Dem Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton comes out in support of an impeachment inquiry against Trump.

I support an impeachment inquiry, but we must not allow impeachment to consume all the oxygen from the people's agenda. The public needs evidence that House Democrats have been delivering for them.

It would be legislative malpractice, and a disservice to our constituents, to fail to highlight the many bills we have sent to the Senate – from raising the minimum wage and cutting prescription drug prices, to protecting health care for those with pre-existing conditions.

It will take time for an impeachment inquiry to get the necessary information. Meanwhile, we have plenty of work to do at home to raise the pressure on the Senate to move our House bills that respond to the most immediate needs of the American people.

Apple beet carrot slaw recipe

This week's recipe is a simple and delicious summery slaw. The sweetness of apple mixes with the tartness of lemon juice, and the amazing crunch of the raw beets. This recipe is also completely vegan and gluten free. If you don't have a mandonlin, you can run all of the veggies for this recipe through the large holes of a box grater. The texture won't be quite as refined, but the taste will still be amazing.

Of course you can customize this with your favourite type of apple. We were using Honeycrisp, but most apple varieties will work just fine. Granny Smith might be something to avoid because they are so tart (really better for baking!) but Fuji, Royal Gala, Pink Lady, whatever you prefer. You can also control the tartness with the amount of lemon juice you add. If you find it a little too astringent, cut the lemon juice back a bit. We love that tartness mixed with the sweet apple and beet.

Twitter Thread on UBI: "You just want people to not have to work?" "Yes. Yes, I do."

Really excellent thread here:

https://twitter.com/madlori/status/1153729750738833414?s=20

When discussing Universal Basic Income, inevitably the retort comes: "So you just want people to not have to work, is that it?" Accompanied by a smug smirk, expecting me to backpedal and hem and haw, say "Of course not, that's silly." Except...yes. Yes, I do. 1/11

People shouldn't HAVE to work. People should WANT to work. Sharing in the labor of building and maintaining a society because it benefits everyone should be desirable, not forced. It shouldn't be something we do because we'll die otherwise. 2/11

Imagine a society where survival didn't depend on a job. Imagine how that would alter the fabric of...everything. Imagine if you could leave a job without fearing the loss of income or health care. Imagine the power of the worker in that society. 3/11

If a person could survive without a job, imagine what employers would be like. They'd have to treat their workers fairly, and make themselves attractive to entice workers. They'd have to offer a better option than other employers, and make people want to participate. 4/11

Places that have offered UBI have seen the results: most people do want to work. The people who choose not to are generally young parents, students, people with disabilities and the elderly. people have a desire to contribute, for our lives to have purpose and to be useful. 5/11

And before you say it, yes, some people will take advantage. That is true for absolutely everything ever. You think people don't take advantage of the economy we have? Like, say, the 1% who grow wealthier while their employees have to work three jobs and use food stamps? 6/11

They can only do that, by the way, because people are so terrified of losing a job and the destruction that would follow that they tolerate mistreatment, disempowerment, the destruction of their unions, healthcare, retirements and even their bodies to avoid it. 7/11

That would not be the case if everyone were guaranteed a baseline survival income. Your boss couldn't treat you like shit because he knows you can't leave. You CAN leave, and you will. 8/11

What if desperation didn't motivate everything? Imagine the impact on health, relationships, parenting, well-being, crime, violence, progress. When you aren't desperately scrabbling for the rent, you can spare a neuron to contemplate long-term problems. 9/11

Imagine a society where terror of destitution wasn't a constant thrum underneath everyone's existence. Imagine the creative works that society could produce. Imagine the children it could raise, the elderly it could care for. Imagine the inventions it could produce. 10/11

Now, imagine knowing all this and thinking "NOPE. We can't have all that, because someone I don't like might benefit from it. So to avoid that, the rest of you can all hang." And there you have modern conservative thinking. 11/11

Important Twitter thread about what the Democrats can do:

Homemade Fried Oyster Recipe

So, at the end of last week's Cajun-inspired egg salad, we garnished with some lovely fried oysters, and here is the recipe for those! We're lucky to have a great Asian grocery store nearby that has in-shell oysters of a reasonable size for frying. They also sell tubs of pre-shucked oysters, but we find that they're usually far too large for good frying. If you can find reasonable sized oysters already shucked, by all means use them, because they are a pain to open!

If you don't have an oyster knife, a stout butter knife can do, but it's still a struggle. If you end up with bits of shell or grit in the oyster, don't be afraid to give them a rinse before you toss them in the flour!

Cajun-inspired Egg Salad Recipe

After last week's basic egg salad, we decided to spice it up a little! Hubby used to work in a very well-known fine dining Cajun establishment in Houston, and he learned a lot of interesting recipes and techniques there. A lot of the food he cooks at home here in Toronto has a decidedly Cajun twist to it. That restaurant didn't do an egg salad, but if it did, this is how he imagines it might have looked!

At the end, we side the egg salad with some fried oysters dusted in Cajun spice mix, just to really double down on the Cajun flavours. The recipe for the fried oysters will be going up next week!

As of right now, who would be your SECOND choice?

In the interests of getting us all saying good things about candidates other than our first choice. Please don't turn this into "it would just be my first choice again!"

I think right now my second choice would be Buttigieg or possibly Booker. They both made a good showing at the debates and they both seem like thoughtful, straightforward candidates.

So, who's your second choice candidate as of now? (of course it's early in the race and not only is it likely that everyone's choices will change as time goes on, it's more or less inevitable)

Basic Egg Salad Recipe

So, this week we're doing a super simple basic and delicious egg salad! Not much to say about this one, honestly, it's a basic egg salad. Throw it together and eat it right away! You can toss your own ingredients in there, too. We added some chopped green olives, and it was excellent! This is just the basic recipe, but coming up, we're going to do a really excellent Cajun-inspired fancy egg salad!