This letter gives such a valuable and powerful perspective on this moment in US history it should be required reading for all Americans and we better assure it is archived safely given the proven objectives of this Regime to erase dissenting descriptions of historical events.
My restack note better explains my enthusiasm for this letter today:
A stellar review of where America and Americans stand at 100 days of Trump 2.0. Cox Richardson observes the parallels between the FDR administration’s domestic solutions to global economic crisis to the Musk-Trump regime’s mirror image dismantling of those solutions and actual creation of a global economic crisis.
Obviously, too many Americans are still viewing what is transpiring ’through the glass darkly’ but as HCR points out herein, the majority of Americans want their FDR created freedoms back and more and more are becoming active agents in this effort to claw back the power the Regime is illicitly wielding.
An elegant response to an outstanding HCR letter. I note only one objection, and that is that FDR didn't "create" any of our freedoms because those freedoms are ours as human beings and government can only restrict or remove them. What FDR started was the restoration of those rights, a project that had continued, in fits and starts, until Jan. 20, 2025 when Sleepy Don, the lord of Merde-a-Lardo, took office and set us on the path Heather noted today. We can stop it, and will triumph in the end, because anti-life is inherently a failure.
Spot on Dave…I actually hesitated writing it in that rather black and white way. True confession, I did study International Human Rights at the masters level, so I know better.🙃 But, in my mind FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt and Francis Perkins are due credit for ‘codifying’ these rights/freedoms as reference points in the hearts and minds of the American public. (Not so eloquently put.)
If you ever have the opportunity, check out Blanche Weisen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, told in several volumes. One thing I recall vividly is ER's insistence on racial integration; once in West Virginia, she held a forum on affordable housing. When the White locals insisted upon segregation, she put them on one side and the Blacks on the other and put her on chair exactly in the middle.
And, of course, she was a proponent of the international declaration of rights, which the current regime would be wise to observe.
I had to Google her and glad I did: "Mary McLeod Bethune was a prominent American educator, civic leader, and advocate for African American civil rights. Born in 1875, she dedicated her life to education and empowerment, establishing a major college for Black students and becoming an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt."
For some reason some of my family relatives not big FDR fans but my mother was and I grew up hearing about the New Deal but none of the Histiry in terms of Frances Perkins so this time in the new century a learning experience. Norman Rockwell has a lovely set of paintings on the Four Freedoms as well as in The Golden Role.So glad you had a course on human rights and how frustrating now! But there is pushback and hopefully the home in the wall will allow the waters to break through and surge across the land.
Funny Mary, My mother’s father (a baby robber baron) abhorred FDR but my parents were supportive of the agenda after the fact..there is, if course, a story in this generational legacy for many of those in my parents’ and my own generation who took the validity of this rights/freedom approach as a given, whether you wrestled with the alternatives or not. We were never really close to reaching the ideals behind the founding of a democracy by the people and for the people in equal measure to ALL, particularly with the seemingly indelible interwoven blood stained weft of slavery and racism still fundamentally weakening the weave. And, now, as HCR’s letter explains, the post-WWII grand adventure into international and domestic peace —through the non-monetizable currencies of the four freedoms/the civil, political, economic and social human rights of the UN — seems to be in tatters , at least vis-a-vis the US as a figurehead. But I have some hope that there are nations in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe (Canada too?) not in the thrall to autocrats that are ready to step into that void, perhaps with a new configuration with a more dynamic approach to the challenge.
Great, thoughtful response K. I think it helpful when pondering or talking about that subject, ie., 'rights and freedoms' to not only speak in terms of Lincoln's Gettysburg address for inspiration, but to also meld those thoughts with their origins of considering inalienable rights and the preamble to our constitution. If there's one thing that drives the Heritage Foundation folks nuts, it's the inclusion of our preamble as fully part, parcel and foundation of the entire document ! It is in fact the 'mission statement' if you will, for all that proceeds, as well as Lincoln's address from which it was derived. jmho ~
Mary, my father hated FDR, and called him Rosie. He did admit, while under the influence, of voting for him the first time. He also disliked unions. Since he listened to Rush, I have a feeling he might be a MAGA had he lived long enough. Every time I visited, we had an argument about politics.
My father’s family union st least his own father who was involved in striking and at least one time didn’t come home because of the Pinkertons. But he got involved with Fr Couglin and my dad with Rush and on and on.
No doubt about it, and the herstory of Frances Perkins is as important as the history of FDR in viewing the outcome of that era. The codification is the essence of the discussion and goes back to the Constitution itself and the Bill of Rights which codified the limits placed on various government operations relative to the inherent rights of all citizens. The failure to include all citizens in the original writing was of the nature of the time and has been the cause of every shortfall of our country's actions compared to its ideals. Had Jefferson written that "all people" are created equal and endowed with those famously inalienable rights, we'd be miles ahead of where we are although the road might well have been much rockier as the indigenous population and the people brought here against their will along with the 51% of the population that are not "men" would have been in a much stronger legal position to insist on their ability to exercise their rights. Our responsibility in moving forward from the Trump era is to strengthen the bonds that restrict the government while removing any remaining barriers to full and actively engaged citizenship for all members of our society. That we have the tools to do so is what lead me to disagree with Bill Katz' negative view of the damage done and the possibility of resolving it; that we may lack the will to do it gives Bill's argument the merit that it has.
When you get down to the foundations of it all Dave, it comes down to a document dedicated for "we the people" or "we the corporate and the most monetarily / propertied powerful." That in a nutshell is where the real battle lines are really drawn up; All the rest is just distraction, bias's and 'noise.' The money involved is on those battle fronts, at the core.
Absolutely, and money buys a lot of politicians. Even the revered Founders were mostly aristocrats who might look at today's situation and wonder who gave us this equality idea.
Thank you KSC for remembering the role of Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkins for their part in codifying the rights and freedoms we have enjoyed. Several years ago, I watched a documentary about Eleanor Roosevelt. I was surprised that her incredible accomplishments were not fully explained in my history book. I graduated in 1963, and I had never heard of Frances Perkins, until just recently. Forgive my naïveté, I was not aware that Mrs. Roosevelt, was asked by President Truman to head the committee that developed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
And FDR used the government the way it was designed to be used. He engaged with Congress to pass LEGISLATION that helped Americans.
If Trump were to be impeached, the charges would be so many that it would require an army of attorneys to assemble them.
The part that just continues to blow my mind is the self dealing, grifting and complete disregard for the emoluments prohibition in the Constitution. That in itself should have put him on the last plane to Mar a Lago. Ankle bracelet. Golf once a year to remind him how much he misses it. Plenty of cheeseburgers and steaks. Only cheeseburgers and steaks. Rib eyes. Not prime. But very marbled.
Actually Republicans have been planning this stuff since Reagan. Reagan and cronies invented trickle down economics, the myth of the black welfare queen, and they created loopholes and breaks in taxes to benefit the wealthy, etc. They have been getting bolder and bolder in their lies and actions since then. We've been the frog in a gently warmed pot, getting hotter and hotter until we're parboiled. Now we're hopping mad.
You have that on the mark Mona. It's good to recall and recount this for those born after Reagan, and born into a 'supply side' economic model ever since. They never experienced anything other than their norm of supply side life and the decline in 'standards of living' ever since, culminating as it has to this day !
Yes but the damage being done and that which has been done is incalculable and in some instances, irreversible. We were the beacon to much of the world but no longer. Trump is simple hate-filled and his one desire is wholesale movement of money into his family and consort. And I dear say we have fallen into the trap by our own foolish disarray moves on the left side don’t get me started. It takes two to tango.
"Humans were egalitarian for thousands of generations before hierarchical societies began to appear (within the last 400 generations)." —from American anthropologist Christopher Boehm's book, Hierarchy in the Forest (2001).
KSC, excellent post. I especially like the use of "through a glass darkly" which does describe those who support death star. I hope to see more and more activity. I note that death star was greeted by a protest along his route to his Michigan speech.
I watched some of trump's 'speech', lie after lie after lie, and people behind him cheering him on. In what world do they live? What is so fascinating with this moron who is 'switching on the shower heads now'? The stupidity of his followers is beyond the pale.
As tempting as it is to ascribe Trump supporters as stupid, it doesn't help our cause. It's better to call them low information voters. Prior to the election, I had several contractors who were voting for Trump. Time and time again they were either watching Fox "Agenda" or Newsmax and sadly believing what they were hearing. All of the contractors were from rural areas. They were also voting in context, meaning that their circle of friends and neighbors were voting for Trump. When I mentioned to all the contractors that Trump had over 3,600 lawsuits for non payment to contractors. They chose not to believe me.
Roughly there are 6 groups that support Trump. 1) the Billionaire Club and unfortunately they are far from stupid. They are opportunists and greed comes into play. They know Trump will support them and God knows they need very large tax breaks. Not all billionaires are Trump supporters, but the assembled billionaires at his inauguration was impressive. 2) Christian Nationals who feel abortion is wrong and forced pregnancy is great but the morality of supporting a child once born is somewhat lacking. They were smart to work with the Federalist Society to get their one objective. 3) Rural voters. Again they seem to vote in context, and if the NRA supports a candidate and supports the 2nd amendment well there's no contest. Not to give all rural voters a bad rap, there are some who see through the BS. 4) Business and financial tycoons. They see regulations on business and bureaucratic paperwork as strangling their bottom line. Again in the finance field, it's not all but I asked my stock broker in MA what he saw was the breakdown and he said it's over 50%. Some are now realizing that Trump is a nightmare with chaos and tariffs and flip flopping on policy every other day. 5) Low information voters. They are clueless as to what is going on and gee if Sean Hannity says it's so and Trump says it's the most triumphant 100 days of a Presidency ever well how can you beat that. 6) Folks who ascribe to bigotry, racism and sexism and deeply flawed individuals. This seems to be a strong bond to Trump's messaging. And obviously it works both ways with Trump's pardons of all those "good people" who ransacked the Capital. Killed 5 policemen and injured 140 officers in what Trump fondly remembers as "A day in Peace."
Great comment, Margaux! Your 6 categories make a lot of sense. And your example of contractors who don't believe the statement about the 3,600 lawsuits against trump for not paying contractors probably fits into Category 5. I wonder though if the majority of people living in rural areas, despite being bombarded by FOX 'fake news', doesn't have real life experience when going to the grocery store or the gas station, verifying the lies against reality. Not seeing the difference is stupid, imho.
It's good to recall and recount this for those born after Reagan, and born into a 'supply side' economic model ever since. They never experienced anything other than their norm of supply side life and the decline in 'standards of living' ever since, culminating as it has to this day ! That does include folks who are otherwise bright, didn't think far enough forward toward 'unintended consequences - therefore the very concept of supply side was merely 'academic'. Your thoughtfulness causes me to believe you'll think on this and even perhaps derive more thoughts along these lines.
What a beautiful missive to what collective determination can accomplish!
The juxtaposition between FDR's and trump's first 100 days' perfectly exemplifies the contrast between good and evil. I choose to uphold that--at the end--good wins....
True, but even there….there is a legitimate difference of perspective if the origins of rights and whether or not they are ‘natural’ and ‘universal’ or entirely the construction of cultural/society/politics and context specific. I became somewhat of a doubter to be honest….long story….
Most Americans don't remember the Great Depression, polio, measles, mumps or life without the EPA to protect our air quality and water purity. Safe working conditions, etc. Unfortunately, it looks as though we're going to be plunged back into dark days of Depression, crippling illness and pollution before we appreciate what we are losing because of the morbidly rich want even more of our wealth.
I remember Carol. Furthermore, I remember standing in line as a child to receive the first Polio Vaccine, a shot in the arm. Two students in my class had Polio. One girl was still wearing a leg brace in high school, the other never returned to school. Do we really want to go back to this?
I have decided, I must do more than donate to the cause, I have to get physically involved. I will attend my first meeting in two weeks. I might be 79, but after 8 years of nuns in the early 1950s, I have a good handwriting, I can write post cards and make phone calls. I’m sure they will find something for me to do.
We share a common history. I'm 74 and the nuns educated me too. I dated a man, about two years older than me. His legs would buckle under him occasionally. He had polio when he was a child. I knew a girl in high school who used crutches and leg braces because of polio.
The first time in a long time I have wholeheartedly given a like to any column. Accurate and upbeat news is often hard to come by. You find both, Heather and we are blessed that you have stayed with it. We should make sure that the next president gives you a medal.
The medal of freedom. And may we have a next president? At my age I don't often wish that time would pass so quickly. In this case, I do. 2026 can't come fast enough. Time for impeachment.
I completely agree. Why are republicans defending a liar, bully, cheat, grifter murderer who has defied his Constitutional guidelines from Day 1? More deaths coming as he crashes through the guardrails of 250 years. He could equal or surpass the million who died of Covid in this country. Looking for a couple dozen repubs with spines to do the right thing. The Third Impeachment ASAP.
You can tell from their tepid comments (I think in a Vox article) the Rs know tfg’s actions are illegal and abhorrent but tepid is the most they can muster.
Republicans in Congress have violated their oath of office. They promised to defend the CONSTITUTION against all enemies both foreign and domestic. Instead, they are allowing Trump’s egregious, lawless, corrupt actions to stand. Not to mention supporting a budget that would hurt all Americans except the 1%. Throw the bums out!
With the list of convictions Trump has garnered, he should never have been allowed to run for President.
What can we expect from a criminal and a friend of criminals?
Laws have been written for a reason. Parents provide perimeters ie rules for the safety and well being of a family for good reasons.
Note the character qualities of Trump's chosen minions along with the fact that they are all "yes" men and women. There are no rails! Chaos and destruction of our country, our Democracy and broken trust with our former allies is all we can expect.
We do not need to search for our enemies; they are in full view, and partying in Washington DC.
Yeah.., and when our time comes, and we are asked: "lower your window please".., and "step out of the car".., "come with us".., Click. Our opportunity for a "nice day" just "went away". And, a "tepid" response is about all that can be hoped for. If that. Right now.., today.., as a population of 350 million, it would appear on the surface at least that we have about as much clout as a bucket of cold steam. And, the "R's" aren't about to take him to task for any of it. Little mrs Karoline has the mic.
Impeachment. Good grief, let's examine my view of that. Will it serve to bring forth 'facts', lies, tribulations, etc, that otherwise would be almost lost in the history dustbin? Will that stop traffic? I mean, trump was impeached twice. Are all the documents supporting those impeachments available for "students" studying our history? Sure. Go read. And eight years from now perhaps all that bureaucratic-crap will be of some value.. maybe not. So, impeachment does have a value.., it does, but it's pretty-much low-noise-level in the case of trump; just an expression of our frustration. Kinda like, "draggin his dick thru the dirt".. (just an expression, sorry for the coarse-ness) which we have been doing since 2014. No? Yes! Okay.., so where has that gotten us. Welp.., little-mrs K. Leavitt, sums it up ever so simply that even an 8 yr old would understand. She, says all he's trying to do is fix "things" (pick some issue du jour). Since trump has the mic.., the bully-pilpit.., and the on/off button is located on our foreheads. So, you wanna impeach the prick? Watch your step..., the ICE-scream truck cometh. Click!
Just so you know more than 1 million died under Biden and he had over a year head start to stop it
Actually, the Republicans are doing the right thing and they're the only ones with the spine right now all the left has is violence and hate and a tremendous amount of weakness
I wish people would start saying 'impeached and convicted' because he has already been impeached. Twice. It didn't seem to matter to him then any more than it would matter to him now.
Penny, I agree it is past time for impeachment, but with the total capitulation of the GOP, it would never happen. In fact, I think once the vote failed, it would embolden him even more.
State by state petitions along with or to coincide with the next mass protests scheduled ? Petitions would be safer and easier than mass demonstrations.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began a series of informal radio chats to the American public during a turbulent time in the 1930s. The radio back then was to communicating as Twitter is today. Here is an excerpt:
“My fellow Americans, it is whispered by some that only by abandoning our freedom, our ideals, our way of life, can we rebuild our defenses adequately, can we match the strength of the aggressors. …I do not share these fears.”
Trump demands a quaint, televised, fireside chat to compete with FDR. Here is a sneak preview:
“My friends, Hillary Clinton will never see the inside of the White House again as long as I live.
“You people love me so much that I know you want to keep me as your president for life. The Constitution now allows this extended appointment of the executive branch. Our blessed homeland needs me to lead it. I have authorized The Enabling Act, borrowed from German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s proposal to restrict powers of the Reichstag in 1933. His SS troops made legislators give up their civil liberties and transfer state powers to the Reich government. I’m pleased to tell you that the Democrats will sign away their legislative powers while my ICE agents surround the House of Representatives. I have the power to dissolve Congress and allow my Cabinet to pass much needed laws to Make America Great Again. And I pledge to you that all fake impeachment activity to convict me has ended.
“I also pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country. And we will remove all undocumented immigrants that are poisoning the blood of our country. And we will remove the portrait of African-born Barack Hussein Obama from the White House wall.
“My first act tomorrow will be to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Shiftless Adam Schiff picked up for questioning to ascertain their patriotism for the United States.
“I know I’ve been accused of a quid pro quo with Ukraine. There is nothing wrong with finding the truth about liars and cheats like Slow Joe Biden. And there’s nothing wrong asking a nation to help with uncovering wrongdoing by a corrupt man. As your President for Life, I will always tell you the truth. When I make a promise to you, I keep it.
