Category Archives: Politics

What Next?

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After MAGA completes its mass deportations, what happens to the more than 200 immigrant detention centers in the U.S. that currently hold nearly 71 thousand people? What happens to all the new detention centers built at a cost of $45 billion? What happens to ICE, now the nation’s largest “law enforcement” agency that’s 80,000 strong with an annual budget of $27.7 billion? What happens to the roughly 8,500 new Customs and Border Patrol agents? What happens to the new nationwide surveillance system tracking immigrants and citizens alike? What happens to the hyperinflated budget for the DHS?

I think it’s naïve to believe that they’re going away. Or that they’ll even be downsized. After all, there’s a longstanding belief among those in government that if you don’t use it, you lose it.

I believe that MAGA may very well have long-range plans for them – to create concentration camps for political dissenters. For the so-called “communist” Democrats. For reporters who refuse to submit and refuse to perpetuate MAGA propaganda. For military officers who refuse to follow MAGA’s illegal orders. For academics who refuse to teach the false narrative of whitewashed history. For Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and other non-Christian nationalists. For atheists. For women who exercise the right to control their own bodies. For people of color. For gays and lesbians. For transgenders. For anti-Israelis.

Possibly for you.

We’ve seen variations of this before. In Hungary, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Zionist Israel, China, Russia, fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and dictatorships throughout history and around the world.

Think it couldn’t happen here? Think our government institutions and the Constitution will prevent it?

Thanks to DOGE and the Felon-in-Chief’s MAGA loyalists, those institutions have already been dismantled or hollowed-out. Congress has become a rubber stamp for the Felon’s fascist policies. The fascist-friendly majority of SCROTUS has consistently ruled in support of the Felon – even granted him immunity. And the Felon and his regime have already violated or attempted to violate more than a dozen provisions of the Constitution, the document that makes America what it is. Or, at least what it was.

Most of the safeguards are gone and many Americans helped destroy them by voting for a felonious charlatan who promised them cheaper gas and groceries. By refusing to fight back when threatened with a lawsuit or the Felon’s cyberbullying. By hoping that that the Felon and his MAGA government will just go away or, at least, not come after them.

If our democracy fails, many of those people will have gotten what they deserve – likely a gang of warrantless, masked, armed men breaking down their doors and taking them to one of the detention camps. Or, like Renee Good, Alex Pretti and others, something even worse.

Why Does The Republican Party Even Exist?

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Once the proud party of Lincoln whose actions saved the Republic and emancipated the slaves, the Republican Party has been caught in a destructive downward spiral ever since. Of the seven presidents who served during the nation’s Gilden Age, six were Republicans. Together, they endorsed Horse and Sparrow economics – the predecessor of Trickle-Down economics – that allowed a few industrialists to create an enormous wealth gap between themselves and ordinary Americans.

Likewise, the scandal-plagued, pro-business administrations of Republicans Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge created an overheated economy that led to the 1929 Wall Street crash and the Great Depression. They were followed by Republican Herbert Hoover who, although he was credited with organizing a massive food relief program during and after WWI, his timid response to the Great Depression resulted in a deepening of the depression that continued until the election of Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, the hero of WWII, led us into the Vietnam War and signed off on the Dulles brothers’ ill-advised overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran, Guatemala, Indonesia and Congo. He also embraced White Christian Nationalists who added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance and changed the national motto from “E Pluribus Unum” (from many, one) to “In God We Trust. Those same religious and racist zealots have been trying to turn the U.S. into an unconstitutional theocratic-driven Christian nation ever since.

Republican Richard M. Nixon was elected, in part, due to his violation of the Logan Act by intervening in the Vietnam peace talks. He and Henry Kissinger supported a military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Chile. Further, his re-election campaign was marked by a series of dirty tricks aimed at Democratic candidates leading to the Watergate break-in and cover-up and his eventual resignation to avoid impeachment. Not surprisingly, Nixon’s Republican successor, Gerald R. Ford, pardoned Nixon to save him from criminal prosecution.

