Many of them are responding angrily to a rigged system. It’s not enough that we beat Trump on Election Day. To beat Trumpism, we must also unrig the system.
I still think that the worst monopoly is OPEC, and it is also a national security issue, as countries like Russia and Iran fund their proxy wars against us funded by oil profits. Meanwhile most of our oil refinery capacity and some of our domestic energy companies are controlled by Saudi Arabia, principal OPEC member.
Recently, the Biden FTC "took action to resolve antitrust concerns surrounding Exxon Mobil Corporation’s (Exxon) $64.5 billion acquisition of oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources by approving a consent order that prevents founder and former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield from gaining a seat on Exxon’s board of directors or serving in an advisory capacity at Exxon once it acquires Pioneer." The FTC's complaint cites “voluminous evidence” that Sheffield tried to fix prices by US shale producers and OPEC "The proposed consent order seeks to prevent Pioneer’s Sheffield from engaging in collusive activity that would potentially raise crude oil prices, leading American consumers and businesses to pay higher prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and jet fuel.https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/05/ftc-order-bans-former-pioneer-ceo-exxon-board-seat-exxon-pioneer-deal
Daniel, well informed as always. But America had a choice back in 1973 to send all its money to the Middle East for its increasing shortfall in domestic production, or to develop alternatives. As usual, America took the fossil route, under considerable domestic pressure, not least from the fossil oil industry and fossil carmakers. And also from America's energy industry, where fossil-powered electricity could only make money from distributed power, and that was fearful that a 'solar revolution' would mean privately owned rooftop solar and 'distributed power' that would make the electricity grid uneconomic.
The results? OPEC became a world dominating force, and that generated everything else, from most Middle East wars to 9/11 and thousands of Americans killed, and eye-watering American debt levels, and fracking pollution of the air and the water supplies across swathes of America, all the way to a medieval Saudi Arabia with American wealth in their pockets and their murderous Prince at the world's top table.
And all the while renewables, still struggling today, 50 years later, to get a foothold in America, despite producing cheaper electricity than fossil energy in every other country.
Yes, the American oil majors are still controlling America's politics, markets, and dictating its future policies. Perhaps it is time to call a halt?
How about Biden (or Harris/ Walz) declaring the fossil industries an essential national resource and taking 51% of the stock into Government hands? THAT should bring them to heel!
We can't go back in time and nationalization is not a viable option. It's ironic and ridiculous that Musk, who made/makes his wealth from alternatives and government subsidies, and his natural mortal enemy . BIG OIL, join forces behind the obviously nutsy koo koo candidate.
Daniel—Sue OPEC for list profits? What a bruhaha that would cause. Not sure it would get us anything back except more trouble in Mideast but worth seeing!
Wow! Do it! I replaced my 27 years past warranty gas furnace with a heatvpump and put solar panels on tge roof...the side that doesn't have trees. I haven't paid a utility bill since. In fact at the moment the power company owes me $8 11.
I checked about solarizing my house. The estimate was $50,000 with 15 year financing. I would be dead before the loan was paid off, and have spend more than I saved the monthly payment on the loan at 4% is $370, and 6% $421.
Our electricity is proved by a Co Op, but is expensive because the electricity arrives via an undersea cable from the mainland, it has been cut twice by anchors. I have a propane powered generator to keep the freeze, TV, and internet going. and a propane stove for back up.
Anyway the Co op has a solar panel farm, which I bought into for $5,000 but will never receive a return on my investment. Not much choice in installers here.
Which I thought about, because I can do that, but the return on investment stretches beyond my lifetime, and my wife and I have willed our property to the local no kill animal shelter. It has a 24 dog run kennel, which is currently unused.
I am putting the money to use, in maintenance, upgrade,painting. I just had the house painted, the the roof of the garage apartment and house pressure washed , next it is the barn.
I have no doubt that they are ripping off the consumer.
My problem is the location of the solar panels.
I have a five year old metal roof on the house, and just had it and the gutters pressure washed, big problem with moss and dirt where I live in the Pacific NW.
I have a TexMo building, 6,000 sq ft barn, whichis moss free, and hasn't been cleaned since it was built in 1980, but is dirty. I don't understand why it is moss free, where my house and my garage apartment were pressure washed this week to get ird of the moss.
The best place for the panels is on the barn, but then the cable would have to be trenched over 100 ft to the meters, tearing up part of a sidewalk.
Then there is maintenance, don't they need periodic maintenance at least cleaning. Can they stand up to pressure washing and walking.?
And that is the big question, after all is said and done, how about maintenance and washing the panels,dirt will accumulate as will moss.
I am too old to climb up on a roof, and where I live it is almost impossible to find help, especially someone with a pressure washer.
I'm fortunate, so far this year, but he is an unemployed construction worker,.
There is very little construction work, where I live.
Amen. State control guiding the world in a phase out is totally rational. The natural disaster required to bring this about will be truly horrific. I hope we respond in this manner.
Not just OPEC but our home grown billionaires like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, two extreme right Christians oil men, who essentially control Texas politics.
It's chairman is Darren Woods he also serves on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute and the board of trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the National Petroleum Council, the Business Roundtable, the Business Council and the Texas A&M University Engineering Advisory Council.
Michael Angelakis:
ExxonMobil Corporation, Bowlero Corporation and TriNet Group, Inc., which are publicly listed companies.
Angela F. Braly serves on the board of directors of Brookfield Asset Management, ExxonMobil, Lowe's, and Procter & Gamble. Ms. Braly formerly served as the Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of WellPoint, Inc.
John D Harris II serves as a board member for Cisco Systems Inc., Flex Ltd., and Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Gregory J Goff serves as a member of several boards of directors including PolyOne Corporation, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the National Advisory Board for the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business and the National Society for High School Scholars.
Alexander Karsner sits on several boards including Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT), Conservation International, Nia Tero, the advisory council of the Natural Capital Project, the advisory board of the Energy Futures Initiative, the advisory board of MIT Media Lab., and the Board of Directors of ExxonMobil.
Lawrence W Kellner was the CEO of Boeing and pursuing profits over quality is responsible for the death of hundreds and the quality control crisis of Boeing
he was also Chief Financial Officer of American Savings Bank . In 1988 it was the largest thrift failure and the federal government's costliest resolution during the savings and loan crisis at an estimated cost of $5.4 billion.
Interlocking boards of directors, which hire and fire CEO's, whose job is to maximize profits at expensive of labor, quality, lives. This is who runs America.
If you are curious Google Exxon board of directors then go name by name and google What board of directors does _________ sit on
No wander their fingerprints are all over Project 2025. Incidentally, one of the Texas oil tycoons (I forgot his name) is also an evangelical preacher and a Christian nationalist, maybe a friend of Kevin Roberts.
Of course that wasn't entirely the choice of the American taxpayer or voter. To a large extent it was the choice of moneyed special interests and the politicians they purchase.
The most straightforward and earth-friendly solution to this problem is to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. As explained in my most recent post at https://stephenschiff.substack.com this has been done by a democracy and requires no new technology. But it does require recognition of the role of fossil fuels in climate change and the political will to act, two aspects missing in the US.
A carbon tax would be beneficial and that is why it is so fiercely opposed.
Regardless of what they spout to the public, oil companies and their investors have successfully blocked progress of transition and progressive R&D to new, cheaper energy base for the world. Oil companies say one thing for publicly and do another. We as a people support it by not demanding more and actively encouraging alternatives much mode and much sooner.
Oil is like cancer it’s grown into the cells of all our productive organs. Now it’s going to hurt bad to cut it out, but that means loss of profits and loss on oil based investments, but it’s got to be done.
Do the oil tycoons have grand children? Don't they care? Or have they come to the self-serving conclusion that it is already too late to do anything about global warming? If so, we must demand that they be honest with the rest of us.
This is a question I have struggled with Victor with respect to my representative Ann Wagner in Congress, to make it more personal. My best guess is, unless she is a complete ignoramus (this snowball proves there is no climate change but I don't think she is that ignorant)) that she thinks climate change won't be THAT bad, and there will be a tech fix for it, and there isn't much that SHE can do about it anyway.
But chiefly, she won't go against her "Republican" Party and risk getting primaried out of her job.
For the oil tycoons its all about making more money and there are endless rationalizations for why their behavior won't harm their children or grandkids. They are unbalanced in their single minded pursuit of profit. The simple answer is their humanity and judgement have been eroded by this pursuit.
I should write a LTE and ask my representative in Congress to explain herself, since she won't meet with any but her selected constituents.
What she said a few years ago is that the science is immature and we must proceed cautiously to avoid economic mayhem, the best political spin she could put on her opposition to dealing with this problem.
Spot on, Daniel. Production of everything possible needs to be shifted as near to the point of consumption as possible. The days of cheap (often disposable) products produced across the ocean are ending. I expect the horrible insurance industry to be a primary driver for this as weather events and violence collude to shift pricing.
Ben, I agree with you completely. Our capitalist system which has served us well for centuries is now woefully incapable of operating in such a complex world without allowing for gross in equities. A new economic philosophy called “Economic Democracy “ I believe is the answer. In Economic Democracy in so much as possible the necessities of life are produced locally, primarily by worker owned cooperatives. The system provides that everyone earns at least a “living wage,“ and then those of special merit get increased wages as an incentive to work harder and better. This has nothing to do with communism or socialism. It is simply a new way to look at economics.
