"Women are not without electoral or political power." Very true. However, as mad as women are, it isn't just women who are angry about rights being taken away. Lots of men recognize that this isn't fair and isn't right. And, of course, it is also recognized that the Extreme Court is hell bent on taking away a lot of other rights. No one is safe. Yes, I've vowed to not vote for any Republican in local, state and federal races. I encourage everyone to do the same. I like to say I voting for non-Republicans rather than Democrats so it is clear I'm holding the Republican Party accountable for what they've done. Yes, I hope this means the demise of the Republican Party because of the horror it has morphed into. The Party of Lincoln had my respect and even at times my vote. The Party of DeSantis etc. does not. We, the People, all of us this time united by the power of the vote!
The have-more Republicans have not been the party of Lincoln in decades, since the 60’s at least. The party of Lincoln passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. Today’s have-more Republicans would have never done that. They are the same kind of people as the southern slave owners.
There might have been more context when first I read of Alito's statement. I take it now as a challenge to lawmakers to reverse the electoral and political power that women now "enjoy." Am I just saying what everybody else already thinks about this statement?
If you read Alito's entire opinion, it is dripping with sarcasm and condescension. In context, a seemingly innocuous and self-evident statement comes across as snide.
Ask yourself, why does the fact that women have political power matter to the analysis of whether the Constitution protects their right to reproductive freedom? It doesn't.
Voter registration among woman has increased substantially Nationally and interesting in those states where abortion rights have been curtailed the increases are significant. The demise of the Republican Party will only happen when Republicans take their own party back with assistance from us.
I admire your optimism but not your foretold fate for the Republican Party. I am less certain the Party can be rescued from within it's ranks. I believe it will require several sound drubbing's in elections (national state, and local) and the rise of a better alternative for conservatives to see it end as a political force. My own plan is to focus as mercilessly as I can on delivering those sound defeats and not worry about trying to “rescue” that party from those who will ultimately be responsible for its death.
I’d suggest the “taking back” part of your statement is key. If we are to have democracy we would want two parties, maybe more. (Yet, now is NOT the time for a third party per Yang-Whitman. We don’t need to have another case of Jill Stern taking the number of votes that would have made the difference in 2016.) Let’s stay focused on getting out the vote in 2022 & 2024!!!
But republicans, almost to a “man,” have rejected the idea of a functioning two-party system. It’s my way, or the Highway, by whatever means. Dems can’t fix this,
To be sure, I am not in favor of a third party either, especially when they generally only turn out to be spoilers. Jill Stein and all those from the Green Party may have had good intentions but.... Our challenge is getting back to having two "functioning" parties.
My brother, the Tea party conservative, was telling me how bad the IRA was. He said the IRS would be coming after all of us and that they would be required to carry guns. I find it so hard to believe he/they are so sure they are being told the truth. It is incredulous to me! Glad Janet Yellen is at the helm. She will keep to the IRS to its very high and fair standards. I've always been very favorably impressed when I've needed to talk to the IRS personnel.
Rick Scott has been repeating the lie about 80,000 "armed IRS agents," so it is no wonder your cousin believes it.
In the last decade, the IRS has LOST 50,000 agents due to attrition and underfunding. So, the 80,000 agents makes up for that loss, and adds 30,000 more.
The IRS does have about 2,000 armed agents--think about agents investigating drug cartels, auto chop shops, and human trafficking rings. Rick Scott and others are taking a job-listing for one of those armed agents and claiming that all 80,000 new agents will be armed. https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-irs-armed-idUSL1N2ZT296
Finally, since Republicans believe that everyone should be able to carry weapons everywhere, including to work, why are they now whining that IRS agents get to exercise the same Second Amendment Rights as kindergarten teachers and yoga instructors?
Ironically, while Republicans believe everyone should be able to carry weapons everywhere, they do not allow weapons into their conventions and rallies.
I trust Janet Yellen and the IRS will prove the pen is not only mightier than the sword but also mightier than tax cheats. Let's make sure we use the correct language. If you under report your income on your tax filings, you are a tax cheat.
I regularly get a "newsletter" from my congressman, Gus Bilirakis. You may not know his name, but he is an extremist, hidden by the fact that he has supported veterans in the past. I am sorry to post such a long excerpt but there are two things I'd like you to see. First is the lies about the IRA and second the fact that he is trashing the FBI agents that conducted the search. Here are those two paragraphs:
On Friday, I was called back to Washington to vote on yet another huge spending bill which recently passed the Senate. This half-a-trillion dollar package is misnamed the “Inflation Reduction Act,” as it does nothing to combat inflation. Instead, it will worsen economic conditions. Also, according to an independent analysis, the bill will raise taxes on low-and-middle income households and small businesses making less than $200,000 annually. Raising taxes on everyone is not how we grow our economy and provide relief to those who are hurting from crippling inflation and high gas prices. I’ve spent the past two weeks meeting with constituents and visiting small businesses in our community. The message they’ve shared with me is clear: Congress should be focusing on our country’s call to lower the price of gas, groceries, and just about everything else we buy. Instead, with this tone-deaf measure, Democrats are punishing small businesses, hiring 87,000 more IRS bureaucrats to harass the middle class, and increasing inflation. Obviously, I voted no.
