Conservatism and Right Wing

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Republicans and the Religious Right want to impose their theocracy upon the U.S.

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment PROTECTS our right to practice — or NOT practice — any religion with freedom from any governmental support or opposition.  The “separation of church and state” is clearly required. For 75 years an excellent organization — Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, www.au.org — has been protecting us from abuse by people who want to impose their religion upon us, and it has been protecting religion from governmental interference too.  It works both ways. But some people want to tear down the “wall of separation” and use our tax dollars to fund […]

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Rich people and profitable big businesses escape taxes. We must TAX RICH PEOPLE + BIG BUSINESSES!

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Since the 1970s extreme conservatives — including those in big business — have become very aggressive in building political power.  The Powell Memo (if you don’t know what it is, a web search will quickly tell you) and extremely rich people led to the creation of very conservative and right-wing “think tanks” and media and organizing within the Republican Party. Now they have taken over the Republican Party and the U.S. government:  Congress, the Executive Branch (including cabinet members and agency heads), and the Supreme Court. Part of their agenda has been to slash taxes for rich people and big […]

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Several reasons why the right wing has built its power at the expense of liberals and the Left

April 30, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The article at this link provides insights into the effectiveness of RIGHT-WING MEMES — and why the Left falls short in that:  https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/04/right-wing-groups-are-training-young-conservatives-to-win-the-next-meme-war/?utm_source=mj-newsletters&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=econundrums-2019-04-08   The Left had raised the issue of “globalization,” but the Right stole the issue and converted it into right-wing nationalism, racism, and anti-immigrant hysteria.  This allowed Trump and right-wing extremists to gain power in various countries that used to be “liberal democracies.”  This article provides insights:  https://fpif.org/sieg-heil-deja-vu-understanding-the-global-rise-of-the-extreme-right/   In the U.S and elsewhere, the dominant economic and political systems are not working, so mainstream (“white”) people feel victimized.  The right wing has promoted the current conservative […]

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Do not let assumptions about “human nature” interfere with the bold social and political reforms we are working toward.

April 25, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Sometimes when we work to significantly improve our society or our politics, people will try to inhibit our efforts by saying, “You can’t change human nature.” They assume that “human nature” is fixed and impervious to improvement. Actually, history has proven otherwise. People have indeed made radical progressive changes, and we can accomplish more. We do not need to “change human nature.” If we change our society so it will function better, people will change for the better too. So, for example, instead of assuming that “human nature” causes people to be greedy, let’s change our economic system and our […]

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Here’s how charter schools are scamming the U.S. government and ripping off taxpayers

April 22, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Conservatives keep wanting to “privatize” everything so businesses can make a lot of money by providing services that governments have been doing.  The experience has been that “privatized” services end up costing more and providing worse service.  Also, governments are accountable to voters, but businesses are not accountable. This is true in our nation’s educational system too.  Vouchers and “charter schools” are vigorously promoted not only because they support capitalism instead of democracy, but also because they allow religious schools to grab taxpayers’ money without having to be fair to the students.  Some of these privately owned schools skim off […]

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Death penalty cases at U.S. Supreme Court: Information and insights

April 22, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

The death penalty is wrong in so many ways, but the conservative Republicans who dominate the U.S. Supreme Court have trouble recognizing the problems.  Although they claim to be “pro-life,” they keep supporting death. This article provides interesting information and insights: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/04/13/1850008/-Death-At-The-Court?detail=emaildkcs        

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Sign petition to reject Trump’s horribly unqualified right-wing nominee Stephen Moore from serving on Federal Reserve Board.

April 13, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

During 2015 and 2016 Trump had campaigned with a promise to hire only “the best people.”  Instead, he has hired and appointed a whole slew of extreme right-wingers who are grossly unqualified, horribly corrupt, and/or maliciously cruel. In early April 2019 good political observers and non-profit organizations alerted us that Trump has nominated to the Governing Board of the Federal Reserve an appallingly horrible right-winger named Stephen Moore. CREDO Action (www.credoaction.com) reported:  “The seven members of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors oversee the central banking system and U.S. monetary policy. If you are not sure exactly what they do, […]

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The Southern Poverty Law Center identified 28 hate groups in Washington State

April 13, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

People who live in Washington State tend to think we are more enlightened than the rest of the nation.  But the Southern Poverty Law Center (www.splcentner.org) has identified 28 hate groups in Washington State. Sure, some might be small.  But they can be dangerous.  Decent people need to figure out various ways to make our local communities more welcoming and to discourage the kind of mean-spiritedness, bias, etc., that can cause some people to join up with hate groups. Here is the SPLC’s article: https://www.splcenter.org/states/washington    

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Overall, the U.S. is very rich. Poverty is inexcusable. We must change laws and policies to create a fair economy.

April 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

For decades people have kept saying that the U.S. is the richest country on earth. We still are. But tens of millions of Americans suffer poverty, homelessness, lack of health care, lack of hope, and — really — profound alienation from “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The U.S. keeps falling short of what we promise.  We know it.  The victims of our economic, social and political systems know it.  The politicians know it. So why do the problems persist?  Some people are profiting from the chronic injustices that infect our economic, social and political […]

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Democrats must become TRULY PROGRESSIVE and reject pressure toward “moderation” that merely tweaks the status quo and rebuffs voters who want REAL PROGRESS.

April 9, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

For many years some people have arisen within the Democratic Party and tried to push it toward becoming TRULY PROGRESSIVE.  Whenever this happens, some other people — both within the mainstream Democratic Party and within the mainstream media — urge the Democratic Party to be more moderate instead of progressive. This is happening now again after the November 2018 midterm election.  Progressives achieved great victories.  Progressives want a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, a $15/hour minimum wage, and other strong reforms. But middle-of-the-road Democrats and mainstream media are pushing back.  They think bold progressivism is too bold.  But bold […]

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WA’s U.S. senators Murray and Cantwell were VERY RELUCTANT to support HR 1, the anti-corruption bill.

March 28, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

American voters are VERY ANGRY AT THE PERVASIVE CORRUPTION AND ABUSES that have prevented honest democracy.  Finally in 2019 the Democratic majority in the U.S. House passed H.R. 1, a major pro-democracy reform bill that would: • REDUCE the influence of big money in politics by calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. • STRENGTHEN election integrity and voting rights by improving access to the voting booth, make Election Day a federal holiday, fund more secure elections, end gerrymandering, etc. • REFORM campaign finance and ethics laws that would keep elected officials and others holding office accountable. • […]

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This new, insightful article explains REALLY WHY George W. Bush started his 2003 Iraq war.

March 26, 2019 GlenAnderson 0

Soon after George W. Bush attacked Iraq in March 2003 he landed on an aircraft carrier and spoke of his triumph in front of a huge banner that proclaimed ”Mission Accomplished.” That war actually dragged on for many years, and the U.S.’s bi-partisan war against Iraq and “war against terror” actually provoked terrorism throughout the region and in many other parts of the world.  W’s war was no victory at all! Instead of the “shock and awe” against Iraq creating a decisive, powerful victory for the U.S., the long, bogged-down chaos actually showed how weak and ineffectual the U.S. is. […]