The Most Interesting People I Know
News:Politics
Akash Mehta is a writer and organizer from New York. He is a member of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America and helped organize UChicago for Bernie. Akash recently wrote a great article for Jacobin called Even in a Pandemic, Andrew Cuomo Is Not Your Friend. Governor Cuomo has received a lot of good press for his handling of the coronavirus crisis in New York, but his past and present decisions have made the state less prepared for this ongoing calamity. We discuss those decisions in great detail as well as:
Why Cuomo is popular and trusted right now, how his "get things done" brand obscures real ideological differences between him and the Left, why ideology does influence the response to the coronavirus, Milton Friedman's keen understanding of the politics of crises, the links between Biden and Cuomo, how Cuomo empowered Republicans in New York to kneecap progressives in his own party, his plan to cut Medicaid by billions due to his unwillingness to increase taxes on the wealthy, how he blames private hospitals for not having enough ICU beds, even though he played a substantial role in cutting 20k beds in the state, why we should provide free healthcare for all conditions, not just the coronavirus, Cuomo's prioritization of homeowners over renters, the choice we face between prioritizing the needs of the market over the needs of people, a call to join political membership groups like the DSA or the Sunrise movement, what you can do to influence the New York State budget, a plan for a left news site devoted to New York City politics, and my thoughts on the intersection between Effective Altruism and the Left.
As we discuss near the end of the episode, the changes Cuomo is pushing are part of a state budget that is due on March 31st. Cuomo has responded to public pressure by releasing people incarcerated for technical parole violations and may cave to pressure to reject these cuts. You can contact his office using this form and/or calling at 1-518-474-8390.
If you live in New York, you can find your state senator and assembly member here: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Calls to their offices opposing these cuts and supporting the proposals in #makebillionairespay could help influence billions of dollars in funding to people in great need. The site for #makebillionairespay also has guidance on how to effectively pressure your representatives: https://makebillionairespay.info/take-virtual-action
You can reach out to Akash at akvmehta [at] gmail [dot] com. As always, you can find me on Twitter @GarrisonLovely and reach out to the show at mostinterestingpeople27 [at] gmail [dot] com
Show notes
34 - Carl Robichaud on Oppenheimer and Dealing with Nukes
33 - Habiba Islam on the Left and Effective Altruism
32 - Rutger Bregman on Why People Are Decent, Effective Altruism, and Causing Tucker Carlson’s Meltdown
31 - Alexander Zaitchik on How Bill Gates Impeded Global Access to Covid Vaccines
30 - Tobias Leenaert on the Pragmatic Path to a Vegan World
29 - Conor Oberst on Bright Eyes, the Iraq War, protest music, and the music industry under socialism
28 - David Shor on Why Bernie Would Have Won in 2016- But Not in 2020
27 -Trevor Beaulieu on Champagne Sharks and Why Killmonger Was Right
26 - Ross Barkan on Running for Office and the Return of Socialism to New York
25 - Charlie Bresler on the Lives You Can Save
24 - Edgar Villanueva on Decolonizing Wealth
22 - Zach Roberts on Bloomberg's NYPD and Antifascist Journalism
21 - Malaika Jabali on Identity Politics and Myths About the Midwest
20 - Meagan Day on the Case for Bernie Sanders
19 - Ben Burgis on Reclaiming Logic for the Left
18 - Marcus Davis on Nuclear War, Invertebrate Sentience, and Foundational Research
17 - Rob Scott on Teaching College in Prison
16 - Andrés Gómez Emilsson on Solving Consciousness and Being Happy All the Time
15 - Matt Stoller on Fighting Monopoly Power and Why Obama Was Actually Bad
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