This was fact-checked.
This also explains that this country believes in socialism for the rich and the military industrial complex.
Delayed flight. Gate C14. And God himself decided to entertain me by placing two men directly behind me solving America's $39 trillion debt problem between bites of a $22 airport sandwich.
Guy #1 turns to his friend:
"If capitalism is so great, why are we $39 TRILLION in debt?"
Guy #2, without missing a beat:
"Because of socialist programs, obviously."
I closed my laptop. I needed a moment.
Because let's actually look at where the $39 trillion came from. Not feelings. Not talking points. Numbers.
THE IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN WARS: $8 TRILLIONNo WMDs found. No democracy built. Two countries left in chaos. That's not socialism. That's bipartisan warmongering with a Lockheed Martin logo on it.
THE 2008 BANK BAILOUT: $700 BILLION (+ $12 TRILLION in Fed support)Wall Street gambled with your mortgage, crashed the global economy, then got handed a check with YOUR name on it. The banks kept their bonuses. You kept your debt. That's not socialism for the poor — that's socialism for the rich.
THE 2017 TAX CUTS: $1.9 TRILLION added to the debtSold as a gift to the middle class. Apple alone saved $47 billion. Your check? Maybe $40 a month. The debt? $1.9 trillion heavier.
THE US HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: $4.5 TRILLION per yearAmerica spends MORE per person than any country on Earth — and gets LESS. A hip replacement in Spain? €6,000. In the US? $40,000. Medical bills are the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in America. That's not too much socialism. That's the cost of having none.
PENTAGON BUDGET: $886 BILLION in 2024 aloneLarger than the next 10 countries COMBINED. Meanwhile your bridge is crumbling and your kid's school has a GoFundMe for pencils.
Now. Let's talk about socialism "failing."
MEXICO — right next door. Nobody's paying attention.Claudia Sheinbaum became president in 2024. She has a PhD in climate science. An actual scientist running a country. Not a TV personality. Not a failed businessman. A scientist.
She expanded universal pensions, free internet nationwide, and scholarships for millions of young Mexicans. Foreign investment is flooding in. Nearshoring is making Mexico one of the hottest manufacturing destinations on Earth.
And she's navigating Trump's tariffs and border provocations with more dignity than any US politician has managed in years. She doesn't tweet at 3am.
Must be infuriating for some people. 
BRAZIL — and this story needs to be told.Lula was a factory worker. A union leader. A man who lost a finger in a machine press and turned his pain into a political movement. He was imprisoned on charges later thrown out by Brazil's Supreme Court — many believe to keep him from power.
He came back. Won the election. Returned to the presidency at 77.
Under Lula:
• Bolsa Família restored — lifting millions out of extreme poverty
• Minimum wage raised above inflation for the first time in years
• Amazon deforestation dropped 50% in his first year back
A man who came from nothing, survived prison, and came back to feed the poor and protect the rainforest.
That's not a communist villain. That's a story Hollywood would make a movie about — if he were American and right-wing.
CHINA — and this one will really hurt.Nominally communist. And yet:
• 45,000 km of high-speed rail. The US has zero.
• 5 million engineers graduated per year. The US graduates 200,000.
• BYD just outsold Tesla worldwide.
• 800 million people lifted out of poverty in 40 years — the greatest anti-poverty achievement in human history.
Someone forgot to tell the second largest economy on Earth that socialism always fails.
While America spent $8 trillion blowing up the Middle East, China was building infrastructure, educating engineers, and buying up the debt America kept creating.
Who's actually winning here?
And yes — Venezuela. We know.
A corrupt petro-dictatorship that printed money, destroyed private institutions, and was strangled by US sanctions. Not a social democracy. Not what any serious economist proposes. Comparing Venezuela to these countries is like comparing a gas station hot dog to a Michelin star restaurant and concluding that food is dangerous.
Here's what those two guys at Gate C14 — and half of Facebook — can't grasp:
America doesn't have too much socialism.
America has socialism for the wrong people.
Subsidies for oil companies that made $200 billion in profit? Socialism.
Bailouts for banks that gambled and lost? Socialism.
Tax breaks for private jets and yachts? Socialism.
Free school lunch for a hungry 7-year-old? Suddenly that's communism.
The $39 trillion wasn't built by teachers, nurses, food stamps, or public libraries.
It was built by wars nobody wanted, tax cuts nobody needed, bailouts for people who needed them least, and a healthcare racket that would make the mafia blush.
But sure. Blame the socialism.
Flight's still delayed. They're still talking.
31 comments:
America's priority is, and has always been, since WW II: Serve the wealthy and the war machine of the American empire.
An empire that is rapidly deteriorating into a failed state..
Thank you donny trump, Project 2025, the corrupt scotus, and the fascist trumpublican party.
btw...
Intel... partially owned by the US Federal Government. Trilogy Metals, US Steel, MP Materials and soon to be added to the list, Spirit Airlines.
Since when do governments own companies in free, capitalist societies?
Annual subsidies to farmers insurance, [note how the subsidies to Obamacare were portrayed], corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice to keep prices artificially high.
Why can't the "invisible hand of the free market" be in play for these moochers?
There's more of course, but I don't like to belabor the point.
It is interesting that the 2001 tax cuts did not make this list. You know, the ones that ended a string of balanced budgets from the Clinton Admin and sent the deficit soaring again.
Just remember folks... tax cuts pay for themselves. Or so we've been told, at least until Fmr Reagan Budget Director David Stockman recanted, said he lied and that tax cuts add massively to our debt.
All of this brought to you by the conservative and MAGA mindset.
The average American pays around $500 a year in taxes that support SNAP that serves over 40 million people (which the average SNAP benefit being between $172-$192 a month, or around $48 a week, as of late 2025) info from the USDA. Americans pay between $670-$870 a year in taxes funding corporate subsidies (from BillMoyers.com). The big kicker is that the average American pays around $4,000 a year in taxes in military related spending (Institute for Policy Studies). It's good to know my $4,000 is paying for lobster and steak for the upper echelons of the military, along with paying for a grand piano for the Air Force Chief of Staff's home. While the grunts serving on ships in the Mideast are barely getting fed mystery meat.
Z AI Overview
”American Thinker is not considered an unbiased source; it is a politically conservative daily online magazine and blog. It is widely rated as having a hyper-partisan right bias and is often rated as unreliable or misleading due to its promotion of conspiracy theories and lack of consistent fact-checking, according to media watchdogs like Ad Fontes Media and Media Bias/Fact Check.”
Q.E.D.
Anerican Thinker: America's rightwing rag for folks who have been duly conditioned in fascist rightwing bunk.
Ms. Shaw, There is no such thing as an unbiased news source. Do you consider CNN, MSDNC, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS unbiased.
The deficit is the responsibility of our incompetent and corrupt congress. We have one congress person who things there was a world war eleven of course she lost 30 million in an accounting error. And David that is brought to you compliments of the DNC.
Funny...that's what Conservatives say about the NYT and WaPo...
That’s because MAGA Conservatives think facts have a liberal bias.
No, we believe that their selection of the facts that can be considered and are emphasized, and which facts must be excluded, is biased. In other words, we don't agree on the facts themselves. Like the importance or emphasis on "race" in judging the justice in a dispute. We don't believe in "Social" justice. We believe in justice on the merits of the immediate situation, not the legacy of injustices committed before out lifetimes even began..
Skud,
Trump and MAGA is biased. And Bernie Sanders is biased. One's bias is based on lies, the other's on facts.
Get it? Bias and factual accuracy are not the same.
Welcome back Skud... you're correct in that there are no unbiased news sources. However there are plenty of center right and center left sources that are mostly fact filled options, even while leaning one way or the other.
The Dispatch, The Bulwark, National Review and the Hill all lean conservative, but are fairly honest and respectable in how they present. The Guardian, The Atlantic, NPR and PBS fill that space on the left.
