"Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said today. 'We shouldn’t even be talking about a world in which the U.S. doesn’t pay its bills. It just shouldn’t be a thing,' he added."
But that’s the plan of the gop, to crash the economy. Ensue crisis, then seize control by any means necessary. Bannon always said the objective was to crash the system/own the culture. And he meant “by any means necessary”. Today “Woke” must also come to mean accepting that the gop will actually drive the clown car off the cliff and crash the last pillar of US strength: our financial obligation dependability. The people that it hurts don’t matter. Looking at the list of their planned budget cuts, they think we should just die and get out of their way. Survival of the Richest.
Don’t believe in the omnipotence of evil. Republicans are not that organized or united. Remember: Fifteen ballots to elect the weakest speaker in more than a hundred years, maybe 150.
If you live in a red state with a super majority legislature, like MT, omnipotence of evil is very very evident & organized. Gov signed the anti trans bill & several abortion bills.
Or if you live in a red state like Florida, where the Republicans have a super majority in all branches of the state government, & whatever bills our petty dictator Governor Ron DeSantis wants, pass with the majority vote (with very few exceptions). His extreme views make national news. On Tuesday (05/03/23), a bill was passed that will shield the travel records of DeSantis & other top officials, even as DeSantis travels around the country & overseas as he plans his run for President. So much for Florida’s sunshine laws regarding transparency in government! I cannot comprehend how the voting residents of Florida think that DeSantis should be our governor. We need someone who cares about the problems our state faces & works to fix those issues, not someone who lusts for power and money.
And watching a clip of him proclaiming his desire for freedom was just too much to take... after hearing him talk about banning books. Freedom? Whose freedom?
Even if you live in a blue state, Rs are a problem. Yesterday enough of them walked out (even though voters passed a measure by a large margin to prevent this) to stop the senate from passing bills on gun control and abortion. But Ds can be stupid too. A rising star D, the secretary of state, just resigned after it came to light that she was doing a side gig consulting for a troubled cannabis firm. She apologized and said her salary (77 thousand) was not making ends meet for her and her two children. She had checked up on the ethics of this, but should have known that it was very poor judgment because this sort of thing always comes to light. If you have to check on the ethics of something, don't do it. I am certain that our new governor, who is no nonsense, would have probably insisted on resignation if Fagan had not resigned. The governor will appoint another D.
Oregon. We also passed a gun control measure which is now being held up by an eastern Oregon judge. This walk out happens every time our legislature tries to make some progress. And the Ds don't have a super majority, so there is no quorum. The voters passed a measure by a large margin to limit days they can be gone. But...we'll see. Washington state has made much more progress on gun control and just passed a measure banning the sale of assault weapons. Of course, the usual suspects have sued over it already.
Be very careful though! We have gotten quite comfortable in our very blue California and the extremists have been quietly infiltrating our local governments and school boards. Moms For Liberty, aka klanned karenhood, is bringing fascism straight to our doorstep. We also have numerous gun worshippers suing our attorney general because a ten day waiting period to buy their ego enhancing weapon of mass destruction is “infringing on their rights”. What about our gd rights to not be massacred by simply stepping foot out of our homes? It’s exhausting!
Democracy does not work when the voters are uninformed or misinformed. The best illustration of this are State legislatures and governorships and is reflected nationally in the undemocratic composition of the Senate and the Electoral College. Only when they experience pain will the uniformed and misinformed wake up and vote for what is in their own interest.
So that just shows that it's up to us to inform voters. How many more Democratic state legislators--and congressman, and senators--would be elected if Democrats hammered away by saying things like, "You believe in background checks for before buying a gun. ______ [insert name of Republican] does not. You believe that guns should be kept out of the hands of domestic abusers. _______ does not. You believe that mentally-ill individuals should not have access to firearms. ________ believes that they should. You believe that a woman should have control over her own body. _______ does not. You believe that gay and lesbian people deserve the rights that straight people have. ______ does not. Why would you vote for ______?
It is not that simple. It will take generations to turn these states around. People who believe in democracy are vocal in MT. Currently CJ Box Storm Watch. His characters summarize the attitudes that are driving Maga movements & militia in states like WY & MT. Haven't finished the book to see how it turns out.
I think I've read all of his books. Like his characters & the way he writes. Their "attitudes" are not my own. But then thats true of many of the books I read. Not every one of the authors I read agree with my politics, nor do I always agree with theirs. But I read their books.
Not only that. They have lost the latest generation who’s cynicism had not developed sufficiently to become Republican. With the rate of die off and no source of regeneration they are a shrinking tumor.
His, McCarthy's very weakness and his frantic, craven need for the appearance of power is EXACTLY what make him a menace. In fact Marjorie and her cabal are running this show.
If the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Russians and the Iranians handpicked people to destroy our system they could not have chosen better. Republican party will be our downfall. Not foreign governments
"Right" you are Jon. I take heart at the light shining on the doings of D. Trump and C. Thomas. I think I see a crack in Republican impunity. They can only shut us down by tantrums just so long. Even in Russia, things are going badly as Putin's evil behavior is more and more evident.
Unfortunately the Koch brothers (alas David has died) and their allies are that organized. Good reading: Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer.
Indeed, ordinary people do not matter to Rs, only winning, power, and greed. The truly wealthy believe they can outlast this. But then they also believe their wealth will save them from climate disaster too.
Sandra they await the bloodbath fallout with relish. They see catastrophic loss as the time to buy. Nothing personal to ravish the dead and dying, just business. As the economy tanks assets heretofore unavailable to them are shaken loose. The hoarders plan to attend the greatest rummage sale on earth. If Bannon can bring this to fruition he will out fame the fathers of the Russian Revolution.
The Republicans have given it a negative connotation. I prefer to think of it as “Yes, we woke up and now can see what the GOP is trying to do - and it’s not pretty!”
JL, what is a 'thing' are several competent stategies to defeat the seditionist extortion; my understanding is that Hakim Jeffries has endorsed the "Discharge Petion" option which does require 218 & 5 votes from some Blue District R's.
To be clear, it requires 218 votes in support, five of which would have to come from Republicans. What just kills me is the evident acquiescence of so many Republicans in having the government and the fate of our economy be at the mercy of a small cabal of radical reactionaries from gerrymandered districts.
Thanks for the math C&J, I favor a Macroeconomic Solution after trying several available options uing HCR's historically accurate 14th Amendment Constutuional framework but, such a massive move would require rarely seen before skills except in the 1930's. A New Politics much more than a New Deal. Best left in Act 3 for now.
Yeh. When you run for office, you sign an agreement to support the party's position or get primaries. Take your chances after getting elected with voting your conscience ... or, voting for something from the other party, even to bring the idea out of committee.
name it for what it is: default on America - In America, no matter our color, background or zip code, we value our freedoms. But a wealthy few have always tried calling the shots - rigging the rules to avoid paying what they owe and taking the wealth our work creates. And now the MAGA Republicans running our House of Representatives are doing their bidding - threatening to default on America and push us into economic shutdown, unless we let them take away care healthcare, public school funding, and food from our families. But we have seen that the many can stand up to the money and protect our freedoms, families and futures. And we will hold MAGA Republicans accountable for defaulting on, defrauding and destabilizing America. We must come together to demand that they stop this farce to default on America!
And we should not be talking about Labor taking it on the chin either. This appears to be ok for Jerry Powell. Labor did not cause the issue. This has been brewing since the trump tax cuts, The pandemic aggravated it, corporations took advantage of it, and this is slowly playing out. Understand too, the US is monetarily sovereign.
Among the best of things I've said in the past few decades about the gop leadership is that they've become the party of "kick sh_t down the road," setting up others to do the hard work of problem solving, while lying in ambush in the weeds lobbing grenades at the doers; same style as 'punji stick' Gingrich, the ambush artist extraordinaire.
'In the present political and ideological climate, far right political leaders, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have declared a war on institutions of public and higher education, which they’ve identified as centers of “unpatriotic education.” Most far right Republicans fear higher education as a bulwark against their authoritarianism and hence see students as a threat to their propaganda machines and fascist politics. As a result, the right wing has kicked into overdrive in an attempt to target educational institutions as a site for policing dissent, eliminating unions, indoctrinating faculty and students, and for normalizing white Christian nationalism, white supremacy and pedagogies of repression.'
'We have seen this in Ron DeSantis’s efforts to take over the progressive New College of Florida and turn it into a haven for white Christian education. DeSantis wants to remodel New College after the reactionary Hillsdale College, a private Christian liberal arts college that Kathryn Joyce states has played a “far-reaching role in shaping and disseminating the ideas and strategies that power the right.”
'It’s clear that the far right GOP has deemed education to be the most powerful tool for creating a public that is neither informed nor willing to struggle to keep a democracy alive. This is particularly evident in the right-wing war on education, which aims at replacing public education with charter schools, fashioning public and higher education into centers of far right indoctrination, and destroying higher education as a democratic public good. Central to such an attack is a war on critical thinking, troubling knowledge, historical memory and any form of education that address social problems. Extremists in the GOP fully embrace both white nationalism and white supremacy while simultaneously supporting a culture and society in which the distinction between lies and the truth disappear. What they would also like to see disappear in their reign of domestic terrorism are the educators, institutions, and other public spaces that resist this ongoing tsunami of authoritarian ideas, acts of repression, and war on critical intellectuals, dissidents and educators.'
'Authoritarian societies firmly embrace the notion that history is written by the victors. In doing so, they wage a war on historical memory as part of an effort to not only control historical knowledge particularly in relation to Black and Indigenous people, but also to disguise dominant power relations in acts and policies that produce a “diligent and continual silencing … required to maintain its claims on the present and future.” As whiteness is increasingly secured through voter suppression, border enforcement, gerrymandering and state violence, far right politicians and their allies have expanded their repressive pedagogical mechanisms of discipline and economic measures of control to include cultural apparatuses such as social media platforms, as well as public and higher education.' ___By Henry A. Giroux (TRUTHOUT)
Yes, this is where I see big trouble, although only professors and adjuncts and some students seem worried about it. More voucher schools, less support for state university students, ridiculous tuition bills and student loans that can rarely be paid back-in full. We seem to live in an age where we know the price of everything and the value of nothing. I'm glad you brought this up, Fern.
Worth mentioning is the concerted efforts by repub-controlled states to further restrict voting by students.....removing polling places from local schools, and drop boxes from universities, tighter restrictions on registering and using university addresses, etc. the most hypocritical and telling is removing approval for college issued ID but hunting licenses or gun permits (if still in effect) are ok! Grrrrrrrrr
I woke up to this news. Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the Supreme Court. When did six-figure gifts to government officials not become bribery?
My first response was, Clarence Thomas has a son? Always wondered, but as it turns out Thomas's son is from a "previous relationship." Who knows where he went to school. The young man in question turns out to be under a guardianship, and after Thomas's impatience with the Fairfax County schools (deemed by many to be top-notch) he shipped him off to boarding school and seems to have gotten in over his head financially. Somewhere in my psyche I have some compassion for Thomas, who must have felt anger and resentment for much of his life, but it's been fueled rather than assuaged by "generous" Republivans.
It takes a lot of energy and brain-space to oppress your neighbors. When a country, state, city, or family, is taken over by an oppressor, it becomes dysfunctional. Real achievement slows dramatically, because the act of oppression requires so much effort to maintain.
Autocrats only need to be good at 2 things, controlling information and keeping a functional military. Putin, for all his vaunted ability, couldn't even do that. Our right wing leadership may be filled with cunning ivy-leaguers, but their efforts mainly go into act of oppression and misdirection, greatly reducing their ability to get sh_t done (anyone want to buy a vowel?).
I agree with you for the "Evangelical, white nationalist" variety (who may no longer be "Christian" but merely White Nationalists. The are many Christians and Christian churches/groups who are definitely for education, and education of the highest kind. Republicans however are dead set against education, christian or not. My state, Ohio, is an example. Slash funds for education all around.
I do not think I am being hyperbolic in saying that we in Florida are already living in a Fascist State. This is the doing of a Governor who would be President and thinks this mandated, autocratic " freedom from woke" will morph him into "Trump world."
I have put this quote on my refrigerator:
"The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the life long mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed." ( Milton Mayer, "They Thought They Were Free. The Germans, 1933-1945")
And adding to the horror of our education is the rolling back , in some states of our laws protecting child labor…. Are these poor children to become the latest cheap labor market? So scary
Right out of the Nazi playbook as they immediately killed all the intellectuals, etc. when they invaded Poland. Here in Salem, Oregon, we have a school board election coming up and along a major thoroughfare I saw many signs with America as the largest word along with signs for the three wing nuts. Right now the board is more progressive and I hope that doesn't change. We are also getting a new super in July and as soon as the wing nuts knew who it was, they started the clamor about woke and inclusive.
Fern, thank you for introducing us to TRUTHOUT. Illuminating. Watching events unfold over the past several years reminds me of my grandchildren who, confronted by a large bag of trail mix, will assiduously pick out and consume the oats and nuts and chocolate chunks until, finally, there is nothing left but a bagful of unwanted raisins. If the "Pubbies" keep it up, our country will consist of shriveled grapes and nothing more.
