Showing posts sorted by date for query koch. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query koch. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Monday, March 20, 2023

Chas. Koch Sneers At Democracy And Human Life

 

Charles Koch has wreaked havoc on democracy for decades with one of his major movements against climate change. Why? He was an oil company heir and in 2019, as the biggest purchaser of crude oil in the country, was investigated by the Senate "for stealing oil from leases on Indian reservations." Politico also comments Koch was stealing from its producers by misreporting how much oil it picked up from their wells. Clearly showing the lack of business ethics used by Chas. Koch. 

This is not all they do; they have a massive network of oil and gas pipelines, and investments in other polluting industries like paper and plastics. One of my favorite quotes on the Kochs comes from Bill Maher on Charles' brother's death...

“He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate science deniers — for decades.” “So f*ck him, cause the Amazon is burning up, I’m glad he’s dead and I hope the end was painful.”

This is how some react to this family, I being one of them, for how they have used

their resources to help bring down our eco system. They also are ruthless. Due to their disregard for safety, the Kochs were responsible for two 17 year-olds being burned to death in Texas. Butane vapor was leaking from a corroded steel pipeline that had not been serviced for some time and an explosion ignited the inferno that burned the kids alive. One of the fathers sued Koch for $298 million.

Nancy MacLean, the William H. Chafe distinguished professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, and Lisa Graves, executive director of True North Research and a co-creator of the websites Koch Exposed and Koch Docs said in Progressive Magazine, reported by AlterNet...
"For nearly half a century, billionaire Charles Koch has quietly funded, initiated, and supported efforts to dismantle democracy in the United States."

Kochland: The Secret History Of Koch Industries...



McClain and Graves provide further evidence of the Koch family plundering the rights of the American public to boost autocracy and line their pocketbooks. It is downright depressing to see how these mongrels of power can get away with so much just because they has billions of dollars. In his book, Kochland, Christopher Leonard illustrates a passive family suddenly coming alive after being caught stealing oil. Here's an example of company policy from Politico...

On July 11, 1988, the president of Koch Industries, Bill Hanna, sent a companywide memo informing employees how to handle company records. He reminded employees at the oil company that there was a code of secrecy for internal records. Then, he ordered that “written materials which would be useful to our competitors should be destroyed by shredding, burning, or some equally effective method.”

What he was really saying was, get rid of anything that could be incriminating to Koch. All prompted by the fact that the U.S. Senate was investigating Koch Industries for stealing oil from leases on Indian reservations. As if America hadn't already done enough to the Native American community, the Koch pilferers plunder from this group but are caught by the U.S. Government. Here's the scenario...

"Koch Industries was the biggest purchaser of crude oil in the country, and Senate investigators believed that the company was stealing from its producers by misreporting how much oil it picked up from their wells."

The Arizona Republic blew the whistle and...


"alleged that big oil companies were stealing oil from Native Americans who owned oil wells. When the companies picked up crude oil from wells to take it to market, they falsified receipts to make it look like had picked up less oil than they really did, or that the oil was of a lower quality than it really was."

Here's what the Senate investigation found...

"As evidence came rolling in, it pointed in one direction, Koch, more than any other company, had falsified tickets and taken more oil than it paid for. (The company later admitted in court that it collected about $10 million in crude oil each year without paying for it.)"

After further checks, the investigation found that no other company, other than Koch Industries, had collected so much oil without paying for it. But big money prevailed, as usual, and the Kochs went on their merry way fleecing the American public. And there has been little, if any, change up to today.

 




Monday, March 13, 2023

First There Was Long Covid - Now There Is Long Covidiocy

 


The Republican Party has shared with us a gang of certified idiots since even before taking the majority in the House. There is Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert and the primo-moron, Marjorie Taylor Greene. I recently said we should just ignore Greene but I find it more productive to talk about her asinine antics and big mouth stupidity. It is endless. And Dana Milbank has captured much of MTG and the others in his Washington Post piece...

"There ain’t no cure for long covidiocy," which features a lineup where "House Republicans presented with a textbook case of the ailment this week."

The graphic that came with the article displays a picture of Marjorie Taylor Greene on Capitol Hill ready to do more damage to U.S. democracy. Here's the scenario...

"The newly formed select subcommittee on the coronavirus pandemic met for the first time for what its chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), said would be some “Monday-morning quarterbacking.” It instead became a Tuesday afternoon of false starts and illegal blocks."

There's more...

"Republicans on the panel, some of them medical doctors and others just playing one on TV, offered their predictable assessments. Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) kicked off with the unsupported allegation that “covid was intentionally released” from a Chinese lab because 'it would be impossible for the virus to be accidentally leaked.'”
Republican War On Covid Science with Florida a leader in denial…


Lesko is an Arizona wacky Republican radical whose past is known for "bankruptcies, multiple aliases, an arrest warrant and multiple lawsuits for unpaid bills," according to AZCentral. This should give you an idea of what the Arizona Republican legislature is like. And here is a lunatic opinion from another rightist, this time from Georgia...

"Rep. Richard McCormick (R-Ga.) advanced the ball by informing the panel that coronavirus booster shots 'do more harm than good.'”

