Surprising developments can happen when people act collectively. In Europe, fears of a dark, rightward turn have been replaced with joy and positive expectations. In Britain, Labour Party leader Kier Starmer campaigned on a “left or right” platform, asking voters: do you want a government that makes rich people richer, or a government that supports the aspirations of the majority, of working people? The conservative Tories ran on culture wars: transgender bathrooms, immigrants, and “wokeness.” And British Conservatives lost big time. Fourteen years of Tory misrule came to an end.
In France, to everyone’s surprise, the right-wing extremists were defeated.
PARIS, July 7 (Reuters) - The champagne was on ice at the far-right National Rally's (RN) headquarters, but the celebratory mood swiftly turned to disbelief . . . .
For days, Marine Le Pen had confidently predicted that her party would triumph . . . Instead, the National Rally was on course to come third, behind a left-wing alliance and President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc.
It was undone to a large extent by tactical dealmaking between centrist and leftist opponents, who pulled more than 200 candidates from three-way races to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote.
The projected result brought to a shuddering halt what had appeared to be the far right's relentless rise in France, carefully engineered by Le Pen . . . [to] tap the grievances of voters angry over living costs, strained public services, and immigration.
It turned out that Marine Le Pen’s isolationism, scapegoating of immigrants, and virulent nationalism, were a losing strategy. French political parties of the left and center did something unexpected: they got their act together. Quick mobilization against the far-right changed the prevailing mood—from doom to elation.
That can happen here, too. No more doom. Let’s work for a joyful tomorrow.
Intense and breaking news—amplified by frenzied media—dominates the press, podcasts, and online social networks right now. It may seem strange that Grounded does not weigh in on these momentous events. The reason is simple: I shut up when I have no topical knowledge or capacity to analyze developing information. Shocking events impact us as they happen, but consequential events (and reactions to them) are complex and multidimensional. I don’t know where things are headed or how to fit recent events into a broader framework. When I figure it out, I’ll write it up. In the meantime, good people are trying to help each other every day. Let’s focus on that.
Good Government
It takes time for small wins to add up. When incremental gains accumulate . . . eventually . . . progress is seen. Understanding that so much effort by so many people is required for one collective step forward . . . could we maybe ask for a little patience? Example: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a tiny federal agency whose proposed rule could help the tens of thousands of Americans burdened with medical debt. They’ve been working on this for a couple of years now.
Succumbing to illness isn’t just a personal catastrophe in the US—it can mean economic disaster for a family. Medical bills are unpredictable, unavoidable, and sometimes wrong. Procedures are coded incorrectly, billing errors happen, and insurance companies are slow to pay. If that weren’t bad enough, a growing sector of the “collections industry” buys up medical debt and uses dubious measures to get people to pay up. The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) wants to stop this extortion practice.
CFPB has investigated and they have the receipts:
Debt collection companies have seized on medical debts as a major moneymaking enterprise. These entities purchase medical debt for pennies on the dollar, and cash out big by getting consumers to pay up. One of the easiest ways is by threatening to park that medical debt on the credit report, where it might impede a consumer’s ability to get approved for a loan. . . . The credit reporting system more closely resembles a weapon for debt collectors rather than a tool for lenders to assess someone’s likelihood to repay a loan.
CFPB’s professionals (accountants, lawyers, statisticians, and social scientists) collected the data, analyzed it, and issued a report. They proposed a new regulation to prevent credit agencies from including medical debt in individuals’ credit ratings. It would also make it illegal for debt collectors to use threats of ruined credit to force payment of medical balances. CFPB is asking the public to share their experiences and preferences regarding the proposed rule.
Here’s a public comment submitted on June 20 by M.W.:
I wholeheartedly agree with the proposed regulations change concerning banning medical collection accounts from a person‘s credit report.
I was a small town banker specializing in consumer lending for 40+ years. I always discounted any negative credit caused by medical bills.
About 15 years ago, I took my son to emergency room. It was taking too long so we went to another one. The hospital took my health insurance information and I never heard another word concerning any unpaid balance.
Then, lo & behold, I ran a credit check on myself and saw that my credit score dropped from 820 to 720. I was completely flabbergasted to find a “$10 paid collection account” for a medical bill that I knew nothing about, and, was never notified by anyone I owed anything.
I could go on and on with examples from former customers of mine as to how credit reports are abused by collection agencies. Many times they had people pay medical bills that they were most likely not legally obligated to pay.
