The Two-Party Political System in the USA was Founded by Plutocrats

 Here's only a tiny part of the current state of American politics.  Each description at each link is extremely brief---

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/house_denounces_horrors_of_socialism_in_bipartisan_resolution

[Here are some of the "horrors of socialism" in the USA:  national parks, public roads, public libraries, public health clinics, social security retirement, & anything else not privatized.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/1_000_children_are_yet_to_be_reunited_with_families_after_separation_at_us_mexico_border

[This borders on criminality perpetrated by Repub AND Dem elected officials & appointed bureaucrats.  Perhaps arguably, it's child abuse.]

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/2/3/headlines/guantanamo_prisoner_majid_khan_freed_and_resettled_after_2_decades_of_detention_years_of_torture

["The U.S. continues to hold 34 prisoners at Guantánamo. Only 11 of them have been charged in military tribunals."  What an egregious shame on American national politicians.  ALL humans have certain rights, including criminals, terrorists, SUSPECTS, & the like.]

HISTORY MATTERS---

The first political Parties in the USA were the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans (AKA, the Anti-Federalists).  They were formed by the first political "bosses" about twenty years after the founding of our country.  Alexander Hamilton was the Head of the Federalists, and they were in favor of a strong central government.  When the USA was forming in the mid-1770's, Hamilton favored a monarchy for our type of government; he believed we should have a King.  Thomas Jefferson was the Head of the Democratic-Republicans, and they favored strong States' Rights.

These first American political Parties were formed by the members of the social elite, the rich plutocrats of that time.  Almost all of them "owned" hundreds of slaves, and believed only the aristocracy should rule a country.  Twenty years prior to the formal organization of the two Parties, these same men formed our government.  They did not favor a democracy, and often described same as "two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner".

They finally settled on a Constitutional Republic in which "all men are created equal", except of course, for slaves.  Women couldn't vote, and members of the Senate were not elected; instead, they were appointed to office.

Time passed, and things changed.  Now we're the "land of the free and the home of the brave".  I agree we're brave.  One has to be when putting up with politicians who favor mega banks, perpetual war, fossil fuels, policing the world, the American Empire, the rich & powerful, and Edward Bernays style propaganda.  But, are you "free" - from debt, from job insecurity, from the rat-race, from pollution (e.g., the "forever chemicals" and the nano-plastics in your body), from a fractured and atomized society, from the super high cost of living, from a government too large to be managed properly, from "food deserts" scattered all across the country, from weather extremes which could have been mitigated on the macro-scale, from inflation (the hidden tax)?  If not, then place much of the blame on a broken TWO-PARTY system which is largely run by Oligarchs and/or their influence.

Don't jump to conclusions.  No one loves this country more than I do.  It's a false myth which says if you love your country, then you must support the scoundrels who are running it.  Plutocrats promote that baloney.  The aristocracy wants you to believe such nonsense.  As Warren Buffett once stated fairly recently:  "There's a Class War going on in this country, and my side is winning.".  So true, Mr. Buffett.

It doesn't have to be that way.  Stop drinking the propaganda kool-aid coming from Repubs AND Dems.  Overwhelmingly, they are on the same Team (except for a few social hot-button issues), and it's not yours.  They are on Team Oligarchy.

So, what's to be done?

1.  If you're a Democrat, don't ever vote for one of your "centrist/moderate" candidates (unless he/she is running against someone like Trump).  They are NOT centrists; they are corporatists.  They are part of the Big Business Establishment.  Instead, support Progressives.  They have their flaws, but they're the closest thing to being democratic (with a small letter "d") in the Corporatist Dem Party.  The Dem Party of the past is long-gone, replaced by neoliberalism.

After Sanders was completely shafted by the DNC, it's amazing to me that any Progressives remained in the so-called Dem Party.  They all should have dumped it.  I'm guessing they believe they'll change it from the inside.  That's highly unlikely.  It's a rigged game, rigged by billions of dollars.

2.  If you're a Republican, be aware that the Repub Party also is long-gone; it has been co-opted first by Neoconservatives, and then by Neoliberals.  They support Big Biz over Small Biz.  They egregiously promulgate Corporate Globalization and monopolies.  The only thing they want to conserve is Rule by Plutocrats.  They favor industrial farming over smaller family farms.  They abhor competition in the marketplace.  They don't give a damn about your religion, your ethics, or your belief in conservatism.  In short, you've been bamboozled.

