January 29, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/zika-virus-at-pandemic-level-national-institutes-of-health-says/

Zika virus at "pandemic" level, National Institutes of Health says
By JONATHAN LAPOOK CBS NEWS
January 28, 2016

Photograph -- In this Dec. 23, 2015 photo, Dejailson Arruda holds his daughter Luiza at their house in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe, Pernambuco state, Brazil. FELIPE DANA/AP
Graphics -- zikamap-2-title.jpg, The CDC has issued a travel alert advising pregnant women to postpone travel to nearly two dozen countries -- mostly in Central and South America and the Caribbean -- where Zika transmission is ongoing. CDC/CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- NIH director: We don’t expect major Zika virus outbreak in U.S.
Play VIDEO -- U.S. doctors prepare as Zika virus spreads


NEW YORK -- The World Health Organization warned Thursday the Zika virus is "spreading explosively," and could infect four million people by the end of the year.

It's in 23 countries, including the U.S., where it is now being called a pandemic, with 31 cases in eleven states and D.C. since last year. All the patients here were infected by mosquitoes abroad.

The virus, first discovered in the Zika Forest in Uganda in the 1940s, is linked to serious birth defects.

"Questions abound," WHO director Margaret Chan said. "We need to get some answers quickly."

The organization will convene an emergency meeting on Monday to plan its response.

The Zika virus, which is linked to children being born with small heads, poses several challenges. Diagnostic tests are imperfect. There's no treatment and no vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the infectious diseases branch of the National Institutes of Health, says the outbreak is a pandemic.

"You have multiple countries in South America and in the Caribbean, so by anybody's definition that would be considered a pandemic," Fauci told CBS News.

There's concern the virus will eventually be found in mosquitoes in the U.S.

"If you have this much Zika in South America and the Caribbean, sooner or later we're going to see a local transmission," he said.

Fauci said controlling mosquitoes that could carry Zika is key, and the United States has one big advantage.

"Most of the United States goes through a real winter and that's very, very important in containing mosquito-borne viruses," he said.

Ana Palazzo, 35, is pregnant with twins. Two months ago, she cut short a trip to Brazil and returned to New York.

"I want my babies to be safe and I was very anxious about it," Palazzo told CBS News. "I didn't feel safe there."

There are still a lot of unknowns and the healthcare community is watching the virus carefully.



“It's in 23 countries, including the U.S., where it is now being called a pandemic, with 31 cases in eleven states and D.C. since last year. All the patients here were infected by mosquitoes abroad. …. There's concern the virus will eventually be found in mosquitoes in the U.S. "If you have this much Zika in South America and the Caribbean, sooner or later we're going to see a local transmission," he said. …. "Most of the United States goes through a real winter and that's very, very important in containing mosquito-borne viruses," he said.”


This article largely summarizes information from the past weeks, but there is information in it concerning the US. Luckily we haven’t found (I won’t say “don’t have”) any Zita infected mosquitoes in the US yet, but we have a long history of serious mosquito borne diseases here including yellow fever, malaria and the so-called “break bone fever,” now called Dengue fever. Many of our early forebears were killed by these diseases.

See “http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/history/elimination_us.html” and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3516305/. We are far from being safe here. We have half a dozen subtropical states with lots of swamps and river deltas. I’m interested in the article from several days back about a scientific experiment involving selectively breeding mosquitoes which have a lethal gene that takes effect before they are of breeding age. Those mosquitoes are then set loose in the wild to breed with the natural population and spread their lethal gene around. That should reduce the fertile mosquito population significantly.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-hallman-gay-veteran-kicked-out-of-army-receives-honorable-discharge/

Gay veteran, 82, receives honorable discharge after Army kicked him out
CBS/AP
January 29, 2016


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An 82-year-old Ohio veteran has received an honorable discharge a half century after the Army kicked him out for being gay.

Donald Hallman of Columbus requested a reversal of his 1955 "undesirably" discharged status after President Barack Obama repealed the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" rule in 2010.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, helped Hallman obtain the update. Brown says an estimated 100,000 Americans have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation since World War II and often lost benefits they had earned.

Brown co-sponsored federal legislation to help service members discharged solely due to their sexual orientation correct their military records and receive reinstated benefits.

