If billionaires were taxed justly, many of them wouldn't be billionaires! Until Citizens United is overturned, nothing will stop these greedy, power hungry bastards. Thank you, God! Amen! Awomen!
Probably the only way to do it now (or until Supreme Court justices get term limits; not likely for a good long while) would be to hold a Constitutional Convention. I would NOT want that to happen while these fuckers have us by the short hairs; He alone knows what kind of crap they'd put up there. "Cancel everything in the Constitution after the 13th Amendment! ... wait, what ... really! Okay, cancel everything in the Constitution after the /12th/ Amendment!"
Agreed with Biden on all but one count here: 18 year terms is WAY too long, make it 10 at most. 2 5 year terms is MORE than enough to do some real work (if they even do that) and then you can fuck off to wherever you damn well please because you'll STILL have fat stacks of money.
It’s weird how just six months ago, Stinky was saying Zuckerberg should be in prison for life and that Big Tech was conspiring with the Biden administration against him. Ever since Muskrat wrote him that check for $250 million, the mask has been off.
Dear and brilliant God, this happens almost like clockwork. In America, this has been going on since the creation of the nation. Almost from the signing of the Constitution, there have been folk trying to overturn it. We fought a civil war because those in what we call the right wing wanted to deny Constitutional rights to anyone not lily white...anyone they profit from the ownership of. They tried it in FDR's administration, going so far as to actually invite Hitler to take over while attempting to overthrow our democracy and run Roosevelt out on a rail. Nixon and Reagan did everything in their power to take deep bites out of it, as did the Bushes. The Democrats of today, as a party, are a bunch of not quite evil weenies. Not all. Raskin comes to mind. My point is, there has to be a better, more enlightened way to shed the hate beast growling at the door and in the minds and hearts of too many. We have to decide what we want...where we want to be as a community...and choose how to be that and there. Do we want a civil war? We may get one, in which case the question becomes how to deal with that. I cannot escape the notion that human consciousness is capable of thinking far enough outside of the cultural and religious boxes to see clearly that what is happening is, in part, an attempt to remake the world in the images of the few...the ones who cannot handle freedom and change. My personal motto is simple. I learned it years ago, while reading a story by Eric Frank Russell called "And Then There Were None." The motto I live by is F=IW. Freedom equals I Won't. The ultimate in civil disobedience. You see, if your life is bound by the rules of despots, you cannot honestly say yes to anything that is not allowed. And when you realize that their rules are simply their way of staying in power, and you learn to say no, yes becomes real and wonderful again. What do you think would happen if we all simply refused to comply? Some would die, some go to prison, but if we all simply refused to comply, maybe they would finally fade away, as we continue to say yes to lives lived freely and honestly.
It's fascinating, in a train-wreck sort of way. That one Bush had insisted on "No Child Left Behind!" even though my mom, a primary and elementary school teacher, saw dozens of kids who would've done much better in school if they had been "left behind!" for a year, to give them time to catch up. If it were like Kindergarten or 1st-4th grade, no worries; their friends would still be in the same school, more than likely. Our jr. high started at 6th and was an entirely separate campus, so if they got "left behind" at 5th, that might be harsh. Better earlier on, less traumatic.
