That is the greatest idea! If we marched en mass like the No Kings protests, we would be unstoppable. Imagine the reflecting pond turned a more suitable color to fit Donito Metamucillin, BROWN....
Do you think our Secretary of War could demand the makers of war ammunition build us a cannon to shoot over Donnie's new fence. I heard he's spent most of his budget already on war toys, but surely, he can find enough for the cannon. He can quit his booze addiction. Sounds like a plan to me. Comments please.
I don’t believe for one minute that Whiskey Pete or Kash&Carry have or will give up drinking. They are way too insecure about being so out of control in departments they so terribly incompetent at running.
You're right. Alcoholism is difficult to treat. Most have to hit rock bottom, wherever that is, before they seek help. And some backslide and have to repeat rehab over again and some are so deep into their addiction that they don't give a damn and keep drinking their way to happiness and end up with cirrhosis which can be a death sentence. All drug addictions are terrible and negatively affect the entire family.
Most of the things with his name on have been a failure. Trump college, etc. His Apprentice program was a joke but made lots of money which is the name of his game.
Kentucky has plenty of Bourbon, as most countries no longer import Kentucky Bourbon due to Trump's placing tariff's on their goods coming to the US plus his bad mouthing all other nations.
Use it for paint thinner or degreaser.
McConnell sure has not help his fellow Kentuckians by supporting Trump!!
Remember, Trumper said tariffs were good for our country, bringing lots of money to our nation said he who knows nothing about tariffs but thinks he does.
Does the Bourbon cut or dissolve super glue? The Bozo has been super gluing his gold trash on the mantle of the Oval Office and now the fireplace cannot be used until all the trashy gold crap is removed.
I say all of us should purchase cheap gold trophies and load up the reflection pool. tRump, in his desire to have "all the gold" will dive in, head first. If he survives that act of stupidity, surely he will perish from the poison of the algae. The end.
LOVE the mental image you just helped me create. Felon47 surrounded by truckloads of cheap, tacky plastic crap painted gold, floundering as he tries to find one that isn't plastic. If only . . .
Have Bozo trying to find a real one by biting into each one, and so many bites into the plastic, would put many plastic slivers into this throat...No one attempt CPR!
If King George III had proposed a gold ballroom, even the tea would have gone back into the harbor. Meanwhile, somewhere in a warehouse, thousands of powdered wigs are whispering, "We specifically warned you about this."
So true! In my mom's assisted living, at any one time there are several people over 100 years old, plus most of the rest can clearly remember when FDR was president! Not to mention recalling Hitler and Mussolini.
90 years old I am ,and I remember WWII vividly as my parents did not shield me from it. They subscribed to Life and Look magazines, and I saw the graphic photos. I also listened to the news on the radio with them. I remember rationing, saving tin foil and cooking grease, etc. losing hometown boys, Gold Star Mothers. I remember.
Can you write and/or record this? These recollections really DO matter, and make a difference. I am 83 and certainly remember Life and Look. Papermate ballpoint pens. I remember when Eisenhower was elected. Paper drives. Lived in England in 1954 and had black out curtains in our apartment, as well as ration coupons.
We had black out curtains in Oregon in case the enemy flew over there would be no light to show them the way. Also, my Mom volunteered to be a spotter. Went to a place with books to identify planes as they flew over to determine if they were friend or foe.
Yes, my mother grew a victory garden on a vacant lot across the street. We stuck quarters in a small cardboard book till we had saved enough to buy a War Bond. I guess I could go on for a long time, but one thing that always stood out: We were in it together. Every family did everything the possible could for the "war effort."
Was born in 1938 so remember when FDR declared war on Japan for bombing Pearl Harbor and shortly thereafter Germany as Hitler was marching across Europe on his quest to rule the World. Also, V-E Day and V-J Day which we celebrated st school.
I have noticed that many people hate those who know things, who can think critically, and support an argument with facts and clear reasoning, As a retired academic who was trained to identify reliable sources and well-reasoned arguments, I have to be prepared to face hostility and dismissal before I open my mouth. Having to bite my tongue constantly is exhausting. But we must remember our ideals and "carry it on."
Hilarious, Glenn Ebo Perry! I know you and William are on close, personal terms :-)
In the 1970s in NYC I represented an actress who portrayed that Amherst Woman, and was actually able in Amherst to stand in ED's very bedroom, quiet and still, with the feeling she was still there. My favorite poem of hers is (I think) her first: I'm Nobody, who are you? :-) Most of her thought-provoking poems are serious, but the first one always makes me laugh out loud. Like AB, she saves a hilarious zinger for the last word. :-)
I have had a crush on the Belle of Amherst since my senior year in high school. I have her photograph in my study, and my favorite is still
“Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me”. which resonates even more at 71 than 17.
Subsequent collegiate romances invariably featured pale, willowy, saucer-eyed inamorate with soft voices and fine penmanship who would correct my gauche pronunciation of “patina”. Later trysts with more pneumatic types were carnally rewarding but lacked the aura of consumptive melancholy I had come to cherish.
Thank you, Glenn Ebo Perry! It gives me no end of happiness to think of you covered in breadcrumbs, digesting my little rhymes along with your toast and marmalade. :-) You have made my day, and week. :-) !!
Excellent post Andy and very timely! I love your optimism and your determination to soldier on ! Having been raised in two great parliamentary democracies, I find that as an American citizen it is so much more difficult to hold politicians accountable or to force a vote of no confidence in the government! Do you agree? ☺️💕
Yes! I vastly prefer the UK system. People may bemoan the revolving door of Prime Ministers, but it’s better than the disaster we’re stuck with in the USA.
Times have changed for both our countries. Maybe we are closer than ever because of all that has occurred over the last 250 years. That is a good thing.
Think it's too late to play the wayward child and ask to be taken back? We have certainly made a shambles of everything while jolly old England just keeps going.
Because despite all the protestations to the contrary, we are a nation filled with racists who are imbued with their white privilege and worst of all--refuse to even consider it.
A constitutional amendment that says a president gets two years into her/his term and then can be eligible for a vote of no confidence by both the Congress and the citizens?
I'm 73 & recently filed the government form to the FCC indicating that is unacceptable for TV programming to be politized/punished. I march now in gatherings representing my beliefs. When I was growing up I would have never thought I would have to get so involved. My son, daughter & granddaughter are also involved...we don't have a choice.
Sure.. fcc.gov/ecfs/filings The link pulls up a form. Use your legal name or it won't send, use zip code +4 or it won't send. ( the USPS can tell you that extra code if you don't have it and finally under the number why you're contacting them I used 26-124. My FB is public & so you'll can see what they sent me back
But how do we deal with the Jim Jones type cult followers of Trump? Or the cult followers of the Rajneesh in Oregon who gave up money, status, everything to follow the Rajnesh? It seems to me that the 30+ percent of Americans who follow Trump regardless of what he does cannot have their minds changed in any way, shape, form, or manner. They’ll drink the Kool-Aid happily. And they control the Republican Party now. Will November elections really help with Democrats and their infighting? Will the Republicans who are now starting to just a tiny bit react against Trump cause people to stick with them in November because they are now “changing their minds“?