Hallman served from 1953 to 1955 and was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany.

In September, Hallman told the New York Times that he hid his sexual orientation "because it would have ruined my life."

In a YouTube video posted by Stonewall Columbus, Hallman said that he was discharged shortly after an encounter with a man on the sidewalk of Frankfurt.

"I was on an airplane back to New York and discharged almost immediately," Halllman said. "Just bang, bang, bang... no explanation, no conversation, no nothing."

Hallman said he eventually married and had three children.



“U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, helped Hallman obtain the update. Brown says an estimated 100,000 Americans have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation since World War II and often lost benefits they had earned. Brown co-sponsored federal legislation to help service members discharged solely due to their sexual orientation correct their military records and receive reinstated benefits. …. In a YouTube video posted by Stonewall Columbus, Hallman said that he was discharged shortly after an encounter with a man on the sidewalk of Frankfurt.”


“Hallman said he eventually married and had three children.” Some men who have sexual contact with men are also sufficiently attracted to women to successfully marry and procreate. They are usually called bisexual. Women are also bisexual as well. In the 1950s however, a very socially conservative time, it was a shocking scandal if it got out as common knowledge. I’m glad to see that the Army is redressing the wrongs done to soldiers in earlier years. Losing medals, rank and pension is no small injury.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-stores-nationwide-closures-impact-small-towns-employees/

Walmart closures a "double blow" for many frustrated residents
CBS NEWS
January 29, 2016

Play VIDEO -- Walmart imports from China drain 400,000 jobs from U.S.


More than 100 Walmarts around the country shut their doors Thursday for good -- many in small towns and rural areas with few other shopping options.

The retailer cites a long-term strategy shift and financial performance. Company shares are down 25 percent over the past 12 months, and the nationwide closures will also impact thousands of employees, reports CBS News correspondent David Begnaud.

"It's maddening because Walmart chose to do this," said resident Retha Thompson, who feels betrayed by Walmart's decision to leave Whitewright, Texas just 12 months after its grand opening. "They chose to come here and then when they put the other grocery store out of business, they want to close down and leave. I'm mad."

She's talking about "Pettit's," the mom and pop grocery that was a mainstay in this small town for nearly 60 years.

"Business - it just quit coming," Larry Deeds, the store's co-owner said.

Pettit's closed about nine months after Walmart opened.

"It's almost enough to bring a tear to your eye to see all these shelves empty," said Will Pettit, who worked here since he was 16.

When Walmart moved in last year, Whitewright's Mayor Allen West said a little competition from Walmart was a good thing. But now that it's leaving, "it's going to hurt the city financially, it's going to hurt the citizens economically and not good for their mental status," the mayor said.

Walmart is closing 154 stores in 27 states, many of them in small towns. In a statement to CBS News, Walmart said:

"The decision to close some of our stores was not easy and we share in the communities' disappointment. We're always searching for opportunities to serve more customers throughout the country -- especially those in underserved communities. We're now focused on where we can help impacted communities through our plans for charitable giving and expediting the process to work with potential buyers for these locations."

"Communities are finally getting a look at not only the effects of when Walmart comes into town, but also when they leave," said Bloomberg news reporter Shannon Pettypiece. "And I think that is a double blow for a lot people."

But Deeds said Walmart doesn't deserve all the blame.

"I lost some customers that had been coming to me for 20 or more years," Deeds said.

And now that Walmart is closed, Retha Thompson will drive half an hour to the closest grocery store.

"It won't be Walmart. I'm done with Walmart," Thompson said.

Two of Thompson's daughters-in-law were Walmart employees. They were offered either a severance package or the opportunity to relocate to work at another store, as goes for thousands of other employees across the country.


“More than 100 Walmarts around the country shut their doors Thursday for good -- many in small towns and rural areas with few other shopping options. The retailer cites a long-term strategy shift and financial performance. Company shares are down 25 percent over the past 12 months, and the nationwide closures will also impact thousands of employees, reports CBS News correspondent David Begnaud. …. "They chose to come here and then when they put the other grocery store out of business, they want to close down and leave. I'm mad." She's talking about "Pettit's," the mom and pop grocery that was a mainstay in this small town for nearly 60 years.”