Your best hope is to dump the so-called Repub Party, and become an Independent or perhaps a Libertarian (although, you probably won't care for the liberal side of libertarianism).  You're fairly well shafted, partly because most likely you don't know much at all about Russell Kirk, the Founder of Modern Day Conservatism.  Without knowing it, you allowed genuine conservatism to be replaced by neoliberalism.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Too Many Toxic Male Police in the USA

 Yes, the police often have a frustrating, dangerous job to perform.  Kudos to those who manage to perform it in a sane, responsible, and professional manner.  Unfortunately, too many don't.  They appear to be ruled by toxic emotions, a lack of ethics, and zero professionalism.  ASAP, they need to be weeded out of police ranks.  All this has been obvious for years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7R-9DUBOAA

From the get-go, the behavior of the police toward Mr. Nichols was utterly unprofessional and toxic.  Very quickly, it turned to criminal.  Then it became inhumane.  I don't care what Mr. Nichols did or didn't do, he never should have been treated in such a manner.

To all Police Departments everywhere:

Whenever you stop, detain, or arrest someone, that person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and must be treated as such.  You are not a court of law.  If a "suspect" argues with you, or struggles because he or she is afraid of you, or even runs from you, it is your job to resolve the situation in a humane, professional way.  You are not allowed to beat the person to a pulp.  If you can't handle those rules, then get out of law enforcement and stay out.

In this case, the two policemen who are pleading innocent to murder should have done everything possible to try and stop the beating of Mr. Nichols.  It appears they didn't try at all.

This overall, systemic problem in law enforcement must be dealt with immediately by all police administrations.  Toxic, bullying individuals must be kicked out and kept out.  A code of ethics must be rigorously implemented and enforced.  Failure in these matters is on the heads of those in charge of departments.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/25/frida_berrigan_doomsday_clock

It borders on insanity that common folks in the relatively free countries (out of 9 total***) which produce & own nuke weapons aren't persistently calling for a ban on such weapons.  Even a number of high-ranking military folks, such as retired Colonel Andrew Bacevich, have stated nukes are unnecessary for the defense of any nation.

[***Many more than 9 "host" (or endorse) U.S. nukes]

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists now have their "Doomsday Clock" set at 90 seconds to midnight.

All our recent Presidents are in favor of so-called "lower yield, tactical" nukes.  Obama launched a 10-yr program (continued by Trump & Biden) to expand and upgrade our nuke arsenal.  Such action demonstrates an ecological ignorance beyond comprehension.

On top of all that, more production of nukes means more nuke waste (which produces ionizing radiation for thousands of years).  The waste we have already is temporarily being stored at whatever site generates it.  That's been going on since the mid-1940's.  There have been big problems, and they continue.

Ike's "military-industrial complex" rolls on, and very few people seem to care, or maybe they feel there's nothing they can do about it.  Here's something you can do about it:

https://www.icanw.org/join  And here's part of why you should,

https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The most important ontological issue ever faced by humans,

 and how we deal with it will determine the degree to which we create a sustainable existence for ourselves and our descendants.

The link below will take you to an open access book.  It's free, no cost to you at all, and published by Springer Nature, Switzerland.  You can download it either as a pdf or epub file.  In both cases, the Table of Contents has active links to each topic.

There's also the option to buy a hardcover copy.  It's pricey.  You may want to see if a used copy is available at Thriftbooks.com

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-99031-2

Based on my half-century-long study of ecology and human impact 

on the environment, I contend that this book is one of the most 

important ever written.  Some people steeped in formal religion, or 

science, or both, might find it outrageous.  Hopefully, they also will be 

open-minded enough to at least consider the concepts presented.

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Be Well

Desertification of almost ALL of the USA...

 is accelerating.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwJABxjcvUc&list=WL&index=90

The geologist, John Wesley Powell, predicted it well over 100 years ago, and tried to get Congress to mitigate it.  Too bad they didn't listen; worse, they (in general) still aren't listening.  This short clip is about geography, ecology, population dynamics, food, politics, and FRESH WATER availability.

It should be a much needed wake-up call for a paradigm shift in USA politics.  Spread this video far & wide, and maybe there's a chance for that.  

We are in dire need of a whole new bunch of politicians in DC.  Most Repubs and Dems should be shunned.  They are stuck in the past and have a myopic view of the mother of all existential crises - ecological overshoot.  Not only that, but they also support and promulgate a destructive type of capitalism which is almost nothing like the capitalism of Adam Smith.

