More than 1.5 million Florida residents are without power as Hurricane Ian is pounding the southwestern coast and moving inland. The hurricane was close to a Category 5 storm when it made landfall about 3 this afternoon, with the predicted 12-foot storm surge materializing near Fort Myers. It has been slowing since it hit land, but the damage, including to this year’s orange crop, is already considerable.
If I could ask DeSantis one question: When has a Democratic president or Congress balked at providing swift and extensive aid in a natural disaster in a Republican-dominated state?
Both Florida Senators are climate change deniers. I went to view videos of Ft. Meyers where I have family hunkered down in the storm but could not watch until Rubio's campaign ad played. I hope voters in Florida hold these clowns accountable.
Watching Rubio deny climate change, my thinking for some years has been that if he wanted to continue as a senator from Florida, he would be losing territory every year! Will Ian make a believer of him?
Ted Cruz did not change his tone after Harvey. I know I was there. He just put on his “I am helping my friends and neighbors mask.” But the thing is this-this ilk, all of them, are so disingenuous that they can do that. They can morph whichever way the wind blows. I now live in NM and our gov (Michelle Lujan Grisham) is in an election fight against a TV weatherman, Mark Ronchetti. He is a Trumper. She has a great ad on right now. The hook line at the end of the ad is “Mark Ronchetti doesn’t know what New Mexicans need, he only knows which way the wind blows.”
Me too. My brother lives in Orlando and he and his wife headed north on a road trip before the storm hit. He thought there would be heavy traffic getting out of town, but instead, he reported heavy traffic coming southward to help. Thank god for Joe Biden and to hell with the Republicans. They are definitely the losers on this one.
'Trump is offering to 'head up' a group to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine'
TC this is not from Borowitiz - not from anyone's head but DJT's. How do you like this as a snapshot of America? Okay, it's a snapshot of that man. Mark Twain have you seen this?
Henry Ford was an anti-Semite Nazi sympathizer who unilaterally took it upon himself to sail across the Atlantic to broker peace with Hitler. Hilter wanted nothing to do with him or peace. I don’t believe they ever actually met. I sense the same situation applies here. Neither side has asked him.
Just to clarify: this is the judge we can be thankful for:
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who presided over Roger Stone’s trial for lying to lawmakers about his ties to Russia during the 2016 election, called out “high-ranking members of Congress and state officials” for being “so afraid of losing their power” that they won’t contradict Trump when he lies that he won the 2020 election. She warned that the courts must hold the line against the lies and the violence Republican lawmakers are encouraging.
I am horrified that Putin is holding fake referendums with soldiers forcing Ukrainian citizens at gunpoint to vote to join Russia, and forcing Russian citizens to fight in the war with Ukraine. Will he then conscript Ukrainians to fight for Russia against Ukraine? The man is evil incarnate.
“Today the New York Times published a series of telephone calls from Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The men were poorly equipped, badly commanded, completely disillusioned, and utterly disgusted with Russian president Vladimir Putin, while their people back home complained that the economy was collapsing and the gains of the past 30 years were being swept away.”
Things appear to be crumbling around Putin. He can’t keep up with his destructive and illegal war without losing a grip on his power.
On NPR yesterday Russian KGB expert and publisher Yevgenia Albats, who had to flee Russia said "...Albats thinks President Vladimir Putin will be toppled in some kind of palace coup"...
...lets hope that is what it comes to, and not nukes.
It appears that he is so distrustful of those around him that he has limited his direct contacts to a few people- one including the general "running" the war on Ukraine. He listens only to them, so is quite isolated, both phyically and intellectually. The moral part went a long time ago, if it ever existed. I have read that a large number of Kremlin officials signed a letter asking Putin to step down. Also that a large number of heads of municipalities have together pretty much said the same thing (municipality has a different meaning in Russia than it would here, and I'm not sure just how it is being used now). Putin's paranoia about those around him easily outstrips Trump's. A "Palace Coup" would be the best way to remove Putin from power, but he seems to sense that and has isolated himself. it's going to be an interesting ride.
After the amoral trump realized that he owned nearly all gop elected to either branch of Congress, he brought in yes men to his inner circle just like his master Putin,is now doing!
Perhaps superficially. But Putin is not in a bunker. He still has power, and he has people still willing to carry out his orders. Russians are suffering the impacts of both the war and the economic sanctions, but they are not experiencing the military actions directly. Yet. So the circumstances are quite different. A closer analogy might be the failed attempt on Hitler's life by some of his officers earlier in WW2. Even that is not an exact analogy to Putin's situation right now (unless there is something going on in the Kremlin that nobody can see). A likeness that Putin might share with Hitler is that he is also so focused on certain short-term outcomes that he cannot see the longer term consequences to his nation, until they are beyond the point of backing away.
Makes one hope that there are indeed people close enough to Putin to head him off, without triggering more violence. When I was in Russia at the time of glasnost, one thing that I heard over and over again from Russians was their shock at realizing that they had been systematically lied to about their economic and social status. Under glasnost, they finally had access to outside news sources. At some point, in some way, this will happen again.
Yes, he plans to start conscripting Ukrainians in those oblasts as of next Monday, after the Duma formally "acccepts" the vote to be part of Russia on Friday.
Nobody knows who would do that or who would take over. Their system has no power-change function. In the USSR, the Politburo could do it (and did with Krushchev and Andropov), but that doesn't exist there now,.
Desantis only wants to be president. I am in the hard-hit area of sw Florida-in North Port-just north of Fort Myers and port Charlotte. We have been hit like never-before, so I ask your prayers as we wake today to assess where we are.
Desantis is a terrible governor whose education policy is designed, as assessed by educators, to raise a next generation of ignorant racists by denying history, limiting teachers in what they are allowed to teach, banning books, persecuting trans-gender and lgbtq children, and more. His ridiculous mask-shaming of children at a news conference (without knowing the chijsrens’ own health status or that of their families’) and lack of adequate and truthful Covid information caused the needless deaths of countless of our citizens. His limitation of voting access and calls for a private police force to monitor voting sites is a fascist move designed to intimidate. His treatment of immigrants, as we have all recently witnessed, is that they are less-than -all while he touts a “pro-life” moniker. He is simply pro-self.
He will claim all moves forward in the days ahead as his own. He will claim all electricity restored as his own. He will claim all clean ups generated as his own. He has no conscience and no thought other than self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. If you were horrified by Trump, you ain’t seen nothing yet-he’s trump 2.0-smarter, more calculating, and INTENTIONALLY cruel. He will use this hurricane disaster to further his own political aspirations. It will be the Ron show -please see this and name it.
Please hear me-Desantis cannot be elected President. He cannot. He will destroy our democracy for his own fascist agenda with himself as complete authoritarian. Please help me spread the truth about Governor Ron Desantis among folks in other states so that he might be seen for who and what he actually is. And please, pray for the people of my state as we seek to figure out next steps.
I wish Desantis were our only problem.....so many have allowed themselves to become brainwashed which means they think they have a hold on the real truth and everyone else is the enemy.
I am still in shock that Donald Trump was even offered the opportunity to serve our country - in ANY capacity! He has always been known for his immorality and extravagance....he is an empty human being....other than being filled with himself. How are people so captivated!!!!
We must continue showing off what President Biden and the Democratic party (and 2 brave Republicans) have done and are doing to build up America and to provide opportunities for everyone.
As President Biden offen says, There is nothing we cannot do for the good of our nation when we work together...we are the United States of America!
As bad as things were with the hurricane, the damage Desantis does to the people of our state, and the damage he WILL do if elected President are beyond catastrophic to our Constitution, our rule of law, our freedom for voting and democratic rule, and the America we are meant to be.
Sorry for all you and your fellow Lee county neighbors are going through. My town (in NE Ohio) has dispatched several crews from the electric company to help restore power. I suspect much of the help Florida receives will be from communities like mine from all over the country. Americans take care of Americans because that's who we are.
The opposite of that is DeSantis. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and DeSantis has set out to out Trump Trump. His Martha's Vineyard stunt put him at the head of the class. Ironically, it backfired as the MV residents again proved how kind and compassionate Americans are. At least, most Americans.
"As a newly elected congress member in 2013, now-governor of Florida Ron DeSantis was one of the 67 House Republicans who voted against a $9.7 billion federal flood insurance assistance package for the victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Now, with Florida on the ropes, DeSantis asked President Joe Biden for an emergency declaration to free up federal money and federal help even before the storm hit, and said Tuesday, “We all need to work together, regardless of party lines.”"
Today, on live coverage of Hurricane Ian from Agenda Free on YouTube, There was a clip of DeSantis saying federal support could help, but still would not be as good as a private insurance policy ... pitching for the Home Team ....
DeSantis' comment is particularly galling because 1-most private insurance has left Florida 2-the only flood insurance is provided by the federal government 3-when it came time for rates on federal flood insurance to rise to reflect reality instead of government subsidy Scott and Rubio cried 'foul' 4-the majority of windstorm insurance in Florida is provided by the state via 'Citizens Insurance' which is essentially bankrupt but for the state and is still haggling over paying for loses in Irma, it is a litigation disaster with huge caseloads pending. So DeSantis talking about private insurance is a joke.
My roof, windows and siding were badly damaged by a wind/hail storm in 2020. I started the insurance claim in April 2021. Between the time I filed the claim and when the insurance agent came to inspect the damage, the house was hit by an EF0 tornado - ie 60-70 mph winds. More damage occured, of course. But my insurance company, trying to deal with hurricane damage all over the South, delayed, then denied my claim. I had to threaten a “call for appraisal” which requires insurance companies to abide by an independent consultant’s assessment of the damage. Within 24 hours, the assessment changed from $1200 to $93,000+ in terms damage to my house. Grrrrrr.
Can you imagine how often this will be repeated throughout Florida in the next few months? How many Floridians will receive 1-5% of the actual cost to repair or replace damaged homes, boats, and equipment? And how many of them will not be aware of the process to protest incorrect or downright predatory assessments? The transfer of wealth continues apace with climate deniers at the top of the food chain in places like Florida!
And sadly, I’m still waiting for my new windows and door - supply chain issues with aluminum for the windows and deck door in this case. And more damage has occurred because of yet another tornado in my little corner of heaven. God help Floridians. Biden might need to invoke the war powers manufacturing act to somehow support the manufacture of housing materials.
Vote for Democrats. Help get out the vote. Give to credible candidates. Support relief organizations. Rinse. Repeat.
YES! That is EXACTLY the game played here in Florida not just by insurance companies who insure other things home related besides windstorm, but also by state run Citizens. My favorite insurance defense was back in Hurricane Wilma by State (SHIT) Farm. They claimed 'we insure against wind not water. It was the wind driven rain in the hurricane that ripped off your roof, so it is not covered. Plus, your roof was 10 years old, average life of roof is 13 years so we would only be liable for 3 years of roofing which is about the same as your deductible. Claim denied!' Ahhhh, ever seen a dry hurricane?! In the industry they call these language tricks 'having your lawyers write you out of coverage'. Of course, many of us have roofs that last for several decades. Insurance companies make their money by denying claims. It makes more sense to set aside your 'annual premium' in a separate account (say $4-5,000). After 10 years you saved enough to replace the roof.
