Three Reasons a New President Won't Help America. One Way She or He Could.
There are at least three major American failures that are too entrenched in our society to undergo change with anything less than an FDR-type effort.
Corporations Continue to Ignore Their Responsibility to Education
The Wall Street Journal says, "Many workers who were laid off in recent decades...don't have the skills to do today's jobs. An Apple executive recently lamented, "The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need."
But opportunities for young people have diminished as corporations have rejected their obligation to society. Public colleges and universities have suffered major cuts in funding over the last ten years, while the largest American corporations have avoided hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes by stashing their profits overseas.
Corporate leaders blame government, they blame society, they blame the poor for their own misfortunes. But they don't acknowledge their responsibility to pay for the people and research provided by higher education, especially during the technological boom of the 1990s. Instead they seem to agree with Donald Trump about skipping out on taxes: "That makes me smart." Higher education is one of the main victims of this narcissistic way of thinking.
The Rich Lack Incentive to Help Others: They Believe an "Invisible Hand" Will Do It
For every 100 American millionaires six years ago, there are now 140. As this richest 5% of America gets richer, many of them lose the sense of empathy that creates a strong society, and they become more convinced that the magic of the market will solve all the country's problems.
What is the "invisible hand" incentive to take the place of FEMA? It was a very visible money-clutching hand after Hurricane Sandy, when private insurance companies manipulated the system to make hundreds of millions of dollars while devastated families got shortchanged on their policies. After home-destroying Oklahoma earthquakes in 2015, possibly caused by fracking, over 90 percent of claims were denied on the grounds that the quakes were human-made and not "acts of God," while oil companies flipped the argument and called the earthquakes "natural disasters."
Where is the invisible hand for clean water? Entire cities get poisoned when companies seek shortcuts in the name of profits. And for healthy food, which should be a society-uniting human rights concern, but was preempted by Big Ag companies who pushed Congress to the anti-labeling DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know).
The American super-rich apparently aren't even willing to help their own descendants. The earth is on track to hit its highest temperature in 2 million years, yet not a single U.S. city is ranked among the world's 20 most sustainable cities.
Too Many Americans Think They're "Exceptional"
Are we better than everyone else? In 2014 Larry Wittner reviewed international comparisons in education, health, and child poverty and found that: (1) For education, according to a Program for International Student Assessment of 65 countries, 15-year-olds in the U.S. ranked 17th in reading and 21st in math; (2) For healthcare (including infant mortality and life expectancy), the Commonwealth Fund concluded that the U.S. was LAST among 11 advanced industrial countries, while the World Health Organization judged the U.S. healthcare system 30th in the world; and (3) For child poverty, a UN study of 35 economically advanced countries found the U.S. second to last.
"They are not very good at feeding their people, but they invest a huge amount in their weapons." President Barack Obama said that, speaking about North Korea.
Obama also said, "The United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight." Exceptionalism again. But it's been reported that only about 10 percent of Afghan airstrikes killed the intended targets in a 5-month period, and that only about 12 percent of drone victims in Pakistan could be named as al Qaeda militants.
Our "standard-bearing" Air Force is dropping so many bombs on Muslim countries that companies like Boeing are gearing up for increased weaponry sales, as stock prices for weapons manufacturers keep surging.
Next up, very possibly, is Hillary, who promises to escalate in Syria.
One Way to Help America
Inequality has ripped us apart, not only economically, but also emotionally, as people further removed from the lives of others tend to distrust each other. Tragically, it may take a war or a natural disaster to reverse that.
But there's another way, and it's becoming increasingly important with the technological takeover of middle class jobs. We need a guaranteed income. It's the one way we could immediately instill a degree of equality in America, while restoring some of the missing trust in each other. The new President would probably have to institute a financial transaction tax. He or she would have to create jobs in alternative energy infrastructure. It's unlikely, but it's doable. It may be the only way to help America.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
There are at least three major American failures that are too entrenched in our society to undergo change with anything less than an FDR-type effort.
Corporations Continue to Ignore Their Responsibility to Education
The Wall Street Journal says, "Many workers who were laid off in recent decades...don't have the skills to do today's jobs. An Apple executive recently lamented, "The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need."
But opportunities for young people have diminished as corporations have rejected their obligation to society. Public colleges and universities have suffered major cuts in funding over the last ten years, while the largest American corporations have avoided hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes by stashing their profits overseas.
Corporate leaders blame government, they blame society, they blame the poor for their own misfortunes. But they don't acknowledge their responsibility to pay for the people and research provided by higher education, especially during the technological boom of the 1990s. Instead they seem to agree with Donald Trump about skipping out on taxes: "That makes me smart." Higher education is one of the main victims of this narcissistic way of thinking.
The Rich Lack Incentive to Help Others: They Believe an "Invisible Hand" Will Do It
For every 100 American millionaires six years ago, there are now 140. As this richest 5% of America gets richer, many of them lose the sense of empathy that creates a strong society, and they become more convinced that the magic of the market will solve all the country's problems.
What is the "invisible hand" incentive to take the place of FEMA? It was a very visible money-clutching hand after Hurricane Sandy, when private insurance companies manipulated the system to make hundreds of millions of dollars while devastated families got shortchanged on their policies. After home-destroying Oklahoma earthquakes in 2015, possibly caused by fracking, over 90 percent of claims were denied on the grounds that the quakes were human-made and not "acts of God," while oil companies flipped the argument and called the earthquakes "natural disasters."
Where is the invisible hand for clean water? Entire cities get poisoned when companies seek shortcuts in the name of profits. And for healthy food, which should be a society-uniting human rights concern, but was preempted by Big Ag companies who pushed Congress to the anti-labeling DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know).
