(#4564) Schumer is moving the senate quickly

      The bipartisan infrastructure bill is getting full attention in the senate this morning and that is good. Get it to the point where it gets an up and down vote is the goal as well as getting the partisan bill to the same place. I know this morning that the moratorium on rental evictions is up tonight and there seems to be no immediate fix. The republican party once again being the obstacle to getting relief to people who are about to get thrown out of their homes. I see these comments about how democrats are not serving the American people yet left out of that is the zero help republicans offer.
     We democrats are good but come on man, we can only do what we can do and when republicans are still in effect part of deciding what we democrats do the options become much more limited. So again, the next time I hear about how bad we democrats are at solving immediate problems I am going to come down on the commenter like a ton of bricks about how they cannot seem to recognize the obstruction and no help from republicans. Just because it is a given that republicans refuse to help the America working middle poor class does not give them any dispensation from the cause and effect of things.
     We will never get republicans out of the way until we learn to blame those who are truly at fault for our nations woes. By far the worst political party ever to have been given the keys to power is the current republican party. Their only goal in life is to obstruct and destroy any good that we democrats may be able to put forward for the American people. I blame the media for playing as if both sides are on an equal footing with democracy but the that is not the truth. The media cannot seem to grasp that the republican party does not want democracy for our nation, they want an autocracy where the wealthy and powerful are in control, not the will of the people!

(#4563) The breaking facade of trump

      Some signs lately of the lessening of trump influence have been exposed. From his lack of influence in backing congressional candidates to the just agreed to bipartisan infrastructure bill all in the span of a day. It seems that what is left of what could be called not horrible republicanism is emerging somewhat. I still think that America would be better off with no republicans at all but given that they will be around for awhile having at least some who are not anti-democratic is a start. Which in it's own way is what the battle for what is left of the republican party is all about.
     The trumps still have the upper hand but that hand is weakening day by day. The January 6th big lie commission will surely add to the diminution of many of the leading exploiters of trump's crumbling front and as time goes on the truth will wend its way against trumps as well. The Cheney's and Kitzinger's will benefit most from this battle because as each day passes trump becomes more and more irrelevant. It will not happen overnight nor will the court cases against trump be over tomorrow. Yet the culmination of all of them have got the feel of a weight too oppressive for even the trump ego to bear.
     Getting back to policies that are long overdue for the American working middle poor class will be refreshing and holding up these bills for debate will get old fast. Which is why we need to eliminate or lessen the filibuster senate rule. But even keeping this post light about how bad trumps are the republican party is still out throughout the country trying to take the vote away from eligible American voters. What little good is left of the republican party needs to be reformed after trumps as they battle for the dust of republicanism we democrats must hold tight to our battle against the rot of the republican party and their agenda to control power and money outside the will of the people!

(#4562) Physically not feeling good today

      A bit under the weather it is for me so I will try not to tax my mind with anything to comprehensive. Yesterday to my surprise the senate was able to pass the bipartisan bill past the filibuster and now can get to work amending and getting it to final passage in the senate. Not all is well though as we have some more work to do. The reconciliation package in the senate that is with only democratic votes can now begin in earnest as both the bipartisan and the partisan bills will get a full hearing. Which is very important time wise as there are other policy goals to address other than infrastructure.
     A voting rights protection bill is needed badly if we are to remain a democracy that allows it's eligible citizens to vote. If we don't pass voting protection bills then most all the other legislation we want to accomplish becomes pretty much moot. I do believe that eventually we will get to voting protection bills that will keep our democracy strong but until we do I will be sweating bullets. The George Floyd gun violence bill needs attention as well otherwise that whole year of protests and marches will have gone for naught. The police cannot continue to have qualified immunity that continues to protect them from dishonorable acts.
     There is also immigration reform that is needed. So many things have been kicked down the road because republicans do not want to see solutions that work for the majority of the American people. They would rather see solutions that work for big business and the wealthy. I just wish that in my lifetime we Americans would hold republicans accountable and destroy there belief that they are the masters of the people instead of servants of the people. Maybe before I die I will get a glimpse of what is is like to see an electorate that has had enough of being told what to do. Fingers crossed.

(#4561) It was a month ago that republicans agreed to a bipartisan outline for a bill

      This is a perfect example of how republicans are getting to be experts at dragging negotiations along until they don't agree anymore. This bipartisan bill should have been completed nearly a month ago yet here we are no deal yet to be found. The media has quit covering it as the insanity that it is as if it were just nothing to do about nothing. But those of us who are sick and tired of republican antics are still sounding the alarm about just leaving the republican party behind and getting things done instead. I know some things we democrats are fighting each other over but there are many things that we are not and can get things done as quickly as possible.
     Yet the elephant in the room is the voting rights protections bills. Without some movement from our own democratic caucus on removing the filibuster or a carve out of the filibuster, the idea that we will remain a democracy will end! That is a fact! When eligible citizens are denied the right to vote that is not a democracy that is authoritarianism. Get ready for it because we are still not seeing the urgency needed to change the fucking senate rule that will kill democracy for the rest of our lifetimes. I used to admire the fourth estate, the media, for keeping things real but all they are doing now is sheepishly following the liars and haters with indifference.
     I am older and will not survive the next 20 to 30 years and I have no children of my own to give a better world to. But I still fight for you and your children's future despite me having little time left and no direct line child's future in this fight. Because I learned a long time ago that a better world is earned not given and until the rest of us join in with those of us who will not let the assholes of the world prevail, the assholes of the world will prevail. The time is running short and for we democrats that means we will either stand for democracy or we will let it crumble before our eyes with plenty of warnings about the crumbling and still little to no action!

