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This tyranny against the common man began with Ronald Reagan. Those who could have stopped this slow creep toward the oppression of the common man / woman failed to do so. NO ONE, again, NO ONE should be allowed to amass the fortunes of a Bezos, a Musk and other super wealthy robber barons.

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Except it didn't *begin* with Reagan -- it was reborn or revitalized with Reagan. Your use of the term "robber barons" suggests that you already know this: the country's original "robber barons" flourished in the late 19th century, having made huge fortunes in steel, railroads, etc. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 was a response to it. Unfortunately we USians have a habit of forgetting the past as soon as we've fixed the worst of it -- but the worst keeps coming back.

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Well, in fairness, the current iteration started with Reagan because he initiated "gifting" the already rich and powerful through tax reduction. While those "robber barons" of the past were the Carnegies, Rockefellers and the like, they were unique to their time. They also were benefactors in ways the current generation of the "filthy" rich are not. (At least as far as I know it.) Reagan also instituted taxing Social Security Income, which angers me as a recipient of SSI. I'd like to see those at the top of the pyramid manage and survive on my monthly stipend. I do not feel sorry for myself and I am not "jealous" of them. Bur, they are not paying their fair share while The Donald wants to give them even bigger tax breaks. Talk about greed on steroids! Most of them have built their fortunes on their “lesser”. And the sins of greed are shared by both political Parties. Bill Clinton ushered in the end of Glass-Steagall. We must look to our past to better understand the current moment so as to prepare for the future and next chapter.

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OK, but considering the late 19th century oligarchs "unique to their time" makes it too easy to miss their connection to other oligarchs and oligarchies in U.S. history. For instance, the antebellum South, which when Reconstruction ended became the postbellum South and continued until the death of Jim Crow in the mid-1960s. Too often they get a pass because of their philanthropy, but let's not forget the union-busting, terrible working conditions, and (barely) subsistence wages (etc.) that made that philanthropy possible. It would also help if we could stop blaming so much on "greed" -- a characteristic of individuals -- and instead pay more attention to the economic system that can, and has in the past, helped keep greed under control.

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America's intentional resemblance to Russia grows every day, and he ain't even in office yet.

Emulating, kowtowing to, and probably colluding with our adversary is treason, in my book.

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If Mitch McConnell and Merrick Garland had the b**ls to do their jobs with integrity without their hubris and fear, we'd be writing a different story.

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McConnell has cemented his legacy as the most conniving, obstructionist, underhanded senator in US history. If he would have done what his right, Drumpf would have been impeached either time and been barred from running for office.

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Anybody who thought he wanted to help the little people weren't paying attention. They asked for it.

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But the oligarchs are less a cause than a symptom of what's gone awry in this country, and though the extent of their wealth may be unique, their power, political and economic, most certainly is not. Its roots go deeper than Trump and his cronies, deeper than the Reagan administration -- though Reagan's and Trump's SCOTUS appointees have sure contributed to it. Does no one remember what brought about the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression? Or the power of the steel, railroad, oil, and land barons in the late 19th century that prompted the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 and the beginning of the Progressive Era?

We need to talk much, much more about economic power. I like to call it the unelected fourth branch of government, and unless it's kept in check by sound policy, it *will* take over. Pundits like to remark on how so many working people "vote against their own self-interest," but they rarely talk about why this keeps happening and how to rectify it. We need to get much, much better about this -- and when we get called commies or socialists (as absolutely will happen), we need to keep talking about how to get economic power under control again.

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Robber Barons. Their descendants remain powerfully wealthy. Only a few are mentioned in this article.

“It has been argued that these capitalist pioneers were the “antecedents” of the organized crime that emerged in the United States during the Prohibition era (1920–33).“

https://www.britannica.com/money/robber-baron

John D Rockefeller was also called “shiny dimes.” It was part of a public relations campaign after the Ludlow Massacre. Rockefeller not only paid the salaries of thugs, brutes & guardsmen who attacked the mine workers, but hired Ivy Ledbetter Lee to clean up the family legacy. Lee is regarded as the ‘father’ of many public relations practices still used today.

