Tweets on the debt limit

The Democrats should have done something when they had the House majority. The Republican extremists hate the government and are willing to do things to harm it.

House Republicans are locked in a standoff with the Biden administration over a deadline to raise the nation’s debt ceiling or risk fiscal calamity.

Here’s a look at what the debt ceiling is and why we’re talking about it so much lately:https://t.co/naMNcHOBpO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 18, 2023

Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years
At least 25% of our nation's debt was brought on by the tRump administration….@SpeakerMcCarthy #DebtCeiling https://t.co/yroscZXFUW
— Patti 💙 VOTEBLUE💙🇺🇦 (@olivier_patti) January 18, 2023

Former Trump OMB Director, Mick Mulvaney, to @thedispatch: "The truth of the matter is that the first two years of the Trump administration, when the Republicans had the House and the Senate, we raised spending faster than the last couple of years of the Obama administration." https://t.co/he0QDOEkSH
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) January 18, 2023

https://t.co/6GurO2d2Do
— Jim Tankersley (@jimtankersley) January 13, 2023

One thing to remember is that bad Republican behavior is always, always, always Democrats' fault for not heading it off. https://t.co/KuHvKoatQ0
— Brian Young (@BrianYoung) January 6, 2023

The stock market thinks layoffs are cool

Before I started following the stock market, I thought layoffs would be bad for companies as well as the people who were laid off. I was wrong. Wall Street likes layoffs because it reduces company expenses. Wouldn’t it be better for the economy if people were working and could spend money?

HP layoffs could set the stage for a big profit boost: Citi analyst https://t.co/wkWjs1KRbG by @BrianSozzi
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) November 24, 2022

Layoffs – bad for employees, good for stock price. pic.twitter.com/1erQMpstX0
— Brett Colbert ₿ 🏖️ (@brett_colbert) November 18, 2022

META Stock Price Jumps With Layoffs https://t.co/TC91bFyeZ9
— Los Kruptos (@LosKruptos) November 18, 2022

The layoffs usually move the stock price up, but they are not the most important parameter impacting big 5 stock prices at the moment. $TD $BMO $BNS $CM $RY pic.twitter.com/PE3XpZoT2N
— Dr_Silberschmelzer (@silberschmelzer) November 18, 2022

The Biden administration should have been prepared for the student loan court decision

You knew that Republican judges would do this.

The Biden administration should have anticipated what Republican judges would do and had something ready when the court decision was announced. This is also true of the Supreme Court abortion decision.
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) November 16, 2022

Greedy oil companies

High profits, giving money to shareholders instead of reducing prices

Can’t believe I have to say this but giving profits to shareholders is not the same as bringing prices down for American families. https://t.co/Q84NNK9sck
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 28, 2022

Q3 profits for Exxon: $20 billion

Q3 profits for Chevron: $11 billion

Q3 profits for Shell: $9.5 billion

Republicans who voted to stop oil companies from price gouging: 0
— Josh Schwerin (@JoshSchwerin) October 28, 2022

Shell just posted its second-highest quarterly profit ever.

$9.5 BILLION.

Like other oil companies, it’s exploiting the moment to make billions off the backs of working families.

I have the bill to hold Big Oil accountable and lower gas prices immediately. We should pass it.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) October 28, 2022

Shell will buy back $4 billion worth of shares and increase its dividend by 15% after posting another gigantic quarterly profit thanks to strong oil and gas prices https://t.co/WnrDRHGFGf
— CNN (@CNN) October 27, 2022

Imagine if more of these gains went to relief at the pump, instead of corporate stock buybacks. https://t.co/L8jhtQuva9
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) October 27, 2022

Valero boosted profits by 500% in just one year by price gouging families at the pump. The House passed my bill to hold Big Oil companies accountable for ripping off consumers in May. The Senate needs to act.https://t.co/xssOATcHE7
— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) October 27, 2022

ExxonMobil’s profit set a record for the second straight quarter as oil and gas prices remained high. No. 2 US oil company Chevron also posted much-better-than-expected results. https://t.co/aCDbhVdPHD
— CNN International (@cnni) October 28, 2022

Q3 profits for Exxon: $20 billion

Q3 profits for Chevron: $11 billion

Q3 profits for Shell: $9.5 billion

Republicans who voted to stop oil companies from price gouging: 0
— Josh Schwerin (@JoshSchwerin) October 28, 2022

Bad New York Times tweet on GDP increase

The GDP increase was higher than predicted but you wouldn’t know it from the Times. https://t.co/FsVb7z9a3p
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) October 27, 2022

more positive comments on the GDP increase:

U.S. GDP accelerated at 2.6% pace in Q3, better than expected as growth turns positive https://t.co/UnMkNVD6hn
— CNBC (@CNBC) October 27, 2022

A nice GDP report: The headline is 2.6% with consumers remaining strong (+1.4%).

