Old Regime France, America’s Grand Old Party, and the Gap Between Rich and Poor
by Rick Steves
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I'm taking off for Europe in a few days. And when I travel, I enjoy unplugging from the news cycles. But the news hit me with a parting shot: Our Republican-controlled Congress has proposed budget cuts directed at our country’s most vulnerable citizens. I have to ask: What motivates Congressional Republicans to work so hard to exacerbate the gap between rich and poor?
With the disturbing redistribution of wealth in our society in the last generation, I’ve been fascinated by an earlier age of unbridled wealth and decadence that I see in my travels. The châteaux of the "one percent" of the Old Regime — those 17th- and 18th-century French tycoons whose insatiable greed eventually drove their country to such despair that it erupted into violent revolution--provide a vivid example. This video clip from my most recent trip to France's Loire Valley — essentially a tour of one of their homes — helps illustrate the state of our 2015 union in “1715 King Louis” terms.
Bringing home these impressions to an America I care so much about, I've been struck by these words from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders:
“As I examine the budget brought forth by the Republicans in the House and here in the Senate, this is how I see their analysis of the problems facing our country: It is apparently not good enough that since 1985 the top one-tenth of 1 percent has seen a more then $8 trillion increase in its wealth than what they would have had if wealth inequality had stayed at the same level that it was in 1985. An $8 trillion increase in the wealth of the top one-tenth of 1 percent! Apparently, that is not enough.
Meanwhile, as I understand the Republican view of our country, as manifested in the House and Senate budgets, it appears that millions of middle class and working families — people who are working longer hours for lower wages and who have seen significant declines in their standard of living over the last 40 years —apparently do not need our help. Rather they need to see a major reduction in federal programs that help make their lives, and the lives of their kids, a little bit better.
At a time when we have over 45 million Americans living in poverty — more than almost any time in the modern history of this country — my Republican colleagues think we should increase that number by cutting the Earned Income Tax Credit, affordable housing, and Medicaid. At a time when almost 20 percent of our children live in poverty, by far the highest childhood poverty rate of any major country on earth, my Republican colleagues think that maybe we should raise the childhood poverty rate a bit higher by cutting childcare, Head Start, the Child Tax Credit, and nutrition assistance for hungry kids.
To summarize: the rich get much richer, and the Republicans think they need more help. The middle class and working families of this country become poorer, and the Republicans think we need to cut programs they desperately need. Frankly, those may be the priorities of some of my Republican colleagues in this room, but I do not believe that these are the priorities of the American people.” (Watch more from at Sen. Sanders at https://youtu.be/gB1efQXFThk)
__
America’s economy is much stronger than Europe’s right now—but the gains are limited to the top strata of our population. Yet, because of Europe’s different approach to wealth distribution, when I travel I notice that the average European is doing better than then average American. And the poorer-than-average European is doing much better than the struggling American.
I wonder at what point, if ever, our Republican legislators will heed the lesson that the privileged of France's Old Regime learned the hard way: The growing gap between the elites and everyone else is not only un-American, it’s a recipe for instability.
Please help me understand this. If these numbers are correct, how can they be defensible? Are our Congressional Republicans, with their fierce advocacy, public servants or private servants? Considering all of our wealth and resources, is this the best we can do in America?
I'm taking off for Europe in a few days. And when I travel, I enjoy unplugging from the news cycles. But the news hit me with a parting shot: Our Republican-controlled Congress has proposed budget cuts directed at our country’s most vulnerable citizens. I have to ask: What motivates Congressional Republicans to work so hard to exacerbate the gap between rich and poor?
With the disturbing redistribution of wealth in our society in the last generation, I’ve been fascinated by an earlier age of unbridled wealth and decadence that I see in my travels. The châteaux of the "one percent" of the Old Regime — those 17th- and 18th-century French tycoons whose insatiable greed eventually drove their country to such despair that it erupted into violent revolution--provide a vivid example. This video clip from my most recent trip to France's Loire Valley — essentially a tour of one of their homes — helps illustrate the state of our 2015 union in “1715 King Louis” terms.