I dearly hope that this assures election of Charlie Crist, but suspect that in the aftermath of Ian Republicans will pull every possible dirty trick to mess up the vote - if one is held in the devastation.
Why would any private insurance company want to provide coverage in "Hurricane Alley"?
Why should the rest of us subsidize insurance coverage for anyone anywhere who refuses to leave dangerous territory - coastal areas, rivers with a history of flooding, forests prone to burning?
Reality seems to elude the population and I am tired of the denial. Time for strategic withdrawals, me thinks.
You make some valid points. But it's a false sweeping generalization to assume that only the wealthy will impacted by these disasters. Au contaire, the poor and middle class will suffer the most.
Professor Richardson speaks truth with a historical perspective. I think the term "prejudice" has been pretty well captured by Repubican Magats. There is only one legitimate political party now. The GOP has gone to Q. Zero credibility. It is a sad avoidable tragedy.
Best I could tell, MSNBC and CNN provided almost no pulpit time to DeSantis on their hurricane Ian coverage… thereby depriving disease 🦠 of the opportunity to score hero points on national TV media. Could it be that MSNBC and CNN have finally recognized the mistakes they made in providing all that time to Trump during Trump’s presidential campaign? Could it be that they recognize that DeSantis is a fascist and a threat to our national security? I certainly hope that this is the case, and I loved not seeing them handing out all that free air time to that SOB.
Yes, but during weather disasters those affected go to local news meteorologists whose forecasting tools can pinpoint to minutes where something like a severe storm or tornado is occurring. Because DeSantis gave regular updates on mandatory evacuations and other safety plans people in Florida were watching. They are the ones who will re-elect him to the Governorship. This catastrophe and any others he deals with as Governor are all part of the presidential campaign platform he is building.
He’s an utterly dishonest lying fool. And where, Governor DeSantis, would you get such a policy for the entire state of Florida and what would it cost you if you could? Because you will request the assistance before the storm even hits and demand it be at 100% reimbursement rate, but not admit that you need government. Are you that ignorant or that dishonest, and which is worse?
You can’t. I read on Twitter today that 6 insurance companies have pulled out of FL. Companies who are sticking around are charging astronomical rates. The same here in California, if you live near fire zones.
grrr... DeSantis sets my teeth on edge. He seems to be attempting to outlie and doublespeak more than Trump... I don't think he will succeed, but try he will.
As H.L. Mencken observed 98 years ago and has yet to be shown mistaken since, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
Thank you. I have known the sense, but not the exact wording of that quote for years. It gets more and more true as the public education system shrinks.
It's because "illiberal democracy”, which really should be rebranded "illiterate democracy" has set in here. The media, both left and right, should be blamed for this glaring stupidity. Both pocket more bucks when they generate more heat, whether it's selling pulp or "clicks". The fourth estate has abandoned us, folks. We need to go after the tycoons running our media right after we lynch the politicians.
Seriously, I think if the worst happens, money will be worthless. That is why they are buying up yachts and islands now, so they have a place to go - their Final Resort!
Good. Let them go . People can start over from true ground - living from the heart - money has value, well applied - we cannot buy love, compassion and communion with others - too often, money does more to isolate and disassociate us from those fundamental qualities ... when everything comes with a price tag, and everything is for sale, true value dissipates like the waters receding due to exploitation of natural resources with no concern for whole ecological dynamics.
I was speaking metaphorically, Kathy. I wasn't suggesting actual murder any more than I would have been advocating "burning at the stake", had I suggested "holding their feet to the fire" to force a change in behavior (though this might be more appropriate treatment of these rapacious corporate weenies, given the amount of real carnage their work has generated, especially the Fox and the Twitter crowd).
Apart from one certifiably deluded deluder -- the Teetotal D(elirium)T(remens) himself -- the liars know the truth. But they don't want anyone else to know it. Real estate and their entire house-of-cards economy in jeopardy.
Their natural allies: those who don't want to know, want only to cancel out their nightmares, cultivating melanoma in the southern sunshine.
... and so..., because they lack courage, or conscience to get real with whatever truth they believe they can conceal (not!) they become pawns on the gaming board of perpetual delusion ... {{as in Heaven forbid someone might think I am ... g.a.y. ... better get hitched up and perpetuate the pretense - get rid of anyone who reflects the difference ... spawn progeny conceived and born of a lie rather than true love ... no wonder we are such a confused lot!!}}
... to which I might add ..., as humans, we are born with the capacity for wholeness (holiness) ... embracing masculine and feminine principles - some of us inside out, others outside in ... in my opinion, fixed gender identity is another ball and chain, locking free spirit into static pretense ... confined to dictates of limitation and imitation of truth ....
Kathleen, I think you mean gender stereotypes. Those castrate souls.
Your first words -- up to "principles" -- concern depth psychology. Archetypes. Underlying truths.
But aren't you mixing in the current (confusing) fashionable obsession with "gender"?
You set out speaking of wholeness, but while farmyard and Kraft-Ebbing issues are painfully real for individuals, I think the problems of psychopathology you have in mind lie deeper.
It ain't "I think, therefore I am". It's more like thinking oneself into a corner, a fragment of being.
Because mainstream media ignore the facts and Fox never airs them--opting for continuing the lies and increasing the spin; most of the Trump supporters I know ONLY get their "news" from Fox.
When you hear someone with a single answer for everything (shrink federal government, deregulate, cut taxes), they no longer are able to understand the question.
Agree. Even though Biden proactively positioned assistance to respond, and will pour resources in to help, DeSantis will twist and distort things to claim Biden "deliberately withheld assistance" or "it was just a fraction of what was needed."
I generally figure it's because they can't afford it ... still, did you see the comment above from 100Panthers?
"DeSantis' comment is particularly galling because 1-most private insurance has left Florida 2-the only flood insurance is provided by the federal government 3-when it came time for rates on federal flood insurance to rise to reflect reality instead of government subsidy Scott and Rubio cried 'foul' 4-the majority of windstorm insurance in Florida is provided by the state via 'Citizens Insurance' which is essentially bankrupt but for the state and is still haggling over paying for loses in Irma, it is a litigation disaster with huge caseloads pending. So DeSantis talking about private insurance is a joke.'
Private insurance companies lost too much money in Florida on windstorm and departed the state. Same with flood insurance prior. After Hurricane Andrew, for example, State Farm canceled me and pulled out of the state for a while.
Ian may very well push Florida over the edge. No amount of spin can deny our property insurance crisis.
“Instead, during the Regular Legislative Session this year, the Governor remained fixated on scaring the bejeebers out of his base on nonissues like critical race theory. Rather than demand insurance reform, DeSantis focused on marginalizing LGBTQ+ people and banning books.”
Real policy has no place when people want to fear monger. So they pick all the culture war nonsense and go with that to rile up the so-called Christians, so they will pack school board meetings and get on school boards. Here in Salem, the board has ended in person attendance at board meetings because they have become violent. In Newberg a judge has ruled that the board's decision to ban pride and BLM posters, etc. from classrooms is unconstitutional. Also here in Salem the malcontents are trying to recall three progressive board members partly because they have banned any guns on campus including concealed carry. They also lost on book ban attempts. As for Florida, I have an ex-student who resides on Sanibel who has marked herself safe. As I watched the vids from Naples, I had a hard time feeling really sorry as i have an ex-high school classmate who lives there who I had to cease communication with as i couldn't stop her from all caps about Obama. I did laugh once when she cited KBOO radio in Portland which a friend called slit your wrists radio and is far far left. Here in Oregon, the state has had to withdraw and redraw their wildfire map because those in it had a hissy fit. The new map is not yet available, but I am sure it will affect insurance rates. If I were making an insurance assessment, I would be alert to those who insist on living in the piney woods...or on any number of coastlines or flood plains.
Can’t ❤️ Yet but insurance companies take advantage of folks when catastrophes occur. In the early 80’s, California experienced unbelievable rains that literally washed homes off of their foundations. In Marin County, homes landed in the ocean. It was as devastating as what Floridians are experiencing. People sued their contractors and sub-contractors but guess what insurance companies did? They all go together and decided they would no longer cover insurance for those natural disasters. This left hundreds of thousands without remedy and FEMA just did so much then. The paperwork was daunting so people gave up. A disgrace.
Total disconnect from reality for dum Sanctus! Private insurance IS in the tank nearly bankrupt! But he is not capable of understanding the issues! He’s a mini mindless dictator wannabe who is ‘fat dumb and happy’ secure in, get it, government housing!! Government health insurance!! Government paying for each meal he eats!!
We should call him comrade little Ron, living the life of a true socialist!
Wasn't Christie, the big man from New Jersey doing the exact same thing with Obama during Hurricane Sandy? History repeating itself. Climate change is no joke.
Best political meme had Christie ‘the round one’ lounging on the beach, he ordered all beaches closed shortly he was photographed on the beach in front of the state owned beach house for the NJ governor.
What a newsletter tonight! The thread running through it, the strong men, the wealthy, the power, worldwide. And here in our wealthy country, This: “The share of total wealth held by families in the top 1% increased from 27% to 34% in the same period. In 2019, families in the bottom half of the economy held only 2% of the national wealth, and those in the bottom quarter owed about $11,000 more than they owned.” Can we say EVERY repub administration rolls back social safety nets and stops progress for the people, and rewards the wealthy? Should we generalize? Will repubs ever care about income inequality, hungry children, guns in the context of school shootings and open carry intimidation, accidental deaths of children, degrading environment, fires and storms, within the climate crisis that are also destroying shorelines and oceanic environments. It’s so sad I know to focus on the negative. But we are watching a train wreck. As Historian Howard Zinn wrote, “ You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” https://www.democracynow.org/2022/9/5/you_cant_be_neutral_on_a
The morbidly rich who have SO much of the nation’s resources will never care about the vulnerable in our society or fixing things like aging infrastructure or controlling combat weaponry in the general population. Nor will the corporations who are people (based on a memo written by an aide of a corrupt justice) care about much more than buying their stock back. Small businesses need to invest their profits in their operations in order to sustain themselves. Large multinational corporations have a greater interest in buying back their stock to raise its price to please shareholders. All of this to say, the name of their game is SELFISHNESS/GREED.
YES, the rich care about their wealth. You nailed it, Jenn. This from The Atomic Bulletin, scientists who monitor and warn the people who have a hard time filtering noise from Truth. But we are more vulnerable for SURVIVAL than ever. Gas, Oil and War.
Thank you, Heather. You put a lot of work into this letter and I appreciate all that you are doing. I attended a Third Act call-in this evening and they are coordinating effective efforts by groups all over the country to join the fights for democracy and climate action. Inspiring!
Thank you for pointing out supply side or trickle down economics have been redistributing wealth upwards to the wealthiest for the past 30 years. Thank you also for pointing out how Republicans feel Biden's economic policies are Socialist and redistributing wealth downwards. For 30 years the rich have gotten richer, the middle class working and those less fortunate have paid for it.
More like 90 years - from Will Rogers, Nov 26, 1932 “The money was all appropriated for the top in the hopes that it would trickle down to the needy. Mr. Hoover didn’t know that money trickled up. Give it to the people at the bottom and the people at the top will have it before night anyhow. But it will at least have passed through the poor fellow’s hands.” FDR and Truman fought back, so did Ike. But the greed never slept.
