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Thank you, Heather for this masterpiece!

It is so clear that the GOP have changed these magnificent words "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” to that government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich, shall not perish from the earth! What an abomination!

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Here are Obama's words from yesterday at the seminar titled “Disinformation and the Erosion of Democracy,” hosted by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and The Atlantic'

“What we’re seeing is a reversion back to the old ways of thinking about power, place and identity,” he said, citing a complacency among democracies that began after the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall that led to the end of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine “is a bracing reminder for democracies that had gotten flabby and confused and feckless around the stakes of things that we tended to take for granted in our democracy: rule of law, freedom of press and conscience,” he said. “We have gotten complacent and I think I cannot guarantee that as a consequence of what’s happened, we are shaking off that complacency.”

My own personal opinion and response to Obama is that I see rampant complacency in my immediate circle of family and coworkers and friends. This worries me no end.

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They're not only complacent, they are complicit, and they now, "don't want to talk about it."

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Wow. Excellent.

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Barbara, I ,too, experience this among my immediate circle. They tentatively speak a little, but with no real deep thought about it. Just surface frustration, and then brush it aside to talk about pretty much anything else superficial. Is this not an exercise in privilege? I get their feeling of “Well! What can I do!?!?” If it’s beyond “liking something on FB”, I think they feel they just don’t have the time. And moreover, I sense they feel it really won’t impact them negatively in any way they can imagine. And if it effects others negatively, well “What can I do about it ?!” We are perfectly apathetic and ineffective. Just complain. Meanwhile, the gop whip up their supporters with lies and conspiracies to pump up the outrage and anger. Someone angry typically won’t think deeply, only reactively. Anger also leaves them less likely to be open to nuance. They become psychologically entrenched and defined by their anger. Directing those supporters is a much easier herd of cats than the apathetic zombies claiming to be liberals. It all won’t “Just Work Out”. And I echo what you ended with: “This worries me to no end.”

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You hit the nail on the head with this. Maybe people are just worn out. I read somewhere that one goal of disinformation/chaos enemies of Democracy is to so overwhelm people that they give up trying. And then there is covid, And then Ukraine. It just never seems to end. I don't blame people for turning away. We just need to find a way to get them back.

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People are worn out, overwhelmed, and deeply saddened by the chaos and disinformation, and COVID and Ukraine. We feel like the world and our tiny lives within it are spinning out of control. What helps me and my circle of about ten women, is to meet monthly for a few hours to discuss current events/politics, local and beyond. We've been doing so for almost thirteen years. Our group is a ' thinking out loud ' discussion with a few ground rules. Structure is a good remedy for chaos.

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I guess we are fortunate because most of our friends are very upset about Ukraine and also about what is happening here. Not all of them are politically active in the sense of knocking on doors, but most vote D and even Rs that we know hate death star Many people here in Salem are doing what they can to help Ukraine. Many are also politically active and some have been at it for years. My husband's family here is also all D. My family members back in Indiana and Illinois are likely to be misled. I frankly don't know if they bother to vote, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't vote.

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You hit the nail on the head when you said family in Indiana. I am D and only very few family and friends are D's. When you have 15 people running for office on the Clay County Indiana Primary Ballot that range from US Senator to Township Board and 61 on the Republican what does that say about my county? I have a lot of work to do to win the Treasurer office in November!

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Good luck. I do have a few friends in Indiana who are Ds, but not many. I also have a cousin in the Indy area who is. My Indiana relatives are mostly just making ends meet if they work at all. They are busy with the family drama and having children. I am a great great aunt several times over.

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Keeping everything crossed for you!

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Thank you!

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Kudos to you! Are you connected to support from Run For Something?

https://runforsomething.net/

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No. Thank you I will check this out!

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YES to this. And what also "worries me no end" is that in all likelihood people will not be shaken out of their complacency/apathy until it is too late. Once the people's rights have been taken away by oligarchic authoritarianism and this finally filters down and directly affects EVERYbody, once this democracy has been shattered beyond repair, it will be too late, and THAT'S when the hand-wringing will commence. "How ever did we let this happen???" I'm always reminded of the character of Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With the Wind" when she's being evacuated from Atlanta with mortal shells falling all around, and she exclaims "YANKEES! IN ATLANTA!! How ever did they get in?!?" We ignore the forces trying to take control of our country at our peril. Once we lose it, it will be VERY hard to get it back.

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Yes, as the poem by Martin Niemoller opens: First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. And ends: Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

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Thank you Michele,

I really resonated with all you wrote and I especially appreciate your information about anger. It explains a lot to me.

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Agreed. I think we may need to get more uncomfortable before our "woke" majority rules again.

I love Obama. I love what he says. But his manner of speaking is a little too "elevated" - appealing to the intellect. We need to be louder and more direct.

"Republicans are taking away your freedoms!"

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Agreed, but isn't it a shame that someone who rambles incoherently with a vocabulary of about 300 words commands more respect than someone educated and eloquent?!

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Miselle, my thoughts exactly.

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Number 1: there is a huge swath of people in this country who will ignore Obama from the very start because of his skin colour, no matter what kind of vocabulary he uses. And number 2: THEIR [insert "intellectually challenged"] leaders are screaming just as loudly, if not even louder, "Democrats/Radical Socialists are taking away your freedoms!" As he indicated yesterday at the end of the media event with Biden, Obama IS sounding the alarm, "We have to spread, and keep spreading, the message...this country is under attack." Yes, I wish he'd become a bit more "active" in his participation, same for the Clintons. It's time the gloves came off and we rescind this seemingly unwritten rule that ex-Presidents stay out of the limelight of contemporary politics. There's too much at stake and we need the "big guns" NOW, using whatever vocabulary they choose. Speak to the intellectuals AND to the "numb-nuts", but keep stressing the message.

