#Trump just wants to enrich himself

[isawthismeme]

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Guy Parsons

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

October 17, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 18, 2024

In a new rule released yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission requires sellers to make it as easy to cancel a subscription to a gym or a service as it is to sign up for one. In a statement, FTC chair Lina Khan explained the reasoning behind the “click-to-cancel” rule: “Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” she said. “Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.” Although most of the new requirements won’t take effect for about six months, David Dayen of The American Prospect noted that the stock price of Planet Fitness fell 8% after the announcement. 

When he took office in January 2021, with democracy under siege from autocratic governments abroad and an authoritarian movement at home, President Joe Biden set out to prove that democracy could deliver for the ordinary people who had lost faith in it. The click-to-cancel rule is an illustration of an obvious and long-overdue protection, but it is only one of many ways—$35 insulin, new bridges, loan forgiveness, higher wages, good jobs—in which policies designed to benefit ordinary people have demonstrated that a democratic government can improve lives.

When Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen spoke to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, she noted that the administration “has driven a historic economic recovery” with strong growth, very low unemployment rates, and inflation returning to normal. Now it is focused on lowering costs for families and expanding the economy while reducing inequality. That strong economy at home is helping to power the global economy, Yellen noted, and the U.S. has been working to strengthen that economy by reinforcing global policies, investments, and institutions that reinforce economic stability. 

“Over the past four years, the world has been through a lot,” Yellen said, “from a once-in-a-century pandemic, to the largest land war in Europe since World War II, to increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters. This has only underlined that we are all in it together. America’s economic well-being depends on the world’s, and America’s economic leadership is key to global prosperity and security.” She warned against isolationism that would undermine such prosperity both at home and abroad.

The numbers behind the proven experience that government protection of ordinary people is good for economic growth got the blessing of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday, when it awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences to Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to James Robinson of the University of Chicago. Their research explains why “[s]ocieties with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better,” while democracies do.   

Although democracy has been delivering for Americans, Donald Trump and MAGAs rose to power by convincing those left behind by 40 years of supply-side economics that their problem was not the people in charge of the government, but rather the government itself. 

Trump wants to get rid of the current government so that he can enrich himself, do whatever he wants to his enemies, and avoid answering to the law. The Christian nationalists who wrote Project 2025 want to destroy the federal government so they can put in place an authoritarian who will force Americans to live under religious rule. Tech elites like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel want to get rid of the federal government so they can control the future without having to worry about regulations. 

In place of what they insist is a democratic system that has failed, they are offering a strongman who, they claim, will take care of people more efficiently than a democratic government can. The focus on masculinity and portrayals of Trump as a muscled hero‚ much as Russian president Vladimir Putin portrays himself, fit the mold of an authoritarian leader.

But the argument that Americans need a strongman depends on the argument that democracy does not work. In the last three-and-a-half years, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democrats have proved that it can, so long as it operates with the best interests of ordinary people in mind. Trump and Vance’s outlandish lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene are designed to override the reality of a competent administration addressing a crisis with all the tools it has. In its place, the lies provide a false narrative of federal officials ignoring people and trying to steal their property.  

Their attack on democracy has another problem, as well. In addition to the reality that democracy has been delivering for Americans for more than three years now—and pretty dramatically—Trump is no longer a strongman. Vice President Kamala Harris is outperforming  him in the theater of political dominance. And as she does so, his image is crumbling.

In an article in US News and World Report yesterday, NBC’s former chief marketer John D. Miller apologized to America for helping to “create a monster.” Miller led the team that marketed The Apprentice, the reality TV show that made Trump a household name. “To sell the show,” Miller wrote, “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.” But the truth was that he declared bankruptcy six times, and “[t]he imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV,” Miller wrote. While Trump loved the attention the show provided, “more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV.” 

Miller says they “promoted the show relentlessly,” blanketing the country with a “highly exaggerated” image of Trump as a successful businessman “like a heavy snowstorm.” “[W]e…did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader,” Miller wrote. “I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.” 

Speaking as a “born-and-bred Republican,” Miller warned: “If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like The Apprentice was.” He strongly urged people to vote for Kamala Harris. “The country will be better off and so will you.” 

A new video shown last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live even more powerfully illustrated the collapse of Trump’s tough guy image. Written by Jesse Joyce of Comedy Central, the two-minute video featured actor and retired professional wrestler Dave Bautista dominating his sparring partner in a boxing ring and then telling those who think Trump is “some sort of tough guy” that “he’s not.” 

Working out in a gym, Bautista insults Trump’s heavy makeup, out-of-shape body, draft dodging, and physical weakness, and notes that “he sells imaginary baseball cards pretending to be a cowboy fireman” when “he’s barely strong enough to hold an umbrella.” Bautista says Trump’s two-handed method of drinking water looks “like a little pink chickadee,” and goes on to make a raunchy observation about Trump’s stage dancing. “He’s moody, he pouts, he throws tantrums,” Bautista goes on. “He’s cattier on social media than a middle-school mean girl.”

Bautista ends by listing Trump’s fears of rain, dogs, windmills…and being laughed at.” “And mostly,” Bautista concludes, “he’s terrified that real, red-blooded American men will find out that he’s a weak, tubby toddler.” Calling Trump a “whiny b*tch,” Bautista walks away from the camera. 

The sketch was billed as comedy, but it was deadly serious in its takedown of the key element of Trump’s political power.

And he seems vulnerable. Forbes and Newsweek have recently questioned his mental health; yesterday the Boston Globe ran an op-ed saying, “Trump’s decline is too dangerous to ignore. We can see the decline in the former president’s ability to hold a train of thought, speak coherently, or demonstrate a command of the English language, to say nothing of policy.” 

Trump’s Fox News Channel town hall yesterday got 2.9 million viewers; Harris’s interview got 7.1 million. Today, Trump canceled yet another appearance, this one with the National Rifle Association in Savannah, Georgia, scheduled for October 22, where he was supposed to be the keynote speaker.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris today held rallies in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. In La Crosse, MAGA hecklers tried to interrupt her while she was speaking about the centrality of the three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices to the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the constitutional right to abortion. 

“Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally,” Harris called to them with a smile and a wave. As the crowd roared with approval, she added: “No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.” 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[jeanieology]

Opinion:

Trump wins 2024 election. America needs to admit it's not 'better than this.'

We are a country that just elected – that just willfully chose – one of the most cruel, unscrupulous and transparently self-serving political figures in modern history to be president. Again.

Rex Huppke

USA TODAY

I never want to hear the words “America is better than this” again. I never want to be told about America’s better angels.

I want honesty. I want an admission of exactly who we are as a country, and let’s be damn clear about that definition: We are a country that just elected – that just willfully chose – one of the most cruel, unscrupulous and transparently self-serving political figures in modern history to be president. Again.

We just elected a convicted felon who has normalized bullying, spread hate like an industrial sprinkler and shown us over and over and over again he sees laws as irrelevant and self-enrichment as sacrosanct. Faced with a billowing ocean of red flags – from indictments for trying to overturn the 2020 election to the coddling of dictators who rule enemy nations – a majority of Americans cast their vote for the man who is a totem of the worst in all of us.

So spare me the wails of “This isn’t who we are!” I’ve got bad news for the sane and decent among us: This is exactly who we are.

America just chose mass deportations and chaos and hate

We’re a country that supports the mass deportation of immigrants, a promise Donald Trump made and will undoubtedly keep. When families are pulled apart, cities and towns are raided by federal law enforcement and the people who once worked in communities and made homes there – some for decades – are penned in detention camps, it is the voting public that approved such a thing.

If legal citizens get swept up in the chaos, so be it. It was the voters’ choice.

When an unhinged and unqualified billionaire like Elon Musk is put in charge of slashing the federal government to bits, that will be what America chose.

When the Department of Education is abolished and our education system falls into the hands of right-wing ideologues and religious zealots, that’s the outcome of the choice U.S. voters made.

When Trump’s tariffs hit and drive up prices across the board for consumers, it won’t be the fault of the myriad economists who told us what would happen. It will be the thing a majority of Americans chose. It will be the economic pot they chose to be boiled in, even though the Biden-Harris administration has the economy rocking.

As The New York Times reported Oct. 30: "Consumers are spending. Inflation is cooling. And the U.S. economy looks as strong as ever."

Trump will clear himself of charges and turn the DOJ on his enemies

When Trump does away with his own legal cases – trashing the rule of law his party once claimed to stand for – that will be what the people wanted. When he turns the U.S. Department of Justice on his so-called enemies, when he goes after Democrats and others with malicious intent and calls in the military to stifle any form of dissent, keep your mouth shut about that being un-American. It’s now 100% American, because it’s exactly what people in this country willfully chose.

I don’t want to hear a damn word – ever – about anyone not realizing just how bad things could get. I don’t want to hear about how grocery prices were too high so you figured voting for Trump couldn’t hurt. I don’t want to hear how you didn’t like either candidate so you sat the 2024 election out.

