We pay taxes to get services, right? We need these services to the extent that we can feel comfortable electing incumbents. My instinct is to simply not trust Republicans a whole lot. Heck, not to trust them at all, really. They will just mess things up, after which we'll assume it's up to the other party to clean things up. And Republicans never say "thank you."
The Republicans are feeling their oats mightily now. They have such strong numbers across the board.
Our district in Congress once shared my mistrust of Republicans, generally speaking. Then the winds turned in the other direction. Republicans once had issues with the "farm bill," then they got annoyed by losing so often due to this stance. So, "let's just go along with it."
They hang their hat on cultural issues a lot these days. If America is now courting disaster because of Republican policies, is it all because of "trans?" All because of a volleyball player with San Jose State? I'm as bothered by "trans" as anyone. But I've learned over my long lifespan that Republicans aren't to be trusted taking care of the common folks.
Ronald Reagan was OK. We needed him at the time. Democrats can be guilty of excesses too. Reagan was against Medicare when it was first proposed. Reagan had a genial and caring air about him. He was inspiring. Look what we have now. I hope you're satisfied with a congressperson who wouldn't criticize the president for anything.
Republicans have been encouraged by their top leaders not to do the standard "town hall" where a group of people is seated in a room with the elected person. People will vent with grievances about Republican leadership. The Speaker of the House writes this off as a case of "paid protesters." Why can't he and others just try to rebut the points being made? Calmly? I mean, they see merit in all that they're doing, don't they?
Our congressperson in her most recent email release talks about her "telephone town hall." I'm not sure how this works. "It was great to give you an update about what's going on in Congress," Michelle Fischbach writes. "And I enjoyed taking your questions!"
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| Michelle Fischbach |
We have learned about various congressional town halls across America, even in Iowa. Iowa, where the sentiment against the administration has been skeptical, vocal. Iowa even! Is Charles Grassley even up for understanding the issues being created now with DJT's actions? Is he just so eager to stay on the gravy train that he senses? He's awfully up in years.
And Republicans have gotten so excited about Biden. Biden is the most irrelevant subject I can imagine right now. I supported Kamala Harris back in 2016 when she sought the Democratic nod. Even had a small bumper sticker put on the back of my 2004 Malibu. Yes a 2004 - still works great. We were a two-car family for a long time.
Eventually I sensed such a strong antagonism against the Dems out here, I covered up the sticker with duct tape. Didn't want to risk having the car be vandalized. I had to have a wheel bearing replaced after a tumbleweed or some such thing got wedged underneath, and I had to wonder if it was deliberately placed there. I honestly think no, it wasn't. But what's telling is that the thought crossed my mind.
Fischbach mentioned the 6000-plus people she claimed joined her telephone town hall. Not sure how much meaningful interaction would happen in this situation. Were all these people falling over each other to praise Trump and Fischbach and others like them? We had a fair number of Steve Boyd supporters out here. He challenged Fischbach from the right. I remember reading about Boyd and finding that he thought the incumbent just "did what it took to keep getting reelected."
Well, getting Trump's endorsement sure didn't hurt Fischbach. The endorsement by itself puts up a red flag for me about Fischbach. Trump is a grifter. Oh, you didn't know that? We all have been discussing this for a long time. Certain things should have been self-evident all along. Why should I try to cite any of these things again?
I pray for broader enlightenment, but I fear that only a total economic collapse under the Orange Man will shake people out of their ignorant complacency. They'll stop caring so much about the San Jose State volleyball player. And BTW I personally feel that biological males should absolutely not be allowed to play in women's sports. Democrats hurting their own cause by arguing otherwise.
Women's sports has come so far. Let's keep it going. BTW the Indiana Fever lost yesterday.
Fischbach talks about law enforcement. Well we all support law enforcement, like the action taken by capitol police to protect people like Fischbach on Jan. 6. But now there's a big payout to the family of Ashli Babbitt.
And the convicted wrongdoers of Jan. 6 got pardoned. Has Fischbach made a statement on these things? I mean, she says she prioritizes law enforcement. She says "the Left" (capitalized "Left") seeks to "villainize law enforcement."
Big and beautiful?
And now we see Fischbach is quite all-in on the so-called "big beautiful bill." What a name. Might be considered cheap theatrics. Is the bill good or not? It's crafted by Trump's party so guess what? Fischbach meanwhile says the bill will "help our farmers, families and small businesses."
Oh those mean old Democrats, I mean to have any issues with such a "beautiful" thing.
"I am proud of the final product," Fischbach wrote in the email release of May 19. "We made Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent."
Well glory hallelujah.
Expansion of the Child Tax Credit is in there too. Fischbach says this will "support 74,000 families in western Minnesota." What a benevolent force those Republicans are!
But in order to afford an extension of the 2017 tax plan, the bill proposes $880 billion in Medicaid cuts. The tax plan is weighted to benefit multimillionaires and corporations. The Republican bill would kick 8.6 million Americans off of Medicaid over the next ten years. That might be a conservative estimate because Republicans advance stipulations that would limit eligibility.
They talk about "work requirements." Easier said than done for a lot of people. Obviously we're living in a time when the relentless advancement of tech is eliminating whole swaths of jobs. I remember the great libertarian John Stossel in a book of about 15 years ago - yes, that long ago - that observed how the new efficiencies were wiping out the "middleman."
I remember back when farmers really derided the "middlemen" but it was a productive occupation for many.
We fear the inroads of "AI." The ultra wealthy will likely clean up with such tech. Meanwhile a whole lot of anonymous Americans will face "work requirements." Our Keith Davison once said to me there was a time when you might find work as "laborer." But today, he added, "you have to have skills."
Don't you think a lot of people got left behind who just couldn't transition to the dramatically new ways?
What will happen now to all the Americans who will lose their health coverage? Don't wait for the Republicans to develop empathy toward those folks. Ha!
Democrats will have to surge forward and clean up the mess, because that's how it always goes.
In the meantime, make sure it's only biological women playing on girls and women's sports teams. Hey, the Minnesota Lynx are looking pretty good again! I hope we can beat the "Fever."
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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