It would be really interesting if Pettit’s and the town of Whitewright were to sue Walmart for their persistent, overly aggressive and monopolistic business practices. It seems to me that this may be covered under the Antitrust Laws. Maybe all the towns where they have bullied their way in and basically destroyed the local economy like this could join the suit. It would be the most spectacular class action suit in years. A Walmart tried to force its’ way into a Jacksonville neighborhood a few years ago, but the citizens banded together and stopped the deal. We need more of that.

Unfortunately, antitrust protection for small businesses and communities is less inclusive, according to the article below, than is protection for private individuals. This, however, is a matter of legal argumentation and interpretation. The Wikipedia article below on antitrust laws, which is of considerable interest to me, shows a bias in favor of the larger businesses. It’s all a part of economic theory, as are so many things in this country which show unfair competition being held up as a good thing. The following excerpt shows that there is room for the Supreme Court, perhaps, to weigh in on it. It lays out the arguments on the subject of why small businesses often don’t get antitrust protection. Of course, the real reason is pure politics.

“One view, mostly closely associated with the ‘Chicago School of economics’ suggests that antitrust laws should focus solely on the benefits to consumers and overall efficiency, while a broad range of legal and economic theory sees the role of antitrust laws as also controlling economic power in the public interest. [1]”

The whole point of antitrust legislation was to break up huge companies, i.e. the “robber barons.” This “conservative” view on competition in business is ridiculous. Protect private citizens, yes, but protect small economic endeavors as well. Small towns often have no other way for their citizens to transact business, and the diversity that comes from an active participation by the local mom and pop shop is healthy for the overall economy – competition, ya know? It is sad to see our smaller towns which have been in existence for a hundred years or more simply die. They have emotional and historic value to many past residents.


See Wikipedia article excerpt below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_antitrust_law

United States antitrust law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“United States antitrust law is a collection of federal and state government laws that regulates the conduct and organization of business corporations, generally to promote fair competition for the benefit of consumers. (The concept is called competition law in other English-speaking countries.) The main statutes are the Sherman Act 1890, the Clayton Act 1914 and the Federal Trade Commission Act 1914. These Acts, first, restrict the formation of cartels and prohibit other collusive practices regarded as being in restraint of trade. Second, they restrict the mergers and acquisitions of organizations which could substantially lessen competition. Third, they prohibit the creation of a monopoly and the abuse of monopoly power.

The Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, state governments and private parties who are sufficiently affected may all bring actions in the courts to enforce the antitrust laws. The scope of antitrust laws, and the degree to which they should interfere in an enterprise's freedom to conduct business, or to protect smaller businesses, communities and consumers, are strongly debated. One view, mostly closely associated with the "Chicago School of economics" suggests that antitrust laws should focus solely on the benefits to consumers and overall efficiency, while a broad range of legal and economic theory sees the role of antitrust laws as also controlling economic power in the public interest.[1]”


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_school_of_economics

Chicago school of economics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Chicago school of economics is a neoclassical school of economic thought associated with the work of the faculty at the University of Chicago, some of whom have constructed and popularized its principles.

In the context of macroeconomics, it is connected to the freshwater school of macroeconomics, in contrast to the saltwater school based in coastal universities (notably Harvard, MIT, and Berkeley). Chicago macroeconomic theory rejected Keynesianism in favor of monetarism until the mid-1970s, when it turned to new classical macroeconomics heavily based on the concept of rational expectations. The freshwater-saltwater distinction is largely antiquated today, as the two traditions have heavily incorporated ideas from each other. Specifically, New Keynesian economics was developed as a response to new classical economics, electing to incorporate the insight of rational expectations without giving up the traditional Keynesian focus on imperfect competition and sticky wages.

Chicago economists have also left their intellectual influence in other fields, notably in pioneering public choice theory and law and economics, which have led to revolutionary changes in the study of political science and law. Other economists affiliated with Chicago have made their impact in fields as diverse as social economics and economic history. Thus, there is not a clear delineation of the Chicago school of economics, a term that is more commonly used in the popular media than in academic circles.[citation needed] Nonetheless, Kaufman (2010) says that the School can be generally characterized by:[1] ‘A deep commitment to rigorous scholarship and open academic debate, an uncompromising belief in the usefulness and insight of neoclassical price theory, and a normative position that favors and promotes economic liberalism and free markets.’”


