Entertainment Overnight -- Birthday Edition

Happy birthday today to Janis Ian, born this day, April 7, 1951. And thank you for the music and memories, at least.

Perfect Example of Republican Party Strategy

For Republicans, perhaps especially Kentucky's Senator Mitch McConnell, it's always political party first and last. Forget the people, the nation, even Democracy, literally, at different times. Herewith, an excellent example.

Here's hoping our own Senators Blount and Hawley don't follow this example when it comes to President Biden's American Jobs Plan but I believe they are planning to vote against it.

Senator Hawley Has Outdone Himself Today

I couldn't believe Missouri's own Senator Josh Hawley and his Twitter post today: "MLB & the giant woke corporations keep telling Biden’s big lie about Georgia & election integrity. They want to run this country. They’ve been coddled by government for too long. We need to bust them up. Starting next week, I’ll introduce a trust busting agenda for 21st century."

Yes, corporations want to run America, all right. It's why they give Republicans hundreds of millions of dollars to put them in office. It's why and how we got the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, opening up our elections to yet more big, big money. Suddenly, the GOP is threatened because--whaddya' know?--Americans poured out to vote and their Orange Man lost the 2020 election. So now, those same Republicans in Georgia and 42 other states are trying to put into place laws to keep us, Americans, citizens, from voting. They and their ideas and policies are so unpopular, Republicans have found they can't get elected or re-elected unless or until they have fewer of us voting. So Jim Crow and more, here we go. Fortunately, some few corporate leaders have stood up and said they won't tolerate it. Consequently, suddenly Josh Hawley and the Republicans are against those corporations.

Kansans! Your State Legislature Last Week!

Once again, Davis Hammet of Loud Light gives a fantastic and even important, if also brief summary of what your legislators did in Topeka last week. God help us all.

Three Months Ago Today

Never forget.

We must never forget.

Don't Be Fooled -- Republicans Are Trying to Disenfranchise Fellow American Citizens

Remember, everyone. Keep in mind, the Republican Party and their ideas for us all are so very unpopular, they have to keep more of us from voting so they can get and stay in political office, in power. And they're trying to do it in 43 of the US states currently. They can't get any more un-American than that. This is, after all, supposed to be "representative government."

"Former Wall Street Journal correspondent Douglas Blackmon wrote a tremendously clear thread on Twitter spelling out how the Georgia law, for example, makes it illegal for Georgia voting officials to send absentee applications to each voter, and makes it harder to get absentee ballots. It eliminates most drop boxes for ballots, as well, and makes it harder for working people to vote." --Heather Cox Richardson

Quote of the Day -- Campaign Finance Reform Edition from the Wayback Machine

Check out this very appropriate quote today. More American history too many don't know.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt called for campaign finance reform. The result was the Tillman Act of 1907, the first law prohibiting corporate donations to national political parties. And note. Teddy Roosevelt was a member of the Republican Party. He'd no way be welcomed by them today.

Republicans? Americans? Those Migrants at the Border?

Republicans seem to only have one big issue presently and that is the migrants at our Southern border. Ignore and forget all the rest of President Biden's excellent work and even results already, in these first two months of his administration, just focus on the one problem. If you'll watch this brief video, you'll find one of the sources of the problem at our border. Brian Tyler Cohen describes it very well. Note, too, it's only an 8 minute video in length, too. So the fact is, of course, the administration of The Former Guy in the last 4 years and his work and directives led, no surprise, to our situation today. So much so that Joe Biden, long before he was President, warned that Trump's cutting of aid to these Southern nations, as this video shows, could and would likely lead to yet more migrants at our border. So once again, thanks, Mr. Trump. And to you, too, Republicans. Thanks so much.

Senator Hawley said WHAT??

Nearly unbelievably, our own Missouri Senator Josh Hawley posted this yesterday on Twitter: "Erin & I were sickened to hear of the violent attack at the Capitol yesterday by an extremist follower of Louis Farrakhan. We pray for the family of Officer Evans & for others injured in the line of duty. Thanks to the brave men & women of the USCP for their tireless service."

What the what?? Suddenly he's "sickened to hear of the violent attack at the Capitol"? First, this attacker was was out of his mind, google it, and second, it's no way even remotely close to the extent of the attack the previous President and this same Senator Hawley himself instigated at and against that same Capitol of ours January 6 this year. No way even remotely close. Shame on you, Senator Hawley. You're showing some serious chutzpah here, sir and we are no way fooled.

