That said, I would like to hold in mind that the goal is a functioning civil society.
Freedom to vote, freedom to read (Florida just censored In the Night Kitchen by Sendak), freedom to not fund genocide, and freedom for women and children to access full-range healthcare.
I.e., normal conversations need to get round to -- not lose track of -- our goal.
The people of NC will be much poorer for your absence from the House, Jeff. That will be balanced out by getting you into the AG's office! And thanks again for the two donation routes...there have been ZERO additional solicitations from the "non ActBlue" provider.
I wondered about this. I also preferred to avoid ActBlue and haven’t given through them in years but I’m getting inundated with solicitations and I don’t know how to make them stop.
Jeff, thanks for the explanation of the bill’s passage. Please explain to us the trade off in the bill. As Robert Reich has explained it, about a half million children will be pulled out of poverty and about 5 million children will remain in poverty but be better off, while business tax breaks are being restored that will benefit the richest 1% of Americans a lot and the richest .1% even more. About half the cost of the bill goes to helping kids and half to breaks for business. Do you agree with Reich’s analysis? If so, why does helping kids have depend on helping the richest among us too? Maybe in real life this is the best we can do, but that would be a sad commentary on our country;s morals.
I get Robert Reich’s newsletter. Wasn’t the upshot of the bill a grand total of $60.00 going to families that qualified with, of course, more money going into the 1%’s pockets?
No, Reich was saying that the average amount of benefit received by all families in the lowest income quintile is $60. Some of those families (the ones that qualify) will receive much more and many will receive zero. But averaged over the entire lowest income quintile it comes to $60 per family. In contrast, the average amount received by people in the top 1% of income will be $9500 and the average amount received by people in the top .1% will be $57,530. Once again, some people in these groups will get more and some will get less or even zero. Reich didn’t say it, but these are the sorts of analyses that the Congressional Budget Office does to explain how the benefits of bills is distributed among the people.
I have missed hearing from you during the past month. I am delighted to hear that a bill finally passed and appreciate your explanation. It amazes me that so much time is wasted while there are numerous issues that need to be addressed. I am extremely worried that a minority of representatives have so much power and am frightened that one person has the ability to control many "leaders." The bipartisan bill that has been worked on for four months and is so needed for border control (is that not what the Republicans have criticized Biden and asked for?!) and to fund Ukraine's war against Russia is the latest example. Our democracy is threatened by such behavior.
I'm wondering how many people believe that the Ukraine and Palestinian "conflicts" are the last ones we will ever see in history? And the "border wall" issue?
The American tax payers need an "out". We can not survive with taking billions of our hard earned tax dollars and sending them into an "abyss", with no hope of regaining anything from it.
A simple "fix" could be asking the new Mexico President, to take a "vote" on Mexico becoming the 51st State of the U.S. Then move the "boarder" to Panama. All of the "Mexamericans" would go home, if that is the "issue" with Texas and the rest of the Republican Party. Ask Ukraine and Palestine the same question. If they say "no thanks", then we have an "out". If they say "yes" we use our billions to put military bases in strategic locations to "prevent" those conflicts and change the way our taxes are collected, from taxing "income" to taxing "spending". Thus, everyone is paying, not just the 146,000 out of 3.5 million that will send in tax returns this year.
We should be welcoming immigrants into the U.S. and have them grow food for the world. When a country is in need, send food, not money. They will be paying the same taxes as everyone else.
Jeff, I live in another state. My first vote for POTUS was for Reagan in 1980. I worked for three separate social, fiscal, foreign policy conservative Republican Members of Congress in Washington, DC from the old school of politics. They sought out and worked directly with Democratic members/staff across the ideological continuum and Administrative staff regardless of party to compromise and produce legislative solutions to what they could agree were consensus unacceptable status quo problems. I've been a Never Trumper since 2015 and politically homeless since 2016 . I've been voting for Democratic candidates against Trump and Trumpy GOPers since 2018. Your Quick Updates have been informative and a practical breath of fresh air for your adherence to the goal of legislative governing. I'm sure that I disagree with you on many, maybe most issues. However, I admire your commitment to truth, governance and compromise. Good luck. I hope that you win your Primary and the General Election. It may well be that the GOP fades into history as the Whigs did. But first, GOP voters must recognize its leader Trump is incompetent and the party an empty shell with no morals, policy goals lacking any knowledge or adherence to our Constitution. That will only happen if GOP Trump candidates and their silent majority enablers suffer humiliating defeats by other voters in 2024. Perhaps, then the Republican party could reform or a conservative ;new party emerge from its ashes.
It is very helpful to hear of a normal conversation between a democrat and a Republican in the house.
Thanks for this view of normalized reality!
From Vermont.
That said, I would like to hold in mind that the goal is a functioning civil society.
Freedom to vote, freedom to read (Florida just censored In the Night Kitchen by Sendak), freedom to not fund genocide, and freedom for women and children to access full-range healthcare.
I.e., normal conversations need to get round to -- not lose track of -- our goal.
Thank you.
