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Heather Cox Richardson today suggested that the "Debt Ceiling" stand off was really about the Republicans wanting to keep the Trump era tax-light for the very rich. I have to agree. This country is presently not living up to its potential. With more equal taxation present issues could be easily financed from child care, to health care, to better education, to infrastructure, to ...........
I'll reiterate a common beef I express about Democratic party messaging: it sucks. I've never seen a group so poor at framing issues that are a layup, especially with a platform that is pro-working people. If they were in charge of Mercedes ad department, it would be down to selling one model and on the verge of going out of business.
The Republicans spent decades building messaging strategies and infrastructure. They now have a powerful right-wing echo chamber in place, which is in 24/7 overdrive. But cracks are beginning to show. For one, young people aren’t plugged into their hateful machine. Want to see better Democratic messaging? Let’s work together to build new messaging vehicles, and give this country’s young, passionate and increasingly diverse people the damn keys.
Adrienne G, you raise sound points. All of them. Yes, we all need to work together to build the messaging but Democratic leadership needs to make voter messaging inroads right now to hope for their own infrastructure to become a reality. They must heed their voters input too. I wrote all of my state's Congresspeople an election cycle ago about their messaging. I said they were missing most voters outside of the party. I laid out wins they weren't claiming that everyday people could connect to and appreciate. Although I'm just an unconnected voter devoid of lobby money, I'm a registered Democrat and hoped for at least a response or acknowledgement. All responded with automated form letters and most running in the majority of states didn't change their flaccid messaging. I'm sure I wasn't the only one ignored. My state is solidly blue and fared better but others that aren't lost more seats.
Contrast that to the Republicans who held their nose and openly adopted racism, xenophobia and misogyny to keep the most rabid core of their voters happy and pulling the lever for them. Democrats don't have to make up lies, run on hate or invent wedges. They only need to aggressively push how their programs help and counter Republican nonsense whenever it is uttered. Many voters aren't informed by sourced news, with many informed by opinion pieces or social media. Dems can't take for granted that every voters sees through what the candidates know are blatant lies and they need to do more than just sigh and eyeroll. They should be taking counsel from Katie Porter, Jamie Raskin and AOC.
You’ve said what’s been on my mind and in my responses to DNC questionnaires for the last 2 decades. Many questions (typical horse race) asked for the ranking of issues and candidates. In my comments I asked for well-framed messaging and a consistent policy platform. I lost all faith in the party when they threw all their support behind neocon HRC in 2016 and threw Bernie under the bus. Swing votes were huge then, Republicans hated Hilary, and many Dems found her disingenuous and unlikeable. Even now, despite some sizable accomplishments by the Biden administration and the relative win by Dems in 2022, the party is years behind republican organizing and framing. Think tanks, right wing media, state legislatures, school boards--no stone (or dollar) left unturned.
Agreed. He's not wrong. They better learn to find it quick because Republicans have been quite good at butchering Dems in winnable election cycles. The strategy is no more than the following repeated often, especially when unsolicited: simple, succinct, consistent. R's win because they package platforms in simple, catchy language. Dems, please do the same.
The Republicans win because they repeat the same shit over and over, and negative messaging gets more attention than bland statements. On the other hand, the Democrats say little or nothing, do not challenge what the GOP says and get out-negotiated because they bring cream pies to a gunfight.
Agreed. Democrats need to take the Right's strategy, hone it and redeploy it for themselves. Their platforms are better and history is on their side. "Rich people have been getting bigger tax breaks than you since Reagan, while Republicans explode the debt to pay for it. Does your check look like any of that has trickled down?" And so on.
Republicans cut taxes for the rich, borrowed the difference and refuse to pay their debts so grandma's SS & Medicaid payments get paid, unless they get more tax cuts.
Like your comment, it is also true but an unsettling number of our country is happy to support criminals and insurrectionists. I like this better because no one likes when you take money from mee maw to help fat cats. Broader appeal, including undecideds.
Agree about the dem messaging failures as well as strategy and positioning failures. There’s something rotten in the apparatus - the way it works and the stories that the organization is telling itself. There is an orthodoxy there that is out of tune with “mainstream Americans” (which is a fraught concept, I realize). Mainstream Americans are not following the plot, not on board with it, but also stuck with it because the alternative, fascism, is a nonstarter.
I especially like two of your word choices: positioning failures and orthodoxy. The first fully encapsulates the persistent inability to read public sentiment and speak on your platforms in that light. Another facet of that is the inability, or possible outright refusal, to size up your opponents incoming argument, prepare to effectively address it, while unleashing your own broadside targeting where they're vulnerable. Good boxers punch hard and occasionally land them. Great boxers move, parry, counterpunch, move the opponent to a spot they can be exploited and then launch their own strike. This entire party must learn from it's most adept members (AOC, Porter, Raskin etc.) how to become great boxers.
Orthodoxy fits because once this party picks a route, like Leah mentioned about pushing HRC over Bernie when it was clear he had more traction (for the record I voted for her and am still sure she was the better, more qualified candidate in the general), they stick with it and dutifully ride it out, even if that route heads over a cliff and onto a craggy shore with few survivors. Your last sentence should be a warning too. If people pick you because the other choice is just too unhinged to consider, your platform isn't winning. You're winning on the comparative awfulness of the other, which isn't a ringing endorsement nor a strategy to build from.
I don't smoke weed, nor do I teach. I am flattered you think my writing vibe is mellow enough to connotate weed smoking and that I might be able to teach a college summer school class.
I work, am a person and find Democratic policies work for me and those I know. Speaking for my own experience, 401k grows in Democratic administrations and contracts or stagnates with Republicans. My tax refund was better before the Trump Tax cut. Then the Republicans cut taxes, with the more advantageous salary and tax combinations for higher brackets, eradicated our individual exemptions and capped the SALT deduction for homeowners. That combination lowered our overall deductions and refund ever since. Neither I, nor any of my family, has $12M in dynastic wealth to pass down, so the "Death Tax" doesn't concern any of us. I have family that are retired seniors who value their Social Security and its stability, so the Republican proposals for its privatization and the potential for unpredictable swings in value won't help them. Looking outside of my situation, some working people have diabetes and Democrats worked to cap insulin costs at $35 and save them money. Democrats increased the child tax credit in place for working families to $3,600 per child under 6, and $3,000 for children 6 through 17 during the pandemic for couples making up to $150K. They tried to make it permanent but Republicans stripped that out and lowered it to $2,000 per child. These are some examples of what I mean.
Please let me know which policies you feel Republicans offer that you believe are helping working people and families.
