Hello, Daily Kos Community, and welcome back to Daily Kos Week in Action! This series from the Daily Kos Activism team shares the issues we’re tackling each week and gets your feedback on where we might focus our future efforts.
This week, we’re highlighting the postal service’s efforts to deliver COVID-19 tests to the American people. We continue our commemoration of Black History Month by advocating for D.C statehood, which is a fundamental civil rights issue. Washington, D.C., is a historically Black city; today, Black people comprise 47% of the population. Lack of representation disenfranchises those voters. Finally, we also highlighted the unfair tax practices that perpetuate inequality.
Thank a Postal Worker
Feb. 4 was Thank a Mail Carrier Day. This year, our postal workers are working extremely hard by delivering free COVID-19 tests right to our doors. The USPS is doing an excellent job implementing President Joe Biden’s plan to ship 500 million rapid antigen tests—one of the largest disaster relief mobilizations in history. This is a particularly Herculean undertaking for postal workers as the agency faces staggering labor shortages, making things all the more challenging.
This week, Daily Kos is recognizing their efforts with an action to thank them. To share your gratitude with postal workers, click below:
No Taxation Without Representation
On Jan. 6, when supporters of disgraced former president Donald Trump attacked our democracy, the District of Columbia didn't have the authority to deploy the National Guard as states would have. City leaders had to defer to the White House. That's because, unlike states, the District needs congressional or federal approval for almost every decision—yet they don’t have representation in Congress.
The federal government's lack of preparation and precaution for the highly anticipated attack put Congressional leaders in mortal danger and only serves to highlight that DC should have control of its National Guard, not the White House.
The disadvantages don't stop there, as the mayor's office points out: “While our population is larger than that of both Vermont and Wyoming, under the CARES Act, the District was denied $755 million in emergency funds, which is the amount provided to the least populous state through the Coronavirus Relief Fund."
Residents of the District of Columbia pay more federal taxes than those in 22 other states and pay more to the federal government than they receive in services. Residents—who are mostly Black, brown, and members of vulnerable communities—are taxpaying Americans, bound by the laws Congress passes and entitled to the full voting representation other Americans enjoy. Yet they are denied the most basic tenet that founded our country: representation. They’ve always had to endure systemic inequality while being denied full rights of citizenship that residents of other states receive.
Opponents to the D.C. Statehood movement are afraid that it would partially correct a structural bias in the Senate’s composition, which overwhelmingly favors low-population, rural states, which are usually more conservative than the rest of the country. That imbalance gives those residents more power when they cast their votes, and results in public policy that is out of line with national popular sentiment. We must right this historic wrong by making Washington, D.C. a state.
Join us in advocating for D.C Statehood by taking the action below:
The American Tax Myth
The American tax myth—that everyone pays what they owe and the richest pay the most—is just that: a myth. Currently, we have a tax code that enables the wealthiest Americans to pay a small fraction of the billions they amass each year in wealth. America's billionaires and wealthy elites have rigged the system to benefit them, with special rules that allow them to sidestep what they owe. They have tax-avoidance strategies available to them that are inaccessible for ordinary folks because most of their income comes from capital, rather than wages.
This system is exacerbating already dangerous income inequality in the United States. It's past time to stop trying to fix what’s broken with incremental changes. That's why Daily Kos continues to fight to reform the tax system, regardless of whether the Build Back Better Act passes the Senate. We advocate for raising taxes on wealthy corporations, imposing a minimum tax on corporate national and foreign profits, imposing a surcharge on stock buybacks, and more.
Want to help us ensure a fairer tax code?
Thank you to all our readers for continuing to join us in the fight for a better, more equitable future for us all. Please let us know in the comments what issues you think we should tackle next!