“This concludes the first of my fireside chats. I can’t wait to tell you what I have in store for other scum Trump haters.”
(From "Donald's Vanity Tantrums" during the first go round )
Dang it, Mr. Katz, please don’t give them ideas. They won’t understand your irony and will instead run with your “script” (even as they stumble over your tongue-in-cheek words and concepts.)
You do know Trump’s peculiar means of communication, and unfortunately I could see him broadcasting it on TV. The only group he won’t lose are the Christian Nationalists.
Trust me, nobody right of center listens to Bill Katz. Trust me.
But we certainly understand his frolic. By the way, Bill someone should tell Noel that apparently Trump and Zelensky just signed a minerals deal and I'm sure to all of those people who say he's always taking the side of the russians and putin
I am just sure that Putin is just celebrating the fact that Trump just did that. Ooospie
Trump has replaced the Fireside Chats with The Weave at his interminable rallies and with those volcanic tweets (or 'truths' as they're somewhat incongruously called on Truth Social). He continues to defy all historical comparisons, whether its Hitler or Roosevelt and perhaps we should all give up searching for historical precedents for an earlier world leader who has combined that unique combination of traits - impulsiveness, vindictiveness and colossal stupidity - that have so far characterised both Trump's presidential terms.
I was wishing Terry had picked up the phone and handed it to T! Terry did such a great job in that interview- lets see how long it takes before T orders some kind of action against him & what silliness Karoline can come up with.
I found it a remarkable interview and in many ways what happened was central to how Trump intimidates people into submission. When Moran was contesting the authenticity of that clearly photoshopped picture of Kilmar Diego Garcia's clenched fist Trump leaned forward and said: "Why don't you just say yes. 'Yes he does'. " He continued to berate Moran: "You do such a disservice … This is why people no longer believe the news, because it’s fake news.” “Hey, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know – you’re doing the interview.”
One recalls his telephone conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky ("I would like you to do us a favour") and Brad Raffensberger ( "I just want to find 11,780 votes") which both led to impeachment trials. One notices that in the Raffensperger conversation an exasperated Trump slowly turns to threats of a criminal investigation of Georgia's secretary of state for getting the election wrong, "You know, that's a criminal offense. And you know, you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you." One imagines his test of loyalty conversation with former FBI director James Comey in 2017 which led to his firing after Comey refused to drop charges against Michael Flynn going pretty much the same way.
His conversation with Moran was laced with the same kind of menace. I suppose that now one will have wait and see whether ABC News will face further reprisals from the administration for Moran's temerity. Those who kowtow to this terrible man should remember the words of Dr Thomas Stockman in Ibsen's famous play 'An Enemy of the People' "that considerations of expediency turn morality and justice upside down."
He thinks that he's an entertainer. You only to look at the bored and disaffected expressions of some of the people standing behind him at a rally when he's regaling them with strange stories about electric boats and sharks or some such nonsense that he's not holding their attention.
I think of the time he attended a town hall, late as usual, and rambled through some answers to people's questions and then got fed up and spent 39 minutes going through his Spotify playlist.
Hey Iris, have some respect for the president United States
That's Mr. racketeer. Omg
I would love for everybody to read my article and take Trump's name out of every sentence talk about the policies that he puts on the table and how they're working and you will increase your credibility by 100
🤣 "The weave" 🤣 He should be jocularly forever referred to as a comedian wanna' be; that everything he says or does is not in the least to be considered serious state-craft, but a comedy routine ! *Hey... That's it ! He hates being laughed at with a passion ! Every single time he speaks or acts, everyone opposed should fall down on the ground laughing and backslapping rather than appearing angry ! Including house and senate democrats along with all else they can get to go along, including any MSM ! Laugh our azzes off at him ! Greatest comic reversal in history ! Might we pull that off ? Hell, we have Linda Weide and other internationals here; Can we get the whole wide world to laugh their azzes off at him and embarrass him to death ? !!!
Yes, the genial host in Bill Maher's account. We saw the hint of menace in his interview with ABC News' Terry Moran that shows his true personality. We've seen it before in his telephone conversation with Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's secretary of state and in that incredible berating of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in front of the White House press corps and to the collective astonishment of the free world. He's a bully and nothing is gained by kowtowing to him.
Yeah, he hates that that's why 92% of the media is laughing at him and he shoves it right back in their face or didn't you notice the interview by ABC's Terry Moran?
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
Try it Rex just try it. Why don't you have one day session per week not mentioning the word Trump just talking about his policies and how they're working policies that's all that matter. If Biden had good policies, I would respect Biden if Obama had good policies, I would respect Obama. You have to separate The Man from the work. Because when you use the man's name, there is this absolutely incandescent fire of hate around all your words. And everybody right of center sees it immediately.
Actually, most of the major manufacturing investments we're seeing—like those from Honda, Hyundai, IBM, and Nvidia—haven’t been directly attributed to Trump’s tariffs. These companies make long-term decisions based on things like market access, automation, skilled labor, and political climate. Tariffs might play a small background role by making imports more expensive, but there’s no clear evidence they’re the main reason for the investment.
In fact, some companies, like Pfizer, have said they’d invest *more* in the U.S. if the tariffs were removed. And overall, the tariffs have led to higher prices for consumers and contributed to a recent economic slowdown. So while it’s easy for politicians to take credit, the actual picture is a lot more complex—and not nearly as rosy as the soundbites make it seem.
In addition, what about small business startups?
While some small businesses have shown resilience, the overall impact of tariffs has been challenging for startups. Increased costs, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty have made it more difficult for new small businesses to thrive.
By the way, Harvey. Let me correct you on one thing. The Honda deal was started long before Tariffs even came up. Of course you want to deny Trump credit. God forbid, even closing The border was a good thing for America according to you. Whatever comes out of his administration provided it wasn’t initiated by Biden is trumps prize like it or not. And trust me, there really hasn’t been much disturbance in the market due to the tariffs because they just were started four weeks ago and there hasn’t any been any settlement yet? And of course you don’t like the fact that the egg prices have come down and the gas prices have come down and interest rates have come down in inflation has come down from Biden 7% to 2 1/2%. You don’t like that at all, even though that was your biggest gripe, except for the border.
In fact, we have just had the largest number of car sales in four years…..
And that is absolutely because of the tariffs. But you don’t look at it that way, but it’s because people were afraid of the tariff so they’re buying now and Ford is giving us customers employee pricing. Other than that car sales are screaming.
The problem with many of you is you only want to hear what you want to hear does the saying goes and disregard the rest.
So question for you if you find an extra hundred thousand in your investment accounts because of a good investment ? would you be more concerned or happy that the hundred thousand dollars is there or would you be questioning how it got there?
Why don’t you read my proposition again stop with the Trump bullshit talk about the policies. If you’re working a rift or not and you’re not gonna get any tariff info for the next year to year and a half at least so stop the nonsense.
You’re starting to sound like the people that were in a frantic frenzy the day the market tanked furiously blaming Trump and musk only they haven’t come back three days later. Patience, my friends
Cindy, thank you I finally found your post and your analogy is actually pretty good. I like it a lot even though I don’t know the particulars I do know more or less how about those conclaves work. And I was thinking to add a cherry on top, maybe at the end of the meeting when they agreed on a topic we could have red, white and blue smoke come out how’s that ?
"🤣 "The weave" 🤣 He should be jocularly forever referred to as a comedian wanna' be; that everything he says or does is not in the least to be considered serious state-craft, but a comedy routine ! *Hey... That's it ! He hates being laughed at with a passion ! Every single time he speaks or acts, everyone opposed should fall down on the ground laughing and backslapping rather than appearing angry ! Including house and senate democrats along with all else they can get to go along, including any MSM ! Laugh our azzes off at him ! Greatest comic reversal in history ! Might we pull that off ? Hell, we have Linda Weide and other internationals here; Can we get the whole wide world to laugh their azzes off at him and embarrass him to death ? !!! "
You haven’t learned a thing… he speaks his mind despite their attempt to embarrass him all day long and if you just read the recent survey by a polling party, 92% of the media are covering him negatively well 7% gave him a positive nod for anything he’s done since he’s been elected this time
Have you seen some of the things he’s accomplished? Probably not.
They are also erasing the history of racism and Nixon's crimes for starters. This regime is pure authoritarian. Who would imagine that the world's oldest democracy and great economy would succumb to this? A country of immigrants elected an insurrectionist, fellon, who campaigned appealing to voters' hatred of immigrants. What is wrong with voters?
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
Some good points. First trump scuttled the bipartisan immigration bill that would have solve the problem.
Putting Congress in a locked room until….. A great idea, but….
Second, economics the dismal science is beyond most especially partisans understanding:
Egg prices: These are mostly driven by supply chain factors, feed costs, and events like avian flu outbreaks. If prices have dropped, it’s likely due to recovery in supply, not direct action from Trump.
Gas prices: These are set on global oil markets. Prices may drop due to increased supply (from OPEC or U.S. producers), lower global demand, or seasonal changes—not necessarily because of anything Trump has done directly. However, if his administration has encouraged increased domestic drilling or eased regulations, that could have a marginal influence over time.
Mortgage rates: These are controlled by the Federal Reserve, which operates independently of the White House. If mortgage rates have dropped, it’s likely because the Fed has cut interest rates in response to inflation data or economic forecasts—not due to any immediate Trump policy.
By the way Harvey, could you please explain to me for a few minutes because I'm really not recollecting any immigration plan that Trump scuttled? Not that any single immigration proposal or Bill is going to solve the problem. But I would like to hear your input or your example of the Bill that was cuddled. Thank you.
Despite its bipartisan origins, former President Donald Trump vehemently opposed the bill, labeling it a "gift to Democrats" and a "Death Wish for The Republican Party." He criticized provisions like the emergency shutdown threshold and the inclusion of foreign aid, arguing that the U.S. already had the authority to close the border. Trump's public denouncement influenced many Republicans to withdraw their support. Senator Lankford, initially a co-author, ultimately voted against the bill. The legislation failed to advance in the Senate, falling short of the required 60 votes.
Despite its bipartisan origins, former President Donald Trump vehemently opposed the bill, labeling it a "gift to Democrats" and a "Death Wish for The Republican Party." He criticized provisions like the emergency shutdown threshold and the inclusion of foreign aid, arguing that the U.S. already had the authority to close the border. Trump's public denouncement influenced many Republicans to withdraw their support. Senator Lankford, initially a co-author, ultimately voted against the bill. The legislation failed to advance in the Senate, falling short of the required 60 votes.
Let me tell you what I need. I need to talk about issues of importance to all Americans. I don’t need to worry about illegal aliens other than they don’t belong here because they broke the law and they need to go back to from where they came. Come here illegally you’re gone. Come through legal ports of entry, get registered, get assessed, maybe come in for some of the other rules like. Tsp etc. fine.
If you have any other problem with that , talk to Congress. They are the ones that set the legal limitation limits on the number of people that enter our country from forelands, and not only that, but they actually specify from which areas they are allowed to come from. Not my problem, not words from my mouth that’s just the facts as they are.
If Congress said, and the president approved of 5 million or 10 million a year legal immigrants… then that would be the policy. ALAS IT IS NOT.
I think the number of legal immigrants per year is somewhere in the 1.2 to 1.4 million number. Congress want to change it I have no problem with it at all. That way they come, and legally their backgrounds could be checked and identified and we could prevent some people who don’t get to be here to stay where they are.
But of course, you still have a habit of never responding to facts and evidence that I continue to portray with links and of course, you avoid those which is not very sincere. As I mentioned to Ed above, I really don’t like partitions especially closed, minded ones like you.
If you want to admit reality, and be thankfully the border that’s closed or prices that have come down. I’m willing to listen to you, but if you want to talk about other insignificant Rabble, I’m not interested.
OK Harvey so first of all if eggs were out of everybody's control why was every single liberal yelling and screaming about him bringing down the price of eggs when it wasn't in his control this is the kind of bullshit. I can't stand double standards. But I did understand that he were the administration went out and bought eggs overseas and that help bring down the price but when you kill a couple hundred million chickens obviously it's gonna affect the price of
And please pay attention to what I said stop using Trump's name the money you say Trump everybody gets hateful. Everybody gets angry just talk about the policy. The policy works great if it doesn't work then complain and then work to fix it. That's as simple as it gets.
Oh, Trump absolutely affected egg prices—by scrambling to import a billion of them. Bravo. Truly the work of a stable genius. And since you're clearly a fan, want to hear how his magic tariffs—meant to "bring manufacturing back"—are actually playing out? Or would real-world results be too jarring for the narrative?
Gas prices? He controls those about as much as you control the weather. Mortgage rates? They're tied to the Fed’s response to inflation—not presidential fairy dust. But hey, why let facts get in the way? If there’s one thing the Trump cult consistently can’t digest, it’s reality.
So Harry over the last 30 years have you ever gone to the store and wondered to yourself Jhee where do these bananas come from? Where do these eggs come from? Did you ever look at the label on a can of goods to see where they were either can’t or manufactured, or imported from where it didn’t say so on the label. As you say, the bottom line to Americans for many years, is I want to pay less. In this particular case, as an example, there wasn’t an American in the house that cared for the reasons the fact that they could now afford eggs. Again, so stop the nonsense.
And of course, I pointed out to you as a punch in the mouth reality check that you said that the Fed and all prices are based on inflation not on the presidency I believe is how you worded it so to speak because they’re independent
So why would the Fed raise interest rates to 7% for Mortgages? Why would grocery prices go up 20%? Why would gas prices go up 2 to 3 dollars a gallon when in fact they were seven dollars a gallon in California. So what you’re suggesting it was totally coincidental that it happened under Biden’s watch and he wasn’t to blame.
By the way, stop embarrassing yourself the same way I suggested that you don’t do it by not saying that the tariffs are already working one way or another. When did it go? Stations have just begun and it’s gonna take at least a year to figure out where it goes. In the meantime, Ford is offering employee pricing for his vehicles, Mercedes, and hike in Hyundai. We’re not advertising that they are building cars in America in order to garner more sales and as it turns out, we just sold more cars this year than any of the past four years.
The jury will be out on the tariffsb for probably a year or more.
Unless I just didn’t hear you complaining about all the prices under Biden’s watch. I didn’t hear one word when within a week after Biden close down drilling gas prices went up three dollars. Six weeks into his administration grocery prices shot up and we’re eventually 20% more expensive than under trumps bid ministration or even Obama‘s administration.
I said to you earlier and it’s really a sad thing. If Trump cured cancer, you would probably say he stole the cure from someone else. Just shaking my head
Wait a minute are you saying we have nothing to do with climate change? Lol
As I said Harvey, if Trump cured cancer, you would say somebody else cured it and he stole it
It's just totally coincidental that gas prices are/will be the lowest during his two terms
And I told you tariffs were going to take a year and a half to two years maybe less but you've been nothing but wrong with your crystal ball Ouija board and fortuneteller
So I guess when the Fed tripled mortgage rates during Biden's administration I guess they were reacting to the inflation index. Oooop
So please tell me why Biden had 7% inflation 20% increase in grocery prices 2 to 3 dollar increase in gas prices 7% mortgage rates when they were 3% under Trump. I guess Biden had no control over that at all. It just simply happened.
I've met people that are lost, but you had a very successful lobotomy
Good post here Rick., IM(most)HO. As a nations comprised of 350 million, there's no way possible to know what amount of good or bad is happening each single day given a 15 minute newscast that includes three commercial hits. Take cases of fraud. With no doubt, courts are loaded with those cases, and there are plenty of those where the guilty party pays fines and time incarcerated. We never hear about them nationally, but they take place. At the same time, there are the ones that get off the hook, So be it. Overall, our system is alive and working in so many ways, but bad news sells. Let's never forget that (human) factor. So here we are, not to let it bias our minds though. I think your post makes the point that our "minds" are indeed easily "biased". And, given the environment we are surrounded by (meaning the 350 milllion number) an accurate analysis by our mind alone is impossible. Hence we take on some "biased" idea based on our environment or what we perceive. Maybe, call that, what we are 'fed' in that 15 minutes I spoke of. Such a joke, that 15 minutes would suffice for 350 million events in the last 24 hours, and you and I would base our ideas on that crap, soda-speak. Your post.., #1 - Yes. Hard to predict. Let's not let our rhinoserous-mouth overload our hummingbird-ass. #2 - Yes. In public school/non professional level sports, keep separate, boys (born bio-logically with balls), from girls (born bio-logically without balls). It needs to be recognized that competition produces "big balls" of a different kind driven by ego. Mixing them up on the race track driving 150mph shifter-carts, or in NASCAR, or downhill slalom, is a whole nuther matter. And, finally, #3 - Are we gonna give t-rump a medal for egg-prices..? Hell no. He's a carnival side-show snakeoil salesman, who'd sell you out in a NY minute.., and you'd better believe it.
OK, so what are you gonna give them credit for? You were sure screaming and yelling and pissed off that egg prices of tripled. Your whole party was the end of the world because a prices have tripled.
