Broken Hearted Thoughts

I finally understand why Bernie Sanders will never get the Democratic nomination for Presidential Candidate against Trump.  It is not that he is a bad person, a bad candidate, or not a viable opponent for Trump.  It is that his policies are not understood or embraced by democrats.  I found this out after talking with my oldest sister.

She was checking in with me because of the corona virus and of course we ended up talking about the massive short comings of Trump.  What surprised me was how vehemently she attacked Bernie Sanders too.  She said he was F**ing crazy and made her sick along with other denouncements.  Here I had thought she had learned her lesson from the mistake of Hillary Clinton.  At first I thought there may have been some lingering bullshit from the democratic tactics that painted Sander’s as anti-women, but I soon learned the truth.  It was the socialistic programs of free education and medical coverage.  Paraphrasing her words “She’d be damned if she was going to pay for someone else’s shit.”

The truth was revealed.  I had had an inkling for some time that this was part of the problem; however, I failed to see exactly how bad it was until my sister’s hate filled rantings smacked me hard in the head.  Don’t get me wrong, I have seen this side of her before because she used to manager a business her ex-husband’s father owned.  In addition, she is an uncompromising worker that kills herself in everything she does whether she is fairly compensated or not.  Thus, anyone else that does not live to these standards, even with valid reasons, is basically trash.  So people collecting money without working are scum in her eyes.  She does not see beyond that to the many people helped by social programs when there is no other place to turn or that the majority uses it as a way to get their lives back.

To be fair, she has not had an easy life either.  Our family, as I later learned, was a morass of deeply flawed morals, confusing and misleading beliefs, and broken parents.  In addition, she married into a family that had a lot of dark closets and screwed her over too.  Her children suffered because of it and added to it.  She was robbed by her own son and one of his girlfriends.  So she has a very dim view of the lower class from experience, applying it to the whole.  From managing the store she had to deal with a lot of people who did not have good work ethics.  However, from listening to her stories, some of that was from the choices her ex’s family made and in my opinion not an objective sample of the whole.  I feel she unfairly blames the whole for the actions she observed.

I am not immune to her reactions but I understand something else.  Everything we do, everything we have is the result of others.  We are totally connected.  The sacrosanct individual that the republicans love to push has been a load of B.S. for centuries.  In fact, it never was.  Yes, when there were fewer humans on earth it felt like that but it wasn’t.  Earth is a chaotic system that is relatively enclosed.  What we did in the limited area of our world in ancient times worked its way around the world.  It may have taken longer and the affects may have been minor, yet they were there.

Now we come to the real reason it is important to share with one another instead of hoard it for ourselves.  What we give comes back to us and what we deny comes back too.  So when our corporations went overseas because they could exploit workers like they couldn’t in America guess what came back to us.  I find it funny how many people are complaining about how much companies are ripping off workers now.  Well, they can’t compete with companies that run sweat shops so, if you want a job at all …

Back to my sister and democrats like her.  It is so disheartening to hear them parroting words that are actually a republican mantra.  These entitlements make people lazy and are not fair for us hard working Americans.  The republicans tend to forget all the golden parachutes and government bailouts they think are their due, which are entitlements they give each other from our work.  Here is a hard fact I have learned in my five decades in this country.    80% of work is done by 20% of the workers, including management and wealthy CEO’s.  So 80% of people don’t deserve what they are paid.  There are many wealthy people who never worked a day in their lives yet they fill they deserve all they have.  These are the people we have allowed to ruin our country.  They are both republicans and democrats.  They both view Bernie Sanders’ policies as stealing from them.

The sad part is that people like my sister do not understand his policies.  They do not understand what they stand to gain from it.  This lack of understanding is the biggest failure of Bernie Sanders and the people running his campaign.  Yes, taxes are going to be higher, but not as bad as you think because the top 1% will carry the brunt of the cost for the programs.  The 1% will of course cry foul.  However, I feel this is fair since much of their wealth is created by the economic system our government maintains and the hard work, for the most part, of the 99%.  They gain more and should pay more.  That is how it works in retail.  To sell more in stores companies have to pay for more space.  Also, in my opinion the wealthy are over emphasizing their contribution to this country.  I do not deny that they came up with many of the ideas and some work very hard but they are nowhere worth 50% of the country’s wealth just like no sport star deserves 30 million dollar or more contracts.

