The Point of Government Over Business and Why They're Different

The point of government over business and why they're different.

A government and a business serve fundamentally different purposes and operate under different principles:

Purpose
Government: Exists to serve the public by providing essential services, maintaining order, enforcing laws, protecting rights, and promoting the welfare of its citizens. It is driven by public service rather than profit.
Business: Exists to generate profit for its owners or shareholders. Its primary goal is financial growth and maximizing returns.\

Funding
Government: Funded primarily through taxation, fees, and sometimes borrowing. Citizens pay taxes to support public services.
Business: Funded through revenue generated by selling goods or services to customers.

Decision-Making
Government: Decision-making is influenced by laws, policies, public interest, and democratic or authoritarian structures. Public officials are (ideally) accountable to the people.
Business: Decisions are made based on market demands, competition, and profitability, with accountability primarily to owners, shareholders, and customers.

Profit Motive
Government: Not driven by profit; instead, it focuses on public welfare, stability, and equity. Some services (e.g., police, fire departments, public healthcare) are not meant to be profitable but are necessary for society.
Business: Operates to make money and sustain growth. If a product or service is unprofitable, it may be cut, even if it's essential to some customers.

Services vs. Products
Government: Provides infrastructure, education, national defense, law enforcement, emergency services, and regulatory oversight—services that benefit society as a whole.
Business: Provides goods or services that customers pay for voluntarily.

Accountability
Government: Accountable through elections, public oversight, laws, and checks and balances.
Business: Accountable to owners, investors, and the marketplace.

If a country were run purely like a business, as the image suggests, unprofitable but essential services (such as emergency services, healthcare, or public schools) might be cut or privatized, potentially leading to inequities and service gaps.

Looking at our latest incarnation of "Government as Business"... an autocratic attempt at altering American democracy constitutional republic into an autocracy via an oligarchy and kakistocracy, is Donald Trump and his MaGA political cult of personality.

By the way...  terms like "TDS" thrown at anyone questioning Donald Trump, something only his MaGA cult can acquire, is just a "thought-terminating cliché." Yes, there IS a name for that kind of attempted debate-neutralizing tactic.

A thought-terminating cliché is a phrase or term used to shut down debate or critical thinking by dismissing opposing arguments without engaging with them. It’s often used to delegitimize criticism without addressing its substance.

In the case of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS), it's used by Trump supporters to dismiss any criticism of him as irrational or obsessive, rather than engaging with the actual points being made. 

Other examples of thought-terminating clichés include:

• "If you don't like it, leave."
• "That's just fake news."
• "It's just common sense."
• "Haters gonna hate."
• "You're just a never Trumper."
• "You just have Trump Derangement Syndrome, TDS."

These phrases act as rhetorical shields, preventing further discussion and making it easier to ignore or discredit opposing viewpoints.

Now, on "TDS"...

The term "Trump Derangement Syndrome" (TDS) is often used to describe individuals whose intense dislike for Donald Trump leads them to react irrationally or with impaired judgment toward his actions and policies. Originally coined by political columnist Charles Krauthammer, TDS suggests that opposition to Trump can become so extreme that it clouds objective analysis.

en.wikipedia.org

However, it's important to note that the use of "TDS" is controversial. Supporters of Trump may use it to dismiss legitimate criticisms by labeling them as irrational, while critics argue that it's a thought-terminating cliché designed to shut down meaningful discourse. Therefore, while "TDS" is a commonly used term, its application and validity are subjects of debate.

What would be a more fun and correct term for Trump's excessive supporters to use, avoiding partisanship?

A more neutral and fun term that avoids partisanship, you could consider something like "Trump Fatigue Syndrome" (TFS).

This phrase playfully acknowledges the weariness some might feel in dealing with constant political drama without suggesting irrationality or obsession. It reflects a reasonable dissatisfaction or exhaustion with a leader, while keeping it lighthearted and less accusatory.

At least that involves reality, although it would still be used mostly for those simply making accurate observations of Donald Trump.

On a more positive note?

Dismantling government won’t make it more efficient–investing in it will
COMMENTARY | The work federal employees do is often invisible, but it’s always essential.

So, thought, planning, and action are better than disassembly and dysfunction?
Who knew?

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

America's Slide Into MaGA/Oligarchy: Bully Trump's Tariff Wars & His Growing Billionaire Influence

Let's be clear. Donald Trump, albeit now CFPOTUS47 (America's 1st convicted felon POTUS), is a punk and a bully: A "punk" and a "bully" are often considered similar because they both represent aggressive, disruptive behavior, but a key difference is that a "punk" is typically seen as someone who picks on weaker individuals while trying to appear tough, while a "bully" can target anyone, regardless of perceived strength, often using power dynamics to intimidate and control others; essentially, a punk might be considered a smaller-scale bully, focusing on more localized acts of harassment. 

