R&E Political Discussion

R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026
[ R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026 ]

The United States is destroying itself

Posted by Christopher Blackwell on April 17, 2026, 5:50 pm

The United States is destroying itself
The Guardian

Charles: If you only read one column this week, make sure it’s this one from the Guardian’s brilliant Rebecca Solnit, in which she hits upon the very reason for being of The Horton-Kaiser Report: “The daily news can’t adequately convey the administration’s sabotaging of our government, economy, alliances and environment.” Against all odds, Solnit manages to mention all of them in a single 1200 word piece:

The United States is being murdered, and it’s an inside job. Every department, every branch, every bureau and function of the federal government is being fatally corrupted or altogether dismantled or disabled. All this is common knowledge, but because it dribbles out in news stories about this specific incident or department, the reports never adequately describe an administration sabotaging the functioning of the federal government and also trashing the global economy, international alliances and relationships, and the national and global environment in ways that will have downstream consequences for decades and perhaps, especially when it comes to climate, centuries.

Across the branches of government, the services that are supposed to protect us – nuclear stockpile monitoring, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism – are being undermined, understaffed or trashed. A different kind of protection that consists of public health, vaccination programs, food safety, clean air and water, social services, civil rights and the rule of law is also under attack. The federal government that serves us is being starved while the federal government that serves the Trump agenda and the oligarchy is glutting itself on taxpayer money, including the grotesque sums dumped on the Department of Homeland Security and the US military now being warped into Pete Hegseth’s twisted vision of a ruthless mercenary force. Hegseth has reportedly stood in the way of promotions for more than a dozen Black and female officers…

But the offensiveness may be a distraction from the destructiveness. A whole sector of mainstream media now functions as spirit mediums attempting to interpret Trump’s actions to try to fit them into the context of competent leadership and coherent and consistent agendas. If there was a coherent agenda, it would be a destructive one, a malevolent one. The newly popular slogan “the purpose of a system is what it does” is useful here, because what this system does is weaken, damage, corrupt and harm. The idea that there’s a coherent agenda driven by Vladimir Putin works in the sense that most of what Trump has done is good for the ageing Russian dictator while also bad for the US.

Solnit also nails exactly what will be necessary when this nightmare is finally over: the most fundamental reconstruction the United States has undertaken since the end of the Civil war.

We do not need to understand these criminals in order to try to contain and ultimately remove them. They will not last forever, and we need to think about what happens when they’re gone – to talk about the kind of reconstruction the US will face for the first time since the civil war, the reconstruction a ravaged and corrupted country has to go through to return to functionality. But not to return to the way things were.

It’s the antidemocratic weaknesses in our system that created the vulnerabilities that let this happen – the electoral college and voter suppression that gave Trump a minority victory in 2016, the gerrymandering that has given a minority party majority power in Congress and statehouses, a grotesquely corrupted and unaccountable supreme court and the corrosive influence of the ultra-wealthy in a system that gives them power on a scale that is a direct assault on democracy. We need to imagine a more democratic, more egalitarian, more generous country, one that operates in recognition of an abundance of wealth that should serve all of us – and nature and future generations too – rather than is driven by the moral poverty of billionaires.
Rebecca Solnit
https://www.horton-kaiser.com/.../the-united-states-is...

Re: The United States is destroying itself

Posted by Spector on April 18, 2026, 1:35 pm, in reply to "The United States is destroying itself"

yep

Apparently, Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi Are Leading

Posted by Deanna on April 18, 2026, 10:17 am, in reply to "The United States is destroying itself"

in the US with the academic scores of reading and math.....because, they have gone back to the basics of education. They are beating the rest of the US in Academic scores...it seems...

So, the rest of the US needs to wake up and follow suit, if they don't want to be left behind....

Just another problem with the way the US Education program was going prior due to the Departmen ot Educations crazy ideas...apparently.....

AI says:
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have shown significant improvements in reading and math scores, particularly in 4th-grade reading, where Mississippi has moved from 49th to 7th in the nation. This progress is attributed to reforms such as early literacy laws, rigorous curricula, and strict disciplinary policies that have contributed to a stable learning environment.
learningpolicyinstitute.org city-journal.org

More......

Overview of Academic Improvements
Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have made notable strides in education, particularly in reading and math scores. These southern states have implemented various reforms that have contributed to their success.

Key Improvements in Scores
State 4th-Grade Reading Rank 8th-Grade Math Rank 8th-Grade Reading Rank
Mississippi 7th 35th 41st
Louisiana 28th 42nd 28th
Alabama 48th 45th Not specified
Factors Contributing to Success
Reforms Implemented

Early Literacy Laws: These laws emphasize phonics and foundational reading skills.
Rigorous Curricula: States have adopted more challenging educational standards.
Strict Disciplinary Policies: These policies help maintain order in classrooms, allowing for better learning environments.
Stability in Learning Environments
The focus on discipline and order has been crucial. States that have implemented strict disciplinary measures have seen improvements in student behavior, which directly impacts academic performance.

Conclusion
The educational reforms in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana have led to significant improvements in reading and math scores, particularly in 4th-grade reading. While challenges remain, these states are setting examples for others in the nation.
learningpolicyinstitute.org

Um...only one of those 8 cited stats is in the top half.

Posted by 7:77 on April 19, 2026, 8:03 am, in reply to "Apparently, Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi Are Leading"

These states are, to their credit, making some of the most rapid improvements, but that is in part simply a function of how much room for improvement they have. They're trending well, but still have a lot of catching up to do, something true of education red states in general.

