The 2016 election had all the makings of a status quo rejection. From the primaries forward, voters were rejecting anything that even hinted at establishment. There was common ground between Bernie and Trump as they both railed against free trade agreements, greedy corporations and the loss of US jobs. Voters in several swing states simply didn't see Clinton as a change agent and gave Trump squeaky victories in enough of them to provide him with an electoral college win.
Flash forward and the agenda has been revised. Gone is the Trump talk of 'draining the swamp' and bringing back jobs. Replacing that is the standard conservative agenda - repealing the ACA, tax cuts for the rich and famous and more boondoggle for corporations. That's before we get to the breathtaking audacity of refusing to confirm a presidential nominee to the Supreme Court for more than a year so that Trump gets to pick the replacement.
The impact that this will have on working-class Americans will be felt for decades. The bait-and-switch conducted by the ultimate con-artist turned politician. I think this gets really ugly, really fast.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Can't You See?
It feels very surreal to watch the Trump transition team begin to set in motion the destruction of the commons. From education to HUD to medicare, Trump is aligning with the free market forces. We may be on the verge of a privatization effort of epic proportions.
The working class has been hoodwinked by the establishment and just don't know it yet.
The working class has been hoodwinked by the establishment and just don't know it yet.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Corporations
What are corporations? In the simplest terms, these are legal entities formed for business relationships. Corporations are not created by the external world, or by laws of nature. They are not subject to the laws of thermodynamics. They are creations of the human mind. As such, they can be revised or destroyed.
Why not?
Why not?
Back on the bike
Got back on the bike this past week. Rode out from Portsmouth through Newcastle and back, with a stop at Nostimo's for lunch. That was Thursday - K and I took the day off and enjoyed the good weather in the morning. Rained like hell in the afternoon.
K went to Vermont on Friday afternoon. I stayed home. On Saturday, I went for a longer ride - 28 miles on the loop through Barrington and Lee and back up Route 4. Christ, the hills on Route 4 are made for billy-goats. It was good to sweat and hurt a bit to make the bike go.
Followed that ride up with a shorter loop on Sunday around the lake. There's some disagreement between my bike odometer and Mapmyride.com about the distance. My bike tells me it's about 15 miles and the GPS software says about 13.5. I'm thinking that what the mapping software misses is all the hills, adding a small percentage to the distance.
In any event, maintaining the commitment to biking is my priority for the coming week. Monday will be a recovery day, and I'll use the lake loop on Tuesday and Thursday. We'll see how I feel at the end of the week before I schedule a weekend ride.
K went to Vermont on Friday afternoon. I stayed home. On Saturday, I went for a longer ride - 28 miles on the loop through Barrington and Lee and back up Route 4. Christ, the hills on Route 4 are made for billy-goats. It was good to sweat and hurt a bit to make the bike go.
Followed that ride up with a shorter loop on Sunday around the lake. There's some disagreement between my bike odometer and Mapmyride.com about the distance. My bike tells me it's about 15 miles and the GPS software says about 13.5. I'm thinking that what the mapping software misses is all the hills, adding a small percentage to the distance.
In any event, maintaining the commitment to biking is my priority for the coming week. Monday will be a recovery day, and I'll use the lake loop on Tuesday and Thursday. We'll see how I feel at the end of the week before I schedule a weekend ride.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Matewan
Watched Matewan last night. It's a movie about the miner's strike in the 1920s that led to a massacre. Power does not give up power without a fight. It's been true throughout the course of human history, and it's true today. Why people simply forget this is beyond me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Matewan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Matewan
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sowing the Seeds of Love
We have a few local newsletters and news blogs out here in the rural parts of NH. Most of the content is town oriented, with news about school board and selectperson meetings. One online newsletter has been generating some rather heated conversations as a local pastor has taken to the pages to spread his version of the gospel. Interestingly, to me anyway, Pastor Ted is condemning the US Senate for apparently allowing sex with animals in the armed services. I can't really pull anything out of the incoherent babbling so if you're really interested in what religious bigots think up here in NH, go check it out.
Wide Screen TeeVee New GOP Measure of Poverty
According to a new census report, 50% of Americans are living in or near poverty, underscoring the rapid decline of the middle class in the US. It's really an untenable situation - people do not starve gracefully.
The good news, for the GOP anyway, is that many of new downtrodden put into these circumstances by the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression own big television sets and drive cars. From the newspaper article:
Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, questioned whether some people classified as poor or low-income actually suffer material hardship. He said that while safety-net programs have helped many Americans, they have gone too far, citing poor people who live in decent-size homes, drive cars and own wide-screen TVs.
I have to think that the reporter added this comment to demonstrate the intransigence of the GOP. It cannot be resonating with many Americans, particularly this time of year. I'm really on outrage overload - I just can't keep up.
The good news, for the GOP anyway, is that many of new downtrodden put into these circumstances by the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression own big television sets and drive cars. From the newspaper article:
Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, questioned whether some people classified as poor or low-income actually suffer material hardship. He said that while safety-net programs have helped many Americans, they have gone too far, citing poor people who live in decent-size homes, drive cars and own wide-screen TVs.
I have to think that the reporter added this comment to demonstrate the intransigence of the GOP. It cannot be resonating with many Americans, particularly this time of year. I'm really on outrage overload - I just can't keep up.
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