Imagine That
“We pass bills all the time. Do we go back and check every single one to make sure it stays within the confines of the constitution? We’d never get anything done if we did that,” [Pennsylvania State Rep. Dan] Moul says.
— NPR, May 17, 2022
Kind of a Low Bar
Before the race was officially called by the Associated Press, [Rep. Madison] Cawthorn contacted state Sen. Chuck Edwards to concede, surprising several House GOP aides who assumed the fiery freshman would take his cue from former president Donald Trump and declare the election was stolen from him.…
Sen. Thom Tillis (R‑N.C.), who endorsed Edwards after growing tired of Cawthorn’s antics, said the freshman’s gracious acceptance of his loss was “a great first step” to regain trust in GOP circles.
— Washington Post, May 18, 2022
People Who Don’t Use Metro Will Pay for It
Dulles Toll Road users could see tolls rise to $6 starting in January under a proposal being considered by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s board of directors.… The additional revenue would be used to pay for construction of the $5.8 billion Silver Line rail project.… Toll road users are paying nearly half the cost of the rail extension.
— Washington Post, May 18, 2022
The Bill Failed 51–49
“I believe in democracy, and I don’t believe the minority should have the ability to block things that the majority wants to do. That’s not in the Constitution.”
— Sen. Elizabeth Warren to CNN, May 11, 2022
Wait, Infrastructure Is Political?
James Biden was enthusiastically outlining ways for the two of them to leverage political connections in pursuit of infrastructure projects. They knew officials in California, James reminded Hunter, including Gov. Jerry Brown, so they could go after rail projects in the state. There were massive projects shaping up in Minnesota, he added, where they could tap the Democratic delegation for help. In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo would meet with them whenever they were ready.
— Washington Post, May 31, 2022
So It’s Not a Trade Deal
This morning, President Biden, on his first trip to Asia since taking office, has announced an agreement that he hopes represents the future of trade policy.…
The crucial distinction between Biden’s framework and past trade deals is that this deal does not involve what economists call “market access”—the opening of one country’s markets to other countries’ goods, through reduced tariffs and regulations.
— New York Times, May 23, 2022
Did the Fed Write This?
As the cost of gas, food and hundreds of other things rises, our definition of cheap or expensive has changed. Here’s how to adjust your thinking about prices to adapt to higher inflation.
— Tweet by the Wall Street Journal, April 12, 2022
It’s a Good Thing for Newsom That California Has Great Weather
When Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers settle on details of a new California budget in June to provide another year of government services for almost 40 million people, they will do so largely by tapping the fortunes of one of the most exclusive groups of taxpayers in the nation.
The group includes almost 100,000 taxpayers with incomes above $1 million—residents who represent only about one-half of 1% of all tax returns filed in the state but collectively pay about 40% of all California personal income taxes.
— Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2022
