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rairii · 4 years

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dumbassrights replied to your post “After the election fraud that happened in Bolivia was uncovered and...”

hey! are you bolivian? can you explain bolivians situation right now? everything i see is outsiders opinions and i know that i can't really trust that. if you can't, thats fine, thank you!

Hello! Yes I am Bolivian, though I currently live in a different South American country, but I’ve been keeping in touch with my family with WhatsApp and I try to keep up with the basic news from back home, so I think I can explain the basics.

The basic start is with Evo Morales, a cocalero (coca leaf grower) who became a politician and came to power as president in 2006. He’s the first indigenous president of Bolivia (he is Aymara), and when he came to power was widely seen as a game changer, destroying the oligarchical, upper white class hold on Bolivian politics. He was received with much fanfare, including from white leftists, who were keen on a president who would enact social reform and change and concentrate on helping reduce poverty and racism. I was too young to vote back then, but the majority of my family voted for Evo. He was... he was hope. It’s hard to explain. We thought it was the turning point. Finally, an indigenous president, someone who knew discrimination first hand and would be able to listen to the many indigenous peoples of our country. Someone who would fight imperialism, and the scars of colonialism.

He managed to do some good things. If I remember correctly, education spending and welfare spending increased, he increased the taxes on many companies, such as hydrocarbons, allowing the state to invest more and have less of a deficit. Bolivia also received an economic boom unrelated to his actions and policies (it had more to do with the price of minerals, since Bolivia is a mining country, and so on and so forth), so for a while poverty did reduce and the middle class grew. He also increased the number of indigenous and campesino (farmer/rural lands) representatives and their influence in politics.

However, as time went on, Evo’s party began to systematically remove any opposition they could, with many political leaders jailed for charges of tax evasion and the like. There is a lot of shady stuff going around that topic, and it’s too much to get into in a short explanation. It turned out that the party sought to remove any rising leadership, even within their party, that could threaten Evo’s dominance. His party also began to stack the legislative branch and pushing new judges through, setting up people who’d be grateful to him and thus legislate in his favor. While this was happening, MAS, the party’s social base, expanded their power and influence in other ways.

Now, the actual constitutional fuckery that angered a lot of leftists. He had the constitution rewritten in 2008 and it was approved in 2009, which had really mixed opinions from people, though I personally liked that he changed the name of “Republic of Bolivia” to “Plurinational State of Bolivia” to recognize the indigenous nations of Bolivia. The constitution maintained its two term limit for the presidency, but the thing was, he claimed that since there was a new constitution, his first mandate/government no longer counted, and he got it approved legally that he could run two more times again, which he did. Which like. What the fuck?

In the process, we began seeing cracks in his pro-indigenous, pro-environmental discourse. For example, he ignored and overulled the indigenous peoples of TIPNIS, a national park and indigenous territory, when they legally stated that they did not want a highway built through their lands, because it would bring in deforestation and cocaleros who are known for deforestation. He basically steamrollered over this, despite indigenous peoples of the TIPNIS walking all the way to the city of La Paz to make protests. He began to approve infrastructure projects that would destroy natural spaces, including hydroelectric dams that can and will flood Madidi, one of the most important national parks and biodeverse areas of Bolivia. And so on and so forth, he began to act in such a way that was at odds with the platform he ran, betraying indigenous peoples and Pachamama (mother earth) at every turn. He also never took any reasonable criticism in stride, blaming it all on American Imperialism.

However, because of MAS’ stronghold and no unity among the opposition, Evo ran two more terms after his first (including the third which really shouldn’t have been legally recognized), and he stated that after his third he wouldn’t stay in power.

If you guessed that he changed his mind or was lying, you’re right.

He called for a national referendum in 2016 for whether he should be allowed to run for a fourth term, but he lost the referendum, which voted “No”, though it was a narrow margin. And instead of respecting the will of the Bolivian people, he ignored it and pushed himself forward as a candidate for the next (these) elections, to the point that he pushed so that the Supreme Tribunal of Justice would rule that the constitution was inconstitutional (wtf) because it did not respect his right to reelection (wtf) and decided that no public office would have a term limit. I hope I don’t have to explain why that is just. A horrible decision for democracy. Term limits exist for a reason. It’s so no one person can get a stranglehold on power. After this it became clear to us that he had become enamoured with power, and was mainly seeking to establish himself in power indefinitely, which well, it pissed a lot of us off. It was heartbreaking too. To see someone we’d pinned our hopes on becoming... a dictator.

This finally brings us to three weeks ago, when the general elections were held. Now, in Bolivia, we have it so that any winner of the presidential elections has to have at least 10% points more than the guy in second place, or we go into a second round of elections between the higher scoring candidates. And as the official electoral authority reported throughout most of the counting process as results came in, Evo didn’t have the 10% lead needed to avoid a second round, and statistically even if the remaining votes were majority Evo, he wouldn’t be able to get the 10% needed. Also, the remaining votes were City votes, and the cities are in general, not Evo supporters anymore. Until at around 80% of all votes counted, the website and reporting of the electoral authority just. Stopped. It cut off. It cut off for 24 hours, during which the government first claimed that oh, it’d had some technical difficulties, and then (this part I actually don’t understand, so I’m paraphrasing what I maybe undersood) claimed that because some voting places had finished counting already, so they wouldn’t have two places reporting results, they stopped the main authority. Which like.

That’s really fucking fishy.

So people were really suspicious, and when the authority began reporting again those 24 hours later, reporting that oh, actually, Evo had won with the required 10%, a lot of people didn’t believe it. This smelled like electoral fraud. So people began gathering to protest because Evo shouldn’t have been running in the first place and now he wanted us to take this lie and swallow it.

Evidence came out over the next few days about electoral fraud: non-Evo vote ballots were found in trash bins, and the official databases of the electoral authority were found to have “irregularities” that all favoured Evo. People got pissed even as Evo claimed that it was imperialist forces and that the counts were all valid and legit and transparent. But the damage was done. Bolivians took to the streets in big numbers to protest and froze the cities, stopping transport and literally putting the cities in a standstill, only letting emergency services and food trucks coming to the supermarkets through so people could live. The protesters in the cities began to get threats, because Evo began trying to sell these protests as “the racist cities trying to stamp the rural vote”, from Evo supporters, that they’d shut the water supplies to the city off. Counter protesters began massing too. Clashes happened. Evo supporters were pushed out of the city of Cochabamba, but they set fire to the grasses around a city landmark and place of pride because they wanted to give a last fuck you. MAS supporters attacked hospitals that had protesters and even the doctors and nurses who weren’t supporting MAS. Photo and video evidence, and people coming forward, showed that the government was paying people to counter protest. The protesters were mostly non-violent, but there were clashes when the police wasn’t able to keep people separated. One mayor near Cochabamba was found to have paid two thugs to beat up protesters, to the point that one young man of 18ish was thought to be dead, and her hair was cut off and she was sprayed red - supposedly by protesters, but now there are cliams of people from her town that it was her own people that did it to make the protesters look bad. (My opinion? It could be either at this point, I don’t know). The protesters wore the Bolivian flag and called for democracy to be respected. The Evo supporters primarily wore the party flag, and got their hands on dynamite that they set off on streets to intimidate protesters. Protesters have died at the hands of Evo supporters - I haven’t heard of one case of dead Evo supporters. The police started to get unhappy, because they didn’t want to throw tear gas at the people protesting. To try and sweeten them, the goverment paid a bonus... but it turned out the bonus money was taken from the police officer’s pension. Police departments began to ... not sure if mutiny is the right word, but to defy the government, in several cities.

At first, people were pushing for a second round of elections, but when we realized that actually, legally, when there is fraud of a significant impact the elections have to be annuled and new ones held, and the people who did the fraud jailed, the movements began to call for new elections completely, with a new electoral authority that could be trusted.

In the meantime, the military was quiet and not sent out to repress anything even after the police began to rebel, with military subordinates presenting letters that they would not repress the people, while it was known that military high command is pro Evo.

While this was going on, the OEA, The Organization of American States, had issued from the start of the 24 hour blackout from the electoral authority that they had concerns about the election process. Evo ended up accepting an audit from OEA representatives, and said that he’d stand by their resolution. When they finally came out with a report saying there were serious irregularities in the election that cast it into doubt, he called it politically motivated, but did call for new elections...

Then the high commander of the military said Evo should resign so that the country can be peaceful again. And a few hours ago Evo presented his resignation to the presidency.

It’s not over by a long shot - we need to establish a transparent, trustworthy electoral process in record time and hold new elections, and people are afraid that Evo will take back his resignation, and Evo incited his supporters in his resignation speech - but we’ve managed to get this far after three weeks of non spot protests.

There’s a lot more going on, a lot of context I’ve skipped, on Evo, on the political opposition - including Camacho, a religious right wing religionalism whose gotten a worrying amount of support with the protests in reaction to Evo’s excesses - but so far, I am proud of Bolivia. We’ve not let a wanna-be dictator establish himself. Now we just need a good left wing leader to help build us up to the promise that Evo gave us, and to stand strong against right wing pendulum reactionaries.

I leave you with the protest chants that spread in Bolivia these past three weeks

Quien se cansa? Who gets tired? NADIES SE CANSA! NOBODY GETS TIRED! Quien se rinde? Who gives up? NADIES SE RINDE! NOBODY GIVES UP! Evo de nuevo? Evo again? HUEVO CARAJO! [Pun involving the word egg, which sounds like Evo, and a swear word that doesn’t have a translation]

#dumbassrights #bolivia #politics

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luked4nuke · 4 years

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If, I were President of the United States. (I just wanna state I’m not a democrat or republican)

First I’d enforce Quarantine and extend it. I’d also attend the poorest families or individuals first and provide them with the financial assistance they need. People are struggling hard enough as it is living paycheck to paycheck.

Second I’d shut down the schools as I believe safty more important especially for the future kids who will rule this place. I also don’t like how schools give so much homework and stress. They just condition kids into beleiving working 40 hours a week is normal and that you should be lucky to have weekends. Staying in classes all day then returning home only to be forced to complete more homework that takes up time and robs them of social interactions. These schools don’t even test knowledge. They test obedience and reward them for being quiet little slaves that will slowly become a “regular worker.” They really don’t care about how smart you are, they test memory over all else, when they study a subject and pass the test they move on quickly to the next one stressing them out. If they failed the test, to bad they’re still moving on with you. (Sorry this got way of topic. I just hate how schools operate and also how low they pay the teachers)

Third I would dismantle the police force and create a new one. A better one that focuses on real problems like sex trafficking and drugs. All the horrible crimes that are allowed to fly under the radar. Any excessive use of force would be heavily punished. Fired, fined and jail time. No shooting at peaceful protesters, seriously dafaq is wrong with them unleashing hell upon unarmed civilians and sneaking in rioters to escalate it to justify the force.

Fourth, gold is a finite resource. Pretty much all the money you’ve ever spent is fake, all digital backed by nothing. Personally I hate it but you’ve all becomes achstomed to it so I would attempt to fix the economy so people can afford essential things, like homes and food. Instead of kicking out homeless people Id build shelters. They make it to easy to fall down into poverty and nearly impossible to climb back up. Once you’ve been arrested, once you’ve been homeless, you understand the struggle of trying to reintergrate with society. The easiest path become the dark one. I would attempt to control the population, America is a gigantic habitat and likewise it has a carrying capacity. If you’re gonna argue people have to pay unreasonable amounts of money for food you’re crazy.

Immigrants are definitely allowed as long as they follow the rules and don’t commit crimes. America was litterally founded on immigrants. American stole land from the natives violently and even managed to capture Hawaii, which was its own nation. They taxed us and recognized us as a small power. Iolani Palace has electricity flush toilets and even phones before the White House did. Queen Lili’uokalani signed in duress. It horrible and sheforfeited her whole kingdom in exchange for the people, as a leader should. The people make a country, the government already should put the people first. Without all the hardworking Americans working, there is no country.

We don’t serve the government. As a government worker we serve the people. It’s our duty to ensure everybody is treated fairly. To make sure everybody that we oversee has the essentials for life, a home and food.

And for LGBT rights. I personally don’t care what the heck they do. Love is love, let it be. They can chose to identify as whoever they want and pursue relationships with whoever. You can’t force things onto people. America is supposed to be freedom personified, we can chose to do as we please as long as we don’t bring harm to others. Those camps are wrong. America is also religion free, you can be whatever you want, Christian Muslim, litterally anything. Being a satanist is totally legal as long as you don’t hurt anything. Believe in what you want and don’t force it on others. Gay people are amazing! We all are, were all human and we can change and create change. We are all human at the core and we always have been. We have a right to love, and to be loved by all around us. Love is love, let it be, theres always been love. I can identify as a man or woman, and I can damn well love either as I please as long it’s reciprocated. I’d always rather say I love you too much then not enough.

Climate change is real. The pollution of those stupidly large companies is also VERY real. As an individual you contribute less than a percent of the actual pollution, it’s literally the big corporations. That needs to stop. I’m not exactly sure how but I AM GOING to start a wave of change that will benefit the worlds health. We all live here. This is not political, I don’t have time for games, scientists that have studied their whole lives are begging for us to change. We can all have solar electricity farms and then it’d be FREE. “But you can’t charge people for that you can’t make money.” I’m NOT TRYING TO MAKE MONEY I DO NOT CARE ANOUT MONEY. IM AIMING FOR SOMETHING BIGGER THAN GREED THE BETTERMENT OF HUMANITY. I don’t care about ruining electric companies and other random fossil fuels bullshits that will run out, I want the future to be bright!

Screw it im going off the rails, schools main courses should focus on stuff like self sustainment, like farming and wilderness survival. Creativity because that’s the most human thing about us! Empathy basic Psychology. Kids can get mad they should learn and understand why. Understand why they feel the feelings they feel and giving them all better emotional control. EMPATHY. They need to learn things like taxes since they’re such a big part. Also why the heck are taxes so complicated. It’s just targeting the illiterate foreigners and immigrants who struggle and try to understand it and I believe that’s horrible. Make it easier to become apart of America the land of freedom and the getaway from the crueler areas of earth. Maybe just limit the population. Also seriously fuck off with taxes! Why the hell are you charging and taxing 14 year olds that aren’t allowed to vote, thats taxation without representation.

Taxes should be like Mario kart and Ancient Greece. Quote from some thing I googled

“The philosopher Aristotle developed the theme. His "magnificent man" gave vast sums to the community. But poor men could never be "magnificent" because they did not have the financial means. True wealth consists in doing good, Aristotle argued in the Art of Rhetoric: in handing out money and gifts, and helping others to maintain an existence.

The idea is simple the higher up you are on the financial ladder the more you have to pay taxes and contribute to society. The large taxes from the rich help fund financial aid for the poor and stuff. The rich did not earn that money they climbed to top on top a mountain of millions of shortcuts and underpaid workers It should be an honor to be taxed and help the poor people survive. Like in Mario kart, the higher you’re placed the harder it is to maintain it and the last place people always get the better power ups giving them a constant fighting chance. At most I believe wealth should be hoarded to sustain like one generation of kids, two at the most. Maybe three but theres no reason anybody should have all that money that your never going to spend or all that money that becomes worthless once a war or breaks out or aliens attack or something. Life is more important than money. Something simple everyone should consider.

I think everybody should be able to pursue a career and each career should be sustainable. Enjoyment in a job of your choosing without worrying about financial burden. Jobs would be divided into smaller simple groups and the pay would based on their contribution to society. Like doctors getting paid more and getting teachers paid more, but small retailers wouldn’t get paid as much but they could survive not living paycheck to paycheck. The motivation is everybody should free to pursue the hobby they love without being punished. Maybe little Timmy doesn’t want to be a firefighter, maybe he desires a simple fun life selling flowers. That’s fine! Maybe they don’t wanna become the hero but it’ll be an honor to society. As long as you have a job that contributes to society you can live for free. If everybody is constantly trying to make the most profit, then we all become a bucket of crabs dragging each other down. I can’t sell my $10 good that costed me $2 to make. Also the whole buy back thing irritates me, I spent $60 on this goddamn game and GameStop can only give me like $10 in store credit or $5 in real life? That’s isn’t fair and that applies to pretty much everything. That’s $1000 phone you bought is barley worth $357 right now. I’m pretty sure it didn’t cost that much to make these things but like DAMN. Capitalism sucks.

In summary, I don’t know much about politics but I would be the human party. I don’t care about left or right. I’m the one that doesn’t care about money. I care more about life and creativity. Peoples right to enjoyment and living a happy life with others regardless of gender. Survival of the human race and advancement into the future where more things are free and we can constantly focus on creating an even BETTER one. We can’t go anywhere without each other especially if we’re all just a bucket of crabs. To greedy and self destructive constantly looking out only for themselves. Seriously get your act together humans before you kickstart your own downfall. If we’re all trying to make a profit, nobody does. The best things in life are free. You can pursue wealth for your future or you can focus and live and enjoy and love the now. Mario kart style, where all in this race for life and we all deserve a winning chance.

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fortheheavenssake · 4 years

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💜💜 PG MM Anon(II) 💜💜 Interpretation Collection - 6

36. June 03

MM ANON …… 2020 another royal baby ………… development in Portugal ……… more charges eminent Minnesota ……… a wet summer ………… ISS a strange smell? ……… … London protests …………NAACP……… size 12 , and the shoes 👠 ……………” mummy , mummy- goes viral ………” we’ll old thing, I wasn’t expecting that ending “……… “ so enjoyable Philip ‘ anymore Sydney?……… “ I think Catherine has Peaky-Blinders ma’am” …… “ is it a bit GBH ? “ ……… “ yes ma’am”……… “Ohhhh goody”.

Thank you😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

*Entertainment purposes

💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻☺️☺️THANK YOU MM ANON☺️☺️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜

JUNE 3/2020. RIDDLE#36

KIDS I WAS AHEAD ONE NUMBER IN THE RIDDLE THANKS TO @fortheheavenssake WHO KEEPS ME ORGANIZED. SO YOU WILL SEE #36 AGAIN TODAY AS IT IS THE CORRECT NUMBER OF RIDDLE

2020 another royal baby

AS I HAVE BEEN POSTULATING SINCE LAST NOVEMBER 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 I FULLY BELIEVE CATHERINE IS PREGNANT, AND LOCKDOWN WAS PERFECT TIME TO DEAL WITH HER HG SYMPTOMS AND APPEAR ON CAMERA NECK UP, SO NO BABY BUMP TO BE NOTICED OR HIDDEN. ALSO WE HAVE PRINCESS EUGENIE, ALTHOUGH TECHNICALLY THE BABY WOULD NOT HAVE A ROYAL STATUS. ZARA IS NOT TITLED SO HER CHILDREN TECHNICALLY ARE NOT ROYAL. DEPENDS HOW LOOSELY USED THE TERM, ROYAL IS. FOR MY PART I WOULD BE TRIPLE EXCITED IF THEY ALL HAD LITTLE ONES!!

………… development in Portugal ………

HUGE BREAKING NEWS IN THE 13YEAR OLD UNRELENTING PURSUIT BY THE MCCANNS AND THE POLICE TO FIND DEAR LITTLE MADELEINE, WHO VANISHED FROM THEIR VACATION ROOM IN PORTUGAL ONE EVENING. YOU ALL KNOW THE STORY. I HAVE FOLLOWED THIS CLOSELY FOR YEARS🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻. THE MCCANNS HAVE BEEN TO HELL AND BACK AGAIN, SO THEY HAVE. TODAY THE REVELATION THAT A MALE GERMAN NATIONAL, CURRENTLY INCARCERATED IN GERMANY, IS A MAIN SUSPECT. GOD PLEASE LET HER BE ALIVE BUT EITHER WAY PLEASE THE MCCANNS NEED TO KNOW WHERE THEIR GIRL IS, SHE WOULD BE 17 NOW .

more charges eminent Minnesota ………

THEY HAVE ANNOUNCED NEW CHARGES AGAINST THE OFFICERS WHO MURDERED MR. GEORGE FLOYD. UPGRADED FROM 3RD DEGREE TO 2ND MURDER AGAINST THE MAIN OFFICER WHO KEPT HIS KNEE ON HIS NECK. THE OTHER THREE ARE CHARGED WITH ACCESSORY TO MURDER. AS OF NOW AS I KNOW, ONE IS IN CUSTODY, THE OTHER TWO WILL SOON BE. ESPECIALLY DAMNING, ONE OF THE OFFICERS IN THE VIDEO TRIED TO VERBALLY SAY, HEY EASE UP OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.

a wet summer …………

BEER IS SOON TO BE FLOWING AGAIN IN U.K. BARS. THE BREWERIES IN THE U.K. ARE FILLING MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF KEGS IN ANTICIPATION OF BARS REOPENING. THE NORMAL DRUNK PHOTOS IN THE DM EACH WEEKEND WERE BAD ENOUGH. AFTER MONTHS OF NOT GOING OUT , OH IT IS GOING TO BE ONE MASSIVE BENDER.🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂. NO MORE DRY WEEKENDS.

ISS a strange smell? ……… …

I DO NOT THINK ITS SMELL AS IN SCENT, BUT SMELL AS IN SOMETHING IS OFF. THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HAS BEEN DOCKED A FEW DAYS AGO. THE DOCKING HAPPENED OVER CHINA. THEY ARE SAYING THIS WAS A TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUE NOT POLITICAL. I SOMEHOW DO NOT THINK CHINA AGREES. I DO NOT THINK THEY APPRECIATE HAVING THAT SHOVED IN THEIR FACE, BUT IT WAS NOT DONE PURPOSEFULLY. THATS THEIR STORY AND THEY’RE STICKING TO IT, TO QUOTE SONG LYRICS🤣🤣🤣😂😂.

