People have tremendous power, but they generally refuse to exercise it. Don't want unfettered propaganda to endanger our lives, close your FB account...FB would lose 2/3rds of their revenues. People won't do it. Don't like Bezos' treatment of workers, shift more of your buying to Walmart (usually cheaper prices and far less counterfeits or Etsy to support small businesses). People won't do it. Dislike Southwest's caving to the anti vaxxers in its workforce, fly United which stands behind its mandates. People won't do it. Angry at multibillionaires and corporations who spend millions to evade taxes, keep drug prices high, and lobby Congress to keep you from enjoying a safer, more secure life, radically cut your consumer spending. People won't do it. One side will crawl over broken glass to win a culture war. The other side will (in a good year) turn out 60% of eligible voters. One side will use every opportunity, means and method to push their agenda. The other will post on Twitter. There may be more of us, but it's irrelevant without concerted action. Our elected Democratic representatives are wholly inadequate to meet this moment. We either do it ourselves or we suffer the increasingly inevitable consequences of our collective failure to act.
You are of course correct but, in some cases, the giant corporations have actually decreased our opportunities, limited our choices, forced--or tried to force--us into dealing with what are essentially monopolies--or wannabe monopolies. Some time back, I was the victim of a fraud in which amazon.com was involved. I followed their recommended procedure and tried to deal with the amazon.com office set up to handle such claims. I quickly discovered that I would be on my own and that amazon.com and its ceos/etc. could care less that I had lost substantial funds by trusting them and their supposed operation. (It turned out that there was a tag-along running a scam and using what appeared to be amazon.com's forms and email presence. I quickly closed all accounts with amazon.com and went to small local businesses for any supplies of any kind. I have also refused to deal with anything involving my health; income; or purchases over the phone or on the internet. I cannot say that going back to smaller, local businesses has constituted any sort of sacrifice. There have been some losses and I no longer volunteer to help run polling stations or offices that serve the public but might endanger my own well-being. I try to remain kind and open to all but I am always surprised by those who have sold out themselves and any values they may have had in order to make a killing. It's discouraging to know they often succeed but it is also heartening to know they sometimes do not. We used to share an agenda and values more than we do at this moment in history but the responses on this site suggest that many of us still want to participate and learn from each other.
Yes, for each of us, it matters what we do. I don't use Facebook, Twitter, etc., I don't buy from Amazon or Walmart. It is inconvenient, but not really that hard. I try to get others to do the same, but with almost no success. So how do we convince an entire population that owning more new stuff destroys democracy?, that "cheapest price" does not mean the lowest cost?, that democracy is worth a little sacrifice? My 47 years old son thinks SS is a reason his opportunities are less, and he blames the Boomers (me). I agree that Boomers really "dropped the (democracy) ball", but not via SS. Simply put, we bought into consumerism. We traded our democracy for color TVs and boats.
I get a little angry when people say, Boomers this, Millennials that! Stop feeding that bull. There are 78 mil boomers who have protested illegal wars, helped bring about acceptance of gays,interracial marriages, women’s rights etc. Millennials have brought attention to Wallstreet and are standing up against gun violence and Wallstreet! This is the conservative movement and corporations who promote Boomer v Millennial.
The blame goes to conservative ideology, fascist- authoritarians etc.
Boomers are the first generation to make so much money in part because of two income-earner households. Yes, there’s more waste but it simply cannot be applied to one segment. Look at all the gadgets purchased by younger generations. Should the entire generation be called out!
I dunno - "Millenials" are getting long in the tooth (now) and apparently Generation Z or 'Zoomers" ,
"According to Forbes (2015), the generation after Millennials, Generation Z, which they defined as people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, made up 25% of the U.S. population, making them a larger cohort than the Baby Boomers or Millennials."
There is this rough idea that alternate interleaved generations have an affinity for each other and each following generation rejects the ideas and values of the immediate preceding generations.
Various shared play-lists also kinda bear this out lol.
I'm Gen X-er (the BAD guys right :-) ) like Bezos or Musk, but I have a 20 something son ( I made with tools lying around the house ) [Bio kid] and a slightly younger daughter I originally adopted as an infant from Vietnam. [When I went out there in the late 90s Agent Orange was still an ongoing problem causing truly (hideous) and mind bending birth defects decades after 'We" pulled out of Vietnam - in fact there are still orphanages today that "specialize" in infants and deformed children by these 'Forever Chemicals".
This is not an exercise in "Virtue signaling" - but having been divorced and remarried and maybe starting on a "new brood" / children it's possible to have "Kiddos" of different generations - Gen this and gen that... from a 'Blended" family or family - bush rather than a top down "Tree" (as is the modern way).
I suspect the 'Gen " we need to be really thinking about in terms of future political landscape will be my children's children - Generation Alpha and beyond.
The first hand account cautionary tales of mid twentieth century totalitarianism will have faded from living memory and the lore and lure of 21st Century American style fascism may seem a little too shinny, powerful and chic for Gen Alpha and beyond to resist or push back on. It's the materialistic Gen X'ers that will have affinity and vice versa with their Gen Alpha grand children.
Forgive my language - I think US high Schools seem to be doing a sh*t / terrible job of teaching world and other history :-( [Sorry.]. + the USA needs to grow up a bit and own its darkest elements of its own past. It's Ok to own the things 'We" have done wrong since shortly after 1492.
As a Boomer, I think we had the best opportunities ... going in. When I graduated h.s. in 1968, a person with a high school diploma could get a good jot, married, buy a house and live happily ever after. That is not true now. I think greed, more than necessity, got us two-earner households. We wanted more more more. And, more importantly, we sold out. In the 60s we wanted equality and peace. By the 80s we wanted bigger homes, more cars, and lots of toys. As long as we got those things, we didn't care much about all that other stuff.
Not to argumentative, but the 50s and 60s had the lowest unemployment rates in history, except during WWII. You are right, in about '72 it began the rise that we still have. The other factor to Boomer's good fortune was the cost of things, compared to wages: about 1/3 of what things cost today.
But it’s true that cost relative to income was far better. What I also remember when I was still in school was that the 80s interest rates were fantastic….but I didn’t have any money then! Today, no incentive to save (.05%), keeping up with technology and low relative wages make things harder today even if incomes sound pretty good.
Graduating w humanities degree in 1971 I went to Germany and got a job in a publishing company. The outlook was hopeless in the US. Dual incomes were NOT "just" for "more stuff," but because we women wanted careers, too. We wanted to do something more with our degrees than be a secretary or housewife.
We have to respect craft, purpose, meaningful things! This starts with valuing ourselves. Not elevating ourselves over others to a sense of entitlement. But value ourselves with discipline, diligence, practice. Honestly, I think a large contributor to managing societal problems is society, people are slowly losing their attention spans. People have little patience or tolerance for anything! They give up, peter out, are uninspired, feel hopeless, overwhelmed, pessimistic, defeated, envious! Functioning with a High, alert, focussed attention span is a lost art. I noticed this as a kindergartener. I went to school in small-town rural northern California. I never missed a single day of elementary school. 3 hours of sitting silent, facing-front in church built a strong lecture-resistant attention span. I was different from most kids. I loved school. School was easy. Kids weren’t self-confident, they buckled under low amounts of stress or discipline, they were slow to draw conclusions and they panicked over bi-annual scholastic exams. I attribute some of this behavior to poor attention span.
Individually and massively we aren’t perceiving and absorbing things as they really are, only as much as we can handle. This is an unsustainable position. We have to invent our solutions they wont just appear.
I agree. Convincing a huge segment of the population is challenging but possible. FDR did it, so did Kennedy with the space program, Johnson with civil rights, cigarette, drinking and driving, unions, etc...it took coordination, dedication, and unrelenting pressure from the top. Biden has chosen the wrong battles (Afghanistan and infrastructure) and failed to set the tone on Day 1 (shoring up democracy as item #1). Bush convinced a country to back a ridiculous war and Trump convinced a large minority to forsake their religious beliefs for a belief in Trumpism. Massive change must start at the top. If Biden had 1) unconditionally supported abolishing the filibuster from Day 1 (and Congress had conducted weekly public hearings - with expert testimony - on the dangers of authoritarianism, the possibilities of life with reduced income inequality, etc, etc) and 2) vaccine mandates had been imposed upon emerhency approval (early blowback would have been countered with a rapid return to a more normal life), we would not be in a post-democratic country. If he had focused his energy on 1 & 2 and ignored the nonsense, he would have showed strength and resolve. Instead, the virus is rampant, he's plummeting in the polls, he botched the Afghanistan withdrawal, and what's left of his agenda is at the mercy of the junior Senator from Arizona. My 2 cents is that there was a window where Biden had 61% approval, and he chose not to honor his singular campaign promise to entrench democracy.
