Republicans Are About To Sow The Seeds For The Progressive Resurrection (Updated)

Will we be smart enough to recognize and seize the moment? We can follow three issues to the recapture of government, but we'll have to do it fast and we'll have to do it correctly and we'll have to vow not to be derailed by incrementalists and pragmatists and it'll-never-happen folks. We'll have to consider this an issues movement and either create a brand new Party out of it or drag the most logical Party to the left to achieve our goals, but this time without the corruption of DLC bait-and-switch type of Democrats - in other words it will involve litmus tests and campaign promises.

Here's the plan: HER*

I. Basic Intro
This plan involves a premise that I glommed onto a while ago - The only "government spending" or "fiscal responsibility" that the 1% and elites care about curtailing or reining in are any dollars that are directed directly to the benefit of individual citizens without the 1% getting their cut or skim off the top.

As a general warning, beware the phrase "small government Conservatives" which we are about to hear a lot of. Conservatives want government to be puny only in its altruism or treatment of individual humans, they want it to be as large and expansive and generous as possible if profits are to be enhanced and the 1% to be enriched.

As an example consider that Federal subsidies to wealthy corporations were just fine, as the elites were willing to bail out banks but not homeowners due to the unironically offered danger of "moral hazards"that bailing out homeowners would involve. The institutions that triggered the crisis through their illegal and unethical and immoral behaviors (multiple security frauds, bait and switch, predatory financing, title corruption, etc) are not seen to be morally compromised or encouraged in future miscreancy by bail-out, but their victims are.

One tenet that our government has taken to heart is not some cynical commentary, it is TRUTH - Privatize the Profit but Socialize the Losses Once you understand that concept, you can follow the motivations of basically any economic outlay the government undertakes. Corporations are insulated from the consequences of their choices and function in a risk free environment that is underwritten by the tax dollars of the entire nation. Monies that go to Corporations and Industries are all good and fall under the rubric of "job creation", "green energy", "research and development", "national security" or whatever other term they can come up with.

Monies that go directly to American citizens are all bad and potentially budget busting and must be eliminated or reduced in order to "protect" them" and to "insure their survival", etc. These programs would include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, Pell grants, homeowner energy subsidies, etc. etc. You get the idea.

Underwriting corporate profits for oligarchs is responsible but feeding, educating, sheltering, providing healthcare for citizens or improving their lives in anyway is nothing but irresponsible coddling of the serfs who either need to buck up and pull themselves up by non-existent bootstraps or responsible die off as the parasitic part of the surplus population that needs to be dispensed with.

Unfortunately, due to unemployment, job losses, wage stagnation, rising rents, rising healthcare costs, crushing tuition debt, lack of job opportunities, rising medical and insurance costs, etc. a huge percentage of the American population is living on the rim of a financial abyss and about to drop in at any moment. It is TIME that America started spending some money on her people and not on her oligarchs. It is TIME that we demand that America start to disperse some of her collective wealth to improve the lives of the 99%. It is TIME that we enjoy some of the fiscal fruit of the government tree. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed or apologetic for demanding your share of the pie. The 1% has no shame in taking and eating the whole pie without explanation except that it is their right.

This whole intro is basically to counter arguments against Socialism and liberals wanting "free stuff"which are bound to arise. Thankfully, Bernie has already prepared the ground. (Don't be afraid of the phrase "Socialism" or "Socialist" which was immediately deployed against Bernie. It has no negative clout today and does not conjure up images of Stalin-ism and boiled cabbages and babushkas) We simply want what will enhance and improve the life of every single American that will rebound to the enhancement and improvement of the entire country - Healthcare, Education and Retirement or HER for short. "I'm with HER" could take on a whole new meaning in my proposal.

The proposal of HER is a platform based on demands for:

1. Single Payer Tax Care
2. Free Tuition to Public Universities and Student Debt Relief
3. Enhanced and Improved Social Security.

This essay is long enough for today. I'll expand upon the 3 components in further essays if there is any interest.

*******
Update

I write on the fly . In rereading my own essay, I realized there is a huge gap and improvement that should be made. Not "Her" but "HERE" with the addition of "Environment" as the 4th plank.

