I wish that you and the mainstream media would stop suggesting that uneducated white males voted for Trump for any other reason than racial resentment. Yes, they are getting screwed by big corporations, but the reason they voted for Trump is that he is a genius at stoking their rage.
They didn't vote for Trump because Harris was not liberal enough, because they didn't understand the policies she articulated, because she didn't have enough time to reach Americans, because Biden's war mongering. Because she said this and she should have said that, or she did this and she should have done that.
They voted against a black woman because she is a black woman.
Remember the quote from LBJ: "If you can convince the poorest white man that he is still better than the Negro, you can pick his pockets all day long."
You reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from union leader Frank Sobotka of the series "The Wire." "You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now, all we do is put our hand in the next guy's pocket."
Frank describes the financialization of America, the last stage of capitalism. I don't want to believe our country is on the decline. I want leaders to understand what Robert Reich is teaching and what Bernie Sanders knows to lead us to prosperity for all, not just for the greedy few.
Gloria, I agree with you and that I also believe we are reaching the last stage of capitalism. The plundering of the purchasing power of the consumers will be the downfall of capitalism for as we lose our purchasing power, there will be no one to buy the products that the large corporations are offering us. If indeed, we are reaching the last stage of capitalism what do we have in place to replace it with? Personally, I have been doing some reading about the system of “Economic Democracy” and I do see a future for us by transitioning to that system. You can look up “Economic Democracy” on Wikipedia and or you can read the following article on the “Crisis and Transition “ Substack. https://crisistransition.substack.com/p/post-capitalist-compatibility-degrowth
It’s worse than that- the system is collapsing because it’s ONLY about consuming. How much stuff (reference George Carlin’s routine on Stuff- he nailed it) can producers cram down our throats to increase their profits? My form of protest is Not Buying, especially from the gouges- Unilever, GM, etc… wherever possible I find products with less chemicals and waste, preferably from smaller companies in the US.
I like everything about PROUT but it requires an educated public to understand it and we are far from that and going the opposite direction. 21% of our public is considered illiterate and 54% operate on less than a 6th grade literacy rate. We need to strengthen our educational system but we just put in people (trump) who want to do the opposite.
trump knows how to appeal to people's emotions which is what works with these people.
With Trumps cabinet picks the education system is only going to get worst and good teachers will leave willing or be or be forced out because they are teaching kids to do critical thinking. The Republicans want to dumb down America. They only care about money and power, damn, the rest of us.
Beverley, as a retired teacher, I can tell you that there are a lot of good teachers trying really hard to teach critical thinking and the other important skills, but what students consume through our social media is not that. They choose to find "nothing" answers on every media platform and will consume that instead of something more nourishing, like truly being able to understand a concept and use it. And, Trump and Kump are soooo not the brightest bulbs in any string and they don't want people in power who are smarter than they are and that is a low low bar.
They want uneducated serfs who will have to do the dirtiest jobs possible. Like the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where one serf says “There goes the King.”
They want a Constitutional Convention but don't seem to realize that the republicans would control the convention. Each state gets a vote and the republicans have most of the states. They could rewrite our Constitution.
Thanks so much for the link, Marc. Such a thought provoking read. Might be a switch worth making and if everything goes to hell in a handbasket as so many of us fear, it might be the perfect opportunity to do something truly radical.
Remember how wrong Russia went with its revolution? It depends on how local and who promotes the new spiritual paradigm and what it is. We want to avoid returning to feudalism and individual fiefdoms.
When the ponderous Soviet Union economic and political system failed, it seemed that no one had thought about an alternate political and economic future. As a result, the former Soviet Union’s resources were plundered by capitalists from surrounding countries and which was followed by the rise of the oligarchs. Also as a result, the Union fell apart and gave rise to independent countries. Many, such as Ukraine and Estonia have done quite well on their own.
It seems to me that our democracy is failing because we encourage the rich to get richer at the expense of all other living beings. The winner-takes-all rule encourages this, because then the winner makes rules more in favor of them winning.
Business is designed to allow those at the top to make all the decisions alone. So Musk brags about firing everyone and starting all over, regardless of the harm it causes - just so that he gets a bigger share of the company profits. Citizens United allows the richest people to have the loudest voices. That is not free speech, that is allowing the concentration of power at the top.
The use of delegates to control voting outcome was perhaps useful 200 years ago, but not it is a relic leading to 'swing states' (any state with a 50-50 voting population, to jump to 100-0 result, - ultimately leading to the winner often determined by a random chance, and certainly to an open invitation to cheat on the count.
With these basic flaws in our rules, democracy doesn't have a chance.
the final result is slavery - which is what some of the population want, and the ultra rich strive to obtain. .... The basic difference between old fashioned cotton picking slavery and being without a home, is that the slaves at least get fed to work.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
A big shift in the economy happened in the 1970's. The offshoring of industry to F.I.R.E. (finance, insurance, and real estate). You make money by manipulating money.
Something for you to research, as if you don't have other things to do, lol., was The Powell Memorandum. From Greenpeace: The Lewis Powell Memo: A Corporate Blueprint to ... Written in 1971 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Lewis Powell Memo was a blueprint for corporate domination of American Democracy.
From my notes Noam Chomsky said: "Redesigning the economy began in the 70's. The so-called Neo-Liberal shift to try to shift decisions from the public arena to what's called the "market". Neoliberalism is basically the idea to privatize, reduce the role of public institutions. The ideology claims it's increasing freedom. It's actually increasing tyranny. It means that instead of decisions and choices being made in the public arena, where the public in principle has some kind of role to the degree the state is democratic, maybe an actual role, shifting it dramatically to private tyrannies." Full stop. there's much more Thank you.
Bernie should have been the one running against Trump back in 2016. The voters wanted a choice between them and they said so. ANOTHER big mistake by Democrats. When are they going to stop making blunder after blunder?
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
On that count, Centrist Democrats FAIL! FEARFUL of being labeled "Socialist" or "Communist"! Rugged Capitalism untethered by Regulations, Enforcement, and Social Benefits for ALL, has never worked. Trump / Vance Republicans will drive this nation into a Depression reminiscent of Herbert Hoover!
I very much wish that I could be sure that financialization is the last stage of capitalism. I am afraid that it isn't, that stages worse than anything Marx could imagine are yet to come.
1 Marx did not simply dismiss capitalism. He was impressed by it. He argued that it has been the most productive system that the world has seen.
2 Marx accurately predicted that capitalism would foster what is today referred to as globalization. He saw capitalism creating a world market in which countries would become increasingly interdependent.
Anyway Capitalism is not the enemy of mankind, tyranny is.
Tyranny comes in many forms from the tyranny of the masses such as cultural communism ( which accounts for the rise of Trump).
In fact all tyranny exists because of support from the masses. As Mao said" The revolution swims in the sea of the people.
What we are witnessing is the logical organization of society. A nobility, a ruling class and the commons. The House of Lords (Senate) and the House of commons (House of Representatives)
The Soviet Empire had their nobility and their commoners. Milovan Djilas, a Yugoslavian Communist and political leader, in the New Class defined the new class as the political bureaucracy, "a monopoly over the working class itself". This "new class actually seized the lion's share of the economic and other progress earned by the sacrifices and efforts of the masses"
This is inevitable. In Iran the ayatollahs, live large with four wives, at the expense of the people,Putin in Russia lives large at the expense of the people.
As troublesome and difficult as Democracies are, the people in it prosper, and in America that prosperity is coming to an end. will it go out with a bang or a whimper.
Here Marx describes communism in the exact opposite of what it is
For as soon as the distribution of labour comes into being, each man has a particular, exclusive sphere of activity, which is forced upon him and from which he cannot escape. He is a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman, or a critical critic, and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood; while in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic.
In a democratic capitalist society, each person has the freedom to do what they want to do, be a hunter in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening , in a communist society your fate was cast the day you were born, either a laborer or a member of the new class.
Thank you for the reminder, Gloria, and thanks to Prof. Reich for laying bare the diversion of wealth from labor to the ultra-rich. This 'financialization' scheme signals the entrenchment of an oligarchy that enables the pliant emperor drumpf. The ringmasters of the scheme of national theft like musk, ramaswamy, bezos and dimon play an increasingly dangerous game to assume that drumpf's behavior pointing toward anarchy will not leave their fleeting financial empires in ruins, and the rest of us in the streets and the fields scratching for survival. So much for mr. he-alone-can-fix-us. P.S. my supply business with industrial raw materials has survived a few ups and downs since the Ford Admin, and let me say that the heaviest gut-punch to the consumer occurs when the petrochemical supply line and that of other mineral raw materials shuts down. Essentially none of the gyrations of the economy for the four years past are the fault of the Biden Administration. Place the blame on the 'other guy' who went before.
Our democratic leaders have been frozen in fear; fear of the unknown, fear for safety of their family, and loved ones, and fear of their own loss of power and influence. All the good thoughts and advice here and on other Substack forums float over their heads like silent clouds. Democrats need a young energetic firebrand to shake them out of their stupor and put us back into decency and democracy. How? Instruct the leaders of our military to refuse to cooperate with Trump‘s troopers on pain of indictment for treason while there is still time. Once Trump and his minions take office and acquire power to command them, it will be too late.
Remember that the Fed raised interest after the Oil embargo of 1973 and mortgages were at 12-13%. Chairman Volker justified this decision to break inflation. The problem was the value of the dollar rose to 2X the Japanese Yen or the German Mark. Manufacturing in the USA was shipped overseas as no manufacturer could be competitive with those low costs. Gas prices at the pump rose from $0.29 to $1.10 per gallon. Inflation was stopped, Manufacturing Jobs were lost, and the price of gas never went back down. Wages increased dramatically and the cost of energy was absorbed but manufacturing jobs and many factories in small towns disappeared.
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Capitalism schmapitalism! A fancy word for greed and grinding the lesser haves. America has ALWAYS been ALL ABOUT MONEY -- and I am not referring to hard work and an honest dollar. Greed has ruled this land since Europeans came, to the point that West Africans were kidnapped (with their kinsman’s complicity), and taken halfway across the world. They were forced into brutal enslavement for 250 years to build the infrastructure of this new world. The slave women were raped to create more slave stock. This quality of greed, f-you ness, and cruelty is the foundation on which America was built. Now this greed, fomented for 400 years, is folding over and the country is starting to eat itself. Greed is baked into America’s DNA. There is no foundation of kindness, honesty, and civility to harken back to.
Not just America Faginzorro, but the world. It is the way of humanity.
Greed is simply the drive for social dominance, The more wealth you have the more power you have.
I sat on the grass at Marymoor park, listening to a Peter, Paul and Mary concert, I was surrounded by gray hairs, that use to be long hairs in tie dye and beads, but drove up in Mercedes, BMW's and Cadillacs.
I asked the guy seated next to me, "what ever became of us", his reply was short and to the point "we own stuff"
The greed has not been fomenting for 400 years, and it in fact is the reason that you are alive, eat and live well, and can afford to sit behind a computer on the internet and pontificate you are of a superior morality.
You aren't, maybe the problem is that they have "made it" and you haven't.
When a person attains a privileged position in the hierarchy, they will do anything to protect that position, and the best way to protect it is to get more of that which enables you to protect it. Money to get the power, power to protect the money.
This country was founded by property owning men and designed to be ruled by property owning men by way of representation, the vote, After the 1st two elections, the sovereign states, one by one enfranchised men who did not own property. it did not become a democracy until the 15th,17th and 19th Amendments.
But greed, well that is part and parcel of the human condition.
Did you know that the very first case of legal slavery was that of a black planter named of Anthony Johnson who filed suit for the return of a John Casor.
John Casor (surname also recorded as Cazara and Corsala),[1] a servant in Northampton County in the Colony of Virginia, in 1655 became one of the first people of African descent in the Thirteen Colonies to be enslaved for life as a result of a civil suit.
He had been indentured to Anthony Johson, himself a former indentured servant, who was released and became a planter, with indentured servants.
Indentured servants were essentially contract employees, like professional ball players, and were treated harshly by many a planter, especially since by terms of the indenture they had to provide them with seed corn, a musket and amule at the end of their indenture.
Johnson abused Casor, and Casor ran off to a nearby planter and Johnson sued for his return and the court declared him to be the property of Johson,however i wasn't until 1661 when the House of Burgess passed a law legalizing slavery and outlawing miscegenation.
I just finished reading it and am now reading "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent" by Isabel Wilkerson. Both have given me a new understanding of our society and where we came from.
Thanks for mentioning this. I thought I bought it a few years but I got what seemed to be an AI ripoff. I’ll look it up, though I’m not in any doubt about the existence of US castes.
💓Reich💓:"...Democrats have offered no alternative explanation for what’s happened to average working people or agenda for remedying it. Trump's baseless explanation and agenda are the only ones available."
💓Get the Sense of the D with D-sense: Desensitization💓
aka "Do one thing every day that scares you."--Eleanor Roosevelt
FDR and UN.org:FREEDOM FROM FEAR...but scientifically so FREEDOM FROM PLACEBO AND FREEDOM FROM MILITANT PLACEBOEES (aka Racists, Fascists, other Gullibles that are control freaks, etc
Excellent post Christopher Racism has always been a foundational characteristic of the white working class That is the genius of Norman Lear and his All in the family Dr King also realized this and after 1964 focused on uniting the white poor and working classes with minority poor and working class This view was the catalyst for his death by assassination Unless the Democrats aggressively attack corporate capitalism they are doomed because they will never out corporatize the Republicans and in trying they then force the GOP to make the battie on culture where they lose The Democrats must move to the right of the Republicans on culture and to the left on economics
Maybe he/she’s an oligarch and really will have a sweet outcome. Except for breathing dirty air, drinking contaminated water, taking quack medicine, and having to deal with those pesky wildfires and hurricanes.
Democratic economic policies were too complex for the average American to understand. The promise was, “We're going to build some factories and heck maybe you just might benefit, but there's no guarantee of it."
The Dems need to offer an economic Bill of Rights centered on a lifetime right to free job retraining.
Dems can win by selling ONE BIG Idea
Free lifetime job retraining for all American citizens
The majority of Americans who support Trump are either willfully ignorant, uneducated, insecure, racist, or selfish. And if/when Trump tanks this country, they'll be the last to accept accountability, just like their president.
Most of the reasons people cited for voting for Trump are inaccurate, based on lies and overall ignorance of voters, too often willful ignorance, and, of course, the sexism and racism that runs through the veins of this country.
The armies of racism are out of the closets and into the streets now . Trump's victory has emboldened them.
I will be wearing this "Totally Unhinged Radical Libera"l t-shirt the next four years 👇
Trouble you have there Heather, is you’ve painted yourself into a corner…
The ‘majority’ you speak of will remain a ‘majority’, in terms of those characteristics. And they’ll support Trump whatever does, as you said.
So the Dems had either better find a way of getting another bunch of voters to turn up at the polling stations, or give them something they understand, which sounds unlikely!
So you might like to write something more satyrical to cheers us all up for the next 4 years…
Too true. The $10 million or so spent by Russia was what turned the tide against the $1500 million the Harris campaign spent, not counting the lobbying by UK campaign consultants for Harris, and of course Israel spending over $100 million to ensure we had two candidates openly celebrating mass murder in the middle east. The reason the democrats have not crony capitalism and sleazy insider trading is that they benefit from it as much as the Republicans do. Until the DNC (or the RNC)is taken over by folks who actually want to change the status quo, there will be no major differences between legislative actions taken regardless of which party is in control of any branch.
Daniel, you gave it all, and I understand you frustration. The Republican trifecta is a great triumph for Putin, but scapegoating him for our loss is evasion of responsibility. We failed in more ways than one, and we must move on with 2028 in our minds. We know what voters want, and we know what Republicans want. We must produce our Project 2028 without wasting a minute.
It's too late for the democrats, they've continually fucked up and for too damn long. A 3rd party movement is needed and a Revolution is needed. Fortunately, we can create an incredible app for both. Here's how: https://www.humbledeeds.com
Bob, I understand your concern. However, I intend to engage the approximately 50% of voters who don't vote, as well as the other voters. You heard it here, first. Thanks for your comment.
than your still following along with the 2 parties. read my comment to Lee earlier. i think that's what their argument was for ending the choice that the forefathers wanted.
Lee: According to Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, there is already a revolution afoot: "this is a second revolution, and it will be bloodless if the left allows it".
William, if the Revolution does not include the left and the right, then I don't believe it will be a Revolution. You won't change my mind about this. Any single sided 'Revolution' is a dangerous exacerbation of our already ridiculous, though currently mild and long simmering, father vs. son, neighbor vs. neighbor, brother vs. nephew, sister vs. aunt, my idiot Warpig is better than your woke Warpig, Civil War. Let me know if you need any further explanation.
Then I'll continue to fantasize, until I'm dead or until I succeed, whichever comes first. What do you think when you hear the word Revolution? Because what I've in mind is probably far from what you may be assuming...
I agree with you about a 3rd party.. i read that the founding fathers wanted there to be more than 2 parties. but somewhere after the Republicans came along in the mid 1800s both parties fought against it. and so the public went along with it. as usual. now if you bring it up people think it's a fantasy. or you're a troublemaker. myself i believe we need it. it has to be better than the crap we've got NOW.
This would be the ideal solution. In order to help it succeed, lobbying state governments to adopt ranked choice voting for all elections, and level the playing field by requiring all candidates on a ballot follow the same process, not allowing two private corporations to determine who they want on a public ballot, and everyone else having a different process.
Sean, have not you received the memo. That business as usual is dead.
Ranked choice voting in a country that is modeled after Hungary and Russia.
Do you not understand that Trump, using Project 2025 as a blueprint will deconstruct our politics and our constitution. Sure there will be elections in the future, just like there are elections in Hungary and Russia
The time is now to organize a resistance, but stay off cell phones and the internet,for they are being monitored by NSA at the humongous Bluffdale, UT data center.
Alan, what did Heather say was so wrong she painted herself into a corner?
Actually you confirmed her. She said that Trump humpers will suffer but never accept the fact that they are responsible for their own situation
You said that regardless they will remain the majority.
Heather hasn't painted herself into anything, because she doesn't have the paint or the brush. She has simply made a prediction, a forecast of what is to come.
