Everything Steve wrote today underscores the need to develop a caring economy; the kind of economy that exists in the Scandinavian nations. A happy, healthy, and secure work force provides economic stability and growth, unlike the naive belief in "trickle-down economics."
Of course, this must wait for the collapse of the Maga movement; considering the incompetent and dangerous nominations and the growing in-fighting and realization that Maga is a plan to impose oligarchy, rule by the 1000 American billionaires, this may happen sooner than we think.
For the past 50 years one party has steadily sought to undermine any element of government aimed at producing a just and caring society. While Democrats focused on minutia of policy, the other party strove steadily, to spend, gerrymander and adjudicate their way into a one party system dominated by extreme right wing oligarchs. Trickle down and supply side were distractions in the 80’s, just as rejuvenated racism has become a distraction today. Musk bought a President. But remember that starting in the 90’s the Koch brothers and their collaborators literally bought legislatures, Senators and Congressmen from the 49th Parallel to the Rio Grande. Fox “News” and Rush Limbaugh both emerged about the same time. Coincedence? I think not.
The only people I trust in the Democratic party to do the right thing and who possess the qualities of leadership necessary to explain the need for major moves towards a caring economy and how it works are the leaders of the Progressive wing and a handful of moderates like Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar, and Chris Murphy.
Emphatically yes; Jamie Raskin is a member of the Progressive Caucus, a brilliant constitutional scholar, beyond reproach, of the highest character, and a caring person. I am glad you singled him out.
Democrats fight without conviction when it comes to women. Their intractable sexism got us the 2nd term and if they aren’t careful they are going to be swept away by a 3rd party or hopefully a coalition of the sane.
First need to find ambassadors who can speak the truth to the maga masses and somehow be believed. 9 years of buying the tRump lies and they’re so dug in they can’t allow themselves to see the truth in front of their eyes. Buttigieg? Who else?
See my response above to Kim Nesvig; of course, Buttigieg is another Democrat I trust fully to lead us competently in the right direction on all fronts, including our economy and culture.
A very apt and exigent piece, Steve. Also quite coincidental in that it appears the same morning that forensic and social psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee, who has spearheaded her profession’s case that Trump is too mentally unfit, and therefore dangerous, to serve as president again, will be conducting her regular Friday Zoom discussion of ‘How to Navigate an Increasingly Dangerous World’ today at 12 Noon (EST) on the relevance of Antigone, whose lessons inspired America’s Founders, in reminding us that all political power, whether kingly or democratically validated, rests on the consent of the governed and that tyranny can be overthrown by the people withdrawing that consent en masse. I think you and readers here might find this of interest as a complement to your own practical insights:
If all men are created equal and that we, as a nation, truly believe and live by those words, then Trump would already have been jailed and we wouldn't be in the situation we now find ourselves.
I'm sure the rich command a great deal in other countries as they do here, but I've never lived in another country and have traveled to only a handful, so my experience with and disdain for the ridiculously wealthy is what I see within our borders. The U.S is a hyper-capitalist society. We are a society of consumers. Everything about us says we want "more, bigger and better". Enough is never enough. More is more. We're made to feel from childhood on that we must strive to be THE BEST in whatever we do and make a lot of money, whether we take the college or trade school path. You MUST be ambitious; you must be in constant forward movement. Meanwhile, people much "luckier" than you, or those that have a great idea or invention they can exploit, seem to "have it all" and often rocket to success, making lots of money in the process. Competition is everything and is everywhere. Those who do not have major needs or wish to live a simpler life are often looked down upon as lazy or unambitious.
All this constant rush to be the best and have the most has led us to the most unequal and unfair societal structure we've experienced since the Guilded Age, when famous "robber barons" like J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbelts, the Rockefellers, and more had all the wealth. Plus, there was no federal taxation on their earnings back then, leading to extraordinary wealth.
Now we've come full circle. Due to the far right's greed, delusions of superiority and their authoritarian tendencies, we're nearly back to where we came from over 130 years ago. They may pay taxes now, but they do not pay their fair share and most can take advantage of tax loopholes the average income earner cannot. And yes, we're rapidly devolving into a nation of serfs under the oligarchy that soon will be formally taking over Washington.
