Sun - Could SCOTUS Destroy the Social Safety Net?

They've Seen Fire and They've Seen Rain.  Not They Are Seeing No Water

A New Mexico city is less than one month away from running out of fresh water after a massive wildfire sparked by the federal government left residents’ usual sources loaded with ash and charred debris.

Las Vegas, New Mexico ― a city of around 13,000 that shares its name with the glitzy Nevada metropolis ― has only around 20 days’ worth of water left, CNN reported Saturday.

The crisis has been building since the region, which lies east of Santa Fe, saw the worst wildfire on state record rage this spring.

Around 340,000 acres were destroyed in April and May when two burns planned by the U.S. Forest Service ended up merging by accident, fueled by bone-dry conditions and brisk winds. The prescribed burns were meant to prevent the widespread outbreak of fire. Instead, they forced thousands of people out of their homes.

Then came the rains that made matters worse. While downpours would generally be considered a welcome sight, considering the drought currently plaguing much of the West, the rains ended up flushing ash and debris into the Gallinas River, making it undrinkable. The nearby Peterson Reservoir was also contaminated. Las Vegas has had turn to drinking from the Bradner Reservoir, which has limited resources, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, a local newspaper.

More Student Debt Cancelled

Given that Republicans like to call themselves the party of family values, it’s with rich irony that they continue to fight to keep free breakfast and lunch from kids. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, students at public schools nationwide were able to access free school meals. Great! Not so great? That initiative ended on June 30—and some kids already have school lunch debt.

Schools can technically begin seeking payment from families. But one school district in Pennsylvania announced it won’t be doing so, and already canceled the total balance accrued. What’s that total? More than $20,000 in the Bristol Borough School District in Bucks County.

Nearly three-quarters of students in the district qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch, Bristol is one of the poorer districts in the county. In speaking to local outlet WHYY, School Board President David Chichilitti said the district has the “extra money” because they’re frugal, so they were able to cancel the debt.

They Love New York.  Ab-Butt Is Bringing In More Immigrants,

The voluntary busing policy, part of the governor’s Operation Lone Star initiative to slow the number of migrants crossing the border, may actually incentivize migrants coming through Central America and Mexico to reach Texas, Nuñez said.

Nuñez added that nonprofits often try to provide the transportation to get immigrants to their desired destinations but lack the funds to serve everyone who needs it. Instead, they can help them purchase transportation if the migrant already has the money.
Immigration experts say the governor’s effort to score political points is making it easier for migrants to stay in the country.

“What this shows is the unintended consequences of bumper sticker policy,” said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications for the Migration Policy Institute. “Perhaps it was not fully thought out that busing people to what the governor has described as a ‘sanctuary jurisdiction’ ... you are likely to achieve different outcomes in immigration court cases.”

Could SCOTUS Destroy the Social Safety Net?

The case Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County, Indiana v. Talevski isn’t nearly as well known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which found the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade after 49 years. But journalist Kate Riga, in an article published by Talking Points Memo on September 2, lays out some reasons why — if the High Court’s right-wing supermajority uses the type of reasoning it used in Dobbs — its Health and Hospital Corp. ruling could “do enormous damage to people who are already often the most vulnerable in our society.”

Riga reports, “There’s a sleeper case on the Supreme Court’s docket that could blow a gaping hole in the social safety net and give states leeway to neglect or end care for tens of millions of the most vulnerable Americans.… And it’s not just Medicaid, though the program enrolling nearly 90 million Americans is the biggest one at risk. This case could leave all of those who depend on federally funded, state-administered programs — think SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, or WIC, which helps low-income pregnant women and mothers with young children buy food — without any recourse, should states stop providing the benefits they’re required to give. The echoes of Dobbs are eerie.”

The Most Alarming Case On The Supreme Court’s Docket You Haven’t Heard Of