I believe that if you fix the economic system to operate properly, then the political system will follow. We are now at the tipping point where our current capitalistic driven democracy is about to take us off the edge of the cliff. We need to seriously investigate new systems now so we are prepared for the next major, financial depression and calamity.
Here is a short essay that explains economic democracy. I am curious to see if you find merit in it.
Thermal energy costs next to nothing. I live in the "sunshine state" where we do not value solar power to the benefit of Big Energy and to the detriment of the taxpayers. Last year, DeSantis turned down more than $350 million in federal funding for energy efficiency initiatives This year, he removed the words “climate change” from state statutes and restructured the state’s fossil fuel-based energy policy that listed climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions.
Highest insurance costs in the US. Still, we do have the lowest electric costs in the country. There's value in planting vegetation, rebuilding reefs, etc.
You'd think insurance companies would promote solar hot water, white roofs, etc.
For those 2 points alone DeSantis deserves to be removed. He is like those governors who ideologically refuse Federal money to expand Medicaid. Sure, let’s deny health care to poor people. For shame !
True. Possibly the original sun of capitalism: natural inputs and outputs don't have price tags. The system has to be limited by something even if that something is famine or toxic pollution. Agreed upon rules are better than misery.
True. Possibly the original sun of capitalism: natural inputs and outputs don't have price tags. The system has to be limited by something even if that something is famine or toxic pollution. Agreed upon rules are better than misery.
Agree about OPEC. The U.S. has an even bigger challenge in the future. Our cost of production is higher (fracking vs. straight pumping by OPEC countries) and our peak oil production is estimated to occur in the 2030s vs. 2050s for OPEC. And, OPEC+ and new producers will make the US even more dependent up cartels that can withhold supply and manipulate futures to increase the price of oil. Our oil companies will play along to maximize profits. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is helping, but we need to move to renewables even faster. Our big oil companies have been backtracking on earlier declared commitments to invest in and move to renewal production. They have been limiting refinery capacity to keep gas prices high. And, our utilities have been gaining control of/influence over state public utility commissions to limit rooftop solar so they can make money from solar farm production and make more money from distribution. We need to change the incentives of our oil companies and utilities to bring them in line before we are disadvantaged on world oil markets. "Drill baby drill" is a (very) short-term profit maximization strategy that will hurt the US not long in the future, even aside from its additional polluting effects.
The middle class has never benefited from tax cuts, in fact tax cuts for the rich, invariably includes tax raises for the middle class, and the reason that middle America puts up with it,is the Horatio Alger myth, middle class Americans believe that they are only temporarily inconvenienced millionaires and that someday they will arrive.
A kid sees a singer, musician, an actor, an athlete that drives an expensive car, and lives in a mansion and believes that someday that will be them.
Nerds see Gates and Job and believe that that will be them, and settle for making Capuccino's at Starbucks until they get their lucky break.
Back in the early 60's I knew an Air Traffic Controller, an E-5, who invented a board game, he took it to Parker Brothers, they looked it and said here is $5,000
he was aghast, that is all, I'll take to your competitior, they said go ahead, we've seen the game, we have the idea. He took the $5,000 the game is Risk.
Microsoft's Excel, was Supercalc. I used the software with the same formulas back in 1983 t o manage maintenance on a vehicle fleet (I wrote the program)
No. Of more than 150,000 Class II injection wells in the United States, roughly 40,000 (26%) are waste fluid disposal wells for oil and gas operations. Only a small fraction of these disposal wells have induced earthquakes that are large enough to be of concern to the public.
Most wells are completed with a minimum of 4 to 6 steel casing (pipes) that are cemented individually into place, preventing any frac chemicals from ever reaching the water table.
Unless the steel casings are exceptionally wide (yards wide) and there is a cap at the bottom of the steel casings, then the waste fluid is in contact with the ground and dissipates after that, spreading to other layers of earth, stone, and the water table.
Let's differentiate between a disposal well and a well that is being fracked. They are two completely different scenarios. In an oversimplified view, the disposal wells, of which the majority in the US are non-oil and gas-related, are shallower by 1,000 feet. They have maximum injection pressures based on their depth to prevent migration. The heavy-weight steel casings (one inside the other) are cemented into place and tested using a radiographic tool to evaluate the bond between the pipe and cement, followed by a pressure test. The depth of the disposal well is 1000s feet below a drinking water strata, and the max pressure (for most) is 1,000 psi or less. A fracked producing well is many times deeper and is producing out of a shale or oil/gas bearing sandstone. You can't point to one study and say "Ah Ha" there it is, when 1000s of other locations do not confirm their hypothesis.
The industry continuously innovates and improves the safety. The oilfield today is far different than just 20 years ago.
This is terrible misuse of power in capitism and must be stopped for the benefit of all middle and lower SES citizens. The wealthy of course can afford higher energy prices.
Except, the U.S. pumps more climate changing oil than any other country, including the countries represented by OPEC. They don't have the political clout they once had.
The most important thing is Taking power and wealth away from America’s oligarchs and back toward average working Americans and Breaking up monopolies. Strengthening labor unions. Making it harder for big corporations to outsource jobs abroad. Leveling the playing field for all Americans sure would help! As Thomas Jefferson penned, “All Men Are Created Equal”.
That's our only hope, so many people vote Democrat that it overwhelms the voter suppression laws and voter intimidation that the Republicans are preparing for.
I hope the DNCC has assembled a first class Army, activists and poll watchers to counter the attempts by the Republicans.
It is going to take more than votes, They came close in Jan 6, 2020, and saved only because of one man who was afraid that he would pay for violating the constitution, he was not a hero, but too afraid to obey Trump.
People are angry but that doesn't explain why they vote for the people who are actively working against their economic interests. The oligarchs have created a massive disinformation system that has created a completely separate reality for conservatives entirely based on lies. People are worried about how to prevent AI from completely overwhelming our media with lies. We're already there. If we are unwilling or unable to stop the wholesale dissemination of lies in our mass media our democracy will be finished.
Thank you for providing these tools to help combat disinformation. Imagine what America could do if those billionaires used the money they pump into politics are instead used to benefit their workers.
Or imagine what could be done if corporate tax breaks were invested in the employees instead of buying back stock, which is a form of manipulation.
The Republicans like to say that families should care for their children and elderly. Having some support for such caregiving because of the need to work would take a huge amount of stress off of families. The Republicans lie.
Elections have become another industry in an economy that has fewer ways to earn a living. By the way, could Robert or someone explain why the top category in the graph below, finance, interest, and so on, is included in GDP? I read somewhere that interest was not always included in GDP. Defining financial services, a rapidly growing sector, as a product creates a false image of the economy because it counts the same money over and over and isn't something of substance. I hope the link works.
This is what economist Michael Hudson's spoken to for decades! That our economy has been 'financialized'. Our fictitious economy. Run by and for Wall Street.
It's included because it gives some inane credence to the financial sector being a productive part of the economic spectrum. As Hudson says, "By Wall St. standards, they must be the most productive workers in our economy." Take out the finance portion of GDP and our real economy is anemic. And we think we compete with China?
Everything to answer your question is here on the Geopolitical Economy Report. Ben Norton interviews Michael Hudson about the latest stock market crash.
I will give it a try Gloria. GDP means Gross National Product. Every time a case of cancer is diagnosed the GDP goes up. Interest on loans are part of the Gross National Product.
The loan itself is not. All loans are eventually wiped off the books, double entry bookkeeping, But the interest is profit.
I don't know where you read that interest was not always included in GDP, but what is included in GDP is a political decision
GDP is money expended in the production of goods and services. Debts because they are paid down and zeroed out are not part of the GDP, but the interest, which is not created by the indebtedness is part of the GDP
Thank you Robert. The issue of inequality is spot on. We have the exact problem in the UK. The injustices of a rigged system is the absolute root cause of anger amongst hard working but less rewarded folk. Media, corporate donations, politicians ambition coalesce into a sinister circle. White collar people game the system for personal advantage to society’s detriment. Solutions to this are as you describe including regional investment, affordable housing and health care provision, fair wages, eliminate main board bonuses which are rarely earned. Fact check media and politicians. Return of Glass Steagal for banking. And often overlooked, but invest in culture and leisure so places become more pleasant to live in, not just soulless retail and offices. Your analysis should trigger some meaningful actions amongst decision makers.
I liked your comment as I’m also from the UK and as I’m a few years older than Robert Reich and like him born during the 2nd World War and lived through the 50s 60s and 70s and the last 40 years, I absolutely agree with his expert analysis. Both countries have suffered from an excess of belief in Austrian economic analysis and individualism without regard for social cohesion.
Yes - but we are much more at the mercy of international finance than the US - so Labour does not have the room to manoeuvre that the Democrats will have. However the people with money do have more power in the US than I hope they will with Labour 🙏 There is so much to do in the States to take big money out of politics 🙏
🙏 my understanding is that it is praying that something does not happen and “praying” is not solely used in a religious context these days. I hope so as a lapsed Methodist Humanist 🙂
Mmerose, GP suffers from the same problem as the US, a right wing media, and worse Brits are addicted to tabloid media, which pushes sensationalism, lies, scandals.
