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California. Economy Links from other news sources. Taxes

Are you overtaxed living in California?

Are you overtaxed living in California?

Whether or not someone feels “overtaxed” in California is subjective and depends on individual circumstances and perspectives
.
However, some data and observations about California’s tax system that could contribute to this feeling include:
High Income Tax Rates:

California has the highest marginal income tax rate in the nation, topping out at 13.3% on income over $1 million.
Even for lower earners, the progressive tax system means a portion of their income is subject to rates as high as 12.3%.
Some sources suggest that California’s income tax burden is higher than the average of both all other states and other western and industrial states.

Sales Tax:

California has a base sales tax rate of 7.25%, which is the highest in the country, and the combined state and local sales tax can reach as high as 11.25% in some cities.
The average combined state and local sales tax rate is 8.85%, which is the eighth highest in the nation.

Cost of Living:

California’s overall cost of living is significantly higher than the national average, especially regarding housing, which is more than twice as expensive.
This high cost of living, coupled with high taxes, could contribute to the feeling of being overtaxed, even for those who do not fall into the highest income brackets.

Public Opinion:

According to a Public Policy Institute of California survey, 71% of adults in California think the state and local tax burden per capita is high compared to other states, and 7 out of 10 residents feel they are paying more than they should in state and local taxes.

Counterarguments/Context:

While income taxes are high, California’s property tax rates are lower than the national average.
The progressive income tax system means that those with lower incomes pay a lower tax rate than they might in a flat tax state.
Some sources argue that California’s higher income tax burden is offset by a lower combined burden for other taxes.
The revenue generated through taxes funds various state services, including public welfare and education

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Commentary Economy Faked news Links from other news sources.

White folks aren’t the only brain dead people. Medicaid work requirements would ‘kick a lot of people off’ of health care coverage, Sen. Warnock.

White folks aren’t the only brain dead people. Medicaid work requirements would ‘kick a lot of people off’ of health care coverage, Sen. Warnock.

So according to the Senator, if you leave the government freebee list and go out and get a job to support yourself and family, that’s a bad thing? So how does that work?

Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who is chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal in support of the work hurdles.

“When so many Americans who are truly in need rely on Medicaid for life-saving services, Washington can’t afford to undermine the program further by subsidizing capable adults who choose not to work,” Guthrie wrote in the op-ed published on Sunday.

“That’s why our bill would implement sensible work requirements,” Guthrie wrote.

Those requirements would be in line with current policies, according to Guthrie, where working adults, seniors on Medicare and veterans have all worked in exchange for health coverage eligibility.

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America's Heartland Economy Links from other news sources. Reprints from others. Trump Uncategorized

Spending money in the USA. 49 major investments from prominent companies in a wide swath of sectors, including tech, pharmaceuticals, energy, and more.

Spending money in the USA.
49 major investments from prominent companies in a wide swath of sectors, including tech, pharmaceuticals, energy, and more.

Softbank, OpenAI, and Oracle $500 Billion Technology & AI AI infrastructure (Project Stargate)

NVIDIA $500 Billion Technology & AI AI infrastructure and supercomputers

Apple $500 Billion Technology & AI Manufacturing and training

IBM $150 Billion Technology & AI Growth and manufacturing operations

Johnson & Johnson $55 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing, R&D, and technology

Genentech (Roche) $50 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing and R&D

Eli Lilly and Company $27 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing capacity expansion

ADQ and Energy Capital Partners $25 Billion Energy & Environment Data centers and energy infrastructure

Novartis $23 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing facility expansion

Hyundai $21 Billion Manufacturing & Industry Steel plant and other investments

DAMAC Properties $20 Billion Real Estate Development Data center expansion

CMA CGM $20 Billion Transportation & Logistics Shipping and logistics

VentureGlobal $18 Billion Energy & Environment Expansion of transportation equipment

AbbVie $10 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech U.S. manufacturing expansion

Merck $9 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech U.S. manufacturing

Stellantis $5 Billion Manufacturing & Industry Manufacturing network

Novelis $4.1 Billion Manufacturing & Industry Construction of a plant in southern Alabama

Amazon $4 Billion Ecommerce & Cloud Computing AI expansion in cloud division

Thermo Fisher Scientific $2 Billion Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing operations and innovation

Chobani $1.7 Billion Manufacturing & Industry Dairy processing plant in New York

Corning, Inc. $1.5 Billion Manufacturing & Industry Solar component plant in Michigan

GE Aerospace $1 Billion Manufacturing & Industry
Manufacturing across 16 states

Amgen $900 Million Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing operations

