Robert, we suffered this year due to this country's political confusion. However, your humor and artistry have given us all a brief respite from the chaos of Trump. We thank you.
For the smug among us out here, this is for those of us who >don't< know about any of this, or may find it useful otherwise, so don't bother trolling me about it!
"DIVERSIFICATION"...do you know of an animation that depicts The Wealthy Person losing 9 times ... with one out of his portfolio of ten investments making up for their 9 losses...
...compared to the Little Guy's similar chance of picking a winner....10%... with their limited ability to ONLY BET ONCE?
Thus Whack Jobs like Howard Hughes goes bonkers... but keeps getting richer?
The only confusion is coming from your keyboard. I thought that you were a big proponent of Democracy and the will of the people. Are you suggesting that is only true when the will of the people is is alinement with your personal, warped ideology and values?. What happened to waving the diversity, black flag?
What is your definition of chaos, other than your narcissism, and smugness suggesting that somehow you are correct and the majority of American voters are wrong?
Sorry Bob; hold on to your shorts:
1) No 25% unrealized capital gains tax.
2) No taxing the rich. The top 1% pays 36% of all income tax revenue. The top 5% of wage earners pays 64% of all income tax revenue. The bottom 50% pays a net zero, nada, nothing.
3) Sorry, no murdering unborn babies on the day of delivery. Each state will decide their own policies and laws. Just like what existed before Roe v. Wade.
4) Sorry, the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East will be ending.
5) Law and order will be the norm. Criminal will be prosecuted and not political opponents.
6) Gas prices will be going down. Ever heard of supply and demand. Drill, Baby, Drill.
7) You can cut off your own penis if you like, but not that of your 12 year old son.
8) America will once again function as a sovereign nation with borders and laws that our citizens will obey. Maybe you have heard about Locke's Social Contract. Maybe not so much.
9) Meritocracy will once again return to America.
10) There will once again be universal support of women's rights, women's spaces and we will once again allow them to speak in public, without attacks by men with no dicks.
11) DEI, CRT, Woke, Radical Feminism, Radical Trans Ideology, Cultural Marxism, White Supremacy, Toxic Masculinity, Bullshit Pronouns, Postmodernism, and Woke Progressivism are D-E-A-D. Better get used to it.
Editors Note: "If you are required to choose between equality and freedom and you choose equality, you will get neither. If you choose freedom, you get a good share of both." - Milton Freidman
Robert, your thoughts, your words & your drawings give us all hope. At times, hope has felt absent but you have the ability to make us think more positively. I’m in the UK & I thank you for your insights. 💚☘️💙
I live in Germany and havve been so grateful for your insights, dear Robert. In my darkest times I search for you in the morning. Thank you and a Happy New Year to you, your family and the wonderful correspondents on this stack. 🤩🤗🤩
There is little doubt that, beyond years of systematic voter suppression, the MAGA movement has pursued a relentless and unscrupulous effort to consolidate power. I hold hope that there will be a profound backlash against this movement once its supporters recognize that their needs and desires from the government align closely with those of progressives.
It’s unfathomable that Trump voters would knowingly support the rise of an oligarchy. Anyone with even a basic understanding of economics can see that extreme wealth disparity paves the way for fascism. If typical Trump voters understood that this vast inequality is the root cause of their economic stagnation, they would likely reject any administration that serves the interests of oligarchs rather than the people.
So the election was stolen. Doesn't help. Harris couldn't contain herself, couldn't wait to concede: 4 PM on November 6, while they were still counting votes.
So what if the election was stolen, nothing was,is or can be done about it, with Harris rushing to concede.
Only she, no one else, could contest the election.
I read the article. Biden's executive powers only have so much reach, and he does not have control of the House or SCOTUS. Trump does and that makes a difference.
It is called The Executive for a reason. The executive. To do this, since he isn't a god, he has a cabinet, led by people who are approved by the Senate.
Through them he executes the laws passed by congress and signed by him.
