When Republicans talk about the American Dream, what do they mean? And how does their view of the American Dream differ from that of that of Democrats?
Thank you for articulating clearly the difference between the beliefs and policies of the Democrats and Republicans.
“Republicans are people who will withhold food from 100 people out of fear that 1 might not need or deserve it. Democrats will feed 100 out of concern that 1 might really need it.”
Likewise here the meaning is: Love thy neighbor who is as thyself – like you, created in the image of God, a human being like yourself. This encompasses all of humanity created in the image of God.
2,000 years ago in Jerusalem a neighbor was a member of the tribe, a neighbor worshiped at temple like you. A Samaritan wasn't a neighbor, a Roman wasn't a neighbor
People take the modern concept of neighbor and apply it to a situation that exist 2,000 years ago
Thank you for clarifying the distinct differences between the Democratic and Republican ideologies and results. Obviously, the Republican party is the party of the very wealthy and the ignorant and naive, who are exploited beyond their understanding...
I do not "like" the truth you're telling. But it is the truth. They're exploited by the party of the cultmaster they worship. Just as the "good Germans" believed shitler's Big Lies.
I think you may need to ask a psychiatrist &/or a psychologist. You could consider it a cult which would explain the rabid rallies & willingness to "drink the KoolAid.
The American dream is a myth. The robber barons of the gilded age, were ruthless sociopaths, most of them driven by the Calvinistic ideology of pre destination, that one is born favored of god and the proof is that one is rich.
The prosperity doctrine is a form of Calvinism, being that god can be bought.
The name Horatio Alger, rags to riches through work and endeavor, may not linger, but the idea behind it lives on and Americans, even the poor and middle class, believe and act like they are temporarily disadvantaged millionaires
And they are encouraged to believe that by the example, currently, of tech millionaires, Gates, Jobs, Ellison, and people like the Walton family (Walmart), Bezo's, but none of them bootstrapped themselves, They all had a head start, wealthy and important parents, friends and family.
Gates stole a recluses, disk operating system. His father a prominent and wealthy Seattle Lawyer, told him to license the program,not sell it, and drew up the licensing agreement which has become the standard for not only using software,but accessing websites, and using apps.
Recall the Trump boat parades? The boat owners are New and Used car Dealers (vile and dishonest, liars and thieves, Real estate brokers, Developers parasites that have no conscience or morals.
That is what it takes to "make it", borderline sociopath.The mainstay of the legal and investment fields.
Depends on who is telling the story. At public school in Pennsyltucky, we were taught that the US was the culmination of the Presbyterian dream. At one time, at the time of the founding, they were "determinists," that God has a fixed plan for everyone.
Later the American dream was expressed by concepts like "manifest destiny" and the "frontier society". Thom would depict the dream as "having" rather than "being" during the period leading to the civil war.
Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America studied American society in the 19th century. He referred to the American dream as “the charm of anticipated success.”
Lincoln: our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. The American dream is equality. The John Birch Society said this was communistic. MAGATs agree.
Sounds like the maga have got financial equality confused with equal rights? Of course, most of them oppose equal rights in my opinion also, I may be wrong?
Daniel, did you read the research on the relationship between germaphobes and racists? The theory is that people who are different were from elsewhere and brought diseases the population had no immunity to, and so we have this fear left from our early evolution. I heard this on a podcast during the COVID epidemic. I think it's a poor excuse for racism.
Racism is not genetic, however fear of the other, a survival mechanism is, we can see it in four legged animals, the fawn that lies quietly in the bush, while a leopard stalks (fawns have no odor, so they are not detected by smell,it is only when the bolt that the leopards sees them).
Animals, be they pack or herd, feel safe with their own kind, and even as cubs,infants or toddler, are instinctively fearful of the other. I am aware that some breeds like bears,lions and leopards will kill the offspring of another male, to bring the mother into estrus.
This fear of the other disappears as the creature matures, but has learned which species pose a threat, from their parents.
I saw a wildlife program, a leopard had killed and gorged itself on a mother antelope, the fawn was untouched and cozened up the leopard. Another leopard tried to kill he fawn, but the leopard defended and drove off the leopard, defending the fawn, , the parting shot was the leopard and fawn disappearing into the jungle. You might have oohed and awed at the sight, but the fawn was the leopards walking lunch.It was protecting it's food.
