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“The "self," it seems today, is at the core of the nation's worldview rather than others (the common good), or God.” ― Martha MacCullough


"In MONEY We Trust"

 "Out of Many ONE - ME"









LAWMAKERS LIKE TO MAKE LAWS: It appears the efforts to get Congress to preempt the Supreme Court on an online sales tax solution are fully bipartisan.
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told reporters on Wednesday that "people are talking about" tacking an online sales tax bill on to an omnibus spending bill that Congress will presumably pass in the coming weeks. "I'm in favor of putting it on any vehicle that passes," Durbin said.
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on a South Dakota online sales tax case in April, and lots of court watchers expect the justices will in some fashion chip away at the current precedent that bars states from forcing out-of-state vendors to collect sales tax.
But like Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), Durbin said the court's decision might be more of a blunt instrument, and that lawmakers are best equipped to ensure that there's no chaos in enacting a new system. "The legislation we have tries to at least give a break to the smaller vendors, the smaller retailers so that they won't face the same regulations as others," he said. "The court may not be as generous."
It's probably no shock that lawmakers would prefer to handle the issue themselves. But even some of Durbin and Noem's longtime supporters in the retail community say it's likely too late for a legislative solution, and that all eyes are now on the judiciary. "We certainly appreciate the determination the congresswoman has shown in trying to solve this," Jason Brewer of the Retail Industry Leaders Association said about Noem. "But at this point, it's hard to believe the math and the will in Congress has changed."
Brewer pointed to a letter this week from 20 conservative groups urging lawmakers to oppose Noem's bill as proof that the political divide is too vast for legislation to have much of a chance. And he pushed back on the suggestion that there might not be room for Congress to follow up with legislation, if the Supreme Court does support giving states more power to collect sales tax. "The retail industry would never be against simplification," he said, adding that "we would be supportive of something that would make it easier for states to implement" whatever the court decides. [POLITICO's Morning Tax, March 1, 2018]

SENATORS FEEL TAILWIND ON ELECTION SECURITY - Senators on both sides of the aisle are eyeing new strategies for moving their long-stalled election security proposals, Martin reports. Members are eyeing a variety of ways to get something, anything, passed as the 2018 primary season looms, including reintroducing proposals and attaching their offerings to bills likely to actually move through Congress - such as the massive spending package Congress must take up before the end of the month. "It's hooks in the water," said Republican Sen. James Lankford, who is working with Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris tohitch the less controversial portions of broader legislation (S. 2261) onto a Department of Homeland Security authorization measure. "The more hooks you put in the water, the more opportunity you have to catch a fish," he said.
These lawmakers hope to capitalize on the sudden attention that election meddling is receiving in the wake of special counsel Robert Mueller's bombshell indictment of Russian trolls for interfering in the 2016 presidential election. "I just feel like we have an opening here," said Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is pushing a bill (S. 2035) with Republican Sen. Susan Collins that would hasten security clearances for top election officials, giving them access to classified information on digital threats.
But moving a bill remains a tall order and the 2018 primary season is only days away. There is a cornucopia of election security bills and no consensus on which one has the best chance of becoming law - though people involved in the discussions believe the Senate will move before the House does. Experts also warn that lawmakers will have to get buy-in from state officials leery of federal mandates and grapple with the GOP leadership's loyalty to President Donald Trump, who bristles at any suggestion the Kremlin was involved in helping him get elected.

In addition, while front-line election leaders have expressed support for accelerated security clearances, better lines of communications with Washington and even federal election security grants, some could regard new mandates or regulations wearily. Ultimately, "this needs to move in a timely way," Heinrich warned. "We're quickly missing the primary season." [POLITICO's Morning Cybersecurity, March 1, 2018]








USTR SEEMS CONTENT ON ISDS CUT: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer seems committed to eliminating the investor-state dispute settlement from NAFTA, Adam reports. Even as business groups mount to preserve the proposal, Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, told reporters Wednesday the administration - whether it's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross or Lighthizer - is "very consistent in the intellectual argument they make for eliminating ISDS." [POLITICO's Morning Energy, March 1, 2018]



TECHNOLOGY




RACE






ONE ILLINOIS DEBUT - Chicago Alderman and one-time gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar announced Wednesday the launch of One Illinois, a nonprofit news outlet tasked to "bring Illinoisans together and unite neighbors around their shared interests and aspirations," according to the release. The website "will spotlight the common struggles of working people across the state and showcase their resilience in a way that helps bridge the divides across race, class, and geography." [POLITICO Illinois Playbook, March 1, 2018] https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1966175611/one-illinois-by-one-illinois-media-group?ref=449330&token=c2ac7ec4

CONVERSATION PIECE: Some people use Woolite to handle delicate whites. Poet Claudia Rankine uses words. Her 2014 collection “Citizen: An American Lyric” was a probing exploration/excavation of the slights, slips, and signals that carry systemic racism forth, and an insistent second-person indictment of white America’s passive upkeep of white supremacy. It’s uncomfortable and necessary stuff, and the world premiere of Rankine’s new play “The White Card ” brings the American conversation about race to a more literal place: a tense dinner party. Directed by American Repertory Theater artistic director Diane Paulus, the show — an ART production presented by ArtsEmerson — is at the Paramount Center’s Robert J. Orchard Stage through April 1. (And if you’ve got some spare weekend to fill, pick up “Citizen” and catch up with the 1,300-plus people participating in ArtsEmerson’s “Citizen Read ” book club.) More information and tickets here. [Boston Globe Arts, March 1, 2018]


PUTIN







Besides nukes, what else did Putin talk about? The president wants to cut poverty in half by 2024, raise pensions, grow per capita GDP by one and a half times, and raise life expectancy to 80 by 2030. In this future Russia, Putin says five million families will move into new housing every year, mortgage rates will fall to seven percent, government spending on healthcare will double, and labor productivity will grow. Exports outside the hydrocarbon industry will double, and Russia will also start producing more food than it imports. He also took a moment to point out that Moscow has demonstrated in Syria that its military is more than capable. [The Real Russia. Today. March 1, 2018]



POLITICS

























MARIJUANA

















FROM THE PORCH






BERNIE SANDERS





CHINA








NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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