From Quora on economic theories --

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-the-neo-classical-and-the-Keynesian-approach

What is the difference between the neo-classical and the Keynesian approach?

Answers:

(NOTE: I have left grammar, spelling and capitalization errors as they were published. There are none here that prohibit understanding of the statement. Each one is informative and interesting.)


Dmitri Mehlhorn, Husband; father; school room parent; angel investor; Democratic donor & activist.
Written Jun 15, 2015

“I know you can Google the scholarly answers so will give you a blunt and simplistic take.

Classical says essentially that the market will clear itself. If prices drop and most of society is in a depression with limited activity, rational actors will take advantage and start buying and making stuff because inputs are so cheap.

Keynesian says that mass psychology doesn't work that way. When there's a depression it can keep on going because the massive desire to avoid risk overwhelms the few risk-takers. Thus we must have interventions (fiscal and monetary) to get the psychology in the right direction.”


Ranvijai Ravi
Written Jan 2, 2015

“Economics is qualitative and quantitative study on allocation, distribution and production of economic resources. . . . .

There are two school of thoughts: Neoclassical and Keynesian. Each of them take different approach to economic study of the monetary policy, consumer behavior and government spending.

Neoclassical economic theory is based on laissez-faire economic market. lasissez-faire means free market economy with no or little government intervention.

Keynesian economic theory relies on spending and aggregate demand to define the economic marketplace. It means supply and demand are controlled by government agencies.

Neoclassical economic theory does not depend on government's spending. It believes government spending can retard the economic growth by increasing in public sector and decreasing in private sector.

Keynesian economic theory relies on government spending to jump start economic growth during sluggish economic downturn.

Neoclassical economic theory focuses on long term solutions of economic problems. The effect of inflation, government regulations and taxes can play important role in developing classical economic theories.

Keynesian economic theory focuses on immediate effect of economic problem. During economic recessions, depressions individual players have not enough resources for creating immediate results. The government is seen as only force to end these downturns through fiscal or monetary policies.”


Kyle Samuels
Written Dec 18 417 Views

“classical economics believes that markets are flexible both up and down. Keynes believed that prices and wages where sticky downward. in the first case recession are temporary, where as in Keynes they can go on indefinitely because they are in an unemployed equilibrium. Neo clasiscal return to the belief that markets are more dynamic in modern era. Hence less stickness. This was somewhat born out during the 80's when the fed let unemployment rise to dampen down inflationary expectations. Neoclasicist believe in expectations more. The last recession showed that in s deep recession KeynesIan response is preferred. But neoclassicals have better model for high growth periods. Clinton policies where actually more neoclassical, where as ObAna more keynsian”



This last answer, though having less grammatical correctness and worse spelling, really sums it up and explains why I prefer the Obama and Sanders approaches to the Clinton view. Hillary and Bill Clinton were more from the Neoclassical view than the Keynesian, as are most moderate Republicans and Democrats, for that matter, in this country. People like me tend to view that as the result of Big Money, especially the Koch Brothers. The Tea Party group are more conservative and Bernie Sanders is more left-leaning. The above Quora question does not incorporate the “New Keynesian” philosophy, but the article on the Chicago School Of Economics does.

One of the few things I remember from my economics 101 course is that the term “liberal,” among economists, refers to the old Laissez Fair theory espoused only by Conservatives nowadays, so that is probably why Clinton chose to describe himself as a “New Democrat” and a “Progressive,” and most modern Democrats have picked up that usage as well. One reference to “Progressive” that I saw stated that it doesn’t mean the Keynesian economic theory that has been used for years in this country under that term “liberal,” but has instead a socially progressive emphasis -- referring to "progress" -- such as the promotion of civil rights, pro-unionism, poverty programs, etc.

In other words, the wealthy Republicans today, who mainly want to continue getting ever richer on a daily basis, as the old 1930s song said “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”; but the blue collar and less well educated Republicans want White Power, a strong emphasis on the Fundamentalist Protestant religions, States’ Rights and “small government.” To me that is a code word for no help for the needy, strict segregation and other Jim Crow laws, freedom from federal legal control, etc. They want to turn the clock back 40 years or more. The Oregon anarchists from last week, while more extreme, are in the same trend of thought. “A pox on all their houses.”


