The Illusion in U.S. Politics

Taxing the Rich

Taxes have a long history in this country, shifting further after the introduction of income taxes. Join me in this episode as we hash through the history of federal income taxes, their uses, and their effects in the country. Low taxes and little to no federal protections caused chaos and mayhem for the working classes across the country during the Industrial Revolution and "Gilded" Age, following the Civil War and Reconstruction periods. All culminating as the country shifted toward the Progressive Eras and Great Depression/Prohibition Era. Taxing the rich corporations and “industry leaders” is not a new notion and resulted in many of the few benefits working America’s have access to in this country.     America's "Working Poor" Millions of Full-Time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs (2020) | GAO [https://www.gao.gov/assets/d2145.pdf] Walmart’s Food Stamp Scam Explained in One Easy Chart | Jobs with Justice [https://www.jwj.org/walmarts-food-stamp-scam-explained-in-one-easy-chart] Walmart and McDonald’s are among top employers of Medicaid and food stamp beneficiaries, report says | NBC [https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/walmart-and-mcdonalds-among-top-employers-of-medicaid-and-food-stamp-beneficiaries.html] Walmart, McDonald's among largest employers of SNAP, Medicaid recipients: Report | Fox Business [https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/walmart-mcdonalds-largest-employers-snap-medicaid-recipients]   Walmart Check out Nancy Walton Laurie's $300 million superyacht that features a helipad, swimming pool, and aquarium | Business Insider [https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-nancy-walton-superyacht-kaos-2023-5] Boat of the Week: Inside ‘Secret,’ the Lavish 271-Foot Superyacht Owned by Walmart Heiress Nancy Walton Laurie | Robb Report [https://robbreport.com/motors/marine/yacht-secret-glimpse-into-americas-wealthiest-families-nautical-tastes-1234679587/] How Walmart is Dodging Billions in Taxes | Americans for Tax Fairness [https://americansfortaxfairness.org/files/ATF-Key-Findings-One-Pager-orange-header.pdf]   Gilded Age How Upton Sinclair’s ‘The Jungle’ Led to US Food Safety Reforms | History.com [https://www.history.com/news/upton-sinclair-the-jungle-us-food-safety-reforms]   Great Depression New Deal | History.com [https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/new-deal] Why Social Security Was the Cornerstone of FDR’s New Deal | History.com [https://www.history.com/news/social-security-history-fdr-new-deal] Social Security Act | History.com [https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/social-security-act]

The Illusion in U.S. Politics

The power of language, the framing and centering of beliefs and "identities" matter because of their impact on the rhetoric and discourse that influence and construct our society and culture. Join me as I dive into key reminders when going into this Tuesday's election surrounding the structuring of our state and federal governments, the importance of civic engagement for the democratic process and the weight of propaganda and misinformation. A disengaged and disempowered proletariat only serves the few.

Bad Policy and Preventable Deaths Post-Roe V. Wade

Over 2 years ago, Roe V. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court which opened the door for multiple states to pass abortion bans and continue to test the waters on the extent in which their governments can interfere in the privacy of women's reproductive rights and healthcare. More stories flood the media surrounding women turned away from hospitals and denied treatment, dying or almost dying in the process. What does this all mean? How have we gotten here with the steadily growing concern on preventable pregnant persons' deaths in America?   Resources/Recommendations/References: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother's Death Was Preventable | ProPublica [https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-abortion-ban-amber-thurman-death] Rest In Power: A Running List of the Preventable Deaths Caused by Abortion Bans | Ms. Magazine [https://msmagazine.com/2024/11/04/women-die-abortion-ban-elections-vote/] Infants dying, women at risk: Medical literature describes wide-ranging consequences of Dobbs [https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2024/07/infants-dying-women-at-risk-medical-literature-describes-wide-ranging-consequences-of-dobbs/] Life Of The Mother | ProPublica [https://www.propublica.org/series/life-of-the-mother] Dozens of pregnant women, some bleeding or in labor, are turned away from ERs despite federal law | AP News [https://apnews.com/article/pregnant-women-emergency-room-ectopic-er-edd66276d2f6c412c988051b618fb8f9] Doctors Warned Her Pregnancy Could Kill Her. Then Tennessee Outlawed Abortion | ProPublica [https://www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-abortion-ban-doctors-ectopic-pregnancy] In Oklahoma, a woman was told to wait until she's 'crashing' for abortion care | NPR [https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171851775/oklahoma-woman-abortion-ban-study-shows-confusion-at-hospitals] Pregnancy-related deaths are on the rise…and sepsis is a big reason | NIH [https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/pregnancy-related-deaths-are-on-the-rise-and-sepsis-is-a-big-reason] Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them | KFF [https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-in-maternal-and-infant-health-current-status-and-efforts-to-address-them/]

