Patriotism & religion are luxuries. When you can’t pay the rent or feed your family, when you’re pestered by bill collectors, it’s hard to think of anything other than money…
Politically active . Now in whatever way we can . We definitely need to show up to vote in every election . Just as important as presidential elections are local elections. Republicans cash in on local elections , which Democrats are just starting to see the importance of . And we learned the hard way . Look at De Santis in Florida making changes( arguably not his to make) but held up by white supremecists’ at the local levels.
And their numbers are increasing . We need to be vocal about things happening in our communities locally as well . Many people get more well informed w government at the local level. I know here in my city in NYS , Democrats are the majority but in the County Republicans rule. Its damn frustrating to see how hands are tied by these GOP politicians who loved Reagans ‘ non principles ‘ and still play with them today . Mean spirited as Reagan , Bush , Trump and now the Supreme Court has been engineered around these same non principles.
The love of money has infected everything. I am remiss in giving publicity to another substack letter
by this scares the Bejesus out of me. Jamie Dimon, who along with Pete Peterson has been deadset on privatizing Social Security and Medicare is apparently being considered as Secretary of the Treasury when Janet Yellen leaves the office. I thought it was a betrayal when Obama had Geither as his Sec Treasury, Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, Larry Summers as his advisor, but Biden following suit and making Dimon sec of Treasury, I can only hope that his repuration goes in the toilet with Epstein and Trump. https://powercorridor.substack.com/p/moment-of-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
"JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive Jamie Dimon achieved borderline action hero status as he raced the clock alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to shore up the foundering U.S. banking system.
This was meant (mostly) in jest, and I feel the need to point out that I should not need to point this out. Hyperbole, people.
Nonetheless, talk that Dimon may be asked by President Biden as early as this year to possibly succeed Yellen is getting a tiny bit louder, and is seen by some as a fitting retirement lap to his nearly two-decade-long reign as Wall Street’s top banker.
After Dimon gamely pitched in to help co-lead last month’s rescue operation, resulting in 11 banks joining forces to stabilize the financial system (a herculean effort that The New York Times breathlessly called the “Jamie and Janet show”), it does not strain the imagination to think he might be an appealing candidate for the job.
Yet Dimon’s hero halo is looking a little tarnished by fresh allegations that high-ranking executives at JPMorgan knew about – and made light of – the behavior of late child predator, convicted sex criminal, and financier Jeffrey Epstein, a client of the bank."
I forgot to mention, The "recession" of 2008, was facilitated by Clinton's repeal of Glass Steagall,
but what is not mentioned by the corporate media is that there were bank failures, just not the big banks, and the bank bailouts benefited JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, they were always two of the most powerful financiial institutions, but emerged as pure oligarchic,and now with Trump
and the GOP revoking Dodd Frank. they are even more powerful with the demise of SVB,, Signature and Silvergate First Citizens Bancshares Inc, acquistion of SVB moved it from 36 to 20
Someone please convince me that the banksters don't run America's financial, hence economic, hence political system. That they aren't the major shareholdes in the ship called U.S.A. Inc.
The movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street" might as well have been a documentary. Here is a dirty little secret: You won't make it (I mean make it, rise to the top, make it) on Wall Street,and indeed in business if you weren't a sociopath, being also a psychopath helps.
Like many a military retiree, there is not much that your career prepares you for, especially if you are battlefield soldier,airman, swabby, and most definitely if you are an officer, (General Officers, as a rule, land cushy jobs as VP of nothing in particular, or as an "advisor" with "defense" oriented companies "if, especially if" they have connections (influence) with active duty decision makers.
The famous Gen George Pickett tried to but failed to make it selling insurance. I first dabbled in selling vacuum cleaners, was on the way up, when one day a potential sale, a couple in their late 60's showed me a closet full of vacuum cleaners, every make or model from Kirby to Rainbow.
They had zero sales resistance. I folded right than and there. I realized that I was selling unsought goods, to people who couldn't afford them, that the people who could afford them, didn't even answer the doorbell.
My "manager" on the other hand, seemed to get an orgasm with every sale, and he wouldn't call it quits for a day until he made at least one sale, then he would go off to his favorite barr, buy a round of beers and play pool.