To me that is government’s real task, balancing out the excesses so that the economy is stable and works now and in the future for our children and their children.  Unfortunately, the forces of corruption have deeply infiltrated both parties skewing our economy further and further off balance, making emergencies like the Corona virus outbreak threats to the nation’s economic security.

Finally, what so many, including my sister, do not understand is what they will gain out of Bernie’s policies.  All they see is that they will pay more taxes for someone to get a free education and free medical care.  They did not get that, why should they.  Yes, your taxes will be higher, but your medical bills will be lower and will not bankrupt you.  Yes, your taxes will be higher, but your children and their children will be able to get an education without starting out buried in debt.  Your taxes will be higher, but your doctor will be more focused because they are not thinking of the mounds of debt they had to have to be your doctor.  Their prices could be lower for the same reason.  Your taxes will be higher, but the people making all the things you like and need would make them better because they are not drowning in debt.  This is the real cause of whoa in our country, overuse of debt to create and maintain wealth.  The real enemies are the banks and the bankers.  Like they always say, follow the money.  The only way we will survive is by changing this dynamic.  Bernie’s plans are the only ones heading in the right direction.  Obama’s and Trump’s answers were to increase our debt and, just like each world war we fought kills increasing numbers of people, each economic bailout costs more in debt.  Obama’s was 700 billion with the Fed secretly spending another amount (I can’t remember the total).  Trump’s is now 2 trillion with the Federal Reserve adding another 4 trillion, which nobody really mentions.  Where does all this money come from?  Nowhere!  It doesn’t exist and if you don’t spend your part, it will do no good.  I know; however, where it comes from though and who is going to benefit the most from it.  It is coming from your children and their children and their children, etc.  It will mostly benefit the wealthy and Trump.  You are selling your progeny into slavery to the rich.  It will suck to be you at the pearly gates.

 

P.S.  Like the republicans, so many of these so called democrats forget or turn a blind eye to the fact that we have been a socialist country for decades now.  Social Security and Medicare are socialist programs along with unemployment just like the hated welfare programs.  Worse for the republicans, one of their hallmarks, Theodore Roosevelt, created several of them.

 

Ant and the Grasshopper

Here is a truth I know the bulk of America will not believe or understand. We are at a crossroads in our country and have an incredible opportunity given to us by nature through the Corona virus. Yes, I said there is a positive aspect to the virus and that it is an opportunity instead of just a threat.

Right now, the President and multiple CEO’s are showing the truth about our economy and their wealth. You won’t hear it or beleive it because you are scared and/or too brainwashed by Republican propaganda to appreciate the truth. The truth is that they are scared shitless.

They are not scared witless because the economy is tanking, which will weaken America and its citizens. No, they are terrified that their wealth will be destroyed. They could care less how many would die by curtailing the CDC’s pandemic guide lines because to them the cure is worse than the disease (i.e., their wealth being impacted is worse than the lives lost).

The opportunity I see in this situation is that the fears they are voicing are exactly what gives us strength to drive true reform in our country. I have advocated this before. By not participating in the ruinous economy the 1% have created, they will shit a brick. The underlying truth that this disaster has uncovered is that they need us, not the other way around. Without us making and buying their stuff, they do not exist. That is why Republicans spend so much time convincing you that without the rich everything will collapse.

This is why Trump and as all his cronies are pushing to get you back to work. The Hell with your grandparents and babies, their Wallstreet wealth is at stake. If we were smart, we would refuse to go back. Make them put money back into the system they have abused for decades. It would be tough because I guarantee they would threaten to fire you. All the “we care about you and your families” stuff would evaporate in a second. As I said in my previous post, if all the rich gave of their wealth until it hurt, we would not have to borrow non-existent money from our children and grandchildren.

As proof of their views, look at the bonuses they are sharing with the workers who continue to keep things going. I know because I am one. The bonus for risking your grandparents is around $300 to 350. In other words, the life of a person is only $350 at best. If you have more than one grandparent, their value goes down considerably. Also, you have to work the entire period to get that.

So, there you go. We have a chance to get money out of politics, change the way wealth is shared, and make a more stable economy that can weather turbulent times. However, my guess is that we will blow it again like we did with occupy Wallstreet. Your fear, ignorance, hate, and in some cases greed will be more important. Have fun.

 

Stimulating Stimulus

Here are a series of thoughts I posted on facebook about what is going on in America.  I wrap them all up in a summary at the end.

