All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

As someone who grew up poor and white (my parents left the working class behind shortly before I moved out but most of my childhood was spent rather poor) my early thoughts on the words 'white privilege' were always 'when do I get to have some of this so-called privilege'. It wasn't until I lived on my own for a while that I saw and realized that white privilege is largely about what doesn't happen to you as opposed to what you have, and I bet I'm not the only one to have made that error - many people still make it.

I agree, and I think that a big part of that misconception comes from a lot of white people who hear the term and get defensive over it is the way it is framed. I just don’t see much benefit in a term that you know from the jump is going to create more hostility and resistance.

I think saying or stereotyping or racial profiling always made more sense and it’s easier for a big chunk of to see the problem and empathize with it.

Like not every white person is going to think like the two of us and take the time to “get it”

[JackDaw]

As someone who grew up poor and white (my parents left the working class behind shortly before I moved out but most of my childhood was spent rather poor) my early thoughts on the words 'white privilege' were always 'when do I get to have some of this so-called privilege'. It wasn't until I lived on my own for a while that I saw and realized that white privilege is largely about what doesn't happen to you as opposed to what you have, and I bet I'm not the only one to have made that error - many people still make it.

I must admit that the term annoyed me when I first heard it...but once I understood what it meant I was a bit shame-faced.

[PaulBullion]

So Zagreb (capital of Croatia) just had an earthquake. On the weekend their lockdown went into effect.

So now people are out in the streets, terrified and huddling in groups.

2020 is sure a year like no other in my lifetime so far.

[Mister Mets]

The Republican penchant for worrying about "wasting" money on education while rarely if ever complaining about "wasting" money on excess military spending and unnecessary tax cuts never fails to both dissappoint and disgust me -- many will spend hours arguing with you about how "more money" won't help these kids while ignoring how their party has no problem giving that same money to companies and individuals who don't need them in the form of individual, corporate and estate tax breaks for the wealthy.

I've both attended and taught at wealthy and underpriveleged schools both inner-city and rural, as well suburban and overseas. Inner-city and rural students should have the same educational opportunities as their wealthier -- and often lighter-skinned -- peers regardless of "outcomes" and that's not the case in modern America, nor has it ever been, especially during the era of segregation, which in reality still exists in many districts across the nation.

Inner-city and rural schools often lack many of the basic necessities that wealthier schools take for granted, including quality teachers who often feel that they are underpaid despite directly attempting to directly address the inherent inequalities in our system.

Yet some Republicans would still argue that "money" in education isn't the problem even as Republicans cut educational funding while giving tax breaks to the wealthy and "privileged" in our society -- they seem far more concerned about making sure students don't get "too much" funding while rarely if ever putting the same amout of effort into arguing that the corporations and the military get "too much" of that same funding from Republican polticians and leaders in comparison.

Apparently it's far more important to them to "waste" money on things other than education and our nation's future -- it's short-term thinking at it's finest, and par for course for Republicans, whose destructive leadership (Trump, DeVos, Barr, McConnell, etc) we bear witness to on a daily basis.

If someone defends excess military spending, by all means argue with them.

On education, there is the obvious note that different regions will have different needs and opportunities. The high population density in many cities allows for specialized schools, which isn't going to work in rural areas where there's one school a reasonable distance away. Cities will have more access to museums for field trips. Rural areas may have more access to nature. The cost of living will be lower in rural areas, but material may be harder to obtain.

When it comes to the military and education, we should look for solutions that don't involve spending more money before asking for more money. If we're determining that money is necessary, we should be asking for it for specific items.

For education, what specifically should we be spending money on? You've said that you'd like to see teacher salaries (and presumably benefits) increase. What else?

[Steel Inquisitor]

So Zagreb (capital of Croatia) just had an earthquake. On the weekend their lockdown went into effect.

So now people are out in the streets, terrified and huddling in groups.

2020 is sure a year like no other in my lifetime so far.

It's like a horror movie that never ends.

[Tami]

So Zagreb (capital of Croatia) just had an earthquake. On the weekend their lockdown went into effect.

So now people are out in the streets, terrified and huddling in groups.

2020 is sure a year like no other in my lifetime so far.

Palestine reports it's first cases of COVID-19. Considering the conditions there, this could blow up worse than Italy or China.

Refugee Camps and areas that are blockaded, areas that are densly populated, are going to be at high risk.

No one country can get this under control unless everyone, everywhere, in every country and continent does the same. You can't isolate this, COVID doesn't know boarders or blockades.

