Dear Friends,
CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S PODCAST. Here’s an overview of the program, with Dr. Charles Goldman joining Ed and Kathy in the studio:
Dr. Charles Goldman
CLIMATE CHANGE. President Joe Biden has made the climate emergency a top priority. That’s great — but also surprising, given Biden’s sluggish arrival to the climate conversation leading up to the Iowa Caucuses. Certainly, the grassroots can take much credit for moving him forward. But he’s also now being pushed to take action by big corporations, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Walmart, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-cola, and Pacific Gas & Electric.
CORPORATIONS. But … are the big companies clamoring for climate action willing to cough up more taxes to help pay for it? Heck, are they willing to pay any taxes at all? Let’s ask Archer-Daniels-Midland, FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Xcel Energy, and the fifty other big corporations that paid zero federal income taxes in 2020.
CORONAVIRUS. Even as more and more of us get vaccinated and the danger of dying from COVID-19 shrinks, many Americans are stuck in survival mode, obsessing over the risks. That’s not to say we’re out of the woods and should abandon reasonable safety measures, but let’s put it in perspective: today, around 100 Americans will die in an automobile accident. Also today, somewhere between zero and one vaccinated American will die from COVID-19.
COURTS. President Biden and congressional Democrats have a rare opportunity — and some might argue a moral obligation — to reverse the damage done to the federal courts by Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell. Beyond that, Democrats have the constitutional authority to implement needed reforms, some that were proffered by the Federalist Society years before it came up as an issue in the 2020 election.
COVER UP. As parts of the Midwest braced for a string of below-freezing days this week, many gardeners asked if they should do anything to protect their crops. The answer is … depends on the crop, and how many spare blankets you have lying around. Kathy and I are particularly cautious with our vertical strawberry “patch” — growing in reclaimed gutters along our fence.
Thanks again for reading, listening, watching, and otherwise supporting this alternative to the corporate-dominated stations that have taken over the public airwaves. — Ed Fallon
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(01:44) Climate Change: America is back
(13:36) Corporations: Raise their taxes
(25:35) Coronavirus: Get over it!
(38:08) Courts: Biden’s narrow window for much-needed reforms
(50:45) Cover up: When spring delivers a snow shower, with Kathy Byrnes, Birds & Bees Urban Farm
Watch the conversation with Kathy Byrnes on our YouTube channel.
Please support the local businesses and non-profits who make this program possible. Click on their logos elsewhere and visit Story County Veterinary Clinic, Bold Iowa, and Birds & Bees Urban Farm.
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Thanks for supporting the progressive alternative to the right-wing shock jocks!
Ed Fallon