AI And Political Reality

AI is used for everything these day…..my cancer treatment is scheduled by AI….but the thing that is truly despicable is the use of AI in politics….

The recent election in Kentucky is a prime example of how bad and ruthless the use of AI can be in elections….

https://www.salon.com/2026/05/24/ai-is-breaking-our-political-reality/

Soon political lies will determine the winner of any elections…..no need to do the hard work of checking out the candidates…..just let AI choose what you believe.

It has come to that….and it will only get worse.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why The Dumbest People?

Now that is a loaded question that can go off in many different directions but for this post I want look at the trend in government.

I have not impressed in the last three elections with the choices that have been made for those that sit in judgement on the rest of us peasants.

For the most part these people have been the dumbest on record…..and watching these fools stumble through the governing process I ask ….are they incompetent or just plain dumb?

Here is a view on that very question….

As the old song by The Who goes, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” It’s a sentiment many of us feel every time a new mayor, governor, or president takes office, and we can’t help but feel that we deserve someone better. In a country with so many brilliant scientists, business people, educators, and public policy experts, why do the least impressive of us seem to rise to power?

Philosophy expert Julian de Medeiros, a popular TikToker and Substack blogger, recently wrestled with this question, and it must have been on a lot of people’s minds because the video received over 4.2 million views. “Why does it seem like so many people in power are so dumb? It’s like, why can’t we get a better class of leaders?” he asked.

Ultimately, de Medeiros believes that power and intellect are often at odds. “I’ve thought about it a bit more, and I think this is my thesis: that power is inherently anti-intellectual. Because what does intellect do? Intellect questions power. It speaks truth to power. It critiques power. And power doesn’t like that,” he says. “And so power has to speak to the lowest common denominator. It dumbs everything down.”

“It’s an anti-intellectual force. And that’s why it seems like those in power are also the dumbest,” he concludes his video. The commenters further expanded on de Medeiros’ thesis. “Also, intellectual people question and analyse everything. A leader needs to be invested in their opinion and abide by it,” one wrote. “Because those in power or seek power cares about the power only, so they make the decisions that keep them in power no matter what is the output,” another offered.

Another reason people who are a few fries short of a Happy Meal are often voted into office is that there is a deep vein of voters who are skeptical of intellectuals. These people tend to be populists who value “common sense” over intellectualism and may see experts or highly educated people as dangerous and out of touch with the common man. So, candidates position themselves against the “intellectuals” by either being their proud, dumb selves or by taking their IQ down a few notches while in public.

Theologian and philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906—1945) believed that dumb people often ascend to power because evil people have difficulty getting elected. So, they champion someone who may be more charismatic or connected and ride their coattails into power.

Finally, much like de Medeiros, Bonhoeffer believes there is a big difference between intellectualism and power. Therefore, once one attains power they are highly lifely to look like a buffoon. It’s as if, “Slogans, catchwords and the like… have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being,” Bonhoeffer says.

It’s sad to realize that the very nature of power means that those who hold office, whether we voted for them or not, will probably disappoint us at some point. But the good news from this understanding is that we are freeing ourselves from the constant disappointment of having leaders appear rather dumb. Now, whenever we meet the new boss, we can assume he’s just like the old boss and be positively delighted if they wind up slightly smarter.

(upworthy.com)

That explains a lot.

Just once it would be nice to see someone with half a brain leading this country for awhile.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

2024 Issues: Taxes

The election is less than 2 months away and the perfect time to learn about the issues and what your candidate has to say about them….

Financebuzz has broken it down very simply for easy understanding…..

As voters wait on both presidential candidates to unveil more details on their economic agendas, Trump and Harris are calling for tax changes that could impact millions of people in the United States. Both have proposed tax cuts and increases that would require congressional approval.

Trump on tax cuts

It may be no surprise that Trump plans to preserve at least some of the individual and business tax cuts put in place via his TCJA. According to the Trump campaign, those tax cuts benefited millions of Americans and can help the millions of people who are dealing with the impacts of inflation and higher prices.

The campaign said the individual tax cuts and business tax reforms would help spur economic growth and confront higher costs of living without inflationary government spending.

Harris on tax cuts

Though Harris herself may not have directly addressed TCJA extensions so far on the campaign trail, there has been some Democratic support. In fact, President Joe Biden’s top economic advisor voiced support for partial extensions. According to the Tax Foundation, Harris has a record of favoring steeper tax hikes on businesses and people than President Biden.