Also, last week we saw yet another example of the Biden administration weaponizing federal agencies to target political rivals while ignoring the disturbing conduct of their allies. The raid on former President Trump’s home is yet another reminder that President Biden, and the radical left, will use any tactic they so choose to discredit President Trump for political gain. When Republicans take back the House this November, we must immediately begin conducting oversight hearings on the out-of-control DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland. It is imperative that we take action to protect the American people from the gross misconduct being displayed by liberal Washington bureaucrats who are clearly abusing their power and undermining public confidence in the federal government.
We've tried. I used to send him e-mails but gave up after a while. But a sliver of hope is that someone sent a letter in to the editor of the Tampa Bay Times calling him out. May be too small, but every crack in the armor is encouraging.
Goebbels would have been proud of this tripe. Once, we could depend on Cronkite to tell it like it was. Now the MSM just reports the lies like they are the word of god chump…
I disagree. Your characterization makes whomever you like to define as “main stream media” out to be the bad guys. They may not report the way you or I would like but it serves no purpose folks so easily. Perhaps sending a letter to the editor or post on a blog like this about how they are falling short might be more rewarding and productive.
Thank you for the fact details. I have forwarded them on to my brother. What Rick Scott is doing is classic distortion to spread fear. Keep the base riled up. I did just have about a half an hour conversation with my brother. We can talk to each other respectfully and we've promised never to let it get in the way of our love for each other. He definitely still believes in DT as someone saving the country. My brother doesn't listen to main stream media and even finds FOX too far to the left now. My brother does care deeply about the country and the Constitution. He even work a book on the Constitution called "Constitutional Renaissance" with basically says the federal government should not be doing anything that isn't explicitly allowed by the Constitution. He thinks the states competing with each other solves everything (I'm grossly paraphrasing...) but seems to me the Articles of Confederation proved that wasn't the way to go. We do agree politicians are not listening to the People and the big corporate/big money control our government. He likes my motto of "Re-elect No One" which is a great way to start a conversation with a right-leaning person.
The lack of personnel at the IRS has already cost me thousands of dollars because I'm one of 20 million or so taxpayers whose 2020 return has not been processed and that kept me from getting my mortgage refinanced down to 2.65% a year ago. By Texas law they could not give me the loan without an official processed copy of my tax return. Please note that the IRS did cash my check within three days.
Bottom line is everybody agrees that the country is in bad, bad trouble but we differ greatly in what will fix it. I sticking with my view of the world but will defend to the death my brother's right to have his view. Think I'll go watch Michael Douglas give the "Democracy is Hard" speech in the movie The American President. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC2jhQ0KAAU Don't get lost at Dupont Circle!
Thank you for this lovely sharing of your relationship with your brother. It's a model of how it could be. Also thank you for the great laugh at the end! I've seen American President several times, and each time I felt, "I want him for president!"
Rick Scott never met a lie that he couldn’t expand upon and make worse. His “platform” should be on every campaign effort. But who will believe the truth when the lies are such great fictional scripts.
As noted in my comment below, I once represented people under investigation for tax crimes. We used to deal with IRS special agents (now known as criminal investigators). They backed up the Secret Service. One day, one of them came into the office and one of my colleagues noticed the was rubbing his shoulder. When asked why, he said that he’d had to go out on the range to qualify the day before, because of that assignment. We asked him if he’d ever carried a gun, and he told us that he’d assisted ATF in a raid on a bookie operation and been given one. What did you do? we asked. “Well, the first thing I did was unload it. I wasn’t going to shoot anyone knocking over a bookie joint.”
If your brother is a real conservative, he must despise TFG and the lack of conservatism that has overtaken the GOP. TFG raised the national debt by $7.8 trillion, the third largest in our history, only outdone by Bush and Lincoln. And TFG did not launch two foreign conflicts or have to pay for a civil war.
I know about these false "Tea Party Conservatives". My Mother is one. I never pass an opportunity to remind her that because of her support of TFG, she has abandoned her values.
Sorry to hear that your brother doesn't read accurate sources. Maybe you could share today's newsletter from Robert. It is clear that unless he is making over $400,000/yr he has no tax increase in his future. You could also remind him that there was a time when fiscal conservatives would have loved this bill. Collect the money that is due (find the tax cheats seems like it should have universal appeal...unless you endorse tax cheating). And pay down the Federal debt! That's classic conservative legislation! Right?
Has he had his head up Rupert’s arse for 20+ years, or was he a Ronnie convert. Such tripe as that is not accidental. As to my Repub friends, smart family, Fox was the turning point although they had been repubs before that. The change was stunning…
The IRS has been the official government bogey person ever since the days of revenooers busting up stills and remains so today; on that basis, people are willing to believe the worst about them even (especially) absent any factual background. Agents are as human as the rest of us and have their bad days but, in general, are just trying to do a job where they start out behind the 8 ball and have to work past that to get anything done. If Secretary Yellen can do no more than avoid blatant politicization, she'll have accomplished a great deal on the way to improving the perception of the tax system as fair to everyone.
