Welcome to Illbird Press
"It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest."
A little news and opinion on environmental and sociopolitical happenings.
AROUND the WORLD Aug. 3-10
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
Since 1981 air pollution has decreased, but not proportionately in non-white communities. FOR MORE, CLICK
From E&E News: LNG by rail draws lawsuit threat
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
Black, Indigenous, Latino and low-income white communities are significantly more likely to bear the brunt of environmental pollution. FOR MORE, CLICK
From Living on Earth: Nature gap with race
From The Guardian: Pollution still worse in cities of color
From the EHN: Initiative leads to healthier children
Black Americans face nature deprivation at 3X the rate of white Americans. FOR MORE, CLICK
From the EHN: Initiative leads to healthier children
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
From the EHN: Initiative leads to healthier children
A program to reduce emission in northeast saved more than $191M in health care. FOR MORE, CLICK
From The Hill: Another Trump rollback endangers animals
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
Trump administration works to limit recovery areas for endangered species. FOR MORE, CLICK
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
From the BBC: German co. to build satellites to track CO2
Satellites will be placed in orbit in 2025 to measure CO2 in atmosphere. FOR MORE, CLICK
Daily Cartoon
Notoriety
For other cartoons, CLICK HERE
In 500 words or less
Business versus governance by David Gerard, Aug. 3, 2020
Elections in your locality and state are probably the same as those going on here in Tulsa and Oklahoma with some candidates proclaiming themselves exceptional candidates because they are persons of business.
The idea is that government is another business. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The ultimate object of business is not the ultimate object of government. Businesses are started by a person or a group of people to make money for those who own it; government is a contract among a group of people to look after the best collective interests of the group. Business is about expending the least amount of money to earn more for a select group of people; government is about collecting a reasonable and adequate amount of money to ensure the most benefits for society as a whole.
I am not trying to paint business as an evil ogre with no redeeming qualities. Business does attempt to improve society by offering new and better products and services and there are business people who have the interests of others in mind as they run their businesses.
But when a capitalistic society goes awry as it often does because of the profit and greed, business does not even aim to look after the best interests of its workers, let alone the broader group of people that business serves. History tells us that as workers have had to continually barter and fight over the centuries for fair wages, fair retirement benefits and safe working conditions. Even now business aims to reduce the cost of production of goods or provision of services even if it means cutting pay and benefits to its workers and cutting corners on safe working conditions.
Look at what some government leaders are proposing in their latest emergency relief for the economic disaster caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They want to ensure businesses suffer no liability if their workers contract Covid19 while on the job. This means, if the bill passes, businesses will not be held responsible if they do not impose proper controls for reducing the spread of coronavirus. This proposal comes about from the pressure exerted by the business sector which hardly ever wants to accept the liability that comes from putting workers, and the public, at risk of injury and death. And the business sector is usually able to find accomplices in government in the business people voters approve for office.
Without question, some business skills can be found in the skill set of a good congressman, senator, governor or president. But it does not necessarily hold that a good business person makes for a good public servant. A public servant looks after the public, not the bottom line.
