Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth!

Independence Day is a special holiday for a political party. We have holidays to honor Presidents, labor, veterans, and the news of emancipation, but July 4th is a day we celebrate the nation as a whole. We are active in politics because we see parts of our society that need fixing and we want to help make a better country for ourselves and our children, but there is also a great deal to be proud of in the founding of this big, beautiful, wild young democracy of ours. A strong showing at our community's July 4th celebrations lets people know that the Democratic Party is working hard in our system to make everyone's lives better.

Today we'll be at the Fourth of July Parade in South Range. The parade line-up is at 1pm at the South Range Elementary School. We'll have banners to carry, signs to wave, candy to throw for the kids, and of course our decorated vehicle. A big turnout energizes our supporters, so we hope lots of you can come join us! This is an easy way to get our presence in front of a lot of people in Houghton County.

Later in the month we'll have a chance to show up in a different way, putting our principles into action with a service project for Let's Rebuild. We'll be hearing the details of this from Bill Binroth at this month's meeting on Wednesday, and will get them out in our weekly emails afterward. Come join us in person at the Super 8, grab a cookie and hear all the news, or log in via Zoom.

Summer is the event season - let's show Houghton County who we are!

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 The success of our county party relies on the participation of people just like you. Join the HCDP today and help us put Democrats on the ballot who’ll make a difference.

“We are Democrats because we believe that good government must rely upon and strengthen the bonds that make us a society: recognizing the richness of our diverse heritage, preserving what we have been given, and leaving to posterity a legacy greater than that which we received.” - HCDP Platform Preamble

Heading into the 2024 election, we Democrats have a strong story to tell on the economy, and we should be shouting it from the rooftops.

This past Wednesday President Joe Biden did just that, as he gave a major speech in Chicago talking about what his administration is calling “Bidenomics” - growing the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, NOT the top down.

Bidenomics is a repudiation of the trickle down policies of Republican presidents since Ronald Reagan, who have professed the belief that cutting taxes and reducing regulation would somehow “lift all boats”. Exactly the opposite has happened, as the American middle class has been hollowed out, while the rich have gotten richer.

Well, under this Democratic President’s administration the US economy has been thriving, with tremendous job growth and rising wages for lower income workers.

• Unemployment currently stands at a near historic low of 3.7%. This compares to a rate of 14.7% at the height of the pandemic in April 2020.

• Inflation, which has been felt worldwide and was sparked by supply chain issues caused by COVID disruptions, peaked in the US at 9.1% one year ago and has since fallen to 4%. Inflation is lower in the US than it is in the rest of the industrialized nations in the Group of Seven.

• The President, along with many economists, are now predicting that the US will avoid the recession that economic analysts have been projecting since the high inflation numbers were first recorded a year ago. US GDP actually ROSE 2% in the first quarter of 2023.

• Since the pandemic, low income workers have made historic wage gains. People making an average of $12.50 per hour nationally saw their pay grow nearly 6 percent from 2020 to 2022, even after factoring in inflation.

• Housing starts in May of this year, the latest month for which we have figures, surged by more than they have in three decades.

If all these trends continue into 2024 President Biden will have a very strong economic story to tell on the campaign trail.

One word of caution - the continuation of this strong economy could be at risk depending on the ongoing inflation trend and the potential interest rate actions of the Fed to address that trend. But for now the story really is an excellent one.

Below are three videos that tell this story much better than I can.

This first video contains President Biden’s Wednesday speech - after some introductory remarks the speech itself starts around the 2:50 mark.

The second video comes from MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who goes through some of the impressive economic stats and tells us why Biden deserves much more credit than he’s gotten so far for the thriving economy.

The third and final video is from Jessica Craven, activist and author of the popular newsletter and podcast “Chop Wood Carry Water”. This short video hits all the important Bidenomics points, and is something that can be easily shared with friends - which I encourage you to do.

Last week’s Lansing news from in and out of the legislature:

• US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced last Monday that Michigan will be receiving more than $60 million in federal funding for school lunches and food banks. This good news came on top of the announcement that Michigan will receive $1.5 billion in funding for high speed internet, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Governor Whitmer called the internet funding “…a game-changing investment to expand access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet to 210,000 more homes across Michigan.”

• $75 Million in American Rescue Act funds are now being made available to support small businesses that were hurt by COVID. The funds will support the creation of “Small Business Support Hubs”. A portion of the money will be made directly available to small businesses through a grant program administered by the new Hubs.

• The Michigan Senate voted 21-15 (Sen. McBroom voting against) last Tuesday on a pair of bills to ban conversion therapy by mental health professionals to change the gender identity or sexual orientation of minors. The bills have already passed the House (Rep. Markkanen voted against). Governor Whitmer is expected to sign the legislation making Michigan the 22nd state in the nation to adopt such a ban.

• The State House and Senate passed a record breaking state budget this past Wednesday, committing spending of billions in Federal funding and a large state surplus. The budget now goes to Governor Whitmer’s desk for signature.

HCDP Monthly Meetings: First Wednesday of each month at 7 PM, in the conference room at the Houghton Super 8 and by Zoom.

Tue 7/4

• On July 4, 1776, 247 years ago today, the Continental Congress unanimously signed a document prepared by their “committee of five” and drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The document declared that the 13 American colonies were free of the British monarch. The signing of that document, the Declaration of Independence, marked a day that has been celebrated ever since as Independence Day, the birth day of the United States. Happy 247th birthday to America, and Happy 4th of July to us all!

Thur 7/6

• The South Range Village Council meets Thursday at 6:30 PM in the South Range Community Building. For more information contact the Village at [email protected] or (906) 482-8833

Is there a community commemoration or event we should recognize that's of particular importance to you? Just send an email to [email protected].