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Shame that the former "ex-president" doesnt adhere to the unwritten rule - but then he never did - written or un-written!

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Agree about Obama. I love him but he is not relatable. Who would we envision that could get people going on the vital issues?

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I find Obama to be relatable and thoughtful. I believe he sees various sides and weighs the better for our nation.

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For myself he is relatable. I love Obama. I was thinking of folks out there in the USA.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

I’m way the hell out here in the hinterlands of Red Idaho and I love that man. He had a damned big mess to clean up from the git-go. He did er too! It was requiem for the nation with the candles going out when that man left the White House. Hell the whole world for that matter. Okay back to work on the barn and leave you articulate ones. Sigh.

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We are some of those folks! Thanks.

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Corey Booker. And the folks at the Lincoln Project?

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Joe Trippi

https://lincolnproject.us/bios/joe-trippi/

I’ve joined The Union! https://jointheunion.us/our-partners/

“ This has to be all of us coming together in a pro-democracy coalition to defeat an authoritarian movement that is using every means to seize power.”

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Yes. These are good ones. Jon Meacham and James Carville?

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Carville is not remotely relatable. Corey Booker is looking promising, for sure. Lincoln Project - I like what they are doing, but they are not really our friends. If they succeed in helping to politically bury TFG and his stooges, they will immediately turn against the Democratic party, though one hopes they will not also turn against democracy as the RepubliQans have done.

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I don't think there's any one voice that is the answer. It's the message that unifies us and the fact that it is raised by MANY voices that will carry the day and save democracy!

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He's relatable to me.

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But you are thoughtful, reflective and consider a wide range of issues and points of view. You and the rest of us on this substack platform are not the ones we need to reach.

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That is why I go into the lion's den via LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc...

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Agreed.

He lost the House (63 seats at his first midterm) and then the Senate in short order.

How does that make him someone Democrats should relate to?

Someone Democrats should take political advice from?

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He didn't ¨lose¨ the House or the Senate. Democrats were lazy and McConnell brags about his power to shut down all that this amazing president was working to accomplish by bullying his fellow Republicans. I am an Independent. I would vote for him over and over again.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

I am posting and speaking this every where I can. My warnings have no reaction.

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Barbara I totally agree about the complacency and self-centered selfishness that has blanketed our country together with the ‘false facts’ infection.

I was in Washington for JFK’s 1961 inaugural. Sadly, much of our population has inverted his words: ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY BUT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU.

I fear, in the coming weeks and months, that, with Republican bleating, a sizable portion of Americans will increasingly forget about Putin/Ukraine—a confrontation between the Free World and brutal autocracy—as they politically blame President Biden for inflation, high gas prices, supply-side problems, and, perhaps, for the poor performance of their favorite sports team.

As Pogo phrased it: “We have met the enemy, and it is us.”

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And then add in the media's apparent dislike of Biden and Democrats and we have a perfect recipe for Democracy Disaster.

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Very good comment, Keith. Succinct.

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Thank you for sharing, I had not seen news reporting on his remarks. And I share your worries.

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Barbara, I am trying to influence the few voters that I think that I can--my sisters who are seniors and don't use the internet at all. I can't forward the letters onto them. So I print out pertinent articles I find and the occasional HCR letter, they are snail mailed to them. One sister is overwhelmed by the violence in the US that leads on the broadcast news (no cable or streaming in that household) so she and her husband don't watch it. Not joking--they also do not read a daily newspaper or listen to news radio. Yep, they are in their 80s and clueless about what is going on unless someone tells them! The other sister does not have internet but watches local news, she gets bits and pieces. While she doesn't watch FOX, she can't get thorough information in 30 minutes, she is fairly receptive to what I send. (The other sister doesn't comment, she might toss it all, but the inclusion of non-political news and coupons for products I know they use assures me that they at least open it.)

These are three people guaranteed to vote, they never miss. Perhaps we all know someone and can all do something to gently influence someone to open their eyes?

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President Obama speaks. I listen. He is in the fight to preserve democracy. First Lady also. His children are influential voices with their gen.

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Me.too! Salud, Christine!

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Me three. ! I drink his words. It is rare to hear or read language that resonates with me. It is as though the nation as a whole has lost the ability to speak or read at a level that was the norm decades ago.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

Thank you Barbara, for your examples. I’m sorry to say, your family’s “complacency” isn’t unusual in this time of media overload. There was a time when Fox “News” was on every medical and business waiting room TV. Too many complaints? Now it’s CNN or MSNBC. Even today concerned and committed citizens are reaching their limits. Here we are daily interacting with each other in an invisible yet powerful connection. Some people I know shake their heads. Losing sleep and focus on the negative, they say. Media can be informative and/or mind deadening. “Most of us dread the deadening of the body and will do anything to avoid it. About the deadening of the soul, however, we care not one iota.

-Epictetus, Roman Stoic Philosopher” https://matthewzgindin.medium.com/the-internet-and-the-deadening-of-the-soul-4ef9f14ceb30

The author, however continues to say that the internet allows us to interact and potentially even enlighten the soul.

I may be “hooked” but this time and focus is worth it. So thank you, HCR. I call it “enlightening.”

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I agree. This is why I post, not only LFAA, facts and truth on every piece of social media that I can. I also support others who are doing the same.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

Thank you for this!

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Thank you!

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Rowshan, Dr. Richardson did capture a high level view that sort of indicates that Democrats might be "innocent" of this upward wealth movement and that, perhaps, Democrats may save us. However, here are the actual VOTES that took place during those tax cuts which moved wealth upward. All Bipartisan folks.

