Transfer Of Power, Sort Of #333
By Hank Silverberg
The response from the general public over the massive cuts in federal employees and the closing of federal agencies has been growing. But the impact may not have reached down into your neighborhood just yet. Across the country, state legislatures, big city councils, and small town boards are now slowly learning what impact the chaos in Washington may cause on Main Street, USA. And many of those local leaders are struggling with what to do about it.
You will soon feel the impact. And if you are not paying attention to how your local government is handling this, you are in for a surprise.
But here's the problem. Many communities still remain in news deserts. That local newspaper has disappeared from the rack at the convenience store because it no longer exists. That great radio station they grew up with in their small community may still exist, but they don't report news any more. The local TV station may cover the big debate over a tax increase or local program cuts being pushed through by the County Board of Supervisors, but by the time they hear about it, it may be too late for you to do anything. The TV reporters are fighting a never ending battle to keep up and must move on to the similar debate in a neighboring town the next day. Unless you live in a state capital, you are probably not hearing much about your state's legislative session unless it mirrors a national debate.
What is happening in Washington is not just about the global economy or national security. It's also about what might happen at your children's school or the local hospital, or at that bridge on Main Street that is in need of repair.
It is your job to pay attention. Seek out the local media, not just social media, but mass media as well, and let them know what is going on. Support their effort to report the local news and then get active in fighting for what matters for you.
Tip O'Neill, the long-serving Speaker of the House in the 70's and 80's, was fond of saying "All politics is local," and today that could be understood in more ways than one.
News You May Have Missed
Is Head Start Dead?
Among the programs caught in the massive layoffs
"The Budget does not fund Head Start."
And it goes on:
"The Federal government should not be in the business of mandating, curriculum, and performance standards for any form of education."
Thousands of families rely on Head Start so that both parents can work. It was created 60 years ago as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty.
Head Start, which enrolls children age three to five, is run by many public and private schools, but those schools rely on federal money to pay for all their operating expenses. If the federal cuts take place it means state and local governments may be forced to fill in the gap or the program goes away for good.
Head Start, which has been credited with uplifting millions of young people in low income areas, exists in all 50 states. It also provides meals and health screening for the young children. All of that could soon disappear.
Extraterrestrials?
Have they found life on another planet? Well, not exactly. But a study published this past week could be an indication of extraterrestrial life. It's on a massive planet called K2-18b outside our solar system, more than 124 light years away. The report published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters says there could be an ocean world on that planet capable of hosting "microbial life," that is the foundation of Earth's biosphere and is necessary for all life as we know it here on Earth.
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| (Webb Telescope photos, courtesy NASA) |
The discovery was made using the James Webb Space Telescope, which detected two chemicals in the atmosphere that fall under what are known as "biosignatures". K2-18b is an "exoplanet" that orbits a star that isn't a sun. It's more than eight times bigger than the Earth, and it orbits its star every 33 days, making it closer to its star than Earth is to our Sun. Scientists have been studying this exoplanet since the 1990's. The findings of the study say K2-18b is experiencing the same biological process as the Earth did billions of years ago.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
I could post a dumb quote every week from President Donald Trump, but he does not have a monopoly on saying stupid things, especially in Washington, so I only use him for the dumbest of his dumb quotes. This one I could not let pass. The President was hosting the Prime Minister of Italy in the Oval Office when he was asked by reporters about the controversy over deporting illegal immigrants in large numbers without any court hearings.
Trump then went into his usual, though not factual, rant about other countries dumping their criminals into the United States.
"They released them, not just South America, all over the world. The Congo in Africa. Many, many people come from the Congo. I don’t know what that is, but they came from the Congo, and all over the world."
Yes, you read that right. The President of the United States does not know what "Congo" is. He knows it's in Africa, though. It’s unclear if Trump was referring to the Democratic Republic of Congo or the Republic of Congo, which are two separate countries, or why he even mentioned the Congo.
(My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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