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R D Noisemaker's avatar

It's very hard to reverse eight decades of ingrained "Socialism bad; capitalism good!" This column is a start. Thanks so much for posting.

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Paula Mae's avatar

As usual, I like your approach, but I also like to distill it down to the people factor - while also going out on a limb. It is not universal that Musk is despised. Have you talked to Musk lovers? They are Democrats, mostly, the ones I've talked to. And they LOVE Musk, like tr*mpers love youknowwho. And I get it. I've listened to Musk. But Musk is a highly skilled con artist, and they don't see that. I struggled to see it, too. Democrats reject, so vehemently, the authoritarian stance that Republicans love, that they see no evil or "toxic" in people, at all. We, The People need to educate ourselves on the very real fact that toxic people like Musk have chosen to prioritize selfishness and greed. They choose it. They live for it. The hardest lesson I had to learn - because I came from that democratic-inclined place of "love for all humanity" is that each and every person decides, usually early on in life, what their priorities are, and we live in a country that historically prioritizes consumerist selfishness and greed. Until we educate ourselves to prioritize self and other, and need over greed, we will be in these cyclical battles until our civilization dies out. With selfish greed allowed to run amok, no form of governing will ever fully succeed in the long run. In our ignorance, we belittle the form of governing: capitalism, socialism, communism. None of those are inherently bad. But in the hands of the selfish and greedy, will always become bad. Bad isn't some immoral evil. Bad is more like mold: If you don't stay on top of it or create environment inhospitable to it, it keeps growing and spreading. And the selfish and greedy have dismantled the very checks and balances that could have allowed capitalism to be good for us, so now it isn't. Capitalism isn't the problem, we are.

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Diane J's avatar

Speaking as a Democrat not in politics, I agree our politicians have blurred the lines between the parties. There is no way I support privatization of our government, we have enough greed in some of those facilities as it is.

I don't know what Democrats you talked to but the ones around here are vehemently opposed to privatization.

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Paula Mae's avatar

If you will review my statement, I did not speak of privatization, at all. I was referring to the people who love Musk. Were I to speak about privatization, I would likely harp on the problem of profit as bottom line. Profit below a certain margin is fine, but profit without limits and without consideration of social advancement and environmental protection, is just another form of societal mold that runs amok over time.

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debra's avatar

"These establishment Democrats" . . . are no different than the pre-MAGA Republicans. They saw Republicans getting fat from lobbies and insider trading and said, "Sign me up!" They all have to go. The first time someone compared Obama to Bush (using a mash-up face), I wanted to scream. Then I kept reading. Then I started listening to Bernie. Everything you say is true. Putin agreed to end the war in 2022, but Biden (war monger) said no. He must be driven out. Diplomacy in dealing with opposition from other nations is gone. Our internal systems are all broken. Status quo Democrats like Cori Booker who gets the most money from AIPAC is pro-genocide in Israel. NY Democrats won't back Mamdani (to me, the biggest clue about what they stand for). Every one of them needs to be primaried and replaced.

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Edward Low's avatar

It's funny how the biggest problems in government and the biggest threats to America all come from the need of campaign reform

Our politicans are owned by the enemy of the people

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Charley Ice's avatar

Ditto good comments about this piece. I think it was Bill Clinton who brought the donor class into the Democratic Party. If we get serious about dismantling inequality, they'll find a new party, and it may be a post-MAGA formulation of the Repugnicans. We have to think deeply about the ramifications to campaigning, e.g. reversing Citizens United, making the Supreme Court accountable, and assuredly bringing the whole current regime to serious justice, making examples of the traitorous implications of private largesse in politics. We need to go deep to democratize the economy as well as rectifying elections.

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Rosemary Siipola's avatar

We can do the hard things. I think we’ll have no choice moving forward.

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Nina Tatlock's avatar

I think that we need you to run for office using these talking points.

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Noodoggy's avatar

Kind of think we missed the bot with the Dem party. Doubt it can be rescued. Need third (or multiple) party and direct organized actions

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Apache's avatar

Another Very Good Post Corbin...

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Kristy's avatar

My feelings on the situation too. Thanks for putting into words for other's to read.

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Diane J's avatar

I didn't read it that way and I do agree with you and I think that's what most of us object to but also the way certain people and corporations like Musk are given many huge contracts by government with little to no bidding.

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Max's avatar

Yes! That part. Once they allowed no bid contracts in the governmental procurement process, the flood gates were opened. The so-called "scourge" of "low bid" contractors was the lie that was told to us to make us not look deeper into the diminishing of competition.

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Tom's avatar
5dEdited

First, we pass a tax law that confiscates 99% of every billionaire's wealth. That would leave a $1-billionaire with $10 million. In the case of the Musk, he'd be left with a measly $40 billion +/-. In the following tax year, he'd be left with $40 million. Then, issue lovely participation trophies to all our hero billionaires who saved SSI, made higher education free, and created universal healthcare.

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Andrew Bonniwell's avatar

I've said this for a very long time about Starlink being owned by Elon Musk and guess what? It is and the billionaire wins again because the American people have given up our creative freedom where we could be doing all of these advancements ourselves since we don't need any of these elite scumbags who don't know how to run their own shadow in a sandstorm.

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window's avatar

What if he is not really the president and he could be prosecuted for everything he and his helpers has done!

User Clip: Trump Talking About Elon Musk Knowing About Voting Computers | Video | C-SPAN.org https://share.google/gZ0C943jKiiUyMGwk

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window's avatar

DOGE wasted billions paying federal employees not to work, Senate report says https://share.google/vh1J8WCMjtHksJk8U

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window's avatar

Espionage Elon

Gov. Greg Abbott Claims His Emails with Elon Musk Are Too ‘Embarrassing, Intimate’ for Public Consumption - The Barbed Wire https://share.google/lzrUEX5TrTUzBPoe1

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