My take away from Today’s Edition is Democrats need to focus more on doing “ show and tell” sessions out side of large urban areas and let the rural red districts of this country know exactly how the Biden Administration is helping them. Farmers in this country have a lot to be thankful for because of Biden as do construction workers, truckers, the building trades and students. We need to remind them of what has been accomplished and what would happen if they elected a Republican President
Stephen, yes, yes and YES!!! We have been begging Democrats to spread the message about President Biden's tremendously helpful programs for as long as those programs have existed. I only hope they have a plan to blanket the country with simple, clear messaging--at least in time for the presidential election--that no one with eyes and/or ears can miss.
I wish I had a good, brief, catchy, effective slogan for this, but I don't. I do, however, want to repeat a comment I made recently that Democrats should hire some of the great (now striking) writers that worked for Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, to come up with some effective slogans. I don't believe working for a political group would violate their union rules. And anyone who has watched either of those shows knows what incredibly talented writers they have who would be fabulous for exactly this purpose.
Unrelated to Today's Edition this morning, but I thought it would be a relevant talking point amongst the readers in this community.
Add this to the reasons Ron DeSantis is anathema to democracy. He's attacked Florida's largest union, the Florida Education Association, getting from his lapdog legislature one of things his predecessors couldn't: singled out the teachers union to disallow payroll deduction union dues. This article in the Tampa Bay Times discusses the impacts of this on locals in just two of the states 67 school districts. https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/07/24/florida-school-employee-unions-already-suffering-new-law-dues/
Full disclosure, I am a retired Florida public school educator, which included my final eleven years of a 38 year career as President of the Teachers Association Lee Co., the nation's 35th largest school district. We fought this fight through "Jeb!" and Rick Scott, but there were still enough legislators, even amongst the Republican majority, to help stop this. Until DeSantis.
Add this to the list of reasons DeSantis should be kept as far away from national leadership as possible. He hates unions, he hates civil rights, he hates anyone or anything that would dare challenge his authoritarian desires and irritate his thin-skin.
Thank you, Kathy. Add this to the changes in funding of our public schools, (per CBS News, "The voucher expansion (HB 1), which has been approved by lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis, will make every Florida student eligible to receive vouchers."), the teacher shortage in Florida's public schools will only get worse.
So, solar farms lead to rat infestations? I hadn’t heard that one before. I did see a story (sorry, I don’t have a link) that in Germany hop vines are growing better in the shade from solar panels. And in an experiment in Tanzania, maize production also benefits from shade from such panels. Maize—corn to us—is a basic food crop. As for rat infestations, I suggest looking for the presence of Republicans.
I learned a new word today ! 💙 equipoise and this ➡️ “ When Republican hypocrisy reaches equipoise with Republican deceit on any issue, you know they are worried”.
I am in Riga, Latvia. I heard from a young woman this morning about current Latvian issues. I was surprised at how intense her emotions were about Ukraine, and Russia, and her own country’s struggle to break free from strongman occupations—first Germany, then the Soviets. Later in the morning I went to see the Latvian Museum of Ocupation. It was the best, most effective museum of its kind that I have ever seen. It casts an impression about Latvia’s and the other Baltic states’ (Lithuania and Estonia) daily fear of what Putin (and whoever follows Putin) will do in Europe. And it makes me sad that most Americans do not understand this history, and in fact would recreate a totalitarian regime if they could in America.
But I found this quote near the end of the museum’s presentation, and it seemed ripe for our time:
If Gov Abbott is indeed violating Federal and International Laws, why isn't the Federal Government actively removing these barriers of extreme cruelty? And why does the Border Patrol (Federal!) allow a bunch of Texas vigilantes to interfere with their work of handling the border of the US of A?
Isn't it time for the US to tell Texas to back off - more than lawsuits are needed. The rule of law is being violated. Seems to me we have law enforcement agencies for a reason. If someone were to force a family back into the water to drown in a New York or New Hampshire lake...would we sue them or arrest them? What am I missing here?
The DOJ is treating the violation as a civil matter. I agree that the administration could be more aggressive, but Biden should do what is necessary to avoid an armed confrontation with Texas. We don't need that difficulty at this moment.
It is always great that Robert points out that while we can be optimistic we cannot be complacent. We must stand strong and continue with every ounce of our strength to fight like hell against the attempts to undermine our democracy up and down the ballot.
