#U.S. unemployment

[racefortheironthrone]

Newsom's UI Veto Is a Sign of CA's Dysfunction on UI

Introduction:

While I'm not yet up to a full blogpost, I thought I'd chime in on social media to buttress a point that my colleague Erik Loomis made in regards to Gavin Newsom's veto of the Unemployment Insurance strike bill. While Erik is absolutely correct that Newsom's veto is a pretty nakedly anti-union move, (especially in the wake of a major entertainment industry strike in which management attempted to use the threat of eviction and foreclosure to break the union), I think the veto also reflects the dysfunction in the California Unemployment Insurance system.

California's UI System:

Back when I was a freelance policy analyst in grad school, I had the opportunity to write about a wide range of topics in social and economic policy - and it just so happened that one of those topics was unemployment insurance.

One of the problems with the U.S' social insurance system is that, because UI is a joint Federal-state program that's financed by state payroll taxes that are then forgiven against Federal taxation (or in the case of the pandemic or the Great Recession, Federal loans), there is a powerful incentive for states to under-tax and under-finance their UI systems and rely instead on the Federal backstop to keep the system ticking over.

For all of California's progressive reputation, it actually ranks towards the bottom of the national league tables when it comes to underfunding its UI system:

"Unemployment benefits in California are funded by a payroll tax on businesses, but the tax is so low and generates so little revenue that the state had to borrow $20 million from the federal government to provide benefits during the pandemic. In a veto message, Mr. Newsom said that $302 million in interest is due on the federal loan in September alone. “Now is not the time to increase costs or incur this sizable debt,” he said." (source)

To be fair, California is not absolutely terrible - it's not Texas or Mississippi or Alabama - and a lot of its current predicament has to do with how hard California was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but even in good times, California taxes itself so lightly that it routinely owes the Federal government UI money. This creates another reason/excuse for the state government to not follow the California Labor Federation's lead and transform the UI system into something that can fight not just poverty but all forms of economic exploitation.

State Capacity:

Now, to my mind, this only makes it more imperative for the state to get its act together - and a big part of that is adopting labor's proposal for decoupling strikes and starvation through the UI system. As I see it, that goes hand in hand with raising minimum benefit levels, such that UI plus strike pay should allow people to live with dignity even during a long strike of 5-6 months duration, improved administration so that people don't have to wait three weeks to actually get their hands on their own money, and improved financing so that the system as a whole can actually work as an automatic stabilizer in economic crises.

To me, this is the essence of community unionism: we work to improve the lives of our members, and in so doing improve the lives of the entire community.

#u.s politics #california #california politics #gavin newsom #unemployment insurance #labor unions #trade unions #labor law #wga strike #sag aftra strike #social insurance

[thenewgothictwice]

March 28. Taleed El-Sabawi, JD, PhD writes: "Jordan should be trending right now. Protests have been blocking traffic; men have flooded the streets in such large numbers that even the repressive military force in Jordan can’t beat them into submission (something they frequently do); Protesters are chanting for Jordan to open its borders so they can march to Al-Aqsa. The political unrest in Jordan has been at a boiling point for years now.

High rates of unemployment particularly among young men; significant inflation; high housing costs; low wages; skyrocketing gas prices, electricity, groceries…hardly any industry. Repressive import taxes.

And a monarchy that pockets millions of US government aid in exchange for US military access. The monarchy is now holding on by a thread.

Expect the Jordanian forces to increase their violence against protestors. Expect the U.S. to send in reinforcements in some shape or form—If the monarchy falls, it will not be a U.S. co-opted government that will organically take its place. It will not be an Israel friendly government. Expect the U.S. to meddle as they always have & to do everything they can to keep the monarchy in place.

Even a UN Ceasefire isn’t enough to make Israel ceasefire or the U.S. to call for Israel to ceasefire. The calculus has changed. The people are reminded yet again how the governments of the world have failed them. Expect more of this around the world.