The Trump tax law retained the old structure of seven individual income tax brackets, but in most cases, it lowered the rates. The top rate fell from 39.6% to 37%, while the 33% bracket dropped to 32%, the 28% bracket to 24%, the 25% bracket to 22%, and the 15% bracket to 12%. The lowest bracket remained at 10%, and the 35% bracket was also unchanged.
It also increased deductions for married couples...
The law raised the standard deduction in 2018 to:
$24,000 from $12,700 for married couples filing jointly ($27,700 in the 2023 tax year)
$12,000 from $6,350 for single filers ($13,850 in the 2023 tax year)
$18,000 from $9,350 for heads of household ($20,800 for the 2023 tax year)
As for the SALT cap... Maybe a family shouldn't live in such a highly taxed state. The states where this was applicable don't seem to be conducive for raising families either stretching the limits of what's considered culturally acceptable.
Pertaining to your 401k shot, look historically over the last 60 years and you will see varied correlation of political parties in power and the stock market. There are too many variables that go into it. Right now, the market is struggling. Is that the Democrats fault? Yes, somewhat, but not completely. The Federal Reserve should take more responsibility raising I teresr rates too fast.
Thanks for your response. You mentioned the tax rate changes but did not reflect the income level changes in those regards.
For the lowest bracket, that improved for most people with the taxable income at 10% increasing from $18 to $19k and for the 15% bracket it that base increased again from a base of $76 to $77k to include more income at lower rates up to $77K. The rates beyond that is what gets hairy. The next bracket initially appears to be an improvement with the rate going from taxable income from $76k to $153k taxed at 25% to a bracket of income from $78k to $165k at 22%. Unfortunately the increased standard deduction is not enough to offset the combination of the loss of the individual exemption, in its final year around $4k per filer, and capless SALT deduction to itemize deductions. The unfavorable trade off benefiting wealthier payers shows in the upper brackets where the next bracket went from income of $154k to $234k at 28% to $165k to 315k at 24%. Then from $235k to $417k at 33% to $316 to $400k at 32%, $418 to $471k at 35% to $401k to $1M at 35%, and finally from all income above $471k at 39.6% to all income over $1,000,001 at 37%. Clearly these changes benefit the wealthiest of us over the rest of us.
The reason higher taxed states have higher property taxes is partly due to better local and state services and because the cost of taxes are based on home values. If your job is in a place with more expensive real estate, it will appear in the school and municipal taxes you pay. The reason those values are high, is because those are desirable places to live, demand is higher to own property there and it pushes up values. The previous uncapped SALT was written as such to recognize that the higher taxed states took less Federal aid comparative to low taxed states, because they collected state taxes that provided more services to their residents than lower taxed states. This caused their State's taxpayers to have lower overall benefit for the tax dollars they paid compared to their compatriots in lower taxed states. The advice to move to a place you like less, or where your job isn't located, isn't a very serious answer especially in light of the clear sacrifice of working people's tax rates in those states to line the well-heeled. As for what is culturally acceptable, I'm unsure of what kind of bacchanalia you believe is happening in the streets and yards of states with higher taxes. People in these states work, raise families, send children to school, go to restaurants, take in shows, go to parks, camp, hike, bike, hunt and any other kind of activity people do in the low taxed states.
As for the current stock market being in the tank, it is the Republicans insisting that they will risk default on debts incurred by not raising the debt ceiling to pay for them. That is giving the market fits. Lots of that debt was run up from the borrowing Republicans took out to balance the tax cuts shown above that began in the Trump years, all four years of which created deficits. That default threat unnerved markets and stock markets, being an indicator of forward looking business, don't respond kindly to the idea of the world's biggest economy on the brink of default.
Finally, you never replied with any Republican policies you believe help working people. I'm interested to hear what those are.
Biden has been calling them out more so than any politican I've heard throughout recent history. Stating clearly what they want to cut wirlth this game their playing and what will stay due to their demands.
---but MSM is go anti BIDEN & democracy. I tired of their constant framing- "conservatives" there is 0 conservative about the R party. GOP are Christo fascist oligarch extremists-- who want to establish a fascist theocracy-- but you will never hear that from MSM.
Right. That's the "logical" explanation. Heather Cox Richardson is an expert on these economic matters and politics as she writes from her home office in her privileged progressive New England life.
"More equal taxation"... you mean a flat tax? Or elimination of income tax to be replaced by a common national sales tax? What is "more equal taxation"? It seems people just throw out these luxury virtue signaling terms and idea without owning any responsibility to define them... and certainly without any care to assess the full pros and cons inventory.
It is all Laffer Curve stuff. Common sense. Liberals are hypocrites on this and they know it. They tax cigarettes and sugary soda because they know it will result in reduced consumption of both. Yet they deny that increasing taxes on economic opportunity will result in reduced economic opportunity. They know it will result in reduced economic opportunity and thus their argument for increasing taxes in intellectually dishonest.
"intellectually dishonest." like letting Trump raise the national debt by several trillion and still the GOP wants to cut Social Security and "finish the wall?"
As an older fossil in my later years engaging in online progressive forums, I am very new to substack and its all pervasive monetizing scheme and seen HCR's work including her ability to write. However your critique and specific flat tax correlation is a significant connection of the dots that likely even here many Many have missed bases you not having received a single like. I commiserate on the apparent silo-type selectivity.
However would you please add some weight to your final argument as clearly a progressive income tax especially on the super wealthy and greed-flation pricing of monopoly type private companies would hardly be a disincentive to barn-raising economic opportunity in contrast to those who are barn-razing their way to much profit?
Today where I live, at my income level… that is high only late in my career after having worked my way up from a wage-earner… the next dollar I earn is taxed at over 50% including state and federal income tax. So why would I take risks growing my business or starting a new business when the added work and stress would result in government taking more than half?
I would value more free time instead.
So the jobs and additional tax revenue I would have created just vanished.
Now raise the top income tax brackets so it is 60% or 70% to fund the Democrat’s out of control vote-buying spending. Now more people like me just decide they are good not working as hard.
Increase corporate tax rates and capital gains tax and it has a similar impact.
There is an equilibrium where the rate of taxation derives the most tax receipts. Increasing and decreasing the rate derives lower tax receipts.
Also, tax liability is largely unpredictable today because the tax code is a mess of complexity. A flat tax is predictable, easy, fair, and gets all voters vested in the topic. A national sales tax replacing income tax is predictable, easy, fair and gets all voters vested in the topic. It also helps spur economic growth with exports because the lowering of income and corporate tax supports lowering prices of goods for sale in global markets. It also supports wage growth.
Well guess what Frank, if you don't 'grow' your business, 'work hard' and add 'jobs' that just opens up the opportunity for some other entrepreneur(s) to create their own business(es) to fill whatever market need you thought your expansion was going to fill. This is not a negative. Growth does not need to exist only within the realm of existing businesses.