And yet…Don’t get me wrong, Bidenomics is amazingly incredible BUT as Annie Lowrie asks in an Atlantic Daily piece,The Wrong Apartment Problem, “So why aren’t we partying like it’s 1999?” She refers to the last year of the Clinton Administration when a watershed in economic prosperity for the middleclass and the poor was reached. Now this year surpasses 1999 on almost all fronts.
So I ask. “why did Gore not win in a landslide?” Also, Republicans won control of Congress. Nader got nearly 3 million votes was one reason Gore lost but another bigger reason for the Dem drubbing is the deep underlying conservatism that is America year in, year out. These sobering results might cast some serious rain on our parade. Lowrie answers her question with points I have noted in talking with friends. We are all depressed by climate change, the kleptocracy running our country and the level of violence in America (anyone who’s ever been to Europe knows women feel safe anywhere anytime if they are walking alone). These feelings are not helped by visits to the grocery store and the costs of everything. Plus, where I live on Cape Cod try to find a plumber or electrician. Want help in the garden? That will set you back at $45 per hour. Them are sure expensive weeds! But what about our young friends and neighbors? Try renting an apartment or buying a home.
Bottom line: Saying all is rosey, rosey won’t cut it. The message must be much more work needs to be done especially on affordable housing. Action must include bills to tax the super rich and clawing back corporate profits made by greedy shareholders and fat cat executives. I’ll stop there!
You skipped the part where Clinton was impeached for having sex with an intern in the Oval Office, lied about it to the American people (and Al Gore) and admitted the truth only when DNA evidence proved his lie. Clinton squandered his economic successes because of his personal failings, which allowed Republicans to talk about something other than "the economy." According to books published on the Clinton administration, Gore blamed Clinton's affair and impeachment for his loss.
Exactly. It underscores the What’s the Matter with Kansas appraisal of populism as a driving force in politics. Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998, giving Dems almost two years for messaging. We Dems remain stubbornly intellectual and wedded to the elixir of reason and putting sole faith in the facts. But King knew better and used facts as a tool not as a conviction.
I just want to say that am a Clinical Mental Health Therapist and find that people are exhausted. Action is the best antidote to the anxiety that underlies this exhaustion. We do nothing but take in more and more bad news and it leads to that learned helplessness and exhaustion (which is part of the goal of autocratic movements). We need to send this newsletter, Hopium Chronicles and other Substacks such as Chop Wood Carry Water and others that we find helpful and action oriented and spread the word. I've sent these to everyone in my email contact list and those contacts are subscribing. After several weeks, I am starting to get good feedback. It is good for their for mental health and the health of our democracy to hear:
1. The economy is good.
2. They can be part of elections all across the country even in "off years" in 2023 (such as WI, OH, PA and VA).
3. They aren't alone - there is an army out there with them.
4. That GOTV works and is the best way to guarantee success in 2024.
I urge everyone to share this information and ask their contacts to do the same. It's a great way to steer those who want the same thing that we do in a direction that gives them hope.
Just ordered another 200 postcards. What better way to spend time under the wide, beautiful Montana sky than working to help keep democracy strong? Plus lying, soulless bullies really piss me off, especially under the wide, beautiful Montana sky
Received an email yesterday from Vote Forward votefwd.org which provides letter templates and names/addresses of registered votes in areas of concern. As of yesterday, there have been 50,000+ GOTV letters sent to Virginia for November elections for state Senate and state Assembly, and 250,000+ GOTV letters for the August 8 special election in Ohio, an attempt by the Republican Ohio legislature to change the required plurality from 50% to 60% for constitutional amendments in their effort to stop the November initiative measure to codify the right to reproductive choice in the state constitution. In Ohio, early voting turnout has been immense, remains to be seen who the early voters are.
According to Ballotopedia.org, Ohio's Issue 1 would add additional constraints on citizen initiative gathering to "require a 60% vote on future constitutional amendments, expand the signature distribution requirement for citizen-initiated amendments, and eliminate the signature cure period." Not sure what "signature distribution requirement" means but can make a guess. I don't like the sound of it.
I literally burst into tears reading your post today. I am an empath, and truly experience far too many things in my gut! Today, I want to shout this news and proof of Biden's success from the rooftops!! I believe that this man, who could have been enjoying a well earned retirement, ran because he IS a patriot and he knew he would be the only one in the 'field' who had the experience, and the heart, to save our country. And, he DID that! Despite all the crap constantly being thrown at him, from everywhere!! History will show that he pulled us back from the brink. As painful as it is to watch the harm that has been consistently and deliberately thrown at us for YEARS, more of us understand where we are, and how we got here. Under his leadership, we also know we CAN DO THIS! Thank you, Robert, for your enormous contribution to getting us here!!