What proof is there that there is now more embarrassment and humiliation of Convicted Felon CFPOTUS47 Donald Trump being president than there are positive feelings by his MaGA supporters?

"The Logic of Destruction - And how to resist it" (audio) - Timothy Snyder

Trump and the Perils of Ungoverning

Institutions Under Assault Will Not Deliver for Americans

Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum

Proud flag of those against their own best interests & others

By the way...I spent time years ago blogging about how the (seemingly earned) humiliation and punishment of Germany after WWI helped fuel WWII—and how we should avoid repeating that ...mistake.We now have Palestinians who have faced decades of displacement and oppression and...here we are.

America does not elect actual and convicted criminals as POTUS. Except now, we actually do as autocracy, Oligarchy, and  Kakistocracy are all what? BETTER than Democracy? That my friends, is the mindset of the mentally, socially, emotionally ILL. Follow and elected a malignant narcissist, a mentally and emotionally unbalanced individual like Donald Trump, and you get what you asked for. Damage. Harmed citizens. Death. 

I'd said in 2016 that if Trump were elected, you'd better HOPE we don't have a national disaster under him...and then we had two.

After the criminal POTUS45 administration, which I'd labeled America's first "Little Bitch POTUS admin", I'd said Trump was responsible for the death of at least 100,000 citizens due to his handling of COVID-19. Trump's own, Secretary of Homeland Security Gen. John Kelly, has said Trump was responsible for 200,000 citizens deaths due to mishandling of COVID-19. 

(Timothy Snyder on electing Convicted Felon Donald Trump & on the "Strongman Fantasy": Quite a few [ignorant/foolish] Americans like the idea of strongman rule. And now we have a president... who vows to persecute the enemy within, and who has [nominated] a cabinet that seems designed to overturn a republic. What’s wrong with that, ask many? Why not a dictator who will get things done?)

And what about Elon Musk's Guru who said in 2014 that America needs to..."get over and get used to having a dictator"? Elon who is invasive into our government now, who was NOT elected to do most of what he's doing in his ridiculous DOGE Trump department? As Trump tries to dismantle the FBI and other departments.

There isn’t a single definitive "proof" of this claim, but several indicators suggest that Trump's potential presidency (CFPOTUS 47) could bring more embarrassment and humiliation than positive feelings, even among some conservatives. 

Here’s how one might assess it:

1. Election Performance & Popularity Metrics

• 2020 Loss: Trump lost the popular vote in both 2016 and 2020. If there were overwhelming positive support, he wouldn’t have lost in a record turnout election.
• 2024 Polling Struggles: While Trump leads in some swing state polls, he remains deeply unpopular nationwide. His net approval rating has consistently been negative since he left office.
• Biden vs. Trump Favorability: Despite Biden’s weaknesses, national polls still show Trump is more disliked than liked by the general electorate.

2. Criminal Charges & Scandals

• Trump is the first former U.S. president to be criminally indicted 91 times across four separate cases. No modern world leader has ever faced such legal trouble while running for office.
• Court cases in New York, Georgia, Florida, and D.C. have led to humiliating revelations about his finances, hush money payments, election interference, and mishandling of classified documents.
• Even Fox News and right-wing media have expressed concerns that these scandals make him unelectable.

3. GOP & Conservative Figures Distancing Themselves

• Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence—all former allies—have openly criticized Trump’s leadership, electability, and moral fitness for office.
• The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is preparing for a Trump-like presidency, but they don’t necessarily trust Trump himself. They want a more disciplined version of his policies.
• Republican donors like the Koch network have tried to back alternative candidates, indicating hesitation about his return.

4. Public & Media Mockery

• Saturday Night Live, late-night shows, and comedians consistently use Trump as a source of ridicule. His bizarre rants about whales, sharks, Hannibal Lecter, and batteries have fueled viral memes.
• The phrase “Trump's Cognitive Decline” has been trending more frequently, even among conservatives, due to his increasing verbal mistakes and confusion in speeches.
• His own MAGA supporters sometimes laugh at him. Example: At a rally, he confused Obama and Biden multiple times, causing chuckles even from the crowd.

5. MAGA Base Shrinking & Growing Fatigue

• Trump rallies are not as packed as they used to be—a sign of dwindling enthusiasm.
• "Trump Fatigue" is a real thing, even among some MAGA supporters who feel exhausted by the never-ending drama and legal issues.
• Polling among independent voters shows a clear rejection of Trump, which is crucial for winning in 2024.