Katy Immel - I wish that they would drink the Kool-Aid. If they're that brain dead, then it's the best thing for them and for the rest of the world. I heard Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan interviewed about their new book, and they said that in the first Dumpster fire, behind Dump's back his staff said that he was crazy so they tried to distract him from his more insane desires. In this madministration, the staff says that they don't know what he's doing or why he's doing it, but that is to them proof that he's smarter than they are, so they just follow even when they don't understand. Dump is the best grifter ever - he can (and sometimes does) brag about that - it's the only brag that is true. All these people have given up sanity to blindly follow. So, I hope that Dump's hubris sends him off a cliff and that all of his mindless toadies follow him - that would save the world.
I agree with you that all is lost if the Dems don't stop fighting each other instead of fighting evil. If the Dems want to save America and the world, then they need to recognize that small steps forward are better than big steps backwards. Big steps backwards is where the MAGAs take us, while the Dems refuse the move forward at all if the steps aren't big enough. How is that working out? And the Dems need to accept that bringing a plate of cookies to a gun fight doesn't work - Obama tried to reach across to make friends, and they cut off his hand and now are trying to dismantle every bit of good that he achieved. Talk about learning from the past - let that be a lesson.
many well funded Repos (and DINOS) have LOST since Trump won. Even before, ie if you look at Musk backed candidates (his blatant corruption and hubris disgusts voters)
As the very wise Michelle Obama keeps saying "When We All Vote, We Win"
so do Everything you can to get out the vote. Trump only got Almost 32% of the Vote! Harris got 31+% !
33% of eligible voters Did Not Vote. Get Out The Vote with MoveOn or LeadersWeDeserve or FairFight or LCV - all need $$$ and Volunteers (write postcards, have poscard parties, knock on doors, sort mailers, make calls to voters... there are Many ways to create a Blue Tsunami
OF COURSE we have the stomach to rebel…on overpasses and town squares, every day. We choose which bank to use that doesn’t support ICE. And we Bostonians even cheered for the Knicks, our “mortal basketball nemeses.” There are countless choices to be made. Yes, we get tired (well, me at 76), but we persist. Together, all things are possible! (Can you tell that I’m clergy?😉)
No. I cannot but I choose to resist and will continue until our representatives put our country and its peoples (all people) first. And I recruit neighbors every chance I get. we must do this together. Not watch others do what we all must do! It takes the whole community, not individuals yo rise up and change the way things are done. Some places in the US are doing it bit we need more of us to strp up. Join a local group you believe in. Don't wait to see what else happens. Thanks for reading my rant. Have a great 250 year celebration.
Yes, I believe we do. Particularly those of us in our 80’s who see their investments falling, worry if there will be enough money to care for husband with serious physical and or mental disease, failure of S.S., Medicare, now the threat of banning mail in ballots. Yes, “I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”.
If we had a parliamentary system of government, I think you would be right. I think there would be a revolt. But I don’t think our two party system with one party controlled, or in control of all three branches of government, has the support of enough people at the polls to make a difference. I still can’t believe that the American people supported doge, but they did or at least enough of them did the Republicans whoever they are if there even anti-Trumper still are conservatives, and still marched to the drummer of keeping the wealthy and power.
I'm usually an optimist but boy, I hope you're right, Andy. Otherwise, massive demonstrations will make the No Kings protests look like a neighborhood parade.
Should it be necessary to turn out for more demonstrations and larger demonstrations am guessing a lot of us are ready. Am already imagining some new signs to bring!
Has been historically, but Musk's election-messing can "fix" things that don't go their way. Trump owes Musk big time for giving him the victory, which I will hold to until I take the Big Exit Ramp to the Sky.
But it's such a slog to endure the current insanity to get to the midterms, plus too many voters don't show up for midterms. Voter turnout needs a boost.
I think when they see exactly how much his waste of taxpayer money is rising daily, along with his misuse of it, his family if grifters also using it for their own personal use, Americans will definitely be ready to toss this regime over and that it will happen soon.
Too many people still think the midterms are the 2026 and 2028 elections will be enough to change this. We all know that corrupting the elections is Trump/MAGAs prime directive now. Countless Yet, commentators keep saying the Democratic Party will win Congress and correct it.
Some matters require a 2/3 majority to pass Congress. All non/MAGA votes cannot be relied on. In addition, the Supreme Court will not be altered/rebalanced for some years — it will remain a safety net for Trump and MAGA, effectively and will undermine or block measures intended to purge corruption. by one election alone.
It foolish to rely on a system already corrupted. Elections are now being gerrymandered. In 2024, Musk brazenly purchased votes — something so contrary to the Constitution that punishing it should not need any additional penal statutes. Why wasn’t Musk arrested?
We are gaining strength in numbers every day, and the bastard (a theological term😉) and his minions will fall. It is up to us to do what we can, bit by bit. We must find a way to prove that tyrants cannot sustain their selfish ways.
'They' have relied on our seeming collective complacency and satiation from ready entertainment, high standard of living relative to the rest of the world, and until 9-11 relative insulation from the 'terror' abroad to get away with corruption on steroids; but chickens do come home to roost. Maybe the spirit of the Viet Nam era anti-war/anti-establishment times is still alive: reignite the Resistance. Afflict the comfortable, comfort the afflicted (which has become the majority of average Americans.)
The GOP philosophy has been, I got mine eff you, since at least the Reagan years if not longer. I just keep wondering how long before the 99% figures it out
I think, Al Keim, that the new Repug mantra is: "I got mine, but it's not enough, so I'm taking yours, too." That's what makes me very angry. It's not only that they won't help neighbors in need, but they want to take what little those people have because each of them wants it all.
Great book, and the perfect title, Al Keim. I think that she summed up Dump perfectly at the end when she said not to hate him because he can't help himself, he's not in control, he's mentally ill, and that is why he should NEVER be in a postion of power.
I was surprised that enough people don't care that Dump is mentally ill and out of control, and they gave him power that feeds and grows his insanity. And the Repugs do nothing, as long as some of that power/money comes also to them.
I understand selfishness - the attitude of each person for him/her self - nobody else matters. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. The Repugs have, as long as I've been speaking with them, had the attitude that they have no obligation to help anyone outside of themselves. Since the ascendancy of Dump, there has grown the additional disturbing belief that it's perfectly fine to profit by harming others, especially the most vulnerable. That is Dump's contribution to America.
A giant arch that we pay for - followed by a giant gold statue that we pay for - and then what? A giant gold pyramid where his remains are mummified in a gold casket for his fans to view (after paying a hefty entrance fee to his family)? Demolish the rest of the White House and maybe the Capital to be replaced by marble palaces eblazoned with his name? A casino in the Oval? Replace Lincoln's face at the Memorial with his own? Make our military dress in blue suits with red ties? Make each cabinet member kiss his feet at each meeting (they already do it verbally). Change the name of the country to Trump Land? It will never be enough for him because he's empty inside - no amount of adulation is enough to satisfy him.
