Everyone hates the billionaires but they could easily become the most liked in America simply by giving up an insignificant (to them) amount of their wealth to fund much needed programs, but they don’t. How heartless can they be?
Their wealth was generated by the work that the rest of us do and we deserve to be treated fairly. Also, their fortunes were made possible by the infrastructure that we have that has been paid by all of us. Roads for Tesla and Amazon, Internet for Facebook, none of these businesses would be possible without the things provided by tax dollars.
America is sick and nearly on its deathbed. It’s time for drastic action.
How heartless indeed, Chris. The hatred from Trumplicans is reserved for a very different class of people. Take a look at the AP article titled "Thrust into Unemployment, Axed Federal Workers Face Relatives That Celebrate Their Firing".
If those fired federal workers voted for Trump and/or other republicans, then they deserve what they're getting. If they were stupid enough to side with the republican enemies of America, then I don't feel one bit sorry about them losing their jobs. You voted for this: now live with it. Next time don't be so damned idiotic. republicans are NOT your friends, you fools.
How heartless can they be? The delusion of dualism - me vs. all others - has so infected the psychopath class of 'murkan human artifacts that what Thom describes is the norm, and not the outlier. People are born with a set of genetic markers, inherited from past traumas that demanded strategies for protection from real or imaginary fears. Either via probabilities or the fresh set of traumatic experiences, these quickly set in motion the gene expressions of separation anxiety and fear-based paranoias, and the race to separate self from other is flying at warp speed. Our overworked cerebellums cannot begin to cope since they have no agency themselves, relying on the ancient and inadequate reptile brain to provide protection from real or imaginary dangers. No room for 'heart' in this equation.
Before agriculture we lived in small groups where everyone knew everyone else. There was no surplus wealth and all work was for the common good. But with agriculture there was surplus wealth and the worst of us managed to seize it while meanwhile creating a system that secured their grip on wealth. Religion was key to this. It created the illusion that the usurpers were divinely selected to lead. And as you say, as the population grew to enormous numbers we became disassociated from each other so that anyone that you didn’t like was just a thing that could easily be discarded.
Some countries have begun to deal with this and put compassion back into their system of governing, providing support for all, but not the USA. Tragic that the once greatest and most successful nations on earth has sunk to the level where the only way to survive is take away from everyone else. It’s not a way that will end well.
Just yesterday I posted to some discussion group the deadly addiction to religious lore, in that case related to Putin's mental throwback to the elegance of Russian Orthodoxy. What could ever be more addictive to a human than the chemically influenced 'thought' of total omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. We live inside a biological being who is ill-equipped to resist addictions, and in truth uses them as mantras, swords of Damocles, and nursemaids substituting for mothers long gone.
Less anyone doesn't quite understand what you said. Epigenetics is genetics above what we (science) can document.
During WWI, the people of the Netherlands experience starvation. A subsequent population study found that the grandchildren of this population, lived longer than their parents. It seems counterintuitive, but if your grandparents suffered food insecurity as children, you have a longer life expectancy.
There is so much we don't understand about genetics, but the pharmaceutical and insurance companies do.
If you ever tested your DNA with 23andme, you get bombarded with so called "health questions" that have nothing to do with your health, like did your father live urban or rural. Questions about my parents or grandparents have nothing to do with me, but are important to 23andme, whose "partners" (investors) are PhRMA and AHIP, and so other DNA testing companies like Ancestry are following their lead.
For the most part, their wealth was also generated by tax policies that favor hoarding. Don't forget to thank Ronald Reagan and his successors for that.
But, I prefer to ask ''HOW SICK ARE THESE PEOPLE?!''
My favorite examination of the issue is in Jane Mayer's book, Dark Money.
She tells of how the patriarch of the Koch family, who built oil refineries for
Hitler, brought a German nanny back to Kansas to take care of his kids. The woman was a professed Nazi and among other things, she encouraged the four boys to beat on one another until they were bloodied. Their father was down with the plan and argued that it made his boys strong, and prepared them to deal with an evil, ugly world.
For many decades now the Koch brothers have dealt with our country and its citizens in an evil, ugly way.
Some of their fellow oligarchs like Musk are even more twisted.
They have little use for us, and since genocide is now the new normal the American people are likely in for some horrific times.
She has picked up on the vulnerability of the attempts to cut Medicaid and how true grassroots efforts are destroying the plans. It could be the issue that’s needed and turn the tide.
