas A. [R-NY]

29. Luna, Anna Paulina [R-FL]

30. Mace, Nancy [R-SC]

31. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA]

32. Massie, Thomas [R-KY]

33. McBride, Sarah [D-DE]

34. McClintock, Tom [R-CA]

35. McGovern, James P. [D-MA]

36. McGuire, John J. [R-VA]

37. Mfume, Kweisi [D-MD]

38. Miller, Max L. [R-OH]

39. Mills, Cory [R-FL]

40. Min, Dave [D-CA]

41. Moore, Riley M. [R-WV]

42. Moore, Tim [R-NC]

43. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN]

44. Neguse, Joe [D-CO]

45. Norman, Ralph [R-SC]

46. Ogles, Andrew [R-TN]

47. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA]

48. Perry, Scott [R-PA]

49. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO]

50. Pocan, Mark [D-WI]

51. Riley, Josh [D-NY]

52. Roy, Chip [R-TX]

53. Ryan, Patrick [D-NY]

54. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR]

55. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS]

56. Schrier, Kim [D-WA]

57. Schweikert, David [R-AZ]

58. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL]

59. Spartz, Victoria [R-IN]

60. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY]

61. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA]

62. Takano, Mark [D-CA]

63. Tran, Derek [D-CA]

64. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA]

65. Wilson, Joe [R-SC]

66. Baird, James R. [R-IN]

67. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR]

68. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX]

69. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX]

70. Gonzalez, Vicente [D-TX]

71. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL]

72. Onder, Robert F. [R-MO]

73. Smith, Adam [D-WA]

74. Valadao, David G. [R-CA]

75. Knott, Brad [R-NC]

Before Spirit Airlines shut down on May 2^nd, Donald Trump and his administration offered the airline a $500 million deal to purchase the company. If the deal was approved, the United States would have owned 90% of the airline.

Most of the airplanes in Spirit’s lineup are leased, and those would have likely been canceled. According to the administration, Spirit’s assets would have been used for military purposes. They had planned to use it to transport military members and equipment. Trump implied that most of the staff would have stayed employed, but that claim is not verified.

However, Spirit Airlines isn’t the only decision maker when it comes to a sale to the US Government. Stockholders and Creditors also had to sign off, and the Trump Administration had difficulty getting approval. The creditors instead opted for a default and sale of the remaining assets; however they had sent more offers to the trump administration, but Trump and his team refused.

What Happens Next:
Spirit has begun the liquidation process for its assets. Spirit claimed that it had an emergency reserve to refund tickets for future flights, however it’s not known whether all of these tickets will be able to be refunded.

According to the Transportation Secretary, the Trump Administration is working with other airlines to provide discounts and capped pricing for Spirit customers, however no deal has been reached as of the time writing, however United, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue have announced capped pricing and have dedicated webpages available.

What happened:

The Supreme Court has made a landmark decision dealing with racial gerrymandering.

Recently, Louisiana redrew their district maps based on the 2020 Census and allegedly gerrymandered the maps in favor o

f white communities. As a result, challengers of the redistricting claimed that the maps violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court.

The majority of the Supreme Court Justices did not find Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to be unconstitutional; however, they placed additional considerations to factor during evaluation of violations. Specifically, they require that when a state redistricts a map, if someone claims their map is gerrymandered against a specific race or ethnicity, they have to prove intentionality.

In other words, in the Louisiana redistricting case, the fact that it’s proven to be imbalanced and disenfranchises marginalized communities isn’t enough. States are now allowed to gerrymander maps to disenfranchise ethnic groups. The only way to stop them is to prove in court that Texas is intentionally redistricting based on race, which is particularly difficult in law to do.

As a result, racial and ethnic bias is essentially legalized, so long as there is no evidence of motivation.

About the Justices:

The Supreme Court votes came down to party lines. The justices in favor of placing these additional considerations are all appointed by Presidents of the Republican Party. The justices who said these maps violated the Voting Rights Act are all appointed by Presidents of the Democratic Party.

Majority:

Samuel Alito: George W. Bush

John Roberts: George W. Bush

Clarence Thomas: George H.W. Bush

Neil Gorsuch: Donald Trump

Brett Kavanaugh: Donald Trump

Amy Barrett: Donald Trump

Dissent:

Elena Kagan: Barack Obama

Sonia Sotomayer: Barack Obama

Ketanji Jackson: Joe Biden

Read more

This morning, federal prosecutors indicted former FBI Director James Comey for threats against Donald Trump. The threats were allegedly found in an Instagram post where he shared a photo of seashells on a beach organized in the shape of “86 47.”

