Daniel Brockman

@DanielBrockman@hcommons.social
19 Followers
20 Following
96 Posts
Lifelong interest in History & Economics. Author of "The Tale of Capitalism" (available at "No Dearth of Books" bookstore & Amazon.com). Career in banks & investment companies & systems engineering. MS Finance, BS Mathematics.
LaughingPhilosopher.comLaughingPhilosopher.com
The Tale of Capitalismsmile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7RVB24C
BookstoreNoDearthOfBooks.com
Daniel BrockmanApr 26, 2024

Turning to funding, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidea, & Amazon have combined market cap of approx (USD) $946t, of which $420b/yr is less than 1%. The approx aggregate market cap of the S&P 500 companies is $44t.

Increased taxes of $420b/yr on the wealthy & the businesses they own won't likely impair GDP growth & may stimulate it, given the expected improved revenues for retail businesses. Nor would the taxes required heavily burden the wealthier population. While some individuals & businesses might have to declare bankruptcy, can we not reasonably suppose nearly all of them were in pre-existing financial distress?

We recall the PPP payments & special tax refunds the USA govt distributed by direct payments to a large fraction of the population. If I'm not mistaken, these payments resulted in GDP stimulus, in the widespread opinion of economists.

/2

Daniel BrockmanApr 26, 2024

This strikes me as yet another injustice from the ever-changing definition of "terrorism" and the "War on Terror".

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/us/politics/sept-11-suspects-war-crimes-sentence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nU0.9uX0.MLkuClxSXiAy&smid=url-share

Prosecutor Says Sept. 11 Suspects Can Be Held Past War Crimes Sentence

The argument, in a pretrial hearing, dealt with the unresolved question of whether a prisoner who completes such a sentence is entitled to release from military detention.

The New York Times
Daniel BrockmanApr 11, 2024
AriadneApr 10, 2024

"World Bank must take ‘quantum leap’ to tackle #ClimateCrisis, #UN expert says - Simon Stiell calls for reform at development banks to enable governments to provide more #climate finance to developing world.

The World Bank must take a “quantum leap” to provide new finance to tackle the climate crisis or face “climate-driven economic catastrophe” that would bring all the world’s economies to a halt, the UN climate chief has said.

Simon Stiell warned that there were just two years left to draw up an international plan for the climate that would cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goal of limiting temperature rises to 1.5C above preindustrial levels.

“There’s no room now for half measures,” he warned, referring to the global heat that has surpassed records for the past 10 months. “Averting a climate-driven economic catastrophe is core business.” ... "“We can’t afford a talkfest [at the spring meetings] without clear steps forward, when there is an opportunity to make real progress on every part of the new climate finance deal all nations need,” Stiell told an audience of geopolitical experts at the Chatham House thinktank in London on Wednesday afternoon."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/10/world-bank-must-take-quantum-leap-to-tackle-climate-crisis-un-expert-says

#GlobalWarming #Klimakrise #Climate #ClimateEmergency #ClimateChange #Klima #WorldBank #Capitalism #CapitalismKills

World Bank must take ‘quantum leap’ to tackle climate crisis, UN expert says

Simon Stiell calls for reform at development banks to enable governments to provide more climate finance to developing world

The Guardian
Daniel BrockmanMar 16, 2024

Henry Ford wrote: “It is high time to rid ourselves of the notion that leisure for workmen is either lost time or a class privilege.”

https://apnews.com/article/32-hour-workweek-bernie-sanders-076c14dd52c7938bfb41e988a9a6d347

Bernie Sanders wants the US to adopt a 32-hour workweek

The 40-hour workweek has been standard in the U.S. for more than eight decades. Now some members of Congress want to give hourly workers an extra day off. Sen. Bernie Sanders this week introduced a bill that would shorten to 32 hours the amount of time many people in the U.S. can work each week before they’re owed overtime. The far-left independent from Vermont says U.S. companies can afford to give employees more time off without cutting their pay and benefits given advances in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence. Critics say a mandated shorter week would force many companies to hire additional workers or lose productivity.

AP News
Daniel BrockmanFeb 21, 2024
Christian StöckerFeb 21, 2024
The fact the the GOP is simultaneously receiving help from Russia's intelligence services in their disinformation campaign against Joe Biden (https://nytimes.com/2024/02/20/us/politics/fbi-informant-hunter-biden.html) and withholding aid to Ukraine should be the biggest news story of the week, no?
Ex-FBI Informant, Accused of Biden Lies, Said He Had Russian Contacts

Federal prosecutors portrayed the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, 43, as a serial liar incapable of telling the truth about even the most basic details of his own life.

The New York Times
Daniel BrockmanFeb 21, 2024

Climate Dept.
—------------
“From the perspective of folks who are trying to build and deploy renewable energy projects, I’d say the anxiety level is pretty high” about a Trump victory in November, said Hayes, “because they don’t really know what to expect.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/20/more-republicans-now-want-climate-action-but-trump-could-derail-everything-00142313

Trump vs. an emerging Republican climate strategy

"We’re not dependent on a standard-bearer outside of the House," insists Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), who founded the 82-member Conservative Climate Caucus.

POLITICO
Daniel BrockmanFeb 19, 2024

"Timely and total repayment of loans does not extinguish the harm that false statements inflict on the marketplace ." -- Arthur F. Engoron, Feb. 16, 2024.

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/decisions/trump-decision.pdf

Daniel BrockmanFeb 7, 2024
ProPublicaFeb 6, 2024

Proposed Wage Theft Legislation Would Strip Violators of Their Ability to Do Business in #NewYork
==

“We did not have the data to understand the scale of the issue in New York State until the ProPublica and Documented series came out last year,” state Sen. Jessica Ramos said.

#Wages #WageTheft #NYC #NY #News #Workers #CriminalJustice

https://www.propublica.org/article/wage-theft-law-new-york-violators-doing-business?utm_medium=social&utm_source=mastodon&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

Proposed Wage Theft Legislation Would Strip Violators of Their Ability to Do Business in New York

“We did not have the data to understand the scale of the issue in New York State until the ProPublica and Documented series came out last year,” state Sen. Jessica Ramos said.

ProPublica
Daniel BrockmanFeb 7, 2024
Daniel BellingradtFeb 7, 2024
Eventuell habe ich gerade einen Verlagsvertrag unterzeichnet für eine Einführungsreihe in die Geschichte der Frühen Neuzeit. Und ebenfalls eventuell hat das Buch in spe schon einen Titel, der in etwa so tönt: "Nachrichten und Kommunikation in der Frühen Neuzeit". #Kommunikationsgeschichte
Daniel BrockmanFeb 7, 2024

"Since then [July 6, 2021], hundreds of people who breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, have been prosecuted and imprisoned. And on August 1, 2023, in Washington, D.C., former President Trump was charged in a four-count Indictment as a result of his actions challenging the election results and interfering with the sequence set forth in the Constitution for the transfer of power from one President to the next. Former President Trump moved to dismiss the Indictment and the district court denied his motion. Today, we affirm the denial. For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution. "
-- US Court of Appeals, DC (Feb 6 2024), "USA v Trump", No. 23-3228.

https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/1AC5A0E7090A350785258ABB0052D942/$file/23-3228-2039001.pdf