Latest news with #LyndonJohnson
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Camp Mystic Girls' Deaths Darken a Cherished Texas Rite of Passage
Camp Mystic was the totemic rite of passage for girls from establishment families in the American South: Lyndon Johnson sent his daughters there, Laura Bush worked there as a counselor years before becoming First Lady, and its alumni include the children of at least three Texas governors. It evoked such a potent mix of nostalgia, tradition, religious faith and camaraderie that parents rushed to get their daughter's name on its coveted waiting list as soon as she was born. But after the deadliest floods in Texas history ripped through Mystic and killed 27 campers and counselors this month, its foundations are in shambles and questions are being raised over how it became so vulnerable to disaster.
USA Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Will your grandmother go hungry? Future of Meals on Wheels is uncertain.
Federal investment in programs like Meals on Wheels has neither kept pace with the skyrocketing demand from America's aging population, nor with the rising costs of food, fuel and labor. For 60 years, Meals on Wheels has ensured that older Americans get the nutrition they need in the safety and comfort of their home. But the future of this essential program is far from secure. Despite decades of bipartisan support, federal investment in programs like Meals on Wheels has neither kept pace with the skyrocketing demand from America's aging population, nor with the rising costs of food, fuel and labor. Today, one in three Meals on Wheels providers have a waiting list, and many others are being forced to reduce meal deliveries or cut back on visits. That's not just a service gap; it's a warning sign. Approximately 90% of our local providers rely on federal funding, and for 60% of them, that funding accounts for at least half of their budgets, underscoring the critical role federal support plays in sustaining one of the nation's most worthwhile and efficient programs. Despite serving 2.2 million older adults annually, the need has never been greater. The number of older adults facing food insecurity has quadrupled, emblematic of a growing crisis that demands immediate action. Federal funding is essential to keep the wheels rolling While donations and volunteers are essential to keep our wheels rolling, they simply cannot fill the widening gap left by continually insufficient federal support. Without sustained and increased investment, this indispensable safety net will continue to fray. In 1965, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed the Older Americans Act − the first federally funded nationwide program designed to preserve the dignity, independence and well-being of older adults. Opinion: Getting old doesn't have to be a pain. But we need to invest in aging Americans. For six decades, the law has provided for meal deliveries to shut-ins; adult day care and respite care for caregivers; transportation to doctors' offices; social connections, health and wellness activities at senior centers; and protection from elder abuse and fraud. But the lack of sufficient funding puts those services at risk even as the population of older Americans grows. Meals on Wheels provides food and social connection for older Americans We simply cannot continue to overlook the needs of older adults in this country or treat them as afterthoughts. Our country is projected to include more than 97 million people over the age of 60 by 2040 and, as our population ages, we need to scale programs that are trusted, proven and have withstood the test of time. Programs like Meals on Wheels keep older adults healthier, reduce strain on our health care system and support caregivers and families across every zip code in America. This powerful network of providers delivers nutritious meals and, perhaps as importantly, moments of connection to seniors throughout the year for roughly the same cost as one day in a hospital or 10 days in a nursing home. More than meals: Meals on Wheels keeps rolling at 50, bringing food, connections and sunshine to seniors This is just one example of the incredible return on investment made possible by this successful public-private partnership that also delivers care and compassion to people who may be socially isolated and lonely, which 56% of older Americas are. In fact, the Meals on Wheels staff or volunteer knocking on the door may be the only person a senior sees in a day, or even a week. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. These brief interactions can be preventative, often catching small health issues before they become critical and expensive medical emergencies, thus helping to avert unnecessary trips to the emergency room, hospital admissions and long-term care placements. Policymakers face a clear choice: invest in preventative, community-based solutions now, or pay far more later, in avoidable institutional and emergency care. The math is simple; the morality is even clearer. On the 60th anniversary of the Older Americans Act, let's do more than celebrate a legacy. Let's commit to securing its future by funding what works. Ellie Hollander is the chief executive officer for Meals On Wheels America. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