If that bothers you, then she is either wrong and time will tell, or you are particularly bothered by the likelihood of that prediction becoming reality.
I suggest the latter, otherwise you would not have felt the need to react, as you did when you read her post and your heart rate increased.
If you need to be cheered up, give up on the internet, read or watch rom coms.
I agree, and that is why I gave up on MSNBC, once in awhile they will have a guest who throws out something interesting.
I will watch BBC's Christiane Amanpour and Company, though I do detect her own personal bias (what human doesn't have one?)
Last night on Amanpour and Company, appeared Paul Rozensweig , former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security a self confessed conservative said that Trump is an existential threat to America And Biden should not attend Trumps inauguration as that is normalizing him, and that he should follow the precedence of Washington and Carter by issuing a blanket pardon for all those whom Trump has threatened, and that from a conservative.
Has he shown up on any MSNBC show ? Not that I can find via google.
Good points Heather. I'm sure it was an oversight but misogyny, in my opinion, is one of the foundation blocks of DT's beliefs and rants. His life long perverted sexual attacks both verbal and physical on women should have appalled every citizen in our country. Most were, but evidently enough agreed that "women have no value except to abuse" and now women will "reap the whirlwind" of further abuse from sickos like DT. I see this every day in subtle and not so subtle ways among family, friends and folks in public. Of the people I know, the great majority are in the GOP camp. But not all. I don't know what the answer is but it isn't coming from the GOP, most religious leaders and certainly not most families. Keep posting you clear thoughts... GH
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Racism is a convenient scapegoat for their economic pain. Unless Dems can find a way to communicate a message and policy which addresses economic inequality, our democracy is doomed. We're almost to the point of no return with a ruling oligarchy. Chomsky warned of this years ago: wealthy would use their wealth to pit middle/lower classes against each other to draw attenrion away from the real problems. While race, mysogany, genderohobia and the like are important to not back down from, they are mostly intended to divide and distract from the main issue: economic inequality. And Dems must change their attitude towards immigration. Biden botched this issue badly, especially in terms of communication. He should have been tougher from the get-go as Obama was. Finally, in terms of abortion, Dems have got communicate that they are also pro-life, that they are for the codification of Roe, which was NOT advocating abortion under any circumstances. Reasonableness is what we stand for.
Trump's tariffs were in 2019. Inflation hit 2022 when Biden was in office. Fed jumped in.
Trump's next tariffs go in 2025. Inflation will hit 2028. No time for Fed to fix before election.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, has called for an across-the-board cut of 75% of federal government workers. If he gets his way, a recession is coming.
You are so correct. All you have to know is supply and demand, marginal utility and cost benefit analysis. My undergraduate is Econ, and the practitioners and schools make it complicated by use of algebra, calculus and statistics.
Oh, marginal utility simply means that the more I have of something, the less I want or need.
Like eating a watermelon, the first few bites you want more, but if you have eaten the whole thing, you would have to be forced to eat anymore.
You might think that there is a marginal utility to money, but money is simply a tool to get other things and power.
Henry VIII was not satisfied with owning England, he wanted more, he had not yet reached his marginal utility for ownership and power, thus he gathered together an army and tried to "reclaim his inheritance" of Normandy in 1544
hence Locust Economics: this is what we will get starting next year. Republicans plan to plunder the country's natural resources as quickly and ruthlessly as feasible Many Democrats no doubt will join them in the feeding frenzy.
You are right about Democrats joining in, but it isn't a feeding frenzy, the ship of state has struck an iceberg, named MAGA, and is sinking, 1st class passengers have jumped into the lifeboats,leaving steerage to go down with the ship.
Some like Joe and Mikka have commandeered life boats for themselves, others to follow, time to start keeping track of pols and pundits that are backpedaling and normalizing the Trump regime.. like one dude who post a RR thread, Trump has won now we need to give him a chnce. A chance for what to round up dissenters and put them in concentration camps or in front of a firing squad.?
Eve Ro Kannah, a frequent guest on Thom Hartman is frantically backpedaling.
Maybe, but there is nothing original about it. Extractive industries practice "locust economics:" they attack a land, and then they vanish, leaving devastation behind them.
No Economics is not complex Steve It is intuitive, But people who have made their living as economists and professors have made it complex. By Creating concepts and using algebra, statistics and calculus.
Overstock.com (CEO is a right wing Trump humper) takes advantage of businesses that use the Economic Order Quantity) EOQ calculation and thus Overstock.com .. peoples tastes change, fads come and go. My mother in law has thousands of dollars of Beanie Babies by Tye, you can still buy them, I last saw them on a rack at Rite Aid, gathering dust.
Well, you have to start somewhere. Unless you stay focused, nothing gets done. To communicate with the large American public, you need a single idea that can be planted deeply.
You are so laser focused on this job retraining program stuff, it will not win an election without much more. Ask Bernie or for that matter David Axlerod. Democrats need to get organized and get together a complete comprehensive program, not just one item. Furthermore reality tells us we had better not run a black female for president. I had no trouble voting for her but the majority of the electorate will not support that. We are in a bad situation and we need to get ourselves together and do our best to dig ourselves out of this mess.
I don't much care how complicated or comprehensive the program is, but I do care how it's presented to the American people. if you tell people about five things you just confuse them, if you tell them about one thing they can retain it. Besides, focusing on job training Is good for challenging the individual to help himself as much as possible.
@ Kathleen. For every dollar spent on VR, the treasury gets $7 in return. All states have vocational rehabilitation programs, and although I'm not current, already available in blue states for folks who lost jobs.
Once upon a time I had vocational experts in a lot of my cases. In some states, everyone under age 50 who applied for government benefits was referred automatcally.
Yes and...People need to be trained? Educated? Taught? How to do jobs that exist...Over on the other side of town disappointed mostly men go through job training only to find no jobs. For young men the peacetime military was a great trade school. The job training has to be a collaboration between businesses and public funding. So tech innovation is paired with continuous upskilling. Surgeons do it. What can't mdchanics?
Military as vocational ed? Really, what skils does an infantryman, a mortar man have that can be translated into a civilian occupation. Yes there are some technical jobs, especially in the Air Force,like mechanics, electronics repair air freight specialists.
Suregons learn their skills in university and hospital, military provides them the experience to practice and refine those skills, especially in combat.
America has been greened, that should make environmentalists happy.
There was a book popular on campus in 1970 called the Greening of America, our campus communist held a meeting in the rotunda where he celebrated the book as the end of capitalism, well Clinton came along 20 years later and threw a log on the fire with NAFTA and GATT, and now, conservatives didn't help with Right work for less laws, and now there are no good paying jobs that can create or sustain a middle class as existed when I was newly married.
There are jobs a plenty, if you can find someone to work. I can't find a carpenter, those that exist are either migrants or working for contractors.
I can't find someone to clean my gutters. Finally a skilled handyman, who was down on his luck showed up.
I have a 4,000 ft Texmo building that needs pressure washing. One guy said he would do it for $6,0000 dollars. Two y ears ago, we found a young man who would clean the gutters on the house and garage but he wanted $600. I use to do them myself, in an hour, before I had surgery.
The demand for labor exceeds the supply, because people today are too good to work, they all want to be instant tech millionaires.. failing that then shade tree mechanics. There is a lot of them in my area.
Correct Daniel, people don't know about the multiplier effect of government spending, because, in my conspiracy mind they don't want us to know.
If the government spends $1 on something, the recipient has to pay taxes on that $1 and the remainder is spent on something else, it goes through about 7 interations before it no longer exists.
Government spending juices the economy, just as John Maynard Keynes said. While it has been Republican propaganda to ridicule Keynes as "commonist", Republicans are more Keynesian than Democrats. Republicans play Santa Claus by bestowing financial institutions and corporations with money,
While Democrats play grinch by cleaning up after the Republicans spending spree and thus catching the ire of the little guy who feels the pinch
AS you say Baniel, psyops, a con game, and economists and media are in on it, because both owe their daily bread and social status to the very people who are using and abusing the tax payer.
How far would a high tax the rich economist get, do you think he wold have a Harvard school of economics.
While at it. I might mention that Obama when he was editor of the Harvard Law Review was a conservative.
We have many such programs. In general Republicans opposed funding them,. There is a "science" to applying "tranferrability" from one job to another. Laid out in an appendix to the now defunct Dictionary of Occupational Titles, DOL, 1991.
I'm sure there are many job training programs. But there is no national job training program that can hook up people with better job opportunities in different states. There needs to be a national one-stop shopping for job opportunities.
I'm sure more could be done to push lifetime training from the national level that could be part of a narrative useful for Dems in winning elections. It seems like a good idea. It can't rely very heavily on state funding because states like Missouri with a supermajority repub House and senate don't believe state government should be helping people, or at least, not helping them very much. What that LT should look like is not an easy thing.It should involve state participation in design and implementation but Missouri government is so dysfunctional . It will likely be hard to get any action on this idea unless current educational institutions see economic advantage for themselves so that they might lobby for it.
Daniel, I do, too. But I don't understand why Kathleen insists it is the only issue when it is among a few that are equally important and would rally support and voters.
IMHO the Biden child tax credit was utmost important --- virtually eliminated child poverty and the ripple effect benefitted the GNP.
When I was working, hundreds of thousands of well paying jobs were avaiable, according to the H1B documents, in Bremerton, Washington. Microsoft. Rationale for hiring temporary visa workers.
But as I keep sayin' the "economy" is a classic pretext. Dems are forming a circular firing squad -- exactly what Putin/Trump/ Musk want.
submit that the Democratic Party needs to address the fundamental problem with naked capitalism ie the perennial shock of a boom and bust economy. The band aid approach offered
by the Democrats like housing subsidies and tuition waivers pales in comparison to the overhaul needed to bring back the middle class
as the engine of prosperity.
Our current market based economy provides
ample private sector goods and services. It fails miserably in addressing public needs . Until we can make average people aware that they are standing in the middle of nowhere , going no place fast under the status quo- they will not be motivated to make the drastic changes. Unfortunately, they did make a decision to make drastic changes - but in this case the consequences are going to be enormously fruitful to the billionaire class temporarily. When the boat capsizes, we all get wet - but some will
I hate to say it but many job training programs are not designed to give people real skills and place them in real jobs. I was looking at outcomes for job programs focused on people experiencing homelessness. There were no standardized measures. A program could count a success if the person attended one class; or perhaps got a job and kept it for a week. It was such a ripoff of federal dollars.
The catch is that the jobs have ro be there And pay has to be at least equivalent if not better. How many IT mechanics and robot repairman can we employ? AI voice bots are replacing Hyderabad robo dialing telemarketer. I see the newest waxes college grads desperately thrashing upstream with their ChatGPT tailored resumes and customized zoom skills trying to latch on to a real job that will really teach them get them launched. For the elite few the paid internship with benefits at a real company....it's so hard out there. I really think I'm glad I'm not young anymore.
I keep reading that employers have job openings for qualified workers that they cannot fill. The downside is that relocation will probably be necessary, but that should be government subsidized as well. I'm not thinking about 10 years from now—will be better able to tackle those problems when we know exactly what they are. I just think that the economy will benefit if workers are available to fill every current opening.
Actually, US investment in Gaza might be good for Palestinians. Turning all of Israel and Palestine into one giant Disneyland might be great for all humankind. Use your imagination!
The truth for many decades. Inscrutable fact the Arab states cannot find a path of coexistence, compassion or common sense. I am not throwing stones as it above my intelligence to offer a solution plus there is much to regret in our own country past and present.
The fact that some people will never vote for a woman, especially a Black woman, for president, was certainly an element of Kamala Harris's loss. However, I go with Prof. Reich. What I have seen reported is that the major event that started turning blue collar workers against Democrats was NAFTA, which sent their jobs overseas. The NAFTA negotiations were begun by GHW Bush, but were subsequently enthusiastically embraced by Bill Clinton. Incidentally, Clinton, a white Christian male, won the popular vote in each of his elections by a plurality, not a majority. Kamala Harris received a comparable percentage of the popular vote (48.3%) to those of Clinton (43% in 1992 and 49.2% in 1996).
What I heard someone say is that ordinary workers never expected Republicans to be on their side, but they did expect Democrats to be with them. When the Democratic Establishment started turning away from workers and toward Wall Street, then there was no reason to vote for them. Kamala Harris did not help this situation by campaigning with Liz Cheney and billionaire Mark Cuban. Trying to be Republican lite is not working for Democrats' electoral prospects or for the country.
Focusing on those who voted against Harris due to her race and gender distracts attention from what Democrats need to change in order to win and govern effectively.
Not BS. You're talking about Trump's base. This election was lost due to the economy. When people can form realistic visions for their future their better natures will prevail if the right messaging can get through. Trump would have been stuck with his base, and lost, if more of the working class was doing better.
I like the differing opinoins in this part of the thread. From my pov, in upstate NY, working with Union trades in construction: these folks are WELL paid (I am not, as I am not Union). It took them five years of training, paid apprenticeships to attain their Union card, and that training seems to come with "mis-education", if you will, about how "union leaders" (read Democrats) are always advocating for stealing/mis-using their Union dues and the rank n file Republicans aren't or wouldn't IF they had their say. And this is truly NOT political in the way of national politics, it is political in how they approach the rest of their co-workers and the world. These guiys are making close to $100k per year, have amazing healthcare yet they do not wish for others, even THEIR own friends and relatives, to have the same type of wages, job perks, and healthcare benefits. One of them told me about ten years ago when the unionization of Education employees was becoming a big deal on RW radio: "My sister is in the teachers union and they (Public employees/teachers) shouldn't be allowed to unionize" I asked him what job she did. "Principal of an elementary school". What do you think she earns per year?: "maybe $125,000" So I said, "Seems reasonable to me, how much do you think we should be paying the people who educate our children?" He said "Zero, we should not have a department of education".
Now, I know where he gleans his civics information from at this point, so I just withdrew. BUT, I made sure to share his stance with all the teachers and public education people I know, including my 84 year old retired from 45 years of public education mother. Her response? "I bet his teachers thought he was belligerent"
There is a segment of the American voters who did exactly what you say, they voted for Trump because they are against any black, or any woman, that runs. I would say that is Trump's base, around 43% of voters. They are not the one's who will switch parties, and the party switchers are the one's you need. They voted because of the economy, based on the false notion that Biden caused inflation and Trump will fix it. Unfortunately this is also a false notion. Inflation is the natural result of banks being able to create money in a skewed economy that favors the rich. Just watch, within months, inflation will rise as taxes fall for the rich and tariffs kick in to replace the lost revenue. Then pressure will grow to reduce Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments, further weakening working class, and the poorer you are the worse it will get, with black and other people of color, and women of course, getting completely shafted. Of course Trump and his overstuffed cronies will not reduce the military budget and they will claim it is regulatory overreach that causes our economic problems, so they will poison our water and soil to solve the problems they create by allowing corporations to externalize costs. Democrats failed to name this as a problem, tried to move to the center, where there are no voters, and they lost the election. Harris palling around with Liz Cheney symbolized this. She should have held hands with the Squad.
Some of us hoped that most voters would defend the Constitution, the way Liz Cheney has done. It is likely that most of those who voted for Trump did not realize what they were doing.
Yes, and she is commended for that. Even so, she does not belong on the stage with a progressive Democrat, and her being there turned a lot of people off. Remember, she was a strongly right wing member of congress, not a progressive or even a centrist.
Keep insisting that the only reason Harris lost is because of racist misogynist racists. That's the best way to ensure that four years of Trump are followed by eight years of Vance and, if you still haven't learned your lesson, by yet another Republican leader.
"... these people don’t read, research information or listen."
Those are your words just a few posts down. There is a saying about heeding one's own words. You are painting all Trump voters by what you see in his base, and that is not helpful to the discussion about what the Democrats can and should be doing.
Apparently the majority of voters didn't find them nearly as vile as you do. And I doubt that four more years of shrieking at those voters is going to be any more convincing than the eight years before it.
Evelyn, the author and the MSM have not suggested "racial resentment" for why "Uneducated White Men" (UWM) didn't vote for Harris because that's categorically false.
Saying that "racial resentment" is the reason is not only false; it's an offensive, Broard-sweeping generalization.
"Suggesting" that "UWM" didn't vote for Harris because of "racial resentment" is unproven and false, except for a fraction of "UWM."
Frankly, suggesting "racial resentment" is the reason is totally insulting. I can assure you, all UWM do not all think the same. In fact, UWM did not vote for* Harris because of many hundreds of reasons. Resently, the author listed several reasons that account for the vast majority of UWM.
If we had a truth detector, "racial resentment" would likely be one of the last possible reasons.
As an "UWM" who spoke to a lot of UWM about Harris and Trump, I can guarantee your "racial resentment" assessment is wrong in most all cases.
I don't want to argue, but you're totally wrong. You state one reason. In fact, many reasons exist. IMO, most UWM voted for Trump because they believed that Trump is more likely to fix the economy and immigration. It's really that simple. Polls have shown this for 3 months.
This feels too simplistic an explanation - that all “uneducated” (what does this term even mean) white men are racist. Are some? Yes … but they also want exactly what everyone wants - a shot at decent wages so they can provide a good life for themselves, their families and their kids. It’s a “don’t look up strategy” - it’s not this inequitable system that increases concentrations of wealth at the top … it’s (inset what’s wrong with some poor group of people) - ie people who weren’t born here (immigrants), the “stupidness” of white men (they don’t know better so they’re voting against their own interests), racism, sexism, etc.
“Make sure they keep blaming (insert a poor group of people) but for god’s sake”don’t look up” or they might notice that we here at the top have amassed most of the wealth. We need them to keep fighting amongst themselves so they don’t notice”.
Dems have become like old guard republicans - totally in bed with corporate interests - rather than fighting for systemic change that will reduce wealth inequality in this country - which is at the root of Trump’s win. People voted for CHANGE (Dems message was “everything’s great - wouldn’t change a thing” - literally what Kamala said in response to questions about Biden’s record). It’s literally insane how far the Dems have moved away from representing the interest of working class people (of any race).
Check out Scott Galloway’s writing about young white men and the election and how economic policies have gutted their chances - it also explains what’s going on.