So the legs of the table are : Health, Education, Retirement and Environment. HERE

The new slogan could be "We're HERE" which is actually a big improvement over any slogan that made a historical reference to HRC>

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He might not be left of Stein but he is sure left of Obama and Clinton. The people of this country are absolutely clueless. Trump supporters think TARRIFFS are a righ twing idea. It doesn't get any more socialist than that. Stop looking at the labels. Throw the labels in the garbage. They are useless.

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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

to usher through a Republican Congress

Single Payer, Student Debt Relief and Free Tuition, Enhanced Social Security and Environmentalism are you?

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

CambridgePulsar1919's picture

Rinse Penis, and a bunch of filth from the Repuke Revolution of the 90's?

To me it looks like Trump has bent-over, and is having an 'insert hand here' tattoo applied to his butt-cheeks.

What the hell, he already looks like some kind of demented puppet...

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Trump quote from 1999.
I'm a registered Republican. I'm a pretty conservative guy. I'm somewhat liberal on social issues, especially health care, et cetera, but I'd be leaving another party, and I've been close to that party ... I think that nobody is really hitting it right. The Democrats are too far left. I mean, Bill Bradley, this is seriously left; he's trying to come a little more center, but he's seriously left. The Republicans are too far right. And I don't think anybody's hitting the chord, not the chord that I want hear, and not the chord that other people want to hear, and I've seen it.
"

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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho

Somebody dosed you, Donald, because you were seriously tripping.

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TheOtherMaven's picture

that one Sir Arthur Sullivan (of "Gilbert and...") wrote a song called "The Lost Chord". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Chord

Not what you'd expect from a vulgar buffoon. Will the real Donald Trump unmask and stand up?

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

"striking the right chord" which I always took as an allusion to creating harmony from dissonance, but I really enjoyed the Lost Chord information. Love the lyrics!

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

solublefish's picture

I can hardly tell if you are snarking or are serious.

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A Goldman Sachs guy for Treasury.

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Cachola's picture

He did mention it but maybe he'll withdraw like he didcwith th vice presidency for Christie. Not that it matters, any of his cronies are scary.

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Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur.

sojourns's picture

as expressed by John Dewey. He is too much an authoritarian.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

Really - this is the kind of comment that takes us out of any serious discussion. Trump is a STONE COLD CAPITALIST. Period.

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

n/t

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CambridgePulsar1919's picture

Trump will very quickly walk away from the faux economic populism that won him the Presidency.

The next 2 years are a great opportunity for real progressives to step-up and offer a real solution to those who have been sold-out by the 2 party Oligarchs.

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Voters agree with us about.

He's naming a Wall Street Goldman Sachs guy to Treasury. Hammer that.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

with Student debt reform and Free tuition - they're being clobbered by crushing debt and they want a better world for their kids too. I also know they like their Social Security so that's 2 out of 4 for sure. They are probably iffier on environmental protections (energy voters doncha know) and single payer BUT healthcare costs will continue to skyrocket even under a Republican administration so they might bend their heads around that. I'll be writing more about left and right perspectives of each point in the future.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

ggersh's picture

right now Schumer and Pelosi either need to both go or turn hard left
we need progressives, liberals, are Senators, Reps, that are actually for the people.

The tea party has more in common with the liberals than the establishment
that's a bridge that has to be established.

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Amanda Matthews's picture

I am keeping an eye on Tulsi Gabbard. With backing and support, she could turn into a Progressive powerhouse.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

ggersh's picture

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I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho

CambridgePulsar1919's picture

His supporters are in for a *shock*.

Trump is going to sell them out, and do jack-shit for them. They're rubes, they've been conned.

The question is what will they do and where will they go when they figure it out?

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There is a reason Trump's grandkid was the person standing closest to Trump during his acceptance speech. Wanna bet Elon Musk is one of the first people Trump contacts in his Presidency?

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"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." - Groucho

Your UID is apt.

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

lotlizard's picture

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

lotlizard's picture

by Obama?

I partly share your suspicion, it’s what I call the “Trump is TOOTR” hypothesis.

(TOOTR = The Obama of the Right)

In four years, will some Sarah Palin of the Left be asking Trump voters, “How’s that Makey Greatey stuff workin’ out for ya?”

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Do you have a link for that?

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

We need to be organizing for what we want now. The Berners need to unite themselves under a single umbrella and start putting together a platform and a Party.