Conclusion

While hardcore MAGA supporters still adore Trump, the broader public—including independents and even some conservatives—views his return as chaotic, embarrassing, and legally fraught. The GOP itself is torn, with many preferring Trump’s policies but not his scandals. The weight of indictments, gaffes, and political baggage suggests that a second Trump term would bring more national and international humiliation than genuine triumph.

What about polls, concerns over Trump attacking Canada and Mexico, and others with threats of tariff wars?

Recent developments indicate significant concern over President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on Canada and Mexico, with public opinion reflecting apprehension about potential economic repercussions.

Public Opinion on Tariffs

A recent poll indicates that 51% of respondents oppose President Trump's tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. This opposition underscores widespread unease about the potential economic impact of such trade policies.

thehill.com

Economic Concerns

The tariffs have sparked panic and anger in Canada and Mexico, with economists predicting disruptions in supply chains, inflation, and job losses in all three countries. There is a potential for Canada and Mexico to enter recessions due to these measures.

ft.com

Market Reactions

Global stock markets have reacted negatively to the tariffs, with significant declines observed in the US, Europe, and Asia. Major indices such as Germany's DAX, France's CAC, and the UK's FTSE 100 experienced drops of over 1%. In the US, the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures indicated declines between 1% and 2%.

theguardian.com

These developments highlight the contentious nature of the tariffs and the concerns they raise among the public and economic experts.

Global Markets React to Trump's Tariff Imposition

theguardian.com

US, EU and UK stock markets hit by global trade war fears as JPMorgan says Trump administration may be 'business unfriendly' - as it happened

Today

ft.com

Trump tariffs spark panic and anger in Canada and Mexico

2 days ago

thetimes.co.uk

Trump tariffs live: China retaliates against 'malicious' measures

Today

It sounds more like Trump is acting the bully to other countries, getting responses from Canada and Mexico for 1,000s of troops to the borders, and threatening Canada he wants them as our 51st state when we clearly have protectorates who are decades in line for statehood first. 

Trump ridiculous imperial expansionism is also denigrating America's reputation worldwide. It's bad enough simply having him as our chief representative around the world has humiliated US.

In an effort to address issues such as illegal immigration and drug trafficking, President Trump announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico. In response, both countries have agreed to deploy 10,000 troops each to their respective U.S. borders to enhance security measures.

foxnews.com

Annexation Remarks and Canadian Response

Further escalating tensions, President Trump suggested that Canada should become the 51st state of the United States. This proposal was met with strong opposition from Canadian officials and citizens. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labeled the suggestion as a distraction from the tariff dispute, emphasizing Canada's sovereignty and rejecting the notion of annexation.

cnn.com

Public Sentiment in Canada

The combination of tariff threats and annexation remarks has led to a surge of anti-American sentiment in Canada. Many Canadians are boycotting American products, canceling trips to the U.S., and promoting local goods as acts of patriotism. Social media campaigns advocating for the boycott of U.S. products have gained momentum, reflecting the public's discontent with the current U.S. administration's policies.

politico.com

Conclusion

CFPOTUS 47 Trump's recent actions and statements have strained relationships with Canada and Mexico, leading to significant diplomatic challenges and public backlash. The situation underscores the importance of careful diplomatic engagement with neighboring countries.

Trump's Tariff Threats Strain U.S. Relations with Canada and Mexico

apnews.com

Neighbors in dispute: After Trump declares a trade war, Canadians grapple with a sense of betrayal

Today

politico.com

Trump riles up America's nicest neighbors

Today

the-sun.com

Victory for Trump as Canada & Mexico cave in to Don's punishing tariff demands & promise 10k troops to protect border

Today

Trump is a bully, that's not up for dispute. 

Then there is his oligarch issue, one that AOC has said we are fully in the midst of, not the beginning of.

Her observation aligns with concerns expressed by various political figures and analysts regarding the concentration of wealth and power in the United States. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has been vocal about the nation's shift towards oligarchy. In a recent statement, she emphasized that the U.S. is not merely approaching oligarchy but is already experiencing it, highlighting the significant influence of billionaires on politics and policy.

facebook.com

This perspective is supported by studies indicating that economic elites and organized business interests have substantial impacts on U.S. government policy, often outweighing the preferences of average citizens. A notable 2014 study by political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page found that the U.S. political system favors the interests of the wealthy and powerful, leading to policy outcomes that do not necessarily reflect the desires of the broader population.

en.wikipedia.org

Former President Jimmy Carter also described the United States as an "oligarchy with unlimited political bribery," pointing to the pervasive influence of money in politics.

en.wikipedia.org

These assessments suggest that the U.S. has moved beyond the initial stages of oligarchy, with wealth and power increasingly concentrated among a small segment of the population, thereby diminishing the influence of the average citizen in political processes.