Schneider Electric $700 Million Energy & Environment Energy infrastructure

GE Vernova $600 Million Technology & AI Manufacturing

AIP Management $500 Million Technology & AI Solar developer investment

Abbott Labs $500 Million Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing expansion in Illinois and Texas

Diageo $415 Million Food & Beverage Manufacturing in Alabama

The Bel Group $350 Million Food & Beverage Production facilities in SD, Idaho, & Wisconsin

Eaton Corporation $340 Million Manufacturing & Industry Transformers facility in South Carolina

Siemens $285 Million Technology & AI AI data centers and manufacturing

Clasen Quality Chocolate $230 Million Manufacturing & Industry Production facility in Virginia

Fiserv $175 Million Technology & AI Strategic fintech hub

Paris Baguette $160 Million Food & Beverage Manufacturing plant in Texas

TS Conductor $134 Million Manufacturing & Industry Advanced conductor manufacturing in South Carolina

ABB $120 Million Manufacturing & Industry Low-voltage product expansion in Tennessee and Mississippi

Saica Group $110 Million Manufacturing & Industry Packaging manufacturing in Indiana

Charms, LLC $97.7 Million Manufacturing & Industry Expansion in Tennessee

Toyota Motor Corporation $88 Million Transportation & Logistics Hybrid production in West Virginia

Sygene International $36.5 Million Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Biologics facility in Baltimore

Asahi Group Holdings $35 Million Food & Beverage Production boost in Wisconsin

Cyclic Materials $20 Million Energy & Environment Rare earth elements recycling in Arizona

Guardian Bikes $19 Million Manufacturing & Industry Bike frame manufacturing in Indiana

LGM Pharma $6 Million Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Manufacturing facility expansion in Texas

That doesn’t even include the U.S. investments pledged by foreign countries:

United Arab Emirates announced a $1.4 trillion investment in the U.S. over the next decade.
Saudi Arabia announced it intends to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years.
Japan announced a $1 trillion investment in the U.S.
Taiwan announced a pledge to boost its U.S.-based investment.

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America's Heartland Commentary Economy Links from other news sources.

Promises made and Kept. Kimberly-Clark authorizes $800M plant for Mahoning Valley.

Promises made and Kept. Kimberly-Clark authorizes $800M plant for Mahoning Valley.

In my backyard Kimberly-Clark bought over 500 acres of land. Land where an old steel mill once sat. And what did they announce Thursday? Kimberly-Clark Corp. announced it will build an $800 million advanced manufacturing facility.

The approximately 1 million-square-foot plant will serve 117 million consumers in the Northeast and Midwest regions, according to an infographic from the Dallas-based consumer paper products manufacturer. Construction is expected to begin this month.

And what do theY manufacturer? The company’s portfolio of brands also includes Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll

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Economy Opinion Politics Tariffs

Short and sweet. No Virginia, the ports aren’t empty. But the Chinese ships are and that’s a good thing.

Short and sweet. No Virginia, the ports aren’t empty. But the Chinese ships are and that’s a good thing.

All over the internet the MSM is reporting that the ports are empty. One loon from California even claimed that it went all over the country and couldn’t find one tanker in the ports. Same loon who said don’t do the research.

Here’s the facts. The ports aren’t empty. Is freight down? Yes, but the good news is that the freight tankers aren’t coming from China.

And according to Google AI, U.S. goods are being shipped to various international destinations, with popular routes including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Japan.

Shipping containers on the MSC Livorno await unloading at the Port of Long Beach.

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America's Heartland Economy Links from other news sources. Work Place

Why this is a good thing. Gen Z workers increasingly opt out of college and into the trades: ‘There are about 2 million fewer college students.

Why this is a good thing.Gen Z workers increasingly opt out of college and into the trades: ‘There are about 2 million fewer college students.

First that’s 2 million less protestors. But all kidding aside, these young folks are seeing that they not only can make as much if not more, but also are finding it easier to start their own business.

“Industries like construction, manufacturing, and trade, transportation, and utilities have had lower termination rates than sectors where many white collar workers are concentrated, like professional and business services,” he says.

And with Baby Boomers slowly exiting the workforce, more opportunities could open up. “As these folks age out,” says Tremper, “Gen Z workers are going to be able to move into a space where they’re building their own businesses, adding to the dynamism of the economy and really providing a lot more opportunity for themselves financially.”

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America's Heartland Commentary Economy Links from other news sources.

Update on US investment and the economy.

Update on US investment and the economy.
The other day CBS reported companies that were investing in this countries economy. Here‘s a few.

Abbott Laboratories

Illinois-based medical device company Abbott Laboratories said in a statement Wednesday that a $500 million investment in manufacturing, research and development capabilities at plants in Illinois and Texas will “go live” by the end of the year.

