#economic consequences

A Call for Critical Thinking

As the trade/tariff situation continues to unfold, American citizens are being warned of potential economic hardship. Phrases like "some pain" and "temporary hardship" downplay the severity of the situation. Seriously, Elon Musk was quoted as saying that last phrase. However, history reminds us that such language can be misleading.

The Great Depression, which lasted over 10 years, is a prime example. By definition, it was indeed a temporary hardship – but one that had a profound impact on generations. This historical context urges us to think critically about the language used to describe economic challenges. We must consider the potential consequences of such actions and demand transparency.

In recent weeks, the entertainment industry has been rocked by news of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) strike in 2023. While the actors involved in the strike have their reasons and concerns, it's essential to critically examine whether this strike is truly necessary or if it might be, in fact, quite pointless.

Economic Impact: One of the most immediate consequences of the SAG strike is the significant economic impact it has on the industry. Thousands of jobs, from actors to crew members, are being affected. Production companies are losing millions of dollars every day the strike continues. Given the economic hardships that many people have faced in recent times, including the COVID-19 pandemic, one must question the wisdom of causing further financial strain on the industry and its workers.

Demands and Priorities: The demands put forth by the striking actors are not unreasonable. However, one could argue that these demands might not be the top priority in a world grappling with more pressing issues. With global crises like climate change, social justice, and healthcare disparities, is a higher salary for already well-paid actors truly the most critical concern? Many people struggle to make ends meet, and it's hard to sympathize fully with actors making exorbitant salaries, especially when so many others are struggling.

Timing: The timing of the SAG strike is questionable, at best. It's happening in an era when the industry is still recovering from the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people in the entertainment business are just getting back on their feet after months of uncertainty and unemployment. Striking now seems insensitive to the plight of others in the industry.

Alternative Solutions: Are strikes the only way to resolve disputes and negotiate better terms? In an industry that thrives on creativity and innovation, one would hope for more imaginative and collaborative solutions. Negotiation and dialogue could lead to more mutually beneficial outcomes without causing widespread disruption and financial loss.

Public Perception: Lastly, it's worth considering the public perception of the strike. In an age where people are increasingly disillusioned with celebrities and their lavish lifestyles, a strike like this may only further alienate the audience. The entertainment industry depends on the support and admiration of the public, and a strike that seems self-serving could harm its reputation.

What would have been an ordinary winter weather event in a better prepared state turned into a catastrophe with long-term economic consequences for Texas.

Endless deregulation and letting energy companies write their own rules may have attracted some companies to Texas in the recent past. But businesses will now think twice about relocating to a state with unprotected infrastructure and an incompetent government which can’t cope with a crisis.

Officials' inability to handle the crisis could also impact Texas’s economic growth and job creation, even as it’s poised to become the next Silicon Valley. Major tech companies such as Oracle and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have been relocating to Texas amid the coronavirus pandemic, partially incentivized by lower costs and favorable tax rates.

But after witnessing a total collapse of the state's infrastructure, corporations that need reliable sources of power and water to fuel their operations may rethink making the move, unless those concerns are somehow alleviated, warned Lloyd Potter, the Texas state demographer and a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

That subsequent loss of high-paying, high-skilled jobs would deal a blow to Texans across the board, Potter said, but especially to those who are lower on the socioeconomic spectrum.

"In terms of magnitude and severity, [this] was, you know, more than anything we’ve experienced historically," he said. "The fallout of not addressing it would be potentially pretty, pretty strong."

Migration to sunbelt states which are highly vulnerable to climate change and are governed by clueless Republicans is not the great business choice that some corporations think it is. The Midwest has more reliable electricity, is less prone to drought, and has no oceanfront property to attract tropical cyclones. Those who brave the snow and cold are rewarded with greater longterm stability.

