For the sake of precision, change myth to lies, or disproven theories. Myth refers to stories that reveal a timeless truth. Thanks for keeping economic theory front and center. I am grateful that you are willing to share your wealth of experience.
I agree, Daniel. The economy makes for great talking points, but little else. It does not address our true failings as a society which are pursuing greed at all cost, endless consumerism and the incapacity to feel or express compassion for one another.
How insurrectionists and adjudicated criminals are awarded positions of high office is a true conundrum. Are their drummed up fears of retaliation and vengeance enough to make people ignore the very clear rules of our constitution against such people? Perhaps. Though I believe in an existential, divine presence, I also believe that this is a problem that we as a society must confront. The 10 Commandments, clearly prohibit, theft, and covetousness among other venal sins. We are on our own from there. Many commenters here have suggested remedies for repairing our democracy, beginning with clearing out the Supreme Court of its justices who behave as though they are above the law they profess to represent. Also, Congress must be razed of those who have engaged in acts of treason against our country. Allowing such miscreants to to continue their actions with impunity will never help us return to a government devoted to maintaining the common good. I could go on and on, but we know in our hearts what must be done and most some of the courage to face down the fears that so many of us subscribe to.
Fine points, but the belief in a devine presence, also opens the floodgates to nonsense, like the idea that someone's 'soul' enters the zygote.
That idea seems to have motivated the Evangelicals to support anyone who will claim to outlaw all abortion simply to gain power and avoid prison. I read that voting Evangelicals are about 20% of the voting public, and 80% of them voted for Trump - likely mainly on the issue of abortion. The near tie between Trump and Harris shows that these Evangelical Trump votes swung the election from a considerable Harris win, to a Trump win. We can also thank our corrupt supreme court to this Evangelical voting block.
The root of the problem is campaign donations. It’s
more or less understood that, given 2 candidates
running for the office, the one who has the most money to spend will be the candidate who’s elected-
not in every case, but I would guess substantially more than 50% of the time it holds true. The average person simply can’t come up with the sums of money corporations and the wealthy can—even if we pool our money.
What’s happening is, ever since corporations have been allowed to donate to campaigns, the cost of getting elected keeps going up. So, in order to compete, more and more money is required. We’re
at the point now, where people can’t get elected
unless they pander to corporations.What that means for us is, we’ve created an electoral system so dependent on ever larger sums of money that our needs aren’t as “important” as keeping corporations happy as far as our senators and reps are concerned.
Obviously, many of our senators and reps remain aware they are there to pass legislation to benefit
the people, but they’re caught in the middle of a tug of war between what the people want and what corporations want. Being caught in the middle often means senators and reps have to lie to their constituents about a lot of things so they aren’t blamed for not doing what their constituents want.
The campaign finance situation also lends itself to
candidates accepting illegal foreign money donations just to keep up with the need for ever more money in order to get reelected. As soon as accepting illegal foreign money becomes a common occurrence, as it seems to be now, we are in a whole new arena of trouble, because a whole new set of ethical considerations arises—not to mention its illegality.
What we essentially have now are wealthy foreign
individuals and/or governments buying our elected
officials, and those foreign individuals and governments expect to get something in return for their investment in our senators and reps. (Which is why accepting foreign money is illegal.)
So now, we aren’t just competing with corporations
and rich Americans, we’re also competing with foreign governments and wealthy foreign individuals, all of whom have much more money than the average
American does. Consequently, we are dead last in the hierarchy of whom our senators and reps need to please when we should be #1.
It doesn’t require a big leap in mental activity to realize the whole scenario I’ve described is simply
unsustainable. It’s also a big reason why the political
“right” and “left” are at each others’ throats. The
competition for money between all of the people
I’ve described here has reached a point where we are being collectively manipulated to be at each others’
throats using culture wars to distract us from all of our real political issues and why average Americans can’t seem to get ahead. The way our economy works, as Prof. Reich so eloquently described, is the bulk of profits are being fought over by those at the tippy-top of our income scale.
The place to start fixing it is by passing legislation that makes all private campaign donations illegal.
If we can do that, our senators and reps no longer have to please people with lots of money or corps.
More than an authoritarian government,Trump et al are already running a criminal enterprise, much like any organized crime organization. He is a bully, and lives on threats of violence. If you want to pay less to go through a canal, pay Trump first, he’ll take care of it. No pollution regulations? Pay Trump. Protest? Get your head beaten by his goons? Will see.
For a time - when hope last seemed lost - people took to saying "She didn't lose - we didn't win"; perhaps the same principle applies in this case (i.e. we somehow fail to merit any other outcome, either through lack of participation or something else)...?
It happened because our corrupt schools have produced a society so shallow it can no longer think, much less do the work of maintaining a democracy. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and EndTeacherAbuse.org and learn how corrupt education leaders paved the way for Trump.
It happened because our corrupt schools have produced a society so shallow it can no longer think, much less do the work of maintaining a democracy. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and EndTeacherAbuse.org and learn how corrupt education leaders paved the way for Trump.
False Belief is a good substitution for myth. I remember spending some time seeing the difference between core values and core beliefs, the latter being something needing investigation lest they become a problem.
Thank you for raising the issue of the careless use of the word myth. The true meaning has been elided with disinformation or lies in our era of knee jerk easy answers to complicated questions. I have struggled with how to best communicate my perception that our society is in a cycle of decline because of our lack of shared cultural myths, not because of them. What RR is writing about here and giving shape to through economic analysis is the duplicity and betrayal of generations of bipartisan US/UK political players 🐈⬛
Isn't Supply Side economics, introduced by Ronald Reagan, ultimately responsible for stagnant real wage growth and the soaring inequality? What interest would a conservative administration have in fixing this?
BINGO. Trickle down voodoo economics is one of the biggest scams in all of recorded history. It's Reverse Robin Hood Economics: Rob from the poor, give to the rich, and torpedo what's left of the middle class.
Joshua. What about the actual purchasing power of ones paycheck. Maybe you could find some numbers to compare what one could actually buy in 1981 compared to 2024.
I just looked up the following info about pickup trucks. I only chose this product because of their tremendous popularity with the car buying public. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the price of a new pickup truck is 89.90% higher in 2024 than in 1983. So, if your numbers are correct, a 63% increase in wages is still way behind general inflation. Just saying.