So! As a not too indirect result, the focus is on making damn sure our struggling kids pass standardized tests in high school, so we're not completely embarrassed on the world stage (P.S.: too late, and probably since the Baby Boom made every institution try to play catch-up). To that end, we eliminated classes like Art, Music ('cause y'know, who needs /that/ crap), almost Recess (but that's when kids play -- SPORTS!!! The holiest of holies!), and -- maybe, this might've been the idea all along -- CIVICS. :-/
When I was a kid, I couldn't've graduated high school without taking and passing a class in Civics. It was considered very, VERY important, since we'd be eligible to vote by the time we left high school, and it was thought (back then) that we needed to know what the hell we were doing. I guess that wasn't a terribly high priority any more; especially for Republicans, but how many Democrats might've gotten various facts wrong about the 2024 election? :-/ How many Dems not personally involved with things like GOTV campaigns and volunteering for political stuff (or even keeping track of things important for us) thought Joe Biden was still the candidate? How many got the DATE of Election Day mixed up (psst! fun fact: it's been the first Tuesday of November SINCE 1845)? How many just presumed Harris would be elected, and that it would be a waste of their time to vote in such a done deal (never mind taking pride in being one of those that would've contributed to the winning numbers...)?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I had $1.5 billion, I like to think I would've spent it thusly: advertise on every possible single medium (newspapers, billboards, magazines, RADIO [you'd be surprised how much of those airwaves are deep, deep red], T.V., the 'Net, a poster slapped on a wooden construction fence over the "POST NO BILLS" sign, etc.), and in the verbal ones, get it down to like 15 seconds (a good orator could do that) for saturation, and say this:
"Hi! [smile] We're Kamala Harris [point to self] and Tim Walz [point to gent sitting next; let him wave and smile]. We're the Democratic candidates for president and vice-president. We like everyone, even if they don't look like us, and we want the economy to stay just as strong as it is now. Please vote for us on Tuesday, November the 5th, 2024. Thanks! [wave]"
Like your idea especially about CIVICS Class, when I was in school I took it in like 7th or 8th grade. I never realized that they quit teaching such a helpful subject about government and how it works. I also took a Political Science Course in college as an elective that further taught me how government works. I truly am sad that so many in this country thusly have a truly distorted picture of government because they never learned how it actually works. And I feel that the ones that never took it are at a disadvantage and are being taken advantage of by what will become the 57th Administration in the White House! But as they say I guess it's a little too late to hope for miracles.
Thanks for combo reality check/pep talk. There's always something that any one of us can do. In one way or another we can all support our elected officials at all levels who are on the side of democracy and humanity. And, if they are wavering, we can nudge them to do the right thing. This goes for our local school board members to our U.S. Senators. We need to avoid falling into the pit of cynicism and pay attention to what's going on. Yes, the Voice of the People still counts!
My hubby loves to immediately sit on down to YouTube once he gets home from work. That's fine; I often loom over his shoulder if there's something cool or cute or interesting going on (we both like "Rev. Ed" a lot!). However, he also likes a lot of "doom-tolling" folks (as opposed to "doom-scrolling" emails; I get enough of that), even if they're Democrats, that constantly yammer on about how we're all screwed now because of this, that, and/or the other thing. Old news, yammerers; we know. Tell us, or even just suggest, /what we can do about it/. It's getting to the point where I just won't leave the room if someone comes on with a Trump video clip (I seriously don't want to have to listen to him /any more/), but if I feel like "Well, that was 10 minutes of my life I regret spending listening to even /that/ guy. I'm sure my depression just spiked again," chances are I'll leave when "that guy" comes up again.
Thanks for sharing. These are very trying times! I was fortunate last year to study the history of the abolitionists in the 1840s and 1850s. These were amazing people who never gave up no matter what. I am especially inspired by Frederick Douglass and the pioneering anti-slavery legislator, Senator John P. Hale of my own state, New Hampshire. Ever onward!
Ick, lol! ;) Yeah, let's hope popping them doesn't make things worse.
But seriously; some folks were speculating, "What if it had been Walz/Harris instead?" because frankly, this country isn't mature enough yet to vote in a female president. "Give an icky grrrl power?! Eww! :-P"
Lol par retour. Strange how the grrrl vote wasn’t for Harris as much as predicted. Was she too ultraviolet tolerant, or is their a grrrl power issue amongst the girls ?
Hmm, hard to say; might've been some fear amongst Harris supporters in MAGAt families (one door-to-door GOTV canvasser in a west Pennsylvania town found that the "man of the house" would not let his daughter vote for Harris, that she'd be kept in the house. If his daughter was eligible to vote, she's an adult, so that's kidnapping). Could've been complacency; hard to tell. :-/
The day that Zuckerberg announced the BS about not fact-checking yada yada yada I took my phone out and deleted the FB app. We no longer subscribe to the WAPO - We record local news and blow through any political crap. I only get info here pretty much -
Hey GOD have you heard they are moving the inauguration INSIDE? Yep those billionaires don't like to freeze outside in January. I'm sure you will have something to say about this soon, but my husband just told me. I was kind of hoping maybe a few of them would turn into popcicles but I guess none of them would like it. After all this tells a story of how billionaires are destined to warmer (maybe hotter) places in the end.