Like Nixon, Republican Ronald Reagan was elected, in part, as a result of his violation of the Logan Act by encouraging Iran to delay the return of U.S. hostages until after the election in return for a better deal. His Trickle-Down economic plan led to a wave of corporate consolidations that continues today, as well as tax cuts for the wealthy. He opened the door for today’s propaganda network by ending the Fairness Doctrine. And he famously created a shadow government as part of Iran-Contra Affair.

Republican George H. Bush continued Reagan’s pro-corporate economic policies and led the U.S. into a war with Iraq called Desert Storm. Republican George W. Bush reprised his father’s war with Iraq costing the U.S. 4,431 military deaths and an estimated $4 trillion. His economic policies also led to the Great Recession following the 2007 banking and real estate crash.

Finally, we get to the worst of them all: the twice-impeached Donald J. Trump.

Elected with the obvious help of Russia, the Felon-in-Chief mishandled the Covid pandemic leading to the deaths of roughly 1 million Americans. Among other illegal acts while in office, he ordered the payment of hush money to coverup an affair and sex with a porn star. He led a conspiracy to overturn his election loss through insurrection. He stole boxes of the nation’s top secrets and engaged in a coverup. Then, when he returned to office, he pardoned the insurrectionists and seditionists and sold pardons to convicted supporters.

He has engaged in self-dealing and insider trading helping his family raise between $2 and $4 billion to date. He and his cabinet have committed numerous constitutional violations. He illegally destroyed the East Wing of the White House. He has engaged the U.S. in an ill-advised and illegal war against Iran leading to out-of-control inflation. He has attacked news media and advanced the MAGA propaganda network. He imposed illegal tariffs against most of our trading partners. He has compromised relationships with our most trusted allies and NATO.

He has threatened free and fair elections. He has used the FBI and DOJ to exact vengeance against his perceived political enemies. He has ignored the climate crisis. He has tried to rewrite history to diminish our nation’s involvement in genocide and slavery. He created a large masked and heavily armed militarized force to arrest hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants. In the process, that force has repeatedly violated the Constitution and murdered dozens of people, including two U.S. citizens. Further, the 34-time convicted felon and litigated sexual assaulter has overseen the destruction of virtually every institution and norm that made our country great.

Seriously, why does that party continue to exist?

The U.S Is Facing Enormous Problems Most Politicians Are Afraid To Address.

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When WWII ended, it was thought that are problems were mostly over. We were paying down the wartime debt through income taxes on the wealthy of as much as 94 percent. Manufacturing was thriving. The middle class was growing with more Americans able to afford a home, a car and a good education for their children. And we had begun turning our attention toward eliminating persistent racism and sexism.

Then, beginning in the 1950s, our government and large corporations began meddling in the politics of other countries based on the fear of communism and the so-called Domino Theory. That led to the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the overthrow of democratically elected leaders in Iran, Chile, and elsewhere. And, as our nation’s power and influence spread, so did the power and greed of our corporations.

As a consequence of their globalization, industry consolidation and tax inequity, we have seen our nation change dramatically. The Citizens United decision permitted corporations and billionaires to quite literally purchase our government through campaign donations and influence. That led to growing wealth disparity, a weakened democracy, growing executive power, weakening international influence, increasing threats both domestically and abroad, the threat of environmental and climate disasters, a failure to transition to renewable energy, the threat of corporate and government controlled AI, the threat of corporations and billionaires controlling our food chain, massively increasing deficits and debt, competing ideologies with little hope of compromise, and a growing segment of the population that wants to tear everything down.

There are no easy and quick fixes to these problems. No answers that can be articulated in a sound bite. Few politicians are willing to risk losing their office by speaking out. Very few billionaires are willing to finance those who would address the issues at the risk of losing part of their fortunes. And even worse, few middle-class voters are willing to sacrifice their resource-depleting, energy-consuming, material-based lifestyle.

As I’ve written before, there will come a reckoning – perhaps the kind of collapse my grandparents faced when the banks and stock markets collapsed turning the Roaring 20s into the Great Depression. When many lost everything and an entire hard day’s work paid 50 cents to a dollar. Maybe less.