(#4560) A day of reckoning

      The attack on our Congress on January 6th 2021 is about to get a full airing by a select committee from the House of Representatives. We have this committee because democrats offered and independent committee made up of equal numbers of democrats and republicans but republicans refused to join. So what is left is for we House democrats to soldier on with our own committee that as well was not well received by the republican party. We democrats could have had an all democratic committee but instead we chose to add a couple of republicans who have shown that they are more concerned about preserving our democracy than keeping power for their current political party.
     It is a sad day for many to have to relive the events of that day but it is like all things that is a danger to our lives, it needs to be understood. The republican party by not wanting the facts and truths of that day to be known are showing that they may well be responsible on many levels for what happened. Not only then lame duck appointed president trump but his acolytes in the House and Senate. With full subpoena power the facts will come out and the evidence will be discovered. Let any and all who are not willing to tell the committee the truth be exposed as supporting and encouraging an overthrow of our government.
     Today begins the story of how America went from a stable democratic nation to an almost authoritarian one. After 244 years of democracy in America the moment it almost ended was on that 6th day in January when a trump rally near the White House was fueled and guided to the halls of Congress where the transfer of power was being held. The appointed president who had lost the presidency 2 months before incited his rally goers to take back our country and go to Congress with strength, not weakness. The many of his acolytes in Congress who were actively there to support the insurrection and have as yet to be held to account will get their infamous time in limelight as well.

(#4559) No action yet from the republican bipartisan George Floyd Act

      It isn't just infrastructure and immigration that republicans wish to delay until it is too late but it is also the George Floyd Policing Act. Same old story different time. The republican party is worthless and as soon as all we democrats get that through our thick heads the better our nation will be. It just makes me nauseous to think about all the times we democrats have tried to reason with republicans and all we get back from them is deception. They do not want any legislation passed before the next election so that they can run on the fact that democrats cannot deliver. So we democrats need to stop pussy footing around with republicans and just exclude them from our legislative agenda.
     I know that Joe Biden and some moderate democratic senators are holding out for some form of bipartisanship but that is clearly not going to happen. Sure it may happen with a section of infrastructure that has already been stalled over deceptive reasons, but as this week will show it is always something with republicans when it comes to finally producing a finished legislative product. I hope Chuck Schumer once again brings the bipartisan infrastructure bill back up for a vote to begin debate like last Monday but this time do not hold back to give republicans more time. They said last Wednesday all they needed was until this Monday to finalize their negotiations. Time to call them on that.
     So many things are coming to a head with the annual budget consideration and debt ceiling negotiations that now the idea of getting to a voter rights bill is becoming very difficult. This is what republicans do, they say they will work on a bipartisan basis but then they drag out the process so that it gums up any further policy considerations and then they bail on their original bipartisan contract. Do not take republicans at their word, they are liars of the nth degree and until they get their way, which are not the wishes of the majority of Americans they will continue to be the obstacles in the road if we let them. Let us not let them any more and take our democratic advantages and get some good work done!

(#4558) Living the lie, the republican party

      During republican control of Congress they spent like there was no tomorrow without worrying about how to pay for anything in order to unnecessarily help the wealthy. Yet now that democrats control Congress republicans are whining about the cost of everything. They, republicans are never going to be about the American people they are always going to be about the American wealthy. There is no other conclusion to draw from any logical standpoint. Yet republicans are never going to let logic stand in their way of their greedy agenda. Instead they will lie, misinform, and deflect when the facts of their agenda is exposed.
     But you say how can they do that and not piss off all Americans? I have the same question but it seems that those who support republicans are able to disassociate from reality just like their republican political leaders. I got a lesson in this 2 decades ago when I thought the obvious harm republicans were doing would come back to bite them but instead it did nothing of the sort. So enough of hoping the American electorate will hold republicans accountable and we see it today in how republicans publicly flaunt science and physics while still holding large swaths of supporters.
     Surely there are more of us who want to hold republicans accountable but the republican party knows this which is why they are enacting nearly 400 voter suppression laws around the country. Because you know if you cannot win their hearts and minds with your policies then the next step in keeping power is to lie your ass off about your faults and then suppress voters that would most likely vote against you. This is all happening in the bright light of day yet still the republican base is as loyal to republicans as ever. So enacting a federal voter protection rights bill quickly will solve much of the ability of the republicans to manipulate another election cycle.

(#4557) 15 years of facing reality head on

      Unless you had been like me and dealt with your problems with alcohol it is not easy to understand what all the fuss is about not drinking alcohol anymore. So for me to make a switch in time to denying myself the reality changing drink was not easily done. Sure at first it was easier because I had to for so many reasons out of immediate necessity. But after that first many months of no drinking the internal desire to change back into the old habits began to kick in. But at that point in my life I had surrounded myself with too many good like minded people who as a whole we held each other up for motivation and purpose.
     As the years began to pass by with great success at not drinking it just became more habit to not drink alcohol than it had previously been to drink alcohol. I was able to watch life change around me without me ignoring it at my leisure. Instead I grasped reality with both hands and have over the years morphed into the advocate and arbiter of better things devoid of my own wants and needs. I became the better man I had always hoped to become and all I had to do was to embrace reality at all times and then let my own inner compass take me to wherever I eventually end up. I am on a journey to live life not hide or ignore it anymore.
     We all have our faults and mine was to put booze first and then let everything else fall into place as it were. Which wasn't very pretty. I needed to grow up in my own life and today marks another milestone in that growth. Long way to go yet but at least my path has been steady and true with no time for compromise in this area of my life. It is good being a clear minded individual who deals with problems at my best and not my worst. I would not be alive today had I not made that determined choice 15 years ago and so easily for me it is to say that life has been better than I had hoped for because of it. Thanks to all who are in my life. :)

