#development administration

[reasonsforhope]

Article | Paywall-Free

"The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule Tuesday [October 8, 2024] requiring water utilities to replace all lead pipes within a decade, a move aimed at eliminating a toxic threat that continues to affect tens of thousands of American children each year.

The move, which also tightens the amount of lead allowed in the nation’s drinking water, comes nearly 40 years after Congress determined that lead pipes posed a serious risk to public health and banned them in new construction.

Research has shown that lead, a toxic contaminant that seeps from pipes into the drinking water supply, can cause irreversible developmental delays, difficulty learning and behavioral problems among children. In adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead exposure can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function and cancer.

But replacing the lead pipes that deliver water to millions of U.S. homes will cost tens of billions of dollars, and the push to eradicate them only gathered momentum after a water crisis in Flint, Mich., a decade ago exposed the extent to which children remain vulnerable to lead poisoning through tap water...

The groundbreaking regulation, called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, will establish a national inventory of lead service lines and require that utilities take more aggressive action to remove lead pipes on homeowners’ private property. It also lowers the level of lead contamination that will trigger government enforcement from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb.

The rule also establishes the first-ever national requirement to test for lead in schools that rely on water from public utilities. It mandates thatwater systems screen all elementary and child-care facilities, where those who are the most vulnerable to lead’s effects — young children — are enrolled, and that they offer testing to middle and high schools.

The White House estimates that more than 9 million homes across the country are still supplied by lead pipelines, which are the leading source of lead contamination through drinking water. The EPA has projected that replacing all of them could cost at least $45 billion.

Lead pipes were initially installed in cities decades ago because they were cheaper and more malleable, but the heavy metal can wear down and corrode over time. President Joe Biden has made replacing them one of his top environmental priorities, securing $15 billion to give states over five years through the bipartisan infrastructure law and vowing to rid the country of lead pipes by 2031. The administration has spent $9 billion so far — enough to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes, the administration said.

On Tuesday, the administration said it was providing an additional $2.6 billion in funding for pipe replacement. Over 367,000 lead pipes have been replaced nationwide since Biden took office, according to White House officials, affecting nearly 1 million people...

Environmental advocates said that former president Donald Trump, who issued much more modest revisions to the lead and copper rule just days before Biden took office, would have a hard time reversing the new standards.

Erik Olson, the senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said that the Safe Drinking Water Act has provisions prohibiting weakening the health protections of existing standards...

Olson added that the rule “represents a major victory for public health” and will protect millions of people “whose health is threatened every time they fill a glass from the kitchen sink contaminated by lead.”

“While the rule is imperfect and we still have more to do, this is by far the biggest step towards eliminating lead in tap water in over three decades,” he said."

-via The Washington Post, October 8, 2024

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

Late Friday afternoon, the Trump administration released the details of its 2026 budget request. The 1,223-page document proposes slashing around $163 billion in non-defense spending. That isn't nearly enough to offset the trillions in tax cuts the administration is simultaneously seeking in the reconciliation bill. But the spending cuts would have severe consequences for the most vulnerable Americans, especially poor children. For example, the Trump administration is reducing funding that helps pregnant women, children, and breastfeeding mothers who are nutritionally at risk afford fruits and vegetables. Approximately 6.7 million people currently benefit from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), including 1.5 million pregnant and post-partum mothers, 1.5 million infants, and 3.7 million children under the age of five. To qualify, a beneficiary must live in a household with an income at or below 185% of the federal poverty line and be deemed nutritionally at risk by a healthcare professional or other expert.

Research has shown that the program reduces healthcare costs, leads to improved academic achievement, and results in "fewer infant deaths, premature births, and low birthweight infants." The current fruit and vegetable benefit is modest, and only covers about half of the cost of the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables for mothers and young children. Nevertheless, the Trump budget would cut the monthly benefit for fruits and vegetables for pregnant mothers from $54 to $13. Young children living in poor families would see their monthly fruit and vegetable benefit reduced from $27 to $10. The administration's budget document provides no justification for these cuts. Trump has justified other reductions in social safety net programs as a way to encourage beneficiaries to work or eliminate waste and fraud. But this cut impacts millions of infants and children under five. Previously, WIC has enjoyed bipartisan support. In the 50 years since the program was started, its funding has never been reduced.