I just don't think I'm up for betrayal and co-option by the Democratic Party anymore. Further, along with these planks, if a Party arises, I think it should adopt as its structure the Bernie Structure - no PACs and small donors and social media for messaging.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

CambridgePulsar1919's picture

I've been thinking of contacting Bernie directly, and begging him to consider using his power and his data base to create a real 'revolution' site, that won't have the stink of billionaire cash, Jeff Weaver, or the DNC.

He'll never be President, but he could be the person that leads the nation out of the wilderness of pseudo-fascist insanity.

I think he already knows this, because he's going to be on one of the Sunday bobblehead shows opposite Gingrich.

Game on.

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Agree.

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Not Henry Kissinger's picture

But in the Obmamcare repeal if we can preserve/expand the ability to establish statewide single payer models we might finally start getting some handle on costs as well as traction toward the beginnings of a national model.

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The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

Bisbonian's picture

I sure wasn't liking the "HER" acronym. The plan was good, just didn't like those three letters.

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

on board, but in retrospect that's a terrible idea. We don't need her personality cult to be expanded any further. I look forward to the Clintons and the DLC and the New democrats and the Third Way and No Labels types riding off into the sunset forever.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

MsGrin's picture

Exactly...

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'What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark' - Ann M. Ravel, former FEC member

Raggedy Ann's picture

I'm with YOU HERE!

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

If HRC had won, progressives would have simply been veal-penned again under the Democratic umbrella and getting a couple of crumbs now and again.

Now that the Dems were trounced we need to formulate the gameplan for 2018 and beyond.

Based on past history, will the Dems see that they missed the boat with Bernie? Possibly, but only for window dressing purposes and it will be hard for them as they are majority neo-liberal in real life. I think they will see the Trump victory as an excuse to once again move even further right. Because that's how they roll.

I really, truly this NOW is a once in a generation opportunity for a new party to arise out of the Bernie ashes - maybe a roc could be our symbol: out of destruction comes regeneration. (Maybe it could be the Bernie bird flying out of a campfire labelled DNC, LOL)

I reject Dems and I reject veal pens.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Raggedy Ann's picture

Until the people rise up and say enough and then have the willingness to do the work to make it better, nothing will change. I am with you because I want that change.

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Alphalop's picture

(Maybe it could be the Bernie bird flying out of a campfire Dumpster Fire labelled DNC, LOL)

Smile

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"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

for when little children ask "Mommy (or Daddy) why does the Great Seal of The New Progressive States of America have that dumpster fire and that bird?"

and then we can then tell them about Uncle Bernie WhiteHair and the bad people at the DNC who tried to make NeoLibera Clintonia Empress over the land but the brave soldiers of the Progressive Freedom Movement stole all the clothespins in the country and there weren't enough for the sad voters to put on their noses to make NeoLibera Empress and so Trumpus the Malignant was crowned king instead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. to be continued.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Bisbonian's picture

when little children ask "Mommy (or Daddy) why does the Great Seal of The New Progressive States of America have that dumpster fire and that bird? and then we can then tell them about Uncle Bernie WhiteHair and the bad people at the DNC who tried to make NeoLibera Clintonia Empress over the land but the brave soldiers of the Progressive Freedom Movement stole all the clothespins in the country and there weren't enough for the sad voters to put on their noses to make NeoLibera Empress and so Trumpus the Malignant was crowned king instead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. to be continued.

...popped this into my head:

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23SVHUPrUJ4]

Maybe it was "Trumpus the Malignant."

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

The 90% missed the boat they wanted. The plutocrats of both parties are ensconced in the yacht boat they wanted.

Happens every two and four years.

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Amanda Matthews's picture

their own pockets. This is from 2012. I don't think things have improved since then, and I can't find any later info on this nest-padding of our 'elected representatives'.

***
SNIPPET FROM WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE

Congress members back legislation that could benefit themselves, relatives

A California congressman helped secure tax breaks for racehorse owners — then purchased seven horses for himself when the new rules kicked in.

A Wyoming congresswoman co-sponsored legislation to double the life span of federal grazing permits that ranchers such as her husband rely on to feed cattle.

