Category: Society

Is This A Bribe?

There is something rotten in Foggy Bottom.

Just a mere month before the midterms and Donny is going to be sending out ACA refund checks in the amount of $500….

The Trump administration said it will start sending refund checks on Wednesday to Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollees across the U.S. who it says were “overcharged” by the Biden administration.

Nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states will receive the $500 checks, along with a letter from President Trump.

“For years, the Biden Administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov,” Mr. Trump says in the letter, a copy of which was shared with CBS News. “That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now, I am returning it to you!”

Some families with more than one “affected person” could receive multiple payments via check or direct deposit, an administration official told CBS News. The primary recipients of the checks will be people who earn above 400% of the federal poverty line, the official added.

The states where people are getting refunds rely on federal exchanges administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which charges a user fee. The White House said earlier this month that it is issuing the refunds because the Biden administration overcharged Americans through those fees and then passed it on to consumers in the form of higher premium costs — what it referred to as a “gross mismanagement of Obamacare.”

“With this Historic Action, my Administration is taking the surplus funds that accumulated from the ObamacarePremium Taxand issuing a one-time $500 REFUND to Americans who use the HealthCare.gov platform to purchase their health insurance, but who do not receive Taxpayer Subsidies to pay for their Coverage,” the president said in his letter.

Millions of Americans with ACA plans are facing higher premiums after Congress last year allowed coverage subsidies to expire. In a KFF poll released in March, half of the respondents said their premiums, deductibles or other costs are “a lot higher” than they were last year.

(cbsnews.com)

This smells like an off-handed bribe to me.

I think it is suspicious that the timing of these ‘refunds’ are just days before the election….times are tough for most Americans and extra cash would possibly swing the vote.

Anyone see it differently?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Crack In The Wall?

As the midterms approach there have been several reports on our Dapper Donny.

With all his antics you would think that Donny’s supporters would eventually realize that he is not working in their best interests.  Each day he, Donny, does or says something that hurts the very supporters that worship the ground he walks on….surely someone will realize they are being duped and duped badly.

Some think his time has run out….(I am not one of them)….

Writing for the outlet on Tuesday morning, columnist Thomas Edsall cited the well-established statistical trends underpinning Trump’s declining support and the growing certainty that the GOP will get wiped out in the midterms. Per a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, his disapproval among voters is more than twice his approval, 66 percent versus just 32 percent, with some other recent polls putting him just south of 30. His support among some of his most crucial demographics, Latinos and independent voters, is also cratering massively.

“Voters, in other words, are showing a growing determination to repudiate the Trump presidency,” Edsall wrote. “Their most direct opportunity to express this determination is electing Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate. At the moment, poll data gives Democrats a strong chance of taking the House and modest but strengthening odds of taking the Senate.”

https://www.alternet.org/trump-approval-luck-running-out/

There are some stories that indicate that the MAGA support may be going the way of the dodo.

After years of unrelenting pressure on us all, there’s now a glimmer of what seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. Bit by bit (albeit not fast enough), the US populace is fitfully and selectively awakening to the problems it caused, or tolerated, or ignored, in welcoming Donald Trump and those who came with him.

Fewer and fewer Americans remain in defiant denial.

…

Meanwhile, the hardcore MAGA cult still can’t help itself, can’t reverse course on the most odious characteristics and desires of their leader, so accustomed are they to abasing themselves to his every mad whim. Indeed, the madness at the top continues in ever more dangerous ways — breaking alliances, thrusting up self-monuments, threatening elections, really hurting people.

Trump Supporters Are Beginning to Question What They Enabled

Some conservs are even saying that MAGA is approaching the failed experiment point…..

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are cratering fast towards a historic milestone, and one that, according to one top conservative analyst, could finally leave MAGA a “failed experiment.”

https://www.alternet.org/sarah-longwell-trump/

Personally I do not see it here in my Red State….the rabid supporter still holds to the misguided BS Donny and his machine have spouted for years.  But that is just here in Mississippi.

Donny seems to get crazier by the week, if not the day, and some are starting to think of a day when Donny takes a powder….With that said there is some belief that Donny may not serve out his full term….

Today the bad thing that feels like it will go on forever—or anyway, for 28 more months—is the presidency of Donald Trump. Is Trump like the national debt, or is he like the Berlin Wall? Trump’s political career has certainly lasted longer than anybody (including me) could have conceived when it began in 2015, and his comeback after the January 6 insurrection was particularly unsettling. But lately I’ve started to consider that our nightmarish political epoch may end sooner than we expect. Even as some worry that Trump will defy the Constitution and run for a third term, I’ve come to doubt that he can finish his second.

