This holiday, I’m going to give thanks for American democracy, no matter how badly damaged it might be. Because whether we’re stuck in the intransigent Dutch bureaucracies of the 17th century, demanding democratic rights during the American Revolution, or fighting Nazis in everyone’s favorite war, Americans have — many times over and again — overcome impossible odds, economic exploitation, and incompetent authoritarians, to bring the future screaming into the present.
There’s something very sick at the heart of America. Something that in 2016 cost us $10,345 per person, and got us next to nothing in return. It’s a healthcare system three times as expensive as most, and achieves a life expectancy no higher than many third world countries. It is a conspiracy of profit and predatory Capitalism, driven by Adam Smith’s invisible hand.
So, let me pose you a hypothetical question: if we instituted a federal investment scheme for employee-owned startups to make them a major part of the economy, would the resulting reduction in the supply of skilled labor available to private firms cause all salaries to rise accordingly? Maybe it’s time to introduce a new gold standard, but for salaries, in which productivity and compensation are inherently linked.
Phil White, former IROC director who now runs Kingdom Games, is one of 12 people worldwide who have been nominated for the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) Man of the Year.
The rise of craft brewing in the 1980s, and its subsequent explosion, have caused recent shortages of hops. Professor Heather Darby of the University of Vermont has been working on bringing hops back to the state with cooperation from local brewers like Brian Cook of Kingdom Brewing in Newport Center and the Vermont Brewers Association.
But the Union Square property continues to incite debate, speculation and federal review – partially focused on the Ross Moffett mural located in the lobby, whether the USPS was lax in following Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the lack of outcry from public officials around the sale and claims that closure of the office has affected postal service in the city.
