It’s not going to pass this senate. I’ll join the 400 or so other bills languishing on Turtle’s desk.
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Mah rahts or mah life–mah choice! I like beer! MAGA! Own teh libs!
The analogy is the parent is issuing an empty threat to make a point.
No AC was removed and no aid withheld.
I concede both lessons likely have fallen on deaf ears.
Hyperbole much?
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I’m amazed at how many are not looked at the politics of this sort of bone headed idea–especially in purple swing states.
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Bargaining chip.
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I don’t think you understand that the analogy you’re using isn’t a good one because of what I pointed out previously.
If the parent is smart, then the threat should not be empty and should contain an actual result.
This isn’t about not supporting GOP states, it’s about ensuring states run by idiots adopt basic healthcare measures in order to receive and not waste federal tax dollars the rest of us who aren’t idiots are giving them. This is the smallest of pressure points to get states be responsible with the money we give them. That GOP lead states are the ones not adhering to these basic healthcare measures is irrelevant.
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DOA on Moscow Mitch’s desk. He has so many in that pile, I doubt he can see over his desk and has probably taken over several other’s desks.
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I don’t see a problem with conditioning relief funds on implementing incontrovertible - and also cheap & easy - mitigation measures.
ETA
Legislation is political. It always includes horse-trading & compromise. Quit with the circular firing squad.
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Instead of threatening to withhold the money entirely, which is unfair to these states’ residents, especially ones wearing masks and socially distancing, as well as not necessarily smart politically (especially to Dems running in these states), how about bypassing their governments and allocating funds directly, via some existing and lawful mechanism that doesn’t rely on state administration, while continuing to block grant states that comply with proper pandemic procedure?
Is this both constitutional and feasible?
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Because the GOP wont go along with anything that takes the money out of GOP governors hands where they can misuse it for political favors. This wont pass either but it’s ROPE and puts the GOP on record refusing to address the pandemic in any way.
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IIRC this is the same approach that was used for automobile emissions standards and emissions, until Congress limited NHTSA’s ability to do that.
It is an old debate, but if there is no feedback loop, you eliminate the disincentive to pander to the people who think salt air (not table salt, though!) kills the virus.
Georgia has several of the counties with the highest rate of coronavirus per capita in the whole country. Yet the governor is spending his time suing municipalities that impose mask mandates. It isn’t Georgians in particular that would be punished by the withholding of funds – it is that today all Americans are being punished by the lack of a national mandate or any other national leadership and the resulting prolongation of the medical and economic catastrophe.
If Congress takes that responsibility, it has to use its appropriations powers to try to bring the governors in line. But if it succeeded in filling the leadership vacuum, it would save tens or hundreds of thousands of lives. If Kemp doesn’t play, it will only save lives in 49 states. But the point is, right now all 50 states have no bridge to getting past this pandemic. This is a mechanism to construct that bridge, and most if not all states would take it.
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So we are discussing the aptness of my analogy?
I’ll try better next time.
That matched my first thought.
On second thought, as others have pointed out - those states that are doing the opposite of all efforts to flatten the curve for Faux Snooze purposes - are going to cost more money and more lives. Why should the Fed Gvt fund them. That little leverage could make a difference.
Tough times, tough decisions.
Give those wayward govs some incentive to use what is now seen as common sense.
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YOU, THE BAD BLACK AND BROWN AND BLUE VOTERS IN THE BAD STATES, MUST HAVE CONSEQUENCES RAINED UPON YOU FOR YOUR FAILURE TO OBTAIN ELECTORAL MAJORITIES WITHIN BOUNDARIES DRAWN UP CENTURIES AGO. NOW YOU MUST DIE FOR THE SINS OF YOUR GOVERNORS. IT IS . . . UNFORTUNATE. AND VERY, VERY PROGRESSIVE.
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Okay. How about businesses in States without mask mandates will not receive protection from any Federal Liability Limit on Convid 19 spread.
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While I do agree with your broader point, I also remember that St. Ronald did the exact same thing by withholding highway funds for states that did not raise their drinking age to 21. Right or wrong, it works.
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This has to target the right set of aid–that which aids states (in the two Senate seats sense), not the citizens. (State budget bailouts, aid to states for testing, etc.) Given that, the more I think about this, the more it seems like a master stroke. Even McConnell has expressed support for mask wearing recently. So will he co-sponsor this amendment? What about all the R Senators in re-election fights who are seeing scary poll numbers? Will they co-sponsor? And, if some legislation with this in it actually gets out of the Senate, what of Trump who has now condescended to the libs and worn a mask all of once in public–and repeatedly threatened states with withholding funding over the other half of the reopen binary? Will he sign it? The Federal Government already conditions thousands of handouts to the states based on compliance with one federal “do goodism” or other. (Expanded Medicaid!!! I Don’t recall that being viewed here as some nasty way for the feds to hurt poor people unfortunate enough to live in Red states.) What is wrong with incentivizing states to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem?
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Given that I don’t think any businesses anywhere should receive liability protection for their negligence in handlilng the epidemic, I’m entirely cool with that. Better still, target funding that benefits the state governments and does not inflict COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT on their residents. I’m sure we could find some budget items that would inflict pain on Brian Kemp and his policy priorities without inflicting illness and deprevation on the people of Georgia.
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