Category Archives: Fiscal Freedom

Vermont Business Magazine JAG Productions, a Vermont and New York City-based company serving as an artistic sanctuary for Black creatives in the American theatre, announced its 2022/2023 line-up this week. JAGs exciting seventh season, including new play and musical development, a residency at New York Theatre Workshop, the return of the wildly popular Theatre on the Hill, and a fully realized production of a new Afro-surrealist dark comedy presented in Vermont and New York City, centers around themes of freedom and healing. The season is titled The Freedom Practice.

We are committed to practicing liberation through the creativity we produce and the community we foster here at JAG Productions, says JAG Producing Artistic Director Jarvis Green. JAG is making space for theatre artists to bring their varying Black cultures, queer expressions, and intersectional identities to the work for deep transformations to occur.

JAG begins the season with the highly anticipated Theatre on the Hill, featuring Tony Award winner Britton Smith and his funk liberation band Britton and The Sting. The JAG team will then travel to New York City for the first part of its groundbreaking residency at New York Theatre Workshop, where JAG will create new meaning and perspective for a well-known musical through decentralizing white aesthetics, approaches, and methods in the musical theatre process.

In the fall, JAG Juke Joint returns with a gorgeous feast featuring southern home cooking and performances by JAG artists. Then JAG will warm up the winter months with its seventh new works development festival, JAGfest 7.0, where emerging playwrights will be given the opportunity to develop their works and present staged readings in Vermont and New York City.

In the spring, JAG will wrap up its season with Keelay Gipsons dark surrealist comedy demons. directed by Steph Paul, which Gipson developed at a previous JAGfest and at New York Stage and Film. JAG Productions, co-producing with New Yorks The Bushwick Starr, will be mounting a fully realized production of demons. in both Vermont and New York City.

As JAGs seventh season begins, they are thrilled to be working with talented new team members, including Associate Artistic Director Sideeq Heard and Development Associate Parker Silver. Heard, an emerging multi-hyphenate theatre artist with national and international experience, will bring his keen aesthetic sensibilities to the creative team. Silvers many talents and experience as arts administrator, curator, artist and performer will be a great benefit to JAGs development endeavors. Together, their efforts will increase overall capacity for the company, allowing it to expand its programming and offer additional opportunities for Black storytellers to develop their work.

Whats more, JAGs Board of Directors has approved an annual budget of $1.1 million for the 2022/2023 fiscal year. This budget doubles JAGs 2021/2022 annual budget. With this significantly larger budget, JAG will continue to grow its staff, expand its programming, and foster the development of theatre that brings a 21st century Black aesthetic to the American stage.

Newest board members Laura Gillespie and William Cheng are bringing even more vibrancy and diversity to JAG. Gillespie joined the Upper Valley Haven in 2016 as its Director Of Development & Communications, after ten years at The Aloha Foundation. She is VP of the Lifecare Board of Alice Peck Day Hospital, and coaches high school rowing with Upper Valley Rowing Foundation. Cheng is an Ethnomusicologist who has contributed op-eds and features to Washington Post, Slate, TIME, Huffington Post, and more. Cheng is also an elected Member of the American Musicological Society's Ethics Committee, and an Ambassador for WISE, an organization seeking to end gender-based violence in the Upper Valley and beyond.

JAGs board chair Vincent Mack remarks about the two new board members, Laura brings lots of non-profit experience, and will guide us in finance, donor development, and our organizational governance efforts. Will has great energy and enthusiasm and is open to guidance and to being tasked in ways he can contribute. Will further contributes to the diversity of the board, both as a human, as an artist, and as an academic.

More information about JAGs 2022-2023 season and tickets available at http://www.jagproductionsvt.com.

ABOUT JAG PRODUCTIONS

At the confluence of the White and Connecticut Rivers, which separate Abenaki land into the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, JAG has nurtured and sustained a multi-generational and multi-racial theatre company with Black artists and community organizers at its center. JAGs mission is to bring more compassion, empathy, and love into the world by telling stories that challenge hierarchies of race, gender, class, and sexuality. These stories are written and produced by and for Black, Brown, Queer, and Trans folx and the people that love them. JAG strives to tell these crucial stories and provide an artistic sanctuary for creatives seeking rejuvenation, time for reflection, and a space in nature to develop art that will change the world. Since its founding, JAG has curated, produced, and directed contemporary and classical Black theatre to engage and sustain individual and collective transformations that unsettle hierarchies of race, gender, and sexuality. JAGs primary programming includes: JAGfest, an annual new playwrights festival; Theatre on the Hill, five weekends of workshops, concerts, burlesque, and staged readings hosted on the gorgeously picturesque lawn at King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, VT; and the JAG Musical Theatre Lab, a multi-year lab that offers audiences a new vision of American musical theater storytelling. JAG is committed to expanding its artistic development and presence in New York City as part of its strategic vision to establish greater ties with New York-based theatres and the artist community. Today, JAG Productions offers productions throughout the year, bringing in nearly 5,000 people each season to experience dynamic artists and education programming just five minutes from Dartmouth College.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT - July 15, 2022 - JAG Productions

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JAGs 7th and most ambitious season yet is titled 'The Freedom Practice' - Vermont Biz

Are you a nurse or health care worker at Michigan Medicine?Contact the WSWS Health Care Workers Newsletterusing the form at the end of this article. What are the main issues you face at your workplace? What do you think needs to be done? All submissions will be kept anonymous.

More than 6,000 Michigan Medicine nurses at University of Michigan Hospital have been working without a contract since July 1. Over the past six weeks, the Michigan Nurses Association-University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council (MNA-UMPNC), has conducted three rallies at which union bureaucrats and Democratic Party politicians have promised to stand with the nurses.

The unions idea of standing with the nurses, however, has consisted of making polite appeals to the profit-hungry University of Michigan Board of Regents and keeping nurses in the dark regarding the contract negotiations with Michigan Medicine. At no point in this long process has any union bureaucrat uttered the word strike except to warn the rank-and-file that it is illegal for public sector workers to strike.

The World Socialist Web Site has recently written on this issue, demonstrating that public sector workers can and do strike. In fact, as we pointed out, the year 1989 saw a determined strike by nurses at the University of Michigan. After 13 days, that strike was broken by means of an injunction overseen by the governor at the time, Democrat James Blanchard.

In the 2018 contract struggle, the nurses again voted overwhelmingly to strike, but the MNA-UMPNC never called a walkout.

By preventing strikes, the union keeps from workers the only leverage they have against management, the ability to withhold their labor. The result for Michigan Medicine nurses, as for all workers represented by todays unions, has been a long string of concessions contracts.

Now the union wants to tell nurses how they may and may not speak.

On August 9, Renee Curtis, President of the MNA-UMPNC, issued an edict for all Michigan Medicine nurses on the unions official Facebook page. In response to a post by a rank-and-file nurse urging that nurses consider refusing to volunteer for overtime to put more pressure on the university during contract talks, Curtis moved quickly to pour water on that spark.

In a post under the heading DO and DONTs of POSTING ON FACEBOOK, Curtis took it upon herself to gag the membership. Her post reads, in part:

We CANNOT engage or promote a work stoppage of any kind without proper cause or notification. This also means members cannot make posts that encourage any action of this nature.

These claims are nonsense, and nurses must not be intimidated by the unions scare tactics. Curtis can no more forbid nurses from posting what they want on Facebook than she can tell them what they may and may not talk about in the break rooms.

Curtiss post raises the fundamental issue of freedom of speech. It is worth quoting the First Amendment to the Constitution in full:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

While technically the amendment restricts the actions of the government, the principle in this case is the same. The union bureaucracy is blatantly seeking to abridge nurses freedom of speech.

Are Michigan Medicine nurses obligedalong with handing over hundreds of hard-earned dollars every year to the union bureaucracy, or more precisely, having it automatically taken out of their paychecksto also forgo their basic democratic rights?

