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Anne Applebaums Twilight of Democracy.

The rise of authoritarianism and divisional politics that tear friends and countries apart.

Power and influence of course. Applebaum makes her point by describing the turn of events in Poland in 2015 when voters swung to support a group of men that came to violate their constitution. They packed the Polish Supreme Court, established control of the media, fired thousands of experienced public servants replacing them with sycophants and inexperienced relatives of the party leaders.

Sounds vaguely like the Trump playbook, observed Phineas.

It got worse. They fired experienced military leaders, dismantled the diplomatic corps, and intimidated cultural institutions.

Let me guess. A sociopath used intimidation to challenge the previous administration, falsehoods to whittle away at trust in governmental institutions such as the courts and public establishments such as the free press.

He casted dispersions on civility towards Islamic citizens and immigrants, demeaning truthful and respectful discourse, I added.

All with the pretense of draining the swamp and making government more efficient, said Phineas.

Pretty much sums it up. Four years ago, here, a demagogue respecting only himself claimed to be the expert who could accomplish the necessary changes, I replied.

Trump told 30,573 falsehoods. Why did the competent and altruistic people in positions of influence abdicate their responsibilities and allow egotistical polarization to run rampant, destroying functioning democratic norms and the rule of law?

Applebaum demonstrates that polarization is the norm in many societies and sustained unity an anomaly. Rules of law are increasingly viewed with suspicion as archaic, supported by old, white men with personal agendas. The general populace generally abhors complexity and change. People tend to favor the comfort of placing their trust in a confident, even arrogant authority figure, despite the slow creeping loss of their voices in the political process.

Similar losses of autonomy occur in the corporate worlds of fashion and music, but tend to be short lived and cyclical, added an unusually astute Phineas.

Skepticism about democracy is normal. Democracy moves slowly and is inherently complicated. The cacophony in unpleasant. Sustaining a vibrant democratic system takes commitment and hard work.

We worked hard to elect President Biden, said Phineas. Hopefully we can return to trusting scientific evidence.

Advice from scientists will continue to bother people untrained in critical thinking who fall prey to glitzy, superficial social media repeating blatant lies. The easy appeal of authoritarianism is eternal.

I remember reading The Mouse That Roared, recalled Phineas. The Dutchy of Grand Fenwick was run by a benevolent dictator. The citizens loved it.

Jefferson was concerned the uneducated masses could win control of government by the popular vote. He introduced the Electoral College, giving the Senate final decision to certify the Presidential victory.

Unfortunately, irrational passions can lead to destructive anger as we saw on January 6th.

Perhaps that riot was a poorly attempted coup against our seat of Democracy.

Applebaum sounds like a good read.

Read it now or live it later.

Greg Kujala is a resident of Winchester.

The rest is here:
Open forum: Phineas on the 'Twilight of Democracy' - The Winchester Star

The primary reason for the massive fall was the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that came into being in January 2020.

India versus rest of South AsiaWhile being categorized as a flawed democracy, at first glance, India fares better than its neighboring countries. However, while India has been falling in the ranks, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan have improved marginally in 2020. Even those countries which saw a fall in scores, none were as massive as Indias drop.

The judiciarys sensitivity was seen yet again when lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan was brought under the scanner for tweets criticizing the government.

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Creators of shows like Tandav, Sacred Games, and others have been dragged to court after being accused of hurting religious sentiments.

Most recently, the Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar stated that the state police will track people posting anti-national and anti-social posts on social media to be taken into consideration when verifying passport and arms.

When critics questioned why persecuted Muslims were left out of the Act, the government said that in the three countries specified, Muslims are the majority and not persecuted. However, many debaters have pointed out that Muslims are a minority in Nepal and Sri Lanka, and the amendment excludes them.

Whats worse, the government had planned to execute the National Registrar of Citizens, which would identify the undocumented and illegal migrants. However, if any non-Muslim gets caught without papers, he could be reinstated under the CAA. But a Muslim does not have the safety net that other communities have.

India scores well for its electoral process but takes a hit in political culture

Indias health budget sees a 137% jump in 2021

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New citizenship law pulls India down in the democracy rankings and 2021 is not looking better - Business Insider India

Asia represents a critical frontier for democratic governance that will shape the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. Democratic states in the region face increasing strain from an interconnected set of challenges across political, economic, and cultural dynamics. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty about American strategy, the implications of emerging technologies, and support for illiberal populism and authoritarianism by policymakers and foreign actors have tested democratic norms in the region.

On Friday, January 29, as part of the initiative on Democracy in Asia, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings hosted an event examining the health of democracy in Asia. Following opening remarks by Brookings President John R. Allen, Taiwan Digital Minister Audrey Tang delivered a pre-recorded keynote address and respond to questions. A moderated panel with regional experts and scholars then explored the ongoing intraregional challenges and trends affecting democratic governments and institutions across the Indo-Pacific. Following the conversation, panelists took questions from the audience.

Viewers submitted questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at #DemocracyInAsia.

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The future of democracy in Asia - Brookings Institution

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

Two freshman Republican state representatives want to stop undocumented immigrants from being able to pay in-state tuition at Texas public universities, they announced Friday. Immigrant advocacy groups immediately criticized the plan as insensitive and dehumanizing.