The racial subconscious is a social thing, not a genetic thing, IMO.
Many have seen the video of a white toddler that appeared to be chased by a black toddler ,but when the whole clip was shown, the two were BFF's running towards each other. If they were raised separately by fearful and suspicious parents, they would grow up fearful and suspicious.
As toddlers they recognized each other as the same species. Ethnicism, racism is where the other is not recognized as the same species, thus Hitler, unimpeded by the populace, was able to dehumanize Jews, Slavs, gays, socialists, etc as untermenschen meaning a different species.
The Democratic party is the party of society, and therefore, everything that comes with making society possible - common sense rules and protections for and from the few who reach for power over the many, actual opportunities for actual people, true equality beyond sloganeering, and support for those of us who need it, when we need it.
The Republican crime syndicate is the Antisociety. The apex predator network. The gluttonous party of drunken wildfires set upon a hill of shattered human dreams. Gazillionaire anarchists on every street corner, on every dirt road, breaking society one person at a time - not only by conning us out of our homes, jobs, healthcare, and freedoms - but also through poisoning our trust in one another and demoralizing us into apathy. They want us weak and desperate - easier prey.
Looking forward to your new book, Thom! Sounds like a sequel to "Screwed".
Jon, Economists and politicians and it seems most educators, want us to believe that people are rational actors, that they act in their own best interests. And in truth they do, however there is scant attention or study as to what is considered the best interests of the populace.
Taking a cue from the current situation.
46% of the population's perceive their best interests to be preserving and protecting the patriarchy, which they have been told is under threat That is the umbrella under which the likes of Mark Robinson, Tim Scott, and Clarence Thomas huddle, with white racists. Preservation of male dominance is more important that racial oppression,
About 5-10% are people like the Never Trumpers and Lincoln Project, who are concerned with the business environment, deregulation
The rest are mildly conservative, liberal and progressive as regards social issues and lean towards matriarchal values such as cooperation, open handedness, acceptance, fairness, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
What we have before us is the patriarchy vs the matriarchy, and the patriarchy is in it's death throes
The matriarchy although it shuns violence, has learned and is learning that it had to master violence to defend itself from the patriarchy.
As an example, When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Empire it was a manufacturing hub, planes, missiles, nuclear weapons, but it voluntarily disarmed when the Empire broke up,
in effect it neutered itself, but the failed state or Russia, had a testosterone laden KGB agent appointed President by Yeltsin, and Putin set about remasulinating Russia, and turned to raping the now emasculated former states, cum Republics., except emasculated, matriarchal, Ukraine grew another set of balls, and fought and is fighting back againsgt the rapist.
With so many Maga followers safely ensconced in their FOX & other right wing "news" organizations it's hard to break through.
When a large portion of the population has consistently backed the Republican agenda without asking why they are still stuck in the same economic plight it is difficult to break into that delusion that lower taxes that Republicans put through only benefit the wealthy. Every time we got a tax cut I saw maybe $20 to $30 "break", that's hardly going to put a person on the path to wealth, especially when those wealthy corporations keep prices artificially high. And then republicans keep the electorate dumbed down so much that they don't even see what is going on!
The answer lies in the psyche of those who attacked the US on Jan 6. It’s White people who recognize but don’t understand that it is no longer all about them. For them, they feel the loss of privilege They’ll never admit that to themselves. The Massive Right Wing Propaganda Machine & Trumpster fire feeds that fear. They’ll do anything to avoid their continued loss of privilege. Including Civil War.
As a born poor white male, I have never felt that white male privilege I keep hearing about. I think it must be having connections? That privilege is reserved for middle class and a few rich white males. Once the gop destroys the middle class completely, it will not exist at all and we will have a bunch of lunatics with guns running around!
Here’s the link to a deeper dive regarding exactly what I mean by “white privilege.” Robert Pape studied political violence for 35 years. He was amazed at what he found.
I was born poor as well, and not much has changed. But I wasn’t born poor and non-white or even worse, poor, not-white and female. Our economic system was/is built on men working, owning, voting, and being in charge…you know…traditional family values (cough cough) The people who threw the J6 hissy fit were easy prey for that message and their petty tyrant loved them for it. He also didn’t give a damn about the violence and the people who died that day. He never will.
