The economic downturn means organic farmers are less likely to reap rewards of premium prices for their produce Farmers across the UK have been deserting organic farming, or holding back on plans to convert their land to more environmentally friendly farming methods, as sales of organic products have fallen in the economic downturn. Last year, only 51,000 hectares was in “conversion” – the process that farmers need to go through to have their land and practices certified as organic. That is less than half the amount of land that was in conversion in 2009, which itself was down markedly from the recent peak of 158,000Ha in 2007, according to statistics released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Thursday morning. Far fewer farmers are interested in turning their land to organic production, despite the promise of premium prices for their produce, after a marked fall in sales of organic goods in the past two years as a result of the recession. Sales of organic products fell by 5.9% in the UK last year, according to the Soil Association , from £1.84bn in 2009 to £1.73bn in 2010. That continued a decline from record sales of £2.1bn in 2008, and came amid rising food prices overall. The rapid decline in interest from farmers is not yet reflected in the amount of land in organic production overall in the UK, which has risen slightly. It takes several years to convert land from conventional production to organic production, in part because of the need to stop using fertilisers and pesticides that may still be present in the soil. That time lag, while land that has been in preparation moves into full organic production, created the small rise in the total area of land organically farmed last year – from 619,000Ha across the UK in 2009 to 668,000Ha overall. What Thursday’s figures show is that this is not being replenished by new farmers coming on board. As the decline in farmers entering organic conversion feeds through, the overall figure for organically farmed land is likely to stagnate or fall. “This is very worrying,” said Kirtana Chandrasekaran, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth . “What this points to is that the UK government is doing barely anything to promote organic farming, despite the benefits of it.” In England, about 90,000Ha was in conversion in 2007 and 2008, but since then that area has decreased dramatically, to about 30,000Ha. Organic conversion has fallen in all regions except Northern Ireland, which has only a small organic industry. In livestock farming, the picture is mixed. Despite widespread publicity by food campaigners on the benefits of choosing free range or organic chickens over the battery-bred variety, organic production decreased last year, continuing a fall in which more than half a million fewer organic chickens, turkeys and other organic poultry was produced in the UK for a year than at their peak production of nearly 4.5m in 2006. Similarly, fewer pigs are bred organically, with about 47,000 on farms last year, down from a peak of more than 71,000 in 2007. However, the number of cattle being reared organically is rising steadily, to more than 350,000 beasts last year. In the past decade, Scotland has experienced the biggest exodus in organic producers, with 189,000Ha either in organic production or in conversion last year, compared with 429,000Ha in 2002. This reflects changes to government incentives in the early 2000s. The number of organic producers or processors, including arable and livestock farmers, and food processors, fell by 3.7% last year across the UK as a whole, with the number in Scotland falling by nearly 14%. Organics Farming Food Recession Agriculture Ethical and green living Food & drink Economics Food science Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk
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Kenyan government refuses to open £10m refugee camp despite growing concern over 400,000 squeezed into Dadaab Somalis fleeing famine and conflict have pushed the population of the world’s biggest refugee settlement past 400,000 for the first time, with the host Kenyan government apparently blocking the opening of an already built overspill camp. About 1,400 Somalis arrive at Dadaab in Kenya’s north-east every day, pushing the boundaries of the refugee camps deeper into the arid scrubland, far from toilets, water points and security patrols. Aid workers are desperate to move some of the most vulnerable people to a new £10m camp called Ifo 2. It was built late last year to house more than 40,000 people and features three schools, four water towers and several hundred latrines. But the Kenyan government has refused to allow the camp to be opened, arguing that it suggests permanence and that the refugees should instead be cared for on Somali soil. In a compromise arrangement, thousands of Somali families living in makeshift shelters on the outskirts of the three existing camps are being moved into tents on a hastily cleared piece of land called Ifo Extension, where the latrines are still being dug and water has to be trucked in. The impasse over Ifo 2 is causing increasing frustration for aid agencies and the refugees, with the Kenyan government and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) receiving criticism. The Kenyan prime minister, Raila Odinga, suggested last month that Ifo 2 could be opened, but the government has not officially confirmed this, and local politicians strongly oppose the move. UNHCR, which described the increasing numbers at Dadaab as “a huge concern”, says it has taken Odinga’s comments at face value and insists people will soon move into the new camp. “Ifo 2 is open,” William Spindler, spokesman for the agency in Dadaab, said. “We have told NGOs that they can move in.” But a visit to Ifo 2, where refugees were originally supposed to be settled in brick houses, revealed it to be empty. While dozens of tents for refugees were erected there on Wednesday, workers said they had been ordered to stop by the local authorities. Shelterbox, the charity that donated the tents, said on Thursday that work had resumed. The