Jeff Bezos

Major Disaster In the Making, If Medicaid And Food Stamps Are Gutted By Congressional Republicans!

Ronald 34 Comments

President Lyndon B. Johnson, as part of the Great Society reforms of the mid 1960s, accomplished the passage of Medicaid and Food Stamps, two programs to help sustain the poor, seniors, the disabled, children, and pregnant women of all backgrounds.

A myth that is popular out there in the right wing fantasy world is that only minorities–African Americans and Latinos–benefit from these programs, and nothing could be further from the truth!

But even if that was so, should not America assist those of racial minorities who have not been given a “fair shake” in society?

But the reality is that the majority of those who benefit from Medicaid and Food Stamps are white Americans, many of them rural Americans, not just urban minorities, as the myth would have it.

A total of 72 million Americans depend on Medicaid, and 42 million on Food Stamps.

Should not the nation help poor and deprived people to be able to afford nutritional food, and should not the nation insure that health care is available, to prolong lives of those less fortunate and prosperous?

Should not those who call themselves “good Christians” support such programs, rather than give massive tax cuts to the super rich who do not need it, and already pay far too little to support the nation?

And these super rich Americans will not be harmed by paying more taxes, as their interest on their massive wealth makes up for whatever taxes they might pay!

So why cannot Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and the multitude of others who have become super wealthy, be patriotic enough to contribute to the advancement of American society, and care about the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and other groups that struggle for survival every day?

Donald Trump and the Republican Party are heartless and selfish, and have no concern for the damage that is occurring, and this is insufferable and unacceptable!

Biden Farewell Address Reminiscent Of Eisenhower

Ronald 1 Comment

President Joe Biden’s Farewell Address was reminiscent of the Farewell Address of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1961.

Eisenhower warned of the dangers of the “Military-Industrial Complex”, and his Farewell Address is regarded as one of the three greatest Farewell Addresses, alongside George Washington in 1796 and Jimmy Carter in 1981.

Biden brought up the dangers of the “Tech-Industrial Complex”, referring to billionaire oligarchs, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and others, who are having a great impact on Donald Trump, presenting a threat to American democracy.

Biden spoke of the Gilded Age, when millionaires and tycoons such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan and others abused their powers, leading to the Progressive Era age of reform.

The term “Robber Barons” used in the late 19th century and early 20th century, particularly by Theodore Roosevelt, was employed by Joe Biden.

Now, it is Billionaires, not Millionaires, who are the threat to any concept of concern about what is good for the vast majority of Americans. Most of the Cabinet Officers around Trump fit that category.

Biden also cited his accomplishments in office, which like Jimmy Carter, will not be fully appreciated during his lifetime.

Civil Liberties of Speech And Press Under Attack By Trump!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is extremely alarming that Donald Trump is mounting an attack on the basic civil liberties of the First Amendment, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Trump has launched lawsuits against major news organizations, both print and electronic, and major players in social media, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook most prominently, are bowing to Trump, and agreeing to stop monitoring the truth level of published material, afraid otherwise of being prosecuted.

And the Washington Post publisher, Jeff Bezos, who is also owner of Amazon, would not allow an endorsement of Kamala Harris by the journalism staff, and the same with the Los Angeles Times.

The most powerful and wealthy oligarchs of technology, including Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Elon Musk, also the three wealthiest billionaires in the world, are sacrificing the freedoms of all of us for their own selfish, and ego centered protection.

So Disinformation is now in, propaganda and lies, rather than truth telling, a very dangerous move toward authoritarianism!

Alarming That Billionaire Owners Of Media Are Staying Neutral On Presidential Endorsements!

admin 9 Comments

An alarming development as the Presidential Election of 2024 nears, is that the billionaire owners of two highly significant and reputable national newspapers have refused to allow their staffs to make an endorsement for President. The Washington Post has had 76 Pulitzer Prizes in its history, and the Los Angeles Times has had more than 40 in its history.

Jeff Bezos of the Washington Post and Patrick Soon-Shiong of the Los Angeles Times have prevented endorsements in the most significant Presidential race since 1940 and 1860. This is billionaire cowardice, kowtowing to the authoritarian threat of Donald Trump!

Their actions, interfering with the editorial board and staff, is causing alarm and provoking resignations, as well as cancellation of subscriptions by readers, as it seems clear that the personal business interests of both men are getting in the way of principles and public safety at a crucial moment in the fight for protection of democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law!

Additionally, the New York Post, owned by the Rupert Murdoch family, the most despicable newspaper owner imaginable, has decided to endorse Donald Trump, after having backed away from support two years ago after the legal cases against Donald Trump were made clear as a result of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

Republican Double Standard: Massive Tax Cuts For Wealthy, But Limit Financial Aid In Pandemic

Ronald 4 Comments

The Republican Party is proving once again that they favor the wealthy with massive tax cuts that add to the national debt, but have no interest in giving financial aid in the once in a century COVID 19 Pandemic, arguing it will add to the national debt!

Meanwhile, tens of millions are desperate, facing eviction, hunger, inability to pay basic needs. This is having not only a physical threat to health, but also emotional and mental!

A payment of $2000 would vastly help tens of millions of Americans get through the increasing pandemic, as the earlier $1200 payment in the spring of 2020 prevented the economic decline from being worse than it is.

Ultimately, more financial aid will be needed, and the wealthy, who have had “gifts” of massive tax cuts three times in the pat 40 years, under Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and now Donald Trump, will have to cough up more in taxes, as they have the patriotic duty to recognize that the entire economy is in the worst disaster since the 1930s, and demands their cooperation!

This includes the super billionaires, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and others, who have increased the wealth exponentially in the past nine months!

If Mitch McConnell does not allow a vote, the Republicans will lose the two Senate races in Georgia a week from today, but even if a $2000 payment is approved, the Republicans are harming themselves by their lack of concern for average Americans, only finally agreeing under duress, not a good image for a corrupt political party!

The Rapid Demise Of Print Journalism: Something To Mourn!

Ronald 1 Comment

As one who grew up a great fan of print journalism, what is happening in the present time is a great moment of depression.

US News and World Report and Newsweek as print weekly magazines are gone.

The Boston Globe, bought by the NY Times for $1.1 billion twenty years ago, has now been sold by the Times to John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, for $70 million, a fire sale at 93 percent discount!

The Washington Post, in the Graham family for generations, has been sold to Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, for $250 million, when it was worth much more than the Boston Globe twenty years ago.

Print Journalism is in rapid decline, and newspapers, as we knew it, will never be the same, and that is a loss for journalism and for the American people.

The New York Times, the Washington Post, and so many other newspapers now can only survive with online commitments, by this author and millions of others.

Print Journalism played such an important role in American history, and its decline is, in many ways, a sign of the cultural decline of America, in an era where there is no cooperation, no crossing the aisle to do what is good for the American people!

Journalism has become an industry without a future, as the commitment to excellence has been replaced by the commitment to profit alone, so entertainment, rather than information, has become the major goal of online and television journalism!

This is all very sad and to be mourned over!