Entertainment Overnight -- That's All

From Great Performances: Michael Buble

40th Anniversary Celebration | Michael Bublé

Today's "Gilded Age" and This Presidential Election (Guest Post)

"Not nearly enough has been said about the tax cuts for the rich now being proposed by Trump, Cruz, and Rubio. They’re larger, as a proportion of the government budget and the total economy, than any tax cuts ever before proposed. 5 things you need to know:

1. Trump’s proposed cut would reduce the top rate from 39.6 percent to 25 percent – creating a giant windfall for the wealthy (at a time when the wealthy have a larger portion of the nation’s wealth than any time since 1890).

2. The Cruz and Rubio plans would abandon our century-old progressive income tax (whose rates increase as taxpayers’ incomes increase) altogether, and instead tax the amount people spend in a year and exclude income from investments. Such a system would burden lower-income workers who spend almost everything they earn and have few if any investments.

3. Cruz also proposes a 10 percent flat tax, which would lower tax rates on the rich and increase taxes for lower-income workers.

4. The Republican plans also repeal estate and gift taxes – now paid almost entirely by the very wealthy, who make big gifts to their heirs and leave them big estates.

5. These plans would cut federal revenues by as much as $12 trillion over the decade -- but neither Trump, Rubio, or Cruz has said what they’ll do to fill this hole. They'll either explode the national debt, or have to cut Social Security, Medicare, and assistance to the poor (they’ve called for more military spending).
Bottom line: If any of these men is elected president, we could see the largest redistribution in American history from the poor and middle-class of America to the rich.

This is class warfare with a vengeance."

--Professor, author, columnist, economist Robert Reich.

Entertainment Overnight -- Doesn't Matter

How Long America?

At Least 4 Dead, 20 More Hurt In Shooting At Kansas Manufacturing Plant

How long until we put a stop to this nonsense, this insanity, this ugliness, this completely unnecessary stupidity?

Link:  Hesston, Kansas Shooting: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Entertainment Overnight -- Incredible

This May Be The Most Insane Bike Ride Ever

Entertainment Overnight

From local artist Stephen Locke.

Time Lapse Torrent; Supercell 

Storm Stock Footage

One of the many things to appreciate about the Midwest, I think.  Enjoy.



Links:   Stephen Locke

Blog — Stephen Locke

What Hope Looks Like

In light of Donald Trump leading in the polls and two elections for the presidency just now and all the shootings around the nation yesterday and today, I give you hope.

From a friend's Facebook page and post today. Friend Kevin Deen put this up. He lives in Waldo.

Since When, America?

From a friend's Facebook post today:

Since when did wanting a society:

* that is as inclusive as possible
* that works effectively for all its members
* that provides opportunity equally regardless of accidents of birth
* that places the rights of people above the rights of corporations.
* that protects its resources for future generations
* that treats its citizens equally before the law
* that protects its most vulnerable members
* that cooperates in preference to dominating
* that values education and wisdom

become a "radical" idea?

Thanks, Doug.

6 Responses to Sanders Skeptics

From Professor, economist, writer, political commentator Robert Reich.

He's for you, folks. He's for you and me.

#FeeltheBern

Entertainment Overnight -- If I Didn't Know Any Better

Guess Which Republican Presidential Icon Said the Supreme Court Vacancies Need To Be Filled

None other than very Republican and Conservative and Right Wing icon President Ronald Reagan himself said Congress should do its job, especially regarding the Supreme Court and any vacancy.

Ironic, huh?

Maybe The Donald WAS Set Up by the Democrats

I remember, months ago, seeing ideas floating around on the interwebs and Facebook, with the idea that maybe Donald Trump was a willing set up by the Democrats to take the Republicans down.

I tell you, with all The Donald says and does lately and what he's said and done in the last few months, it's getting more difficult to believe that isn't maybe true.

Following are all headlines I saw just yesterday, last evening, all from and n The Donald:

Donald Trump Hilariously Slams the ‘George W. Bush Kept Us Safe After 9/11’ Line

Default of Their Pledge’: Trump Blames RNC for Getting Booed at Debate

Trump Trashes RNC: GOP Keeps Losing Because They Are ‘Controlled by the Special Interests’

Trump Praises Obama’s Action to Protect DREAMers: ‘I Think It’s Great’

I tell you, it's getting difficult to believe The Donald wants Republicans to vote for him.

