1. Why did Klein endorse Bernie Sanders in 2016?
2. What would Bernie's policies have tried to make affordable again?
3. What's the tragedy of Trump?
4. What dots did Bernie fail to connect, with what result?
5. What's the only agenda Klein thinks can solve inequality and the crises in democracy? What's our "only hope of avoiding radical change to our physical world"?
6. Where does Klein say she's seen politicians and others exploiting chaos and profiting from disaster before?
7. What widespread perception did Paul Bremer confirm? How?
8. What clear pattern do "shock tactics" follow?
9. On the whole, what do people like their taxes to pay for?
10. What rosy version of history did many of us grow up with?
11. What has Rebecca Solnit described about disaster?
12.
Discussion Questions:
- Can private military companies infringe upon the national rights of the countries and rights
- Add yours HERE
- Was Bernie a spoiler or vote-splitter?
- Do you favor "free" higher education?
- Are you a democratic socialist? (See quiz below*)
- Can a president, or a presidential candidacy, succeed in turning climate change into a "generational mission"?
- Do you ever vote for "establishment candidates" even while rejecting the status quo, on the grounds of "pragmatism"? 123
- Is reparations a bold issue that might be a winner for some as-yet unidentified presidential candidate? 125
- Is it still possible to avoid radical change to our physical world?
- Would you willingly pay more taxes in exchange for universal health care and free college tuiton? Anything else?
- Is there any way to legislate against shock doctrine politics? 140
- Is there any appropriate place for the "crush/screw the opponent" mentality, beyond the wrestling ring?
- Should there be "for-profit jails"?
- Should people who work with private military contractors (security firms for example) be allowed to pass through a revolving door between government and the private sector? 149
- Are you as appalled as Klein by Mike Pence's response to Katrina?
Candidates are running as socialists, even in Tennessee
HOUSTON — There was no question on primary night in Texas last month that Franklin Bynum would win the Democratic nomination to become a criminal court judge in Houston. The 34-year-old defense attorney had no challengers.
But for his supporters who packed into a Mexican restaurant that evening, there was still something impressive to celebrate. Many in the crowd were members of the Democratic Socialists of America, or D.S.A., a group that has experienced an enormous surge of interest since the election of President Drumpf, even in conservative states. And Mr. Bynum was one of their own — a socialist who, along with at least 16 others, appeared on the ballot in primary races across the state of Texas.
“Yes, I’m running as a socialist,” Mr. Bynum said. “I’m a far-left candidate. What I’m trying to do is be a Democrat who actually stands for something, and tells people, ‘Here’s how we are going to materially improve conditions in your life.’”
Rather than shy away from being called a socialist, a word conservatives have long wielded as a slur, candidates like Mr. Bynum are embracing the label. He is among dozens of D.S.A. members running in this fall’s midterms for offices across the country at nearly every level. In Hawaii, Kaniela Ing, a state representative, is running for Congress. Gayle McLaughlin, a former mayor of Richmond, Calif., is running to be the state’s lieutenant governor. In Tennessee, Dennis Prater, an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University, is running to be a county commissioner... (continues)
==
*Are you a democratic socialist? Take a quiz to find out...
==But for his supporters who packed into a Mexican restaurant that evening, there was still something impressive to celebrate. Many in the crowd were members of the Democratic Socialists of America, or D.S.A., a group that has experienced an enormous surge of interest since the election of President Drumpf, even in conservative states. And Mr. Bynum was one of their own — a socialist who, along with at least 16 others, appeared on the ballot in primary races across the state of Texas.
“Yes, I’m running as a socialist,” Mr. Bynum said. “I’m a far-left candidate. What I’m trying to do is be a Democrat who actually stands for something, and tells people, ‘Here’s how we are going to materially improve conditions in your life.’”