I remember, when in High School in the early 1960's, a conversation with my Dad about the price of "something" having gone up recently. He said "when he was a boy in the 1920's a loaf of bread was a nickel." Food for thought ... GH
I recall at the age of 21 being able to purchase a brand new car for 2200.00. My wage was 45.00 per week (basically minimum, but I qualified for a loan). In 1975, my partner and I were able to purchase a house for 32,500. We qualified for a mortgage. Our monthly earnings totalled 800.00. We are now retired, not wealthy, but have enough. It is terrible what is happening today.
Checking those numbers. 89.9% means 1.899 times higher. 2024 - 1983 = 41 years. So an inflation rate of 1.5765% per year. Check: 1.589^41 = 1.899.
The BLS has a table of urban inflation rates for those years, and the rate to for all those years is 3.2038% per year. It didn't cover 2024 yet though.
Using 3.2038% for the 41 years gives a multiplier of 3.643 times higher.
In other words, if you were earning $20 per hour at the start of 1983, you should get a raise this January to $72.86 per hour.
I don't know what trucks cost though. I bought a Ford econoline van around 1969 for about $3000. Piece of junk, and a basic shell of a van, but fun. It would cost about $17,500 today at the 3.2% inflation rate.
Hi Ted. Thanks for your number crunching. I just looked up the Ford F150 pickup for 2024. They start at $36,000 and can go up to $78,440 for the top model! They keep making them so I guess some folks can afford them. I always buy used cars, not new. It just works out better for me. I think most Americans would be very happy to have a raise to $72.86 per hour starting in Jan. 2025. Thanks again & Happy New Year... GH
Those "folks" are corporations - and they lease, not buy, those trucks (also, don't forget that 0% financing was a big part of what led to a glut of SUV's & some tough times for Detroit when the housing piggy-bank was smashed in the late 00's)...
Some Basic Statistics... Throw out the TOP 1%, and Bottom 1%... They Skew the Statistical Sample... Then Calculate the Median... Then get a feel against Real World Costs For Cars, Houses, and Food...
One major problem the US has is that we have Citizens United to contend with!!! As long as this continues to exists, we will have huge inequality because the richest can "buy" the candidates they want and we can't do a thing about it. This is what just happened and I don't hear anybody really talking about that. Plus, Trump puts in 16 BILLIONAIRES in his administration. Does anyone thing for a second that they would have the middle and lower classes in their sights to make their lives better? Of course not!!!! We need an overhaul of our system----get rid of the Supreme Court Justices who decide on either religion or politics how they vote. There should be a way to impeach them because that is exactly what they are doing!!!! The country has to go against all this gerrymandering that is going on in so many states so people are prevented from getting elected. Taxes for the rich have to be proportionate to their riches----not some bribe by Trump to get their money for his campaign and get elected! No one said a word about that, but it happened right before our eyes!!!! Until a leader comes forth who is really strong and determined and is able to create a bloc that will begin to eliminate the unfairness in our system, this horrible show will continue to play. We are being screwed by the rich! No question about that and if we continue to let this happen, that would be the end of democracy and fair play in this country. (as it practically is now). Terri Quint
At 78, my vote would be a DEM ticket with Elizabeth Warren for Pres. and AOC for Vice Pres.
I wonder if their positive message could motivate the election "sitter-outers" to get off their asses and vote for a better future for themselves and their kids???
All the best to all my Sub-Stacker friends for '25... GH
Thanks Robert! I continue to see busy shopping centers and long lines at every fast food place and restaurants! Many new construction projects all over, and on a recent visit to Phoenix I saw thousands of new homes being built and tons of businesses buildings. So I say bunk to those who say they can’t afford anything
Spot on Daniel J. It is my observation and opinion as well, that this election was about the price of eggs , bread and milk is horseshit, concocted by those who benefit from tax cuts and deregulation. The same foul forces, created, funded and perpetuated the culture war.
MAGAts did bot vote because of the price of eggs, they voted to own the libs and end "woke", and all that falls under that umbrella in their small minds.
Yes! The MAGA BS got to those willfully ignorant and deliberately uneducated voters who voted for the chief con man, felon, rapist, racist grifter liar vile orange man baby!!!
I do not have the extensive knowledge base that you possess.
Just for clarity could you provide the good people of this Substack string with the top five (5) economic policies proposed by the DNC, which I assume you support and why they have your support.
And the top five (5) RNC economic policies that you oppose and why.
You did not disappoint nor surprise. I had a few of my Substack friends review your post and they predicted, 100%, that you have no clue about anybody's policies and that you would just run for cover, as I suspected that you would.
You are totally in line with any other Progressive man or woman on Substack, that has been asked a question about why they supported Kamala, with regard to policies she advocated. All 100% of the responses have been, "Trump is Hitler" or a variation on that. Such a clueless crew.
I find it curious that men like yourself end up being emasculated, castrated, Progressive, Beta males, who have been neutered and cuckolded by their ultra - Progressive wives. It seems even more pronounced with Jewish men who at some point in their lives had balls. You sound like a feminized, weak, not so bright, man who is the typical spineless, Jewish husband.
I am also Jewish, 50% Ashkenazi and 50% Sephardic, so you can hold off firing an antiemetic shot across my bow.
BTW: My wife of 52 is not Jewish, so I avoided the neutering process and the intellectual castration.
BTW: What is Jewish foreplay? 30 minutes of begging.
I actually am interested in your perspective. Why do the vast majority of American Jews vote for the Democrats and the policies of The Radical Left? Why is that?
Are you a Good Progressive such that you are Pro-Palestinian and you hate Israel, because they are the white, colonial oppressors, oppressing the poor, brown people. Cultural Marxism at its best.
Why is it that a significant number of historical proponents of Marxism have been Jews? Why is that? Marx, pretty much all of the Frankfurt School (Fromm, Marcuse, Horkheimer, etc.) , Saul Alinsky, The Bern, Robert Reich, Jerry Nadler, Chuck Schumer, all Jews and all extreme Lefties. Why do you think that is?
Are you afraid of any degree of Nationalism? Afraid of being labeled as Pro-American or Pro-Freedom? Why is that?
If you choose not to answer, that is fine. It is what I would expect from a pretend man like you.
I assume that you are one of the enlightened ones. The tone of your note suggests that, and you are not one of the ".....willfully ignorant and deliberately uneducated voters."
I do not have the extensive knowledge base that you possess.
Just for clarity could you provide the good people of this Substack string with the top five (5) economic policies proposed by the DNC, which I assume you support, and why they have your support.
And the top five (5) RNC economic policies that you oppose and why.
