Reasons Why USA's Fed Government = World's Biggest Bully

In this essay, I'm not claiming these reasons are the only ones or necessarily the most egregious ones.  Nor are they equal in magnitude.  Nevertheless, taken together they do show a pattern of self-righteous bullying, and sometimes outright illegality.  The items in the list below are not in any order of importance.
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1.  Not long ago and undoubtedly at the direction of the White House, Nikki Haley (no relation to me) threatened countries with consequences if they didn't go along with the policies of the current anti-Science Administration.  Thank heaven she'll be resigning her post, but I imagine she'll be replaced by someone else who, like Trump, thinks the USA is King of the World.  Threatening allies and others is bullying; doing it in public is egregious, political claptrap.

2.  At the same time that the White House and Congress are braying about Russia, and now China, interfering in our elections, John Bolton is talking about overthrowing the government of Iran.  Is not overthrowing a gov't the ultimate example of interference?  Not only bullying, but the word "hypocrisy" comes to mind...big-time.  [Then there's the fact that the USA's & Britain's governments, back in the 1950's, participated in the coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected gov't.  Why?  Because the new leader wanted Iran's oil to be for Iran... what audacity.  Then, too, there's the fact that the USA's gov't engineered coups in other countries, such as Guatemala and Chili.  More bullying and hypocrisy.]

3.  Starting with Obama and continuing with Trump, the Executive Branch is developing so-called tactical (low-yield) nuclear weapons.  Some of the Fed policy makers apparently believe that the use of such weapons will not have any serious, long-term, detrimental effects on life on Earth.  In other words, they seem to think that nuclear weapons can be used without much harm to the planet and its ecosystems.

No one knows any such thing.  That use would be a most dangerous experiment.  So far, evidence regarding radiation indicates any such use would be a disaster.  The point here is that development of these weapons is bald-faced bullying.  Do what we say, or we'll nuke you.

4.  The idea of "Preemptive War" probably didn't start with the Dubya Bush Administration, but that Admin claimed that the execution of the concept was legal...hence, the disastrous Iraq War.  In the simplest terms, Preemptive War means:  we are going to attack you because you might be planning to attack us.  Furthermore, we're so special that we're positive you are planning that.  We can predict the future.

Preemptive War is not only unconstitutional, it's also immoral, unethical, and in defiance of common sense.  It bespeaks a gross distortion and subversion of "American Exceptionalism".  As far as I can determine, every fairly recent Administration at the Fed level has believed in it.  There's no doubt at all that Trump embraces it.  This is bullying to the max.

5.  Regarding recent Fed treatment of Native Americans/American Indians---
when it comes to oil pipelines (such as DAPL), the Executive Branch seems to be saying:  we don't care about the risk to your water, or the desecration of your burial grounds, or the desecration of other holy sites.  We are issuing the permit for this, no matter what you say or do.

Furthermore, we are going to bypass the Fed Law requirement for an Environmental Impact Statement on this project.  We can do that because we claim that each section of the pipeline is like a "spur line", which has no such requirement.  Plus, we now have an autocrat-wannabe President who thinks he's above the Law.  Finally, oil is "National Security".  When it comes to that, we can ignore any Law we choose.  More bullying.

6.  Since the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London decision, Fed Eminent Domain applies to taking land for economic development.  That means your land can be (after just compensation) seized and then sold or given to a company for private development.  That's now considered "Public Use"... because of the taxes generated.  This Court decision was/is outrageous.

Our Fed Gov't doesn't bully only other countries and American Indians.  It does so to all of us.

7.  The tactics of the IRS sometimes are Gestapo-like.  I've experienced something like that personally.  They don't mind being bullies at all.
[SIDE NOTE:  By the way, the first permanent Income Tax (1913) applied only to about the top 2% of the population, and did not include taxation of wages.  Only passive income was taxed under that Law.]

8.  Regarding treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants, separation of 6,000 family members, caging kids, misleading parents, etc.---
This current Administration has acted horribly, immorally, and in an unchristian manner.  It's truly incredible, and all just to make a political point.  Shabby bullying for political gain.  Inexcusable.
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Why We the People enable politicians such as these to "represent" us is beyond my comprehension.  As I've said before, massive boycotting could correct the situation and bring down the whole House of Cards.  Unfortunately, that probably never will happen.  Oligarchs/Plutocrats will continue to rule.  The root blame for that is Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  C'est la vie.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Appalling Gall of the U.S. Government

From beyond the grave, George Orwell must be having a belly-busting laugh.  I wonder if he knew that his writings were so prophetic.

On the News tonight (Sunday, April 22), there was a piece titled "Accidental Americans".  It was about a few folks who had been born decades ago in the USA, and then shortly thereafter, they and their families went back home to (in these cases) France.  By "shortly thereafter", I mean days or a couple of weeks.

Enter the Fed Government's IRS...that's the part of our Gov't to which I'm referring in the title above.  The IRS has decided that income taxes should be levied against not only residents, but anyone born here as well...even if they left as babies, never to reside here again.  So now these adults in France (and probably some other countries) are faced with US Income Taxes on their French incomes.  That makes no sense whatsoever.  I challenge anyone to explain sensibly how that action is justifiable.

The US IRS has a long history of exhibiting very little common sense.  This is another example of that; additionally, the agency too often adopts Gestapo-like tactics in "enforcement" actions.  It also glaringly shows how the Fed Gov't often displays zero respect for an individual's sovereignty.

I suspect that some people, perhaps many, fail to grasp the concept of "sovereignty".  It seems that too many people believe only The State has sovereignty, and that the concept does not apply to individuals.  In an ethical world/society, The State only REPRESENTS the sovereignty of We the People.  It's individuals who possess sovereignty, not governments.  That's why Plutocracies and Oligarchies around the globe constantly are propagandizing their citizens to believe that they live in a "democracy".  The USA is a prime example:  we don't live in a democracy; instead, it's a Plutocracy through and through.  It always has been.  The few politicians in our history who tried to change that were either marginalized or eliminated.

Wake up, Americans--- the Rich & Super-Rich rule us...to their benefit, and our detriment.  Now they're trying to do the same to people who don't even live here, and never have worked here.  Kudos to the lady in France who stated in the News interview:  "I'm not going to pay it [the U.S.-imposed income taxes].".  Why should she?  She never worked here in her whole life!  The gall of the IRS is beyond the pale.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"They" Should Abolish the IRS, and...

just print more money. I ran into a guy in town who said that very thing to me. He had noticed the messages on my cargo van (that are of a Libertarian nature), and so struck up a conversation. I laughed at his comment and replied, "Yeah, out of thin air, like they do now."
He replied, "I'm serious."

I thought about his comments later, and decided that maybe he's onto something. This government of ours long ago abandoned the principles of the Austrian School of Economics, and instead, embraced Keynesian economic thought. The DC dopes do not care one whit that when they increase deficit spending or print money out of thin air, they further devalue the dollar. So, given that philosophy, what's the difference? Just abolish the IRS and print more money.

They don't need the IRS; all they need is a printing press! At least, according to their economic philosophy, that's all they need.

Do a little research when you have time and discover what it is, according to the Constitution, that constitutes "money" in this country. Then realize that the Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land, has never been amended to accommodate what passes for "money" today. That's because it is much easier to pass a LAW...even if it's unconstitutional...than it is to amend the Constitution. Plus, despite protestations to the contrary, most of our "representatives" in DC consider the Constitution to be an anachronism. They can't be bothered to amend it.