#as if other countries have superpacs

[plethoraworldatlas]

Muslim American leaders from six battleground states on Saturday vowed to mobilize their communities against President Joe Biden's reelection over his support of Israel's war in Gaza, but they have yet to settle on an alternative 2024 candidate. The states are among a handful that allowed Biden to win the 2020 election. Opposition from their sizeable Muslim and Arab American communities could complicate the president's path to Electoral College victory next year .... It remains to be seen whether Muslim voters would turn against Biden en masse, but small shifts in support could make a difference in states Biden won by narrow margins in 2020. A recent poll showed Biden's support among Arab Americans has plunged from a comfortable majority in 2020 to 17%. That could be decisive in a state like Michigan where Biden won by 2.8 percentage points and Arab Americans account for 5 percent of the vote, according to the Arab American Institute. There are around 25,000 Muslim voters in Wisconsin, a state where Biden won by about 20,000 votes, said Tarek Amin, a doctor representing the state's Muslim community.

Every state, especially major swing states and Big Democrat states, have massive immigrant communities, including Muslim and Arab/Middle Eastern immigrant communities; Biden cannot win if he goes against the explicit desire of over 80% of all democrat voters who want a ceasefire and actions towards peace and de-escalation, and he especially can't win if immigrant voters in this country might have family his supporting of war crimes have gotten killed. It's not just Muslim voters; The US has a history of meddling in other countries and supporting horrible regimes and genocides. Every immigrant voter who has family in another country has to ask themselves if Biden might support genocide that kills their family too.

Biden and the democrats as a whole Absolutely have to support first Ceasefire, then De-escalation and further actions towards peace for both moral reasons and because they simply won't win reelection if they don't.

If they actually want to keep Republicans from taking over like they plan, Democrats have to act fast.

A small number of Democrats have begun calling for Ceasefire, keep fighting to push more towards joining those calls. Make them actually listen to their voters instead of worrying about lobbying money; All the SuperPAC money won't buy them anything when it costs them the actual voters.

#us politics #democrats #joe biden #palestine #israel #immigrants #Immigrant voters

[187days]

Day One Hundred Twenty-Two

State champions get to parade through town on a bus escorted by the local police and fire departments. It’s an excellent tradition, and it confuses the heck out of the tourists when they see the cop cars fly up Main St to block traffic, and it’s fun to go out to cheer and socialize, which is what I spent the last twenty minutes or so doing.

That was definitely a high point in my day as a teacher. It’s not that the rest of the day was bad. It’s just that it’s the Monday after we moved the clocks forward, everyone’s a little tired and out of sorts still, and it’s the middle of March (which is always hard, but it’s also the anniversary of when everything shut down in 2020)... 

So the day was just okay. 

We did more on campaign finance in GOV, focusing on SuperPAC and 501c4 activity after Citizens United. I showed students OpenSecrets.org and let them look around on there for a bit. One student found the amount of money spent on Facebook ads since 2018, which gave me a perfect segue into discussing how campaigns and other groups could use the algorithms, how voters could be targeted for content, and how- maybe you guessed- the Cambridge Analytica scandal happened. I found out a week or so ago that my students didn’t know much about it, so they’re reading up on the details for homework, I’m showing a documentary about it over the next two days, and then we’re going to look at what has changed since then re: data rights, campaigns, etc... It’s a tangent from what I need to cover from an AP curriculum standpoint, but a benefit of having these students all year is that we have more than enough time to go on tangents when they’re good ones. 

Meantime, in World I had students use their notes to do some review questions on Hinduism and Buddhism, and I showed them some images of Buddhist traditions in various Asian countries and asked how they related to the steps on the eightfold path. My Block 2 class begged me to take a walk outside- movement break- even though it was cold, and one of the boys grabbed one of the tennis balls off the bottom of his chair to play catch. At first, his buddies didn’t want to play, so he threw the ball to me, then I threw it to another student, who threw it to another... Class-wide game of catch and a half-mile walk? Yup. And at the end of class I had everyone get started on current events write-ups since it’s time for another one of those. We’ll pick up the religion and philosophy stuff again on Wednesday. 

#teaching #teachblr #edublr #education #teacher #high school #social studies #educhums #conversations about current events #champions #parade #day one hundred twenty two

[implicatures]

Why would i vote for Joe Biden when he’s just Trump with a D by his name???

(Lol, it took me so long to write this response that  @ofgeography ’s original post has been deleted, but I learned a lot and so could you!)

Here’s what Joe “Basically just Trump” Biden wants to do if he’s elected. It’s on his website, you can read about it!

• END THE MUSLIM TRAVEL BAN

• Stop stealing money from federal programs to fund a border wall

• END FAMILY SEPARATION of migrants at the border

• Create a path to citizenship for more undocumented immigrants

• Increase the number of visas available for survivors of domestic violence

• Expand labor protections for undocumented immigrants

• Spend $50 billion in the first year of his presidency to rebuild and repair crumbling infrastructure like bridges and highways

• Earmark funds to improve infrastructure specifically in marginalized communities

• Invest in research and technology to make electric vehicles more efficient and affordable

• Invest hundreds of billions of dollars in biofuels and other clean energy technology in order to reach net-zero emissions by 2050

• Invest in high-speed rail to reduce pollution and commute times

• Encourage energy efficiency and solar infrastructure among businesses and in residences using tax credits and targeted deductions

• Double federal investments in clean drinking water and infrastructure in communities like Flint, MI that have unsafe tap water

• Monitor water systems for lead and other pollutants so we can hold polluters accountable and protect drinking water

• Bring broadband internet access to the more than 20 million Americans that don’t have it

• Invest $100 billion in school infrastructure and technology

• Fund “anchor institutions” like hospitals, universities, and government offices in distressed communities

• Develop low-carbon manufacturing programs across the country that will provide good blue-collar jobs while lowering emissions

• Impose stronger penalties on union interference by corporations and executives

• Prevent corporations from illegally misclassifying employees as independent contractors by significantly increasing the number of labor enforcement investigators

• Protect the collective bargaining rights of all public sector workers

• Ban “right to work” laws that weaken unions

• Support the passage of the Fairness for Farmworkers Act and the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights so that agricultural and domestic workers have more protections and the ability to organize

• Allow independent contractors to organize and bargain collectively

• INCREASE THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE TO $15, including farmworkers who don’t even make the current minimum

• Extend overtime pay to millions of workers

• Eliminate no-compete clauses so workers have the freedom to move to better jobs or negotiate better pay

• Reinstate OSHA requirements that companies report workplace injuries and increase the number of safety inspections at workplaces

• End mandatory arbitration clauses so that employees can sue their employer

• Introduce a constitutional amendment to get private money out of federal elections (that is, overturn Citizens United)

• Further restrict superPACs from coordinating with candidates and parties

• Prohibit dark money groups from anonymously spending millions of dollars on political issues

• Prohibit lobbyists from donating to the people and organizations they lobby

• Ban corporate PAC contributions to candidates

• Require that all candidates for federal office release 10 years of tax returns

• Require all elected officials to publicly disclose all meetings they take with lobbyists

• Prohibit all lobbying from foreign governments and their agents

• Guarantee 2 years of free community college for all students

• Invest $50 billion in workforce training, including apprenticeships

• Cut in half the payments on federal student loans, and forgive all loans after 20 years