LOL. That is a weird assessment given that the taxation would be applied to all that would start and grow a business.
The fatal flaw in liberal ideology is their inability to force people to stay and work as they keep raising the tax rates. Liberals think that people will just adopt the new normal. Liberals in general don't start and grow business and so they don't get this point that increasing taxation on economic activity causes less economic activity.
Tax is just another expense. If you increase expense it reduces profit. If you reduce profit then there is less incentive for the economic activity that produces the profit. If you reduce economic activity, you reduce tax receipts.
There is no mechanism in the economy where there are slots to be filled. Either there is a profitable business model or there is not. If there is, then there will be growth and competition. If there is not, then there will be nothing.
I would love it if you would focus some attention on Ohio's Republican super majority and their agenda. Like trying to overturn a 111 year old right for citizens to approve constitutional amendments with a 51% majority, mainly to head off an expected citizen initiative to keep abortion legal in November. They're forcing a special election in August to vote on this referendum just months after passing more restrictive voting regulations, including eliminating August elections for only a handful of issues (this not being one of them without their voting to override that). And it comes on top of their ignoring several rulings from the Ohio Supreme Court, ruling that their redistricting did not meet the constitutional anti-gerrymandering requirements Ohio voters passed in 2015 and 2018.
The DNC seems to have all but written Ohio off, so we can use all the sunlight the news media can shed on us to help us overcome the increasingly arrogant Republican supermajority now ruling our state.
I also came here to say this about my state. We're kind of screwed on the legislature even though we passed an anti gerrymandering ballot initiative (one whole hour of this American Life dedicated to this!) And now they're going after the ballot initiatives themselves. It feels very hopeless https://www.thisamericanlife.org/784/mapmaker
Sounds like a worthwhile investigation. Let's remember that Sherrod Brown has been a popular Democrat Senator since 2007. Why has he been so successful in this Red state? I think that Ohioans trust him to have their back. Was it Theil's money that caused JD Vance to win over Tim Ryan? Vance blamed the border chaos to be responsible for fentanyl deaths in Ohio! Is it always about the money that can tip an election? If so, Brown is being challenged by matt Dolan whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians [ $ ].
I was busy yesterday and am just now catching up on my reading. Therefore, I’m late to the party. I want to also recommend digging into Ohio and the shenanigans in our statehouse. Barbara does a great job summarizing, but let’s not also forget that many of these yahoos were brought (bought) using money from a fraud scheme orchestrated by the former speaker of the house (for which he is now on trial).
Ohio breaks my heart. I live in Cincinnati, which feels so very far away from the shenanigans in Columbus. This quote I read yesterday really resonated: "Cincinnati existed for years before Ohio. Cincinnati has almost nothing in common with Ohio. Ohio just happened to Cincinnati."
I was going to ask the same, Barbara! And now, the Columbus criminal cabal wants to rework the public schools and their social studies by eliminating the state Board of Education's input and replacing it with a nine-member board, selected by the governor, the Senate leader, and the House Speaker. Look up Ohio House Bill 103. Straight out of Nazi Germany, or 2023 Florida! At best, frightening; at worse, the end of Democracy.
I hear you. Daniel! The new board only established after more progressive candidates won a majority of the Education department seats. So they emasculated the board, establishing a new cabinet where the real power resides, under the governor. Like I said, Ohio breaks my heart. Especially since our 54R/46D split should prevent this.
I hear you. Daniel! The new board only established after more progressive candidates won a majority of the Education department seats. So they emasculated the board, establishing a new cabinet where the real power resides, under the governor. Like I said, Ohio breaks my heart. Especially since our 54R/46D split should prevent this.
I'm in the Cleveland area, Barbara. Gerrymandered beyond belief up here. Our biggest problem is getting people out to vote!! I believe the last midterm, our local turnout was under 40%. If that's not a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is! I'm trying to be as loud as I can, but I need a lot of help! My heart, too, is broken.
Also the decades long littoral ships fiasco whose ships came in way over budget, never worked and are now being retired at huge costs to taxpayers. No one seems to think this is a scandal.
I believe that the reason for the developers having say over the Villages is that they are still building it. Land off Florida's Turnpike north of Winter Garden to I-75 used to be vineyards and orchards. Now, it is an ever expanding The Villages. I believe the law states that the developers must turn over a homeowners association to the residence at a certain point after all the homes are sold. A Florida attorney can provide a more accurate description of this issue.
I am curious about the connection between the rise in fascism and the rise in developer/hoa creation and spread across the nation. HOAs are not transparent and are ripe for fascists to control and terrorize residents. How can the nation stop these?
Good question; and from my perspective the connection you suggest is highly plausible, only I would probably make the connection between Christian Nationalism, AKA the Christian Right (CR) and high wealth real estate developers who subscribe to staunch conservatism at the very least, or possibly are CR associated.
Yes Robert - great addition. This is why I think it is a huge possibility area for a reseach journalist - as I have conjectures and ideas and wonder what research and data might reveal. Also curious on voter apathy levels and if the voter lives in a HOA. Local governance helps people feel engaged and HOA is local goverance with no oversight or accountability - is it eroding citizenship and engagement?
People react as they watch a broadcast of Fox News showing presidential election returns at an election night watch party organized by group 'Villagers for Trump' on November 3, 2020. The Villages are a Republican stronghold with a demographic that is 98% white with nearly 70% of Villagers voting for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Because older voters are America's most reliable voters, the retirement community has become a popular election stop and platform for Republican political figures such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, President Donald Trump
Trump became the first sitting US president to visit The Villages twice. He appeared alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis before approximately 10,000 supporters in a field behind The Villages Polo Club and was the only president to visit the retirement community twice. 'This is a stop at The Villages to say hello to people that have been with me for so long,' he said
Jodi, thank you for your confirmation. I myself have been aware of and at first, then casually, now more attentively, been keeping track of the Dominionist movement's influence and advancement of its ultra-conservative agenda. It seems as if people are only now just starting to become aware of the danger that American liberal democracy is clearly and obviously under attack from what is a genuinely distorted world-view that is rooted solidly in a fixed/metaphysical epistemological mind-set; the only truly logical consequent result of such a mind-set is a totalitarian society.
The big and most important question right now and weighing heavily on my mind at this time is; what are we going to do about it? Time is not on our side any longer, especially given that this emergent ideology has been hard at work in the shadows for more than fifty-years now, and is fast approaching a period of significant confrontation within society overall.
I started my Substack recently so as to be able to bring awareness to this problem, and in all honesty I am not very good at self-promotion, but the fact of the matter is I believe that this election cycle will be perhaps one of the most pivotal periods in American political history.