Right On! And now a significant portion of the working middle class and those less fortunate are reacting to their diminished status by supporting their con-man oppressors who urge them to "stick it to the libs". In my youth, this was sometimes known as "cutting off your nose to spite your face," When will they ever learn" indeed.
You will notice the cockroaches chose to inhabit the Republican populace. They mean to have it all and could have picked anyone’s cupboard, but they attacked the republicans first. We need to help the people. They are not the cockroaches. Your “cockroach” approach clarifies.
Pat, The Republicans are being drafted as cockroach killers. They will fill bags with their dead cockroaches and paid piecemeal. The Roach killers are going to be very busy and paid a minimum wage. Do you think that they'll go on strike?
Sorry Fern, I read it inside out. My take is the cockroaches are the bosses. They are picking off and bagging the republicans. Republicans who weren’t safely indoctrinated but escaped are being bagged and disposed of.
How often is it that 40 and some odd years are distilled in a few paragraphs? And when those years have brought a country, a mighty experiment with Democracy, innovative beyond our dreams...the American Dream down the road to autocracy, cruelty and fear, why add more words than the one's Heather Cox Richardson wrote in Letter from an American today?
'Since the 1980s, the argument for dismantling the government has been that federal regulations hamper the operation of the free market, thus slowing economic growth, while the taxes required to maintain a bureaucratic system take money away from those who otherwise would invest in businesses. The avowed theory is that a freely operating market will free up money on the “supply side” of the economy. Flush with cash, investors will theoretically pump that money into new enterprises that will hire workers, and everyone will prosper together.'
'Yesterday the Congressional Budget Office released a study of trends in the distribution of family wealth between 1989—immediately after President Ronald Reagan began the antiregulation and antitax push—and 2019. In those thirty years, total real wealth held by families tripled from $38 trillion to $115 trillion. But the distribution of that growth was not even.'
'Money moved toward the families in the top 10%, and especially in the top 1%, shifting from families with less income and education toward those with more wealth and education. In the 30 years examined, the share of wealth belonging to families in the top 10% increased from 63% in 1989 to 72% in 2019, from $24.3 trillion to $82.4 trillion (an increase of 240%). The share of total wealth held by families in the top 1% increased from 27% to 34% in the same period. In 2019, families in the bottom half of the economy held only 2% of the national wealth, and those in the bottom quarter owed about $11,000 more than they owned.'
'The relative invisibility of these statistics after forty years under Republican ideology has enabled today’s Republicans to insist the Democrats are “socialists” who are trying to redistribute wealth downward even as our laws are clearly redistributing it upward.'
'Last night, California governor Gavin Newsom, who is running for reelection, insisted on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight that Democrats must push back against the Republican domination of culture wars. Newsom pointed out that 8 of the 10 states with the highest murder rates are Republican states and that the gun death rate in Texas is 67% higher than that in California. Newsom expressed dismay that Democrats aren’t better at advocating their policies.'
'That omission is likely a result of the fact that after World War II, it never occurred to most Americans that anyone here would need to defend democracy. And yet we are now facing the rise of “illiberal democracy” or “Christian democracy,” which argues that democracy’s protection of equal rights weakens societies by destroying their moral core and by splitting the people internally. Its adherents call for limiting the vote; privileging white, heterosexual Christian citizens; and standing behind an authoritarian leader who will stamp out opposition—that is, a system that is not a democracy at all.'
'There is a direct correlation between growing economic inequality and the growing popularity of authoritarianism. Scholars of authoritarian systems note that a population that feels economically, religiously, or culturally dispossessed is an easy target for an authoritarian who promises to bring back a mythological world in which its members were powerful.'
'But, having lifted strongmen into power, they learn that they were only tools to put in place someone whose decisions are absolute and who is no longer bound by the law.'
Fern, yes. This newsletter brilliantly puts together what we the people need to know. And then your last lines, “ But, having lifted strongmen into power, they learn that they were only tools to put in place someone whose decisions are absolute and who is no longer bound by the law.'”
Peter Paul and Mary. Who can answer about wars far away and here with weapons or government control and destruction. There are choices for the good of the people. And between good and evil. It’s enough to bring us to tears.
Thank you, Fern. And TC. This is so absolutely beautiful. Pete Seeger, my favorite, to write and share, to teach. A Human Being. Of courage. He, like many artists, folk musicians, were social activists, targeted by the right, McCarthy. Just like today, the Right wants to shut up the “righteous.” Pete Seeger was of the people, a teacher to the end. A Humanitarian. My friend in Cambridge, retired Children’s librarian, brought him to the schools. My heart is full. ❤️
Again, Gratitude, Fern. Pete Seeger, a true American Hero. The Hudson River was his project. Peace and Justice and Equality. Solidarity Forever! The Union makes us strong. This is an amazing history lesson an “education.” And calls out the “bad guys.” By Name. Thank You!!!
One more, always more for Truth. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger. Some of Pete Seeger’s and the American story. And the Weavers. Good Night Irene, one of my favorites.
Friedman destroyed the middle class with his "shareholder capitalism" versus the inclusive "stakeholder capitalism" that drove the massively-growing economy, and strong middle class, of the 50s & 60s.
Friedman admitted decades later that his theories and policies had "unintended economic consequences." Ya think?!
I'm actually not sure. It was such a new field of study and theory in the 20th Century (economics) and there was no history whatsoever in the US or worldwide to look to for longitudinal outcomes--not that this society is much like others anyway. Friedman was creating something from nothing, and his economic theory seemed cleaner (1 point to consider) and faster to implement to try to bring the country back to the enormous economic success resulting from the ad hoc economy that developed post Depression and WWII. That economy was too "diverse" and "less focused" on how to maximize outcome (growth). It wasn't named "stakeholder capitalism" because that term wasn't used back then, nor was Friedman's theory called "shareholder capitalism." It takes decades for the outcomes to be truly known, and I don't know if Friedman ever imagined his theory would be used as justification for laying off thousands due to off-shoring--with nothing to replace the lost jobs. I think he didn't appreciate the degree of greed his theory would unleash in America once it was adopted.
Meanwhile, across the pond, the British Pound is tanking, largely due to their current leadership's adherence to "supply side economics". One might think that an Eton-Cambridge-Harvard educated economist (Kwasi Kwarteng) might have noted the last 40 years of the U.S's economic history. Stay tuned for more proof that smart people can often do stupid things.
Have I got something for you, Mr. Abbott. Apologies as I could not find a link to this. It is from WorldView newsletter from WAPO:
'Britain is staring down the barrel of a self-inflected economic catastrophe. This week saw the pound fall to an all-time low against the dollar amid a mass sell-off of U.K. bonds. Analysts are laying the blame on just one man.
Kwasi Kwarteng, 47, has been chancellor of the exchequer, Britain’s top economic position, for less than a month, but he’s hardly inexperienced. Before he became a member of Parliament in 2010, he had worked at investment banks and hedge funds. He studied at Eton College, earned a doctorate from Cambridge and was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard. An economic historian by training, he’s written several well-received books and won numerous scholarships.
And yet, within weeks of entering new prime minister Liz Truss’s government, this economic expert appears to have tanked the British economy.
How did this happen?
On the surface, the story seems simple. On Friday, Kwarteng announced a “mini-budget.” In fact, it contained major moves such as the abolition of the top income tax rate of 45 percent for people earning more than 150,000 pounds and a scrapping of the cap on banker bonuses.
These moves were expected to dramatically decrease government income. But at the same time, Truss’s government planned to spend enormous sums of money to insulate consumers from soaring energy bills that are partly the result of the war in Ukraine. This means that it is borrowing a large amount of money amid rapidly rising prices.
It doesn’t take a doctorate from Cambridge to see that those sums simply don’t add up.
The markets’ reaction? Panic. On Monday, the pound fell to the equivalent of $1.03 — a 22 percent decline from six months before. Inflation, already high, is expected to soar as interest rates rise, adding to what has been dubbed the “cost-of-living crisis” in Britain. Two days later, the Bank of England stepped in with an emergency pledge to buy unlimited bonds in a desperate bid to shore up the British economy.
The International Monetary Fund — one of the world’s top financial institutions — weighed in with the sort of rebuke usually reserved for tinpot dictatorships and banana republics. “The nature of the UK measures will likely increase inequality,” the U.N.-backed fund said in a deeply critical note published Tuesday.
The mini-budget looks to be a bigger disaster for the British economy scale than Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. So, why did Truss’s government do it?
Analysts have been left scratching their heads, particularly as Truss’s government flouted requirements for the budget to be appraised by Office for Budget Responsibility.
But many believe that clues can be found in Kwarteng’s writings on economics, which detail a disputed — arguably, radical — view of the benefits of extremely free trade. Most notable is a book written by Kwarteng, Truss and other Conservative MPs that was published in 2012, titled Britannia Unchained.
That book argues that Britain had become a “bloated state” with “high taxes” and “excessive regulation” and that only by taking an aggressively free-market, libertarian stance would shake the country into powerful economic growth. In this view, Britain looks particularly terrible when compared with fast-growing Asian economies.
“Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music,” the book wrote.
The authors of Britannia Unchained were, at the time, accused of chasing headlines. But as the Financial Times noted this week, Kwarteng’s other work on economic history shows an embedded distrust of financial markets and bankers that is newly relevant.
His doctoral thesis — focused on the less-than-headline-grabbing topic of William III’s decision to reissue England’s coinage in 1695-96 — argued that “the interest of the goldsmith and banker was anything but inimical to the wider good of the nation.”
Few would argue against the idea that Britain’s economy needs some sort of shake-up. The economy has slumped since the financial crash of 14 years ago, with a mean growth rate of just 1 percent for the years since compared with 2.7 percent between 1948 and 2008.
Kwarteng’s mini-budget appears to be creating a kind of supply-side economics shock therapy for Britain. The inspiration may come from America and, in particular, the U.S. counterpart to the British chancellor’s idol, Margaret Thatcher: President Reagan, who was said to be “starving the beast” when cutting back on state funding by diminishing government income.
As Adam Tooze, a Columbia University economist, put it for the Guardian this week, the market chaos could theoretically aid this idea: “Cut taxes and, as public revenues contract, this will create irresistible pressure for spending cuts. The argument is all the more urgent if you can invoke pressure from the financial markets.”
But Britain is not America. “Reaganomics” had the backing of not only the world’s strongest economy but also its preeminent currency, the mighty U.S. dollar.
The Britain that Truss and Kwarteng are leading has neither. Some of their keenest supporters have yet to admit that Britain is a fading power, increasingly irrelevant economically as its growth stagnates. The Financial Times’s Janan Ganesh wrote this week that “so much of what Britain has done and thought in recent years makes sense if you assume it is a country” of 330 million people with $20 trillion annual output.
Judging by the reaction to the mini-budget, the markets just don’t buy it. Bankers do not believe that the cuts will lead to growth. Some appear genuinely shocked that the British government would make a choice to boost its deficit by so much at this time — and do so not because of economic hardship, but because of political choices.
“It’s not so much that the package is large, but that the government doesn’t seem to mind — and at times seems to welcome the controversy of a strategy that rebels against orthodoxy,” J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients later republished by the Wall Street Journal.
