All of this is great news, particularly on the eve of Thanksgiving. Now our challenge is that we communicate all good news to those around us. The Thanksgiving gatherings about to occur might be an excellent place for us to practice and hone our skills at spreading good news.
The LA Times today has the other half of this argument - let other Rs do the talking about why NOT tffg. I like your good news idea better, Marc, but this cheat sheet might work on other deluded relatives:
Mike Pence, vice president: On Jan. 6, 2021, “President Trump also demanded I choose between him and our Constitution. … Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
William Barr, second attorney general: “A very petty individual who will always put his interests ahead of the country’s.” He “shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.”
John F. Kelly, White House chief of staff, Homeland Security secretary and retired Marine general: “A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ … A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. … God help us.”
James N. Mattis, first Defense secretary, retired Marine general: “The first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people. … Instead, he tries to divide us.” He would order the military to “violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens. ”
Mark Esper, second Defense secretary: “He’s unfit for office. … His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.”
This is fantastic! Finally the MSM are getting on board. And I was really happy about Judge Luttig et al. forming a new organization to counter the Federalist Society.
This is all good, Alexandra, but I fear that the vast majority of the mind numbingly large number of Americans who voted for the then soon-to-be-Seditionist-Sociopath in 2020, IN SPITE of all the horrors he visited upon the fruited plain, couldn't care less about John Kelly's or Bob Barr's opinion. They want Trump uber alles, no matter what.
The only real question is will there be enough voters to turn out for Biden to counteract the Kool Aid drinkers.
Margaret Mead Quotes. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Daniel, it is good to remember that TFFG has NEVER won the popular vote, which unfortunately means that a few states will end up pivotal to the election because of the Electoral College. Hard to imagine him getting an increase in popular votes, especially with all his perpetual whining and spouting such word salad anti-democratic drivel. If he is the R candidate I would love to see some spectacularly ginormous losing numbers….humiliatingly low. However, sigh, we all know he would be spouting “stop the steal 2.0”….and in my dreams the country hollers back “Donnie, STOP the SQUEAL”. One can hope, yeah?
I would love to see those "ginormous losing numbers", Barbara. Of course you are right, about the Seditionist Sociopath being the "biggest loser" electorally. Unfortunately, our body politic is still afflicted by its toxic appendix, the Electoral College.
I am hoping along with you!
BTW, I'm hoping to soon get up towards the newest Cal Poly in our fine State, up in your neck of the woods in Humboldt.
Daniel, when I started school/employment at Humboldt in 1969 it was Humboldt State College, then Humboldt State Univ…now Cal Poly Humboldt. Locals who’ve lived through the iterations just call it “Humboldt”. Humboldt county is a great place to explore…small towns, bay, lagoons, rivers, forests & the sea—miles upon miles of seashore (watch your back for sneaker waves!). Basically Humboldt is as far north as you can get for college and still pay in-state fees & is one reason I chose it those many years ago…great memories of attending classes (10 yr no-degree program…lol…) and of working there on staff for 40 years!
Daniel, I just want to stick a reminder post-it note to you. Fake 45 caused over 1 million deaths because of his botched plan about Covid. That means most of those people will not be voting for him. They’re gone.
To be fair, a substantial COVID death toll was likely even if we had done everything right. But we Yanks outdid ourselves for a way oversized death toll compared to other nations. I have seen estimates that "only" several hundred thousand deaths have "GOP" fingerprints on them.
though it leaves many factors unaccounted for, just the difference in mortality rates between vaccinated counties and the unvaccinated ones leaves TFG’s fingerprints on thousands upon thousands of deaths. But MAGA seem to care less and seem quite happy to die for their gilded orange menace
I wonder if anyone else can make it to the end of this as I did with them yelling and talking over each other. ( confess, it was more like watching a train wreck.) I am absolutely baffled by any people of color supporting Trump, but if you watch this, you can see it isn't just Caucasians who are brainwashed.
I lasted to the end though it was HARD. However, I got an interesting piece of information from it, that being the amount of money given to HBC under Trump as compared to Biden. The host kept hammering the point that they have done tremendously better under Biden, but this guy just refused to listen.
D4N, I would love a printable side-by-side comparison list of accomplishments of TFFG’s admin & the Biden/Harris admin (the White House website has good info on this admin’s accomplishments, but alas is not in a printable format). Perhaps w/ sidebar notes showing who benefited from them (thinking tax cuts for the rich & corps, etc) & reference links. Heck, I’d carry a supply with me to pass out in hopes a few folks would actually read it & learn….as it is said “the more you know”….. Kinda Pollyanna-ish of me, but one can hope!
A link to a some suggestions from earlier in the week for approaching those family dinner table discussions with links to all of the White House responses to the Republican House appropriations bills.
As someone above suggested (and I emailed to the WH begging for them to forward to the Biden campaign) could you create a one page printable document that could be shared? (Or if this exists somewhere, please someone let us know!)
I had a conversation last week with my hairdresser who is conservative but dislikes "nasty" Trump only because of the way he name calls. She also said that Biden "has done nothing". I started rattling off many of them, all of which she hadn't heard of with the exception of the Infrastructure Act--and that she didn't know what it was doing!!
She is diabetic, so I did mention the Medicare cap on insulin price. (she isn't on insulin or Medicare, but that at least hit close to home.)
A table of his accomplishments would help us letter/postcard writers. Comparing his to Trump's record would help, too.
The supporters of TFG don’t care about facts. I think the real question is, Do you like living in a democracy? If so then Biden is the choice. Do you want to experience what living in a Facism country is like then vote TFG because he is telling us exactly what he will do. Democracy or Facism, that’s the bottom line question IMO.
All of these men want to have their cake and eat it too. They support the policies of the trump era. They are hoping to replace trump and put in someone more mainstream-likable to do the continued eroding of American Rights. They want the skunk out of the room-where-it-happens. It draws too much attention. All of these men had multiple - beyond multiple- chances to come clean about this demigod/golden calf. Yet they don’t do it. Pense, for example, could end this hullabaloo soooooooo quickly by simply telling the truth. All of them could. But not a single one will, in a court of law, reveal the whole truth. They are extending our national pain for their own gain.
Many people complain about the failures of MSN and the Biden administration to message properly and effectively. We can take it upon ourselves to do this in our own circles.
It’s also hard to message properly when their opponents are backed by billionaires who own the mainstream media that is helping stifle and counter their messaging. Don’t forget that most effective social media platforms are owned by billionaires who don’t want Biden to succeed. Lastly, it’s hard to motivate people to action who don’t know what is going on due to unintentional &/or willful ignorance, mis/disinformation, and who lack time because their employers help keep them too busy, too tired, and contribute towards making them feel powerless.
Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Have been but standing up is about all I can do now. Thank you. So many warriors on HCR, TCinLA, Hubbel, Dan Rather, and Greg Olear. And many more that I can't afford.