Not that policies have any meaning if a candidate is willing to say *literally* anything... but renewal of "Trump tax cuts" (passed in 2017) & the fate of investments under the "Build Back Better" plan (i.e. infrastructure & clean energy funding) are of prime concern, i.e. where ad hominem insults & amateur psychological deconstruction is not passing for participation in discourse.
Yet, not only a minority of minorities (they are even discriminated against by gays and TERFs, The perfect scapegoat, by which to grab people by the genitals.
Almost invisible, not understood, so scary, one can weave any story around such a group
William, women around the world are standing firmly against self-identification policies, recognizing the harm they bring to women and girls. Make no mistake: we will not stop fighting for the protection of women’s sex-based rights. Sex matters—in both life and law—and it shouldn’t require bravery to acknowledge this truth.
So you are a neo-colonialist witch hunter? I am from New England and I guess history does rhyme as Twain has stated. So come get me!!! There is no gender woo woo, only sex. I should know, I’m bisexual! 🙄 (edit: …this is the homophobia and misogyny that lost the dems the election).
LOL, Funny as hell Harvey, and so, so true, Christians, MAGAts are the worlds biggest hypocrites, the more religious they proclaim themselves to be, the worst they are.
Remember that outrageous Homophobe, Ted Haggard, caught soliciting men for sex. And then there is the righteous ex Sen Larry Craig from Idaho, caught soliciting sex in the Minneapolis Airport Men's room. and on, it goes, Laren Boebert giving her boyfriend a hand job in the theater, there is no end to it. And of course there is the homophobic Senator Ms Ladybugs.
“transgender” issue is incompatible with a “woman’s ‘right’ to ‘choose’”. What is god's name has one thing got to do with the other???? Furthermore, no one is pro-abortion.
“Take privacy and free speech: if one person’s supposed “privacy right” is to conceal their sex, but I can easily see that sex and wish to state it, now I can’t. Because what to me functions as the other person demanding that they can conceal their sex is to them an expression of their true self – the gendered one, not the sexed one.
It’s worth pausing for a second to register how this shift doesn’t merely destroy human rights, it harnesses the machinery of human-rights law to work against human rights. Silencing other people about a perfectly obvious fact that everyone can see – that someone is a man or a woman – now has the force of a human right behind it, namely privacy, when in fact it’s a rights violation – a serious infringement of other people’s freedom of speech.” Dr Helen Joyce
That's BS. And the projects will take several years to develop. I predict Trump will try to take credit for it.
Munis are another subject. I am not current but in antdeluvian time I represented municipalities -- we would generally use outside bond counsel. The market shrunk, starying with Trump, who DID NOTHING for municipalities, Set them back. Many Republican mayors supported Harris. There are infastructure projects everwhere. Just started the NY NJ tunnel. Hundreds of new plants are in the pipeline.
The inflation started when Trump forced higher energy prices -- was like a snowball at the top of a mountain. Transportation companies had long term contracts at high prices. Of all industrialized nations we had thw LOWEST inflation.
Daniel, would it be possible for you to respond to others by not saying that their comments are "BS"? And by not calling them "full of it' and by not calling them 'idiots'? Wouldn't the more intelligent approach be to refute their arguments with respect?
I feel impelled to say this because I remember an encounter with you in the past where you provided no refutation, but only responded to a woman by saying, 'you're confused, again'. If the spirit moves you, check out my extensive post entitled 'Erasure/Silencing' on Jacquelyn's Substack. This is post is actually my response to you.
The Local Roads around here continued to deteriorate under DJT... Many have been restored under Biden... The CHIPS Act is a Strategic Move... Eric Schmidt recently said on CNN GPS that China may have pulled ahead in MicroProcessor Manufacturing, and A.I... Read the latest addition of 'Foreign Affairs' to see how that Race for Military Technology is turning out... Finally Elon Musk almost Engineered a Gov't Shutdown because there was a provision to forbade his Desire to Build A Massive A.I. Facility in China, and transfer High-Tech to China... Elon Musk, Apartheid South African, is Loyal To Who?
Yes, municipalities use outside counsel (my very closest relative is a leading bond attorney). She expected new issues to rebound, but they have stayed depressed.
Thank you Robert. I signed up in August. You were my first paid subscription. I've been a fan for decades, not just because of your learned articles, but also your super humor!
Great piece Robert. I've reposted it everywhere, including Capetown Muskrat's site.
Now, I had written a 500-word comment but I scrapped it as it all boils down to this.
The only true solution is for the regular working folks to bring down our current immoral and corrupt system.
The Avaricious Class has most of the money, which only means they have the most to lose.
But we have the population.
And as The People, with the elections, courts, and governments mostly corrupted by the wealthy, we must reclaim a decent equilibrium regarding wealth and influence by sheer intimidation in the streets and workplaces as other nations have done throughout history, or our Republic will continue rapidly devolving into an absolute totalitarian state.
We need a party responsive to the rights of the working and middle classes (what's left of it). But that would mean the Democtatic party must return to its more working-class roots and scrap the neoliberal bullcrap of the last 40 some-odd years. And we need to get rid of the business as usual crap as well. Biden is sleepwalking us into fascism with his "peaceful transfer of power" rather than doing what he can to save our democracy.
This is a great economics class! How different would we be if the average American knew as much about this subject as he/she does about football or shopping?? We have created our gods! Plutus can be a cruel god!
in 1970, wealthiest 1% in USA owned 8% of US wealth, in 2020 - 50 years later - the same 1% owned 60% of the wealth - an increase of 750% in 50 years - all slowly & carefully taken from everything up & down every supply chain - without normal citizens being aware of it. IMHO (in my humble opinion) - that is the major cause of where we are today and what happened Nov 5th
Joshua - I could not find the stats I used for the numbers I posted - but with a quick search - have a graph that shows 328% growth from 1980 - 2020https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/a-guide-to-statistics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality - so from 1970 - 1980 there was surely significant growth - I am trying to cut/paste the graph in this chat but cannot do it - glad to continue the dialogue mlsmolens@gmail.com
In my thirty-one tears of teaching undergraduate economics, I have observed three truly gifted teachers -- my son's kindergarten teacher, my wife who spent thirty-two years teaching undergraduate accounting, and a teacher of psychology at a small college in north Georgia. Now, after watching the video, I will add you as a fourth to my personal list of gifted teachers.