It was a very successful P/R campaign judging by how deep stories like this are buried. The robber barons turned to putting philanthropic activities in the foreground while their more sinister activities were pushed into the background.

https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ludlow-massacre/

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If you Google "Ludlow massacre" you'll find evidence that it's not buried as deep as you may think.

I've learned plenty of labor history from songs, some written at the time and others in the many decades since. Like James Keelaghan's "Small Rebellion," about the suppression of a coal miners' strike in Saskatchewan, September 1931: https://youtu.be/mTXNgrfPHNo?si=7Ft1Goe0V9OS5ET2.

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I guess I wasn’t clear. I know the event or at least its name is out there. I googled for something that told the underlying story. Zinn came the closest. Most soften the story with how the robber barons were innovators & great philanthropists; tough businessmen who paid good wages etc. Shiny dimes.

Not many mentions of “security” companies hired by barons & in the case of Ludlow, deputized. Skip over the fact that National Guard members who set the tents on fire were being paid by Rockefeller with the governor’s approval. The pits dug by families living in the tents were to protect them from periodic gunfire. The machine gun. On that night tent fires sucked up the oxygen & suffocated them.

None explained what a company town was & why they could evict workers. — (A common practice. Example, all 3 incorporated cities in Harlan County KY were owned by coal companies. The land, homes, everything.) — None talked about the practice of paying workers in “company script” only accepted at the “company store.”

These days, folks might need a deeper understanding of ‘company towns’, how economic power of ‘robber barons’ or oligarchs can be wielded & what happens when they gain the power of government.

https://digital.denverlibrary.org/nodes/view/1052810

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What I'm waiting to see is how these cowardly oligarchs, without an iota of enlightenment among the lot of them, are going to react when Trump demands that they hand over large shares of their wealth to him. Or else, "Nice company you've got there..."

I mean, why would Trump expect that they wouldn't cut him in, when they have rolled over at his command so willingly?

Let the infighting begin.

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It’s not just money. We’re here due to our corrupt schools, which trashed or silenced called-to-teach teachers because they no longer fit.

Corruption is incompatible with spiritual callings.

The ultra wealthy have always stood ready to take whatever they can. We are a bell curve of souls ranging from selfless to selfish despite our wealth. With so many in the middle of that curve possessing both good and evil, it takes little for the selfish to lure them. Without great teachers helping people learn why the law - codified morality, the essence of democracy - makes sense, it doesn’t make sense to enough people anymore.

Once we began disrespecting truth and the principles of democracy we lost our way as a society and it’s become who can grab more rather than how can we stop the urge to grab. If it were only the money this would have happened long ago. It’s because the people who controlled the grabbing - great teachers - are no longer respected. We lost our balance.

We were blessed with great teachers so a shift toward evil wouldn’t happen. They were our balancers. When administrators trashed them, they trashed this society and until you figure this out, insist on an investigation and obliteration of this corruption so we can repopulate the great teachers, this is as good as it gets.

Furthermore, once exposed, these truths would help us retake the schools by having good people run for school boards. This won’t happen if people continue to believe schools are not reformable. They’re intentionally made dysfunctional by puppet boards that often are clueless that they’re puppets! Our best and perhaps only path for saving democracy won’t happen as long as the great teachers have no voice.

Give us a voice and we can make a difference. Listen to a podcast of five of us at WhiteChalkCrime.com listen to us explain why we have school

shootings.

Why can’t we go viral? That’s what you must ask. It’s time good people went Kardashian! I do believe that Trump is so evil he’s going to make people finally listen to us.

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It gets worse by the day and he is not even officially the prez. Now, Trump is the little boy in a candy store, he wants it all..even Canada, as did Putin with Ukraine.

In case someone forgot how this once great country got to this dangerous point, allow me to remind you: Our very own SCOTUS gave Trump all the immunity he needs; and our own Justice DOJ gave him full permission to run from the beginning. That he committed the gravest crime of all was irrelevant..he became the man of the hour for the media & the people and got elected. WE elected him for the second time and the world outside our shores is watching with terror the slow self destruct. It can be stopped and pushed back early in the game or else…

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He didn’t need anything from DOJ to run or not run. The Constitution sets the requirements to run for federal offices including president. A presidential candidate can run from prison and one did. Eugene V Debs. Way back then he got almost a million votes. https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2023/april/eugene-debs-tom-doherty.html

I would imagine if there was a prohibition in the Constitution against felons running the Orange Menace would have had DOJ clear the field to win in 2020.

Pence was never going to invoke the 25th Amendment. He’s continued to praise the work of “our” administration. He’s only been able to bring himself to object to proposed nominee, RFK, Jr., for being pro-choice. A tip of his hat to Evangelicals, not the country.

McConnell decided the Dems were going to “take care of our problem” — with impeachment which could also disqualify the Orange Menace from running for office again. McConnell felt the wind in his caucus blowing the wrong way & stood down. The chance was lost.

Those were safeguards provided by our Constitution. They crumbled in fear of the ‘base.’

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Well maybe there is a lesson in Trump gaining access to the WH a second time as a criminal Perhaps an amendment should be added to the Constitution that criminals belongs in prison and not as commander in chief.

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There are 2 problems with that.

1. The most likely reason it is not in the Constitution is so that a wayward president could not have his political opponents convicted Putin style and disqualified.

2. A sufficient majority among states and Congress to make positive changes in the Constitution is not even close to being on the horizon.

• An amendment to the Constitution must be proposed either by the Congress and receive a 2/3 majority vote in both the House and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by 2/3 of the State legislatures

• Then a proposed amendment must be ratified — It becomes part of the Constitution when it is ratified by 3/4 of the States (38 of 50 States).

(A president does not sign an Amendment after it is ratified.)

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Yes. Been shouting to the wind about this for some time. It's always been the plan - as is taking our votes or in general making them worthless so we "feel" like we have a say. And our Corporate Congress has been and will continue to enable it. Looking forward to hearing everyone's solutions or plans to oppose. So far all I have personally are boycotts: no MSM - cancelled cable last year; no business with outright supporters of this plan; emails to the few folks in congress who give a damn; financial support for those same folks in congress. Participation in my local party to sign up voters and get the vote out. What else?

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People pick on Don Trump and accuse him of making ill advised decisions regarding … well … everything. But just when you think he’s about to make an ill-advised decision, he announces one such as this: “Herschel Walker Picked fo Ambassador Role.”

Is the guy pure genius … or what?

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Just occurred to me: All this adoration and obeisance, is Trump trying to do an L. Ron? Create a new religion in which all praise is due and anything goes. (And mo’ money!)

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,, Americans are obsessed with money. They envy those who have it. Casinos, sport betting, lottery players complaining in line about the rich, hoping to be one.Some have been most generous-Warren Buffett, the Gates, Geo Soros, Bloomberg, Mackenzie Scott. Zuckerberg & Bezos have been on both sides.

We live under a Capitalist economic system supposedly where anyone can better themselves, create competition , make a profit. Instead, we have biggies out for themselves - Google, Amazon,Apple, Meta, Microsoft,Nvidia, Tesla, even Disney. They control prices, draw the line between rich & poor longer, giving poor little chance to better themselves. Where is our brave Theodore ( he hated the name Teddy) Roosevelt who said corporations need regulated if injurious to the public, & he did, passing the Sherman Antitrust Acct.

Even Reagan broke up At&T.

The Federal Reserve has had little impact. Still high food, some credit cards 35% interest, house prices. I read to qualify to rent an apartment in NYC, income must be 40 times rent amount.

Fed pretty much ineffective.

With our presidents & over half congressmen millionaires, little impetus to change. And so we have trump selling guitars to add to his billions & the skinny little vet holding a sign at the stop sign. Ah, America, land of opportunity !!!

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Oh, tosh—I’m sure the super rich only have our best interests in mind. Of course, they have to use their great imaginations to consider physical labor - dad was so considerate to leave me a billionaire - and need and want (beyond total power and revenge). That’s okay, excellent time to learn …

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This is real and there are no guardrails to prevent Trump from continuing his plan. The few voices speaking the truth are becoming faint, and the sirens warning of a coming tsunami are loud.

The Republican party no longer exists, as Trump directs his followers to carry out the destruction of American Democracy. Will the remaining few voices speaking the truth be allowed to continue speaking? Will he carry out his threats to prosecute anyone who he believes has wronged him? If the answer to these questions aren't an immediate yes, you are delusional.

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