I somehow have gotten onto Painter's emailing list. I am happy that happened. The latest:
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. But what have we really done to appreciate teachers and the vitally important work they do? Nowhere near enough.
My wife and I are teachers at a public university, so this is an issue close to our hearts. Here’s what I will ask Congress to do if I am fortunate enough to have voters elect me to represent Minnesota’s First Congressional District:
- Allocate federal funds for universal pre-K in every public school district in the United States.
Allocate federal funds to supplement public school budgets in districts where property taxes are insufficient to adequately fund schools. Teachers and kids in rural areas or low-income urban areas should have just as much money per student as in wealthy suburban school districts. In addition, we must finally fully fund special education.
Allocate federal funds to recruit teachers, substantially increase teacher pay and reduce classroom sizes.
Fight efforts to privatize public schools or divert public school funds to private schools.
Require big corporations and wealthy private universities to pay their fair share of property taxes as well as income taxes to help fund high quality Pre-K through 12 public education.
Fight legislative efforts to take control of curriculum away from teachers, parents and local school boards or to require standardized testing.
Support legislation to eliminate bullying and assure school safety, including sensible gun safety laws to protect students and teachers and let kids focus on learning and enjoying their childhood.
That is the complete text. An excerpt would be inappropriate because there is no full item which can be linked.
____________UPDATE___________
Another Painter email, in full:
Reform of the Supreme Court is needed, and in Congress I will get it done.
The U.S. House has the power, under the Constitution, to pass a law that establishes an ethics code for the Supreme Court and determines the number of sitting justices.
I will introduce a bill, the Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 2022, that will prohibit conflicts of interest for justices, prohibit justices from trading in individual stocks and increase the number of justices to thirteen or fifteen to help the Court better reflect the diverse citizenry of our great Country.
As set forth in the Constitution, each new Justice will have to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
The Founders intended for Congress to have the power to set these and other basic benchmarks for the federal judiciary. The size of the Court has not always been nine and the Founders intended for Congress to set the number by statute. A country of 330 million citizens deserves a court that reflects our demographic diversity. The present Court does not do that.
With recent ethics scandals in the Court, including the unauthorized leak of a draft opinion that would overrule 49 years of precedent and take away women's right to choose, the time has come to fix these problems and restore to the Court the integrity and credibility that it once had.
Well, if the size of the court can be set by statute, what of contraction?
Service for life might be a complication, but in a perfect world it might be contraction to five, one FIFO, then three LIFO.
Possibly expansion is a better idea - no service for life complication. But has Leonard Leo (proud Knight of Malta), or Opus dei, gotten to Biden . . .?
And can there be any assurance over a Manchin Senate vote; on expand or contract?
Wise-assery aside, one might foresee other Dem candidates for both Houses in the 2022 midterms running on a comparable promise as Painter gives.
Back to wise-assery - but for the public good, always - this image from a Twitter thread - started by Prof. Tribe (now emeritus) at the law school from which Obama graduated,
And - it would be an injustice to the good Professor's instigating comment to not present it also -
Three-fifths of the Supreme Court justices who joined that Alito abomination were nominated by a serial abuser of women, Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.9 million votes and were confirmed by Senators representing a minority of the US population.
Yeah, the Senate is funky that way - a numerical majority of Senators grinding up and spitting out a majority will of the people - while in fact representing less than a majority of the people - that is horse shit, ditto re electors; even if now wholly "Constitutional;" each way.
Rest assured, also, that Alito is not as dumb as that opinion makes him look. It is just a predatory step to going after contraception next, i.e., contraception is never mentioned in the Constitution - just like abortion! BINGO!
But be clear, contraception (ultimately if not soon) is in the rabid Catholic Court majority's cross-hairs. Moreover, Leonard Leo and his rabid judicial appointees are NOT representative of the majority of Catholic rank and file church goers, who instead are good people. (And yeah, Gorsuch claims to be Episcopalian though brought up Catholic.) Whatever, he turned Leonard Leo's litmus paper the bright red color Leo demands. With Mom Anne in the Gipper's cabinet, how rabid can Neil get? Being on the opinion with Sammy, is rabid enough. It is in the man's bloodline.
Those of you in MN1 who practice or practiced contraception, or have a daughter you'd want to rather than seeing her knocked up, vote in the best interests of those for whom this nest of vipers have made abortion problematic - possibly including yourself or your spouse who may yet suffer under that difficulty.
That earlier image - give a shit, vote DFL in MN1. In every 2022 contest, vote DFL or go ahead and vote against the best interests of your neighbors and friends. You have the choice.
________FURTHER UPDATE________
Besides being blessed by Knight of Malta Leonard Leo on Leo's short list, "Episcopalian" Gorsuch is a graduate of the oldest Jesuit boys boarding and day school in our nation, in the beltway, Georgetown Prep, in Bethesda, MD. Founded in 1789.
Fits in, you might say. On board with Alito. Trump nominee. Need more be said?
Yet - If anyone of the fab five writes a concurring opinion, hopefully without joining the Alito thing and making it a plurality opinion, the expectation at Crabgrass is it would be Gorsuch. If writing an independent concurrence in the result, it would be the key opinion. Roe getting trashed, either way. The guess here, Gorsuch lacks the balls and inclination to do such. Some published speculation is Alito or a confederate leaked the opinion to lock in all five to its lengthy sophistry; speculation also being that Roberts, worried about his legacy, might have hoped to break the five-fold bond in some fashion away from the dreadfully bad draft thing Alito wrote.
It is not likely Gorsuch would cross Leonard Leo, instead taking orders, clicking heels, saluting.
Orders from the boss are not requests. Roe gotta go. In a way duly greasing the skids for Griswold to be next for the chopping block.
With Roberts not in the majority, the senior member of the deciding majority gets to designate the opinion author.
Any guess why Thomas did not pick himself for the job?