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Biden Legislation - What do you hope to see in 2021?


Orale

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What legislation do you think, and hope, will pass in the first two years?

Obvious early legislation will be the $2,000 checks and covid related funding. I'd like to see $15 minimum wage, a public health care option (I'd really like MFA but doubt the votes are there), significant climate change legislation, go big on renewable energy, high speed rail, national election legislation, infrastructure, raise the gas tax, let Breyer retire and appoint a young justice. 

My pie in the sky dream legislation would be adding PR and DC as states and expanding the SC by 4. The latter could and should occur if the SC strikes down a lot of Democratic legislation. 

What else you got?

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HR 1 (government ethics) + Voting Rights Act

Infrastructure + green energy jobs bill

$2000 checks + robust funding for national vaccine program, unemployment assistance, eviction assistance, etc. 

New SCOTUS justice as soon as the current SCOTUS term is up in the summer

$15 minimum wage (since he just reiterated his support for this today)

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The only priorities that I see:

1. Fix COVID and COVID related problems -- vaccine rollout, masks, stimulus, etc.

2. Fix structural problems that led us past the brink of the disaster that came to a head again on Tuesday. I'm not even sure where to begin with this, but everything is broken. Voting rights is a good start. The large American terrorist movement has to be marginalized and dealt with as well.

Sadly, everything else seems like distractions to me. If it can't be directly tied back to one of these two, I'm not sure it's worth the effort right now. You don't lecture your kids about the dangers of playing with matches while the house burns down, even if that's the cause of the fire.

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Just talking legislation (not other actions), and only in 2021:

 

Expect:

$2T stimulus ($2k checks, increased unemployment)

Voting rights

Climate change lite

Increased minimum wage

 

Want, but don't expect:

M4A/comprehensive universal healthcare

free childcare for poor people

free college for poor people

DC statehood/Senator(s)

 

Don't want, but might get:

More corporate bailouts

Repealed tax cuts

Re-instated healthcare mandate

lots of pork

 

Pipe dreams:

Healthcare that doesn't involve insurance companies

Budget amendment that requires federal departments matched with a revenue source with transparency to tax payers

Wealth tax

Change Federal Reserves mandate from unemployment/inflation to real wage growth/GDP/inflation

 

In terms of 2021 generalized expectations outside of legislation:

End the pandemic by July 4th.

Don't get involved in a war.

Get us out of recession.

Destroy Trumpism.

 

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I'll stick with what I think the priorities will be, and add what I really want to happen.

 

1.) Covid/Stimulus
2.) Voting Rights Act
3.) Infrastructure/Jobs
4.) Police Reform
5.) Climate Change

But I'd argue the most important, over all that, will be regulation and overhaul of social media companies, and hopefully, traditional media as well. No greater need and threat exists to democracy right now. And after that, and after the fuckery of the national guard on Wednesday, I assume that DC Statehood will be on that list. 

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I'll stick with what I think the priorities will be, and add what I really want to happen.
 
1.) Covid/Stimulus
2.) Voting Rights Act
3.) Infrastructure/Jobs
4.) Police Reform
5.) Climate Change

But I'd argue the most important, over all that, will be regulation and overhaul of social media companies, and hopefully, traditional media as well. No greater need and threat exists to democracy right now. And after that, and after the fuckery of the national guard on Wednesday, I assume that DC Statehood will be on that list. 
I forgot about criminal justice reform. I think that is huge and should be a high priority. Within that should be the legalization of marijuana and the decriminalization of most drugs. Also end minimum sentences.
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A lot of the 2021 agenda will just be the 2020 bills that the House passed, but died in the Senate.  Decriminalizing marijuana, lowering prescription drug prices, closing gun show loopholes... They've been written, debated in the House, and passed the House.  

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Among many things, I'd like to see massive subsidies for wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources. 

Britain is up to 29% of power provided by wind and solar from 23% last year. They've had multiple days with 50% of all power consumed coming from wind alone. Provide commercial property owners large deductions and/or tax credits for significant retrofitting of buildings to make them highly energy efficient. 

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/28/storm-bella-helps-uk-record-wind-power-generation-boxing-day

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1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

Get used to this.

 

 

1 hour ago, aggie08 said:

Minority Mitch already pulling on some strings?

 

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

It's so ridiculous. Those stimulus payments are already targeted based on income.

Joe Manchin sucks.

This was immediately reported wrong and Manchin's team struck back.