For my part, I do not intend to become a serf. I intend to fight with my words and actions without fear of the orange encrusted demento and his misfit ministers of grift, degradation and cruelty.
We are here partly because Fox news. Maybe we are here because of it. The lies that emit from that network have been consistent and many trust it as a news source.
Example: From NPR
THE CLAIM:
Hillary Clinton is going to "put a lot of coal miners out of jobs."
THE QUESTION:
Did Clinton really say that? What gives?
THE SHORT ANSWER:
Clinton did tell a town hall audience in Columbus, Ohio in March that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." But that was part of a longer answer about the need to help blue-collar workers adjust. "We're going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people," Clinton said. "Those people labored in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories. Now we've got to move away from coal and all the other fossil fuels, but I don't want to move away from the people who did the best they could to produce the energy that we relied on."
It is not only the Fox "news" deliberate lies and distortions, but also mainstream media's refusal to call out the lies and distortion when interviewing the liars and distorters! It is unbelievable to me to watch most interviewers fail to ask follow-up questions or directly confront these untruths when made directly to their face in real time. So weak and pathetic. It is no wonder we are where we are.
Yes, I agree with you. Journalism has fallen very far in this era of the news media.
"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it's nothing but wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful." Edward R. Murrow
I can see all obstacles in my way. Obstacles will only become surmountable hills when the people say ENOUGH. With the mainstream media in cahoots, with healthcare broken, with the tax codes broken, with exploitation of the bottom on the rise, we are about to storm those hills. I am researching FDR’s lovely embrace of his second bill of rights. I almost feel like he is the father of Democratic ideals for which we should fight. It is up to us to make it happen, and to right the wrongs. 2026. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/marshal-then-arm-our-new-army?r=3m1bs
Trump has 134 migrants with an HB-2 visa working at Mar-a-lago alone, plus many more at his golf courses and hotels. I doubt if any will be deported. Trump is a hypocrite, he has promised to deport or jail legal and illegal migrants. Elon Musk has many immigrants working at his factories,
HB-2 and HB-1 visa holders. They are all cheap labor because the billionaire are too stingy to pay livable wages.
On the other hand, as far as American workers is concerned, it is hard to find good help, especially with young people. I work in an artisan chocolate and pastry shop, we offer $ 16.00 an hour starting salary plus tips but most young people leave or don't show up, they have no work ethic and spend a lot of time in the bathroom playing with their cell phone.
Foreign workers are very motivated and less spoiled.
The “center” to which “pragmatists” would have politicians aspire is where ever MONEY says it is. Money wants, and gets, and enjoys, unlimited socialism for itself, and rugged individualism for the peons. The relatively few politicians - the Bernies, the Warrens, the AOCs, a few others - who insist on calling attention to that fact and challenging it are dismissed by monied “leaders” and their monied media sycophants as radical or unrealistic or unpatriotic or whatever desultory slam seems to work. Look over here, where the real problems are restrooms, and BLM, and CRT, and drag queens, and the left wing’s war on Christians, etc., etc. Hyperbole? The proof is in the fetid pudding that kept Tr*mp out of jail and put him back in the Whitehouse, the Repugnicans back in power, and the Supreme Court in the hands of the massively corrupting Federalist Society. Money. Money is power, and speech, and “justice”. I wonder how this’ll work out.
Ah yes. The pitchforks are coming out, being burnished and sharpened. The MAGA hordes may be ignorant, but they're not all stupid. They'll figure it out and when they do, look out. All that needs to be done now is for Schumer, Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership currently in witness protection to emerge with a plan; a group of people; and a message to articulate. I for one kind of doubt that the DNC will have it's act together when the spark ignites.
The Virginia state motto, "Sic semper tyrannis," must become our motto. The Virginia state seal and state flag must become our symbols as we defy and topple these would-be kings. I shall die on the altar of the Constitution. They shall die on the altar of Trump.
All people crave attention. All here writing in this column crave it, It's easy to spout out a few words here and get them seen.
In attempting to say the truth, some people get burned at the stake, and those people are the ones I admire.
Steve seems to think we escaped being ruled under kings: he is wrong.
