In this episode we discuss the Rochester City School District's 9/3/2021 announcement that high school students may start the school year virtually because a bus driver shortage is causing school transportation jobs to go unfilled. The RCSD is not the only school district facing a bus driver shortage: district's across the country are short bus drivers, causing transportation disruptions to the start of the new school year. We explore what's possibly causing the bus driver shortage, critique the standard of the 40 hour work week, and urge for the RCSD's systemic problems, such as poverty and segregation, to be resolved. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban re-takeover. The costs from United States' 20 year war are steep: 250,000 lives (83x those that died 9/11) and over $2.2 trillion ($11,000,000 an hour over the past 20 years) of debt-financed spending. We revisit clips from the Bush Administration in 2001 and hear their demands of the Taliban and projections for how the war would go. From a conventional war, to counterinsurgency, to nation building, to training security forces, to withdrawal and, now, to armed oversight of evacuation, U.S. involvement has been varied and challenged. Thanks for joining us.
We chat with folks from Roctricity to help us understand Rochester's new Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) power program--Rochester Community Power. Beginning in September, most Rochester residents will be automatically enrolled in Rochester Community Power which aims to deliver 100% renewable NYS-generated electricity at a fixed rate of 0.058 $/kWh for the next two years. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss the "Right to Repair" movement with Kevin O'Reilly (@kevin_oreilly7), director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group's Right to Repair campaign. Recently, the Biden Administration and 27 state governments have pushed legislation to make it easier and more affordable for consumers to repair consumer electronics, medical equipment, farming equipment, and more. Why? Well, for years consumer advocates have pushed for "Right to Repair" legislation to ensure consumers can repair devices without having to (1) throw them out and buy a new one when an issue arises or (2) be forced to pay heavy costs getting it repaired through the Original Equipment Manufacturer. Right to Repair legislation would enable consumers and third party repair businesses (similar to third party car mechanics) to obtain the parts necessary to repair devices, the knowledge of how to repair devices, and greater choice of who to go to in order to repair a device. This could have extensive economic benefits for consumers and environmental benefits for us all. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss the first disbursements of the expanded child tax credit, break down myths about why a social safety net is bad, and discuss what's in the Democrats' proposed $3.5 trillion budget. The expanded child tax credit, passed earlier this year in the American Rescue Plan with zero Republicans voting in favor of it, is a big deal. The vast majority of American families with children will now receive $3,600 for each child between the ages of 0-6 and $3,000 per child between the ages of 7-17. This is far higher than what the tax credit was before the ARP. As important, the credit is now fully refundable, meaning even the lowest income families will receive it. What's more, half of the tax credit is being disbursed as monthly installments through the end of the year, akin to universal basic income for families with children. Government programs can be incredibly helpful to enable people to live their lives more comfortably. Speaking of which, we also break down myths about the social safety net. Believe it or not Senator Rubio, poverty is solvable by increasing income. Lastly, we discuss what's in the Democrats' proposed $3.5 trillion budget, among which is a proposal to make the aforementioned expanded child tax credits permanent. Thanks for joining us.
We analyze the battle royale genre (e.g. movies, games, books) and what it says about our culture.
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We discuss the proposed creation of a global minimum corporate tax.
We discuss recent https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax (reporting) by ProPublica that (re)reveals how the wealthy avoid paying their fair share of taxes. We say (re)reveals because this should come as a surprise to no one given a preponderance of similar evidence. All the same, the reporting helps shine an even brighter light. While the wealthiest Americans nominally pay a "high" dollar value in taxes, their true tax rate is fractions of what it is paid by most Americans. Using tax loopholes and tax avoidance strategies essentially only available for the wealthiest, they abscond from paying their fair share of taxes, taxes which would benefit everyone in society through public service spending. Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans flash their true anti-majoritarian colors by obstinately blocking any efforts to rectify this oligarchical inequality, such as refusing Biden's efforts to raise the top marginal tax rate from 37% to 39.6% (which wouldn't even really affect the wealthy given the strategies they use to avoid paying taxes as shown in the ProPublica report) and refusing to adequately fund the IRS. Thanks for joining us.