situation is likely to become ever more urgent because the flow of Somalis across the border is expected to continue in the coming months. Famine conditions already exist in several parts of southern Somalia, and aid is arriving slowly because of logistical challenges and restrictions imposed by the al-Shabab insurgents who control some of the worst-hit areas. Many of the refugees are arriving in poor shape, with many children suffering from malnutrition. The three Dabaab camps – Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera – were originally set up 20 years ago when Somalis first started fleeing drought and war. They were designed for 90,000 people, but the population quickly swelled past that as Somalia descended into a failed state. Kenya has historically been a generous host to refugees from neighbouring countries. But in recent years the government has become concerned by the situation in Somalia, particularly the terror threat posed by al-Qaida-affiliated insurgents. The flood of Somali refugees – more than 130,000 Somalis have reached Dadaab this year, about 85,000 of them since June – has also raised concern about the environment. In 1991, water could be found 10 metres below the surface. Now boreholes in Dabaab must be drilled 200 metres underground. Tree cover has been drastically reduced by the need for firewood. Besides the 400,579 refugees that were officially recorded in Dadaab by Monday, a further 38,000 were waiting to be registered. This means Dadaab is the third-biggest “city” in Kenya. If the current flow continues, the official camp population will exceed half a million people by late October. In a statement on Tuesday, the Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, reiterated the message that the status quo was unacceptable. “Somali refugees need to be settled inside their country and be given food and other forms of support they may require while there,” he said. Politicians in north-east Kenya are even more vehement that the influx of Somalis must end. They say the refugees receive much better services than the local population, who have also been affected by the drought and historic underdevelopment. The one-room brick houses built by aid agencies for refugees in Ifo 2 have been a particular source of resentment, mainly because they are seen as better than the homes of millions of Kenyans. Only 116 out of the planned 15,000 houses were built before the government ordered the project halted last December. Kenyan officials are also concerned that building permanent structures would make the refugees reluctant to go home. UNHCR says it has settled 14,000 people in tents on the 10-metre by 12-metre plots in Ifo Extension over the past few weeks, and plans to move 90,000 more there from the edges of the existing camps. By November, it hopes to have moved a further 90,000 people to a new settlement called Kambi Os, near the Hagadera camp. The government has yet to approve this. Somalia Kenya Refugees Africa Famine United Nations Drought Water Xan Rice guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Reince Priebus Shrugs: We Need to Have a Country of Makers and Not Takers
August 11, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media While discussing his opinions on the Wisconsin recall elections and the Republicans hanging onto their one seat majority in the Senate, RNC Chair Reince Priebus said the elections presented a lesson for the whole nation. One as TPM noted was pretty well a “pocket-sized John Galt speech” — Priebus Toasts Wis. Recalls: ‘We Need To Have A Country Of Makers, And Not A Country Of Takers’ (VIDEO) : MSNBC host Contessa Brewer asked Priebus what message could be ‘extrapolated’ from the recalls, which were launched by the Democrats and organized labor in a backlash against Gov. Scott Walker’s new law eliminating most collective bargaining rights that public employee unions had previously enjoyed. Democrats picked up two seats, just short of the three that they needed in order to flip control of the chamber. “Well, Contessa, I mean, I view it as a 100 percent, absolute victory for not only the people in Wisconsin, but for all Americans that want to make sure that their government is listening, and that they can start living within its means,” said Priebus. “And so after $30 million of big-government union money coming in, and a manufactured outrage that they’ve tried to put together in Wisconsin, we remain red. We won the Prosser [state Supreme Court] race in Wisconsin, we won again yesterday, we may win one or two next week. “I think for the country, it’s the start of having a debate, and winning the debate, that we need to have a country of makers, and not a country of takers. And I think that’s important in saving not only Wisconsin, but a lot of other states that are watching. And I think it’s a good signal, and a good sign, and a good tell, for the rest of America as to where the electorate is moving, and they’re moving to winning a battle of individual freedom for America.” This is the same guy who just said not to pay any attention to these recalls — RNC Chair: Pay No Attention To The Wisconsin Recalls, National Reporters : RNC chair Reince Priebus, a former chair of the Wisconsin Republican Party, says there’s no need for national political reporters to try and glean anything about the 2012 elections from the state Senate recall fight underway in his home state, where Democrats seem to have the momentum. Because heaven forbid anyone should have learned the lesson that boots on the ground and organizing might have a chance to overcome all that Koch money flowing into the state had they managed to regain the Senate. And for all the positive spin the Republicans are trying to put on this, they can’t be happy about what it says for the real chance of Scott Wallker being recalled next year. If they get these same sort of results in other ruby red counties, they’ve got a chance to actually get him out of office. And surprise, surprise, Walker’s saying Wisconsin doesn’t want any more recall elections — Walker Says Wisconsin Doesn’t Want More Recalls (Against Him) .