We are ruled by Economic Kings ever since the first colonists were given vast tracts of lands to build their manors on by the King as a thanks or as part of a titleage they had ,connected to the English Aristocracy.
That tract of land became the basis of our first millionaires.
Billionaires and Economic Hit Men who compete against each other for the wealth of the nation.
We were always ruled by worship, whether it be worship of a king or a RICH MAN.
Today is no different.
We were always destined and doomed to be ruled by a Billionaire Fascist.
This kind of truth telling is what I wish Steve would start to write.
And those who profess to be descended from those patriots and aligned with those ideals are actually supporting the exact opposite; exuberant in their righteous ignorance and revenge filled agenda!
Oklahoma is so gerrymandered that the people representing us don’t even really campaign anymore. This season I did not even get a flyer in the mail, I have decided that I will vote for the democrats or the independent on the don’t ballot maybe one day one of them will win we need a good shake up in politics. The Republicans are too comfortable and have too much control and that is why Oklahoma makes the news when our Education Secretary Ryan Walter’s makes the news demanding 45s Bibles on schools, a specially written Religious Social Studies Curriculum starting next year, banning books, etc…. There are other areas within our govt just as bad but children’s education is my issue just want kids to learn.
Everything Steve wrote today underscores the need to develop a caring economy; the kind of economy that exists in the Scandinavian nations. A happy, healthy, and secure work force provides economic stability and growth, unlike the naive belief in "trickle-down economics."
Of course, this must wait for the collapse of the Maga movement; considering the incompetent and dangerous nominations and the growing in-fighting and realization that Maga is a plan to impose oligarchy, rule by the 1000 American billionaires, this may happen sooner than we think.
For the past 50 years one party has steadily sought to undermine any element of government aimed at producing a just and caring society. While Democrats focused on minutia of policy, the other party strove steadily, to spend, gerrymander and adjudicate their way into a one party system dominated by extreme right wing oligarchs. Trickle down and supply side were distractions in the 80’s, just as rejuvenated racism has become a distraction today. Musk bought a President. But remember that starting in the 90’s the Koch brothers and their collaborators literally bought legislatures, Senators and Congressmen from the 49th Parallel to the Rio Grande. Fox “News” and Rush Limbaugh both emerged about the same time. Coincedence? I think not.
Much of the evil decline in US democracy began with Ronald Reagan
Reagan was one of the worst presidents!!!
The only people I trust in the Democratic party to do the right thing and who possess the qualities of leadership necessary to explain the need for major moves towards a caring economy and how it works are the leaders of the Progressive wing and a handful of moderates like Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar, and Chris Murphy.
Also Jamie Raskin
Emphatically yes; Jamie Raskin is a member of the Progressive Caucus, a brilliant constitutional scholar, beyond reproach, of the highest character, and a caring person. I am glad you singled him out.
Democrats fight without conviction when it comes to women. Their intractable sexism got us the 2nd term and if they aren’t careful they are going to be swept away by a 3rd party or hopefully a coalition of the sane.
First need to find ambassadors who can speak the truth to the maga masses and somehow be believed. 9 years of buying the tRump lies and they’re so dug in they can’t allow themselves to see the truth in front of their eyes. Buttigieg? Who else?
See my response above to Kim Nesvig; of course, Buttigieg is another Democrat I trust fully to lead us competently in the right direction on all fronts, including our economy and culture.
Everything Steve wrote underscores the need for an army for toppling kings.
Americans have taken capitalism and distorted it to its max at the expense of the dignity, happiness and betterment of mankind and society.
Donald Trump is not my “king of the hill.”
Nor does he command my respect.
He’s an insurrectionist, an imbecile; a dangerous malignant narcissist. Like self-adoring Nero, he will burn our country down.
He’s not qualified to lead.
The invertebrate GOP fears him, they shiver to speak truth openly; shame on them.
“Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals.”