[Tami]

Considering that this might help stave off Climate Change for a time, it's almost like Mother Earth has gotten annoyed with Humans and is taking matters into her own hands.

[aja_christopher]

If someone defends excess military spending, by all means argue with them.

On education, there is the obvious note that different regions will have different needs and opportunities. The high population density in many cities allows for specialized schools, which isn't going to work in rural areas where there's one school a reasonable distance away. Cities will have more access to museums for field trips. Rural areas may have more access to nature. The cost of living will be lower in rural areas, but material may be harder to obtain.

When it comes to the military and education, we should look for solutions that don't involve spending more money before asking for more money. If we're determining that money is necessary, we should be asking for it for specific items.

For education, what specifically should we be spending money on? You've said that you'd like to see teacher salaries (and presumably benefits) increase. What else?

I could name quite a few things personally (school upkeep, better class selection, updated technology, field trips, exchange programs, library resources, etc) but I'd rather just increase education funding by $20-$60 billion -- as opposed to spending that money on military equipment and unnecessary tax cuts -- and leave that question to those who have more experience in the field.

What I wouldn't do is cut educational spending every at nearly every opportunity and appoint people like Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education.

What "specific" items do Republicans need when they increase military spending while cutting education budgets?

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"There has got to be a more effective and efficient method of procurement," he said. "When [President] Eisenhower said 'beware of the military industrial complex,' man he knew what he was talking about ... We force stuff on you all that we know you don't want."

Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno agreed with Manchin.

"We are still having to procure systems we don't need," Odierno said, adding that the Army spends "hundreds of millions of dollars on tanks that we simply don't have the structure for anymore."

For three years, the Army in numerous Congressional hearings has pushed a plan that essentially would have suspended tank building and upgrades in the U.S. for the first time since World War II. The Army suggested that production lines could be kept open through foreign sales. Each time, Congress has pushed back. In December, Congress won again in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 that funded $120 million for Abrams tank upgrades.

The Army and the Marine Corps currently have about 9,000 Abrams tanks in their inventories. The tank debate between the Army and Congress goes back to 2012 when Odierno testified that the Army doesn't need more tanks. Odierno lost then too. Congress voted for another $183 million for tanks despite Odierno's argument that the Army was seeking to become a lighter force.

"When we are talking about tight budgets a couple of hundred million dollars is a lot of money," Odierno said."

https://www.military.com/daily-news/...esnt-need.html

[Gray Lensman]

Considering that this might help stave off Climate Change for a time, it's almost like Mother Earth has gotten annoyed with Humans and is taking matters into her own hands.

The body blow this is doing to the economy is going to take something massive to restart once it is safe to dl so again. Basically another New Deal - if only someone had proposed one of some kind.

[Jim Kelly]

Considering that this might help stave off Climate Change for a time, it's almost like Mother Earth has gotten annoyed with Humans and is taking matters into her own hands.

Yes, it feels like the Earth is upset with the damage we've done to her and is trying to get rid of us so she can survive. I wonder what creatures will evolve to replace us. Maybe we should leave them a warning sign.

[aja_christopher]

Another of Mets' proverbial "slippery slopes" that only seems to be an issue when it comes to Democratic initiatives.

------
"DOJ Wants to Suspend Certain Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Emergency"

"The Trump Department of Justice has asked Congress to craft legislation allowing chief judges to indefinitely hold people without trial and suspend other constitutionally-protected rights during coronavirus and other emergencies, according to a report by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan. While the asks from the Department of Justice will likely not come to fruition with a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives, they demonstrate how much this White House has a frightening disregard for rights enumerated in the Constitution.

The DOJ has requested Congress allow any chief judge of a district court to pause court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation,” according to draft language obtained by Politico. This would be applicable to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil processes and proceedings.”

They justify this by saying currently judges can pause judicial proceedings in an emergency but that new legislation would allow them to apply it “in a consistent manner.”

But the Constitution grants citizens habeas corpus which gives arrestees the right to appear in front of a judge and ask to be released before trial. Enacting legislation like the DOJ wants would essentially suspend habeas corpus indefinitely until the emergency ended. Further, DOJ asked Congress to suspend the statute of limitations on criminal investigations and civil proceedings during the emergency until a year after it ended.

Norman L. Reimer, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, told Politico the measure was “terrifying,” saying, “Not only would it be a violation of [habeas corpus], but it says ‘affecting pre-arrest.’ So that means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.”

“That is something that should not happen in a democracy,” he added.