Our problem is MUCH larger than just Republicans being evil Rowshan. BOTH parties eagerly crawl at the feet of the rich and corporations. See the actual vote tallies for the tax cuts that helped ruin America. BOTH parties have put our Democracy at risk now.

Reagan's tax cuts were BIPARTISAN votes by Democrats and Republicans.

---->August 1, 1981; agreed to by the Senate on August 3, 1981 (67–8) and by the House on August 4, 1981 (282–95)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Recovery_Tax_Act_of_1981#:~:text=The%20highest%20marginal%20tax%20rate,gains%20taxes%2C%20and%20corporate%20taxes.

Bush's tax cuts were BIPARTISAN votes by Democrats and Republicans.

----->On December 15, 2010, the Senate passed the compromise package with an 81–19 vote, with large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans supporting it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_tax_cuts#:~:text=On%20December%2015%2C%202010%2C%20the,Democrats%20and%20Republicans%20supporting%20it.

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Citizens United poured lighter fluid on our national reversion to the Gilded Age. Best for us all when money and politics are minimized. The question is: how to do that?

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

This ^^^ is the billion dollar question. For starters, and it's a big "start," the Citizens United decision must be reversed. As long as there are no limits as to how much corporate money can pour into politicians' coffers, there are also no limits as to how subservient and obsequious those same politicians will be toward corporate interests, expectations and demands.

Let the corporations do what Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are doing with their cash -- build rocket ships for personal joyrides into space. If they haven't the wits to use the money to actually help anybody else or to improve pressing global issues, then at least keep the halls of Congressional decision-making off-limits to them, and let them burn the money in some other way.

Mitt Romney was dead wrong when he famously stated, "Corporations are people, my friend." I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I will believe corporations are people when one can be wheeled into an operating room and delivered of a living, breathing baby. Until then, no, they're not "people." They are entities, yes, but certainly not people. Language influences thought, and the word "people" matters a lot.

After that, our work should focus on finding and electing ONLY sane, compassionate people who are not ideologically driven when voting on legislature that affects everyone's lives. Non-partisan government ONLY works when there is a possibility for compromise. Give a little, get a little. It's not perfection we want, it's improvement. Too many of us vote as if we are casting ballots for junior high class officers. Electing people into offices needs to be based in evaluating qualifications, political stances (platform planks), and prior performance (whether in the private sector, in school, or in some other elective office).

End gerrymandering by State legislatures. The re-drawing of districts needs to be taken out of their hands entirely, and not allowed as frequently as it happens now. A congressional district should not look like a salamander or a Daddy Longlegs spider (as some of them currently do).

End the filibuster. Full stop. We've watched more than a decade of inaction on critically important decisions due to this odious practice of political obstruction.

And finally, the big hairball of term limits for all elective offices needs to be addressed. People routinely object to limiting the number of terms an elected office holder may serve, convincing themselves that the elections themselves serve as a form of "term limitation." The office of the President cannot be for more than two terms. Why should any other office be held for longer? And don't tell me it's because the Congressional seats have differences in the number of years in a term -- there's simply no excuse for allowing anybody to treat an elective office like a sinecure. Two terms, and then step down. Work in the real world, like everybody else is expected to work. Give others a chance to participate and make a difference in the nation.

There's more I'd wish for, but if only these get addressed first, a lot of the other craziness that holds us back from realizing our potential would come to a sudden, screeching halt. That's how a sane government could be realized. But we have to work together to make it happen.

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"As long as there are no limits as to how much corporate money can pour into politicians' coffers, there are also no limits as to how subservient and obsequious those same politicians will be toward corporate interests, expectations and demands."

Agree.

But, even before Citizens United legaized overt greed, money was flowing over our representatives like an ocean.

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It seems the genius of our founding fathers was in recognition that humans are fallible (read greedy, ignorant, self-serving) and that power corrupts, absolute power corrupting absolutely. Hence many of those humans who become politicians, ("servants of the people") strive to stay in power no matter what. Government worked best when there were checks and balances on most, if not all aspects of government by those same humans. Part of the genius of capitalism is that it derives its energy, creativity and productivity from that very greediness. Like the fundamental structure of our government, however, capitalism also needs a check on it, a balancing of its demands against the overall needs of "the people" by government, the much-maligned activity of "socialism." We will likely harness more of the benefits of both if we can get to a state in which we balance those two energies.

That our current government (legislatures, the courts) seems to have been overtaken by the "energy" of capitalistic greed arises largely from the system of political "donation" which has arisen and which Mike S from Upstate correctly reminds us has led neither side to push very hard to change. If we are to accept the implications of our current supreme court's decisions in Citizens United that money is the equivalent of free speech, then surely we can require that all money donated for political purpose be identified by the "speaker" (donor) with substantial (felony level) penalties for those obscuring or misrepresenting the donor. These kinds of laws would go a long way to combatting the "ignorance and stupidity" we have grown so fond of deploring.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

" surely we can require that all money donated for political purpose be identified by the "speaker" (donor) with substantial (felony level) penalties for those obscuring or misrepresenting the donor"

Great idea. Just a guess. Neither party will ever push for it. Democrats are not pusing for that kind of visibility now.

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Yes. And Citizens United turned a riptide into a tsunami.

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Agree. I've thought term limits for congress, overturning Citizens United, progressive taxes, and impartially drawn districts were fundamental to returning to a government for the people, by the people. Aging out on the SCOTUS at, say 85, wouldn't be a bad addition to the list.

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Oregon ages out their Circuit Court judges at 75. I have seen ONE in my time that was truly still highly functional at that age. Others just went through the motions. (In an interesting story, said Judge, (Judge M) had to learn how to use a new, on-line, court tracking system. It did not come easily. He watched another Judge, (Judge V) work it, explain it, and demonstrate it. The next day, their roles were reversed. Judge M never looked back. Judge V had been his clerk about 30 years prior.)