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/solitary-confinement-lasting-toll-on-mental-health/

Solitary confinement takes lasting toll on mental health
By MARY BROPHY MARCUS CBS NEWS
January 26, 2016

Play VIDEO -- Obama bans solitary confinement for juveniles in fed prisons

President Obama's decision to ban the use of solitary confinement for juveniles and low-level offenders in federal prisons shines a spotlight on the deep mental scars such punishment can inflict.

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, the president wrote that solitary confinement has the potential for "devastating, lasting psychological consequences." Mental health experts agree, saying it's traumatic and life stunting, especially for young offenders.

The president cited Kalief Browder's story. Browder was 16 years old in 2010, when he was accused of stealing a backpack. Unable to make bail, the Bronx, New York, teen was sent to Rikers Island jail where he spent two years in solitary confinement. In the end, charges were dropped and he was released without ever standing trial.

But Browder had been irreparably scarred by the experience and committed suicide at age 22.

"Life was a constant struggle to recover from the trauma of being locked up alone for 23 hours a day," Mr. Obama wrote.

Solitary confinement -- being placed in a locked room or cell with minimal or no contact with other people with the exception of staff -- is supposed to only be used as a protective mechanism, when a temporary emergency separation is required for medical reasons, or there's a need to separate prisoners who pose a threat.

But instead, solitary confinement is too often used as a form of discipline or punishment, Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told CBS News.

Kraus previously worked for nine years at a maximum-security youth center in Joliet, Illinois. He has also served as a consultant to the Department of Justice on civil rights violations of youth in correctional facilities.

"What has become more and more evident in recent years is that it's progressively being used for punitive methods for kids," Kraus said. "There are still many states that use it for punitive purposes, for punishing kids, and that simply can not be allowed. There are examples of kids spending weeks on solitary confinement and that borders on cruel and unusual punishment."

Dr. Victor Fornari, director of the division of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, in Glen Oaks, New York, and Cohen Children's Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, said, "Solitary confinement is a pretty traumatic experience and often the individuals who are incarcerated, whose behavior warrants increased disciplinary action, have been very traumatized in their early lives."

He said solitary confinement can exacerbate traumatic memories of previous traumas, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse. "Or their startle response can increase, where they become hyper vigilant and have intrusive negative thoughts. It's very toxic for any age," said Fornari.

Kraus said the American Medical Association came out with a formal policy against solitary confinement for juveniles in November 2014, but even before that, in 1990, the United Nations prohibited solitary confinement of juveniles.

He said while the president's move is an important one, "It's amazing to think it took 26 years for there to be a policy on a federal level." He said more states -- where far more juveniles are incarcerated than in the federal prison system -- need to follow suit.

In the meantime, young people especially are continuing to be damaged by the practice, Kraus said.

"There's a tremendous negative impact on youth placed in solitary confinement. It can worsen anxiety symptoms and worsen post-traumatic symptoms. Many of these kids have already been subjected to prior neglect and abuse and this would only worsen that symptomatology -- depression symptoms and issues of acting out behaviors, and issues of hopelessness," said Kraus.

He said the majority of suicides that occur in juvenile corrections happen when kids are isolated from everyone else.

Kraus was the primary author of a 2012 statement by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that said solitary confinement of juvenile offenders has the potential for a myriad of psychiatric consequences due to their still-developing and therefore vulnerable brains, including chronic depression and anxiety, and psychosis and long-standing changes in personality and development.

If an inmate has an existing mental health condition -- many have pre-existing anxiety, ADHD and PTSD -- when they entered, Kraus said solitary confinement can lead to an intensity of the disorders, which can then become more severe and chronic.

President Obama's op-ed detailed much the same argument. "[Solitary confinement] has been linked to depression, alienation, withdrawal, a reduced ability to interact with others and the potential for violent behavior," he wrote. "Some studies indicate that it can worsen existing mental illnesses and even trigger new ones. Prisoners in solitary are more likely to commit suicide, especially juveniles and people with mental illnesses."