A very apt and exigent piece, Steve. Also quite coincidental in that it appears the same morning that forensic and social psychiatrist Dr. Bandy X. Lee, who has spearheaded her profession’s case that Trump is too mentally unfit, and therefore dangerous, to serve as president again, will be conducting her regular Friday Zoom discussion of ‘How to Navigate an Increasingly Dangerous World’ today at 12 Noon (EST) on the relevance of Antigone, whose lessons inspired America’s Founders, in reminding us that all political power, whether kingly or democratically validated, rests on the consent of the governed and that tyranny can be overthrown by the people withdrawing that consent en masse. I think you and readers here might find this of interest as a complement to your own practical insights:
If all men are created equal and that we, as a nation, truly believe and live by those words, then Trump would already have been jailed and we wouldn't be in the situation we now find ourselves.
I'm sure the rich command a great deal in other countries as they do here, but I've never lived in another country and have traveled to only a handful, so my experience with and disdain for the ridiculously wealthy is what I see within our borders. The U.S is a hyper-capitalist society. We are a society of consumers. Everything about us says we want "more, bigger and better". Enough is never enough. More is more. We're made to feel from childhood on that we must strive to be THE BEST in whatever we do and make a lot of money, whether we take the college or trade school path. You MUST be ambitious; you must be in constant forward movement. Meanwhile, people much "luckier" than you, or those that have a great idea or invention they can exploit, seem to "have it all" and often rocket to success, making lots of money in the process. Competition is everything and is everywhere. Those who do not have major needs or wish to live a simpler life are often looked down upon as lazy or unambitious.
All this constant rush to be the best and have the most has led us to the most unequal and unfair societal structure we've experienced since the Guilded Age, when famous "robber barons" like J.P. Morgan, the Vanderbelts, the Rockefellers, and more had all the wealth. Plus, there was no federal taxation on their earnings back then, leading to extraordinary wealth.
Now we've come full circle. Due to the far right's greed, delusions of superiority and their authoritarian tendencies, we're nearly back to where we came from over 130 years ago. They may pay taxes now, but they do not pay their fair share and most can take advantage of tax loopholes the average income earner cannot. And yes, we're rapidly devolving into a nation of serfs under the oligarchy that soon will be formally taking over Washington.
For my part, I do not intend to become a serf. I intend to fight with my words and actions without fear of the orange encrusted demento and his misfit ministers of grift, degradation and cruelty.
"the orange encrusted demento" is a really moniker! Can I borrow it?
Of course! 😊
We are here partly because Fox news. Maybe we are here because of it. The lies that emit from that network have been consistent and many trust it as a news source.
Example: From NPR
THE CLAIM:
Hillary Clinton is going to "put a lot of coal miners out of jobs."
THE QUESTION:
Did Clinton really say that? What gives?
THE SHORT ANSWER:
Clinton did tell a town hall audience in Columbus, Ohio in March that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business." But that was part of a longer answer about the need to help blue-collar workers adjust. "We're going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people," Clinton said. "Those people labored in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories. Now we've got to move away from coal and all the other fossil fuels, but I don't want to move away from the people who did the best they could to produce the energy that we relied on."
https://www.npr.org/2016/05/03/476485650/fact-check-hillary-clinton-and-coal-jobs
This is an example of the lies that helped propel Trump to the presidency in 2016.
It is not only the Fox "news" deliberate lies and distortions, but also mainstream media's refusal to call out the lies and distortion when interviewing the liars and distorters! It is unbelievable to me to watch most interviewers fail to ask follow-up questions or directly confront these untruths when made directly to their face in real time. So weak and pathetic. It is no wonder we are where we are.
Yes, I agree with you. Journalism has fallen very far in this era of the news media.
"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and even it can inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it's nothing but wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful." Edward R. Murrow
I can see all obstacles in my way. Obstacles will only become surmountable hills when the people say ENOUGH. With the mainstream media in cahoots, with healthcare broken, with the tax codes broken, with exploitation of the bottom on the rise, we are about to storm those hills. I am researching FDR’s lovely embrace of his second bill of rights. I almost feel like he is the father of Democratic ideals for which we should fight. It is up to us to make it happen, and to right the wrongs. 2026. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/marshal-then-arm-our-new-army?r=3m1bs
Trump has 134 migrants with an HB-2 visa working at Mar-a-lago alone, plus many more at his golf courses and hotels. I doubt if any will be deported. Trump is a hypocrite, he has promised to deport or jail legal and illegal migrants. Elon Musk has many immigrants working at his factories,
HB-2 and HB-1 visa holders. They are all cheap labor because the billionaire are too stingy to pay livable wages.
