Keep on winning with Emperor Donald

The pundits are practically ejaculating all over themselves talking about how great the economy is doing. Low unemployment, low interest and a soaring stock market makes for a rosy picture indeed. We vote with our wallets (and whoever we would rather have a beer with because that's important). So does that mean four more years or even The Donald for a lifetime self-appointment to the presidency? Would enough of us even care? Yeah, sure the economy is chugging along at the moment; the food is still getting to the cities, crime is down and society is still functioning more or less. There is only one little problem. It is not sustainable.

Debt. Running a massive debit seems to be the American way. Hey, watch your share grow here. I've never been a debt worry wart But at some point this will matter. What happens when our credit runs dry? No more wars to watch on TV. No more bailouts for banker-gamblers. Even the wealthy will have to start paying taxes! Funny how one political party has gone quiet on this issue (unless we ask for something that may help people). Debt will kill off the good times by itself. But wait there's more! 

Climate change. Man made, God made or made by space aliens secretly taraforming the Earth for their own ends, this IS happening.  I'll go with man made. Because you know, SCIENCE. Things are going to change fast in often unpredictable ways. They are not going to be good for humanity. Hey, the planet will be just fine. It is just us and many other life forms that are screwed. Even our good friends in National Security understand this. Putting our fingers in our ears and screaming LALALALA does not change what s happening one bit. None of this is good for a functioning economy much less a society. The next item is a true killer as well.      


Massive income inequality. This never works out well. Here is a brief overview of some of the consequences. It is also a hard thing to stop once it is going. Consider wage stagnation for the last fifty or so years. The .1% running away with all the money always backfires spectacularly sooner or later. Here is some more good general reading on income inequality.     

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This explains a lot. Hypernormalization - a long doc but well worth your time.         

Good News Readings 1.7.2020

Remember despair is the best weapon of your enemy. I'll post some positive stuff from time to time to help keep us all going. There is still a lot of good and reasons to be hopeful in this world. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020! 

Solar-powered Plant in Kenya Gives Thousands of People Clean Drinking Water After Five Years of Drought

Here are 19 things that made the world a better place in 2019

Canada wants to welcome more than 1 million new immigrants in the next three years

 Make it better: 22 positive, practical things you can do

99 Good News Stories You Probably Didn't Hear About in 2019

 

 

 

 

A Reading 1.5.2020

The Age of Last Chances

A good summary of the messes we find ourselves in at the start of the roaring 20's. The Earth will go on with or without our civilization.

War with Iran? Probaby Not.

So General Soleimani was probably not a nice guy. It was his job to do Iran's bidding all around the Middle East via Qods Force / Sepah-e Qods /Qods Corps / Jerusalem Corps. They were not exactly showering their neighbors with flowers and greeting cards. But let's not knock the dead guy. So now what happens?

Iran has more to lose than the USA. Any war will be fought in their backyard or even within their own borders. They may be able to pull off a few terrorist attacks here but that's not anywhere near the dangers they face from the US military and our good friends, the Israelis. Iran knows this. They will have to retaliate but not so much to further provoke a president with mounting troubles here at home who needs a new war with 24/7 media coverage.

The US does not need a new war to add to our list of on going conflicts and concerns. Our military has been run into the ground for almost twenty years now. Remember Rumsfeld's backdoor draft? Then there is the ever cagey Kim Jong Un. Who knows what he is going to do. Oh, sure we could fight him too. But who's gonna loan us the money? Look at the national debit clock! Sooner or later our creditors are gonna pull the plug. One or two more wars may do the trick. Lastly, there the logistics. Sending a few thousand troops does not make an invasion force. To invade Iran would take troop numbers with six or seven digits. That would take longer than Emperor Donald has in office. We are not really going to re-elect him, are we?

Random But Related Thoughts...

-Wars, once started, take on a life of their own. No one can claim to predict the actual outcome. 

-Starting a war with Iran, and whoever else jumps in, will only accelerate our decline.

-Trump does not care. No one he knows will be in harm's way. 

-Political violence here when things go bad? 

- Get to know some of the people we are going to war with. They are only people after all.  
 
  

         

Bernie is a Start, Not a Savior

Bernie is not our savior. No one is. Yes, I like Bernie Sanders and think he is the best candidate for president. But without support from congress there is little he can do. Without congress; medicare for all, a Green New Deal, fair taxes, a strong safety net- forget it! After Obama Care, Obama lost congress and got little else done. Even Emperor Donald has got nothing done without congress. The little time he had congress he squeezed through a tax break for the 1%. What else? So much for the great deal maker. Today's Democrats are Republicans without the racism, religious fanaticism and disregard for science. However, they still vote for massive military budgets, favor finance and the status quo (See Joe Biden). A congress full of these "Democrats" are not going to help Bernie or the rest of us. Getting Bernie elected is still a long shot. Please understand this is only a small first step. The rest is up to us.

We are going to have to do a lot of work to turn things around. If we are serious at all, be ready for massive protest and civil disobedience. If congress is given the choice of do the right thing or we are going to burn it all down, the might just do the right thing. For too long we have lost the notion of "we are the government." Of the people by the people and for the people has morphed into of the rich for the corporations and by the lobbyists. Both Parties have traded in voters for their own power, comfort and wealth (LIFE AFTER CONGRESS). Once can argue it was never a democracy in the first place, just a stable platform used to suck the wealth out of us and rape the Earth. This topic is beyond this post. The big question is do we have enough freedom left to save ourselves? We will need to make mass protest and civil disobedience a new but ever-present normal. It will be a time of uncertainty and discomfort. Change always is.

A WORD OF CAUTION       

Some may think violence is a shortcut. It is a shortcut...  To losing. Violence is a tool long ago mastered by the state be it Russia, Iran or the ole USA. The use of violence in protest and civil disobedience gives the state license to crush any opposition violently, bloodily and thoroughly. Your AR-15 is no match for drones bombing your house / neighborhood from 18,000 feet. Yes, they can and yes, they will while others watch it all on live TV. So get those violent fantasies out of your head and stay away from anyone encouraging such thoughts. They are not helping. Government are getting quite sophisticated at undermining questioning of any kind. It is going o be a rough ride. There is no guaranteed outcome. There is no historical bent towards justice. Like always, we will have to struggle for it. We can and may indeed lose. We must try.