Evidence of Design

In this episode we discuss Critical Race Theory with Dr. Joanne Larson, the Michael W. Scandling Professor of Education and Associate Director of Research at the Center for Urban Education Success at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education.

From national culture wars to local school board elections, Critical Race Theory has become a contested issue. What is Critical Race Theory, and what is it not? How has race and marginality been traditionally been taught in schools? Why might a new conceptual framework, such as the one provided by Critical Race Theory, be needed to provide for better educational and social outcomes?

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In this episode we discuss the paradox of living in a society split by political parties endorsing two different versions of reality. Do any of your relatives, friends, or co-workers believe in something you see at outlandish? What do we do about the epidemic-like spread of misinformation and disinformation? How do we break through social media-fueled echo chambers? We'll cover these questions and more.

We'll also talk about the upcoming June 22nd primary election, which seats are up for election, who is running to fill those seats, and where you can vote early. If you live in Monroe County, NY, you can find all of this information, and more, at the Monroe County Board of Elections webpage: https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections?fbclid=IwAR1t6DkRV4EK52vWuHyrkwjB5kWTMTt_MwgVQk9LFXwQq2ksKL-1e6t3UIY (https://www.monroecounty.gov/elections).

We discuss the legalization of marijuana in New York. We'll cover what's legal, how sales and home cultivation will work, and New York's approach is to rectifying its past over-enforcement of marijuana-related crimes (many of which are, well, no longer crimes).

On the second half of the show we cover what's in the Biden Administrations proposed $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. This comes after the administration's multi-trillion dollar American Rescue Plan and American Jobs Plan. Included in the provision are hundreds of billions of dollars for child care, paid leave, free community college, teacher education, child nutrition, and health care affordability.

We think these massive government spending plans are much needed and long overdue, which is counter to the myopic take by congressional Republicans, such as Tim Scott, that any government action beyond cutting taxes and regulations for the wealthiest individuals and corporations is bad government action.

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In this episode we discuss the honoring of 51st Earth Day and the proposed Super League in European Soccer.

As the world celebrated Earth Day on 4/22, there remains relatively little to actually celebrate in regard to substantive climate policy. Locally, the https://www.climategfl.org/ (Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region) held a 22-day program promoting climate justice. It's summit ended with a session reminding us that climate inequities are embedded with race- and class-based inequities as well. We also discuss Rochester's 2017 Climate Action Plan and the Biden Administration's pledge to reduce U.S. green house gas emissions by 50% by 2030 based on 2005 levels.

We also discuss the proposed creation of a Super League in European Soccer. This League would be made up of the wealthiest teams and would be a closed league, dramatically reshaping European soccer. Why does this matter? Well, for one thing, it can be seen as another example of the wealthiest trying consolidate wealth and influence. For another thing, the League's creation is based off models in American sports, and 33% of the proposed 12 Super League teams are owned by American 1%ers or Hedge Funds.

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We discuss the proposed budget of the Rochester Police Accountability Board (PAB). The proposed $5 million annual budget would dramatically expand funding for the PAB, creating three new PAB bureaus that, they claim, would help it do its duties: (1) the Bureau of Officer Accountability to investigate nearly 500 annual complaints against the RPD within 90 days, (2) the Bureau of Systemic Change to lead comprehensive community-driven policing changes, and (3) the Bureau of Administration to ensure the PAB's operations are accessible and functional. Were this budget to be approved, it would effectively mean that for every $20 the city spends on the RPD it would spend $1 on the PAB. You can learn more about the PAB's proposed budget here: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/pab/budget/?fbclid=IwAR1RlMuJIe8i3M1nehypArOcxIeeNsTFi5bC9lZoGVVp7Dfda-SjbgPaMCw (https://www.cityofrochester.gov/pab/budget/)

We also discuss the continued troubling rise of disinformation and susceptibility to misinformation through the lens of vaccine conspiracies. Many vaccine skeptics, conspiracy theorists, and right-wing trolls latched onto the federal government's halt of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine distribution this week. You would be surprised at the extent to which conspiracy theories have embedded into "normal" discourse and "normal" people. We need to take a deep breath and do better at not falling prey to peddlers of misinformation and disinformation.

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We discuss the unionization effort among Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama. Nearly 6,000 workers voted whether to unionize or not with the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Over 3,200 votes were cast, and around 70% of workers voted not to unionize while the the other 30% voted to unionize, defeating the unionization effort.

However, the RWDSU is filing an objection of the results with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that Amazon "created an atmosphere of confusion, coercion, and/or fear of reprisals" which skewed the Amazon employees towards voting not to unionize.