(#4556) Time to get the infrastructure packages done

     It has been long enough for the bipartisan infrastructure package to be finalized and ready for votes so let us get it done. The republicans have been slow walking it since arriving at a consensus on an overall package. Chuck Schumer gets it and most of us do also. So again, force their hand and schedule a vote for Monday to invoke cloture and this time if republicans do not support what is there now as a bipartisan infrastructure deal then let them kill and don't save it for another day down the road. We have seen this strategy of theirs over and over so let us not give it any more breath.
     Too many other things need to be addressed and wasting time with republicans to put together a simple infrastructure package is not beneficial. We have to get our minds and hearts on the voting rights bills that have been passed in the house and get to some agreement where a vote on them in the senate is doable. However we get there the idea that we would let red states destroy our right to vote without taking action is unfathomable. When we are under attack like we are with restrictive voting rights laws being passed throughout our nation the remedy of a federal law that prohibits voting restrictions is required.
     The republican party will not stop the voting restriction laws being implemented so it will be up to us democrats to do so. With only a 50 vote majority in the senate the only way to pass voting rights protections is to remove or dilute the senate filibuster rule. Removing the filibuster rule entirely is a hard nut to crack and at this moment in time isn't necessary as the way to go. But diluting the rule by doing a carve out of the filibuster, just for protecting voting rights, is not only justifiable but it is also a necessary priority. As we have seen with the staunch allies within our party to preserve the filibuster, we have also seen their arguments for keeping the rule become less logical. If we cannot protect our democracy then a sub set rule within our democracy becomes moot!

(#4555) An honest investigative committee

      The gift that keeps on giving, kevin mccarthy, made sure that the select committee of the House will remain impartial and sober. By withdrawing all his poison picks to be on the January 6th committee we can now rest assured that the Nancy Pelosi picks for the commission will be able to move forward without the antics of the proxy trump picks on the committee. That mccarthy thought he was making political hay out of thin air is indicative of his usual practice. Assume he has something when all he has is thin air. He had picked 5 republican congressmen, all white men, to be on the committee. Yet Nancy Pelosi had veto power over his picks and used that veto power on two of them. So instead of trying to add two different ones he just dissolved his five choices and left.
     Which for me is the best outcome to happen. Because now there will be no internal sabotage of the committee by the trump loyalists who could have been on the committee. Plus there is no one on the committee to keep the trumps informed as to how the work product is progressing. Which is the best outcome as keeping the trumps out of the loop is critical so as they cannot prepare their lies in advance. What also may happen but I am less likely to think so is that Pelosi could appoint a few more moderate republicans to the committee to give it an even more bipartisan feel. But at this point I think the committee members are set.
     Next Tuesday is the first day the committee meets and all news organizations, except the highly partisan republican outlets will be airing the action pretty much wall to wall. So now with the committee being in the limelight and no disreputable republican sitting on the committee we are sure to get a logical back and forth that actually brings facts to the fore without the obstruction and narrative change that trumps would have liked. The only republican for now on the committee is Liz Cheney, who has no respect nor loyalty to trump and she is about as angry at him and his acolytes in the republican party as the rest of we democrats. I am looking forward to next Tuesday and all the days following.

(#4554) It seems like stupid is inevitable sometimes.

      Yes, even our democratic party and their mouthpieces are losing their perspectives sometimes and I cannot for the life of me figure out why a train of thought cannot be carried through from beginning to end. We democrats seem to forget that over the last 4 years we were held hostage to republican lunacy and dangerousness. Yet now that we have survived that we are allowing ourselves to promote republican concepts as necessary when they are further from the truth than their normal lies. I don't get it. It is like the Stockholm syndrome, we cannot seem to exist without republicans screwing up our lives when we don't have to allow it, unlike under trump.
     I will say this here and now, we democrats have a once in a lifetime opportunity to do the will of the people in the US and that should be our focus, not whether we give republicans opportunities they would never give us. I am beyond tired of watching democrats play nice with our previous captors. Find your courage and dismiss them without hesitancy when they are not able to come to us hat in hand in order to join us in protecting and expanding our American democracy. If I have to listen to a democratic strategist or pundit one more time give republicans as much respect as they do our democratic leaders I will implode.
     The republican party was inches away from destroying our democracy 6 months ago and for us to give them an ounce of respect is scurrilous. We democrats need to awaken to the fact that we are needing to stand up tall and put down any of those who would take our democracy and play with it like it is their toy to own. The agenda is clear before us and making sure that only honesty and integrity are allowed to create and judge any and all legislation and investigation. The idea that we democrats cannot do this on our own after what has just transpired is hooey and for the life of me inconsistent democrats, don't try to lay any manure on our pathway as the rest of us clearly focused try do the work of the people.

(#4553) This morning Bezos lifts off into space

      I know that many people are just a little bit irked that these billionaires who are building space programs are doing our planet and its people a disservice. Many have made the point that with the private money they are spending and being subsidized by our government they could be solving problems here on Earth that are immediate and urgent. I get that and feel like it is at least a sensible starting point for making an argument. Yet after that is where I diverge. I feel like they could be doing both if not more at the same time. I suppose it is because I am so pro space advancement that I will gladly accept space and Earth design and repair as doable.
     The problems of our planet are not new although the global warming man made climate change of it is relatively new. Decades of minimal movement away form fossil fuels and toward green energy has been our modus operandi yet we are moving faster in the last decade despite the trump era. Our federal government is the one entity that could make a much more effective dent in helping to make our planet less at risk and that is about to happen with the increased taxes on the wealthy that will now be easier to collect from those who have historically been protected by republican politicians. That paradigm is about to change and that will make these billionaires more involved in contributing to our society beyond the allure of space.
     With each of these space shots we are learning and proving theories and facts about how we as a species will be moving into the last great unknown. For me it is exciting to have opportunities to watch and see others get into space and bring back their experiences with them. This just adds to the collage of messages that challenge and inspire our future generations to fix their sights on the great beyond of space. It is coming whether we like it or not so why not get it going while we are also correcting the social, environmental, and economic injustices that currently plague our planet. We can and should do both without debate and that is how I feel about what is happening this morning.