Red states are, however, doing a little better in holding off "learning loss," mostly that which has been associated with COVID. So there's that...

Do you even understand what you are reading?

Posted by KR on April 18, 2026, 1:26 pm, in reply to "Apparently, Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi Are Leading"

They have made IMPROVEMENTS. They are not leading.

Learn how to understand data before you try to make a point.

LOLOL9L

Posted by Deanna on April 18, 2026, 2:27 pm, in reply to "Do you even understand what you are reading?"

I believe if they are 7th in the USA they are in the leading group! one thing I am afraid od is the school you were educated in…truly!

Doofus Deanna

Posted by CHE on April 19, 2026, 7:08 am, in reply to "LOLOL9L "

Doofus CHE!

Posted by Deanna on April 19, 2026, 7:56 am, in reply to "Doofus Deanna "

Classic....LOLOL...Keeps his mind in the gutter continually....SAD!

Re: Doofus CHE!

Posted by CHE on April 19, 2026, 9:22 am, in reply to "Doofus CHE!"

❤️❤️ good morning

A very irrational diatribe which ignores the root cause of decline.

Posted by Mondo Fuego™ on April 18, 2026, 9:37 am, in reply to "The United States is destroying itself"

One need only examine the following to understand cause and effect:

1. Biden's willful disregard of the sovreignty of our national border and laws.

2. Tim Walz's corrupt mismanagement of Minnesota and Minneapolis.

3. Pelosi's illegal use of inside information to build otherwise unexplained wealth.

4. Gavin Newsom's reckless mismanagement of California.

5. Hilary Clinton's entire crooked life.

6. Incompetent candidates like Kamala Harris.

7. A tax-and-spend Congress regardless of political affiliation.

8. An unhealthy lifestyle physically and fiscally, combined with erosion in moral and ethical norms, which has led to obesity, increased health problems, inflated cost of living, crime, greed, lowered educational standards, dramatically lowered expectations and achievement in youth, and increased socialistic expectations.

9. Irrational nuts like you who post ultra leftwing garbage daily written by frustrated wannabes like that homely Miss Cox, thinking it will somehow cure America's problems.

If I am wrong on any of my points, by all means show me how.

Waiting ..........

Re: A very irrational diatribe which ignores the root cause of decline.

Posted by Christopher Blackwell on April 18, 2026, 11:07 am, in reply to "A very irrational diatribe which ignores the root cause of decline."

Mondo, in your opinion. I would agree that the problems have grown under both parties, but the level of wide open corruption has taken off to the extreme under Trump in exactly then way that the article says. As for morality, I think it has always been more talked about than practiced in reality. Very little in our history shows any actual practice of morality.

Undoing the damage domestically will take years.

Posted by 7:77 on April 18, 2026, 8:12 am, in reply to "The United States is destroying itself"

Undoing the damage internationally will take generations.

I would love to travel again BUT

Posted by Trish on April 19, 2026, 9:44 am, in reply to "Undoing the damage domestically will take years."

I wouldn't blame anyone in many nations insulted by this administration for being hesitant and cold toward american tourists.

It's funny. People say all the time how rude the French are. When I was there, they were some of the nicest people other than those in Scotland.

We have a lot of perceived notions about the world that are very wrong

I still do, but not to nearly as many places as I might prefer.

Posted by 7:77 on April 19, 2026, 10:01 am, in reply to "I would love to travel again BUT"

Obviously a lot of back and forth between Japan and the US, but I still do some other, more discretionary travel. Mostly taking in other parts of East Asia of late, though. I'll probably avoid Europe for a while; traveling where the US is roundly despised right now doesn't seem like a good idea for anyone with a US passport.

And sheltered, insular Americans should make no mistake: the reputation and popularity of the US in formerly friendly, allied nations across the globe (but especially in Europe) is spiraling 'round the bowl. Many such will bleat that they "don't care" or "Europe needs us more than we need them" or other, similar ignorant twaddle, but that's simply not the case.

Are Americans nice to Europeans when they travel here?

Posted by Mondo Fuego™ on April 19, 2026, 6:35 pm, in reply to "I still do, but not to nearly as many places as I might prefer."

They would feel right at heme here in Nashville.

Seriously. We have people from all over visit here, and they seem to have a good time. Nobody made a fortune being rude to tourists. West coasters and New Yorkers like it so much, they stay.

Sounds like Europeans are a bit provincial and not capable of rising above global government squabble. All governments are offensive. Diplomacy is saying "nice doggie" until you find a big stick.

I would be far more concerned about traveling to New York, Chicago and Minneapolis. Jus' sayin'.

Re: Undoing the damage domestically will take years.

Posted by Christopher Blackwell on April 18, 2026, 11:16 am, in reply to "Undoing the damage domestically will take years."

7:77 I agree, if it even can be corrected from the corporation controlled government. Extreme wealth today controls a far larger share of the wealth then it did in the Gilded Age

Start by deporting 15 million illegal alien criminals.

Posted by Mondo Fuego™ on April 19, 2026, 6:55 pm, in reply to "Re: Undoing the damage domestically will take years."

The US has been a de facto oligarchy for decades.

Posted by 7:77 on April 19, 2026, 10:05 am, in reply to "Re: Undoing the damage domestically will take years."

Course corrections have to overcome that grim reality...so mostly they don't happen. =(

A "correction" is a relative term.

Posted by Cheap Seats Shaman *= on April 18, 2026, 2:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Undoing the damage domestically will take years."

Your form of it has already impinged upon my freedoms and conflicts with logic.

Mine hopes to restore these freedoms.

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[ R&E Political Discussion - Spring 2026 ]