I wonder what it will take to make Repugs in our government decide that he needs to be stopped.
And the thought of Dump removed in handcuffs and locked in a padded cell forever more (along with his top minions) brings that same sensation to many Americans of every sort - and we're not faking!
We are not a divided country. 70% of us are in agreement about most of the critical issues facing our country. trump's base is the 30% and they're getting frustrated themselves. We don't need the 99% to figure it out. We need the 70% of us to get out and vote. A tax boycott should be looked at very seriously. In the 60s, the anti-war movement considered it. Also boycotting right now, every one of us, FaceBook (Meta), Amazon (including Prime TV), anything Elon, Citizens Bank, Comcast, all the Ellison companies....I know there are more. If millions of us stopped buying anything, in general, except for the necessities, my or my Wall Street would notice. I've been doing my part for many years. I don't feel righteous, but I'd really like massive company boycotting with me.
At 81 I am still at it. Protests, letters cavassing phone banking, you name it I'm game. It is maddening that this administration gets away with what is patently illegal and unconstitutional. If we manage to take back our government the Dems should not only impeach and indict all of them but impound all the money they stole from us
I have already changed my tax withholdings to stop having federal taxes withheld. I'm poor enough that I get them refunded anyway and I need all the income I can get: my savings account is now below $6000, lower than it was before the pandemic support payments finally began, and while I am going to have a tiny income increase (due to one more exercise class at the senior center next term) that is nowhere near enough to cover all my expenses.
I have neighbors in worse shape, they put off dental work because they can't afford it, and I know there are millions across the nation in even worse shape than that.
FDT, 8647 and his entire greedy Epstein Elite Emotional Support Crew and their ignorant violent cult base.
Sandra Nicht: Many of us cannot make ends meet. We have tightened the belt until there is no more way to cut things out -- reasonable medicine, food, shelter. We try to hang on, on credit cards (a total no-win) and we try to get home equity loans if we can, or borrow from friends, if we can. A lot of us have no one to ask.
After mr trumpf and his pal musk(rat) fired most of the government, eliminating Consumer watchdogs, the corporations (like electricity, food, etc) have all, while making record profits for themselves, easily verifiable, jacked up prices on the essentials we need to live.
For people on fixed income too old to go out and get a job, this is like drowning. There is no where to turn. This is WRONG. And it sucks. As Walt Whitman said "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation". And, he might have added, women too.
We need to STOP mr trumpf, NOW. One sick, febble minded person with no morals, scruples, principles (except ME! ME! ME!, the only thing that motivates this creep) is truly wrecking the entire world. EVery single thing he touches is damaged or destroyed. Why are we ALLOWING this?We are the people of the United States, with every advantage in the world to succeed. allowing this? We have made a terrible, terrible mistake in letting this go on.
Susan Fernbach: Oh! Thank you very much-- (I have been making this mis-attribution for a number of decades. No telling how many minds I have poisoned :-) Appreciate your correction. :-)
Our GP sent us an email asking for money. We thought it was a scam, but someone else we know who is a patient said they were asked directly during an exam.
Uh-oh! My brain, which actually greatly appreciates wit like this, utterly missed this one. :-) Thanks!! Yeh, my Doctor is also in financial straits, I'm nearly positive. He is living in a cardboard box.
As I sent my next quarterly estimated tax payment last week, I wondered who would speak up about this option. Trump’s billionaire friends are paying less and less taxes and we, the other 99% or so keep paying more. How do we get this movement started? It can only work if so many refuse to pay that it overwhelms the resources of the IRS.
There was a "Tax refusal" movement back in the Reagan years, but about all you could do was refuse to pay the telephone war tax to the utility, who was unlikely to come after you directly for $2.68. The only solution is to tax the rich and tax wealth. They have it figured out that they don't have income -- so no income tax for them! They are so wealthy they can borrow against their assets and live off that. (It's not income.)
AT&T turned me into a credit agency for a bill I had receipt showing I paid. They damaged my pristine credit record, but they had to give in after months of my fighting them. And acknowledge I was correct in a letter. They wil come after you for $2.68.
And when they die, the estate passes to their heirs tax free, the estate pays off the debt by selling some stepped up assets tax free, and the cycle starts all over again!
Well, there will be a revolt me thinks but not this one. The US taxpayer has automatic withholding so the mechanism of revolt is broken. The rich have been revolting for 40 years causing the national debt to balloon. The revolt will come when foreign governments decide that investing in US debt is no longer a good idea. The US debt level is too high and many if not most countries are losing trust in the country that prints paper with the words “Full faith and credit of the American people”. The IOUs are becoming worthless. Trump likes inflation but if he were to sponsor serious inflation it would hurt his favorite billionaires so we are going to be put in a box as painful as the Great Depression. Sorry.
Neither is fantasy. We need to recognize how government—particularly the federal government—has engineered the system specifically to prevent a taxpayer revolt. Your employer takes income tax out of your paycheck before you ever see it. Sales taxes are collected at retail (and aren’t federal anyway). You can’t pump gas without paying the taxes. About the only tax you pay with a check is real estate, which isn’t federal. Thatcher’s big mistake was making her poll tax something you had to pay separately. It is a mistake no government will make again.
Good considerations. It seems to me that Lawyers might be able to shed some light on this question, possibly? (The lawyers working in Think Tanks, like the Brookings Institution, The Carnegie Foundation, etc).
I would think there are some lawyers who would speak the truth off the record, and give us the best options for engineering a real and effective Tax Revolt. We are handing our hard earned money to mr trumpf, who immediately puts it into his own pockets, the pockets of his Billiionaire pals,or those of his own children, or blows our money by committing mass murder against people in places like Venezuela and Iran, most of whose peopole have no more control over their governments than a fieldmouse. I would like some factual input from some legal minds. And I think it is a GREAT idea!
A tax revolt is not going to happen. What the mid-terms should do is to return control of the Congress to Democrats who can promptly start investigations into the criminal behavior of the Mango Mussolini. There is no shortage of evidence of Trump and his minions selling pardons, policy and lucrative contracts. None of this had anything to do with his "official " duties as president. (His official duty is to faithfully execute the laws and to support and defend the Constitution. Accepting bribes and doling out no bid contracts in return is not part of the performance plan of POTUS.)
Be sure to circulate this link of Sen. Chris Murphy (D, Conn.) to everyone with whom you discuss politics. This is what is truly revolting!
Yes, but WILL the Democrats start investigations "promptly"? If they hadn't slow walked all of the cases against him before he'd be in jail instead of the White House.
As a tax professional I cannot condone not paying taxes. However, it makes my stomach turn to know that my tax dollars are probably going straight into Metamucillini's pockets (or worse, his dumb kids, his useless spouse pockets and....). However I continue to work on a formula to calculate my share of losses to declare on my return based on all the grifting he's been allowed to do........