In terms of "blowing the lead", Biden is a lot like Obama; no surprise there. Both thought that being "reasonable" would win out. Too bad Biden didn't learn from Obama's mistakes. There is still a chance, but it's narrow now.
I've clearly told such folks that they're forfeiting all rights to complain about income inequality and corporate oligarchy by refusing to make the smallest changes.
Bryan, Not necessarily. Over the past 30+ years, Democrats have won the popular vote but did not get the office. This is a corrupted system and the electoral college needs to be abolished so people can elect our presidents etc.
So Dems are voting and winning, then ultimately losing.
You're both right...the system is broken (for now) and we keep electing goofs like Coons and Schumer. Above all, we must do a much better job of getting out the vote. Stacy Abrams and the activists did a masterful job. Who has mimicked this model in even one other state?
How? It's gone too far. Elections don't matter; Trump has and is proving that there are no negative consequences for any crime if your income is high enough to avoid taxes. And party lines don't matter because they don't represent the voters. They aren't even trying to pretend any more. And reprobate traitor to country, party, and constituents, Joe Manchin has made it obvious that the voters don't count, or he'd be gone and replaced by the voters of WV. He cares nothing for them. And the rest of the Democratic party has no intention of passing what was promised.
Schumer should have pulled all of Manchin's committee assignments, and Biden should be doing something besides tap dancing and smiling.
But most importantly, why haven't the traitors of 1/6 been expelled? The coup is ongoing as long as there are no consequences. If the traitors are expelled, the Senate can easily pass the legislation we need.
Yes, so much is broken, but I look not at the mountain of fixing everything but at 4 key milestones: 1) will AG Garland enforce the Congressional subpoenas, 2) will moderate Democrats kill the filibuster if only for voting rights and pass voting rights protections, 3) will any of the ongoing legislation against Trump and Trump Org result in substantive charges, and 4) will the 1/6 Commission uncover criminal malfeasance or actual coordination intending to lead to an insurrection. If all 4 come to pass, we'll avert total catastrophe. To actually improve lives, we must remove corrupt, inept, complacent politicians. This requires continued engagement by the electorate. Reducing power of the oligarchs requires that people exercise choice when shopping/flying/consuming news/closing as many social media accounts as possible. We have power if we use it collectively.
I still want to know why the traitors who voted to overthrow the election haven't been expelled, the way they were when they tried this against Lincoln. The coup is ongoing, and progressing, and the administration is doing nothing to stop it. And all the Republicans who said enough is enough, have recommitted to the overthrow of democracy. As long as they stand united against democracy and against the American people, they are traitors as well. I've asked about this ongoing treason in a number of posts, and no one responds.
4 reasons (all infuriating): 1st Amendment rights, broad Speech & Debate clause protections, lack of political will combined with razor slim majorities, and a lack of incriminating evidence (emails, recorded phone calls, memos, texts) that would support criminal conspiracy charges sufficient to overcome the prior 3 reasons. Garland refuses to conduct independent criminal investigations of the instigators of 1/6, so it's up to the 1/6 Committee to try to unearth evidence or flip witnesses.
I whole heartedly agree with you on the travesty of not taking Trump et al prisoners when the incitement is recorded!! And Pelosi should never have seated Greene, Boebert etc or any traitor terrorist. It is a kick in the stomach to us all!
It’s both infuriating and frightening! What the hell!!
Cops were besten with the American flag! People died!
Where I diverge with you a bit is that nothing will be done. There are numerous people preparing lawsuits, they will go forward, even though deadly terrorist should be in prison to await this. These people are locking up the case sideways, upside down and inside out.
And those in charge know if appropriate action isn’t taken, they will see civil unrest that rivals some of the worst of times.
We will not stand for this! If everything has to shut down, it will. It is incumbent upon them to carry out justice. Trump et al deserve maximum penalty for the crime, which is death. We put spies to death but not a president who colludes with Russia.
I think it’s all going to get ugly.
They know what kind of rumbling is going on over all these sites. And there are three big republican groups being vocal about Trump. Lincoln Project, Republican Accountability Project and can’t remember other grp name. That is a good sign of things falling apart for Trump Traitors.
I agree hw. Unlearning is way harder than learning. It’s the way banks started with free ATM usage. Once it became common practice, they started charging. It was a habit that would not go back.
In addition to all the things you list is personal practice of environmental care. I have been working against allowing people to use a firepit in backyards (for years). Google: Utah Doctors Against Wood Smoke. It very educational…(and they include wood fireplaces). But fire pits are on the ground and travel straight to windows. As with gun-lovers, people start yelling; it brings back memories, I love to roast marshmallows! It’s to ic to us, animals and the air. If people don’t make these changes, they too are climate crisis deniers.
There are immediate threats that must be addressed with current means within the current system. The problem is that the system has weaknesses that make precisely such activity difficult and ineffective. It must be done, but if the real underlying problems are not addressed, history teaches that it will be a losing battle in the long run.
These structural weaknesses must be addressed by more fundamental and, alas, probably more long-term strategies. One first step to recognize is that the tactic of preventing needed changes is relying on fear-mongering via pitting the alternative social/governmental systems against one another: building up enemy images by pointing out the weaknesses of the respectively other system as that system's evil intent. This works both ways -- and the most important flaws are the same on all systems. The most important one, in my opinion, is the fact that all systems have failed to provide more effective means for 'taming' power. This means that the problems arising from that flaw cannot be remedied by another party 'taking over'.
To the extent power relies on coercion and 'force' (as expressed in the term 'enforcement' even of agreements and laws achieved my 'democratic means) the takeover will just fall into the same traps of power addiction and abuse as the replaced regime, and usually more swiftly and brutally so. The pattern holds even for 'democracies' who have, to their great credit, adopted provisions for the control of power within the governance segment of society, but have failed to offer effective provision against the emerging control of government by other branches: private enterprise, or the military. Or religion.
Does it follow that the task therefore is to urgently find better ways of taming power -- in all current competing 'systems', not by trusting that one system will fix things by 'taking over? If so, that would be a very different but much needed campaign. MIght the 'apathy of 'people won't do it' be explained by people sensing that the endlessly repeated take-over campaigns by the current 'systems' and parties don't really get at the real problem? Is it 'impossible'? I don't believe that (I have some ideas, and I am convinced that humans who disproved the 'man can't fly' mantra, is creative and smart enough to find better answers. Put it on the agenda! Is the reason we don't see more thoughtful and creative effort of this kind that it just isn't seen as the needed short-term fixes we are constantly asked to sacrifice and donate for?
We ought practice temporal psychology. Where we more weigh fatalistic behavior (smoking cigarettes) of today against the benefits of quitting smoking (longer healthier life) . Ppl who successfully quit cigarettes visualize the benefits to come more often, frequently than indulge their present cravings.
That would require a massive PR campaign...Biden appears wholly uninterested in educating the public to the dangers we face as an autocracy. He won't even support abolishing the filibuster. Schumer is incapable of communicating directions to the cafeteria. Pete Buttigieg is one of the few effective communicators in the administration, and they promptly sidelined him. Your premise has merit but there's neither the will nor the ability of Democrats to deliver an effective message.
It's the money. The voter is not the constituency to be served; it's the donor. It's not the fault of any individual politician. The fault is with all of us, every time we act without being conscious of the money.
Agreed. Our Democratic leaders need our help. They cannot manifest what we need alone. Unfortunately they don’t yet realize their job entails leading the people not just “serving” the people. I will (attempt to) convey this idea to any Dem party leadership.
I always value your thoughts and opinions. You provide us with well thought out arguments about what issues are important for us to pay attention to. You are a source of information that I trust. Thanks for all you do!!
