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As in past years, the Department of Defense (DOD) is allocated an increase and the lion's share in the proposed budget (more than 60%), while every other department and agency that contributes to Americans' daily well being is cut. (Photo: Shutterstock)
For the past seven years ago, the United Nations has issued a report titled the World Happiness Report. While this report may sound somewhat lightweight, it actually ranks countries by serious measures including income, freedom, trust in government, social support, life expectancy and how happy citizens perceive themselves to be. The highest-ranking countries are those, we learn, that have "strong social welfare systems and an emphasis on equality."
I was not surprised to learn that in 2019 our country fell in rank from 18th to 19th in the report. Despite our high employment, millions of working people hold 2 jobs to pay bills and are an illness away from bankruptcy. Moreover, we have seen a steady increase in the number of hate groups, the majority being white male supremacist groups, over the past 3 years coinciding with President Trump's campaign and presidency. In his recent manifesto, the Australian-born murderer of 50 New Zealand Muslims at worship in mosques attributed Trump as the "symbol of renewed white identity."
While some may protest that the United States is a more complex society with a higher rate of immigrants, Canada, which has a higher percent of foreign-born residents than the US, ranks higher in the recent UN report. So also do Britain and Germany with comparable percentages of foreign-born residents as the US.
A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests.
Let us consider some other factors that might cause us to fall lower on the World Happiness Index than other democratic countries, less wealthy than our own. A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests. Only when the general public's interests coincide with powerful business corporations do our interests get served. Consider also that our life expectancy has dropped over the past year due to drug overdoses and suicides among white men in the late 40s and 50s - a tragic sign of something, maybe hopelessness or a sense of no future that plagues some in our country.
Countries can also be judged by the way they treat their children, so let's consider our own. While the US is among the wealthiest nations in the world, it has a higher rate of child poverty than other wealthy countries. Why? Compared to other wealthy countries, our government underinvests in its poor children and their families and this leads to higher persistent child poverty and poor child health, poor educational outcomes, and no exit out of poverty.
Budgets are moral documents and they mirror the values and priorities of a country.
So let us look at US values and priorities through the lens of President Trump's proposed discretionary budget for 2020.
As in past years, the Department of Defense (DOD) is allocated an increase and the lion's share in the proposed budget (more than 60%), while every other department and agency that contributes to Americans' daily well being is cut:
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020.
The military budget assures the economic health of defense contractors and pours our tax money into the Pentagon's ongoing masculinist goal of maintaining military superpower status (championed by both Democrats and Republicans), even after two decades of failed wars. Yet it does not prioritize its soldiers and veterans. Veterans commit suicide at twice the rate of non-military citizens, and they have a higher rate of homelessness, particularly veterans of color and women vets. A recent survey of military families portrays slum-like conditions with mold, lead and rodents in military housing. Concurrently, environmental studies expose extensive groundwater and drinking water contamination at US bases, most notably from fire-fighting chemicals, which the Pentagon considers too expensive to remedy.
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020. Scrutinize candidates for their position on reducing the defense budget; raising the minimum wage to a living wage; eliminating violence against women, people of color and immigrants; providing universal health care; and putting more of our tax money into affordable housing, quality education, repair of roads and bridges, safe drinking water, clean up of hazardous wastes and the climate crisis. Otherwise, states turn to casinos and sports betting (which can give temporary highs but not lasting well-being) to fill the holes in our social safety net.
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
For the past seven years ago, the United Nations has issued a report titled the World Happiness Report. While this report may sound somewhat lightweight, it actually ranks countries by serious measures including income, freedom, trust in government, social support, life expectancy and how happy citizens perceive themselves to be. The highest-ranking countries are those, we learn, that have "strong social welfare systems and an emphasis on equality."
I was not surprised to learn that in 2019 our country fell in rank from 18th to 19th in the report. Despite our high employment, millions of working people hold 2 jobs to pay bills and are an illness away from bankruptcy. Moreover, we have seen a steady increase in the number of hate groups, the majority being white male supremacist groups, over the past 3 years coinciding with President Trump's campaign and presidency. In his recent manifesto, the Australian-born murderer of 50 New Zealand Muslims at worship in mosques attributed Trump as the "symbol of renewed white identity."
While some may protest that the United States is a more complex society with a higher rate of immigrants, Canada, which has a higher percent of foreign-born residents than the US, ranks higher in the recent UN report. So also do Britain and Germany with comparable percentages of foreign-born residents as the US.
A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests.
