Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote to House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) today to warn him that the Treasury will be unable to pay the government’s bills by early June, possibly as early as June 1.
The Supreme Court Justices.. self-assessing their own ethics? Like asking the foxes to guard the henhouse... /snort
Also, the "Republicans’ “Default on America Act,” or “DOA,” which “offers two choices: either default on the debt or default on America, forcing steep cuts to law enforcement, veterans, families, teachers, and kids" is appropriately "Dead On Arrival" as an extortionate attempt by the Rethugs...
And Dr. Heather, you are up QUITE LATE!! Hopefully you have turned off the computer and the house lights and have gone to bed in the few minutes since you posted this. THANK YOU for these daily LFAAs. 💜💜💜
I ask that all the time!! And, she pulls it all together (daily letter, podcasts with Prof. Joanne Freeman, 2 political chat videos/week, writes books, teaches, mentors PhD candidates, gets out in a kayak, gets married, has friends, etc.) whether in Maine, Massachusetts or traveling to parts unknown! And, she is a major influencer of the best kind (knowledgeable, educated, willing to share, and down to earth). I'm exhausted just writing those things down :) When I started getting the Letters, only a few hundred people were followers . . . I was instantly addicted.
That we have the privilege to read but more APPRECIATE.
It’s quality , a rare and cherished voice amidst the din.
So from this comes today a reflection : How years have changed perception ‘as the world turned’ and I/We listened ( or didn’t) and what we valued , worked for, and now appreciate.
In a nutshell things have improved, we’ve come somewhat out of the dark ages and get to laugh at The Dark Brandon. We realize the challenges ahead most of US in comfortable lives and aware of the new challenge ahead.
I am hopeful.
I believe in America .
I believe identifying the areas of concern will bring the needed change and I strongly believe my fellow Americans are waking up to see their vote does count and where we DONT want to go.
"The eyes of love never sleep." The words inscribed on Harry Houdini's tombstone. All Americans, and our beautiful America, are the fortunate recipients of the endless love from Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. Gratitude flows into the vast ocean of her love for humanity. Her waters are deep, and they are true. They embrace all living beings equally.
Yes I fear that she is working hours more appropriate to the 18th Century. I would be glad to see her have two days off a week, but at least take one day a week for rest.
It is understandable that HCR would want to avoid the hate mail and general aggravation that might result from her columns appearing in the MSM and papers, trolls abound, but many Americans would enjoy and benefit from her thoughtful work as much as we subscribers and it could only help our democracy to have better informed citizens.
Since when is cutting and pasting from Media Matters and Huff Post considered great journalist work? Can you cite ONE example of original work EVER posted here? One ? Its all word for word the same ideas you when find anywhere in leftist media. It's top down group think. On the other hand, I understand that it takes great courage these days to deviate from leftist orthodoxy one inch. That's why the least courageous people in America are in academia.
Well, if you really believe that HCR is randomly cutting and pasting from others, and that we are all part of the leftist orthodoxy, and that you so fervently wish to disparage folks in academia, why are you even here, except to troll and spew your right wing, elite-hysteria rubbish?
With child labor laws reverting to the 18th century, HCR as usual is ahead of the curve and thats why she works 18 hours/day and 9 days a week. I had my REPUBLICAN'T Congressman introduce a bill a few years back to add another day to the and it passed easily. Now I also work 8 days/week. I call it retirement. The REPUBLICAN'TS call it: not enough
I came across this fascinating article on the BBC site of the Medieval habit of "2 sleeps". One goes to bed relatively early, wakes up after 2-3 hours sleep, putters about and does stuff for 2-3 hours, then goes back to bed. This kind of sleep habit lasted into the 18th and 19th centuries in some places.
There are numerous references to this kind of sleep pattern in early American writings, right into the 1900s. It it common in other cultures as well. Some members of my family (including me) still follow this pattern. And there have been studies that suggest that this may be the normal sleep pattern for human beings. The change seems to have emerged from the development of an industrial economy and "shift work", and the resulting impact on other members of the family, and on other institutions that adapted to that significant change in sleeping patterns.
Fascinating article! This two phase sleep makes sense in "light" of keeping the fire going, caring for infants and small chidren, managing livestock, and such. Thank you for this eye-opening, illuminating reference.
Copying my comment in here where it really belongs...
Read "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, PhD before you decide to sleep in two chunks like they may have done in the far past or still do in some cultures. I'm more inclined to think our increasingly short and broken sleep patterns of the past 80 years or so are partly responsible for the rise in dementia and some other brain dysfunctions.
Good historians are researchers who dig DEEPLY compared to others. They would make Sherlock & Hercule Poirot seem like SLACKERS with their attention to detail.
Maybe, but they don’t rule over my non-Catholic belief system….Nine humans determine everything for 330,000 million of us. Yes, We the People are ruled by nine people, essentially and 100 Senators and 435 something Congresspeople. It sucks, frankly.
As in sciences such as evolution, cosmology, geology/paleontology, archeology, doing it right when tracking history appears to mean exhaustive research and fact checking; attention to fine distinctions and subtle connections.
Fictional sleuths are fun (murder mysteries are my guilty pleasure) but most of the time rely on deus ex machina insights that make them tall tales. Evidence in history is often less readily testable than is that for the "hard"(tangible) sciences, but our best guesses about the future, or workable potential futures, can only be informed by what we accurately observe in the past. We can exercise foresight, yet we never get to see what has yet to be until it's upon us.
That said, I claim with that high degree of (my own ) confidence that the sun will "rise" tomorrow morning, and that much that we expect will occur. It seems very wise to look (rather carefully) before we leap.
I'm sure that even I get more sleep than she does, & I'm an INSOMNIAC thanks to my mother's genetic contribution AND working third shift during the late 1980's.
I worked in capital intense industry that ran 24 / 7, almost 365 days a year. (2 days we didn't run were Christmas and Mother's Day, we ran July 4.) Most workers hated 3 to 11 more than night or what we called graveyard. Reason for hatred of 3 to 11 was you never saw your family. They were either asleep or at school. Tough life but it paid well with lots of overtime. Harder yet was the unit supervisors or what used to be called foremen. We dropped that term years ago with many women taking those jobs. What was such a killer was these were rotating shifts, 3 weeks on days, 3 weeks on 3 to 11 and 3 weeks on graveyard.
From my perspective the hardest is 12 hour shifts for nurses and other hospital medical staff. They don't get Christmas or Mother's Day off either. Sick people are sick 365 days a year. Covid made this really hard, we have a daughter who is a Nurse Pactisher.
I'm retired from county law enforcement; in the 28 years I worked full time, we had (except for a brief period in 2008-2009 where we dropped 24 hour coverage due to the recession) three shifts: days, swings, and graves. We had shift bid twice a year, and for three month intervals. For the second half of my career, we worked four 10 hour days with overlapping hours at the busiest times of day. For all but the last 5 years, I worked primarily graveyard (I found out why hospitals called that the NOC shift; nocturnal, because I suppose "graveyard" carries connotations you don't want in a health care facility). The last 5 was day shift, where I had a start time of 0600 and had a typical awakening time of 0330 so that I could work out before going to work. I am still on a sleep pattern where I am up and awake between 0430-0600, even after being retired 10 years.
I agree that 12's are awful, especially if there are mandated day/night rotations occurring less than every three months. There are some things that just don't stop because of the calendar and holidays...
Melatonin and more often Valerian from Whole Foods ( they vet the content ) has saved me. A sleep doc cannot hurt. So much in life that can trip us ----Melatonin with alcohol will mess with your hormones.
I'll freely admit that I stay up late for the express purpose of catching the latest LFAA fresh off the virtual press! It's hell on my diurnal rhythm, but a price I am willing to pay...
Right now we are living in Spain (but soon to return to the States). We are six hours ahead of the east coast of America. But the first thing I do every morning is to look for the latest LFAA. Don't start your day without it!
I post Heather's letters to my Facebook page immediately. I included some commentary about the party of death and then somewhat sarcastically wished people good morning because nothing about the content today is good.
If I may ask (and not to stray too far from this group's purpose), in what part of Spain are you living, and how do you like it? I'm reconnoitering the Iberian peninsula, including Portugal, with an eye to relocating somewhere there for the last chapter, and am eager for any insights and pointers.
I don't quite know how to do it, but there must be some way to discuss outside of this group (if you're interested in passing along your thoughts) and still maintain privacy and security. Maybe WhatsApp?
Dear pts, we are always happy to talk about Spain. We are not rich but we worked our entire lives and lived pretty frugally with the intent of having a good retirement (something future generations may not have). Any way, we bought a small house in the south east corner of Spain in 2006. We love it here and since we retired we can spend more time. I would tell you that the people, the food, the wine and the cost of living is all fabulous. Does it have it flaws? Of course, but there are SO many pluses that far outweigh them. We have 340+ sunny days a year, we are a 4 minute walk from the Mediterranean, we are surrounded by mountains and our village has about 800 year round people living here and we are the only Americans. That is all on the plus side. One the negative side, we can only stay 90 days then we have to leave the country for 90 days so, it is a bit expensive to go back and forth but it is worth it. Also, speaking at least some Spanish is important. Gas is more expensive than in the States, but cars are more fuel efficient (go figure) and everything else is less expensive. We can continue this conversation on PM on FB or we can connect on WhatsApp.
Not for me! I'm traveling in the UK right now and reading this the next day because I found my favorite part of her letters are the comments and discussions.
My hope is that she has hired staff with some of the proceeds from Substack who can scan the news of the day. Someone who is as busy in so many things for so many years has to have found ways to be efficient. So in my mind, she's having breakfast with Buddy while her staff finishes collating the deluge of b.s., sprinkles the results with her vast knowledge of history, writes the day's post in no yime with no mistakes, and calls it a night.
There's this remedy called "a power nap". You just close your eyes. People think you are sleeping, and they keep quiet and don't try to wake you. You can announce you will be taking a nap, which helps. It doesnt really matter if you sleep: you get a change of pace, which is as good as a rest. Zzzzzzzzz.....
Spot on Just Janice; FYI to the Community., on 3/24/23.The Guardian's Ed Pilkington reported that justice Samuel Alito was flown to a religious liberty Summit in Rome on 7/21/22 by the Religious Liberty Initiative "whose faculty have filed amicus briefs in at least 6 high profile cases since 2020". The Guardian Editors posted a photo illustration of Alito in a tux gesturing to an audience standing by behind a thick plated see-through lectern.
This was all in the Scotus' Summer Break of 2022 before the day in April 2023 when Alito chose Murdoch's Wall Street Journal to make an accusation ( no evidence ) against fellow Justices on the very day Pro Publica exposed Justice Thomas's acceptance of luxurious travel & gifts from a right wing Mega Donor. These are not ethics violations, these acts
moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Similar:
moral code
morals
morality
moral stand
moral principles
moral values
rights and wrongs
principles
ideals
creed
credo
ethos
rules of conduct
virtues
2.
the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
eth·ic
noun
plural noun: ethics
a set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.
Origin
late Middle English (denoting ethics or moral philosophy; also used attributively): from Old French éthique, from Latin ethice, from Greek (hē) ēthikē (tekhnē) ‘(the science of) morals’, based on ēthos (see ethos).
'Both morality and ethics loosely have to do with distinguishing the difference between “good and bad” or “right and wrong.” Many people think of morality as something that’s personal and normative, whereas ethics is the standards of “good and bad” distinguished by a certain community or social setting.' (Britannica)
Yes, I checked my Ipad around 2:30am and there was no new letter. Heather is one busy lady! I can't imagine how she ever has time to sleep and today Tuesday is a busy day for her. The semester or quarter should be about ready to wrap!
The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5T and hold federal spending to 2022 levels. If there is a default its on the Democrats. There is a budget in place.
Here is a novel idea. With a $31.5 Trillion dollar deficit, maybe America ought to live within its means. BTW we don't need 80,000 new IRS agents. Especially when the Biden administration is weaponizing the IRS against its citizens. It was a nice move to send an IRS agent to journalist Matt Tiabbi house the day he was to testify before Congress.
This nothing new for the Democrats. Who can forget the Obama years when the IRS was going after conservative groups. Lois Lerner, an IRS official, plead the Fifth amendment before congress after emails showed her hatred of conservatives and targeting of conservative groups.
Of course, if people were serious about the US deficit they would raise taxes on those who have milked the system for the last 20 years. But those are the Republican donors. They have bought the Republicans and the Supreme Court. They want to turn the country into a kleptocracy. That’s the MAGA way.
Sorry to embarrass you, but stop with leftist cliches:
1) All the wealthiest people are democrats. Pick a city: NYC, Boston, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, et cetera, all the wealthiest areas are run by Democrats.
2) Who are the constituents of the democratic party? Silicon Valley, Wall Street, High Tech, Pharma... the wealthiest industries are donors to the Democrats. You are right they BOUGHT
THE DEMOCRATS.
3) If there is Kleptocracy is the Democrats. They haven't changed any tax rules on Hedge funds. They haven't limit the power of Big Tech to censor or use your personal info. They colluded with big pharma to lie about the efficacy of COVID vaccines/booster while making billions.
Bernie was the only one fighting against the unholy alliance of big money influence on Democrats until he was strong armed into silence.
I'm sorry, James A, that you haven't heard about Koch money, ALEC, the Federalist Society, the Heritage Fund, Leonard Leo, and so many others who have been working hard for the last maybe 40 years to undermine democracy. They were clever, to be sure, by targeting the judiciary, re-districting, local school boards and city councils in order to pepper them with conservatives who would ensure the destruction of progressive policies.
We no longer have a two (2) party system. The Republicans stopped being republicans back in 2015-2016. You have not ridiculed the largest political grouping, the wide array of Independents or the Age Group that is deciding the most recent critical elections, the18-30's with few hang-ups. I cannot wait for my granddaughters to take over currently aged 10 & 13. Political life is changing as fast as the computer chip on your cell phone. PS: I report personal attacks to Substack Inc my neighbor.
You are asking for unilateral disarmament. Democrats fund up because it's the only way to respond to Republicans funding up. The only solution requires putting the genie back in the bottle: overturn Citizens United. Remove all private funding from campaigns, not only the big donors and corporations, and level the playing field by allowing public funding only.
Focus on the evil of the current funding system, which is an uncontrolled race to outspend the other side with no rules or limits. Fix the real problem and let these people keep their money (which we can then tax).