That may seem like ancient history not worth considering. Yes, it happened nearly 100 years ago. But there’s a lesson to be learned. Those generations thought it couldn’t happen to them, either. Yet it did, because then, like now, voters kept electing shortsighted politicians who refused to make hard decisions.

We can prevent such a calamity from repeating itself. We can overturn Citizens United and place severe limits on campaign contributions. We can create more jobs and reduce consumer costs by transitioning to renewable fuels. That will also benefit the environment and help head off the coming climate crisis and mass extinction. We can break up the 3 or 4 corporations that control almost every industry. We can address the federal debt by charging corporations for the infrastructure they use; by charging extraction industries for the natural resources they take; by making corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes; and by reducing our bloated military budget. We can make healthcare accessible and affordable for all Americans by implementing Medicare for all.

Unfortunately, those ideas are unpopular right now, especially among elected MAGA Republicans and their rightwing propaganda machine. And why not? They all profit handsomely from their obedience to the Felon and his billionaire friends who naturally oppose change. But there are a few politicians who understand that the future of our nation, and perhaps our planet, is at stake. People like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and most of the Democratic progressive caucus. People who understand the real issues and are willing to fight for ordinary Americans.

It’s long past time that we listen to them.

Why CBS Should Drop The C From Its Name.

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When Walter Cronkite was anchor of the CBS Evening News, he was quoted as saying, “My job isn’t to tell you what you want to hear. My job is to tell you what you need to hear.” But now that the Ellisons have purchased the network and put Bari Weiss in charge of its news operation, the job of current and future anchors will be to tell you what David Ellison wants you to hear.

That is no exaggeration. Given recent changes such as the dismantling of 60 Minutes, it’s abundantly clear that the network’s reporting will no longer be independent and objective. Instead, every news story will be forced through a MAGA filter for the benefit of its new billionaire owners.

Just what we needed: Another MAGA propaganda network to deceive and divide us.

Unfortunately, this one could be even more dangerous than Fox, Newsmax, OANN, The Blaze, Real America’s Voice, RSBN and all of the many rightwing radio networks. That’s because it had long earned the reputation as the most reliable broadcast news organization. The network of legends such as Edward R. Murrow, Douglas Edwards, Eric Severaid, Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, Connie Cheung, Scott Pelley and many, many others.

Unlike the network’s founders, the Ellisons obviously have no interest in facts and truth. They simply view their ownership as an opportunity to sway viewers to their rightwing ideology while, at the same time, adding to their billions in assets.

And, if their bid for Warner Bros. Discovery is approved, reporters at CNN will almost certainly suffer the same future.

Adding To Our $39 Trillion Debt: What Happens When You Trust The Economy To A Felon.

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When President Reagan took office in 1981, the national debt was under $1 trillion. By the time he left office, it had ballooned to nearly $3 trillion. President Clinton was able to slow the growth and eliminate annual deficits. Then George W. Bush oversaw three wars and a stock market crash that sent the debt soaring. By the time he left office the debt had climbed to more than $10 trillion. And, by the time President Obama was able to correct the economy, the debt had nearly doubled to more than $19 trillion.

Then the debt really started climbing. In his first term alone, despite inheriting a booming economy, the Felon-in-Chief added $7.8 trillion to the debt. Of course, that doesn’t count the trillions President Biden needed to resurrect the economy from the Felon’s failed response to the pandemic. Already in the Felon’s second term, the debt has increased another $2.7 trillion to more than $39 trillion, 133 percent of our GDP. And it’s expected that his tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy will add yet another $3.4 trillion over the next 10 years.

That means that the Felon is on track to add more than $14 trillion to the debt even as he cuts federal services for average Americans and safety nets for the needy!

And that doesn’t include the likely $2 trillion cost of his war of choice with Iran, the $1.776 billion slush fund for his criminal supporters, the tens of millions it cost for his many golf trips, the billions he wants to build a lavish ballroom and his Arch d’ Trump, and the billions his family will skim from the federal budget for their personal use.

