In Milwaukee Public Schools, ‘A’ Is For Activism
Instead of promoting academic achievement, schools are using resources to promote a get-out-the-vote scheme to benefit the left.Instead of promoting academic achievement, schools are using resources to promote a get-out-the-vote scheme to benefit the left.More than 200 CEOs demand gun control in letter to Senate
More than 220 CEOs of large U.S. companies will release a letter on Thursday calling for the U.S. Senate to pass new gun control legislation.
The letter, first reported by Axios, is spearheaded by Chip Bergh, the CEO of Levi Strause & Co., who partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety in 2018 to lobby for tighter restrictions on gun ownership. It refers to gun violence in the U.S. as an "epidemic" and urges lawmakers to "take immediate action" in the wake of the deadly mass shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were massacred, and at a grocery supermarket in Buffalo, New York, where 10 people were murdered last month.
"Taken together, the gun violence epidemic represents a public health crisis that continues to devastate communities — especially Black and Brown communities — and harm our national economy. All of this points to a clear need for action: the Senate must take urgent action to pass bold gun safety legislation as soon as possible in order to avoid more death and injury," the letter states.
"On top of the human toll is a profound economic impact. At a time when our economy is struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, gun violence costs American taxpayers, employers and communities a staggering $280 billion per year. Employers lose $1.4 million every day in productivity and revenue, and costs associated with victims of gun violence. Communities that experience gun violence struggle to attract investment, create jobs, and see economic growth," the CEOs write.
While the letter expresses grave concern over gun violence and demands "action" from Congress, it does not endorse specific policies, nor does it suggest actions that could have prevented either of the deadly mass shootings referred to. It does however represent the latest attempt by corporations to take a political stance that could alienate conservative Americans and those who support gun rights.
"We urge the Senate to take immediate action. Gun violence can be prevented. Our families, our communities, and our places of business are depending on you. Stand with us and the American public. Put the safety of your constituents and their children first. Transcend partisanship and work together to pass bold legislation to address gun violence in our country," the CEOs conclude.
The letter is signed by numerous CEOs of well-known national companies, including, Bain Capital, Ben & Jerry's, Bloomberg LP, Bumble, Condé Nast, Credit Karma, DICK's Sporting Goods, Eventbrite, GoPro, Intuit, Lululemon, Lyft, NerdWallet, Patagonia, Unilever, Yelp, and many more smaller companies. The CEOs of sports teams including the San Francisco Giants, 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles signed as well.
The CEOs' demand for action comes after the House of Representatives passed an omnibus gun control bill called the "Protecting Our Kids Act" on Wednesday. The legislation would raise the legal age to purchase certain semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 years old, implement a new ban on large-capacity magazines, tighten regulations on firearms and accessory purchases, and create new requirements for storing guns at homes where minors are present.
But these measures are not expected to pass in the Senate, where Republicans who oppose gun control can use the filibuster to block any bill that does not have the support of 60 senators. There are ongoing bipartisan negotiations in the Senate on a narrower compromise bill that would incentivize states to adopt "red flag" laws to take away firearms from people deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) are leading talks on other compromises to strengthen school security, fund mental health services, and strengthen laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of felons and other people legally prohibited from having them.
Levi Strauss & Co. endorses abortion as 'critical' to women's progress
Levi Strauss & Co. on Wednesday joined the long line of corporations releasing statements affirming abortion rights and pledging to pay the travel expenses of employees seeking an abortion.
In a statement titled, "Protecting Reproductive Rights – A Business Imperative," the apparel company said that business leaders "are responsible for protecting the health and well-being of our employees, and that includes protecting reproductive rights and abortion access."
Levi Strauss vociferously endorsed abortion as a "critical factor to the workplace gains and contributions women have made over the past 50 years." The company argued that pro-life laws "restricting or criminalizing access" to killing unborn children in the womb "will jeopardize that progress."
The statement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court appears prepared to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a leaked draft majority opinion reported by Politico Monday.