A SMSgt that had worked for me when I was a team leader, took a staff position at higher headquarters, he was one hell of a bull shitter, and was hired by Motorola to head up marketing for a new very secure radio. He even met with Ed Meese when Reagan was president., his job was of course temporary, as technology had passed him by, and as he aged so did is contacts and influence.
Very few of these retired Colonels and Generals hang on past an election cycle.
So you had the rug sucked right out from under you! (couldn't resist:) My uncle invented the walkie-talkie for Motorola (back in circa 1938). Some say the device won us WW II. Of course, the company kept the patent;)
My Dad was the adjutant of the 1st Joint Assault Signal Company during the invasion of the Mariannas and Marshall Islands. The job was to coordinate naval gunfire with ship to shore communications. I'm sure that his unit would have had used your uncles radios.
Companies always own the patents that their employees produce, unless they buy them. Parker Brothers bought the game board risk for peanuts. It was invented by an air traffic controller, he showed it to Parker Brothers,they offered him peanuts He demurred telling them that he would find another company, they told him go ahead, now that we have seen it we can produce a knock off. So he took the offer and walked.
So cool! My Dad went to New Guinea and was captured by the Japanese, taken to the Philippines, Bataan death march, finally liberated by MacArthur. He was in and out of VA hospitals his whole life - TB. He used to joke that they got his typing score mixed up with his IQ so they made him a General's aide - for his typing. His IQ was 188 - no kidding! He was supposedly with the 20th Armored Division but, they went to Europe. Never did find out what he was really up to.... Gave him electric shock treatment when he got state-side in 1945. Didn't remember much ... He had flashbacks but again, I wonder why.... Manhattan Project perhaps? We will never know....
“The only things in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.” (Jim Hightower, I think).
You could add Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden to that list. Not one of them has ever had the courage to fight for what really needs to happen (gays in the military, Medicare for all, countless Biden examples), and as a result they give us a thin gruel…and the surety that the issue won’t even be revisited for 16+ years.
Could not agree more, but the DNC has me by the short and curlies, because the Republicans are so much worse (except for Bill Clinton. I've been voting against these fascists for years, I want to vote for someone and something for a change. Bernie was a ray of hope, but all considered he would have not been able to deliver.
I fear you are correct. A Democratic Congress and Executive could solve the problems, pass the laws that needed to be passed, but they won't there will always be a stooge like Sinema or Manchin to throw a wrench in the works. Both of them performed a service for about 12 other Democratic Senators, they took all of the heat, so the ConservaDems didn't have to show their hand.
If the DNC doesn't get behind firebrand progressives, we are screwed.
To date they only back Republicrats, and try to get rid of progressives.
They don't have a clue. Biden did not carry the down ticket Democrats, In fact in 2016 and 2020 ConservaDems lost their seats in the house, while the only Democratic gains were Progressives, and in 2020 the progressives picked up two seats while the conservadems lost
Rather they delude themselves with Russian interference and Comey (I am sure that they didn't help, but Hillary is the most unattractive uncharismatic horse i n the Democratic stable,and as always they are just like the Republicans unable to face reality.
They know, but can't admit, that Biden did not win the election, so much as Trump lost it, the assclown is so corrupt, so unlikeable,so stupid (literally) that Alfred E Newman could have beat Trump.
The DNC needs new progressive, fire breathing, fire brands, not old farts like Perez, and Brazile, not Begala, not Alter, not any of those luke warm, milquetoasts.
Compromise has got us into this. you can't compromise with evil, cause evil always wins.
I disagree on your basic premise: religion and patriotism are not luxuries, they are essentials. The problem is, money/greed have usurped them both, along with a healthy dose of fear. My millennial child doesn't plan on having children because of the Climate Crisis. He and his partner are both scientists, have worked on environmental climate studies and ...know. Religion (Christianity, at least) has been corrupted by child abuse scandals; we no longer have spiritual connections, we have dogma. "The Over-Soul' by Emerson is my favorite essay of all time! In it, Emerson describes the soul in each of us and how we connect to each other and to an 'over-soul' - one God for all religions. If only we had this spirituality as the foundation of our religions, we'd be in much better shape. Patriotism in my humble opinion, started to die when we stopped teaching Civics in grammar schools - I learned how our Country works and it made me proud to be an American. If only we went back to Civics and added 1619 Project, et al. for the whole truth, our children could stem the tide.