With only one macroeconomics course taken from a professor at UCLA forty years ago I will offer this: The finance sector in the United States has roughly doubled in the last four decades. I'm 66 years old and a product of the state university system here in California. It is a national economy that now is mired in duplicity regarding what things actually "cost." My family were New Deal Democrats in Los Angeles and what I see as one of the biggest myths is perception. Education of any kind is far too expensive and inaccessible for much of the nation's population. The reality is the majority of us want as little as possible to deal with things like the stock market, but since Reagan it's been shoved into people's reality in a way that has nothing to do with reality. Hence, Trump. Period. A massive casino is really what the national economy resembles in comparison to say, 1960 when John Kennedy assumed office. How do I know? Because I lived through it.
That is the story of "defined benefit" retirement (old) v/s "defined contribution" (new); people *do* need to take greater interest in their financial health & how they fund their own retirement... but you hit the Reagan nail on the head, so to speak (i.e the fact of is used as a guise/smokescreen for a political agenda which deconstructs unions & directly engenders inequality, essentially cutting off its own nose to spite what it deems a partisan face).
We know that the system is rigged, it's the same here across the Atlantic. I have read however that Trump is planning not only to target his critics, but also their spouses. This is completely despicable. You need to get rid of Trump and I don't care how it's done..
I think racism underlies a lot of the current situation, but totally agree with your economic analysis. It’s deeply frustrating that people with such legitimate economic grievances get conned by a billionaire who is the biggest grifter around. I completely understand the anger about the rigged system, I just don’t understand the stupidity.
I urge you to utilize your presidential powers to immediately remove Trump-appointed judges from the Supreme Court. Additionally, it's essential to dismiss any Trump supporters in Congress who enable his authoritarian ambitions.
Trump has openly declared that he would imprison those who oppose him, labeling them as "the enemies within."
Mr. President, you have the power to halt Trump’s agenda.
Failure to act now could lead us into a fascist dictatorship for generations.
IF YOU ARE HESITANT, KAMALA HARRIS IS CAPABLE OF HANDLING THIS SITUATION, GIVEN HER EXPERIENCE.
HOWEVER, SHE CAN ONLY ACT IF YOU STEP DOWN IN TIME FOR HER TO TAKE THE NECESSARY MEASURES.
After January 20, 2025, when Trump potentially resumes office, we may lose our chance to prevent him and his future supporters from gaining power again.
This is a critical moment to protect our nation from a dictatorial takeover.
According to the United States Constitution, the consequences for treason include a minimum five-year prison sentence, a fine of at least $10,000, and disqualification from public office.
According to the Washington Post, many Hispanic voters have, in their churches, become enamored with the prosperity gospel. They see Trump as a successful businessman who embodies it, someone who must be especially blessed because he is wealthy. Too many Americans who are struggling cope by seeing themselves as wealthy-people-in-waiting, and perhaps live vicariously through Trump.
For the sake of precision, change myth to lies, or disproven theories. Myth refers to stories that reveal a timeless truth. Thanks for keeping economic theory front and center. I am grateful that you are willing to share your wealth of experience.
All that stuff is just a distraction. How can an insurrectionist be permitted to take the oath of office?
I agree, Daniel. The economy makes for great talking points, but little else. It does not address our true failings as a society which are pursuing greed at all cost, endless consumerism and the incapacity to feel or express compassion for one another.
How insurrectionists and adjudicated criminals are awarded positions of high office is a true conundrum. Are their drummed up fears of retaliation and vengeance enough to make people ignore the very clear rules of our constitution against such people? Perhaps. Though I believe in an existential, divine presence, I also believe that this is a problem that we as a society must confront. The 10 Commandments, clearly prohibit, theft, and covetousness among other venal sins. We are on our own from there. Many commenters here have suggested remedies for repairing our democracy, beginning with clearing out the Supreme Court of its justices who behave as though they are above the law they profess to represent. Also, Congress must be razed of those who have engaged in acts of treason against our country. Allowing such miscreants to to continue their actions with impunity will never help us return to a government devoted to maintaining the common good. I could go on and on, but we know in our hearts what must be done and most some of the courage to face down the fears that so many of us subscribe to.
Because of the fucking media blitz. Fox News 24-7.
Fine points, but the belief in a devine presence, also opens the floodgates to nonsense, like the idea that someone's 'soul' enters the zygote.
That idea seems to have motivated the Evangelicals to support anyone who will claim to outlaw all abortion simply to gain power and avoid prison. I read that voting Evangelicals are about 20% of the voting public, and 80% of them voted for Trump - likely mainly on the issue of abortion. The near tie between Trump and Harris shows that these Evangelical Trump votes swung the election from a considerable Harris win, to a Trump win. We can also thank our corrupt supreme court to this Evangelical voting block.
The root of the problem is campaign donations. It’s
more or less understood that, given 2 candidates
running for the office, the one who has the most money to spend will be the candidate who’s elected-
not in every case, but I would guess substantially more than 50% of the time it holds true. The average person simply can’t come up with the sums of money corporations and the wealthy can—even if we pool our money.
What’s happening is, ever since corporations have been allowed to donate to campaigns, the cost of getting elected keeps going up. So, in order to compete, more and more money is required. We’re
at the point now, where people can’t get elected
unless they pander to corporations.What that means for us is, we’ve created an electoral system so dependent on ever larger sums of money that our needs aren’t as “important” as keeping corporations happy as far as our senators and reps are concerned.
Obviously, many of our senators and reps remain aware they are there to pass legislation to benefit
the people, but they’re caught in the middle of a tug of war between what the people want and what corporations want. Being caught in the middle often means senators and reps have to lie to their constituents about a lot of things so they aren’t blamed for not doing what their constituents want.
The campaign finance situation also lends itself to
candidates accepting illegal foreign money donations just to keep up with the need for ever more money in order to get reelected. As soon as accepting illegal foreign money becomes a common occurrence, as it seems to be now, we are in a whole new arena of trouble, because a whole new set of ethical considerations arises—not to mention its illegality.
What we essentially have now are wealthy foreign
individuals and/or governments buying our elected
officials, and those foreign individuals and governments expect to get something in return for their investment in our senators and reps. (Which is why accepting foreign money is illegal.)
So now, we aren’t just competing with corporations
and rich Americans, we’re also competing with foreign governments and wealthy foreign individuals, all of whom have much more money than the average
American does. Consequently, we are dead last in the hierarchy of whom our senators and reps need to please when we should be #1.