For a more in-depth perspective, this discussion may (or may not) be informative:

Let's not forget this, how CFPOTUS47 is dismantling our DOJ because they tried and mostly failed to hold him accountable for his Jan. 6 insurrection and so much more...

Recent actions by President Donald Trump have raised significant concerns about attempts to undermine the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The administration has initiated the dismissal of prosecutors involved in the January 6 investigations and is moving toward ousting FBI agents associated with these cases.

apnews.com

Our crippled Department of Justice (DOJ) has terminated several senior FBI officials and demanded a list of personnel involved in the January 6 Capitol attack investigation, indicating potential further dismissals. Experts describe these actions as unprecedented, noting that mass firings for participation in an investigation are unheard of. Such measures could compromise the FBI's effectiveness in critical areas like counterterrorism and threaten the agency's independence.

vox.com

In response, the FBI Agents Association, representing over 14,000 current and former agents, has appealed to Congress to protect employees facing punishment or termination due to their involvement in the January 6 investigations. The association's letter to lawmakers expressed concerns that these actions might jeopardize agents' careers and disrupt essential Bureau operations.

apnews.com

Critics argue that these moves undermine the rule of law and resemble tactics seen in authoritarian regimes, where governmental agencies are purged of individuals deemed disloyal. This situation has sparked a broader debate about the future of democratic norms and the independence of federal institutions in the United States.

For a more in-depth analysis, you might find this discussion informative:

Best of luck to us all...

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

Socialism of the New American Republican Right

I keep hearing from the right how the Mueller investigation is off the rails, going on a fishing expedition, how it's not doing what was initially intended and...it should be stopped.

Uh huh, right. Seriously?

Remember Ken Starr and Bill Clinton? Went after him for everything and anything, never got anywhere, kept shifting, pleasuring and satiating conservatives, horrifying progressives, until finally settling on getting Clinton to lie under oath about a sex act between consenting adults? Even if she was an intern.

HOW off the rails was that? Republicans didn't seem to have a problem with it THAT time. Why is now different? It's not. Unless...oh yeah, now it's they who are on the hotseat. And I've (so many of us in America) have been waiting  decades for this turnabout. And it was only a matter of time considering the path the Republican party has been on. Each president they give us is lower and lower on the political evolutionary scale if not, as with Donald Trump, the cultural and actual evolutionary scale itself.

I don't care what Mueller gets Donald Trump on, just that he does it, does it soon, and removes him from office, and hopefully finds away to imprison him . Sooner than later. But why doesn't it matter?

Because of what the GOP has done to America overall and most specifically with this current nightmare example of someone who should never even have been allowed to be invited to the White House, and certainly not to reside there.

Get this POTUS on cheating at golf. I really don't care. Get him for lying to America about his weight and health, and take down with him, the White House doctor Ronny Jackson if he indeed lied to America about the president's health. Whatever works. Clinton wasn't even this much of an issue or a problem. There was so  much conflation involved in the long enduring "Clinton scandals," the right wing's dream crimes, that it's ludicrous.

And yet, this time we actually do have a real and substantive problem in Mr. Trump and Republicans can and do actually even SEE it. Many are even quitting over it.

Whatever it takes to end this mess and punch the Republican party and supporters in the face, knocking a few teeth out along the way so that in going forward both they, we and others like Russia and Putin will constantly be reminded about all this so that they can and will continually remember that... we don't stand for this in our country!

We NOW do have a call to arms to "Make America Great Again". But it took putting someone, another questionable person, another Republican in the oval office. Someone who first had to tear our nation down both domestically and on the world stage for the need to Make It Great Again, because they stopped it from being great in the first place.

And frankly, I don't care if Mr. Trump's supporters ever get out of this trick and their one trick pony in Donald Trump, or not.

You see, you may call someone in to fix your job or career in order to raise your wages, to save your family... but if in the process that "fixer" rapes your wife and daughters and cages or kills your sons and grandparents and friends, destroying your family's reputation, their physical and mental health, but hey, out of all that now you have $10 more in your paycheck...just how badly again did you need that job fixed in the first place?

That's an excessive statement, but it makes the point. Like Michelle Wolf at the Correspondents Dinner, it's appropriate considering the disgusting man Donald Trump is and the moral ineptitude he's brought into the White House.

After all, this is the destructive Donald Trump administration, with a man who is a vulgarian who doesn't care WHO he harms, who he denigrates, who he offends. I fully 100% supported Michelle on her Correspondents dinner delivery. Her joke on Kellyanne Conway and on Sarah Sanders were spot on. Her jokes on the Trump as POTUS could have gone further, but she only had so much time.