And one more thing with regards to the above they can leave all the flags at half staff mourning Jimmy Carter because nobody that watches (I won't be one of them) the ceremony will even see the flag over the capitol unless they are outside not inside.
Forgiveness is that condition when despite the pain, confusion and fear, the soul still wants peace. Being of Irish descent, I am absolutely sure God wants me to remember my grudges and hold them fast, forgive (not because they are lost) because some thing are very important.
Thanks again for this fabulous day. a another opportunity to slam those slugs, those takers of time and $$$$ and souls.
If billionaires were taxed justly, many of them wouldn't be billionaires! Until Citizens United is overturned, nothing will stop these greedy, power hungry bastards. Thank you, God! Amen! Awomen!
Agreed. We must end Citizens United NOW.
Probably the only way to do it now (or until Supreme Court justices get term limits; not likely for a good long while) would be to hold a Constitutional Convention. I would NOT want that to happen while these fuckers have us by the short hairs; He alone knows what kind of crap they'd put up there. "Cancel everything in the Constitution after the 13th Amendment! ... wait, what ... really! Okay, cancel everything in the Constitution after the /12th/ Amendment!"
It would be tough for sure, but i think we could probably do it through congress although that might be a big gamble all the same.
Agreed with Biden on all but one count here: 18 year terms is WAY too long, make it 10 at most. 2 5 year terms is MORE than enough to do some real work (if they even do that) and then you can fuck off to wherever you damn well please because you'll STILL have fat stacks of money.
I think 8.
Along with the Senate, and house.
10, primarily to keep it from being a complete clusterfuck come elections.
True that.
Aye
Jeff Bezos also refused to post an Ann Telnaes political cartoon, costing the Washington Post her services.
What do we know about Jay Graber at Bluesky? From what I've read online, she sounds like a decent human.
WaPo, NYT, LaTimes, are all seeing an exodus of talent as those journalists with integrity refuse to bend the knee.
I still have my NY Times subscription, but I canceled WaPo and L.A. Times. I may re-think my NYT.
It’s weird how just six months ago, Stinky was saying Zuckerberg should be in prison for life and that Big Tech was conspiring with the Biden administration against him. Ever since Muskrat wrote him that check for $250 million, the mask has been off.
It's what happens when you kiss the ring (that is in the back pocket)!
Dear and brilliant God, this happens almost like clockwork. In America, this has been going on since the creation of the nation. Almost from the signing of the Constitution, there have been folk trying to overturn it. We fought a civil war because those in what we call the right wing wanted to deny Constitutional rights to anyone not lily white...anyone they profit from the ownership of. They tried it in FDR's administration, going so far as to actually invite Hitler to take over while attempting to overthrow our democracy and run Roosevelt out on a rail. Nixon and Reagan did everything in their power to take deep bites out of it, as did the Bushes. The Democrats of today, as a party, are a bunch of not quite evil weenies. Not all. Raskin comes to mind. My point is, there has to be a better, more enlightened way to shed the hate beast growling at the door and in the minds and hearts of too many. We have to decide what we want...where we want to be as a community...and choose how to be that and there. Do we want a civil war? We may get one, in which case the question becomes how to deal with that. I cannot escape the notion that human consciousness is capable of thinking far enough outside of the cultural and religious boxes to see clearly that what is happening is, in part, an attempt to remake the world in the images of the few...the ones who cannot handle freedom and change. My personal motto is simple. I learned it years ago, while reading a story by Eric Frank Russell called "And Then There Were None." The motto I live by is F=IW. Freedom equals I Won't. The ultimate in civil disobedience. You see, if your life is bound by the rules of despots, you cannot honestly say yes to anything that is not allowed. And when you realize that their rules are simply their way of staying in power, and you learn to say no, yes becomes real and wonderful again. What do you think would happen if we all simply refused to comply? Some would die, some go to prison, but if we all simply refused to comply, maybe they would finally fade away, as we continue to say yes to lives lived freely and honestly.
