Stephan: Here is some good news, and further proof of Schwartz' Theorem of Wellbeing. It is so obvious what has happened and why it has happened that only sheer nastiness, greed, and corruption blocks politicians from seeing the lesson in this teaching moment.
WASHINGTON — The huge increase in government aid prompted by the coronavirus pandemic will cut poverty nearly in half this year from prepandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net.
The number of poor Americans is expected to fall by nearly 20 million from 2018 levels, a decline of almost 45 percent. The country has never cut poverty so much in such a short period of time, and the development is especially notable since it defies economic headwinds — the economy has nearly seven million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic.
The extraordinary reduction in poverty has come at extraordinary cost, with annual spending on major programs projected to rise fourfold to more than $1 trillion. Yet without further expensive new measures, millions of families may find the escape from poverty brief. The three programs that cut poverty most — stimulus checks, increased food stamps and expanded unemployment insurance — have ended or are […]
Stephan: MAGAT world has become fascinated with civil violence. Why? I think because none of the MAGATs, indeed no American born here has any concept of what mass civil violence in a country is like. It hasn't happened in the United States since 1861, and with their fascination with violence and guns, MAGATs see it as exciting.
MAGATs clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. Credit:Roberto Schmidt /AFP/ Getty
Nearly half of all Republicans in the U.S. believe that “a time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands.”
The revelation, which emerged as a part of a June poll by George Washington University, comes just six months after the January 6 riot, in which thousands of self-described “patriots” stormed the Capitol building to forcibly stop President Biden from being confirmed by the Electoral College.
While 47% of Republicans agree with the prediction – that a group of patriotic citizens will usurp government authorities and run the country themselves – just 9% of Democrats could say the same.
The poll, which surveyed 1,753 registered U.S. voters from June 4 to June 23, found a wide set of disparities between Republicans and Democrats on a number of principles.
Stephan: We are not only destroying our democracy with White supremacy, male dominance, christofascism and the wealth inequality and corruption it has produced, we are also destroying the pride young Americans have in their country. This is very serious business, and not properly appreciated.
Group of people waving American flags Credit: Shutterstock
On Friday, Newsweek reported that new polling reveals a decline in pride to be American among younger generations — and explored some of the factors driving this phenomenon.
“Ipsos polling of 1,026 people between June 25 and 28 showed a similar pattern. Overall, 69 percent said they were proud to be American. This figure was boosted by Gen X and Baby Boomers, with 71 percent and 84 percent respectively saying they were,” reported Jacob Jarvis. “Among Millennials, however, just 52 percent said the same. Of those in Gen Z, 58 percent were proud to be America. It is a majority in both younger brackets, but there is a clear generational divide.”
According to the report, one reason is that the country is facing a “racial reckoning” — driven by recent police killings like the murder of George Floyd and educational revolutions like the 1619 Project that center the role of slavery in the founding of America — which has set off a Read the Full Article
JILL COLVIN and HANNAH FINGERHUT, - Associated Press
Stephan: MAGAT world continues to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump, but they are beginning to get a little nervous about the Republican Party's future. I want to see literally millions of people out in the streets demonstrating on behalf of the Voting Rights Bill, and the other bills the Democrats have put forward. The nastiness of the MAGATs will cause them to scream in opposition, but if democracy is to survive in American the moment to stand up for it is now.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most Republicans want former President Donald Trump to have at least some influence over their party’s direction even as many who side with the GOP say they are uneasy about its future.
A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research captures widespread unease among Republicans over everything from the direction of the country to the state of American democracy and, in particular, President Joe Biden. Just 15% approve of the way Biden is handling his job, and 66% continue to say the Democrat was illegitimately elected, a lie perpetuated by Trump that underscores his persistent grip on GOP voters.
Republicans have plenty of concern about their own party, too. Fewer than half of Republicans, 41%, say they are optimistic about the GOP’s future. Just 13% say they are “very” optimistic. And one third, 33%, say they are pessimistic.
Just a few seats shy of majorities in the House and the Senate, Republican leaders hope they are within striking distance of retaking control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. […]
Stephan: Every week now the science community issues another dire warning. But since the Republican Party and its followers have nothing but contempt for science, what desperately needs to be done, doesn't get done. It is the same stupidity that fuels the anti-vaxxers, and it is going to have the same effect. Masses of people will have their lives torn apart and a good number of them will die. I am really, really, tired of stupid.
Human activity may be pushing the climate beyond dangerous ‘tipping points,’ say 14,000 scientists. As the extreme drought emergency continues in California, historically low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on July 22, 2021 in Oroville, California. Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty
More than a year after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down economies around the world and sharply reduced worldwide travel—sparking speculation among some that emissions would plummet as a result—a coalition of scientists said in a paper published Wednesday that the planet is nonetheless reaching multiple “tipping points,” with levels of sea ice melt, deforestation, and other markers revealing that urgent action is needed to mitigate the climate emergency.
“The extreme climate events and patterns that we’ve witnessed over the last several years — not to mention the last several weeks — highlight the heightened urgency with which we must address the climate crisis,” said Philip Duffy, co-author of the study and executive director of the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts.
The “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2021” which was published in the journal BioScience, states that 18 out of 31 planetary […]