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👍🏻

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I could not agree with you more 👏🏻👏🏻

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The "joy rides" in space by billionaires employ thousands of people in their endeavors. Let them enjoy their folly as long as it provides paychecks for many.

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Except for the space junk that threatens true scientific efforts. There are a rapidly growing number - millions - of little tiny bits of space debris that we put there that travel 15 times faster than a bullet. Imagine needing to step outside the space station to do a repair and just one of those pierces your suit.

And imagine what all that joy ride money could do for the common good. I'm ready for a claw back. Nobody needs more than $1 billion. OK, maybe $5 billion. I don't know what the limit should be. But Jeff and Elon don't work any harder than millions of Americans who struggle to buy food or pay for child care. Don't get me started on health care....

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Agreed. Just heard the story yesterday on huge amount of space junk there is and how even a small piece of paint becomes a lethal weapon at "15x faster than a bullet."

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My brother says to make the Office of the Presidency 6 years. That's it. Can't run again.

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I agree. It would be great if the president would not spend so much time running a campaign for re-election and could concentrate on actually doing the job of being president.

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Cathy - I feel your comment is more applicable to members of Congress than to the president. Except for tfg, I don't recall previous presidents campaigning until two years or more into their term because the campaign season now begins far too early - should be limited to 6 months prior to date of primary elections in each state.

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And then they would be a six-year lame duck, rather than two. The best term limits are the vote.

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Trump would still be president.

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Oh lord. Never mind.

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I'd go for that, too.

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Taxes, taxes taxes. This all maybe true until we as a nation start to think about the public good again and see taxes, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes stated, as the price we pay for a civilized society. Let’s put civics lessons back in the classroom.

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"𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦." --Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas v. Collector of Internal Revenue. 1927

“'𝘛𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.' 𝘛𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵." --President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, citing Justice Holmes, 1937

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Why are all the quotes blocked out (but not the authors)_?

How do I reveal underneath?

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I am unsure but it is probably an issue on your end. The quoted text I posted was italicized. Your program apparently cannot recognize that formatting.

Anyway, here is the post without formatting: (If you still can't read it let me know)

"It is true, as indicated in the last cited case, that every exaction of money for an act is a discouragement to the extent of the payment required, but that which in its immediacy is a discouragement may be part of an encouragement when seen in its organic connection with the whole. Taxes are what we pay for civilized society, including the chance to insure." --Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas v. Collector of Internal Revenue. 1927

“'Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.' Too many individuals, however, want the civilization at a discount." --President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, citing Justice Holmes, 1937

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Perfect. Taxes are payment for a civilized society. Medical care for all pays for that unfortunate human not to die on your porch. There is no free lunch.

Hey, thanks for the reply and explanation!

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

Thank you for the quotes, Ron Boyd. They explain the “why” of our taxation process, but could they predict a court that would give those powers to corporations? From a simple Wikipedia perspective about “Citizens United “: “ In his dissenting opinion, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens declared that the court's ruling represented "a rejection of the common sense of the American people, who have recognized a need to prevent corporations from undermining self government." So true but not enough dissents in that court.

We still have that ruling and with today’s court it seems it’s not going away soon.

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There actually is an argument to be made for graduated flat tax rates with no exemptions or exceptions for anything.

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Couldn't agree more.

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So true Jerry!

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NO. NO. NO. “A plague on both your houses” absolves everyone of responsibility. Republicans and Democrats are not equal here. Democrats are hardly unspotted from the world, but the lion’s share of responsibility for the threat that democracy faces in the United States comes from Republicans. We must not let them off the hook by preaching that Democrats are as bad, or almost as bad. They’re not.

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Manchin and Sinema prove your point, others have as well. But Dems have not embraced evil, across the board. I’ve watched republicans do just that…

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I agree that Democrats MAY, possibly, help Democracy.

But, I think that America's form of Democracy is flawed fundamentally now in ways John Adams could not have foreseen. It has been, and remains, too easy for a rich Corporation or Individual to just walk in and buy a Congressperson to do his or her bidding.

And buying Congresspeople has bipartisan support.

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Yes Mike S. Thank you for the reminder that both sides have members owned by special interest. The political game is, and I guess has always been, a game of special interest. We had slavery because of bowing to special interest. How can “We The People” own our Reps and Senators, when the system is rigged to favor the special interest? Hasn’t that ship sailed? What remains is only Myth.

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Unfortunately, bowing to the slavery interest was the only way to get the Constitution ratified. I recommend Jill LaPore's fairly recent history of the US for a description of what happened during the Constitutional Convention. Later on she calls Bill Clinton a rascal which for some reason has stuck with me.

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Yes, I know, but at least the Dems work to assist the poor with social services. If we leave it up to the Repugs, Social Security and Medicare will disappear!

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I agree that the push for the destruction of our Democracy has come from the Republican side and I do think Democrats MAY stand up for Democracy and appear to be doing so with the Jan 06 committee.

However, American Democracy may just have a fundamental flaw: It is simply too easy for me, if I were rich, to go stand outside Congress on a sunny day holding up a bag of money, and have a Congressman come grab it from me after asking me what I want.

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However much Dark Money is insidiously undermining democratic process, Zalinskyy in “Servant of the People” illustrates the challenge of taking on the deeply entrenched ways of doing business through bribery and cronyism.

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You hit on something there, Mike, that really irks me: "Christians" supposedly avoid greed as a deadly sin. Apparently that hasn't sunk in with many of them, esp those who worship at the megachurches!!