"The adolescent brain is developing up until the early to mid 20s. Functional magnetic resonance imaging [brain scans] has shown this consistently. As long as you have a developing brain, you need to focus on a rehabilitative model. If you focus on a punitive model, you'll do far more damage in the long run," said Kraus.

"People are shocked when these kids get out of these scenarios and they start developing a stronger sense of suspiciousness and a lack of trust in people and a fear of authority figures," he said.

A study cited by the president estimates that 80,000 to 100,000 people were held in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons in 2014 -- including juveniles and people with mental illnesses. As many as 25,000 inmates are serving months, even years of their sentences alone in a tiny cell, with almost no human contact.

Kraus said research shows if juvenile offenders receive appropriate education and mental health and health care services, and are not further traumatized in a facility by means of solitary confinement, the majority can re-enter society successfully.

Funneling more funds into rehabilitation -- education and health services including specialized health personnel -- would help facilities for adults and children beef up services and reduce solitary confinement abuses, said Kraus.

Fornari said a lot can be learned from other societies that don't have solitary confinement and have much lower rates of incarceration.

"Many of the Scandinavian countries have found therapeutic methods where you're not harming, but rehabilitating. Ultimately, as we re-traumatize individuals with experiences like solitary confinement, we're really going to just increase the period of time they're incarcerated, and we're just going to guarantee their behavior will remain problematic," Fornari said.

He said there are humane and creative ways to help offenders become productive members of society.

"We're coming to appreciate that neural pathways are vulnerable and we know certain kinds of treatments can change brains in a positive way," he added.

He said therapies that include mindfulness, relaxation and deep breathing to help with coping skills, a lot of physical activity, marital arts, music lessons, writing, and art workshops can be rehabilitative.

Kraus said, "When a juvenile facility takes a child into custody, they have a responsibility to take care of the child -- meet their educational, medical and mental health needs consistent with societal norms. They're falling way short."



“In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, the president wrote that solitary confinement has the potential for "devastating, lasting psychological consequences." Mental health experts agree, saying it's traumatic and life stunting, especially for young offenders. …. is supposed to only be used as a protective mechanism, when a temporary emergency separation is required for medical reasons, or there's a need to separate prisoners who pose a threat. But instead, solitary confinement is too often used as a form of discipline or punishment, Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, told CBS News. …. There are examples of kids spending weeks on solitary confinement and that borders on cruel and unusual punishment." …. He said solitary confinement can exacerbate traumatic memories of previous traumas, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse. "Or their startle response can increase, where they become hyper vigilant and have intrusive negative thoughts. It's very toxic for any age," said Fornari. …. He said solitary confinement can exacerbate traumatic memories of previous traumas, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse. "Or their startle response can increase, where they become hyper vigilant and have intrusive negative thoughts. It's very toxic for any age," said Fornari. …. He said while the president's move is an important one, "It's amazing to think it took 26 years for there to be a policy on a federal level." He said more states -- where far more juveniles are incarcerated than in the federal prison system -- need to follow suit. …. He said the majority of suicides that occur in juvenile corrections happen when kids are isolated from everyone else. …. Functional magnetic resonance imaging [brain scans] has shown this consistently. As long as you have a developing brain, you need to focus on a rehabilitative model. If you focus on a punitive model, you'll do far more damage in the long run," said Kraus. …. Kraus said research shows if juvenile offenders receive appropriate education and mental health and health care services, and are not further traumatized in a facility by means of solitary confinement, the majority can re-enter society successfully.”


Rehabilitation rather than mere punishment is supposed to be the goal of prison, but until more mental therapy is used it won’t happen. Group and one to one therapy, 12 step programs for those with drug/alcohol problems, GED classes, antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, and the work related activities such as training dogs or holding jobs outside the prison are important. I think most people in prisons are lacking in personal development of a generalized kind, ranging from being able to form real friendships to the ability to read well enough to study school subjects. Improving their abilities in these ways can turn a “young hoodlum” into a decent young citizen with hope and vision for the rest of his life, ready to work, form a family, maybe even go to college. No more recidivism and related problems. Surely that is worth the effort.