Biden's - and our own - economic successes mirror those of many past Dem administrations, despite the stubborn and delusional tendencies of GOP supporters to incorrectly remember past economic policy (for example, "Reagonomics") as successful despite their well-known failure ( see "trickledown").
First impressions are powerful. The reason “Reagonomics” is remembered fondly is that it began with huge injections of economic stimulation into the then-moribund economy, stimulating a quick (albeit short-lived) recovery.
At the time, a conservative friend of mine said, with a wry smile, that the Republicans had adopted classic Keynsian economics.
We should do a remake of "Kiss of Death." Abbott can play the person in the wheelchair at the top of the stairs. I volunteer to play the role of Tommy Udo.
One reason that some people feel the economy hasn't gotten better is that food and energy costs (heating and air-conditioning) are still extremely high. When groceries are high, the average person is struggling to feed his/her family. Also, in this terrible heat wave, many either don't have air-conditioning or cannot afford to use it. This is not a criticism of Biden, but simply an observation. I hope the Democrats realize this. I'm not sure what can be done about these things, especially the cost of food, but it is a real problem for regular people and the poor.
Just thought I'd note that there was a period when prices went up in some sectors, largely as a result of supply chain issues and an overreliance on "just-in-time" inventory that resulted in short term shortages. The media went bonkers on this (as usual).
Not only has the supply chain issue moderated in a lot of instances, businesses have adjusted how they do inventory. Also, a change that seems to be in motion is a larger reliance on in-house or local sources for things that used to be sourced at distance, meaning a quicker response to needs.
I am a low-income elder, who also happens to have training in both economic theory and applied economics. Low-income guarantees that I pay attention to what's going on because it is personal. Prices did go up, especially in fuel (manipulated by oil companies) and in food (not in anybody's control, because, you know, Nature). Yet, this summer, food began to drop back to a level closer to what it was, and I learned how to make the most of my budget by buying sales and avoiding processed food. Some of my meals took on a creative bent, but they were nutritious.
Last winter was tough- my heating system went out, and rather than replace and be chained to oil, I chose to have heat pumps installed. I qualified for a no-interest loan provided by my state through my credit union, and though I had to muddle through a random winter on constant attendance to a wood stove, in a couple of weeks my units will be installed. Even with the monthly loan payment, my costs over the term of the loan should be about equivalent to the oil and wood I had been using. After that, savings, quiet even heat in winter- and the bonus of summertime cooling that won't cost me more than the window units I had (and used sparingly).
Not everyone has access to this option, but my point here is that there are options if people make clear that they want their states to provide these kinds of incentives, which also help minimize global warning and other environmental concerns. And if we as neighbors and communities reach out to people living in difficult circumstances to ensure they have access to food and to information like the webinar my credit union held that let me know that I actually had access to a way to get heat pumps.
So, for those of you who see only the propaganda and the failure of media, take a look around your communities and see what might be there, and what might need to be created. It's a high lift in some states, but that means your involvement (even if you have to start with a letter to your state rep) is all the more critical.
Hi, Annie! Thanks for your comment! I wrote you a much longer response but it didn't go through, apparently. I received a note to that effect. Briefly, I think most of us have had to change our shopping methods. I like Costco and Trader Joe's. Sales are good. Your ideas are great. I was just trying to explain why some people don't feel the economy has improved.
"When Republican hypocrisy reaches equipoise with Republican deceit on any issue, you know they are worried. They should be." Hypocrisy and deceit . . . what a take-away for today, Mr. Hubbell!
My take away from Today’s Edition is Democrats need to focus more on doing “ show and tell” sessions out side of large urban areas and let the rural red districts of this country know exactly how the Biden Administration is helping them. Farmers in this country have a lot to be thankful for because of Biden as do construction workers, truckers, the building trades and students. We need to remind them of what has been accomplished and what would happen if they elected a Republican President
Stephen, yes, yes and YES!!! We have been begging Democrats to spread the message about President Biden's tremendously helpful programs for as long as those programs have existed. I only hope they have a plan to blanket the country with simple, clear messaging--at least in time for the presidential election--that no one with eyes and/or ears can miss.