And a Pennsylvania congressman co-sponsored a natural gas bill as Exxon Mobil negotiated a deal that paid millions for his wife’s shares in two natural gas companies founded by her great-great-grandfather.

Those lawmakers were among 73 members of Congress who have sponsored or co-sponsored legislation in recent years that could benefit businesses or industries in which either they or their family members are involved or invested, according to a Washington Post analysis. The findings emerge from an examination by The Post of financial disclosure forms and public records for all 535 members of the House and Senate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-members-back-legislatio...

END OF SNIPPET FROM WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE

***

We need to do a thorough house cleaning in the halls of congress.

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

Granma's picture

Edited because was in wrong essay.

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Granma's picture

Will fix when not on phone.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

I read your comment and was scratching my head and going "Whaaa . . .?"

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

sojourns's picture

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

to understand how they are being conned with "fiscal responsibility" and austerity and "small government" rhetoric. The only people for whom the government can't afford nice things are the citizens. There are unlimited dollars for industry and bail-out and funding our being the world's mall cop.

That mall cop thing is one thing Trump got right. Because we have burdened ourselves with the expense of the world's security, we have saved many countries a lot of dollars that they might have had to spend on self-defense so that they as a consequence do have the National Healths and free tuition and other necessities that we are told our country can't afford for us.

As to me running, never. But I would be very interested in being in the media arm or speech-writing for a candidate and a party that I believe in. Its all about the message and then finding good messengers.

What made Bernie such a great communicator was that he actually believed the words he was saying which gave him passion and authenticity which people felt on a subatomic level. That is the quality that hacks cannot recreate, no matter how they furrow their brows or allow their eyes to moisten.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

sojourns's picture

You are just far better at articulating this than am I. Sanders struck a chord alright. I was deliriously happy when he through his name in the hat. With virtually nothing and no-one but his wife behind him.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

I know that just about everyone here at C99% knows about the fiscal responsibility scam run by both neo-cons and neo-liberals but we really need to get that message out there - all of the saftey net cuts and reductions are predicated on Republicans and Catfood Democrats telling people that it is their health and their retirements that are bankrupting the country and not the MIC and corporate welfare.

I know there are lots of knowledgeable people here that could begin constructing the equivalent of fiscal flash cards and bullet points to condense that information into easily digestible talking points. We won a provable victory over Obama's chained CPI by understanding that it WAS a reduction and it was in essence a stealth tax on the poorest people in the country and we MADE them renounce it as a bargaining chip. Dems did not "embrace the suck" even when instructed to do so by their leader Pelosi.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

sojourns's picture

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Creosote.'s picture

And it resonates for this same reason:

actually believed the words [s]he was saying which gave [them]him passion and authenticity which people felt on a subatomic level.

HERE is the heart of it.

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If an idea doesn't pass the smell test, do an OWS style reality check: good, but hard to sell ideas, require more thought. bad ideas, easily presented and sold, also need to be revised to make it good

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Fighting for democratic principles,... well, since forever

right now if your out of pocket health expenses are greater than 7% of your income you can take them as a deduction if you itemize. make that a refundable credit - single payer through the tax code. After that, stop fighting over Social Security, give everyone over 55 a $25,000 refundable tax credit. Then we can replace "welfare" and the minimum wage by extending it to everyone. How about an "education credit"?

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On to Biden since 1973

sojourns's picture

Require Dr.s and hospitals etc. provide an annual statement, a nice neat receipt if you will (quarterly for the self-employed) to their patients to make it easier to deduct. Additionally, all monies spent towards the deductible should be made tax deductible. That my pressure the legislature to pressure corporations to purchase more affordable insurance for their employees. Surely, Walmart is big enough to negotiate as well as the Federal government. Why don't they? Because it would damage their health insurance portion in their stock portfolios. What a web.

As it is, people are having to go on some form of welfare, which results in corporate welfare. Seems to me that if the congress and federal employees (execept for veterans) have cadillac insurance then so should everyone else. Equal protection under the law.

As it is. Education credits are given. They are given to corporations when they pay for tuition for their employees. Another corporate welfare item. Again.

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"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
John Cage

I'm one. I live on $736/mo Soc Sec retirement, HUD rental subsidy, Food Stamps. In other words, I depend on the 'entitlement' of Soc Sec retirement.

