We are on the eve of destruction

“Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.” -- John Locke, 1689, making a now forgotten statement of truth

Everything powerful I look at in American politics points to the rise of the rise of darkness and complacent incompetence. That is being replaced some form of kleptocratic, hateful, fascist Christian sharia. The fall of democracy, the rule of law and civil liberties is the goal among most conservatives. What most liberals what is unclear to me. The evidence of impending destruction is everywhere. So is public ignorance of the situation. Some see the seriousness of the threat, maybe 10-15% of Americans. Most do not.

In an earlier post here, I argued for the firing of Merrick Garland as a defender of indefensible partisan political power over the rule of law. I stand by that argument and repeat it. Fire Garland, right now. I also argue for the impeachment and removal of all nine justices on the US supreme court for the same reason. Impeach and remove them all, right now. Obviously, none of that has a snowball's chance in hell of becoming reality.

It appears that almost no one in either party in power in congress, the executive branch or federal courts is serious about vindicating the rule of law. Not Democrats. And absolutely not Republicans. Both stand for tyranny. Neither is fit to govern.

Questions: Is it unjustified or irrational to argue for getting rid of both the Democratic and Republican Parties as unfit to govern because they are pro-tyranny and anti-rule of law? If so, why does the rule of law for politicians, rich people and big corporations keep eroding, while the rest of us keep getting whacked? Or is just that a personal delusion?

🎜 You don't beleive, we're on the eve of destruction? 🎜

Humanity is a hot mess, if you ask me.  As Tom Cruise said in my favorite movie of all time (Born on the Fourth of July), “Everything’s falling apart.” 

Politics (with its stubborn tribalism), religion (with its pushy Christian/Islamic Nationalism), environment (with humanity’s slow systematic murdering of the planet), unchecked negative emotions (and all their ramifications/baggage), questionable morality (there’s a can-and-a-half of worms for ya), … you name it.  The world is barreling down a path of self-destruction, and at an ever-increasing speed. “It’s all falling apart.”  And I personally believe it’s irreparable.

When I think about all the dysfunction going on, it makes me wonder where we “went wrong” as a species.  And it makes me wonder if who we are today was destined to happen.  Indulge me in this thought experiment:

Suppose that Earth’s history was re-booted; a cosmic “do-over,” as in back to the primordial soup stage.  As Slimeous Erectus 😉 (a lame attempt at comedy relief) continues to develop over the eons, stage after stage (this thing, naturally evolves into that thing, that naturally evolves into that thing, etc. and etc.), into humanity as we know it today, here’s the question:

What do you predict would be that re-boot’s eventual outcome, as it relates to humanity’s status quo of today?  For example…

-Do you agree with me that humanity would have become exactly as it has become to this day?  In other words, were we, by our human nature, destined to turn out as we have?  Make your agree/disagree arguments.

-Do you think that somewhere along the line, humanity would have been able to rise above who we have become today, and learned to work with, rather than against Earth, and each other?  A Dawn of Correction situation? If yes, what do you see as the impetus for that? Give me specifics.

-Other?

How do you envision an Earth do-over panning out?

Thanks for thinking about it, posting and recommending.

 

The fall of American democracy is on the horizon

The New York Times and lots of other outlets are reporting that democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin will vote against the democratic bill to protect voting rights. In a letter to a local newspaper, , Manchin wrote “I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy.” What Manchin is unable to see, probably mostly because he is a radical right wing extremist, is that opposing protections for voting rights will further weaken and finally break American democracy. 

Manchin appears to be oblivious to the massive, anti-democracy voter suppression laws the GOP has been feverishly working to pass in nearly all states where they have to power to do so. Those voter suppression laws are knowingly and intentionally designed to shift power from less partisan election officials dedicated to free and fair elections to Republican Party hacks willing to subvert elections and deny voters their power to vote for anyone other than a Republican. 

This is how American fascism will rise and the fall of democracy, civil liberties and the rule of law. Joe Manchin gets a lot of credit for the disaster. he demanded GOP support, but he was not able to get any. That ought to have been a clear sign to him that the GOP has no interest in defending democracy or voting rights. Manchin is just too blind to see the lethal danger that is right in front of him. The NYT writes:

WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia said on Sunday in no uncertain terms that he would not vote for the Democrats’ far-reaching bill to combat voter suppression, nor would he ever end the legislative filibuster, a written promise that imperils much of President Biden’s agenda.

The bill, which all the other Senate Democrats had supported and the party had portrayed as an urgent effort to preserve American democracy, would roll back dozens of laws being passed by Republican state legislatures to limit early and mail-in voting and empower partisan poll watchers. The measure, known as the For the People Act, would also restore many of the ethical controls on the presidency that Donald J. Trump shattered.

In The Charleston Gazette-Mail, the newspaper of the capital of his home state, Mr. Manchin, a Democrat, wrote: “I believe that partisan voting legislation will destroy the already weakening binds of our democracy, and for that reason, I will vote against the For the People Act. Furthermore, I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster.”  

With Mr. Manchin’s vow, passage of the full For the People Act appears to be impossible, though parts of it could pass in other ways if Democrats are willing to break up the bill, a move that they have resisted. Mr. Manchin’s blockade of filibuster changes makes other Biden initiatives far less likely to pass, including any overhaul of immigration laws, a permanent expansion of the Affordable Care Act, controls of the price of prescription drugs and the most serious efforts to tackle climate change.  

“I continue to engage with my Republican and Democratic colleagues about the value of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” he wrote, “and I am encouraged by the desire from both sides to transcend partisan politics and strengthen our democracy by protecting voting rights.” 