[...]

Kicking kids out of their homes

One of the deepest cuts in the Trump budget targets the rental assistance programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including Housing Choice Vouchers and Section 8 assistance. The Trump budget cuts these programs by $26.72 billion, which is a 42% reduction. There are currently 10.1 million people who rely on these programs to keep a roof over their heads. Of that total, 5.6 million beneficiaries are in families with children. (Most of the rest are seniors or people with disabilities.)

The drastic cuts mean that millions of families with children will no longer be able to afford a place to live. The reason why many families cannot afford housing without federal assistance is not due to a lack of employment. "60% of non-disabled, working-age American households receiving Department of Housing and Urban Development rental assistance include at least one worker," according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. The problem is that since 2001, median rent has increased by 23%, but the median income of a renter household has increased by just 5%. These households do not benefit from the two largest federal housing subsidies — the mortgage interest deduction and the capital gains exemption for the sale of a principal residence.

[...]

Taking an ax to pre-K

Preschool Development Grants is a federal program that helps states improve their early-childhood educational systems for children up to age five. States compete for a portion of the grant funding available — $315 million in fiscal year 2024. The money is used to help states offer "high-quality early education to more working families." The funding "helps millions of children have access to safe, quality child care and early learning that can help set them on a strong path for their futures." States use the money for various purposes. Kansas, for example, used some funding "to identify and reduce regulatory burdens associated with operating state child care businesses." Maryland provided training to early education providers to "improve quality among programs for infants and toddlers as well as preschool-age children." Ohio's grant funded "partnerships between early childhood providers and businesses to increase wages and improve recruitment and retention."

The Trump Regime’s FY 2026 budget request includes items that would harm poor children, such as cuts to WIC and housing assistance.

[jayktoralldaylong]

"MelJayVik can't work because both Jayce and Viktor are too possessive to share."

And it just might be the stupidest argument I've ever heard to be honest.

But I think what pisses me off the most is that I only see this argument being used for MelJayVik, and that is so interesting considering I adore a lot of Poly ships and I have never seen such an argument before.

Interesting isn't it.

So what's the problem? Is it because Mel is a woman? (I doubt it. Alucard X Trevor X Sypha is a popular ship).

So it's because she's black isn't it? 🙂

"That's not true. We love our Queen Mel."

Ah but you've all unanimously decided that she's not Queen enough to work in even a platonic relationship with Jayce and Viktor. 😌 Don't give me that queen shit until you treat her like the queen she actually is.

I swear y'all jump through hoops to keep them apart. If it isn't pushing the agenda that Mel and Viktor hate each other (which they don't. Having a disagreement does not mean loathing. What's wrong with you? 💀 You guys did the same thing with Jayce and the bridge scene after season one), then it's pushing the agenda that Viktor and Jayce don't share.

MIND YOU, while they are both OBSESSED with each other, Jayce kept trying to pull Viktor into the world of popularity and fame. He wanted Viktor to expand and have fun. And the second Viktor realised he was being too clingy his first instinct is always to pull away and push Jayce towards others. Don't give me shit about them not sharing. Their problem isn't that they want to own each other, it's that they think the other wants nothing to do with them. Stop pushing your fantasies on Jayce and Viktor. It annoys me.

[daisylovesrumble]

With PBS being only .01% of the federal budget, it should be very obvious that the Trump administration and DOGE isn't wanting to defund it to save money. They want to defund it because it is an educational resource.

Children's educational television on PBS is a great resource for low-income families who often cannot afford cable or streaming. PBS provides children with free educational television.

Educating our children should not be something that is considered government waste.

