Category: market society

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Want one way to have a more equal society? Use a wealth tax on assets , even 2% , in America, would bring in $50 Billion + revenue . Unlike Norway, Spain and Switzerland, the US has a 1000 billionaires. Why tax only work and workers in America? At a certain level, the wealthy should help pay for our roads, schools, healthcare. Elect leaders, not just politicians.

May 29, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/may/29/2-tax-uk-rich-list-families-raise-22bn-year-reform-inequality A 2% tax on assets above £10m held by all members of the Sunday Times rich list could raise as much as £22bn, according to analysis by Tax Justice UK, the Economic Change Unit and the New Economics Foundation (NEF). The campaigners said similar wealth taxes in Norway, Spain and Switzerland had helped to … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Want one way to have a more equal society? Use a wealth tax on assets , even 2% , in America, would bring in $50 Billion + revenue . Unlike Norway, Spain and Switzerland, the US has a 1000 billionaires. Why tax only work and workers in America? At a certain level, the wealthy should help pay for our roads, schools, healthcare. Elect leaders, not just politicians.

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Growing crops in unpredictable weather conditions requires data science and patience. Not every field is the same in the Rio Grande Valley and cover crops putting nitrogen and water back into the land are the goal. Going back to ancient farming techniques, preserves crop land. Perhaps, adding solar panels to the fields, would further trap moisture in the air? Can AI data collection help? Heritage farming always existed and now we’re experimenting and using the techniques again. In Israel, every 7 th year fields remain fallow, allowing for regeneration of their nutrients. Solutions exist and it’s up to us to experiment wisely. (Note: weaning ourselves off Fossil Fuels, would help stabilize our climate and add back predictability)

May 29, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/29/rio-grande-valley-farmers-study-ancient-technique-cover-cropping-climate-crisis The latest boost comes via the Inflation Reduction Act which includes $20bn to help farmers implement climate-smart agricultural practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage, and crop rotation to improve resilience to rapidly changing climate conditions – and reduce the sector’s greenhouse gas footprint. Cover cropping was used by farmers to improve soil health … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Growing crops in unpredictable weather conditions requires data science and patience. Not every field is the same in the Rio Grande Valley and cover crops putting nitrogen and water back into the land are the goal. Going back to ancient farming techniques, preserves crop land. Perhaps, adding solar panels to the fields, would further trap moisture in the air? Can AI data collection help? Heritage farming always existed and now we’re experimenting and using the techniques again. In Israel, every 7 th year fields remain fallow, allowing for regeneration of their nutrients. Solutions exist and it’s up to us to experiment wisely. (Note: weaning ourselves off Fossil Fuels, would help stabilize our climate and add back predictability)

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Out of sight, out of mind, that’s how we deal with the Homeless problem today. With 33 apartments available for every 100 people, many are homeless. Resurrecting the HUD Laws of 1937 would guarantee every homeless person a place to live. It would also create a boom in construction and other services. Then, perhaps we can find time to increase our educational proficiency and educate all our citizens? Laws existed to make America the land of “milk and honey”, resurrect the Laws!

May 29, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/29/paul-boden-america-homelessness-crisis I would go back to the original legislation from 1937. And I would say the federal government needs to be held accountable to find affordable housing for the poorest people in this country. No waiting list, no intakes. We don’t care where you were born. We don’t care if you’ve ever gone to jail. … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Out of sight, out of mind, that’s how we deal with the Homeless problem today. With 33 apartments available for every 100 people, many are homeless. Resurrecting the HUD Laws of 1937 would guarantee every homeless person a place to live. It would also create a boom in construction and other services. Then, perhaps we can find time to increase our educational proficiency and educate all our citizens? Laws existed to make America the land of “milk and honey”, resurrect the Laws!

