Government Of, By, And For The People … Going Once, Going Twice …

Posted on by under Election 2022, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, voting rights

I have always believed that in order for democratic processes to work properly, we need two viable political parties.  It just makes sense … in theory, it leads to a meshing of ideas and results in compromise that is good for the nation, good for the people.  It also ensures that no one person or party will hijack the power of the federal government, turning it into an autocracy.  Today, those two parties are so polarized that they are destroying the nation and the people are paying the price.  I guess the keyword in my first sentence is ‘viable’.  I don’t believe the Republican Party of today is a viable party, certainly they are not representative of the people of the United States, nor do they any longer even pretend to represent us.  One case in point …

Just over a week ago, on March 11th, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus stimulus bill, but also much more to help people, small businesses, and cities recover from the pandemic that has thrown a wrench into our lives and prosperity for over a year now.  Not one single Republican in Congress voted for the bill, though a few are not above taking credit for it.  But now … Attorneys General around the nation are actually suing President Biden over the bill!  Thus far, 22 states’ Attorneys General have filed lawsuits, the latest being Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

According to The Washington Post …

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost sued the Biden administration Wednesday over its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, alleging the federal government sought to impose “unconstitutional” limits on states’ ability to access some of the aid.

The lawsuit from Yost, a Republican, follows a day after 21 other GOP attorneys general issued their own veiled legal threat in a move that ratcheted up tensions between states and Democratic policymakers in Washington over one of the largest rescue measures in U.S. history.

Republican attorneys general threaten key element of the $1.9 trillion stimulus

The Ohio lawsuit centers on a $350 billion fund meant to help cities, counties and states cover the costs of responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The stimulus law opened the door for cash-strapped local governments to tap federal aid to pay for expenses, including for first responders, although it prohibited states from using the money to directly or indirectly offset new tax cuts.

This is akin to a child suing their own parents for trying to take care of them!  In essence, the argument is that in order to qualify for the federal funding, states cannot pass new tax cuts.  Well, folks, every tax cut that has passed anywhere in the last four years has benefited only the wealthy in our nation, the big corporations and their stockholders.  The tax cuts of 2017 did not benefit the average working class one damn bit, and they did absolutely nothing to help the poor.  As a result, this nation is now in debt to the tune of $28 trillion, which comes to about $223,893 per taxpayer!  Why? Because many corporations and most wealthy people pay relatively no taxes and others pay a lower percentage of their income than you or I do!

It seems unconscionable to me that when we finally, after 4 long, dry years under the former guy, have a president who cares about the people as well as the true economy, not just the damn stock market, the Republican Party is showing its true colours, fighting him at every single turn.  Another case in point …

Mitch McConnell has made threats to “blow up” the Senate if the Democrats attempt to alter the filibuster rule.  McConnell, in a floor speech, called out Senate Democrats who believe eliminating the rule would be a “tidy tradeoff” that would allow them to pass major legislative priorities free of the need for 10 Republican votes.

Nobody in the Senate, McConnell warned, can “imagine what a completely scorched-earth Senate would look like,” asserting that it would make the partisan gridlock that defined the last three presidencies look like “child’s play.” McConnell warned he could gum up the works in the minority by requiring at least 51 senators be physically present in order to proceed, which would grind the chamber to a halt given that Democrats have 50 seats and Vice President Kamala Harris wouldn’t count.

The minority leader also laid out a laundry list of policies his party would try to ram through if they retook the majority, including “sweeping” abortion restrictions, a “hardening” of the U.S.-Mexico border, nation-wide right to work, defunding Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities and passing concealed carry reciprocity in all 50 states.

In other words, Mr. McConnell would, without so much as a pang of conscience, ensure that not a single piece of meaningful legislation would pass in the Senate for at least the next 21 months, and that if his party wins a majority in the Senate as a result of the 2022 elections, he will pass legislation that would harm every person in this country.  Because to him and his cronies, it’s all a big game … see who can wield the most power.  The 330 million people in this country?  Oh, they’re fine … just as long as they keep paying their taxes, it’s all good.

So, we have the Republican Party suing the president and his administration and making threats against We the People.  If you ever had any doubts before, let me clarify that this is no longer Abraham Lincoln’s government “… of the people, by the people, and for the people.”  That concept has been dead for a while now, largely since we elected a Black man to lead the nation, not once but twice.  If you have any doubt that most of what the Republican’s are attempting has its basis in racism, put those doubts to bed.  Almost everything they support would take this nation back into the Jim Crow era.