And this is another great summation of Team Biden accomplishments:
William Weir posted on Quora:
"In only 2–1/2 years, Biden has already set a record for the most jobs ever created in a single presidential term. We have the lowest peacetime unemployment since before the Great Depression, and workforce participation is rising for the first time since Clinton was President. His Rescue Plan launched the fastest economic recovery in history, and the “Biden Boom” led to record consumer spending, record corporate profits, rising home values, record low childhood poverty, the best GDP growth in forty years, and a banner year for the Dow. Despite deliberate sabotage by his predecessor, he brought an end to America’s longest war with a near-record low number of American casualties. He has already cut the record deficit he inherited by half, making record cuts his first two years, and is on track to become only the second President to reduce the deficit every year of his administration. He passed a historic investment in our infrastructure that was budget neutral and that is projected to create as many as 19 million new jobs. Domestic oil production is at a record high and is expected to increase again next year. He brought microchip manufacturing to the US, cut prescription drug prices for seniors, capped insulin prices, and signed a bill to protect our elections from future coup attempts. The biggest challenges in his Presidency so far have been global inflation exacerbated domestically in part by record economic growth on the heels of crippled supply lines due to his predecessor’s failure to address the pandemic and his ill-advised trade war. All of this occurred during the heavy drubbing by a Republican Party that actively tries to sabotage good government."
Thank you Alexandra. Both of the above summations will provide me with some useful information tomorrow around the Thanksgiving table. There is nothing like a few facts to back up the assertions of the progress that Biden has made in the past three years.
Thanks for the highlights of Biden's work. Please also refer to the White House website to add immigration actions to the list. (The link was way too long to post for some reason.)
Even hearing and knowing all that Biden has accomplished, too many truly don't care as long as their taxes are low, and will "Yes. But," themselves into a pretzel rather than vote D.
“Domestic oil production is at a record high and is expected to increase again next year.”
Might I suggest cutting this line if there even a scintilla of a chance that a person under the age of thirty who is concerned about climate change will be a recipient of this.
Marc, that is a stellar idea! Most families are "mixed" and these discussions come up at Thanksgiving. I don't envy people with deluded relatives (my own family is solidly Democratic) but I would be grateful to anyone who is willing to use the table as a good news forum.
You make an excellent point Alexandra about "us(ing) the table as a good news forum."
It's unfortunate the MSM feeds us sensationalism to bring in the viewers and the ad $$$$s. I'm definitely guilty of bringing up something awful TFFG, SCOTUS or any of the MAGANAZIs has said or done instead of talking up the Biden administration's many accomplishments.
Alexandra, my family too…such a relief isn’t it? I read with dismay the disappointment and heartache of others’ experiences….seems like it would be a real appetite killer ‘round the dinner table!
Tim, it’s sad that a Liberian politician has to provide an example for the peaceful transfer of power to the US because a substantial number of US citizens believe the lies of the former president.
Zhao made $23 billion in helping to finance terrorists and he is slapped on the wrist for only $200 million? Just like Fake 45 not getting a complete gag order handed to him, these men get away with murder.
Biden and his staff are constantly working to improve our lives but there are those who refuse to recognize what’s being done. Today I was listening to Katy Tur on MSNBC and she threw in a statement that Biden’z ratings were at “an all-time low”. I could’ve strangled her! Truly, what do people want from Joe? MSM is plain ole lousy. They can see he is an active player in the Hamas-Israel negotiations, just signed a proclamation regarding Women’s Health, stood with workers who belong to UAW for fair wages and benefits, continues to pass energy-saving tasks, etc and etc. and etc. It ticks me off when you’ve got people leaning on the fence as to who to vote for. If you don’t want a democracy but autocracy, then Fake 45 is your guy. If you want to retain democracy, go with Joe. That’s what Cassidy Hutchinson said last night. She’s 26 years old and has more intelligence than any Magat we know of.
MSM ignores the accomplishments of the Biden Administration but then treats as news the fact that his poll numbers are low. And that’s MSNBC, the liberal media. The right wing MAGA media is 24/7 in trash Biden mode.
Since Watergate, it seems the MSM is in business of taking down politicians, to report bad political news only. Reporting good news won’t boost ad revenue or get you a Pulitzer Prize.
We're rewatching "The Handmaid's Tale." Pardon my French, but it's a misogynist's wet dream. It's EXACTLY the society MAGANAZIs want. No abortions, rape is legal and actually mandated. No trials to bog down the justice system. Forced religious practices and beliefs.
Just look at some of the laws being proposed in TX & FL. This will happen if TFFG is elected King of the US.
I believe maintaining equal protection and responsibility is essential to rule of law. There may be extenuating circumstances in some matters of law, but being rich and powerful should not be one of them. If anything it offers less excuse.
Marlene, a time or two I’ve looked up how to contact TV “news” programs, specifically MSNBC & sent them my request/opinion about this….not that it had any effect, but at least I told them I wasn’t buying their schtick on this subject.
One must wonder what the rich are plotting to thwart anymore long overdue financial progress for the people.
Imagine our clout if we set aside the propaganda-inflamed, manufactured divisions and voted in historic numbers for candidates who support basic human rights and needs. What a beautiful thing it would be.
If we want people to ‘vote in historic numbers,” we will have to set out a clear vision of what we believe democracy can and will be. We cannot rely on the worn platitudes of the Democratic party if we want to motivate the students and youth. We will need to create a Democracy 2.0 with fresh revolutionary ideas that will be compelling. Although compelling, we cannot rely on anti Trump tropes alone. We must present an exciting vision.
Worn platitudes? such as? the unfurling of the flags of democracy described in the first half of this Letter is as fresh and revolutionary as anything I've seen since the days of FDR, that is to say, my whole lifetime. There isn't a single anti-Trump trope in that news story.
Hey, Marc Nevas, can we shift the "we" to whom you refer here?
Can we shift it to our schools, asking educators to center things much more on humanities, so the "compelling" and "exciting" you envisage might tie to the human stories and individual characters in our humanities?
The billionaires, as part of their packaging of all life, their turning people into units -- monetizable units -- have killed humanities in schools, partly because the rich have no feeling for people (certainly no respect for people), more so because the replacement for humanities, all that machinery of standardized testing, better serves the billionaires' needs for categorizing, abstracting, dividing.
Heather Cox Richardson celebrates some good sets of human news today, just before Thanksgiving, but the billionaires aren't going to relent. And won't the "we" to whom you refer be stronger if our teachers turn more to the decency and energy in our arts?
I used to be a teacher in lower and middle schools. Our teachers today are overworked, underpaid, and under supported. In Florida in particular, they are getting the worst of it. I stand by my assertion that It is “we the people” that must stand unitedly to bring about positive change. The teachers can do their part, but we must all stand together and not look to others to do our work for us.
Speaking of schools, if you want to be inspired,Civic Influencers are truly “turbocharging” young voters !💙
“ Civic Influencers is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers young people to make their voices heard—and their votes count. We operate hyper-locally in targeted districts and states to support a year-round civic movement that amplifies the power of Gen Z voters, especially those at community colleges, minority-serving institutions (MSIs), as well as trade, technical, and vocational schools.”