London protests …………NAACP………

NAACP, IN AMERICA, IS THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLOURED PEOPLE. THIS ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN CIVIL RIGHTS IN AMERICA ESPECIALLY IN THE 1969’S THINGS REALLY BECAME NATIONAL. STILL VERY ACTIVE ARE NUMEROUS SIMILAR ORGANIZATIONS. THIS HORRIFIC MURDER HAS BROUGHT PROTESTS WORLDWIDE. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS IN HYDE PARK TODAY IN LONDON. HEADS TOGETHER HAS COME OUT IN SUPPORT OF BLM, BLACK LIVES MATTER. NO JUSTICE NO PEACE, YOU OFTEN HEAR SAID.

size 12 , and the shoes 👠 ……………” mummy , mummy- goes viral ……

I CAN SEE CATHERINE PLANNING OUTFITS AS LOCKDOWN IS PHASING DOWN OR IS UP THE RIGHT WORD? EITHER WAY SHE NEEDS TO PLAN A FULL LENGTH WARDROBE FOR WHEN ENGAGEMENTS RESUME. EVENTWO YEARS PREGNANT SHE IS NOT A SIZE 12? BUT NO WAY NO HOW IS SHE OR HER FEET A SIZE 12.

SEEING THAT RED SHOE REMINDS ME OF THE ARTICLE , TODAY OR WAS IT YESTERDAY, HMTQ’S SHOES FOR HER CORONATION. SHE HAD ACTUAL RUBY SLIPPERS. GOLD SHOES AND HEELS COVERED IN RUBIES. THE FRENCH SHOE COMPAN6 HAS PARTNERED WITH ANOTHER COMPANY AND RELEASED A COLLECTOR SHOE GOLD, RED AND BLACK I THINK. RHINESTONES OR SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS NO RUBIES.

TIK TOK IS ANNOYING, PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHIES🤣🤣😂😂😂. THE “SONG” MUMMY MUMMY, TO CALL IT A SONG, I INSULT MUSICAL ARTISTS🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. ALL OVER TIK TOK AND YOUTUBE ENDLESSLY. I THINK I COULD TOLERATE IT, IF AND ONLY IF , ALL THREE CAMBRIDGE CHILDREN DID IT😁😁😁😁.

…” we’ll old thing, I wasn’t expecting that ending “……… “ so enjoyable Philip ‘ anymore Sydney?……… “ I think Catherine has Peaky-Blinders ma’am” …… “ is it a bit GBH ? “ ……… “ yes ma’am”……… “Ohhhh goody”.

BACK TO THE SITTING ROOM AT WINDSOR CASTLE. SOUNDS LIKE THEY FINISHED BINGE WATCHING THE SOPRANOS BECAUSE NOBODY, N O B O D Y EXPECTED THAT STUPID ENDING. HOWEVER THE SERIES WAS AWESOME AND THEY ENJOYED. HMTQ ASKING SYDNEY IF HE HAS ANYMORE DVD SETS. CATHERINE HAS PEAKY BLINDERS ON DVD THEY WILL LIKE THAT. BRITISH DRAMA ABOUT A REAL LIFE GANG IN THE EARLY PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY. HMTQ IS ASKING IF ITS FUNNY IE GOOD BRITISH HUMOUR OR GREAT 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. GOOD RESULTS. DRINKS SYDNEY, MM ANON FORGOT TO ADD COCKTAILS SO ITS MY JOB TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THEIR DRINKS😁😁😁

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

—————

37. June 4

MM ANON ……MM heartfelt acting……… W&K just heartfelt 💓………… the Tatler connection ………… 🎼stormy weather …………… 🎼………… MadDog…………2nd degree. X 4……………… 14 days to binge. ……… a Russian contamination …………vaccine summit ……… ”that’s a terrible selfie Philip, it’ll frighten her” ………” let Sydney do it!! “ ……… “take one together ma’am” ……… “ give me the bloody thing !! “ …… bloody tic-toc “ ………… “ one zooms” ……… “get him some refreshments Sydney”

*Entertainment purposes

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊THANK YOU DEAR MM ANON😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

JUNE 4/2020. RIDDLE#37

MM ANON ……MM heartfelt acting……… W&K just heartfelt💓………… the Tatler connection ………… 🎼stormy weather …………… 🎼………… MadDog…………2nd degree. X 4……………… 14 days to binge. ……… a Russian contamination …………vaccine summit ……… ”that’s a terrible selfie Philip, it’ll frighten her” ………” let Sydney do it!! “ ……… “take one together ma’am” ……… “ give me the bloody thing !! “ …… bloody tic-toc “ ………… “ one zooms” ……… “get him some refreshments Sydney”

*Entertainment purposes

MM heartfelt acting……… W&K just heartfelt 💓…………

UNTIL NOW, THE WOKE, ACTIVIST HUMANITARIAN HAS REMAINED SILENT ABOUT A POLICE MURDER OF AN UNARMED BLACK MAN IN HER OWN COUNTRY. ISSUES SHE HAS CLAIMED TO CHAMPION AND CLUNG TO FOR SYMPATHY FROM HER SUGARS AND USED AS AN EXCUSE AGAINST HER UNFAIR TREATMENT , AS SHE PERCEIVED IT TO BE, BY THE U.K. MEDIA, PEOPLE ETC ETC. THE WORLD BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, DESPITE A PANDEMIC, HAVE TAKEN TO THE STREETS TO MARCH. ALONG WITH SOME BAD ACTORS WHO LOOT CAUSE VIOLENCE ARE NOT THERE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. TODAY, IN A VIDEO TO THE GRADUATING CLASS OF HER FORMER SCHOOL, SHE FINALLY COMMENTED. “The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.” STOLEN VERSION OF THE MUCH ACCLAIMED LINE, EVIL FLOURISHES WHEN GOOD MEN STAND BY AND DO NOTHING. THE ORIGIN OF THIS HAS MULTIPLE ATTRIBUTIONS . WOW YOU CAN JUST FEEL HER PASSION FOR THIS ISSUE EH? NOT NOT NOT . WHAT A HYPOCRITE.

THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE HAVE SPOKEN OIT VIA THEIR HEADS TOGETHER PLATFORM PUTTING THE FULL SUPPORT OF BLM, BLACK LIVES MATTER. THIS IS A MASSIVE ORGANIZATION AND HUGE SUPPORT FOR BLM.

the Tatler connection

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME IS THE SAYING AS IS WE ARE ALL SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM EACH OTHER. HERE WE HAVE THE GARBAGE MAGAZINE ,TATLER. MADAMS BESTIE JM SISTER VM HAS WORKED AT THE RAG AND HAS LOTS OF CONNECTIONS THERE. THAT IS ONLY TWO OR THREE DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM CATHERINE, DEPENDING HOW YOU DO THE MATH. IT IS NOT HARD TO PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT THE GENESIS OF THESE AND SO MANY OTHER LIES ABOUT OUR BELOVED CAMBRIDGES. FURIOUS IS HOW I FEEL. USING CHILDREN, HOW LOW AND EVIL.!!

🎼stormy weather …………… 🎼…………

PORGY AND BESS, CLASSIC BREAKTHROUGH PLAY AND FILM , FROM THE 1940’S. IT WAS GROUNDBREAKING , WITH AN ENTIRE BLACK CAST AND AMAZING MUSIC SUCH IS THE CLASSIC SONG, STORMY WEATHER. THE LYRICS ARE A WOMAN BEMOANING THE FACTS THAT SHE SND HER MAN ARE NOT TOGETHER AND THE SONG STORMY WEATHER AS A METAPHOR FOR THE DIRECTION THEIR LIVES HAVE TAKEN. THE MARVELLOUS LENA HORNE, FABULOUS. WE ARE IN THE STORMIEST OF STORMY WEATHER IN 2020. THE CHAOS, VOLATILITY, AND GRACIOUS, WILL COVID-19 SPIKE IN TWO WEEKS TIME AFTER EXPOSURE BY INNUMERABLE PEOPLE PROTESTING HUDDLED TOGETHER.

THE FORMER HEAD OF MI6, ALONG WITH ANOTHER RESEARCHER. HOW I WISH I COULD RECALL THEIR NANES BUT I READ IT DURING THE NIGHT . THEY OPINED THAT THIS VIRUS HAS ADDED DNA CHAINS THAT POI NT TO IT BEING A. MANMADE VIRUS. POSTULATING, IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY LET OUT BY BREAK IN PROCEDURE OR WHATEVER REASON IN WUHAN CHINA. OF NOTE, THE ONLY LEVEL FOUR LAB IN CHINA, IS IN WUHAN. THERE ARE MANY SUCH LABS WORLDWIDE. THEY KEEP SAMPLES OF ALL THE VIRUSES, BACTERIA KNOWN TO EXIST. LEVEL FOUR BEING THE MOST DANGEROUS ONES AND LETHAL ONES. LOTS OF RESEARCH GOES ON. I LIVE NEAR ONE.

MadDog…………2nd degree. X 4………………

MADDOG, HOW HE HATES AND ABHORS THAT NICKNAME. POTUS KEPT USING THAT NICKNAME BEFORE AND AFTER APPOINTING HIM SECDEF. GENERAL MATTHIAS WES SECDEF (SECRETARY OF DEFENSE) UNDER POTUS UNTIL HE RESIGNED. HE STATED HE WOULD NEVER MAKE A PUBLIC STATEMENT ABOUT POTUS EVER. WELL THAT CHANGED THIS WEEK AFTER GOVERNMENT OFFICERS, NATIONAL GUARD, AND A GENERAL IN FULL MILITARY FATIGUES WALKED WITH POTUS IN A NON MILITARY ZONE. VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NATIONAL GUARD, SECRET SERVICE, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OTHERS CLEARED THE PEACEFUL PROTESTORS AWAY, SO POTUS AND OTHERS COULD WALK TO THE CHURCH THAT HAD BEEN ON FIRE MONDAY NIGHT. IT WAS CALLED A PHOTO OP BY SOME AND AGAINST THEIR RIGHTS TO PEACEFUL PROTEST, I THINK THATS THE FOURTH AMENDMENT RIGHT.

ALL FOUR OFFICERS HAVE BEEN CHARGED, BOOKED AND IN CUSTODY ON A MILLION DOLLAR BOND EACH ONE. MURDER TWO FOR THE KNEE ON NECK OFFICER, THE OTHER THREE AIDING AND ABETTING MURDER. I AM NOT TYPING THEIR NAME ON PURPOSE.

14 days to binge. ………

ODD ODD ODD, NEW LAW WILL COME INTO EFFECT IN THE U.K., THOSE ENTERING THE U.K. WILL HAVE TO SELF ISOLATE FOR FOURTEEN DAYS, HOWEVER, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THEY CAN GOLF AND DO STUFF LIKE THAT. UNLESS I MISREAD THE ARTICLE YESTERDAY.

I THINK THIS IS MORESO THE COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR A MASSIVE BENDER WHEN THE BARS OPEN AND PEOPLE CAN BINGE OF FOOD AND MORE IMPORTANTLY DRINK. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE PHOTOS. THE DM WILL RUN. PAPER SAYING BREWERIES AIMING TO HAVE 250,000,000 YES MILLION PINTS DELIVERED IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!!!

a Russian contamination …………

MOSCOWS MAYOR ANNOUNCED TODAY SOME THINGS ARE REOPENING, NON FOOD STORES SND SOME OTHER BUSINESSES ARE BEING ALLOWED TO REOPEN ALONG WITH BEGINNING TO USE PARKS AND OUTDOOR SPACES AS WELL.

RUSSIA Is ALSO STARTING A NEW DRUG TO TREAT THE VIRUS , CALLED AVIFAVIR, NEXT WEEK. IT IS BEING HERALDED AS A “GAME CHANGER”.

THERE ARE ARTICLES CLAIMING THAT RUSSIA, LIKE CHINA US NIT REPORTING ACCURATE NUMBERS TO THE WHO.

vaccine summit ………

THE VIRTUAL G7 YOUTH SUMMIT IS BEING HELD NOW, JUNE 3-5/2020, ONE YOUNG WORLD. ALL SORTS OF DISCUSSIONS THERE ON THIS ISSUE AND OTHERS.

THERE ARE SO MANY ANTI-VACCERS. LOOK AT KAT VON D. SHE HAD A MASSIVE CONTRACT WITH SEPHORA FOR A MAKEUP LINE. IT WAS HUGELY MASSIVELY POPULAR. IF YOU DONT KNOW, KAT VON D HAD A PART ABD THEN HER OWN REALITY SHOW ABOUT HER TATTOO SHOP. SHE IS TATTED HEAD TO TOE. ANYHOW SHE HAD A BABY, THEN ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA SHE CAME OUT HARD AS AN ANTIVACCER. HER FANS REACTED WILDLY GIVING HER THE NAME KAT VON DISEASE. SALES PLUMMETED. SHE IS NO LONG WITH SEPHORA. THE LINE IS THERE BUT ITS CALLED KVD VEGAN BUT SHE GETS NO MONEY.

”that’s a terrible selfie Philip, it’ll frighten her” ………” let Sydney do it!! “ ……… “take one together ma’am” ……… “ give me the bloody thing !! “ …… bloody tic-toc “ ………… “ one zooms” ……… “get him some refreshments Sydney”

AGAIN FAVOURITE PART OF THE RIDDLES, WE GET A PEAK INTO THE SITTING ROOM AT WC, WINDSOR CASTLE. OH MY. HIMSELF US FIDDLING WITH EMOJIS, TIK TOK, FACES, ADDONS THINGAMAJIGGIES, BECAUSE I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEY ARE CALLED🤣🤣🤣😂😂. I AM NOT TECHNOLOGICALLY “WOKE”🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤪🤪🤪🤪. CAN YOU ENVISION THIS, HIMSELF TAKING SELFIES AND MAKING FACES🥳🥳🥳😄😄🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. HMTQ IS NOT HAVING THAT AND WANTS EVER PATIENT SYDNEY TO TAKE THE PHOTOS. HE SUGGESTS A CANDID PHOTO IF THE COUPLE TOGETHER IN THEIR CHILLING OUT CLOTHES WHILE BINGE WATCHING DVDS 📀. HIMSELF IS MUTTERING, FIDDLING WITH TIK TOK, MUMBLING ABOUT ZOOM MEETINGS THAT TECHNOLOGY. LAMENTING ALL THE NEW WAYS OF CONNECTING THAT HAVE BECOME SO VALUED DURING OUR LOCKDOWN. AFTER ALL THIS, THEY NEED THEIR COCKTAILS. HMTQ THINKS HIMSELF NEEDS A WEE BEVVIE TO CHILL OUT. THE USUAL BODDINGTONS FOR HIM, GIN AND DuBONNET FOR HMTQ 🍺 🍸, CHEERS .☺️☺️😊😊😊☺️☺️

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

—————-

38. June 6

MM ANON …… never look a gift bandwagon in the mouth…… everyone is crawling out the woodwork ……… “I’m covert 19 , fly me” ……… M&H on the March??? ………… over 40,000………… flight attendant/ ……… the dodgy R…………… mandatory masks ………… The Amazon too ??? ………… online celebrity … “ There here Philip “ …………” one has to distance darlings “ …… “ yes there lovely shoes” ……… “ look Philip, live tic-toc “………” it’s wonderful wonderful “ ………… “amazing, he’s shot up “ ………” shall we have a little refreshments?”

*Entertainment purposes

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊THANK YOU MM ANON😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

June 6/2020

RIDDLE FROM JUNE 5/2020. RIDDLE #38

SO SORRY I WAS NOT AROUND YESTERDAY I HAVE BEEN SO EXHAUSTED, SO HERE IT IS.

… never look a gift bandwagon in the mouth

EVERY POSSIBLE COMPANY, AGENCY, WHATEVER YOU WANTTO CALL IT, HAS HOPPED ONTO THE BLM, BANDWAGON. ONLY WORD USED TO , IN OLDEN DAYS WHEN SALESMEN WENT TOWN TO TOWN THEY WOULD HAVE MUSIC TO ANNOUNCE THEIR ARRIVAL IN TOWN. NOW, IT IS SIMPLY A CURRENT HOT BUTTON ISSUE MANY JOIN IN SINCERE BELIEF BUT OFTEN OTHERS AND CORPORATIONS DO IT, SIMPLY TO GET PR AND HOPEFULLY GOOD PR. MAKE THEM LOOK ALL HIP, SHINY AND MODERN.

WELL MADAM BIDED HER TIME, OH YOU CLEVER THING RACHEL. YOU WAITED UNTIL PEOPLE WERE ASKING WHY SHE WAS SILENT AND AFTER MOST BIG CELEBS HAD SPOKEN OUT. THEN BAM! OUT COMES HER VIDEO. I COULD NOT STOMACHE WATCHING ITS ENTIRETY. I WILL NOT GO ON ABOUT IT BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, MORE 🗑GARBAGE.AND LIES.

everyone is crawling out the woodwork ………

THIS SAYING MEANS A HUGE PUBLIC ISSUES AND EVERYONE WANTS THEIR FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME BACK. PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT RELEVANT OR ONCE WERE, ARE LIKE ROACHES CRAWLING OUT IN THE DARK TO ADD THEIR UNASKED FOR OR UNNEEDED OPINION. THIS HAPPENS EVERYTIME THERE IS A BIG PUBLIC ISSUE.

“I’m covert 19 , fly me” ……… flight attendant/

COVERT19, NOT COVID-19. SOMEONE IS FLYING AN AIRLINE WITH SYMPTOMS BUT NOT TRUTHFUL ABOUT. IS THIS PUBLIC? I KNOW WHEN THINGS FURST STARTED MANY PEOPLE LIED ABOUT WHERE THEY HAD BEEN, HOW THEY WERE FEELING.MANY PEOPLE BUCKED THE FOURTEEN DAYS QUARANTINE. I HEARD OF A WEDDING , FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS. THEY HAD 250 THERE IN THEIR FARMYARD. I GUESS SOMEONE CALLED LAW ENFORCEMENT.EVERY ONE OF THOSE 250 PEOPLE RECEIVED A $1,000.00 FINE. QUART MILLION DOLLAR WEDDING. I WONDER IF IT WAS WORTH IT. AS WELL. KIDS YOU KNOW I USE THAT WORD COVERT ALOT DESCRIBING HARRYS MISSION AS OVERT COVERT.

QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH BRINGS THIS, NOT SURE IF ITS RELEVANT , BUT , INSAW THE CLUE FLIGHT ATTENDANT/FURTHER DOWN SO I SHALL COMBINE. PLUS ITS A MARVELLOUS FEEL GOOD STORY. THE CEO OF AA, AMERICAN AIRLINES,IS FLYING COMPETITOR AIRLINE SOUTHWEST, WHICH IS GREAT BY THE WAY, IN MY PAST EXPERIENCE. ANYHOW HE WAS READING A BOOK WHICH CAUGHT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ATTENTION, CALLED WHITE FRAGILITY. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT IS BLACK.CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THE CURRENT APPROPRIATE WORD TO USE, IS IT BLACK OR AFRICAN AMERICAN. MANY POC ARE FROM PLACES OTHER THAN AFRICA. MY FAMILY MEMBERS SOME ARE FROM ST. LUCIA. ANYHOW PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ANYHOW THIS EVENT WAS MADE PUBLIC AND TURNED INTO A REALLY BEAUTIFUL MOMENT AND CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ISSUES PEOPLE ARE MARCHING ABOUT.

M&H on the March??? …………

ALL THESE VARIOUS SCHEDULED MARCHES ARE TO CONTINUE WHICH MEANS UNSCHEDULED ONES WILL AS WELL. ARE MADAM AND FAIRY GOING TO MARCH? SERIOUSLY, RACHEL, THIS WOULD REQUIRE ACTUAL WALKING AND POSSIBLY THE UNCLEAN GENERAL PUBLIC. BRUSHING UP AGAINST YOUR NON ROYAL BODY. MAYBE THEY WILL SPONSOR OR TAKE PART IN A VIRTUAL WALK WITH USING ARCHIES SAFETY AND HEALTH AS AN EXCUSE. DONT WANT HIM GETTING COVID NOR FAIRRY, SINCE HE IS IN LINE IF SUCCESSION TO A HOLLYWOOD ACTORS WITH GINGER HAIR CROWN.🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

over 40,000…………

IS THIS THE NUMBER OF THE CROWN THAT PROTESTED IN LONDON HYDE PARK?

the dodgy R……………

BIG HEADLINE ON THURSDAYS DM , LATE IN THE DATE WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN R RATE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE U.K. IT IS ABOVE 1 IN THE NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST. ONE WONDERS WHAT IT WILL BE AFTER ALL THESE MARCHES. WILL IT INCREASE, DECREASE OR WHO KNOWS? HOW RELIABLE IS THIS IS ANYWAYS. SEEMS THINGS CHANGE ALL THE TIME, DONE TO EARLY OR TOO LATE AND IN WAYS NOT MAKING SENSE.

mandatory masks …………

THIS HAS BEEN BANDIED ABOUT. VARIOUS PLACES ARE REQUIRING MANDATORY MASKS TO BE WORN OR YOU CANNOT SHOP OR USE THAT FACILITY. SOME ARE ADDING TEMP CHECKS AND HAND SANITIZER TOO. MASKS MANDTORY FOR ALL IN HOSPITALS IN THE U.K. AFTER TO CREST HAS PASSED. WHY START THIS NOW?

The Amazon too ??? …………

IS THIS THE ACTUAL AMAZON, OR AMAZON WHERE WE ALL SHOP. I THINK SINCE MM ANON USED THE QUALIFIER THE, SHE IS REFERRING TO THE JUNGLE RAINFOREST. WITH THE CEASING OF SO MUCH INDUSTRY DURING LOCKDOWN, THERE HAVE BEEN AMAZING DARE INSAY MIRACULOUS EFFECTS ON THE WORKD ENVIRONMENT. IT IS NOT ALL WINE AND ROSES THERE. AMONGST INDIGENOUS BRAZILIANS COVID INFECTION RATES ARE SOARING, WHIKE THE PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN IS BRINGING ABOUT MASSIVE INCREASES IN DEFORESTATION. TRULY IS AN ECONOMIC BOOM AND A LOOMING MASSIVE DEATH TOLL. THERE CERTAINLY IS NOT MUCH IN THE NEWS ABOUT THIS THAT I HAVE SEEN, CBC OR BBC WORLD.