If Roe is overturned, abortion restrictions in 26 states would immediately go into effect, in some cases making abortion illegal at any point in a woman's pregnancy.
"We know this is a fraught conversation; it’s not something we enter into lightly. But women make up 58 percent of our global workforce, and in recent years, numerous employees have expressed to leadership their growing alarm over the rollback of all forms of reproductive care," Levi Strauss said.
In response, the company will expand its health care-related travel expenses plan to cover part-time hourly workers who choose to travel to another state to seek an abortion.
"Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights," the company said.
Levi Strauss & Co. joins Amazon, Yelp, Citigroup, and other companies that have announced abortion benefits plans in recent weeks in anticipation that some states will enact new restrictions on abortion.
Amazon, the second-largest U.S. private employer, on Monday told employees it will pay up to $4,000 in annual travel expenses for any pregnant employee who travels more than 100 miles to obtain an abortion.
In response to these actions and others, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would prevent companies from deducting expenses related to abortion benefits or covering so-called "gender-affirming care" for transgender children when they file federal taxes.
“Our tax code should be pro-family and promote a culture of life. Instead, too often our corporations find loopholes to subsidize the murder of unborn babies or horrific 'medical' treatments on kids," Rubio said. "My bill would make sure this does not happen."
Rubio bill would stop 'woke corporations' from getting tax breaks for paying for abortions
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says that by paying for employees' abortions and financing so-called "gender-affirming care" for their children, "corporate elites have gone full crazy." In response, he's filed legislation that he says will prevent taxpayers from subsidizing "corporate activism."
Rubio introduced the "No Tax Breaks for Radical Corporate Activism Act" on Tuesday, a bill that would prohibit employers from deducting expenses related to paying travel costs for employees who want an abortion, medical costs for employees seeking cross-sex hormones, or puberty-blockers for their children. The bill comes in response to several major companies that have announced new employee abortion benefits in recent weeks, including Amazon, Yelp, Citigroup, and others.
Federal tax law permits businesses to deduct certain expenses that are considered "ordinary and necessary" for operating, including employee health care plans, some medical expenses, and other related benefits. Rubio's bill would "deny the trade or business expense deduction for the reimbursement of employee costs of child gender transition procedure or travel to obtain an abortion."
“Our tax code should be pro-family and promote a culture of life. Instead, too often our corporations find loopholes to subsidize the murder of unborn babies or horrific 'medical' treatments on kids," Rubio said in a statement. "My bill would make sure this does not happen."
In anticipation that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision — a landmark legal precedent that established a constitutional right to an abortion — pro-life lawmakers in several states have advanced laws banning or restricting abortions. If Roe is overturned, as a leaked Supreme Court majority opinion suggests it will be, 26 states have so-called trigger laws or unenforced laws on the books that would ban or severely restrict abortion access.
Several major corporations have responded by committing to pay for pregnant employees in those states to travel out of state if they want to kill their unwanted child. Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., on Monday became the latest company to do so, offering to pay up to $4,000 annually in travel expenses for any pregnant employee who travels more than 100 miles for an abortion.
In an op-ed for Newsweek, Rubio criticized these companies for supporting "abortion tourism," as well as Disney for offering to pay for gender transition "care" for children of its employees.
"While the radical Left drives this insanity, the law enables it,' Rubio wrote. "The current U.S. tax code allows employers to deduct employee compensation and benefits. Because a lot can fall under that umbrella, the code also specifies certain expenses that don't qualify for tax breaks. But there is no provision that prohibits Citigroup and others from deducting abortion and gender transition costs. As a result, these corporations may be able to help their employees kill their unborn children or transition their son into a daughter tax-free!
"This has to change. Businesses should not receive tax breaks for radical leftist activism, especially when that activism jeopardizes our children. Our tax code should encourage family formation and promote a culture of life. Instead, it too often encourages subsidies for the murder of unborn babies and the performance of horrific 'medical' treatments on kids," he said.
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