Thanks,Barbara. I attended a Zoom meeting last week featuring Maxim Thorne/Civic Influencers and it was so uplifting. We often don’t give these young voters enough credit !
Schools are a long-range important piece, but won't impact the upcoming election much if at all. We're already in a fierce fire-fight, and we need ammunition NOW! Isn't that the whole purpose behind the grass-roots movement we are a part of?
The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were both revolutionary documents in their time. We can certainly do as well, or even better in our time.
I keep talking about how MAGA Mike wants to ban contraceptives. I know of young people who abhor abortion but rely on contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. This is not just a female issue as the young men would be financially on the hook for about two decades.
You need to hit home with issues that will directly impact people. Medicare and SS are big for the seniors, but it seems that the young people I know find those too far in the future and doubt that SS will be there for them.
There's the trick Michael; gaining back the numbers with a sane, fact based, achievable agenda looking forward - attractive enough for dems and independents, then hopefully some r's.
It's good to know that some conservatives are reclaiming their values by pushing back against the extremist Federalist Society. I don't necessarily agree with them on many issues, but that they call for a return to using and protecting the Constitution is a big positive. Hopefully they can provide an off ramp for those conservatives who prefer a modicum of sanity in government.
"there have been “very few complaints” about the extra costs for bags." And if you believe that! Seriously how can anyone say that? Americans hate junk fees with the white hot passion of a thousand suns.
Who are we supposed to complain to? Here’s an idea. Force the airlines to fund an independent toll-free number for complaints, and watch them roll in. If they had their way, each call would cost at least $5, to start with...
In 1983, my fiancé at the time (now my wife) and I went to NYC to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a 5 day trip. We took 4 suitcases and a carry on each. No fees of course, for baggage. What a hassle dealing with all of that baggage.
When we got home, we vowed to never check bags again. I've broken that vow a couple of times with golf clubs, but never with clothes or shoes.
"Hate" may be too strong a word - Americans dislike junk fees with the intensity of 10,000 supernovae all burning in a space no larger than an average human pineal gland. :)
That quote in today’s letter seriously angered me. I used to have frequent flyer miles on at least three major airlines. Then their added fees and our age and health changed all that. American was the last to go with intentionally less leg room and baggage fees and then extra fee for aisle seat. For past eight to ten years we only fly Southwest. Getting my husband who requires wheel chair accommodations from airport entry to plane, Southwest gives us priority boarding, assists with putting carryons in overhead, allows two free pieces of luggage each (if needed.) We would not have been able to witness grandchildren’s graduations, weddings, and getting to see new great-grandchildren without all of that. Everyone I know has complained loudly about the airline junk fees, except the ones with unlimited funds.
Unless and until "We, the people" get Citizen's United overturned, corporate America and their ilk will rule our country. Thankfully, the UAW is strong enough to obtain concessions but we must keep focused on the outrageous profits of corporations who do not share their wealth. The only "Trickle Down" economics they realize is when a knife is held to their throats. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And...the greed for wealth knows absolutely no bounds.
Well said. The multi-billionaires have basically turned the right wing into private assets. There are essentially only two fundamental strategies that can reclaim our nation for the majority of its citizen/stakeholders:
1. Work to insure massive voter turnouts in 2024, especially in large swing states.
2. Weaponize a targeted boycott aimed at the financial interests of the oligarchs. That's all they care about.
It’s not just CU. Let’s set our sights on the holy grail; ending forever the twin concepts of corporate personhood and money as speech. Contact your congressional representative and request their cosponsorship of HJR-54.
Thank you Heather. I recently wrote about the gap between improving economic fundamentals and how the economy is being felt by many Americans.
It is clear to me that you can either aspire toward a meaningful democracy, or you can craft tax and economic policies that yield an extreme concentration of wealth, but not both. The American fork in the road was the Reagan administration, and Reagan intentionally placed America on the wrong path.
True. This is especially tragic in the rural southeast of our nation, where most towns had some type of manufacturing going on up until the 1980s. These small and medium sized shops have been mostly priced out of existence by globalization, tax policy changes, and the lack of any 'trickle' in trickle-down economics.
And the Democrats bent over to help him do it, from the get go.
When Ronnie sent over his trickle down tax cut bill to the House early on, instead of laughing in his face at the reduction in top marginal rates by over 50%, and trying to hammer out a more sane reduction via negotiation, and possessing and supermajority, caved and gave Reagan the keys to the budget kingdom.
After Ronnie won, most of the Dems were cowards, thinking if they forcefully stood up to his popular persona, it would bite them in the butt in the next election cycle.
Liberty and Bell should be renamed Mitch and Elaine, and move to Kentucky, where they could become grift ambassadors for the state where they have millions while all the other turkeys are slaughtered.....
Thank you Dr. Richardson for giving us this great information. Excellent news from UAW. I hope we will soon return to the regulated capitalism that worked so well until those supply side economists stepped in and destroyed the "American Dream" Under supply and demand all enjoyed a piece of the pie, and that pie only grew larger. Yes, the managers and executive got a larger slice but it wasn't half the pie, more like a little less than a quarter. Educated people figured that was fair. Adam Smith has once again proven correct, some Homo sapiens are greedier than others and need regulations to control that greed. The poor got a slice so thin during the past 40 years with 'trickle down' it's a wonder they survived at all.
I have come around to agreeing with the basic income concept that supplies sufficient income to cover nutrition, housing, food, education, entertainment and occupation for all able bodied adults, with higher incomes for the essential services, a strong, educated (though not necessarily college) middle class, and a reasonably (as opposed to obscene) wealthy class.
The high cost of food is part of the problem for poor, lower middle class and most of the elderly. It actually costs me more to feed myself and my two cats today, than it did to feed myself, 2 daughters, cats, dogs, goats, poultry rabbits and horses, in the 1970's and 80's as a percentage of my income. That's just wrong.
We need a code of ethics, preferably written by the electorate, rather than the elected, for all elected and appointed officers in every branch of government and at all levels of government. We elected these people or agreed to their appointed offices to govern us, write laws, regulations, and rules that we should all live by. We did not elect or agree to appoint so they could enrich themselves at our expense and to our detriment. We take seriously that oath of office they swear, even if they do not.
Off Topic: The Colorado Supreme Court has accepted review of the CO Trial Court's finding that TFG is a an Insurreçtionist for purposes of Amendment 14, Section 3's bar fron the Presidential 2024 ballot.
Early in my life Franklin Roosevelt played an extraordinary personal role in the surge, in the 1930s, of unionization in America. This was highlighted by the, at times, bloody unionization of the auto industry, with Ford employing vicious strike breakers in a futile effort to block this union surge.
Private sector unionization hit a peak in the 1950s/1960s and has subsequently plunged.
The recent auto industry union contracts, with President Biden the first American president ever to stand in a union picket line, are a catalyst in an essential upswing in private sector unionization.
I applaud President Biden for his modern-day repeat of FDR’s remarkable presidential support of unionization.