If I'm reading you correctly, you are suggesting doing away with Soc Sec (Retirement only, or also Disability?) and replacing it with a tax credit that I would not recieve unless my income was first raised considerably., creating enough taxable income to more than replace the $8832/yr I currently receive in SSR. (I would also have to incur 7% of that $8832 in out-of-pocket medical expenses before the tax credit would go into effect.)

The broader question raised by your comment is something like, 'Why would a Progressive political organization attack (remove) *any* Social Security protections?'

Rather than adopt the current structure of the 'safety net' and adopt the Republican/neoliberal mindset and the jargon of 'austerity', why not re-evaluate the importance of the safety-net programs and bring them up-to-date regarding today's actual living expenses?

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

They pay sales taxes and property taxes and taxes that exist on utilities and payroll taxes. In fact with Social Security you're paying double taxes since you paid for it while working and now you are paying again as income tax if you rise to taxable income.

That's aside from the point being made by the other poster. I think tax credits are supposed to be a flat out credit as in a plus sign regardless of whether you rise to taxable income or not. It might be better thought of as "tax income" as odd as that sounds. Then again, I could be wrong.

Speaking of tax income, more Progressive countries are investigating the concept of "minimum incomes" guaranteed to their citizens as opposed to things like tax credits, Social Security and the like. IMO the thinking behind the plans are sound - just cut to the chase and make sure that everyone has enough money to pay for the necessities of life. This is particularly relevant as we enter the Age of Permanent Unemployment where there simply won't be enough jobs for the population requiring jobs. If you don't want all the unemployed turning to lives of crime or dying of starvation in the streets, simply underwrite their existence. In the long run it saves money that would later be spent in safety net and health and prison programs anyway.

I think its an idea whose time may have come. But, but, people living on the dole?! Fine, don't do it and have your home invasion or bank robbery or stick-up in the streets as desperate people do whatever they have to do to stay alive.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

TheOtherMaven's picture

You could sell that to Trump, easy peasy, if put in terms of dollars and cents. He understands dollars and cents and bottom lines - he's a businessman.

Could he sell it to Congress? We'll never know unless he's persuaded to try.

You know damn well we'd never get the time of day from Her Nauseousness. She hates the "little people".

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

Goldman Sachs:
Excerpts of of Hillary Clinton's Paid Speeches to Goldman Sachs Finally Released
Discussing middle class economic anxieties, Clinton told a crowd at a Goldman Sachs-sponsored speech that she is now “kind of far removed because the life I’ve lived and the economic, you know, fortunes that my husband and I now enjoy, but I haven’t forgotten it.” Subtext: I'm one of you now and the Foundation-speechy-State Department thing worked out great!

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

terriertribe's picture

But I believe that tax credits are deducted from your tax liability if you incur that liability (i.e., you make enough taxable income to begin with) and you meet the conditions for receiving the tax credit (e.g., you spend enough out-of-pocket on qualifying health care or raise the insulation level on your house). They don't drive your tax liability below zero or contribute to a refund. And you have to have the money up front to do whatever meets the conditions. That's why tax credits for childcare is a joke to poor people who need child care help the most.

I totally agree that some form of minimum income for everyone is the way to go.

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Now interviewing signature candidates. Apply within.

in that if it reduces your tax below 0 you get the difference. as for having to pay for the health care before getting the credit the ACA estimates your subsidy and applies it to your premium in advance. we can do the same. , or sort of. I don't want to hard code too many details because in the miraculous event that the idea catches on it will naturally morph, and promoting too many details would oly give the "can't do it that way" obstructionists people ammunition.

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On to Biden since 1973

boriscleto's picture

But dressing it up in a more acceptable major party wrapper.

Like FDR did with the Progressive Party. Though FDR was always very careful to call himself a Liberal and not a Progressive.

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" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

TheOtherMaven's picture

Liberal Republicans who had broken with the Greedy Old Party and started working to improve the lot of the (white - they had blinders on) underclass.

No, he wouldn't want to call himself a Progressive, but he knew where to steal good ideas from. Biggrin

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

mhagle's picture

Important ideas to ponder!

