In the summer heat of July 1776, revolutionaries in 13 of the British colonies in North America celebrated news that the members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, had adopted the Declaration of Independence.
You never know how important your voice or action is. Only in hindsight may you have a clue. But standing strong for what is dear, steadfast in the winter of our soul, can bring us closer to the aspirations of our founders. Thank you Heather Cox Richardson for telling the stories of our history that give us understanding and hope.
Thanks Mike. I cut and pasted the column as it is behind a paywall for many of us.
The American economy has improved significantly over the past year, especially for the middle class. In December 2022, I shared my optimism in these pages about our country’s economic trajectory: We had gotten our economy back on its feet after weathering significant shocks and were poised for growth. It’s now clear that optimism was justified. While some forecasters predicted a 100% chance of recession this year, that didn’t happen. During the first three quarters of 2023, annualized growth averaged around 3%. Americans are applying to start businesses at a record pace, consumers are buying more, and inflation has come down substantially.
Historically, it’s rare to bring down inflation while maintaining a healthy labor market, but that’s what’s happened in the past year. The unemployment rate is near historic lows—at less than 4% for 22 months, the longest stretch in more than 50 years. Real wages have risen from their pre-pandemic levels—especially quickly for middle-income households. The typical middle-class American household has higher earnings, more wealth and more purchasing power than before the pandemic. Because wages have risen more than prices since 2019, a worker earning the median wage can today buy the same basket of goods and services as in 2019, with nearly $1,000 left over to save or spend.
Our economic position reflects actions the Biden administration has taken over the past three years. When President Biden took office, we were in the middle of a pandemic for which our country and our world was unprepared. Thousands of people were dying every week and many more were losing their livelihoods. The administration acted quickly, including through the American Rescue Plan—getting shots in arms and providing direct financial support to households and fiscal relief to local, state, tribal and territorial governments. We also helped ease supply-chain bottlenecks that had contributed to a surge in goods inflation. With healed supply chains and Americans rejoining the labor force, the American economy is producing more goods and services. This expanded supply enabled us to maintain stronger growth than many predicted, while inflation cooled.
This isn’t to say that recovery has been without its challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up global energy prices. In response, we took actions to hold energy prices down, releasing 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and working with a coalition of partners to put in place a novel price cap on Russian oil. Russia has seen a significant fall in oil profits, even as global energy markets remained well-supplied and energy prices declined for American families, with average gasoline prices down $1.90 a gallon from their high in June 2022.
This year, amid stresses in the banking sector, we acted to protect depositors and mitigate risks to the financial system. As a result, the U.S. avoided a panic that could have derailed our economic recovery. We’re continuing to promote financial stability, which serves as a foundation for economic growth. We’re also monitoring potential economic spill-overs from Russia’s war in Ukraine and, more recently, from the conflict in the Middle East.
We recognize that middle-class Americans continue to face costly food and rent, which matters enormously to their budgets and daily lives. President Biden and I are focused on lowering prices where we can. The Biden administration has already capped insulin costs for Americans on Medicare at $35 a month and is lowering the price of prescription drugs for seniors and the cost of health insurance for millions of working families. Our clean-energy incentives are making it cheaper for Americans to upgrade their residential energy systems and will keep energy costs lower over time.
President Biden is also taking action to support the middle class through investments that will enhance the economy’s ability to produce and create good jobs. I call this strategy modern supply-side economics. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are creating incentives for private-sector investment, with companies announcing more than $600 billion of investment in clean energy and manufacturing since the start of the administration. Recent Treasury analysis shows that funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law is going where it’s most needed—to states with the lowest-rated public infrastructure and lower median household incomes—not just to the coasts and wealthy communities. Since Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, 70% of investments in clean energy have been in counties where the employment rate is below average, and 86% have been in counties where college-graduation rates are below average. The law has created well-paying jobs for people and places that have historically been left behind.
As we look to the new year, despite challenges and risks, there’s good reason to be optimistic about the path we’re on: rising real wages, declining inflation, and a strong labor market. Our investments and other economic policies will continue to expand the country’s productive capacity and pay dividends for middle-class Americans.
I wish that every American could read or listen to Yellen's speech. Can you imagine what the 2024 elections would look like if our citizenry is truly informed of actual economic facts?
I for one have read or heard over and over again the basic points Janet Y. makes in her piece. I also know that we will hear all of this so many times as the campaign heats that we will know it by heart or get sick of it, or both. I also read people who seem to hope we never see TFG as president again whine that the administration doesn't trumpet its successes nearly often enough. Dems need to donate, organize, and vote as if our lives depended on it. Duh!
Yes. Pay attention to Dem candidates in the 'must win' states and donate whatever you can to their campaigns. And don't forget to support the Progressive Turnout Project. We need everyone to get out and vote.
"And unlike 2020, there’s no guarantee most voters will see President Biden as the safer bet between the two men to bring order back to America — in no small part because Mr. Biden was elected to do so and hasn’t delivered."
I posted a comment that this was a lie and put the Janet Yellen link into the comment.
But, looks like NY Times is now firmly in the make stuff up camp.
As noted in JohnM's post below, people should pay attention to who is doing the writing. The NY Times is firmly in the camp of click bait and Biden criticism as is most of the msm. It is tiresome and it is up to readers to try to outline the flaws and point others to articles like the one covering Janet Yellen.
Mike S -- I unsubscribed to the NYT a couple of weeks ago for that reason -- mainly because they do not support President Biden in any way at all, significant or otherwise. I am sorry that my un-subscription has affected access to the Science section too, which is very regrettable.
Thanks for posting the Yellen piece. I think anyone who has a subscription to date should do the same thing in the response section to their article by the Republican. That would be yelling, Janet Yellen’s (pun intended) outstanding and accurate piece out to so many more people. I do not have a subscription so I cannot, but am saving it for when I will be doing more phone banking in 2024.
Thanks. I found myself sucked in to subscribing for $2/month. It will be an opportunity to read the views of the Oligarchs and Bigots. Of course, I must now mark my calendar to cancel in a year when it rockets to $38.99.
FYI. You can read the WSJ online free via some libraries. I read via the Boston Public Library (need a card, available to all MA residents) by signing in and creating 3 day subscriptions whenever there's something I want to read. Here's a link to BPL. https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/digital-newspaper-and-magazine-resources-at-the-bpl Other libraries (though not all) offer similar service.
Oh, and btw, instead of giving $ directly to WSJ, I make a donation to the library to pay for services they provide free to everyone. Libraries are more important than ever!
Bill Alstrom -- Although I have unsubscribed from the "paper", I'm considering getting into the 50-cents per week offer, until that runs out, just to access things like the Science section. In somewhat of a quandary.
Really appreciate the copied text Gary. It's all spot on except why on earth would she call it "modern supply side economics?" Why use the name of a failed policy and just add modern?
Yellen is excellent but still has to deal with morons like Larry Summers, who infamously said “women are not capable of higher math”. I take every opportunity to point out that 2 of the 3 directors of the new fusion research centers are women. Physicists.
Larry Summers couldn’t see a banking crisis slapping him in the face. Nor could Art Laffer, who dumpty hung a prize around.
That graph is all we need to know about what needs to change in this country and the world. Why is there such widespread admiration of billionaires? On the whole, they cost the rest of us far too much. https://www.monbiot.com/2023/12/13/billionaires-are-bad-for-us/
Economics has a fundamental two-sided structure: supply and demand. The Republicans politicized a basic economic term, supply side economics, by making it a euphemism for what is accurately called trickle-down economics, the mendacious idea that shoveling money into the hands of the already super-wealthy will result in their directing this new wealth into building new productive capacity (ref. Reagan tax cut, George W. Bush tax cut, Trump tax cut, with minimal sops to the non-wealthy to make them politically palatable). I call it "mendacious" because it was never designed to work as advertised. It is a cover for payoff for bribery (via campaign contributions--"implicit quid pro quo" that the Supreme Court abomination of 2010, Citizens United, destroying a century of anti-corruption legislation, declared to be non-criminal.) We can't throw away basic language because of a previous contaminating misuse.
And the dumpster one made the 1% cuts permanent - but the ones to the "non-wealthy" temporary - so of course THAT is what is catching the eyes of the public! My, could that have been intentional - maybe?
This is optimistic and wonderful news to read about Miss Yallen's report. This should be televise for the American people to hear. It's up to the Biden administration to enforce it.
That’s all true. However, here in NE Pennsylvania, our food pantries are being stretched to the max, as demand has increased. I know that my food expenses have about doubled since 2020. I laugh when I read about 6% and 8% inflation in grocery prices. I’m long retired, so I feel the pain just as young families do.
The comments to her opinion piece, also published, are trollish invective directed to Ms. Yellen and the Biden administration by the usual denizens of an ultra pro-business, anti-democratic readership. I applaud her for the guts to stick it right in the middle of their opinion page. Touché!
