SDNY fingers Trump and his campaign.

[blackangst1]

At this point in time, Trump, the GOP leadership in gov't service and especially so the GOP leadership that is on the outside of gov't yet very much so in control of it (thus untouchable by the people) and their royally played constituency have arrived at the moment where there is no other choice than to mindlessly rally around Trump in a grand gesture of political mass suicide.

For sure, the party will survive in some form or another. And yes, what's left of it will conveniently forget how they were all willingly fooled and wooed into supporting the Trump Clan after they had just miraculously washed and rinsed themselves clean of the horrors and humiliation that Bush and Cheney brought to them and their party. This in a supreme effort to throw off the excruciatingly painful yoke of living under the rule of a black Muslim no birth cert commie president illegally voted into office by gays, illegal immigrants and baby murderers (or so they were told to believe). This after most of them were benefiting from the very successful recovery efforts that the despised Obama cabal put into effect and ramrodded for eight years. But it was the Democrats that did it after all was said and done and that was just completely unacceptable in their thoroughly propagandized eyes.

This after the hated Obama admin. and the Democrats gave millions of them affordable health care that their Repub leadership convinced them to outright reject based on the lies they had already been conditioned to believe without an ounce of fact or proof to back it all up.

Time to stop this stupid merry-go-round the wealthy keeps profiting from and the working class keeps falling behind from.

Vote Democrat.

Honest question. Do you think if there was a Democrat Congress and POTUS significant wealth would be taken away from the top 1%?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Honest question. Do you think if there was a Democrat Congress and POTUS significant wealth would be taken away from the top 1%?

Speaking for myself, no. Hillary was as corporatist as they come along with the Dems majority in Congress.
Under the traditional leadership there may have been increases in income taxes but what is generally understood as "middle class" and below wouldn't have to worry about their social security being raped while those at the top benefit. Wealth? We're not going there, and the Gap would increase but perhaps a little slower. The basic fundamentals would remain unchanged.

This is a reason that I didn't like Hillary, someone in the back room with the very best life has to offer preaching against the perks she'll never give up. I voted for Bernie not because he was a socialist or not, but because there are things we accept on faith, a bad mistake.

That's why I like AOC as she'll serve the same purpose. House freshman orientation? I didn't know it was run by corporations and lobbyists entirely. I approve of the light.

 

[tweaker2]

Honest question. Do you think if there was a Democrat Congress and POTUS significant wealth would be taken away from the top 1%?

Interesting question. My wild ass guess is that the Dems wouldn't do it until they get enough what they consider to be safe seats and the mood of the majority of voters of the nation compels them to override the financial influence that the firmly entrenched moneyed interests have over the decision making policies of the nation.

IOW, the risk of pissing off the wealthy needs to be overcome by the overwhelming support of the voting public.

The key to it all is if the working class folks who vote Repub finally come to the realization that their need for affordable health care, their need to have a living wage and their need to have the gov't provide for them what corporate America refuses to is higher than the single issue items the Repub leadership have been hammering away on to distract away from the fact that the wealthy have total control over the party.

The leaders of the party have been using these single item issues to keep their constituency from demanding what the Dems have been demanding all along: a fair share of the wealth of the nation that gives them a better quality of life and a more secure future that their children will benefit from.

 

[Jhhnn]

Honest question. Do you think if there was a Democrat Congress and POTUS significant wealth would be taken away from the top 1%?

Wealth? Only in a generational context. I'm confident Dems would raise estate taxes at the tippy top considerably. They'd def work to make income tax truly progressive at the top, as well.

Part of the reason this inequality got away from us is that the further up the food chain one goes the greater the excess income that is generated. It's re-invested. The effects accumulate, of course.

 

[blackangst1]

Wealth? Only in a generational context. I'm confident Dems would raise estate taxes at the tippy top considerably. They'd def work to make income tax truly progressive at the top, as well.

Part of the reason this inequality got away from us is that the further up the food chain one goes the greater the excess income that is generated. It's re-invested. The effects accumulate, of course.

Isn't that what most people want? It's not inherently bad to want to earn and save more

 

[Jhhnn]

Isn't that what most people want? It's not inherently bad to want to earn and save more

It's insane for the rest of us to indulge greed at the top the way we have since 1980. It translates into political power as think tanks & media outlets like Fox. It translates into the GOP heirarchy being owned by right wing billionaires & their voters being owned by divisive wedge issues. It translates into really, really stupid shit happening, like Trump as President. That took decades of relentless mind fuck to achieve.

 

[IronWing]

It's insane for the rest of us to indulge greed at the top the way we have since 1980. It translates into political power as think tanks & media outlets like Fox. It translates into the GOP heirarchy being owned by right wing billionaires & their voters being owned by divisive wedge issues. It translates into really, really stupid shit happening, like Trump as President. That took decades of relentless mind fuck to achieve.

Yep, a hefty estate tax on the very wealthy is a safeguard against oligarchy and helps preserve democracy.