Every time there are protests in Jordan, I call my family in Amman to get a sense of how serious it is, because my grandparents are in Amman. Since October, every time I call they have brushed it off as young men being young men. Skirmishes with the armed guard as usual. But today was different. They spoke about not being able to drive in the streets, of the chaos, of the sheer number of human bodies, of the determination to do something to help Gaza—something has changed. This time, it feels different.

Additional important context: Jordan was created in 1946. When Britain divided up the Arab World into nation states. Before that there was free movement & a greater degree of one-ness. So when Jordanians say they there is no difference between us and the Palestinian people or that we are the same people , it is because the British creation of nation states was a Western government forcing the Arab people into its Western constructs.

[about further protests in Jordan] There are already plans to start again —at Maghreb tomorrow (sunset)—at the Israeli embassy and doing a sit-in again until dawn, interspersed with prayers. Tomorrow will mark day 5 of protests in Amman."

#palestine #free palestine #jordan #important!! #taleed el sabawi #end the genocide in gaza

[usaitbari]

November unemployment fell for Hispanic workers and Black women, while holding steady overall

November unemployment fell for Hispanic workers and Black women, while holding steady overall

A Now Hiring sign at a Dunkin’ restaurant on September 21, 2021 in Hallandale, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The unemployment rate in the U.S. declined for Hispanic workers and Black women in November, while the overall rate held steady. Hispanic workers saw unemployment dip to 3.9% last month, down from 4.2% in October, according to the Labor Department on Friday. Unemployment among…

View On WordPress

#Business news #Economy #Jobs #Personnel #politics #Social issues #U.S. Economy #Unemployment #united states

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Two Youths Given Sentence in Prison,” Kingston Whig-Standard. October 18, 1932. Page 10. ---- Stole Skiff and Oars — Unemployed Registering —Farewell Event ---- Gananoque, Oct. 16— Two youths charged with stealing a skiff and a pair at oars from Alfred Hunt of Rockport were sentenced to six months in the Ontario Reformatory in Magistrate Sampson's police court yesterday afternoon. 

The boys, who gave their names as George Essery, 19, of Prince Edward Island and Harry Le Fage, 18, of Ottawa elected to be tried by the Magistrate and pleaded guilty to the charge, Crown Attorney Atkinson stated that the accused had tried to make entry to the United States but were returned. "It is unfortunate that these boys are a young as they are.” said the Crown, "but this type of thieving is going on continually along the river and people must have protection if culprits are not brought to justice it will have a bad effect.” 

The prisoners were taken to Brockville by Provincial Constable R. S. Noble who arrested them at Rockport on Sunday evening. 

Unemployed Register The registration of the unemployed was started in the Town Hall last evening and although it was originally planned to continue for an hour only, that is from seven until eight, the crowd was so large that Messers Fred Mooney and George McKandny continued the registration until 10:30 pm when a total of 33 heads of families and 8 single men had been listed. The registration will continue again on Friday evening starting at 7 p.m. and weekly thereafter, on dates which will be announced as they are chosen.

#gananoque #brockville #rockport #theft #police court #border crossings #u.s.-canada border #unemployment relief #relief department #relief officer #relief recipient #unemployed #sentenced to prison #mimico reformatory #great depression in canada #history of crime and punishment in canada #crime and punishment in canada

[thejewishlink]

More Americans Apply For Jobless Aid For 5th Straight Week

More Americans Apply For Jobless Aid For 5th Straight Week

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week and while layoffs remain low, it was the fifth consecutive week that claims topped the 230,000 mark. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending July 2 rose to 235,000, up 4,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally track with the number of layoffs. Until…

View On WordPress

#Economy #Jobless Aid #U.S. #Unemployment

[businessbigwigs]

Hiring Signs Still At Record Highs

Job Openings Stay Strong

Hiring signs are everywhere, as job openings fall from record peak but still remain very high, according to the U.S. Labor Department. In March, employers advertised 11.9 million job openings, the highest level in over twenty years. For every unemployed person, that meant there were two job openings. Before the pandemic, that was far from the case. In April, those numbers fell slightly, to just…

View On WordPress

#atlanta fed #hiring #jerome powell #job openings #robert frick #u.s. labor department #unemployment

[robertreich]

Five Biggest Border Lies Debunked 

Republicans are lying about immigrants and the border. Here are five of their biggest doozies.