Thanks Fern. Attack on education is ramping up. Also--the increase of "Christian (read evangelical/white nationalist) HOME schooling" is very troubling. Children growing up with no exposure to real science, a "white washed" history of world and USA, major exposure to ideas of Biblical kingship, not democracy, etc etc. Does not result in intelligent people, prepared citizens, etc. Of course if they really paid attention to the true teachings of Jesus, that might undermine the white nationalist agenda......... A danger to democracy...... Charter schools are the same---look at Florida with K-12 schools using the Hillsdale conservative Christian curriculum. A alternate total worldview/s
Clearly in Montana the intellectual community is endangered by the likes of Daines who graduated from “cow”college there. Montana is going downhill rapidly. I am profoundly disappointed in my native state. I believe you must leave the country to see the country.
I have been beyond disappointed to see what's happening politically in Montana. It's such a beautiful state. Sen. John Tester is, apparently, an anomaly, but hopefully there to stay. (Similar to KY, where my sister and her family live: two of the worst Senators in Congress -- but with a great governor, Andy Beshear.) That Montana, with a population of approximately 1 million has EQUAL voice in the Senate to California with a population of approximately 40 MILLION is criminal, IMHO.
It is beautiful. Far right folks are moving there and the housing market is priced out of reach for many young Montanans. It is worth grieving for. I dont feel like grieving over Florida because other than the water I didnt find anything beautiful there.
Take note where your emphasis is Ron Boyd, I do. Your emphasis, to quote you, was not ,‘There is no real objection to this article..' I consider your reporting lacking in substantiation and fairness. What of the author, Ron Boyd -- is the writer not crucial in considering this piece? Did you examine his background?
'Dr. Henry A. Giroux, who teaches ARTSSCI 4CB3 / Education Inquiry, currently holds the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the Dept. of English and Cultural Studies. In 2002, he was named as one of the top fifty educational thinkers of the modern period in Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education: From Piaget to the Present as part of Routledge’s Key Guides Publication Series. In 2005, Dr. Giroux received an honorary doctorate from Memorial University. In 2015 he was honoured with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University as well the Changing the World Award and the Paulo Freire Democratic Project Social Justice Award. In 2017, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of the University from the University of the West of Scotland, UK. In 2019, Dr. Giroux was named the winner of the Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award, given annually by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) to writers who exemplify the principles of free expression, inclusivity, and media accountability. He is on the editorial and advisory boards of numerous national and international scholarly journals, and he has served as the editor or co-editor of four scholarly book series. He co-edited a series on education and cultural studies with Paulo Freire for over a decade.' (McMaster University)
About TruthOut
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DeSantis and Hillsdale are wedded in their political philosophy at this time. Here's a sense of them:
'The college’s influence has been seen in the state’s rejection of math textbooks over what DeSantis called “indoctrinating concepts,” the state’s push to renew the importance of civics education in public schools, and the rapid growth of Hillsdale’s network of affiliated public charter schools in Florida.'
'Hillsdale also has had sway over the Republican-led Legislature. In 2019, lawmakers approved a law that allowed the college and three other groups to help the state revise its civics standards. Three years later, those guidelines are part of a DeSantis-led civics initiative that has concerned several educators about an infusion of Christianity and conservative ideologies.'
'RELATED: Some teachers alarmed by Florida civics training approach on religion, slavery'
'At the Hillsdale seminar in February, DeSantis was met with cheers and applause and delivered a speech focused on policy issues that have made him a rising star to the political right.'
'DeSantis talked about how since becoming governor, he has banned so-called sanctuary cities, fought lockdown policies during the pandemic, rejected “corporate media” pressures and reshaped the Florida Supreme Court to what he referred to as “the most conservative Supreme Court of any state in the country.”
'The governor also highlighted his push to reform the state’s education system by continuing the two-decadeslong push by Republicans to expand school vouchers and charter schools. He also touted Hillsdale’s “flourishing” network of classical schools in Florida.'
“I mean how many places, other than Hillsdale, are actually standing for truth, excellence and to produce people who will be leaders?” DeSantis said, after arguing that “woke-ism” is embedded in academic institutions.'
'In April, the Department of Education made national headlines for its decision to reject dozens of math textbooks because they included references to critical race theory and other “prohibited topics” and “unsolicited strategies,” officials said at the time.'
'A Times/Herald review of nearly 6,000 pages of textbook examination showed only three of the 125 reviewers found objectionable content. Two of the three were affiliated with Hillsdale College. One was Jonah Apel, a sophomore student majoring in political science, and the other was Jordan Adams, a civics education specialist at the college.'
'RELATED: Florida rejected dozens of math textbooks. But only 3 reviewers found CRT violations.
Apel is listed as the secretary of the Hillsdale College Republicans, a group whose mission includes connecting students to the “political arena” and “changing the United States in accordance with truth, liberty and human flourishing.” Adams is tied to Hillsdale’s 1776 curriculum, a history- and civics-based education program that covers American history, government and civics to provide the “knowledge and understanding of American history and of the American republic as governed by the Constitution and morally grounded in the Declaration of Independence.”
'The curriculum was released by the college in July 2021 amid growing partisan battles in school districts over issues like critical race theory and The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project,” which re-centered the focus on the nation’s history on the year the first enslaved Africans arrived. Lessons dealing with critical race theory and “The 1619 Project” were banned in Florida’s public schools a month earlier, at the request of DeSantis.'
'Apel and Adams were invited by the state to review “prohibited topics,” though Florida Department of Education officials have not responded to questions inquiring why they specifically invited people to scour for contentious issues like critical race theory. The state paid “prohibited topic” reviewers $500 per review, $170 more than they paid others who reviewed books to ensure the books matched the rest of the state’s math standards, state records show.'
'The Florida Department of Education has not commented on why it hired a student and civics specialist from Hillsdale to review Florida’s math textbooks for “prohibited topics.”
'U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas delivers the commencement address to the 2016 Hillsdale College graduating class in the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center, in Hillsdale, Michigan. [ TODD MCINTURF | AP ]'
'Why Hillsdale?'
'Hillsdale’s approach to teaching history has drawn praise from DeSantis and former Florida Secretary of Education Richard Corcoran, as well as national conservative figures like former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos.'
'Arnn, the college’s president, was appointed by Trump to be the chairperson of the president’s Advisory 1776 Commission, which was formed to “advise the president about the core principles of the American founding and to protect those principles by promoting patriotic education,” according to Matthew Spalding, whom Trump appointed as the commission’s executive director. Spalding is the vice president for Washington operations and the dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C., extension.' (TampaBay Times) See link below.
As others today have said, the REPUBLICAN'TS are no longer interested in actually governing. They want the Democrats to do it for them so them so the REPUBLICAN'TS can take credit. Since the start of the DJT era, they have and make no policy, they pass no bills, they have no platform, they elect incompetents that know nothing about government, governing, the law and like MTG , Bobert, and Santos are probably serving illegally.. Just like a former prez. And then they take credit for and use all the great things the democrats have accomplished.
Trivia addition: Lauren Bobert's district -- all of the town of Rifle Colorado -- has a population of 10,700 people. MTG's district, by contrast, has 777,400.
Former Labor Secretary, now UC Berkeley Prof. Robert Reich has been shouting this for MONTHS. He has felt like a Cassandra. It was so obvious, it’s almost silly, if it were not so tragic, that the WSJ finally gives a peep about the nefarious corporate shenanigans.
Who cares ? It's not even in the Bible as such. There are Christians who even say that the resurrection never happened. I used to be fairly religious, but I got over it, via my cousin's hypocrisy, ignorance & closedmindedness. AND her lack of anything resembling critical thinking.
Murdoch does not want a default or a failing economy. He has too many fingers in the pie to see it go bad, and his businesses depend on ordinary people having enough money to pay for his products.
I know! I was taken aback (in a good way, of course!) when I read that. Generally speaking, the WSJ is leans right--particularly the editorial page--so this is an encouraging sign.
Republicans act like they are not fully adult. None of them seem to have the imagination of the impact of their actions. That means that at least mentally they lack the prerequisite experiences for governing. The party should be ousted like Germany ousted the Nazi party. I hope my parallel is clear. Although the Nazis wanted to at least give the illusion of taking care of the population, but that is not even in the playbook of the Republican party. So, they have to brainwash poor people into voting for them by making them believe that someone telling they they are better for being White is more important than shelter, eating, having health care, and other parts of a good infrastructure. The wealthy want to hold onto their tax escapes and exploitation of people for profits. We need to save our country from the super wealthy, who need to be saved from themselves. Spoiled, super rich people running our country into the ground is not good for anyone. That is what a third world country is like. I think we can find plenty of despots in the Third World to compare them to.
There’s no standard list of sociopath signs, but the signs and symptoms of ASPD include a persistent pattern of disregard for others. For example:
ignoring social norms and laws, or breaking rules at school or work, overstepping social boundaries, stealing, stalking and harassing others, and destroying property
dishonesty and deceit, including using false identities and manipulating others for personal gain
difficulty controlling impulses and planning for the future, or acting without considering the consequences
aggressive or aggravated behavior, including frequent fights or physical conflict with others
disregard for personal safety, or the safety of others
difficulty managing responsibilities, including showing up at work, handling tasks, or paying rent and bills
little to no guilt or remorse, or a tendency to justify actions that negatively affect others
People with ASPD generally show little emotion or interest in the lives of others. They might:
come across as arrogant or superior, with firmly fixed opinions
use humor, intelligence, and charisma to manipulate
seem charming at first, until their self-interest becomes clear
People with ASPD generally find it challenging to maintain friendships, relationships, and other mutually fulfilling connections. This difficulty may stem from traits, like:
low empathy and emotional intelligence
difficulty learning from mistakes
lack of concern for the safety of others
a tendency to intimidate and threaten in order to maintain control
I found it very disturbing to hear psychologists discuss that the characteristics of personality disorders like sociopathy and psychopathy were commonly found in CEOs of corporations. Which leads me to believe that when that is the case, they would not recognize the behavior as being problematic in Trump, instead they would relate to it. In my abnormal psych classes we learned that those suffering from personality disorders did not feel pain as much, and were disconnected from feelings of fear also. We see that in Trump in many instances that he seems not to be capable of worrying about the consequences of his actions when left to his own devices. It is through careful handling that he shows any signs of caution or concern with being thwarted.
It's almost a requirement to be sociopathic to work on Wall Street, because you have to be able to separate the consequences of your behaviors and choices from those choices, as well as being a CEO of a corporation that emphasizes exploitation if you want to make a lot of money. After all capitalism = exploitation, especially unregulated capitalism. But, there are also sociopaths in the military since they have to decide to send people to their deaths. We can all have sociopathic tendencies, but a true sociopath acts without guilt or compassion toward those he/she hurts.
Florida is FILLED with sociopaths and dictator wannabes. Our quotas are FULL. The mental illness, unearned self righteousness, and ignorance here are frightening to behold.
Alas, this describes my “representative” Lauren Bobo here in Colorado distrct 3. Adam Frisch, the Democratic opponent, lost by just 546 votes in the last election. Adam is running again, and if you have the means, you can support his campaign at:
Adam appeared several times on Brian Tyler Cohen's YouTube channel. Check it out! I think low voter turnout was a factor in his loss in Pueblo and other areas. My 'postmenopausal' group of 10 discussed last month about helping to get the word out in Pueblo. We're planning to contact his campaign and head south on I-25 from Centennial.
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.”
One answer is to treat oil companies as utilities, so they're guaranteed a specific level of revenue in exchange for controlled prices. That would mean dismantling the oil futures markets, which set the price you and I pay to power our homes and drive our cars. To dismantle the oil futures markets, we have to impose controls on the behavior of OPEC+ producers.
If we can just control the global oil and gas market like we can regional utilities, we'd be set. Investors in oil and gas stocks would still get high dividends and also not have to suffer the wild swings in their investment portfolio values as they have for the last couple of decades. The public would face predictable energy costs. Governments could depend on steady tax revenues. Oil & Gas CEOs would still get rich salaries, but not 500 times or more as the average salary in their companies.
(Note: Oil & Gas companies try to balance their investments in new energy sources (drilling) with expected revenue based on the market price of oil. When the market price drops, drilling drops, supply tightens, and prices go up. This has been normal for commodity markets. Commodity prices are set by a combination of cost of extraction and refining and transporting and of the cost of replacing what you're selling with future supply. Then you need to add a reasonable profit margin, which has hovered around 10% for decades.
Then you add the changes in prices that individual retailers impose. These retailers are often not controlled by the big companies because they are independent. Exxon, for instance, owned only 1% of its branded stations in 2008 and announced the were going to sell even those. Any Congressional action on price gouging would have to take on all this complexity. )
1. Did you read the WSJ article about the root causes of the current inflationary trend? Please discuss.
2. Treating the international oil corporations like public utilities is simply not going to happen, and is a big distraction from the real issue, which is, how to we cut the burning of fossil fuels by 90% in the next 20 years or so, if we want to maintain anything like a liveable planet? I am old and am astounded at the problems with rising sea levels and storm intensities the human race is dealing with now. Never thought I would live to see any of it. If I were young, I would be so much more angry, but I just don’t have the energy for it. You seem like a fairly thoughtful person., just caught up in the short term political drama. Whether or not the Kochs, Ulines, Spencers and whoever else seeking turning the US into some sort of autocracy succeed or not, where do you really expect to be in 30 years? Much of California, Arizona and Utah with revert to desert wasteland as the glaciers in the Rockies and Sierras dwindle away. Much of the Midwest will also revert to a poorer form of grassland than was there before big irrigation started pumping the groundwater reserves dry. Florida and Louisiana agricultural will shrivel as the rising sea-level turn the low lying agricultural land brackish and unproductive. As temperatures continue to rise, agricultural productivity in areas that can be farmed at all will decrease, since so many staple crops that feed the world will not thrive in higher temperatures. People , millions of people, are going to be fighting for fresh water and adequate calories. That is what you, and all of us should be thinking about. This is the complexity that matters, not how the Republican Congress plays fast and loose with morals, ethics and laws because they believe that winning at all costs is the only thing worth doing. Their children and grandchildren will curse their names.