DOJ also asked Congress to amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to have defendants appear at a hearing via videoconference instead of in-person, but only with the defendant’s consent. But it’s not just Americans’ rights the DOJ wants to violate. They also asked Congress to pass a law saying that immigrants who test positive for COVID-19 cannot qualify as asylum seekers

As coronavirus spreads through the country, activists are calling on politicians in office to release prisoners and immigrants held in detention centers, both of which can be a hotbed of virus activity with so many people in close quarters and limited or non-existent supplies of soap, sanitizer, and protective equipment. Some states have already begun to do so.

But with this, the Trump administration is taking steps to hold more people in prisons for an undetermined amount of time — showing their priority is not saving lives but giving themselves more power."

https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...avirus-970935/

[Mister Mets]

"Trump administration proposes $7.1 billion funding cut to Education Department"

"Trump signs $738 billion defense bill: The $738 billion for 2020 represents a $21 billion increase over what Congress enacted in 2019."

"FACT SHEET: Republican Budget Cuts Education"

"The Republican conference agreement on the fiscal year 2016 budget resolution makes many cuts in support for education.

Guts investments — The budget agreement maintains the post-sequester non-defense discretionary funding cap for 2016, slashing the 2016 funding level by $37.3 billion below the comparable President's request. But after 2016, the cuts get worse. Over ten years, the budget cuts non-defense funding by $496 billion below the cap levels, leading to a 21 percent loss of purchasing power by 2025. In addition to the cuts shown for education programs, the budget has another $575 billion of unallocated discretionary cuts that could fall on education programs or any other non-defense program.

Effect on pre-K, elementary, and secondary education in 2016 – House Republicans have not yet produced their 2016 education funding bill but they have cut its allocation by $3.7 billion below last year's enacted level, and by $14.6 billion (8.7 percent) below the President's request. If cuts are spread proportionately under that allocation, the Administration estimates that the Republican funding bill will cut 46,000 children from Head Start, cut $1.3 billion from Title I, and cut $450 million from special education relative to the President's request.

Increases student debt — Even though student loan debt already exceeds $1.3 trillion – more than the total of all credit card debt – the conference agreement on the budget guts current policy support for higher education by about $200 billion over ten years.

Student loans – In total, the conference agreement cuts mandatory spending in the education function by almost as much as the House-passed budget. Although the agreement does not specify which higher education cuts it intends, the House budget made the following cuts:
o Eliminated in-school subsidies for student loans for needy undergraduates. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that this would add $3,800 to the debt of a student borrowing $23,000 in subsidized loans. Many students who get these subsidized loans also rely on Pell grants to pay for college. Eliminating subsidized loans cuts student support by $34 billion over ten years.

o Eliminated public service loan forgiveness which forgives borrowers' remaining balance owed on Direct Loans after working full time in public service and making 10 years of on-time payments. Eliminating the program will cut about $10 billion in student loan debt relief designed to help graduates afford to work in public service, including as teachers, law enforcement, or in military service or other government employment.

o Eliminated existing expansion of income-based repayment. This program generally caps the monthly repayment amount at 10 percent of the borrower's discretionary income for 20 years. Eliminating this program cuts about $16 billion from student debt relief efforts.

Pell grants – Section 6209 of the conference agreement makes it the policy of the House to freeze the maximum Pell grant for the next ten years, erasing the already-enacted inflationary increases that will raise the maximum grant by $225 by 2017. Congress already offset the cost of this increase and of maintaining it thereafter. The House budget made clear that it intended to eliminate all the mandatory funding Congress has already enacted for Pell grants, which eliminates nearly $85 billion in Pell grant aid over the next ten years.

College tax credits – The budget agreement lets the American Opportunity Tax Credit expire after next year, eliminating a $2,500 tax credit that helps more than 10 million low- and moderate-income students pay for college each year. Extending the tax credit costs $80 billion over ten years."

https://budget.house.gov/fact-sheet/...cuts-education

You've got three different data points without explanation: a White House budget under Trump, a defense bill passed in 2019, and a House budget when Obama was President and Paul Ryan was Speaker.

The budgets sent by the White House are never going to pass, especially when the other party controls one branch of Congress. Most of the budget cuts were about higher education, which is a different category than public education. Policies involving college are different since that is primarily about the education of adults, the staffing organization is different (professors have different hours than teachers) and it's more expensive, both in terms of what they ask of the students and what they spend per student.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed with overwhelming majorities in Congress. The Senate voted for it 87-10, while the House voted for it 359-54. It is bipartisan legislation. Much of the budget increase is in categories progressives would support (pay increases for troops, family leave.)