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Miselle, the Prosperity Gospel is now all the rage.

In that Gospel, God's favorite's become rich. In other words, God loves rich people and helps them stay rich.

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So, as Barbara mentioned: do you think that Capitalism might be the pivot point?

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Ally, I think every day Capitalism is at a pivot point.

More, I think that Americans, like Thomas Jefferson predicted would happen with an ignorant electorate, are just not well read enough, not mature enough, not thoughtful enough to support a healthy Democracy.

I think our government IS a representative of US.

And, we and it are all a mess of adolescent behaviors and minds.

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Yup

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Yup, the dems are also complicit. We have to choose the lesser of two evils until we get better choices.

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I guess so, but, it could also be that the structure of our Democracy has a fundamental weakness. It supports greed.

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Could it be that Capitalism supports greed instead of Democracy?

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That could be the kicker here.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

Barbara, good question. I think greed is just a human trait. With humans in politics who grew up rich and, as a consequence, without any significant legal or moral boundaries, like Trump, then, we see what we see.

Nancy Pelosi's wealth as reported by google search is $200 million.

But, her salary is $223,000. Now, perhaps she is a genius investor.

OR, perhaps she is on the take?

OR.....?

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Your comment about Nancy Pelosi's net worth made me curious. I did a search and found a number of sites addressing her net worth in 2022. The figures given ranged from $114 million (2 site) to $140 million, none on the first page of results reported $200 million.

Pelosi has been around politics (her father was a Congressman from BD and served as Mayor of Baltimore) all of her life, undoubtedly learning financial skills early on. It would appear that "her" wealth may actually community property wealth although she herself (in the Wikipedia article) also is an investor.

She and her husband own substantial, valuable properties which would be counted as part of the net worth. Wikipedia: "Pelosi resides in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.[291][292] Her 2016 financial disclosure report lists among her assets a combined home and vineyard in St. Helena, California, two commercial buildings in San Francisco, and a townhouse in Loomis, California." The Wikipedia section on Financial Status is interesting, describes growth in her net worth over several decades as well as reporting that her net worth in 2021 was $120 million (no citation for source). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Pelosi#Financial_status

In comparison, my current net worth is at least $1.5 million despite having worked all my life as a librarian. My highest salary, near retirement at age 57, was approx. $48,000/yr. My 'wealth' is due to the huge market value increase of my condo in San Diego (don't dare sell bcz of capital gains on it) and my brother-in-law who has done a superb job managing investments for me, initially based on securities inherited from my parents 22 years ago. So the Pelosi net worth (of $120 million, give or take), based on her salary, their investments and the high-value properties they own (many of which provide revenue to the couple) don't seem so surprising to me.

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Hmmm. Seems to me Capitalism is Greed.

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I'm not sure that it's Democracy that has the fundamental flaw. I'm more inclined to believe that it's the way that we've been twisting and contorting the term to suit special interests. "One man, one vote" sounds like a good idea to all until the one man uses his one vote to oppose something you want. Then it becomes "one man who thinks the same way I do, one vote" as the operating principle. After that, it's a very short slide down to "my vote matters, your vote doesn't matter," until finally, some genius figures out that the simple answer is to set criteria on voting so that ONLY the people who think the way I want are allowed to vote at all.

And we've been working hard to perfect that terrible outcome for more than half of our nation's history.

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mlbrowne, I think your comment is the best post of the day.

"Then it becomes "one man who thinks the same way I do, one vote" as the operating principle."

In this sentence is the origin of authoritarianism.

Brilliant. No lie. Thank you.

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Nothing like recorded votes to provide some perspective, thanks Mike.

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:-( Reality is never as nice as we want it to be.

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The difference I think is the Democrats, realizing trickle down doesn't work, are trying to change it. Republicans are stuck on repeating their failed philosophy. I won't default to the cynical "both sides did/do it".

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You're right, but, in the same way that paranoics do have enemies, cynics sometimes make an accurate point.

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Now Dave. I am a long time ebullient optimist. Hence, my leaving a very small pine "house" in rural east texas and subsequently, many years later, meeting you!

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I share the optimistic approach and, if we work hard enough, we might even see it happen.

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Gail. I agree. Some Democrats never bought in and many see the problem now.

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Exactly!

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Thanks Mike, this is sad but true.

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Good point. Also, it shows that party designation is not the best predictor of our representatives' behavior. A measure of their conservative-progressiveness at election might prove to be the better predictor. Congressmen elected in those years were likely to be more bipartisan and reflect the tenor of the population at large, centrist. Thanks for the data.

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Hmmm. Very interesting, Mike. And revelatory.

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Republicans are, indeed, the abominable no-men, with a few women who should know better.

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Jon.

Abominable no-men.

I think this is an amazing short sentence. Why are the Democrats not using this stuff?

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Feel free to spread it around—no credit needed

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Put on you’re seatbelt, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

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C&P yours with my share

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I'm in the UK at the moment, so coming at this in the morning. And while listening to the news about anger that the Tories are raising taxes in order to run the National Health Service. They are raising taxes on the working poor as well as on the rich--at an equal rate of about 1.4%--which is why the anger is pretty extreme. Some of the changes won't take place for 6 months for people making less than £35,000 a year, but I can tell you that this limit is pretty risible: the cost of living, especially for housing, in the UK is far more consistently high than in the USA. And the population density also far higher. The Tories are masters at regressive taxation--VAT, "across the board" tax hikes, and so on. The Ghastly Oligarch-loving Party in the USA is simply taking a page from Boris's playbook. VAT is indeed one of the issues, because when you demand that a person making £12,000 a year pay 21% in sales tax, it is a huge chunk of their income; when a person making £200,000 a year pays it there is not much pain. This system is what is being proposed in Republican-led states, where the demand is to raise sales taxes, especially on food, in order to pay for essential services. This is a very common practice because it is a hidden tax that has an outsized negative impact on poor people and rich people don't blink. and yet, the same administrations want to cut property taxes and income taxes. Because that will make the rich richer, of course.