If we don't take all this seriously, then our kids and grandkids will be facing a fairly miserable existence in the relatively near future.  Unfortunately, we currently (in general) are too distracted by bread, circuses, political dogma, and propaganda to fully appreciate what's needed for a brighter future.  Most of us "can't see the forest for the trees".  We're looking at only some parts of the whole, not thinking comprehensively or holistically.  Those who believe it's all being (or will be) handled, or don't believe any of it is a significant problem, apparently are mired in ignorance.  That must change if our progeny and their progeny are to have any degree of security and comfort in the near future.

Much can be done fairly immediately on the micro-scale:

stop drinking the divisive propaganda koolaid put out by Repubs & Dems;

kick out of office the stale, stuck-in-the-past, dogmatic DC politicians;

learn all you can about ecological overshoot;

[Note---  "I don't have any spare time for this" is something I hear regularly.  Okay, but be aware:  if you don't find or make the time, then your inaction contributes to a miserable existence for your progeny, most likely starting within ten years.]

forget about political Parties...vote for those who are ecologically literate;

as much as possible, stop buying junk products;

support laws which are ecologically sound (identifying same is not always easy); 

believe almost nothing put out by the petrochemical industry and/or the politicians who are in the back pocket of that industry;

learn all you can about genuine sustainability.

"lobby" (so to speak) whenever you can for sustainability;

and there's much more, but I'm out of time.  

p.s.  Think hard about the significance of the following to your family & friends: according to numerous legitimate sources, by or before 2040 large pockets of N. America no longer will have year-round access to fresh water.  That is, such will be the case unless we make changes ASAP.  The same applies to the world in general.  If that doesn't motivate you to "make the time", I don't know what will.  Most politicians are not dealing with this in any significant way; instead, they're greenwashing the water crisis.  Additionally, my best guess:  they aren't even aware of the soil crisis and how that will exacerbate the USA's soon-to-be food crisis.  Finally, I doubt they're aware of the extent of the desertification of this country, how much it's advancing, and how such will affect us in the not too distant future.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Mountains of Rubbish...and They're Called "Products"

 Too many manufacturers continue to churn out mountains of rubbish.  They refer to such rubbish as their products.  The clothing, toy, and high-tech industries are especially egregious in this regard. Most household goods (including appliances) are not far behind.  To make things worse, too many consumers continue to buy the junk.  I suppose that's partly due to the fact that quality, durable goods are more & more difficult to find these days.  However, I suspect the main reason is the cheap price of junk.  Consumers seem to believe they're getting a genuine bargain.  Advertising half-truths and outright lies also are to blame.

https://steadystate.org/ending-planned-obsolescence-a-nonpartisan-movement-for-steady-staters-to-support/

"Comfort junk" is much like "comfort food".  It looks good and seems satisfying, but such does not necessarily mean that it's good for you.  For one thing, it doesn't last.  You have to replace it about five to ten times more often than you normally would if it were durable.  And yet, we keep buying it.  Thus, too much waste keeps being dumped into the ecosphere.  We're already way over the amount Nature can assimilate, and it just keeps getting worse.

BOYCOTT junk.  If that involves a change in lifestyle, so be it. Our biophysical, natural support system cannot take ever-increasing amounts of waste without serious consequences to us and all life. SUPPORT laws & regulations (which are starting to spring forth) that combat planned obsolescence.  See the article at the link above.  This is a nonpartisan issue through & through.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

How most billionaires damage the economy

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_Mx1koLOGc

Unfortunately, too many people believe the myth that billionaires help the economy.  This short clip (7.5 minutes) from Wired magazine explains why a "wealth tax" is necessary.  [As I stated in the previous post, the first permanent Income Tax in the USA was such a tax.  It applied to only 2% of the population.  Not long after that, legislators were lobbied over & over by the Rich, and we wound up with the current set-up.]

There's nothing wrong with being rich if one acts responsibly and helps society by paying their fair share.  To get where they are, billionaires stood on the shoulders of society via education, infrastructure, networks, communication, civility in our habitat & relations, etc.  In addition, perhaps they had a bit of luck:  maybe born on third base, maybe smarter than the average person, or taken under the wing of someone with wealth/influence/power.  In any case, there's no such thing as a "self-made" billionaire.  That's another myth.  

Any super-rich person should be willing & happy to help out society by means of a wealth tax.  Humans are a social species, and that includes those in the Upper Crust. 

Watch the clip at the link above; see if it makes sense to you.

From Inequality.org---

67%.  Now, someone please tell me how anyone still believes our elected politicians in DC represent the Will of the People.  It doesn't appear they do in this instance.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well