I wish I had a good, brief, catchy, effective slogan for this, but I don't. I do, however, want to repeat a comment I made recently that Democrats should hire some of the great (now striking) writers that worked for Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, to come up with some effective slogans. I don't believe working for a political group would violate their union rules. And anyone who has watched either of those shows knows what incredibly talented writers they have who would be fabulous for exactly this purpose.
Unrelated to Today's Edition this morning, but I thought it would be a relevant talking point amongst the readers in this community.
Add this to the reasons Ron DeSantis is anathema to democracy. He's attacked Florida's largest union, the Florida Education Association, getting from his lapdog legislature one of things his predecessors couldn't: singled out the teachers union to disallow payroll deduction union dues. This article in the Tampa Bay Times discusses the impacts of this on locals in just two of the states 67 school districts. https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/07/24/florida-school-employee-unions-already-suffering-new-law-dues/
Full disclosure, I am a retired Florida public school educator, which included my final eleven years of a 38 year career as President of the Teachers Association Lee Co., the nation's 35th largest school district. We fought this fight through "Jeb!" and Rick Scott, but there were still enough legislators, even amongst the Republican majority, to help stop this. Until DeSantis.
Add this to the list of reasons DeSantis should be kept as far away from national leadership as possible. He hates unions, he hates civil rights, he hates anyone or anything that would dare challenge his authoritarian desires and irritate his thin-skin.
Mark,kudos to your career and service as union president in Lee Co.
Today our local paper in Brevard reported 212 teachers resigned/retired in July while only 6 hired in June/July. Not.looking.good.
Thank you, Kathy. Add this to the changes in funding of our public schools, (per CBS News, "The voucher expansion (HB 1), which has been approved by lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis, will make every Florida student eligible to receive vouchers."), the teacher shortage in Florida's public schools will only get worse.
Such a lot of hate out there. And so much support for bullies. Let’s turn this around.
Bidenomics could not be a more distinctive difference between democrats and republicans. One builds America and the GOP version destroys America.
So, solar farms lead to rat infestations? I hadn’t heard that one before. I did see a story (sorry, I don’t have a link) that in Germany hop vines are growing better in the shade from solar panels. And in an experiment in Tanzania, maize production also benefits from shade from such panels. Maize—corn to us—is a basic food crop. As for rat infestations, I suggest looking for the presence of Republicans.
Thank you for that one😊
LOL
Floridians, let’s be loud and NOT proud about DeSantis refusing IRA and Infrastructure funds.
“DeSantis vetoed $377M in free energy-efficiency money despite extreme Florida heat”.
https://electrek.co/2023/07/12/desantis-clean-energy-florida/
I learned a new word today ! 💙 equipoise and this ➡️ “ When Republican hypocrisy reaches equipoise with Republican deceit on any issue, you know they are worried”.
Get out the vote for OHIO !!📞✍️
On it!
Same! I looked up the definition of "equipoise", although the wayRobert used the word it was fairly clear what it meant.
I am in Riga, Latvia. I heard from a young woman this morning about current Latvian issues. I was surprised at how intense her emotions were about Ukraine, and Russia, and her own country’s struggle to break free from strongman occupations—first Germany, then the Soviets. Later in the morning I went to see the Latvian Museum of Ocupation. It was the best, most effective museum of its kind that I have ever seen. It casts an impression about Latvia’s and the other Baltic states’ (Lithuania and Estonia) daily fear of what Putin (and whoever follows Putin) will do in Europe. And it makes me sad that most Americans do not understand this history, and in fact would recreate a totalitarian regime if they could in America.
But I found this quote near the end of the museum’s presentation, and it seemed ripe for our time:
“Do not shed your tears for yesterday
“Do not fear what comes tomorrow
“Just in a steadfast, measured way
“Plow your furrows straight and narrow”
By Knuts Skujenieks
Thanks for the reflection from Latvia. And thanks for the quote.
If Gov Abbott is indeed violating Federal and International Laws, why isn't the Federal Government actively removing these barriers of extreme cruelty? And why does the Border Patrol (Federal!) allow a bunch of Texas vigilantes to interfere with their work of handling the border of the US of A?
Isn't it time for the US to tell Texas to back off - more than lawsuits are needed. The rule of law is being violated. Seems to me we have law enforcement agencies for a reason. If someone were to force a family back into the water to drown in a New York or New Hampshire lake...would we sue them or arrest them? What am I missing here?
The DOJ is treating the violation as a civil matter. I agree that the administration could be more aggressive, but Biden should do what is necessary to avoid an armed confrontation with Texas. We don't need that difficulty at this moment.