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Tallinn police evacuate and cordon off building as news website reports shooter may have taken hostage There has been a shooting inside the Estonian defence ministry in central Tallinn, officials said. Spokesman Peeter Kuimet said there had been an “incident involving guns” inside the ministry and that police are on the scene. The government said all employees have evacuated the building and police have cordoned off the surrounding area. The Postimees, a leading daily paper and website in Estonia, is reporting the shooter may have taken a hostage inside the ministry. The Delfi news website reported from the scene that there had been shots approximately 20 minutes apart and that two people jumped through a window and ran away after the second shot. Hannes Kont, the director of press at the fefence ministry, told the Associated Press that the minister, Mart Laar, was not in the building when the shooting started. Estonia Europe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Tallinn police evacuate and cordon off building as news website reports shooter may have taken hostage There has been a shooting inside the Estonian defence ministry in central Tallinn, officials said. Spokesman Peeter Kuimet said there had been an “incident involving guns” inside the ministry and that police are on the scene. The government said all employees have evacuated the building and police have cordoned off the surrounding area. The Postimees, a leading daily paper and website in Estonia, is reporting the shooter may have taken a hostage inside the ministry. The Delfi news website reported from the scene that there had been shots approximately 20 minutes apart and that two people jumped through a window and ran away after the second shot. Hannes Kont, the director of press at the fefence ministry, told the Associated Press that the minister, Mart Laar, was not in the building when the shooting started. Estonia Europe guardian.co.uk
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Recovery will be longer and harder than we had hoped, chancellor tells recalled session of parliament The chancellor has used his emergency statement to parliament to say that recent events in the global economy had “vindicated” the government’s deficit reduction programme. He put in a bullish performance after the Bank of England downgraded its UK growth forecasts for the fifth time this year. George Osborne made the second of two emergency government statements after nine days of economic upheaval and one day after the Bank of England governor, Sir Mervyn King, warned of more economic “turbulence” ahead, saying “headwinds were becoming stronger by the day”. In his statement, Osborne acknowledged this squall of bad economic news, saying the FTSE had fared badly in the past month. “The huge overhang of debt means the recovery will be longer and harder than we had hoped,” he said. “This is the most dangerous time for the global economy since 2008, and we should be clear about that.” But he sought to turn events to his advantage, telling parliament Britain had become a “safe haven” for stock markets in recent days, with the unpredictability of stocks making an investment in UK bonds more attractive. Referring to recent market turbulence, he said: “The market for our government bonds has benefited.” The chancellor showed that Britain had now become a better credit risk than Germany according to the present market assessment. This was because of Britain’s deficit reduction package, which had reassured international markets the government had finances under control, and because bond traders were not angling to downgrade Britain’s sovereign credit worthiness. That bond yields were down was a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK, Osborne said. He spoke of “the reckless folly of those who said we were cutting too far and too fast”. “[It] vindicates the decision to get ahead of the curve, while other countries have remained paralysed. Ours is an unwavering commitment and we will not abandon Britain to the financial whirlpool.” Responding in the commons chamber, shadow chancellor Ed Balls said Osborne’s optimistic interpretation of bond yields going down had a worrying precedent. He pointed out that Japan’s bond yields fell before they went through a decade of stagnation, a fall which, he suggested, showed that international investors did not expect much future growth. The chancellor returned from his holiday in California, and the prime minister returned from Tuscany, to address MPs’ concerns about rioting as well as the world economy. The Bank of England cut its growth forecast for the year 2011 from 1.8% to 1.5%. UK manufacturing figures were also worse than expected: output fell by 0.4% in June. On Wednesday, the FTSE 100 fell 3% and it was rumoured on Thursday morning, hours ahead of the chancellor’s address, that France could see a credit downgrade similar to that announced by Standard & Poor’s in America, whose ratings downgrade triggered the latest share fall. In an attempt to avert such a downgrade, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he would be announcing plans to reduce his country’s budget deficit within the week. Osborne said 500,000 private sector jobs had been created in the British