I would add that Latino voters for Trump (45 %) did it because he represents a macho man, a role model against the destruction of patriarchy and because he showed bravery when he got up after being shot, raised his fist and said: "Fight, Fight, fight". Ignorant people could fall for that very easily. The same applies to many black males who voted for Trump. They see him as a symbol against the domination by women.
It's true that racism is a factor, but there is a link between racism and economic conditions. Some anti-Semitism existed in Germany for hundreds of years, but it was greatly aggravated by economic conditions after WWI that led to the Nazis coming to power. When economic conditions are bad, a lot of people look for a scapegoat. When conditions are better, they don't need a scapegoat, and racism is reduced (but not eliminated).
I think if the economy were great, many voters would have overlooked Harris's race and voted for her.
True that, and their white wives and girlfriends as well. My family HATED her with a rage I rarely see displayed- they dropped the veil and said the Most Awful things I’ve ever heard them say
No one is going to answer a survey question I voted for trump because I'm a racist. I wonder how much eggs are going to cost when undocumented workers leave the workforce.
Information I have reviewed suggests inflation was the key driver for Trump supporters, not Harris' gender or skin color. Democrats did not reduce government spending to control M2 which would have reduced inflation. A recent reduction in the Rate of inflation did not lower prices. Harris' proposals to reduce student debt without a quid pro quo of public service, payments to first time home buyers, and Medicare payment for home health aides would have worsened inflation and is too progressive.
Yes, you are so, so right. The American electorate will not vote for a black woman. Hell even black men won't vote for a black woman and some black women too!! I I believe Josh Shapiro, being a white man (even though he is Jewish) would have won Pa. and likely won the presidency. If he ran a smart campaign and made Trumpo into a fool he would have won. I strongly doubt we will elect a female president any time soon even a white woman. Certainly that is regrettably a good reason not to run Gretchen Whitmer, if we do have another presidential election. Many people do not think logically and analytically when they vote. They also frequently vote against their own interests and needs. That is why college educated voters predominately voted against Trumpo. We are in a sad state of affairs, the laughing stock of the remaining free world and it is going to be difficult to dig our way out of this horrible mess.
Running a black woman was quite a risky bet for the obvious reason that we've never elected a woman and as for blacks- we had just one. Evidently people in Democratic leadership felt that the risk of a contentious open convention was a higher risk, or maybe they prioritized, as many people on this SS have, the goal of having a woman President or that somehow the nomination was owed to Harris. Bad priorites.
The inability to dislodge Biden until the 11th hour, the running of a risky candidate in Harris, all point to leadership that was not up to smart leading. Also, people operating in their own little bubbles.
Of those who voted for Trump, 38% had college or post-graduate degrees. Our information space is polluted and voters are adift on seas of BS.
Likely the only possible way out of this mess is for the next 2 to 4 years to cause much suffering and dems to capitalize on that. If we can.
Markets don't like uncertainty and they definitely don't like chaos. America's economic strength has come from its democratic institutions and stability. Maybe if Republicans in Congress know this that will temper some of what will happen. I am trying to determine where I can make the biggest change with any likelihood of succerss.
I still cannot understand why the rich think that they and their companies stealing everything from most of the people in the world including their livelihoods is sustainable. It's like killing the golden goose to get the eggs.
I think you might be right...greed and competition between a few of the wealthy is rampant and takes precedent over all else...oddly even their families.
One of Thom Hartmann's books, "Cracking the Code", delves into the psychological aspect of resource distribution. It explains how some individuals are 'wired to think' of the world in terms of scarcity, believing that for them to gain, others must lose. On the other hand, there are those who see the world as having enough to share. (Of course, the book explains this difference in outlook much better.) At the present time, there are actually enough resources for everyone, and the problem lies in their distribution. Energy, climate change, and the disappearance of soil to grow in are future problems that must be solved.
Gloria, I agree with you 100%. That’s why I believe we need a new system as capitalism is built on any quality and has no aspiration to have equity in distribution of resources so no one should die of starvation and no one should have lack of access to education, medical care and housing.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Hartmann advocates for about 10% in DOD cuts. Say that is about 900 Billion (if DOD budget is about 9 Trillion annually(I'm including "hidden" costs). That 900 Billion would represent about 20% of our current non defense spending (2.7 Trillion iirc)
I wonder what exactly would motivate our wonderful imaginations to collectively desire and produce an about-face from our present non-direction? What would it take to break the gridlock of fear and greed to a world of no war that actually loves life and reflects that love in the world?
G.P., it would take the same dedication and optimism of those who framed the original “Declaration of Independence.” Remember, those visionaries were willing to face off with one of the most powerful military armies in the world.
Their bet is they won't live long enough to suffer from their own misdeeds. A bargain made with the devil. I just hope their payment comes due sooner rather than later.
You are exactly correct...as ridiculous as it seems...I have some clients that actually have written off their siblings future...quite consciously. Some are dillusuional enough to say, that Musk might actually take them to another planet, once this one is used up. Crazy bat shit thinking.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
The very rich are lying to people because they don't want you to know the truth. They're the ones stealing from everyone and the government. But they'll make you think that the government is the reason why they have to lay off people. That is such a big lie. It's been a lie since the 1980s. The minute Reagan got in that was their red flag that turned green so they could do whatever the hell they want all of us. It isn't exactly political it's about control and constant lies so those who are fighting for the good of us can't keep fighting and will be shut down because now they have the riches to do whatever the hell they want to do to us and people keep voting for the same idiots and it doesn't matter what side they're on.
Wendy, I agree with your point of view. However, I would add to it that the real cause is not just the “very rich.” I believe that the part of the problem is the system of capitalism, which gives the very rich the freedom to do whatever the hell they want to do. I believe that capitalism as an economic system will be coming to its end of of days for it is impoverishing the very consumers that it depends on. While this process is going on out of control, I believe it is time for us to Research alternative systems of economy and government because when the inevitable crash comes, we need to have well-thought-out options to rebuild a better system. This is why I am a proponent of a system, called economic democracy, that puts the economic power and political power back into the hands of local communities.
We at ProjectLeapfrog.org are change makers trying to fix our precious Constitution since Congress cannot do it.
We plan to join WeAll as we continue our leap toward getting corporations and money out of US politics.
We will do this by calling a LIMITED Convention of States and pass two proposed Amendments that 1. give rights to people (not corporations) and 3. give rights to campaign finance limits.
We are using previous sponsors of similar legislation to be the fastest way to a better future.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
We must start with shutting down the buying of votes. DjT spent the better part of 10 years brainwashing voters by throwing money at networks & like Fox just repeated his lies.
Other counties fund the elections. They give x marketing budget to each candidate and control what networks their policy messages play. It needs to be controlled so that the highest bidder is not the elected winner. When Musk got involved, it certainly quickly turned the tide for DjT.
While we are at it. The timeframe for these things must be shorted. Japan does their campaign season in less than a month. I think shortening it will stop dividing all the people. Put rules around it, name calling not permitted and all advertised info is fact checked. We must be able to trust the process again. Finally, eliminate direct mail advertising to citizens.
Finally it should be possible for an avg Joe to run for office. You shouldn't have to be wealthy. Apparently different states, cities, put a $ amount on getting on the ballot.
There you are, Marc: demolish the "deep state," entrust the local economies to local communities, and, presto! you have a democratic economy. Where have the big corporations gone? Will they give up their power and resources for the good of all? Will their share holders agree to this? From what I can tell, Marc, you are a Neil Gosuch troll.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Well, the rich people do not actually think about anything; ripping off and stealing are their involuntary acts - along with psychopathy/sociopathy, callousness, and all the other "good" things needed to be "successful," according to their upbringing - that are deeply ingrained in them, right from their infancy. Forget about the golden goose, they will kill a lead goose - and eat it, too, if it helps them.
What makes you think they are thinking. Dominance is a strategy born in fear and is fundamentally an emotional response to perceived danger. Once the strategy is begun it is self sustaining until the fearful stimulus is resolved.
Yes, my life is richer because I can easily stay in touch with friends and find my way around in new cities, in order Uber, etc. It is more satisfying because I can do more. Efficiency is less important than capability. Corporations like apple, Samsung, Uber, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft have improved my life. Tesla reduces noise pollution. Maybe someday Harley Davidson will develop an electric motorcycyle?
The problem for me is that no matter how much I talk to people about corporate greed and how they continue to rake in profits for themselves while giving none to the working class, those same people who think the orange man will "fix" everything just simply will not listen. They firmly believe it is the immigrants causing this problem! How can you break through to someone who believes immigrants are the cause? Also, these same people will tell you right out that labor unions are bad and shaft the workers. They say that labor unions tell the workers if they join the union everything will be better and then will take the dues and use it for themselves. I cannot get my message across! Until these people understand the actual cause for their anger, frustration and hardships, I don't see what can be done! I am afraid that immigrants will be treated horribly as well as other minority groups the orange man targets. What will happen after these people are done away with and the problems continue to exist? Who will they go after next? Will it ever be the actual ones that are responsible?
I’m a card carrying union member, that has approximately 16,000 highly educated members, and unbeknownst to me the majority of them vote against their best interests. We are paid very well and have good work rules, immigrants can never take our jobs, and yet a lot of them are beyond angry. My brother-in-law has build a successful firm in Manhattan who will also not be replaced by immigrants, he has a fantastic life and yet he is beyond angry. What are they so angry about? Why are they all wanting to burn down the country that afforded them their opportunity for their success today?
Rick and Peggy: the brother-in-law is angry because somebody, many somebodies, have more than he does - more money, more houses, more yachts, more private planes, a taller skyscraper to work in. That’s how those guys are.
Material things are just no match for loving and living together. I simply do not care if I have any of those things! I could live in a tent and as long as I had my family and friends around me, I would be the happiest person on earth!
I mentioned part of this upthread: I work with trades union members. They are WELL PAID compared to the rest of the community. Almost 90% of them seem to be Trumpers. a vocal minority will TELL you, LOUDLY they are Trumpers. THOSE loud ones, appear to be angry ALL THE TIME. angry at their boss, angry at their wives/husbands/families. Angry with me because I asked them to change their password to 12 characters! Angry for some reason all the time when they earn more money than most, have better benefits than most, and get coddled the most.
Some folks aren’t looking for a solution; they just want to complain. Why? Partly because they would rather blame someone else than take responsibility for their own choices and limitations.
Sandy, I think you are right about those people that do not want a solution but would rather complain, complain, complain! It is also frustrating to me when people wring their hands and say there is nothing they can do and are just giving up! Neither choice is very good. I believe we need to talk to one another and generate ideas for solutions. Our choice should be to do everything we can do to keep our country from becoming an authoritarian regime. I can only do what I am capable of doing. I refuse to shop in corporate stores. I shop local mom and pop stores, flea markets, farmers' markets, discount stores like Ollie's, grocery stores like Aldi's and Sav-A-Lot. We basically need to send a message to corporate America that without their workers, consumers and suppliers - they don't have anything!
People "complained" with their votes this last Nov.5. And voted in again a serial fraudster, liar, con-man, demagogue. Because the alternate was so vague, so wishy-washy and so compromised herself by corporate donors and only addressing the faults of her adversary instead of solutions to the inflation, stagnation and war mongering of the administration she was part of.
In four years time, after another chaotic Trump administration, back we go to the donkey party hopefully. But unfortunately, judging by this last 4 years, the plight of working people will not move significantly. The stalemate of two parties following the same economic doctrine and same war mongering foreign relations.
Our votes are ceremonial to lame and terrible by campaign finance and lobbying with two parties bribed by it.
Rick, I do agree that the votes cast this election were complaints against the way things are going for the working class. I also agree that both parties are pandering to the rich and the corporations. Unless a party emerges that actually does care about the American working class citizen, I will continue to cast my vote for the candidate that appears to be the lesser of two evils. How do we break through the mind set of those running these parties? Obviously, they are not listening to our concerns. Our message needs to be louder than theirs. We need to make people understand what is happening and why. The orange man lied about it to keep everyone angry, frustrated and resentful. He has made all of us suspicious of every aspect of our government!
Well Peggy. I think too much energy is wasted "complaining" about the orange man and the party he's attached to. Exhibited here all the time. They are not going to change.
I write and bitch to the DNC regularly. They're the 'funding' and advertising end of the democratic party. They write the party platform, and they block any alternative progressive candidates as they did with Jill Stein this election cycle. And Bernie Sanders in his two attempts at the presidency.
As I mentioned in my post today. Either the democratic party merge with the republican party and let another more progressive party emerge. Or get off their lame ass and get moving left of center to present an alternative to the republican party. Because democrats are too similar to what doesn't work in our society. Our economy and our relationship with the greater population of this world. Whom are in a position now to economically say to us, "We'll go our way and you can fester among yourselves." They want cooperation, not subjugation.
So true, Rick! Other countries are growing weary of the continued chaos our country seems to be mired in. They are deciding for themselves the best way forward without us! Our education system is dismal and that most definitely needs to be a major concern. We need to get our act together and all of us need to come together and either create a party that stands for what we believe our country stands for or ensure the Democratic party has our best interests in mind. The DNC has honestly lost touch with the American people. If they want to block people like Bernie Sanders, they are most definitely out of touch with members in their own party. They must soon realize they can't have it both ways. Either you work for the rich and corporations to undermine the American citizens or you work for 'We the people' and intend to bust up monopolistic corporations and close the gap between the ultra rich and the rest of us. If those that voted for third party candidates came together to determine if their agendas were aligned with each other, a party could emerge that I would get behind.
Great ideas! This is what we need..Robert, please compile a list of corporations, products, businesses for your readers to boycott..or Readers, put them here in comments as Peggy has done. I have done the obvious: don’t own a Tesla, no more Amazon Prime, Whole Foods, shopping local when possible. Or, perhaps teach us how to evaluate a company or corporation? Where do we get the info? Their website? A Labor website? Let’s not all invent the wheel..let’s share how to use wheels!
Excellent, Cathy! I would like somewhere I could go to find out about corporations and which ones are actually working with their workers to make their lives better. I want to find out more about companies like Subaru and whether they do better for their workers. Actually, there are quite a few companies I would like to find out more about.
Peggy, you asked "How can you break through to someone who believes immigrants are the cause?". Tell them they are falling for an easily-believable and politically-motivated hateful diversion.
Tell them the truth is we need immigrants to stabilize our economy and keep our country the greatest in the world - without immigrants our great country would not have been possible.
Also, tell them to look at the glass half full. Not half empty. Any idiot such as Trump can have a dismal outlook on life. Heck, he wants to blow the glass up and let all the messy pieces run down his red tie
Dr. Bloxom, I like your answer and is some discussions I have heard others say that same thing about immigrants. I know it to be true; however, the people being told that always come back and say how that isn't true, that immigrants have taken their jobs. When it is pointed out that immigrants are taking jobs that these same people feel is 'beneath them' they don't want to listen. I wholeheartedly agree that the orange man tells this lie in order to keep the division and hate going because I think that is all he has. As long as he can stoke this hate, resentment and frustration, he remains on top. I would dearly love to see something running down his red tie!
If they don't believe you and want to argue, I would press them on exactly what immigrant took exactly whose job. Ask them to be specific, not be like Trump who makes all sorts of vague "they" or "them" or "jobs" or "out there" and "everybody knows" and other such vague modifiers lacking specificity and context.
I love doing that, Dr. Bloxom! They cannot answer but when I press them on it, you can see it on their face, they have tuned you out and simply do not want to listen anymore. Granted, I may not pose that question in a very flattering light and it might put them on the spot; however, I haven't learned a kinder, gentler way to ask them!
Oh, Peggy, just from your comments on here I can tell there can’t be a kinder or gentler person than yourself to be asking these questions. Those people are just unhappy about their lives, and scapegoating is a popular tactic with people like that.
You have been called "a smart ass"? It has nothing to do with you being too direct.
Tell them name-calling is what Trump does. Trump (consistent with his mental level) calls people names the same way juvenile/immature school children call each other names.
Having been a juvenile myself and been called all sorts of names that made me want to cry, my mother told me the old adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". I remember that from 70 years ago; amazing how well it works.
I do not know why it is so difficult for everyone to understand UNREGULATED immigration is a severe problem. Europe is awash in migrants getting funds/ housing/ schooling/ that has in FACT left less funds for the citizenry. And, there are regions now that the local police can NOT enter because of the dangers by the migrants who are poor and desperate. The British watch the illegals scam the welfare system. Not just in the US has Richy Rich and the Corporations stole all the money and rules to themselves, but also in Europe. Richy Rich and the Corporations LOVE cheap and child labor- that is how they have broken the US hold on strengthening democracy. In Vermont, monies are used to help Afghan migrants BUY housing. What about US citizens?..? Afghans played both sides against the middle for years while we spent trillions of dollars there, instead of in the US building a good society.
For months before those of us wrote these facts, the major news was there was no cost to unmitigated migration. Most of us can see this is a LIE. The cost to educate the children is enormous, but our public schools are NOT able to meet the needs of our own US CITIZENS. The wages stay low. American citizens can not pay the bills on these artificially low wages, so won't do the 'dirty work'. Raise the wages to live able ! Make working conditions FAIR! Then, Americans will work there. In fact, Trumpty aims to fulfill part of that. To make American citizens do the work of the kicked out migrants but for the migrants working conditions-stolen wages and unsafe work.
Good points, Vicki, but voting for Republicans is self defeating. Evidently people in small towns cannot see the big picture. They are misinformed systematically.
The NY Times has a great article and our comments about the abuse of H1 Visa in the US and it tracks white collar criminals ( but not called this) abusing that system to gain cheap skilled labor. Capitalist companies skirt the law at every step. Klugman’s article.
It was very difficult pre election talking to Trump voters cant even say they were all MAGA. Whether they were voters or a majority of the women at the physical therapy place I go to. It was the same sad anti immigrant rhetoric. Knowing many immigrants of varying immigrant status who all are productive members of society my heart does summersaltz talking to these people. I know your pain.
Thanks, Bill! I'm glad I am not the only one who seems to be talking to a brick wall! These people have rationalized it and decided that it is the immigrants. I wonder who they will blame when the immigrants have been deported?
One conversation with an anti immigrant Trump voter. "I dont like these vendors selling things on the subway platforms" "You understand they are not hurting anyone and are trying to make a living" "Its not legal what they are doing" "This is how they sell their wears in their home country its more of a cultural difference than a legal one" "I've been to Ecuador I know how they sell things there." "So you understand that for these people its normal" "Yeah well thats just not how we do things in this country."