Wall Street Journal
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Another Public Broadcasting Scandal
On Wednesday this column noted the bizarre historical accident in the 1960s that led to America of all places, with our cherished First Amendment, somehow ending up with government-backed media. Lyndon Johnson performed so many great disservices to our country that public broadcasting often gets overlooked. Meanwhile over in the U.K., Britons have not been blessed with speech rights as robust as ours. Still, they too must wonder sometimes how their free society came to be saddled with a state-backed broadcaster. Such outlets are generally associated with brutal regimes, and unfortunately now the one in London is too. This week the BBC's Steven McIntosh admits:
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Fed Independence Is a ‘Myth,' JPMorgan's Benhamou Says
The idea that the Federal Reserve operates free from political pressures is a 'myth' and US stocks are likely to keep soaring on bets that interest rate cuts are coming, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Ilan Benhamou. 'What's currently unfolding before our eyes has been happening for decades behind closed doors,' wrote Benhamou, who is part of JPMorgan's equity derivatives sales team, in a note to clients. He drew parallels to President Lyndon Johnson's clashes with Fed Chairman Bill Martin in 1965.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
No politics in the pulpit — IRS rule change will ruin reverence
The Internal Revenue Service announced on Monday that it is overturning a restraint on churches and other houses of worship that was supposed to keep them from endorsing candidates for political office. The root of the ban extends back to 1954. Then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson of Texas was running for re-election and faced a primary challenge from a wealthy rancher and oilman. A nonprofit conservative group published materials that recommended voters support Johnson's challenger. In what many believed to be retribution, Johnson introduced an amendment to Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS code, prohibiting organizations that are tax-exempt from trying to influence political campaigns. Many took this as an attempt to muzzle preachers. But the measure was rarely, if ever, enforced. Many liberal preachers, both black and white, invited mostly Democratic candidates to their services close to elections, giving them tacit, if not outright, endorsements. Their tax-exempt status was never canceled, whether they preached against the Vietnam War or in favor of civil rights. On one level, this is a freedom-of-speech issue, but not all freedoms are necessarily worth exercising. The larger question is: who benefits the most and least from the IRS ruling? Some politicians will benefit, but churches that see this as an opportunity to jump into political waters will be harmed as they will dilute their primary mission. Besides, many churches have members who hold different political views. For the pastor to engage in partisan politics runs the risk of having some of them leave. I would. There has always been a presumption among those advocating for more political involvement by churches that members are ignorant about politics and can't form their own opinions without instructions from their preacher. Organizations — liberal, but mostly conservative — have raised a lot of money promoting a fusion between church and state. I don't attend church services to hear about politics. Neither do I wish to hear theological pronouncements from politicians, many of whom misquote Scripture or take it out of context to fit their political agendas. The mostly defunct Shakey's pizza restaurants used to have a sign on the wall that read: 'Shakey's has made a deal with the bank. The bank doesn't make pizzas and Shakey's doesn't cash checks.' That's how I feel about politics in the pulpit: Politicians and preachers should mostly stay in their own lanes. Where Scripture speaks clearly to a contemporary issue, including marriage, gender, abortion, and the wisdom found in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, I'm ready to listen. But don't let me hear who the pastor prefers in the next election. I am not without information, and neither is anyone else if they take the time to do research. Religious people have an absolute right — indeed, the country needs them — to express their views in the public square. Many of our Founders exercised that right, and the principles found in the Declaration of Independence and other documents reflected their worldview. And yes, colonial preachers frequently based their sermons on politics, praising or denouncing politicians. But that exception shouldn't create a rule. One of the reasons cited for the decline in church attendance in America is that many, especially young people, believe churches are already too political and identified with the Republican Party. For those who disagree, I quote the ultimate church-state moment. When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He said: 'My kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36). That ought to be good enough for everyone to put their priorities in the right order. Cal Thomas is a veteran political commentator, columnist and author.
