Wow there's a lot to unpack here!
Yeah, that ain't plenty in my book at all. Especially when he is thinning out the relief package more and more overtime.
The reality of the situation is that the (D) control of the government is shaky at best. "Thinning out" the 1.9 Trillion Dollar relief package appears, on the surface, to be more about making an argument that the correct people (i.e. those with the most need) are getting help first. There's so much to the total package though that I'll freely admit it's hard to keep good track of exactly what is going to who and when.
Also let's give him the COVID vaccine supply and distribution.
To be fair, ANYTHING is more than what the previous admin. apparently had in the pipeline where vaccine supply and distribution is concerned!
- Being in the Paris Climate Agreement means absolutely nothing. It's a non-biding set of goals that mean literally nothing.
I respectfully disagree that it means "literally" nothing. A symbolic gesture is still a gesture AND the PCA always struck me more as a tent-pole to build communication and international policy structure around. You're correct in what I assume is your point that it's not enough, but it's certainly not "absolutely nothing".
- Dropping the "Muslim ban" was hard work? It's a bare minimum thing to do, not that it matters doing a pandemic.
See my above statement about symbols. Also, what else would you have him do exactly? If he left it in place I suppose you could argue that he was "just another Trump" but his removal of an unjust ban is in the "not that it matters" category instead?
- So he hasn't appointed a new postmaster general.
President, not King or God-Emperor of The Imperium. There's a process, they appear to be moving forward within that process to resolve the problem.
Let's look at the other side of the coin.
OK!
- He hasn't fixed immigration policy at the border, while giving ICE all the power they want.
This does not appear to be a totally accurate statement...
Biden’s Immigration Plan Would Offer Path to Citizenship For Millions
- Refuses to cancel federal student loan debt.
This one is complex. Federal Student Loan regulation and law is...a labyrinth that David Bowie would be proud of? There are several reasons, at this time, that you can't just wave a magic wand and make it (the debt) vanish. That said, he's on record as being a proponent of cancelling $10,000 of debt, which is what his campaign promise was iirc. Others are pushing for more (50k was the last number I heard) and it may come to pass, but it wasn't his original stated goal.
Honestly, the best long term solution to how student debt is managed in this country is to clean up the system that makes it impossible to understand or control just what a new student is getting into at the outset.
- Has not cut off funding to states abandoning his "mask mandate" allowing the pandemic to spread and probably bring on a 4th wave.
Please tell me that your intention with this statement was NOT that innocent U.S. Citizens in somewhere like say...Texas...should be allowed to freeze to death or die of COVID because a self centered Governor and a Gerrymandered to heck State Congress decided to be "pro-death". Based on your previous posts I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant, but what funding would you cut off that would do anything but alienate the people who need it most right now?
- He has found a way to stick kids back in cages.
Holding
unaccompanied minors until they can be reunited with family on this side of the border =/= separating pre-schoolers from their families to deter the parents from seeking asylum.
With no other options
currently in place what should the administration do? Let them continue to travel alone through some of the most hostile territory on the planet?
Now, if they're still using this system to deal with the problem in 6-12 months then I'll be happy to give it the hairy eyeball with you, but in the short term getting them out of the desert and giving them some water while you look for their family in-country is not a bad thing.
- He has abandoned the push for the $15 minimum wage.
What legislation is he going to get done on the $15 minimum wage, when according to you, Manchin won't sign off on it in reconciliation? It's the only way to do it...
I don't think he's abandoned it, but I also don't think it's a priority today. I'm disappointed it was dropped from the relief bill, but that was always a long shot anyway, at least in my opinion. It's going to end up being its own thing, and that's not a bad thing actually. Passing a 15$ Federal minimum wage without tying it to something being sold (correctly) as "absolutely vital" can be used to argue for a commitment to the little guy (sincere or not) because:
"hey look, we could have tried to push this through with something that was unquestionably needed, but we made it it's own thing to show you just how much dedication we have to you, the voters."
As always, it's fantastic reading your stuff. I really appreciate getting the perspective of someone from so far outside my own political philosophy and it's good to see people out there actively question gov't policies and practices no matter if I agree with them or not!
Stay safe and keep warm!