I end where I began … this nation, in order to survive as a democratic republic, must have two viable parties, an exchange of ideas, and compromise.  Today, the Republican Party is not working for the people, and therefore is not a viable party.  If they do not clean up their house, come up with a platform that supports the people of this nation, then they must be replaced.  There is entirely too much at stake — voting rights, minimum wage, gun regulation, women’s rights, police reform, civil rights, climate change, immigration and more — to let Mitch and his band of not-so-merry men bring our government to a crashing halt.

Check out what Late Night Comedian Stephen Colbert has to say about McConnell’s threats and other newsworthy events

16 thoughts on “Government Of, By, And For The People … Going Once, Going Twice …”

  1. Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
    I truly don’t know how this is going to end well … I’m quite concerned!! .Sad to say I wasn’t aware of any of this in detail during the Obama administration.Guess I wasn’t paying attention! – ” If you ever had any doubts before, let me clarify that this is no longer Abraham Lincoln’s government “… of the people, by the people, and for the people.” That concept has been dead for a while now, largely since we elected a Black man to lead the nation, not once but twice. If you have any doubt that most of what the Republican’s are attempting has its basis in racism, put those doubts to bed. Almost everything they support would take this nation back into the Jim Crow era.”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sigh. It is everywhere, Michael … here, the EU, the UK, Brazil … people seem to have forgotten what is important, and our governments have their own agenda that has little or nothing to do with us. Try to have a good weekend, my friend.

      Like

  3. Jill, whether one likes what Biden and the Democrats are doing, they are doing things they believe will help people. My quibbles are no one, including Republicans care about debt and the deficit. Only now, after letting the debt go up even more, has the GOP started raising this issue again.

    Right now, I see what the now trump party is talking about and I see a party that is broken beyond repair. As a former Republican who left about 13 years ago, I see a party that is babbling about conspiracy theories, lies and fear. No issues, just parrot total BS. If they want to be taken seriously, they need to start acting like it. If they are going to let the Screaming Memies be the voice of the party, then they deserve their fate.

    Keith

    PS – as an example, Rep Greene is now saying she did not mean to disparage Jews when she talked about space lasers. This is akin to that candidate in New Jersey a few years back who went on the air and said she is not a witch. If Greene has to say those things, she has already lost.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I agree … that is the basic difference between the two parties … one cares more for capitalism, the other for humanitarianism. And to your point, where was the indignation and outrage when with his tax cuts alone, Trump managed to increase the debt and deficit significantly during his tenure and yet … not a peep out of any republican. Now, Biden is trying to help people help themselves, and yes, $1.9 trillion is a LOT of money, but it is exactly equal to the amount of revenue that was lost by Trump’s tax cuts, and the GOP members of Congress said not a word.

      I agree that the Republican Party is broken beyond repair, but where do we go from here? Can they be convinced to dump their ‘icon’ and formulate a viable platform, or must they crash and burn, and out of the ashes rises … another party?

      As far as I’m concerned, Marjorie Taylor Green has obstructed enough, has done enough, that she could be impeached tomorrow and the people of her district would likely sigh a breath of relief. She doesn’t even pretend to know what her role in Congress is, doesn’t even pretend to care about the people of this nation … she is a sensationalist, out to draw attention to herself, nothing more.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Mitch has retained all his malice from being Senate Majority Leader, he still wants to make sure no Democratic bills designed to serve the people will be passed. Since the Republicans don’t have any bills that serve the people he’s probably hoping for a lot of time off this year. The filibuster has to be sorted soon and if it can’t be banned, at least limit the bills it can be used on and get to work.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mitch seems to think himself some sort of supreme being, all-powerful. He has a hold on the Republicans in the Senate that I simply cannot understand. They could collectively stand up to him, but he has some hold … has them right where he wants them. If he says, vote ‘Nay’, to a man they vote against. The Republicans, as far as I know, haven’t done a bit of lawmaking, of drafting legislation … they’re too damn busy obstructing what the Democrats are trying to do. Too busy ensuring that nothing will pass that might actually … GASP … help the people of this nation. No no no … we can’t have that now, can we? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Is McConnell for real? Threatening to cancel the work of the Senate? That has to be an indictable offence, somewhere. I just talked about power corrupting in a comment on your post about the media. It should have gone here too, but I already said it. Once was enough. (Maybe not!)
    The guy from Wisconsin? Is this the man the people elected? I think he must be some kind of changeling! He certainly is not human, nor humane! Get a grip, Wisconsonians!

    Liked by 2 people

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