On March 26th, eleven days ago, a container ship lost power and rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge immediately collapsed, people who were working to repair pavement on the bridge were plunged into the water where they died. The Port of Baltimore, a major shipping hub, is closed. Much work needs to be done as quickly as possible to reopen both the port and the highway. But once again, the Republicans in Congress, or rather the ignoble and misnamed “House Freedom Caucus” intends to throw obstacles up at every turn. I’ll let Heather Cox Richardson explain further …
The collapse of the bridge not only affected traffic around Baltimore, but also shut the Port of Baltimore. For 13 years, that port has led the nation in carrying cars and light trucks, as well as tractors and cranes, handling more than 847,000 vehicles in 2023. In that same year, the port handled more than 444,000 passengers and $80 billion worth of foreign cargo. The damage to the port is of national significance. [Emphasis added]
Less than four hours after it received an official request for funding for repairs on March 29, the Department of Transportation authorized funds to begin to address immediate needs, which officials say is a record. The Army Corps of Engineers says it expects to restore a narrow navigation channel for use by the end of April and to have the port reopened fully by the end of May. Until then, the federal government is improving the infrastructure at nearby Sparrows Point to enable it to handle more ships.
But the Republican Party remains committed to the idea that the government must be kept small and that private enterprise must be privileged over public investments. Today, the far-right House Freedom Caucus announced that it would not consider funding the bridge repairs until foreign shipping companies had paid in all they owe (Biden has called for funding the bridge immediately rather than waiting for insurance funds, which will come much later).
They also say that they want the repairs to come out of money Congress has appropriated for other initiatives they dislike, that any new funds must be fully offset by other cuts, and that “burdensome regulations” such as labor agreements must be waived [Emphasis added] “to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.”
They are also demanding that Biden reverse the administration’s “pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals” before Congress will consider any funding for the bridge reconstruction. In January, under pressure from climate activists, Biden paused the construction of such terminals. Liquid natural gas is a valuable export, but it is also made up primarily of methane, a greenhouse gas significantly worse for the planet than carbon dioxide. Oil and gas interests are strongly in favor of developing the liquid natural gas industry while ignoring its effects on climate change.
So, if the good-for-nothing House Freedom Caucus, comprised of the likes of Jim (Gym) Jordan, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Paul Gosar, Warren Davidson, Matt Gaetz and others, has its way, replacing that bridge will go the way of the border security the Republican Party claims is so important … a quick death in a deep hole. And they call this ‘governance’? Bah HUMBUG!!! They don’t care one whit about the people of this country, only their wealthy friends who siphon as much money as possible to them in order to buy their votes on key issues such as environmental and safety regulations. They show their true colours, but do We the People do anything about it? NO, we just keep sending them back to Congress to f**k up more!
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hi I’m Gary Wilburn,
you had a very true story about me.
comments were a little crazy, can you contact me ?
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Be more specific, please? I reviewed the ‘good people’ post in which I mentioned you, but found nothing ‘crazy’ in the comments. Please specify?
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Never trust a party or group in the UK or the USA that put ‘Freedom’ or ‘Liberty’ in its title (never mind which side of the divide). It simply translates into ‘What we and our followers want to do. Screw the rest’
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You are SO RIGHT about that, Roger! Every single one of them turn out to be the exact opposite of what their name would imply! There is a group called “Moms for Liberty” and they are all about stifling education. How is that ‘liberty’?
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In each case replace the word ‘Liberty’ or ‘Freedom’ with ‘Hypocrisy’
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Precisely.
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It’s not “we the people” who voted for the jerkoffs in the so-called Freedom Caucus. It’s their constituents in their respective states. The rest of us had nothing to do with it, we’re just suffering for it.
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Might I suggest you start calling the GOP the Government of Parasites. They are feeding off the public teat while biting the nipple as hard as they can. Not a pleasant vision, but a very accutate one!
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Good one!
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🧶🧶🧶
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They don’t care! Maryland is probably a Blue State. But the democrats need to get this withholding out there for the public to see how outrageous it is. Otherwise it will be the old “It’s Biden”s fault”.
Look at their refusal for aid to Ukraine unless they get border concessions and then Trump says no, so they drop the whole thing. They don’t care about the Ukrainians. They are the most despicable people, yet so many don’t see it.
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You are so right, Mary … I have no doubt that they will heap every last tidbit of blame on President Biden. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they blamed Biden for the container ship losing power and hitting the bridge to start with!
No, they don’t care about Ukraine … they don’t even care about the people of this country who elected them and work hard every day to pay their salaries. They care only about their own wealth and power. You’re right … many, not all, but many of the Republicans in government at all levels today are among the most despicable people in the nation.
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Did my first reply come through or did I just hit something that sent it into outer space????
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Yes, it posted just fine!
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Too bad one of them didn’t have a friend or relative involved in the collapse. Or that they don’t seem to have any money of their own invested in one of the affected businesses. It wouldn’t take any time at all if their pocketbooks were taking a hit.
Today has been about logic for me, and this stupidity on the part of the Republicans is logical, but makes no logic sense to me. If they get away with this it will take years for the insurance companies to pay up. OH, maybe some of them have invested in insurance companies. Then it would make perfect logicall sense!
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Yeah, it’s funny how having a personal investment can change one’s tune, isn’t it? But, what they don’t realize, is that we will ALL pay a price when the cost to the consumer of goods that now have to be circumvented will rise, for you know the manufacturers aren’t going to eat the extra shipping costs!
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There’s so much that’s horrendous about the opposition to funding this necessary transportation fix. It’s kinda a nexus of all the things the far-right is fighting: government’s ability to work effectively for the greater good; Biden’s continuing strong economy; recognition of the fact that elected Black leaders can be capable (Baltimore Mayor Scott was immediately labeled a DEI failure—-DEI is the new racist term); acknowledgment of the value and necessity for the migrant workers who lost their lives working there; etc.
It’s disgusting and shameful—and more evidence how badly we need to wrest control of the House from these stupid, hate-filled people who voted against improving infrastructure but want credit for funds coming to their districts.
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Well said, Annie! And I agree 100%. Those hate-filled and stupid people don’t even belong in Congress, let alone as the majority in one chamber. They seem to want to turn this nation into a third-world country and to receive accolades for doing so! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr …
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Jill, we should not forget this party held up funding for hurricane relief for the state of New York after Hurricane Sandy, yet easily passed funding earlier for states impacted by Katrina and other hurricanes. This red state/ blue state tribalism needs to stop. Keith
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You are absolutely right! And truth is that there is no such thing … just because more people voted for one party or the other doesn’t mean it’s a “Republican state” or a “Democratic state” for there are people who vote both ways in every state of the union. It’s not like the pre-Civil-War days! We are all taxpayers, voters, and HUMANS who deserve the best they can give us, since we elected them and work hard to pay their salaries. I’m with you … the partisan divide has gotten far too wide and needs to be mended.
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Well said, Jill.
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As I was reading this earlier, my thought was — don’t these idiots recognize the importance of this bridge? People use it daily to commute to work, businesses use it to transports goods, etc. But oh no! We must blackmail foreign companies into paying what they owe because that’s so much more important.
What am I missing?
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It’s not what you’re missing, Nan, it’s what you HAVE that they don’t have: a conscience, intelligence, compassion, etc. They can think no further than their own profit & power … and to hell with the people who vote for them and work hard to pay their salaries.
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