"President Biden has launched a campaign to push back on corporate profiteering, including cracking down on the practice of so-called junk fees—unexpected hidden costs for air travel, car rentals, credit cards, cable television, ticket sales, and so on. (The airline industry collected more than $6.7 billion last year in baggage fees, for example.)
But Tony Romm of the Washington Post explained on Sunday that corporate lobbyists are warring with the Biden administration to stop the crackdown."
It would seem that the real contest in 2024 will be whether Americans are governed by elected representatives or by corporate lobbyists and PACs whose sources are dark money interfering in our elections and our democracy.
To buy the American government requires both aggressive buyers and willing sellers. It is crucial to hold our elected and our own parties accountable for avoiding securing power by selling out the citizens. Prosecution is the only serious remedy for the serious affliction that is corruption.
There is a clear source for the current political burn out. A major battle against democracy was won by the right when the activist conservative majority of the Supreme Court STEPPED BEYOND the initial argument in Citizens United and overturned precedent. Their chain of logic, in the opinion penned by Anthony Kennedy, was that the Constitution protects freedom of SPEECH, not speakers, that the Constitution cannot suppress speech based on the identity of speakers, therefore it cannot suppress the speech of any association of speakers, so that corporations of any kind, including nonprofits like PACs are entitled to speech, and that in the "marketplace of ideas" it costs money to express speech, so there can be no limits on the money used to express speech because that in itself would be suppressing speech.
The majority also spoke about how the interjection of vast sums of money into the "marketplace of ideas" would NOT introduce corruption.
If Clarence Thomas had his way in his concurring opinion, all donors to associations of speakers should be able to remain anonymous.
Justice John Stevens wrote the 90 page dissent joined by Justices Breyer, Ginsburg and Sotomayor. It's going to be my reading for the week. Justice Stevens was adamant that the majority was legislating from the bench.
This is the seminal issue that has created the current crisis in our country. It takes on a whole new flavor with the news about Thomas' and Alito's hobnobbing with their conservative billionaire friends.
Georgia, first thanks for being such a ferret-it-out researcher—I very much appreciate your comments! Second, the link you post shows an “error, page not found”….thought you’d like a head’s up about that.
A second great American experiment, the rendering of bribery as legal, thus claiming to support a democracy while cementing oligarchy into power, seems unique among nations.
Good to hear that the UAW deal will help not only themselves but will help non union workers as well. I'm so glad the Biden Admin continues to work through the noise of right wing extremist. That's all they do is make noise for sound bites !
Bill, I’ve seen firsthand the actual “trickle across” effects of union workers in chemical plants/refineries here in the Houston area. First the union workers strike for, and get, better wages. Then the nonunion plants give their equivalent workers the same wage/benefits increases to dissuade them from becoming unionized. Lastly, the salaried workers get increases to keep up with the hourly wages. Unions benefitted them all.
Yes Mary. The same for RNs in hospital staff positions here in Northern California The California Nurses Association (part of Nation Nurses United) broke off from the management-dominated American Nurses Association in the 1990s to concentrate on elevating the pay and working conditions of bedside RNs and protecting patients from greedy corporate healthcare companies. It was messy, but so effective. (I am now rertired, but in my career I have been on strike through the exhausting negotiations of 3 contracts.) Now, hospitals in our state need to offer competitive wages (won by the CNA RNs through collective action and bargaining) in order to keep staff. Unfortuately, hospital admins are now employing "travel RNs" more extensively to try to combat the effects of CNA collective actions. So, the struggle continues...
You would think so, wouldn't you? However, hospital corporations play the long game. With travelers, there is no cost for benefits, retirement, etc. Also, the more travelers there are, the more difficult it is for the RN unions to organize staff. It serves their bottom line in the long run. During one strike action 15 years ago,, my $utter affiliated hospital paid scab RNs $1000.00 per shift, housed them at the Westin Hotel at no cost, and had free food for them on their shift and at the hotel, paid their travel expenses as well. They ended up settling for our original demands after 18 months and a total of 5 strikes (one to three day strikes, but we were always locked out fo a total of 5 days.) It was a very costly decision not to negotiate fairly with us, and they learned from it. Now, that hospital is staffed by an inordinate amount of travelers, making it very hard to organize. The corporate hospitals regard this as a cost of doing business, making it difficult for the unions to organize. The latest rounds of labor actions have mostly avoided strikes, although it still takes months upon months to settle a contract.
How many companies is this now that are forced to pay "massive" fines that are far less than the profit they made from the illegal act? We might as well pass a $100 fine for bank robbing.
I’d lean toward the amount of the profit plus 10%. Don’t want to just leave them just at square one, from before the crime. Make it hurt a bit to discourage future occurrences.
All of this is great news, particularly on the eve of Thanksgiving. Now our challenge is that we communicate all good news to those around us. The Thanksgiving gatherings about to occur might be an excellent place for us to practice and hone our skills at spreading good news.
The LA Times today has the other half of this argument - let other Rs do the talking about why NOT tffg. I like your good news idea better, Marc, but this cheat sheet might work on other deluded relatives:
Mike Pence, vice president: On Jan. 6, 2021, “President Trump also demanded I choose between him and our Constitution. … Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.”
William Barr, second attorney general: “A very petty individual who will always put his interests ahead of the country’s.” He “shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.”
John F. Kelly, White House chief of staff, Homeland Security secretary and retired Marine general: “A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat, or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ … A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. … God help us.”
James N. Mattis, first Defense secretary, retired Marine general: “The first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people. … Instead, he tries to divide us.” He would order the military to “violate the constitutional rights of their fellow citizens. ”
Mark Esper, second Defense secretary: “He’s unfit for office. … His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.”
More R quotes at https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-11-21/thanksgiving-donald-trump-anti-trump
This is fantastic! Finally the MSM are getting on board. And I was really happy about Judge Luttig et al. forming a new organization to counter the Federalist Society.
Yes, that’s something, isn’t it? The Federalist Society definitely needs a challenger!
This is all good, Alexandra, but I fear that the vast majority of the mind numbingly large number of Americans who voted for the then soon-to-be-Seditionist-Sociopath in 2020, IN SPITE of all the horrors he visited upon the fruited plain, couldn't care less about John Kelly's or Bob Barr's opinion. They want Trump uber alles, no matter what.
The only real question is will there be enough voters to turn out for Biden to counteract the Kool Aid drinkers.
Margaret Mead Quotes. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.
Very true, Marc, very true
Daniel, it is good to remember that TFFG has NEVER won the popular vote, which unfortunately means that a few states will end up pivotal to the election because of the Electoral College. Hard to imagine him getting an increase in popular votes, especially with all his perpetual whining and spouting such word salad anti-democratic drivel. If he is the R candidate I would love to see some spectacularly ginormous losing numbers….humiliatingly low. However, sigh, we all know he would be spouting “stop the steal 2.0”….and in my dreams the country hollers back “Donnie, STOP the SQUEAL”. One can hope, yeah?
I would love to see those "ginormous losing numbers", Barbara. Of course you are right, about the Seditionist Sociopath being the "biggest loser" electorally. Unfortunately, our body politic is still afflicted by its toxic appendix, the Electoral College.
