How COVID-19 impacted the modern state and what might the modern state look like post-pandemic
At the start of the pandemic, Colorado was starting to see an increase in COVID cases and the hospitals were quickly reaching capacity. When Governor Polis issued a ‘Safer at Home’ order on April 24th, Weld County Commissioners stated publicly that they will not follow nor enforce any public health guidelines ordered by the state. A local municipality had directly defied a state-mandated order. The US federal government response was disorganized, dysfunctional, and unwilling to handle the new outbreak. The response by state governments was not unilateral, with some states enforcing covid-19 responses and some states not enforcing them. Local…
We need a modern welfare state to save democracy and capitalism
There is great debate among political figures and academics about the effectiveness and relevancy of the welfare state. Libertarians feel as if the policies rob a person of their economic freedoms and responsibilities. Marxists think these policies do not address the inadequacies in the Capitalist superstructure, and some feel as if these policies do not solve poverty. Since the 1980s, welfare states have come under attack from political figures in the United States and Great Britain, Canada, and France. People from all sides of the political spectrum feel the welfare state is obsolete and that the free-market can close the…
Apple will let Parler back on the app after the company agreed to monitor hate speech and incitement
Parler was the alternative social media outlet for Conservatives who did not feel welcome on traditional formats such as Facebook. If you recall, Parler was removed from all platforms after the Insurrection on January 6th. Parler, an alleged haven for ‘free speech’, came under heavy criticism after it failed to monitor the threatening and hostile environment. All the tech companies removed Parler from their platforms due to violent speech and the reluctance of Parler to monitor its platform.
The only reason I agreed to the removal of the platform was due to the lack of monitoring by Parler. If you’ve…
How you can manage this new era of hostility.
At the start of the Pandemic in early 2020, America was already facing a shift in politics due to former President Donald Trump. Trump grabbed the populist movement in the United States and transformed the movement into his image. As the pandemic started to dig its heels into communities across the US, Americans were also digging their heels into their political tribes and identities. A disorganized federal government fed disorganized information to the American public and conspiracy theories about the pandemic spread like wildfire due to its new supply of oxygen…
Why do some people vote against policies that would improve their well-being?
Shortly before Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s election, a friend of mine and I were discussing student loan forgiveness. He argued that since he took out a loan and signed his name, he should be solely responsible for paying it back. I claimed that under normal circumstances, I would agree. Still, given the pandemic’s course, the uncertainty of my job, I wanted to reduce as much debt as possible. He voted for Donald J. Trump, who had no long-term policy to address student loans. I voted for Joe Biden, who did have a strategy to reduce student loan debt. I…
Within the context of the Post-Trump era, a new wave of democracy is unlikely unless we address these issues
With Donald J. Trumps’ defeat, Americans and people worldwide can breathe a sigh of relief. Under this administration, the United States saw the most blatant attacks on our guardrails and referees of democracy. Our oldest friends and allies with other nations were damaged, and our isolationist policies weakened the average American worker and our society (pre-pandemic era). Now there is some hope that the post-Trump era will usher in a new wave of democracy not only across the United States but perhaps the world. …
Americans must remain vigilant against far-right extremism
Millions of Americans breathed a heavy sigh as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office on January 20th. To many, it was an end to the dysfunctional reign of the Trump administration that wreaked havoc on our country. Joe Biden does not have an easy task with containing the Covid outbreak, reforming social justice, and pursuing US economic recovery policies. He must also face the challenge of rising Nazism, white supremacy, and extremism in the United States. While January 20th is a day of relief and celebration, we cannot ignore what Trumpism has unleashed on American society.
QAnon…
The attack on Capitol Hill could only be the beginning
The attack on January 6th on Washington’s Capitol Hill was not a spontaneous incident. It was the culmination of the past ten-twelve years, that loathing racism seized upon the opportunist President Donald J. Trump. In comparison, white nationalism is nothing particularly new in this country; these extremist views that Trump stoked can trace back to Barack Obama’s election in 2008. When the nation historically elected its first African American president the deep-rooted racism in this country began to bubble once again in the pressure cooker.
Under President Trump, a white extremist is emboldened and encouraged by the president. The consequence…
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will start their term in office on noon, January 20th. The Biden administration will be facing one of the most significant challenges the United States has ever faced in modern times. The most urgent issue the administration must first reign in is the spread of the virus and create a policy to address the economy’s changing landscape. The post-pandemic economy will look vastly different than the economy we once knew as a country.
Not only does the president-elect have to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus, but he has the incredible task of preventing the…
Democracy is fragile, as we’ve seen throughout history. Since ancient Greece developed a form of democracy to self-govern, democracy has provided a pathway for citizens to actively engage in the political arena and elect their governors. It has provided an engine for the masses to hold their government accountable and approve/disapprove legislation in their community. The internal institutions that protect democracy, or guardrails, are the judicial system, the press, and political parties. Established norms are also viewed as a safeguard for democracy. According to Freedom House, democracy’s popularity is on the decline worldwide.
The United States, over the past decade…
Marcus Cervantes
Nonprofit professional. Degree in political science. Grad student. Avid coffee drinker.