But it also shows moderation in key respects that should reduce some overheating, specifically nominal GDP growth slowed to 6.7% and the Fed is successfully cooling investment, especially housing. pic.twitter.com/a1PlBAmcjv
— Jason Furman (@jasonfurman) October 27, 2022

Here is today's Real GDP number against the CBO prepandemic projections from January 2020.

I still believe this recovery to trend is a remarkable achievement that is worth defending. pic.twitter.com/GWWxk1isRd
— Mike Konczal (@rortybomb) October 27, 2022

Pathetic CNBC column takes the side of companies that evade taxes

Don't say "hit them hardest". Say "make them pay their share of taxes". Your article states "The researchers found that the 15% minimum would have taken a total of $31.8 billion from 78 firms in 2021." It's not taking money – it's making them do what they should be doing.
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) September 25, 2022

In support of tipping

It took a long time until I understood that servers got a very low salary and made most of their money from tips.

I have tipped delivery drivers well, especially during the pandemic. They were taking a real risk dealing with people before there were vaccines,

That extra dollar or two in the tip jar isn’t going to break my budget or yours. But your gratuity — even for carryout — can make the difference in someone taking home enough money to put enough food on their table. https://t.co/GRnKSOtblU
— Michelle Singletary (@SingletaryM) September 17, 2022

Wall Street is investing in music

They’re buying up the catalogs of geezer musicians from my day. I don’t like the idea of big companies owning music but it’s hard to blame the artists for cashing in.

But in an era of soaring inflation and rising interest rates, the nascent asset class faces its first real test.

Read more about how Wall Street stormed the music business👇https://t.co/VzTJMY7qVi
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) September 13, 2022

Bob Dylan's Catalog Sale: 4 Takeaways https://t.co/a8sQOsLu1g
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) December 7, 2020

Paul Simon has sold his entire songwriting catalog — including classics like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Sound of Silence” — to Sony Music Publishing, in the latest blockbuster transaction in the music publishing business. https://t.co/nkgABHLaWO
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 1, 2021

Stevie Nicks closed a deal to sell a majority stake in her publishing catalog last month

“Edge of Seventeen,” “Rhiannon” & “Landslide,” are part of the deal

Primary Wave purchased an 80% interest in the copyrights, which are valued at about $100 millionhttps://t.co/axpfK86cZJ
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 4, 2020

Prince's estate is now majority-owned by Primary Wave, the company that acquired Stevie Nicks' music catalog last year https://t.co/dp5UO3DDTf
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) July 30, 2021

More on greedy oil company profits

The world’s largest oil companies are generating record profits, and they’re using a big part of the windfall to buy back their own shares. The five biggest public oil companies spent more than $20 billion on buybacks in the first half of this year. https://t.co/201tqMMUOr
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 29, 2022

Chevron stock surges as profit more than triples and blows past expectations, as oil prices jump https://t.co/lK3u83NdE0
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) July 29, 2022

Oil companies swam in record profits over the last few months at a time when Americans struggled to pay for gasoline, food and other basic necessities. https://t.co/b5njRIEsDL
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 29, 2022

Exxon, Chevron, and Shell, the three largest Western oil companies, banked a record $46 billion in collective profits in the second quarter, fueled by the highest energy prices in over a decade and lucrative oil-refining margins. – WSJ https://t.co/eQ8jw2SIRe
— andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) July 29, 2022

ExxonMobil's net income came to $2,245.62 every second of every day of the 92-day long quarter. On that basis, Chevron earned $1,462.11 per second. https://t.co/qolQQsCu63
— CNN (@CNN) July 29, 2022

Oil giants have made huge profits this year as prices and demand have soared. https://t.co/LBxV0UfGPv
— Axios (@axios) August 16, 2022

Record oil company profits

At least part of the high gas prices is due to corporate greed

Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the two largest U.S. energy companies, reported record quarterly profits following the spike in oil and gas prices caused mainly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/3NoTvu8mfj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 29, 2022

Shell has posted record profits for a second straight quarter as the company continues to benefit from the soaring price of oil and gas.https://t.co/vv9ZSQnyQt
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) July 28, 2022