Among the white traitors that stomed the capital was Abdul-Razaq Akbar[,aka Ali Alexander https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Alexander and he wasn't the only one then and he has been joined by legions now, who have cast their lot with racists, because they see personal benefit to coming on board in the leading wave. I call them https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisling
Nixon cancelled the space program that was going to put future humans in space and make a Jetson life style a reality. The Repub policy stripped our future in order to give all that money to the rich. Programs to make home ownership possible for the working poor. Retirement was built on 3 legs of homes, pensions, and savings. Companies took the route of ending pension and government ended it policies to ensure home ownership was increasing. The lack of wage, housing, and pension policies meant that a huge increase in retired workers with nothing but social security and the GOP target that one as well. The actions are right back from mudsill with the goal of making the majority of Americans living below the middle class to make the economy generate unearned millionaires and billionaires by a base of poverty which is what slavery was all about. The reason mine and future generations are not getting married buying homes, and having babies is because they cannot afford them. I have no wife or children because of the GOP.
Worse than serfs Clayton, at least a serf had a thatch roofed hovel over his head, if the situation keeps on, cardboard boxes, tents and overpasses is the future.
approach to the government’s role in the economy. That is , until their financial affairs are threatened by the inevitable busts that occur in market based economies - - at that
point they find the resources to bail out the billionaires that got us into the problem in the first place .
Democrats get to shoulder the blame -
Austerity for Main Street , a larger yacht to sail off into the sunset for the rich .
Today Heather Cox Richardson wrote about Frances Perkins, FDR's labor secretary for 12 years and the first female cabinet member. Reading about all that she did and the reasons why gave me hope that we are better people than we have done of late. Hope you included her in your new book Thom.
Where to begin? What is wrong with the new republicans (all of them). Trying to get a republican to "love thy neighbor" or be grateful or understanding or rational, or honest and not be angry and sadistic, is next to impossible!
Nobody can teach what they don't know, and when the gop are raised around phony religions of faith and religious parents who are not rational, it spreads, like a virus to their children. There is no emphasis on being moral other than sex. Everything we do is moral or immoral, right or wrong, good or evil....even doing nothing is doing something! This helps explain why the right are obsessed with sex and not truth, reality and serving God. Why serve God when you can just be forgiven for all your sins on your death bed. God is just a ticket to sin with in their minds.
Thoms article today is brilliant and true, but try to get a right winger to read it, is like trying to give a cat a bath. No wonder Musk and the other billionaires want more religious children to exploit. They are sooo easily bribed and manipulated and such fools. Until all children are raised properly from conception in agnostic growing centers where all their needs are met, we will have crime, racism, religious hatred, greedy liars sociopaths and narcissists. Males in America are raised to think having a conscience is feminine. Without a conscience a man is like a ship out in the ocean without a compass, just going in circle and will eventually self destruct! A real man, knows the difference between right and wrong and does not behave like a feral animal!
The Chinese are progressing, I can't say evolving, because they are mostly one people. United they stand if they have a rational leader, and divided they fall. The billionaires who moved their factories to China are dividing America and dreaming of China being the world reserve currency in my humble opinion and gobbling up south America also, and wanting Canada. The divided corrupt self-proclaimed Christians will be easy prey! For a couple billion, the heritage society would probably sell them the whole works!
The Republican fantasy of rugged individualism has been packaged nicely, but it is still baloney (borrowed from a Streisand song).
Understanding what can happen in a lifetime requires a different kind of brain, one that grasps nuance and leans toward compassion---not a brain that lets the amygdala run the show.
We literally cannot afford Republican leadership. Americans (especially the ones that do all the work) do not deserve the baloney they want us to eat. Giving Bernie a bigger platform and one more avenue to get out this message of wealth disparity was one of the best things you have ever done, Thom.
Continuing to explain the difference in the parties is also necessary. We will never close the gap with Trump and his cult in charge.
On the bright side, there just were MSM reports about a rebellion going on concerning the price gouging. Simply put, people ain't buying. Time to have a revolution at the polls too. I hope we see huge numbers for a diverse group of Democrats.
I would broaden that to say that Democrats trust ADULTS to make (informed) decisions about things that affect them. MAGA/Republicans/Conservatives, call them what you will, don't trust anyone to make the "correct" decision about anything.