Let us consider some other factors that might cause us to fall lower on the World Happiness Index than other democratic countries, less wealthy than our own. A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests. Only when the general public's interests coincide with powerful business corporations do our interests get served. Consider also that our life expectancy has dropped over the past year due to drug overdoses and suicides among white men in the late 40s and 50s - a tragic sign of something, maybe hopelessness or a sense of no future that plagues some in our country.
Countries can also be judged by the way they treat their children, so let's consider our own. While the US is among the wealthiest nations in the world, it has a higher rate of child poverty than other wealthy countries. Why? Compared to other wealthy countries, our government underinvests in its poor children and their families and this leads to higher persistent child poverty and poor child health, poor educational outcomes, and no exit out of poverty.
Budgets are moral documents and they mirror the values and priorities of a country.
So let us look at US values and priorities through the lens of President Trump's proposed discretionary budget for 2020.
As in past years, the Department of Defense (DOD) is allocated an increase and the lion's share in the proposed budget (more than 60%), while every other department and agency that contributes to Americans' daily well being is cut:
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020.
The military budget assures the economic health of defense contractors and pours our tax money into the Pentagon's ongoing masculinist goal of maintaining military superpower status (championed by both Democrats and Republicans), even after two decades of failed wars. Yet it does not prioritize its soldiers and veterans. Veterans commit suicide at twice the rate of non-military citizens, and they have a higher rate of homelessness, particularly veterans of color and women vets. A recent survey of military families portrays slum-like conditions with mold, lead and rodents in military housing. Concurrently, environmental studies expose extensive groundwater and drinking water contamination at US bases, most notably from fire-fighting chemicals, which the Pentagon considers too expensive to remedy.
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020. Scrutinize candidates for their position on reducing the defense budget; raising the minimum wage to a living wage; eliminating violence against women, people of color and immigrants; providing universal health care; and putting more of our tax money into affordable housing, quality education, repair of roads and bridges, safe drinking water, clean up of hazardous wastes and the climate crisis. Otherwise, states turn to casinos and sports betting (which can give temporary highs but not lasting well-being) to fill the holes in our social safety net.
For the past seven years ago, the United Nations has issued a report titled the World Happiness Report. While this report may sound somewhat lightweight, it actually ranks countries by serious measures including income, freedom, trust in government, social support, life expectancy and how happy citizens perceive themselves to be. The highest-ranking countries are those, we learn, that have "strong social welfare systems and an emphasis on equality."
I was not surprised to learn that in 2019 our country fell in rank from 18th to 19th in the report. Despite our high employment, millions of working people hold 2 jobs to pay bills and are an illness away from bankruptcy. Moreover, we have seen a steady increase in the number of hate groups, the majority being white male supremacist groups, over the past 3 years coinciding with President Trump's campaign and presidency. In his recent manifesto, the Australian-born murderer of 50 New Zealand Muslims at worship in mosques attributed Trump as the "symbol of renewed white identity."
While some may protest that the United States is a more complex society with a higher rate of immigrants, Canada, which has a higher percent of foreign-born residents than the US, ranks higher in the recent UN report. So also do Britain and Germany with comparable percentages of foreign-born residents as the US.
A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests.
Let us consider some other factors that might cause us to fall lower on the World Happiness Index than other democratic countries, less wealthy than our own. A recent study of hundreds of federal government policies found that most policies adopted by our government are those that favor the economic elite and business interests. Only when the general public's interests coincide with powerful business corporations do our interests get served. Consider also that our life expectancy has dropped over the past year due to drug overdoses and suicides among white men in the late 40s and 50s - a tragic sign of something, maybe hopelessness or a sense of no future that plagues some in our country.
Countries can also be judged by the way they treat their children, so let's consider our own. While the US is among the wealthiest nations in the world, it has a higher rate of child poverty than other wealthy countries. Why? Compared to other wealthy countries, our government underinvests in its poor children and their families and this leads to higher persistent child poverty and poor child health, poor educational outcomes, and no exit out of poverty.
Budgets are moral documents and they mirror the values and priorities of a country.
So let us look at US values and priorities through the lens of President Trump's proposed discretionary budget for 2020.
As in past years, the Department of Defense (DOD) is allocated an increase and the lion's share in the proposed budget (more than 60%), while every other department and agency that contributes to Americans' daily well being is cut:
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020.
