SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Stewart Acuff, of Jefferson County, W.Va., center, and Rev. Dr. William Barber of the Poor Peoples Campaign, conduct a news conference outside of Hart Building to call on Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to support the Build Back Better plan and voting rights protections, on Tuesday, December 14, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
3 Reasons to Be Hopeful as This Pretty Shitty Year Comes to an End
The first reason to be hopeful is—us. We the people.
Dec 23, 2021
There's no getting around it: 2021 has been a tough year. As with 2020, many of us are glad to see its back end. Do let the door hit you on the way out.
Yet, there is more than just Senator Joe Manchin's coal and Omicron fears in our stockings this holiday season. There are some reasons to be hopeful too.
The first reason to be hopeful is--us. We the people.
Social movements, struggling families, activists, and advocates are crushed that Republicans and Senator Manchin have set back the Build Back Better Act. But these movements have done worlds to make long-hoped-for improvements in our economy possible--and they aren't going anywhere.
You "can't just beat the living crap out of people and think they'll be submissive," a defiant Manchin said in a recent interview. Well, he's right on that point. That's why so many struggling West Virginian families are protesting outside of his yacht, his Maserati, and his offices in West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
They're calling on Manchin to renew the Child Tax Credit payments that have helped 93 percent of West Virginian families and 65 million children and families across the country.
They're calling on him to support the Build Back Better programs for job training and better wages as the coal industry continues to decline in West Virginia. And they're calling on Manchin to support the plan's provisions for child and elder care, cheaper prescription drugs, and hearing, dental, and vision care for seniors.
Second, there are still opportunities to get federal legislation that will help to reduce poverty. They won't have the sweeping positive impacts that the Build Back Better Act would have, but there are still possibilities that can happen with a simple majority through the budget process.
For instance, Manchin is in favor of universal pre-kindergarten. He has also signaled he is in favor of extending the 2021 subsidies to help people afford health care through the Affordable Care Act. He supports some child care assistance, and something most likely will be done to keep some of the enhancements of the Child Tax Credit. Manchin also has indicated that he is for more taxation on the rich.
Manchin could also conceivably get to yes with a different comprehensive bill. Perhaps it will be the Better Than Nothing bill, but will still be aptly named.
Third, the entire Democratic party, including Manchin, is in favor of some kind of voting rights legislation in 2022. Unfortunately, they aren't united on going around the filibuster to get it--Manchin and fellow conservative Democrat Senator Krysten Sinema have opposed that route.
But that brings us back to social movements and hard-working families around the nation.
If we want the economy to move forward equitably, to meet the challenges of increasing climate disasters, to care for our children, to fairly reward hard work, and a robust safety net for times of pandemic and hardship, we need to fight for the right to vote for those who will accomplish those things.
Because of egregious GOP gerrymandering and the explosion of voter-suppression bills in Republican-controlled states, the foundation of our democracy--the right to vote, no matter where we live or what we look like--hangs in the balance. We must and can fight for this.
We won't be submissive either. Even when things feel hard, this much remains: We are the hope we are hoping for.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
There's no getting around it: 2021 has been a tough year. As with 2020, many of us are glad to see its back end. Do let the door hit you on the way out.
Yet, there is more than just Senator Joe Manchin's coal and Omicron fears in our stockings this holiday season. There are some reasons to be hopeful too.
The first reason to be hopeful is--us. We the people.
Social movements, struggling families, activists, and advocates are crushed that Republicans and Senator Manchin have set back the Build Back Better Act. But these movements have done worlds to make long-hoped-for improvements in our economy possible--and they aren't going anywhere.
You "can't just beat the living crap out of people and think they'll be submissive," a defiant Manchin said in a recent interview. Well, he's right on that point. That's why so many struggling West Virginian families are protesting outside of his yacht, his Maserati, and his offices in West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
They're calling on Manchin to renew the Child Tax Credit payments that have helped 93 percent of West Virginian families and 65 million children and families across the country.
They're calling on him to support the Build Back Better programs for job training and better wages as the coal industry continues to decline in West Virginia. And they're calling on Manchin to support the plan's provisions for child and elder care, cheaper prescription drugs, and hearing, dental, and vision care for seniors.