Bringing home these impressions to an America I care so much about, I've been struck by these words from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders:
“As I examine the budget brought forth by the Republicans in the House and here in the Senate, this is how I see their analysis of the problems facing our country: It is apparently not good enough that since 1985 the top one-tenth of 1 percent has seen a more then $8 trillion increase in its wealth than what they would have had if wealth inequality had stayed at the same level that it was in 1985. An $8 trillion increase in the wealth of the top one-tenth of 1 percent! Apparently, that is not enough.
Meanwhile, as I understand the Republican view of our country, as manifested in the House and Senate budgets, it appears that millions of middle class and working families — people who are working longer hours for lower wages and who have seen significant declines in their standard of living over the last 40 years —apparently do not need our help. Rather they need to see a major reduction in federal programs that help make their lives, and the lives of their kids, a little bit better.
At a time when we have over 45 million Americans living in poverty — more than almost any time in the modern history of this country — my Republican colleagues think we should increase that number by cutting the Earned Income Tax Credit, affordable housing, and Medicaid. At a time when almost 20 percent of our children live in poverty, by far the highest childhood poverty rate of any major country on earth, my Republican colleagues think that maybe we should raise the childhood poverty rate a bit higher by cutting childcare, Head Start, the Child Tax Credit, and nutrition assistance for hungry kids.
To summarize: the rich get much richer, and the Republicans think they need more help. The middle class and working families of this country become poorer, and the Republicans think we need to cut programs they desperately need. Frankly, those may be the priorities of some of my Republican colleagues in this room, but I do not believe that these are the priorities of the American people.” (Watch more from at Sen. Sanders at https://youtu.be/gB1efQXFThk)
__
America’s economy is much stronger than Europe’s right now—but the gains are limited to the top strata of our population. Yet, because of Europe’s different approach to wealth distribution, when I travel I notice that the average European is doing better than then average American. And the poorer-than-average European is doing much better than the struggling American.
I wonder at what point, if ever, our Republican legislators will heed the lesson that the privileged of France's Old Regime learned the hard way: The growing gap between the elites and everyone else is not only un-American, it’s a recipe for instability.
Please help me understand this. If these numbers are correct, how can they be defensible? Are our Congressional Republicans, with their fierce advocacy, public servants or private servants? Considering all of our wealth and resources, is this the best we can do in America?
You can't ignore racism and raise anti-racist children. You have to tackle it head-on
It is true. You cannot hide from it. You cannot ignore it. It is everywhere. And not just racism, but misogyny and sexism have to be cut out like a cancer. They are embedded so deep into our culture that we have no choice but to deal with them directly if we want to effect any type of progressive change for the better.
You can't ignore racism and raise anti-racist children. You have to tackle it head-on
You can’t pretend that racism doesn’t exist or is a relic of the past. Even when it comes to children’s books
by Jessica Valenti at The Guardian
Thursday is library day at my daughter Layla’s school, which she treasures because she gets to bring a new book home for a whole week. She’s chosen books we love, books we hate and books designed to send a pointed message to mom and dad about what she wants for her birthday (“I’m a Big Sister!”). So last week, when she brought home Travels of Babar – a book about a character I remember fondly from my own childhood – we didn’t think much of it. Until we started reading.
Layla and I were a few pages into reading the Babar book when we came across incredibly offensive and racist images of black people, caricatured both in the drawings and in the text, which called the book’s characters “savages” and “cannibals”. I was so taken aback that I quickly shut the book, mumbled an explanation for why we couldn’t read it and started to pen an incredulous and angry letter to her school’s library.