Consider the message Curtis has attempted to silence. The nurse in question did not even call for a strike, only for withholding labor related to volunteering for overtime upon the announcement of new incentives. The union bureaucracy is telling nurses they may not talk about not volunteering! Can this be considered the conduct of a democratic organization?

And what can Curtis possibly mean by proper cause or notification? Michigan Medicine nurses have been working for six weeks without a contract! That alone is cause enough, and nurses know that the time has come for a work stoppage. That the union bureaucracy is blocking such a move only exposes the MNA-UMPNCs complicity in the health system and the Board of Regents exploitation of nurses at Michigan Medicine.

As for posting on the union bureaucracys official Facebook page, the analogy would be to a meeting in a union hall. Here members should be in charge and should feel free to say whatever is on their minds. For many decades, however, union bureaucrats in all industries have strong-armed dissenting workers into silence at meetings by cutting off their microphones, shouting them down and carrying out reprisals against those workers who dare to speak up.

Curtis is no less arrogant in her attempt to silence nurses, who are becoming increasingly frustrated and vocal about the bureaucracys collusion with Michigan Medicine. In fact, Curtiss gag order represents clearly the anti-democratic nature of the union and the bureaucracys attitude toward the membership.

Why, for instance, have negotiations been kept behind closed doors? All negotiations should be live-streamed so that members can follow them with full knowledge of the proceedings. That is how a democratic organization would conduct its business.

Further, and critically, by reviewing the minutes of a Board of Regents meeting with the executive team of the MNA-UMPNC held on July 21 in the Upper Peninsula, the World Socialist Web Site learned that the Board of Regents reported as an Item of Information a request by the university for formal mediation with the MNA-UMPNC.

The union bureaucracy never shared this crucial information with the membership. Are the current negotiations between the union and the Board of Regents being held under mediation? Nurses have a right to know.

Such secretive and anti-democratic conduct on the part of the MNA-UMPNC drives home the point that nurses cannot trust the local executive team or the bureaucracy of the MNA. Democracy and transparency are hallmarks of a genuine workers organization, and they are utterly absent from the MNA-UMPNC.

As the WSWS wrote last Friday, todays unions bear no resemblance to the fighting organizations of an earlier era, when pitched battles and sit-down strikes, often led by socialists, won gains for organized workers in the form of higher wages, better working conditions and better hours. We said:

They [the unions] have been transformed into organizations that rob workers of billions of dollars in dues money in order to enrich bureaucrats who live comfortable lives in the richest 10 percent of American society. They suppress the class struggle and form a critical part of the Democratic Party and the imperialist state.

Unions today are the hollow shells of yesterdays workers organizations, controlled by bureaucratic parasites whose mission statement is To provide management with cheap labor, to suppress strikes and to collect dues. The dues money is the incentive for selling out the membership.

Michigan Medicine nurses, as we recently reported, pay $62.03 a month in dues to the MNA-UMPNC. This does not include the undisclosed amount nurses pay in dues to the local. We wrote:

Some $4,615,000 from 6,200 Michigan Medicine nurses paychecks go to the MNA each year in the form of dues.

Nurses have a right to ask: Where is this money going? Is the union using the money to fight for them? The answer is obvious, and nurses must draw the necessary conclusions.

A real workers organization would be fighting tooth and nail against a wealthy and avaricious employer. Michigan Medicine reported a $339.8 million operating margin (the system is technically not-for-profit) for 2021. Its parent company, the University of Michigan, is one of the nations wealthiest universities, with assets of $19.5 billion in fiscal year 2021. This wealth is in part due to billions in investments in hedge funds run by contributors to the university. This may be legal, but that does make it any less corrupt.

The union has consistently told its membership that it cannot call a strike absent an unfair labor practice on the part of Michigan Medicine. But according to the MNA-UMPNC website, Michigan Medicine is bargaining in bad faith. Under the National Labor Relations Act, this is grounds for a charge of unfair labor practices. Yet the union refuses to even call a strike vote.

The only way forward for Michigan Medicine nurses is to take their struggle into their own hands. It is certain that the MNA-UMPNC will not represent their interests in any way, and nurses must organize themselves independently of the union. The way to do this is to form a rank-and-file committee.

The rank-and-file committee, an independent and democratic body, should immediately demand a strike vote and a date certain to launch a strike, to continue until the demands of the nurses are met. The WSWS suggests that these demands include:

Nurses must join their struggle to that of all other employees at Michigan Medicine and to the struggles of health care workers throughout Michigan and across the country. They should broaden their struggle to link up with those of autoworkers, teachers, logistics workers and others who are likewise fighting against inflation, impossible hours and under-stafffing.

A strike by Michigan Medicine nurses, especially one led by a rank-and-file committee, would send a lightning bolt through the profit-driven health care industry. Health care workers everywhere would take courage from the nurses struggle. Such a strike would be the first step in the mobilization of the working class against a system that has proven it values profits over life.

Are you a health care worker with a story to tell? Make your voice heard! All submissions will be kept anonymous.

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Why is the Michigan Medicine nurses' union abridging freedom of speech? - WSWS

EAST CLEVELAND, OhioThe Cuyahoga County Board of Elections have certified a petition to recall the mayor of East Cleveland, Brandon King. Under East Clevelands charter, Mayor King has until Thursday to resign his position or face a recall election in November.

Elections officials certified last week that the petition to recall Mayor King had garnered 322 valid signatures. A total of 311 signatures was required to bring the issue to voters. Supporters of the recall effort, including city council members Korean Stevenson and Patricia Blochowiak, have alleged that Mayor King and his administration have mismanaged city resources and further exacerbated the citys fiscal emergency.

The City of East Cleveland residents must make a choice; a choice to continue down this path of destruction and ill-repute or turn and save what is left of our city, Stevenson said.

William Fambrough, one of the organizers of the recall initiative, filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor King earlier this year, alleging that the mayor allowed East Cleveland police to abuse their power and suppress his freedom of speech. Fambrough specifically alleged that police towed a van that he was using to promote one of Kings opponents in the primary.

In a press conference outside city hall Monday, city council member Patricia Blochowiak alleged that Mayor King has routinely spent public money that had not yet been appropriated by the city council.

Additionally, Blochowiak alleged that the city has routinely done business with contractors and businesses without having a signed and executed contract. Blochowiak said officials have passed the information along to state and federal law enforcement.

We have a situation where laws have been broken and we have a situation where we have major mismanagement, If this keeps going on, the city is going to fall apart entirely.

Under the city charter, King has until Aug. 18 to resign. If he does not resign, Kings position as mayor will again go to the voters on Nov. 8. King had just secured a second term in late 2021. If the voters opt to recall King, a run-off election must be held within 6 months.

News 5 has reached out to Mayor King multiple times since last week and a reporter stopped by his office Monday afternoon. One of the mayors assistants said he would not be available for the rest of the day.

This is our precipice. This is where the rubber meets the road, East Cleveland. Our choice on Nov. 8 will determine our future, if we are to have one, Stevenson said.