That he can use his executive powers, means that 1. He is executing a law pass by congress or 2. he has a cabinet and a judiciary (particularly) SCOTUS who will back him up.
Biden has neither. Whatever action he takes will be challenged by the Republicans and Trump, it will be taken to court, if they don't like the ruling it will be appealed.
Normally appeals go to Federal District Court, and if they don't like the ruling it goes to SCOTUS and you know how that will turn out.
All of that involves time, at best it will be fast tracked like Gore v Bush, and you know how that will turn out.
The link is to opinion by Tin Foil Matt. Just his name tells me all I need to know. And at that it is just his opinion. And you know what they say about opinions, including mine, they are like assholes, everyone has one.
I need to hear from an expert, not another asshole.
And if anything was going to be done,it would already have been done, and would have been set in motion on Nov 6th,
But what happened on Nov 6th, Kamila conceded. Do you think that any court will hear her out after she has conceded. And it will have to be Kamila that challenges the election..
Negative or realistic. I sure do hope that we can fight the fascists, If we are to succeed we better start on Jan 20th.
You can't compare Romania to America, Geographic size, geology, population size, culture diversity, racial diversity, religious diversity
And our own Constitution has been used to destroy the very institution it was suppose to protect. Even the rulings of SCOTUS reference the Constitution.
And Romania is not out of the woods either, and very much under threat is its neighbor the micro state of Moldova, the eastern slice of which, Transnistria, is communist, Stalinist, basically part of Putin's empire.
The shift to the right in Europe, including Romania, is the flood of Muslim immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Africa., and they are experiencing ongoing Islamic terrorism, like the recent vehicle attack in Germany during a Christmas bazaar, mirroring the one last year in a different city.
Orban came to power, because of the problem of Muslim migration. He promised to build a wall, and clean up Hungary of migrants, and he did
Romania remains a transit country for most migrants, although many give up their plan to go to Western Europe and try to find work in Romania. At the moment, Romania faces serious problems concerning the prevention of illegal immigration.
William Farrar: something is being done about it now. Kamala Harris knows about the discovery of a hack, and stolen election attempt. She has cancelled her flight to CA to visit loved ones, and returning to The White House. Same for President Biden, instead of going to Delaware, he is going back to the White House. Check out Marlo's post about Stephen Spooner's discovery of election tampering. He is a tech professional and IT security expert. Has a history of detecting and analyzing voting machine vulnerabilities and security breaches.
William ; you are correct "ridicule those that expose them '. "In order to be ridiculous, they must first be ridiculed". but we know how tRUMP works, and stealing an election is his game!
Brilliant drawings, so full of joyful energy. You open the door for many people to surprise us with their humour and insight. It helps me feel better in the face of terrible news. Thank you
Robert, your clever, funny and sadly on-point cartoons brought humor and relief during the most terrible of political years. You could've had a solel career as a political cartoonist!
Somehow I never realized that you drew these yourself. I thought they were from cartoonists you liked. You really are a Renaissance man! As much as I’m dreading 2025, I’m looking forward to your artistic endeavours.
I read an article on Raw Story website that says Donald trump is charging $100k to folks who want to attend church with him before the inauguration. I think it was PT Barnum who once said there’s a sucker born every minute. This clown is our incoming “president.” I’m sure we will see muskrat, bezos, zuckeberg etc in the pew with buddy don trump just to curry more favor. This would be a comedy show if not so real life.
The pastor at the church trump is planning to attend has not even signed off on this event by don trump!!! He may have too much intelligence for trump’s garbage!!!
I/we enjoy seeing your weekly cartoons so keep ‘em coming. There will be so much material to lampoon in the coming year(s) your ink supply will run dry.
Thank you, Robert, for educating us about the truth about our economy. We watched the following the day before Christmas, and it is an example of your efforts to guide us toward the common good and understand how the greedy lie to us. I look forward to your newsletter every morning. Although we have never met, I feel like I know you and the other regulars who share here. Happy holidays.