There are indeed some things one shouldn't do to get out of a situation. You don't ask the Mafia (certainly not the Russian Mafia, or Putin, or a foreign country like Russia) to help your finances unless you want to ruin your reputation, your family life, or your life itself. Or as in this case, our country.

There are reasons for morality and ethical behavior and there are some lines, certainly for a POTUS, that shouldn't be crossed. The ends do not always justify the means. Something the Republican party seems to fail to even recognize anymore. In that, they have seemed more and more Russian day by day.

Rather than bringing in a criminal to fix your career, try getting another job. Broaden horizons. and remember that one's old reality isn't always sane in a new environment.

There is a Russian proverb appropriate here about the Trump Administration and Donald Trump himself:

Simplicity is worse than thievery (crime). That is... A fool can do more damage than an enemy or criminal. Yes, that is the concern with Donald Trump. Not to mention with Putin in the backdrough dabbling in our culture and government, all to disrupt and damage us, which Trump seemingly smiles and enjoys the chaos as he is so very fond of it since it opens doors for him to continue his questionable practices and potentially, criminal behaviors.

Bringing back coal miners? How stupid an idea was that? But then, the question really is was, how stupid are Trump supporters? Because it worked for him.

Sometimes you just have to alter your status quo and move on... potentially to an even better one. But it can hurt for a while in the transition. And America has been in transition for some years now. You may even have to learn something new. Oh, my God, educate yourself? Say it's not so! And therein lay the problem.

Rather than educate the America people through this period of transition, Republicans have chosen instead (and Putin) to play the fear cards in order to gain and retain as much power (and money) as possible. Regardless the destruction and misery it is causing nationwide.

We actually are in a transitional phase and perhaps we should consider making more money available to more or simply redistributing it, even paying those who do not have jobs available any longer.

THAT may be our new reality. What IF there simply are not enough jobs for everyone? Then what? Let them starve? Because that seems to be the conservative mantra.

Instead the Republican party denigrates those citizens who are suffering because of those destructive conscious Republican actions in the first place. Their allergy to anything that smacks of being a social program, so often necessary because of their actions to move money away from those whose money it was in the first place, who need it the most, are actually the "social programs" of the right and the entitlements they give instead to the rich and the corporate.

Something conservative types cannot fathom, is that their holy status quo of bigotry and ignorance should remain the same just so they feel comfortable and can continue complaining about how bad things are, when it is they who are the ones who are so dysfunctional in the first place and have made them bad, or made them seem bad, to begin with.

This, is not the America we were intended to be.

We just need to find our dignity once again, reorient what is real and what is propaganda, and put down this destructive Republican style, old Soviet and new Russian style, ways of thinking.

Make America Great Again, indeed.

Trade Agreements

As you may know if you've read my previous blog, I've been moving out of my home of sixteen years into a new town, new house. My son (28 and 6'5") and I did the move alone for the most part over a weekend, the next weekend's Saturday and the following Wednesday (day after my birthday) to come. So I'm (we're) really worn out and mentally not at a peak. But I'll do the best I can on this week's blog. My apologies ahead of time should I make any obvious mistakes. 
Here's the thing about trade agreements.

We had prosperity in this country. Certainly compared to some other countries. A while back in the 1990s and before, we realized we needed the world to come along with us to support that prosperity. We needed to boost other countries in order to boost ourselves.

Along the way that got lost a bit in our not protecting ourselves as well as we should have. Of course to boost other countries we had to give some things up. It may have started innocently enough, but the trouble with it was that those in power and with money discovered they could benefit too. So of course, they got carried away.

We were originally told that some jobs would go elsewhere to other countries (the flood of jobs overseas). But that was supposed to be okay. And it was, but that meant pain here. It meant some types of jobs would disappear and go to not first world countries and just other countries.

It meant we would have to do other jobs, hopefully raising our standards of living, of jobs and levels of job types and our economy. We would make old world jobs, factory jobs, go away. We would start having better, higher paying jobs replace them. More high tech, service and first world type jobs.

That hasn't really happened to the extent that we needed now, has it.

Why is that?

The trouble there was that education started getting cut. Drastically. And other things. Our infrastructure has suffered. Needed education leading to the right types of jobs simply didn't develop. High schools weren't teaching our kids what they needed to know for getting a job out of high school anymore. They were stuck in a previous era as many still are.

Republicans more and more put off what they were supposed to do (along with some democrats). They got lazy. They claimed people should do for themselves. Do for themselves what we were all told they would set up for us, so we COULD do for ourselves.

