Hmmm, just might make this my daily Open Thread musical grace note until/unless the Kowardly Kop at least komments about Kathy. Already got a great one picked out for tomorrow. Gary Trudeau might well have been writing about Speaker Pete when he alluded to a certain President as having ‘placed his manhood in a blind trust.’ Pete knows where to find it. Apparently, though, he can’t have it back. Or, he’s too a’scared.
Dog Bites Man: Manchin Deep-Sixes Climate/Tax Progress. Anybody surprised, except for Biden staffers?:
Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, pulled the plug on Thursday on negotiations to salvage key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, informing his party’s leaders that he would not support funding for climate or energy programs or raising taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations.
The decision by Mr. Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat whose opposition has effectively stalled Mr. Biden’s economic package in the evenly divided Senate, dealt a devastating blow to his party’s efforts to enact a broad social safety net, climate and tax package.
In recent months, Democrats had slashed their ambitions for such a plan to win over Mr. Manchin, hoping that he would agree to support even a fraction of the sweeping initiative they once envisioned. His abrupt shift appeared to dash those aspirations.
Manchin is Phil Gramm Part Deux. Only question is: When does he pull the switcheroo?
Secret Service Broke The Law, Erased Tapes. From, um, January 5 and 6, 2021. I forget–anything happen on those dates?:
Can you say ‘rogue agency’? Oh, well, they’ll be part of the coup, and will enjoy acclamation from our new totalitarian leaders.
Psst–Don’t Tell Anybody–We May Be On The Verge Of A Nationwide Rail Strike:
“Today [July 12], the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen tallied the ballots cast in its first nationwide strike vote over national contract negotiations since 2011. In a showing of solidarity and unity, 99.5% of the participating members voted to authorize a strike should such action become legal in the coming days, and become necessary to secure a contract worthy of their consideration. Contrary to the self-serving propaganda being spread by the rail carriers, the BLET membership owes no one an apology for voting as they did. I too voted with the majority and I applaud them for doing it. But there is more to this story than just casting a vote in favor of striking.
“In the years preceding the pandemic, the majority of the nation’s Class I rail carriers adopted slash and burn operating plans with only one goal in mind; profits without regard to the health, safety, satisfaction or well-being of their employees, their customers or our Nation at large. To accomplish their goals, they furloughed or fired a third of their nationwide workforce, forcing the remaining employees to work more. They began running longer and longer trains, without regard for safety concerns, that continue to all but shut down the rail networks due to an infrastructure never designed to run these longer and heavier trains. As the post pandemic economy started to ramp up, they refused to adequately staff their operations, continually blaming their remaining employees for rail carrier actions that negatively impacted their shippers. Draconian attendance policies were implemented, forcing engineers and conductors to work day in and day out with no scheduled time off or be fired. These ridiculous policies forced thousands of employees out of the industry, either by resignation or termination, further compounding an already understaffed operation. And if anyone is close to being abused as much as the employees by this business model, it’s the shippers, or as they should be called, the rail industries’ customers.
“Most of this information has been in the news, but there is a reason that nothing is changing. This “employee and shipper be damned” business model accomplished the goal it set out to; it continues to make record profits even as the rest of the Nation’s economy struggles due to a supply chain crisis created in large part by the carriers’ business model. In short, the railroads used and continue to use their economic strength to steam roll their employees, their customers and the Nation, all for the sake of their bottom line, and it is clear that they have no intentions of changing.
AMTRAK Joe to the rescue?
Indiana AG To Go After Doctor Who Assisted 10-Year-Old Rape Victim. I mean, even in Indiana, this won’t be considered acceptable. Will it?
More Abortion Shit The Supreme Court Didn’t Care About:
Nearly four years after a woman ended an unwanted pregnancy with abortion pills obtained at a Phoenix clinic, she finds herself mired in an ongoing lawsuit over that decision.
A judge allowed the woman’s ex-husband to establish an estate for the embryo, which had been aborted in its seventh week of development. The ex-husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the clinic and its doctors in 2020, alleging that physicians failed to obtain proper informed consent from the woman as required by Arizona law.
The experts said this rare tactic could become more common, as anti-abortion groups have signaled their desire to further limit reproductive rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. The Arizona lawsuit and others that may follow could also be an attempt to discourage and intimidate providers and harass plaintiffs’ former romantic partners, experts said.
Stoopid Kop Trix–Delaware Edition. Hey, man, we’ve got to protect the rights of cops to do shit like this–it teaches undesirables to stay in line.
“We Need New Reps Down Here–It’s Brutal.” Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton calling out an SOS. There are times when this article verges on ‘brutal’. Like here:
“When governors send signals that they’re going to veto things, the legislators rethink their position. The bills never get there,” said Bob Byrd, former lawmaker and longtime lobbyist, who among many in Dover is considered to be an expert on the inner workings of Legislative Hall.
“If your governor is of the same party, you’re reluctant to override a veto,” he said. “That’s just the way things are.”
Hello-o-o-o? Bobby Byrd and the governor conspired to bury a shitload (I’m sure saying ‘shit’ a lot today) of great environmental bills. This year. He’s not an expert. He’s a malevolent force.
In general, though, this is a great piece on the Delaware Way. However, as Madinah Wilson-Anton pointed out, things are changing. With new leadership in the House, legislators will no longer pay fealty to a Governor who spends more time polishing up his Participation Trophy from the Chamber of Commerce than he does, you know, governing. Betcha Al’s Sporting Goods got a nice tax break on that thing.
What do you want to talk about?