You have to wonder just how many constituents of this moron could have died or become seriously ill by not getting a Covid booster. But this is the epitome from the biggest imbecile that has ever been elected to the U.S. Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene, also from Georgia...

“Researchers found that the vaccinated are at least twice as likely to be infected with covid as the unvaccinated and those with natural immunity.”

The subcommittee goes on to present...

"three scientists who arguably did more than all others to champion a herd-immunity approach to covid. Two of them were co-authors of the 'Great Barrington Declaration,' put out by a Koch-backed group, which argued in 2020 for letting the virus run wild through the population while somehow segregating the old and vulnerable."

My opinion is you cannot trust anything supported by a Koch-backed group and


you can see my posts on this divisive gang of goons here. It has been proven that the herd immunity approach could have killed "hundreds of thousands more Americans." This is Republican radicalism at its best, best known as the killing machine. But here is the closer from Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and Fox News regular...
“'It’s a no-brainer that it came from a lab,' he declared. What’s more, 'at this point it’s impossible to acquire any more information, and if you did it would only be in the affirmative.' He even suggested that two of the nation’s top virologists knew this but 'changed their tunes' because they were bribed with grant money by Anthony Fauci."

This is why the American public is so confused about what they should do about Covid. I urge you to read this WaPo article.



 

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Billionaires and Large U.S. Corporations Support Anti-Democracy

 

It is beyond disconcerting to realize one of the richest families in the U.S. supports the 2020 election deniers spending over $1 million to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory. It was right-wing shipping magnates Dick and Elizabeth Uihlein and their money went to "campaigns or committees tied to the 147 Republicans who voted, on January 6, (2021), to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory." But their affection for MAGA goes a lot farther, according to AlterNet...
"Sollenberger, writing for the [Daily] Beast in an article published on November 28, reports that in 2021, Arizona Republican Party Vice Chair Gina Swoboda was hired as executive director for “the Uihlein-backed dark money nonprofit Restoration Action Inc.” Her salary was $108,750 per year."
And in corporate America some of the largest corporations handed out more than $8 million "in campaign contributions toward candidates running for federal office who denied the results of the 2020 election and promoted ideas that the race was stolen from former president Donald Trump." Of course, Chas. Koch and Koch Industries was one of the leaders in the gang of democracy mongers. Another you will want to know about before planning home repairs is Home Depot.

There are more so remember the names if you have a relationship with these companies and let them know how you feel...

"AT&T, Home Depot and UPS, which collectively contributed more than $1.6 million to campaigns that pushed ideas of election fraud.
"Others included Comcast, NBC Universal, the American Crystal Sugar Company and Delta Airlines."

 Arizona GOP Election Rejecting Zeal Could Boomerang On Party's Candidates...


What is most concerning is how organized these people are becoming as if this is only the beginning of the battle...and it may very well be. Here's the scenario and you can see why Arizona is known today as the hotbed of anti-democracy...

“Swoboda, a former Trump campaign official and the vice chair of the... 

"Arizona Republican Party, is now leading a misguided charge against the ballot count in that state on behalf of GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake,” Sollenberger explains. “Swoboda currently serves as ‘election integrity’ coordinator for Lake, whose repeated false claims of voter fraud have ingratiated her to former President Donald Trump and who still refuses to acknowledge her election loss to (Democratic Arizona Secretary of State) Katie Hobbs.”"
Kari Lake is a big promoter of Swoboda and the Uihleins' funded Restoration of

America network which is a hub for election denial, including funding some of the key players pushing election falsehoods in Arizona at the moment. There is so much more in this article that will make the democracy-loving public literally sick to their stomach. It's a great read! In closing, this is AlterNet's overall perspective...
"This is a reminder that there’s big money behind the push to undermine democracy. Through Restoration Action and other entities, an array of groups pushing election conspiracy theories are backed by literally tens of millions of dollars from just one billionaire couple.”

This anti-democracy movement must be stopped now but so far lacks a real leader. If one doesn't step up to the plate soon it could be too late. 

 

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Latest Catchup on American Chaos...




Summarizing what is wrong with this country...


Marjorie Taylor Greene fashions herself a Christian White Nationalist, no doubt for votes and attention, but there is really a movement, as CNN describes it: "An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy."

. . .

And more..."White Christian Nationalism ‘Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy’"

. . .

Former Koch executive, Marc Short, testifies before a grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Short was close to Chas. Koch and has shilled for the fossil fuels industry. There is hope...
"that the U.S. Department of Justice peels this onion all the way to its corrupt core – the unbridled Koch money machine — something that the January 6 House Select Committee has yet to do."

. . .  

The climate crisis could not be pointed out more vividly than in this headline: "Anglers asked to fish out two reservoirs before they dry up."


 . . .

In another Chas. Koch move, "This nation is scorching in a heat wave and wildfires, yet it's returning to planet-baking coal."

. . .

Mark Finchem just won his primary for Arizona's Sec. of State, which will include control over election certification. READ: "Trump-Backed Conspiracy Theorist Vies to Take Over Arizona Elections." He is a Trump lackey and listening to him talk, you would guess he was a lunatic. "He has said he won’t concede if he loses."

. . . 

And further confirmation of Republican plans nationwide to "steal" elections
"'This is how Republicans are planning to steal elections': GOP officials refuse to certify primaries."