Regarding the WSJ article, yes I did read it. Two comments:. 1st, from the article. A UBS analyst suggested that this price increase - which accounts for about 10% of the observed inflation (therefore not the full reason for inflation!) is likely to fade, since the companies studied have to pull back from further price increases due to increased public scrutiny and also a stronger fear of customers finally deciding to find cheaper sources for similar goods. 2nd, this type of pricing behavior is not new. It's been in existence since at least the mid 1980s when I took MBA classes. The Marketing class discussed pricing power and how to maximize prices without pissing off one's customers too much. In the present time, stocks are recommended by investment newsletters to which I subscribe partially depending on how much they might increase prices on a captive audience. It's actually expected, since during a startup phase of a business, prices are artificially low to build market share. Bloomberg Financial rates stocks partially on how much of a "moat" they have around their business, which improves their pricing power. To summarize, this is not news, and some of this push to squeeze more out of customers might be to make up a bit for losses incurred during the pandemic. My opinion? It's incumbent on business to make business decisions that keep the businesses alive, make a reasonable profit (that varies for different industries), and to consider the wellbeing of their customers and not just their investors. I reach this opinion as a small-c conservative that believes that acting in the interests of all stakeholders will bring more sustainable profits, if not instant zillions.
Regarding your assertion of all the environmental catastrophes that will occur in 30 years, I agree that we are on the wrong path and that those warnings will come true. But not in 30 years. Yes we are having increases in climatic extremes that are devastating to lives, livelihoods, and the environment as we have become accustomed to it. However, nature really takes a little longer. Part of the hurdle to finding a middle road is that rational discussion has become impossible with over-panic on one side and stupid intransigence on the other. There is plenty of room for both climate progress, economic justice, and corporate profits in the middle.
I have opinions about all the issues you mention but I'll just cover the easiest one: Sea level rise is serious, but will take much longer than popular panic suggests. For instance, global sea level is rising at the pace of about 4 inches over 30 years (link: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level ). Since average elevation in Florida and Louisiana is about 100 feet, it will take about 300 years to flood those states. That's actually quite scary, but those states are not driving off a cliff just yet. (They ARE driving off a cliff politically, though.)
The above said, the time to find solutions to climate-change-caused problems is now. We have not built anything near an adequate "solution set" for climate challenges. I look askance at those who say we must switch now, since that's physically and economically just not possible. At best, a transition using current technical knowledge and current economics will take decades more. A lot of scientific progress and a lot of political progress still has to be made. Imposing change too quickly will cost millions of lives, mostly in poorer countries. (Recall the Arab Spring which was initially a reaction to rising food prices?) But change IS needed. The most immediate challenge is political, which is why I'm in this forum. It's what I have energy for, at my age.
Jerry, you are assuming a straight-line increase in sea level rise. In fact, we are seeing an escalation, partly fueled by self-perpetuating factors such as glacier melt, permafrost melt, sea temps, etc. I don’t think any serious climate scientists would project 300 years for drastic flooding. Frankly, we may already be near a tipping point, where climate change will continue even if all fossil fuels are out of the picture.
Marge, do you know what a tipping point looks like? Yes, one can see a slight increase in the rate of sea level rise, but will it keep accelerating? I agree it might, and yes the data are ominous - I'm not blind to the body of science developed since 2000, but 30 years? That's what I was reacting to. As a species, we don't have time to wait and study and pontificate, but rushing in a panic will cost more human lives than will steady, diligent, urgent incremental work.
My concern centers on the risks that poorly-informed policies create when implemented. Recall the Arab Spring? It started in Tunisia with a protest on the rising costs of wheat that made bread unaffordable to the poorest. Wheat prices rose as wheat crop land was converted to corn crops to satisfy the newly implemented ethanol mandate in the U.S. In other words, I'm all for investing in new technologies using grants and tax breaks and progressive regulatory limits on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. I'm totally against picking winners and loses by fiat. I'm totally against singling out some industries as evil and others as good. The reality is much more nuanced.
Our knowledge of climatic effects of human activity has grown impressively, but our toolkit to address address and mitigate them is relatively limited. Still, we know what we could do as we learn more. Unfortunately, Reactionaries have resisted the scientific advances and as resistance has proved futile, they've started to vilify and suppress the messenger. Our current battle is on two fronts, technical and political, which is where the 30 doom predictions come from. But such arguments only serve to mobilize the already converted and alienate those that can't see past their established habits. It's counterproductive and thus, deadly.
I agree with the other commenter who notes you are not using a correct mathematical model for your estimates, so I won’t address that here. Thank you for you thoughtful reply. Regarding the Arab Spring, what caused the food shortages that destabilized so many governments in that area of the globe? Dig a little deeper. That’s all I am saying.
Tunisia's government was poor and couldn't afford to keep subsidizing bread, causing starvation. Why it was so inept and why its protests sparked similar protests against corrupt tegimes in the Arab world is a separate issue and certainly worthy of review. I was paying attention because I'm from that sector of the world.
Regarding sea level rise, just look at the projection by NASA in
The worst case scenario is 5 meters rise by the end of the century (15 ft), while the average scenario is half that. The point is, we're not going off a climatic cliff in 30 years
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) made it clear to Jonathan Swan and Carl Hulse of The New York Times that all the Republicans care about is winning back the majority. “I really don't care what the tactics are,“ he said.
Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? (apparently none)
Their collective moral / ethical compass was run over by THREE convoys of trucks then by a bunch of nitro - powered cars led by Dom Toretto from the Fast & Furious film franchise. & then a plane made an emergency landing on it.
“The tactics” seem to include wrecking the country and world economies so the Rs can pick up votes, with the side benefit that it will reduce supply support for the Ukrainians fighting Putin’s brutal invasion.
I read comments here every day in spite of the resulting brain activity when I should be sleeping. When that happens, my mind can be best described as a corral of horses being released into open land, running, jumping, whirling and kicking for the joy of freedom.
This time my first reaction is to the FED's interest rate policy, which I coinsider to be mismanaging a previous mismanagement decision; that is, expensive money following free money for so long. It reminds me of trying to balance a hot-cold stream of water with two faucets. It may work with water, but are there only two choices with the FED? I do not know how the FED operates, how many are making the decisions, all I know is that Powell's name is on everything.
My other reaction today is to a comment on electing competent officials. Briefly, a professor of Abnormal Psych and I lunched occasionally, and once he said he never voted, because he couldn't trust the candidates' campaign promises to be carried out. He indicated that his aversion was a derivatave of his father's attitude, being the same. It occurred to me that the words and concepts the candidate used meant one thing, but my friend heard another thing/meaning. I jokingly called it "framing misalignment" and diagrammed a wall with a tall figure on one side speaking through a talll hole in the wall, and a short figure on the other listening through a hole much lower down. I still think of communication that way.
BUT, add in the emotions that words convey, and I might "hear" a very different message than you might. I then check a box on a ballot for a different reason than the next person who checks the same box. How can we possibly separate decisions fueled by emotion from those powered by a more rational process? I do not know how, but I can discern the difference in campaign promises.
My other simultaneous brain romp followed a questioning by Rep Katie Porter of a CEO (I think) on Medical insurance, https://fb.watch/kj6LrbjQu7/, how could a voter not side with Ms Porter? But many won't for "reasons" emotional. The main "reason" I hear is "I qualify but you don't, " a reasoning-free way of saying "I don't want to be in the same boat with you." Are we free and equal or not? An auto repair garage has a sign posted that reads "Good,Fast, or Cheap. Pick Two." How about "Liberté, egalité, fraternité" which the US founders adopted? My take- pick two, we can't functionally have all three.
A few other issues jumping around in the pasture-
Bank bailouts, cui bono? Fragilizing or not?
Debt ceiling impasse, was the 14th not clear enough?
Abortion- whose body is it anyway?
A local farmer aged 84- "The government is under God's control."
Me- that isn't what the Constitution reads, look it up, you carry a copy in your truck. (fact).
Farmer- well then it's WRONG!
This guy is a John Wayne standin, neck vessels throbbing, fists clenching, get the picture?
Ed! Much nicer paragraph structure :) Better for my AM brain.
Couldn't agree with you more about Powell. A name that will become synonymous with mismanagement. Interest rates remained way too low (free money for big banks!) for much too long. Two big results. Savers were nudged into the stock market - where many did not belong. Most don't have the risk capacity (tolerance is different) to weather a big downturn. And the Fed's free money supported zombie companies. And now as the reality of pay me later hits the fan....
And then Powell makes it worse by taking a sledge hammer to those who will suffer the most. The folks who pay 20 to 25% more for everything because they are ignorant and/or desperate enough to carry credit card debt. We're talking about a lot of naive and/or poor people. Let alone smashing the hopes of young home buyers and pummeling those with student debt.
I don't need to be an economist to see mind boggling mismanagement. As soon as the economy had begun to recover from the Great Recession (a decade ago!!!) interest rates should have been normalized. Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred should have been able to harvest 3 to 5% in a simple FDIC savings account. But noooo. Every time the stock market burped, the Fed stepped in to "save us". Us was the investor class. Not most Americans. Can you tell I have had a lot of coffee?
BTW, I choose three. But you are right. The first two are mandatory. We can embrace the third when the Federalist elite have been beaten back into submission. Vote Blue no matter who.
I can understand (sorta) the Abnormal Psychology professor’s aversion to voting, but, unfortunately, THAT is precisely the problem we have in this country. 1.) We have a voting system that few people completely trust and 2.) No one, especially the Officeholders, want to fix it.
The traditional “basic questions” are the keys:
WHO should be allowed to vote? (Citizens 18 years and older. Only bones of contention: convicted criminals, especially felons and forms of registration/proof.)
WHERE?
HOW?
WHEN?
It shouldn’t be difficult, but when you don’t WANT to fix an open wound, it just festers.
The parents of all the Republican congressmen should be investigated for the way they brought up their irresponsible children and their methods included in testing for attributes candidates need to have for competent governing. It's obvious the Republicans have absolutely no intension of leading anything but following corporate pirates instead.
The Republicans - they should be investigated to see if they're justified to hold office or even to walk among truly freedom - loving people, breathe the same air, drink the same water, etc. Our own rep. Marsha Blackburn comes across as an ignorant halfwitted dolt who might be inching towards dementia.
Daniel, is your rep. as bad as Marjorie Traitor Goon is from the state i live in, Georgia? I don't see how anyone could be as insane and incompetent as that Goon is. She is so ignorant she can't even spell simple words as when she called the Gestapo, the Gachpago. She acts like someone that failed to graduate from Kindergarten. There are quite a few in our House of Representatives that aren't justified to hold office on the fascist GQP side. Kevin McCarthy is one of them too.
At one press conference or public speaking engagement, Ms Blackburn actually sounded like she'd knocked back a couple of glasses of vodka. She isn't quite in MTG's class yet. She just sounds like an out - of - touch ignoramus, as opposed to MTG's bratty, contemptible behavior. But she makes us look moronic by association.
The quality of political candidates seems to be a problem in all democracies these days. Possibly few people of quality and goodwill want to do the job anymore - and given the power of the business lobbies - who are no longer lobbies, but masters - I can't blame them. If you're a non-extremist Republican, you're better off working as a lobbyist for Texaco than as an elected official. You get to call the shots. Meanwhile, a number of elderly Democrats of all quality and political hue hold on to their posts, making it harder for the younger generation to prove itself. Some, like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, are still good at their jobs. Others, like Dianne Feinstein, are not and should definitely go. Bernie Sanders? He might want to pass the baton to a younger generation of Democratic Socialists that he has apparently been nurturing for years.
Bernie may still have the fire in his belly, but I doubt that he could handle a 2024 run with all the rigorous demands. Time to find a new heir or successor. Luke to his Obi - Wan, if you will.
81, and he's got the energy and mental sharpness of a man half his age....he responds to every message I post on his site with detailed, well-reasoned and sourced information, and yes! the fire is still very much there in his belly. It's why we love him, and will continue to elect him as long as he wants to run. And a lot of 'moderate' Repubs actually like him...
Camilla - I've lived here since '08, but she never really entered my " radar " until fairly recently in my past. Just never noticed her. She's APPALLING !
As for MTG, I had a neighbor not unlike her in my original hometown, but all she did was send out emails defaming Obama until everyone blocked her ( she was on Yahoo ). The woman was 5 & 1 / 2 cans short of a 6 - pack & as unstable as a pit bull with roid rage.