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And the sheep baa as they are being squeezed to death

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Thank you Linda, per David Baty in The Guardian's UK Edition today, "12% of residents in London's richest parts [ Kensington, Westminster ] claimed "Non-Dom" tax status in 2018 meaning they paid NO taxes from off-shore income including "top bankers" & presumably, the PM from Eton as well. Got to "sort this out" ... I think that's what our British friends say.

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I don't like VAT except at least the wealthy pay something. We have way too many at the top who basically take a free ride and still bitch about paying social security and Medicare.

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(and I expect that those @ the very top still take Medicare and Social Security...)

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Thanks, Linda. You hit it right on the head of the nail. Boris Johnson and his Torie buddies are equivalent to the Republican party here in the U.S. Linda, I recommend that you check out THE CANARY, which is a people's email news publication based in the U.K. I subscribe to it here in the U.S. and find it extremely helpful to find out what is going on in the U.K., especially since it covers what the people really think.

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deletedApr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022
Comment deleted
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Per a separate article in the The Guardian UK, it was not "big bucks" in one (1) case, it was fat pounds, 11.5 million British pounds to be exact; sheltered by "dual citizenship" & apparently doubly sheltered in the Cayman Islands. Corporate shells can be complicated but, not that difficult to crack open.

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...and here in the U.S. there are states writing laws that allow the money to be sheltered in the form of trusts here in the U.S. This level of secrecy regarding money is what the Pandora Papers is all about. As far as I know,there's been little if any action about this. Not surprising, since many in the Congress are wealthy and get to write the laws for the country. These states include "South Dakota, Delaware, Nevada and New Hampshire have become popular places for the wealthy to park billions of dollars in secrecy." Quote from this article: https://www.marketplace.org/2021/10/08/how-did-the-u-s-become-a-tax-haven/

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This is an astonishingly inappropriate and ignorant comment. I am very unhappy to see it being accepted for publication here!

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Apparently, you missed the /S at the end. Time honored representation of sarcasm, since there is no sarcasm font on the keyboard.

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Thx for the explanation of the "/S"; I didn't know that.

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I learned the hard way myself... Personally, I use "<sarcasm font> to avoid the sarchasm."

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Thinking and caring people have a responsibility to turn down the rhetoric promoting violence when all hell has been let loose on the land. So I agree. Especially an attempt at humor, to treat such violence so lightly, when all around us are committing such egregious acts. Words matter. Let’s encourage each other to promote peace and love over vengeance and violence.

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True, RJV, about Lisa's comment. Didn't know about "/S" either; thx Ally for the explanation.

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What is?

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OT……

From Merrick Garland today…

“Our message to those who continue to enable the Russian regime through their criminal conduct is this: It does not matter how far you sail your yacht. It does not matter how well you conceal your assets. It does not matter how cleverly you write your malware or hide your online activity,” Garland said. “The Justice Department will use every available tool to find you, disrupt your plots, and hold you accountable.”

In addition, the Justice Department is assisting with the collection of evidence for potential war crimes prosecutions related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

You go Merrick!!!

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There was also news yesterday on Nicole Wallace's show that the DOJ has issued numerous subpoenas for records from several people in Congress concerning events prior to/during /after the 1/6 insurrection. The report added that the 1/6 committee has tried to find ways to collect some of that info from their "colleagues" but have found that to be tricky. Now that the DOJ has stepped in, there will be big questions about who in Congress helped plan, fund, etc the insurrection. Get out the popcorn....

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Really? Truly? You have brightened my day!

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I suspect there is some very delicate work to be done by the 1/6 committee with respect to the involvement of congresscritters in the insurrection.

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Signs of life from DOJ?

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This DOJ does not leak and so we do not know what they are doing. That does not translate into them doing nothing. Prosecutors like air tight cases. I also suspect that the committee and the DOJ has so much info that it takes time to get through it all. Remember too that they indicted the leadership of the Oath Keepers and the head of the Proud Boys. It is also very telling that Jared and the Princess decided to testify to the Committee, probably trying to cover their rears.

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Sounds good to me, Michele, and you're probably right, but then it seemed Mueller had the goods on Trump, too. Actually, he really did have the goods. Was Trump impeached? No. Twice. So I'll believe it when I see Trump et al in chains.

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I think that Mueller was dealt a crap hand with constraints put on him, and rather than bluff it to the end, he folded.

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Am at that part about Mueller, Barr in the book High Crimes…interesting parts also about the differences in his testimony/appearances in the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Committee (sorry, can’t remember exact name)

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Ally, perhaps Mueller should have folded sooner and complained loudly about his crap hand.

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Mueller was hindered in ways that we did not know at the time. It was all smoke and mirrors from the DOJ. I too would like to see them all in jail.

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Trump WAS impeached twice but found not guilty because Republicans are scared of him and his gangs of bullies, are getting rich off him, or have no morals, or are just stupid. Sorry to preach to the choir but I keep trying to understand what the heck is going on in this country with legislators who took an oath of office.

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Thank you Michele, for your comment. In my opinion, not the minute-hour-day-week-year to slyly criticize our current DOJ or our Atty General by suggesting that “signs of life” perhaps are noted.

Look for “signs of life”from authoritarian, greedy, ignorant traitors in our democracy and crush them with overwhelming support for the rule of law.

Salud, Michele.