They were infected by Rupert Murdoch when he migrated to Britain from Australia.
British media has always been the handmaid of financial interests, the real power in England is in the Financial District of London, and the real power there is the Bank of England.
When the King pays a visit to the City, which is what the Financial District of London is called, the Firm has to make an appointment, and the King arrives in street clothes and is met by the Mayor of the Financial District, bedecked in Formal attire Pages 5, 58 61 & 98,
In Denmark, the average single worker faced a net average tax rate of 36.0% in 2023, compared with the OECD average of 24.9%. In other words, in Denmark the take-home pay of an average single worker, after tax and benefits, was 64.0% of their gross wage, compared with the OECD average of 75.1%., but are healthy and happy, unlike Britains NHS it is not government run doctors and hospitals. Denmark’s universal, decentralized health system, the national government provides block grants from tax revenues to the regions and municipalities, which deliver health services. All residents are entitled to publicly financed care, including largely free primary, specialist, hospital, mental health, preventive, and long-term care services. Residents may purchase voluntary complementary insurance to cover copayments for outpatient drugs, dental care, and other services. Supplemental insurance, provided mainly by private employers, offers expanded access to private providers. Cost-sharing limits for adults and for children create a safety net.
Getting a university education in Denmark is free for EU/EEA students or permanent residents. For all other international students, the fees can range between about €8,000 and €18,000 a year, depending on the programme.May 27, 2024
Also public transportation like in Europe so that a major expense like a car wouldn't be necessary to go to work ! Alot of people cannot afford a car, but alot of jobs moved out of cities
I’m sorry. In my experience there are multitudes of ignorant, and just plain stupid Trump supporters. Ever try to talk with them? I have to no avail. It’s really mind boggling. 🌊🇺🇸😎
Yes and the myth that trump supporters vote for him because they are disenfranchised because of income inequality (the left behind theory the NYT pushed for so long) has mostly been thoroughly debunked. I find they are usually racist and sometimes sexist and in general have plenty of money but like his tax cuts and his belligerence and they’ve always voted for Rs so they only listen to news that supports their tribe. I talk to them regularly, too. All of Robert’s points are true but they won’t help convince Maga.
Considering 90% of the problems are from Dems and I don’t need Fox or Newsmax to tell me that. But I would rather get my news from them than the rest of the insane leftist media
Most of those who support the madness of Trump and his extremism have no clue about how badly they could be hurt if he were to be reelected. While some are finally starting to see the light, their are still too many who have been poisoned by the hypnotic-like spell he casts on his naive followers. Trying to talk sense to most of these people is a waste of time and similar to conversing with a houseplant. Our only hope is us and beating this dangerous fascist movement at the ballot box.
I agree. But it works both ways. Just try talking to progressives about the kinds of policies that disadvantage those on the MAGA side of the equation, like calling attention to the effect affirmative action is having on young working-class men and boys, and you will get the same kind of biased, if not bigoted response. Try pointing out the fact that in the United States today, twice as many women graduate from college and university as men, and that maybe it’s time take away artificial preferences in education for girls and women, and you will get the same kind of angry, bitter, savage response, you did from the MAGA crowd.
Then ask yourselves why so many working-class men are eager to vote for someone like Trump, who’s sole objective seems to be to tear down the system (social, cultural, political) these same progressive elites see as working so well for them.
I am not sure if you're totally making up numbers, or if you're misinterpreting something that you read somewhere. Women earn about 59% of college degrees (not quite 1.5 times as many women as men). There are a number of reasons for that disparity, but approximately zero of those reasons are due to "artificial preferences in education for girls and women." In most fields of study, there aren't "affirmative action" programs for college admission. (In some areas, like engineering and computer science, women are still VERY underrepresented, and we continue to try to change those numbers -- just as we should be trying to encourage more boys to go into areas like teaching, social work, and nursing.)
What are the causes of women's higher rates of college graduation? Girls outperform boys in reading in early grades, take more advanced courses in secondary school, are more likely to prefer careers that require advanced education, and graduate from college at higher rates than men. Yes, there are things we could do to increase boys' learning rates, motivation, commitment to hard work, and persistence -- but "affirmative action" is not their problem.
Sorry. What you're quoting is an often-repeated bogus "fact," which indicates the aggregate of male and female salaries for the whole of the country. But when you compare workers doing the same jobs with the same experience and qualifications, the difference virtually vanishes.
Thanks for the link. But it looks to me like they report that when all factors are considered (the controlled group) women earn 99% of what men make. The only time they break out the stats that way is for the c-suite, where the gap is likely to be the widest. And there it is 5%.
From what I can tell, all the other stats show aggregate (the uncontrolled group) salaries. They don't explicitly say that is what they are reporting. But that must be the case, given that the overall controlled gap is 1%, yet they report that in the various industries the gap is as high as 50%. So those numbers have to be uncontrolled, i.e. not taking into consideration the differences in experience, education, hours worked etc.
If that is true, then that report is really quite deceptive. Because they seem to be suggesting that what they are reporting is numbers controlled for personal talent, when in fact they are just reporting aggregate numbers.
The number that sticks in my mind for female college degrees is 66% (which would make it 2 to 1). But that may have been a projection based on the dramatic drop in male enrollment in recent years. But either way, women are clearly much more likely to obtain a degree than men, and most of what you say here goes to prove my point.
You talk about how poorly boys do in the early years and beyond in nearly every aspect of school work, something that has been the case for decades and is getting worse. And you suggest the problem there is that boys don’t work hard enough, are not persistent enough etc etc – and that it has nothing to do with the fact that boys are not wired to be sitting at desks for several hours a day.
Meanwhile the reason women are not doing well in STEM subjects and in the corporate world, is supposedly the fault of society, and therefore needs to be corrected with social programs like affirmative action. And somehow over the last few decades we figured out how to dramatically increase female academic success to the extent that they now clearly outpace boys and men. Yet little, if anything, is being done now to correct that imbalance. And whatever is being done clearly isn’t working.
But none of this goes to my main point and the subject of this post. My point is that boys and men are doing much more poorly IN GENERAL than girls and women. And that is especially true of working-class men, who are dropping out of society and the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Yet nothing of consequence is being done to address this. No one is talking about any of it in the political realm, as can be seen by the fact that there are no political issues particular to men that are being discussed in the way women’s issues, such as reproductive rights, affirmative action, and sexual harassment and abuse are constantly part of the political agenda.
Are there problems that affect men? Or course there are, like the fact that men are much more likely than women to be the victims of suicide (4x), overdose death (4x), incarceration (10x), and homelessness (30x).
And while these issues may not be much of a concern for college-educated men, who are rather more isolated from some of their effects – they are certainly a problem for working-class men. Yet no one cares about any of this, or the plain fact that millions of these men are clearly in serious trouble.
But working-class men see this, and the fact that no one in the political class gives a damn. They know that, because no one ever talks about them and their issues except in the most negative terms, which mainly boils down to them being the root of all evil and oppression in the world. Meanwhile, talk of the female vote is always positive, and women’s issues constantly front and center, certainly when it comes to the Democratic Party.
And that, as much as anything, is what is fuelling the rise of Donald Trump.
I see that you are very upset, but I believe your view about what the Democrats are talking about is not an accurate reflection. I don't see Harris or Walz saying anything like what you're claiming Democrats say about "all men being bad" - if that's your takeaway from the messaging, I think you are projecting someone that isn't there. Democrats ARE talking about and working on all of the things that you list / imply are important: jobs, the economy, support for unions, teacher pay, wealth disparity, social programs, homelessness, excessive incarceration... The list goes on. And because it didn't seem to be clear enough to you, I was not saying that the issues causing men to be less likely to graduate from college aren't important or that they shouldn't be worked on, only that they are not the result of affirmative action for women, as your post implied.
Of course Democrats aren’t going to say that men are bad – at least not out loud. But that view is inherent in everything they say about gender issues.
And as far as Kamala Harris addressing any of the issues I mentioned – I think you’re the one whose “projecting.” The only time I know of where she got anywhere near, even the issues YOU listed, was her one appearance before a union. But it was a teacher’s union, consisting mainly of college-educated women. And you can bet there was not a word about addressing the problems boys are having in school. And in the short time she has been the nominee, she has appeared before three black sororities, not exactly reaching beyond her female base to men – except for their pocket books of course.
No, from what I can tell, Harris’ approach with men is going to be the same as that of Hillary Clinton in 2016, whose only message to men basically came down to “Women’s issues ARE men’s issues.” And you know how that turned out.
So if you think I’m getting upset, tell me how you would be feeling if the only candidate that could beat Donald Trump had only one thing to say to you as a woman – and it was that “Men’s issues ARE women’s issues.”
Well that’s the way most men feel, especially when they consider voting for a woman. And that’s the kind of thing that should be getting you upset too. Because it’s an attitude that is almost certain to put Donald Trump in the White House once again.
This is one of those things where you’re right, but there are exceptions to the rule, there are plenty of ignorant Trump supporters some willfully, others due to a lack of critical thinking skills.
Like I said you’re right, but there are those who know the truth and still prefer to support Trumpism ergo fascism.
I could not agree more. But then: how to get closer to this goals?