That began the conservative trend to do for yourself, otherwise you were considered a loser. They began to warp what government was and should be. They worked to monetize government, privatize, incentivize.

This started to make the rich richer, the poor poorer. They knew that, but said the opposite and still do. It's failed, and their Emperor's new clothes are now seen as a nude Emperor. They did things like cut charitable services. "Let the churches and charities handle all that," Pres. Reagan said. "That's what they do best!" But it overwhelmed the churches and charities in trying to do what it would take a government to do.

We moved things from one stage, that didn't go to the other. Jobs suffered, people suffered, our economy suffered. In the end, we've all suffered.

Many (of the elite few wealthier class) have gotten rich though this and once won, they wanted to hold onto it. For some, at all costs. To others. To, us.

The masses have not gotten rich, the middle class has been dying because they aren't holding the reins, they can't group together to use the reigns they do have because they have been fractured by those who do have the power or simply the ability to do so.

Religion has told people to suffer, to put their energy into God, into prayer, but not into action.

Politicians have told people the same, but also given them hype and empty promises as evangelical techniques have suffused government.

We need a paradigm shift. We're on the cusp. Things can topple either way at this point.

While republicans and conservatives are pushing us back into the cup of poverty all while claiming it's anyone's fault but their own.

Democrats, many of them, don't get it either. They aren't helping as much as they should because they too do not fully understand. A few do though. Bernie does. And he has made others get it through his run for president. He has altered the talking points. Raised issues. Raised national consciousness. All while Republicans plug their ears and go on as always with their tired old arguments.

Part of the issue is that economics is complicated.

It's about not just America but the entire world. We have to consider the world, and ourselves, and the symbiosis between the two. It's a give and take. It's not just give. It's not just a take. It's give an take as things develop. It takes constant vigilance, occasional action, not too much action, not too little. We have an entire political allegedly conservative party dedicated against fixing this, and they think that is not the case.

A liberal party who also do not understand it clearly, but they are getting there. Finally. We need a progressive party handling things. Progressive in a way that shouldn't be considered progressive, but needs to be seen as such in order to maintain reality, affect correct and positive change with concerns for the masses and not just the wealthy, but the most and many and not the few and wealthy.

How does the few keep power over the many so well when there are so many?

Conspiracy theories, mis and dis information. Greed and perverts (not sexual but some of them to be sure as we see in the news, republican and religious leader after leader charged with crimes of illicit sex, hetero and homosexual (not hetero or gay sex as crime, but in paying for it and their dishonesty of it), crimes against women, children, things they most profess again). And fiscally related crimes. Even crimes against entire cities and in some cases, even humanity.

Crimes against entire cities in poisoning their water supplies. Abusing their power to shut down bridges. But of course, the "true criminals" THEY say... are in another party. It could never be them! It's others. Always others. But those others are not being charged with crimes.Those who are pointing the fingers are the ones being charged of late and finally.

We need to pay attention to reality, band together against what is really attacking us and holding us back.

Show me the money. Because someone has it. And it is not me, or anyone I know. And I'm doing far better than many others who are economically lower on the tables than where I fit in.

We need to see this. And act.

Are we still headed for a world wide economic crash in the next few years?

What I'm hearing from around the world isn't looking good for the economy. The world economy. I seldom make conspiracy or doom comments as most of them that I run across are based on nonsense, ignorance, misunderstanding, just fear or maybe even cowardice (there's a lot of those latter two in many of the conspiracy and racists groups). But I am actually now, even considering these past ten years, feeling a bit nervous about our near future living situation. And I lived through the cold war, was fairly intimately involved with it, but this is making me more nervous than that ever did.

I wouldn't get too secure in your situation, not quite yet. It may take a year or three to happen, but I suspect until we get past 5-10 years we really won't know if this is really all over yet. Now, don't get scared, just get smart. Look around, look into things. Preparation eliminates panic and fear and sets you up for a bigger possibility of success and sustainment. It used to be when economic fears like this cropped up you should put your money into things like gold, but not even that is secure anymore. At this point I'm not quite sure what is.

China who we owe a lot of money to and who for a while people feared might pull the trigger on the US and crash us (but then realized that it really wasn't in China's best interest to do so), has been setting itself up for a huge crash in the building industry. They have been using that to boost their stats. They actually built entire cities, eleven of them which have now nearly no one living in them and there never were. Bad builders ripped off many people for money, the poor were displaced from their homes, and for no good reason. It's really kind of horrendous. They've built a mock Paris, which is just basically sitting there. Bizarre vistas of empty cityscapes.