1. They claim Biden doesn’t want to secure the border

Well, that’s rubbish. Biden has consistently asked for additional funding for border security.

Republicans have just as consistently refused. They’re voting to cut Customs and Border Protection funding in spending bills and blocking passage of Biden’s $106 billion national security supplemental that includes border funding.

2. They blame the drug crisis on immigration

That’s more rubbish. While large amounts of fentanyl and other deadly drugs have been flowing into the U.S. from Mexico, 90% arrives through official ports of entry, not via immigrants illegally crossing the border. In fact, research by the Cato Institute found that more than 86% of the people convicted of trafficking fentanyl in 2021 were U.S. citizens.

3. They claim that undocumented immigrants are terrorists.

Baloney. For almost a half century, no American has been killed or injured in a terrorist attack in the United States that involved someone who crossed the border illegally.

4. They say immigrants are stealing American jobs.

Nonsense. Evidence shows immigrants are not taking jobs that American workers want. And the surge across the border is not increasing unemployment. Far from it: unemployment has been below 4% for roughly two years.

5. They blame crime on immigrants

More baloney. This has been debunked by numerous studies over the years. In fact, a 2020 study found that undocumented immigrants have "substantially" lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants.

Notwithstanding the recent migrant surge, America’s homicide rate has fallen nearly 13% since 2022 — the largest decrease on record. Local law enforcement agencies are also reporting drops in violent crime.

Who’s really behind these lies?

Since he entered politics, Donald Trump has fanned nativist fears and bigotry.

Now leaning into full neo-fascism and using the actual language of Hitler to attack immigrants.

Trump wants us to forget that almost all of us are the descendants of immigrants who fled persecution, or were brought to America under duress, or simply sought better lives for themselves and their descendants.

Know the truth and spread it.

#youtube #video #videos #immigration #border #Donald Trump

[probablyasocialecologist]

A staggering $50 trillion. That is how much the upward redistribution of income has cost American workers over the past several decades. This is not some back-of-the-napkin approximation. According to a groundbreaking new working paper by Carter C. Price and Kathryn Edwards of the RAND Corporation, had the more equitable income distributions of the three decades following World War II (1945 through 1974) merely held steady, the aggregate annual income of Americans earning below the 90th percentile would have been $2.5 trillion higher in the year 2018 alone. That is an amount equal to nearly 12 percent of GDP—enough to more than double median income—enough to pay every single working American in the bottom nine deciles an additional $1,144 a month. Every month. Every single year. Price and Edwards calculate that the cumulative tab for our four-decade-long experiment in radical inequality had grown to over $47 trillion from 1975 through 2018. At a recent pace of about $2.5 trillion a year, that number we estimate crossed the $50 trillion mark by early 2020. That’s $50 trillion that would have gone into the paychecks of working Americans had inequality held constant—$50 trillion that would have built a far larger and more prosperous economy—$50 trillion that would have enabled the vast majority of Americans to enter this pandemic far more healthy, resilient, and financially secure.

[...]

Why is our death toll so high and our unemployment rate so staggeringly off the charts? Why was our nation so unprepared, and our economy so fragile? Why have we lacked the stamina and the will to contain the virus like most other advanced nations? The reason is staring us in the face: a stampede of rising inequality that has been trampling the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of Americans, year after year after year.