You are a bright shining light in darkness, Professor. I love this collection. I am forwarding this to my family (my mom) and friends. I am proud to be a subscriber to your Substack.
Thank You Laurie. You have helped multitudes of people on this platform as well. I do not have the time to engage (here) as much as I would like to but I write a little something when it’s really important.
Not only wicked smart but also endowed with a wicked sense of humour. Your life long commitment to social and economic justice continues to be a beacon of hope while arming us with the facts needed to underpin our case. Never in my life could I have imagined a way of communicating with Professor Robert Reich. There's something to be said for the brilliant creation of something I think is called Substack? It may have the potential to win the fight for justice against all the odds arrayed against it. The fight continues.
Robert, your drawings soared above 2024’s chaos with wit sharper than that donkey’s balancing act on a unicycle—seriously, can we get a Netflix special of your cartoons? You prove that hope, humor, and unity make an unstoppable trifecta for real change. With talent like yours, a side gig in political cartooning might be calling—just don’t quit your day job of championing democracy! Here’s to sprinting into 2025 with eyes wide open, hearts ablaze, and voices turned all the way up—#ArtfulHope #KeepOnDrawing.
As a 89 year old political addict, I have been an avid admirer of you, Robert, since your time as Secretary of Labor under Clinton. Please keep drawing, writing and doing podcasts. We desperately need you to inform us and keep our spirits up.
Robert Reich is not only brilliant (Rhodes scholar) AND talented, he is KIND. He puts his gifts to work selflessly for “The Common Good” (the name of his book). He is our present 🎁.
... I'm a mix of horrified, terribly dismayed, and just plain HURT that our country and many of its "usually intelligent" people have thrown in with the likes of trump and musk-the-rat... its appalling at the highest levels of national vulnerability... like...DUMB-CON+DEFCPM 1. And its seriously at those gates of hell. At least This Professor Reich: you are standing steadfast for people. Real people and the real reality that is possible for decency for all. Thank you Sir, and I salute you for your long and continuing life of Service.
Robert, we suffered this year due to this country's political confusion. However, your humor and artistry have given us all a brief respite from the chaos of Trump. We thank you.
Keep them coming Professor
Keith--My friends know me as Bob. Feel free.
Alrighty then
For those among us who would like to better keep track of what's going on with each of our elected officials regardless of who we voted for:
https://youtu.be/nTsx9NZpYTA?si=3aUxPULqSy3ZLuC8
GovTrack.us
OpenSecrets.org
FederalRegister.gov
Regulations.gov
For the smug among us out here, this is for those of us who >don't< know about any of this, or may find it useful otherwise, so don't bother trolling me about it!
Thank you, DZK.
To track legislation at Federal or state level you can use this. You can tailor the areas you want to track.
https://fastdemocracy.com/
A simple way to find out how your elected has voted on a bill or in a given area
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/bills
Thank you, Steve.
"DIVERSIFICATION"...do you know of an animation that depicts The Wealthy Person losing 9 times ... with one out of his portfolio of ten investments making up for their 9 losses...
...compared to the Little Guy's similar chance of picking a winner....10%... with their limited ability to ONLY BET ONCE?
Thus Whack Jobs like Howard Hughes goes bonkers... but keeps getting richer?
Hey Bob, (Donald)
The only confusion is coming from your keyboard. I thought that you were a big proponent of Democracy and the will of the people. Are you suggesting that is only true when the will of the people is is alinement with your personal, warped ideology and values?. What happened to waving the diversity, black flag?
What is your definition of chaos, other than your narcissism, and smugness suggesting that somehow you are correct and the majority of American voters are wrong?
Sorry Bob; hold on to your shorts:
1) No 25% unrealized capital gains tax.
2) No taxing the rich. The top 1% pays 36% of all income tax revenue. The top 5% of wage earners pays 64% of all income tax revenue. The bottom 50% pays a net zero, nada, nothing.
3) Sorry, no murdering unborn babies on the day of delivery. Each state will decide their own policies and laws. Just like what existed before Roe v. Wade.