3) You want to talk about a kleptcracy, that isn't party specific. Both parties have their issue with that. Additionally, you know that neither party wants to change tax rules on hedge funds, and neither party has done anything to protect our data with big tech. To pass most legislation you know that you need 60 votes in the Senate right? Especially when it comes to Data protection. Maybe if one party wasn't always oppositional and had an interest in governing we'd be making progress on that front. I'm not even going to get into your Covid comment, because it's clear that you still think Covid was really just one virus and it didn't mutate into different viruses that caused a reduction in efficacy. It's really poor form to armchair quarterback a global pandemic after the fact, while scientists and virologists were trying to keep people alive and prevent spread to make it seem like there was collusion. On the Bernie front you are correct, but at least be consistent in your debate. Do you want more tax revenue and to limit big money in politics? They why do you support Republican big donors? Do you support Citizens United? You said, you didn't want more IRS agents, but Bernie wants to go after all billionaires?
You seem to be very contrarian and just nitpick democrats which is your prerogative however at least be consistent logically and also go after people in your own party as well. Or better yet, lets go after everyone in all parties and hold them accountable. Not everything needs to be a team sport.
Thanks for questioning my mental status. I realize that at my age I certainly have my moments. You sir, seem blind in one eye, and only able to see what you want see and hear what you want to hear. Yes, "do your homework" is a good suggestion. Follow it. Check out Russian money and NRA money: not distributed balanced.
Well, James...you're one guy with an opinion, like the rest of us. You've dropped into a space with a somewhat provocative tone, a space where you'll find very few convivial listeners. A little piece of advice; it's not a wise mission to attempt to convince others who hold nearly diametrically opposed views; somewhat like trying to convert an Imam to become a Southern Baptist. You'd be better off speaking to the undecided. There's an increasingly dominant fraction of the electorate who are neither registered GOP nor Dems. We are the "independents" or non-affiliated. We listen to voices that make sense, not demagogues. There's unbelievable amounts of money flowing around the entire political universe. The government operates carrying debt greater than a year's national economic output. Sort of like my mortgage, I guess. Were we to value the entire nation's economic energy like a business, I believe we'd find that the long term debt is not unbearable. Would we be better off with less? Perhaps, but then many investments would not have been made, either. Someday in the not too distant future, I'll turn my considerable mortgage into a somewhat less considerable but substantial pot of cash with which to downsize. Yes, it's debt and yes, I pay interest, but I'm also building equity and experiencing the rising valuation of the asset. At risk of pushing the analogy too far, we're doing the same here in America. And, investing in the capacity to pursue the biggest, most ingenious corporate tax scofflaws with a foothold on every continent doesn't seem like a bad investment, particularly if their actions return more than they cost. I'm certain there's a blog where you'll feel more at home; good luck in your search!
This willful naïveté on the part of Republican supporters who persist in pretending that blatant political brinksmanship is a level playing field, is the dividing line between honest but misinformed politicians and criminals dressed up as politicians, like wolves in sheep’s clothing. Why don’t the House Republicans submit a bill which includes rolling back Trump’s massive tax cut to his cronies, which is the root of the ballooning of the deficit? Do you make enough money to have benefitted from that? I am in the group that saw my taxes go up. The Republicans could make some small argument for freezing spending if the freeze was equitable across all government entities including DOD and their own Congressional perks. But that is not what their cuts consist of, by their own admission. How many people do you know who are dependent on Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare? If you don’t know anyone, go to a Community Senior Center and talk to the people there, and then come back and explain how forcing the country into default benefits honest people who paid their taxes all their working lives.
Honest? Who are you kidding? You might want to put down the bong and read a little recent history:
Start with the Biden's. They've been selling influence for years to the Chinese and the Russians/Ukrainians. Why Joe was dumb enough to let his crack addicted son Hunter be the bag man is beyond me.
Then there is the Clinton's. My personal favorite was the Haiti Relief Fund. After the World community raised almost 10 Billion in relief aid, Bill volunteered to manage the money. Only about 10% of the money went to the Haitian government. The rest went to "FRIENDS OF THE CLINTON's" who then generous donated to the Clinton Global Initiative. The result was a trainwreck of mismanaged infrastructure and fraud. The Haitian government was so appalled they told the Clinton's to get lost. To this day there are still Haitians protesting the thievery in front of the Clinton Global Initiative offices in NYC.
It took almost as much Chutzpah as Sec of State for Hillary to fly around the selling influence out in the open.
As for brinksmanship, what in the hell are you talking about? The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling 1.5TB. If there is default its on the democrats.
Thank you you for this quote, Heather!I have just been discussing this very issue with someone here, based on yesterday’s letter! I hope it will not create confusion if I quote this in yesterday’s threads. “....while Republicans are blaming Democrats for creating inflation by pumping too much money into the economy through social welfare programs, The Wall Street Journal yesterday embraced the argument that a key factor in inflation has been price gouging by corporations. A piece by Paul Hannon noted that businesses are boosting their profit margins, confident that consumers will blame supply chain issues and higher energy prices rather than the companies padding their profits. Oil giant Shell just announced almost $9.6 billion in profits in the first three months of 2023.”
“The fastest way to waste money is to hire more federal employees.” That sounds like a gop cliché. However, I think maybe a compromise could really help, IF that compromise is “close all the loopholes” AND repeal the trump tax cuts. That should level the playing field, reduce the deficit, and balance the spending picture. But the IRS agents need to stay and pursue the questionable tax-dodgers of both parties.
>The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5T and hold federal spending to 2022 levels. If there is a default its on the Democrats. There is a budget in place.
The problem is that we've already agreed to new spending, and the future budget vs existing agreed upon expenses should always be reviewed separately. The GOP raised the debt ceiling 3x under Trump and other previous Republican Presidents, additionally in the "budget" that McCarthy presented it is very vague and punts the budget cuts to the house appropriations committee so it doesn't actually provide details. You seem to be arguing in bad faith sir... Did you even read the actual budget / debt ceiling proposal by McCarthy, it is super vague and not detailed at all, lots of platitudes but no details.
>Here is a novel idea. With a $31.5 Trillion dollar deficit, maybe America ought to live within its means. BTW we don't need 80,000 new IRS agents. Especially when the Biden administration is weaponizing the IRS against its citizens. It was a nice move to send an IRS agent to journalist Matt Tiabbi house the day he was to testify before Congress.
The new IRS agents are definitely needed to go after the rich people that can hire teams of lawyers so they don't have to pay their taxes. There is no evidence that the IRS is being weaponized against citizens. Just imagine thinking that paying taxes appropriately is weaponization... Not everything is a conspiracy. The alternative is a flat consumption tax, or what some Republicans want which is to end all Federal tax which isn't a solution either.
>This nothing new for the Democrats. Who can forget the Obama years when the IRS was going after conservative groups. Lois Lerner, an IRS official, plead the Fifth amendment before congress after emails showed her hatred of conservatives and targeting of conservative groups.
That is frankly a bit overstated. After an investigation if you remember the IRS did go after all political groups across the spectrum that specifically applied for tax-exempt status. Conservatives claimed that they were specifically targeted by the IRS, but a report released by the Treasury Department's Inspector General in 2017 found that from 2004 to 2013, the IRS used both conservative and liberal keywords to choose targets for scrutiny. Initial reports described the selections as nearly exclusively of conservative groups with terms such as "Tea Party" in their names. According to Republican lawmakers, liberal-leaning groups and the Occupy movement had also triggered additional scrutiny, but at a lower rate than conservative groups. The Republican majority on the House Oversight Committee issued the report, which concluded that although some liberal groups were selected for additional review, the scrutiny that these groups received did not amount to targeting when compared to the greater scrutiny received by conservative groups. Words matter, but you making it seem like there is some hatred towards conservative people by the entire IRS is bad faith at best. The government overall is split pretty evenly on how people vote, and has it ever occurred to you that GOP led groups with mysterious donors might need more scrutiny?
I know you believe that the Republicans are the good team and the Democrats are the bad team, but at least try not to show your partisanship and debate in good faith. Country before party remember?
Another leftist who can't think their way out of a paper bag.
To show how stupid you are, you didn't even to cite what you "claim" I'm
lying about.
Leftism is the haven of the anti-intellectual. To show how bad it is, Heather doesn't offer an ounce of original thought other than pasting news from Media Matters or Huffington Post.
Those sound like fighting words...was that your intention? In your experience, does lobbing insults bring you more validation for your views? I feel badly for you, trying to swim in a pool of hostile combatants, but it seems like you threw the first punch up there a ways. Again, there's probably a forum where your views will find a more favorable audience. The best of luck with that!
Alito is worried about the threat of assassination to justices due to the Dobbs leak, but not the threat of death to millions of women of child-bearing age imposed by that decision. That's where we are.
Roberts seems to have a problem with the concept of universal suffrage. "Certain people," it seems, don't actually have the right to vote. Corporations, however, have the "right" to distort the bote and own politicians. Judges and Justices too, evidently! 😡
Alito, like the original scumbag Scalia, loves the NRA and as long as he is rewarded, guns. It should be legal to pack a gun into the Supreme Court so they understand how kids feel in school. No permit needed except the 2nd Amendment. I bet they would find for “a well regulated militia”.
That is a typo I make all the time. The three dots next to "reply" allow you (on some devices) to make edits. I can do that on my laptop, but not my iPhone.
Given that I am a "two spacer after a period" person, I frequently type a sentence that ends "wonderful comment. b" since the "b" is right next to the space bar.
And, the threat to every single one of us with the unfettered proliferation of guns and military style weapons.
And, while a financial disaster is in the making (and totally the fault of the repugs ) McCarthy is out of the country. Jimminy Cricket, my hair is beyond on fire (as Heather would say!) Every.single.day there is a pending shit show! It has permanently destroyed our national psyche and rendered subsequent generations feeling helpless that any positive changes will ever take place despite all the efforts. The saying "pissing in the wind" comes to mind. I do admire Biden's drive to keep things moving in a better direction.
behind the Speaker and his motley crew are rooms full of strategists parsing every possible nuance of potential outcomes for his position. One of the most venerated tactics on the Hill over many decades has been the art of the bluff, and also calling that bluff. It wouldn't surprise me if the "clean" debt limit hike document has already been written and vetted by congressional legal advisors, just waiting in case the bluff fails. how long does it take to submit the bill, hold the vote and then send it over to the Senate for ratification? You can be sure that the calendar has been carefully marked with the drop dead dates, back-calculated to when each step must be taken to avoid that atomic default. The wrangling will go on right up to the bitter edge. I've chosen to avoid chewing my fingernails to the quick. There will be plenty of time for that later if they DO drive the bus over the cliff.
I think you give too much credit to the perceived "abilities" and people behind McCarthy. Regardless, the game they are playing is dangerous, costly, and so unnecessary.
Or the threats to all Americans by gutting common sense gun laws! This is the most unethical probably corrupt SCOTUS ever! No wonder we don't have ANY faith in them!
Hey it's all about the safety of wealthy, white cis-gendered males, right? Could they make it any clearer that it's all about THEM and their comfort and peace of mind???
Maternal Death rates were 62% higher in2020 in abortion-restriction states than in abortion-access states (28.8 vs 17.8 per 100,000 births) according to the Common Wealth Fund. And this was before the Dobbs decision, and the increased restrictions or near total bans on abortion. Also many OB/GYN docs are leaving or considering leaving abortion-restriction states for fear of increasing that number of deaths themselves by their own states vagueness at doctor liability when saving a pregnant person’s life. This should increase the dire health outlook for all in those states. No one’s family will be immune. Obstetric complications happen. Women will die. Families will be deprived of a loving parent. Workers with pregnant-age partners will have to question the wisdom of taking/keeping a job in a state that may prove dangerous and harmful for their family’s health. So not only do you create a healthcare drain on your state, but also a talent/brain drain.
Governor Inslee's letter to Idaho is a good read. Even better is WA's well thought out statutory changes for protection from out of state attacks. Makes me want to go back to Capitol Hill. Very awake in Seattle.
Most certainly, some state borders will become populated by physicians who hold licenses in adjacent states, drive from one side to the other to deliver services according to state laws, with patients following. There's probably more than enough money in this nation to assist women in traveling to places where they can legally get the services they need, but it'll be complex to mobilize it and damned inconvenient, even expensive until someday the pendulum swings back the other way in state legislatures, courts, governor's mansions. There will be consequences, victims, tragedies when emergency circumstances prevent the requisite travel. It's a messy world we are enduring presently.
Makes me wonder, if the leak prompted assassination threats, when it turned out to be true, what changed? Is this yr waddyacallit, pettifog? Alito trying to pass the blame for bad law onto the leaker somehow? He must think we're stupid, like fox co. treats their viewers.
Suzanne, to me, allow me to say, that 'ruling' was built to fail from the beginning. It flew in the face of the religiots! Huh? Who? Your neighbors! That's who. Society... our society.., has slapped the banner "abortion" right over the real issue being the health of a woman; a "woman" being a human being with a uterus at birth. Being a jet engine mechanic, that's about as specific as I can get to defining a "woman".. sorry.
"Today, Roberts responded that they had agreed to the ethics statement on April 25, and said that justices policed their own ethics as they 'consult a wide variety of guidance on ethics issues, including statutes, judicial opinions, advice [from legal experts], scholarly commentary, and historical practice, among other sources. ' "
I think we can probably find that Mexican Cartels follow this same model: They police themselves. Now, this works out very well as we can all see with the unstoppable flood of drugs into the US.
Similarly, slave owners once "policed themselves" as well, right? They came up with their own police force, the precursor of modern police forces and...... I am sure the black folks living on the Plantations could trust those "police".
In fact, I think we should ALL start "policing ourselves". Then, when I/we feel like something is OK, I/we can just do it. No need to worry about laws, or ethics of others or societal norms or anything that I might have learned in say, Harvard Law School (which apparently does not teach ethics anymore).
The "Supreme" Court Republican appointed "Justices" are now just part of the larger House of Prostitution that Republicans have turned our government into.
The Republican appointed judges are just Prostitutes for those that give them money, their "Johns" so to speak. It is a good way to get rich and a great way to get more power.
And? There appears to be no way to stop their migration to Mexican Cartel Ethics.
Aye. If John Adams could see us now. All that work he did to empower. Gone.
You will recall that Alan Dershowitz, the MAGnut, defended tfg manbaby at one of his impeachments by saying if the president believes he is doing the right thing,he is basically above the law. Seems to apply to all MAGnuts.
Alan Dershowitz claiming that if the president believes he is doing the right thing, he is above the law is total bullsh!t. If you were the parent if a teenager saying something so stupid to avoid discipline, would you buy that line of crap?!
You can teach ethics, but it looks more and more like you can't make the Justices abide by them.
Yet we must. I understand that many of the lower court judges un the Federal System are LIVID that the SCT refuses to adopt and abide by an ethical system. I hope their pressure will help get the SCT to adopt and enforce one. For starters, they could simply adopt the system already in place for the lower courts.
Truth, J.L....you speak truth!!!! I had to rub my eyes when I read that. If the high Court hasn't formulated a Code of Ethics on their own in all these years, why should we believe an ethically challenged Chief Justice when he claims they have came up with a Code a mere two weeks ago. What does it postulate as a guidelines? Somehow, I suspect it's a single sentence: "Don't Get Caught!"