The people of NC will be much poorer for your absence from the House, Jeff. That will be balanced out by getting you into the AG's office! And thanks again for the two donation routes...there have been ZERO additional solicitations from the "non ActBlue" provider.
I wondered about this. I also preferred to avoid ActBlue and haven’t given through them in years but I’m getting inundated with solicitations and I don’t know how to make them stop.
Jeff, thanks for the explanation of the bill’s passage. Please explain to us the trade off in the bill. As Robert Reich has explained it, about a half million children will be pulled out of poverty and about 5 million children will remain in poverty but be better off, while business tax breaks are being restored that will benefit the richest 1% of Americans a lot and the richest .1% even more. About half the cost of the bill goes to helping kids and half to breaks for business. Do you agree with Reich’s analysis? If so, why does helping kids have depend on helping the richest among us too? Maybe in real life this is the best we can do, but that would be a sad commentary on our country;s morals.
I get Robert Reich’s newsletter. Wasn’t the upshot of the bill a grand total of $60.00 going to families that qualified with, of course, more money going into the 1%’s pockets?
No, Reich was saying that the average amount of benefit received by all families in the lowest income quintile is $60. Some of those families (the ones that qualify) will receive much more and many will receive zero. But averaged over the entire lowest income quintile it comes to $60 per family. In contrast, the average amount received by people in the top 1% of income will be $9500 and the average amount received by people in the top .1% will be $57,530. Once again, some people in these groups will get more and some will get less or even zero. Reich didn’t say it, but these are the sorts of analyses that the Congressional Budget Office does to explain how the benefits of bills is distributed among the people.
For those who have not seen Reich’s article on this, it is at https://robertreich.substack.com/p/quiz-do-you-favor-giving-some-help.
Thanks for your updates. Glad to have someone in Congress working for the people.
March 5. You have my vote for Attorney General. Patsy Hawkins
Thx for the update……I have been voting for almost 60 years and i have never seen our congress act like children. Ugggg
I have missed hearing from you during the past month. I am delighted to hear that a bill finally passed and appreciate your explanation. It amazes me that so much time is wasted while there are numerous issues that need to be addressed. I am extremely worried that a minority of representatives have so much power and am frightened that one person has the ability to control many "leaders." The bipartisan bill that has been worked on for four months and is so needed for border control (is that not what the Republicans have criticized Biden and asked for?!) and to fund Ukraine's war against Russia is the latest example. Our democracy is threatened by such behavior.
I'm wondering how many people believe that the Ukraine and Palestinian "conflicts" are the last ones we will ever see in history? And the "border wall" issue?
The American tax payers need an "out". We can not survive with taking billions of our hard earned tax dollars and sending them into an "abyss", with no hope of regaining anything from it.
A simple "fix" could be asking the new Mexico President, to take a "vote" on Mexico becoming the 51st State of the U.S. Then move the "boarder" to Panama. All of the "Mexamericans" would go home, if that is the "issue" with Texas and the rest of the Republican Party. Ask Ukraine and Palestine the same question. If they say "no thanks", then we have an "out". If they say "yes" we use our billions to put military bases in strategic locations to "prevent" those conflicts and change the way our taxes are collected, from taxing "income" to taxing "spending". Thus, everyone is paying, not just the 146,000 out of 3.5 million that will send in tax returns this year.
We should be welcoming immigrants into the U.S. and have them grow food for the world. When a country is in need, send food, not money. They will be paying the same taxes as everyone else.
Steven, you are a great satirist!
How the sausage is made
It is so nice to know our representatives are so childlike and deceitful. I would be ashamed to be associated with the majority of the House
Not necessarily the majority, although there are a lot of them; they just get more press because they yell louder and do stupid things in public.
March 5th, it's a date!
Jeff, I live in another state. My first vote for POTUS was for Reagan in 1980. I worked for three separate social, fiscal, foreign policy conservative Republican Members of Congress in Washington, DC from the old school of politics. They sought out and worked directly with Democratic members/staff across the ideological continuum and Administrative staff regardless of party to compromise and produce legislative solutions to what they could agree were consensus unacceptable status quo problems. I've been a Never Trumper since 2015 and politically homeless since 2016 . I've been voting for Democratic candidates against Trump and Trumpy GOPers since 2018. Your Quick Updates have been informative and a practical breath of fresh air for your adherence to the goal of legislative governing. I'm sure that I disagree with you on many, maybe most issues. However, I admire your commitment to truth, governance and compromise. Good luck. I hope that you win your Primary and the General Election. It may well be that the GOP fades into history as the Whigs did. But first, GOP voters must recognize its leader Trump is incompetent and the party an empty shell with no morals, policy goals lacking any knowledge or adherence to our Constitution. That will only happen if GOP Trump candidates and their silent majority enablers suffer humiliating defeats by other voters in 2024. Perhaps, then the Republican party could reform or a conservative ;new party emerge from its ashes.
Hey, let us know when you will be in Highlands…which I would think would be rich in simpatico donors. Keep up the good job!
Thanks for the update, Jeff.
Got my vote! And a donation!! Here's to a win in NC!
We will win. Please. Lead us. These days of insane politics is killing me. Literally, killing me.