Open Thread Jan. 19: Dollars or Dreamers
Whatever else the government shutdown is about, it isn’t about saving money. Think tanks both liberal and conservative (well, libertarian, anyway) have run the numbers, and both found that expelling the 800,000 people who were illegally brought into the country as young children would cost at least $215 billion, according to the libertarian Cato Institute.
The libertarian Cato Institute noted that Dreamers tend to make significant contributions to the economy. Over a decade, the U.S. would lose $215 billion in economic output as well as $60 billion in tax revenue. The deportation process will cost $7.5 billion, with each removal costing the government roughly $10,000. In total, Cato estimated a $283 billion price tag on deporting the Dreamers. …The liberal Center for American Progress used a different method to calculate the financial burden of deporting the Dreamers, concluding that ending DACA would result in $460 billion in economic losses, with 685,000 workers ejected from the U.S. economy.
So, yeah, it’s the racism motivating this, and clearly Republicans are willing to spend a lot of money to cater to that racism.
Part of their strategy is to pretend that Democrats, who control nothing, are the ones who are going to shut down the government. Unfortunately, the media is playing along, despite the fact that polling shows voters understand who controls Washington.
There are some places in America where a full-scale sex scandal can still derail a political career. The electoral college and Alabama aren’t among them, but Missouri might be. Eric Greitens, the former Navy SEAL turned governor, has been accused of not just having an affair but blackmailing the woman into silence (this is where a spare $130,000 and a Delaware shell corporation come in handy). He tried to deflect the attention by releasing “the boldest state tax reform in America,” consisting of the usual Republican hash of bold rhetoric and no numbers, but people in Missouri would rather hear about how he blindfolded her, naked and duct-taped to some exercise equipment, for the photos. Gee, I wonder why. Far be if from me to cast aspersions, but when the government trains men to act in psychopathic ways “for the people” and does nothing to counter that training before loosing them on society, shouldn’t we expect more of this rather than less? Shouldn’t we maybe think about putting them in supervised custody rather than electing them to office?
The New York Times outraged its subscribers yet again yesterday, turning over its editorial page to nothing but letters from Trump supporters. Editors defended it by saying it’s important to know what these people are thinking. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out that it gives a skewed picture of Trump’s supporters, because it includes only those who know how to write.
If you missed Gov. Carney’s State of the State Address, the Delaware State News has a thorough recap.
Flowers and Markell Still Costing Delaware Taxpayers $$’s:
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2018/01/19/state-quietly-settles-case-former-treasurer-chip-flowers-gets-22-k-settlement-state-case-markell/1041660001/
And, yes, the Chipster is planning a political comeback.
The Chipster has been replaced by the kind of treasurer Delaware Democrats really wanted all along – a Republican.
Just to be clear, the money isn’t the focus of that linked article. It’s mostly about the FOIA issues Flowers raised by asking for the governor’s emails and the flimsy workaround the office is using to deny citizens transparency.
FUCK YOU New York TIMES!!
Since 2008 (when they were called The Tea Party) the NYT has loved giving Trump supporters the microphone. By now we know what these people are thinking.
Where can I get some muskrat and a glass of wine? It’s muskrat season in Delaware…. and don’t say at my mom’s house. cassandram says jason330 knows about muskrats.
The (now defunct?) Wagon Wheel in Smyrna used to serve muskrat this time of year. It was as terrible as you imagine. Also, no liquor license, so it was like eating like some savage.
When Rt. 13 was the only way to drive to Dover, muskrat was plentiful at the roadside restaurants. They don’t seem to venture up to the Rt. 1 bypass as frequently, though.
Sad. Another tradition fallen (like the muskrat) along the wayside.
http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/baileys_offers_some_muskrat_love
Thanks, I may have to just buy one at that Baileys place and cook it myself.
Pro tip: Keep the exhaust fan going. It smells almost as bad as it tastes. But at least it’s greasy.
I’ve “enjoyed” muskrat once. Honestly, it’s a thing that lives and eats in the marshy waterways of Delaware. You’re better off drinking Brandywine/Christina fork water.
For epicurean delight it ranks — and that’s the right word — somewhere between greasy, grimy gopher guts and all-purpose porpoise pus.
When there was no crawdad to be found, we ate muskrat.
“Twitter is sending emails to 677,775 people in the US — letting them know they may have retweeted, followed, or liked a propaganda account linked to the Russian government during the election.”
https://blog.twitter.com/official/en_us/topics/company/2018/2016-election-update.html
Excellent – but who is going to tell the Hillary supporters they were clutching their pearls and blaming “Bernie Bros” for the Russian agit–prop?
@puck: Why bother? They’re busy clutching their pearls over bad sex with Aziz Ansari at this point.
The polling numbers on Gillibrand identify this strain of Democrat as about 10% of the public, vs. the 30% of Republican lizard-brains who stay loyal no matter what.