You didn’t even know why most of you didn’t know that they just killed 200 million chickens within the last nine months. Anything that Biden wasn’t involved in the Trump did is trumps prize. Including lowering the cost of eggs, including lowering the price of gas, including lowering the rates of mortgages, including, bringing inflation back down to 2 to 3%, versus 7% under Biden. INCLUDING THE UNBELIEVABLE MIRACLE of Closing the border. Please read my post again because you started out great but at the end you went back to be a Trumpisn hater all over again. Doesn’t , do you or your party any good?
Harvey, I keep telling you stop the freaking nonsense. This administration is no more authoritarian than any other. They all have their yes-man. They all signed or executive orders. They all do what they want to do. Biden opened the border…
Biden canceled student debt. Obama created Obamacare of which only 13% of the country have. He also deported 3 million people and was called at the time does the Porter in chief Even by left-wing media. And only 25% of those deported had due process. Look it up. The only difference is that you don’t like what he’s doing so to you it’s authoritarian when you’re like what you’re doing it’s OK to open the border. It’s OK to cancel student debt. It’s OK to allow criminals to cross over without registering or through legal channels. It’s OK for inflation to be 7% OK to groceries be up 20% or gas double or Mortgages triple. It’s ok. lol
Brian and you of all people should know not to be saying everybody is saying it
Everybody is everybody you speak with, and everybody you speak with thinks exactly like you. Everybody else which is the more than 77 million people or more now or actually enjoying their freedoms. As I said, my long post, Terrace will take a while to reveal themselves, but as Noel told me a few days ago, Trump will never be able to have a cease-fire and yet today apparently he arrange the signing of a minerals deal with Ukraine, which is a first baby steps to get to a cease-fire. Let’s see if you can figure out why
A very deep, rooted and meaningful post of Ryan what the hell did you mean by that not a damn thing. Post says absolutely nothing it’s vapid it’s vacuous it’s words with no meaning. Do you like to explain yourself
HCR summarizes today’s GOP/Libertarian/tech-broligarch views that “. . .the role of government was to protect the wealthy and enable them to make money from the country’s resources and its people.”
The federal government publishes as an ongoing series an annual compilation of presidential papers titled "Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States" <https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/PPP/3>, now current through the Obama Administration.
What we could use now is a published annual compilation of "Letters from an American" as a counterweight to the eventual compilation of Trump papers (including social-media posts?). And print Heather's compilations on acid-free archival paper so they'll last for generations as a record of what we endured.
This letter gives a valuable perspective of American economy as you said. But it needs a few concrete numerical evidence. For example, one GDP measure is not adequate. America ecnomy needs two measures at least - a total gross income for top 1% and the rest, say.
Great point. I am printing copies and sending them to my Texas Senators and Congressman, to each of their offices (about 10), hoping that their staff members will read it.
Absolutely, if tRump's done any good at all, it's to sway other countries' populations away from any election candidate or party whose policies look remotely like tRump's. His one hundred days have been nothing short of a clusterf*ck. Can't wait to see him tossed into the dumpter fire of his own making. Burn Baby Burn, you loser.
If you like Putin, you love Trump. If you shorted the market, you love Trump. If you want to lose all our friends like our number 1 trading partner, Canada, you love Trump.
Ah, my belovèd America, how I resolve to defend you. ⚖️
Ah, my belovèd America, how I prefer death to dictatorship. 🙏
"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." President Lincoln, 1838. 😱
I have to go through all manner of rewrites to not have my posts there denied. Usually it’s just a word change. That your thought was censored is infuriating.
Nicely said, Kazz. Back in 2021, I was talking with a cousin who utterly detests Trump. 🤝🏻 I said that I had decided not to hate Trump because that diminished me spiritually. 🙏 A month or two ago, I wrote my cousin: "Consider me diminished." 💔
It is moral clarity that drives the nightmares away, not just the morning.
They seek to stop us by confusing us, by insisting dark is light, that cruelty is policy, that petty vengeance is wise economics, that we are being made great again when --- in fact, they are the ones attacking us. We must never fall for it.
Saying thank you to others, acknowledging the light within us, asking for hep from others, leaving behind talk of exhaustion and surrender, is the best way to stop being confused.
Peace and strength to all of good will who fight for all of us by fighting for other people's dignity. Honor their struggle against authoritarianism by rejecting the twisted version of patriotism those who fight only for themselves want you to have instead.
I retired from 2 labor unions 24 years ago and I will never allow my voice to be silenced by the corruption of our norms of the three separate and equal branches of our Federal Government. Resistance is called for that speaks for us all.
Thank you, Ronald. In college, I was a proud member of the United Steel-workers in my college summers. Though my membership was hardly yours, I did feel a sense of dignity with that membership.
But Kindness does elevate my spirits, if I extend it without an ulterior motive being the primary one. 😇
Yes, there will always be some secondary degree of desired results (e.g., looking good), but soldier on for decency's sake. ⚖️
Just because the country has de-railed in her government does not mean that we have, too, or that anyone outside of M.A.G.A. is derailed. 🙏
The people whom I do not know and encounter randomly are overwhelming friendly and kind. 🤞🏼
Many have been massively deceived. 💔
While my sympathy for non-M.A.G.A. Trump voters is exhausted since these voters should have known better, these fellow citizens are still kindly, by-&-large. 😢
What’s the criminal in the White House achieved in his first 100 days now?
It’s a question we might seek to answer by evidence and facts. A mistake. As the idiocy around their tariffs has shown, they don’t weigh evidence and facts. Rather, they inhabit fantasyland, as do Putin and his toadying oligarchs.
In "The Road to Unfreedom" (2018) Timothy Snyder threads Putin and his crew’s final goal. From the Atlantic lapping western Europe to the Pacific coast of Asiatic Russia, he and his oligarchs intend one massive fantasyland.
Ruling it, they would finish off the democracies they now target by selective assassinations and much larger techie hacking against cultures open to gays, women outside male domination, and any mobility for any non-whites.
Putin’s Russians stoke these hatreds partly to keep power in their hands, but more to keep contrasts dramatically, sensationally high for the fictions of their own racial and religious purity, what Timothy Snyder calls their "eternity."
American criminality and madness now parallel Russia’s. Timothy Snyder’s facts and evidence cohere. We have, too, the final fact that none of these skilled test-takers enabling the new U.S. criminality has ever read any novels, memoirs, essay collections, biographies, or histories.
It certainly explains why Dr. Snyder and his wife, who is also an academic, went to the University of Toronto. Dr. Jason Stanley did so as well. He remembers how his own family had to flee Nazi Germany. Trump’s first one hundred days has brought nothing but chaos, economic damage and mass fear.
A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Canada to look for a place to escape to in case Trump goes full Project 2025 and takes over the Federal government.
We delude ourselves if we cannot admit that Trump has gone full Fascist. and that him and his cronies will stop deporting American citizens who have no criminal records.
Is there someplace in Canada to escape to? Will they accept American refugees fleeing an autocratic government? I thought they had strict immigration rules.
If you have a grandparent who was born in Canada, you may be eligible for Canadian citizenship. (Three of mine were, so...hmmm...) I love our country and am willing to fight for what it was, but if things continue, we'll be calling it the Republic of Gilead soon enough.
If you chose to live in an urban area with more than 100,000 residents, you will not be able to buy property in these areas. If you buy in rural areas you can live there 6 months a year until you get citizenship--unless you find a sponsor that will hire you. Then you can live there full time and work for your sponsor with a work visa.
Well, I guess you haven’t read my post huh? I sent several with links and evidence and proof, and when you’re overturning 30 years of history, it doesn’t happen overnight and there’s going to be some disruption. Did you decide to call it chaos well sometimes great things come out of chaos as the current example such as. Lower egg prices by 2 to 3 dollars a dozen lower gas prices by about a buck 50 lower mortgage rates by 3/4 of a percent like lower Inflation between two and 3% versus Biden 7%. There’s a chaos right there not to mention that the border’s closed. So they let in 11 million illegals and then they wanna fight to keep them here? More hole digging by the left
You guys just won’t give it up you keep losing and losing and keep digging yourself a hole after hole after hole and you keep losing and you keep digging I don’t get it.
Do you think people can’t make a good decision unless they base it on history, biographies, essays or novels? Wow.
How about if I get the thought/idea out of their own head? Did Alexander Graham Bell, Enrico Fermi, Thomas Alva, Edison, Henry Ford mMark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs?
Get your ideas using your methods? Did Elon musk? There are things that are called inventions all the time and many of them come out of someone’s mind, and others come out of mistakes that were made along the way ,despite any be evidence in historical terms such as Viagra, or post it notes.
By the way, it looks like Trump and Vons Village ski. Have a greed to a minerals deal. And just for you feel that might not be something that Putin likes. Uh oh. Lmao
The American public is making good decisions now about Trump as the madman president. They aren't approving it. And what will Heir Trump do when the GOP realizes he's more of a liability than a savior??
Well, mmerrill, I can only tell you that this is what happens when you listen to your own echo chamber the one that you're on right now. You are obviously out of touch with the American public. You're in touch with the left public. CNN just did a post where 96% of the people that voted for Trump would still vote for Trump so I don't know what you're talking about and Heir Trump is one of the most offensive remarks you can say and it just shows your incredible ignorance. Try reading my entire post with a six points and let me know what you think.
Merrill I will answer that question for you. Here in public, and I’ve stated it before many times. If for example, trumps tariffs don’t work and you’ll have to give them time to see I would say a year to a year and a half should be more than enough. I will be right behind you or right next to you screaming at him that he to stop it…
But let me say one more thing to you that you might not have heard me say, but I’ve said it many times here. I do not necessarily like Trump. I certainly don’t like what comes out of his mouth. Many times I don’t like his lack of tact sometimes, but I love most of the things that come out of his pen. In other words, I like his policies, and I like his straightforwardness, and I like his dedication to the things he promised to do, which is the reason he was elected.
I am in Trump non-Trump fan. If he screws up, which inevitably everyone does, I’ll be arm and arm with …you not a problem
I will call him out, rationally ,analytically, but I will be talking about his policies and not making it personal.
I am actually concerned that he’s biting off more than he can chew AT THE SAME TIME…. but time will tell. I believe very firmly and sincerely that he is doing it because he knows he only has one term he knows that he has 90% of the media or more against him he knows that the Democrats are pushing hard against him and so he’s trying to accomplish what he can ….. as quickly as he can AND did incredibly well on the border. My problem is the Democrats won’t even give him credit for that.
By the way for those that don’t know it every time that a president comes into power and I think it’s happened five times in the last century or so that the incoming president also has control of the senate and the house… What has happened in each occasion is that one or more of the houses of congress change parties, and the president no longer has the control that he once had. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s happened every single time. Oh, he also knows that he only has two years unless things change.
My fervent belief is if he can really get this big beautiful bill passed with not increasing taxes and not increasing the deficit and giving the no tax on tips no tax on Social Security, and no tax on overtime approved by Congress and signed into law. It may be the first time ever that they hold the house and the senate in the upcoming midterms. Those agenda items are directly centered on the middle class or poor.
By the way, I want to thank you for very honestly offering the post that you did. It’s a pleasure to deal with levelheaded people, even if they have totally opposing views. So, thank you
Rick. Thanks for answering my question. I'll tell you my thoughts on two key issues and why we'll be walking arm and arm very soon.. 1. Using tariffs as a tool to return good jobs to America. 2. The likelihood that GOP tax cuts will not increase the deficit and will also create economic growth.
First Tariffs. Tariffs are a very blunt tool to use to bring good jobs back to America. They're slow acting, difficult to carefully target, very expensive (an inefficient consumption tax):for consumers and politically damaging both domestically and globally. Giving specific industries and companies tax breaks and economic grants to grow their business is much more targeted and efficient.
Second, tax cuts and economic growth. Since at least Reagan's presidency, the GOP has been selling the idea that personal tax cuts for wealthier Americans will spur growth and the added tax revenue from a larger economy will more than pay for the cuts and reduce the deficit. History has repeatedly shown us that this economic model doesn't work. Most economists are predicting the GOP's tax plan will increase the deficit by $4-$5 Trillion over 10 years and this doesn't account for additional revenue short falls from a tariff driven recession.
So, I think we're headed for very rocky times in America.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear every midterm election that happens when the president has the house and the senate in the same party as the president… every single midterm that has changed to give at least one of the houses control by the other party.
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
By the way, SeAn, I seriously wasn’t joking about the advice you’re getting in the market. I will state again the NASDAQ was up for the month of April, which is when the market at its first major downturn. And NASDAQ is now up for the month. Additionally, the Dow Jones industrials is only down 4% for the month so I don’t know what could be happening because the market’s been doing very well until this April incident.
Well, Sean, I don't know how old you are, but I would question your investment judgment then because I've lost .4% and I have quite a lot invested. The NASDAQ is actually up for the month of April and the Dow Jones is down 4% so I don't know what the hell you've lost but I feel badly that you have.
By the way, Sean if you're young and I'm assuming you were younger if you remember Covid, the market was down 3000 points in one day and a year and a half later was up 10,000 points so calm down yikes. And perhaps you might want to look at a different investment advisor.
A lot of scattering around in the streets may look like an effective opposition - but until the current administration is removed from power, nothing will change. There are enough compelling arguments to be taken to Republican lawmakers now that I feel absolutely sure that sufficient numbers of them can be converted to ensure a successful impeachment process.
While we are in the streets Democratic lawmakers should be in coffeeshops with their Republican counterparts talking about the future of our country and of the Congress. Want to keep your jobs??? Then get rid of Donald and all of his good buddies. 'Cause if you don't, there will be no Congress at all.
The Republicans still seem to be fully in Trump's camp. Mike Johnson just passed a resolution making it more difficult for Democrats to investigate anything Trump is doing: https://newrepublic.com/post/194537/mike-johnson-moves-block-democrats-investigating-trump That Christian Nationalism sure has a hold on these people and what a cruel and nasty view of the world it is.
What Happened: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told the White House he won’t support more than $500 billion in Medicaid cuts as Republicans negotiate a sweeping megabill that includes Trump’s 2017 tax cut extensions, work requirements, and benefit cuts.
Why It Matters: With GOP leaders aiming to slash Medicaid to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, even moderates like Bacon setting a $500 billion cap shows how deep the proposed cuts are.
If that doesn't work, we will have to find ways to make our own priorities known. I have seen protest seem sort of aimless, and insufficiently persistent, but if it is focused and disciplined it can pick up momentum; and it can take a variety of forms. It seems to me that support for public-centered political leaders, as well as "grass roots" movements made considerable progress against tyrannical plutocracy, until out TV "hypnotized" public sort of gave it up.
We really need to get someone more willing to fight back than Sen. Schumer. Sens. Van Hollen and Murphy seem to be more ready for the task of combatting Trump’s authoritarianism.
Kathy, there are people in every state fighting back but the oligarchs control the MSM. Bernie and AOC are doing Yeoman's work as are many others like Jamie Raskin.
One of the myriad daily texts I received was from a young lady who is working to recruit candidates in ME for those "unimportant" jobs like selectmen, city councilmen, school board members, mayors, DAs. Republicans across the country have been doing this successfully this entire century.
This needs to happen in every state and while we head into a recession it is the perfect time to recruit young people, especially on college campuses.
I would like to see a statement list outlining the clear message for all of us that indicates one voice and clear objectives. This should be available to everyone who marches and resists the current policies of the Trump administration. United we stand!🇺🇸💗
Let's add protection of the environment to the things which the gov't has been doing to protect ordinary Americans for this Administration is busy undoing all of that as well. They are removing protection of our air and water, diminishing the area of our protected area, moving away from renewable energy initiatives, and claiming that climate change is a "hoax" which should be ignored. This damage, too, if allowed to continue will do immeasurable harm to coming generations.
The tenets of our democracy, as FDR saw them, include regulating business for the protection of the consumer, "providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, protecting civil rights, and stabilizing global security and trade." Don’t such measures help the rich as well? Or do the rich really want to live in a society of squalor and ignorance, which they seem intent on creating?
Because they really do not give a f***. Their view is of classes: and those who are not in their elevated status are beneath them and thus can be treated with disdain. They commit an even worse crime than the Christian nationalists who actively hate anyone they consider not of their religion: they commit the crime of indifference.
Kathy, I am drawing on my experience with the psychosis of evangelicalism to share my best guess.
Evangelicals are taught literally from birth that "the world is evil and hates them." They are also taught that they are following the ONLY true path to heaven. Therefore, they are BETTER than all those around them who don't believe as they do. In a weird sense, they actually thrive on being surrounded by "heathens," as it supports their collective superiority complex. Evangelicals would never admit it, but they like seeing homeless people begging on street corners, as it confirms to them what happens when "you live your life in sin." While claiming to be persecuted, a smugness is common among evangelicals. (Recall Dana Carvey's "church lady" on SNL.)
Similarly, the uber-wealthy secretly, subconsciously enjoy being surrounded by poverty, as it's a very visible reminder of just how rich they are. Although they are repulsed by the poor, they like knowing they are there. They don't allow the poor to spoil their fantastic lives by living in compounds of many acres or in penthouses high above the squalor they can gloat over. In a sense, wealth isn't any fun if you don't have poverty to provide contrast.
What are these "Bitcoin billionaires" going to do if and when the power grid collapses because there will be no one left who's qualified to keep it running?