#capitalism #inequality #billionaires #usa #compost the rich

[sweetheartgrips]

Kinda desperately need some help

Hey so I hate to ask for help again but i'm in a really desperate situation. My name's Rose, I'm a trans woman struggling with chronic illness

I recently lost my job as a cook because the bar I worked at couldn't afford to pay me anymore. I've applied for unemployment, food stamps, and cash assistance but it's most likely gonna take weeks to receive, If I ever do. I live in Buffalo, New York and anyone here can probably tell you how much of a disaster it is trying to navigate social services here. I'm starting a new job soon but had to wait to receive a replacement social security card, and it's probably gonna take 2 weeks at the least to get my first paycheck

so basically the stars aligned to fuck me over on every front. I have no money and very little food left. I can't even afford to buy a new lightbulb for the room i rent so i've been stumbling around in the dark most of the time. And my phone's been turned off cause I can't afford the bill, which i desperately need for unemployment/social services

My cashapp is $CruelMercy

And i have a ko-fi you can donate to if youre outside of the U.S. https://ko-fi.com/sinusdamage

Please help me if you can, I'm in a very bad situation rn tbh

#signal boost #mutual aid #community aid #donation post

[simonsapelsin]

Non-royal Wilmon Babies AU

Wilhelm entered the world crying and it seemed like he would never stop.

He had colic. His first two nannies quit in under a week. Though they'd cared for difficult babies before, little Wilhelm's crying was exceptional. It was desperate. It was unyielding.

The third nanny was Linda Eriksson. She came to Kristina and Ludvig highly recommended by nanny number two, who was Linda's friend. Linda was a warm and kind woman and she had experience with colicky babies - her daughter Sara had given her and Micke months of sleeplessness.

The job paid so well that Linda accepted, even though she was busy with a young baby boy of her own. She couldn't pass up the opportunity. Micke's work was sporadic and unreliable at the moment, so Linda needed to get a job. She didn't tell her new employer about her family. She didn't want her full commitment to baby Wilhelm to be questioned.

With Sara in preschool, and Micke now taking care of baby Simon while Linda earned a steady income, things were working out for the Erikssons. It was hard at first for Linda to be away from Simon every day, and Wilhelm's crying was constant as ever, but she was coping. She loved Wilhelm from day one and knew he'd soon grow out of it.

"I know, I know, cariño. It's hard to be a baby," she cooed to little Wille as she bounced him on her shoulder. "It's hard to live in this world." He wailed into her ear.

One morning Linda woke for the day to find that Micke was not there. He'd gone out drinking the night before, promising to only have two beers and come home early. His phone went straight to voicemail. Linda called Micke's mother three times, but no answer. She called several girlfriends, but no one could help. She'd have to bring Simon with her to work. She had no choice.

When she arrived at work after dropping Sara off at preschool, she was relieved to see that Kristina's car was already gone for the day. Oblivious Ludvig had no comment when Linda entered the house already holding a baby. She put Simon down in a bouncer and took the crying Wille from Ludvig, who left in a hurry.

"Wille, this is Simon. Simon is my baby. He's going to hang out with us today, okay?"

Wille paused his crying long enough to open his bleary eyes and look at the beautiful babbling creature bouncing on the floor. The moment he set his deep brown eyes on baby Simon, something miraculous happened.

The crying stopped.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, and just stared. Simon bounced along happily, looking right back at Wille.

"Oh, cariño. You like baby Simon?" Linda brought Wille over to him, crouching down so the two babies were on the same level.

"Ma ma maa," said Simon.

Wille stared, transfixed.

Simon shrieked with happiness. He reached out and grabbed Wille's fat little baby hand and held on. Wille smiled. Tentatively at first, and then a big toothless baby grin.

Baby's first smile. Linda cried with relief.