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Board of Elections certifies recall effort to oust East Cleveland's mayor - News 5 Cleveland WEWS

Dr. Atiur Rahman | Published: Sunday, 14 August 2022

Apparently gone are the days of great moderation of high growth and low inflation in today's world. The stagflation era with low growth and high inflation followed by a severe recession is looming large according to noted economist Nouriel Roubini. He predicts that the world is set to enter a 'dangerous and destabilising new regime'. Indeed, according to him, the world economy is 'undergoing a radical regime shift' precipitated by the fallouts of the unprecedented pandemic-related slowdown of the economy which has been lately accelerated by the disruptive Russia-Ukraine war. The sanctions and countersanctions have already put brakes on the benefits of globalisation where all countries including Russia and China were deeply engaged in the post-cold war era. The supply chains have been further disrupted leading to oil shocks that have pushed global inflation to a level that can be compared to some extent with that in the 1970s when OPEC showed its teeth to form a oil curtail. In response, the monetary policy was tightened, and the money supply was restrained. Bangladesh was no exception either and followed the global lead on both fiscal and monetary policies. Bangladesh, however, moved a step further by designing a more inclusive development strategy by providing additional support to agriculture through greater diversification and modernisation to cope with the challenge of rising food inflation. This indigenous policy drive was led by none other than Bangabandhu, our Father of the Nation, when newly-independent Bangladesh was struggling hard to come out of the ashes of the 1971 War of Liberation. His economic vision of investing in people defying all odds, global and local, laid the strong foundation of macroeconomic stability which has been still providing us the strength of sustainability even in this turbulent world. Agriculture remains our major source of strength in addition to the growth of manufacturing, particularly the textile sector. Here too human factors have been playing a crucial role with massive participation of the women labour force which received basic education supported by the state, again deriving strength from the farsighted policy strategy initiated by Bangabandhu and later bolstered by his daughter subsequently. Besides, he also initiated several policies like laying the foundation of energy security by buying the shares of eight units of the global gas company Shell, divesting some of the jute mills that were nationalised immediately after the liberation of the country, and developing barter trade with friendly countries with the provision of at least forty per cent export of non-traditional items. Also, he started negotiations with Japan for financing the Bangabandhu bridge to connect the northern part of the country with the mainstream. This infrastructural focus of Bangabandhu ultimately helped Bangladesh invest in transportation-related mega infrastructure projects including the recently-inaugurated Padma bridge that will take the country far ahead by adding substantial growth to the economy.

This comprehensive vision of economic freedom for all his people evolved gradually right from his school days. He was a great organiser and could enthuse energies among his followers with hope and inspiration even during disasters. Thus, he organised volunteers to run gruel kitchens during the 1943 Bengal famine when he was a student leader in Kolkata. He worked relentlessly to provide some food to the starving people who flocked to Kolkata by raising money in the party office and hostel premises. Similarly, he organised relief camps in Patna and Asansol in 1947 for the displaced people who were victims of the communal riots following the partition of India. He could fathom the level of deprivation among the masses while participating in such humanitarian activities and remained focused on the need for realising economic freedom. He participated in the Pakistan movement only to realise the freedom of the peasants who were victims of the Zamindari system so that their food security could be ensured if the system were abolished in an independent country. However, the newly-created Pakistan was to him a 'false dawn' as it was captured by the elites including the Zamindars who were reluctant to abolish the existing land system. He returned to Dhaka and got admitted to the Law Department of Dhaka University. He started organising the students and youths under the banner of the East Pakistan Muslim Student League and later Awami Muslim League to push the agenda of freedom for the downtrodden. In the meantime, he started leading the Language Movement as the Pakistani elites wanted to undermine the sanctity of Bengali as a language. He was arrested on 11th March 1948 along with his co-leaders for raising his voice against the government policy of excluding Bengali as a state language even though Bengalis were the majority. His support for the low-income employees of Dhaka University was also a reflection of his passion for equality, for which he was again arrested. This time he was also expelled from Dhaka University as he declined to beg an apology and pay a fine to the University authority. He continued to lead the Language Movement from jail and was freed only after a countrywide uprising following the martyrdom of a few of the students and activists on 21st February 1952. That he remained glued to the idea of economic freedom as a political leader was clear when he spoke in a big gathering at Armanitola Maidan on 21st February 1953. He said the Language Movement was not only a struggle for achieving the state language status for Bengali but was deeply embedded in the aspiration for economic emancipation of the people. And he pushed the agenda during the 1954 election campaign. He continued this drive during his short stints as a minister (served twice) in the cabinet of the East Bengal government when he tried to bring substantial policy reforms for helping the farmers and smaller entrepreneurs. He was jailed after the military took over the government and was alleged to have done corruption while working for small entrepreneurs. The court rightly dismissed this allegation and later set him free. Although kept under surveillance, he organised his party from the grassroots and gave the

six-point political programme which was essentially embedded in economic freedom decrying growing inequality between two parts of Pakistan. This political campaign gathered wide support from the masses, for which he was jailed for many years until he was freed by another mass uprising in 1969. The student leaders simply adored him and gave him the people's title 'Bangabandhu' which has become his namesake. He participated in the national election following the collapse of the Ayub regime. The new military government led by General Yahiya offered this election to calm the political environment which was highly heated. He grabbed this offer and made the 'six points' the anchor of his political campaign. The people rallied behind his call and Awami League was able to achieve an absolute majority to form the government in Pakistan. However, the Pakistani elites conspired to undo this overwhelming mandate of the people and Bangabandhu emerged as the legitimate leader to give a call for a non-cooperation movement against the authoritarian government of Pakistan. This movement further galvanised the unity of Bengalis who were by then ready to fight a war of liberation. Bangabandhu gave that call as the Pakistani army started the genocide. And, obviously, Bangabandhu was arrested but the Bengali nation rose to the occasion to fight an ethical war. Bangabandhu returned to his independent Bangladesh from captivity only to wage another war for economic freedom.

The key element of his vision for economic freedom was clearly reflected in his maiden speech at the Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on 10 January after his return to independent Bangladesh. He said on that afternoon that political freedom would be meaningless if people were not able to eat and get employment. So started his new journey of reconstruction of war-ravaged Bangladesh to achieve that goal.

After returning to independent Bangladesh, Bangabandhu began the amazing journey of rebuilding the war-torn economy and society. His unique pro-people development philosophy originated from his life-long struggle for socio-economic emancipation of the ordinary people which was clearly reflected in the fundamental state principles of equality and justice in all spheres of life and livelihoods as enshrined in the constitution of the Republic. With a meagre resource base, he had to reconstruct the war-ravaged country's physical and social infrastructure, rehabilitate more than ten million war refugees, and restart most of the regulatory and other institutions amidst hostile natural and diplomatic environments. Yet, he relied heavily on agriculture which continues to give us sustenance and extra strength. Simultaneously, he decided to nationalise almost all the industrial units as these were left unattended by the Pakistani entrepreneurs who rushed to Pakistan during the last days of the war. Despite serious challenges arising out of adverse natural calamities and subsequent food insecurity, he kept on raising the bar of expectation of achieving a prosperous country with mobilisation of domestic resources including human resources. His emphasis on education and human resource development was certainly very strategic.

Defying the domestic and international political and diplomatic challenges, he was able to improve the per capita income of the country three times higher in just about four years. While it was 93 USD in 1972, the same went up to 272.75 USD in 1975. In his later years, he gradually liberalised the economy and raised the ceiling for private investment from 2.5 million Taka to 30 million Taka in the 1975-76 budget. His First Five Year Plan aspired to achieve economic growth of 5.5% which in fact went up substantially more than that by 1975. However, this fantastic journey of inclusive development was cut short by heinous intervention by the betrayers who killed Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975.

Bangabandhu was driving the country to self-reliance in food production which the country has now achieved under the prudent leadership of his daughter. She too walks on both legs encouraging both agriculture and industry to grow in tandem. Like her father, she is equally committed to the well-being of the disadvantaged and the extremely poor. As a result, today's Bangladesh has turned out to be one of the best performers in most development indices in Asia including per capita income defying all the odds of the ongoing pandemic, as indicated by global institutions like IMF and ADB. However, because of the global economic slowdown precipitated by first the pandemic and then the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, Bangladesh today faces numerous challenges including a high rate of inflation and significant foreign exchange instability. Yet we remain optimistic and vigilant drawing inspiration from Bangabandhu who engraved a fighting spirit among the people of Bangladesh to turn challenges into opportunities. Fortunately, his daughter has further consolidated that inner strength. Surely, like the rest of the world, Bangladesh is also braving the odds imposed on her by the global economic crisis. The people of Bangladesh are confident that they will be able to overcome these challenges and continue their journey towards Bangabandhu's aspired 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal). His long-term vision for a prosperous Bangladesh was firmly footed by his confidence in the inner strength of the nation. This was aptly reflected in a significant speech he gave on 26 March 1975 at the Suhrawardy Udyan. He said, "This challenging phase of our nation will end soon. We have land, our dream to make our country a golden Bengal, and we have jute, gas, forest, fish, and livestock. If we can develop these resources, this difficult phase will end. We are victims of the global economic order. You raise shipping bills at your whims. You raise the price of imported goods as you like. And we are forced to buy these commodities at your chosen prices. The inflation is going up and our survival is at stake." He also spoke in a similar language at the UN General Assembly highlighting the contradictions prevailing in the global economic order and asking for a peaceful, poverty-free, and technologically robust new world. We can now feel how farsighted and on target Bangabandhu was seeing what is going on in today's turbulent world. He remains a beacon of hope for not only the people of Bangladesh but also the entire struggling millions of the world. Let's try our best to remain focused on his vision of economic freedom.

