Snarky Snippets ‘N Mini Rants

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants

Filosofa may have mostly come out of her funky mood, but now she’s just flat-out mad.  Why?  Most everything, that’s why!  We still have the Oaf in the Oval spouting inanities, the unconscionable members of Congress who are too dedicated to their own self-interest to be concerned about ours, California is being devastated by horrible fires while our government fights for the right to further destroy this planet we call home.  And that’s just for starters …

Profit over the environment — Again!

Donald Trump and his band of merry republicans have been robbing from the poor and giving to the rich for long enough now.  Remember the Keystone Pipeline?  In a nutshell, it has been one of the most controversial infrastructure proposals in the history of this nation, largely over environmental concerns.  The main issues are the risk of oil spills along the pipeline, which would traverse highly sensitive terrain, and 17% higher greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction of oil sands compared to extraction of conventional oil. In 2015, President Obama, caring about the environment, vetoed the bill allowing construction to proceed pending further environmental studies, and it has been a battleground ever since.  Last fall, a federal judge in Montana halted the project, after finding that Trump’s administration had not done the proper environmental reviews.

But, not to be outdone by a mere court order, last March Trump signed one of his infamous ‘executive orders’ allowing the project to move forward, despite protests by environmental groups.  Well, guess what, folks … on Tuesday that pipeline sprung a leak.  It happened in North Dakota where some 383,000 gallons of crude oil is now covering a half-acre of wetlands, killing whatever wildlife called it their home.  Way to go, Trump … another epic failure in your [lack of] environmental policy.

In the words of Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders …

“This is what happens when we have a president who ignores scientists and puts short-term fossil fuel profits ahead of the environment and the future of the planet.”

Your tax dollars … buying religion whether you want it or not

paula-whiteHer name is Paula White and she is a televangelist located in Florida.  Well, she was located in Florida … now she is located in Washington, D.C., working at the White House, her salary paid by our tax dollars!  I am not religious, certainly not a believer in that which Ms. White calls ‘faith’, so why should I have to pay her salary?  Has nobody in this bloody administration read the U.S. Constitution???  You know, that document that effectively calls for a separation between ‘church’ and ‘state’?

According to a “White House official”, White will work in the Office of Public Liaison, which is the division of the White House overseeing outreach to groups and coalitions organizing key parts of Trump’s base. Her role will be to advise the administration’s “Faith and Opportunity Initiative”, which Trump established last year by executive order and which aims to give religious groups more of a voice in government programs devoted to issues like defending religious liberty.  Again … where is the separation between church and state???  Religion is not supposed to affect public policy!  Government programs are supposed to represent and assist ALL people, not only those of a specified religion!  What about Hindus, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists???  And what about those groups who are determinedly discriminated against by the religion Trump & White are pandering to, such as members of the LGBTQ community?

Political analysts see this move as Trump trying to ensure he keeps his evangelical base happy in the months leading up to the 2020 election.  He has taken repeated steps to ensure they turn out for him again — by issuing executive orders, making cabinet appointments, and nominating federal judges that pass muster with the religious right. On a range of issues from abortion rights to tax exemptions for churches, Trump has tried to grant Christian conservatives their policy wishes whenever legally and politically feasible.

But what about the rest of us?  Evangelicals do not constitute a majority in this nation, and the rest of us pay taxes too!  I want my money back, for I am getting literally not one damn thing in return for it.  Ms. White isn’t too bright, either, for here’s what she says of Trump …

“He’s in total control. He’s not at all impulsive — he’s so far ahead of everyone, very much a strategic thinker.”

What a crock of you-know-what!

Reverse Robin Hood … again!

Remember December 2017 and the tax cuts that benefited the wealthy and corporations?  As a result, companies like Exxon-Mobil, Amazon and others pay less taxes than you do.  As a result, our national debt is now a staggering $22.9 trillion, and the national deficit was, as of September 30th, just shy of $1 trillion.  Way to go, Trump …

Well, it doesn’t end there.  For you see, the tax cuts were structured in such a way as to help only the wealthiest in the land, but he sold the public such a snowjob that his base genuinely believed that he was doing it to help them.  And they still largely believe it, even though they have hard proof in front of them that they did not, in fact, benefit.  So, since that worked so well, and since Trump is heading into next year’s election with several strikes against him, he has decided to re-play December 2017 with yet another round of tax cuts for the wealthy sometime ahead of the election.