The RNC's New Plan To STEAL Elections...


. . .

This is beyond frightening...Can you image the damage that will be done to this country and its democracy if Republicans are able to rewrite the Constitution? READ: "Trump-tied conservatives are 15 states away from an unprecedented rewrite of the Constitution."

. . .

I live in Phoenix and it can get very hot, although we have tempered that over the years with 'It's a dry heat.' Well, climate change has now thrust a period of humidity into the state of Arizona that is, to say the least, uncomfortable. Don't let anyone tell you they have learned to live with it, but in 25 years we have learned to tolerate the heat. That is, however, not so easy for the homeless. Now help is here: "A day with America’s only dedicated heat team in the US’s hottest city."

. . .

Agreed, media headlines, especially the Internet, are supposed to be grabbers, and often way overreacting to the issue. Well, this just posted from NPR certainly fits that premise, except it is not overreacting. Number one, it is from a very credible National Public Radio; second, based on the Putins, Donald Trumps and the U.S. Republican Congress, it sounds very feasible. READ: "Why the U.N. chief says we are 'one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation'"

'Humanity is one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation'- UN Chief |Nuclear Non-Proliferation...

. . .


First it was Lake Meade, then Lake Powell, the two biggest reservoirs in the country located in the Southwest. Now, "Utah's Great Salt Lake is vanishing amid the megadrought gripping the southwestern United States." The shift in size is from 3,301 square miles down to where it now only holds one-quarter of the volume of water it used to. READ: "Megadrought at Utah's Great Salt Lake Seen From Space in Shocking Images."

. . .

The headline says it best: "The world is ablaze and the oil industry just posted record profits. It’s us or them."

At the age of 90, one has a very different perspective on the above. It's not hopeless, it's really a contentment.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Don't Believe Joe Biden's Low Approval Ratings

 

For some reason the U.S. media has reacted to Joe Biden's presidency with the negativity of a pre-planned disposition that he can't possibly be a good president. Much of it is Trump supporters and some of it could be an incompetence within the Biden administration of getting the word out. Because, if you look at the facts, President Biden is doing a great job and here are prime examples...

  • He passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package -
  • Then the administration passed The $1.9 trillion COVID relief deal -
  • He supported transgender service members
  • Reduced unemployment -

There's more and you can read it here. The background...
"In December, the national unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent while jobless claims sunk to their lowest levels since 1969. When Biden took office, the unemployment rate stood at 6.3 percent.

"Despite the growing inflation, wages paid by private businesses also saw an increase of 2.4 percent from January through October last year, while disposable income rose by 3 percent."

Biden on first year in office...


These are facts that cannot be disputed. Then, Nobel winner in economics, Paul Krugman, adds his expert opinion...

“'Real wages rose last year,' Krugman explains. “On a two-year basis, they’re probably down, but not by a lot. At the same time, we’ve had stellar job growth — and as I said, the combination of modestly declining real wages with a strong job market has actually been a winner for past presidents."

But not a winner for Joe Biden, and when you consider all the above, you have to wonder where all the negativity is coming from. Krugman asks the same question. Here's how he explains it...

"As many of us have noted, Americans are very down on the national economy, but relatively upbeat about their own personal financial situation…. That is, their personal experience is pretty good, but they’ve heard that things are terrible for other people.”

Bingo! "They’ve heard that things are terrible for other people." And where have they heard it from? A Republican cartel of propagandists like Fox News, Breitbart, and undercover groups like Charles Koch's. But, then, there's inflation, which cannot be denied. It did happen on Biden's watch and as Harry Truman said, 'The Buck Stops Here.' But the corporate world isn't helping with escalating prices in oil plus food and more. 

And then there's the Russian invasion of Ukraine where the president had to juggle

that with the Covid pandemic and his new SCOTUS nomination. The New York Times reports the administration was in a quandary with his State of the Union speech coming up, which is today. Here's the scenario...
"All presidents are confronted by episodes that are out of their control, forced to react to the world around them more often than they are able to shape it. But the dizzying events of the past week have for now pushed to the sidelines the congressional squabbling over Mr. Biden’s domestic agenda, and are already redefining the arc of his presidency."

So how popular is President Joe Biden today? One of the most credible polling organizations, FiveThirtyEight. has Biden's approval at 40.7%, a disapproval of 53.6%. Compared to Trump's first year of just 38.8% approval, a disapproval of 54.3%. Something's not right and it smells like the radical right again.

 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

UPDATE: Joe Manchin: LIAR...HYPOCRITE...DESERTER...CORRUPTER

 

LATEST: Manchin received 36 donations from corporations in the last two months after announcing he would not support Build Back Better, and raised close to $260,000 in that time period.

Joe Manchin, the Senator from West Virginia is all of those and more, looking more like Donald Trump every day. Taking them one by one, LIAR: He told Pres. Biden he would back the Build Back Better bill, then backed out. On Fox News. HYPOCRITE: Acting like a Democrat, voting like a Republican. DESERTER; from the Democratic Party, most of all his constituents at home. CORRUPTER: Shares this with daughter, Heather Bresch

On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement re. Manchin's bail out on the bill designed to benefit Americans in a number of ways, one of the most important decreasing the cost of your medical prescriptions. Of course Manchin would oppose this because of the fiasco with his daughter's pharmaceutical company, Mylan, Inc. which donated at least $200,000 to her father's campaign during five election cycles. Here's the scenario...

"Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, was the president and chief executive officer of Mylan Inc., a pharmaceutical company that specialized in generic drugs. The company raised the price of a two-pack of EpiPen from around $124 dollars in 2009 to $609 in 2016. Bresch left the company in 2020 after Mylan merged with Upjohn, Pfizer’s generic division, in November 2020, to form Viatris Inc. Bresch began working at the company in 1992, and became CEO in 2012."

I did a post back in June asking the question, "Is Joe Manchin a Senate plant

serving Chas. Koch's conservative group?" The answer, an unequivocal YES! The White House is bending over backwards to work with Manchin, a Democrat that should understand the value of Build Back Better to the American public, particularly West Virginia needy. Apparently he doesn't, prompting this from Jen Psaki...

"In the meantime, Senator Manchin will have to explain to those families paying $1,000 a month for insulin why they need to keep paying that, instead of $35 for that vital medicine. He will have to explain to the nearly two million women who would get the affordable day care they need to return to work why he opposes a plan to get them the help they need. Maybe Senator Manchin can explain to the millions of children who have been lifted out of poverty, in part due to the Child Tax Credit, why he wants to end a program that is helping achieve this milestone—we cannot."

The fact is, he doesn't care about his constituents, or he would be supporting BBB. West Virginians are desperately in need of what this bill offers. Let's take a look: $400B Pre-school for all 3 and 4-year olds; $200B Child tax credits; $200B 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave; $165 billion on healthcare spending;  $150 billion to expand affordable home care; $150 billion for affordable housing; $555 billion to fight climate change.

Yes, a lot of money, but is there anything you see in the above that is not justified by the needs in this country? And how is it paid for...

"Democrats say the spending package will be paid for by tax increases on high earners and corporations, but the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found on Thursday that this will only raise around $1.5 trillion over 10 years—just short of the $1.75 trillion in 10-year spending.

"The CBO findings are at odds with the White House’s pledge to fully pay for the Build Back Better bill, which is now expected to increase the federal budget deficit by $160 billion over the next 10 years."

 A pathetic Joe Manchin Says He Won’t Vote For Biden’s Build Back Better Bill...


Like White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki asks in her statement, how will Joe Manchin explain to his West Virginia constituents that he voted down these benefits: child welfare, medical leave and healthcare spending, affordable home care and housing, and a fight against climate change that could save even more lives. The answer, another resounding YES, Democrats are spending but on the right things that will help homelessness, those in poverty and a general shot to the economy.

Contrary to what Manchin says, some aspects of BBB could counter current inflation as reported by NBC...

"The White House and Democratic leaders have rebranded the legislation as an antidote to widespread price hikes, arguing that it would lower the cost of prescription drugs, childcare and overall expenses related to raising families."

 Republicans are harping on increased inflation and consumer prices did jump 6.2% last month. Biden and Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, as well as Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen, are working on the problem. But thanks to the fact that Joe Manchin blew off the Build Back Better bill, Goldman Sachs has issued a gloomy prediction for the economy. Surprise. It always seems to be traced back to the blockhead senator from West Virginia.

And, because of the latter, Manchin has the country on edge, allowing Republicans to plunder our democracy. It is so fragile that this kind of chaos, added to the Covid-19 pandemic, could soon bring on a GOP autocracy, all thanks to Joe Manchin and cohort Krysten Sinema.

More Joe Manchin below...

WATCH Bernie Sanders put Manchin in his place.

WaPo's Jennifer Rubin's take on Joe Manchin.

Manchin bottom feeder ‘refused’ a call from W.H. before killing BBB

Coal miners want Joe Manchin to reverse opposition to Build Back Better

Thursday, October 21, 2021

JOE MANCHIN Throws West Virginia Children UNDER THE BUS

 

According to a West Virginia state site, there are 14,104 adults and children receiving welfare, 137,000 children receiving food stamps. The child poverty rate is 25%, compared to the overall rate of 16% in the United States. There are 4,200 families receiving childcare subsidies, and 213,023, the number of children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

Yet, Joe Manchin wants to cut back drastically on Joe Biden's Child Tax Credit program.

Visit one of the poorest places in America...in West Virginia, of course...


Why do the voters of West Virginia continue to elect this demagogue
when it is clear that he doesn't give a damn about his constituents, rather seeks out the power to help his big donors like the Chas. Koch gang?

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

KYRSTEN SINEMA should go to the Republicans with Joe Manchin

 

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten [the enema] Sinema continues to string along with West Virginia's coal king and Chas. Koch's pocket change, Joe Manchin, to block Pres. Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Sinema's crusade to try and establish herself as the destroyer of everything Democrat is succeeding as she continues to alienate her base in Arizona. But a liberal polling group, Data For Progress, this month published the following report...
The survey of likely voters for her 2024 Democratic Senate primary showed just 25 percent approval for Sinema's performance in office, as opposed to 85 percent for Arizona's other Democratic senator, Mark Kelly, and President Biden himself. Tellingly, she trailed all four of her hypothetical primary opponents by 29 points or more.