It doesn’t require a big leap in mental activity to realize the whole scenario I’ve described is simply
unsustainable. It’s also a big reason why the political
“right” and “left” are at each others’ throats. The
competition for money between all of the people
I’ve described here has reached a point where we are being collectively manipulated to be at each others’
throats using culture wars to distract us from all of our real political issues and why average Americans can’t seem to get ahead. The way our economy works, as Prof. Reich so eloquently described, is the bulk of profits are being fought over by those at the tippy-top of our income scale.
The place to start fixing it is by passing legislation that makes all private campaign donations illegal.
If we can do that, our senators and reps no longer have to please people with lots of money or corps.
The only people they need to please are voters.
Like all of his crimes, he gets away with them, Scott Free.
Why? Because legacy media sanewashed Trump. They will do anything for ratings and money.
The Corporate MSM has Devolved to MSM Propaganda... Research is Shoddy... It has Devolved since Reagan, and became Propaganda during G.W.Bush...
https://t.co/cpdK1PYYj4
Well, he and his supporters are fighting for law and order! 🙄 or 🤣 - I'm of two minds on it!
Deeds, Not Words Matter.... Else it is Just Happy Talk Propaganda....
Factual truth is the best propaganda. MAGAt clowns have no sense of irony as they dance their fandango.
Yeah, they Bite-The-Hands-That-Feed-Them... The only Only People that DJT helps, are those that make it to Mar-a-Lago...
More than an authoritarian government,Trump et al are already running a criminal enterprise, much like any organized crime organization. He is a bully, and lives on threats of violence. If you want to pay less to go through a canal, pay Trump first, he’ll take care of it. No pollution regulations? Pay Trump. Protest? Get your head beaten by his goons? Will see.
So true. Grifters gonna graft. It's a kleptocracy all the way down.
I know, right?
For a time - when hope last seemed lost - people took to saying "She didn't lose - we didn't win"; perhaps the same principle applies in this case (i.e. we somehow fail to merit any other outcome, either through lack of participation or something else)...?
It happened because our corrupt schools have produced a society so shallow it can no longer think, much less do the work of maintaining a democracy. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and EndTeacherAbuse.org and learn how corrupt education leaders paved the way for Trump.
It happened because our corrupt schools have produced a society so shallow it can no longer think, much less do the work of maintaining a democracy. Check out WhiteChalkCrime.com and EndTeacherAbuse.org and learn how corrupt education leaders paved the way for Trump.
There are myths and there are myths. RR uses myth as in Widely Held but False Belief, as compared to Greek Myths as an example.
False Belief is a good substitution for myth. I remember spending some time seeing the difference between core values and core beliefs, the latter being something needing investigation lest they become a problem.
Thank you for raising the issue of the careless use of the word myth. The true meaning has been elided with disinformation or lies in our era of knee jerk easy answers to complicated questions. I have struggled with how to best communicate my perception that our society is in a cycle of decline because of our lack of shared cultural myths, not because of them. What RR is writing about here and giving shape to through economic analysis is the duplicity and betrayal of generations of bipartisan US/UK political players 🐈⬛
hear, hear!
Isn't Supply Side economics, introduced by Ronald Reagan, ultimately responsible for stagnant real wage growth and the soaring inequality? What interest would a conservative administration have in fixing this?
The answer to your questions is "yes" and "none," respectively
That's why we need a progressive like Sanders.
Amen
BINGO. Trickle down voodoo economics is one of the biggest scams in all of recorded history. It's Reverse Robin Hood Economics: Rob from the poor, give to the rich, and torpedo what's left of the middle class.
Median real (inflation adjusted to 2023) wage are up 63 percent since 1981
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N
Inflation adjusted (i.e. real) with CPI base (2023)
1981 $25,820
2023 $42,220
i.e. personal income has increased by 63 percent after inflation since 1981.
In contrast, in Canada: (inflation adjusted to 2022 $CAD) personal income (Statistics Canada)
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1110023901&pickMembers%5B0%5D=1.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=2.1&pickMembers%5B2%5D=3.1&pickMembers%5B3%5D=4.1&cubeTimeFrame.startYear=1981&cubeTimeFrame.endYear=2022&referencePeriods=19810101%2C20220101
1981 CAD $35,300
2022 CAD $43,100
an increase of only 22 percent.
So, since 1981, US earners (a the median) have outgained Canadians by almost 3 -1.
So you are saying the US earnings have been stagnant?
Joshua. What about the actual purchasing power of ones paycheck. Maybe you could find some numbers to compare what one could actually buy in 1981 compared to 2024.
I just looked up the following info about pickup trucks. I only chose this product because of their tremendous popularity with the car buying public. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the price of a new pickup truck is 89.90% higher in 2024 than in 1983. So, if your numbers are correct, a 63% increase in wages is still way behind general inflation. Just saying.
I remember, when in High School in the early 1960's, a conversation with my Dad about the price of "something" having gone up recently. He said "when he was a boy in the 1920's a loaf of bread was a nickel." Food for thought ... GH
I recall at the age of 21 being able to purchase a brand new car for 2200.00. My wage was 45.00 per week (basically minimum, but I qualified for a loan). In 1975, my partner and I were able to purchase a house for 32,500. We qualified for a mortgage. Our monthly earnings totalled 800.00. We are now retired, not wealthy, but have enough. It is terrible what is happening today.
Checking those numbers. 89.9% means 1.899 times higher. 2024 - 1983 = 41 years. So an inflation rate of 1.5765% per year. Check: 1.589^41 = 1.899.
The BLS has a table of urban inflation rates for those years, and the rate to for all those years is 3.2038% per year. It didn't cover 2024 yet though.
Using 3.2038% for the 41 years gives a multiplier of 3.643 times higher.
In other words, if you were earning $20 per hour at the start of 1983, you should get a raise this January to $72.86 per hour.
I don't know what trucks cost though. I bought a Ford econoline van around 1969 for about $3000. Piece of junk, and a basic shell of a van, but fun. It would cost about $17,500 today at the 3.2% inflation rate.
Hi Ted. Thanks for your number crunching. I just looked up the Ford F150 pickup for 2024. They start at $36,000 and can go up to $78,440 for the top model! They keep making them so I guess some folks can afford them. I always buy used cars, not new. It just works out better for me. I think most Americans would be very happy to have a raise to $72.86 per hour starting in Jan. 2025. Thanks again & Happy New Year... GH
Those "folks" are corporations - and they lease, not buy, those trucks (also, don't forget that 0% financing was a big part of what led to a glut of SUV's & some tough times for Detroit when the housing piggy-bank was smashed in the late 00's)...