“President Trump has made the U.S. a rogue nation”

Trump sacrifices the world for coal jobs #EndTimes

“In fact, we calculate the cumulative savings to the U.S. economy alone of meeting the most ambitious Paris targets could total $6 trillion (in today’s dollars),”

« UNE SITUATION TRÈS DANGEREUSE » : EN ISRAËL, DES CENTAINES DE MANIFESTANTS S’OPPOSENT À « LA GUERRE SANS FIN » Par Le Parisien avec AFP (March 28, 2026) Si l’opinion publique reste majoritairement favorable à la guerre contre l’Iran, la proportion d’opposants au conflit s’accroît. https://www.leparisien.fr/international/israel/une-situation-tres-dangereuse-en-israel-des-centaines-de-manifestants-sopposent-a-la-guerre-sans-fin-28-03-2026-M5U6ZCACMZESJBUDQ5QCRUOJUY.php

2. GUERRE AU MOYEN-ORIENT - ISRAËL: DES MANIFESTANTS ANTIGUERRE DISPERSÉS PAR LA POLICE À TEL-AVIV (DHnet.be, 28-03-2026) Plusieurs centaines de manifestants antiguerre ont été dispersés samedi soir par les forces de sécurité à Tel-Aviv lors d'un rassemblement… https://www.dhnet.be/dernieres-depeches/2026/03/28/guerre-au-moyen-orient-israel-des-manifestants-antiguerre-disperses-par-la-police-a-tel-aviv-WIVOBDIFANGWZI6O27CLBFUY5I/

3. [APERÇU DES MANIFESTATIONS ANTI-GUERRE ISRAÉLIENNES ET DE LEUR RÉPRESSION LE 28 MARS 2026] GLIMPSE INTO ISRAELI ANTI-WAR PROTESTS & THEIR REPRESSION ON MARCH 28, 2026: select links — photos, videos via tweets, facebook posts https://www.tumblr.com/israel-palestine-doc/812349260189335552/israeli-anti-war-protests-on-march-28-2026-28-2026-in-ha?source=share

4. ISRAELIS RALLY AGAINST IRAN WAR; 22 ARRESTED DURING VIOLENT POLICE DISPERSALS by Yair Foldes, Noa Shpigel, Nir Hassonand Bar Peleg (Haaretz, March 28, 2026) Demonstrations titled 'Say no to the eternal war of the Kahanist government, yes to just peace and security for the peoples of the region,' are being held in about twenty locations including Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv; police have arrested 22 protesters https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-03-28/ty-article/.premium/anti-war-protests-gather-across-country-police-violently-disperse-demonstrators/0000019d-3553-d3e9-adbf-77df542a0000

5. MOYEN-ORIENT : POUR UNE LECTURE GLOBALE DU CONFLIT Denis Sieffert (politis, mars 25, 2026) Un tout petit groupe de dirigeants d’extrême droite israéliens entraîne le monde dans une crise planétaire. https://www.politis.fr/articles/2026/03/regard-denis-sieffert-moyen-orient-pour-une-lecture-globale-du-conflit/

6. IN “YES,” AN ISRAELI FILMMAKER CHARGES ISRAEL WITH SELF-SATISFIED BRUTALITY By Richard Brody (The New Yorker, March 27, 2026) Nadav Lapid’s furiously satirical drama, about a musician’s willful complicity in a war he reviles, tells a vast story of personal and national degradation. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/in-yes-an-israeli-filmmaker-charges-israel-with-self-satisfied-brutality

7. THE +972 PODCAST: HOW ISRAEL SELLS MILITARISM AT HOME AND ABROAD (+972 Magazine March 27, 2026) Sahar Vardi discusses the human and political costs of Israel's flourishing arms industry, and the deep societal shifts demilitarization would require. https://www.972mag.com/podcast-israel-militarism/

8. INDIA: ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF WAR - EDITORIAL, EPW, March 28, 2026 | The war-driven energy crisis exposes the costs of strategic drift.India’s handling of the economic fallout of the Iran war lays bare both the government’s policy unpreparedness https://www.epw.in/journal/2026/13/editorials/economic-consequences-war.html

🇩🇪 Ich schreibe das aus einem Land, das ich nicht meine Heimat nennen wollte, aber musste. Ich sehe den Zerfall Amerikas aus der Distanz — und ich sehe, wie vertraut das alles ist. Deutschland hat diese Geschichte im Blut. Ihr habt gelernt, was passiert, wenn Hass zur Politik wird, wenn Institutionen zerfallen, wenn “starke Männer” die Ängste der Massen für ihre Macht nutzen. Ihr habt Denkmäler,…

The Illusion of Wealth #artem

Why “Net Worth” Is More Virtual Than a VR Headset Content 16+ Ah, wealth. The great illusion, the siren song that drives humanity to toil, innovate, and occasionally commit the sort of financial hubris that would make even Icarus blush. But let us not be swayed by the glitzy headlines proclaiming the net worth of titans like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos. For what we call ‘net worth’ is about as solid…