I am hoping along with you!
BTW, I'm hoping to soon get up towards the newest Cal Poly in our fine State, up in your neck of the woods in Humboldt.
Daniel, when I started school/employment at Humboldt in 1969 it was Humboldt State College, then Humboldt State Univ…now Cal Poly Humboldt. Locals who’ve lived through the iterations just call it “Humboldt”. Humboldt county is a great place to explore…small towns, bay, lagoons, rivers, forests & the sea—miles upon miles of seashore (watch your back for sneaker waves!). Basically Humboldt is as far north as you can get for college and still pay in-state fees & is one reason I chose it those many years ago…great memories of attending classes (10 yr no-degree program…lol…) and of working there on staff for 40 years!
Daniel, I just want to stick a reminder post-it note to you. Fake 45 caused over 1 million deaths because of his botched plan about Covid. That means most of those people will not be voting for him. They’re gone.
To be fair, a substantial COVID death toll was likely even if we had done everything right. But we Yanks outdid ourselves for a way oversized death toll compared to other nations. I have seen estimates that "only" several hundred thousand deaths have "GOP" fingerprints on them.
That seems plenty to me
though it leaves many factors unaccounted for, just the difference in mortality rates between vaccinated counties and the unvaccinated ones leaves TFG’s fingerprints on thousands upon thousands of deaths. But MAGA seem to care less and seem quite happy to die for their gilded orange menace
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/03/03/the-changing-political-geography-of-covid-19-over-the-last-two-years/
Pretty difficult to actively track who might have lived if they had been vaccinated, worn a mask, or not gone to the malfeasant campaign rally.
Snooze and lose big time.
I agree! 👍
I wandered down the rabbit hole of YouTube yesterday and came across this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdHisbwFPQQ
I wonder if anyone else can make it to the end of this as I did with them yelling and talking over each other. ( confess, it was more like watching a train wreck.) I am absolutely baffled by any people of color supporting Trump, but if you watch this, you can see it isn't just Caucasians who are brainwashed.
I made it through about 5 minutes. As usual with Trump supporters there’s no there, there.
I lasted to the end though it was HARD. However, I got an interesting piece of information from it, that being the amount of money given to HBC under Trump as compared to Biden. The host kept hammering the point that they have done tremendously better under Biden, but this guy just refused to listen.
Gen. Milley's retirement speech was right on target.
More cheat sheets covering tffg's promises and deliveries, gop flops, etc. Well armed is necessary going forward.
There's just so many "GOP" crimes and cock-ups that you just lose track without a program.
D4N, I would love a printable side-by-side comparison list of accomplishments of TFFG’s admin & the Biden/Harris admin (the White House website has good info on this admin’s accomplishments, but alas is not in a printable format). Perhaps w/ sidebar notes showing who benefited from them (thinking tax cuts for the rich & corps, etc) & reference links. Heck, I’d carry a supply with me to pass out in hopes a few folks would actually read it & learn….as it is said “the more you know”….. Kinda Pollyanna-ish of me, but one can hope!
Barbara, THAT is a wonderful idea and I've thought the same! I think perhaps an email to the WH or Biden campaign would be a worthy effort for us all!
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
A link to a some suggestions from earlier in the week for approaching those family dinner table discussions with links to all of the White House responses to the Republican House appropriations bills.
https://georgiafisanick.substack.com/p/turkey-table-talk
Georgia, excellent website and suggestions!
As someone above suggested (and I emailed to the WH begging for them to forward to the Biden campaign) could you create a one page printable document that could be shared? (Or if this exists somewhere, please someone let us know!)
I had a conversation last week with my hairdresser who is conservative but dislikes "nasty" Trump only because of the way he name calls. She also said that Biden "has done nothing". I started rattling off many of them, all of which she hadn't heard of with the exception of the Infrastructure Act--and that she didn't know what it was doing!!
She is diabetic, so I did mention the Medicare cap on insulin price. (she isn't on insulin or Medicare, but that at least hit close to home.)
A table of his accomplishments would help us letter/postcard writers. Comparing his to Trump's record would help, too.
Thank you!
Why so late, guys??
The supporters of TFG don’t care about facts. I think the real question is, Do you like living in a democracy? If so then Biden is the choice. Do you want to experience what living in a Facism country is like then vote TFG because he is telling us exactly what he will do. Democracy or Facism, that’s the bottom line question IMO.
Love this!
All of these men want to have their cake and eat it too. They support the policies of the trump era. They are hoping to replace trump and put in someone more mainstream-likable to do the continued eroding of American Rights. They want the skunk out of the room-where-it-happens. It draws too much attention. All of these men had multiple - beyond multiple- chances to come clean about this demigod/golden calf. Yet they don’t do it. Pense, for example, could end this hullabaloo soooooooo quickly by simply telling the truth. All of them could. But not a single one will, in a court of law, reveal the whole truth. They are extending our national pain for their own gain.
Many people complain about the failures of MSN and the Biden administration to message properly and effectively. We can take it upon ourselves to do this in our own circles.
It’s also hard to message properly when their opponents are backed by billionaires who own the mainstream media that is helping stifle and counter their messaging. Don’t forget that most effective social media platforms are owned by billionaires who don’t want Biden to succeed. Lastly, it’s hard to motivate people to action who don’t know what is going on due to unintentional &/or willful ignorance, mis/disinformation, and who lack time because their employers help keep them too busy, too tired, and contribute towards making them feel powerless.
Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
And many seem to tune themselves out. Ostriches when we need owls.
You just said what I’ve been muttering for years. Thanks!
Hard in a sea of red, but standing up instead of bowing down works too
You are a warrior, Jeri, and I so admire you!
Have been but standing up is about all I can do now. Thank you. So many warriors on HCR, TCinLA, Hubbel, Dan Rather, and Greg Olear. And many more that I can't afford.
I think it was last week that JD Hinckley posted this excellent bullet point list here in this forum:
What Biden’s done:
CREATING MORE JOBS
14 million jobs added
STRONGER ECONOMY
Strongest economic recovery in the G7 since the pandemic
U.S. MANUFACTURING
Bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S.