Now, here’s the thing … even if the tax cuts were to help the lower-and-middle income groups, it is a bad … really, really bad idea.  We owe money … trillions and trillions of dollars … more money than you and I could even imagine.  And, we are spending more than we are taking in.  WHO in their right mind thinks the best idea is to cut our revenue???  Au contraire, we need to be raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, not cutting them for anybody.  If you or I managed our budgets and debt as poorly as Trump is managing this country’s, we would be in debtor’s prison!  It is poor stewardship, it is … it is stupid!  But then, look who we’re talking about.

And then there’s …stage-hook

… wait … I’m not dooooonnnnne

68 thoughts on “Snarky Snippets ‘N Mini Rants”

  1. Glad to see you are feeling better Jill. ❤️
    We are living through some very challenging times at the moment. I really hope we can sort this stuff out… But it seems like there are so many battles to fight on so many fronts… Everywhere you turn, the enemy approaches. It is the stuff of horror movies! 🎥 Perhaps appropriate for the season… But after the day of the dead and the day of the saints who have gone before, there comes the hope of a renewed life after the intermitting dormant time. I see a lot of rotting… And Death… And all shall pass to leave new spring shoots from new beginnings. There is always that hope for life to begin again. 😁🙏

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    • Thanks, Colette! Yes, there is just so much evil on so many fronts these days … after a while, I begin to think it is all hopeless and we might as well just give up now. But, a few days off and I’m back in the saddle, ready to do battle! 😊

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  2. You work so hard for us Jill with these skanks, but you should give yourself a break.
    For a week keep the continuity going by all means but just put up a headline ‘Trump Does Something Dum-Ass Again’ or ‘Trump Helps The Rich Again’ leave it at that apart from an image of the Statue of Liberty in despair and we’ll all get the drift

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  3. Excellent post by the Queen of Snark, you really have your snark on here! Donald Trump and his lickspittles continue to wreak havoc on our country with rollbacks and executive orders. The environmental damage that is being incurred may never be restored to even a state of near normal in the future. As far as religion in government, Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. put it well when he said : “History makes the point time and time again No greater mischief can be created than to merge the power of religion with the power of government.” It should be noted that Mr. Weicker was a Republican Representative and Senator from Connecticut, though following that he became an Independent and the Governor of the state. Thank-you!

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    • Thank you, ma’am! I feared my snark had slipped away, but it was just on temporary hiatus, I guess. You are so right … much of the damage that is being done by Trump & Co, both in the environment and other areas, such as the divisiveness that has been purposely created, the huge national debt and budget deficit … will all take decades to repair, and some will likely be irreparable. I love the quote by Mr. Weicker … it is perfectly stated. And today, we are seeing even further proof. Sigh.

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  4. Jill, good post on a breadth of topics. Here are a couple of thoughts:
    – it is not uncommon for pipelines to breach, so where they are placed is important. They will breach again.
    – that constitution thing speaks of a separation of church and state for a reason; it also should be noted several of the founders were Deists.
    – debt is a huge problem and will get worse; it requires both tax increases and spending cuts – the math will not otherwise work. As a result of the 2017 tax bill our deficit is getting worse – when the economy is good, we should be paying or reducing the deficit. Yet, Trump wants another tax cut which is beyond malfeasance. But, I am also frustrated with Obama for putting the Simpson-Bowles Deficit Reduction report on a shelf.
    – we live in a 1984 time, where enemies are now friends and allies get a stick in the eye. Plus, we ignore or deny real problems while we address stuff that is less important and must abide the lunacy of a nakedly corrupt person in the White House while his toadies ignore he is unclothed. What could possibly go wrong?
    Keith

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    • All excellent points, Keith! I think that if we were being prudent, we would spend our time, effort and money on renewable energy sources with a goal of completely shutting down all the pipelines by, say, 2025 or 2030 at the latest. It can be done, but the stumbling block is the fossil fuel industry and the politicians they have bought.

      As you say, moist of the framers of the Constitution were religious men, yet they saw the troubles that can come when religion has undue influence over government. Trump appears to simply disregard any parts of the Constitution that don’t suit his whims, such as the other day when he referred to the “fake emoluments clause”. The ‘man’ has obviously never even read the document he swore to uphold!!!

