Beltway Insider: Trump/Democrats Advert Second Shutdown, NY Says No To Bezos, Indian Terror Attack, 2020 News

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President Trump signed the bi-partisan bill adverting a second government shutdown and immediately indicated he would issue a national emergency declaration bypassing congress, negating their judicial authority, and essentially rendering them impotent in any further Border Wall negotiations.

According to Gallup, President Trump job approval, for the month of January 2019, decreased one percentage point to 37% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased by three percentage points to 59%. Ratings are calculated monthly.

Trump/Democrats Play Hardball

After signing the bi-partisan bill that kept government open, President Trump moved ahead to remove the congressional obstacle, sidestepping the holder of the purse strings, through the declaration of a national emergency to ensure funding for his border wall.


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"The situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency.  The southern border is a major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), hereby declare that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States," the president said in a presidential proclamation.

The immediate response from Democratic House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, indicating the president is declaring an emergency where there is none and said "gun violence could be declared a National Emergency."

Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, the president was committing a "lawless act" and was engaged in a "gross abuse of presidential power."

Border Wall Politics

President Trump who has made the border wall, which has since 2001 been part of the Department of Homeland Security, a fully realized administration project and doesn't have any personal investments in securing a political future for himself or his party. Therefore, he is willing to move ahead and complete a project that has been "on the books" since President George W. Bush.

Trump is also realistic has he indicated in a Press Conference. He indicated he expects the National Emergency Proclamation to face judicial challenge which will initially land them in the Ninth District, where he expects they will receive a ruling against the project.

The negative decision by the Ninth Court will force the Administration to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, where he expects arguments that will cover more than simply the National Emergency Proclamation, which frees up federal money and move dollars from other programs appropriating them to the Border Wall.

The Supreme Court Justices are essentially responding the illegal immigration plight and should the wall cover only the well trafficked areas? What happens when the ingenious human traffickers find and forge a different path through less trafficked areas which turn that into a pipeline?

The administration has often indicated the Wall is not meant to be from Border to Border, coast to coast and granted in reality it can't be, land mass doesn't allow it. Where does the wall end? And who makes those decisions?

The Border Wall and Illegal immigration issues are not over with the Proclamation and even the expected legal challenges, which have played themselves out in past administration issues such as the Muslim travel ban case, should follow a similar pattern the larger issue of immigration becomes the epicenter of the supreme court hearing.

New York Says "No" To Bezos

After months of pushback, New Yorker's sent the world's richest man packing along with his plans to build part of his HQ2 headquarters in the Empire State which would generate up to 40,000 full-time positions with seasonal employment increases.

Long Island City, Queens, had been chosen as part of the jewel in the crown of Amazon's major east coast expansion dividing his operations between Arlington, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee.


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The major coup for New Yorkers quickly turned bleak as community organizations pointed out the already obvious woos: heavily congested traffic including overcrowded subways, exorbitant taxes, skyrocketing housing costs, and just a general population explosion, all which will remain with or without the tax revenue generated by the largest online, mail order, retailor.

Long Term Financial Planning, Economic Stability and the Great Recession

Shunning Amazon, as some would say, shows a shortsightedness for long term economic stability in the five boroughs. The success of the Long Island City campus would have had long term and far reaching impact on the surrounding neighborhood and five boroughs beginning with employment for each layer of workers needed to build the quality structure and campus Amazon officials and Bezos expect.

The monies that would have been generated from Amazon would have effected the population in the surrounding boroughs from the beginning of the day to its end including the Taxi and Limousine Commission drivers, who are committing suicide over the deep financial crisis they face, and when the eagle flies on Friday where would those dollars go, locally to small business owners who before were facing bleak futures.

"The average salary is expected to be $150,000 at Long Island City's HQ2. So, that's a lot of taxpayers paying a lot in income and sales taxes to the city and state. The project is also expected to create 1,300 construction jobs along with several thousand indirect jobs. After all, those Amazon employees will need somewhere to grab coffee, eat lunch and shop," reported NY1.com

While the economic recession of 2009 is in the rear view, and many are enjoying an employment boom, the fact remains that recessions, albeit not global meltdowns, are a given in any economy. The 2009 10% Unemployment that New York State endured may be a thing of the past and building a buffer for economic stability in the time of recession, like saving for a rainy day, is smart financial and city planning.

A welcome mat would have gone a long way to shake loose the purse strings for other necessary projects in order to elevate the neighborhood and make the Long Island City Campus, the shining jewel in Bezos's crown.

NY1 also reported, "In addition, Amazon will donate space on its campus for a tech startup incubator and for use by artists and industrial businesses. The company will also donate a site for a new public school for either elementary or middle grades. In its announcement, Amazon said it will also invest in infrastructure improvements and new green spaces."