They are so arrogant that they probably don't even care--or, perhaps a single word: "Lie". In parenthesis there might be a notation that the lie doesn't even have to be plausible.
T L again, although they apparently hadn't formulated a code of ethics until a week or two ago, they HAVE accepted the nominal need to report gifts and other sources of income. Report it to whom and for what presumed purpose?
My understanding is that there is already an established requirement for filing financial disclosure reports, just as there has been for other government officials on down to the local level. Just as I had to do for appointment to a local committee tasked with voting on use of certain funding.
The issue is that Justices Thomas, Gorsuch and Roberts have failed to do that. Relatively little reporting on Roberts' wife's tax filings in which she is said to have claimed millions of dollars of commissions from entities who likely had business before the SC as "salary". Don't know, wasn't reported, whether the Roberts file jointly but surely he knew about that one way or another.
I'm going to think hard about the possible motives for the strategy that delivers "Don't worry, we already did it" (barely) rather than "We need it, we're far past due and WE WILL do it NOW!" I think he's trying to wish away the scrutiny, as in "please, oh please, let us get back to our comfortable, semi-reclusive rosewood-finished chambers and tell those pesky reporters to find someone else to scrutinize"
Which means exactly nothing, since the Federalist Society doesn't give even a mouse-sized shyte about what kind of law was studied or how much experience their potential candidates possess; Lennie Leo only cares that they have a very conservative bent and will follow the partisan agenda laid out for them.
Yeah..."originalism" as long as it appears to validate what THEY want it to. When "originalism" doesn't support what the arrogant six conservative Justices want, the originalism gets thrown out the window and they go rummaging about in 16th century legalist philosophy for their arguments. That isn't so cool.
I'm referring to Alito' stupid opinion in Dobbs; looking for supportive legislation on denying women's right to their own bodies and to destroy the previously hammered out decision on Roe vs. Wade. Alito used Burke, for goodness sake. How about staying in THIS flippin' century Alito, you crusty old fossil?
The state of the Extreme Court is beyond despicable. Our Congress should have begun impeachments already. That would have to be a Congress with integrity, of course. Ooops.
All of this and so much more will only be resolved with the huge Blue Wave in 2024. If there is any thing close to a default of our national debt, the pain will be so widespread, perhaps the GQP will be pounded in that election. In the meantime, our focus should be on turning the tide - registering young voters. Moaning and groaning is natural. But action is required. We need a Congress that reflects the wishes of Americans on climate, guns, healthcare, education - clean water!
That being said, Robert Reich has clear guidance for President Biden on the debt ceiling.
J L it would seem that when dealing with Chief Justice Roberts... "that he was concerned about the separation of powers and about “preserving judicial independence"...when invited to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, it would be worth pursuing this line of questioning with a history of the courts adherence, at least in form if clearly not in substance, to requirements for government employees to disclose gifts and other sources of income. This requirement for disclosure was apparently sufficiently accepted for Justice Thomas to have allegedly sought advice about reporting when he joined the court 30 (?) years ago.
To whom do the justices disclose their gifts and other sources of income?
For what putative purpose do they make these disclosures?
What is the purpose and obligation of the agency receiving those reports and what regulatory power does it have?
Perhaps Heather could include answers to these questions and the apparent logical inconsistency when next dealing with Roberts' refusal to meet with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ann W they have reported their gifts and other sources of income and Justice Thomas claims to have sought advice about how to do that some 30 years ago!...
No, they have not--at least not forthrightly and completely. See: Allegations re Gorsuch; Thomas; Roberts either outright fraud or extremely unethical. You are defending them because....?
Lawyers have been self-monitoring their ethics for decades. Need more be said in this light? Robert's even wrote a statement of principle and the judges duly signed it. Decision rendered. Next case. Appeal denied. Next case. Ethics of the nine certified by the nine sitting justices. Ethics of all so determined. [Heavenly string music playing in the background as the justices levitate above their thrones, tiny black winds flapping.]
“Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
It is becoming clear that the Supreme Court of the United States is absolutely festering with corruption. I've long wondered how much money Roberts raked in (via that numbered Swiss account, of course) for Citizens United. It must have been in the billions. I guess the good news is that he'll need to retire soon in order to fully enjoy his booty. "Trust us, we are honorable, as witness these priestly black robes. And be assured that we will let you know when we determine that we have crossed some ethical line. Don't trouble your pretty little heads with the details." My god, what towering arrogance!
You must also ask how much legislators have raked in. After Susan Collins voted for Kavanaugh, Leonard Leo held a big fund raiser for her at his NorthEast Harbor, Maine estate (which a recent complaint to the IRS presents evidence of Leo usng funds from his tax free non profits to purchase.)
You have a way with words, Mr. Surlamont! Thank you. Yes. Six of those high and mighty Justices have become so very arrogant that they appear to be completely unembarrassed by the discovery of their corrupt doings. Very right-wingish of them, innit?
This U.S. Supreme Court and the billionaires that created it will never relinquish an ounce of the absolute power they wield. We are living in a successful coup enabled by fatal flaws in our Constitution.
The only saving grace -- the billionaires may not allow the Republicans to crash the economy. Then, if the government survives through the 2024 elections and a super majority of American voters overcomes the voter suppression/fraud of the Republicans, we may just get sufficient control of the legislative and executive branches to fix the court (as Roosevelt planned to do when faced with similar challenges).
JRay, we MUST keep at this. We cannot back down, as posted by Jay NorCal above. I have hope from reading Heather’s wise words and learning from her about our history through new eyes. Many brave and strong people have gone before us and many will come after. Now is our moment to stand together and face calumny (don’t you love that word?) and deceit by the repugnants. We don’t have to live this way, as Heather intones all the time!
"the billionaires may not allow the Republicans to crash the economy."
I just read an analysis that argues that Republican billionaires WANT the economy to crash because they get much richer during crashes. Several examples of how that works were given, one being that they buy stock at low prices knowing it will come back eventually thereby enriching themselves.
I thought of Warren Buffet buying stocks madly during 2009 when everyone else was in the dumps of unemployment, housing loss, etc. Buffet made out big time.
Don't count on the Billionaires. They win in a crash.
We also need to repair our state legislatures. They are in disarray due to gerrymandering and corruption. And our municipal budgets are out of balance with the most $ going to militarized police. Lots of work to do.
"The court today agreed to hear a case that could gut the government’s ability to regulate business. "
And this friends, is what the Federalist crew were put there to do. The gutting of civil rights protections, protections from gun violence, and separation of church and state protections was a sop to racist right wing religious extremist gun fanatics (ie the court's version of the Souther Strategy.) Now we get to what Leonard Leo's plutocrat patrons are paying the big money for - the end of government regulation of business. Gorsuch (the Alito of the new crew - actually much nastier than his more flamboyantly egregious colleagues) is infamous for his 'frozen trucker' case - where he ruled that the driver of a truck which broke down in a storm had no right to seek shelter, but should have risked dying rather than leave his employer's property.
And seriously, all this is brought to fruition by those who sat on their hands rather than hold their nose and vote for Hillary Clinton. While Republicans held their nose, voted for Trump, and captured the court. 2024 is closer than it looks.
Let's hope Sheldon Whitehouse can focus his understanding of the Federalist Society's diabolical agenda in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, and spark some action to defend democracy from the SCOTUS plan of attack.
Yes. Sheldon Whitehouse! Along with Jamie Raskin, living national treasures.
Whitehouse has also brought in Lisa Graves of TrueNorth Research who has traced the Leonard Leo network of dark and dirty money behind almost every antidemocratic movement in the United States
"all this is brought to fruition by those who sat on their hands rather than hold their nose and vote for Hillary Clinton"
lin, I think very few people who were Democrats "sat on their hands" instead of holding their nose to vote for Hillary.
What I also think is that the Democrats had a chance to move on from the failed Clinton experiment of the 90's where Bill Clinton, dogged by Republicans, managed to drop his pants IN the OVAL OFFICE and have a near teenager take a go at him in a blue dress for a little "stress relief".
Running Hillary Clinton was just judgement error. She cannot win her way out of a wet paper sack. I knew it. I did vote for her, but, I also find her and her husband repugnant in the extreme.
Yes, I could go one on one with anyone on critiquing the odious Clintons and Hillary's clueless campaign. And yes, I volunteered nearly full time for her. Maine has two congressional districts and splits its electoral votes. My district went for Trump. I cannot tell you how many people, who were convinced Hillary did not need their vote, apologized to me after the election. And how many people who didn't think they had to campaign for her. More significantly, I heard the same thing from volunteers in the Milwaukee area and other swing states. In 2016 Clinton was too busy building bridges to nowhere in Texas, to mend fences with Black voters Bill and Hillary had alienated by treating Obama so badly in the primary. In 2020, Jim Clyburn united the Black vote for the unlikely Biden - and saved us from Trump2. Biden has grown in office. We still have a lot of work to do for 2024.
Anyone who thought Hillary did not need all the help she could get was not paying attention to how unpopular the Clintons became and not all just because the Republicans dogged them constantly.
Clinton's "crime bills" put thousands of black men into jail for 30 years for having 2 oz of Marijuana which both Clinton's probably smoked regularly.
Bill Clinton managed to turn off even the likes of me, who, by then was on to the Republican BS.
Let us be honest: If Bill Clinton had just kept his pants on in the Oval Office, a seemingly trivial requirement, GORE would have won the election, Afghanistan and Iraq would never have been invaded. Thousands of US troops would not have been wounded and killed for nothing and trillions of dollars wasted while China quietly built its "Belt and Road" initiative around the world.
Voting for Hillary was just not on too many people's MUST DO list.
And the Democrats should have seen that coming from afar. I had absolutely NO interest in Bill Clinton being back in the White House terrorizing teenagers as an old man with medium dementia now.
Stephen King wrote a great book about a guy who was to travel in time and prevent the assassination of JFK. Someone should write one about going back to correct the Florida error that stole the election from Al Gore.
Just imagine having a President two decades ago who would have focused us on the Climate Crisis and pushed that agenda instead of being a puppet of the Military Industrial Complex and using the fake pretext of WMDs to invade a country! We could have become energy independent using the right sources of electricity! Millions of people could have avoided death and suffering!
And Bill Clinton when interviewed, was asked why he had Monica under the desk. He paused and then said: "Because I could." How does a Rhodes Scholar and super talented speaker become so arrogant and stupid. You are right Mike. I blame "Slick Willy" for Gore's loss. And don't get me started on NAFTA. And banking deregulation. Clinton was Republican Lite. And a jerk.
Willy cost us the W v. Gore election. And he diminished the family name so badly that Hillary was always going to have an uphill battle. You are right. She was the wrong candidate. She would have made an infinitely better "45", of course. But she was handicapped from day one.
"W" and the Orange Con Artist will compete in the history books for the most evil, stupid and destructive humans of modern history. And we owe it all to William Jefferson Clinton.
Mike, I had a lot of disgusted "Bernie Bros" in my circle who either sat out the election or voted for Jill Stein. I think that the undervote in certain states might be telling.
Hillary lost the Electoral College because she did not run an Electoral College campaign. She was so certain that she would win big that she did not even campaign in major swing states where Democrats can win like Wisconsin and instead campaigned in Texas! Many Bernie Sanders supporters, such as myself, set our anger at the DNC aside because ... Trump. But a decisive number of potential Democratic voters ignored the danger or declared a Trump win would "teach the Democrats a lesson" no matter the damage.
I simply can’t understand why these obvious traitors are allowed to get away with this corruption over and over again! Why can’t this be stopped? How can America even call itself a democracy anymore?
Kristin, it can’t really. Try being Black, Gay, Trans, etc in this environment. I was afraid to wear my Indian clothing in south Florida in recent years. Who knows what monster might emerge from their lair and shoot you???? And, you know many, many people are packing heat....
Elisabeth, my European and UK friends have always thought the US is insane on guns. Now I can't go to any social gathering without this conversation coming up, with everyone in sheer horror over the latest five, ten, twenty mass shootings. It is incomprehensible to sane people.
We had that same conversation about guns in America with British and then German friends just yesterday. They think people in the USA are just crazy and they cannot understand why in a nation as great as ours, we cannot get it under control. My husband, a retired government teacher, told them how the idiots have bastardized the 2nd Amendment and that their argument to support guns is absolutely flawed but they keep falling back on the same old crap! It is so discouraging.
Colette.., no different than the 'abortion' fracas. That being driven by religion the other by age-old desire to "blow shidt up". Neither makes sense to a lot of people.
Collette, Follow the money. That is the real enemy. So many Americans are activists against guns and gun violence. Please tell them that. People don’t know how devastating this is to our society and our mental balance. This is “our” WWII. It is beyond belief.
Elizabeth, you are so right. It is always important to follow the money, isn't it. The rich get richer! Perhaps that is where we should start too with SCOTUS.
Alexandra, it IS incomprehensible to all of us who consider ourselves sane. I have a French friend who married an American. She will never come to the US. Never.
I have pepper spray but I'd at least feel safer on a gut level if I could carry my katana without worrying about being watched or arrested myself. Or even a Ka Bar knife from my collection.
I feel exactly the same way as you do, Kristin. Fascism is alive and well in some states such as Florida and Texas.... I only wish this insanity could be stopped. The GQP has some very evil and vile creatures in it now.. They have no empathy for citizens that are struggling to pay bills and feed their children. They just don't care, they are traitors and domestic terrorists. I despise all of them, especially the GQP congress members.
John, and.....they were ELECTED. Citizens are eagerly going to the polls, full of fear, having their prejudices fed.....really not knowing truth from lies.....following equally ignorant friends straight to destruction ....thinking and believing they are the "good ones".
It is like the old story of "The Frog in the Kettle"......slowly destroying our freedoms, our country and truly convinced they are the good ones.
People are extremely busy working for undemocratic employers. They are getting slim wages to pay exorbitant rents and mortgages and healthcare premiums (if they are lucky enough to have that benefit) and, if they have children, scrambling for childcare nearly impossible to find. Having to find time to march in the streets for what they shouldn’t have to march for in the first place takes a back seat I’m sure. The billionaire class wants everyone working and distracted.
Or like myself, taking care of a husband in Hospice at home since he is getting better care and can't afford to place him in a facility, yes, Hospice does charge here.
Good grief! I just had a childhood friend die from lung cancer at age 61. He tried chemo, but it obsoletely wrecked him and did nothing to change his tumors. I was able to give him and his wife the information needed to go on hospice; the last 4 months he lived were wonderful (the worst time they had during the "treatment" phase was pain control. With hospice, it wasn't an issue).
Kristin: "How can America even call itself a democracy anymore?"