The current 38 and 39% levels you mention for patriotism and religion respectively sound about right, and the realistic level is probably lower. It's referred to by church-goers, of which I used to be one, as the "refiner's fire"; that is, a person's true character comes out when times get tough. When I attended church, it was obvious that some see it as a social event, very much a "luxury", as you put it. For those who are single, it's a good place to meet a mate, that sort of luxury. And as life gets tougher and more demanding expect to see those numbers decline even further -- it's how you get to the "gold", hence the term refiner's fire.
The latest illustration of what is wrong with the country and why it's so difficult to correct our course occurred on the most recent 60 minutes broadcast. The experienced journalist, Stahl was told by the corrupt M.T. Greene that this country should have laws straight out of the bible since our founders were very religious and read the bible. She was not told that actually they were mostly Deists and wanted nothing to do with religion in government after seeing the hundreds of years of religious wars devastating Europe. That was the last thing we needed here. Alas, look how far we have regressed.
Exactly the kind of history book that should be used in schools throughout the country. But also, the kind of book that'd give people like Ron Desantis an apoplectic fit. Maybe I'll send him a copy.
I would absolutely say that there is no room left for anything when you are just trying to survive.
There are always many factors with major change. One thing that drove the decrease concerning religion has to be the incredible hypocrisy and actual criminality involved with organized religions. I know I had a terrible experience that affected my attitude toward churches.
Having blind-faith with religion and patriotism is not healthy. I love this country because it is constantly reinventing itself. There is a state of collective learning involved. Bernie, AOC, and so many progressives have reached the masses. We will overcome the money obsession along with wasting our lives on corporations that demand loyalty but give none in return. Young people are on to this. It is the very reason Bernie can write a book called "It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism". They will read it---the libraries will have it. Could you fathom that happening 25 years ago?
Money equals freedom for the 99%. Money for the rich bastards not paying their share is just a means of keeping score.
The mis-aligned focus is increasingly understood but the question arises how to get to a solution.
Most would argue that the Constitution needs amendment to eliminate the "speech is money" corruption regime that has taken over since Citizens United. Asking Congress to propose and refer such an amendment when they are feeding at the trough of monied corruption is hoping for too much.
Perhaps an Article V convention with a very limited scope should be considered. This would originate in the states and, arguably, could leverage citizen initiative processes--assuming that the initiative is the same as a legislature--of the 26 states with one. Leveraging this process may help overcome some Red state legislatures and get to the 34 needed to call the Convention.
As was done with the call for a Convention for the direct election of senators, the language of the call can be very restrictive. The threat of that Convention led to Congress actually submitting the 17th Amendment to the States, which was followed by rather fast adoption.
At the very least, a call to an Article V Convention for ending the "money is speech corruption" will wake up Congress. The effort is not easy or without risk but it is better than the alternative at always pointing to the problem and getting stuck watching politicians feed at the trough of corruption.
You know, Tom? I respectfully disagree with your premise. I don’t think Americans were actually all that more patriotic then, unless you cherry-pick post 9-11, and as for religion? That’s a crock of people wanting to say something that looks good on paper, but don’t really believe.
Exhibit A is Michael Moore’s brilliant (except for the cringe-worthy, typical Moore scene where he snuck in and mocked dementia victim Charlton Heston…ugh) movie, “Bowling for Columbine.” As you remember, the movie revealed that the primary cause for mass shootings and the proliferation of military weapons in civilian hands is actually the MARKETING OF FEAR.
Now, it’s the marketing of greed, wealth and excess at work. “Get the (fill in the blank) you deserve!”
Politically active . Now in whatever way we can . We definitely need to show up to vote in every election . Just as important as presidential elections are local elections. Republicans cash in on local elections , which Democrats are just starting to see the importance of . And we learned the hard way . Look at De Santis in Florida making changes( arguably not his to make) but held up by white supremecists’ at the local levels.
