What I Read this Week
The slowdown from the shut down, more signs of an AI bubble, and more catastrophic news for the climate - plus, life on Mars?
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Articles
America’s senseless government shutdown
The good old fashioned American government shut down is back. Trump wants to end health insurance subsidies introduced under the Affordable Care Act – many Dems are (for once) resisting. So, no budget agreement, which means the US government goes into hibernation mode.
Democrats appear to have paid some attention to polling showing that most Democratic and Independent voters think the party isn’t doing enough to counter Trump’s attacks on US democratic institutions. The Dems are gambling that voters won’t blame them for causing the government shut down, and that they’ll win some brownie points for being tough on Trump.
The issue is that most voters hate the Democrats just as much as they do Republicans. The average nonpartisan voter thinks that politicians are all the same – they’re just out for themselves and their big donors. Voters tend to get frustrated when the government shuts down, and my guess is that they’ll blame Democrats just as much as Republicans. I’m not saying the Dems are wrong not to cave to Trump’s demands – only that they’ve done so little to differentiate themselves from Trump up to now that this last stand looks opportunistic. It’s too little too late.
Having said all that, the shut down does threaten to wreak havoc on the economy when there are already signs of a slowdown.
