Counterfactuals on labor and capital

       According to Paul Krugman in today's NYT, workers employed by McDonalds in Denmark make the equivalent of $20./hr. and enjoy 6 weeks of paid vacation every year!   Does anyone seriously think fast food establishments in the US would have a labor shortage if they offered these wages and perks? 

      As Krugman points out,  American insularity feeds a feeling of superiority to Europe's economic system, especially when it comes to worker rights and income inequality.   Quite a bit of these false feelings are based on ignorance.   Many people in America cannot believe there are ways to do capitalism in a more humane and economically equal way.   They would flatly reject the example cited above of McDonalds paying a living wage and treating their employees with humanity.   We have a long way to go and it will require a big dose of humility before we acknowledge we may not know it all.

On to the main event

       Now that we have gotten the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays out of the way, it is time to open our pocketbooks for that orgy of consumption known as Christmas in the English speaking world.   How a day of celebration of the birth of the promised Messiah to a minor religion in the middle east became the spectacle so many of us participate in is a continuing source of wonder to me.   Billions of words have attempted to explain Christmas from the theory it was piggybacked on the Roman holiday of Saturnalia to the Druids of England and the celebration of the Winter Solstice.   In any case, it is once again upon us, as are the expectations of the children among us.  

On the giving of Thanks

        Having finally passed the torch of responsibility for the Thanksgiving feast to our eldest daughter, the Divine Mrs. M and I spent a much less frenetic day than is usual and for that we were truly thankful.   Aside from the turkey dressing I contributed and their  mother's famous apple pie we mostly added gravitas to the celebration as the semi-revered elders.

      All this extra time led to a few thoughts on this most American of holidays.  Number one being the unique nature of the day.   While few of us actually count the blessings bestowed on us merely by residing in the US, they are substantial, especially if you are a white, middle class American.  Besides Canada, I don't know if a single other country has a national day of thanksgiving.

     Leaving aside the sordid history of the European settlers' relations with native Americans, the myth of the first thanksgiving and subsequent iterations of the post harvest celebrations helped cement our national identity.  Regardless of when and how the holiday started, along with the meanings attached to it, for most of us it provides the opportunity for a few moments of introspection.  It is now fashionable in some quarters to bash anything positive in the American experience while others fanatically defend every good thing and ignore the bad aspects of our nation.  We can celebrate the good while acknowledging the bad and resolving to strive for a better America.  Anyway, that's what Thanksgiving Day means to me.

False equivalences

       Despite the manifest problems with the verdict in the Rittenhouse trial, there are lessons to be learned from it.   That white innocence is taken for granted by a majority of whites has become evident as anyone listening to Fox news can attest.   The counter to this is the insertion of a black teenager into the same scenario.   You don't need me to figure what the likely outcome.

      Gun laws are written in such a way as to protect whites.   There is an unspoken truth that people of color will not be allowed to open carry long guns.   Changing the law to restrict everyone from open carrying weapons of mass slaughter will be difficult  if not impossible in today's political climate.

      Organizing Democrats to contest and win elections at the local level is the necessary prelude to more action when it comes to gun control.   Taking on the gun manufacturers at the grassroots is another way for the majority of Americans to exert some control.  

     Finally, sensible gun regulation must become a front and center issue for those who support it.  Otherwise, the 2nd amendment crowd will continue to elect opponents of legislation establishing the limits of gun culture in the us. 

What, me worry

      As usual, the media has spotted a shiny thing, in this case, the proliferation of gun violence  and promptly decided to ignore or bury news on climate change.   It's much easier to cover the Rittenhouse and Arbury trials and speculate endlessly on the cultural significance of armed vigilantes coming to a street near you.   What gets lost is the urgency to do something about climate change before it gets completely out of hand.

      It has been speculated that for the entire population of our planet to live the middle class lifestyle we take for granted in America, we would need the resources of 8 earths.  The burning of fossil fuels and their attendant carbon debt is the reason we have transformed society in developed nations from bare subsistence for the majority of the population to a state of advancement wholly unimagined by previous generations.  It is now time to either repay this debt, or start eviction proceedings against the occupants.  We need to stay focused on what is really important for the human race.

The hits just keep on coming

        According to the latest in a steady stream of books documenting the waning days of failed former president tRump, one of his lawyers demanded a high ranking DOD official authorize a "mission" to capture CIA director Gina Haspel.   The head spook was, according to tRump lawyer Sydney Powell trying to grab and destroy servers located in Germany which had switched millions of votes in the recent election from tRump to Biden.

      The DOD official,, a staunch ally of the former guy refused to play along with Powell who he described as a nut case, according to Jonathon Karl's account of the encounter.   Meanwhile, a CIA spokesman had to issue a statement confirming the presence of the CIA director in her office.

      The whole episode is of a piece with other reporting of the bonkers atmosphere prevailing of the post election White House.   What is unspoken in the various books is the real reason for tRump's obsession with retaining the presidency.   The many crimes the president committed during his tenure would come home to roost after his defeat.   Without the legal immunity provided by the office, it seems the Donald may finally be held to account.   Stay tuned.

What have you done for me lately

        Democrats and their sympathizers in the media portrayed yesterday's signing of the infrastructure bill as an unalloyed win for the party and a cause for celebration of the bi partisan cred the bill scored.   Not to rain on anybody's parade, but even if the bill had been passed and signed the day after Biden's inauguration, most of the spending will not have started in time to make a difference in the 2022 midterms.   In fact, much of the spending the bill calls for will not take place before Uncle Joe is pushing up daisies.