      As re the debt and deficit … yes, of course the best course would be to increase revenue through higher taxes on those who can best afford them, in conjunction with cutting spending. Trouble is … if this administration cuts spending, it won’t be things like trimming our ridiculously bloated military budget, or cutting back on subsidies to coal companies. No, he has already given substantial reason to believe he would cut things like food stamps, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid … programs that actually help people. So, I don’t push for spending cuts, for I fear who they would hit the hardest.

      We are, indeed, living in an alternate world, one none of us could have imagined a decade ago. I keep hoping to wake up form this nightmare, but so far, no joy.

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  6. Ah yes….Paula White – she married for the 3rd time in 2015, supports the “prosperity gospel” believing that if a person is poor or underprivileged he/she follows the wrong Jesus/God and…TA DA….trump was sent by God himself to save America. And she is Floridian! How special is that?😂

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  7. I knew you’d be back!! And, with a vengeance. Rightly so, I might add.
    Every damn day these stories come out. Keystone? Wow, who could have predicted a spill like that? How about anyone with a pulse…or a brain? Native Americans knew it. Environmentalists knew it. Hell, even Trump knew it. He just doesn’t give a rat’s you know what. Most of his party doesn’t either, because it helps put $$$$ into the Koch’s, and others’ wallets. It’s all that matters to these people.
    Anyway, welcome back my friend! We need your voice!!

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    • Yep … I felt my engines revving again, felt that ol’ teeth-grinding, growling sensation building, and I knew I could do it! I just need to learn to relax sometimes so I don’t crash & burn again!

      Yeah, Keystone has been a problem since day #1, and this spill was no surprise. Fortunately, it was relatively small, but … you and I both know that it’s only a matter of time before one contaminates water and food sources. Funny, isn’t it, that this leak happened on Tuesday and wasn’t widely reported … didn’t even make the front pages as far as I can tell.

      Thanks Jeff! It’s good to be back!

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      • Good to have you back Jill!
        Yes, the King is doing his level best to wreck the environment, as well as our democracy. I guess that’s ok for his 35%? The bubble they live in is a bubble I don’t and can’t understand. I’ve tried, to no avail. So, I’m left with the assumption that they do not get their info from reliable sources…by choice of course. The real truth does not matter. Only the fabricated and manipulated truth, because it’s so much easier than actually having to think about the damage he’s doing to the country. Damage? What damage? That’s the reply you get on Twitter from them. They’re beyond repair. Enough with the what makes Trump voters tick. It’s impossible to figure out.

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        • I, too, have wracked my brain to figure his base out, but I have concluded there is no single answer. For some, it is a religious thing and they think that their god is going to bring about the end of time and take them all to some marvelous fantasy world, so the sooner Trump destroys the planet, the better in their minds (if such can actually be called a mind). For others, it is sheer ignorance … lack of education coupled with decades of listening to parents/grandparents telling them about the evils of democrats. But, I still believe that for most it is his promise to “Make America WHITE Again”. I cannot get on Twitter anymore without my fingers pounding the keyboard with some angry response to the utter idiocy I see there. And we’ve got another 12 months of this!!!

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          • You’ve hit the nail on the head Jill. They feel their dominance in society slipping away and it scares the hell out of them. I’d say a large majority of his base falls into this category, if not all of them. It’s endemic, and there’s no cure for it. The only cure for us? Beat HIM….badly, in 2020. Let’s put him and his base out to pasture once and for all.

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            • isn’t it a bit bigoted to say that all trump supporters are this way? You can’t just generalize an attribute from those who are the most obnoxious to every single person who happened to vote for him.

              I would say this demonstrates a lack of understanding of the human person actually. After all, if I said that everyone who supported Hillary Clinton was a socialist, you guys would rightly call me out on such narrow-mindedness.

              Please, let’s try to be fair-minded and not paint everyone in the opposing party as a lunatic because not all of them are.

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              • You can’t just generalize an attribute from those who are the most obnoxious to every single person who happened to vote for him.

                There are many people who voted for Trump, but who no longer support him. The comment that you criticized was actually about people who are still supporting Trump. It was not about people who happened to vote for him.

