Today, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, the Columbia professor and former economic advisor to Bill Clinton, [published] a new report for the Roosevelt Institute entitled “Rewriting the Rules,” which is basically a roadmap for what many progressives would like to see happen policy wise over the next four years.
I follow Iceland because like the Scandanavian countries it is one of the nations where the new wellness oriented policies are developing. This one is very dramatic and will change the world's economy as it is more widely adopted. I don't think it will happen in America because the banks have so many liegemen in the Congress, as Paul Krugman points out.
I find it very interesting that at the moment in our history when science has never been more important in making social policy there is an aggressive and well-funded campaign to keep science from doing just that. All in the name of profit. The only thing that is going to change the outcome is a mass movement of citizens who actively work for and vote for the most compassionate and life-affirming candidate of those available.
Some days, when I do SR by the time I am through I just feel that with the level of stupidity and greed that pervades our culture we don't deserve to survive, and probably won't. This is one of those stories.
One aspect of climate change that people are simply not fully comprehending is the massive changes in the natural environment that are going to come with it. This report about California is just one example of what I mean. The massive restructuring of natural systems is going to be very challenging to our civilization.
It isn't just trees. Climate change is going to disrupt the food system, which is going to disrupt us in significant ways. Once again I urge you to grow food and encourage and facilitate local food production. Communities that do that will have an easier time going through this inevitable transition. And that is the reality. This restructuring is going to happen, because climate change is already happening, as this report and the tree story make clear.
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has released the results of its latest poll on voters’ response to a set of progressive proposals. It is fully available online, and amongst 52 proposals, the minimum guaranteed income (basic income, or BI) scored around middle table, with 59% of responses in favour and 27% in opposition with around 10% neutral. This result may seem surprising in a conservative-leaning society such as the United States, and is probably connected with other related issues, such as the desire to end tax loopholes for corporations (74% in favour) or the expansion of Social Security Benefits (70% in favour). Learn more.
If you live on investment funds, or through a pension invested in funds you would do well to re-examine your financial situation. This article explains why I say that.