Links – June 30, 2019

Links is going on vacation for the month of July. The next posting will be in August. See you then.

Health care costs for the typical family of four top $28,000 this year, despite slower increases Journal-Sentinel

We are Already Late to the Great Black Reparations Debate Black Agenda Report

NPR resurfaces 1975 interview with Biden supporting constitutional amendment to end court-ordered busing The Hill

UN Warns 10 Million More Yemenis Expected to Starve to Death by End of Year MPN

So Who Is Reporting That Trump Sanctions Have Killed Thousands of Venezuelans? FAIR

She Defended Her Land Against a Mine in Guatemala. Then She Fled in Fear for Her Life. Intercept

Zapatista/CNI Call for Solidarity with Guerrero

Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers Bloomberg

Frustrated workers who prep airline food for CLT planes may go on strike. Here’s why Observer

Facing up to Libra Michael Roberts

Libra is the latin word for pound in weight of silver or gold. It was a universal measure of value in Roman times. But Facebook’s Libra will be no such thing. It is not the future people’s currency controlled by the people. It is a privatized currency for commercial gain for Facebook and its investment backers. It will be owned and controlled by a board of multi-national corporate investors who will pledge capital to get it going.

The US dollar currency is owned by the US government. This is the same for other national currencies. As such, there are regulations and laws on how national currencies are issued. None of that will apply to Libra. Holders of Libra will have to trust Facebook and the investing board, not any government, that nothing will go wrong with their money.

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