Things are still brewing in Greece and in Egypt and if things continue to go the way they are, if the leadership keeps doing nothing, going the wrong directions, it could pull Europe down. And if Europe goes down, their economy is bigger than ours. If China and Europe both go down, there will be some very hard times for a very long time, for a lot of people.

Countries have a lot of power to resolve really bad issues. But the reasons for wars in the past have been economic, debts couldn't be paid so it's easier to just attack for resources, to end debt (which was what Saddam Hussein did to Kuwait whom they owed mass amounts of money to). But I'm not talking about war here, though it is a scary and very possible afterthought. But I'm not afraid of a possible war, I just know it's a possible and obvious eventuality of this situation. What really scares me is the economy, world wide, dissolving.

America (and other countries) have been wiping out the middle class. If things really go south (why do we always disparage the south anyway?), we could also wipe out the lower and upper classes with it. Which sounds good in a way, but somehow, I don't think it would be.

An Inconvenient GOP Truth

THIS IS SERIOUSLY DISTURBING:

I have to say, from what I've been seeing in recent years, since Newt Gingrich came to power back in the 90s really, the Republican party has been getting shadier and shadier until they are a sad shadow of a once great party. Don't believe me? Check it out yourself then. First of all I want to say that Rachel Maddow, Rocks! Thanks for pointing this all out to me. I knew some of it before but it helps to have it all brought together to see it more clearly.

Before I get into this, it's only fair that I point out there are two sides to every "story" but not to facts. However, the GOP side of this fact twisting, is so much worse than their opponents, that it is a marked reality worth noting. Too many times I have run down Fox News "truths" only to find they are not what they seem and fall quickly apart. To be sure, once in a while they hit the bullseye, but it is nothing in comparison to what I will detail here.

Here's the facts....

It seems that when Bush Jr. didn't like a report, they quashed it. The US Report "Patterns of Global Terrorism" from the US State Department came out for 2003 as it had for twenty years. I've read it myself in the past. Bush kept saying how good they had done in the fight against terrorism and how it was down.

The 2004 report then came out to say that terrorism was higher than it had ever been in their twenty years of reporting. And so Bush killed the report, explaining it off as a need to reevaluate the criteria the report was using. They did that time and time again.

From the Seattle Time report:

"But other current and former officials charged that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's office ordered the report, "Patterns of Global Terrorism," eliminated weeks ago because the 2004 statistics raised disturbing questions about the Bush's administration's frequent claims of progress in the war against terrorism.

"Instead of dealing with the facts and dealing with them in an intelligent fashion, they try to hide their facts from the American public," charged Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and State Department terrorism expert who first disclosed the decision to eliminate the report in The Counterterrorism Blog, an online journal."

There is now a different report that has replaced it. But what had happened was that the old report was buried within the newer style report to make the Bush Administration not look so bad. This reminds me of what the USSR used to do in using "disinformation". They were the experts in it and taught the British (or they learned how to do it in combating the Soviets) and we learned as we had so much of that type of thing, from the British.

From Wikipedia:

"Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth. Disinformation should not be confused with misinformation, information that is unintentionally false.

"Unlike traditional propaganda techniques designed to engage emotional support, disinformation is designed to manipulate the audience at the rational level by either discrediting conflicting information or supporting false conclusions. A common disinformation tactic is to mix some truth and observation with false conclusions and lies, or to reveal part of the truth while presenting it as the whole (a limited hangout)."

I don't have to make this stuff up. If you ever watch the news, you've gotten the GOP's disinformation. If you watch Fox News, you probably no longer notice it, since they seem to deal in some severe nonsense much of the time. The GOP would call it, "Truth", or maybe, "Spin", but Stephen Colbert has labeled it, "Truthiness": "a quality characterizing a "truth" that a person claims to know intuitively "from the gut" or because it "feels right" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts."

Now, when a year earlier it the education department found that the Bush's push for using Charter Schools had those children showing they were falling behind public school kids, suddenly the Department of Education cut back on the data it collects about charter schools.

When mass layoffs were shown to be happening, the Bush administration decided to stop publishing information about it (The Washington Post, January 3, 2003 U.S. Drops Report on Mass Layoffs; Data Helped States Track Patterns of Industrial Demise).

This sounds very 1984 to me. If you don't like what is being said, kill it so no one reads it.

When the US Tax Policy Center's report said that Romney's plan DOES raise Middle-Class Taxes, Romney's people came back to say "Romney camp slams tax group analysis as "misleading, deceitful" (10/18/2012 The Hill - Erik Wasson). When the unemployment rate when down to 7.8% recently, the Republicans came back with doubting job numbers following these strong reports...from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (The Huffington Post, Luke Johnson 10/05/2012). What happened to the days when political parties would try to figure out how to spin numbers? Now they either try to eliminate them as the Bush administration had done, or deny their validity, which is a travesty against this country.

