July 24—The creation of a humane, social democratic civilization does not necessarily mean, as my friend Bob says, never saying "no" to anyone. TSD has written that a federal appeals court ruling in 2022 forbidding Grants Pass, Oregon, from citing citizens for camping in public parks was a gross example of legislating from the bench. In a rare case of TSD agreement with the Trump Supreme Court, the high court overturned the appeals court decision last month, freeing state and local governments to address the issue. In the wake of the ruling, social democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered the dismantling of the unsafe and unsanitary encampments throughout the state. Homelessness is a serious problem in America but, as we have written elsewhere, the solution does not lie in turning our public spaces, which serve important civic functions, into impromptu campsites.

July 24—Newly installed British Labour prime minister Keir Starmer used the occasion of an appearance at a wind turbine manufacturer in northwest England to promote  Labour's ambitious green energy program, including the creation of GB Energy, a state-backed entity that will, partnering with the Crown Estate (property of the monarchy) supercharge investment in the green energy transition. For a look at Britain's new social democrat head of government in action, the YouTube link offers the full 22 minute address.

July 24—News site Politico offers a look at how a Harris platform might differ from that of Joe Biden: more federal oversight over state abortion restrictions; a tougher stand against Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip; a faster pace on the nation's transition to a carbon-neutral economy; and free college may be among the important divergences.

July 24—A critical part of social democracy is "democracy," and democracy does not function when public officials use their offices for personal gain. In one of the most stunning recent examples of graft at the highest levels of government, New Jersey senator Bob Menendez has been found guilty of accepting cash, gold bars and mortgage payments in exchange for using his office to steer U.S. aid dollars to Egypt. Under pressure from Senate colleagues, he has resigned his office.

July 23—Vice President Kamala Harris has secured pledges from a number of delegates sufficient to assure the Democratic Party's nomination as president. She is expected to be formally nominated before the August convention in a virtual role call. Demonstrating the new energy Harris has brought to the race, her fundraising haul in just two days has matched the Biden campaign's existing reserves of some $90 milliion, while local committees have counted 28,000 new volunteers. There's only one thing left for social democrats to do: let's elect this lady!

July 23—Out-of-control police officers continue to tarnish the reputation of the nearly one million uniformed officers who place themselves in harm's way every day to "protect and serve." A sheriff's deputy responding to a reported prowler in Illinois is charged with first-degree murder after firing three shots into a woman whose only threat was that she held a pot of boiling water. TSD advocates both higher standards (a minimum of an associate's degree in criminal justice) and better pay for police officers as well as community review boards with standing legal counsel, subpoena powers and unqualified authority to dismiss any officer, for any reason, whom they deem unfit to serve in their communities.

July 23—The immigration issue is as fraught in Britain as it is in the United States. Not as beholden to identitarian groups as America's Democrats, European Left parties can afford to take a more balanced approach, combining compassion with a commitment to enforcing immigration law. Keir Starmer's newly elected Labour government has abandoned a plan to send asylum seekers arriving illegally to Rwanda for processing, a measure decried as cruel and unethical by rights groups, while at the same time announcing a crackdown on employers hiring undocumented immigrants. Yvette Cooper, Britain's new home secretary (equivalent to US Homeland Security chief) said the following: "Most people in this country want to see a properly controlled and managed asylum system, where Britain does its bit to help those fleeing conflict and persecution, but where those who have no right to be in the country are swiftly removed." Note the difference with the US, where any mention of deportation is a third rail for Democratic politicians.

July 23—Fighting climate change is a delicate dance between doing enough to make a dent in the problem and losing citizen buy-in when climate remediation measures cause inconvenience and added expense. In Washington State, Democratic Governor Jay Inslee is struggling to save his innovative carbon allowance system in the face of a referendum drive bankrolled by hedge fund exec Brian Heywood (AP News ariticle). At issue: the program, which requires polluters like BP to buy "allowances" when they exceed carbon limits, has raised the average price of gasoline in Washington to $4.24 per gallon, down from a peak of $5.12. To be successful, such measures should be accompanied by subsidies to average workers, as Emmanuel Macron learned during the Gilet Jaune protest over similar policies in France (Guardian article).

July 23—Labour's stunning victory in Britain's general elections has put social democracy in the UK driver's seat for the first time since 2014. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is already putting an emplasis on skills training, the development of human capital and connecting people with jobs, all hallmarks of active social democracy. Starmer is astutely tying upskilling of UK citizens to the immigration debate, as heated in the UK as it is in the U.S., as well as the National Health Service's bloated disability rolls.

July 20—Amid the drama of President Biden stepping out of the presidential race, his administration's steady work of government goes on, with the Environmental Protection Agency announcing $4.3 billion in federal grants under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the United States. The grants, which will go toward 25 different projects in 30 states, are projected to reduce U.S. carbon output by 150 metric tons by 2030, representing two percent of all carbon emissions.

July 20—The Democratic Party is rapidly forming ranks behind Kamala Harris to replace Joe Biden at the top of the ticket after Biden's Sunday announcement that he is leaving the race. According to the Washington Post, out of 263 congressional Democrats and 23 Democratic governors, 185 have now endorsed Harris. Tellingly, the list includes several prominent Dems who have been named as possible Biden replacements, leaving few potential challengers. These include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and California Governor Gavin Newsome. Notably missing, at this point, is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but with all 50 Democratic state chairs also on board the Harris train, the heavy odds are that Harris will be the unchallenged nominee. The Biden campaign has already changed its name to Harris for President, with the current VP inheriting over 1,000 staffers and $96 million from the President's campaign organization.

July 20—The big issue for America's social democrats at this midsummer season remains the fate of the Joe Biden candidacy. Despite ominous polling (The Hill and AP articles) and calls, more or less opaque, from the Democratic Party's most consequential figures—from Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, to Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama—for the President to step aside, the Biden campaign continues to insist that Joe Biden is in the race for good (Reuters article). The real lowdown or strategic happy talk? Only Joe Biden, and perhaps his hairdresser and Jill, know for sure. It seems likely that even Joe Biden, at this stage, doesn't know for sure. A broader question: how did the Democrat Party end up in this particular cul de sac? Fareed Zakaria, writing in the Washington Post, discusses what could be done to avoid such dilemmas in the future.

July 16—Two Governing articles look at the nation's affordable housing crisis: (1) what's driving the tremendous run-up in costs? (2) one locality, San Jose, California's plan to move 500 homeless to city-built tent encampments. The problem is not confined to the US: the BBC articles describes the new Labour government's bold plan to add 1.5 million units to that country's housing stock.

July 16—Nearly three years after Congress committed $5 billion to creating a national network of EV charging stations, only a disappointing 11 total charging stations have been built. This Governing article looks at what's slowing things up from the perspective of Michigan's experience.

July 16—Many observers wonder if the Democratic Party might take a page out of the British Labour Party's handbook: Eschewing "progressive" litmus tests and flashy virtual signalling, the Party's leader and Britain's new prime minister Kier Starmer led Britain's major social democratic offering to a sweeping victory in the nation's recent general elections, delivering a commanding majority in Parliament. An example of the current Labour Party's determination to lean into competence and common sense, while still committed to major social democratic gains in such vital areas as housing, health and education, they plan to raise penalties for shoplifting and abuse of store clerks, which since the relaxing of penalties in 2014 have become endemic in the island nation.