Your brother, like my sister, show no interest of pursuing ideas or information beyond their go to sources. But do we? I try to stay alert to what FOX News or other right wing media are pushing but don’t directly watch. Should I?
Staying alert to what the far right is up to is necessary--know thy enemy--especially for what the media feeds the masses. It's a dirty job, but some among us need to do it. I like following Ron Filipkowski who does that so we don't have to so much: @RonFilipkowski
My take: I would watch Fox sometimes if I thought there was a shred of interest on their part to actually report facts. Of course, they don't. They promote lies and poo poo an attempted coup.
Fox is not the equivalent of just another political philosophy. They are part of an effort to destroy us and reframe democracy as "their way or the highway". Short answer? No. Unless you just want to document the travesty.
Aug 18, 2022·edited Aug 18, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
When someone is citing a source I check the veracity of the source by using the Media Bias Fact Check site. Here is their check on the New York Post. It serves an excellent rebuttal tool.
"New York Post
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slightly to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.
Overall we rate the New York Post on the far end of Right-Center Biased due to story selection that typically favors the Right and Mixed (borderline questionable) for factual reporting based on several failed fact checks."
Thank you particularly for the detailed and quite lucid analysis of the NY Post and GOP stories about the false but quite insidious claims about new tax increases. What has evolved into a Trump-led cabal against the federal government and its foundational principles started several decades ago by, among others, Grover Norquist, who recognized that some folks oppose gun control, others oppose sexual promiscuity which can be translated in the minds of some into opposition to abortion, and many small business owners and other upper middle class tax payers resent paying what they regard as substantial taxes would aggregate into a large base of voters to support the GOP. The strategy has demonstrably worked even though its implementation has depended on repeated false and misleading claims, promises or threats - or implied threats - of discrimination against those who are “different,” I.e. not white, middle class, and mid-level educated, and particularly in recent years, denying actual history and exciting culture wars. All these folks had one or more reasons to resent or oppose what they regarded - and were repeatedly told by GOP. politicians - as intrusion or violation of their “rights” by the Democrats or the federal government when it was controlled by Democrats. There can be legitimate argument or discussion about these issues, but we have to expose and abandon falsehood and outright treachery as tactics in order for democracy to work as it should. Thank you again for doing that.
It seems that there are various pockets of Trumpers. As you say, there are the middle class whose income is stagnant and who profess to maintain their old values (i.e, white suburbanites, usually Christian, etc.) There are the poor who watch Fox for all their needs: They bite the hand that feeds them, most likely because of generations of racism and fear of democratic inclusiveness; from which they have long felt excluded. There are religious ideologues, both Catholic and Evangelicals who "cling to their Bibles and Guns" and who are anti-abortion. Then there are the wealthy and powerful who IMO, just like to f...around and watch the world burn as long as there are few taxes to pay. In other words, we might lump them together as outliers, but together they've become drunk with their illusions of power. It behooves "us" to approach the different pockets of Americans separately, but with unassailable talking points. How to do that? It takes a lot of "smarts" yet understanding and the ability to empathize. "Tough as granite, soft as a lotus." Ghandi.
Thank you for your excellent deconstruction of the GOP lies regarding the IRA. Unfortunately, your work is an example of what it takes to sort through the sleight-of-hand Republican strategists use in almost all important issues. They know that most Americans don't have the time or experience to sort through their intentional lies, near-lies, misleading statements and odd conflations to get to the truth. The famous line from A Few Good Men certainly applies to today's GOP: "You can't handle the truth!"
Todays Edition is rich with articles you need to read and share with your friends and contacts. We need to get the word out. Here is what I posted today.
CNN — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday directed the Internal Revenue Service not to use any of the new funding allocated in the Democrats' new health care and climate bill to increase the number of audits of Americans making less than $400,000 a year, according to a copy of the letter obtained exclusively by CNN.
If each of us sent this out to friends, family and others and ask them to share we can get the word out and counteract the Republican misinformation.
Everytime one of Murdoch’s companies is mentioned his name needs to be attached so we can see the thread. Murdoch’s Fox, Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, Murdoch’s N Y Post.
Murdoch is not a politician so he can’t be voted out. He is far more dangerous. And he is global.
Aug 18, 2022·edited Aug 18, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Please spell out any new acronyms the first time you use them. I didn't know why you were reporting about individual retirement accounts or the Irish Republican Army.
Is anybody surprised that the NYPost lies with abandon. They are Fox in print, and a tad more subtle than The National Enquirer. Yet, Bill Maher had a reporter for Rupert’s rag on his show last week with nary a comment about their lying ways. Anybody still wonder why we are a divided nation???