Is the US still a democracy? I teach a course on economic growth and inequality and one of the issues that I discuss is the importance of institutions and political stability for long term economic growth and effective policy making against inequality. According to the Polity scale that is widely used as a reliable time series indicator of the degree of democracy in countries throughout the world economy, as of 2020 the US is no longer to be considered a democracy. Instead, the US is now categorized as an anocracy; a system with both democratic and autocratic characteristics (see https://www.systemicpeace.org/)
The US, rather the 'Supreme' (cough) Court, knowingly forced our oust of democracy with the unconstitutional Citizens United rule. When it deemed a corporation a man, it handed us to the wealthy. The ruling gave greed the green light, as shown in the ever increasing purchasing of politicians who then make rules to benefit their benefactors.
No, the US ceased being a democracy when McConnell and the GOP stacked the courts, SCOTUS gutted voting rights and held the door wide open to dark money, and Congress ceased working over a decade ago. We've been in a slow-motion disintegration for years. Open autocracy is a relatively new phenomenon, but it's underpinning are 40 years in the making.
Agreed. This started in earnest 40 years ago. Maybe even further back to post WWII, when fascist/authoritarians, like the Dulles’, CIA and military industrial complex started our road to corruption by dominance.
It is all about power. To argue that “free” community college education is too costly, while pouring more money into the mishandled accounts of the Pentagon is just one of many ploys that stand in the way of rebuilding, healing and uniting OUR country.
We at a Very fragile time in our historical trajectory, that the fragility is coming from those
as you point out, the two directions are=
1st the Oligarchy, through all their avenues and entities, with a PR machine that is autopilot/overdrive; distorting public opinions and stances; And,
2nd source of threat is the Neo-Fascism that has taken over most of the Republican party via don-the con trump – that is being fueled by frustrations and anger by a rigged system.
That’s why we MUST get Mass Traction Economic progress; Biden Must stay on track as a REAL Economic Populist; Or we will just end up with another trump clone, personality cult-phony populist: making empty promises while scapegoating immigrants, ETC
Please Keep up All your great articles and AV content, and yes, I do enjoy your pictures.
This is a timely experiment, and we Thank You for starting and continuing this format.
I was reminded, reading your "1st ..." &":2nd ...", of how we chose between Biden and someone who would actually do something about #1, like Warren. We chose Biden because we considered #2 the greater immediate threat. We were right: getting Trump out of there was the main priority and since Biden won, we could say we did the right thing. But, in doing so we put #1 on a back-burner.
The continuous increase of the Dow and other market index shows the prosperity of the "investing class," a static minority, as you have emphasized, carefully, responsibly, and compassionately.
Contrastingly, I measure national, economic well-being in the U.S.A., by the average annual income of our working-class, and middle-class fellows. By such measure, our economic well-being is terribly "ill!" It needs a drmatic "infusion" of benefits that promote savings and sustained employment.
Since Democrats haven't served their majority according to the value of the Build Back Better bill, I and my fellow must "sell" the bill to each other. Having sold such, we should demand that our senators and representatives enact the bill, regardless of the propapanda and misinformation that have obsure the bill.
I find it interesting that the rich and powerful are willing to spend millions on making sure they do not have to pay their fair share. I get that it's more of a powerplay, but it seems counterintuitive.
And, how is it that I, a mere lowly minimum wage guy, can get audited for having a comma out of place, yet "people" like trump either don't get audited or buy their way out of it. Most countries have laws and rules in place to ensure corporations and individuals pay their fair share. If you look at those countries, their infrastructure is superior to ours. Mass transit is available everywhere and is typically affordable. The UK made public transportation private and ruined a working model. Now they are reversing that mistake. It's okay to make a mistake as long as you recognize that mistake and work to fix it. The US seems reluctant to admit mistakes and just keeps plodding along hoping that eventually, the mistake will correct itself. That doesn't work.
The media calls out the top 1% and yet nothing happens.
This country needs Biden's BBB infrastructure bill. Our plumbing is broken, bridges collapsing, roads disintegrating, communications dodgy at best. But, with the Republicans "running" the show, we can expect the status quo to be maintained.
And how did the minority take control? Is it because they shout louder than the rest of us? Do they have bigger guns? (I don't own a gun.) Are they just bullies and the rest of us are afraid to confront them?
I can count on one hand the members of congress who have the backbone to call out the criminals still in power. This needs to be fixed.
We need term limits for everyone in congress. Make them work for a living for once. Use the laws available to us to remove the lawbreakers and get this government on track.
I agree that term limits seem a possible solution, but I worry about loss of institutional knowledge. Congress’s way of working is so convoluted it takes years to fully understand how to get things done. Perhaps instead we should be focusing on making the workings of Congress simpler and more transparent, starting with the filibuster and campaign contributions, AND changing the rules so that Senators and Representatives must divest themselves of all connections and earnings outside their government salaries so that they have no conflict of interest when bills come up for vote.
I agree with everything except term limits. I believe that if someone wants to make a difference to life for citizens they will focus on those goals without thinking about the next election cycle.
Also, it would make much more sense if campaigns are limited to 90 days prior to voting and, as you state, limit campaign donations.
There needs to be major changes but I really hold no hope in seeing that in my lifetime.
We need the original amount of the BBB. But that’s already off the books. I think there are ways to push it back through IF we can get a bigger majority in Congress. BUT the republicans will be fighting in every dirty filthy way…t’s the only wY they can survive!
The republicans will never support anything presented to them in congress. They are not interested in working to repair this country. For them, it is money and power.
If you want to see how the government is being taken over, watch Senator Whitehouse on YouTube, The Man has it all mapped out for us, and is reading it into the records.
Your drawing, despite your great art skills, is not accurate. Sorry. It depicts $ corruption being a Trump thing. It is incomplete. In that crowd should also be Republicans in general, and Democrats. If we pretend that $ corruption is a Trump/Republican thing, we are hypocrites and doomed to failure. Republicans are right to say we need to clean up our own side of the street first. We need to start looking at money-souces before voting. You called out Sinema for this just this week. Now that we "know", will we vote for her again? I worked to get her elected. I'll now work hard to "primary' her.
A worthy cause, and a daunting challenge for the thinking people in this country. Hopefully, efforts like this will be able to reach out beyond the "choir members" who share your concerns and aspirations. Somehow, the level of political and economic awareness of the large mass of the American public has to be raised. If you, and like-minded leaders in and out of politics, can effect a change in how people understand the system, you can help change it into the more just and fair system you hope to bring about. Clearly, campaign finance reform is one of the primary prerequisites for this change. A less politically vulnerable education system is also needed, or small groups of fanatics can distort what is taught in our school systems. It may be difficult to make this change in the private school systems, but public education is the place to start. Finally, realigning the focus and spending priorities of all levels of government is needed. That includes reducing defense spending to what is really needed, and eliminating subsidies that do not produce a true public good. If we can accomplish this, we'll truly be a "kinder, gentler America" and "the home of the free".
Well, that didn't go very well, did it? Who would have thought the republicans would vote against free and honest voting laws? It is disconcerting that the republican voting public still supports this party. It makes no sense to me that they vote along party lines even though what is transpiring is so evil.
I used to have republican friends but they have been so brainwashed I had to delete them from my life.
It is so overwhelming when we try to make changes and it just gets thrown back in our faces.
Robert, I was very touched by something someone either quoted or authored. Paraphrasing, It is much easier to fray and tear apart democracy than it is to weave it together. I like the word weave because we have tried and tried to get our country working for the people who build, work and run our economy every day. We keep cycling through this same historical scenario of workers getting crushed.
It is primarily the weight of the health care system that is sinking middle class but I know it’s much more. We are the ONLY industrialized nation without guaranteed health care. In addition, we now have the insurance industry trying to sign older Americans up for something called Medicare Advantage. Older Americans, don’t sign up for this. It is not part of medicare at all. And insurance will get into the program and destroy it.
It is time for us to weave something new. We can’t continue with capitalism unless it is surrounded tightly by regulation. Better yet, a better Social Democracy that gives citizens the right to all the basics. It’s simple humanity.
I pay for Medicare. I don't pay anything for my Medicare Advantage plan which covers what Medicare Part A and B don't cover. Here's a link to information. I agree that all citizens have the right to all the basics the problem is defining what is basic. Is child care a basic freedom? If my neighbor chooses to stay home then do they still receive the same amount as my neighbor that has 4 children and works? Is college or post high school education a basic right? Again, how much of that is provided and to whom? Is there an age limit for receiving it? Everyone wants what they feel they've worked for and "deserve" to receive without feeling someone else is getting more and doing less. That is where we are being divided through politics and the media. Weaving together we could create a tapestry of individuals strengthened by and for each other to build back better. https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/medicare/supplement-all/medicare-advantage-vs-medicare-supplement-plans
Medicare Advantage is totally unrelated to medicare. The insurance industry uses the name because of the way it was listed in the legislature. It is separate insurance. Do not choose that option.
