Friday, May 30, 2025
The GOP Is Out Of Step With Most People On Same-Sex Relations And Marriage
The charts above are from the Gallup Poll -- done between May 1st and 18th of a nationwide sample of 1,003 adults, with a 4 point margin of error.
About 240,000 Workers Filed For Unemployment Last Week
The Labor Department released its weekly unemployment report on Thursday. It showed about 240,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on May 24th. Here is the official Labor Department statement:
In the week ending May 24, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 240,000, an increase of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 1,000 from 227,000 to 226,000. The 4-week moving average was 230,750, a decrease of 250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised down by 500 from 231,500 to 231,000.
Trump And GOP Want To Return To The "Gilded Age" Of Greed And Corruption
The following is part of a post by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich:
The America they actually seek is the one we last had in the Gilded Age of the late 19th century.
“We were at our richest from 1870 to 1913. That’s when we were a tariff country. And then they went to an income tax concept,” Trump said in January.
Yes, we had tariffs during that Gilded Age. It was also an era when the nation was mesmerized by the doctrine of free enterprise, although few Americans actually enjoyed much freedom.
Robber barons such as financier Jay Gould, railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, and oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller controlled much of American industry.
They corrupted American politics. Their lackeys literally deposited sacks of money on the desks of pliant legislators.
The gap between rich and poor turned into a chasm. Urban slums festered. Women couldn’t vote. Black Americans were subject to Jim Crow.
Most tellingly, it was a time when the ideas of William Graham Sumner, a professor of political and social science at Yale, dominated American social thought.
Sumner brought Charles Darwin to America and twisted him into a theory to fit the times.
Few Americans living today have read any of Sumner’s writings, but they had an electrifying effect on America during the last three decades of the 19th century.
To Sumner and his followers, life was a competitive struggle in which only the fittest could survive — and through this struggle, societies became stronger over time.
A correlate of this principle was that government should do little or nothing to help those in need, because that would interfere with natural selection.
Trump and his Republicans on Capitol Hill not only echo Sumner’s thoughts but mimic Sumner’s reputed arrogance. They say we must reward “entrepreneurs” (by which they mean anyone who has made a pile of money) and warn us not to “coddle” people in need (for example, they want to put work requirements on Medicaid).
They oppose extending unemployment insurance because, they say, we shouldn’t “give people money for doing nothing.”
Sumner, likewise, warned against handouts to people he termed “negligent, shiftless, inefficient, silly, and imprudent.”
Trump and other Republican lawmakers are dead set against raising taxes on billionaires, relying on the standard Republican trickle-down rationale that billionaires create jobs.
Social Darwinism offered a moral justification for the wild inequities and social cruelties of the late 19th century — the era when, according to Trump, “we were richest.”
Social Darwinism allowed John D. Rockefeller to claim the fortune he accumulated through his giant Standard Oil Trust was “merely a survival of the fittest.” It was, he insisted, “the working out of a law of nature and of God.”
Social Darwinism also undermined all efforts at the time to build a nation of broadly based prosperity and rescue our democracy from the tight grip of a very few at the top. It was used by the privileged and powerful to convince everyone else that government shouldn’t do much of anything.
Not until the 20th century did America reject Social Darwinism. Instead of Social Darwinism, we created an inclusive society. We created the largest middle class in the history of the world — which became the core of our economy and democracy.
We built safety nets to catch Americans who fell downward through no fault of their own. We designed regulations to protect against the inevitable excesses of free-market greed.
We taxed the rich and invested in public goods — public schools, public universities, public transportation, public parks, public health — that made us all better off.
In short, we rejected the notion that each of us is on his or her own in a competitive contest for survival. We depended on one another.
But now America is in its Second Gilded Age, and its new robber barons have found the same rationale as they did in the First.
Under Trump and his lapdogs in the House and Senate, Social Darwinism is back.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Voters Don't Like The Way Trump Is Handling His Job Or The Economy
Most People Disagree With Trump Administration On Access To Covid Vaccine
Trump's Agenda Has Shrunk To Two Items - Getting Richer And Getting Revenge
Trump had big plans for his second term. On the campaign trail, he promised voters that he would do two things on Day One - lower prices and stop the Russia/Ukraine war. He said it would be easy. He has failed at both.
Inflation was falling when he took office, but his ridiculous placing of tariffs on nearly every nation took care of that. Now prices are going up, and with his on again-off again tariffs, nobody can predict how far or fast prices will rise - but they will continue to rise.
