As mentioned in our last edition, kitchen table issues, those that affect our daily lives, are front and center for many in this election. Near the top of everyone’s list is the impact of inflation, the rise in prices for our most basic needs from food, insurance, utilities, housing, and gasoline to interest rates on car loans and housing.
There is no denying inflation has moved up during the last four years and the GOP is counting on that to sway voters. The fact is that inflation will be an even bigger issue under a Trump Administration. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers sees the risk of another price shock in the economic plans of Trump. “There has never been a presidential platform so self-evidently inflationary as the one put forward by President Trump,” Summers told The Atlantic in an interview. “I have little doubt that with the Trump program, we will see a substantial acceleration in inflation, unless somehow we get a major recession first.” A growing number of economists and policy analysts are warning that Trump’s second-term agenda of sweeping tariffs, mass deportation of undocumented migrants, and enormous tax cuts would accelerate, rather than alleviate, inflation. The nonpartisan Peterson Institute for International Economics, in a study released in May, calculated that the tariffs Trump says he will impose on imports would dramatically raise costs for consumers. “Trump is promising a no-holds-barred, all-out protectionist spree that will affect every single thing that people buy that is either an import or in competition with imports.” Economists are warning that his policies will wreak havoc on global trade and send inflation back up again.
In the Peterson study, they calculated that Trump’s tariffs would raise prices for consumers on the goods they purchase by at least $500 billion a year, or about $1,700 annually for a middle-income family. The cost for consumers could be about twice as high if domestic manufacturers increase their own prices on the goods that compete with imports.
Sources: The Atlantic: Trump's Plan to Supercharge Inflation; Peterson Institute for International Economics: Policy Brief 24-1 Why Trump’s Tariff Proposals Would Harm Working Americans
Vice President Kamala Harris collected more than $100 million between Sunday and Monday evening, a campaign official said, boasting more than 1.1 million unique donors – 62% of them first-time contributors. By Tuesday evening, this number had increased to $126M.
Many of America's largest labor unions have now announced their endorsements of Kamala Harris's presidential bid, including the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), among others. On Sunday, following President Biden’s announcement that he would step aside from the nomination, Vice President Harris made 100 phone calls in ten hours, connecting with party leaders, and a cascade of endorsements followed. As of now, Vice President Harris has the support of 3,284 Democratic delegates, whereas only 1,976 are needed for the nomination. Delegates may begin voting as soon as August 1. 
The Supreme Court overturned the Chevron doctrine this month, a long-standing legal precedent, reducing the effectiveness of government agencies and endangering countless regulations, by transferring a huge function of agencies--to interpret and enforce laws--from the executive branch to the courts.
The 1984 Chevron decision required that when a law was unclear or ambiguous, courts should defer to agency experts’ “reasonable interpretations” of those laws, and was the underpinning for regulatory enforcement in healthcare, safety, finance and the environment. The idea was always that people working in federal agencies have knowledge and expertise in their field of regulation, more than lawmakers and judges do. But now that traditional understanding has been overruled by the Roberts court. “If Americans are worried about their drinking water, their health, their retirement account, discrimination on the job, if they fly on a plane, drive a car, if they go outside and breathe the air — all of these day-to-day activities are run through a massive universe of federal agency regulations,” said Lisa Heinzerling, an expert in administrative law at Georgetown University. “And this decision now means that more of those regulations could be struck down by the courts.” When Congress passes a law, it cannot anticipate all the ways that the economy, the nation and the world will change. If regulators had only the powers that Congress explicitly gave them, many regulations would be vulnerable to legal challenges. For instance, as society, technology, and the economy have grown more complex (think AI or biotech), so too has the task of governance. Because Congress is not equipped to micromanage the day-to-day administration of the legislation that it passes, it must rely on federal agencies to carry out laws and policies according to good-faith interpretations. Now the Supreme Court has reopened the door for federal judges to decide how agencies enforce laws when Congress has used ambiguous language. Sometimes Congress is purposefully not explicit in writing statutes, in order to give the subject area experts space to decide how best to implement a regulation. The courts will no longer defer to agency experts. Industry-funded studies that appeal to a particular judge might influence their decisions more than the years and decades of research showing why well-regulated systems serve the greater good. Federal agencies could cease to take on the critical challenges of the present day, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, tackling the challenges of microplastics, protecting consumers from the downsides of AI, or even keeping us safe from the next pandemic. Congress is expected to take more time fleshing out legislation to avoid legal challenges,and judges will be more apt to overrule current and future regulations. Examples of potential impacts:
In the same way overturning Roe v Wade is having tangible impacts on the lives of women, their families and medical providers that no one even imagined, the overturning of the Chevron doctrine will have deep and tangible impacts on ALL of our lives in how government agencies provide valuable services, protections and oversight. Think of the GOP’s anti-science, anti regulation biases and attempts to implant loyalists within agencies per Project 2025, and the impact is amplified. However, our Democratic legislators are already working to reverse the ruling: Democratic senators seek to reverse the ruling the restricts federal agency power! Another reason to vote Blue!