What option should I choose to pay for dental, vision and prescription care? I have to pay for medicare and it doesn't cover that. I have to have both to have full healthcare. My medicare advantage coverage is FREE.
Just as insurance does now, it will start to say, we don’t qualify you for this, you can’t have that. They are a separate insurance. Medicare gets us away from insurance and everyone is qualified (age restricted for now) But we want medicare for all.
But the reality for now is that Medicare does not cover everything and additional insurance is the only way to get coverage and not be charged the full, ridiculous cost of prescriptions, dental and vision care. I’m all for a single payer system, but Medicare isn’t that at this time.
Right! This is exactly how it works. We get apeased just enough to keep us quiet and lying to ourselves about what it happening around us. Last year we got a couple thousand dollars, so we are happy, not caring that Bezos got billions.
Reading through some of the comments, I do feel that people are trying to help and offer their honest opinions. I would still put the need for education at the very top of the list. And parents play a key role here. The values and ideals that your children will have are not necessarily what they learn in school as education for democracy and a decent life with others starts much much before the school years. Nowadays, there is not much attention to religious teachings and values and I think there needs to be. I do not know this for certain but it seems to me that all religions stress respect for, kindness, and service to others, concern for the environment and our communities, the ability to accept difference and to honor those who show decency and kindness. It sometimes seems to me that those who claim deep religious values sometimes do not live those values but, if that is so, the burden and the failure are on them and we do well to reciprocate and respond with our own values. Our failures are to some extend selfishness and self-centered-ness and we can overcome them by trying to walk in the path of someone else and by responding to their own selfishness with kindness and understanding.
The last thing I want to see are any religious teachings. You are ignoring a world full of issues stemming FROM religion, especially the abrahamic faiths. The Catholic church alone is nearing $4bil in restitution! And cases keep coming. Don’t dare say these are a few bad apples. It’s systemic! And abrahamic faiths are patriarchal and teach what to think not how to think. The hostory is worse, witch hunts, barring girls from school, never addressing the subjugation of women or slavery. It goes on and on.
It is time for eyes wide open reality. We are responsible for what happens, not some magic being in the sky.
There may be wonderful generous people who are religious but they are that way in spite of religion. There is not one single piece of evidence for god. None.
And we need to emphasize the importance of critically looking at this form of tribalism and exclusion (different sects, religions etc).
Fundamentalist christianity has overstepped its bounds in the public square to the point of insanity. We are a secular nation.
I believe that you have misread what I have written or rather (and more accurately) read something into it that I did not intend. What I am saying is that parents have a duty to their children, to each other, to the country, to share their values and what we stand for as a community and a nation. To respect the laws and customs of the country which are--like it or not--generally Christian. This normally falls under the heading of religious teachings but I am not advocating for or against specific belief systems. What I am opposed to is the absence of any values of any kind--whether religious or not. It is not the responsibility of the government to advocate for or against any belief system so it falls to the parents and their understanding of how best to live and how best to treat others. There are people who are not members of any organized religion or belief system but seem to recognize a social responsibility to bring up their children to respect others, to treat others kindly and decently. There are also people who find some support or comfort in religion and consider it the basis of their social lives. I suggested religion as the usual source for beliefs about how to treat others but it surely doesn't have to be. What we have now is a lot of talk about religion with people emphasizing beliefs they do not actually hold. I am NOT advocating a role for government but I am also not overlooking the fact that this nation does have a tradition of religious (generally Christian) values and practices that are central to its founding and its government in the past and in the present.
..there is not much attn to religious teachings & values and I think there needs to be.
…it seems to me all religions stress respect, kindness…etc
I think a good study of the bible will prove false that the religion stresses respect or kindness in numerous situations. If you want to pick out some choice passages that’s fine to use but a study of these religions will not provide you with that conclusion if you read it all or listen to criticisms of it.
So I am saying no one should be indoctrinated into this as a child. Make sure a thorough reading is done after the age of 13 if at all. The bible, torah, quran can be downright frightening.
The US was specified to be secular by the founders. Congress ratified the treaty of Tripoli specifically to say the US is in no way founded upon christianity. It is not central to the founding at all. There are many letters between Adams & Jefferson and sometimes Benjamin Franklin.
There is a xtian majority now but that is changing. Religions are based on man written texts preceding science. I just don’t find the bible suitably moral or reliable. But everyone can make a choice in following it or not. I just don’t ever want it in our schools or any public building that stands for all.
The colonies of people who initially came to the land that became the United States after the Revolutionary War were in fact religious separatists from the Church of England, members of a group called Congregationalist that is still an active church in the United States. Other (generally persecuted Christian sects) also were among the first settlers in places such as Massachusetts, New England, and Virginia. Religious communities were never completely separate from the new US Government. What happened was that the 18th century brought a new group who recognized a Deity but allowed more secular governments and more individual freedom of belief to develop. Early founders of the US government were generally Deists rather than members of an established religious sect. (Deists essentially believed in God but they also felt that people were responsible for society. I believe that Jefferson, Franklin, and early leaders were Deists if, indeed, they professed religious faith.) They were not alone or original in their beliefs but patterned their religious views on such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and others. The belief in God remained strong and remains relatively strong in the United States today; the separation of state and church is not now (and never was) complete...you have only to recall the Pledge of Allegiance (under God) and our currency (In God We Trust) to realize that there is an abiding faith in God and for some people religion is a vital part of their lives. (There are also traditional religious communities, people such as Mennonites, Quakers, Amish, who reflect much older traditions. I believe you are a younger person. The reason for my belief is that I went through a similar stage of "secularism" and denial of any connection to a specific religion, even anti-religious views, when I was in college. Now, later on, I have mellowed out and recognize that members of various faiths have sought to help others, serve society, and right social wrongs so I am less willing to condemn any belief system or, for that matter, those who have not realized that secularism can also result in hatred and intolerance, not just views that decry the beliefs and criticize others. You do realize (I hope) that the pilgrims in Plymouth MA came here specifically for religious practices that were counter to those of the CHurch of England....Settlements in America (founders) often came for religious purposes, that is, to exercise religious beliefs that were not those of the Church of England or established (state-run) churches in Europe.
The Pledge of allegiance was written by a christian socialist minister named Francis Bellamy. It did not include the phrase “one nation under god”. That was added in 1954, lobbied by the knights of Columbus, because they thought the godless pledge was too much like “godless communists”. So the author did not use those words at all. Likewise, there are lawsuits to remove it from money and return to E Pluribus Unum. 24% of the population of the US claim to be None..no religion, skeptic, agnostics, atheists. Larger than the Catholics. And it is the fastest growing segment in the US.
We obviously don’t agree on everything but I enjoyed the exchange.
You have framed my argument more colloquially but accurately. I am not advocating specific religious belief systems but I am not ignoring the importance of religion (generally Christian) to the founding and past/present/future values of our nation.
If people put into political involvement half the fervor and energy that they devote to following sports, we'd have a much different country. It's hard to get excited about esoteric issues like tariffs or district boundaries, but they affect our lives more than we realize. We need to see both the forest and the trees to be influential against the roaring tide of big money and organized lobbying. Government isn't the solution to all of our problems, but it's a big factor in deciding what solutions are applied, and whether they work or not. You may be holding your nose when you enter the voting booth, but at least you're trying to do something about the stink.
People have tremendous power, but they generally refuse to exercise it. Don't want unfettered propaganda to endanger our lives, close your FB account...FB would lose 2/3rds of their revenues. People won't do it. Don't like Bezos' treatment of workers, shift more of your buying to Walmart (usually cheaper prices and far less counterfeits or Etsy to support small businesses). People won't do it. Dislike Southwest's caving to the anti vaxxers in its workforce, fly United which stands behind its mandates. People won't do it. Angry at multibillionaires and corporations who spend millions to evade taxes, keep drug prices high, and lobby Congress to keep you from enjoying a safer, more secure life, radically cut your consumer spending. People won't do it. One side will crawl over broken glass to win a culture war. The other side will (in a good year) turn out 60% of eligible voters. One side will use every opportunity, means and method to push their agenda. The other will post on Twitter. There may be more of us, but it's irrelevant without concerted action. Our elected Democratic representatives are wholly inadequate to meet this moment. We either do it ourselves or we suffer the increasingly inevitable consequences of our collective failure to act.
