Let’s go back to the year 2000 and the Bush versus Gore presidential contest. The hyper-close election came down to Florida where, at a key moment with a recount underway, Bush enjoyed a threadbare lead of 537 votes out of 5.8 million cast. Bush’s margin had been shrinking as the recount progressed, and Democrats were hopeful it would disappear. Enter the right-wing Supreme Court. In a startling 5-4 decision, the court halted the recount, handing the presidency to Bush. The decision was roundly condemned by nearly 700 law professors of different political views, who warned: “By stopping the vote count in Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court used its power to act as political partisans, not judges of a court of law. By taking power from the voters, the Supreme Court has tarnished its own legitimacy.” (Disclosure: I drafted the statement!) Why did the court perpetrate this judicial coup d’etat on behalf of a candidate who’d lost the national popular vote by over a half million ballots? Because it was necessary to secure the succession. In 2000, the right wing dominated the Supreme Court, but just barely. With two justices in their 70s, the five conservatives feared a Democratic president would be able to shift the balance to the liberal justices. So the conservatives installed an illegitimate president and in return received two illegitimate right-wing justices, John Roberts and Samuel Alito. The right-wingers used their continued ascendancy to enact the GOP’s political agenda. Defying long precedent, they invented a personal right to own firearms in the 5-4 D.C. v. Heller case, enabling a seemingly unstoppable epidemic of gun violence. In the 5-4 Citizens United decision, they emboldened corporations and the rich to corrupt our politics with floods of money. And in the 5-4 Shelby County case, they unleashed a war on democracy by crippling the Voting Rights Act. Now add Justice Neil Gorsuch. In February 2016, conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died. Under the Constitution, President Obama had the right and obligation to fill the vacancy — and the Senate had the duty to consider his nominee, Merrick Garland. Instead, the GOP-controlled Senate spurned its constitutional obligations, refusing to even hold a vote on Garland’s confirmation. Over a year later, Donald Trump — another Republican president who took office after losing the popular vote — gained the presidency and appointed Gorsuch, who stole the seat that was Obama’s to fill under the Constitution. If these three had not been placed on the court through chicanery, we’d have a liberal majority instead of a right-wing supermajority — and we’d see major differences in our lives. We’d get better solutions to school shootings than putting bullet-proof backpacks on our children. The crushing burden of student loans would be lightened for millions. Our democracy would be less at risk, with voting rights protected and gerrymandering reined in.
ouch
president deathtoll not gonna like this summary of how he fucked us all up by destroying anything President Obama created.
1998 SNL cartoon sketch
This Luigi business has, I think, really exposed something we all knew about in the US justice system, but has for so long been pretended to not exist by all of this country's communication and media controllers.
Despite the fact that we are all meant to be private citizens, all held within equal respect by and to the law, there are some very different classes of people as far as courts are concerned.
If Luigi Mangione had shot some middle class, pencil pushing office schlub or retail salesman, there'd have been a however temporary stink made about on the television. And if they ever did catch him, he'd be dragged through the courts, and maybe become the center of a "shame on you" piece on the 6 o'clock news. But in all likelihood they never would have bothered to catch him. They'd say "we're doing our best" and they'd forget about it. No manhunt, no media circus, no $60,000 bounty put on his head by the FBI.
If Luigi Mangione had shot, say, a black man, nothing would have happened at all. It's unlikely we would even have any inkling of it.
But Luigi Mangione didn't kill someone from the lower class, he didn't even kill someone from the middle class. He killed Bryan Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a Fortune 500 company. He killed a nobleman. And that means he's to be dragged into court surrounded by a small army of guards, charged with crimes wholly unrelated to whatever he's allegedly done, and before all of that, made the subject of a national manhunt.
If nothing else, it's become abundantly clear just who the courts consider to be worth their time.
the funny thing is that i don't think younger people - and i mean those under the age of 40 - really have a grasp on how many of today's issues can be tied back to a disastrous reagan policy:
war on drugs: reagan's aggressive escalation of the war on drugs was a catastrophic policy, primarily targeting minority communities and fueling mass incarceration. the crusade against drugs was more about controlling the Black, Latino and Native communities than addressing the actual problems of drug abuse, leading to a legacy of broken families and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.
deregulation and economic policies: reaganomics was an absolute disaster for the working class. reagan's policies of aggressive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and slashing social programs were nothing less than class warfare, deepening income inequality and entrenching corporate greed. these types of policies were a clear message that reagan's america was only for the wealthy elite and a loud "fuck you" to working americans.
environmental policies: despite his reputation being whitewashed thanks to the recovery of the ozone layer, reagan's environmental record was an unmitigated disaster. his administration gutted critical environmental protections and institutions like the EPA, turning a blind eye to pollution and corporate exploitation of natural resources. this blatant disregard for the planet was a clear sign of prioritizing short-term corporate profits over the future of the environment.