 

[blackangst1]

Interesting question. My wild ass guess is that the Dems wouldn't do it until they get enough what they consider to be safe seats and the mood of the majority of voters of the nation compels them to override the financial influence that the firmly entrenched moneyed interests have over the decision making policies of the nation.

IOW, the risk of pissing off the wealthy needs to be overcome by the overwhelming support of the voting public.

The key to it all is if the working class folks who vote Repub finally come to the realization that their need for affordable health care, their need to have a living wage and their need to have the gov't provide for them what corporate America refuses to is higher than the single issue items the Repub leadership have been hammering away on to distract away from the fact that the wealthy have total control over the party.

The leaders of the party have been using these single item issues to keep their constituency from demanding what the Dems have been demanding all along: a fair share of the wealth of the nation that gives them a better quality of life and a more secure future that their children will benefit from.

My opinion two of these three (not that anyone cares) is:

"Living wage" This is strictly a state issue. Why? Standard of living varies significantly from one state to another, even within the same state (San Francisco vs Redding CA, or NYC vs upstate NY for example). I dont see how a federal mandate were to help at all. Voters nbeed to band together to make this change locally, but unfortunately voter apathy prevents this.

"Healthcare costs"
This is an interesting one. I think when most people hear healthcare assistance or healthcare costs, they mean insurance.Im fairly agnostic on the idea of single payer, but we're a long, long ways from implementing it. Obamacare did some good in this area, but the marketplace is a complete failure in some areas (Pima county here in AZ for example. They now have ONE marketplace choice, last year had ZERO). And according to federal laws,:
If you buy a plan outside the Marketplace any time, during Open Enrollment or not, you can’t get premium tax credits or other savings based on your income.

But no plan is perfect, right?

My solution is one suggested by former Safeway president Steven Burd. The concept is open marketplace, with fully transparent pricing. This is a simple analogy, but if a Dr office were to charge say $50.00 per physical, a consumer could shop around for the best pricing. This isnt ideal, obviously, in life threatening circumstances, but in the majority of cases it is. Give consumers the choice by being totally open with costs. My last Dr did this. Right on the front door he advertised basic pricing info. And cash paying services were MUCH cheaper than insurance billed, for obvious reasons. It was actually cheaper for me to pay the cash price than pay my co-pay. We see this transparent open market pricing successful in many areas including electronics, cars, and many other things. Why not health services?

Anyways. Just a few ideas.

 

[blackangst1]

Yep, a hefty estate tax on the very wealthy is a safeguard against oligarchy and helps preserve democracy.

How in the hell would the federal government getting billions or trillions from estates preserve democracy?

 

[blackangst1]

It's insane for the rest of us to indulge greed at the top the way we have since 1980. It translates into political power as think tanks & media outlets like Fox. It translates into the GOP heirarchy being owned by right wing billionaires & their voters being owned by divisive wedge issues. It translates into really, really stupid shit happening, like Trump as President. That took decades of relentless mind fuck to achieve.

Yep its not fair. I mean, theres no rich Democrats so they dont get that privilege. amirite?

 

[IronWing]

We tried free market healthcare. It failed. That is why private insurance was invented. Private insurance has also failed. Single payer systems and nationalized healthcare systems both have proven track records of success. We need to stop allowing failed industries to bleed our economy dry.

 

[cytg111]

How in the hell would the federal government getting billions or trillions from estates preserve democracy?

When you have ALL the money and still want MORE money, what do you do?
You buy the government and establish brainwashing factories akin to Fox News.
I mean, when you got THAT MUCH fu money, maybe you have too much of it to begin with.

 

[IronWing]

How in the hell would the federal government getting billions or trillions from estates preserve democracy?

It limits the transmittal of power across generations. I don't care if the feds burn the money collected, the point is to rein in the oligarchy that forms as a natural outcome of capitalism.

 

[cytg111]

Yep its not fair. I mean, theres no rich Democrats so they dont get that privilege. amirite?

Just cause democrats cant get their own slaves, they gotta hate on those who can.. amirite?

 

[Jhhnn]

Yep its not fair. I mean, theres no rich Democrats so they dont get that privilege. amirite?

Please. If rich democrats looked at the world & their place in it the same a rich Republicans, they'd be Republicans.

I mean, when was the last time rich democrats put the gun to the heads of politicians they support to get lower taxes for themselves?

 

[sdifox]

Yep its not fair. I mean, theres no rich Democrats so they dont get that privilege. amirite?

Err you understand raising tax on the rich also include rich democrats right?

 

[blackangst1]

Err you understand raising tax on the rich also include rich democrats right?

A battery. Your sarcasm meter needs a new one

 

[ecogen]

A battery. Your sarcasm meter needs a new one

Taking your posting history into account I can't really blame him for thinking you were being serious.

 

[Jhhnn]

How in the hell would the federal government getting billions or trillions from estates preserve democracy?

By limiting extreme concentrations of wealth, which is power. It must be kept relatively diffuse for egalitarian democracy to thrive. It's no accident that some of the world's biggest shit holes are run by some of the world's wealthiest people.

We always thought we were too big for corporate capture of the govt. The people financing the GOP are out to prove us wrong.

 

[zinfamous]

My opinion two of these three (not that anyone cares) is:

"Living wage" This is strictly a state issue. Why? Standard of living varies significantly from one state to another, even within the same state (San Francisco vs Redding CA, or NYC vs upstate NY for example). I dont see how a federal mandate were to help at all. Voters nbeed to band together to make this change locally, but unfortunately voter apathy prevents this.

"Healthcare costs"
This is an interesting one. I think when most people hear healthcare assistance or healthcare costs, they mean insurance.Im fairly agnostic on the idea of single payer, but we're a long, long ways from implementing it. Obamacare did some good in this area, but the marketplace is a complete failure in some areas (Pima county here in AZ for example. They now have ONE marketplace choice, last year had ZERO). And according to federal laws,:
If you buy a plan outside the Marketplace any time, during Open Enrollment or not, you can’t get premium tax credits or other savings based on your income.

But no plan is perfect, right?

My solution is one suggested by former Safeway president Steven Burd. The concept is open marketplace, with fully transparent pricing. This is a simple analogy, but if a Dr office were to charge say $50.00 per physical, a consumer could shop around for the best pricing. This isnt ideal, obviously, in life threatening circumstances, but in the majority of cases it is. Give consumers the choice by being totally open with costs. My last Dr did this. Right on the front door he advertised basic pricing info. And cash paying services were MUCH cheaper than insurance billed, for obvious reasons. It was actually cheaper for me to pay the cash price than pay my co-pay. We see this transparent open market pricing successful in many areas including electronics, cars, and many other things. Why not health services?

Anyways. Just a few ideas.

I think most with agree with a lot of your post, but the problem with marketplace/shopping around for normal hospital visits is that it is detrimental, and actually more costly to be shopping around for a different PCP every visit, simply based on price. Your medical treatment isn't like going to Home Depot. The absolute best healthcare happens when a regular, long-term relationship exists between patient and physician. Transferring medical records from clinic to clinic is both costly (Even when digital), and leads to sloppy record-taking--this is something that probably most people don't realize has a lot of holes

 

[zinfamous]

How in the hell would the federal government getting billions or trillions from estates preserve democracy?

It's not so much about the Feds getting that money, it's about preventing Lords, Fiefdoms, and the Oligarchy that currently exists and in reality--truly rules this country.

Why do you want that? It's fucking Russia.

 

[Jhhnn]

The. President. Is. A. Criminal.

This is a national emergency. Why the everloving fuck is everyone not working to oust him.

Forget party, forget tribe, he’s a felon.

Because Republicans. They've been crazifying their base for decades, thinking they could always control it. They created a leader cult mentality that craved a leader figure. Trump figured it out & stole their base. Slick as shit, too.

The GOP is all hunkered down for now, figuring out what to do when the inevitable onslaught from a Dem HOR begins. McConnell has pulled some shameless shit in the last several years but defending Trump's criminality may be too much for even him.

 

[IronWing]

The GOP is all hunkered down for now, figuring out what to do when the inevitable onslaught from a Dem HOR begins. McConnell has pulled some shameless shit in the last several years but defending Trump's criminality may be too much for even him.

Mitch ain't gonna do shit. With Mitch, party is literally everything. He doesn't seem to have any concept of life outside the Senate chamber or that his petty games impact people beyond his line of sight.

 

[Jhhnn]

Mitch ain't gonna do shit. With Mitch, party is literally everything. He doesn't seem to have any concept of life outside the Senate chamber or that his petty games impact people beyond his line of sight.

If he comes to the conclusion that putting the shiv to Trump is what's best for his agenda, he'll be humming "Mack the knife" the whole time. He can't avoid yea or nay judgement if the HOR sends him a writ of impeachment.

It would require 20 GOP Senators to vote with the Dems to remove Trump from office. Mitch can probably find them if he wants among those who don't have to face the voters until 2022 or 2024. Plenty of time to fixate the base on the usual array of shiny objects. Pump Pence up as a uniter of the nation & blah, blah, blah. Keep looting the fuck out of the Treasury, of course. Work for a win in 2020.

 

[tweaker2]

Mitch ain't gonna do shit. With Mitch, party is literally everything. He doesn't seem to have any concept of life outside the Senate chamber or that his petty games impact people beyond his line of sight.

Mitch has a safe seat from which to lord over his domain both at home and in DC and launch all manner of assaults on his enemies both within and outside of the party, rendering him untouchable from that point of view.

Given all that, he's managed to cram a whole lot of things down a whole lot of people's throats and in this regard he is as wicked and contemptuous as they could ever come.

His blatant partisan attacks on the ACA, his rampage through the tax cuts for the rich campaign and his ramming Kavanaugh's judgeship through the sewers and on to the bench are classic McConnell hatchet jobs just to name a few.

In so many ways he is far worse than Trump because McConnell has got the decades of backstabbing skills to wage war with his enemies whereas Trump is a neophyte in the ways of political hackery.