Stephan: It is endlessly amazing to me that Trump's contempt for the peasants, as he thinks of his base, apparently does not seem to ever alienate them. Maybe this particularly vile bit of policy which will make it much more difficult for the poor to be able to get online or even have phones will make a difference. This is such a nasty little story, and so unnecessary.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman and Trumper Ajit Pai
A new rule championed by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai would would limit internet and phone access for millions of low-income and elderly Americans.
Pai’s proposed changes to the Lifeline Program, which currently serves 12 million Americans by providing subsidized phone and internet service, would cut service to about 70 percent, or 8 million, of them. Many of these recipients live in Puerto Rico, and rely on Lifeline for assistance as they recover from Hurricane Irma.
Last week, a group of Democratic Senators including Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Edward J. Markey, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, Dick Durbin and Cory Booker wrote a letter to the chairman questioning his motives.
“The Lifeline Program is essential for millions of Americans who rely on subsidized internet access to find jobs, schedule doctor’s appointments, complete their school assignments, interface with the government, and remain connected in a digital economy,” they wrote. “The program helps Americans — including disproportionate numbers of families with children, […]
Stephan: I am beginning to see in the business press, this report being one example, a growing awareness of what is coming very quickly in relation to water. Consider, "Roughly 3.6 billion people, or nearly half the current global population, live in areas that suffer water shortages for at least one month a year, according to the United Nations World Water Development report for 2018. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to almost 6 billion, according to the authors of the newly published report. The world’s population is expected to increase to about 10 billion by 2050."
That is only 32 years in the future. Or, looking back to get a sense of proportion, it would be 1986. Civilization as we know it today will not exist in 2050.
Cape town, South Africa is battling the worst water shortage in 113 years. Credit: Getty
Residents of Cape Town, South Africa, are bracing for Day Zero.
That’s the day that the city of 4 million’s municipal water supply will be cut off for most households and businesses, an unprecedented measure aimed at preserving water after a severe drought that has emptied reservoirs.
Since February, the city’s residents have lived with restrictions of 13.2 gallons of water a day per person, or roughly enough for a brief shower and three toilet flushes, as the Wall Street Journal has reported. Once Day Zero arrives, recently moved back to 2019 from July 9, 2018, residents will be forced to line up at collection points secured by the military.
Experts say this dystopian scene could be played out in other major cities in the coming years, as demand for water continues to increase with population growth and as climate change makes already-dry regions still dryer.
Roughly 3.6 billion people, or nearly half the current global population, live […]
Stephan: I grew up on a farm; my father and I had a registered Angus cattle breeding operation -- we could not bring ourselves to kill and eat the cows we raised, or to sell them for eating. Even as a boy I could see the slow decline of the family farm and its replacement by industrial corporate chemical based agriculture. Over time this trend became ever more prominent, and now we are coming to the end game.
Food is going to become a growing issue, marked by scarcity and increased expense. Already I calculate that my wife's garden saves us about $10,000 a year.
But the farming issue like the issues around water just don't seem to command much serious attention. Whether it is willful ignorance, greed, or just stupidity we are not prepared for what is coming,
An abandoned family farm.
Last week while on our monthly grocery trip, we were shocked to see that milk was selling for $1.50 a gallon at ALDI in Big Rapids.
$1.50.
“Limit five,” the sign said
Clearly, most shoppers’ reaction to these prices was to say “wow, $1.50!” and to then stock up.
For us, our hearts sank. Those farmers, their families, their cows. How in God’s name can they survive $1.50 a gallon?
This week, Dean Foods gave notice to 140 small family dairy farms in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio that after May 31 of this year, there will be no truck to pick up their milk. Walmart, the largest buyer of Dean’s milk in the region, has vertically integrated and will now be processing their own milk. But not from those farms. Those farms are too small for Walmart to waste their time with. And now, Dean has no avenue to sell those farms’ milk. After years of low prices, it is, likely, the final nail in the coffin for those […]
Stephan: The linkage of low education, White supremacist, religious voters, corporate interests, and the Republican Party, constitutes the essence of christofascism and is undeniable. Here is a report showing where the corporate money goes. It just couldn't be any clearer.
President Trump has already started his reelection campaign for 2020 and he’s well on his way to raising a lot of money for the effort. Fortunately, candidates are required to publicly disclose campaign contributions to the Federal Election Commission, which in turn makes the data available to the public. This disclosure process includes where the donors work, allowing us to create our new visual.
Zippia, a career advice website, gathered the data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Zippia analyzed contributions from employees at the 250,000 biggest companies in the country and found well over 30 million donations records from 2007 through 2017. We took the 30 most politically active companies on the Fortune 500 and ranked them in order of their campaign contributions over the last ten years. The bars represent the total contributions ($M) given to candidates in each party. We added the total figures and the percentage breakdown for Democrats and Republicans for easy reference. Several fascinating trends immediately jump out from our visual.
First off, there’s a lot more blue than red on the graph, […]
Stephan: Have you noticed the quality of some of the Republican candidates for the upcoming election? Have you compared them to the young socially progressive Democrats, particularly the women, who are running? I find the disparity quite notable and revealing. Here is the worse of the worse in the Republican field. Ask yourself: How is it possible that a political party could even consider a person like Don Blankenship?
U.S. Senate candidate Don Blankenship speaks at a town hall meeting at West Virginia University on March 1 in Morgantown. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
At the end of an hourlong event in West Virginia on Thursday, Donald Trump polled the crowd about whom they would like to see win next month’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate. “Should we do a little test?” asked the president, who was flanked by the two establishment-approved candidates, state attorney general Patrick Morrisey and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins. “Who’s voting for Patrick? Who’s voting for Evan?”
Noticeably absent from the stage was a third candidate for the GOP nomination, one with far more money and name recognition: Don Blankenship, the coal baron and ex-con who the Republican establishment fears will spoil their chances of defeating Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin this fall in a state Trump won by more than 40 percentage points in 2016.
When Blankenship jumped into the race last fall, many wondered whether […]
President Trump has
