The Most Important Thing in Politics right now? Corn
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Quote of the Day
“Well, pretty soon, you won’t be able to get guns. I mean, it’s another step in the way of not getting guns… and before we even get to that, is the executive order concept. You know, it’s supposed to be negotiated; you’re supposed to cajole, get people in a room; you’re supposed to deal with them, you have Republicans, you have Democrats, you have all these people that get elected to do this stuff, and you’re supposed to get together and pass a law.”
-Donald Trump, in response to Obama’s executive actions to enact broader gun control
Corn makes ethanol, which we started adding to fuel like gasoline because it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and reduces the amount of gas we consume when we drive. But there is controversy among experts that corn ethanol really saves energy. Corn farmers were elated when in 2007 Congress passed the renewable fuel standard.
This was a law passed in 2007 that required the U.S. to use more and more ethanol (made with corn) in vehicles each year (which Ted Cruz voted against). Corn farmers were puuuumped because more ethanol = more corn = more $$. But gasoline refiners were like um excuse me but American cars can’t handle anymore ethanol safely. So the EPA proposed reducing the amount of ethanol required through 2016.
Here is the key part: Iowa is packed with corn farmers, and Iowa is the most important state primary because it is the 1st, meaning whoever wins the Iowa Caucus (another word for primary) gets a boost in momentum going into the rest of the primaries. And that is how corn and politics are related… betcha didn’t think that was a sentence you would ever read.
If you haven’t watched Making a Murderer yet, get on top of your Netflix game ASAP. Then read this great Slate piece on why the show is so effing good.
Also check out this great interview with the filmmakers:
Your know how Bernie always talks about how America should be more like Norway when it comes to economic policy? These guys looked at why Norway appears to be a success story through the lens of evolution, talk about #fascinating.
Yesterday, Obama released a series of new gun control measures he will enact via executive order. He spoke today about why he is doing this, and got emotional (rare for a Prez).
Right now to sell guns at a gun show or online, you do not have to have a federal license meaning you can sell guns to people without making them go through a background check (known as the gun show loophole). Obama’s executive actions make it so that anyone who sells guns has to get a federal license and conduct background checks on every purchase.
In addition to closing the gun show loophole, the executive actions take small steps like improving tracking of lost/stolen guns to encouraging tech improvements to (in theory) make guns safer. They also direct more funds to enforcing existing gun laws and mental health treatment.
In the U.S. federally licensed gun dealers are required to run backgrounds checks to anyone they sell to, but the system has many loopholes. If you buy a gun from your neighbor, there is no background check required. Gun dealers without federal licenses can sell at gun shows without conducting background checks. You can also buy a gun on the internet with no background check.
The background check system is underfunded and understaffed, and there is a 3 day requirement that a background check be completed so there is minimal wait time for the gun buyer. If that 3 days goes by and the background check hasn’t been completed, they are allowed to buy the gun. This was how shooter Dylan Roof, who killed 9 people at a black church in South Carolina in June 2015, was able to purchases a gun.
The thing is, universal background checks would help, but they would not likely bring gun violence down to other developed countries levels (check out other countries compared to the U.S. in this chart:
The reason is simple: The U.S. has a ton of guns, so any measure that doesn’t significantly reduce the number of guns will fall short of bringing down violence significantly.
