Good morning!
Welcome to Issue 48.2 of Digestable, your thrice-weekly mouthful of things happening in the world, minus alarmist pandemic news.
Today’s news, fermented:
On this day last year, I got off a plane after a three-day trip to California, went to a café, went to my office, went home, no mask, no test. Truly a wild thing to consider.
As we approach/roll towards/drag ourselves towards the end of the first ‘pandemic year’ in the US, it’s crucial to recognize that the fights that seemed like they would be easier are still very much a struggle. The fact that a Biden aide said ‘COVID was key’ to his win should be reminder enough that the Powers That Be aren’t exactly prioritizing the needs of the people, but oh, there’s more.
In case you had missed the discourse about how people who make nearly $90 an hour get to decide if everyone else is subjected to the $7.25 minimum wage, here’s some details on that. Basically, despite controlling the House and the Senate, there are two Democrats who oppose including a $15 minimum wage in the next COVID relief package, and that could be enough to kill this decade-overdue update, among other archaic procedural hurdles. Yes, what we’re looking at is that working-class and BIPOC organizers busted it to win this majority and this presidency, and now, aforementioned majority and presidency aren’t doing jack shit to protect those very same people.
Moving right along, there are also the Indigenous people who have been struggling to access healthcare throughout the pandemic (plus 500 years of genocide and other assorted violence at the hands of the state). There’s been some coverage of how hard-hit the Navajo nation has been, but for native folks who live off of reservations (which is most of the Indigenous population), there’s an additional challenge—getting culturally-appropriate care that’s well-funded and accessible. Maybe that has something to do with the settlers making decisions about how we allocate resources…
And then, what if you’re a person who needs an abortion? Access to this essential service was already in peril, but has ‘flickered’ on and off in states across the country, threatened by bureaucracy, the makeup of the Supreme Court, and perhaps all those men determining who gets what kind of care.
Looking at these issues separately or together begs the question, despite months (years) of organizing to get a ‘Democratic majority’ in place—who is this government even for?
If only our stupid proto-democracy could have the same sense as an octopus, who knows how to keep all of its eight arms out of trouble.
(via)
*Hot Goss*
Back on Friday from the superb Latifah Azlan.