Public Enemy #1 (of 215)

May 23, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 21) - That smiling mug belongs to U.S. Representative Tracey Mann, the person who is allegedly my congressman. Keep in mind that he represents the ridiculously gerrymandered Kansas First Congressional District, which reaches out to Lawrence (the most liberal community in the state) before engulfing all of Western Kansas (see the map below).That map is an obscenity. And so is Representative Mann, especially after voting along with 214 other Republican colleagues for Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." In its present form, the bill effectively raises taxes for the poorest of Americans while rewarding the richest among us with a tax windfall. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill's effect - thanks to budget cuts in food aid and Medicaid - would lead to the bottom 10 percent of Americans seeing their household resources reduced by 4 percent, while the top 10 percent would see their increase by 2 percent. That's Robin Hood in reverse. In what world does "take from the poor and give to the rich" square with a professed American value of all people being created equal? Under this legislative monstrosity, parents and older American face more stringent work requirements for food assistance - requirements designed to trim the food stamp roles to help pay for Trump's tax cuts for the uber-wealthy. The bill also spends $46.5 billion for a border wall (which won't work), $4 billion for border agents, imposes a fee on migrants seeking asylum (as if they had any money in the first place), $25 billion for Trump's spurious and ridiculous "Golden Dome," and a $330 billion assault on higher education. In the end, this "Big Beautiful Bill" adds $4 trillion to the deficit. There are also hidden provisions within the bill designed to undermine the ability to courts to put a check on Executive Branch overreach. While the Senate may soften some of the more obscene aspects of this Bogus Boondoggle Bill, the fact remains that Congressman Tracey Mann voted for it. And now he owns it. What he has done is unconsciousable, immoral and unforgivable. And I am going to make certain that every voter in this congressional district knows it. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.