Agree 100%! Trump admin has been acting like it's THEIR money and Trump just keeps using it to get what he personally wants. He is making "deals" for the country that he has no right to make. He claims the tariffs are covering expenses but I don't believe it. I want an audit - a public one! The US will be bankrupt just like his casinos!
Andy, as usual , you are right on the money. In this case , the tax money! Americans work hard for their money. We deserve to be heard and we deserve better from so-called “public servants” ! Time for a mass rebellion! I am all in!! Thank you!
Could America see another tax revolt? That's a fair question.
Maybe not over taxes alone—but over the combination of everything. Higher taxes for ordinary Americans while the ultra-wealthy keep getting breaks. Then add billions spent on vanity projects like a White House ballroom, rebuilding the Rose Garden and reflecting pool, military adventures, and what critics call the "Arc de Trump."
And let's not forget the ever-growing use of ICE as what many see as a private political army.
Pile all of that together, and people may eventually ask, "Exactly what are we paying for?"
History shows that citizens usually don't rise up over one issue—they do when enough frustrations pile up at the same time. If those frustrations continue to grow, especially if people believe elections are being manipulated or undermined, public anger could become impossible for any administration to ignore.
I say throw tea in the reflection pond dressed as business men.
That is the greatest idea! If we marched en mass like the No Kings protests, we would be unstoppable. Imagine the reflecting pond turned a more suitable color to fit Donito Metamucillin, BROWN....
:-) !!
the Minneapolis Dildo Squad has truckloads coming (see what I did there) to DC...
😏
We'll have to shoot them over tRump's new fence out of a cannon.
What makes trump think a fence will keep out the protestors from the trump dump?
Do you think our Secretary of War could demand the makers of war ammunition build us a cannon to shoot over Donnie's new fence. I heard he's spent most of his budget already on war toys, but surely, he can find enough for the cannon. He can quit his booze addiction. Sounds like a plan to me. Comments please.
I don’t believe for one minute that Whiskey Pete or Kash&Carry have or will give up drinking. They are way too insecure about being so out of control in departments they so terribly incompetent at running.
You're right. Alcoholism is difficult to treat. Most have to hit rock bottom, wherever that is, before they seek help. And some backslide and have to repeat rehab over again and some are so deep into their addiction that they don't give a damn and keep drinking their way to happiness and end up with cirrhosis which can be a death sentence. All drug addictions are terrible and negatively affect the entire family.
I’ll drink other…coffee, not tea!
Oooh! Great idea, or maybe a rare bourbon in rocks glasses, dissolve the paint and kill the algae.
Wonderful idea. But a cheap bourbon would be better. More appropriate.
Would be apropos to have Trump On The Rocks...of Leavinworth.
--in and orange jumpsuit, of course!
Happy Hour Orange
Has to be neon orange for all to see and extra, extra-large to fit his girlish figure!
Not sure if he could hold on to a sledgehammer with those tinny tiny hands.
Or lift it up more than an inch.
He's a 250 lb. or more weakling both physically and mentally.
He gets his daily exercise toting bags of McDonalds
Ohhhh. I do like the way you think.
Ezzackly, the cheaper, the better.
Trump Bourbon, was that a thing?
He had Trump Vodka back in the day. It was a total failure.
Of course
Most of the things with his name on have been a failure. Trump college, etc. His Apprentice program was a joke but made lots of money which is the name of his game.
No he just makes bad wine. He does have a winery in Virginia.
He makes bad wine and has a bad whine!
Yes, but make sure you charge an armband a leg for it!!
--bottles wrapped in gold foil!
Fake gold spray paint. Found some at home depot.
Cheap gold foil made in China, just like where all his junk is made.
Yeah, drinking cheaper booze will give him more bottles to consume and stay within his budget
Kentucky has plenty of Bourbon, as most countries no longer import Kentucky Bourbon due to Trump's placing tariff's on their goods coming to the US plus his bad mouthing all other nations.
Use it for paint thinner or degreaser.
McConnell sure has not help his fellow Kentuckians by supporting Trump!!
Remember, Trumper said tariffs were good for our country, bringing lots of money to our nation said he who knows nothing about tariffs but thinks he does.
Does the Bourbon cut or dissolve super glue? The Bozo has been super gluing his gold trash on the mantle of the Oval Office and now the fireplace cannot be used until all the trashy gold crap is removed.
Ouch!
I say all of us should purchase cheap gold trophies and load up the reflection pool. tRump, in his desire to have "all the gold" will dive in, head first. If he survives that act of stupidity, surely he will perish from the poison of the algae. The end.
LOVE the mental image you just helped me create. Felon47 surrounded by truckloads of cheap, tacky plastic crap painted gold, floundering as he tries to find one that isn't plastic. If only . . .
That would definitely clear the algae. Everything tRump touches dies.
Have Bozo trying to find a real one by biting into each one, and so many bites into the plastic, would put many plastic slivers into this throat...No one attempt CPR!
that is wicked, Jerr, and oh so delightful!
Thanks, I try my best!
A., you have just the wildest, so imaginative brain.
Thanks!
Thanks, D; the TBR environment inspires me . . . so many creative brains in one place!
And almost all of them “on the same page.”
It’s a haven, a refuge, a respite.
And I’m quite grateful!
I like that idea.
and bring small knives to cut the paint
At. Night.
Under water
Best idea I’ve heard in a VERY long time!!
Now we have the MASTER Plan, how do we reach our goal?
Throw Butterfly pea flower tea into the pool and it will turn the pool blue! (Avoid the Butterfly pee tea though…)
Green tea to match the algae!
Must be neon flashing green so is visible from afar.
If King George III had proposed a gold ballroom, even the tea would have gone back into the harbor. Meanwhile, somewhere in a warehouse, thousands of powdered wigs are whispering, "We specifically warned you about this."
"Republicans may be about to learn an unpleasant lesson: you can ban the teaching of history, but that won’t keep it from repeating."
Now that's an aphorism that resonates with this history teacher!
Well said, Mr. Borowitz.
Given today's lifespans, there are some pretty good Walking History Books going around. '100 years ago' isn't as forgotten as it might once have been.
So true! In my mom's assisted living, at any one time there are several people over 100 years old, plus most of the rest can clearly remember when FDR was president! Not to mention recalling Hitler and Mussolini.
90 years old I am ,and I remember WWII vividly as my parents did not shield me from it. They subscribed to Life and Look magazines, and I saw the graphic photos. I also listened to the news on the radio with them. I remember rationing, saving tin foil and cooking grease, etc. losing hometown boys, Gold Star Mothers. I remember.
Can you write and/or record this? These recollections really DO matter, and make a difference. I am 83 and certainly remember Life and Look. Papermate ballpoint pens. I remember when Eisenhower was elected. Paper drives. Lived in England in 1954 and had black out curtains in our apartment, as well as ration coupons.