This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered racism in the media to which my daughter has been exposed (Aristocats, I’m looking at you), and I’m sure it won’t be the last. But as jarring as it was, the experience served as a good reminder that raising anti-racist children is not about ignoring racism - but tackling it head on. Closing the book or shutting off the movie may be the easiest move, but it’s the wrong one.
Research has consistently shown that proactively teaching your children (and white children especially) about racism – telling them that discrimination exists in the world – is far more effective than ignoring race and pretending as if the world is “colorblind”. As tempting as it is to think of even our young children as innocent, they are exposed to the same racism and biases that adults are in culture. The best thing that we can do for them as parents is to arm them with information about the reality of racism – historic and present – and teach them that it is unacceptable.
And, in the wake of University of Oklahoma fraternity members being taped chanting a violently racist song, I can’t help but wonder what lessons – if any – about race they were taught as children. The parents of one student, Levi Pettit, said in a statement this week that their son “made a horrible mistake.” They own the fact that what their child did is “disgusting”, but insist: “we know his heart, and he is not a racist.”
I understand the fierce love that we feel for our children, but if we truly love them and want them to grow, we have to tell them the truth about their actions and how those actions shape who they are. In this case, the truth is that these young men – even if they were drunk, even if they were raised the “right way”, and even though they may feel shame now – are racist. The real next step for them needs not to be arguing that point, but figuring out how they can mitigate the very real harm they caused.
White people have the privilege of pretending that racism doesn’t exist or is a relic of the past. It would’ve been easy enough to say to myself that the book my daughter brought home from the library was published in 1937 and that times have changed, kept turning the pages and returned it like normal. But despite many people pointing out the book’s racism – its Amazon reviews are full of warnings – it is still being widely sold and, obviously, housed in children’s libraries. And, presumably, other parents are reading it to their children as though the illustrations and depictions are normal or acceptable.
I am fortunate that my daughter goes to a school where the administrators, librarian and teachers were horrified that this book was in their library – they removed it immediately from the collection. (Spare me any comments about censorship; I have no issue with removing racist crap from children’s libraries.) And though the conversation I had with my daughter later about why we weren’t going to read that book was a difficult one, I know she is so much better off for having had it. Because it will serve as a preface to a lesson that I hope she will carry with her through the future: racism is everywhere and it is incumbent on white people to cut it out.
If women were honest on dates
I usually hate these kind of generalizing videos but this one was pretty damn funny.
Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’
Teacher’s resignation letter: ‘My profession … no longer exists’
By Valerie Strauss
i-quit
Increasingly teachers are speaking out against school reforms that they believe are demeaning their profession, and some are simply quitting because they have had enough.
Here is one resignation letter from a veteran teacher, Gerald J. Conti, a social studies teacher at Westhill High School in Syracuse, N.Y.:
Mr. Casey Barduhn, Superintendent
Westhill Central School District
400 Walberta Park Road
Syracuse, New York 13219
Dear Mr. Barduhn and Board of Education Members:
It is with the deepest regret that I must retire at the close of this school year, ending my more than twenty-seven years of service at Westhill on June 30, under the provisions of the 2012-15 contract. I assume that I will be eligible for any local or state incentives that may be offered prior to my date of actual retirement and I trust that I may return to the high school at some point as a substitute teacher.
As with Lincoln and Springfield, I have grown from a young to an old man here; my brother died while we were both employed here; my daughter was educated here, and I have been touched by and hope that I have touched hundreds of lives in my time here. I know that I have been fortunate to work with a small core of some of the finest students and educators on the planet.