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Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

riverlover's picture

and think that with correct phrasing anyone on Social Security or SSDI can now be convinced that they have been a target for the cost-cutters. 0.3% increase for 2017? Meanwhile huge increases for Medicare dues? It's a pay cut, has been for several years. Seniors may seem overall more conservative but they do expect payment in the bank monthly for the pay taken by the government when they were working. Boomers are not majority now, but a large cohort is now entering the Social Security system where there are many hurdles and penalties.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

mouselander's picture

reading the following article by Naomi Klein:

Rise of Davos Class Sealed America's Fate

While Naomi speaks to the disastrous effects on our society that resulted from the Democratic Party's embrace of neoliberal ideology, much of the article deals with ways to effectively combat the rise of the neo-fascist movements we are currently seeing in both the US and Europe.

Neo-fascist responses to rampant insecurity and inequality are not going to go away. But what we know from the 1930s is that what it takes to do battle with fascism is a real left. A good chunk of Trump’s support could be peeled away if there were a genuine redistributive agenda on the table. An agenda to take on the billionaire class with more than rhetoric, and use the money for a green new deal. Such a plan could create a tidal wave of well-paying unionised jobs, bring badly needed resources and opportunities to communities of colour, and insist that polluters should pay for workers to be retrained and fully included in this future.

I think this is a crucial point: A movement like Trump's, that feeds the anger and frustration of the economically disenfranchised by scapegoating those who are even more vulnerable can only be effectively countered by a movement that offers something a lot more bold and substantive than stale, mainstream liberal bromides.

Naomi also talks about what's now going on in Canada, and the challenges we in the US face for the future.

Such a coalition is possible. In Canada, we have begun to cobble it together under the banner of a people’s agenda called The Leap Manifesto, endorsed by more than 220 organisations from Greenpeace Canada to Black Lives Matter Toronto, and some of our largest trade unions.

Bernie Sanders’ amazing campaign went a long way towards building this sort of coalition, and demonstrated that the appetite for democratic socialism is out there. But early on, there was a failure in the campaign to connect with older black and Latino voters who are the demographic most abused by our current economic model. That failure prevented the campaign from reaching its full potential. Those mistakes can be corrected and a bold, transformative coalition is there to be built on.

I agree with these sentiments. The only thing I would add is that I don't believe anything very useful can be accomplished within America's two-party framework, which is expressly intended to either reinforce the status quo, or else tilt things even further in favor of the billionaire class that is now busily laying waste to Middle America, and much more besides.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

Thank you so much for posting that.

I'm over both parties and they conveniently both blew themselves up in this election. Sometimes a builder has to look at whether a house is a rehab or a knockdown. IMO the Democratic Party is a knockdown. But, I don't have any interest in doing a rebuild on the same lot, because I think the well is polluted. I would rather go for new construction on a different lot.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

mouselander's picture

And I'm glad to know you and I are on the same page regarding the notion of attempting to rebuild the Democratic Party. To me it's like a toxic sludge pond filled with disgusting slimeballs like Obama, the Clintons, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Tim Kaine, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Donna Brazile... who the fuck in their right mind would want to align themselves with such utterly corrupt and poisonous sellouts? As far as I'm concerned, the farther genuine progressives stay away from the likes of these folks, the better.

To my way of thinking, two of the most effective ways a new party could present itself as a better, more effective option is A) to expressly lay out a very specific core agenda that all political candidates would have to sign onto and commit to doing their utmost to implement; and B) a public servant Code of Conduct that all candidates would agree to abide by, which would cover any and all potential ethical breaches and conflicts of interest that might occur during their campaigns, during their terms of service, and even encompassing their actions after leaving office.

The main point being, make a contrast with the existing order that is sufficiently dramatic, and clearly tilted in favor of the interests of the 99% as opposed to the 1%, and people will start to notice. I often find myself coming back to the pre-Civil War years as a point of reference. The problems America, and human civilization in general, currently face are, if anything, even more daunting and potentially calamitous than was the issue of slavery, as profound and important a moral and practical issue as that was. If a major, precedent shattering political realignment was possible then, why should it not be equally possible now?

I think what Naomi is saying is that yes, it is possible with the right kind of blueprint and ground game, and I am 100% in agreement with her. Time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

Couldn't agree more with Points A and B.