Yes, I can write. Actually, I love to write. However, my WWII childhood experiences seem not to have much of an audience. 🤔
We had black out curtains in Oregon in case the enemy flew over there would be no light to show them the way. Also, my Mom volunteered to be a spotter. Went to a place with books to identify planes as they flew over to determine if they were friend or foe.
Victory Gardens? An older cousin swears he remembers them in Upper Manhattan, on the grounds of Ft. George Park.
Named for General Washington, of course, not the dumppian ditzy king George iii.
Yes, my mother grew a victory garden on a vacant lot across the street. We stuck quarters in a small cardboard book till we had saved enough to buy a War Bond. I guess I could go on for a long time, but one thing that always stood out: We were in it together. Every family did everything the possible could for the "war effort."
And don't forget the war bonds. Buying stamps to fill the book to help America win the war. Were redeemed for money after we won.
Was born in 1938 so remember when FDR declared war on Japan for bombing Pearl Harbor and shortly thereafter Germany as Hitler was marching across Europe on his quest to rule the World. Also, V-E Day and V-J Day which we celebrated st school.
Actually, Germany declared war on the USA on 12/11/41.
(something always sounded so weird when I learned it or read about it -still does in some way)
I was born in 1935, so I remember it, too. Kind of an amazing part of childhood now that I think of.
Ahh yes, a couple of Bozo's favorite dictators.
Isn't that just the hardest thing to wrap your head around?
88 and still trying to kick. Can hardly move my legs but my mouth works fine as does my ability to go after our fearless leader on Facebook.
I think that saying would make a really great tee shirt!!!
I actually have a T-shirt that says "That's what I do. I read history and I know things." :-D
I have noticed that many people hate those who know things, who can think critically, and support an argument with facts and clear reasoning, As a retired academic who was trained to identify reliable sources and well-reasoned arguments, I have to be prepared to face hostility and dismissal before I open my mouth. Having to bite my tongue constantly is exhausting. But we must remember our ideals and "carry it on."
Do what you can to cushion your tongue but keep speaking up and out. THANK YOU.
Yes!
Bravo, MG! 👏🏼 👏🏼
And don’t stop either, please.
I have one that says "That's what I do. I read books and I know things". 😁😁😁
:-) !!
LOVE this!!!
Where can I get that t-shirt?
You can get varieties of that one just by googling the theme.
My favorite history t-shirt site, where I get all my family cool historically-themed shirts every Christmas is this one.
https://echosofantiquity.com
I nearly fell over when reading that. Great sucker punch to this regime!
Brilliant!
With Andy B. always in the zone,
Thoughtful liberals never more walk alone.
If we kick more shots than the Nazis can field,
They’ll surrender like Mancs at the Kop: Anfield.
Yay, it’s Glenn time.
“Don’t soak your gems in brine
Your words are always fine
It’s as good as Miller Time
So excuse the weak rhymes
For Glenn’s talent, I do pine.”
“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes”, I turn to rhyming, for I theorize,
I thus may bring some order to the chaos we’re enduring, And catch the thing with feathers Which despair makes so alluring.
(After coffee with the Bard and that Amherst woman.)
Hilarious, Glenn Ebo Perry! I know you and William are on close, personal terms :-)
In the 1970s in NYC I represented an actress who portrayed that Amherst Woman, and was actually able in Amherst to stand in ED's very bedroom, quiet and still, with the feeling she was still there. My favorite poem of hers is (I think) her first: I'm Nobody, who are you? :-) Most of her thought-provoking poems are serious, but the first one always makes me laugh out loud. Like AB, she saves a hilarious zinger for the last word. :-)
I have had a crush on the Belle of Amherst since my senior year in high school. I have her photograph in my study, and my favorite is still
“Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me”. which resonates even more at 71 than 17.
Subsequent collegiate romances invariably featured pale, willowy, saucer-eyed inamorate with soft voices and fine penmanship who would correct my gauche pronunciation of “patina”. Later trysts with more pneumatic types were carnally rewarding but lacked the aura of consumptive melancholy I had come to cherish.
Was that Julie Harris?
We saw her in Washington for the pre-Broadway tryouts. She was excellent in a perfectly subtle, muted Dickinsonian way. Early 70s.
We went backstage where she was greeting audience members. A truly lovely person & such a skilled actor.
D ODonnell: " think you are very brave to put your poem (which isn't bad!) next to one by Glenn Ebo Perry! :-) !!
There are little piles of bread-toast crumbs, on my expansive belly. There remains a point of buttered toast which I spread with homemade jelly.
But true sustenance, at breakfast times, Can be mine, when I turn to the rhymes, Vouchsafed to me by Kate.
For I read them, and a smile appears, Despite these trying senior years, And vicissitudes of Fate.
Thank you, Glenn Ebo Perry! It gives me no end of happiness to think of you covered in breadcrumbs, digesting my little rhymes along with your toast and marmalade. :-) You have made my day, and week. :-) !!
👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Doggerel is a fun way to play.
The real stuff will never go online.
D: Good point! I love doggerel :-)
Yes, I love it Andy! A ray of sunshine.
Yes. I used it for my restack!
Thay may or may not learn their lesson. After all, the MAGAs gave him a second term!
And the ghosts that wore them.
96 degree heat makes me hot, wet, and flaccid.
I think it wrecks my
Deoxyribonucleic Acid.
Nothing too good for Donnie per Donnie, Daddy said only the best for my best boy
The real question is whether Americans have the stomach to rebel.
I plan to fight all the way until November—and beyond.
Excellent post Andy and very timely! I love your optimism and your determination to soldier on ! Having been raised in two great parliamentary democracies, I find that as an American citizen it is so much more difficult to hold politicians accountable or to force a vote of no confidence in the government! Do you agree? ☺️💕
Yes! I vastly prefer the UK system. People may bemoan the revolving door of Prime Ministers, but it’s better than the disaster we’re stuck with in the USA.
Over my long life I've heard discussions about the parliamentary system and whether it would be better. Maybe it's time to consider it seriously.
Perhaps we should say that the American Revolution was a mistake, and petition for representation in Parliament. God Save The (authentic) King!
Times have changed for both our countries. Maybe we are closer than ever because of all that has occurred over the last 250 years. That is a good thing.
Think it's too late to play the wayward child and ask to be taken back? We have certainly made a shambles of everything while jolly old England just keeps going.
God, no!
It would work both ways, though. The MAGA side could always try to get rid of someone like Obama. The president they most love to hate.
they miss his programs in silence, lining the halls of any ER
Ouch
Because despite all the protestations to the contrary, we are a nation filled with racists who are imbued with their white privilege and worst of all--refuse to even consider it.
Great minds think alike!😉💕
Totally agree! Also, is it true they're restricted
from campaigning until 3mos prior to the
election? I read that somewhere. God! If only!!
A constitutional amendment that says a president gets two years into her/his term and then can be eligible for a vote of no confidence by both the Congress and the citizens?
What an interesting and appealing idea.
We could use a revolving door.
So well said.
