Congress should stand up for what’s right and "legally bribed politicians" isn’t that: it's time to end the bribery & get something done for the people, for a change
Since Manchin is clearly a grifter whose word you cannot rely on, I think Biden should raise the price tag back up on his BBB Framework to the, still too low, 3.5 trillion that he began with. This will be a direct slap-in-the-face to a guy who really has no intention of compromise no matter what, and it would be such a surprising statement that would sow doubt as to whether Biden really does have an alternate plan. BBB is not going anywhere. Manchin is doing the thing that every rich capitalist does when faced with having to serve two (or more) masters: run out the clock while collecting the bucks (and adulation from the corporatists). Maybe Thom can write a column called, “A Personal Appeal to Joe Manchin” or something on the lines of this letter:
At this breaking point do we not have a moral imperative to use every tool available to save our democracy and the planet? This Report has given us a guideline and the history. We have to get back some trust in our government and the voice of the majority. Breaking the bonds the Supreme Court has thrust on our society by making corporations people and money speech should be job one. Almost all the suffering flows from those immoral decisions.
It's way, way past time for Democrats -- and every human being on our horribly sick planet with a thinking, feeling, functioning cerebral cortex -- to defy absolutely EVERYTHING coming out of the small, efed-up minds of the delusional idiots running the asylum!
Pardon for going off-topic, but no matter how all the big-picture issues are sliced and diced through a political lens (as they must be, certainly), they all point toward the biggest one of all:
The New York Times website has been running a shocking collection of visuals and audio about the devastating effects of climate destruction in 193 countries titled "Postcards from a World on Fire" under the home-page headline "The Planet Is Failing. What Does That Look Like in Every Single Country?" It's a worthy project that really drives the point home for any casual observers left out there who may still be in denial about just how fragile life actually is, clinging to a mote of dust on the brink of destruction.
Unfortunately, this remarkable exposé is hidden behind the NYT paywall, which, in my humble opinion, is a highly immoral disservice to the public at large. An issue of such magnitude affecting everyone everywhere -- indeed all life on Earth! -- should not be considered merely another product to sell. That speaks to the unconscionable profit motive and the greed engine running everything on this dying planet behind the scenes. Yes, you'd be wrong to think that millionaires and billionaires would let go of a few pennies to wake people up. (So play their stupid game then: Look for their introductory offer at only four bucks a month for a year, which they will extend for another year if a new subscriber 😉 threatens to leave when the renewal comes due at their ridiculous normal price. Whatever the price, however, this piece alone is well worth it.)
Of course, there have been seemingly endless accounts for a long time now from both the scientific community as well as from so many other concerned individuals and groups sounding the alarm (not the least of which is Thom's website) examining in excruciating detail every aspect of humanity's NUMBER ONE PROBLEM, dwarfing all others. Nothing else comes close, not even the steep rise of authoritarianism and the decline of democracy, global warfare, nuclear proliferation (Okay, that one is scary as hell too.), or the truly alarming, widening disparity of wealth fueling worldwide poverty and famine.
All in all, the world's huge body of work examining this mother of all problems and urgently seeking a solution, or a least some kind of viable mitigation to lessen the impact, is not only going largely unheeded but is also being deliberately downplayed and delayed by the same forces of greed responsible for every other critical problem caused by the abject stupidity of the human race.
It really comes down to psychology. The core of democracy and the sense of basic fairness begins in each individual mind and spreads outwardly, as does the basic intelligence to combat "climate destruction" -- a more relatable term than the euphemistic "climate change," which doesn't capture the Armageddon scenario playing out as humanity's final act.
Since Manchin is clearly a grifter whose word you cannot rely on, I think Biden should raise the price tag back up on his BBB Framework to the, still too low, 3.5 trillion that he began with. This will be a direct slap-in-the-face to a guy who really has no intention of compromise no matter what, and it would be such a surprising statement that would sow doubt as to whether Biden really does have an alternate plan. BBB is not going anywhere. Manchin is doing the thing that every rich capitalist does when faced with having to serve two (or more) masters: run out the clock while collecting the bucks (and adulation from the corporatists). Maybe Thom can write a column called, “A Personal Appeal to Joe Manchin” or something on the lines of this letter:
“Student pens letter to Senator Joe Manchin“
https://wfuogb.com/13731/opinion/student-pens-letter-to-senator-joe-manchin/
At this breaking point do we not have a moral imperative to use every tool available to save our democracy and the planet? This Report has given us a guideline and the history. We have to get back some trust in our government and the voice of the majority. Breaking the bonds the Supreme Court has thrust on our society by making corporations people and money speech should be job one. Almost all the suffering flows from those immoral decisions.
It's way, way past time for Democrats -- and every human being on our horribly sick planet with a thinking, feeling, functioning cerebral cortex -- to defy absolutely EVERYTHING coming out of the small, efed-up minds of the delusional idiots running the asylum!
Pardon for going off-topic, but no matter how all the big-picture issues are sliced and diced through a political lens (as they must be, certainly), they all point toward the biggest one of all:
The New York Times website has been running a shocking collection of visuals and audio about the devastating effects of climate destruction in 193 countries titled "Postcards from a World on Fire" under the home-page headline "The Planet Is Failing. What Does That Look Like in Every Single Country?" It's a worthy project that really drives the point home for any casual observers left out there who may still be in denial about just how fragile life actually is, clinging to a mote of dust on the brink of destruction.
Unfortunately, this remarkable exposé is hidden behind the NYT paywall, which, in my humble opinion, is a highly immoral disservice to the public at large. An issue of such magnitude affecting everyone everywhere -- indeed all life on Earth! -- should not be considered merely another product to sell. That speaks to the unconscionable profit motive and the greed engine running everything on this dying planet behind the scenes. Yes, you'd be wrong to think that millionaires and billionaires would let go of a few pennies to wake people up. (So play their stupid game then: Look for their introductory offer at only four bucks a month for a year, which they will extend for another year if a new subscriber 😉 threatens to leave when the renewal comes due at their ridiculous normal price. Whatever the price, however, this piece alone is well worth it.)
Of course, there have been seemingly endless accounts for a long time now from both the scientific community as well as from so many other concerned individuals and groups sounding the alarm (not the least of which is Thom's website) examining in excruciating detail every aspect of humanity's NUMBER ONE PROBLEM, dwarfing all others. Nothing else comes close, not even the steep rise of authoritarianism and the decline of democracy, global warfare, nuclear proliferation (Okay, that one is scary as hell too.), or the truly alarming, widening disparity of wealth fueling worldwide poverty and famine.
All in all, the world's huge body of work examining this mother of all problems and urgently seeking a solution, or a least some kind of viable mitigation to lessen the impact, is not only going largely unheeded but is also being deliberately downplayed and delayed by the same forces of greed responsible for every other critical problem caused by the abject stupidity of the human race.
It really comes down to psychology. The core of democracy and the sense of basic fairness begins in each individual mind and spreads outwardly, as does the basic intelligence to combat "climate destruction" -- a more relatable term than the euphemistic "climate change," which doesn't capture the Armageddon scenario playing out as humanity's final act.
https://www.nytimes.com/