Dawn Allen is a freelance writer and editor who is passionate about sustainability, political economy, gardening, traditional craftwork, and simple living. She and her husband are currently renovating a rural homestead in southeastern Michigan.
Last week, Trump’s executive order banning Muslims from selected countries from entering the U.S. captured headlines around the world. The Muslim ban provoked outrage from protesters, despair among refugees, general indignity, and sanctuary offers from Canada’s Justin Trudeau. Along with other xenophobic promises such as the Mexican border wall, the Muslim ban surely energizes his political base. However, is there more to these plans than meets the eye?
A week ago today, thousands of women and their allies were preparing to protest. Some were putting the finishing touches on their signs. Some were already on board buses headed across the country. The next day, from Washington D.C. to Antarctica, women marched peacefully, to show their solidarity with each other. They marched to show their disdain for misogyny. They marched to be counted and heard. But will their efforts amount to real change? It depends upon what happens after the march. While many people perceive protest marches as an exercise in democracy, that may be the wrong way to think about them. Protests are about consuming democracy. What matters more is the production of democracy.
Well, the inauguration is over, Trump is in power, and we’re all waiting to see what comes next. His supporters are cheering, but will they get what they wanted? By many accounts, what Trump supporters want are jobs. Tax savings for the middle/working class. Health care they can afford. Dignity. Returning to what they see as the glory days of America, when even a man without a college degree could make a family wage. At his rallies and in his inauguration speech, Trump echoed Middle America’s hopes and fears right back at them. He made them feel heard and gave them hope: the hope and change that they craved. Will Trump’s supporters be disappointed? It’s hard to tell so early into an administration, especially one as radically different as the current President’s. However, it may be worthwhile to examine his first acts as President for clues about his goals.
Tom Price, Trump’s pick to lead Health and Human Services, has an ethically questionable investment and legislative history. Just days after purchasing stock in Zimmer Biomet, for example, he turned around and introduced legislation that would significantly benefit this manufacturer of artificial joint replacements by delaying implementation of a Medicare rule to enhance safety and save taxpayer money. Now Trump wants him to lead the department that regulates companies like Zimmer Biomet as well as overseeing Medicare. Our elders deserve better than this.
Will we believe the evidence of our eyes and ears, or will we be loyal to the President?
Falling trust in traditional institutions, such as the police, government, and media outlets, means people must rely on themselves – and each other. This can mean dealing with our own problems, but this double edged sword can kill us – or protect us. Will falling trust lead us to squabble with each other in our little tribal fiefdoms, gathering around charismatic strongmen? Few worse outcomes spring to mind. Rather, let us work around the institutions that no longer work for us. Let us take back the power we have given to the system in so many ways. We still need each other. This time of great change offers us an opportunity. Let’s remake the world into one worth living in again.
Now that the new administration plans to throw healthcare back on the table, we’ll surely hear once again about the virtues of tort reform. A perennial conservative salve for seemingly every economic ill, tort reform reduces peoples’ ability to seek redress in court. Hypothetically, tort reform serves as a counterbalance against what the business community
How much of the price of health care is really what health care costs? That seems like a silly question, but it’s worth asking since it determines how much you end up paying. With medical costs rising, learning how prices are determined is the first step in keeping care affordable. The price of health care,
Last week, Meryl Streep’s speech at the Golden Globe awards inflamed the internet. Using the occasion of her lifetime achievement award, she spoke passionately (or incoherently, depending upon your preferred news source) about foreigners, empathy, and Donald Trump. Predictable reactions rolled in. Support, of course, from the left, and condemnations from the right, from Donald Himself
Anywhere people drive, there are going to be accidents. However, there’s no reason that many of the most dangerous intersections can’t be made safer for drivers and pedestrians. There are several ways to dial down the number and severity of crashes at accident-prone intersections and roads. The best defense is a good offense, and the