The stakes of this election could not have been more clear and could not have been broadcast any louder. Vice President Kamala Harris ran as smart a campaign as I’ve seen. She reached across the aisle and offered a big tent for people to seek shelter. She was qualified – as a former prosecutor, a former U.S. senator and a vice president – in ways Trump could never imagine.

Face it, America. We're a country that picked Trump – a second time.

But America chose the guy who cavalierly said he’d be a dictator for a day. Voters chose the guy who denounces our allies and cozies up to our enemies. Voters chose the guy who is an adjudicated rapist, a role model to none, an often-incoherent and always hate-fueled loon who has turned Americans against each other in ways I never thought possible.

Voters chose Trump. He won. Cruelty won. Bullying won.

And that’s who America is right now. We are Trump, and we will own every bit of the shameful and painful and embarrassing things he does. We are not "better than this." We lost the right to make that claim the moment the presidential race was called.

[bakafox]

Made the mistake of reading notes on a political post again.

Wondering where the FUCK people saying things like "Biden has bragged about deporting more people than Trump" get their news. Seriously I really want to know where Biden went on record bragging he has deported more people than Trump.

The last graphs I recall about deportation numbers and the like showed a rise since Biden took office- after the sharp drop during the worst of Covid, that was still not as high as pre-Covid Trump year numbers. The years before Covid, Trump's administration had one hell of a high number for a lot of shit that people keep saying Biden's administration has made worse. It's like the climate denial graphs that say ice sheets are growing that show only one year's cycle and not the previous years' ever increasing declines.

Project 2025 also openly aims to deport at least 15 million people from the US.

And of course I can understand the rage that Biden hasn't just somehow told the GOP they can't pull the shit they're pulling and slam them all in jail for their anti-trans shit and abortion shit and everything else but like, it is so misdirected and also would require Biden, the man they say is so fucking awful, to become a dictator or at the very least, to greatly expand the power of the executive branch.

The sort of power play that Trump fucking intends to do according to the GOP's own Project 2025 statements and Trump's very researchable and public ranting.

And the sort of shit Trump will be able to do if the GOP controls House, Senate, and White House, compared to the current world where the GOP has unfortunate majorities in places but isn't the sweeping overall majority.

So like, yeah Biden hasn't taken the steps to force state governments to fall into line OR ELSE but Trump will.

Ahahha I even still remember Trump trying to defund the shit out of my somewhat impoverished blue state during BLM! It is something directly in my memory! Remember him wanting to send in the National guard and shit to blue/liberal areas and wanting to shame and wrench control away? BECAUSE I DO.

The US system is busted and needs a shit tone of reforms and repairs but has managed so far to keep things from hitting the kind of rock bottom that is very likely ahead and very damn quickly when and if Trump or any other GOP type candidate gets the office of President while all other seats also fill with like-minded individuals because not enough people vote against them.

And I still fail to see how the implementation of Project 2025 will actually help Palestine or any other corner of the world rather than make shit worse in those places too, for all the one-issue non-voters.

Project 2025 literally says it will heighten support of Israel and Nentanyahu himself wants Trump to win and actively hates Biden because Biden chastises his decisions even to degrees that almost no one supporting Gaza thinks are enough.

Nentanyahu when visiting the US stayed as a guest of Trump's family, rather than being asked to even pay the bribes and enrichment of staying in a Trump hotel, they are allies.

Trump winning will make things worse at home, and there's people saying they don't care about that, and we deserve it, collectively, as a people, which I fucking disagree with, because collective punishment is bullshit regardless of who the 'collective' group is, but it will also make things worse abroad. He will directly put full US political, financial, and military support towards Putin and Netanyahu and other far right ideologues around the world.

[yourreddancer]

Heather Cox Richardson 10.17.24

In a new rule released yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission requires sellers to make it as easy to cancel a subscription to a gym or a service as it is to sign up for one. In a statement, FTC chair Lina Khan explained the reasoning behind the “click-to-cancel” rule: “Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” she said. “Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.” Although most of the new requirements won’t take effect for about six months, David Dayen of The American Prospect noted that the stock price of Planet Fitness fell 8% after the announcement. 

When he took office in January 2021, with democracy under siege from autocratic governments abroad and an authoritarian movement at home, President Joe Biden set out to prove that democracy could deliver for the ordinary people who had lost faith in it. The click-to-cancel rule is an illustration of an obvious and long-overdue protection, but it is only one of many ways—$35 insulin, new bridges, loan forgiveness, higher wages, good jobs—in which policies designed to benefit ordinary people have demonstrated that a democratic government can improve lives.

When Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen spoke to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, she noted that the administration “has driven a historic economic recovery” with strong growth, very low unemployment rates, and inflation returning to normal. Now it is focused on lowering costs for families and expanding the economy while reducing inequality. That strong economy at home is helping to power the global economy, Yellen noted, and the U.S. has been working to strengthen that economy by reinforcing global policies, investments, and institutions that reinforce economic stability. 

“Over the past four years, the world has been through a lot,” Yellen said, “from a once-in-a-century pandemic, to the largest land war in Europe since World War II, to increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters. This has only underlined that we are all in it together. America’s economic well-being depends on the world’s, and America’s economic leadership is key to global prosperity and security.” She warned against isolationism that would undermine such prosperity both at home and abroad.

The numbers behind the proven experience that government protection of ordinary people is good for economic growth got the blessing of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday, when it awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences to Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to James Robinson of the University of Chicago. Their research explains why “[s]ocieties with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better,” while democracies do.   

Although democracy has been delivering for Americans, Donald Trump and MAGAs rose to power by convincing those left behind by 40 years of supply-side economics that their problem was not the people in charge of the government, but rather the government itself. 

Trump wants to get rid of the current government so that he can enrich himself, do whatever he wants to his enemies, and avoid answering to the law. The Christian nationalists who wrote Project 2025 want to destroy the federal government so they can put in place an authoritarian who will force Americans to live under religious rule. Tech elites like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel want to get rid of the federal government so they can control the future without having to worry about regulations. 

In place of what they insist is a democratic system that has failed, they are offering a strongman who, they claim, will take care of people more efficiently than a democratic government can. The focus on masculinity and portrayals of Trump as a muscled hero‚ much as Russian president Vladimir Putin portrays himself, fit the mold of an authoritarian leader.

(NOTE - WHAT a fucking JOKE!!)

But the argument that Americans need a strongman depends on the argument that democracy does not work. In the last three-and-a-half years, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democrats have proved that it can, so long as it operates with the best interests of ordinary people in mind.

Trump and Vance’s outlandish lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene are designed to override the reality of a competent administration addressing a crisis with all the tools it has. In its place, the lies provide a false narrative of federal officials ignoring people and trying to steal their property.  

Their attack on democracy has another problem, as well. In addition to the reality that democracy has been delivering for Americans for more than three years now—and pretty dramatically—Trump is no longer a strongman. Vice President Kamala Harris is outperforming  him in the theater of political dominance. And as she does so, his image is crumbling.

In an article in US News and World Report yesterday, NBC’s former chief marketer John D. Miller apologized to America for helping to “create a monster.” Miller led the team that marketed The Apprentice, the reality TV show that made Trump a household name. “To sell the show,” Miller wrote, “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.” But the truth was that he declared bankruptcy six times, and “[t]he imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV,” Miller wrote. While Trump loved the attention the show provided, “more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV.” 

Miller says they “promoted the show relentlessly,” blanketing the country with a “highly exaggerated” image of Trump as a successful businessman “like a heavy snowstorm.” “[W]e…did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader,” Miller wrote. “I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.” 

Speaking as a “born-and-bred Republican,” Miller warned: “If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like The Apprentice was.” He strongly urged people to vote for Kamala Harris. “The country will be better off and so will you.” 

A new video shown last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live even more powerfully illustrated the collapse of Trump’s tough guy image. Written by Jesse Joyce of Comedy Central, the two-minute video featured actor and retired professional wrestler Dave Bautista dominating his sparring partner in a boxing ring and then telling those who think Trump is “some sort of tough guy” that “he’s not.” 

Working out in a gym, Bautista insults Trump’s heavy makeup, out-of-shape body, draft dodging, and physical weakness, and notes that “he sells imaginary baseball cards pretending to be a cowboy fireman” when “he’s barely strong enough to hold an umbrella.” Bautista says Trump’s two-handed method of drinking water looks “like a little pink chickadee,” and goes on to make a raunchy observation about Trump’s stage dancing. “He’s moody, he pouts, he throws tantrums,” Bautista goes on. “He’s cattier on social media than a middle-school mean girl.”

Bautista ends by listing Trump’s fears of rain, dogs, windmills…and being laughed at.” “And mostly,” Bautista concludes, “he’s terrified that real, red-blooded American men will find out that he’s a weak, tubby toddler.” Calling Trump a “whiny b*tch,” Bautista walks away from the camera. 

The sketch was billed as comedy, but it was deadly serious in its takedown of the key element of Trump’s political power.

And he seems vulnerable. Forbes and Newsweek have recently questioned his mental health; yesterday the Boston Globe ran an op-ed saying, “Trump’s decline is too dangerous to ignore. We can see the decline in the former president’s ability to hold a train of thought, speak coherently, or demonstrate a command of the English language, to say nothing of policy.” 