You are of course correct but, in some cases, the giant corporations have actually decreased our opportunities, limited our choices, forced--or tried to force--us into dealing with what are essentially monopolies--or wannabe monopolies. Some time back, I was the victim of a fraud in which amazon.com was involved. I followed their recommended procedure and tried to deal with the amazon.com office set up to handle such claims. I quickly discovered that I would be on my own and that amazon.com and its ceos/etc. could care less that I had lost substantial funds by trusting them and their supposed operation. (It turned out that there was a tag-along running a scam and using what appeared to be amazon.com's forms and email presence. I quickly closed all accounts with amazon.com and went to small local businesses for any supplies of any kind. I have also refused to deal with anything involving my health; income; or purchases over the phone or on the internet. I cannot say that going back to smaller, local businesses has constituted any sort of sacrifice. There have been some losses and I no longer volunteer to help run polling stations or offices that serve the public but might endanger my own well-being. I try to remain kind and open to all but I am always surprised by those who have sold out themselves and any values they may have had in order to make a killing. It's discouraging to know they often succeed but it is also heartening to know they sometimes do not. We used to share an agenda and values more than we do at this moment in history but the responses on this site suggest that many of us still want to participate and learn from each other.
Yes, for each of us, it matters what we do. I don't use Facebook, Twitter, etc., I don't buy from Amazon or Walmart. It is inconvenient, but not really that hard. I try to get others to do the same, but with almost no success. So how do we convince an entire population that owning more new stuff destroys democracy?, that "cheapest price" does not mean the lowest cost?, that democracy is worth a little sacrifice? My 47 years old son thinks SS is a reason his opportunities are less, and he blames the Boomers (me). I agree that Boomers really "dropped the (democracy) ball", but not via SS. Simply put, we bought into consumerism. We traded our democracy for color TVs and boats.
I get a little angry when people say, Boomers this, Millennials that! Stop feeding that bull. There are 78 mil boomers who have protested illegal wars, helped bring about acceptance of gays,interracial marriages, women’s rights etc. Millennials have brought attention to Wallstreet and are standing up against gun violence and Wallstreet! This is the conservative movement and corporations who promote Boomer v Millennial.
The blame goes to conservative ideology, fascist- authoritarians etc.
Boomers are the first generation to make so much money in part because of two income-earner households. Yes, there’s more waste but it simply cannot be applied to one segment. Look at all the gadgets purchased by younger generations. Should the entire generation be called out!
I dunno - "Millenials" are getting long in the tooth (now) and apparently Generation Z or 'Zoomers" ,
"According to Forbes (2015), the generation after Millennials, Generation Z, which they defined as people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, made up 25% of the U.S. population, making them a larger cohort than the Baby Boomers or Millennials."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z
^^^ Not definitive but "Handy".
Silent Generation born: 1928-1945; Baby Boomer 1946-64, Gen-X 1965-1980, "Millennials" ~ 1981 -1996; Gen-Z ("Zoomers") ---> 1997-2012 AND,
Generation Alpha - born Mid- 2010s to kid 2020s;
________
There is this rough idea that alternate interleaved generations have an affinity for each other and each following generation rejects the ideas and values of the immediate preceding generations.
Various shared play-lists also kinda bear this out lol.
I'm Gen X-er (the BAD guys right :-) ) like Bezos or Musk, but I have a 20 something son ( I made with tools lying around the house ) [Bio kid] and a slightly younger daughter I originally adopted as an infant from Vietnam. [When I went out there in the late 90s Agent Orange was still an ongoing problem causing truly (hideous) and mind bending birth defects decades after 'We" pulled out of Vietnam - in fact there are still orphanages today that "specialize" in infants and deformed children by these 'Forever Chemicals".
This is not an exercise in "Virtue signaling" - but having been divorced and remarried and maybe starting on a "new brood" / children it's possible to have "Kiddos" of different generations - Gen this and gen that... from a 'Blended" family or family - bush rather than a top down "Tree" (as is the modern way).
I suspect the 'Gen " we need to be really thinking about in terms of future political landscape will be my children's children - Generation Alpha and beyond.
The first hand account cautionary tales of mid twentieth century totalitarianism will have faded from living memory and the lore and lure of 21st Century American style fascism may seem a little too shinny, powerful and chic for Gen Alpha and beyond to resist or push back on. It's the materialistic Gen X'ers that will have affinity and vice versa with their Gen Alpha grand children.
Forgive my language - I think US high Schools seem to be doing a sh*t / terrible job of teaching world and other history :-( [Sorry.]. + the USA needs to grow up a bit and own its darkest elements of its own past. It's Ok to own the things 'We" have done wrong since shortly after 1492.
As a Boomer, I think we had the best opportunities ... going in. When I graduated h.s. in 1968, a person with a high school diploma could get a good jot, married, buy a house and live happily ever after. That is not true now. I think greed, more than necessity, got us two-earner households. We wanted more more more. And, more importantly, we sold out. In the 60s we wanted equality and peace. By the 80s we wanted bigger homes, more cars, and lots of toys. As long as we got those things, we didn't care much about all that other stuff.
I think you can speak for yourself on that. In 1974 no one was getting jobs. There were lines to get gasoline in the car.
Not to argumentative, but the 50s and 60s had the lowest unemployment rates in history, except during WWII. You are right, in about '72 it began the rise that we still have. The other factor to Boomer's good fortune was the cost of things, compared to wages: about 1/3 of what things cost today.
Not sure what point you’re making with 50s & 60s?
But it’s true that cost relative to income was far better. What I also remember when I was still in school was that the 80s interest rates were fantastic….but I didn’t have any money then! Today, no incentive to save (.05%), keeping up with technology and low relative wages make things harder today even if incomes sound pretty good.
Graduating w humanities degree in 1971 I went to Germany and got a job in a publishing company. The outlook was hopeless in the US. Dual incomes were NOT "just" for "more stuff," but because we women wanted careers, too. We wanted to do something more with our degrees than be a secretary or housewife.
We have to respect craft, purpose, meaningful things! This starts with valuing ourselves. Not elevating ourselves over others to a sense of entitlement. But value ourselves with discipline, diligence, practice. Honestly, I think a large contributor to managing societal problems is society, people are slowly losing their attention spans. People have little patience or tolerance for anything! They give up, peter out, are uninspired, feel hopeless, overwhelmed, pessimistic, defeated, envious! Functioning with a High, alert, focussed attention span is a lost art. I noticed this as a kindergartener. I went to school in small-town rural northern California. I never missed a single day of elementary school. 3 hours of sitting silent, facing-front in church built a strong lecture-resistant attention span. I was different from most kids. I loved school. School was easy. Kids weren’t self-confident, they buckled under low amounts of stress or discipline, they were slow to draw conclusions and they panicked over bi-annual scholastic exams. I attribute some of this behavior to poor attention span.
Individually and massively we aren’t perceiving and absorbing things as they really are, only as much as we can handle. This is an unsustainable position. We have to invent our solutions they wont just appear.
I agree. Convincing a huge segment of the population is challenging but possible. FDR did it, so did Kennedy with the space program, Johnson with civil rights, cigarette, drinking and driving, unions, etc...it took coordination, dedication, and unrelenting pressure from the top. Biden has chosen the wrong battles (Afghanistan and infrastructure) and failed to set the tone on Day 1 (shoring up democracy as item #1). Bush convinced a country to back a ridiculous war and Trump convinced a large minority to forsake their religious beliefs for a belief in Trumpism. Massive change must start at the top. If Biden had 1) unconditionally supported abolishing the filibuster from Day 1 (and Congress had conducted weekly public hearings - with expert testimony - on the dangers of authoritarianism, the possibilities of life with reduced income inequality, etc, etc) and 2) vaccine mandates had been imposed upon emerhency approval (early blowback would have been countered with a rapid return to a more normal life), we would not be in a post-democratic country. If he had focused his energy on 1 & 2 and ignored the nonsense, he would have showed strength and resolve. Instead, the virus is rampant, he's plummeting in the polls, he botched the Afghanistan withdrawal, and what's left of his agenda is at the mercy of the junior Senator from Arizona. My 2 cents is that there was a window where Biden had 61% approval, and he chose not to honor his singular campaign promise to entrench democracy.