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Why are your groceries more expensive? Why are independent groceries going out of business? The simple answer, big has power to control the “market”. Revise the Robinson Patman Act and enforce anti trust. Stop making it impossible for small grocers, servicing poor communities to stay in business. There was a level playing field in the 50’ and 60’s, by 1980’s the Conglomerates bought out the distributors and set pricing and our choices. Give the little guy a level playing field, encourage innovation with fairness. In today’s world, big is greedy. Too bad there isn’t a registry of all small grocery owners, forming their own alliances, while we wait for anti trust laws to be resurrected and enforced!

May 29, 2023

http://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/opinion/inflation-groceries-pricing-walmart.html We need to stop big retailers from using their enormous financial leverage over suppliers to tilt the playing field. By resurrecting the Robinson-Patman Act, we could begin to put an end to decades of misguided antitrust policy in which regulators abandoned fair competition in favor of ever-greater corporate scale. There is promising momentum. Last … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Why are your groceries more expensive? Why are independent groceries going out of business? The simple answer, big has power to control the “market”. Revise the Robinson Patman Act and enforce anti trust. Stop making it impossible for small grocers, servicing poor communities to stay in business. There was a level playing field in the 50’ and 60’s, by 1980’s the Conglomerates bought out the distributors and set pricing and our choices. Give the little guy a level playing field, encourage innovation with fairness. In today’s world, big is greedy. Too bad there isn’t a registry of all small grocery owners, forming their own alliances, while we wait for anti trust laws to be resurrected and enforced!

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce As we exit the Pandemic our front line workers are still suffering without benefits and higher wages. When will the NLRB create a Clean Slate for Workers? The Lower and Middle Classes deserve to be treated humanely in the workplace. Give the NLRB the resources to help and Unionize entire industries. Sometimes, the understanding our history can be a guide to move forward!

May 26, 2023

http://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/05/25/service-workers-job-burnout/ More than 111.5 million people work in the service industry, representing nearly 72 percent of non-farm employees as of April, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released this month. That includes workers in trade, transportation and utilities as well as those in education, health and hospitality. While some service workers … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce As we exit the Pandemic our front line workers are still suffering without benefits and higher wages. When will the NLRB create a Clean Slate for Workers? The Lower and Middle Classes deserve to be treated humanely in the workplace. Give the NLRB the resources to help and Unionize entire industries. Sometimes, the understanding our history can be a guide to move forward!

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce This conservative court has curtailed our rights to Clean Water once again. Siding with businesses and some individuals, the Court has limited the scope of the EPA, admitting more pollution will occur. What happened to the concept of “do no harm”?

May 26, 2023

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/25/supreme-court-clean-water-act/

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Our diet is changing. When I was a child, we ate meat several times a week, now we eat it on a special occasion. Except hamburgers, which are cheap to the consumer. However, do we have to use water intensive crops to feed cattle in a desert. Wouldn’t it make sense, to conserve the Colorado and restore fish and wildlife to the region? Can’t water intensive crops be farmed elsewhere or replaced with crops requiring less water? To prevent food insecurity, our way of life must change, everywhere. They plan in Singapore, why not here? This is an opportunity to use our creativity.

May 22, 2023

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/22/climate/colorado-river-water.html To put it in perspective, it could take more than 38 gallons of water, by some estimates, to produce one quarter-pound beef patty. That includes the water to grow all the feed like alfalfa and hay that the cattle themselves eat. In comparison, you need about five gallons of water to get the same … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Our diet is changing. When I was a child, we ate meat several times a week, now we eat it on a special occasion. Except hamburgers, which are cheap to the consumer. However, do we have to use water intensive crops to feed cattle in a desert. Wouldn’t it make sense, to conserve the Colorado and restore fish and wildlife to the region? Can’t water intensive crops be farmed elsewhere or replaced with crops requiring less water? To prevent food insecurity, our way of life must change, everywhere. They plan in Singapore, why not here? This is an opportunity to use our creativity.

