Take the largest secular democracy on Earth, and elect a president who refashions the federal government around state Hinduism, and expect no violence against the 172 million people identifying as adherents of Islam. That takes top-notch stupidity.
Re: the meme here, a reader notes, “Trickle-down failure. 40 years of stupidity!!!!”
It’s neither a failure, nor is it stupid. It’s done exactly what it was designed to do with surgical precision: further enrich the uber-wealthy at the expense of everyone else. The problem is that it’s created crippling levels of public debt, and the demise of the middle class.
Europe has a serious issue with the proliferation of cars. Last time I was in Copenhagen, there was a 100% tax on car purchases; now it’s 150%. A $30K car will cost you $75K.
The Netherlands will ban all gas- and diesel-powered cars after 2030. (more…)
From the New York Times:
An official at the Interior Department embarked on a campaign that has inserted misleading language about climate change — including debunked claims that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is beneficial — into the agency’s scientific reports, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times. (more…)
From Energy Reports: The world’s first solar road in Normandy, northern France, which opened in 2016, has failed to meet expectations. The 2.8 square km of solar panels is in part damaged beyond repair and the 1km road did not produce the power the manufacturer Wattway had promised. (more…)
From Politico: White House National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said Tuesday that the U.S. has “contained” the threat of a domestic coronavirus outbreak, breaking with the warnings of officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We have contained this, I won’t say airtight but pretty close to airtight,” Kudlow told CNBC’s Kelly Evans on Tuesday afternoon. (more…)
We’re looking at the endgame of (largely) unregulated capitalism. This is what greed and an icy cold indifference to human misery, left to their own devices, look like: unlimited political corruption, cruelty, poverty, a vanishing middle class, environmental devastation, racial hatred, moral degradation, and oligarchy.
Fortunately, the majority of Americans see what’s happening and are demanding change.
The meme suggests that we’re more sensitive to opinions generally than we have been in the past, but that’s not the issue. The problem is that many people have opinions today that the rest of us find disgusting, and they don’t have any compunction about voicing those opinions, thus revealing that they’re people of terrible character.
If you think it’s OK to separate little children from their parents and lock them in cages, or destroy the environment for profit, or fan the flames of racial hatred, you’re a vile human being; it’s just that simple. If you express those opinions publicly, you’re both stupid and vile.
It is with sadness that I note the passing of Joe Coulombe, founder of Trader Joe’s markets.