It is important to note, I think, that many of the people who vote for Democratic representatives or for Republican representatives have some very vague conceptions about many of the issues and policies listed. Those who are active in the party organizations typically gravitate to specific issues and have a better understanding of the party ideology. But many voters are focused more on generalities and on personalities and many have one or two specific issues which determine how they will vote or if they will vote. Many who identify more with either party have a vision for themselves that looks more like an "American Dream" which includes great wealth in some near future scenario, and if they could achieve it would likely forget some of the idealistic and unselfish or communitarian values that are seen in the rhetoric used in opinion pieces and speeches. The differences are in which party is able to inform or persuade more people relative to their positions, benefits, and values and how citizens become educated or miseducated regarding the realities, facts, and histories they represent. Right now, money and resources are favoring the bad guys. Democrats have a steep hill to climb to overcome all that with only emotional appeal and promises of a more fulfilling, just, and compassionate life.
No, Trump and the GOP of today can not take credit cannot take credit for what is happening now. People (not elected people) have worked steadily over forty years to convince the American public that Government is bad and the solution is to cut taxes until there is no functioning government.
Thank you for articulating clearly the difference between the beliefs and policies of the Democrats and Republicans.
“Republicans are people who will withhold food from 100 people out of fear that 1 might not need or deserve it. Democrats will feed 100 out of concern that 1 might really need it.”
Republicans: Do unto others...before they do it to you!
The original Greek is "Do unto others as they do unto you"
This Jesus also supposedly said Love thy neighbor as thyself"
But read in the context of the time, and not today, a neighbor was a member of one's tribe, shared religion, beliefs, ethnicity, traditions.
Leviticus 19:18
"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your kinsfolk. Love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD"
This precedes the Greek New Testament by several hundred years.
Thanks for that contribution and addition to my knowledge.
William Farrar,
What is the Hebrew meaning of love thy neighbor?
Likewise here the meaning is: Love thy neighbor who is as thyself – like you, created in the image of God, a human being like yourself. This encompasses all of humanity created in the image of God.
https://www.jfedgmw.org › kedoshi...
Kedoshim: And Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself
What did I say Joyce?
2,000 years ago in Jerusalem a neighbor was a member of the tribe, a neighbor worshiped at temple like you. A Samaritan wasn't a neighbor, a Roman wasn't a neighbor
People take the modern concept of neighbor and apply it to a situation that exist 2,000 years ago
Thank you for clarifying the distinct differences between the Democratic and Republican ideologies and results. Obviously, the Republican party is the party of the very wealthy and the ignorant and naive, who are exploited beyond their understanding...
Pink Houses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB4FD5VkHak
I "like" that you're telling the truth.
I do not "like" the truth you're telling. But it is the truth. They're exploited by the party of the cultmaster they worship. Just as the "good Germans" believed shitler's Big Lies.
Right! So obvious. But can you explain the attraction to trumplism?
I think you may need to ask a psychiatrist &/or a psychologist. You could consider it a cult which would explain the rabid rallies & willingness to "drink the KoolAid.
The American dream is a myth. The robber barons of the gilded age, were ruthless sociopaths, most of them driven by the Calvinistic ideology of pre destination, that one is born favored of god and the proof is that one is rich.
The prosperity doctrine is a form of Calvinism, being that god can be bought.
The name Horatio Alger, rags to riches through work and endeavor, may not linger, but the idea behind it lives on and Americans, even the poor and middle class, believe and act like they are temporarily disadvantaged millionaires
And they are encouraged to believe that by the example, currently, of tech millionaires, Gates, Jobs, Ellison, and people like the Walton family (Walmart), Bezo's, but none of them bootstrapped themselves, They all had a head start, wealthy and important parents, friends and family.
Gates stole a recluses, disk operating system. His father a prominent and wealthy Seattle Lawyer, told him to license the program,not sell it, and drew up the licensing agreement which has become the standard for not only using software,but accessing websites, and using apps.
Recall the Trump boat parades? The boat owners are New and Used car Dealers (vile and dishonest, liars and thieves, Real estate brokers, Developers parasites that have no conscience or morals.
That is what it takes to "make it", borderline sociopath.The mainstay of the legal and investment fields.
