the battle for paradise
puerto rico takes on the disaster capitalists
this is a solid read on the forces pulling on puerto rico and some of the interesting progressive work that’s being done on the island, by the locals. it’s easy to forget the absolutely shit situation that puerto rico is in economically and the forces at play that keep it there. there’s a lot to take away from this read in terms of driving towards self-sufficiency as much as possible and coordinating and operating at the local level.
there’s a pretty solid discussion of the crypto-bro tax incentives and their impacts as well as a slight but not as much as i’d appreciate, bit of coverage on the incentives of the local politicians who seem to continuously sell the locals out at each and every opportunity.
recommendation: shrug
(from 2026 books)
highlights
Shock-After-Shock-After-Shock Doctrine
“We will sell PREPA’s assets to the companies that will transform the power generation system into a modern, efficient, and less costly system for our people,” Rosselló said.
now, where have i heard this before?
plan to crack open the education system to privately run charter schools and private school vouchers—moves Puerto Rico’s teachers and parents have successfully resisted several times before.
Desperation, Distraction, Despair, and Disappearance
Whitefish Energy, a Montana-based firm with ties to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, had just two full-time staff when it landed a $ 300 million contract to help rebuild the electricity grid (the contract has since been canceled).
we forgot about this. didn't we?