4) Sorry, the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East will be ending.
5) Law and order will be the norm. Criminal will be prosecuted and not political opponents.
6) Gas prices will be going down. Ever heard of supply and demand. Drill, Baby, Drill.
7) You can cut off your own penis if you like, but not that of your 12 year old son.
8) America will once again function as a sovereign nation with borders and laws that our citizens will obey. Maybe you have heard about Locke's Social Contract. Maybe not so much.
9) Meritocracy will once again return to America.
10) There will once again be universal support of women's rights, women's spaces and we will once again allow them to speak in public, without attacks by men with no dicks.
11) DEI, CRT, Woke, Radical Feminism, Radical Trans Ideology, Cultural Marxism, White Supremacy, Toxic Masculinity, Bullshit Pronouns, Postmodernism, and Woke Progressivism are D-E-A-D. Better get used to it.
Editors Note: "If you are required to choose between equality and freedom and you choose equality, you will get neither. If you choose freedom, you get a good share of both." - Milton Freidman
PS: Equity = Equality of Results = Marxism
Robert, your thoughts, your words & your drawings give us all hope. At times, hope has felt absent but you have the ability to make us think more positively. I’m in the UK & I thank you for your insights. 💚☘️💙
I live in Germany and havve been so grateful for your insights, dear Robert. In my darkest times I search for you in the morning. Thank you and a Happy New Year to you, your family and the wonderful correspondents on this stack. 🤩🤗🤩
This gives me hope. I think there is hope Biden/Harris are going to “Do Something!”
Read Tin Foil Matt’s Substack below.
https://open.substack.com/pub/tinfoilmatt/p/biden-and-harris-cancel-holiday-plans
And if you haven’t read this, do so! “Nine Ways To Prove The Election Was Stolen”:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tinfoilmatt/p/nine-ways-to-prove-the-2024-election
There is little doubt that, beyond years of systematic voter suppression, the MAGA movement has pursued a relentless and unscrupulous effort to consolidate power. I hold hope that there will be a profound backlash against this movement once its supporters recognize that their needs and desires from the government align closely with those of progressives.
It’s unfathomable that Trump voters would knowingly support the rise of an oligarchy. Anyone with even a basic understanding of economics can see that extreme wealth disparity paves the way for fascism. If typical Trump voters understood that this vast inequality is the root cause of their economic stagnation, they would likely reject any administration that serves the interests of oligarchs rather than the people.
Maybe…
So the election was stolen. Doesn't help. Harris couldn't contain herself, couldn't wait to concede: 4 PM on November 6, while they were still counting votes.
So what if the election was stolen, nothing was,is or can be done about it, with Harris rushing to concede.
Only she, no one else, could contest the election.
Did you read the article? I think they ARE planning on doing something. If they have evidence the election was hacked, it makes the results invalid.
A judge in Romania just annulled the Romanian election due to Russian interference.
Read BOTH eye opening articles.
Who is they? The U.S. is not Romania.
We are in the holiday period, nothing gets done during the holidays, judges clear their calendar,
There are 12 working days till the Trump regime takes over
Noun
hopium (uncountable) a blending of hope and opium
(colloquial, derogatory) A clinging to unreasonable or unfounded hopes
.
Read the article. President Biden has executive powers don’t forget.
Marlo: Expanded executive powers at that! I knew there was something wrong in Ohio back in the 2004 election. Spoonamore figured it out.
I read the article. Biden's executive powers only have so much reach, and he does not have control of the House or SCOTUS. Trump does and that makes a difference.
It is called The Executive for a reason. The executive. To do this, since he isn't a god, he has a cabinet, led by people who are approved by the Senate.
Through them he executes the laws passed by congress and signed by him.
That he can use his executive powers, means that 1. He is executing a law pass by congress or 2. he has a cabinet and a judiciary (particularly) SCOTUS who will back him up.
Biden has neither. Whatever action he takes will be challenged by the Republicans and Trump, it will be taken to court, if they don't like the ruling it will be appealed.