For those of you who are interested here is the list of S&P 5000 companies whose stock prices are up more than 50% since the start of the bear market at the beginning of January 2022, their industries and the % gain in the stock price since then. (Sorry for the lack of formatting).
Occidental Petroleum Corp. Exploration & Production 106.71
First Solar Inc. Renewable Energy Equipment 99.531
Hess Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 87.087
Exxon Mobil Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 85.308
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. Food Products 83.616
Marathon Petroleum Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 80.199
Robert Reich has been screaming about this for a long time. The Oligarchs in Russia are just imitators of those in the US. Or vice versa. Who cares.
The uber rich Federalists own this nation. It's feudal. They are the royalty. The politicians are their nobles. The serfs think that it's their lot in life to be peasants.
And now with the Chevron Case, regulations will be further stripped away. While the Federalists drink Fiji, the peasants will drink more tainted local water which will continue to dull their senses.
We are now in the latest version of a "Gilded Age". Private interests reign supreme over the public welfare. "Greed is good" is their motto.
As Tom Rush sang: "The problem with America is that the poor have too much money and the rich don't have enough." (/s)
Thank you for also mentioning Prof. Robert Reich and his sagacious observation that the Fed was intentionally looking the other way by not calling out the corporations’ price gouging shenanigans.
None of the listees are a surprise...but they all make me want to snarl. I can't hit the "like" button when this makes me so furious...but, good information--thank you, again.
Actually, assuming it isn't another Orwellian naming, I'm pleased that among all those "robber baron" oil & steel companies that the investor class has recognized the value of a company like First Solar, Inc which appears, at least by its name, to be heading in the right direction regarding a free market response to global climate change and the actual needs of our country!
It's long overdue that we become freed of the "free market" - which is really just code for the dominance of the Oligarchs - who do NOTHING to solve the problems of the Earth. NOTHING. A smart nation would have nationalized energy production a long time ago. The fossil fuels in the ground belong to everyone - not just the heirs of JD Rockefeller - who stole them through complicated unwritten intimidation based contracts. He was a religious, pious piece of shit. He and his ilk set the stage for the world we live in now. A fake democracy.
Well, Bill, I'm not sure what you imagine will replace the "free market" from which we would be freed; a controlled economy? True, some will no doubt make out better when they invest in much needed companies like renewable, non-CO2 generating energy resources but we do in fact need those kinds of companies and do better as a country when they do better. I think we are not in a fake democracy although it is clearly a struggling democracy; struggling against relatively unfettered capitalism and prodigious misinformation. But results of the last 3 elections suggest that our democracy can and does still work, if barely.
The foundation of a democracy is voting by as many as can be legally registered. Have you and will you vote? Vote for more socially responsible than capitalist candidates?
You speak the truth and you say it well. My rage is fueled by a lot of coffee introduced to a well rested brain. You are right in the sense that we might actually be turning the tide in a very broad sense. But democracy is fake (or dying) in Florida and Texas. It's pretty healthy here in MA. So my generalizations are just that. Abbott and DeSantis are faking democracy. Our governor is the real deal. MA is far from perfect. But it feels safe here.
More power to any company that recognizes what the future of energy production must be. What if we required the big fossil fuel extractors to invest X amount of their capital investments in renewable sources? What if we regulated them the way California is regulating the auto industry? They could still make the uber rich richer - and help save the coral reefs!
As to voting. I have voted in every election since my first one. I helped McGovern take the only state he won :) And my latest project is to delve into how and what is taught in the way of "civics" in our local schools. I am also inquiring about how or if the high school will facilitate 18 year olds to register as voters. Young people hold the key to the survival of this democracy - which is looking more fragile every day.
I too feel relatively safe here in MA. We aren't exempt though. My family is in FL and I can't imagine being there. Civics disappearing from school curriculum has been my war cry for years. If you get something going I would love to be involved in this crusade. The high schools overseeing the registration of future voters is needed too. Thank you!
My wife's family is in Florida as well. We visit and we are careful who we talk to about what. It feels like another planet - or a terrible dystopian novel. They are surrounded by crazy people.
If I have anything to report on the schools front, I'll publish it on Bill's Focus.
Lots of smart women in power now in MA and it does feel good. Local loony mag=nuts are displaying bigger flags and chips on their shoulders though. Sad. Their presidential candidate is a wacko cheater liar hateful manbaby BULLY and they don't even care.
I'll Ssecond that check on civics in the schools; our local Democratic Town Committee has connected with interested HS students - there are a few. Local Republicans have seemingly gone underground; not the case in CT where my son's town has a surprisingly active GOP.
"A smart nation would have" nationalized healthcare. The healthcare system is broken, the education system is broken, as is just about every other system, and half the country seems okay with it being broken. How can we work on anything positive when the guns are blazing and nobody's safe?
We CAN'T give up now. Small donations count big. Civics and human rights education is essential but much more difficult with cultural hysteria loose in the land.
Good point Angelica. This Democracy thing will be lost without actual, effective action. I think many people have not fully accepted this because it feels so foreign for them to have to do more than comment, post, or retweet. Many people are still just considering getting up the nerve to do more, but not even sure what that looks like, or even if they have the courage because it may go against a spouse, family member, church friend, or neighbor. I believe the commenters on this newsletter, however, are generally out there in the capacities they feel are most effective. But in our families, neighborhoods, communities there are a lot of silent “standby-and-see-what-happens-because-it-really-won’t-effect-me-anyways” folk that are watching the clown car go by.
"alleging that Walker solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars from a billionaire industrialist who believed he was donating to Walker’s Senate campaign, only to have Walker take the money personally."
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. Every time I think the Republicans can't get any worse they do. Their motto, "win at all costs and screw the Country" is now so obvious that only a hermit, living on a deserted island in the middle of an ocean with no means of communication other than a note in a bottle could believe it. Yet the "mainstream lying media" reports every corrupt word issued. I never liked or trusted Mitch, but he is much more Un-American than I thought.
There are no sane or moderate Republicans left who are still in office. All I have to say is get everyone you know turning 18 to register to vote on their birthday and tell them their vote can make a big difference!!! All the major oil companies, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Kroger, Autozone, Hostess, Cargolux, Kraft-Heinz, Tyson Foods, General Mills, etc. are all showing record profits! Cal-Maine Foods, the company that controls 20% of the eggs in the US, saw its profits surge 718% last quarter!!! Conagra Foods had a 60% increase in profits Feb. 2923 vs. 12 months ending in 2022. If all this is not price-gouging, I don’t know what is!
That is shocking; Thanks for sharing. I always try to encourage people to register and to vote. As far as telling them their vote can make a big difference, I would feel like a liar. I vote just in case it makes a difference, but I don't really think it does anymore. I am afraid the billionaires are running our government. I try to stay hopeful and grasp at every straw the Democrats toss that appears to support the real economy of the middle and working classes.
My county, the most metropolitan in NC, with a majority of Democrats, only had a 45% voter turnout for the 2022 election. This is horrible, and may have cost Cheri Beasley (former Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court) the NC US Senate race. Instead, the despicable Ted Budd, ultra-conservative Republican, was elected. He is staunchly anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti LGBTQ, pro-Trump, supports Republican gerrymandering, and it was a big blow when he was elected.
Re: registering young voters, check out and support turnup.us, the goal of which "is to increase youth voter registration and turnout, and build the most active, educated, organized, and powerful network of young progressive activists across the Nation."
From their website page re: Outcomes: "TurnUp organized by far the largest youth-led youth voter registration and turnout operation in the 2020 Election, the 2022 midterms and the 2021 + 2022 Georgia Runoff Elections based on publicly available data.
"Since 2020, youth ages 18-29 have voted in record numbers and have been the deciding factor in the election results. In 2020, we experienced a 10+ point increase in youth turnout nationally. 2022 saw the second-highest youth midterm voter turnout in history with particularly high turnout in key battleground states. In both Georgia runoff elections, young people cast many more votes than the margin of victory."
I have a question for clarification. If the default lasts less than a week and 500,000 lose employment, and a longer default leads to 8.5 million losing employment, what does "longer" mean? Longer than less than one week? Or longer like a month or so? Is the 8th day literally an 8 million job difference? Seems unlikely, but it's really vague here. Thanks again Heather for more terrifying news summarizing and explaining. LOL. Seems the only way for the extreme Right to extinguish Biden's economic success is to literally crash the economy. They don't care if the global economy suffers because it will make it easier for authoritarian regimes everywhere to flourish, after the dust settles. As I said. Terrifying.
Comments are sounding discouraged today. Just a reminder there’s nothing like a pro democracy action to help you feel better 😁
From Chop Wood, Carry Water:
“Y’all, the Democrats are running phonebanks into PA House District 163 almost every day in the leadup to the May 16th special election. The outcome of this race will determine which party controls the Pennsylvania House, so these calls are extra-important. Can you sign up for a shift? As I said above, it feels so good to help Democrats win!”
"Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said today. 'We shouldn’t even be talking about a world in which the U.S. doesn’t pay its bills. It just shouldn’t be a thing,' he added."
Repeat, repeat, repeat...
But that’s the plan of the gop, to crash the economy. Ensue crisis, then seize control by any means necessary. Bannon always said the objective was to crash the system/own the culture. And he meant “by any means necessary”. Today “Woke” must also come to mean accepting that the gop will actually drive the clown car off the cliff and crash the last pillar of US strength: our financial obligation dependability. The people that it hurts don’t matter. Looking at the list of their planned budget cuts, they think we should just die and get out of their way. Survival of the Richest.
Don’t believe in the omnipotence of evil. Republicans are not that organized or united. Remember: Fifteen ballots to elect the weakest speaker in more than a hundred years, maybe 150.
If you live in a red state with a super majority legislature, like MT, omnipotence of evil is very very evident & organized. Gov signed the anti trans bill & several abortion bills.
Or if you live in a red state like Florida, where the Republicans have a super majority in all branches of the state government, & whatever bills our petty dictator Governor Ron DeSantis wants, pass with the majority vote (with very few exceptions). His extreme views make national news. On Tuesday (05/03/23), a bill was passed that will shield the travel records of DeSantis & other top officials, even as DeSantis travels around the country & overseas as he plans his run for President. So much for Florida’s sunshine laws regarding transparency in government! I cannot comprehend how the voting residents of Florida think that DeSantis should be our governor. We need someone who cares about the problems our state faces & works to fix those issues, not someone who lusts for power and money.
And watching a clip of him proclaiming his desire for freedom was just too much to take... after hearing him talk about banning books. Freedom? Whose freedom?
He means you are free to believe whatever he says or wants, and he is free to punish you if you don't agree with him. Can you say Disney???
😒😘
Even if you live in a blue state, Rs are a problem. Yesterday enough of them walked out (even though voters passed a measure by a large margin to prevent this) to stop the senate from passing bills on gun control and abortion. But Ds can be stupid too. A rising star D, the secretary of state, just resigned after it came to light that she was doing a side gig consulting for a troubled cannabis firm. She apologized and said her salary (77 thousand) was not making ends meet for her and her two children. She had checked up on the ethics of this, but should have known that it was very poor judgment because this sort of thing always comes to light. If you have to check on the ethics of something, don't do it. I am certain that our new governor, who is no nonsense, would have probably insisted on resignation if Fagan had not resigned. The governor will appoint another D.
which state?
I don't think we have that problem in Massachusetts. We have among the toughest gun laws in the nation.
Oregon. We also passed a gun control measure which is now being held up by an eastern Oregon judge. This walk out happens every time our legislature tries to make some progress. And the Ds don't have a super majority, so there is no quorum. The voters passed a measure by a large margin to limit days they can be gone. But...we'll see. Washington state has made much more progress on gun control and just passed a measure banning the sale of assault weapons. Of course, the usual suspects have sued over it already.
Be very careful though! We have gotten quite comfortable in our very blue California and the extremists have been quietly infiltrating our local governments and school boards. Moms For Liberty, aka klanned karenhood, is bringing fascism straight to our doorstep. We also have numerous gun worshippers suing our attorney general because a ten day waiting period to buy their ego enhancing weapon of mass destruction is “infringing on their rights”. What about our gd rights to not be massacred by simply stepping foot out of our homes? It’s exhausting!
But democracy can change that. Indeed, that's the whole point.
Democracy does not work when the voters are uninformed or misinformed. The best illustration of this are State legislatures and governorships and is reflected nationally in the undemocratic composition of the Senate and the Electoral College. Only when they experience pain will the uniformed and misinformed wake up and vote for what is in their own interest.
So that just shows that it's up to us to inform voters. How many more Democratic state legislators--and congressman, and senators--would be elected if Democrats hammered away by saying things like, "You believe in background checks for before buying a gun. ______ [insert name of Republican] does not. You believe that guns should be kept out of the hands of domestic abusers. _______ does not. You believe that mentally-ill individuals should not have access to firearms. ________ believes that they should. You believe that a woman should have control over her own body. _______ does not. You believe that gay and lesbian people deserve the rights that straight people have. ______ does not. Why would you vote for ______?
(and repeat, and repeat, and repeat)
It is not that simple. It will take generations to turn these states around. People who believe in democracy are vocal in MT. Currently CJ Box Storm Watch. His characters summarize the attitudes that are driving Maga movements & militia in states like WY & MT. Haven't finished the book to see how it turns out.
Just saw a review for a nonfiction book on how McVeigh started the trend to what we see from Rs now and traces that history.
