I just knew that those opposing the much-needed $1.9 trillion Pandemic Relief Aid proposal would cite as their reason the belief (that I don’t recall ever hearing from them in the last four years) that we need to be “fiscally responsible” and not add to our national debt and federal budget deficit. It is one thing to say that we “can’t afford” to bankrupt our nation over expensive items like “The New Green Deal” and “Medicare For All.” But it is different when we are having a national crisis such as this pandemic and when most of our citizens (both Democrats AND Republicans) are truly hurting and struggling financially. Even many upper-middle-class Americans are struggling to pay their bills.
This is NOT the time to preach “fiscal responsibility.”
If you want to find out the real reason behind why many of these sanctimonious Senators and Congresspeople are saying that the proposal is “too generous,” then do what is called “Follow the money trail” and find out who their biggest, richest, and most powerful and influential campaign donors and contributors are, and find out how THEY want them to vote on this and other proposals, and you will learn why they are taking this particular stance. The big donors encourage them to vote in favor of what is in THEIR economic self-interest, not on what is best for the American people as a whole.
Because, as my dad always said to me — “Stewie, the Piper must be paid.”
STEWART B. EPSTEIN, Rochester, N.Y.
Re: “Trump’s insurrection requires his immediate removal” by Amy Goodman 2/1/21 TPP] nnIn some criminal cases, the code of evidence is uncomplicated. For example, If two thugs try to rob a convenience store at gunpoint and the clerk kills one of them, the remaining thug will face trial for his partner’s death.
The logic, of course, is simple: If the thugs hadn’t attempted armed robbery in the first place, no one would have died.
By the same principle, Trump should be tried not only for treason, but also for the deaths of the five who died during the assault on Congress.
Clearly, if Trump hadn’t instigated the attack, no lives would’ve been lost. Thus, the blood of the five people who died during that riot is on Trump’s hands. It couldn’t be simpler.
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
I am a new subscriber and I enjoyed reading your recent cover story, “Why America’s survival depends on bankrupting the Republican Party” by Thom Hartmann [2/1/21 TPP]. I found the historical precedents of lockdowns (especially religious services) in times of national health crises quite interesting. I think that it makes a powerful counterpoint to many of the Republican talking points in protest of lockdowns. I wish that historical precedents like this were brought into the mainstream more often. It looks like he has written some “Hidden History” books that are in a similar vein—I’ll be sure to check them out!
While I agree on the premise to defund the Republican party, I don’t think his first bullet point (End “Red State Welfare”) is the right step. Limiting welfare to those states would only end up hurting the working-class that depend on such services. It seems to me the equivalent of domestic sanctions; instead of limiting resources to the working class of another country in the hopes of pressuring their government into changing policy, this would limit resources to Americans (mostly Republicans) in the hopes of pressuring their state and local governments to change policy. In the end, it would only hurt the working-class.
I fully agree with the other bullet points (end corporate welfare, end corporate monopolies, increase the top tax rate) because they are all focused on weakening the capitalist-class.
In addition to the suggestions that would redistribute wealth, I would like to remind you of other popular proposals that would give the working-class more political power: abolish the Electoral College, give statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., make election day a national holiday, prohibit “Voter ID” laws and give ex-felons the right to vote. These proposals would weaken the Republican through strengthening our Democracy which is always in the best interest of the working-class.
Thanks for all your hard work! I look forward to reading more.
BRYAN FROST, St. Paul, Minn.
Is the genocidal GOP still the party of the defeated, deranged racist traitor Donald Trump? Or is the Republican Party now following the fanatical footsteps of that other infamous homicidal American politician Dan White, the crazy ex-cop who murdered San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk?
Actually, Fox News’ favorite fresh fascist face, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appears to conveniently enough to be the political combination of Donald Trump and Dan White — a pathologically dishonest, crackpot conspiracy theorist whose severe psychopathy is clearly putting her on the path of political assassination and domestic terrorism. Marjorie is a psycho! But Trump says Greene is “a future Republican Star.”
Here’s a suggestion for you neo-Nazi Republicans: next time you attempt a domestic terrorist takeover, hijacking the federal government with hateful hillbillies is probably not the most effective approach.
JAKE PICKERING, Arcata, Calif.
“Affirmative action was developed in the 1960s to address racial inequality and racial exclusion in American society. Colleges and universities wanted to be seen as forward-thinking on issues of race.”
