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When the unprecedented wildfires raged in Australia last year, it was shocking to see much of their elected leadership fall short of sending necessary relief quickly & still denying basic facts of climate change. We are now in a similar situation... 1/ https://newrepublic.com/article/156194/climate-denial-survives-australia-burns
I've always thought even the most craven political opportunists wouldn't sit on their hands & prevent action when the proverbial poop hit the fan for various emergencies, whether it be economic, environmental, or otherwise. That it would be insane to watch ppl die w/o helping. 2/
Yes, elected leaders have failed to sufficiently prevent catastrophe since the beginning of time, but when a disaster hits, a basic reaction to intervene & provide relief is pretty reliable. Something is different as of late... 3/
Now that really big, existential crises which have been pending for decades take place, there are ppl in office whose grasp on power comes from denying the real harms & threats facing us...even when they're happening in real time. 4/
If you believe your job security is contingent on you ignoring the fact that the house is on fire, there's a healthy chance you'll maintain that stance even when you're sitting in the kitchen, surrounded by flames. 5/
That meme is basically a TL;DR version of the famous quote by Ulton Sinclair which goes, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
Have had to remind myself of that many a time in recent years. Anyways... 6/
Have had to remind myself of that many a time in recent years. Anyways... 6/
That our society & world in general has gotten to such a psychotic state of affairs is a hard pill to swallow, but if we're to have any hope of fixing the problem, we need to admit that our political systems are stale & have very little responsibility to voters at large. 7/
There just aren't enough avenues for the public to exert necessary control over representatives. Issues can poll over 90%, children can die in schools on a weekly basis, forests can burn at a rapid pace, and poverty can grow rapidly - all w/o significant response to curb them. 8/
One would think that at some point, enough would be enough. That, as we continue to get diminishing returns from our political systems, we'd take seriously the task to reform them. But time is running out as more & more deadly crisis are speeding down the pike in coming years. 9/
Now that the @senatemajldr & @GOP reps at the federal level are basically telling states to drop dead a la Gerald Ford to NYC in 1975, I say to myself this is surely the last straw for the country. But then I think back to the inaction in Australia... 10/ https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN2242U7?__twitter_impression=true
We've made great strides over the last half century, but it's arguable that when it comes to big ticket issues, the needle hasn't moved much if at all, and that lack of success has us on the precipice. If our leaders won't reach for a fire hose during a blaze, when will they? 11/
The challenge now, while very difficult, is pretty clear:
1) track & contain #COVID19
2) expand support for workers, families & small biz to blunt economic fallout
3) deliver relief to states & localities to speed recovery
This shouldn't be partisan, but it's been made so. 12/
1) track & contain #COVID19
2) expand support for workers, families & small biz to blunt economic fallout
3) deliver relief to states & localities to speed recovery
This shouldn't be partisan, but it's been made so. 12/
Ultimately, in this moment, we are being called upon to rebuild our country. All aspects of the public sector have been decimated. Our voting systems are unreliable. Our democracy is far too immune to public sentiment & need. And the fixes will take a generation to implement. 13/
The country has rebuilt itself several times throughout its history. The fact that we remain one nation, despite many instances of strife & despair, is testament to that. But we need to be willing to rise to the moment & not just rely on convention. 14/
A new era must dawn across our country - one rooted in health, equity, honesty & solidarity. The refusal to evolve will cement our fall, but with evolution comes innovation & opportunity...and a chance to live up to our creed like never before.
Let's get to work. /End
Let's get to work. /End