It's like talking in circles with these people! When you try to point out the truth, they use the same old mantra they have heard repeated on MSM and other trump voters. They cannot come out of that bubble!
They are also going after non-profit status groups who are tax-free. The damned republicans are now attempting to strip Consumer&Humanitarian groups like ACLU and are ravenously after Environmental groups like The Center for Biological Diversity, ETC. and Journalist sites -- to tank them all. Aside from what we as people will be suffering at their hands, the Cost to Planet Earth is DIRE.
Peggy really identifies a very basic problem for any hopes of reform—that so many people blame immigrants and unions for the economic decay. There needs to be a wider public realization that it’s corporate greed that is causing the economic decay of half or more of the country (amidst and despite a growing economy). Without such a public realization, too many people will support an authoritarian leader who promises to fix things (but actually sells them out). That problem of public false consciousness has gotten us into the present fix. But as previous comments said, the Democratic Party and Harris did not really explain this core systemic problem to the voters. Among politicians, only Bernie Sanders did. Although some Biden policies or policy aspirations did start to address this problem, Harris did not address this core problem, instead focusing on women’s and minority rights and on building a more inclusive democracy. However, there have been times when public false consciousness has shifted and become more accurate and demanded accurate solutions. For instance, during the Great Depression. So, maybe the Trump administration will cause a deep economic collapse that will so impoverish half the population that many people will come to see the real problem and demand real solutions.
Jeffrey, I have thought about that. These younger people have never had to experience such a catastrophic event as the Great Depression. It is hard for them to tighten their belts and learn to do without wants in order to satisfy need. When they do have to experience that, they will teach their children what they learned just like my parents taught me.
I just wrote a comment (my first) on your excellent post. I meant it to go to the whole list. Did I send it just to you by accident? I can’t find it anywhere If so, could I ask you to post it to the whole list or to somehow send it to me at broad001@umn.edu, so that I can post it properly? Thanks so much. Jeff.
Looking at a glossary of Narcissistic terms it reads like what many news organizations do.
Gaslighting - Lying about the news.
Enabling - Removing consequences for bad behaviour of Narcissists by not reporting them.
Generating Fear - Used to keep peoples attention and to keep them distracted from the important things going on.
Baiting - Targeting ads and news articles to enrage their viewers for more clicks.
Social Isolation - By misreporting a story and only showing clipped highlights of speeches with a glib explaination it discourages people from seeing what the person really said. Forcing people to stay in their lane or their bubble and not thinking for themselves.
A reflection of main stream medias well healed (and Narcisaisric) owners.
My question is why aren’t we seeing more being talked abt for Ai to redistribute resources such as water, food, electricity more evenly globally since there’s enough for everyone on the planet. It wouldn’t be so stressful watching the economy start to collapse if we all knew we were working towards something that benefited everyone so that laid off workers wouldn’t be afraid of becoming homeless after working in a factory for 30 yrs. Does Elon need another rocket ship more than the residents of Tallulah, LA need the arsenic removed from the brown tap water they pay for, as another ex. This is gonna get ugly I’m afraid. 😱
A.I. is no solution, in fact, it congers & makes up non-existent issues, laws, etc.
FYI. there's NOT "enough for everyone on the planet." Once someone said, the worlds' population would fit on the Isle of Wight, so not a problem; then it became the worlds' pop. would fit in Jacksonville FLA--'no problem'; then it became Texas, then Alaska... With Burgeoning Billions of humans now on Earth, there's an Overpopulation problem. Why do you think all the wildlife is becoming extinct???? More people make less viability for planetary flora&fauna.
Today as you drove in traffic, did you complain ? There's some evidence of Overpopulation & to your remark, There's Not "enough for everyone," & that's only a traffic problem--HOW about a non-renewable vital resource such as Water or Land to grow Crops????
I don't like to argue out in the open, however, you are incorrect on more than a few of those points. I'd be happy to explain if you are actually interested, but not if the act of being a contrarian is what invigorates you.
To the A.I. comment, my attorney friends were involved with A.I. "advising" in a case, & the A.I. did make up legal situations which were non-existent, this was from the horse's mouth and not here-say.
Yes, absolutely that happens. My attny has had the same. However Generative AI (LLMs, ChatGPT) is not the only type of AI. That’s just the only one that some greedy & criminally moronic ppl released to the public internet w/o considering the fact there would be no way to control it once out. There are far more terrifying things it can do than trick lawyers too btw. I’ll try to write up a bit more of what I mean by that today. AI/Automation that would help improve supply chain, geospatial/robotic Ai, collaborative Ai, intelligent decision making Ai - those are not the same thing.
My earnest if probably naive question is, if the Fed can affect money supply with interest rates, isn’t there some way to measure and respond to the wealth gap? When the ratio of the wealth of the top 1% or whatever to total wealth gets too high, “measures” kick in. Would it be possible to construct such a thing in such a way that when the wealthy attempt to game the system, we actually end up with the desired outcome instead of unintended consequences?
A reasonable question. You have to realize the Fed is not a government entity so we don't have any control over it and bankers are among the wealthy attempting to game the system.
Right. I get that, I think, but the question still holds. I’m not asking what is politically feasible, rather what is economically feasible. Is it possible to design such a thing even in theory? It’s the gaming the system element that is so pernicious.
The measure that is supposed to kick in is a higher marginal tax rate on the excess income. We've had that in the past, but the wealthy have managed to buy tax cuts and loopholes to quash that governor controlling wealth disparity.
That's one way to look at it. In essence, capitalism operates through greed with the logical conclusion being one person owning everything. So you have to have regulation to keep that greed in check. Unfortunately, money is altogether hard for people to resist and little by little the wealthy have rigged the system in their favor.
Unfortunately, the media/social media/the Internet have turned fame and fortune into the greatest goal a person could achieve. The problem is that that idea leads people to admire the wealthy, especially the über wealthy and look up to them with awe and the idea that it's an admirable vision of life. Look at so many people who do really idiotic and even dangerous things while having friends record them with a smartphone or a camera, then posting it on FB or TikTok. That way they get their "fix" of Likes or adoring comments. They become the "influencers" that seem to be getting so much publicity, drawing in more people seeking the fame, and ultimately fortune. I'm assuming that at some point that reality comes and quashes that idea, or the influencer outgrows the addictive desire for more money and more "approval" even if it's from strangers.
I'm sure the wealthy have played the system to their benefit; unless they're philanthropists, who contribute to the "greater good".
And my question then is, what would be the right metrics to tell us we are in distress? Before the poor and the left behind are driven into further desperation? If it were possible to design a system that was resilient in the face of corruption what would be some of its characteristics?
Mr. Reich, you are hating the players instead of the game. The CEO's are doing EXACTLY WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES THEM TO DO - THEY ARE "MAXIMIZING SHAREHOLDER VALUE". They are not being greedy, they are making the most money for the company that they can under threat of adverse action from shareholders and the law. The CEO's are not the bogeyman - It is the lawmakers - our congress who have failed to establish the laws, the rules that would make them less 'greedy'. They must change the laws, the rules of the game, so that CEO's play the game like the american people want. I'm glad you mentioned Sheldon Whitehouse's tax measure. THAT sounds interesting.
maybe so, maybe not. SInce the 1974 Lewis Powell memo, US CEO's and business leaders have "weaponized" their financial leverage to become the government. In the not so long ago 1970's I was learning civics in HS. The models of teaching were Keynesian. That taught us that unbridled wealth would actually DESTROY capitalism and eventually the USA form of gov't/'d'emocracy. Starting with Milton Friedman and the Chicago School (1977-ish), business leaders, the FED, IMF and others brought us trickle down economics. They favored economists who had zero affinity to humanity, long standing philosophies, and started trickling down their BS ideas on the rest of us. I've been "trickled on" long enough to know with clarity these were ideas only designed to enrich the Very rich, real estate, techbro types who seem to be so greedy they cannot see humanities' destruction in the type of world they are advocating for.
I have to agree with you. I do think Biden took steps to restrain corporate greed-Lina Kahn. I think the oligarchy helped push Biden out, as he wasn't pleasing them. Unfortunately Democrats rely on corporate or wealthy donors. After Obama bailed out the banks, many didn't show up at the White House to discuss preventive steps. A definite middle finger to him.
Sometime in the early 2000's, Dems leadership figured out that raising 20 million each ( bundling)from 200 educated suave wealthy and connected donors was easier than raising 50 bucks each from millions of grassroots donors. Citizens United only reinforced this, and worse, to the benefit of GOP.
What can us little d democrats, us everyday citizens (vs: our elected big D Democrats and DNC party apparatus) do in the face of this information? I can happily send off a missive to GM other corporations, but that seems all too ineffective. We're only 2+ weeks past the election and I've already sent 2 senatorial emails, 1 representative email, and an actual snail mail letter (cause she's not my rep, thankfully). How do US citizens ACTUALLY initiate impact on this rigged, and wildly corrupt system, that if it was an old videotape found in a thrift store would be called, Capitalism Gone Wild. Thank you citizen Reich for your wisdom, it is a true beacon of light these days.
Why aren't the Dems. up in arms about corporate greed? Because they all own stock and benefit from the buy backs and because they rely on corporate "donations" to their PACs. That's why!. Bernie, on the other hand has been calling out the corporate greed and the policies that benefit the working people of this country. The Dems no longer support nor protect the working people.
Bernie has been demonized by Trump, and you don't want to campaign with a demonized individual. Bernie is partly to blame, because he has called himself a socialist, a bad word for many, if not most, Americans.
Oh, do you mean the post office? Public schools? Public drinking water municipal systems? Do you mean the Tennessee Valley Authority? Do you mean the publicly owned electric utility in Jacksonville, Florida? On and on and on. Aren't they socialistic?
This is EXACTLY what the problem is- the vast schism of income inequality. People were lied to about the causes, but this is what motivated them to vote Trump. Knowing and exposing this truth is key- thank you Robert.
The problem is not GM laying off workers when sales slump. The problem is the churning of the economy. The investment class profits most from churning markets, so they invest in political instability. The Democrat Party fails to stand up to them because they sell their souls for the money.
In a one-on-one talk with Senator Gary Peters some years before he became a leader, he said that the problem is that you need seniority to get to the power centers, and to get elected, you need to play the money game. By the time they get the power, the money has corrupted them or at least addicted them. They fear loss, so they still play the money game.
Thanks to the corrupt SCOTUS, corporate money now controls the media to drown out any politician who tries to fight it. Bernie Sanders could not beat the system. Perhaps is socialist stance was the fatal flaw. (I wish he had understood democratic capitalism as opposed to this corporate feudalism masquerading as capitalism, was a better way to frame his stance.)
I can find much to criticize in the campaign, but this election was not lost as much on policy as on the success of the disinformation campaign and bias of the media. Millions of people who have no time or no interest for following politics showed up to vote. They were easily influenced by the noise level of the corporate biased media. The worst lies were lies by omission, the sanewashing of trump or merely discussing his policies as if they were serious. I can't erase the image of Kristen Welker sitting there sheepishly fumfering while Lindsey Graham vomited a barrage of lies with only one apologetic correction at the end. Those lies stick and resonate with low information voters. A competent host would shout as loud as necessary to interrupt and challenge a lie, but they think they lose objectivity not giving equal respect to the liars.
A long list of SCOTUS perversions of the Constitution is leading to the death of democracy by a thousand cuts. The majority doesn't rule. Anyone, like Trump, with 34 Senators to block impeachment can do as they wish from destroying the agencies of government to rewriting the Constitution. (Read Federalist 69, 4th paragraph and tell me that's just an "interpretation.") The American electorate is a boiling frog about to be well done.
I think we've passed the tipping point in both climate and politics. I support this cause more out of spite for what they did to my world than out of any optimism. The plot hatched by Louis Powell in 1971 won. They own the court, which says what they do is legal, and our policies are no longer are legal. They own at least the requisite 34 Senators to protect their six judges. Project 2025 merely is the implementation plan for their oligarchical government, or corporate feudalism as Peter Thiel calls it. Show me a new plan to deal with this. Don't expect me to send money to double down on what failed.
Welker and Josh Daswey ( WaPo) and Dana Bash ( CNN) all attended a Milwaukee steakhouse meeting with GOP operatives in late 2023. Their coverage reflects this meeting
To put this a little more in perspective. $6B translates to 65,395 jobs based on the average pay of GM employees ($27.8M/303=$91,749). The 2,500 people that are losing or lost their jobs needn’t have. GM could have provided a substantial bonus to their employees and bought back some stock for the shareholders thus more equitably shared the record profits. Or wait a minute, they could have lowered the price of their vehicles or invested more into cleaner cars or contribute to the effort to reduce global warming. Capitalism without guardrails is a danger to the welfare of everyone not working at a C-Level position in corporate America.
I wish that you and the mainstream media would stop suggesting that uneducated white males voted for Trump for any other reason than racial resentment. Yes, they are getting screwed by big corporations, but the reason they voted for Trump is that he is a genius at stoking their rage.
They didn't vote for Trump because Harris was not liberal enough, because they didn't understand the policies she articulated, because she didn't have enough time to reach Americans, because Biden's war mongering. Because she said this and she should have said that, or she did this and she should have done that.
They voted against a black woman because she is a black woman.
Remember the quote from LBJ: "If you can convince the poorest white man that he is still better than the Negro, you can pick his pockets all day long."
You reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from union leader Frank Sobotka of the series "The Wire." "You know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now, all we do is put our hand in the next guy's pocket."
Frank describes the financialization of America, the last stage of capitalism. I don't want to believe our country is on the decline. I want leaders to understand what Robert Reich is teaching and what Bernie Sanders knows to lead us to prosperity for all, not just for the greedy few.
Gloria, I agree with you and that I also believe we are reaching the last stage of capitalism. The plundering of the purchasing power of the consumers will be the downfall of capitalism for as we lose our purchasing power, there will be no one to buy the products that the large corporations are offering us. If indeed, we are reaching the last stage of capitalism what do we have in place to replace it with? Personally, I have been doing some reading about the system of “Economic Democracy” and I do see a future for us by transitioning to that system. You can look up “Economic Democracy” on Wikipedia and or you can read the following article on the “Crisis and Transition “ Substack. https://crisistransition.substack.com/p/post-capitalist-compatibility-degrowth
It’s worse than that- the system is collapsing because it’s ONLY about consuming. How much stuff (reference George Carlin’s routine on Stuff- he nailed it) can producers cram down our throats to increase their profits? My form of protest is Not Buying, especially from the gouges- Unilever, GM, etc… wherever possible I find products with less chemicals and waste, preferably from smaller companies in the US.
Buying secondhand clothes and cars is my way of Sticking It to The Manx
Netflix. "Buy Now" must see
I like everything about PROUT but it requires an educated public to understand it and we are far from that and going the opposite direction. 21% of our public is considered illiterate and 54% operate on less than a 6th grade literacy rate. We need to strengthen our educational system but we just put in people (trump) who want to do the opposite.
trump knows how to appeal to people's emotions which is what works with these people.
With Trumps cabinet picks the education system is only going to get worst and good teachers will leave willing or be or be forced out because they are teaching kids to do critical thinking. The Republicans want to dumb down America. They only care about money and power, damn, the rest of us.
Beverley, as a retired teacher, I can tell you that there are a lot of good teachers trying really hard to teach critical thinking and the other important skills, but what students consume through our social media is not that. They choose to find "nothing" answers on every media platform and will consume that instead of something more nourishing, like truly being able to understand a concept and use it. And, Trump and Kump are soooo not the brightest bulbs in any string and they don't want people in power who are smarter than they are and that is a low low bar.
They want uneducated serfs who will have to do the dirtiest jobs possible. Like the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where one serf says “There goes the King.”
Before you can have PROUT, you need to fix the Constitution.
And Congress is NOT gonna do it.
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They want a Constitutional Convention but don't seem to realize that the republicans would control the convention. Each state gets a vote and the republicans have most of the states. They could rewrite our Constitution.
Thanks so much for the link, Marc. Such a thought provoking read. Might be a switch worth making and if everything goes to hell in a handbasket as so many of us fear, it might be the perfect opportunity to do something truly radical.
Remember how wrong Russia went with its revolution? It depends on how local and who promotes the new spiritual paradigm and what it is. We want to avoid returning to feudalism and individual fiefdoms.
When the ponderous Soviet Union economic and political system failed, it seemed that no one had thought about an alternate political and economic future. As a result, the former Soviet Union’s resources were plundered by capitalists from surrounding countries and which was followed by the rise of the oligarchs. Also as a result, the Union fell apart and gave rise to independent countries. Many, such as Ukraine and Estonia have done quite well on their own.
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It might be Helpful to Study Why The Happiest Countries have the Least Wealth Disparity...
It seems to me that our democracy is failing because we encourage the rich to get richer at the expense of all other living beings. The winner-takes-all rule encourages this, because then the winner makes rules more in favor of them winning.
Business is designed to allow those at the top to make all the decisions alone. So Musk brags about firing everyone and starting all over, regardless of the harm it causes - just so that he gets a bigger share of the company profits. Citizens United allows the richest people to have the loudest voices. That is not free speech, that is allowing the concentration of power at the top.
The use of delegates to control voting outcome was perhaps useful 200 years ago, but not it is a relic leading to 'swing states' (any state with a 50-50 voting population, to jump to 100-0 result, - ultimately leading to the winner often determined by a random chance, and certainly to an open invitation to cheat on the count.
With these basic flaws in our rules, democracy doesn't have a chance.
the final result is slavery - which is what some of the population want, and the ultra rich strive to obtain. .... The basic difference between old fashioned cotton picking slavery and being without a home, is that the slaves at least get fed to work.
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Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
A big shift in the economy happened in the 1970's. The offshoring of industry to F.I.R.E. (finance, insurance, and real estate). You make money by manipulating money.
Didn't you mean 1990s?
Something for you to research, as if you don't have other things to do, lol., was The Powell Memorandum. From Greenpeace: The Lewis Powell Memo: A Corporate Blueprint to ... Written in 1971 to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Lewis Powell Memo was a blueprint for corporate domination of American Democracy.
