Daytime temperatures are in the mid-90s in Albuquerque. It seemed a good excuse to take a stroll through the Botanical Garden. That is an idea that occurs to a lot of people now. Luckily, the Garden can absorb a lot of visitors without losing its aura of natural peacefulness.
I have heard and seen conflicting opinions about Marianne Williamson from friends and in the media, so I decided to try to see for myself what her bid for the Presidency looks like and sounds like in her own words. I started off with reading one of her books, Healing the Soul of America.
My copy of the book purports to be a revised edition from the original which appeared twenty-three years ago, but most of the content refers to issues and circumstances which now seem in the distant past, with frequent references to people like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Of equal note is a sense of optimism about political change which, in view of the country's rightward tilt, now seems out of touch with reality.
Williamson's generic religiosity is off-putting for a non-believer like me. However, the values she express include tolerance for differing world views and I'm willing to overlook her philosophical meandering as it does not seem to conflict with her more down-to-earth political orientation. After all, Joe Biden is a Catholic, though he is is careful not to try to push that down people's throats.
Williamson's political orientation is essentially progressive. She is critical of corporate power and supportive of universal health care and justice/prison reform. In short, she is very close in regard to most issues to the platform Bernie Sanders put forward in the last election. In fact, when Williamson bowed out of the last primary election process, she endorsed the candidacy of the Senator from Vermont. And, it seems this time around that she has decided to run again mostly because Bernie is not in the race.
It is probably not fair to judge Williamson's potential based mostly on a book she authored two decades ago, but I don't think I have the patience to tackle any of the many additional books she has produced. I did take a look at her campaign website and it is clear there that she has shifted the emphasis of her proposals to concrete and current political issues. In public appearances she comes off as thoughtful, intelligent, well informed and articulate. None of those qualities, unfortunately, seem very helpful to political advancement these days.
Some of Williamson's critics have tried to join her at the hip with Robert Kennedy Jr., asserting that she is a denier of the benefits of vaccines and a conspiracy promoter. She rejects that criticism, insisting that her position on vaccines is directed at unethical corporate greed in the pharmaceutical industry, and not on the historical efficacy of vaccines or real scientific methodology.
While the establishment's lock on the Democratic Party primary process presents a formidable barrier to Williamson's advancement, she appears to also have some personality deficits which are unhelpful. Reports of emotional brittleness and verbal abuse of subordinates have gained some credibility following the resignations of top aides and other campaign staff.
I think, taking all of the above into consideration, I might still be willing to vote for Williamson in an alternate reality where the choice was between her and any of the myriad Republican pretenders. In the real world, though, it ain't going to happen.
Compare gun ownership rates of the U.S. and other countries with advanced economies.
Sure, here is a comparison of gun ownership rates in the United States and other countries with advanced economies:
Country Guns per 100 people
United States 120.5
Canada 34.7
United Kingdom 6.2
Germany 30.3
Japan 0.2
As you can see, the United States has by far the highest gun ownership rate of any developed country. This is due to a number of factors, including the country's strong gun culture, its history of frontier living, and its Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The other countries on this list have much lower gun ownership rates. Canada's gun ownership rate is the second highest, but it is still significantly lower than the United States. The United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan all have very low gun ownership rates, and gun violence is relatively rare in these countries.
There is a strong correlation between gun ownership rates and gun violence rates. Countries with higher gun ownership rates tend to have higher gun violence rates. This is not a perfect correlation, as there are other factors that can contribute to gun violence, such as poverty, inequality, and social unrest. However, the correlation is strong enough to suggest that gun ownership is a significant risk factor for gun violence.
The high gun ownership rate in the United States is a major contributing factor to the country's high gun violence rate. If the United States were to reduce its gun ownership rate, it is likely that the country's gun violence rate would also decrease. However, it is important to note that there are other factors that would also need to be addressed in order to achieve a significant reduction in gun violence. These factors include mental health care, poverty, and inequality.
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What are the main causes of income inequality in the U.S. ?
The main causes of income inequality in the U.S. are complex and interrelated, but some of the most significant factors include:
Technological change: The rise of automation and other technologies has led to a decline in demand for low-skilled labor, which has disproportionately hurt workers in the middle and lower classes.
Globalization: The increasing integration of the global economy has led to a shift of jobs to lower-wage countries, which has also contributed to income inequality in the U.S.
The decline of unions: Unions have traditionally played a role in negotiating higher wages and benefits for workers, but their membership has declined significantly in recent decades.