Happy Easter?

In most countries in Europe, the name for Easter is derived from the Jewish festival of Passover. "So in Greek the feast is called Pascha, in Italian Pasqua, in Danish it is Paaske, and in French it is Paques," Professor Cusack said.

But in English-speaking countries, and in Germany, Easter takes its name from a pagan goddess from Anglo-Saxon England who was described in a book by the eighth-century English monk Bede. "Eostre was a goddess of spring or renewal and that's why her feast is attached to the vernal equinox," Professor Cusack said. So sure. Happy Easter. Or whatever trips your trigger. Or floats your boat. Have a nice day.

Quote of the Day -- Cancel Culture Edition

"Cancel culture is when you lose an election and change the law so the legislature can cancel the will of voters in future elections." --Alex Cole @acnewsitics #EndVoteSuppression

We Need to Tax the Rich -- Here's Why

Yes, we need to tax the rich. Robert Reich spells out why and then how, too. This would be an excellent way to support and fix our infrastructure. Just look around the city, at, say, Ward Parkway, Wornall Road, 63rd Street, all across town and you can see how and where we need this. Let's do this, America.

Week 10 of This Presidency

Week 10 at the White House:

--Launched the American Jobs Plan! --20m Syringes in 7 days: a record! --11 judicial noms w/in 1st 100 days: most ever! --Offshore Wind Plan: powering 10m homes by 2030! --900K new jobs in March: first admin Heavy plus signover 1m jobs in first two months! --Ronald Klain @WHCOS

Responsible Tax Policy --- What We Should Do

7 necessary ways to tax the rich.

1. Repeal the Trump tax cuts. 2. Raise the tax rate on those at the top. 3. A wealth tax on the super-wealthy. 4. A transactions tax on stocks. 5. End the “stepped-up cost basis” loophole. 6. Close loopholes for the rich. 7. Audit the rich. --Robert Reich @RBReich Logical. Sensible. Responsible. Fair.

On Whose Side Will You Stand?

KCPT Week in Review--- 3 White People and a Token Black

Once more, one more time this week, KCPT, "Kansas City Public Television" and their "Week in Review" program has 3 white people and Eric Wesson, a token Black man, on their program. That's it. Three white people and a Black man.

Thank goodness, again, Eric Wesson shows up. Thank you, sir, for being there, time and again. To KCPT, "Kansas City Public Television", there are no Hispanic people in the community. Thank goodness they got 2 white women to appear on the program so they have at least SOME more minorities on the show. So hoping one day they fix this. Hey, we can hope.

Question of the Day -- Officer Chauvin Edition

If Officer Chauvin did nothing wrong and didn't, in fact, murder Mr. Floyd---which he did, the video shows it, of course--why did the city of Minneapolis give Mr. Floyd's family 27 million dollars?

Because they just had it lying around and wanted to be nice?

Republicans Threatening Our Democracy, State by State

Americans the nation over need to understand just what Republicans are doing or are trying to do, state by state, statehouse to statehouse, including Missouri and Kansas. Stop vote suppression, folks. We're under attack here and it's coming from fellow citizens, from Republicans and their Republican Party. They're attacking our votes, our elections, the election process and Democracy itself, all for their own political party. Their ideas and goals and candidates are so patently, reliably bad they have to do this, disenfranchise fellow Ameericans in order to get and stay in office. It is an assault on Democracy and certainly un-American. Contact your representatives and tell them this will not, this cannot stand. Stop vote suppression. Also, pass the For the People Act. It truly is for the people.

What Republicans Are Doing or Trying to do to Your, Our Vote, Votes and Elections

We must fight this assault on our elections state by state, the nation over as well as at the federal level in Washington. We must fight it in Topeka and Jefferson City and all over the nation, state by state.

End vote suppression. It's un-American.

From the "From Their Own Mouths" File

Breaking today, this morning, in the last half hour.

The Republican State Lawmakers Association today issued a statement asking all Republicans to wear masks and get vaccinated. “Otherwise, our efforts to suppress Democratic votes will be more than offset by losses of Republican voters,” the statement says, dated April 1. --Robert Reich @RBReich

Question of the Day

How could anyone, anyone, anywhere think it's somehow bizarrely okay if a rogue police officer ends up killing another American citizen who is only SUSPECTED of having passed a counterfeit $20 bill?

