This Is Just How Badly Scott Walker Has Decimated Public Schools in Wisconsin
An anti-Act 10 rally outside the Wisconsin capitol in 2011John Hart/AP In the six years since Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed the union-busting Act 10, which curtailed collective bargaining rights for public employees, the state’s labor movement has been decimated. Wisconsin was once a leader in organized labor, but its share of workers belonging to unions…
Searching for My Missing Family in Puerto Rico
Floodwaters persist in some streets in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan on Wednesday, a week after Hurricane Maria descended on Puerto Rico. Victor J. BlueIdeologically, Nimia Vicens and her brother José Juan Vicens Huertas, my grandfather, were polar opposites. In a family of 12 children, they represented extremes in the spectrum of Puerto Rican…
Democrats Pick an Ex-Prosecutor for Pennsylvania’s Special Congressional Election
Conor Lamb after winning the Democratic nomination for a Pennsylvania congressional seat. On Sunday, Pennsylvania Democrats picked Conor Lamb, a former federal prosecutor, as their nominee for a special congressional election to replace disgraced Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who resigned in October. The special election is scheduled for March. About 550 local Democratic officials, mostly precinct…
Repealing the Individual Mandate Would Hurt the Poor, Help the Rich
Speaking of the individual mandate, it turns out that CBO has analyzed how federal spending would change if the mandate were repealed. This is not about Obamacare subsidies, which will obviously decrease if fewer people buy insurance. This is about reductions in direct spending on Medicare, Medicaid, etc. Here it is: It’s pretty easy to…
Pennsylvania Democratic Congressional Candidate Won’t Commit to Vote for a Democratic Speaker
Clint Hendler One of the presumed front runners for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania’s vacant 18th district has told Mother Jones that she will not commit to vote for a Democratic Speaker of the House. “I put politics aside, and people first,” said Gina Cerilli, the chair of Westmoreland County’s board of commissioners. “Until I’m there and…
Mulvaney OK With Keeping Individual Mandate, Provides No Guidance on How to Pay For It
The latest: Mulvaney: White House ‘OK’ pulling individual mandate repeal from tax bill White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said Sunday that the administration wants to repeal part of Obamacare in Congress’ tax bill but is “OK with taking it out” if “it becomes an impediment.” ….“If we can repeal part of Obamacare as part…