Rather than shy away from being called a socialist, a word conservatives have long wielded as a slur, candidates like Mr. Bynum are embracing the label. He is among dozens of D.S.A. members running in this fall’s midterms for offices across the country at nearly every level. In Hawaii, Kaniela Ing, a state representative, is running for Congress. Gayle McLaughlin, a former mayor of Richmond, Calif., is running to be the state’s lieutenant governor. In Tennessee, Dennis Prater, an adjunct professor at East Tennessee State University, is running to be a county commissioner... (continues)
==
*Are you a democratic socialist? Take a quiz to find out...
Bending to the law of supply and demand, some colleges are dropping their prices...
Blackwater
ReplyDeleteA. Blackwater Company is not defunct
B. What Soldiers think of private security in war
C. Why I think private Soldiers will never work
Klein briefly mentions this company as related to the “green zone” in Baghdad. She states that it is a now defunct company....but that’s not exactly accurate. Really, the company changed owners, boards, and its name. But when all the same people, structures, and policies are “on the ground”.... well thats not really a new company is it. The current name for Blackwater is Academi. See article:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204319004577089021757803802
As an ex-military officer (a representative of the United States Congress abroad) I would like to take a minute to say that we all despised this company, their principles, and especially their actions. In practice, they could never be trusted. There are two main reasons that people join the US military: a means of social and economic advancement (climbing out of poverty) and for altruistic purposes (“save the world”). Most of us are a mix of the two. But private contractors are only in it for the money. So none of their decisions, especially when it comes to the lives of anyone but themselves, have anything to do with making the world better than it is. When given a choice, they kill. Without any thought to the repercussions of their actions. In my opinion, they are one of the most destructive and destabilizing elements to come out of our recent wars.
I also think that they are a very specific example of believing that privatization of warfare solves some sort of problem. The founder was an ex-Navy Seal who advocated strongly for the full privatization of US efforts in Afghanistan. An article about his views can be found at the below link. But what he conceptually misses are the people involved. Warfare is not limited to uniformed (or in this case organized but uninformed) opponents. War involves everyone. My mission was usually dominated with the responsibilities of supporting local government (village and district level), empowering local police, responding to natural and man made disasters with aid, building schools and providing supplies, and building a relationship with human beings. (If that all sounds a lot like State Department work to you, you are right). No one working for a dollar can do that. (In his defense, he was a SEAL and they are taught a very specific set of skills. I doubt that he ever saw the human side of war. But that is also why private military will never work.)
https://www.businessinsider.com/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-aims-to-privatize-us-war-in-afghanistan-2018-8
AT
Alternate Quiz Questions:
ReplyDelete- What logic is straightforward about how people respond to change? 137
- How does Trump describe a “great deal” in Think Big? 140
- How does Klein characterize Trump’s attitude towards the public sphere following his Commodore Hotel deal? 144
- What did Senator Carl Levin say that Goldman Sachs actions demonstrate about how they view their clients? 151
AT
According to the quiz I would be considered a Democratic Socialist! I was pretty sure I was already, I really wanted Bernie to take office and I know I would have no problem being taxed heavily for Medicare for all and universal health care. I have a lot of respect for Bernie and his policies, I'm hoping to see a shift in our congress to seat individuals that believe the government exists to take care of its people, not the other way around. Capitalism is a self eating snake, the last man standing holds all the wealth. I'm just for most things like pension plans, healthcare education systems that benefit our society in the long run, even if I don't get to take advantage of it. In my mind, I would be okay to be taxed 60% or higher so a child who is diagnosed with a serious illness and his parents wouldn't have to worry about financial struggles during the time he or she is hospitalized or otherwise. In my state of mind: daycare centers and a 20 hour work week would keep individuals happier than working hard to get half back.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of a 20 hour work week is very interesting. I personally think that's a little too drastic of a change (from the normal 40 hour work week we have now) for it to be plausible, but I would be interested to see how that would change things. How would you suppose something like that would work? Would companies be able to maintain the same level of productiveness as they would have in 40 hour work weeks? Would it affect pay?