CANCELING STUDENT DEBT
Canceled $127 billion in student loan debt for nearly 3.6 million Americans
IMPROVING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
Passed the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law
SUPPORTING VETERANS
PACT Act for veterans and their survivors
GUN SAFETY
Most significant gun safety law in decades
CLIMATE ACTION
Passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which takes historic climate action
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Executive orders protecting reproductive rights
STRENGTHENED GLOBAL ALLIANCES
Strengthened U.S. alliances and partnerships around the world
LOWERING COSTS
Lowered prescription drug and health care costs
And this is another great summation of Team Biden accomplishments:
William Weir posted on Quora:
"In only 2–1/2 years, Biden has already set a record for the most jobs ever created in a single presidential term. We have the lowest peacetime unemployment since before the Great Depression, and workforce participation is rising for the first time since Clinton was President. His Rescue Plan launched the fastest economic recovery in history, and the “Biden Boom” led to record consumer spending, record corporate profits, rising home values, record low childhood poverty, the best GDP growth in forty years, and a banner year for the Dow. Despite deliberate sabotage by his predecessor, he brought an end to America’s longest war with a near-record low number of American casualties. He has already cut the record deficit he inherited by half, making record cuts his first two years, and is on track to become only the second President to reduce the deficit every year of his administration. He passed a historic investment in our infrastructure that was budget neutral and that is projected to create as many as 19 million new jobs. Domestic oil production is at a record high and is expected to increase again next year. He brought microchip manufacturing to the US, cut prescription drug prices for seniors, capped insulin prices, and signed a bill to protect our elections from future coup attempts. The biggest challenges in his Presidency so far have been global inflation exacerbated domestically in part by record economic growth on the heels of crippled supply lines due to his predecessor’s failure to address the pandemic and his ill-advised trade war. All of this occurred during the heavy drubbing by a Republican Party that actively tries to sabotage good government."
Thanks Alexandra-
I just submitted this to Congressman Don Bacon suggesting he discuss it at his Thanksgiving dinner(s).
Hah! Good for you.
Thank you Alexandra. Both of the above summations will provide me with some useful information tomorrow around the Thanksgiving table. There is nothing like a few facts to back up the assertions of the progress that Biden has made in the past three years.
Thanks for the highlights of Biden's work. Please also refer to the White House website to add immigration actions to the list. (The link was way too long to post for some reason.)
Even hearing and knowing all that Biden has accomplished, too many truly don't care as long as their taxes are low, and will "Yes. But," themselves into a pretzel rather than vote D.
“Domestic oil production is at a record high and is expected to increase again next year.”
Might I suggest cutting this line if there even a scintilla of a chance that a person under the age of thirty who is concerned about climate change will be a recipient of this.
Marc, that is a stellar idea! Most families are "mixed" and these discussions come up at Thanksgiving. I don't envy people with deluded relatives (my own family is solidly Democratic) but I would be grateful to anyone who is willing to use the table as a good news forum.
You make an excellent point Alexandra about "us(ing) the table as a good news forum."
It's unfortunate the MSM feeds us sensationalism to bring in the viewers and the ad $$$$s. I'm definitely guilty of bringing up something awful TFFG, SCOTUS or any of the MAGANAZIs has said or done instead of talking up the Biden administration's many accomplishments.
Thanks for making that point.
Alexandra, my family too…such a relief isn’t it? I read with dismay the disappointment and heartache of others’ experiences….seems like it would be a real appetite killer ‘round the dinner table!
An example from Africa, if it helps
https://yadontknow.blogspot.com/2023/11/an-exemplary-president.html
Tim, it’s sad that a Liberian politician has to provide an example for the peaceful transfer of power to the US because a substantial number of US citizens believe the lies of the former president.
Wonderful
Zhao made $23 billion in helping to finance terrorists and he is slapped on the wrist for only $200 million? Just like Fake 45 not getting a complete gag order handed to him, these men get away with murder.
Biden and his staff are constantly working to improve our lives but there are those who refuse to recognize what’s being done. Today I was listening to Katy Tur on MSNBC and she threw in a statement that Biden’z ratings were at “an all-time low”. I could’ve strangled her! Truly, what do people want from Joe? MSM is plain ole lousy. They can see he is an active player in the Hamas-Israel negotiations, just signed a proclamation regarding Women’s Health, stood with workers who belong to UAW for fair wages and benefits, continues to pass energy-saving tasks, etc and etc. and etc. It ticks me off when you’ve got people leaning on the fence as to who to vote for. If you don’t want a democracy but autocracy, then Fake 45 is your guy. If you want to retain democracy, go with Joe. That’s what Cassidy Hutchinson said last night. She’s 26 years old and has more intelligence than any Magat we know of.
MSM ignores the accomplishments of the Biden Administration but then treats as news the fact that his poll numbers are low. And that’s MSNBC, the liberal media. The right wing MAGA media is 24/7 in trash Biden mode.
Since Watergate, it seems the MSM is in business of taking down politicians, to report bad political news only. Reporting good news won’t boost ad revenue or get you a Pulitzer Prize.
That’s why I read HCR first every day.
Amen to that! The facts are important, not ratings!
I know. They just WILL NOT stop bringing up those stupid ratings. It’s infuriating. What do they get out of saying that over and over?
I think their producers egg them on. They oughta fight back and not say that crap.
We're rewatching "The Handmaid's Tale." Pardon my French, but it's a misogynist's wet dream. It's EXACTLY the society MAGANAZIs want. No abortions, rape is legal and actually mandated. No trials to bog down the justice system. Forced religious practices and beliefs.
Just look at some of the laws being proposed in TX & FL. This will happen if TFFG is elected King of the US.
Makes me just ill!
"these men get away with murder. "
I believe maintaining equal protection and responsibility is essential to rule of law. There may be extenuating circumstances in some matters of law, but being rich and powerful should not be one of them. If anything it offers less excuse.
Marlene, a time or two I’ve looked up how to contact TV “news” programs, specifically MSNBC & sent them my request/opinion about this….not that it had any effect, but at least I told them I wasn’t buying their schtick on this subject.
Well, Barbara, you tried and that’s the avenue we have to take. We cannot NOT let them know that we are agreeing with everything they say.
One must wonder what the rich are plotting to thwart anymore long overdue financial progress for the people.
Imagine our clout if we set aside the propaganda-inflamed, manufactured divisions and voted in historic numbers for candidates who support basic human rights and needs. What a beautiful thing it would be.
If we want people to ‘vote in historic numbers,” we will have to set out a clear vision of what we believe democracy can and will be. We cannot rely on the worn platitudes of the Democratic party if we want to motivate the students and youth. We will need to create a Democracy 2.0 with fresh revolutionary ideas that will be compelling. Although compelling, we cannot rely on anti Trump tropes alone. We must present an exciting vision.
Worn platitudes? such as? the unfurling of the flags of democracy described in the first half of this Letter is as fresh and revolutionary as anything I've seen since the days of FDR, that is to say, my whole lifetime. There isn't a single anti-Trump trope in that news story.
Hey, Marc Nevas, can we shift the "we" to whom you refer here?
Can we shift it to our schools, asking educators to center things much more on humanities, so the "compelling" and "exciting" you envisage might tie to the human stories and individual characters in our humanities?
The billionaires, as part of their packaging of all life, their turning people into units -- monetizable units -- have killed humanities in schools, partly because the rich have no feeling for people (certainly no respect for people), more so because the replacement for humanities, all that machinery of standardized testing, better serves the billionaires' needs for categorizing, abstracting, dividing.
Heather Cox Richardson celebrates some good sets of human news today, just before Thanksgiving, but the billionaires aren't going to relent. And won't the "we" to whom you refer be stronger if our teachers turn more to the decency and energy in our arts?
