Gut Reactions To Biden's Proposals

In this post, I comment on the merit of Biden's State of the Union policy proposals that I previously merely summarized.

Proposals Drawing Commentary:

End the pandemic public health emergency. 

Premature in my opinion but I can understand the political imperative to do so.

Increase taxes on those making more than $400K per year and corporations with a "billionaire minimum tax", a 4x tax on corporate stock buybacks and closing loopholes that the very wealthy used to avoid paying taxes. 

Good, although the details of the proposed taxes are vague and the devil is in the details.

Strengthen anti-trust legislation, prevent online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage. 

I'm skeptical that anti-trust legislation will help much, and that preventing online companies from favoring themselves is that important, but it isn't a horrible policy that threatens great mischief either.

Stop big tech from collecting data on kids and teens and targeting advertisements at them. Impose stricter limits on the data big tech collects on everyone.

Color me skeptical. The parallel European effort is a complicated mess that doesn't appear to have provided many benefits. 

Pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act limiting hotel surcharges, cable and cell phone company switching fees, concert and ticket service fees, and charging families to sit together on planes.

Crude and not the optimal solution, but it gets the job done.

Pass the PRO Act to make it easier to unionize. 

The devil is in the details. Ultimately, a strong labor market helps unionization more than legal reforms which are lagging rather than a leading indicator.

Increase access to affordable and quality housing.

Possibly good, but extremely vague in the face of a very complex problem with multiple possible solutions. The federal government isn't the main source of the current problems, so it is limited in its capacity to solve them. 

Provide veterans and their spouses with job training and placement upon reentry to civilian life. 

Good, although job training programs have an extremely poor historical record of success despite many, many attempts.

Prosecute criminals who stole pandemic relief money. Triple anti-fraud "strike forces" going after them, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates.

Not bad. Not necessarily my highest priority, but worth doing.

Stop fentanyl production, sale and trafficking with greater enforcement including higher penalties for fentanyl trafficking, more resources for interdiction at the border, and by working with carriers like FedEx to inspect more packages for drugs.

The response is understandable, but I doubt that it will work any better than the drug war has in the past. Decriminalization of what are now illicit drugs and better treatment programs would work better. The shift to highly concentrated fentanyl instead of less potent and easier to work with drugs is itself a nature response to these kinds of measures that put a premium on increasing potency per volume.

Use more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime such as more community intervention programs and more housing, education and job training. 

These are good things to do whether or not they actually reduce crime. Job training programs rarely work, however, and men, who are most likely to commit serious crimes, tend to benefit much less from educational programs than women do.

Ban assault weapons.

Not very bold, but still a good baby step.

Reform immigration, if not with his comprehensive plan, at least with more equipment and officers at the border, and 

Border enforcement is a lost cause band aid solution that costs money and appeals to conservative gut instincts without really solving the problems that border issues are symptomatic of. Probably does more harm than good. The political drive to do it anyway is understandable.

Seek competition and not conflict with China and unite the U.S. to compete with it. Invest in industries that define the future that China wants to dominate. Work with allies to protect advanced technologies so they are not used against us. Modernize our military. Work with China to advance American interests and benefit the world. Protect the U.S. from Chinese threats to our country and sovereignty.

More balanced and less bellicose than it could be. Still too protectionist in tone that I would like, but to the extent that it undermines hawks from taking more aggressive positions, that's a good thing. Also very vague.

Good Proposals:

Cap the costs of insulin at $35 a month for all Americans, not just those on Medicare. Preserve recent ACA premium subsidies and expanded ACA Medicaid after 2025. Extend the Medicare Trust Fund by two decades. Increase access to home health care and support for family caregivers. Monitor new COVID variants and support new COVID vaccines. Greatly increase funding for cancer research.

Restore the full child tax credit. 

Lift the debt ceiling. Cut the deficit by $2 trillion without cutting Medicare or Social Security. 

Guarantee all workers a living wage. Give workers paid family and medical leave and affordable child care.  

Provide rent so veterans don't become homeless. Reduce suicides by veterans.

Provide preschool to 3- and 4- year olds. Give public school teachers a raise. Increase access to mental health care at school. Connect students to career opportunities in high school. 

Reduce student debt and increase Pell Grants for working and middle class families. Provide two years of community college. 

Give law enforcement the training they need. Fund more first responders and other professionals to address substance abuse and mental health issues. 

Hold police officers and departments that violate the public trust accountable. He's banned federal law enforcement officers from using chokeholds, restricting no knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act that didn't pass and he wants to finish the job on police reform. 

a path to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.

Codify Roe v. Wade. Pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people.

Don't tolerate political violence. Protect the right to vote rather than suppressing it. Honor the results of our elections. Uphold the rule of law. Restore trust in our institutions of democracy. Give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.

The U.S. will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. 

The U.S. will work for more freedom, more dignity, and more peace, not just in Europe, but everywhere.

All good.