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              • In the words of the great coach Bill Belichick, I can only go by what I see. I don’t like to generalize. But, here I think I’m on safe ground. Kids in cages? The base says keep it up. Telling Congresswomen of color to go back to their own countries? The base cheers his every word. Ban Muslims? Sure, go for it. Build that wall for billions to keep brown people out? Hell yes!
                The evidence is everywhere my friend. If you noticed, I didn’t say ALL. I said large majorities. There’s a difference, no? Of course there are some who like him because he’s cutting taxes. Others like him because he’s gutting regulations. As with most things in life, there are exceptions. But, I’ll stand my original statement. There’s a whole bunch of his base who like it when he does and says things that are out and out racist. How is that wrong to point out?

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              • I don’t see it as bigoted at all, Scott. Now, mind you I’ve been guilty of lumping all republicans or other groups together, but I’ve also caught myself when I do, and I try hard not to do that these days. But, in the case of Trump supporters … anybody who still cheers him, supports him, and considers him to be a good president, fits in either the category of ‘ignorant’ or ‘greedy’ or ‘racist’, for he has proven time and time again that he has no consideration nor concern for the average person, that his self-interest is more important to him than that of the people he was hired to represent,that the Constitution he swore to uphold means nothing to him, and that he considers that laws do not apply to him. He is on the path to becoming a dictator, has put this nation in grave danger or losing our allies, has stolen money from us in more ways than one, and the list goes on. A decent person who bothers to educate themselves in the ways of good governance, who stays on top of the news and tries to understand it, would not support Trump. So, in this case, it’s rather obvious that those who support Trump do have some common traits. I’m not sure where you got your Hillary-socialism connection, for her platform was not socialist. I, however, do support democratic socialism, because I believe in a much greater degree of equality than we currently have in this nation. Some day soon, I plan to have a post about my views on that. Hugs, Scott!

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            • I don’t understand why any one group has to be ‘dominant’ in society anyway … why can’t we all just accept each other and get on with the business of living together, trying to be human? My fear, though, is that even IF we beat him in 2020 (and that is, I think, a big IF), we are still going to have a great deal of trouble from the bigots and those people who feel that Trump is their ‘saviour’. Sigh. There isn’t going to be an easy panacea, methinks.

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              • Nope, it’s not going to be easy. I’m with you though Jill. This IS America now. Multi-racial, people of all types. The melting pot, as they say. You and I can accept it and embrace it. Others cannot. Even when you and I are no longer on this earth, it will still be an issue. It’s generational, and will take several generations to fix….if ever. SAD

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                • You are spot on. I think it will never change, though the level of bigotry will rise and fall from time to time, for prejudice has been a part of the human species since the beginning of recorded history, at the very least. If we haven’t learned by now ………..

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  8. Trump still believes what his daddy told him long ago, never spend your own money. USE SOMEBODY ELSE’S!
    We can bet he is not paying $1 of taxes himself, nor are most of his family or psychophants. Meanwhile, he is stealing from future generations who will be paying interest on the national debt for the next hundred thousand years, and then some. All someone will have to do is call in their loan and the USA will be bankrupt, and ready for a hostile takeover. Who do you owe this money to? Probably Russia, knowing Trump.

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    • Yep … his reputation of shafting contractors and workers, declaring bankruptcy, suing people to whom he owes money precedes him, and now he is playing games with our money. And, when people mention the deficit, he goes on a tirade about the need to cut spending, and how we ought to cut food stamps, Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, etc. He never mentions cutting our over-bloated military budget, or cutting back on bail outs to coal companies … he always wants to take the things that actually help people. We owe to other nations, of course, but also to bondholders and investors within the U.S.

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  9. Jill, I agree with you on two key pieces of today’s blog. Well, three counting the oil spill. Whenever something like this happens, it saddens me as it further demonstrates the lack of care that some people have for our only home in the cosmos. Do they think that we can magically just pick up and move to a new planet?
    Now, on to your other point. You said “we are spending more than we are taking in” and “I want my money back.” sentiments on which I totally agree but i wonder why is it that no one, not people in Washington, democratic socialists, anyone is talking about the spending issue? everyone seems to default to the “raise taxes” position when it comes to the economy and it boggles my mind that politicians don’t want to address the spending issue.

    We take in a lot of money, we just have a government who has proven, time and time again, that they have less than adequate financial management skills. But you’re right that if we, the common people managed our finances the way these clowns do, we would go to debtors prison. Once again, this is the idea of one rule for them and another for us and I am sick and tired of it. Put these idiots in debtors prison as well, every single one of them.

    and

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    • As for the oil spill, I think that as long as the oil barons are making hefty profits, they don’t really much care about the future of the planet, for they know they won’t be around to suffer the results. Short-sighted and self-centered they are.