(#4552) Big votes in the senate this week

      As we all know the republican party is more interested in dragging out any bipartisan bill that would help the working middle poor class but that tactic will not play come the end of this week. The bipartisan legislation in the senate for infrastructure repair will have a vote on Wednesday, 30 hours after today when Chuck Schumer files cloture. The republican party keeps saying that they are not ready yet to proceed to a vote but they have had plenty of time to work out the details and write their bill with democrats. So senate majority leader Schumer is saying enough and is forcing a vote. He has telegraphed this move for some time now so there cannot be any who could credibly say they were caught unawares.
     President Biden has been firm in his call to get this done and no amount of excuses from republicans will prevail with him. So we will know shortly if the republican party really wants a bipartisan infrastructure bill or not. My best guess is that they will find a way to support the vote on Wednesday to get to the 60 vote threshold that is needed to move the bill along. Although that is wishful thinking on my part. The reason is that although republicans would have real legislation to tout back home to their constituents, they seem to be more committed to gumming up any works that democrats deem worthy.
     If the republican party does not support their own effort at bipartisanship then the hard infrastructure package they are currently working on will be folded into the social infrastructure plan democrats are also fast tracking to coincide with the bipartisan deal. The difference between the two approaches is that republicans would have some control over the hard infrastructure plan but not if they don't vote for it on Wednesday. Either way infrastructure legislation will be passed and if republicans are not to be viewed as complete fools they will vote yes on Wednesday. This is a risky move by Schumer but it is the correct move to get republicans off their asses and actually vote for something we Americans absolutely need!

(#4551) Time to make Joe Manchin own his no vote for a voting rights filibuster carve out

      Joe Manchin keeps saying that he is against a voting rights filibuster carve out. It is time for him to own that! The American people are clamoring for a voting rights bill that levels the field for all voters to engage in our democracy. Joe Manchin says protecting what is left of the filibuster rule in the senate is more important. This is a lot of Washington politics that doesn't easily filter down to our voting electorate. So we the American people need our senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, to put up a piece of legislation that would carve out a section of the current diminished filibuster rule to make an exception for voting rights.
     We already have filibuster carve outs for judicial nominations, budget considerations, military base closures, trade agreements, preventing arms sales and executive branch regulations, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324123636_Exceptions_to_the_rule_The_politics_of_filibuster_limitations_in_the_US_Senate So if protecting voting rights is not at least as important as these issues then we are not the democracy we think we are. So putting up a bill that would carve out of the filibuster voting rights legislation that protects the right to vote for all eligible citizens is congruent with the other carve outs if not more so. Think about it. If we cannot protect our voting rights and they are diminished what good do all the other carve outs from the filibuster do to enhance our democracy?
     So Chuck Schumer must put forward a bill that carves out of the filibuster a voting rights protection section so that all senators can go on record to record their votes. Most all democrats at this point will vote yes while Manchin has said in the past that he would vote no. Well time for him to cast that no vote so that all of America can see that he is the one who is keeping America from protecting voting rights. No republican will vote for protecting voting rights and that is their eternal shame. But we democracts, who only need 50 votes to establish a voting rights carve out, must all vote yes to make it happen. Forcing Joe Manchin to actually vote no will make him consider long and hard about his vote and if he does vote no then there is no doubt as to who in our democratic party is to blame for millions of Americans losing their right to vote in 2022 and beyond.

(#4550) We must end the trumps before we can get back to a somewhat new normal

      The legal proceedings against trump have got to produce something of value as to his guilt or we will all be left suffering from his insanity! He still controls enough of our society to really gum up the works like with the vaccinations not being readily applied to all sectors of our society. Enough of his followers are continuing to leave us all vulnerable to greater virus complications. Plus our society is not getting all the facts and truths about other important issues. He is a blight on our human soul and he needs to be put out of our conversations and information gathering. I can only handle so much stupid but it appears he has an endless supply.
     We can see that what is left of the republican party will not stand up to him in any meaningful way so what is left for the rest of us to do? As it was when he was appointed to the presidency, everyday seemed like a long slog because he would not stop mouthing out the irrational and harmful rhetoric that has come to be known as his agenda. Which is to say a lot of hot air lies with an abundant amount of hate and racism. There really were only a few things he did that were not terrible and those few things were so unimaginative that I cannot for the life of me remember them. I know he did a couple of things correctly but nothing of a major significance comes to mind.
     I don't mind at all telling you that if he were to keel over today I would not bat an eye toward empathy for him. He wore all the empathy I have for horrible people, who at least were not deliberately horrible all the time, out of me. Yes, even I can feel regret and remorse for the foolish and ignorant but not for him and his ilk. He had a chance at the beginning of his appointed presidency to become a decent person unrestricted by his past to become a leader for all. But he dismissed that and fell right into his miserable state of being a worthless money grubbing contemptible hateful person.

(#4549) Democracy versus autocratic corporatocracy

      There is no more two party system under our American democracy. There are the democrats who are working towards democratic ideals and principles and there are republicans who are trying to destroy democracy and replace it with an autocratic corporatocracy. Now you may say that I am embellishing the differences but I will say back, look at evidence. Democrats are working to include all eligible American citizens into our society while republicans are trying to exclude as many of the democratic voting eligible citizens from the voting rolls. Democrats are trying to balance our society so that all may pursue happiness without obstructions while republicans are trying to imbalance our society to favor the wealthy.
     That by itself should be enough evidence but there is more. The republican party has not passed a law to help the working middle poor class in many decades that didn't have some tie to helping the already comfortable wealthy class even more. From large tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations to deregulating industries so that the wealthy have less responsibility to our society and planet for their greed. When republicans say that they are for strict constitutional interpretation and liberty, what they are really saying is that they want no more social security, medicare/medicaid, no more unemployment insurance, no minimum wage, and no laws that equal out our society in equitable ways, where slaves are 3/5's human.
     So when republicans say they want smaller government, strict constitutionalism, and liberty they are saying that the wealthy deserve it all and those who are not wealthy can go suck eggs in a closet or work in the fields for a pittance. The republican party has been transformed into the process by which democracy is eliminated and from the republican party there will grow a white superiority party that resembles the nazi regime. Where persons of color are devalued and persons of wealth are elevated. An autocratic corporatocracy that is led by someone like trump who is the catalyst for all that is happening now. To be anyone associated with republicanism today is to mark oneself as a racist anti democratic follower.