 

In 2008 it was our Patriotic duty to bail out the banks from their poor decisions. We even had to pay them bonuses for doing it. Where are they now?

Bezos, Koch, and all the other 1% told us through their mouth pieces Trump and McConnell that it was our Patriotic duty to give them more tax cuts driving up the national debt. Where is their Patriotism now when people can’t work? Where is it when healthcare workers can’t get tested for Corona Virus?

Oh yeah, I am not forgetting all the over paid actors, actresses, producers, etc. who have made their wealth off us adoring fans. Time to put back into us.

Also, all the ridiculously over paid athletes. You need to show your “Patriot”ism and be there for your fans. Give till it hurts like a sack.

Finally, if you are doing your Patriotic duty in this time of our country’s need, thank you. However, if it is spending a day here and there donating time instead of your financial resources, then shame on you.

I don’t see what the problem with the stimulus package is. They plan means testing for us so why not the big corporations too. Besides it is all fake money anyhow and will do more harm then good in the future.

Wrapping it all up, if all the people that made all the money from the 99% were actual Patriots, they would toss everything into the system they have been milking from for years and there would be no need for a stimulus package.  A stimulus package by the way, which comes from nowhere because the money does not actually exist.  Well, in a way it does.  It is the prosperity we are stealing from our children, grand children, great grandchildren etc.  That is what we did in 2008 and like WWII killed more people than WWI, each survival package keeps getting bigger.  So much for caring about your children.  Okay, Republicans, don’t allow abortion, but starve future generations to death so you don’t have to sacrifice today.

Hello from your resident Mystic and Misfit!

WIP Digital Painting

 

WIP Digital Painting

 

Because I have been really wiped out lately from work and health, not the corona virus, I have decided to share what I have been working on lately.  These two paintings, yes they are separate paintings even though the second one will be used as the background of the first, are meant to upset, shock, and anger people.  If you look closely at the demons and the skulls, you will see things written there.  I have placed these words and names there for a reason and they are core to the central theme of the main image “Truth and Illusion”.

The woman in the image, while being beautiful, represents the glitter thrown into our eyes to hide the ugliness that really is in plain site all along.  However, because some things do always slip between the cracks, you must remove the illusion to see all of the players in the devil’s game.  So, when finished, both images will be meant as a paired purchase and will say so.  At this point a lot has been completed, but there is a lot more to do yet and the painting will have even more sharp thoughts to convey.  Please help support the creation of these, as well as other, paintings by joining my Patreon page.  I know the times are uncertain and scary so I do understand if you can not, but if you do, I am very thankful for the help.  Either way, please like this post, ask questions, and participate in this post to show your support.  Thanks.

Useful Illusions

There is a lot of talk going around surrounding certain words. They are Socialism and Communism. Terrifying words for your average red blooded, meat eating, overweight American. They are being used to frighten Americans away from certain candidates. Candidates that are actually best for them.

 

Here is the shock, Nazis weren’t socialists and Russians weren’t communists.  Holy crap batman, the politicians say they are and that we should be afraid of them and the political ideals they lead.  However, if you watch enough documentaries and read enough books you will see the truth I have stated.

 

Nazis weren’t socialist and Russians weren’t  communists.  But how can that be?  Well, let us start with the Nazis.  When you look back, you will find that the Nazis wrapped themselves in the words and accouterments of socialism to legitimize their party. The truth soon came out on the night of long knives. The actions of the Nazis always led back to a dictatorship. That is the real gauge of a party’s intentions, actions. The Nazis were always about conquest and control.

 

Believe it or not Russian Communism suffered in much the same way. Basically, the greater ideals of communism were subverted by a strongman named Joseph Stalin. He wrested control of the party away from those who started it, eventually infusing the communist party with his paranoia. Thus, communism went from a revolution for the people into a dictatorship for Stalin. His personality created the secret police known as the KGB. In the end, communism was dead and Stalin’s Russia lived on resulting in a KGB thug currently running the Russian government.

 

So, when you hear politicians saying Bernie Sanders is a socialist like the Nazis, you can laugh at them and explain the truth. Same thing about Communism. Finally, think hard about why these people, both Democrats and Republicans, try so hard to misrepresent the historical facts.

A God for All Seasons

As I had mentioned an unfortunately long time ago, here is my review for the “Long Price Quartet” by Daniel Abraham.