How and where does that make ANY sense? #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd

Quote of the Day -- On Republicans After Trump

What Republicans have learned from Trump:

Never apologize. Lie. Never admit wrongdoing. Lie. Never take responsibility. Lie. Never follow the rules. Lie. Never be on the defensive. Lie. Attack. Accuse. Attack. Accuse. Lie. Play the victim. Lie. Play the victim some more. Lie. --Joe Walsh @WalshFreedom (Keeping in mind Joe Walsh is a conservative and former Republican himself).

Republicans in Jefferson City Have Done it Again

Have you heard this latest obscenity from Republican legislators in Jefferson City? Missourians voted for the state to accept federal Medicaid dollars from Washington so more Missourians would have health insurance--and so, health care--but the Republicans wanted nothing of it. So in spite of our voice and vote, they voted down accepting this money and funding Medicaid for more Missourians, more lower income Missourians.

Once again, like on the people voting down the "Right to Work" law some time ago, we, the people, vote on something, let our will be known but the GOP, the Republicans do away with it. We all, Missourians, voted to end the Right to Work legislation and we voted to expand Medicaid but the Republicans upended both our votes. Not done there, our own Kansas City Star reports that one representative, Justin Hill of Lake St. Louis, is quoted as having said “I am proud to stand against the will of the people.” What unmitigated gall. Clearly he and his fellow Republicans know not at all how our election system and government is supposed to work. And check this out--from the same Star article: "Business people, social workers and others stood on the floor repeating the facts: Missouri has more than enough money to extend health insurance coverage to the working poor. Expanding Medicaid will actually bring more money into the state."

This is insane. This is obscene. This is heartless and immoral. The way these Republicans would have it, it's all only for them and their own political party and their donors. This is wrong. So wrong. We must stand up, Missourians. And we must vote these people, these Republicans, out of office. They must be made to pay for not just ignoring but denying the will of we, the people.

Quote of the Day -- Former President Karma Ediction

"At this point, Donald Trump is the only President to have more open grand juries than election wins," Neal Katyal says as The Daily Beast reports that two Georgia grand juries are underway in an investigation of the former President.

The GOP Just Now on Guns, Voting and America

God help us, folks.

The only thing this doesn't also show is their racism. Oh, and their love of power. Over all else.

On Guns and Common Sense Gun Legislation

"Make no mistake about it: Universal background checks will save lives...

Make no mistake about it: Outlawing high capacity magazines will save lives. Make no mistake about it: Getting the military-style weapons off our street and private ownership will save lives." --Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland (D)

Only One Political Party In the Nation This Bad

What kind of horrorshow political party is so patently, provenly, repeatedly bad and unpopular for its citizens it has to actually disenfranchise those fellow citizens in order to get into and/or stay in office so they all stay in power? There's only one in the USA.

Yes sir and ma'am, it is the Republican Party. Republicans. The GOP. Greedy Old Poops. #VoteThemOut

Quote of the Day -- Timely, Sunday, "Good Book" Edition

"I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink." Matthew 25:35

*While supplies last, not valid in Georgia, other restrictions may apply. --Antione Jackson @JacksonAntione, Replying to @atrupar Thanks, Republicans! You racist, power hungry, un-American stooges.

What Happened This Week In Georgia

Seven very white men get in a room---under a picture of a slaveholding plantation, no less---to sign a very racist government bill that actually disenfranchises fellow Americans all the while also literally locking out a Black female legislator so she can't watch the bill be signed.

Only in America. Only with Republcians. #EndVoterSuppression #EndRacism

Kansas Republicans---This Is Your Leader?

Yes, a question for all Kansas Republicans. Are you aware that your State Majority Leader, Gene Suellentrop, was arrested last week for --drunk driving --driving the wrong way on the highway for TEN MINUTES --speeding, going 90 MILES AN HOUR --dodging police roadblocks --also dodging tire deflation devices the police had put out for him --causing a vehicle accident --also causing property damage and finally --fleeing the police?

Did you know all that? And this is your LEADER?? Really?? Because it really seems like he has great judgment. Right?

Gene Suellentrop---and Republicans, really. Making Wichita and Kansas so very proud.