I am seeing a very anti American trend in the Republican party where they will lie, cheat and steal apparently (Nixon notwithstanding, not like they have a history of this or anything), to look good and win elections. It's a horrible thing to do to a nation you have been elected to office to serve. It is underhanded, it is dirtying the authority and reputation of the American Government. It is biting the hand that feeds you, whipping the children in your care, kicking the dog, poisoning the roses, slapping Mickey Mouse in a mousetrap, or kicking John Wayne in the balls.

More recently, November 1, 2012 The New York Times reported, "Nonpartisan Tax Report Withdrawn After G.O.P. Protest". One of our most prestigious research groups, the group who does the research for Congress, The Congressional Research Service (how paranoid is THAT?), made an economic report stating that, "there is no correlation between top tax rates and economic growth, a central tenet of conservative economic theory". This is from Congress's own nonpartisan Think Tank. As Rachel Maddow put it about the CSR, "they are nothing but the facts and their integrity is unimpeachable."

See also: Nonpartisan Tax Report Withdrawn After G.O.P. Protest

So, the entire theory and plan that Mitt Romney and once President George "W" Bush and the Grand Old Party have been shoving down our throats for decades, is false! There really is no higher authority on this topic and what did they do? Senate Republicans raised concerns about the paper's findings and wording and they got the CRS to pull their report, against the advice of the agency's economic team leadership.

In part the report had stated that, "There is not conclusive evidence ... to substantiate a clear relationship between the 65-year steady reduction in the top tax rates [that is lowering the tax rates on millionaires and billionaires] and [creating] economic growth." There is not evidence if you cut taxes on the rich that it enhances our economic growth.

Gee, no kidding. But then, finally one and for all, proof.

The trouble is, this pretty much shoots down Romney's entire campaign. Without this, what is he? A hot bag of wind. He may have had a life in business, but he has not run a country, not the United States of America. For that, you need a real brain and a diverse set of tools, not just business. Because you are dealing with people and families in ways you frankly, never had before. There are cares and concerns as president you simply do not have as a CEO, or an investment banker. War for instance, as the Commander in Chief, isn't just about how many ships you have, or listening to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; it's also about politics. Maybe rushing in with a fleet will win a war, but perhaps you shouldn't do that because of Russia's position today. It's not all just about business.

But even if it were, Romney it would seem, has no clue what he is doing if he thinks that keeping tax rates low on his friends and himself will help our country in any way whatsoever.

This is the whole basis of the Republican party and why so many Republicans make a never raise taxes pledge to Grover Norquist.

This tampering with reports is a very scary thing. It's very 1984. It's very USSR. It's very, UnAmerican.

Look, the way to be great, to become great is to deal with your detractors. In handling not hiding from our criticisms, we hone ourselves, make ourselves better, stronger. The way to fail, to become poor in spirit and action, is to avoid criticism, to hide. The Republican party in trying to survive and look good is killing itself. When you make mistakes, when you are found to be wrong, you do not hide from it, you FIX IT. You work harder to find a better way. You do not squash your enemies, you let them strengthen you because you have to find new ways, you have to find ways to fix your problems.

What I'm seeing in the GOP is a party on its deathbed, a party that is fearful, who are going to become panicked and could at some point, become destructive. THINK about it. Haven't you ever seen a person be this way? They eventually self-destruct and that's what I'm seeing. You need to open up, not shut down. Face your fears, mistakes, and failures. Become the great party you once were and don't let these little people of spirit, these extremists, this religious fanatics be the mainstay of your party. Just STOP. Remake yourself.

I wish you well. You are an American institution. I want you to succeed. At least, I want you to be a vibrant, healthy party that does things for America for the best of civic reasons and not for self-serving, kiss the ass of the rich, type people who are deluded into thinking the earth is only 6,000 years old. Come ON! Get it together guys! Well, that's all I can offer you. The rest my friends is up to you. What do YOU want your GOP to be? This dying behemoth or a Grand Old Party, renewed?

There it is. Someone had to say it.

For that report, you can find it, here. The nice people at The Rachel Maddow Show, have put it up on their website. Because you can't find it on the U.S. Governments' website. Why is that?

It is called, "Congressional Research Service: Taxes and the Economy: An Economic Analysis of the Top Tax Rates Since 1945" (pdf)

There are also two articles linked on that page by Steve Benen: "When the GOP suppresses inconvenient truths" and, "'This has hues of a banana republic."

I hear you there brother....