[theglowsociety]

Things People Trust More Than Donald Trump

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFk31wMOJU9/?igsh=MXA1YWtvdmV0bTBuNQ==

[chronurgy]

It's the modernization it's the mechanization it's the way the old world has to die for the new world to be born and by killing gortash you've slowed it down but you haven't stopped it because ideas can't be stopped and the industrial world that will destroy your way of life is coming and you can't stop it by killing him any more than the luddites could stop it by smashing up a few factory machines

[jevilowo]

If I had the attention span and/or writing skills I'd write an Adminsniper 50 shades parody called 50 shades of Purple. I don't actually know the plot of 50 shades (its really boring and i never got past like the fourth chapter) so. Eh.

[12am-motivation]

(From the trailer description:)

After the transformation, his muscles and bones turned into cold machinery. This time, will he still be able to feel the pain you inflict with your own hands?

"What, you don't recognize me?"

"Did you honestly think I would always be the kindhearted boy in your childhood?"

(more rambling in tags ↓)

[shynrinn]

michael is all about cleanliness and order, angel won't start the meeting unless everything is right.

[localguy2]

Zane being used as a fucking battery for Unagmi to get into the real world, and him walking it off like it's nothing fills me with so much viisceral rage it's unbelievable

What the FUCK do you mean he's fine??! Did you not see him literally pass out and wake up with an immediate inhale like he was drowning or something???

You don't just walk off being used as a battery, and no amount of cartoon logic will make me think otherwise ESPECIALLY seeing also how he seemingly walked off the whole Ice Emperor shit as well (until Quest for the Lost Powers)

Like, at the very least have him go into a panicked terrified franzy because according to him it felt exactly like his Sacrifice against the Overlord

Or if you wanna go all our just have it wipe all of his damn memories and make him start as a person all over again, even then that still works better if you make it a post Ice-chapter consequence

And even those besides, you could do soooooo much with Zane and consequences and the shit he goes through...

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Badash at NCRM:

Legal and political experts are raising alarms over what they describe as a deepening constitutional crisis after associates and close allies of Elon Musk—whom President Donald Trump appointed to lead the newly created temporary Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—reportedly gained access to or locked employees out of at least four federal agencies: the U.S. Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the General Services Administration (GSA). “USAID being unlawfully dismantled. DOGE member has closed HQ. New tranche of workers cut off email,” wrote the former Assistant USAID Administrator for Global Health, Atul Gawande. “Staff tell me, ‘It is frightening being inside USAID right now. Our checks and balances failed. Congress has abdicated its responsibilities.’ And Sec. [of State Marco] Rubio has abdicated his.” The Atlantic’s Norman Ornstein is a political scientist and co-author of the book, “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism.” Dr. Ornstein writes, “All of this is completely illegal; we have people who are not a part of government staging a coup right in front of our eyes. Not a single Republican in Congress objecting, Democrats floundering, the press treating it as a misdemeanor. Beyond frightening.” “This is how democracy dies,” responded economist Tony Annett, a 16-year veteran of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The opposition does nothing. The media play it down. The bureaucrats comply.” Longtime congressional reporter Jamie Dupree writes, “Congress approved money to run USAID. Trump is evidently ready to shut it down. The Constitutional crisis may already be here.”

Unelected coup leader Elon Musk’s unlawfully destroying several agencies under the shield of the scam agency known as Department of Government Efficiency has brought us towards a constitutional crisis. #MuskCoup

See Also:

Steady (Dan Rather): Doing Trump’s Dirty Work

Dispatches From A Collapsing State (Jared Yates Sexton): A Coup in Plain Sight: An Explainer as the Crisis Solidifies

[princess-nobody]

Avatar Rant: Two Avatar takes that bother me

(Pssst! This was originally posted on reddit, but I liked it so much I decided to post it onto my this account! Here's a link to the original if you'd rather read it there!)

So, I saw a semi-viral tweet a while back that bothered me because it not only felt like a complete misunderstanding of the point of Avatar as a film franchise, but also just a very childish view of how societies and different communities function. I can't find it though (I didn't interact with it and it has since been buried) so I apologize for not being able to give the best context.

