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Who is McConell sticking it to — Democrats or America?

Sen. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans are continuing to be the monkey wrench in the gears of government when it comes to raising the federal debt limit. Republicans are planning to filibuster on raising or suspending the debt limit, forcing Democrats to come up with 60 votes they don’t have to end the filibuster. Republicans want Democrats to use the process known as budget reconciliation, a more complex process that would require Democrats to legislate specified changes in spending, revenue, deficits or the debt limit. Democrats would not need any Republican votes, and ...

Pandora Papers document what was always suspected

To borrow a phrase from the movie “Casablanca,” we are shocked — SHOCKED! — to learn that rich, powerful and corrupt people hide trillions of dollars in secret bank accounts and holdings throughout the world. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released its Pandora Papers report over the weekend. It is a detailed analysis of documents leaked by companies showing how hundreds of world leaders, billionaires, celebrities and drug dealers — and even some religious leaders — hide their mountains of cash to avoid taxes and conceal their illegal activities. ...

Being in majority doesn’t mean being in control

The current impasse in the Democratic Congressional caucus is a prime example that the party that holds the majority in Congress does not necessarily have the power to do whatever it wants. The Democrats in Congress are wrangling over the high-priced transportation and social spending bills that make up President Joe Biden’s signature legislative agenda. The transportation and infrastructure bill, totaling $1 trillion, has passed the Senate but is still awaiting passage in the House, caught up in the argument over the $3.5 trillion social spending bill that the progressives in ...

Vaccinations for kids

Pfizer, the company that produces one of the major COVID-19 vaccines, announced this week that its vaccine will work on children aged 5 to 12, and that it will seek approval from the government to begin offering vaccinations to children. The Pfizer vaccine is administered at smaller doses for children, but its immunization is as strong as those received by older children receiving full doses. If this Pfizer vaccine is approved, it will be good news for parents who worry about sending their children to school, where they may come into contact with the virus. That is a risk that is ...

Extinction declaration comes as no surprise

The federal government on Wednesday declared 23 species of birds, fish and other species to be extinct. It is a somber kind of declaration, to acknowledge that species that used to live on earth are no longer here. It may be somber, but it’s not exactly a surprise. These species have not been seen for years. The ivory-billed woodpecker, one of the more spectacular of the species, hasn’t been seen since 1944. The federal Endangered Species act was passed to identify species that were in trouble and help fund plans to bring them back. The act has been successful in bringing back ...

Debt limit chicken

Republicans in the Senate are playing a game of debt limit chicken, and the edge of the cliff is getting dangerously close. The federal government’s fiscal year ends today, and without a continuing resolution to allow spending for government operations, and an increase in the national debt limit, we could see a government shutdown and a disastrous default on the national debt. Republicans voted Monday night against a bill that would have funded government operations temporarily, to early December, while providing emergency funds for Hurricane Ida and other disaster relief and for ...