Indy Digest: March 25, 2024
But back in the 1960s, when I began, it seemed to me that we’d begun reversing the order of things—that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, “Stop.” I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do. I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There’s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts. —Ronald Reagan, in his farewell address
I was born in 1975, so much of my childhood took place during the Ronald Reagan administration. Growing up in a Republican, conservative household (that was also very pro-union … go figure), I was taught that Reagan was a pretty swell fellow—and that big government was bad.
Today, I have much different views on Reagan and the proper size of government, thanks to education, life experience and critical thinking skills (but that is all a topic for another time). Whatever your opinions are regarding Reagan, it’s safe to say he was a true believer in smaller government (on issues not involving abortion, at least). It’s also safe to say that today’s Republican leaders feel quite differently—even if they say otherwise.
Take Ron DeSantis, for example. (Take him. Please.) Today, he signed yet another bill into law that hangs yet more government rules and regulations over the heads of Floridians.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday that will prohibit children younger than 14 from joining social media in the state. Those who are 14 or 15 will need a parent’s consent before they join a platform.
The bill, HB3, also directs social media companies to delete the existing accounts of those who are under 14. Companies that fail to do so could be sued on behalf of the child who creates an account on the platform. The minor could be awarded up to $10,000 in damages, according to the bill. Companies found to be in violation of the law would also be liable for up to $50,000 per violation, as well as attorney’s fees and court costs.
“Ultimately, (we’re) trying to help parents navigate this very difficult terrain that we have now with raising kids, and so I appreciate the work that’s been put in,” DeSantis said in remarks during the bill-signing ceremony.
To DeSantis’ credit, he did veto a version of this bill that was even more restrictive. According to NBC News, that bill “would have banned social media accounts for kids under 16. That bill also required Florida residents to submit an ID or other identifying materials in order to join social media.”
To be clear: If I had a child, I would want them nowhere near social media until they’d reached a certain level of intelligence and maturity. I am not sure at what age that would be, and it would probably vary from child to child, but it’s very likely I wouldn’t want my fictitious 13-year-old on Facebook, TikTok, etc.
But … is this really the government’s call to make? Or is this something that should be up to parents?
That’s a question that’s up for debate. Putting aside this specific issue … what’s not debatable is that the modern GOP has completely abandoned its desire for “small government”—in favor of a desire to codify their extreme views on “moral” issues into law.
Don’t believe me? Ask a drag queen in a “conservative” state.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Civic Solutions: The New Caravan Small Business Development Center Works to Boost Entrepreneurship—With a Focus on the Spanish-Speaking Population
By Melissa Daniels
March 22nd, 2024
The Caravan Small Business Development Center opened up on Tahquitz Canyon Way in mid-February, creating the official home of a partnership of the Orange County Inland Empire SBDC and entrepreneurship nonprofit Caravanserai Project.
Mirrors, No Smoke: High Desert Artist Matt Elson Shows Off Some of His ‘Infinity Boxes’ at Imago Gallery in Palm Desert
By Cat Makino
March 25th, 2024
Matt Elson’s “Infinity Boxes” combine color, light and mirrors, creating a fun and immersive experience for anyone looking inside of them.
Caesar Cervisia: How Do Our Beer Scribe’s Favorite IPAs From 2009 Compare to Today’s Versions?
By Brett Newton
March 23rd, 2024
Our writer hopped in his time machine and traveled back to 2009 to taste the IPAs he remembers—and examines how they’ve changed in 15 years.