This young firebrand and her friend Jasmine Crockett are warriors. More women in legislative positions are speaking out and actually 'doing things' to put sand in the gears of this mayhem than the mostly silent males, Green excluded of course. Is it ironic or a sign of the true 'murkan excellence that all these folks are what we whites casually call POC? I have lived in a minority-majority state for most of my life, and I tell all of you from observations and personal experiences, that diversity IS the way forward, and all of us white folk need to get wise really fast.
At this stage we can only be stopped via external pressure, The oligarchs, the plutocrats, the billionaires, the Musks, The Trumps, the Thiels, the Mellons, the Sinclairs the Finks, own and/or control the means of communication.
he project to isolate the United States, destroy the post-WWII world order, end the dollar and replace it with Bitcoin, and divide and conquer America through bigotry, is operating with no significant interruption.
To repeat, Europe should kick the US out of NATO before America does it. Europe must establish its own army and its own nuclear umbrella. A strong Europe will provide the American resistance a way to squeeze out the American Reich. A weak Europe will portend a new Dark Ages for all of us.
Thank you for link. The crypto ponzi scheme has been normalized and justified by Musk calling Social Security the biggest ponzi scheme. I call what Musk said about Social Security propaganda and brain washing the MAGA investors. There is so much to be worried about.
Professor Hartmann, you really know the truth and analyze it so well. You are a national treasure. I am grateful that you tell the truth every day, and wish that the rest of this country would somehow wake the hell up. Thank you very much for your work.
I don't live far from Phil Knight, in Terrebonne, Oregon. I see him occasionally at the Redmond Airport, (the executive side of the airport,) driving his Morris Minor, or Mini-cooper, not sure which one it is, they look alike to me. He jumps on his jet to wherever.
He drives by homeless camps to and from. Across from the airport is BLM land with countless houseless folks, living in the dirt. He flies over that departing, or arriving.
In America one may become nearly as rich as Musk, esp. if you are a welfare queen like Elon and Fred (Donald's pop), but chances are you WILL NOT come anywhere close to a billion.
There are better odds, though, for a family member getting sick, and then having to sell the farm. Or beg like Oliver Twist did to Fagan for gruel.
Sure: One "may" win Powerball. But most will buy a ticket for zero payout; except for a chance to tell a local news reporter how they'd spend the fantasy winnings.
A plantation economy is an intentionally harsh economy.
Soon an Executive Order for public whippings may be signed. . . . Lashings instead of cash.
Then we can crowdsource balm for our bloodied and shredded backs.
We have been turned into a nation of beggars by the selfish and corrupt Republicans, Libertarians, and fascists running the show.
The question is not why can't we have nice things---it is why don't we get the necessities when we are doing ALL THE WORK!?
Republicans gave us a psychopath under Putin's control and Project 2025 in the hope that it will finish us off. Death and sadness will surround us, and they will laugh all the way to the bank if we let them.
Democrats and like-minded independents will never stop fighting these bastards. Do what you can, where and whenever you can folks. We don't have to be pitiful.
Keep teaching, Thom, you ARE Al Green. Thankfully, you have been a very long time.
There is no way to sugar coat this. Newly appointed Scott Bessent Sec. of Treasury, a former hedge fund exec. is now acting head of consumer protection. What will go wrong with that?? His comments are chilling to me. Something like, as our economy moves from public spending to private spending there will be a "detox period" and he makes remarks to the point like, we the people have been addicted to government spending and there will be pain. As I recall there is a spinning of the idea that people spending more money will be patriotic or something. We who care will be left to contribute to do go fund me and charity because the plan is; make a profit with privatization. Grift and Greed. Period. Continuing to blame inflation on Biden.
We are a society imprisoned by Fear. What creates fear? A real or imaginary threat to well being. Once initiated, this biochemical cocktail of hormonal and other chemistry literally overwhelms the thinking brain, and the body blindly follows the lead of the medulla to eliminate some 'threat.' Those most prone to this addictive influence via genetics are then doubly vulnerable to situational events that trigger fear, paranoia, denial, confusion, anger, rage and rarefied defense mechanisms.
