It Takes 4 Minimum Wage Jobs to Afford an Apartment, US Army Lacking Soldiers, City of Seattle Punished for Deleting Evidence of Supporting Domestic Terrorism (The Five for 02/22/23)
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A publication about the stories that matter.
Let’s dive into the news.
UPDATE: Although this occurred too late to cover as a full story, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has entered the 2024 Presidential race.
[one]
The Army fell massively behind on recruiting goals in 2022.
They “just don’t see the Army as something that’s relevant,” said Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, head of Army marketing. “They see us as revered, but not relevant, in their lives.”
Addressing those longtime issues has taken on greater urgency as the Army tries to recover from its worst recruiting year in decades, a situation aggravated by the tight jobs market. The Army is offering new programs, advertising and enticements in an effort to change perceptions and reverse the decline.
One incentive gives recruiters bonuses of up to $4,500 per quarter if they exceed their baseline enlistment requirement. A pilot program allows young enlisted soldiers — those in the three lower ranks — to get a promotion if they refer someone who enlists and goes to basic training. Only one promotion per soldier is allowed.
The Army fell about 15,000 soldiers, or 25%, short of its 60,000 recruitment goal last year, when all the branches struggled to meet recruiting goals.
Former Navy Seal Jack Carr (best known for the Terminal List book series—which was turned into a hit TV show starring Chris Pratt for Amazon) has a different take on why enlistments are down.
According to Carr, the major generals and admirals in the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force that botched operations in Afghanistan and Iraq were never punished for their incomitance…and the public realizes it.
Carr believes recruitment is down after the fall of Afghanistan because would-be soldiers don’t want to sign up to multiple years under failed leadership.
The bottom line is the U.S. must at least consider the possibility of global conflict…and grapple with the fact that we may not have enough men and women in uniform to keep our adversaries from winning.
[two]
President Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine this week, and dropped off an epic cash gift to his hosts.
President Biden on Monday announced the U.S. would be providing $500 million in additional military aid to Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv, and he teased new sanctions to crack down on entities aiding Russia’s war efforts in the country.
Biden, appearing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, touted the sizable commitment of military equipment the U.S. and its allies have already provided Ukraine in the year since Russian first invaded.
“Together, we’ve committed nearly 700 tanks and thousands of armored vehicles. 1,000 artillery systems, more than 2 million rounds of artillery ammunition, more than 50 advanced launch rocket systems, anti-ship and air defense systems, all to defend Ukraine,” Biden said. “And that doesn’t count the other half a billion dollars we’re announcing with you today and tomorrow that’s going to be coming your way.”
The forthcoming announcement, Biden said, includes artillery ammunition for long-range weapons like Howitzers and HIMARS, more anti-tank javelins, more anti-armor systems and air surveillance radars to protect against aerial attacks.
Biden also highlighted a new round of sanctions to be announced later in the week targeting “elites and companies that are trying to evade sanctions and backfill Russia’s war machine.”
There have been questions raised in both the press and on social media about how Biden made time for a transatlantic trip to a warzone, but has still not visited East Palestine, Ohio, where a clinic opened on Monday for locals experiencing health issues as a result of a toxic chemical spill from a train derailment.
The Ohio Department of Health is launching a clinic in East Palestine on Tuesday to address mounting health concerns among residents after a train derailment prompted Norfolk Southern officials to release and burn a toxic chemical in the area to avoid an explosion.
The department said in a news release Sunday it would be opening the clinic in partnership with the Columbiana County Health Department and with support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It said the clinic, which opens at noon, will be available to East Palestine area residents “who have medical questions or concerns related to the recent train derailment.”
It comes after the state attorney general's office indicated it plans to take legal action against Norfolk Southern after a 150-car train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed Feb. 3.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also has also been a no-show at the crash site, but ABC News reports he wrote a “sharply worded letter” to Norfolk Southern railway.
I bet those harsh words will clean the drinking water right up…
[three]
In many cities in America, it now takes four full time minimum wage jobs to afford rent.
Based on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, it would take nearly four full-time minimum wage workers to afford the typical national two-bedroom rental, spending a maximum of 30% of household wages on their rent payments. Renters have been squeezed by record-fast rent growth while incomes haven’t kept up and the country’s housing shortage has taken a toll.
