While community spirit was lifted over the Port of Vancouver’s Jan. 9 vote to put an end date on the permitting process for the lease for a proposed oil terminal, the following has stealthily flown beneath the radar since 2014:
• A GOP tax bill that will drive up the deficit by $1.5 trillion to serve the strategic purposes of creating a fiscal emergency that justifies cuts to and privatization of Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.
• The sealing of the case for calling for a constitutional convention via the American Legislative Exchange Council (a powerful lobby group), with funding from Charles Koch and his donor network, with the endgame of controlling state governments; some state legislatures are already on board to authorize a convention.
So, at stake are the freedoms we take for granted under the Bill of Rights; the powers of the president (See Article I, Section 9: the Emoluments Clause), Congress and the courts; and the policies the government can or can’t pursue (ability to regulate interstate commerce).