Anytime someone provides a link to the NY Post after I've asked for a credible source, I reiterate that I asked for credible. NY Post is laughable. People going on and on about how great trump is, I give them a number, because everyone knows trump's defense fund is rather low. Text to donate
It's the selective bad reporting and commentary that the Post is guilty of (as with all that Murdoch touches) that really gets me. What I don't understand is: how can the Murdoch family live with itself when it is first among equals in tearing our (repeat our) country apart? Maybe being from Australia makes them not quite so invested in our welfare.
Follow the money. It's a mistake to assume that the Murdochs and the Trumps have any compassion or morality. Their philosophy appears to be winner takes all and the devil will take the hindmost.
It is indeed about the money. The Trumps never have enough. And given their love of leverage and many failed businesses, you can understand why. 2017 Tax cut? You bet. Tax people a little more who make more than $400,00 per year --- Hell no.
Back in the 1970s, the firm I worked for represented a number of people under investigation for tax evasion. Unless you were a mafia don, the sentences for tax crimes were relatively short. One reason given for that was that people thought—and probably still think—of them as victimless crimes. That always surprised me. I thought that tax evaders were stealing from all of us. I still do.
Ok so let's really look at this. Weisselberg is going to spend 100 days in prison for pleading guilty on Thursday to "15 counts ranging from grand larceny to tax fraud to falsifying business records." He avoided taxes on $1.7 million. Let's assume 10% for the sake of argument, which amounts to $170,000. Ok just for fun, let's compare that to penalties for "petty theft," cases where property of relatively low value is stolen. "States often place a specific dollar figure, such as $500 or $1,000, as the upper limit for petty theft charges. These charges are typically misdemeanors that carry fines or relatively short jail times typically less than six months, but certainly less than one year." Six months to a year for $500-1000. I don't know what I want to say about this. Just that it seems so unfair.
“Women are not without electoral or political power.”
Alito and his Republican allies are not prepared for the backlash they have unleashed. Owning the libs is all fun and games until the government starts forcing you to have children while at the same time taking away contraception.
Alito goes through this whole rigamarole where he states that a right can only become a right if it is “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition”. And just like that Abortion can’t be a right and it is made illegal (for many).
Then he pats himself on the back (and women on the head) and says “Women are not without electoral or political power”- a concept that exists now as a right and yet according to Alito should be completely without merit because our history shows that women and/or fetuses weren’t persons and so the concept (of women’s power) was not “Rooted in this nation’s history”.
I am confused and enraged. How can it be both ways?
Sorry for the run on paragraph sentence but I just can’t with all this!
PS: Get the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks out there and vote!
A rhetorical question - why would anyone believe that a larger proportion of tax cheats (those who under report income on their tax returns) are Republicans?
Well, as Yogi Berra said, “Some things are just too coincidental to be a coincidence.”
A lot has been written about all the benefits of the IRA, one of which is giving the government the right to negotiate drug prices. I agree that the IRA will benefit millions of Americans, so I hesitate to criticize this legislation. However, I was struck when I heard on the PBS Newshour on Tuesday 8/16 that the drug price negotiations apply to a grand total of ten (10) drugs. A quick google search indicates that there are more than 20,000 prescription drugs out there. Even if there were only 1000, that means that the prices of only 1% of drugs can be negotiated by the government per the IRA. I understand that 1% is better than 0%. I assume this small number is the result of big Pharma throwing a hysterical tantrum over the issue. The bottom line is that the number of drugs, whose prices can be negotiated is a microscopic, infinitesimal baby step. The ice has been broken but barely.
By the end of the third year, Medicare will be negotiating the prices of 45% of the 100 most expensive drugs prescribed under Medicare. Although there are thousands of drugs, I assume that a small handful of drugs account for a disproportionately large percentage of total prescriptions.
"Women are not without electoral or political power." Very true. However, as mad as women are, it isn't just women who are angry about rights being taken away. Lots of men recognize that this isn't fair and isn't right. And, of course, it is also recognized that the Extreme Court is hell bent on taking away a lot of other rights. No one is safe. Yes, I've vowed to not vote for any Republican in local, state and federal races. I encourage everyone to do the same. I like to say I voting for non-Republicans rather than Democrats so it is clear I'm holding the Republican Party accountable for what they've done. Yes, I hope this means the demise of the Republican Party because of the horror it has morphed into. The Party of Lincoln had my respect and even at times my vote. The Party of DeSantis etc. does not. We, the People, all of us this time united by the power of the vote!
The have-more Republicans have not been the party of Lincoln in decades, since the 60’s at least. The party of Lincoln passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. Today’s have-more Republicans would have never done that. They are the same kind of people as the southern slave owners.
"Like" Have-more Republicans"
There might have been more context when first I read of Alito's statement. I take it now as a challenge to lawmakers to reverse the electoral and political power that women now "enjoy." Am I just saying what everybody else already thinks about this statement?
If you read Alito's entire opinion, it is dripping with sarcasm and condescension. In context, a seemingly innocuous and self-evident statement comes across as snide.
Ask yourself, why does the fact that women have political power matter to the analysis of whether the Constitution protects their right to reproductive freedom? It doesn't.