In addition to drinking wine, her other pastime is running, and politically speaking, at this particular time she is headed in the wrong direction. The mock Senator has missed appointments and important meetings for congressional legislation and just recently held her own fundraising get together with industry groups opposed to Biden’s agenda. She might as well have given the President the finger. Sinema loves big pharma, possibly blocking Biden's drug pricing legislation...

Politico and The Daily Poster report that Sinema raised over $1.1 million between July and September, with 90% of the campaign donations coming from outside Arizona. At least $100,000 of those contributions came from individuals or entities linked to the pharmaceutical and financial services industries.

Judy Woodruff at PBS talks to Manchin and Sinema...


Even the Koch gang has recently stepped in to rave about her opposition to taxing the rich, which Chas. Koch definitely is. She's also against increasing taxes on large corporations which is holding up her party's budget reconciliation package. It's hard to find anything Sinema is for on the left side of the aisle, which is prompting calls for the Senate's latest egoist to step across to the other side of the aisle. Might as well considering her voting record.

It has been said that Kyrsten Sinema is attempting to mimick John McCain in his position of maverick Senator. This new kid on the block should realize she comes nowhere close to McCain in any political way I can ascertain. I voted for her, simply because she is a Democrat, or, at least I thought so. Her politics were questionable but we thought she would grow into the job. She didnt! Now it is definitely time to dump this liability as soon as possible.

Sunday, October 17, 2021

UPDATE: JOE MANCHIN: How bad is coal for the environment?

 

UPDATE: 
"Manchin accepted over $400,000 from energy companies and GOP donors in the third quarter"

Joe Manchin, the Senator from West Virginia, and the minion to fossil fuel king, Chas. Koch, has decided, or, better yet, been instructed to block Pres. Biden's Clean Energy Performance Program. The gist of the program is designed to...
"reward utilities that increase their clean energy supply by 4 percent each year, while penalizing those that don’t. Lawmakers have included the initiative as part of a multitrillion-dollar tax-and-spending package that aims to advance Biden’s broader economic vision."

But Manchin's state depends heavily on coal, which means he places politics before the health of Americans. Here's what Alecia M. Spooner says, a teacher of Earth and Environmental Sciences...

"Burning coal emits large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Coal is composed almost entirely of carbon, so burning coal unleashes large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. These emissions have been shown to increase the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere and lead to global warming."

Watch coverage of Joe Manchin destroying Pres. Biden's climate plan...


 It also releases toxins and just the mining of coal is dangerous. The Washington Post comments...

"The standoff has jeopardized Biden’s pledge to halve emissions by 2030, inspiring a new flurry of last-minute policy proposals just two weeks before the president and other world leaders are set to convene the most important global climate talks in a quarter century."

So, it is safe to say that, not only has Joe Manchin jeopardized the environmental issues in the United States, he also threatens the position of the U.S. as a leader in championing the climate change issue around the world.   

 




    Wednesday, September 22, 2021

    UPDATE...AZ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema takes Pharma $ then nixes Biden Prescription Plan...UPDATE

     

    UPDATE: Increased amount AZ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema took from pharmaceutical and medical device industries is more than $750,000 in donations.  READ MORE

    She's against Biden's $3.5 trillion infrastructure Bill, for the filibuster and against $15.00 minimum wage, as well as recently opposing Pres. Biden's Prescription plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices. AZ Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has taken all these positions in defiance of issues that are basic to Joe Biden's agenda. Okay, maybe the $3.5 T is negotiable but not the rest. As an added fact, in the last couple of years Sinema received $358,452 in donation from the pharmaceutical industry.

    Kyrsten Sinema loves filibuster...

    That's a major amount and her fight for Pharma coincides with West Va. Sen. Joe Machin who is in the pockets of fossil fuels giant Chas. Koch. She has even talked directly to Biden...

    "Sinema met with President Joe Biden on Sept. 15 to discuss the social spending package, in which party leaders hope to include the Medicare prescription drug pricing proposal. Sinema has made her resistance to the current House prescription drug negotiation proposal clear to the White House, according to one of the sources, but it’s unclear if she’s completely immovable."

    Joe Manchin has called for a pause in the Infrastructure Bill, vigorously opposed by AOC and her people. On the other hand, some Democrats disagree...

    "Some in the party have called the bills even more necessary as parts of the country are ravaged by wildfires or affected by flooding."

    The left is known for its spending, mostly in needy projects, where Republicans resist to the extent of putting the country in jeopardy. Like right now as Moscow Mitch is refusing to increase the debt limit. This could mean the U.S. goes into default and financial markets experience turbulence. We are certainly not in normal times, especially considering the Covid-19 pandemic, thus, the need for extra revenue. 

    Sinema votes against $15.00 minimum wage...


    And Republicans also must face up to the fact that many of the problems America faces today were caused by one of their own, the former White House maniac, Donald Trump. The fact that the right seems to be doing absolutely nothing about Trump's current bizarre antics is further burden in getting our nation back in order. It's bad enough when you have to deal with an unreasonable opponent, but when you have to fight with fellow party members it becomes absurd.