ABOUT AMAZON THE COMPANY, THERE HAS BEEN A WHISTLEBLOWER IN ONTARIO WHO HAS BLOW THE LID ON UNSAFE WORKING CONDITION DURING COVID. STATING WORKERS WERE NIT NOTIFIED OF OTHER CO WORKERS HAVING COVID , PUTTING THEM AND THEUR FAMILIES AT RISK .

AUTHOR ALESX BERENSON HAS WRITTEN A BOOKLET FOR KINDKE READERS ABOUT THOUGHTS ON THE HANDLING IF COVID-19. AMAZON REMOVED IT FROM PUBLISHING. NEVER ONE TO NOT WADE IN ON ANY ISSUE EVER, ELON MUSK, YES THE ONE AND THE SAME, ROCKET BILLIONAIRE, CALLED OUT BEZOS ON THIS WHO SAID ITVWA REMOVED IN ERROR, OH OKAY THEN. NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE RIGHT ALONG FOLKS. MUSK IS NOT MOVING ON,IN FACT IS CALLING FOR THE BREAKUP OF AMAZON. JEFF BEZOS. HAS BEEN ATTACKED NUMEROUS TIMES AND EMPLOYEES OVER THE YEARS HAVE AT THE PERIL OF LOSING THEIR JOB, SPOKEN OUT ABOUT THE WORKING CONDITIONS. I BELIEVE THEY ARE ABOUT TO LEASE THEIR COVID EXTRA PAY SOON TOO, UNLESS IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. ANYONE GOING TO STOP SHOPPING AT AMAZON? THOUGHTS? HOW DIFFERENTREALKY ARE OTHER PLACES WE SHOP? WE HAVE NO CLUE CREALLY.

online celebrity …

MADAM HAD DONE SOME PRETTY MAJOR STUFF TO HER FACE, OR RATHER HAS HAD DONE. I LOVED THAT COMMENT ABOUT THE HORSES TAIL PONYTAIL🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. INWISH I COULD RECALL WHICH ANON SAID IT SO I COULD GIVE YOU CREDIT. WHEN ONE IS POPULAR ON YOUTUBE, HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FOLLOWERS AND VIEWS, I DONT KNOW IF THOSE NUMBERS ARE ARBITRARY, BASED ON COUNTRY OR BASED ON VIEWS. HOWEVER THEY ARE CALLED INFLUENCERS. NOWHERE THIS MORE EVIDENT THAN IN THE COSMETICS WORLD. THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED. THEY COLLAB ON MAKEUP WITH INFLUENCERS. SO MANY INDIE BRANDS ARE BREAKING INTO THE WORLD HUGE MONEY MAKERS. A LOT OF THESE INFLUENCERS HAVE GONE ON TO HAVE THEIR OWN COLLECTIONS AKA JEFFREY STARR, JAMES CHARLES ETC ETC. SO IS MADAM FANCYING HERSELF THAT NOW. SPOUTING HER RABID WOKE WORD SALAD ONKINE FOR $$$$$. I COUKD TOTALLY SEE HER DOING THIS. KIDS SHE IS NEVER NOT GOING TO BE IN THE MEDIA,MBRACE YOURSELVES!

“ There here Philip “ …………” one has to distance darlings “ …… “ yes there lovely shoes” ……… “ look Philip, live tic-toc “………” it’s wonderful wonderful “ ………… “amazing, he’s shot up “ ………” shall we have a little refreshments?”

BACK TO WC, THE CAMBRIDGES HAVR ARRIVED IN FULL FOR E. CATHERINE REMINDING THE CHILDREN ABOUT PHYSICAL DISTANCING. IT IS SO HARD IS IT NOT? AT SNY SGE!! HUG DEPRIVED AM l!!. CATHERINE IS WEARING HER NEW RED SHOES AND, NO WAY IN CANADIAN SIZES IS SHE A SIZE TWELVE, MORE LIKE 2LONG. BUT NONETHELESS SHE HAS ON HER NEW OUTFIT SHE WAS CHOOSING IN THE RIDDLE FROM THE OTHER DAY. I WONDER IF THE GOT TALKING ABOUT UHNTS’S CORONATION RUBIED SLIPPERS? OF COURSE, THEY MUST HAVE, THEY ARE WOME!!🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂.

HMTQ ENCOURAGING HIMSELF TO WATCH THE REA LIFE TIK TOK PERFORMANCES. HIMSELF COMMENTING ON GEORGE OR LOUIS ON HOW MJCH HEVHAS GROWN, LIKELY LOUIS BECAUSE BABIES GROW SO TERRIBLY MUCH. AND ITS BEEN SOMETIME SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER IRL, IN REAL LIFE. AGAIN REFRESHMENTS ON THE WAY.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

—————-

39. June 6

MM ANON …… the battle of Whitehall ……… agent Provocateurs………new trading …… it’s a Sunday Jim ,but not as we know it ………… social distancing got wet……… antibodies have the answer ……… R is above 1 in the SWest Of England. 😱😱😱😱……… second spike😱😱😱………🎼when I was 65 ,it was a very good year 🎼………… “ look it’s mummies wedding “ ……… “it’s mummy gan gan” ……… “ yes , so pretty the coach “ ………” I want one “ ……… “ one day sweetie, one day” ………” will you come gan gan ? “ ………… “ I’ll try darling “.

*Entertainment Purposes

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊THANK YOU DEAR MM ANON😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

JUNE 6/2020. RIDDLE #39

the battle of Whitehall ………

THERE WERE PROTEST MARCHES AGAIN TODAY IN CITIES THE WORLD OVER REGARDING BLM AND RACE ISSUES. I HAD BBC WORLD ON THIS MORNING. THEY WERE SAYING THE TWO MAIN CROWDS IN LONDON WERE IN WHITEHALL NEAR PARLIAMENT SQUARE AND THE OTHER WAS AT THE AMERICAN EMBASSY. THE CROWD NEAR OR IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE LOOKED MASSIVE.

agent Provocateurs………

THE OTHER DAY WE HAD ONE, NOW IT IS MULTIPLE. VERY INTERESTING. WHO ELSE IS DOING THE SPYING.WE KNOW ITS A STORE BUT THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE UNLESS SOME GOT VANDALIZED.MANY LUXURY STORES HAVE BEEN.

LETS , FOR MY SAKE AT LEAST, LOOK AT THE FULL DEFINITION.

FROM WIKI

An agent provocateur (French for “inciting agent”) is a person who commits or who acts to entice another person to commit an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act, so as to ruin the reputation or entice legal action against the target or a group they belong to. They may target any group, such as a peaceful protest or demonstration, a union, a political party or a company.

SO THIS IS VERY RELEVANT TO THE PEACEFUL BLM MARCHES. WE HAVE HEARD OF MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT DISRUPT THESE PEACEFUL MARCHES CAUSE MAYHEM,DESTRUCTION, LOOTING, VIOLENCE AGAINST THE POLICE OR OTHER PROTESTERS, EVEN MURDER. ANTIFA, ANARCHISTS, AND OTHER GROUPS HAVE BEEN MENTIONED. ALWAYS AT THE G7 AND G20 SUMMITS TOO. THEY VIRTUALLY DESTROYED DOWNTOWN TORONTO BUSINESSES A FEW YEARS AGO DURING ONE IF THE G MEETINGS. ITS DISGUSTING TO CAUSE THIS MAYHEM WHEN THERE ARE GENUINE ISSUES PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.

new trading ……

THEY HAVE JUST PARTIALLY OPENED MAY 26/2020. SURPRISINGLY STOCKS ARE REBOUNDING. THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN AMERICA ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK HAS LOWERED, TO 13.3 %. 2.5 MILLION NEW JOBS HAVE BEEN CREATED SINCE LAST MONTH. THE ECONOMY IS REBOUNDING QUICKER THAN EXPECTED. OH KIDS THUNDERING LIKE CRAZY HERE.

it’s a Sunday Jim ,but not as we know it …………

AGAIN THE STAR TREK REFERENCE, DR MCCOY TALKING TO CAPTAIN KIRK. MEANING THE HIGHEST RANK IS BEING INFORMED. MIGHT THIS BE LG TALKING WITH HMTQ ABOUT WHATS ON THE DOCKET FOR SUNDAY. MORE PROTESTS ARE PLANNED. ALWAYS THE RISK OF BAD ACTORS CAUSING MAYHEM AND WORSE.HOW LONG WILL THIS CONTINUE?? 2020 THUS FAR HAS BEEN FULL OF UNEXPECTED HORRORS.

social distancing got wet………

DURING TODAYS MARCHES IN LONDON, I SAW VARIOUS PEOPLE BEING INTERVIEWED, IT LOOKED COLD AND RAINY. MANY HAD THEIR HOOD UP WEARING THEIR GORTEX RAIN GEAR. HARD TO SOCIAL DISTANCE IN A CROWD OF THOUSANDS AND THEN RAIN ☔️ TO BOOT.

antibodies have the answer ……… R is above 1 in the SWest Of England. 😱😱😱😱……… second spike😱😱😱………

IN VACCINE DEVELOPMENT THEY USUALLY USE A WEAKENED SAMPLE OF THE VIRUS OR BACTERIA , SO THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THEMSELVES, YET ENOUGH IN THE VACCINE TO TRIGGER IMMUNE RESPONSE TO DEVELOP ANTIBODIES AND THEREFORE ONE WILL DEVELOP A IMMUNITY. THIS IS THE ANSWER TO ANY VACCINE. AS YESTERDAYS RIDDLES CLUE THERE ARE MORE CASES OF COVID-19 IN THE NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST OF ENGLAND. THE R RATE BEING ABOVE 1 IS CRITICALLY VERY BAD NEWS INDEED. THIS IS THE HIGHEST SINCE THE PEAK OF PANDEMIC AND LOCAL LEADERS CALLING FOR LOCKDOWNS AGAIN. MATT HANCOCK, IS DOWNPLAYING THIS. I THINK WE ALL FEAR A HUGE TSUNAMI OF A SECOND WAVE. FOR ME, I SEE THESE CROWDS MARCHING IN NYC,NEW YORK WHICH HAS BEEN THE EPICENTRE FOR CASES IN AMERICA. THESE MARCHES ARE MASSIVE RISK FOR VIRUS SPREAD. I FEAR VERY MUCH A SECOND WAVE LARGER THAN HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ANTICIPATED. IF WE HAVE TO REVERSE THINGS FOR A SECOND SPIKE AND GO BACK INTO COMPLETE LOCKDOWN AGAIN INFEAR NON COMPLIANCE. 🎼

when I was 65 ,it was a very good year 🎼…………

SONG BY OL BLUE EYES HIMSELF,FRANK SINATRA, IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR. THE AGE 65 IS NOT MENTIONED. HE SINGS ABOUT DIFFERENT PHASES OF LIFE AND EXPERIENCES. THE FINAL VERSE IS THE AUTUMN OF LIFE. SO WHO IS 65? MADAM?🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 WAS SHE BORN IN 1965? THAT WOULD MAKE HER 52! HIMSELF IS TURNING 99 NEXT WEEK IS THIS REFERENCING HIS LONG LIFE OF EXPERIENCES?

“ look it’s mummies wedding “ ……… “it’s mummy gan gan” ……… “ yes , so pretty the coach “ ………” I want one “ ……… “ one day sweetie, one day” ………” will you come gan gan ? “ ………… “ I’ll try darling “.

MORE FUN AT WC. THEY MUST BE WATCHING WILLIAM AND CATHERINE’S WEDDING 📀 DVD, HOW LOVELY. POINTING OUT MUMMY TO GAN GAN, HMTQ, AS THEY RIDE THROUGH THE STREES IN HORSES AND CARRIAGE. HOW WONDERFUL WAS THAT WEDDING EH?? AND OF COURSE OUR CHARLOTTE WANTS A WEDDING LIKE THAT ABD MOST DEFINITELY WANTS GAN GAN TO BE THERE. HMTQ PROMISES TO TRY HER BEST TO BE THERE. HOW CHARMING AND HEARTWARMING. I HAVE TEARS ABOUT THIS, WITHOUT SAYING MORE.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————

40. June 8

MM ANON ……who’s her next favourite millionaire ……… Malibu?? ……… NYC??……… another sad video cry for help ……… archificial ( firsts words) 🤣🤣🤣………… mad / bad & dangerous to know ……… “ it’s me, me film me!! ………… “ turn around!! “ ……… “ he’s not letting her agenda rule” ………” this is not up for debate “………… “yes ones looking forward to traveling up there “ ………” get in touch with the Gillie” …………… “ can one travel to ones other residence?

SORRY I JUST COUKD T GET TO THIS ONE. THANK YOU DEAR LADYKINRANNOCH FABULOUS AS ALWAYS

💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊PG😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜💜

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————-

41. June 8

MM ANON ……D.O.J.……… A Stern retort. ………… the sept. Soothsayer ……… A 14 day suicide for the trade………… in court today ……… Beatrice tooo tu!! …………… wonderful Wessex……… more photos from Kate??? ……… no fuss birthday ………… “ shall one suggest a gathering of 8 .” ………” no, silly’ Balmoral?? ……… MM desperatum iri videbatur……

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊THANK YOU MM ANON😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

JUNE 8/20. RIDDLE #41

SORRY KIDS I MISSED YESTERDAY’S RIDDLES AND THIS IS FAR FROM MY BEST. I AM NOT FEELING WELL, AND AM SO VERY VERY TIRED.

D.O.J.……… A STERN RETORT…IN COURT TODAY

PAPERS AGAIN BRINGING UP PRINCE ANDREW AND THE DOJ/FBI IN AMERICA. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. HE STATES HE HAS OFFERED THREE SEPARATE TIME TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, YET THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN HIM UP ON IT. THE F.B. I. IS IN A WORLD OF HURT NOW WITH THE CURRENT INQUIRY GOING ON INTOTHE FISA WARRANTS THAT WASTHE GENESIS OF THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION AND THE MUELLER PROBE. PA IS SAYING THEY ARE NOT TREATING HIM LIKE ANY USUAL WITNESS, INDEED LIKE A SECOND CLASS CITIZEN.

THEY HAVE CLAPPED BACK, HENCE STERN RETORT OR REPLY, THAT HE HAS BOT BEEN COOPERATIVE WITH US INVESTIGATORS. THIS ARISE AFTER THE DOJ HAS FILE IN COURT FOR “MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE REQUESTING HELP FROM THE UK HOME OFFICE.

PA LEGAL OFFICE, BLACKFORDS, HAS THIS AFTERNOON RELEASED A LENGTHLY STATEMENT, POINT, BY POINT. I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU TAKE A LOOK AT. INTERESTING WHY IS THIS COMING UP NOW? HERE IS THE ARTICLE SHOULD YOU WAISH TO READ IN FULL.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8398957/Prince-Andrew-war-Jeffrey-Epstein-prosecutors.html

the sept. Soothsayer ………

SOOTHSAYER IS A SEER, A PREDICTOR, VISIONS. SOMEONE PREDICTING MORE 2039 DISASTER?? CERTAINLY THE FEAR OF A MASSIVE SECOND WAVE, LARGER THAN THE GIRST COMING IN. THE AUTUMN MONTHS ALONG WITH THE USUAL AND FLU SEASONS.

A 14 day suicide for the trade…………

BACK IN RHE BIG STOCK MARKET CRASH ON 1929! MANY BROKERS SUICIDED. IS THIS THE PREDICTION NOW FOR THE MARKETS? THE AMERICAN ECONOMIC NEWS LOOKED BRIGHTER LAST WEEK. HOWEVER THE PROTESTS ARE CONTINUING, GETTING BIGGER, SPREAD ACROSS THE GLOBE. I MUST SAY, I AM GLAD MY PARENTS ARE NOT ALIVE TO SEE THIS AND SEE A STATUE OF WINSTON CHURCHILL SPRAYED OVER. WONDER WHAT THE SURVIVING VETERANS THINK. I WONDER WHAT THE HOLOCAUST SURVIVUORS THINK. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR WORLD IS EVIL, SATAN IS WORKING VERY HARD.

14 DAY SUICIDE FOR WHAT TRADE? WHAT SUICIDE TAKES 14 DAYS? POISON? WHAT IS BEING TRADED? MORE FREEDOM, EASING LOCKDOWNS , LEADING TO AN UPTICK IN CASES OF COVD-19. ARE WE LITERALLY GOING TO LOSE LIVES SO SOME CAN HAVE MORE FREDOM, THE EC9NONMY CAN BEGIN TO RUN. I DARESAY THIS LOCKDOWN HAS RESULTED IN MANY DEATHS ALREADY. MISSED TESTSM NISSED SURGERIES, MISSED TREATMENTS, LOSS OF INCOME, DEPRESSION, MARKED INCREASE IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RATES.

Beatrice tooo tu!! ……………

HOW CUTE WAS PRINCESS BEATRICE IS HER TUTU, RAISING MONEY FOR CATERPILLARRUN.COM. FUNNY HOW NEONS ARE SO BACK NOW LIKE THE EARLY 90’S

wonderful Wessex………

THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX, SOPHIE, WORKS SO HARD. VARIED CAUSES FROM RAPPELLING A WALL WITH SOLDIERS IN KOSOVO, TO SPEAKING AT THE UN ON WOMENS ISSUES AND ON AND ON. SHE TRULY IS A TREASURE.

more photos from Kate??? ………

IS CATHERINE RELEASING MORE OF HER PHOTOS? SOME OF THE CHILDREN OR ONE OF A SURPRISE BUMP? SORRY I AM BUMP OBSESSED.

no fuss birthday …………

“ shall one suggest a gathering of 8 .” ………” no, silly’ Balmoral?? ………

HMTQ DISCUSSING HER BIRTHDAY DINNER. AS SHE IN CONTINUING THE PLANS OF HEADING NORTH TO BALMORAL IN SCOTLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿, AS SHE DOES EACH SUMMER. THE GILLIES BALL IS A TRADITION WITH THE FISHERMEN DANCING WITH ROYALTY. I THINK THIS YEAR, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN UNFORTUNATELY. IT WILL BE A PARED DOWN SMALL DINNER.

MM desperatum iri videbatur…

MADAM IS SEEMINGLY IN A VERY DESPERATE SITUATION INDEED. WITH HER THOUGH, NOTHING IS EVER EVER AS IT APPEARS TO BE EVER!

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

——————

42. June 9

MM ANON ……… everyone and their brother,brother ……… wow!! What a photo Kate!!…………… little Louis gets a surprise …………… a well rounded future of three( four) ……… A birthday tic-toc dance………… “ do Catherine , come and bring the children “………… “maybe a change of routine “………… “ Both of you are an example hope”……… “ yes George,I’ll see if we can get to a match”

*Entertainment Purposes

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻😊😊THANK YOU MM ANON😊😊🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

JUNE 9/2020. RIDDLE #42

THIS IS A PURE FUN RIDDLE, THANK YOU DEAR MM ANON, I HAVE SO LITTLE ENERGY BUT THIS I SHALL DO WITH PURE LOVE.

THIS RIDDLE IS ENTIRELY FAMILY, HMTQ BIRTHDAY PLANS.

everyone and their brother,brother ………

SO YESTERDAY THEY WERE SAYING A DINNER OF EIGHT. AT BALMORAL. LIMITS THERE ARE EIGHT I BELIEVE, I ALSO BELIEVE HMTQ CAN BEND THE RULES. THE PHRASE, EVERYBODY ABD THEIR BROTHER IS COMING, MEANS A HECK OF A LOT OF PEOPLE. I SEE THIS MEANING OUR HARRY WILL MOST DEFINITELY BE IN ATTENDANCE 💜💜💜💜💜

wow!! What a photo Kate!!……………

TOWN AND COUNTRY REVEAL A NEW PHOTO, OR PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTO OF WILLIAM HOLDING AN UMBRELLA WALKING WITH GEORGE AND CHARLOTTE DURING THE TIME THEY WERE OUT DELIVERING HOME MADE PASTA. OF INTEREST THE PHOTO IS TAKE FROM THE BACK. I WINDER IF THIS REFERS TO A NEW PHOTO GIVEN THE TWO EXCLAMATION MARKS.

little Louis gets a surprise ……………

HAVE THEY TOLD LITTLE LOUIS THAT HE SHALL SOON BE A BIG BROTHER?? I AM TOTALLY ALL IN ON BABY NUMBER FOUR. I KNOW I WAS ALL IN BACK IN NOVEMBER BUT I STILL AM. THE CLUES POINT TO IT.

a well rounded future of three( four) ………

AHA ANOTHER IN YOUR FACE CLUE. CATHERINE’S TUMMY HAS ROUNDED, I WONDER IF THAT IS THE OHOTO SPOKEN OF, A SELF PORTRAIT OF HER AND HER BABY BUMP. YEP NUMBER FOUR IS BREWING AWAY. WE HAVE ONKY SEEN HER FOR WEEKS FROM NECK UP. THE LAST TIME WE SAW HER WAS THE HONOURING NHS CLAPPING PHOTO TAKEN AT AMNER HALL.

A birthday tic-toc dance………… “ do Catherine , come and bring the children “………… “maybe a change of routine “………… “ Both of you are an example hope”……… “ yes George,I’ll see if we can get to a match”

BIRTHDAY TIK TOK DANCE FOR GAN GAN. HMTQ WANTS CATHERINE AND THE CHILDREN FOR SURE TO COME UP TO BALMORAL AS WELL. SAYING NICE CHANGE IN ROUTINE. HMTQ COMMENDING CATHERINE ON THE WORK SHE AND WILLIAM ARE DOING. WILLIAM IS ANSWERING GEORGE WHO WANTS SOME FOOTBALL.

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

2 notes · View notes

justsomeantifas · 5 years

Text

its 11:59 its still technically tonight so

this is gonna be my reference point to questions abt venezuela, at least regarding things pre- May 19 2019. Its a bit scattered and it may get edited down along the road, but yeah.

short version that draws some similar conclusions: https://www.salon.com/2019/05/17/the-plot-to-kill-venezuela_partner/

one difference in scales that’s important to keep in mind: the lifespan of people is 2-7 decades. the lifespan of colonialism lasts centuries. the lifespan of media memory is a couple years, tops.

