|
Don’t you know that you’re toxic (emissions)?
This week in things Republicans are inexplicably mad about: gas stoves!
After a growing number of studies revealed that gas stoves emit toxic emissions that can lead to respiratory illnesses, Republican politicians and right-wing media pundits threw an absolute tantrum in fear of a dreaded gas stove ban. Do they have gas stoves in their homes? Have they invested millions of dollars in Big Gas Stove? Are they nostalgic about some warped childhood memory of their parents cooking dinner over a gas stove during the Reagan-Mondale debate?
Literally, who knows!
Tucker Carlson decided to throw logic right out the window on this issue and compared the right to choose to have an abortion with the right to choose one’s stove type. Because those two things are absolutely equally important.
Thankfully, Data for Progress finds a majority of Americans are saner than Tucker Carlson. Sixty-seven percent of adults support giving the Consumer Product Safety Commission authority to regulate safety levels for gas-burning stoves, including 82% of Democrats, 65% of Independents, and 49% of Republicans. These regulations would allow the CPSC to manage safe levels of emissions, instead of ignoring the scientific studies and clinging to the giant cancer stove in your kitchen for dear life.
So, sorry Republicans! We know this is an issue that you’re very sensitive about, and we don’t want to hurt your feelings, but Americans agree that it’s probably best to regulate gas-burning stoves in order to protect children from asthma and lung cancer.
Read the full blog and polling here.
Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:
Actually, don’t count on Southwest to get you home for Christmas.
Our deepest condolences if you were anywhere near an airport over the holidays.
Turns out, Southwest is actually not the best (sorry). While many airlines had to cancel and delay flights, Southwest came up on top with over 16,700 of its flights canceled from December 21-31. So, actually, we guess they’re best at being the worst?
We don’t want to bully them (we do), but the situation was so bad that Plane Daddy Pete Buttigieg had to get involved. Thousands of customers who were simply trying to go on vacation or see their families for the holidays had their plans affected by the cancellations. In response, the Department of Transportation is launching an investigation into who should be held accountable. Don’t piss off Plane Daddy!!
The Department of Transportation also proposed a policy requiring airlines to refund their customers for affected flights. Data for Progress finds 79% of voters support refunds for flight cancellations, 70% of voters support refunds for changes to the departure or arrival airport, and 68% of voters support refunds when the departure or arrival time is delayed by three or more hours. Honestly, if an airline is going to make us chill near the airport sushi stand for over three hours, we better get a refund. Or at least a choreographed John Mulaney musical number.
Well, best of luck with the investigation, Southwest! Voters are clearly in favor of refunds (really, who isn’t), so next holiday season you guys may want to think of bringing your computer system into the 21st century. You may miss 3D Pinball and Oregon Trail, but we promise, it’s worth it.
Read the full blog and polling here.
Americans would gladly have the government pay us to leave (maybe to Sweden).
America likes to talk a big game about being a world power, but in reality, it’s just the spunky, annoying little brother. We get it. America came a little late to the game and had to hustle a bit to prove itself. But if America would just talk a second to look around and stop thirsting over Adam Smith, maybe it would see that its workers are struggling.
While Swedes are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave to ensure that their very much not-self-sufficient newborn babies eat and sleep and hold their heads up, America’s policy can be summed up as, “sorry bestie, not my problem.” In the Netherlands, employees get 70% of their last earned wages for a maximum period of two years. But in America? We get “have you tried not being sick?”
Data for Progress finds Americans think this is kind of bullshit. Seventy-nine percent of voters support a federal paid leave program, including 92% of Democrats, 74% of Independents, and 72% of Republicans.
Some lawmakers (read: not Republicans) have realized that refusing to pay workers who need to take time off for extenuating circumstances is probably pretty counterproductive. So, they’ve proposed giving federal tax credits to employers who offer paid leave. Seventy-four percent of voters support this proposal, including 85% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 67% of Republicans. We love it when voters come together on a very common-sense issue that makes America look super backwards.
Republicans, you might want to get your shit together and support paid leave or you're going to lose a lot of workers to Amsterdam. We’re all just one small inconvenience from jetting off to Europe, so don’t test us.
Read the full blog and polling here.
|
