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Democratic2022 State Treasurer2018 State TreasurerIowa

Michael L. Fitzgerald

 

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Michael L. Fitzgerald’s policies on economic issues

These issues below are sorted in descending order based on how important the average American voter ranked them on the quiz.

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the Economy  ›  Equal Pay

Should employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Inflation

Has the government done enough to lower inflation?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Paid Sick Leave

Should businesses be required to provide paid leave for full-time employees during the birth of a child or sick family member?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Corporate Tax

Should the U.S. raise or lower the tax rate for corporations?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseKeep current rates but eliminate deductions and loop holes

the Economy  ›  Government Spending

Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseNo, reduce military spending instead

the Economy  ›  Taxes

Should the U.S. raise taxes on the rich?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Minimum Wage

Should the government raise the federal minimum wage?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Welfare

Should there be fewer or more restrictions on current welfare benefits?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseFewer

the Economy  ›  Universal Basic Income

Do you support a universal basic income program?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Free Tax Filing

Should the IRS create a free electronic tax filing system?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Capital Gains Tax

Should the government increase the tax rate on profits earned from the sale of stocks, bonds, and real estate?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Labor Unions

Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseHelp

the Economy  ›  Economic Stimulus

Should the government use economic stimulus to aid the country during times of recession?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Overtime Pay

Should the government require businesses to pay salaried employees, making up to $46k/year, time-and-a-half for overtime hours?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes, and all employees should be paid time-and-a-half for overtime hours regardless of their pay scale

the Economy  ›  Corporate Mega Mergers

Should the government prevent “mega mergers” of corporations that could potentially control a large percentage of market share within its industry?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Welfare Drug Testing

Should welfare recipients be tested for drugs?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseNo

the Economy  ›  Tax-Free Social Security

Should Social Security benefits be tax-free?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Unrealized Gains Tax

Should the government tax unrealized gains?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Four-day Workweek

Should the United States transition to a four-day workweek?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Estate Tax

Should the current estate tax rate be decreased?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Tax-Free Tips

Should the government eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  CEO Pay Cap

Should the government enforce a cap on CEO pay relative to the pay of their employees?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Domestic Jobs

Should the President offer tax breaks to individual companies to keep jobs in the U.S.?

  Party’s support baseYes, and drastically increase taxes and import tariffs on outsourcing businesses

the Economy  ›  Tech Monopolies

Should the government break up Amazon, Facebook and Google?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  NAFTA

Should the U.S. continue to participate in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  China Tariffs

Should the U.S. increase tariffs on imported products from China?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Offshore Banking

Should U.S. citizens be allowed to save or invest their money in offshore bank accounts?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes, as long as offshore income is reported

the Economy  ›  Federal Reserve

Should the Federal Reserve Bank be audited by Congress?

  Party’s support baseYes, we deserve to know who the bank gives money to

the Economy  ›  Farm Subsidies

Should the government subsidize farmers?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Surcharge Ban

Should the government ban surcharges tacked onto concert tickets, cable bills, banking services, hotel bookings and other purchases?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Private Equity Compensation

Should the government increase taxes on private equity executives?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Presidential influence on interest rates

Should the President have a role in determining interest rates?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Property Taxes

Would you favor an increased sales tax in order to reduce property taxes?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Tariffs

Should the government add or increase tariffs on products imported into the country?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Government Pensions

Should pension payments be increased for retired government workers?

  Party’s support baseYes

the Economy  ›  Pension Reform

Should pension plans for federal, state, and local government workers be transitioned into privately managed accounts?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Bitcoin

Should the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Online Sales Tax

Should an in-state sales tax apply to online purchases of in-state buyers from out-of-state sellers?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Gig Workers

Should gig workers such as Uber drivers be classified as employees?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Trans-Pacific Partnership

Do you support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)?

  Michael L. Fitzgerald voterbaseYes

the Economy  ›  Silicon Valley Bank Bailout

Should the government provide a bailout for Silicon Valley Bank?

  Party’s support baseNo

the Economy  ›  Cryptocurrency

Should the government classify cryptocurrencies as legal forms of payment?

  Party’s support baseNo, classify cryptocurrencies as highly regulated securities

the Economy  ›  Stock Buybacks

Should the government tax stock buybacks?

  Party’s support baseYes

Popular conversations

Join in on the post popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…11hrs11H

