News Blog

Pollution Crisis in Mexico Shows Limits of Plastic Bag Bans in Global Capitalism – truthout

“For Vázquez, the solution involves both legal obligations and tax incentives. But she stresses, ‘When things are banned, that doesn’t mean the need for the product has gone … so bans have to be accompanied with reflections on how to meet the need.’

“‘Producers (of plastics) have to be held responsible, and as the Global North has greater liability, it has to contribute to the solutions proportionately,’ said Leopold.”

Mexico City water crisis nearing ‘day zero’ – UPI

As with life expectancy, there is a linear relationship between access to a university education and income in the United States.

“The most striking fact about the increase of inequality in the United States is the collapse of the share of total national income going to the bottom 50 percent, which fell from about 20 percent in 1980 to a little more than 12 in 2018. Such a dramatic collapse from an already low level can only be explained by a multiplicity of factors. One such factor was the sharp decrease in the federal minimum wage (in real terms) since 1980. Another was significant inequality of access to education. It is striking to discover the degree to which access to a university education in the United States depends on parental income.”

– excerpt from Thomas Piketty’s Capital and Ideology.

Unequal Higher Education in the United States: Growing Participation and Shrinking Opportunities – Barrett Taylor & Brendan Cantwell/MDPI.

America isn’t building enough homes. A new atlas may fix that. – Business Insider

“Depending on who’s doing the estimating, America is short anywhere from 2 million to 6 million homes. If you’ve tried to buy or rent a place in the past year, or you know anyone who has, then you didn’t need me to tell you that. Hardly anything’s on the market, and none of us can afford what is. The question is: Why?”

McMansionization of Sarasota

The answer: Urban villages – Ed Pinto/Sarasota Observer

“Mid-priced, working-class housing would expand with light-touch density in the city’s urban mixed-use areas.”

“The problem: Sarasota faces increasing housing pressure as home prices vastly outstrip wage growth. Where will our children, grandchildren and the workers who provide us the services we all rely on live? …

“The solution: Create Live Local Urban Villages (LLUVs) by allowing light-touch density (LTD) in walkable areas within a half-mile of urban mixed-use areas.  This includes duplexes, single-family attached homes, accessory dwelling units and other homes compatible in scale with single-family detached homes. These homes would be within walking distance of growing numbers of service jobs in the urban mixed-use areas. Without this change, McMansions will spread throughout Sarasota.”

Making $150K is considered ‘lower middle class’ in these high-cost US cities – Fox

“Northern California and Virginia top the list, where the maximum lower middle class income range goes from $128,964 to $152,652, among the top five most expensive cities…

“‘Most notably, Arlington, Virginia, which is located just outside of Washington, D.C., has the highest median household income studywide, at nearly $140,000,’ he added. ‘Meanwhile, Seattle and Gilbert both have a median household income above $115,000. It’s worth noting that all three Arizona cities that ranked in the top 25 are in the Phoenix metro area.’ California dominated the list with seven out of 25 of the top spots due to its housing implications.”

Homelessness in the United States insights from the annual Homeless Assessment Report. – Harvard University webinar

“What we saw between 2022 and 2023 is deeply troublesome overall the homeless population increased by 12%. That’s the largest increase since HUD has started tracking these numbers in 2,007, and it was across all populations…(S)heltered numbers are up. Unsheltered numbers are up, families, individuals, veterans, youth.”

States Can Use Medicaid to Help Address Health-Related Social Needs – CBPP

All Twelve State Parental Leave Programs Are Awful – Matt Bruenig/People’s Policy Project

“In the average state, 36 percent of women in this age range did not meet the work history requirements of their state’s paid parental leave program. In the most extreme case of Rhode Island, a slight majority of women fail the state’s work history requirement.

“Younger women have a weaker attachment and history in the workforce than older women and so parental leave eligibility is especially uncommon for women between the ages of 18 and 25. Some women are rendered ineligible because they did not work at all in the prior year, either because they were in school, disabled, unemployed, or caregiving. But many other ineligible women did work, just not enough to meet their state’s work history requirements. In the latter case, these women actually contribute part of their paycheck into their state’s parental leave program, but then are denied benefits when they have children.

“In both cases, the women screened out of eligibility tend to have less education and receive lower pay. Put differently, it’s the lower class that is disproportionately pushed out of these programs.”

Dear legislators:

From the perspective of low-wage workers, providing them with five paid sick days should be a priority.  Much more expensive proposals to mandate many weeks of paid family leave are harder to enact, and end up excluding many low-wage parents. California’s family leave program is one example:

“California’s paid family leave program has stiffed low-wage workers. Congress should ensure national social insurance programs do not.”

This Health Affairs article provides background on how “progressive” think tanks have prioritized paid family leave, which is politically targeted to help higher-income families that already have paid sick days, while failing to advance paid sick days:

All Workers Should Have A Few Paid Sick Days. The President And Congress Can Make It Happen | Health Affairs

Trying to develop a better, more equitable family leave program than California and other states have — which will take years and may never happen due to the cost — should not slow down efforts to make sure all workers can get some time off to go to the doctor without losing pay.  Most employers already offer paid sick days, which higher-paid employees take for granted.  Mandating employers that do not will result in a level playing field for those doing the right thing for their employees and their families.

‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza – +972 magazine

Details on how Israel’s military uses AI to traget Gaza bombing with large-scale civilian casualties. More evidence for the World Court to consider and the Biden Administration to ignore…as US does with ISR nuke threat:

Israel has nukes. It’s time to admit it. – WaPost/GWU national security archives

“With the Israel-Hamas war, a nuclear Rubicon of sorts has been crossed: Two elected Israeli officials — a government minister and a member of parliament — not only publicly referenced Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons but suggested that they be detonated over Gaza. This was a disturbing first. Meanwhile, in Washington, a long-standing secret executive order has prohibited American officials from even acknowledging that Israel has nuclear arms. Given the increasing risks of nuclear weapons proliferation — and, worse, use — continuing such self-censorship about Israel’s nuclear arsenal is not just bizarre; it’s harmful.” (original gated WaPost article).

Israel Assaulting Gaza Hospitals with Full U.S. Support – LA Progressive