Normally appeals go to Federal District Court, and if they don't like the ruling it goes to SCOTUS and you know how that will turn out.
All of that involves time, at best it will be fast tracked like Gore v Bush, and you know how that will turn out.
The link is to opinion by Tin Foil Matt. Just his name tells me all I need to know. And at that it is just his opinion. And you know what they say about opinions, including mine, they are like assholes, everyone has one.
I need to hear from an expert, not another asshole.
And if anything was going to be done,it would already have been done, and would have been set in motion on Nov 6th,
But what happened on Nov 6th, Kamila conceded. Do you think that any court will hear her out after she has conceded. And it will have to be Kamila that challenges the election..
William: how negative can you get? If Romania can fight the fascists, we can too!
Negative or realistic. I sure do hope that we can fight the fascists, If we are to succeed we better start on Jan 20th.
You can't compare Romania to America, Geographic size, geology, population size, culture diversity, racial diversity, religious diversity
And our own Constitution has been used to destroy the very institution it was suppose to protect. Even the rulings of SCOTUS reference the Constitution.
And Romania is not out of the woods either, and very much under threat is its neighbor the micro state of Moldova, the eastern slice of which, Transnistria, is communist, Stalinist, basically part of Putin's empire.
The shift to the right in Europe, including Romania, is the flood of Muslim immigrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Africa., and they are experiencing ongoing Islamic terrorism, like the recent vehicle attack in Germany during a Christmas bazaar, mirroring the one last year in a different city.
Orban came to power, because of the problem of Muslim migration. He promised to build a wall, and clean up Hungary of migrants, and he did
Romania remains a transit country for most migrants, although many give up their plan to go to Western Europe and try to find work in Romania. At the moment, Romania faces serious problems concerning the prevention of illegal immigration.
Romania is not out of the woods Laurie.
Marlo, thank you for this information. This is encouraging.still scary, but encouraging. I hope theY both have good protection against tRUMP'S MOB.
give it up Marlo. Not happening.
William Farrar: something is being done about it now. Kamala Harris knows about the discovery of a hack, and stolen election attempt. She has cancelled her flight to CA to visit loved ones, and returning to The White House. Same for President Biden, instead of going to Delaware, he is going back to the White House. Check out Marlo's post about Stephen Spooner's discovery of election tampering. He is a tech professional and IT security expert. Has a history of detecting and analyzing voting machine vulnerabilities and security breaches.
I can only hope you are right.
Me too!
I guess this just proves that MAGAs aren't the only ones willing to embrace conspiracy theories.
There are conspiracies and there are conspiracy theories.
Life, business, is what it is because of conspiracies
How do you get away with a conspiracy? Ridicule those that expose them.
Whether a conspiracy has a basis in reality, is easy enough to determine.
Treason doth never prosper: what 's the reason?Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.' Sir John Harrrington.
.
William ; you are correct "ridicule those that expose them '. "In order to be ridiculous, they must first be ridiculed". but we know how tRUMP works, and stealing an election is his game!
Everything Trump touches dies.
Every thing that comes out of his mouth is a lie.
Except where it concerns him personally. Ex: He promises revenge and he will have his revenge
Your drawings are brilliant. Thank you for your time and effort in such a miserable year.
Brilliant drawings, so full of joyful energy. You open the door for many people to surprise us with their humour and insight. It helps me feel better in the face of terrible news. Thank you
Robert, your clever, funny and sadly on-point cartoons brought humor and relief during the most terrible of political years. You could've had a solel career as a political cartoonist!
Somehow I never realized that you drew these yourself. I thought they were from cartoonists you liked. You really are a Renaissance man! As much as I’m dreading 2025, I’m looking forward to your artistic endeavours.
They make you think. They make us think. They are another door that opens into this chaos. I thank you.
I read an article on Raw Story website that says Donald trump is charging $100k to folks who want to attend church with him before the inauguration. I think it was PT Barnum who once said there’s a sucker born every minute. This clown is our incoming “president.” I’m sure we will see muskrat, bezos, zuckeberg etc in the pew with buddy don trump just to curry more favor. This would be a comedy show if not so real life.