• Simplify and expand loan forgiveness for public servants

• Crack down on predatory for-profit education programs

• Offer a PUBLIC OPTION for healthcare

• Make sure all Americans from pay no more than 8.5% of their income for health insurance

• Ban all surprise medical bills by preventing providers from charging out-of-market rates when the patient doesn’t have control over what doctors they see or when a doctor is out-of-network at an in-network hospital

• Allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices

• End the abusive over-pricing of prescription drugs

• End TAX BREAKS that pharma companies get on advertisements for their products (I had no idea this was a thing and it is disgusting)

• RESTORE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD

• END THE ‘GLOBAL GAG RULE’ that bars the federal government from supporting any global health programs that contain information on abortion

• Implement nationwide the California policies that halved the maternal mortality rate there

• Double funding for community health centers

• RE-ENTER THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

• Push for a worldwide ban on fossil fuel subsidies

• Establish equal rights under the law for all LGBTQ+ people

• Protect LGBTQ+ people from employment discrimination

• Reverse the military ban on trans people

• Protect the ability of LGBTQ+ people to adopt and foster children

• Prevent people from claiming religious freedom in order to discriminate against LGBT+ people

• Simplify the process for trans and nonbinary Americans to obtain IDs that match their gender identity

• Guarantee access to appropriate bathrooms, sports activities, and locker rooms for trans students

• Fund programs that reduce LGBTQ+ youth homeless and insecurity

• BAN CONVERSION THERAPY nationwide

• Invest $20 billion in programs to lower incarceration rates

• Eliminate mandatory minimums for non-violent crimes

• Eliminate all mandatory minimums at the federal level

• Make pre-K education available for all children

• Triple federal funding for low-income school districts

• Expand funding for mental health services

• Fund training in de-escalation tactics for police departments, and training for handling interactions with disabled and neurodiverse people

• DECRIMINALIZE THE USE OF CANNABIS and expunge the records of people with cannabis-use convictions

• End incarceration for drug use

• ELIMINATE THE DEATH PENALTY

• END THE CASH BAIL SYSTEM and stop jailing people for being too poor to pay court fees and fines

• End federal private prisons and the use of any privately-owned federal detention facility

• Work towards ensuring housing for all formerly incarcerated people when they rejoin society

• Fully fund educational opportunities and mental health programs in prisons

• Hold gun manufacturers civilly liable for gun violence

• Ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines

• Create a buy back program for assault weapons and mandate the registration of all remaining assault weapons in the country

• REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR ALL GUN SALES

• Prevent anyone convicted of a hate crime from buying a firearm

• Prevent anyone with an arrest warrant from buying a firearm

• Incentivize states to create gun licensing programs

• Make it a federal crime to buy a weapon for someone who couldn’t pass their own background check

• Invest more than $5 trillion across federal, state, local, and private-sector entities to fight climate change

• Reverse Trump’s regressive tax cuts

These are probably not your dream plans, but they are SO MUCH BETTER than what we have now.

If you can’t find anything on that list that you think is worth voting for, then I genuinely don’t believe you care more about people than you do about ideological purity, and that sucks.

#Joe Biden #Bernie Sanders #Whoever you wish you could vote for instead? #All of them are so much better than Trump it isn't comparable #Biden is running on what would be the most progressive platform of any general election nominee EVER #don't dismiss that just because he isn't Bernie

[ptompkins21ahsgov-blog]

Political Interest Groups and PACs Assessment

Interest Group Name: FedCURE

Position: Advocate for American federal inmates.

Website Info: 1. Want to change how parole works

2. Want to increase federal good time allowances

3. Repeal mandatory minimum sentences

4. Make release of terminally inmates quicker

5. Alter release necessities to increase bed space

Specific: FedCURE wants to enact the Barber Amendment. This amendment would alter the rules for parole and release from prison to lower the overall amount of inmates from above national capacity, saving money for the country.

Location: It seems as though FedCURE is based in Florida, and I do not see a chapter in California, let alone near me.

Volunteer Opportunities: I do not see anything obvious on the website.

Other: They do have a contact us page, which I think is interesting.

SuperPAC: Truth and Justice Fund

Summary: I could not find anything, even after doing a Google search, but based on the fact they are Liberal and their donors, I can assume they want to reform the criminal justice system in some way.

Funds: The have raised $1,772,335, and spent $1,593,210 on candidates

Expenditures: They have only spent $1,593,210 supporting Democrats, nothing against Democrats, and nothing for or against Republicans. This aligns with their viewpoint of Liberal.

Donors: Most of the donors are law firms or individuals who work for law firms. This is consistent with their viewpoint because if they are involved in the justice system, they would most likely earn support from people in that industry.

[adawadi20ahsgov-blog]

Political Intrest Groups, and PACs Assesment

1. National Interest Group

a. Battle For The Net

b. This group wants a free internet that doesn’t limit the possibilities of all Americans. It seeks equity for all Americans.

c. Five facts

-This group supports free speech and free markets online.

-Everyone from across the political spectrum

-Small business owners, startups, tech giants, and grassroots organizations.

- Big Companies have been controlling internet traffic for far too long.

-It wants the executive branch to be able to enforce the laws that have been passed.

d. Save the Internet Act of 2019- This act seeks to classify telecommunications services to common carrier laws so that it can be regulated by the government. This bill has passed the House and is waiting to pass the Senate.

e. Located in Boston, Massachusetts. There are events in California and other states.

f. There are lots of opportunities around the country and the website has multiple links to Facebook groups around the country.

g. The FCC changes leaders during every election cycle and the group says we can’t rely on them to enforce the internet we want.

2. National Interest Group (California didn’t have any other state interest groups)

a. ITI (Information Technology Information Council)

b.  This organization is an advocate for technology worldwide. It wants technology to be available to everyone.

c. Interesting facts

-Interacting with governments worldwide to provide technology to all.

-Technology is being used to redefine what is possible for citizens of other countries.

-Technology teaches new skills, develops closer relationships, helps businesses thrive.

-Having access to technology helps transport individuals into the 21st century.

-Innovative technology is at the heart of getting technology around the world

d. This organization seeks to promote bills by endorsing them and giving the bills a chance to become an issue valued by all Americans.

e. They have two main offices: One in Belgium and one in Washington D.C. The ways someone can get involved is by contacting the organization and getting a membership.

f. Volunteer opportunities are limited as they are located in DC the main purpose of that is to be in direct contact with lawmakers to make sure the organization can influence politics.

g. This is the first group that I have seen is expanding to the world because technology equity is a worldwide problem.

3. Compare the two interest groups:

Generally, I liked ITI more because of its international reach and broader vision. From a net neutrality perspective, Battle for the Net is the group that specializes in pushing for legislation on internet equity for in the US.  ITI definitely has a larger audience because it is so huge, but Battle for the Net seems like an organization where the public can get more involved. Both of these organization’s target audiences are citizens that care about having equity in the world.

4. PACs and SuperPACs

a. amazon.com

b. This PAC is under the Internet tab of the website but is a company PAC. It donates money to candidates of both major parties. It wishes to have an influence on both sides of the aisle by donating to both which in turn makes sure this influence leads to legislation.

c. Raised: $491,364  Spent: $681,391 Cash on Hand: $999,421

d. Democrats: $275,000 Republicans: $296,000

e. The donors are mostly amazon services inc. which further hints that this PAC was created to influence technology-related legislation.