Some Basic Statistics... Throw out the TOP 1%, and Bottom 1%... They Skew the Statistical Sample... Then Calculate the Median... Then get a feel against Real World Costs For Cars, Houses, and Food...
Median earnings in current dollars rose over 300 percent- sp the truck is more affordable today.
FYI - here is the data on median personal income before inflation
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/seriesBeta/MEPAINUSA646N
These tables (Census Bureau for US and Statistic Canada) are inflation adjusted (that’s what I meant by “after inflation”).
If that's true, then I guess all of that austerity in the 1990s didn't do Canada much good, even when it's harm was masked by a currency devaluation.
One major problem the US has is that we have Citizens United to contend with!!! As long as this continues to exists, we will have huge inequality because the richest can "buy" the candidates they want and we can't do a thing about it. This is what just happened and I don't hear anybody really talking about that. Plus, Trump puts in 16 BILLIONAIRES in his administration. Does anyone thing for a second that they would have the middle and lower classes in their sights to make their lives better? Of course not!!!! We need an overhaul of our system----get rid of the Supreme Court Justices who decide on either religion or politics how they vote. There should be a way to impeach them because that is exactly what they are doing!!!! The country has to go against all this gerrymandering that is going on in so many states so people are prevented from getting elected. Taxes for the rich have to be proportionate to their riches----not some bribe by Trump to get their money for his campaign and get elected! No one said a word about that, but it happened right before our eyes!!!! Until a leader comes forth who is really strong and determined and is able to create a bloc that will begin to eliminate the unfairness in our system, this horrible show will continue to play. We are being screwed by the rich! No question about that and if we continue to let this happen, that would be the end of democracy and fair play in this country. (as it practically is now). Terri Quint
Thanks Terri.
At 78, my vote would be a DEM ticket with Elizabeth Warren for Pres. and AOC for Vice Pres.
I wonder if their positive message could motivate the election "sitter-outers" to get off their asses and vote for a better future for themselves and their kids???
All the best to all my Sub-Stacker friends for '25... GH
It’s public information that the leftist Harris outspend the Republicans in the recent election campaign.
Absolutely NOT leftist! Centrist maybe.
They have no idea what left is because both parties have pushed so far right that we have an authoritarian party and a right-of-centre party.
Thanks Robert! I continue to see busy shopping centers and long lines at every fast food place and restaurants! Many new construction projects all over, and on a recent visit to Phoenix I saw thousands of new homes being built and tons of businesses buildings. So I say bunk to those who say they can’t afford anything
Spot on Daniel J. It is my observation and opinion as well, that this election was about the price of eggs , bread and milk is horseshit, concocted by those who benefit from tax cuts and deregulation. The same foul forces, created, funded and perpetuated the culture war.
MAGAts did bot vote because of the price of eggs, they voted to own the libs and end "woke", and all that falls under that umbrella in their small minds.
Yes! The MAGA BS got to those willfully ignorant and deliberately uneducated voters who voted for the chief con man, felon, rapist, racist grifter liar vile orange man baby!!!
Hate Trumps economics.
Hi Daniel,
I do not have the extensive knowledge base that you possess.
Just for clarity could you provide the good people of this Substack string with the top five (5) economic policies proposed by the DNC, which I assume you support and why they have your support.
And the top five (5) RNC economic policies that you oppose and why.
Thanks.
Bob P.
I'm not your mother.
Hi Daniel,
You did not disappoint nor surprise. I had a few of my Substack friends review your post and they predicted, 100%, that you have no clue about anybody's policies and that you would just run for cover, as I suspected that you would.
You are totally in line with any other Progressive man or woman on Substack, that has been asked a question about why they supported Kamala, with regard to policies she advocated. All 100% of the responses have been, "Trump is Hitler" or a variation on that. Such a clueless crew.
I find it curious that men like yourself end up being emasculated, castrated, Progressive, Beta males, who have been neutered and cuckolded by their ultra - Progressive wives. It seems even more pronounced with Jewish men who at some point in their lives had balls. You sound like a feminized, weak, not so bright, man who is the typical spineless, Jewish husband.
I am also Jewish, 50% Ashkenazi and 50% Sephardic, so you can hold off firing an antiemetic shot across my bow.
BTW: My wife of 52 is not Jewish, so I avoided the neutering process and the intellectual castration.
BTW: What is Jewish foreplay? 30 minutes of begging.
I actually am interested in your perspective. Why do the vast majority of American Jews vote for the Democrats and the policies of The Radical Left? Why is that?
Are you a Good Progressive such that you are Pro-Palestinian and you hate Israel, because they are the white, colonial oppressors, oppressing the poor, brown people. Cultural Marxism at its best.
Why is it that a significant number of historical proponents of Marxism have been Jews? Why is that? Marx, pretty much all of the Frankfurt School (Fromm, Marcuse, Horkheimer, etc.) , Saul Alinsky, The Bern, Robert Reich, Jerry Nadler, Chuck Schumer, all Jews and all extreme Lefties. Why do you think that is?
Are you afraid of any degree of Nationalism? Afraid of being labeled as Pro-American or Pro-Freedom? Why is that?
If you choose not to answer, that is fine. It is what I would expect from a pretend man like you.
Bob P.
Hi Daniel,
I assume that you are one of the enlightened ones. The tone of your note suggests that, and you are not one of the ".....willfully ignorant and deliberately uneducated voters."
I do not have the extensive knowledge base that you possess.
Just for clarity could you provide the good people of this Substack string with the top five (5) economic policies proposed by the DNC, which I assume you support, and why they have your support.
And the top five (5) RNC economic policies that you oppose and why.
Thanks.
Bob P.
Not that policies have any meaning if a candidate is willing to say *literally* anything... but renewal of "Trump tax cuts" (passed in 2017) & the fate of investments under the "Build Back Better" plan (i.e. infrastructure & clean energy funding) are of prime concern, i.e. where ad hominem insults & amateur psychological deconstruction is not passing for participation in discourse.
Why do you ask, Robert?
The transgender issue was huge. If you were in a battle gound state the media was flooded with that issue.
Yet, not only a minority of minorities (they are even discriminated against by gays and TERFs, The perfect scapegoat, by which to grab people by the genitals.
Almost invisible, not understood, so scary, one can weave any story around such a group
William, women around the world are standing firmly against self-identification policies, recognizing the harm they bring to women and girls. Make no mistake: we will not stop fighting for the protection of women’s sex-based rights. Sex matters—in both life and law—and it shouldn’t require bravery to acknowledge this truth.