I really, really need people who are willing to get onboard with me to work this problem. I too have a distant relative who is trapped at the Villages, and this is then only way that I can help her and every one of us who sees the dangers ahead of us.
I’m familiar with the Villages story , the relation to desantis, and Rick Scott’s Medicare fraud. There is so much dirt and slime to dig up in Floriduh.
Congratulations on the superb work. I would be interested in a deeper story on the state of Iowa defanging its auditor so there is no oversight for its massive privatization of the school system. It's set up to be a complete grift ripping off the taxpayers and serves as a model for the rest of the country as the way to do things the republican way.
This sounds like something Judd could investigate...these unknown areas that many of us know little about...important to keep an eye on before they take over in ways we'd abhor.
It's so much worse than anyone knows. Iowa was engineered by the forever governor and Trump ambassador to China Terry Branstad to be a Republican stronghold. He worked in conjunction with ALEC and the Heritage Foundation to remake Iowan politics from the local level on up, deliberately choosing women to be the face of the effort (Kim Reynolds, Joni Ernst, and Ashley Hinson were all wholly unqualified but hand-picked and heavily funded). It's a huge story of corruption that is designed to serve as a model for how things should be done. It's made a state that was known for producing Henry Wallace, outlawing Jim Crow, and legalizing gay marriage into a nationalist Christian stronghold.
Do you read the Storm Lake Times? Also a great resource, I’m an occasional reader and discovered them after a great doc on PBS https://www.stormlake.com/
We have a couple Judd-like journalists who publish stories. Iowa Starting Line in Des Moines and Little Village in Iowa City are two of them, but they're strictly local. Judd commands national attention, and this should be brought to light because it, like Florida, is a template for the complete dominance of government by a mendacious theocracy. Thing about Iowa is that there isn't a blabby ape-man standing on the stage taking all the oxygen. It's far more stealthy, and because of that, far more dangerous... and effective.
I was just reminded of the North Carolina State Rep Tricia Cotham, who ran on a long-held pro-abortion rights stance, then changed party affiliation from Democrat to anti-abortion Republican, giving the Republicans a supermajority in the state, override the governor's veto of a 12-week abortion ban. Somebody needs to follow the money - or whatever influence drove that switch. It's not a coincidence.
I live in NC. There must be something there. One does not simply decide one day their thinking was wrong in this manner. To go from a champion for equal rights and especially women’s rights, to voting for the subjugation and oppression of women. Something is either not right with the situation or the person, Cotham in this case. It needs closer examination.
We all want to know what caused her to jump. She said something about not liking the way she was treated, that some were assuming that she was their puppet. Does this mean that she thinks this is the way to demonstrate that she is an independent thinker?
I wonder... Would you throw over one of your core values, that you've run on consistently and with passion for years, just because someone(s) on your own side aggravated you? Presumably another of her core values was to represent her constituents faithfully and fairly (why else run at all?) and she was just re-elected as a pro-choice candidate. She's willing to throw over her credibility, her political career, her reputation, and her core values, for what? Vilification on a national stage as a liar and political traitor? A completely shredded legacy? The knowledge that no sane person or party will trust her word for anything ever? Is that easier to deal with than some pressure from her previous-fellow Dems? And damn, that's some next-level spite to wield because her fee-fees were bruised... I don't buy it. Follow the money, follow the incentives (or blackmail); I'll bet my next donation to Planned Parenthood that she's been bought or coerced in some way.
Agreed - it's the money. Her characterization of events doesn't match with what others in her party have said, and, in light of how dishonest she now appears, I'm not inclined to believe her version.
Fantastic, in-depth work. I would be intrigued to know why there is no legislation in the U.S. against corporations buying single family homes in the U.S., where is legislation to stop foreigners from buying real estate, and more information on those lobbying against Medicare for All when statistically it would actually save the government money and bring relief to citizens. I am a firm believer that another upside to Medicare for All would be the unlocking of the growth of entrepreneurs because corporations are definitely holding back the creativity and innovate minds of their employees.
I look forward to it. The negative affect that corporations have had on single family homes in driving prices up, rent up, and blocking out the younger generations from being able to purchase a home should have been addressed several years ago.
Agreed, I am specifically talking about corporations / billionaires. For example, the Chinese own over 200,000 acres of U.S. farmland(maybe 300,00 depending on article).
Keep taking that muck and exposing these policy makers and corporations! Please continue to circle back to provide follow up on critical stories. I think this is the major contribution your reporting makes, and is sorely missing from the contemporaneous scribing of most new organizations. Thank you for what you do
Yes ! Saw the article. Bravo ! This is a lesson for the future of journalism. Smart , crisp , and well researched and documented reporting needs to be paid for. For free you get crap. For handing over your personal information, you get crap and you pay for it another way. In a larger way that fact applies to our comfortable modern lives-----$5 tee shirts and lots of low paid “essential” (a label of convenience) workers to provide services. Basically we need less stuff and we need quality stuff and we need to be willing to pay a fair price.
Congratulations, Judd....you and your team deserve the accolades. Thank you for your hard work and for keeping your readers informed.
Please turn your laser focus to exposing the creeping takeover of the federal Medicare system by private insurance/Medicare "Advantage" imposters. Many seniors don't truly understand the difference and what they're giving up by signing on to an Advantage program; these scams are not given adequate oversight by CMS and are getting away with reaping unbelievable profits through denial of claims, requiring prior authorizations, and limiting in-network options for care. Please expose this racket for what it is....just another cash cow for insurance companies. Thank you again!
Yes, exactly. I didn't realize what a scam Medicare Advantage was until I turned 65. My elderly mother has an Advantage plan but believes (and insists) that she has Medicare. And the Advantage plan kicked her out of rehab for a broken hip before she could navigate her house, so she is now in a nursing home with zero chance of ever going back to her home. My partner, a healthy 65 year old man who had a car accident and needed to go to PT rehab was repeatedly denied by his Advantage plan – they wanted to send him to a cheap, awful nursing home to "recover." We had to fight like dogs to get him 2 weeks of rehab. If insurers didn't make a ton of money on these crap plans by denying care, would they be advertising them so heavily all over TV? Would they have called my house every day starting 6 months before I turned 65 to try to sell me an Advantage plan? I never answered the calls because you could tell from the caller ID who they were, and they all called daily until I blocked them. There were at least a dozen different companies, ALL with Medicare in their names. Why does the government allow this rip-off of seniors? I'm a pharmacist, and it's worse than I ever realized from the outside. And the recent stories about instant rejection of normal claims is horrifying. Most people have no idea how to appeal or dispute, especially seniors, so the Advantage plans just refuse to pay without ever opening the patient's chart? Oh, hell no.
