Greetings, friends. I think you’ll agree that November felt like it was a particularly messed up month of news. It’s been many years since an event poured as much sadness fear and upon us as did ISIS' assault on the 11th arrondissement. But if it feels to you like the world is getting more unstable and more unsafe, you should be reassured to know that rates of almost every category of violence have been collapsing over the centuries, and even in the last thirty years. Consider these data points: before the rise of the nation-state, battles killed 500 of every 100,000 people. In the 19th century, it was 70; in the 20th century, it was 60; and as of 2011, it was down to three-tenths of a person per 100,000. Your life and limb are irrefutably safer from harm than those of your ancestors.
Hold that fact in your mind while we jump into November’s edition of Stuff Government Does: your monthly digest of the reasons to believe that government can do things well.
Department of Justice crackdown on fraudulent nutritional supplements: Have you ever been sprawled on your couch at 1 AM, eyes half open, and been suddenly shocked from your torpor by a commercial, its volume 10 clicks above the Seinfeld rerun you were watching, about a dietary supplement promising some impossible benefit for only $19.99?
You’re not the only one. And it’s not just about obnoxious advertising. Some of these supplements have dangerous side effects, and are linked to at least 2,000 hospitalizations each year, according to Vox. Fortunately, on November 17th the Department of Justice filed criminal charges against over 100 makers or marketers of bunk dietary supplements. Six executives were arrested as the result of a yearlong federal investigation. It’s good to see DoJ picking up the slack for the FDA’s under-regulation of the quack medicine racket.
High speed rail is coming to Vegas: High speed rail is one of the coolest things ever. To be able to zip down to LA in two and a half hours would be life-changing. Where built, it would redefine what we consider a “metropolitan area” and vastly expand the distance people could consider traveling when looking for a job, a school, or a home. With such increased mobility, it would exponentially raise the ceiling of America’s economic performance. I could even take day trips to LA.
If the history of high speed rail in the US were a sapling, it would be dried out and falling over. After the stimulus bill provided money for high-speed rail in four or five major population zones, Republican killjoys in all but one of them gave the money back. But the upside to high speed rail is so high that I get excited about even the tiniest of green shoots.
So I’m happy to report that last month, Nevada’s high speed rail commission has selected a vendor to build the line on which people will travel from Southern California to Las Vegas in about eighty minutes. Construction is due to begin in 2016.
There’s a caveat: the initial phase will only run from Vegas to Victorville, California. If you’ve never heard of Victorville, that’s because it’s in the desert about an hour and twenty minutes’ drive northwest of downtown LA. I know, it’s a major bummer. But like I said, it’s progress — and once the line to Victorville is compete, the same vendor will begging work on an extension to connect with the planned California high speed rail line that is under construction right now.
Happy Mix of the Month: Each month I'll share a studio mix or live set I really like, because reading about progressive optimism and listening to electronic music go hand in hand, obviously. More things government did below!
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Voting rights in Kentucky: I’ve come to realize that in American politics, the more people turn out to vote, the higher quality of governance we will have. So it’s a net positive that on November 24th, Kentucky’s outgoing governor, Steve Beshear, signed an executive order that will allow most convicted felons to vote once they complete their sentences. This means that almost 100,000 disenfranchised people will soon get the right to vote. It’s also a baby step towards improving our ability to reincorporate convicted felons into society.
Taco Bell will humanely source their eggs: Occasionally, a corporate action makes it into this blog series. To qualify, the corporation in question has to be large enough for its action to constitute a significant advance for the public in that issue area. Taco Bell makes the cut this month with their announcement that by the end of 2016, they will serve only cage-free eggs.
I never used to care where my food came from, and would get annoyed at people who tried to guilt trip me with documentaries about suffering chickens. But then I read Rolling Stone’s really well-researched, visually horrifying pig farm expose two years ago, and I realized it wouldn’t kill me to look for animal-based food options that didn’t come from meat factories where animals undergo torture for their entire lives. It’s great to see one of the largest and most symbolically important mass food providers come around to the same conclusion.