Of course, you also have to consider the impact his war and illegal tariffs have had on the cost of living and the cost of health insurance, which have forced American families to spend many additional billions. And the growing possibility that, like W, he and his MAGA party will again crater the economy.

So, if you’re looking for a reason to elect Democrats in the 2026 and 2028 elections, I can give you trillions of them.

Rewarding Criminals, Seditionists And Traitors.

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Following the corrupt presidency of Richard Nixon and V.P. Spiro Agnew, every president willingly released their tax returns…until Donald J. Trump. Unlike previous presidents and Joe Biden, he not only refused to release his tax returns. He refused to place his investments into a blind trust and refused to divest from his businesses.

So, it seems only right that his tax returns were leaked along with thousands of others by an independent contractor working for the IRS. But Trump decided to file a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. It’s easy to see why he was furious: Two Trump-controlled entities were each convicted on 17 counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, making Trump a 34-count felon.

According to most legal experts, the Felon had virtually no chance of winning his $10 billion lawsuit. But his personal attorney acting as the U.S. Attorney General decided to settle the lawsuit for $1.776 billion to be used to pay those who claim to have been victims of the “weaponization” of the DOJ under Biden. Those “victims” include the roughly 1,600 violent thugs and would-be murderers who violently beat police officers as they attacked the nation’s Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

It’s bad enough that the family of Ashli Babbit, the Jan. 6 attacker who was shot as she climbed through a shattered window into the barricaded Speaker’s Lobby, is reported to have negotiated a wrongful death lawsuit with the DOJ for $5 million.  But this!!? This is a bridge way too far!

Todd Blanche calls the $1.776 billion a settlement. Others have called it a slush fund, a payoff to the Felon’s MAGA supporters. But I suggest we call it what it really is: A heist. The extortion of $1,776 billion in taxpayer funds. And that’s only a portion of the fraud committed by the Felon-in-Chief who is blatantly using his office to enrich himself, his family and his friends.

Even worse, this so-called settlement also gives the Felon, his family, and his companies full and permanent immunity from IRS audits and charges of tax fraud – quite literally a license to continue to steal.

As a result, it seems appropriate that banners with the Felon’s image now adorn the Department of Justice building. It’s clear that the DOJ is wholly owned by the criminal occupying the Oval Office.

The Real Costs Of Corporate Welfare.

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Increasingly, living wages and employee benefits are being replaced by shrinking government assistance and private donations. Walmart’s wages have long been so low that the corporation almost automatically helps new employees sign up for government programs. The narrative is that it helps assure low consumer prices. And that may be true. But the unavoidable reality is that it ensures higher compensation for executives and massive profits for America’s wealthiest family – the Waltons.

The same is true for the many multinational corporations that have offshored manufacturing jobs to avoid paying living wages along with health and retirement benefits to American employees. Corporations benefit from using public infrastructure and resources often without contributing to their cost. They also often pollute our air, land and water without consequence and when they are brought to account, the officers often declare bankruptcy and simply walk away. At the same time, those corporations lobby for more incentives, lower taxes, and ever-decreasing government assistance for the very people they have helped to impoverish.

Another of their legacies is to have bought up their competition and consolidated industries to the point that they can fix prices. This process has also turned small and medium-size cities into relative ghost towns. The inevitable outcome is that they have created vast wealth disparity and a government run by corporate-fueled oligarchs. At the same time, they are funding, developing and utilizing Artificial Intelligence to replace even more human employees.

Both political parties have responsibility for the conundrum we face. But one in particular – the Republican/MAGA Party – has embraced and enabled it. In return, the politicians have benefited from millions in campaign donations and golden parachutes waiting for their retirement from government.

For many reasons, this pattern cannot continue. Corporations cannot exist without customers who can afford to purchase their products and services. And a government cannot long exist if it ignores the needs of its citizens.

However, this sort of corporate greed has existed for so long, any changes will be extraordinarily painful.

With our national debt now exceeding our GDP, even with massive increases in corporate taxes and a substantial wealth tax, positive change will demand difficult decisions. Using antitrust laws to break up the 3 or 4 corporations that now control entire industries will likely lead to precipitous drops in the stock markets affecting our individual retirement accounts. Encouraging entrepreneurship that leads to more small businesses – the heart of our economy – will require more affordable loans along with increased funding for research and technology, as well as student loan forgiveness.