The entire mechanism of thought and perception becomes confused, and what results is a knee-jerk response, via violence in word or deed, to quell the threat and achieve protected status. Nor epinephrine is so potent in this situation that its narcotic effects soon become an addiction. If a satisfactory outcome to threat response occurs, the dopamine and serotonin in the brain become pattern-conditioned, as does adrenaline. Throw in testosterone, and you have the perfect addict, one who loves the ride of threat-vanquishment-reward habituation.
To explain the rise of the psycho-pathological billionaire hoarder class, observe how this habituated response triggers serious ambition among certain types. We all have experienced bullying. What does a bully want more than anything? The pleasure of transferring its fears of pain, suffering and loss upon some 'victim.' Both the action and the response are rewards for creating a hologram doppelganger of one's self, the fearful becomes the fear bringer. For billionaires, one powerful reward is the use of accumulated power via money, property and privilege to oppress the 'other.'
We are dealing with clever, cunning addicts to sadism, who take great pleasure in what I call bigotry, the intense oppression and demonization of the hoarder's own victimization, transferred upon 'others' who choose to reject living in the world of hubris-madness. This clusterf**k of egregious excess is literally the bottom of the barrel of human behavior.
Other than elimination from the present reality, I cannot see any way to disgorge these monsters from our midst. They literally are The Terminator on steroids.
I so agree with the effects that real or imaginary fear does to the human body. Perhaps genetically, but certainly instilled in my abusive childhood where the pedophile nor my rapist to this day is not held under the scrutiny I have. I have had to fight to maintain my well being since discovering the surveillance of my every moment nearly 30 years ago which I have not been able to stop; thus the fear, confusion, anger, rage I already held as a result of these crimes deep in my unconscious, rear their ugly heads. Trying to make it stop and expose it caused' them' to gaslight me. My body follows the lead of the medulla to eliminate the threat. These suckers are psycho-pathologic perpetrators and in their quests there will be victims who won't realize what hit them.
Carol. I am saddened by the obvious pain of your experiences. What you describe has a two-edged sword. It is well documented that, many times, the abused become the abusers. As that relates to these psychopaths in high places, there is little doubt in my mind that many of them were abused and misused, suffered PTSD, maybe OCD, bipolarity and other traumas that 'turned' them. That you are able to refuse this temptation yourself speaks to your courage and stamina. It is more than ok for victims to identify with their rage and pain, and become pro-active to achieve successful defense. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Maybe slogans and bumper stickers are not a bad idea, after all. How about some that say, "America struck it rich; Why isn't wealth being shared?", or "Why do many suffer in the richest country in the world?", or "WTF, Billionaires pay lower tax rates than I do?" Use your imagination. Let's boil it down for everyone and plaster the messages everywhere.
It may be too late for messaging of any kind other than brute force and marching in the streets by millions. I can't get around like I used to, and Las Vegas is truly a desert when it comes to activism on the left. I write a lot of letters to the editor. Still, bumper stickers can't hurt unless they make you a target and they can get a lot of exposure for not a lot of money. Right now, it should be heavy on the despicable wealth gap and the billionaires who believe they are superior.
Speaking of the genius of billionaires to know everything about how to manage reality - I just read that Muck's incel juveniles tampering with SSA, according to the former administrator, will lead to a massive failure of the system.
I looked up the administrative overhead of SSA from 1957 forward, and it is LESS THAN 1%.
This program holds up the oldest members of our population, including me, who spend virtually all of their insurance benefit in the Economy of the Billionaires.
Seriously, billionaires are the most ignorant and feckless people on the planet. Their Ids long ago overpowered their Superegos, and the result is a gaggle of incompetent grifters who need to trash any working system of society and render it so inefficient that then they must use projection and transference to shamelessly Hide their Incompetence. If federal support systems for sick kids are inefficient, then what is the misery and death of those kids - perfection?????
In the end, Mick, they will kill the goose that laid the golden egg, but that is perfectly alright with them.
What value is there in being rich if there is no visible social distance between oneself and the riff raff.
Let me give an example. Henry VIII's father dressed like a peasant would during his reign.
Henry VII issued edicts that had the effect of wrenching England out of it's doldrums as the armpit of Europe into a serious contender and wealthy.
So wealthy that H8 could build the largest and most expensive ship, the Mary Rose, featuring over 100 brass cannons. So wealthy that the son of a merchant could send his son to University, graduate and sit on the King's privy council (Thomas Cromwell), so wealthy that the merchant and tradesmen would dress like nobility, in furs, silks, fine linen and ruffles.