The system did'nt put Trump behind bars. It misses the moral courage to persecute Elon Musk for slander, libel and disinforming the public.
Is the US ready for a revolution of decency and civility? I fear the answer is no, but it should not discourage our friends. May be som lectures in social democracy could help?
You never know. All it took in the fifties was one man calling Senator McCarthy out for his lack of decency and everything changed. It could happen again. I think people are pretty fed up.
If ever we needed to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz it is now!! President Biden began the work and he worked so very hard. I wish that he had been able to stay in the race; however, he has passed the torch to a woman who worked with him closely during his term. He started working on getting the guardrails back in place and Kamala will continue that work and build on it. Everything you mentioned in your Bonus Debunking Myth must be done in order to get our Democracy back on track. It is imperative that we not only win the White House, but we must win the Senate and the House as well. I don't know if this can be done, but I do know that if we don't, the right-wing nutters in Congress will continue to prevent us from moving forward! I am tired of the orange man and the republicans stopping every single piece of legislation just because a Democrat brought it forward! Our government has got to work for the American people! Vote blue, America!
Speaking of Republicans not acting on legislation --
Did you know that early in February, Representative Matt Gaetz proposed a draft House resolution that has been gathering dust in the House Committee on the Judiciary ever since?
It is H Res 1001:
"Resolved: That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that former President Donald J. Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or give aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
One would think that if this were indeed meant to be a solution by resolution, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the Honorable Jim Jordan, would want to convene hearings on it.
Robert - absolutely agree with all the above, and would probably add a 40 hour working week (it's 36 hours here in the EU). Anything more must be overtime pay, and the worker has to volunteer.
I would also mention that it isn't just doing these right things. If you want to stop Trump and Trumpist ideas, then the Dems also have to explain themselves very much better. Biden has done many good things in the last 3+ years, and the Dems seem to be treating them as secrets! The end result is Trump pumps out his lies unchallenged and MAGA supporters believe every one of them.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are raking in $millions in donations right now. PLEASE convince them to use some of it to set up an effective, modern, efficient, well-funded, professionally managed information distribution operation that feeds every one of these good news stories into ALL the media channels in simple language.
Many years ago I completed a course on marketing and communications. One of the lecturers was a retired editor of several top London newspapers and I recall his view on writing for the target audiences:
The top UK intellectual newspapers (Times, Telegraph, Guardian....) are written in the language of an educated 14 year old. And more advanced or technical terms are always explained.
The tabloids are variously aimed between 7 to 10 years old, with no long words and simple storylines. You tell them twice - at the start and the end you tell them what the story is about.
Never assume you know what the reader believes or might agree with. Even the paper's usual audience can cover complex and contradictory positions on any issue.
In either case, tabloid or broadsheet, all the relevant elements of the story are in the first 1 or 2 paragraphs. Assume that is all that most people will read. The rest is for people who want more information, more detail.
At the time I thought it condescending and insulting to the audiences, but perhaps it is time for Dems to target their messages at ALL readers, including (especially?) those drawn to Trump with his simple messaging?
Actually, when Kamala Harris tries to explain things in straightforward terms, she is accused of being "condescending." And Trump's messaging is "simple" mostly because it's entirely and completely false. So it can be a bit tricky, though I agree with your broader point.
It certainly CAN be and needs to be—especially since the quality and quantity of preschool, primary school, secondary school, and university education is diminishing.
Good point, Az. Anytime a politician has to explain something is a sign that he doesn't know what he is doing. Yet I get plenty of Dem donation requests that begin with "let me explain." They go into the trash bin right away.
'PLEASE convince them to use some of it to set up an effective, modern, efficient, well-funded, professionally managed information distribution operation'
Sorry it did not work for you. I have a Samsung phone. That may have nothing to do with it. My brother has Apple, and sometimes there are compatibility issues.
This is great... even when it seems like your opponents have "lost the plot," you still need to understand what is driving them. They might look like they're in a cult and desperately need rescuing, but there's a genuine disillusionment at the heart of their experience.
Thanks, I don’t know any hardcore rally going full dress regalia make America great again types, and I personally don’t like DJT because of the last twenty-five plus years from NYC to Atlantic City to reality TV he’s proved to America who and what he is and potentially wants to be. This election, for many, is about not going over the cliff. Regardless of who wins, true, things can start small and get into abuse by those who wield power and money and whose opportunity to exploit others is something that many from many countries agree needs to be kept in check.
Have NEVER understood the popularity of Donold Trump. At the beginning of learning about him, it came out that he didn’t pay his contractors /subcontractors. Took bankruptcy. Many times. That’s dirty, and it is making money off the backs of working people. Trump and Musk disgust me.
"Breaking up monopolies. Strengthening labor unions. Making it harder for big corporations to outsource jobs abroad.
"Providing paid leave. Raising the minimum wage. Ensuring that everyone who needs a job has one.
"Making child care and elder care, and housing, affordable. Providing Medicare for all. Paying for this by raising taxes on the super-wealthy and on big corporations."
And I would add hammering home how corrupt the MAGA justices are.
I'd like to add one thing. There has to be a strong disincentive for the wealthy who use their cash to undermine democracy. For example, oil barons should be expected to pay retribution for the millions they spent convincing the public that climate change was a hoax. And the CEO of Boeing should never have walked away with a severance package when he allowed the entire Boeing fleet to become weakened by the shortchanging of bolts and screws.
Really? There’s so much wrong with this. Responding to a rigged system doesn’t negate ignorance, and doesn’t excuse authoritarianism, and finally “Unrigging the system” based on their needs is a little ironic given that that same system has been rigged against minority populations for literally centuries, but we get shot for protesting, while they can storm the capital, and then pretend they didn’t. Not to mention their unwavering allegiance to the wealthy White men they obviously worship, while those same people continually exploit them and direct their hatred towards the rest of us who don’t deserve it. Frankly, we are tired of saving this democracy for people like these, who think they don’t need it. Yes, unrig the system, but please don’t act as if they’re the biggest victims of that rigging, b/c they aren’t.
I agree. Racism seems to be the unspoken truth about the division in this country. A prime example is trump's own spoken targets for retribution: blacks, hispanics, muslims, and liberals.
When attempts to engage with a brainless leftist, the first ground rule must be an agreement that they will not move the goal post after having their argument fail
Rapist. Hunter Biden! Thief. Hunter Biden! Traitor. Hunter Biden! Con man. Hunter Biden! Tax evader. Hunter Biden! Draft dodger. Hunter Biden! Blackmailer. Born in Kenya! Classified docs theft. Emails! Hahahahaha. You and your friends can all take knee pads to your next private meeting with Putin.
Thank you for keeping us informed and explaining important issues. Your work and dedication are so appreciated
I still think that the worst monopoly is OPEC, and it is also a national security issue, as countries like Russia and Iran fund their proxy wars against us funded by oil profits. Meanwhile most of our oil refinery capacity and some of our domestic energy companies are controlled by Saudi Arabia, principal OPEC member.
Recently, the Biden FTC "took action to resolve antitrust concerns surrounding Exxon Mobil Corporation’s (Exxon) $64.5 billion acquisition of oil producer Pioneer Natural Resources by approving a consent order that prevents founder and former Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield from gaining a seat on Exxon’s board of directors or serving in an advisory capacity at Exxon once it acquires Pioneer." The FTC's complaint cites “voluminous evidence” that Sheffield tried to fix prices by US shale producers and OPEC "The proposed consent order seeks to prevent Pioneer’s Sheffield from engaging in collusive activity that would potentially raise crude oil prices, leading American consumers and businesses to pay higher prices for gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and jet fuel.https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/05/ftc-order-bans-former-pioneer-ceo-exxon-board-seat-exxon-pioneer-deal
Daniel, well informed as always. But America had a choice back in 1973 to send all its money to the Middle East for its increasing shortfall in domestic production, or to develop alternatives. As usual, America took the fossil route, under considerable domestic pressure, not least from the fossil oil industry and fossil carmakers. And also from America's energy industry, where fossil-powered electricity could only make money from distributed power, and that was fearful that a 'solar revolution' would mean privately owned rooftop solar and 'distributed power' that would make the electricity grid uneconomic.
The results? OPEC became a world dominating force, and that generated everything else, from most Middle East wars to 9/11 and thousands of Americans killed, and eye-watering American debt levels, and fracking pollution of the air and the water supplies across swathes of America, all the way to a medieval Saudi Arabia with American wealth in their pockets and their murderous Prince at the world's top table.
And all the while renewables, still struggling today, 50 years later, to get a foothold in America, despite producing cheaper electricity than fossil energy in every other country.
Yes, the American oil majors are still controlling America's politics, markets, and dictating its future policies. Perhaps it is time to call a halt?
How about Biden (or Harris/ Walz) declaring the fossil industries an essential national resource and taking 51% of the stock into Government hands? THAT should bring them to heel!
This used to be a bi-partisan issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Oil_Producing_and_Exporting_Cartels_Act
We can't go back in time and nationalization is not a viable option. It's ironic and ridiculous that Musk, who made/makes his wealth from alternatives and government subsidies, and his natural mortal enemy . BIG OIL, join forces behind the obviously nutsy koo koo candidate.
If we win, I'd take NOPEC.