AIDS crisis: reagan's gross neglect of the aids crisis was nothing short of criminal and this doesn't even begin to touch on his wife's involvement. his administration's indifference to the plight of the lgbtq+ community during this devastating epidemic revealed a deep-seated bigotry and a complete failure of moral leadership.
mental health: reagan's dismantling of mental health institutions under the guise of 'reform' led directly to a surge in homelessness and a lack of support for those with mental health issues. his policies were cruel and inhumane and showed a personality-defining callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society.
labor and unions: reagan's attack on labor unions, exemplified by his handling of the patco strike, was a blatant assault on workers' rights. his actions emboldened corporations to suppress union activities, leading to a significant erosion of workers' power and rights in the workplace. he was colloquially known as "Ronnie the Union Buster Reagan"
foreign policy and military interventions: reagan's foreign policy, particularly in latin america, was imperialist and ruthless. his administration's support for dictatorships and right-wing death squads under the guise of fighting "communism" showed a complete disregard for human rights and self-determination of other nations.
public health: yes, reagan's agricultural policies actually facilitated the rise of high fructose corn syrup, once again prioritizing corporate profits over public health. this shift in the food industry has had lasting negative impacts on health, contributing to the obesity epidemic and other health issues.
privatization: reagan's push for privatization was a systematic dismantling of public services, transferring wealth and power to private corporations and further eroding the public's access to essential services.
education policies: his approach to education was more of an attack on public education than anything else, gutting funding and promoting policies that undermined equal access to quality education. this was, again, part of a broader agenda to maintain a status quo where the privileged remain in power.
this is just what i could come up with in a relatively short time and i did not even live under this man's presidency. the level at which ronald reagan has broken the united states truly can't be overstated.
2020 is almost over and all I gotta say is what the fuck was that
I asked an elderly man once what it was like to be old and to know the majority of his life was behind him. He told me that he has been the same age his entire life. He said the voice inside of his head had never aged. He has always just been the same boy. His mother's son. He had always wondered when he would grow up and be an old man. He said he watched his body age and his faculties dull but the person he is inside never got tired. Never aged. Never changed.
Our spirits are eternal. Our souls are forever. The next time you encounter an elderly person, look at them and know they are still a child, just as you are still a child and children will always need love, attention, and purpose.💙🦋💞
The fact that this is 80 fucking years ago but still just as relevant is terrifying.
If you watch one thing today, please make it this from
@Lawrence. I implore you. Absolute fire.🔥🔥🔥
Getting a job:
Ask the Bitches: What the Hell Else Can I Do to Get a Job?
How to Write a Resume so You Actually Have a Prayer of Getting Hired
How to Write a Cover Letter like You Actually Want the Job
How to Frame Volunteering on Your Resume When You’ve Never Had a Job
Prep Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself: Getting Ready for a Job Interview
Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them with the Confidence of a Mediocre White Dude
10 Questions You Should Never Be Asked in a Job Interview
What to Wear (and What Not to Wear) to a Job Interview
What to Do When You’re Asked About Your Salary in a Job Interview
How NOT to Determine Your Salary
How to Find Remote Work: On Getting the Elusive Work-From-Home Job
High School Students Have No Way of Knowing What Career to Choose. Why Do We Make Them Do It Anyway?
The Actually Helpful, Nuanced, Non-Bullshit Way to Choose a Future Career
Myers-Briggs Personalities and Income
I Just Applied for a Job. How (And When) Should I Follow Up?
Our Best Secrets for a Successful, Strategic, and SHORT Job Search
Freelancing and side jobs:
Should Artists Ever Work for Free?
Stop Undervaluing Your Own Work, You Darling Fool
Romanticizing the Side Hustle
The Ugly Truth About Unpaid Internships
Freelancer, Protect Thyself: The Importance of a Fair Contract
Ask the Bitches: My Boss Won’t Give Me a Contract and I’m Freaking Out
I Lost My Job and It Might Be the Best Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me
Workplace benefits:
Workplace Benefits and Other Cool Side Effects of Employment
Your School or Workplace Benefits Might Include Cool Free Stuff
Take Advantage of No-Copay Medical Care
Dafuq Is a Retirement Plan and Why Do You Need One?
How to Save for Retirement When You Make Less Than $30,000 a Year
Season 2, Episode 6: “Someone Offered to Mentor Me! How Do I Be a Non-Sucky Mentee?”
Navigating the workplace:
My Secret Weapon for Preparing for Awkward Boss Confrontations
Are You Working on the Next Fyre Festival?: Identifying a Toxic Workplace
Woke at Work: How to Inject Your Values into Your Boring, Lame-Ass Job
Looking Weird at Work
Short Hair DO Care: Why Is Short Hair Still Controversial?
How to Successfully Work from Home Without Losing Your Goddamn Mind (Or Your Job)
Season 1, Episode 1: “Should I Tell My Boss I’m Looking for Another Job?”
Accepted a Coworker’s Social Media Friend Request? Yeah, You’re Gonna Regret That.
Season 1, Episode 5: “I Don’t Love My Job, but It Pays Well. Should I Quit—or Tough It Out?”
Season 2, Episode 7: “How Do I Throw My Incompetent Coworkers under the Bus?”
Getting a raise:
Salary Range: Are You Asking for Enough?
A Millennial’s Guide to Growing Your Salary
The First Time I Asked for a Raise
You Need to Ask for a Fucking Raise
Should You Increase Your Salary or Decrease Your Spending?
Getting a promotion:
Santa Isn’t Coming and Neither Is Your Promotion
How I Chessmastered Myself into a Promotion
Job Hoppers vs. Career Loyalists: I Want to See Numbers!
The Fascinating Results of Our Job Hopping vs. Career Loyalty Poll
Confession: I Hate My Job and I Don’t Know How to Leave It
A New Job, a New Day, a New Life, and I’m Feeling Good
Season 1, Episode 9: “I’ve Given up on My Dream Career. Where Do I Go From Here?”