Janet, today's billionaires are not known for their long-term thinking. They got to be billionaires by shorting stocks or selling off corporate assets for instant profits. Like vultures, when they've consumed all the meat off the bones, they fly away in search of the next victim. Without really thinking about it, they assume there will always be another victim.
Speaking of not much fun, has anyone created a game where you destroy Trump and his fellow autocrats and restore a government for the people?
There are so many creative people out there, I'm sure someone could develop a great game. As soon as the Beta version is released Trump would boycott it which would make it immensely more popular.
There may already be one out there. Talk about fun!
Thank you Dr. Richardson. If nothing else works for the MAGA administration ( and it looks like that is the case ) then they will fall back on the strategy they have used successfully for about four decades. They will pass tax cuts and more tax cuts. In that way they will starve the federal government of much needed revenue, forcing more deficit spending. A high national debt will someday be unsustainable and that will end the new deal they hate so much. If only the democrats would run on a promise to repeal tax cuts for the rich and big businesses.
And end blatant de facto bribery and humongous public sector conflicts of interest. Tell $COTUS that money isn't free and it certainly isn't speech. Bribery is one of only two crimes that The Constitution singles out as impeachable. Ain't it bleeding obvious that money spent to change alter democratic outcomes to elections and legislatures is corrupting the ostensible core values of our republic? There is no shortage of evidence that it is so.
Yes, money is how we get things done, and will always influence our politics, but that does not mean anything goes. How many billionaires spent millions or even hundreds of millions to press their political will? Even though not every election is successfully bought, it's patently a thumb on the scales; and some things should never be for sale. Not in a civilized society.
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both” — Louis Brandeis
Great quote J L. When Kamala announced her campaign in 2024 she quickly raised a billion dollars. And this was without the help of the oligarchs. We can't compete with their money and their control of the media but we can fight back at the state and local level as many are doing every day.
We have the numbers if we can build the solidarity. Our laws should not make democracy such an uphill slog. Creating and expanding democracy is hard enough as it is.
We must take the money out of politics and that will not be easy. Massive widespread corruption has weakened us to the point now where the government is malfunctioning badly. Historians tell us this was a huge factor in the fall of the Roman Empire.
Please, stop using the word 'administration' for this kakistocracy. We need to stop normalizing this behavior, and using the same word we use for a sane government does not help. The current power structure is a REGIME. And it has nothing to do with good government.
Yes I am being polite to those who don’t deserve it. When you think about we have had a plutocracy for quite a long time. But the MAGA crew has moved us into uncharted waters now.
We had 40 protestors at the event a block from our house (38 opposed to Trump and 2 for), when I arrived around 9 AM. Though my wife and I had pretty bad colds from the previous week's protest, I wasn't going to miss the 100th day. There were many Senior Citizens who's determination to show up and express the care and concern for not just the individual victims, classes of victims, allies and friendly countries, but the honest agents, agencies, and system of evolved laws that made so much of our progress possible. Their strength, restores ours, and, in the case of the older Ukrainian friends, inspires the resolution to press on no matter how dark the days may look to others. Maybe it's a bit of the Ukrainian's spirit that Canadian and British fans around here sense, the ones who's grandparents and older friends showed a similar spirit when Britain faced her darkest hours during WWII. To me it was, "take a deep breath and dig in," surrender is not an option, content that we will keep the spirit strong.
Just in case "the Ukraine" wasn't a slip of the typing fingers, I *think* "Ukraine" is preferred by Ukrainians. I may be mis-remembering, but I think "the Ukraine" is a Russian expression.
Sandra, you are correct. In Jim's defense, it's my understanding that "the" is a holdover from the era prior to 1917 when the area was thought of – not as a nation – but as a land region of the Russian Empire, much as we refer to Appalachia or The Midwest Prairie in the U.S.
Of course, Putin wants to deny that Ukraine is a sovereign nation state. Calling it "the Ukraine" perpetuates the notion that it's just a land mass belonging to Russia; that it's a "thing," not a home to a unique people with national pride.
I thought I had broken the habit of even using "the" some years ago, but would appreciate finding where I failed to stop using it even as an historical label.
FDR led the U.S. out of the Depression, Trump is leading us right into one.
FDR was elected to 4 terms as President because of good governance, stabilizing the economy and creating jobs for people, actually making America great.
Trump is unhinged, mendacious and corrupt to his rotten core, with an equally cruel and contemptuous administration destroying foreign relations and alliances and our once envious economy in less than 100 days. A regime of vile henchmen and cadres of saboteurs ransacking government agencies, offices, and computer databases collecting our confidential information. Extrajudicially using uniformed hooded security forces that snatch men women or even children off the street and rendition them to third world detention sites and concentration camps...
He was the only bloke there wearing a blue suit and he fell asleep during the service. The latest issue of the British satirical magazine,' Private Eye' had an aerial photo of St Pete's Square during the service over which they inserted a voice bubble 'My crowd was bigger'. It didn't seem so much of a joke to me.
Use this spreadsheet to call/email/write any of our representatives as often as possible. Not just your own state reps, reach out to those in other states. Be as loud as you can and share this. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
One area that has been largely neglected is the distribution of journalism including your important "Letters from an American". While there are still investigative journalists and many others standing up for the rule of law and democracy, the news and information is lost in a media distribution pipeline controlled by billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, and Jeff Bezos. They constrain information such as the cancerous impact of wealth concentration on any societal aspirations of democracy and justice through proprietary algorithms.
With a small team of volunteers and limited academic and economic support, I've been largely dedicated to a new, independent media pipeline intended to replace current commercial platforms, civ.works. We've created a brief video (2 minutes) describing the concept.
I will take a look. I have not researched it, but my understanding when I was growing up was that there were laws that discouraged oligarchical ownership of media in any particular market. In fact there was a whole branch of law called "anti-trust".
We stopped enforcing our anti monopoly and antitrust laws in the 1980s, thanks to Robert Bork. For a brief time, Lina Khan started to enforce them again. Enforcing them would be a start to break up concentrated wealth. Theodore Roosevelt was smart enough to understand that.
J L, on a completely unrelated topic with a similar theme, I could swear that I was taught, either in Civics or U.S. History (I can't remember which) class, that gerrymandering was illegal. Now, it seems to be a requirement.
I remember a a fanciful drawing of a "gerrymander", and yes I learned it was one of those bad things we had outgrown. $COTUS seems to think it's a fine, old American tradition, so long as "Republicans" are the beneficiaries.
...which is one reason I'm considering civ.works. I'm sick of "Amurkan". I'm embarrassed by Amurka. I'm alarmed at the global autocratic movement, and see a need for a global democratic movement. All hands on deck.
Some of us took an oath. In fact, if we have a chance to stop fascism, we need to invoke the patriotism of Congressional Republicans who have not enlisted in the axis of evil. That may be all we have in common with our fellow Americans.
The problem is that the idea of patriotism for many is affixing a flag pin (probably made in another country) to their lapel (also from another country). The commonality must be predicated upon the rule of law (justice), democracy, and equality. While I understand the thinking behind "Buy American", we live in a different world now. Parts come from all over. Manufacturing shifted years ago as investors wanted more profit and return on investment -and building capability in places where there were little to no worker protections, health/safety standards, etc -not only drove record profits, it weakened unions in the US.
And now, while considering an affinity for home grown products, the AI horses have left the barn. If something is created by AI in the US, is that buying American?
Civic Works is a US-based 501c3 non-profit. The fundamental concept is a secure social network where people and their data are not the product, the platform is. However, as the founder I understand the use of our technology will be of value anywhere in the world where there are aspirations of democracy, justice, and equality. We are building the technology with decentralization and federation in mind, because civic actions well-suited for effective outcomes in the US will be different from those in the UK, Canada, the EU and anywhere people want to leverage a social platform for public good. Same for language, localization, cultural issues, and news.
So when I hear "Buy American" I hope what is really meant is support US workers and their families -a premise with which I'm in complete agreement. Yet we do not want to limit where our technology can be used for public good.
A friend called me from Chicago, my US home and told me that Trump was visiting McComb community college in Warren Michigan where her sister works. She said that people were organizing against it, but her sister did not have to be on campus that day. I said, the college does not even list his visit. She said, one could see it on his itinerary. In any case, we were wondering what the angle was for him to visit a community college when he is in the process of destroying American education. However, I did not get down from that because I am busy organizing my own set of rallies here in Germany, and and connecting with incredible Americans Abroad and we are really driven to do what we can from abroad and Stateside when we are there. It prompted me to write this piece.
Macomb County Community College is in Warren, MI. Macomb County is home to big 3 autoworkers. It is the home of Reagan Democrats( now Republicans) It is Trump Country. I live in the next door county. It’s a scary place with Fox brainwashed people. He had his rally there because of all the adoring fans…
The clip on the morning's news showed the rally: he showed footage of the immigrants as they were taken off the plane to El Salvador, to the cheering of the crowd. We have a huge problem when citizens openly show not just complete disregard for the Constitution, but complete ignorance of it. The rule of law means nothing to them. This is where the danger lies.
I so wish I were not. Down the road a piece, a lot of the people in that crowd are going to have to suffer needlessly if we are to restore the rule of law.
I remember having friends from Warren Michigan when I went to U of M, but never visited it. My friend and her sister who works there, come from Detroit and then a suburb of Detroit. That explains why he visited there. My friend knew Chrysler was there or near there. However, there was no mention of the college visit on their website.
I suppose for the same reason that Thomas Cromwell arranged ignominous 'visitations' to the monasteries when he had already decided to dissolve them (although he didn't visit them in person).
Excellent letter! President Roosevelt's actions in answer to a huge problem, the Great Depression, can also serve as a blueprint to rebuild America. I imagine that the new social programs we'll put together will include strengthening our Constitution, our social services, medical access, green innovation, etc. It'll bring a whole new depth of meaning to Build Back Better. For Roosevelt, it wasn't just a slogan. It was a call to action for the entire nation! Thank you, Heather, for the reminder to look for guidance from the past to see a way forward .... after we excise the cancer of the regime presently plaguing us.
Despite all the BS, Biden handed Trump the best economy in the world. We are not in control. Step 1 is to get rid of Trump/Vance. Read Feathers of Hope, Jerry Weiss.
Agreed. If reality is indeed the material world, then Drumpf and Maga are anti-matter. That's why, for them, down is up, wrong is right, lies are truth. ... I, for one, refuse to cede "control" of my life and well-being to anybody, esp. the Blobs that currently hold the keys to America. We have to take the keys back. ... Many people want me to see myself as poor. Why? Because I don't have a lot of money, a fancy car, acres of land with a $1M+ house at the end of a driveway, or a cushy job that's 1000x the wages of a teacher. I neither have nor want power or "control" of anyone. If I control someone else, then I have less time-energy-space to be me. Having lots of stuff, "achievements," are not true barometers of "wealth." Wealth is what we give, not how much we accumulate. I've never been "poor" in my life! Poverty is a thought process, a way of living and perceiving things. It's that thing that eats away at the soul. It is the insidious shadow of "control" that the Blobs are trying their damndest to rebuild America as. But Humanity, Americans, we are not anti-matter, wrong is not right. We are Substance. We are Wealth, Power, Control personified, every single one of us, individually and esp. collectively. A wise woman once wrote, "The only power evil has is to destroy itself." Why? Because we are the stuff of Truth and a lie only has the reality we choose to cede to it. We are in control. Let's show them.
This letter gives such a valuable and powerful perspective on this moment in US history it should be required reading for all Americans and we better assure it is archived safely given the proven objectives of this Regime to erase dissenting descriptions of historical events.
My restack note better explains my enthusiasm for this letter today:
A stellar review of where America and Americans stand at 100 days of Trump 2.0. Cox Richardson observes the parallels between the FDR administration’s domestic solutions to global economic crisis to the Musk-Trump regime’s mirror image dismantling of those solutions and actual creation of a global economic crisis.
Obviously, too many Americans are still viewing what is transpiring ’through the glass darkly’ but as HCR points out herein, the majority of Americans want their FDR created freedoms back and more and more are becoming active agents in this effort to claw back the power the Regime is illicitly wielding.
An elegant response to an outstanding HCR letter. I note only one objection, and that is that FDR didn't "create" any of our freedoms because those freedoms are ours as human beings and government can only restrict or remove them. What FDR started was the restoration of those rights, a project that had continued, in fits and starts, until Jan. 20, 2025 when Sleepy Don, the lord of Merde-a-Lardo, took office and set us on the path Heather noted today. We can stop it, and will triumph in the end, because anti-life is inherently a failure.
Spot on Dave…I actually hesitated writing it in that rather black and white way. True confession, I did study International Human Rights at the masters level, so I know better.🙃 But, in my mind FDR, Eleanor Roosevelt and Francis Perkins are due credit for ‘codifying’ these rights/freedoms as reference points in the hearts and minds of the American public. (Not so eloquently put.)
I agree KSC. I also don’t think that FDR would have enacted the policies he did without the influence & input of Eleanor Roosevelt & Francis Perkins
And Mary McLeod Bethune.
If you ever have the opportunity, check out Blanche Weisen Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, told in several volumes. One thing I recall vividly is ER's insistence on racial integration; once in West Virginia, she held a forum on affordable housing. When the White locals insisted upon segregation, she put them on one side and the Blacks on the other and put her on chair exactly in the middle.
And, of course, she was a proponent of the international declaration of rights, which the current regime would be wise to observe.
I had to Google her and glad I did: "Mary McLeod Bethune was a prominent American educator, civic leader, and advocate for African American civil rights. Born in 1875, she dedicated her life to education and empowerment, establishing a major college for Black students and becoming an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt."
For some reason some of my family relatives not big FDR fans but my mother was and I grew up hearing about the New Deal but none of the Histiry in terms of Frances Perkins so this time in the new century a learning experience. Norman Rockwell has a lovely set of paintings on the Four Freedoms as well as in The Golden Role.So glad you had a course on human rights and how frustrating now! But there is pushback and hopefully the home in the wall will allow the waters to break through and surge across the land.
Funny Mary, My mother’s father (a baby robber baron) abhorred FDR but my parents were supportive of the agenda after the fact..there is, if course, a story in this generational legacy for many of those in my parents’ and my own generation who took the validity of this rights/freedom approach as a given, whether you wrestled with the alternatives or not. We were never really close to reaching the ideals behind the founding of a democracy by the people and for the people in equal measure to ALL, particularly with the seemingly indelible interwoven blood stained weft of slavery and racism still fundamentally weakening the weave. And, now, as HCR’s letter explains, the post-WWII grand adventure into international and domestic peace —through the non-monetizable currencies of the four freedoms/the civil, political, economic and social human rights of the UN — seems to be in tatters , at least vis-a-vis the US as a figurehead. But I have some hope that there are nations in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe (Canada too?) not in the thrall to autocrats that are ready to step into that void, perhaps with a new configuration with a more dynamic approach to the challenge.
Great, thoughtful response K. I think it helpful when pondering or talking about that subject, ie., 'rights and freedoms' to not only speak in terms of Lincoln's Gettysburg address for inspiration, but to also meld those thoughts with their origins of considering inalienable rights and the preamble to our constitution. If there's one thing that drives the Heritage Foundation folks nuts, it's the inclusion of our preamble as fully part, parcel and foundation of the entire document ! It is in fact the 'mission statement' if you will, for all that proceeds, as well as Lincoln's address from which it was derived. jmho ~
Mary, my father hated FDR, and called him Rosie. He did admit, while under the influence, of voting for him the first time. He also disliked unions. Since he listened to Rush, I have a feeling he might be a MAGA had he lived long enough. Every time I visited, we had an argument about politics.
My father’s family union st least his own father who was involved in striking and at least one time didn’t come home because of the Pinkertons. But he got involved with Fr Couglin and my dad with Rush and on and on.
No doubt about it, and the herstory of Frances Perkins is as important as the history of FDR in viewing the outcome of that era. The codification is the essence of the discussion and goes back to the Constitution itself and the Bill of Rights which codified the limits placed on various government operations relative to the inherent rights of all citizens. The failure to include all citizens in the original writing was of the nature of the time and has been the cause of every shortfall of our country's actions compared to its ideals. Had Jefferson written that "all people" are created equal and endowed with those famously inalienable rights, we'd be miles ahead of where we are although the road might well have been much rockier as the indigenous population and the people brought here against their will along with the 51% of the population that are not "men" would have been in a much stronger legal position to insist on their ability to exercise their rights. Our responsibility in moving forward from the Trump era is to strengthen the bonds that restrict the government while removing any remaining barriers to full and actively engaged citizenship for all members of our society. That we have the tools to do so is what lead me to disagree with Bill Katz' negative view of the damage done and the possibility of resolving it; that we may lack the will to do it gives Bill's argument the merit that it has.
When you get down to the foundations of it all Dave, it comes down to a document dedicated for "we the people" or "we the corporate and the most monetarily / propertied powerful." That in a nutshell is where the real battle lines are really drawn up; All the rest is just distraction, bias's and 'noise.' The money involved is on those battle fronts, at the core.
Absolutely, and money buys a lot of politicians. Even the revered Founders were mostly aristocrats who might look at today's situation and wonder who gave us this equality idea.