      Now, as to why I (and others) propose raising taxes on the wealthy rather than cut spending … first of all, the wealthy rarely pay their share of taxes, for there are all manners of loopholes built into the system they can take advantage of. Look at the corporations like the two I mentioned and many others that paid ZERO in taxes in 2018! Fair? I don’t think so. Now, if the current government, under Trump and a GOP Senate, were to cut spending, what do you think they would cut first? Aid to the poor. Social Security. Medicare/Medicaid. Housing assistance. They wouldn’t be cutting military spending, which is so bloated that it exceeds by a huge margin every other nation on the globe. They wouldn’t cut programs and policies that benefit the fossil fuel industry, or the insurance industry, or the gun industry. No, they would cut things that would hurt you, me, and millions of others who are struggling just to survive. You are right that there are excesses in spending that ought to be cut, but that wouldn’t be where they would make the cuts, and meanwhile the wealthy are paying less taxes per dollar than you, me, or any of the rest of us who don’t earn six figures annually. Sigh.

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  11. It has always intrigued me that the USA, like many countries is a secular state ( no your tax money should not be going to faith projects! ) while we are officially Christian ( with a genuinely Christian Queen ) and an official church. But there are proportionally many more fervent Christians in the US than in the United Kingdom!

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    • Whilst what you say is true, it is also the case that the Church is separate from the state. Bishops sit in the House of Lords but not in sufficient numbers to exert influence in parliamentary decision making.

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    • Christians in the US (maybe not all) are hellbent on power and control. It has nothing to do with faith or following any of Jesus’s supposed ideals of humility, inclusion of all and taking care of others. It’s purely a political game for power.

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        • Such a true statement…
          Even me, a non believer, can see the good principles of Jesus, whether he existed or not, are certainly not followed by most people and have not been for ages.

          Instead much killing and hate have been spread in the name of religion for eons.

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          • Yes indeed, for some Christianity is faith based, a belief in a ‘living saviour’ ( and sometimes the belief they are right and everybody else is wrong! ), while for others the simple teachings would make the world a better place if most people followed them.

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      • exactly, and Jesus would be very angry, were he to come back and see how his “followers” are using the gospel to further their political agenda. He would do more than overturn the tables and drive the money changers out of the temple and rightly so.

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      • I agree with you, Mary, but it isn’t even the majority of Christians, I don’t think … only those evangelicals who have decided that they and they alone know what is best for the rest of the world. They are loud, obnoxious, and have Trump on their side. They are led by the likes of Falwell and Graham (both of whom have become multimillionaires by taking money from the less advantaged) who claim that ‘God put Trump in office’. They take the phrase “freedom of religion” to mean freedom of only their own brand of religion, no others. And rather than love, they preach hate for any who are different than themselves. Sigh.

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    • Very true. But, I suspect the ‘brand’ of those fervent “Christians” in this country is something different than in the UK. Here, the ones who demand a say in government are the ones who cherry-pick their Christianity … carve it to fit their desires, while forgetting the important parts such as compassion, kindness, treating everyone as equals, etc. I don’t consider it to be Christianity in the least bit, but a religion totally of their own making.

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      • That’s for sure, we have nothing to compare. I do have one bizarre memory from my Cof E Sunday School. An American evangelical turned up, preached hell fire and damnation and left us in mortal terror . Who on earth arranged that I have no idea, a total contrast to our benevolent vicar.

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        • I can picture that perfectly! I had never been in a protestant church before I married my late-ex husband in 1970. He took me to his church shortly after we were married, and I was petrified!!! Screaming, yelling, people shouting and even pretending to faint! I got up, left that church and have never set foot in a protestant church since, except once for a wedding! They are a scary lot!

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  12. I hadn’t heard about the keystone Pipeline getting a break.Yet another ecological disaster. Want to bet there will be no fines to the company and probably not even made to pay for the clean up.There will be more.
    Cwtch

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    • Yep, and it isn’t the first one, and likely won’t be the last. But hey … the rich are making a profit, so what’s a few thousand animals and plants … oh, and let’s not forget the streams that feed into lakes that become people’s drinking water. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
      Cwtch

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