Best analysis I have seen on the big bill.
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Lots of good information, both sides represented. Long piece.
https://govfacts.org/debate/debate-pros-and-cons-for-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/
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I haven't read the article yet, just skimmed all the headings (I will read it later). One thing the article does not appear to mention is probably the most important of all: ICE expansion.
From Harvard sociologist/political scientist Theda Skocpol:
Last spring, when Dan Ziblatt and I taught a comparative course on democratic backsliding, our study of the Hungarian and German (1920s-30s) cases left me slightly reassured about the United States today. Hungary is highly centralized, and in Germany the most important state transformation happened just before Hitler was appointed Chancellor, when the previous government nationalized the Prussian police and bureaucracy, removing it from Social Democratic control in federated Germany’s largest state. Not long after, unexpectedly, Hitler could easily turn the centralized agencies into his Gestapo core. I thought last year that the USA was somewhat protected against any similar coerceive authoritarian takeover by its federal structure, given state and local government rights to control most U.S. police powers (I presented this argument in my Madison lecture for the Sept 2024 American Political Science Association).
But now I see that the Miller-Trump ethno-authoritarians have figured out a devilishly clever workaround. Immigration is an area where a U.S. President can exercise virtually unchecked legal coercive power, especially if backed by a Supreme Court majority and corrupted Department of Justice. Now Congress has given ICE unprecedented resources – much of this windfall to be used for graft with private contractors Trump patronizes, but lots of to hire street agents willing to mask themselves and do whatever they are told against residents and fellow American citizens. The Miller-Trumpites are not interested only in rounding up undocumented immigrants. They will step up using ICE and DOJ enforcements use to harass Democrats, citizen critics, and subvert future elections if they can.
This is the key story unfolding right now. Governors and civic groups and media outlets need to get clear on this imminent threat and work together across the board to reveal and push back against the emerging ICE police state.
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Finally had a chance to read the whole thing. Well worth the time. Thanks for posting it, @Mik
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@wtg I wish all bills would publish something like this. With AI it should be really easy for voters to stay informed.
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@wtg I wish all bills would publish something like this. With AI it should be really easy for voters to stay informed.
@Mik said in Best analysis I have seen on the big bill.:
@wtg I wish all bills would publish something like this. With AI it should be really easy for voters to stay informed.
I would much rather private citizens and journalists do this as private/non-governmental efforts using whatever tools of choice, so the power that writes the legislation don’t also get to pick-and-choose what to highlight or what to obscure in the summaries. Still comes back to freedom of the press, freedom of information, freedom of expression.
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With a bill this long it might be a good idea to use AI to keep the legislators informed.
@Steve-Miller Good idea.
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We don’t hear it now. The so-called Tea Partiers used to like the idea of “one issue, one bill.”
