Dear friends,
To understate the obvious, capitalism is so problematic. Still, when thousands of buildings collapse in an earthquake because of poor construction, the toll of the profit-motive on human life becomes manifest.
The arrests of contractors, architects and engineers involved in the construction of now-collapsed buildings is likely intended to deflect blame from Erdoğan’s government, which has failed to enforce building regulations or account for the funds intended to reinforce apartment blocks and offices against seismic events.
Corruption is universal, of course. But when corporations support autocratic leaders and the dismantling of regulatory structures, the free market is free to ravage people and the earth.
In spite of receiving a letter from 100 of its own employees decrying the “disastrous consequences” of the project, Marsh — the world’s biggest insurance broker — has forged ahead
to find insurers for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), an environmentally ruinous project that will slice through nature reserves and uproot thousands of villagers in Uganda and Tanzania. The pipeline is expected to generate more than 33m tons of carbon emissions each year.
Tell Marsh’s corporate leadership not to insure EACOP! This quick action is from Public Citizen.
The complaint filed by the NGOs with the US State Department calls on it to hold Marsh accountable to international guidelines for responsible business practices. Our job is to hold our own government accountable for enforcement.
Thwarting regulatory requirements puts peoples’ lives in danger, as we have seen so recently in Turkey and Syria. This is a matter of life and death for millions of people in East Africa.
Contact the US National Contact Point for Multinational Enterprises and urge him to hold Marsh accountable to act responsibly. I made it easy!
There’s a bill before the NYC Council that would require hospitals to disclose their prices. It has a supermajority of co-sponsors, but it will face strong opposition from hospitals.
Hospitals are already failing to comply with a federal rule that requires transparency in pricing.
The hospital price transparency rule, which took effect in January 2021, requires hospitals to publish machine-readable price lists and display rates for medical services in a format that allows consumers to comparison shop. Insurers are now required to disclose rates they negotiate with providers.
When you go to a hospital, be sure to ask to see a price list. If they don’t provide one, contact your councilmember.
As you may recall, one of the first pieces of legislation to emerge under the new House leadership was a bill to withhold the increased funding to the IRS passed by the previous Congress.
Democrats had beefed up the IRS to help offset the cost of top health and environmental priorities they passed last year and to replenish an agency struggling to provide basic services to taxpayers and ensure fairness in tax compliance.
Rather than enforcing compliance with existing tax laws in order to fund services, the Republicans are looking for programs to gut. This includes parsimonious efforts to withhold food assistance, including
additional work requirements for certain welfare programs like SNAP, as well as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
This is a terrible idea, from every angle. It will not bring people back into the workforce. In addition, it ignores the imminent crisis, when pandemic allotments to SNAP end in March and families face additional hardship.
Demographically, this is also a bad move, since food insecurity is highest in rural counties, where the Republican base is located.
Mostly, however, denying food assistance is short-sighted and cruel. Eighteen states have already cut SNAP benefits. Those states are already seeing rising demand at food banks.
A study that followed the Great Recession of 2008 found that children’s health outcomes were improved by increased SNAP benefits. In the currency of human well-being, this is a great investment. It is also most likely a savings if we examine the future costs of poor health.
Let Congress know that SNAP benefits are an investment in the well-being of children. This quick action is from Save the Children.
I could go on and on with this theme, but I have to stop asking you to take action at the end of your workday.
If you buy a slice of pizza for lunch in NYC, have a conversation with a worker about the recent settlement to get pizzerias to stop wage theft and pay what they owe!
Have a great day!
with love,
L