I agree and moreover, offer that we should call our form of Government "Democratic Prostitution"
Why? Because, those "elected" or "appointed" are now mostly beholden to big donors, otherwise known as "John's" in the world of Prostitution. So, I will say it like it is: Republican appointed judges are beholden to their John's as are most Republican elected officials.
So, what we really have now is not what John Adams envisaged when he wrote his MA constitution which ushered in "government by consent".
We pretty much just have a big party hardy House of Prostitution in DC. With Government by the "Johns".
Mike, your phrasing implies the Dems are worse than the Republicans. These days, I would say the opposite. The Rs are doing far more damage. In the states they control, they are now taking their authoritarianism to the next level by banning even the voice of any opposition.
What do you mean? What I said is literally true: The Republican legislature in Tennessee expelled two members for speaking out against gun violence with bullhorns after their microphones were cut off. The Montana legislature removed a member from the floor for the rest of the term for telling them truthfully that their proposed anti-trans legislation would lead to deaths.
And to top it off, we still have an armed assailant on the loose in Texas, where it seems that deputies don't want to respond in a hurry when they hear there's an AR-15 involved... as in Uvalde, where they so bravely went in to save the children. How long are the people of Texas going to put up with their leaders being examples of how not to do their jobs - starting with the ever diplomatic Greg Abbott. Asking for some friends in Austin, who are probably sheltering in place, again.
Abbott's words on the latest - the victims were "illegal immigrants." Ie. for him, no humans involved. People above are using the word "evil" and there really isn't another more apt.
Greg Abbott is a pig of the first order. What difference does it make where a person was born. He calls himself "Pro-Life", but only if it is on his terms. He disgusts me.
Reading Gregg Abbotts absolutely bigoted response just makes my blood boil all over again. I wrote yesterday that Abbott was a seriously warped, inhuman monster. Infuriating!
Thank you for that link--you are right, there was some implications in Abbott's useless press release that told us more about Abbott than it did about the insane drunkard who murdered his neighbors. What an unmitigated ass Abbott is.
I saw an added notation from Beau at the bottom, that it is now being reported that at least one of the five people shot, was indeed, documented. Why am I not surprised that Abbott didn't even wait to ascertain such info before labeling them "illegal immigrants"...that they were not merely undocumented, mind you...but illegal.
OMG...I can't even begin to imagine the terror that those poor women and children experienced prior to being mercilessly executed by the insane drunk from next door.🥵
Christopher, I hope you're right about that hammer. I don't see a way out of it, but I wasn't expecting Fox and Tucker Carlson to implode, either, so - there must be hope!
We have made the court political, so its eventual path is to be punished politically.
The Framers were weary of a branch of government with lifetime appointments and limited checks that would wield much power.
But one of my least favorite people, Alexander Hamilton, tried to assure the skeptics that the judicial branch would be the "weakest of the tree." He won, and this is what we got.
Then, the court immediately began to rule on things, and Congress rushed to pass the 11th Amendment. This was their only recourse.
I listened to a podcast with Mike Pence, and this was his argument: Pass amendments if you don't like something.
That's all well and good, but very unlikely we would pass some judicial ethical amendment. Do we expect the House to draft articles of impeachment on Thomas? Doubtful.
It's reasonable to expect Roberts to discuss the code by which Justices abide. The arguments he and Alito are putting out publicly are unacceptable to pretty much everyone.
So the only way I see it, this huge rusty nail in our system of government that snags on everything, is to have a big ole hammer and knock it back into place.
Christopher, if Roberts is right about the separation of powers, why do his justices (our Justices?) dutifully, if inaccurately, complete reports of gifts and other income and to whom do they report these things?
My understanding, John, is that the SC reports their disclosure to the Judicial Conference of the United States, which is headed by the Chief Justice.
Roberts allows this to happen - he perhaps even engages in unethical behaviors by not disclosing the $10 million his wife supposedly made by recruiting talent for top law firms.
It is unreasonable for us to expect that Roberts can set the rules, then not follow the rules or enforce the rules, then turn around and tell us to buzz off. The media is currently acting as the Inspector General (Pro Publica) and the Department of the Public Defenders (WSJ).
The best adjective I have heard about the Court is - it's made up of nine different law firms. They all run in their independent manners and come collectively to decide cases.
Really? Which law firm manages Kagan? Which law firm owns Sotomayor? Just because some of the SC justices are obviously corrupt, means that all of them have to be?
In consulting a "wide variety" of guidance on ethics issues I wonder if conscience figures among the roster of sources appealed to. It's conspicuously absent from Roberts' quoted list, which looks more like a bibliography of ways AROUND troublesome ethical issues.
Lee, Note that I didn't say NEVER back down. That would be unwise. I can see how you might interpret the song that way though. And I couldn't care less what the DeSantis group has to say.
I don’t think Justice Roberts understands how much damage he and his right-wing cabal have done to the Supreme Court. There are at least 4 justices who have to resign or be impeached before we can begin to consider the court and its decisions legitimate: Thomas, who lied during his hearing, who takes millions $$ in bribes and who has no respect for the Constitution; Alito, who is openly pushing a religious agenda and who leaks decisions to his Christian cronies; Gorsuch who sits in a stolen seat and who pushes his own radical agenda; and Kavanaugh, who lied during his hearing and who is mentally unstable. Roberts can talk all he wants about his hastily assembled “secret” ethical process, but that means nothing while these illegitimate justices continue to sit on the court. Clean out the rot.
Roberts seems to have his own ethical challenges, as well. The Chief Justice is turning out to be Weasel in Chief (and I apologize to all in the family Mustelidae for using that analogy).
My, my, my...the soft underbelly of all branches of our Federal government have certainly been on display these last months. Actually, tfg rolled over and showed his nether-regions on numerous occasions, even bragged about it frequently. This Congress has no compunction about showing its knickers in the blatant pandering to it's radical fringe, lobbing veto bait at both Senate and the Executive in a pathetic attempt to hide it's inability to govern. And SCOTUS blithely ignores a groundswell of calls for reform; "We pinky swear that we're voluntarily following guidelines for lesser mortals", "the rules were hard to interpret", "someone told me I didn't have to do that"...am I wearing a capital S emblazoned on my forehead??? These are supposed to be the most sublime, most learned minds in the national employ? I think that Warren Buffett quote about the outgoing tide and swimming naked kind of applies to all of this. I'm searching for adequate words...disappointed, insulted, outraged, flabbergasted, almost seems like there isn't a single term sufficient to encapsulate the breadth of my reaction to this relentless firehose of disclosures. I may have to revise my opinion of the fate of investigative reporting.
This "debt ceiling CRISIS" thing is really wearing thin, and it's the media that's pushing it, yet again. It is not a crisis. This country can not default on it's debt (to itself, actually) because the Constitution says it can't, and any attempt by House Republicans to threaten default packs about as much weight as little Johnny threatening to eat a worm unless he gets the candy. Even if the Senate rejects the House bill, which it will, and allows the country to slide into default and causes the entire national (global? galactic?) economy to come CRASHING DOWN, Biden has the executive authority to step in and prevent it. He has already said he will, if necessary. When will we "consumers" start calling bullshit on a media that continuously whips up public frenzy?
The Supreme Court Justices.. self-assessing their own ethics? Like asking the foxes to guard the henhouse... /snort
Also, the "Republicans’ “Default on America Act,” or “DOA,” which “offers two choices: either default on the debt or default on America, forcing steep cuts to law enforcement, veterans, families, teachers, and kids" is appropriately "Dead On Arrival" as an extortionate attempt by the Rethugs...
And Dr. Heather, you are up QUITE LATE!! Hopefully you have turned off the computer and the house lights and have gone to bed in the few minutes since you posted this. THANK YOU for these daily LFAAs. 💜💜💜
When does HCR ever sleep?
I ask that all the time!! And, she pulls it all together (daily letter, podcasts with Prof. Joanne Freeman, 2 political chat videos/week, writes books, teaches, mentors PhD candidates, gets out in a kayak, gets married, has friends, etc.) whether in Maine, Massachusetts or traveling to parts unknown! And, she is a major influencer of the best kind (knowledgeable, educated, willing to share, and down to earth). I'm exhausted just writing those things down :) When I started getting the Letters, only a few hundred people were followers . . . I was instantly addicted.
I vote for Heather Cox Richardson.....President of the USA!
Definitely a candidate for presidential advisor.
That we have the privilege to read but more APPRECIATE.
It’s quality , a rare and cherished voice amidst the din.
So from this comes today a reflection : How years have changed perception ‘as the world turned’ and I/We listened ( or didn’t) and what we valued , worked for, and now appreciate.
In a nutshell things have improved, we’ve come somewhat out of the dark ages and get to laugh at The Dark Brandon. We realize the challenges ahead most of US in comfortable lives and aware of the new challenge ahead.
I am hopeful.
I believe in America .
I believe identifying the areas of concern will bring the needed change and I strongly believe my fellow Americans are waking up to see their vote does count and where we DONT want to go.
Thanks for your support
💙VOTE💙
"The eyes of love never sleep." The words inscribed on Harry Houdini's tombstone. All Americans, and our beautiful America, are the fortunate recipients of the endless love from Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. Gratitude flows into the vast ocean of her love for humanity. Her waters are deep, and they are true. They embrace all living beings equally.
Thank-you!
Yes I fear that she is working hours more appropriate to the 18th Century. I would be glad to see her have two days off a week, but at least take one day a week for rest.
I would be even happier if some of her columns appeared in the major newspapers.
It is understandable that HCR would want to avoid the hate mail and general aggravation that might result from her columns appearing in the MSM and papers, trolls abound, but many Americans would enjoy and benefit from her thoughtful work as much as we subscribers and it could only help our democracy to have better informed citizens.
Since when is cutting and pasting from Media Matters and Huff Post considered great journalist work? Can you cite ONE example of original work EVER posted here? One ? Its all word for word the same ideas you when find anywhere in leftist media. It's top down group think. On the other hand, I understand that it takes great courage these days to deviate from leftist orthodoxy one inch. That's why the least courageous people in America are in academia.
Well, if you really believe that HCR is randomly cutting and pasting from others, and that we are all part of the leftist orthodoxy, and that you so fervently wish to disparage folks in academia, why are you even here, except to troll and spew your right wing, elite-hysteria rubbish?
Just read Huff Post or Media Matters, its word for word the same.
With child labor laws reverting to the 18th century, HCR as usual is ahead of the curve and thats why she works 18 hours/day and 9 days a week. I had my REPUBLICAN'T Congressman introduce a bill a few years back to add another day to the and it passed easily. Now I also work 8 days/week. I call it retirement. The REPUBLICAN'TS call it: not enough
UGH!
I came across this fascinating article on the BBC site of the Medieval habit of "2 sleeps". One goes to bed relatively early, wakes up after 2-3 hours sleep, putters about and does stuff for 2-3 hours, then goes back to bed. This kind of sleep habit lasted into the 18th and 19th centuries in some places.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep
That's what I do, now that I'm retired.
There are numerous references to this kind of sleep pattern in early American writings, right into the 1900s. It it common in other cultures as well. Some members of my family (including me) still follow this pattern. And there have been studies that suggest that this may be the normal sleep pattern for human beings. The change seems to have emerged from the development of an industrial economy and "shift work", and the resulting impact on other members of the family, and on other institutions that adapted to that significant change in sleeping patterns.
Fascinating article! This two phase sleep makes sense in "light" of keeping the fire going, caring for infants and small chidren, managing livestock, and such. Thank you for this eye-opening, illuminating reference.
Would that be a split shift?
Copying my comment in here where it really belongs...
Read "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, PhD before you decide to sleep in two chunks like they may have done in the far past or still do in some cultures. I'm more inclined to think our increasingly short and broken sleep patterns of the past 80 years or so are partly responsible for the rise in dementia and some other brain dysfunctions.
Heather, have you ever utilized CHAT/GPT to help you with your writing?
JL, An Historian’s work is never done!
Good historians are researchers who dig DEEPLY compared to others. They would make Sherlock & Hercule Poirot seem like SLACKERS with their attention to detail.
And Heather is a Force of Nature all by herself…..aren’t we SO lucky to know her and to learn from her?
Does a Catholic priest regret taking his vows ? OUR SURVEY SAYS...... 😉🤔
Maybe, but they don’t rule over my non-Catholic belief system….Nine humans determine everything for 330,000 million of us. Yes, We the People are ruled by nine people, essentially and 100 Senators and 435 something Congresspeople. It sucks, frankly.
Amen!!!!!!
As in sciences such as evolution, cosmology, geology/paleontology, archeology, doing it right when tracking history appears to mean exhaustive research and fact checking; attention to fine distinctions and subtle connections.
Fictional sleuths are fun (murder mysteries are my guilty pleasure) but most of the time rely on deus ex machina insights that make them tall tales. Evidence in history is often less readily testable than is that for the "hard"(tangible) sciences, but our best guesses about the future, or workable potential futures, can only be informed by what we accurately observe in the past. We can exercise foresight, yet we never get to see what has yet to be until it's upon us.
That said, I claim with that high degree of (my own ) confidence that the sun will "rise" tomorrow morning, and that much that we expect will occur. It seems very wise to look (rather carefully) before we leap.
I'm sure that even I get more sleep than she does, & I'm an INSOMNIAC thanks to my mother's genetic contribution AND working third shift during the late 1980's.
I worked in capital intense industry that ran 24 / 7, almost 365 days a year. (2 days we didn't run were Christmas and Mother's Day, we ran July 4.) Most workers hated 3 to 11 more than night or what we called graveyard. Reason for hatred of 3 to 11 was you never saw your family. They were either asleep or at school. Tough life but it paid well with lots of overtime. Harder yet was the unit supervisors or what used to be called foremen. We dropped that term years ago with many women taking those jobs. What was such a killer was these were rotating shifts, 3 weeks on days, 3 weeks on 3 to 11 and 3 weeks on graveyard.
From my perspective the hardest is 12 hour shifts for nurses and other hospital medical staff. They don't get Christmas or Mother's Day off either. Sick people are sick 365 days a year. Covid made this really hard, we have a daughter who is a Nurse Pactisher.
Not to mention the toll overnight and late evening shifts take on our neurons. We evolved to sleep when the sun was down.
I'm retired from county law enforcement; in the 28 years I worked full time, we had (except for a brief period in 2008-2009 where we dropped 24 hour coverage due to the recession) three shifts: days, swings, and graves. We had shift bid twice a year, and for three month intervals. For the second half of my career, we worked four 10 hour days with overlapping hours at the busiest times of day. For all but the last 5 years, I worked primarily graveyard (I found out why hospitals called that the NOC shift; nocturnal, because I suppose "graveyard" carries connotations you don't want in a health care facility). The last 5 was day shift, where I had a start time of 0600 and had a typical awakening time of 0330 so that I could work out before going to work. I am still on a sleep pattern where I am up and awake between 0430-0600, even after being retired 10 years.