The One Sure Thing On This Presidential Election

Speaking with friends this weekend on our 2016 presidential election, I've come to the only one, sure conclusion.

If any person says they know how this election is going to turn out, they are wildly, wildly wrong.

This is, without doubt, one of the most quirky, even bizarre, unpredictable elections of the last 50 years, at least, and likely longer. To say they know the outcome shows they know little.

Huge Supreme Court News Breaking

US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia 

dead at 79

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia found dead at a West Texas ranch, according to multiple reports.

The news was first reported by My San Antonio. Scalia was 79.

He was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan.

It will be fascinating, now, to see the fight that erupts between President Obama and the Republicans in Congress about and for his replacement. The President no doubt already has a "short list" of people he would have on the Court.  He will no doubt select someone with an impeccable background. Regardless, the Republicans will have to be against him or her. They "let him have", so to speak, a woman already with Justice  Sotomayor. They likely won't let him put up another female.

Rest in peace, Justice Scalia.

Link:  Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates

The Income Problem

American History, Then And Now

Sound familiar?

What Needs To Happen With And For Energy

I've said for a long time this is what needs to happen. We need to power our cities with our skyscrapers.

For starters.

Entertainment Overnight -- Okay, Go

Best work in music videos, hands down, every time by these guys.

We Have To Close This "Revolving Door"

We have got to close this "revolving door" between government and business and we must close it legally and formally and soon as possible.

So Done

I am so done with this election.

Done with candidates.

Done with debates.

Done with the two political parties (though done with one far more than the other, truth be told).

Done with announcements.

Done with campaigns.

Done with announcements, all of it.

And even ignoring we have, still, a little more than half of this month to go, ignoring February, we have 9 more months of this to go until the actual November election date.

Don't get me wrong, however.  I still know how important this election is and I'm still engaged and still decidedly for my candidate for the presidency but holy cow. These things go on and on and on.

We should be better than this.

We should be smarter than this.

And we are.

Or we could be.

I've written about this before. We could fix this and rather simply. Probably not easily but simply.

The Problems With Our Government--and Our Elections

We need to do what the Brits did, years ago, and limit our elections to one or, at most, two months in length, by law. This way, the big campaign money wouldn't be needed.

Too many Americans likely don't know that's what the Brits did or that that's how they run their elections---or that we could.

Could you imagine elections that don't last 2 years? I know I could. How much better, how much improved would that be?

We wouldn't have to waste all this time and all the money we do on the elections. 

Government officeholders wouldn't be perpetually running the next election race, just to get re-reelected.

We wouldn't have to go through this nonsense.

Link:   We could learn a lot from the U.K. election

Inventions by Black Americans, Part I

What Is It That's Different About This President, Anyway?

Last week, this took place:

GOP Congress Breaks With History For First Time In 41 Years 

GOP Denies Hearings for Obama's Unseen Budget

Congress Declines to Hear Obama's Budget Proposal in Person

Then, this, yesterday.

Agencies of the U.S. government make regulations to implement acts of Congress – such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation limiting carbon emissions from power plants, under the Clean Air Act. Sometimes plaintiffs challenge the legality of such a regulation, arguing the agency exceeded what Congress intended – as plaintiffs have done in this case. Occasionally, plaintiffs ask the courts to put the regulation on hold until the courts have fully considered their lawsuit – arguing they’ll otherwise suffer irreparable harm while awaiting a ruling. Often, as in this case, the lower court refuses. But never before in history has the Supreme Court overruled a lower court that refused such a stay, and decided itself to put a regulation on hold. Yet that’s what the five Republican appointees on the Court did yesterday evening -- blocking the Environmental Protection Agency’s landmark regulation. They gave no reasons.