Who knows how many of the comments are employees of Putin paid to troll anything positive about Biden in Putin's ongoing effort to get his pet boy tRUMP elected again. I would guess a fair number of comments are just Putin employees.
Yellen speaks and writes well. That was a strong endorsement of what the administration has accomplished. Too often we forget where we have come from, what our travails were not so long ago.
Covid is ramping up again, the flu is upon us and RSV is savaging the population. And nobody wears a mask in crowded places. Is anybody else sick of being sick?
How to become like a resistant pincushion:-) C’est moi now post Bronchitis in November, which no one speaks about: felt like people w thin sticks were beating my chest. Just another virus on the lam.
Am also sick of all the dark news.
But HCR is a glowing light I turn on first in the now darkish morning. And a reminder today how an effective creative action, courage, determination and effort transformed our nation.
A few months ago I was talking to a high school class mate of mine. She worked for the WSJ when they were purchased by Rupert. She was so turned off by Murdoch's presence that she had to leave the building whenever he came for a visit. Everything the Murdoch's touch turns to shite. She found a great job at another major paper. It makes one wonder how difficult it must be for Fox News, WSJ and the other far-right entities Murdoch owns to hire qualified people.
It also makes me skeptical of the character and integrity of William Lewis who will become the new publisher of the Washington Post on January 2. He worked for Murdoch for more than 10 years as CEOof Dow Jones and publisher of WSJ.
The comments under the oped all negate Yellen's message, in the worst possible way, essentially saying she's lying. An oped on the pages of the WSJ doesn't seem to change the minds of many readers.
Great editorial, but…have you read the reader comments? Sorted by most liked, it’s amazing to me how the WSJ, which used to be a serious economic source, has really gone into decline. Their readers seem unable/unwilling to believe objective economic data.
I think it’s more a case wherein capitalism & capitalists are self-correcting to save themselves and their economy from the consequences of allowing the disqualified 45th former president back on the ballot, risking a do-over.
Paraphrasing Tom Paine circa 1776 via HCR, "... a rejection not just of King George III but, of all kings" ... HCR words would make a good subheading in JACK SMiTH's Reply to tfg's bogus "Immunity" claim for all crimes. JACK's Reply is due Saturday, 12/30/23 & will make universal common sense no doubt.
So how? I remember being in James Wright's Martins Ferry, Ohio, and seeing the bumper sticker on his Aunt's storm door: "Readers are Leaders." The video game generation has turned potential readers into button pushers. That seems to be all the red team wants. Good heavens, not people who think!
Support candidates with time, money, phone banking, whatever you can do. Become a candidate at the local level and use our Democratic platform to implement fair and equal treatments of all. Engage in civil conversations with others about how the Democrats have made their lives better. Point out how bullies and narcissists are never working for the common good but only for themselves.
When I read the line about “sunshine patriots” and “summer soldiers,” I thought about the members of Congress too terrified of their Trump-supporting, Putin-loving constituents to walk through an airport or give an honest answer to the journalists who haunt the Capitol hallways. The contrast between them and the brave Ukrainian people who are fighting to protect their democracy is just embarrassing.
Ukrainian democracy? Would that be the one that overthrew a democratically-elected government, banned political parties, and recently cancelled elections scheduled for the spring of ‘24? That democracy?
Ukraine is a more democratic country now than it was a a subordinate part of the Soviet Union's one party, totalitarian government. The current government is the intellectual and cultural descendent of the 2004 Orange Revolution against a rigged election and the protests of 2014 when the elected President (Yanukovych) sought to reinstate ties with Russia. He fled to Russia and Parliament ousted him from office. Elections in 2014 and 2019 were democratically undertaken despite Russia's annexation of Crimea and military action in the East.
The failure to held elections in 2023 or plan for them in 2024 is a failure of democracy -- though that may reflect the "will of the people." A poll found that only 15% of the respondents thought it possible or reasonable to hold an election in the midst of the war they are currently fighting. I am confident (what do you think?) that a Ukraine that successfully ousts Russia is much more likely to be a democratic nation than one that is dominated and controlled by Russia.
Mmm. Dominated or controlled by Russia, or dominated and controlled by the U.S.?
I choose neither. So I would prefer a neutral Ukraine. If the U.S. would butt the hell out, and quit pushing NATO expansion, Russia could live with that. But to reframe your question, which scenario brings us closer to nuclear war, domination by Russia or the U.S.?
You are doing it again :) There is no "neither". There are two sides and two options. The US, NATO, EU and Ukraine. And Putin, Iran and Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah. I could join you with criticisms of the former all day long.
But Ukraine is just another step in Putin's effort to become an Alexander the Great. There is nothing in that former KGB agent, murdering monsters brain except domination. He slaughters as if he were in a chess game for fun. His war now consumes 25% of Russian GDP. And for the first time, there are rumors that Putin would consider a "cease fire". Why? Because the US and Europe has been unified in opposing his attempted blitzkrieg. Putin is Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Pol Pot and every North Korean "dear leader" rolled into one reincarnated devil. He ONLY respects power and resolve.
Yes, there are bad elements in Ukraine. No, it has not perfected democracy. And are we not struggling with it as well? Ukraine is saintly compared to Russia. Did Ukraine invade and slaughter its neighbors? No. It just wanted to keep being the bread basket of the region.
Tom, NATO expansion is the only strategy that will contain Putin and his insane, vicious ambitions. And it is working. Over time, Putin will run out of money. He's already using Soviet era tanks and military equipment.
Sometimes, subjects have really grey areas. Sometimes the truth is a little blurry. Not this time. For all the faults of Ukraine's nascent democracy, it is the line in the sand that must not be crossed by a megalomaniac like Putin. Yes, there are neo-Nazis in Ukraine. But we have them in our own House of Representatives!
If the US "butts the hell out" of Ukraine, it will be recorded as the same failed type of disaster that led to WWII. We could have stopped Hitler in his tracks. We must learn from our mistakes. Putin must be squeezed until his oligarch buddies see the failure of this butchery and this pathetic transparent attempt to resurrect the Russian Empire.
Those that fought at Trenton may not have helped us to immediately gain critical allies in Europe but I consider it a start. France was most critical, but we also inspired others and got help from Spain and the Netherlands. France pushed us over the top at Yorktown, too.
During the American Revolution, the American colonies faced the significant challenge of conducting international diplomacy and seeking the international support it needed to fight against the British. The single most important diplomatic success of the colonists during the War for Independence was the critical link they forged with France. Representatives of the French and American governments signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce on February 6, 1778…
…As the members of the Continental Congress considered declaring independence, they also discussed the possibility and necessity of foreign alliances, and assigned a committee to draft a Model Treaty to serve as guide for this work. After Congress formally declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, it dispatched a group of several commissioners led by Benjamin Franklin to negotiate an alliance with France. When news of the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent British evacuation of Boston reached France, French Foreign Minister Comte de Vergennes decided in favor of an alliance. However, once news of General George Washington’s defeats in New York reached Europe in August of 1776, Vergennes wavered, questioning the wisdom of committing to a full alliance.
Benjamin Franklin’s popularity in France bolstered French support for the American cause. The French public viewed Franklin as a representative of republican simplicity and honesty, an image Franklin cultivated. A rage for all things Franklin and American swept France, assisting American diplomats and Vergennes in pushing for an alliance. In the meantime, Vergennes agreed to provide the United States with a secret loan.
Despite the loan and discussions of a full alliance, French assistance to the new United States was limited at the outset. Throughout 1777, Vergennes delayed as he conducted negotiations with the Spanish Government, which was wary of U.S. independence and also wanted assurances that Spain would regain territories if it went to war against the British.
Vergennes finally decided in favor of an alliance when news of the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga reached him in December 1777. Vergennes, having heard rumors of secret British peace offers to Franklin, decided not to wait for Spanish support and offered the United States an official French alliance. On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin and the other two commissioners, Arthur Lee and Silas Deane, signed a Treaty of Alliance and a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France. The Treaty of Alliance contained the provisions the U.S. commissioners had originally requested, but also included a clause forbidding either country to make a separate peace with Britain, as well as a secret clause allowing for Spain, or other European powers, to enter into the alliance. Spain officially entered the war on June 21, 1779. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce promoted trade between the United States and France and recognized the United States as an independent nation.
Between 1778 and 1782 the French provided supplies, arms and ammunition, uniforms, and, most importantly, troops and naval support to the beleaguered Continental Army. The French navy transported reinforcements, fought off a British fleet, and protected Washington’s forces in Virginia. French assistance was crucial in securing the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781..."
Goes to show the enduring importance of foreign allies. Sadly, too many Americans advocate isolationism, as if we could survive without these critical relationships.
Trolling trolling trolling… Mike don’t waste your fingers typing any response. Engaging with trolls only encourages them. We all know it. It’s hard to resist responding (I include myself in this as well), but after taking a couple of breaths the better part of valor says walk away…..
You are doing it again :( Only two sides. Manichaean choice. Good vs. Evil. Putin = Hitler. Chamberlain appeaser. Regime change. U.S. are the good guys. Go democracy! Go freedom! Go liberty! Go American hegemony!
I guess that makes our oligarchic butchery pale in comparison for some people. The people of Gaza say hello. Sad.
Tom: You are planning on a neutral Ukraine? You would impose that regardless of what a democratic Ukraine might choose? A democratic Ukraine choosing to be members of the EU, of NATO (if they can) would be as dominated by the United States as is France or Germany or the Netherlands or, say, Serbia.
The Gazans have been treated badly since the 1940s and beyond. Very wrong.
But they elected and supported Hamas leaders that had only one platform: the extermination of all Israeli Jews. Very wrong, indeed.
And their leaders sit in Qatar with billions in the bank while their people suffer.
America has done some horrific things this century. But that doesn't give Putin or Hamas license to slaughter.
In the 1940s the Japanese and the Germans supported leaders and armies that did unspeakable things. The German and Japanese people suffered as a result.
The friends and relatives of those on the kibbutz and attending a music festival say hello. Sad
Tom, this is your question: " But to reframe your question, which scenario brings us closer to nuclear war, domination by Russia or the U.S.?" I find the claim that the U.S. dominated Ukraine, or that it would once Ukraine has expelled Putin's armed forces and reclaimed its territory, to be an interesting one. Perhaps it is the term, "dominate." In what respect has the U.S. "dominated" Ukraine, or, when Russia is expelled, it will "dominate" Ukraine? Are you basing this thought on a perceived Trump return to power? If so, I can understand that, Trump doing what he can to deliver Ukraine to Putin.
Russia won’t be expelled, from the territory it has captured so far, nor any future gains along the Black Sea. Call it domination, call it blackmail, call it undue influence. This is about American Empire, and pursuit of American hegemony vs. Russian national security self-interest. It doesn’t matter who sits in the Oval Office; the MIC runs our foreign policy.
A good breakdown of American ‘thinking’ here in this U.S.-China breakdown:
Seems Native Americans tried to work with the groups most respectful of their interests. Back then Quakers had more beneficial influence in their favor, at least trying to do what they thought fair and best for them. They tried to help them assimilate into the Quaker version of respect and tolerance of the rights and religious beliefs of others.
Before offering any firm opinions on the delay of elections in the Ukriane, delayed now in 90 day increments as parts of the country are not under control, I plan to start research with
In the wise words of Thomas Paine, “I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake,” Paine wrote. “Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it.”
“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered,” Paine wrote, “yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”
Let us remember and act upon these words as we enter into the darkness of 2024. Please remember that a rabid animal is always the most dangerous when it is cornered and that only by working together will we rid our lives of the danger.
Thank you so much Dr. Richardson! I hope your holiday was filled with love, family and friends which I feel we are all part of.
Yes, and what Paine's call was answered by the sheer courage and integrity of the Continental Army and what they risked their lives for that takes your breath away. What a contrast to the apathy, cowardice, anti-patriotism of today's far right....
Colette, you’re right—we need to remember Paine’s words and never again take our democracy too lightly. We have found that norms are not enough of a deterrent to those willing to ignore them to enrich themselves.
Not that the blessings of liberty have even been widely enough distributed in this country and not that the pre-Reagan past did not have ugly aspects to overcome, but I think that a lot of us were bamboozled into letting go of a number of societal boons (such as worker's rights and antitrust) because to many were persuaded that they could let go of supporting these achievements, yet keep on receiving their benefits. In many cases the answer has been "no, we can't" and we have work to do if we want to recover and expand them.
Vast numbers of Americans have been bamboozled to vote against their own best social and economic interests by the use of wedge issues: abortion, immigration, women's rights, etc. Thomas Frank covers this in his 2004 book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" The KKK strain also festered just below the surface and has burst forth in full bloom with the appearance of MAGA Republicans. The enemy of democracy is not only inside the nation, but even has its hands on some of the government powers, such as Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who claims to speak with God and who wants the Bible to be our law. The only way to defeat this enemy right now is to vote them out of office while votes still count. If Trump regains power, voting will be of no account. I often quote Tom Paine, born in England, blossomed in America, and died in poverty in 1809 in New Rochelle, NY, ostracized back then because of his views on religion.
I haven't read "What's the matter with Kansas?", but the Koch brothers empire is headquartered in Topeka. Some of the most far-right conservatives are in Kansas and the surrounding states. That is no accident. They are bought and paid for by the Koch's.
True, the Koch Brothers ran and are running a very effective propaganda campaign, aligned with the far right Heritage Foundation and others. These oligarchical ideologues have come close to destroying American democracy. The fight against them is now joined. Koch Brothers and their fellow travelers are close to "closing the deal" in striking a blow to our system, turning it into an oligarchy where the vast numbers of Americans work at marginal survival wages. Footnote: the tension between capitalism and social welfare has been going on for several centuries. The only countries that seem to have found a solution are the Scandinavian countries.
It’s in Wichita, where they have a square mile high walled and monitored. My nephew by mashing my niece was so excited he might get to “work” for them.
Jeri, I agree, a revised version entitled "What the Hell is the Matter with America?" would be a good topic and title. Since 2004 when "What's the Matter with Kansas?" was published we have the proliferation of social media. And now we have Artificial Intelligence where we can't know for certain what is real and what isn't. Still, the fundamental battle, IMO, is racism over democracy, white Protestant supremacy over a multi-cultural, multi-racial society. When tens of millions have no better than a 6th grade reading comprehension level, is it any wonder that they can be so easily duped?
Not to divert the discussion, but when I read Heather's column and now your excellent response, I immediately think of Ukraine and how they have come together to fight the 'orc' invasion of their country.
I think of it as Ukraine’s Pearl Harbor, after which so many of the America First awoke to the real dangers of letting others fall.
Who would come help us if not inspired by our determination to fight for self-governance and the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was first read to the public simultaneously at three exclusively designated locations at noon on July 8th, 1776: Easton Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and most fittingly at Trenton, New Jersey (a nod, I think, to those who served us at a most critical time (247 years ago on this date) and inspired so many others after).
I find myself too often just referring to the Declaration and not so much to things that have inspired me most, as I imagined those that fought at Trenton believed in.
Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his policies and his rhetoric, as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863.
Per Wikipedia:
"...Since then, it has become a well-known statement on human rights, particularly its second sentence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Stephen Lucas called it "one of the best-known sentences in the English language", with historian Joseph Ellis writing that the document contains "the most potent and consequential words in American history". The passage came to represent a moral standard to which the United States should strive. This view was notably promoted by Lincoln, who considered the Declaration to be the foundation of his political philosophy and argued that it is a statement of principles through which the United States Constitution should be interpreted..."
My ancestor Benjamin Woodman crossed the Delaware upstream from Washington with general Sullivan and marched into Trenton. A Quaker doctor's daughter nursed him back to health in Valley Forge at the end of the war. He attended Quaker Meeting for the rest of his life, but declined to join. Quakers, (the Religious Society of Friends) are pacifists. He did not join because, he said, if he had to do it over again, he would fight again.
And at the same time Isaac Cleaver, a Quaker from Germantown who had left the Germantown Meeting over his decision to take up arms and fight in the war of independence, also crossed the Delaware with General Washington. According to the family oral tradition, the Hessian short sword made in 1745 that hangs on my wall in my writing office, was the sword of the Sergeant of the Guard at Trenton Barracks, taken from him Christmas morning by Isaac - my sixth great grandfather. Despite three attempts to donate it to the Smithsonian, they turn it down because its provenance is "indeterminable." Isaac at the time was a member of the Pennsylvania militia. He fought on through the rest of the war and was a Sergeant in the Continental Army at Yorktown at the end. He returned to Germantown to find that the Squire of Germantown, a Tory Loyalist, had confiscated the farm that had been in the family since their arrival in Pennsylvania Colony in 1681.
Oh, and the Hessians weren't "auxiliaries," they were the best fighting men in Europe, brought by the English as mercenaries, and were feared throughout the middle colonies for their military prowess.
The Hessians were liege men of the Hanoverian King of England, George II, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt. I'm so glad that the Smithsonian declined the sword and that it's on your wall.
By the authority vested in me as a veteran, and as a citizen of these United States, I hearby award your sixth great grandfather the Legion of Merit award. We owe him and always will owe him a debt of gratitude. Well done.
No - Isaac took his family and moved to Catawissa. Ten years after the war, he was out hunting when he came across a bear and got mauled. Managed to get home, but never left.
You are rightly prod of Isaac Cleaver. My 5th great grandfather, Stephen Hatfield, enlisted on January 7 of 1777, obviously inspired by the victory at Trenton. Though the rest of his family had fled to Nova Scotia, Stephen stayed and joined the cause, in 1780 became part of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, survived battle wounds, returned to duty and was present at Yorktown, along with your Isaac Cleaver. Stephen moved to western Pennsylvania, and struggled as a tenant farmer.They leave us much to live up to.
