This could be a terrible, no good, very bad week for Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats
The media likes to play up divisions within the Republican Party, and they definitely exist, but they aren't much larger nor more important than the divisions within the Democratic Party. In Congress, the radicals seem to outnumber the moderates even though they don't in the American population. (That's true on both sides.) There was supposed to be a House vote today on the crazy $1.2 TRILLION partly-infrastructure bill but the socialists (who call themselves "progressives") won't vote for it until the House passes an insane $3.5 TRILLION (but really it will be a lot more) fake-infrastructure bill that is really just a massive expansion of the welfare state and further inserting government into every aspect of Americans' daily lives. So Pelosi has pushed the vote back to this Thursday. I'm not sure just what will change over the next few days but few people are better at this game than Nancy Pelosi and I'm not ruling out her ability to get something done.
This all happens in the context of also needing to pass appropriations bills to fund government AND to raise the debt ceiling which had been suspended for two years from August 2019 to August 2021. In our conversation with Congressman Jim Banks today -- and he's a VERY important player on the Republican side -- we'll talk about how the GOP is approaching this toxic stew of issues, and how it goes along with Napoleon's maxim that if your enemy is destroying himself, don't stop him. All of this could (and I think probably will) lead to another government shutdown, but one that will be more difficult for the Dems to pin on the GOP than is usually the case. That said, the GOP always seems to lose these messaging battles...another thing we talk about with Jim Banks.
More info here:
Pelosi sets Thursday vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill | TheHill
’No backup plan’: Democrats reject grueling debt limit off-ramp - POLITICO
House centrists back Biden’s $3.5T budget package - Axios
--------------
Transportation
The airline industry is having a hard time hiring...just like so many other industries Southwest CEO Says Job Application Was Stapled to Whataburger Order (businessinsider.com)
Is this a good idea or just vindictiveness by a woke corporation? Delta bans over 1,600 people, urges other airlines to share ‘no fly’ lists (fox10phoenix.com)
-------------
Favorite Story of the Day
UPDATE: This story is NOT true, but darn if it isn't fun... What a fabulous way to make millions of dollars. I realize it's crime, but it's a relatively low-impact and utterly audacious crime, and I can't help but give this guy a golf clap: A Car Park attendant who fooled everybody for over 20-years. | by Uvebruce | The Haven | Sep, 2021 | Medium
--------------
Random Bits
This is REALLY a man's best friend: Man’s best friend: Dog alerts neighbor when owner has stroke | Fox News
I can think of some reasons why this might be true: Men with big feet have affairs more than those with small ones, study finds (thesun.co.uk)
This article on a way to make/keep happy employees made sense until the next-to-last paragraph. See if you react the same way I did: How Lessonly, Bumble and HubSpot fight burnout - Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech
------------
YouTube
I was going to post an interesting video here today, but instead I took a look at the list of currently trending videos. It helps me understand what's wrong with this planet, and it reminds me that there's a hell of a lot of downside in social media. Trending - YouTube
Alright, I will say this guy ("Mr. Beast") is fairly entertaining and he apparently gives away a lot of money in ridiculous but creative ways. My younger kid watches his videos...as do apparently MILLIONS of other people, which is how he earns such a massive income: