The Death Spiral of the Republican Party

Why is the Republican party pinning itself to what is being documented, by even the redacted Mueller Report (affirmed in a letter signed by hundreds of past and present legal practitioners), as a criminal, presidential administration?

Let's be real, the Republican party is following a plan to re-prosecute the Civil War.

The Republicans are shameless sycophants to the 45 administration because it allows them, in concert with the Senate majority, to seed the federal courts with far, far right ideologues.

The original Civil War was a military attack on their country by seceding states. When they lost the leaders did not face an appropriate trial for treason; the gallows for convictions. There were no consequences for the soldiers who willingly fought and killed their fellow Americans; see: “insurrection,” in Article !, Section 8 of the US Constitution.

Around the start of the 20^th century many people began to rewrite, misrepresent, the history of the Civil War. No matter how the new version of history misleads, the Constitutions of the seceding states clearly document the right of white people to own people of color as slaves, and the authority to recapture and punish any slave attempting to escape said bonds.

“Majority rules,” used to mean, “white people,” (using an extremely narrow definition of, “white”) ruled until there was minority-majority. This happens when said white people are a plurality and all the rest (non-white), combined, are a majority. This has happened in multiple states (probably including the most populous states of: CA, TX, FL and NY). Reactionary, white, opposition groups have emerged and taken over the Republican party and are making radical, often criminal, efforts to undo or overwhelm the consequences of the aforementioned demographic shift.

If the current, Democratic majority in the US House don't do everything in their power to stop (in this, current session of the legislature) the 45 and Republican effort to throw our nation back 60 to 160 years... Campaign incessantly on the Senate and the 45 administration's efforts to return to early 20^th century's, “Jim Crow,” or worse, the early 19^th century's slave holding culture...

Democracy and the Republic die, on our watch, in these United States of America.

The Roots of Economic Success: in the USA and Beyond

Wealthy people in the USA, and the record-breaking profits of corporate America, are happening because they exist in a society that can afford to buy the products and/or services they sell. All who are alive today were born into a great society and an enormously successful economy, largest in the world, that already existed... To listen to the Americans in the Davos crowd you'd think they were born into lean-to shacks on packed earth trails that existed until they created this society and economic situation.

The US economy was made by a US regulatory environment and the government's investment targeted to, oft government specified, research and development (a list of government offices that support enormous quantities of research and development can be found by searching the Internet for web sites like the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers - FFRDC) . The successful, 20th century, US economy was built with marginal tax rates of 70 - 91%. Tax payers are the original, crowd sourced funding that built the society we enjoy. Getting everybody to pay their fair share of taxes is the only way this economic success continues.

Wealthy folks, of the 1% crowd, point proudly to their foundations and associated charitable giving, but (if they'd check) they'd find their foundations would all be bankrupted by the annual spending of some of the largest states; all bankrupted in months by the budget of the United States. The 1% would be better served by doing their part in continuing the society they live in, were born into, that made their wealth possible and sustainable, by paying their fair share of taxes.

Views on Restoring US Democracy from a Democrat, Moderated Capitalist

It is time for a perspective from this progressive Democrat/Moderated Capitalist...

We have seen the four page summary of the Mueller Report, rumored to be almost 400 pages (because nobody outside the AG's office has seen the actual report), from 45's appointed Attorney General, who wrote a nineteen page application for said office, William Barr.

We have seen the media run with the AG's report as if it were conclusively representative of a report that none of them has seen.

While we wait to see the actual, unabridged version of the Special Counsel's report...

Here is what I believe that Democrats have to do to restore Democracy to the United States of America.

First, we must take back majorities in the legislative bodies of more than half of the several states. We also need Democratic governors in these same states. It is from these states that we might undo the harm done to Democracy by:

1. Gerrymandered, Republican safe, districts;
2. Electronic voting machines that create, intentionally, a ballot that, once cast, can not be audited;
3. Purged voter rolls;
4. Awkward, limited (not automated), voter registration;
5. Targeted removal of polling places;
6. Biased photo identification requirements;
7. Etc...

In 2020's elections we must turn out as many voters as humanly possible to overwhelm the biases that we can't remove before the elections of 2020. Everybody that has had any disagreement and/or run-in with the aforementioned, anti-democratic mischief must be certain that they are registered and make the effort needed to vote (in every election).

To all the Democrats running for President, already... We need to hold a majority in the US House and establish a majority (preferably a filibuster proof 60 votes) in the US Senate, or a Democratic President means nothing; ask President Obama.

We must promote moderated capitalism that will be fraudulently labeled as Socialism. Competition amongst capitalists is regulated so that there is a level playing field where multiple capitalists, in a given market, might succeed; a market that benefits consumers/customers. Deregulated (laissez-faire, feudal) capitalism pits capitalists against one another in a winner takes all competition that creates a monopoly; benefits the victorious capitalist.

Government will still strive to make a best effort at the things that benefit the economy for as close to everybody as possible. Those things that provide little, or no, return on investment (ROI) in the short time frames essential to a business that must profit to survive (e.g., common carrier infrastructure, education, etc...) These will continue to be paid for by the first, crowd sourced, funding method: taxation. Taxes are funding from a pool of as close to everybody, who can afford to pay in, to the benefit of as close to absolutely everybody as is possible.

Provide health care for as close to everybody as is possible: single payer health care. There is hand ringing about this from the folks who are in the businesses of health care for maximized revenue/profit. They pretend not to know how this will work, except that it is already working (verifiable lower costs and better results) in every industrialized and developing nation in the world, except ours.

Single payer health care from one's very first to the very last breath is, “pro-life;” all else is pretense to concern.

So, as we await the delivery of an unabridged Mueller Report to the US House of Representatives, those Constitutionally obligated to determine if what a President has done rises to the level of impeachable activity (it need not be criminal), and for the criminal indictment, for obstruction of justice, to be handed to AG Barr; Sessions recused himself to avoid this particular consequence.

Remember this process is frustratingly slow because it is treading where the founding fathers did not anticipate that the government of these United States would ever find itself; where it currently is. They did not determine definitions and consequences that one would apply when one of the three branches of the federal government decides to deliberately, and purposely abandon their duties (as a check and balance on the two other branches of the federal government), and abandon their oath of office (to defend the Constitution against enemies foreign an domestic), as was done in the first two years of the 45 administration by the Republican majority in the US House.

I hope the only party of Democracy, Democrats, can get out of their own way, quit using definitions created by the far right-wing radicals that have destroyed the Republican party, and save us from ourselves. We helped create this mess by not voting in sufficient numbers and/or by refusing to vote because our choice wasn't on the ballot, or because one couldn't find, “suitable,” candidates.

Voters get out and vote... Democracy does not survive if you don't.

The Need for Public Education

The best possible education of everybody is the most important ingredient to a society that functions well, and is in the best interest of us all.

In Texas, in the 21^st century, our population (including that of school age students) has grown rapidly. We are now the second most populous of these United States.

Schools in Texas have had reasonable success as well as significant problems. Noteworthy examples of said shortfalls that need to be properly addressed:

School funding that has been in the courts since 1968 (start with this brief timeline from the Houston Chronicle - https://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/A-timeline-on-the-Texas-school-funding-battle-5816607.php );

The state has backed away from it's commitment to the funding of public education in, at least, 2006 and 2011;

The state has tried to make believe that competition will improve our schools and has siphoned off some of the reduced funding to charter schools and voucher programs to private schools;

The State Board of Education has edited text books in a variety of subjects while abstaining from the use of experts/scholars in those academic endeavors...

To understate, Texas has a massive public education system that is working, but is in need of serious attention and support.

Our students (selves, children, grand children, etc...) deserve better than we are doing... Our education professionals (teachers, professors, administrators, support staff, etc...) deserve better than we are doing...

Perfection is a stretch goal that none ever actually attain; everything can always be done at least a little bit better. To get better we must strive to solve the problems listed above, and any of the other challenges one might discover along the way.

We can, and should, do better.

Voting In Your Own Best Interest

Voting in your own best economic interests...

There are many reasons to register and vote... One that will be covered in this post is voting for your own best economic interests.

In their book, Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box, Bob Deitrick and Lew Goldfarb seek economic data, from 1929 to 2009, to demonstrate the long held idea that, “Many of us intuitively believe that Republican presidents bring shrewdness and a sense of business acumen to the White House.”

“Surprisingly, the facts do not support this hyperbole. In fact, the Republican economic dominance is a myth, yet it is widely believed.”  

The book takes economic data from 40 years of Democratic and 40 years of Republican administrations and demonstrates consistently better economic results during the Democratic years.

Many conservative, Republican reviewers and political pundits tried desperately hard to disprove the facts presented, and accredited, in this book. They failed.

If you only read the preface, chapters 14 and 15, you'll get, what I believe is, the basic, essential information.

There are many reasons to vote... If you're going to vote for the best economic advantage of your family, and yourself, you're voting for Democrats!

See also: Keynesian and then some...  Two posts down the page.

Use and Abuse of the 2nd Amendment

Some elements of the U.S. Constitution have been bandied about of late, so some details  need to be clarified.



Some elucidation comes from Article 1 (the Legislature), Section 8 of the US Constitution:

Clause 13: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

Clause 14: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress

Insurrections and repel Invasions;

Clause 15: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such

Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the

States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the

Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

The Constitution, Article 2 (the President), Section 2 Paragraph 1:

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States…



The Bill of Rights, Amendment Two, reads:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.



The Militia Act of 1792 defined and, with the benefit of multiple updates over the centuries, still defines what is meant by the word militia when used by the governments (state and federal) of these United States... Currently it means only the National Guard, Military Reserves and the State Guard Units.



Anybody can call their group a, “militia,” but they are not the, “Militia of the several States,” referred to in government documentation.



Confusion was rendered by a decision (Heller v. District of Columbia) in the Supreme Court of the United States, Chief Justice John Roberts presiding, in 2008. In more than two preceding centuries there had been no such confusion.



It is a mystery to me how one comes to believe that somewhere in those words a singular noun or pronoun exists, let alone the idea of defining an individual’s right to, “keep and bear arms.”



This is where Texans find the individual’s right to, “keep and bear arms.”
The TX Constitution, Bill of Rights, Article 1, Section 23:
RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the lawful defense of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime.



Some day we, the People, will elect a legislature with the intestinal fortitude essential to rectify the confusion mentioned above by passing rational gun regulations into law. This will save tens of thousands of American lives every year!



Register, check your voter registration, and Vote in every election!!!



Voting is the only way we get and keep Democracy in the USA!

More of the Roots of US Economic Success

Keynesian and then some...  



We became the world's leading superpower when we invested heavily in what is, cumulatively, the largest of socialist institutions in the world, known as the US Military...  The conservatives love the superpower factor while often overlooking the socialist underpinnings, and trying to undermine (sell-off) parts in the rare moments when conservatives do express an awareness.



The USA became the center of the world of great innovators with a rather massive investment in public education (from pre-K – grade 12, technical/professional certificates, 2 and 4 year college degrees, right up through to post doctoral education and research, etc...). The NIH, CDC, NREL, NASA, DARPA, NSA, NRO, etc... (a list of government offices that support enormous quantities of research and development can be found on the Internet as the Federally Funded Research and Development Centers - FFRDC) keep the United States at the forefront of the development of the vast majority of all the, "next big things."



Government funding for all common carrier infrastructure (roads, bridges, highways, airports, seaports, railroads, electricity grids, telecommunications connectivity, water, sewerage, etc, etc, etc...) has literally paved the way for the US economy to thrive.



We have succeeded in efforts that we didn't fully understand when proposed (e.g., "Getting a man to the Moon, and safely back to Earth, in this decade...").



Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the original group activity (crowd sourced) and funding organization (crowd funded) known cumulatively as the taxpayers of these United States of America that made it possible for Americans, and many others through out the world, to stretch to that next goal... To reach for the next frontier and create the next big thing.



"What if...?" requires motivation and assistance at the most basic levels and we, in the USA, have been blessed with the will to provide it.  The government (cumulatively from the smallest town to the federal government) should be between 30 and 35% of all the spending in the US economy annually; more, when needed.



When attempting to gather the numbers to support the popular conception of the Republicans as the party that is somehow better for the American economy, two gentlemen (Bob Deitrick and Lew Goldfarb) researched the period between the run up to the Great Depression and the run up to the Great Recession, 80 years, and found the economic numbers contradicted the aforementioned popular concept.



These fellows wrote a book (Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box) that uses economic and statistical data from the 40 years of Republican Presidential administrations and 40 years of Democratic Presidential administrations and found that the economy did the best during the 40 years of Democratic administrations!



I gave out multiple copies of this book to Democratic organizations (with snail-mail addresses) while asking why are we not hearing this information from everywhere, all the time. At a minimum read the Preface and chapters 14 though 15 to understand why this book is very important to Democrats. I also think we would, as Democrats, find it most uplifting to get these two gentlemen to present any data and conclusions they might have gathered since the Obama administration and etc...



Let's get our Keynesian enabled backsides in gear!!! We've got elections to win from the top to the bottom of this year's ballots... Then next year's elections, and the next year's elections, etc...

Vote! Remember: 1+1+1...+1=99%