I think international migration is going to need to be guided by the UN or some other international agency. There are still some relatively empty places in the world where more people could go. But as the major industrialized nation with the greatest per capita GH emissions, I think the US is one of the worst places on the planet to put more people.
I feel for you living in Florida. That bit about the rabbi getting accosted... And hiring Christian nationalists to run schools?!!!
I hope your friends are at least supportive towards you!
In December 2020, while taking out my trash, I rotated out of a pair of mules (backless clogs). Landed on my side in the parking lot, not sure if I broke my arm, my hip, or my ankle. Got up, put my clog back on, and limped into my apartment. Turns out (no pun intended) that I broke the fifth metatarsal in my right foot - doc said that next to the femur, it was the worst bone to break. We ALL fall. I'm just glad that President Biden did not injure himself, and I would love to know who thought it was a good idea to put those sandbags in that location. P.S. I prefer to refer to Biden as President Biden.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I urge you to read Nicholas Kristof's article on Mississippi's commitment to education. For years people have said that poverty stands in the way of educational attainment. While there is truth to this Kristof makes the point that Mississippi is proving this a false assumption. The best source for educational attainment is from the US government and the link to America's Gradebook via Urban.org given below.
It gives 2019 NAEP rankings which shows Florida on top in Grade 4 reading and math; the state slipped in 2022 as did Massachusetts, the perennial top state in public education, owing no doubt to Covid. But still Florida is 4 in math and 3 in reading in 2022. Upon reaching Grade 12 Florida starts to sink to 10 in reading and 11 in math in 2022. California is 48 in math and 32 in reading, behind Texas, a large state with a very large immigrant population. In addition the NAEP data is adjusted for a variety of factors as you will note, including English language. Yes, immigrant population is a challenge but it can be overcome if we have the will to do so. Mississippi's progress is also not hampered by dollars spent on education, another assumption that throwing money at a problem is always the answer. I guess i'm sounding embarrassingly conservation on this issue!
If Trump gets to run, will anybody notice that he is only 4 years younger than Biden and obviously not in great shape: overweight, mentally unstable and who knows what else?
So, does Ron De Santis's action mean that he himself is committing a crime, of sorts, by sending undocumented people to Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut?
Thank you for highlighting the anti-immigrant legislation that Das Feuhrer DeSantis has inflicted on Florida, yet one more damning hammer he's hit those of us who live here in the head with. And, please do not let it be left unsaid that the 2023 lapdog Florida legislature shares equally in the disgrace of all of the DeSantis agenda of idiocy. They are his willing enablers.
I have said since the first hints that DeSantis had higher aspirations were uttered that once exposed on the national scene he would quickly be seen for what he is; an insecure, bombastic, obnoxious bully, with zero people skills and even less likeability. He also has NO ideas or desire to govern. He wishes to RULE.
But, I actually wanted to comment here on what took place in my home yesterday. I'm a 65 year-old bachelor who long ago realized that if I wanted to live in a clean home, I had to hire someone to clean it! The cleaning agency I've fairly recently employed uses young women to clean my home, who I suspect are undocumented. It matters little to me. They do a good job, are honest, hard-working, and trustworthy, so it makes no difference to me.
The owner of the company sent out a text to all their customers saying that their workers would not be working from June 1-4 to protest the anti-immigrant legislation. I responded that I was very supportive of their action. I'll survive a couple of weeks before they feel they can return to work, if they do. But, it was quite heartening and impressive to see our local news providing excellent coverage of the protests in our area and throughout the state by these hard working men and women who are here to clean our homes, build the endless new homes and businesses going up in SW FL, cultivate and harvest the fruits and vegetables in Florida's fields, serve in our schools, hotels, and motels, and so much more. They are a blessing to our community, State, and country!
I am seeing his interviews and speeches since his DiSastrous Gov. Disaster roll out. He is learning. He will continue to learn. Just like Biden used the primaries to improve his campaign presentations. One of the mistakes that I see in the media is that they are covering him as though he is an antidote to Trump, and they should know better.
Re Immigration (relevant to Florida): mass immigration is big biz' way of reducing wages. Whenever there's an oversupply of a resource--in this case labor--the value of that resource, what one has to pay for it, goes down. This is why the wages don't attract American workers. To workers from third world countries, wages that US workers would see as sh!t, look pretty good.
For her book, The American Way of Eating, Tracie McMillan worked with immigrant farmworkers in California's Central Valley, picking fruit. She reports that they were paid $2-$3/hour.
"The transportation of undocumented immigrants across state lines into Florida becomes a felony—punishable by up to 15 years in prison if the immigrant is a minor." Why no penalties when De Santis sends illegals across the border to Martha's Vineyard? Either illegals passing FL borders are illegal either way, or he is the convincing hypocrite we know him to be.