I agree that 12's are awful, especially if there are mandated day/night rotations occurring less than every three months. There are some things that just don't stop because of the calendar and holidays...
Melatonin and more often Valerian from Whole Foods ( they vet the content ) has saved me. A sleep doc cannot hurt. So much in life that can trip us ----Melatonin with alcohol will mess with your hormones.
Melatonin also can interfere with some prescription drugs.
I'll freely admit that I stay up late for the express purpose of catching the latest LFAA fresh off the virtual press! It's hell on my diurnal rhythm, but a price I am willing to pay...
Right now we are living in Spain (but soon to return to the States). We are six hours ahead of the east coast of America. But the first thing I do every morning is to look for the latest LFAA. Don't start your day without it!
Same, no easing into the morning, eh? Right to the greatest and most literate take of the day. Have you watched "How the South Won the Civil War?" It is available on https://www.c-span.org/video/?471923-1/how-south-won-civil-war.
I post Heather's letters to my Facebook page immediately. I included some commentary about the party of death and then somewhat sarcastically wished people good morning because nothing about the content today is good.
I haven't seen it Ed, but I will see if I can find it, thanks.
Thanks for this!
Now if I can only figure out how to get it to stream via my Apple TV! :)
I got the book. Is there a video version, too?
If I may ask (and not to stray too far from this group's purpose), in what part of Spain are you living, and how do you like it? I'm reconnoitering the Iberian peninsula, including Portugal, with an eye to relocating somewhere there for the last chapter, and am eager for any insights and pointers.
I don't quite know how to do it, but there must be some way to discuss outside of this group (if you're interested in passing along your thoughts) and still maintain privacy and security. Maybe WhatsApp?
Dear pts, we are always happy to talk about Spain. We are not rich but we worked our entire lives and lived pretty frugally with the intent of having a good retirement (something future generations may not have). Any way, we bought a small house in the south east corner of Spain in 2006. We love it here and since we retired we can spend more time. I would tell you that the people, the food, the wine and the cost of living is all fabulous. Does it have it flaws? Of course, but there are SO many pluses that far outweigh them. We have 340+ sunny days a year, we are a 4 minute walk from the Mediterranean, we are surrounded by mountains and our village has about 800 year round people living here and we are the only Americans. That is all on the plus side. One the negative side, we can only stay 90 days then we have to leave the country for 90 days so, it is a bit expensive to go back and forth but it is worth it. Also, speaking at least some Spanish is important. Gas is more expensive than in the States, but cars are more fuel efficient (go figure) and everything else is less expensive. We can continue this conversation on PM on FB or we can connect on WhatsApp.
I don’t!
I need behavior modification, BIG TIME. It's easy to mark it up to my DNA, so much so that it's becoming my default response.
Not for me! I'm traveling in the UK right now and reading this the next day because I found my favorite part of her letters are the comments and discussions.
That's very interesting! I had not heard of this, but it makes sense, since having my upper body raised enables me to breathe better.
Where can you find risers for your bed that are stable and strong?
Yes, and let’s not forget she teaches a full day of classes on Tuesdays before going home and doing her politics chat on Facebook. Wonder Woman.
My hope is that she has hired staff with some of the proceeds from Substack who can scan the news of the day. Someone who is as busy in so many things for so many years has to have found ways to be efficient. So in my mind, she's having breakfast with Buddy while her staff finishes collating the deluge of b.s., sprinkles the results with her vast knowledge of history, writes the day's post in no yime with no mistakes, and calls it a night.
Or she's superhuman.
There's this remedy called "a power nap". You just close your eyes. People think you are sleeping, and they keep quiet and don't try to wake you. You can announce you will be taking a nap, which helps. It doesnt really matter if you sleep: you get a change of pace, which is as good as a rest. Zzzzzzzzz.....
Spot on Just Janice; FYI to the Community., on 3/24/23.The Guardian's Ed Pilkington reported that justice Samuel Alito was flown to a religious liberty Summit in Rome on 7/21/22 by the Religious Liberty Initiative "whose faculty have filed amicus briefs in at least 6 high profile cases since 2020". The Guardian Editors posted a photo illustration of Alito in a tux gesturing to an audience standing by behind a thick plated see-through lectern.
This was all in the Scotus' Summer Break of 2022 before the day in April 2023 when Alito chose Murdoch's Wall Street Journal to make an accusation ( no evidence ) against fellow Justices on the very day Pro Publica exposed Justice Thomas's acceptance of luxurious travel & gifts from a right wing Mega Donor. These are not ethics violations, these acts
civil and/or criminal liability matters.
Discord is the GOP's main god, along with the god / goddess Ignorance & Untruth. An Unholy Trinity.
Don't forget money! They primarily worship money, even though they like to say it's "Jesus".
They aren't really Christians at all, but Mammonites.
Karen - Darths Maul & Sidious would be better Christians than these affronts to common decency.
NOW ! THAT IS A Great DISCRIPTION,~ of MANY !, in the MANKIND GROUP!!
It's like the fox lives in the henhouse and the hens have all been eaten. I am hoping that Biden follows the paths that are laid out by Paul Krugman, of a few ways out of the debt ceiling mess. https://www.berkshireeagle.com/opinion/columnists/by-paul-krugman-a-few-ways-out-of-the-debt-ceiling-mess/article_71f201b3-ad3c-5e5a-bdb8-ba518b0b67f2.html I do not want to see the Budget implode.
I love reading Paul Krugman's opinion pieces! He explains things in a way that I can understand. 😊
I agree. He made me relieved because one can see that while it is not commonly being discussed, there are things that can be done.
Thank you Linda. This is a good read from a trustworthy voice.
Great article! Thanks for posting!
Thanks very much for sharing Krugman's piece. Very helpful!
Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
eth·ics
noun
plural noun: ethics; noun: ethics
1.
moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Similar:
moral code
morals
morality
moral stand
moral principles
moral values
rights and wrongs
principles
ideals
creed
credo
ethos
rules of conduct
virtues
2.
the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
eth·ic
noun
plural noun: ethics
a set of moral principles, especially ones relating to or affirming a specified group, field, or form of conduct.
Origin
late Middle English (denoting ethics or moral philosophy; also used attributively): from Old French éthique, from Latin ethice, from Greek (hē) ēthikē (tekhnē) ‘(the science of) morals’, based on ēthos (see ethos).
'Both morality and ethics loosely have to do with distinguishing the difference between “good and bad” or “right and wrong.” Many people think of morality as something that’s personal and normative, whereas ethics is the standards of “good and bad” distinguished by a certain community or social setting.' (Britannica)
What does 'ethics' mean in America these days?
I look at it as 'defaulting on the budget' is 'defaulting on America'!
Yes, I checked my Ipad around 2:30am and there was no new letter. Heather is one busy lady! I can't imagine how she ever has time to sleep and today Tuesday is a busy day for her. The semester or quarter should be about ready to wrap!
What in the hell are you talking about?
The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5T and hold federal spending to 2022 levels. If there is a default its on the Democrats. There is a budget in place.
Here is a novel idea. With a $31.5 Trillion dollar deficit, maybe America ought to live within its means. BTW we don't need 80,000 new IRS agents. Especially when the Biden administration is weaponizing the IRS against its citizens. It was a nice move to send an IRS agent to journalist Matt Tiabbi house the day he was to testify before Congress.
This nothing new for the Democrats. Who can forget the Obama years when the IRS was going after conservative groups. Lois Lerner, an IRS official, plead the Fifth amendment before congress after emails showed her hatred of conservatives and targeting of conservative groups.
Of course, if people were serious about the US deficit they would raise taxes on those who have milked the system for the last 20 years. But those are the Republican donors. They have bought the Republicans and the Supreme Court. They want to turn the country into a kleptocracy. That’s the MAGA way.
Sorry to embarrass you, but stop with leftist cliches:
1) All the wealthiest people are democrats. Pick a city: NYC, Boston, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, et cetera, all the wealthiest areas are run by Democrats.
2) Who are the constituents of the democratic party? Silicon Valley, Wall Street, High Tech, Pharma... the wealthiest industries are donors to the Democrats. You are right they BOUGHT
THE DEMOCRATS.
3) If there is Kleptocracy is the Democrats. They haven't changed any tax rules on Hedge funds. They haven't limit the power of Big Tech to censor or use your personal info. They colluded with big pharma to lie about the efficacy of COVID vaccines/booster while making billions.
Bernie was the only one fighting against the unholy alliance of big money influence on Democrats until he was strong armed into silence.
You are delusional my friend.
I'm sorry, James A, that you haven't heard about Koch money, ALEC, the Federalist Society, the Heritage Fund, Leonard Leo, and so many others who have been working hard for the last maybe 40 years to undermine democracy. They were clever, to be sure, by targeting the judiciary, re-districting, local school boards and city councils in order to pepper them with conservatives who would ensure the destruction of progressive policies.
Why do I have to embarrass yet another person.
READ THE POST RESPONDED TO. Their claim is that all the mega money coming from Republicans. That's joke.
Here is a list of the Top Donors to 2022 Midterms:
Rank Contributor Total To Liberal Groups To Conservative Groups
1 George Soros $176,752,713 $176,752,713 DEMOCRATS
2 Richard & Elizabeth U $86,446,015 REPUBLICANS
3 Kenneth C. Griffin $71,050,000 $0 REPUBLICANS
4 Jeffrey S & Janine Yass $56,241,400 REPUBLICANS
5 Timothy Mellon $41,700,000 $0 REPUBLICANS
6 Michael R. Bloomberg $41,262,025 DEMOCRATS
7 Sam Bankman-Fried $38,837,000 DEMOCRATS
8 Stephen A. Schwarzman $36,000,058 DEMOCRATS
9 Peter Thiel $35,250,000 $0 $35,250,000 DEMOCRATS
10 Fred Eychaner $32,100,000 $32,100,000 DEMOCRATS
Its pretty even.
Its time to grow up, stop being lazy, and do your homework. If you don't like money in politics start by cleaning up your OWN PARTY.
We no longer have a two (2) party system. The Republicans stopped being republicans back in 2015-2016. You have not ridiculed the largest political grouping, the wide array of Independents or the Age Group that is deciding the most recent critical elections, the18-30's with few hang-ups. I cannot wait for my granddaughters to take over currently aged 10 & 13. Political life is changing as fast as the computer chip on your cell phone. PS: I report personal attacks to Substack Inc my neighbor.
You are asking for unilateral disarmament. Democrats fund up because it's the only way to respond to Republicans funding up. The only solution requires putting the genie back in the bottle: overturn Citizens United. Remove all private funding from campaigns, not only the big donors and corporations, and level the playing field by allowing public funding only.
Focus on the evil of the current funding system, which is an uncontrolled race to outspend the other side with no rules or limits. Fix the real problem and let these people keep their money (which we can then tax).
You only embarrass yourself, duh
For your fist point what do rich / wealthy cities have to do with your reply?
Second, the constituents of the Democratic party are not companies, they are people... It's pretty widely accepted and known that most C Suite people and CEO's typically vote Republican. The donors that you mentioned above donate to both the Republican Party and GOP Party pretty equally most years.. You are being willfully argumentative if you don't think that Silicon Valley, Wall Street, High Tech, and Big Pharma don't donate to both rather equally. You can look up the donations here: https://www.businessinsider.com/fortune-500-companies-republican-democrat-political-donations-2018-2#facebook-10 or here for each cycle: https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/top-organizations
3) You want to talk about a kleptcracy, that isn't party specific. Both parties have their issue with that. Additionally, you know that neither party wants to change tax rules on hedge funds, and neither party has done anything to protect our data with big tech. To pass most legislation you know that you need 60 votes in the Senate right? Especially when it comes to Data protection. Maybe if one party wasn't always oppositional and had an interest in governing we'd be making progress on that front. I'm not even going to get into your Covid comment, because it's clear that you still think Covid was really just one virus and it didn't mutate into different viruses that caused a reduction in efficacy. It's really poor form to armchair quarterback a global pandemic after the fact, while scientists and virologists were trying to keep people alive and prevent spread to make it seem like there was collusion. On the Bernie front you are correct, but at least be consistent in your debate. Do you want more tax revenue and to limit big money in politics? They why do you support Republican big donors? Do you support Citizens United? You said, you didn't want more IRS agents, but Bernie wants to go after all billionaires?
You seem to be very contrarian and just nitpick democrats which is your prerogative however at least be consistent logically and also go after people in your own party as well. Or better yet, lets go after everyone in all parties and hold them accountable. Not everything needs to be a team sport.
"You are delusional my friend."
Thanks for questioning my mental status. I realize that at my age I certainly have my moments. You sir, seem blind in one eye, and only able to see what you want see and hear what you want to hear. Yes, "do your homework" is a good suggestion. Follow it. Check out Russian money and NRA money: not distributed balanced.
Well, James...you're one guy with an opinion, like the rest of us. You've dropped into a space with a somewhat provocative tone, a space where you'll find very few convivial listeners. A little piece of advice; it's not a wise mission to attempt to convince others who hold nearly diametrically opposed views; somewhat like trying to convert an Imam to become a Southern Baptist. You'd be better off speaking to the undecided. There's an increasingly dominant fraction of the electorate who are neither registered GOP nor Dems. We are the "independents" or non-affiliated. We listen to voices that make sense, not demagogues. There's unbelievable amounts of money flowing around the entire political universe. The government operates carrying debt greater than a year's national economic output. Sort of like my mortgage, I guess. Were we to value the entire nation's economic energy like a business, I believe we'd find that the long term debt is not unbearable. Would we be better off with less? Perhaps, but then many investments would not have been made, either. Someday in the not too distant future, I'll turn my considerable mortgage into a somewhat less considerable but substantial pot of cash with which to downsize. Yes, it's debt and yes, I pay interest, but I'm also building equity and experiencing the rising valuation of the asset. At risk of pushing the analogy too far, we're doing the same here in America. And, investing in the capacity to pursue the biggest, most ingenious corporate tax scofflaws with a foothold on every continent doesn't seem like a bad investment, particularly if their actions return more than they cost. I'm certain there's a blog where you'll feel more at home; good luck in your search!
This willful naïveté on the part of Republican supporters who persist in pretending that blatant political brinksmanship is a level playing field, is the dividing line between honest but misinformed politicians and criminals dressed up as politicians, like wolves in sheep’s clothing. Why don’t the House Republicans submit a bill which includes rolling back Trump’s massive tax cut to his cronies, which is the root of the ballooning of the deficit? Do you make enough money to have benefitted from that? I am in the group that saw my taxes go up. The Republicans could make some small argument for freezing spending if the freeze was equitable across all government entities including DOD and their own Congressional perks. But that is not what their cuts consist of, by their own admission. How many people do you know who are dependent on Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare? If you don’t know anyone, go to a Community Senior Center and talk to the people there, and then come back and explain how forcing the country into default benefits honest people who paid their taxes all their working lives.