Given this new development, it looks like the only thing left for the Biden administration and democrats in congress is to pass legislation by budget reconciliation. But even that requires Manchin’s vote. If he refuses to go along without GOP support, of which there will be none, we will have seen about all that the Biden administration will be able to do in terms of major legislation. We are on the verge of going back to the 6 years of gridlock we enjoyed under two Obama administrations. That there was nothing but unified, lockstep GOP opposition to Obama for all 8 years he was in office seems to be completely lost on the bipartisanship-seeking but clueless, naïve Manchin. His conservative anti-democracy ideology blinds him and betrays the rest of us, pro-democracy conservatives included. 

Obviously, fascist conservative Republicans are rejoicing in Manchin’s state of mind. He has brought the American experiment to an autocratic end.

Questions: Is it fair to put a lot of the blame for the fall of democracy and rise of fascism on Manchin, because without him, Mitch McConnell would still be in control of the Senate and there would not even be a COVID relief law passed? Is it too early to project the end of meaningful democracy and elections and the rise of fascism because the game has not finished playing out yet?

Employer vs employee: A power shift is underway

A balance of power shift has been underway since ~2009?

In a fascinating article, Workers Are Gaining Leverage Over Employers Right Before Our Eyes, the New York Times describes a new phenomenon, employees having and exerting more power over their working conditions. It is not clear low long this will last or how important it will turn out to be. The power shift seems to reflect at least in part years of employer power and labor weakness that led to many jobs being unpleasant. 

This power shift phenomenon may be linked to the pandemic in some ways. Younger workers have had to time to reflect on what they want from life. A few (about 1 in 28 according to an NPR broadcast in the last few days) who are not looking for work are using extended unemployment benefits from the COVID relief law to hold out for better jobs. Nearly all Republican politicians, i.e., about 99.5% of them, are anti-government. That ideology demands that they claim that extended employment is why employers are having a hard time finding employees. But the evidence indicates that is a small part of this phenomenon (~3.5% ?). Most employees are looking for a better quality of life and they are increasingly opting for jobs with intangible or hard to quantify benefits, e.g., flexible hours, some work at home time, etc.

The NYT writes:

“By creating your own dumb barriers, you’re actually making your job in the search for talent harder,” said Obed Louissaint, I.B.M.’s senior vice president for transformation and culture. In working with managers across the company on training initiatives like the one under which Mr. Lorick was hired, “it’s about making managers more accountable for mentoring, developing and building talent versus buying talent.” [Lorick was a bouncer in a bar working the “devil’s 9 to 5 shift” (9 pm to 5 am) and he hated it]

“I think something fundamental is changing, and it’s been happening for a while, but now it’s accelerating,” Mr. Louissaint said.

Efforts like the one at I.B.M. are, to some degree, a rediscovery in the value of investing in workers.

“I do think companies need to relearn some things,” said Byron Auguste, chief executive of Opportunity at Work, an organization devoted to encouraging job opportunities for people from all backgrounds. “A lot of companies, after the recessions in 2001 and 2008, dismantled their onboarding and training infrastructure and said that’s a cost we can’t afford.

“But it turns out, you actually do need to develop your own workers and can’t just depend on hiring.” 

“Traditionally in restaurants, it was: ‘Hey, this is the job. If you want these hours, great; if not, we’ll find somebody else,’” said Christopher Floyd, owner of the hospitality industry recruitment firm Capital Restaurant Resources in Washington. “Now employers have to say, ‘You have the qualities we’re looking for; maybe we can work out a more flexible schedule that works for you.’ Employers are becoming much more cognizant that yes, it’s about money, but also about quality of life.”

Whether it’s a bigger paycheck, more manageable hours or a training opportunity offered to a person with few formal credentials, the benefits of a tight labor market and shifting leverage can take many forms.

The NYT article points out that some companies have figured out that they can find good, reliable workers with no experience but if given some training. In some situations, employers find that a 6-month training period can replace the previously required 4-year college degree, including for jobs like computer engineers. In the past, most companies did not want to spend money training people. That locked many people out of the jobs they wanted but did not have the necessary experience the job qualifications listed. Now, a realization is dawning, that some of the past job qualifications weren't necessary at all, if the company was willing to train their employees.

Demographics also seem to be part of the power shift. Fewer employees are entering the workforce. Because of that, supply and demand is probably part of the reason for the power shift to the smaller supply side employees.

Context -- regarding the flow of power

One reason for this post is to point out the concept of the flow of power. It is a critically important concept to keep in mind in politics. In this situation, power is shifting in the economic context, but the idea of the fluidity of power is about the same in other contexts. One of my main areas of focus about politics relates to the flow of power in political, social and economic contexts. 

One of the key propaganda points that anti-government and anti-democracy republicans and conservatives constantly make is that deregulation increases personal freedom. But under that way of deregulating, special interests, businesses and employers, get deregulated and power flows from government to the special interests, not to consumers and average people. Those special interests turn around and exert it against society as they see fit, i.e., usually to increase profits and to externalize risks and social costs such as pollution and worker safety. By usually, I mean probably about 96% of the time or more. 

The entire concept of conservative power (and thus liberty) flow to the people is a myth. It’s a big fat dark free speech lie. The power flow they want is from government to special interests, including the GOP and rich people, not to average people. Another lie is that the people empowered by government deregulation does give them more power. That’s another big fat lie. What the GOP and conservatives never say (and will always deny) is that they are deregulating special interests, not government limits on civil liberties. In fact, right now the fascist conservative movement in the US is fighting dagger, tooth and claw to limit civil liberties, e.g., abortion, freedom from gun violence, and voting rights.

Modern conservatism stands for accumulation or concentration of power, wealth and liberty at the top. That demagogic fascism it is fighting dagger, tooth and claw against democracy and the rule of law, which stands for more distributed power and wealth.

That is why this issue of power flow to employees seemed a good thing to bring up. Never forget about power flow. It is central to most everything related to politics.