The erosion of the minimum wage: The real value of the minimum wage has declined by about 20% since 1968, which has made it more difficult for low-wage workers to make ends meet.
Racial and gender discrimination: Discrimination on the basis of race and gender continues to play a role in income inequality, as people of color and women are often paid less than white men for doing the same work.
Tax policy: The U.S. tax system is skewed towards the wealthy, as they pay a lower effective tax rate than middle- and lower-income earners.
These are just some of the factors that have contributed to income inequality in the U.S. There is no single solution to this problem, but a combination of policies, such as investing in education and job training, raising the minimum wage, and reforming the tax system, could help to reduce inequality and create a more equitable society.
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Compare health care provision and health outcomes in the United States and other countries with advanced economies.
The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, both in terms of absolute dollars and as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). However, the US does not have the best health outcomes among high-income countries. In fact, the US ranks poorly on a number of measures of health outcomes, including life expectancy, infant mortality, and preventable deaths.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the US's poor health outcomes. One factor is the lack of universal health insurance coverage. In the US, about 1 in 5 people are uninsured, and many more are underinsured. This means that many Americans do not have access to the care they need, and they may delay or forgo care altogether.
Another factor that contributes to the US's poor health outcomes is the fragmentation of the US health care system. The US health care system is made up of a patchwork of public and private payers, and there is no single entity that is responsible for coordinating care. This can lead to delays in care, duplication of services, and errors.
Finally, the US health care system is heavily focused on acute care, rather than preventive care. This means that the US spends a lot of money on treating diseases, but not enough on preventing them.
In contrast to the US, many other high-income countries have universal health insurance coverage, and they have more centralized health care systems. This means that these countries have better access to care, and they are better able to coordinate care. These countries also tend to focus more on preventive care, which has led to better health outcomes.
Here is a table comparing the US to other high-income countries on a number of health care measures:
Measure US Other high-income countries
Health care spending as a percentage of GDP 17.8% 8.8%
Life expectancy 78.6 years 82.3 years
Infant mortality rate 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 3.8 deaths per 1,000 live births
Preventable deaths 177 deaths per 100,000 people 83 deaths per 100,000 people
As you can see, the US has worse health outcomes than other high-income countries, despite spending more on health care. This is largely due to the lack of universal health insurance coverage, the fragmentation of the US health care system, and the focus on acute care rather than preventive care.
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In spite of the overwhelming evidence of Trump's guilt I would be surprised to find anyone who thinks a conviction would rate any better than even odds. So, it seems like some thought ought to be given to what might be done to restore some balance to the universe in the event of exoneration.
I have so far only come up with a couple possibilities:
A couple flowers found at the Piedra Lisa open space at the base of the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque.
I couple people I know have recently told me how much they like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I did not encourage them to tell me why.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say:
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. is an American environmental lawyer, politician, and writer who has promoted anti-vaccine propaganda and health-related conspiracy theories. Kennedy is the son of U.S. attorney general and senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Wikipedia
Born: January 17, 1954 (age 69 years), Washington, D.C.
Spouse: Cheryl Hines (m. 2014), Mary Richardson Kennedy (m. 1994–2012), Emily Ruth Black (m. 1982–1994)
Children: Conor Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy III, MORE
Party: Democratic Party
Siblings: Joseph P. Kennedy II, Kerry Kennedy, MORE
Parents: Robert F. Kennedy, Ethel Kennedy
Organizations founded: Children's Health Defense, Waterkeeper Alliance
That is all I feel I need to know about the guy. He seems to be favorably looked at by about 20% of Democrats, so he clearly has some influence over what people think about the issues he promotes. What that tells me is that he has likely contributed to the illness and deaths of thousands. Not someone I want to see as President.
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| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. by Gage Skidmore |
Mostly Sunny.
The old car guys are back on their Summer schedule, showing up around the Plaza Vieja with their meticulously restored classics and customs.
Four Colombian children found alive in jungle weeks after plane crash
Up to now most of the pundits have focused on the large field of Republican Primary contenders and the fact that that more-is-better for Trump's chances in the race. Now that charges have become more tangible with the indictment, the unspoken reason for the big field of contenders will come into focus. The hopeful candidates are all surely buoyed by the news and the possibility that Trump could even be watching the elections on a prison tv. All of the primary hopefuls, of course, will assert that the indictment is just part of the witch hunt, while crossing their fingers behind their backs.