Honest? Who are you kidding? You might want to put down the bong and read a little recent history:
Start with the Biden's. They've been selling influence for years to the Chinese and the Russians/Ukrainians. Why Joe was dumb enough to let his crack addicted son Hunter be the bag man is beyond me.
Then there is the Clinton's. My personal favorite was the Haiti Relief Fund. After the World community raised almost 10 Billion in relief aid, Bill volunteered to manage the money. Only about 10% of the money went to the Haitian government. The rest went to "FRIENDS OF THE CLINTON's" who then generous donated to the Clinton Global Initiative. The result was a trainwreck of mismanaged infrastructure and fraud. The Haitian government was so appalled they told the Clinton's to get lost. To this day there are still Haitians protesting the thievery in front of the Clinton Global Initiative offices in NYC.
It took almost as much Chutzpah as Sec of State for Hillary to fly around the selling influence out in the open.
As for brinksmanship, what in the hell are you talking about? The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling 1.5TB. If there is default its on the democrats.
Thank you you for this quote, Heather!I have just been discussing this very issue with someone here, based on yesterday’s letter! I hope it will not create confusion if I quote this in yesterday’s threads. “....while Republicans are blaming Democrats for creating inflation by pumping too much money into the economy through social welfare programs, The Wall Street Journal yesterday embraced the argument that a key factor in inflation has been price gouging by corporations. A piece by Paul Hannon noted that businesses are boosting their profit margins, confident that consumers will blame supply chain issues and higher energy prices rather than the companies padding their profits. Oil giant Shell just announced almost $9.6 billion in profits in the first three months of 2023.”
How else is the IRS going to come down on Millionaire & Billionaire Tax Cheats? That’s a huge job that takes a huge labor force to handle!
If EVERYONE pays their fair share of taxes, we would be more than able to live within or even below or means.
That's naïve and ridiculous.
The government could collect more taxes from "Millionaires and Billionaires' ANYTIME IT WANTED TO.
CLOSE ALL THE LOOPHOLES. Democratic Millionaire and Billionaire donors want those loop holes. End of Story.
You don't need 80,000 more federal employees. Unless you want to go after your citizens and throw a bone to federal unions. Its a joke.
The fastest way to waste money is to hire more federal employees.
“The fastest way to waste money is to hire more federal employees.” That sounds like a gop cliché. However, I think maybe a compromise could really help, IF that compromise is “close all the loopholes” AND repeal the trump tax cuts. That should level the playing field, reduce the deficit, and balance the spending picture. But the IRS agents need to stay and pursue the questionable tax-dodgers of both parties.
And repeal Reagan's the government is the Enemy.
Hmmmm.... I just looked at your "Newsletter". Instead of Pragmatist, I think Antagonist is a better description. Now I know what the 'A' stands for!
>The Republicans voted to raise the debt ceiling by $1.5T and hold federal spending to 2022 levels. If there is a default its on the Democrats. There is a budget in place.
The problem is that we've already agreed to new spending, and the future budget vs existing agreed upon expenses should always be reviewed separately. The GOP raised the debt ceiling 3x under Trump and other previous Republican Presidents, additionally in the "budget" that McCarthy presented it is very vague and punts the budget cuts to the house appropriations committee so it doesn't actually provide details. You seem to be arguing in bad faith sir... Did you even read the actual budget / debt ceiling proposal by McCarthy, it is super vague and not detailed at all, lots of platitudes but no details.
>Here is a novel idea. With a $31.5 Trillion dollar deficit, maybe America ought to live within its means. BTW we don't need 80,000 new IRS agents. Especially when the Biden administration is weaponizing the IRS against its citizens. It was a nice move to send an IRS agent to journalist Matt Tiabbi house the day he was to testify before Congress.
The new IRS agents are definitely needed to go after the rich people that can hire teams of lawyers so they don't have to pay their taxes. There is no evidence that the IRS is being weaponized against citizens. Just imagine thinking that paying taxes appropriately is weaponization... Not everything is a conspiracy. The alternative is a flat consumption tax, or what some Republicans want which is to end all Federal tax which isn't a solution either.
>This nothing new for the Democrats. Who can forget the Obama years when the IRS was going after conservative groups. Lois Lerner, an IRS official, plead the Fifth amendment before congress after emails showed her hatred of conservatives and targeting of conservative groups.
That is frankly a bit overstated. After an investigation if you remember the IRS did go after all political groups across the spectrum that specifically applied for tax-exempt status. Conservatives claimed that they were specifically targeted by the IRS, but a report released by the Treasury Department's Inspector General in 2017 found that from 2004 to 2013, the IRS used both conservative and liberal keywords to choose targets for scrutiny. Initial reports described the selections as nearly exclusively of conservative groups with terms such as "Tea Party" in their names. According to Republican lawmakers, liberal-leaning groups and the Occupy movement had also triggered additional scrutiny, but at a lower rate than conservative groups. The Republican majority on the House Oversight Committee issued the report, which concluded that although some liberal groups were selected for additional review, the scrutiny that these groups received did not amount to targeting when compared to the greater scrutiny received by conservative groups. Words matter, but you making it seem like there is some hatred towards conservative people by the entire IRS is bad faith at best. The government overall is split pretty evenly on how people vote, and has it ever occurred to you that GOP led groups with mysterious donors might need more scrutiny?
I know you believe that the Republicans are the good team and the Democrats are the bad team, but at least try not to show your partisanship and debate in good faith. Country before party remember?
Lying James
Another leftist who can't think their way out of a paper bag.
To show how stupid you are, you didn't even to cite what you "claim" I'm
lying about.
Leftism is the haven of the anti-intellectual. To show how bad it is, Heather doesn't offer an ounce of original thought other than pasting news from Media Matters or Huffington Post.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Those sound like fighting words...was that your intention? In your experience, does lobbing insults bring you more validation for your views? I feel badly for you, trying to swim in a pool of hostile combatants, but it seems like you threw the first punch up there a ways. Again, there's probably a forum where your views will find a more favorable audience. The best of luck with that!
Join me in reporting him as well (…under his comments).
Apple crapple.
Excellent assessment of Supreme Court tirades. The conservative right faction acts like toddlers that feel that the world revolves around them....
Alito is worried about the threat of assassination to justices due to the Dobbs leak, but not the threat of death to millions of women of child-bearing age imposed by that decision. That's where we are.
Alito is scum. He doesn’t know the difference between a blastocyst and a human being, must really hate women.
Alito's misogyny has become more and more clear.
Roberts seems to have a problem with the concept of universal suffrage. "Certain people," it seems, don't actually have the right to vote. Corporations, however, have the "right" to distort the bote and own politicians. Judges and Justices too, evidently! 😡
Alito, like the original scumbag Scalia, loves the NRA and as long as he is rewarded, guns. It should be legal to pack a gun into the Supreme Court so they understand how kids feel in school. No permit needed except the 2nd Amendment. I bet they would find for “a well regulated militia”.
Alito’s entire legal career has been about killing abortion rights.
I meant "vote."
That is a typo I make all the time. The three dots next to "reply" allow you (on some devices) to make edits. I can do that on my laptop, but not my iPhone.
Given that I am a "two spacer after a period" person, I frequently type a sentence that ends "wonderful comment. b" since the "b" is right next to the space bar.
For me, it's just arthritic fumble fingers.
❤️
Pretty funny yes? Alito is probably the source of the leak and now? He is worried about the consequences of his own actions.
What a concept. One's actions have consequences. Who knew??
Not (in)Justice Alito, apparently.
And, the threat to every single one of us with the unfettered proliferation of guns and military style weapons.
And, while a financial disaster is in the making (and totally the fault of the repugs ) McCarthy is out of the country. Jimminy Cricket, my hair is beyond on fire (as Heather would say!) Every.single.day there is a pending shit show! It has permanently destroyed our national psyche and rendered subsequent generations feeling helpless that any positive changes will ever take place despite all the efforts. The saying "pissing in the wind" comes to mind. I do admire Biden's drive to keep things moving in a better direction.
behind the Speaker and his motley crew are rooms full of strategists parsing every possible nuance of potential outcomes for his position. One of the most venerated tactics on the Hill over many decades has been the art of the bluff, and also calling that bluff. It wouldn't surprise me if the "clean" debt limit hike document has already been written and vetted by congressional legal advisors, just waiting in case the bluff fails. how long does it take to submit the bill, hold the vote and then send it over to the Senate for ratification? You can be sure that the calendar has been carefully marked with the drop dead dates, back-calculated to when each step must be taken to avoid that atomic default. The wrangling will go on right up to the bitter edge. I've chosen to avoid chewing my fingernails to the quick. There will be plenty of time for that later if they DO drive the bus over the cliff.
I think you give too much credit to the perceived "abilities" and people behind McCarthy. Regardless, the game they are playing is dangerous, costly, and so unnecessary.
I guess we'll see before long, no? I'll reserve my grief for the event and it's aftermath.
Or the threats to all Americans by gutting common sense gun laws! This is the most unethical probably corrupt SCOTUS ever! No wonder we don't have ANY faith in them!
Hey it's all about the safety of wealthy, white cis-gendered males, right? Could they make it any clearer that it's all about THEM and their comfort and peace of mind???
Maternal Death rates were 62% higher in2020 in abortion-restriction states than in abortion-access states (28.8 vs 17.8 per 100,000 births) according to the Common Wealth Fund. And this was before the Dobbs decision, and the increased restrictions or near total bans on abortion. Also many OB/GYN docs are leaving or considering leaving abortion-restriction states for fear of increasing that number of deaths themselves by their own states vagueness at doctor liability when saving a pregnant person’s life. This should increase the dire health outlook for all in those states. No one’s family will be immune. Obstetric complications happen. Women will die. Families will be deprived of a loving parent. Workers with pregnant-age partners will have to question the wisdom of taking/keeping a job in a state that may prove dangerous and harmful for their family’s health. So not only do you create a healthcare drain on your state, but also a talent/brain drain.
Washington state is offering safe harbor for women and doctors from Idaho.
Governor Inslee's letter to Idaho is a good read. Even better is WA's well thought out statutory changes for protection from out of state attacks. Makes me want to go back to Capitol Hill. Very awake in Seattle.
Bravo Washington state! It’s both beautiful AND sane!
Most certainly, some state borders will become populated by physicians who hold licenses in adjacent states, drive from one side to the other to deliver services according to state laws, with patients following. There's probably more than enough money in this nation to assist women in traveling to places where they can legally get the services they need, but it'll be complex to mobilize it and damned inconvenient, even expensive until someday the pendulum swings back the other way in state legislatures, courts, governor's mansions. There will be consequences, victims, tragedies when emergency circumstances prevent the requisite travel. It's a messy world we are enduring presently.
Makes me wonder, if the leak prompted assassination threats, when it turned out to be true, what changed? Is this yr waddyacallit, pettifog? Alito trying to pass the blame for bad law onto the leaker somehow? He must think we're stupid, like fox co. treats their viewers.
Suzanne, to me, allow me to say, that 'ruling' was built to fail from the beginning. It flew in the face of the religiots! Huh? Who? Your neighbors! That's who. Society... our society.., has slapped the banner "abortion" right over the real issue being the health of a woman; a "woman" being a human being with a uterus at birth. Being a jet engine mechanic, that's about as specific as I can get to defining a "woman".. sorry.
Well said, Suzanne. Alito is a true descendant of the Spanish inquisitors.
"Today, Roberts responded that they had agreed to the ethics statement on April 25, and said that justices policed their own ethics as they 'consult a wide variety of guidance on ethics issues, including statutes, judicial opinions, advice [from legal experts], scholarly commentary, and historical practice, among other sources. ' "
When you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance...
"When you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance..."
Roberts' statement is just outright funny!
I think we can probably find that Mexican Cartels follow this same model: They police themselves. Now, this works out very well as we can all see with the unstoppable flood of drugs into the US.
Similarly, slave owners once "policed themselves" as well, right? They came up with their own police force, the precursor of modern police forces and...... I am sure the black folks living on the Plantations could trust those "police".
In fact, I think we should ALL start "policing ourselves". Then, when I/we feel like something is OK, I/we can just do it. No need to worry about laws, or ethics of others or societal norms or anything that I might have learned in say, Harvard Law School (which apparently does not teach ethics anymore).
The "Supreme" Court Republican appointed "Justices" are now just part of the larger House of Prostitution that Republicans have turned our government into.
The Republican appointed judges are just Prostitutes for those that give them money, their "Johns" so to speak. It is a good way to get rich and a great way to get more power.
And? There appears to be no way to stop their migration to Mexican Cartel Ethics.
Aye. If John Adams could see us now. All that work he did to empower. Gone.
You will recall that Alan Dershowitz, the MAGnut, defended tfg manbaby at one of his impeachments by saying if the president believes he is doing the right thing,he is basically above the law. Seems to apply to all MAGnuts.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dershowitz%20defense%20of%20trump
Alan Dershowitz claiming that if the president believes he is doing the right thing, he is above the law is total bullsh!t. If you were the parent if a teenager saying something so stupid to avoid discipline, would you buy that line of crap?!
That still remains to be seen.
You can teach ethics, but it looks more and more like you can't make the Justices abide by them.
Yet we must. I understand that many of the lower court judges un the Federal System are LIVID that the SCT refuses to adopt and abide by an ethical system. I hope their pressure will help get the SCT to adopt and enforce one. For starters, they could simply adopt the system already in place for the lower courts.
Agree, you can teach ethics. But if there isn't a brain, or soul, to absorb the information...
Unlike republicans, who give tit for tat, prostitutes fulfill their obligations.
Right you are Mike S!
Well Mike, your observations are true to an extent(?).., so where would you start cleaning things up? And, 'how' would you do that?
Oversight is where I would start.
I had that exact thought: blind ‘em with bullshit...omg.
MIAVA - Make Ignorance A Virtue Again.
It already is, and in places I didn't expect.
Even relatively intelligent people can be indoctrinated to believe utter CRAP, take it from Moi.
Ha-Ha! Good one!
The Richard Gere/“Chicago” school of law.
Roxie: Jesus, Mary & Joseph: Moma: Deary, you're talking to the wrong people.
"Razzle-dazzle 'em, and they'll make you a star!."
Truth, J.L....you speak truth!!!! I had to rub my eyes when I read that. If the high Court hasn't formulated a Code of Ethics on their own in all these years, why should we believe an ethically challenged Chief Justice when he claims they have came up with a Code a mere two weeks ago. What does it postulate as a guidelines? Somehow, I suspect it's a single sentence: "Don't Get Caught!"
What’s the plan for when they get caught?
They are so arrogant that they probably don't even care--or, perhaps a single word: "Lie". In parenthesis there might be a notation that the lie doesn't even have to be plausible.