We discuss three important civic opportunities in Rochester, NY. 1.) Joining the recently created Rochester Food Policy Council 2.) Sharing your feedback with the City and RCSD about how American Rescue Plan Funding should be spent 3.) Preparing to vote in the June 22nd primaries We also review the book "Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One Click America" by Alec MacGillis. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss Critical Race Theory with Dr. Joanne Larson, the Michael W. Scandling Professor of Education & Associate Director of Research at the Center for Urban Education Success at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education. From national culture wars to local school board elections, Critical Race Theory has become a contested issue. What is Critical Race Theory, and what is it not? How has race and marginality been traditionally been taught in schools? Why might a new conceptual framework, such as the one provided by Critical Race Theory, be needed to provide for better educational and social outcomes? Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss the paradox of living in a society split by political parties endorsing two different versions of reality. Do any of your relatives, friends, or co-workers believe in something you see at outlandish? What do we do about the epidemic-like spread of misinformation and disinformation? How do we break through social media-fueled echo chambers? We'll cover these questions and more. We'll also talk about the upcoming June 22nd primary election, which seats are up for election, who is running to fill those seats, and where you can vote early. If you live in Monroe County, NY, you can find all of this information, and more, at the Monroe County Board of Elections webpage: https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections?fbclid=IwAR1t6DkRV4EK52vWuHyrkwjB5kWTMTt_MwgVQk9LFXwQq2ksKL-1e6t3UIY (https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections).
We discuss the legalization of marijuana in New York. We'll cover what's legal, how sales and home cultivation will work, and New York's approach is to rectifying its past over-enforcement of marijuana-related crimes (many of which are, well, no longer crimes). On the second half of the show we cover what's in the Biden Administrations proposed $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. This comes after the administration's multi-trillion dollar American Rescue Plan and American Jobs Plan. Included in the provision are hundreds of billions of dollars for child care, paid leave, free community college, teacher education, child nutrition, and health care affordability. We think these massive government spending plans are much needed and long overdue, which is counter to the myopic take by congressional Republicans, such as Tim Scott, that any government action beyond cutting taxes and regulations for the wealthiest individuals and corporations is bad government action. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss the honoring of 51st Earth Day and the proposed Super League in European Soccer. As the world celebrated Earth Day on 4/22, there remains relatively little to actually celebrate in regard to substantive climate policy. Locally, the https://www.climategfl.org/ (Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region) held a 22-day program promoting climate justice. It's summit ended with a session reminding us that climate inequities are embedded with race- and class-based inequities as well. We also discuss Rochester's 2017 Climate Action Plan and the Biden Administration's pledge to reduce U.S. green house gas emissions by 50% by 2030 based on 2005 levels. We also discuss the proposed creation of a Super League in European Soccer. This League would be made up of the wealthiest teams and would be a closed league, dramatically reshaping European soccer. Why does this matter? Well, for one thing, it can be seen as another example of the wealthiest trying consolidate wealth and influence. For another thing, the League's creation is based off models in American sports, and 33% of the proposed 12 Super League teams are owned by American 1%ers or Hedge Funds. Thanks for joining us.
We discuss the proposed budget of the Rochester Police Accountability Board (PAB). The proposed $5 million annual budget would dramatically expand funding for the PAB, creating three new PAB bureaus that, they claim, would help it do its duties: (1) the Bureau of Officer Accountability to investigate nearly 500 annual complaints against the RPD within 90 days, (2) the Bureau of Systemic Change to lead comprehensive community-driven policing changes, and (3) the Bureau of Administration to ensure the PAB's operations are accessible and functional. Were this budget to be approved, it would effectively mean that for every $20 the city spends on the RPD it would spend $1 on the PAB. You can learn more about the PAB's proposed budget here: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/pab/budget/?fbclid=IwAR1RlMuJIe8i3M1nehypArOcxIeeNsTFi5bC9lZoGVVp7Dfda-SjbgPaMCw (https://www.cityofrochester.gov/pab/budget/) We also discuss the continued troubling rise of disinformation and susceptibility to misinformation through the lens of vaccine conspiracies. Many vaccine skeptics, conspiracy theorists, and right-wing trolls latched onto the federal government's halt of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine distribution this week. You would be surprised at the extent to which conspiracy theories have embedded into "normal" discourse and "normal" people. We need to take a deep breath and do better at not falling prey to peddlers of misinformation and disinformation. Thanks for joining us.