On the other hand, as far as American workers is concerned, it is hard to find good help, especially with young people. I work in an artisan chocolate and pastry shop, we offer $ 16.00 an hour starting salary plus tips but most young people leave or don't show up, they have no work ethic and spend a lot of time in the bathroom playing with their cell phone.
Foreign workers are very motivated and less spoiled.
You're throwing haymakers Steve. Thanks!
The “center” to which “pragmatists” would have politicians aspire is where ever MONEY says it is. Money wants, and gets, and enjoys, unlimited socialism for itself, and rugged individualism for the peons. The relatively few politicians - the Bernies, the Warrens, the AOCs, a few others - who insist on calling attention to that fact and challenging it are dismissed by monied “leaders” and their monied media sycophants as radical or unrealistic or unpatriotic or whatever desultory slam seems to work. Look over here, where the real problems are restrooms, and BLM, and CRT, and drag queens, and the left wing’s war on Christians, etc., etc. Hyperbole? The proof is in the fetid pudding that kept Tr*mp out of jail and put him back in the Whitehouse, the Repugnicans back in power, and the Supreme Court in the hands of the massively corrupting Federalist Society. Money. Money is power, and speech, and “justice”. I wonder how this’ll work out.
Good one, Tom!!! Yes, it's been a gaslighting circus constantly on replay. I guess it works for them.
🎯
Ah yes. The pitchforks are coming out, being burnished and sharpened. The MAGA hordes may be ignorant, but they're not all stupid. They'll figure it out and when they do, look out. All that needs to be done now is for Schumer, Pelosi and the Democratic Leadership currently in witness protection to emerge with a plan; a group of people; and a message to articulate. I for one kind of doubt that the DNC will have it's act together when the spark ignites.
The Virginia state motto, "Sic semper tyrannis," must become our motto. The Virginia state seal and state flag must become our symbols as we defy and topple these would-be kings. I shall die on the altar of the Constitution. They shall die on the altar of Trump.
Dunno, Kevin. I like what you’re proposing, but maybe find another motto that hasn’t already been used?
"Mors tyranno"
All people crave attention. All here writing in this column crave it, It's easy to spout out a few words here and get them seen.
In attempting to say the truth, some people get burned at the stake, and those people are the ones I admire.
Steve seems to think we escaped being ruled under kings: he is wrong.
We are ruled by Economic Kings ever since the first colonists were given vast tracts of lands to build their manors on by the King as a thanks or as part of a titleage they had ,connected to the English Aristocracy.
That tract of land became the basis of our first millionaires.
Billionaires and Economic Hit Men who compete against each other for the wealth of the nation.
We were always ruled by worship, whether it be worship of a king or a RICH MAN.
Today is no different.
We were always destined and doomed to be ruled by a Billionaire Fascist.
This kind of truth telling is what I wish Steve would start to write.
I just re-read Animal Farm....the similarities are striking...4 legs good-2 legs better....
And those who profess to be descended from those patriots and aligned with those ideals are actually supporting the exact opposite; exuberant in their righteous ignorance and revenge filled agenda!
Hi Kim, I’m going to do my own Grapes of Wrath trip on my motorcycle this year. MN and ND for my northern route.
I retired and re -read Steinbeck’s Travels With Charley 1960. I was born in 59.
Bucket List for me is to ride across the entire US. It is nostalgic; which seems to be all that may be left for us.
But NO damnit! We can’t let these shitbags ruin this nation🇺🇸.
Steve, Loving that bank of great questions, basic training for democracy (not to mention Democrats).
Oklahoma is so gerrymandered that the people representing us don’t even really campaign anymore. This season I did not even get a flyer in the mail, I have decided that I will vote for the democrats or the independent on the don’t ballot maybe one day one of them will win we need a good shake up in politics. The Republicans are too comfortable and have too much control and that is why Oklahoma makes the news when our Education Secretary Ryan Walter’s makes the news demanding 45s Bibles on schools, a specially written Religious Social Studies Curriculum starting next year, banning books, etc…. There are other areas within our govt just as bad but children’s education is my issue just want kids to learn.