Harris on tax increases

Trump and Harris have both said they will address the budget deficit. They have both proposed plans to raise revenue. Again, keep in mind tax law changes require approval by Congress.

According to the Harris campaign, she will push to increase the corporate tax rate to 28%, up from the 21% put in place through the TCJA. That could potentially reduce the deficit by $1.3 trillion over a decade, according to the Treasury Department.

She also proposes to raise taxes on high-income people, raising the top marginal income rate to 39.6% from 37%. She also proposes taxing investment gains of $1 million or more at the ordinary income rate instead of the lower capital gains rate.

Trump on tax increases

In a pitch that seems to find great support from his base, Trump has called for sweeping tariffs, which are taxes levied on imported goods. Further, the former president suggested he’s looking at putting in place a policy of tariffs that would lead to the elimination of the federal income tax.

Trump on tip taxes

The Trump and Harris campaigns have both talked about the idea of eliminating income tax on tip income. Trump made the proposal well before Harris. In fact, his pitch drew a mixed reaction.

The former president has also called for no taxes on Social Security income. Social Security has been a hot issue this election season amid fears of the finances for the program and related ones.

Harris on tip taxes

In a more recent move, Harris also talked about the idea of eliminating taxes on tip income. She said it’s part of her commitment to fight for working families, which she said also includes a plan to raise the minimum wage.

I do not see where either candidate will improve low income workers’ lives.

Former President Donald Trump wants to increase tariffs, while his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, wants to raise the corporate income tax rate. They say you need not worry about the consequences of these tax hikes because someone else will pay the tab.

Don’t believe them. Both proposals would impair economic growth and impose substantial costs on ordinary Americans, extending far beyond the advertised targets.

Trump and Harris Both Favor Tax Hikes That Would Hurt Ordinary Americans

Vote for the best person to improve your life not the one that feeds your petty biases.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The President Will Change Inflation

The 2024 election has become so flippin’ boring! We know Trump will be incoherent and Harris will echo Biden and that is about it.

This election season the candidates are giving inflation a lot of lip service….one says if elected he will end inflation on day one….the other is not so precise.

But can a president really do, do they have the power to end inflation?

Now that is a question that anyone worried about inflation should be asking of their candidate and ask for specifics after all words are cheap.

The Kiplinger Report takes a look at what is involved with inflation and what a president can do….if anything.

Inflation.

It killed the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, relegating both to the status of a one-term president. And broad dissatisfaction with post-pandemic inflation weighed heavily on President Joe Biden’s popularity … and may have been one of the factors in his decision not to seek a second term.

But is inflation really a president’s fault? And what, if anything, can a commander-in-chief do to fix it?

The relationship between inflation and the man or woman in the White House is complex because inflation itself is complex. And while the president cannot control inflation, per se, they can certainly influence it.

So, let’s break it down, starting with what drives inflation.

Inflation is the rate at which prices rise over time. Or, put differently, it measures how much your money is worth relative to the goods and services you can buy with it.

The reasons for inflation are varied, but ultimately, they all come down to basic supply and demand. That’s how all markets work. When demand is higher than supply, prices rise to compensate. Likewise, when supply outpaces demand, prices fall.

Both aggregate supply and aggregate demand can be influenced by government policy, though not necessarily by the president.

https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/inflation/can-a-president-fix-inflation

As you can see the Federal Reserves is where inflation has it’s start….government policies can have an effect one way or the other but a president cannot end inflation on his/her own.

“But it’s also not within the president’s power alone to control inflation and it’s not realistic to expect it. “

Think about this….the Fed is lowering interest rates will that drive inflation to rise….after all we are sitting at 2.9% or so the reports go.

Know what you are voting for in the upcoming election….do not vote for idle words.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s Grip Is Still Slipping

Most people seem to not give a crap how this election is going…..most have made up their minds or should I say resigned themselves to one way or another……they just shrug off all info in favor of some sort of epiphany that they have….

Biden is losing the voters that Dems have counted on for decades….the young, blacks and Hispanics….not a good sign at all…..

I wrote recently about Biden’s problem with the young voter……

More Crappy News For Biden

The most dependable bloc for Dems were blacks and Biden has successfully driven them away as well….all Biden’s antics to drive the political conversation away from the top stories of the day has fallen on deaf ears….unfortunately recent polls show Biden slipping into darkness.