Agreed. In my career I'd been an insurance agent, then marine P & C underwriter for years; but held a health insurance license for a while; so fortunately understood enough about health coverage & read enough to know most of these Advantage plans were misleading & folks often ended up paying much more out of pocket. Stayed the course at 65 with Medicare & an AARP United Health care plan & have not been turned down anywhere. It's served me well & reasonable out of pocket costs.
This story is of huge interest and consequence to me as well. I found Wendell Potter’s articles in Substack, along with links to others of similar substance, well researched and informative on this subject.
me, as well....When I read Heather Cox Richardson quote Judd, I'm left wondering why more journalists and news agencies aren't investigating with the same level of vigor as Judd....How can one man be shouldering the weight of our democracy? It's not insane, as I used to think.....It's becoming more apparent to me that its incredibly corrupt and complacent which is why I can seriously imagine the country "going down". Maybe this is the natural progression of all living entities. And Putin still rules....incredible and horrific.
I have been bashed on here in comments previously for giving the MSM hell. But they deserve it.
Judd is our voice in the wilderness crying out for justice.
The same bashers didn't like what I said about Twitter last week and why I am still on it. Judd's biggest following is on Twitter. Where I found him and it is precarious since Musk gives him the evil eye.
More than anything the freebies on here need to subscribe to Popular Information
Thank you, Judd and team, for your great reporting. I would like you to shine more light on the NRA. Who are they paying? Is this public information? Also, gun manufacturers. Smith & Wesson left Mass for east TN because the people of Mass protested their making of semi automatic rifles and my state saw it as jobs. Personally, as a Tennessean, I appreciate what you dug up on Cameron Sexton and how you didn’t stop until you got the whole story.
Congratulations on well deserved recognition! I’ve paid for as long as I can remember. I encourage others to do the same. The article on underreported deaths of indigenous women was especially welcome.
I'd like more information on what I believe is the illegal election that is going to take place in Ohio in August to raise the election requirement from a simple majority to 60% to pass a bill. I'm worried that the election will be successful and that the recourse to correct it will both take a long time and may not be successful.
I’m troubled by having politicians practicing medicine without a license. It behooves legislators to consult with experts before enacting laws re: medical treatment that they actually know nothing about, or restricting treatment for political purposes. Office holders are sworn to protect and serve--to carry out DUE DILIGENCE ensuring their capacity as legislators. Yet-- In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen recently said, as he signed a bill restricting treatments for LGBT children, “Don’t listen to the other side . . . We are protecting boys and girls.”
He is, by training, a veterinarian; however, his business was about raising pigs for the slaughter house.
Specifically, Gov. Pillens attacks on LGBT medical treatment by the Republicans fail to recognize that gender is NOT a binary, “black and white” characteristic in the human species--there is, and always has been, a spectrum based upon genetics, hormone receptors, brain development in utero, etc. I think failure to research causes and outcomes on legislation amounts to: 1. Negligence, even malpractice. 2. Abuse of power of an office. I refer you to this excellent article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/
Another topic used by Repugs to target medical accessibility is, of course, abortion. One of the unintended consequences of these bans results in physicians not learning how to perform certain procedures, thereby laying additional, severe risks upon pregnant women who will be forced to have c-sections. For example, if you have an anacephalic fetus (there are all kinds of nonviable abnormalities), the procedure to extract that fetus past 12 weeks is entirely different than a dilation and curettage. Banning “all abortions” will : 1. Result in physicians without the training and knowledge to deal with such nonviable cases (In my husband’s office, he and one other physician are THE ONLY ones who know how to do this in their hospital system; my husband is retiring at the end of the year. ) 2. Add risk endangering the lives of women with complicated pregnancies.
I once asked a so-called “pro-lifer” about this, and she promptly replied, “Let ‘em die.”
This is not acceptable. Politicians/ legislators who fail to do their duty to PROTECT AND SERVE, should face legal, even criminal, consequences.
Repug pandering to extremist voters needs to end. . .
And with that, what is it going to take to repeal “Citizens United”?
If there were the possibility that politicians could be prosecuted for manslaughter, or perhaps reckless endangerment, things would change. For example, let's say a woman dies from being denied an abortion after Pillen signs a bill in Nebraska. After being advised by numerous experts, medical boards, etc., that it is a dangerous law. I say that Pillen should be charged with manslaughter, or at least reckless endangerment. Jail-time type stuff.
I mean, the real problem is that we elect people who say, flat-out, that they will ignore the advice of learned people, experts, and others who know more about certain topics. This is Harry Truman-like "The buck stops here" stuff. Take ownership. This argument is specifically about the executive branch.
And so, there is no accountability, yet doesn't it seem there needs to be? Sure, the argument could go that there are a number of expert opinions. One could muddy the waters that way. But why not let a jury decide that? Let them weigh whether the decision to take the advice of, say, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, over the American Medical Association? To me, that seems like malpractice. What do you think would happen if a builder built a house on the edge of a cliff after having been advised by geologists there was a high probability the cliff could collapse at any time. Oh, and not disclose that to the buyers, who shortly after moving in, fall off the cliff along with their new house. How's a jury going to rule in that case?
Now obviously, this cannot apply to every piece of legislation. It would create a legal nightmare. Tenuous connections could be found between almost any legislation and a person's death or injury. I'm talking about only laws that ban, or restrict access to, currently accepted medical procedures.
You are 110% correct. Unfortunately, there will always be right wing doctors who have no qualms about breaking the hippocratic oath, even obstetricians, that Republicans can use to convince their great unwashed to back anti-abortion bills.
Congrats on the feature in WaPo. The FEC complaint against Kyrsten Sinema might be a worthy topic as information develops on that front. Also, I read something about No Labels floating the idea of an independent/third-party run with the likes of Joe Manchin(!) as a candidate, so I'd want to know if that were a complete joke or what.
Great on you, Judd. I count on PI as a great news source that publishes important news stories. I would love to see continued coverage of the movement to destroy public education (and how 'they're' doing it), and I'd love to see coverage of the place workers' unions have in our societal and economic landscapes.
Here is the charter of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice: "The Civil Rights Division works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the United States, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status." However, the Civil Rights Division actually seems incapable of protecting our civil rights! Freedom of speech, freedom of press and voting rights are under attack in many states. Minorities and the most vulnerable of our citizens are threatened daily and in certain instances, violently. I know the previous administration gutted the DOJ. I realize there are still ultra conservative, if not outright Christian Nationalists in the DOJ. However, it has been 845 days since Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021. At his home in Delaware he had four years to witness all the damage the previous administration did in every section of our federal government. Biden did not have an action plan for diving right in and rectifying the damage of the previous administration. Now here we are with deep concerns about the future of our Democracy. That is my biggest concern.
