Written By Stephen Moore
1) The Blue State Bailout is a Political Loser!
A new poll from the Economist/YouGov finds 63% of Americans support another round of stimulus spending for people. Uggh. But just 22% support spending for state governments. Even among Democrats it’s just 34%! We have a winning issue with the public stopping Nancy and Chuck’s blue state bailout!
2) It’s bipartisan! Stop Paying More for Unemployment Than Work
Some common sense from an unexpected source yesterday: Democratic Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont.
“I would put off this extra $600 true-up they’re talking about,” Lamont said.“I don’t think we need that.”
Lamont said: “I think sometimes it discourages work.”
Gee, ya think?
https://ctmirror.org/2020/06/17/lamont-extending-600-a-week-federal-jobless-benefit-may-discourage-work/
3) Headline of the day from WSJ 6/18: “U.S. Declares Impasse on Global Tax Talks”
The Europeans want a global taxing system and the right to to tax American tech companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google. The Trump administration said hell no. The Europeans’ goal is to end global tax competition so they stop losing businesses and jobs to lower tax competitor countries.
U.S. trade negotiator Bob Lighthizer explained the U.S. opposition to the tax scheme: “A variety of [European] countries have decided the easiest way to raise revenues is to tax somebody else’s companies, and they happen to be ours.” Bravo, Bob, for putting America first!
4) Chaz Promotional Video for Tourists
For those planning an exotic and adventurous summer vacation to a foreign land, may we suggest the nation of Chaz – in downtown Seattle. The video link below highlights all the attractions in this new workers’ paradise.
5) Going Back to School
Kudos to Governor Greg Abbott and Education Commissioner Mike Morath for making the sensible decision:
“It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this fall. But there will also be flexibility for families with health concerns so that their children can be educated remotely, if the parent so chooses,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.
When students return, school districts will not be required to mandate students wear masks or test them for COVID-19 symptoms, said Frank Ward, a spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency.
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/texas-students-will-return-to-school-campuses-this-fall-gov-greg-abbott-tells-lawmakers
We’ve been tracking the accumulating science that children are at staggering low-risk for COVID — far lower than seasonal flu — and are also not very good transmitters. A new study on that last point from the Netherlands shows most transmission is adult to adult, very little child to child or child to adult:
The best, most sensible suggestions for school guidelines we’ve seen came out this week from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. (We’re not sure why all the U.S. pediatricians seem to be missing in action.) This well-sourced document may be helpful with school boards and principals:
https://www.sickkids.ca/PDFs/About-SickKids/81407-COVID19-Recommendations-for-School-Reopening-SickKids.pdf
6) The Brits Ban Sex
It’s hard for Americans to believe but Britain really did have a tougher lockdown than any U.S. state. Take social distancing.
Under the original lockdown rules in March, it was actually illegal to have sex with a person from another household. You could leave your house for limited shopping and emergencies but sex wasn’t one of them.
This was obviously unworkable and widely flouted so the rules were loosened – in a Monty Pythonish way.
Jonathan Sumption, a former British Supreme Court judge, describes the new rules as follows in the Spectator magazine:
“You can leave the house for any reason provided that you do not spend the night away. Sex with a person from another household is classified as a ‘gathering for the purpose of social interaction’. This means that it is now okay provided that it happens in the daytime and not at night, and in the garden not in the house. Unless, that is, a sex worker is involved, in which case it will be ‘necessary for work purposes’ and okay even at night. Obvious, really.”
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/social-distancing-destroys-our-lives-as-social-beings
7) Hero of the Day
Jared Polis was the first Democratic governor in the country to end his state’s lockdown back in late April. That earned him an “A” in our ratings of governors, and he’s retained that grade this week by allowing residential summer camps and bars to open. Earlier in June he also opened gyms and public pools.
An article in politico.com credits Polis for artfully combining “libertarian sensibilities with public health doctrine.” The result has been that Colorado is not only recovering faster than other states who stayed longer in lockdown but it’s also had very few spikes in virus cases.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/16/colorado-coronavirus-reopen-324390?nname=politico-nightly-coronavirus-special-edition&nid=00000170-c000-da87-af78-e185fa700000&nrid=00000157-b838-d3f2-a35f-f87bb02d0000&nlid=2670445
Polis has also limited the tax-and-spend instincts of a legislature run by his own Democratic Party. It wanted to raise $278 million next year by ending tax breaks for business and upper-income earners. Polis was firmly against it, saying it would harm the state’s recovery. He even proposed cutting the state’s flat-rate income tax as an alternative.
8) Anti-Hero Of The Day – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson
George Orwell never lived to see Political Correctness but he did warn “The great enemy of clear language is insincerity… It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.”
The latest foolish thought is the decision by Duluth, Minnesota officials to no longer use the word “chief” in the titles of two key leadership posts because they feared some Native Americans would find it offensive.
The 86,000 people in Duluth will now see their city’s “chief administrative officer” become a “city administrator.” The city’s “chief financial officer” will be renamed “finance director.”
https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/government-and-politics/6539447-Duluth-moves-to-scrub-chief-from-job-titles
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson explained “It is language that is offensive to people who are indigenous and actually offensive to a lot of people, especially when there is other language available.”
Nonetheless, Larson admits she and her team now face a dilemma. They aren’t sure exactly how or whether to change the titles of the city’s police and fire chiefs. Maybe she can do what other Democratic cities are doing and just fire all the police.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/17/city-of-duluth-moves-to-remove-the-word-chief-from-key-job-titles
