28 March 2024 - Social Security and Some Fun!

Back in August RJ Eskow wrote 'Social Security, FDR, and the Real Meaning of Liberty' on his substack: The Zero Hour Report: A Newsletter from Richard (RJ) Eskow.

The article is about the meaning of the 'social security' act at the time it was created and now. Eskow writes that the word 'security emphasizes its goal for individuals'. That is, it's about financial security for every man, woman and child in the country. The word social emphasizes the act's broader societal goals; everyone has to be secure, everyone has to be able to eat, to have housing, to live decently.

FDR signs the Social Security Act. From Wikimedia Commons.

As Eskow writes, Roosevelt framed this as an extension of the liberty upon which the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc, were founded. That is, liberty for everyone, not for the rich or those in control, but everyone.

(Miss) McKenzi and her daughter, Florence:

I've not been able to pay much attention to current news this week (hoping that changes with the comments in this Open Thread and reading the short backlog I've got here), so I'm gonna talk about McKenzi, one of the first five goats we raised, and her daughter, Florence.

Miss Mack when she was about 6 months old

Mr. Travis Belvedere

Most of us humans, especially if we grew up in the USA or another industrialized place, never experience life with other animals - beyond pets like dogs and cats. When I was a kid one wasn't even allowed to acknowledge that animals had brains, had feelings, and had functioning societies. They were just dumb beasts meant to abuse and eventually eat, maybe.