My senator Merkley (D-OR) voted against the debt cancellation bill for these two reasons which he explained in an email to constituents:
"[T]his bill sets two truly horrific precedents:
It completely exempts the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) from following environmental law, even though the company building the pipeline is an egregious violator that has racked up more than 500 violations in two states.
In addition, the bill dictates the court jurisdiction for the MVP should there be additional legal challenges. This profoundly undermines the integrity of our judiciary. For Congress to—by law—move a court case from one jurisdiction to another, to provide a special favor to a powerful corporation, is fundamentally corrupt. This is a line we should never cross.
The pipeline itself is an assault against a sustainable planet. We must recognize that fossil gas is just as damaging as coal. Pretending otherwise is leading us to climate catastrophe.
Finally, this bill contains changes to bedrock environmental law that will allow fossil fuel companies to evade responsibility and accountability. It allows companies to write their own environmental impact evaluations. It changes the standards for acceptable science and data. It exempts entire pipeline projects from federal environmental protections."
DeSantis's immigrant position will reflect badly not only on him, but also on other Republicans who silently tolerate it. The drift of Hispanics toward the GOP will be retarded, if not reversed, as they witness the response of Republicans to harsh anti-immigration legislation. Cutting off one's nose to spite one's fact hardly improves one's appearance and makes one more attractive.
I find it frustratingly puzzling that a man, the great grandson of immigrants (and fairly recent ones by some standards) shows such vehement hatred of immigrants. But, hey, if Ron Desantis wants to crash his state’s economy to make his point, well...
I’ve said this before, but it seems that there’s some self-loathing going on with him.
I subscribe to Joyce Vance's "Civil Discourse" newsletter (thanks to you, Robert.) Today's title is "Can we call it fascism yet?" Vance provides a well-written piece highlighting all the ways that Trump is a fascist. And also notes that this fact is being mostly ignored by the media. Let me urge you to read today's Civil Discourse newsletter. Enlightening and frightening.
I think international migration is going to need to be guided by the UN or some other international agency. There are still some relatively empty places in the world where more people could go. But as the major industrialized nation with the greatest per capita GH emissions, I think the US is one of the worst places on the planet to put more people.
I feel for you living in Florida. That bit about the rabbi getting accosted... And hiring Christian nationalists to run schools?!!!
I hope your friends are at least supportive towards you!
In December 2020, while taking out my trash, I rotated out of a pair of mules (backless clogs). Landed on my side in the parking lot, not sure if I broke my arm, my hip, or my ankle. Got up, put my clog back on, and limped into my apartment. Turns out (no pun intended) that I broke the fifth metatarsal in my right foot - doc said that next to the femur, it was the worst bone to break. We ALL fall. I'm just glad that President Biden did not injure himself, and I would love to know who thought it was a good idea to put those sandbags in that location. P.S. I prefer to refer to Biden as President Biden.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I urge you to read Nicholas Kristof's article on Mississippi's commitment to education. For years people have said that poverty stands in the way of educational attainment. While there is truth to this Kristof makes the point that Mississippi is proving this a false assumption. The best source for educational attainment is from the US government and the link to America's Gradebook via Urban.org given below.
It gives 2019 NAEP rankings which shows Florida on top in Grade 4 reading and math; the state slipped in 2022 as did Massachusetts, the perennial top state in public education, owing no doubt to Covid. But still Florida is 4 in math and 3 in reading in 2022. Upon reaching Grade 12 Florida starts to sink to 10 in reading and 11 in math in 2022. California is 48 in math and 32 in reading, behind Texas, a large state with a very large immigrant population. In addition the NAEP data is adjusted for a variety of factors as you will note, including English language. Yes, immigrant population is a challenge but it can be overcome if we have the will to do so. Mississippi's progress is also not hampered by dollars spent on education, another assumption that throwing money at a problem is always the answer. I guess i'm sounding embarrassingly conservation on this issue!
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/coi/high-school-graduation-rates
https://apps.urban.org/features/naep/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/31/opinion/mississippi-education-poverty.html
If Trump gets to run, will anybody notice that he is only 4 years younger than Biden and obviously not in great shape: overweight, mentally unstable and who knows what else?
So, does Ron De Santis's action mean that he himself is committing a crime, of sorts, by sending undocumented people to Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut?
Thank you for highlighting the anti-immigrant legislation that Das Feuhrer DeSantis has inflicted on Florida, yet one more damning hammer he's hit those of us who live here in the head with. And, please do not let it be left unsaid that the 2023 lapdog Florida legislature shares equally in the disgrace of all of the DeSantis agenda of idiocy. They are his willing enablers.