    Sinema does have company within the party, and this does raise questions re. the amount of the Infrastructure Bill. Sen. Bernie Sanders wants the full amount, and he believes even more is needed. I am still a loyal supporter of the Bern, but at the
    same time wonder if there are parts of the legislation negotiable that would appease the standoff Democrats...
    "Congressional Democrats warred with each other on Tuesday over the price tag and policy scope of their roughly $4 trillion economic agenda, raising the potential for a stunning, self-inflicted defeat as the House prepares to vote on one of the measures next week."

    It is beyond me how anyone in Congress could oppose Medicare's negotiation for the price of drugs for their constituents. Canada regulates their drug prices and they are 50% to 80% lower than in the U.S. Okay, we've known for years donations buy the votes of Congress. In the beginning, Big Pharma thought they had a friend in the junior Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Now the senior Senator of Arizona, they were definitely right. 

    Monday, September 20, 2021

    Republicans accept global warming - Paul Krugman proves them wrong

     

    The GOP calls the obvious threat of global warming "fake news," a hoax. Paul Krugman explains the Republican strategy of picking their denial, based on the issue. Krugman says...
    "That’s what we’re seeing now, as conservatives argue against the Biden administration’s push for climate-friendly public investment. As it happens, this push is taking place against a background of unprecedented heat waves, huge forest fires, severe drought in some places and catastrophic flooding in others — phenomena that scientists have long warned would become more common as the planet gets hotter."

    In some cases the GOP is backing off slightly from its denials...

    "Senator James Inhofe, the author of 2012’s “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future,” is now claiming that he never called climate change a hoax."

     In a recent post, this headline from Business-Insider, "The companies polluting the

    planet have spent millions to make you think carpooling and recycling will save us." My comment was that Chas. Koch, one of America's most profound polluters, was no doubt standing in the front to donate from his ill-gotten gains. As always, supporting Koch to the hilt was the Senate's great protector of slimeballs like Koch, traitor emeritus, Joe Manchin.

    Here's a video from seven years ago [still appropriate] featuring Richard Branson taking Chas. Koch to task saying he just "isn't listening" when it comes to global warming...



    In closing, Paul Krugman is pessimistic, professing...
    "If experience is any guide, this new willingness to accept the reality of global warming won’t last; the next time America has a cold snap, the usual suspects will go right back to denying climate change and attacking scientists."

    America must remember that it is clearly Republicans that are leading our country to this catastrophe! 



    Thursday, June 10, 2021

    Is Joe Manchin a Senate plant serving Chas. Koch's conservative group?

     

    Joe Manchin is naive, possibly, but is there another underlying reason he is opposing President Biden's flagship programs like eliminating the filibuster or the For the People Act? The former will eliminate the possibility of Republicans halting future Biden legislation without a hearing. The latter is an Act to expand Americans' access to the ballot box, in effect, a means to quell the GOP's continuing attempts to block certain voters with state laws.


    And who has regularly fought this legislation with PACs like Americans for Prosperity? Here's a quote from a March press release from AFP urging Manchin to work with the organization's grassroots: 

    "Sen. Manchin has promised to prioritize policies that work for the Mountain State and push back against harmful, partisan policy coming from Washington that threaten shared West Virginia values. AFP-WV’s new effort encourages Sen. Manchin to keep that promise through digital and radio advertising and its signature grassroots activism."

    The West Virginia Senator has done that by dooming the filibuster and For the People Act with his promise of no votes. Here's a statement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., she...

    "suggested that Manchin's opposition to the proposal and filibuster reform may really be about measures in the bill aimed at cracking down on lobbyists and dark money."

    Most anyone in politics knows the king of dark money is Charles Koch who, by the way, is the founder of Americans for Prosperity. Joe Manchin is a lost cause to Democrats.

     

    Saturday, May 22, 2021

    Arizona teachers fined $5,000 for getting controversial

     

    The state of Arizona is famous for the zany antics of its Republican politicians. I call your attention to the ongoing audit of the 2020 election, an effort initiated to please the disgraced ex-president, Donald Trump, with the majority of the GOP minions joining the bandwagon. The leading idiot is Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader, and general rabble-rouser for the insane idea that Trump won the 2020 election. 

    But that's only background to lead into the latest lunacy by an Arizona legislator, a part of the GOP, of course. It seems that Republican Rep. Michelle Udahl has introduced legislation that could fine teachers $5,000 if they bring up a "controversial" subject in the classroom. But that's not all, this also applies to anyone aiding a person doing the same. Here's George Orwell's take...
    "In writing 1984, Orwell's main goal was to warn of the serious danger totalitarianism poses to society. He goes to great lengths to demonstrate the terrifying degree of power and control a totalitarian regime can acquire and maintain."

     Moron Michelle Udahl says her bill is only designed to ensure accuracy of teaching. Elvia Diaz, columnist for USA Today adamantly says "It is not." As far as I'm concerned it stinks of Charles Koch in his drive to make everything conservative and this is his way to warp the minds of children while their young minds are the most pliable. Koch and his gang of radical rights are afraid of a concept called Critical Race Theory (CRT).


    This is the definition of CRT according to Britannica...

    "Critical race theory (CRT), intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color."