In a recent Kicker article, we highlighted the dangers of one-party rule at any level of government. The Board of Commissioners’ (BOC) recent and unpublicized appointments of the spouses of two Board of Education (BOE) members to the County’s Public Library Board highlight this worry.
Both women—Florence Valdes and Jakima McCall—are unsuitable to hold these roles. Florence Valdes, together with her BOE member husband, Mike Valdes, were founding members of the Forsyth County No Left Turn in Education chapter. No Left Turn in Education is a national group that works to ban books, alter curriculum they find “uncomfortable” (e.g., slavery, the actual nature of the founding of the country and so on) or demonize LQBTQ+ people). After the Southern Poverty Law Center identified No Left Turn in Education as an extremist anti government group, the Valdeses rebranded their chapter into Forsyth Family Alliance. Jakima McCall, also a member of No Left Turn in Education and Forsyth Family Alliance, was removed from a job at a preschool several years ago because of accusations that she and her husband hacked social media accounts and misrepresented images. Her husband, Wes McCall, was removed from a position for the same action. Now, both hold important posts in our cherished public library system, but have both espoused ideas that are antithetical to free reading, inclusive education, and diverse learning. Our Forsyth Board of Commissioners felt no compunction in appointing them to the library board simply as a favor, and now a good deal of power over reading and learning in this county is concentrated in the hands of two married couples, people who are not appropriate for these posts. Write to your BOC members to object to their knowingly appointing people who are unqualified and unfit for these important roles: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] 
Georgia is a hotbed of people still trying to overturn the 2020 election and laying the foundation to overturn the 2024 election if they don’t get the result they want. Forsyth County remains on the front line.
A riveting skirmish occurred recently when voters whose registrations were wrongly challenged appeared in person to face their challengers at the July 16 Special Called Meeting of the Forsyth County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections (BRE). All four voters--challenged on the basis of having moved from their address--were having none of it and their unhappiness appeared to rattle their challengers. A college student asked “why” his registration was challenged—he uses a temporary change of address when at university but retains a permanent address at his parents’ home (for voting purposes). Another man explained that his ex-wife wrongly filed a National Change of Address (NCOA). NCOA, thanks to SB189, is insufficient evidence to cancel a voter's registration. A couple that now live in assisted living in Forsyth County but own a home with a homestead exemption in Alabama were very confused and annoyed at having to collect their own evidence to prove it. Using proven systems to cast doubt: Voter challengers use the routine processes of the election system as cover, to deflect from their intent to remove targeted voters from the rolls. Voters who are challenged often presume it is the elections office trying to remove their registration because the elections office—when a question arises about a voter’s status—will notify the voter in writing. The letter invites the voter to remedy the problem by verifying their information or becoming active by voting in the upcoming election or officially canceling their registration if they have moved. A challenged voter may see the letter as an affront—and become angry or confused or nervous–not realizing that it may be voter challengers attempting to suppress their vote. How State Election Board machinations affect Forsyth County: On Friday, July 12, without the public notice legally required, three election denying GOP appointed members of the State Election Board met, knowing that the Chair and one Democrat were unavailable to meet. Their stated purpose was to hold the meeting quickly after the Tuesday July 9 meeting to complete action on select “rules.” Those rules–if passed–would allow expanding the number of partisan poll watchers on election day and require counties to hand count and post daily tallies of votes at the precinct level. All of these measures are designed to increase pressure on elections offices, poll managers and cripple the ability to certify elections. The GOP members’ stealth meeting highlights their intent to avoid public scrutiny, hoping to impose greater and unwarranted demands on county-level elections that ultimately could delay election results. While Forsyth County has a dedicated and capable elections staff, they too are already feeling the burden of processing frivolous challenges and far right-generated ill will. Call to Action
We love elections so much, we are having some of our own!