Most western narratives of venezuela start meaningfully at chavez, which is a mistake. The focus point in history around which the country flowed was the Caracazo. You probably already know about this, but a massive uprising took place in the heart of Caracas, against decades of dictatorship both formal and informal, after severe instability in the global oil market. The people were hungry, the riots were fiery, and the bullets bled. knows the death toll even now, but its estimated well into the thousands. This happened pre-chavez, and started a cascade of events which brought him into limelight that you can read about here. not gonna go into more venezuelan history, but i talk a bit more here

chavez was democratically elected, multiple times.

in 2002, after his first democratic election, he was kidnapped by US-backed troops and replaced by someone who threw out the 1999 constitution, which was as legitimate as any other made in venezuela’s colonial and violently capitalist history, seeing as it was the first (aka only, so far) of 26 constitutions actually approved by popular referendum. He was reinstated largely due to massive protests in support of him. Maduro however doesn’t really have as much of the charisma and support of chavez, which is creating problems - as well as exacerbating problems created by the economic crises ramping up just around chavez’s death. In 2015, there were elections to the National Assembly, which ended up with the Opposition winning a majority of the seats (which does show that there’s some degree of fairness in the elections, at least verifiably up til that point, yet that isnt rly accounted for when western media describes it as “undemocratic” - many of whom don’t apply the same scrutiny to their own country: such as this UN Human Rights councilor who also happens to be the crown prince of british-iraq, currently residing in the noted democracy of the Kingdom of Jordan, which has no vested interest or control over any particular export of Venezuela.).

This turnout showed most of all that maduro had alienated as many as 2 million of his supporters, who didnt end up voting (though many also voted against him - trying to act on their feeling that whatever they want, its “not this”). This decreasing support also accelerates whats known as “Everyday Sabotage” - people not trusting in the government, and look out for their own interests contra everyone else. This is a danger inherent to tying “Socialism” to a primarily state project.

However 1999 Constitution was never meant as an eternal document & it created mechanisms to call for new popular constitutional referendums to be held. That’s what the “Constituent Assembly” is about, which is what a lot of the western world is describing as him singlehandedly rewriting it (while also being “vague about its contents”), or “created by him”. Elections to the constituent assembly were boycotted by opposition, so that it would be government controlled & look like a sham in the eyes of the broader world. That being said, the assembly was called both as a reaction to losing election but also in response to intensifying crises - it was put forth (i don’t see any reason to believe in bad faith) as a way to come together and figure out how to address the needs that were driving people to protest - to address the desire for “not this”, but bc of the uncertainty, it was easily twistable by reactionaries by putting all emphasis on the former. Also timing corresponds with increasing fears of maduro straying from the path of chavez, the image of scrapping one of his strongest plays for smth unknown is risky - tho if there are other meaningful options given the situation im not sure. And the body’s got at least as much constitutional legitimacy as Guaido (Chapter III)

The 1999 constitution also enabled a recall election to be called against maduro in 2016, bc it was written with particular attention to holding public officials accountable - similar noble commitments helped to end the presidency of Rousseff & bring in Bolsonaro (who was also one of the people spurring on the investigations and whipping up a social base).

(speaking of guaido & bolsonaro)

on Guaido:

part of student group in 2007 protesting against non-renewal of coup-assisting network, who the CFR (one of the major think tanks of the cold war still playing a big role in foreign policy today) considered “most important network”

close friend of Leopoldo Lopez, the aforementioned coup plotter.

politician since 2010, won a couple small elections

Unknown to majority of general population until 2019, most venezuelans surveyed didnt know him

Plan Pais

plans to privatize state owned industry & allow investment from foreign oil companies

center-right neoliberal draped in platitudes of “stability”, “revitalization”, “security”, and “rescue” - a message seemingly deliberately targeted to become more and more resonant with increased sanctions.

/on Guaido

governing is about the expression of power. I wanna live in a world where that power isn’t expressed, but as long as the exploitation of the global working class continues unabated, id prefer some of that power be put towards helping the poor.

there is no such thing as a static state of affairs, there’s no “goldilocks zone” out in the political universe where we tweak things finely until we find whats best for everyone, only different rates of change in different dimensions. what we need to do is figure out how we can push that state of affairs in a direction so that everyday people have the power to take control of their lives. re

re: “constitutionality” - if the supreme court calls it constitutional then its constitutional. period. There’s no such thing as a supreme court as an “independent branch” of government, but there are different degrees of integration into the rest of it.

The Supreme Tribunal of Venezuela has 32 members, (a bit more than a dozen put in by the national assembly, while the PSUV held it), and the opposition holds abt 3 away from a supermajority. Each member of the court holds their spot for 12 years. If that’s “The Most Corrupt In The World” according to Transparency International, i wonder what world the 9-person lifetime-appointed US Supreme Court (2 of which appointed by trump, and save for pulling a Weekend At Ginsbergs, likely 3) is on. In fact, one of the tactics that the more radical circles of democrat voters are putting forward is to pack the Supreme Court. Because thats how shit actually gets done, or at the least how shit is prevented from being committed w the stamp of legality. FDR learned that lesson too, in trying to pass what is today known as “The New Deal”

My comparisons to trump are for specific end: these actions are exerted on levers of liberal democracy, and every single liberal democracy is susceptible to them in some ways.

whats a “dictator”? if hes unelected, the millions of people who participated in the elections dont seem to think so. if maduro is a dictator, then what is donald trump? the majority of ppl didnt vote for him yet hes still governing. macron’s popularity has at several points been less than 1/3, and the yellow vest protestors have been violently attacked - why is he not “a violent dictator with only the support of the military”? These terms are not neutral.

“their elections are highly flawed” So What? show me a country whose elections arent.

“opposition jailed” - ok but coup plotters don’t get off easy in any liberal democracy. If someone - say Bernie Sanders - said “enough is enough” and succeeded in overthrowing the current government with the help of a foreign government…. you think they’d let him go free? what if ten years later he was getting his supporters all riled up to do it again? how long you think he’d be in jail for (assuming he can survive well into his 100’s)? You think more than 13 years? Think he’d get house arrest? Some US states lock you up for posessing weed up to 10. If you stay long enough around this blog, youll find plenty of other examples of much more cruel and unusual punishments. Look at Chelsea Manning, look at Oscar Riviera… look at the US protestors saying Guaido is illegitimate

what we have to keep in mind most of all, is to show that the contradictions being exploited are inherent to Liberalism. Contradictions are just expressed most freely at the margins - the interstices

poor economic decisions happen everywhere - 2008/2009 still affecting the entire world there’s violence thats “natural”, and violence thats “intolerable”. The dividing line is whether we have anything to gain by changing things.

sanctions: started under obama, originally targeted specific individuals, used as precedent for more generalized. They’re indirect - they have a “squeezing effect”, takes already-existing problems & just makes them markedly worse. also doesn’t necessarily correlate with emigration, bc it takes a lot of money to start a new life somewhere else, and sanctions disproportionately affect the poor.

war wouldnt likely look like (many) US boots on the ground - we’ve got plenty of other places to be. It’d look like guns being smuggled to counter-protestors. It’d look like sending resources to neighboring countries like Colombia or Brazil who would then use their troops. Colombias ruling party is right wing populists - much of current president’s campaign was run on fearmongering abt venezuelan socialism - they’re raring to go. It’d look like drones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracas_drone_attack. Also means there likely won’t be a sudden trigger, its a gradually escalating stressful gradually-more-warlike situation.

If war does break out - where would the refugees go? In reality the majority would go to Colombia, but if anything significant breaks out there will be a stream of those looking to find shelter in the US, which has advertised itself as a beacon of hope - what would happen to them? some may get taken in as a gesture of showmanship, but nowhere close to the majority.

speaking of the US - imagine if trump and bolton manage to actually plot a winning coup. Do you think that that wont be his main bullwark against ppl like Bernie? you think the media and rest of the democratic party wont jump on that narrative and “begrudgingly” support a fascist because the alternative might mean supporting single payer and not-having-good-for-ratings-climate-apocalypse?

another term thrown around without regard is “once vibrant” - for whom?

most articles ive seen just take this as an axiom, and dont find any cognitive dissonance when also saying chavez reduced poverty hugely.

The answer to that rhetorical question: Citgo is venezuelan, before chavez none of the wealth went back to venezuela - thats what “vibrancy” means.

many similarities with BP (the-artist-formerly-known-as-the-anglo-iranian-oil-company)

in age of climate change & vocal ppl about phasing out oil, the more one’s livelihood is connected to oil, the more unstable ones country will be - either that, or the more instability ones country will cause.

“Oil exports fell by $2,200 per capita from 2012 to 2016, of which $1,500 was due to the decline in oil prices.”

The drop in price that affected the venezuelan economy so much in 2014 was largely by US shale fracking

in 1970’s Chile, copper was the main product of Chile - allende nationalized the mines, and in return wall street dropped the

(also worth noting that venezuela’s got non-insignificant untapped shale basins)

At least venezuela used the oil money to fund social programs instead of like, pad the pockets of Raytheon.

also oil price wars in africa highly correlated w oil (whose annual production doesn’t even combined total venezuelas)

a couple ppl have raised concerns abt my strong stance on equivocal dismissal - if there’s a difference, if there’s some way of reading your statement that says “X country that the State Dept wants to invade is an anomoly in the otherwise free world”, then that’s acting to push the discourse towards normalization & invasion. It’s not “whataboutism”, just basic consistency.

now more than ever, narratives are affected by people. They may not be ones we had a hand in forging, but the way that we propagate them actually does have measurable effects on the larger-scale political outcomes. Always look for the base assumptions, as well as the direction

sure denounce Chavez. sure denounce Maduro. denounce Kim, Xi, Castro, anyone. But if there’s no equally or proportionally loud denunciations of the horrors perpetrated by allies - the “assumed”, “natural” violence, then you’re acting to reinforce the narrative of exceptionalism.

Just make sure after you take a breath, you denounce Saudi Arabia & Yemen, Israel for Palestine, the conditions which brought Argentinian/Brazillian, Brazilian coup, the US for Puerto Rico, the conditions which have murdered dozens of journalists in Mexico per year…

what people want most of all is stability. “A debate over whether it is mismanagement and corruption by the Maduro government or the sanctions that are the author of the crisis is largely irrelevant. The point is that a combination of the reliance on oil revenues and the sanctions policy has crushed the policy space for any stability in the country.”

government’s errors and tensions

fixed exchange rate -> black market

took 5 years to address changing relation between dollar & BsF, all the room between those two curves left a huge room for intensifying crises, though since it also corresponds with the death of chavez, it sorta makes sense.

antidemocratic actions and remarks by maduro

scattered responses filled w half-solutions

diversification needed, but how do you diversify an economy filled with rampant poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy…

(nominally begrudging) support for mineral extraction 12.4% of territory opened to extraction - “Special Economic Zone” as a method of managing decay

this is also what much of the reality of “economic diversification” looks like

not enough socialism. (even fox agrees!) Venezuela shows the limits of Social Democracy in countries living outside of the Imperial Core - esp the dangers if you’re in the crosshairs already bc of oil

started out as populism, gradually grew as confronted more. shows shaping influence on political organs from actions of foreign actors - if you’ve survived a coup before, you’re gonna become paranoid about any more of them - especially when the coup plotters say “hey lets do more coups”

also shows the weakness of only having a small number of charasmatic faces representing the movement - if one dies and theres no clear and popular replacement, then you’ll lose ppl who were largely brought in by the charisma, weakening your political project, and creating cracks for reactionary forces to take advantage of - especially in times of transition.

bourgeoisie still control a majority of the economy. Capitalist businesses are internally unaccountable, and in this age of intensified global trade, one can punish countries for straying from the pack by moving business & focus away. If you’re looking for dictatorships, look at the thousands of private companies run as dictatorships daily

capital flight is a real effect, precisely because socialism is fundamentally and irreconcilably against the self-interest of the bourgeoisie. not necessarily against the interest of the humans-who-are-also-bourgeois, but of the impersonal self-sustaining force of capital.

Have you ever pulled something out of an electrical socket, and seen a quick spark? The reason that occurs is bc of what’s called an induction current, which is a fancy physics word for flowing electricity not liking to suddenly change its flow. If you accidentally touch that spark, you might feel it, but youll live to tell the tale. But if you only take the plug out halfway & touch it, that’s a different story. Capital flows similarly.

my country (lithuania) has been facing sky-high emigration since the collapse of the USSR (with an added boost after 08-09), we have also consistently had one of the highest suicide rates in the world (#7), a minimum wage of about 3 Euros an hour (after a recent increase), as well as one of the highest prison populations in Europe (discounting Russia & Belarus… which like….)

when are we gonna be invaded? when will the US media talk about our pain?

oh wait, they did. We cried all pretty for the TV cameras, then they got a bozo nobody really knew of to denounce the government, who they called dictatorial (though it was far from ideal, massive bureaucracies dont tend to mix well with single-person-decision-making). And to be fair, the fact that the government was unpopular wasnt entirely undeserved. But what was promised to us was the idea of “Freedom”, “Free Enterprise”; to “Get Rid of Corruption” and institute “Real” Democracy". They said we’d be integrated into the glorious capitalist west, and we understood that to mean that we’d be in the position of a Germany, or at least an Austria or smth. But they never meant to integrate us into the imperial Core, we have always been seen as part of the Periphery - the “assumed” violence that “naturally” happens.

Then we got to where we our today. Some of the stuffs more available, but expensive. Most of the bureaucracy’s still around, it just helps fewer people. We stand as an example of what to expect, in one of the best case scenarios, you would join our emigrees now making up a significant percentage of underpaid house-servants aka maids across the EU.

if we want the people of Venezuela to be healthy, safe, and fulfilled, then:

speak out and pointing to the effects of US sanctions is incredibly important. They’ve already killed 40,000 people in the last year, and 300,000 more are in extreme danger (and millions more in long-term risk).

what does it mean when you simultaneously sanction trade with a place but also demand they let you give them humanitarian aid?

if there is to be action taken by the international community, then the US has forfeited its right to speak. They threw it away once in 2002, and obama rhetorically picked it up and dusted it off so that trump could throw it in a bigger dumpster, thats also on fire. However we also still live in a world deeply shaped by US Hegemony, so the opinions of its close trade partners & closest-knit media buds should be seen as influenced as such. Doesn’t mean that theyre wrong on everything too, but they still feel the magnetic pull of the US economy and ecosystem (as well as their own potentially imperial interests) and the effect of that force cannot be discounted.

transitioning our economies away from oil & away from globalized neoliberalism which only values peripheral states by their exports - dissolves tensions of how to produce in unproductive terrain

socialize medicine in the US, so that drug companies run by dictatorships can’t control their lives & ours. healthcare is especially reliant on imports, sanctions affect especially strongly.

normalize the ideas of Socialism, without taking the easy way out of “oh no dont think of Venezuela, think of sweden or denmark”. None of them are Socialist, but to avoid the complexities of Venezuela is to imagine that US attempts at socialism wouldn’t involve significant capital flight. If we don’t consider that, if we don’t have solid actionable plans to deal with that, while also facing the inherent complexity of changing material conditions, then we’re gonna waste whatever shot we get.

redirect conversation normally centered around government towards support of the tens of thousands of small business co-operatives, where people live their daily lives in a democratic manner.

on The Communes:

“delegating responsibility throughout all members, and bringing important decisions to the whole to work through and find the best possible solution… They create “collective criteria” together; agreements stipulating whether individuals have power over certain decisions or whether it is up to the whole group. However, he assures that these “are not rigid, they can change at any moment.” The cooperative I lived with in Venezuela had regular organizational meetings where they informally came to agreement and were even able to come back to re-evaluate decisions that didn´t seem to be satisfactory for the whole group in this same way. Decisions and decision making, in this way, are viewed as a process not contained by meetings and discussions in board rooms, but are always being analyzed and made better by the process of putting them into action, and not only by thinking them out and writing them down.”

- the “Self Government of the Producers” - aka what it looks like for cooks to govern.

they have communal councils as well - neighborhood councils in the same vein that so many (rightfully) find inspiring in Kurdistan . They preexisted chavez, but they were able to proliferate and be given legal recognition through him. I understand that legal recognition can act to ‘name’ a body & pin it to smth that doesn’t match its requisite variety - how dynamic it is, but imo as its currently legislated it recognizes a good amount of the autonomy that they had already been excersizing. - liable to change government recognition of co-ops has drawbacks too, and correlates negatively with that coop’s success

"A good example of this intention is the de-emphasis that cooperatives in Venezuela put on advertising or “marketing” products, and instead push to find more people to become part of the cooperative, and choose the services or products they provide based on community decisions about what is needed. A cooperative I worked in […] was originally a family owned and operated theater group that traveled around the country performing theater pieces that highlighted social and environmental issues. When they joined the […] cooperative, the larger co-op did an analysis and decided they wanted a natural fruit juice concentrate producer and gave the group a loan to acquire capital and start producing. They have been doing this for only a couple of years now but have already paid back the loan to the larger cooperative and are bringing extra money in to support themselves, better their services, and supply extra funds to the larger cooperative for community projects such as the recently [2012] built community health center…

The cooperative services I experienced and learned about in Venezuela were health, dental, food, and a separate example of trash services. A dental cooperative […] provides quality dental services (I know because I used them) almost every day for affordable prices. You don´t have to be a member of the cooperative, and you don´t have to make an appointment. It takes only a couple of hours, and emergency situations are treated with urgency. The health center, built with funds provided by all the associated cooperatives[…], works the same way. Anyone can go there, the services are subsidized by the cooperative so they are affordable, the clinic and workspaces are clean and well taken care of, and the quality of the service is great. Worker-members of the cooperative receive health care at the facility without charge except for the massage and acupuncture services that they also provide at a really low price.

[…] food services are priced to provide more access to food for the community in which it exists. The original and persistent intention is to make the best situation for people on all ends of the process. The producers are part of the cooperative and are part of the group that decides the prices that growers get, as well as the prices that the food is sold for. This means that both farmers and workers at the market decide what to charge a person, which ultimately affects how much money the growers receive, as well as if the food is affordable for the people who need to eat who live in the city. In a normal capitalist market system these parties are separated and put up against each other, raising prices for consumers and lowering them for small producers, excluding those people from getting enough money to afford all the necessities that are typically only provided at a high price.

One communal council, a parallel governing organization of community members linked to investment funds from the national government, in the city of Merida, Venezuela organized themselves to get funds to buy a trash collection truck. The truck at the time was used for a specific waste removal project that removed waste from their community regularly but was not a traditional collection service. However, they did have plans to expand the project to start their own collection service, and this would be provided by the commal council, an anti-capitalist organization which does not require people to pay for the service. Although this is not a “co-operative” as some hardliner co-operative enthusiasts might point out, it is a horizontal anti-capitalist organization widening access of necessary services to the larger community run by community members; following cooperative values of equity, inclusion, and solidarity I believe this to be an example of cooperative economics and action. It appears to me that economic inclusion is much more likely to widen only when those who are being excluded are included in the process of organizing the services and are in control of the economy.“

until the communes, workers cooperatives, and the like are strong enough to rule themselves, having Maduro in power is the only option given to us which doesn’t trigger the control of reactionaries. People make their own history, but not in situations of their choosing - the exact outcome isn’t predetermined, but there’s only a limited number of poles - gravitational attractors - towards which that trajectory is heading at any particular time.

if maduro acts to squash the power of the communes, then thats a different situation. but until that point, we outside of the country must work to center any discussion on these bodies - they are the heart of the country and of whatever social revolution has occurred/is further possible. They are filled with lessons for us to learn from, and show how rich and dynamic the organized populace can be if they are allowed to control their communities. (ex of dealing with gang violence from @ 22:50)

This is all said with recognition that many chavistas have acted against communes, the bureaucratic machine acts to co-opt much of their energy, its linguistically obscured the concept of "ownership” with that of “control”, and that the state has changed its messages over time. But the heart of the communes is what’s a priority, and they have acted against the government overstepping its bounds & mis-identifying them. But whats important is that there’s a feedback process in the gvt to actually allow them to assert their autonomy. Liberals will do their utmost to close those channels.

If Guaido and the Popular Will take control of power, be assured that whatever gains made in organizing the everyday people of Venezuela will be at the top of the chopping block. How effective that suppression turns out to be is undetermined - it might turn out to strengthen the communes, but that outcome would be damage control, not something to try and bullseye.