The author is a noted economist and former Governor of Bangladesh Bank. He can be reached at [emailprotected].

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Bangabandhu's thoughts on economic freedom are still relevant - The Financial Express

WASHINGTON

One year after the Taliban's return to power, the Islamist group's efforts to manage an economy already beset by drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and waning confidence in the government it toppled, have largely proven fruitless.

In Afghanistan's final fiscal year before Ashraf Ghani's Western-backed coalition government collapsed 2020-21 75% of public expenditures from the country's $5.5 billion annual budget was drawn from foreign aid. But as the United States exited, international civilian and security aid was abruptly cut off and the new rulers were sanctioned.

The U.S. commandeered the majority of the country's foreign currency reserves, freezing about $7 billion held in the United States by Kabul's central bank, linking its release to improvement of womens rights and the formation of an inclusive government.

While the Taliban and numerous other countries have demanded release of the Afghan-owned reserves, aid initiatives that benefit the Afghan people directly have continued unabated, especially to alleviate suffering caused by food insecurity and natural disasters. Since April 2020, for example, the number of Afghans facing acute food shortages has nearly doubled to 20 million more than half of the countrys 38.9 million population.

USAID and other international donors have provided bridge funding in the short term to avoid a complete collapse of Afghanistans public health system.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that donors contributed $1.67 billion for Afghanistan humanitarian assistance programs in 2021, of which the United States contributed the largest amount, over $425 million. In January 2022, the White House announced an additional $308 million in U.S. humanitarian aid.

The Taliban, however, have proven surprisingly adept at revenue collection, raising $840 million between December 2021 and June 2022, a large share of which (56%) was from customs revenue collection, as well as through the export of coal and fruits to Pakistan.

According to The Economist, researcher David Mansfield, who has studied Afghanistans illicit economy for 25 years, estimates the group made between $27.5 million and $35 million annually by taxing the drug trade and about $245 million at checkpoints along main roads, where Taliban fighters extorted fees from truckers moving food and fuel.

As a result, the Talibans budget for the current fiscal year -- 2022-23 -- amounts to $2.6 billion.

Education

Although U.S. and Taliban officials have exchanged proposals for the release of the billions of dollars frozen abroad into a trust fund, significant differences between the sides remain. One sticking point is the Taliban's commitment to secure Afghans' rights to education and free speech within parameters of Islamic law.

Immediately after taking over, the Taliban sought to assuage international concerns about the rights of Afghan women, insisting the Islamic Emirate is committed to the rights of women within the framework of sharia law.

The groups Ministry of Education promised that girls secondary schools from grades 7-12 would reopen at the start of the spring semester in March 2022. However, the Taliban abruptly shifted course on March 23, citing a need for additional planning time to designate gender-separated facilities. To date, secondary schoolgirls in most parts of the country are waiting for a decision, while boys schools reopened almost immediately after the fall of President Ghanis administration.

Some families, however, are managing to send their daughters to school. Even as girls high schools turned students away in Kabul, some were able to return to classes for the start of the spring semester in the northern cities of Kunduz and Mazar-i-Sharif. There were also reports from Nawabad in Ghazni province about lessons continuing at schools run by a Swedish NGO called the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA).

There are also several private undertakings aimed at subverting the governmental ban, such as secret schools run by activists like Pashtana Durrani, who told VOA, I hold four classes for 400 girls in four different regions in two languages.

These discrepancies seem indicative of what some observers describe as the new governments largely erratic policymaking as it struggles to adopt a uniform, nationwide approach to key issues, as well as divisions within the Taliban ranks.

When the Taliban were last in power around 5,000 Afghan girls were enrolled in school. By 2018, the number had jumped to 3.8 million.

There were also UNESCO reports of widespread corruption across the school sector.

Media, other freedoms

In their first press conference after seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban said it would welcome a free and independent press.

But over the following month, it issued a series of media directives that critics said, in some cases, amounted to prior censorship.

Female journalists are banned from working at state-run media and those in privately run media outlets can appear only with their faces covered; journalists in some provinces must seek permission from local officials before reporting; and with media companies banned from broadcasting music or popular soap operas and entertainment programs, and sources of advertising revenue cut off, many outlets closed.

Afghanistan dropped to 156 out of 180 countries on the RSF World Press Freedom Index, with Reporters Without Borders saying the return to power of the Taliban has had serious repercussions for the respect of press freedom and the safety of journalists, especially women.

Apart from media restrictions, a three-day conference of Taliban leadership decided in March that men who work at government jobs must wear beards and Islamic dress to work, that city parks must be gender segregated, and that woman may not travel by air without an accompanying male relative, or mehram. The Taliban also ordered shopkeepers to remove the heads of all mannequins, calling them un-Islamic.

The provincial branch of the Talibans Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice also banned women from bathhouses in Balkh and Herat provinces. For many of the women in these provinces, their only access to a bath were these hammams.

Foreign relations, internal security

Internally, the Talibans greatest threat comes from the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and al-Qaida.

While the number of bombings has dropped across the country since the Taliban seized power, a school bomb blast killed at least six people in April. There also was a string of bomb attacks in May 2022, some of which the Islamic State claimed responsibility. A Sikh temple was targeted in Kabul in June, killing two and injuring seven, and a bomb blast at a cricket match in Kabul in July left two dead.

On the international front, the Taliban has not been recognized by any country as yet, but the Taliban leadership was invited to an international conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, that included delegates from 30 other countries, including the EU, the U.S. and representatives of the United Nations.

Western governments, however, insist on seeing the Taliban improve its record on womens and human rights, as well as inclusivity in government, before they can engage in any meaningful way and give the Taliban official recognition.

China has maintained direct communication with the Taliban administration, and both sides have met on several occasions, bilaterally and internationally, to discuss plans for Afghanistans reconstruction. Beijing also has been active in various international, multilateral and bilateral talks on Afghan issues with regional governments and international powers.

International organizations like the Aga Khan Development Network continue their work on improving historical structures, parks and structural facilities.

This story originated in VOAs Urdu service.

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Overview: A Year of Taliban Rule in Afghanistan - Voice of America - VOA News

On any given day of the week last year, Rochester Police Officer Kevin Sizer put in a full shift as treasurer at the police union hall, then donned his department-issued blues and climbed into a cruiser for another shift patrolling the city.

By the end of any given week, police payroll records show, he logged an average of almost 92 hours on the clock. By the end of the year, he had racked up 2,448 hours of overtime and took home $255,760 in pay.

In doing so, Sizer joined an exclusive Rochester community that is poised to grow: The quarter-million-dollar-cop club.

The officers in the club and those knocking on its door are beneficiaries of a new era in policing in the city, one marked by rising crime, a labor shortage, and seemingly no shortage of opportunities for officers to pad their paychecks and pensions with overtime.

The quarter-million-dollar threshold was crossed two years ago when another officer, Albert Weech, logged 2,483 hours of overtime to triple his salary to $264,929, payroll records show. A third officer, Rickey Harris Jr., is on the cusp of the club. He took home $249,460 last year.

All three officers had base salaries of $86,331 and were among 11 officers who last year eclipsed $200,000 in wages, a figure that until 2020 was so astronomical as to be out of reach for rank-and-file officers.