 

This book contains the complete “Long Price” series by Daniel Abraham. I originally received the first book in the series for free from the publisher and was so intrigued by the world Mr. Abraham had created that I had to complete the series. The first book “A Shadow in Summer” sets up the world perfectly. Imagine a world where a force of nature or maybe a God could be spun into existence and controlled by an elite few who became the power behind the rulers of the world. What would happen if one day the rulers fell into fighting through these chained Gods?

The story picks up centuries after the fall of the mighty empire created by the controllers of these powers. The remnants of the empire are much diminished but still have chained God’s to do their bidding economically and also serving as deterrents to invasion by any hostile forces. In one city, a rival nation sets a deadly plan into motion in an attempt to weaken the city’s hold on the textile industry. Their target is the Poet in control of the chained force known as Seedless. Seedless enables the city to control the cotton industry by being able to instantly remove the seeds from farmers’ cotton bales. He is also able to remove unwanted babies from pregnant women who ask for help in what is called the “sad trade”. The “sad trade” is very repugnant to the Poet in charge of Seedless.

The Faction attacking the city’s status hope to make the Poet use Seedless to perform the “sad trade” on an unwitting woman who does not want to have her pregnancy ended. Their hope is to so disturb the Poet, whose constant attention is needed to contain the power of Seedless, such that he ends up setting him free. The worst part of the plot is that Seedless himself is one of the collaborators. A force such as Seedless does not want to be contained and always fights to be released.

The characters in this story become swept up in the terrible events in the city, which will have far reaching consequences. The remaining stories dig deeper into the costs of holding onto old ways and un-natural powers over learning to do for yourself. The world is fascinating, the characters richly written, and the story deeply moving.

So you Feel Good About Yourself.

Okay, now that the sham of an impeachment trial is reaching its farcical conclusion, I bet 40% of Americans are feeling good about themselves.  Well, good for you, I am not going to rant about your obvious lack of morals and total hypocrisy. Instead, I am going to talk to you about the costs of your choices.

I am not talking about the little costs like more contaminated food due to lack of regulations or increased risk of financial fraud for the same. What I am talking about are national costs. We are all aware of the previous costs to our greed and corruption, the Great Depression, 2008 Wallstreet Meltdown, and 2001 World Trade Center attack. Yes, I said the Trade Center Attack.

The 2001 attack is as much our fault as it was theirs. Our greed and your indifference created the hatred that would cause people to give their lives to hurt us. We let our oil companies guide our government to support murdering dictators for the sake of profits. All over the world we have let our companies exploit cheap labor in ways we would not allow in our own country. No wonder they hate us; we are hypocrites. We are uniting the Arab world like never before under this President.

Yeah, but you say we are the mightiest country with the biggest army in the world. Yet, 2001 still occurred and we lost Vietnam. The leader you have installed is a coward who shrinks from a pissed off Turkish dictator and stabs our allies in the back. He kisses the backside of a Saudi Prince daily, and is taking it up the ass from a Russian President who was a KGB thug back in the day. This man will not be there for you when the costs come bearing down on this country. He will be in a bunker safe and warm.

Okay, the costs. Eventually we will have another financial meltdown because with this administration, also with a majority of the previous ones including Obama, let the fox is guard the hen house.  Wallstreet makes almost all the rules that govern itself and I guarantee they are not in your favor. Also, as happened every previous time, the bulk of the cost will be dumped on the taxpayer while we still have to pay their bonuses. However, that well is dry.

This is just the financial side. Let us look at the potential, I say inevitable, death toll. We thought the first trade center attack was the end of it then came 2001. We were stunned followed by angry. We called them cowards because they didn’t take on our military. Well then we must have been cowards in the Philippines during WWII when we used guerrilla, or terrorist, attacks until we could build up our military. This is a guerrilla war for them. They can’t take us head on. That does not mean they can’t hurt us, remember 2001.

What have we done since then, we have shown them that we will continue being the big dicks in the world, concerned only with greed and racism. In their minds, they are thinking that even destroying two skyscrapers and killing thousands was not enough to change our ways. What does it take? Well, they probably have decided to remove the entire city. Oh, they can’t do that. Well, all you stable geniuses thought they could not destroy two skyscrapers.

These are the things you have set into motion. My hope is that you live to reap the costs that you so callously heaped upon all of America. Remember one thing, nuclear missiles and their radiation do not care if you are rich or white. Atomic Joe is going to have a field day with you idiots.