From my notes Noam Chomsky said: "Redesigning the economy began in the 70's. The so-called Neo-Liberal shift to try to shift decisions from the public arena to what's called the "market". Neoliberalism is basically the idea to privatize, reduce the role of public institutions. The ideology claims it's increasing freedom. It's actually increasing tyranny. It means that instead of decisions and choices being made in the public arena, where the public in principle has some kind of role to the degree the state is democratic, maybe an actual role, shifting it dramatically to private tyrannies." Full stop. there's much more Thank you.
it began earlier than you think
Bernie should have been the one running against Trump back in 2016. The voters wanted a choice between them and they said so. ANOTHER big mistake by Democrats. When are they going to stop making blunder after blunder?
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
On that count, Centrist Democrats FAIL! FEARFUL of being labeled "Socialist" or "Communist"! Rugged Capitalism untethered by Regulations, Enforcement, and Social Benefits for ALL, has never worked. Trump / Vance Republicans will drive this nation into a Depression reminiscent of Herbert Hoover!
I forgot to add TAXATION (Regulations, Enforcement, TAXATION. and Social Benefits)
I very much wish that I could be sure that financialization is the last stage of capitalism. I am afraid that it isn't, that stages worse than anything Marx could imagine are yet to come.
Eight claims by Marx that might surprise you: https://jacobin.com/2019/01/karl-marx-engels-capitalism-political-economy
1 Marx did not simply dismiss capitalism. He was impressed by it. He argued that it has been the most productive system that the world has seen.
2 Marx accurately predicted that capitalism would foster what is today referred to as globalization. He saw capitalism creating a world market in which countries would become increasingly interdependent.
Anyway Capitalism is not the enemy of mankind, tyranny is.
Tyranny comes in many forms from the tyranny of the masses such as cultural communism ( which accounts for the rise of Trump).
In fact all tyranny exists because of support from the masses. As Mao said" The revolution swims in the sea of the people.
What we are witnessing is the logical organization of society. A nobility, a ruling class and the commons. The House of Lords (Senate) and the House of commons (House of Representatives)
The Soviet Empire had their nobility and their commoners. Milovan Djilas, a Yugoslavian Communist and political leader, in the New Class defined the new class as the political bureaucracy, "a monopoly over the working class itself". This "new class actually seized the lion's share of the economic and other progress earned by the sacrifices and efforts of the masses"
This is inevitable. In Iran the ayatollahs, live large with four wives, at the expense of the people,Putin in Russia lives large at the expense of the people.
As troublesome and difficult as Democracies are, the people in it prosper, and in America that prosperity is coming to an end. will it go out with a bang or a whimper.
Here Marx describes communism in the exact opposite of what it is
For as soon as the distribution of labour comes into being, each man has a particular, exclusive sphere of activity, which is forced upon him and from which he cannot escape. He is a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman, or a critical critic, and must remain so if he does not want to lose his means of livelihood; while in communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me to do one thing today and another tomorrow, to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic.
In a democratic capitalist society, each person has the freedom to do what they want to do, be a hunter in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening , in a communist society your fate was cast the day you were born, either a laborer or a member of the new class.
Nope. Only way is to change the Constitution and Congress is not gonna do it.
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Thank you for the reminder, Gloria, and thanks to Prof. Reich for laying bare the diversion of wealth from labor to the ultra-rich. This 'financialization' scheme signals the entrenchment of an oligarchy that enables the pliant emperor drumpf. The ringmasters of the scheme of national theft like musk, ramaswamy, bezos and dimon play an increasingly dangerous game to assume that drumpf's behavior pointing toward anarchy will not leave their fleeting financial empires in ruins, and the rest of us in the streets and the fields scratching for survival. So much for mr. he-alone-can-fix-us. P.S. my supply business with industrial raw materials has survived a few ups and downs since the Ford Admin, and let me say that the heaviest gut-punch to the consumer occurs when the petrochemical supply line and that of other mineral raw materials shuts down. Essentially none of the gyrations of the economy for the four years past are the fault of the Biden Administration. Place the blame on the 'other guy' who went before.
Our democratic leaders have been frozen in fear; fear of the unknown, fear for safety of their family, and loved ones, and fear of their own loss of power and influence. All the good thoughts and advice here and on other Substack forums float over their heads like silent clouds. Democrats need a young energetic firebrand to shake them out of their stupor and put us back into decency and democracy. How? Instruct the leaders of our military to refuse to cooperate with Trump‘s troopers on pain of indictment for treason while there is still time. Once Trump and his minions take office and acquire power to command them, it will be too late.
Two words: Citizens United.
Remember that the Fed raised interest after the Oil embargo of 1973 and mortgages were at 12-13%. Chairman Volker justified this decision to break inflation. The problem was the value of the dollar rose to 2X the Japanese Yen or the German Mark. Manufacturing in the USA was shipped overseas as no manufacturer could be competitive with those low costs. Gas prices at the pump rose from $0.29 to $1.10 per gallon. Inflation was stopped, Manufacturing Jobs were lost, and the price of gas never went back down. Wages increased dramatically and the cost of energy was absorbed but manufacturing jobs and many factories in small towns disappeared.
Finance capitalist as the last stage of capitalism was a Marxist prophesy developed towards the end of the 19th century. It has not aged well.
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Capitalism schmapitalism! A fancy word for greed and grinding the lesser haves. America has ALWAYS been ALL ABOUT MONEY -- and I am not referring to hard work and an honest dollar. Greed has ruled this land since Europeans came, to the point that West Africans were kidnapped (with their kinsman’s complicity), and taken halfway across the world. They were forced into brutal enslavement for 250 years to build the infrastructure of this new world. The slave women were raped to create more slave stock. This quality of greed, f-you ness, and cruelty is the foundation on which America was built. Now this greed, fomented for 400 years, is folding over and the country is starting to eat itself. Greed is baked into America’s DNA. There is no foundation of kindness, honesty, and civility to harken back to.
Not just America Faginzorro, but the world. It is the way of humanity.
Greed is simply the drive for social dominance, The more wealth you have the more power you have.
I sat on the grass at Marymoor park, listening to a Peter, Paul and Mary concert, I was surrounded by gray hairs, that use to be long hairs in tie dye and beads, but drove up in Mercedes, BMW's and Cadillacs.
I asked the guy seated next to me, "what ever became of us", his reply was short and to the point "we own stuff"
The greed has not been fomenting for 400 years, and it in fact is the reason that you are alive, eat and live well, and can afford to sit behind a computer on the internet and pontificate you are of a superior morality.
You aren't, maybe the problem is that they have "made it" and you haven't.
When a person attains a privileged position in the hierarchy, they will do anything to protect that position, and the best way to protect it is to get more of that which enables you to protect it. Money to get the power, power to protect the money.
This country was founded by property owning men and designed to be ruled by property owning men by way of representation, the vote, After the 1st two elections, the sovereign states, one by one enfranchised men who did not own property. it did not become a democracy until the 15th,17th and 19th Amendments.
But greed, well that is part and parcel of the human condition.
Did you know that the very first case of legal slavery was that of a black planter named of Anthony Johnson who filed suit for the return of a John Casor.
John Casor (surname also recorded as Cazara and Corsala),[1] a servant in Northampton County in the Colony of Virginia, in 1655 became one of the first people of African descent in the Thirteen Colonies to be enslaved for life as a result of a civil suit.
He had been indentured to Anthony Johson, himself a former indentured servant, who was released and became a planter, with indentured servants.
Indentured servants were essentially contract employees, like professional ball players, and were treated harshly by many a planter, especially since by terms of the indenture they had to provide them with seed corn, a musket and amule at the end of their indenture.
Johnson abused Casor, and Casor ran off to a nearby planter and Johnson sued for his return and the court declared him to be the property of Johson,however i wasn't until 1661 when the House of Burgess passed a law legalizing slavery and outlawing miscegenation.
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/court-ruling-on-anthony-johnson-and-his-servant-1655/
Greed knows no race, gender, class religious, ideological distinction
And picking pockets is where this country excels!
Read the book "White Trash" which reflects LBJs quote.
I just finished reading it and am now reading "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent" by Isabel Wilkerson. Both have given me a new understanding of our society and where we came from.
Gloria. I will look at the book. Also, recent interviews of PBS commentator David Brooks discuss issues of Caste in our country.
Thanks for mentioning this. I thought I bought it a few years but I got what seemed to be an AI ripoff. I’ll look it up, though I’m not in any doubt about the existence of US castes.
read it. Tough to read the horrors.
💓Reich💓:"...Democrats have offered no alternative explanation for what’s happened to average working people or agenda for remedying it. Trump's baseless explanation and agenda are the only ones available."
💓Get the Sense of the D with D-sense: Desensitization💓
aka "Do one thing every day that scares you."--Eleanor Roosevelt
FDR and UN.org:FREEDOM FROM FEAR...but scientifically so FREEDOM FROM PLACEBO AND FREEDOM FROM MILITANT PLACEBOEES (aka Racists, Fascists, other Gullibles that are control freaks, etc
💓
Robert has tried someone's not listening.
Seems like prejudice is stoked by the weird need to see people as lower than you when you are in a group you perceive as low.
Amazing quote but I can't find the original, do you have a reference?
Excellent post Christopher Racism has always been a foundational characteristic of the white working class That is the genius of Norman Lear and his All in the family Dr King also realized this and after 1964 focused on uniting the white poor and working classes with minority poor and working class This view was the catalyst for his death by assassination Unless the Democrats aggressively attack corporate capitalism they are doomed because they will never out corporatize the Republicans and in trying they then force the GOP to make the battie on culture where they lose The Democrats must move to the right of the Republicans on culture and to the left on economics
Together that would have been a powerful alliance and someone recognized that fact.
This attitude makes Trump's win even more sweet.
you will likely suffer with the rest of us LOL weee having fun yet?
Maybe he/she’s an oligarch and really will have a sweet outcome. Except for breathing dirty air, drinking contaminated water, taking quack medicine, and having to deal with those pesky wildfires and hurricanes.
Democratic economic policies were too complex for the average American to understand. The promise was, “We're going to build some factories and heck maybe you just might benefit, but there's no guarantee of it."
The Dems need to offer an economic Bill of Rights centered on a lifetime right to free job retraining.
Dems can win by selling ONE BIG Idea
Free lifetime job retraining for all American citizens
https://kathleenweber.substack.com/p/dems-can-win-by-selling-one-big-idea
The majority of Americans who support Trump are either willfully ignorant, uneducated, insecure, racist, or selfish. And if/when Trump tanks this country, they'll be the last to accept accountability, just like their president.
Most of the reasons people cited for voting for Trump are inaccurate, based on lies and overall ignorance of voters, too often willful ignorance, and, of course, the sexism and racism that runs through the veins of this country.
The armies of racism are out of the closets and into the streets now . Trump's victory has emboldened them.
I will be wearing this "Totally Unhinged Radical Libera"l t-shirt the next four years 👇
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/radlib
With PRIDE.
Trouble you have there Heather, is you’ve painted yourself into a corner…
The ‘majority’ you speak of will remain a ‘majority’, in terms of those characteristics. And they’ll support Trump whatever does, as you said.
So the Dems had either better find a way of getting another bunch of voters to turn up at the polling stations, or give them something they understand, which sounds unlikely!
So you might like to write something more satyrical to cheers us all up for the next 4 years…
Actually, but for Russian psy ops we wudda won bigly.
Too true. The $10 million or so spent by Russia was what turned the tide against the $1500 million the Harris campaign spent, not counting the lobbying by UK campaign consultants for Harris, and of course Israel spending over $100 million to ensure we had two candidates openly celebrating mass murder in the middle east. The reason the democrats have not crony capitalism and sleazy insider trading is that they benefit from it as much as the Republicans do. Until the DNC (or the RNC)is taken over by folks who actually want to change the status quo, there will be no major differences between legislative actions taken regardless of which party is in control of any branch.
Daniel, you gave it all, and I understand you frustration. The Republican trifecta is a great triumph for Putin, but scapegoating him for our loss is evasion of responsibility. We failed in more ways than one, and we must move on with 2028 in our minds. We know what voters want, and we know what Republicans want. We must produce our Project 2028 without wasting a minute.
Part of the circular firing squad? We didn't do anything wrong. Nothing.
Approximately half the electorate acquiesces to the end of democracy.
It's too late for the democrats, they've continually fucked up and for too damn long. A 3rd party movement is needed and a Revolution is needed. Fortunately, we can create an incredible app for both. Here's how: https://www.humbledeeds.com
Unfortunately, A third party will only weaken the other two and ironically strengthen the plutocrats who own and run the show.
Bob, I understand your concern. However, I intend to engage the approximately 50% of voters who don't vote, as well as the other voters. You heard it here, first. Thanks for your comment.
than your still following along with the 2 parties. read my comment to Lee earlier. i think that's what their argument was for ending the choice that the forefathers wanted.
Lee: According to Kevin Roberts, Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, there is already a revolution afoot: "this is a second revolution, and it will be bloodless if the left allows it".
yes Kevin Roberts comment on TV / iP was a threat IMO to every Democrat in the country, he is a Snake & a POS
William, if the Revolution does not include the left and the right, then I don't believe it will be a Revolution. You won't change my mind about this. Any single sided 'Revolution' is a dangerous exacerbation of our already ridiculous, though currently mild and long simmering, father vs. son, neighbor vs. neighbor, brother vs. nephew, sister vs. aunt, my idiot Warpig is better than your woke Warpig, Civil War. Let me know if you need any further explanation.
you and others need to take over the Democratic party. 3rd party and revolution is fantasy. Of course, my suggestion might be the same.
We need to rename the Inflation Reduction Act as the Jobs and Ant-Corruption Act.
Then I'll continue to fantasize, until I'm dead or until I succeed, whichever comes first. What do you think when you hear the word Revolution? Because what I've in mind is probably far from what you may be assuming...
I agree with you about a 3rd party.. i read that the founding fathers wanted there to be more than 2 parties. but somewhere after the Republicans came along in the mid 1800s both parties fought against it. and so the public went along with it. as usual. now if you bring it up people think it's a fantasy. or you're a troublemaker. myself i believe we need it. it has to be better than the crap we've got NOW.
How about we fix the Constitution and reverse Citizens United? Congress will not do it. So ...
check out ProjectLeapfrog.org thanks
Michael, I appreciate the work you're doing at Projectleapfrog.org. Thank you for your dedication and determination.
Alritey, will do. Thanks.
This would be the ideal solution. In order to help it succeed, lobbying state governments to adopt ranked choice voting for all elections, and level the playing field by requiring all candidates on a ballot follow the same process, not allowing two private corporations to determine who they want on a public ballot, and everyone else having a different process.
Sean, have not you received the memo. That business as usual is dead.
Ranked choice voting in a country that is modeled after Hungary and Russia.
Do you not understand that Trump, using Project 2025 as a blueprint will deconstruct our politics and our constitution. Sure there will be elections in the future, just like there are elections in Hungary and Russia
The time is now to organize a resistance, but stay off cell phones and the internet,for they are being monitored by NSA at the humongous Bluffdale, UT data center.
Alan, what did Heather say was so wrong she painted herself into a corner?
Actually you confirmed her. She said that Trump humpers will suffer but never accept the fact that they are responsible for their own situation
You said that regardless they will remain the majority.
Heather hasn't painted herself into anything, because she doesn't have the paint or the brush. She has simply made a prediction, a forecast of what is to come.
If that bothers you, then she is either wrong and time will tell, or you are particularly bothered by the likelihood of that prediction becoming reality.
I suggest the latter, otherwise you would not have felt the need to react, as you did when you read her post and your heart rate increased.
If you need to be cheered up, give up on the internet, read or watch rom coms.
Everybody should see Hitchcock's Suspicion, a warning about the dangers of confirmation bias.
I agree, and that is why I gave up on MSNBC, once in awhile they will have a guest who throws out something interesting.
I will watch BBC's Christiane Amanpour and Company, though I do detect her own personal bias (what human doesn't have one?)
Last night on Amanpour and Company, appeared Paul Rozensweig , former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security a self confessed conservative said that Trump is an existential threat to America And Biden should not attend Trumps inauguration as that is normalizing him, and that he should follow the precedence of Washington and Carter by issuing a blanket pardon for all those whom Trump has threatened, and that from a conservative.
Has he shown up on any MSNBC show ? Not that I can find via google.
Thank you for your considered response. I will do same. Back soon!
How about a lime green T-shirt if you "Join The Team" to reverse Citizens United?
check out ProjectLeapfrog.org thanks
Good points Heather. I'm sure it was an oversight but misogyny, in my opinion, is one of the foundation blocks of DT's beliefs and rants. His life long perverted sexual attacks both verbal and physical on women should have appalled every citizen in our country. Most were, but evidently enough agreed that "women have no value except to abuse" and now women will "reap the whirlwind" of further abuse from sickos like DT. I see this every day in subtle and not so subtle ways among family, friends and folks in public. Of the people I know, the great majority are in the GOP camp. But not all. I don't know what the answer is but it isn't coming from the GOP, most religious leaders and certainly not most families. Keep posting you clear thoughts... GH
He who shall not be named still claims to of had the strongest most bestest economy this country had ever seen. Even after that was disproved.
Heather, you forgot misogyny in the list of characteristics of the CFDJT base.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Racism is a convenient scapegoat for their economic pain. Unless Dems can find a way to communicate a message and policy which addresses economic inequality, our democracy is doomed. We're almost to the point of no return with a ruling oligarchy. Chomsky warned of this years ago: wealthy would use their wealth to pit middle/lower classes against each other to draw attenrion away from the real problems. While race, mysogany, genderohobia and the like are important to not back down from, they are mostly intended to divide and distract from the main issue: economic inequality. And Dems must change their attitude towards immigration. Biden botched this issue badly, especially in terms of communication. He should have been tougher from the get-go as Obama was. Finally, in terms of abortion, Dems have got communicate that they are also pro-life, that they are for the codification of Roe, which was NOT advocating abortion under any circumstances. Reasonableness is what we stand for.
Economics isn't complex, but economists try to make it so. And people have such short attention spans now they don't even read.
Trump's tariffs were in 2019. Inflation hit 2022 when Biden was in office. Fed jumped in.