They and their descendants down to us do indeed. Which is why in2024I don't think we're going to piss on their memories and throw away that to which they gave "the last full measure of devotion."
Yes, thank you. Just learned more about Paine than I had known. The painting of Washington crossing the Delaware is engraved in my head from childhood. Laughing thinking “a picture is worth a thousand words.” No words can describe the chill that pairing depicts. How beautifully this history fits with what we are living through and the stories of “Prequel.” May all our efforts turn the tide. PS Watch for Tom Suozzi in NY running for Santos’ seat. GOTV postcards already in the pipeline.
It was in the 40s here in upstate New York yesterday, and there is no snow on the ground (though some areas flooded recently due to heavy rain). It's much different from what I remember of winters during my childhood.
Yeah - snow pretty much gone except for few icy spots. VERY VERY wet. All the little springs are "springing" as well as new ones. Over the last 30 years or so, I've pretty much had a moat dug around me. Many ditches!
It has been unseasonably warm here in southern Oregon this holiday. I was able to have coffee on the deck at my in-law’s place yesterday morning. 45 degrees at daybreak. Normally, it is 30.
I gave my electrician my copy of “The Heat Will Kill You First” for Christmas with a dedication to him and his friends, hoping everyone will read it and take necessary breaks.
Can’t help but reflect that my fellow citizens who revere our founders — the Tea Party patriots who morphed into the Republican Party base — have turned their backs to the Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting the same fight against tyranny that Paine so eloquently inspired way back when in the nascent history of our country.
What irks me and goes unmentioned, is that Ukraine was the 3rd largest nuclear weapons power in the world after the Soviet Union collapsed. USA and Europe guaranteed to come to the rescue of Ukraine in war time if they would give up their nukes. Of course, Putin would have never invaded if Ukraine was stuffed with nuclear weapons. So Ukraine is NOT asking for a handout, for largess, it is not demanding that USA and Europe come fight the war for them as WE AGREED to do. They are just asking for arms and some money. Message sent by GOP: Go nuclear and never give them up! North Korea, Iran and Saudis got the message.
I could not agree more. It is a mystery to me as to why the Republican Party base has decided to throw in with Russia. I grew up ⬆️ under the shade of a career USNavy father. My dad, who spent a significant amount of his capital as to his 3 daughters during the 1960’s and 70’s, would be appalled today.
I have a feeling that you and I were not the only readers who felt the Ukrainian parallels to the USA revolutionary struggle, as told in tonight’s Letter from our teacher, Professor Cox Richardson. I imagine she was thinking of that important historical connection as she was writing. But to include Ukraine might have in her judgement interrupted the very smooth flow of tonight’s storytelling. So that may be a story for another day.
"The author of The American Crisis was Thomas Paine, whose January 1776 pamphlet Common Sense had solidified the colonists’ irritation at the king’s ministers into a rejection of monarchy itself, a rejection not just of King George III, but of all kings. "
I didn't come up with it, but from all the protocol and pageantry of autocracies to Trumps puerile tantrums over made up $#*%, theater is a potent tyrants tool. I'm not saying there is no role for pageantry in statecraft, but we dare not conflate sheer fantasy with reality.
It is a very American Christmas tradition to remember Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. I love having it told to me again especially through your letters!!! Many thanks.
The battle of Brooklyn and the withdrawal across the East River saved the War. If Washington had not only been defeated but had lost the army, there would have been no Christmas victory. The withdrawal is an amazing story and also shows Washington’s courage and his admiration by his troops... they trusted him.
Reading Tom Paine's words gave me goose bumps. Yes, I'd read them in the past, more than once, probably, but not recently, and how they resonated tonight! All of the inspiration we need is right there, throughout our history. If you're not familiar with Pete Seeger's song, Wasn't That a Time?, treat yourself to one more Christmas present: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y096F_jFy3c.
Thank you Heather, for all you do. this letter was especially moving for me. I had to memorize this letter of Thomas Paine in 7th grade (back when students still had to do that sort of thing) and his cutting remarks about summer soldiers and sunshine patriots always stood out to me. I was naive to think we would never have to fight for our democracy again, of course, but I thank you for helping me understand how we got here, and how we can get out again. Your words have meant so much to so many these recent years. You are a worthy "descendent" of Thomas Paine.
You never know how important your voice or action is. Only in hindsight may you have a clue. But standing strong for what is dear, steadfast in the winter of our soul, can bring us closer to the aspirations of our founders. Thank you Heather Cox Richardson for telling the stories of our history that give us understanding and hope.
Here is another voice today, Janet Yellen, published in Rupert Murdoch's own Wall Street Journal.
Title: Bidenomics is working for the Middle Class.
Gift link below.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidenomics-is-working-for-the-middle-class-b4e132a8?st=zzgdid7k75hd05r&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Even a Rupert Murdoch owned entity is admitting the truth. I am still recovering from the shock.
Maybe Prof. Richardson has penetrated the darkest of minds? Rupert Murdoch's.
Thanks Mike. I cut and pasted the column as it is behind a paywall for many of us.
The American economy has improved significantly over the past year, especially for the middle class. In December 2022, I shared my optimism in these pages about our country’s economic trajectory: We had gotten our economy back on its feet after weathering significant shocks and were poised for growth. It’s now clear that optimism was justified. While some forecasters predicted a 100% chance of recession this year, that didn’t happen. During the first three quarters of 2023, annualized growth averaged around 3%. Americans are applying to start businesses at a record pace, consumers are buying more, and inflation has come down substantially.
Historically, it’s rare to bring down inflation while maintaining a healthy labor market, but that’s what’s happened in the past year. The unemployment rate is near historic lows—at less than 4% for 22 months, the longest stretch in more than 50 years. Real wages have risen from their pre-pandemic levels—especially quickly for middle-income households. The typical middle-class American household has higher earnings, more wealth and more purchasing power than before the pandemic. Because wages have risen more than prices since 2019, a worker earning the median wage can today buy the same basket of goods and services as in 2019, with nearly $1,000 left over to save or spend.
Our economic position reflects actions the Biden administration has taken over the past three years. When President Biden took office, we were in the middle of a pandemic for which our country and our world was unprepared. Thousands of people were dying every week and many more were losing their livelihoods. The administration acted quickly, including through the American Rescue Plan—getting shots in arms and providing direct financial support to households and fiscal relief to local, state, tribal and territorial governments. We also helped ease supply-chain bottlenecks that had contributed to a surge in goods inflation. With healed supply chains and Americans rejoining the labor force, the American economy is producing more goods and services. This expanded supply enabled us to maintain stronger growth than many predicted, while inflation cooled.
This isn’t to say that recovery has been without its challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up global energy prices. In response, we took actions to hold energy prices down, releasing 180 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and working with a coalition of partners to put in place a novel price cap on Russian oil. Russia has seen a significant fall in oil profits, even as global energy markets remained well-supplied and energy prices declined for American families, with average gasoline prices down $1.90 a gallon from their high in June 2022.
This year, amid stresses in the banking sector, we acted to protect depositors and mitigate risks to the financial system. As a result, the U.S. avoided a panic that could have derailed our economic recovery. We’re continuing to promote financial stability, which serves as a foundation for economic growth. We’re also monitoring potential economic spill-overs from Russia’s war in Ukraine and, more recently, from the conflict in the Middle East.
We recognize that middle-class Americans continue to face costly food and rent, which matters enormously to their budgets and daily lives. President Biden and I are focused on lowering prices where we can. The Biden administration has already capped insulin costs for Americans on Medicare at $35 a month and is lowering the price of prescription drugs for seniors and the cost of health insurance for millions of working families. Our clean-energy incentives are making it cheaper for Americans to upgrade their residential energy systems and will keep energy costs lower over time.
President Biden is also taking action to support the middle class through investments that will enhance the economy’s ability to produce and create good jobs. I call this strategy modern supply-side economics. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are creating incentives for private-sector investment, with companies announcing more than $600 billion of investment in clean energy and manufacturing since the start of the administration. Recent Treasury analysis shows that funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law is going where it’s most needed—to states with the lowest-rated public infrastructure and lower median household incomes—not just to the coasts and wealthy communities. Since Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, 70% of investments in clean energy have been in counties where the employment rate is below average, and 86% have been in counties where college-graduation rates are below average. The law has created well-paying jobs for people and places that have historically been left behind.
As we look to the new year, despite challenges and risks, there’s good reason to be optimistic about the path we’re on: rising real wages, declining inflation, and a strong labor market. Our investments and other economic policies will continue to expand the country’s productive capacity and pay dividends for middle-class Americans.
Ms. Yellen is Treasury secretary.
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I wish that every American could read or listen to Yellen's speech. Can you imagine what the 2024 elections would look like if our citizenry is truly informed of actual economic facts?
For too many, it would be seen as lies because that is what their Dear Leader has accustomed them to.