economy during the last 12 months. He also mounted a trenchant defence of the government’s deficit reduction plan, saying that without it Britain might also risk having its credit worthiness downgraded, as America’s had been last week . He said the Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Services Authority were in agreement that British banks were sufficiently capitalised to deal with any second credit crunch on the continent. Balls warned Osborne that events could push the world economy into a repeat of the 1930s depression and said his constituents wondered whether the chancellor was either “deeply complacent or in deep denial about the state the UK economy is in”. Britain’s growth had been “stagnant” over the last nine months. Osborne had previously suggested in an article for the Daily Telegraph that fresh measures would be brought in in the autumn to attempt anew to galvanise the British economy, writing “we will take further action this autumn. Indeed this crisis provides an opportunity to make some difficult trade-offs in favour of growth that might get parked in the ‘too difficult’ box in calmer times.” Among elements already in place, Osborne pointed to lower corporation tax rates, less regulation for small firms, welfare reform, planning changes and lower taxes for entrepreneurs. In the piece, Osborne defended the government’s cuts programme because of the market confidence it has afforded. He wrote: “In the latest phase of financial turbulence, the interest rates on our government debt have fallen as market participants hail UK assets as a safe haven. The alternative of more spending and yet more borrowing is now frankly ludicrous and places those who advocate it on the outer fringes of the international debate.” On Wednesday King said: “There are a number of headwinds to world and domestic growth, not least the private and public debt overhang. And these headwinds are becoming stronger by the day.” Economic growth (GDP) Bank of England Economics Inflation Interest rates Banking Global recession Global economy Financial crisis George Osborne Liberal-Conservative coalition Bonds Mervyn King Ed Balls House of Commons European debt crisis Stock markets Market turmoil Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Recovery will be longer and harder than we had hoped, chancellor tells recalled session of parliament The chancellor has used his emergency statement to parliament to say that recent events in the global economy had “vindicated” the government’s deficit reduction programme. He put in a bullish performance after the Bank of England downgraded its UK growth forecasts for the fifth time this year. George Osborne made the second of two emergency government statements after nine days of economic upheaval and one day after the Bank of England governor, Sir Mervyn King, warned of more economic “turbulence” ahead, saying “headwinds were becoming stronger by the day”. In his statement, Osborne acknowledged this squall of bad economic news, saying the FTSE had fared badly in the past month. “The huge overhang of debt means the recovery will be longer and harder than we had hoped,” he said. “This is the most dangerous time for the global economy since 2008, and we should be clear about that.” But he sought to turn events to his advantage, telling parliament Britain had become a “safe haven” for stock markets in recent days, with the unpredictability of stocks making an investment in UK bonds more attractive. Referring to recent market turbulence, he said: “The market for our government bonds has benefited.” The chancellor showed that Britain had now become a better credit risk than Germany according to the present market assessment. This was because of Britain’s deficit reduction package, which had reassured international markets the government had finances under control, and because bond traders were not angling to downgrade Britain’s sovereign credit worthiness. That bond yields were down was a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK, Osborne said. He spoke of “the reckless folly of those who said we were cutting too far and too fast”. “[It] vindicates the decision to get ahead of the curve, while other countries have remained paralysed. Ours is an unwavering commitment and we will not abandon Britain to the financial whirlpool.” Responding in the commons chamber, shadow chancellor Ed Balls said Osborne’s optimistic interpretation of bond yields going down had a worrying precedent. He pointed out that Japan’s bond yields fell before they went through a decade of stagnation, a fall which, he suggested, showed that international investors did not expect much future growth. The chancellor returned from his holiday in California, and the prime minister returned from Tuscany, to address MPs’ concerns about rioting as well as the world economy. The Bank of England cut its growth forecast for the year 2011 from 1.8% to 1.5%. UK manufacturing figures were also worse than expected: output fell by 0.4% in June. On Wednesday, the FTSE 100 fell 3% and it was rumoured on Thursday morning, hours ahead of the chancellor’s address, that France could see a credit downgrade similar to that announced by Standard & Poor’s in America, whose ratings downgrade triggered the latest share fall. In an attempt to avert such a