The debt ceiling bill aka ‘The Fiscal Responsibility Act’ is making its final rounds in our nation’s capital, seeking approval from those in power. As previously mentioned, it’s a politician’s dream to see such a crucial bill that needs approval with such a tight deadline. This is a prime opportunity for DC scumbags to slide in some favorable deals or some concessions for their friends back home.
The debt agreement itself is a short-term bill that lacks any real attempt to solve this country’s long-term fiscal challenges either through necessary tax increases or changes to the social safety net. What it doesn’t lack is additional military spending. If there’s one group of people that’ll always get paid on time, it’s those pesky/murderous defense contractors. Republicans were able to use their control of the house to insist on including several policy changes, such as lower nonmilitary spending, including work requirements in anti-poverty programs, less funding for the enforcement of tax laws (interesting choice), and, last but not least, the approval of an Appalachian gas pipeline.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is the latest in a long list of environmental mistakes this country has made. The Fiscal Responsibility Act orders expedited approval of all permits needed to complete the pipeline, which has been opposed by climate and conservation groups as well as local residents along its path. Backers of the plan say it would boost US energy infrastructure and jobs in Appalachia and the Southeast.
The pipeline would stretch 303 miles, from West Virginia to North Carolina. It would cut through the Jefferson National Forest and cross hundreds of waterways and wetlands. There have been lengthy legal battles holding up crucial sections of the pipeline for years, but this new debt agreement ensures that the process is wrapped up expeditiously. A real “two birds, one stone” situation here for Biden. The crusty old fart gets to take credit for passing a debt relief bill while also ensuring the destruction of our environment.
Side Items
A Just Ending: In a story that kept me guessing until the last word, a New York fertility doctor who was accused of using his own sperm to impregnate several patients died over the weekend when the hand-built airplane he was in fell apart mid-flight and crashed. A literal cartoon villain ending for a scumbag who absolutely deserved it. Dr. Morris Wortman, 72, of Rochester, was a passenger in some experimental aircraft that went down over the weekend in a pasture in Orleans County. Wortman? More like Worstman amirite??
Speaking of Justice: Four people died after a houseboat in Italy sank during a birthday party attended by members of the intelligence community from Italy and Israel. A sudden storm on Sunday sent about two dozen guests to various hospitals including Israeli officials and guests who were flown by clandestine private jets back to Israel for treatment. Must be nice to have access to such exclusive medical care, such a shame that so many Palestinians can’t hop on secret private jets of their own
Through the Danger Zone: According to a new study, Earth has already pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into “the danger zone,” not just for an overheating planet, but for the well-being of all the people living on it. Apparently, burning, polluting and destroying our natural surroundings hasn’t been good for the planet. Imagine that