[dragoni]

Lev Parnas admits to trying to buy political favor from Trump with his and his partners $325,000 donation to a pro-Trump political action committee — helping Trump’s co-conspirator Giuliani would boost his chances.

He was not alone. There was a "guy" with him. In the news business we call them fixers — guides who know local people and can make introductions, set up meetings and translate interviews.

Lev Parnas, a businessman who says he splits his time between Florida and New York, was one of Giuliani's fixers. Parnas says he is a U.S. citizen but was born in Odessa, Ukraine, back when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Parnas helped Giuliani search for evidence to promote a theory of corruption in Ukraine by Joe Biden, who could become Trump's Democratic rival in the 2020 election. Biden's son Hunter, who was on the board of a gas company in Ukraine, also was a focus.

That corruption theory isn't holding up under scrutiny, as NPR's Lucian Kim has reported.

Parnas has confirmed a few things outlined in a whistleblower complaint that was made public this week

"I arranged the Shokin call with the mayor," Parnas tells NPR, referring to Giuliani by his title from when he was mayor of New York City.

There also were meetings in late January in New York and mid-February in Warsaw with Yuriy Lutsenko."I was present but I'm not going to comment on what was discussed in those meetings," says Parnas.

The start of a friendship

Parnas is a little more forthcoming about how his relationship with Giuliani started about two years ago. He says they attended the same political functions and really got to know each other when a mutual friend set up a meeting to discuss Parnas' investment fraud insurance business.

Did they play at one of Trump’s golf courses?

"We're good friends. We spend time together," Parnas says. "We play golf together."

Pamas’ Motive

Parnas' actions don't always seem to be as noble as his stated intentions, however. Consider one of his business enterprises, called Global Energy Producers.

The company was formed to sell liquefied natural gas from the U.S. to countries around the world, especially Ukraine. Doing that requires permits and licenses that can take years to acquire.

Parnas sought to jump-start that process by making big political contributions, including a $325,000 donation to a pro-Trump political action committee called America First Action.

"I wanted to get notoriety for my energy company and I felt it might be a great way to play with the big boys," says Parnas.

Campaign Finance Violation and Bribery

The contribution was wired from an account that did not belong to Global Energy Producers, which caught the attention of the Campaign Legal Center. The organization labeled the company "shady" and filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission.

"Fruman and Parnas appear to have bought access to 'Trumpworld' by directing a six-figure contribution to a pro-Trump superPAC through a shell corporation," says Brendan Fischer, an attorney with the CLC. Fischer says the FEC is still considering the complaint.

#lev parnas #rudy giuliani #ukraine #ukrainegate #dirt on biden #trump #donald trump #election rigging #conspiracy theory #corruption #bribery #campaign finance violation #fec #trump superpac #america first action #trump scams #trump scandals #tre45on #potus45 #mike pompeo #william barr

[oliverzafar]

CHANGE WILL COME FROM THE CHILDREN

Oliver Zafar officially announced his bid for the presidency in February of 2019, doing so as a left-leaning Independent candidate. His core values are based on progressivism and looking towards the future, ensuring a better America for both its present and future citizens.

Read more below about where he stands on the core issues facing Americans today!

CLIMATE CHANGE. Incredibly vocal about doing everything possible to stop climate change and vouches that the Green Movement can boost economic growth and create millions of new careers for those in the fossil fuel industry worried about losing their jobs. Launch a 10 to 15-year plan to transition to 100% clean energy and net-zero greenhouse gas pollution. Remove subsidies and tax breaks for the fossil-fuel industry and implement a Carbon Tax. Ban fracking and all fossil fuel exports. Require plastic bags in stores only be given out at a price. His own campaign is incredibly clean, offsetting all carbon emissions produced from travel activities and events by investing in renewable energy and carbon reduction projects.

GENDER AND RACE ISSUES. Mandate a universal paid parental leave policy for either or both parents. Fight the gender and race-based pay gap by requiring businesses to report salaries, promotions, and dismissals as broken down by gender and race to the public. Codify Roe v. Wade to continue ensuring safe and legal abortions. Conduct regular random, unannounced investigations into police officers to ensure no race or gender bias takes place. Work to decrease the disproportionate amount of women of color affected by infant mortality.

LGBTQ+ ISSUES. Describes the murder of black trans women in America as a “national crisis”. Include members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Equal Housing Act. Remove all legal loopholes that allow individuals to lose their jobs due to their sexuality in twenty-two states. Ban conversation therapy. Repeal the FDA’s policy that disallows gay men from donating blood.

HEALTHCARE: Work towards “Healthcare for All” by: a) sponsoring a buy-in program for Medicaid so that not only low-income individuals have the option to use public healthcare, and b) expanding Medicare by allowing people ages 50 to 64 to still buy into it. Have the government manufacture cheap generic drugs if prescription drug costs rise too high to stop excessive pharmaceutical price-gouging. Allow Americans to purchase medications from other countries as a way to lower consumer costs. Push to pass the Affordable Medications Act in the Senate to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices with insurance companies under Medicare.

FOREIGN RELATIONS. Build a public and private international coalition against China’s intellectual property theft and compete against China in Asia with a TPP-style trade deal. Limit drone strikes, if not discontinue them completely. No military intervention in Venezuela’s current political climate.

ECONOMICS. Cut taxes on small businesses and farmers, raise them on corporations. Incorporate a VAT Tax to pay for many of his proposals, which he loves to emphasize is a tax already used by every developed country besides the US. Encourage more union-positive thinking throughout corporate America (he’s very proud of the fact that his own staff is unionized!). Stronger anti-trust regulations to break up monopolies and encourage companies to invest profits in their employees and communities.

IMMIGRATION. Repeal criminal penalties for people crossing the border. Reexamine the current immigration process and try to expedite/ease the process so that families are not forced to enter illegally. Conduct a comprehensive review of current ICE procedures and implement serious retraining based on federally approved security protocols. If this is still unsuccessful, abolish ICE and redistribute its responsibilities to other agencies. Increase foreign aid to Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and other countries in crisis to thus reduce the flow of asylum seekers to the U.S.

STUDENT DEBT. Expand access to college by providing interest-free federal loans. Allow employers to make tax-free contributions to pay off their employees’ student debt and help those in work-study programs graduate without owing anything.  

EDUCATION. Introduce a free universal pre-K program to ensure all children have the same successful start. Introduce initiatives to increase the US’ advancement in science, technology, and mathematics when compared to other much more advanced developed countries. Research the amount of homework and schoolwork given at public schools and whether or not it’s the most productive to produce actual results.

DEFENSE. Lower military spending by ending regime-change wars and reducing the acquisition of nuclear weapons.

GUN REFORM. Enact the Disarmament Act with some modifications. Invest into research and development of “smart gun” technology and other technological preventative measures.

PACS: Reform campaign finance laws so that representatives don’t answer to donors, they answer to voters. Force every company that wants government contracts to disclose every campaign donation. Outlaw superPACs and overturn Citizens United.