But six officers last year earned more than $100,000 in overtime pay alone. Scores earned more than $50,000. While about one in five officers logged no overtime in the last fiscal year, those who did earned an average of $20,530, according to payroll records.

THE TOP 10 HIGHLY-PAID POLICE OFFICERS in FY 2022:

Off. Kevin Sizer: $255,760 (Base Salary: $86,331)

Off. Rickey Harris, Jr.: $249,462 (Base Salary: $86,331)

Inv. Robert OShaughnessy: $225,889 (Base Salary: $98,314)

Off. Ted Serinis: $221,332 (Base Salary: $83,010)

Lt. Robert Hill: $219,471 (Base Salary: $111,781)

Off. Angelo Mercone: $216,536 (Base Salary: $86,331)

Off. Kevin Radke: $216,307 (Base Salary: $83,010)

Off. Albert Weech: $210,233 (Base Salary: $86,331)

Capt. Frank Umbrino: 207,245 (Base Salary: $126,132)

Inv. Kevin Leckinger: $207,231 (Base Salary: $96,432)

Wow, said RPD spokesperson Lt. Greg Bello when presented with the data, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request. I dont look at the numbers or approve overtime, but damn.

NOT A ONE-TIME EXPENSE

A review of police payroll found that the city spent a budget-busting, record-setting $11.8 million on police overtime in the last fiscal year, which concluded at the end of June. That amount represented a 27-percent hike from the previous year and almost doubled overtime costs two years earlier.

The departments extensive use of overtime is not a one-time expense. There are ancillary costs associated with police officers working beyond their scheduled shifts, some quantifiable and others more anecdotal.

TOTAL OVERTIME COSTS:

FY 2020: $6,848,784

FY 2021: $9,284,458

FY 2022: $11,846,066

Weech, for instance, retired from the Rochester Police Department in March after logging three successive years of wages of $210,233, $264,929, and $181,667. During that time, his base salary was $86,331.

Even if the argument can be made that paying overtime is less expensive than hiring new officers, as some police departments around the country grappling with overtime costs have suggested, there are public safety considerations to officers working so many hours.

Bello said the department is taking steps to rein in overtime, particularly scaling back on successive double shifts, which he called unsafe.

Were working towards limits, where someone cant be working over 16-hour shifts without some sort of approval from above, Bello said. So, if somebody works a double, which happens pretty frequently, officers can be forced to work a double, (limiting those) can be a safeguard.

A study of the Phoenix Police Department compared officers who worked 10-hour shifts with those who worked more than 13 hours. Researchers observed significant increases in reaction time, anticipatory errors, and filings of Professional Standards Bureau grievances among officers who worked the longer shifts.

This study indicates that there are no apparent advantages but considerable liabilities associated with 13-hour and 20-minute shifts for police officers, the study read.

Karen Amendola, a chief behavioral scientist with the National Policing Institute whose work delves into the potential public safety issues and health consequences linked to overworked cops, described overuse of overtime as a rampant problem.

She said it places officers at risk of short- and long-term health issues, and the public at risk of an exhausted officer making poor decisions.

(Exhaustion) can not only cost an officer their life, but can also result in a decision with a detrimental effect to the community, Amendola said.

TOTAL HOURS OF POLICE OVERTIME:

FY 2020: 100,882

FY 2021: 137,387

FY 2022: 175,540

Amendola calls for a hard limit of 12 hours for officer shifts. Having witnessed similar scenarios nationwide, she said the burden for solving the matter rests on many shoulders. City leaders have failed to adequately fund a regular staffing model, and unions and chiefs are at fault for allowing officers to work extreme hours, she said.

You cant just say, Im a tough guy, I can get through it, Amendola said. That has been the mentality for a long time of many police departments; macho, tough it out.

A SHRINKING RPD HEADCOUNT

There are fewer Rochester police officers today than in recent years, mirroring a national trend.

The officer headcount in police departments nationwide fell by 3.5 percent between 2020 and 2022, fueled by hiring cutbacks and sharp increases in resignations and retirements, according to the Police Executive Research Forum, a policy institute in Washington, D.C., that surveys law enforcement agencies around the country.

The decline here outpaces the national trend, but not by much. Last fiscal year, the RPD had a workforce of 705 officers, according to the departments payroll records. Two years earlier, the headcount was at 751. In May, city officials said there were 68 vacancies in the Police Department.

Everybody in every neighborhood of the city should be entitled to know that there is a police officer assigned to where they live, Mazzeo said. You talk about stress and supervision, but every boss, on every shift, the first thing theyre doing is calling and scrambling to try and get somebody to come in.

The Police Department is currently hiring and has an entrance exam slated for Sept. 17. The deadline to apply is Aug. 19. A recruitment poster asks prospective officers Do You Have What It Takes? and promises benefits such as generous retirement plans, excellent medical coverage, and a base salary of $83,010 after about four years on the job.

Indeed, two thirds of the force earned in excess of $100,000 last year, mostly due to working overtime. More than 100 officers cracked $150,000 in take-home pay.

Collectively, Rochester police officers logged 175,540 overtime hours last year, an average of 249 hours, or roughly six weeks, per officer. Two years earlier, officers collectively worked 100,882 hours, or 135 hours apiece, on average.

BUDGET-BUSTING, RECORD-BREAKING

The overtime last year busted the departments operational budget of $90.8 million, which city officials had trimmed by $4.3 million in response to a year of protests and intense scrutiny on policing practices. Paying for it required restoring more than half of the cut.

In June, the City Council approved emergency legislation that injected an additional $2.3 million into the department. The measure passed by a vote of 6-3.

A large number of sworn vacancies in the Police Department is responsible for the majority of increased expenditures in addition to the special event and private detail overtime, the legislation read.

TOTAL RPD PAYROLL:

FY 2020: $77,807,157

FY 2021: $78,002,344

FY 2022: $80,327,125

News outlets in the early 2000s reported that Rochester police were logging upward of 200,000 overtime hours a year when the city was enacting a crime-fighting initiative known at the time as Zero Tolerance.

For example, the Democrat and Chronicle in 2008 reported that 55 officers worked 500 or more extra hours that year, the height of the overtime surge in those days. Last year, 117 officers worked 500 or more overtime hours.

By 2010, the city had cut police overtime by about a third, aided by a drop in violent crime and a hiring spree that swelled the Police Department payroll.

When Malik Evans assumed the mayoralty in January, he took the helm of a city whose median annual household income the Census Bureau has pegged at $37,395. Against that backdrop, the quarter-million-dollar cop club caught the new mayors eye.

AVERAGE OVERTIME PAY PER OFFICER:

FY 2020: $9,132

FY 2021: $12,649

FY 2022: $16,827

AVERAGE RPD SALARY (INCLUDING OVERTIME):

FY 2020: $103,596

FY 2021: $106,999

FY 2022: $113,939

The release noted that Evans concluded that the city needed a new method for delivering such information after he examined a think tanks online database of municipal salaries and discovered that some Rochester police officers were making more than $200,000 a year.

His administration has yet to develop a new approach to conveying the data, but his spokesperson, Barbara Pierce, said doing so remained a priority.

In the news release, however, the mayor appeared to already have a handle on what was fueling the soaring salaries and the implications of them.

The primary driving factor behind these costs is the amount of overtime we are paying to an understaffed, overworked Police Department whose people are trying to protect and serve a community experiencing incredible levels of violent crime, Evans said in the release.

Some of our officers are working more than 80 hours a week, he went on, and thats not good for the officers or the community.

Gino Fanelli is a CITY staff writer. He can be reached at (585) 775-9692 or gino@rochester-citynews.com.