Kwarteng and his allies appear to have been taken by surprise by the market reaction. But they have offered little public comment to reassure bankers, let alone the country. “He doesn’t seem very focused on or politically very sensitized to the impact of interest rates going up on mortgages,” one unnamed member of Parliament told the Economist.
Tony Travers, a politics professor at the London School of Economics, told The Washington Post, “They are prepared to risk unpopularity because they think it will work in the long term.”
If it does eventually work, much of the praise will probably go to Kwarteng rather than Truss, whose political and economic views appear to have faltered significantly over time. Kwarteng is seen as a true believer in supply-side economics, one who was described as “essentially an academic” by another MP’s wife. The son of Ghanaian immigrants, he is also the first Black person to hold the position of chancellor of the exchequer.
And if it doesn’t work? There is already speculation that Truss’s government will sink before the next election, which under current rules must be called before January 2025. That would mean the fifth British leader in a decade or less, political instability on top of economic instability.
And Kwarteng, the economic historian, will have earned himself a place in the economic history books: As the chancellor who proved his own ideology didn’t work.'
After suffering through the Amiable Dunce, Governor Moonbeam (twice), Gray "It's my turn!" Davis, several idiot Republicans (thanks, Pete Wilson, for finally turning California decisively blue with prop 187), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was actually better than people will admit - among other things he was the one who led the fight to depoliticize redistricting, which has made the GOP illegal here), it's a real privilege to have someone like Gavin Newsom, who knows how to take the fight to the enemy (when he was mayor of San Francisco, he approved and officiated at gay marriages while they were illegal under prop 8, thus pushing the legal fight that got Prop 8 overturned). I think he just might be the party's future.
As to "Republican economics" as practiced by congressman DeSantis in 2013, allow Alexander Stevens, VP of the confederate States of America, to explain modern Republican economics, from his 1861 "cornerstone speech":
Again, the subject of internal improvements, under the power of Congress to regulate commerce, is put at rest under our system. The power, claimed by construction under the old constitution, was at least a doubtful one; it rested solely upon construction. We of the South, generally apart from considerations of constitutional principles, opposed its exercise upon grounds of its inexpediency and injustice. Notwithstanding this opposition, millions of money, from the common treasury had been drawn for such purposes. Our opposition sprang from no hostility to commerce, or to all necessary aids for facilitating it. With us it was simply a question upon whom the burden should fall. In Georgia, for instance, we have done as much for the cause of internal improvements as any other portion of the country, according to population and means. We have stretched out lines of railroads from the seaboard to the mountains; dug down the hills, and filled up the valleys at a cost of not less than $25,000,000. All this was done to open an outlet for our products of the interior, and those to the west of us, to reach the marts of the world. No State was in greater need of such facilities than Georgia, but we did not ask that these works should be made by appropriations out of the common treasury. The cost of the grading, the superstructure, and the equipment of our roads was borne by those who had entered into the enterprise. Nay, more not only the cost of the iron no small item in the aggregate cost was borne in the same way, but we were compelled to pay into the common treasury several millions of dollars for the privilege of importing the iron, after the price was paid for it abroad. What justice was there in taking this money, which our people paid into the common treasury on the importation of our iron, and applying it to the improvement of rivers and harbors elsewhere? The true principle is to subject the commerce of every locality, to whatever burdens may be necessary to facilitate it. If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden. If the mouth of the Savannah river has to be cleared out, let the sea-going navigation which is benefited by it, bear the burden. So with the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi river. Just as the products of the interior, our cotton, wheat, corn, and other articles, have to bear the necessary rates of freight over our railroads to reach the seas. This is again the broad principle of perfect equality and justice, and it is especially set forth and established in our new constitution.
As with every other evil thing in the modern Republican party, "Republican Economics" are Southernomics."
"Since the 1980s, the argument for dismantling the government has been that federal regulations hamper the operation of the free market, thus slowing economic growth,
The so-called "free market" given the way Republicans use the term. It needs to be distinguished from legitimate uses of of the word"free", which in the context of human societies denotes "freedom" only when it is broadly based. Where choice and agency is concentrated in few hands, but where choice, influence and opportunity are broadly shared by all, a free society.
The "few hands" version is what tyranny is. In commerce, we call it "monopoly" or "oligarchy", which Republicans unabashedly promote, but in such societies the capture of power bleeds over into other realms as well, as we saw in the "Gilded Age".
We spent decades trying to make the deal more even handed. What has been the attraction and what has been the reward of giving that up? And as for the Holy Grail of Growth, would it not make sense to ask of what and for what, for whom, and at what cost?
I listened to Gov. Newsom’s comments on Democrats needing to take a more assertive confrontational stand and I agree wholeheartedly. It might move some undecideds and galvanize Democrats to turn out in higher numbers in November. And perhaps, over time, such a posture might begin to chip away at the Right.
But many of the people Professor Richardson refers to in today’s Letter who are being lied to by the Radical Right, believe the lies - they are long-held truths, cauterized into their sense of self.
‘’Scholars of authoritarian systems note that a population that feels economically, religiously, or culturally dispossessed is an easy target for an authoritarian who promises to bring back a mythological world in which its members were powerful.’’
The push back against the RR’s hypocrisy and lies, the reeducation if you will of the MAGA electorate, is an overwhelmingly difficult lift. If those folks wanted to listen, they would have by now – they don’t. Many have been voting against their own economic interests for decades, and those who benefit from the economic policies of the Right have long since stopped caring about the fate of their fellow citizens.
It appears to me that the cultural issues are what bind the devoted cohort of MAGAs to the Trumpist cause. He is their bullhorn – with equal measures of ‘’bull’’ and ‘’horn’’- and they are unlikely to distance themselves from tfg and his acolytes no matter the strength of the arguments.
Our victory will be won on the margins; Newsom’s quest will succeed if Democrats organize themselves, recruit new voters, get them to the polls, and convince them to be engaged in local, State and national elections. He is getting the word out to those who might listen, but more importantly, he is inspiring the choir to action.
There is so much news unfolding it is difficult to keep up. I appreciate you keeping us between the guard rails.
I was listening to NPR the other day when the Roger Stone story broke regarding his true distain for Democrats. It's one thing to read about his hatred, yet another level to hear him talk about it first hand.
As I lay here in bed fighting the new "Covid clone virus", I cannot wrap my head around what makes a person blanket their hate around an entire group of people just because of their Party affiliation.
Yet, people cheer Roger Stone on.....
Different and frankly more important subject to me. Have we heard from our community friend Christine from Florida?
Can we get a shout out from all of our Florida friends to know you are all okay and out of harms way from Hurricane Ian?
If I could ask DeSantis one question: When has a Democratic president or Congress balked at providing swift and extensive aid in a natural disaster in a Republican-dominated state?
I'll answer in case he doesn't know: Never.
Or Ted Cruz, or Chris Christie, or Gregg Abbot, or Mitch McConnell when their states needed help.
"They vote NO but take the dough."
Yes “they vote no but take the dough” And that takes the cake!
And they take credit for the money they receive after they voted against it!
All hypocrites!
Ted just goes to Cancun, to hell with everyone else.
Truth!
Especially Abbot's not dealing with the post freeze electrical grid failure- he continued to he failed to implement the repairs a second time.
Those motherfuckers DON'T ASK. They just leave.
Both Florida Senators are climate change deniers. I went to view videos of Ft. Meyers where I have family hunkered down in the storm but could not watch until Rubio's campaign ad played. I hope voters in Florida hold these clowns accountable.
Rubio should be tarred and feathered
Watching Rubio deny climate change, my thinking for some years has been that if he wanted to continue as a senator from Florida, he would be losing territory every year! Will Ian make a believer of him?
I do believe he is a poor little rich boy that wants us to support him the rest of his days!
Probably not.
Sadly a practice that went out of fashion...
It would look great on the Majority of Elected 'republiecons'.
I think Val Demings would make an excellent Senator, don't you? I can't wait to see her trounce Marco.
Amen. We can all contribute to that end!
I agree!
Ted Cruz did not change his tone after Harvey. I know I was there. He just put on his “I am helping my friends and neighbors mask.” But the thing is this-this ilk, all of them, are so disingenuous that they can do that. They can morph whichever way the wind blows. I now live in NM and our gov (Michelle Lujan Grisham) is in an election fight against a TV weatherman, Mark Ronchetti. He is a Trumper. She has a great ad on right now. The hook line at the end of the ad is “Mark Ronchetti doesn’t know what New Mexicans need, he only knows which way the wind blows.”
Great ad! I hope she trounces the Trumper!
That is a great ad and I recently learned that higher education in New Mexico is now free. That is wonderful, if true. BRAVO.
Yes, it’s true for NM residents who do not already have other financial aid in place.
Me too. My brother lives in Orlando and he and his wife headed north on a road trip before the storm hit. He thought there would be heavy traffic getting out of town, but instead, he reported heavy traffic coming southward to help. Thank god for Joe Biden and to hell with the Republicans. They are definitely the losers on this one.
Today ( Friday) men from Michigan and Tennessee power companies restored the power in our neighborhood in Orlando. So many good people.
So glad to hear it! Stay safe.
I hope all is well with your family. Nobody wants to lose their home but if you are alive and un-injured there is much gratitude to celebrate.
Many of the people running in the election suspended their campaign ads. Not Rubio.
Most of them are brain dead from watching Fox Entertainment! (News)!
Very good and informative letter tonight...thank you, Heather!
EXCELLENT LETTER!!!
Well, there’s one Judge Amy we can be thankful for.
Lucy Cannon is an Aileen. :-)
I think she meant Barrett.
Ah, right. How could I forget the howling banshee?
She did mean Barrett
WELL, THAT'S DISGUSTING. The Handmaid herself. Willingly
'Trump is offering to 'head up' a group to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine'
TC this is not from Borowitiz - not from anyone's head but DJT's. How do you like this as a snapshot of America? Okay, it's a snapshot of that man. Mark Twain have you seen this?
I think perhaps not his head, but the other end.
Maybe he’s thinking he’d better get out of Dodge before they take his passport for real.
No, Grace, he is going to negotiate a peace between Ukraine and Russia. Isn't that great?
Oh!! Of course! That’s why he needed all the classified docs! It’s all about country for him.
Anal-cranial switcheroo.
You've got something there, Grace. Don't hold on. There could be an eruption.
Fern, you're on a roll today!
Oh, to have such great playmates, Nancy. We are so happy to have each other.
F.
Oh yes, where all of death star's pronouncements originate.
Ha! Well, we already knew his neurons for recognizing irony and self-satire were zapped in the gold-plating wars.
Oh, such brilliant glitz you put on the screen! I can hardly see before me, Elizabeth!
Hahahaha, thanks Fern!
Henry Ford was an anti-Semite Nazi sympathizer who unilaterally took it upon himself to sail across the Atlantic to broker peace with Hitler. Hilter wanted nothing to do with him or peace. I don’t believe they ever actually met. I sense the same situation applies here. Neither side has asked him.
Well, in Dump’s case, the offer is certainly an apt demonstration of his absurdly exaggerated and out of touch opinion of his own capabilities.
He wants so much to be the legend that exists only in his mind.
That was actually WW1 - the Kaiser didn't want to talk to him either.
Yeah - I saw this & posted it yesterday, I believe.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson?
There has to be an exception to every Amy rule. :-)
YES!