Per our bylaws, half of the seats on our County Committee must be elected every even year, so roughly 15 seats on the Committee will be up for election at our next Business Meeting on August 14 at 7:30pm, at Sharon Forks Library. Seats are allocated based on Commission/School Board District, with 5 for each district and 6 at-large seats. If you would like to run for a seat, please fill out this form so we can have your information ready. You must be a registered voter in Forsyth County and have attended at least 3 Forsyth Democrat meetings. Be prepared to give a short statement introducing yourself and expressing your interest. Only current members of the Committee may vote to elect members. For more information, please reply to this email.
In addition to a strong national recovery from Covid 19, Georgia has benefited greatly from Biden’s major legislative acts. Investment in infrastructure, broadband, electric vehicle and battery industries, as well as solar panel manufacturing (GA leads the nation) is significant. Though our US House Reps readily tout Georgia’s economic prowess, they voted against the legislation.
Rankings do not tell the whole story At the county level, Forsyth ranks highly across many categories of economic success: 8th most affluent in the country; top 10 in the country for incoming investment; and top scoring ACT results in the state and country. Yet, despite our affluence, Forsyth County has a striking number of people in need. Of the nearly 90,000 households in the county, some 25% are working residents who do not earn enough nor have sufficient savings for emergencies and rely on community support. Most are single parent households. And an astonishing 27,000—or nearly 10% of our neighbors—are without health insurance. Our county has no emergency mental healthcare access; in the last two years, over 3,000 residents in crisis had to travel elsewhere in the state to obtain care. As we highlighted in the last Kicker, our Board of Commissioners recently (BOC) opted against using one-time federal funds for a mental health facility. BOC member Kerry Hill said a “state-operated mental health crisis center is not the most effective use of…ARPA funds, as the facility would be open to people outside Forsyth County.” This insular attitude ignores the fact our residents currently rely on other counties for care. Many may not know that over 1,000 students in Forsyth County lack housing—nearly double the number of just five years ago--forced to live with others while they go to school. A consortium of nonprofit organizations looks out for them. Why is our wealthy county in this situation? Our county and state political leadership has been dominated by one party for decades. They have shown us they are ignoring those in our community with urgent needs. Biden passed legislation that expands infrastructure and other core investment across the country to support all citizens. The GOP’s Project 2025 plan focuses on continuing tax cuts for the wealthy, eroding safety nets, eliminating reproductive health, gutting the Department of Education and eliminating regulatory oversight on everything from the EPA to the FDA–on top of further restricting voting rights. As we move toward November elections, it is vital to bring new leadership to elected positions to ensure we have the necessary discussions and action to support our neighbors in need while we continue our county’s development. These are not mutually exclusive goals, especially in a county like ours.