We don’t need an *armed* confrontation. Just federal agents going in and quickly “tearing down that wall” in the Rio Grande.
As in Ukraine, the Biden Administration is being too timorous.
It is always great that Robert points out that while we can be optimistic we cannot be complacent. We must stand strong and continue with every ounce of our strength to fight like hell against the attempts to undermine our democracy up and down the ballot.
And yet…Don’t get me wrong, Bidenomics is amazingly incredible BUT as Annie Lowrie asks in an Atlantic Daily piece,The Wrong Apartment Problem, “So why aren’t we partying like it’s 1999?” She refers to the last year of the Clinton Administration when a watershed in economic prosperity for the middleclass and the poor was reached. Now this year surpasses 1999 on almost all fronts.
So I ask. “why did Gore not win in a landslide?” Also, Republicans won control of Congress. Nader got nearly 3 million votes was one reason Gore lost but another bigger reason for the Dem drubbing is the deep underlying conservatism that is America year in, year out. These sobering results might cast some serious rain on our parade. Lowrie answers her question with points I have noted in talking with friends. We are all depressed by climate change, the kleptocracy running our country and the level of violence in America (anyone who’s ever been to Europe knows women feel safe anywhere anytime if they are walking alone). These feelings are not helped by visits to the grocery store and the costs of everything. Plus, where I live on Cape Cod try to find a plumber or electrician. Want help in the garden? That will set you back at $45 per hour. Them are sure expensive weeds! But what about our young friends and neighbors? Try renting an apartment or buying a home.
Bottom line: Saying all is rosey, rosey won’t cut it. The message must be much more work needs to be done especially on affordable housing. Action must include bills to tax the super rich and clawing back corporate profits made by greedy shareholders and fat cat executives. I’ll stop there!
You skipped the part where Clinton was impeached for having sex with an intern in the Oval Office, lied about it to the American people (and Al Gore) and admitted the truth only when DNA evidence proved his lie. Clinton squandered his economic successes because of his personal failings, which allowed Republicans to talk about something other than "the economy." According to books published on the Clinton administration, Gore blamed Clinton's affair and impeachment for his loss.
Gore’s wooden persona didn’t help him, either, with voters.
Exactly. It underscores the What’s the Matter with Kansas appraisal of populism as a driving force in politics. Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998, giving Dems almost two years for messaging. We Dems remain stubbornly intellectual and wedded to the elixir of reason and putting sole faith in the facts. But King knew better and used facts as a tool not as a conviction.
I just want to say that am a Clinical Mental Health Therapist and find that people are exhausted. Action is the best antidote to the anxiety that underlies this exhaustion. We do nothing but take in more and more bad news and it leads to that learned helplessness and exhaustion (which is part of the goal of autocratic movements). We need to send this newsletter, Hopium Chronicles and other Substacks such as Chop Wood Carry Water and others that we find helpful and action oriented and spread the word. I've sent these to everyone in my email contact list and those contacts are subscribing. After several weeks, I am starting to get good feedback. It is good for their for mental health and the health of our democracy to hear:
1. The economy is good.
2. They can be part of elections all across the country even in "off years" in 2023 (such as WI, OH, PA and VA).
3. They aren't alone - there is an army out there with them.
4. That GOTV works and is the best way to guarantee success in 2024.
I urge everyone to share this information and ask their contacts to do the same. It's a great way to steer those who want the same thing that we do in a direction that gives them hope.
Just ordered another 200 postcards. What better way to spend time under the wide, beautiful Montana sky than working to help keep democracy strong? Plus lying, soulless bullies really piss me off, especially under the wide, beautiful Montana sky
Received an email yesterday from Vote Forward votefwd.org which provides letter templates and names/addresses of registered votes in areas of concern. As of yesterday, there have been 50,000+ GOTV letters sent to Virginia for November elections for state Senate and state Assembly, and 250,000+ GOTV letters for the August 8 special election in Ohio, an attempt by the Republican Ohio legislature to change the required plurality from 50% to 60% for constitutional amendments in their effort to stop the November initiative measure to codify the right to reproductive choice in the state constitution. In Ohio, early voting turnout has been immense, remains to be seen who the early voters are.
According to Ballotopedia.org, Ohio's Issue 1 would add additional constraints on citizen initiative gathering to "require a 60% vote on future constitutional amendments, expand the signature distribution requirement for citizen-initiated amendments, and eliminate the signature cure period." Not sure what "signature distribution requirement" means but can make a guess. I don't like the sound of it.
