Hits and Misses
HIT: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos recently announced that he is pumping $10 billion of his own $123 billion fortune into fighting climate change. Bezos’ altruism is appreciated, particularly at this juncture, when our leaders at the federal level either deny climate change or shrug off the harmful effects it could have on humanity. The money will be going to activists, non-governmental organizations and scientists, and they will undoubtedly value it. But it also raises some questions, namely whether we should be relying on the kindness of extraordinarily wealthy philanthropists to tackle issues that should be wrestled with collectively; and whether billionaires will end up setting an agenda that we should be setting through our elected officials and our own advocacy.
HIT: Harvey Weinstein was once one of the most celebrated and powerful figures in Hollywood, but his reputation was irretrievably tarnished in 2017 following a multitude of allegations that he sexually abused scores of women over decades as a Tinseltown power broker. His downfall became complete this week when he was found guilty in a Manhattan courtroom of rape. His sentence could stretch anywhere from 5 to 29 years. He is also facing rape charges in Los Angeles, and criminal investigations are unfolding in other cities. Since Weinstein is 67 and apparently not in the best health, he could well end up dying in prison. That will not heal the wounds he inflicted on so many women, but it will be a just conclusion to a life that seems to have been packed with monstrous acts.
HIT: The question of how to revive communities across the rust belt that have been hammered by deindustrialization and the loss of retail outlets remains a tough-to-solve puzzle. So give credit to officials in Canonsburg for hosting a meeting this week exploring ways that the borough could grow economically. Nothing was decided definitively, but some of the suggestions include launching a Main Street program, more aggressively pursuing grant dollars or hiring an economic director. As Franklin Roosevelt once said, “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
HIT: For 100 years, Congress tried to pass a law that would make lynching a federal hate crime, but failed over and over. But finally this week, after a century, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. It’s named after the 14-year-old Chicago boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, and will “send a strong message that violence, and race-based violence in particular, has no place in American society,” according to Congressman Bobby Rush, who represents the Chicago area. Similar legislation was approved in the U.S. Senate last year. President Trump should sign the law the minute it reaches his desk.