Don’t Call Them: ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Is So Flat That It Manages to Make Paul Rudd Unlikable
By Bob Grimm
March 25th, 2024
Yet another ancient entity, artifacts, a roster of uninteresting characters and the old New York City firehouse being occupied by the family of the late Egon Spengler are thrown together in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
More News
• Last week in this space, we mentioned the uproar caused when the Newsom administration scuttled new indoor-workplace-temperature regulations, because of how much that more worker-friendly new rule would cost in terms of both money and greenhouse-gas emissions. However, I didn’t fully realize how awful current rules are. Here’s an NPR piece that provides some of that missing context: “California’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s standards board (Cal/OSHA) was set to vote on rules that would have granted indoor workers the right to water, breaks, and cool-down areas when workplace temperatures topped 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Employers would have to use fans, air conditioning, or other methods to cool spaces, and adjust work tasks to account for increased heat fatigue when temperatures or the heat index exceeds 87 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat index is a measure that incorporates temperature and humidity, and more closely resembles the true feeling of heat. California would have become only the third state in the U.S. to create rules protecting indoor workers from heat.” THIS is too extreme for Newsom and big business?
• Here’s yet another story about media layoffs in Southern California—and this one has an element of veeeery suspicious timing. The Los Angeles Times explains: “The Long Beach Media Guild announced Friday that at least 60% of the bargaining unit received layoff notices shortly after newsroom employees moved to unionize and went on strike to protest the impending cuts. The unit, which is seeking voluntary recognition from its employer, the Long Beach Journalism Initiative, said that nine of its members were laid off, while three surviving members remain on strike. The entire Long Beach Post staff was reduced from 17 to eight, said a source close to the nonprofit who was not authorized to comment. Chief Executive Melissa Evans and the board of directors of the Long Beach Journalism Initiative, the parent nonprofit of the Long Beach Post and the Long Beach Business Journal, said Friday in a statement that ‘financial circumstances were the only reason for these cuts’ after the Long Beach Post and the Long Beach Business Journal switched from corporate to nonprofit ownership four months ago.”
• Here’s a headline from our partners at Calmatters: “California jails are holding thousands fewer people, but far more are dying in them.” Some more context: “Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged almost five years ago that the state would take a stronger hand to prevent deaths in the 57 jail systems run by California county sheriffs. In every year since, more people have died in California jails than when Newsom made that pledge — hitting a high of 215 in 2022. Tulare, San Diego, Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino counties’ jails set records. Nor was the pandemic the driving factor: California in 2022 had the smallest share of deaths due to natural causes in the past four decades. A surge in overdoses drove the trend of increasing deaths. And almost every person who died was waiting to be tried. A previous CalMatters investigation found that three-quarters of those held in county jails had not been convicted or sentenced, with many awaiting trial more than three years.”
• Millions of Americans could soon lose internet access—or have to pay a heck of a lot more for it—because of the expiration of a government program. CNN explains: “The looming disaster could affect nearly 1 in 5 households nationwide, or nearly 60 million Americans, going by Census Bureau population estimates. … The crisis is linked to a critical government program expected to run out of funding at the end of April. Known as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the benefit provides discounts on internet service valued at up to $30 per month to qualifying low-income households, or up to $75 per month for eligible recipients on tribal lands. Lawmakers have known for months about the approaching deadline. Yet Congress is nowhere close to approving the $6 billion that President Joe Biden says would renew the ACP and avert calamity for tens of millions of Americans.” In case you’re wondering: No, an ACP extension was NOT included in a recent budget deal.
• And finally … only YOU can prevent … the spread of spongy months? Yep: The government is asking for the public’s help in a battle against invasive species. CBS News has the details: “The Department of Agriculture is seeking the public’s help to destroy an invasive species that looks like spongy mud and is growing outdoors. With spring’s official arrival, the agency says ‘smashing and scraping’ will be an essential tool in keeping problems at bay. So, what exactly are we on a quest to destroy? Eggs—huge masses of them that look like mud. In a notice sent out earlier this month, the USDA said that the eggs belong to two invasive species, the spotted lanternfly and spongy moth. Their eggs are laid in masses on cars, trees and other outdoor surfaces, the agency said, recommending that people smash and scrape the masses into a plastic bag that’s then sealed and disposed of in the trash. They can also be removed with a pressure washer. … The two species contribute to $40 billion in damages every year across crops, trees and other plants, said Kathryn Bronsky, national policy manager for the spongy moth at the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.”
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