Abbott Laboratories

Illinois-based medical device company Abbott Laboratories said in a statement Wednesday that a $500 million investment in manufacturing, research and development capabilities at plants in Illinois and Texas will “go live” by the end of the year.

Chobani

Chobani, known for its Greek-style yogurt, is expanding manufacturing in New York State. The yogurt company on Tuesday announced plans to spend at least $1.2 billion opening a million-square-foot factory in Rome, New York.

Company executives believe the plant will be the largest dairy factory in the U.S.

Cra-Z-Art

Randolph, New Jersey-based toy company Cra-Z-Art in March said it is growing its U.S. production capacity by 50%, “to combat the cost of tariffs for imported goods from China and other countries.”

“Based on the current economic climate, we are taking decisive action to expand and invest in American manufacturing.

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is planning to invest more than $55 billion in new U.S. manufacturing facilities over four years. The investment represents a 25% increase compared with the previous four years, the health care company said in March.

Honda Motor

Honda Motor this week said it is moving production of its Civic Hybrid Hatchback from Japan to the U.S. Honda currently produces the Civic Hatchback Hybrid from two plants, one in Indiana and another in Japan. “But beginning later this year it will be produced only in Indiana.

Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai in March announced a $21 billion commitment to investing in domestic manufacturing from 2025 to 2028.

As part of that commitment, the company has pledged to put $9 billion toward expanding domestic automobile production to 1.2 million vehicles a year, it said.

Nvidia

Last week, American chip maker Nvidia announced that for this first time in the company’s history, it will be manufacturing chips and AI supercomputers in the U.S.

Nvidia said in a statement that it has commissioned more than a million square feet of manufacturing space to build its Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas.

Roche

Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche in April said it’s committing $50 billion to growing its U.S. operations.

The funds will go toward building new research and development sites, and expanding existing manufacturing facilities in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California, the company said on April 21.

Roche will also announce a new 900,000-square-foot manufacturing center dedicated to its weight loss medicine portfolio.

TSMC

Taiwanese semiconductor maker TSMC in March announced a $165 billion total investment in U.S. manufacturing capabilities. The investment augments an existing $65 billion investment in semiconductor manufacturing operations in Phoenix by $100 billion. The expansion includes plans for three new plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major research and development center, the company said.

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America's Heartland China Commentary Economy Links from other news sources. Reprints from others.

The casualties of America’s loss of glassware manufacturing to China.

The casualties of America’s loss of glassware manufacturing to China.

By
SALENA ZITO

Nationally syndicated political reporter.

CHARLEROI — For 132 years, the sound of the factory air whistle signaling the start of the work day at the plant along 8th and McKean Avenue in this Washington County borough meant all the things we associate with work: men and women had jobs, families had food on their table, the societal fabric was strong, churches were full, and the tax base kept the schools vibrant and the community prosperous.

It was a good sound. It meant stability and aspiration. No one around here ever seemed to mind it.

Last week, the sound of that whistle was different. It was longer, 132 seconds to be exact, a number meant to mark how many years the Pyrex glass plant had stood at this location. It marked the end of the line for the plant.

The sound was mournful as it echoed throughout the Mon Valley.

Three hundred men and women are now without jobs in a town of 4,200. Last September the company, now known as the Corelle Brands, announced they would close the plant that had been one of the great innovators at its inception when two Pittsburgh glass-making firms, the Thomas Evans & Company and the George Macbeth Company merged to form the Macbeth-Evans Glass Company in 1899.

One year later, the local newspaper boasted about the expansion of manufacturing in Western Pennsylvania as the new town of Donora was being plotted to allow for that growth. The story detailed the 16-mile strip of cities that included Charleroi, Monessen, and Donora, who were now coming into a close second to their bigger Mon Valley cities of Homestead, Duquesne, Braddock, and McKeesport:

“Here are located the Page Steel and Wire Mill, the American Steel Hoop’s mill, the American Tin Plate large mills, the W.H. Hamilton & Company, the Macbeth Evans plant and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company large glass mills and now the great mills of the Union Steel Company now nearing completion at Donora.”

These groups of factories employed over 8,000 people who made good wages at the turn of the century in what was once sleepy farmland. Hundreds of houses of all kinds were being built almost overnight on rolling hills that overlooked the plants, employing real estate developers and construction workers and causing a boom in mom-and-pop grocery stores, gas stations, barber shops, schools, and churches.

By 1936, Macbeth-Evans was bought out by Corning Glass Works, then the largest maker of technical glassware. The president of Corning Glass at the time, Armory Houghton, said of the acquisition, “It is logical that the Macbeth-Evans Glass Company and the Corning Glass Works should come together at this time. This move brings together two companies whose research and development has been outstanding in different fields of the glass industry.”

