The economic devastation caused by drug resistance could rival the 2008 financial crisis, so why aren’t we hearing about it?
Drug resistance could cost us millions
Tag: class
Since when is relocation the best solution to high housing costs?
The response to complaints about cost of living is often a suggestion to relocate. That’s not reasonable, for a host of reasons.
Breaking down the numbers on voter ID, wages, and poll taxes
Voter ID laws have been accused of acting effectively like modern-day poll taxes. I delved into some numbers to explore the financial realities behind voter ID.
Coemployers or contractors? How the tech industry washes its hands of the dirty parts of labour
The practice of abusing independent contractor status to avoid being responsible for labour abuses is entrenched in the tech industry and it needs to stop. The people primed to push for change are those within the very companies that do this.
I’m getting tired of people whining about minimum wage increases
Nationwide, the push for a higher minimum wage is causing escalating traction: Minimum wages are creeping up across the country to reflect changes in cost of living, fundamental working rights, and the need to address a world in which people working full time cannot afford to support themselves and their families. Yet, to my disgust, […]
Why is Michael Pollan still a thing?
I realise that every time I write about Michael Pollan, it sends up a magical bat signal to summon his most ardent supporters, but every now and then, I decide the few weeks of harassment is worth it*. I’ve been kind of ignoring his antics over the last few years, other than noting that he’s […]
Street art and accessibility
Humans have been making unsanctioned art for thousands of years. Even as they were commissioned to make fancy temple statues and beautiful textiles, they were carving graffiti in the public baths and making stealth installations. Art, as they say, is gonna art, and it’s gonna art wherever it wants, however it wants, depending on the […]
Independent contractors and the new corporate welfare
Silicon Valley is a land of haves and have nots, but it’s also a land of the salaried and the independent contractors — the 1099 economy (gig economy, piecework economy, hustling economy, share economy, etc.) is booming and freelancers are the rock on which tech titans are built. They are modern-day disposable workers akin to […]
Absentee owners illustrate failures of market-based corrections
A class crisis is exploding in San Francisco, where housing pressures are creating a cascade of problems for residents. The city’s limited geographic footprint and rising housing costs are creating a perfect storm that drives out many lower and working class residents who can no longer afford to live there, with average rents on a […]
Urban farming is putting unexpected pressure on the working class
Growing fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to raising small livestock, in urban areas is pretty great. Theoretically anyone can do it — within some bounds, like limitations on space — and it can provide a source of affordable fresh food. Which is why people have been doing it for decades, with low income and […]