Tim Talks Politics - The Weekly Brief, December 14, 2018
The Weekly Brief - December 14, 2018
Income ain’t what it used to be… and that’s a good thing
Income inequality is, along with climate change, THE political issue. It’s a major threat to economies, social fabric, and democracy in general if the argument is true. However, Our World in Data demonstrates that there is no clear picture of increasing income inequality world wide. That’s not to say inequality doesn’t exist, it does, and it does correlate with higher rates of instability. However, it doesn’t seem to be increasing to levels of existential threat.
“That’s good for the world,” you might say, “but what about the US?” Apparently, it depends on who you ask, but according to Pew Research, millennial households are seeing incomes higher than they were for similar age groups 50 years ago.
And that gender wage gap? A new study out of Harvard casts some doubt on that particular economic issue. The study found that differences in income between men and women could be explained almost entirely by choices made by the workers themselves (working overtime, going for a promotion, etc.). In other words, equal pay for women is more likely an economic reality in the US than many think.
There is still work to be done in the US, particularly for working class adults, but think tanks across the political spectrum are joining forces to develop some consensus on how to accomplish that. AEI and Brookings have recently produced just such a report that will be undoubtedly influencing policy discussions in the next Congress.
China, we hardly knew ye.
For international observers in the US, this year’s trade war with China has dominated the airwaves, analysis, foreign policy discussion. And while China is certainly set to surpass the United States as the world’s largest economy if trend lines hold, Beijing’s day in the sun may be shorter than anticipated as India gathers strength. Asia Times runs a two part column that outlines the argument for why India will surpass China in the near future: Part 1 and Part 2.
Didn’t see that coming?
Sometimes, stories just sneak in under the radar and don’t get heavily reported, then you’re left wondering what hell happened when something hits the fan. A few such stories came across my newsfeed in the last couple of weeks, which I offer here in bulleted form:
Facebook in moving forward with efforts to create a “Supreme Court” to handle appeals on censoring speech on the social media platform.
The Federalist provides a book review on Seasteading, a new approach to sustainable living on the oceans.
Asia Times presents on interview with an expatriate Brit who has spent the last decade or so living large as a celebrity in North Korea.
Mexico’s recently elected president was sworn into office on December 1, and some observers are not particularly thrilled.
An international solution to migration?
A UN summit on immigration met in Marrakech a couple of weeks ago and drafted a framework for an international agreement on migration and refugees.
The agreement was quickly rejected by several countries, including the US and Israel.
Interestingly, Pew Research posted a poll about the same time noting that migration seems to be generally frowned upon worldwide, whether it’s into or out of one’s country.
Lonely and looking in America
One of the most sobering news stories of the last couple of weeks has been the report that suicides in the US hit a 50-year high in 2017. What is driving so many people to end their lives? Recent research indicates that it could be loneliness. In an increasingly connected, globalized world, individuals are feeling increasingly isolated. Why? Pew Research suggests that individuals who are unhappy with their family, social, or financial lives are more likely to feel lonely.
Looking to 2019
Already, people are turning their attention to 2019, and not without reason. The Council on Foreign Relations notes that 2019 will be a big year for historical anniversaries of various multiples of five. More seriously, CFR also looks to major elections around the world in 2019 that may be significant.
Writing for the American Conservative, Pat Buchanan worries that 2019 will be another year in which America dithers with its soap opera of a presidency while the rest of world seriously plays power politics.
2019 may also be a year where little known places in the world draw outsized attention as conflicts threaten to draw in larger powers as could be the case in Bougainville.
And at the American Supreme Court, seemingly small rulings could have some large, even beneficial consequences.