Effective Propaganda knows that its more effective to control what’s left out than control what’s put in. Keep that in mind, and study trajectories and forces.

other links:

https://next.podbay.fm/podcast/1363342644/e/1551711604

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voc08vh9cJY

https://www.counterpunch.org/2013/06/21/a-cowboy-in-caracas/

https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2017/08/03/the-tragedy-of-venezuela/

https://www.multpl.com/venezuela-gdp

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2014/04/fivethirtyeights-venezuela-problem

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-venezeulas-middle-class-is-taking-to-the-streets/

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/bjkmq8/fiery-protest-leader-leopoldo-lopez-faces-13-year-sentence-in-venezuela

https://potent.media/minimum-sentencing-for-marijuana-possession

https://www.thoughtco.com/core-and-periphery-1435410

https://popularresistance.org/building-the-commune-radical-democracy-in-venezuela/

http://www.antiwar.com/regions/regions.php?c=Venezuela

#venezuela #reference #imperialism #chavez #maduro #socialism #capitalism #extraction #oil #war #emigrant #communes #cooperatives

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aemondtargaryen · 5 years

Text

honestly if someone read all the crazy shit that happens in venezuela they wouldnt believe it like its a surrealist situation we kinda got used to it by now but to the foreign eye is something maddening

inflation rates over one million percent

we have two presidents right now bc one scumbag refuses to leave office even tho he won elections illegally

more than 5 million people have fled the country and around 1800 cross the border over to colombia daily

there no food nor medicine we eat the same corn flour dish all day people dont eat meat now. the entire country has lost weight people who used to be fat now look cadaveric

people scavenger the trashcans at all hours of the day like in plain midday bc theyre hungry as fuck

theres customs run by military people in every street

speaking of the military theyre all a bunch of corrupts same as the government

the people in the government sent their kids to germany or australia with the money they steal while we die of hunger

the government expropriated a lot of private companies causing the shortages. We used to be the preferred country in latinamerica for transnationals like procter and gamble, kellogs and a bunch of other companies that now left, leaving thousands without jobs

caracas the capital has turned into one of the most dangerous cities in the continent like no joke i came from a flight and when leaving the airport it was full of little poor kids that would steal your baggage if you left it unattended and thats just the ones that dont have guns yet

bc everyone i know has at least one family member who has been mugged at gunpoint (like my brother) or has been kidnapped

electricity and water are on shortage too some states and cities go for entire days with no light, that includes hospitals

hospitals that should be cared by the government are a disaster pregnant women give birth in the waiting room bc theres not enough beds

the government approved a plan to dig our resources like diamonds and other minerals completely destroying our beautiful rain forest putting animals in danger and the indigenous people too

which are supposedly one of the people the government said it would special protection but has only impoverished their lives forcing them to fled to brazil

when we tried to protest peacefully they sent the military against us and more that 100 people were killed (mostly young students who were the braves one to be in the front lines) without anybody receiving punishment for it

new car models havent arrived since like 2011 and since the roads are such a mess all the cars break down and theres no spares so people have to ride the bus which also break down and now people have to travel in things called “perreras” that are like trucks were people travel in the back with no safety at all and can get on just after doing hours of queue

the currency had so many zeros they had to take three out to make it bearable and that was in like 2012 and they had to do it AGAIN last year bc the inflation was just too fast so what it now 1000 Bolivares is actually 100,000,000 from 20 years ago they just removed the zeros.

OK so now things are starting to finally look up, after Maduro the president proclaimed himself president in an illicit act, the National Assembly him declared him illegal and other countries like the United States and the rest of america and europe (except China and Russia) have declared him unlawful and the president of the National Assembly is the new president but for that we the venezuelans have to make our voices be heard and support the new guy his name is Guaido so he can take us out of this misery. He is even offering amnesty to the military that supports him bc if Maduro keeps controlling the military then theres little chance Guaido makes it.

SO theres that. Thats whats happening in my country thanks for reading and you should go read some more on the internet

#venezuela #nicolas maduro #juan guaidó

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Are Republicans Or Democrats Better For Small Business

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-republicans-or-democrats-better-for-small-business/

Are Republicans Or Democrats Better For Small Business

Small Business And Government Regulations

AOC Blasts Republicans Who Blame Democrats for Holding Up Small Business Aid

Democratic views on small business revolve around the theory that, while government cannot guarantee the success of a small business, it can implement the conditions that support hiring of new workers through providing tax relief and increasing the availability of Small Business Administration resources.

During the Obama administration, President Obama cut taxes for small businesses no less than eighteen times. Also at President Obamas direction, the Small Business Administration administered more than 70,000 loans for businesses, offering those businesses with the much needed capital to invest and grow.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was signed into law by President Obama states that business that hire previously unemployed workers are eligible for tax cuts and can write off the purchase of new equipment. Most of the small businesses are eligible under the Affordable Care Act for tax credits to offset the insurance costs for their employees. Democrats are fighting to defend the progress made and ensure that the new president Donald Trump cannot disrespect the American small businesses.

Virginia Republicans Have Been Warning Democratic Control Was Bad For Business Cnbc Disagrees

By: Graham Moomaw and Ned Oliver– July 13, 2021 6:33 pm

The sun rises over the Virginia Capitol.

After Democrats took control of the General Assembly in 2020, a common refrain emerged among Republicans who opposed legislation that raised the minimum wage and added new anti-discrimination protections for employees.

The Democrat majority has done much to diminish Virginias reputation for being Americas best state for business, said Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James City, as Democrats first legislative session in power in more than two decades came to a close, invoking a ranking bestowed annually by the cable news network CNBC.

Two years later, it looks like at least some of those Democratic priorities actually helped the states business reputation.

For the second time in a row, Virginia was named the best state for business , which this year began factoring things like anti-discrimination laws and voting rights protections into its rankings under the heading of inclusivity.

Our economy in the Commonwealth of Virginia is roaring, Gov. Ralph Northam said during a victory-lap news conference in Norfolk on Tuesday. Its why companies of all sizes are choosing to call our commonwealth home. Virginia is proving that when you treat people right, its good for everyone and its also good for business.

Youngkins campaign downplayed the CNBC ranking Tuesday, arguing the state is underperforming in key metrics like cost of living and cost of doing business.

Committee Republicans Send Letter To Biden Pelosi Slamming Democrats’ Tax Hike Proposals On Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, all House Small Business Committee Republicans – led by Ranking Member Luetkemeyer – sent a letter to President Biden and Speaker Pelosi highlighting the negative impacts the Democrats’ tax hike proposals would have on small businesses. As Democrats prepare to take historic steps to recklessly push forward trillions of dollars in spending paid for by small businesses across the country, Committee Republicans are standing up for Main Street USA. Small businesses are focused on recovering from the economic effects of the…

Also Check: Why Do Republicans Hate John Mccain

Small Business And Taxes

Trump has supported significant cut on the income tax on all companies to 15 percent. Business groups also want to see partners, sole proprietors and corporate shareholders whose business income is reported on their personal returns benefit from these changes.

While the party has gotten a great deal of pushback because these policies would benefit big business, what many fail to realize is how essential these policies are to the survival of small businesses.

Staying Afloat During Covid

Brianna Knight, a 31-year-old Fresno resident with clients across the state, was one of the fortunate ones. Her holistic skincare business has done well during the pandemic.

The state grants helped, but so did her overplanning six months ahead at some points. Before the pandemic, Knight also launched a clinical skincare line, enabling her to package at-home facial kits for her clients once COVID-19 hit.;

Despite staying afloat, Knight said she is undecided how she will vote on the recall. She said she needs to research the candidates more, and wants to see how the next phase of the pandemic goes.

I definitely think that we need new leadership, but I dont know if right now is the time, she said. And I only say that because right now California is in the purple and we do foresee a possible shutdown again. So transitioning leadership right now sometimes it gets worse.;

Knight said she wantsnew leadership because of the way the pandemic was handled, including shutting down businesses that state leaders deemed non-essential.

I do corrective skincare, so acne, so even in a pandemic, those clients are still dealing with an issue, she said. I think that what they considered wasnt as important was important to a lot of people, and we werent recognized.

I definitely think that we need new leadership, but I dont know if right now is the time.

Brianna Knight, business owner from fresno

Also Check: Are There Any Republicans Running For President Other Than Trump

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

The Democratic Party is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a return for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as “tax and spend.”

Recommended Reading: Who Raises More Money Democrats Or Republicans

Left Wing And Right Wing Politics

Politics is said to be split in half and you either have left or right political views. Left-wing politics is typically associated with progressive ideas and equality. Democrats are viewed as left-wingers. Right-wing politics values tradition, equity, and survival of the fittest. Republicans are viewed as right-wingers.;

Left-Wing

Left-wing beliefs are liberal in that they believe society is best served with an expanded role of the government. Examples of an expanded role for the government include entitlement programs such as social security and Medicare, Medicaid, universal healthcare, food stamps, free public education, unemployment benefits, strong environmental laws, and other regulations on industries.

Right Wing

Right-wingers believe that the best outcome for society is achieved when individual rights and civil liberties are paramount and the role and especially the power of the government is minimized. Right-wing ideology would favor market-based solutions to the issues that these government programs aim to tackle. For example, encouraging a freer marketplace for healthcare, driven by consumer choice to drive down costs. Or privately held retirement accounts like 401 plans instead of government-guaranteed Social Security.

Study: Republicans Are 24 Percent More Likely Than Democrats To Be Business Owners

Lou Dobbs: NYC is a very difficult environment for any small business owner

According to the Small Business Administration, there are about 28 million small business owners in this country and approximately 22 million of them are self-employed or non-employer firms. The rest of these small firms are employing more than 120 million people. Thats a pretty big voting bloc of small business owners and their employees.

Thats probably good news for Republicans.

According to;a survey;recently released by data research firm Infogroup, most small business owners vote Republican.

The company merged voter registration data from critical swing states with its proprietary database to come up with a combined pool of 5;million businesses and consumers that were asked questions about their party affiliation and other topics.

Of those surveyed, 24 percent of business owners were more likely to be Republican than Democrat. Republicans are way more likely to be presidents, vice-presidents and finance executives than Democrats and the hot industries for Republicans appear to be real estate, financial services and wholesale trade.

The study also found that Republicans tend to have stronger financial indicators than Democrats, such as higher household income, home value, net worth and likelihood to invest. They are also much more likely than Democrats to have a home office, purchase small business insurance, fly more frequently and invest more often in real estate.

For someone in marketing, sure. But what if youre a presidential candidate?

Read Also: Who Controls The House Of Representatives Republicans Or Democrats

Politics And Small Business

“The immediate shift in forward-looking sentiment that small business owners reported following the election reveals how deeply politics has become embedded in the public’s assessment of the economy, and in particular how divided the country is,” said Laura Wronski, research science manager at SurveyMonkey. “We’ve seen evidence of that every quarter, with Republican small business owners consistently reporting a higher degree of confidence than Democrats, but the election of Joe Biden is the first opportunity we’ve had to see whether that would flip if presidential power changed parties and it did dramatically.”

Among Republican respondents, the small business confidence index score fell from 57 in the third quarter to 42; among Democrats, confidence jumped from 46 to 58. The lowest previous confidence reading from Republican business owners was in Q2 2020, at 54.

We’ve seen evidence of that every quarter, with Republican small business owners consistently reporting a higher degree of confidence than Democrats, but the election of Joe Biden is the first opportunity we’ve had to see whether that would flip if presidential power changed parties and it did dramatically.Laura Wronski, SurveyMonkey research science manager

Histories Of The Parties

The Democratic party started in 1828 as anti-federalist sentiments began to form. The Republican party formed a few decades later, in 1854, with the formation of the party to stopping slavery, which they viewed to be unconstitutional.

The difference between a democrat and a republican has changed many, many times throughout history. Democrats used to be considered more conservative, while the republican party fought for more progressive ideas. These ideals have switched over time.

Recommended Reading: Where Are Republicans On The Political Spectrum

How Republicans And Democrats Compare As Small Business Owners

COSTA MESA, Calif.A new analysis shows that Republicans make up the largest percentage of U.S. small business owners, and that they have the highest average business loan balances and lowest delinquency rates.

With the presidential election less than a year away, Experian looked at the financial and demographic characteristics of small business owners by political affiliation. The report found that approximately 35% of all small business owners identify as Republican, while 29.4% identify as Democrat and 15.8% identify as Independent.

Small businesses are a major area of interest for a number of political campaigns and justifiably so, given their positive impact on employment rates and importance to local economies, said Pete Bolin, director of consulting and analytics for Experian business information services. Gaining insight into the characteristics of specific segments of the small business owner population enables government officials, lenders and business professionals to better understand them and take appropriate action to help these small firms grow.

Section:

Crisis On Top Of Crisis

Thousands of small business owners across California are still trying to survive a pandemic now in its fourth surge. Even with the reopening, some restaurants and other service establishments are having trouble hiring workers or are having to pay more and offer perks.;

Then, there are businesses that also have to deal with wildfires and drought.

Data from San Francisco-based software company Womply showed that the deadly 2018 Camp Fire resulted in 13% of local businesses near the fire shutting down permanently, while in 2019, 6.6% of businesses closed after the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County.;

In 2020, California experienced its most destructive fire season in history, with 4.2 million acres burned. In 2021 so far, it isnt much better. The still-burning Dixie Fire is already the second largest in state history, having blackened more than 600,000 acres in Butte, Plumas, Lassen and Tehama counties.;;;;;

Meanwhile, California is in the grip of its worst drought since 2015. This week, Newsom raised the prospect of mandatory water conservation statewide.

John Kabateck, California director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said;opinions on the recall vary among its members, but many are too busy dealing with bigger concerns. Among them: finding qualified employees, meeting payroll and readying for a huge spike in their unemployment insurance taxes.

So hes willing to give Newsom the benefit of the doubt.

Recommended Reading: What Republicans Are Running For Governor In Nevada

Obamacares Impact On Small Business

Opponents of the Affordable Care Act argue that the ACA has forced small business owners to pay a lot of money they dont have, that the rising cost of medical insurance and the associated fees has forced companies to lay off workers or to halt expansion plans, and that the tax incentives offered to small businesses isnt guaranteed and its too complicated.

Proponents of the ACA argue that the tax incentives are a great help, and assist them in the added costs of the health insurance premiums. They state that the majority of the expense falls with big businesses, not small businesses. They also argue that many small businesses will fall into the category of under 50 employees, and therefore will not be impacted by the act anyways, aside from the supposed lowering of healthcare costs that it offers.

What Is At Stake For Small Businesses In The 2020 Election

This combination of pictures created on October 22, 2020 shows US President Donald Trump … and Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden during the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020.

Tomorrow, voting concludes in one of the most contentious elections of our lives, but its just another chapter in the wild story that has been 2020. Weve had a pandemic, heightened racial tensions and a faltering economy.;A client told me last week that he feels like the world around him is on fire. And with Covid-19 infections coming back with a vengeance, stimulus talks at a standstill and an unpredictable election, things are set to only get more tumultuous.

You may be election-exhausted by now. You may be one of the 92 million Americans who have already voted.;But no matter who wins on Tuesday , its important ;to understand whats at stake for small business owners tomorrow and in weeks and months to come.

More Stimulus

But now, as CARES impact fades, we are still far from full recovery. The recent rise in coronavirus cases, new lockdown orders looming, 12.6 million workers on unemployment and eight million American pushed into poverty all jeopardize continued recovery in the fourth quarter. ;;

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Clinton Vs Trump: Who’s Better For Your Small Business

AP 1-/10/2016

At 7 a.m. local time on Nov. 8, 2016, polls will open for the 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election to determine the 45th president. Regardless of your political party or if youre voting for Clinton or Trump, its one of the most important elections in the countrys history.

Thefirst of four presidential debates took place on Sept. 26, and both candidates expressed that this election is about getting the economy working for average Americans again and that means small business owners. According to the Small Business Administration , small businesses provide 55 percent of all jobs and 66 percent of all net jobs since the 1970s. The problem is that recent data from the National Federation of Independent Business found that political uncertainty is at an all-time high because neither candidate is speaking in detail to issues that small business owners care about.

This post will take a look at what Clinton and Trump have said about small businesses, whether their proposed plans help or hurt and what they could do differently. The best way to remedy political uncertainty is to know what the candidates stand for and what proposed policies and beliefs mean in the long run.

Hillary Clinton Wants to Be theSmall Business President

Sounds Great, But is it Too Good to be True?

Where Does Trump Stand With Small Businesses?

His Real Stance Is Still Up For Debate

Have a Voice and Vote

Democrats Raise Red Flags On Gop Small Business Plan As Biden Weighs In

Republicans join Democrats to advance $1tn infrastructure bill

When it comes to some of the broad strokes in the small business plan, Republicans and Democrats appear to be close to agreement.

07/28/2020 04:56 PM EDT

Link Copied

Democrats are gearing up to push for changes to a small business aid plan pitched by Republicans as part of the latest economic relief package, as former Vice President Joe Biden called for major new investments in firms owned by people of color.

While the small business rescue plan released by Senate Republicans Monday included bipartisan priorities including a second round of forgivable government loans Democrats are targeting what they say are key omissions.

Among them, according to sources familiar with the matter, is the absence of new funding for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, which offers direct aid to employers. Democrats also say there is insufficient support for Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions, which focus lending on populations lacking access to traditional banks.

Democrats may also try to bar executive branch officials and members of Congress from obtaining government-backed business loans. The bill proposed by Republicans only requires the officials to disclose their status when applying.

CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump have tested positive for Covid-19.

The latest news in employment, labor and immigration politics and policy.

Recommended Reading: Which Presidents Were Democrats And Republicans

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punkrockgenasiashton · 6 years

Note

so 6 children may never see their families again and you're saying it's ok because someone wanted to keep their job? is that all it takes to be a bystander and watch as an ethnic is slowly being wiped out? really??

Wow. Okay Anon. Take a chill pill right quick. I did not at all say that its’ okay for Six children to never see their family again. That’s a fucking travesty. And I 100% support the idea that there are little things little people can do to help change and stop that from happening.

Peacefully, or violently, if the need does occasionally arise. Boycotting companies that support unethical practices, like this particular flight attendants employers for example, is one way. Organizing a mass protest involving laying down on the tarmac is another. Picketing an ICE agency office is still another (shout out to the people in Washington who did just that) But, it is incredibly unfair to ask an individual to risk their livelihood alone.

To put one’s own livelihood on the line is an incredibly brave and selfless act. Not everybody can be Nelson Mandela. Is it self-serving to put yourself and your ability to feed yourself above doing the absolute morally right thing to do? Yes. Yes it is. I won’t argue that.

That said, as somebody who lives paycheck to paycheck, can I empathize with a woman who more than likely never entertained the idea of saying no or potentially didn’t even know her assignment until she walked on the plane? Yes, I can. I know it’s easy, and even gratifying, to say from 1,000 miles away (and with only the surface knowledge of a situation) “Why didn’t you do something? If it were me, I would’ve!” Because I’ve done that too.

That woman refusing to do her job and getting fired for it would’ve done precisely zero, zilch, not a damn thing to get those 6 kids back into the arms of their parents. The plane would’ve sat on the tarmac for 10 minutes while the company grabbed another flight attendant and told her that she could pick up her last check next week when she returns her uniform.

Don’t get me wrong, a small group of passionate people working hard enough at the right time in the right place can change the world. It’s the only thing thats ever has. But it’s important to pick your battles.

That woman saying no in this instance is a losing battle. If she comes home and tells enough of her coworkers the same story she told the OP of that post, maybe they band together and as a group and tell their employers “hey, we all refuse to take part in these flights.” That’s an actual victory with some substance.

And of course there are other small real victories like that which can be achieved, but the only REAL way to secure a REAL victory over this is sadly in the traditional political arena this November. Stacking state legislators and governorships with actual progressives, stacking the House of Representatives and the US Senate with a 2/3rds majority of at least Democrats but hopefully actual progressive people like Ms. Ocasio-Cortez from NY is how anything changes in any meaningful way.

Getting majority control of every level of government away from the neo-fascists that have taken over the Republican party and blocking Trump’s agenda and forcing veto overrides on Bills that outlaw the thuggery and straight up fascistic policies he’s enacted is the only way to make any kind of permeable change.

I know that sounds simplistic and lazy and like Not Enough. But individuals taking direct action, without back up or any kind of support system behind them is in almost all cases Not Enough.