Voter registration among woman has increased substantially Nationally and interesting in those states where abortion rights have been curtailed the increases are significant. The demise of the Republican Party will only happen when Republicans take their own party back with assistance from us.
I admire your optimism but not your foretold fate for the Republican Party. I am less certain the Party can be rescued from within it's ranks. I believe it will require several sound drubbing's in elections (national state, and local) and the rise of a better alternative for conservatives to see it end as a political force. My own plan is to focus as mercilessly as I can on delivering those sound defeats and not worry about trying to “rescue” that party from those who will ultimately be responsible for its death.
I’d suggest the “taking back” part of your statement is key. If we are to have democracy we would want two parties, maybe more. (Yet, now is NOT the time for a third party per Yang-Whitman. We don’t need to have another case of Jill Stern taking the number of votes that would have made the difference in 2016.) Let’s stay focused on getting out the vote in 2022 & 2024!!!
John we need a functioning two party system for a bipartisan approach to government. I am not I am not in favor for a third party
But republicans, almost to a “man,” have rejected the idea of a functioning two-party system. It’s my way, or the Highway, by whatever means. Dems can’t fix this,
And woman too.
To be sure, I am not in favor of a third party either, especially when they generally only turn out to be spoilers. Jill Stein and all those from the Green Party may have had good intentions but.... Our challenge is getting back to having two "functioning" parties.
“Good intention,” I think not.
My brother, the Tea party conservative, was telling me how bad the IRA was. He said the IRS would be coming after all of us and that they would be required to carry guns. I find it so hard to believe he/they are so sure they are being told the truth. It is incredulous to me! Glad Janet Yellen is at the helm. She will keep to the IRS to its very high and fair standards. I've always been very favorably impressed when I've needed to talk to the IRS personnel.
Rick Scott has been repeating the lie about 80,000 "armed IRS agents," so it is no wonder your cousin believes it.
In the last decade, the IRS has LOST 50,000 agents due to attrition and underfunding. So, the 80,000 agents makes up for that loss, and adds 30,000 more.
The IRS does have about 2,000 armed agents--think about agents investigating drug cartels, auto chop shops, and human trafficking rings. Rick Scott and others are taking a job-listing for one of those armed agents and claiming that all 80,000 new agents will be armed. https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-irs-armed-idUSL1N2ZT296
Finally, since Republicans believe that everyone should be able to carry weapons everywhere, including to work, why are they now whining that IRS agents get to exercise the same Second Amendment Rights as kindergarten teachers and yoga instructors?
Ironically, while Republicans believe everyone should be able to carry weapons everywhere, they do not allow weapons into their conventions and rallies.
I trust Janet Yellen and the IRS will prove the pen is not only mightier than the sword but also mightier than tax cheats. Let's make sure we use the correct language. If you under report your income on your tax filings, you are a tax cheat.
Should be a clue to the clueless
I regularly get a "newsletter" from my congressman, Gus Bilirakis. You may not know his name, but he is an extremist, hidden by the fact that he has supported veterans in the past. I am sorry to post such a long excerpt but there are two things I'd like you to see. First is the lies about the IRA and second the fact that he is trashing the FBI agents that conducted the search. Here are those two paragraphs:
On Friday, I was called back to Washington to vote on yet another huge spending bill which recently passed the Senate. This half-a-trillion dollar package is misnamed the “Inflation Reduction Act,” as it does nothing to combat inflation. Instead, it will worsen economic conditions. Also, according to an independent analysis, the bill will raise taxes on low-and-middle income households and small businesses making less than $200,000 annually. Raising taxes on everyone is not how we grow our economy and provide relief to those who are hurting from crippling inflation and high gas prices. I’ve spent the past two weeks meeting with constituents and visiting small businesses in our community. The message they’ve shared with me is clear: Congress should be focusing on our country’s call to lower the price of gas, groceries, and just about everything else we buy. Instead, with this tone-deaf measure, Democrats are punishing small businesses, hiring 87,000 more IRS bureaucrats to harass the middle class, and increasing inflation. Obviously, I voted no.
Also, last week we saw yet another example of the Biden administration weaponizing federal agencies to target political rivals while ignoring the disturbing conduct of their allies. The raid on former President Trump’s home is yet another reminder that President Biden, and the radical left, will use any tactic they so choose to discredit President Trump for political gain. When Republicans take back the House this November, we must immediately begin conducting oversight hearings on the out-of-control DOJ and Attorney General Merrick Garland. It is imperative that we take action to protect the American people from the gross misconduct being displayed by liberal Washington bureaucrats who are clearly abusing their power and undermining public confidence in the federal government.
Have you considered writing a Letter to the Editor to a local news source to counter the information in the Congressman’s letter?
I’ve written so many letters I’ve lost count and have yet to see one published.
Does anyone hold this jerk accountable for his lies?
We've tried. I used to send him e-mails but gave up after a while. But a sliver of hope is that someone sent a letter in to the editor of the Tampa Bay Times calling him out. May be too small, but every crack in the armor is encouraging.