— Please specify their target voter audience [age, ethnicity, region, income, etc]

Young, young, young! Oliver’s support is distributed between 18 to 44 years old, with very few older generations outside of his home state of Massachusetts willing to even hear him out. The quintessential Oliver voter is a grad student – high in education level but low in income. He’s also attracted a lot of support from people who are fed up with the two-party system that seems to permeate American politics and would instead prefer a more Independent candidate who doesn’t need to preen to Democratic powerhouses to make a decision. He polls very favorably among members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color, especially Asians, Middle-Easterners, and Indians who want to see their region represented through either him or his fiancé. Both sides of the coast are the areas that his support is most concentrated in, especially Northeastern intellectual elites, while his spouts of passionate progressivism are lost on most of Middle America.

— What do their supporters love and believe in when it comes to their persona and campaign? AKA. What’s people’s reasoning for voting for your character?

The first thing Oliver’s supporters will cite as the reason that they vote for him is his passion. He speaks and campaigns with a kind of fire that most politicians lost before they even became elected. They love his youth after having grown up with generation of old white dirtbags ruling the country, and believe that as the first Millennial presidential candidate he understands the problems plaguing America’s most indebted, most stressed, and most socially conscious generation better than anyone else running. Progressives also appreciate how incredibly vocal he is about his experience as a gay man and a person of color who experienced an incredible amount of discrimination following 911.

— What does the opposition hate when it comes to their persona and campaign? AKA. What points are brought up when trying to convince others your character isn’t a good choice for the seat?

Take a seat y’all, this is gonna take a while: His youth is usually the first criticism people bring up, because it’s the one that’s least controversial as opposed to his sexuality or race (but we’ll get to that too). Even though he’s got over a decade of experience in politics, people hesitate to endorse someone who’s just a few years above the legal age to even run for president. His opposition will also bring up the hypocritical nature of his marriage, since Oliver’s this stalwart progressive while his fiancé writes for Republicans. Democrats and moderate Republicans usually stop there in terms of his personal life, but of course conservatives will reference his homosexuality as something “the country isn’t ready for” or bring up his Arabic roots as “something a post-911 USA shouldn’t trust”.

Aside from just personal issues, Oliver’s also received a lot of backlash for running as an Independent. Though he’s doing it for the sake of proving that a divisive two-party system is only going to ultimately hurt America (he’s got Madison 10 like… framed twice in his office), people are harsh to point out that he’s only going to take votes away from Berkeley and essentially hinder a Democratic victory. Oliver also doesn’t know how to just give no comment when asked questions by reporters (much to the exhaustion of his staff), which while seen as “endearingly passionate” by some is seen as “an inability to keep his goddamn mouth shut” by others. He’s also incredibly uncompromising on his key issues (climate change, healthcare, gun control, and student loans most prominently), which doesn’t resonate well with moderates who aren’t 100% committed to his radicalities. And as much as Oliver claims to fight for the people, he suffers from a chronic syndrome of Northeastern Elitism as a result of being an intellectually-raised, Harvard-educated, I’ve-read-The-Republic-in-its-original-Greek kind of guy that doesn’t hold Middle America at too high of a regard.

#cbcbcchallenge #last AND least..... trash king extraordinaire! #im sorry about the logo y'all photoshop just inserted those squares in the back and i've accepted defeat #i'll redeem myself with like a fun lil meme or smthg for pt 2 of this challenge

[phroyd]

Under NO Circumstances can we permit an Article V Constitutional Convention be Convened! It would become a Disaster of Conservative and Corporate destruction to our basis of Law.  It would also precipitate the next Civil War. - Phroyd

In a nation governed by a supreme law of the land, a “law” every politician recites a “so help me god” oath to support and defend, it is a sad state that the political party running the government rejects that “supreme law” out of hand. Even worse, since Trump’s poorly attended inauguration, more Republicans are coming out against the U.S. Constitution with no outrage among the population. The party’s standard bearer, dirty Don Trump, boldly claimed the “supreme law” is bad for Americans and “archaic” to set the stage for Republicans to create a new modern law of the land. As of late, an increasing number of Republicans claim their truly archaic religious rule book, or some bastardized interpretation of it, supersedes the law of the land; anything in the Constitution stating otherwise is “unconstitutional.”

It is unfortunate, but the number of politicians dreaming of abolishing the U.S. Constitution for a new set of “god-bestowed” laws includes the entirety of the Republican Party; the Koch brothers have been greatly increasing their already very substantial funding for the campaign to “rebirth the Constitution.” This movement has been in the works for a long time, and of course the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been instrumental in the crusade to transform the current Constitution into a document amenable to the demands of the libertarian Kochs and Christian Dominionists. The movement became mainstream in GOP circles when the RNC included an entire section devoted to creating a new evangelical and Koch-friendly constitution in its official 2016 platform.

Of course then, like now, many Americans claim a Republican platform is just a “guideline,” or wish-list of their Utopian vision of more perfect GOP Union. But they are well beyond a “guideline” and well on their way towards “replacing” the U.S. Constitution. Like Americans’ apathy at the creeping theocracy threatening their way of life,  there is little to no outrage or abject fear in the population at the demise of the document that informs this nation.

There is a concerted, and very well-funded, crusade among Republican-controlled states to be proactive in anticipating the addition of 5 states to successfully call for a constitutional convention. The requirement to convene a constitutional convention is 34 states and exactly a year ago Wyomingbecame the 29th state to pass a resolution “requesting a convention of the states”  to rewrite the law of the land.

There was little-to-no reporting about two weeks ago that another Republican state joined the others in passing an initiative to convene a constitutional convention to conform to the Koch brothers’ vision of America. In Iowa, the Senate passed “Joint Resolution 8” calling for a convention of the states to impose the Koch-libertarian-evangelical created Constitution on the American people.

This action is not by a rogue state or outlier by any stretch and if Republicans gain control of four or five more states, they will invoke Article 5 of the current Constitution and begin dismantling the administrative state (government). And because they intend to create a new constitution, they will enshrine protections to ensure the federal government will never return.

Iowa Republicans claim their intent is imposing “fiscal restraints” to limit federal government spending to only what Republicans want, and severely limit the authority and the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary and Congress. This is a common theme among the states’ “initiatives,” but as Bill Meyers noted, when Republicans states are the sole participants in “amending” the Constitution, they will not limit their efforts to one item and a “runaway convention” will be a certainty.

If Americans were aware of what the Kochs and evangelicals really intend for the new law of the land, they may wake up and revolt. But the population as a whole is inherently ignorant or we would not be on the brink of a new America and a two-bit corrupt celebrity would not be in the White House.

Of course the Kochs and evangelicals intend to have a federal government, but only to tax the people just enough to pay for an army, a federal police force, and the church. If any American doesn’t believe it, consider that “fiscal responsibility” is code for the Republicans’ long sought-after “balanced budget amendment.” Republicans will mandate a budget that cannot exceed tax revenue, and according to the earliest reporting on the recent and drastic revenue shortfall due to the Heritage Foundation’s tax reform, there will not even be enough budget to fund the military or federal police; of course “the church” funding has not been affected. Any part of government unrelated to waging wars or religion will have to be eliminated for lack of revenue according to the Koch’s libertarian agenda.