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Rochester enters the era of the $250,000 police officer - Rochester City Newspaper

India will aim to become a developed nation within 25 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a national day address yesterday, with policies to support domestic production in power, defence and digital technology.Speaking from the 17th century Red Fort in Delhi as India celebrates its 75th year of independence from British colonial rule, Modi exhorted youth to aim big and give their best years for the cause of the country.The prime minister urged Indians to shed colonialism in our minds and habits.Hundreds of years of colonialism has restricted our sentiments, distorted our thoughts. When we see even the smallest thing related to colonialism in us or around us, we have to be rid of it, Modi said.Modi also said India should crush the termite of corruption and nepotism, follow an India First mantra and ensure that in speech and conduct, we do nothing that lowers a womans dignity.Self-reliant India is the responsibility of every citizen, every government, every unit of society, he said.We must turn India into a developed country in the next 25 years, in our lifetime, said the 71-year-old Modi, wearing a turban in the colours of the Indian flag, in his 75-minute-speech in Hindi.Its a big resolution, and we should work towards it with all our might.The World Bank currently categorises India as a lower-middle income economy meant for countries with a gross national income per capita of between $1,086 and $4,255.High income countries, like the US, have a per capita income of $13,205 or more.India is the worlds sixth-largest economy and is expected to grow at over 7% in the current fiscal year ending in March 2023 the fastest among major economies.Many experts say Indias economy could expand to become the worlds third-largest by 2050 after the US and China, although per capita income, currently around $2,100, may remain low compared to many countries.With about 1.4bn people, India is expected to surpass China as the worlds most populous country next year.Countries like the US already see India as a future challenger to Chinas dominating influence in Asia and beyond.US President Joe Biden on Sunday congratulated India for its national day.The US joins the people of India to honour its democratic journey, guided by Mahatma Gandhis enduring message of truth and non-violence, Biden said. India and the US are indispensable partners, and the US-India Strategic Partnership is grounded in our shared commitment to the rule of law and the promotion of human freedom and dignity, Biden said.Biden also said his countrys Indian-American community had made the US a more innovative, inclusive, and stronger nation.

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India aims to be developed nation in 25 years: Modi - Gulf Times

We all appreciate having choices.

Idahoans in general and fiscal conservatives in particular are about to have a choice as consumers of key issues. A nonprofit think tank called Mountain States Policy Center is now open for business.

The organization, co-founded by Kootenai County resident Becky Funk, will research and analyze important issues. Through its website, social media and yes, even newspapers, the Mountain States Policy Center will share with Idahoans its analysis of important issues through the lens of data scrutiny rather than political ideology.

Make no mistake: Mountain States Policy Centers songs likely wont be music to everyone's ears. Unapologetically, its leaders will be advocating positions based on free market principles, which in the words of President and CEO Chris Cargill form the most revolutionary force for change that the world has ever known.

What you wont find on its website or read in its newspaper columns are candidate endorsements, political smear campaigns or deep dives into the pit of cultural consternation. Somebody else can grind axes over abortion, critical race theory and guns. Mountain States Policy Center promises to be laser-focused on actual issues, with conclusions backed by hard data.

Mountain States Policy Center wont be the first Idaho-centric organization coming at you from the position of reducing taxes, lowering health care costs, assisting small business and demanding government transparency four corners of a home built on a free market foundation. The Idaho Freedom Foundation might have started with those ideals but has devolved over the years into a toxic collaborative of personalities bent on making and breaking political careers and crushing the respectful exchange of ideas.

Cargill and Funk told The Press on Friday that Mountain States Policy Center's nonpartisanship extends to the hope that theyll meet not just with Idahos Republican caucus but with Democrats, too.

The best ideas dont come when youre sitting in an echo chamber, Funk said.

While many Democrats might disagree with the centers stance against an education-investment measure headed for the November ballot, Cargill said, more common ground might exist in its gas tax initiative to require governments to show consumers on gas pumps how much theyre paying in state (32 cents per gallon) and federal (18 cents) taxes. People should have a better idea why their gas costs so much and who is (and isnt) responsible.

As a fledgling organization, the proof will be in the pudding, but The Press welcomes an impressive new player at the Idaho policy table. We will respectfully disagree at times with Mountain States Policy Center's conclusions and recommendations, but were certain of this: Unlike the Idaho Freedom Foundation, Mountain States Policy Center has the states best interests at heart.

Thats a refreshing and encouraging new choice for all of us.

Mountain States Policy Center: mountainstatespolicy.org

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EDITORIAL: Welcome to new thinker on the block - Coeur d'Alene Press

Letter writers| Fort Myers News-Press

One of the most important events in recent Collier CountySchool Board history will take place this school year with the appointment of a new school superintendent. If we are to attract the highest caliber candidates it is vital that they see a welcoming, supportive and stable educational environment. As the CCPS board chair during the search that resulted in the hiring of Dr. Kamela Patton, I know this from experience.

As required by their oath of office, the current board members have complied with all state laws and gubernatorial executive orders and have delivered remarkable results despite the challenges of a global pandemic. They have taken their fiscal responsibility seriously and the district is on track to be debt free by 2026, while reducing the school taxes homeowners will pay. Academically, the district has maintained an A grade for the past fiveyears as measured by state metrics, oneof only threedistricts in the state to do so. In addition, the graduation rate has increased by 20.2 percentover the past 10 years to 92.7 percent.

This is not the time to rock the boatif we are genuinely concerned about providing the best learning environment for our children and attracting the best candidates for our next superintendent. The current incumbents need to be returned to office. Vote for Jen Mitchell, Roy Terry and Jory Westbury in the Aug.23primary election.

Julie Sprague, CCPS board member 2008-2016, Naples

Collier County is at a crossroads with many groups all competing for the same resources. We have more people that want to move here, some from the states as well as internationally. We have roads, many of which cannot be widened. We have developers who want to build higher and higher buildings with more density because there is a market to sell them. We have hoteliers who see Naples as a very lucrative market. We have owners of sports complexes who want to turn Naples into a Disneyland. All of these are competing with the very scarce resources enjoyed by the residents, such as our clean beaches, safety of our roads, family oriented neighborhoods, quaint downtown, etc.

We have grown too fast to accommodate all the needs required by those who are still arriving and we are continuing this growth at record speed. It is time to institute new plans to address this growth and not just let it continue unabated. We need commissioners who will look at long range plans for Collier County and not just keep approving exceptions to our zoning laws.

Nancy Lewis is the candidate from North Naples, District 2 who has been addressing these issues from the beginning. She is the only candidate not accepting donations from PACs or developers. We cannot keep kicking the can down the road and expect anything to change. I am supporting Nancy Lewis for commissioner because I know Nancy and I know she will work diligently on behalf of all of us. She is my choice and I hope, yours as well.

ELizabeth Pircio, Naples

We have a very pivotal election coming up on Aug.23in Collier County for the role of county commissioner for District 4. We are in need of true leadership in this town especially following the aftermath of the overreaching oppressive actions from the current leadership of the incumbent who occupies the seat.

I fully support Daija Hinojosa to become our next county commissioner. She has always been destined to run for elected office since pre-pandemic. She is a principled leader with strong conservative values. Daija is a beacon of hope and promise for Collier County.

Daija advocates for clean water, lower taxes, small government, balanced development, fiscal responsibility and will not give you lip service. She has been at every board meeting and many other community events addressing the crucial issues facing Naples.

Her peaceful protests and community awareness initiatives are what sparked the freedom movement in Naples, helping to revoke the illegal mask mandates that plagued our businesses, town and way of life.

I have stood by Daijas side as a good friend and am very involved in her campaign with marketing support, voter outreach, campaigning and in other capacities.

As a Republican, proud patriot father and small business owner, I believe Daija is the best candidate for the job.

If you feel the same way about Naples and you too think it is time for a much needed change in leadership, then stand with me and many other like minded voters to elect Daijaon Aug.23!

Nick Ummarino, Naples

Our Board of County Commissioners is at it again. They have been limiting public input at their public hearings to three minutes. (Is this an abridgement of free speech?) Now, shame on me for this, I have just discovered that their Administrative Code (AC-2-7) calls for five minutes for the public. Well, they just cant have this so they are in the process of amending the code to limit citizens to three minutes.

If that is not enough, they want to eliminate a portion of the code which requires a showing of hands by the public as to whether or not they agree with the commissioners. I know they have been avoiding this and can only assume that they might be embarrassed by the lack of citizen support.

