Jim Kane

@RBReich Hi Bob, I know it's been a while since either of us had civics, but to my recollection, the first bit was part of the constitution, the other bits weren't. Also, just because you can afford something, doesn't mean you should. Also Also, we can't afford any of it.

Instead of spending $50 billion to bankroll Trump’s criminal war on Iran, we could: -Extend ACA subsidies for one year -Restore SNAP benefits for 2.4 million people -And ensure Medicaid coverage for nearly 2 million people It’s not about what we can afford. It’s about priorities.

@RBReich Hi Bob, that's cool. You converting? You going to follow His Holiness's moral standards going forward? Or do you actively loathe what the church teaches, and just want to get in some digs against your political adversaries?

At this rate, Trump is going to demand the Justice Department open a criminal investigation of the pope....Hello? Kudos to Pope Leo for his moral clarity — and for not backing down. robertreich.substack.com/p/leo

@RBReich Hi Bob, the way you present this, it seems like the borrowers were not informed of the repayment terms and still willingly signed up for the loans. How does taking this out of taxes reduce the affordability for the plumbers, teachers, & first responders that would pay for it?

The SAVE plan helped millions of people stay above water while repaying student loan debt. Now that Trump has officially shut it down, borrowers may now have to spend hundreds more per month paying off their loans. How is this supposed to lower people’s cost of living?

@RBReich Hi Bob. I have been in the work force for 4 decades +, and have never heard anyone but you say that. Perhaps the issue is that exec pay was way too low back then? Stop dividing ppl and trying to create hate for successful people.

What I always hear: “We can’t afford to pay our workers more than $15 an hour.” What I never hear: “We can’t afford to pay our CEO millions of dollars a year.” Funny how that works.

@RBReich Hi Bob, you are so right about priorities. The country needs to prioritize tax money on constitutionally mandated spending, like defense, and eliminate spending on things charities should do.

During the shutdown, the Senate approved adding $32B to Trump's already record breaking $1 trillion Pentagon budget. The Senate still hasn't voted on extending ACA subsidies — which would cost $35B. It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford. It’s about priorities.

@RBReich Hi Bob, in the next post you vilify CEOs. In this one you use them to argue from authority. Are you ok?

Around 70% of the U.S. economy depends on consumer spending. As wealth concentrates in the richest 10%, the rest of America can’t afford to buy enough to keep the economy running. This is a huge problem — and even America’s most powerful CEOs are starting to sound the alarm.

@RBReich Hi Bob. What you think this means is not what it means. What this says is either that CEOs job got tougher, or that being a CEO is a difficult job, and pay caught up to compensate those that do it well. Same with pro athletes.

CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1965: 20-1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 280-to-1 Trickle-down economics was always a sham. Nothing has ever trickled down.

@RBReich Hi Bob, happy Thanksgiving. The measure of a society is not how many ppl the Government helps, it's how many ppl don't need to rely on government. Having ppl rely on the government generationally is a blight on the country, not a badge of honor.

About 40% of SNAP recipients are children. Around half of ALL children in the country are covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. And the so-called “party of family values” gutted both programs by billions of dollars. Doesn’t sound very pro-family to me.

@RBReich Hi Bob, should have built more nuke plants and LNG, and coal fired plants. It'd be a lot cheaper. Turns out progressive abuse of industry has long term consequences.

Average electricity cost increase since Jan: Missouri ⬆️ 37% Iowa ⬆️ 30% North Dakota ⬆️ 30% Oklahoma ⬆️ 30% New Jersey ⬆️ 27% Nebraska ⬆️ 25% Montana ⬆️ 25% Wyoming ⬆️ 23% NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11% Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.

@RBReich Hi Bob, please explain your view in light of A&P case. A&P got in trouble not for gouging consumers, but for charging less. By the time the case was resolved, A&P lost much of their mkt share. In a market economy, there are no monopolies except gvt granted ones.

