Welcome to Monday, November 4th, reptiles and amphibians...

M4A DOA?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has released an outline of her single-payer "Medicare for All" plan, pledging not to raise middle-class taxes to fund it.

“A key step in winning the public debate over Medicare for all will be explaining what this plan costs — and how to pay for it,” Warren wrote in her plan. To accomplish that, she added, “We don’t need to raise taxes on the middle class by one penny.”

Warren's challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden wasn't having any of that. 

"The mathematical gymnastics in this plan are all geared towards hiding a simple truth from voters: it's impossible to pay for Medicare for All without middle class tax increases," the Biden camp said. "She will be left with only two choices: even further increase taxes on the middle class or break her commitment to these promised benefits.”

Do you support Warren's healthcare plan?

On the Radar

Wildfires Increasingly Destructive

From 1983 to 1992, the average wildfire burned 43 acres of land, but that figure grew to 104 acres for the 2009 to 2018 period. This chart from USAFacts illustrates that while the number of wildfires has declined, the amount of acres burned has increased:

Five states were responsible for 41% of the wildfires that occurred from 2009 to 2018: Texas (13%), California (12%), North Carolina (6%), Georgia (6%), and Florida (4%). This map from USAFacts shows the frequency of wildfire in each state over that period:

Does Congress need to do more to combat wildfires?

 

Under the Radar

Housing as a Right?

It’s hard to pursue life, liberty, and happiness without a roof over your head. But should a home be a right?

Before you answer, consider the alternative phrase, found in the Declaration of Colonial Rights: “Life, liberty, and property.”

Given the rising rates of homelessness in many parts of the country, should the U.S. consider whether a home should be a human right?

The right to house is codified in some national constitutions and is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Here's article 25 of the former:

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

Opponents of government-guaranteed housing argue that the plans would prove too costly and expand the size of government.

Steven Greenhut, the western region director for the libertarian R Street Institute, wrote in the Orange County Register recently that “nothing really works and it's cost prohibitive to build enough shelters for everyone. And some of the homeless are essentially feral—they're not going to live in a shelter (especially ones that forbid drug and alcohol use) even if it's offered.”

Do you support a "right to shelter"?

 

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should the U.S. Adopt Permanent Daylight Saving Time to Eliminate the Need to ‘Spring Forward’ & ‘Fall Back’?