I for one have read or heard over and over again the basic points Janet Y. makes in her piece. I also know that we will hear all of this so many times as the campaign heats that we will know it by heart or get sick of it, or both. I also read people who seem to hope we never see TFG as president again whine that the administration doesn't trumpet its successes nearly often enough. Dems need to donate, organize, and vote as if our lives depended on it. Duh!
Yes. Pay attention to Dem candidates in the 'must win' states and donate whatever you can to their campaigns. And don't forget to support the Progressive Turnout Project. We need everyone to get out and vote.
Gary,
Then, I toggled over to the NY Times and found this article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/26/opinion/trump-biden-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I00.FBl2.r6xnnWZzGA4A&smid=url-share
With the quote:
"And unlike 2020, there’s no guarantee most voters will see President Biden as the safer bet between the two men to bring order back to America — in no small part because Mr. Biden was elected to do so and hasn’t delivered."
I posted a comment that this was a lie and put the Janet Yellen link into the comment.
But, looks like NY Times is now firmly in the make stuff up camp.
Mike S, It seems REALLY important to notice exactly WHO is authoring the articles, especially in a publication like the NYTimes:
"By Kristen Soltis Anderson - Ms. Anderson is a Republican pollster and a moderator of the Times Opinion focus group series."
I'm not quite sure how they concluded that this is among "all the news that's fit to print."
“Both sides”, doncha know...
Mike I have also noticed that NY Times is printing more and more crap like that.
I do the puzzle every day and some other items like the playlist they have and the science section. The op eds are something I do not read.
As noted in JohnM's post below, people should pay attention to who is doing the writing. The NY Times is firmly in the camp of click bait and Biden criticism as is most of the msm. It is tiresome and it is up to readers to try to outline the flaws and point others to articles like the one covering Janet Yellen.
That was an opinion piece by a Republican pollster.
Maureen Down gave her column over to her objectionable RW brother a few weeks ago.
The NYT opinion you reference is pure republican rhetoric!
Mike S -- I unsubscribed to the NYT a couple of weeks ago for that reason -- mainly because they do not support President Biden in any way at all, significant or otherwise. I am sorry that my un-subscription has affected access to the Science section too, which is very regrettable.
Maybe your library has a subscription
Yes, it does. Thanks for this good reminder, Linda.
Thanks for posting the Yellen piece. I think anyone who has a subscription to date should do the same thing in the response section to their article by the Republican. That would be yelling, Janet Yellen’s (pun intended) outstanding and accurate piece out to so many more people. I do not have a subscription so I cannot, but am saving it for when I will be doing more phone banking in 2024.
I don't know what happened at the Times to turn so negative.
Thanks. I found myself sucked in to subscribing for $2/month. It will be an opportunity to read the views of the Oligarchs and Bigots. Of course, I must now mark my calendar to cancel in a year when it rockets to $38.99.
FYI. You can read the WSJ online free via some libraries. I read via the Boston Public Library (need a card, available to all MA residents) by signing in and creating 3 day subscriptions whenever there's something I want to read. Here's a link to BPL. https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/digital-newspaper-and-magazine-resources-at-the-bpl Other libraries (though not all) offer similar service.
Oh, and btw, instead of giving $ directly to WSJ, I make a donation to the library to pay for services they provide free to everyone. Libraries are more important than ever!
WSJ is good to read if you are still figuring when to buy bonds and the like.
:-)
WSJ is free on Apple News (which isn't free)
Bill Alstrom -- Although I have unsubscribed from the "paper", I'm considering getting into the 50-cents per week offer, until that runs out, just to access things like the Science section. In somewhat of a quandary.
I think you’ll notice
Really appreciate the copied text Gary. It's all spot on except why on earth would she call it "modern supply side economics?" Why use the name of a failed policy and just add modern?
They can’t admit “supply side” was wrong.
Yellen is excellent but still has to deal with morons like Larry Summers, who infamously said “women are not capable of higher math”. I take every opportunity to point out that 2 of the 3 directors of the new fusion research centers are women. Physicists.
Larry Summers couldn’t see a banking crisis slapping him in the face. Nor could Art Laffer, who dumpty hung a prize around.
We should change the appellation "Laffer curve" to signify what is shown here in figure A: https://www.epi.org/blog/wages-for-the-top-1-skyrocketed-160-since-1979-while-the-share-of-wages-for-the-bottom-90-shrunk-time-to-remake-wage-pattern-with-economic-policies-that-generate-robust-wage-growth-for-vast-majority/
That graph is all we need to know about what needs to change in this country and the world. Why is there such widespread admiration of billionaires? On the whole, they cost the rest of us far too much. https://www.monbiot.com/2023/12/13/billionaires-are-bad-for-us/
I’m not sure the people we need to reach can read a graph. After all they like actors and think they should be president. Thanks though!
The Laughter Curve
Economics has a fundamental two-sided structure: supply and demand. The Republicans politicized a basic economic term, supply side economics, by making it a euphemism for what is accurately called trickle-down economics, the mendacious idea that shoveling money into the hands of the already super-wealthy will result in their directing this new wealth into building new productive capacity (ref. Reagan tax cut, George W. Bush tax cut, Trump tax cut, with minimal sops to the non-wealthy to make them politically palatable). I call it "mendacious" because it was never designed to work as advertised. It is a cover for payoff for bribery (via campaign contributions--"implicit quid pro quo" that the Supreme Court abomination of 2010, Citizens United, destroying a century of anti-corruption legislation, declared to be non-criminal.) We can't throw away basic language because of a previous contaminating misuse.
And the dumpster one made the 1% cuts permanent - but the ones to the "non-wealthy" temporary - so of course THAT is what is catching the eyes of the public! My, could that have been intentional - maybe?
Exactly!
Yet Laffer still has a career.
Thank you for giving us the ability to read this piece.
Many thanks for making this available to us.
THANK YOU for printing this!!!
This is optimistic and wonderful news to read about Miss Yallen's report. This should be televise for the American people to hear. It's up to the Biden administration to enforce it.
How kind of you to post the entire article. Thank you.
Copy and share. I sent it to my area newspapers.
That’s all true. However, here in NE Pennsylvania, our food pantries are being stretched to the max, as demand has increased. I know that my food expenses have about doubled since 2020. I laugh when I read about 6% and 8% inflation in grocery prices. I’m long retired, so I feel the pain just as young families do.
The comments to her opinion piece, also published, are trollish invective directed to Ms. Yellen and the Biden administration by the usual denizens of an ultra pro-business, anti-democratic readership. I applaud her for the guts to stick it right in the middle of their opinion page. Touché!
Who knows how many of the comments are employees of Putin paid to troll anything positive about Biden in Putin's ongoing effort to get his pet boy tRUMP elected again. I would guess a fair number of comments are just Putin employees.
Oh, let's hope that isn't the case. This site is such a haven when compared to other social media sites where tactics using bots are so commonplace.
Yellen speaks and writes well. That was a strong endorsement of what the administration has accomplished. Too often we forget where we have come from, what our travails were not so long ago.
Covid is ramping up again, the flu is upon us and RSV is savaging the population. And nobody wears a mask in crowded places. Is anybody else sick of being sick?
Bill,
There is a vaccine for the RSV, the flu and a new one for Covid. My wife gets all of them, I am a little more circumspect and spread them way out.
But, the CDC does recommend old folks (like me at 62), do get the shots.
Yup. We are all boosted. Still got Covid - not nearly as bad as the first 3 times. And some other unidentified "cold" which is all over our region.
I have them all but the RSV, which costs nearly $400. I have remained healthy at 71.
Jan, is RSV not covered by Medicare?
It is fully covered if you have part D.
Nope.
Yes, Bill, I certainly am.
How to become like a resistant pincushion:-) C’est moi now post Bronchitis in November, which no one speaks about: felt like people w thin sticks were beating my chest. Just another virus on the lam.
Am also sick of all the dark news.
But HCR is a glowing light I turn on first in the now darkish morning. And a reminder today how an effective creative action, courage, determination and effort transformed our nation.
A few months ago I was talking to a high school class mate of mine. She worked for the WSJ when they were purchased by Rupert. She was so turned off by Murdoch's presence that she had to leave the building whenever he came for a visit. Everything the Murdoch's touch turns to shite. She found a great job at another major paper. It makes one wonder how difficult it must be for Fox News, WSJ and the other far-right entities Murdoch owns to hire qualified people.
It also makes me skeptical of the character and integrity of William Lewis who will become the new publisher of the Washington Post on January 2. He worked for Murdoch for more than 10 years as CEOof Dow Jones and publisher of WSJ.
So, are you saying democracy is dead on January 2? Asking for a friend...
The comments under the oped all negate Yellen's message, in the worst possible way, essentially saying she's lying. An oped on the pages of the WSJ doesn't seem to change the minds of many readers.
Yeah - I read some too - maybe it will change some minds - just the ones who do not comment!
Thank you for the WSJ link Mike S.