So, now the church is in on the grift as well………….what do you suppose it’s cut is?
Archi - dumpster will stiff them like he does everyone. the list of unpaid contractors, venues, creditors is a mile long.
Haha, yes.
The pastor at the church trump is planning to attend has not even signed off on this event by don trump!!! He may have too much intelligence for trump’s garbage!!!
pretty sure muskrat will try to cut in on the pastor to take over running the accolades (oops, sorry, the service)...
Brass balls and all, that MuskRat.
The Church of Grift. Give it all up to God. Heaven awaits those who never waiver.
Think of the British comedy "Keeping up appearances".
I/we enjoy seeing your weekly cartoons so keep ‘em coming. There will be so much material to lampoon in the coming year(s) your ink supply will run dry.
James Spero, : We will all upgrade so he can get more ink.
A great way to start my Sundays! I also enjoy the community of fellow caption-writers, particularly the regulars.
Thank you, Robert, for educating us about the truth about our economy. We watched the following the day before Christmas, and it is an example of your efforts to guide us toward the common good and understand how the greedy lie to us. I look forward to your newsletter every morning. Although we have never met, I feel like I know you and the other regulars who share here. Happy holidays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ3j4hHMO5E
Your saying "the greedy lie to us" struck me as an important phrase to emphasize. Thank you for pointing that out.
You are a bright shining light in darkness, Professor. I love this collection. I am forwarding this to my family (my mom) and friends. I am proud to be a subscriber to your Substack.
Love and Light, kind Sir.
Anne
🌻💙🙏
Well said, Anne! I agree, that Robert is a bright light that gives guidance.
Thank You Laurie. You have helped multitudes of people on this platform as well. I do not have the time to engage (here) as much as I would like to but I write a little something when it’s really important.
Happy New Year 🥳 💙🌻
Anne
Same to you and yours, Anne!
Not only wicked smart but also endowed with a wicked sense of humour. Your life long commitment to social and economic justice continues to be a beacon of hope while arming us with the facts needed to underpin our case. Never in my life could I have imagined a way of communicating with Professor Robert Reich. There's something to be said for the brilliant creation of something I think is called Substack? It may have the potential to win the fight for justice against all the odds arrayed against it. The fight continues.
Robert, your drawings soared above 2024’s chaos with wit sharper than that donkey’s balancing act on a unicycle—seriously, can we get a Netflix special of your cartoons? You prove that hope, humor, and unity make an unstoppable trifecta for real change. With talent like yours, a side gig in political cartooning might be calling—just don’t quit your day job of championing democracy! Here’s to sprinting into 2025 with eyes wide open, hearts ablaze, and voices turned all the way up—#ArtfulHope #KeepOnDrawing.
As a 89 year old political addict, I have been an avid admirer of you, Robert, since your time as Secretary of Labor under Clinton. Please keep drawing, writing and doing podcasts. We desperately need you to inform us and keep our spirits up.
Robert Reich is not only brilliant (Rhodes scholar) AND talented, he is KIND. He puts his gifts to work selflessly for “The Common Good” (the name of his book). He is our present 🎁.
the most important by far is kindness.
I only wish I could draw like you....you're very unique.....
Keep the left up...I'm an old Irish mechanic....also ex boxing guy....my dad
..I can hear him now.....John boy jab....jab jab......left up...damn it John...don't throw the right until we go for the knockout..
..so true...
... I'm a mix of horrified, terribly dismayed, and just plain HURT that our country and many of its "usually intelligent" people have thrown in with the likes of trump and musk-the-rat... its appalling at the highest levels of national vulnerability... like...DUMB-CON+DEFCPM 1. And its seriously at those gates of hell. At least This Professor Reich: you are standing steadfast for people. Real people and the real reality that is possible for decency for all. Thank you Sir, and I salute you for your long and continuing life of Service.