Thank you KSC for remembering the role of Eleanor Roosevelt and Frances Perkins for their part in codifying the rights and freedoms we have enjoyed. Several years ago, I watched a documentary about Eleanor Roosevelt. I was surprised that her incredible accomplishments were not fully explained in my history book. I graduated in 1963, and I had never heard of Frances Perkins, until just recently. Forgive my naïveté, I was not aware that Mrs. Roosevelt, was asked by President Truman to head the committee that developed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
One more reason to thank HCR for her work.
And FDR used the government the way it was designed to be used. He engaged with Congress to pass LEGISLATION that helped Americans.
If Trump were to be impeached, the charges would be so many that it would require an army of attorneys to assemble them.
The part that just continues to blow my mind is the self dealing, grifting and complete disregard for the emoluments prohibition in the Constitution. That in itself should have put him on the last plane to Mar a Lago. Ankle bracelet. Golf once a year to remind him how much he misses it. Plenty of cheeseburgers and steaks. Only cheeseburgers and steaks. Rib eyes. Not prime. But very marbled.
"Rules based" golf, with witness's and referee's !
Amen and Amen!
Actually Republicans have been planning this stuff since Reagan. Reagan and cronies invented trickle down economics, the myth of the black welfare queen, and they created loopholes and breaks in taxes to benefit the wealthy, etc. They have been getting bolder and bolder in their lies and actions since then. We've been the frog in a gently warmed pot, getting hotter and hotter until we're parboiled. Now we're hopping mad.
You have that on the mark Mona. It's good to recall and recount this for those born after Reagan, and born into a 'supply side' economic model ever since. They never experienced anything other than their norm of supply side life and the decline in 'standards of living' ever since, culminating as it has to this day !
Yes but the damage being done and that which has been done is incalculable and in some instances, irreversible. We were the beacon to much of the world but no longer. Trump is simple hate-filled and his one desire is wholesale movement of money into his family and consort. And I dear say we have fallen into the trap by our own foolish disarray moves on the left side don’t get me started. It takes two to tango.
Love the lord of Merde-a-Lardo comment
Thanks Larry.
Dave, I love it, Merde-a-Lardo. I have said Tsar-a-Loco since his first term. Oh yes, Rs the party of death, the anti-life party.
Thanks Michele. I hadn't seen Tsar-a-Loco, but it's excellent.
"freedoms are ours as human beings" —Dave Conant.
"Humans were egalitarian for thousands of generations before hierarchical societies began to appear (within the last 400 generations)." —from American anthropologist Christopher Boehm's book, Hierarchy in the Forest (2001).
Lovin’ “Merde-a-Lardo”
KSC, excellent post. I especially like the use of "through a glass darkly" which does describe those who support death star. I hope to see more and more activity. I note that death star was greeted by a protest along his route to his Michigan speech.
Good to know about protests in MI yesterday. Thank you. We must not stand alone.
I watched some of trump's 'speech', lie after lie after lie, and people behind him cheering him on. In what world do they live? What is so fascinating with this moron who is 'switching on the shower heads now'? The stupidity of his followers is beyond the pale.
As tempting as it is to ascribe Trump supporters as stupid, it doesn't help our cause. It's better to call them low information voters. Prior to the election, I had several contractors who were voting for Trump. Time and time again they were either watching Fox "Agenda" or Newsmax and sadly believing what they were hearing. All of the contractors were from rural areas. They were also voting in context, meaning that their circle of friends and neighbors were voting for Trump. When I mentioned to all the contractors that Trump had over 3,600 lawsuits for non payment to contractors. They chose not to believe me.
Roughly there are 6 groups that support Trump. 1) the Billionaire Club and unfortunately they are far from stupid. They are opportunists and greed comes into play. They know Trump will support them and God knows they need very large tax breaks. Not all billionaires are Trump supporters, but the assembled billionaires at his inauguration was impressive. 2) Christian Nationals who feel abortion is wrong and forced pregnancy is great but the morality of supporting a child once born is somewhat lacking. They were smart to work with the Federalist Society to get their one objective. 3) Rural voters. Again they seem to vote in context, and if the NRA supports a candidate and supports the 2nd amendment well there's no contest. Not to give all rural voters a bad rap, there are some who see through the BS. 4) Business and financial tycoons. They see regulations on business and bureaucratic paperwork as strangling their bottom line. Again in the finance field, it's not all but I asked my stock broker in MA what he saw was the breakdown and he said it's over 50%. Some are now realizing that Trump is a nightmare with chaos and tariffs and flip flopping on policy every other day. 5) Low information voters. They are clueless as to what is going on and gee if Sean Hannity says it's so and Trump says it's the most triumphant 100 days of a Presidency ever well how can you beat that. 6) Folks who ascribe to bigotry, racism and sexism and deeply flawed individuals. This seems to be a strong bond to Trump's messaging. And obviously it works both ways with Trump's pardons of all those "good people" who ransacked the Capital. Killed 5 policemen and injured 140 officers in what Trump fondly remembers as "A day in Peace."
Great comment, Margaux! Your 6 categories make a lot of sense. And your example of contractors who don't believe the statement about the 3,600 lawsuits against trump for not paying contractors probably fits into Category 5. I wonder though if the majority of people living in rural areas, despite being bombarded by FOX 'fake news', doesn't have real life experience when going to the grocery store or the gas station, verifying the lies against reality. Not seeing the difference is stupid, imho.
It's good to recall and recount this for those born after Reagan, and born into a 'supply side' economic model ever since. They never experienced anything other than their norm of supply side life and the decline in 'standards of living' ever since, culminating as it has to this day ! That does include folks who are otherwise bright, didn't think far enough forward toward 'unintended consequences - therefore the very concept of supply side was merely 'academic'. Your thoughtfulness causes me to believe you'll think on this and even perhaps derive more thoughts along these lines.
I’ve bookmarked your list. Thanks.
I watched some of T in MI but, had to mute the TV when I started to be nauseated.
What a beautiful missive to what collective determination can accomplish!
The juxtaposition between FDR's and trump's first 100 days' perfectly exemplifies the contrast between good and evil. I choose to uphold that--at the end--good wins....
KSC, you could use "articulated" rather than "created."
Or you could use "reaffirm the rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution".
True, but even there….there is a legitimate difference of perspective if the origins of rights and whether or not they are ‘natural’ and ‘universal’ or entirely the construction of cultural/society/politics and context specific. I became somewhat of a doubter to be honest….long story….
Doubt can be a powerful motivator and a useful tool in exploring, refining, sometimes updating, and improving our ability to communicate our beliefs.
Most Americans don't remember the Great Depression, polio, measles, mumps or life without the EPA to protect our air quality and water purity. Safe working conditions, etc. Unfortunately, it looks as though we're going to be plunged back into dark days of Depression, crippling illness and pollution before we appreciate what we are losing because of the morbidly rich want even more of our wealth.
I remember Carol. Furthermore, I remember standing in line as a child to receive the first Polio Vaccine, a shot in the arm. Two students in my class had Polio. One girl was still wearing a leg brace in high school, the other never returned to school. Do we really want to go back to this?
I have decided, I must do more than donate to the cause, I have to get physically involved. I will attend my first meeting in two weeks. I might be 79, but after 8 years of nuns in the early 1950s, I have a good handwriting, I can write post cards and make phone calls. I’m sure they will find something for me to do.
We share a common history. I'm 74 and the nuns educated me too. I dated a man, about two years older than me. His legs would buckle under him occasionally. He had polio when he was a child. I knew a girl in high school who used crutches and leg braces because of polio.
FDR's economic policy was actually an implementation of a sound economic theory of JMKeynes. Trump policy does not seem to be such a theory based one.
The first time in a long time I have wholeheartedly given a like to any column. Accurate and upbeat news is often hard to come by. You find both, Heather and we are blessed that you have stayed with it. We should make sure that the next president gives you a medal.
The medal of freedom. And may we have a next president? At my age I don't often wish that time would pass so quickly. In this case, I do. 2026 can't come fast enough. Time for impeachment.
I completely agree. Why are republicans defending a liar, bully, cheat, grifter murderer who has defied his Constitutional guidelines from Day 1? More deaths coming as he crashes through the guardrails of 250 years. He could equal or surpass the million who died of Covid in this country. Looking for a couple dozen repubs with spines to do the right thing. The Third Impeachment ASAP.
You can tell from their tepid comments (I think in a Vox article) the Rs know tfg’s actions are illegal and abhorrent but tepid is the most they can muster.
Republicans in Congress have violated their oath of office. They promised to defend the CONSTITUTION against all enemies both foreign and domestic. Instead, they are allowing Trump’s egregious, lawless, corrupt actions to stand. Not to mention supporting a budget that would hurt all Americans except the 1%. Throw the bums out!
Yeh.., bring yerr lunch.
MLMinET,
With the list of convictions Trump has garnered, he should never have been allowed to run for President.
What can we expect from a criminal and a friend of criminals?
Laws have been written for a reason. Parents provide perimeters ie rules for the safety and well being of a family for good reasons.
Note the character qualities of Trump's chosen minions along with the fact that they are all "yes" men and women. There are no rails! Chaos and destruction of our country, our Democracy and broken trust with our former allies is all we can expect.
We do not need to search for our enemies; they are in full view, and partying in Washington DC.
You people have to stop dreaming And worrying about the past
Ok, but maybe also criminal, morally irresponsible and a violation of their oath of office with a greedy thrown in. Looking at you recently rich mtg.
I'm watching Senator Ron Wyden (ORE) today at the hearing on djt's nominee, Rodney Scott, to lead Customs & Border Control.
Senator Wyden is focused the overt acts of those involved in the San Diego death of a detained man in custody, ANATASIO HERNANDEZ ROJAS.
*****
Legal Context: There is no statute of limitations for murder in my state of California.
Yeah.., and when our time comes, and we are asked: "lower your window please".., and "step out of the car".., "come with us".., Click. Our opportunity for a "nice day" just "went away". And, a "tepid" response is about all that can be hoped for. If that. Right now.., today.., as a population of 350 million, it would appear on the surface at least that we have about as much clout as a bucket of cold steam. And, the "R's" aren't about to take him to task for any of it. Little mrs Karoline has the mic.
Gigi, all it would take is for some of them to stand up and then the ball would start rolling.
Yes; Many are just blind followers, ie., 'herd instinct.'
Impeachment. Good grief, let's examine my view of that. Will it serve to bring forth 'facts', lies, tribulations, etc, that otherwise would be almost lost in the history dustbin? Will that stop traffic? I mean, trump was impeached twice. Are all the documents supporting those impeachments available for "students" studying our history? Sure. Go read. And eight years from now perhaps all that bureaucratic-crap will be of some value.. maybe not. So, impeachment does have a value.., it does, but it's pretty-much low-noise-level in the case of trump; just an expression of our frustration. Kinda like, "draggin his dick thru the dirt".. (just an expression, sorry for the coarse-ness) which we have been doing since 2014. No? Yes! Okay.., so where has that gotten us. Welp.., little-mrs K. Leavitt, sums it up ever so simply that even an 8 yr old would understand. She, says all he's trying to do is fix "things" (pick some issue du jour). Since trump has the mic.., the bully-pilpit.., and the on/off button is located on our foreheads. So, you wanna impeach the prick? Watch your step..., the ICE-scream truck cometh. Click!
I know my instincts and what I want to do next. What are yours MR ? What do you suggest as a way forward ? You know I'm asking sincerely.
Just so you know more than 1 million died under Biden and he had over a year head start to stop it
Actually, the Republicans are doing the right thing and they're the only ones with the spine right now all the left has is violence and hate and a tremendous amount of weakness
I wish people would start saying 'impeached and convicted' because he has already been impeached. Twice. It didn't seem to matter to him then any more than it would matter to him now.
Penny, I agree it is past time for impeachment, but with the total capitulation of the GOP, it would never happen. In fact, I think once the vote failed, it would embolden him even more.
State by state petitions along with or to coincide with the next mass protests scheduled ? Petitions would be safer and easier than mass demonstrations.
A new medal created for HCR:
Scholar for Freedom, Honor and Democracy
Yes !
A Fireside Chat
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began a series of informal radio chats to the American public during a turbulent time in the 1930s. The radio back then was to communicating as Twitter is today. Here is an excerpt:
“My fellow Americans, it is whispered by some that only by abandoning our freedom, our ideals, our way of life, can we rebuild our defenses adequately, can we match the strength of the aggressors. …I do not share these fears.”
Trump demands a quaint, televised, fireside chat to compete with FDR. Here is a sneak preview:
“My friends, Hillary Clinton will never see the inside of the White House again as long as I live.
“You people love me so much that I know you want to keep me as your president for life. The Constitution now allows this extended appointment of the executive branch. Our blessed homeland needs me to lead it. I have authorized The Enabling Act, borrowed from German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s proposal to restrict powers of the Reichstag in 1933. His SS troops made legislators give up their civil liberties and transfer state powers to the Reich government. I’m pleased to tell you that the Democrats will sign away their legislative powers while my ICE agents surround the House of Representatives. I have the power to dissolve Congress and allow my Cabinet to pass much needed laws to Make America Great Again. And I pledge to you that all fake impeachment activity to convict me has ended.
“I also pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country. And we will remove all undocumented immigrants that are poisoning the blood of our country. And we will remove the portrait of African-born Barack Hussein Obama from the White House wall.
“My first act tomorrow will be to have House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Shiftless Adam Schiff picked up for questioning to ascertain their patriotism for the United States.
“I know I’ve been accused of a quid pro quo with Ukraine. There is nothing wrong with finding the truth about liars and cheats like Slow Joe Biden. And there’s nothing wrong asking a nation to help with uncovering wrongdoing by a corrupt man. As your President for Life, I will always tell you the truth. When I make a promise to you, I keep it.
“This concludes the first of my fireside chats. I can’t wait to tell you what I have in store for other scum Trump haters.”
(From "Donald's Vanity Tantrums" during the first go round )
Dang it, Mr. Katz, please don’t give them ideas. They won’t understand your irony and will instead run with your “script” (even as they stumble over your tongue-in-cheek words and concepts.)
Oppsie
You do know Trump’s peculiar means of communication, and unfortunately I could see him broadcasting it on TV. The only group he won’t lose are the Christian Nationalists.
It was written in 2018.
Nor the 77 million others that have voted for him which are now probably closer to 100 million.
By the way, I'm just curious are any liberals able to dissect what a person says versus what a person does ?
I made a pretty long statement this morning in six parts, which I hope everybody here reads
You know, kinda like actions speak louder than words
Take the word Trump out of your vocabulary and talk about the policies and you'll have a lot more credibility because the hate won't be so obvious
Trust me, nobody right of center listens to Bill Katz. Trust me.
But we certainly understand his frolic. By the way, Bill someone should tell Noel that apparently Trump and Zelensky just signed a minerals deal and I'm sure to all of those people who say he's always taking the side of the russians and putin
I am just sure that Putin is just celebrating the fact that Trump just did that. Ooospie
Trump has replaced the Fireside Chats with The Weave at his interminable rallies and with those volcanic tweets (or 'truths' as they're somewhat incongruously called on Truth Social). He continues to defy all historical comparisons, whether its Hitler or Roosevelt and perhaps we should all give up searching for historical precedents for an earlier world leader who has combined that unique combination of traits - impulsiveness, vindictiveness and colossal stupidity - that have so far characterised both Trump's presidential terms.
Tim Miller calls them “bleats.” I concur.
He was definitely bleating during his interview with Terry Moran of ABC News.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qimD-eLV7c
I was wishing Terry had picked up the phone and handed it to T! Terry did such a great job in that interview- lets see how long it takes before T orders some kind of action against him & what silliness Karoline can come up with.
I found it a remarkable interview and in many ways what happened was central to how Trump intimidates people into submission. When Moran was contesting the authenticity of that clearly photoshopped picture of Kilmar Diego Garcia's clenched fist Trump leaned forward and said: "Why don't you just say yes. 'Yes he does'. " He continued to berate Moran: "You do such a disservice … This is why people no longer believe the news, because it’s fake news.” “Hey, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime, you know – you’re doing the interview.”
One recalls his telephone conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky ("I would like you to do us a favour") and Brad Raffensberger ( "I just want to find 11,780 votes") which both led to impeachment trials. One notices that in the Raffensperger conversation an exasperated Trump slowly turns to threats of a criminal investigation of Georgia's secretary of state for getting the election wrong, "You know, that's a criminal offense. And you know, you can't let that happen. That's a big risk to you." One imagines his test of loyalty conversation with former FBI director James Comey in 2017 which led to his firing after Comey refused to drop charges against Michael Flynn going pretty much the same way.
His conversation with Moran was laced with the same kind of menace. I suppose that now one will have wait and see whether ABC News will face further reprisals from the administration for Moran's temerity. Those who kowtow to this terrible man should remember the words of Dr Thomas Stockman in Ibsen's famous play 'An Enemy of the People' "that considerations of expediency turn morality and justice upside down."
Stream of unconsciousness.
I think Trump fancies himself as something of a raconteur.
I doubt he knows the word. He’s a racketeer—but probably doesn’t know that word, either.