The American super-rich apparently aren't even willing to help their own descendants. The earth is on track to hit its highest temperature in 2 million years, yet not a single U.S. city is ranked among the world's 20 most sustainable cities.
Too Many Americans Think They're "Exceptional"
Are we better than everyone else? In 2014 Larry Wittner reviewed international comparisons in education, health, and child poverty and found that: (1) For education, according to a Program for International Student Assessment of 65 countries, 15-year-olds in the U.S. ranked 17th in reading and 21st in math; (2) For healthcare (including infant mortality and life expectancy), the Commonwealth Fund concluded that the U.S. was LAST among 11 advanced industrial countries, while the World Health Organization judged the U.S. healthcare system 30th in the world; and (3) For child poverty, a UN study of 35 economically advanced countries found the U.S. second to last.
"They are not very good at feeding their people, but they invest a huge amount in their weapons." President Barack Obama said that, speaking about North Korea.
Obama also said, "The United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight." Exceptionalism again. But it's been reported that only about 10 percent of Afghan airstrikes killed the intended targets in a 5-month period, and that only about 12 percent of drone victims in Pakistan could be named as al Qaeda militants.
Our "standard-bearing" Air Force is dropping so many bombs on Muslim countries that companies like Boeing are gearing up for increased weaponry sales, as stock prices for weapons manufacturers keep surging.
Next up, very possibly, is Hillary, who promises to escalate in Syria.
One Way to Help America
Inequality has ripped us apart, not only economically, but also emotionally, as people further removed from the lives of others tend to distrust each other. Tragically, it may take a war or a natural disaster to reverse that.
But there's another way, and it's becoming increasingly important with the technological takeover of middle class jobs. We need a guaranteed income. It's the one way we could immediately instill a degree of equality in America, while restoring some of the missing trust in each other. The new President would probably have to institute a financial transaction tax. He or she would have to create jobs in alternative energy infrastructure. It's unlikely, but it's doable. It may be the only way to help America.
There are at least three major American failures that are too entrenched in our society to undergo change with anything less than an FDR-type effort.
Corporations Continue to Ignore Their Responsibility to Education
The Wall Street Journal says, "Many workers who were laid off in recent decades...don't have the skills to do today's jobs. An Apple executive recently lamented, "The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need."
But opportunities for young people have diminished as corporations have rejected their obligation to society. Public colleges and universities have suffered major cuts in funding over the last ten years, while the largest American corporations have avoided hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes by stashing their profits overseas.
Corporate leaders blame government, they blame society, they blame the poor for their own misfortunes. But they don't acknowledge their responsibility to pay for the people and research provided by higher education, especially during the technological boom of the 1990s. Instead they seem to agree with Donald Trump about skipping out on taxes: "That makes me smart." Higher education is one of the main victims of this narcissistic way of thinking.
The Rich Lack Incentive to Help Others: They Believe an "Invisible Hand" Will Do It
For every 100 American millionaires six years ago, there are now 140. As this richest 5% of America gets richer, many of them lose the sense of empathy that creates a strong society, and they become more convinced that the magic of the market will solve all the country's problems.
What is the "invisible hand" incentive to take the place of FEMA? It was a very visible money-clutching hand after Hurricane Sandy, when private insurance companies manipulated the system to make hundreds of millions of dollars while devastated families got shortchanged on their policies. After home-destroying Oklahoma earthquakes in 2015, possibly caused by fracking, over 90 percent of claims were denied on the grounds that the quakes were human-made and not "acts of God," while oil companies flipped the argument and called the earthquakes "natural disasters."
Where is the invisible hand for clean water? Entire cities get poisoned when companies seek shortcuts in the name of profits. And for healthy food, which should be a society-uniting human rights concern, but was preempted by Big Ag companies who pushed Congress to the anti-labeling DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know).
The American super-rich apparently aren't even willing to help their own descendants. The earth is on track to hit its highest temperature in 2 million years, yet not a single U.S. city is ranked among the world's 20 most sustainable cities.
Too Many Americans Think They're "Exceptional"
Are we better than everyone else? In 2014 Larry Wittner reviewed international comparisons in education, health, and child poverty and found that: (1) For education, according to a Program for International Student Assessment of 65 countries, 15-year-olds in the U.S. ranked 17th in reading and 21st in math; (2) For healthcare (including infant mortality and life expectancy), the Commonwealth Fund concluded that the U.S. was LAST among 11 advanced industrial countries, while the World Health Organization judged the U.S. healthcare system 30th in the world; and (3) For child poverty, a UN study of 35 economically advanced countries found the U.S. second to last.
"They are not very good at feeding their people, but they invest a huge amount in their weapons." President Barack Obama said that, speaking about North Korea.
Obama also said, "The United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight." Exceptionalism again. But it's been reported that only about 10 percent of Afghan airstrikes killed the intended targets in a 5-month period, and that only about 12 percent of drone victims in Pakistan could be named as al Qaeda militants.
Our "standard-bearing" Air Force is dropping so many bombs on Muslim countries that companies like Boeing are gearing up for increased weaponry sales, as stock prices for weapons manufacturers keep surging.
Next up, very possibly, is Hillary, who promises to escalate in Syria.
One Way to Help America
Inequality has ripped us apart, not only economically, but also emotionally, as people further removed from the lives of others tend to distrust each other. Tragically, it may take a war or a natural disaster to reverse that.
But there's another way, and it's becoming increasingly important with the technological takeover of middle class jobs. We need a guaranteed income. It's the one way we could immediately instill a degree of equality in America, while restoring some of the missing trust in each other. The new President would probably have to institute a financial transaction tax. He or she would have to create jobs in alternative energy infrastructure. It's unlikely, but it's doable. It may be the only way to help America.