Grass roots outrage is growing, just hope it is not too late.
Too bad the OUTRAGE couldn't have happened BEFORE Nov 5!
It's fascinating, in a train-wreck sort of way. That one Bush had insisted on "No Child Left Behind!" even though my mom, a primary and elementary school teacher, saw dozens of kids who would've done much better in school if they had been "left behind!" for a year, to give them time to catch up. If it were like Kindergarten or 1st-4th grade, no worries; their friends would still be in the same school, more than likely. Our jr. high started at 6th and was an entirely separate campus, so if they got "left behind" at 5th, that might be harsh. Better earlier on, less traumatic.
So! As a not too indirect result, the focus is on making damn sure our struggling kids pass standardized tests in high school, so we're not completely embarrassed on the world stage (P.S.: too late, and probably since the Baby Boom made every institution try to play catch-up). To that end, we eliminated classes like Art, Music ('cause y'know, who needs /that/ crap), almost Recess (but that's when kids play -- SPORTS!!! The holiest of holies!), and -- maybe, this might've been the idea all along -- CIVICS. :-/
When I was a kid, I couldn't've graduated high school without taking and passing a class in Civics. It was considered very, VERY important, since we'd be eligible to vote by the time we left high school, and it was thought (back then) that we needed to know what the hell we were doing. I guess that wasn't a terribly high priority any more; especially for Republicans, but how many Democrats might've gotten various facts wrong about the 2024 election? :-/ How many Dems not personally involved with things like GOTV campaigns and volunteering for political stuff (or even keeping track of things important for us) thought Joe Biden was still the candidate? How many got the DATE of Election Day mixed up (psst! fun fact: it's been the first Tuesday of November SINCE 1845)? How many just presumed Harris would be elected, and that it would be a waste of their time to vote in such a done deal (never mind taking pride in being one of those that would've contributed to the winning numbers...)?
I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I had $1.5 billion, I like to think I would've spent it thusly: advertise on every possible single medium (newspapers, billboards, magazines, RADIO [you'd be surprised how much of those airwaves are deep, deep red], T.V., the 'Net, a poster slapped on a wooden construction fence over the "POST NO BILLS" sign, etc.), and in the verbal ones, get it down to like 15 seconds (a good orator could do that) for saturation, and say this:
"Hi! [smile] We're Kamala Harris [point to self] and Tim Walz [point to gent sitting next; let him wave and smile]. We're the Democratic candidates for president and vice-president. We like everyone, even if they don't look like us, and we want the economy to stay just as strong as it is now. Please vote for us on Tuesday, November the 5th, 2024. Thanks! [wave]"
Like your idea especially about CIVICS Class, when I was in school I took it in like 7th or 8th grade. I never realized that they quit teaching such a helpful subject about government and how it works. I also took a Political Science Course in college as an elective that further taught me how government works. I truly am sad that so many in this country thusly have a truly distorted picture of government because they never learned how it actually works. And I feel that the ones that never took it are at a disadvantage and are being taken advantage of by what will become the 57th Administration in the White House! But as they say I guess it's a little too late to hope for miracles.
Actually, truth to tell, after doing a bit of research, there are places that still do teach it, but that varies a LOT (https://www.aft.org/ae/summer2018/shapiro_brown). :-/
Apparently, it is still a requirement in California (https://calmatters.org/education/k-12-education/2024/12/civics-education/)! :D The bad news is, the ability to actually teach it does, indeed, vary a lot. X-P
Thanks for combo reality check/pep talk. There's always something that any one of us can do. In one way or another we can all support our elected officials at all levels who are on the side of democracy and humanity. And, if they are wavering, we can nudge them to do the right thing. This goes for our local school board members to our U.S. Senators. We need to avoid falling into the pit of cynicism and pay attention to what's going on. Yes, the Voice of the People still counts!