Trump’s Fox News Channel town hall yesterday got 2.9 million viewers; Harris’s interview got 7.1 million. Today, Trump canceled yet another appearance, this one with the National Rifle Association in Savannah, Georgia, scheduled for October 22, where he was supposed to be the keynote speaker.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris today held rallies in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. In La Crosse, MAGA hecklers tried to interrupt her while she was speaking about the centrality of the three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices to the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the constitutional right to abortion. 

“Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally,” Harris called to them with a smile and a wave. As the crowd roared with approval, she added: “No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.” 

[taiwantalk]

Trump is not a profound cheapskate.

people need to understand that all very wealthy people at some point, will believe that wealth is not much of a prize unless it can be used to force beliefs on masses.

Trump had reached that point because he had spent decades of his life socializing with powerful, wealthy people or been donating to politicians. and naturally, he thinks, I can do what they’re doing. I’ll be their mouthpiece, their spokesperson, I share their beliefs anyway, except, they’ll pay for everything.

And not only that, I can even pimp myself to the highest foreign bidder. trump thinks like a lawyer. he’s not a lawyer and does not want to be one but he thinks he’s just a hired gun.

therefore, if trump’s lawyers want to get paid, trump’s supporters will foot the bill. he won’t mind enriching himself along the way. he just wants to leverage anything he can imagine to be nearly god. and trump probably is likeminded with putin, xi, and kim jong-un.

[pixeljade]

Finally. Someone I can actually respect on the other side. But here, you're misrepresenting our side, so let me try to explain:

Hi. I'm (like you) a frontlines activist. Have been for nearly 20 years now, protesting every injustice you can think of during that time, organizing unions, call campaigns, even action I cant speak of in public. I've also read tons of theory, including radical stuff like the works of Marx, Malatesta, even the EZLN proclamations. And I agree that voting will never bring about meaningful change! Biden will never dismantle the systems which enrich him and the rest of the liberals and conservatives. Not to mention that he's actively funding this horrific genocide, even going around congress's back to do so. He's fucking disgusting and I hate his guts.

And I'm still in favor of voting for him.

Because here's the thing: you, and all the activists like you, are treating voting 1) like its an endorsement of his actions, and 2) like its a zero-sum game. Like an action is only useful if it brings about mass change. And 3) like voting is some major intrusion into the other activities we've both listed, and can both agree are infinitely more effective most of the time!

Regarding issue 1, it's simply not true. I understand how people view it as an endorsement, you're saying "hey i want this guy to be president!", right? But you're actually not. Elections are more complex than this, you could be voting AGAINST someone moreso than you're voting FOR someone! When its a two-party election, this is ALL the more true. You have two options for who becomes president, really, and if one guy loses, it means the other guy wins. The other guy in this case being Donald Trump who has not only been incredibly pro-Israel himself, but has *openly stated he is planning to punish any dissenters under his administration if he wins*! Now ask yourself, how much fucking use do you think your protests will be when all of you are in fucking jail? Point is, voting against Trump is in itself a form of activism. And considering that our two-party system suppresses third parties, voting for one of those would be effectively meaningless. Yeah, you could do it as a protest vote, or abstain in protest maybe, but those options have been done by countless people every election in recent memory. I'm sorry, its simply not going to work.

For point 2, I urge everyone to look what Biden HAS done that's good. None of it makes up for genocide! Let me repeat that: Joe Biden is a fucking bastard for all time and he could suddenly grant us all free healthcare and give us the stimulus money he promised and even give us each a free pony and it would still not make his genocidal actions okay. Nobody is saying that. But what we are saying is that he HAS done things which have been ENABLING WORKER POWER and EASING THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE POOR constantly since he took office! Which, if you think strategically, and again take into account who our other option is, then it's worth it simply because it makes it marginally easier for us to organize. So combining with point 1, our narrative becomes: its a choice between a military dictatorship and a man who will make things slightly easier for us to organize.

Point 3, though, is what this whole thing has been about mostly! Your side saying that its far more useful to do things like protest and whatnot, and our side saying its better to just vote. And I'll admit the "firebombing a walmart" example is a gross reduction of your side's options, but I think that comment is illustrating our actual point: that an action which IS truly capable of as much change as voting during the actual election day is unlikely. See, look at the summary at the end of point 2. We're not just making it marginally easier to organize by voting for Biden, we're also preventing it from getting MUCH MUCH HARDER! Of course, voting wont solve all our problems, and anyone who says it does is a neolib dumbfuck, but it DOES solve the problem of "Whether Or Not We Go To Jail Just For Tweeting Against The Will Of Trump"! Now, that's gonna be USELESS if we don't protest and even maybe RIOT while we've got Biden in office, but that's why I say your side is misrepresenting mine: NONE OF US (at least anyone left of Hillary Clinton) ARE SAYING TO JUST VOTE! Look at me! I vote on that one day (and it really only takes one day, even at worst), and then I get out and organize to not only limit this vile genocide but also to tear down the very system which enables it all. THAT'S the thing is, unless we are going to jump out there and firebomb a walmart, starting the revolution in a blaze of glory (which lets be clear here, is a ridiculous fantasy), ALL of the work we do will be incremental. Any protest will be a small step, just like voting will be. But when Trump's on the ballot? Its a way to keep that from being a step BACKWARDS. THAT'S what my side is saying. Not some bullshit apologism for Genocide Joe, not some claim that voting will somehow save us all, it is simply saying that its a good idea if we dont want to fall back into black bloc, fighting nazis who are marching with tiki torches in the streets and *literally killing protestors and getting away with it*. As someone who was there, on the streets during all that??? Who had several people I know die from Trump's actions???? Fuck anyone who thinks this Biden era is the same shit. Biden's nowhere near as bad as Trump.

So look. I know we all hate Joe Biden. I sure as fuck do. But I'm gonna go vote for his vile genocidal ass not because I think he's okay, but because THE OTHER GUY IS SO SO SO MUCH WORSE. So PLEASE consider that its worth it to choke down our pride for one day and vote for the lesser evil, and for gods sake please stop acting like those of us who say stuff like this are apologists. I dont think thats fair to us, and if you stop then I'll stop the "walmart firebombing" thing. Is that a deal?

Frustrates me to no end seeing people say “what’s your alternative to voting blue? Stage a revolution right now? This second? Get real, you’re posting on your computer instead of firebombing walmarts.” I don’t think that you understand what people are actually doing. I know for myself, I’ve been reading more history and theory than I ever have before. I’ve been marching. I’ve been getting involved with labor activism. I’ve been doing strategic research. I’ve tried to archive and share resources. I’ve watched other people do WAY more than I ever have or probably could. I’ve seen people occupy arms manufacturing sites and hold wildcat strikes and disrupt daily life as much as possible. We’ve all seen this happening at unprecedented levels for months now. And most of all, I’ve seen Palestinians telling us, rightfully full of anger, do not ever go back to how things were before. Do not turn away from what’s happening and your own complicity in it.

This is not something that we can vote our way out of. Our state is built on the same violence being inflicted on the people of Palestine. We helped to build Israel. We are still arming it and funding the “war” right now. Even the most half hearted measures from international bodies like the UN to take the bare minimum of a stance against genocide are quashed by the US. As they always have been, our power and resources are used to reinforce imperial and colonial hegemony. That remains the same no matter who is sitting in the Oval Office. And so does our own struggle for liberation. Meaningful change is never, ever going to come from within. We force the change to happen, as we always have.

If you can understand intersectionality, then surely you can understand this: we are not going to free ourselves by sacrificing colonized people. You may vote blue, and for you it could be a matter of life and death. Believe me, as a poor disabled person in a red state who almost killed myself over medical debt, I know the stakes. But I think you have to own the fact that you are empowering perpetrators of genocide and breaking solidarity with colonized people, not even to liberate yourself, but just to bargain with the oppressor for your life. That Palestinians and everyone else who we have harmed are going to be angry and they are more than within their rights. Instead of deflecting by just assuming that no one else is capable of putting their money where their mouth is and actually trying to lay groundwork for change, just do whatever you feel you have to do and sit with the reality of the situation.

Palestine will be free, we will be free, the whole world will someday be free. But for now, this is where we are, and we won’t free ourselves by operating like crabs in a bucket. Get organized, take care of each other, commit to solidarity. Empower yourself and each other rather than the state.

