3/9/2023

My dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            I hope that the trip to Philly goes well! Will you be taking the train? Amtrak can get you there from DC in under 2 hours. It would be a great opportunity to start the FLY LESS initiative. Of course, I don’t expect you to take the train to San Diego next week, but hitting the rails to get to Philly is a no brainer.

            Regarding the budget, Robert Reich claims that you & the GOP are engaged in pyrotechnics & concludes, “neither of these two theatrical productions – neither the Republicans’ refusal to raise the debt ceiling nor Biden’s big tax hike on the super-rich – will ever happen. They’re both fantasies.” What’s your response to his analysis?

            As you announce your budget, please impress on people that our fiscal situation is NOT sustainable. We must make some hard choices. You could tell folks about Fiscal Ship, a new game developed by the Brookings Institution & the Serious Games Initiative. Players choose the changes they want in federal policy & see how the changes affect the bottom line. I picked some new taxes & raised revenue by 0.8% by 2048. I haven’t had a chance to see what happens when I double subsidies for Amtrak. I am not seeing where I get to cut defense spending or raise the retirement age. Perhaps Brookings does not even consider these options.

            Speaking of which, when you go to San Diego, please reconsider supporting Australia’s plan to build nuclear subs. WINTA!

            When you speak with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, please bring up Burma. According to a recent piece in the Diplomat, the junta’s latest stunt of providing guns to “loyal” citizens could “could empower crime gangs and faith-based extremist armed groups & push the country toward a fully failed state.” Ask him what he thinks of recognizing the NUG as the legitimate government.

            BYBS,