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. Instead, I/we need to obey the Rule of Holes: When you’re in a hole, stop digging. I.e., stop doing what is counter-productive.
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, even as productivity has soared.
It isn’t quite as convenient for the rest of us.
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. Same for many corporations thanks to our tax codes, written by – wait for it – big 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 for the benefit of the rich and penalizing 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 driving our GDP 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 pouring 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 will 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 grade 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.
- Re: replacement theory. Do you know of any American citizens who will do stoop labor harvesting lettuce? Do you know of America citizens willing to do construction site clean-ups? Once Trump has kicked them all out of the country, what do you suppose that will mean for you?
- No caravan of rapists and murderers has or ever will arrive.
- 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, decrease people’s standard of living and make foreign enemies out 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.
In the midst of the blizzard of stupid Trumpian executive orders and assaults on the agencies we created to serve us, 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. Here are two.
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 that 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 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 what We The People want.
TAKE ACTION
T
here 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
Click me
The Marsh Family Singers do some wonderful political parodies and this one is most timely.
We must not let slip from our memories the astonishing national defense threat of Signal Gate. It is the work of our not-so-esteemed top executive department officials. Now they and the Master Liars in the White House are gaslighting us to try to make their massive breach of our safety look tame. Have a look and listen to this Marsh Family offering.
Best Graphic of This Election
That’s the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in the background. Sorry, can’t give attribution.
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.
Click me
JA
Copyright 2025 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.
by congressional Republicans, although there have been many massively stupid things said in defense of the indefensible. How come?
were unthinkable evils; a day when we not only made commitments, like Social Security and health benefits for our veterans, but we kept them, too; a day when we didn’t have ignorants talking parents out of protecting their kids from deadly diseases, when our officials understood the meaning of “Top Secret” and took extra care to protect our nation. Maybe you remember that America, too.