And the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues and actually intensifies. Trump thought he had a buddy in Putin and all he had to do was ask and Russia would stop the war. He is starting to realize, as most Americans already knew, that Putin was just playing him for a fool.
Trump also promised to deport a million immigrants a year. He has engaged in a cruel campaign to deport people without due process. But the courts have stopped him, and most of his cruelest efforts remain tied up in court. As a result, he is actually deporting fewer immigrants than in either of the past two Democratic administrations.
Trump seemed to believe in the right-wing's Project 2025 - that he could seize much more power for himself as president and override the wishes of Congress and the courts. That hasn't worked out so well either. His efforts to seize power the Constitution doesn't give him is also being stymied by a myriad of court cases.
In short, while his actions have created a lot of chaos and concern, they have not succeeded as he had hoped. But they have turned public opinion against him. Every poll now shows voters don't approve of how he's doing the job of being president.
Trump is learning that being president is a hard job. It requires diplomacy, access and understanding of intelligence, the ability to listen, the ability to compromise, and the ability to do the right thing even when supporters don't like it. None of those are qualities that Trump has. His only tool is bullying, and it's not working.
Hard is not something Trump can deal with. That's why he is growing tired of the job. Instead of being president for the people, he is curtailing his efforts to only two things - making himself much richer and getting revenge of those he perceives as enemies.
His corruption is massive - accepting gifts, selling meme coins, selling access to the Oval Office, selling pardons, and making deals for his own personal profit (and his family's). And he seems unconcerned about the law, the Constitution, or ethics and morality. And that corruption includes using government agencies to punish those he doesn't like.
So, who is actually doing the job of the presidency while he focuses of getting richer and getting revenge? That is what's really scary. That falls to the people he chose to fill his cabinet with - mostly incompetent and inexperienced sycophants. That's not good.
I don't know which was worse - Trump trying to be president or Trump leaving that to his flunkies while he pursues a personal agenda. Neither is good for the nation.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
There Are Some Things That Trump And Harris Voters Agree On
The charts above are from a survey done by Republican strategist Jim McLaughlin and Democratic strategist Tom Z. Freedman in March of 1,000 voters nationwide.
Most People Believe A President Must Obey Court Rulings
The charts above are from the Marquette Law School Poll -- done between May 5th and 15th of a nationwide sample of 1,004 adults, with a 3.6 point margin of error.
Is It Time For Elderly Democrats To Step Aside For A Younger Generation?
The retirement age for Social Security is 66 years old, and most Americans retire before the age of 70. But in the United States Congress, that is not true. The average age of a senator is 65/66 (and 57 for House members). Some members in safe districts will serve for many years past those numbers. Meanwhile, the average age of the U.S. population is about 38.
This has resulted in a discussion among Democrats about whether some aging members of Congress should step aside for a younger generation.
The budget bill in the House just passed by one vote (215 to 214). If Democrats had one more vote, it would not have passed - and Democrats are short by 3 of their elected members. Three House Democrats have died this year - Gerry Connolly (75), Raul Grijalva (77), and Sylvester Turner (70). If these three had not run in the last election and been replaced by younger Democrats, the GOP bill would not have passed.
While it is true that some people over 75 maintain their mental acuity and physical health, it is not true of most people - and while most senior members of Congress would likely deny it, it is also true of them.
One argument used to justify the repeated election of older members is that doing otherwise would result in a loss of expertise. I don't buy that argument. Expertise can quickly be realized by younger and newer members - and no one is so important they cannot be replaced.
Currently, there are 30 Democrats in the House that are 75 or older. Only two of them have said they will not run for re-election in 2026. Most of them have already announced they are running for re-election. I think all of them have served honorably and with distinction, but to run again is a mistake. It's time for them to step aside and make room for a new generation of Democrats.
I'm not alone in this belief. A 2023 poll of Americans by the Pew Research Center showed that 79% of adults would like to see an age limit on elected officials (including 76% of Democrats and 82% of Republicans).
It is unlikely that Congress will address this issue. Too many members are at or near the age of 75, and too many others dream of serving past that age (in both parties). If this is to be addressed, it will be up to the voters.
There is talk currently of primary opponents for many senior Democrats. I hope that happens. The voters deserve a choice. Just because someone has held a seat for many years doesn't mean they are entitled to hold it until their death.