Voter Disenfranchisement

Join me as we look into voter disenfranchisement through direct ways or from behind the scenes during the election process. Gerrymandering, Super PACs, and more. Participating in elections feels like a burden to many, more so now than ever, what have been some recently revealed causes? And longstanding practices? What are some small steps we can take to begin to stir up shift?   References/Recommendations/Resources:   Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens (2014) (Research Paper) [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B] Gilens and Page: Average citizens have little impact on public policy | PNHP [https://pnhp.org/news/gilens-and-page-average-citizens-have-little-impact-on-public-policy/] Congress literally doesn't care what you think | Represent Us [https://act.represent.us/sign/problempoll-fba] Influence of Big Money | Brennan Justice Center [https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/influence-big-money] How Corporate Donors Get Their Tax Breaks and 5 Ways to Fight Back | Center for American Progress (CAP) [https://www.americanprogress.org/article/corporate-donors-get-tax-breaks-5-ways-fight-back/] Dark Money Basics | Open Secrets [https://www.opensecrets.org/dark-money/basics] Dark Money | Brennan Justice Center [https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/influence-big-money/dark-money] Super PACs & Coordination | Brennan Justice Center [https://www.brennancenter.org/issues/reform-money-politics/influence-big-money/super-pacs-coordination] Money in Politics | Common Cause [https://www.commoncause.org/issues/money-in-politics/]  7 Facts about Americans' Views of Money in Politics | Pew Research Center [https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/23/7-facts-about-americans-views-of-money-in-politics/] Money, Power, and the Influence of Ordinary People in American Politics | Pew Research Center [https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/09/19/money-power-and-the-influence-of-ordinary-people-in-american-politics/] How Big Money Corrupts the Economy | Democracy Journal [https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/27/how-big-money-corrupts-the-economy/] It Takes Lots of Money to Win Elections. Here's What You Need to Know | NPR [https://www.npr.org/2023/11/01/1205728664/campaign-finance-donations-election-fec-fundraising-ad-spending] How Jim Crow-Era Laws Suppressed the African American Vote for Generations | History.com [https://www.history.com/news/jim-crow-laws-black-vote] History of Voting Rights [https://vote.uiowa.edu/history-voting-rights] The Man Who Rigged America's Election Map | Vox (Video) [https://youtu.be/KpamjJtXqFI?si=I0NMn4kIgRHfV3SM] Gerrymandering Definition | Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/topic/gerrymandering] Democracy Lab | TedED [https://ed.ted.com/democracy-lab] 'The Great Hack': Cambridge Analytica is Just the Tip of the Iceberg | Amnesty International [https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/07/the-great-hack-facebook-cambridge-analytica/] History of the Cambridge Analytica Controversy | Bipartisan Policy Center [https://bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/cambridge-analytica-controversy/] Citizens United Explained | Brennan Justice Center [https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained] Summary How States Define Lobbying and Lobbyist | National Conference of State Legislatures [https://www.ncsl.org/ethics/how-states-define-lobbying-and-lobbyist] Political Action Committees (PACs) | Federal Election Commission [https://www.fec.gov/press/resources-journalists/political-action-committees-pacs/] Summary of The Mueller Report, for Those Too Busy to Read It All | Harvard [https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publications/summary-mueller-report-those-too-busy-read-it-all] After Mueller Revelations, How to Protect Election Integrity in 2020 (Video) | PBS News [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/after-mueller-revelations-how-to-protect-election-integrity-in-2020] Block the Vote: How Politicians are Trying to Block Voters from the Ballot Box | ACLU [https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/block-the-vote-voter-suppression-in-2020] Removal of On-Campus Voting on Election Day Sparks Uproar at Purdue | Inside Higher Ed [https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/10/03/purdue-loses-long-standing-campus-polling-place] NC Election Officials Removed Nearly 750,000 Ineligible Registrants Since Start of 2023 | North Carolina State of Election Boards [https://www.ncsbe.gov/news/press-releases/2024/09/26/nc-election-officials-removed-nearly-750000-ineligible-registrants-start-2023] Texas officials say they've scrubbed the voter rolls. Here's how to check if you're still on them | Texas Tribune [https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/16/texas-voter-registration-check/] Democracy Diverted: Polling Place Closures and the Right to Vote | The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights [https://civilrights.org/democracy-diverted/]