(#4548) We all knew trump would try to keep power no matter what

      The arrogance of trump was not lost on way too many of us. As we were gearing up to defeat him at all costs in 2020, I know I was very aware that trump would try to keep power if he lost. In fact I expected him to try his military coup as he was reorganizing his acolytes around him before the election results were determined. I am hearing now that the Joint chiefs of Staff General Milley amd other generals were fearing the same thing. As reports of their fears are now hitting the airwaves it isn't surprising to me that this was going on behind the scenes of national reporting. The fact that trump is an autocrat is beyond doubt and his hold on power was his only purpose for remaining the president of the United States.
     The trump attempt to jigger the results of the election was a two pronged approach by trump to either gain the edge by denying votes against him or by using military power to attempt a coup with his seditious backers. The result was neither as some stood up and didn't allow trump to steal votes from American voters nor did the military leaders allow trump to use them for his coup. We are past any coup attempt now but as this latest news is hitting the airwaves, a resurgent anger at trump for his unabated naked attempt to destroy our democracy is building.
     If trump does not go down as a traitor to American democracy then the defense of our democracy is weakened. I am tired of the excuses given to move on and let the past go from many of those who by hook or crook abetted the trump attempted coup. We Americans are tired of special dispensations being given to horrible people for no other reason than to compromise on punishments. I say put him out there on the public square for all to see his duplicity and let us the American people have our say in what happens to him next. If we don't hold these types of seditious people to a harsh reality for their choices then the next traitor who comes down the line will feel freer to avoid punishment if caught.

(#4547) As republicans slowly walk away from their bipartisan infrastructure bill

      There wasn't any doubt in my mind that republicans would walk away from their bipartisan infrastructure bill with democrats. It is an age old tactic of theirs to pretend to care about something then string it along until the time for creating a law for it then they find reasons to not support it thus wasting everyone's time by running out the clock on the proposed legislation. So they get to say they tried but that there were too many poison pills in the final legislation. At least that is what they tell their base voters who believe them like the wolf in grandma's clothing. Plus they get to blame democrats for not doing anything they promised when they were elected.
     I get why Joe Biden tried to compromise with republicans in order to bring back bipartisanship but that ship had left the harbor nearly 3 decades ago. But kudos for trying and reminding the American electorate that republicans are true to their disdain of the working middle poor class. However, at least Joe Biden kept a second track for passing infrastructure legislation through reconciliation, democrats only, moving forward. Which is now going to be the only way any infrastructure legislation will become law. We have seen it already with immigration and police reform. Two policy positions well debated for decades being dragged out by an intransient republican party to no bipartisan deal.
     I don't know how much more evidence the last holdouts to filibuster reform need to know that no legislation will pass through bipartisanship with republicans because that is not their strategy. They want us democrats to fail so that they can have a chance to regain power, which is their only agenda, not the struggles of our nation. Now I could be wrong about the smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill being abandoned but there are already five of the needed republicans who worked on the bill backing away from it. No doubt to me that they will all back away as a tactic to stop or derail the 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that is being run simultaneously with the bipartisan bill. Let them show their colors and we democrats will pass both bills folded together through reconciliation without republicans at all.

(#4546) Dog days of summer

      We here in Sacramento California just got through 3 days of nearly and above 110° temperatures. That is not normal and what is coming next is now a bit scary. We are just starting the hot season here so to begin with 110° temperatures is probably our new normal. Trying to keep cool is going to be difficult when electricity is being rationed with an eye on avoiding electrical blackouts. My SMUD (Sacramento Municipal Utility District) bill is already nearing $100 for this next billing cycle and I am only about 1/4 of the way through it's monthly cycle.
     I am doing what I can to ration the electrical usage here in my home but the heat has to be abated or the 3 of us who live here and are well into our sixties will find that a greater harm to us will come if we are not kept somewhat cool. I have in the past weathered the heat of the summer here and may say now that it was difficult and a real wearing down of my abilities. So keeping somewhat cool in the present with higher temperatures is our goal this year and if the cost exceeds the expectation then so be it.
     Living on a fixed income with tight budgets this is a bit of a hardship with these temperatures. Yet the hardship will be endured and keeping somewhat cool as best as possible will be accomplished. I personally have been on the global warming man made climate change bandwagon since first hearing about it many decades ago so having to live through its effects now is frustrating as it was foreseeable that temperatures would rise and make life on Earth less golden and more a drudgery. I put all of this at the feet of the republican party as with most other horrible outcomes in our lives because of their inability to be intelligent compassionate human beings.

