Progressive Bull Moose

Friday, October 8, 2021

Score One for Conservation and the Environment: President Biden Restores National Monument Protections for Bear Park

Working to undo the largely anti-environment and anti-conservation record of his twice impeached predecessor, President Joe Biden signed Executive Orders today (October 8, 2021,) restoring and expanding National Monument protection status to Bears Ears National Park in Utah, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah, the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in New England.

At the Executive Order signing ceremony, President Biden, reiterating the urgency of acting on combatting climate change, relayed:

"...The protection of public lands must become — must not become, I should say, a pendulum that swings back and forth depending on who’s in public office...The truth is, national monuments and parks are part of the identity as — our identity as a people. They are more than natural wonders; they’re the birthright we pass from generation to generation — a birthright of every American. And preserving them is the fulfillment of a promise to our children and all those who will come to leave this world a little better than we found it. But today, our children are three times more likely to see climate disasters uproot and unsettle their lives than their grandparents’ generation. We have to come together and understand why this work is so critical. When we protect and care for a forest, we’re not just preserving the majesty of nature. We’re safeguarding water sources and lessening the impact of fires — excuse me — (coughs) — the impact of fires. We’re protecting wetlands. We’re not only saving birds and fish and the livelihoods of people who depend on them, we’re also shoring up the natural defenses to absorb the fury of hurricanes and superstorms. Nearly one in three Americans live in a community that has been struck by weather disasters just in the last few months — hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, heatwaves. Both the Build Back Better plan and my Bipartisan Infrastructure Agreement are going to make critical investments, significantly increasing the resilience to these devastating effects on the climate — on the climate crisis. It includes the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps, similar to President Franklin Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, which is going to put diverse groups of Americans to work, doing everything from restoring wetlands, to protecting clean water, to making forests more resilient against wildfires. My plan also puts Americans on a course to achieve a 50 to 52 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. You know, achieving these ambitious goals is going to require that nature itself play a role. Scientists estimate that the protection and restoration of national lands and waters can provide nearly 40 percent of the solutions to climate change. That’s why I’m signing these proclamations today as an additional reason...

Please click here to read the full text of President Biden's remarks and click on the video link below to watch it.

Arizona Reaction to the Biden Executive Orders

Citing the importance of the national monuments to the environment and Native American Communities, both Arizona House Representatives Ruben Gallego and Thomas O'Halleran offered their perspective on President Biden's Executive Orders.

District Seven Representative Ruben Gallego, who was cited by President Biden in his opening remarks and attended the ceremony (along with District Four Representative Raul Grijalva,) issued a statement that read:

“The restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument is proof of the Biden Administration’s commitment to listen to and engage with Tribal communities. Bears Ears is sacred and restoring conservation protections is a necessary action to right the wrongs of the previous administration’s callousness and disregard of Indigenous peoples. As a leader in the House of Representatives who first called for the restoration of Bears Ears in 2017, I look forward to joining the Biden White House for the signing of the executive order and applaud the Administration for not only following the advice of Members of Congress, but for listening to and respecting the voices of the Navajo Nation, Hopi, Zuni, Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute.”

District One Representative Thomas O'Halleran also released a statement, commenting:

“Today, President Biden took decisive action to protect precious public lands, within which lie clues to millions of years of earth’s history and places sacred to many tribal communities. I was humbled to be invited to the White House for this important signing ceremony but will be in Arizona for meetings with constituents; I offer my sincerest gratitude to the president and to Secretary Haaland on this important action for Native American communities.”

Remember everyone, there is no Planet B.

Monday, October 4, 2021

President Biden Blames the Former Party of Lincoln for the Looming Debt Crisis

President Joe Biden used a presentation on the looming debt limit crisis to place the blame for this potential financial catastrophe on the political party that is doing the bidding of America's enemies: the former Party of Lincoln that is led by the twice impeached Donald Trump, Moscow Mitch Enemy of the People McConnell, and Keven Enabling McCarthy.

In remarks to the American People and the press, Mr. Biden said:

"Raising the debt limit comes down to paying what we already owe, what is already been acquired, not anything new. It starts with a simple truth. The United States is a nation that pays its bills and always has from its inception. We have never defaulted. What we pay for so it keeps us a great nation, Social Security benefits for seniors, salaries for brave service members and benefits for veterans and other financial obligations for our people and for our nation..."