T L again, although they apparently hadn't formulated a code of ethics until a week or two ago, they HAVE accepted the nominal need to report gifts and other sources of income. Report it to whom and for what presumed purpose?
My understanding is that there is already an established requirement for filing financial disclosure reports, just as there has been for other government officials on down to the local level. Just as I had to do for appointment to a local committee tasked with voting on use of certain funding.
The issue is that Justices Thomas, Gorsuch and Roberts have failed to do that. Relatively little reporting on Roberts' wife's tax filings in which she is said to have claimed millions of dollars of commissions from entities who likely had business before the SC as "salary". Don't know, wasn't reported, whether the Roberts file jointly but surely he knew about that one way or another.
From NY Times "Justices, who are largely self-policed, are required to make annual disclosures about their finances — including the source of spouses’ income, the type and the date but not the amount. In his annual disclosure, the chief justice, who has apparently never recused himself from a case because of his wife’s work, listed her employers but not the names of her clients or her earnings, usually offering a brief description: “attorney search consultants — salary.” Gifted link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/us/john-roberts-jane-sullivan-roberts.html?unlocked_article_code=KKJyn271AzfqYbFnevWP1_ikyHGEhPh5h8n6eHoVePotSnh8TC8CHTVwH3kd8LK1x6f82S7lqLHZYdn-AsZpsXfDVW3QRE5bkIeRptpNG4k6Sr6DEULU1f2WmWZPQ8VsrHyGUj5DHXkjpR0hrzFgxp6zg5NSOrcdgfEqX_0toqXy_vjDn8L9kmwdkig5W8GsTcifkYSDLOp4kZKKAXUJgR49i-72hx5kc5WLN3SYGQU4F5A6nUl0-jzk05U0kQjcipC646wLRR5Yzedm8qXKwC9giWQfv8wlTvcNKmBTCKIkvBi-UV6crqsGpiGbrrQF5uymQ63thL-WLCXaogImoxlPc1j-OAY&smid=url-share
I'm going to think hard about the possible motives for the strategy that delivers "Don't worry, we already did it" (barely) rather than "We need it, we're far past due and WE WILL do it NOW!" I think he's trying to wish away the scrutiny, as in "please, oh please, let us get back to our comfortable, semi-reclusive rosewood-finished chambers and tell those pesky reporters to find someone else to scrutinize"
Legal experts from the Federalist Society.
Which means exactly nothing, since the Federalist Society doesn't give even a mouse-sized shyte about what kind of law was studied or how much experience their potential candidates possess; Lennie Leo only cares that they have a very conservative bent and will follow the partisan agenda laid out for them.
Yeah, but T L, it has a cool brand - Originalism.
Yeah..."originalism" as long as it appears to validate what THEY want it to. When "originalism" doesn't support what the arrogant six conservative Justices want, the originalism gets thrown out the window and they go rummaging about in 16th century legalist philosophy for their arguments. That isn't so cool.
But that was one of my arguments - that a law about self-defense was a law before we became a country!
I'm referring to Alito' stupid opinion in Dobbs; looking for supportive legislation on denying women's right to their own bodies and to destroy the previously hammered out decision on Roe vs. Wade. Alito used Burke, for goodness sake. How about staying in THIS flippin' century Alito, you crusty old fossil?
The state of the Extreme Court is beyond despicable. Our Congress should have begun impeachments already. That would have to be a Congress with integrity, of course. Ooops.
All of this and so much more will only be resolved with the huge Blue Wave in 2024. If there is any thing close to a default of our national debt, the pain will be so widespread, perhaps the GQP will be pounded in that election. In the meantime, our focus should be on turning the tide - registering young voters. Moaning and groaning is natural. But action is required. We need a Congress that reflects the wishes of Americans on climate, guns, healthcare, education - clean water!
That being said, Robert Reich has clear guidance for President Biden on the debt ceiling.
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/advice-to-biden-on-how-to-handle?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=365422&post_id=117716068&isFreemail=false&utm_medium=email
J L it would seem that when dealing with Chief Justice Roberts... "that he was concerned about the separation of powers and about “preserving judicial independence"...when invited to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, it would be worth pursuing this line of questioning with a history of the courts adherence, at least in form if clearly not in substance, to requirements for government employees to disclose gifts and other sources of income. This requirement for disclosure was apparently sufficiently accepted for Justice Thomas to have allegedly sought advice about reporting when he joined the court 30 (?) years ago.
To whom do the justices disclose their gifts and other sources of income?
For what putative purpose do they make these disclosures?
What is the purpose and obligation of the agency receiving those reports and what regulatory power does it have?
Perhaps Heather could include answers to these questions and the apparent logical inconsistency when next dealing with Roberts' refusal to meet with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
What, exactly, have the justices done to "police their own ethics"?
Ann W they have reported their gifts and other sources of income and Justice Thomas claims to have sought advice about how to do that some 30 years ago!...
No, they have not--at least not forthrightly and completely. See: Allegations re Gorsuch; Thomas; Roberts either outright fraud or extremely unethical. You are defending them because....?
First, Justice Thomas claims to have sought advice from unidentified people but said nothing about seeking legal advice. His excuse is flimsy at best.
Gorsuch failed to report the identity of the buyer of property from him for $1.8 million, someone who regularly has business before the Court. This article addresses the questionable ethics of 3 Justices. https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173138576/supreme-court-ethics-hearing
Roberts has reported the millions in commissions as salary, commissions that his wife received for recruiting attorneys for law firms some of which have or have had business before the Court, a misleading claim. Gifted link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/31/us/john-roberts-jane-sullivan-roberts.html?unlocked_article_code=UPXgtI4MkNeCvzuhBNqjfPVPG4STGfvBYiGgjIACS-CfxyAIIboxYdADpyD-FzKNhaKiCYWgWH8agl1W7ci8OS4UmUR5KQsT-mA4S5lukSyLnFTNFYZIzTe5t4m4UK8QphEGpgxl90rtuYMD9oxAtJriuMoptQAxqVEUaHu_sDI8BdNT2inhapXPZCbvLsIeIYUDGv71V8VTYYtqJhb4E2myhkb6T6LMIngwTZiWFk8O9KyozHED4mZq_IqADEbiprX-_ssG2EjQw3ouYSr5AyOe2FkCQf3HYEL-ldKLmupYgEmV-GtVI5Ip6RCj92QsaElSpwb_tL9SEX16kEjpyZgVbwys6MI&smid=url-share
Lawyers have been self-monitoring their ethics for decades. Need more be said in this light? Robert's even wrote a statement of principle and the judges duly signed it. Decision rendered. Next case. Appeal denied. Next case. Ethics of the nine certified by the nine sitting justices. Ethics of all so determined. [Heavenly string music playing in the background as the justices levitate above their thrones, tiny black winds flapping.]
“Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God’s service when it is violating all his laws.”
- John Adams
Perfect truth about the quixotic nature of power once acquired and can corrupt the incautious. Thanks. John Adams was wise. I must read his biography.
“Power must never be trusted without a check.”
-John Adams
It is becoming clear that the Supreme Court of the United States is absolutely festering with corruption. I've long wondered how much money Roberts raked in (via that numbered Swiss account, of course) for Citizens United. It must have been in the billions. I guess the good news is that he'll need to retire soon in order to fully enjoy his booty. "Trust us, we are honorable, as witness these priestly black robes. And be assured that we will let you know when we determine that we have crossed some ethical line. Don't trouble your pretty little heads with the details." My god, what towering arrogance!
You must also ask how much legislators have raked in. After Susan Collins voted for Kavanaugh, Leonard Leo held a big fund raiser for her at his NorthEast Harbor, Maine estate (which a recent complaint to the IRS presents evidence of Leo usng funds from his tax free non profits to purchase.)
You have a way with words, Mr. Surlamont! Thank you. Yes. Six of those high and mighty Justices have become so very arrogant that they appear to be completely unembarrassed by the discovery of their corrupt doings. Very right-wingish of them, innit?
Yep, the US has pretty much devolved, as a government, into a "Democratic House of Prostitution".
Big donors (Johns) pay their Prostitutes ("elected" representatives) and their Prostitutes ask them what they want and the elected "Prostitutes'"...
Do it for their Johns (Big Donors). Including the Supreme Court.
This U.S. Supreme Court and the billionaires that created it will never relinquish an ounce of the absolute power they wield. We are living in a successful coup enabled by fatal flaws in our Constitution.
The only saving grace -- the billionaires may not allow the Republicans to crash the economy. Then, if the government survives through the 2024 elections and a super majority of American voters overcomes the voter suppression/fraud of the Republicans, we may just get sufficient control of the legislative and executive branches to fix the court (as Roosevelt planned to do when faced with similar challenges).
JRay, we MUST keep at this. We cannot back down, as posted by Jay NorCal above. I have hope from reading Heather’s wise words and learning from her about our history through new eyes. Many brave and strong people have gone before us and many will come after. Now is our moment to stand together and face calumny (don’t you love that word?) and deceit by the repugnants. We don’t have to live this way, as Heather intones all the time!
"the billionaires may not allow the Republicans to crash the economy."
I just read an analysis that argues that Republican billionaires WANT the economy to crash because they get much richer during crashes. Several examples of how that works were given, one being that they buy stock at low prices knowing it will come back eventually thereby enriching themselves.
I thought of Warren Buffet buying stocks madly during 2009 when everyone else was in the dumps of unemployment, housing loss, etc. Buffet made out big time.
Don't count on the Billionaires. They win in a crash.
. . . for some of the reasons you list, I qualified the chance of a crash over the debt ceiling with: "may."
We also need to repair our state legislatures. They are in disarray due to gerrymandering and corruption. And our municipal budgets are out of balance with the most $ going to militarized police. Lots of work to do.
hope springs eternal...
"The court today agreed to hear a case that could gut the government’s ability to regulate business. "
And this friends, is what the Federalist crew were put there to do. The gutting of civil rights protections, protections from gun violence, and separation of church and state protections was a sop to racist right wing religious extremist gun fanatics (ie the court's version of the Souther Strategy.) Now we get to what Leonard Leo's plutocrat patrons are paying the big money for - the end of government regulation of business. Gorsuch (the Alito of the new crew - actually much nastier than his more flamboyantly egregious colleagues) is infamous for his 'frozen trucker' case - where he ruled that the driver of a truck which broke down in a storm had no right to seek shelter, but should have risked dying rather than leave his employer's property.
And seriously, all this is brought to fruition by those who sat on their hands rather than hold their nose and vote for Hillary Clinton. While Republicans held their nose, voted for Trump, and captured the court. 2024 is closer than it looks.
Let's hope Sheldon Whitehouse can focus his understanding of the Federalist Society's diabolical agenda in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, and spark some action to defend democracy from the SCOTUS plan of attack.
Yes. Sheldon Whitehouse! Along with Jamie Raskin, living national treasures.
Whitehouse has also brought in Lisa Graves of TrueNorth Research who has traced the Leonard Leo network of dark and dirty money behind almost every antidemocratic movement in the United States
https://truenorthresearch.org/articles/
https://truenorthresearch.org/2023/03/leonard-leo-tied-republican-state-leadership-committee-aids-kelly/
Thanks, lin•! I had not heard of TrueNorth before.
"all this is brought to fruition by those who sat on their hands rather than hold their nose and vote for Hillary Clinton"
lin, I think very few people who were Democrats "sat on their hands" instead of holding their nose to vote for Hillary.
What I also think is that the Democrats had a chance to move on from the failed Clinton experiment of the 90's where Bill Clinton, dogged by Republicans, managed to drop his pants IN the OVAL OFFICE and have a near teenager take a go at him in a blue dress for a little "stress relief".
Running Hillary Clinton was just judgement error. She cannot win her way out of a wet paper sack. I knew it. I did vote for her, but, I also find her and her husband repugnant in the extreme.
Yes, I could go one on one with anyone on critiquing the odious Clintons and Hillary's clueless campaign. And yes, I volunteered nearly full time for her. Maine has two congressional districts and splits its electoral votes. My district went for Trump. I cannot tell you how many people, who were convinced Hillary did not need their vote, apologized to me after the election. And how many people who didn't think they had to campaign for her. More significantly, I heard the same thing from volunteers in the Milwaukee area and other swing states. In 2016 Clinton was too busy building bridges to nowhere in Texas, to mend fences with Black voters Bill and Hillary had alienated by treating Obama so badly in the primary. In 2020, Jim Clyburn united the Black vote for the unlikely Biden - and saved us from Trump2. Biden has grown in office. We still have a lot of work to do for 2024.
Anyone who thought Hillary did not need all the help she could get was not paying attention to how unpopular the Clintons became and not all just because the Republicans dogged them constantly.
Clinton's "crime bills" put thousands of black men into jail for 30 years for having 2 oz of Marijuana which both Clinton's probably smoked regularly.
Bill Clinton managed to turn off even the likes of me, who, by then was on to the Republican BS.
Let us be honest: If Bill Clinton had just kept his pants on in the Oval Office, a seemingly trivial requirement, GORE would have won the election, Afghanistan and Iraq would never have been invaded. Thousands of US troops would not have been wounded and killed for nothing and trillions of dollars wasted while China quietly built its "Belt and Road" initiative around the world.
Voting for Hillary was just not on too many people's MUST DO list.
And the Democrats should have seen that coming from afar. I had absolutely NO interest in Bill Clinton being back in the White House terrorizing teenagers as an old man with medium dementia now.
Stephen King wrote a great book about a guy who was to travel in time and prevent the assassination of JFK. Someone should write one about going back to correct the Florida error that stole the election from Al Gore.
Just imagine having a President two decades ago who would have focused us on the Climate Crisis and pushed that agenda instead of being a puppet of the Military Industrial Complex and using the fake pretext of WMDs to invade a country! We could have become energy independent using the right sources of electricity! Millions of people could have avoided death and suffering!
And Bill Clinton when interviewed, was asked why he had Monica under the desk. He paused and then said: "Because I could." How does a Rhodes Scholar and super talented speaker become so arrogant and stupid. You are right Mike. I blame "Slick Willy" for Gore's loss. And don't get me started on NAFTA. And banking deregulation. Clinton was Republican Lite. And a jerk.
Willy cost us the W v. Gore election. And he diminished the family name so badly that Hillary was always going to have an uphill battle. You are right. She was the wrong candidate. She would have made an infinitely better "45", of course. But she was handicapped from day one.
"W" and the Orange Con Artist will compete in the history books for the most evil, stupid and destructive humans of modern history. And we owe it all to William Jefferson Clinton.
Indeed.
Mike, I had a lot of disgusted "Bernie Bros" in my circle who either sat out the election or voted for Jill Stein. I think that the undervote in certain states might be telling.