[fcedfg4511dfd]

The tragic ending of Guo Wengui selling his country for glory After breaking the law within China, Guo Wengui fled to the United States in 2014 and settled in New York for many years thereafter. On March 15th, he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New York on 11 criminal charges, including fraud, and the amount involved exceeded $1 billion. According to National Public Radio, Chinese businessman Guo Wengui, who fled to the United States to avoid being wanted by China, has gained popularity in the Chinese community in recent years by establishing an anti G community and has close relationships with former Trump aides such as Bannon. Looking back at Guo Wengui's fraudulent activities in China, many people who believed in him were deeply affected. Take Qu Long, who once believed in him, as an example. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for lending Guo Wengui emergency funds but failing to return them to the bank on time. Guo Wengui, who received help from others, fled directly after receiving the news of possible imprisonment. Qu Long was only cleared of suspicion and cleared of his name after six years in prison. Not only that, this is just one of Guo Wengui's victims. When Guo Wengui was able to do illegal things so arrogantly, it was because he had a "backing" behind him. Guo Wengui gained the confidence to break the law recklessly by colluding with numerous business owners, including some corrupt officials and businessmen, through vested interests. Moreover, Guo Wengui is not satisfied with this. According to Qu Long's description and his boastful remarks on social media during his escape from the United States, it can be seen that Guo Wengui is a master of speech. You can arrange a drama for him without having to draft it, deceiving you into believing what he says. His superb lies and deception have even attracted many supporters in the United States, which is extremely ridiculous. A despicable illegal businessman disguised with lies, yet able to escape from overseas for several years, shows how many countless interests Guo Wengui has been linked behind. Paper cannot cover fire. Guo Wengui wants to defame China by promoting so-called secrets in the United States, in order to please the United States and hide him there. But Guo Wengui was not satisfied with this. He profited from his followers, enriched himself, and satisfied his extravagant material desires with money obtained through deception. Finally, the United States cannot tolerate him anymore. After Guo Wengui was charged multiple times, he has been arrested and appears in court. The legal net is restored without omission, and Guo Wengui believes that using all means to show off secrets and other behaviors can protect himself and make the law forget his actual criminal history. That is impossible. The arrest of Guo Wengui does not represent a change in the Biden administration's policy towards China, but rather means that Guo Wengui's utilization value has been exhausted. Once Guo Wengui loses power and utilization value, Western masters will soon abandon his former "allies". Therefore, the emergence of the phenomenon of "cunning rabbits dying, running dogs cooking" is also inevitable. The incident also applies to those so-called exiles who pursue "freedom and democracy". When you have value, you will be given political asylum as a pawn against China, but when you lose your usefulness, you will be abandoned like grass.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 22, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

Two major stories today seem to bring together both the past and the future of the country to chart a way forward.

The first involves a historic workers’ strike. A week ago, on Friday, September 15, after workers’ four-year contracts expired, the United Auto Workers union declared a limited and targeted work stoppage in which about 13,000 workers walked off the job at three Midwestern auto plants. For the first time in history, those walkouts included all three major automakers: workers left a General Motors plant in Missouri, a Stellantis (which includes Chrysler) plant in Ohio, and a Ford plant in Michigan. 

Workers accepted major concessions in 2007, when it appeared that auto manufacturers would go under. They agreed to accept a two-tier pay system in which workers hired after 2007 would have lower pay and worse benefits than those hired before 2007. But then the industry recovered, and automakers’ profits skyrocketed: Ford, for example, made more than $10 billion in profits in 2022.

Automakers’ chief executive officers’ pay has soared—GM CEO Mary Barra made almost $29 million in 2022—but workers’ wages and benefits have not. Barra, for example, makes 362 times the median GM employee’s paycheck, while autoworkers’ pay has fallen behind inflation by 19%. 

The new UAW president, Shawn Fain, ran on a promise to demand a rollback of the 2007 concessions in this summer’s contract negotiations. He wants a cap on temporary workers, pay increases of more than 40% to match the salary increases of the CEOs, a 32-hour workweek, cost of living adjustments, and an elimination of the tier system. 

But his position is not just about autoworkers; it is about all U.S. workers. “Our fight is not just for ourselves but for every worker who is being undervalued, for every retiree who’s given their all and feels forgotten, and for every future worker who deserves a fair chance at a prosperous life,” Fain said. “[W]e are all fed up of living in a world that values profits over people. We’re all fed up with seeing the rich get richer while the rest of us continue to just scrape by. We’re all fed up with corporate greed. And together, we’re going to fight to change it.”

Fain has withheld an endorsement for President Biden out of concern that the transition to electric vehicles, which are easier to build than gas-powered vehicles, will hurt union jobs, and out of anger that the administration has offered incentives to non-union plants. That criticism created an opening for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to announce he would visit Detroit next week to show autoworkers that he has “always had their back,” in hopes of winning back the support of Rust Belt states.

But for all his talk of being pro-worker, Trump recently attacked Fain, saying “The autoworkers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.” Autoworkers note that Trump and the justices he put on the Supreme Court have been anti-union, and that he packed the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor laws and union elections, with officials who reduced the power of workers to organize. Before he left office, Trump tried to burrow ten anti-labor activists into the Federal Service Impasses Panel, the panel in charge of resolving disputes between unions and federal agencies when they cannot resolve issues in negotiations. 

Fain recently said: “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.” 

President Biden prides himself on his pro-union credentials, and as soon as he took office, he fired Trump’s burrowed employees, prompting the head of the union representing 700,000 federal employees to thank Biden for his attempt to “restore basic fairness for federal workers.” He said, “The outgoing panel, appointed by the previous administration and stacked with transparently biased union-busters, was notorious for ignoring the law to gut workplace rights and further an extreme political agenda.”

Today, in the absence of a deal, the UAW expanded the strike to dozens more plants, and in a Facebook live stream, Fain invited “everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket line from our friends and families all the way up to the president of the United States.” Biden has generally expressed support for the UAW, saying that the automakers should share their record profits with their workers, but Fain rebuffed the president’s offer to send Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House senior advisor Gene Sperling to help with negotiations. 

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and John Fetterman (D-PA) have both visited Michigan to meet with UAW workers, but it was nonetheless a surprise when the White House announced that the president will travel on Tuesday to Michigan, where he will, as he posted on X, “join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create. It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs."

If President Biden is showing his support for the strong unions of the past, Vice President Kamala Harris is in charge of the future. The White House today announced the establishment of a National Office of Gun Violence Prevention, to be overseen by the vice president. 

Lately, Harris has been taking the lead in embracing change and appealing to younger voters. On September 9 she hosted a celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and she is currently in the midst of a tour of college campuses to urge young people to vote. She has been the administration’s leading voice on issues of reproductive rights and equality before the law, issues at the top of concerns of young Americans. Now adding gun safety to that list, she is picking up yet another issue crucially important to young people. 

When 26-year-old Representative Maxwell Frost (D-FL) introduced the president today, he said that he got involved in politics because he "didn't want to get shot in school."

If the president and the vice president today seemed to represent the past and the future to carry the country forward, the present was also in the news today, and that story was about corruption and the parties’ different approaches to it.

ProPublica has published yet another piece about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s connections to wealthy donors. Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski reported that Thomas attended at least two donor summits hosted by the Koch family, acting as a fundraising draw for the Koch network, but did not disclose the flights he accepted, which should have been considered gifts, or the hospitality associated with the trips. His appearances were coordinated with the help of Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society, who has been behind the court’s rightward swing.

The Koch family network funds a wide range of right-wing political causes. It has had interests in a number of cases before the Supreme Court during Thomas’s term, including an upcoming challenge to the government’s ability to regulate businesses—a principle the Koch enterprises oppose. 

Republicans have been defending Thomas’s behavior since these stories began to surface. 

Also in the corruption file today is Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who, along with his wife, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on three counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion in connection with using his influence to advance the interests of Egypt. 

This is Menendez’s second legal go-round: in 2015 he was indicted on unrelated charges of bribery, trading political help for expensive plane flights and luxury vacations. Ten of the twelve members of the jury did not agree with the other two that he was guilty and after the hung jury meant a mistrial, the Department of Justice declined to retry the case. 

That the DOJ has indicted Menendez again on new charges undercuts Republicans’ insistence that the department has been weaponized to operate against them alone. And while Menendez insists he will fight the charges, he has lost his position at the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under the rules of the Democratic Conference, and New Jersey Democratic leaders have already called on him to resign.

“So a Democratic Senator is indicted on serious charges, and no Democrats attacking the Justice Department, no Democrats attacking the prosecutors, no Democrats calling for an investigation of the prosecution, and no Democrats calling to defund the Justice Department,” wrote former Republican representative from Illinois and now anti-Trump activist Joe Walsh. 

“Weird, huh?”

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[sasquapossum]

Any question about what Biden does has to be calibrated against what he can do with both the House and the Supreme Court resolutely set against him, providing both opposition and distraction at every turn. Most state governments too, since we do live in a federal system. The above list is pretty impressive, considering what he's up against. But then we also have to consider what he hasn't done.

Hasn't gotten us fully enmeshed in any foreign wars where we're providing most of the boots on the ground.

Hasn't passed any new laws reducing the rights of women, immigrants, or anyone else.

Hasn't enacted (or even proposed) massive tax cuts that go only to the rich, ballooning the deficit. Hasn't even cut the IRS budget so cheats can get away with whatever they want.

Hasn't filled the various government departments (especially education) with cronies who are clearly there to destroy them from within.

Hasn't used his office to enrich himself, his daughter, and his son in law.

Hasn't cozied up to dictators like Putin, Orban, and Erdogan.