I used to be a teacher in lower and middle schools. Our teachers today are overworked, underpaid, and under supported. In Florida in particular, they are getting the worst of it. I stand by my assertion that It is “we the people” that must stand unitedly to bring about positive change. The teachers can do their part, but we must all stand together and not look to others to do our work for us.
Speaking of schools, if you want to be inspired,Civic Influencers are truly “turbocharging” young voters !💙
“ Civic Influencers is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers young people to make their voices heard—and their votes count. We operate hyper-locally in targeted districts and states to support a year-round civic movement that amplifies the power of Gen Z voters, especially those at community colleges, minority-serving institutions (MSIs), as well as trade, technical, and vocational schools.”
https://civicinfluencers.org/
Thanks for the link Kathy, I’ve added their site to my iPad & signed on for their newsletter. Will pass this info along.
Thanks,Barbara. I attended a Zoom meeting last week featuring Maxim Thorne/Civic Influencers and it was so uplifting. We often don’t give these young voters enough credit !
Schools are a long-range important piece, but won't impact the upcoming election much if at all. We're already in a fierce fire-fight, and we need ammunition NOW! Isn't that the whole purpose behind the grass-roots movement we are a part of?
Marc, as a fellow Floridian, I like the way you think !
rrvolutionary ideas scare people. That's just too risky. The clear truth, spelled out in an understandable way is better
The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were both revolutionary documents in their time. We can certainly do as well, or even better in our time.
Absolutely right!
I keep talking about how MAGA Mike wants to ban contraceptives. I know of young people who abhor abortion but rely on contraceptives to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. This is not just a female issue as the young men would be financially on the hook for about two decades.
You need to hit home with issues that will directly impact people. Medicare and SS are big for the seniors, but it seems that the young people I know find those too far in the future and doubt that SS will be there for them.
There's the trick Michael; gaining back the numbers with a sane, fact based, achievable agenda looking forward - attractive enough for dems and independents, then hopefully some r's.
It's good to know that some conservatives are reclaiming their values by pushing back against the extremist Federalist Society. I don't necessarily agree with them on many issues, but that they call for a return to using and protecting the Constitution is a big positive. Hopefully they can provide an off ramp for those conservatives who prefer a modicum of sanity in government.
"there have been “very few complaints” about the extra costs for bags." And if you believe that! Seriously how can anyone say that? Americans hate junk fees with the white hot passion of a thousand suns.
Who are we supposed to complain to? Here’s an idea. Force the airlines to fund an independent toll-free number for complaints, and watch them roll in. If they had their way, each call would cost at least $5, to start with...
Only if you want to speak with an agent.
Unhinged ranting to a recording will be at no charge.
In 1983, my fiancé at the time (now my wife) and I went to NYC to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a 5 day trip. We took 4 suitcases and a carry on each. No fees of course, for baggage. What a hassle dealing with all of that baggage.
When we got home, we vowed to never check bags again. I've broken that vow a couple of times with golf clubs, but never with clothes or shoes.
I'm reminded of the great George Carlin routine where he talks about "stuff." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac
At about 2:30 he talks about traveling and "stuff".
I take one bag every time and I always check it. I hate lugging luggage through the airport.
"Hate" may be too strong a word - Americans dislike junk fees with the intensity of 10,000 supernovae all burning in a space no larger than an average human pineal gland. :)
That quote in today’s letter seriously angered me. I used to have frequent flyer miles on at least three major airlines. Then their added fees and our age and health changed all that. American was the last to go with intentionally less leg room and baggage fees and then extra fee for aisle seat. For past eight to ten years we only fly Southwest. Getting my husband who requires wheel chair accommodations from airport entry to plane, Southwest gives us priority boarding, assists with putting carryons in overhead, allows two free pieces of luggage each (if needed.) We would not have been able to witness grandchildren’s graduations, weddings, and getting to see new great-grandchildren without all of that. Everyone I know has complained loudly about the airline junk fees, except the ones with unlimited funds.
Unless and until "We, the people" get Citizen's United overturned, corporate America and their ilk will rule our country. Thankfully, the UAW is strong enough to obtain concessions but we must keep focused on the outrageous profits of corporations who do not share their wealth. The only "Trickle Down" economics they realize is when a knife is held to their throats. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And...the greed for wealth knows absolutely no bounds.
Well said. The multi-billionaires have basically turned the right wing into private assets. There are essentially only two fundamental strategies that can reclaim our nation for the majority of its citizen/stakeholders:
1. Work to insure massive voter turnouts in 2024, especially in large swing states.
2. Weaponize a targeted boycott aimed at the financial interests of the oligarchs. That's all they care about.
It’s not just CU. Let’s set our sights on the holy grail; ending forever the twin concepts of corporate personhood and money as speech. Contact your congressional representative and request their cosponsorship of HJR-54.
MoveToAmend.org
And after Zhao does 18 months at a country club prison, he’s free with more than $22.8 billion? Crime does pay.
“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” ― Warren Buffett
...What's the effect of the average Joe *or Jane, 'knowing' that's the truth ?
Tell it Warren, you and Bloomberg get together
Thank you Heather. I recently wrote about the gap between improving economic fundamentals and how the economy is being felt by many Americans.
It is clear to me that you can either aspire toward a meaningful democracy, or you can craft tax and economic policies that yield an extreme concentration of wealth, but not both. The American fork in the road was the Reagan administration, and Reagan intentionally placed America on the wrong path.
He sure did.
Or as St. Ronnie of Eureka would say, "Well George, there you go again!"
True. This is especially tragic in the rural southeast of our nation, where most towns had some type of manufacturing going on up until the 1980s. These small and medium sized shops have been mostly priced out of existence by globalization, tax policy changes, and the lack of any 'trickle' in trickle-down economics.
And the Democrats bent over to help him do it, from the get go.
When Ronnie sent over his trickle down tax cut bill to the House early on, instead of laughing in his face at the reduction in top marginal rates by over 50%, and trying to hammer out a more sane reduction via negotiation, and possessing and supermajority, caved and gave Reagan the keys to the budget kingdom.
After Ronnie won, most of the Dems were cowards, thinking if they forcefully stood up to his popular persona, it would bite them in the butt in the next election cycle.
Liberty and Bell should be renamed Mitch and Elaine, and move to Kentucky, where they could become grift ambassadors for the state where they have millions while all the other turkeys are slaughtered.....
Well put, and so true
Lol John ...
Thank you Dr. Richardson for giving us this great information. Excellent news from UAW. I hope we will soon return to the regulated capitalism that worked so well until those supply side economists stepped in and destroyed the "American Dream" Under supply and demand all enjoyed a piece of the pie, and that pie only grew larger. Yes, the managers and executive got a larger slice but it wasn't half the pie, more like a little less than a quarter. Educated people figured that was fair. Adam Smith has once again proven correct, some Homo sapiens are greedier than others and need regulations to control that greed. The poor got a slice so thin during the past 40 years with 'trickle down' it's a wonder they survived at all.
I have come around to agreeing with the basic income concept that supplies sufficient income to cover nutrition, housing, food, education, entertainment and occupation for all able bodied adults, with higher incomes for the essential services, a strong, educated (though not necessarily college) middle class, and a reasonably (as opposed to obscene) wealthy class.
