The rail system of the United States is notably inferior to other developed nations as anyone who has ever traveled in Europe, the Nordic countries, China or Japan. Why is it so inferior? Because the rail industry spends more money on corrupting politicians than they do on the rail system. Why is the American government so corrupt? It is so deeply corrupt because of the Citizen's United decision that legalized bribery. But I don't think most Americans realize this or just how corrupt the country has become. This report, speaking only about the railroad industry, however, should give you a sense of the scale. Sadly, as a result of this corruption the people of East Palestine, Ohio have had their lives turned upside down. But the corporate oligarchs and the privileged member of Congress who protect the interests of the oligarchs don't care about a bunch of peasants -- as they see them -- in Ohio. Imagine the quality of the rail network if that $ 654 million had been spent on upgrading the rail system.
A new analysis by the campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets found that the rail industry has spent $653.5 million on federal lobbying over the past two decades as it has worked—often successfully—to fight off stricter safety regulations and antitrust enforcement.
While Norfolk Southern’s history of lobbying against safety rules has faced greater scrutiny and backlash in the wake of the toxic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the company is hardly an industry outlier.
In its analysis of federal lobbying disclosures, OpenSecrets found that the rail industry’s top federal lobbying spenders between 2002 and 2022 were the Association of American Railroads, of which Norfolk Southern is a member; BNSF Railway’s parent company Berkshire Hathaway; CSX Corporation; Union Pacific; and Norfolk Southern.
“The industry’s hold on the Congress goes beyond Norfolk Southern and its efforts to water down legislation addressing systemic safety issues,” the watchdog emphasized, noting that the industry’s biggest lobbying “splurges” took place between 2008 and 2012, when “the industry lobbied an act aiming to enforce antitrust laws on the […]
Here is yet more about the sexual dysfunction and the crazed obsession the MAGAt world has over the LGBTQ community. I don't see this as primarily political, the politics are just the expression of the mental illness that defines MAGAts.
Advocates gather for a rally at the state Capitol complex in Nashville, Tenn., to oppose a series of bills that target the LGBTQ community. Credit: Jonathan Mattise / AP.
A trio of civil rights groups on Thursday said they will sue after Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ignored pleas from human rights and health experts and signed a bill banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth — a move that came on the same day the governor also approved legislation criminalizing public drag shows.
Under S.B. 1 — introduced by state Sen. Jack Johnson (R-23), the same lawmaker behind the public drag ban — transgender minors undergoing hormone therapy or taking prescribed puberty blockers as of July 1, 2023 will be cut off from such care in Tennessee after March 31, 2024. Trans youth not receiving gender-affirming care by July 1 will be barred from doing so in the state.
Tennessee joins Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Utah in outlawing or restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth — and, in the case […]
This is another example of how mentally deranged the Republican Party has become over sexual issues. I think we are going to see significant numbers of LGBTQ people as well as people of color moving out of Red states. This derangement on the part of Republicans I think should be seen as a component of the Great Schism Trend. The fears resentments and hatreds of white Republicans are changing American culture. And the sheer nastiness of what the Republican-controlled states are doing is going to shape their character for a generation or longer.
A person holds a Pride flag as others hold candles during a vigil on evening of Transgender Day of Remembrance, on November 11, 2022, in Wiles-Barre, Pennsylvania. Credit: Aimee Dilger / Sopa Images / Lightrock / Getty
Health experts in Kentucky have sounded the alarm about a proposed bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children in the state.
House Bill 470 is possibly the “the worst” piece of legislation in the country for LGBTQ people and could have “deadly consequences” if passed into law, LGBTQ advocates and medical experts say.
Gender-affirming care is not just limited to medication, which, contrary to Republicans’ claims, is safe and in most cases reversible. Treatment can […]
ARIANNA COGHILL, Assistant News and Engagement Writer - Mother Jones
Stephan:
Yet more is this Republican sexual insanity. I predict this woman being arrested for taking an abortion pill is going to be the first of many such arrests in Red states.
Credit: Meg Kinnard/ AP
A South Carolina woman was arrested this week for allegedly taking abortion pills in October 2021 to end a pregnancy. The State reports the Greenville woman, who was 33 at the time, had sought medical care for labor pains. At the hospital, where she had a stillbirth, the woman informed medical staff that she had taken abortion pills. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office then reported a tip regarding a “death investigation of a fetus” to the police.
Nearly one year after she sought medical help, a warrant for the woman’s arrest was signed in September 2022.
“Pregnancy outcomes shouldn’t be criminalized,” Ashley Lidow, the director for policy and government relations for the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, told the State, which first reported the story.
News of the woman’s arrest comes amid heightened fear and confusion over the flood of abortion restrictions and outright bans that have been […]
American wealth inequality is a social obscenity. Media keeps talking about the United States as the world's richest country. In an absolute sense that is true, But it is at the functional level a lie. The financial security, health, and quality of life of most Americans is significantly lower and more stressful than people in many other of the world's democracies.
Even as the cost of living remains high, the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck fell to 60% in January, according to a recent report.
“Consumers have accepted that inflation is part of their everyday lives,” says LendingClub’s Anuj Nayar.
A few key money moves can help your financial standing amid higher prices.
Despite higher prices, consumers are still spending, although not as much as they were a year ago, which is giving their budgets some breathing room.
As of January, 60% of all U.S. adults, including 45% of high-income earners, were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new LendingClub report. That’s down from 64% a year earlier, suggesting that last year’s spending cutbacks have improved some consumers’ financial situations.
“Consumers have accepted that inflation is part of their everyday lives and they are actively making behavior changes, especially during the 2022 holiday shopping season, to adjust their spending and better manage their cash flow,” said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s financial health officer.