The military budget assures the economic health of defense contractors and pours our tax money into the Pentagon's ongoing masculinist goal of maintaining military superpower status (championed by both Democrats and Republicans), even after two decades of failed wars. Yet it does not prioritize its soldiers and veterans. Veterans commit suicide at twice the rate of non-military citizens, and they have a higher rate of homelessness, particularly veterans of color and women vets. A recent survey of military families portrays slum-like conditions with mold, lead and rodents in military housing. Concurrently, environmental studies expose extensive groundwater and drinking water contamination at US bases, most notably from fire-fighting chemicals, which the Pentagon considers too expensive to remedy.
All I can recommend for lifting the well-being of those harmed by the budget priorities of this administration is this: Vote an alternative in 2020. Scrutinize candidates for their position on reducing the defense budget; raising the minimum wage to a living wage; eliminating violence against women, people of color and immigrants; providing universal health care; and putting more of our tax money into affordable housing, quality education, repair of roads and bridges, safe drinking water, clean up of hazardous wastes and the climate crisis. Otherwise, states turn to casinos and sports betting (which can give temporary highs but not lasting well-being) to fill the holes in our social safety net.
A spokesperson for the news agency said the ruling "affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation."
A federal judge appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term ruled Tuesday that the White House cannot cut off The Associated Press' access to the Republican leader because of the news agency's refusal to use his preferred name for the Gulf of Mexico.
"About two months ago, President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. The Associated Press did not follow suit. For that editorial choice, the White House sharply curtailed the AP's access to coveted, tightly controlled media events with the president," wrote Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who is based in Washington, D.C.
Specifically, according to the news outlet, "the AP has been blocked since February 11 from being among the small group of journalists to cover Trump in the Oval Office or aboard Air Force One, with sporadic ability to cover him at events in the East Room."
The AP responded to the restrictions by suing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, "seeking a preliminary injunction enjoining the government from excluding it because of its viewpoint," McFadden noted in his 41-page order. "Today, the court grants that relief."
The judge explained that "this injunction does not limit the various permissible reasons the government may have for excluding journalists from limited-access events. It does not mandate that all eligible journalists, or indeed any journalists at all, be given access to the president or nonpublic government spaces. It does not prohibit government officials from freely choosing which journalists to sit down with for interviews or which ones' questions they answer. And it certainly does not prevent senior officials from publicly expressing their own views."
"The court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints," he stressed. "The Constitution requires no less."
McFadden blocked his own order from taking effect before next week, giving the Trump administration time to respond or appeal. Still, AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said Tuesday that "we are gratified by the court's decision."
"Today’s ruling affirms the fundamental right of the press and public to speak freely without government retaliation," Easton added. "This is a freedom guaranteed for all Americans in the U.S. Constitution."
NPR reported that "an AP reporter and photographer were turned back from joining a reporting pool on a presidential motorcade early Tuesday evening, almost two hours after the decision came down."
"The AEA has only ever been a power invoked in time of war, and plainly only applies to warlike actions," the lawsuit asserts.
The ACLU and allied groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday in a bid to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from "abusing the Alien Enemies Act"—an 18th-century law only ever invoked during wartime—to deport foreign nationals to a prison in El Salvador with allegedly rampant human rights abuses.
According to a statement, the ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union, "in partnership with the Legal Aid Society whose clients are plaintiffs in the litigation, filed an emergency lawsuit this morning in federal court in New York to again halt removals under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) for people within that court's judicial district."
The lawsuit—which names Trump, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other officials as plaintiffs—follows Monday's 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court
ruling that largely reversed a lower court's decision blocking the deportation of Venezuelan nationals to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison in El Salvador.
BREAKING: Today the NYCLU and @aclu.org filed an emergency lawsuit to ensure the Trump administration does not deport people under the Alien Enemies Act without due process. No one should face the horrifying prospect of lifelong imprisonment without a fair hearing, let alone in another country.
— NYCLU (@nyclu.org) April 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM
While the high court said the Trump administration can resume deportations under the 1798 AEA, the justices included the caveat that people subject to such removals must be afforded due process under the law.
"The AEA has only ever been a power invoked in time of war, and plainly only applies to warlike actions," the ACLU argued in the new lawsuit. "It cannot be used here against nationals of a country—Venezuela—with whom the United States is not at war, which is not invading the United States, and which has not launched a predatory incursion into the United States."
Not only has Trump sent foreign nationals—including at least one wrongfully deported man—to CECOT, he has also floated the idea of sending U.S. citizens there at the invitation of right-wing Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who is scheduled to visit the White House next week.
This, despite widespread reports of serious human rights violations at the facility and throughout El Salvador in general.
"The administration is shattering what little trust remains between immigrant communities and the government and putting critical revenue streams at risk," said one critic.