And that so upset the nobility, that he issued Sumptuary Laws, forbidding the wear of such clothing, except for the nobility.
The existence of a middle class, the bourgeoisie, is a threat to the upper class, It is rungs on the ladder up and the ladder down.
The Lewis Powell memo of which Thom speaks . actually addresses that issue. The whole point is to reduce the population to the status of neo serfs, in a neo feudalistic world, where the neo Nobility are not threatened. https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/powellmemo/
Musk, Trump, Cook, Bezo's, Thiel, Mellon, Sinclair, Zuckerberg are fulfilling that dystopian dream to create a technate of America in alliance with Russian based Eurasia, China based East Asia, and Caliphate based mid east and Africa
I have a reasonably good vocabulary, but I find myself increasingly struggling to find the right words for the disgust and loathing I carry for Trump, Musk, Bezos, and the rest of these despicable, self-absorbed oligarchs who hoard their billions while children go hungry, homeless, and die of cancer. May there be some especially warm places reserved in hell for the inhumane billionaires who refuse to help others while continuing to enrich themselves.
Let’s face it, things are never going to change as long as 48% of voters are stupid. If you want to live in a country with rational policies that helps it’s citizens you have to move out of the US.
This is what all the orange fascist Bozo loving MAGAT people voted for. A progressive said - even if these (Trump voters) now regret who they voted for - IT'S TOO LATE - the (fake) election can't be changed and we have this person for 4 years.
Even if all his evil happens to them - it also happens to us.
Everyone hates the billionaires but they could easily become the most liked in America simply by giving up an insignificant (to them) amount of their wealth to fund much needed programs, but they don’t. How heartless can they be?
Their wealth was generated by the work that the rest of us do and we deserve to be treated fairly. Also, their fortunes were made possible by the infrastructure that we have that has been paid by all of us. Roads for Tesla and Amazon, Internet for Facebook, none of these businesses would be possible without the things provided by tax dollars.
America is sick and nearly on its deathbed. It’s time for drastic action.
How heartless indeed, Chris. The hatred from Trumplicans is reserved for a very different class of people. Take a look at the AP article titled "Thrust into Unemployment, Axed Federal Workers Face Relatives That Celebrate Their Firing".
https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-federal-layoffs-c41ae32800a7f170484de79572543da2?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
If those fired federal workers voted for Trump and/or other republicans, then they deserve what they're getting. If they were stupid enough to side with the republican enemies of America, then I don't feel one bit sorry about them losing their jobs. You voted for this: now live with it. Next time don't be so damned idiotic. republicans are NOT your friends, you fools.
Just read this. Wow, family can be so cruel. I don’t think that the division in our country will heal.
Geeez
How heartless can they be? The delusion of dualism - me vs. all others - has so infected the psychopath class of 'murkan human artifacts that what Thom describes is the norm, and not the outlier. People are born with a set of genetic markers, inherited from past traumas that demanded strategies for protection from real or imaginary fears. Either via probabilities or the fresh set of traumatic experiences, these quickly set in motion the gene expressions of separation anxiety and fear-based paranoias, and the race to separate self from other is flying at warp speed. Our overworked cerebellums cannot begin to cope since they have no agency themselves, relying on the ancient and inadequate reptile brain to provide protection from real or imaginary dangers. No room for 'heart' in this equation.
Before agriculture we lived in small groups where everyone knew everyone else. There was no surplus wealth and all work was for the common good. But with agriculture there was surplus wealth and the worst of us managed to seize it while meanwhile creating a system that secured their grip on wealth. Religion was key to this. It created the illusion that the usurpers were divinely selected to lead. And as you say, as the population grew to enormous numbers we became disassociated from each other so that anyone that you didn’t like was just a thing that could easily be discarded.
Some countries have begun to deal with this and put compassion back into their system of governing, providing support for all, but not the USA. Tragic that the once greatest and most successful nations on earth has sunk to the level where the only way to survive is take away from everyone else. It’s not a way that will end well.
Just yesterday I posted to some discussion group the deadly addiction to religious lore, in that case related to Putin's mental throwback to the elegance of Russian Orthodoxy. What could ever be more addictive to a human than the chemically influenced 'thought' of total omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. We live inside a biological being who is ill-equipped to resist addictions, and in truth uses them as mantras, swords of Damocles, and nursemaids substituting for mothers long gone.
