Tuesday

Rich vs Poor

Income Inequality - It ain't pretty.


American Corrupitalism

3 Takeaways After First Week of Manafort Trial - The big takeaway from the Manafort trial is that the American system of business and politics, at home and around the world, is hopelessly corrupt.

A couple more on this.

Living in the Age of the Big Lie - This administration may be the peak but the age of the big lie started a while ago.

Manafort’s alleged Corruption is How America Works, not Deviance. This,..

"There was no strong man so idious that Manafort would not take his money and make phone calls to his old buddies on his behalf"

applies almost universally to any US business or political interaction with the world. We will work with anyone, anyone, third-world dictators, oppressive-murderous regimes, drug and arms smugglers, even terrorists as long as there's a chance at a decent profit. This explains it all in one line  "It Depends on the Price of the Bonds".


The Big Con - It's the American Way.


Energy

Trump's not saving coal. U.S. coal shipments reach lowest levels in years


Politics

The D's could dominate US politics with three platform moves...."Legal Pot", "Medicare for all", and "No Gun Control".  A fourth might be "Never Hillary" or maybe "Never a Clinton Crony" but I really think the first three would work. How a Pair of Kentucky Pols Are About to Legalize Hemp

Oh, and inexpensive Rural Broadband wouldn't hurt. How to keep young people from fleeing small towns for big cities


Health Care

Plain vanilla "Medicare for all" may not help. If this is any indication, it'll need to be improved.

‘Too Little Too Late’: Bankruptcy Booms Among Older Americans

'Why Elect Progressives? THIS': Shredding of Social Safety Net Blamed as Bankruptcies Soar for Older Americans