The stimulus, "the gift that keeps on giving." Literally.

View in browser   March 12, 2021 I've been in a weirdly chipper mood this week, a notable break from the despair and bad attitude that have filled most of my 2021 so far. And your replies to our callout for how you'll be spending your American Rescue Plan checks have undoubtedly contributed to the lift! Here are some to delight in, and keep them coming to recharge@motherjones.com: A literal garden of hope My fiance and I will both be getting the full $1,400, for a total of $2,800 coming into the household coffers. We plan to use it for getting our organic vegetable garden/orchard going this year. We just purchased a new house in February, with a lovely huge garden area, complete with an established compost bin. Buying seeds and seed starter supplies, plus soil amendments will make the stimulus the gift that keeps on giving.  The rest will go right into savings. —Shannon Long overdue health check-ups and car maintenance When my next infusion of funds arrives, I hope to do what I'd planned for the first two: get my vision checked (my bifocal specs are waaayyyy out of date) and get my car fixed so it doesn't overheat so easily...I'm on Social Security and have a part-time job that nets me $73 a week. Woohoo! If I can, I'd also like to pay off my credit card debt (it's small) and maybe get ahead on utilities and phone accounts. That's about as frivolous as I get these days. —Susan Housing charity The last one went to the local food bank. The local food banks are doing ok at the moment, so it will go elsewhere, probably housing. The important thing is to put it somewhere it will be spent quickly instead of sitting in my savings account doing nothing. —Walt Focusing on grad school I'm an older graduate student who went back to school after my kids grew up. I lost the job I used to pay tuition and fees because of COVID. My refund will help me not have to take time off.  That makes me overjoyed!!! —Jules Thank you for all your replies. Can't wait for the Fourth of July cookouts, y'all! —Inae Oh Advertisement   President Biden Addresses the Nation, Promising a Rapid Return to Normalcy By July 4, he says, we should be able to celebrate "our independence from this virus." BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG   Cuomo questions accusers' motives, says "cancel culture" is behind the calls for his resignation BY INAE OH Mississippi just banned trans athletes. South Dakota isn't far behind. BY LAURA THOMPSON Are life sentences a merciful alternative to the death penalty? BY NATHALIE BAPTISTE New EPA administrator Michael Regan champions environmental justice BY ALEXANDER C. KAUFMAN Advertisement   How a three-word phrase sabotaged Black voting rights, and how they can be reconstructed There's power in the 14th Amendment. It's time to use it. BY PEMA LEVY   Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. Donate SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE From Our Archives, a “Prescient” Profile of Marianne Williamson Each Friday, we bring you an article from our archive to propel you into the weekend. In 1997, Mother Jones profiled Marianne Williamson, then a New Age icon. It is—as was noted by the New Republic when Williamson ran for president in the 2020 primaries—a “prescient (and slightly mocking)” piece. Take that for what you will. Williamson has since gotten the treatment from the New York Times Magazine. The main thing the piece predicts, correctly, is that Williamson would move her self-help style into activism and a political-first attitude. Here’s a section from 1997: "I've always been the first to say that spiritual seeking without service is self-indulgent," [Williamson] says. "I think the question is: Dear God, how can I serve? Not that I'm trying to figure out what someone needs…I am saying we don't have the time on this planet to wait until we're more spiritually evolved to check out what's going on in this country." Appendix A to The Healing of America is called "Resources for Activism." Appendix B consists of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It’s a nice read, filled with smart points about the evolution of self-help mythology. And it’s got some wonderful one-liners (even if you disagree): “Offering religion without rules, salvation without sacrifice, the former cabaret singer has remade herself into the perfect priestess for a culture steeped in pop.” —Jacob Rosenberg Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by forwarding it to a friend or sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. Donate Subscribe This message was sent to franchmaverickk.secretwords123@blogger.com. To change the messages you receive from us, you can edit your email preferences or unsubscribe from all mailings. For advertising opportunities see our online media kit. Were you forwarded this email? Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today. www.MotherJones.com PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755