Second, there are still opportunities to get federal legislation that will help to reduce poverty. They won't have the sweeping positive impacts that the Build Back Better Act would have, but there are still possibilities that can happen with a simple majority through the budget process.
For instance, Manchin is in favor of universal pre-kindergarten. He has also signaled he is in favor of extending the 2021 subsidies to help people afford health care through the Affordable Care Act. He supports some child care assistance, and something most likely will be done to keep some of the enhancements of the Child Tax Credit. Manchin also has indicated that he is for more taxation on the rich.
Manchin could also conceivably get to yes with a different comprehensive bill. Perhaps it will be the Better Than Nothing bill, but will still be aptly named.
Third, the entire Democratic party, including Manchin, is in favor of some kind of voting rights legislation in 2022. Unfortunately, they aren't united on going around the filibuster to get it--Manchin and fellow conservative Democrat Senator Krysten Sinema have opposed that route.
But that brings us back to social movements and hard-working families around the nation.
If we want the economy to move forward equitably, to meet the challenges of increasing climate disasters, to care for our children, to fairly reward hard work, and a robust safety net for times of pandemic and hardship, we need to fight for the right to vote for those who will accomplish those things.
Because of egregious GOP gerrymandering and the explosion of voter-suppression bills in Republican-controlled states, the foundation of our democracy--the right to vote, no matter where we live or what we look like--hangs in the balance. We must and can fight for this.
We won't be submissive either. Even when things feel hard, this much remains: We are the hope we are hoping for.
Karen Dolan
Karen Dolan is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and directs the Criminalization of Poverty project there. She is author of "The Poor Get Prison: The Alarming Spread of the Criminalization of Poverty."
There's no getting around it: 2021 has been a tough year. As with 2020, many of us are glad to see its back end. Do let the door hit you on the way out.
Yet, there is more than just Senator Joe Manchin's coal and Omicron fears in our stockings this holiday season. There are some reasons to be hopeful too.
The first reason to be hopeful is--us. We the people.
Social movements, struggling families, activists, and advocates are crushed that Republicans and Senator Manchin have set back the Build Back Better Act. But these movements have done worlds to make long-hoped-for improvements in our economy possible--and they aren't going anywhere.
You "can't just beat the living crap out of people and think they'll be submissive," a defiant Manchin said in a recent interview. Well, he's right on that point. That's why so many struggling West Virginian families are protesting outside of his yacht, his Maserati, and his offices in West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
They're calling on Manchin to renew the Child Tax Credit payments that have helped 93 percent of West Virginian families and 65 million children and families across the country.
They're calling on him to support the Build Back Better programs for job training and better wages as the coal industry continues to decline in West Virginia. And they're calling on Manchin to support the plan's provisions for child and elder care, cheaper prescription drugs, and hearing, dental, and vision care for seniors.
Second, there are still opportunities to get federal legislation that will help to reduce poverty. They won't have the sweeping positive impacts that the Build Back Better Act would have, but there are still possibilities that can happen with a simple majority through the budget process.
For instance, Manchin is in favor of universal pre-kindergarten. He has also signaled he is in favor of extending the 2021 subsidies to help people afford health care through the Affordable Care Act. He supports some child care assistance, and something most likely will be done to keep some of the enhancements of the Child Tax Credit. Manchin also has indicated that he is for more taxation on the rich.
Manchin could also conceivably get to yes with a different comprehensive bill. Perhaps it will be the Better Than Nothing bill, but will still be aptly named.
Third, the entire Democratic party, including Manchin, is in favor of some kind of voting rights legislation in 2022. Unfortunately, they aren't united on going around the filibuster to get it--Manchin and fellow conservative Democrat Senator Krysten Sinema have opposed that route.
But that brings us back to social movements and hard-working families around the nation.
If we want the economy to move forward equitably, to meet the challenges of increasing climate disasters, to care for our children, to fairly reward hard work, and a robust safety net for times of pandemic and hardship, we need to fight for the right to vote for those who will accomplish those things.
Because of egregious GOP gerrymandering and the explosion of voter-suppression bills in Republican-controlled states, the foundation of our democracy--the right to vote, no matter where we live or what we look like--hangs in the balance. We must and can fight for this.
We won't be submissive either. Even when things feel hard, this much remains: We are the hope we are hoping for.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.