April 5: Fixin’ What’s Broke – v2
POST 1165
Holes
It is clear that I am out of step with today’s political realities that have been Big Lied to us for decades. We need to obey the Rule of Holes: When you’re in a hole, stop digging.
We’ve been told that “Corporations are people, my friend,” and we know that our Supreme Court wholeheartedly believes that, because they gave corporations all the same rights as a flesh and blood human being; someone like you.
We’ve practiced absolute obeisance to corporate shareholders as the very most important stakeholders, while ignoring workers. That’s very convenient for some people.
80% of stocks and bonds are owned by the top 10% wealthiest Americans. In other words, the wealthy prioritize what makes them even more wealthy, like increasing shareholder wealth.
While CEO income has grown over 1000%, working class Americans’ income has been essentially stagnant for decades.
While all this has been going on we have dramatically reduced taxes on the wealthy, to the point that many of them pay next to nothing for the blessings of being Americans, as do many corporations.
Our rate of growth in economic output (GDP) is a fraction of China’s and there are good reasons for that, many of them driven by our consistently being short sighted, something from which the Chinese do not suffer. We’ve made some impressively stupid decisions, like:
– massively cutting taxes to benefit the rich and penalize our working class with insulting, no-help pittances
– incentivizing “off-shoring” of our jobs, which has dramatically cut millions of jobs, thereby reducing consumer spending and constricting our economy
– “right-sizing” businesses, which means firing workers, forcing those who remain to work harder to increase productivity and refusing to pay them more
- Over 70% of our national economic activity is spending by We The People. But that’s drastically constrained when most of the money goes to the richest few, who invest most of their money, rather than pour it back into our economy through spending. In that way, not only our people, but our nation suffers.
- At the same time, we are left feeling betrayed – because we have been. The hollow promises of something better leaves us no better than filled with despair or, worse, with fury. It doesn’t have to be that way. We know, because there was a time when things weren’t that way in this country,
- All of that is made worse by our hiring a know nothing circus barker felon to run our country, someone whose primary skill is dangling bright, shiny objects before us to distract us from his malfeasance and know-nothing-ness. When we fall for the flim-flam, eventually our sense of betrayal is multiplied.
The old saying is that if we always do what we’ve always done, we’ll always get what we always got. Maybe you prefer Einstein’s way of explaining our current idiocy: Insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. Most of our domestic problems and some of our international challenges can be solved with a few simple actions – a bit of doing something different.
- Increase the minimum wage to at least $25 per hour. Then people will have money in their pockets to spend and thereby grow our economy.
- Raise taxes on the rich and on corporations. In the 1950s top marginal rates were in the vicinity of 90% and our economy was booming, so don’t fall for the BS whining that higher tax rates will kill our economy.
- Do not deport undocumented immigrants. They are the backbone of our food and construction industries, as well as others. We are going to figure that out quickly, as housing and food prices skyrocket due to Trump’s stupid, often illegal deportations.
- Welcome immigrants, especially asylum seekers. They will become grateful, hard working new citizens.
- Instantly end our self-defeating tariffs. All they do is drag down our economy, people’s standard of living and make foreign enemies of former friends.
It may be that you prefer not to take my word on these complicated issues. That’s wise. Instead, read Scott Galloway’s words and listen to the messages from Richard Wolff. Each is a Royal Smart Person who explains important stuff in language we understand.
This post may seem simplistic, I know, but it just may be that we can help ourself a lot by going back to some simple things that worked for us before,
These ideas stand even in the midst of the blizzard of stupid Trumpian executive orders and assaults on the agencies we created to serve us, so it’s easy to just focus on the outrage du jour. But that’s not helpful. It’s easy to lose sight of the basics and be overwhelmed and immobilized, but those aren’t good options. There are two really good options.
The first is to realize that more money in your pocket works for you like it does for everyone else. It greatly eases your life and makes you and all of us happier campers. We buy more stuff and our economy grows. We aren’t as afraid all the time and that makes us willing to work with others, rather than hate everyone who is so much as a smidgen different from us. And it begins to erase the feelings of betrayal that have crushed our trust of one another and which have been gnarling our guts for decades. The steps above will accomplish all of that. And no American will be “displaced” by foreign “others.”
The second option is to stand up for what you know is right and against what you know to be wrong. Passivity will not help you.
It’s that Rule of Holes thing. It’s long past time to stop digging, making things worse, and instead start building.
TAKE ACTION
There will be a huge demonstration in DC this Saturday, April 5, organized by Indivisible, 50-50-1, Mobilize.us, Women’s March and many more organizations, all demanding of TrumpMusk, “HANDS OFF!“
The beauty is that you don’t have to be in DC to stand and be counted. There will be rallies that day all across the nation. Stand tall. Make your voice heard. Being passive is the same as making yourself a victim and losing everything. You don’t want that to happen.
Click here or on the map to the right to find a rally near you. Then SHOW UP on April 5!
Pass this along to at least 3 others – and bring a friend to the rally.
And watch this..
Just For Fun
The Marsh Family Singers do some wonderful political parodies. Lest we let slip the astonishing national defense threat of Signal Gate our not-so-esteemed top executive department officials created due to the ongoing snow job coming from the White House, have a look and listen to this Marsh Family offering.
Did someone forward this post to you? Welcome! Please subscribe – use the simple form above on the right. And pass this along to three others, encouraging them to subscribe, too. (IT’S A FREEBIE!) It’s going to take ALL OF US to get the job done.
And add your comments below to help us all to be better informed.
Thanks!
The Fine Print:
- Writings quoted or linked from my posts reflect a point I want to make, at least in part. That does not necessarily mean that I endorse or agree with everything in such writings.
- There are lots of smart, well-informed people. Sometimes we agree; sometimes we don’t. Search for others’ views and decide for yourself.
- Errors in fact, grammar, spelling and punctuation are all embarrassingly mine, but I do wish that I could blame someone else. Glad to have your corrections.
- Book links to Amazon are provided for reference only. Please purchase your books through your local mom & pop bookstore. Keep them and your town or neighborhood vibrant.
- Clicking on most pics in these posts will take you to the source information.
- Comments offered by readers, whether in agreement with my opinions or opposing, are encouraged and greatly appreciated. All are reviewed prior to going live. I reserve the right to edit for readability, punctuation, typos and to exclude those I deem inappropriate.
- Responsibility for the content of these posts is unequivocally, totally, unavoidably mine.
JA
Copyright 2025 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.