(please note that I am from the U.S. where the childcare system, parental leave, social welfare, unemployment, etc are all absolute shit so i have no idea if this situation could actually happen in sweden)

#i saw a baby today and this happened #young royals #baby wilmon #yr ficlet

[contemplatingoutlander]

Falling inflation, rising growth give U.S. the world’s best recovery

The European economy, hobbled by unfamiliar weakness in Germany, is barely growing. China is struggling to recapture its sizzle. And Japan continues to disappoint. But in the United States, it’s a different story. Here, despite lingering consumer angst over inflation, the surprisingly strong economy is outperforming all of its major trading partners. Since 2020, the United States has powered through a once-in-a-century pandemic, the highest inflation in 40 years and fallout from two foreign wars. Now, after posting faster annual growth last year than in 2022, the U.S. economy is quashing fears of a new recession while offering lessons for future crisis-fighting. “The U.S. has really come out of this into a place of strength and is moving forward like covid never happened,” said Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist who now runs an eponymous consulting firm. “We earned this; it wasn’t just a fluke.” On Friday, President Biden hailed fresh government data showing that annual inflation over the second half of 2023 fell back to the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. Coupled with Thursday’s news that the economy grew by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months, the Commerce Department report showed that the United States appears to have achieved an economic soft landing. The post-pandemic recovery challenged long-standing economic beliefs, such as the idea of an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation. (As one rose, the other was expected to fall.) Expressed in what economists call the Phillips curve, this nostrum proved nearly useless in explaining the economy’s recent behavior. [...] “Putting money in people’s hands vs. moving around interest rates, which is monetary policy, fiscal policy is going to be stronger,” Sahm said. “We cannot go into the next crisis being, like, ‘Oh, the Fed’s got this.’” Consumer spending is driving the economy: Real consumption rose by 0.5 percent in December, its fastest pace since last January. Pending home sales jumped, too. Following the flurry of good news, JPMorgan Chase economists said they raised their first-quarter growth forecast.

Biden deserves credit for turning the economy around. This was a front page headline article on the WaPo website for a short time on Sunday Jan. 28th. I didn't see anything about this on The New York Times front page website. The mainstream media should do a better job of conveying this good news about the economy. Certainly, the right-wing media won't do so.

#us economy is booming #world economy #biden administration #inflation is coming down #david j lynch #the washington post

[fans4wga]

Poll Shows 67% of Americans Surveyed Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes

18 August - "A large majority of Americans support the writers and actors strikes, and a plurality hold an unfavorable view of the Hollywood studios, according to a new poll by Data for Progress.

The poll found 67% support among likely voters for the strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, while just 18% oppose them.

The poll also found that 48% have an unfavorable view of the major studios, and just 31% support the studios. The survey also found that 60% of respondents subscribe to Netflix, 41% subscribe to Hulu, and 35% subscribe to Disney+.

The firm also asked strike supporters if delays in their favorite movies and TV shows would cause them to change their minds. The survey found that 86% would continue to support the strikes, while 10% would oppose them.

Data for Progress is a progressive polling firm that conducts surveys on issues including climate, education, health care and workers rights. The firm surveyed 1,124 respondents online from Aug. 3-5.

The respondents gave mixed answers when asked the primary reason for the two strikes, with 33% citing fair compensation for streaming shows, another 33% citing pay and benefits, and 16% answering protections from artificial intelligence.

The survey found 85% support for SAG-AFTRA’s position that actors should be get consent and fair compensation for any use of their likeness by AI. The survey also found that 74% believe studios should be barred from replacing writers with AI.

In a statement, Liz Shuler, the president of the AFL-CIO, said that the results confirm broad national support for the striking unions and the importance of AI across industries.

“Voters understand that this isn’t just about one industry — this is about all of us — and unions need to have a seat at the table to take on the existential threat AI poses to our livelihoods and economy,” Shuler said.

The results are similar to those of another poll conducted recently for the Los Angeles Times. That survey found that 38% of respondents were more sympathetic with the actors and writers, while 7% sided with the studios. Another 29% were ambivalent while 25% said they did not have an opinion.

According to Gallup, support for unions climbed steadily in the U.S. from a low point of 48% in 2009 to 71% in 2022. The firm cited the low unemployment rate during the pandemic as having “altered the balance of power between employers and employees,” leading to unionization drives at Amazon and Starbucks.

