Democracy on the Ballot

It's been written that, at the time of Joan of Arc, a man could walk from the English Channel to the Rhine and never see the sun because of the unbroken canopy of leaves

England's forest coverage now is greater than at any time since the Black Death nearly 700 years ago, with some 1.33 million hectares of the country covered in woodlands. The UK as a whole has nearly three times as much forest as it did at the start of the 20th century.

That’s not by a long way the most impressive performance. China’s forests have increased by about 607,000 square kilometers since 1992, a region the size of Ukraine. The European Union has added an area equivalent to Cambodia to its woodlands, while the US and India have together planted forests that would cover Bangladesh in an unbroken canopy of leaves.

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Democracy on the Ballot

Mr. Biden said his original plan to “provide millions of working families with debt relief for their college student debt” was derailed by “MAGA Republicans” and “special interests” who challenged the plan in court. “The Supreme Court blocked it,” Mr. Biden added, “but that didn’t stop me.”

What does that mean? That this was a political decision initiated by 'Maga Republicans' and 'special interests'? But the Court does not decide on the value of a law, -- whether or not debt forgiveness is a good idea is not involved. The Supreme Court is the arbiter of what powers are granted to the government and where those powers are housed. Does Biden not accept the arbiter role of the Court? Does he think their opinion only one of many? It would be like, after appealing an 'out' call at second base, asking for a third opinion....from somewhere.

The peculiar battle cry that 'democracy is on the ballot' might be true. The nature of the Supreme Court is integral to the country's structure; many countries do not do this hierarchical balance well and instability is the result. The relationship between the government and its agreed-upon, assigned, limits is a difficult concept for many and can be exploited by the ambitious and the ill-informed. This can be exaggerated by our current political personalities; we seem to be governed by the lowest quintile of the country's graduating classes. This makes the complex more obtuse than they should be.