I would be temped to add term limits under Point B or maybe make it Point C. People turning politcal positions into lifetime sinecures which can evolve into quasi-bribery influence peddling is something that is avoided by term limits; limits also conform more to the idea of the citizen legislature envisioned by The Founders (insert respectful silence and tug at forelock here). Also, it send politicians back out into the world they have created.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

mouselander's picture

I tend to be in favor of term limits for the reasons you mention - however, it would at best be one small element in a comprehensive reform package. In California we've had term limits for state legislators in effect since 1990, and as far as I can see it hasn't made any appreciable difference in the degree to which legislators cater to special interests as opposed to their nominal constituents. I believe in some ways term limits have speeded up the process whereby legislators curry favor with powerful industry groups, since they're all too well aware that after 12 years they'll be in need of another gig.

As I see it, the best way to make term limits effective is to not make them too restrictive - i.e. allow a maximum of two Senate terms and/or 12 terms in the House - and also to enforce a lifetime ban on working as a lobbyist or otherwise for any industry in which the legislator had any oversight role during his or her career in Congress. Causing Congresscritters to be termed out after X number of years isn't too useful if all they do is exit through the revolving door and set up shop on K Street.

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lotlizard's picture

To me it's like a toxic sludge pond filled with disgusting slimeballs like Obama, the Clintons, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Tim Kaine, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Donna Brazile... who the fuck in their right mind would want to align themselves with such utterly corrupt and poisonous sellouts?

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detroitmechworks's picture

Lot of little bullshit that makes life harder for the poor.

Enhancement of anything that benefits him personally, and law changes to anything that gets in his way.

Saw it before, standard shit. But less harmful than ACTIVE punishment of the lower classes.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

Ed Plan does not include free tuition. And, IMO, it wouldn't pass a majority Dem Senate, either. We have to remember, the Dem Party is the party of 'pay-go,' and they're on-board with slashing taxes for the wealthy and corporations.

(Although they rarely own up to it, except in elite gatherings, where Wyden admitted at a WSJ Forum that he'd negotiated dropping the 39.6 tax rate to 24.0, back in the summer of 2014.)

Off the top of my head, I believe that DT has called for a loan payback period of no more than 15 years, at 12%.

From what I've heard Schumer say, I think that, aside from possibly pushing to finance two years of Community College/trade school, none of the corporatist neoliberals--other than at election time--would pass legislation that would pay tuition for a 4-year college program.

For that matter, both Parties are considering restricting awarding the bulk of Pell Grants to folks under the age of 25--which will result in preventing many adults from bettering themselves. (This has been thrown around in think tanks, and in the Senate HELP Committee.)

One reason for their reluctance, aside from their attitudes about meritocracy, is that they still depend on the current version of the GI Bill as a draw for recruits for our all-volunteer military. Saw just the other day--recruiting standards are being dropped, again. Ash Carter says that 'times are a-changin'.' Yeah, I bet they are. Wink

And, if Dems did get on board with a free college tuition program, I fully expect that it would be contingent upon serving in a National Service Program--or, enlisting/commissioning in military service.

Anyhoo, it's always constructive/helpful to lay out goals. Perhaps, one day, if we ever manage to throw out all the neoliberal jerks, we'll see considerably expanded educational/health/social service programs.

Have a good one!

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit and therefore– to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

Chris Hedges 2020

The SOSD Fantastic Four

Available For Adoption, Save Our Street Dogs, SOSD

Taro
Taro, SOSD

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

SnappleBC's picture

due to the unironically offered danger of "moral hazards"that bailing out homeowners would involve

Someone actually said that?

ROTFLMAO

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

featheredsprite's picture

he may realize that capitalism HAS TO HAVE customers that can afford to buy things.

Our present group of one-percenters doesn't understand that.

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Life is strong. I'm weak, but Life is strong.

lotlizard's picture

The 0.01%, the billionaires, each with their coterie of consiglieri, are rent-seeking feudalists.

Their real role models nowadays are the Saudi kings and Gulf emirs whose behinds our leaders hasten to kiss, or families of old Europe dating back to the Middle Ages, like the Rothschilds.

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/dozens_of_top_us_officials_s...

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TheOtherMaven's picture

that far, but their rise to success came during the late years of the Authoritarian Age. The warring nation-states needed money, the Rothschilds knew how to make and multiply money, and they loaned it out at interest. It was a method of self-protection in risky times (and times have always been risky for Jews).