MS NOW is no affiliated with NBC. Mostly they are left leaning commentary along the lines of Fox News on the right. But only one of those networks has been forced to admit to lying to the American people, endorsing lies as Murdoch called it, and had to pay an almost $800 million fine/settlement.
CBS now leans right, as will CNN after it is acquired in the Time Warner deal with the owner of CBS.
Is there bias? As I said of course. But it's the caustic bias, the kind for which Fox was fined which does the most damage. And in that realm, there is no left leaning equivalent.
The deficit is a result of the lies of the Reagan Administration. Pure and simple. His admin along with the feckless wonders in the GOP back then effectively blackballed any Dems who tried over the years to hold the tide against those budget busting tax cuts.
And then successive presidents and congressional leaders from both sides, with the exception of the GOP Congress of the late 90s and POTUS Clinton, who balanced the budget and held the line.
When Carter took office, the total debt was about $650 billion. When he left, it was about $950 billion. Big numbers, but soon to be dwarfed. Reagan and his tax cuts tripled the deficit in his term. And the rise continued during Bush 1, rising to $4.2 trillion when Clinton took office.
Clinton slowed the rate of deficit growth, but still added 1.5 trillion over his terms and then we all know what Bush 2 and beyond brought us.
Any charge that the deficit is a product of the DNC is myopic at best and also factually inaccurate.
The dye was cast by the President Reagan, the tax cuts, which as I have said before, his budget director were achieved with lies to the American people, and the Americans who voted that crowd into office.
The continuing growth is now on all of us, as the budget seems to be auto no pilot.
The "cure" ? Add another $1.6 Trillion for Hegeth's toy soldier collection.
And it goes without saying - blame it on Biden.
It does seem disgusting that the government doesn't take more of the income someone earned. If the government had more money and people paid more than 45% of what the earn can you imagine how much the politicians could waste.
Medicare, medicaid, welfare fraud and of course government waste from every department especially the military are a hallmark of our system. Without an overburdened tax base and everyone treated fairly we couldn't function. Look at the alleged fraud and abuse in a small insignificant state like Minnesota and that is probably just a fraction of the waste in places like NY and California.
I have always favored a tax system where everyone pays Their Fair Share but that is not supported by the left leaning. The top 10% pay 70% of all federal taxes but it is easier lay blame on the rich than on our overspending politicians.
Pass a balanced budget amendment and watch the cries.
You can blame RR for all the woes but we live for the deficit and if we eliminated government waste and fraud we could provide healthcare for all even the non documented border crosser's. Of course that would require our elected elite to do something other than attack each other and that won't happen.
The American Empire is crumbling. The trump regime didn't cause the start of the decline (that is shared republican and democrat responsibility). But he and his sycophants of delusion sure as hell are feverishly accelerating the decline. 40 TRILLION NATIONAL DEBT and the Emporer Without Clothes wants a 1.5 Trillion dollar military budget. Up 600 BILLION over President Biden's last ridiculous inflated budget request. A sure sign of this Empires Decline. We are mirroring the decline of the British Empites decline as well as past former empires.
The landing when the collapse hits will cause great suffering for all.
And MAGA cheers their ult leader and then continue sleeping. As do soe progressives.
David, You mentioned US investment in Spirit airlines which turns out to be incorrect. The esteemed business persons Peter Buttigieg was active in denying the merger of Jet Blue and Spirit as was the brilliant Elizabeth Warren. Both said approving the merger would result in less competition. Looks like they were wrong because now there are thousands unemployed and thousands stuck in places where they don't want to be.
This is only one of the problems we face when we let incompetent bureaucrats led by an incompetent leader make decisions. Give them their bribes and perks as long as they don't try to do anything. We would all be better off. We should even fund day cares that don't exist just to keep the idiots away from decisions that affect us all.
BB, the pentagon wastes more of our tax dollars than they spend on equipment. I think the politicians have the right approach in attacking each other because they are not smart enough to fix any problem so blame the other guy (or gal).