#answered #US Politics #Anonymous

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forexcrypt-blog · 4 years

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Summer Solstice Update

Ok its a week late - sue me... everyone else is trying to. I have been busy with other stuff but things are hotting up on lots of fronts so I am adding a note to show I am still here. Half way through the year now and I must be ~20 weeks on from when this blog took a major turn. I repeat a lot of stuff - so again, I never intended this blog to be about scammers - it morphed after I found ProphetFX and Ashley Richards - scammers getting a lot of press and internet space written about them... Since, I have put serious dents into Ashley Richards (plus James Watts & Dan Legg + others) & ProphetFX (Edward Elford and Jack Alexander Harwood (FrontlineFX / TradehuntFX)). I definitely won't be on their Christmas card list. I have had severe abuse and harassment aimed at me since I blogged about these people - lets just lay down some facts; - I write the truth. All the evidence is posted for you to see - most of it is already in the public domain available via Google/Bing etc. You can verify it yourself. It is all true. - I am not a competitor of these shitheads. - I don't threaten or harass people. Good luck with your bullshit defamation claim - writing the truth is not defamation - no matter how you shameless warped cretins spin it. This is an investigative blog by someone that knows the retail forex industry inside out and is blowing the whistle on your bullshit instasham FX Lifestyles. For doing so, I have attracted some serious oddballs and my life is in danger from blogging about these people - they are scum. You wouldn't have half of them tarmac your drive - they are knuckle dragging scumbags - you only have to look at Instagram to see who and what these people are about. I only did one month of scammers/scams as you can see from the warning list - I only focused on Ashley Richards and ProphetFX. What did I find out? The FCA, Trading Standards, HMRC, OFCOM, IPSO and Action Fraud are so fucking useless they may as well not exist. They are absolutely fucking inept. I genuinely cannot get the words out to describe how fucking bad this lot are. A page full of 'useless fucking cunts' still won't cut it. We are nearly 20 weeks in on some of this stuff an what has happened from any UK regulator/agency? - NOTHING. I have put this stuff on a plate for them with all the evidence and we have seen NOTHING from any of them - in some cases they are simply ignoring me and/or not responding to their own complaints process. When I say the UK is fucked I mean it - THE UK IS FUCKED. Did you get that bit? THE UK IS FUCKED - nothing works - it is the wild west and if you are selling something online you can do what the fuck you like. It is easy to see why there is a scam epidemic in the UK. We have a culture among young people that it is OK to scam - they don't know any better and the UK regulators/agencies and social media companies are nowhere - it is a scammers paradise. Google reviews, Amazon reviews, Trustpilot reviews all contain thousands of fake reviews. Everything online is now fake and no one is stopping the fakery juggernaut. Hell even Conservative MP Grant Shapps was at it too https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/mar/15/grant-shapps-admits-he-had-second-job-as-millioniare-web-marketer-while-mp You can create a fake lifestyle in cyberspace and there is absolutely no one in the UK to stop you with nothing for 'normal' people to use/report to take them down - the scammers know it. Try reporting a profile on Instagram/Facebook - you can't even report them if they block you. You are met with bot agents and never a human. We are so far into absolutely fucketysphere, companies/people and scammers can do what the fuck they like - what are you going to do about it? Now of course, the UK Government/agencies/regulators blame Covid-19 for it all. As if the scammers infrastructure didn't already exist and scams magically sprung up as a result of Covid-19... Look at the cases I have raised on the blog - they have been going four plus years untouched. As far as I am aware, I am the first blogger/website to put a serious dent into these people - the trading forums are a mess at best given they are happy to house scams/scammers & BS 'Educators' for advertising revenue. This has won me a lot of interesting fans. I am getting take down requests every week - I have had special fans like Michael Watkins (theholistictrader) subject me to 12+ weeks of sustained harassment, doxing, DDOS attack, intimidation, threats, abuse (just to name a few) - all criminal acts which I have sent to North Wales Police four times - what have they done about it? NOTHING. For any prat telling me I don't have journalistic integrity because I don't reveal my name - that is why. People with a bit of money, especially one up from caravan dwellers - are not the most reasonable of sorts if their scam livelihoods are destroyed. What of the Media/Newspapers/Broadcasters/Producers/Journalists from the Ashley Richards fall out? I got multiple newspaper 'articles' taken down along with the BBC website 'article' & the BBC Programme "Young Welsh and Pretty Minted" featuring Ashley Richards taken down after 12 weeks of campaigning. - No apologies. - Not one correction. Utter cunts. They have simply buried this. As for IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation)? Fuck you too. Absolute fucking joke of an 'organisation'. I haven't had the time/bandwidth to keep on at the UK Agencies/Regulators/Newspapers/Broadcasters - it is a full time job - just for a few scammers - they are all fucking useless, all fucking jobsworths, all total cunts. You haven't seen the amount of emails and phone calls I have been putting in over ~20 Weeks just for these few select scammers - look what has happened - apart from the BBC takedown of Ashley Richards - NOTHING. We have utter cretins in the UK media (if you didn't already know). I repeatedly got the line, "It was a TV piece and we don't check the veracity... yak yak"... Well UK Media, you've just been done over by Ashley Richards, James Watts and Dan Legg - 20 year old scammers that have ruined your reputations and careers. So not only can you say you 'are a millionaire' online, you can also say you 'are a millionaire' to Local & National Newspapers, TV producers and TV Broadcasters and absolutely no one is checking you because thats what we love in the UK - nouveau riche Instagrat. Lets be fucking clear on these people - They are 'internet marketers' - they are not Forex traders. It doesn't matter if they sold weight loss diets, dating tips or Amazon affiliate courses - they just happen to sell you Forex Courses. In the case of James Watts he actually does sell Amazon affiliate courses. Everything they say is fake, everything is an instasham lifestyle - they cannot and never have traded Forex consistently profitably. They never made their money from actually trading Forex. Never, ever call these people Forex Traders. They sell bullshit Forex courses and/or sign you up to brokers get their huge broker affiliate commission via whatever means possible - you will never, ever make money with them. No one in retail forex makes money trading. So..... much of the same, me just repeating myself until everyone catches up with my depressing realism and cynicism. I appreciate people need a creditable full time UK scam/scammer reveal operation - people send me scams/scammers on a daily basis - the trading forums and social media are full of bitcoin/forex trading scams/scammers. I have always stated I would just do a few scammers to see where we got. The work involved in just doing the few scammers has been phenomenal - weeks and weeks of work (I have been doing what the FCA/Trading Standards/Action Fraud/HMRC/IPSO/OFCOM/ASA should be doing) - hundreds of hours - its a full time gig and I don't get paid for it so its not something I can offer at this stage - if I win the lottery maybe I could do some more... Read the full article

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galimatios · 6 years

Text

fear thy fortune chatlog notes

thinking abt the underdeveloped au i have in that weird off color fantasy universe that i realized is probably similar in ways to bloodborne even before i knew abt bloodbornes plot but this is nice bc i can solidify parts of it and i can probably also combine it with the knights au i have

OK I FORGOT TO PUT A CW HERE BUT CW FOR ABUSE MENT AND GORE MENT

somewhere located in present day west asia slash east europe theres a country divided into numerous states in which princes and princesses (princex (poc)/princen/etc for gender neutral options) are perpetually in contest with eachother for the right to be the divine ruler of the country

monarchy is not guided by blood, rather the church is responsible for finding the chosen candidates via prophecy, fururesight, dream interpretation, etc, and these kids are taken from their homes and reared as royalty the nature of this country is ... severe. pain is a gift, proof that one is alive. much ceremony is based in sacrifice, bloodspill, bloodsports, and pain endurance. magic as practiced by the church is extremely powerful in terms of healing so almost all wounds can be healed provided the heart still beats its essentially one big huge freakish cult of a country that has customs that seem barbaric to outsiders

the divine ruler of each state is the princens, though more often than not their councils do most of the governing with the princen merely being a puppet figurehead. they go through rigorous training to sharpen their minds and endurance against all types of pain, so training includes physical, mental, emotional trials in which the princen is supposed to keep a clear mind, concentrate on mediation or some mantra, bearing whatever is thrown at them. additionally they receive the best training in both combat and politics as well as magic. not all princen can withstand the requirements ofc so they.. vary quite a bit in terms of stability/constitution. its a p sick system even without the knights added in bc thats super messed up

the knights essentially belong to their princens in heart body mind and soul, and each princen receives exactly one knight soulbound to them. they also undergo the same scouting process once the princen is identified, and they undergo similar training except theyre also essentially brainwashed into believing their entire purpose in life is to serve and protect their princen no matter what. obviously this aint healthy! knights delude themselves into it so hard theyll fight for the system that literally abuses them! but thats how cults work

that being said knights are extremely powerful. they act as the sole bodyguard of their princen and believe me you dont want to get inbetween a knight and their prince. they are known especially for their brutality when their lords are threatened. it is extremely common for limbs to be lost in skirmishes btwn assailants and a knight

this takes us to the games! which are essentially gladiator coliseum type bloodsport contests between knights of different princens. its a pretty big affair like how the Olympics are for us so the fanfare the cheering the everything is all there i prob dont need to describe it in detail but its very violent. its considered practice for the knights before the true battle-royale type event thats even BIGGER bc it determines who becomes god-king of the country. this time the princen join their knights in the battlefield and basically whoever is left standing is the new king

is it worth it? probably not bc i think being king actually means being killed to be sent up to the heavens bc god kings dont need bodies any longer in truth the entire debacle is a distraction set up by the church to keep the country under its own control. its super corrupt. the council behind every princen is actually made up of high ranking church members that convene regularly to manipulate the politics of the region

but thats mostly the governing sphere of this world. the commonfolk are removed from most of this violence aside from the indoctrination by the church and the messed up religion they practice. a lot of the belief system here relies on this concept of karma and fate over free will. fate is oppressive, cannot be changed, but god do they try that belief ties into how princen and knights are fated to be pairs, how princen are fated to either ascend to godhood or die trying

but there is one way to manipulate fates in this world there exists in independent of the church a monastery that practices the art of transferring karma. think of karma as a type of currency that can be spent, saved, used, etc. lots of good karma may be distributed amongst loved ones via a ritual headed by a monk, or bad karma can be "paid off" essentially. the amount of good/bad karma a person has directly affects their fortune and luck. this practice is more or less outlawed by the church but the monastery is slowly gaining power over the commonfolk and the church mostly leaves the poor folk to rot anyway- their agenda mostly concerns the monarchy

altho i can definitely see tensions rising with the witch hunting as influenced by the church. particularly nefarious visions may result in blame being thrown around and commoners getting killed for crimes they have yet to commit and thats thanks to the teachings of the church

anyway as of rn though the monastery is still pretty small but it is an old, ancient organization with magic that runs far deeper than the magic of the church. it is a much more subtle magic- monks practice little offensive magic (they are a nonviolent sort anyway) but the ability to exchange karma is rare and has far more reaching impact in the long run i imagine they have strongholds further to the east but anyway theres one trump card the monastic order has

a subsection of the order is dedicated to the keeping of miracles. and miracles are... monsters! they are semi-physical manifestations of literal suffering and the sheer emotional energy provided by them is enough to give miracles the power to.. well. perform miracles.

when a person dies in anguish, there is a chance that their bodies will not decompose the way they are meant to. instead they slowly dissipate, bodies turning coal black and ashen to the touch. these cannot be disposed of the normal way (curses, contamination, all kinds of horrible things happen) so instead these corpses get locked up inside brick cells within the monastery

once, one of these was opened only to reveal that the bodies were gone- only a humming, massive shadow that seemed to move as if made of flies or soot combined. and it spoke, too. this was the first miracle created it was discovered then that these creatures had immense power but could not leave the rooms they were imprisoned in, touch sunlight, and similarly they could not die

imagine like the witchs nightmares in pmmm and you get what its like to be a soul trapped in a miracle. u get to relive ur worst fears and regrets forever. it suck miracles also cannot direct their powers towards their own will, only the will of others. ofc they are still monsters and exact a price for their services, whatever it may be.

a meeting with a miracle does not come cheap or without consequence, bc although miracles can be performed, karma always rebalances itself in the end. monks tasked with guarding and curating the miracles are called gatekeepers and are often someone close to one of the souls trapped in the vortex anyway i think thats the basics of everything in there... i got an au w cyrus as a prince and alex as his knight and instead of sticking around for their inevitable deaths the pair run off into the countryside far far away

actually i think something went wrong in the ceremony. cyrus and alex win godkingship of then... something goes wrong. probably the whole die-to-ascend thing is a secret kept from the princen and the public and. alex does a thing a knight should not do a refuses to let the ceremony continue. and im p sure as soon as cyrus learns of the truth hes like haha well fuck that

then they spend the rest of their days actually experiencing what life is like outside of a freakish cult and my fucking feels

i think.. meanwhile the monastic order grows in influence and power making them the enemy of the church... and jonah (yonah in this au) sacrifices himself to the miracle containing his brother in order to give the miracle a corporal form. which means august and company now have a physical conduit for all that power they had.

bad news for the church! bc august was unrightfully killed bc of a prophecy saying that hed become a huge threat and a killer

funny how prophecies work!

so now hes out for blood and he probably uses his own charisma and power to stage a coup against the church and basically the country goes to hell and i think at this point cyrus thinks. i got out of there alive. i need to do something about this. so he and alex probably join in and become arbiters of the game esp since cyrus and alex were probably the best synced, most skilled prince/knight duo the church had seen up to that date so theyre very powerful. ofc theyre still only two people so i really wonder how theyll step in btwn these two opposing parties

augusts side isnt good either bc august... is only out for revenge and self interest. he has no interest in fixing the country or helping anyone in fact once august is firmly seated on the throne of power he probably declares himself god-king anyway the end game probably looks like augusts body (which is jonahs body) being destroyed and the miracle contained in it finally put to rest jonahs soul must have something to do with the exorcism process- theyve tried to exorcise miracles before and only ended up upsetting it into violent outbursts anyway thats enough rambling from me time to paste this all into a blog post

god what if august picked keith to be his knight. thats messed up. keiths so easy to manipulate and hed be such a wildcard of a knight. he has more magic potential than alex and hes faster on his feet. im imagining bloodlust frenzy almost hyena-like behavior. also i mostly just want to see keith being violent and evil and i have an outfit in mind that would look great with a little splash of red

think like minimalistic ouji but like all black and keith with knives and serving a clearly twisted (even more than usual bc of the miracle’s influence) august

god even better the aftermath of augusts death TIME FOR THE FUCKING FEELS TO KICK IN BC now Keith has no purpose/he FAILED to protect his king WHICH WAS HIS ONLY PURPOSE IN LIFE then alex coming in with cy and just no, you have inherent worth. what happened wasn't right im upset this is how alex and keith become family in this au

miracles i think in this case are definitely more of a means to an end i think narratively ie jonahs brother being killed and augusts soul being trapped within it- tho i think its a good tie-in into how the severe paranoid cultish way the society works ends up producing a lot of People Dying In Extreme Anguish

almost a buildup of sickness so to say.. a plague of the soul that's a cool avenue to go down tbh the idea that miracles are more like viruses spreading misfortune in the long run for some quick gain in this life but bc karma always collects her debts if i throw in some nice reincarnation that would effectively damn someone in their next life... that implies that this story may need to expand across different generations

mechanics being so much bullshit has happened in this country it houses multiple miracles whereas elsewhere its like one, or none, very few in their histories except possibly during wartime and famine

since magic is Exists in this it makes sense that the emotional energy combined w ambient energy would manifest in some kind of grotesque Being

oh no thats maybe why the church is manipulating things by purposely generating that emotional trauma in its society its producing unprecedented amounts of energy they can utilize as magic power oh no thats super bad august would definitely take advantage of that bc hed definitely figure the truth out once hes back to being alive

im upset bc i think they use princens and knights to specifically create emotional energy

energy released upon death which typically happens after a knight/prince duo has been chosen... then the resulting STRONG ass char plague on their bodies are collected to make artifacts? yes

gems created from the ashen plague are embedded into a huge mandala that actually ... is the god-king itself

#notes #worlds #fear thy fortune #abuse ment #gore ment #// this is pasted from a chatlog lmao

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sweetlifetownsville · 5 years

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The Massive Difference Between 'Buy Local' And 'Local Buy' ... How Mayor Mullet Has Played The Townsville Business Community For Mugs.

Jenny Hill has traded on a trick of language to fool Townsville into thinking she is a champion for local workers and business, when the exact opposite is the case. It all revolves around the Local Government Association of Queenslands business arm called Local Buy and it is a deliberate play on words to line the coffers of the LGAQ. As The Pie reports, this one looks murky indeed. Also, the Townsville Bulletin goes beyond beyond parody, with one of their biggest side-splitting bungles yet and overall, it was a week you couldnt make up unless of course, youre the Bulletin. And is rebel councillor Paul The Angry Ant Jacob shaping up to take on The Mullet well, he may well have delusions of popularity and adequacy for a tilt in 2020 but there will be one powerful group that will try to block him. Also, the funniest comment on a news story this week comes from the most unlikely place and by popular demand, our regular pictorial gallery from Trumpistan. But first The shared thought-fart of the week belongs to One Notions P Hanson and the Katteronics R Katter. No sooner had Hanson quavered tremulously over the radio that people on the dole should be put to work catching cane toads at ten cents a pop, than Katter jumped on this creaky bandwagon and and upped the ante.

Bob Katter (right). Columnist James Jeffrey once wrote the Bob uses words like a cliff in Norway uses lemmings, and during the week, the member for Kennedy obliged with proof when he gurgled, giggled, sneered and croaked out his proposal that kids should catch the toads for 40 cents a time and be armed with air rifles to get the job done. It all makes one think that both Hanson and Katter are still smarting from their latest rejection letters from The Mensa Society, but the ever-practical Bentley thinks no matter how the creatures are caught, there might be a bit of a flaw in the idea.

Gosh, kids could be recruited under the banner of The Toady Army oh, hang on, maybe not, Townsville City councillors might sue for copyright. Is The LGAQs Nice Little Earner LOCAL BUY Costing Townsville A Motza? Some well credentialed business folks around town at increasingly frustrated with the little-understood Queensland Local Government Associations business arm Buy Local. And on the face of what two well-placed identities have told The Pie, the whole set-up looks ripe for rorts of all sorts, even progressing to very serious corruption unless proper transparency is in place. First this landed in the Nests inbox from a respected and successful Townsville businessman. Just wanted to highlighta program that shows that Mayor Mullet cannot only stuff Townsville as Mayor, she is also doing it as a Director of LGAQ against local businesses who payrent/rates and employ people.Townsville City Council is among those Queensland Local Councils using LGAQ Local Buy to avoid going to tender locally, allowing them toappoint out of town contractors with the LGAQ taking a cut (understood to be 10% of any contract, which of course is just added on to what the cost would otherwise be). Townsville businesses who were previously and successfully supplying services to Council have lost out under this scheme with many being forced to the business and had to put off staff. Any complaints about the dire situation made to Richard The Screaming Midget Beckett (no longer with the council met with threats that they would be locked out of any Council tenders in the future all under the culture from the Impailer and Mayor Mullet . To be an approved Local buy supplier you have to apply and I think pay an amount to be approved and there is a period of 5 years in which other similar other local businesses cant even apply. Momentum for change must be building as this excerpt from a letter from Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe indicates, after he received a petition complaining about the situation.

Also, has anyone questioned the $400k yearly service agreement between T.C.C . and the LGAQ and does the Mullet disclose her Directors fees from LGAQ ? As a LGAQ director, Jenny Hill, pops into her purse $31,000 p.a ta very muchly. Under the circumstances, that could be seen as blood money, since she must know the hardship this state-wide legalised rort is costing Townsvilles well-being. The Nest has received a number of complaints about Local Buy, but until this week, The Pie didnt have a coherent idea of what was happening so to get an independent assessment, The Magpie asked a business professional well versed in both business and LG matters to give this over-view. Given the current climate of spite and uncertainty, the person asked to remain anonymous. Local Buy is flawed in many aspects, even if one were to concede that its creation was well intentioned.Lets give them the benefit of the doubt to start with procurement can be complex and costly. Good procurement practice (eg. due diligence, evaluation requiring technical expertise etc) could be provided as a shared service, so that smaller organisations can in effect benefit from the capabilities of a larger organisation able to hire the appropriately skilled personnel. Theres also the prospect of negotiating better aggregate rates on the basis of aggregated volume. Thats the theory. The reality is that it is nowhere near this. Im not sure about the 5-year protection racket claim, but I do know that getting on the list involves not much more than paying some fees and ticking some boxes. This means a local council is more or less free to then pick and choose from the list, subject to the requirements of the LG Act. Magpie note: This means that the TCC can choose from a list based solely on price, which often means true locals cannot compete. This raises a moral question of whether it is more desirable to pay perhaps a bit more locally and materially contribute to a more vibrant local economy than to simply save some money because outside organisations that make no real contributions to our city. And it is this part of the system that is clearly open to corrupt influences. The Pie knows of none, but its an open invitation to it. Local Buy of course takes a Commission, from memory 10%, from registered suppliers when they win work, so in the end the potential benefits of savings arent materialised. Suppliers actually add the commission in. Theres also real doubt as to whether the Local Buy organisation actually has any real procurement capability. As a result, the tendency is for increasingly standardised or vanilla offerings, because thats the nature of generalised procedures run by people with limited specialisation and knowledge of local requirements or specialist areas eg, technology. Local Buy is a misnomer, of course. It neither compels nor guarantees procurement by a local authority from suppliers located within this authoritys area. Having said that, what goes to constituting local is never actually an easy question to answer, which makes a mockery of the entire buy local trope. One other thing on the Local Buy (and council procurement in general): theres a category called standing offer arrangement. This is basically a set of approved rates for services / products that a council can basically go back to time after time, without going out to tender. In theory, not a bad thing for pencils, paper clips and such like but as is always the case in procurement easily abused or at the very least, mis-used. The Magpie thanks the author for that succinct summary. It would certainly appear that we are being dudded one way or the other, but two things raise the Magpies curiosity: what do we get for our $400k annual contribution to the LGAQ? And noted in hindsight, just as this Local Buy system was being introduced, Mayor Mullet started dropping in the odd buy local slogan the timing appears to havde been there to fool people when they started hearing about local buy. Low level chicanery at its worst, spread about at the very time it now appears the council Jenny Hill heads was doing exactly the opposite. For Jenny Hill to trumpet the buy local cry is the height of hypocrisy, anyway. One of the very first acts she did when first elected mayor was to buy her new mayoral car (a top of the line Holden at around $70-$80,000) IN BRISBANE AND STIFFED THE RATEPAYERS TO HAVE IT SHIPPED HERE. And why was this? Because she had had a previous fight with Tony Ireland of TI Holden about repairs her previous vehicle, which she had mildly pranged into a gutter _ Ireland point blank refused her request to illegally mark it down as an accident insurance claim, which it clearly wasnt. Even although the Ireland company agreed to match the Brisbane price, Jenny Hill went ahead with the Brisbane deal anyway. Shes a sweet piece of work sometimes.

So if youre ever thinking if its true that local business people are fearful of spiteful retribution if they disagree with this civic leader, just keep that in mind. And Heres An Interesting Thought Wonder if Local Buy had anything to do with the controversial choice of pipe for the new Burdekin line, and did Local Buytb have anything to do with the pipeline jobs that went to Adelaide in stead of the promised boon to Townsville? Just askin. ya know. Yes The Astonisher Has Gone Beyond Parody The satirists lot is not a happy one lately. I mean, how do you make fun of something like the Bulletin that is so unintentionally crazy-funny to start with? Is this a secret plot to spike The Magpies guns? Last Tuesday, this appeared on page 16 as the editorial page of the Townsville Bulletin.

This is a stupendous blunder in a Townsville publication, that through their typical technical ineptness, the hard copy paper had published THE CAIRNS POST EDITORIAL PAGE the community voice (supposedly) of any newspaper. The editorial was of bugger all interest here, as well as being pretty stupid, anyway. It even had the Cairns deputy iditor signing it under the Townsville Bulletin masthead.

There was a time when this bit of prize fuckwittery wouldve caused an uproar, given the sensitive feelings between the two cities, but it appears weve been bludgeoned into not caring about the Bulletin anyway. Honestly, if it were not for the circle-jerk leadership of this city, the mayor and the head of Townsville Enterprise would be so incensed by this particular A community without a responsible newspaper is like a beautiful woman with only one eye (apologies to Brillat-Savarin). But still the harmless laughs kept coming. There was this story

which included this quote from one of the ladies of the night about southern blow-in blow-job competition on the streets: Theres false advertising, they send out a photo of a really hot looking chick and when they get there its some frumpy number. The girls have had a gutful of it This has been brewing for ages. Yknow, Thd Magpie thinks the lady might have a point. What sort of deceptive, conniving, immoral low-life would stoop to such trickery. Bet it would never happen in the Townsville Bulletin, would it? Huh, what? oh, oops.

But even when credibility-destroying cock-ups are right before their eyes, they still get into the paper. One should feel sorry for a decent old-time journo like Tony Raggatt, having his pic plastered between these clearly conflicting claims (the list clearly being nothing to with him).

But The Astonisher makes it easy to err take the piss.

This reeks of wreaking havoc on the language. Is The Angry Ant About To Up The Ante?