DeleteThe difference is that paid wages are a good livable wage. So instead of working 40 hours for minimum wage you'd get that wage in 20 hours time.
DeleteI know that equal opportunities for education benefit from this system, and I know managers make more money than their employees. It seems many people enjoy this short hour work day in Sweden https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/business/sweden-work-employment-productivity-happiness.html
But the cost of living is really high! It's hard to meet ends meet unless there's a dual income in Amercica. Too bad we can't have a highter earned wage and worked up to 30 hours so we can take a break and be productive in other areas of our lives.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/business/sweden-work-employment-productivity-happiness.html
Delete1. In Klein’s opinion, why don’t many powerful Us liberal support bolder policies to fight inequality? Pg 123 Because those policies aren’t worth championing because the American public is too conservative, too pro-capitalist, and would never support them.
ReplyDelete2. What positions did Bernie show that were dismissed as too radical for anything, but the fringe left? Pg 123-124 Universal public health care, breaking up big banks, forgiving student loan debt, free college tuition, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, and getting up to 100% renewable energy.
3. How did Bernie respond when asked whether or not he supported some form of reparations for slavery? Pg 125 He dismissed the idea as politically impractical and unnecessarily “divisive”, saying that the big investments in communities of color would have the same effect.
DISCUSSION QUESTION from this question. Do you feel like some form of reparations for slavery are necessary? Do you think that Sander’s notion of big investments in communities of color could be viewed as some form of reparations? Why or why not.
4. Despite Criticisms against Sanders, why did Ta-Nehisi say he would be voting for Sanders in the primary? Pg 125 Because Sanders was “the best option that we have in the race”
5. What did Michelle Alexander say when asked why she didn’t publicly endorse a candidate? Pg 125 “If progressives think they can win in the long run without engaging meaningfully with Black folks and taking racial history more seriously, they better get Elon Musk on speed dial and start planning their future home on Mars, because this planet will be going up in smoke”
6. What did the first Clinton administration lay the groundwork for? Pg 126 They deregulated the banks, laying the groundwork for the financial crash.
7. What racist boogeymen did Trump come up with and use to push his bigotry on the campaign trail? Pg 126 The immigrants coming to rape you, the Muslims coming to blow you up, the Black activists who don’t respect our men in uniform, and the Black president who messed everything up.
8. Who was essentially the Supreme leader in Iraq in 2003? Pg 132 Paul Bremer
9. Along with being Vice president of the United States, what else was Dick Cheney Vice president of? Pg 132 Halliburton, one of the largest oil field companies in the world.
10. What was “Iraq’s missing billions”? pg 133 The unfathomable sums of money that disappeared into the black hole of the contractor economy present in Iraq following the invasion.
11. What is the pretext for dissolving local democracy and appointing “emergency managers”? pg 135 Looming municipal bankruptcy
DISCUSSION QUESTION: Is it belief or hope that Trump won’t last all four years in office?
12. What does Milton Friedman say are two sides of the same coin in his book Capitalism and Freedom? Human liberation and market liberation.
Discussion point: Do you agree with Friedman?
I really liked this question "1. In Klein’s opinion, why don’t many powerful Us liberal support bolder policies to fight inequality? Pg 123 Because those policies aren’t worth championing because the American public is too conservative, too pro-capitalist, and would never support them." This book has made a lot of claims but this is one of those that I really agree with. I believe that we have reached a point in our history where we have become so wrapped up in our capitalism is the best mindset that there is no escaping it.
DeleteI would like to discuss the question, “Do I favor ‘free’ higher education”. Personally, I do. When I think how competitive job markets have come, higher education is essential to the survivability. Education offers no guarantee that you will land a job over someone else that does not have a degree. I know people that I work with that holds Master’s degrees that are unable to find gainful employment using the education that they spent thousands of dollars and many years to obtain, and I was able to advance higher and faster through mere experience. I think that our counselors are not fully preparing students to the many challenges that can be presented when certain degree paths are chosen or taking into consideration how saturated the job market is. I think that immaturity and lack of life experience is also to blame.