My reason for thinking Trump may be like the Berlin Wall is the recent acceleration in Trump’s mental deterioration. Yes, I know that in May Trump passed his Montreal Cognitive Assessment with a score of 30 out of 30 (or anyway that’s what his doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said). I also know that while that test is said to be pretty good at diagnosing dementia, it isn’t great at detecting mild cognitive impairment. “Mild cognitive impairment” basically means grandpa doesn’t have to check in to an assisted-living facility. It doesn’t mean grandpa should be handed the nuclear codes (which apparently may reside soon inside the Arc de Trump). And mild cognitive impairment can worsen to severe cognitive impairment.

https://newrepublic.com/article/215634/trump-may-not-finish-presidency

I am not buying into this theory…..I think Donny’s ego will not let him walk away even if he is bed ridden ad a drooling shell of his former self.

That is my thoughts….please give me yours.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Start Doing Your Damn Job”

We on the so-called Left have been screaming that at the MSM for decades to no avail but now there are others that are trying to get the MSM to actually report the news….

Journalists have always been a fairly morose bunch, and the news they produce reflects that. Communications scholars have found that across many years and countries, coverage of political topics tends to more often be conveyed in a negative or cynical tone rather than a positive one; one study in the mid-2000s found that about half of US, German, Italian, and Austrian campaign coverage conveyed bad news, while as little as 6 percent conveyed good news. By some measures, the situation is deteriorating; a recent study found that the “proportion of headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness” grew markedly in the US between 2000 and 2019.

Some news consumers have surrendered to the phenomenon and find themselves hooked on “doomscrolling,” in journalist Karen Ho’s memorable term, proceeding between articles asking if the war in Ukraine could be World War III, or whether another world-destabilizing pandemic could be on the way, or if we’ve already passed key climate tipping points. At least some news consumers aren’t too happy about the situation. An international survey from Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism last year found that in almost every country surveyed, trust in media is falling, and more people are saying they’re avoiding news. Why? Because, respondents say, it “has a negative effect on their mood.”

So … why are we like this? Are we journalists just a miserable lot who insist on spreading our neuroses to the rest of the world? Are readers, despite their protestations to the contrary, likelier to click on news that’s negative or dire?

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23596969/bad-news-negativity-bias-media

News consumers should not have to search for hours to find factual news….but we do live in the age of social media and that has crapped all over the news plus the Clinton admin signing a law into being that allowed corporations to own the news.

So I among others scream into the void “Do your damn job”….and wait for the day when news becomes factual again….

There are some that feel that ‘integrity’ should return to the media…..

In the formal rooms of the University Club of Chicago the loudest applause was not reserved for celebrity. It was reserved for refusal.

The refusal to accept an official story merely because it was official and trade editorial independence for access; refusal for leaving wrongdoing concealed because disclosure might end a career and invite prosecution or fracture and upend a life.

The second annual Integrity Media Independent Journalism Awards on Sept. 17 brought journalists, publishers, lawyers, supporters, and whistleblowers into the same room and treated their work not as separate pursuits, but as parts of a shared democratic undertaking against autocracy and authoritarianism.

We attended as members of the wider whistleblower community that the event sought to honor. What stayed with us was not simply the roster of accomplished recipients.

Integrity in Media Is Possible

(Time for a smile here)  That day is not coming any time soon….until then I guess I will continue to scream…(I’m getting tired)….and the void just smiles.

Any thoughts on this?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Ever See ‘Seven Days In May’?

This was a movie from a novel released in 1964 about a military coup by generals of the US….

Seven Days in May is a 1964 American political thriller film, directed by John Frankenheimer and written by Rod Serling, who adapted Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II‘s 1962 novel. It is about a military–political cabal‘s planned takeover of the U.S. government after the president negotiates a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union.

I bring this up because of something I read in a very conserv newspaper, the Washington Examiner….I will only post the the article link for information only….

 

59% of Democrats support a military coup against Trump. As long as it wears a uniform

 

Let me be honest….considering the source and nothing similar reported…..I think this is just another conserv fearmongering tactic…..but one can hope.

BTW an excellent movie…..watch it if you can….along with the original ‘Manchurian Candidate’…..both are too good too miss.

Please read and let me know what you think.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Can It Get Worse?

You bet your butt it can!

We all know, if you eat meat, high expensive the cost of a meal can be these days….I mean cheap hamburger is running at $8 a pound….it is getting ridiculous…..well hang on to your sanity for it could get worse.

You would think that Donny’s lame idea of bringing in Argentine beef would lessen the impact to our wallets, right?

Think again.

Ranchers in cattle country say President Trump’s immigration crackdown is now hitting Americans in the meat aisle. Industry groups in Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma say that stepped-up ICE activity has delayed shipments of thousands of cattle, costing producers millions and tightening a beef supply already strained by inflation and high feed costs. They warn the disruptions “will lead to higher beef prices for consumers,” per the Washington Post. “These ICE operations are having a massive chilling effect on the legal, documented, skilled workers that put beef on the table and keep the cattle supply chain moving,” the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Kansas Livestock Association, and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association said in a statement on X.

The industry groups say that such legal workers are avoiding feed yards, dairies, and transport hubs amid arrests in livestock communities, especially in southwest Kansas, which was hit hard in a spate of raids last week. Those raids, which the New York Times reports came “without warning” or the aid of local authorities, drew criticism from Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, an ally of President Trump who finds himself in a gritty reelection race. “When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement,” he said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin counters that ICE is not targeting workplaces, but rather “heinous criminals, including murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers and illegal aliens” who have been ordered to leave the country, per the Times. The conflict follows President Trump’s move to import hundreds of millions of pounds of cheaper foreign beef, a step that had already angered many ranchers, who had largely supported him. The trade groups’ statement underscored that growing divide, notes the Post, saying that the ICE raids “are a costly and unnecessary impact to cattle producers already suffering from unwelcome political interference to both the markets as well as the physical supply chain.”

No one in the admin cares….as long as they feed their racism and round-up brown people…..

Sorry to be a bummer but I thought that we all need to be warned of what this jackass in the White House is doing to our lives….and yet there are idiots out there that still support this clown.

Go figure.

Whatcha think?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

SCOTUS Strikes Again

Yet again SCOTUS proves they are a pack of political hacks that care little for the rights of the people.

Once again it is the whole voting thing….

The Supreme Court on Friday lifted restrictions on a controversial federal voter database before November’s elections, granting President Trump a temporary win in his campaign against noncitizen voting. The court’s three liberal-leaning justices publicly dissented from the decision, reports the AP. The emergency order allows states, for now, to use the Department of Homeland Security program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, in their efforts to verify the eligibility of voters on their rolls. But because existing law blocks most states from systematically purging voters from their rolls within 90 days of an election, the immediate impact on the upcoming midterms is likely limited.

The court’s order puts on hold a federal judge’s June ruling that deemed the administration’s recently revamped version of SAVE illegal. US District Court Judge Sparkle Sooknanan had blocked the use of the tool, saying it violated Americans’ privacy rights and could result in voters being wrongly removed from the rolls. A federal appeals court declined to pause Sooknanan’s ruling, prompting the administration’s appeal to the Supreme Court. The SAVE program was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state, and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. Since the Trump administration moved last year to significantly expand its search abilities, at least 67 million registrations have been scanned, but critics worry it could end up purging valid voters.

Some registrants have already been wrongly flagged. In Travis County, Texas, for example, officials said they investigated 97 voters flagged by SAVE as apparent noncitizens and found that at least 10% of them—and likely up to 21%—were US citizens. The county urged the Supreme Court to reject the administration’s appeal, while the state of Texas submitted its own brief defending the database. Even though the use of the SAVE program has been blocked for months, the administration said in court filings that DHS officials have continued to use Social Security Administration data “in certain cases to verify information and help determine whether illegal voting may have occurred.”

What are the possibilities that someone could lose their right to vote because they have the wrong political leaning?

Many eligible voters may be at risk of having their voter registrations wrongfully canceled just weeks before the midterms after the US Supreme Court cleared the way on Friday for the Trump administration to screen voters using a database known for flagging naturalized citizens.

In a 6-3 decision, the court’s conservative majority lifted a lower court order that blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using and expanding the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database—whose original purpose was to check if noncitizens qualified for government benefits—to trawl through state voter rolls and link them to information supposedly confirming citizenship.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/supreme-court-trump-voter-database

This is just an extension to the already felonious rulings that these fools have made that will make cheating in an election almost a gimme.

The slugs continue to rule against the people of this country in favor of corporations and MAGA issues that allows them to rule the roost.

Discuss

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Right Of Free Speech

+++It will be interesting to see what others think+++

Note:  I apologize but this will be my only offering today for it is chemo day and the aftershock takes me some time to recover.

This is the first part of a series where I look at promises made within the Constitution….are they doing their part or are they falling short?

There has been much debate on this so-called right and since Donny and his cutthroats have come to power that ‘right’ is being what some say under attack.

Like now with this activist problem that Donny is having…..

Free speech groups across the country are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s surveillance of social movements in Minnesota and the prosecution of the Minnesota 15, a group of activists from Minneapolis-St. Paul who face federal conspiracy charges after organizing protests against brutal immigration sweeps earlier this year.

President Donald Trump and his allies in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice Department have targeted the First Amendment-protected expression of protesters, civil society groups, journalists, universities and the lawyers representing them at a scale that has “not been seen since the Second Red Scare,” according to an amicus brief filed with a federal court in Minnesota on Aug. 25 by Protect Democracy and other groups.

Documents recently released in court filings show that DHS agents spied on churches, schools and libraries to gather information on labor unions, nonprofits and community groups large and small. In June, the Minnesota 15 were arrested and charged with conspiracy to stalk, impede and assault immigration officers under a section of federal law the Trump administration has used to arrest anti-ICE protesters across the country.

The ‘Red Scare’ Repression of ICE-Watch Activists

Is anyone surprised at this turn of events?

Maybe you should not.

The right to free speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment, which stops the government from making laws that limit what people say, write, or peacefully protest.

  • Political opinions: Expressing views about government leaders, policies, and public issues is the main goal of the First Amendment.
  • Symbolic actions: Non-verbal actions like burning an American flag as a protest are protected as free expression.
  • Offensive ideas: Saying things that people find unpopular, rude, or offensive is generally legal and protected from the government.

That is the short version of what most people believe…..that our right of free speech is guaranteed by the Constitution which is after all the laws of the land, right?

If all that is true why is Donny curbing our right?

First of all the Constitution means nothing to him or his minions….if so then who guarantees our right to free speech?

Since the Constitution is the laws of the state then it would be the state.

A blogging friend, Tina, recently posted an article on this subject.

Do Anarchists Support “Free Speech”?

Now if one has a critical thinking mind then what was written holds true….at least in these days.

Just look at what is happening now…..

The freedom of speech and of the press is not a gift bestowed by a president, Congress or a federal agency. It is a natural right of all persons. The First Amendment does not create that right; it prohibits the government from infringing upon it. The ability to think, speak, write, criticize, ridicule, persuade, offend, dissent and challenge those in government is among the most fundamental preconditions of the exercise of human liberty.

It is also indispensable to personal happiness. A person who cannot speak his mind, question authority, express unpopular ideas or tell the government that it is wrong is not fully free. And free speech is essential to the survival of the republic because a government that cannot be criticized cannot be effectively held accountable.

Today, government power is being brought to bear against institutions, journalists and universities because their speech is considered objectionable by the president and his political allies.

This is hardly the first time an American administration has made that mistake.

https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/09/17/more-threats-to-the-freedom-of-speech/

Your freedom of speech should be protected…..instead it will be used against you by these ‘Black Shirts’ of Donny and his ICE thugs…..

Discuss

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Meaning Of Political Protest

Now a days there are too many that are willing to sit on the sidelines and shrug at the events that are killing this country….their excuse is ‘there is nothing we can do about it’….well that is defeatism plain and simple and I for one will not embrace that cowardly situation.

About ten years ago I wrote a post on the meaning of protest and I offer it here for those that may not have been around that far back.

The Meaning of Political Protest

It is a simple thing….either you want change or you are happy being bullied by the government but are too meek to do anything about it.

Me I will do what I can to change things….I know I am a small voice but I will not accept this crap as my country is dying under the boot of stupid.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

NOLA Flips Off DOJ

New Orleans is the latest city to tell the DOJ and their grant to piss off….a virtual finger to Donny and his Gestapo….

After taking a “serious look” at applying for federal funding under the Trump administration’s Model Cities Initiative, the city leaders of cash-strapped New Orleans announced on Aug. 31 that they will not apply for the controversial grant program.

The $300 million grant program for cities and local governments of more than 100,000 people offers to pay for high-tech policing and public safety infrastructure in exchange for local officials complying with federal mass deportation efforts, among other priorities. Critics say the initiative is the tip of the spear for deploying mass surveillance tech and indulging the authoritarian impulses of President Donald Trump, who has filled the streets of multiple cities with violent federal immigration agents and, in several cases, armed federal troops.

New Orleans is a majority-Black city steeped in civil rights history, and activists have been ringing alarm bells for weeks as Mayor Helena Moreno and other city leaders mulled over whether to apply for the grant amid pressure from the state’s GOP-controlled government to address an ongoing budget crisis.

“The Model Cities Initiative is a Justice Department grant program that comes with serious strings attached, including the sharing of immigration information between state, federal and local agencies,” Romero told Truthout in an email. “This means surveillance for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to separate families and terrorize our communities.”