THANKFUL FOR AMY CONEY BARRETT????? You are kidding, RIGHT???
Just to clarify: this is the judge we can be thankful for:
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who presided over Roger Stone’s trial for lying to lawmakers about his ties to Russia during the 2016 election, called out “high-ranking members of Congress and state officials” for being “so afraid of losing their power” that they won’t contradict Trump when he lies that he won the 2020 election. She warned that the courts must hold the line against the lies and the violence Republican lawmakers are encouraging.
Of course not. Read what HCR said again.
I am horrified that Putin is holding fake referendums with soldiers forcing Ukrainian citizens at gunpoint to vote to join Russia, and forcing Russian citizens to fight in the war with Ukraine. Will he then conscript Ukrainians to fight for Russia against Ukraine? The man is evil incarnate.
“Today the New York Times published a series of telephone calls from Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. The men were poorly equipped, badly commanded, completely disillusioned, and utterly disgusted with Russian president Vladimir Putin, while their people back home complained that the economy was collapsing and the gains of the past 30 years were being swept away.”
Things appear to be crumbling around Putin. He can’t keep up with his destructive and illegal war without losing a grip on his power.
Which is why nukes seem like a terrifying prospect now. The man is crazy and hate-filled enough to do it.
On NPR yesterday Russian KGB expert and publisher Yevgenia Albats, who had to flee Russia said "...Albats thinks President Vladimir Putin will be toppled in some kind of palace coup"...
...lets hope that is what it comes to, and not nukes.
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/28/1125525833/putin-critic-yevgeniya-albats-leaves-russia-after-a-crackdown-on-independent-med
It appears that he is so distrustful of those around him that he has limited his direct contacts to a few people- one including the general "running" the war on Ukraine. He listens only to them, so is quite isolated, both phyically and intellectually. The moral part went a long time ago, if it ever existed. I have read that a large number of Kremlin officials signed a letter asking Putin to step down. Also that a large number of heads of municipalities have together pretty much said the same thing (municipality has a different meaning in Russia than it would here, and I'm not sure just how it is being used now). Putin's paranoia about those around him easily outstrips Trump's. A "Palace Coup" would be the best way to remove Putin from power, but he seems to sense that and has isolated himself. it's going to be an interesting ride.
After the amoral trump realized that he owned nearly all gop elected to either branch of Congress, he brought in yes men to his inner circle just like his master Putin,is now doing!
It sounds like Hitler's last days in the bunker in Berlin.
Perhaps superficially. But Putin is not in a bunker. He still has power, and he has people still willing to carry out his orders. Russians are suffering the impacts of both the war and the economic sanctions, but they are not experiencing the military actions directly. Yet. So the circumstances are quite different. A closer analogy might be the failed attempt on Hitler's life by some of his officers earlier in WW2. Even that is not an exact analogy to Putin's situation right now (unless there is something going on in the Kremlin that nobody can see). A likeness that Putin might share with Hitler is that he is also so focused on certain short-term outcomes that he cannot see the longer term consequences to his nation, until they are beyond the point of backing away.
Makes one hope that there are indeed people close enough to Putin to head him off, without triggering more violence. When I was in Russia at the time of glasnost, one thing that I heard over and over again from Russians was their shock at realizing that they had been systematically lied to about their economic and social status. Under glasnost, they finally had access to outside news sources. At some point, in some way, this will happen again.
Sounds like a repeat of Stalin.
As in a Greek tragedy, Putin's own character flaw will be his end. Hubris is fatal.
From Yevgenia Albats’ lips to God’s ear. 🙏🙏
For real!
I hope and pray not. Someone in the Kremlin must have their wits about them.
That's why the Russians, Political and Non, have to Something about THIS first!!!!
👍🏼
It sounds like Russia is on its knees.
Yes, he plans to start conscripting Ukrainians in those oblasts as of next Monday, after the Duma formally "acccepts" the vote to be part of Russia on Friday.
So he will arm those who hate his guts with Russian weapons? How does that work out?
TC, is it even possible Putin could be eliminated by his own? Is he reachable? And if that happened, who would take over?
Nobody knows who would do that or who would take over. Their system has no power-change function. In the USSR, the Politburo could do it (and did with Krushchev and Andropov), but that doesn't exist there now,.
abominable!
If he gives Ukrainians guns, they will point them at Russians.
As I understand it, that's exactly what he plans to do, at least in the Russian-occupied area.
That’s what I suspect.
Putin is horrifying period.
Desantis only wants to be president. I am in the hard-hit area of sw Florida-in North Port-just north of Fort Myers and port Charlotte. We have been hit like never-before, so I ask your prayers as we wake today to assess where we are.
Desantis is a terrible governor whose education policy is designed, as assessed by educators, to raise a next generation of ignorant racists by denying history, limiting teachers in what they are allowed to teach, banning books, persecuting trans-gender and lgbtq children, and more. His ridiculous mask-shaming of children at a news conference (without knowing the chijsrens’ own health status or that of their families’) and lack of adequate and truthful Covid information caused the needless deaths of countless of our citizens. His limitation of voting access and calls for a private police force to monitor voting sites is a fascist move designed to intimidate. His treatment of immigrants, as we have all recently witnessed, is that they are less-than -all while he touts a “pro-life” moniker. He is simply pro-self.
He will claim all moves forward in the days ahead as his own. He will claim all electricity restored as his own. He will claim all clean ups generated as his own. He has no conscience and no thought other than self-promotion and self-aggrandizement. If you were horrified by Trump, you ain’t seen nothing yet-he’s trump 2.0-smarter, more calculating, and INTENTIONALLY cruel. He will use this hurricane disaster to further his own political aspirations. It will be the Ron show -please see this and name it.
Please hear me-Desantis cannot be elected President. He cannot. He will destroy our democracy for his own fascist agenda with himself as complete authoritarian. Please help me spread the truth about Governor Ron Desantis among folks in other states so that he might be seen for who and what he actually is. And please, pray for the people of my state as we seek to figure out next steps.
Thank you for this appeal in the midst of what you are experiencing. Be safe.
Thank you, and we will be-hopefully people can come together to rebuild our communities. 🙏💙🙏
I wish Desantis were our only problem.....so many have allowed themselves to become brainwashed which means they think they have a hold on the real truth and everyone else is the enemy.
I am still in shock that Donald Trump was even offered the opportunity to serve our country - in ANY capacity! He has always been known for his immorality and extravagance....he is an empty human being....other than being filled with himself. How are people so captivated!!!!
We must continue showing off what President Biden and the Democratic party (and 2 brave Republicans) have done and are doing to build up America and to provide opportunities for everyone.
As President Biden offen says, There is nothing we cannot do for the good of our nation when we work together...we are the United States of America!
Thank you for checking in following the hurricane, and for your first-hand report of the evil that is your state's current governor.
As bad as things were with the hurricane, the damage Desantis does to the people of our state, and the damage he WILL do if elected President are beyond catastrophic to our Constitution, our rule of law, our freedom for voting and democratic rule, and the America we are meant to be.
Jen Schaefer
Sorry for all you and your fellow Lee county neighbors are going through. My town (in NE Ohio) has dispatched several crews from the electric company to help restore power. I suspect much of the help Florida receives will be from communities like mine from all over the country. Americans take care of Americans because that's who we are.
The opposite of that is DeSantis. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and DeSantis has set out to out Trump Trump. His Martha's Vineyard stunt put him at the head of the class. Ironically, it backfired as the MV residents again proved how kind and compassionate Americans are. At least, most Americans.
"As a newly elected congress member in 2013, now-governor of Florida Ron DeSantis was one of the 67 House Republicans who voted against a $9.7 billion federal flood insurance assistance package for the victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Now, with Florida on the ropes, DeSantis asked President Joe Biden for an emergency declaration to free up federal money and federal help even before the storm hit, and said Tuesday, “We all need to work together, regardless of party lines.”"
Today, on live coverage of Hurricane Ian from Agenda Free on YouTube, There was a clip of DeSantis saying federal support could help, but still would not be as good as a private insurance policy ... pitching for the Home Team ....
DeSantis' comment is particularly galling because 1-most private insurance has left Florida 2-the only flood insurance is provided by the federal government 3-when it came time for rates on federal flood insurance to rise to reflect reality instead of government subsidy Scott and Rubio cried 'foul' 4-the majority of windstorm insurance in Florida is provided by the state via 'Citizens Insurance' which is essentially bankrupt but for the state and is still haggling over paying for loses in Irma, it is a litigation disaster with huge caseloads pending. So DeSantis talking about private insurance is a joke.
My roof, windows and siding were badly damaged by a wind/hail storm in 2020. I started the insurance claim in April 2021. Between the time I filed the claim and when the insurance agent came to inspect the damage, the house was hit by an EF0 tornado - ie 60-70 mph winds. More damage occured, of course. But my insurance company, trying to deal with hurricane damage all over the South, delayed, then denied my claim. I had to threaten a “call for appraisal” which requires insurance companies to abide by an independent consultant’s assessment of the damage. Within 24 hours, the assessment changed from $1200 to $93,000+ in terms damage to my house. Grrrrrr.
Can you imagine how often this will be repeated throughout Florida in the next few months? How many Floridians will receive 1-5% of the actual cost to repair or replace damaged homes, boats, and equipment? And how many of them will not be aware of the process to protest incorrect or downright predatory assessments? The transfer of wealth continues apace with climate deniers at the top of the food chain in places like Florida!
And sadly, I’m still waiting for my new windows and door - supply chain issues with aluminum for the windows and deck door in this case. And more damage has occurred because of yet another tornado in my little corner of heaven. God help Floridians. Biden might need to invoke the war powers manufacturing act to somehow support the manufacture of housing materials.
Vote for Democrats. Help get out the vote. Give to credible candidates. Support relief organizations. Rinse. Repeat.
We the people. All of us this time!
Yes! Writing GOTV postcards to GA. The vote in FL, if it takes place, will likely be contaminated. I hope Dems will bring suits if it is.
YES! That is EXACTLY the game played here in Florida not just by insurance companies who insure other things home related besides windstorm, but also by state run Citizens. My favorite insurance defense was back in Hurricane Wilma by State (SHIT) Farm. They claimed 'we insure against wind not water. It was the wind driven rain in the hurricane that ripped off your roof, so it is not covered. Plus, your roof was 10 years old, average life of roof is 13 years so we would only be liable for 3 years of roofing which is about the same as your deductible. Claim denied!' Ahhhh, ever seen a dry hurricane?! In the industry they call these language tricks 'having your lawyers write you out of coverage'. Of course, many of us have roofs that last for several decades. Insurance companies make their money by denying claims. It makes more sense to set aside your 'annual premium' in a separate account (say $4-5,000). After 10 years you saved enough to replace the roof.
Thanks for your report, Sheila.
Wishing you all the best.
I have been reading about the insurance problems with FL, and that DeSantis has been among the GOP elected officials refusing to fix the problem.
How very inconvenient for them for this hurricane to hit 1 month before an election. Let’s see if the problem becomes apparent to FL voters in time.
I dearly hope that this assures election of Charlie Crist, but suspect that in the aftermath of Ian Republicans will pull every possible dirty trick to mess up the vote - if one is held in the devastation.
I sure hope so.
Thanks for the clarification. It begs questions:
Why would any private insurance company want to provide coverage in "Hurricane Alley"?