Another thing we need to change is the fact that lots of states, especially in the South, do not allow felons, even after they have fully served their time, to vote without a complex system of state applications, and sometimes fees. That is one of the ways that “conservatives” have of keeping black people from voting against their rightwing policies and candidates.

Kalief Browder’s story above is truly shocking. Similar things were mentioned in the papers on the same theme from Ferguson, MO – jail when unable to pay a simple court fine, or in this case bail. He never got a trial, and after two years was set free without a trial, with the charges dropped. They probably didn’t have a case against him in the first place, and no one paid attention to the rule that he should get “a speedy trial.” Unfortunately the boy, just 16 years old at the time, was so broken mentally and emotionally that he killed himself.

The AMA and the UN have prohibited the use of solitary confinement on young people, and yet it is still done here in the US. We too often are not following basic precepts, no matter who has confirmed their validity. This doesn’t merely “border on cruel and unusual punishment,” it definitely is cruel, though not nearly as “unusual” as it should be. Our country is becoming ever more hard and mercenary as the hard core “conservative” views take hold. Who cares if a black kid who is (“too lazy”) to get a job with which to pay his bail slowly degenerates mentally over a crime so small or unprovable that the charges were finally dropped. Someone should make a movie out of his story so the public can see the horror of it. Maybe there would be a sufficient public outcry against the situation that prisons would be forced to stop the practice entirely, against people of any age.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/29/464856100/to-shine-a-light-on-salary-gaps-obama-wants-companies-to-disclose-pay-data

To Shine A Light On Salary Gaps, Obama Wants Companies To Disclose Pay Data
CAMILA DOMONOSKE
Published January 29, 2016

Photograph -- President Obama speaks about the gap in pay between men and women on Friday, as he introduced a new proposal that would require large companies to disclose data about employee pay by race, gender and ethnicity.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Lilly Ledbetter at a news conference on equal pay
Related -- From 2010: Despite New Law, Gender Salary Gap Persists
Related -- PLANET MONEY, How The Gender Pay Gap Has Changed (And How It Hasn't)
Related -- PLANET MONEY, The Jobs With The Biggest (And Smallest) Pay Gaps Between Men And Women
IT'S ALL POLITICS -- 5 Takeaways From The Equal Pay Debate


The Obama administration is proposing a new rule to address unequal pay practices by requiring companies with more than 100 employees to submit salary data by race, gender and ethnicity.

The announcement comes seven years after President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — his first piece of legislation as president — which makes it easier for women to challenge discriminatory pay in court.

But a stubborn, substantial pay gap between men and women persists, and it affects black and Latina women the most, Obama said Friday as he introduced the proposal. The president said he would continue to work to reduce the gap as long as he was in office.

Gender Pay Gap

"Social change never happens overnight," he said. "It is a slog and there are times when you just have to chip away and chip away. ... It's reliant on all of us to keep pushing that boulder up the hill."

Collecting more data would assist in enforcing equal pay laws, the administration says, and "provide better insight" into the gender pay gap across industries and occupations.

The proposed pay data reporting requirement would cover more than 63 million employees, according to the administration. It's expected to be finalized by September, with the first reports due in the fall of 2017.

NPR's Scott Horsley explained to our Newscast unit that the proposed rule is an expansion of both existing data-reporting laws and a previous equal pay proposition:

"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission already collects data from big employers about the ethnic, racial and gender makeup of their workforce. Now, the EEOC wants employers to add pay information as well. ... The proposed EEOC rule is more expansive than an earlier proposal that would have applied only to federal contractors."

Obama is also once again calling for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would protect women from retaliation when they seek equal pay. Democrats have repeatedly introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act during the current administration, but it has always been defeated.

President Obama, pictured here with Lilly Ledbetter, and congressional Democrats are working the equal pay issue hard in a midterm election year when they will need as many women to vote as possible.

The White House also called for states and employers to take action on their own to promote equal pay.

Last year, for instance, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed an equal pay law that puts the burden of proof on an employer to prove a wage gap between a male and female employee is justified by seniority or merit. It requires companies to pay the same rate for "substantially similar" work, such as janitorial work and housekeeping.