President Biden is behind in most of the states that could decide the election, a new poll from the New York Times, Siena College, and the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests. Results in a head-to-head matchup in six states, all of which were won by Biden in 2020:

Pennsylvania: Trump 47, Biden 44

Arizona: Trump 49, Biden 42

Michigan: Trump 49, Biden 42

Georgia: Trump 49, Biden 39

Nevada: Trump 50, Biden 38

Wisconsin: Biden 47, Trump 45; the only swing state where Biden leads in this poll

Three key groups: The president’s numbers are lackluster among Black, young, and Hispanic voters. The two candidates are tied in the latter two categories, in contrast to Biden’s 60% pull in the last election, and while Biden has a big lead among Black voters, Trump’s 20% is relatively strong.

Inflation: A separate poll by the Financial Times hammers home how inflation in particular is damaging Biden—80% of voters list it as one of their biggest financial challenges. In this poll, 58% disapproved of Biden’s economic policies, up from 55% last month, and only 28% say Biden helped the economy.

May I suggest that people wake up and smell the manure in the races….if you ignore then all the bad predictions will indeed come to fruition…..and then you will have no one to blame but your lazy ass…..plus you will have 4 years of BS and corruption….I believe we have had enough of that so I continue to pay attention and write.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Pesky 14th

The big news in the last week has been that Colorado has kicked Trump off the ballot for 2024 and using the 14th amendment as a justification.

In case you are not sure about the 14th let me show you there is more to it than the ‘insurrection” clause….

Passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later, on July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States,” including formerly enslaved people, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states. The amendment authorized the government to punish states that abridged citizens’ right to vote by proportionally reducing their representation in Congress. It banned those who “engaged in insurrection” against the United States from holding any civil, military, or elected office without the approval of two-thirds of the House and Senate. The amendment prohibited former Confederate states from repaying war debts and compensating former slave owners for the emancipation of their enslaved people. Finally, it granted Congress the power to enforce this amendment, a provision that led to the passage of other landmark legislation in the 20th century, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Congress required former Confederate states to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment as a condition of regaining federal representation.

….but since that is what the Colorado Supreme Court used to ban Trump then let’s look at that portion known as Section 3…..

Section 3 of the Civil War-era 14th Amendment says: “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Even if someone is found to be ineligible to serve, the amendment says Congress can overturn that decision with a two-thirds majority.

The provision was mainly used between its ratification in the aftermath of the Civil War and the 1872 enactment of the Amnesty Act, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

If history interest you then this might be to your liking….

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-14-amendment-section-3-explained-colorado-ballot-ruling-rcna130581

This Colorado ruling is exactly what Trump ….wants and needs…..he can now claim the moral high ground and weaponize the ruling in his favor…..

“Suddenly we seem to have moved from “can Trump win?” to “can Trump stand?” – and a troubled world watches as the United States, arsenal of democracy and shining city on a hill, turns in on itself once again.

The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that Trump is ineligible under the American constitution to hold office again, and therefore should be removed from the state’s presidential primary ballot, is a brave and a momentous one. It’s on the legally debatable grounds that Trump is an insurrectionist under terms of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Passed after the civil war and obviously aimed at any ambitious secessionists, it states: “No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of president and vice-president or hold any office, civil or military … who… shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” It concludes: “But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-colorado-banned-presidency-judges-b2467200.html

Personally I like the ruling but in the same mind 16 other states want to try this same move….I think that might bite the country in the ass and give Trump more clout than he already has among the mentally slow.

Then there is the SCOTUS….how will they rule on this if they hear it?

Since it is the Constitution I can see why they would not hear this case.

Since the Constitution does not specify on the legal status of the person I think they would rule in Trump’s favor.

How about you guys…..any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Is It Time To Worry Yet?

WE are only a few months away from the kick-off of the 2024 election season…..and it looks like the two front-runners are Trump and Biden…..and that is where this post picks up….

For most thinking voter the news that Trump will run again can send us into a ranting frenzy….of the is the case then this story should bring on a stroke.

A new poll gives President Biden and Democrats cause for concern just as his reelection campaign officially gets going. Biden’s job approval rating has fallen to 36% after standing at 42% in February, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found; his previous low was 37% early last year. The president’s disapproval rating now is 56%, with 47% expressing strong disapproval. Although the economy was in bad shape because of the pandemic when Biden took office, more respondents consider former President Donald Trump to be better at handling the economy, 54% to 36%, per the Post. Possibly most worrying to Democrats, Biden is about 4 points down in a head-to-head matchup against Trump.

It’s not all roses for Trump. The poll found majorities saying he should face criminal charges over the attack on the Capitol, efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. Although Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t entered the race, Trump has about twice as much support at this point. Respondents don’t find Biden or Trump especially honest or trustworthy, but the president comes out ahead on those measures.