So yes, I am all for the banning of all medical collection accounts in a person’s credit report.
You can add your views here before the public comment period ends on August 12. C’mon, guys—only 77 people have commented so far! Spread the word . . .
Chop Down Project 2025
The idea that the Heritage Foundation is a “think tank” is ridiculous. This political organization exists to provide the visible means of support for right-wing ideologues who would otherwise be “between engagements.”
Jessica Craven, of Chop Wood, Carry Water:
The Heritage Foundation is identified by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. This seems crazy to me. They do have an “action” arm that supposedly does all of their political work, but it’s clear that no part of their organization is actually free of politics. So let’s report them to the IRS!
Here’s how to fight back against Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation’s claims of political legitimacy:
Print off IRS form 13909.
Fill out Referred Organization Information: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002. Tax ID/EIN is 23-7327730.
Fill out Details of Alleged Violations: Names of persons involved: John P. Bakiel (VP of Finance), and Kevin Roberts (President). Description of Violation: (Something like) “The Heritage Foundation, by promulgating plans for the next Republican administration in their Project 2025, clearly and overtly supports presidential candidate Donald Trump. This shows the organization is an ‘action organization,’ a violation of its tax-exempt status under 501(c)(3). Their claims to be a charitable/social service organization are fraudulent. I respectfully request the IRS remove the tax-exempt status from the Heritage Foundation.”
Fill out Submitter Information. (You can check the box “I am concerned that I might face retaliation or retribution if my identity is disclosed,” if you want to remain anonymous.)
Follow the instructions for Submission and Documentation. The completed form can either be scanned to pdf and then emailed, or printed and sent by snail mail to the address provided in this section.
Perspective, and History
American political history, for perspective
Historian Heather Cox Richardson addresses questions about Biden remaining at the top of the Democratic ticket:
Professor Richardson: “I’m getting mail saying, why do you support Biden? And why doesn’t he step down? I want to be really clear. For me, this is not about Biden. This is about the way the system works.”
Watch the whole thing (about 10 minutes) to understand the complexities of the situation ignored by political pundits.
The history of human civilizations, for equanimity
Hannah Arendt: Understanding and Politics
History is a story which has many beginnings but no end. . . . For whatever the historian calls an end, the end of a period or a tradition or a whole civilization, is a new beginning for those who are alive. The fallacy of all prophecies of doom lies in the disregard of this simple but fundamental fact.
And now. . . your moment of Plovermania II
Writing—and reading—about serious subjects can be fairly depressing. Grounded will conclude each week with a lighter story so you may leave with a bit of joy in your heart.
Proud Piping Plover Parents Welcome 4th Chick At Montrose Beach
Montrose Beach’s status as a piping plover sanctuary began in 2019, when Monty and Rose’s successful nesting marked the first time in over five decades piping plovers had reared chicks in Chicago.
Their efforts to nest at the beach sparked a preservation effort, culminating in the cancellation of a music festival and the addition of beach space to the Montrose Harbor protected dunes area, which has been renamed for Monty and Rose.
See? People can make an effort to preserve and protect . . . and it turns out well.
Do you want to help name the chicks? Here’s the contest.
Related Grounded articles:
So This Happened (July 2, 2024)
What Could Go Right? (June 11, 2024)
Brain Surgery by Bus Drivers* (June 18, 2024)
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Notes:
Hannah Arendt, Understanding and Politics (The Difficulties of Understanding)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Prohibition on Creditors and Consumer Reporting Agencies Concerning Medical Information (Regulation V) Docket CFOB-2024-0023
CFPB, Consumer Credit Reports: A Study of Medical and Non-medical Collections.
Internal Revenue Service, Form 13909, Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral).
Przemysław Kazienko, et al., Multidimensional Social Network: Model and Analysis.
Elizabeth Pineau, French Election: How the Far Right Lost
Madison Savedra, Proud Piping Plover Parents Welcome 4th Chick At Montrose Beach
It's preaching to the choir, but VOTE! And get others to vote, too. According to press reports, 59%- 63% of France's voters voted in the recent elections. When turnout is low, as it almost invariably is in US national elections, it's the faction that gets out the vote that wins. Of course, the Electoral College system complicates the calculation in the US, but only makes that all the more important in battleground states. Now I feel exhausted again.
A very timely article - thank you!