downgrade, French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he would be announcing plans to reduce his country’s budget deficit within the week. Osborne said 500,000 private sector jobs had been created in the British economy during the last 12 months. He also mounted a trenchant defence of the government’s deficit reduction plan, saying that without it Britain might also risk having its credit worthiness downgraded, as America’s had been last week . He said the Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Services Authority were in agreement that British banks were sufficiently capitalised to deal with any second credit crunch on the continent. Balls warned Osborne that events could push the world economy into a repeat of the 1930s depression and said his constituents wondered whether the chancellor was either “deeply complacent or in deep denial about the state the UK economy is in”. Britain’s growth had been “stagnant” over the last nine months. Osborne had previously suggested in an article for the Daily Telegraph that fresh measures would be brought in in the autumn to attempt anew to galvanise the British economy, writing “we will take further action this autumn. Indeed this crisis provides an opportunity to make some difficult trade-offs in favour of growth that might get parked in the ‘too difficult’ box in calmer times.” Among elements already in place, Osborne pointed to lower corporation tax rates, less regulation for small firms, welfare reform, planning changes and lower taxes for entrepreneurs. In the piece, Osborne defended the government’s cuts programme because of the market confidence it has afforded. He wrote: “In the latest phase of financial turbulence, the interest rates on our government debt have fallen as market participants hail UK assets as a safe haven. The alternative of more spending and yet more borrowing is now frankly ludicrous and places those who advocate it on the outer fringes of the international debate.” On Wednesday King said: “There are a number of headwinds to world and domestic growth, not least the private and public debt overhang. And these headwinds are becoming stronger by the day.” Economic growth (GDP) Bank of England Economics Inflation Interest rates Banking Global recession Global economy Financial crisis George Osborne Liberal-Conservative coalition Bonds Mervyn King Ed Balls House of Commons European debt crisis Stock markets Market turmoil Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Rachel Maddow talked to Steve Benen about his recent article at The Washington Monthly where he asked this after noting the Republicans like Michele Bachmann’s hypocrisy of privately requesting stimulus funds for their districts while publicly decrying any further attempts to stimulate the economy and claiming it doesn’t work. The easy observation is to mock the GOP hypocrisy, but Bachmann gave me a new idea: how about a new stimulus package focused on granting Republicans’ requests for public investments? Here’s the pitch: have the White House take the several hundred letters GOP lawmakers have sent to the executive branch since 2009, asking for public investments, and let President Obama announce he’ll gladly fund all of the Republicans’ requests that have not yet been filled. This is especially important when it comes to infrastructure, a sector in which GOP members have pleaded for more investment in their areas. When pressed, these same Republicans will offer an explanation that “sounds like something out of the mouth of a Keynesian economist, rather than the musings of a congressman who proudly touts his support from the Tea Party movement.” So, how about it? If these Republican lawmakers have identified worthwhile projects in need of government spending, which they themselves insist will boost the economy, why not start spending the money GOP officials want to see spent? If the White House is listening, I think this is something they should have been doing to Republicans a long time ago. As Rachel noted, back when Republicans were first complaining about the stimulus bill while at the same time running back to their districts and doing things like holding up big checks and taking credit for the projects that were helping to create jobs there, her blog posted a “hall of fame” with the list of these hypocrites. They’ve posted it again here —
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Click here to view this media Rachel Maddow talked to Steve Benen about his recent article at The Washington Monthly where he asked this after noting the Republicans like Michele Bachmann’s hypocrisy of privately requesting stimulus funds for their districts while publicly decrying any further attempts to stimulate the economy and claiming it doesn’t work. The easy observation is to mock the GOP hypocrisy, but Bachmann gave me a new idea: how about a new stimulus package focused on granting Republicans’ requests for public investments? Here’s the pitch: have the White House take the several hundred letters GOP lawmakers have sent to the executive branch since 2009, asking for public investments, and let President Obama announce he’ll gladly fund all of the Republicans’ requests that have not yet been filled. This is especially important when it comes to infrastructure, a sector in which