At least one Democratic pro was alarmed by the poll results, including Biden’s loss of support among particular groups, per the Hill. “It’s sobering in the sense that the coalition that elected Joe Biden, with the historic numbers that we saw in 2020, that coalition right now is fragmented,” party strategist Donna Brazile said on ABC’s This Week. She said she sent the poll findings to Democrats at her first opportunity—12:02am Sunday. “It kept me up and I thought they should wake up and look at those numbers,” Brazile said.

Oh.. great a replay of 2020 as boring as it was……progress in this country will suffer (as it always does)

I am not voting for either of these two old guys for neither represents anything that I support.

I will either vote third party or write-in if these are the two candidates for the presidency.

Any thoughts you would like to share?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

“Not All Nazis Were Bad”

This is for the ‘Can’t Fix Stupid’ files…..

Not my words but those of an Indiana politician……

There are multiple candidates running for seats on the Zionsville Community Schools Board of Trustees in Indiana, including Dr. Matt Keefer, an anesthesiologist who calls himself an independent option disliked by both “Republican leaders” and the “extreme left” due to his critical thinking and inability to “be controlled.” Pushback against him has reached new levels, however, after he recently defended some of the Nazis during World War II in comments under an online post, reports FOX59. The controversy started when Keefer, who runs on an anti- “wokeness” and “indoctrination” platform, was asked in a since-deleted Facebook thread if teachers asserting that the Tulsa Massacre was terrible, or that all Nazis were bad, would be considered “indoctrination,” in his eyes. Keefer’s response is what instantly raised eyebrows.

“All Nazis weren’t ‘bad,’ as you specify,” he told his questioner. “They did horrible things. They were in a group frenzy in both cases you site [sic]. Who is to say if we were both there in the same place and same time that we wouldn’t have done the same thing.” He added in a later post: “There were certainly evil Nazis. There were also good people who had to be Nazis (or they would have been killed).” Backlash against his remarks were swift. “When you hear statements like this, it diminishes the Holocaust, it diminishes the memory,” the head of the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council tells FOX59. “This hurts so much inside.” “I just couldn’t fathom” what he wrote, a parent in the district tells WTHR, which notes that despite the outcry by many in the community, Keefer still has some supporters thanking him for his candor and “listening to the community.”

At any rate, Keefer doesn’t seem fazed by the commotion. In a post he has since taken down, per FOX59, he blamed the “far left” for attacking him and wrote, “I know haters gotta hate, so please continue spewing your taunts. I’m only getting stronger in the community!” In a longer post on Facebook Thursday, which remained up as of Friday morning, Keefer tripled down, stating, “A few days ago I made the comment ‘not all Nazis were bad’ … I am correct.” He added, though, that his argument contained “nuance,” and that “to be clear: I never was, am not now, and never will be a Nazi sympathizer.” Some of the comments under that post remained supportive, though one person wrote, “Not everyone in the drug cartels or mafia are bad people either.” WTHR rounds up statements from a few of Keefer’s rivals for the board over his remarks.

This is someone who could possibly decide what your children will learn….is that what you want them to learn the ‘not all Nazis were bad’? And from a moron that slept through history class.

This country continues to slide and we are allowing it to slide down the toilet. WHY?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–27Oct21

Do you still need proof that the GOP is down a rabbit hole?

Then this ought to put the question to bed.

Wisconsin is a hot bed to stupid…and now it gets even more stupid and pathetic…..

A GOP gubernatorial candidate in Wisconsin is calling on Republicans to “hire mercenaries” to engage in “ballot harvesting” to win 2022 elections.

Rebecca Kleefisch, who served as lieutenant governor for eight years and is vying to unseat Democratic Gov. Tony Evers next year, made the comments on Saturday during a speech to Republicans in Door County, according to audio of her remarks obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The newspaper reported that Kleefisch “said the methods she needs to use to win bother her so much she will need to wash herself with steel wool.”

“If her campaign strategy works, she said she would quickly sign legislation overhauling how elections are conducted,” according to Journal Sentinel.

“We execute with excellence, we will beat them at their own game. And the next morning, we all wake up, take a shower with steel wool, and then, after swearing in in January … (the Legislature) is going to pass all these bills again, and then I’m going to sign them all. And we will never do elections like that again, but this is how we win,” Kleefisch said.

“If you are recording, I don’t want you to put this part online to share with Democrats, OK? It is about election strategy,” she added. “What I’m about to say may feel ugly to you guys.”