Goebbels would have been proud of this tripe. Once, we could depend on Cronkite to tell it like it was. Now the MSM just reports the lies like they are the word of god chump…
I disagree. Your characterization makes whomever you like to define as “main stream media” out to be the bad guys. They may not report the way you or I would like but it serves no purpose folks so easily. Perhaps sending a letter to the editor or post on a blog like this about how they are falling short might be more rewarding and productive.
Thank you for the fact details. I have forwarded them on to my brother. What Rick Scott is doing is classic distortion to spread fear. Keep the base riled up. I did just have about a half an hour conversation with my brother. We can talk to each other respectfully and we've promised never to let it get in the way of our love for each other. He definitely still believes in DT as someone saving the country. My brother doesn't listen to main stream media and even finds FOX too far to the left now. My brother does care deeply about the country and the Constitution. He even work a book on the Constitution called "Constitutional Renaissance" with basically says the federal government should not be doing anything that isn't explicitly allowed by the Constitution. He thinks the states competing with each other solves everything (I'm grossly paraphrasing...) but seems to me the Articles of Confederation proved that wasn't the way to go. We do agree politicians are not listening to the People and the big corporate/big money control our government. He likes my motto of "Re-elect No One" which is a great way to start a conversation with a right-leaning person.
The lack of personnel at the IRS has already cost me thousands of dollars because I'm one of 20 million or so taxpayers whose 2020 return has not been processed and that kept me from getting my mortgage refinanced down to 2.65% a year ago. By Texas law they could not give me the loan without an official processed copy of my tax return. Please note that the IRS did cash my check within three days.
Bottom line is everybody agrees that the country is in bad, bad trouble but we differ greatly in what will fix it. I sticking with my view of the world but will defend to the death my brother's right to have his view. Think I'll go watch Michael Douglas give the "Democracy is Hard" speech in the movie The American President. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC2jhQ0KAAU Don't get lost at Dupont Circle!
Cathy, American President is my favorite movie! "and you just lost my vote".
The Democracy is hard soliloquy is a great speech.
Jeff Daniels as Will MacAvoy's speech on America is not the greatest country is good too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2HKbygLjJs
I also love, "you just lost my vote." Thanks for the reminder!
Thank you Betsy. That is another great movie moment so relevant to today's politics. ..It can be
Thank you for this lovely sharing of your relationship with your brother. It's a model of how it could be. Also thank you for the great laugh at the end! I've seen American President several times, and each time I felt, "I want him for president!"
Bravo!!!! This is the start of a campaign!!!
If the Republicans are so.........
Then why are they....................
Let's see:
pro-life,
pro-freedom
pro the Blue Line
pro Vets
pro Democracy
pre education
Hmmmmm!
Rick Scott never met a lie that he couldn’t expand upon and make worse. His “platform” should be on every campaign effort. But who will believe the truth when the lies are such great fictional scripts.
As noted in my comment below, I once represented people under investigation for tax crimes. We used to deal with IRS special agents (now known as criminal investigators). They backed up the Secret Service. One day, one of them came into the office and one of my colleagues noticed the was rubbing his shoulder. When asked why, he said that he’d had to go out on the range to qualify the day before, because of that assignment. We asked him if he’d ever carried a gun, and he told us that he’d assisted ATF in a raid on a bookie operation and been given one. What did you do? we asked. “Well, the first thing I did was unload it. I wasn’t going to shoot anyone knocking over a bookie joint.”
Thank you for this story of a decent guy. Every time I hear one, my hope grows.
If your brother is a real conservative, he must despise TFG and the lack of conservatism that has overtaken the GOP. TFG raised the national debt by $7.8 trillion, the third largest in our history, only outdone by Bush and Lincoln. And TFG did not launch two foreign conflicts or have to pay for a civil war.
I know about these false "Tea Party Conservatives". My Mother is one. I never pass an opportunity to remind her that because of her support of TFG, she has abandoned her values.
Sadly, I can relate.
Rupert’s “conservatives” are anything but. Any non-MAGAt knows that.
Did you explain to your brother about Yellen's plan to NOT go after those earning less than $400K?
Sorry to hear that your brother doesn't read accurate sources. Maybe you could share today's newsletter from Robert. It is clear that unless he is making over $400,000/yr he has no tax increase in his future. You could also remind him that there was a time when fiscal conservatives would have loved this bill. Collect the money that is due (find the tax cheats seems like it should have universal appeal...unless you endorse tax cheating). And pay down the Federal debt! That's classic conservative legislation! Right?
Has he had his head up Rupert’s arse for 20+ years, or was he a Ronnie convert. Such tripe as that is not accidental. As to my Repub friends, smart family, Fox was the turning point although they had been repubs before that. The change was stunning…
The IRS has been the official government bogey person ever since the days of revenooers busting up stills and remains so today; on that basis, people are willing to believe the worst about them even (especially) absent any factual background. Agents are as human as the rest of us and have their bad days but, in general, are just trying to do a job where they start out behind the 8 ball and have to work past that to get anything done. If Secretary Yellen can do no more than avoid blatant politicization, she'll have accomplished a great deal on the way to improving the perception of the tax system as fair to everyone.