(#4545) Carbon dating

      So there is the normal carbon in our environment that is stable at 6 protons and 6 neutrons, known as Carbon-12. Then there is another isotope of carbon that has 6 protons and 8 neutrons, also known as Carbon-14. Now Carbon -14 is not a stable isotope and has a half life of 5,730 years, plus or minus, 40 years. Now carbon-14 is created out of nitrogen in our atmosphere that is bombarded with cosmic rays. So carbon-14 is continually being formed. As we are taught from an early age, plants need carbon to survive so as they intake both carbon-12 and carbon-14, these are passed along through the food chain to all we animals and other organisms.
     Now given this progression, when an organism dies, the carbon 12 within the organism stays the same since as it is the stable form of carbon. However, the carbon-14 within and organism does not stay the same once an organism dies. It begins to decay at the aforementioned rate. All organisms have the same ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 at death so a calculation about how long an organism has been dead can be reasonably concluded. The formula if you are interested is t = [ ln (Nf/No) / (-0.693) ] x t1/2. Through this we can find out the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 that is left in an organism and then determine the fairly certain age of the dead organism.
     There are other forms of dating using different radioisotopes to find the age of things such as the following, "Potassium-40 is another radioactive element naturally found in your body and has a half-life of 1.3 billion years. Other useful radioisotopes for radioactive dating include Uranium -235 (half-life = 704 million years), Uranium -238 (half-life = 4.5 billion years), Thorium-232 (half-life = 14 billion years) and Rubidium-87 (half-life = 49 billion years).+-https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/carbon-14.htm. All of this to show that just using chemistry and math we can date the age of things with a high degree of certainty. Science has amazing discoveries and has enthralled most of us with it's accuracy and constant additions. To not trust science is to live in a world where there are no knowns that can be used to evolve.

(#4544) Aerospace and spaceports

      As the end of my time on Earth closes in the reality of traveling into space is becoming the new reality. It is still early days in being able to use space for more than just visiting and studying but the beginning is here for a new chapter in our exploration of space. When I was just a teenager our country landed on the moon and since then little has been done to do more or make it a more available feature of our everyday lives. But now as I am in my middle sixties I see us actually realizing that the next frontier of space is where most of us are focused.
     Our planet has yet to be fully explored and understood but the need to travel beyond it is understood in ways now that cannot be stifled. My motto is to do many things all at the same time so as not to delay or obstruct our natural curiosities. We can multitask with earthly understandings while exploring space given what our technologies will allow us. Like the juggler who can easily keep many balls in the air while having control of them we too can advance into our future while juggling many opportunities. Outer space is our next manifest destiny and although it is a harsh environment we humans are not afraid to conquer those harsh environmental realities.
     I know that there is a real dilemma in our societies about what we as a species should do but one thing for sure is that we humans keep evolving into our innovations and what they allow us to do. No one or group of people will ever deny our natural instinct to be curious. Our curiosity has already taken us to Mars, albeit through robotics not human interaction. Yet that robotics was a necessity to become relevant when we humans knew we couldn't go in person, yet. We innovate and create our opportunities because that is what our species does. We are an amazing species and not even the universe will be able to contain us given our possible mastery over time and space as we continue to evolve.

(#4543) The filibuster reckoning

      As the pressure mounts over the weekend toward ending the filibuster for at least a voting rights bill the harder it will be for Manchin and Sinema to defend keeping the filibuster without an exception. All eyes will be on them as we get closer to a time when the need for voting rights legislation passes us by. We democrats have the power to pass voting rights legislation without the help of a single republican and that is needed since since not a single republican has backed the policy of protecting voting rights. All they want to do is decrease democrats targeted voter turnout so that they can win elections without the will of all the people.
     Did you hear that in your head when you read that? They want to win elections without having the will of the people behind them. So why would we democrats allow them to do that to protect a senate rule that has no good intent behind it other than to deny the majority of the right to govern? That is our current dilemma in the democratic party. We democrats have the votes to change the filibuster if only to protect voting rights and we are struggling to get all 50 democratic leaning senators on board. If we don't do something now to get voting rights passed then the likelihood of us giving all Americans eligible the right to vote will disappear.
     This isn't even so much about democrats holding power as it is about the people being able to vote without having their right to vote taken from them. The idea that a senate rule allegedly established to protect minority party rights in the senate is of a greater importance than the absolute right of every eligible citizen to keep their right to vote is an absurd argument to defend yet that is what at least 2 democratic senators are implying. The more the pressure on them to face the reality of the republican party openly trying to deny voting rights to our fellow citizens the better. It really begins this weekend and should build to a point where the last defense of protecting the filibuster against the right to vote is obliterated!

(#4542) If your first instinct is to help the vulnerable then your soul is well.

     Always, and I mean always trust your instincts if they are formed in good intent. I have found that my instincts or gut feelings have been the better part of what makes me, me. I suppose and not so lightly, that it is because I am a good person who wants to do good. Not a good person who doesn't care about doing good but a good person who actually wants and does good. Big difference. I see lots of people who think they are good just because they think they are good but rarely provide evidence of that. I guess if you want to live in your own dream world where you get to define what good and other things are then that is your right except when it intersects with those of us who hold reality dearly.
     If your first instinct is to not help the vulnerable then your life is one which has little or no empathy to it. Putting yourself first while pretending to care is more psychological disorder than it is being a normal human being. Putting yourself first and then not even trying to pretend you care is a more serious malady and I would suggest, like those who do pretend, that you both seek help of a professional nature. But if you are one who does care as a first instinct for the vulnerable then your basic wiring is good and an example of what it is to be a logical and emotional human being.
     There is no doubt that we as a species need all our abilities to be able to evolve and continue to master our surroundings. From thinking in creative and innovative ways to finding our sense of belonging in the fraternity of humanity. The complexity we humans have come to be gifted with is nothing short of miraculous. Yet if we do not take these gifts and make them into living breathing actions we will no longer be worthy of our own exalted presuppositions about ourselves. If we cannot instill within ourselves the duty of care for each other and the other species' that inhabit this sphere with us then our manifest destiny to master the universe, let alone the planet, is a vain attempt at nothing but foolery.

(#4541) Any senator who is against statehood for D.C. is also for taxation without representation, period!