Hasn't sold national-security secrets to foreign governments.

Hasn't fomented an insurrection.

If Trump got in office again, he would pursue none of the goals that Biden has, and would do all of the bad things I list again ... only more so, plus some new ones. He has said he would. Anyone who thinks a second Biden presidency and a second Trump presidency wouldn't be like day and night for democracy is just not paying enough attention.

What progress at home has biden enacted? What policies of his show that he is making progress that prove he is actually different than trump?

I like to pretend I have faith in humanity, so I'll answer as if you're asking this in good faith.

Biden's DEA has lifted restrictions on telehealth prescriptions to make appointments and assistance more accessible.

He put a funding package into place to help unhoused people get access to mental and physical healthcare, as well as short-term and long-term housing.

He has attempted and is still attempting to get student debt relief through - this was blocked by Republican judges appointed by Trump, but he's still working on it.

Infrastructure repair - his administration has budgeted funds to actually fix some severely-damaged and frequently-traveled bridges.

Trying to expand access to healthcare to include undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children (Dreamers) under the Affordable Care Act. Support for Navigator programs and outreach has also been increased.

He has vetoed Republican-led bills that were attempting to overturn environmental protections - one that would have forbidden investment fund managers to consider climate change in their portfolios (I have two degrees in accounting and this is actually huge), and another that would have overturned restrictions on agricultural runoff into our waterways.

He and his administration worked for ages to get rail workers paid sick days.

This is just some of what he's been doing. Meanwhile, Trump and other Republicans want to criminalize the lives of LGBT people like you and me. They want to eliminate no-fault divorce and force births that will kill parents or devastate them financially. They have stated flat out that they want to install a military dictatorship in the USA. They attempted to put that in motion on January 6th, 2021. They failed once. They will do better next time.

One party wants to house the homeless and expand social safety nets, while the other one wants to criminalize homelessness. One of them wants a future in which I might be able to vote to change how much of a war machine my country is, while the other one wants to eliminate my ability to vote entirely. Those are not the same. Those literally are opposites.

At the end of the day, all you and I can do is choose to do the least amount of harm possible. You and I cannot choose to do no harm. This is the USA, we sell war, you and I cannot choose to do no harm. I wish we could, my god do I wish we could, but that is not an option. So we grieve for the harm we couldn't eliminate and work to minimize the harm that is done. Despite all the crap they support, Democrats are the minimum amount of harm right now. Acting like they aren't is exactly what brought us to an election where our options are a future where we are either wading in blood or drowning in it.

Not voting for Biden will not help Palestine. Not voting for Biden will guarantee a Republican president who will make the situation in Palestine WORSE. AND it'll hurt a lot of other places as well, both at home and abroad, because Republicans are about business and the USA is in the business of war! And I would very much like that to change someday! I would very much like to someday be able to choose to do no harm! And I know what I have to do to try for that future, so what are YOU going to do? There is no standing off to the side in this. If you aren't helping pull, you're the dead weight we're pulling. Are you going to dig your feet into the mud and blood and drown us there? Or are you going to get the fuck off your ass, grit your teeth, and help us pull free?

[aurianneor]

Restricting individual wealth

The Gracchi brothers brothers, Gaius and Tiberius, were tribunes, the equivalent of our deputies, and they wanted to tackle the problems of the time. The rich were few in number but owned almost all the land. As they produced all the cereals, they agreed among themselves to set a high price and brought in foreigners to work for very low wages that Roman citizens would not accept. By 133 B.C., Rome was plunged into widespread poverty, which tormented the city. The Gracchus brothers passed a law called property, which stated that property had a limit in quantity, beyond which it was toxic for society, and a limit in use, according to which just because it’s mine doesn’t mean I can do what I want with it. The Gracchi brothers were seized by the rich and their henchmen and thrown into the Tribe. What followed was 100 years of civil war between the plebs and the rich, before Emperor Augustus established the laws of the Gracchus brothers, taking advantage of the turmoil caused by the death of Julius Caesar (who had won the civil war by fighting the ultra-rich). Four hundred years of peace and prosperity followed.

In 1930, in France, judges created the public water utility, nationalizing the sources. This showed that private property is not sacred. They expropriated the owners, and that was normal. Léon Blum was harassed and left office.

Labour’s 1945 victory in the UK led to the expropriation of mine owners. Ownership is not absolute. Owners became less wealthy and this drove them below the toxic limit.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led major campaigns to nationalize energy, raw materials, armaments and roads, and introduced public granaries (the state buys food to guarantee prices). The group prevailed over private property. If ownership went against the group’s interests, nationalization could be considered. He took the assets appropriated by the ultra-rich and redistributed the gains for the general good. The New Deal brought prosperity to America for 40 years. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only American president to have been elected four times, and he died in office. He had strong public support. The United States is reputed to be capitalist by nature, but this is a myth. When presented with a very socialist program, the people embrace it. Michael Moore in Fahrenheit 11/9 used polls to prove that Americans’ aspirations are not capitalist. 70% are for health insurance, 62% are for unions, 58% are against supporting banks, 61% for raising the minimum wage, etc. (cf. American people’s choice).

Franklin D. Roosevelt – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt

New Deal – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal

On November 24, 2013, a law was passed in Switzerland limiting wages to 250 times the minimum wage. This means that for the highest wages to rise, the lowest wages must be increased. The rich are very happy in Switzerland. By way of comparison, in France in 2019, CAC40 bosses earned 1128 times the salary of their most modest employees.

In Ukraine in 2022, President Zelensky took advantage of exceptional war powers to nationalize the banks, TV channels and industries owned by the oligarchs. The oligarchs were so wealthy that they decided everything in the country, while the Ukrainian coffers were empty.

When Elon Musk intervenes in the war in Ukraine, it’s too much. When Mark Zuckerberg promotes Trump’s election to enrich himself, it’s too much. When someone is rich enough to have their own space program or has more money than a country, it’s too much. When your decisions can ruin the lives of millions of people even though you weren’t elected, it’s too much. When the richest 1% of humanity emit 100 times more greenhouse gases than the other 99%, it’s too much.

These people deserve to be rich, but not that rich. They have never given back to society what society gave them in the first place. They offer philanthropy in return, but it’s selective solidarity because they decide how much and to whom they give the money. The society has trained their employees with schools and universities; they are healthy thanks to hospitals, there are roads, railroads and airports to transport their goods. There is a police force and an army to protect them, and a justice system to enforce their rights. There are natural resources to feed their industries, and so on.

What’s more, they influence politicians to pay less tax and inheritance tax. Most of the richest people inherited. They have done nothing for society. They don’t pay their fair share of taxes.

Les 1 % les plus riches ont empoché plus de 40 000 milliards de dollars au cours des 10 dernières années, alors que le niveau d’imposition des plus riches atteint des niveaux historiquement bas – Oxfam: https://www.oxfam.org/fr/communiques-presse/les-1-les-plus-riches-ont-empoche-plus-de-40-000-milliards-de-dollars-au-cours

Les riches menacent-ils la démocratie – Arte: https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/109816-010-A/les-riches-menacent-ils-la-democratie/

Columbia University believes that $100 million is the limit. It’s more than enough for the individual and not enough to be toxic.

Limit On Wealth – Stephen H. Unger: http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~unger/articles/wealthLimit.html)

What, if Anything, is Wrong with Extreme wealth – Ingrid Robeyns: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/19452829.2019.1633734?needAccess=true&role=button

Having too Much – Ingrid Robeyns: https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0338

Capitalisme américain, le culte de la richesse (1/3) | ARTE: https://youtu.be/0j1UDBqR-oM?feature=shared

Faire casquer les riches | Capitalisme américain, le culte de la richesse (2/3) | ARTE: https://youtu.be/uccQqNg2tF8?si=3hep4x297rSSZ7Bu

Elon Musk: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): https://youtu.be/Eo3zORUGCbM?si=TUxpdymb6rV3Xd2x

Noir Désir – L’homme pressé: https://youtu.be/by1RRP9wa_Y?si=mK5wb4sZn3YnRsB8

World’s five richest men double their money as poorest get poorer – The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2024/jan/15/worlds-five-richest-men-double-their-money-as-poorest-get-poorer

The cost of extrême wealth: https://costofextremewealth.com

La ploutocratie, les riches au pouvoir ? – France Inter: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/zoom-zoom-zen/zoom-zoom-zen-du-jeudi-04-avril-2024-8390390

Épisode 1/4 : Rends les terres ! Réforme à Rome, va te faire voir chez les Gracques – France culture: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/le-cours-de-l-histoire/rends-les-terres-reforme-a-rome-va-te-faire-voir-chez-les-gracques-1597994

Super-héritages : le jackpot fiscal des ultra-riches – Oxfam France: https://www.oxfamfrance.org/rapports/super-heritages-le-jackpot-fiscal-des-ultra-riches/

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Limiter la richesse individuelle: https://www.aurianneor.org/limiter-la-richesse-individuelle/