"...So let me be really clear, this is really important to know. Raising the debt limit is about paying off our old debts. It has nothing to do with any new spending being considered. It has nothing to do with my plan for infrastructure or building back better. Zero. Zero. Both of which I might add are paid for. So if we’re going to make good on what’s already been approved by previous Congresses and previous presidents and parties, we have to pay for it. Social security benefits the American people are promised, salaries for servicemen and women, benefits for veterans..."

"...And raising the debt limit is usually a bipartisan undertaking, and it should be. That’s what is not happening today. The reason we have to raise a debt limit is in part because of the reckless tax and spending policies under the previous Trump Administration. In four years, they incurred nearly $8 trillion. In four years, $8 trillion in additional debt and bills we have to now pay off. That’s more than a quarter of the entire debt incurred now outstanding after more than 200 years. And Republicans in Congress raised the debt three times when Donald Trump was president and each time with Democrat's support. But now they won’t raise it, even though they’re responsible for more than $8 trillion in bills incurred in four years under the previous administration. That’s what we’d be paying off. They won’t raise it even though the falling on the debt would lead to a self-inflicted wound that takes our economy over a cliff and risks jobs and retirement savings, Social Security benefits, salaries for service members, benefits for veterans, and so much more..."

"...They say Democrats should do it alone, but then they’re threatening to use a procedural power called a filibuster, meaning that we’d have to get 60 votes, not 50 votes to increase the debt limit. This would block the Democrats from meeting our obligations and responsibilities to prevent Congress from raising the debt limit. So let’s be clear, not only are Republicans refusing to do their job, they’re threatening to use the power, their power to prevent us from doing our job saving the economy from a catastrophic event. I think quite frankly, it’s hypocritical, dangerous, and disgraceful. Their obstruction and irresponsibility know absolutely no bounds, excuse me..."

"... A Meteor is headed to crash into our economy. Democrats are willing to do all the work stopping it. Republicans just have to let us do our job. Just get out of the way. You don’t want to help save the country, get out of the way, so you don’t destroy it..."

President Biden is right.

The former party of Lincoln that is doing the business of America's enemies is willing to throw this country off an economic cliff just so they can score political points with their Know-Nothing political base, obstruct the Biden/Harris agenda, and take no responsibility in governing.

That should not be surprising given their:

Obstruction of virtually all major legislation proposed by the Clinton, Obama, and Biden Administrations.
Support of a twice David Duke endorsed Presidential Candidate.
Enabling of the big lie regarding the 2020 Presidential election and their efforts to suppress the right of the voters wherever they can.
War on women and their right to choose.
Opposition to mask and vaccine mandates which is incapacitating and killing many of their own true believers.

Do not be surprised if Democrats, the only political party that actually cares about governing and the well-being of the country and the people, do not provide for a debt limit increase in the budget reconciliation plan when that deal is finalized.

Voters should remember that when considering candidates in 2022, 2024, and beyond.

Remember Democrats were the ones that fought for you while Republicans supported fiscal insanity and widespread suffering.

It really should not be a hard choice at the ballot box when the time comes.

People Should Not Follow Anyone Into Bathrooms

There are many acceptable ways to show dissatisfaction with elected public servants. These include:

Writing letters critical of that person's positions or actions.
Peacefully protesting their behavior or actions in an appropriate setting.
Voting them out of office.

Other acts like harassing and following or chasing an individual into a bathroom where the person is forced to close the stall door are certainly not an acceptable way to show displeasure towards a public servant.

On October 3, 2021, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema was followed to the lady's room at Arizona State University by activists dissatisfied with her current position on the Democratic Budget Reconciliation Plan or Build Back Better.

The Senator was at the university teaching a weekend class she has instructed for close to 20 years.

What these activists did was wrong.

There is no circumstance when it is right to follow someone into a bathroom and make them scared enough where they have to lock the stall door.

When asked about the incident, President Biden commented after a presentation on the Debt limit that:

“I don’t think they’re appropriate tactics, but it happens to everybody...“The only people it doesn’t happen to are people who have Secret Service standing around them. So it’s part of the process."

Later at a White House Briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the episode with Senator Sinema "inappropriate and unacceptable" for both the Senator and her students whose learning environment was "breeched."