      Our nation is the bedrock for rising up against a foreign King to depose his authority because the citizens of America were being taxed without representation. Let that sink in for a minute. Taxation without representation led to the great nation of America becoming independent from colonial rule. So today, the reality that taxation without representation is actually occurring in America is bald faced right in our face with the District of Columbia. Now with over 700 thousand citizens, more population that 2 existing states, Wyoming and Vermont, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States_by_population, D.C. is not being allowed to have federal representation for it's citizens. 
     How can this be you may ask? Well let me say that it is a disgrace to our legacy as a freedom loving nation who built it's foundation on representation through democracy. The politics of this is that since D.C. is a heavily democratic voting jurisdiction the republican party does not want D.C. to have federal representation since the House seat and 2 Senate seats would most likely be democratic held. If you have not been paying attention this goes against the republican agenda of seeking power without earning it through the will of the people. So D.C. statehood languishes because republicans are like the British monarch on this subject of taxation without representation.
     Well in 1776 we crafted a Declaration of Independence, fought a war and then fulfilled that declaration in 1787 by signing our national constitution. The idea that we would be fighting a war within our own political parties to accept the values that our founders deemed absolutely necessary is the reality we are currently facing. To say that the republican party is against the values of our forefathers/mothers is obvious. But even more so the idea that republicans are steadfast in their protection of taxation without representation is akin to the anti American colonialism that was defeated centuries ago through determination, blood, and treasure. It cannot and will not be allowed to continue!

(#4540) If you vote republican you are guilty of their agenda by association

      You can stubbornly decry the republican agenda all you want but if you vote for them or even proudly claim to be a republican you are as guilty as all those in Germany who stayed silent about the nazi march to mass murder. By association there is no distinction when all of us can see the agenda. Separating out your historical voting record for republicans from today's version is not possible as an option. You either are today's republican if you vote for republicans or you are not by not voting for republicans. That is the bright red line that cannot be changed. So accept your complicity if you still vote for republicans.
     As for the rest of us who are not republican or vote for republicans we must come to the same conclusion that there is no good republican who votes for republicans. We cannot downplay their guilt just because we like them otherwise or they are our family. Each of us has one vote which requires our principled evaluation and for that we are held to account over it. There is no dispensation for those who are "good folks" who vote for republicans. It takes courage to stand up and claim the moral and ethical authority that is ours under democracy and when we do we are exercising our right. The US is founded on a democratic constitution that requires everyone to be strong and courageous to defend it.
     So putting yourself one the line with respect to your choice for how you envision our society is the least of which defines what it is to pursue happiness. I am not anyone else nor is anyone else me. So my right to define our society within our democracy is protected and as well worth fighting for. I know that too many others hold sway over us in ways that would literally destroy our lives as they currently are if we came out against what they want us to think. Yet to be a patriot to democracy, that is exactly the cost that must be paid for our democracy to continue. I have fought against all the forces that would persuade me otherwise and I have never let them defeat my choices for my future and a better one for EVERYONE else.

(#4539) Are Americans ready to give up on democracy?

      Well, are we? It seems that lately all I am doing is spending a lot of time telling people our democracy has been and is under threat and there seems to be little response about that threat. As if it isn't a big deal whether it is or not. Are the people of our country so disassociated with our form of government that they could care less one way or the other? Are they buying into the authoritarian form of government as better for them than the freedom that democracy provides? My first guess was no because who in their right mind would give up power so that they could be subjugated?
     It seems that the undertone of racism is so prevailing that the white race is willing to deny democracy so that the colored races cannot participate equally. The white race must conclude that a white leader in an authoritarian position will settle life much better on them while excluding people of color from advantages and privileges. To them, giving up democracy is more necessity than keeping it. At least that is how I am concluding what is going on in America. To my utter disgust! So the idea that a bipartisan concept with the republican party is nothing more than a fools errand considering that the leading republicans are pushing to end our democratic policies and processes.
     That I am writing about this subject has been a journey to get here. I sat here this morning thinking about what I was going to write and this narrative kept popping into my head. That the republican party will only hold power if they are able to destroy democracy and replace it with a white authoritarian regime. It is the logical concluding of the many premises that have been exposed. So again I ask are Americans ready to give up on democracy? I know this white man is not because all life is of value with none more than any other. That is democratic and I ask you all out there, are you with me?

(#4538) This month of July will tell us what will happen for the rest of Joe's first 2 years

      Congress is still a week from coming back from its recess but then the shit will be hitting the fan. We will know by the end of this month just what will get done for infrastructure, police reform and voting rights. The voting rights dilemma will require some crafty legislating or at least a carve out of the senate filibuster to get at the root cause of republican obstruction to voting rights. To me there is no bigger issue that needs to be rectified than the assault on voting rights by the republican party all across The United States. Sure infrastructure is vital and necessary but the path forward on it is pretty clear. However police reform and voting rights are not clarified just yet.
     Moving entrenched democrats who are still fighting against changing rules in the senate to allow for majority vote is what we will find out this month. Now it may spill over into August but this month of July will be the crucial time for knowing how our nation will be resolved to Joe Biden's agenda. That Joe Biden has embraced our progressive policies with as much fervor as he has in the past with moderate policies is very refreshing. But the path forward is not easy given the nature of republicans to hate on the working middle poor class. But we democrats have the wherewithal to maneuver around those republicans so getting our democrats in sync is what this month will reveal or not.
     I prefer not to think about we democrats sabotaging our agenda over archaic and disingenuous rules but here we are now and that could be a possibility if we don't change those rules. The time for putting up and shutting up is now and if we democrats are going to lead our nation then we have to be of one mind and heart. I think the heart is there it is just bringing the minds around to the fact that there is no other way to get our agenda to pass unless we are willing to go all the way. The republican party will stop at nothing to stop us so giving them a free pass by stopping ourselves is the most ludicrous and dishonorable thing we democrats could ever do so let us not do that and instead join together and do great things that will be felt for many generations to come.

