From the New York Times:
But in trying to destroy the administrative state — in trying to make government small enough to “drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub” — conservatives left the country vulnerable to a deadly disease that has undermined that project and galvanized its opponents.
And all of this is happening as one of the most progressive generations in history begins to take its place in our politics, its views informed by two decades of war and economic crisis.
Yes, nothing is set in stone and, yes, events still have to unfold. But at this moment in American life, it feels as if one movement, a reactionary one, is beginning to unravel and another, very different in its outlook, is beginning to take shape.
From the Guardian
But despite the outward success, Amazon’s embrace of ceaseless invention has come at a cost. In the absence of a strong ethical code, the ruthlessness that makes Amazon so successful for its shareholders can become indistinguishable from cruelty toward those who are not counted in its success metrics. Amazon itself may be flourishing during the coronavirus pandemic, but not all Amazonians are benefiting equally.
As customers turn to delivery services such as Amazon out of fear of contracting the virus, the risks appear to have merely been shifted on to workers. A warehouse worker in New York state organised a walkout last month to protest what he alleged were the company’s inadequate safety measures, including its lack of paid sick leave, and was fired; a leaked memo indicated that Amazon’s general counsel wanted to depict him as “not smart or articulate” in their PR strategy (the executive who made this remark later published a statement that read “I let my emotions draft my words and get the better of me”).
Amazon’s poor treatment of its frontline workers – both during this crisis and beforehand – illustrates the dark side of the “day one” mentality. Amazon’s constant push to improve productivity may serve shareholders, but it also results in working conditions so physically taxing that warehouses are stocking vending machines with pain medication, in a tacit acknowledgement of the physical toll. For Amazon, collateral damage appears irrelevant as long as there’s a steady flow of workers walking through the doors every morning.
Donald Trump Reflection
I have a friend, John Burn, who writes a daily blog which I enjoy greatly. He wrote this yesterday and I think it is brilliant:
Today I note that the Oxford Institute of International Affairs has described the White House as a day care centre. No, wait – all you Trumpers! I am going to be more balanced, and now see Donald much kindlier. Those amongst my more elderly and conservative friends can sheath their swords – I now have a better appreciation of the President.
In the past I may have been less than complimentary to him. Vague suggestions that I thought him dishonest, stupid and/or venal may have been seen in what I said. But no more – the day care centre reference has cleared the air. He is not, I have come to think, a crook, a deliberate liar, or a bully. Not at all. He must simply be judged as if he were still an 8-year-old boy.
Then all his behaviour is understood. He is not ignorant – just at an early stage in his education. He is not dishonest – simply unprepared to face the truth that his elders know. He is not a bully – just loud and slow to see fairness in any situation. He is not vengeful – just has the natural desire of a young boy to hit back. So, all we have to do now is to treat him as a child, and hope for his growing education. He now has my earnest support. And, after all, he is an American, and we should not judge them by our own standards.
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