[Some of you received an earlier version of this letter last night] Friends, Did you catch Ron DeSantis’s announcement on Twitter? No? Of course not. Who in their right mind would waste their time listening to DeSantis being interviewed by Elon Musk? Who would want to give any credence at all to the anti-woke culture warrior and the anti-worker robber baron?
Those of us in the valley know Elon very well. He made a lot of enemies when he showed his true self at PayPal. I was hoping he grew out of being an ass when he started Tesla, but his reaction to COVID safeguards made it very clear that he never did. In fact, it seems to me that how one approaches COVID pandemic tells a lot about oneself. Take DeSantis. I remember a press conference with a group of high school kids, each wearing a mask. DeSantis started out by telling the kids that they didn't need to wear the mask...then he started shouting at the kids to take the masks off. I still remember the frightened face of the very last kid as he reluctantly took his mask off as DeSantis was screaming at him. I really hope at the end of our days, we get judged by how we treated others...and I really hope there's enough room in that hot chamber to accommodate all these asses.
I agree - except I would like to see justice for those who *mismanaged* #COVID19 on this plane of existence. For #Negligence and #DutyofCare , at the least. 😱😡🤬
Yes! Class action suit! No running out the clock on murder of innocents by taking away masks and urgent prevention of illness and possible death. No statute of limitations on killing / misinforming and even bullying people. That goes for Musk, too, if he ignored protocols for workers at his manufacturing plant.
I mean, Puddingfingers is AT LEAST guilty of theSECOND DEGREE MURDER of 86,000+ Floridians! He KNEW covid-19 was going to kill his constituents, but he made the CONSIOUS CHOICE to let them die. I just thank God that that effeminate, dim man-child can NEVER be president.
Afterall, Bunkerboy only won because he IS charasmatic and lovable, even if he is a hateful monster.
JJ Young : DeSantis is just a bully! He hides behind groups of young children as Sheilds., knowing that they are unlikely to call him out, because they are so young and inexperienced. Detestable! Then he claims to have their safety as a top priority! After his midnight meeting to which none of their parents were allowed to know about, much less attend; with the NRA, to make a deal/law to allow concealed carry of weapons to ANYONE! Everywhere!, thus ensuring the murders of more children and other innocents like shoppers, theater/concert goers, etc. ad nauseam!! Horrible man!
Minor correction- Musk did not "start" Tesla. It was founded by Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning in California. Musk was actually Tesla's 4th CEO starting in 2008.
Yeah buddy I agree completely,tax these fascist so and so's into the Stone Age!
And De Satan?I want to see all his fascist antics blow sky high thermo nuclear on him,and maybe we can finally have some semblance of sanity back in Fla.Lord knows it is very much needed.
That,or I'm gonna talk my family into moving to Minnesota,where there are sane people running things and trying to actually pass things that help regular folks.
Melissa I call him moRon deathSatan. Please don't leave Flaw-duh. We need people like us to somehow find the sane people in Florida to make our state at least purple again.
We need attention from the DNC, I saw Val Demings on TV last night. Maybe she can get BLM to support Black Cuban Americans to start the ball rolling. Needs to be the leader of the club that's made for you and me.....
We have had voter preclusion as long as I can remember. The justice department has been asleep at the switch. There have been many cases of voter fraud here -- perpetrated by Republicans.
My name for him is DeFascist. My husband is a native of FL he moved back some years ago. I'm from CA and that's where I live and where I'm staying put. I don't know which state is worse these day FL or TX.
Succinct as always, but I like it particularly when you sound mad, Mr. Reich, sorry. It's not that you don't go to the jugular of truth all the time, and so humanely, and graciously, but when you tell it like it is to someone in particular, get them where they live, dissect them, deconstruct and disassemble them, I like to hear you MAD...for all of us!
Grateful for your truthful contrasts and comparisons.
Meanwhile, back here on earth, while these grossly wealthy twisted minds engage in their rivalry, things get more difficult, and more difficult still, in almost every dimension. Thank God for those who persist in clear and moral leadership, while the tides of racist authoritarianism rise.
Yes, Barbara, the moral ones are always being "balanced" with the creeps like Musk and the Musks, DeSantises, and Trumps get so much more coverage. DeSantis has been in the news for the past 2 weeks, saying he was going to enter the Presidential race. Why?