Zillow analyzed the 50 largest cities in the U.S. looking at the local minimum wage compared to rent price increases and found workers in cities that have set higher minimum wages fare better, even where rent is more expensive than the national average. Of all the cities analyzed that have a minimum wage higher than $7.25 an hour, a two-bedroom rental would require an average of 2.5 full-time workers to be affordable. In cities with the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, 3.5 full-time minimum wage workers are required on average to afford rent in a typical two-bedroom rental — even though typical rents are less expensive.
Ten cities in this analysis would require two or fewer full-time minimum wage workers to afford a typical two-bedroom rental. All 10 have minimum wages greater than $10 an hour, ranging from $10.10 in relatively inexpensive Cleveland to $15.50 in the far more expensive Sacramento and Fresno. These higher minimum wages help workers in these cities to more easily afford rent and stay afloat.
But the biggest X-Factor here isn’t minimum wage…it’s the lack of additional housing options being built.
Like nearly every other sector, COVID slowed down the new construction and renovations, which means there are less apartments on the market. Throw in massive population relocations (such as the flight from California to Austin, TX), and availability is further reduced…driving prices even higher.
So, it’s true that the minimum wage has made housing unaffordable in places like Austin. Just not the main reason.
[four]
Officials in Seattle are being punished for deleting evidence that likely showed they approved of the crimes happening in the CHAZ/CHOP, a lawless area of the city taken over by members of Antifa, who destroyed property and terrorized locals.
The city of Seattle has settled a lawsuit that took aim at officials’ handling of the three-week Capitol Hill Organized Protests and further ensnared the former mayor and police chief, among others, in a scandal over thousands of deleted text messages.
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office filed notice of a settlement Wednesday in U.S. District Court, just three weeks after a federal judge levied severe legal sanctions against the city for deleting texts between high-ranking officials during the protests and zone that sprung up around them, known as CHOP. The notice, which didn’t contain details, gives the parties until March 10 to finalize the settlement.
Neither the private law firm defending the city nor attorneys for the involved businesses immediately responded to messages seeking comment.
The CHOP grew out of protests over the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, a killing that brought about a reckoning in Seattle and nationwide. A series of clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and police prompted Seattle officials to withdraw officers from the East Precinct on Capitol Hill, and thousands of people flooded the area surrounding nearby Cal Anderson Park. Roads were blocked off — with help from the city — and encampments sprang up in the park.
The Morning Wire podcast has an excellent feature on this in today’s epsiode, which details the far-left wing group attacking a car dealership, setting fire to it and trying to stab the owners to death…because they removed graffiti from their building.
[five]
Finally, while many states and federal agencies are banning TikTok from government phones…one Governor continues to use the platform, despite security concerns.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Sunday made excuses for using the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, despite Congress and most states partially or fully banning the app on government-issued devices.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Whitmer was pressed by host Jake Tapper on why she continues to use the app after concerns about data privacy sparked politicians across the country to take action.
“You’re active on TikTok,” Tapper began. “And I get it, it’s fun. But I deleted my app from my phone because so many people kept coming on my show saying, delete it, delete it, delete it. The Chinese government has access to your data. Is it appropriate for you to be on TikTok when the FBI says it’s a national security concern?”
“We use TikTok on one device that has nothing else on it,” Whitmer responded. “It is a communication tool. We don’t do it because it’s fun, although some people think what I put out there can be fun on occasion… But the point is, we have it on one device that has no access to anything else, because so many people get their information that way.”
“Whether we like it or not, that is a tool for disseminating important information,” she added. “And that’s how we use it. But we’re always evaluating because we want to make sure that we are protecting data in Michigan. And that’s why we’re always evaluating. But, at this point, the way we use it is secure.”
While there are still serious concerns about TikTok…at least the Michigan Governor’s account is on a clean phone, which (hopefully) prevents sensitive info from being shared with China.
On the other hand…whether or not any government official should be using a platform that requires a “clean phone” to avoid info falling into the hands of an adversarial government is up for debate.
Until the next one,
-sth