He supports the checks - he is not 100% sure just issuing these checks day 1 is the best course.  He wants to talk to Biden's team about ensuring targeted stimulus, aid for the neediest  and funding for a coordinating vaccine plan is priority #1. 

It came across poorly as first reported that he doesn't support them.

The Democratic Party campaigned on and won 2 Senate seats promising $2k checks.  They will happen. 

Edited by Js1
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I'd like to see greater investment into NASA (#DefundSpaceForce).

I'd then like to see the entirety of the Trump administration (including McConnell and Graham and Cruz and Jordan and Gaetz and.....) fired via multi-stage rocket into the sun.

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Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are the 51st state.

Guam, etc. form the State of the Pacific Islands for the 52nd.

DC is the 53rd state.

Term limits for Congress and the SC. Age limit of 65 at election for Congress. 25 years for the SC or age 75, whichever comes first.

Legalize weed. Decriminalize possession of other drugs.

Nationalized health insurance.

Improved protection and growth of public lands.

Required civics curriculum for all schools, all grades.

Ban lobbying.

Campaign finance reform. Maximum of $1,000 donated per year total regardless of the number of recipients. Companies are not people.

Voting rights act. Voting conditions must meet a federal standard. Automatic voter registration at age 18. Nothing takes away your right to vote other than current incarnation.

End the militarization of the police.

End asset seizure.

Defund aggy.

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There’s gonna be many, many disappointed people given these lists I’m seeing. All I ask is that he just not be a fucking embarrassment to our nation & a threat to our democracy like the last guy was.

Edited by Helobious
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Anyone who voted for Trump twice should lose their citizenship and be exiled to Ethiopia.  

But seriously,  I think term limits are the best thing that could happen to our country.  

That's the only thing that will get things moving in the right direction.  

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Yep. I think a lot of the "steal the election" rhetoric that the GOP has been supporting is being used to set the stage against this bill. 

Fuck’em. They bitched about Obamacare being rammed through over nearly a year with a bunch of GOP input. Time to show them what getting steamrolled really looks like.
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HR1/Voting Rights Act

Reinstitute Fairness Doctrine

Rescind Trump Tax Cuts fully, but if not fully, at a minimum eliminate the SALT deduction limitation and the Misc. itemized Deductions elimination.

COVID legislation 

More targeted legislation rules

Some sort of Green energy incentive packages 

I’d also like to see them look at a carbon tax, not revisit the cap and trade bs they tried in 2009.  

Reinstate Glass Steagall

start on Immigration reform, establishing Guest Worker programs and instituting a check the box VISA regime along with the lottery for those who cannot qualify via the check the box.  Also, reform the H1B Visa program as there is significant cheating and BS that goes on under that.
 

 

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-Reinstate the Violence Against Women Act

-Decriminalize marijuana on the federal level

-Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine

-Net Neutrality

-Student Loan Forgiveness

-Legislation to defang Citizens United

-Pardon Reform

-Voting Rights Act

-Eliminate the filibuster

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I want to see some Voting Rights stuff.

But first, some covid stuff (vaccine/stimulus/relief/aid to small businesses).  I'd like to see larger stimulus - I get that the point is stimulus spending, as in we go out and buy shit and help the economy, and that was helpful back in the Spring (the latest round felt like a ploy to win Georgia), especially with people being laid off or losing hours, or stores being hurt.  

But I think we need targeted (and larger) aid - I would think the IRS would have last year's tax data to be able to determine who needs it the most, and direct the larger checks to those folks.  There's a shit-ton of folks who didn't lost jobs, weren't too severely impacted, but who would still get said stimulus checks, and they shouldn't.  Of course, they will bitch and many will vote, so they wouldn't be left out, which is frustrating, but I just wonder how many billions went to folks who didn't need it.

Then again, a fuck-ton of people in this country have very little savings and a shitload of debt, so...

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Question about stimulus money. I'm in the "phase out" bracket so my first payment was based on my 2018 tax return, the latest was based on my 2019 return, and who knows if the next one will come before or after I can file my 2020 taxes. My 2018 income was lower than 2019, so my first payment was on the lower end of the phase out than the second payment. But my 2020 salary will be lower than 2019, so I'm hoping to file as soon as all my documents are in.

The question is, will the phase outs be adjusted pursuant to 2020 tax returns, or are the payments over and done with based on whatever they were originally based on?

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