2023 Archives

Unlike the 1890s, when there were still papers engaging in serious journalism, today's yellow journalism is ubiquitous across media consumed by the majority of Americans… Over at his excellent Substack newsletter, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich asks the question that's probably on the minds of many: "Why are so many people prepared to vote for Trump?" After all, there have been at least seven national polls conducted by reputable organizations in the past few weeks and not a single one shows Biden beating Trump in a 2024 matchup. Reich cites the many crimes, lies, and outright fascistic statements attributed to Trump, followed by the considerable list of Biden's accomplishments, and then offers a poll asking if people say they're voting for America's first true wannabee dictator because of ignorance, anger/fear, racism/xenophobia, or Biden's age. All are no doubt significant factors, but I believe the largest variable in Americans' willingness to say they'll vote for Trump is far simpler: the consequence of yellow journalism.

Both the MAGA faction and the old-line “conservative” members of the GOP are dead serious about killing off this vital and important part of FDR’s legacy… Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed Social Security through Congress, signing it into law on August 14th 1935, and Republicans opposed it then and have hated it ever since. This week, they’re planning to do something about it with a House hearing designed to set up a closed-door commission to “reform” the program. They figure when government funding runs out in January they’ll be able use the fiscal crisis they intend to create to force Democrats to go along with what the Biden administration calls a “Death Panel for Medicare and Social Security.” There is an incredibly long history here.

We hear a lot about “the good old days,” as if to suggest that America was always an economically strong nation with a vibrant middle class. But the fact is that we got really, really rich—we being the bottom 90% of Americans—in just a few decades after World War II, as a result of Franklin Roosevelt putting into place the economic theories of Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes, and those policies holding steady until the election of Ronald Reagan. In 1900, the average yearly household income was $4497— the equivalent of around $13,800 in today’s dollars. That kind of income today guarantees a life of want and poverty, and it did in 1900 as well. The only buffer then was the family farm; while today only 1% of Americans live and work on farms, in 1900 it was around 40%.

It shouldn’t surprise us that a political party that swears its first allegiance to billionaires and giant multinational corporations would choose money and profits over health and life.. Something terrible and deadly is happening here in the United States, and House Speaker Mike Johnson just announced that he wants to double down on it. More on that in a moment. If you were born and live in Japan, you can expect to live to 85 years old. For South Korea average lifespan is 83, as are Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Israel, and Australia. It’s 82 for Italy, Spain, Ireland, France, Finland, and New Zealand. Cuba (!) and Panama are 79; Uruguay and Croatia are 78. A total of 61 countries have average lifespans of 78 years or older, ranging from Singapore’s 84 to Estonia’s 78. And then there’s the United States. Our average lifespan comes in at a paltry 77 years, along with Iran, Tunisia, and Morocco. And it’s entirely because of Republican policies.