He thinks that he's an entertainer. You only to look at the bored and disaffected expressions of some of the people standing behind him at a rally when he's regaling them with strange stories about electric boats and sharks or some such nonsense that he's not holding their attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMNMt5FdVwg
I think of the time he attended a town hall, late as usual, and rambled through some answers to people's questions and then got fed up and spent 39 minutes going through his Spotify playlist.
Hey Iris, have some respect for the president United States
That's Mr. racketeer. Omg
I would love for everybody to read my article and take Trump's name out of every sentence talk about the policies that he puts on the table and how they're working and you will increase your credibility by 100
🤣 "The weave" 🤣 He should be jocularly forever referred to as a comedian wanna' be; that everything he says or does is not in the least to be considered serious state-craft, but a comedy routine ! *Hey... That's it ! He hates being laughed at with a passion ! Every single time he speaks or acts, everyone opposed should fall down on the ground laughing and backslapping rather than appearing angry ! Including house and senate democrats along with all else they can get to go along, including any MSM ! Laugh our azzes off at him ! Greatest comic reversal in history ! Might we pull that off ? Hell, we have Linda Weide and other internationals here; Can we get the whole wide world to laugh their azzes off at him and embarrass him to death ? !!!
Yes, the genial host in Bill Maher's account. We saw the hint of menace in his interview with ABC News' Terry Moran that shows his true personality. We've seen it before in his telephone conversation with Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's secretary of state and in that incredible berating of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in front of the White House press corps and to the collective astonishment of the free world. He's a bully and nothing is gained by kowtowing to him.
Yeah, he hates that that's why 92% of the media is laughing at him and he shoves it right back in their face or didn't you notice the interview by ABC's Terry Moran?
92% of the free world is laughing at him.
Leave it to Bill.....
I doubt, Bill, that any ramblings would be this coherent. He would be all over the map, mostly talking about himself.
Or humming and rocking.
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
Wow Rick, you've really swallowed the whole pitcher of kool-aid.
Spiked his own too didn't he !
Try it Rex just try it. Why don't you have one day session per week not mentioning the word Trump just talking about his policies and how they're working policies that's all that matter. If Biden had good policies, I would respect Biden if Obama had good policies, I would respect Obama. You have to separate The Man from the work. Because when you use the man's name, there is this absolutely incandescent fire of hate around all your words. And everybody right of center sees it immediately.
Well its good to be correct.
Actually, most of the major manufacturing investments we're seeing—like those from Honda, Hyundai, IBM, and Nvidia—haven’t been directly attributed to Trump’s tariffs. These companies make long-term decisions based on things like market access, automation, skilled labor, and political climate. Tariffs might play a small background role by making imports more expensive, but there’s no clear evidence they’re the main reason for the investment.
In fact, some companies, like Pfizer, have said they’d invest *more* in the U.S. if the tariffs were removed. And overall, the tariffs have led to higher prices for consumers and contributed to a recent economic slowdown. So while it’s easy for politicians to take credit, the actual picture is a lot more complex—and not nearly as rosy as the soundbites make it seem.
In addition, what about small business startups?
While some small businesses have shown resilience, the overall impact of tariffs has been challenging for startups. Increased costs, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty have made it more difficult for new small businesses to thrive.
By the way, Harvey. Let me correct you on one thing. The Honda deal was started long before Tariffs even came up. Of course you want to deny Trump credit. God forbid, even closing The border was a good thing for America according to you. Whatever comes out of his administration provided it wasn’t initiated by Biden is trumps prize like it or not. And trust me, there really hasn’t been much disturbance in the market due to the tariffs because they just were started four weeks ago and there hasn’t any been any settlement yet? And of course you don’t like the fact that the egg prices have come down and the gas prices have come down and interest rates have come down in inflation has come down from Biden 7% to 2 1/2%. You don’t like that at all, even though that was your biggest gripe, except for the border.
In fact, we have just had the largest number of car sales in four years…..
And that is absolutely because of the tariffs. But you don’t look at it that way, but it’s because people were afraid of the tariff so they’re buying now and Ford is giving us customers employee pricing. Other than that car sales are screaming.
The problem with many of you is you only want to hear what you want to hear does the saying goes and disregard the rest.
So question for you if you find an extra hundred thousand in your investment accounts because of a good investment ? would you be more concerned or happy that the hundred thousand dollars is there or would you be questioning how it got there?
Why don’t you read my proposition again stop with the Trump bullshit talk about the policies. If you’re working a rift or not and you’re not gonna get any tariff info for the next year to year and a half at least so stop the nonsense.
You’re starting to sound like the people that were in a frantic frenzy the day the market tanked furiously blaming Trump and musk only they haven’t come back three days later. Patience, my friends
Kind of like the Cardinals?
Cindy, thank you I finally found your post and your analogy is actually pretty good. I like it a lot even though I don’t know the particulars I do know more or less how about those conclaves work. And I was thinking to add a cherry on top, maybe at the end of the meeting when they agreed on a topic we could have red, white and blue smoke come out how’s that ?
I agree. I will be sharing it with my democrats abroad and Indivisible Deutschland groups.
"🤣 "The weave" 🤣 He should be jocularly forever referred to as a comedian wanna' be; that everything he says or does is not in the least to be considered serious state-craft, but a comedy routine ! *Hey... That's it ! He hates being laughed at with a passion ! Every single time he speaks or acts, everyone opposed should fall down on the ground laughing and backslapping rather than appearing angry ! Including house and senate democrats along with all else they can get to go along, including any MSM ! Laugh our azzes off at him ! Greatest comic reversal in history ! Might we pull that off ? Hell, we have Linda Weide and other internationals here; Can we get the whole wide world to laugh their azzes off at him and embarrass him to death ? !!! "
You haven’t learned a thing… he speaks his mind despite their attempt to embarrass him all day long and if you just read the recent survey by a polling party, 92% of the media are covering him negatively well 7% gave him a positive nod for anything he’s done since he’s been elected this time
Have you seen some of the things he’s accomplished? Probably not.
Unfortunately, denial will not work.
They are also erasing the history of racism and Nixon's crimes for starters. This regime is pure authoritarian. Who would imagine that the world's oldest democracy and great economy would succumb to this? A country of immigrants elected an insurrectionist, fellon, who campaigned appealing to voters' hatred of immigrants. What is wrong with voters?
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
Some good points. First trump scuttled the bipartisan immigration bill that would have solve the problem.
Putting Congress in a locked room until….. A great idea, but….
Second, economics the dismal science is beyond most especially partisans understanding:
Egg prices: These are mostly driven by supply chain factors, feed costs, and events like avian flu outbreaks. If prices have dropped, it’s likely due to recovery in supply, not direct action from Trump.
Gas prices: These are set on global oil markets. Prices may drop due to increased supply (from OPEC or U.S. producers), lower global demand, or seasonal changes—not necessarily because of anything Trump has done directly. However, if his administration has encouraged increased domestic drilling or eased regulations, that could have a marginal influence over time.
Mortgage rates: These are controlled by the Federal Reserve, which operates independently of the White House. If mortgage rates have dropped, it’s likely because the Fed has cut interest rates in response to inflation data or economic forecasts—not due to any immediate Trump policy.
By the way Harvey, could you please explain to me for a few minutes because I'm really not recollecting any immigration plan that Trump scuttled? Not that any single immigration proposal or Bill is going to solve the problem. But I would like to hear your input or your example of the Bill that was cuddled. Thank you.
Trump's Opposition and the Bill's Demise
Despite its bipartisan origins, former President Donald Trump vehemently opposed the bill, labeling it a "gift to Democrats" and a "Death Wish for The Republican Party." He criticized provisions like the emergency shutdown threshold and the inclusion of foreign aid, arguing that the U.S. already had the authority to close the border. Trump's public denouncement influenced many Republicans to withdraw their support. Senator Lankford, initially a co-author, ultimately voted against the bill. The legislation failed to advance in the Senate, falling short of the required 60 votes.
Border Act of 2024
Despite its bipartisan origins, former President Donald Trump vehemently opposed the bill, labeling it a "gift to Democrats" and a "Death Wish for The Republican Party." He criticized provisions like the emergency shutdown threshold and the inclusion of foreign aid, arguing that the U.S. already had the authority to close the border. Trump's public denouncement influenced many Republicans to withdraw their support. Senator Lankford, initially a co-author, ultimately voted against the bill. The legislation failed to advance in the Senate, falling short of the required 60 votes.
You need the details of the Bill?
Let me tell you what I need. I need to talk about issues of importance to all Americans. I don’t need to worry about illegal aliens other than they don’t belong here because they broke the law and they need to go back to from where they came. Come here illegally you’re gone. Come through legal ports of entry, get registered, get assessed, maybe come in for some of the other rules like. Tsp etc. fine.
If you have any other problem with that , talk to Congress. They are the ones that set the legal limitation limits on the number of people that enter our country from forelands, and not only that, but they actually specify from which areas they are allowed to come from. Not my problem, not words from my mouth that’s just the facts as they are.
If Congress said, and the president approved of 5 million or 10 million a year legal immigrants… then that would be the policy. ALAS IT IS NOT.
I think the number of legal immigrants per year is somewhere in the 1.2 to 1.4 million number. Congress want to change it I have no problem with it at all. That way they come, and legally their backgrounds could be checked and identified and we could prevent some people who don’t get to be here to stay where they are.
But of course, you still have a habit of never responding to facts and evidence that I continue to portray with links and of course, you avoid those which is not very sincere. As I mentioned to Ed above, I really don’t like partitions especially closed, minded ones like you.
If you want to admit reality, and be thankfully the border that’s closed or prices that have come down. I’m willing to listen to you, but if you want to talk about other insignificant Rabble, I’m not interested.
OK Harvey so first of all if eggs were out of everybody's control why was every single liberal yelling and screaming about him bringing down the price of eggs when it wasn't in his control this is the kind of bullshit. I can't stand double standards. But I did understand that he were the administration went out and bought eggs overseas and that help bring down the price but when you kill a couple hundred million chickens obviously it's gonna affect the price of
And please pay attention to what I said stop using Trump's name the money you say Trump everybody gets hateful. Everybody gets angry just talk about the policy. The policy works great if it doesn't work then complain and then work to fix it. That's as simple as it gets.
Oh, Trump absolutely affected egg prices—by scrambling to import a billion of them. Bravo. Truly the work of a stable genius. And since you're clearly a fan, want to hear how his magic tariffs—meant to "bring manufacturing back"—are actually playing out? Or would real-world results be too jarring for the narrative?
Gas prices? He controls those about as much as you control the weather. Mortgage rates? They're tied to the Fed’s response to inflation—not presidential fairy dust. But hey, why let facts get in the way? If there’s one thing the Trump cult consistently can’t digest, it’s reality.
So Harry over the last 30 years have you ever gone to the store and wondered to yourself Jhee where do these bananas come from? Where do these eggs come from? Did you ever look at the label on a can of goods to see where they were either can’t or manufactured, or imported from where it didn’t say so on the label. As you say, the bottom line to Americans for many years, is I want to pay less. In this particular case, as an example, there wasn’t an American in the house that cared for the reasons the fact that they could now afford eggs. Again, so stop the nonsense.
And of course, I pointed out to you as a punch in the mouth reality check that you said that the Fed and all prices are based on inflation not on the presidency I believe is how you worded it so to speak because they’re independent
So why would the Fed raise interest rates to 7% for Mortgages? Why would grocery prices go up 20%? Why would gas prices go up 2 to 3 dollars a gallon when in fact they were seven dollars a gallon in California. So what you’re suggesting it was totally coincidental that it happened under Biden’s watch and he wasn’t to blame.
By the way, stop embarrassing yourself the same way I suggested that you don’t do it by not saying that the tariffs are already working one way or another. When did it go? Stations have just begun and it’s gonna take at least a year to figure out where it goes. In the meantime, Ford is offering employee pricing for his vehicles, Mercedes, and hike in Hyundai. We’re not advertising that they are building cars in America in order to garner more sales and as it turns out, we just sold more cars this year than any of the past four years.
The jury will be out on the tariffsb for probably a year or more.
Unless I just didn’t hear you complaining about all the prices under Biden’s watch. I didn’t hear one word when within a week after Biden close down drilling gas prices went up three dollars. Six weeks into his administration grocery prices shot up and we’re eventually 20% more expensive than under trumps bid ministration or even Obama‘s administration.
I said to you earlier and it’s really a sad thing. If Trump cured cancer, you would probably say he stole the cure from someone else. Just shaking my head
Wait a minute are you saying we have nothing to do with climate change? Lol
As I said Harvey, if Trump cured cancer, you would say somebody else cured it and he stole it
It's just totally coincidental that gas prices are/will be the lowest during his two terms
And I told you tariffs were going to take a year and a half to two years maybe less but you've been nothing but wrong with your crystal ball Ouija board and fortuneteller
So I guess when the Fed tripled mortgage rates during Biden's administration I guess they were reacting to the inflation index. Oooop
So please tell me why Biden had 7% inflation 20% increase in grocery prices 2 to 3 dollar increase in gas prices 7% mortgage rates when they were 3% under Trump. I guess Biden had no control over that at all. It just simply happened.
I've met people that are lost, but you had a very successful lobotomy
Good post here Rick., IM(most)HO. As a nations comprised of 350 million, there's no way possible to know what amount of good or bad is happening each single day given a 15 minute newscast that includes three commercial hits. Take cases of fraud. With no doubt, courts are loaded with those cases, and there are plenty of those where the guilty party pays fines and time incarcerated. We never hear about them nationally, but they take place. At the same time, there are the ones that get off the hook, So be it. Overall, our system is alive and working in so many ways, but bad news sells. Let's never forget that (human) factor. So here we are, not to let it bias our minds though. I think your post makes the point that our "minds" are indeed easily "biased". And, given the environment we are surrounded by (meaning the 350 milllion number) an accurate analysis by our mind alone is impossible. Hence we take on some "biased" idea based on our environment or what we perceive. Maybe, call that, what we are 'fed' in that 15 minutes I spoke of. Such a joke, that 15 minutes would suffice for 350 million events in the last 24 hours, and you and I would base our ideas on that crap, soda-speak. Your post.., #1 - Yes. Hard to predict. Let's not let our rhinoserous-mouth overload our hummingbird-ass. #2 - Yes. In public school/non professional level sports, keep separate, boys (born bio-logically with balls), from girls (born bio-logically without balls). It needs to be recognized that competition produces "big balls" of a different kind driven by ego. Mixing them up on the race track driving 150mph shifter-carts, or in NASCAR, or downhill slalom, is a whole nuther matter. And, finally, #3 - Are we gonna give t-rump a medal for egg-prices..? Hell no. He's a carnival side-show snakeoil salesman, who'd sell you out in a NY minute.., and you'd better believe it.
OK, so what are you gonna give them credit for? You were sure screaming and yelling and pissed off that egg prices of tripled. Your whole party was the end of the world because a prices have tripled.
You didn’t even know why most of you didn’t know that they just killed 200 million chickens within the last nine months. Anything that Biden wasn’t involved in the Trump did is trumps prize. Including lowering the cost of eggs, including lowering the price of gas, including lowering the rates of mortgages, including, bringing inflation back down to 2 to 3%, versus 7% under Biden. INCLUDING THE UNBELIEVABLE MIRACLE of Closing the border. Please read my post again because you started out great but at the end you went back to be a Trumpisn hater all over again. Doesn’t , do you or your party any good?
Harvey, I keep telling you stop the freaking nonsense. This administration is no more authoritarian than any other. They all have their yes-man. They all signed or executive orders. They all do what they want to do. Biden opened the border…
Biden canceled student debt. Obama created Obamacare of which only 13% of the country have. He also deported 3 million people and was called at the time does the Porter in chief Even by left-wing media. And only 25% of those deported had due process. Look it up. The only difference is that you don’t like what he’s doing so to you it’s authoritarian when you’re like what you’re doing it’s OK to open the border. It’s OK to cancel student debt. It’s OK to allow criminals to cross over without registering or through legal channels. It’s OK for inflation to be 7% OK to groceries be up 20% or gas double or Mortgages triple. It’s ok. lol
"everybody is saying it ..." We are "far from the Shallow Now."
Bryan! I had that song on repeat in my head all last fall and into the winter. Now you have reawakened that earworm.
Yes, " ... dive in the deep end ..."
Brian and you of all people should know not to be saying everybody is saying it
Everybody is everybody you speak with, and everybody you speak with thinks exactly like you. Everybody else which is the more than 77 million people or more now or actually enjoying their freedoms. As I said, my long post, Terrace will take a while to reveal themselves, but as Noel told me a few days ago, Trump will never be able to have a cease-fire and yet today apparently he arrange the signing of a minerals deal with Ukraine, which is a first baby steps to get to a cease-fire. Let’s see if you can figure out why
A very deep, rooted and meaningful post of Ryan what the hell did you mean by that not a damn thing. Post says absolutely nothing it’s vapid it’s vacuous it’s words with no meaning. Do you like to explain yourself
Saving this one
HCR summarizes today’s GOP/Libertarian/tech-broligarch views that “. . .the role of government was to protect the wealthy and enable them to make money from the country’s resources and its people.”
The federal government publishes as an ongoing series an annual compilation of presidential papers titled "Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States" <https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/PPP/3>, now current through the Obama Administration.
