Member-only story
- An investment in the Republic Party’s success paid off handsomely for the 1%. Millions spent, sure, to get these frauds elected — but in the case of the repealed estate tax and many other provisions in the new tax bill — potentially hundreds of millions saved. Our new tax legislation, pure and simple, was purchased by and for the rich. It is a democratically-sanctioned kick-back.
- Term limits and the elimination of private money from political contests and the end of gerrymandering would save the American republic. Not one, not two — we need all three.
- Where there is fascism, there is bullshit — speech with no relation to the truth. Cue, Paul Ryan: “The kinds of entitlement reform that we are going to be pursuing are the kinds to get people on welfare to work. People want able-bodied people who are on welfare to go to work, they want us to get people out of poverty, into the workforce. That’s good for them, that’s good for the economy, that’s good for the federal budget.”
- Money doesn’t just buy legislation, it buys how we interpret the law. It buys our perception of the law’s reality: “. . . the Koch network on Friday plans to let members of Congress know that the team will be organizing town halls, seminars, and workshops in their districts and states to try to re-frame the talk on the tax bill. At the same time, the advocacy groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, will incorporate the pro-tax cuts message into their phone calls and door knocks. Finally, there will be television, radio, and digital ads to promote…