Depends on who is telling the story. At public school in Pennsyltucky, we were taught that the US was the culmination of the Presbyterian dream. At one time, at the time of the founding, they were "determinists," that God has a fixed plan for everyone.
Later the American dream was expressed by concepts like "manifest destiny" and the "frontier society". Thom would depict the dream as "having" rather than "being" during the period leading to the civil war.
Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America studied American society in the 19th century. He referred to the American dream as “the charm of anticipated success.”
Lincoln: our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. The American dream is equality. The John Birch Society said this was communistic. MAGATs agree.
Sounds like the maga have got financial equality confused with equal rights? Of course, most of them oppose equal rights in my opinion also, I may be wrong?
1.They do not support financial equality!
2.Yes, for sure they oppose equal rights !
Jungian psychology: Collective racist subconscious.
Daniel, did you read the research on the relationship between germaphobes and racists? The theory is that people who are different were from elsewhere and brought diseases the population had no immunity to, and so we have this fear left from our early evolution. I heard this on a podcast during the COVID epidemic. I think it's a poor excuse for racism.
Makes sense. Reminds me that "cooties" are in the "dozens."
Racism is not genetic, however fear of the other, a survival mechanism is, we can see it in four legged animals, the fawn that lies quietly in the bush, while a leopard stalks (fawns have no odor, so they are not detected by smell,it is only when the bolt that the leopards sees them).
Animals, be they pack or herd, feel safe with their own kind, and even as cubs,infants or toddler, are instinctively fearful of the other. I am aware that some breeds like bears,lions and leopards will kill the offspring of another male, to bring the mother into estrus.
This fear of the other disappears as the creature matures, but has learned which species pose a threat, from their parents.
I saw a wildlife program, a leopard had killed and gorged itself on a mother antelope, the fawn was untouched and cozened up the leopard. Another leopard tried to kill he fawn, but the leopard defended and drove off the leopard, defending the fawn, , the parting shot was the leopard and fawn disappearing into the jungle. You might have oohed and awed at the sight, but the fawn was the leopards walking lunch.It was protecting it's food.
The racial subconscious is a social thing, not a genetic thing, IMO.
Many have seen the video of a white toddler that appeared to be chased by a black toddler ,but when the whole clip was shown, the two were BFF's running towards each other. If they were raised separately by fearful and suspicious parents, they would grow up fearful and suspicious.
As toddlers they recognized each other as the same species. Ethnicism, racism is where the other is not recognized as the same species, thus Hitler, unimpeded by the populace, was able to dehumanize Jews, Slavs, gays, socialists, etc as untermenschen meaning a different species.
You've Got To Be Carefully Taught. Someone should make a song with that title.
Yep - Rodgers & Hammerstein did it
South Pacific
Fear is developed in the amygdala. However inordinate fear may very well be genetic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK24694/
Once upon a time, my wife worked in the NIH twins study. Nurture...not so much. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0138511
I have ambivalent feelings about the study of archetypes through literature and other cultural clinical reactions. I wasted a couple of years writing about Joseph Campbell, who I now think was antisemitic, in that he rejected biblical stories as "racial" archetypes. https://folkstory.com/campbell/psychology_online_joseph_campbell.html#:~:text=Though%20Jung's%20contributions%20had%20a,thinker%20in%20his%20own%20right.
South Pacific ?
Got it in one
Trump claims to hate gays, immigrants, abortions and loves guns. While blaming the dems and allowing the capitalists to fleece the flock!
The Democratic party is the party of society, and therefore, everything that comes with making society possible - common sense rules and protections for and from the few who reach for power over the many, actual opportunities for actual people, true equality beyond sloganeering, and support for those of us who need it, when we need it.
The Republican crime syndicate is the Antisociety. The apex predator network. The gluttonous party of drunken wildfires set upon a hill of shattered human dreams. Gazillionaire anarchists on every street corner, on every dirt road, breaking society one person at a time - not only by conning us out of our homes, jobs, healthcare, and freedoms - but also through poisoning our trust in one another and demoralizing us into apathy. They want us weak and desperate - easier prey.
Looking forward to your new book, Thom! Sounds like a sequel to "Screwed".
Jon, Economists and politicians and it seems most educators, want us to believe that people are rational actors, that they act in their own best interests. And in truth they do, however there is scant attention or study as to what is considered the best interests of the populace.
Taking a cue from the current situation.