They are this arrogant because we, the citizens of Lee County, have allowed them to be.

Norman Cannon, Fort Myers

Michelle McLeod has a great vision regarding many of the issues of Collier County, including: the Paradise Sports Complex in eastern Collier County - funded with local tax dollars at approximately 567 million over budget; Great Wolf Lodge -- the county board agreed to fund this, again funded with local tax dollars. Also, both of these projects are in direct competition with the remaining hoteliers in Collier County. I trust Michelle McLeod to work hard for the taxpayers of Collier County and not waste our tax money.

Murray R. Wise, Naples

For over 20 years, our local Lions Clubs have been screening adults and children for eye problems and came to realize that many of them are underserved and cannot afford eye care. In 2008, the Bonita Springs Lions Club in their wisdom, decided to build an eye clinic on their campus in Bonita Springs. The clinic treats patients 200 percentbelow the poverty line and with no insurance. Today the clinic treats 2,000 patients a year and it is entirely free, even surgery. The clinic is the only free standing eye clinic offering in-house surgeries in the state. In kind services are valued at over $950,000 a year.

Though the name changed to the Florida Lions Eye Clinic, as it serves people from all over Florida, one of our major supporters continues to be the Bonita Springs Lions Club. With over $400,000 donated since the clinics inception, we are hugely indebted to them. Without the collective support from all of our volunteers, donors, foundations, charitable institutions, our local news sources, and the support we get from Collier and Lee Countys United Way, the clinic would not exist.

Any person who resides in Florida who is underserved, does not have medical insurance, and meets the qualifying guidelines, is able to make an appointment for free services at 239-498-3937. The clinic treats eye diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes, and provides eye exams and surgeries for children and adults at no cost.

The Florida Lions Eye Clinic has a vision to improve the quality of life for those who cannot afford eye care by providing exemplary and comprehensive vision care. As founding physicians, it is impossible to show just how grateful we are for all of the support the clinic has received since its opening.

Richard D. Shapiro MD, Howard Freedman MD, Alfonse Cinotti MD, Joseph Carpentieri MD,Florida Lions Eye Clinic, Bonita Springs

While I realize this has been an extremely vicious campaign season for local races in Naples, I think intelligent people are very fed up with the social media and mailings we have received from candidates attacking their opponents with misinformation and down-right lies instead of focusing upon how they will work with others in our community including elected colleagues and concerned citizens on ensuring that our community continues to be the best place to live.

Where are their ethics! What will they do to ensure our community, our school district, our infrastructure, our natural resources are addressed. No clue when the only focus in their mailings and posts are attacking opponents. The most recent mailing was done by Penny Taylor against an opponent. The viciousness was beyond belief from Penny and her campaign team. Shameful!

My votes go to those who focus on the work and how they will contribute! Jen Mitchell, Roy Terry, and Jory Westberry get my vote in the school board race! Michelle McCloud, Collier County Commission District 4 gets my vote. All have a track record of great work, ethical behavior, collaborative leadership and proven track records, and their campaigns focus upon the work and not attacking other candidates!

Kathy Curatolo, Naples

freedom, Freedom, FREEDOM! Hey, how about that freedom! Yeah, how about the freedom of women making their own health care decisions with the consultation of their doctors? NO! says DeSantis. We cant have that. Well let Big Government make those decisions. Women should stay home, barefoot, pregnant, and serving their man. Disgusting? Yes! Lets do something about it.Votethese Neanderthals out of office starting with DeSantis in November.

Patrick Kroll, Fort Myers

Once again Floridas Republican governor has demonstrated his political power overreach due to a difference of law interpretation.He has suspended Democratic State Attorney Andrew Warren who was elected twice by voters in Tampa in 2016 and 2020, thereby voiding the voice of the people.

Dorothy S. Kuzneski, Naples

Attacks on public education are disgusting. President Wannabe DeSantis leading the charge is revolting.

Most people dont realize what it takes to become a teacher or certified educational administrator. Ill illustrate the rigor of educator training by briefly looking at what it takes to be a middle or high school biology teacher in Floridas public schools through the lens of the requirements for this degree at Florida Southwestern State College.

An undergraduate degree in this field at the college entails completion of 40 courses, including 12 courses in General Education (i.e., Communications, Humanities, Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences) and 20 courses within the specialization, e.g., Methods in Teaching High School Science with Practicum, which addresses both the theory and practice of the science classroom.

Southwestern State isnt an elite school, but I will bet my bottom dollar that everyone who graduated this program with a B+ average or better worked their tails off.

Certified educators are skilled practitioners. But loud-mouthed know-it-alls treat them like dogs. Have these screamers ever cracked a serious book about teaching? Have they studied the goals of education? Have they researched managing discipline in classrooms? Does a focus on human development sound like part of a socialist plot to indoctrinate their children?

There are bad cops and bad police departments. But, just as with the cops, there are more competent educators than there are poor ones. Listen to them. Show them some respect. Pay them appropriately. Most of us couldnt do their job.

Michael Sales, Naples

Thank you News-Press for printing the op-ed by former Commissioner Ray Judah. It serves as a happy reminder of why voters overwhelming rejected him sixyears ago in a landslide loss. He remains as out of touch with SWFL voters now as he was when they kicked him out of office, yet he still seems to be desperate for attention when his day has clearly passed.

Of course Ray is supporting Charlie Crist and his anti-business, anti-property rights and socialist utopia platform -- proving true the "birds of feather" proverb. Ray campaigned unsuccessfully for Charlie in his last failed attempt at governor and has a long record of supporting failed candidates at both the state and local levels. What he repeatedly fails to comprehend (and blame others for, rather than develop a better sense of self-awareness) is that voters consistently reject his liberal agendas and attacks on Floridas farmers.

Ray, let me break it down for you. You had your chance and you failed us. The world has moved on and you should consider doing the same. Ron DeSantis has done more to restore and preserve our environment than you, and your fellow career politician/opportunist buddy Charlie Crist, have ever dreamed of doing. Your words are as empty as the suit Charlie Crist has worn while scamming voters for the last 30 years.

Unlike you and Charlie, Gov.DeSantis will be successful again at the ballot box -- while the two of you will be relegated to the sidelines to continue to irrelevantly point blame and throw stones. Maybe it time that you embrace retirement. Its for the best.

Terry Miller, Alva

Do you know a parent who would benefit from up to $350 payments per child each month? The Child Tax Credit did this for a brief time at the end of 2021, but when it was not renewed, parents like myself were left to fend for themselves during historic inflation. The Family Security Act is cost neutral and promises to bring back these payments in a greater amount.

Sen.Romneys new plan would not contribute to inflation, and would provide parents with the essential help they need to afford necessities in this economy. The FSA would provide $350 payments per child ages 0-5, or $250 for 6-17, more than the original CTC. Furthermore, expecting parents can qualify for $700 per month in the last four months before birth.

As a mother, when I was receiving the CTC I could pay for health care costs for my two kids. It allowed me to be stress free and focus on my business. I know many other parents are struggling to put food on the table, or commute to work with expensive gas prices. The Family Security Act could be the saving grace our middle and lower class desperately needs.

Marilu Garbi, Fort Myers

The new inflation reduction act which the president will soon sign into law will increase the number of IRS agents by 87,000. Theres 724 billionaires in America, who do you think they will come after once they are finished with them?

Carl Schumann, Fort Myers

The recent legal search of Mar-a-Largo was long overdue and evidently involved the harboring of classified documents illegally removed from the White House. This has never occurred in our history and, ifit did, under normal circumstances the perpetrator would already be behind bars. It was not a raid as the orange man would have us to believe but an above-board legal search. There were no doors smashed and the operation went smoothly with compliance by the caretakers. The perpetrator wasted no time to alert his minions and sycophants in Congress to characterize this as an illegal raid drummed up by the Democrats. The Justice Department, which is a completely separate branch of government, carried out this operation with evidence of the sequestration of classified documents. Immediately, the clueless followers took to social media threatening a civil war which is scary and obviously taken into consideration prior to the search. The fact remains -- no man is above the law -- no man.