Our resident troll of the many names just can't wrap their mind around the simplest of concepts namely that facts are perceived having a liberal bias only by those already indoctrinated in a false narrative. I tried to follow their pretzel logic as to why or why not a fact is presented as a fact but all I could hear was a vague whine that their opinions were no longer treated the same as verifiable facts. Your mileage may vary but I heard what I heard.
Enter skud, they of no facts but tons of innuendo and our representation of the MAGA-sphere is complete.
Anywho, I've been thinking about our current position as the body hasn't complied with my plans of getting up and doing things so thinking is what I've got at the moment.
Something skud said has me stuck on a point - specifically the idea that the wealthy pay 70% of all income taxes but I'm convinced those numbers aren't explained correctly. Yes, they pay 70% which sounds like a lot but that's only because the top 10% are billion and trillionaires. Their actual tax rates is more like 21 - 27% which isn't all that bad considering the upper middle class (500 - 700K) rate is 35 - 37%.
Another point that I must make is the general claim there is a lot of waste and fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, with the inference that it's the recipients who are doing both. Tell me you know nothing of the vetting process one goes through to get Medicare or Medicaid without saying the words!
In looking at the topic it's historically the providers doing the lion's share of the fraud and waste (looking at you Rick Scott and your largest healthcare fraud settlement in US history at the time). It is not an error that the claims of fraud in Minnesota were worded as to include clients but again, it was the vendors who were doing the crimes.
There was a department looking into such claims when Trump took office. They were doing good work too by not only going after perpetrators but getting back monies owed to the US public. But then Trump won the elction and they were DOGE'd, because (mumbling ensues: something something saving money, boogey man, something something) Look at how much money we saved by firing all the employees!!
There is a way to get out of our here/now but it requires wiser minds than myself who have a touch of ruthlessness in them to do to the MAGA-sphere what they've already done to our country. For them I send all the energies and impeccable timing they need to get the job done.
Only in America can one party control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, win the popular vote, and hold the majority of governorships—and still blame the other party for everything wrong with the country.
"Only in America can one party control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, win the popular vote, and hold the majority of governorships—and still blame the other party for everything wrong with the country."
Shaw's statemen should be a viral meme.
Bumper sticker version: "Scapegoating is how is how tyrants and Republicans abuse power."
When the structures are burning the "brains" of the nation continue to throw more jet fuel on the raging fires of decline believing more of the same is the solution.
Bigger is not always better. All the signs are visible. Veils however obstruct clear vision. Making clarity almost impossible.
Yes Skud, my prediction, based on Trump's own words and previous actions, was wrong. It happens. At least I'll man up and say it. Others? Not so much.
As for the decision to block a merger based on resultant less competition, maybe this is a case of two things being right at the same time.
1. The government and the Sec Pete, for whom you harbor a huge amount of bile, disgust and hate, was correct in their assessment.
2. Spirit failed not because of that, but because their business model could not survive flying ppl who bought ultra low fare tickets when the cost of doing business as an airline suddenly spiked and every flight they flew was going to lose money.
It is curious why you chose that small throwaway line and did even mention the many documented cases of the the GOP supporting our government taking ownership in companies, given your furiously mockingly responses when the Obama admin Admin privileged Solyndra through policy years ago.
Why are you so disgusted with Dems like Mayor Pete, Sen Warren and Pres Obama when they choose winners in business yet never mention it when the GOP does it?
"Pay no attention to that little man behind the veil" Wiz of Oz.
David, I do not like anyone who is not qualified to do the job which they are assigned and so far I have not seen any politician who is worth a s--t. Sec pete was a worthless as the rest of them but he didn't even try to do his job and ecause he checked a box for the democrats he got a pass. Why bother to go to a train wreck, why institute programs to streamline transportation during a pandemic. No action when the FAA database failed and the system crashed. During a crisis he was nowhere to be found because he was on maternity leave. He was the poster boy for incompetence. Hegseth is unqualified for his job but at least he served in the military. Too may appointments are made for political reasons not reasons of qualifications.
