Mitt Romney, whose recent courage has revived the notion that not every practicing Republican official is a coward, has submitted an idea calling for monthly $350 benefits for children that demonstrates at least one Republican in Washington has a beating heart. The most encouraging outcome of Sen. Romney’s proposal is that it presents a genuine chance for the two parties to work together toward an outcome that will greatly benefit poor children. The proposal also could open a practical door to bilateral negotiations about extending protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act, perhaps dovetailing with Amy Klobuchar’s proposal for paid leave, which would take us one step nearer to every other first-world country.
Meanwhile, here in New Hampshire, the Republicans of the Senate Commerce Committee rejected SB 64, which would offer unpaid leave to families who need to, say, care for children as the result of the effects of COVID-19. Businesses would not pay these employees; rather, the bill simply allows time away from the job and, owing to tax credits, would cost businesses nothing. Supporters of the bill present at the hearing numbered in the thirties. Three people opposing the bill, all business lobbyists, appeared but did not speak.
Sadly, the Republican minor leagues here in New Hampshire seem to be following the Kevin McCarthy prescription for success among their constituents, where mindlessness and heartlessness coincide, rather than the novel Romney idea that cooperation for public good is possible.
DAVID SWORDS
Warner