Migrant and privacy rights advocates this week are sounding the alarm over a deal signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to hand sensitive taxpayer data over to immigration authorities as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's mass deportation effort.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) "to establish a clear and secure process to support law enforcement's efforts to combat illegal immigration," a Treasury Department spokesperson told Fox News, which reported on the development after a late Monday court filing.
"The bases for this MOU are founded in long-standing authorities granted by Congress, which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals," the spokesperson said. "After four years of [former President] Joe Biden flooding the nation with illegal aliens, President Trump's highest priority is to ensure the safety of the American people."
After weeks of warnings about a potential data transfer deal, it was revealed as part of a legal case brought by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, Inclusive Action for the City, and Somos Un Pueblo Unido, which are represented by Alan Morrison, Public Citizen Litigation Group, and Raise the Floor Alliance.
"Taxpayer privacy is a cornerstone of the U.S. tax system," Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert said in a Tuesday statement. "This move by the IRS is an unprecedented breach of taxpayer privacy laws and confidentiality, which has been respected by both political parties for decades."
"The Trump administration's terror tactic of using immigrants' tax data against them will drive some of our most vulnerable communities further underground," she warned. "If this taxpayer information isn't safe from the prying eyes of the Trump administration's goons, then no one's taxpayer information is safe."
Juliette Kayyem, a former Department of Homeland Security official now lecturing at the Harvard Kennedy School, wrote on social media: "Bad policy. Bad economics. And cruel. They are so desperate to get their deportation numbers up that they are doing this."
Multiple members of Congress also blasted the move. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) said that "the IRS should NEVER be weaponized to target immigrant families. This backdoor deal with ICE shatters decades of trust—and may be illegal."
"I will fight this with everything I've got," vowed Gomez, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "No one should fear that filing taxes puts their family at risk."
Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) was among the critics who emphasized that the MOU doesn't just affect migrants.
"First things first: The impact of folks not filing their taxes because they are afraid of deportation would be detrimental to our economy," he explained. "Two: Immigrants pay taxes but do not benefit from the social programs that most taxpayers do. Three: Everyone should be concerned about the privacy implications here. This sets the precedent that the federal government can arbitrarily share your personal information with law enforcement. And it's just wrong."
Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.) similarly said: "For decades, undocumented immigrants have trusted the IRS when it encouraged them to file. They've paid taxes in good faith, contributing nearly $100 BILLION per year and supporting social services they can't even access. Not only is this a total betrayal, but it's also illegal. We'll fight this."
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy also highlighted that "turning the IRS away from its job (collecting taxes) to instead focus on mass deportation efforts will mean less tax revenue collected on top of the harm done to families and communities affected by deportations."
In response to The New York Times' reporting on the deal, American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick pointed out on social media that the MOU "is, on its face, limited to criminal investigations (not deportation investigations)."
"There are many questions raised about this new [agreement], which seems to violate previous understandings of the laws requiring IRS not to share taxpayer information," he continued. "But at its heart it does not seem that the MOU permits ICE to ask for taxpayer data for deportation reasons."
"It seems primarily to be aimed at criminal investigations for willful failure to depart after the issuance of a removal order, a crime on the books which (until now) is virtually never prosecuted," Reichlin-Melnick added. "Despite the fact that this MOU is limited only to criminal law enforcement, it will likely have a chilling effect on undocumented taxpayers."
How the Trump administration actually proceeds remains to be seen. The court filing says no information has been shared between the agenices yet—but the deal comes as part of a wave of anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric from the president and his officials.
"With the Supreme Court greenlighting Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act and the administration now gaining access to sensitive IRS data, we continue to slip into a new era of authoritarianism in America," Beatriz Lopez, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, said a Tuesday statement "The digital and physical dragnets that Trump is building mean millions of immigrants—many of whom have followed the law and paid their taxes for decades—are now vulnerable to indiscriminate brutality and quiet erasure with little opportunity for redress."
Lopez stressed that "undocumented immigrants already contribute billions to our economy—often paying a higher effective tax rate than 55 major corporations and some of the wealthiest individuals in America. By weaponizing private taxpayer data, the administration is shattering what little trust remains between immigrant communities and the government and putting critical revenue streams at risk."
"Coupled with Trump's xenophobic tariff threats and a $350 billion demand to fund mass disappearances and deportations, this is more than an attack on immigrants—it's a calculated effort to destabilize the country and remake its image," she concluded. "Congress must reject this funding and the authoritarian playbook behind it. This is not policy. It's punishment."