And there is no question that Blacks had suffered discrimination: from slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, denial of Social Security and GI Bill benefits, to name the major ones. But the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed to stop the further discrimination being experienced by Blacks: job discrimination; employment discrimination based on race. So there was a definite rationale for the colleges to affirmatively act in giving Blacks a measure of preference in admissions.
Now comes Whites, screaming that THEY were being discriminated against because some Black with lower scores was admitted, yet they were denied. Their justification was to point to the Civil Rights Act, whose wording the racist Supreme Court took as stating that discriminating against whites was a part of that law—when just the opposite intention or purpose of the law was the case.
Civil Rights Act Title VI—nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs: Prevents discrimination by programs and activities that receive federal funds. If a recipient of federal funds is found in violation of Title VI, that recipient may lose its federal funding. This title declares it to be the policy of the United States that discrimination on the ground of race, color, or national origin shall not occur in connection with programs and activities receiving Federal financial assistance.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act prohibited affirmative action for Blacks because Whites. They did allow some leeway to create a diverse student body. But, somehow, the Court failed to notice that the Civil Rights Act was meant to address discrimination against Blacks.
While we must always listen when the Supreme Court renders a decision, the Congress — bring the more powerful wing of our government — can always render its own decision with a new law, “clearing up” what should have been obvious in the first place.
LEE KNOHL, Evanston Ill.
Now that Joe Biden’s inauguration has occurred, Republicans finally failed to steal the 2020 presidential election the way they did in 2000 with hte help of the US Supreme Court and in 2016 with the help of the Russians.
Donald Trump is a dangerous, evil monster who lies as easily as he breathes., He possesses no virtue and is a corrupt cancer who would rather cheat than behave honestly.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died as a direct result of Trump’s indifference and incompetence toward the coronavirus and his sabotage of efforts to combat it.
How in the world did Trump’s opponent in the 2020 election, Joe Biden, receive a whopping 51.2% of the popular vote?
Trump the narcissist’s supporters include the bigoted followers of liar Limbaugh and hate radio, the white trash, Southerners still fighting the Civil War, the religious rabble, gun fanatics, the personality disorder crowd and the Bubbas who last read a book when they dropped out of junior high school.
But wait a minute! Remember the 5-1/2-year administration of Tricky Dick Nixon, his vice president Thief Spiro Agnew and the puppet insider replacement, Gerald Ford?
In the subsequent presidential election of 1976, the most honest, religious person to ever run for president, Jimmy Carter, won the election with a landslide 51% of the popular vote.
Why do honest Democrats barely win elections that follow corrupt Republican administrations? The answer, of course, is the make-up of the Republican Party, who are carbon copies and mirror images of Nixon and Trump.
The Four Pillars of the Republican Party are ignorance, fear, prejudice and hatred! A Republican would rather vote for a rabid skunk than a Democrat. They show the same level of support for Trump as the followers of Charles Manson!
And I want some of your wishy washy columnists to stop trying to understand “these people.” That would be similar to understanding a pile of hog feces.
STEPHEN H. LANDUYT, Quincy, Ill.
During the Obama/Biden eight years, Jan 20, 2009, to Jan. 20, 2017, the financial markets (Dow, S&P, NASDAQ, etc.) -— not in the hands of the non-rich — more than TRIPLED, increasing by a factor greater than 3.4, while US federal minimum wage increased not a penny, staying locked (through “bipartisan” consent) at $7.25. Obama/Biden never so much as REQUESTED a minimum-wage increase, even while the Democratic Party controlled both divisions of Congress (before Obama/Biden surrendered the House in November 2010, and then the Senate in November 2014, to their Repub “Friends”).
To Hell with opponents of structural economic Justice in America! Read my “Stimulus Real” for a reminder of who the “Blue Dog Democrats” have been, and are: Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), the current Grand Master of Blue Dogs, stands almost alone among Dems in opposing the defanging of anti-democracy filibuster, and the giving of successful prospects to your righteous hopes. Manchin, in particular, is a leech on the Democratic body, and must be scraped-off ASAP. Joseph Biden, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C,) and Jaime Harrison [new Democratic national chairman] will object
STEPHEN WOHL, New York, N.Y.
[Editor’s note: Obama in 2014 increased the minimum wage on federal contracts to $10.10 per hour and he requested a minimum wage increase in his 2015 State of the Union address, but it got nowhere in the by-then Republican Congress.]
From The Progressive Populist, March 1, 2021
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