A 2021 poll from Data for Progress also found broad support for unions, with 68% in favor and 24% opposed.

Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the executive director of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement that the poll shows Americans understand the reasons for the strike.

“I suspect many are seeing the same dynamic playing out in their own lives, with employers undervaluing their contributions,” he said. “That’s why this fight is so important. Our demands aren’t unreasonable, and it’s a fundamental principle of fairness that workers should be fairly compensated for the value they bring their employer — in every industry.”

Lowell Peterson, the executive director of WGA East, concurred.

“Everyone who works for a living understands what it’s like to get squeezed economically, to face threats from disruptive technology like AI, to try to hold one’s own against huge corporations motivated by their own profit rather than their employees’ well-being,” Peterson said.

The WGA has been on strike since May 2, while the performers’ union began striking on July 14. Both unions are seeking increased residuals for streaming shows, regulations on AI, and increases in minimum compensation rates to keep pace with inflation.

The WGA also wants a minimum staff size and a guaranteed minimum number of weeks of work in television, and weekly pay for screenwriters."

-

Note from mod: This poll is great news—but as the strike goes on, it's more essential than ever to keep support up. Correct misinformation whenever you hear it (online and in real life), and source your information directly from WGA and SAG-AFTRA sources; don't rely on opinion. And be critical of the trades like Deadline/The Hollywood Reporter/Variety (saying this even though we linked the article from Variety above; you have to take their articles critically and on a case-by-case basis to see if they're useful or not, because sometimes they just publish studio press releases uncritically!)

As always, if you're able, donate to the Entertainment Community Fund or the Green Envelope Grocery Aid mutual aid fund to keep industry workers afloat during this long work stoppage. Add your voice to union support online and IRL, and push back against false studio propaganda, such as the writers' demands being unreasonable or all actors being rich. These false narratives can easily be refuted by hard data (e.g., the writers' demands are eminently reasonable to even keep the writing profession alive and actors aren't rich, many are struggling to even afford health insurance!), so counter the lies at every opportunity. Keep morale high and stand in solidarity, and we'll only get stronger.

#sag-aftra strike #sag strike #actors strike #hollywood #amptp #union solidarity #current events #wga strong #sag-aftra strong #fans4wga #wga strike #writers strike

[iww-gnv]

The recent wave of worker strikes have ushered in a new era: the “summer of strikes,” also known as hot strike summer. Employees at UPS, Amazon, Starbucks and entertainment companies across Hollywood have walked off the job or threatened to do so over the last few months in an effort to pressure their bosses to improve conditions and pay them more. More than 200 strikes have occurred across the U.S. so far in 2023, involving more than 320,000 workers, compared with 116 strikes and 27,000 workers over the same period in 2021, according to data by the Cornell ILR School Labor Action Tracker. “Workers have more bargaining power given the strength of the economy,” said Harry Katz, a professor at Cornell University.

#news #hot strike summer #summer of strikes #labor organizing #labor unions #unions #union #labor #labor rights #worker's rights #workers' rights #worker rights

[aheathen-conceivably]

Hello darlings! 🏜️

Now that we are well and truly into the 1930s I wanted to give y’all some context about the Darlingtons’ new location. Ultimately, Strangerville is a figment of my imagination, a sims world superimposed into the real world. I did this because I wanted the freedom to draw from different elements of this region’s history and landscape without having to worry about the visual transformation of the actual in-game world.

However, it is very much intended to in a real region of the United States. Specifically, the north west corner of New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Gallup along the newly built Route 66. We’ll see key elements of this in the story time and time again, so if anyone would like more information I’ll leave some maps and context for y’all below the cut:

Commissioned in 1926, Route 66 was actually not the first cross country highway system in the U.S.; however it was designed to traverse the flattest and mildest climates so that it could be the most easily traveled. It also followed popular tourist routes from the railroad days and was marketed as an “All American” experience, drawing travelers and families from across the country and leading to its iconic status even today. The first map shows its path as it would have been in 1930, from its start in Chicago to its end in L.A. and the second map is a cutaway of the specific section of the road between Albuquerque and Gallup where Strangerville is meant to be located.