In terms of "blowing the lead", Biden is a lot like Obama; no surprise there. Both thought that being "reasonable" would win out. Too bad Biden didn't learn from Obama's mistakes. There is still a chance, but it's narrow now.
I've clearly told such folks that they're forfeiting all rights to complain about income inequality and corporate oligarchy by refusing to make the smallest changes.
I agree with you, but it's us who keep electing these people who do not represent us.
Bryan, Not necessarily. Over the past 30+ years, Democrats have won the popular vote but did not get the office. This is a corrupted system and the electoral college needs to be abolished so people can elect our presidents etc.
So Dems are voting and winning, then ultimately losing.
The system must be repaired!
You're both right...the system is broken (for now) and we keep electing goofs like Coons and Schumer. Above all, we must do a much better job of getting out the vote. Stacy Abrams and the activists did a masterful job. Who has mimicked this model in even one other state?
Abrams is another fantastic politician and another who very likely won. I think she’s here to stay and I’m excited to see her on our side.
How? It's gone too far. Elections don't matter; Trump has and is proving that there are no negative consequences for any crime if your income is high enough to avoid taxes. And party lines don't matter because they don't represent the voters. They aren't even trying to pretend any more. And reprobate traitor to country, party, and constituents, Joe Manchin has made it obvious that the voters don't count, or he'd be gone and replaced by the voters of WV. He cares nothing for them. And the rest of the Democratic party has no intention of passing what was promised.
Schumer should have pulled all of Manchin's committee assignments, and Biden should be doing something besides tap dancing and smiling.
But most importantly, why haven't the traitors of 1/6 been expelled? The coup is ongoing as long as there are no consequences. If the traitors are expelled, the Senate can easily pass the legislation we need.
Yes, so much is broken, but I look not at the mountain of fixing everything but at 4 key milestones: 1) will AG Garland enforce the Congressional subpoenas, 2) will moderate Democrats kill the filibuster if only for voting rights and pass voting rights protections, 3) will any of the ongoing legislation against Trump and Trump Org result in substantive charges, and 4) will the 1/6 Commission uncover criminal malfeasance or actual coordination intending to lead to an insurrection. If all 4 come to pass, we'll avert total catastrophe. To actually improve lives, we must remove corrupt, inept, complacent politicians. This requires continued engagement by the electorate. Reducing power of the oligarchs requires that people exercise choice when shopping/flying/consuming news/closing as many social media accounts as possible. We have power if we use it collectively.
I still want to know why the traitors who voted to overthrow the election haven't been expelled, the way they were when they tried this against Lincoln. The coup is ongoing, and progressing, and the administration is doing nothing to stop it. And all the Republicans who said enough is enough, have recommitted to the overthrow of democracy. As long as they stand united against democracy and against the American people, they are traitors as well. I've asked about this ongoing treason in a number of posts, and no one responds.
4 reasons (all infuriating): 1st Amendment rights, broad Speech & Debate clause protections, lack of political will combined with razor slim majorities, and a lack of incriminating evidence (emails, recorded phone calls, memos, texts) that would support criminal conspiracy charges sufficient to overcome the prior 3 reasons. Garland refuses to conduct independent criminal investigations of the instigators of 1/6, so it's up to the 1/6 Committee to try to unearth evidence or flip witnesses.
I whole heartedly agree with you on the travesty of not taking Trump et al prisoners when the incitement is recorded!! And Pelosi should never have seated Greene, Boebert etc or any traitor terrorist. It is a kick in the stomach to us all!
It’s both infuriating and frightening! What the hell!!
Cops were besten with the American flag! People died!
Where I diverge with you a bit is that nothing will be done. There are numerous people preparing lawsuits, they will go forward, even though deadly terrorist should be in prison to await this. These people are locking up the case sideways, upside down and inside out.
And those in charge know if appropriate action isn’t taken, they will see civil unrest that rivals some of the worst of times.
We will not stand for this! If everything has to shut down, it will. It is incumbent upon them to carry out justice. Trump et al deserve maximum penalty for the crime, which is death. We put spies to death but not a president who colludes with Russia.
I think it’s all going to get ugly.
They know what kind of rumbling is going on over all these sites. And there are three big republican groups being vocal about Trump. Lincoln Project, Republican Accountability Project and can’t remember other grp name. That is a good sign of things falling apart for Trump Traitors.
Renew America Movement is the 3rd...endorsing moderate candidates on both sides of the aisle to combat Trumpist candidates.
I agree hw. Unlearning is way harder than learning. It’s the way banks started with free ATM usage. Once it became common practice, they started charging. It was a habit that would not go back.
In addition to all the things you list is personal practice of environmental care. I have been working against allowing people to use a firepit in backyards (for years). Google: Utah Doctors Against Wood Smoke. It very educational…(and they include wood fireplaces). But fire pits are on the ground and travel straight to windows. As with gun-lovers, people start yelling; it brings back memories, I love to roast marshmallows! It’s to ic to us, animals and the air. If people don’t make these changes, they too are climate crisis deniers.
Toxic to us
There are immediate threats that must be addressed with current means within the current system. The problem is that the system has weaknesses that make precisely such activity difficult and ineffective. It must be done, but if the real underlying problems are not addressed, history teaches that it will be a losing battle in the long run.
These structural weaknesses must be addressed by more fundamental and, alas, probably more long-term strategies. One first step to recognize is that the tactic of preventing needed changes is relying on fear-mongering via pitting the alternative social/governmental systems against one another: building up enemy images by pointing out the weaknesses of the respectively other system as that system's evil intent. This works both ways -- and the most important flaws are the same on all systems. The most important one, in my opinion, is the fact that all systems have failed to provide more effective means for 'taming' power. This means that the problems arising from that flaw cannot be remedied by another party 'taking over'.
To the extent power relies on coercion and 'force' (as expressed in the term 'enforcement' even of agreements and laws achieved my 'democratic means) the takeover will just fall into the same traps of power addiction and abuse as the replaced regime, and usually more swiftly and brutally so. The pattern holds even for 'democracies' who have, to their great credit, adopted provisions for the control of power within the governance segment of society, but have failed to offer effective provision against the emerging control of government by other branches: private enterprise, or the military. Or religion.
Does it follow that the task therefore is to urgently find better ways of taming power -- in all current competing 'systems', not by trusting that one system will fix things by 'taking over? If so, that would be a very different but much needed campaign. MIght the 'apathy of 'people won't do it' be explained by people sensing that the endlessly repeated take-over campaigns by the current 'systems' and parties don't really get at the real problem? Is it 'impossible'? I don't believe that (I have some ideas, and I am convinced that humans who disproved the 'man can't fly' mantra, is creative and smart enough to find better answers. Put it on the agenda! Is the reason we don't see more thoughtful and creative effort of this kind that it just isn't seen as the needed short-term fixes we are constantly asked to sacrifice and donate for?
We ought practice temporal psychology. Where we more weigh fatalistic behavior (smoking cigarettes) of today against the benefits of quitting smoking (longer healthier life) . Ppl who successfully quit cigarettes visualize the benefits to come more often, frequently than indulge their present cravings.
That would require a massive PR campaign...Biden appears wholly uninterested in educating the public to the dangers we face as an autocracy. He won't even support abolishing the filibuster. Schumer is incapable of communicating directions to the cafeteria. Pete Buttigieg is one of the few effective communicators in the administration, and they promptly sidelined him. Your premise has merit but there's neither the will nor the ability of Democrats to deliver an effective message.
It's the money. The voter is not the constituency to be served; it's the donor. It's not the fault of any individual politician. The fault is with all of us, every time we act without being conscious of the money.
Agreed.
Agreed. Our Democratic leaders need our help. They cannot manifest what we need alone. Unfortunately they don’t yet realize their job entails leading the people not just “serving” the people. I will (attempt to) convey this idea to any Dem party leadership.
I always value your thoughts and opinions. You provide us with well thought out arguments about what issues are important for us to pay attention to. You are a source of information that I trust. Thanks for all you do!!
