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Dear friends of VTIPG and the Community Change Collaborative,
We share five articles each week that we find timely and meaningful that address significant concerns related to the state of our democracy and civil society. We aim to offer pieces that illuminate a wide array of dimensions of our country's policy and governance challenges and the state of social norms that sustain the possibility of addressing them successfully. Please note, the views expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of VTIPG faculty or staff or of Virginia Tech. We also upload these articles and stories to our website. You may find the archive for this series at News and Opportunities at http://ipg.vt.edu.
If you would like to suggest an article for consideration, please contact the editor at the address below.
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Our first piece this week, from Cardinal News, describes a new Virginia law aimed at ensuring deployment of high-speed broadband to the Commonwealth's rural areas.
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A second selection, from MSNBC, contends that the pro-democracy wing of the Republican Party will not prevail within the GOP in the 2024 election.
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Our third story, from ABC News, profiled a proposed bill in Vermont to hold high-emission companies financially responsible for climate change-related disasters in that state.
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A fourth article, from The Hill, highlights how disability is still not welcomed in politics and public service.
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Last, we feature a story from NPR that profiled how the hotel business has recovered in the years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brief synopses of these articles appear below. We hope the perspectives they offer encourage reflection and conversation!
Best wishes,
Billy Parvatam
VTIPG Communications Coordinator
pbilly97@vt.edu.
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Photo: Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan. Credit to Wikipedia. | |
There's a small pro-democracy wing on the right. It's going to get steamrolled
Zeeshan Aleem contends in this opinion piece that the extreme election denialist wing of the Republican Party will ultimately prevail in assuming control of the GOP this fall. She asserts that the party’s pro-democracy wing is not strong enough to compete with the now several years of broadscale Trump propaganda on the topic. In Aleem’s view, individuals such as former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Georgia Geoff Duncan, who recently announced his endorsement of Biden, and others like him who are willing to put country over party, are in the minority in the GOP and are unlikely to prevent the party from broadly embracing Trump’s “Big Lie” in the fall.
Aleem, Z. (2024, May 13). "There’s a small pro-democracy wing on the right. It’s going to get steamrolled." MSNBC. https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-2024-election-lara-trump-rcna151270
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Photo: This image made from drone footage provided by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets shows flash flooding in Montpelier, Vt., July 11, 2023. Credit to Cardinal News. | |
Vermont bill wants to charge big oil for climate change damage, here's how
This article by ABC News reporter Leah Sarnoff examines the proposed Climate Superfund Act in Vermont, which would mandate that high-emission corporations such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron be held financially responsible for a portion of the costs of extreme weather damage in that state. If the bill passes, companies that are accountable for more than one billion tons of greenhouse gases in Vermont would make payments based on the scale of their emissions during the period from 1995 to 2024. Should Vermont enact the bill, it would become the first state in the country to pass such a law.
Sarnoff, L. (2024, May 13). "Vermont bill wants to charge big oil for climate change damage, here’s how." ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/vermont-bill-charge-big-oil-climate-change-damage/story?id=110148158
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Photo: The House Chamber is seen after President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union Address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Thursday March 7, 2024. Credit to The Hill. | |
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Weaponizing fitness to serve is undermining our democracy
This opinion piece by Jasmine Harris and Laura Hannon in The Hill addresses the view among many Americans that disability is still not acceptable for elected public officials. Elected leaders, including Representative Jennifer Wexton (VA) and Senator John Fetterman (PA) have been ridiculed by some for using assistive technology in Congress, while the issue of “fitness to serve” on grounds of one or another asserted disability continues to swirl around the two presumptive major-party nominees for the fall. The authors argue that citizens must be able to distinguish between legitimate concerns linked to the country's effective governance and simply embracing an ugly and empty prejudice or fear of disability.
Harris, J., & Hannon, L. (2024, May 13). "Weaponizing fitness to serve is undermining our democracy." The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/4656898-weaponizing-fitness-to-serve-is-undermining-our-democracy/
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Photo: Vinay Patel, head of Fairbrook Hotels, owns 11 hotels around Virginia. Credit NPR. | |
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With "bleisure" and fewer workers, the American hotel is in recovery
This article from NPR argued that technology has transformed hotels since the Covid-19 pandemic. Although many workers have lost jobs in that transition, hotels remain in business by a number of strategies, including guests agreeing to skip daily room cleanings and offering self-serve breakfasts. Additionally, "bleisure" travelers, or people who combine business and pleasure, have helped make up for some of the losses in business-related travel the pandemic inflicted. However, questions about the future of the industry remain, as both average operating costs and interest rates to construct hotels remain relatively high.
Selyukh, A. (2024, May 13). "With “bleisure” and fewer workers, the American Hotel is in recovery." NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/05/13/1250205737/hotel-industry-recovery-pandemic-bleisure
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