And their numbers are increasing . We need to be vocal about things happening in our communities locally as well . Many people get more well informed w government at the local level. I know here in my city in NYS , Democrats are the majority but in the County Republicans rule. Its damn frustrating to see how hands are tied by these GOP politicians who loved Reagans ‘ non principles ‘ and still play with them today . Mean spirited as Reagan , Bush , Trump and now the Supreme Court has been engineered around these same non principles.
We must get to work .
The love of money has infected everything. I am remiss in giving publicity to another substack letter
by this scares the Bejesus out of me. Jamie Dimon, who along with Pete Peterson has been deadset on privatizing Social Security and Medicare is apparently being considered as Secretary of the Treasury when Janet Yellen leaves the office. I thought it was a betrayal when Obama had Geither as his Sec Treasury, Rahm Emanuel as his Chief of Staff, Larry Summers as his advisor, but Biden following suit and making Dimon sec of Treasury, I can only hope that his repuration goes in the toilet with Epstein and Trump. https://powercorridor.substack.com/p/moment-of-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
"JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive Jamie Dimon achieved borderline action hero status as he raced the clock alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to shore up the foundering U.S. banking system.
This was meant (mostly) in jest, and I feel the need to point out that I should not need to point this out. Hyperbole, people.
Nonetheless, talk that Dimon may be asked by President Biden as early as this year to possibly succeed Yellen is getting a tiny bit louder, and is seen by some as a fitting retirement lap to his nearly two-decade-long reign as Wall Street’s top banker.
After Dimon gamely pitched in to help co-lead last month’s rescue operation, resulting in 11 banks joining forces to stabilize the financial system (a herculean effort that The New York Times breathlessly called the “Jamie and Janet show”), it does not strain the imagination to think he might be an appealing candidate for the job.
Yet Dimon’s hero halo is looking a little tarnished by fresh allegations that high-ranking executives at JPMorgan knew about – and made light of – the behavior of late child predator, convicted sex criminal, and financier Jeffrey Epstein, a client of the bank."
I forgot to mention, The "recession" of 2008, was facilitated by Clinton's repeal of Glass Steagall,
but what is not mentioned by the corporate media is that there were bank failures, just not the big banks, and the bank bailouts benefited JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, they were always two of the most powerful financiial institutions, but emerged as pure oligarchic,and now with Trump
and the GOP revoking Dodd Frank. they are even more powerful with the demise of SVB,, Signature and Silvergate First Citizens Bancshares Inc, acquistion of SVB moved it from 36 to 20
JP Morgan (Jame Dimon) is the #1 bank in America https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_banks_in_the_United_States
Someone please convince me that the banksters don't run America's financial, hence economic, hence political system. That they aren't the major shareholdes in the ship called U.S.A. Inc.
I dated a guy who was a VP at JP Morgan. Yup. Some, if not all these investment banks have an a-moral, ruthless cancer running through them.
The movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street" might as well have been a documentary. Here is a dirty little secret: You won't make it (I mean make it, rise to the top, make it) on Wall Street,and indeed in business if you weren't a sociopath, being also a psychopath helps.
Like many a military retiree, there is not much that your career prepares you for, especially if you are battlefield soldier,airman, swabby, and most definitely if you are an officer, (General Officers, as a rule, land cushy jobs as VP of nothing in particular, or as an "advisor" with "defense" oriented companies "if, especially if" they have connections (influence) with active duty decision makers.
The famous Gen George Pickett tried to but failed to make it selling insurance. I first dabbled in selling vacuum cleaners, was on the way up, when one day a potential sale, a couple in their late 60's showed me a closet full of vacuum cleaners, every make or model from Kirby to Rainbow.
They had zero sales resistance. I folded right than and there. I realized that I was selling unsought goods, to people who couldn't afford them, that the people who could afford them, didn't even answer the doorbell.
My "manager" on the other hand, seemed to get an orgasm with every sale, and he wouldn't call it quits for a day until he made at least one sale, then he would go off to his favorite barr, buy a round of beers and play pool.
A SMSgt that had worked for me when I was a team leader, took a staff position at higher headquarters, he was one hell of a bull shitter, and was hired by Motorola to head up marketing for a new very secure radio. He even met with Ed Meese when Reagan was president., his job was of course temporary, as technology had passed him by, and as he aged so did is contacts and influence.