    Since it has become clear that Republicans are racists, particularly in their recent statewide moves to limit the ability of people of color to vote, legislation like that of Udahl is probably only the first of many to come, just like the voter suppression movement. Just keep in mind...if you take Koch out of the action, you will have removed the leader.


    Sunday, February 23, 2020


    This is why Pelosi must be replaced - She is anti-Progressive


    HEADLINE: Pelosi ripped for boosting Koch-backed Texas Democrat over progressive 

    challenger


    There is nothing worse than someone associated with the Koch Brothers, except the brothers themselves. Nancy Pelosi should know this, and if she does, it is further proof that she will stand in the way of anything Progressive. I have blogged on the Kochs repeatedly over the years and these two brothers, one of which is thankfully dead, are the bottom of the barrel. Looks like the Koch-backed, anti-choice Democrat will win. Now it's time to dump Pelosi.  

    Saturday, September 14, 2019

    Saturday News Bytes


    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 NEWS BYTES

    News you can use...   

    Check your state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles and you will probably find that they are selling your personal information again, if they haven't been all along, There's a treasure trove there and junk mailers plus the business community in general thrive on this data.

    The Koch brothers have always been very secretive because their political tactics are so underhanded that they fear exposure. One just passed away, David, but Charles has always been the mastermind. This article divulges the ‘secret history’ of the conservative empire.

    Only a maniac like Donald Trump could come up with a gun control measure like this: "White House considers gun control plan that monitors phones of mentally ill." Not only is mental illness the primary cause of gun violence-too many guns on the street is--but the mentally ill most certainly have a right to privacy.

    Now here is something Donald Trump said that needs no explanation other than the fact that this ego maniac is out of his mind: "Trump claims ‘there was nobody here’ in America 25 years ago so ‘they probably had cleaner water.’"

    Apparently Donald Trump has been "grifting" on his Turnberry Resort for some time. As it turns out the "Air Force says it sent crews to Trump’s Scottish resort up to 40 times." And we knew this folks before the Oval Office maniac came to the White House.

    North Carolina is one of the racist states in the country, as well as most corrupt when it comes to politics. Republican gerrymandering is rampant and now this:
    "Secret files reveal how North Carolina Republican systematically stopped black people and students from voting." Where are the Progressives when you need them?

    Monday, August 26, 2019

    David Koch dead: Do not RIP


    August 26, 2019: PROGRESSIVE STREET NEWS BYTES...Where Liberals Walk

    As far as David Kochs' demise, who gives a flying f*ck  

    Koch Bros: Ogres of destruction and devastation
    David Koch is dead and many in this country are either openly or silently rejoicing and waiting for the other shoe to drop. That would be his brother Charles; his demise can't come soon enough for anyone who values life over the profits of industry. Here's the scenario...
    "many Americans will remember him as one of the major players behind the Tea Party, and using his vast wealth to help massively reconstruct American politics into, some say, the vitriolic insanity we see today."
    Yes, he and his brother, Charles, are at least somewhat responsible for the shape of the planet today as it fights to survive ecologically. We can also thank the two Kochs for the state of a political scene that is fraught with lies and underhanded governing, plus the use of illicit power to promote their libertarian beliefs. Both brothers were former members of the ultra-conservative John Birch Society, which their father, Fred, helped found. You can't get much more radical right.

    Good Koch expose from book: “Sons of Wichita”  A great read!


    Charles convinced his younger brother David to run for Vice-President on the Libertarian Party ticket, which called for...
    "abolishing all federal income taxes and virtually every federal agency, including the I.R.S., the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the F.E.C., the E.P.A., the F.D.A., and the S.E.C. The party also opposed Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, public education, and minimum-wage and child-labor laws."
    The severity of these issues shows just how greedy these two brothers were, along with their libertarian party. Charles and David "regarded" centralized government as a scourge akin to Communism." Of course, it was always obvious why the pair despised government; it was the only thing keeping them in line from totally screwing the American public. Another conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., called the Kochs’ views “Anarcho-Totalitarianism.”

    Steven Rosenfeld, in an AlterNet Commentary provides "11 things the Koch brothers didn’t want you to know." It ranges from " The family’s $100 billion fortune comes mostly from a massive network of oil and gas pipelines, and investments in other polluting industries like paper and plastics." To "The Koch brothers’ massive investments and holdings are literally killing the planet, because their primary business is transporting gas and oil." Worth reading!

    Another good Koch expose...


    But my favorite is Bill Maher's reaction to David Kochs' death on HBO “Real Time”...
    “He and his brother have done more than anybody to fund climate science deniers — for decades.” “So f*ck him, cause the Amazon is burning up, I’m glad he’s dead and I hope the end was painful.”
    Surely, at least many conservationists are adding, 'May he burn in hell.'

    More on the Koch Brothers:

    "The slime (Koch) Bros. are at it again"
    "KOCH BROTHERS ALLIES/BIG DONORS POUT OVER THEIR IMAGE"
    "The ALEC conspiracy broadens"

    Wednesday, March 20, 2019

    Democratic Socialists are here to stay


    Bernie Sanders v. Koch Bros.
    It won't go away. Bernie Sanders was the first to use it in a political campaign,  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has shown it can win an election. "It" is Democratic Socialism and this conviction has been sweeping the country since the 2016 Presidential election. A certain group, namely Progressives, have decided that the inequality that exists across the U.S is not good for the country,,,and it isn't. There's wage inequality, homelessness, gender pay and seventeen more listed and explained in the Stanford Center on Poverty & Equality study. The Democratic Socialists of America do a good job of explaining their mission. It is beyond me how anyone, especially the wealthy, can stand by and let this inequality flourish.