Why should the rest of us subsidize insurance coverage for anyone anywhere who refuses to leave dangerous territory - coastal areas, rivers with a history of flooding, forests prone to burning?
Reality seems to elude the population and I am tired of the denial. Time for strategic withdrawals, me thinks.
You make some valid points. But it's a false sweeping generalization to assume that only the wealthy will impacted by these disasters. Au contaire, the poor and middle class will suffer the most.
Professor Richardson speaks truth with a historical perspective. I think the term "prejudice" has been pretty well captured by Repubican Magats. There is only one legitimate political party now. The GOP has gone to Q. Zero credibility. It is a sad avoidable tragedy.
... a dirty joke indeed!
DeSantis is the joke
Best I could tell, MSNBC and CNN provided almost no pulpit time to DeSantis on their hurricane Ian coverage… thereby depriving disease 🦠 of the opportunity to score hero points on national TV media. Could it be that MSNBC and CNN have finally recognized the mistakes they made in providing all that time to Trump during Trump’s presidential campaign? Could it be that they recognize that DeSantis is a fascist and a threat to our national security? I certainly hope that this is the case, and I loved not seeing them handing out all that free air time to that SOB.
Yes, but during weather disasters those affected go to local news meteorologists whose forecasting tools can pinpoint to minutes where something like a severe storm or tornado is occurring. Because DeSantis gave regular updates on mandatory evacuations and other safety plans people in Florida were watching. They are the ones who will re-elect him to the Governorship. This catastrophe and any others he deals with as Governor are all part of the presidential campaign platform he is building.
Blinded by his ideology
👍🏼
too true...!
He’s an utterly dishonest lying fool. And where, Governor DeSantis, would you get such a policy for the entire state of Florida and what would it cost you if you could? Because you will request the assistance before the storm even hits and demand it be at 100% reimbursement rate, but not admit that you need government. Are you that ignorant or that dishonest, and which is worse?
You can’t. I read on Twitter today that 6 insurance companies have pulled out of FL. Companies who are sticking around are charging astronomical rates. The same here in California, if you live near fire zones.
DeSantis and his ilk are dangerous, they're humanity's attempt to rival natural disasters. It is frightening to be (mis)ruled by suchlike.
Galling, humiliating, too, to be (mis)led by idiots. Government of, by and for fast-smooth-tongued idiots.
It's like a biblical travesty, airbrushed and re-worded to disguise its way into mainstream media.
Both.
Yes!
Can you imagine the deductible?!
I had to change my deductible from $1000 to $2500. Had to gulp really hard to keep my policy with the insurance company I've had for 30 years!
Sheesh!! That’s absurd! No reason for this😠
No kidding, there we are!
grrr... DeSantis sets my teeth on edge. He seems to be attempting to outlie and doublespeak more than Trump... I don't think he will succeed, but try he will.
What galls me is the media spin that so many people accept without question - the fact that people are willing to support the lies - I know not why!!
As H.L. Mencken observed 98 years ago and has yet to be shown mistaken since, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
Thank you. I have known the sense, but not the exact wording of that quote for years. It gets more and more true as the public education system shrinks.
YES!
It's because "illiberal democracy”, which really should be rebranded "illiterate democracy" has set in here. The media, both left and right, should be blamed for this glaring stupidity. Both pocket more bucks when they generate more heat, whether it's selling pulp or "clicks". The fourth estate has abandoned us, folks. We need to go after the tycoons running our media right after we lynch the politicians.
What would they do if money became worthless?
Seriously, I think if the worst happens, money will be worthless. That is why they are buying up yachts and islands now, so they have a place to go - their Final Resort!
Where they discover that John Galt owns the harbor and the mooring rights and he doesn’t accept Visa or Mastercard
Good. Let them go . People can start over from true ground - living from the heart - money has value, well applied - we cannot buy love, compassion and communion with others - too often, money does more to isolate and disassociate us from those fundamental qualities ... when everything comes with a price tag, and everything is for sale, true value dissipates like the waters receding due to exploitation of natural resources with no concern for whole ecological dynamics.
I dunno. Start marketing green toilet paper?
😁😂😁
Christ on a bike, advocating for murder!
I was speaking metaphorically, Kathy. I wasn't suggesting actual murder any more than I would have been advocating "burning at the stake", had I suggested "holding their feet to the fire" to force a change in behavior (though this might be more appropriate treatment of these rapacious corporate weenies, given the amount of real carnage their work has generated, especially the Fox and the Twitter crowd).
“Christ on a bike…” Very cool. Never heard that one before. It’s pretty evocative!
He was on a bike, Ned, before he graduated to the crutch....
It’s corporate advertising and power that is the center of this. Even NPR has ads.
👍🏼
So very true. Amen to that!
Here here
Apart from one certifiably deluded deluder -- the Teetotal D(elirium)T(remens) himself -- the liars know the truth. But they don't want anyone else to know it. Real estate and their entire house-of-cards economy in jeopardy.
Their natural allies: those who don't want to know, want only to cancel out their nightmares, cultivating melanoma in the southern sunshine.
... and so..., because they lack courage, or conscience to get real with whatever truth they believe they can conceal (not!) they become pawns on the gaming board of perpetual delusion ... {{as in Heaven forbid someone might think I am ... g.a.y. ... better get hitched up and perpetuate the pretense - get rid of anyone who reflects the difference ... spawn progeny conceived and born of a lie rather than true love ... no wonder we are such a confused lot!!}}
Conmen con themselves, too. They successfully con others but it's curious how they are prime victims of other, smarter conmen.
... such is the fate of living a lie ... may love be the law, and truth be the ground ... this is the path to freedom (imho) ....
... to which I might add ..., as humans, we are born with the capacity for wholeness (holiness) ... embracing masculine and feminine principles - some of us inside out, others outside in ... in my opinion, fixed gender identity is another ball and chain, locking free spirit into static pretense ... confined to dictates of limitation and imitation of truth ....
Kathleen, I think you mean gender stereotypes. Those castrate souls.
Your first words -- up to "principles" -- concern depth psychology. Archetypes. Underlying truths.
But aren't you mixing in the current (confusing) fashionable obsession with "gender"?
You set out speaking of wholeness, but while farmyard and Kraft-Ebbing issues are painfully real for individuals, I think the problems of psychopathology you have in mind lie deeper.
It ain't "I think, therefore I am". It's more like thinking oneself into a corner, a fragment of being.
Propaganda works, and Rupert and clones are masters.
Because mainstream media ignore the facts and Fox never airs them--opting for continuing the lies and increasing the spin; most of the Trump supporters I know ONLY get their "news" from Fox.
It's been shown that people who don't watch or read any news are better informed than people who get their "information" from Faux.
Sad but true.
When you hear someone with a single answer for everything (shrink federal government, deregulate, cut taxes), they no longer are able to understand the question.
Agree. Even though Biden proactively positioned assistance to respond, and will pour resources in to help, DeSantis will twist and distort things to claim Biden "deliberately withheld assistance" or "it was just a fraction of what was needed."
So, if I may ask, what's stopping them from having a private insurance policy?
This is about Arizona, but here's the Lincoln Project's take on Kari Lake's interesting idea that "we fire" the Feds:
https://youtu.be/4KTgMBgmCX4
I generally figure it's because they can't afford it ... still, did you see the comment above from 100Panthers?
"DeSantis' comment is particularly galling because 1-most private insurance has left Florida 2-the only flood insurance is provided by the federal government 3-when it came time for rates on federal flood insurance to rise to reflect reality instead of government subsidy Scott and Rubio cried 'foul' 4-the majority of windstorm insurance in Florida is provided by the state via 'Citizens Insurance' which is essentially bankrupt but for the state and is still haggling over paying for loses in Irma, it is a litigation disaster with huge caseloads pending. So DeSantis talking about private insurance is a joke.'
Thanks, Kathleen. Yes, saw 100Panthers' post. Takes me a bit of time to process, but now see how my question is answered!
Thanks for posting! Kari is a loon!
Bravo, Lynell!
Oh, wait. Pardon my Italian. It should have been Brava, Lynell!
LOL, Jim. I'll take them both!
... a non-binary affirmation ...!!
Cool link!!
Private insurance companies lost too much money in Florida on windstorm and departed the state. Same with flood insurance prior. After Hurricane Andrew, for example, State Farm canceled me and pulled out of the state for a while.
Republicans know how to fight, even against their own “kooks.”
Ian may very well push Florida over the edge. No amount of spin can deny our property insurance crisis.
“Instead, during the Regular Legislative Session this year, the Governor remained fixated on scaring the bejeebers out of his base on nonissues like critical race theory. Rather than demand insurance reform, DeSantis focused on marginalizing LGBTQ+ people and banning books.”
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/558733-joe-henderson-hurricane-ians-approach-exposes-floridas-insurance-crisis/
Real policy has no place when people want to fear monger. So they pick all the culture war nonsense and go with that to rile up the so-called Christians, so they will pack school board meetings and get on school boards. Here in Salem, the board has ended in person attendance at board meetings because they have become violent. In Newberg a judge has ruled that the board's decision to ban pride and BLM posters, etc. from classrooms is unconstitutional. Also here in Salem the malcontents are trying to recall three progressive board members partly because they have banned any guns on campus including concealed carry. They also lost on book ban attempts. As for Florida, I have an ex-student who resides on Sanibel who has marked herself safe. As I watched the vids from Naples, I had a hard time feeling really sorry as i have an ex-high school classmate who lives there who I had to cease communication with as i couldn't stop her from all caps about Obama. I did laugh once when she cited KBOO radio in Portland which a friend called slit your wrists radio and is far far left. Here in Oregon, the state has had to withdraw and redraw their wildfire map because those in it had a hissy fit. The new map is not yet available, but I am sure it will affect insurance rates. If I were making an insurance assessment, I would be alert to those who insist on living in the piney woods...or on any number of coastlines or flood plains.
Can’t ❤️ Yet but insurance companies take advantage of folks when catastrophes occur. In the early 80’s, California experienced unbelievable rains that literally washed homes off of their foundations. In Marin County, homes landed in the ocean. It was as devastating as what Floridians are experiencing. People sued their contractors and sub-contractors but guess what insurance companies did? They all go together and decided they would no longer cover insurance for those natural disasters. This left hundreds of thousands without remedy and FEMA just did so much then. The paperwork was daunting so people gave up. A disgrace.
It is a disgrace, but private entities are only interested in profit.
So true. I worked in insurance for 18 years. I know quite a few deals were made on the golf course…
Pathetic and greedy SOB
Total disconnect from reality for dum Sanctus! Private insurance IS in the tank nearly bankrupt! But he is not capable of understanding the issues! He’s a mini mindless dictator wannabe who is ‘fat dumb and happy’ secure in, get it, government housing!! Government health insurance!! Government paying for each meal he eats!!
We should call him comrade little Ron, living the life of a true socialist!
Wasn't Christie, the big man from New Jersey doing the exact same thing with Obama during Hurricane Sandy? History repeating itself. Climate change is no joke.
Best political meme had Christie ‘the round one’ lounging on the beach, he ordered all beaches closed shortly he was photographed on the beach in front of the state owned beach house for the NJ governor.