Great editorial, but…have you read the reader comments? Sorted by most liked, it’s amazing to me how the WSJ, which used to be a serious economic source, has really gone into decline. Their readers seem unable/unwilling to believe objective economic data.
Also available on Apple News if you have that
Opinion | Bidenomics Is Working for the Middle Class
The economy defied the gloomy forecasts for 2023. Growth is steady, inflation is down, and wages are up.
https://apple.news/AcYIa_vBUROKbyNklI7ANWQ
Thank you for the link!
I’m still worried, when I see our local food pantries being overwhelmed by demand. It’s headline news around here!
I think it’s more a case wherein capitalism & capitalists are self-correcting to save themselves and their economy from the consequences of allowing the disqualified 45th former president back on the ballot, risking a do-over.
The New York Times published a similar article. Maybe the good news is finally breaking through!
Amen
The quote from Paine is apt today. We don’t need us citizens to fight and found a democracy but to vote and preserve our democracy.
Paraphrasing Tom Paine circa 1776 via HCR, "... a rejection not just of King George III but, of all kings" ... HCR words would make a good subheading in JACK SMiTH's Reply to tfg's bogus "Immunity" claim for all crimes. JACK's Reply is due Saturday, 12/30/23 & will make universal common sense no doubt.
Yes indeed, since orange guys followers used 1776 as their battle cry -
Somehow cant quite picture those "orange" guys actually doing the physical work that the men in 1776 did, can you?
Certainly not!
Indeed that quote is apt today!
I’m printing up the “shoulder to the wheel” paragraph. I’ll tape it to my bathroom mirror so I can read it in the morning and again at night.
Hmm. Maybe I’ll pin it to few boards around town.
You don't just need to vote... you need to educate.
You can’t fix stupid but you can out vote it.
You have a massive uneducated population, Jen. A lot of them are not stupid, just uneducated.
They haven't been taught how to think.
That's been the plan since 1981. Dumb "education down," and now ban books and gut the Liberal Arts that promote critical thinking.
Doing sometging about that would be good
So how? I remember being in James Wright's Martins Ferry, Ohio, and seeing the bumper sticker on his Aunt's storm door: "Readers are Leaders." The video game generation has turned potential readers into button pushers. That seems to be all the red team wants. Good heavens, not people who think!
Support candidates with time, money, phone banking, whatever you can do. Become a candidate at the local level and use our Democratic platform to implement fair and equal treatments of all. Engage in civil conversations with others about how the Democrats have made their lives better. Point out how bullies and narcissists are never working for the common good but only for themselves.
When I read the line about “sunshine patriots” and “summer soldiers,” I thought about the members of Congress too terrified of their Trump-supporting, Putin-loving constituents to walk through an airport or give an honest answer to the journalists who haunt the Capitol hallways. The contrast between them and the brave Ukrainian people who are fighting to protect their democracy is just embarrassing.
tRump and his minions are not even worthy adversaries.
Perhaps not worthy, but dangerous.
I had very similar thoughts.
Ukrainian democracy? Would that be the one that overthrew a democratically-elected government, banned political parties, and recently cancelled elections scheduled for the spring of ‘24? That democracy?
Ukraine is a more democratic country now than it was a a subordinate part of the Soviet Union's one party, totalitarian government. The current government is the intellectual and cultural descendent of the 2004 Orange Revolution against a rigged election and the protests of 2014 when the elected President (Yanukovych) sought to reinstate ties with Russia. He fled to Russia and Parliament ousted him from office. Elections in 2014 and 2019 were democratically undertaken despite Russia's annexation of Crimea and military action in the East.
The failure to held elections in 2023 or plan for them in 2024 is a failure of democracy -- though that may reflect the "will of the people." A poll found that only 15% of the respondents thought it possible or reasonable to hold an election in the midst of the war they are currently fighting. I am confident (what do you think?) that a Ukraine that successfully ousts Russia is much more likely to be a democratic nation than one that is dominated and controlled by Russia.
Mmm. Dominated or controlled by Russia, or dominated and controlled by the U.S.?
I choose neither. So I would prefer a neutral Ukraine. If the U.S. would butt the hell out, and quit pushing NATO expansion, Russia could live with that. But to reframe your question, which scenario brings us closer to nuclear war, domination by Russia or the U.S.?
Morning Tom,
You are doing it again :) There is no "neither". There are two sides and two options. The US, NATO, EU and Ukraine. And Putin, Iran and Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah. I could join you with criticisms of the former all day long.
But Ukraine is just another step in Putin's effort to become an Alexander the Great. There is nothing in that former KGB agent, murdering monsters brain except domination. He slaughters as if he were in a chess game for fun. His war now consumes 25% of Russian GDP. And for the first time, there are rumors that Putin would consider a "cease fire". Why? Because the US and Europe has been unified in opposing his attempted blitzkrieg. Putin is Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Pol Pot and every North Korean "dear leader" rolled into one reincarnated devil. He ONLY respects power and resolve.
Yes, there are bad elements in Ukraine. No, it has not perfected democracy. And are we not struggling with it as well? Ukraine is saintly compared to Russia. Did Ukraine invade and slaughter its neighbors? No. It just wanted to keep being the bread basket of the region.
Tom, NATO expansion is the only strategy that will contain Putin and his insane, vicious ambitions. And it is working. Over time, Putin will run out of money. He's already using Soviet era tanks and military equipment.
Sometimes, subjects have really grey areas. Sometimes the truth is a little blurry. Not this time. For all the faults of Ukraine's nascent democracy, it is the line in the sand that must not be crossed by a megalomaniac like Putin. Yes, there are neo-Nazis in Ukraine. But we have them in our own House of Representatives!
If the US "butts the hell out" of Ukraine, it will be recorded as the same failed type of disaster that led to WWII. We could have stopped Hitler in his tracks. We must learn from our mistakes. Putin must be squeezed until his oligarch buddies see the failure of this butchery and this pathetic transparent attempt to resurrect the Russian Empire.
Those that fought at Trenton may not have helped us to immediately gain critical allies in Europe but I consider it a start. France was most critical, but we also inspired others and got help from Spain and the Netherlands. France pushed us over the top at Yorktown, too.
See https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/french-alliance
During the American Revolution, the American colonies faced the significant challenge of conducting international diplomacy and seeking the international support it needed to fight against the British. The single most important diplomatic success of the colonists during the War for Independence was the critical link they forged with France. Representatives of the French and American governments signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce on February 6, 1778…
…As the members of the Continental Congress considered declaring independence, they also discussed the possibility and necessity of foreign alliances, and assigned a committee to draft a Model Treaty to serve as guide for this work. After Congress formally declared independence from Great Britain in 1776, it dispatched a group of several commissioners led by Benjamin Franklin to negotiate an alliance with France. When news of the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent British evacuation of Boston reached France, French Foreign Minister Comte de Vergennes decided in favor of an alliance. However, once news of General George Washington’s defeats in New York reached Europe in August of 1776, Vergennes wavered, questioning the wisdom of committing to a full alliance.
Benjamin Franklin’s popularity in France bolstered French support for the American cause. The French public viewed Franklin as a representative of republican simplicity and honesty, an image Franklin cultivated. A rage for all things Franklin and American swept France, assisting American diplomats and Vergennes in pushing for an alliance. In the meantime, Vergennes agreed to provide the United States with a secret loan.
Despite the loan and discussions of a full alliance, French assistance to the new United States was limited at the outset. Throughout 1777, Vergennes delayed as he conducted negotiations with the Spanish Government, which was wary of U.S. independence and also wanted assurances that Spain would regain territories if it went to war against the British.
Vergennes finally decided in favor of an alliance when news of the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga reached him in December 1777. Vergennes, having heard rumors of secret British peace offers to Franklin, decided not to wait for Spanish support and offered the United States an official French alliance. On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin and the other two commissioners, Arthur Lee and Silas Deane, signed a Treaty of Alliance and a Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France. The Treaty of Alliance contained the provisions the U.S. commissioners had originally requested, but also included a clause forbidding either country to make a separate peace with Britain, as well as a secret clause allowing for Spain, or other European powers, to enter into the alliance. Spain officially entered the war on June 21, 1779. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce promoted trade between the United States and France and recognized the United States as an independent nation.
Between 1778 and 1782 the French provided supplies, arms and ammunition, uniforms, and, most importantly, troops and naval support to the beleaguered Continental Army. The French navy transported reinforcements, fought off a British fleet, and protected Washington’s forces in Virginia. French assistance was crucial in securing the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781..."
Goes to show the enduring importance of foreign allies. Sadly, too many Americans advocate isolationism, as if we could survive without these critical relationships.
Trolling trolling trolling… Mike don’t waste your fingers typing any response. Engaging with trolls only encourages them. We all know it. It’s hard to resist responding (I include myself in this as well), but after taking a couple of breaths the better part of valor says walk away…..
So you address someone else in order to deny you’re participating in troll engagement? I thought you were old enough to know better.