It was your typical RDA sympathizing humanity first take (makes sense, the account that tweeted it was a walking red flag) that claimed that the na'vi were stupid for not accepting human advancement and technology, that humanity should always put its preservation first, and that the RDA were simply prioritizing the well being of their people whilst the na'vi wanted them gone. I want to start by addressing the latter take(s).

The first and second movies make it very clear that the RDA are NOT prioritizing the survival of Earth or humanity. They are a money hungry organization that want to monetize pandoran resources to their dying people in hopes to squeeze out whatever little money they have left. The people of Earth are said to be protesting them for that very reason, every solution to their planet's problems that they have discovered is insanely expensive and inaccessible to anyone below the upper class one percent. The RDA don't care about humanity, they care about profit, which is the exact reason why their actions are so callous in the films.

There are certainly humans that want to preserve humanity, but I truly cannot wrap my head around how you can watch either film and come to the conclusion that it is the RDA that wants the best for humanity. Avatar is not a "human bad" movie, it is a "corporate greed bad" movie, which is reflective of real life environmental issues. The individual is green, the individual recycles and doesn't litter, the individual cleans their local rivers and sea shores. However, the powerplants continue to polute our air, the corporations continue to flood our oceans with plastic, the rich continue to cut corners and burn the air with private jets.

I truly believe the reading of Avatar as an anti-humanity movie is what has lead to people thinking the RDA are the "good guys". It is because they actually believe the RDA are supposed to represent humanity and their will to keep surviving (and that James Cameron is portraying them as wrong for that), when it is clear they are a representation of the corporate greed that leads to environmental damage and the destruction of humanity.

As for the belief that the na'vi are hostile and somehow wrong for not caring to "advance" in the way humanity did, that is just flat out wrong. When it came to the respectful, peaceful humans such as Grace and her team, the na'vi were incredibly welcoming. I mean, Grace built an entire school for them and taught them human language and other human academics, so clearly they aren't against learning from humans. Again, Avatar is clear about the fact that humans as a collective aren't bad, corporate greed is.

However, why should the na'vi "advance" when there is no need to? Innovation is built on the back of necessity, and in a world where there is no need for certain technological advancements, why should the na'vi chase it? Why do they need phones and tablets and video games and McDonalds? They are living just fine without it. This idea that every society needs to be "modernized", even when they function just fine without said modernization has always driven me up a wall.

This entitlement from the western world is what leads colonial brained weirdos to try and go to indigenous islands and force religion or their world view upon them, because they believe that if a society doesn't function like the "modern" world, it is wrong. The na'vi don't need currency, or modern tech, or modern trends or fast food. They aren't perfect, but they also aren't in a desperate situation that would call for innovation or some sort of technological evolution. They are fine, they don't need nor even want it, and it is strange to believe humanity is in their right to force it upon them.

I'll stop this here because it's getting too long, I would love to hear your thoughts. Last time I made a post in this vein I got some really interesting responses, I couldn't reply to all but I'll try and reblog if that means anything!

[sandcheeze13]

all i got to say for today...

however, i would definitely recommend to read the next message right after.

to put it simply: despite everything, the fight's not over. it's just gotten more harder now.

please don't give in to defeatism. things are bleak, but it's still not over.

for now, please take a breather. please. it's for your own good.

[actual-changeling]

dagon comes to heaven for... something, company meet-up, whatever, and they're both bastards and know it. so michael does a bow, takes their hand, and breathes a kiss to the back of it saying my lord. and then dagon bows, does the same, and says your royal holiness.

they're just. staring at each other with matching smirks and in the background are a bunch of demons and angels just like. i don't think we're supposed to see this. what is this what's happening why have all our bosses gone insane

(uriel would be staring with their mouth open, but they were forced to watch this from the sidelines for months so it's just. please. please hurry up. we have things to discuss you can fuck later)