Another of Mets' proverbial "slippery slopes" that only seems to be an issue when it comes to Democratic initiatives.

------
"DOJ Wants to Suspend Certain Constitutional Rights During Coronavirus Emergency"

"The Trump Department of Justice has asked Congress to craft legislation allowing chief judges to indefinitely hold people without trial and suspend other constitutionally-protected rights during coronavirus and other emergencies, according to a report by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan. While the asks from the Department of Justice will likely not come to fruition with a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives, they demonstrate how much this White House has a frightening disregard for rights enumerated in the Constitution.

The DOJ has requested Congress allow any chief judge of a district court to pause court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation,” according to draft language obtained by Politico. This would be applicable to “any statutes or rules of procedure otherwise affecting pre-arrest, post-arrest, pre-trial, trial, and post-trial procedures in criminal and juvenile proceedings and all civil processes and proceedings.”

They justify this by saying currently judges can pause judicial proceedings in an emergency but that new legislation would allow them to apply it “in a consistent manner.”

But the Constitution grants citizens habeas corpus which gives arrestees the right to appear in front of a judge and ask to be released before trial. Enacting legislation like the DOJ wants would essentially suspend habeas corpus indefinitely until the emergency ended. Further, DOJ asked Congress to suspend the statute of limitations on criminal investigations and civil proceedings during the emergency until a year after it ended.

Norman L. Reimer, executive director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, told Politico the measure was “terrifying,” saying, “Not only would it be a violation of [habeas corpus], but it says ‘affecting pre-arrest.’ So that means you could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying. Especially in a time of emergency, we should be very careful about granting new powers to the government.”

“That is something that should not happen in a democracy,” he added.

DOJ also asked Congress to amend the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure to have defendants appear at a hearing via videoconference instead of in-person, but only with the defendant’s consent. But it’s not just Americans’ rights the DOJ wants to violate. They also asked Congress to pass a law saying that immigrants who test positive for COVID-19 cannot qualify as asylum seekers

As coronavirus spreads through the country, activists are calling on politicians in office to release prisoners and immigrants held in detention centers, both of which can be a hotbed of virus activity with so many people in close quarters and limited or non-existent supplies of soap, sanitizer, and protective equipment. Some states have already begun to do so.

But with this, the Trump administration is taking steps to hold more people in prisons for an undetermined amount of time — showing their priority is not saving lives but giving themselves more power."

https://www.rollingstone.com/politic...avirus-970935/

I've said nothing in support of the measure.

Why assume it's not an issue?

[aja_christopher]

You've got three different data points without explanation: a White House budget under Trump, a defense bill passed in 2019, and a House budget when Obama was President and Paul Ryan was Speaker.

The budgets sent by the White House are never going to pass, especially when the other party controls one branch of Congress. Most of the budget cuts were about higher education, which is a different category than public education. Policies involving college are different since that is primarily about the education of adults, the staffing organization is different (professors have different hours than teachers) and it's more expensive, both in terms of what they ask of the students and what they spend per student.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed with overwhelming majorities in Congress. The Senate voted for it 87-10, while the House voted for it 359-54. It is bipartisan legislation. Much of the budget increase is in categories progressives would support (pay increases for troops, family leave.)

None of that answers my question regarding what "specific" items Republcans need when they cut education budgets and increase military spending.

[SuperiorIronman]

The body blow this is doing to the economy is going to take something massive to restart once it is safe to dl so again. Basically another New Deal - if only someone had proposed one of some kind.

The irony of this whole situation is that this could've been the thing to salvage the President's career. This would've been a guaranteed win and now even if he does win nobody's gonna think it's legitimate. He can say shit's in production all he wants but outside of maybe sending a check, the extra face masks and respirator equipment is coming from foreign aid or charitable members of the populace.

Like an economic boost now would be to produce medical aid equipment, make them available in places like grocery stores, and invest in companies that could or already do produce such equipment. We're in the middle of a crisis and pumping money in the industries that can actually stay afloat and are needed more than ever makes a lot more sense than investing in Boeing or even Gamestop. Add a tax break to that to get people interested in producing good beyond the altruism.

[worstblogever]

So Zagreb (capital of Croatia) just had an earthquake. On the weekend their lockdown went into effect.

So now people are out in the streets, terrified and huddling in groups.

2020 is sure a year like no other in my lifetime so far.

That's the sixth seal broken, then.