The good news is that the IRS is back at work and you’ll get your tax refund check. The bad news is that it could be much smaller and the worst news is you may even owe money! Remember the tax scam Republicans rammed through last year? Well the “tax cut” that you got was really only a reduction in the withholding amount from your paycheck; your tax obligation is still the same. Oops! We got conned!
Republicans have not stopped their efforts to kill or bankrupt us and have forged ahead with many detrimental programs. Arkansas is the first state to require “able-bodied” citizens to work in order to have subsidized health insurance. On its face, it’s cruel and costly; but the governor of Arkansas calls it “compassion and common sense.” Go figure.
More than 18,000 people have been kicked off Arkansas’ rolls of the insured even though the fault often lies with the state’s administration of the policy. The website is “buggy,” complicated, and not user friendly. There is very little agency phone help causing many to be unable to comply even if they find a job.
Republicans still control the Senate and they use their power to profit the rich. Their latest regulatory rollback is in the nuclear industry. After the 2011 nuclear plant disaster at Fukushima (which is still leaking radiation into the ocean,) the Nuclear Regulatory Agency tightened rules for nuclear plants’ infrastructure as precautions against ruinous climate change related catastrophes.
Because of Trump’s GOP irresponsibility, our 40-50 year old nuclear plants will be more vulnerable to devastating environmental disasters. In Japan, the entire city is still evacuated. Can you imagine if that happened with Russellville’s reactor? Would we lose one third of Arkansas and our state capitol? Who knows, but the Kochs must have their profits, so that rule was eliminated.
Speaker Pelosi is a truly effective politician, but as citizens, we have a great responsibility; we must hold all our representatives/senators accountable for legislation that affects us all. Contact them; not just federal, our local politicians need attention, too. Call!