Zero Sum or Win-Win

In yesterday's New York Times, Eduardo Porter gave an insightful analysis of the way a large segment of Americans see the social safety net. In my view, there are two types of people. One group sees life as a zero-sum game: if you are winning (i.e., getting an undeserved benefit from government programs), then I am losing. The other group sees life as win-win: we all benefit when people's lives are improved by the social safety net. ACA (Obamacare) is a win-win program. The health care proposal being worked on by the Republican-controlled Congress is zero-sum. I have an idea: instead of shrinking the social safety net to appease groups who feel they are being left out, why not expand the safety net so that everyone benefits? Oh, but that would be too Scandinavian.

This Is Bigger Than Email Server

Some people are still blaming Comey for the election of the 45th President. When you are living in the middle of history, it is difficult, if not impossible, to see clearly cause and effect. I read The Economist to help me look at today's world from a different perspective. 

This week's cover story is the upcoming French presidential election. The Economist editors sum up the difference between the top contenders this way: "The implications of these insurgencies are hard to exaggerate. They are the clearest example yet of a global trend: that the old divide between left and right is growing less important that a new one between open and closed."

When seen in a global context, the election of the 45th President is less an affirmation of American Exceptionalism and more another manifestation of the political forces of disruption that have been moving west from eastern Europe. Will the French election disrupt the long-running European social, economic and political contract the way Brexit did? 

Our response: Resist the forces that will close the future. Stay true to the openness and diversity that define American Exceptionalism at its best.

10 Steps to Staying Sane in Trumpland

1. Keep ACLU pocket U.S. Constitution with you at all times.
2. Show up at one Marco Rubio demonstration to establish your Resistance cred.
3. Sneak off on Saturday afternoon to see a live HD presentation of opera from the Met.
4. Don't read even one news story about Kellyanne Conway.
5. Let digital natives manage social media for the Lake Nona Democrats.
6. Focus on the long game: electing progressives in 2017, 2018 and 2020.
7. Read the obituaries in the New York Times to meet truly inspiring people.
8. Get thrown out of an Indivisible meeting to show you haven't lost your New York edge.
9. Build up immunity to constant viral revelations by repeating each morning: "Donald Trump represents an existential threat to the country and the world."
10. Finally, tell your family and friends you love them every day!

The Indefatigable Mr. Smith

I first met Carlos Guillermo Smith when I became a precinct woman for the Orange County DEC in spring 2010. He was the legislative aide to Scott Randolph in Tallahassee at the time. Last night, I was at the ribbon-cutting for Carlos's district office. He is now the Florida State Representative for House District 49.

I greeted Carlos with one question: Do you ever sleep? The indefatigable Mr. Smith said not much, with a proud smile. It seems about half the posts to my Facebook page are from Carlos, chronicling his debates, speeches, and media appearances. Although a freshman member in the minority, Carlos is not sitting back to see how it is done. His experience as legislative aide serves him well. He is determined to make a difference from the start. I am confident that he will.

I am proud to be a supporter of Florida State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith!

Income Inequality Starts at Home

Eduardo Porter is a left-leaning journalist for the New York Times whose column appears on the first page of the Business section every Wednesday. Yesterday's column described one cause of the shredding of the social and economic contract between employers and workers that contributes to the growing income inequality in this country.

I was reminded of the negative reaction when IBM moved from a defined benefit retirement plan to a defined contribution retirement plan (401k) and laid off worker for the first time in its history. No longer could workers count on staying with one company for their entire careers. Much of the recent discourse has been about globalization, technology and other economic forces. Read this article for another cause. And check out Porter's column every week. I always learn something important.

All Politics Is Local

After attending several Indivisible and Women's March meetings, I entered an alternate universe in the Odyssey Middle School cafeteria last evening. Orlando City Commissioner Jim Gray had a town hall meeting with residents of communities along Lee Vista,  primarily east of Narcoossee Road. 

There was no talk of health care, immigration bans, reproductive rights or any of the topics that dominate the Resistance movement. This meeting was about threats to the quality of daily life in the neighborhood because of the volume and speed of residential and commercial development in the area, importantly including Lake Nona. Traffic was the big concern. Someone said he had trouble getting out of his community in the morning because of heavy traffic on the main road. This is important when you are trying to get to work on time. There were also concerns about the capacity of schools to absorb new students. From the back and forth between Gray and the residents, it was clear to me that many people there did not feel Gray had been an effective advocate for their positions. 

Electing a Democrat to the City Council for District 1 is a goal of many Lake Nona Democrats. It seems to me that doing so will require focusing on local issues that, for the most part, have not appeared on the LND Facebook page. I got lost trying to follow the discussion  of the road developments in the District, including an evacuation route mandated by the State of Florida. It was no surprise that there is a project to widen Narcoossee Road to six lanes from 528 to 417. But as one resident pointed out, that would mean removing the green space in the middle of the road. People didn't move here years ago to live in urban congestion. 

Candidates who run against Gray will have a real challenge, not because Gray is so strong but because the issues are so difficult.

Left of Steve Bannon

Just a thought as I read the posts and emails from people who are happy with the new DNC Chair and people who are unhappy. Do you know anyone active in the Resistance who is not to the left of Steve Bannon?

Let's take back the House and the Senate in 2018. Then let's debate whether we should work to improve the ACA as a transition to Single Payer or move directly to Medicare for All. First things first.

Just a thought.