Putting The New House Speaker’s Economics Into Perspective November 28, 2023November 27, 2023 But first: Republican Congressman Chip Roy. An unmissable 31 seconds. And also: Did you see yesterday’s White House announcement of nearly 30 new actions to strengthen supply chains critical to America’s economic and national security? “These actions will help Americans get the products they need when they need them, enable reliable deliveries for businesses, strengthen our agriculture and food systems, and support good-paying, union jobs here at home.” Saturday, I suggested that government should be “competent, thoughtful, civil, collegial, law-abiding — democratic — and inspired to serve and improve the lives of its citizens.” These actions are just the latest example of Team Biden’s past three years’ work do just that. The job is definitely not done yet; things remain really tough for many. But it’s worth noting that we’re doing way better than the rest of the rich world. And at least most Americans are better off financially now than before the pandemic. Meanwhile (did you watch those 31 seconds?), the Republicans have been doing all they can to obstruct progress, to keep insulin prices high, keep assault weapons on the street, keep from solving the border crisis, and keep the IRS from collecting taxes owed by billionaires and corporations. Not to mention Tommy Tuberville. And now: Paul London puts the new House Speaker’s economics into perspective. . . . What is scary about the new Speaker and the Republican Party in 2023 is how enthusiastically they are recycling 19th century ideas about the government’s role in the economy, and especially about government debt and spending. They are even spreading the view that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs that Simons and many Republicans would certainly have supported are “socialistic,” could be privatized, and therefore that spending for them should be cut back. The threats America faced back during the Depression were not socialist programs like public schools and public roads, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, but, rather, these guys on the right and these guys on the left. Both extremes truly suck. (Though it should be noted that those on the extreme left envisioned a utopia where everyone was respected . . . while those on the right envisioned a master race that would subjugate all others, exterminating some as needed.) Anyway: read Paul London. Highly relevant, as Republicans aim to “shrink government to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub.”