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Salud, Christine. Patience is difficult when the crimes are so many and obvious. It was very telling to me when the ugly pair rushed to testify to the committee and the Princess was there for 8 hours. I am not sure the traitors are all ignorant. The ones at the top have been getting away with all sorts of things for a long time and they may think they are still immune. But signs are they are getting worried.

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Also, it's just reported (WaPo or NYT, can't remember) that the DOJ is investigating the missing 15 boxes of papers at Mar-A-Lago. Hooray!

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Thank you Vermont Girl. I’m so glad to hear Merrick Garland’s voice. And hope he continues speaking up, especially against government and private corruption. He knows we care.

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YES! Thank you for this quote Vermontgirl57!

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Old expression. Don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining. So tired of the lies.

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That IS the trickle down theory so aptly described. :-) -saw-

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<tee hee> Tinkle down.

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And shit runs downhill....

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Exactly what they are doing…

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Yes, Clint Eastwood says that line in his movie "The Outlaw Josie Wales."

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It is impossible to get one's head around anything that comes from the republicans. They simply make no sense. The fact they actually say it out loud and/or put it in writing and some people actually agree with them, is downright frightening. The intellectual laziness that has become the norm for a sub sector of the electorate is a huge hit to democracy.

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And just when we think the dumbed down will see the light, they run off to investigate Hunter Biden rather than take a closer look at their own orange pumpkinhead and buddy of Putin.

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The same pumpkinhead that refused to share his taxes as previously promised.

The same pumpkinhead that blatantly violated the Emoluments Clause.

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The same pumpkinhead that gleefully brags about sexually harassing women. And, publicly asking Russia for help during his campaign. And calls the press, "the enemy of the people".

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And gloss right over trump “entertaining” russian leaders in the Oval with no US press allowed and meeting putin with no records of the conversation.

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Apr 7, 2022·edited Apr 7, 2022

Here is a link to a pretty good explanation:

https://twitter.com/Nick_Carmody/status/1505542537607450625?s=20&t=DfJ8z9bkxhEwvGmFpVFN2w

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the party of fear

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Excellent! Becky! The proverbial “talking out of both sides of their mouths” with an explanation. I read this a while back and it’s a powerful message that we cannot count on many of the promises of support from certain parties and why.

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C&P yours with my share

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The tragedy of this, of course, is that supply-side economics doesn't work. Yes, it feeds the wealthy for a season, but it destroys the productivity that enables them to keep it, and eventually leads to revolution and death for the rich. I can only conclude that their attitude is, "Won't come in my lifetime. Party on!"

I've long felt that there was a reason that vampires became so insanely popular in film and fiction about the time supply-side started taking hold. Because that is what the rich are: bloodsuckers.

Vampires are passé. Much darker beasts walk the pages of fiction. Creatures of pure might and destruction, mindless creatures that smash and destroy, met with desperate violence by the "good guys." Zombies. Ancient gods. Apocalyptic natural disasters. Things you can't work out a deal with, because they don't think, they only destroy. That is the Republican Cult and its cultists.

Fiction always reflects the society it comes from, and far more honestly.

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I have been listening to Nick Hanauer for a few years now. I don't understand why he hasn't caught on with more people. I've posted his stuff to my fb and only get silence. Perhaps it's the complacency mentioned earlier by another commenter. Here is a taste of him, if you are not familiar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d5tWqgn2yE

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Excellent MK, thx for the link! Inequality is described in such a powerful way.

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Don't keep it to yourself. Spread it. Seems to be the only way we will make progress.

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WOWOW!!! THIS!! EXACTLY!! Thank You! I run a small business. This is what I have always believed, but so terrific to hear it validated by an expert! Thank You! Sharing!!

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Great! Now share it with others, please. I think spreading the message is the only way we will progress.

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Love seeing Nick Hahauer interviewed in 2020 by Ali Veldhi, who today is broadcasting from Ukraine.

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THIS is the IT I have been looking for! Both are terrific!!

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The wealthy think their money will save them especially from the impending climate disaster.

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Strange, no? Like it is nutritious, or something that would sustain a life. Or, some fantasy that money would purchase safety from the storms, the fires, the millions of migrants, and the challenges of growing food in a seriously altered climate.

Part smart, as Ma used to say.

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It is foolish, but not strange to me because their money does afford them flexibility and shelter now. It won't later, but they seem to be living for their life style of the moment. I am a long time gardener and already I have challenges growing my garden. Today I am planting potatoes and hopefully cole crops. We are also getting our solar expanded beginning today with wall batteries. Last summer we had the dreaded heat dome and it was 117 in Salem. No plants liked it.

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I, too, garden. And grow seedlings for our 14 area Food Bank Gardens. There are all sorts of shifting signs and troubling developments in timing of events. The heat dome up here was only around 100, but no plants were happy.

There is a concerted community effort to grow sustainable food on the Olympic Peninsula.

Of course, an absence of Arctic ice will change everything. (qv Guy McPherson; Cassandra calling out in the wilderness...)

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We are in the mid 70s today and this weekend we make see a flake or two. I am happy for the rain. Brava for your work for the food bank. I give a lot of my produce away to friends and occasionally in the driveway. Our neighbors do the same. Once I put out apples and a lady appeared the next day with an apple dessert!

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may see a flake..

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Yes. Easier to believe a fictional account than actually admit it a mirror of a current reality or a truthful history.

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POWERFUL TED Talk!! Shared!

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Well, I saved the Politico article to my reading list….that’s a start!

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The lack of the availability of health insurance for the self-employed without the ACA keeps people chained to their awful jobs. No wonder R's want to revoke it.