Your brother, like my sister, show no interest of pursuing ideas or information beyond their go to sources. But do we? I try to stay alert to what FOX News or other right wing media are pushing but don’t directly watch. Should I?
Staying alert to what the far right is up to is necessary--know thy enemy--especially for what the media feeds the masses. It's a dirty job, but some among us need to do it. I like following Ron Filipkowski who does that so we don't have to so much: @RonFilipkowski
My take: I would watch Fox sometimes if I thought there was a shred of interest on their part to actually report facts. Of course, they don't. They promote lies and poo poo an attempted coup.
Fox is not the equivalent of just another political philosophy. They are part of an effort to destroy us and reframe democracy as "their way or the highway". Short answer? No. Unless you just want to document the travesty.
Thank you!
When someone is citing a source I check the veracity of the source by using the Media Bias Fact Check site. Here is their check on the New York Post. It serves an excellent rebuttal tool.
"New York Post
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
These media sources are slightly to moderately conservative in bias. They often publish factual information that utilizes loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes) to favor conservative causes. These sources are generally trustworthy for information but may require further investigation. See all Right-Center sources.
Overall we rate the New York Post on the far end of Right-Center Biased due to story selection that typically favors the Right and Mixed (borderline questionable) for factual reporting based on several failed fact checks."
The NY Post a Rupert Murdoch owned entity. Murdoch has monetized disinformation and propaganda unlike any publisher before.
Thank you particularly for the detailed and quite lucid analysis of the NY Post and GOP stories about the false but quite insidious claims about new tax increases. What has evolved into a Trump-led cabal against the federal government and its foundational principles started several decades ago by, among others, Grover Norquist, who recognized that some folks oppose gun control, others oppose sexual promiscuity which can be translated in the minds of some into opposition to abortion, and many small business owners and other upper middle class tax payers resent paying what they regard as substantial taxes would aggregate into a large base of voters to support the GOP. The strategy has demonstrably worked even though its implementation has depended on repeated false and misleading claims, promises or threats - or implied threats - of discrimination against those who are “different,” I.e. not white, middle class, and mid-level educated, and particularly in recent years, denying actual history and exciting culture wars. All these folks had one or more reasons to resent or oppose what they regarded - and were repeatedly told by GOP. politicians - as intrusion or violation of their “rights” by the Democrats or the federal government when it was controlled by Democrats. There can be legitimate argument or discussion about these issues, but we have to expose and abandon falsehood and outright treachery as tactics in order for democracy to work as it should. Thank you again for doing that.
It seems that there are various pockets of Trumpers. As you say, there are the middle class whose income is stagnant and who profess to maintain their old values (i.e, white suburbanites, usually Christian, etc.) There are the poor who watch Fox for all their needs: They bite the hand that feeds them, most likely because of generations of racism and fear of democratic inclusiveness; from which they have long felt excluded. There are religious ideologues, both Catholic and Evangelicals who "cling to their Bibles and Guns" and who are anti-abortion. Then there are the wealthy and powerful who IMO, just like to f...around and watch the world burn as long as there are few taxes to pay. In other words, we might lump them together as outliers, but together they've become drunk with their illusions of power. It behooves "us" to approach the different pockets of Americans separately, but with unassailable talking points. How to do that? It takes a lot of "smarts" yet understanding and the ability to empathize. "Tough as granite, soft as a lotus." Ghandi.
Robert,
Thank you for your excellent deconstruction of the GOP lies regarding the IRA. Unfortunately, your work is an example of what it takes to sort through the sleight-of-hand Republican strategists use in almost all important issues. They know that most Americans don't have the time or experience to sort through their intentional lies, near-lies, misleading statements and odd conflations to get to the truth. The famous line from A Few Good Men certainly applies to today's GOP: "You can't handle the truth!"
Todays Edition is rich with articles you need to read and share with your friends and contacts. We need to get the word out. Here is what I posted today.
CNN — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday directed the Internal Revenue Service not to use any of the new funding allocated in the Democrats' new health care and climate bill to increase the number of audits of Americans making less than $400,000 a year, according to a copy of the letter obtained exclusively by CNN.
If each of us sent this out to friends, family and others and ask them to share we can get the word out and counteract the Republican misinformation.
Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post.
Everytime one of Murdoch’s companies is mentioned his name needs to be attached so we can see the thread. Murdoch’s Fox, Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, Murdoch’s N Y Post.
Murdoch is not a politician so he can’t be voted out. He is far more dangerous. And he is global.
Just saying.
Please spell out any new acronyms the first time you use them. I didn't know why you were reporting about individual retirement accounts or the Irish Republican Army.
Thanks for considering my request.
Thanks for the LOL! I forgot about retirement accounts (probably because I never had one!) but I did think of the Irish!
😁
I read the post to mean the Inflation Reduction Act. IRA has too many "meanings," as you point out, Earl.