Neither do
??? I'm guessing agreement with my question about what "signature distribution requirement" means.
I literally burst into tears reading your post today. I am an empath, and truly experience far too many things in my gut! Today, I want to shout this news and proof of Biden's success from the rooftops!! I believe that this man, who could have been enjoying a well earned retirement, ran because he IS a patriot and he knew he would be the only one in the 'field' who had the experience, and the heart, to save our country. And, he DID that! Despite all the crap constantly being thrown at him, from everywhere!! History will show that he pulled us back from the brink. As painful as it is to watch the harm that has been consistently and deliberately thrown at us for YEARS, more of us understand where we are, and how we got here. Under his leadership, we also know we CAN DO THIS! Thank you, Robert, for your enormous contribution to getting us here!!
Biden's - and our own - economic successes mirror those of many past Dem administrations, despite the stubborn and delusional tendencies of GOP supporters to incorrectly remember past economic policy (for example, "Reagonomics") as successful despite their well-known failure ( see "trickledown").
First impressions are powerful. The reason “Reagonomics” is remembered fondly is that it began with huge injections of economic stimulation into the then-moribund economy, stimulating a quick (albeit short-lived) recovery.
At the time, a conservative friend of mine said, with a wry smile, that the Republicans had adopted classic Keynsian economics.
We should do a remake of "Kiss of Death." Abbott can play the person in the wheelchair at the top of the stairs. I volunteer to play the role of Tommy Udo.
Stand in line. I want that role!
You as Richard Widmark! I remember that evil grin, half scowl.
One reason that some people feel the economy hasn't gotten better is that food and energy costs (heating and air-conditioning) are still extremely high. When groceries are high, the average person is struggling to feed his/her family. Also, in this terrible heat wave, many either don't have air-conditioning or cannot afford to use it. This is not a criticism of Biden, but simply an observation. I hope the Democrats realize this. I'm not sure what can be done about these things, especially the cost of food, but it is a real problem for regular people and the poor.
Just thought I'd note that there was a period when prices went up in some sectors, largely as a result of supply chain issues and an overreliance on "just-in-time" inventory that resulted in short term shortages. The media went bonkers on this (as usual).
Not only has the supply chain issue moderated in a lot of instances, businesses have adjusted how they do inventory. Also, a change that seems to be in motion is a larger reliance on in-house or local sources for things that used to be sourced at distance, meaning a quicker response to needs.
I am a low-income elder, who also happens to have training in both economic theory and applied economics. Low-income guarantees that I pay attention to what's going on because it is personal. Prices did go up, especially in fuel (manipulated by oil companies) and in food (not in anybody's control, because, you know, Nature). Yet, this summer, food began to drop back to a level closer to what it was, and I learned how to make the most of my budget by buying sales and avoiding processed food. Some of my meals took on a creative bent, but they were nutritious.
Last winter was tough- my heating system went out, and rather than replace and be chained to oil, I chose to have heat pumps installed. I qualified for a no-interest loan provided by my state through my credit union, and though I had to muddle through a random winter on constant attendance to a wood stove, in a couple of weeks my units will be installed. Even with the monthly loan payment, my costs over the term of the loan should be about equivalent to the oil and wood I had been using. After that, savings, quiet even heat in winter- and the bonus of summertime cooling that won't cost me more than the window units I had (and used sparingly).
Not everyone has access to this option, but my point here is that there are options if people make clear that they want their states to provide these kinds of incentives, which also help minimize global warning and other environmental concerns. And if we as neighbors and communities reach out to people living in difficult circumstances to ensure they have access to food and to information like the webinar my credit union held that let me know that I actually had access to a way to get heat pumps.
So, for those of you who see only the propaganda and the failure of media, take a look around your communities and see what might be there, and what might need to be created. It's a high lift in some states, but that means your involvement (even if you have to start with a letter to your state rep) is all the more critical.
N
Thanks for sharing your experience with the heat pump--a good option to know about!
Hi, Annie! Thanks for your comment! I wrote you a much longer response but it didn't go through, apparently. I received a note to that effect. Briefly, I think most of us have had to change our shopping methods. I like Costco and Trader Joe's. Sales are good. Your ideas are great. I was just trying to explain why some people don't feel the economy has improved.
"When Republican hypocrisy reaches equipoise with Republican deceit on any issue, you know they are worried. They should be." Hypocrisy and deceit . . . what a take-away for today, Mr. Hubbell!