I think I've read all of his books. Like his characters & the way he writes. Their "attitudes" are not my own. But then thats true of many of the books I read. Not every one of the authors I read agree with my politics, nor do I always agree with theirs. But I read their books.
And in many states, permitless concealed carry.
15 ballots yes, but it was achieved. An now they are aligning behind him. He does not need to be smart, just amoral and vain.
The only requirements to become a leader in the Repugnicant party: be amoral, be vain.
and possibly, be a control freak. see, DJtRump.
Not only that. They have lost the latest generation who’s cynicism had not developed sufficiently to become Republican. With the rate of die off and no source of regeneration they are a shrinking tumor.
His, McCarthy's very weakness and his frantic, craven need for the appearance of power is EXACTLY what make him a menace. In fact Marjorie and her cabal are running this show.
If the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Russians and the Iranians handpicked people to destroy our system they could not have chosen better. Republican party will be our downfall. Not foreign governments
Thank you for that; I’m breathing again!
"Right" you are Jon. I take heart at the light shining on the doings of D. Trump and C. Thomas. I think I see a crack in Republican impunity. They can only shut us down by tantrums just so long. Even in Russia, things are going badly as Putin's evil behavior is more and more evident.
Unfortunately the Koch brothers (alas David has died) and their allies are that organized. Good reading: Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer.
Jon, I believe you are underestimating their years of practice to get to this point.
Indeed, ordinary people do not matter to Rs, only winning, power, and greed. The truly wealthy believe they can outlast this. But then they also believe their wealth will save them from climate disaster too.
Perhaps, Michele, they will buy Ocean front property.
One of the wealthiest postal codes in the US is Jupiter Island in Florida.
Such property could be underwater by the end of this century. Ignorance appears to be bliss among many Floridians. https://www.newsweek.com/floridas-projected-sea-level-rise-2100-bad-news-sunshine-state-1783707
Aren't the oligarchs and large businesses negatively impacted significantly by us not paying our bills and the worldwide economy tanks?
Sandra they await the bloodbath fallout with relish. They see catastrophic loss as the time to buy. Nothing personal to ravish the dead and dying, just business. As the economy tanks assets heretofore unavailable to them are shaken loose. The hoarders plan to attend the greatest rummage sale on earth. If Bannon can bring this to fruition he will out fame the fathers of the Russian Revolution.
They probably think they are protected from the worst of it.
Everyone needs to stop using and/or referring to the word 'woke'. It's meaning is pure gobbledegook.
Thank you. Using the word supports the GOP's false narrative.
The Republicans have given it a negative connotation. I prefer to think of it as “Yes, we woke up and now can see what the GOP is trying to do - and it’s not pretty!”
JL, I loved that he added that the debt ceiling
“....just shouldn’t be a thing.” Yes, repeat, repeat, repeat.....omg.
JL, what is a 'thing' are several competent stategies to defeat the seditionist extortion; my understanding is that Hakim Jeffries has endorsed the "Discharge Petion" option which does require 218 & 5 votes from some Blue District R's.
To be clear, it requires 218 votes in support, five of which would have to come from Republicans. What just kills me is the evident acquiescence of so many Republicans in having the government and the fate of our economy be at the mercy of a small cabal of radical reactionaries from gerrymandered districts.
Yes, corruption is what rules our sad nation now: gerrymandered districts, indeed.
Thanks for the math C&J, I favor a Macroeconomic Solution after trying several available options uing HCR's historically accurate 14th Amendment Constutuional framework but, such a massive move would require rarely seen before skills except in the 1930's. A New Politics much more than a New Deal. Best left in Act 3 for now.
Yeh. When you run for office, you sign an agreement to support the party's position or get primaries. Take your chances after getting elected with voting your conscience ... or, voting for something from the other party, even to bring the idea out of committee.
name it for what it is: default on America - In America, no matter our color, background or zip code, we value our freedoms. But a wealthy few have always tried calling the shots - rigging the rules to avoid paying what they owe and taking the wealth our work creates. And now the MAGA Republicans running our House of Representatives are doing their bidding - threatening to default on America and push us into economic shutdown, unless we let them take away care healthcare, public school funding, and food from our families. But we have seen that the many can stand up to the money and protect our freedoms, families and futures. And we will hold MAGA Republicans accountable for defaulting on, defrauding and destabilizing America. We must come together to demand that they stop this farce to default on America!
And we should not be talking about Labor taking it on the chin either. This appears to be ok for Jerry Powell. Labor did not cause the issue. This has been brewing since the trump tax cuts, The pandemic aggravated it, corporations took advantage of it, and this is slowly playing out. Understand too, the US is monetarily sovereign.
Among the best of things I've said in the past few decades about the gop leadership is that they've become the party of "kick sh_t down the road," setting up others to do the hard work of problem solving, while lying in ambush in the weeds lobbing grenades at the doers; same style as 'punji stick' Gingrich, the ambush artist extraordinaire.
'In the present political and ideological climate, far right political leaders, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have declared a war on institutions of public and higher education, which they’ve identified as centers of “unpatriotic education.” Most far right Republicans fear higher education as a bulwark against their authoritarianism and hence see students as a threat to their propaganda machines and fascist politics. As a result, the right wing has kicked into overdrive in an attempt to target educational institutions as a site for policing dissent, eliminating unions, indoctrinating faculty and students, and for normalizing white Christian nationalism, white supremacy and pedagogies of repression.'
'We have seen this in Ron DeSantis’s efforts to take over the progressive New College of Florida and turn it into a haven for white Christian education. DeSantis wants to remodel New College after the reactionary Hillsdale College, a private Christian liberal arts college that Kathryn Joyce states has played a “far-reaching role in shaping and disseminating the ideas and strategies that power the right.”
'It’s clear that the far right GOP has deemed education to be the most powerful tool for creating a public that is neither informed nor willing to struggle to keep a democracy alive. This is particularly evident in the right-wing war on education, which aims at replacing public education with charter schools, fashioning public and higher education into centers of far right indoctrination, and destroying higher education as a democratic public good. Central to such an attack is a war on critical thinking, troubling knowledge, historical memory and any form of education that address social problems. Extremists in the GOP fully embrace both white nationalism and white supremacy while simultaneously supporting a culture and society in which the distinction between lies and the truth disappear. What they would also like to see disappear in their reign of domestic terrorism are the educators, institutions, and other public spaces that resist this ongoing tsunami of authoritarian ideas, acts of repression, and war on critical intellectuals, dissidents and educators.'
'Authoritarian societies firmly embrace the notion that history is written by the victors. In doing so, they wage a war on historical memory as part of an effort to not only control historical knowledge particularly in relation to Black and Indigenous people, but also to disguise dominant power relations in acts and policies that produce a “diligent and continual silencing … required to maintain its claims on the present and future.” As whiteness is increasingly secured through voter suppression, border enforcement, gerrymandering and state violence, far right politicians and their allies have expanded their repressive pedagogical mechanisms of discipline and economic measures of control to include cultural apparatuses such as social media platforms, as well as public and higher education.' ___By Henry A. Giroux (TRUTHOUT)
https://truthout.org/articles/us-fascism-is-spreading-under-the-guise-of-patriotic-education/
Yes, this is where I see big trouble, although only professors and adjuncts and some students seem worried about it. More voucher schools, less support for state university students, ridiculous tuition bills and student loans that can rarely be paid back-in full. We seem to live in an age where we know the price of everything and the value of nothing. I'm glad you brought this up, Fern.
"We seem to live in an age where we know the price of everything and the value of nothing."
THAT is an astute and brilliant line!
Worth mentioning is the concerted efforts by repub-controlled states to further restrict voting by students.....removing polling places from local schools, and drop boxes from universities, tighter restrictions on registering and using university addresses, etc. the most hypocritical and telling is removing approval for college issued ID but hunting licenses or gun permits (if still in effect) are ok! Grrrrrrrrr
It is stunning.
Hey, no prob paying for private school if you’re Clarence Thomas.
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-private-school-tuition-scotus
I woke up to this news. Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to the Supreme Court. When did six-figure gifts to government officials not become bribery?
My first response was, Clarence Thomas has a son? Always wondered, but as it turns out Thomas's son is from a "previous relationship." Who knows where he went to school. The young man in question turns out to be under a guardianship, and after Thomas's impatience with the Fairfax County schools (deemed by many to be top-notch) he shipped him off to boarding school and seems to have gotten in over his head financially. Somewhere in my psyche I have some compassion for Thomas, who must have felt anger and resentment for much of his life, but it's been fueled rather than assuaged by "generous" Republivans.
It takes a lot of energy and brain-space to oppress your neighbors. When a country, state, city, or family, is taken over by an oppressor, it becomes dysfunctional. Real achievement slows dramatically, because the act of oppression requires so much effort to maintain.
Autocrats only need to be good at 2 things, controlling information and keeping a functional military. Putin, for all his vaunted ability, couldn't even do that. Our right wing leadership may be filled with cunning ivy-leaguers, but their efforts mainly go into act of oppression and misdirection, greatly reducing their ability to get sh_t done (anyone want to buy a vowel?).
Clearly these Republicans are worried that the mission statement of most universities includes teaching students to think for themselves.
Christian education is an oxymoron.
I agree with you for the "Evangelical, white nationalist" variety (who may no longer be "Christian" but merely White Nationalists. The are many Christians and Christian churches/groups who are definitely for education, and education of the highest kind. Republicans however are dead set against education, christian or not. My state, Ohio, is an example. Slash funds for education all around.
When a person accepts a religion, they give up their right to think for themselves.
TY so much, Fern.
I do not think I am being hyperbolic in saying that we in Florida are already living in a Fascist State. This is the doing of a Governor who would be President and thinks this mandated, autocratic " freedom from woke" will morph him into "Trump world."
I have put this quote on my refrigerator:
"The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the jobs, the shops, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the life long mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed." ( Milton Mayer, "They Thought They Were Free. The Germans, 1933-1945")
Carol, my hand to my heart, and my mind is awake. Thank you,.
Ditto, Fern & Carol. Hand to my heart...
And adding to the horror of our education is the rolling back , in some states of our laws protecting child labor…. Are these poor children to become the latest cheap labor market? So scary
Not new, Patti; it has been going on forever, and child labor laws are rarely enforced,
Right out of the Nazi playbook as they immediately killed all the intellectuals, etc. when they invaded Poland. Here in Salem, Oregon, we have a school board election coming up and along a major thoroughfare I saw many signs with America as the largest word along with signs for the three wing nuts. Right now the board is more progressive and I hope that doesn't change. We are also getting a new super in July and as soon as the wing nuts knew who it was, they started the clamor about woke and inclusive.
Fern, thank you for introducing us to TRUTHOUT. Illuminating. Watching events unfold over the past several years reminds me of my grandchildren who, confronted by a large bag of trail mix, will assiduously pick out and consume the oats and nuts and chocolate chunks until, finally, there is nothing left but a bagful of unwanted raisins. If the "Pubbies" keep it up, our country will consist of shriveled grapes and nothing more.
Oh, well DONE! (But I'll be happy to eat the raisins.)
Thanks Fern. Attack on education is ramping up. Also--the increase of "Christian (read evangelical/white nationalist) HOME schooling" is very troubling. Children growing up with no exposure to real science, a "white washed" history of world and USA, major exposure to ideas of Biblical kingship, not democracy, etc etc. Does not result in intelligent people, prepared citizens, etc. Of course if they really paid attention to the true teachings of Jesus, that might undermine the white nationalist agenda......... A danger to democracy...... Charter schools are the same---look at Florida with K-12 schools using the Hillsdale conservative Christian curriculum. A alternate total worldview/s
Clearly in Montana the intellectual community is endangered by the likes of Daines who graduated from “cow”college there. Montana is going downhill rapidly. I am profoundly disappointed in my native state. I believe you must leave the country to see the country.
I have been beyond disappointed to see what's happening politically in Montana. It's such a beautiful state. Sen. John Tester is, apparently, an anomaly, but hopefully there to stay. (Similar to KY, where my sister and her family live: two of the worst Senators in Congress -- but with a great governor, Andy Beshear.) That Montana, with a population of approximately 1 million has EQUAL voice in the Senate to California with a population of approximately 40 MILLION is criminal, IMHO.
It is beautiful. Far right folks are moving there and the housing market is priced out of reach for many young Montanans. It is worth grieving for. I dont feel like grieving over Florida because other than the water I didnt find anything beautiful there.
Well, I'm not sure how much longer FL will be around, given the climate change.
Thank you so very much for this, Fern.
This is one of the things that keeps me up at night and feeling hopeless.
Short version: That edication stuff'll turn yer kids pinko and rainbo.
FERN MCBRIDE (NYC) - "By Henry A. Giroux (TRUTHOUT)"
There is no real objection to this article but be aware of the source.
𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗚𝗠𝗢 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/truth-out/
Take note where your emphasis is Ron Boyd, I do. Your emphasis, to quote you, was not ,‘There is no real objection to this article..' I consider your reporting lacking in substantiation and fairness. What of the author, Ron Boyd -- is the writer not crucial in considering this piece? Did you examine his background?