Federal prosecutors claim that the term “86” is slang for “get rid of” and claims that the post was inciting violence upon the President of the United States.

This is the second time Comey has been indicted. Last year, he was indicted for lying to Congress, however that case was dropped.

This case is met with skepticism across the political spectrum as Fox News has also warned that this indictment faces challenges due to the First Amendment.

This is a developing story and I will post more updates as they come.

What Happened:

On Saturday, a gunman entered the Washington Hilton during a Correspondence Dinner and opened fire. Here’s what we know about the event so far.

Injuries:

One law enforcement official was shot by the gunman, however the bullet was absorbed by the bullet-resistant vest. He is expected to fully recover.

The gunman, Cole Tomas Allen was injured during the incident and is currently in the hospital. At the time of writing, his condition is unknown.

No other injuries were reported.

How the Incident Unfolded:

According to an article by the LA Times, the suspect purchased his firearms legally in California. He had also written a manifesto outlining his targets in the Trump Administration as well as his motives.

According to the article, here is a quote from that manifesto:

“Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed. I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial. I’m not a schoolkid blown up, or a child starved, or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.”

The suspect ran past security and was subdued after firing a few shots in the ballroom.

After the incident started, according to the Associated Press, Secret Service escorted Trump and Vance out of the Hilton ballroom. Trump originally wanted to resume the Correspondence Dinner after the shooting occurred. The hotel refilled drinks and reset Trump’s teleprompter, but Trump eventually returned to the White House.

Shortly after the incident occurred, Trump and Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate told the press that events like these are why a new Ballroom is essential for the President’s safety.

What’s Next

Authorities are currently investigating the incident. They have already arrived at the house of a person who is believed to be connected with the suspect, and they are conducting an investigation to determine if anyone else was connected to the incident.

This is, of course, a developing story.

Former Lt. Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax and his wife were found dead in his home by police Thursday morning after their teenage son called 911. According to the police, Fairfax likely shot his wife as well as himself.

The couple had filed for divorce summer of last year. Justin Fairfax was recently served with paperwork when to appear in court. Previously, back in January, police investigated the home after Justin Fairfax alleged that his wife assaulted him. However, police reviewed the camera footage and found that no assault took place.

Previously, Fairfax was poised to become Virginia’s governor after Ralph Northam resigned due to a scandal. However, two women came forward accusing Fairfax of sexual assault.

Their two teenage children were both home during the time of the shooting. Their son called 911 shortly after midnight.

The Senate recently struck down a motion against selling weapons to Israel. A resolution in the Senate was placed by Bernie Sanders to cut military aid, and just today 40 Democrats voted for the proposal and 7 voted with Republicans against it.

Here are the Senators who voted against the resolution as well as their phone numbers:

Richard Blumenthal (CT)

(202) 224-2823

Chris Coons (DE)

(202) 224-5042

Catherine Masto (DE)

202-224-4254

John Fetterman (PA)

202-224-4254

Kirsten Gillibrand (NV)

(202) 224-4451

Jackie Rosen (NV)

202-224-6244

Chuck Schumer (NY)

(202) 224-6542

If you disagree to with assisting Israel in their military efforts, give these senators a call. If you don’t know what to say, feel free to use this script:

“My name is ___ and I’m informing you that as an active voter and your constituent that your decision to vote against blocking munition sales to Israel is abhorrent. If you don’t speak out and condemn the actions of Israel and vote accordingly, I will actively be assisting campaign efforts of your opponent come your next primary election as well as the general election.”

This script is short, easy, and will make sure they know where you stand. It’s time to act and all members of Congress need to be told how they are doing. Also, if you have a Democratic senator who voted for the resolution, I also strongly recommend calling them to tell them you agree with that vote. Feedback makes change, no matter if it’s negative or positive.

As many of you know, my account isn’t operated by an organization. It’s not a partnership, or even a team.

Most independent journalists, including popular creators, employ a team to help them write, research, and run their channels. Many hire a manager to assist with work on the backend, emails, collaboration pitches, PR, or even accounting.