Ally. Could be. I was a big Bernie fan. Rolling over him was a mistake. He would have beat Trump into the dust.
Hillary lost to the Electoral College. Enough of us "held our nose." The Electoral College is a corruption of Democracy.
Hillary lost the Electoral College because she did not run an Electoral College campaign. She was so certain that she would win big that she did not even campaign in major swing states where Democrats can win like Wisconsin and instead campaigned in Texas! Many Bernie Sanders supporters, such as myself, set our anger at the DNC aside because ... Trump. But a decisive number of potential Democratic voters ignored the danger or declared a Trump win would "teach the Democrats a lesson" no matter the damage.
Agree with you again Mike S. I also voted for Hillary because I felt I had no choice. Actually I have agreed with all your posts today.
Old history. Give it a rest. When you say “the Democrats” which individuals do you have in mind?
I simply can’t understand why these obvious traitors are allowed to get away with this corruption over and over again! Why can’t this be stopped? How can America even call itself a democracy anymore?
Kristin, it can’t really. Try being Black, Gay, Trans, etc in this environment. I was afraid to wear my Indian clothing in south Florida in recent years. Who knows what monster might emerge from their lair and shoot you???? And, you know many, many people are packing heat....
Elisabeth, my European and UK friends have always thought the US is insane on guns. Now I can't go to any social gathering without this conversation coming up, with everyone in sheer horror over the latest five, ten, twenty mass shootings. It is incomprehensible to sane people.
We had that same conversation about guns in America with British and then German friends just yesterday. They think people in the USA are just crazy and they cannot understand why in a nation as great as ours, we cannot get it under control. My husband, a retired government teacher, told them how the idiots have bastardized the 2nd Amendment and that their argument to support guns is absolutely flawed but they keep falling back on the same old crap! It is so discouraging.
2A people talk about rights & NOT about responsibility. In MT , suicide by gun is one of the highest in the nation.
You are so right Carole. First it breaks my heart and then it just makes me angry that we cannot seem to solve these gun problems...
All 10 of the "Top Ten Gun Suicide" states are in the west. Montana is #4, Oregon is #10. Alaska, Wyoming, and Nevada are the top three.
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/spr08gunprevalence/
Colette.., no different than the 'abortion' fracas. That being driven by religion the other by age-old desire to "blow shidt up". Neither makes sense to a lot of people.
Collette, Follow the money. That is the real enemy. So many Americans are activists against guns and gun violence. Please tell them that. People don’t know how devastating this is to our society and our mental balance. This is “our” WWII. It is beyond belief.
Elizabeth, you are so right. It is always important to follow the money, isn't it. The rich get richer! Perhaps that is where we should start too with SCOTUS.
The R pardee is epitomized by the room temperature IQ's of their most esteemed members. Start with MTGreene..., or Bo-dirt.., or...
Alexandra, it IS incomprehensible to all of us who consider ourselves sane. I have a French friend who married an American. She will never come to the US. Never.
I have pepper spray but I'd at least feel safer on a gut level if I could carry my katana without worrying about being watched or arrested myself. Or even a Ka Bar knife from my collection.
Daniel, I never carry anything…the thug might use it against me. I just steer as clear as possible of vilolence.
All that I carry on my chair is 1 of these little devices that give off bright light & a deafening sound.
I just wear good running shoes.
:-)
I feel exactly the same way as you do, Kristin. Fascism is alive and well in some states such as Florida and Texas.... I only wish this insanity could be stopped. The GQP has some very evil and vile creatures in it now.. They have no empathy for citizens that are struggling to pay bills and feed their children. They just don't care, they are traitors and domestic terrorists. I despise all of them, especially the GQP congress members.
I agree. Completely and wholeheartedly. These people are genuinely evil in their thinking and deeds.
John, and.....they were ELECTED. Citizens are eagerly going to the polls, full of fear, having their prejudices fed.....really not knowing truth from lies.....following equally ignorant friends straight to destruction ....thinking and believing they are the "good ones".
It is like the old story of "The Frog in the Kettle"......slowly destroying our freedoms, our country and truly convinced they are the good ones.
Include MT & ID! Supported by their Christian Nationalist Senator Daines & rep Rosendale from MT.
I still can't get over how it's all just ... accepted. In another country, there'd be 100,000 people swarming the capital, demanding change.
People are extremely busy working for undemocratic employers. They are getting slim wages to pay exorbitant rents and mortgages and healthcare premiums (if they are lucky enough to have that benefit) and, if they have children, scrambling for childcare nearly impossible to find. Having to find time to march in the streets for what they shouldn’t have to march for in the first place takes a back seat I’m sure. The billionaire class wants everyone working and distracted.
Or like myself, taking care of a husband in Hospice at home since he is getting better care and can't afford to place him in a facility, yes, Hospice does charge here.
Good grief! I just had a childhood friend die from lung cancer at age 61. He tried chemo, but it obsoletely wrecked him and did nothing to change his tumors. I was able to give him and his wife the information needed to go on hospice; the last 4 months he lived were wonderful (the worst time they had during the "treatment" phase was pain control. With hospice, it wasn't an issue).
Kristin: "How can America even call itself a democracy anymore?"
I agree and moreover, offer that we should call our form of Government "Democratic Prostitution"
Why? Because, those "elected" or "appointed" are now mostly beholden to big donors, otherwise known as "John's" in the world of Prostitution. So, I will say it like it is: Republican appointed judges are beholden to their John's as are most Republican elected officials.
So, what we really have now is not what John Adams envisaged when he wrote his MA constitution which ushered in "government by consent".
We pretty much just have a big party hardy House of Prostitution in DC. With Government by the "Johns".
Mike, your phrasing implies the Dems are worse than the Republicans. These days, I would say the opposite. The Rs are doing far more damage. In the states they control, they are now taking their authoritarianism to the next level by banning even the voice of any opposition.
This is an example of playing with words, isn’t it?
What do you mean? What I said is literally true: The Republican legislature in Tennessee expelled two members for speaking out against gun violence with bullhorns after their microphones were cut off. The Montana legislature removed a member from the floor for the rest of the term for telling them truthfully that their proposed anti-trans legislation would lead to deaths.
Kristin, It has always been about money and CONTROL.....from the beginning of our nation.
And to top it off, we still have an armed assailant on the loose in Texas, where it seems that deputies don't want to respond in a hurry when they hear there's an AR-15 involved... as in Uvalde, where they so bravely went in to save the children. How long are the people of Texas going to put up with their leaders being examples of how not to do their jobs - starting with the ever diplomatic Greg Abbott. Asking for some friends in Austin, who are probably sheltering in place, again.
Abbott's words on the latest - the victims were "illegal immigrants." Ie. for him, no humans involved. People above are using the word "evil" and there really isn't another more apt.
Greg Abbott is a pig of the first order. What difference does it make where a person was born. He calls himself "Pro-Life", but only if it is on his terms. He disgusts me.
Reading Gregg Abbotts absolutely bigoted response just makes my blood boil all over again. I wrote yesterday that Abbott was a seriously warped, inhuman monster. Infuriating!
I caught the "illegal" right away, but some of the implications of his announcement were not immediately obvious to me. This is very telling:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0te60cZIcg
Thank you for that link--you are right, there was some implications in Abbott's useless press release that told us more about Abbott than it did about the insane drunkard who murdered his neighbors. What an unmitigated ass Abbott is.
I saw an added notation from Beau at the bottom, that it is now being reported that at least one of the five people shot, was indeed, documented. Why am I not surprised that Abbott didn't even wait to ascertain such info before labeling them "illegal immigrants"...that they were not merely undocumented, mind you...but illegal.
And the insane drunkard was an undocumented immigrant who had been deported several times before and could not legally own his gun(s).
Exactly, that 8 year old kid DESERVED to be shot.
And the two mothers who were shot while using their bodies to shield the children.
OMG...I can't even begin to imagine the terror that those poor women and children experienced prior to being mercilessly executed by the insane drunk from next door.🥵
TL, it is unimaginable. The Republicans have turned the US into a war zone.
An unequal war zone. The folks who were shot did not have an AR 15, just the white guy who shot them up and got away.
I guess they were't 'packin' huh. I mean, every woman needs a Glock.. right? Better give ABot (abbott) a call.
Roberts is screwing up the Court and the hammer will eventually be dropped.
He’s not wrong about the separation, but his branch is waaaay outta whack to continue in this course.
The 2000 election was just awful awful awful.
Christopher, I hope you're right about that hammer. I don't see a way out of it, but I wasn't expecting Fox and Tucker Carlson to implode, either, so - there must be hope!
We have made the court political, so its eventual path is to be punished politically.
The Framers were weary of a branch of government with lifetime appointments and limited checks that would wield much power.
But one of my least favorite people, Alexander Hamilton, tried to assure the skeptics that the judicial branch would be the "weakest of the tree." He won, and this is what we got.
Then, the court immediately began to rule on things, and Congress rushed to pass the 11th Amendment. This was their only recourse.
I listened to a podcast with Mike Pence, and this was his argument: Pass amendments if you don't like something.
That's all well and good, but very unlikely we would pass some judicial ethical amendment. Do we expect the House to draft articles of impeachment on Thomas? Doubtful.
It's reasonable to expect Roberts to discuss the code by which Justices abide. The arguments he and Alito are putting out publicly are unacceptable to pretty much everyone.
So the only way I see it, this huge rusty nail in our system of government that snags on everything, is to have a big ole hammer and knock it back into place.
Amendment? We're so polarized that we couldn't get an amendment now that said the sky is blue.
Agreed. We here in DC have an uphill battle for statehood.
Or this weird thing called the Equal Rights Amendment.
Neither Fox nor Tucker have imploded.
All of their hate filled geriatric audience still exists and both Fox and Tucker will find a way to continue to milk their hate for money. No worries.
OK, "implode" was wishful thinking. But they're both damaged, and I can hope badly damaged.
PS I love watching Seth Meyers' coverage of it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuSi2NPTQ5k
I know many non-geriatrics who will never turn off Fox.
Yes, but people are mad about ****er. Reports saying Faux ratings at 8pm went down 50% last week. (Forbes, Wa Po)
Christopher, if Roberts is right about the separation of powers, why do his justices (our Justices?) dutifully, if inaccurately, complete reports of gifts and other income and to whom do they report these things?
My understanding, John, is that the SC reports their disclosure to the Judicial Conference of the United States, which is headed by the Chief Justice.
Roberts allows this to happen - he perhaps even engages in unethical behaviors by not disclosing the $10 million his wife supposedly made by recruiting talent for top law firms.
It is unreasonable for us to expect that Roberts can set the rules, then not follow the rules or enforce the rules, then turn around and tell us to buzz off. The media is currently acting as the Inspector General (Pro Publica) and the Department of the Public Defenders (WSJ).
The best adjective I have heard about the Court is - it's made up of nine different law firms. They all run in their independent manners and come collectively to decide cases.
It's crazy.
Really? Which law firm manages Kagan? Which law firm owns Sotomayor? Just because some of the SC justices are obviously corrupt, means that all of them have to be?
That's not what I wrote. I said they operate as nine different law firms.
Sorry for any confusion.
“Laws for thee, but not for me.”
The assault on America continues with the default on America.
In consulting a "wide variety" of guidance on ethics issues I wonder if conscience figures among the roster of sources appealed to. It's conspicuously absent from Roberts' quoted list, which looks more like a bibliography of ways AROUND troublesome ethical issues.
James, the problem with "conscience" is every one has one. But, the variability of ethics embedded in "conscience" is very, very wide.
Also, when self interest comes in conflict with conscience, the vast majority of humanity goes down the path of self interest.
Conscience is a very low bar to insure ethical standards.
Laws and consequences are what is needed.
James, well, Clarance asked Sam for “guidance”
Sam said “intercourse them if they can’t take a joke”
This is for President Joe Biden aka Dark Brandon:
I Won't Back Down https://g.co/kgs/nH6zBx
Should be Democrats theme.
I live in SC and have started getting mail from the DeSantis group.. Their logo is :NEVER BACK DOWN.
Floridating America. How interesting.
No reverse gear... A principle that could be called:
PUTIN'S RULE
That of a backyard gang in Leningrad, Floridated...
Lee, Note that I didn't say NEVER back down. That would be unwise. I can see how you might interpret the song that way though. And I couldn't care less what the DeSantis group has to say.
NRA stance as well
I don’t think Justice Roberts understands how much damage he and his right-wing cabal have done to the Supreme Court. There are at least 4 justices who have to resign or be impeached before we can begin to consider the court and its decisions legitimate: Thomas, who lied during his hearing, who takes millions $$ in bribes and who has no respect for the Constitution; Alito, who is openly pushing a religious agenda and who leaks decisions to his Christian cronies; Gorsuch who sits in a stolen seat and who pushes his own radical agenda; and Kavanaugh, who lied during his hearing and who is mentally unstable. Roberts can talk all he wants about his hastily assembled “secret” ethical process, but that means nothing while these illegitimate justices continue to sit on the court. Clean out the rot.
Roberts seems to have his own ethical challenges, as well. The Chief Justice is turning out to be Weasel in Chief (and I apologize to all in the family Mustelidae for using that analogy).
He showed who he is when he had his temper tantrum when Obama called him out in his State of the Union address regarding the Citizens United decision.
My, my, my...the soft underbelly of all branches of our Federal government have certainly been on display these last months. Actually, tfg rolled over and showed his nether-regions on numerous occasions, even bragged about it frequently. This Congress has no compunction about showing its knickers in the blatant pandering to it's radical fringe, lobbing veto bait at both Senate and the Executive in a pathetic attempt to hide it's inability to govern. And SCOTUS blithely ignores a groundswell of calls for reform; "We pinky swear that we're voluntarily following guidelines for lesser mortals", "the rules were hard to interpret", "someone told me I didn't have to do that"...am I wearing a capital S emblazoned on my forehead??? These are supposed to be the most sublime, most learned minds in the national employ? I think that Warren Buffett quote about the outgoing tide and swimming naked kind of applies to all of this. I'm searching for adequate words...disappointed, insulted, outraged, flabbergasted, almost seems like there isn't a single term sufficient to encapsulate the breadth of my reaction to this relentless firehose of disclosures. I may have to revise my opinion of the fate of investigative reporting.
This "debt ceiling CRISIS" thing is really wearing thin, and it's the media that's pushing it, yet again. It is not a crisis. This country can not default on it's debt (to itself, actually) because the Constitution says it can't, and any attempt by House Republicans to threaten default packs about as much weight as little Johnny threatening to eat a worm unless he gets the candy. Even if the Senate rejects the House bill, which it will, and allows the country to slide into default and causes the entire national (global? galactic?) economy to come CRASHING DOWN, Biden has the executive authority to step in and prevent it. He has already said he will, if necessary. When will we "consumers" start calling bullshit on a media that continuously whips up public frenzy?