They just couldn't wait until it actually happened? Or were they trying to build up a viewer or twitter interest? The various media did mention in passing the horrific unconstitutional laws being quickly passed in FL, but almost as an afterthought, and not called unconstitutional, against the 1st and 14th amendments at least. Our media just can't seem to make it up to the point of fairness because they are so deeply mired in the sludge of Republican/conservative BS and constant whining. Heck, they haven't even called the debt ceiling the hostage-taking it really is. I guess our media are scared one of the hostage-takers might whine about them being unfair. When did our journalists become such wimps? When did they get stars in their eyes over the likes of Musk, Trump, DeSantis, and that appalling bunch of schoolyard bullies?
Our media, remember, are first and foremost for profit corporations who depend on corporate advertising for their income. What they can charge advertisers depends on media ratings, ie how many people are watching or listening. So they try to attract the pro Trump and/or DeSatan audience. Hence all the news about these loathsome creaturea.
One should look no further than Florida to know that this man does NOT belong in the White House. He has taken away our liberties and continues to do so. He even made it possible to run for the presidency and STILL be governor!! He also made it so we do not know his travel plans and who is paying for them. If you want an autocracy, look no further than Florida and mr. desantis!
Their "risk" is more than paid back by the time they are raking in millions. It is time to make taxes on the wealthy stand for what they are getting from the rest of us.
The risk is displaced on to us, the less powerful, especially since money is free speech and the scrapping, piece by piece, of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We have to speak out against the egregious misuse of office by the Supreme Court which is clearly not interested in protecting the rights of citizens UNLESS they are ridiculously rich. Then they hear them. Yeah, money talks.
It was so bad I had to turn it off! I don’t like a lot of what Bill says on Real Time, I watch anyway. He’s done some fantastic interviews this season, but the Musk interview was an insult to our intelligence.
Bill Maher has become more 'libertarian' in recent years IMO. He ranted against masking, ran afoul of CA EPA requirements on his solar install, is constantly deriding "wokeness" and other words he considers slurs. He's unfortunately showing himself to be a mean old white guy! Maybe he needs to give up his show! Especially when he bows to Elon Musk in reverence! What a S***ty interview that was! And I agree, but I'd go a step further to say that Musk IS AN INSULT to our intelligence! I can't help compare him and Trump! 2 Nepo bois who speak before their brains are engaged!
I don't know where WF is based but according to the app Goods Unite Us they donate more to Democrats so other than it being more expensive and not convenient to me when I need something and am going that way I have no problem shopping there.
I am all for taxing the rich, since few of them could preform the work they do by themselves. Their wealth was accumulated either through inheritance, or on the backs of the worker bees. Don't get me wrong, it takes great ingenuity, fortitude and sacrifice to create and run a successful business. But you need worker bees to keep the process rolling. The question is always how much profit is enough. When a wealthy person becomes so self impressed with "THEIR" accomplishments that their ego comes around the corner before they do, there is a problem waiting to happen. Elon Musk is just that.
My greatest concern has always been, who controls the media. The consolidation of media groups is a way of gobbling up the competition. The fewer voices you have in opposition the more believable and convincing the crazies begin to sound. To the uneducated in areas of the country outside of alternative media sources they can be propagandized into ignorance.
Co-ops can be co-opted too. You have have informed and committed ownership with due diligence to oversight, and that is a constant commitment. Just saying.
Thank you, John, for stating this so succinctly. Mainstream media is no longer news, it is pure opinion according to the wealthy oligarchs who control it. That's why AI had my Direct TV removed and discontinued.
Like I said yesterday, DeSantis will be the Republican candidate by default.
IMHO Trump will flee.
Odds are he'll face jail and lose all his US assets by civil litigation. Government in exile in the UAE.
DOJ has about 6 separate criminal cases going, NY, GA. His main exposure will be the Oct 2 civil damages trial in NY, followed by a fraud case in January. When you work for the government, you are not supposed to be doing deals while working. Billions in exposure. He doesn't have billions - in this country. https://www.nytimes.com/.../trump-personal-financial...
DeSantis has no charisma, but has already locked up the big donors. None of the other Republican candidates is inspiring. In fact, as long as they are on record as Trump loyalists, they/ll inherit his negatives.