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So glad someone in the world makes sense. Agree with Rowshan Nemazee that the concept of government by the people for the people not the rich and and famous only has disappeared. When will all people of all sexes and races finally be equal. Will it be in my lifetime (I am 71) or will my younger relatives be the recipients of this greater good! I am from Vermont home of Bernie Sanders & Patrick Leahy two people one can honestly call patriots.

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Thaddeus Stevens was born in Vermont (c. 1792), educated here and subsequently moved to Pennsylvania where he was elected to Congress. These two quotes are as relevant today as they were in the mid 19th century:

"I will be satisfied if my epitaph shall be written thus: "Here lies one who never rose to any eminence, who only courted the low ambition to have it said that he striven to ameliorate the condition of the poor, the lowly, the downtrodden of every race and language and color."

"We have turned, or are about to turn, loose four million slaves without a hut to shelter them or a cent in their pockets. The infernal laws of slavery have prevented them from acquiring an education, understanding the common laws of contract, or of managing the ordinary business of life. This Congress is bound to provide for them until they can take care of themselves. If we do not furnish them with homesteads, and hedge them around with protective laws; if we leave them to the legislation of their late masters, we had better have left them in bondage."

I see these sentiments in Leahy and Bernie and perhaps even in George Aiken.

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Thaddeus Stevens is a man for these particular times! And if you check out his bio on Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaddeus_Stevens he is rather amazing on his stance that it was, or should have been, incumbent upon the government to educate slaves, provide them with homes, and teach them skills in order to be successful once they were freed. Otherwise, he felt, they would be safer in bondage rather than homeless and out of work. He was a very interesting man and if you look at his photo, he could be the twin of Lincoln! He hired a mulatto woman who stayed with him for the rest of his life. Born clubfooted, one can understand how he fought so hard for those who are of a different tinted skin or have a physical disability. I am looking forward to reading more about him. Thanks for sharing this info!

I am also looking more into Phinneas White, whom I have been curious about as there is a street named after him here in Putney. He also studied law and became a judge, senator and congressman for Vermont. He married Elizabeth Stevens and I am trying to find out if she was related to Thaddeus in any way. Thaddeus hated the Masons as they would not allow someone with a disability as a member, whilst Phinneas was a Mason and eventually became the Grand Master. Great BBC documentary on the Masons. My beau and I have been watching 33 & Beyond: The Royal Art of Freemasonry - by Johnny Royal. It is a really fascinating look at the purpose of this fraternity. So many of our leaders in America belonged to the Masons; George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, and Gerald Ford. Others include Sir Joseph Banks, Winston Churchill , Ludwig Von Beethoven, and Irving Berlin. Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. From these beginnings, there now are some 5,000 lodges and 47 grand lodges who trace their lineage to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Jurisdiction of Massachusetts. The tradition started by Bro. Prince Hall over 200 years ago is still carried on today. Dont'cha love history?

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I think Heather is a ,marvelous inspiration to us all in creating or recreating our interest in history. The Masons were a powerful institution hated and feared by autocrats. I was in DeMolay as a youth. We need to rebuild our institutions, they make us stronger.

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I remember DeMolay as a youth...sort of the youth version of the Freemasons helping to create good sons with leadership skills? I wonder about the darker side of secret cabals such as the Iluminati which was based on the principles of the Freemasons. The darker side of men in power such as the Gaetz's, Epsteins, the trumputins, and that ilk. Maybe I read too much Dan Brown years ago!

It certainly feels like we are in a battle between the dark and light forces today, and it is good to know your enemy, their thinking and the symbols/words that ignite their members.

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Stay close to your friends, closer to your enemies.

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Substack won't let me love your comment, Pensa. I do! I love that you continued your research after reading HCR's letter today.

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The 2nd quote about freed slaves is especially wrenching, considering how this contributed to the fall of Reconstruction, Black Codes, Jim Crow, and all the other indignities and oppression

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Didn't know Governor/Senator Aiken, but he supported common sense ideas "for the people" as a Republican.

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He was the first Senator to call for getting out of Vietnam. He met for coffee with Senate majority leader, Mike Mansfield, every morning. Neither would ever say what they had talked about.

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Thx! Well respected it seems.

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I live next door in NH. Our Republican majority legislators have fallen into the extremist trap of the Free State Project, who are ultra right wing Libertarians. The majority leader, Jason Osborne, belongs to it. That group actually went so far as to try to pass a Constitutional Amendment to secede from the U.S. and brought it to a vote. It went down in flames with a majority of 323 voting against it and only 13 voting for it (Thank Heavens!).

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Oh, my. I am helping two very dear friends (and their Corgis and Kittys) move to NH at the end of the month. You'll have two more sane people in your state come May.

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Me, too. I feel so blessed to have sane leaders in Vermont. And it is frustrating that we cannot voice our opinions (electronically) to other state's leaders due to our zip code...

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I'm wondering about the difference between ideology as principle and ideology as rhetoric. Republicans are operating on the basis of principle of what is best for the country? Or on the basis of what is best in their own self-interests to expand their power and wealth by tending to the interest groups that finance them? And then coming up with rhetoric when questioned about their actions.

Frank Luntz was the brain and New Gingrich was the coach teaching prescribed rhetoric to Republican members of Congress as the game plan for the past 32 years. This tactic of responding with the rhetoric, the buzz words, no matter the content of the question, with no regard for logic, has grown into the Republican Party's nihilistic obstructionism against Democrat sponsored legislation and office holders.

Why does their base vote for them? Principle? Or in response to some combination of (A) aspirations to the glittery American dream, that they, too, can have a piece of a life of luxury and privilege, plus (B) lack of critical thinking skills. Here we see commonalities between the Republican base and Putin's base.

Once upon a time, Democrats and Republicans were on the same side of defending