A clear illustration why nothing works
]A spectacle of dysfunction on display in the Capitol.
Anyone who spent a couple of hours — or, maybe, a couple of minutes — watching the testimony of U.S. Attorney General William Barr before the House Judiciary Committee last week endured a short course in everything wrong with American politics.
The Democrat side of the aisle and the Republican side of the aisle spent most of the time on their high horses, speechifying with great offense and indignity. Meanwhile, on those rare occasions when Barr actually was given time to speak, he demonstrated the lawyerly skill of talking without saying anything.
And that, of course, was the purpose of the day. Theater for the politicians. Obfuscation for the attorney general.
Is it any wonder the American people are sick of it all?
As usual, the people are way ahead of the politicians. They get it:
Disaffected Americans have a constitutional right to assemble and voice their objections to government.
The minute somebody throws a rock at an officer, lights a fire, breaks a window, it’s no longer a protest. It’s a riot and arrests should follow.
President Trump and Attorney General Barr put a thumb on the scales of justice for allies Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.
Paul Manafort got out of prison and Michael Cohen stayed (until a judge intervened) because one pleased the White House and the other didn’t.
A series of U.S. Attorneys — not to mention several inspectors general — were shown the door because they weren’t doing the bidding of Trump and Barr.
We could go on, but the point is both obvious and self-affirming. Partisan politics has infected everything. Congress can’t function because these two sides do not simply disagree; they viscerally hate each other. In the absence of a Congress capable of fulfilling its constitutional duty, the executive branch — this one, and apparently those to follow — feels unchecked. It is a legislative branch at war with itself and an executive branch feeling increasingly liberated from restraint.
Just one more reason everybody wants to hit fast-forward on 2020.
It really has come to this. In just under 100 days Americans go to the polls to make a decision. Don’t even hope that will mean one side will take responsibility and the other side will quietly acquiesce. But at least for awhile, maybe, the politicians will have no choice but to give a grudging nod to the will of the people. At least that’s something.
— Beloit Daily News, Aug. 3
Ramp up internet
Reliable, fast internet access is not optional for modern life. As Congress debates how to respond to the pandemic, investment in broadband for rural and low-income urban areas should be a top priority.
Take a look at a broadband map of Wisconsin, and it’s clear that America hasn’t kept up. Outside the metropolitan areas and a few scattered pockets, the information superhighway remains stuck in second gear.
That’s true across America. Most people who live in or near a city have access to relatively fast broadband. They might not have much choice of carrier, but they at least have access, if they can afford it. Drift too far away, though, and broadband is hard to find.
Almost half a million Wisconsin residents lack access to broadband with at least a 25 Mbps download speed, and that’s not even very fast by today’s standards.
The pandemic has underscored how imperative closing the divide between digital haves and havenots is. People with good internet access can work from home. Their kids can learn in virtual classrooms. Meanwhile, families without good internet or without the means to pay for it fall further behind.
Wisconsin’s top economic development agency highlighted the need in its assessment of the effects of COVID-19 on the state’s economy. “Broadband access is an essential catalyst to drive community, public safety, learning, health, and economic goals across the state of Wisconsin. As such, there are dire consequences that result from a lack of connectivity,” the newly released report states.
Gov. Tony Evers this month announced the creation of a task force on broadband access, but Wisconsin can’t go it alone. This is a national challenge.
Investing in broadband expansion somehow became a needlessly partisan issue. This is a problem that affects both rural areas that lean conservative and urban areas that tend to be more liberal. Democrats and Republicans should be able to find common ground.
House Democrats are pushing the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act. Democratic Wisconsin Reps. Ron Kind and Mark Pocan are co-sponsors. The bill would spend $100 billion to build high-speed broadband in communities that don’t have it. The bill also contains provisions to keep that internet service affordable.
Senate Republicans have introduced the Accelerating Broadband Connectivity Act. It takes a more incentives-based approach and contains some sweeteners for the broadband industry. Neither of Wisconsin’s senators have yet signed on as cosponsors. For Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican, getting behind this bill should be an easy decision, especially with a potential reelection campaign coming up in 2022.
Years ago, when the House and Senate differed on the specifics of an issue, each chamber would pass a bill and then a conference committee would hash out a compromise. These broadband bills are an excellent chance to prove that a flicker of bipartisanship survives in Washington.
— Wisconsin State Journal, July 26