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Biden gets bragging rights

By Staff | Jan 5, 2023

To the editor:

The Democrat-controlled House and Senate, under the leadership of President Joe Biden, have accomplished much for the average American in the past two years.

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill was passed with bipartisan support. Our electric grid has been progressively failing for many years and that will finally be addressed — which will save lives and create jobs. We will now invest in our crumbling bridges, waterways and transportation systems. There is money to clean up lead pipes and provide internet to those without access.

The $1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan to combat Covid effects on the economy and support our nation’s unravelling safety net was passed. It temporarily extended unemployment benefits, funded vaccine distribution, school re-openings and helped state and local governments weather the pandemic. It reduced child poverty by half in the form of temporarily extending the annual Child Tax credit. Unfortunately, in Florida it also funded Gov. DeSantis’ not-so-clever political stunt to trick unsuspecting immigrants to board a plane to Martha’s Vineyard to get free publicity for his not-too-distant run for the POTUS job.

Did this large infusion of cash contribute to inflation? Probably. Like saying that the patient had side effects from a drug — but it saved their life and they lived to tell about it! If the working class has no money to spend, the economy fails for all. The rich just hoard their dollars. The working class spend all their dollars to survive.

How did Florida spend the money received from Federal coffers? Check it out on the Internet. Good to learn to do your own research.

** Republicans like to brag about being the fiscally conservative party and call the Democrats “big spenders” but the facts speak for themselves and say otherwise. Under Republican control and Trump the National Budget Deficit (not Debt — but that also) rose every single year of that administration (as usual for years Republicans are in control). At the end of their second year, under the Democrats and Biden the National Budget Deficit was reduced by more than half of what it was when they took office! Under his watch the deficit was lowered by more the $1 trillion in one year. He gets bragging rights!

Juneteenth is now a Federal Holiday. Social Justice is best served by Democrats. Biden made good to appoint the first black woman to the Supreme Court, Ketanje Brown Jackson. Given that the court is already packed with pro-business, anti-women judges it remains to be seen if her appointment there makes a difference in the outcomes of decisions. Biden has also successfully secured filling a record number of judicial appointment of judges sympathetic to the working class. That should help.

The Dems created the January 6th Committee to investigate the attempted coup of our Democracy by former President Trump and his team of Republican enablers as they made a last-ditch effort to subvert the will of American voters to remain in power. The Committee was bipartisan only in the sense that the vast majority of “witnesses” were former Trump Republicans from his inner circle who, finally, came forth with the damning truth about the Insurrection attempt to subvert a free and fair election and all their roles in it. Showing that the Republican Party is more important than a Democratic America, the Trump Republican allies stonewalled the Committee’s heroic efforts. And many of the guilty were re-elected. They remain a threat to our Democracy.

Another 26 children and educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary school in 2012. Nothing was done. Nineteen students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas and shoppers at a Black grocery store in Buffalo, NY were gunned down last year and lawmakers finally came up with some gun regulation to protect the innocent. A good first step in the right direction but still fails the common-sense test and falls short of legislation supported by the vast majority of Americans to ban assault weapons. Supreme Court Justice Roberts recently said in his annual speech that the justices need to be protected from gun violence –as they protect the interests of the Russian-backed NRA. How about the rest of us getting protected from gun violence? Much remains to be done.

Science and American workers were the winners with passage of the Chips and Science Act. Greedy corporations sent work overseas to bolster their own profits at the cost of American jobs and tax revenue. Biden and the bipartisan support he mustered will bring back jobs in industry and technology at a cost to taxpayers of $280 billion. The corporations don’t even pay taxes so they can’t help but they got to reap the profits of cheap foreign labor and keep the money. Smells a lot like modern day slavery and colonialism — but I digress. And the semiconductor manufacturing is coming back home. As well as investments in artificial intelligence and all that woke science “stuff.” We are going to have to better educate our young people if they are going to be able to perform in these work areas. The Republicans seem more interested in banning books. We’ll see what they do now that they are clearly in charge in Florida.

Millions of veterans were exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service to our country and will live with their disabilities the rest of their lives. Biden was able to secure wide bipartisan support to expand their access to healthcare and disability benefits. Why did it take so long?

The Inflation Reduction Act will address climate change, environmental justice and conservation of our natural resources. It allows the government to negotiate prescription drug prices. If you are on Medicare you will now have to pay no more than $35 a month for your insulin. Send a Thank You note to Mr. Biden. Big corporations will now pay a minimum tax of 15%. The IRS was given more money to fund efforts to collect that money from corporate tax evaders like our former President.

The Respect for Marriage Act was passed so the conservative Supremes can’t mess with that aspect of our private lives like they did with reproductive rights. Another beginning, but a step in the right direction.

The U.S. government was funded at the last minute so remains open for business. The U.S. and NATO countries will continue to fight fascism and authoritarianism by our proxy war on Ukraine soil. We give money. They give their lives. Hope Democracy wins there like it did in Brazil. On American soil we are dealing with a massive influx of rubles supporting Russian-backed candidates. Think Santos — if that is his name (stay tuned). The Electoral Count Act was passed to try to prevent future coup attempts by losing Presidential candidates. $40 billion was approved to help us recover from the effects of hurricanes, wildfires and floods. Sounds like we will need every penny of that we get in Florida. A huge thanks to Biden for getting all this accomplished in just two short years.

More work needs to be done to codify Roe, ban assault weapons, fix the immigration mess, police protection and reform, assure voter rights, address child poverty and the debt ceiling. Republicans are now in control of the House. What will they accomplish for “we, the people” in the next two years? Stay tuned, stay informed and stay safe. Happy New Year! To quote Lester Holtz “Take care of yourselves and each other.”

Lynn Hagedorn

Cape Coral