Monday, June 5, 2017

Please Note: Reversing Obama's Policies is not the Same as Making America Great

Barack Obama accomplished many things in his 8 years as president, which is pretty surprising when you consider that Republicans controlled one or both houses of Congress for 6 of those 8 years.  And because Republican obstruction of Obama's agenda was unprecedented, Obama had to resort to extensive use of executive orders to get things done for those last 6 years.

This is rather convenient for The Stain, because it appears that he and the Republican Congress are literally unable to pass ANYTHING into law through the normal legislative process.  Indeed, their one 'victory' in 4 months --- a health-care reform bill which would deprive 23 million Americans of health insurance and rob $880 billion from Medicaid to fund yet another tax cut for the wealthy --- is unlikely to see the light of day in the Senate.

So, both because Obama issued so many executive orders, and because Republicans are too incompetent to do anything else, The Stain has mostly been making 'progress' by simply undoing Obama's executive orders.  The Washington Post details a laundry list:

  • Companies applying for federal contracts are NOT required to disclose labor law violations.
  • Coal mining companies do NOT need to reduce the amount of debris they dump into streams.
  • Telecommunications companies do NOT need to take "reasonable measures" to protect their customers' personal information.
  • Those receiving Social Security payments due to mental illness ARE still able to buy guns.
  • States do NOT have limits placed on them regarding drug testing of those receiving unemployment benefits.
  • Certain hunting practices which would have been prohibited in Alaskan wildlife refuges ARE still permitted.
  • Several Obama-era regulations to reduce pollution and address climate change have been REVERSED.
  • Oil and gas drilling is now PERMITTED in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, and possibly in two reserves in Alaska as well.
  • Multiple OSHA regulations for worker safety have been rolled back.
  • "Multiple agencies have jettisoned or played down policies aimed at fostering LGBT rights."
  • Additionally, The Stain's budget proposes deep cuts (between 14% - 33%) to the State Department, EPA, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Commerce and Education.
Now, I understand that Republicans love drilling for oil more than almost anything, and that they hate LGBT folk.  But who favors coddling law-breakers?  Who is pro-pollution?  Who objects to worker safety?  And I know Republicans worship their guns as much as they worship The Stain (possibly more), but do they really think it's good policy to make sure that those suffering from mental illness have unfettered access to guns?

I know I'm just a clueless liberal, but which of these policies are making America great again?

No comments:

Post a Comment