ReplyDeleteMy education is paid for –but it was paid through my service as a soldier. I feel that education should be paid for in exchange for two years of civil service. I feel this will allow young adults to figure out what they truly want to do with their lives or to give them an opportunity to discover other possibilities or talents and ultimately allow them some life experience to fully appreciate how important higher education is. Education should not be for just some and should not require indebtedness for many years, especially if counselors, parents and educators are setting those seeking higher learning – up for failure.
Teya James
I agree with your what you are saying here. All education should be free. And if not free, at least way less expensive than it currently is. The fact that college has gotten so expensive in recent years is ridiculous. My parents both went to college and it cost them NO WHERE NEAR the amount of money it has cost me. What has changed? It's not like the information that is being taught now is of higher quality then it was before. The crazy part to me is that they are charging more because people have to pay it. Now a days, to make a decent living, a college degree is pretty much necessary (except for in special cases). I believe some institutions take advantage of that and have boosted their tuition costs in accordance.
DeleteEducation is arguably one of the most important resources there is. Everyone should have access to it. Everyone should have the opportunity to put in the work, to learn, to better their current situation.
This site has information about increasing college cost and 20 facts about the statistics in reference to said cost.
Deletehttps://www.teachthought.com/education/20-ridiculous-us-college-cost-statistics/
I agree with what you said mainly your comment that "I feel that education should be paid for in exchange for two years of civil service. I feel this will allow young adults to figure out what they truly want to do with their lives or to give them an opportunity to discover other possibilities or talents and ultimately allow them some life experience to fully appreciate how important higher education is." That would be a way in which we as a country could make sure that poeople do not waste time or money going ot school with no path or goal. Like one of my cousins was in school for coming up on 5 years and still has yet to even gain a minor because she is so undecided in what she wants to do that she is at this point just taking random classes. She does not value her education because she didn't have to do anything to get there.
DeleteI would like to comment on the "should there be for profit jails" discussion question. In my opinion, absolutely not. In my opinion, there are so many things wrong when it comes to a company profiting off of America's arguably messed up justice system. Making money off of locking people up. It just seems unethical to me. Not only that, just as arrests and sentencing are left up to the government, I believe so should be the carrying out of those sentences. It seems weird that we are willing to put inmates lives in the hands of people who are just interested in making money.
ReplyDeleteI have included a link to an article from TIME that talks about private prisons. They briefly mention arguments made by other side, but overall its mainly about what's wrong with private prisons. I encourage those who have other views than me, or the article, to reply and let me hear your side of the argument!
http://time.com/4461791/private-prisons-department-of-justice/
I found another Times article about the lack of oversight of Private Prisons.