Since a healthy population is more productive and less costly than an unhealthy one, universal healthcare will have to replace our for-profit insurance system. By most estimates that will save $313.5 billion per year. But it will also make the nearly $2 trillion health insurance industry largely unnecessary putting nearly 3 million people out of work. Of course, many of those workers could be employed by the federal government to regulate suppliers and prevent fraud.

Likewise, creating a fairer and simpler tax system would decimate the $16.2 billion tax preparation industry. And, as with the previous example, some of those workers could be hired by the government to review tax returns and prevent fraud.

Effectively taking on the climate crisis will inevitably eliminate jobs by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. But it could create even more jobs in what will necessarily become a more robust sustainable energy sector. It will also result in cleaner air and water and perhaps save our planet as we know it.

Addressing the decline of rural areas is equally complicated. It requires restoring locally owned and operated farms and ending the corporate takeover of land and resources. It requires new and more sustainable farming practices along with more crop diversity and more reliable commodity prices. It requires the rebuilding of manufacturing facilities in mid-sized towns. Failing that, it requires the subsidy and relocation of those rural citizens who no longer have reasonable prospects of employment to earn a living wage.

Though difficult, the transformation of our economy would yield great benefits. Creating a universal healthcare system would mean that corporations would no longer have to foot the bill for health insurance which is often the equivalent of employee’s salaries. Given the increased costs of international shipping, that alone might be incentive enough to cause corporations to bring back manufacturing jobs. That could increase competition for employees leading to higher, more livable wages. That, in turn, would likely reduce crime and allow typical American families to exist on a single household salary which could negate the need for expensive daycare. Savings that could be put toward retirement.

In addition, by requiring corporations and their officers to pay their fair share in taxes and by eliminating corporate welfare, there would more money to offset the cost of the transition and leading to programs that could further benefit society, such as free public education for all, including university tuition.

Transitioning to a more fair and sustainable economy will be challenging. But continuing along the path we are currently on will be worse. Much worse.

Proof Of Trump’s Sedition.

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If there was ever a question that the Felon launched the January 6 insurrection, it has been clearly answered by his actions since returning to the Oval Office.

On the first day of his second term, he pardoned nearly 1,600 of his thug supporters who were awaiting trial, had pled guilty, or were convicted of crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit sedition to brutally beating capitol police officers to obstructing an official proceeding to unlawfully entering and vandalizing a restricted area. And, although no one was charged with the crime, it was also clear that many of those arrested planned to murder VP Mike Pence in addition to Democratic senators and representatives.

In his congressional testimony, special prosecutor Jack Smith testified that he not only had obtained grand jury indictments against the Felon for leading the insurrection and trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. But he firmly believes he had enough evidence to secure a conviction. After all, there is an abundance of video of the plot as it unfolded.

Yet the Felon has indicated that he plans to reward his thuggish January 6 followers with $1.7 billion of taxpayer funds as compensation for their efforts!

Combined, all of that would surely be enough evidence to get a conviction of sedition in any court in the land. But sadly, it’s not enough to sway a single Republican to vote for impeachment, let alone a conviction.

That should tell you everything you need to know about the MAGA/Republican Party’s willingness to see justice and our constitution corrupted in its quest for power. It is certainly no longer the “party of law and order” it claimed to be.

Moreover, the party’s actions speak volumes about the lack of patriotism, ethics and morality of those who voted for the 34-count convicted felon. They not only set aside the standard that normally prevents a felon from holding office. A significant percentage of voters was willing to overlook his convictions for fraud and a jury’s decision that he had committed sexual assault, as well as the numerous and credible accusations of rape, including that of a 13-year-old!

Of course, there’s the Access Hollywood tape in which he brags about grabbing women between the legs and walking into the dressing room of the Miss Teen USA pageant to see contestants naked. There’s his longtime friendship with a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker, his adultery and philandering, his many thousands of lies, his delight in acts of cruelty, his obvious ties to Russia, our nation’s greatest external threat, and his obvious mishandling of the nation’s secrets.

