Lifehacker's Best Political Explainers of 2019

Beginning with a 35-day government shutdown and ending just as the House impeaches President Donald Trump, 2019 will forever be known as the year the shit hit the fan in American politics. Lots of crappy things happened this year, including several states’ efforts to pass anti-abortion laws and the uncertain status of LGBTQ employees’ rights in the workplace, to name a few.

With the current state of politics being what it is, everyone needs a good fact-check every now and then. Below, a few of our favorite political explainers of 2019.

It’s a transaction. I go to the grocery store, I give them a couple of bucks, they give me a gallon of milk; quid pro quo. I babysit my friend’s son for a couple of hours, she brings me a homemade banana bread in return; quid pro quo.

In the months since the Green New Deal entered the public consciousness, it has been called many things: Zany. Unrealistic. Wildly popular. A socialist Christmas list. It has provoked strong reactions from both the right and ostensible left, and is already being regarded as a litmus test for the scrum of Democrats jockeying for the 2020 nomination.

So far, many of the Democratic candidates for president want to raise taxes on the wealthy to fund their policy plans. But what does that really mean? There are two options: Tax the money they earn, or tax the money they have.

Libra’s in trouble. Since Facebook announced it this June, things haven’t gone well. Seven of the 27 other partners backed out earlier this month, including Visa, MasterCard, eBay, Stripe, and PayPal, before the Libra Association’s first meeting, but just after senators sent them letters boiling down to ‘You are entering a world of pain.’ Zuckerberg spent today in that world.

A new president doesn’t move in and immediately enact their new policies. Nor does Congress instantly convene and say “Yeah, that all sounds good, let’s do that,” before proposing new laws in line with that new president’s policy goals. But recent reports about how an Elizabeth Warren presidency might impact the stock market could have you second guessing every rational thing you learned about the three branches of government providing checks and balances for the United States.

Last week, Vice President Mike Pence visited Dublin, Ireland to attend several meetings—but confusingly, stayed at a Trump hotel nearly 200 miles away. Just yesterday, the U.S. Air Force came under scrutiny for overnight stays at a Trump hotel in Scotland while refueling. And Trump himself recently proposed hosting the next G-7 summit at his hotel in Doral, Florida.

Propaganda is everywhere, coming from every entrenched power in the world, especially in America. Social media gave normal people a voice in the conversation, but most of us waste our voice promoting the same shit we’ve been fed for a century through mass media.

Source: Lifehacker.com

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Keywords:

Lifehacker • Government shutdown in the United States • Impeachment • Donald Trump • Politics of the United States • State (polity) • Abortion law • Social status • LGBT • Employment • Rights • Employment • State (polity) • Politics • Value (ethics) • Supermarket • Milk • Quid pro quo • Banana bread • Quid pro quo • Green New Deal • Consciousness • Socialism • Litmus test (politics) • Media scrum • Democratic Party (United States) • Democracy • Candidate • President of the United States • Tax • Wealth • Policy • Tax • Money • Tax • Money • Libra (astrology) • Facebook • Visa Inc. • MasterCard • EBay • PayPal • Libra (astrology) • Down to You (song) • President of the United States • Elizabeth Warren • President of the United States • Stock market • Rationality • Separation of powers • Separation of powers • United States • Vice President of the United States • Mike Pence • Dublin • Donald Trump • United States Air Force • Scotland • Donald Trump • Telstra • Trump National Doral Miami • Propaganda • Power (social and political) • Social media • Mass media •