Is anybody surprised that the NYPost lies with abandon. They are Fox in print, and a tad more subtle than The National Enquirer. Yet, Bill Maher had a reporter for Rupert’s rag on his show last week with nary a comment about their lying ways. Anybody still wonder why we are a divided nation???
Anytime someone provides a link to the NY Post after I've asked for a credible source, I reiterate that I asked for credible. NY Post is laughable. People going on and on about how great trump is, I give them a number, because everyone knows trump's defense fund is rather low. Text to donate
1-800-SUC-KERS
😁
It's the selective bad reporting and commentary that the Post is guilty of (as with all that Murdoch touches) that really gets me. What I don't understand is: how can the Murdoch family live with itself when it is first among equals in tearing our (repeat our) country apart? Maybe being from Australia makes them not quite so invested in our welfare.
Follow the money. It's a mistake to assume that the Murdochs and the Trumps have any compassion or morality. Their philosophy appears to be winner takes all and the devil will take the hindmost.
It is indeed about the money. The Trumps never have enough. And given their love of leverage and many failed businesses, you can understand why. 2017 Tax cut? You bet. Tax people a little more who make more than $400,00 per year --- Hell no.
Back in the 1970s, the firm I worked for represented a number of people under investigation for tax evasion. Unless you were a mafia don, the sentences for tax crimes were relatively short. One reason given for that was that people thought—and probably still think—of them as victimless crimes. That always surprised me. I thought that tax evaders were stealing from all of us. I still do.
Ok so let's really look at this. Weisselberg is going to spend 100 days in prison for pleading guilty on Thursday to "15 counts ranging from grand larceny to tax fraud to falsifying business records." He avoided taxes on $1.7 million. Let's assume 10% for the sake of argument, which amounts to $170,000. Ok just for fun, let's compare that to penalties for "petty theft," cases where property of relatively low value is stolen. "States often place a specific dollar figure, such as $500 or $1,000, as the upper limit for petty theft charges. These charges are typically misdemeanors that carry fines or relatively short jail times typically less than six months, but certainly less than one year." Six months to a year for $500-1000. I don't know what I want to say about this. Just that it seems so unfair.
https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/theft-penalties-and-sentencing.html
Agreed. AND I feel that tRump giving massive tax cuts to the top 1%, and wealthy corporations as stealing from all of us.
Ah, the Honorable Alito: Cannot someone throw him into the sewer where he can swim with the other rats?
No violence please! Sammy lives in his own mental cesspool!
“Women are not without electoral or political power.”
Alito and his Republican allies are not prepared for the backlash they have unleashed. Owning the libs is all fun and games until the government starts forcing you to have children while at the same time taking away contraception.
So; do I have this right?
Alito goes through this whole rigamarole where he states that a right can only become a right if it is “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition”. And just like that Abortion can’t be a right and it is made illegal (for many).
Then he pats himself on the back (and women on the head) and says “Women are not without electoral or political power”- a concept that exists now as a right and yet according to Alito should be completely without merit because our history shows that women and/or fetuses weren’t persons and so the concept (of women’s power) was not “Rooted in this nation’s history”.
I am confused and enraged. How can it be both ways?
Sorry for the run on paragraph sentence but I just can’t with all this!
PS: Get the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks out there and vote!
Lets work together and make Alito eat those smug words!!!!!!!
A rhetorical question - why would anyone believe that a larger proportion of tax cheats (those who under report income on their tax returns) are Republicans?
Well, as Yogi Berra said, “Some things are just too coincidental to be a coincidence.”
A lot has been written about all the benefits of the IRA, one of which is giving the government the right to negotiate drug prices. I agree that the IRA will benefit millions of Americans, so I hesitate to criticize this legislation. However, I was struck when I heard on the PBS Newshour on Tuesday 8/16 that the drug price negotiations apply to a grand total of ten (10) drugs. A quick google search indicates that there are more than 20,000 prescription drugs out there. Even if there were only 1000, that means that the prices of only 1% of drugs can be negotiated by the government per the IRA. I understand that 1% is better than 0%. I assume this small number is the result of big Pharma throwing a hysterical tantrum over the issue. The bottom line is that the number of drugs, whose prices can be negotiated is a microscopic, infinitesimal baby step. The ice has been broken but barely.
As another commentor noted, the PBS report is incomplete. It is 10 drugs the first year, 15 additional drugs the next year, and 20 additional drugs the next year. https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/healthcare/1222426/high-level-summary-of-drug-pricing-provisions-of-inflation-reduction-act-of-2022
By the end of the third year, Medicare will be negotiating the prices of 45% of the 100 most expensive drugs prescribed under Medicare. Although there are thousands of drugs, I assume that a small handful of drugs account for a disproportionately large percentage of total prescriptions.
Did PBS misrepresent, has happened more lately than I ever noticed before. A point of disgust for me.
I believe I caught a little dismay in Judy Woodruff's voice when the IRA passed both houses of Congress.
Phase 1 is 10 drugs. More are added each year. Right now that makes it up to a total of 80 overall.
Some prescription drugs are cheaper than my copay. Negotiating on them would not make as much sense (cents!) as the most expensive ones.