9/3/2024
Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,
What is “Investing in America (IiA) content”? More specifically, what do you mean by “content”? Are you encouraging people to make movies & write books about IiA? I guess I’ll find out at 11:00 PST when you speak about it in the South Court Auditorium.
In finding out more about IiA, CHF-Davis 1 got my attention. I found that Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF), a non-profit that develops dorms, got IiA funds to put up solar panels over a parking lot. A win-win! Shading cars & providing clean energy. Hopefully, we got our money’s worth.
Thinking about getting our $$ worth for public investment makes my head spin. I believe in economic incentives for the public good. I believe the people need to take care of one another. Unfortunately, corruption, inefficiencies & unintended consequences can creep in & ruin the whole thing.
The subminimum wage program for disabled workers is an example of the complexity of incentivizing businesses to do the “right thing.” The WP featured their analysis of “788 facilities nationwide paying subminimum wages to approximately 40,000 workers as part of the 14(c) certificate program.” They noted that some sort hangers. The average subminimum wage worker makes $3.50 an hour. The good part of the program is folks get the dignity of working & the social life that goes with it. The bad part is they don’t make a living wage & could be exploited. If the company didn’t have this cheap labor source, they’d probably just throw the hangers away. A conundrum!
The junta is failing at their efforts to generate revenue. Z Abuza provides a detailed account of their financial woes & concludes the Chinese better be careful about making any more loans to Min Aung Hlaing, because the NUG will “not honor debts & liabilities incurred by the junta.” Things will continue to deteriorate there as long as electricity is in short supply. Please continue to look for avenues to provide humanitarian aid.
BYBS,