I have said since the first hints that DeSantis had higher aspirations were uttered that once exposed on the national scene he would quickly be seen for what he is; an insecure, bombastic, obnoxious bully, with zero people skills and even less likeability. He also has NO ideas or desire to govern. He wishes to RULE.
But, I actually wanted to comment here on what took place in my home yesterday. I'm a 65 year-old bachelor who long ago realized that if I wanted to live in a clean home, I had to hire someone to clean it! The cleaning agency I've fairly recently employed uses young women to clean my home, who I suspect are undocumented. It matters little to me. They do a good job, are honest, hard-working, and trustworthy, so it makes no difference to me.
The owner of the company sent out a text to all their customers saying that their workers would not be working from June 1-4 to protest the anti-immigrant legislation. I responded that I was very supportive of their action. I'll survive a couple of weeks before they feel they can return to work, if they do. But, it was quite heartening and impressive to see our local news providing excellent coverage of the protests in our area and throughout the state by these hard working men and women who are here to clean our homes, build the endless new homes and businesses going up in SW FL, cultivate and harvest the fruits and vegetables in Florida's fields, serve in our schools, hotels, and motels, and so much more. They are a blessing to our community, State, and country!
I hope not . I’ll just keep doing what I can to keep these cruel folks out of office.
I am seeing his interviews and speeches since his DiSastrous Gov. Disaster roll out. He is learning. He will continue to learn. Just like Biden used the primaries to improve his campaign presentations. One of the mistakes that I see in the media is that they are covering him as though he is an antidote to Trump, and they should know better.
Re Immigration (relevant to Florida): mass immigration is big biz' way of reducing wages. Whenever there's an oversupply of a resource--in this case labor--the value of that resource, what one has to pay for it, goes down. This is why the wages don't attract American workers. To workers from third world countries, wages that US workers would see as sh!t, look pretty good.
For her book, The American Way of Eating, Tracie McMillan worked with immigrant farmworkers in California's Central Valley, picking fruit. She reports that they were paid $2-$3/hour.
"The transportation of undocumented immigrants across state lines into Florida becomes a felony—punishable by up to 15 years in prison if the immigrant is a minor." Why no penalties when De Santis sends illegals across the border to Martha's Vineyard? Either illegals passing FL borders are illegal either way, or he is the convincing hypocrite we know him to be.
My senator Merkley (D-OR) voted against the debt cancellation bill for these two reasons which he explained in an email to constituents:
"[T]his bill sets two truly horrific precedents:
It completely exempts the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) from following environmental law, even though the company building the pipeline is an egregious violator that has racked up more than 500 violations in two states.
In addition, the bill dictates the court jurisdiction for the MVP should there be additional legal challenges. This profoundly undermines the integrity of our judiciary. For Congress to—by law—move a court case from one jurisdiction to another, to provide a special favor to a powerful corporation, is fundamentally corrupt. This is a line we should never cross.
The pipeline itself is an assault against a sustainable planet. We must recognize that fossil gas is just as damaging as coal. Pretending otherwise is leading us to climate catastrophe.
Finally, this bill contains changes to bedrock environmental law that will allow fossil fuel companies to evade responsibility and accountability. It allows companies to write their own environmental impact evaluations. It changes the standards for acceptable science and data. It exempts entire pipeline projects from federal environmental protections."
To borrow an image from the President's (Biden's) mishap,
the GOP is not only placing sandbags in their own paths
the GOP are raining sandbags/bombs from their hastily passed laws.
The GOP intend to RULE, NOT Represent people.
(And as always) CRUELTY IS THE POINT.
Thank you for another thoughtful, informative and comprehensive message.
Time for some levity (at Ronnie boys expense).
Just in case it’s slipped past anybody, June is “Pride Month”.
That said one of my wife’s friends made this post on FB:
“Happy Pride Month!!!
Every drag performer in Florida should temporality change their stage name to Rhonda Santis”.
DeSantis's immigrant position will reflect badly not only on him, but also on other Republicans who silently tolerate it. The drift of Hispanics toward the GOP will be retarded, if not reversed, as they witness the response of Republicans to harsh anti-immigration legislation. Cutting off one's nose to spite one's fact hardly improves one's appearance and makes one more attractive.
I find it frustratingly puzzling that a man, the great grandson of immigrants (and fairly recent ones by some standards) shows such vehement hatred of immigrants. But, hey, if Ron Desantis wants to crash his state’s economy to make his point, well...
I’ve said this before, but it seems that there’s some self-loathing going on with him.
I subscribe to Joyce Vance's "Civil Discourse" newsletter (thanks to you, Robert.) Today's title is "Can we call it fascism yet?" Vance provides a well-written piece highlighting all the ways that Trump is a fascist. And also notes that this fact is being mostly ignored by the media. Let me urge you to read today's Civil Discourse newsletter. Enlightening and frightening.