The commonality is that Trump is easily manipulated with money and flattery.
You have to be crazy to trust a crazy person.
and if we lose all of Alaska goes to the oil industry (as proposed by Project 2025).
If you know anything about Alaska, it is the Soviet Union of the US. Most residents receive a stipend based on oil revenue.
1. You're wrong about OPEC. We can recoup our losses, sue for lost profits, fund our economy with the proceeds.
2. Costs. We are at the cusp of technological breakthroughs. My favorite is hemp replacing silica, rare minerals. Costs will drop. https://community.ases.org/discussion/solar-powered-factories-making-hemp-batteries-and-the-future-is-hemp-buildings
Daniel—Sue OPEC for list profits? What a bruhaha that would cause. Not sure it would get us anything back except more trouble in Mideast but worth seeing!
Wow! Do it! I replaced my 27 years past warranty gas furnace with a heatvpump and put solar panels on tge roof...the side that doesn't have trees. I haven't paid a utility bill since. In fact at the moment the power company owes me $8 11.
Good for you!
I checked about solarizing my house. The estimate was $50,000 with 15 year financing. I would be dead before the loan was paid off, and have spend more than I saved the monthly payment on the loan at 4% is $370, and 6% $421.
Not worth considering.
Shop around
Some companies own the equipment and give you a cut. Depends on the deal.
Our electricity is proved by a Co Op, but is expensive because the electricity arrives via an undersea cable from the mainland, it has been cut twice by anchors. I have a propane powered generator to keep the freeze, TV, and internet going. and a propane stove for back up.
Anyway the Co op has a solar panel farm, which I bought into for $5,000 but will never receive a return on my investment. Not much choice in installers here.
what if you pay cash?
Which I thought about, because I can do that, but the return on investment stretches beyond my lifetime, and my wife and I have willed our property to the local no kill animal shelter. It has a 24 dog run kennel, which is currently unused.
I am putting the money to use, in maintenance, upgrade,painting. I just had the house painted, the the roof of the garage apartment and house pressure washed , next it is the barn.
I have no doubt that they are ripping off the consumer.
My problem is the location of the solar panels.
I have a five year old metal roof on the house, and just had it and the gutters pressure washed, big problem with moss and dirt where I live in the Pacific NW.
I have a TexMo building, 6,000 sq ft barn, whichis moss free, and hasn't been cleaned since it was built in 1980, but is dirty. I don't understand why it is moss free, where my house and my garage apartment were pressure washed this week to get ird of the moss.
The best place for the panels is on the barn, but then the cable would have to be trenched over 100 ft to the meters, tearing up part of a sidewalk.
Then there is maintenance, don't they need periodic maintenance at least cleaning. Can they stand up to pressure washing and walking.?
And that is the big question, after all is said and done, how about maintenance and washing the panels,dirt will accumulate as will moss.
I am too old to climb up on a roof, and where I live it is almost impossible to find help, especially someone with a pressure washer.
I'm fortunate, so far this year, but he is an unemployed construction worker,.
There is very little construction work, where I live.
Amen. State control guiding the world in a phase out is totally rational. The natural disaster required to bring this about will be truly horrific. I hope we respond in this manner.
Not just OPEC but our home grown billionaires like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, two extreme right Christians oil men, who essentially control Texas politics.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/24/politics/texas-far-right-politics-invs/index.html
The board of directors for EXXON https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/corporate-governance/board-of-directors
It's chairman is Darren Woods he also serves on the board of directors of the American Petroleum Institute and the board of trustees of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the National Petroleum Council, the Business Roundtable, the Business Council and the Texas A&M University Engineering Advisory Council.
Michael Angelakis:
ExxonMobil Corporation, Bowlero Corporation and TriNet Group, Inc., which are publicly listed companies.
Angela F. Braly serves on the board of directors of Brookfield Asset Management, ExxonMobil, Lowe's, and Procter & Gamble. Ms. Braly formerly served as the Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of WellPoint, Inc.
John D Harris II serves as a board member for Cisco Systems Inc., Flex Ltd., and Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Gregory J Goff serves as a member of several boards of directors including PolyOne Corporation, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the National Advisory Board for the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business and the National Society for High School Scholars.
Alexander Karsner sits on several boards including Applied Materials (Nasdaq: AMAT), Conservation International, Nia Tero, the advisory council of the Natural Capital Project, the advisory board of the Energy Futures Initiative, the advisory board of MIT Media Lab., and the Board of Directors of ExxonMobil.
Lawrence W Kellner was the CEO of Boeing and pursuing profits over quality is responsible for the death of hundreds and the quality control crisis of Boeing
he was also Chief Financial Officer of American Savings Bank . In 1988 it was the largest thrift failure and the federal government's costliest resolution during the savings and loan crisis at an estimated cost of $5.4 billion.
Interlocking boards of directors, which hire and fire CEO's, whose job is to maximize profits at expensive of labor, quality, lives. This is who runs America.
If you are curious Google Exxon board of directors then go name by name and google What board of directors does _________ sit on
No wander their fingerprints are all over Project 2025. Incidentally, one of the Texas oil tycoons (I forgot his name) is also an evangelical preacher and a Christian nationalist, maybe a friend of Kevin Roberts.
Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are both Christian Nationalists. Tim Dunn is the evangelical preacher.
Thank you for responding, William.
Of course that wasn't entirely the choice of the American taxpayer or voter. To a large extent it was the choice of moneyed special interests and the politicians they purchase.
Like always we did this. Looking short term.
We needed Harris/Walz and their successors to address this and remedy it.
The most straightforward and earth-friendly solution to this problem is to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. As explained in my most recent post at https://stephenschiff.substack.com this has been done by a democracy and requires no new technology. But it does require recognition of the role of fossil fuels in climate change and the political will to act, two aspects missing in the US.
A carbon tax would be beneficial and that is why it is so fiercely opposed.
Regardless of what they spout to the public, oil companies and their investors have successfully blocked progress of transition and progressive R&D to new, cheaper energy base for the world. Oil companies say one thing for publicly and do another. We as a people support it by not demanding more and actively encouraging alternatives much mode and much sooner.
Oil is like cancer it’s grown into the cells of all our productive organs. Now it’s going to hurt bad to cut it out, but that means loss of profits and loss on oil based investments, but it’s got to be done.
Do the oil tycoons have grand children? Don't they care? Or have they come to the self-serving conclusion that it is already too late to do anything about global warming? If so, we must demand that they be honest with the rest of us.
This is a question I have struggled with Victor with respect to my representative Ann Wagner in Congress, to make it more personal. My best guess is, unless she is a complete ignoramus (this snowball proves there is no climate change but I don't think she is that ignorant)) that she thinks climate change won't be THAT bad, and there will be a tech fix for it, and there isn't much that SHE can do about it anyway.
But chiefly, she won't go against her "Republican" Party and risk getting primaried out of her job.
For the oil tycoons its all about making more money and there are endless rationalizations for why their behavior won't harm their children or grandkids. They are unbalanced in their single minded pursuit of profit. The simple answer is their humanity and judgement have been eroded by this pursuit.
I should write a LTE and ask my representative in Congress to explain herself, since she won't meet with any but her selected constituents.
What she said a few years ago is that the science is immature and we must proceed cautiously to avoid economic mayhem, the best political spin she could put on her opposition to dealing with this problem.
Spot on, Daniel. Production of everything possible needs to be shifted as near to the point of consumption as possible. The days of cheap (often disposable) products produced across the ocean are ending. I expect the horrible insurance industry to be a primary driver for this as weather events and violence collude to shift pricing.
Ben, I agree with you completely. Our capitalist system which has served us well for centuries is now woefully incapable of operating in such a complex world without allowing for gross in equities. A new economic philosophy called “Economic Democracy “ I believe is the answer. In Economic Democracy in so much as possible the necessities of life are produced locally, primarily by worker owned cooperatives. The system provides that everyone earns at least a “living wage,“ and then those of special merit get increased wages as an incentive to work harder and better. This has nothing to do with communism or socialism. It is simply a new way to look at economics.
I believe that if you fix the economic system to operate properly, then the political system will follow. We are now at the tipping point where our current capitalistic driven democracy is about to take us off the edge of the cliff. We need to seriously investigate new systems now so we are prepared for the next major, financial depression and calamity.
Here is a short essay that explains economic democracy. I am curious to see if you find merit in it.
https://www.proutinstitute.org/policy-solutions/economic-democracy-the-alternative-to-corporate-rule
There needs to be economic incentive to do so unfortunately
Thermal energy costs next to nothing. I live in the "sunshine state" where we do not value solar power to the benefit of Big Energy and to the detriment of the taxpayers. Last year, DeSantis turned down more than $350 million in federal funding for energy efficiency initiatives This year, he removed the words “climate change” from state statutes and restructured the state’s fossil fuel-based energy policy that listed climate change as a priority when making energy policy decisions.
Highest insurance costs in the US. Still, we do have the lowest electric costs in the country. There's value in planting vegetation, rebuilding reefs, etc.
You'd think insurance companies would promote solar hot water, white roofs, etc.
For those 2 points alone DeSantis deserves to be removed. He is like those governors who ideologically refuse Federal money to expand Medicaid. Sure, let’s deny health care to poor people. For shame !