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

lotlizard's picture

“Always have a pouch containing raw diamonds handy. Hang it around your neck when you sleep. Because at any time you might be forced to flee with your family in the middle of the night with no time even to fetch anything to take with you. The raw diamonds will provide the capital you’ll need to start all over again in a new place.”

In Amsterdam, opposite the Rembrandt and Van Gogh museums there are what appear to be several diamond dealers. I wonder if that’s where people go to buy raw diamonds.

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"either create a brand new Party out of it or drag the most logical Party to the left to achieve our goals"

You seem to be ruling out the Green Party . Is it logical to try to "drag" the Dem Party to the left? I have heard this sort of plan before and it does not work well. Do you think we really dragged Her to the left in any serious way? Why would we do any better with Her party ?

I don't want to have to fight my Party leadership any longer. In any case we should move quickly and the Green Party is ready now. Why fight to keep a discredited label ? Let those who hear come over as we did. Might help separate "those who are from those who aint". Appreciate any reasoned discussion. thx.
In my opinion, Green Party is the place to be.

(pr flash- stein as eva gabor and baraka as eddie albert, lol) "it's gold jerry! gold!" aw, this stuff writes itself.

stein - baraka
2020

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

because I think they have proven themselves unworthy of the trust that has been placed in them by the people to represent their interests against the 1%. In my case I would be skeptical of every move leftward being a fake public face that they would be working against privately behind the scenes. For instance, hiring a new "liberal" head of the DNC isn't the draw they might think it would be for someone like me. I would most likely consider it window dressing.

As to the Green Party -

It's been in the marketplace as a choice since Ralph Nader in 2000. In 16 years, despite standing for all the right progressive stances, it has made few if any inroads that I can see. I am not trying to dis them, simply getting themselves on the ballot in almost every state is a huge accomplishment, but why haven't they managed to create critical mass? I understand about money and media attention hindering them and maybe Bernie stole their thunder on this go round. Maybe they would have done better if Bernie hadn't appeared on the scene and they were the alternative.

I took a look at their platform. It is extremely detailed, so you can't say they aren't offering specific policy suggestions. They also state that their platform isn't binding on any of their candidates, which I find harder to understand. I get that with so many specific policies, it's probably not a good idea to bind their candidates to all of them, but they should bind them to the core components of their reason for existence. Maybe they do and I somehow missed it.

My other question is whether they want to be overrun by disaffected Democrats and Liberal Independents?

I guess I think everything is so fked up that now is the time for a brand new party to rise up and get people excited and hopeful about really changing the country for the better.

I'm open to anything really, I just want something concrete to happen and I don't want to be a dupe or a pawn again for a person or a Party that puts their interest or moneyed interests over the 99%

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

on most everything.

No further interest in Dems.
As to Green party. I know they can point to successes, but 1% in general election is abysmal.
So basically I agree with your assessment of their past accomplishments. ( though I don't know much)

But as to why, I think it is the power LOTE.
Greens must attack this head on with ranked- choice voting campaign. I think this is the key issue.
Without it LOTE dynamic seems too strong. When both candidates are bad, people cling even more tightly to their choice because the greater evil is really bad. They don't look around. So ironically the duopoly's failure to provide an acceptable candidate will actually strengthen its hold on voters' attention.
As to future:

Can't we figure out what do as Greens just as easily as starting at zero?
I don't Green Party as being hostile to truth and change as DNC.
Many who make the jump burn bridges to get here. There is a filter,with fakers more likely to stay put.
So I say, open door policy.
Also I felt Stein was a wonderful candidate. Platform solid.
Any new party faces 90% AA loyalty to Dem Party.
With Baraka in place Greens can address AA community with earned credibilty.

I am not a cheerleader for Green , but I like what I see from them. Can they become an important party in 4 years? Yes. I think it can be done, but that ranked choice voting issue will decide. If they can get RCV into the system, that is effective political work. Good for all, not just for them.

This would show they are a real force. As a bonus LOTE fails, and Green begins to win elections.

I wait to see what happens like everyone else, but right now my favorite color is green.
thx.

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Creosote.'s picture

my first thought was What a fast, acute turn they made in attempting to poison this man's career.

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