What we could use now is a published annual compilation of "Letters from an American" as a counterweight to the eventual compilation of Trump papers (including social-media posts?). And print Heather's compilations on acid-free archival paper so they'll last for generations as a record of what we endured.
This letter gives a valuable perspective of American economy as you said. But it needs a few concrete numerical evidence. For example, one GDP measure is not adequate. America ecnomy needs two measures at least - a total gross income for top 1% and the rest, say.
I especially like the museum section for the rethuglicans for shame, etc.
Read my post, change the channel turn the page
Great point. I am printing copies and sending them to my Texas Senators and Congressman, to each of their offices (about 10), hoping that their staff members will read it.
Give 'em Hell, Heather. 💪🏿
To Canada: congratulations for defending your dignity; we are behind you. ✌🏽
To Europe: thank you for standing by Ukraine; we are behind you.🤝🏻
To democracies around the world: stand by us, Americans ready to make some noise. 🤞🏼
Do not lose faith in America, world; faith in Trump, yes; faith in us, no. 🙏
Remember Trump gives Putin America while Putin gives Trump a hard-on. 🤢
Absolutely, if tRump's done any good at all, it's to sway other countries' populations away from any election candidate or party whose policies look remotely like tRump's. His one hundred days have been nothing short of a clusterf*ck. Can't wait to see him tossed into the dumpter fire of his own making. Burn Baby Burn, you loser.
Today the Miami Herald refused to let me post:
If you like Putin, you love Trump. If you shorted the market, you love Trump. If you want to lose all our friends like our number 1 trading partner, Canada, you love Trump.
EDIT: Dear Gail and Daniel,✍️
Ah, my belovèd America, how I mourn your fall. 😢
Ah, my belovèd America, how I resolve to defend you. ⚖️
Ah, my belovèd America, how I prefer death to dictatorship. 🙏
"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." President Lincoln, 1838. 😱
More wonderful history! Thanks Ned.
I have to go through all manner of rewrites to not have my posts there denied. Usually it’s just a word change. That your thought was censored is infuriating.
Gail, my response to you is the same as that to Daniel. 🤝🏻
The WSJ is censorious too. Fortunately Substack isn’t!
Nicely said, Kazz. Back in 2021, I was talking with a cousin who utterly detests Trump. 🤝🏻 I said that I had decided not to hate Trump because that diminished me spiritually. 🙏 A month or two ago, I wrote my cousin: "Consider me diminished." 💔
Hahaha I love that Ned, I think it’s cathartic to hate Trump!
It may also be a minimum qualification for one successfully to assert his or her humanity. 😉
lol 😺
It is moral clarity that drives the nightmares away, not just the morning.
They seek to stop us by confusing us, by insisting dark is light, that cruelty is policy, that petty vengeance is wise economics, that we are being made great again when --- in fact, they are the ones attacking us. We must never fall for it.
Saying thank you to others, acknowledging the light within us, asking for hep from others, leaving behind talk of exhaustion and surrender, is the best way to stop being confused.
Peace and strength to all of good will who fight for all of us by fighting for other people's dignity. Honor their struggle against authoritarianism by rejecting the twisted version of patriotism those who fight only for themselves want you to have instead.
I retired from 2 labor unions 24 years ago and I will never allow my voice to be silenced by the corruption of our norms of the three separate and equal branches of our Federal Government. Resistance is called for that speaks for us all.
Thank you, Ronald. In college, I was a proud member of the United Steel-workers in my college summers. Though my membership was hardly yours, I did feel a sense of dignity with that membership.
Former IAMAW steward here!
Hooray!
Great thinking there, Corbin. 🤝🏻
Hard to do these days. 💡
But Kindness does elevate my spirits, if I extend it without an ulterior motive being the primary one. 😇
Yes, there will always be some secondary degree of desired results (e.g., looking good), but soldier on for decency's sake. ⚖️
Just because the country has de-railed in her government does not mean that we have, too, or that anyone outside of M.A.G.A. is derailed. 🙏
The people whom I do not know and encounter randomly are overwhelming friendly and kind. 🤞🏼
Many have been massively deceived. 💔
While my sympathy for non-M.A.G.A. Trump voters is exhausted since these voters should have known better, these fellow citizens are still kindly, by-&-large. 😢
Corbin: Beautifully said 🩷
Oh Canada! What a country they are. No perfect but, still trying to care for their people.
Agreed 111% Cindy!
What’s the criminal in the White House achieved in his first 100 days now?
It’s a question we might seek to answer by evidence and facts. A mistake. As the idiocy around their tariffs has shown, they don’t weigh evidence and facts. Rather, they inhabit fantasyland, as do Putin and his toadying oligarchs.
In "The Road to Unfreedom" (2018) Timothy Snyder threads Putin and his crew’s final goal. From the Atlantic lapping western Europe to the Pacific coast of Asiatic Russia, he and his oligarchs intend one massive fantasyland.
Ruling it, they would finish off the democracies they now target by selective assassinations and much larger techie hacking against cultures open to gays, women outside male domination, and any mobility for any non-whites.
Putin’s Russians stoke these hatreds partly to keep power in their hands, but more to keep contrasts dramatically, sensationally high for the fictions of their own racial and religious purity, what Timothy Snyder calls their "eternity."
American criminality and madness now parallel Russia’s. Timothy Snyder’s facts and evidence cohere. We have, too, the final fact that none of these skilled test-takers enabling the new U.S. criminality has ever read any novels, memoirs, essay collections, biographies, or histories.
It certainly explains why Dr. Snyder and his wife, who is also an academic, went to the University of Toronto. Dr. Jason Stanley did so as well. He remembers how his own family had to flee Nazi Germany. Trump’s first one hundred days has brought nothing but chaos, economic damage and mass fear.
A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Canada to look for a place to escape to in case Trump goes full Project 2025 and takes over the Federal government.
We delude ourselves if we cannot admit that Trump has gone full Fascist. and that him and his cronies will stop deporting American citizens who have no criminal records.
Is there someplace in Canada to escape to? Will they accept American refugees fleeing an autocratic government? I thought they had strict immigration rules.
If you have a grandparent who was born in Canada, you may be eligible for Canadian citizenship. (Three of mine were, so...hmmm...) I love our country and am willing to fight for what it was, but if things continue, we'll be calling it the Republic of Gilead soon enough.
If you chose to live in an urban area with more than 100,000 residents, you will not be able to buy property in these areas. If you buy in rural areas you can live there 6 months a year until you get citizenship--unless you find a sponsor that will hire you. Then you can live there full time and work for your sponsor with a work visa.
The most important part of HCR's great summay of Trump's 100 days of madness was Pritzker's quote:
“fight—EVERYWHERE AND ALL AT ONCE.” “Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now,”
We are the majority. We are the People, And We must "NO" Everywhere and all at once!!
Well, I guess you haven’t read my post huh? I sent several with links and evidence and proof, and when you’re overturning 30 years of history, it doesn’t happen overnight and there’s going to be some disruption. Did you decide to call it chaos well sometimes great things come out of chaos as the current example such as. Lower egg prices by 2 to 3 dollars a dozen lower gas prices by about a buck 50 lower mortgage rates by 3/4 of a percent like lower Inflation between two and 3% versus Biden 7%. There’s a chaos right there not to mention that the border’s closed. So they let in 11 million illegals and then they wanna fight to keep them here? More hole digging by the left
Kathy, I would add that it has also begun to piss off a whole lot more people here and around the world.
You are correct, but I hope not overlooking the difference in resistance in the US and Russia. Find hope in the resistance as articulated by HCR.
Phil, not even Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead do you suppose?
You guys just won’t give it up you keep losing and losing and keep digging yourself a hole after hole after hole and you keep losing and you keep digging I don’t get it.
Do you think people can’t make a good decision unless they base it on history, biographies, essays or novels? Wow.
How about if I get the thought/idea out of their own head? Did Alexander Graham Bell, Enrico Fermi, Thomas Alva, Edison, Henry Ford mMark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs?
Get your ideas using your methods? Did Elon musk? There are things that are called inventions all the time and many of them come out of someone’s mind, and others come out of mistakes that were made along the way ,despite any be evidence in historical terms such as Viagra, or post it notes.
By the way, it looks like Trump and Vons Village ski. Have a greed to a minerals deal. And just for you feel that might not be something that Putin likes. Uh oh. Lmao
The American public is making good decisions now about Trump as the madman president. They aren't approving it. And what will Heir Trump do when the GOP realizes he's more of a liability than a savior??
Well, mmerrill, I can only tell you that this is what happens when you listen to your own echo chamber the one that you're on right now. You are obviously out of touch with the American public. You're in touch with the left public. CNN just did a post where 96% of the people that voted for Trump would still vote for Trump so I don't know what you're talking about and Heir Trump is one of the most offensive remarks you can say and it just shows your incredible ignorance. Try reading my entire post with a six points and let me know what you think.
Hey Rick,
A lot of supporters who live Trump have told me he's America's greatest president because he always does what he says.
I agree. Trump does do what he says. But what if it's really bad for the country?
Not one of those supports has an answer to that question.
Merrill I will answer that question for you. Here in public, and I’ve stated it before many times. If for example, trumps tariffs don’t work and you’ll have to give them time to see I would say a year to a year and a half should be more than enough. I will be right behind you or right next to you screaming at him that he to stop it…
But let me say one more thing to you that you might not have heard me say, but I’ve said it many times here. I do not necessarily like Trump. I certainly don’t like what comes out of his mouth. Many times I don’t like his lack of tact sometimes, but I love most of the things that come out of his pen. In other words, I like his policies, and I like his straightforwardness, and I like his dedication to the things he promised to do, which is the reason he was elected.
I am in Trump non-Trump fan. If he screws up, which inevitably everyone does, I’ll be arm and arm with …you not a problem
I will call him out, rationally ,analytically, but I will be talking about his policies and not making it personal.
I am actually concerned that he’s biting off more than he can chew AT THE SAME TIME…. but time will tell. I believe very firmly and sincerely that he is doing it because he knows he only has one term he knows that he has 90% of the media or more against him he knows that the Democrats are pushing hard against him and so he’s trying to accomplish what he can ….. as quickly as he can AND did incredibly well on the border. My problem is the Democrats won’t even give him credit for that.
By the way for those that don’t know it every time that a president comes into power and I think it’s happened five times in the last century or so that the incoming president also has control of the senate and the house… What has happened in each occasion is that one or more of the houses of congress change parties, and the president no longer has the control that he once had. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s happened every single time. Oh, he also knows that he only has two years unless things change.
My fervent belief is if he can really get this big beautiful bill passed with not increasing taxes and not increasing the deficit and giving the no tax on tips no tax on Social Security, and no tax on overtime approved by Congress and signed into law. It may be the first time ever that they hold the house and the senate in the upcoming midterms. Those agenda items are directly centered on the middle class or poor.
By the way, I want to thank you for very honestly offering the post that you did. It’s a pleasure to deal with levelheaded people, even if they have totally opposing views. So, thank you
Rick. Thanks for answering my question. I'll tell you my thoughts on two key issues and why we'll be walking arm and arm very soon.. 1. Using tariffs as a tool to return good jobs to America. 2. The likelihood that GOP tax cuts will not increase the deficit and will also create economic growth.
First Tariffs. Tariffs are a very blunt tool to use to bring good jobs back to America. They're slow acting, difficult to carefully target, very expensive (an inefficient consumption tax):for consumers and politically damaging both domestically and globally. Giving specific industries and companies tax breaks and economic grants to grow their business is much more targeted and efficient.
Second, tax cuts and economic growth. Since at least Reagan's presidency, the GOP has been selling the idea that personal tax cuts for wealthier Americans will spur growth and the added tax revenue from a larger economy will more than pay for the cuts and reduce the deficit. History has repeatedly shown us that this economic model doesn't work. Most economists are predicting the GOP's tax plan will increase the deficit by $4-$5 Trillion over 10 years and this doesn't account for additional revenue short falls from a tariff driven recession.
So, I think we're headed for very rocky times in America.
Sorry if I wasn’t clear every midterm election that happens when the president has the house and the senate in the same party as the president… every single midterm that has changed to give at least one of the houses control by the other party.
Purpose: working together to create a government to lift all boats
Six easy steps in order to work together for the benefit of all Americans
1. Stop the hate and useless negativity. Erase/Avoid the name of Trump from all communications, including TV, print, etc. Evaluate policy on its face, no matter from where it is initiated. Acknowledge success of good policy and offer ideas in order to improve or delete bad policy Example: The border is closed! that was a monumental task , and all Americans should feel better that we have a secure border. Congratulate the administration on this policy. It’s really easy once you say the words. it will slide off your tongue like butter. And it will improve credibility. And, once you say it, it will also bring you some relief, believe it or not.
2. Men in women’s sports. Humanity understands that men have a certain biological advantage when participating in sports. Why not reward women for being able to participate with each other, and be proud we’ve offered them a level playing field . What happened to the party of women’s equal rights ? If you feel like transsexuals need to have events or programs in which to participate, coordinate an environment where transsexuals have a league of their own so they can play more fairly on equal ground. Lesson learned: don’t irrationally fight policy that you know is good.
3. The economy. All Americans are hopeful for a better economy and ask every administration to help improve it. So far this administration has provided substantial results along those lines that was among the biggest concerns going into this election. And they have done it in very short order…. High Inflation rates, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline, the cost of a home mortgage were of significant concern the past four years. This administration, thus far, has provided substantial results in a short time. Acknowledge that and give them credit for that. Egg prices are down 2 to 3 dollars a dozen gasoline is down at least $1.50 or more per gallon mortgage rates are down 3/4 of 1% and inflation is somewhere between two and 3% versus as high as 7% in the last administration. Acknowledge it don’t refute! it it undermines your credibility.
4. Tariffs.. the economic impact of tariffs will take a while. We have to be patient to see how the negotiations are finalized and play out. If they work over time, then we should acknowledge that and give credit; if they do not work, we should circle the wagons and we have, not only our talking points, but our contradictory agenda to address with factual backup, as support.
5. Select a leader, or a group of leaders, and create an agenda, irrespective of who is currently in control of the White House or Congress . Your agenda should be what is good for America and Americans. It should be your vision for America REALISTICALLY! Specifically clearly succinctly, detailing your vision for American government, as well as its implementation.
6. Most importantly. At this point, party leadership on both sides of the aisle should get in a room with a months worth of food and plenty of restrooms. Lock the doors from the outside and rationally work together on areas of common ground, which are more than plentiful; and come up with an agenda that will help the majority of Americans. It can be done; it takes work. It’s not easy, but the end result will be award-winning. And if America does better…. by default, the world will probably enjoy our success as well.
As it is said, time is of the essence, so let’s start today!
The Economy Rick!!🤣🤣🤣 get of the crack pipe yo! You are smoking the good shit dude.
I have lost years off of my 401k in weeks… every measure has plummeted under “ little hands” tariff wars.
By the way, SeAn, I seriously wasn’t joking about the advice you’re getting in the market. I will state again the NASDAQ was up for the month of April, which is when the market at its first major downturn. And NASDAQ is now up for the month. Additionally, the Dow Jones industrials is only down 4% for the month so I don’t know what could be happening because the market’s been doing very well until this April incident.
Well, Sean, I don't know how old you are, but I would question your investment judgment then because I've lost .4% and I have quite a lot invested. The NASDAQ is actually up for the month of April and the Dow Jones is down 4% so I don't know what the hell you've lost but I feel badly that you have.
By the way, Sean if you're young and I'm assuming you were younger if you remember Covid, the market was down 3000 points in one day and a year and a half later was up 10,000 points so calm down yikes. And perhaps you might want to look at a different investment advisor.
Are you invested in the American stock, market or elsewhere? Lol.
A lot of scattering around in the streets may look like an effective opposition - but until the current administration is removed from power, nothing will change. There are enough compelling arguments to be taken to Republican lawmakers now that I feel absolutely sure that sufficient numbers of them can be converted to ensure a successful impeachment process.
While we are in the streets Democratic lawmakers should be in coffeeshops with their Republican counterparts talking about the future of our country and of the Congress. Want to keep your jobs??? Then get rid of Donald and all of his good buddies. 'Cause if you don't, there will be no Congress at all.
And that IS something to be scared of...
The Republicans still seem to be fully in Trump's camp. Mike Johnson just passed a resolution making it more difficult for Democrats to investigate anything Trump is doing: https://newrepublic.com/post/194537/mike-johnson-moves-block-democrats-investigating-trump That Christian Nationalism sure has a hold on these people and what a cruel and nasty view of the world it is.
@ Lauriemcf. Read it agaikn. He tried. We need to pressure House Republicans like Don Bacon to take him on.
Don Bacon Sets $500 Billion Red Line on Medicaid
What Happened: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told the White House he won’t support more than $500 billion in Medicaid cuts as Republicans negotiate a sweeping megabill that includes Trump’s 2017 tax cut extensions, work requirements, and benefit cuts.
Why It Matters: With GOP leaders aiming to slash Medicaid to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, even moderates like Bacon setting a $500 billion cap shows how deep the proposed cuts are.