First, many thanks and congratulations to Popular Information for the recognition you so richly deserve.
A topic that sets my scalp on fire is the world of Christian Nationalism and evangelism. While there may be some separation between the two, they both benefit greatly from the messages that are spewed forth by their leaders, often to the huge monetary enrichment of its leaders. Quite some time ago I was on a flight. When we reached our destination and people were deplaning, I saw a lot of people handing money to someone sitting in first class. As I passed by the individual, I recognized him as Jimmy Swaggart. His hand was filled with $50 and $100 bills. We certainly know what happened to him.
So why are people like him and many others so able to openly run con games on millions of people to their personal benefit and nothing happens? Why has there not been more challenges to the separation of church and state?
I read an article yesterday about one of the Texas State Republican sponsors of a bill to mandate the 10 Commandants be displayed in all public schools (bill failed last night). The cosponsor of the bill was quoted as saying that when religion was removed from schools everything went downhill. She sited one example as being mental health (I'm guessing she is a frequent blamer of mental health for the huge uptick in mass shootings). I'm sorry, but religion and mental health and nothing to do with each other, especially in schools. I digress though.
Bottom line, how and why are Christian Nationalists and evangelicals able to openly run the con they do? Not only are they giving religion a bad name, but it has lead to many leaving their churches that have and are doing really good work.
My former Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the late great Tip O' Neill said "All politics is local." He was right. While the federal government is powerful, your city, town, county, state or commonwealth has more immediate influence on your life.
Since local newspapers have died there is a lack of coverage of your city council, state house, or county. In Boston our state house has an independent coverage from the State House news service.
Since smaller towns can't afford a state house reporter, they supply news on what House or Senate bill # would do in their community.
There is an organization of grass root reporters called Investigative Reporters and Editors at the University of Missouri.the first journalism school in the world. They do workshop, on in depth reporting. They publish a book The Investigative Reporters Handbook that is a guide to documents. Check it out.
Please keep a focus on lobbying and the vast amounts of money involved. Individuals have a difficult time figuring out how much their personal representatives are taking (earning?) from lobbyists and I think that knowledge could made a difference at ground level. I have to believe that enough attention to this could break through to people.
Glad to see you and your team getting some well-deserved recognition. I continue to be concerned about the chipping away of rights here in Ohio by the gerrymandered legislature, the executive branch and even the courts (Gov Dewine’s son sits on the Supreme Court and refuses to recuse himself in cases having to do with his dad?). Next up an August election with a single ballot question proposing a new supermajority requirement to change the state constitution. Dive in anywhere, pick any topic related to the folks “in charge” here and follow the money. I am confident you’ll find plenty to report on.
Good for you. I saw the article. I’ve been a subscriber- home delivery even! - since 1982! Im old!! I’d like to know what’s driving the push to hire children. I suspect it’s lack of availability of legal labor willing to work for low pay. They’ve driven out the illegal immigrants. Made it impossible to emigrate legally, so now they’re corporate donors have pressured them to find them workers. So they are going after the legal poor. Next will be a push to allow children to leave school early to work (at dead end jobs for low pay).
Congratulations! Reading the comments, I see so many good tips for future stories - all worth a look. Thank you for shining a light into the areas the schemers and scammers and anti-democratic forces want to keep hidden. It's all good work!
I cheer every time I see your work taken up by the Washington Post and the New York Times and brought to everyone's attention, not just us subscribers.
Thank you for the critically important work you do and keep exposing the bad elements in our society!
Today I am furious about Roberts’ seeming impunity in defending the Supremes.As if we did not have a cause to be concerned about their impartiality. (He seems to be dieting)
Yes! This. The supremes. Current exposure of ethical misconduct and ignoring congressional oversight. Also. The relationship of Justice Kennedy’s retirement to his son’s work w Deutche Bank in loaning Trump money. Smells.
Congrats Judd! Detailed journalism matters, including local, but not enough ppl fund local...only concentrate on national/large news networks. Santos is the perfect example why local journalism matters. When his scandal was revealed, my husband and I wondered why all that information wasn't dug up BEFORE he was elected into office. Much of the dark money and coordinated effort to chip away our rights, are happening locally, which brings me to see if you are willing to do a story on the school board member Darbi Boddy...about her background and who her supporters are. She's already pushed out our superintendent and now there's a curriculum panel, AND Ohio is trying to strip local government power away to concentrate to state government. I'm just sick of the chaos...
I hope you will report about the misleading journalism around nuclear energy. It is being named a "green, carbon-free energy". This expensive energy, which is now set to get a lot more funding, is neither. Around here, DTE counts their carbon footprint only by counting what actually goes on inside the reactor. Completely ignored is the uranium mining mess left culturally and environmentally, the amount of fossil fuel it takes to transport and build reactors. The SMR smaller ones now being planned are no different in the threats to all of us. There is NOWHERE to safely put the waste. If you want more information, the group I work with, Citizens Resistance at Fermi Two (CRAFT) and our wide network has lots more information. shutdownfermi.org
I saw the documentary film, Pandora's Promise back in 2013 and remember that nuclear energy could be used economically and safely. The major issue is waste, and surely some scientific geniuses could come up with a solution. I remember that the Fukashima disaster would not have happened if they had followed the advice laid out in that film.
Early in the development of the worldwide web, I did a search for nuclear waste accidents in the US. I was floored to see listed dozens of incidents per year, usually transport accidents. I don’t remember how many years were included or specifics other than transport. I had read about nuclear waste having been buried on or near a Native American reservation (Arizona? maybe) and I wanted to know how else it might be disposed of. I also learned years later when my 18yo nephew was sent to ‘liberate’ Iraq in 2003, that depleted uranium (DU) (used since the 90’s) was used to reinforce the armor of the Bradley (like a tank) he drove as well as in munitions because of its high density. DU is claimed to be stripped of most radioactivity. Studies continue but it’s unclear whether it causes ill health effects though it’s residues from explosion on impact are suspected of causing cancer and kidney disorders. It’s difficult to suss out causes of disease in populations of conflict zones. My nephew has shown no physical ill effects to date.
Judd, I hope you can turn up the investigative heat on the "Freedom Caucus" to highlight just how much power these clowns have accrued over the past 12 years. They operate in the shadows as 'Speaker' w impunity.
Well earned recognition. Re local news in North Carolina.... the party switch by NC house member Cotham. It just seems to me there is more to that story than a sudden dissatisfaction with her party. Did she plan that all along? Was she paid by the state GOP? What's going on?
You’re doing a phenomenal job Judd! Exposing more corrupt Florida politicians is always my favorite as I’m thinking of jumping into a city council race. Hopefully it stays non-partisan and the big D won’t matter in my red county that’s been ignoring its residents requests.