In repeating the call for equal pay, the White House noted that the median wage of full-time female workers in America is 79 percent of a man's median earnings. That's a slight bump up from the 77-cents-on-the-dollar statistic, based on older numbers, that the White House has often alluded to before.

The comparison of median earnings is sometimes criticized as a crude metric for the gender pay gap. Economists have found that if you control for a host of factors, the pay gap is smaller — but persistent. The gap varies widely based on a woman's age and her race. It also shifts depending which industry you look at.

Requiring large employers to report their pay data, the administration argues, would allow "better insight" into exactly how the pay gap is influenced by industry and occupation.

Lilly Ledbetter, the namesake of the law signed seven years ago, introduced Obama on Friday and praised him for "not resting on his Ledbetter laurels."

Ledbetter sued her employer, Goodyear, over the difference between her pay and her male colleagues' pay.

"Almost two decades into my Goodyear career, I learned from an anonymous note that I had been earning thousands of dollars less than my male co-workers who were doing the same job as me," she said Friday.

"Nobody wants to be the poster child for unequal pay for equal work, but spurred on by that note, that's exactly what happened to me," she said.

Her suit against Goodyear made it all the way to the Supreme Court — where it was rejected because she didn't report the discrimination when it began, even though she didn't know about the disparity when it started. That was the impetus for the law that bears her name, which allows employees receiving unfair pay more time to bring a lawsuit.

"I may have lost my personal battle, but I will not lose this war," Ledbetter said Friday.



“'The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission already collects data from big employers about the ethnic, racial and gender makeup of their workforce. Now, the EEOC wants employers to add pay information as well. ... The proposed EEOC rule is more expansive than an earlier proposal that would have applied only to federal contractors." …. The proposed pay data reporting requirement would cover more than 63 million employees, according to the administration. It's expected to be finalized by September, with the first reports due in the fall of 2017. …. Her suit against Goodyear made it all the way to the Supreme Court — where it was rejected because she didn't report the discrimination when it began, even though she didn't know about the disparity when it started. That was the impetus for the law that bears her name, which allows employees receiving unfair pay more time to bring a lawsuit. "I may have lost my personal battle, but I will not lose this war," Ledbetter said Friday.”


Obama really is working to improve the economic and social situation in the US. I’m impressed with his awareness of the areas which need improvement. Most men really are not even interested in the subject of women’s issues. They just want to know that they won’t have a female supervisor. The fact that the EEOC collects all data except pay scale on every employee shows the “loophole” that is built into the law.

There have been improvements during my lifetime, of course. Not only are women able to do the same jobs in many fields, almost any way, but they are soon going to be able to agitate for better pay without being fired or demoted, if the Fairness act is passed. The right of a business to fire workers on such grounds is being openly championed, however, by the Republicans as the Fairness bill is to be put through for another vote soon. I really do hate the way too many men hang together in solidarity against women in so many ways, and seemingly for no other reason than status ranking competition. Add to that the stigma of being a black woman. It’s very likely that a black woman wouldn’t even be hired, unless it’s a housekeeper job.

This lack of data collection on women in the workplace is exactly like the situation in many police forces about the collection, publication and analysis of data on police use of force instances. Data is needed, presumably, to push new laws mandating change through on the overall need for new police tactics. So why isn’t there a federal law forcing state and local departments to fill out those data request forms and do it fully? The FBI said that their data is so poor because the data they get from the grassroots is extremely bad to nonexistent. Many city departments just don’t fill out the form.

If we can come to an agreement as a society that shooting a man over a traffic violation, or even over “disobeying an order” or “resisting arrest” by running from a police officer is immoral and should be illegal, our police/community relations would be much better. If officers who in effect murder “suspects” without receiving punishment themselves are allowed to continue to do that, black/white and rich/poor relationships will get worse and worse. If a suspect is actually armed and behaving dangerously, such as shooting a gun, assaulting a woman sexually, beating someone up to steal from him, that would be different in my view. There is a need for strong and even lethal force in many cases. That's why we have armed police. England does not arm their officers, at least in most cases. The good news is that MOST arrests do not involve police brutality, but the “bad apple” cops are still there. They need to be pulled out of the barrel and thrown to the hogs. Is that too graphic an image? You’re right. I’m sorry.