Why do people keep DeSantis in but expect Blue States to pay for their storms!😬 get with it, America!
The Republican Party lives on oil industry subsidies, hence climate change denial is required.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/drillinginfo/2016/02/22/debunking-myths-about-federal-oil-gas-subsidies/
True. Possibly the original sun of capitalism: natural inputs and outputs don't have price tags. The system has to be limited by something even if that something is famine or toxic pollution. Agreed upon rules are better than misery.
True. Possibly the original sun of capitalism: natural inputs and outputs don't have price tags. The system has to be limited by something even if that something is famine or toxic pollution. Agreed upon rules are better than misery.
So far, there isn't the political will to change it!😡
Agree about OPEC. The U.S. has an even bigger challenge in the future. Our cost of production is higher (fracking vs. straight pumping by OPEC countries) and our peak oil production is estimated to occur in the 2030s vs. 2050s for OPEC. And, OPEC+ and new producers will make the US even more dependent up cartels that can withhold supply and manipulate futures to increase the price of oil. Our oil companies will play along to maximize profits. Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is helping, but we need to move to renewables even faster. Our big oil companies have been backtracking on earlier declared commitments to invest in and move to renewal production. They have been limiting refinery capacity to keep gas prices high. And, our utilities have been gaining control of/influence over state public utility commissions to limit rooftop solar so they can make money from solar farm production and make more money from distribution. We need to change the incentives of our oil companies and utilities to bring them in line before we are disadvantaged on world oil markets. "Drill baby drill" is a (very) short-term profit maximization strategy that will hurt the US not long in the future, even aside from its additional polluting effects.
Trumpet 🎺 supporters want a free lunch that the republicans have been serving since Ronald Reagan.
Tax the poor give the rich a free ride ,
Poor cannot afford child care Rich Get Tax Cuts and Promise of Trickle Down boost to big business and rich individuals
The middle class has never benefited from tax cuts, in fact tax cuts for the rich, invariably includes tax raises for the middle class, and the reason that middle America puts up with it,is the Horatio Alger myth, middle class Americans believe that they are only temporarily inconvenienced millionaires and that someday they will arrive.
A kid sees a singer, musician, an actor, an athlete that drives an expensive car, and lives in a mansion and believes that someday that will be them.
Nerds see Gates and Job and believe that that will be them, and settle for making Capuccino's at Starbucks until they get their lucky break.
Back in the early 60's I knew an Air Traffic Controller, an E-5, who invented a board game, he took it to Parker Brothers, they looked it and said here is $5,000
he was aghast, that is all, I'll take to your competitior, they said go ahead, we've seen the game, we have the idea. He took the $5,000 the game is Risk.
Microsoft's Excel, was Supercalc. I used the software with the same formulas back in 1983 t o manage maintenance on a vehicle fleet (I wrote the program)
MS Word was Lotus 123,then Word Perfect
Fracking can poison the water table, and has, and cause earthquakes and subsidence, and has.
From the USGS website:
No. Of more than 150,000 Class II injection wells in the United States, roughly 40,000 (26%) are waste fluid disposal wells for oil and gas operations. Only a small fraction of these disposal wells have induced earthquakes that are large enough to be of concern to the public.
Most wells are completed with a minimum of 4 to 6 steel casing (pipes) that are cemented individually into place, preventing any frac chemicals from ever reaching the water table.
Unless the steel casings are exceptionally wide (yards wide) and there is a cap at the bottom of the steel casings, then the waste fluid is in contact with the ground and dissipates after that, spreading to other layers of earth, stone, and the water table.
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/study-links-fracking-drinking-water-pollution-and-infant-heath
One is too many.
Let's differentiate between a disposal well and a well that is being fracked. They are two completely different scenarios. In an oversimplified view, the disposal wells, of which the majority in the US are non-oil and gas-related, are shallower by 1,000 feet. They have maximum injection pressures based on their depth to prevent migration. The heavy-weight steel casings (one inside the other) are cemented into place and tested using a radiographic tool to evaluate the bond between the pipe and cement, followed by a pressure test. The depth of the disposal well is 1000s feet below a drinking water strata, and the max pressure (for most) is 1,000 psi or less. A fracked producing well is many times deeper and is producing out of a shale or oil/gas bearing sandstone. You can't point to one study and say "Ah Ha" there it is, when 1000s of other locations do not confirm their hypothesis.
The industry continuously innovates and improves the safety. The oilfield today is far different than just 20 years ago.
Exxon, the gift that keeps on taking…
Exxon execs : Climate change is real. Shhhh, DON’T pass it on!
This is terrible misuse of power in capitism and must be stopped for the benefit of all middle and lower SES citizens. The wealthy of course can afford higher energy prices.
Completely accurate, yet how many "die hard" Trump "loyalists" actually know or Understand this?
Except, the U.S. pumps more climate changing oil than any other country, including the countries represented by OPEC. They don't have the political clout they once had.
We have CAFE standards, pollution controls.
👍👍👍
Amen & amen again! You said it perfectly for
all of "us out here" 👏 TY ‼️
Yes, exactly what I have been saying on here for more than a year. And, a college degree doesn't mean you "make all this money". It always depends.
Professor Reich as you have said before,
The most important thing is Taking power and wealth away from America’s oligarchs and back toward average working Americans and Breaking up monopolies. Strengthening labor unions. Making it harder for big corporations to outsource jobs abroad. Leveling the playing field for all Americans sure would help! As Thomas Jefferson penned, “All Men Are Created Equal”.
Blue tsunami can drown them. https://www.fieldteam6.org
That's our only hope, so many people vote Democrat that it overwhelms the voter suppression laws and voter intimidation that the Republicans are preparing for.
I hope the DNCC has assembled a first class Army, activists and poll watchers to counter the attempts by the Republicans.
It is going to take more than votes, They came close in Jan 6, 2020, and saved only because of one man who was afraid that he would pay for violating the constitution, he was not a hero, but too afraid to obey Trump.
I hope so 🙏
People are angry but that doesn't explain why they vote for the people who are actively working against their economic interests. The oligarchs have created a massive disinformation system that has created a completely separate reality for conservatives entirely based on lies. People are worried about how to prevent AI from completely overwhelming our media with lies. We're already there. If we are unwilling or unable to stop the wholesale dissemination of lies in our mass media our democracy will be finished.
Thank you for providing these tools to help combat disinformation. Imagine what America could do if those billionaires used the money they pump into politics are instead used to benefit their workers.
Or imagine what could be done if corporate tax breaks were invested in the employees instead of buying back stock, which is a form of manipulation.
The Republicans like to say that families should care for their children and elderly. Having some support for such caregiving because of the need to work would take a huge amount of stress off of families. The Republicans lie.
Elections have become another industry in an economy that has fewer ways to earn a living. By the way, could Robert or someone explain why the top category in the graph below, finance, interest, and so on, is included in GDP? I read somewhere that interest was not always included in GDP. Defining financial services, a rapidly growing sector, as a product creates a false image of the economy because it counts the same money over and over and isn't something of substance. I hope the link works.
http://www.statista.com/statistics/248004/percentage-added-to-the-us-gdp-by-industry/
This is what economist Michael Hudson's spoken to for decades! That our economy has been 'financialized'. Our fictitious economy. Run by and for Wall Street.
It's included because it gives some inane credence to the financial sector being a productive part of the economic spectrum. As Hudson says, "By Wall St. standards, they must be the most productive workers in our economy." Take out the finance portion of GDP and our real economy is anemic. And we think we compete with China?
Everything to answer your question is here on the Geopolitical Economy Report. Ben Norton interviews Michael Hudson about the latest stock market crash.
https://michael-hudson.com/2024/08/volatility-unwound/
I will give it a try Gloria. GDP means Gross National Product. Every time a case of cancer is diagnosed the GDP goes up. Interest on loans are part of the Gross National Product.
The loan itself is not. All loans are eventually wiped off the books, double entry bookkeeping, But the interest is profit.
I don't know where you read that interest was not always included in GDP, but what is included in GDP is a political decision
GDP is money expended in the production of goods and services. Debts because they are paid down and zeroed out are not part of the GDP, but the interest, which is not created by the indebtedness is part of the GDP
Would help alot
Thank you Robert. The issue of inequality is spot on. We have the exact problem in the UK. The injustices of a rigged system is the absolute root cause of anger amongst hard working but less rewarded folk. Media, corporate donations, politicians ambition coalesce into a sinister circle. White collar people game the system for personal advantage to society’s detriment. Solutions to this are as you describe including regional investment, affordable housing and health care provision, fair wages, eliminate main board bonuses which are rarely earned. Fact check media and politicians. Return of Glass Steagal for banking. And often overlooked, but invest in culture and leisure so places become more pleasant to live in, not just soulless retail and offices. Your analysis should trigger some meaningful actions amongst decision makers.
I liked your comment as I’m also from the UK and as I’m a few years older than Robert Reich and like him born during the 2nd World War and lived through the 50s 60s and 70s and the last 40 years, I absolutely agree with his expert analysis. Both countries have suffered from an excess of belief in Austrian economic analysis and individualism without regard for social cohesion.
But it requires the right decision-makers. Hasn't GB had a shift of hope recently?