Trump's next tariffs go in 2025. Inflation will hit 2028. No time for Fed to fix before election.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, has called for an across-the-board cut of 75% of federal government workers. If he gets his way, a recession is coming.
A populace who doesn't follow the happenings of the country at a deep level is a big part of the problem.
You are so correct. All you have to know is supply and demand, marginal utility and cost benefit analysis. My undergraduate is Econ, and the practitioners and schools make it complicated by use of algebra, calculus and statistics.
Oh, marginal utility simply means that the more I have of something, the less I want or need.
Like eating a watermelon, the first few bites you want more, but if you have eaten the whole thing, you would have to be forced to eat anymore.
You might think that there is a marginal utility to money, but money is simply a tool to get other things and power.
Henry VIII was not satisfied with owning England, he wanted more, he had not yet reached his marginal utility for ownership and power, thus he gathered together an army and tried to "reclaim his inheritance" of Normandy in 1544
hence Locust Economics: this is what we will get starting next year. Republicans plan to plunder the country's natural resources as quickly and ruthlessly as feasible Many Democrats no doubt will join them in the feeding frenzy.
Locust Economics. I lke that Vic.
You are right about Democrats joining in, but it isn't a feeding frenzy, the ship of state has struck an iceberg, named MAGA, and is sinking, 1st class passengers have jumped into the lifeboats,leaving steerage to go down with the ship.
Some like Joe and Mikka have commandeered life boats for themselves, others to follow, time to start keeping track of pols and pundits that are backpedaling and normalizing the Trump regime.. like one dude who post a RR thread, Trump has won now we need to give him a chnce. A chance for what to round up dissenters and put them in concentration camps or in front of a firing squad.?
Eve Ro Kannah, a frequent guest on Thom Hartman is frantically backpedaling.
Mikka and Joe have lost all cred with me. GH
Victor... did you coin the term "Locust Economics"? I like it! GH
Maybe, but there is nothing original about it. Extractive industries practice "locust economics:" they attack a land, and then they vanish, leaving devastation behind them.
oh its complex alright. Research some laws of economics.
Though the economic talking points of Dems need to be simple.
I am concerned that people dont read anymore longer works. No point in writing up lessons learned if no one will read it.
No Economics is not complex Steve It is intuitive, But people who have made their living as economists and professors have made it complex. By Creating concepts and using algebra, statistics and calculus.
Overstock.com (CEO is a right wing Trump humper) takes advantage of businesses that use the Economic Order Quantity) EOQ calculation and thus Overstock.com .. peoples tastes change, fads come and go. My mother in law has thousands of dollars of Beanie Babies by Tye, you can still buy them, I last saw them on a rack at Rite Aid, gathering dust.
Free job retraining is a good idea, but Bernie will tell you there needs to be much more and he is so right.
Well, you have to start somewhere. Unless you stay focused, nothing gets done. To communicate with the large American public, you need a single idea that can be planted deeply.
You are so laser focused on this job retraining program stuff, it will not win an election without much more. Ask Bernie or for that matter David Axlerod. Democrats need to get organized and get together a complete comprehensive program, not just one item. Furthermore reality tells us we had better not run a black female for president. I had no trouble voting for her but the majority of the electorate will not support that. We are in a bad situation and we need to get ourselves together and do our best to dig ourselves out of this mess.
I don't much care how complicated or comprehensive the program is, but I do care how it's presented to the American people. if you tell people about five things you just confuse them, if you tell them about one thing they can retain it. Besides, focusing on job training Is good for challenging the individual to help himself as much as possible.
3 seems to be the magic number.
In order to get organized there is a need for new leadership and new relationships.
I still can't believe how many women think a woman should not be president but will vote for a convicted rapist! DUH! GH
Idea: https://www.humbledeeds.com
@ Kathleen. For every dollar spent on VR, the treasury gets $7 in return. All states have vocational rehabilitation programs, and although I'm not current, already available in blue states for folks who lost jobs.
Once upon a time I had vocational experts in a lot of my cases. In some states, everyone under age 50 who applied for government benefits was referred automatcally.
Yes and...People need to be trained? Educated? Taught? How to do jobs that exist...Over on the other side of town disappointed mostly men go through job training only to find no jobs. For young men the peacetime military was a great trade school. The job training has to be a collaboration between businesses and public funding. So tech innovation is paired with continuous upskilling. Surgeons do it. What can't mdchanics?
Military as vocational ed? Really, what skils does an infantryman, a mortar man have that can be translated into a civilian occupation. Yes there are some technical jobs, especially in the Air Force,like mechanics, electronics repair air freight specialists.
Suregons learn their skills in university and hospital, military provides them the experience to practice and refine those skills, especially in combat.
America has been greened, that should make environmentalists happy.
There was a book popular on campus in 1970 called the Greening of America, our campus communist held a meeting in the rotunda where he celebrated the book as the end of capitalism, well Clinton came along 20 years later and threw a log on the fire with NAFTA and GATT, and now, conservatives didn't help with Right work for less laws, and now there are no good paying jobs that can create or sustain a middle class as existed when I was newly married.
There are jobs a plenty, if you can find someone to work. I can't find a carpenter, those that exist are either migrants or working for contractors.
I can't find someone to clean my gutters. Finally a skilled handyman, who was down on his luck showed up.
I have a 4,000 ft Texmo building that needs pressure washing. One guy said he would do it for $6,0000 dollars. Two y ears ago, we found a young man who would clean the gutters on the house and garage but he wanted $600. I use to do them myself, in an hour, before I had surgery.
The demand for labor exceeds the supply, because people today are too good to work, they all want to be instant tech millionaires.. failing that then shade tree mechanics. There is a lot of them in my area.
The transferrable skill from my first mos was "grave digger".
Correct Daniel, people don't know about the multiplier effect of government spending, because, in my conspiracy mind they don't want us to know.
If the government spends $1 on something, the recipient has to pay taxes on that $1 and the remainder is spent on something else, it goes through about 7 interations before it no longer exists.
Government spending juices the economy, just as John Maynard Keynes said. While it has been Republican propaganda to ridicule Keynes as "commonist", Republicans are more Keynesian than Democrats. Republicans play Santa Claus by bestowing financial institutions and corporations with money,
While Democrats play grinch by cleaning up after the Republicans spending spree and thus catching the ire of the little guy who feels the pinch
AS you say Baniel, psyops, a con game, and economists and media are in on it, because both owe their daily bread and social status to the very people who are using and abusing the tax payer.
How far would a high tax the rich economist get, do you think he wold have a Harvard school of economics.
While at it. I might mention that Obama when he was editor of the Harvard Law Review was a conservative.
I don't know how ambitious these programs are. A national program could train people for better paying jobs in other states with lower cost of living.
We have many such programs. In general Republicans opposed funding them,. There is a "science" to applying "tranferrability" from one job to another. Laid out in an appendix to the now defunct Dictionary of Occupational Titles, DOL, 1991.
I support a modern WPA.
I'm sure there are many job training programs. But there is no national job training program that can hook up people with better job opportunities in different states. There needs to be a national one-stop shopping for job opportunities.
I'm sure more could be done to push lifetime training from the national level that could be part of a narrative useful for Dems in winning elections. It seems like a good idea. It can't rely very heavily on state funding because states like Missouri with a supermajority repub House and senate don't believe state government should be helping people, or at least, not helping them very much. What that LT should look like is not an easy thing.It should involve state participation in design and implementation but Missouri government is so dysfunctional . It will likely be hard to get any action on this idea unless current educational institutions see economic advantage for themselves so that they might lobby for it.
Daniel, I do, too. But I don't understand why Kathleen insists it is the only issue when it is among a few that are equally important and would rally support and voters.
IMHO the Biden child tax credit was utmost important --- virtually eliminated child poverty and the ripple effect benefitted the GNP.
When I was working, hundreds of thousands of well paying jobs were avaiable, according to the H1B documents, in Bremerton, Washington. Microsoft. Rationale for hiring temporary visa workers.
But as I keep sayin' the "economy" is a classic pretext. Dems are forming a circular firing squad -- exactly what Putin/Trump/ Musk want.
Those programs will mean nothing if this happens.
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, has called for an across-the-board cut of 75% of federal government workers.
FDR was great at selling his GREAT IDEAS to the average citizen. My mother remembered his Fireside Chats on the radio.
My Mom and her generation did NOT have all the noise from TV, the internet and so called cable "news".
Kathleen ,
On top of the Economic Bill of Rights - I would
submit that the Democratic Party needs to address the fundamental problem with naked capitalism ie the perennial shock of a boom and bust economy. The band aid approach offered
by the Democrats like housing subsidies and tuition waivers pales in comparison to the overhaul needed to bring back the middle class
as the engine of prosperity.
Our current market based economy provides
ample private sector goods and services. It fails miserably in addressing public needs . Until we can make average people aware that they are standing in the middle of nowhere , going no place fast under the status quo- they will not be motivated to make the drastic changes. Unfortunately, they did make a decision to make drastic changes - but in this case the consequences are going to be enormously fruitful to the billionaire class temporarily. When the boat capsizes, we all get wet - but some will
get a lot wetter than others - gulp
good idea
I hate to say it but many job training programs are not designed to give people real skills and place them in real jobs. I was looking at outcomes for job programs focused on people experiencing homelessness. There were no standardized measures. A program could count a success if the person attended one class; or perhaps got a job and kept it for a week. It was such a ripoff of federal dollars.
I agree that things can be done well or poorly.
I'm pretty sure they just got their asses kicked trying to sell one big idea.
Which idea? It matters which one.
Here is ONE BIG IDEA. Fix the Constitution to reverse Citizens United. Congress will not. So ...
check out ProjectLeapfrog.org thanks
The catch is that the jobs have ro be there And pay has to be at least equivalent if not better. How many IT mechanics and robot repairman can we employ? AI voice bots are replacing Hyderabad robo dialing telemarketer. I see the newest waxes college grads desperately thrashing upstream with their ChatGPT tailored resumes and customized zoom skills trying to latch on to a real job that will really teach them get them launched. For the elite few the paid internship with benefits at a real company....it's so hard out there. I really think I'm glad I'm not young anymore.
I keep reading that employers have job openings for qualified workers that they cannot fill. The downside is that relocation will probably be necessary, but that should be government subsidized as well. I'm not thinking about 10 years from now—will be better able to tackle those problems when we know exactly what they are. I just think that the economy will benefit if workers are available to fill every current opening.
I feel for you. Unfortunately we don't have enough humanity in our government.
Trump sees Gaza as a business opportunity.
Didn’t his son-in-law say there was good beachfront property there? For hotels, etc.
Actually, US investment in Gaza might be good for Palestinians. Turning all of Israel and Palestine into one giant Disneyland might be great for all humankind. Use your imagination!
Actually there was Arab investment and there were resorts but Hamas cut them off. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g6697294-zff12-Gaza-Hotels.html
Everything with Trumpo is about business opportunities, lining his pockets and satisfying his immense ego.
When the ego prevails business becomes risky. Let's remember that!
He has a gofundme page, if you hover over his handle icon. I think that you can help by contributing money to that.
Apparently we can't help -- but Saudi Arabia can.
Daniel that fact has always amazed me.
Amazing, indeed.
Why would you say such a thing?
BECAUSE ITS THE TRUTH.
The truth for many decades. Inscrutable fact the Arab states cannot find a path of coexistence, compassion or common sense. I am not throwing stones as it above my intelligence to offer a solution plus there is much to regret in our own country past and present.
Can you please explain? I am confused!
Hatred is a more powerful motivator than self interest
Trump hates who they hate and thus, they love him.
Trump SAYS he hates who they hate…
They voted against their own self-interest.
The fact that some people will never vote for a woman, especially a Black woman, for president, was certainly an element of Kamala Harris's loss. However, I go with Prof. Reich. What I have seen reported is that the major event that started turning blue collar workers against Democrats was NAFTA, which sent their jobs overseas. The NAFTA negotiations were begun by GHW Bush, but were subsequently enthusiastically embraced by Bill Clinton. Incidentally, Clinton, a white Christian male, won the popular vote in each of his elections by a plurality, not a majority. Kamala Harris received a comparable percentage of the popular vote (48.3%) to those of Clinton (43% in 1992 and 49.2% in 1996).
What I heard someone say is that ordinary workers never expected Republicans to be on their side, but they did expect Democrats to be with them. When the Democratic Establishment started turning away from workers and toward Wall Street, then there was no reason to vote for them. Kamala Harris did not help this situation by campaigning with Liz Cheney and billionaire Mark Cuban. Trying to be Republican lite is not working for Democrats' electoral prospects or for the country.
Focusing on those who voted against Harris due to her race and gender distracts attention from what Democrats need to change in order to win and govern effectively.
Well said, Carolyn!
BS Carolyn…these people don’t read, research information or listen. They enjoy the tyrant route!
Not BS. You're talking about Trump's base. This election was lost due to the economy. When people can form realistic visions for their future their better natures will prevail if the right messaging can get through. Trump would have been stuck with his base, and lost, if more of the working class was doing better.
I like the differing opinoins in this part of the thread. From my pov, in upstate NY, working with Union trades in construction: these folks are WELL paid (I am not, as I am not Union). It took them five years of training, paid apprenticeships to attain their Union card, and that training seems to come with "mis-education", if you will, about how "union leaders" (read Democrats) are always advocating for stealing/mis-using their Union dues and the rank n file Republicans aren't or wouldn't IF they had their say. And this is truly NOT political in the way of national politics, it is political in how they approach the rest of their co-workers and the world. These guiys are making close to $100k per year, have amazing healthcare yet they do not wish for others, even THEIR own friends and relatives, to have the same type of wages, job perks, and healthcare benefits. One of them told me about ten years ago when the unionization of Education employees was becoming a big deal on RW radio: "My sister is in the teachers union and they (Public employees/teachers) shouldn't be allowed to unionize" I asked him what job she did. "Principal of an elementary school". What do you think she earns per year?: "maybe $125,000" So I said, "Seems reasonable to me, how much do you think we should be paying the people who educate our children?" He said "Zero, we should not have a department of education".
Now, I know where he gleans his civics information from at this point, so I just withdrew. BUT, I made sure to share his stance with all the teachers and public education people I know, including my 84 year old retired from 45 years of public education mother. Her response? "I bet his teachers thought he was belligerent"
The compassionate libertarian: let the poor die. Why waste money on them?
There is a segment of the American voters who did exactly what you say, they voted for Trump because they are against any black, or any woman, that runs. I would say that is Trump's base, around 43% of voters. They are not the one's who will switch parties, and the party switchers are the one's you need. They voted because of the economy, based on the false notion that Biden caused inflation and Trump will fix it. Unfortunately this is also a false notion. Inflation is the natural result of banks being able to create money in a skewed economy that favors the rich. Just watch, within months, inflation will rise as taxes fall for the rich and tariffs kick in to replace the lost revenue. Then pressure will grow to reduce Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid payments, further weakening working class, and the poorer you are the worse it will get, with black and other people of color, and women of course, getting completely shafted. Of course Trump and his overstuffed cronies will not reduce the military budget and they will claim it is regulatory overreach that causes our economic problems, so they will poison our water and soil to solve the problems they create by allowing corporations to externalize costs. Democrats failed to name this as a problem, tried to move to the center, where there are no voters, and they lost the election. Harris palling around with Liz Cheney symbolized this. She should have held hands with the Squad.
Some of us hoped that most voters would defend the Constitution, the way Liz Cheney has done. It is likely that most of those who voted for Trump did not realize what they were doing.
Yes, and she is commended for that. Even so, she does not belong on the stage with a progressive Democrat, and her being there turned a lot of people off. Remember, she was a strongly right wing member of congress, not a progressive or even a centrist.
Keep insisting that the only reason Harris lost is because of racist misogynist racists. That's the best way to ensure that four years of Trump are followed by eight years of Vance and, if you still haven't learned your lesson, by yet another Republican leader.
Kenaz, Said the blind man with his ears covered. Did you miss the multitude of violent vile rallies held by the trump cult!
"... these people don’t read, research information or listen."
Those are your words just a few posts down. There is a saying about heeding one's own words. You are painting all Trump voters by what you see in his base, and that is not helpful to the discussion about what the Democrats can and should be doing.
Apparently the majority of voters didn't find them nearly as vile as you do. And I doubt that four more years of shrieking at those voters is going to be any more convincing than the eight years before it.
Evelyn, the author and the MSM have not suggested "racial resentment" for why "Uneducated White Men" (UWM) didn't vote for Harris because that's categorically false.
Saying that "racial resentment" is the reason is not only false; it's an offensive, Broard-sweeping generalization.
"Suggesting" that "UWM" didn't vote for Harris because of "racial resentment" is unproven and false, except for a fraction of "UWM."
Frankly, suggesting "racial resentment" is the reason is totally insulting. I can assure you, all UWM do not all think the same. In fact, UWM did not vote for* Harris because of many hundreds of reasons. Resently, the author listed several reasons that account for the vast majority of UWM.
If we had a truth detector, "racial resentment" would likely be one of the last possible reasons.
As an "UWM" who spoke to a lot of UWM about Harris and Trump, I can guarantee your "racial resentment" assessment is wrong in most all cases.
I don't want to argue, but you're totally wrong. You state one reason. In fact, many reasons exist. IMO, most UWM voted for Trump because they believed that Trump is more likely to fix the economy and immigration. It's really that simple. Polls have shown this for 3 months.
This feels too simplistic an explanation - that all “uneducated” (what does this term even mean) white men are racist. Are some? Yes … but they also want exactly what everyone wants - a shot at decent wages so they can provide a good life for themselves, their families and their kids. It’s a “don’t look up strategy” - it’s not this inequitable system that increases concentrations of wealth at the top … it’s (inset what’s wrong with some poor group of people) - ie people who weren’t born here (immigrants), the “stupidness” of white men (they don’t know better so they’re voting against their own interests), racism, sexism, etc.
“Make sure they keep blaming (insert a poor group of people) but for god’s sake”don’t look up” or they might notice that we here at the top have amassed most of the wealth. We need them to keep fighting amongst themselves so they don’t notice”.
Dems have become like old guard republicans - totally in bed with corporate interests - rather than fighting for systemic change that will reduce wealth inequality in this country - which is at the root of Trump’s win. People voted for CHANGE (Dems message was “everything’s great - wouldn’t change a thing” - literally what Kamala said in response to questions about Biden’s record). It’s literally insane how far the Dems have moved away from representing the interest of working class people (of any race).
