Neoliberalism
Work
Fig. 1. The spectre of Death, in the form of a large skeleton, rises with the smoke and flames of the burning Asch Building during the Triangle fire, as people jump and fall to their death. Artist unknown, from International Ladies Garment Workers Union Photographs (1885-1985) at The Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The real problem with gig work is abysmal pay, in which many drivers receive less than an already abysmal minimum wage. No one wants to deal with that, but it’s the real problem. All the rest of this is a sideshow.
Jonathan Gruber claims that gig workers value flexibility, which may be true, but he admits that his sample is unrepresentative. And he devotes no attention whatsoever to people like me who have been unable to secure real employment and so are compelled to work in the gig economy more than full time, preferring to focus on workers who have benefits from other sources. And he barely even mentions pay.[1] I’m guessing he got paid to produce this crap, probably by a gig economy company, but there is no disclosure. (If my guess is correct, this probably amounts to academic dishonesty.)
Jonathan Gruber, “How should we provide benefits to gig workers?” Brookings, June 13, 2024, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-should-we-provide-benefits-to-gig-workers/
Imperialism
Canada and the United States
Indigenous people
Residential schools
Sari Horwitz and Dana Hedgpeth, “Catholic bishops apologize for church’s role operating Indian boarding schools,” Washington Post, June 14, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/06/14/catholic-church-indian-boarding-schools/
Russia
Ukraine
Fig. 2. Cartoon by Ella Baron, June 2, 2024, via the Guardian, fair use.
Patrick Tucker, “New sat images show Russian vessels fleeing Black Sea ports,” Defense One, June 13, 2024, https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/06/new-sat-images-show-russian-vessels-fleeing-black-sea-ports/397378/
Illiberalism
Gilead
Gun nuttery
Fig. 3. “Rally Against Gun Control ‘Come and Take it’ flag at the Minnesota State Capitol,” photograph by Fibonacci Blue [pseud.], April 28, 2018, via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Forgive my confusion, but as I read this story,[2] I get the impression that the Supreme Court has made findings of fact. I had thought that these were supposed to happen at the district court level, that appeals courts and the Supreme Court should return such questions to the district court for these findings.
Justin Jouvenal, “Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era federal ban on bump stock devices,” Washington Post, June 14, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/14/bump-stocks-supreme-court-machine-gun-bruen-cargill/
- [1]Jonathan Gruber, “How should we provide benefits to gig workers?” Brookings, June 13, 2024, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-should-we-provide-benefits-to-gig-workers/↩
- [2]Justin Jouvenal, “Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era federal ban on bump stock devices,” Washington Post, June 14, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/14/bump-stocks-supreme-court-machine-gun-bruen-cargill/↩