1000%
I'm 73 & recently filed the government form to the FCC indicating that is unacceptable for TV programming to be politized/punished. I march now in gatherings representing my beliefs. When I was growing up I would have never thought I would have to get so involved. My son, daughter & granddaughter are also involved...we don't have a choice.
Can you post a link to that form, please?
Sure.. fcc.gov/ecfs/filings The link pulls up a form. Use your legal name or it won't send, use zip code +4 or it won't send. ( the USPS can tell you that extra code if you don't have it and finally under the number why you're contacting them I used 26-124. My FB is public & so you'll can see what they sent me back
My names is actually Cindy Dees..typo queen
Thank you for what you did... and for sharing this information so well. It is very inspiring!
I shall proudly cast my vote on Notrumpber 3rd !......Out with team donOLD and in with team BLUE.
As we say in Maine, Shuck Susan!
Save the date! I’m changing the name of the month!
It’s very “concerning” that you want to Shuck Susan.
(Not)
Good luck Mainers!
🦞🦞🫐🫐🌲🌲🌊🌊🦞🦞
Many. of us who live somewhere else wish to Shuck Susan.
I would dare to say “Many thousands of us who live somewhere else,”
She waxes Republicanly. Concern is a passing whimsy.
Me, too Andy! ALL THE WAY. ❤️🔥
Me too!
But how do we deal with the Jim Jones type cult followers of Trump? Or the cult followers of the Rajneesh in Oregon who gave up money, status, everything to follow the Rajnesh? It seems to me that the 30+ percent of Americans who follow Trump regardless of what he does cannot have their minds changed in any way, shape, form, or manner. They’ll drink the Kool-Aid happily. And they control the Republican Party now. Will November elections really help with Democrats and their infighting? Will the Republicans who are now starting to just a tiny bit react against Trump cause people to stick with them in November because they are now “changing their minds“?
Katy Immel - I wish that they would drink the Kool-Aid. If they're that brain dead, then it's the best thing for them and for the rest of the world. I heard Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan interviewed about their new book, and they said that in the first Dumpster fire, behind Dump's back his staff said that he was crazy so they tried to distract him from his more insane desires. In this madministration, the staff says that they don't know what he's doing or why he's doing it, but that is to them proof that he's smarter than they are, so they just follow even when they don't understand. Dump is the best grifter ever - he can (and sometimes does) brag about that - it's the only brag that is true. All these people have given up sanity to blindly follow. So, I hope that Dump's hubris sends him off a cliff and that all of his mindless toadies follow him - that would save the world.
I agree with you that all is lost if the Dems don't stop fighting each other instead of fighting evil. If the Dems want to save America and the world, then they need to recognize that small steps forward are better than big steps backwards. Big steps backwards is where the MAGAs take us, while the Dems refuse the move forward at all if the steps aren't big enough. How is that working out? And the Dems need to accept that bringing a plate of cookies to a gun fight doesn't work - Obama tried to reach across to make friends, and they cut off his hand and now are trying to dismantle every bit of good that he achieved. Talk about learning from the past - let that be a lesson.
It's all about the money, Marmo. Desparately need to
get money out of our politics. Nothing will change until
that happens. Donors own them all. Also need stiff
and immediate repercussions for infringement. This
new congress in November just might be the one to
do something about that...if New York is any indication.
many well funded Repos (and DINOS) have LOST since Trump won. Even before, ie if you look at Musk backed candidates (his blatant corruption and hubris disgusts voters)
As the very wise Michelle Obama keeps saying "When We All Vote, We Win"
so do Everything you can to get out the vote. Trump only got Almost 32% of the Vote! Harris got 31+% !
33% of eligible voters Did Not Vote. Get Out The Vote with MoveOn or LeadersWeDeserve or FairFight or LCV - all need $$$ and Volunteers (write postcards, have poscard parties, knock on doors, sort mailers, make calls to voters... there are Many ways to create a Blue Tsunami
TG for AB!!
Me, too! For my children and grandchildren.
Good for you, Andy!! 🏆
OF COURSE we have the stomach to rebel…on overpasses and town squares, every day. We choose which bank to use that doesn’t support ICE. And we Bostonians even cheered for the Knicks, our “mortal basketball nemeses.” There are countless choices to be made. Yes, we get tired (well, me at 76), but we persist. Together, all things are possible! (Can you tell that I’m clergy?😉)
No. I cannot but I choose to resist and will continue until our representatives put our country and its peoples (all people) first. And I recruit neighbors every chance I get. we must do this together. Not watch others do what we all must do! It takes the whole community, not individuals yo rise up and change the way things are done. Some places in the US are doing it bit we need more of us to strp up. Join a local group you believe in. Don't wait to see what else happens. Thanks for reading my rant. Have a great 250 year celebration.
Some folks in my area protest every Friday for about an hour. They've been doing it since his reelection. I join them when I'm able to (I'm disabled).
It's also a great way to make new friends as we all know there's at least one thing we have in common.
Oh Enid. Aren't you just loving the joy we're
experiencing with the world cup fans? So glad
they've all come to see us for themselves. Screw
the rich and powerful! Just folks rule the day.
Yes, I believe we do. Particularly those of us in our 80’s who see their investments falling, worry if there will be enough money to care for husband with serious physical and or mental disease, failure of S.S., Medicare, now the threat of banning mail in ballots. Yes, “I am mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”.
"I no longer accept the things I cannot change.
I change the things I cannot accept."
If we had a parliamentary system of government, I think you would be right. I think there would be a revolt. But I don’t think our two party system with one party controlled, or in control of all three branches of government, has the support of enough people at the polls to make a difference. I still can’t believe that the American people supported doge, but they did or at least enough of them did the Republicans whoever they are if there even anti-Trumper still are conservatives, and still marched to the drummer of keeping the wealthy and power.
Actually, the 1986 midterms really did slam the brakes on Reagan’s agenda. I also prefer the parliamentary system but midterms can be a corrective.
I'm usually an optimist but boy, I hope you're right, Andy. Otherwise, massive demonstrations will make the No Kings protests look like a neighborhood parade.
Should it be necessary to turn out for more demonstrations and larger demonstrations am guessing a lot of us are ready. Am already imagining some new signs to bring!
Sadly, the brakes were slammed after the train wreck.
Has been historically, but Musk's election-messing can "fix" things that don't go their way. Trump owes Musk big time for giving him the victory, which I will hold to until I take the Big Exit Ramp to the Sky.
And a warning.
But it's such a slog to endure the current insanity to get to the midterms, plus too many voters don't show up for midterms. Voter turnout needs a boost.
I think when they see exactly how much his waste of taxpayer money is rising daily, along with his misuse of it, his family if grifters also using it for their own personal use, Americans will definitely be ready to toss this regime over and that it will happen soon.
I have to believe that we do have the stomach to rebel…
Let's put it this way: We'd better!
Too many people still think the midterms are the 2026 and 2028 elections will be enough to change this. We all know that corrupting the elections is Trump/MAGAs prime directive now. Countless Yet, commentators keep saying the Democratic Party will win Congress and correct it.