Less anyone doesn't quite understand what you said. Epigenetics is genetics above what we (science) can document.
During WWI, the people of the Netherlands experience starvation. A subsequent population study found that the grandchildren of this population, lived longer than their parents. It seems counterintuitive, but if your grandparents suffered food insecurity as children, you have a longer life expectancy.
There is so much we don't understand about genetics, but the pharmaceutical and insurance companies do.
If you ever tested your DNA with 23andme, you get bombarded with so called "health questions" that have nothing to do with your health, like did your father live urban or rural. Questions about my parents or grandparents have nothing to do with me, but are important to 23andme, whose "partners" (investors) are PhRMA and AHIP, and so other DNA testing companies like Ancestry are following their lead.
For the most part, their wealth was also generated by tax policies that favor hoarding. Don't forget to thank Ronald Reagan and his successors for that.
Reagan and Republicans---the gifts that keep on taking away!
Yep! I can see a whole series based on this theme, like "Reagan and Republicans -- the gifts aren't for you."
Heartless? Very much so.
But, I prefer to ask ''HOW SICK ARE THESE PEOPLE?!''
My favorite examination of the issue is in Jane Mayer's book, Dark Money.
She tells of how the patriarch of the Koch family, who built oil refineries for
Hitler, brought a German nanny back to Kansas to take care of his kids. The woman was a professed Nazi and among other things, she encouraged the four boys to beat on one another until they were bloodied. Their father was down with the plan and argued that it made his boys strong, and prepared them to deal with an evil, ugly world.
For many decades now the Koch brothers have dealt with our country and its citizens in an evil, ugly way.
Some of their fellow oligarchs like Musk are even more twisted.
They have little use for us, and since genocide is now the new normal the American people are likely in for some horrific times.
Lateral action needed! AOC in one of her recent YouTubes has suggested that concerted efforts are needed in what she called “lateral action.” https://youtu.be/cOVanffjOC0?si=jcGPArxsGciZAS8d
She has picked up on the vulnerability of the attempts to cut Medicaid and how true grassroots efforts are destroying the plans. It could be the issue that’s needed and turn the tide.
This young firebrand and her friend Jasmine Crockett are warriors. More women in legislative positions are speaking out and actually 'doing things' to put sand in the gears of this mayhem than the mostly silent males, Green excluded of course. Is it ironic or a sign of the true 'murkan excellence that all these folks are what we whites casually call POC? I have lived in a minority-majority state for most of my life, and I tell all of you from observations and personal experiences, that diversity IS the way forward, and all of us white folk need to get wise really fast.
Impeach. Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach
IMPEACH TRUMP. AGAIN. ( impeachtrumpagain.org )
5MillionPatriots.blogspot.com
Trickle Down—forget it. A Pot Boils From The Bottom Up!! Thepeoplesunionusa.com
At this stage we can only be stopped via external pressure, The oligarchs, the plutocrats, the billionaires, the Musks, The Trumps, the Thiels, the Mellons, the Sinclairs the Finks, own and/or control the means of communication.
https://www.mind-war.com/p/who-wants-a-patriarchal-crypto-empire
he project to isolate the United States, destroy the post-WWII world order, end the dollar and replace it with Bitcoin, and divide and conquer America through bigotry, is operating with no significant interruption.
To repeat, Europe should kick the US out of NATO before America does it. Europe must establish its own army and its own nuclear umbrella. A strong Europe will provide the American resistance a way to squeeze out the American Reich. A weak Europe will portend a new Dark Ages for all of us.
It is very Dark if Europe is weak. I hope not!
Thank you for link. The crypto ponzi scheme has been normalized and justified by Musk calling Social Security the biggest ponzi scheme. I call what Musk said about Social Security propaganda and brain washing the MAGA investors. There is so much to be worried about.
Professor Hartmann, you really know the truth and analyze it so well. You are a national treasure. I am grateful that you tell the truth every day, and wish that the rest of this country would somehow wake the hell up. Thank you very much for your work.
Yeah, I don't get the billionaires.
I don't live far from Phil Knight, in Terrebonne, Oregon. I see him occasionally at the Redmond Airport, (the executive side of the airport,) driving his Morris Minor, or Mini-cooper, not sure which one it is, they look alike to me. He jumps on his jet to wherever.