We discuss the unionization effort among Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Nearly 6,000 workers voted whether to unionize or not with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Over 3,200 votes were cast, and around 70% of workers voted not to unionize while the the other 30% voted to unionize, defeating the unionization effort. However, the RWDSU is filing an objection of the results with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Amazon "created an atmosphere of confusion, coercion, and/or fear of reprisals" which skewed the Amazon employees towards voting not to unionize. Amazon's alleged misconduct include (1) pressuring the United States Postal Service to install a modified mailbox on its campus and encouraging employees to drop their ballots there as opposed to mailing them in outside of supervisor scrutiny, (2) pressuring the local government to change the traffic light timing at the major intersection of the campus to make it harder for labor organizers to connect with employees as they wait at the red light, (3) forcing temp workers to wear uniforms donned with anti-union sloganeering, (4) holding mandatory "information sessions" where management slandered unions, (5) repreatedly blasting workers with emails, texts, posters, and fliers which encouraged them to vote not to unionize, (6) lying to workers that they would be forced to pay hundreds of dollars in union dues if they voted to unionize even though Alabama is a "Right to Work" state, (7) forcing the union to encompass more workers than originally intended so that it would be harder to for labor organizers to mobilize and represent the myriad interests of different categories of workers, (8) and contesting hundreds of ballots cast in the unionization vote. To be clear, it appears that most--if not all--of these efforts might be found to be within the law as it's currently written and interpreted, which points to the inordinate power corporations have over labor in unionization efforts. We ask then: why do corporations go through all the trouble to squash unionization efforts? Is it because they genuinely want what's best for their workers and want them to realize that they would be materially better off with the company's bargaining compared to the union's bargaining, or is it because corporations want as much money and power as possible, and they see unions as a threat to their sovereignty? We think the latter is more likely. Thanks for joining us.
We discuss the Biden Administration’s proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure and green energy plan, also known as the American Jobs Plan. It would be one of the largest public, government investments in years. Included in the plan would be hundreds of billions of dollars for rebuilding the nations roads, bridges, and tunnels; expanding high speed broadband; upgrading schools; strengthening the power grid and shifting towards clean energy; boosting the electric vehicle market; expanding public transportation; investing in affordable housing; investing in research and development and job training programs; and supporting the caretaking economy. You can read more about what’s in the plan here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/). We think these are great investments to make. One of the ways the Biden administration is proposing to pay for the plan is through increasing taxes on the wealthiest corporations. We also think that’s a good idea, considering that America’s wealthiest corporations are often highly profitable and evade paying taxes through a variety of mechanisms. This is especially true given that recent studies reaffirm that the wealthiest individuals and corporations abscond from paying at least hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes every year, which we’ll discuss in the second half of our show (for example (1) https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/641/ (https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/641/) and (2) https://itep.org/55-profitable-corporations-zero-corporate-tax/) Thanks for joining us.
We discuss the recently released Report of the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) in Monroe County, New York. The RASE Commission was formed last Summer after the murder of George Floyed. It's a joint City-County commission whose goal is to evaluate and propose changes to local laws and policies in order to fight structural racism. You can read the report at: https://rocrase.com/?fbclid=IwAR0vOUryy5JaGe4ttBxEZhlSZWtahXcWZy6d5obxUfQHJRpcuyZCwcpl0Ho (https://rocrase.com/) We will specifically cover the Job Creation and Business Development sections of the report. While we find that the Commission's proposals to create more job opportunities is certainly more helpful than hurtful, we find the proposals to be lacking overall. We think there were opportunities to be more assertive in regards to promoting job creation and fighting structural racism, such as by raising the minimum wage, investing in job training programs, expanding public transit, and creating a universal basic income system. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we cover several proposals in New York State to reform the criminal justice system, free up billions of dollars in state revenue to spend on other social services, and rehabilitate more people back into society. Many of these proposals are covered in a recent report by The Center for Justice called "https://centerforjustice.columbia.edu/news/new-report-unlocking-billions-fiscal-analysis-pending-justice-reforms-new-york-state (Unlocking Billions: A Fiscal Analysis of Pending Justice Reforms in New York State)." The proposals include reforming the state's parole system, restarting college classes for inmates, reducing the use of solitary confinement, closing excess prisons, and legalization marijuana. All told, the Center for Justice estimates these efforts would unlock for New York $1.5 billion a year or $15 billion over the next decade, to say nothing of the positive economic benefits that would come from successfully rehabilitating former inmates back into society. Some of these efforts have gained recent steam, such as the New York State Senate passing the HALT Solitary Confinement Act. Thanks for joining us.
In this episode we discuss what's in the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed this week by Democrats. From stimulus checks, to unemployment benefits, to housing assistance, to state and local government aid, to lowered health insurance costs, to expanded child care tax credits, to SNAP increases, the plan includes a lot of provisions that materially benefit most Americans' lives. Join us to learn the specifics of what's in the plan and how YOU might benefit. We also highlight the latest exhibitions at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, including a piece by WXIR's very own Darien Lamen. Thanks for joining us.