But none of that seemed to matter to millions of Americans. They claim to have voted for the man because he promised them lower grocery prices – prices that had become inflated due to his policies and mishandling of the pandemic during his previous term in office.

Even now, many of those voters are willing to overlook spiraling inflation caused by his folly in Iran, his corruption of our justice system and many of our most beloved institutions, his dictatorial and narcissistic behavior, his obvious dementia, and his unconstitutional use of the government to enrich his family. For them, his racism and misogyny aren’t faults, they’re strengths.

Contrary to his supporters’ beliefs, he’s not the second coming of Christ. He’s the second coming of Idi Amin.

Feeding The Felon’s Ego.

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I believe Trump’s vision of a White House ballroom encapsulates the entire Trump presidency, indeed his entire life. First, he decides to build a grandiose ballroom in his name. He and his friends will pay for it, and it will be attached to the East Wing. But don’t worry, the East Wing will not be touched. Instead, it was demolished. Then we were assured that the new East Wing and the ballroom would be even better. And they would be funded by private donors. No taxpayer funds needed. Now…now we are told that building the ballroom is a matter of national security, and it will cost taxpayers a billion dollars!

None of this should come as a surprise. In the Trump regime, EVERYTHING IS A LIE! A lie to feed the insatiable ego of a deeply flawed individual.

Though he has done nothing to advance the lives of others (in fact, the lives of most Americans are demonstrably worse for his malignant narcissism), the Felon-in-Chief has a grandiose vision of himself as some sort of savior. A leader so revered that the entire capital city and all of America’s symbols should pay tribute to him.

Like Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, and other despots before him, he wants his image and his name plastered everywhere. Not satisfied with seeing his name in cartoonishly large letters atop hotels, on golf courses, on airplanes and the like, he wants to see it on theaters, government buildings, and airports. And, of course on his grandiose ballroom and an even more self-aggrandizing “Arch d’ Trump.”

He even has expectations of seeing his highly punchable face on Mt. Rushmore. Who knows? Before he can be dragged out of the now gold encrusted Oval Office, he may try to rename the White House after himself, or the District of Columbia, or the entire nation.

“Welcome to Trumplandia, formerly known as the United States of America.”

And what has the Felon done to earn this greater than George Washington legacy? He pushed his way into office with help from Russia and its highly dangerous leader. He embraced bullies, racists, thugs, and terrorists of every kind. He weakened our international standing and alienated our most reliable allies. He destroyed our democracy’s most valuable institutions and traditions and turned Americans against one another as never before. He reshaped the Supreme Court and is in the midst of politicizing the entire judicial system.

His national police force has terrorized cities. His “War Department” has committed war crimes. He has set back race and gender relations by more than 50 years. He has rolled back regulations and compromised our environment. His failed response to the pandemic killed more than a million Americans and tanked our economy. He cut off food and medical aid to impoverished people around the world leading to millions more deaths. He has imprisoned and deported thousands of law-abiding immigrants who had become necessary parts of our communities. With the help of RFK, jr., he has made the world even more vulnerable to the next pandemic.

He started a war of choice that has destabilized the Middle East and crippled world economies. He has overseen a regime of unparalleled corruption. In just the first year of his second term, he has used his title to enrich his family with more than $4 billion. And by the time he’s done, he will likely have doubled the national debt.

Given all this, I submit there is only one fitting monument to bear his name: A prison. Who else is for renaming Gitmo?

The Coming Reckoning.

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In the 1930s and late 1960s, the U.S. experienced unparalleled social progress under Democratic leadership that made life better for the vast majority of Americans. In the 1930s, we saw the official end of the Gilded Age along with the economic rescue of millions of Americans after the Great Depression thanks to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR also created Social Security which meant that after a lifetime of work most Americans could finally experience a comfortable retirement.

Though he is most known for a war he did not start, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He also created Medicare and Medicaid as part of his war on poverty.