Brass Tacks and Tax Breaks

Queens, which is one of New York City's five boroughs, and won the bid by promising the tech giant unheard of tax breaks. New Yorker's appeared shocked at the $3billion in tax breaks. Other major cities to keep the monies generated shelled out considerably more.

"Here's how that $3 billion breaks down. In its HQ2 announcement, Amazon said it would receive performance-based direct incentives of $1.525 billion from New York State provided the company creates 25,000 jobs in Long Island City. If Amazon brings 40,000 jobs to Long Island City within 15 years, those incentives will increase to just over $1.7 billion. The city is set to provide $1.3 billion in incentives on top of the state tax breaks," reported NY1.com.

For clarification purposes the current administration, led by a New York business developer, signed into law (and passed by Congress) under the Federal tax cuts and Jobs Act, which means company would avoid taxes on any capital gains (sales of stock or property) invested back into the community.

"Transparency is a hallmark of good governance and it should be the minimum requirement when we're talking about shelving out billions in taxpayer dollars," Van Bramer said in a statement to Commercial Observer. "We should all be concerned that the city and state were so eager to promise Amazon [tax breaks] that they'd bypass local land use review and agree to sign NDAs while doing so. The use of NDAs in economic development negotiations is undemocratic and wrong and should be prohibited," reported the Commercial Observer

"The total state and city revenue that will be produced is estimated at $27.5 billion," said Cuomo at the November news conference announcing the deal. "The revenue-to-incentive ratio is 9-to-1 – that is the highest rate of return for an economic incentive program that the state has ever offered. How does the state arrive at the $27.5 billion number? It's based on the assumption that the company actually hires 25,000 workers over the next 10 years and up to 40,000 over the next 25 years. All told, that's expected to add up to a $2.5 billion direct investment from the company," NY1 reported.

The Rose Colored Hue of a By Gone Era

The final response at the end of the day from newly elected Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has indicated Amazon's decision to withdraw is "a victory for the people" and through the social media platform Twitter, "Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon's corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world." 

"But a recent poll found that the majority of Queens residents supported the deal, even with the massive tax incentives. Support for the deal was higher in Queens and the Bronx than in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some major New York City unions were also in favor of HQ2," Business Insider reported.


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Hopefully, the people of Queens will have a rainy day plan in place and a safety net when the rose colored world of a bygone era that those everyday New Yorkers and Representative Ocasio-Cortez believe will hold the citizens when economic stability falters, which it will markets run Bull and Bear, Amazon would have always been there.

India Terrorist Attack

Protestors took to the streets in London as well as New Delhi condemning the nation of Pakistan and its officials for their support of the terror organization that carried out the Valentine's Day massacre against the Indian Military killing 40 Indian paramilitary forces and wounding forty-four others.


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"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist attack by a Pakistan-based terrorist group that killed over 40 Indian paramilitary forces and wounded at least 44 others. We express our deep condolences to the victims' families, the Indian government, and the Indian people.  The United States calls on Pakistan to end immediately the support and safe haven provided to all terrorist groups operating on its soil, whose only goal is to sow chaos, violence, and terror in the region. This attack only strengthens our resolve to bolster counterterrorism cooperation and coordination between the United States and India," the White house said in a released press statement.

2020 News - The Pool Increases and The Weed Issue

The Democratic field of presidential hopefuls has increased yet again with the recent announcement of Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, who formally declared her candidacy February 10, 2019. Elizabeth Warren ,Senator from Massachusetts, whom many had speculated planned a 2020 Presidential run, finally formalized her intention to seek the office of the President of the United States by declaring her candidacy February 9, 2019.

Declared Candidate Senator Kamala Harris is the first candidate out of the gate to tackle the Cannabis question. While 32 states support medical marijuana, 18 do not, which makes the legal week question a landmine for candidates depending on the home state.

Harris home state of California, a progressive, cutting edge and trailblazing state has recently legalized Cannabis for recreational purposes. Her candid remarks which included admission of "Inhaling and liking it" in a recent breakfast Radio Program may comeback to haunt her as the field narrows.

Granted, it is early in the 2020 Presidential Race, and a guarantee that the legal weed question will come up more than once and odds are we will see plenty of soft shoe dancing around the specifics of personal choices as opposed to medicinal assistance, the alleviation of pain and adult recreational choices.

The first Democratic Presidential debate of the 2020 Campaign has been announced as June 19, 2020. It is expected to be televised over two nights, due to the expected size, even after the democratic primaries will have whittled the pack down considerably by June.


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The freshman candidates may all be upstaged, and knocked out early, by the expected entrance of former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders and other more familiar household names.

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com