Some matters require a 2/3 majority to pass Congress. All non/MAGA votes cannot be relied on. In addition, the Supreme Court will not be altered/rebalanced for some years — it will remain a safety net for Trump and MAGA, effectively and will undermine or block measures intended to purge corruption. by one election alone.
It foolish to rely on a system already corrupted. Elections are now being gerrymandered. In 2024, Musk brazenly purchased votes — something so contrary to the Constitution that punishing it should not need any additional penal statutes. Why wasn’t Musk arrested?
Yeah! Long past time......
We are gaining strength in numbers every day, and the bastard (a theological term😉) and his minions will fall. It is up to us to do what we can, bit by bit. We must find a way to prove that tyrants cannot sustain their selfish ways.
Or the guts
'They' have relied on our seeming collective complacency and satiation from ready entertainment, high standard of living relative to the rest of the world, and until 9-11 relative insulation from the 'terror' abroad to get away with corruption on steroids; but chickens do come home to roost. Maybe the spirit of the Viet Nam era anti-war/anti-establishment times is still alive: reignite the Resistance. Afflict the comfortable, comfort the afflicted (which has become the majority of average Americans.)
Come on people, the rich aren’t going to eat themselves.
If you watch JAWS backwards, it’s a heart warming story about a shark who gives arms and legs to people who need them.
Al Gorythm: Your comment is hilarious! Never thought of seeing Jaws this way! :-)
The rich won't eat themselves. 😅 I have my knife and fork ready, but I suspect Musk and Bezos won't be very tasty. Is there a marinade you suggest?
You might just have to hold your nose and choke it down.
As the late great Hannibal Lecturer said, “If you eat one billionaire, the rest will start behaving.”
LOL Al. Mostly true, but to be fair..There's Musk rich,
and then there's Danny Thomas rich. Maybe some will
turn on the others. I like to stay positive.
(Was that perhaps Luigi Mangione's one-man 'fall on my sword' effort?)
formaldehyde
Every time I think of Musk, Bezos, and Zuck, I think of the very last scene in the movie "Don't Look Up"! Here's hoping!
Ketchup with all the bitter herbs possible!
The GOP philosophy has been, I got mine eff you, since at least the Reagan years if not longer. I just keep wondering how long before the 99% figures it out
Looong before Reagan. The republican mantra since Taft has been
'I got mine, God help you get yours, because I won't.'
I think, Al Keim, that the new Repug mantra is: "I got mine, but it's not enough, so I'm taking yours, too." That's what makes me very angry. It's not only that they won't help neighbors in need, but they want to take what little those people have because each of them wants it all.
Mary Trump 'Too Much and Never Enough' :-)
Great book, and the perfect title, Al Keim. I think that she summed up Dump perfectly at the end when she said not to hate him because he can't help himself, he's not in control, he's mentally ill, and that is why he should NEVER be in a postion of power.
I was surprised that enough people don't care that Dump is mentally ill and out of control, and they gave him power that feeds and grows his insanity. And the Repugs do nothing, as long as some of that power/money comes also to them.
I understand selfishness - the attitude of each person for him/her self - nobody else matters. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. The Repugs have, as long as I've been speaking with them, had the attitude that they have no obligation to help anyone outside of themselves. Since the ascendancy of Dump, there has grown the additional disturbing belief that it's perfectly fine to profit by harming others, especially the most vulnerable. That is Dump's contribution to America.
What a tremendous legacy... what about a huge arch to commemorate his gifts to the betterment of humanity... right in our nation's capitol.
A giant arch that we pay for - followed by a giant gold statue that we pay for - and then what? A giant gold pyramid where his remains are mummified in a gold casket for his fans to view (after paying a hefty entrance fee to his family)? Demolish the rest of the White House and maybe the Capital to be replaced by marble palaces eblazoned with his name? A casino in the Oval? Replace Lincoln's face at the Memorial with his own? Make our military dress in blue suits with red ties? Make each cabinet member kiss his feet at each meeting (they already do it verbally). Change the name of the country to Trump Land? It will never be enough for him because he's empty inside - no amount of adulation is enough to satisfy him.
I wonder what it will take to make Repugs in our government decide that he needs to be stopped.
Yes, yes, yes!
Wasn't that Meg Ryan's line?
It was, Al Keim 😉!
And the thought of Dump removed in handcuffs and locked in a padded cell forever more (along with his top minions) brings that same sensation to many Americans of every sort - and we're not faking!
A climatic ending!
Was it??
Didn't catch that!
Yes... it was!
We are not a divided country. 70% of us are in agreement about most of the critical issues facing our country. trump's base is the 30% and they're getting frustrated themselves. We don't need the 99% to figure it out. We need the 70% of us to get out and vote. A tax boycott should be looked at very seriously. In the 60s, the anti-war movement considered it. Also boycotting right now, every one of us, FaceBook (Meta), Amazon (including Prime TV), anything Elon, Citizens Bank, Comcast, all the Ellison companies....I know there are more. If millions of us stopped buying anything, in general, except for the necessities, my or my Wall Street would notice. I've been doing my part for many years. I don't feel righteous, but I'd really like massive company boycotting with me.
How about No Kings Rallies on Monday, November 2?
I'd have to miss it because I'm always a poll worker.
bravo to Beth !!!
Thank you for your dedication 👏👏👏
If those idiots haven't figured it out already, I don't think they'll try to now. I know, I don't get it either.
Great idea, Michael!
At 81 I am still at it. Protests, letters cavassing phone banking, you name it I'm game. It is maddening that this administration gets away with what is patently illegal and unconstitutional. If we manage to take back our government the Dems should not only impeach and indict all of them but impound all the money they stole from us
The entire Trump family included
Absolutely. The laws need to be applied and a price paid. Justice needs to be done.
I have already changed my tax withholdings to stop having federal taxes withheld. I'm poor enough that I get them refunded anyway and I need all the income I can get: my savings account is now below $6000, lower than it was before the pandemic support payments finally began, and while I am going to have a tiny income increase (due to one more exercise class at the senior center next term) that is nowhere near enough to cover all my expenses.
I have neighbors in worse shape, they put off dental work because they can't afford it, and I know there are millions across the nation in even worse shape than that.
FDT, 8647 and his entire greedy Epstein Elite Emotional Support Crew and their ignorant violent cult base.
Sandra Nicht: Many of us cannot make ends meet. We have tightened the belt until there is no more way to cut things out -- reasonable medicine, food, shelter. We try to hang on, on credit cards (a total no-win) and we try to get home equity loans if we can, or borrow from friends, if we can. A lot of us have no one to ask.
After mr trumpf and his pal musk(rat) fired most of the government, eliminating Consumer watchdogs, the corporations (like electricity, food, etc) have all, while making record profits for themselves, easily verifiable, jacked up prices on the essentials we need to live.