For me, I do this work by myself. It’s just me.

This gives me the freedom to be unbiased in what I report, it allows me to prioritize content that I believe is important, and it allows me to focus on what my followers want to see. Profit also ensures that profit doesn’t dictate my content.

But there’s also a price: Time

To make sure you have something to read, watch and listen to on your screen, I have to spend several hours every day researching, writing, scripting, filming, editing, making spreadsheets, and replying to comments on social media. Much of which would be full-time jobs on other channels.

On top of that, there are things you don’t see. Creative projects I’m working on in the background (F*ck it Let’s Paint, a painting show, and another novel) as well as the backend work, like emailing, pitching ideas, accounting, budgeting, etc.

During this time of year, it’s especially busy. During this administration, it’s been especially stressful.

I say all of this because I’ve had some major developments in my personal life over the last several months. Over the next couple of weeks, my content may be a little less condensed than usual so that I can make sure I’m taking care of myself.

I’m not taking a full break, but I am stepping back briefly and making content at a slower rate. Once things progress a little more, the content will go right back up.

In the meantime, my inbox is always open. As always, I’ll respond as soon as I can. I’ll still be posting, but I may not be as responsive as normal.

Thank you guys for being awesome and making this channel possible! You’re the best.

I love all of you!

—Nick

Donald Trump is now sending the army to the Middle East, specifically the eighty-second Airborne, a brigade combat team.

The eighty-second Airborne Division is a ground infantry unit, and they have their own website. Within eighteen hours of notification, they conduct forcible entry parachute assaults. The unit was formed over 100 years ago and conducted ground operations in both World Wars as well as nearly every major conflict since then.

As result, with this movement, there-- it is very likely that there will be boots on the ground. The United States is entering its twenty-fourth day in Iran, meaning Donald Trump still has sixty-six days to conduct operations before he is legally required to have congressional approval.

This, of course, is a developing story, so stay tuned.

(This is a subscriber-funded publication. Please consider upgrading your membership to receive member-exclusive perks and support the channel!)

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I Interviewed State Auditor Julie Blaha about the impact of ICE, the role of state auditors in Minnesota, and the challenges faced during recent events. The conversation delves into the financial and social implications of ICE activities and the response of the community and government.

We dive into trauma caused by ICE, hyperlocal organizing, community building, and the importance of down-ballot elections. We also highlight the road to recovery and the role of local government in supporting communities.

Former FBI director Robert Mueller has passed away. While Mueller was the director, he helped oversee major investigations such as Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. During that investigation, it was found that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election.

In response to the news of Rober Mueller’s death, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.”

Mueller’s investigations into Donald Trump, Russia, and the 2016 election eventually resulted in 37 indictments and seven guilty pleas. While the investigations didn’t conclude that Donald Trump himself colluded with Russia, it also didn’t clear his name.

Donald Trump also reportedly took steps during his presidency to fire Mueller, however subordinates refused to carry out his orders.

Mueller suffered from Parkinson’s disease, although the exact cause of death is currently not public.

Donald Trump may be preparing for boots on the ground in Iran. According to multiple sources in the Pentagon, they told CBS News earlier today that boots may be on the ground, and they’re detailing plans right now.

He has also been preparing to send more troops over to Iran. It’s reported that 2,200 more troops are being sent to the Middle East, including 3 warships. It will likely take several weeks for the unit to arrive in Iran, as the unit which have covered previously is still on the way.

The troops that were announced today are the 11^th Marine Expeditionary Unit. This unit carries long-range aviation support as well as the Steel Night 25 team, which have ground experience including mapping terrain and building the foundation for future missions.

As of less than an hour ago, Trump has also said that he doesn’t want a ceasefire, no matter if he believes that they’re winning or not. He has not stopped there either. He is concentrating on the Strait of Hormuz. Specifically in that True Social post, he’s also calling our NATO allies cowards for not sending support or additional weapons.

As a result, contrary to what most Republicans (including Trump himself) are claiming, this war does not appear to be ending soon. In fact, Donald Trump is expanding it.

This is, of course, a developing story, so follow along if you want to stay in the loop.

I’m going to be completely honest.

When I started making content, I did not want to be a political content creator.