Source: Politico
Well, Chuck Schumer sent Trump a very strong letter just the other day, asking eight very strong questions. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/leading-democrat-sent-trump-a-very-strong-letter-and-everyone-cringes-this-is-embarrassing/ar-AA1DIHeg
If that doesn't work, we will have to find ways to make our own priorities known. I have seen protest seem sort of aimless, and insufficiently persistent, but if it is focused and disciplined it can pick up momentum; and it can take a variety of forms. It seems to me that support for public-centered political leaders, as well as "grass roots" movements made considerable progress against tyrannical plutocracy, until out TV "hypnotized" public sort of gave it up.
We really need to get someone more willing to fight back than Sen. Schumer. Sens. Van Hollen and Murphy seem to be more ready for the task of combatting Trump’s authoritarianism.
Kathy, there are people in every state fighting back but the oligarchs control the MSM. Bernie and AOC are doing Yeoman's work as are many others like Jamie Raskin.
One of the myriad daily texts I received was from a young lady who is working to recruit candidates in ME for those "unimportant" jobs like selectmen, city councilmen, school board members, mayors, DAs. Republicans across the country have been doing this successfully this entire century.
This needs to happen in every state and while we head into a recession it is the perfect time to recruit young people, especially on college campuses.
Republicans are the opposition. Psy ops works.
I would like to see a statement list outlining the clear message for all of us that indicates one voice and clear objectives. This should be available to everyone who marches and resists the current policies of the Trump administration. United we stand!🇺🇸💗
Jon Stewart did a bit on Schumer and the "Very Strong Letter".
I will have to look for this letter..I still want to read it..in spite of the ridicule in this linked blurb..
Found it! It's a description of what Dems have been doing as well as a call to action - good for him: https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/leader-schumer-dear-colleague-on-donald-trumps-disastrous-first-100-days
@ Leslie. Read Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
Thanks, Daniel. I like what I read.
On this day 80 years ago, Adolf Hitler’s life ended.
maybe lightening will strike twice?
Trebles all round?
Let's add protection of the environment to the things which the gov't has been doing to protect ordinary Americans for this Administration is busy undoing all of that as well. They are removing protection of our air and water, diminishing the area of our protected area, moving away from renewable energy initiatives, and claiming that climate change is a "hoax" which should be ignored. This damage, too, if allowed to continue will do immeasurable harm to coming generations.
The tenets of our democracy, as FDR saw them, include regulating business for the protection of the consumer, "providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, protecting civil rights, and stabilizing global security and trade." Don’t such measures help the rich as well? Or do the rich really want to live in a society of squalor and ignorance, which they seem intent on creating?
The "Chicago School" of business is indifferent to the fate of society, or even the species so long as they can maximize personal profit. Many billionaires are building lavish, underground fortresses where they could live out their last days rolling in Bitcoins, while devastation swirls in the streets. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff
But why? Why do they want this kind of world, with "devastation swirling in the streets?" I fail to understand.
Because they really do not give a f***. Their view is of classes: and those who are not in their elevated status are beneath them and thus can be treated with disdain. They commit an even worse crime than the Christian nationalists who actively hate anyone they consider not of their religion: they commit the crime of indifference.
I'm with you -- I cannot get my head around how they can think this is a good idea.
They don't care. They believe that their wealth gives them a superior status to the rest of humanity.
Kathy, I am drawing on my experience with the psychosis of evangelicalism to share my best guess.
Evangelicals are taught literally from birth that "the world is evil and hates them." They are also taught that they are following the ONLY true path to heaven. Therefore, they are BETTER than all those around them who don't believe as they do. In a weird sense, they actually thrive on being surrounded by "heathens," as it supports their collective superiority complex. Evangelicals would never admit it, but they like seeing homeless people begging on street corners, as it confirms to them what happens when "you live your life in sin." While claiming to be persecuted, a smugness is common among evangelicals. (Recall Dana Carvey's "church lady" on SNL.)
Similarly, the uber-wealthy secretly, subconsciously enjoy being surrounded by poverty, as it's a very visible reminder of just how rich they are. Although they are repulsed by the poor, they like knowing they are there. They don't allow the poor to spoil their fantastic lives by living in compounds of many acres or in penthouses high above the squalor they can gloat over. In a sense, wealth isn't any fun if you don't have poverty to provide contrast.
Some seem engaged in a compulsive race to own essentially everything, no matter what.
What are these "Bitcoin billionaires" going to do if and when the power grid collapses because there will be no one left who's qualified to keep it running?
Janet, today's billionaires are not known for their long-term thinking. They got to be billionaires by shorting stocks or selling off corporate assets for instant profits. Like vultures, when they've consumed all the meat off the bones, they fly away in search of the next victim. Without really thinking about it, they assume there will always be another victim.
Except vultures are scavengers. Certain billionaires more like fabled vampires.
Saint Peter don'cha call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul
To the Company Store
Dale, exactly! My husband is fond of saying, "the super-rich are the stupidest critters on the planet."
Slave labor?
Musk Daleks?
Short-sighted, I would say, not to mention narrow-minded and not much fun.
Speaking of not much fun, has anyone created a game where you destroy Trump and his fellow autocrats and restore a government for the people?
There are so many creative people out there, I'm sure someone could develop a great game. As soon as the Beta version is released Trump would boycott it which would make it immensely more popular.
There may already be one out there. Talk about fun!
Trump loses the game of Risk.
Catan on a different scale...
aw yes, uncle milton.
Much of the decline of the middle class is because of following Milton Friedman’s bad ideas.
I read that Guardian piece and thinking of buying his book “Survival of the Richest.”
Thank you Dr. Richardson. If nothing else works for the MAGA administration ( and it looks like that is the case ) then they will fall back on the strategy they have used successfully for about four decades. They will pass tax cuts and more tax cuts. In that way they will starve the federal government of much needed revenue, forcing more deficit spending. A high national debt will someday be unsustainable and that will end the new deal they hate so much. If only the democrats would run on a promise to repeal tax cuts for the rich and big businesses.
And end blatant de facto bribery and humongous public sector conflicts of interest. Tell $COTUS that money isn't free and it certainly isn't speech. Bribery is one of only two crimes that The Constitution singles out as impeachable. Ain't it bleeding obvious that money spent to change alter democratic outcomes to elections and legislatures is corrupting the ostensible core values of our republic? There is no shortage of evidence that it is so.
Yes, money is how we get things done, and will always influence our politics, but that does not mean anything goes. How many billionaires spent millions or even hundreds of millions to press their political will? Even though not every election is successfully bought, it's patently a thumb on the scales; and some things should never be for sale. Not in a civilized society.
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both” — Louis Brandeis
Great quote J L. When Kamala announced her campaign in 2024 she quickly raised a billion dollars. And this was without the help of the oligarchs. We can't compete with their money and their control of the media but we can fight back at the state and local level as many are doing every day.
We have the numbers if we can build the solidarity. Our laws should not make democracy such an uphill slog. Creating and expanding democracy is hard enough as it is.
We must take the money out of politics and that will not be easy. Massive widespread corruption has weakened us to the point now where the government is malfunctioning badly. Historians tell us this was a huge factor in the fall of the Roman Empire.
Please, stop using the word 'administration' for this kakistocracy. We need to stop normalizing this behavior, and using the same word we use for a sane government does not help. The current power structure is a REGIME. And it has nothing to do with good government.
Agree!
Yes I am being polite to those who don’t deserve it. When you think about we have had a plutocracy for quite a long time. But the MAGA crew has moved us into uncharted waters now.
Exactly!
We had 40 protestors at the event a block from our house (38 opposed to Trump and 2 for), when I arrived around 9 AM. Though my wife and I had pretty bad colds from the previous week's protest, I wasn't going to miss the 100th day. There were many Senior Citizens who's determination to show up and express the care and concern for not just the individual victims, classes of victims, allies and friendly countries, but the honest agents, agencies, and system of evolved laws that made so much of our progress possible. Their strength, restores ours, and, in the case of the older Ukrainian friends, inspires the resolution to press on no matter how dark the days may look to others. Maybe it's a bit of the Ukrainian's spirit that Canadian and British fans around here sense, the ones who's grandparents and older friends showed a similar spirit when Britain faced her darkest hours during WWII. To me it was, "take a deep breath and dig in," surrender is not an option, content that we will keep the spirit strong.
Just in case "the Ukraine" wasn't a slip of the typing fingers, I *think* "Ukraine" is preferred by Ukrainians. I may be mis-remembering, but I think "the Ukraine" is a Russian expression.
Sandra, you are correct. In Jim's defense, it's my understanding that "the" is a holdover from the era prior to 1917 when the area was thought of – not as a nation – but as a land region of the Russian Empire, much as we refer to Appalachia or The Midwest Prairie in the U.S.
Of course, Putin wants to deny that Ukraine is a sovereign nation state. Calling it "the Ukraine" perpetuates the notion that it's just a land mass belonging to Russia; that it's a "thing," not a home to a unique people with national pride.
But old habits are hard to break.
I thought I had broken the habit of even using "the" some years ago, but would appreciate finding where I failed to stop using it even as an historical label.
I'm missing where might have used the older term recently, I've tried to always use Ukraine for at least the last two years.
Thank you, Heather! Governor Pritzker's words are so powerful and deserve the attention you can bring by sharing them.
What a contrast between these administrations.
FDR led the U.S. out of the Depression, Trump is leading us right into one.
FDR was elected to 4 terms as President because of good governance, stabilizing the economy and creating jobs for people, actually making America great.
Trump is unhinged, mendacious and corrupt to his rotten core, with an equally cruel and contemptuous administration destroying foreign relations and alliances and our once envious economy in less than 100 days. A regime of vile henchmen and cadres of saboteurs ransacking government agencies, offices, and computer databases collecting our confidential information. Extrajudicially using uniformed hooded security forces that snatch men women or even children off the street and rendition them to third world detention sites and concentration camps...
Comparisons are indeed odorous when it comes to Trump.
Yes I think plenty of people thought that recently while attending Pope Francis’ funeral.
He was the only bloke there wearing a blue suit and he fell asleep during the service. The latest issue of the British satirical magazine,' Private Eye' had an aerial photo of St Pete's Square during the service over which they inserted a voice bubble 'My crowd was bigger'. It didn't seem so much of a joke to me.
Keep being loud!
Use this spreadsheet to call/email/write any of our representatives as often as possible. Not just your own state reps, reach out to those in other states. Be as loud as you can and share this. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit
Thanks for the encouragement and resources!
Thank you Professor Richardson.
One area that has been largely neglected is the distribution of journalism including your important "Letters from an American". While there are still investigative journalists and many others standing up for the rule of law and democracy, the news and information is lost in a media distribution pipeline controlled by billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, and Jeff Bezos. They constrain information such as the cancerous impact of wealth concentration on any societal aspirations of democracy and justice through proprietary algorithms.
With a small team of volunteers and limited academic and economic support, I've been largely dedicated to a new, independent media pipeline intended to replace current commercial platforms, civ.works. We've created a brief video (2 minutes) describing the concept.
https://youtu.be/xL0hsgDouhA
I will take a look. I have not researched it, but my understanding when I was growing up was that there were laws that discouraged oligarchical ownership of media in any particular market. In fact there was a whole branch of law called "anti-trust".
We stopped enforcing our anti monopoly and antitrust laws in the 1980s, thanks to Robert Bork. For a brief time, Lina Khan started to enforce them again. Enforcing them would be a start to break up concentrated wealth. Theodore Roosevelt was smart enough to understand that.
J L, on a completely unrelated topic with a similar theme, I could swear that I was taught, either in Civics or U.S. History (I can't remember which) class, that gerrymandering was illegal. Now, it seems to be a requirement.
I remember a a fanciful drawing of a "gerrymander", and yes I learned it was one of those bad things we had outgrown. $COTUS seems to think it's a fine, old American tradition, so long as "Republicans" are the beneficiaries.
As soon as I heard the British accent, I turned it off.
Buy American.
Our intent is to strengthen democracy through education, information, and engagement everywhere.
Won't sell here unless you can speak "American."
...which is one reason I'm considering civ.works. I'm sick of "Amurkan". I'm embarrassed by Amurka. I'm alarmed at the global autocratic movement, and see a need for a global democratic movement. All hands on deck.
I’m fine with that. I find false patriotism and nativism tends to constrain meaningful conversation.
This is why we are a minority party.
Some of us took an oath. In fact, if we have a chance to stop fascism, we need to invoke the patriotism of Congressional Republicans who have not enlisted in the axis of evil. That may be all we have in common with our fellow Americans.
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/21/don-bacon-pete-hegseth-signal
The problem is that the idea of patriotism for many is affixing a flag pin (probably made in another country) to their lapel (also from another country). The commonality must be predicated upon the rule of law (justice), democracy, and equality. While I understand the thinking behind "Buy American", we live in a different world now. Parts come from all over. Manufacturing shifted years ago as investors wanted more profit and return on investment -and building capability in places where there were little to no worker protections, health/safety standards, etc -not only drove record profits, it weakened unions in the US.
And now, while considering an affinity for home grown products, the AI horses have left the barn. If something is created by AI in the US, is that buying American?
Civic Works is a US-based 501c3 non-profit. The fundamental concept is a secure social network where people and their data are not the product, the platform is. However, as the founder I understand the use of our technology will be of value anywhere in the world where there are aspirations of democracy, justice, and equality. We are building the technology with decentralization and federation in mind, because civic actions well-suited for effective outcomes in the US will be different from those in the UK, Canada, the EU and anywhere people want to leverage a social platform for public good. Same for language, localization, cultural issues, and news.
So when I hear "Buy American" I hope what is really meant is support US workers and their families -a premise with which I'm in complete agreement. Yet we do not want to limit where our technology can be used for public good.
A friend called me from Chicago, my US home and told me that Trump was visiting McComb community college in Warren Michigan where her sister works. She said that people were organizing against it, but her sister did not have to be on campus that day. I said, the college does not even list his visit. She said, one could see it on his itinerary. In any case, we were wondering what the angle was for him to visit a community college when he is in the process of destroying American education. However, I did not get down from that because I am busy organizing my own set of rallies here in Germany, and and connecting with incredible Americans Abroad and we are really driven to do what we can from abroad and Stateside when we are there. It prompted me to write this piece.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/activism-as-an-expat?r=f0qfn
Macomb County Community College is in Warren, MI. Macomb County is home to big 3 autoworkers. It is the home of Reagan Democrats( now Republicans) It is Trump Country. I live in the next door county. It’s a scary place with Fox brainwashed people. He had his rally there because of all the adoring fans…
The clip on the morning's news showed the rally: he showed footage of the immigrants as they were taken off the plane to El Salvador, to the cheering of the crowd. We have a huge problem when citizens openly show not just complete disregard for the Constitution, but complete ignorance of it. The rule of law means nothing to them. This is where the danger lies.
You are exactly right.
I so wish I were not. Down the road a piece, a lot of the people in that crowd are going to have to suffer needlessly if we are to restore the rule of law.
I remember having friends from Warren Michigan when I went to U of M, but never visited it. My friend and her sister who works there, come from Detroit and then a suburb of Detroit. That explains why he visited there. My friend knew Chrysler was there or near there. However, there was no mention of the college visit on their website.
I suppose for the same reason that Thomas Cromwell arranged ignominous 'visitations' to the monasteries when he had already decided to dissolve them (although he didn't visit them in person).
The "Hillbilly Highway" ended in Warren, Michigan.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=h7-lBbwY-eM
47’s ego simply knows no boundaries. His only concept of truth is “if I say it, then it must be true.” Time for another revolution!
L’etat - C’est Moi!
Excellent letter! President Roosevelt's actions in answer to a huge problem, the Great Depression, can also serve as a blueprint to rebuild America. I imagine that the new social programs we'll put together will include strengthening our Constitution, our social services, medical access, green innovation, etc. It'll bring a whole new depth of meaning to Build Back Better. For Roosevelt, it wasn't just a slogan. It was a call to action for the entire nation! Thank you, Heather, for the reminder to look for guidance from the past to see a way forward .... after we excise the cancer of the regime presently plaguing us.
Despite all the BS, Biden handed Trump the best economy in the world. We are not in control. Step 1 is to get rid of Trump/Vance. Read Feathers of Hope, Jerry Weiss.
Agreed. If reality is indeed the material world, then Drumpf and Maga are anti-matter. That's why, for them, down is up, wrong is right, lies are truth. ... I, for one, refuse to cede "control" of my life and well-being to anybody, esp. the Blobs that currently hold the keys to America. We have to take the keys back. ... Many people want me to see myself as poor. Why? Because I don't have a lot of money, a fancy car, acres of land with a $1M+ house at the end of a driveway, or a cushy job that's 1000x the wages of a teacher. I neither have nor want power or "control" of anyone. If I control someone else, then I have less time-energy-space to be me. Having lots of stuff, "achievements," are not true barometers of "wealth." Wealth is what we give, not how much we accumulate. I've never been "poor" in my life! Poverty is a thought process, a way of living and perceiving things. It's that thing that eats away at the soul. It is the insidious shadow of "control" that the Blobs are trying their damndest to rebuild America as. But Humanity, Americans, we are not anti-matter, wrong is not right. We are Substance. We are Wealth, Power, Control personified, every single one of us, individually and esp. collectively. A wise woman once wrote, "The only power evil has is to destroy itself." Why? Because we are the stuff of Truth and a lie only has the reality we choose to cede to it. We are in control. Let's show them.