Morning Bill,
You are doing it again :( Only two sides. Manichaean choice. Good vs. Evil. Putin = Hitler. Chamberlain appeaser. Regime change. U.S. are the good guys. Go democracy! Go freedom! Go liberty! Go American hegemony!
I guess that makes our oligarchic butchery pale in comparison for some people. The people of Gaza say hello. Sad.
Tom: You are planning on a neutral Ukraine? You would impose that regardless of what a democratic Ukraine might choose? A democratic Ukraine choosing to be members of the EU, of NATO (if they can) would be as dominated by the United States as is France or Germany or the Netherlands or, say, Serbia.
Again and again.
The Gazans have been treated badly since the 1940s and beyond. Very wrong.
But they elected and supported Hamas leaders that had only one platform: the extermination of all Israeli Jews. Very wrong, indeed.
And their leaders sit in Qatar with billions in the bank while their people suffer.
America has done some horrific things this century. But that doesn't give Putin or Hamas license to slaughter.
In the 1940s the Japanese and the Germans supported leaders and armies that did unspeakable things. The German and Japanese people suffered as a result.
The friends and relatives of those on the kibbutz and attending a music festival say hello. Sad
What if the French had bailed out on us during our revolution? What would the world look like after that progress in democracy had been stopped?
Tom, this is your question: " But to reframe your question, which scenario brings us closer to nuclear war, domination by Russia or the U.S.?" I find the claim that the U.S. dominated Ukraine, or that it would once Ukraine has expelled Putin's armed forces and reclaimed its territory, to be an interesting one. Perhaps it is the term, "dominate." In what respect has the U.S. "dominated" Ukraine, or, when Russia is expelled, it will "dominate" Ukraine? Are you basing this thought on a perceived Trump return to power? If so, I can understand that, Trump doing what he can to deliver Ukraine to Putin.
Russia won’t be expelled, from the territory it has captured so far, nor any future gains along the Black Sea. Call it domination, call it blackmail, call it undue influence. This is about American Empire, and pursuit of American hegemony vs. Russian national security self-interest. It doesn’t matter who sits in the Oval Office; the MIC runs our foreign policy.
A good breakdown of American ‘thinking’ here in this U.S.-China breakdown:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/12/27/contrasting-strategies-of-the-us-and-china/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/has-zelensky-canceled-ukraines-elections-heres-what-happened/ar-AA1jDNFf
Thank you
Nothing like Rand Paul to stick his nose into Ukraine’s business. That man’s neighbor should’ve decked him for good!
Gooood! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L66wBjSMe50
Makes me take a look at our "elections" during the Revolutionary War and other allies like those found at:
https://www.oneidaindiannation.com/first-allies-the-revolutionary-war/
and http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/870#google_vignette
Seems Native Americans tried to work with the groups most respectful of their interests. Back then Quakers had more beneficial influence in their favor, at least trying to do what they thought fair and best for them. They tried to help them assimilate into the Quaker version of respect and tolerance of the rights and religious beliefs of others.
Before offering any firm opinions on the delay of elections in the Ukriane, delayed now in 90 day increments as parts of the country are not under control, I plan to start research with
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/read-the-revolution/the-right-to-vote
Any better references would be appreciated, too.
Ah, the ‘Legal Regime of Martial Law’ defense. Cute.
I look forward to the statutory defense of genocide put forth by the Israeli government.
Your continued use of the term “cute” in replies belies your attempted position of independent thought.
That’s a cute comment, Gail. Nice to know I am ‘attempting’ a position.
More than embarrassing
In the wise words of Thomas Paine, “I call not upon a few, but upon all: not on this state or that state, but on every state: up and help us; lay your shoulders to the wheel; better have too much force than too little, when so great an object is at stake,” Paine wrote. “Let it be told to the future world, that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and to repulse it.”
“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered,” Paine wrote, “yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.”
Let us remember and act upon these words as we enter into the darkness of 2024. Please remember that a rabid animal is always the most dangerous when it is cornered and that only by working together will we rid our lives of the danger.
Thank you so much Dr. Richardson! I hope your holiday was filled with love, family and friends which I feel we are all part of.
Yes, and what Paine's call was answered by the sheer courage and integrity of the Continental Army and what they risked their lives for that takes your breath away. What a contrast to the apathy, cowardice, anti-patriotism of today's far right....
And apathy of so many.
Colette, you’re right—we need to remember Paine’s words and never again take our democracy too lightly. We have found that norms are not enough of a deterrent to those willing to ignore them to enrich themselves.
Not that the blessings of liberty have even been widely enough distributed in this country and not that the pre-Reagan past did not have ugly aspects to overcome, but I think that a lot of us were bamboozled into letting go of a number of societal boons (such as worker's rights and antitrust) because to many were persuaded that they could let go of supporting these achievements, yet keep on receiving their benefits. In many cases the answer has been "no, we can't" and we have work to do if we want to recover and expand them.
Bamboozled worked, and they never let up. Nor can we
Vast numbers of Americans have been bamboozled to vote against their own best social and economic interests by the use of wedge issues: abortion, immigration, women's rights, etc. Thomas Frank covers this in his 2004 book, "What's the Matter with Kansas?" The KKK strain also festered just below the surface and has burst forth in full bloom with the appearance of MAGA Republicans. The enemy of democracy is not only inside the nation, but even has its hands on some of the government powers, such as Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, who claims to speak with God and who wants the Bible to be our law. The only way to defeat this enemy right now is to vote them out of office while votes still count. If Trump regains power, voting will be of no account. I often quote Tom Paine, born in England, blossomed in America, and died in poverty in 1809 in New Rochelle, NY, ostracized back then because of his views on religion.
I haven't read "What's the matter with Kansas?", but the Koch brothers empire is headquartered in Topeka. Some of the most far-right conservatives are in Kansas and the surrounding states. That is no accident. They are bought and paid for by the Koch's.
True, the Koch Brothers ran and are running a very effective propaganda campaign, aligned with the far right Heritage Foundation and others. These oligarchical ideologues have come close to destroying American democracy. The fight against them is now joined. Koch Brothers and their fellow travelers are close to "closing the deal" in striking a blow to our system, turning it into an oligarchy where the vast numbers of Americans work at marginal survival wages. Footnote: the tension between capitalism and social welfare has been going on for several centuries. The only countries that seem to have found a solution are the Scandinavian countries.
It’s in Wichita, where they have a square mile high walled and monitored. My nephew by mashing my niece was so excited he might get to “work” for them.
We need an update and reissue "What the Hell is the Matter With America." Sadly the same thing...
Jeri, I agree, a revised version entitled "What the Hell is the Matter with America?" would be a good topic and title. Since 2004 when "What's the Matter with Kansas?" was published we have the proliferation of social media. And now we have Artificial Intelligence where we can't know for certain what is real and what isn't. Still, the fundamental battle, IMO, is racism over democracy, white Protestant supremacy over a multi-cultural, multi-racial society. When tens of millions have no better than a 6th grade reading comprehension level, is it any wonder that they can be so easily duped?
We have also questioned why people vote against their self interests! Bamboozled is a good word.
We have been spoiled in the safety of our country.
Not to divert the discussion, but when I read Heather's column and now your excellent response, I immediately think of Ukraine and how they have come together to fight the 'orc' invasion of their country.
I think of it as Ukraine’s Pearl Harbor, after which so many of the America First awoke to the real dangers of letting others fall.
Who would come help us if not inspired by our determination to fight for self-governance and the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was first read to the public simultaneously at three exclusively designated locations at noon on July 8th, 1776: Easton Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and most fittingly at Trenton, New Jersey (a nod, I think, to those who served us at a most critical time (247 years ago on this date) and inspired so many others after).
I find myself too often just referring to the Declaration and not so much to things that have inspired me most, as I imagined those that fought at Trenton believed in.
Abraham Lincoln made it the centerpiece of his policies and his rhetoric, as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863.
Per Wikipedia:
"...Since then, it has become a well-known statement on human rights, particularly its second sentence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Stephen Lucas called it "one of the best-known sentences in the English language", with historian Joseph Ellis writing that the document contains "the most potent and consequential words in American history". The passage came to represent a moral standard to which the United States should strive. This view was notably promoted by Lincoln, who considered the Declaration to be the foundation of his political philosophy and argued that it is a statement of principles through which the United States Constitution should be interpreted..."
My ancestor Benjamin Woodman crossed the Delaware upstream from Washington with general Sullivan and marched into Trenton. A Quaker doctor's daughter nursed him back to health in Valley Forge at the end of the war. He attended Quaker Meeting for the rest of his life, but declined to join. Quakers, (the Religious Society of Friends) are pacifists. He did not join because, he said, if he had to do it over again, he would fight again.