GOP members have pleaded for more investment in their areas. When pressed, these same Republicans will offer an explanation that “sounds like something out of the mouth of a Keynesian economist, rather than the musings of a congressman who proudly touts his support from the Tea Party movement.” So, how about it? If these Republican lawmakers have identified worthwhile projects in need of government spending, which they themselves insist will boost the economy, why not start spending the money GOP officials want to see spent? If the White House is listening, I think this is something they should have been doing to Republicans a long time ago. As Rachel noted, back when Republicans were first complaining about the stimulus bill while at the same time running back to their districts and doing things like holding up big checks and taking credit for the projects that were helping to create jobs there, her blog posted a “hall of fame” with the list of these hypocrites. They’ve posted it again here —
Continue reading …Ari Melber: Call The Senate Back Into Session And Make Republican Obstructionists Vote On Obama Nominees
August 11, 2011 No CommentAppearing yesterday on MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan Show , The Nation ‘s Ari Melber reminded us how Republican obstructionism has crippled administration appointments — and suggested what Obama and Harry Reid should do: ARI MELBER: Most of you know Congress just left for vacation. Normally when Congress is on recess, the president can make recess appointments to advance nominees that have been obstructed, but it turns out Congress is not really on recess. Republicans are holding symbolic sessions during their entire vacation in order to prevent recess appointments. This is just the latest ploy in a long obstruction campaign by the GOP. Since Obama came into office, Republicans have blocked an unprecedented number of nominees from ever getting a vote. Take judicial nominees. Republicans have blocked almost half of the nominees for judicial nominations, the worst obstruction rate in U.S. history. And the targets aren’t random, either. GOP obstruction has hindered female and minority nominees the most. Here’s a disturbing statistic from the People for the American Way, and I’m quoting now: “Every district court nominee with unanimous opposition from the Senate Judiciary committee Republicans has been a woman or a person of color.” You know, people forget that Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was first nominated to an appeals court back in the day by President Clinton, but Republicans wouldn’t allow her a vote on that nomination. Then, when President Obama nominated her to be the third woman to ever serve on our high court, the same Republicans complained she didn’t have the experience as a judge — even though they were the ones who kept her off the bench. And meanwhile, nominees for jobs shaping economic policy – obviously the No. 1 issue in this country – have been totally shut down. Obama nominated Nobel economist Peter Diamond to the Federal Reserve Board over a year ago. Republicans filibustered, he was renominated two more times, and he ultimately withdrew in disgust. The top spot at the famous Consumer Protection Bureau remains empty. Republicans even brazenly blocked votes on nominees for the Board of Protection commissioner at the Homeland Security department and the head of Industry and Security at the Commerce department. Both of those posts were finally filled through recess appointments last year, but it’s only gotten worse. This week, White House officials openly said they need Tim Geithner to extend his term as Treasury Secretary, in part because Republicans would filibuster a vote on his replacement. Look, you don’t fight unemployment by trying to shut down one of the most important jobs on the president’s economic team. The solution is pretty simple — Senator Reid and President Obama should call the Senate back in session now, in this hot August summer. They should refuse to adjourn until there are votes on all these nominees. They can use quorum calls, break the silent filibuster that most Americans don’t even know is happening, and they can keep every member working seven days a week and refuse to adjourn unless it’s for a real old-school recess – you know, when recess appointments are on the table. Just imagine the president speaking to the nation about making government work again instead of just pleading for compromise with his tormentors. Imagine him seizing the initiative on a concrete action plan , and imagine him making a case for an American government based on the people who want to serve our government, to run our schools, protect our borders and put our people back to work. It says a lot about this Congress that they found a way to hinder government and recovery even while they’re on vacation. Well look, let’s bring these guys back to Washington. MATT MILLER: Ari Melber, great point. And also, what it does is echo the fact for those who say there’s an equivalence between Republican and Democratic responsibility aren’t looking hard enough at what the GOP is doing to block progress in a number of these areas. We’ll have to pick that conversation up another time. Ari, terrific rant.
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