The result is to freeze the heart of Obama’s climate policy until the courts have fully considered its legality. When might that be? The D.C. Circuit’s Court of Appeals has scheduled oral arguments for July 2, so a ruling from that court could be early next fall. The Supreme Court might then hear an appeal in late 2017 and decide by 2018. Of course, the five Republican appointees might then decide the regulation is illegal, or by then a Republican president might simply refuse to put the rule into effect. (Several Republican candidates, including Marco Rubio, don’t believe carbon emissions are contributing to climate change.)

In this case, the five Republicans on the Court decided that the plaintiffs – coal companies, power plants, utilities – will suffer irreparable harm over the next two or three years if the regulation is put into effect. But what about the irreparable harm to the environment from two or three more years of gunk being spewed into the atmosphere? Why should harm to profits take precedence over harm to life on earth? What planet are the five Republicans on, anyway?         --Robert Reich

What is it?

I'm trying to think.

What is it about this President, this one President that's different that Congress treats him differently than any other.

Let me see...

The Republican, Right Wing Nightmare Kansas Has Become

Along with Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback wanting to take money from the state's pension fund in order to pay for his and the Republican Party's fiscal screw ups and nightmares, there's this, too:

Gov. Sam Brownback is cutting aid to Kansas schools by $44.5 million

I won't paste the entire article here, describing what these irresponsible putzes are doing or trying to do but here's a snippet:

Brownback’s plan takes $28 million, or 1.5 percent, out of elementary and secondary education, including $5 million from Johnson County schools. The districts taking the biggest hits will be Olathe, Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley. The Republican governor also sliced more than $16 million, or 2 percent, from higher education.

So much for the education and growth of our children for our own and their futures, huh?

It's a pretty important article. I would absolutely recommend any and every adult Kansan read it and see what these chuckleheads are doing or trying to further do to your state and take from your children and even you, yourself.  

Really, Kansas.  You're better than this.  You were always smarter, much smarter than this.

Could we dispense with that whole "trickle down", cut the taxes for the wealthy and corporations idea now, locally and nationally?

Please? Finally?  Forever?

Meanwhile, seems the Republicans just don't have anything going right for them over in our neighbor state:

Director of Governor's Council of Economic Advisors arrested after DUI

Put another way, this news makes much more sense:

Brownback advisor arrested on suspicion of drunk driving

For a "Brownback advisor" to be drunk. 

Yes, I have to say, that explains a lot.

It explains, maybe, the last several years of governance in Kansas.

How Is What Kansas Governor Brownback Wants To Do Even Legal?

Kansas Governor Brownback and his very Republican cohorts are at it again.  Some more.

They haven't screwed up the state enough so they've come up with yet another terrific idea.  Have you seen this?

Brownback defends using public pension funds to fill Kansas budget hole

This is incredible.

There they are, Kansas pensions---people's money, retirement money, at that, just sitting there, like a big pile of rescue for Governor Sam "I Can Screw Up Anything" Brownback  and he wants to tap into it, take money away from and out of it, and all because he and the Republicans in his state slashed taxes for the rich and corporations, screwing up Kansas' budgets.

This is conceivable, sure, just as sure as the first robbery by one person from another ever was. 

What it also is, however is unconscionable.  

He and his Kansas Republican Party screw up, they deplete the state's coffer and budgets and so what does he want to do to fix his empty bank accounts?

He wants to take money from former and current Kansas state employees pensions and all because, well, hell, it IS just sitting there, after all.

I ask again---how in God's name is this even legal?

Why can a sitting state governor arbitrarily tap into an already set up retirement fund of working people when it has and had nothing, ever, whatever to do with a state's budgeting or taxes?

And more, is there no one in Kansas to stand up and call this out for the blatant, ugly, irresponsible, misplaced theft and wrong that it is?

No Kansas Churches or clergy or ethicists or ANYONE in the entire state who cannot and will not call him out on this?

Anyone??

Bueller?

I ask again, how is this legal?  Why is this legal?  Can't it be made illegal and soon as possible so this highly immoral travesty doesn't take place and so it can't possibly happen again, in the future?

Anyone?

At least there's this. At least our own Kansas City Star is standing up against this theft, this nonsense.

Don’t let Gov. Sam Brownback delay payments for Kansas pensions

Entertainment Overnight -- Incredible

Play with volume at least somewhat up.