While the cultural significance of Route 66 now perhaps outweighs its era of utility, the Darlingtons are living along the route as it rises to prominence throughout the 1930s into the 1950s. While it was used for utility and leisure travel from its opening, Route 66, particularly between the Dust Bowl states and California, is iconic for its role as “the Mother Route. Perhaps best typified in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, this road became one of if not the primary route for people fleeing the plains states during the Dust Bowl. Through their passage it became an American symbol of desperation, poverty, and for some, the hope of a better life.

Strangerville is meant to be located at the edge of the Dust Bowl (specifically at the meeting of the brown and yellow zones in the first map toward the leftmost mid-top area of the state of New Mexico). This region would not have suffered the worst conditions (and would have been spared intense dust storms) but it is still close enough to be heavily effected. This is especially true in the early part of the decade, as fear of dust tornados and mass unemployment spreads like wildfire, and explains the intense volatility amongst Strangerville residents who have no way to know just how bad their own situation could get.

For larger context, the Dust Bowl was caused by extenuating weather conditions and poor farming practices. It was an agricultural catastrophe throughout the 1930s that displaced millions of people, and coupled with larger economic factors such as the plummet of crop prices, led to mass homelessness, unemployment, and starvation.

Beginning in 1930 but reaching its zenith in the years 1934 and 1936, vast swaths of the United States experienced record drought and heat. In the second map we can see how widespread drought conditions were. They are of course at their worst in the central Dust Bowl area; however we also see that Strangerville is located in a moderate drought, and in 1936 twelve states recorded their highest temperatures to date.

However, these weather conditions only highlighted underlying farming negligence. After decades of manifest destiny and an influx of settlers with little to no farming knowledge (of which Giorgio falls in line), the land had been woefully over plowed and deprived of nutrients. After the rising farm prices of the 1910s and 1920s met with the crash of 1929, settlers pushed this to an extreme, removing vast swathes of native grasslands and leaving the soil vulnerable to record breaking weather conditions. Without rain or prairie grass, winds ravaged the region, creating dust storms that ravaged the region and ultimately led to hundreds of thousands of abandoned farmland. This collection of photographs shows the scale of dust and desolation better than words can express.

Scholars estimate that somewhere between 2.5 to 3 million people left their homes in the Dust Bowl states. Their stories are notorious, and live in the consciousness of what we now conceptualize as 1930s America. These maps superimpose the path of Route 66 with the Dust Bowl states, highlighting how the two formed a symbiotic relationship and became linked in the American consciousness. Of the millions who fled their homes, approximately 300,000-400,000 eventually settled in California. The number who traversed the mother route looking for work with the hope of a better life is perhaps incalculable.

However, they did not initially receive a warm welcome. As much of the country was also gripped in fear and poverty, migrants, or Okies as they were derogatorily called, were viewed as pariahs, threats, and even harbingers of worse times to come. This, as we now know, is far from the truth. The economy of many small towns along Route 66 fared better than other areas of the Dust Bowl. They became hubs for migrants and businesses alike as gas stations, roadside accommodations, food stalls, and other amenities opened. It provided an alternate means of business for areas that has previously been very rural, and who’s own farms had been gouged by the plummeting crop prices of 1929 as well as the gradual disappearance of herding economies.

As the decade went on and much of the nation began to heal in the New Deal Era, the migrants who passed this stretch of road only made it more legendary. Where they eventually settled they brought stories of Route 66, of a symbolic idea of the American West, of an ocean at the end of the line, of different people and travelers they had met on the way. This coupled with a growing fascination of the “Okie” figure at the end of the decade, perhaps best seen in the celebrated 1940 Hollywood remake of The Grapes of Wrath, as an emblem of American hardship and drive.