'Dr. Henry A. Giroux, who teaches ARTSSCI 4CB3 / Education Inquiry, currently holds the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the Dept. of English and Cultural Studies. In 2002, he was named as one of the top fifty educational thinkers of the modern period in Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education: From Piaget to the Present as part of Routledge’s Key Guides Publication Series. In 2005, Dr. Giroux received an honorary doctorate from Memorial University. In 2015 he was honoured with a Doctorate of Humane Letters from the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University as well the Changing the World Award and the Paulo Freire Democratic Project Social Justice Award. In 2017, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of the University from the University of the West of Scotland, UK. In 2019, Dr. Giroux was named the winner of the Professional Freedom and Responsibility Award, given annually by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) to writers who exemplify the principles of free expression, inclusivity, and media accountability. He is on the editorial and advisory boards of numerous national and international scholarly journals, and he has served as the editor or co-editor of four scholarly book series. He co-edited a series on education and cultural studies with Paulo Freire for over a decade.' (McMaster University)
About TruthOut
TruthOut is a news media source with an AllSides Media Bias Rating™ of Lean Left.
'What a "Lean Left" Rating Means'
'Sources with an AllSides Media Bias Rating of Lean Left display media bias in ways that moderately align with liberal, progressive, or left-wing thought and/or policy agendas. A Lean Left bias is a moderately liberal rating on the political spectrum.'
Well done, well done. I grabbed an alligator and a cottonmouth by the tail once, but I never dared a tiger!
Thank you, Pat Cole, for your reporting -- with facts and observations in prose and poetry!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZifkxNkZUjc
Good luck, cowboy!
Thank you Fern. As always very articulate. And BTW I will take lean left any day to far right authoritarianism.
Thank you! This is a spot-on description of the chaos.
Laurie, I think it best to call it as it is, FACISM. That is the family that each of them belongs to: Ron DeSantis Fascist.
Hillsdale wasn't always that way...
DeSantis and Hillsdale are wedded in their political philosophy at this time. Here's a sense of them:
'The college’s influence has been seen in the state’s rejection of math textbooks over what DeSantis called “indoctrinating concepts,” the state’s push to renew the importance of civics education in public schools, and the rapid growth of Hillsdale’s network of affiliated public charter schools in Florida.'
'Hillsdale also has had sway over the Republican-led Legislature. In 2019, lawmakers approved a law that allowed the college and three other groups to help the state revise its civics standards. Three years later, those guidelines are part of a DeSantis-led civics initiative that has concerned several educators about an infusion of Christianity and conservative ideologies.'
'RELATED: Some teachers alarmed by Florida civics training approach on religion, slavery'
'At the Hillsdale seminar in February, DeSantis was met with cheers and applause and delivered a speech focused on policy issues that have made him a rising star to the political right.'
'DeSantis talked about how since becoming governor, he has banned so-called sanctuary cities, fought lockdown policies during the pandemic, rejected “corporate media” pressures and reshaped the Florida Supreme Court to what he referred to as “the most conservative Supreme Court of any state in the country.”
'The governor also highlighted his push to reform the state’s education system by continuing the two-decadeslong push by Republicans to expand school vouchers and charter schools. He also touted Hillsdale’s “flourishing” network of classical schools in Florida.'
“I mean how many places, other than Hillsdale, are actually standing for truth, excellence and to produce people who will be leaders?” DeSantis said, after arguing that “woke-ism” is embedded in academic institutions.'
'In April, the Department of Education made national headlines for its decision to reject dozens of math textbooks because they included references to critical race theory and other “prohibited topics” and “unsolicited strategies,” officials said at the time.'
'A Times/Herald review of nearly 6,000 pages of textbook examination showed only three of the 125 reviewers found objectionable content. Two of the three were affiliated with Hillsdale College. One was Jonah Apel, a sophomore student majoring in political science, and the other was Jordan Adams, a civics education specialist at the college.'
'RELATED: Florida rejected dozens of math textbooks. But only 3 reviewers found CRT violations.
Apel is listed as the secretary of the Hillsdale College Republicans, a group whose mission includes connecting students to the “political arena” and “changing the United States in accordance with truth, liberty and human flourishing.” Adams is tied to Hillsdale’s 1776 curriculum, a history- and civics-based education program that covers American history, government and civics to provide the “knowledge and understanding of American history and of the American republic as governed by the Constitution and morally grounded in the Declaration of Independence.”
'The curriculum was released by the college in July 2021 amid growing partisan battles in school districts over issues like critical race theory and The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project,” which re-centered the focus on the nation’s history on the year the first enslaved Africans arrived. Lessons dealing with critical race theory and “The 1619 Project” were banned in Florida’s public schools a month earlier, at the request of DeSantis.'
'Apel and Adams were invited by the state to review “prohibited topics,” though Florida Department of Education officials have not responded to questions inquiring why they specifically invited people to scour for contentious issues like critical race theory. The state paid “prohibited topic” reviewers $500 per review, $170 more than they paid others who reviewed books to ensure the books matched the rest of the state’s math standards, state records show.'
'The Florida Department of Education has not commented on why it hired a student and civics specialist from Hillsdale to review Florida’s math textbooks for “prohibited topics.”
'U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas delivers the commencement address to the 2016 Hillsdale College graduating class in the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center, in Hillsdale, Michigan. [ TODD MCINTURF | AP ]'
'Why Hillsdale?'
'Hillsdale’s approach to teaching history has drawn praise from DeSantis and former Florida Secretary of Education Richard Corcoran, as well as national conservative figures like former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos.'
'Arnn, the college’s president, was appointed by Trump to be the chairperson of the president’s Advisory 1776 Commission, which was formed to “advise the president about the core principles of the American founding and to protect those principles by promoting patriotic education,” according to Matthew Spalding, whom Trump appointed as the commission’s executive director. Spalding is the vice president for Washington operations and the dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale’s Washington, D.C., extension.' (TampaBay Times) See link below.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/07/01/conservative-hillsdale-college-is-helping-desantis-reshape-florida-education/
As others today have said, the REPUBLICAN'TS are no longer interested in actually governing. They want the Democrats to do it for them so them so the REPUBLICAN'TS can take credit. Since the start of the DJT era, they have and make no policy, they pass no bills, they have no platform, they elect incompetents that know nothing about government, governing, the law and like MTG , Bobert, and Santos are probably serving illegally.. Just like a former prez. And then they take credit for and use all the great things the democrats have accomplished.
Trivia addition: Lauren Bobert's district -- all of the town of Rifle Colorado -- has a population of 10,700 people. MTG's district, by contrast, has 777,400.
Some people call them the Obstructionist party.
They obstruct as a ploy, but they wannabee autocrats.
They’ve already crossed the line into autocracy, especially when you take a look at what’s been happening in Florida and Texas.
Include ID & MT
There's that, too.
Don't think I would call it the "best thing". However, I WOULD call it the most accurate thing (sadly).
I’m in shock! The WSJ is criticizing profiteering?!?
Only good news of the day
Former Labor Secretary, now UC Berkeley Prof. Robert Reich has been shouting this for MONTHS. He has felt like a Cassandra. It was so obvious, it’s almost silly, if it were not so tragic, that the WSJ finally gives a peep about the nefarious corporate shenanigans.
After this comes the Rapture. OR not. 😉😆
Haven’t they’ve been waiting for the rapture more than 2000 years? Oh well!
Who cares ? It's not even in the Bible as such. There are Christians who even say that the resurrection never happened. I used to be fairly religious, but I got over it, via my cousin's hypocrisy, ignorance & closedmindedness. AND her lack of anything resembling critical thinking.
The Rapture or the Rupture?
Murdoch does not want a default or a failing economy. He has too many fingers in the pie to see it go bad, and his businesses depend on ordinary people having enough money to pay for his products.
I know! I was taken aback (in a good way, of course!) when I read that. Generally speaking, the WSJ is leans right--particularly the editorial page--so this is an encouraging sign.
Yes, I was shocked that even the WSJ recognised the greed and corruption of large corporations.
Republicans act like they are not fully adult. None of them seem to have the imagination of the impact of their actions. That means that at least mentally they lack the prerequisite experiences for governing. The party should be ousted like Germany ousted the Nazi party. I hope my parallel is clear. Although the Nazis wanted to at least give the illusion of taking care of the population, but that is not even in the playbook of the Republican party. So, they have to brainwash poor people into voting for them by making them believe that someone telling they they are better for being White is more important than shelter, eating, having health care, and other parts of a good infrastructure. The wealthy want to hold onto their tax escapes and exploitation of people for profits. We need to save our country from the super wealthy, who need to be saved from themselves. Spoiled, super rich people running our country into the ground is not good for anyone. That is what a third world country is like. I think we can find plenty of despots in the Third World to compare them to.
From Healthline:
What are the signs of sociopathy?
There’s no standard list of sociopath signs, but the signs and symptoms of ASPD include a persistent pattern of disregard for others. For example:
ignoring social norms and laws, or breaking rules at school or work, overstepping social boundaries, stealing, stalking and harassing others, and destroying property
dishonesty and deceit, including using false identities and manipulating others for personal gain
difficulty controlling impulses and planning for the future, or acting without considering the consequences
aggressive or aggravated behavior, including frequent fights or physical conflict with others
disregard for personal safety, or the safety of others
difficulty managing responsibilities, including showing up at work, handling tasks, or paying rent and bills
little to no guilt or remorse, or a tendency to justify actions that negatively affect others
People with ASPD generally show little emotion or interest in the lives of others. They might:
come across as arrogant or superior, with firmly fixed opinions
use humor, intelligence, and charisma to manipulate
seem charming at first, until their self-interest becomes clear
People with ASPD generally find it challenging to maintain friendships, relationships, and other mutually fulfilling connections. This difficulty may stem from traits, like:
low empathy and emotional intelligence
difficulty learning from mistakes
lack of concern for the safety of others
a tendency to intimidate and threaten in order to maintain control
I found it very disturbing to hear psychologists discuss that the characteristics of personality disorders like sociopathy and psychopathy were commonly found in CEOs of corporations. Which leads me to believe that when that is the case, they would not recognize the behavior as being problematic in Trump, instead they would relate to it. In my abnormal psych classes we learned that those suffering from personality disorders did not feel pain as much, and were disconnected from feelings of fear also. We see that in Trump in many instances that he seems not to be capable of worrying about the consequences of his actions when left to his own devices. It is through careful handling that he shows any signs of caution or concern with being thwarted.
It's almost a requirement to be sociopathic to work on Wall Street, because you have to be able to separate the consequences of your behaviors and choices from those choices, as well as being a CEO of a corporation that emphasizes exploitation if you want to make a lot of money. After all capitalism = exploitation, especially unregulated capitalism. But, there are also sociopaths in the military since they have to decide to send people to their deaths. We can all have sociopathic tendencies, but a true sociopath acts without guilt or compassion toward those he/she hurts.
ASPD are too common in the corporate world. Is it nature or nurture that creates such people? https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/psychopath-sociopath-differences
It is never one or the other. There's always both, since genes are involved in all we do, and the environment shapes how the genes are expressed.
Republicans to a tee
Picture the people who voted for them.
Florida is FILLED with sociopaths and dictator wannabes. Our quotas are FULL. The mental illness, unearned self righteousness, and ignorance here are frightening to behold.
Alas, this describes my “representative” Lauren Bobo here in Colorado distrct 3. Adam Frisch, the Democratic opponent, lost by just 546 votes in the last election. Adam is running again, and if you have the means, you can support his campaign at:
https://adamforcolorado.com
Adam appeared several times on Brian Tyler Cohen's YouTube channel. Check it out! I think low voter turnout was a factor in his loss in Pueblo and other areas. My 'postmenopausal' group of 10 discussed last month about helping to get the word out in Pueblo. We're planning to contact his campaign and head south on I-25 from Centennial.
Super!
Exhibit #1: DJT. Exhibits # 2 to # 3,000,000: Every other Republican in office, all MAGAs and most other Republicans.
Been acting like Nazis for a while now, Rupert has made them virtuous hatemongers. They love it.
Great comment, Linda. What you said is also my opinion of them, EXACTLY!!!
Right on!
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.”
One answer is to treat oil companies as utilities, so they're guaranteed a specific level of revenue in exchange for controlled prices. That would mean dismantling the oil futures markets, which set the price you and I pay to power our homes and drive our cars. To dismantle the oil futures markets, we have to impose controls on the behavior of OPEC+ producers.
If we can just control the global oil and gas market like we can regional utilities, we'd be set. Investors in oil and gas stocks would still get high dividends and also not have to suffer the wild swings in their investment portfolio values as they have for the last couple of decades. The public would face predictable energy costs. Governments could depend on steady tax revenues. Oil & Gas CEOs would still get rich salaries, but not 500 times or more as the average salary in their companies.
(Note: Oil & Gas companies try to balance their investments in new energy sources (drilling) with expected revenue based on the market price of oil. When the market price drops, drilling drops, supply tightens, and prices go up. This has been normal for commodity markets. Commodity prices are set by a combination of cost of extraction and refining and transporting and of the cost of replacing what you're selling with future supply. Then you need to add a reasonable profit margin, which has hovered around 10% for decades.