Is the US still a democracy? I teach a course on economic growth and inequality and one of the issues that I discuss is the importance of institutions and political stability for long term economic growth and effective policy making against inequality. According to the Polity scale that is widely used as a reliable time series indicator of the degree of democracy in countries throughout the world economy, as of 2020 the US is no longer to be considered a democracy. Instead, the US is now categorized as an anocracy; a system with both democratic and autocratic characteristics (see https://www.systemicpeace.org/)
The US, rather the 'Supreme' (cough) Court, knowingly forced our oust of democracy with the unconstitutional Citizens United rule. When it deemed a corporation a man, it handed us to the wealthy. The ruling gave greed the green light, as shown in the ever increasing purchasing of politicians who then make rules to benefit their benefactors.
No, the US ceased being a democracy when McConnell and the GOP stacked the courts, SCOTUS gutted voting rights and held the door wide open to dark money, and Congress ceased working over a decade ago. We've been in a slow-motion disintegration for years. Open autocracy is a relatively new phenomenon, but it's underpinning are 40 years in the making.
Agreed. This started in earnest 40 years ago. Maybe even further back to post WWII, when fascist/authoritarians, like the Dulles’, CIA and military industrial complex started our road to corruption by dominance.
It is all about power. To argue that “free” community college education is too costly, while pouring more money into the mishandled accounts of the Pentagon is just one of many ploys that stand in the way of rebuilding, healing and uniting OUR country.
Especially when Baby Boomers remember when community college had no fees or tuition and were this definition of "free."
Spot-on Again Robert, with All your points;
We at a Very fragile time in our historical trajectory, that the fragility is coming from those
as you point out, the two directions are=
1st the Oligarchy, through all their avenues and entities, with a PR machine that is autopilot/overdrive; distorting public opinions and stances; And,
2nd source of threat is the Neo-Fascism that has taken over most of the Republican party via don-the con trump – that is being fueled by frustrations and anger by a rigged system.
That’s why we MUST get Mass Traction Economic progress; Biden Must stay on track as a REAL Economic Populist; Or we will just end up with another trump clone, personality cult-phony populist: making empty promises while scapegoating immigrants, ETC
Please Keep up All your great articles and AV content, and yes, I do enjoy your pictures.
This is a timely experiment, and we Thank You for starting and continuing this format.
I was reminded, reading your "1st ..." &":2nd ...", of how we chose between Biden and someone who would actually do something about #1, like Warren. We chose Biden because we considered #2 the greater immediate threat. We were right: getting Trump out of there was the main priority and since Biden won, we could say we did the right thing. But, in doing so we put #1 on a back-burner.
Thanks!
The continuous increase of the Dow and other market index shows the prosperity of the "investing class," a static minority, as you have emphasized, carefully, responsibly, and compassionately.
Contrastingly, I measure national, economic well-being in the U.S.A., by the average annual income of our working-class, and middle-class fellows. By such measure, our economic well-being is terribly "ill!" It needs a drmatic "infusion" of benefits that promote savings and sustained employment.
Since Democrats haven't served their majority according to the value of the Build Back Better bill, I and my fellow must "sell" the bill to each other. Having sold such, we should demand that our senators and representatives enact the bill, regardless of the propapanda and misinformation that have obsure the bill.
Thanks, always!
I find it interesting that the rich and powerful are willing to spend millions on making sure they do not have to pay their fair share. I get that it's more of a powerplay, but it seems counterintuitive.
And, how is it that I, a mere lowly minimum wage guy, can get audited for having a comma out of place, yet "people" like trump either don't get audited or buy their way out of it. Most countries have laws and rules in place to ensure corporations and individuals pay their fair share. If you look at those countries, their infrastructure is superior to ours. Mass transit is available everywhere and is typically affordable. The UK made public transportation private and ruined a working model. Now they are reversing that mistake. It's okay to make a mistake as long as you recognize that mistake and work to fix it. The US seems reluctant to admit mistakes and just keeps plodding along hoping that eventually, the mistake will correct itself. That doesn't work.
The media calls out the top 1% and yet nothing happens.
This country needs Biden's BBB infrastructure bill. Our plumbing is broken, bridges collapsing, roads disintegrating, communications dodgy at best. But, with the Republicans "running" the show, we can expect the status quo to be maintained.
And how did the minority take control? Is it because they shout louder than the rest of us? Do they have bigger guns? (I don't own a gun.) Are they just bullies and the rest of us are afraid to confront them?
I can count on one hand the members of congress who have the backbone to call out the criminals still in power. This needs to be fixed.
We need term limits for everyone in congress. Make them work for a living for once. Use the laws available to us to remove the lawbreakers and get this government on track.
You can probably tell I am just a bit frustrated.
I agree that term limits seem a possible solution, but I worry about loss of institutional knowledge. Congress’s way of working is so convoluted it takes years to fully understand how to get things done. Perhaps instead we should be focusing on making the workings of Congress simpler and more transparent, starting with the filibuster and campaign contributions, AND changing the rules so that Senators and Representatives must divest themselves of all connections and earnings outside their government salaries so that they have no conflict of interest when bills come up for vote.
Yours is the only solution. Everything else is just dancing around the elephant in the room.
I agree with everything except term limits. I believe that if someone wants to make a difference to life for citizens they will focus on those goals without thinking about the next election cycle.
Also, it would make much more sense if campaigns are limited to 90 days prior to voting and, as you state, limit campaign donations.
There needs to be major changes but I really hold no hope in seeing that in my lifetime.
We need the original amount of the BBB. But that’s already off the books. I think there are ways to push it back through IF we can get a bigger majority in Congress. BUT the republicans will be fighting in every dirty filthy way…t’s the only wY they can survive!
The republicans will never support anything presented to them in congress. They are not interested in working to repair this country. For them, it is money and power.
Appreciate your doing this.
Thank you Mary.
If you want to see how the government is being taken over, watch Senator Whitehouse on YouTube, The Man has it all mapped out for us, and is reading it into the records.
Your drawing, despite your great art skills, is not accurate. Sorry. It depicts $ corruption being a Trump thing. It is incomplete. In that crowd should also be Republicans in general, and Democrats. If we pretend that $ corruption is a Trump/Republican thing, we are hypocrites and doomed to failure. Republicans are right to say we need to clean up our own side of the street first. We need to start looking at money-souces before voting. You called out Sinema for this just this week. Now that we "know", will we vote for her again? I worked to get her elected. I'll now work hard to "primary' her.
A worthy cause, and a daunting challenge for the thinking people in this country. Hopefully, efforts like this will be able to reach out beyond the "choir members" who share your concerns and aspirations. Somehow, the level of political and economic awareness of the large mass of the American public has to be raised. If you, and like-minded leaders in and out of politics, can effect a change in how people understand the system, you can help change it into the more just and fair system you hope to bring about. Clearly, campaign finance reform is one of the primary prerequisites for this change. A less politically vulnerable education system is also needed, or small groups of fanatics can distort what is taught in our school systems. It may be difficult to make this change in the private school systems, but public education is the place to start. Finally, realigning the focus and spending priorities of all levels of government is needed. That includes reducing defense spending to what is really needed, and eliminating subsidies that do not produce a true public good. If we can accomplish this, we'll truly be a "kinder, gentler America" and "the home of the free".
Voting rights
Well, that didn't go very well, did it? Who would have thought the republicans would vote against free and honest voting laws? It is disconcerting that the republican voting public still supports this party. It makes no sense to me that they vote along party lines even though what is transpiring is so evil.
I used to have republican friends but they have been so brainwashed I had to delete them from my life.
It is so overwhelming when we try to make changes and it just gets thrown back in our faces.
Robert, I was very touched by something someone either quoted or authored. Paraphrasing, It is much easier to fray and tear apart democracy than it is to weave it together. I like the word weave because we have tried and tried to get our country working for the people who build, work and run our economy every day. We keep cycling through this same historical scenario of workers getting crushed.
It is primarily the weight of the health care system that is sinking middle class but I know it’s much more. We are the ONLY industrialized nation without guaranteed health care. In addition, we now have the insurance industry trying to sign older Americans up for something called Medicare Advantage. Older Americans, don’t sign up for this. It is not part of medicare at all. And insurance will get into the program and destroy it.
It is time for us to weave something new. We can’t continue with capitalism unless it is surrounded tightly by regulation. Better yet, a better Social Democracy that gives citizens the right to all the basics. It’s simple humanity.