What a newsletter tonight! The thread running through it, the strong men, the wealthy, the power, worldwide. And here in our wealthy country, This: “The share of total wealth held by families in the top 1% increased from 27% to 34% in the same period. In 2019, families in the bottom half of the economy held only 2% of the national wealth, and those in the bottom quarter owed about $11,000 more than they owned.” Can we say EVERY repub administration rolls back social safety nets and stops progress for the people, and rewards the wealthy? Should we generalize? Will repubs ever care about income inequality, hungry children, guns in the context of school shootings and open carry intimidation, accidental deaths of children, degrading environment, fires and storms, within the climate crisis that are also destroying shorelines and oceanic environments. It’s so sad I know to focus on the negative. But we are watching a train wreck. As Historian Howard Zinn wrote, “ You can’t be neutral on a moving train.” https://www.democracynow.org/2022/9/5/you_cant_be_neutral_on_a
The morbidly rich who have SO much of the nation’s resources will never care about the vulnerable in our society or fixing things like aging infrastructure or controlling combat weaponry in the general population. Nor will the corporations who are people (based on a memo written by an aide of a corrupt justice) care about much more than buying their stock back. Small businesses need to invest their profits in their operations in order to sustain themselves. Large multinational corporations have a greater interest in buying back their stock to raise its price to please shareholders. All of this to say, the name of their game is SELFISHNESS/GREED.
YES, the rich care about their wealth. You nailed it, Jenn. This from The Atomic Bulletin, scientists who monitor and warn the people who have a hard time filtering noise from Truth. But we are more vulnerable for SURVIVAL than ever. Gas, Oil and War.
https://info.thebulletin.org/webmail/878782/611970790/3cb085225b8db8351a06061dc435f13a64fa09a3750a2a1a4cd2f71289a429ab
Thank you, Heather. You put a lot of work into this letter and I appreciate all that you are doing. I attended a Third Act call-in this evening and they are coordinating effective efforts by groups all over the country to join the fights for democracy and climate action. Inspiring!
Thank you, Dr Heather, for noting the hypocrisy of despicable DeSantis. Republican hypocrisy needs to be called out and shouted from the rooftops.
Thank you for pointing out supply side or trickle down economics have been redistributing wealth upwards to the wealthiest for the past 30 years. Thank you also for pointing out how Republicans feel Biden's economic policies are Socialist and redistributing wealth downwards. For 30 years the rich have gotten richer, the middle class working and those less fortunate have paid for it.
trickle down economics
trickle down economic
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trickle down econom
trickle down econo
trickle down econ
trickle down eco
trickle down ec
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Perfect visual. Thanks.
See David Stockman.
I love it. How about f- - - - ed up.
Robert🙏🤪
More like 90 years - from Will Rogers, Nov 26, 1932 “The money was all appropriated for the top in the hopes that it would trickle down to the needy. Mr. Hoover didn’t know that money trickled up. Give it to the people at the bottom and the people at the top will have it before night anyhow. But it will at least have passed through the poor fellow’s hands.” FDR and Truman fought back, so did Ike. But the greed never slept.
It’s engineering 101…..
the stronger the structure is at the bottom pretty much guarantees stability at the top.
What holds a bldg together?
Foundation
Right On! And now a significant portion of the working middle class and those less fortunate are reacting to their diminished status by supporting their con-man oppressors who urge them to "stick it to the libs". In my youth, this was sometimes known as "cutting off your nose to spite your face," When will they ever learn" indeed.
Perhaps when there is no one left to envy.
I hope that then, they will go after the cockroaches.
You will notice the cockroaches chose to inhabit the Republican populace. They mean to have it all and could have picked anyone’s cupboard, but they attacked the republicans first. We need to help the people. They are not the cockroaches. Your “cockroach” approach clarifies.
Pat, The Republicans are being drafted as cockroach killers. They will fill bags with their dead cockroaches and paid piecemeal. The Roach killers are going to be very busy and paid a minimum wage. Do you think that they'll go on strike?
Sorry Fern, I read it inside out. My take is the cockroaches are the bosses. They are picking off and bagging the republicans. Republicans who weren’t safely indoctrinated but escaped are being bagged and disposed of.
How often is it that 40 and some odd years are distilled in a few paragraphs? And when those years have brought a country, a mighty experiment with Democracy, innovative beyond our dreams...the American Dream down the road to autocracy, cruelty and fear, why add more words than the one's Heather Cox Richardson wrote in Letter from an American today?
'Since the 1980s, the argument for dismantling the government has been that federal regulations hamper the operation of the free market, thus slowing economic growth, while the taxes required to maintain a bureaucratic system take money away from those who otherwise would invest in businesses. The avowed theory is that a freely operating market will free up money on the “supply side” of the economy. Flush with cash, investors will theoretically pump that money into new enterprises that will hire workers, and everyone will prosper together.'
'Yesterday the Congressional Budget Office released a study of trends in the distribution of family wealth between 1989—immediately after President Ronald Reagan began the antiregulation and antitax push—and 2019. In those thirty years, total real wealth held by families tripled from $38 trillion to $115 trillion. But the distribution of that growth was not even.'
'Money moved toward the families in the top 10%, and especially in the top 1%, shifting from families with less income and education toward those with more wealth and education. In the 30 years examined, the share of wealth belonging to families in the top 10% increased from 63% in 1989 to 72% in 2019, from $24.3 trillion to $82.4 trillion (an increase of 240%). The share of total wealth held by families in the top 1% increased from 27% to 34% in the same period. In 2019, families in the bottom half of the economy held only 2% of the national wealth, and those in the bottom quarter owed about $11,000 more than they owned.'
'The relative invisibility of these statistics after forty years under Republican ideology has enabled today’s Republicans to insist the Democrats are “socialists” who are trying to redistribute wealth downward even as our laws are clearly redistributing it upward.'
'Last night, California governor Gavin Newsom, who is running for reelection, insisted on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner Tonight that Democrats must push back against the Republican domination of culture wars. Newsom pointed out that 8 of the 10 states with the highest murder rates are Republican states and that the gun death rate in Texas is 67% higher than that in California. Newsom expressed dismay that Democrats aren’t better at advocating their policies.'
'That omission is likely a result of the fact that after World War II, it never occurred to most Americans that anyone here would need to defend democracy. And yet we are now facing the rise of “illiberal democracy” or “Christian democracy,” which argues that democracy’s protection of equal rights weakens societies by destroying their moral core and by splitting the people internally. Its adherents call for limiting the vote; privileging white, heterosexual Christian citizens; and standing behind an authoritarian leader who will stamp out opposition—that is, a system that is not a democracy at all.'
'There is a direct correlation between growing economic inequality and the growing popularity of authoritarianism. Scholars of authoritarian systems note that a population that feels economically, religiously, or culturally dispossessed is an easy target for an authoritarian who promises to bring back a mythological world in which its members were powerful.'
'But, having lifted strongmen into power, they learn that they were only tools to put in place someone whose decisions are absolute and who is no longer bound by the law.'
***
Fern, yes. This newsletter brilliantly puts together what we the people need to know. And then your last lines, “ But, having lifted strongmen into power, they learn that they were only tools to put in place someone whose decisions are absolute and who is no longer bound by the law.'”
It’s like the folk song, “When Will they Ever Learn?” https://youtu.be/QmBLSGy6g58
Peter Paul and Mary. Who can answer about wars far away and here with weapons or government control and destruction. There are choices for the good of the people. And between good and evil. It’s enough to bring us to tears.
Peter Paul and Mary popularized it, but Pete Seeger wrote it and first performed it.
Here's the man and the song.
Pete Singer - Where Have all the Flowers Gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1tqtvxG8O4
Thank you, Fern. And TC. This is so absolutely beautiful. Pete Seeger, my favorite, to write and share, to teach. A Human Being. Of courage. He, like many artists, folk musicians, were social activists, targeted by the right, McCarthy. Just like today, the Right wants to shut up the “righteous.” Pete Seeger was of the people, a teacher to the end. A Humanitarian. My friend in Cambridge, retired Children’s librarian, brought him to the schools. My heart is full. ❤️
Pete Seeger - This Land is Your Land
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE4H0k8TDgw
Pete Seeger - Solidarity Forever, Hudson Valley Area Labor Federation - March 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyMmv8LqCmY
Again, Gratitude, Fern. Pete Seeger, a true American Hero. The Hudson River was his project. Peace and Justice and Equality. Solidarity Forever! The Union makes us strong. This is an amazing history lesson an “education.” And calls out the “bad guys.” By Name. Thank You!!!
Thanks Fern.
Yes, Irenie. Thank for the 'learning' song. The line about strongmen was HCR's. Today she sang her hymn to us about America.
Well said, Fern...Heather is our consequential songstress, for sure.
One more, always more for Truth. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger. Some of Pete Seeger’s and the American story. And the Weavers. Good Night Irene, one of my favorites.
Thanks, Irenie!
Oh - and don't forget the amazing (and toxic) influence of Friedman and the Chicago school of economics.
Friedman destroyed the middle class with his "shareholder capitalism" versus the inclusive "stakeholder capitalism" that drove the massively-growing economy, and strong middle class, of the 50s & 60s.
Friedman admitted decades later that his theories and policies had "unintended economic consequences." Ya think?!
Intended, I think
I'm actually not sure. It was such a new field of study and theory in the 20th Century (economics) and there was no history whatsoever in the US or worldwide to look to for longitudinal outcomes--not that this society is much like others anyway. Friedman was creating something from nothing, and his economic theory seemed cleaner (1 point to consider) and faster to implement to try to bring the country back to the enormous economic success resulting from the ad hoc economy that developed post Depression and WWII. That economy was too "diverse" and "less focused" on how to maximize outcome (growth). It wasn't named "stakeholder capitalism" because that term wasn't used back then, nor was Friedman's theory called "shareholder capitalism." It takes decades for the outcomes to be truly known, and I don't know if Friedman ever imagined his theory would be used as justification for laying off thousands due to off-shoring--with nothing to replace the lost jobs. I think he didn't appreciate the degree of greed his theory would unleash in America once it was adopted.
Meanwhile, across the pond, the British Pound is tanking, largely due to their current leadership's adherence to "supply side economics". One might think that an Eton-Cambridge-Harvard educated economist (Kwasi Kwarteng) might have noted the last 40 years of the U.S's economic history. Stay tuned for more proof that smart people can often do stupid things.
Have I got something for you, Mr. Abbott. Apologies as I could not find a link to this. It is from WorldView newsletter from WAPO:
'Britain is staring down the barrel of a self-inflected economic catastrophe. This week saw the pound fall to an all-time low against the dollar amid a mass sell-off of U.K. bonds. Analysts are laying the blame on just one man.
Kwasi Kwarteng, 47, has been chancellor of the exchequer, Britain’s top economic position, for less than a month, but he’s hardly inexperienced. Before he became a member of Parliament in 2010, he had worked at investment banks and hedge funds. He studied at Eton College, earned a doctorate from Cambridge and was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard. An economic historian by training, he’s written several well-received books and won numerous scholarships.
And yet, within weeks of entering new prime minister Liz Truss’s government, this economic expert appears to have tanked the British economy.
How did this happen?
On the surface, the story seems simple. On Friday, Kwarteng announced a “mini-budget.” In fact, it contained major moves such as the abolition of the top income tax rate of 45 percent for people earning more than 150,000 pounds and a scrapping of the cap on banker bonuses.