I was with you until the end there. Autistic people are an incredibly diverse group and to characterize them as a single voting bloc for anything Musk promotes is wildly inaccurate.
again saying something is satire doesn’t make it satire. When people don’t know your views on Autistic people then we will take you as meaning what you say. Recognizing that you had obviously hurt someone and apologizing would have been the more emotionally mature response. How would you feel if I just said, MEN!! as if all men are incapable of apologizing?
I am guessing the FTC has been defunded by the House of Reps to bare bones so they are not able to function, or some monopolies would have been broken up the in past couple of decades. Does anybody know why monopolies are now allowed to exist?
Those of us in the valley know Elon very well. He made a lot of enemies when he showed his true self at PayPal. I was hoping he grew out of being an ass when he started Tesla, but his reaction to COVID safeguards made it very clear that he never did. In fact, it seems to me that how one approaches COVID pandemic tells a lot about oneself. Take DeSantis. I remember a press conference with a group of high school kids, each wearing a mask. DeSantis started out by telling the kids that they didn't need to wear the mask...then he started shouting at the kids to take the masks off. I still remember the frightened face of the very last kid as he reluctantly took his mask off as DeSantis was screaming at him. I really hope at the end of our days, we get judged by how we treated others...and I really hope there's enough room in that hot chamber to accommodate all these asses.
I agree - except I would like to see justice for those who *mismanaged* #COVID19 on this plane of existence. For #Negligence and #DutyofCare , at the least. 😱😡🤬
Yes! Class action suit! No running out the clock on murder of innocents by taking away masks and urgent prevention of illness and possible death. No statute of limitations on killing / misinforming and even bullying people. That goes for Musk, too, if he ignored protocols for workers at his manufacturing plant.
100% Accurate We MUST hold them accountable in Public for All to see the Depths of the Corruption
I mean, Puddingfingers is AT LEAST guilty of theSECOND DEGREE MURDER of 86,000+ Floridians! He KNEW covid-19 was going to kill his constituents, but he made the CONSIOUS CHOICE to let them die. I just thank God that that effeminate, dim man-child can NEVER be president.
Afterall, Bunkerboy only won because he IS charasmatic and lovable, even if he is a hateful monster.
Sorry, can't edit my silly grammatical errors for some reason.
I’ve been having a lot of trouble dictating my comments recently.
Great comment,I like dealing with them in reality,also.
JJ Young : DeSantis is just a bully! He hides behind groups of young children as Sheilds., knowing that they are unlikely to call him out, because they are so young and inexperienced. Detestable! Then he claims to have their safety as a top priority! After his midnight meeting to which none of their parents were allowed to know about, much less attend; with the NRA, to make a deal/law to allow concealed carry of weapons to ANYONE! Everywhere!, thus ensuring the murders of more children and other innocents like shoppers, theater/concert goers, etc. ad nauseam!! Horrible man!
AUTHORITARIANISM AND Theocratic FACISM
Minor correction- Musk did not "start" Tesla. It was founded by Martin Eberhard & Marc Tarpenning in California. Musk was actually Tesla's 4th CEO starting in 2008.
I watched that media clip with Desantis ridiculing those young men it was deplorable..I am with you on the hot chamber for them all.
Yeah buddy I agree completely,tax these fascist so and so's into the Stone Age!
And De Satan?I want to see all his fascist antics blow sky high thermo nuclear on him,and maybe we can finally have some semblance of sanity back in Fla.Lord knows it is very much needed.
That,or I'm gonna talk my family into moving to Minnesota,where there are sane people running things and trying to actually pass things that help regular folks.
Melissa I call him moRon deathSatan. Please don't leave Flaw-duh. We need people like us to somehow find the sane people in Florida to make our state at least purple again.
We need attention from the DNC, I saw Val Demings on TV last night. Maybe she can get BLM to support Black Cuban Americans to start the ball rolling. Needs to be the leader of the club that's made for you and me.....
We have had voter preclusion as long as I can remember. The justice department has been asleep at the switch. There have been many cases of voter fraud here -- perpetrated by Republicans.
Proud Boys and other criminal groups have found sanctuary in the Republican Party. De Santis allies all. https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article275059026.html
Who's the leader of our club?
Donald and DeSantis have something in common. Scapegoating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lnzjjtzRdU
Good one.
Missouri has been hostage to Republicans for some time ,now,too. Most people are for working class and don't vote. What a shame.
