REMINDER: AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION ELECTIONS ARE UNDERWAY.

Dear DAVID, Voting is currently underway to elect new Eastern Division officers and a new member at large of the APA board of officers, as well as to consider four amendments to the association bylaws. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to review the information below and vote today. Eastern Division Elections This year, the Eastern Division will elect a vice president, a member at large of the executive committee, and two members of the nominating committee. Before voting, learn more about the candidates by reading their candidate bios. Member at Large of the APA Board of Officers Following an open nomination process and deliberations by the nominating committee, three candidates now stand for election for the position of member at large of the APA’s board of officers. The person elected will serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2019. The three candidates for election were given the opportunity to submit candidate statements, photos, and other ballot information. Members are encouraged to review the candidate information prior to voting. Bylaws Amendments At its meeting in November 2018, the APA board proposed four amendments to the association bylaws regarding 1) striking reference to membership list; 2) revising qualifications for regular membership; 3) voting by associate members; and 4) changing to a rolling membership. To be adopted, an amendment must be approved by a majority of those voting in each of the divisions. Members are encouraged to review the proposed bylaws amendments prior to voting. Only full (regular and emeritus) members of the association affiliated with one of the three divisions are eligible to vote, and you must be signed in to the APA website to access the ballot link. Voting will remain open until the end of the month, closing on Friday, May 31. Once submitted, your votes are final. You will not be able to return to your ballot and change your votes, so please consider your choices carefully before submitting. Go to the online ballot. Thank you for taking the time to vote! All the best, Amy E. Ferrer Executive Director

The American Philosophical Association University of Delaware 31 Amstel Avenue, Newark, DE 19716

2020 US PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS HONOR THEIR MOTHERS- TWITTER.

What’s happening 2020 US presidential hopefuls honor their mothers US news ⋅ Yesterday On Mother's Day, US 2020 presidential candidates share their mothers' legacies and how it has shaped them. Go to Moment

GLOBAL CRISIS: DONALD TRUMP AND AUTHORITARIANISM VS FREE PEOPLE AND DEMOCRACY. BERNIE SANDERS.

David -

One of the great crises facing the global community today is that democracy, the right of ordinary people to control their own lives, is on the defensive while authoritarianism is growing stronger.

And at its root is the fact that a handful of incredibly wealthy people are exerting enormous economic and political power over the planet. Unbelievably, in the global economy today, the top 1 percent owns more wealth than the bottom 99 percent, and a handful of billionaires own more than the bottom half of people around the world — that’s 3.7 billion people.

That is the reality.

People in our own country, and around the world, are angry and betrayed, and they feel that nobody is listening to their pain.

And one of the results of that reality is that in Europe, in Russia, in the Middle East, in Asia and elsewhere we are seeing movements led by demagogues who exploit people’s fears, prejudices and grievances to achieve and hold on to power.

Next week, Donald Trump is set to welcome one of those leaders into the White House: Hungary’s far-right authoritarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán.

Now, I have always found it very strange that Trump has such a hard time getting along with leaders of the world’s major democracies but feels very comfortable with authoritarians like Orbán, Putin, Xi Jinping, Bolsonaro and Mohammad bin Salman.

But the truth is, while they all differ in some respects, they share a number of key attributes: hostility toward democratic norms, antagonism toward a free press, intolerance toward ethnic and religious minorities, and a belief that government should benefit their own selfish financial interests.

This trend certainly did not begin with Trump, but there’s no question that authoritarian leaders around the world have drawn inspiration from the fact that the leader of the world’s oldest and most powerful democracy seems to delight in shattering democratic norms.

Other authoritarian states are much farther along this kleptocratic process. In Russia, it is impossible to tell where the decisions of government end and the interests of Vladimir Putin and his circle of oligarchs begin. They operate as one unit. 

Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, there is no debate about separation because the natural resources of the state, valued at trillions of dollars, belong to the Saudi royal family. In Hungary, far-right authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán is openly allied with Putin in Russia. In China, an inner circle led by Xi Jinping has steadily consolidated power, clamping down on domestic political freedom while it aggressively promotes a version of authoritarian capitalism abroad.

So the question is: Where do we go from here?

To effectively oppose right-wing authoritarianism, we cannot simply go back to the failed status quo of the last several decades. In order to fight this trend, we need to strengthen the global coalition of progressive democrats.

While authoritarians promote division and hatred, we promote unity, inclusion, and an agenda based on economic, social, racial, and environmental justice.

The people of the world must come together to end the absurdity of rich and multinational corporations stashing over $21 trillion in offshore bank accounts to avoid paying their fair share of taxes and then demanding that their respective governments impose an austerity agenda on their working families.

It is not acceptable that the fossil fuel industry continues to make huge profits while their carbon emissions destroy the planet for our children and grandchildren.

It is not acceptable that a handful of multinational media giants, owned by a small number of billionaires, largely control the flow of information on the planet.

It is not acceptable that trade policies that benefit large multinational corporations and encourage a race to the bottom hurt working people throughout the world as they are written out of public view.

It is not acceptable that, with the Cold War long behind us, countries around the world spend over $1 trillion a year on weapons of destruction, while millions of children die of easily treatable diseases.

In order to effectively combat the rise of the international authoritarian axis, we need a global progressive movement that mobilizes behind a vision of shared prosperity, security and dignity for all people and that addresses the massive inequality that exists, not only in wealth but in political power as well.

Such a movement must be willing to think creatively and boldly about the world that we would like to see.

We must take the opportunity to reconceptualize a genuinely progressive global community based on human solidarity, that recognizes that every person on this planet shares a common humanity, that we all want our children to grow up healthy, to have a good education, have decent jobs, drink clean water, breathe clean air, and live in peace.

Our job is to reach out to those in every corner of the world who share these values and who are fighting for a better world.

In a time of exploding wealth and technology, we have the potential to create a decent life for all people. Our job is to build on our common humanity and do everything that we can to oppose all of the forces, whether unaccountable government power or unaccountable corporate power, who try to divide us up and set us against each other.

We know that those forces work together across borders. We must do the same.

Thank you for reading.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders. 

CONTRIBUTE

Help me wish my mom a happy Mother's Day! ABIGAIL KLOBUCHAR.

Hey there — I’m Amy’s daughter, Abigail.

This Mother’s Day, I was reminded of something my mom taught me growing up.

When I was three, I was asked to play an angel in our church’s Christmas service. And despite that stellar role (particularly compared to the two boys who got assigned to wear a donkey suit),when I found out I started sobbing. My mom asked me what was wrong, and I explained that I couldn’t be an angel because I couldn’t fly. 

“Abigail,” she said. “Not all angels fly.”

My mom taught me that lesson, not only that day in words but in actions. She inspires me every day to do good, be courageous, speak up, and (of course) make people laugh.

It’s not always easy sharing your mom with the entire country, but every time I see her speak about what she believes in, I remember what makes her such an amazing mother — and, now, a candidate for President. She reminds people that they can fly. And then they do. 

This Mother’s Day, what I really want to get my mom is even more support from across the country for her campaign, and what she believes in. 

Abigail