US Jewish Groups Oppose Resettling Gaza

JTA — A number of major centrist and liberal American Jewish groups say they oppose the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza.The statements by some of the largest Jewish organizations in the country, made in response to press inquiries, come amid accusations that Israel has cleared out portions of northern Gaza, which Jerusalem has denied, and as far-right government ministers have called for resettling the Palestinian enclave. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have also repeatedly called for Israel to encourage Palestinians to leave Gaza, drawing condemnation from the Biden administration.For several American Jewish groups — including some that have vocally defended Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza against Hamas — the idea of Israeli settlements in Gaza is a non-starter. Groups opposed to the idea include the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Also opposed are bodies representing the Reform and Conservative movements, which together can claim to represent the majority of American Jews.“The land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, indigenous to both Jews and Arabs, cannot be the exclusive domain of one people, but must be shared,” Jason Isaacson, AJC’s chief policy and political affairs officer, said. “Like the vast majority of Israelis, AJC believes that the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza, or a program of displacing Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, would be contrary to Israel’s interests.”Israel evacuated its Gaza settlements in 2005, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out the idea of re-establishing them after the war. But while most Israelis oppose the idea, more than a third — including 42% of Israeli Jews — support it, according to a recent poll by the Israel Democracy Institute. That includes nearly 60% of Israeli Jewish right-wingers, the current government’s voter base.“Ideas like settlement in Gaza are welcome, we need to remember that, in the end, that’s the biggest punishment for what they did to us on October 7,” Ben-Gvir said in an interview on Israeli radio this month, referencing the Hamas terror onslaught in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were slaughtered and 251 were seized as hostages, sparking the war in the enclave.

▲  148 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…1 day1D

Israel Sinks Syria's Navy

Israel said Tuesday that it had destroyed Syria’s navy in overnight airstrikes, as it continued to pound targets in Syria despite warnings that its operations there could ignite new conflict and jeopardize the transition of power to an interim government.Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that the Israeli military had “destroyed Syria’s navy overnight, and with great success.” His remarks appeared to confirm Israel’s responsibility for the destruction documented in the Syrian port city of Latakia, where photos showed the smoldering remains of ships sunk at their dock.Mr. Katz said that Israel’s military “has been operating in Syria in recent days to hit and destroy strategic capabilities that pose a threat to Israel,” although he did not indicate what new or immediate risk Syria’s navy presented to Israel, which has the most powerful military in the Middle East.Israeli warplanes have conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, according to war monitors. Israel has characterized its operations as defensive, saying its military was striking suspected chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling “into the hands of extremists.”“From here, I warn the rebel leaders in Syria: Those who follow Assad’s path will end like Assad,” Mr. Katz said.As the Assad government fell to the rebels over the weekend, Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border, marking their first overt entry into Syrian territory in more than 50 years. An Israeli military spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that the military was advancing on Damascus. The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said the military was inside a buffer zone between Israel and Syria and at other points “in order to protect the Israeli border.”Earlier Tuesday, Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, called on Israel to halt its “very troubling” military operations there, and said de-escalation was needed. “We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory. This needs to stop,” Mr. Pedersen told reporters in Geneva.

▲  1511 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…11hrs11H

FBI Director Chris Wray Will Resign

The F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, told bureau employees on Wednesday that he intended to resign before the Trump administration begins, bowing to the reality that President-elect Donald J. Trump had publicly declared his desire to replace him.Mr. Wray made the disclosure while addressing employees Wednesday afternoon in remarks that tacitly acknowledged the politically charged position the F.B.I. now faces with an incoming president who openly scorns the agency.“I’ve decided the right thing for the bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down,” Mr. Wray said, adding, “This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.”The director spoke wistfully about his time at the F.B.I. “This is not easy for me,” he said. “I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people.”The announcement comes after Mr. Trump said in late November that he intended to nominate Kash Patel, a longtime loyalist, to run the F.B.I., and more than two years before Mr. Wray’s 10-year term would have expired.Paul Abbate, the deputy F.B.I. director, is set to retire in April but would typically serve as acting director until Mr. Patel is confirmed. It is not clear who would replace Mr. Abbate, the most senior agent in the bureau.Over more than seven years, Mr. Wray oversaw one of the most consequential and tumultuous periods in the bureau’s history, juggling high-profile criminal investigations of political figures, heated congressional inquiries and two attempted assassinations of Mr. Trump.

▲  167 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…12hrs12H

Border Bombshell: 8 Million New Arrivals Under Biden

The immigration surge of the past few years has been the largest in U.S. history, surpassing the great immigration boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, according to a New York Times analysis of government data.Annual net migration — the number of people coming to the country minus the number leaving — averaged 2.4 million people from 2021 to 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Total net migration during the Biden administration is likely to exceed eight million people.That’s a faster pace of arrivals than during any other period on record, including the peak years of Ellis Island traffic, when millions of Europeans came to the United States. Even after taking into account today’s larger U.S. population, the recent surge is the most rapid since at least 1850.The numbers in the Times analysis include both legal and illegal immigration. About 60 percent of immigrants who have entered the country since 2021 have done so without legal authorization, according to a Goldman Sachs report based on government data.The combined increases of legal and illegal immigration have caused the share of the U.S. population born in another country to reach a new high, 15.2 percent in 2023, up from 13.6 percent in 2020. The previous high was 14.8 percent, in 1890.Several factors caused the surge, starting with President Biden’s welcoming immigration policy during his first three years in office. Offended by Donald J. Trump’s harsh policies — including the separation of families at the border — Mr. Biden and other Democrats promised a different approach. “We’re a nation that says, ‘If you want to flee, and you’re fleeing oppression, you should come,’” Mr. Biden said during his 2020 presidential campaign.After taking office, his administration loosened the rules on asylum and other immigration policies, making it easier for people to enter the United States. Some have received temporary legal status while their cases wend through backlogged immigration courts. Others have remained without legal permission.

▲  1512 replies