These moves were expected to dramatically decrease government income. But at the same time, Truss’s government planned to spend enormous sums of money to insulate consumers from soaring energy bills that are partly the result of the war in Ukraine. This means that it is borrowing a large amount of money amid rapidly rising prices.
It doesn’t take a doctorate from Cambridge to see that those sums simply don’t add up.
The markets’ reaction? Panic. On Monday, the pound fell to the equivalent of $1.03 — a 22 percent decline from six months before. Inflation, already high, is expected to soar as interest rates rise, adding to what has been dubbed the “cost-of-living crisis” in Britain. Two days later, the Bank of England stepped in with an emergency pledge to buy unlimited bonds in a desperate bid to shore up the British economy.
The International Monetary Fund — one of the world’s top financial institutions — weighed in with the sort of rebuke usually reserved for tinpot dictatorships and banana republics. “The nature of the UK measures will likely increase inequality,” the U.N.-backed fund said in a deeply critical note published Tuesday.
The mini-budget looks to be a bigger disaster for the British economy scale than Brexit, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. So, why did Truss’s government do it?
Analysts have been left scratching their heads, particularly as Truss’s government flouted requirements for the budget to be appraised by Office for Budget Responsibility.
But many believe that clues can be found in Kwarteng’s writings on economics, which detail a disputed — arguably, radical — view of the benefits of extremely free trade. Most notable is a book written by Kwarteng, Truss and other Conservative MPs that was published in 2012, titled Britannia Unchained.
That book argues that Britain had become a “bloated state” with “high taxes” and “excessive regulation” and that only by taking an aggressively free-market, libertarian stance would shake the country into powerful economic growth. In this view, Britain looks particularly terrible when compared with fast-growing Asian economies.
“Whereas Indian children aspire to be doctors or businessmen, the British are more interested in football and pop music,” the book wrote.
The authors of Britannia Unchained were, at the time, accused of chasing headlines. But as the Financial Times noted this week, Kwarteng’s other work on economic history shows an embedded distrust of financial markets and bankers that is newly relevant.
His doctoral thesis — focused on the less-than-headline-grabbing topic of William III’s decision to reissue England’s coinage in 1695-96 — argued that “the interest of the goldsmith and banker was anything but inimical to the wider good of the nation.”
Few would argue against the idea that Britain’s economy needs some sort of shake-up. The economy has slumped since the financial crash of 14 years ago, with a mean growth rate of just 1 percent for the years since compared with 2.7 percent between 1948 and 2008.
Kwarteng’s mini-budget appears to be creating a kind of supply-side economics shock therapy for Britain. The inspiration may come from America and, in particular, the U.S. counterpart to the British chancellor’s idol, Margaret Thatcher: President Reagan, who was said to be “starving the beast” when cutting back on state funding by diminishing government income.
As Adam Tooze, a Columbia University economist, put it for the Guardian this week, the market chaos could theoretically aid this idea: “Cut taxes and, as public revenues contract, this will create irresistible pressure for spending cuts. The argument is all the more urgent if you can invoke pressure from the financial markets.”
But Britain is not America. “Reaganomics” had the backing of not only the world’s strongest economy but also its preeminent currency, the mighty U.S. dollar.
The Britain that Truss and Kwarteng are leading has neither. Some of their keenest supporters have yet to admit that Britain is a fading power, increasingly irrelevant economically as its growth stagnates. The Financial Times’s Janan Ganesh wrote this week that “so much of what Britain has done and thought in recent years makes sense if you assume it is a country” of 330 million people with $20 trillion annual output.
Judging by the reaction to the mini-budget, the markets just don’t buy it. Bankers do not believe that the cuts will lead to growth. Some appear genuinely shocked that the British government would make a choice to boost its deficit by so much at this time — and do so not because of economic hardship, but because of political choices.
“It’s not so much that the package is large, but that the government doesn’t seem to mind — and at times seems to welcome the controversy of a strategy that rebels against orthodoxy,” J.P. Morgan wrote in a note to clients later republished by the Wall Street Journal.
Kwarteng and his allies appear to have been taken by surprise by the market reaction. But they have offered little public comment to reassure bankers, let alone the country. “He doesn’t seem very focused on or politically very sensitized to the impact of interest rates going up on mortgages,” one unnamed member of Parliament told the Economist.
Tony Travers, a politics professor at the London School of Economics, told The Washington Post, “They are prepared to risk unpopularity because they think it will work in the long term.”
If it does eventually work, much of the praise will probably go to Kwarteng rather than Truss, whose political and economic views appear to have faltered significantly over time. Kwarteng is seen as a true believer in supply-side economics, one who was described as “essentially an academic” by another MP’s wife. The son of Ghanaian immigrants, he is also the first Black person to hold the position of chancellor of the exchequer.
And if it doesn’t work? There is already speculation that Truss’s government will sink before the next election, which under current rules must be called before January 2025. That would mean the fifth British leader in a decade or less, political instability on top of economic instability.
And Kwarteng, the economic historian, will have earned himself a place in the economic history books: As the chancellor who proved his own ideology didn’t work.'
This is so idiotic as to be almost beyond belief. Criminal? Is it in order to be kept in power by the rich? Is it to bring down the monarchy?
I think Kwasi Kwarteng's ideology was well explained in the piece. It suits Truss as well.
Remember, the mantra is "I've got mine, screw you".
Having observed all of this as it affected my voting, I am delighted to see the details.
After suffering through the Amiable Dunce, Governor Moonbeam (twice), Gray "It's my turn!" Davis, several idiot Republicans (thanks, Pete Wilson, for finally turning California decisively blue with prop 187), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (who was actually better than people will admit - among other things he was the one who led the fight to depoliticize redistricting, which has made the GOP illegal here), it's a real privilege to have someone like Gavin Newsom, who knows how to take the fight to the enemy (when he was mayor of San Francisco, he approved and officiated at gay marriages while they were illegal under prop 8, thus pushing the legal fight that got Prop 8 overturned). I think he just might be the party's future.
As to "Republican economics" as practiced by congressman DeSantis in 2013, allow Alexander Stevens, VP of the confederate States of America, to explain modern Republican economics, from his 1861 "cornerstone speech":
Again, the subject of internal improvements, under the power of Congress to regulate commerce, is put at rest under our system. The power, claimed by construction under the old constitution, was at least a doubtful one; it rested solely upon construction. We of the South, generally apart from considerations of constitutional principles, opposed its exercise upon grounds of its inexpediency and injustice. Notwithstanding this opposition, millions of money, from the common treasury had been drawn for such purposes. Our opposition sprang from no hostility to commerce, or to all necessary aids for facilitating it. With us it was simply a question upon whom the burden should fall. In Georgia, for instance, we have done as much for the cause of internal improvements as any other portion of the country, according to population and means. We have stretched out lines of railroads from the seaboard to the mountains; dug down the hills, and filled up the valleys at a cost of not less than $25,000,000. All this was done to open an outlet for our products of the interior, and those to the west of us, to reach the marts of the world. No State was in greater need of such facilities than Georgia, but we did not ask that these works should be made by appropriations out of the common treasury. The cost of the grading, the superstructure, and the equipment of our roads was borne by those who had entered into the enterprise. Nay, more not only the cost of the iron no small item in the aggregate cost was borne in the same way, but we were compelled to pay into the common treasury several millions of dollars for the privilege of importing the iron, after the price was paid for it abroad. What justice was there in taking this money, which our people paid into the common treasury on the importation of our iron, and applying it to the improvement of rivers and harbors elsewhere? The true principle is to subject the commerce of every locality, to whatever burdens may be necessary to facilitate it. If Charleston harbor needs improvement, let the commerce of Charleston bear the burden. If the mouth of the Savannah river has to be cleared out, let the sea-going navigation which is benefited by it, bear the burden. So with the mouths of the Alabama and Mississippi river. Just as the products of the interior, our cotton, wheat, corn, and other articles, have to bear the necessary rates of freight over our railroads to reach the seas. This is again the broad principle of perfect equality and justice, and it is especially set forth and established in our new constitution.
As with every other evil thing in the modern Republican party, "Republican Economics" are Southernomics."
"As with every other evil thing in the modern Republican party, "Republican Economics" are Southernomics."
Link for that?
You can also read him demolish the argument that the war wasn't about slavery.
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/cornerstone-speech
"Since the 1980s, the argument for dismantling the government has been that federal regulations hamper the operation of the free market, thus slowing economic growth,
The so-called "free market" given the way Republicans use the term. It needs to be distinguished from legitimate uses of of the word"free", which in the context of human societies denotes "freedom" only when it is broadly based. Where choice and agency is concentrated in few hands, but where choice, influence and opportunity are broadly shared by all, a free society.
The "few hands" version is what tyranny is. In commerce, we call it "monopoly" or "oligarchy", which Republicans unabashedly promote, but in such societies the capture of power bleeds over into other realms as well, as we saw in the "Gilded Age".
We spent decades trying to make the deal more even handed. What has been the attraction and what has been the reward of giving that up? And as for the Holy Grail of Growth, would it not make sense to ask of what and for what, for whom, and at what cost?
I listened to Gov. Newsom’s comments on Democrats needing to take a more assertive confrontational stand and I agree wholeheartedly. It might move some undecideds and galvanize Democrats to turn out in higher numbers in November. And perhaps, over time, such a posture might begin to chip away at the Right.
But many of the people Professor Richardson refers to in today’s Letter who are being lied to by the Radical Right, believe the lies - they are long-held truths, cauterized into their sense of self.
‘’Scholars of authoritarian systems note that a population that feels economically, religiously, or culturally dispossessed is an easy target for an authoritarian who promises to bring back a mythological world in which its members were powerful.’’
The push back against the RR’s hypocrisy and lies, the reeducation if you will of the MAGA electorate, is an overwhelmingly difficult lift. If those folks wanted to listen, they would have by now – they don’t. Many have been voting against their own economic interests for decades, and those who benefit from the economic policies of the Right have long since stopped caring about the fate of their fellow citizens.
It appears to me that the cultural issues are what bind the devoted cohort of MAGAs to the Trumpist cause. He is their bullhorn – with equal measures of ‘’bull’’ and ‘’horn’’- and they are unlikely to distance themselves from tfg and his acolytes no matter the strength of the arguments.
Our victory will be won on the margins; Newsom’s quest will succeed if Democrats organize themselves, recruit new voters, get them to the polls, and convince them to be engaged in local, State and national elections. He is getting the word out to those who might listen, but more importantly, he is inspiring the choir to action.
Thank you Heather.
There is so much news unfolding it is difficult to keep up. I appreciate you keeping us between the guard rails.
I was listening to NPR the other day when the Roger Stone story broke regarding his true distain for Democrats. It's one thing to read about his hatred, yet another level to hear him talk about it first hand.
As I lay here in bed fighting the new "Covid clone virus", I cannot wrap my head around what makes a person blanket their hate around an entire group of people just because of their Party affiliation.
Yet, people cheer Roger Stone on.....
Different and frankly more important subject to me. Have we heard from our community friend Christine from Florida?
Can we get a shout out from all of our Florida friends to know you are all okay and out of harms way from Hurricane Ian?
Be safe. Be well.