“The criminal is inside our house!” Pass the “Stop Ballroom Bribery Act!”

This is a “guardrail” bill. Whether it passes or not, make sure your own legislators know we want them at the front lines to pass it!

Trump says his monstrous ballroom is being “gifted” to us. But like a puppy, this “gift” will incur major expenses for us in the future. Maintenance and staffing costs will be passed on to us taxpayers, while he’ll use it for free to to entertain his ultra-wealthy friends in dictator-chic comfort.

But what our venal president and his supporters have overlooked is that it’s actually illegal for it to be funded by private donors. Constitutional attorney Bruce Fein stated that “private money to build a White House ballroom flagrantly violates the Anti-Deficiency Act, which safeguards the congressional power of the purse by prohibiting the president from using non-appropriated funds donated by private parties for a government purpose indistinguishable from plutocracy. Without enforcement of the Anti-Deficiency Act, the congressional power of the purse is a scarecrow in the ‘golden age’ of billionaires eager to curry favor with the government in exchange for multi-million-dollar regulatory or tax favors.” Yeah, that!

And now, there’s a big lawsuit by a preservation group, for which we will also have to pay to defend Trump’s indefensible actions.

Call/email your House Representative!

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Our descent into fascism must not be “bipartisan!”

Democratic legislators AT ALL LEVELS and officials endorsed by Democratic clubs must stop collaborating with the GOP agenda now!

Action #1 – Just say “NO” to Trump’s toxic nominees, especially this guy, Russell Vought – the Christo-fascist behind Project 2025.

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YES – on broadcasting Trump’s trial. YES – on protections for witnesses and jurors.

(Referenced article: Washington Post – Opinion Why the Trump trial should be televised, by Neal Katyal)

Although federal rule forbids “the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom,” 37 congressional Democrats sent a letter asking the Judicial Conference to explicitly authorize the broadcasting the cases of United States of America v. Donald J. Trump. Legislators from both parties fear that if actual footage is difficult to access, “siloed” audiences relying only on information from extremist narrators could lead to post-trial violence. UPDATE 08/10/23: Or maybe PRE-trial violence: “Security bolstered for judge overseeing Trump election case.”

“If the public is to fully accept the outcome, it will be vitally important for it to witness, as directly as possible, how the trials are conducted, the strength of the evidence adduced and the credibility of witnesses.” – Rep. Adam Schiff

If the Judicial Conference refuses to change the rule, then a congressional bill is required.

Action: Email/Call your senators and ask them to support S.833 – Sunshine in the Courtroom Act.

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One letter – 3 recipients. Tell them why single-payer health care reform is important to you.

Local, state and federal legislators need the strength of your voices!

Whether you like John Oliver or not, he covers the basic arguments the health care industry lobbyists and their pet legislators use against a single-payer health care , or Medicare-for-All.

Cost, choice and waiting times.

Although the US spends the most on health care, we have worst health outcomes, the least access, the highest cost and a medical bankruptcy rate unheard of among high-income countries. The average wait time to see a doctor is 26 days. (Report here and here) And this is with leaving 30 million of us out of the equation altogether. Thanks Remote Area Medical, for realizing that Americans need your free clinics as much as third world nations do!

Speaking of millions, while Secretary Becerra of the Dept. of Health and Human Services makes $221,400 a year, six private healthcare CEOS together make over $114 million!