Deletehttp://time.com/5013760/american-private-prisons-donald-trump/
I agree there should not be for-profit prisons or detention centers. I'm into those Netflix documentaries that discuss people's perspectives in prison and most of those shows is like what Fight Club is all about: rich people paying into corporations that give no benifits to the people inside: they just want to see them fight. It's a fight to get out of that system, money is their prime objective instead of the government funds paying for rehabilitation programs.what would it do to the persons psyche if we fed them meals that were healthy or painted the walls purple and gave them AA meetings? Maybe that individual would work on solving the issue of addiction or help them find their purpose to live again. I've never been to jail, I don't know what it's like to have to live there but I know I wouldn't want to. I would also want to sleep in a bed and be fed healthy meals. The prisoners aren't treated like people.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe question about free education, I’m undecided because I recognize the benefits and the potential cons. One of the biggest benefits would be that there would no longer be people who accumulate huge piles of debt earning a degree that they can never get out from under. Another would be that it would enable everyone to go to school no matter their previous social economic class. One main question I have is where this money would come from though, would it be taxes or some other system the government or states would have to set up. If it was taxes wouldn’t those people who don’t have children or who don’t want to go to school be okay with paying more taxes even though they gain nothing. Another con that I worry about is that because it doesn’t have a cost for you, you had to do nothing to earn this, would everyone understand and respect the education and opportunities they are being provided. I have seen a lot of people here on Campus that have full scholarships who are constantly skipping class or not doing their work because they have nothing to lose because they aren’t paying nor or their parents. I’m not saying that’s everyone there are people who earned scholarships who work very hard but that is unfortunately form what I have observed the minority of that group. Yet, those that either are going into debt to be here or those that have severed in the army respect the educational opportunity they are getting because they earned it. The conclusion I have arrived at in the question of whether or not college should be free is that no I don’t think it should be free but I do think that the price should be lower.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteALTERNATE QUIZ QUESTIONS:
1) Why was Bernie Sanders incredibly well suited to the moment of popular outrage and rejection of establishment politics? (121)
2) What was Klein's argument about, if not about whether or not people should've voted for Hillary against Trump? (122)
3) What did Bernie Sanders show about transformational change? (124)
4) What was the crucial lesson of Brexit and of Trump's victory? (127)
5) In the absence of a progressive alternative, Trump had a free hand to do what? (126)
6) In the midst of hyperinflation or a banking collapse, what did they claim was the alternative to attacks on social protections or enormous bailouts to prop up the financial sector? (134)
7) When did neoliberalism first employ "shock tactics"? What are they still using them for today? How is it happening under Trump? (134)
ALTERNATE DISSCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1) In your opinion, what was the reason that Hilary Clinton beat out Bernie Sanders for the Democratic Party nomination?
A) Do you agree liberals just backed Clinton because she was the most pragmatic candidate/she was the "safe" choice?
B) Do you agree with Klein's statement that "without Bernie's weaknesses on race and gender, he could have won, no matter how hard the Democratic Party establishment tried to hold him back"?
2) Do you think Trump's election campaign would have differed in any way, had he been running against Sanders? Would he have been able to use the same tactics as he did against Clinton?
3) Do you think its fair to say that free marketers ("libertarians") have "antidemocratic ambitions"? Why or why not?
Over the course of the past year I worked towards becoming a Tennessee Naturalist through the state park system. This was a group that met once a month for one year to learn about the natural world in our local area. We had a different speaker come each month to teach on various subjects including nocturnal animals, mammals, insects and more. This was a course to train volunteers that would be able to assist the park and other organizations with projects like trail maintenance, bird census, or habitat restoration projects. In order to graduate from this course, I had to attend 40 hours of instruction on Tennessee’s natural history (half of which took place in the field), and complete 80 hours of volunteer service. I very much enjoyed being a part of this program and graduated this summer. We did a variety of things like sampling pond water, playing bird calls for owls, and watching the stars with an astronomer. Most of all I enjoyed my volunteer hours which I got at a wildlife rehabilitation center called Walden’s Puddle. There I started out taking care of mice, squirrels, and turtles. Then I graduated up to raccoons, possums, and raptors (owls, hawks, etc.) Over the summer I continued to volunteer with this organization and was able to work in the nursery with infant animals including squirrels, raccoons, and fawns. I learned things every day that I came in to volunteer. I strongly recommend doing some kind of hands on volunteer work like this that relates to your future major.
ReplyDeleteYou can look more into the Tennessee Naturalist Program here:
http://tnnaturalist.org/
Here is the website for Walden’s Puddle:
https://waldenspuddle.org/
This is the website for the Rutherford County Extension which has several great programs, a farmer's market, and several classes including beekeeping and gardening.
ReplyDeletehttps://extension.tennessee.edu/Rutherford/Pages/default.aspx
This is a link to the Master Gardener's class which is now open for applications. This is a great opportunity to learn more things and volunteer!
ReplyDeletehttps://extension.tennessee.edu/Rutherford/Pages/Master-Gardener-Program.aspx