Yes - but we are much more at the mercy of international finance than the US - so Labour does not have the room to manoeuvre that the Democrats will have. However the people with money do have more power in the US than I hope they will with Labour 🙏 There is so much to do in the States to take big money out of politics 🙏
Humbly, I ask what is significance of that emoji? I see it a lot.
Mmerose: I could well be wrong, but I've always thought it represented two hands together, praying. That's my guess!
It need not carry a religious connotation.
🙏 my understanding is that it is praying that something does not happen and “praying” is not solely used in a religious context these days. I hope so as a lapsed Methodist Humanist 🙂
Mmerose, GP suffers from the same problem as the US, a right wing media, and worse Brits are addicted to tabloid media, which pushes sensationalism, lies, scandals.
They were infected by Rupert Murdoch when he migrated to Britain from Australia.
British media has always been the handmaid of financial interests, the real power in England is in the Financial District of London, and the real power there is the Bank of England.
When the King pays a visit to the City, which is what the Financial District of London is called, the Firm has to make an appointment, and the King arrives in street clothes and is met by the Mayor of the Financial District, bedecked in Formal attire Pages 5, 58 61 & 98,
https://www.amazon.com/Empire-City-C-Knuth/dp/0944379125
In Denmark, the average single worker faced a net average tax rate of 36.0% in 2023, compared with the OECD average of 24.9%. In other words, in Denmark the take-home pay of an average single worker, after tax and benefits, was 64.0% of their gross wage, compared with the OECD average of 75.1%., but are healthy and happy, unlike Britains NHS it is not government run doctors and hospitals. Denmark’s universal, decentralized health system, the national government provides block grants from tax revenues to the regions and municipalities, which deliver health services. All residents are entitled to publicly financed care, including largely free primary, specialist, hospital, mental health, preventive, and long-term care services. Residents may purchase voluntary complementary insurance to cover copayments for outpatient drugs, dental care, and other services. Supplemental insurance, provided mainly by private employers, offers expanded access to private providers. Cost-sharing limits for adults and for children create a safety net.
Getting a university education in Denmark is free for EU/EEA students or permanent residents. For all other international students, the fees can range between about €8,000 and €18,000 a year, depending on the programme.May 27, 2024
Also public transportation like in Europe so that a major expense like a car wouldn't be necessary to go to work ! Alot of people cannot afford a car, but alot of jobs moved out of cities
There once was a coward named Trump
Who hid himself while on the stump
He cried into his ketchup
Afraid he would mess up
Instead he just whined like a chump
I’m sorry. In my experience there are multitudes of ignorant, and just plain stupid Trump supporters. Ever try to talk with them? I have to no avail. It’s really mind boggling. 🌊🇺🇸😎
Yes and the myth that trump supporters vote for him because they are disenfranchised because of income inequality (the left behind theory the NYT pushed for so long) has mostly been thoroughly debunked. I find they are usually racist and sometimes sexist and in general have plenty of money but like his tax cuts and his belligerence and they’ve always voted for Rs so they only listen to news that supports their tribe. I talk to them regularly, too. All of Robert’s points are true but they won’t help convince Maga.
Unfortunately true 👍
I stopped trying! They blame Democrats for all their problems and get all their news from Fox and Newsmax.
Considering 90% of the problems are from Dems and I don’t need Fox or Newsmax to tell me that. But I would rather get my news from them than the rest of the insane leftist media
Most of those who support the madness of Trump and his extremism have no clue about how badly they could be hurt if he were to be reelected. While some are finally starting to see the light, their are still too many who have been poisoned by the hypnotic-like spell he casts on his naive followers. Trying to talk sense to most of these people is a waste of time and similar to conversing with a houseplant. Our only hope is us and beating this dangerous fascist movement at the ballot box.
Read Ken Frank. What's the matter with Kansas. People vote against their own economic interest.
Agree! “No clue” = ignorance.
I agree. But it works both ways. Just try talking to progressives about the kinds of policies that disadvantage those on the MAGA side of the equation, like calling attention to the effect affirmative action is having on young working-class men and boys, and you will get the same kind of biased, if not bigoted response. Try pointing out the fact that in the United States today, twice as many women graduate from college and university as men, and that maybe it’s time take away artificial preferences in education for girls and women, and you will get the same kind of angry, bitter, savage response, you did from the MAGA crowd.
Then ask yourselves why so many working-class men are eager to vote for someone like Trump, who’s sole objective seems to be to tear down the system (social, cultural, political) these same progressive elites see as working so well for them.
I am not sure if you're totally making up numbers, or if you're misinterpreting something that you read somewhere. Women earn about 59% of college degrees (not quite 1.5 times as many women as men). There are a number of reasons for that disparity, but approximately zero of those reasons are due to "artificial preferences in education for girls and women." In most fields of study, there aren't "affirmative action" programs for college admission. (In some areas, like engineering and computer science, women are still VERY underrepresented, and we continue to try to change those numbers -- just as we should be trying to encourage more boys to go into areas like teaching, social work, and nursing.)
What are the causes of women's higher rates of college graduation? Girls outperform boys in reading in early grades, take more advanced courses in secondary school, are more likely to prefer careers that require advanced education, and graduate from college at higher rates than men. Yes, there are things we could do to increase boys' learning rates, motivation, commitment to hard work, and persistence -- but "affirmative action" is not their problem.
And let's not forget that women still earn much less than men, which is why we have to work harder.
Sorry. What you're quoting is an often-repeated bogus "fact," which indicates the aggregate of male and female salaries for the whole of the country. But when you compare workers doing the same jobs with the same experience and qualifications, the difference virtually vanishes.
It depends on the job: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/gender-pay-gap-statistics/.
Thanks for the link. But it looks to me like they report that when all factors are considered (the controlled group) women earn 99% of what men make. The only time they break out the stats that way is for the c-suite, where the gap is likely to be the widest. And there it is 5%.
From what I can tell, all the other stats show aggregate (the uncontrolled group) salaries. They don't explicitly say that is what they are reporting. But that must be the case, given that the overall controlled gap is 1%, yet they report that in the various industries the gap is as high as 50%. So those numbers have to be uncontrolled, i.e. not taking into consideration the differences in experience, education, hours worked etc.
If that is true, then that report is really quite deceptive. Because they seem to be suggesting that what they are reporting is numbers controlled for personal talent, when in fact they are just reporting aggregate numbers.
ZxxdzxzdWs w asxxddwa axDwaeag
The number that sticks in my mind for female college degrees is 66% (which would make it 2 to 1). But that may have been a projection based on the dramatic drop in male enrollment in recent years. But either way, women are clearly much more likely to obtain a degree than men, and most of what you say here goes to prove my point.
You talk about how poorly boys do in the early years and beyond in nearly every aspect of school work, something that has been the case for decades and is getting worse. And you suggest the problem there is that boys don’t work hard enough, are not persistent enough etc etc – and that it has nothing to do with the fact that boys are not wired to be sitting at desks for several hours a day.
Meanwhile the reason women are not doing well in STEM subjects and in the corporate world, is supposedly the fault of society, and therefore needs to be corrected with social programs like affirmative action. And somehow over the last few decades we figured out how to dramatically increase female academic success to the extent that they now clearly outpace boys and men. Yet little, if anything, is being done now to correct that imbalance. And whatever is being done clearly isn’t working.
But none of this goes to my main point and the subject of this post. My point is that boys and men are doing much more poorly IN GENERAL than girls and women. And that is especially true of working-class men, who are dropping out of society and the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Yet nothing of consequence is being done to address this. No one is talking about any of it in the political realm, as can be seen by the fact that there are no political issues particular to men that are being discussed in the way women’s issues, such as reproductive rights, affirmative action, and sexual harassment and abuse are constantly part of the political agenda.
Are there problems that affect men? Or course there are, like the fact that men are much more likely than women to be the victims of suicide (4x), overdose death (4x), incarceration (10x), and homelessness (30x).
And while these issues may not be much of a concern for college-educated men, who are rather more isolated from some of their effects – they are certainly a problem for working-class men. Yet no one cares about any of this, or the plain fact that millions of these men are clearly in serious trouble.
But working-class men see this, and the fact that no one in the political class gives a damn. They know that, because no one ever talks about them and their issues except in the most negative terms, which mainly boils down to them being the root of all evil and oppression in the world. Meanwhile, talk of the female vote is always positive, and women’s issues constantly front and center, certainly when it comes to the Democratic Party.
And that, as much as anything, is what is fuelling the rise of Donald Trump.
I see that you are very upset, but I believe your view about what the Democrats are talking about is not an accurate reflection. I don't see Harris or Walz saying anything like what you're claiming Democrats say about "all men being bad" - if that's your takeaway from the messaging, I think you are projecting someone that isn't there. Democrats ARE talking about and working on all of the things that you list / imply are important: jobs, the economy, support for unions, teacher pay, wealth disparity, social programs, homelessness, excessive incarceration... The list goes on. And because it didn't seem to be clear enough to you, I was not saying that the issues causing men to be less likely to graduate from college aren't important or that they shouldn't be worked on, only that they are not the result of affirmative action for women, as your post implied.
Of course Democrats aren’t going to say that men are bad – at least not out loud. But that view is inherent in everything they say about gender issues.