Maureen—And to make florida again a congenial place to visit or even consider as a possibility for relocation.
*Floriduh!
My name for him is DeFascist. My husband is a native of FL he moved back some years ago. I'm from CA and that's where I live and where I'm staying put. I don't know which state is worse these day FL or TX.
FL and Texas are in a race for the worst place in the USA
You noticed that too. Texas is putting the 10 Commandments in all they classrooms. What happened to the separation of church and state?
Yes, yes, and yes! Tax the wealthy. They tax us all the time and we've had enough. It's long overdue.
Succinct as always, but I like it particularly when you sound mad, Mr. Reich, sorry. It's not that you don't go to the jugular of truth all the time, and so humanely, and graciously, but when you tell it like it is to someone in particular, get them where they live, dissect them, deconstruct and disassemble them, I like to hear you MAD...for all of us!
Grateful for your truthful contrasts and comparisons.
Meanwhile, back here on earth, while these grossly wealthy twisted minds engage in their rivalry, things get more difficult, and more difficult still, in almost every dimension. Thank God for those who persist in clear and moral leadership, while the tides of racist authoritarianism rise.
Trouble is the ones who are clear and moral are not getting the press they deserve.
Yes, Barbara, the moral ones are always being "balanced" with the creeps like Musk and the Musks, DeSantises, and Trumps get so much more coverage. DeSantis has been in the news for the past 2 weeks, saying he was going to enter the Presidential race. Why?
They just couldn't wait until it actually happened? Or were they trying to build up a viewer or twitter interest? The various media did mention in passing the horrific unconstitutional laws being quickly passed in FL, but almost as an afterthought, and not called unconstitutional, against the 1st and 14th amendments at least. Our media just can't seem to make it up to the point of fairness because they are so deeply mired in the sludge of Republican/conservative BS and constant whining. Heck, they haven't even called the debt ceiling the hostage-taking it really is. I guess our media are scared one of the hostage-takers might whine about them being unfair. When did our journalists become such wimps? When did they get stars in their eyes over the likes of Musk, Trump, DeSantis, and that appalling bunch of schoolyard bullies?
Our media, remember, are first and foremost for profit corporations who depend on corporate advertising for their income. What they can charge advertisers depends on media ratings, ie how many people are watching or listening. So they try to attract the pro Trump and/or DeSatan audience. Hence all the news about these loathsome creaturea.
I will remember "grossly wealthy twisted minds"...
One should look no further than Florida to know that this man does NOT belong in the White House. He has taken away our liberties and continues to do so. He even made it possible to run for the presidency and STILL be governor!! He also made it so we do not know his travel plans and who is paying for them. If you want an autocracy, look no further than Florida and mr. desantis!
Why do billionaires and corporations continue to get tax breaks while the people who make them that money get nothing? It is time we tax the wealthy!!
Class warfare. The wealthy must keep the masses in their place thus they even buy Supreme Court “justices”.
I have asked that question for many years…yes, the wealthy person took the initial risk, but why do we keep paying????
Their "risk" is more than paid back by the time they are raking in millions. It is time to make taxes on the wealthy stand for what they are getting from the rest of us.
I 100% agree!
The risk is displaced on to us, the less powerful, especially since money is free speech and the scrapping, piece by piece, of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We have to speak out against the egregious misuse of office by the Supreme Court which is clearly not interested in protecting the rights of citizens UNLESS they are ridiculously rich. Then they hear them. Yeah, money talks.
We need to abolish the electoral college. That's why.
Yes, we need to break up the big media monopolies and tax billionaire wealth.
There are a lot of monopolies that are too powerful.
Amen!
Why anyone is on Twitter I don't know? Let it crash.
For that matter, who in their right mind would waste their time listening to Elon Musk being interviewed by Bill Mahr?
Review of that interview, in which a multimillionaire interviews a multibillionaire:
"Bill Maher’s Slobbering Elon Musk Interview Was an Insult to Our Intelligence"
https://jacobin.com/2023/05/elon-musk-bill-maher-interview
It was so bad I had to turn it off! I don’t like a lot of what Bill says on Real Time, I watch anyway. He’s done some fantastic interviews this season, but the Musk interview was an insult to our intelligence.
It was shocking to see how much Maher bent himself to what is so obvious a sanitizing campaign by either Mr. Musk or by his PR team (if that exists).
