It’s been a deceptively quiet last 10 days. Nothing overtly outrageous, but all small stuff that makes you ask, “WTF?”
- Steve Bannon came out and admitted that Trump’s cabinet nominees were specifically chosen to deconstruct the agencies. (Read it here.)
“Atop Trump’s agenda, Bannon said, was the “deconstruction of the administrative state” — meaning a system of taxes, regulations and trade pacts that the president and his advisers believe stymie economic growth and infringe upon one’s sovereignty.
“If you look at these Cabinet nominees, they were selected for a reason, and that is deconstruction,” Bannon said. He posited that Trump’s announcement withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership was “one of the most pivotal moments in modern American history.”
- Add to this the proof of deconstruction —
- The House of Representatives and the Senate voted to overturn the Obama Administration rule that publicly-traded resource extraction companies must disclose any payments made to foreign government
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn the Obama Administration’s regulations that any company bidding on a federal contract over $500,000 must disclose any violations/alleged violations of labor law from the past 3 years
- The House of Representatives and the Senate voted to overturn the Obama Administration regulation mandating complex rules on how coal companies dispose of mining waste near waterways, and that companies must extensively survey ecosystems prior to mining and fully restore those ecosystems once mining is complete. Some Democrats voted yes on this.
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn the Department of Education regulation directing states to identify failing schools using plans to measure the performance of groups of students according to federal standards.
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn the Department of Education regulation mandating that states report on the quality of teacher preparation programs, with the possibility of funds being removed from states that do not meet federal standards.
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn the Obama Administration regulation that would require energy companies to reduce the release of methane when producing natural gas on federal and tribal lands.
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn the Bureau of Land Managements “resource management” rule that would reduce the role of local governments in developing BLM plans and give greater weight to input from the public in the preliminary planning process.
- The House of Representatives and the Senate voted to overturn the Obama Administration rule that would prohibit Social Security Income and Disability recipients who are determined to have certain mental disorders from possessing a firearm. Some Democrats voted to overturn this as well.
- The House of Representatives voted to overturn a Department of Labor regulation that allowed states to drug test applicants for unemployment benefits only if the applicants were well suited for jobs that required drug testing. (In other words, the regulation would not allow states to use widespread drug testing for unemployment benefits.)
In the meantime, Democrats elected former Labor Secretary, Tom Perez, as the new DNC Chair. Is this good? It sounds like “more of the same,” and Democrats in denial. High ranking Democrats are still resisting the pull of the true progressives – those who wanted Bernie Sanders. So, it will be interesting to see how things progress. “More of the same” does not inspire hope of a change in leadership in 2-4 years. SMDH.
And in happy news, the Pussy Hat made it to the fashion runway in Italy. Thanks for the show of solidarity and celebration of women!
Oh, and Trump announced via Twitter that he would not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Not surprising, since he has made it his mission to completely discredit the media – a la any dictator ever in the history of mankind.
I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
In the best response, ever, it was suggested that Alec Baldwin attend in his place. I’d pay to go to that…
So, how many of you would love to see Alec Baldwin replace Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner this year? pic.twitter.com/K0AmWWSU9w
— Rob ???? (@RJSzczerba) February 26, 2017
I continue to try to stay aware of what’s happening. I’ve been Tweeting, and posting to Facebook, and talking to people, even if we disagree. I try to understand what the other person is thinking.