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Where there is a will, there is a way. 40 million people depend on the Colorado River. If conservation starts now, with serious plans in place by 2026, the River can be reborn. It takes years and serious activism to stop water abuse. They’ve reclaimed rivers in Canada and Hawaii. With the help of Indigenous People, the Colorado can be reclaimed, will anyone listen and do what’s right?

May 22, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/22/colorado-river-states-california-arizona-nevada Lots of people will say 3m acre-feet isn’t enough, but this is about stopping the system from immediately crashing. Hopefully this will get us through the next few years and we can focus on what happens after 2026, because we were all worried how we would get there. Now there’s the hard work of … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce Where there is a will, there is a way. 40 million people depend on the Colorado River. If conservation starts now, with serious plans in place by 2026, the River can be reborn. It takes years and serious activism to stop water abuse. They’ve reclaimed rivers in Canada and Hawaii. With the help of Indigenous People, the Colorado can be reclaimed, will anyone listen and do what’s right?

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce The EU is serious about the privacy of data transferred from the EU to the US. Because Meta has no firewalls to protect European Data, they have been singled out for a $1.3 Billion fine under the EU GDPR’s regulations. Meta correctly states, their data transfer is the same as other Social Media platforms and they’ve been given 5 months to comply. Realistically, it’s the US Congress’ responsibility to change Section 230 of the FCC Decency Fairness Act, making Social Media Platforms responsible for 3 rd party content. Why should a Corporation decide who sees our data? Why isn’t our data private? Why can’t we opt out of corporate agreements and determine who sees our data? Why can’t American privacy be protected by our version of the GDPR?

May 22, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/may/22/facebook-fined-mishandling-user-information-ireland-eu-meta Facebook’s owner, Meta, has been fined a record €1.2bn (£1bn) and ordered to suspend the transfer of user data from the EU to the US. The fine – equivalent to $1.3bn – imposed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), which regulates Meta across the EU, is a record for a breach of the bloc’s … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce The EU is serious about the privacy of data transferred from the EU to the US. Because Meta has no firewalls to protect European Data, they have been singled out for a $1.3 Billion fine under the EU GDPR’s regulations. Meta correctly states, their data transfer is the same as other Social Media platforms and they’ve been given 5 months to comply. Realistically, it’s the US Congress’ responsibility to change Section 230 of the FCC Decency Fairness Act, making Social Media Platforms responsible for 3 rd party content. Why should a Corporation decide who sees our data? Why isn’t our data private? Why can’t we opt out of corporate agreements and determine who sees our data? Why can’t American privacy be protected by our version of the GDPR?

AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce It’s a no brainer, everyone should pay into the payroll deduction plan with no limit on salary earned. Why should taxes be deferred for the very wealthy, allowing them to accumulate millions tax free, while employees can’t afford a retirement plan? The tax system is rigged in favor of the top 20%. Yet, that’s not sufficient, the Republican Party wants to tie raising the debt ceiling, to a decrease in middle and lower class SS, Medicare and Medicaid? Isn’t it time to vote them out of office? Don’t you want to live comfortably, too?

May 20, 2023

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/18/executives-tax-free-retirement-plan-savings-401k The mean value of US retirement accounts was $255,200 in 2019, the most up-to-date figure from the Federal Reserve’s family finances survey. But that figure hides huge disparities in savings. Less than 40% of families in the bottom half of the Fed’s income brackets were enrolled in a retirement plan, compared with more than … More AmericaSpeaks TheVoiceOfJoyce It’s a no brainer, everyone should pay into the payroll deduction plan with no limit on salary earned. Why should taxes be deferred for the very wealthy, allowing them to accumulate millions tax free, while employees can’t afford a retirement plan? The tax system is rigged in favor of the top 20%. Yet, that’s not sufficient, the Republican Party wants to tie raising the debt ceiling, to a decrease in middle and lower class SS, Medicare and Medicaid? Isn’t it time to vote them out of office? Don’t you want to live comfortably, too?