According to the newspaper, Kleefisch then talked about “ballot harvesting” and hiring “mercenaries.”

https://www.rawstory.com/rebecca-kleefisch/

I wish I could say that these statements are shocking….but these days the GOP candidates just try to out stupid each other daily.

Anybody that buys into this insanity and votes for any of these d/bags then I question their mental capabilities.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2020–Who Gets My Vote?

I have done a lot of bitching about the slate of 2020 candidates….so I guess the question is…..just who will get my vote this time around.

I will be honest…I have not voted for a winner in a presidential election since 1975…….when I voted for Jimmy Carter.

Since that election I have not seen any main stream candidate as a good choice for this country to move forward…..I did not vote for Reagan or Bush or Clinton or Bush or Obama or Trump…..so I can safely said that I did NOT vote for the rogue in the White House.

I wrote on my opinion blog, Gulf South Free Press, about my beliefs and my issues I want to see in a candidate…..https://gulfsouthfreepress.wordpress.com/2018/04/04/who-are-you/

I vote my principles I refuse to settle for the least smelly candidate…..some think that my vote is wasted on a 3rd party candidate….and that is their opinion personally I think if you settle for the least offensive candidate then YOUR VOTE was/is wasted.

In 2016 I looked at the Green Party….I just could not put my faith in Jill Stein…I also checked out the Modern Whig Party, I liked what I read but they did not offer a candidate…..Libertarians I like the antiwar posture but their idea of hyper-capitalism turns me off…..I admit it I did check out a couple of the so-called Left wing parties….not impressed.

The major parties have historically eliminated the third parties by silly rules that make them the only game in town…..rules like…..A third party candidate will sometimes strike a chord with a section of voters in a particular election, bringing an issue to national prominence and amount a significant proportion of the popular vote. Major parties often respond to this by adopting this issue in a subsequent election. After 1968, under President Nixon the Republican Party adopted a “Southern Strategy” to win the support of conservative Democrats opposed to the Civil Rights Movement and resulting legislation and to combat third parties with southern agendas. This can be seen as a response to the popularity of segregationist candidate George Wallace who gained 13.5% of the popular vote in the 1968 election for the American Independent Party.

Then the states have ways of keeping 3rd parties off the tickets…..Nationally, ballot access laws are the major challenge to third party candidacies. While the Democratic and Republican parties usually easily obtain ballot access in all fifty states in every election, third parties often fail to meet criteria for ballot access, such as registration fees. Or, in many states, they do not meet petition requirements in which a certain number of voters must sign a petition for a third party or independent candidate to gain ballot access.

This is how the system chooses your candidate for you.

But that does not answer my question just explains why I have so little choice……but it is 2020…..

If this was the GOP of 1956 I would vote Republican…….

Image result for 1956 GOP platform images

Their 1956 platform is something they should be proud of…..

Sadly those days of principled Republicans are gone….gone….gone….

If I do not like the GOP and I think the Dems are a spineless bunch of centrists then where does that vote….my vote…. go?

Libertarian? I like there antiwar and non-intervention positions but cannot vote for the hyper-capitalism that is killing our Middle Class…

The Green Party…..this is where I have put my vote in the past but it looks like the GPUSA has been shut down……Howie is just a tool of eco-capitalism.

Where oh where?

Reform Party? Not interested. Constitution Party? Too religious for my liking. A Socialist Party? Nope most are too chaotic. The Modern Whig Party? I like some of their positions but they shut down in 2018……

Register as an ‘independent’ does nothing to help when most times there are only 2 or 3 choices and none are progressive enough for my vote.

A Progressive Party, Bull Moose Party, would be ideal for me…..https://lobotero.com/2010/11/12/how-about-a-new-bull-moose-party-2/

It is a shame and a bit pathetic that I have no candidate to vote for in 2020 (for now)……. I will have to hold my nose and pick a lying toad or a spineless slug….not my idea of a constitutional democracy.

In Saner Thought

"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine

Tag: Candidates

AI And Political Reality

Why The Dumbest People?

2024 Issues: Taxes

Trump on tax cuts

Harris on tax cuts

Harris on tax increases

Trump on tax increases

Trump on tip taxes

Harris on tip taxes

The President Will Change Inflation

Biden’s Grip Is Still Slipping

That Pesky 14th

Is It Time To Worry Yet?

“Not All Nazis Were Bad”

Closing Thought–27Oct21

2020–Who Gets My Vote?