Together they fused an iconic idea of an authentic “Americanness” that existed along Route 66, one that was infused with even older ideas of manifest destiny and the “American” cowboy. This is the landscape that the Darlingtons now inhabit, one that they are watching unfold along with us all at the very start of the 1930s.

#sims 4 historical #ts4 decades challenge #ts4 historical #sims 4 decades challenge #the darlingtons #sims 4 legacy #ts4 legacy #sims 4 story #ts4 story #1930s

[monsieurenjlolras]

Please help me eat this week if you can!

Hey everybody,

I got fired for being disabled last month (I don't have the money for legal recorse and since at will employment is a thing in the U.S. and workplaces are allowed to decide that a disibility "interferes with essential work function" it would be very difficult for me to win anyway). I have tried not to have to do this but at this point I just need a little money for food to get me through until my unemployment kicks in next week.

I do have another job lined up starting in about two weeks so I really just need a little help for a little while. If you can help at all my venmo is @BeesAndBees, and I have tipping turned on. I'm also taking crochet commissions.

Picture of my one if my crocheted plushies for visibility!

#please help #disability #disabled #signal boost #live from the musain

[robertreich]

Socialism Fear-mongering is Bananas 

Don't get scared. I'm going to talk about something that’s caused a lot of fear mongering.

You see, advanced countries, like the United States, pool resources for the common good. How? Well, governments enact taxes and then spend that money on things that benefit everyone. Think of national defense, schools, highways, healthcare, unemployment insurance — basically government spending that protects the well-being of the people.

But since some folk, like your conservative Uncle Bob, think ANY pooling of resources for the common good is…socialism.

And since socialism is apparently so terrifying…

I'm going to use a different word to describe this taxing of individuals for the common good.  Let’s use.. I don't know.. How about…Banana! That's not scary, right? 

Great. So, there are essentially three purposes for which governments banana.

First, social insurance against the possibilities of misfortune and neediness, such as unemployment, poor health, disability, and so on.

Second, public goods that we all benefit from, such as parks, highways, public health, and national defense.

Third, public investment in our future, such as basic research, education, and efforts to address pollution and the climate crisis.

Whether we’re talking about Sweden, Spain, or Slovenia or the United States — all countries in capitalist economies banana to benefit the common good.

And bananing is how societies grow their economies, become more prosperous, and ensure a better life for their people.

It’s also how countries aid people in hard times — or when emergencies arise, like a global pandemic.

To simply call any government banana’ing “socialism...”  Oops, sorry I used the word.…Well it distorts our ability to think through how we banana and what we banana on.

And, it ignores the fact that the United States bananas LESS than most developed nations.

We’re among the worst when it comes to bananaing to reduce poverty, especially child poverty.

And pandemic aside, we banana less on unemployment insurance than nearly every other country.

Of course these countries generally have higher taxes than the United States to support all their bananing.

But they get more in return — better jobless benefits, better health care outcomes, debt-free education, more support for child care and elder care, and more generous retirement benefits.

And we could banana a lot more without having to raise taxes on middle or low-income Americans if the rich paid their fair share. Unfortunately, the tax code in the U.S. has been rigged so that the rich and powerful often skirt what they owe and get away with lower tax rates than regular people.

And the rich have done such a good job convincing people that any increase in banana’ing would be… you know, that S word ... that we just accept things as they are.

The only banana’ing they don’t seem to mind is on the military, where we banana more than the countries with the next 10 biggest militaries combined. That’s bananas!

All of this is a major reason why America has such staggering levels of inequality and poverty.

Whether bananing is “socialism” or not is a useless argument. Every country bananas. Capitalism requires banana’ing to ensure a degree of fairness and stability.  

So the next time your Uncle Bob decries any pooling of private resources for the common good — or bananaing — as “socialism”... share this video with him.  

And give him a banana.

#youtube #video #videos #socialism #economics #capitalism #politics