The Political Divide

Writing about the political divide in The Nett Report has been difficult because most of the stories are positioned on one side of the divide or the other. Identifying writers and others with thoughts on solutions is not easy, but we will keep trying. Here are some examples.

“I think it’s necessary that we get back to the days when we engage on substance, and we don’t treat or political adversaries as enemies. The nation demands that and the nation deserves that …  I think Joe Biden’s policies are really dangerous for the country, but I think my responsibility is to lay out why, based on substance, and to have those substantive debates. And not just encourage the vitriol that doesn’t serve anybody.”

From Republican Representative Liz Cheney in an interview with NBC’s Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie on May 13, 2021, after being ousted by her party from a Republican leadership position.

“I'm a proud progressive who thinks Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney and George W. Bush are true patriots.”

From an opinion by Democrat Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in CNN.com on May 6, 2021

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Data says 2020 election was the most diverse ever

Heather Cox Richardson, in her newsletter Letters from an American on May 10, 2021, reports on data from Catalist, a voter database company in Washington, D.C. that shows “the 2020 election was the most diverse ever, with Latino and Asian voters turning out in bigger numbers than ever before. Black voting increased substantially, while Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters had a decisive increase in turnout. The electorate was 72% white, down 2% from 2016 and 5% from 2008. Thirty-nine percent of Biden-Harris voters were people of color (61% were white); only 15% of Trump-Pence voters were people of color (85% were white).

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Ban on societal and political discussions at Basecamp results in employee exodus

TechCrunch reported on April 30, 2021, that roughly a third of Basecamp’s 60 employees accepted buyouts to leave after CEO Jason Fried announced that employees would no longer be allowed to share their “societal and political discussions” at work. The software firm specializes in making teams “more productive and better organized.” TechCrunch says “Basecamp’s head of design, head of marketing and head of customer support will all depart. The company’s iOS team also appears to have quit en masse and many departing employees have been with the company for years.”

Climate Change

“Do you realize that climate is the only major social or political movement that I can think of that refuses to use emotion? Where’s the identifiable song? Where’s the bumper sticker? Where’s the slogan? Where’s the flag? Where’s the logo?”

James Carville, Democratic Strategist, Vox.com, April 27, 2021

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EPA and NOAA reports say climate change is intensifying

An EPA report delayed from release for three years has cited the “destruction of year-round permafrost in Alaska, loss of winter ice on the Great Lakes, and spikes in summer heat wave in the U.S.” as evidence that climate change is intensifying. As reported on May 12, 2021, in the Washington Post, the “changes are being driven at least in part by human caused global warming.” Another Post story on May 4, 2021, quoted NOAA as saying “U.S. climate normals are warmer than ever.”

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California not in drought, this is normal and due to climate change

As we have been saying for years in presentations, the west has been in a drought pattern since 1999, with most years below historical averages for precipitation and snow pack, with only a small minority exceeding the average. An opinion by the Los Angeles Times editorial board on May 6, 2021, was more succinct: “We legislated and plumbed this state for a different climate pattern, when annual winter rains reliably fell on Sonoma and points north, and a full Sierra snow pack reliably melted through the spring and summer to feed streams and irrigate orchards and farm fields. That era is long gone … Droughts are deviations from the norm. What we have now is no deviation. It is the norm itself. Our climate has changed. As much water falls from the sky as before, but at different times and in different ways.”

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Sierra snow pack survey canceled because of lack of snow

On May 1 each year, the California Department of Water Resources hikes to a location in the Sierras known as Phillips Station to do the “final snow pack survey of the season.” This year, according to an article in myMotherLode.com on April 30, 2021, there was not enough snow to take a reading, so they didn’t go. In a matter of weeks, the Sierra snow pack had declined from 73% of average to 30% of average because of “warming temperatures that are accelerating the release of water from the Sierra Nevada, and it is going into the very dry and thirsty ground.”

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Chinese greenhouse gas emissions larger than developed countries combined

According to another Washington Post story, this one on May 6, 2021, greenhouse gas emissions from China now account for 27 percent of global emissions, more than those of all developed countries combined. The U.S. accounts for 11 percent.