Though he never served as president, Ralph Nader had an enormous impact on our quality of life in the 1970s. As a result of his efforts, the Freedom of Information Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Clean Water Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act, and the Whistleblower Protection Act were born. He also influenced the creation of the EPA to help clean up our environment and OSHA to improve the safety of workers.

In 1998, 1999, 2000 and part of 2001, after digging us out of a recession, President Bill Clinton oversaw federal budget surpluses for the first time in decades. This despite the fact that he invested heavily in education and technology, in additional police to lower crime, and in health initiatives such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Earned Income Tax Credit to help low-income families.

President Barack Obama continued the tradition of Democratic presidents repairing the economy after Republican shortcomings by digging us out of the Great Recession. He also created the Affordable Care Act to give tens of millions of Americans access to affordable health insurance. In addition, he pushed for initiatives to mitigate climate change.

And, like Democratic presidents before him, President Joe Biden rescued the economy following the botched pandemic response. He succeeded in getting an infrastructure bill passed after many before him had failed. And he oversaw historic investments in clean energy.

For their part, Republicans have almost universally fought all of these accomplishments along the way. Beginning with President Nixon, we have seen increased attacks on voting rights. And beginning with President Reagan, we have experienced the growth of corporate consolidation and wealth disparity until, in 2014, the U.S. was officially recognized as an oligarchy, which Wikipedia defines as “a type of political system in which the wealthiest citizens deploy unique and concentrated power to defend their unique minority interests.”

In other words, for decades politicians and their benefactors have rigged our government for their personal gain to the point that a significant percentage of our population feels so helpless they want to tear it all down. We’ve watched politics become a profession. We’ve witnessed unparalleled corruption by politicians and corporate leaders as they mortgage our nation’s future.

For example, the national debt now exceeds our GDP as a result of too many wars of choice which have led to uncontrolled military spending. Adding to the problem is the loss of revenue from continuous tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations. Former high-paying jobs have been shipped overseas so corporations can avoid paying worker benefits in their never-ending quest for increased corporate profits. Most industries have been captured by a few corporations that too often collude with one another to fix prices and flex their lobbying muscle for special treatment. This corporate consolidation has led to the collapse of many communities, especially in rural areas. Meanwhile multinationals and foreign corporations have set about controlling agriculture by swallowing up farmland and groundwater sources.

Americans’ overall health and lifespan have been diminished as a result of food scarcity, poor nutrition and lack of access to healthcare. Despite overpowering evidence of the causes and consequences of climate change, the oligarchs and many politicians have buried their heads in the sand refusing to acknowledge that it will devastate our planet with mass extinctions of species (maybe our own) along with extreme weather events, increased wildfires, sea level rise and weakening ocean currents. In addition, climate change is leading to mass migration which places stress on host nations often ending with human rights violations as we’ve seen in the U.S.

The extraction of commodities such as lumber, fossil fuels and minerals is given priority over our more important natural resources such as clean air and water, healthy forests, the diversity of wildlife and even human lives.

Moreover, our Constitution is under attack as never before. Billionaire oligarchs have taken control of our media turning long-standing news organizations into propaganda outlets that ignore reality and spew misinformation to advance their interests. Religion, race, gender and sexual preference are again being used as weapons to distract and divide us.

We are finally reaching the point where our democracy and our corrupted economy can no longer coexist. It is time for a reckoning.

It is time for congressional term limits and accountability for corruption. It is time for an effective FEC, election transparency, and limits on campaign financing. It is time to eliminate all forms of voter suppression and to make Election Day a national holiday. It is time for a strong FCC and the restoration of the Fairness Doctrine. It is time for a truly independent judiciary and Department of Justice. It is time for a wealth tax and real tax fairness. It is time for the application of antitrust laws, the reversal of Buckley v Valeo and the overturning of Citizens United.

It is time for universal healthcare and effective gun laws. It is time to fully fund and restore our public education system that was once the envy of the world. It is time to restore our international standing and strengthen relationships with allies.

And perhaps most important of all, it is time to address climate change with the urgency it requires as if the future of our planet depends on it. Because it does.