I love what I do, and I love all of you. I love this community that we’ve built together, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I realized that I don’t get to just hang out with everyone in this community as often as I used to. Because I’m a political content creator, I spend most of the time doing research and making political videos. I am still working on my painting show, F*ck it, Let’s Paint, however I don’t get to spend time with you guys while I work on it.

So, to start moving in the right direction again, I’m taking a chance and trying something. I would like to host a tournament.

In 2020, I designed a board game that was successfully funded on Kickstarter. This board game was designed with neurodivergent people in mind.

Eclipse is a competitive game kind of like Chess, Go or Hive. It’s made to be easy to learn, difficult to master, and visually satisfying to play.

You also don’t have to buy the game either. You can download a print and play version right here:

Click Here for the Instruction Booklet

If you win this tournament, you’ll receive a handcrafted version of this game called The Artisan Set. These are high-quality wooden sets that I will personally make for you.

I cut the wood, stain it, and engrave it all by myself. If you get second or third place, then you’ll receive a normal set at no cost.

This tournament is a perk for paying subscribers. I want to do something to show you how much I appreciate you. However, as always, if you don’t have the means to upgrade your membership and you would like anything I’ve worked on, just send me a PM, and we’ll work something out.

Subscribe now

The contest also doesn’t have a date yet. I’ll be issuing surveys once I know there’s interest in the tournament, so that way we can plan a time for as many people to be available as possible.

The plan is to host it on the Discord server, so if you’re not a part of that community, I would recommend joining there too. Leading up to the contest, I would also love to have a biweekly hangout day, so that way we can get to know each other, make new friends and even learn how to play.

Anyway, drop a comment or send me a message. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in. Also, share this if you know somebody who likes board games or competitive games!

The Senate just passed a bill prohibiting big investors from buying single-family homes.

The bill passed earlier today, and now it has to go to the House of Representatives, who passed a similar bill previously.

If this bill passes, investors will be prohibited from buying homes for the purposes of renting, however they may still buy these properties if they intend to refurbish them and sell them. The bill also allows investors to build rental homes; however they will be required to sell those properties after seven years.

Among the forty provisions, the bill also eases regulations on manufacturing in the hopes that investors will build more housing, increasing the supply.

The ROAD to Housing Act passed with eighty-nine votes in the Senate. Only ten representatives voted against it, so it was bipartisan.

Once the House of Representatives votes on the bill, I will add it to the Congress Tracker spreadsheet calculator, so follow along.

Under the Trump Administration, disaster relief has been de-funded. FEMA has been flooded with layoffs, budget cuts and that has affected our response to natural disasters in a very real way.

Yesterday, I spoke with House Representative Greg Casar about these cuts. I asked plainly what we can do to reverse course.

In this discussion, we delve into:

• How the Trump administration’s policies slowed down disaster response, costing lives

• The intentional holding up of billions in relief funds, even after approval

• The massive staff cuts at FEMA, destroying decades of expertise

• Why public outrage and activism are our most powerful tools now

• The urgent bills needed to restore FEMA’s strength and save lives

Timestamps:

00:00 - The real impact of FEMA cuts during July floods

00:16 - How Kristi Noem’s policies delayed search and rescue by 72 hours

00:57 - The hypocrisy: approving millions on TV ads while ignoring disaster response

1:24 - The hold-up of $17 billion in already approved relief funds

1:54 - How political agendas are erasing experienced FEMA professionals

2:42 - What short-term actions we can take now to fight back

2:56 - How public voice, accountability, and new legislation can restore FEMA

4:04 - Why your activism can save lives and protect democracy

Resources:

Follow Greg Casar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregcasar/

FEMA Critical Staffing Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4992

The FBI fired more than 10 agents with expertise in Iran just a few days before Operation Epic Fury.

In the same purge, many of the FBI agents who were fired also worked on the Trump investigation as well as investigations of illegal media leaks and mishandling of classified documents.

The reason that Kash Patel gave for these firings was that these agents engaged in improper investigative steps. However, these improper steps were not fully disclosed, and no evidence was presented.

In fact, the FBI Agents Association said that Kash Patel disregarded the law with that purge, and quote, “An agent simply being assigned to an investigation and conducting it appropriately within the law should never be grounds for termination.”

Many of the agents who were fired have recently revealed controversy in Kash Patel’s behavior as the FBI director, including the fact that he used an official jet to fly out to see his girlfriend perform at a concert.

Agents who were ousted had also worked on January 6^th cases.