Amazon's alleged misconduct include (1) pressuring the United States Postal Service to install a modified mailbox on its campus and encouraging employees to drop their ballots there as opposed to mailing them in outside of supervisor scrutiny, (2) pressuring the local government to change the traffic light timing at the major intersection of the campus to make it harder for labor organizers to connect with employees as they wait at the red light, (3) forcing temp workers to wear uniforms donned with anti-union sloganeering, (4) holding mandatory "information sessions" where management slandered unions, (5) repreatedly blasting workers with emails, texts, posters, and fliers which encouraged them to vote not to unionize, (6) lying to workers that they would be forced to pay hundreds of dollars in union dues if they voted to unionize even though Alabama is a "Right to Work" state, (7) forcing the union to encompass more workers than originally intended so that it would be harder to for labor organizers to mobilize and represent the myriad interests of different categories of workers, (8) and contesting hundreds of ballots cast in the unionization vote.

To be clear, it appears that most--if not all--of these efforts might be found to be within the law as it's currently written and interpreted, which points to the inordinate power corporations have over labor in unionization efforts. We ask then: why do corporations go through all the trouble to squash unionization efforts? Is it because they genuinely want what's best for their workers and want them to realize that they would be materially better off with the company's bargaining compared to the union's bargaining, or is it because corporations want as much money and power as possible, and they see unions as a threat to their sovereignty? We think the latter is more likely.

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We discuss the Biden Administration’s proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure and green energy plan, also known as the American Jobs Plan. It would be one of the largest public, government investments in years. Included in the plan would be hundreds of billions of dollars for rebuilding the nations roads, bridges, and tunnels; expanding high speed broadband; upgrading schools; strengthening the power grid and shifting towards clean energy; boosting the electric vehicle market; expanding public transportation; investing in affordable housing; investing in research and development and job training programs; and supporting the caretaking economy. You can read more about what’s in the plan here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/ (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/). We think these are great investments to make.

One of the ways the Biden administration is proposing to pay for the plan is through increasing taxes on the wealthiest corporations. We also think that’s a good idea, considering that America’s wealthiest corporations are often highly profitable and evade paying taxes through a variety of mechanisms. This is especially true given that recent studies reaffirm that the wealthiest individuals and corporations abscond from paying at least hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes every year, which we’ll discuss in the second half of our show (for example (1) https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/641/ (https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/641/) and (2) https://itep.org/55-profitable-corporations-zero-corporate-tax/)

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We discuss the recently released Report of the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity (RASE) in Monroe County, New York. The RASE Commission was formed last Summer after the murder of George Floyed. It's a joint City-County commission whose goal is to evaluate and propose changes to local laws and policies in order to fight structural racism.

You can read the report at: https://rocrase.com/?fbclid=IwAR0vOUryy5JaGe4ttBxEZhlSZWtahXcWZy6d5obxUfQHJRpcuyZCwcpl0Ho (https://rocrase.com/)

We will specifically cover the Job Creation and Business Development sections of the report. While we find that the Commission's proposals to create more job opportunities is certainly more helpful than hurtful, we find the proposals to be lacking overall. We think there were opportunities to be more assertive in regards to promoting job creation and fighting structural racism, such as by raising the minimum wage, investing in job training programs, expanding public transit, and creating a universal basic income system.

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In this episode we cover several proposals in New York State to reform the criminal justice system, free up billions of dollars in state revenue to spend on other social services, and rehabilitate more people back into society. Many of these proposals are covered in a recent report by The Center for Justice called "https://centerforjustice.columbia.edu/news/new-report-unlocking-billions-fiscal-analysis-pending-justice-reforms-new-york-state (Unlocking Billions: A Fiscal Analysis of Pending Justice Reforms in New York State)."

The proposals include reforming the state's parole system, restarting college classes for inmates, reducing the use of solitary confinement, closing excess prisons, and legalization marijuana. All told, the Center for Justice estimates these efforts would unlock for New York $1.5 billion a year or $15 billion over the next decade, to say nothing of the positive economic benefits that would come from successfully rehabilitating former inmates back into society. Some of these efforts have gained recent steam, such as the New York State Senate passing the HALT Solitary Confinement Act.

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In this episode we discuss what's in the American Rescue Plan, the $1.9 trillion stimulus package passed this week by Democrats. From stimulus checks, to unemployment benefits, to housing assistance, to state and local government aid, to lowered health insurance costs, to expanded child care tax credits, to SNAP increases, the plan includes a lot of provisions that materially benefit most Americans' lives. Join us to learn the specifics of what's in the plan and how YOU might benefit.

We also highlight the latest exhibitions at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, including a piece by WXIR's very own Darien Lamen.

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