In OtherWords: April 5, 2017

This week, the Senate votes on Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch.

Several weeks back, we ran a piece by People for the American Way’s Michael Keegan (read it here, if you missed it then) on the corporate-friendly line he expected Gorsuch to take on the bench. This week in OtherWords, cartoonist Khalil Bendib imagines an even grimmer view.

Many worry that a court with Gorsuch on it could dismantle the few remaining restrictions on money in politics. But, as my colleague Razan Azzarkani writes this week, several innovative groups are scoring victories in red states and blue states alike to do the one thing most everyone seems to agree on: getting big money out of our elections.

Speaking of money, this week Donald Trump made news by donating his paycheck to the National Park Service. Jill Richardson says that was a great thing to do, except Trump’s proposed budget would cut $1.5 billion from the department that houses our national parks. Doesn’t quite make up the difference, does it?

And speaking of paychecks, Josh Hoxie dives into the administration’s next big agenda item — so-called “tax reform”  and explains what it means for you if you don’t happen to be a member of Mar-a-Lago.

Rounding out our package, Jim Hightower says it was no wonder even a famous salesman like Trump couldn’t sell the GOP health plan. And Mike Merryman-Lotze offers a way forward for ordinary people concerned about peace in the Middle East.

All Three Branches

Khalil Bendib/ OtherWords.org

  1. Money Talks. We Need to Talk Louder. / Razan Azzarkani
    Liberals and conservatives don’t agree on much, but we all want money out of politics.
  2. A Tax Plan Only a One Percenter Could Love / Josh Hoxie
    It takes serious mental gymnastics to argue that Trump’s tax agenda would benefit the average working Joe or Jane.
  3. Here’s What You Can Do for Middle East Peace / Mike Merryman-Lotze
    The White House is creating new problems in Israel-Palestine, but ordinary people can start setting things right.
  4. Feeding One Kid, Starving the Family / Jill Richardson
    Trump just donated his pay to the Park Service, which would be great if his budget didn’t starve the rest of the government.
  5. Why Did Trumpcare Fail? / Jim Hightower
    Trump could probably sell BS to a feedlot — but this bill was even worse.
  6. All Three Branches / Khalil Bendib

This piece was reprinted from Other Words by RINF Alternative News with permission.