Check out Scott Galloway’s writing about young white men and the election and how economic policies have gutted their chances - it also explains what’s going on.
CITIZENS UNITED by the SUPREME JESTERS is the origin of this. No money for the next election has spawned this terrible behavior.
I would add that Latino voters for Trump (45 %) did it because he represents a macho man, a role model against the destruction of patriarchy and because he showed bravery when he got up after being shot, raised his fist and said: "Fight, Fight, fight". Ignorant people could fall for that very easily. The same applies to many black males who voted for Trump. They see him as a symbol against the domination by women.
Yes. I definitely should have added misogyny to racism.
It's true that racism is a factor, but there is a link between racism and economic conditions. Some anti-Semitism existed in Germany for hundreds of years, but it was greatly aggravated by economic conditions after WWI that led to the Nazis coming to power. When economic conditions are bad, a lot of people look for a scapegoat. When conditions are better, they don't need a scapegoat, and racism is reduced (but not eliminated).
I think if the economy were great, many voters would have overlooked Harris's race and voted for her.
Fielding a Black candidate at a time of White hysteria was an unfortunate development.
True that, and their white wives and girlfriends as well. My family HATED her with a rage I rarely see displayed- they dropped the veil and said the Most Awful things I’ve ever heard them say
THANK YOU!!! If I hear one more "expert" suggest that the price of eggs cost Democrats the election, I'm gonna throw up 🤮
No one is going to answer a survey question I voted for trump because I'm a racist. I wonder how much eggs are going to cost when undocumented workers leave the workforce.
Information I have reviewed suggests inflation was the key driver for Trump supporters, not Harris' gender or skin color. Democrats did not reduce government spending to control M2 which would have reduced inflation. A recent reduction in the Rate of inflation did not lower prices. Harris' proposals to reduce student debt without a quid pro quo of public service, payments to first time home buyers, and Medicare payment for home health aides would have worsened inflation and is too progressive.
Yes, you are so, so right. The American electorate will not vote for a black woman. Hell even black men won't vote for a black woman and some black women too!! I I believe Josh Shapiro, being a white man (even though he is Jewish) would have won Pa. and likely won the presidency. If he ran a smart campaign and made Trumpo into a fool he would have won. I strongly doubt we will elect a female president any time soon even a white woman. Certainly that is regrettably a good reason not to run Gretchen Whitmer, if we do have another presidential election. Many people do not think logically and analytically when they vote. They also frequently vote against their own interests and needs. That is why college educated voters predominately voted against Trumpo. We are in a sad state of affairs, the laughing stock of the remaining free world and it is going to be difficult to dig our way out of this horrible mess.
We do not know because President Biden ran for another term. He prioritized himself ahead of his country. But I forgive him.
Running a black woman was quite a risky bet for the obvious reason that we've never elected a woman and as for blacks- we had just one. Evidently people in Democratic leadership felt that the risk of a contentious open convention was a higher risk, or maybe they prioritized, as many people on this SS have, the goal of having a woman President or that somehow the nomination was owed to Harris. Bad priorites.
The inability to dislodge Biden until the 11th hour, the running of a risky candidate in Harris, all point to leadership that was not up to smart leading. Also, people operating in their own little bubbles.
Of those who voted for Trump, 38% had college or post-graduate degrees. Our information space is polluted and voters are adift on seas of BS.
Likely the only possible way out of this mess is for the next 2 to 4 years to cause much suffering and dems to capitalize on that. If we can.
Markets don't like uncertainty and they definitely don't like chaos. America's economic strength has come from its democratic institutions and stability. Maybe if Republicans in Congress know this that will temper some of what will happen. I am trying to determine where I can make the biggest change with any likelihood of succerss.
I still cannot understand why the rich think that they and their companies stealing everything from most of the people in the world including their livelihoods is sustainable. It's like killing the golden goose to get the eggs.
They know it is not sustainable. They are trying to grab all they can before the goose dies.
I think you might be right...greed and competition between a few of the wealthy is rampant and takes precedent over all else...oddly even their families.
They just need to pile up the money to keep them happy as the world burns up.
Pretty much...
I know I'm right. It's something my stockbroker dad told me & psych confirms it.
One of Thom Hartmann's books, "Cracking the Code", delves into the psychological aspect of resource distribution. It explains how some individuals are 'wired to think' of the world in terms of scarcity, believing that for them to gain, others must lose. On the other hand, there are those who see the world as having enough to share. (Of course, the book explains this difference in outlook much better.) At the present time, there are actually enough resources for everyone, and the problem lies in their distribution. Energy, climate change, and the disappearance of soil to grow in are future problems that must be solved.
Gloria, I agree with you 100%. That’s why I believe we need a new system as capitalism is built on any quality and has no aspiration to have equity in distribution of resources so no one should die of starvation and no one should have lack of access to education, medical care and housing.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Marc, because of global disparities such a system would require protectionism, wouldn't it?
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯 They can start with cutting the Pentagon budget in half!🤬
Hartmann advocates for about 10% in DOD cuts. Say that is about 900 Billion (if DOD budget is about 9 Trillion annually(I'm including "hidden" costs). That 900 Billion would represent about 20% of our current non defense spending (2.7 Trillion iirc)
I wonder what exactly would motivate our wonderful imaginations to collectively desire and produce an about-face from our present non-direction? What would it take to break the gridlock of fear and greed to a world of no war that actually loves life and reflects that love in the world?
Getting corporations and money out of politics.
Via two Constitutional amendments to reverse Citizens United.
Congress will not fix it.
We need a LIMITED Convention of States.
See ProjectLeapfrog.org. We will use previous Sponsors of similar legislation.
G.P., it would take the same dedication and optimism of those who framed the original “Declaration of Independence.” Remember, those visionaries were willing to face off with one of the most powerful military armies in the world.
Marc, you seem to side with Kevin Roberts. What are the shortcomings of The Declaration of Independence?
Their bet is they won't live long enough to suffer from their own misdeeds. A bargain made with the devil. I just hope their payment comes due sooner rather than later.
You are exactly correct...as ridiculous as it seems...I have some clients that actually have written off their siblings future...quite consciously. Some are dillusuional enough to say, that Musk might actually take them to another planet, once this one is used up. Crazy bat shit thinking.
Not exactly. Narcissists believe they will always get away with misdeeds in life.
Exactly!
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
The very rich are lying to people because they don't want you to know the truth. They're the ones stealing from everyone and the government. But they'll make you think that the government is the reason why they have to lay off people. That is such a big lie. It's been a lie since the 1980s. The minute Reagan got in that was their red flag that turned green so they could do whatever the hell they want all of us. It isn't exactly political it's about control and constant lies so those who are fighting for the good of us can't keep fighting and will be shut down because now they have the riches to do whatever the hell they want to do to us and people keep voting for the same idiots and it doesn't matter what side they're on.
Wendy, I agree with your point of view. However, I would add to it that the real cause is not just the “very rich.” I believe that the part of the problem is the system of capitalism, which gives the very rich the freedom to do whatever the hell they want to do. I believe that capitalism as an economic system will be coming to its end of of days for it is impoverishing the very consumers that it depends on. While this process is going on out of control, I believe it is time for us to Research alternative systems of economy and government because when the inevitable crash comes, we need to have well-thought-out options to rebuild a better system. This is why I am a proponent of a system, called economic democracy, that puts the economic power and political power back into the hands of local communities.
You might want to look into the Wellbeing Economy Alliance if you haven't already. I think you’ll like what you see them doing!
JD Thanks for the WeAll tip.
We at ProjectLeapfrog.org are change makers trying to fix our precious Constitution since Congress cannot do it.
We plan to join WeAll as we continue our leap toward getting corporations and money out of US politics.
We will do this by calling a LIMITED Convention of States and pass two proposed Amendments that 1. give rights to people (not corporations) and 3. give rights to campaign finance limits.
We are using previous sponsors of similar legislation to be the fastest way to a better future.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
We must start with shutting down the buying of votes. DjT spent the better part of 10 years brainwashing voters by throwing money at networks & like Fox just repeated his lies.
Other counties fund the elections. They give x marketing budget to each candidate and control what networks their policy messages play. It needs to be controlled so that the highest bidder is not the elected winner. When Musk got involved, it certainly quickly turned the tide for DjT.
While we are at it. The timeframe for these things must be shorted. Japan does their campaign season in less than a month. I think shortening it will stop dividing all the people. Put rules around it, name calling not permitted and all advertised info is fact checked. We must be able to trust the process again. Finally, eliminate direct mail advertising to citizens.
Finally it should be possible for an avg Joe to run for office. You shouldn't have to be wealthy. Apparently different states, cities, put a $ amount on getting on the ballot.
There you are, Marc: demolish the "deep state," entrust the local economies to local communities, and, presto! you have a democratic economy. Where have the big corporations gone? Will they give up their power and resources for the good of all? Will their share holders agree to this? From what I can tell, Marc, you are a Neil Gosuch troll.
Know of any grants or benefactors to help get corporations and money out of politics? ProjectLeapfrog.org hates to constantly ask for donations like some nonprofits.
Well, the rich people do not actually think about anything; ripping off and stealing are their involuntary acts - along with psychopathy/sociopathy, callousness, and all the other "good" things needed to be "successful," according to their upbringing - that are deeply ingrained in them, right from their infancy. Forget about the golden goose, they will kill a lead goose - and eat it, too, if it helps them.
Ragpad, some poor people rob stores and shoot each other. Depravity exists in all social classes.
They are not thinking of the consequences their eyes can only see money.
What makes you think they are thinking. Dominance is a strategy born in fear and is fundamentally an emotional response to perceived danger. Once the strategy is begun it is self sustaining until the fearful stimulus is resolved.
We the people have the power.
We need to get corporations and money out of politics.
Two Constitutional Amendments are needed: 1. rights are for people (not corporations) 2. rights for campaign finance limits.
Congress will not do it.
We need a LIMITED Convention of States where ONLY these two amendments are proposed.
Checkout ProjectLeapfrog.org. We will use previous Sponsors of similar State Legislation to get this done.
Thanks
Yes, but when the goose is dead they'll be sitting on a pile of golden eggs.
My life is more efficient with smart phones and GPS. I can invest in Apple, an American company, for extra income.
is it richer? more satisfying? Is efficiency the measure here ?
Yes, my life is richer because I can easily stay in touch with friends and find my way around in new cities, in order Uber, etc. It is more satisfying because I can do more. Efficiency is less important than capability. Corporations like apple, Samsung, Uber, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft have improved my life. Tesla reduces noise pollution. Maybe someday Harley Davidson will develop an electric motorcycyle?
The problem for me is that no matter how much I talk to people about corporate greed and how they continue to rake in profits for themselves while giving none to the working class, those same people who think the orange man will "fix" everything just simply will not listen. They firmly believe it is the immigrants causing this problem! How can you break through to someone who believes immigrants are the cause? Also, these same people will tell you right out that labor unions are bad and shaft the workers. They say that labor unions tell the workers if they join the union everything will be better and then will take the dues and use it for themselves. I cannot get my message across! Until these people understand the actual cause for their anger, frustration and hardships, I don't see what can be done! I am afraid that immigrants will be treated horribly as well as other minority groups the orange man targets. What will happen after these people are done away with and the problems continue to exist? Who will they go after next? Will it ever be the actual ones that are responsible?
I’m a card carrying union member, that has approximately 16,000 highly educated members, and unbeknownst to me the majority of them vote against their best interests. We are paid very well and have good work rules, immigrants can never take our jobs, and yet a lot of them are beyond angry. My brother-in-law has build a successful firm in Manhattan who will also not be replaced by immigrants, he has a fantastic life and yet he is beyond angry. What are they so angry about? Why are they all wanting to burn down the country that afforded them their opportunity for their success today?
I wish I had an answer for that, Rick. I simply do not understand it at all.
Rick and Peggy: the brother-in-law is angry because somebody, many somebodies, have more than he does - more money, more houses, more yachts, more private planes, a taller skyscraper to work in. That’s how those guys are.
Material things are just no match for loving and living together. I simply do not care if I have any of those things! I could live in a tent and as long as I had my family and friends around me, I would be the happiest person on earth!
I mentioned part of this upthread: I work with trades union members. They are WELL PAID compared to the rest of the community. Almost 90% of them seem to be Trumpers. a vocal minority will TELL you, LOUDLY they are Trumpers. THOSE loud ones, appear to be angry ALL THE TIME. angry at their boss, angry at their wives/husbands/families. Angry with me because I asked them to change their password to 12 characters! Angry for some reason all the time when they earn more money than most, have better benefits than most, and get coddled the most.
Some folks aren’t looking for a solution; they just want to complain. Why? Partly because they would rather blame someone else than take responsibility for their own choices and limitations.
Sandy, I think you are right about those people that do not want a solution but would rather complain, complain, complain! It is also frustrating to me when people wring their hands and say there is nothing they can do and are just giving up! Neither choice is very good. I believe we need to talk to one another and generate ideas for solutions. Our choice should be to do everything we can do to keep our country from becoming an authoritarian regime. I can only do what I am capable of doing. I refuse to shop in corporate stores. I shop local mom and pop stores, flea markets, farmers' markets, discount stores like Ollie's, grocery stores like Aldi's and Sav-A-Lot. We basically need to send a message to corporate America that without their workers, consumers and suppliers - they don't have anything!
People "complained" with their votes this last Nov.5. And voted in again a serial fraudster, liar, con-man, demagogue. Because the alternate was so vague, so wishy-washy and so compromised herself by corporate donors and only addressing the faults of her adversary instead of solutions to the inflation, stagnation and war mongering of the administration she was part of.
In four years time, after another chaotic Trump administration, back we go to the donkey party hopefully. But unfortunately, judging by this last 4 years, the plight of working people will not move significantly. The stalemate of two parties following the same economic doctrine and same war mongering foreign relations.
Our votes are ceremonial to lame and terrible by campaign finance and lobbying with two parties bribed by it.
Rick, I do agree that the votes cast this election were complaints against the way things are going for the working class. I also agree that both parties are pandering to the rich and the corporations. Unless a party emerges that actually does care about the American working class citizen, I will continue to cast my vote for the candidate that appears to be the lesser of two evils. How do we break through the mind set of those running these parties? Obviously, they are not listening to our concerns. Our message needs to be louder than theirs. We need to make people understand what is happening and why. The orange man lied about it to keep everyone angry, frustrated and resentful. He has made all of us suspicious of every aspect of our government!
Well Peggy. I think too much energy is wasted "complaining" about the orange man and the party he's attached to. Exhibited here all the time. They are not going to change.
I write and bitch to the DNC regularly. They're the 'funding' and advertising end of the democratic party. They write the party platform, and they block any alternative progressive candidates as they did with Jill Stein this election cycle. And Bernie Sanders in his two attempts at the presidency.
As I mentioned in my post today. Either the democratic party merge with the republican party and let another more progressive party emerge. Or get off their lame ass and get moving left of center to present an alternative to the republican party. Because democrats are too similar to what doesn't work in our society. Our economy and our relationship with the greater population of this world. Whom are in a position now to economically say to us, "We'll go our way and you can fester among yourselves." They want cooperation, not subjugation.
So true, Rick! Other countries are growing weary of the continued chaos our country seems to be mired in. They are deciding for themselves the best way forward without us! Our education system is dismal and that most definitely needs to be a major concern. We need to get our act together and all of us need to come together and either create a party that stands for what we believe our country stands for or ensure the Democratic party has our best interests in mind. The DNC has honestly lost touch with the American people. If they want to block people like Bernie Sanders, they are most definitely out of touch with members in their own party. They must soon realize they can't have it both ways. Either you work for the rich and corporations to undermine the American citizens or you work for 'We the people' and intend to bust up monopolistic corporations and close the gap between the ultra rich and the rest of us. If those that voted for third party candidates came together to determine if their agendas were aligned with each other, a party could emerge that I would get behind.
they ain't merging so they need to get off their ass
this back and forth your describe has a time limit set by climate change
Since when has our country committed to adhering to any climate change accords? We want to suck out and control all the oil there is on this planet.
It's a figure of speech to merge with the republicans. Since they both worship at the alter of finance capitalism together.
Rick, what's wrong with finance capitalism? Is fossil fuels capitalism better?
Great ideas! This is what we need..Robert, please compile a list of corporations, products, businesses for your readers to boycott..or Readers, put them here in comments as Peggy has done. I have done the obvious: don’t own a Tesla, no more Amazon Prime, Whole Foods, shopping local when possible. Or, perhaps teach us how to evaluate a company or corporation? Where do we get the info? Their website? A Labor website? Let’s not all invent the wheel..let’s share how to use wheels!
Excellent, Cathy! I would like somewhere I could go to find out about corporations and which ones are actually working with their workers to make their lives better. I want to find out more about companies like Subaru and whether they do better for their workers. Actually, there are quite a few companies I would like to find out more about.
Peggy, you asked "How can you break through to someone who believes immigrants are the cause?". Tell them they are falling for an easily-believable and politically-motivated hateful diversion.
Tell them the truth is we need immigrants to stabilize our economy and keep our country the greatest in the world - without immigrants our great country would not have been possible.
Also, tell them to look at the glass half full. Not half empty. Any idiot such as Trump can have a dismal outlook on life. Heck, he wants to blow the glass up and let all the messy pieces run down his red tie
Dr. Bloxom, I like your answer and is some discussions I have heard others say that same thing about immigrants. I know it to be true; however, the people being told that always come back and say how that isn't true, that immigrants have taken their jobs. When it is pointed out that immigrants are taking jobs that these same people feel is 'beneath them' they don't want to listen. I wholeheartedly agree that the orange man tells this lie in order to keep the division and hate going because I think that is all he has. As long as he can stoke this hate, resentment and frustration, he remains on top. I would dearly love to see something running down his red tie!
If they don't believe you and want to argue, I would press them on exactly what immigrant took exactly whose job. Ask them to be specific, not be like Trump who makes all sorts of vague "they" or "them" or "jobs" or "out there" and "everybody knows" and other such vague modifiers lacking specificity and context.