Congratulations! I enjoy this newsletter! Great stuff.
Time to tie together the libertarian take over of the conservative party.
Libertarians must use stealth (lies) to get their policies in place. Everything the GOP "freedom" caucus puts out is libertarian. No government agency power, all must be done by elected officials. The "locks and bolts" if James Buchanan. It is all what gerrymandering is about.
David Pepper has it right in his Laboratories of Auotcracy book.
Thank you for your tremendous reporting on so many stories. My question: what have you found to be the best activist/advocacy tools that consumers can do to keep these corporations accountable? It seems once the media attention drops off - they go back to their old ways. Thank you again.
Corporations generally respond to public pressure which can take any number of forms: social media posts, calls, letters, protests, etc. I don't think there is any one silver bullet.
Congratulations Judd & team! Your coverage about what’s going on in Florida (DeSantis etc) is encouraging. It makes those of us fighting for democracy feel validated and brings attention to what’s at stake. And that’s just Florida -- thanks for all your hard work and commitment to truth in journalism.
Excellent work deserves recognition, well done! I was very happy to see your coverage on the Mika Westwolf story... Sadly, the Native American plight receives little to no coverage... My only suggestion, if possible, is shedding light on the numbers od Native American women who go missing... The FBI claims to have had renewed dedication to investigating these possible crimes, and Deb Haaland has put some pressure of the Federal authorities to do more... Your story shed some much needed light on the shamefully low local coverage on crimes committed against Native Americans, and particularly Native American women... Thank you!!
In my view the structural problem with America is the sorry state of public education. Thanks to the permanent underfunding of the entire education ecosystem, the average American is below average. (pun intended) There are just too many uninformed citizens nourishing all-American fascism.
"The best service that can be rendered to a Country, next to that of giving it liberty, is in diffusing the mental improvement equally essential to the preservation, and the enjoyment of the blessing." —James Madison (1826)
I’d like to see something on ICWA, which is under threat thanks to a deeply compromised SCOTUS. Specifically, I am interested in the implications for Tribal Sovereignty.
Likewise, there is a disturbing trend with indigenous people, African Americans, and LBGTQ people: The antidemocratic powers seem to be using tactics associated with genocide, like book bans and law suits to erase heritage and progress.
Congratulations. I would love to see you dig into the continuing BS lawsuits from people like Kari Lake still claiming election fraud. I don't think most people know these are still going on. And the politically motivated lawsuits from states suing regarding administration policies, like the one filed yesterday by the state of Texas, claiming the barely working app at the border for appointments encourages illegal immigration, when in fact the even the current administration has decimated legitimate asylum entry. Or more about the recent FL law to confront immigration in a completely biased and likely unconstitutional way, that provides a slush fund to DeSantis for his political acts of moving immigrants from other states, and tries to invalidate drivers licenses from other states, that is now being copied by other states, like Kansas.
If you want a scoop: look to AZ school voucher program put in place last year under Gov Ducey benefiting the home schoolers, chapter schools & richest people. $7500/child! Goal: Gut public education...
Good on you Judd and crew. Your work is being not only recognized but utilized by the "MSM." Hopefully that will bring about a re-reckoning of sorts on the news dynamic. We the public don't need to be excited, titilated, cozened or anything other than well informed.
I'd like to know more about property taxe increases around the nation or at least in specific areas. Here in Cook County Illinois, we lost many many residences to the housing collapse due to the door-to-door selling of bad loans in the neighborhoods by big players like Chase.
Now those properties are either vacant, sold to Chinese consortiums or sold to Middle Eastern consortiums for rental only. Meanwhile the new Assessor seems to be cutting off ways to appeal, especially for commercial properties!
I wonder if a big land grab of commercial properties similar to that of residential properties is in the offing and if this type of stealthy appropriation is happening elsewhere.
Heather Cox Richardson today suggested that the "Debt Ceiling" stand off was really about the Republicans wanting to keep the Trump era tax-light for the very rich. I have to agree. This country is presently not living up to its potential. With more equal taxation present issues could be easily financed from child care, to health care, to better education, to infrastructure, to ...........
Agreed, all due to greed.
Why aren’t the democrats calling this out! This seems like it would be so easy . If the economy collapses these dumb asses did it.
I'll reiterate a common beef I express about Democratic party messaging: it sucks. I've never seen a group so poor at framing issues that are a layup, especially with a platform that is pro-working people. If they were in charge of Mercedes ad department, it would be down to selling one model and on the verge of going out of business.
The Republicans spent decades building messaging strategies and infrastructure. They now have a powerful right-wing echo chamber in place, which is in 24/7 overdrive. But cracks are beginning to show. For one, young people aren’t plugged into their hateful machine. Want to see better Democratic messaging? Let’s work together to build new messaging vehicles, and give this country’s young, passionate and increasingly diverse people the damn keys.
Adrienne G, you raise sound points. All of them. Yes, we all need to work together to build the messaging but Democratic leadership needs to make voter messaging inroads right now to hope for their own infrastructure to become a reality. They must heed their voters input too. I wrote all of my state's Congresspeople an election cycle ago about their messaging. I said they were missing most voters outside of the party. I laid out wins they weren't claiming that everyday people could connect to and appreciate. Although I'm just an unconnected voter devoid of lobby money, I'm a registered Democrat and hoped for at least a response or acknowledgement. All responded with automated form letters and most running in the majority of states didn't change their flaccid messaging. I'm sure I wasn't the only one ignored. My state is solidly blue and fared better but others that aren't lost more seats.
Contrast that to the Republicans who held their nose and openly adopted racism, xenophobia and misogyny to keep the most rabid core of their voters happy and pulling the lever for them. Democrats don't have to make up lies, run on hate or invent wedges. They only need to aggressively push how their programs help and counter Republican nonsense whenever it is uttered. Many voters aren't informed by sourced news, with many informed by opinion pieces or social media. Dems can't take for granted that every voters sees through what the candidates know are blatant lies and they need to do more than just sigh and eyeroll. They should be taking counsel from Katie Porter, Jamie Raskin and AOC.
You’ve said what’s been on my mind and in my responses to DNC questionnaires for the last 2 decades. Many questions (typical horse race) asked for the ranking of issues and candidates. In my comments I asked for well-framed messaging and a consistent policy platform. I lost all faith in the party when they threw all their support behind neocon HRC in 2016 and threw Bernie under the bus. Swing votes were huge then, Republicans hated Hilary, and many Dems found her disingenuous and unlikeable. Even now, despite some sizable accomplishments by the Biden administration and the relative win by Dems in 2022, the party is years behind republican organizing and framing. Think tanks, right wing media, state legislatures, school boards--no stone (or dollar) left unturned.