According to the Justice Department, one of the policy “blueprints” for the Model Cities Initiative is President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Memphis, Tennessee — another Democratic-led, majority-Black city in a GOP-controlled state. Launched about a year ago and involving 13 federal agencies as well as state and local law enforcement, the surge of what the White House calls “hypervigilant policing” in Memphis is still in effect. Residents and civil rights groups describe the surge as a racist and militarized federal “assault” and “occupation” and a new form of colonialism.

New Orleans Rejects Trump’s ‘Model City’

I am proud of NOLA for I know the grant money would have helped in so many areas….but like they said….too damn many strings attached.

I knew I like NOLA….bully for them.

There is not a city in my state that would be so bold….how about where you live?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Constitution Day–17 September

I believe that this day should be a more important holiday than any of our others….this is the day the new US Constitution was approved….the day that America became a functioning entity.

I shall start with my opinion–While I believe the DoI was an important document that set the whole thing in motion….I also think that this document was a rehash of what Paine wrote in Common Sense….the approval of the Constitution set up the framework of a new country….and the as they say the st is history.

A few facts about Constitution Day…..

Constitution Day celebrates the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.

What the Day Commemorates
  • The Signing: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the foundational document in Philadelphia.
  • The Birth of Government: While July 4th marks independence, September 17th marks the creation of the federal government and framework of laws.
  • Citizenship: It is also known as Citizenship Day, recognizing all who have become U.S. citizens through birth or naturalization.
How It Is Observed
  • Education: Federally funded schools and colleges must hold educational programs about the U.S. Constitution.
  • Civic Reflection: Communities use the day to reflect on the rights, liberties, and responsibilities of American citizenship.
Independence Day
  • Date: Celebrated on July 4th.
  • Meaning: It marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which stated that the American colonies were free from British rule.
  • Celebration: It is a major federal holiday with paid time off, parades, fireworks, and public gatherings.
Constitution Day
  • Date: Celebrated on September 17th.
  • Meaning: It marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, which created the rules and system for the federal government.
  • Celebration: It is a federal observance, also known as Citizenship Day, but it does not include a federal day off work. Schools and government agencies hold educational programs about the Constitution.

How many people know what the 4th of July signifies?  How about the 17th of September?

This is an important day in the history of this country and should get much more attention than it does for without the Constitution Washington, after the war, would have returned to his plantation and oversaw his slaves and crops.

Another thing the debate around the Constitution was public….the Federalist Papers and the ‘Anti-Federalist Papers’ were printed for all to see and know what the delegates were doing….

(This is included for those that are interested enough to check it out)

https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text

The Anti-Federalist Papers

The American public was privy to what both sides were aiming for with the new government.

When was the last time you got to see or read the real debate on an issue by the government…..today we get snippets from different sources that seldom tell the whole story.

These days the Constitution seems to mean very little to politicians and the population….it is used as some sort of dodge to action on some issue mostly not in the interest in the country or its people.

WE have ‘holidays’ for this person or that but the Constitution is not ever in the conversation and that is so sad that they people, especially students, are unaware of the importance of the document.

A few facts about the Constitution….

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is an important federal observance in the United States. On September 17th each year, Americans commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. This pivotal document laid the foundation for the nation’s democratic principles, rights, and freedoms. While Constitution Day primarily celebrates American history and citizenship, its significance transcends national borders and holds relevance in the international landscape.

Constitution Day’s historical roots can be traced back to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where delegates from the 13 American colonies gathered to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. The convention, held from May 25 to September 17, 1787, resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution, a document designed to establish a more perfect union and safeguard individual rights.

The U.S. Constitution remains the oldest written national constitution still in use. It has withstood the test of time, serving as a beacon of democracy globally. It outlines the division of powers, ensuring that no single branch of government becomes too powerful, thereby preserving the democratic ideals upon which the nation was founded.

The Constitution’s Bill of Rights guarantees fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial. These rights have become a cornerstone of American society, shaping the nation’s identity and inspiring similar rights protections worldwide.

Constitution Day underscores the importance of the rule of law. It reinforces the notion that even the highest authorities in the land are bound by a set of rules and principles, fostering a culture of accountability and justice.

Now let me ask you….does any of that hold true today?

I say that the lack of the Constitution importance to America has been greatly ignored in all aspects of American life….and now we are paying for it.

We should be proud of the accomplishments of the Convention that gave birth to the Constitution instead we are too damn busy hating our neighbors because they do not adhere to some sick ideology.

I believe that this country will continue to sink further into chaos until we all embrace the tenets set forth by the Constitution and that will be a disaster.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”