He drives by homeless camps to and from. Across from the airport is BLM land with countless houseless folks, living in the dirt. He flies over that departing, or arriving.
How do these people live with themselves?
Well said, Mr. Hartmann. Thank you.
In America one may become nearly as rich as Musk, esp. if you are a welfare queen like Elon and Fred (Donald's pop), but chances are you WILL NOT come anywhere close to a billion.
There are better odds, though, for a family member getting sick, and then having to sell the farm. Or beg like Oliver Twist did to Fagan for gruel.
Sure: One "may" win Powerball. But most will buy a ticket for zero payout; except for a chance to tell a local news reporter how they'd spend the fantasy winnings.
A plantation economy is an intentionally harsh economy.
Soon an Executive Order for public whippings may be signed. . . . Lashings instead of cash.
Then we can crowdsource balm for our bloodied and shredded backs.
America the Pitiful
We have been turned into a nation of beggars by the selfish and corrupt Republicans, Libertarians, and fascists running the show.
The question is not why can't we have nice things---it is why don't we get the necessities when we are doing ALL THE WORK!?
Republicans gave us a psychopath under Putin's control and Project 2025 in the hope that it will finish us off. Death and sadness will surround us, and they will laugh all the way to the bank if we let them.
Democrats and like-minded independents will never stop fighting these bastards. Do what you can, where and whenever you can folks. We don't have to be pitiful.
Keep teaching, Thom, you ARE Al Green. Thankfully, you have been a very long time.
There is no way to sugar coat this. Newly appointed Scott Bessent Sec. of Treasury, a former hedge fund exec. is now acting head of consumer protection. What will go wrong with that?? His comments are chilling to me. Something like, as our economy moves from public spending to private spending there will be a "detox period" and he makes remarks to the point like, we the people have been addicted to government spending and there will be pain. As I recall there is a spinning of the idea that people spending more money will be patriotic or something. We who care will be left to contribute to do go fund me and charity because the plan is; make a profit with privatization. Grift and Greed. Period. Continuing to blame inflation on Biden.
We are a society imprisoned by Fear. What creates fear? A real or imaginary threat to well being. Once initiated, this biochemical cocktail of hormonal and other chemistry literally overwhelms the thinking brain, and the body blindly follows the lead of the medulla to eliminate some 'threat.' Those most prone to this addictive influence via genetics are then doubly vulnerable to situational events that trigger fear, paranoia, denial, confusion, anger, rage and rarefied defense mechanisms.
The entire mechanism of thought and perception becomes confused, and what results is a knee-jerk response, via violence in word or deed, to quell the threat and achieve protected status. Nor epinephrine is so potent in this situation that its narcotic effects soon become an addiction. If a satisfactory outcome to threat response occurs, the dopamine and serotonin in the brain become pattern-conditioned, as does adrenaline. Throw in testosterone, and you have the perfect addict, one who loves the ride of threat-vanquishment-reward habituation.
To explain the rise of the psycho-pathological billionaire hoarder class, observe how this habituated response triggers serious ambition among certain types. We all have experienced bullying. What does a bully want more than anything? The pleasure of transferring its fears of pain, suffering and loss upon some 'victim.' Both the action and the response are rewards for creating a hologram doppelganger of one's self, the fearful becomes the fear bringer. For billionaires, one powerful reward is the use of accumulated power via money, property and privilege to oppress the 'other.'
We are dealing with clever, cunning addicts to sadism, who take great pleasure in what I call bigotry, the intense oppression and demonization of the hoarder's own victimization, transferred upon 'others' who choose to reject living in the world of hubris-madness. This clusterf**k of egregious excess is literally the bottom of the barrel of human behavior.
Other than elimination from the present reality, I cannot see any way to disgorge these monsters from our midst. They literally are The Terminator on steroids.
I so agree with the effects that real or imaginary fear does to the human body. Perhaps genetically, but certainly instilled in my abusive childhood where the pedophile nor my rapist to this day is not held under the scrutiny I have. I have had to fight to maintain my well being since discovering the surveillance of my every moment nearly 30 years ago which I have not been able to stop; thus the fear, confusion, anger, rage I already held as a result of these crimes deep in my unconscious, rear their ugly heads. Trying to make it stop and expose it caused' them' to gaslight me. My body follows the lead of the medulla to eliminate the threat. These suckers are psycho-pathologic perpetrators and in their quests there will be victims who won't realize what hit them.
