EP 705 The Overlooked Americans Deserve Our Attention
Our guest, by her own admission, is now a West Coast liberal, a professor no less at USC in public policy, and yet she has great appreciation for the sturdiness and values of Americans in the nation’s heartland. Having grown up in Danville, Pennsylvania, she is no stranger to the people she interviewed for her book, “The Overlooked Americans: The Resilience of Our Rural Towns and What It Means for Our Country.” Since she did not fly over rural America but actually talked to many people who feel left behind, not just about them, and buttressed those conversations with much research, her conclusions may surprise you. For example, she concludes that rural Americans are open-minded and tolerant and that, for the most part, rural Americans are doing just fine. Want to hear more? Hit play below…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Anyone who’s paying attention has got to ask him or herself whether America can do the hard work of retaining a vibrant democratic system. It requires constant tending and adapting by its citizens. We must maintain a level of commitment to making the laws fair, bringing all citizens into the process, providing a foundational understanding of what a democracy really is and serving on local boards and voluntary organizations committed to the complex web of demands that go into of this. As our guest points out, to cut to the quick, at its root having a democracy means ‘no boss.’ I doubt you ever thought of it that way. Our chief executive, known as a President, really has limited constitutional authority to act. The system was designed to involve a range of actors in all branches and at all levels of government.
Francis Rooney, who was the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2008 and later a U.S. Congressman, gives us his unique perspective on domestic politics and international affairs at a period in our history with together the combination is making the American public very uneasy about what may lie ahead.
America has had an all volunteer armed forces for 50 years now and the likelihood of going back to a draft anytime soon is remote. Yet, our military obligations are many as we have service members positioned around the globe, most recently deploying thousands to watch the simmering powder keg in the Middle East. A small percentage of young Americans would seriously consider military service–2023 is the worst year for recruiting since the All Volunteer Force began–and many others do not qualify because of emotional, physical, and academic reasons. The military is well aware that it has a problem and is using bonuses, special training programs and considering changes in standards to address this problem. In fact, they are even initiating new branding campaigns and attempting to use social media more effectively. The other issue they’re facing at this moment is a hot job market in America as private employers are adding to pay and benefits. And capping all this is that there is no particular patriotic motivation to join on the heels of less than conclusive efforts in the Middle East and uncertainty as to whether China is an enemy or a competitor. To discuss all of this with us is Lindsay Cohn, Ph.D. and an Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College.
There has been much in the news about student loan debt in America, as well there should. Not only are those long lingering debts approaching 2 trillion dollars, but the effect radiates out to the whole society. For the individual clearly it can lead to stress and anxiety, affect career choices and limit flexibility. In a larger sense it often turns personal decisions into societal concerns. If family is the foundation of our economic system, built on buying homes, hard goods and starting a family each of these decisions must account for the debt that must be repaid. Along with issues of intimacy, finances are the key driver of marital strife. The question may well be asked, even before marriage, about the student loan debt one or both partners have–or it may be shirked and that lack of transparency creates problems down the road. This is all to say that President Biden’s plan, overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court, and replaced by a process of ‘negotiated rule making’ to ease the burden on certain payees is a big issue for many. To discuss the implications with us is Darren Moore, Ph.D., a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and clinical professor. It’s an important conversation.
Nat Glover, our guest today, is a man who has seen a lot in his lifetime. His book “Striving for Justice: A Black Sheriff in the Deep South” describes how he embarked on a career in law enforcement which led to his becoming the first Black sheriff in Jacksonville and the state of Florida in over 100 years. He was seen by then President Bill Clinton as one of the most innovative and highly regarding law enforcement officials in the country, pioneering the concept of community policing, banning choke holds and working with officers on de-escalation training when dealing with mentally challenged individuals. He later went on to become President of Florida’s oldest Historically Black College and University, the Edward Waters University. Given that his interest in justice began as he was attacked by KKK members in 1960 wielding ax handles, he brings a unique perspective to issues of police reform, affirmative action, reparations and push back against the teaching of courses on slavery and race in our schools.
Paul Ehrlich’s warnings about a population bomb never really took hold, but America and the rest of the world has lived with an expectation that the human species will continue to grow. In the next several decades, there’s every indication that, here in America, and elsewhere in the world, that will not be the case. And while our guest urban policy expert Allan Mallach, author of “Smaller Cities in a Shrinking World: Learning to Thrive Without Growth,” lays out the various reasons that the global population, in general, is on a downward population trajectory, he then zeroes in on cities of a certain size here and abroad and the implications of that reality, which even ‘pro-naturalist’ policies will not be able to reverse. And given that we have always equated population growth with economic growth, he tries to adjust our thinking to suggest that there are new possibilities in something he called ‘networked localism’ to change that thinking and decouple those assumptions. He makes a compelling case for where cities are headed in the period ahead and the adjustments that will be required to thrive with fewer residents.
Native American history is often made to seem a sidebar in the American story when, in fact, it has been central to the development of the nation and played a key role at seminal moments throughout the centuries, including the present day. The long practice of ignoring Indigenous history is changing, however, with a new generation of scholars insisting that any full American history must address the struggle, survival, and resurgence of American Indian nations. And we are trending hopeful in this regard according to Yale History and American Studies Professor, Ned Blackhawk, who has written “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History.” He walks us through our history as a nation, placing the Native American experience in its fullest context and shares his informed belief that this period of self determination is sparking advocacy and activism in Native American communities across the land. Finally they, and their contributions, are emerging from historical neglect in their full complexity.