For people on fixed income too old to go out and get a job, this is like drowning. There is no where to turn. This is WRONG. And it sucks. As Walt Whitman said "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation". And, he might have added, women too.
We need to STOP mr trumpf, NOW. One sick, febble minded person with no morals, scruples, principles (except ME! ME! ME!, the only thing that motivates this creep) is truly wrecking the entire world. EVery single thing he touches is damaged or destroyed. Why are we ALLOWING this?We are the people of the United States, with every advantage in the world to succeed. allowing this? We have made a terrible, terrible mistake in letting this go on.
Lives of quiet desperation was Thoreau. Otherwise, brava!
Susan Fernbach: Oh! Thank you very much-- (I have been making this mis-attribution for a number of decades. No telling how many minds I have poisoned :-) Appreciate your correction. :-)
🙏
:-)
Our GP sent us an email asking for money. We thought it was a scam, but someone else we know who is a patient said they were asked directly during an exam.
Not clear what you are saying -- could you explain further...?
Sorry, my implication was supposed to be that "Things are so bad that even my DOCTOR is in financial straits
Uh-oh! My brain, which actually greatly appreciates wit like this, utterly missed this one. :-) Thanks!! Yeh, my Doctor is also in financial straits, I'm nearly positive. He is living in a cardboard box.
It’s a revolt that could be revolutionary!
This is brilliant. We the people don’t want to pay for killing school girls in Iran, nor do we want to pay for a cage fight on the WH lawn.
* Pat Paulsen: “No taxes. Let’s just tip the government 15% if they do a good job.”
--which means the government will be bust!
As I sent my next quarterly estimated tax payment last week, I wondered who would speak up about this option. Trump’s billionaire friends are paying less and less taxes and we, the other 99% or so keep paying more. How do we get this movement started? It can only work if so many refuse to pay that it overwhelms the resources of the IRS.
There was a "Tax refusal" movement back in the Reagan years, but about all you could do was refuse to pay the telephone war tax to the utility, who was unlikely to come after you directly for $2.68. The only solution is to tax the rich and tax wealth. They have it figured out that they don't have income -- so no income tax for them! They are so wealthy they can borrow against their assets and live off that. (It's not income.)
AT&T turned me into a credit agency for a bill I had receipt showing I paid. They damaged my pristine credit record, but they had to give in after months of my fighting them. And acknowledge I was correct in a letter. They wil come after you for $2.68.
And when they die, the estate passes to their heirs tax free, the estate pays off the debt by selling some stepped up assets tax free, and the cycle starts all over again!
Well, there will be a revolt me thinks but not this one. The US taxpayer has automatic withholding so the mechanism of revolt is broken. The rich have been revolting for 40 years causing the national debt to balloon. The revolt will come when foreign governments decide that investing in US debt is no longer a good idea. The US debt level is too high and many if not most countries are losing trust in the country that prints paper with the words “Full faith and credit of the American people”. The IOUs are becoming worthless. Trump likes inflation but if he were to sponsor serious inflation it would hurt his favorite billionaires so we are going to be put in a box as painful as the Great Depression. Sorry.
Hopelessness isn’t a plan.
Agree! I'm in the trenches with you, Andy. We will prevail!
Neither is fantasy. We need to recognize how government—particularly the federal government—has engineered the system specifically to prevent a taxpayer revolt. Your employer takes income tax out of your paycheck before you ever see it. Sales taxes are collected at retail (and aren’t federal anyway). You can’t pump gas without paying the taxes. About the only tax you pay with a check is real estate, which isn’t federal. Thatcher’s big mistake was making her poll tax something you had to pay separately. It is a mistake no government will make again.
So how do we rebel? I’m looking for a plan.
See: 1986 midterms.
Of course, a revolt disconnected from taxes, happening at the ballot box is very much possible.
Good considerations. It seems to me that Lawyers might be able to shed some light on this question, possibly? (The lawyers working in Think Tanks, like the Brookings Institution, The Carnegie Foundation, etc).
I would think there are some lawyers who would speak the truth off the record, and give us the best options for engineering a real and effective Tax Revolt. We are handing our hard earned money to mr trumpf, who immediately puts it into his own pockets, the pockets of his Billiionaire pals,or those of his own children, or blows our money by committing mass murder against people in places like Venezuela and Iran, most of whose peopole have no more control over their governments than a fieldmouse. I would like some factual input from some legal minds. And I think it is a GREAT idea!
A tax revolt is not going to happen. What the mid-terms should do is to return control of the Congress to Democrats who can promptly start investigations into the criminal behavior of the Mango Mussolini. There is no shortage of evidence of Trump and his minions selling pardons, policy and lucrative contracts. None of this had anything to do with his "official " duties as president. (His official duty is to faithfully execute the laws and to support and defend the Constitution. Accepting bribes and doling out no bid contracts in return is not part of the performance plan of POTUS.)
Be sure to circulate this link of Sen. Chris Murphy (D, Conn.) to everyone with whom you discuss politics. This is what is truly revolting!
https://youtu.be/DaQ_95hPhu4?is=ClBssUal3KTfdE7S
Yes, but WILL the Democrats start investigations "promptly"? If they hadn't slow walked all of the cases against him before he'd be in jail instead of the White House.
It certainly is not!!! Hopelessness is the enemy.
As a tax professional I cannot condone not paying taxes. However, it makes my stomach turn to know that my tax dollars are probably going straight into Metamucillini's pockets (or worse, his dumb kids, his useless spouse pockets and....). However I continue to work on a formula to calculate my share of losses to declare on my return based on all the grifting he's been allowed to do........
you can stop withholding federal taxes and place that money in an interest bearing account....
I changed my withholding, you can too. Stop withholding federal taxes and instead place them in a dedicated account to accrue interest for YOU....
Agree 100%! Trump admin has been acting like it's THEIR money and Trump just keeps using it to get what he personally wants. He is making "deals" for the country that he has no right to make. He claims the tariffs are covering expenses but I don't believe it. I want an audit - a public one! The US will be bankrupt just like his casinos!
They can't withold everythong. maw
Andy, as usual , you are right on the money. In this case , the tax money! Americans work hard for their money. We deserve to be heard and we deserve better from so-called “public servants” ! Time for a mass rebellion! I am all in!! Thank you!
A not so funny possibility:
Could America see another tax revolt? That's a fair question.
Maybe not over taxes alone—but over the combination of everything. Higher taxes for ordinary Americans while the ultra-wealthy keep getting breaks. Then add billions spent on vanity projects like a White House ballroom, rebuilding the Rose Garden and reflecting pool, military adventures, and what critics call the "Arc de Trump."
And let's not forget the ever-growing use of ICE as what many see as a private political army.
Pile all of that together, and people may eventually ask, "Exactly what are we paying for?"
History shows that citizens usually don't rise up over one issue—they do when enough frustrations pile up at the same time. If those frustrations continue to grow, especially if people believe elections are being manipulated or undermined, public anger could become impossible for any administration to ignore.
the combination of everything ✅
Excellent post Andy. Thank you!!