(indistinct chatter)

Tag: Public Policy

  • Today was a bad day

    First, let’s acknowledge that this was a terrible day for two West Virginia National Guardsmen, who as of this writing are still fighting for their lives after being shot at close range in Washington D.C. And a gut-wrenching day for their families, who were likely preparing for their Thanksgiving holiday, hoping to at least talk on the phone with their loved ones tomorrow.

    Based on the words tonight from our administration, this will be the start of some very bad days for Afghan refugees living in America, most of whom celebrate this country with as much Thanksgiving as those of us lucky enough to be born here.

    Looking into the near future, I’m watching to see if this will also turn out to be a bad day for freedom.

    A screenshot of a facebook post from @conservmillen that responds to Jesus' "Love thy neighbor" charge with MAGA talking points. It ends with the statement, "Love your neighbor enough to work for a more peaceful, orderly, free, safe, & stable nation."

    I keep seeing Christian Americans using Christ to try and justify their policy preferences. Tonight I noticed this piece of propaganda as I doom-scrolled. The dissonance in the last line jumped out at me. “Love your neighbor enough to work for a more peaceful, orderly, free, safe, & stable nation” (emphasis mine).

    The more order we have, the more safety, the more stability, the less freedom we have. I think we should at least recognize the trade-offs. When the right speaks of safety and stability, they usually mean law and order, being “tough on crime”, and, if Sean Duffy speaks for conservative values, no pajamas on planes.

    There are trade-offs on the left as well. When I talk about safety and stability, I’m usually referring to an FDR-style freedom from want, from hunger, from illness. Of course there is a trade-off: wealthy people have slightly less freedom with their money (though they benefit from the same freedom from want that everyone else does).

    I worry that “safety and stability” in the context of an attack on the Guard will mean more military in our streets, more surveillance of our daily lives, more internment and deportations of immigrants, and more policing of our thoughts and words.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Insults

    Sometimes the fantasy arguments I have in my head spill out into social media. I’m still following a ton of MAGA accounts and right-wing politicians as a result of my work to counter disinformation in the 2020 election. So I have ample opportunity to disrupt the opposition’s talking points and stir the pot.

    Such was the case when my new Governor, Mike Braun, posted on Facebook about his plans for, among other things, dismantling Indiana’s DEI efforts. A few days earlier, I had read about Braun’s policy to remove hiring restrictions that required a college degree for positions where a degree wasn’t legally mandated. Not a bad idea, really, when it comes to finding talented employees that have the skills for a job, but for whatever reason, don’t have the necessary credentials. Ironically, that’s fundamental DEI: removing barriers to productive employment and advancement. I filed that away for later use, and darn if “Tim” didn’t give me my shot.

    Tim immediately cites facts showing that DEI “bring[s] out the worst.” Which is to say, he just claims that it’s “proven.”

    I helpfully point out that, well actually, Braun’s stated employment principles include DEI.

    Tim expresses confusion…

    I proceed to use the words “Diversity,” “Equity,” and “Inclusion in my explanation so that the policy’s connection to DEI is clear.

    I also frame an example in terms I think he will understand.

    Tim is unmoved.

    And for the first time, questions my intelligence.

    Unlike Tim, I save my receipts.

    For some context, Governor Braun signed a number of Executive Orders that day, including one banning DEI in favor of “MEI”: Merit, Excellence, and Innovation. ::eye roll::

    In a statement of stunning cluelessness, Braun told the press his inclusion of non-college-educated candidates for state jobs would “attract a broader pool of talent” and “engage more Hoosiers in the process.”

    I continued with a hypothetical that I thought would illustrate the point.

    Now, what you don’t see after this response is a reply that Tim deleted before I took my screenshots. It was short and not very sweet: “That’s not DEI,” and “Are you really this stupid?”

    Admittedly somewhat triggered, I answered.

    (I tried to avoid ad hominem attack. I think I was successful enough.)

    Tim remained unconvinced.

    But at least he signaled a desire for knowledge.

    Which, being me, I indulged.

    Finally, this is where I tapped my inner Child of MAGA Adults, allowing didacticism (and not a little righteous indignation) to flow.

    Tim didn’t respond after this. I’m not sure if he grew bored, or decided that I was nuts, but I like to imagine he realized there was more to DEI than he had previously thought.

    I don’t necessarily advocate sparring on social media, but if you’re tired of suppositions hanging out there unchecked, and you don’t mind a few aspersions cast on your intellect, it can be a good way to sharpen your values and arguments.

  • An ode to policy

    An ode to policy

    Congratulations, America. You’ve gotten the policy-driven presidency you said you wanted. Let’s see what you’ve won:

    We’re about to find out if Walmart can pay a 200% tax on everything it imports and still keep those low, low prices. We’re gonna see what happens to the cost of food when we deport our cheap agricultural labor force. Watch what happens to affordable housing after we deport 1/3 of this country’s construction workers.

    I’m personally excited to see whether I get turned away from a public ladies’ room because the sex police decide I’m not feminine enough.

    When private health insurance companies are no longer constrained by the government (of the people) to meet the needs of all Americans, let’s see what happens to the cost of premiums. To the types of cancer treatments that are available under low-cost plans. We’ll watch as people change employers, and therefore health plans, and find out that their diabetes is now considered a pre-existing condition and that they’ll have to pay for related treatment on their own.

    How much will your kids’ dentist visits cost when non-fluoridated water isn’t keeping their teeth from rotting?

    Let’s see how many pregnant people die in emergency rooms because the right of their state’s legislature is more valuable than their right to life.

    Let’s count down the days until Ukraine is no longer a sovereign nation.

    How many new jobs will we suddenly lose when we abandon the microchip factories currently under construction?

    I’m going to be tracking these policy benchmarks. Will you be paying attention to how they affect the real world?