#5SmartReads - October 18, 2022

Hitha on fat bears, my favorite witch of the 90s, and the child care crisis

October 18, 2022

There is a version of this same headline and story that’s published in a major outlet at least once a week. But it feels like this crisis is falling on deaf ears continually unaddressed and ignored, and is only getting worse.

The statistics are dire (nearly 100,000 childcare workers never returned to the industry, childcare costs have been the fastest rising over the past 30 years with little public support). And it seems like nothing can be done.

Enter subsidies.

“To fix the crisis, most policy experts agree the government will need to increase its financial support of the child care industry. Society should also benefit over the long term from these investments, researchers say, as studies suggest long-term academic, economic, and emotional benefits of early childhood education.

There are simply market limits to how much more a program can charge in order to attract and retain staff. “Trying to cover higher wages with price hikes just results in more people pulling their kids out of child care due to the cost,” said Matt Bruenig, founder of People’s Policy Project, a leftist think tank. “So the only real way to increase the size of the child care workforce is to increase pay without increasing child care rates, which requires public subsidy.””

Subsidies work, as we’ve observed in other developed nations who invest in childcare and in expanding health insurance in this country. With our current Senate, the effort to get these subsidies passed were blocked by Republicans and Senator Manchin.

The reporting in this piece goes both wide and deep and shows just how precarious this issue is. I hope you read every word, and I hope it fuels your fire to go vote and get involved with organizations like Chamber of Mothers and Marshall Plan for Moms.

Fat Bear Week is one of those delightful gifts that makes me grateful for the Internet.

Not familiar? Here’s what you need to know:

“Every October, this weeklong online contest celebrates the fattest bears at Brooks River in Katmai National Park in southern Alaska. Each year, rangers choose 12 bears for the contest and provide two photos of each animal for the public to judge. The first photo is from mid-July, and the second is from early September, after the bear has bulked up in preparation for winter hibernation. During this time, bears can double their body weight. The public then decides which bear they think has gained the most.”

There’s so much I love about this story - the way it connects us to our parks and nature, an engaging way to learn about bears, and because Americans love a bracket.

Also, bears. The merch opportunities would be endless. I’d rock a 901 shirt.

The 20th Communist Party Congress is underway in China, where the term limits will be suspended and Xi Jinping to be named to a third term.

So what does it mean for China - and specifically, their economy?

The Chinese economy has struggled for the past two years, from the closures due to their zero-COVID policy and subsequent lockdowns, a crashing housing market, and other factors.

And when China struggles, the world struggles given how intertwined we are with China in terms of economic collaboration.

“China drives economic decision-making worldwide, from the investments made by Australian iron miners and German automakers to the planting patterns of Argentine and Iowan soybean farmers — to the borrowing decisions of the U.S. government, for which China is a massive creditor.”

Time will tell how China shifts its focus from becoming a global power to establishing economic security within the country, but expect it to affect all of us.

I’m making my way through the annual Witchy Season movie list and just finished The Craft - and am back on my “Rochelle was the best witch in the damn movie” soapbox.

JUSTICE FOR ROCHELLE.

KayLee Chie Kuehl’s words sum up all my feelings about Rochelle, and she goes even deeper in the history of witchcraft with an intersectional lens. This essay could be a treatment for a standalone Rochelle film that I would watch on repeat.

And if you haven’t seen The Craft, please put it on your “to be watched” list and queue it up this weekend. The 90’s was a golden era for witchy films and shows (Charmed! Practical Magic!) and this angsty film seemingly holds up.

October 16, 2022 (Letters from an American)

When the news feels confusing or chaotic, look to history to make sense of it. Heather Cox Richardson is one of my favorites, and her newsletter brings the much needed context and clarity to make sense of the trending news.

Like election deniers. As much as we think this is a recent phenomenon, it’s actually been consistent with Republican messaging from the 80’s:

“So, to protect President Ronald Reagan’s second round of tax cuts in 1986, Republicans began to talk of cutting down Democratic voting through a “ballot integrity” initiative, estimating that their plans could “eliminate at least 60–80,000 folks from the rolls” in Louisiana. “If it’s a close race…, this could keep the Black vote down considerably,” a regional director of the Republican National Committee wrote.”

When we think about election and voting security, we think about the Supreme Court’s stopping of the vote recount in FL (which led to the appointment of the justices that would gut the Voting Rights Act and Citizens United), and the lies spread by the former president in the 2020 election. But a lot happened between 1986 and 2000, and this piece does an excellent job of shining a light on that forgotten history.

We didn’t get here overnight. We will not fix these issues overnight. So please do what you can (vote, call your representatives, contribute to the public square) as often as you can.

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