Then you add the changes in prices that individual retailers impose. These retailers are often not controlled by the big companies because they are independent. Exxon, for instance, owned only 1% of its branded stations in 2008 and announced the were going to sell even those. Any Congressional action on price gouging would have to take on all this complexity. )
1. Did you read the WSJ article about the root causes of the current inflationary trend? Please discuss.
2. Treating the international oil corporations like public utilities is simply not going to happen, and is a big distraction from the real issue, which is, how to we cut the burning of fossil fuels by 90% in the next 20 years or so, if we want to maintain anything like a liveable planet? I am old and am astounded at the problems with rising sea levels and storm intensities the human race is dealing with now. Never thought I would live to see any of it. If I were young, I would be so much more angry, but I just don’t have the energy for it. You seem like a fairly thoughtful person., just caught up in the short term political drama. Whether or not the Kochs, Ulines, Spencers and whoever else seeking turning the US into some sort of autocracy succeed or not, where do you really expect to be in 30 years? Much of California, Arizona and Utah with revert to desert wasteland as the glaciers in the Rockies and Sierras dwindle away. Much of the Midwest will also revert to a poorer form of grassland than was there before big irrigation started pumping the groundwater reserves dry. Florida and Louisiana agricultural will shrivel as the rising sea-level turn the low lying agricultural land brackish and unproductive. As temperatures continue to rise, agricultural productivity in areas that can be farmed at all will decrease, since so many staple crops that feed the world will not thrive in higher temperatures. People , millions of people, are going to be fighting for fresh water and adequate calories. That is what you, and all of us should be thinking about. This is the complexity that matters, not how the Republican Congress plays fast and loose with morals, ethics and laws because they believe that winning at all costs is the only thing worth doing. Their children and grandchildren will curse their names.
Meredith, Thank you for your note and questions.
Regarding the WSJ article, yes I did read it. Two comments:. 1st, from the article. A UBS analyst suggested that this price increase - which accounts for about 10% of the observed inflation (therefore not the full reason for inflation!) is likely to fade, since the companies studied have to pull back from further price increases due to increased public scrutiny and also a stronger fear of customers finally deciding to find cheaper sources for similar goods. 2nd, this type of pricing behavior is not new. It's been in existence since at least the mid 1980s when I took MBA classes. The Marketing class discussed pricing power and how to maximize prices without pissing off one's customers too much. In the present time, stocks are recommended by investment newsletters to which I subscribe partially depending on how much they might increase prices on a captive audience. It's actually expected, since during a startup phase of a business, prices are artificially low to build market share. Bloomberg Financial rates stocks partially on how much of a "moat" they have around their business, which improves their pricing power. To summarize, this is not news, and some of this push to squeeze more out of customers might be to make up a bit for losses incurred during the pandemic. My opinion? It's incumbent on business to make business decisions that keep the businesses alive, make a reasonable profit (that varies for different industries), and to consider the wellbeing of their customers and not just their investors. I reach this opinion as a small-c conservative that believes that acting in the interests of all stakeholders will bring more sustainable profits, if not instant zillions.
Regarding your assertion of all the environmental catastrophes that will occur in 30 years, I agree that we are on the wrong path and that those warnings will come true. But not in 30 years. Yes we are having increases in climatic extremes that are devastating to lives, livelihoods, and the environment as we have become accustomed to it. However, nature really takes a little longer. Part of the hurdle to finding a middle road is that rational discussion has become impossible with over-panic on one side and stupid intransigence on the other. There is plenty of room for both climate progress, economic justice, and corporate profits in the middle.
I have opinions about all the issues you mention but I'll just cover the easiest one: Sea level rise is serious, but will take much longer than popular panic suggests. For instance, global sea level is rising at the pace of about 4 inches over 30 years (link: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level ). Since average elevation in Florida and Louisiana is about 100 feet, it will take about 300 years to flood those states. That's actually quite scary, but those states are not driving off a cliff just yet. (They ARE driving off a cliff politically, though.)
The above said, the time to find solutions to climate-change-caused problems is now. We have not built anything near an adequate "solution set" for climate challenges. I look askance at those who say we must switch now, since that's physically and economically just not possible. At best, a transition using current technical knowledge and current economics will take decades more. A lot of scientific progress and a lot of political progress still has to be made. Imposing change too quickly will cost millions of lives, mostly in poorer countries. (Recall the Arab Spring which was initially a reaction to rising food prices?) But change IS needed. The most immediate challenge is political, which is why I'm in this forum. It's what I have energy for, at my age.
Jerry, you are assuming a straight-line increase in sea level rise. In fact, we are seeing an escalation, partly fueled by self-perpetuating factors such as glacier melt, permafrost melt, sea temps, etc. I don’t think any serious climate scientists would project 300 years for drastic flooding. Frankly, we may already be near a tipping point, where climate change will continue even if all fossil fuels are out of the picture.
Marge, do you know what a tipping point looks like? Yes, one can see a slight increase in the rate of sea level rise, but will it keep accelerating? I agree it might, and yes the data are ominous - I'm not blind to the body of science developed since 2000, but 30 years? That's what I was reacting to. As a species, we don't have time to wait and study and pontificate, but rushing in a panic will cost more human lives than will steady, diligent, urgent incremental work.
My concern centers on the risks that poorly-informed policies create when implemented. Recall the Arab Spring? It started in Tunisia with a protest on the rising costs of wheat that made bread unaffordable to the poorest. Wheat prices rose as wheat crop land was converted to corn crops to satisfy the newly implemented ethanol mandate in the U.S. In other words, I'm all for investing in new technologies using grants and tax breaks and progressive regulatory limits on pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. I'm totally against picking winners and loses by fiat. I'm totally against singling out some industries as evil and others as good. The reality is much more nuanced.
Our knowledge of climatic effects of human activity has grown impressively, but our toolkit to address address and mitigate them is relatively limited. Still, we know what we could do as we learn more. Unfortunately, Reactionaries have resisted the scientific advances and as resistance has proved futile, they've started to vilify and suppress the messenger. Our current battle is on two fronts, technical and political, which is where the 30 doom predictions come from. But such arguments only serve to mobilize the already converted and alienate those that can't see past their established habits. It's counterproductive and thus, deadly.
I agree with the other commenter who notes you are not using a correct mathematical model for your estimates, so I won’t address that here. Thank you for you thoughtful reply. Regarding the Arab Spring, what caused the food shortages that destabilized so many governments in that area of the globe? Dig a little deeper. That’s all I am saying.
Tunisia's government was poor and couldn't afford to keep subsidizing bread, causing starvation. Why it was so inept and why its protests sparked similar protests against corrupt tegimes in the Arab world is a separate issue and certainly worthy of review. I was paying attention because I'm from that sector of the world.
Regarding sea level rise, just look at the projection by NASA in
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148494/anticipating-future-sea-levels
The worst case scenario is 5 meters rise by the end of the century (15 ft), while the average scenario is half that. The point is, we're not going off a climatic cliff in 30 years
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) made it clear to Jonathan Swan and Carl Hulse of The New York Times that all the Republicans care about is winning back the majority. “I really don't care what the tactics are,“ he said.
Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? (apparently none)
When did Cornyn EVER have a sense of decency?
Republicans have always believed that “the ends justify the means.”
Their collective moral / ethical compass was run over by THREE convoys of trucks then by a bunch of nitro - powered cars led by Dom Toretto from the Fast & Furious film franchise. & then a plane made an emergency landing on it.
“The tactics” seem to include wrecking the country and world economies so the Rs can pick up votes, with the side benefit that it will reduce supply support for the Ukrainians fighting Putin’s brutal invasion.
Spoken like the Vermont lawyer who shut down Sen. J McCarthy . . . was Joe an ancestor of Kevin?
"Have you no sense of decency, sir?"
I read comments here every day in spite of the resulting brain activity when I should be sleeping. When that happens, my mind can be best described as a corral of horses being released into open land, running, jumping, whirling and kicking for the joy of freedom.
This time my first reaction is to the FED's interest rate policy, which I coinsider to be mismanaging a previous mismanagement decision; that is, expensive money following free money for so long. It reminds me of trying to balance a hot-cold stream of water with two faucets. It may work with water, but are there only two choices with the FED? I do not know how the FED operates, how many are making the decisions, all I know is that Powell's name is on everything.
My other reaction today is to a comment on electing competent officials. Briefly, a professor of Abnormal Psych and I lunched occasionally, and once he said he never voted, because he couldn't trust the candidates' campaign promises to be carried out. He indicated that his aversion was a derivatave of his father's attitude, being the same. It occurred to me that the words and concepts the candidate used meant one thing, but my friend heard another thing/meaning. I jokingly called it "framing misalignment" and diagrammed a wall with a tall figure on one side speaking through a talll hole in the wall, and a short figure on the other listening through a hole much lower down. I still think of communication that way.
BUT, add in the emotions that words convey, and I might "hear" a very different message than you might. I then check a box on a ballot for a different reason than the next person who checks the same box. How can we possibly separate decisions fueled by emotion from those powered by a more rational process? I do not know how, but I can discern the difference in campaign promises.
My other simultaneous brain romp followed a questioning by Rep Katie Porter of a CEO (I think) on Medical insurance, https://fb.watch/kj6LrbjQu7/, how could a voter not side with Ms Porter? But many won't for "reasons" emotional. The main "reason" I hear is "I qualify but you don't, " a reasoning-free way of saying "I don't want to be in the same boat with you." Are we free and equal or not? An auto repair garage has a sign posted that reads "Good,Fast, or Cheap. Pick Two." How about "Liberté, egalité, fraternité" which the US founders adopted? My take- pick two, we can't functionally have all three.
A few other issues jumping around in the pasture-
Bank bailouts, cui bono? Fragilizing or not?
Debt ceiling impasse, was the 14th not clear enough?
Abortion- whose body is it anyway?
A local farmer aged 84- "The government is under God's control."
Me- that isn't what the Constitution reads, look it up, you carry a copy in your truck. (fact).
Farmer- well then it's WRONG!
This guy is a John Wayne standin, neck vessels throbbing, fists clenching, get the picture?
Enough for today.
God weeps
God does not care.
Ed! Much nicer paragraph structure :) Better for my AM brain.
Couldn't agree with you more about Powell. A name that will become synonymous with mismanagement. Interest rates remained way too low (free money for big banks!) for much too long. Two big results. Savers were nudged into the stock market - where many did not belong. Most don't have the risk capacity (tolerance is different) to weather a big downturn. And the Fed's free money supported zombie companies. And now as the reality of pay me later hits the fan....
And then Powell makes it worse by taking a sledge hammer to those who will suffer the most. The folks who pay 20 to 25% more for everything because they are ignorant and/or desperate enough to carry credit card debt. We're talking about a lot of naive and/or poor people. Let alone smashing the hopes of young home buyers and pummeling those with student debt.
I don't need to be an economist to see mind boggling mismanagement. As soon as the economy had begun to recover from the Great Recession (a decade ago!!!) interest rates should have been normalized. Aunt Millie and Uncle Fred should have been able to harvest 3 to 5% in a simple FDIC savings account. But noooo. Every time the stock market burped, the Fed stepped in to "save us". Us was the investor class. Not most Americans. Can you tell I have had a lot of coffee?
BTW, I choose three. But you are right. The first two are mandatory. We can embrace the third when the Federalist elite have been beaten back into submission. Vote Blue no matter who.
"Why a tumbling 2-year Treasury yield may signal Fed ‘policy mistake’ " headline--
I'm feeling like I may be crazy but I am in the right ballpark.
And thank you Bill for your editorial assistance!
I can understand (sorta) the Abnormal Psychology professor’s aversion to voting, but, unfortunately, THAT is precisely the problem we have in this country. 1.) We have a voting system that few people completely trust and 2.) No one, especially the Officeholders, want to fix it.
The traditional “basic questions” are the keys:
WHO should be allowed to vote? (Citizens 18 years and older. Only bones of contention: convicted criminals, especially felons and forms of registration/proof.)
WHERE?
HOW?
WHEN?
It shouldn’t be difficult, but when you don’t WANT to fix an open wound, it just festers.
derivative, stand-in
Ed, we’ve never had equality. There’s your “pick two.”
The parents of all the Republican congressmen should be investigated for the way they brought up their irresponsible children and their methods included in testing for attributes candidates need to have for competent governing. It's obvious the Republicans have absolutely no intension of leading anything but following corporate pirates instead.
The Republicans - they should be investigated to see if they're justified to hold office or even to walk among truly freedom - loving people, breathe the same air, drink the same water, etc. Our own rep. Marsha Blackburn comes across as an ignorant halfwitted dolt who might be inching towards dementia.
Daniel, is your rep. as bad as Marjorie Traitor Goon is from the state i live in, Georgia? I don't see how anyone could be as insane and incompetent as that Goon is. She is so ignorant she can't even spell simple words as when she called the Gestapo, the Gachpago. She acts like someone that failed to graduate from Kindergarten. There are quite a few in our House of Representatives that aren't justified to hold office on the fascist GQP side. Kevin McCarthy is one of them too.
At one press conference or public speaking engagement, Ms Blackburn actually sounded like she'd knocked back a couple of glasses of vodka. She isn't quite in MTG's class yet. She just sounds like an out - of - touch ignoramus, as opposed to MTG's bratty, contemptible behavior. But she makes us look moronic by association.
and truly macabre to look at!
I want to give this 2 big red hearts!