Remembrance on Indigenous People's Day: A Reflection of Past & Present

The discourse surrounding the celebration of Indigenous People's Day vs "Columbus Day" continues as the country denies reckoning with its own history of its founding. This history exists past and present as the fruits of colonization remain largely unacknowledged or blatantly ignored. The recentering of indigenous peoples in this narrative is crucial for our society to come to terms with the oppression, assimilation, and appropriation of indigenous communities and culture.     References/Resources/Recommendations:   Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) [https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw] The Impact of Words and Tips for Using Appropriate Terminology: Am I Using the Right Word? | National Museum of the American Indian [https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/impact-words-tips]   Federal Boarding Schools Origin of Names of U.S. States | U.S. Dept of the Interior [https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/origin-names-us-states#:~:text=INDIANA%3A%20Presumably%20named%20from%20the,who%20settled%20in%20western%20Pennsylvania.] Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative | U.S. Dept of the Interior [https://www.doi.gov/priorities/strengthening-indian-country/federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative] Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative | U.S. Dept of the Interior [https://www.bia.gov/service/federal-indian-boarding-school-initiative] Video: Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding Schools (Part One) | PBS [https://www.pbsutah.org/pbs-utah-productions/shows/unspoken/] Unspoken: America's Native American Boarding Schools (Part Two) | PBS [https://www.pbsutah.org/pbs-utah-productions/shows/unspoken/part-two/] Struggling with Cultural Repression | National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian [https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/code-talkers/boarding-schools/] U.S. Indian Boarding School History | The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition [https://boardingschoolhealing.org/education/us-indian-boarding-school-history/]   "Indian" Removal Act Remembering the Trail of Death and its Impact on the Potawatomi People [https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2020/11/04/remembering-the-trail-of-death-and-its-impact-on-the-potawatomi-people/] The Potawatomi Trail of Death | The History Museum [https://www.historymuseumsb.org/the-trail-of-death/] Immigration and Relocation in U.S. History: Native American | Library of Congress [https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/native-american/#:~:text=The%20centuries%20that%20followed%20the,%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20destroyed.] Trail of Tears | History.com [https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears] The Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears | National Geographic [https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/indian-removal-act-and-trail-tears/] (Video) How the Brutal Trail of Tears Got Its Name | Smithsonian Channel (Youtube) [https://youtu.be/SosZ2ZRJymU?si=wBHRTxSz1X_HxZIB]   Christopher Columbus Was Christopher Columbus a Hero or Villain? | Biography.com [https://www.biography.com/history-culture/christopher-columbus-day-facts] Why Columbus Day Courts Controversy | History.com [https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-controversy] Christopher Columbus | Britannica.com [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus/The-first-voyage]   Sand Creek Massacre (Video) UNUM Short: Remembering the Sand Creek Massacre | PBS [https://www.pbs.org/video/unum-short-remembering-the-sand-creek-massacre-bo70ng/] Sand Creek Massacre | Britannica.com [https://www.britannica.com/event/Sand-Creek-Massacre]   Osage Murders How Marriage and Murder were Used to Steal Osage Oil Riches | History.com [https://www.history.com/news/osage-murders-reign-terror-husbands-guardians]   Additional Butchered Tongue Lyrics (Hozier) | Genius Lyrics [https://genius.com/Hozier-butchered-tongue-lyrics] Understanding the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis Beyond Individual Acts of Violence [https://www.niwrc.org/restoration-magazine/june-2020/mmiw-understanding-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-crisis] Indiana Statehood | IN.gov [https://www.in.gov/history/files/instatehood.pdf] Oklahoma | History.com [https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/oklahoma] Skunk, Bayou, and Other Words with Native American Origins | Merriam-Webster [https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/native-american-words] A Legacy of Negligence: The Historical Mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples in the United States | Berkley Public Policy Journal [https://bppj.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2022/04/20/a-legacy-of-negligence-the-historical-mistreatment-of-indigenous-peoples-in-the-united-states/]