Acts of Pod

If you check social media lately you'll see that businesses have been posting signs saying that no one has been showing up for their shifts at different restaurants and no one wants to work anymore. Republican governors have been cutting extra unemployment benefits because they want to incentivize people to get back to work who have been getting a little too comfortable with that extra $300 dollar payout during the pandemic. Is there more to the story? Are people hesitant to return to work sectors that left them high and dry the very minute they showed signs of trouble? Are people now demanding a little more from employers after they've shown what they're willing to do when times get tough? That's what we discuss on today's episode of Acts of Pod.

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If you haven't heard, the radical left is coming for you and your way of life. They want to cancel your children's books, they want to take away your guns, and worst of all, limit your red meat intake to 4 pounds a year. Where is this threat coming from exactly? Great question! Can I see the data on that, is there an article or even something coming out of the White House stating their intentions? Nope. But sometimes you have to read in between the lines and intuit what's "really" going on and this has been going on in American politics from the beginning which is why we're covering some of the best historical conspiracy theories to see what they have in common with contemporary theories (quite a bit).

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You would think as we are still fighting the pandemic and dealing with the fallout from quarantine, that state governments would be focusing on education, employment, or healthcare. There is so much need and healing in this country you would hardly know where to start but republican legislatures knew exactly where to start, voter suppression bills. There are literally hundreds of voter suppression bills making it more difficult for people to vote up in 47 states as we speak. We cover some of the common elements of these bills so you can know what to look for in your state. Good luck out there.

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If you were wondering why there are more mass shootings in the US than any other country, we'll let you in on a little secret, with only 4.4% of the world's population, we account for 46% of civilian held firearms. That's a lot of guns. And it's hard to talk about an issue with a lot of angry people that have a ton of guns, so you can see how this has become an intractable problem. Will this next generation that has lived under the shadow of school shooter drills and the threat of mass shootings be the one to mark a permanent change in the way we approach gun policy? All this and more, on this episode of Acts of Pod.

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A year into the pandemic, with over a half a million lives lost, economic stress, kids missing out on school, we all know that despite all this loss the most important issue facing us all is the threat of being cancelled, or at least you would believe that based on the amount of coverage it receives. Now if you feel cancel culture may not be as dangerous as let's say, unchecked systemic violence, you would be correct. But why is it when there are verifiably more pressing threats, that these issues from the culture wars are brought up more frequently than vaccines or education or any other of the dozens of issues that effect Americans quality of life? We cover that in today's episode of Acts of Pod.

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The religious right, has several names and is comprised of several groups but didn't really coalesce and show their real influence until the mid to late 70s. Surprisingly, it was not the election of the first Southern Evangelical, Jimmy Carter, that offered a cause for Southern Evangelicals and other Christian religious groups to rally around, it wasn't reproductive rights or their reintroduction of Christian prayer in schools either. This week we take a look at the religious right and it's many splinter groups and how it has impacted the American political narrative as we freeze in our Texas homes, yee haw!

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There has been talk recently of finally raising the minimum wage to 15.00 dollars an hour. The last time it was raised was in 2007 to 7..25 and it has remained there despite a raise in prices, rents, and other costs of living. It wasn't until 1938 that any legislation was passed mandating a minimum of wage and even then it only covered a small percentage of American workers and it took America being in the depth of a financial crisis to get it passed. What will it take to get a similar raise passed now?

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January 6th 2021 was not the first time in American History that a group of people, unhappy with the outcome of an election resorted to violence. In fact, on November 10, 1898, in what became known as the Wilmington massacre, a group of white supremacists murdered up to an estimated 300 people and threw black officials out of their elected offices. This is why it's become more important than ever to protect not only the vote but the sanctity of the outcome.

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In recent polling, Socialism is very unpopular in America and yet programs like social security and Medicare are extremely popular. How did it happen that socialist programs remain popular for decades and the mention of socialism or democratic socialist candidates consistently polls anywhere between 25 to 50%? If you can believe it, it's the result of a long and sustained campaigns starting in the late 1800s that link capitalism to patriotism and benefits the same group of people who seem to also be benefitting through this pandemic, corporations and the 1%. Here's hoping that stimulus goes a long way!

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For as long as we've had infectious disease, we've had attempts at inoculations. And from the very first instances of inoculations, there have been people who have been resistant. Considering that these usually consisted of smearing the contents of pustules over newly torn skin, it's understandable how people might hesitate. Now on the brink of our most recent vaccine in the middle of this generation's pandemic, how will we react compared to generations past? We cover a brief history of vaccinations and take a look at the current climate surrounding the newest vaccine on today's episode.

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