I love doing that, Dr. Bloxom! They cannot answer but when I press them on it, you can see it on their face, they have tuned you out and simply do not want to listen anymore. Granted, I may not pose that question in a very flattering light and it might put them on the spot; however, I haven't learned a kinder, gentler way to ask them!
I just wanted to add to that last post that I have been called a smart ass by these people and I think it's because I might be too direct!
Oh, Peggy, just from your comments on here I can tell there can’t be a kinder or gentler person than yourself to be asking these questions. Those people are just unhappy about their lives, and scapegoating is a popular tactic with people like that.
You have been called "a smart ass"? It has nothing to do with you being too direct.
Tell them name-calling is what Trump does. Trump (consistent with his mental level) calls people names the same way juvenile/immature school children call each other names.
Having been a juvenile myself and been called all sorts of names that made me want to cry, my mother told me the old adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". I remember that from 70 years ago; amazing how well it works.
I do not know why it is so difficult for everyone to understand UNREGULATED immigration is a severe problem. Europe is awash in migrants getting funds/ housing/ schooling/ that has in FACT left less funds for the citizenry. And, there are regions now that the local police can NOT enter because of the dangers by the migrants who are poor and desperate. The British watch the illegals scam the welfare system. Not just in the US has Richy Rich and the Corporations stole all the money and rules to themselves, but also in Europe. Richy Rich and the Corporations LOVE cheap and child labor- that is how they have broken the US hold on strengthening democracy. In Vermont, monies are used to help Afghan migrants BUY housing. What about US citizens?..? Afghans played both sides against the middle for years while we spent trillions of dollars there, instead of in the US building a good society.
For months before those of us wrote these facts, the major news was there was no cost to unmitigated migration. Most of us can see this is a LIE. The cost to educate the children is enormous, but our public schools are NOT able to meet the needs of our own US CITIZENS. The wages stay low. American citizens can not pay the bills on these artificially low wages, so won't do the 'dirty work'. Raise the wages to live able ! Make working conditions FAIR! Then, Americans will work there. In fact, Trumpty aims to fulfill part of that. To make American citizens do the work of the kicked out migrants but for the migrants working conditions-stolen wages and unsafe work.
Good points, Vicki, but voting for Republicans is self defeating. Evidently people in small towns cannot see the big picture. They are misinformed systematically.
It has not to do with voting but with bridging the divide. Too many are unable to differentiate where we are aligned and what differences remain.
Peggy et.al. ,
The NY Times has a great article and our comments about the abuse of H1 Visa in the US and it tracks white collar criminals ( but not called this) abusing that system to gain cheap skilled labor. Capitalist companies skirt the law at every step. Klugman’s article.
Unless Trump says it, they won't believe it!
It was very difficult pre election talking to Trump voters cant even say they were all MAGA. Whether they were voters or a majority of the women at the physical therapy place I go to. It was the same sad anti immigrant rhetoric. Knowing many immigrants of varying immigrant status who all are productive members of society my heart does summersaltz talking to these people. I know your pain.
Thanks, Bill! I'm glad I am not the only one who seems to be talking to a brick wall! These people have rationalized it and decided that it is the immigrants. I wonder who they will blame when the immigrants have been deported?
One conversation with an anti immigrant Trump voter. "I dont like these vendors selling things on the subway platforms" "You understand they are not hurting anyone and are trying to make a living" "Its not legal what they are doing" "This is how they sell their wears in their home country its more of a cultural difference than a legal one" "I've been to Ecuador I know how they sell things there." "So you understand that for these people its normal" "Yeah well thats just not how we do things in this country."
It's like talking in circles with these people! When you try to point out the truth, they use the same old mantra they have heard repeated on MSM and other trump voters. They cannot come out of that bubble!
They are also going after non-profit status groups who are tax-free. The damned republicans are now attempting to strip Consumer&Humanitarian groups like ACLU and are ravenously after Environmental groups like The Center for Biological Diversity, ETC. and Journalist sites -- to tank them all. Aside from what we as people will be suffering at their hands, the Cost to Planet Earth is DIRE.
This must be used to dump the tax exempt status of all these political religious organizations.
Except the repugs are too busy breaking each of the X Commandments with them.
Peggy really identifies a very basic problem for any hopes of reform—that so many people blame immigrants and unions for the economic decay. There needs to be a wider public realization that it’s corporate greed that is causing the economic decay of half or more of the country (amidst and despite a growing economy). Without such a public realization, too many people will support an authoritarian leader who promises to fix things (but actually sells them out). That problem of public false consciousness has gotten us into the present fix. But as previous comments said, the Democratic Party and Harris did not really explain this core systemic problem to the voters. Among politicians, only Bernie Sanders did. Although some Biden policies or policy aspirations did start to address this problem, Harris did not address this core problem, instead focusing on women’s and minority rights and on building a more inclusive democracy. However, there have been times when public false consciousness has shifted and become more accurate and demanded accurate solutions. For instance, during the Great Depression. So, maybe the Trump administration will cause a deep economic collapse that will so impoverish half the population that many people will come to see the real problem and demand real solutions.
Jeffrey, I have thought about that. These younger people have never had to experience such a catastrophic event as the Great Depression. It is hard for them to tighten their belts and learn to do without wants in order to satisfy need. When they do have to experience that, they will teach their children what they learned just like my parents taught me.
When Trump destroys the economy and many of them are homeless maybe then they will see the truth.
Nope. They will find somebody else to blame.
So true!😢😢
Hi Peggy
I just wrote a comment (my first) on your excellent post. I meant it to go to the whole list. Did I send it just to you by accident? I can’t find it anywhere If so, could I ask you to post it to the whole list or to somehow send it to me at broad001@umn.edu, so that I can post it properly? Thanks so much. Jeff.
It doesn't matter what the Dems say if the media doesn't report the news honestly.
https://samray.substack.com/p/counter-narcissist-cheat-codes-the
Looking at a glossary of Narcissistic terms it reads like what many news organizations do.
Gaslighting - Lying about the news.
Enabling - Removing consequences for bad behaviour of Narcissists by not reporting them.
Generating Fear - Used to keep peoples attention and to keep them distracted from the important things going on.
Baiting - Targeting ads and news articles to enrage their viewers for more clicks.
Social Isolation - By misreporting a story and only showing clipped highlights of speeches with a glib explaination it discourages people from seeing what the person really said. Forcing people to stay in their lane or their bubble and not thinking for themselves.
A reflection of main stream medias well healed (and Narcisaisric) owners.
Honest reporting does not generate advertising revenue and is thus not profitable. Honest, subjective, fact-based journalism is dead for this reason.
Wrong! Fact-based journalism is near death because trump allies & self-serving billionaires purchased almost all the outlets that used to provide it..
No, I'm right. Read the comment again and you'll understand (perhaps) that you just affirmed what I wrote.
Always amusing when ignorant arrogance knows no bounds.
My question is why aren’t we seeing more being talked abt for Ai to redistribute resources such as water, food, electricity more evenly globally since there’s enough for everyone on the planet. It wouldn’t be so stressful watching the economy start to collapse if we all knew we were working towards something that benefited everyone so that laid off workers wouldn’t be afraid of becoming homeless after working in a factory for 30 yrs. Does Elon need another rocket ship more than the residents of Tallulah, LA need the arsenic removed from the brown tap water they pay for, as another ex. This is gonna get ugly I’m afraid. 😱
https://open.substack.com/pub/swoodie/p/another-flint-but-in-louisiana-this?r=3k8ei&utm_medium=ios
A.I. is no solution, in fact, it congers & makes up non-existent issues, laws, etc.
FYI. there's NOT "enough for everyone on the planet." Once someone said, the worlds' population would fit on the Isle of Wight, so not a problem; then it became the worlds' pop. would fit in Jacksonville FLA--'no problem'; then it became Texas, then Alaska... With Burgeoning Billions of humans now on Earth, there's an Overpopulation problem. Why do you think all the wildlife is becoming extinct???? More people make less viability for planetary flora&fauna.
Today as you drove in traffic, did you complain ? There's some evidence of Overpopulation & to your remark, There's Not "enough for everyone," & that's only a traffic problem--HOW about a non-renewable vital resource such as Water or Land to grow Crops????
I don't like to argue out in the open, however, you are incorrect on more than a few of those points. I'd be happy to explain if you are actually interested, but not if the act of being a contrarian is what invigorates you.
It seems we have differences of opinion.
To the A.I. comment, my attorney friends were involved with A.I. "advising" in a case, & the A.I. did make up legal situations which were non-existent, this was from the horse's mouth and not here-say.
https://open.substack.com/pub/swoodie/p/the-case-for-a-new-internet?r=3k8ei&utm_medium=ios
Received, Thank you. I will read after the mayhem subsides.
So, you're a writer. My hat's off to you !!
Yes, absolutely that happens. My attny has had the same. However Generative AI (LLMs, ChatGPT) is not the only type of AI. That’s just the only one that some greedy & criminally moronic ppl released to the public internet w/o considering the fact there would be no way to control it once out. There are far more terrifying things it can do than trick lawyers too btw. I’ll try to write up a bit more of what I mean by that today. AI/Automation that would help improve supply chain, geospatial/robotic Ai, collaborative Ai, intelligent decision making Ai - those are not the same thing.
My earnest if probably naive question is, if the Fed can affect money supply with interest rates, isn’t there some way to measure and respond to the wealth gap? When the ratio of the wealth of the top 1% or whatever to total wealth gets too high, “measures” kick in. Would it be possible to construct such a thing in such a way that when the wealthy attempt to game the system, we actually end up with the desired outcome instead of unintended consequences?
A reasonable question. You have to realize the Fed is not a government entity so we don't have any control over it and bankers are among the wealthy attempting to game the system.
Right. I get that, I think, but the question still holds. I’m not asking what is politically feasible, rather what is economically feasible. Is it possible to design such a thing even in theory? It’s the gaming the system element that is so pernicious.
The measure that is supposed to kick in is a higher marginal tax rate on the excess income. We've had that in the past, but the wealthy have managed to buy tax cuts and loopholes to quash that governor controlling wealth disparity.
So the only thing enforcing wealth disparity is corruption?
That's one way to look at it. In essence, capitalism operates through greed with the logical conclusion being one person owning everything. So you have to have regulation to keep that greed in check. Unfortunately, money is altogether hard for people to resist and little by little the wealthy have rigged the system in their favor.
Unfortunately, the media/social media/the Internet have turned fame and fortune into the greatest goal a person could achieve. The problem is that that idea leads people to admire the wealthy, especially the über wealthy and look up to them with awe and the idea that it's an admirable vision of life. Look at so many people who do really idiotic and even dangerous things while having friends record them with a smartphone or a camera, then posting it on FB or TikTok. That way they get their "fix" of Likes or adoring comments. They become the "influencers" that seem to be getting so much publicity, drawing in more people seeking the fame, and ultimately fortune. I'm assuming that at some point that reality comes and quashes that idea, or the influencer outgrows the addictive desire for more money and more "approval" even if it's from strangers.
I'm sure the wealthy have played the system to their benefit; unless they're philanthropists, who contribute to the "greater good".
And my question then is, what would be the right metrics to tell us we are in distress? Before the poor and the left behind are driven into further desperation? If it were possible to design a system that was resilient in the face of corruption what would be some of its characteristics?
windfall profit taxes, salary caps, estate taxes would do a lot to temper greed and rationalize the economy.
Mr. Reich, you are hating the players instead of the game. The CEO's are doing EXACTLY WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES THEM TO DO - THEY ARE "MAXIMIZING SHAREHOLDER VALUE". They are not being greedy, they are making the most money for the company that they can under threat of adverse action from shareholders and the law. The CEO's are not the bogeyman - It is the lawmakers - our congress who have failed to establish the laws, the rules that would make them less 'greedy'. They must change the laws, the rules of the game, so that CEO's play the game like the american people want. I'm glad you mentioned Sheldon Whitehouse's tax measure. THAT sounds interesting.
maybe so, maybe not. SInce the 1974 Lewis Powell memo, US CEO's and business leaders have "weaponized" their financial leverage to become the government. In the not so long ago 1970's I was learning civics in HS. The models of teaching were Keynesian. That taught us that unbridled wealth would actually DESTROY capitalism and eventually the USA form of gov't/'d'emocracy. Starting with Milton Friedman and the Chicago School (1977-ish), business leaders, the FED, IMF and others brought us trickle down economics. They favored economists who had zero affinity to humanity, long standing philosophies, and started trickling down their BS ideas on the rest of us. I've been "trickled on" long enough to know with clarity these were ideas only designed to enrich the Very rich, real estate, techbro types who seem to be so greedy they cannot see humanities' destruction in the type of world they are advocating for.
GM stands for Going MAGA
Going to reap what they have sown, getting what they asked for.
republicans Are our enemies But centrist dimocrats are Not really our friends!
If we're going to stop or slow down the impending debacle, we need to be united. Comments like yours are not unifying.
they just lost us the most important election of our lifetime.
I have to agree with you. I do think Biden took steps to restrain corporate greed-Lina Kahn. I think the oligarchy helped push Biden out, as he wasn't pleasing them. Unfortunately Democrats rely on corporate or wealthy donors. After Obama bailed out the banks, many didn't show up at the White House to discuss preventive steps. A definite middle finger to him.
many pubs, ( my sis, a Pub) do not like reg agencies , more so the fact they are appointed individuals, and are given free reign to spend & rule.
Sometime in the early 2000's, Dems leadership figured out that raising 20 million each ( bundling)from 200 educated suave wealthy and connected donors was easier than raising 50 bucks each from millions of grassroots donors. Citizens United only reinforced this, and worse, to the benefit of GOP.
What can us little d democrats, us everyday citizens (vs: our elected big D Democrats and DNC party apparatus) do in the face of this information? I can happily send off a missive to GM other corporations, but that seems all too ineffective. We're only 2+ weeks past the election and I've already sent 2 senatorial emails, 1 representative email, and an actual snail mail letter (cause she's not my rep, thankfully). How do US citizens ACTUALLY initiate impact on this rigged, and wildly corrupt system, that if it was an old videotape found in a thrift store would be called, Capitalism Gone Wild. Thank you citizen Reich for your wisdom, it is a true beacon of light these days.
Why aren't the Dems. up in arms about corporate greed? Because they all own stock and benefit from the buy backs and because they rely on corporate "donations" to their PACs. That's why!. Bernie, on the other hand has been calling out the corporate greed and the policies that benefit the working people of this country. The Dems no longer support nor protect the working people.
KH wouldn't appear with Bernie, but she appeared with Liz Cheney.
Bernie has been demonized by Trump, and you don't want to campaign with a demonized individual. Bernie is partly to blame, because he has called himself a socialist, a bad word for many, if not most, Americans.
Oh, do you mean the post office? Public schools? Public drinking water municipal systems? Do you mean the Tennessee Valley Authority? Do you mean the publicly owned electric utility in Jacksonville, Florida? On and on and on. Aren't they socialistic?
This is EXACTLY what the problem is- the vast schism of income inequality. People were lied to about the causes, but this is what motivated them to vote Trump. Knowing and exposing this truth is key- thank you Robert.
The problem is not GM laying off workers when sales slump. The problem is the churning of the economy. The investment class profits most from churning markets, so they invest in political instability. The Democrat Party fails to stand up to them because they sell their souls for the money.
In a one-on-one talk with Senator Gary Peters some years before he became a leader, he said that the problem is that you need seniority to get to the power centers, and to get elected, you need to play the money game. By the time they get the power, the money has corrupted them or at least addicted them. They fear loss, so they still play the money game.
Thanks to the corrupt SCOTUS, corporate money now controls the media to drown out any politician who tries to fight it. Bernie Sanders could not beat the system. Perhaps is socialist stance was the fatal flaw. (I wish he had understood democratic capitalism as opposed to this corporate feudalism masquerading as capitalism, was a better way to frame his stance.)
I can find much to criticize in the campaign, but this election was not lost as much on policy as on the success of the disinformation campaign and bias of the media. Millions of people who have no time or no interest for following politics showed up to vote. They were easily influenced by the noise level of the corporate biased media. The worst lies were lies by omission, the sanewashing of trump or merely discussing his policies as if they were serious. I can't erase the image of Kristen Welker sitting there sheepishly fumfering while Lindsey Graham vomited a barrage of lies with only one apologetic correction at the end. Those lies stick and resonate with low information voters. A competent host would shout as loud as necessary to interrupt and challenge a lie, but they think they lose objectivity not giving equal respect to the liars.
A long list of SCOTUS perversions of the Constitution is leading to the death of democracy by a thousand cuts. The majority doesn't rule. Anyone, like Trump, with 34 Senators to block impeachment can do as they wish from destroying the agencies of government to rewriting the Constitution. (Read Federalist 69, 4th paragraph and tell me that's just an "interpretation.") The American electorate is a boiling frog about to be well done.
I think we've passed the tipping point in both climate and politics. I support this cause more out of spite for what they did to my world than out of any optimism. The plot hatched by Louis Powell in 1971 won. They own the court, which says what they do is legal, and our policies are no longer are legal. They own at least the requisite 34 Senators to protect their six judges. Project 2025 merely is the implementation plan for their oligarchical government, or corporate feudalism as Peter Thiel calls it. Show me a new plan to deal with this. Don't expect me to send money to double down on what failed.
I noticed Kristen Welker, too. Wild-eyed looking as she touted GOP gains. I knew NBC was gone, then.
Welker and Josh Daswey ( WaPo) and Dana Bash ( CNN) all attended a Milwaukee steakhouse meeting with GOP operatives in late 2023. Their coverage reflects this meeting
Sorry, Dawsey
pessimism leads to loss by default.
To put this a little more in perspective. $6B translates to 65,395 jobs based on the average pay of GM employees ($27.8M/303=$91,749). The 2,500 people that are losing or lost their jobs needn’t have. GM could have provided a substantial bonus to their employees and bought back some stock for the shareholders thus more equitably shared the record profits. Or wait a minute, they could have lowered the price of their vehicles or invested more into cleaner cars or contribute to the effort to reduce global warming. Capitalism without guardrails is a danger to the welfare of everyone not working at a C-Level position in corporate America.
I agree. Democrats have no spine. No counting ballots in swing states, not even a thought about it? OMG. So many other things.