I pay for Medicare. I don't pay anything for my Medicare Advantage plan which covers what Medicare Part A and B don't cover. Here's a link to information. I agree that all citizens have the right to all the basics the problem is defining what is basic. Is child care a basic freedom? If my neighbor chooses to stay home then do they still receive the same amount as my neighbor that has 4 children and works? Is college or post high school education a basic right? Again, how much of that is provided and to whom? Is there an age limit for receiving it? Everyone wants what they feel they've worked for and "deserve" to receive without feeling someone else is getting more and doing less. That is where we are being divided through politics and the media. Weaving together we could create a tapestry of individuals strengthened by and for each other to build back better. https://www.ehealthinsurance.com/medicare/supplement-all/medicare-advantage-vs-medicare-supplement-plans
Medicare Advantage is totally unrelated to medicare. The insurance industry uses the name because of the way it was listed in the legislature. It is separate insurance. Do not choose that option.
What option should I choose to pay for dental, vision and prescription care? I have to pay for medicare and it doesn't cover that. I have to have both to have full healthcare. My medicare advantage coverage is FREE.
And I've had Medicare Advantage for the past few years and I'm happy with it. Wonder what will be destroyed in your opinion.
Just as insurance does now, it will start to say, we don’t qualify you for this, you can’t have that. They are a separate insurance. Medicare gets us away from insurance and everyone is qualified (age restricted for now) But we want medicare for all.
Advantage is FOR PROFIT. Medicare is not.
But the reality for now is that Medicare does not cover everything and additional insurance is the only way to get coverage and not be charged the full, ridiculous cost of prescriptions, dental and vision care. I’m all for a single payer system, but Medicare isn’t that at this time.
I think there are 3 biggest challenges to our democracy. Your cartoon needs a group of people lying down watching TV and labeled "Apathy".
Comfortable slaves rarely revolt.
Right! This is exactly how it works. We get apeased just enough to keep us quiet and lying to ourselves about what it happening around us. Last year we got a couple thousand dollars, so we are happy, not caring that Bezos got billions.
You are right, but why apathy? In understanding, David Greene's comment below is a start.
Reading through some of the comments, I do feel that people are trying to help and offer their honest opinions. I would still put the need for education at the very top of the list. And parents play a key role here. The values and ideals that your children will have are not necessarily what they learn in school as education for democracy and a decent life with others starts much much before the school years. Nowadays, there is not much attention to religious teachings and values and I think there needs to be. I do not know this for certain but it seems to me that all religions stress respect for, kindness, and service to others, concern for the environment and our communities, the ability to accept difference and to honor those who show decency and kindness. It sometimes seems to me that those who claim deep religious values sometimes do not live those values but, if that is so, the burden and the failure are on them and we do well to reciprocate and respond with our own values. Our failures are to some extend selfishness and self-centered-ness and we can overcome them by trying to walk in the path of someone else and by responding to their own selfishness with kindness and understanding.
The last thing I want to see are any religious teachings. You are ignoring a world full of issues stemming FROM religion, especially the abrahamic faiths. The Catholic church alone is nearing $4bil in restitution! And cases keep coming. Don’t dare say these are a few bad apples. It’s systemic! And abrahamic faiths are patriarchal and teach what to think not how to think. The hostory is worse, witch hunts, barring girls from school, never addressing the subjugation of women or slavery. It goes on and on.
It is time for eyes wide open reality. We are responsible for what happens, not some magic being in the sky.
There may be wonderful generous people who are religious but they are that way in spite of religion. There is not one single piece of evidence for god. None.
And we need to emphasize the importance of critically looking at this form of tribalism and exclusion (different sects, religions etc).
Fundamentalist christianity has overstepped its bounds in the public square to the point of insanity. We are a secular nation.
I believe that you have misread what I have written or rather (and more accurately) read something into it that I did not intend. What I am saying is that parents have a duty to their children, to each other, to the country, to share their values and what we stand for as a community and a nation. To respect the laws and customs of the country which are--like it or not--generally Christian. This normally falls under the heading of religious teachings but I am not advocating for or against specific belief systems. What I am opposed to is the absence of any values of any kind--whether religious or not. It is not the responsibility of the government to advocate for or against any belief system so it falls to the parents and their understanding of how best to live and how best to treat others. There are people who are not members of any organized religion or belief system but seem to recognize a social responsibility to bring up their children to respect others, to treat others kindly and decently. There are also people who find some support or comfort in religion and consider it the basis of their social lives. I suggested religion as the usual source for beliefs about how to treat others but it surely doesn't have to be. What we have now is a lot of talk about religion with people emphasizing beliefs they do not actually hold. I am NOT advocating a role for government but I am also not overlooking the fact that this nation does have a tradition of religious (generally Christian) values and practices that are central to its founding and its government in the past and in the present.
These are your stmts that I bring to attention:
..there is not much attn to religious teachings & values and I think there needs to be.
…it seems to me all religions stress respect, kindness…etc
I think a good study of the bible will prove false that the religion stresses respect or kindness in numerous situations. If you want to pick out some choice passages that’s fine to use but a study of these religions will not provide you with that conclusion if you read it all or listen to criticisms of it.
So I am saying no one should be indoctrinated into this as a child. Make sure a thorough reading is done after the age of 13 if at all. The bible, torah, quran can be downright frightening.
The US was specified to be secular by the founders. Congress ratified the treaty of Tripoli specifically to say the US is in no way founded upon christianity. It is not central to the founding at all. There are many letters between Adams & Jefferson and sometimes Benjamin Franklin.
There is a xtian majority now but that is changing. Religions are based on man written texts preceding science. I just don’t find the bible suitably moral or reliable. But everyone can make a choice in following it or not. I just don’t ever want it in our schools or any public building that stands for all.
The colonies of people who initially came to the land that became the United States after the Revolutionary War were in fact religious separatists from the Church of England, members of a group called Congregationalist that is still an active church in the United States. Other (generally persecuted Christian sects) also were among the first settlers in places such as Massachusetts, New England, and Virginia. Religious communities were never completely separate from the new US Government. What happened was that the 18th century brought a new group who recognized a Deity but allowed more secular governments and more individual freedom of belief to develop. Early founders of the US government were generally Deists rather than members of an established religious sect. (Deists essentially believed in God but they also felt that people were responsible for society. I believe that Jefferson, Franklin, and early leaders were Deists if, indeed, they professed religious faith.) They were not alone or original in their beliefs but patterned their religious views on such as Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, and others. The belief in God remained strong and remains relatively strong in the United States today; the separation of state and church is not now (and never was) complete...you have only to recall the Pledge of Allegiance (under God) and our currency (In God We Trust) to realize that there is an abiding faith in God and for some people religion is a vital part of their lives. (There are also traditional religious communities, people such as Mennonites, Quakers, Amish, who reflect much older traditions. I believe you are a younger person. The reason for my belief is that I went through a similar stage of "secularism" and denial of any connection to a specific religion, even anti-religious views, when I was in college. Now, later on, I have mellowed out and recognize that members of various faiths have sought to help others, serve society, and right social wrongs so I am less willing to condemn any belief system or, for that matter, those who have not realized that secularism can also result in hatred and intolerance, not just views that decry the beliefs and criticize others. You do realize (I hope) that the pilgrims in Plymouth MA came here specifically for religious practices that were counter to those of the CHurch of England....Settlements in America (founders) often came for religious purposes, that is, to exercise religious beliefs that were not those of the Church of England or established (state-run) churches in Europe.
The Pledge of allegiance was written by a christian socialist minister named Francis Bellamy. It did not include the phrase “one nation under god”. That was added in 1954, lobbied by the knights of Columbus, because they thought the godless pledge was too much like “godless communists”. So the author did not use those words at all. Likewise, there are lawsuits to remove it from money and return to E Pluribus Unum. 24% of the population of the US claim to be None..no religion, skeptic, agnostics, atheists. Larger than the Catholics. And it is the fastest growing segment in the US.
We obviously don’t agree on everything but I enjoyed the exchange.
You have framed my argument more colloquially but accurately. I am not advocating specific religious belief systems but I am not ignoring the importance of religion (generally Christian) to the founding and past/present/future values of our nation.
If people put into political involvement half the fervor and energy that they devote to following sports, we'd have a much different country. It's hard to get excited about esoteric issues like tariffs or district boundaries, but they affect our lives more than we realize. We need to see both the forest and the trees to be influential against the roaring tide of big money and organized lobbying. Government isn't the solution to all of our problems, but it's a big factor in deciding what solutions are applied, and whether they work or not. You may be holding your nose when you enter the voting booth, but at least you're trying to do something about the stink.