It's for sure a little bit of a longer read than news articles that typically get posted here but I feel it's still accessible and really can get people thinking about problems that cause democratic backsliding.

stabby_cicada made an interesting comment on how personal choice and leading by example can be combined with politics to effectively address climate change. This is a good article that combines the two approaches, it shows you some changes you can make along with reminding people the importance of voting, and being involved politically. The article mentioned the biggest user of fossil fuels in homes may be a gas fired furnace so if it's time to replace your furnace you may want to consider an electric heat pump.

One thing not mentioned in the article is if you have any incandescent light bulbs that receive regular use consider replacing them with LED. The payback period can be pretty fast for example if you replace a 60w light with a 10w LED assuming you use it for an average of two hours a day and you pay $0.20 kw/h you'll save $7.3 per year. This was calculated as follows:

(60 energy usage of old bulb - 10 energy usage of new bulb) * 2 hours per day average usage * 365 days in a year / 1000 to convert from watts to kilowatts * 0.2 cost per kwh = $7.3.

Over a 10 year period that's $73 in savings.

If the light bulb cost $2.5 to buy you'd break even in only 125 days (a little over 4 months) if we use the same usage assumptions.

Payback period can be calculated like this:

$2.5 cost of light bulb/(50 our energy savings*2 hours of average use)*(1000kw /0.2 price per kwh)

The article says:

Ken Griffin says Trump’s tariff strategy is eroding America’s global standing and investor trust in U.S. financial stability.

We already knew this was going to happen. On June 26, 2024 Reuters released an article with the headline "16 Nobel Prize-winning economists say Trump policies will fuel inflation". Trump campaigned on tariffs.

In my view this really undermines the creditably of Ken Griffin because an investor should be able to accurately asses information and determine its credibility to make proper investing decisions. Someone who falls for Fox "News" drivel wouldn't be a good investor. This is why Warren Buffet is outperforming other investors now, he properly prepared himself for Trump's tariffs.

Source for donation amount: https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/biggest-donors

You can see how much individuals associated with British American Tobacco contributed to campaigns. In 2024 it was over $26 million a vast majority of that going to Republicans. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/british-american-tobacco/summary?id=D000067317 they also spent over $5 million in lobbying in 2024.

Some other notable quotes from the article:

In February 2021, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Network (OCCRP) published an investigation according to which trafficking of BAT cigarettes had helped finance jihadist and separatist groups in northern Mali using, among other mechanisms, a system of oversupplying the country with tobacco. This has allowed billions of cigarettes to be smuggled out of the country.

In November 2012, the Zimbabwean government arrested several people for spying on factories owned by local tobacco companies, including Pacific Cigarette Company (PCC). BAT's involvement was suspected but not proven.[76][77][78] Later that month, President Robert Mugabe accused BAT of spying and hijacking PCC trucks to "kill competition".[79][80][81] In September 2021, a BBC Panorama investigation found evidence that BAT had enlisted Forensic Security Services, a South African Security firm, to sabotage and surveil factories owned by competitors, including PCC. After the spies were arrested, BAT negotiated a bribe so that the government would release them from jail.[82][83]

This is why I say politics matters more than individual action.

Yes, changing the lightbulbs in your house from incandescent to LED is great but it's just a drop in the bucket. Politicians can mandate energy efficient bulbs for everyone as an example, at scale this makes a huge difference.

We all have 24 hours in a day and a lot less of that is free-time, use it to contact your politicians and urge other people to do that.

I really hope after reading this post that you'll consider sending an email, calling or faxing at-least one politician. Your message can be really simple.

For example this could be your message:

Dear (politician),

I'm really worried about the effects on climate change. I believe it's hurting the economy much more than the cost of transitioning to renewable energy such as solar and wind. I'm calling for ending subsidies for fossil fuel companies and a faster transition to renewable energy.

Thank you so much for your consideration,
(Your name)

See that wasn't so hard was it? Sending an email could take just minutes a day and you're message could have a huge impact.

Basically take care of your mental health, don't get caught up in a cycle of despair. Focus on what you can do to make a difference and not worry too much about the things you cannot control.

The Wikipedia article is well worth a read! It looks likes the owner of Dubai-based Legatum Group made his fortunes in part with Russian gas money. The Legatum Institute which it seems is now called the "Prosperity Institute"* is registered in Bermuda and controlled by a company in the Cayman Islands.

* usually at-least speaking about things in the U.S. when a non-profit or a think tank has the words prosperity in it, it usually means that they advocate for a far-right viewpoint that screws over you and helps the billionaires become richer.

I truly believe Fox News and the likes are one of the greatest evils in America. Think about how much hurt they've caused, how much they've torn families apart and how much they're destroyed our country.

The reason I feel this way has nothing to do with the fact they have a different opinion than I have. It's because they spread hate, division and lies.

We have the power to fight back against Fox News and other propaganda media with the following actions:

1. Contact their advertisers and demand they stop advertising on Fox. Say you'll boycott them if they continue advertising on Fox.

2. If you see Fox "News" on a TV in public take action! Depending on the situation you have the following options:

• Contact the location and demand they change the channel.
• Ask the receptionist to change the station.
• Change the channel yourself with a device capable of acting as a universal remote such as your smartphone (use a USB-C or 3.5mm headphone jack IR blaster if your phone doesn't have a built in IR light), certain graphing calculators like the HP 48 series have IR, almost all old PDAs have IR, an actual universal remote if you have one of those (you can even buy some keychain sized ones), or a Flipper Zero. It might even be possible to remove Fox from the channel listing if you're comfortable doing that.

3. If you have satellite or cable say you don't like the fact that your bill is subsidizing Fox News through carrier fees and that you'd like a way to not have Fox be part of your TV package. Or maybe it's time to cancel your TV subscription with prices being so high nowadays. If you cancel tell them that Fox News was part of the reason you canceled.

4. Try educating current Fox Views. Consider using the method mentioned in the article or just convince them to stop watching political news all together until they heal from the fear cycle mentioned in the article (process can take a year or two but if can work).

I feel this is a really important article. If you get hit with a paywall you can use try this link here: https://archive.ph/YVWxP

Donald Trump and his allies are attacking the court systems by doing things that they know are illegal and they know will get shut down by the courts but the things he's trying to do sound popular among his supporters. The goal is to erode support for an independent and fair judicial system. Andrew O'Donohue, the author of the article calls this authoritarian playbook "court-baiting".

The so-called "big beautiful bill" contains a hidden provision to significantly undermine the court system. That's why it's important you contact your senators and demand it's removed. You can consider using 5calls which includes a helpful script or finding their contact information on their senate website.

Please note that the 5calls script is only suitable for contacting Democrat senators in my opinion since it mentions Trump.

Here's a modified script that I suggest using especially for Republican senators but could be used for anyone.

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].

I'm calling to urge [REP/SEN NAME] to oppose H.R. 1, the House budget reconciliation bill, especially the provision that limits the enforcement of contempt of court charges. This measure weakens our judicial system—the same independent courts our Founding Fathers envisioned as a critical check on governmental power. By diminishing the courts' authority, we risk undermining the constitutional framework that guarantees American liberty. Supporting this provision would be unpatriotic and contrary to the values we hold dear. I trust [REP/SEN NAME] to protect the rule of law and preserve the constitutional balance that has long safeguarded our freedoms.

Thank you for your time and consideration.