My hubby loves to immediately sit on down to YouTube once he gets home from work. That's fine; I often loom over his shoulder if there's something cool or cute or interesting going on (we both like "Rev. Ed" a lot!). However, he also likes a lot of "doom-tolling" folks (as opposed to "doom-scrolling" emails; I get enough of that), even if they're Democrats, that constantly yammer on about how we're all screwed now because of this, that, and/or the other thing. Old news, yammerers; we know. Tell us, or even just suggest, /what we can do about it/. It's getting to the point where I just won't leave the room if someone comes on with a Trump video clip (I seriously don't want to have to listen to him /any more/), but if I feel like "Well, that was 10 minutes of my life I regret spending listening to even /that/ guy. I'm sure my depression just spiked again," chances are I'll leave when "that guy" comes up again.
Keep up the practical optimism, o God! :D
Thanks for sharing. These are very trying times! I was fortunate last year to study the history of the abolitionists in the 1840s and 1850s. These were amazing people who never gave up no matter what. I am especially inspired by Frederick Douglass and the pioneering anti-slavery legislator, Senator John P. Hale of my own state, New Hampshire. Ever onward!
No, we will NOT let them win, You-dammit! They are so disgusting and spineless.
Thanx for being around.🌈🤗
Couple things to remember:
Can't take it when you go...no luggage racks on hearses
No one gets out alive.
If each did good when one could or should, wants and needs would be clear.
Greed is the First Deadly Sin.
🤗🌎🌍🌏🌐✌
Amen to that last; let poor Satan off the hook, 'cause Mammon is way worse than he ever was.
Disobedience, even pride, ain't nothin' compared to greed. X-P
Tis deadly.
I've been thinking along the lines, maybe America has made it to adolescence.
Yea, it's a bit hormonal, but maturity might only be a few decades away. Peanuts for you mr big G.
And yes, we Europeans need to be less snobby.
Oh and good luck etc, hope the pimples can be safely popped.
Ick, lol! ;) Yeah, let's hope popping them doesn't make things worse.
But seriously; some folks were speculating, "What if it had been Walz/Harris instead?" because frankly, this country isn't mature enough yet to vote in a female president. "Give an icky grrrl power?! Eww! :-P"
Lol par retour. Strange how the grrrl vote wasn’t for Harris as much as predicted. Was she too ultraviolet tolerant, or is their a grrrl power issue amongst the girls ?
Hmm, hard to say; might've been some fear amongst Harris supporters in MAGAt families (one door-to-door GOTV canvasser in a west Pennsylvania town found that the "man of the house" would not let his daughter vote for Harris, that she'd be kept in the house. If his daughter was eligible to vote, she's an adult, so that's kidnapping). Could've been complacency; hard to tell. :-/
But yeah, you're right; it was puzzling.
Puzzling Evidence by the Talking Heads, not that’s a track and three quarters.
The day that Zuckerberg announced the BS about not fact-checking yada yada yada I took my phone out and deleted the FB app. We no longer subscribe to the WAPO - We record local news and blow through any political crap. I only get info here pretty much -
indeed.
Hey GOD have you heard they are moving the inauguration INSIDE? Yep those billionaires don't like to freeze outside in January. I'm sure you will have something to say about this soon, but my husband just told me. I was kind of hoping maybe a few of them would turn into popcicles but I guess none of them would like it. After all this tells a story of how billionaires are destined to warmer (maybe hotter) places in the end.
And one more thing with regards to the above they can leave all the flags at half staff mourning Jimmy Carter because nobody that watches (I won't be one of them) the ceremony will even see the flag over the capitol unless they are outside not inside.
Forgiveness is that condition when despite the pain, confusion and fear, the soul still wants peace. Being of Irish descent, I am absolutely sure God wants me to remember my grudges and hold them fast, forgive (not because they are lost) because some thing are very important.
Thanks again for this fabulous day. a another opportunity to slam those slugs, those takers of time and $$$$ and souls.
If ONLY the Democrats would have said these things in March 2024.
Dear heart. We won't let them win. Besides, there's more of us than them :D
Yeah, now all we need to do is actually show up to vote... X-P
Donold did NOT have "a mandate," he had like 1-2% more of the popular vote than poor Harris did. X-P