NOTE - In the interest of full disclosure, I am over 75 years old.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
More Oppose The Trump/GOP Budget Bill Than Support It
Senate Balks At Passing The House Bill (But Don't Expect Them To Make It Better)
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives has passed it's "big beautiful bill". While it may not be beautiful to most Americans, it certainly is big. And it will increase the national debt by trillions of dollars over the next decade.
That huge increase in the national debt is caused by extending the Trump tax cuts that were passed in his first term and an increase to the already bloated defense budget. The Republicans claim they will partially pay for the bill by doing away with waste and fraud in social program spending.
But what they have actually done is make huge cuts to Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), and probably even Medicare (because the huge deficits it creates will force across the board cuts). That means between 8 and 13 million people will lose their health insurance. And millions more will lose help to buy the groceries they need to keep themselves and their children healthy.
What the Republicans have actually done is to take from the poor and working classes to give more to the rich (the only group that doesn't need any government help).
There is opposition in the Senate to the bill, and there may be enough opposition to change the bill. But don't expect those changes to make the bill better or more fair. The sad fact is the Senate Republicans don't care about the poor and working class Americans any more than the House Republicans.
Those opposing senators say the bill increases the national debt too much. But they aren't taking about lowering or eliminating the tax giveaways to the rich. They want to keep those. They don't think the social programs cuts aren't deep enough. They want to take health insurance and food from even more millions of Americans.
It's too early to know exactly what the GOP-controlled Senate will do with the bill, but they won't make it any better for most Americans. They could make it much worse though.
Monday, May 26, 2025
Americans Generally Oppose Trump's Immigration Actions
The charts above are from the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 16th and 19th of a nationwide sample of 1,710 adults, with a 3 point margin of error.
31% Of 2024 Non-Voters Regret Their Decision
The chart above reflects the results of the Public Religion Research Institute Survey -- done between February 28th and March 20th of a nationwide sample of 5,397 adults, with a margin of error of 1.69 points.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Public Opposes The Trump/GOP Cuts To The IRS
Those Attending Trump's Corrupt Crypto Dinner
In one of the most corrupt actions ever done by a sitting president, Donald Trump held a dinner that could only be attended by the people who bought the most meme coins he was selling - putting millions of dollars into his own pocket!
Who bought access to Trump at the dinner? The New York Times gives us a list:
Justin Sun, a Chinese crypto billionaire who was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for allegedly inflating the value of a cryptocurrency.
Elliot Berke, a Washington attorney who has worked for congressional Republicans and Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court.
Evgeny Gaevoy, the founder and chief executive of a digital-asset firm, Wintermute.
Anil Lulla and Yan Liberman, two co-founders of Delphi Digital, a Miami Beach firm that offers market intelligence for crypto investors.
Cheng Lu, 32, a crypto investor from Shanghai.
Stephen Dworkin, founder of CTS International.
Sangrok Oh, chief executive of Hyperithm, a Seoul- and Tokyo-based firm that manages digital assets for institutional investors in Asia.
Matthew Liu, co-founder of cryptocurrency company Origin.
Caitlin Sinclair, a conservative media personality who has worked as a reporter for pro-Trump One America News.
Lamar Odom, the former National Basketball Association star now promoting his own memecoin, $ODOM.
Daniel Nizar Boubes was charged with drug-related crimes in Orange County, Calif., and given two years of probation.
SuKyung Na, an executive at Hyperithm.
Charles Ayres, a Britain-based crypto marketer.
Wesley Pryor is the founder of Acheron Trading, a firm focused on digital assets.
Jack Tan Lu is the chief executive and co-founder of a popular marketplace for non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, called Magic Eden.
Tony Yacoub lists himself on LinkedIn as president of T and A Builders, a general contractor in Downey, Calif.
Clay Helms and Stephen Hess, two executives from the Metaplex Foundation, a nonprofit focused on digital assets.
Asher Ang and Lean Sheng Tan, two executives of hedge fund Hyper-Alpha Capital.
Kain Warwick, a crypto entrepreneur in Sydney and founder of Synthetix, a crypto exchange.
Joel Lee, a software engineer from Singapore who says on social media that he lives in Rwanda.
Aleksander Michal Kloda, founder of Nickel Digital Asset Management
Vincent Liu, the chief investment officer at Taiwan-based Kronos Research.
Paul Jacobi, a partner at the investment firm Wexford Capital.
Christoph Heuermann, who runs a consulting company that advises people on how to lower their taxes.
Verjender Choudhary, a software engineer from St. Louis.
Vincent Deriu, a 27-year-old consultant in New York who was ranked No. 165 on the $TRUMP leaderboard.
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