Post-Chevron, a lawsuit could challenge and overturn the FDA’s ability to classify medications like mifepristone or even oral contraceptives.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion opponents lacked the legal standing to sue over the FDA’s approval of the medication mifepristone, which was used in two-thirds of all abortions last year. By reporting that the Court ruled “in favor of abortion rights” or that the ruling “preserved access” to mifepristone, some media coverage is giving Americans the impression that the medication is safe from being banned. The truth is that the ruling wasn’t really “in favor” of anything related to abortion; it was about “standing,” that is, who has the right to challenge the FDA’s rules on medication. That’s why anti-abortion activists and groups aren’t more upset, and why they’re moving straight ahead with their other plans. Expect more lawsuits As Public Rights Project founder Jill Habig told NBC News, “I think there’s going to be a hunt for plaintiffs that can satisfy the court’s standing requirements.” And remember, the right-wing legal powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom plans to move ahead with the same challenge, this time from three Republican-led states. And here’s what law professor Mary Ziegler told POLITICO: “It just kicks the can down the road. The court didn’t say anything to suggest any skepticism of the plaintiffs’ claims on the merits. So these states could be back with virtually identical claims before the Supreme Court in a year or a year-and-a-half.” Proven medications under attack Furthermore, even though the Court punted on mifepristone, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested the mifepristone case would be “fair game” for a new lawsuit, even though the statute of limitations for challenging the drug, which was approved in 2000, has long expired. The drug has an impressive safety record, and has been used without issue five million times. The overturning of Chevron means that old decisions, rulings, and cases, can be revisited. “From this day forward, administrative agencies can be sued in perpetuity over every final decision they make,” she wrote. In an administration with a divided congress, as now with the current Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, Presidents tend to rely on federal agency regulations, rather than legislative action, to make policy changes. President Biden has increasingly turned to agency regulations to address power plant emissions, student loan forgiveness, affordable housing, and overtime pay, to name just a few. All of these actions, and others, can now be challenged and overturned owing to the SCOTUS decision. Health policy in particular will be absolutely rocked by the removal of expert agencies’ ability to interpret and navigate statutes. People needing medical treatment will be left in a state of uncertainty and instability, and this will land the hardest on the most vulnerable among us.
Yet since the 2020 election when Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensburger, to “find” just under 12,000 votes so that Trump could claim Georgia as a victory, these election deniers have gone into overdrive to help make these 12,000 mysterious votes a reality.
Election deniers persist This was on full display on June 28 when Rick Richards, CEO of Eagle AI, held a “press conference,” clogging up the lobby of the Forsyth elections office, to attempt to further his false claims of voter integrity. Along with Forsyth resident Stefan Bartelski, they say Georgia is filled with illegal voters. Local and national press attended the event and more can be found here, and here, as well as here. Those of us who attend the Board of Registration and Elections meetings regularly, held on the first Tuesday of every month and open to the public, notice that challenges are brought by only a small number of Forsyth residents who offer minimal evidence and often do not understand the law. In fact, just this past week, one challenger did not know that it is legal to register to vote in two states at one time (per the National Voter Rights Act) - but illegal to vote twice in an election. Another challenger attached wrong addresses to the voters she challenged and used information culled from Facebook and other non-vetted, 3rd party sources. She expected these voters to be struck from the voter rolls, and beware - this could be you. Out of due diligence, the county Board and office employees took six hours to adjudicate the challenge list, which is a waste of employees’ time and taxpayers’ money. To note, Forsyth County has seen over 60,000 voters challenged since the 2021 Senate run-off. Of those 60,000 voters, only 790 have been canceled at the county elections level, less than 0.2%. No doubt they would have been canceled by the official systems already in place by the Secretary of State’s office. Not a good return on the time and resources invested in this effort. Pushing back against challenges A new law signed last month by Governor Kemp that went into effect on July 1, 2024 allows for providing less reliable documentation for these challenges. Right-wing activists are already preparing even more challenges, yet they are trying to solve a problem that simply doesn’t exist. There have already been 61 lawsuits nationwide trying to show voter fraud and each and every one has lost. The non-partisan Brennan Center chronicles efforts here. We expect not only the challenges to continue but also the vitriol toward voters’ rights to increase. What can you do to counter these attacks? Check your voter status often and consider coming to the meetings. Learn what right-wing citizens and politicians are saying to sow doubt and fear into our elections. Share The Kicker with friends and family and talk about how there is no fraud in our Georgia election systems and that your vote is safe, especially in Forsyth County.
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