At the time of the merger, the plant employed 1800 people.

The news was so big it made the front page of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette above the fold on Nov. 11, 1936.

Today all of those mills are long gone. Pittsburgh Plate Glass, which became known as PPG, a place that employed my father for 50 years, where he designed the furnaces that made glass, no longer makes glass. They sold that division to Nippon in 2017, marking the end of PPG’s long history in glass production, which began in 1883.

When Corning Glass Works first purchased the plant, it was renamed Corning Glass Works Macbeth-Evans Division. By the 1990s, a series of mergers, divestitures, private equity acquisitions, Chapter 11 bankruptcies, and more private equity firm acquisitions had occurred. Centre Lane Partners acquired the company after a competitive bankruptcy auction approved its sale to them in their role as one of Anchor Hocking’s largest stockholders.

Anchor Hocking took over the Charleroi plant in March of 2024 and announced they would close it and move operations to their plant in Lancaster, Ohio — it too was a company founded at the turn of the century by Isaac Jacob in Lancaster, Ohio.

Not long ago, Anchor Hocking had a plant in nearby Monaca in Beaver County that closed over ten years ago. Anchor Hocking has gone through a series of acquisitions, venture capital ownerships and bankruptcies. Today, it is owned by Monomoy Capital Partners, a private equity firm located in midtown Manhattan.

We have talked a lot about tariffs and manufacturing since Donald Trump was reelected in 2024 and the outsized role of China in our industries, and the Corning Glass Works Macbeth-Evans Division is certainly such an example.

In fact, our uneven trade has played a significant role in the glass manufacturing collapse in this country. Up until the 1990s, the United States held its own in glass manufacturing. However, China’s aggressive export strategy, which flooded the U.S. market with thousands of goods, hit the glass industry hard.

In June of last year, the Alliance for American Manufacturing released an analysis detailing the threat Chinese imports posed to U.S. manufacturers. In a briefing by the Economic Policy Institute, the glass industry appeared well aware of the dangers of Chinese imports.

They noted that the U.S. glass industry lost almost 40,000 manufacturing jobs between 2000 to 2008. At the same time, China’s share of the U.S. market rose from 3% to 31%.

As U.S. glass and glassware plants closed, Chinese manufacturers expanded. China now leads glass production globally, exporting 28.7% of the world’s glass and glassware compared to the United States’ 6.6%.

That is a hard pill to swallow if you are from Charleroi, once known as the “Glass City” where PPG once had one of its major glass factories.

The people here are a casualty not just of streamlining production, but also of China’s dominance in the market.

“Everything coming from China flooding our market is a big part of the problem. It is a disease,” said state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, who represents the borough.

The echo of the whistle lingers. The tears of the workers on their last shift remain unchecked. Everything has changed. Those who believe Americans do not want jobs in manufacturing, who do not think there is pride in what they do, should sit a spell with the people who worked here.

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California. Corruption Economy Links from other news sources. Undocumented

How California can create 500,000 to 1 million jobs. Send them home.

How California can create 500,000 to 1 million jobs. Send them home.

According to state data, roughly 1.6 million illegal immigrants are currently enrolled in Medi-Cal, part of the program’s total 15 million enrollees. The state had initially projected the expansion would cost just under $6 billion for fiscal year 2024–2025. But just one year in, the costs have surged far past that estimate.

Newsom’s latest budget proposal now puts the cost of covering illegal immigrants at $8.4 billion for 2024–2025, and $7.4 billion the following year.

Think about it. Sending them home would create jobs for US citizens and legal immigrants. Also this would add at least 8 billion to their coffers.

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Commentary Economy Lies Links from other news sources.

But the tariffs? After Wild Swings, S&P 500 Notches Best Week Since ’23.

But the tariffs? After Wild Swings, S&P 500 Notches Best Week Since ’23.

We were told that the tariffs (which really haven’t kicked in) were going to destroy our country. But according to this news article I saw, the S&P did alright last week.

Wall Street posted solid gains Friday as big banks kicked off first-quarter earnings season and investors closed the book on a turbulent week of wild swings driven by the chaos of U.S. President Donald Trump’s hydra-headed trade war.

All three major U.S. indexes ended the session sharply higher after assurances from Boston Federal Reserve President Susan Collins that the Fed “would absolutely be prepared” to keep financial markets functioning should the need arise.

The S&P 500 notched its best weekly rally since November 2023, as a selloff in longer-term Treasuries and the dollar abated, Bloomberg reported. The S&P jumped 2% on the remarks by Collins.