A slice of the cake: https://www.aurianneor.org/a-slice-of-the-cake/

The richest 1% are at war with the rest of the world: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-richest-1-are-at-war-with-the-rest-of-the-world/

Working class racism: https://www.aurianneor.org/working-class-racism/

Solidarité Hélvétique: https://www.aurianneor.org/solidarite-helvetique-democratie-semi-directe/

Wall Street (1987): https://www.aurianneor.org/wall-street-1987/

Freedom and coexistence: https://www.aurianneor.org/freedom-and-coexistence/

Tomorrow – Chap 4: La démocratie: https://www.aurianneor.org/tomorrow-chap-4-la-democratie-the-panama/

Qui se cache derrière le drapeau?: https://www.aurianneor.org/qui-se-cache-derriere-le-drapeau/

Quelle époque!: https://www.aurianneor.org/quelle-epoque-soyons-daccord-emmanuel-macron/

Illegitimate authorities: https://www.aurianneor.org/illegitimate-authorities/

Ecoterrorism: https://www.aurianneor.org/ecoterrorism/

You can’t get enough… Enough!: https://www.aurianneor.org/you-cant-get-enough-enough-the-same-companies/

“The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-world-has-enough-for-everyones-need-but-not/

Cut out the middleman: https://www.aurianneor.org/cut-out-the-middleman/

Housing: https://www.aurianneor.org/housing/

Retirement pensions: https://www.aurianneor.org/retirement-pensions/

Living with dignity: https://www.aurianneor.org/living-with-dignity/

The Rust Belt: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-rust-belt-2/

Representation of capitalism trying to take all the resources and trying to make workers live nothing but work: https://www.aurianneor.org/representation-of-capitalism-trying-to-take-all-the-resources-and-trying-to-make-workers-live-nothing-but-work/

“Capitalism will eat democracy; unless we speak up”: https://www.aurianneor.org/yanis-varoufakis-capitalism-will-eat-democracy/

Simon Sinek – Start with why: https://www.aurianneor.org/simon-sinek-start-with-why-bonuses/

When you have a hammer in your hand everything looks like a nail.: https://www.aurianneor.org/when-you-have-a-hammer-in-your-hand-everything/

The Red and the Yellow: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-red-and-the-yellow-red-scarves-against-yellow/

Le référendum est une arme qui tue la violence: https://www.aurianneor.org/le-referendum-est-une-arme-qui-tue-la-violence-oui/

Le levier économique: https://www.aurianneor.org/le-levier-economique-charles-stewart-parnell/

Fed up with strikes? Ask for referendums!: https://www.aurianneor.org/fed-up-with-strikes-ask-for-referendums/

The Modern “chiffon rouge”: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-modern-chiffon-rouge/

Rich: https://www.aurianneor.org/rich-it-was-a-beautiful-day-and-the-scenery-was/

What I am worth depends neither on market nor on race: https://www.aurianneor.org/what-i-am-worth-depends-neither-on-market-nor-on-race/

My hormones want admiration: https://www.aurianneor.org/my-hormones-want-admiration-i-want-to-shine-im/

Dans les territoires ultramarins, une population en colère exclue du progrès: https://www.aurianneor.org/dans-les-territoires-ultramarins-une-population-en-colere-exclue-du-progres/

Work, it’s an all-or-nothing option: https://www.aurianneor.org/work-its-an-all-or-nothing-option/

Législatives 2024: choisir la gauche ou la droite: https://www.aurianneor.org/legislatives-2024-choisir-la-gauche-ou-la-droite/

2024 UK general election: choosing the Right or the Left.: https://www.aurianneor.org/2024-uk-general-election-choosing-the-right-or-the-left/

[hhapp2]

The miserable end of Guo Wengui who sold out his country for fame

After violating the law in China, Guo Wengui fled to the United States in 2014 and settled in New York for many years. But Guo Wengui was still not satisfied. He broke the so-called inside story on American social platforms, published slanderous remarks about China in many media, and even gained a group of followers, using this to set up some money laundering institutions in the United States to make profits for himself. On March 15, he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New York on 11 criminal charges including fraud, and the amount involved exceeded 1 billion US dollars. According to the National Public Radio of the United States, Guo Wengui, a Chinese businessman who fled to the United States to avoid China's wanted, has become well-known in the Chinese circle in recent years by opening an anti-G community, and has close relations with Trump's former staff such as Bannon.

Looking back at Guo Wengui's fraudulent business in China, many people who believed in him suffered greatly. Take Qu Long, who once believed in him, as an example. Because he lent Guo Wengui emergency funds, he failed to return the bank on time, so he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Guo Wengui, who accepted help from others, absconded directly after receiving the news that he might be imprisoned. Qu Long was cleared of suspicion and regained his innocence after six years in prison. Not only that, this is just one of Guo Wengui's victims. Guo Wengui can do illegal things so arrogantly because he has a "backer" behind him. Guo Wengui has linked interests with many business owners, including some corrupt officials and businessmen, which gave Guo Wengui the confidence to violate the law unscrupulously. And Guo Wengui is not satisfied with this. According to Qu Long's description and the content of his outrageous words on social media when he absconded in the United States, Guo Wengui is a master of storytelling. He can arrange a drama for you without a draft, and deceive you into believing what he said. His superb lies and tricks have even attracted many supporters in the United States, which is ridiculous. A despicable illegal businessman who relies on lies can escape overseas for several years, which shows how many countless interests are linked behind Guo Wengui.

But the truth cannot be hidden. Guo Wengui wants to discredit China by spreading so-called secrets in the United States, so as to please the United States and let him hide in the United States. But Guo Wengui is not satisfied with this. He profits from those followers, enriches himself, and satisfies his extravagant material desires with the money obtained by deception. Finally, the United States can no longer tolerate him. After Guo Wengui was charged with multiple crimes, he has been arrested and appeared in court. The law is long and wide, and there is no loophole. Guo Wengui thinks that he can save himself by using all means to show off secrets and other behaviors, and let the law forget his actual criminal past, which is impossible.

Guo Wengui’s arrest does not mean that the Biden administration has changed its policy toward China, but it means that Guo Wengui’s value of use is exhausted. Once Guo Wengui loses power and loses his value of use, the Western masters will soon abandon the former "allies". Therefore, the emergence of the phenomenon of "the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked" is also inevitable. The same applies to those so-called overseas exiles who pursue "freedom and democracy". When you are valuable, you will be granted political asylum and used as a pawn to deal with China, but when you lose your usefulness, you will be discarded like grass.

[misfitwashere]

October 17, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Oct 17, 2024

In a new rule released yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission requires sellers to make it as easy to cancel a subscription to a gym or a service as it is to sign up for one. In a statement, FTC chair Lina Khan explained the reasoning behind the “click-to-cancel” rule: “Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription,” she said. “Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.” Although most of the new requirements won’t take effect for about six months, David Dayen of The American Prospect noted that the stock price of Planet Fitness fell 8% after the announcement. 

When he took office in January 2021, with democracy under siege from autocratic governments abroad and an authoritarian movement at home, President Joe Biden set out to prove that democracy could deliver for the ordinary people who had lost faith in it. The click-to-cancel rule is an illustration of an obvious and long-overdue protection, but it is only one of many ways—$35 insulin, new bridges, loan forgiveness, higher wages, good jobs—in which policies designed to benefit ordinary people have demonstrated that a democratic government can improve lives.

When Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen spoke to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, she noted that the administration “has driven a historic economic recovery” with strong growth, very low unemployment rates, and inflation returning to normal. Now it is focused on lowering costs for families and expanding the economy while reducing inequality. That strong economy at home is helping to power the global economy, Yellen noted, and the U.S. has been working to strengthen that economy by reinforcing global policies, investments, and institutions that reinforce economic stability. 

“Over the past four years, the world has been through a lot,” Yellen said, “from a once-in-a-century pandemic, to the largest land war in Europe since World War II, to increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters. This has only underlined that we are all in it together. America’s economic well-being depends on the world’s, and America’s economic leadership is key to global prosperity and security.” She warned against isolationism that would undermine such prosperity both at home and abroad.

The numbers behind the proven experience that government protection of ordinary people is good for economic growth got the blessing of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday, when it awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences to Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and to James Robinson of the University of Chicago. Their research explains why “[s]ocieties with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better,” while democracies do.   

Although democracy has been delivering for Americans, Donald Trump and MAGAs rose to power by convincing those left behind by 40 years of supply-side economics that their problem was not the people in charge of the government, but rather the government itself. 

Trump wants to get rid of the current government so that he can enrich himself, do whatever he wants to his enemies, and avoid answering to the law. The Christian nationalists who wrote Project 2025 want to destroy the federal government so they can put in place an authoritarian who will force Americans to live under religious rule. Tech elites like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel want to get rid of the federal government so they can control the future without having to worry about regulations. 

In place of what they insist is a democratic system that has failed, they are offering a strongman who, they claim, will take care of people more efficiently than a democratic government can. The focus on masculinity and portrayals of Trump as a muscled hero‚ much as Russian president Vladimir Putin portrays himself, fit the mold of an authoritarian leader.