Carol. I am saddened by the obvious pain of your experiences. What you describe has a two-edged sword. It is well documented that, many times, the abused become the abusers. As that relates to these psychopaths in high places, there is little doubt in my mind that many of them were abused and misused, suffered PTSD, maybe OCD, bipolarity and other traumas that 'turned' them. That you are able to refuse this temptation yourself speaks to your courage and stamina. It is more than ok for victims to identify with their rage and pain, and become pro-active to achieve successful defense. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Feathers of Hope.
Maybe slogans and bumper stickers are not a bad idea, after all. How about some that say, "America struck it rich; Why isn't wealth being shared?", or "Why do many suffer in the richest country in the world?", or "WTF, Billionaires pay lower tax rates than I do?" Use your imagination. Let's boil it down for everyone and plaster the messages everywhere.
Definitely like the bumper sticker ideas. I have to say that some in the past I saw on cars stayed with me because they are true.
It may be too late for messaging of any kind other than brute force and marching in the streets by millions. I can't get around like I used to, and Las Vegas is truly a desert when it comes to activism on the left. I write a lot of letters to the editor. Still, bumper stickers can't hurt unless they make you a target and they can get a lot of exposure for not a lot of money. Right now, it should be heavy on the despicable wealth gap and the billionaires who believe they are superior.
Speaking of the genius of billionaires to know everything about how to manage reality - I just read that Muck's incel juveniles tampering with SSA, according to the former administrator, will lead to a massive failure of the system.
I looked up the administrative overhead of SSA from 1957 forward, and it is LESS THAN 1%.
This program holds up the oldest members of our population, including me, who spend virtually all of their insurance benefit in the Economy of the Billionaires.
Seriously, billionaires are the most ignorant and feckless people on the planet. Their Ids long ago overpowered their Superegos, and the result is a gaggle of incompetent grifters who need to trash any working system of society and render it so inefficient that then they must use projection and transference to shamelessly Hide their Incompetence. If federal support systems for sick kids are inefficient, then what is the misery and death of those kids - perfection?????
In the end, Mick, they will kill the goose that laid the golden egg, but that is perfectly alright with them.
What value is there in being rich if there is no visible social distance between oneself and the riff raff.
Let me give an example. Henry VIII's father dressed like a peasant would during his reign.
Henry VII issued edicts that had the effect of wrenching England out of it's doldrums as the armpit of Europe into a serious contender and wealthy.
So wealthy that H8 could build the largest and most expensive ship, the Mary Rose, featuring over 100 brass cannons. So wealthy that the son of a merchant could send his son to University, graduate and sit on the King's privy council (Thomas Cromwell), so wealthy that the merchant and tradesmen would dress like nobility, in furs, silks, fine linen and ruffles.
And that so upset the nobility, that he issued Sumptuary Laws, forbidding the wear of such clothing, except for the nobility.
The existence of a middle class, the bourgeoisie, is a threat to the upper class, It is rungs on the ladder up and the ladder down.
The Lewis Powell memo of which Thom speaks . actually addresses that issue. The whole point is to reduce the population to the status of neo serfs, in a neo feudalistic world, where the neo Nobility are not threatened. https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/powellmemo/
Musk, Trump, Cook, Bezo's, Thiel, Mellon, Sinclair, Zuckerberg are fulfilling that dystopian dream to create a technate of America in alliance with Russian based Eurasia, China based East Asia, and Caliphate based mid east and Africa
Map of the Technate of America
https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574
You are keeping me sane thank you so much it's like you're speaking my words.
I have a reasonably good vocabulary, but I find myself increasingly struggling to find the right words for the disgust and loathing I carry for Trump, Musk, Bezos, and the rest of these despicable, self-absorbed oligarchs who hoard their billions while children go hungry, homeless, and die of cancer. May there be some especially warm places reserved in hell for the inhumane billionaires who refuse to help others while continuing to enrich themselves.
Let’s face it, things are never going to change as long as 48% of voters are stupid. If you want to live in a country with rational policies that helps it’s citizens you have to move out of the US.
This is what all the orange fascist Bozo loving MAGAT people voted for. A progressive said - even if these (Trump voters) now regret who they voted for - IT'S TOO LATE - the (fake) election can't be changed and we have this person for 4 years.
Even if all his evil happens to them - it also happens to us.