And as far as Kamala Harris addressing any of the issues I mentioned – I think you’re the one whose “projecting.” The only time I know of where she got anywhere near, even the issues YOU listed, was her one appearance before a union. But it was a teacher’s union, consisting mainly of college-educated women. And you can bet there was not a word about addressing the problems boys are having in school. And in the short time she has been the nominee, she has appeared before three black sororities, not exactly reaching beyond her female base to men – except for their pocket books of course.
No, from what I can tell, Harris’ approach with men is going to be the same as that of Hillary Clinton in 2016, whose only message to men basically came down to “Women’s issues ARE men’s issues.” And you know how that turned out.
So if you think I’m getting upset, tell me how you would be feeling if the only candidate that could beat Donald Trump had only one thing to say to you as a woman – and it was that “Men’s issues ARE women’s issues.”
Well that’s the way most men feel, especially when they consider voting for a woman. And that’s the kind of thing that should be getting you upset too. Because it’s an attitude that is almost certain to put Donald Trump in the White House once again.
Does affirmative action apply to women?
I think this is enshrined in Title IX.
This is one of those things where you’re right, but there are exceptions to the rule, there are plenty of ignorant Trump supporters some willfully, others due to a lack of critical thinking skills.
Like I said you’re right, but there are those who know the truth and still prefer to support Trumpism ergo fascism.
They don't believe it will happen to them! Vote blue!💙
I could not agree more. But then: how to get closer to this goals?
The system did'nt put Trump behind bars. It misses the moral courage to persecute Elon Musk for slander, libel and disinforming the public.
Is the US ready for a revolution of decency and civility? I fear the answer is no, but it should not discourage our friends. May be som lectures in social democracy could help?
The system didn’t put Trump behind bars, and it hasn’t been able to stop Musk from posting fake news (AI generated voice tracks over Harris videos). 👍
You never know. All it took in the fifties was one man calling Senator McCarthy out for his lack of decency and everything changed. It could happen again. I think people are pretty fed up.
I’m hoping for that Paula B.
Good question!!!!
If ever we needed to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz it is now!! President Biden began the work and he worked so very hard. I wish that he had been able to stay in the race; however, he has passed the torch to a woman who worked with him closely during his term. He started working on getting the guardrails back in place and Kamala will continue that work and build on it. Everything you mentioned in your Bonus Debunking Myth must be done in order to get our Democracy back on track. It is imperative that we not only win the White House, but we must win the Senate and the House as well. I don't know if this can be done, but I do know that if we don't, the right-wing nutters in Congress will continue to prevent us from moving forward! I am tired of the orange man and the republicans stopping every single piece of legislation just because a Democrat brought it forward! Our government has got to work for the American people! Vote blue, America!
Ms Freeman:
Speaking of Republicans not acting on legislation --
Did you know that early in February, Representative Matt Gaetz proposed a draft House resolution that has been gathering dust in the House Committee on the Judiciary ever since?
It is H Res 1001:
"Resolved: That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that former President Donald J. Trump did not engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or give aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
One would think that if this were indeed meant to be a solution by resolution, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the Honorable Jim Jordan, would want to convene hearings on it.
It's been six months. Nothing!
\Vince S
Robert - absolutely agree with all the above, and would probably add a 40 hour working week (it's 36 hours here in the EU). Anything more must be overtime pay, and the worker has to volunteer.
I would also mention that it isn't just doing these right things. If you want to stop Trump and Trumpist ideas, then the Dems also have to explain themselves very much better. Biden has done many good things in the last 3+ years, and the Dems seem to be treating them as secrets! The end result is Trump pumps out his lies unchallenged and MAGA supporters believe every one of them.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are raking in $millions in donations right now. PLEASE convince them to use some of it to set up an effective, modern, efficient, well-funded, professionally managed information distribution operation that feeds every one of these good news stories into ALL the media channels in simple language.
Many years ago I completed a course on marketing and communications. One of the lecturers was a retired editor of several top London newspapers and I recall his view on writing for the target audiences:
The top UK intellectual newspapers (Times, Telegraph, Guardian....) are written in the language of an educated 14 year old. And more advanced or technical terms are always explained.
The tabloids are variously aimed between 7 to 10 years old, with no long words and simple storylines. You tell them twice - at the start and the end you tell them what the story is about.
Never assume you know what the reader believes or might agree with. Even the paper's usual audience can cover complex and contradictory positions on any issue.
In either case, tabloid or broadsheet, all the relevant elements of the story are in the first 1 or 2 paragraphs. Assume that is all that most people will read. The rest is for people who want more information, more detail.
At the time I thought it condescending and insulting to the audiences, but perhaps it is time for Dems to target their messages at ALL readers, including (especially?) those drawn to Trump with his simple messaging?
Assuming of course that you've read this far! 😬
Actually, when Kamala Harris tries to explain things in straightforward terms, she is accused of being "condescending." And Trump's messaging is "simple" mostly because it's entirely and completely false. So it can be a bit tricky, though I agree with your broader point.
Explanation is not part of politics.
It certainly CAN be and needs to be—especially since the quality and quantity of preschool, primary school, secondary school, and university education is diminishing.
Good point, Az. Anytime a politician has to explain something is a sign that he doesn't know what he is doing. Yet I get plenty of Dem donation requests that begin with "let me explain." They go into the trash bin right away.
So many articles bury the lede. I have a master's degree and *I* stop reading when they do that.
'PLEASE convince them to use some of it to set up an effective, modern, efficient, well-funded, professionally managed information distribution operation'
Good idea.
Says video is private and won’t open.
I clicked on the arrow and it was fine; select the video with the picture of Robert Reich, and it starts.
Thank you
Sorry it did not work for you. I have a Samsung phone. That may have nothing to do with it. My brother has Apple, and sometimes there are compatibility issues.
This is great... even when it seems like your opponents have "lost the plot," you still need to understand what is driving them. They might look like they're in a cult and desperately need rescuing, but there's a genuine disillusionment at the heart of their experience.
Cory Doctorow had a good article earlier this year: "The Swivel Eyed Loons Have a Point", definitely worth reading: https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/03/paranoid-style/
Thanks, I don’t know any hardcore rally going full dress regalia make America great again types, and I personally don’t like DJT because of the last twenty-five plus years from NYC to Atlantic City to reality TV he’s proved to America who and what he is and potentially wants to be. This election, for many, is about not going over the cliff. Regardless of who wins, true, things can start small and get into abuse by those who wield power and money and whose opportunity to exploit others is something that many from many countries agree needs to be kept in check.
Have NEVER understood the popularity of Donold Trump. At the beginning of learning about him, it came out that he didn’t pay his contractors /subcontractors. Took bankruptcy. Many times. That’s dirty, and it is making money off the backs of working people. Trump and Musk disgust me.
Thank you for reference
Bravo! Dems must run on this platform:
"Breaking up monopolies. Strengthening labor unions. Making it harder for big corporations to outsource jobs abroad.
"Providing paid leave. Raising the minimum wage. Ensuring that everyone who needs a job has one.
"Making child care and elder care, and housing, affordable. Providing Medicare for all. Paying for this by raising taxes on the super-wealthy and on big corporations."
And I would add hammering home how corrupt the MAGA justices are.
They are already trying to do these things. MAGAt;s wouldn't understand it OR believe it even if they were living it, and That's the problem.
Thank you so much, Robert!
I'd like to add one thing. There has to be a strong disincentive for the wealthy who use their cash to undermine democracy. For example, oil barons should be expected to pay retribution for the millions they spent convincing the public that climate change was a hoax. And the CEO of Boeing should never have walked away with a severance package when he allowed the entire Boeing fleet to become weakened by the shortchanging of bolts and screws.
Consequences.
Really? There’s so much wrong with this. Responding to a rigged system doesn’t negate ignorance, and doesn’t excuse authoritarianism, and finally “Unrigging the system” based on their needs is a little ironic given that that same system has been rigged against minority populations for literally centuries, but we get shot for protesting, while they can storm the capital, and then pretend they didn’t. Not to mention their unwavering allegiance to the wealthy White men they obviously worship, while those same people continually exploit them and direct their hatred towards the rest of us who don’t deserve it. Frankly, we are tired of saving this democracy for people like these, who think they don’t need it. Yes, unrig the system, but please don’t act as if they’re the biggest victims of that rigging, b/c they aren’t.
I agree. Racism seems to be the unspoken truth about the division in this country. A prime example is trump's own spoken targets for retribution: blacks, hispanics, muslims, and liberals.
Minorities are always the scapegoat, aren't they? (We. I'm Jewish.) It's disgusting.
👏👏👏
In attempting to engage with a Trumpist, the first ground rule must be an agreement not to change the subject.
When attempts to engage with a brainless leftist, the first ground rule must be an agreement that they will not move the goal post after having their argument fail
Rapist. Hunter Biden! Thief. Hunter Biden! Traitor. Hunter Biden! Con man. Hunter Biden! Tax evader. Hunter Biden! Draft dodger. Hunter Biden! Blackmailer. Born in Kenya! Classified docs theft. Emails! Hahahahaha. You and your friends can all take knee pads to your next private meeting with Putin.
Forget Hunter Daddy did all that himself. Also how is IX doing? And as far as taking a knee Kamala already did that, that’s why she is where she is