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from City Journal
A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute
“The issue is not that the United States cannot pull its people above the poverty line,” writes Annie Lowrey, “but that it does not want to.” America’s safety net fails people because it is designed to do so, she argues, “woven as it is with deliberate and large holes.” The solution, per the title of her new book, is to Give People Money. The idea, specifically, is a “universal basic income” (UBI)—a government program that would send $1,000 to every American, every month, no strings attached, giving everyone enough to live on. A family of four would get $48,000, nearly equal to the nation’s median household income. Lowrey is a wonderful writer, and to make her case for UBI she takes readers on a fascinating global tour—from the border between the Koreas to rural Kenya, from the International Auto Show in Detroit to homeless shelters in Maine. The book falls short, though, when it moves from narrative to analysis—translating these examples, and the societal failings and challenges that they reveal, into the case for a radical policy. It mistakes a shiny object for a silver bullet. Handing out money will not change the underlying conditions of poverty. Artificially raising everyone’s income does nothing to make the recipients more productive or to enable their participation in the economy and society.
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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
The House of Representative voted on July 19th for a resolution “expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.” The final vote on H. Con. Res. 119 was 229 to 180. Seven Democrats joined 222 Republicans in favor, while six Republicans joined 174 Democrats against.
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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization
Why Indefinite Detention Is Un-American
Governments throughout the vast majority of history have abused individual liberty and ignored basic safeguards like due process and habeas corpus. Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act opened the door for the United States to be treated as a “battlefield” and allow the government to indefinitely detain and imprison any person by only accusations or suspicions of a crime without due process or trial by jury. This is dangerous to liberty.
Why the ‘Conservative’ Carbon Tax Is a Non-Starter
The carbon tax needs to be called out for what it really is: just another tax. A carbon tax would have massive implications on the American economy regardless of what the initial tax rate is set.
Another California City is Trying a Universal Basic Income: Will it Work?
Starting in 2019, the city of Stockton will join San Francisco and Oakland in testing a “Universal Basic Income” (UBI) program that could eventually be expanded to a state or national level.
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from Financial Times
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
The grand consigliere of American diplomacy talks about Putin, the new world order — and the meaning of Trump. Kissinger embarks on a disquisition about Russia’s “almost mystical” tolerance for suffering. His key point is that the west wrongly assumed in the years before Putin annexed Crimea that Russia would adopt the west’s rules-based order. Nato misread Russia’s deep-seated craving for respect. “The mistake Nato has made is to think that there is a sort of historic evolution that will march across Eurasia and not to understand that somewhere on that march it will encounter something very different to a Westphalian [western idea of a state] entity. And for Russia this is a challenge to its identity.” Do you mean that we provoked Putin, I ask. “I do not think Putin is a character like Hitler,” Kissinger replies. “He comes out of Dostoyevsky.”
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from Front Porch Republic
This selection of writings aims to make manifest to the reader Simone Weil’s “intensity in the pursuit of truth” and the “sense of the eternal which Weil had to an extreme degree.” The admirably succinct biographical introduction describes how Weil “discovered, much to her surprise, that her pursuit of truth was, finally, the pursuit of Christ.” She is especially valuable for opening this path toward Christ as truth “for those who struggle with institutional religion,” since her quest shows how “Christ makes himself known … to those who follow the deepest desire of their hearts.”
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from KHQ Local News (NBC Spokane)
Amazon.com to bring more than 1,500 jobs to Spokane
Seattle-based Amazon.com is opening a fulfillment center in Spokane, promising more than 1,500 full-time jobs. The company announced on Friday that it was opening its first fulfillment center in eastern Washington. The 600,000-square foot center will be built near the Spokane International Airport.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
Wildfire burning 70,000 acres closes I-90 near Vantage; Spokane wakes up to smoky skies
A wildfire in Kittitas County has burned more than 70,000 acres and closed lanes of Interstate 90 near Vantage. As of 7 a.m. Friday, westbound lanes were open near Vantage, but the eastbound lanes remained closed and were expected to be reevaluated at 4 p.m., according to the Washington Department of Transportation. Evacuations were ordered in Kittitas County and Wanapum State Park. The Boylston fire is among several that have scorched scrubland and wheat fields in Eastern and Central Washington, and Eastern Oregon.
Amazon confirms plans for fulfillment center near airport
After months of speculation, Amazon confirmed today that it is the entity behind a huge warehouse planned near the Spokane International Airport. The opening date is forecast for late 2019. More than 1,500 people will work in the center, with hiring to begin in 2019, according to a company spokeswoman. The numbers of workers could swell to nearly 3,000 during the holiday peak.
County pushes back against state move to expand commission
As the state of Washington moves forward on a new law to expand Spokane County’s board of commissioners from three members to five, the county is pushing back, and is planning a lawsuit to block the expansion. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill in March, requiring counties with populations of more than 400,000 residents to have a board of five commissioners, to be elected by district in both the primary and general elections. Currently, Spokane County commissioners run in primary elections where they live and are then elected countywide in the general election.
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Wildfire burning 70,000 acres closes I-90 near Vantage; Spokane wakes up to smoky skies
A wildfire in Kittitas County has burned more than 70,000 acres and closed lanes of Interstate 90 near Vantage. As of 7 a.m. Friday, westbound lanes were open near Vantage, but the eastbound lanes remained closed and were expected to be reevaluated at 4 p.m., according to the Washington Department of Transportation. Evacuations were ordered in Kittitas County and Wanapum State Park. The Boylston fire is among several that have scorched scrubland and wheat fields in Eastern and Central Washington, and Eastern Oregon.
Amazon confirms plans for fulfillment center near airport
After months of speculation, Amazon confirmed today that it is the entity behind a huge warehouse planned near the Spokane International Airport. The opening date is forecast for late 2019. More than 1,500 people will work in the center, with hiring to begin in 2019, according to a company spokeswoman. The numbers of workers could swell to nearly 3,000 during the holiday peak.
County pushes back against state move to expand commission
As the state of Washington moves forward on a new law to expand Spokane County’s board of commissioners from three members to five, the county is pushing back, and is planning a lawsuit to block the expansion. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill in March, requiring counties with populations of more than 400,000 residents to have a board of five commissioners, to be elected by district in both the primary and general elections. Currently, Spokane County commissioners run in primary elections where they live and are then elected countywide in the general election.
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