And at the same time Isaac Cleaver, a Quaker from Germantown who had left the Germantown Meeting over his decision to take up arms and fight in the war of independence, also crossed the Delaware with General Washington. According to the family oral tradition, the Hessian short sword made in 1745 that hangs on my wall in my writing office, was the sword of the Sergeant of the Guard at Trenton Barracks, taken from him Christmas morning by Isaac - my sixth great grandfather. Despite three attempts to donate it to the Smithsonian, they turn it down because its provenance is "indeterminable." Isaac at the time was a member of the Pennsylvania militia. He fought on through the rest of the war and was a Sergeant in the Continental Army at Yorktown at the end. He returned to Germantown to find that the Squire of Germantown, a Tory Loyalist, had confiscated the farm that had been in the family since their arrival in Pennsylvania Colony in 1681.
Oh, and the Hessians weren't "auxiliaries," they were the best fighting men in Europe, brought by the English as mercenaries, and were feared throughout the middle colonies for their military prowess.
The Hessians were liege men of the Hanoverian King of England, George II, Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt. I'm so glad that the Smithsonian declined the sword and that it's on your wall.
Very cool as well, TC!
And I truly hope your sixth great grandfather gets his deserved honor, one way or another
By the authority vested in me as a veteran, and as a citizen of these United States, I hearby award your sixth great grandfather the Legion of Merit award. We owe him and always will owe him a debt of gratitude. Well done.
!!! Did they get it back TC, or equal compensation ?
No, they didn't take it because they can't "prove the provenance."
I think D4N’s question is about the farm. Did your family regain its farm?
No - Isaac took his family and moved to Catawissa. Ten years after the war, he was out hunting when he came across a bear and got mauled. Managed to get home, but never left.
Did your family get the farm back? Or other land?
You are rightly prod of Isaac Cleaver. My 5th great grandfather, Stephen Hatfield, enlisted on January 7 of 1777, obviously inspired by the victory at Trenton. Though the rest of his family had fled to Nova Scotia, Stephen stayed and joined the cause, in 1780 became part of the Commander-in-Chief's Guard, survived battle wounds, returned to duty and was present at Yorktown, along with your Isaac Cleaver. Stephen moved to western Pennsylvania, and struggled as a tenant farmer.They leave us much to live up to.
They and their descendants down to us do indeed. Which is why in2024I don't think we're going to piss on their memories and throw away that to which they gave "the last full measure of devotion."
Wow!
Very cool, Callie.
On behalf of this and other grateful Americans, I thank your ancestor and you as well.
Wow!
That’s who we were... and still are.
That last paragraph!!!
I agree! I think we should share this letter with Ukrainians!
I think of those dear Ukrainians fighting for their country every day. May our Congress send them the help they need.
Yes. And if not Congress, let the frozen Russia funds be freed and given to the Ukrainians!
Yes and yes
Why not? Sounds rightful to me.
And the Palestinians!
Agree!
How wonderful to read these lines period Tom Paine and you are wonderful writers. Just the encouraging words we need at this time.thank you.
Susan Schlechter
Yes, thank you. Just learned more about Paine than I had known. The painting of Washington crossing the Delaware is engraved in my head from childhood. Laughing thinking “a picture is worth a thousand words.” No words can describe the chill that pairing depicts. How beautifully this history fits with what we are living through and the stories of “Prequel.” May all our efforts turn the tide. PS Watch for Tom Suozzi in NY running for Santos’ seat. GOTV postcards already in the pipeline.
The only thing inaccurate about the painting is nobody would be standing upright in the boat. There really were ice floes on the river.
Ha!
Or as the late, great John Ford penned in "The Man who shot Liberty Valance",
PRINT THE LEGEND
It was 55F in Delaware yesterday.
Not quite warm enough to go swimming. But, getting there pretty fast.
This year is profoundly warmer. If the rate of heating continues at this pace in 30 years you will be able to swim at Christmas in the Delaware.
It was in the 40s here in upstate New York yesterday, and there is no snow on the ground (though some areas flooded recently due to heavy rain). It's much different from what I remember of winters during my childhood.
Yeah - snow pretty much gone except for few icy spots. VERY VERY wet. All the little springs are "springing" as well as new ones. Over the last 30 years or so, I've pretty much had a moat dug around me. Many ditches!
It has been unseasonably warm here in southern Oregon this holiday. I was able to have coffee on the deck at my in-law’s place yesterday morning. 45 degrees at daybreak. Normally, it is 30.
I gave my electrician my copy of “The Heat Will Kill You First” for Christmas with a dedication to him and his friends, hoping everyone will read it and take necessary breaks.
Yes, well it was the nearest thing to a zoom that the painter could get...
Basically, Washington wouldn't look heroic with his shoulder hunger up and his head sunk inside his greatcoat to get away from the snow. :-)
Exactly! Exactly. Optics! As icons go, you wouldn't give it a second look.
I do agree about that painting!
Thank you. I can still feel the chill it evoked.
Can’t help but reflect that my fellow citizens who revere our founders — the Tea Party patriots who morphed into the Republican Party base — have turned their backs to the Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting the same fight against tyranny that Paine so eloquently inspired way back when in the nascent history of our country.
What irks me and goes unmentioned, is that Ukraine was the 3rd largest nuclear weapons power in the world after the Soviet Union collapsed. USA and Europe guaranteed to come to the rescue of Ukraine in war time if they would give up their nukes. Of course, Putin would have never invaded if Ukraine was stuffed with nuclear weapons. So Ukraine is NOT asking for a handout, for largess, it is not demanding that USA and Europe come fight the war for them as WE AGREED to do. They are just asking for arms and some money. Message sent by GOP: Go nuclear and never give them up! North Korea, Iran and Saudis got the message.
I could not agree more. It is a mystery to me as to why the Republican Party base has decided to throw in with Russia. I grew up ⬆️ under the shade of a career USNavy father. My dad, who spent a significant amount of his capital as to his 3 daughters during the 1960’s and 70’s, would be appalled today.
Putin bought the Republican party.
They weren’t expensive.
Sadly...
I told my granddaughter last year that they would. When they turned to chump, it was a no-brainer
BINGO Bridget!
I have a feeling that you and I were not the only readers who felt the Ukrainian parallels to the USA revolutionary struggle, as told in tonight’s Letter from our teacher, Professor Cox Richardson. I imagine she was thinking of that important historical connection as she was writing. But to include Ukraine might have in her judgement interrupted the very smooth flow of tonight’s storytelling. So that may be a story for another day.
The fact that Ukraine is mentioned in so many of these posts means that it was part of tonight's storytelling, in subtext.
"The author of The American Crisis was Thomas Paine, whose January 1776 pamphlet Common Sense had solidified the colonists’ irritation at the king’s ministers into a rejection of monarchy itself, a rejection not just of King George III, but of all kings. "
Amen.
I see a very clear connection to the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
Cosplaytriots who serve royalists among us.
Thank you J L--what a great word of the day, “cosplaytriots”! They truly are hypocrites.
I didn't come up with it, but from all the protocol and pageantry of autocracies to Trumps puerile tantrums over made up $#*%, theater is a potent tyrants tool. I'm not saying there is no role for pageantry in statecraft, but we dare not conflate sheer fantasy with reality.
It is a very American Christmas tradition to remember Washington’s crossing of the Delaware. I love having it told to me again especially through your letters!!! Many thanks.
Hi Heather! Merry Christmas! My son gave me your autographed book for Christmas! Yay!!
Ditto! Except it was a gift from my husband. Can't wait to read it;
Can and will our better selves surface now? On us depend our democracy and that of Ukraine. We can do it, and you inspire us to make it so!
Please include the Palestinians in your plea. They are enduring the tyranny that Paine wrote about.
Yes Ronald, we need to put our shoulders to the wheel now.
Now, where should I apply said shoulder tomorrow?
Postcards, yes.
Other suggestions ?
Ceasefire. The Palestinians need their freedom too.
The battle of Brooklyn and the withdrawal across the East River saved the War. If Washington had not only been defeated but had lost the army, there would have been no Christmas victory. The withdrawal is an amazing story and also shows Washington’s courage and his admiration by his troops... they trusted him.
Reading Tom Paine's words gave me goose bumps. Yes, I'd read them in the past, more than once, probably, but not recently, and how they resonated tonight! All of the inspiration we need is right there, throughout our history. If you're not familiar with Pete Seeger's song, Wasn't That a Time?, treat yourself to one more Christmas present: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y096F_jFy3c.
Thank you Betsy for giving me the perfect link to encourage us all.
Thank You, Betsy.
Thank you Heather, for all you do. this letter was especially moving for me. I had to memorize this letter of Thomas Paine in 7th grade (back when students still had to do that sort of thing) and his cutting remarks about summer soldiers and sunshine patriots always stood out to me. I was naive to think we would never have to fight for our democracy again, of course, but I thank you for helping me understand how we got here, and how we can get out again. Your words have meant so much to so many these recent years. You are a worthy "descendent" of Thomas Paine.
Yes!
We need to fight for our country now as we did then to ensure a victory of freedom over tyranny!!
Thank you for your writings! They have kept me calm this year.