(#4537) There will be little to no partying if voting rights are taken away

      Most everyone I knew growing up had one thing that we all seemed to enjoy doing together and that was partying. I mean, school and work were always going to be serious chunks of our time so when we did have free time we wanted to get together and do some hanging out with fun stuff and getting enough of a buzz to make us all feel good if for only a little while until we were all back to the drudgery of our required lives. That partying was/is a consequence of our being able to control what little free time we have in our lives. Without that free time to choose to act according to our wishes is a direct result of our right to vote within our democracy.
     In fact without our voting rights we are effectively not a democracy anymore. So even our right to vote being denied is an end to democracy as well as to our self determination. Because if we cannot have a say in our representation even our desire to party is contingent upon some straw person who has the power to stop our wishes for ourselves. With democracy we get to keep that free time we have accumulated to do as we want. The connection between being able to vote for representation and having the right to party is in our ability to vote for candidates and policies that respect and balance our individualism while also respecting and balancing our social contract to live within our society.
     When democracy is not our preferred form of government we get the more harsh and intolerant regimes that restrict movement and choice. You don't see many opportunities to party in Iran, North Korea, or Russia without some heavy hand from government coming down on those that try. So if we want to keep our right to party we need to keep our right to vote. Not only keep our right to vote but to actually vote whenever an election has come about. Voting for progressive policies in order to establish a more fair and equitable society is how we keep our right to party. Make sure we party hearty by voting for the candidates and policies that protect our right to vote and actually make it as easy as possible for all of us.

(#4536) Never let past mistakes stop you from doing what is correct today

      I have been there where I thought about doing the correct thing and then remembered that my past often was filled with incorrect things and then let that dissuade me from doing what was correct then. It is like my own mind wouldn't let me escape the never ending circle of not doing what I know is correct. But I also learned that my own mind isn't the end all for things and that I wanted better for myself despite my own worst efforts to sabotage myself. I am not even talking about other external forces that were trying to keep me from doing what was correct.
     I had to get past myself before I could even worry about getting past the other external pressures. But I did because I knew deep down that doing what was correct was far more a satisfying outcome than the miserable defeat of not doing what was correct. I just kept thinking about what I remembered as a child and how I wanted to be Superman like George Reeves and always be the kind of guy who helped others instead of just helping myself. That little bit of remembering helped me to break that incessant circle of not doing, to doing the correct thing.
     Nowadays I am like on automatic pilot. When I see or hear of a wrong I want to help put it to a correctness. My life is centered on that Superman philosophy of doing more than denying what is correct. I may not do much in my life to help correct the injustices and blatant harms that come about every day but you won't find me on the sidelines not caring, nor will you find me helping to create injustice or harm. I am now officially one of the good guys and that is a wonderful feeling for me. I am being like that little innocent child who wanted to grow up to be like Superman.

(#4535) Branson, Musk, and Bezos

      All three of these billionaires want to go to space with Branson and Bezos ready to go to outer space in the next 2 weeks. Musk is still yet to confirm a firm launch window for himself but has said that 2023 is a likely time for him to go. The point being here is that all 3 of these western billionaires are expressing the human spirit of pushing the envelope of their existence. Such that most all of us would as well given we having their resources to manipulate. Despite the political arguments about money and resources, these men are exemplifying the human spirit to conquer beyond their own limitations. Our human species has always had this quality.
     The concept is akin to an evolutionary quotient. We humans were not physically adaptable to flying yet we are moving out into space with our technology. The mind of the human being is an imaginative one in many ways. If we think about how anything can be done we are able to apply ourselves to make it happen if our luck, logic, and perseverance holds out. It may seem a simple thing to see these 3 billionaires attempt to defy their own personal limitations as all of us do that in some way in our lives. Yet to go to space is beyond what most of us will do in our lifetimes so marking the moments that it occurs does one thing in particular, it proves our manifest destiny to evolve beyond our current status.
     This is how we exist as a species. We move from one plateau in life to another higher one. We won't ever get to the top but we don't let that stop us from moving forward and upward. Which is why I am constantly saying that we are not what we were in the past. We are a reflection of it but we are so much more now that time has moved forward. Our lives are not static. The one thing you can count on that is always true is that we are in a constant state of change. So holding onto a past that may seem like a safe harbor is nothing more than trying to capture the wind. It is fleeting and unreal. It doesn't exist in that same old form that too many of us want it too.

(#4534) We democrats are the exciting future we have been waiting for

      I am actually smiling this morning. Not because the republican party is such a piece of shit party but because we democrats are focused on bringing our society into enlightenment. Enlightenment is the state of being knowledgeable and understanding. Which is a natural progression of our evolution into what we will become as time moves forward. We humans are an evolving species and any look back at recorded history verifies that. We are not a traditional static species, on the contrary, we are adaptable to information, truth, and facts as any other species who has survival as one of its basic instincts. Thus our need to become as enlightened as possible.
     The old paradigms of tradition and antiquated thinking are still enveloping us to this day and as we move beyond this day we are in position, because of democrats, to reimagine our future with the goal of repurposing our society to reflect our human qualities, not our privileges and advantages. The optimism to change what has been a society that had little to do with our core natures of compassion, curiosity, and survival and more to do with power and control is building. The reason for it is that as a society we have become aware of how our current society does less for our natures and more for the avarice of a few.
     With that ability to now know more than we had previously been able to, given technology and innovation, the truth and facts of things, through logic, are inescapable. So the understanding of the bottom half of our society to realize is occurring. Such that as we democrats have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity to do something about it shows that a new day for changing the old paradigms into new and refreshing possibilities is upon us. At this very moment in time and space the ability to shine the light on most all that is occurring is allowing us to make the choices we need to move past the obstructions of past and onto new fertile ground from which to grow.