What may be worse is the insertion of what Republicans denote as “god” rights and laws. An excerpt from the 2016 RNC platform clearly portends an end to equal rights, religious freedom and signals the imposition of an evangelical theocracy as the law of the land. It says that the new “rebirthed” Constitution will guarantee:

“That God bestows certain inalienable rights on every individual; that government exists first and foremost to protect those inalienable [god] rights; that man-made law must be consistent with God-given, natural rights; and that if God-given rights come in conflict with government, court, or human-granted rights, God-given, natural, rights always prevail.” (author bold)

It doesn’t take a genius to notice the number of “god” references or that, as evangelical fanatics scream mercilessly, that “god” prevails over everything. What that means for a new America is that all laws will have to conform with “god” law and the concept of church-State separation will cease to exist. Republicans and evangelical leaders have claimed loudly that god created America and he is the law of the land and that absurd notion will be the new law of the land’s overriding theme. Those radical  evangelicals directing Republicans will not pass up a chance to make the Bible the constitution and America a Christian nation.

As Mr. Moyers points out, since Republicans states will convene the constitutional convention, they will have the right to set the rules and the agenda. That includes creating a new ratification process by reducing the number of states needed to approve the new Constitution and removing Congress from the approval process altogether. Republicans can, and will, reserve participation to Republican leaders and their corporate and evangelical advisors, and there is nothing any Supreme Court, U.S. Congress, or masses of people can do to stop them. In fact, there is even talk of the new Constitution allowing states to nullify any past, present or future Supreme Court ruling that the evangelical right or Republicans don’t consider valid or “god” approved. It would not be a shock if they just disband the federal judiciary and adhere to the Oathkeepers’ mentality and make the Constitutional sheriff the sole criminal justice system and arbiter of the law of the land.  

Republicans are serious about transforming America and the Koch brothers and a few oligarchs provide unlimited funds, much of it dark money, to accomplish the dirty deed. Evangelicals do their part by supplying voters, and Trump created a perfect conduit for corporate money to influence elections through tax deductible church SuperPACs.

It is stunning that this truly existential threat to Americans’ way of life, and their nation as it has prospered for over 230 years, has progressed this far to actually become a terrifying reality. It is not pleasant to contemplate, but America’s days as a nation other country’s citizens admired are over. Sadly this pitiful country is only five Republican states away from officially being over as the Founding Fathers created it. Because without the current U.S. Constitution there is no United States of America. This like everything else happening to Americans was in the works long before Trump, but he has done his part by declaring the Constitution is “bad for America” to make the Kochs, evangelicals, and Republicans heroes for crusading to replace it.

Phroyd

#koch brothers #dark money #conservatism

[oloydahsgov-blog]

The 3 P Assessment: Parties, Political Interest Groups, and PACs

Republicans: Republicans are against embryonic stem cell research. The party even made an attempted to ban stem cell research within the United States. I disagree with the party because I believe a lot of good can come from stem cell research and it has the potential to save millions of lives. 

Democrats: Through there is no universal agreement among Democrats, most of them believe that stem cells can benefit Americans. Most want to ease regulations on research in order to advance the research. I agree with this position because if research was better funded, the results would be much better and could help many more people. 

Libertarians: Libertarians seem to be torn about embryonic stem cell research. Some are pro-research while others oppose it. Libertarians want to make a compromise to satisfy everyone, but one solid compromise has not been made yet. If stem cell research won’t be approved, I would be willing to work a compromise in order to keep some research going. 

Green Party: The Green Party believes that stem cell research is good and has a lot of potentials to help people. They are very enthusiastic about the research and want to see the research blossom to new heights. I absolutely agree with this stance because I believe that stem cells are very good. I believe with the right research and funding, we can use stem cells on a daily basis to help people within hospitals. 

Peace and Freedom: I was able to find a stance for the peace and freedom party, but based on their positive views of women's right to choose on medical matters, I believe they would be pro-embryonic stem cell research. If this were the case, then I would agree with their stance because it is a choice to give up the embryo and use it for science to save lives. 

I agree most with the Green Party with their enthusiasm towards the research. This is not surprising because they are pro-scientific advancement. I would not vote for their Presidential candidate because I know they would not be allected, but I would choose a Democratic presidential candidate because most are pro-embryonic stem cell research. 

When searching for state or national interest groups, I was not able to find any interest groups revolving around embryonic stem cell research. I believe this is the case because stem cell research is still fairly new and big interest groups have not yet been formed. Also, the country is still very split on embryonic stem cell research, which may also account for an interest group not yet being formed. 

Although stem cell research isn’t the main part of any PAC or SUPERPAC, recently, the House Majority PAC from the Democrats, added ads of stem cell research to their PAC. They claim it was very helpful to their PAC because more people were willing to support the PAC. I believe this was a very smart move by them because millions of people do support stem cell research and it shows that the Democratic Party is forward-looking. 

[unfilteredpatriot]

New Post has been published on Unfiltered Patriot

New Post has been published on http://unfilteredpatriot.com/joe-biden-names-merrick-garland-as-his-attorney-general-nominee/

Joe Biden Names Merrick Garland as His Attorney General Nominee

Five years after he was bestowed an ill-fated nomination to the Supreme Court, Judge Merrick Garland was tapped by Joe Biden on Thursday to be the next man to lead the Department of Justice. The nomination, which took an unusually long time by presidential transition standards, will see Garland give up what would have been a lifetime appointment to the U.S. District Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C.

“Our first-rate nominees to lead the Justice Department are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity,” Biden said in a statement. “They will restore the independence of the Department so it serves the interests of the people not a presidency, rebuild public trust in the rule of law, and work tirelessly to ensure a more fair and equitable justice system.

“They are among the most accomplished legal minds in our country who also reflect the best of America’s full range of talents and background,” Biden continued. “I am honored they accepted this call to serve at such a critical time in our nation’s history.”

Unlike in 2016, when he was denied confirmation hearings for his nomination to the Supreme Court, Garland’s confirmation to become attorney general is all but a foregone conclusion. For one thing, Georgia’s runoff elections secured a Democratic majority for the Senate. For another, several prominent Republican senators – Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Mike Lee, and Susan Collins – are on record supporting Garland for federal office to one degree or another.

While there’s no mistaking Garland’s judiciary history for one of a constitutional conservative, he is far from the worst choice Biden could have made for that position. Indeed, there are many episodes in Garland’s career that he “disappointed progressives” (as the New York Times puts it) with rulings that put greater emphasis on the First Amendment and the importance of national security than on, say, the zeal to punish SuperPACs or the rights of terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Hopefully, this balanced approach will make him a far less “woke” attorney general than progressive groups (and people like Al Sharpton) wanted Biden to nominate.

There will be a lot of pressure in the coming months for the Biden DOJ to bring spurious charges against President Trump and others on the right as some sort of misguided “payback” for the last four years. If Biden and Garland are truly interested in moving this country forward in a way that doesn’t deepen divisions, they will resist that pressure with everything they have.

[davidarthurpersley]

Multiple States:TX, FL, Az, & NH forced to reverse their reopening due to increased Covid19 infections. 60k Covid19 new cases daily record & over 134k Americans dead. Come on ppl wake up! We must stay untied together & co-operate with all safety guidelines set forth to beat Covid19, as one Nation; just like other countries have done & are now reopened. The entire World is also dealing with Covid19 folks. God forgive me, but anyone who still thinks Covid19 is a DEM Hoax have lost all touch with reality & are living in their own delusional denial. If you don’t care about yourself, then please think about others around you & wear a simple face mask & adhere to all safety guidelines. I am sure you would rather wear a simple face mask now, than be placed on a Ventilator as these unfortunate souls or worse brought to a morgue on a stretcher. It’s your choice. Listen to Trump who only cares about winning a 2nd term so he can continue to enrich himself & his Large Corporate Backers & SuperPacs, & his Senate Cronies; or choose life. If he really cared about the American Public, he & his Administration would have acted sooner to contain Covid19; instead of waiting too late when mitigation was the only option. Now here we are ppl. You’re choice; life or headed down the other road. Stop Trumps recklessness with all our lives. Now he said, “He may wear a mask.” Dump Trump in 2020. Just saying... DA 🕊😢😷❤️🇺🇸🌎#covid19 #134k #deaths #60k #daily #new #cases #facemask #whitehouse #dumptrump #2020 #yourchoice #chooselife https://www.instagram.com/p/CChaSkzBnPd/?igshid=rhd3fgm1tfw3

#covid19 #134k #deaths #60k #daily #new #cases #facemask #whitehouse #dumptrump #2020 #yourchoice #chooselife

[shirlleycoyle]

Firm That Tracked Protesters Targeted Evangelicals During 2016 Election

A data broker that tracked Black Lives Matter protesters also tracked the locations of Evangelical Christians on election day 2016 using their cell phones and used that data to help push get-out-the-vote messaging, according to the company’s own CEO.

Mobilewalla, a data broker headquartered in New York City, purchases and collects location and other personal data about cellphone users, and then sells it to companies for marketing purposes. On Thursday, BuzzFeed News reported that Mobilewalla had tracked the almost 17,000 protesters who went to the streets to join Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the last month, a research project that Sen. Elizabeth Warren described as “shady.”

In 2017, the company’s CEO Anindya Datta revealed another controversial project. During an overlooked podcast interview, Datta said Mobilewalla “played a key role in the U.S. presidential election” in 2016.

“We were a very key data arm for one of the major parties,” Datta said, refusing to specify which one of the two parties.

Datta explained that they created “segments” of Evangelicals and tracked their location in real time on election day. The firm, according to Datta, used that data to tell Evangelicals to vote if their phone hadn't been seen near a polling place on election day.

“The biggest amount of money we generated in the election was for what is known as Get Out The Vote—the GOTV part of the election. So what we did for this particular party, who spent way less on feet on the street than the other party, we were monitoring every polling booth,” Datta said. “Every polling location in a certain number of states and we were telling the ground team who showed up to vote and who hadn’t yet.”

BuzzFeed's reporting and this revelation show just how pervasive the use of cell phone location data can be, and how specifically it can be targeted. As Motherboard has shown many times, the market for cell phone location data is vast and largely unregulated. The data itself can come from apps that track GPS location; in some cases, location data can come from cell phone companies themselves.

Mobilewalla boasts that it can track "1.6 billion devices" in more than 35 countries. It says that it can create "persistent customer identities" and track their visits to a specific location over time, as well as segment that audience according to interests, age, and other demographic information. It claims it can also track relationship status, cost of their device, "gamers," and other highly specific data.

Datta said that the company identified people as Evangelicals by tracking their church attendance over the course of six months preceding the election.

"Christianity has like 290 denominations, like 17 of which I believe are Evangelical," he said. "The definition we were given was, take a swing state like Florida. There are 1,400 Evangelical churches. So to be an Evangelical Christian, you need to have been observed in an Evangelical church at least once a week for the last six months."

Datta said he was “very tempted” to say whether they worked for the winning or losing side of the election, but declined to specify. He did, however, say that "the client was very happy." Circumstantial evidence and common sense suggests that a get-out-the-vote campaign focused on Evangelicals would be in service of Republican candidates. Exit polls showed that 81 percent of Evangelical Christians who voted in 2016 voted for Donald Trump; just 16 percent voted for Hillary Clinton, according to Pew.

Do you work or did you use to work for Mobilewalla or another location tracking company? We’d love to hear from you. You can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at [phone], OTR chat at [email protected], or email [email protected]

In a statement, MobileWalla spokesperson Andrea Kaplan contradicted the CEO and said that the company works with political ad agencies that support both parties.

“Mobilewalla’s core business is to provide consumer data and analytics primarily to B2C enterprise companies and advertising agencies," Kaplan said. "Our products are used for marketing use cases—to acquire and retain customers. We do not work directly with either political party or with any political campaigns. We have worked with political advertising agencies that support candidates from both parties. On occasion we have been approached by political advertising agencies who are interested in our audience segment data, this is a very small part of our business. We have no political leaning or agenda and we are non-partisan in who we work with.”

Regardless, Mobilewalla appears to have several clear links to the Republican party.

Public records from the Federal Election commission show that Mobilewalla was hired during the primaries to oppose Donald Trump by the Ted Cruz campaign, as well as the Enterprise Freedom Action Committee, a right-wing organization. Mobilewalla was also hired by several other Repiblican candidates in 2016, and it also received a payment of $186,050.00 in 2018 from the American Potential Fund, a PAC that supported the Republican Florida senator Rick Scott.

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the Citizen Lab, noticed the podacast and tweeted it out on Thursday.

A sample of the kind of data Mobilewalla advertises to customers.

Kaplan said that MobileWalla is not working for any campaign this year. However, the company has a spinoff called MWPolitical, which appears to be Mobilewalla’s political arm.

During the 2016 election cycle, Jim Valentine, who was then Mobilewalla’s vice president of political and advocacy, “created political channel for Mobilewalla (Aug 15), including partnerships with Presidential primary candidates and various SuperPACs. Managed digital political campaigns for over 100 candidates at the national & State levels,” according to Valentine’s LinkedIn account.

Valentine is now the founder and CEO of MWPolitical which describes itself as “a full service digital/TV media placement agency. We specialize in programmatic placement (reselling Mobilewalla data), TV planning and placement, and SMS/MMS campaigns,” according to his LinkedIn. The company’s official site used to say MWPolitica “impacted hundreds of Republican ra[ces],” according to a Google search result. (The current website does not specify that the company worked for Republican candidates.)

Valentine donated $1,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to public records.

In a phone call, Valentine said he had no knowledge of Mobilewalla’s role in the 2016 elections. He also said that his new company MWPolitical, is not legally tied to Mobilewalla.

“I exclusively work with the Republican party although I wish that wasn’t the case,” he said.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. The White House declined to comment and referred questions to the campaign.

Subscribe to our new cybersecurity podcast, CYBER.

Firm That Tracked Protesters Targeted Evangelicals During 2016 Election syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[go-redgirl]

Trump Announces Next Campaign Rally for June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would host his first rally since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“We’re going to start our rallies back up now. We’ve had a tremendous run at rallies,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday afternoon during a meeting with conservative black leaders at the White House.

Trump’s last MAGA campaign rally was held in March before the coronavirus pandemic shut down public arenas across the country.

The president said he was also in the process of planning campaign rallies in Florida, Texas, and Arizona.

“I don’t think there’s been an empty seat since we came down the escalator with the future first lady at that point,” he said. “It’s been an amazing thing to behold.”

The president also confirmed that he would attend the graduation ceremony on Saturday at West Point.

READ MORES STORIES ABOUT:

Politics Campaign Rally corona virus MAGA Oklahoma Tulsa

________________________________________________________

INDIVIDUALS/COMMENTS/POSTS:

Bamareader

I wish I were in OK. I can't wait for another rally!

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Woman for Trump Bamareader • 15 hours ago

Me, too! KAG!

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ricocat1 Woman for Trump • 13 hours ago

I have been to several TRUMP Rallies but I'll have to watch this one on YouTube. Tulsa is a bit far.

TRUMP 2020!

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Schrödinger's cat Henry Bowers • 12 hours ago 

Kristina is brilliant !!!

Candace is brilliant !!!

The big news is coming from Kristina Wong, who has the scoop - again !!!:

Now see Candace Owens:

https://twitter.com/RealCan...

Black Lives Matter donations go directly to a superpac called “ACT BLUE” that has given hundreds of millions to Democrats running for President.

This message carries the Rat Bastard seal of approval 🐀

MAGA TRUMP Pence - November 3 Landslide

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johnny 2.0 ✓ᵀʳᵘᵐᵖ Schrödinger's cat • 

"cat is brilliant!"ohh,, hey cat lol thats what we've been missing,, trump rallies feel like a kid waiting for christmas,, well,, a lil

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Schrödinger's cat johnny 2.0 ✓ᵀʳᵘᵐᵖ • 12 hours ago

LOLCan't wait for some more TRUMP rallies, johnny !!!

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Schrödinger's cat johnny 2.0 ✓ᵀʳᵘᵐᵖ • 12 hours ago

I don't really like TRUMP but I am sure voting for him after all this !!! *said with straight face*

We must use the sort of tactics they have been using against us for far too long.

LOL

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elaine Kirsten • 2 hours ago

Of course, Biden looks capable! He’s sitting in a basement. And it’s so bad, that democrats want him to stay there! Lol! Trump has had every possible organization & media source working overtime to undermine what he done! I can’t believe he’s still on his feet! There is nothing he’s done that has not been challenged, misreported and lied about. And he still has managed to bring this country through a pandemic, Made up racist protests, and an economy about to recover. MAGA.

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Q-King Trump the 2nd Hugh Jardon • 13 hours ago

#Trump2020

#MAGA2020 

#WWG1WGA 

#WWG1WGA

WORLDWIDE 

www.qanon.pub

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elaine bruiser1128 

He has had the special prosecutor, spending $$$$$$$$ and a democrat congress investigating him for 3+years. They haven’t found a thing! With a lot of help from the media!

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Mic MasHenry Bowers•13 hours ago

Unfortunately, this event is not going to happen. ANTIFA, BLM and DEMS are not going to let TRUMP hold his rallies and they are going to disrupt ALL of them.

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bruiser1128 Mic Mas • 

Tulsa and Oklahoma law enforcement will have the situation under control in 6 minutes....Tulsa is not NY, Seattle, or the other 25 major regressively-socialistic “progressive” cesspools across our country...MAGA 2020

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Bob Goble bruiser1128 • 12 hours ago • edited

I guarantee we will have it in hand here in Tulsa. We won't put up with the crap the democrat run states will.

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[thebipartisanpress-blog]

Andrew Yang is Different From the Other Democratic Candidates

If you've been following the 2020 Democratic candidates, you've probably heard of Andrew Yang. An entrepreneur with no previous government experience, Yang has made a big splash with his three main policies: The Freedom Dividend(also known as universal basic income), Medicare for All, and Human-Centered Capitalism. As it stands, Yang is currently sixth in the latest public polls, garnering 3% of national supporters. He's also been in the spotlight of several major controversies, with many also claiming his lack of government experience will ultimately drag him down. But, see, that's where Andrew Yang stands out. As one of the few candidates with no prior public positions, Andrew Yang is true to himself, not to what will make him look good in the media, or increase his polls. Whether that's doing a live Q&A on Quora, breaking down over gun control, Yang isn't afraid to express how he feels publicly, but also logically. In an era where misinformation and lies are constantly at war with facts, someone who is authentic and genuine publicly is practically unheard of. A POTUS should be a leader and role-model that we look up to. Not someone who spends his time on Twitter calling other people "short" or "Pocahontas." A leader is someone who can bring people together towards a cause. But part of that is also someone who is true to himself and rational. As Naresh Vissa, Founder & CEO of Krish Media & Marketing, puts it, "Andrew Yang is not a part of the Democratic political establishment. He is not beholden to any one group or special interest. He is the only Democratic candidate who has actually accomplished noteworthy feats personally. He is logical and speaks with facts - not blind statements or emotions. He is too intelligent and rational for mainstream federal politics." "Even though I lean right, I support nearly all of Andrew Yang's policies, including his libertarian-themed Freedom Dividend. I also support his stance on single-payer health insurance. He has many other random policies on his website and books that I agree with. Most of his policies are common sense and fact-based." Larry Cohen, from Andrew Yang SuperPAC Humanity Forward, adds to this, "Andrew Yang resonates with me because he doesn't sound like a politician. He stands out as a candidate because he speaks honestly about what he sees as our country's challenges, and offers the kind of bold necessary policies to address them. Finally, I deeply respect the values he's fighting for: believing in abundance instead of scarcity, putting people first in our society, and finding and respecting the humanity in all of us." "He's bringing together a wide political coalition, from both sides of the aisle. He's got former Trump supporters, Bernie and Warren supporters, and also many who haven't voted before or who have been disengaged from politics. His message is about moving forward as a country. He understands and speaks to the real challenges our country faces and is fighting for the bold policies and changes we need. " Andrew Yang isn't like Joe Biden, who adopts policies from his ex-running mate Obama in order to gain supporters. Each one of his policies has been thought about and is something Yang truly believes is helpful and logical. For example, Kristine Thorndyke from TestPrepNerds mentions how, "Andrew Yang specifically mentions the idea of 'inertia' in our politics and government, which means that we just continue policies and practices “just because.” He questions policies in the government such as why Supreme Court justices are elected for life and brings forth ideas as to why and how these common practices can be changed to benefit society." He doesn't specifically attempt to cater towards an audience either. While his ideologies generally align with the Democratic Party, he's usually bipartisan and doesn't create policies just to appeal to Democrats. Quite simply put, Yang is authentic. I'm sure you could argue that with some of the other candidates. Elizabeth Warren can be authentic when she's pushing out her policies. Bernie is authentic when he's talking about universal healthcare. But can you say either of them have the rationality and open-mindedness of Yang? In an interview with NBC, Warren called the Trump administration the most corrupt administration of her lifetime. During the debate, Warren also pushed for Trump's impeachment, saying, "This is about Donald Trump, but, understand, it’s about the next president and the next president and the next president and the future of this country. The impeachment must go forward." Yang also supported the impeachment inquiry. However, Time writes, "Yang was the first candidate to connect the topic of impeachment to broader issues." He supported "a new vision" and said that "The fact is, Donald Trump, when we're talking about him, we are losing." Yang’s willingness to take a step forward and speak out is something that has become rare. Honestly, I'm not a big supporter of his policies, but if he's elected, I have no doubt that some of the integrity of our government will be restored. His lack of experience may ultimately drag him down, but his rationality and authenticity will propel him a ten-fold. Read the flip side: Andrew Yang's UBI Could be Illegal Content from The Bipartisan Press. All Rights Reserved. Agree or disagree with something in this article? Share it in the comment section and see what others think. Read the full article

#Yanggang

[ladynai]

Planned Parenthood Funding and The Women’s March

According to Politifact, Planned Parenthood receives $450 million in payments from the federal government, a majority being medicaid payments.    Planned Parenthood’s Superpac is responsible for the political donations of Planned Parenthood and last election cycle took in $3,042,948 in donations and spent $16,544,692 on donations to various groups including Hilary Clinton’s campaign, United We Can and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.   This is technically NOT part of Planned Parenthood at least in the broadest paperwork. In addition there are other problems.   Two clinics in different parts of the country have come under fire for either failing to report sexual abuse of a minor at the time of her abortion (she was being abused by her stepfather) or telling another victim that it wasn’t worth the time to report it. Let’s start by focusing on the political donations - take those out and you’ll have almost seventeen grand to put back into the company. If each of the women from the women’s march (according to what I saw from various news authorities and the actual march website) donated $25 then Planned Parenthood would get revenue of $143,037,500 add this to the political donations and you’ve made up $159,582,192 of the budget. Basically with that move you have made around 35% of the budget which means that much can be funneled out to start building more Community Health Centers which means that men AND women can be given better sliding scale health care options.    Obviously if there were more donations then it would be even better.   Hollywood Celebrities could probably make up a huge amount of the deficit as well if forced to put their money and support where their mouth is. I am not saying to defund Planned Parenthood all at once and there will need to be a slow transition - Community Health Centers are a far better and less ethically fraught option for low income health care then Planned Parenthood. IF you believe in Planned Parenthood then put your money where your mouth is and fund it.   Take those hats and sell them as a fundraiser.    All I see is that this is the government’s job - it shouldn’t be, Planned Parenthood is a private and political organization and as such needs to be treated.   IF you believe in it then make it happen otherwise don’t make the rest of us do so.

#plannedparenthood #planned parenthood #womensmarch #feminism #makeadifferencenotjustastatement

[larrykrakow]

The Hidden Corruption Of The CARES Act

New Post has been published on https://theprogressivemind.org/the-hidden-corruption-of-the-cares-act/

The Hidden Corruption Of The CARES Act

Note to my readers: I had this piece published elsewhere and it is no longer online. Sadly, it was a victim of a form of censorship that we can discuss at a later date. For now, understand how important it is to protect the right to free speech and a free press.

The CARES Act passed through both houses of Congress and was signed by President Donald Trump as a measure to keep the economy afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sadly, it has proven to be a giveaway to rich and powerful special interests while most of the people in the country received what would amount to crumbs. There are so many things in this piece of legislation that one could write about, but it is not likely that the average human being would have the attention span to read through the trove of corruption in the law.

More than 100 companies owned and operated by Trump campaign donors received CARES Act funding.

This is an example of the swamp in action. A major campaign promise of Donald Trump was that he would drain the swamp. He would route out all the corruption and would bring in honesty and integrity to our government. Well, now, we see how that went. Starting off, just to name a few, Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax, a biased conservative news outlet received five million dollars on April 13th. Ruddy, according to FEC filings donated $525,00 to PACs supporting President Trump’s election.

The CARES Act, signed by President Trump was a sham that enriched many of his friends and allies. This law left many of us scratching our head as we had our crumbs while the rich got richer. This piece gives a few examples.

Clay Lacy Aviation, owned by Trump donor Hershel Clay Lacy received nearly 27 million dollars to prop up the private jet charter company. This money is a grant that does not need to be repaid as stipulated under the CARES Act. Lacy gave the maximum legal amount of $2700 directly to the Trump campaign and an additional $47,000 to the RNC. This one is absolutely outrageous to the average person.

Each one of the owners of the companies mentioned gave at least $20,000 to Trump’s campaign committees, the Republican National Committee and America First Action, a pro Trump superpac.

Other members of our government saw gains for their families and friends as well.For example, Elaine Chao, the Secretary Of Transportation in the current administration also happens to be married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Her family’s shipping business received money from the CARES Act. The name of the business, Foremost Group, received between 350,000 and one million dollars.

Businesses owned by Representatives Keven Horn (R-OK) and Mike Kelly (R-PA) received funds for car dealerships and fast food chains.

Princeton Forrestial LLC is 40% owned by the family of Trump son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner. They received between one and two million dollars of Cares Act money. And as if that was not enough, the Kushner name pops up in two more entities. Esplanade Livingston LLC has the same address as Kushner Companies and they were approved for anywhere from 350,000 to a million dollars. An additional two million went to Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, a school named for Jared’s grandfather.

The examples given are the tip of the iceberg, because the level of corruption in the CARES Act is clearly a transfer of wealth and power to the elite members of American society. The average person in America received their $1,200 one time payment, but that represented less than a quarter of the money appropriated in the legislation. The sad thing is that the price tag is not even known as of yet, because this authorized the Treasury Secretary to direct the Federal Reserve to expand lending way beyond the scope of the law. In the end, many companies were allowed to take out loans which will likely never be required to be repaid. Meanwhile, millions of Americans have medical and student debt. If you live in America, this is normal, but if you live abroad, you seriously question how this country can continue to operate like this.

As we now know, the portion of the bill called the Paycheck Protection Program did little to stem unemployment caused by the pandemic. In fact, many small businesses tried to access money early in the program, only to find out that companies that have larger revenue but still qualify as small businesses accessed most of the money early in the program and ran the funds dry. This caused many businesses to shut their doors permanently while Ruth Chris Steakhouse accessed 20 million dollars of the funds only to later succumb to public pressure to return the loan. Sadly, by the time more money was appropriated and the money was returned, many businesses simply gave up hope of a restart.

We must question the morality of the CARES Act. Was it simply passed to keep people afloat or was it a tool of the corporate state that runs America to consolidate more wealth and power? That is an open debate. Those that believe in supply side economic theory believe that the businesses are the reason that people have jobs. The other side however realizes that without a base of consumers, no bailouts or tax cuts will make a business any more successful. It may keep them afloat for an extended period, but in the end, it could spell doom for businesses that do not return to a level of business.

Take the airlines for example. They are going to perhaps be the hardest hit as people limit their travel. It may take years for the industry to recover and one would expect many to go out of business completely or be taken over by larger airlines. Restaurants that provide indoor seating will hurt for a long time as elderly people who typically come out for a meal will stay at home instead of risking a deadly infection.

The bottom line is quite simple. A transition program is going to be needed to bring people to a place where they can sustain themselves. These could be baggage handlers or flight attendants. They could be servers in restaurants that could not fully come back. It could be the retail workers in stores that switched their business models to increased online sales and decreased in store business. The effects could cascade throughout the economy for decades to come. Sadly, power cedes nothing and the system that is supposed to protect people only protects the rich and powerful. This is a sign of a society either in deep decline or on the edge of major unrest.

The question is, where do we go from here? Is another election going to break the cycle of corruption? After all, three Republican Senators and one Democratic Senator who had inside information about the impending financial meltdown are implicated as potentially guilty of insider trading. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Richard Burr of North Carolina and Dianne Feinstein are all implicated of using this crisis for personal gain. The corruption is at all levels of government. Should we actually be surprised that a bill with over two trillion dollars of appropriation should be clean? We cannot expect our leadership to be honest about millions, let alone billions and trillions.

Getting out to vote will change some things, but it will not fix our problems. It may take a full on implosion of the American system to recover from the way of life that embeds corruption and greed in every corner of our society. Often, it takes major crises to make people wake up. Unfortunately, with Covid-19, climate change and the never ending threat of nuclear war, it may already be too late for people to wake up and change the system. Fortunately, we still have the ability to try.