The amount of money Musk causes to flutter and flow, even with casual or off the cuff remarks, can be market changing.
People should be shocked by this-- but likely many are just trying so hard to survive and thrive that they may not notice or have time to react.
Bill Maher has become more 'libertarian' in recent years IMO. He ranted against masking, ran afoul of CA EPA requirements on his solar install, is constantly deriding "wokeness" and other words he considers slurs. He's unfortunately showing himself to be a mean old white guy! Maybe he needs to give up his show! Especially when he bows to Elon Musk in reverence! What a S***ty interview that was! And I agree, but I'd go a step further to say that Musk IS AN INSULT to our intelligence! I can't help compare him and Trump! 2 Nepo bois who speak before their brains are engaged!
And Whole Foods is replacing more and more of the items on their shelves with its own brand. Talk about a need for anti-trust enforcement!
Jo An Crouch ; Isn't Whole foods based in Texas? I don't go there anymore. The local co-op is a better choice in my town.
Amazon owns Whole Foods!!
And Jeff Bezos owns Amazon.
Yep!
I read that they are now headquartered in Texas.
They started there: https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info/whole-foods-market-history
Whole foods is headquartered in Austin. Texas. According to Google. Currently.
Yes, I posted the link to their history too.
So is Kroger! I said as much recently…
I don't know where WF is based but according to the app Goods Unite Us they donate more to Democrats so other than it being more expensive and not convenient to me when I need something and am going that way I have no problem shopping there.
Amazon owns Whole Foods
The last sentence is the most important one. We need a wealth tax!!!
I am all for taxing the rich, since few of them could preform the work they do by themselves. Their wealth was accumulated either through inheritance, or on the backs of the worker bees. Don't get me wrong, it takes great ingenuity, fortitude and sacrifice to create and run a successful business. But you need worker bees to keep the process rolling. The question is always how much profit is enough. When a wealthy person becomes so self impressed with "THEIR" accomplishments that their ego comes around the corner before they do, there is a problem waiting to happen. Elon Musk is just that.
My greatest concern has always been, who controls the media. The consolidation of media groups is a way of gobbling up the competition. The fewer voices you have in opposition the more believable and convincing the crazies begin to sound. To the uneducated in areas of the country outside of alternative media sources they can be propagandized into ignorance.
That's why we need all co-op's ; only all workers own and share profits.
Co-ops can be co-opted too. You have have informed and committed ownership with due diligence to oversight, and that is a constant commitment. Just saying.
In other words, wise and honest leadership structure.
Thank you, John, for stating this so succinctly. Mainstream media is no longer news, it is pure opinion according to the wealthy oligarchs who control it. That's why AI had my Direct TV removed and discontinued.
Like I said yesterday, DeSantis will be the Republican candidate by default.
IMHO Trump will flee.
Odds are he'll face jail and lose all his US assets by civil litigation. Government in exile in the UAE.
DOJ has about 6 separate criminal cases going, NY, GA. His main exposure will be the Oct 2 civil damages trial in NY, followed by a fraud case in January. When you work for the government, you are not supposed to be doing deals while working. Billions in exposure. He doesn't have billions - in this country. https://www.nytimes.com/.../trump-personal-financial...
DeSantis has no charisma, but has already locked up the big donors. None of the other Republican candidates is inspiring. In fact, as long as they are on record as Trump loyalists, they/ll inherit his negatives.
Musk will get him the Aspergers' vote.
I was with you until the end there. Autistic people are an incredibly diverse group and to characterize them as a single voting bloc for anything Musk promotes is wildly inaccurate.
Aristotle said the sixth act of tragedy is comedy. Satire.
What is being satirized?
again saying something is satire doesn’t make it satire. When people don’t know your views on Autistic people then we will take you as meaning what you say. Recognizing that you had obviously hurt someone and apologizing would have been the more emotionally mature response. How would you feel if I just said, MEN!! as if all men are incapable of apologizing?
Don't need to apologize. If you can't get a joke.....
"Antiwoke and Anti-worker go hand in hand!"
This is terrifying. And, how does one break up twitter?
I am guessing the FTC has been defunded by the House of Reps to bare bones so they are not able to function, or some monopolies would have been broken up the in past couple of decades. Does anybody know why monopolies are now allowed to exist?
I wonder if the stacked courts are involved?
Get off it?