Florida and the Southeast are reeling from recent storms, with experts predicting that FEMA could run out of resources well before the end of this hurricane season.
How could that be? In part it’s because “the government simply doesn’t prioritize helping vulnerable communities to recover from disasters,” my colleague Basav Sen writes this week.
As storms battered the country, Basav notes, the U.S. government was sending weapons abroad and shelling out fossil fuel subsidies at home. “For disaster-hit communities to get the resources they need and deserve in order to recover,” he concludes, “we need nothing short of a complete reversal of our government’s priorities.”
There are some clear villains in this story, but the far right blames someone else: immigrants. As Sonali Kolhatkar writes this week, immigrants have been blamed for everything from crime and drugs to high housing prices and that FEMA funding shortfall. These lies are pure scapegoating, she argues.
“Hedge fund managers, not immigrants, are outbidding Americans for housing. Corporate employers keep wages low and privatization has ruined healthcare, not immigrants,” Sonali concludes. “Attacking immigrants… will do nothing to ease the very real struggles people face. What it will do is whip up hate and violence, give the purveyors of hate the political power they desperately seek, and let corporate vultures off the hook.”
Also this week, server Red Schomburg explains why restaurant workers need a wage hike, not a tax break on their tips. Brazil Jefferson lays out how restrictions on public aid prevent people from getting back on their feet. And Jim Hightower shares a story of biblical corruption in Oklahoma.
New This Week…
Warped Government Priorities Make Climate Disasters Worse | Basav Sen
When we fund wars and fossil fuel subsidies instead of green jobs and disaster recovery, we punish those who can least afford it.
Scapegoating Immigrants Hurts All of Us — Except Elites | Sonali Kolhatkar
The right’s unhinged anti-immigrant rhetoric is putting people in danger — and letting the real villains off the hook.
The Tipped Wage System Is Failing Us. Removing Taxes on Tips Won’t Save It. | Red Schomburg
Most of us don’t earn enough to pay taxes anyway. What we really need is a wage hike.
Aid Restrictions Hold Americans Back | Brazil Jefferson
I’m disabled and want to work. But if I earn “too much” — even if it’s not enough to live on — I’ll lose benefits. That’s not how it should be.
A Story of Biblical Corruption | Jim Hightower
An out of control Oklahoma superintendent is trying to brainwash kids — and personally enrich former President Trump.
Cartoon: Pro or Con | Khalil Bendib
A nation of laws… or lawlessness?
In Case You Missed It…
The Mounting Costs of Enabling Israel’s War on Gaza | Farrah Hassen
Most Americans oppose this horrific war, but a year in we’re still paying for it — at the expense of our own safety, security, and morality.
There’s a Looming Care Crisis In Our Country. Our Safety Net Isn’t Ready. | Christina Keys
Eventually, we’ll all need care or will be caregivers ourselves. Now’s the time to start investing in a stronger care infrastructure.
It Won’t Just Be Haitians Who Suffer From Anti-Immigrant Lies | Chisom Okorafor
Politicians are attempting to redefine who counts as an “American,” with my Black immigrant family and people like us on the outside.
Who’s Really a ‘Populist’? Henry Wallace Set the Standard | A.J. Schumann
True populism means confronting the forces that keep everyday folks down — hardship, inequality, and war.