Paul Jacob Paul Jacob knows a cushy number when he sees one he is after all a Townsville City councillor. But it would seem our man is a tad more ambitious. The Ant broke ranks against Mayor Mullets Adani airstrip rort, conveniently just before he made an abortive run for state as a Labor-aligned but not endorsed candidate. Ever since, he has been regarded as a rebel ever since among the council sheeple and certainly by head shepherd Jennifer. So when he was front-paged in todays Astonisher

calling for an easing of water restrictions, many a pundit including The Pie, immediately assumed this was the signal for a Jacob joust for the top office in Walker Street. And that will be tricky. Unless Mayor Mullet abdicates and retires to malta, or runs on a Labor senate ticket her dearest wish but said not be shared by those who could make it so Clr Jacob will come under some intense pressure and even be flattered with promises of future glory by the Labor Party. Because despite her simpering shy denials of being a Labor mayor, Jenny Hill is, and is seen as, just that, and mainly by Labor itself. The party back room boys reckon mayor is as far as shes going, so they wouldnt rock what they see as a returnable vote boat in local government in March 2020. They know poor old Dolan Hayes will need Ashley and Martin soon with all the hair-tearing last thing the already beleaguered mayor needs is a Labor split ticket. But trust the Bulletin to come galumphing on to this particular scene with a few editorial bromides, but the best being this hilarious piece of total unselfawareness in an iditorial, which clearly is not Astonisher editorial policy.

Take your own advice, dearie. But Does The Pie Detect A Sly Dissension In The Senior Ranks At The Paper? Although The Pie doubts the feeling is mutual, he has great respect for the old-style work and values of John Ando Anderson he offers a very readable weekly service to the valuable rural readership of the paper, which clearly involves actual field work, and not just a few phone calls or, heaven forbid, lazy Facebook trolling. Now, Ando is nothing if not a steadfastly loyal News Ltd man; he has reason to be, the company spared no expense successfully defending him against spurious charge brought by the DPP over a jail interview almost 20 years ago. But The Pie couldnt help wonder if he wasnt trying to get a subtle message into the editors ear when writing today about Townsvilles landscape of words, waffle and impossible dreams.

Gotta love that line Pep talks are good for morale, but in the end, they start to sound like the boy crying wolf. And that, Ando, described PRECISELY the Bulletin editorial policy. very funny. Clever too, if The Pie is right. Pop in and have a chat to , will you? For all of us. Ghosts Of Iditors Past:Theres A Reason Hes Called Typo Gleeson

Typo Gleeson leaving an unsuccessful job interview as editor of Tailor & Cutter magazine. If you believe Sky Newss squeak fest hosted by Peter Typo Gleeson (sorry, only kidding) you might think David Crisafulli is returning to town for a special job and the head of TEL has changed her name.During the week, ww were treated too a hindenberg of hot air when Lil Patty OCallaghan and state opposition pollie Kid Crisafulli fielded a number of Dorothy Dixers from Typo. But one would think it was Typo in charge of the on-screen titling.

And when they got around to realising their mistake, in typical Typo fashion, they got that wrong too.

And Another Thing .. Best comment of the week goes to the bloke who replied to a totally embarrassing piece of nonesense in the paper about whether we are a friendly city. He suggested that of course we are we even wave to you from the roof of the Cleveland Detention Centre as you drive in from the airport. Luv it! Just what such a space-waste story deserved. Finally Its Been Another week of Wall-To-Wall umm .. Wall And we start with Mexico announcing the obvious

A Final Dad Joke (Well, Worked As A Granddad Joke)

Oh dear sorry. .. Thats it for another week, were off and running for 2019, its promising to be a cracker. There are a wider variety of folks taking to comments of late, keep it up, some are thoughtful, some hilarious, so entertain and be entertained. And if you have anything left over from the festive season, a donation to support The Magpies Nest will be of great assistance, the how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/the-massive-difference-between-buy-local-and-local-buy-how-mayor-mullet-has-played-the-townsville-business-community-for-mugs/

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jmkitsune · 5 years

Text

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

LETS BREAK IT DOWN

A well regulated militia-

Regulated-

control or maintained the rate or speed of (a machine/process) so that it operates properly

control or supervise (something, especially a company/business/activity) by means of rules and regulations

set (a clock or other apparatus) according to external standard

Militia

military force that is raised from civil population to supplement a regular army in an emergency.

ok and using the dictionary is supposed to be LAST line of thinking as words DO change and language adapts

let’s go to a more modern idea

Regulated- constant, frequently maintained and other wise up to date

Militia- able bodied civilians eligible to service by law IF NEED BE (not all states have militias, some have national guards instead

ANYWAY

this first portion regardless does not say individual gun owners, it says

a military group comprised of civilians who are volunteering to act in lieu of a regular army

“ being necessary to the security of a free State “

being necessary....is a given- ya know...a LAST RESORT

to the security of a free State

ok this one has wiggle room and areas of grayness, and places where time/society/culture and other factors can differ this.

Well let’s examine what defines a free state

well a “state” is more than government, cause governments change (rulers/laws/etc) but STATES remain and endure the changes. so a state would mean the sovereignty of a defined territory. Right? the land within borders agreed upon to make said land...X state.

well what makes it free- ok, we (Americans) live in a Democratic system so freedom would imply that our rights are observed, protected, ensured and not abused/oppressed/etc. This is not a partisan idea, its the “is the government abusing it’s power and dictating how individuals live? Before you say yes- REALLY examine that thought. Has the government (as a physical body) came into your home and controlled you? Have armed/armored strong arms of the law destroyed your way of life and ripped rights away from you? Are you living as a second class citizen because of the government ACTIVELY seeking to strip rights from you?

No?

Ok so you live in a “free state” (we’re talking about the amendment here not anecdotal cases ok) so in that scenario- a regulated militia is not needed at the moment. It can be maintained and regulated on standby IN CASE this happens but it has not happened yet, and in no current time has ANY state had a meeting and said “yo...yeah...this federal governments REALLY shafting us”

so ok that would mean

NEXT SECTION

the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Right of the people to keep and bear arms. (not wear tank tops for bare arms, or to keep a nice beautiful mount of freshly acquired BEAR arms from your hunt with Jr on his 18th birthday- though congrats on baggin the Grizzly Papa Joe)

No, the Right of the People to KEEP and BEAR arms, in this case refers to the right stated above- to keep the weapons and use them AS A MILITIA to protect their territory from abusive government officials/bodies/etc in a manner befitting the situation. Personally, being from Massachusetts I’ve always seen Shays Rebellion as a good response/example, that’s my opinion I know it’s not a black and white issue so others may disagree.

SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED

-....ok like I shouldn’t have to define this part but JUST IN CASE

“shall not be infringed” means “we ain’t gonna stop ya” ok? ok.

SO a little background on this last bit though

See unless you’re an actively participating member of the militia of your state. Fun fact- for ya-

United States Code, Title 10, Section 311, page 95, defines militia:

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are commissioned officers of the National Guard

(b) The classes of the militia are:

(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval militia; and

(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval militia.

see the last bit...is bold because a lot of people think it is the “loop hole” to private gun ownership. see thats the kick in the teeth (also I DID NOT KNOW THIS BEFORE MY LITTLE rant sooo YAY FOR LEARNING)

but yeah what the “unorganized militia” part ACTUALLY means is that it allows individuals to get out of organized military by MOVING into the “reserve unorganized militia” This means that individuals are automatically in the unorganized militia, and these citizens militias are separate organizations without Constitutional protection. (yeah you’re giving up protection of the constitution by doing this thing sooo ya have fun playing that card.)

but also MANY MANY MANY MANY (ok not that many many’s were needed but I wanted to type that many cause saying a word a lot draws attention and makes the word sound funny after the final time....many....ok im done) states have LAWS PROHIBITING EITHER

- paramilitary training

-formation of militias OR paramilitaries.

Laws may specifically prohibit combat/weapons training, sedition (rebellion) or similar activities AND FOR THAT I HAVE A NICE GRAPHIC

(aside- hey southern “I need my automatic killing machine type gun” die hards (not the ones who have hunting rifles for protection of wildlife) LOOK AT YOUR STATE :D)

I digress

so let’s ..combine ALLLLLLLL this shit above into what the second ammendment means in laypersons terms.

SHALL WE

a military group comprised of civilians who are volunteering to act in lieu of a regular army---- established to act in a way to protect other citizens of their designated territory in the situation where in an acting body of government (be it local, state or federal- as this is not clearly defined til the situation occurs) acts in a way that transgresses upon any of your freedoms, rights, civil liberties, etc. ---- Through this amendment you have constitutional right- IF YOU FOLLOW THE EXPRESSED BEFORE MENTIONED CRITERIA ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND if your state does not prohibit the formation, maintaining, training of said body/militia so that you can actively defend your lands. AND WE (the federal government) will not stop you.

That being said.

If you want to fight for private citizen gun ownership in form of hunting rifles, side arms or shotgun type things, you know...actual practical gun ownership for hunting, farmers, ya know...ACTUAL people who need guns.

I support you wish to fight for it-I really do, we live in a country of MILLIONS of points of views/walks of life and I am VERY narrowly living in one that guns are not a part of- and I know not everyone lives that way- THAT IS FINE...I admit I disagree with it and strongly am 100% anti gun and a technical pacifist, HOWEVER I’ll defend your right to seek either an amendment or new law allowing private rights to gun owners where we can hammer out details on what type of guns, how to acquire/continue to own and all that crap. I really mean this part.

HOWEVER until then...I’m going to remind you. THE SECOND AMENDMENT DOESN’T SAY YOU CAN STOCKPILE A CRAP TON OF GUNS IN FEAR THE GOVMENT GONN COME AND TAKE THE TAX PAYER PROVIDED INCOME THAT ALLOWED YOU TO GO OUT AND BUY THAT LOVELY LOVEY CHEESE YOU ARE ENJOYING (...its a white people love cheese joke...calm down skippy) CAUSE YOU PREPPIN FOR WORLD WAR 3/THE RAPTURE....K?

thank you

this has been a JM approved rant

enjoy your time zone <3

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robonomics · 5 years

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Altria’s Investment in Juul: Buy, Hold, or Sell?

Altria’s stock has recently fallen on some pretty bad times. The last time I wrote about the company a few years ago, I endorsed it as a great long term buy. Since then, the stock has fallen about $15, or $9 if you account for unreinvested dividends. One would think the stock would be higher over this period along with the rest of the stock market, but events over this period changed the company’s strategy. Its most concerning risk- government regulation- battered the stock. Looking back, you can see that I’m not always right- nor do I believe I am always going to be when writing about my investment ideas. It’s time I re-examine Altria’s stock (this time ignoring Philip Morris’s stock).

Altria is holding company for the sin business. For the most part, it is a cigarette producer, owning several cigarette brands, most notably the American rights to Marlboro (Philip Morris owns the same brands but for the international market). It also dabbles in cigars, wine, and smokeless tobacco products like chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes. When it comes down to it, Altria is nothing more than a cash-generating machine in a recession-proof industry. Growth in cigarettes is in perpetual decline- its regular customers are dying after all. However, even with a declining base of users, it is able to increase revenues from price increases. Addicted people have a pretty inelastic demand curve, which Altria has taken advantage of as its core business model for decades. Further, brand loyalty is strong in the industry, and Altria has the strongest: Marlboro. Price competition hasn’t happened in decades when the industry oligopolists figured out that branding was all that mattered for users. On top of the businesses and brands it owns outright, they also own major stakes in a few other sin businesses. Over the long history of this company, much of its revenues come simply from the dividends it receives from these investments, and the managerial prowess it provides to the boards of these companies.

Interestingly, I just came across some of the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement, a 1998 settlement between cigarette manufacturers and 46 states. The terms require cigarette companies, including Altria, to pay billions every year to states in perpetuity for public health needs. Under the terms, 2018 was the last yearly increase in the amount to be paid. From here on out, the maximum amount tobacco firms have to pay is $9B/year all together. They collectively have no problem paying this. Just imagine how this will help the bottom line in the coming years as revenues continue to rise, but this cronic cash outlay stagnates- and that’s not even accounting for inflation! However, there appears to be some type of volume and inflation adjustment actually leading the manufacturers to paying less than expected, and which will possibly mean that their outlays will continue to rise in the coming years. It is unclear, but this may or may not mean that there will be additional earnings over the coming years.

In August of 2017, it sold off its stake in SABMiller in exchange for about a 10% stake in AB Inbev (SYMB: BUD), the world’s largest brewer. It also go$5.7B cash at the time of the deal. The nice thing about this is that AB Inbev pays a huge dividend to supplement Altria’s stake. Well not so much recently. Because of the debt ABInbev took on to buy SABMiller, the company recently cut its dividend dramatically, also causing a fall in the stock price. That means the value of Altria’s stake went down too. On the bright side, Altria has this stock to supplement its revenues, and, in the end, its own dividend payments. (I am struggling to find the actual amount of cash Altria generates from these dividends, but some rough math based on AB Inbev’s cash flow statement puts it at around $513M for the next projected full year and possibly $1.4B looking back over the year since it took a stake). All it has to do it sit back and wait every 6 months or so for the dividend to come in. I don’t really believe there is too much worry here in the long run. The beer industry faces a lot of competition from craft brewers competing with mass market producers, but even there it seems that some of the craft brewers are just becoming another large competitor in the market, like Bells and Yuengling. Sorry hipsters, you can’t fight off brand loyalty and the ease with which many consumers want to make their purchasing decisions forever. Sure, Altria’s income statement is going to take a hit while Bud pays down debt, but investing in a company for an asset play is not unheard of. For example, investors might find swaths of land owned in prime markets by companies that aren’t using it properly and invest in what otherwise looks like a dead end company solely for the purpose getting the company to sell the land, and hence, give them a huge inflow of profits. If Altria truly fell on hard times, it could do the same with its AB Inbev stake. So far, management doesn’t see a problem with it, notably because they haven’t sold it in order to make other investments.

Juul is Cool

Speaking of asset plays, Altria’s biggest recent news involves its new stake in Juul, an e-cigarette company. Juul essentially came out of nowhere in the last couple years. Just in the last year alone, it had an explosive 900% growth in revenues to $1.5B. Why? Simple: Juul is cool. A generational shift is currently happening where smoking went from being a nasty habit into what is considered one of the coolest things to celebrate for college (and likely high school- see below) students. Just review a Barstool Sports Instagram or Twitter account for any random college and you’ll find videos of countless people showing off the numerous ways they consume, charge, and distribute their Juul. Hell, I’m even using one right now! Just kidding, but I occasionally think of getting one. What used to be a dying, slowly decreasing market for nicotine has now turned into a super fast growth market. The base of users is growing again, and therefore, the chance for new revenues and profits.

This is the reason Altria invested $12.8B in Juul for a 35% stake, valuing Juul at $38B. That’s 25x last year’s sales, a dotcom bubble era size valuation. Juul supposedly makes up 75% of the e-cigarette’s $2.3Bish market*, so it’s still dwarfed in size by the cigarette market, a $119B industry in the US in 2017, over $600B globally. This is the reason why many analysts believe Altria overpaid: it will take a long time to recoup the investment in a small company and market, regardless of how high the current growth rate is. I’m not so certain though. Even in my attempts to do a discounted cash flow model with completely arbitrary figures, the revenue growth rates have to continue to be pretty explosive for several years. From the looks of it, Altria is betting that its customers will quit smoking cigarettes and switch to e-cigarettes,and gain new users who weren’t previously smokers. Nicotine is addictive, so there isn’t much concern about future revenue generation once a new customer buys its products. How much brand loyalty will exist in this new market is uncertain, so part of their bet is that Juul is going to be the Marlboro of e-cigarettes. If Juul and other e-cigarette brands can turn a $2.5B industry into a behemoth $119B, assuming the switch is a perfect substitution, it’s not a bad move for Altria to pay up now to maintain its current 50% market share. Maybe e-cigarettes will generate less revenue but from some quick figures on from numerous sources that aren’t totally reliable, Juuls will make a shit ton more. Estimates range on how long a pod lasts, from a day to a week depending on a person’s use. Some say a pack of cigarettes is equivalent to a pod in reference to its nicotine level, delivering 5% nicotine per puff. I have not clue how that translates to a cigarette pack. On average, it’s a more expensive habit than smoking at $15/pod. This means its users, at least at the moment, likely have higher incomes, or really are committed to quitting smoking. As we already know, addicted smokers have a high inelasticity of demand, but it is unclear if this much higher price is something users are as willing to stomach before brand switching or price competition occurs. What is clear is that as long as Juul can maintain pricing power from the dominance of its brand- a risk in a new market- it is likely that Juul will be a cash fucking cow. A fast growing one, too.

The terms of the purchase agreement are very favorable to Juul. In exchange for a 35% stake in the company, it basically gets access to act as if it were any other product in Altria’s sales force. Prominent placement in stores, marketing campaign assistance, distribution network, brand management, you name it- Juul now has it. Overnight, a company with a well-known brand from a niche industry gained the knowledge of the larger industry it’s taking on’s best competitor. Under the terms, Juul also doesn’t have to worry about Altria using its new board seats to influence a future sale of the company outright to Altria, well at least for 6 years. I have a feeling Altria will block any other competitors from taking stakes in the company before (if it ever) goes public, and be happy to buyout the rest of the company if the next 6 years prove that they made a good investment. Many investors see all these benefits to Juul and limitations on Altria as a sign that Altria overpaid for an investment in a parasite. One thing investors are forgetting: Altria knows the tobacco market better than them. As long as what I imagine Altria predicts are astronomical growth rates in the e-cigarette industry over the coming decade, the stake will pay for itself- especially the board seats at the decision making table (future acquisition). The difference between this and the AOL/Time Warner merger is that Juul generates cash and profits, unlike the lofty future projections of AOL. Cash speaks, and Altria is simply looking to keep its cash generating machine of addicted users running long into the future.

The big negative the comes with this investment is that it is politically very savvy to attack not only the smoking industry, but especially the e-cigarette industry. Not only has the number of vapers increased dramatically in the last couple years, but sadly the number of people under 18 has too. This is the first time in a long time that any form of nicotine use has climbed in that age group in quite a while. Some attribute it to product advertising. I’m not sure where but possibly Instagram and Twitter. The FDA appears to be on somewhat of a mission at the moment not only to regulate, but destroy the industry, announcing just this morning that if teen vaping rates do not stop rising in 2019 (highly unlikely) they might completely ban the product. While I fully disagree with this approach, and much of the various proposals the FDA has announced regarding e-cigarettes simply because of the massive decrease in health problems compared to conventional smoking, it is a real scare for investors, especially since Juul is the FDA’s biggest target. A ban on e-cigarette’s would completely wipe out Altria’s $12B investment.

But keep in mind, the FDA also once proposed regulating the level of nicotine in cigarettes down to a non-addictive level. That never went through. Every once in a while, the FDA talks about banning menthol. They did so officially this past November. I’m a bit concerned about this, as an investor, but who knows if it will actually go through. I feel that notice and comment rule making proposals almost always go through since public input or any opposition to a proposal really doesn’t matter in administrative rule making, but lobbying is a strong force to deal with. Altria, which I imagine Juul will be a maaaaaaajor beneficiary of, has an incredibly strong lobbying team. Along with British American Tobacco and other major cigarette producers, its not a stretch to say smoking is a prime example of regulatory capture: when industry regulators become so cozy with the companies they regulate that the regulators implement whatever rules the companies want in place. And the companies always make it so that they survive and competitive barriers are put up. I’m not a fan of the model, but it’s a common one; one Altria is really good at. If anyone can stop the FDA from banning revenue generating products, it’s the cigarette industry under a pro-business president.

Without going into it much, Altria’s investment in Juul is likely a positive for the company, but from an antitrust concern I am fully opposed to it. Altria already announced that they are shutting down their in-house e-cigarette brand operations in order to focus on Juul- a blatant example of anti-competitive activity.

Other Stuff

Altria also recently invested $1.8B in Cronos (SYMB: CRON), a canadian cannabis maker. On this front, I simply do not have enough knowledge. With a 45% stake in the company, and the ability to take majority control later, this could work out similarly to their investment in Juul. I’m happy Altria is investing an area that logically flows from its core business model, the marketing of sin products. Maybe Cronos will become the next Altria of marijuana. The hard part here is that competition is rife in this legally suspect industry. Who will be the eventual victor after marijuana is fully legalized in the US is unclear. There are numerous competitors, a lack of brand loyalty anywhere as far as I can see at this point, too many different flavors (strains) without clear mass appeal, hundreds of different consumption methods... the list goes on. Another on the competitive front is that multiple different sin business giants are investing in the industry, including Constellation Brands. I’ve even heard that general products companies like Coca-Cola are looking to get in on the game. That’s a lot of strong marketing/brand competition to eventually face. It is an economist’s dream to follow the marijuana industry given how all the different restrictions affect decision making and how it came to life out of nowhere to let market factors play out in real time. However from an investors stand point, any investment in the waaaaaaay-overvalued-relative-to-risk marijuana stock sector, it’s a crap shoot whether Altria made a good investment or not. Analysts see it generally as a good move for both Altria and Cronos, which seems strange to me given their universal agreement on how the Juul investment was bad, even though Juul has much better prospects of future success. Let’s hope the analysts are right about Cronos.

One of the biggest problems Altria faces as a stock rather than a company is how it is viewed. Currently, it is a blue chip industry stock. Revenues grow with stability over time. Dividends are high. Cash flows are massive. For much of its history, the company has had so much money that it had to buy up companies in totally unrelated industries just to find somewhere to grow and diversity in case cigarettes were all out banned (Kraft, SABMiller, etc.). Investors have historically bought the stock because of its reliable dividend. With interests rates rising, this presents a problem: investors sell high dividend stocks and switch to bonds to lower their risk for the same or similar return. This creates a headwind against Altria for the expected coming years. Further, if Altria’s investment in Juul turns out to add lots of growth to its revenues, it may completely alter Altria’s historical view as a dividend growth and income play. Whenever this happens, stock prices are unpredictable as investors try to figure out the future direction of the company. This is a probably the biggest risk factor for the stock, more so than its one time investment in Juul. On the plus side, it does not have much foreign exchange exposure, since it owns only the US rights to Philip Morris products. Altria is therefore a bet on the US market.