So you are a TERF then.
So you are a neo-colonialist witch hunter? I am from New England and I guess history does rhyme as Twain has stated. So come get me!!! There is no gender woo woo, only sex. I should know, I’m bisexual! 🙄 (edit: …this is the homophobia and misogyny that lost the dems the election).
If sex is anywhere close to an issue, the GOP/MAGATs go crazy. Unless they are caught with their pants down, then crickets.
LOL, Funny as hell Harvey, and so, so true, Christians, MAGAts are the worlds biggest hypocrites, the more religious they proclaim themselves to be, the worst they are.
Remember that outrageous Homophobe, Ted Haggard, caught soliciting men for sex. And then there is the righteous ex Sen Larry Craig from Idaho, caught soliciting sex in the Minneapolis Airport Men's room. and on, it goes, Laren Boebert giving her boyfriend a hand job in the theater, there is no end to it. And of course there is the homophobic Senator Ms Ladybugs.
The “transgender” issue is incompatible with a “woman’s ‘right’ to ‘choose’”.
If you can’t define a “woman”, as you guys insist you can’t nowadays, how can such an indefinable entity have “rights”.
Resolve that issue before you try on the pro-abortion guff.
Btw, who actually uses the tampons in men’s washrooms, apart from men nicking them for their partners?
“transgender” issue is incompatible with a “woman’s ‘right’ to ‘choose’”. What is god's name has one thing got to do with the other???? Furthermore, no one is pro-abortion.
“Take privacy and free speech: if one person’s supposed “privacy right” is to conceal their sex, but I can easily see that sex and wish to state it, now I can’t. Because what to me functions as the other person demanding that they can conceal their sex is to them an expression of their true self – the gendered one, not the sexed one.
It’s worth pausing for a second to register how this shift doesn’t merely destroy human rights, it harnesses the machinery of human-rights law to work against human rights. Silencing other people about a perfectly obvious fact that everyone can see – that someone is a man or a woman – now has the force of a human right behind it, namely privacy, when in fact it’s a rights violation – a serious infringement of other people’s freedom of speech.” Dr Helen Joyce
https://genspect.org/what-will-it-take-to-return-to-reality/
The best approach to Amy’s comment is to cite the conclusion of the Monty Python sketch: A Man with Three Buttocks.
Before a “woman” can have “rights” you have to define “woman”. Simple.
A strident minority is pro-abortion, and has been reasonably successful in hiding behind “choice”.
Biden infrastucture bill, standing alone provides $62 billion in funding for Fiscal Year 2025 – an increase of $18.8 billion in formula programs compared to Fiscal Year 2021, the last fiscal year before the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was implemented. https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/investing-america-biden-harris-administration-sends-62-billion-states-bipartisan#:~:text=The%20fourth%20year%20of%20funding%20under%20the%20Bipartisan%20Infrastructure%20Law,Bipartisan%20Infrastructure%20Law%20was%20implemente
Biden Chips Act brings Taiwanese money to Phoenix to create 2000+ jobs. https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2024/11/biden-harris-administration-announces-chips-incentives-award-tsmc
The reason we lost is cultural and economics is just a pretext. People are snookered to cut their own economic and physical health.
Our number 1 problem is that Russia attacked us using psy ops and Trump is either their agent or is a willing idiot.
Unfortunately, local governments have cut infrastructure spending - because:
- when someone else is paying, you do not have to
- Bidenflation pushed up interest rates - and this raised yields in Munis and Airport Bonds. New issues on Munis have crashed.
The percentage of the GDP spent on public constructions is now LOWER than before the pandemic.
That's BS. And the projects will take several years to develop. I predict Trump will try to take credit for it.
Munis are another subject. I am not current but in antdeluvian time I represented municipalities -- we would generally use outside bond counsel. The market shrunk, starying with Trump, who DID NOTHING for municipalities, Set them back. Many Republican mayors supported Harris. There are infastructure projects everwhere. Just started the NY NJ tunnel. Hundreds of new plants are in the pipeline.
The inflation started when Trump forced higher energy prices -- was like a snowball at the top of a mountain. Transportation companies had long term contracts at high prices. Of all industrialized nations we had thw LOWEST inflation.
Daniel, would it be possible for you to respond to others by not saying that their comments are "BS"? And by not calling them "full of it' and by not calling them 'idiots'? Wouldn't the more intelligent approach be to refute their arguments with respect?
I feel impelled to say this because I remember an encounter with you in the past where you provided no refutation, but only responded to a woman by saying, 'you're confused, again'. If the spirit moves you, check out my extensive post entitled 'Erasure/Silencing' on Jacquelyn's Substack. This is post is actually my response to you.
He's a troll and you're a fool.
He may be a troll - sound like one. But let up on Jacquelyn.
The Local Roads around here continued to deteriorate under DJT... Many have been restored under Biden... The CHIPS Act is a Strategic Move... Eric Schmidt recently said on CNN GPS that China may have pulled ahead in MicroProcessor Manufacturing, and A.I... Read the latest addition of 'Foreign Affairs' to see how that Race for Military Technology is turning out... Finally Elon Musk almost Engineered a Gov't Shutdown because there was a provision to forbade his Desire to Build A Massive A.I. Facility in China, and transfer High-Tech to China... Elon Musk, Apartheid South African, is Loyal To Who?
Local road where I’ve been are fine. They are also a local responsibility. What’s next, you have Washington deciding whose roof to fix?
Infrastructure spending grew rapidly under the Trump admin. Inflation.
Inflation was under two percent on average during the Trump tenure
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph?g=5OjG
Yes, municipalities use outside counsel (my very closest relative is a leading bond attorney). She expected new issues to rebound, but they have stayed depressed.
TRUMP STUCK US WITH LONG TERM ENERGY CONTRACTS, idiot. We are still suffering from the effects.
You’re delusional.
And your point is?
?
Many can't but spend anyway and have a BIG debt for many years
Thank you Robert. I signed up in August. You were my first paid subscription. I've been a fan for decades, not just because of your learned articles, but also your super humor!
Great piece Robert. I've reposted it everywhere, including Capetown Muskrat's site.
Now, I had written a 500-word comment but I scrapped it as it all boils down to this.
The only true solution is for the regular working folks to bring down our current immoral and corrupt system.
The Avaricious Class has most of the money, which only means they have the most to lose.
But we have the population.
