Thread by @doctorow

Say what you will about Congressional partisan divisions, there's one area of unity: the need for self-care.

That's why the House voted to give itself only *9 days* of work between Jul 2 and Sept 19 (the Senate's workaholics will put in 11 days' work out of 75 summer days).

1/

I get it. It's been a tough 18 months. Who ISN'T tired?

But Congress ALREADY works a three-day week (the remaining two days are spent "dialing for dollars," begging rich people for money in exchange for making policy that benefits the wealthy).

2/

But Congress has work to do - work like passing the PRO Act, which will help everyday workers win some of the labor rights that Congress takes for granted, like paid vacations, health benefits, and a decent pension.

3/

The country is ALREADY on fire. Delta-variant Covid cases are spiking. Buildings are LITERALLY collapsing. The annual, worsening floods and tornadoes and hurricanes are headed our way, and the country's emergency systems are in tatters.

4/

As @RalphNader writes for @commondreams, Congress should NOT be taking ANY summer recess. We're STILL in an all-hands-on-deck emergency - the crisis is not behind us. Goofing off now is like taking a nap before you extinguish the mattress fire.

commondreams.org/views/2021/06/…

5/

Nader says that Congress's impatience for an easy summer vacation of drinks on donors' yachts explains why the Senate isn't forcing the GOP to actually filibuster badly needed stimulus and infrastructure bills - that could eat into their vacation plans.

6/

Instead, Dems - who hold a majority, no matter how slim - treat filibuster threats, made to the press, as being the same as actual filibusters, turning the Senate into a kind of mannered kabuki, a pretense to lawmaking.

7/

Nader has a call to action for the 500-some reporters who cover Congress: "report these absurdly long AWOLs to the people back home," to get the public to collar their lawmakers and read them the riot act.

8/

"Go back to work - five, six, or seven days if necessary to do your duties. Get serious lawmakers! You hold in trust the sovereign power of the American people.

9/

"We have given you handsome pay, benefits, perks, services, staff, and a powerfully air-conditioned Capitol to perform your constitutional duties with due deliberation.

10/

"You must not end up in frantic deadlines legislating with all the sloppy drafting, unintended consequences, and loopholes for greedy commercial interests."

11/

And here's Nader's call to action for the rest of us: "Let's get going Americans. Call your Senators and Representatives. The switchboard number (open 24/7) for Congress is 202-224-3121.

12/

"The operators, who have to stay on the job, will steer you to your named Senators and Representatives. Tell your members of Congress to camp out on Capitol Hill. Tell them to earn their pay and respect the power given to them by the people."

eof/

ETA - If you'd like an unrolled version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

pluralistic.net/2021/06/28/dub…