As Merle Haggard said, when it rains it pours. It has been a busy day. We have some ground to cover so let’s get to it.
First off, the U.S. Senate approved a resolution package for President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill by a straight-party vote of 50-49. I don’t know who didn’t vote but who cares. This is a key win for Biden, who ran on doing something about our crumbling infrastructure which includes everything from spotty broadband access to collapsing bridges. It goes to a full vote, probably sometime around the end of the month, and then will go to the Democratic-led House if it passes. There’s still a lot more work that needs doing, regardless.
Read up on the process, it’s pretty interesting. For one thing, budget bills can’t be all in one go; several rounds of voting on different parts of it before it can be finally drafted and then finally as a whole voted on. This is all parliamentary stuff, the nuts and bolts of how the Senate works, and it can be frustrating as hell. One thing it required was a vote on a bunch of individual amendments, all of which much at least be addressed to the floor. Sort of a rote process, but this “vote-a-rama” went from yesterday afternoon until 4 a.m. this morning. Nothing earthshaking, but the GOP used the opportunity to catch the Democrats out bad on the whole “defund the police” thing on to be clowned on a couple of times.
Of course, this is basically getting B-roll footage for campaign ads. “Those dirty DemoRATS voted against not defunding the police, vote for me or the savages will run amok,” that sort of thing. However, most of it was non-binding fluff and passed without any argument, so it was a waste of time. It’s burlesque and almost completely for show but it’s a Senate custom that’s older than the filibuster.
A quick note on that. Despite the GOP’s attempts to use it as a weapon, no one in the Senate is really all that enthusiastic about this whole “defund the police” thing. It gets some drama in the House, but the House is supposed to be a bit more volatile and passionate where the Senate is supposed to be more sedate and reserved. What I’m saying is, this isn’t something that will be a full-on Congressional issue any time soon.
However, let’s get back to business. Today’s vote is the first step in a long process, as I said, and them that know say if everything gets through the meat grinder, we’re looking at eight years of work from it, at least. Republicans are bucking because of “out-of-control spending,” naturally, but they’re already claiming credit for some of it despite voting against it. I know, but that’s politics.
And it might not make it all the way to the House with that $3.5 trillion price tag. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has some work ahead of him making sure “moderate” Democrats stay in line. Of course, Senate sweethearts Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are being pains – her more so than him – and that might be the biggest stumbling block.
That being said, because of today’s vote, the final bill will only need a majority and be, more or less, filibuster-proof. There will still be some shenanigans available, but something close to it at least is getting passed. It’s fairly popular with the hoi polloi and desperately needed, of course, and the Democrats seem to be in a strong position for the upcoming fight. The Budget Committee is saying increased taxes on rich, unused money set aside for COVID-19, and future economic growth. A win for Biden and the Democrats, but just the opening battle.
Moving on. Speaking of COVID-19, the Delta variant is in the process of giving us another kick in the teeth. Cases have sky-rocketed, especially in states that are lightly vaccinated, and hospitals are filling up. One issue is this strain is a meaner booger, more infectious when you don’t have it, and harder on your body when you do.
Here in Mississippi, we’re creeping up on an average of 3,000 cases a day. Even worse, our hospital system is up against the wall. Not only are beds scarce on the ground, them that know are predicting a nasty bop coming up pretty soon. We’re getting some federal help from the Department of Health and Human Services in the form of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc., but the real issue is the state’s infrastructure.
You can guess how sharp that is even in the best of times. Now, beds are full from Biloxi to Memphis, and the State Health Department is predicting “total failure” within 10-15 days unless something is done. What that means is, if you get COVID and need hospitalization, tough. If your cancer or blood pressure flares up and needs hospitalization, tough. If you’re injured in an accident, take a number, it might be a while. This is the situation we find ourselves in right now, and chances are very good it could get worse.
This is the reality of things. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Oxford, one of the state’s largest facilities, is clearing out a bottom level of its parking garage and trying to get it ready for whatever the next two weeks bring. Even if all goes well, it will be a tremendous strain on resources and introduce the possibility of outside weather, particularly the heat of late Summer, affecting things.
And there’s a storm system headed towards the Gulf of Mexico that shows every indication of reaching at least tropical storm strength. Get vaccinated, neighbors, the Fall is going to be rough enough as it is.
Finally, on the lighter side of things, Kentucky’s backup shit ass, Rand Paul, is having a bad week. First, YouTube suspended his official channel for not one, but two videos spreading not only some of the saddest misinformation about the effectiveness of masks but also outright calls to resist any and all mandates. “They can’t arrest us all,” he said, safe in the knowledge he’ll never be arrested anyway. In any event, he blamed it on naughty liberals, continuing the conservative tradition of never taking responsibility for their actions. He’ll be out of jail in seven days, but it will be interesting to see what kind of bullshit he tries to pull from here.
Today’s news, however, is the kicker. According to a story in The Washington Post, Rand Paul’s wife Kelly spent between $1,000 to $15,000 of stock in Gilead Sciences, a company that does pharmaceutical work. The company is responsible for making something called Remdesivir, which was considered for use in a COVID vaccination but failed to make the nut. It’s considered quality stuff for other antiviral issues, it just didn’t have the stuff to do much with our current issue. So far, so good; it’s distasteful congress critters and their spouses can play the stock market, given their positions, but there’s no law against it.
But there are rules governing congress members’ behavior and that’s where it gets sticky. The stock was bought in February 2020, after we all knew COVID-19 would be a thing but before we knew how much of a bastard it’d be. That’s bad enough, but what’s going to be fun is the Mister was supposed to report this within 45 days and we just found out today. That’s a span of sixteen months. He says the proper paperwork was filled out, they just forgot to send it for a year and a half. Whoops!
Sure, I believe that, the Hon. Rand Paul wouldn’t lie about shady financial dealings. A spokesman for Paul’s office said the Missus actually lost money in the deal, and I don’t know if we’re supposed to feel bad for her or what. Recall that the GOP had some trouble with this sort of rascality last year, which undoubtedly had some effect on the 2020 election. It remains to be seen if Paul will get anything more than a slap on the wrist for this behavior, but he seems to be trying to outdo fellow dirtbag Ted Cruz as the Senate’s most loathsome, oleaginous member.
And this really isn’t fair of me, but given the events and mood of the day, “Gilead” is a really, really creepy name for a radical conservative Christian to be investing in. I’m just saying.
Dear Y'all 