Is it a buy?

This isn’t so clear. To me, Altria’s investment in Juul is a good move, even at its high value. It’s overall business model seems to be intact, if dying without it’s investment in Juul. An investment in Altria without the Juul investment would have been a dividend play, but with it, there is now growth potential. If you were to invest in this stock, it is likely to stagnate for a while. But since it recently fell 30% in the last three months, mostly related to general market moves compounded by their investment announcements and regulatory scares, the price looks attractive at these levels relative to expected earnings. The P/E is at a 5 year low. Other valuation metrics are also at 5 year lows for the stock, suggesting it may be undervalued relative to the long run. I suggest waiting out until the next earnings call to hear what Altria has to say about its Juul investment. This is the key to any future investment decision. Sure, you might miss out on a current buying opportunity, but I think it’s too risky when you can wait to hear what management has to say. If the stock goes up on their discussion, no biggie. Plus, there is low downside risk since a lot of the negative factors I’ve listed, notably the on the regulatory front, are baked into the stock already. It’s all about long term growth.

It’s clear that there is a morality complex that comes along with an investment in Altria. The nice thing to remember is that whenever you buy a share of stock, its going to be from the secondary market. This means that you aren’t actually putting any money into the company, you are simply buying the rights to future earnings from someone else who may or may not have actually put money into the company’s bank account decades ago. This likely won’t dispel any moral issues for most investors, so at the very least one could look at Altria’s investment in Juul as taking a step to severely reduce the health hazards attached to a nicotine addiction, to say nothing about the taboo against addiction generally. In no way is it good that teens are getting addicted at young ages, especially from a psychological perspective (though we know how notoriously unreliable studies in that field are, both scientifically and statistically). For me, I look at Juul as a way to help people quit smoking, or be addicted without the vast majority of the health problems associated with smoking. It’s unfortunate that high schoolers find it cool, but at the same time, it’s not translating into cigarette use, a far worse alternative. At least, not yet. Teenagers have always found ways to do adult things adults don’t want them to do, whether it’s smoking, drinking, seeing R rated movies, or having sex. Maybe this will be one with far less problems (though there are reports of people who vaped so much that it caused seizures- not a good thing). It’s up to the investor, when it comes down to it, whether they feel good or not investing in a company whose sole purpose is feeding users’ addictions.

1/28/19 Update: Another thing to consider is the expected rate of e-cigarette cannibalization of traditional smoking. Sure, Altria’s investment in Juul will help offset the cannibalization it faces, but not only will this not be a perfect one-for-one switch given Altria’s loss only returns it a 35% share of profits from Juul, it also means that the costs to Altria might be felt much stronger in the short term even though it will make up for it in the long term. Putting it simply, it’s not clear if there is nothing but pain for Altria’s stock in the next couple years as people switch smoking preferences for current smokers (new nicotine addicts aren’t as much of a concern), even though it will be offset by the gains in their Juul investment in the long run. This could lead to years of stagnation or stock price depreciation before getting growth again, even in as Altria raises cigarette prices every year to combat the loss in unit sales. Investors should consider this macro trend when deciding on the timing of whether to invest in Altria, if at all.

*I know the math doesn’t make sense: 1.5/2.3 ≠ 75%. But I’m going off the various statistics I found in news articles and some statistics databases on the industry.

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aowanders-blog · 4 years

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Trump vs Corona Virus

In light of current events and the seeming resurgence of the virus and the complete absence of a coherent national strategy to resolve, execute or implement anything resembling a solution for the NATION. I’m overwhelmed in a state of confusion.

Corona Virus Breeds Compassion

Ninety five days ago 330 Million Americans united under a common goal for the benefit of our society. Some of us needed more convincing than others, but in the end all of us “individuals” agreed to do what was right for the “majority” of humanity.

It was a wonderful display of unity. Unfethered kindness and endless generosity. Even from the government. Which stepped in and swiftly dispersed money that so many of us desperately needed to carry us through these trying times.

It was unbelievable! People were actually doing the right thing, and not just for friends, family and coworkers. People were extending their kindness and generosity to complete strangers in need.

The coronavirus was bringing out the best in humanity! But as the saying goes,”All good things must come to end.” Which is why I am publicizing today’s journal entry. Because the generous kind acts we’ve grown accoustomed to over the last couple of months have come to a complete hault.

Minneapolis Ground Zero

Civil unrest has replaced compassion with unfocused chaos. Lashing out at any target within arms reach. Creating symbolism out of trivial brands and products just so theres another log to throw on the fire.

I understand where the root of this frustration begin with an overzealous power tripping authority abusing police officer. Who was so detached from reality he couldn’t even comprehend a lifeless body wasn’t a threat to him any more.

Unfocused Protesting

What I don’t understand is what is the end goal here? Race vs race? #civilwar USA becomes 50 individual nations?

Who is actually in charge here? Trump? State governors? The kid who burnt the cop station? The group that wants to change the label on my syrup bottle? Is it the neighborhood that just renamed my rice? Is it the support group that’s going to help me understand why Elmer Fudd cant hunt wabbits anymore? Is it the CEO of Amazon who is now censoring what I can choose to watch? Is it the kids partying in the Seattle barracade?

What’s really confusing is that there are so many blind followers in the herd completely unaware that what they actually want isn’t what they are fighting for.

Defund The Police

Instead of griping over the past why not placate for longterm solutions instead of temporary victories? Why demand police reform when all that is required is a change in the language?

Simple Police Reform

If a federal law was passed that said, “No victim no police interaction,” I would be willing to bet without even looking up the stats that every one of these unarmed riot inciting murders would have never happened!

When you say #defundthepolice do you mean let’s go back to 6 shooters on our hips, or do you mean refocus the police to actually protect and serve while politicians delete outdated laws and start passing laws that are for our benefit and protection?

Do we really need an armed police officer to show up at a traffic accident to oversee driver information exchanges? Does society really need armed individuals patrolling our streets for cracked windshields?

How will society endure without having anyone to call for boats causing a wake? People playing in a public park after sunset? Hiking off trail with their dog unleashed in a National Park or any other VICTIMLESS REVENUE GENERATING INFRACTION OF THE LAW that nobody dead or alive actually cares about including the police enforcing them!

Coronavirus Raises Minimum Wage

What really needs the focus of unilateral reform is a National Minimum wage that is high enough to meet todays cost of living?

I’ve lived in more places than most people have had the chance to read about in their lives. I’ve seen the best of our country, and the worst of our country.

I dont actually believe the root of our society’s problems is “systematic racism,” and I dont think you do you either.

The problem that I believe these protestor’s are trying to fight for is not being able to chase down their dreams because the cost of living in todays society is so high that it takes FIVE DECADES of survival skills to navigate your financial responsibilities.

Stop The Struggle

How are you supposed to get ahead in life when you spend majority of life spinning your wheels in neutral? What are you supposed to do with a full time job that pays less than poverty?

Theres a saying that I’ve heard from locals in every tourist town I go to,”You either have 3 houses or 3 jobs in todays world.”

How is that proportiantely acceptable in todays world? Being poor shouldn’t be probable cause for police interaction! Driving a beat up vehicle shouldn’t put you on a police officers radar! Changing lanes without a blinker shouldn’t warrant an armed person to investigate!

I don’t know the exact number, but I would be willing to bet 90% of all police interaction stem from a traffic infraction in a poor neighborhood! There is no reason an armed invidividual needs to enforce traffic infractions!

Just like your skin color shouldn’t define your class!

Which is what I believe the problem is in society. We have allowed police departments to dictate their existence through melodramatic justifications. We have allowed police officers to justify their funding through targeted patrols. Which inevitably leads to poor neighborhoods because its more likely to find traffic infractions in neighborhoods that can’t afford vehicle upkeeps. Regardless of race. It’s a simple numbers game, but are we funding the police to protect and serve or to play the odds?

Do we really need armed police forces patrolling for seat belt violations? The better question is do we really need double punishment for traffic infractions? Did you know that 3 speeding tickets in twelve months equals a suspended license? Are you aware that public transportation doesn’t exist in majority of the towns in America?

How do you expect people to be a productive member of society in todays world without reliable transportation? How do you expect them to educate themselves or better themselves if they can’t get to school? How do you expect them to pay for vehicle registration if they can’t get to work?

The DMV is the Devil

Before we go to far down this rabbit hole I can tell you from first hand experience that the DMV/DMS literally DESTROYS lives on a daily basis! Based off of police interaction in poor neighborhoods, and if the federal government would raise the National minimum wage to $25/hour which is what it costs to live in America in 2020 majority of society’s problems would cease to exist!

People wouldn’t be side hustling in illegal activities just to keep roof over their heads. If a full time job would pay a liveable wage careers wouldn’t be an extinct animal. There wouldn’t be fraudelent online posting every other ad if people could afford the products and services of America with their paycheck! The internet wouldn’t be our generations gold rush if companies could be content with millions in profits instead of billions!

How to Save $20,000 in 90 days

The list of examples is infinite and could sprawl throughout society, but it would all come back to the cost of living in todays world! If 2 million Americans weren’t given that extra $600/week from the American government how big of a fiascle would this Pandemic have been with 2 million people only making $1,200/month for 3 months? How desperate would people have gotten with no money in their pocket and no toilet paper in the stores? How many businesses would be closed for good? How violent would these protest really have gotten had people been starving before seeing George Floyd’s death?

Its time to overhaul America, but we need to focus that makeover. We need to steer the direction of our future towards a longterm solution. Removing statues and changing food labels isn’t the key to enhancing the quality of life. From 22 years of travel I belive society’s frustration is based solely on financial responsbilities. Rent is too high. Paychecks are too low. Vacations are for the wealthy!

If theres not going to be a national leader that’s going to step in to guide society in the right direction. Than its time for a new leader. A leader thats going to heal the country by forcing every employer to pay a livable wage! So that the bottom half of society can delete their frustrations of desires and chase their dreams. If this is truly the greatest country on Earth, and you can be anything you want to be than how come after 50 years of working most Americans still have no safety net?

This is my journal entry for the day. Which I usually don’t post for public consumption, but the answer is always NO if you never ask.

Take this time to self reflect, game plan and strategize a longterm solution for the change you want to see in the world for yourself and society. While systemic racism is unacceptable I think society’s current frustrations reside a couple layers deeper! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

CoronaVirus/Covid 19 Journal Day 95 – Civil Unrest Recap Trump vs Corona Virus In light of current events and the seeming resurgence of the virus and the complete absence of a coherent national strategy to resolve, execute or implement anything resembling a solution for the NATION.

#American Protests #Be the change you want to see #Black Lives Matter #Defund the Police #George Floyd #Minneapolis Police #National Minimum Wage

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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What Do Republicans Believe About The Role Of Government

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-do-republicans-believe-about-the-role-of-government/

What Do Republicans Believe About The Role Of Government

Civil Rights United States Citizens In Puerto Rico

What Do Republicans Believe?

The 2016 Republican Party Platform declares: “We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state. We further recognize the historic significance of the 2012 local referendum in which a 54 percent majority voted to end Puerto Rico’s current status as a U.S. territory, and 61 percent chose statehood over options for sovereign nationhood. We support the federally sponsored political status referendum authorized and funded by an Act of Congress in 2014 to ascertain the aspirations of the people of Puerto Rico. Once the 2012 local vote for statehood is ratified, Congress should approve an enabling act with terms for Puerto Rico’s future admission as the 51st state of the Union”.

America Should Deport Illegal Immigrants

Republicans believe that illegal immigrants, no matter the reason they are in this country, should be forcibly removed from the U.S. Although illegal immigrants are often motivated to come to the U.S. by companies who hire them, Republicans generally believe that the focus of the law should be on the illegal immigrants and not on the corporations that hire them.

The Party Thats Actually Best For The Economy

Many analyses look at which party is best for the economy. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that Democratic presidents since World War II have performed much better than Republicans. On average, Democratic presidents grew the economy 4.4% each year versus 2.5% for Republicans.

A study by Princeton University economists Alan Blinder and Mark Watson found that the economy performs better when the president is a Democrat. They report that by many measures, the performance gap is startlingly large. Between Truman and Obama, growth was 1.8% higher under Democrats than Republicans.

A Hudson Institute study found that the six years with the best growth were evenly split between Republican and Democrat presidents.

Most of these evaluations measure growth during the presidents term in office. But no president has control over the growth added during his first year. The budget for that fiscal year was already set by the previous president, so you should compare the gross domestic product at the end of the presidents last budget to the end of his predecessors last budget.

For Obama, that would be the fiscal year from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2018. Thats FY 2010 through FY 2017. During that time, GDP increased from $15.6 trillion to $17.7 trillion, or by 14%. Thats 1.7% a year.

The chart below ranks the presidents since 1929 on the average annual increase in GDP.

President

1.4%

A president would have better growth if he had no recession.

Read Also: Leader Of The Radical Republicans

A Conservative Vision Of Government

Peter Wehner&Michael Gerson

Winter 2014

The past few years have put the size and role of government at center stage of our national politics. But the raging debates about how much Washington is doing and spending have involved almost exclusively yes-or-no questions about the left’s vision of government. The right has been very clear about what government should not be doing, or should be doing much less of, but it has not had nearly enough to say about just what government should;do.

It is not hard to see why. The Obama years have set a high-water mark for the size and reach of the federal government, including a post-World War II record for federal spending as a percentage of gross domestic product at 25.2% . The United States has amassed more than $6 trillion in debt since January 2009. Prior to Obama, no president had submitted a budget with a trillion-dollar deficit; he has submitted four of them. And even as the administration’s projections for the coming years promise smaller deficits, they also promise a larger and more expensive government than Americans have ever seen.

Republicans have argued that unrestrained spending, and particularly unreformed entitlements, will burden the nation with unmanageable levels of debt in the coming decades and starve the budget of funds for other essential purposes. They further contend that a large, meddlesome, intrusive state not only undermines the private economy but also crowds out civil society and enervates civic character.

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

Also Check: We Are All Republicansâwe Are All Federalists

Government Should Help People

It is the role of government to help people. And it should help to solve problems. While Democrats, like Republicans, are capitalists, everyone believe in the free market. Their disagreements are over degree. How much government regulation is okay? The Left clearly believes that government should play a larger role in our lives. Among those roles are regulating business and protecting consumers. Government should also help people with poverty. Basically, the Left favors more government. The Right favors less government.

Republicanism In The Thirteen British Colonies In North America

In recent years a debate has developed over the role of republicanism in the American Revolution and in the British radicalism of the 18th century. For many decades the consensus was that liberalism, especially that of John Locke, was paramount and that republicanism had a distinctly secondary role.

The new interpretations were pioneered by J.G.A. Pocock, who argued in The Machiavellian Moment that, at least in the early 18th century, republican ideas were just as important as liberal ones. Pocock’s view is now widely accepted.Bernard Bailyn and Gordon Wood pioneered the argument that the American founding fathers were more influenced by republicanism than they were by liberalism. Cornell University professor Isaac Kramnick, on the other hand, argues that Americans have always been highly individualistic and therefore Lockean.Joyce Appleby has argued similarly for the Lockean influence on America.

In the decades before the American Revolution , the intellectual and political leaders of the colonies studied history intently, looking for models of good government. They especially followed the development of republican ideas in England. Pocock explained the intellectual sources in America:

The commitment of most Americans to these republican values made the American Revolution inevitable. Britain was increasingly seen as corrupt and hostile to republicanism, and as a threat to the established liberties the Americans enjoyed.

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Republican Ideological Divides On Government Role And Performance

Among Republicans and Republican leaners, those who describe themselves as conservative are more critical of government performance than those who describe their political views as moderate or liberal.

The largest ideological gap among Republicans is over the job the government is doing strengthening the economy. Overall, 46% of moderate and liberal Republicans and Republican leaners say the government is doing a good job strengthening the economy. By contrast, conservative Republicans and leaners are 20 points less likely to hold this view .

Conservative Republicans are less likely than moderates to say the government is doing a good job on a range of other issues, including keeping the country safe from terrorism , helping people get out of poverty and managing the nations immigration system . But on poverty and immigration, fewer than half of both groups say the government is doing a good job.

There are no issues for which moderate and liberal Republicans are more critical of government performance than conservatives. However, there are several issues for which there are hardly any ideological gaps among Republicans, including protecting the environment and ensuring safe food and medicine.

Ensuring access to quality education is another area where most moderate and liberal Republicans say the government should play a major role , but no more than about half of conservatives say the same.

Senator Jim Inhofe Republican Of Oklahoma

Political Parties: Crash Course Government and Politics #40

Incoming chairman of the Senate committee on the environment and public works

Inhofe is the poster boy for Republican climate change denialism, not only for his stridency on the issue but because he is the once and future leader of the key Senate committee on environmental policy. Inhofe will be able to lead the committee for two years before running up against term limits . This time around, Inhofes committee is expected to focus on transportation and infrastructure bills.

But it seems likely that Inhofe will devote some energy to blocking the regulation of carbon emissions. We think this because on 12 November he told the Washington Post: As we enter a new Congress, I will do everything in my power to rein in and shed light on the EPAs unchecked regulations.

Inhofe has climate change the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people, has said God, not humans, controls the weather, and has denied climate change in many other ways.

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Reviewing And Using The Lesson

What is republican government?

Define “common welfare.” Give examples of how your school helps the common welfare.

Define “civic virtue.” Give examples of people with civic virtue in your school and community.

Where was civic virtue taught in early America?

Describe a situation in which your interests might conflict with the common welfare.

Explain these terms: republican government, representative, interests, common welfare, civic virtue.

ISBN 0-89818-169-0

Do The Republicans Even Believe In Democracy Anymore

They pay lip service to it, but they actively try to undermine its institutions.

By Michael Tomasky

Contributing Opinion Writer

A number of observers, myself included, have written pieces in recent years arguing that the Republican Party is no longer simply trying to compete with and defeat the Democratic Party on a level playing field. Today, rather than simply playing the game, the Republicans are simultaneously trying to rig the games rules so that they never lose.

The aggressive gerrymandering, which the Supreme Court just declared to be a matter beyond its purview; the voter suppression schemes; the dubious proposals that havent gone anywhere yet like trying to award presidential electoral votes by congressional district rather than by state, a scheme that Republicans in five states considered after the 2012 election and that is still discussed: These are not ideas aimed at invigorating democracy. They are hatched and executed for the express purpose of essentially fixing elections.

We have been brought up to believe that American political parties are the same that they are similar creatures with similar traits and similar ways of behaving. Political science spent decades teaching us this. The idea that one party has become so radically different from the other, despite mountains of evidence, is a tough sell.

Or is there?

So were not there right now. But we may well be on the way, and its abundantly clear who wants to take us there.

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Figure 26 Proportion Of Each Group Who Thought That Us Businesses Should Do More About Global Warming

US businesses should do more to deal with global warming. Since 1997, majorities of Democrats and Independents have believe that US business should do more about global warming. In 2020, 92% of Democrats and 69% of Independents believe that businesses should do more. Minorities of Republicans have favored increased action from businesses, with all-time highs of 5859% in 1997 and 1998. The partisan gap is 49 percentage points in 2020.

Average people should do more to deal with global warming. Since 1997, majorities of Democrats and Independents have believed that average people should do more about global warming. In 2020, 90% of Democrats and 70% of Independents think that average people should do more. Smaller proportions of Republicans have also favored increased individual action, with all-time highs of 60% in 1997 and 1998. The partisan gap is 43 percentage points in 2020.

John Maynard Keynes Is A Good Guy

John Maynard Keynes was a 20th century economist. Most Democratic economic theory derives from his ideas. Keynes put forth the idea that supports a government role in regulating the business cycle. For instance, Keynes believed in the idea of stimulus funds as a solution for recession. Traditionally, deficits don’t bother the Left. Spending money is fine if it produces growth. Growth pays for itself. Although the Right often accuses the Left of uncontrolled spending, both sides have created much debt. They argue over the kind of debt. The Left prefers welfare debt. The Right prefers military debt. That’s one example.

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Which Republican President Inspired The Teddy Bear

Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican U.S. president from 1901 to 1909, inspired the teddy bear when he refused to shoot a tied-up bear on a hunting trip. The story reached toy maker Morris Michtom, who decided to make stuffed bears as a dedication to Roosevelt. The name comes from Roosevelts nickname, Teddy.

Republican Party, byname Grand Old Party , in the United States, one of the two major political parties, the other being the Democratic Party. During the 19th century the Republican Party stood against the extension of slavery to the countrys new territories and, ultimately, for slaverys complete abolition. During the 20th and 21st centuries the party came to be associated with laissez-fairecapitalism, low taxes, and conservative social policies. The party acquired the acronym GOP, widely understood as Grand Old Party, in the 1870s. The partys official logo, the elephant, is derived from a cartoon by Thomas Nast and also dates from the 1870s.

Are Liberals To Blame For Our Crisis Of Faith In Government

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Do you trust the federal government? When voters were asked that question in December, 1958, by pollsters from a center now called the American National Election Studies, at the University of Michigan, seventy-three per cent said yes, they had confidence in the government to do the right thing either almost all the time or most of the time. Six years later, they were asked basically the same question, and seventy-seven per cent said yes.

Pollsters ask the question regularly. In a Pew survey from April, 2021, only twenty-four per cent of respondents said yes. And that represented an uptick. During Obamas and Trumps Presidencies, the figure was sometimes as low as seventeen per cent. Sixty years ago, an overwhelming majority of Americans said they had faith in the government. Today, an overwhelming majority say they dont. Who is to blame?

Eight months later, Ronald Reagan, a man who opposed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and Medicare, which he called an attempt to impose socialism, and who wanted to make Social Security voluntarya man who essentially ran against the New Deal and the Great Society, a.k.a. the welfare statewas elected President. He defeated the incumbent, Jimmy Carter, by almost ten percentage points in the popular vote. In this present crisis, Reagan said in his Inaugural Address, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.

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