I am not in favor of any government takeover of businesses. I was against obama selling Chrysler to Italy, forcing GM to close three divisions and giving millions to a friend who bankrupted his solar company. I am against the government taking a stake in any business and that goes for either party. I would like to see my tax money spent on things that benefit the taxpayer and not the politician.
With apologies to the Brits, we hum
Rule, Trumpannia, Trumpannia rule the waves;
Trumpian minions never shall be slaves.
Rule, Trumpannia! Trumpannia rule the waves;
Keep on rowing Mothership knaves.
JC whines, "We don't agree on the facts themselves".
And there it is.
Republicans dare not admit Biden won in 2020. They can't admit Trump is a criminal. They deny climate change. They deny racism is still a problem unless its victims are white. They barely admit the Capitol was attacked on J6.
As the hated Stephen Colbert said, "Reality has a well-known liberal bias".
Here's the deal Skud... unless and until you start identifying GOP members by name, and aiming your snark and bile at them too, your "all politicians" lame rants are pure BS.
Mayor Pete has been gone now for months... Yet in that time, I've yet to see your disgust for a single member of the current, or the past Trump Admin. It seems as if you are hiding behind the Joan Baez "Both Sides Now" dodge.
Now of course you could change that, but i doubt you will.
You know darn well I've been an honest broker on this. I've cited many examples of Clinton, Obama, Biden and other Dems over the years where I've felt they've failed to measure up.
You?
Sure you've criticized Trump. But anyone in his cabinets save Hegseth, the poster child for incompetence? I've not seen it.
BTW... just doing a job different than you would, is not incompetence. It's a difference. And if a person is responsible for what happens on the job when they are out on leave, then there is no leave. Your view, if held by a supervisor, is illegal under employment law.
But hey, I know the law generally means nothing to conservatives.
I think there are some clues in our discussions here that can inform us.
As it relates to POTUS Trump and his campaign "promises", statements, goals in the war with Iran, whether he even calls it a war, etc., one thing has been constant.
Precision with language is not important.
POTUS Trump, like a lot of conservatives, e.g, Z at Geeez and even Skud, uses words in ideas and comments on things in a general sense. So nothing can be "pinned" on him and it is hard to "pin him down".
That's by design with Trump. But everyday ppl, again, like Z and Skud, and indeed, many of us, just use words without thinking much about them. We're blasting off a comment, or sometimes typing in a rage.
But, think back to the Clinton trial and his infamous comment, "that depends in what the meaning of is, is".
Conservatives hated that. Pointy headed liberals understood it exactly. Words themselves, have meaning. And much is carried in that meaning.
So when Trump says he will destroy "a whole civilization", some see genocide, and others see a general, we're gonna start bombing again comment.
Skud I believe does not value the precision in language of some here. And yes, it drives folks like me, Shaw, BB and Possum nuts. Because we're precision people. Not better, not worse, but different.
But we're just a bunch of bloggers. Consider how this impacts negotiations with Iran. I mean, if I'm right.
Slightly off topic, I mean unless we just see all of this as MAGA and conservatives being willfully uninformed. Here's an entire post, including the link and typos from our friends on the Mothership. Rarely have I seen such irony...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THIS CAN HAPPEN? HERE’S A SUBPOENA…..”SORRY, NOPE” ??
ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEE?
How can this happen? And there are so many cases they might not get to her? (I’d put her name here but she revolts me…. it’s in my link!!!)
BY THE WAY: IF YOU REFUSE, DOESN’T [IT... sic] MEAN YOU’RE PROBABLY GUILTY OF SOMETHING?
I think I’ll tell the IRS to fly a kite next April 15. If she can blow people off, I CAN BLOW PEOPLE OFF. RIGHT?
SHE CAN REALLY JUST SAY ‘NO’???