46% of the population's perceive their best interests to be preserving and protecting the patriarchy, which they have been told is under threat That is the umbrella under which the likes of Mark Robinson, Tim Scott, and Clarence Thomas huddle, with white racists. Preservation of male dominance is more important that racial oppression,
About 5-10% are people like the Never Trumpers and Lincoln Project, who are concerned with the business environment, deregulation
The rest are mildly conservative, liberal and progressive as regards social issues and lean towards matriarchal values such as cooperation, open handedness, acceptance, fairness, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
What we have before us is the patriarchy vs the matriarchy, and the patriarchy is in it's death throes
The matriarchy although it shuns violence, has learned and is learning that it had to master violence to defend itself from the patriarchy.
As an example, When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Empire it was a manufacturing hub, planes, missiles, nuclear weapons, but it voluntarily disarmed when the Empire broke up,
in effect it neutered itself, but the failed state or Russia, had a testosterone laden KGB agent appointed President by Yeltsin, and Putin set about remasulinating Russia, and turned to raping the now emasculated former states, cum Republics., except emasculated, matriarchal, Ukraine grew another set of balls, and fought and is fighting back againsgt the rapist.
So where do we go from here?
With so many Maga followers safely ensconced in their FOX & other right wing "news" organizations it's hard to break through.
When a large portion of the population has consistently backed the Republican agenda without asking why they are still stuck in the same economic plight it is difficult to break into that delusion that lower taxes that Republicans put through only benefit the wealthy. Every time we got a tax cut I saw maybe $20 to $30 "break", that's hardly going to put a person on the path to wealth, especially when those wealthy corporations keep prices artificially high. And then republicans keep the electorate dumbed down so much that they don't even see what is going on!
We've got our work cut out for us!
Perfect! And thank you for the clarity.
The answer lies in the psyche of those who attacked the US on Jan 6. It’s White people who recognize but don’t understand that it is no longer all about them. For them, they feel the loss of privilege They’ll never admit that to themselves. The Massive Right Wing Propaganda Machine & Trumpster fire feeds that fear. They’ll do anything to avoid their continued loss of privilege. Including Civil War.
As a born poor white male, I have never felt that white male privilege I keep hearing about. I think it must be having connections? That privilege is reserved for middle class and a few rich white males. Once the gop destroys the middle class completely, it will not exist at all and we will have a bunch of lunatics with guns running around!
Here’s the link to a deeper dive regarding exactly what I mean by “white privilege.” Robert Pape studied political violence for 35 years. He was amazed at what he found.
https://youtu.be/UxtFUpr47-A?si=p5VMTEhv1b-ojRTt
I was born poor as well, and not much has changed. But I wasn’t born poor and non-white or even worse, poor, not-white and female. Our economic system was/is built on men working, owning, voting, and being in charge…you know…traditional family values (cough cough) The people who threw the J6 hissy fit were easy prey for that message and their petty tyrant loved them for it. He also didn’t give a damn about the violence and the people who died that day. He never will.
Among the white traitors that stomed the capital was Abdul-Razaq Akbar[,aka Ali Alexander https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Alexander and he wasn't the only one then and he has been joined by legions now, who have cast their lot with racists, because they see personal benefit to coming on board in the leading wave. I call them https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisling
I appreciate the link I’ll have to review it. Thanks
Nixon cancelled the space program that was going to put future humans in space and make a Jetson life style a reality. The Repub policy stripped our future in order to give all that money to the rich. Programs to make home ownership possible for the working poor. Retirement was built on 3 legs of homes, pensions, and savings. Companies took the route of ending pension and government ended it policies to ensure home ownership was increasing. The lack of wage, housing, and pension policies meant that a huge increase in retired workers with nothing but social security and the GOP target that one as well. The actions are right back from mudsill with the goal of making the majority of Americans living below the middle class to make the economy generate unearned millionaires and billionaires by a base of poverty which is what slavery was all about. The reason mine and future generations are not getting married buying homes, and having babies is because they cannot afford them. I have no wife or children because of the GOP.
Worse than serfs Clayton, at least a serf had a thatch roofed hovel over his head, if the situation keeps on, cardboard boxes, tents and overpasses is the future.
