Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate, Professor of Economics, Columnist - The New York Times
Stephan: In the midst of all the bad news about Covid and the collapse of democracy, Paul Krugman accurately points out some good news to keep in mind.
Grumpy New Year! There probably weren’t many Americans who started 2022 feeling celebratory. We’re going through yet another Covid wave, which is scary and wearying even though Omicron appears to pose a relatively low risk of serious illness if you’re fully vaccinated. Holiday travel was a mess, with the combination of the pandemic and severe weather causing thousands of flight cancellations.
Yet there’s a good chance that once time has passed and we’ve had a chance to regain perspective, we’ll consider 2021 to have been a very good year, at least in some ways. In particular, although nobody seemed to notice, it was a year of spectacular economic recovery — and one in which many dire warnings failed to come true.
Let me give you some background. Here’s the U.S. unemployment rate since 1979, the beginning of a nasty double-dip recession that was, at the time, the worst slump to hit America since the 1930s:
The good news about that episode was that when the slump finally ended, the economy bounced back quickly — so quickly that Ronald […]
Stephan: How don't know how MAGAt "dear leader" Donald Trump could make it any clearer he is a fascist.
Two fascists shake hands. Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
Former President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for reelection — throwing his support behind a far-right, nationalist leader who has defied America’s allies in Europe and moved to consolidate control over the media and judiciary.
“Viktor Orbán of Hungary truly loves his Country and wants safety for his people,” Trump said in a statement. “He has done a powerful and wonderful job in protecting Hungary, stopping illegal immigration, creating jobs, trade, and should be allowed to continue to do so in the upcoming Election. He is a strong leader and respected by all. He has my Complete support and Endorsement for reelection as Prime Minister!”
Trump’s endorsement of Orbán is not the first time the former president has backed the political campaign of a populist foreign leader accused of eroding democratic norms and embracing authoritarian governance. Last October, Trump announced his support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s reelection bid.
John Woodrow Cox and Steven Rich , Enterprise Reporter | Database Editor for Investigations - The Washington Post
Stephan: We are destroying public education in the United States. Not just Covid, or funding, as bad as those trends are, The American gun psychosis has extended down to the Middle School level. Student are not only at risk because of some maddened gun psychotic, the students themselves are a threat to one another. This is absolutely crazy and happens in no other country in the developed democracies.
Bennie Hargrove was 13 when he was shot on the third day of 8th grade. His alleged killer was 13, too. The day before he died, Bennie Hargrove told his grandmother he needed advice.
It was Aug. 12, the second day of eighth grade, and Bennie confided that he had stopped a classmate and some other teens from beating up a younger boy at their Albuquerque middle school earlier that day.
The 13-year-old’s disclosure made Vanessa Sawyer nervous. Sometimes, she said she told her grandson, it’s better to mind your own business.
“That’s just not in me,” she recalled Bennie saying.
The next afternoon, Bennie confronted the bully, Juan Saucedo Jr., near the school track, another child would later tell police. Bennie asked Juan, also 13, to quit picking on his friends, insisting that if he wanted to fight someone, he should fight Bennie.
“I’m done with this b—-,” the child heard Juan say in Spanish just before he pulled a black handgun out of his backpack and, according to police, fire six rounds into Bennie’s body.
Stephan: This even occurred as the previous story was being written. That's how bad this has gotten.There are more guns than people in the U.S. -- about 400 million to 333 million. They are far too available This isn't a school shooting; this is a 14 year old just out in the civil world seeking revenge, and considering murder by firearm appropriate. What does that say about the American culture?
Acosta remains on the loose after the shooting Sunday and is considered armed and dangerous, police said. Credit: Garland Police Department/Facebook
A 14-year-old boy fired off more than 20 shots at a Texas convenience store, killing three other teenagers and injuring a fourth in a targeted attack, police said Wednesday.
Abel Elias Acosta remains on the loose after the shooting on Sunday and is considered armed and dangerous, the Garland Police Department said in a statement.
A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to Abel’s arrest.
“Detectives believe Abel Acosta is actively evading capture and need the public’s assistance in locating him,” the department said on Facebook.
The alleged gunman, described as just over 5 feet tall and 125 pounds, made his getaway after the killings in a Dodge Ram driven by his father, Richard Acosta, who police said previously turned himself in. Richard Acosta, 33, faces capital murder charges and is being held on a $1 million bond, cops said.
The deadly ambush may be retaliation for a “previous disturbance” against one or more of […]
Stephan: This is a fact-based measure of how disturbed the population of the United States has become about the state of the nation. I certainly think we are in crisis, although I do not agree with MAGAt world with why we are in crisis. What are your views?
A new NPR/Ipsos poll, conducted nearly a year after the January 6th incident at the U.S. Capitol, finds that Americans hold mixed views on how to characterize the events that unfolded that day – views that are driven primarily by partisan affiliation and news consumption. Moreover, more than one-fifth of the American public agrees that it is sometimes okay to engage in violence, either to protect American democracy or our culture and values. Though many items in this survey underscore the deep political and cultural divisions that exist, one thing is clear: most say American democracy, and America itself, is in crisis and at risk of failing.
Detailed findings:
1. A strong majority of Americans are feeling pessimistic about the state of the country, feeling it is in crisis.
Overall, 64% agree that American democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing. Even more, 70%, feel the same about America itself.
A majority, regardless of their gender, racial/ethnic group, generation, or region of the country, feel that America is in crisis and at risk of failing. There is also broad consensus […]
