An easy call: feeding hungry kids is the right thing to do

Pundits predict legislative gridlock starting in January, as the Republicans take over as the majority in the House of Representatives. Few voters purposely chose creating a congressional situation that won't get much done over the next couple years, but some may be delighted at this result. 

Prior to the change in power, however, there is the so-called Lame Duck session that has already begun. The Senate has already advanced a bill to protect gay marriage and interracial marriage in law, and should vote on a final version soon. Democrats hope to save the nation from financial chaos by lifting the debt ceiling. 

And one other thing the lame duck session might do is bring back the Child Tax Credit act that lowered child poverty by 50 percent during the pandemic, but which expired last year.

Fighting poverty and hunger and homelessness among the nation's children has to be a bipartisan issue, though nothing is ever simple in our tribal politics. You would think there might be 10-12 Republican senators who could be persuaded to support the bill, which gives all the power to spend the extra money to families -- a conservative value if there ever was one.

I shouldn't connect everything to Taylor Swift and the Ticketmaster fiasco of the past few days, but a nation that can freak out over concert tickets and is OK with thousands of workers monitoring a ticketing website rather than working can certainly afford to feed its children.

As we head into the holidays and the mix of love and sanctimony and commercialism and family gatherings, bringing American families a modest monthly income boost each month seems like the ultimate gift to our neighbors. 

The rich would foot the bill, mostly, as will happen in Colorado next year with universal free school lunch paid by a small increase in taxes for those making over $400,000 per year. 

A proven strategy to give our children a stronger foundation in life is something all should be able to get behind. 

Or are we just too exhausted? Too divided? Too calculating and cruel?

The next few weeks will tell us a lot.