The Super Bowl Ad They Wouldn't Show

The Super Bowl ad they wouldn't show----but should.



We took their land from them and we took their food and their culture and religion.

Then we gave them guns.  And alcohol.

"Redskins" has got to go.

Link:  Change The Mascot - Launched By The Oneida Indian Nation

Democratic Socialism and Being Consistent For Over 25 Years

What Socialism Is and Isn't

How Do We Fix the Broken Government? (Guest Post)

Author/economist/professor Robert Reich writes:

The Chicken and the Egg 

At the core of crony capitalism lies a chicken-and-egg dilemma: 

How is it possible to get big money out of politics when the political system is controlled by big money? 

Even candidates who pledge reform but depend on big money to get elected give up on reform. Bill Clinton said he’d clean up the system but once in the White House did no cleaning (in fact, he offered the White House’s own Lincoln Bedroom to wealthy campaign-donors). Barack Obama bemoaned the role of big money but in 2008 became the first candidate of a major party to decline public financing — and the spending limits that went with it — since the system was created in 1976, after the Watergate scandals, and has since done nothing to stem the tide.

Since the Supreme Court's “Citizens United" decision, that tide has been washing away what's left of our democracy. By the 2012 election, donations from the richest 0.01 percent were 40 percent of all campaign contributions.

The only answer is a citizen’s movement that propels a candidate into the White House who’s not only committed to ending crony capitalism, but whose campaign is based on small donations. That movement is occurring right now, and that candidate is Bernie Sanders.

We All Know What the Big Problem In Government Is

If you think about it, we all know what's wrong with our government.

It's the money.

It's the money buying our elections, buying our representatives, buying their---our---legislation and so, buying our laws and finally, our government.

It all radiates out from there.

I thought of it again today, when I saw this: 

The POLITICO 100: Billionaires dominate 2016

Economist/professor/author Robert Reich put it this way today:

So far in the 2016 election, the 100 biggest donors have contributed $195 million ― more than the $155 million contributed by the two million smallest donors combined (according to an analysis of campaign data by “Politico.”) The five Republican members of the Supreme Court who in “Citizens United” contended they were protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans were obviously doing no such thing. They were drowning the First Amendment rights of the vast majority.

The top twenty are below. (The “Politico” article lists all 100.) They have not donated out of the goodness of their hearts, or their concern for a better America. These are investments -- no different from their other investments. If their candidates win, they will get substantial returns.

1. Wilks Family $15,000,000

2. Robert Mercer $12,500,000

3. Hank Greenberg $10,010,000

4. Toby Neugebauer $10,001,000

5. George Soros $8,025,000

6. Richard & Elizabeth Uihlein $6,550,000

7. Norman Braman $6,100,000

8. Kelcy Warren $6,000,000

9. Paul Singer $5,608,213

10. Tom Steyer $5,042,744

11. Haim and Cheryl Saban $5,000,002

12. Diane Hendricks $5,000,000

13. Robert McNair $4,500,000

14. Steve & Alexandra Cohen $4,000,000

15. Jerrold Perenchio $3,972,127

16. Mike Fernandez $3,370,520

17. Ken Griffin $3,150,000 

18. Ronald Cameron $3,055,000

19. Larry Ellison $3,000,000

20. Donald Sussman $3,000,000

And that's just the top 20.  Can you imagine giving or being able to give 3 million or 5 million or 12 or 15 million dollars away, just so you could get the governement representation and legislation you like and want? Heck, most of us would like to imagine what it's like to even HAVE 1 million dollars, let alone the luxury of being able to give it away.

And Left, Right, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Democrat, we all know what the problem is in government in our nation. Everyone but the already-wealthy and corporations know what the problem is, know how to fix it and want the solution, too.

And so, to do this, to truly Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government, we have got to do at least two things.  We have to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling first and then end campaign contributions.  Entirely.  All of them. Enough of that talk of ending "dark money" that we don't know who is giving. End it all. Shut it down.  It's totally doable.

But it has to come from us. We have to demand it. We have to end it And we have to end it soon as possible.

Links:   Meet the super-rich driving the 2016 election

Big money breaks out