Monthly Archives: November 2024

A Fantasy Governmental To-Do List for the Next Two Months

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(Updated November 14)

This is a list of things I want the current government to do in the period before January 20. Some of the list items have specific action items we can take to push for change. I’m updating the list as I hear or think of more ideas. See below for resources, more such lists, and updates about what is already being done.

General Action Item: There’s a broad MoveOn petition urging President Biden to do everything he can to protect our rights and democracy. Consider joining the 46,000+ people who’ve signed it.

My List

– Nominate and confirm more judges everywhere.
Action Item! The Federal Court currently has 47 judicial vacancies, with 17 nominees pending, and there are also 20 future vacancies, with 11 nominees currently pending. If you have a Democratic senator (or two), please call them and urge them to fast-track hearings and confirmations for these nominees, and to work on filling the other vacancies.*

– Protect all wildlife areas at the southern border. In fact, negotiate international agreements with Mexico to do it.

– On every sign saying “Project funded by Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” include the names of local representatives who voted against it (which would have been better done before the election, but alas I didn’t think of it).

– Endure all DT appointments go through the proper Senate confirmation process.
Action Item! Contact your senators, regardless of party, and demand that they not allow recess appointments at this critical time, so that nominees can get a fair hearing. If you like, you can join the Democratic Coalition’s letter-writing campaign for this. (11/14/24)

– Protect our personal data from seizure without a warrant (source: ACLU)
Action Item! The ACLU is organizing public comments before December 16 on proposed legislation known as the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act. (Note: Because I was curious about whether we could make our own comments, I went to the public register website and was unable to find anything relevant. If you find out, let me know!)

– Dissociate the government/NASA/communications from Starlink and muskrats (nothing against actual muskrats).

– Halt arms to Netanyahu to motivate a ceasefire and an agreement with Hamas. (Not sure how to motivate Hamas, who, just like Netanyahu, clearly value the war above their own people’s safety.)

– Make it very, very clear, in all the press, that once again, Trump is inheriting an amazing economy from Biden, just as he did from Obama. (Not stock market but wages, jobs, employment, manufacturing, supply chains.)
Action Item! The to-do item is for the White House but also for the press, so the action item is for contacting your news sources — letter to the editor, emailing journalists you read, comments to people you follow on Twitter or Bluesky, etc. — asking them to do not just an article but a series, before January, on the Biden/Harris economy, including their work on supply chains, the manufacturing jobs from their wide-ranging legislation, higher wages, union support, the soft landing, etc., and to include projections of the ongoing effects this work will have over the next few years. Explain, if you want to, that you want this to be out there to counter the push of the next administration to claim credit.

– Save all White House web pages.

– Protect our right to dissent and organize.

Action Item Successful: H.R.9495! See description
Tell your representatives in the House to vote against H.R.9495.
From the ACLU: “This broad, vague bill is an open invitation for abuse…a bill that would give the incoming Trump administration a new tool they could use to stifle free speech, target political opponents, and punish groups that disagree with them.”
While one section gives tax relief to Americans held hostage, another section gives the Secretary of the Treasury the discretion to declare tax-exempt organizations to be terrorist organizations. (So when I called, I said I was urging my rep to vote no based on that part in particular).

– Raise the cap on the House of Representatives to restore some balance to the electoral college, if we must have it … and if we still have it.

– Expand the Supreme Court and nominate people to serve. Rush the hearings. (Tricky part: Manage this without leaving seats open.)

Well, and if we’re doing fantasy:
– Declare that every law that is passed henceforward must have a clear training portion and no vagueness. If doctors are to make decisions between healthcare and 99 years in jail, they must be told exactly what circumstances are legal or illegal and when they can use their own judgement, none of that “oh, of course we didn’t mean that” afterward. If books are to be banned, they must have transparent, exact standards so that everyone knows and there is no guessing. If families are to be separated, then the roles of everyone involved must be clear and trackable. If people are arriving in the US by airplane and are suddenly banned from arrival while they’re in the air, don’t leave it up to random TSA or airport personnel how to manage them.

Further Resources:

– Elizabeth Warren has a plan. Most of it is broad and procedural, but I’m pleased to see one of her two specific directives is already on my list.
– Here is a cautionary tale, with one takeaway: everyone in government who can push back on or question a policy idea as soon as it comes up must commit to doing so. PBS transcript, How a Trump-era policy that separated thousands of migrant families came to pass.

Updates of work in place:

– I’ve read that Biden is locking in the distribution of funds for the Inflation Reduction Act!
The main source I’ve found is not from this week but from Politico in September.
– Success! H.R.9495, the “Terror Financing” bill, failed to reach 60% in the House.

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* Thanks to Karen Escovitz and Kate Hellenga for bringing this action to my attention.

Enthusiasm for Kamala Harris: more lists

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I said the following the other day, in response to a query from a friend asking for people to say why they’re enthusiastic for Harris, and not just voting against Trump:

I’m excited to vote for Kamala Harris, and I’m happy to say why.

First, I should say that I didn’t know who she was before 2020, and I didn’t pay detailed attention during the primaries (I was all for Elizabeth Warren). So I’ve only gotten to know her during her time as vice president. Here are some things I admire about her:

– Her decades of support for civil rights and for the lgbtq+ community.
– Her plan to continue the administration’s work on the small costs that add up, such as eliminating extra fees and negotiating price caps on insulin and other medicines.
– Her own policy plans for supporting family caregivers with measures like the expanded child tax credit and having Medicare cover the costs of home health aides.
– Her plans to combat price gouging.
– Her commitment to voting rights.
– Her commitment to reproductive rights.
– Her explicit commitment to listen to people who disagree with her.
– The way she talks to people who are excited to meet her.
– Her own humor and enthusiasm.
– Her ability to respond to lies and senseless attacks with integrity and clarity.
– Her choice of Tim Walz (whom I also didn’t know at all until I saw him respond to Vance’s cat lady comments) as VP, with all the wonderful evidence of his causes and efforts in MN.

As Vice President:
– Her work spearheading initiatives to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality.
– Her work with young people, including work on gun safety and reproductive rights.
– Her work with Biden to pass the many amazing programs of their administration: American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (of which I’ve seen various projects in action), CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act (historical investment in clean energy and climate initiatives)!
– The Biden administration’s return to demand-side/consumer opportunity (as 1933-1980) rather than “supply side” or “trickle down” economics (1981-2021), which mostly trickled up.
– Her work with Biden on fixing the terrible supply chain problems and negotiating international agreements to prevent future issues.
– Her diplomacy with Central American leaders, working on solutions to reduce people’s need to flee to the US.
– Her other international diplomacy work, particularly in the IndoPacific, Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. (Apparently she’s become really popular in many of the countries she’s visited.)
– Her work with Biden on diplomacy with Tribal Nations, and making sure they’re included in measures like the Infrastructure Act.
– Her work on establishing new voting rights legislation, even though Republicans killed it.
– Her work on establishing a bipartisan immigration bill that the border patrol approved of, even though Republicans killed it.
– Her work with Biden on student loan forgiveness, and helping all the people they still could after the Republicans killed it.

Which is why we also need the down-ballot races to go blue, in order to elect a Congress that wants to solve problems instead of blocking solutions just to make sure the other side doesn’t score points. And if we have that, then we can work on shifting the conversation further, not just constantly dropping progressive points to appease the right wing.