The high cost of food is part of the problem for poor, lower middle class and most of the elderly. It actually costs me more to feed myself and my two cats today, than it did to feed myself, 2 daughters, cats, dogs, goats, poultry rabbits and horses, in the 1970's and 80's as a percentage of my income. That's just wrong.
We need a code of ethics, preferably written by the electorate, rather than the elected, for all elected and appointed officers in every branch of government and at all levels of government. We elected these people or agreed to their appointed offices to govern us, write laws, regulations, and rules that we should all live by. We did not elect or agree to appoint so they could enrich themselves at our expense and to our detriment. We take seriously that oath of office they swear, even if they do not.
Off Topic: The Colorado Supreme Court has accepted review of the CO Trial Court's finding that TFG is a an Insurreçtionist for purposes of Amendment 14, Section 3's bar fron the Presidential 2024 ballot.
All I want for Christmas is YES!
Early in my life Franklin Roosevelt played an extraordinary personal role in the surge, in the 1930s, of unionization in America. This was highlighted by the, at times, bloody unionization of the auto industry, with Ford employing vicious strike breakers in a futile effort to block this union surge.
Private sector unionization hit a peak in the 1950s/1960s and has subsequently plunged.
The recent auto industry union contracts, with President Biden the first American president ever to stand in a union picket line, are a catalyst in an essential upswing in private sector unionization.
I applaud President Biden for his modern-day repeat of FDR’s remarkable presidential support of unionization.
"President Biden has launched a campaign to push back on corporate profiteering, including cracking down on the practice of so-called junk fees—unexpected hidden costs for air travel, car rentals, credit cards, cable television, ticket sales, and so on. (The airline industry collected more than $6.7 billion last year in baggage fees, for example.)
But Tony Romm of the Washington Post explained on Sunday that corporate lobbyists are warring with the Biden administration to stop the crackdown."
It would seem that the real contest in 2024 will be whether Americans are governed by elected representatives or by corporate lobbyists and PACs whose sources are dark money interfering in our elections and our democracy.
To buy the American government requires both aggressive buyers and willing sellers. It is crucial to hold our elected and our own parties accountable for avoiding securing power by selling out the citizens. Prosecution is the only serious remedy for the serious affliction that is corruption.
There is a clear source for the current political burn out. A major battle against democracy was won by the right when the activist conservative majority of the Supreme Court STEPPED BEYOND the initial argument in Citizens United and overturned precedent. Their chain of logic, in the opinion penned by Anthony Kennedy, was that the Constitution protects freedom of SPEECH, not speakers, that the Constitution cannot suppress speech based on the identity of speakers, therefore it cannot suppress the speech of any association of speakers, so that corporations of any kind, including nonprofits like PACs are entitled to speech, and that in the "marketplace of ideas" it costs money to express speech, so there can be no limits on the money used to express speech because that in itself would be suppressing speech.
The majority also spoke about how the interjection of vast sums of money into the "marketplace of ideas" would NOT introduce corruption.
If Clarence Thomas had his way in his concurring opinion, all donors to associations of speakers should be able to remain anonymous.
Justice John Stevens wrote the 90 page dissent joined by Justices Breyer, Ginsburg and Sotomayor. It's going to be my reading for the week. Justice Stevens was adamant that the majority was legislating from the bench.
This is the seminal issue that has created the current crisis in our country. It takes on a whole new flavor with the news about Thomas' and Alito's hobnobbing with their conservative billionaire friends.
fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/cit…
Georgia, first thanks for being such a ferret-it-out researcher—I very much appreciate your comments! Second, the link you post shows an “error, page not found”….thought you’d like a head’s up about that.
A second great American experiment, the rendering of bribery as legal, thus claiming to support a democracy while cementing oligarchy into power, seems unique among nations.
I think the link you sought to give us will open at https://www.fec.gov/resources/legal-resources/litigation/cu_sc08_opinion.pdf and the dissenting opinion begins on page 88 of that PDF.
https://www.fec.gov/legal-resources/court-cases/citizens-united-v-fec/
is the summary. Thanks for the catch folks!!! Much appreciated.
Thanks for taking the lead! Also much appreciated.
It wasn't an Ancient Chinese Curse, but "May you live in "*interesting* times" is still a curse. It's our lot to survive thee times and prevail.
Good to hear that the UAW deal will help not only themselves but will help non union workers as well. I'm so glad the Biden Admin continues to work through the noise of right wing extremist. That's all they do is make noise for sound bites !
Bill, I’ve seen firsthand the actual “trickle across” effects of union workers in chemical plants/refineries here in the Houston area. First the union workers strike for, and get, better wages. Then the nonunion plants give their equivalent workers the same wage/benefits increases to dissuade them from becoming unionized. Lastly, the salaried workers get increases to keep up with the hourly wages. Unions benefitted them all.
In teaching in public schools also.
Yes Mary. The same for RNs in hospital staff positions here in Northern California The California Nurses Association (part of Nation Nurses United) broke off from the management-dominated American Nurses Association in the 1990s to concentrate on elevating the pay and working conditions of bedside RNs and protecting patients from greedy corporate healthcare companies. It was messy, but so effective. (I am now rertired, but in my career I have been on strike through the exhausting negotiations of 3 contracts.) Now, hospitals in our state need to offer competitive wages (won by the CNA RNs through collective action and bargaining) in order to keep staff. Unfortuately, hospital admins are now employing "travel RNs" more extensively to try to combat the effects of CNA collective actions. So, the struggle continues...
Sharon, knowing how much the “travel RN’s” cost per hour (more than 150% of staff RN’s), it’s hard to believe that the hospitals can do this for long.
You would think so, wouldn't you? However, hospital corporations play the long game. With travelers, there is no cost for benefits, retirement, etc. Also, the more travelers there are, the more difficult it is for the RN unions to organize staff. It serves their bottom line in the long run. During one strike action 15 years ago,, my $utter affiliated hospital paid scab RNs $1000.00 per shift, housed them at the Westin Hotel at no cost, and had free food for them on their shift and at the hotel, paid their travel expenses as well. They ended up settling for our original demands after 18 months and a total of 5 strikes (one to three day strikes, but we were always locked out fo a total of 5 days.) It was a very costly decision not to negotiate fairly with us, and they learned from it. Now, that hospital is staffed by an inordinate amount of travelers, making it very hard to organize. The corporate hospitals regard this as a cost of doing business, making it difficult for the unions to organize. The latest rounds of labor actions have mostly avoided strikes, although it still takes months upon months to settle a contract.
How many companies is this now that are forced to pay "massive" fines that are far less than the profit they made from the illegal act? We might as well pass a $100 fine for bank robbing.
How about make the fine equal to the profit, assuming they are found, after due process, to be responsible. Now that might be a deterrent!
I’d lean toward the amount of the profit plus 10%. Don’t want to just leave them just at square one, from before the crime. Make it hurt a bit to discourage future occurrences.
Faux News comes to mind.