Friday, February 10, 2017

Time for Congress to prioritize and get moving

Yes, I realize that slavish devotees of Squirrel-Hair - thinking particularly here of Sean Hannity  - are using their microphones to fire up the base with exhortations aimed at Capitol Hill, conjuring the image of befuddled legislators continuing to make excuses even as they hold more power than at any time since the 1920s.

There are some legitimate explanations for why we haven't seen more action yet. Some aspects of "A"CA repeal and a tax-cut package would probably require 60 votes, and that requires some deft handling in this age of hyper-polarization. There is the distraction of Team Trump shenanigans.

But we're reaching the point where the Trump-bots have something of a point.

As I've said since the November results made the lay of the land clear: Congress was going to have to be robust and proactive.

That means selecting the two or three most important policy agendas and focusing on them to the exclusion of pretty much anything else. One reason for that is that it will require ample amounts of political capital.

So the House will have to tell Squirrel-Hair that a wildly expensive infrastructure program is not going to happen any time soon, if ever. Unless the border wall can be done in a less costly manner, it will likewise have to wait. And it will also need to tell him that its committees do not care to be bogged down with hearings necessitated by the antics of his bunch at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. And the Senate needs to finish up the process of confirming the cabinet appointees.

And then everybody needs to channel all available brainpower to the tasks of repealing the still very unpopular "A"CA and lowering corporate tax rates. Those two items will require nerves of steel and preoccupation with lesser concerns cannot intrude.

Keep explanations of arcane procedural speed bumps as clear and accessible as possible.

And show the public that you believe in what you're doing.

7 comments:

  1. Good to see you place a lower priority on Trump's Great Wall which you apparently agree with. Spend our money on other crap because that wall, if built, will come down in short order to the cheers of a global crowd of freedom lovers. Just sick the cops and the interrogators on everyone in the meantime.

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  2. I am glad to see the recent uptick in ICE activity.

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  3. Beats a wall which is largely symbolic. Throw the bums out! You know what happened when they tried that in Atlanta? http://www.cbsnews.com/news/illegal-immigration-crackdown-impacts-harvests/

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  4. Don't forget to bust the payors too now. There's the rub, the considerable rub, tough guys, illegals still badly needed. Just you wait and see. Grunt work will again go lacking as has already been shown before in numerous states which have previously tried crackdowns.

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  5. http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/05/17/the-law-of-unintended-consequences-georgias-immigration-law-backfires/#2a475811404a

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  6. To forgo a repeat of last year, when labor shortages triggered an estimated $140 million in agricultural losses, as crops rotted in the fields, officials in Georgia are now dispatching prisoners to the state’s farms to help harvest fruit and vegetables.

    The labor shortages, which also have affected the hotel and restaurant industries, are a consequence of Georgia’s immigration enforcement law, HB 87, which was passed last year. As State Rep. Matt Ramsey, one of the bill’s authors, said at the time, “Our goal is … to eliminate incentives for illegal aliens to cross into our state.”

    Now he and others are learning: Be careful what you wish for, because you may get more than you bargained for.

    Georgia’s law, similar to those in Alabama, Arizona and a few other states, gives police the authority to demand immigration documentation from suspects when they detain them for other possible violations. The law also makes it more difficult for businesses to hire workers and creates harsher punishments for those who employ or harbor illegal immigrants.

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