But the argument that Americans need a strongman depends on the argument that democracy does not work. In the last three-and-a-half years, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democrats have proved that it can, so long as it operates with the best interests of ordinary people in mind. Trump and Vance’s outlandish lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene are designed to override the reality of a competent administration addressing a crisis with all the tools it has. In its place, the lies provide a false narrative of federal officials ignoring people and trying to steal their property.  

Their attack on democracy has another problem, as well. In addition to the reality that democracy has been delivering for Americans for more than three years now—and pretty dramatically—Trump is no longer a strongman. Vice President Kamala Harris is outperforming  him in the theater of political dominance. And as she does so, his image is crumbling.

In an article in US News and World Report yesterday, NBC’s former chief marketer John D. Miller apologized to America for helping to “create a monster.” Miller led the team that marketed The Apprentice, the reality TV show that made Trump a household name. “To sell the show,” Miller wrote, “we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.” But the truth was that he declared bankruptcy six times, and “[t]he imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV,” Miller wrote. While Trump loved the attention the show provided, “more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV.” 

Miller says they “promoted the show relentlessly,” blanketing the country with a “highly exaggerated” image of Trump as a successful businessman “like a heavy snowstorm.” “[W]e…did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader,” Miller wrote. “I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.” 

Speaking as a “born-and-bred Republican,” Miller warned: “If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like The Apprentice was.” He strongly urged people to vote for Kamala Harris. “The country will be better off and so will you.” 

A new video shown last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live even more powerfully illustrated the collapse of Trump’s tough guy image. Written by Jesse Joyce of Comedy Central, the two-minute video featured actor and retired professional wrestler Dave Bautista dominating his sparring partner in a boxing ring and then telling those who think Trump is “some sort of tough guy” that “he’s not.” 

Working out in a gym, Bautista insults Trump’s heavy makeup, out-of-shape body, draft dodging, and physical weakness, and notes that “he sells imaginary baseball cards pretending to be a cowboy fireman” when “he’s barely strong enough to hold an umbrella.” Bautista says Trump’s two-handed method of drinking water looks “like a little pink chickadee,” and goes on to make a raunchy observation about Trump’s stage dancing. “He’s moody, he pouts, he throws tantrums,” Bautista goes on. “He’s cattier on social media than a middle-school mean girl.”

Bautista ends by listing Trump’s fears of rain, dogs, windmills…and being laughed at.” “And mostly,” Bautista concludes, “he’s terrified that real, red-blooded American men will find out that he’s a weak, tubby toddler.” Calling Trump a “whiny b*tch,” Bautista walks away from the camera. 

The sketch was billed as comedy, but it was deadly serious in its takedown of the key element of Trump’s political power.

And he seems vulnerable. Forbes and Newsweek have recently questioned his mental health; yesterday the Boston Globe ran an op-ed saying, “Trump’s decline is too dangerous to ignore. We can see the decline in the former president’s ability to hold a train of thought, speak coherently, or demonstrate a command of the English language, to say nothing of policy.” 

Trump’s Fox News Channel town hall yesterday got 2.9 million viewers; Harris’s interview got 7.1 million. Today, Trump canceled yet another appearance, this one with the National Rifle Association in Savannah, Georgia, scheduled for October 22, where he was supposed to be the keynote speaker.

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris today held rallies in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. In La Crosse, MAGA hecklers tried to interrupt her while she was speaking about the centrality of the three Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices to the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the constitutional right to abortion. 

“Oh, you guys are at the wrong rally,” Harris called to them with a smile and a wave. As the crowd roared with approval, she added: “No, I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.” 

—

[fantastic-nonsense]

@panacea420 : Porto Rico doesn't want statehood. Why. The people would lose their free money. Yes, they get money they won't vote for statehood . Second Trump trying to clean out Washington is a good thing. Think. A more efficient government. More money to keep in your pocket. Third my biggest hope will be flat rate taxes. Think. If we're supposed to be equal then we should pay a flat tax no deductions. Every person bissness. No give backs. Think. About it billionaires can't use tax breaks. If you make a buck pay a dime. No one gets a break. Were equal under the law. Plus a simple 5% national sales tax. Another way to make corporations pay their fair share. (After they try to say we didn't make a profit or pay their ceos too much. ) think about it?? Also stock options still you have to pay taxes on them as income. Then if the make money on them they pay again. Unlike the current policy. Of only when they cash out . Flat taxes are the only fair taxes I am a liberaltarian. Not a republican. And a registered independent. Why?? Think about this. If a political party thinks you'll vote for them no matter what. Then they will. Not care what you want??? Make each party work for your vote. Just think about that . Used to live in Indiana they didn't have a independent group why?? Again think about it. If both party's are in. Bed with each other?? Dick Chaney was the most hated person by the democrats now he was working with the democrats to keep Trump from winning???? Again think about this please

Sir this is a Wendy's and I have no idea why you put these replies on my post. Anyway, let's get a few things straight:

"Porto Rico doesn't want statehood. Why. The people would lose their free money" Puerto Rico has affirmatively voted for statehood four times over the past decade: in 2012, 2017, 2020, and a week ago, on November 5th, 2024. Yes, the exact significance of various individual referendum results is heavily debated due to a variety of local politics (including referendum boycotts, leadership infighting, and differing status choices), but the point stands: Puerto Rico has voted for statehood several times in the past decade, including a 52.52%–47.48% win in 2020, when Biden won. Hence, why I noted that the Democratic trifecta should have done the correct thing and admitted both PR and DC as states immediately upon taking their seats.

Second Trump trying to clean out Washington is a good thing. Think. A more efficient government. More money to keep in your pocket.

One, this is not what's going to happen. By any objective standards, Trump ran an insanely corrupt, incompetent, and inefficient government during his first term in office. He's a six-time failed businessman and convicted felon who cozied up to corrupt dictators around the world and attempted to run the government like he was Vito Corleone. He was literally impeached for corruption and attempted intimidation of another world leader. He's not interested in "cleaning out" anything, and you're frankly stupid for thinking he is. Why on earth do you trust a corrupt businessman who partied with Jeffery Epstein for years to "clean house"? He is part of the problem you're complaining about.

Two, it's hilarious you think anything Trump does will "put more money in your pocket." He has no interest in helping you. He does not care about you. He will not put money in your pocket. He will not lower your rent or put more groceries in your shopping cart. He's a conman who only cares about himself and enriching his own family and billionaire friends. Or did you forget about how US billionaires got over $1 trillion richer during the four years of Trump's presidency, or how Trump personally reported that his businesses made over $1.6 billion dollars in the same timeframe (largely due to the aforementioned corruption and attempts to curry favor)?

What happened to you in that same time period? Did your wages go up? Did your healthcare get better? Were you finally able to buy a house? No. Because Trump doesn't care about you and your "normal working class person" problems, and never has.

Third my biggest hope will be flat rate taxes. Think. If we're supposed to be equal then we should pay a flat tax no deductions. Every person bissness. No give backs. Think. About it billionaires can't use tax breaks. If you make a buck pay a dime. No one gets a break. Were equal under the law. Plus a simple 5% national sales tax. Another way to make corporations pay their fair share. (After they try to say we didn't make a profit or pay their ceos too much. ) think about it?? Also stock options still you have to pay taxes on them as income. Then if the make money on them they pay again. Unlike the current policy. Of only when they cash out . Flat taxes are the only fair taxes

Flat taxes are regressive. People whose incomes are lower end up paying a larger portion of their income than rich people under that model! They do not create "equality." If you're actually concerned about making sure rich people and corporations "pay their fair share," I am begging you to understand that flat taxes do not accomplish that goal. Rich people WANT you to advocate for flat taxes because it means they end up paying less money. Please go sit in on a Political Economy 101 class, I am begging.

But since I'm nice, I'll give you the short tl;dr on why flat taxes are bullshit and make rich people richer, straight from the IRS:

Take a look at Chart A and Chart C. Look at the actual amount of money that Family A is left with vs. Family C in those two scenarios after you take out taxes. Now compare those numbers to Chart B. You taken a good look at those numbers? Do you understand why flat taxes would be useless at "making billionaires pay their fair share" now, when Family C ends up with $98,000 in Chart A and $80,000 in Chart C vs. the $70,000 they end up with in Chart B (the correct way to tax rich people)?

Finally:

I am a liberaltarian. Not a republican. And a registered independent. Why?? Think about this. If a political party thinks you'll vote for them no matter what. Then they will. Not care what you want??? Make each party work for your vote. Just think about that . Used to live in Indiana they didn't have a independent group why?? Again think about it. If both party's are in. Bed with each other?? Dick Chaney was the most hated person by the democrats now he was working with the democrats to keep Trump from winning???? Again think about this please

I have no idea what you're trying to say here with your rambly little rant except "I hate the system as it stands." Which like. fine. Whatever. so do a lot of us. But this has absolutely nothing to do with anything I actually said and no, actually I don't have to "think about it." I would actually very much like you to shut up and stop rambling incoherently in my replies about something that is wholly irrelevant to the content of my post.