    Monday, August 13, 2018

    Most agree Medicare for All is NOW



    FactCheck.org has probed the recent study published by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University that says the "Medicare-for-all plan laid out by Bernie Sanders will save American people $2 trillion over a 10-year period. The author of the study, Charles Blahous, says 'wait a minute, maybe I didn't say that.' First of all, I have to tell you that Blahous' paper was sponsored by the Koch Bros., who contribute heavily to George Mason U. And Bernie's $2 trillion savings have a lot to do with his projected savings on medical care and prescriptions that seem to me perfectly logical.

    Blahous doesn't disagree with Sanders, just prefers to believe his figures instead, which are less optimistic. Bernie counters with, of course Medicare for all will cost more overall but with its collective savings in purchasing power, plus cutting back on health care needs by helping those who need it, resulting in more general wellness. As before, Sanders presents other major companies who do have universal health care like Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, plus several more smaller and even third-world countries.

    The real question is, one Bernie Sanders has been asking for years, is, can we really afford not to have UHC in such a rich country like the U.S., especially when you see so many homeless on the streets, many of which are suffering from mental illness?

    Wednesday, November 1, 2017

    Guess who gets screwed in Trump tax cuts...you and me


    Neither the wealthy nor large corporations read my blog, so you know who "you and me" are. The poor working slobs that are virtually abandoned in Donald Trump and the GOP's tax plan. As an example, the Koch Bros. would realize a fortune, with the slashing of 401(k)s to pay for it. Trump wants to lower the top income tax rate to 35%, reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20%, with the average American realizing about 1.2%, eventually getting worse. The top 1% would increase after-tax income by 6%, which is five times the 1.2%. Fewer than one-third of the public support the tax plan.

    The absurdity of Trump tax plan...

    Kiss your 401(k)s goodbye...

    How Trump screws average American...

    The math of how "we" lose...

    The rich reap five times more than "you and me"...

    Two-thirds of country don't want tax cuts...


    Wednesday, May 31, 2017

    Looking past Trump...How do we dispense with Pence?


    The Koch Bros. were the kingpins behind the Tea Party. Mike Pence is and always has been one of its staunchest supporters. Do we want Charles Koch controlling the Oval Office? Backing up, Donald Trump is either at the point of implosion, or, any day now he will make the most awesome and dangerous mistake of his presidency and the numb nuts in Congress will finally do their job and impeach him. In either case, we end up with Mike Pence and, as you can see from the above, that could be even worse. But maybe not as bad as Paul Ryan?

    So, what do we do once we are saddled with another lunatic in the Oval Office, one, by the way who is afraid to be in a room alone with a woman other than his wife.? To start with, it seems to me that the latter is an indication of some form of instability, one that does not complement the job of President. But there is much more starting with Pence's claim that...
    "...he did not know of former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s work on behalf of foreign governments until he learned of them in media reports."
    Rep. Elijah Cummings reaction, “Either he's not telling the truth, or he was running a sloppy shop.” Now this sounds like he is mirroring Donald Trump. Like President, like Vice President? Geeez, you would think that these dufuses would at least try to come up with something original. Cummings even sent a letter to Pence as the President of Trump's transition team last November regarding Flynn’s ties to the Turkish government. The Representative's office received a receipt for the latter. Thus, the statement that Pence is either not telling the truth, or running a sloppy shop.

    Cummings marveled over the fact that when you pass along information like this about someone Trump has nominated, and eventually took the office of National Security Adviser, the number one guy with America's secrets, and who was also connected to a foreign government, hundreds of red flags should go up. Thy did and Flynn was fired. Through all this Pence stood by his earlier statement-sound like someone else in the White House? It was, perhaps, Karl Rove that perfected the use of dirty politics, including lying, under George W. Bush and the GOP has just improved it.

    The Washington Post expands on the Flynn allegations of lying or just dumbing down, with Pence's explanation of the James Comey firing. His version is that his boss did it on the recommendation of the deputy attorney general and the attorney general adding...
    “There is no evidence of collusion between our campaign and any Russian officials. That's not what — let me be clear with you — that was not what this is about. That's not what this is about.”
    Just one day later, Trump told "NBC News's Lester Holt that he had already decided to fire Comey and would have done it regardless of the DOJ's recommendation." WP asserts...
    "Pence could argue that Trump technically did accept the recommendations of the Justice Department. But, again, that would be highly misleading, based on Trump's own comments that he had already made up his mind."
    The long and the short of Mike Pence's statements to defend the Trump administration indicate a combination of the fact that he will say anything to protect the administration, and/or, he is just so far out of touch with Trump and his advisers, he really doesn't know what's going on. In either case, if Pence had to assume the presidency in an emergency, it could be even worse than it is now. So back to my headline, "How do we dispense with Pence?"

    Coming up in future posts...Your comments are welcome!

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