What the F*ck?

Nancy DeRocco had a job. Jason Doss worked at Ford. Kevin Grifka was a union electrician. Every one of them was out of work for a while, filed a claim they were entitled to, and went back to work. Years later, a computer decided they were criminals. Working-class people that did everything right.

A former FBI agent laid out the problem in 2020. Leaks put hundreds of names on the table. Inspectors general recommended firings. Researchers begged for data on domestic violence. Every time, the answer was the same. Let the department investigate itself.

As of June 30 the federal government had approved about $9.7 billion total for Helene. That is about 16 percent of what the storm cost. Compare that to past disasters. After Hurricane Sandy, federal aid covered about 78 percent of the damage. After Katrina, about 73 percent.

The worst case is not that we fail to solve these problems. It is that we retain the technical ability to solve them and lose the collective ability to decide to.