And as The People, with the elections, courts, and governments mostly corrupted by the wealthy, we must reclaim a decent equilibrium regarding wealth and influence by sheer intimidation in the streets and workplaces as other nations have done throughout history, or our Republic will continue rapidly devolving into an absolute totalitarian state.
We have no choice.
We need a party responsive to the rights of the working and middle classes (what's left of it). But that would mean the Democtatic party must return to its more working-class roots and scrap the neoliberal bullcrap of the last 40 some-odd years. And we need to get rid of the business as usual crap as well. Biden is sleepwalking us into fascism with his "peaceful transfer of power" rather than doing what he can to save our democracy.
Agreed.
This is a great economics class! How different would we be if the average American knew as much about this subject as he/she does about football or shopping?? We have created our gods! Plutus can be a cruel god!
Yes! I loved this. Reminded me of my econ classes and made me smile.
in 1970, wealthiest 1% in USA owned 8% of US wealth, in 2020 - 50 years later - the same 1% owned 60% of the wealth - an increase of 750% in 50 years - all slowly & carefully taken from everything up & down every supply chain - without normal citizens being aware of it. IMHO (in my humble opinion) - that is the major cause of where we are today and what happened Nov 5th
In 2020, the top one percent of households only held 28 percent of assets:
38.8 trillion / 140.1 trillion
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/seriesBeta/BOGZ1FL192000005A
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/seriesBeta/WFRBLT01000
Joshua - I could not find the stats I used for the numbers I posted - but with a quick search - have a graph that shows 328% growth from 1980 - 2020https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/a-guide-to-statistics-on-historical-trends-in-income-inequality - so from 1970 - 1980 there was surely significant growth - I am trying to cut/paste the graph in this chat but cannot do it - glad to continue the dialogue mlsmolens@gmail.com
The economy is only bad because the Republicans say it is.
In my thirty-one tears of teaching undergraduate economics, I have observed three truly gifted teachers -- my son's kindergarten teacher, my wife who spent thirty-two years teaching undergraduate accounting, and a teacher of psychology at a small college in north Georgia. Now, after watching the video, I will add you as a fourth to my personal list of gifted teachers.
Neal,
You really need to get out more. There are these places called libraries, where you can just flat-out borrow a book and maybe read it.
Also, recently this thing was developed called the internet, where educational videos and podcasts exist. Have you heard of that?
With regard to Robert R. I think that you have a typo in your last sentence. It is not "gifted", it is "grifter." Close.
Bob P.
Robert, when you call someone a grifter, don't you feel an obligation, if not courtesy, to explain why?
How unfortunate.
With only one macroeconomics course taken from a professor at UCLA forty years ago I will offer this: The finance sector in the United States has roughly doubled in the last four decades. I'm 66 years old and a product of the state university system here in California. It is a national economy that now is mired in duplicity regarding what things actually "cost." My family were New Deal Democrats in Los Angeles and what I see as one of the biggest myths is perception. Education of any kind is far too expensive and inaccessible for much of the nation's population. The reality is the majority of us want as little as possible to deal with things like the stock market, but since Reagan it's been shoved into people's reality in a way that has nothing to do with reality. Hence, Trump. Period. A massive casino is really what the national economy resembles in comparison to say, 1960 when John Kennedy assumed office. How do I know? Because I lived through it.
That is the story of "defined benefit" retirement (old) v/s "defined contribution" (new); people *do* need to take greater interest in their financial health & how they fund their own retirement... but you hit the Reagan nail on the head, so to speak (i.e the fact of is used as a guise/smokescreen for a political agenda which deconstructs unions & directly engenders inequality, essentially cutting off its own nose to spite what it deems a partisan face).
Basically, under capitalism, Capital wins. Under Socialism, Society wins.
We know that the system is rigged, it's the same here across the Atlantic. I have read however that Trump is planning not only to target his critics, but also their spouses. This is completely despicable. You need to get rid of Trump and I don't care how it's done..
I think racism underlies a lot of the current situation, but totally agree with your economic analysis. It’s deeply frustrating that people with such legitimate economic grievances get conned by a billionaire who is the biggest grifter around. I completely understand the anger about the rigged system, I just don’t understand the stupidity.
**Open Message to President Joe Biden**
LET KAMALA HARRIS HANDLE IT
Dear President Biden,
In light of serious concerns regarding treason,
I urge you to utilize your presidential powers to immediately remove Trump-appointed judges from the Supreme Court. Additionally, it's essential to dismiss any Trump supporters in Congress who enable his authoritarian ambitions.
Trump has openly declared that he would imprison those who oppose him, labeling them as "the enemies within."
Mr. President, you have the power to halt Trump’s agenda.
Failure to act now could lead us into a fascist dictatorship for generations.
IF YOU ARE HESITANT, KAMALA HARRIS IS CAPABLE OF HANDLING THIS SITUATION, GIVEN HER EXPERIENCE.
HOWEVER, SHE CAN ONLY ACT IF YOU STEP DOWN IN TIME FOR HER TO TAKE THE NECESSARY MEASURES.
After January 20, 2025, when Trump potentially resumes office, we may lose our chance to prevent him and his future supporters from gaining power again.
This is a critical moment to protect our nation from a dictatorial takeover.
According to the United States Constitution, the consequences for treason include a minimum five-year prison sentence, a fine of at least $10,000, and disqualification from public office.
WHY ISN'T THIS BEING ADDRESSED?
(ATTENTION PEOPLE,
IF YOU AGREE THEN, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY
TELL THE WHITE HOUSE
AND RE-POST AND SHARE THIS MESSAGE.)
Comments@whitehouse.gov
202 456 1111
Save your breath, Joey has checked out already.
Does “treason” apply to refusal to protect the individual states from invasion, as in IV:4, and if not, why not?
That would send Ofhill, Dubya, Zombama, and Ofwillie* straight to jail, plus all their enabling Congresscritters, right?
WHY IS THIS NOT BEING addressed, indeed?
*trying a corpse is too surreal.
Hey Dale,
The good people of Substack hope that your intergalactic flight was uneventful and that you had no issues with regard to your carryon bags.
Welcome to Earth.
According to the Washington Post, many Hispanic voters have, in their churches, become enamored with the prosperity gospel. They see Trump as a successful businessman who embodies it, someone who must be especially blessed because he is wealthy. Too many Americans who are struggling cope by seeing themselves as wealthy-people-in-waiting, and perhaps live vicariously through Trump.
They have promising careers as professional athletes & venture capitalists.