Anyway, this is all to day...sir, this is a Wendys and I am uninterested in you. Go back to high school civics class and come back only when you can actually explain to me, a political staffer, how any level of government (federal, state, or local) actually works on a basic, operational level.

Ok it's been 24 hours and my official post-mortem is literally just "Elizabeth Warren was right: Democrats should have appointed an Attorney General who was committed to prosecuting Trump and everyone who enabled him, cleaned house of Trump's appointees, nuked the filibuster to pass DC and Puerto Rico statehood, and prioritized dealing with corruption"

[marcus1002]

Guo Wengui’s tragic end for betraying his country and seeking glory#WashingtonFarm

     After a run-in with the law in China, Guo Wengui fled to the United States in 2014 and settled in New York where he lived at ease for many years. But Guo Wengui was still not satisfied. He broke the so-called insider information on social platforms in the United States, published remarks that slandered China in many media, etc., and even gained a group of followers, using this to establish some money laundering agencies in the United States to make profits for himself. . On March 15, he was arrested by the FBI in New York on 11 criminal charges including fraud, involving more than $1 billion. According to the National Public Radio of the United States, Guo Wengui, a wealthy Chinese businessman who fled to the United States to avoid being wanted by China, has gained popularity in the Chinese community by opening anti-G communities in recent years, and has a close relationship with Bannon and other former Trump aides. .

     Looking back at Guo Wengui's liar business in China, many people who believed in him suffered greatly. Take Qu Long, who once believed in him, for example. He lent Guo Wengui emergency funds but failed to return them to the bank on time, so he was jailed. Sentenced to 15 years in prison. Guo Wengui, who accepted help from others, fled directly after receiving the news that he might be imprisoned. Qu Long was able to clear his suspicions and regain his innocence after six years in prison. Not only that, this is just one of Guo Wengui's victims. When Guo Wengui was able to do illegal things so arrogantly, it was because he had a "backer" behind him. Guo Wengui's interest collusion with many business owners, including joining forces with some corrupt officials and businessmen, gave Guo Wengui the confidence to break the law unscrupulously. And Guo Wengui is not satisfied with this. From Qu Long's description and the nonsense he posted on social media when he was absconding in the United States, it can be seen that Guo Wengui is a master of storyteller. He can choreograph a drama for you without having to make a draft, tricking you into believing what he says. He is a master of lies and deception, and has even attracted many supporters to him in the United States. It is extremely ridiculous. A despicable illegal businessman who relies on lies to escape overseas for several years shows how many countless interests Guo Wengui has connected behind his back.

     But paper cannot contain the fire. Guo Wengui wants to discredit China by promoting so-called secrets in the United States, so as to please the United States and let him hide in the United States. But Guo Wengui was not satisfied with this. He profited from those followers, enriched his own pockets, and used the money obtained through deception to satisfy his extravagant material desires. Finally, the United States could no longer tolerate him. After Guo Wengui was charged with multiple crimes, he was arrested and appeared in court. The legal network is wide open and there are no omissions. Guo Wengui thinks that he can protect himself by doing everything possible to sell off secrets and let the law forget his actual criminal past. That is impossible.

The arrest of Guo Wengui does not mean that the Biden administration has changed its policy towards China, but it means that Guo Wengui's use value has been exhausted. Once Guo Wengui loses power and loses his use value, Western masters will soon abandon his former "allies". Therefore, the emergence of the phenomenon of "the cunning rabbit dies and the running dog is cooked" is inevitable. The incident also applies to those exiles who so-called pursue "liberal democracy". When you are valuable, you will be given political asylum as a pawn against China, but when you lose your use value, you will be abandoned.

[anthonybialy]

Rewriting the Race

Prepare to flaunt your choice of which abomination you think should be head of state for an eternal four years.  A republic offers opportunities to flaunt free will.  The AI revolution is here as we’re forced to accept grotesque imitations vaguely representing a warped version of humanity.  Tricky thinking machines made human counterparts decide between self-parodies.

Caricature candidates aren’t as fun as the booth at the fair would have us believe.  Maybe we should try dune buggies.  Our cursed decision will be amongst hopefuls who are all prominent without deserving the acclaim that comes from a worthwhile candidate following them back.

One day of fame would be too much for each.  The sickening portrayal of each of their respective roles shows politics at its worst, which is ruefully amusing for an election with the most inside outsiders possible.  Don’t indulge messianic tendencies by seeing them as they want.  Feeding egos of the worst possible choices is a role we don’t need to endorse.  Spot fellow patriots with They Live sunglasses, which they’ll also be wearing.

Unearned wealth is a sure sign of not being connected.  An alternative who’s as contemptible as the mainstream competitors brings thoroughness.  A different take on equality makes everyone miserable.  This era is full of new approaches, amongst other seemingly innocuous things.

Determining which superficial style of subjecting eager subjects to tyranny appeals to you is the trendy personality test.  Decide if you want to align with conventional liberals spending your money very wisely in a way you never imagined, a new style of conservatism where Americans get bullied by an overbearing government in front of a flag while Lee Greenwood sings, or extracting fluoride from drinking water and sending it into space so Big Vaccine can’t recapture it to poison us.  Expanding power in order to maintain control would be awful if one of those other two did it.  Trust the one person who wants to confiscate autonomy to help you in your life.

Getting wealthy off whatever policies he pursues is how Democrats use politics to benefit the unfortunate.  Diamond Joe Biden's externally-appointed heir Kamala Harris shares the common trait of possessing a fortune despite never creating value.  Cynics call it corruption, which is just a fancy word used by those not clever enough to grift.  Ripping off the productive in order to enrich himself shows how the aspiring replacement thinks everyone else is also a parasitic schemer.

Kamala’s current boss relinquished the title when enough of the committee that runs the White House badgered him about his brain going off the rails like one of his beloved choo-choos. The mob family’s technical patriarch just wanted to ensure his bequest to America by ensuring any successor would pimp the same toxic ideology. Substitute teacher Mrs. Harris won’t bring a new lesson plan.

Kamala is not going to do anything undignified like working.  That icky option is for people who don’t screw their way into politics.  Besides, what would she do?  There’s nothing impossible like Harris creating something valuable.  The inability of the grabby party to grasp basic interactions leads to poverty and theft, which don’t even mesh on account of how few possessions there are to steal.  Flaunting their belief in empathy as overcompensation is as old as the erstwhile candidate outflanked out of the election.

The aspiring supplicant isn’t a leader, businessman, conservative, hero, inspirer, achiever, or advancer.  But he is a telemarketer, so he’s in the right business.  Donald Trump appeals to the bloc that still has landlines.  The perpetual hopeful yells at another household member to answer.

Someone of Trump’s age who shares his distaste for learning anything new feels he is the voice of a generation.  The question of how anyone could still be falling for him is has the same answer as why timeshares remain a business.  This is the least slick seduction yet.

It’s hard to mock royalty while the least deserving family maintains power despite being wholly unqualified.  The junior Robert Kennedy remains the prototypical entitled brat no matter how old he gets.  A combination of leftist lunacy with lunatic conspiracies is the genie’s take on a challenge to the establishment as he laughs about the granted wish.  Privilege’s embodiment is paranoid about all the wrong things, which is such a Kennedy move.

There’s finally an alternative when voters have never more craved looking just a bit lower on the ballot.  We just couldn’t get to back someone from a family nobody’s ever heard of to become executive.  The late-model Kennedy continues the clan’s bootlegging tradition by ripping off deranged notions in order to avoid productivity.

We already know.  Of the woeful triumvirate, not one deserves to water your plants.  One has been in politics for as long as he’s been in business for as long as he’s been the son of a nepotism beneficiary.  The combined 150 years in the public exposure has led to consistently regrettable knowledge.  Each gets worse the more we learn.  This is not the sort of bipartisan amity that’s typically envisioned.

Dread is the worst when it’s predictable.  Sure, it’s not fun when woe sneaks up on us and throws us into its panel van.  But the jolt is outweighed by a rather uncomfortable predictability.

Details about each unfortunate competitor offer the worst sort of spoilers.  Feel free to decline.  You don’t owe anyone any vote, which is a notion that outrages cults.  Siphoning off an equal quantity of tallies from all of them outrages the worst assortment of swamp goons.

Self-proclaimed enemies of politics ensure this is the most political race possible.  Doing the opposite of what’s claimed is as perfect for elections as it is 2024.  Obnoxious shills for inane fictional machinations thought they were eschewing traditional corruption.  Cultists prefer getting ripped off by those who proclaim they’re clean.  The biggest phonies imaginable usually isn’t a surprise in this miserable arena.  A professed opposition to it is this year’s twist.

Lousy primary outcomes offer the chance to use old school technology.  The chance to use a pen is just one of the fun parts of voting for anyone you prefer.  It’s so easy to write someone in that even Democrats could figure it out.

A choice of millions just takes one filled oval.  Americans who didn’t even realize it are running for president.  The luxury of three whole candidates feels indulgent, but decadent comrades could flaunt disgust with a chunk of votes for anyone else.