Let's just skip the case regarding Omar, because the suspected crime is not the point. The point is someone so self righteous, so sure, so confident of the guilt of Omar, so angry at the gall of someone to defy a Congressional subpoena, yet is clueless to the fact that GOP members who support Trump and MAGA have been doing this for years.
Jim Jordan R of Ohio defied a subpoena regarding his communications with President Donald Trump and participation in meetings regarding J6.
Kevin McCarthy then-R Minority Leader defied a subpoena to testify about his conversations with Trump on J6.
Scott Perry R of Pennsylvania defied a subpoena for information regarding his role in efforts to install Jeffrey Clark at the Department of Justice.
Andy Biggs R of Arizona defied a subpoena for his involvement in planning rallies and seeking a presidential pardon.
Mo Brooks R of Alabama defied a subpoena regarding his public claims that Trump urged him to rescind the 2020 election.
The list goes on of course, including former President Trump himself, who defied a subpoena to testify and provide documents related to the J6 Capitol attack and answer questions related to the classified documents he allegedly took from the White House after his election loss in 2020.
It's one thing to be partisan in your comments. We all expect that on politically themed blogs. It's quite another to be so uninformed that what you post would immediately highlight your ignorance and that of your followers who will almost assuredly not be posting the truth of when GOP politicians have been just as guilty as Ms Z has opined on Rep Omar.
If refusing an order from Congress to testify, as Omar has done, means you are "PROBABLY GUILTY OF SOMETHING", why is it only Dems who are "PROBABLY GUILTY" and not Trump or GOP MAGA supporting political leaders?
Anyone???
How can this happen?
One of the sailors on the Mother Ship asked:
"What does it say about an electorate who keeps putting criminals in office?"
--without a drop of irony!
This can happen because of what they read and listen to. The captain of the Mother Ship proudly announces almost every day that she's a consumer of FAUX NOOZ, Newsmax, and other propaganda mills.
She doesn't know about the many Republicans who flouted the subpoenas because she reads and listens only to propaganda. And she's just like the 35% of the voting public that still thinks Trump is a godly, intelligent, and decent human being.
I have a couple of points I need to make:
skud said the Pete Buttigieg was MIA when the FAA database crashed. OK - went looking and found this tweet from Pete's official account at 6:54AM on Jan 11th stating "...I have directed an after-action process to determine root causes and recommend next steps." Midday on the day of the attack Pete Buttigieg was interviewed by CNN stating the same thing, that they were looking into what happened. Seems to be found here but wait, there's more.
skud is conflating the supply line crisis in 2021 caused by Trump's COVID response with the FAA database crisis because of course they are. One can't entirely blame them as Pence conflated the two events as well and I'm not sure he walked it back. That said, even while on paternity leave where one of his kids had to be hospitalized due to a serious respiratory issue Pete Buttigieg remained in close touch with his office stating he was available 24/7 for emergencies but stayed close to the hospital because serious medical issue. What parent would abandon their kid at that time?
I'm sure the homophobia that skud exhibits all the time but denies (they have that one gay friend, dontchaknow?) has no bearing on the mix up.
I looked for context as to why Rep Omar is being questioned about the fraud in Minnesota but couldn't find anything other than the usual suspects but Dave Miller already covered that very well. How does this happen? Well, the politicians in office are more concerned with pushing their prejudices than facts. Supposedly there are emails between a restaurant involved in the fraud allegations and Rep Omar but here's my issue - if the GOP mob in Minnesota knows there is communication between the two wouldn't those messages have been revealed during discovery? For all we know all Rep Omar was doing was ordering food but to hear the Minnesota GOP reps... well, bigotry is alive and well and living in each of our state and federal governments.
I don't blame Rep Omar for demanding complete compliance to every letter of the law as the GOP has proven time and again to be a party which does not engage in good faith negotiations. I mean, look at their mentor Trump. Dude can't negotiate himself out of a paper bag.
If it were not for hypocrisy republican MAGAs would have no principles at all.
At least they're consistent hypocrites.
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