Republicans claim to favor a Laissez -Faire
approach to the government’s role in the economy. That is , until their financial affairs are threatened by the inevitable busts that occur in market based economies - - at that
point they find the resources to bail out the billionaires that got us into the problem in the first place .
Democrats get to shoulder the blame -
Austerity for Main Street , a larger yacht to sail off into the sunset for the rich .
Thank you so much. This is clear and useful.
Today Heather Cox Richardson wrote about Frances Perkins, FDR's labor secretary for 12 years and the first female cabinet member. Reading about all that she did and the reasons why gave me hope that we are better people than we have done of late. Hope you included her in your new book Thom.
Where to begin? What is wrong with the new republicans (all of them). Trying to get a republican to "love thy neighbor" or be grateful or understanding or rational, or honest and not be angry and sadistic, is next to impossible!
Nobody can teach what they don't know, and when the gop are raised around phony religions of faith and religious parents who are not rational, it spreads, like a virus to their children. There is no emphasis on being moral other than sex. Everything we do is moral or immoral, right or wrong, good or evil....even doing nothing is doing something! This helps explain why the right are obsessed with sex and not truth, reality and serving God. Why serve God when you can just be forgiven for all your sins on your death bed. God is just a ticket to sin with in their minds.
Thoms article today is brilliant and true, but try to get a right winger to read it, is like trying to give a cat a bath. No wonder Musk and the other billionaires want more religious children to exploit. They are sooo easily bribed and manipulated and such fools. Until all children are raised properly from conception in agnostic growing centers where all their needs are met, we will have crime, racism, religious hatred, greedy liars sociopaths and narcissists. Males in America are raised to think having a conscience is feminine. Without a conscience a man is like a ship out in the ocean without a compass, just going in circle and will eventually self destruct! A real man, knows the difference between right and wrong and does not behave like a feral animal!
The Chinese are progressing, I can't say evolving, because they are mostly one people. United they stand if they have a rational leader, and divided they fall. The billionaires who moved their factories to China are dividing America and dreaming of China being the world reserve currency in my humble opinion and gobbling up south America also, and wanting Canada. The divided corrupt self-proclaimed Christians will be easy prey! For a couple billion, the heritage society would probably sell them the whole works!
The Republican fantasy of rugged individualism has been packaged nicely, but it is still baloney (borrowed from a Streisand song).
Understanding what can happen in a lifetime requires a different kind of brain, one that grasps nuance and leans toward compassion---not a brain that lets the amygdala run the show.
We literally cannot afford Republican leadership. Americans (especially the ones that do all the work) do not deserve the baloney they want us to eat. Giving Bernie a bigger platform and one more avenue to get out this message of wealth disparity was one of the best things you have ever done, Thom.
Continuing to explain the difference in the parties is also necessary. We will never close the gap with Trump and his cult in charge.
On the bright side, there just were MSM reports about a rebellion going on concerning the price gouging. Simply put, people ain't buying. Time to have a revolution at the polls too. I hope we see huge numbers for a diverse group of Democrats.
>Democrats trust women to make decisions...
I would broaden that to say that Democrats trust ADULTS to make (informed) decisions about things that affect them. MAGA/Republicans/Conservatives, call them what you will, don't trust anyone to make the "correct" decision about anything.
It is important to note, I think, that many of the people who vote for Democratic representatives or for Republican representatives have some very vague conceptions about many of the issues and policies listed. Those who are active in the party organizations typically gravitate to specific issues and have a better understanding of the party ideology. But many voters are focused more on generalities and on personalities and many have one or two specific issues which determine how they will vote or if they will vote. Many who identify more with either party have a vision for themselves that looks more like an "American Dream" which includes great wealth in some near future scenario, and if they could achieve it would likely forget some of the idealistic and unselfish or communitarian values that are seen in the rhetoric used in opinion pieces and speeches. The differences are in which party is able to inform or persuade more people relative to their positions, benefits, and values and how citizens become educated or miseducated regarding the realities, facts, and histories they represent. Right now, money and resources are favoring the bad guys. Democrats have a steep hill to climb to overcome all that with only emotional appeal and promises of a more fulfilling, just, and compassionate life.
No, Trump and the GOP of today can not take credit cannot take credit for what is happening now. People (not elected people) have worked steadily over forty years to convince the American public that Government is bad and the solution is to cut taxes until there is no functioning government.