I came to teaching forty years ago this month and have been lucky enough to work at a small liberal arts college, a major university and this superior secondary school. To me, history has been so very much more than a mere job, it has truly been my life, always driving my travel, guiding all of my reading and even dictating my television and movie viewing. Rarely have I engaged in any of these activities without an eye to my classroom and what I might employ in a lesson, a lecture or a presentation. With regard to my profession, I have truly attempted to live John Dewey’s famous quotation (now likely cliché with me, I’ve used it so very often) that “Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself.” This type of total immersion is what I have always referred to as teaching “heavy,” working hard, spending time, researching, attending to details and never feeling satisfied that I knew enough on any topic. I now find that this approach to my profession is not only devalued, but denigrated and perhaps, in some quarters despised. STEM rules the day and “data driven” education seeks only conformity, standardization, testing and a zombie-like adherence to the shallow and generic Common Core, along with a lockstep of oversimplified so-called Essential Learnings. Creativity, academic freedom, teacher autonomy, experimentation and innovation are being stifled in a misguided effort to fix what is not broken in our system of public education and particularly not at Westhill.
A long train of failures has brought us to this unfortunate pass. In their pursuit of Federal tax dollars, our legislators have failed us by selling children out to private industries such as Pearson Education. The New York State United Teachers union has let down its membership by failing to mount a much more effective and vigorous campaign against this same costly and dangerous debacle. Finally, it is with sad reluctance that I say our own administration has been both uncommunicative and unresponsive to the concerns and needs of our staff and students by establishing testing and evaluation systems that are Byzantine at best and at worst, draconian. This situation has been exacerbated by other actions of the administration, in either refusing to call open forum meetings to discuss these pressing issues, or by so constraining the time limits of such meetings that little more than a conveying of information could take place. This lack of leadership at every level has only served to produce confusion, a loss of confidence and a dramatic and rapid decaying of morale. The repercussions of these ill-conceived policies will be telling and shall resound to the detriment of education for years to come. The analogy that this process is like building the airplane while we are flying would strike terror in the heart of anyone should it be applied to an actual airplane flight, a medical procedure, or even a home repair. Why should it be acceptable in our careers and in the education of our children?
My profession is being demeaned by a pervasive atmosphere of distrust, dictating that teachers cannot be permitted to develop and administer their own quizzes and tests (now titled as generic “assessments”) or grade their own students’ examinations. The development of plans, choice of lessons and the materials to be employed are increasingly expected to be common to all teachers in a given subject. This approach not only strangles creativity, it smothers the development of critical thinking in our students and assumes a one-size-fits-all mentality more appropriate to the assembly line than to the classroom. Teacher planning time has also now been so greatly eroded by a constant need to “prove up” our worth to the tyranny of APPR (through the submission of plans, materials and “artifacts” from our teaching) that there is little time for us to carefully critique student work, engage in informal intellectual discussions with our students and colleagues, or conduct research and seek personal improvement through independent study. We have become increasingly evaluation and not knowledge driven. Process has become our most important product, to twist a phrase from corporate America, which seems doubly appropriate to this case.
After writing all of this I realize that I am not leaving my profession, in truth, it has left me. It no longer exists. I feel as though I have played some game halfway through its fourth quarter, a timeout has been called, my teammates’ hands have all been tied, the goal posts moved, all previously scored points and honors expunged and all of the rules altered.
For the last decade or so, I have had two signs hanging above the blackboard at the front of my classroom, they read, “Words Matter” and “Ideas Matter”. While I still believe these simple statements to be true, I don’t feel that those currently driving public education have any inkling of what they mean.
Sincerely and with regret,
Gerald J. Conti
Social Studies Department Leader
Cc: Doreen Bronchetti, Lee Roscoe
My little Zu.
Prison makes you 'come out gay'
Mumble-core, mega-token Ben Carson just PROVED that homosexuality is a choice. He asserts that some people come out of prison having been turned gay and that makes it a 'choice'. Setting aside the complete lack of any evidence to support such crazy, he is willingfully ignoring the fact that the 'choice' he is referring to is the timing for which one decides to make their homosexuality public. So, either he is a whole lot of dumb or a liar by omission.
Untitled (from the Thunder, Lightning series)
Untitled (from the Thunder, Lightning series)
by Milo Roy and James M. Roy
acrylic, watercolor, and pencil on paper
#createarteveryday
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