State Reps. Jeff Cason of Bedford and Bryan Slaton of Royse City said the bill they are co-authoring will allow colleges to determine a students residency status and decide if they then qualify for in-state tuition.

In 2001, Texas became the first state to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition. There have been multiple attempts to repeal the law since then, but each has failed in the Republican-dominated Legislature. Most recently in 2019, state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, filed a similar measure, but it did not make it past the House Higher Education Committee, which was chaired by a Democrat.

The 2021 committee chairs have not been appointed yet. That could determine whether such a bill will advance to the full chamber this year.

Texans tax dollars should not be used to reward and encourage illegal immigration to our state and nation, Cason said in a statement.

Juan Manuel Guzman, state and local advocacy strategist for United We Dream, said if a bill like this were to pass in Texas, it would be devastating for immigrant youth who want to go to school and improve their chances in life, as well as their families.

Guzman said the rhetoric Republican lawmakers often use in reference to undocumented immigrants can be very divisive and dehumanizing. Even with in-state tuition, Guzman said, the pathway to higher education for undocumented students is extremely difficult because they do not have access to all the financial aid and scholarship opportunities that other students have.

Why would you end a policy that works? Why would you stop young people from going to school? Guzman said. [The policy has] been a blessing for a lot of undocumented students, just the possibility of having a first shot and going to school.

Cason and Slaton did not respond to requests for comment.

If the bill were to become law, it would make tuition prices unaffordable for many students. Out-of-state tuition rates are typically three times higher than in-state rates, on average.

In his statement, Cason called in-state tuition rates for undocumented students handouts from the Legislature that frustrate Texans whose property taxes are rising. Property taxes do help fund community college districts. But voters typically approve the creation of such districts.

In Texas, property taxes dont subsidize four-year public universities. And property taxes also do not go to the state government, so they are not a revenue stream that lawmakers can directly tap when writing the state budget.

Under current state law, undocumented students who have lived in Texas for at least three years, graduated from a Texas high school and pledged to apply for legal status as soon as possible are eligible to pay in-state tuition rates.

In a statement, Slaton said the GOP-controlled Legislature shouldnt allow taxpayer-funded magnets for undocumented residents to exist while ignoring issues like property tax relief. But that comment comes after Slatons party successfully championed a landmark property tax reform bill in 2019 that limited when local governments can increase tax collections without voter approval and demystified the property appraisal and tax processes.

Fatima Menendez, legislative staff attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said access to higher education is not a reward, but it does allow the state to reap the rewards of an educated workforce. Any attempts to take that access away will harm the states economy and well-being, Menendez said.

Increasing access to higher education improves the earning potential of each student and allows each student to contribute more to our states economy, Menendez said in an email. Avenues that allow for more students to access an affordable post-secondary education are crucial to Texas meeting its objective of having sixty percent of Texans ages 25-34 earn a certificate or degree by 2030.

As of February 2019, the income of college graduates who benefited from the current law totaled $19.7 billion, and without these graduates, Texas would lose hundreds of millions in wage earnings in just one year, according to research by New American Economy. If the bill becomes law, many undocumented students will not be able to graduate.

Original post:
Texas lawmakers want to block in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants - The Texas Tribune

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi denied House Democrats requests to include amnesty for illegal immigrants who served as essential workers during the pandemic in President Joe Bidens $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.

President Biden proposed comprehensive immigration reform, which includes protections for frontline immigrant workers, separate from his Covid relief plan, and we expect that to therefore have separate consideration, a House Democratic leadership aide told Politico.

Pelosis brisk response follows a letter from 100 Democratic representatives urging the speaker and other House leaders to consider slipping in a faster path to citizenship for the more than 5 million Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status recipients, and undocumented immigrants who have helped keep Americans healthy and safe during the pandemic and are critical for our economic recovery.

As we continue to confront a public health and economic catastrophe that will soon have claimed the lives of more than 450,000 Americans [and] exacerbated deep racial, gender, and economic inequities, it is vital that we include protections for immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and lay the foundation for a robust and dynamic economic recovery, the letter from the Hispanic Caucus read.

Just a month before the Hispanic Caucuss letter, hundreds of progressive immigration organizations issued a similar plea to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, asking the congressional leaders to offer permanent protection and a path to citizenship to all undocumented essential workers and delivering this provision to the presidents desk for his signature.

Last year, House Democrats recognized the important contributions and sacrifices of undocumented essential workers by including in both versions of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act a provision offering temporary protection from deportation and work authorization to these individuals. The 117th Congress can and must do better, the letter stated.

Pelosis reluctance to include a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant essential workers, though, is not to be confused with a lack of eagerness to pass sweeping immigration reform. Since day one, the Biden administration, in conjunction with top congressional Democrats, has promised to reverse the Trump administrations actions and make it easier for undocumented migrants to take advantage of benefits reserved for U.S. citizens.

In addition to the new presidentssix executive orders concerning Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the addition of illegal immigrants in U.S. Census totals, immediate cessation of construction on the southern border wall, and the suggestion to replace the word alien with noncitizen in U.S. immigration laws, members in the blue chambers of Congress have begun to workshop legislation focused on carrying out Bidens goal to offer amnesty to approximately 11 million illegal immigrants.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.

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Dems Tried To Use COVID Relief Bill To Pass Amnesty For Illegal Aliens - The Federalist