From Southwest Ledger President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill has proven to be one of the most contentious bills in recent memory. At the heart of the debate is who the OBBB benefits. While the left claims the bill is simply a tax break for the rich, the right claims our middle class will benefit … Continue reading Seen and unseen tax changes in Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill
Category: Historically Speaking
Constitution 101: Congressional Punishment and Expulsion Clause
From Southwest Ledger On Dec. 21, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress. Doing so was the first time a member had been expelled without a prior conviction of a crime since the Civil War. While Santos eventually would plead guilty to identity theft and … Continue reading Constitution 101: Congressional Punishment and Expulsion Clause
Historic Travels: How a Hollywood sex scandal helped create a slice of paradise
From Southwest Ledger As part of my son’s graduation celebration my in-laws flew the family down to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We spent a week in a tropical paradise enjoying the beauty and the friendly people. While it was hot — obviously part of being tropical — I can see why people enjoy the city so … Continue reading Historic Travels: How a Hollywood sex scandal helped create a slice of paradise
Why are we snapping over SNAP?
Last week our nation seemed to split across a metaphorical fault line over the “Big Beautiful Bill.” One side called the measure a masterpiece while the other condemned it as the downfall of our society. Yet, amid all this fighting, our nation experienced a real tragedy. While politics is always important, last week the political … Continue reading Why are we snapping over SNAP?
Big Beautiful Bill Part XI
It is finally finished. I hope this was worth it. Section 86001 has just one part and sets aside $40 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities to use between 2025 and 2028 to buy statues honoring American heroes. This funding supports projects described in three executive orders that focus on creating and rebuilding … Continue reading Big Beautiful Bill Part XI
Big Beautiful Bill Part VIII
Sorry I took a day off. I needed to write next weeks article and I have a bunch of finals to grade. While all that takes priority, I am actually getting closer to the end and Medicare is still one of the most talked about aspects of this bill, I can’t just stop now. I … Continue reading Big Beautiful Bill Part VIII
Big Beautiful Bill Part VII
Those last few sections were no fun, but now we get back into the drama. This section explains the messy divorce between President Trump and his ex-BFF Elon Musk. This is taking on and eliminating much of the green new deal and taking away tax credits for green energy and solar. It also goes into … Continue reading Big Beautiful Bill Part VII
Journalism Awards
Thought I would share some more exciting news. On top of the award I earned last month from the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists, I won just found out I won three more today from the National Newspaper Association, all three in the Non-Daily Division. Also, a huge congratulations to the Southwest Ledger who won … Continue reading Journalism Awards
Constitution 101: Congressional Rules Clause
From Southwest Ledger In July of 2022 U.S. Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.) wrote an op-ed in which he called the Senate “the most debilitating threat” to our nation. He was writing about Rule 22 in the Senate which requires 60 votes to take up a House bill. Larson claimed that the Constitution did not … Continue reading Constitution 101: Congressional Rules Clause
Big Beautiful Bill Part VI
I’m sure you are getting tired of reading these, honestly it is getting harder to read. Most of this is business taxes which I honestly have use dealing with. I will keep going because I have not reached some of the real interesting parts, like Medicare. I really only skimmed these sections and tried to … Continue reading Big Beautiful Bill Part VI
Historically Speaking 