The vicious cycle of monopolization: 1) Corporations argue that their growth is just part of the free market. 2) Use their monopoly power to gouge consumers. 3) Take a portion of their profits to make political donations. 4) Lobby against antitrust enforcement. 5) Repeat.

@RBReich Hi Bob. A small amount of internet based research shows that there are at least 20 companies in the US producing turkey. 12 of these produce more than 209 mln lbs. Tyson is 5th. Ask some sophomore econ student walking around Stanford to explain what a monopoly is.

Tyson is one of just a few companies that controls the entire meat market. Just last month, it paid $85M to settle charges it illegally conspired with other meatpackers to raise pork prices. Corporate monopolies are great for executives and a raw deal for everyone else.

@RBReich Hi Bob, unions matter, especially if you want to reduce productivity, profitability, competitiveness, long term viability of employers. Look @ uaw retiree benefit impact to prices. Unions hurt customers, investors, and employers. It would be better to give them free agency.

Remember: If unions didn’t matter, powerful corporations wouldn’t spend millions of dollars every year to stop workers from organizing. Solidarity with the thousands of unionized Starbucks workers who are on strike. Keep up the fight. cnbc.com/2025/11/20/sta…

@RBReich Hi Bob, to be fair, he's gutting a bloated, mostly useless bureaucracy, and shifting what little is worth doing to other departments or the states. During its existence, the dept has presided over the decline of education in this country.

Trump continued his efforts to dismantle the Department of Education this week by moving two crucial offices into other federal agencies. Why is he determined to gut education? It’s all part of his attack on not just what we do — but what we think.

@RBReich Hi Bob, I suppose what you say is true, but only those with no historical perspective would choose to make themselves wholly dependent on the Government. Those that advocate for such a thing need new priorities.

Medicare for All would save $450B a year. Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity. Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall. It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford. It’s about priorities.

@RBReich Hi Bob, if Democrats genuinely wanted the Epstein files released, they had the opportunity for 4 years under Joe Biden - why didn't they - rather than go through the circus of waiting for Trump to be in office and then imply impropriety in the squirreliest way possible?

If Trump genuinely wanted the Epstein files released, he could order the Justice Department to release them — rather than go through the circus of a discharge petition. Trump has already tried time and time again to usurp the power of Congress. What's stopping him now?

@RBReich Hi Bob, as you well know, the covid temporary subsidies have expired. The unaffordability of the aca is exposed. This shell game of having others pay for it needs to stop. Tear the monstrous aca down and let the market set rates.

Priorities.

@RBReich Hi Bob, how much of the CEOs pay was conditioned on performance? Would you support having the workers pay conditioned on the profitability of the store? I'm for that. I also support free agency for them so they can quite sbx and go to work where they can get higher pay. Do you

Reminder that Starbucks’ CEO made 6,666x more than the company's median employee in 2024. This was the widest CEO-to-Worker pay gap in the entire S&P 500. And we're supposed to believe Starbucks can't afford to bargain a fair contract with its unionized workers?

@RBReich Oh, and Bob, you are usually against enriching big companies, but you're all in on transferring future generations earnings to today's insurance companies via aca subsidies. That's not fighting for the ppl, that's extreme wealth tranfer. You should stop it.

The CR to open the government included no guarantees around extending ACA subsidies. Will a vote on extending them actually happen? Who knows! In any case, Trump and his lapdogs continue to assert that they have the power to slash whatever programs they don’t like. Capitulation is not a strategy.

@RBReich Hi Bob, please use the full name, extend the temporary aca subsidies that were only meant to be there through covid. If aca is unaffordable, it's not because taxpayers aren't flushing enough money, it's because it never was affordable.

@allenanalysis The subsidies do nothing to address costs. If you want to reduce medical costs do tort reform. Defensive medicine and malpractice insurance are driving costs. Shifting who pays is a shell game.

🚨 BREAKING: Hakeem Jeffries just introduced an amendment to the shutdown bill extending ACA tax credits for 3 years. “We have an affordability crisis and Republicans are burying their heads in the sand.” Finally, someone focused on lowering costs, not raising chaos.