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Emissions from air conditioners and refrigerators to be curbed

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are the chemicals that make air conditioners and refrigerators efficient in cooling. They also trap heat in the atmosphere at a rate thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide. A Wall Street Journal story on May 3, 2021, reported that the U.S. EPA has proposed rules to reduce the use of these coolants by 85% over 15 years. The story says “the regulations are favored by large portions of U.S. industry.”  The action “will spur manufacturing of new, climate-safe products,” according to the EPA.

The Future of Work / The Economy

"It's almost a buying frenzy… People have money in their pocket, and they're paying higher prices” and there is more inflation “than people would have anticipated six months ago.”

Warren Buffet, at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, Bloomberg Wealth, May 2, 2021

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Federal Reserve say Covid remains near term financial risk

The Wall Street Journal on May 6, 2021, reported that the Federal Reserve says “the Covid-19 pandemic remains one of the biggest near-term risks to the stability of the financial system, while noting that asset prices are vulnerable to significant declines if investor sentiment shifts.” The story reviewed the Fed's semiannual Financial Stability Report which said “should risk appetite decline from elevated levels, a range of asset prices could be vulnerable to large and sudden declines, which can lead to broader stress to the financial system. Such scenarios could materialize if progress on containing the virus falls short of expectations or the recovery stalls, straining some households and firms.” The report said “other parts of the financial system remain resilient,” citing banks, household debt, and businesses servicing their obligations.

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Businesses struggle to find workers despite high unemployment

According to a Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2021, story, despite unemployment in the millions, many companies are having trouble finding workers, particularly those in manufacturing, restaurants, and construction. There are multiple causes, including:

• Fear of getting or spreading Covid-19.
• Parents without childcare as businesses open back up before schools do.
• Earning more from unemployment than they would from working.
• Lack of skills for the jobs available.
• Unwillingness to switch to a new career.

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Shortages in top talent also becoming a business concern

CEO Daily on May 5, 2021, reported on a Russell Reynolds survey of 1,300 executives that found “the battle for talent is becoming a growing business concern.”

• 59% cited the availability of key talent as one of the top factors that may impact their business in the next 12-18 months.
• 61% of C-suite executives and 73% of next-generation leaders say they would be willing to change their employer for the right opportunity.

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Black homeowners falling behind mortgages at double overall rate

Racial inequities have been exposed due to Covid-19 in many places. New data reported in the Wall Street Journal on May 2, 2021, revealed that 11% of black homeowners are in forbearance, pausing paying their mortgages or temporarily making a lower payment, double the rate of homeowners overall.

Covid-19

China, WHO and western countries blamed for Covid catastrophe

According to the May 13, 2021 CEO Daily, a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) blames itself and China for the spread of Covid-19, but it also took aim at western countries “for wasting February 2020 with inaction.”

The Nett Light-Side

San Diego Padres – the most fun team in baseball?

An April 29, 2021, story in Slate asks if the San Diego Padres are the most fun team in baseball, and if the team can save this struggling sport. Apparently, the rate of Americans  identifying baseball as their favorite sport was 39 percent in 1948 and had fallen to 9 percent by 2017. “Kids have gravitated to other sports,“ the article says. Much of the reporting is about Fernando Tatis, the team’s young shortstop who brings a lot of fun and excitement to the game, as do several other Padres players. The story says that “since Tatis entered the league, he has hit at a more productive level than any shortstop this century.”

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It’s for the birds - cams, maps and more 

For whatever reason, a number of bird stories caught our attention recently. 

• The Cornell Lab has posted a number of live bird cams, including barred owls, red tailed hawks, California condors, and many more.
• If you are wondering about birds migrating through your area, BirdCast has live bird migration maps that visualize the birds moving around the U.S. using radar.
• Finally, The Cornell Lab has also been able to use DNA from a bird’s feathers to determine its origins.

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Top ten famous horses

From Mr. Ed to Secretariat, Heather Cox Richardson in her May 2, 2021, newsletter Letters from an American, reports on her view of the ten most famous American horses.

Nettleton Strategies - Helping You Navigate the Big Reset

This is a challenging time for many, in ways we have never experienced before. If you would like help navigating your way forward, contact us to learn how we can help!

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Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, acclaimed speaker, facilitator, and a subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S. Mexico border affairs. Founded in 2007, Nettleton Strategies is a trusted source of analysis and advice on issues at the forefront of public policy, business and the environment.