Very few of these retired Colonels and Generals hang on past an election cycle.
So you had the rug sucked right out from under you! (couldn't resist:) My uncle invented the walkie-talkie for Motorola (back in circa 1938). Some say the device won us WW II. Of course, the company kept the patent;)
My Dad was the adjutant of the 1st Joint Assault Signal Company during the invasion of the Mariannas and Marshall Islands. The job was to coordinate naval gunfire with ship to shore communications. I'm sure that his unit would have had used your uncles radios.
Companies always own the patents that their employees produce, unless they buy them. Parker Brothers bought the game board risk for peanuts. It was invented by an air traffic controller, he showed it to Parker Brothers,they offered him peanuts He demurred telling them that he would find another company, they told him go ahead, now that we have seen it we can produce a knock off. So he took the offer and walked.
So cool! My Dad went to New Guinea and was captured by the Japanese, taken to the Philippines, Bataan death march, finally liberated by MacArthur. He was in and out of VA hospitals his whole life - TB. He used to joke that they got his typing score mixed up with his IQ so they made him a General's aide - for his typing. His IQ was 188 - no kidding! He was supposedly with the 20th Armored Division but, they went to Europe. Never did find out what he was really up to.... Gave him electric shock treatment when he got state-side in 1945. Didn't remember much ... He had flashbacks but again, I wonder why.... Manhattan Project perhaps? We will never know....
All.
“The only things in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.” (Jim Hightower, I think).
You could add Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden to that list. Not one of them has ever had the courage to fight for what really needs to happen (gays in the military, Medicare for all, countless Biden examples), and as a result they give us a thin gruel…and the surety that the issue won’t even be revisited for 16+ years.
Ugh.
Could not agree more, but the DNC has me by the short and curlies, because the Republicans are so much worse (except for Bill Clinton. I've been voting against these fascists for years, I want to vote for someone and something for a change. Bernie was a ray of hope, but all considered he would have not been able to deliver.
I fear you are correct. A Democratic Congress and Executive could solve the problems, pass the laws that needed to be passed, but they won't there will always be a stooge like Sinema or Manchin to throw a wrench in the works. Both of them performed a service for about 12 other Democratic Senators, they took all of the heat, so the ConservaDems didn't have to show their hand.
If the DNC doesn't get behind firebrand progressives, we are screwed.
To date they only back Republicrats, and try to get rid of progressives.
They don't have a clue. Biden did not carry the down ticket Democrats, In fact in 2016 and 2020 ConservaDems lost their seats in the house, while the only Democratic gains were Progressives, and in 2020 the progressives picked up two seats while the conservadems lost
Rather they delude themselves with Russian interference and Comey (I am sure that they didn't help, but Hillary is the most unattractive uncharismatic horse i n the Democratic stable,and as always they are just like the Republicans unable to face reality.
They know, but can't admit, that Biden did not win the election, so much as Trump lost it, the assclown is so corrupt, so unlikeable,so stupid (literally) that Alfred E Newman could have beat Trump.
The DNC needs new progressive, fire breathing, fire brands, not old farts like Perez, and Brazile, not Begala, not Alter, not any of those luke warm, milquetoasts.
Compromise has got us into this. you can't compromise with evil, cause evil always wins.
I disagree on your basic premise: religion and patriotism are not luxuries, they are essentials. The problem is, money/greed have usurped them both, along with a healthy dose of fear. My millennial child doesn't plan on having children because of the Climate Crisis. He and his partner are both scientists, have worked on environmental climate studies and ...know. Religion (Christianity, at least) has been corrupted by child abuse scandals; we no longer have spiritual connections, we have dogma. "The Over-Soul' by Emerson is my favorite essay of all time! In it, Emerson describes the soul in each of us and how we connect to each other and to an 'over-soul' - one God for all religions. If only we had this spirituality as the foundation of our religions, we'd be in much better shape. Patriotism in my humble opinion, started to die when we stopped teaching Civics in grammar schools - I learned how our Country works and it made me proud to be an American. If only we went back to Civics and added 1619 Project, et al. for the whole truth, our children could stem the tide.
