Last Wednesday Chye-Ching Huang at the New York Times illuminated urgent problems and needed reforms at the Internal Revenue Service, followed up Thursday by Greg Sargent at the Washington Post.
Job one in the United States is to successfully emerge from the covid-19 pandemic from a public health perspective, then launch the Biden relief legislation. The Republicans have gone Adolf, berserk in their misbegotten attack on voting rights and access. Screaming urgency is called for in implementing inequality and climate change policy.
There’s an almost equally urgent and expensive infrastructure bill out there to be worked up this year that historically would be enough accomplishment for one presidential term, but this one has to integrated with climate change elements too.
Federal judiciary needs re-work and expansion, while a massive project awaits in completely re-organizing, funding, judicially staffing and expanding Customs & Immigration. Transportation, Education, Interior, all have their urgent list of issues that must be taken on that will require our best and brightest.
In theory there’s a slam-dunk obstruction of justice case for Merrick Garland to put Donald Trump in handcuffs, it’s sitting right there in the Mueller Report. Black Lives Matter, a massive undertaking is called for in police reform, while sexism rages on in restricted abortion rights. The capitalist joke of American healthcare cackles on, the Postal Service so very messed up.
There is an ever-growing chorus of calls for junking the filibuster to accomplish any progress on this, yet I’ve noticed all attention is so far on Manchin and Sinema, our dear friend Feinstein has not been converted yet.
There is so very much to do, I know, while the Americans who should be helping us have gone Mr. Potatohead, mentally masturbating that furious gesticulations to Dr. Seuss and military pregnancy are somehow real politics, it’s a sorry sight.
Still, when have liberals ever given up on themselves or America? Never. Has this country ever buckled under fierce evil forces, be it the Civil War, Germany and Japan, or unregulated capitalism? Never. We just passed a $1.9 trillion relief act, we still can make a real start this presidential term on so much.
Get in shape, read those wellness things Markos writes on Saturdays, revel in miracles of minutiae, do small kind things, connect to the Earth and seasons in gardens, whatever it takes not to get long-term discouraged or give up. Realize these are crazy times, indulge yourself and forgive yourself for mistakes.
[polishes fingernails] By the way, I noticed the Biden Administration followed my idea of making July 4th a celebration to end the pandemic, but for Independence Day only, not the July 1-5 party I wanted. Pencilneck American puritanism work ethic, sheesh, what could possibly be wrong with a national five day righteous party? So much good to come from it, such a supreme opportunity for improved mental health wasted, bummer.
Excuse me. But in the same vein as the pandemic holiday I respectfully request of the Biden Administration to prioritize a legislative fight to reform the IRS this year, Huang and Sargent are absolutely right, the health of the republic and good liberal Democratic Party politics absolutely demands it.
Our Mr. Potatohead cousins--F-35 all the way--completely oblivious in their screaming hypocrisy over spending and deficits, are naturally currently demanding fiscal restraint, the United States never has any money when it comes to the little people.
Now that the Dr. Seuss political chumps have so blithely walked into a political trap, spring it on them. Since revenue is apparently everything, reform and re-fund the IRS so the tax cheaters can stop hurting America.
IRS reform will also have in instant benefit of making the agency work again, everyone who encounters it notes how slow it’s become. Many get frantic about it, they’re owed refunds as the bills pile up and kids go hungry but oh well, little guy, in America you just wear it and try to move on.
IRS reform will smash back the sick Republican tactic of ruining government and then gleefully stating it doesn’t work. Government does work, we need the money, why won’t Republicans back the rule of law, good fiscal policy and the well-being of America? Well, why not?
Many, many tens of millions of Americans are good honest people who wouldn’t cheat at parcheesi, let alone America and the IRS. This is our country too, it’s good politics to legislate punishment for the crooks who think the place is Cuba for all they care. Reform the IRS, such a political winner everywhere.