The quality of political candidates seems to be a problem in all democracies these days. Possibly few people of quality and goodwill want to do the job anymore - and given the power of the business lobbies - who are no longer lobbies, but masters - I can't blame them. If you're a non-extremist Republican, you're better off working as a lobbyist for Texaco than as an elected official. You get to call the shots. Meanwhile, a number of elderly Democrats of all quality and political hue hold on to their posts, making it harder for the younger generation to prove itself. Some, like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden, are still good at their jobs. Others, like Dianne Feinstein, are not and should definitely go. Bernie Sanders? He might want to pass the baton to a younger generation of Democratic Socialists that he has apparently been nurturing for years.
Bernie may still have the fire in his belly, but I doubt that he could handle a 2024 run with all the rigorous demands. Time to find a new heir or successor. Luke to his Obi - Wan, if you will.
I agree. Or Princess Leia ;-)
I'd even take The Mandalorian ( never seen it, but still..... ).
The writers are (rightly) on strike...nobody will be available!
Please, no monarchy.
He’s not even going to try and has already endorsed Biden.
How old is Bernie now? He seems healthy for his age, whatever it is..
81, and he's got the energy and mental sharpness of a man half his age....he responds to every message I post on his site with detailed, well-reasoned and sourced information, and yes! the fire is still very much there in his belly. It's why we love him, and will continue to elect him as long as he wants to run. And a lot of 'moderate' Repubs actually like him...
Bernie’s issue is he spent most of his political career being an irascible opponent to people he should have tried harder to work with, you know?
Daniel, I have for years called her Marsha Blackheart. She’s better spoken than Empty Greene, but that’s all.
Camilla - I've lived here since '08, but she never really entered my " radar " until fairly recently in my past. Just never noticed her. She's APPALLING !
As for MTG, I had a neighbor not unlike her in my original hometown, but all she did was send out emails defaming Obama until everyone blocked her ( she was on Yahoo ). The woman was 5 & 1 / 2 cans short of a 6 - pack & as unstable as a pit bull with roid rage.
I'm going to steal that description, Daniel. I know a few folks who fit it all too well.
The 1st one is FREE. No, actually, I'm sure that I recycled an old one......
For those of you who are interested here is the list of S&P 5000 companies whose stock prices are up more than 50% since the start of the bear market at the beginning of January 2022, their industries and the % gain in the stock price since then. (Sorry for the lack of formatting).
Occidental Petroleum Corp. Exploration & Production 106.71
First Solar Inc. Renewable Energy Equipment 99.531
Hess Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 87.087
Exxon Mobil Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 85.308
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. Food Products 83.616
Marathon Petroleum Corp. Integrated Oil & Gas 80.199
Arch Capt. Grp. Ltd. Property-Casualty Insurance 73.919
Fair Isaac & Co., Inc. Software 72.923
Steel Dynamics, Inc. Steel 69.779
Cardinal Health, Inc. Medical Supplies 68.712
Merck & Co., Inc. Pharmaceuticals 62.245
Eli Lilly & Co. Pharmaceuticals 60.563
Las Vegas Sands Corp. Gambling 59.186
Schlumberger Ltd. Oil Equipment & Services 56.107
Valero Energy Corp Exploration & Production 55.734
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. Biotechnology 55.006
Quanta Services, Inc. Heavy Construction 50.939
Robert Reich has been screaming about this for a long time. The Oligarchs in Russia are just imitators of those in the US. Or vice versa. Who cares.
The uber rich Federalists own this nation. It's feudal. They are the royalty. The politicians are their nobles. The serfs think that it's their lot in life to be peasants.
And now with the Chevron Case, regulations will be further stripped away. While the Federalists drink Fiji, the peasants will drink more tainted local water which will continue to dull their senses.
We are now in the latest version of a "Gilded Age". Private interests reign supreme over the public welfare. "Greed is good" is their motto.
As Tom Rush sang: "The problem with America is that the poor have too much money and the rich don't have enough." (/s)
Time for a revolution. Vote Blue no matter who.
Thank you for also mentioning Prof. Robert Reich and his sagacious observation that the Fed was intentionally looking the other way by not calling out the corporations’ price gouging shenanigans.
Thanks for sharing this.
Unfortunately, the robber barons are back.
Thank you for compiling this list.
None of the listees are a surprise...but they all make me want to snarl. I can't hit the "like" button when this makes me so furious...but, good information--thank you, again.
Actually, assuming it isn't another Orwellian naming, I'm pleased that among all those "robber baron" oil & steel companies that the investor class has recognized the value of a company like First Solar, Inc which appears, at least by its name, to be heading in the right direction regarding a free market response to global climate change and the actual needs of our country!
It's long overdue that we become freed of the "free market" - which is really just code for the dominance of the Oligarchs - who do NOTHING to solve the problems of the Earth. NOTHING. A smart nation would have nationalized energy production a long time ago. The fossil fuels in the ground belong to everyone - not just the heirs of JD Rockefeller - who stole them through complicated unwritten intimidation based contracts. He was a religious, pious piece of shit. He and his ilk set the stage for the world we live in now. A fake democracy.
Well, Bill, I'm not sure what you imagine will replace the "free market" from which we would be freed; a controlled economy? True, some will no doubt make out better when they invest in much needed companies like renewable, non-CO2 generating energy resources but we do in fact need those kinds of companies and do better as a country when they do better. I think we are not in a fake democracy although it is clearly a struggling democracy; struggling against relatively unfettered capitalism and prodigious misinformation. But results of the last 3 elections suggest that our democracy can and does still work, if barely.
The foundation of a democracy is voting by as many as can be legally registered. Have you and will you vote? Vote for more socially responsible than capitalist candidates?
You speak the truth and you say it well. My rage is fueled by a lot of coffee introduced to a well rested brain. You are right in the sense that we might actually be turning the tide in a very broad sense. But democracy is fake (or dying) in Florida and Texas. It's pretty healthy here in MA. So my generalizations are just that. Abbott and DeSantis are faking democracy. Our governor is the real deal. MA is far from perfect. But it feels safe here.
More power to any company that recognizes what the future of energy production must be. What if we required the big fossil fuel extractors to invest X amount of their capital investments in renewable sources? What if we regulated them the way California is regulating the auto industry? They could still make the uber rich richer - and help save the coral reefs!
As to voting. I have voted in every election since my first one. I helped McGovern take the only state he won :) And my latest project is to delve into how and what is taught in the way of "civics" in our local schools. I am also inquiring about how or if the high school will facilitate 18 year olds to register as voters. Young people hold the key to the survival of this democracy - which is looking more fragile every day.
I too feel relatively safe here in MA. We aren't exempt though. My family is in FL and I can't imagine being there. Civics disappearing from school curriculum has been my war cry for years. If you get something going I would love to be involved in this crusade. The high schools overseeing the registration of future voters is needed too. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment.
My wife's family is in Florida as well. We visit and we are careful who we talk to about what. It feels like another planet - or a terrible dystopian novel. They are surrounded by crazy people.
If I have anything to report on the schools front, I'll publish it on Bill's Focus.
Lots of smart women in power now in MA and it does feel good. Local loony mag=nuts are displaying bigger flags and chips on their shoulders though. Sad. Their presidential candidate is a wacko cheater liar hateful manbaby BULLY and they don't even care.
I'll Ssecond that check on civics in the schools; our local Democratic Town Committee has connected with interested HS students - there are a few. Local Republicans have seemingly gone underground; not the case in CT where my son's town has a surprisingly active GOP.
"A smart nation would have" nationalized healthcare. The healthcare system is broken, the education system is broken, as is just about every other system, and half the country seems okay with it being broken. How can we work on anything positive when the guns are blazing and nobody's safe?
Well said. I guess we just do the best we can to get out the Blue vote. And work on educating our kids on civics, human rights, etc.
We CAN'T give up now. Small donations count big. Civics and human rights education is essential but much more difficult with cultural hysteria loose in the land.
They are vampires sucking the vitality from American Markets to destroy the environment and support corrupt Government.
As I read some of these comments, some quite verbose, I’m wondering if our actions match our words?
Are we volunteering for the candidates we want to win? Are we walking the precincts? Are we manning the phone banks? Are we donating?
Adam Frisch lost to Boebert in Colorado by 546 votes. Should not have happened. He’s running again.
Good point Angelica. This Democracy thing will be lost without actual, effective action. I think many people have not fully accepted this because it feels so foreign for them to have to do more than comment, post, or retweet. Many people are still just considering getting up the nerve to do more, but not even sure what that looks like, or even if they have the courage because it may go against a spouse, family member, church friend, or neighbor. I believe the commenters on this newsletter, however, are generally out there in the capacities they feel are most effective. But in our families, neighborhoods, communities there are a lot of silent “standby-and-see-what-happens-because-it-really-won’t-effect-me-anyways” folk that are watching the clown car go by.
"alleging that Walker solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars from a billionaire industrialist who believed he was donating to Walker’s Senate campaign, only to have Walker take the money personally."
Republicans will be Republicans...
JL, reminds me of the money Bannon stole from donors to Dump’s “campaign fund”. Sickening.....
Dump Himself may be in legal trouble for election finance issues.
Let’s hope he is, JL! The more trouble he is in the happier I am...all of us are....
And the Build the Wall fund for which he was found guilty.
Gigi, thank you for the correction. I meant the wall scam. Such grifters!
Exactly! Do unto others, ha ha ha. What goes around comes around.
Thank you, Dr. Richardson. Every time I think the Republicans can't get any worse they do. Their motto, "win at all costs and screw the Country" is now so obvious that only a hermit, living on a deserted island in the middle of an ocean with no means of communication other than a note in a bottle could believe it. Yet the "mainstream lying media" reports every corrupt word issued. I never liked or trusted Mitch, but he is much more Un-American than I thought.
The more they get away with, the worse they get.
Party over people. They are devoid of sympathy OR empathy. Hell, it's a stretch for them just to try to act PASSABLY HUMAN.
Lizard people.
LOL
There are no sane or moderate Republicans left who are still in office. All I have to say is get everyone you know turning 18 to register to vote on their birthday and tell them their vote can make a big difference!!! All the major oil companies, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Kroger, Autozone, Hostess, Cargolux, Kraft-Heinz, Tyson Foods, General Mills, etc. are all showing record profits! Cal-Maine Foods, the company that controls 20% of the eggs in the US, saw its profits surge 718% last quarter!!! Conagra Foods had a 60% increase in profits Feb. 2923 vs. 12 months ending in 2022. If all this is not price-gouging, I don’t know what is!
That is shocking; Thanks for sharing. I always try to encourage people to register and to vote. As far as telling them their vote can make a big difference, I would feel like a liar. I vote just in case it makes a difference, but I don't really think it does anymore. I am afraid the billionaires are running our government. I try to stay hopeful and grasp at every straw the Democrats toss that appears to support the real economy of the middle and working classes.
My county, the most metropolitan in NC, with a majority of Democrats, only had a 45% voter turnout for the 2022 election. This is horrible, and may have cost Cheri Beasley (former Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court) the NC US Senate race. Instead, the despicable Ted Budd, ultra-conservative Republican, was elected. He is staunchly anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti LGBTQ, pro-Trump, supports Republican gerrymandering, and it was a big blow when he was elected.
Re: registering young voters, check out and support turnup.us, the goal of which "is to increase youth voter registration and turnout, and build the most active, educated, organized, and powerful network of young progressive activists across the Nation."
From their website page re: Outcomes: "TurnUp organized by far the largest youth-led youth voter registration and turnout operation in the 2020 Election, the 2022 midterms and the 2021 + 2022 Georgia Runoff Elections based on publicly available data.
"Since 2020, youth ages 18-29 have voted in record numbers and have been the deciding factor in the election results. In 2020, we experienced a 10+ point increase in youth turnout nationally. 2022 saw the second-highest youth midterm voter turnout in history with particularly high turnout in key battleground states. In both Georgia runoff elections, young people cast many more votes than the margin of victory."
Thank you! I’ll check them out.
Excellent point, Cheri. Yet I feel that both Senators Murkowski and Romney are the lonely exceptions as two sane and responsible Republicans
I have a question for clarification. If the default lasts less than a week and 500,000 lose employment, and a longer default leads to 8.5 million losing employment, what does "longer" mean? Longer than less than one week? Or longer like a month or so? Is the 8th day literally an 8 million job difference? Seems unlikely, but it's really vague here. Thanks again Heather for more terrifying news summarizing and explaining. LOL. Seems the only way for the extreme Right to extinguish Biden's economic success is to literally crash the economy. They don't care if the global economy suffers because it will make it easier for authoritarian regimes everywhere to flourish, after the dust settles. As I said. Terrifying.
It’s spitball estimates. No one really knows.
I wish I didn’t have to agree with you, Sarah.
I’m thinking master maneuverer McConnell is letting McCarthy hoist himself on his own petard.
From your lips to God’s ear.
Comments are sounding discouraged today. Just a reminder there’s nothing like a pro democracy action to help you feel better 😁
From Chop Wood, Carry Water:
“Y’all, the Democrats are running phonebanks into PA House District 163 almost every day in the leadup to the May 16th special election. The outcome of this race will determine which party controls the Pennsylvania House, so these calls are extra-important. Can you sign up for a shift? As I said above, it feels so good to help Democrats win!”
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-53-d41?r=2xpfg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email