The current 38 and 39% levels you mention for patriotism and religion respectively sound about right, and the realistic level is probably lower. It's referred to by church-goers, of which I used to be one, as the "refiner's fire"; that is, a person's true character comes out when times get tough. When I attended church, it was obvious that some see it as a social event, very much a "luxury", as you put it. For those who are single, it's a good place to meet a mate, that sort of luxury. And as life gets tougher and more demanding expect to see those numbers decline even further -- it's how you get to the "gold", hence the term refiner's fire.
The latest illustration of what is wrong with the country and why it's so difficult to correct our course occurred on the most recent 60 minutes broadcast. The experienced journalist, Stahl was told by the corrupt M.T. Greene that this country should have laws straight out of the bible since our founders were very religious and read the bible. She was not told that actually they were mostly Deists and wanted nothing to do with religion in government after seeing the hundreds of years of religious wars devastating Europe. That was the last thing we needed here. Alas, look how far we have regressed.
I'm not one to quote the bible, but Paul got this right: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1. Timothy 6:10.
Exactly the kind of history book that should be used in schools throughout the country. But also, the kind of book that'd give people like Ron Desantis an apoplectic fit. Maybe I'll send him a copy.
I would absolutely say that there is no room left for anything when you are just trying to survive.
There are always many factors with major change. One thing that drove the decrease concerning religion has to be the incredible hypocrisy and actual criminality involved with organized religions. I know I had a terrible experience that affected my attitude toward churches.
Having blind-faith with religion and patriotism is not healthy. I love this country because it is constantly reinventing itself. There is a state of collective learning involved. Bernie, AOC, and so many progressives have reached the masses. We will overcome the money obsession along with wasting our lives on corporations that demand loyalty but give none in return. Young people are on to this. It is the very reason Bernie can write a book called "It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism". They will read it---the libraries will have it. Could you fathom that happening 25 years ago?
Money equals freedom for the 99%. Money for the rich bastards not paying their share is just a means of keeping score.
Patriotism is showing faith and our Nation and voting. When only half of us believe in voting we get a Congress with an 18% job approval rating.
The mis-aligned focus is increasingly understood but the question arises how to get to a solution.
Most would argue that the Constitution needs amendment to eliminate the "speech is money" corruption regime that has taken over since Citizens United. Asking Congress to propose and refer such an amendment when they are feeding at the trough of monied corruption is hoping for too much.
Perhaps an Article V convention with a very limited scope should be considered. This would originate in the states and, arguably, could leverage citizen initiative processes--assuming that the initiative is the same as a legislature--of the 26 states with one. Leveraging this process may help overcome some Red state legislatures and get to the 34 needed to call the Convention.
The "smoke and mirrors" scare tactics around a runaway Convention should be avoided. Article V was included in the Constitution to "amend" the constitution not replace it. There have been fairly exhaustive analyses that conclude that limits exist and further limits can be implemented by Congress. See https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/report-attorney-general-limited-constitutional-conventions-under.
As was done with the call for a Convention for the direct election of senators, the language of the call can be very restrictive. The threat of that Convention led to Congress actually submitting the 17th Amendment to the States, which was followed by rather fast adoption.
At the very least, a call to an Article V Convention for ending the "money is speech corruption" will wake up Congress. The effort is not easy or without risk but it is better than the alternative at always pointing to the problem and getting stuck watching politicians feed at the trough of corruption.
P
You know, Tom? I respectfully disagree with your premise. I don’t think Americans were actually all that more patriotic then, unless you cherry-pick post 9-11, and as for religion? That’s a crock of people wanting to say something that looks good on paper, but don’t really believe.
Exhibit A is Michael Moore’s brilliant (except for the cringe-worthy, typical Moore scene where he snuck in and mocked dementia victim Charlton Heston…ugh) movie, “Bowling for Columbine.” As you remember, the movie revealed that the primary cause for mass shootings and the proliferation of military weapons in civilian hands is actually the MARKETING OF FEAR.
Now, it’s the marketing of greed, wealth and excess at work. “Get the (fill in the blank) you deserve!”
Deserve? Huh….
So your premise is just wrong.