The consequences of this and thepossible repercussionscould and should preclude the target of these illegalities from ever running for office again. The repercussions of this will drive these deranged flag-wavers crazy but they were already crazy. Country, the rule of lawand theConstitution should and must be upheld to hopefullyput an end to this madness.

Glenn Chenot, Cape Coral

Our current administration and Congress in the past 18 months have passed an impressive list of legislation that hasaddressed many of my prioritized concerns and helped many regular people like myself.

1. A recovery stimulus during COVID-19 lockdown to replace some lost income

2. Infrastructure spending adding jobs to make needed repairs to roads, bridges, railways, ports and airports.

3. Gun safety -- new laws for the first time in decade to keep us safer

4. Medical aid for veterans suffering from toxic burn fumes

5. Funding to bring chips manufacturing back to the USA from China and solve a supply chain issue

6. Increased jobs and decreased unemployment

7. Gas prices are coming down reducing inflationary costs

8. Uniting NATO against Russian aggression of Ukraine

9. COVID-19 vaccinations that have reduced deaths and ICU hospitalizations

10. Climate change spending to reduce carbon emissions

11. Medicare benefits changes to reduce costs to seniors -- cap on out of pocket costs and negotiated drug prices

12. 15 percentminimum tax rate for billion dollar corporations who currently pay no taxes

13. Reduction to the national deficit

Issues that I am concerned about remain to be addressed. Most have to do with protection of our rights:

Protect voting rights and rules for counting votes

Protect public safety by banning open carry of assault weapons

Protect our paid-into Social Security benefits

Protect womens rights to choose their best health care

Protect peoples freedom from discrimination

In this Novembers general election, be sure to vote for candidates who represent your best interests.

Linda Lindquist, North Fort Myers

Sen. Rick Scott should be ashamed of his rhetoric and apologize to every WWII veteran and victim still alive. His remarks comparing the execution of a legal search warrant to the Nazi Gestapo is inflammatory and a gross lie.

An FBI search warrant has to include an affidavit that includes probable cause for a search, and information to support the likelihood that evidence of a crime is located at the place of the search. A neutral and detached federal judge must sign off on the warrant. All this because the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution protects Americans from unlawful search and seizure.

This bears absolutely no resemblance to the Gestapo. The Gestapo (translation of the abbreviation of secret police) ruthlessly eliminated opposition and was responsible for the roundup of Jews throughout Europe for deportation to extermination camps. The Gestapo operated outside the law, ordered murder and torture, and operated mobile death squads. Its actions were not subject to judicial appeal.

Millions of innocent civilians were systematically exterminated by Nazis during WWII. Scotts comparing the U.S. FBI and judicial processes to Nazi atrocities is a disgraceful display of contempt for our Constitution and our laws.

Susan McGuire, Bokeelia

The raid on former Presidents Trump home when the National Archives and Records Administration referred the case to the Justice Department because of alleged security threat posed by having classified materials taken from the White House when he left office is unprecedented

The Justice Department and FBI have a "strange way" of addressing mishandling of classified material.Hillary had classified material on an unsecured server, and the FBI said it was careless.

People should be fearful and aware of the corruption and underhanded tactics being used by federal agencies to take down a former president

If Trump committed criminal acts hold him accountable. As Americans it's imperative that we hold all elected officials to the very highest standard, not just members of one party. as they serve and answer to us.

The FBI has been used as a political weapon against those who are not part of the establishment government in the past. It's just like they've been doing with the IRS (Lois Lerner) inappropriate targeting of conservative groups and people, no one got arrested, she got her hand slapped and a pension and they wantto hire another 87,000 agents, be prepared to be audited

Its up to the American people to fight for their freedoms. The people have forgotten that the politicians work for them -- we do not serve them.

Lou Walker, Cape Coral

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Letters to the editor for Sunday, August 14, 2022 - News-Press

Sri Lankas spectacular political downfall over the recent days and ongoing downward economic spiral offers yet another unmistakable reminder: Good governance, both political and economic, matters.

The overthrow by ordinary Sri Lankans of an irresponsible government that bears responsibility for decades of mismanagement wasnt a revolution. It was instead the result of frustrated Sri Lankans desperate outcry against policy failure caused by the feckless government and the countrys long-time political dynasty.

Serious policy hiccups by President Gotabaya Rajapaksas government, compounded by shocks caused by the ongoing pandemic and Russias unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, have sparked economic and social turmoil in Sri Lanka.

As noted by The Heritage Foundations annual Index of Economic Freedom, Sri Lanka has been stuck in the rating of mostly unfree economies over the past decade. Its economy is ranked 132nd out of the 177 countries whose economic freedom the 2022 index assessed.

Driven lower by reductions in fiscal health and business freedom, Sri Lanka has recorded considerable deterioration of economic freedom since 2017 and has further fallen to the lower rankings.

Sadly, from a broader perspective, the countrys unfolding saga has turned out to be a classic case of a train wreck in slow motion.

The current crisis was not completely unexpected. It almost happened months ago with the prior bout of protests when most ministers resigned, including several in the Rajapaksa family, Sri Lankas long-time political dynasty. Without elevated and reinforced economic reforms underpinned by decisive political will, Sri Lankas economy has been almost hopelessly confined by what amounts to self-imposed economic repression.

Indeed, the mass protests over the past weeks are the legitimate consequence of poor political and economic governance that resulted in shortages, a broader cost of living crisis, and social unrest.

Facing an unavoidable political downfall, the president decided to flee for his safety on a military jet to the Maldives and then to Singapore where he emailed his resignation.

The presidents unglamorous resignation effectively put an end to the rule of one of South Asias most powerful political families, too. As succinctly noted by a respected Indian foreign policy scholar:

For much of nearly two decades, the four Rajapaksa brothers and their sons have run Sri Lanka like a family businessand a disorderly one, at that. With their grand construction projects and spendthrift ways, they saddled Sri Lanka with unsustainable debts, driving the country into its worst economic crisis since independence. Now, the dynasty has fallen.

Moving away from the brink of violent political confrontation, there does appear to be an orderly transition plan underway to create an interim government via a legal parliamentarian process.

However, ordinary Sri Lankans will be forced to pay an acutely high price for the abrupt transition, given the fact that there is going to be a prolonged and profound economic mess for the foreseeable future. Crushed by the loss of tourist revenue the past five years plus gross economic mismanagement and now runaway inflation, the prospects for a rapid recovery are quite bleak.

Sri Lankas ongoing turbulence has also already begun to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the critical region, where the island nation has long been considered as a strategic prize, with both China and India rivaling to jostle for greater influence.

In fact, Sri Lanka, an island nation straddling the Indian Oceans crucial trading routes, witnessed a substantial expansion of Chinese influence during the tenure of Rajapaksa from 2005 to 2015. Several multibillion-dollar Chinese investments in critical infrastructure resulted in the rapid accumulation of debt and widespread corruption, offering a model case study for the risks associated with Chinas Belt and Road Initiative.

It would be a mistake, however, to draw implications of larger global trends concerning food and energy shortages. In each case, political turmoil is as much a product of domestic issues and/or malicious foreign intervention as global trends. Each crisis needs to be evaluated on its own terms.

Yet there is an unambiguous lesson from Sri Lanka that should be relearned here for other nations.

Good economic governance is about much more than ensuring a business environment in which entrepreneurship and prosperity can flourish. Economic freedom under the effective rule of law nourishes institutional resilience and sustains the overall quality of life.

Undoubtedly, the U.S. cannot give Sri Lanka the political will needed to transform its economy in accordance with free-market principles. However, it is in the clear interest of Washington to hold any future government in Colombo to a basic set of good governance standards.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Signal

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The Serious Lack of Good Governance and Economic Freedom: Root Causes of Sri Lanka's Ongoing Turmoil - Heritage.org