America’s Brand: Indifference to Human Pain
There are essentially two forms of government on this planet: those that care about the wellbeing of their citizens and serve their interests and those that don’t.
Until the late 20th Century, one could have plausibly argued either way re: the United States. Since about 1980, it’s been clear that we really couldn’t care less about the sufferings of the common American.
It’s really become part of our brand. Billionaires deserve tax cuts. The middle class is shrinking, and the poor deserve a kick in the ass for not working harder.
Just nominate some well-educated businessman or city mayor — or maybe just a principled lobster fisherman.
Here’s a video in which U.S. senator Jeff Merkley argues that the 
Every day, our nation’s face is pushed a little bit further into the toilet.
Gotta love the creativity, and certainly the sentiment, that is captured by the artist whose work we see here.
It’s always encouraging to see the emergence of another brilliant astrophysicist into our culture — not that his message here is particularly encouraging.
As all literate Americans understand, a) illegal aliens are not eligible for welfare, and b) the vast majority of U.S. welfare dollars go to poor, uneducated white southerners who almost exclusively voted for Trump.
If it weren’t for the existence of social democracies all over the world, the clown in 
From the League of Conservationist Voters:
