Day 5 million
Someone recently wrote to me and said, “I didn’t know you were a socialist?” To which I replied, “I’m a what works kind of guy” (or words to that effect. I believe in a level playing field and in giving everyone a chance. I believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. Many folks I know who seem to want to hurry out and label people socialists don’t seem to believe in those ideas (call them principles if you like). They seem to believe that “they made it on their own.” While they worked hard, granted, they did so within a system or framework that allowed them to prosper. That framework is a controlled system. The question becomes “who do you want controlling that framework?” People who espouse free market systems don’t seem to realize that most of those systems are really government regulated. There have been times when individuals (ie capitalists) controlled those systems. J.P.Morgan, Fiske and Gould, the Robber Barons are all examples of that. How well did that work? If you look at the history of the U.S. from an economic perspective there were a series of boom and busts when those folks were in charge. They worked hard to keep others out and poor, but they also caused huge panics and runs on the banks, etc. I think the question becomes, “How much do you want someone regulating the system within which we operate?” one person I know calls it “bridled capitalism” Another calls it “democratic socialism.” Whatever you call it we are talking about a system that has rules and regulations of some sort and we are asking “Whom do we want in control of those systems?”
I keep going back to the history of Constantinople and the end of the Roman Republic. In the case of Constantinople it was a struggle between the landowners and the church versus the middle class. Whenever the landowners and church came to power they changed the tax laws so they didn’t have to pay anything. The weight fell on the middle class who then left the city. They literally “took to the hills.” In the case of the Roman Republic (and I’d say Constantinople too) the Republic fell due to two underlying conditions 1) as far as anyone alive knew the Republic had always been there so they thought it always would be, and 2) many in charge were chipping away at the republic, taking a little bit for themselves (who would notice?) Most democracies last 200 years. They are considered transitional times by historians. If we wish to survive as a democracy then we need to stand up for the principles that our country is. We need to get back to helping our fellow man, helping the less fortunate and giving everyone a chance.
Meanwhile, Hope Hicks testified in front of Congress and refused to answer any questions about her time in the White House, including, “Where was your office?” She did however corroborate that the president paid off two women with whom he had affairs for political reasons.
And now another woman has come forward and said that Trump raped her. He says he never met her. Except, there’s this photo of him with her in the picture.
Now there have been released hundreds of messages between Sean Hannity and Paul Mannafort. Those messages deal directly with Mannafort’s trial. Now Hannity talks directly to Trump, so if Sean is relaying messages to Paul from Trump and Paul is relaying his responses to Sean and Sean is talking to Trump is that what I think it is? Wit … wit … ness tampering? Or Obstruction of Justice?
Then Roger Stone may be going to the pokey until his trial. This is hard to believe (NOT) that Roger couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Oh yes, and Mike Flynn fired his legal team and hired a Fox News person who says the Mueller Inquiry is illegal and all bunk, etc. etc. etc.
Meanwhile, there is a hew and cry for impeachment proceedings from both the left and the right. The Republicans seem to think it will bolster their chances in 2020 and the other folks who want it because it seems to them the right thing to do. But there is hesitancy on the Dem leadership side to go forward. Because history has shown that impeachment hurts the folks who bring it. The question here, I think, is “would it really hurt those who bring it?” Somehow, I don’t think so.
This is so flagrant, so criminal, that the proceeding would show what has been going on to a segment of the population that has been consistently lied to. I think it could serve as the turning point. The point at which those diehard Trump supporters might – might – say, “Hey, wait a minute.”
I dunno. I’d like to believe that they are good people who believe in the principles that this country was founded on, like The Rule of Law, and No One is Above the Law.
Oh yes and we were 5 minutes away from war with Iran (yawn.)
Day 897 Saturday June 22, 2019
499 Days until the 2020 election and 577 days until the Inauguration
PS Good Vibrations
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