--as Rick Wilson says (former R strategist) "the DEMS can't find blood in a butcher shop".
Agreed. He's not wrong. They better learn to find it quick because Republicans have been quite good at butchering Dems in winnable election cycles. The strategy is no more than the following repeated often, especially when unsolicited: simple, succinct, consistent. R's win because they package platforms in simple, catchy language. Dems, please do the same.
The Republicans win because they repeat the same shit over and over, and negative messaging gets more attention than bland statements. On the other hand, the Democrats say little or nothing, do not challenge what the GOP says and get out-negotiated because they bring cream pies to a gunfight.
Agreed. Democrats need to take the Right's strategy, hone it and redeploy it for themselves. Their platforms are better and history is on their side. "Rich people have been getting bigger tax breaks than you since Reagan, while Republicans explode the debt to pay for it. Does your check look like any of that has trickled down?" And so on.
agree
dems need to say "R are traitors to the Republic- -they support criminals-- " but dems don't.
I'll go you one better.
Republicans cut taxes for the rich, borrowed the difference and refuse to pay their debts so grandma's SS & Medicaid payments get paid, unless they get more tax cuts.
Like your comment, it is also true but an unsettling number of our country is happy to support criminals and insurrectionists. I like this better because no one likes when you take money from mee maw to help fat cats. Broader appeal, including undecideds.
Agree about the dem messaging failures as well as strategy and positioning failures. There’s something rotten in the apparatus - the way it works and the stories that the organization is telling itself. There is an orthodoxy there that is out of tune with “mainstream Americans” (which is a fraught concept, I realize). Mainstream Americans are not following the plot, not on board with it, but also stuck with it because the alternative, fascism, is a nonstarter.
I especially like two of your word choices: positioning failures and orthodoxy. The first fully encapsulates the persistent inability to read public sentiment and speak on your platforms in that light. Another facet of that is the inability, or possible outright refusal, to size up your opponents incoming argument, prepare to effectively address it, while unleashing your own broadside targeting where they're vulnerable. Good boxers punch hard and occasionally land them. Great boxers move, parry, counterpunch, move the opponent to a spot they can be exploited and then launch their own strike. This entire party must learn from it's most adept members (AOC, Porter, Raskin etc.) how to become great boxers.
Orthodoxy fits because once this party picks a route, like Leah mentioned about pushing HRC over Bernie when it was clear he had more traction (for the record I voted for her and am still sure she was the better, more qualified candidate in the general), they stick with it and dutifully ride it out, even if that route heads over a cliff and onto a craggy shore with few survivors. Your last sentence should be a warning too. If people pick you because the other choice is just too unhinged to consider, your platform isn't winning. You're winning on the comparative awfulness of the other, which isn't a ringing endorsement nor a strategy to build from.
"pro-working people"? How much weed have you smoked today before teaching your college summer school class?
I don't smoke weed, nor do I teach. I am flattered you think my writing vibe is mellow enough to connotate weed smoking and that I might be able to teach a college summer school class.
I work, am a person and find Democratic policies work for me and those I know. Speaking for my own experience, 401k grows in Democratic administrations and contracts or stagnates with Republicans. My tax refund was better before the Trump Tax cut. Then the Republicans cut taxes, with the more advantageous salary and tax combinations for higher brackets, eradicated our individual exemptions and capped the SALT deduction for homeowners. That combination lowered our overall deductions and refund ever since. Neither I, nor any of my family, has $12M in dynastic wealth to pass down, so the "Death Tax" doesn't concern any of us. I have family that are retired seniors who value their Social Security and its stability, so the Republican proposals for its privatization and the potential for unpredictable swings in value won't help them. Looking outside of my situation, some working people have diabetes and Democrats worked to cap insulin costs at $35 and save them money. Democrats increased the child tax credit in place for working families to $3,600 per child under 6, and $3,000 for children 6 through 17 during the pandemic for couples making up to $150K. They tried to make it permanent but Republicans stripped that out and lowered it to $2,000 per child. These are some examples of what I mean.
Please let me know which policies you feel Republicans offer that you believe are helping working people and families.
The Trump tax law retained the old structure of seven individual income tax brackets, but in most cases, it lowered the rates. The top rate fell from 39.6% to 37%, while the 33% bracket dropped to 32%, the 28% bracket to 24%, the 25% bracket to 22%, and the 15% bracket to 12%. The lowest bracket remained at 10%, and the 35% bracket was also unchanged.
It also increased deductions for married couples...
The law raised the standard deduction in 2018 to:
$24,000 from $12,700 for married couples filing jointly ($27,700 in the 2023 tax year)
$12,000 from $6,350 for single filers ($13,850 in the 2023 tax year)
$18,000 from $9,350 for heads of household ($20,800 for the 2023 tax year)
As for the SALT cap... Maybe a family shouldn't live in such a highly taxed state. The states where this was applicable don't seem to be conducive for raising families either stretching the limits of what's considered culturally acceptable.
Pertaining to your 401k shot, look historically over the last 60 years and you will see varied correlation of political parties in power and the stock market. There are too many variables that go into it. Right now, the market is struggling. Is that the Democrats fault? Yes, somewhat, but not completely. The Federal Reserve should take more responsibility raising I teresr rates too fast.
Thanks for your response. You mentioned the tax rate changes but did not reflect the income level changes in those regards.
For the lowest bracket, that improved for most people with the taxable income at 10% increasing from $18 to $19k and for the 15% bracket it that base increased again from a base of $76 to $77k to include more income at lower rates up to $77K. The rates beyond that is what gets hairy. The next bracket initially appears to be an improvement with the rate going from taxable income from $76k to $153k taxed at 25% to a bracket of income from $78k to $165k at 22%. Unfortunately the increased standard deduction is not enough to offset the combination of the loss of the individual exemption, in its final year around $4k per filer, and capless SALT deduction to itemize deductions. The unfavorable trade off benefiting wealthier payers shows in the upper brackets where the next bracket went from income of $154k to $234k at 28% to $165k to 315k at 24%. Then from $235k to $417k at 33% to $316 to $400k at 32%, $418 to $471k at 35% to $401k to $1M at 35%, and finally from all income above $471k at 39.6% to all income over $1,000,001 at 37%. Clearly these changes benefit the wealthiest of us over the rest of us.
The reason higher taxed states have higher property taxes is partly due to better local and state services and because the cost of taxes are based on home values. If your job is in a place with more expensive real estate, it will appear in the school and municipal taxes you pay. The reason those values are high, is because those are desirable places to live, demand is higher to own property there and it pushes up values. The previous uncapped SALT was written as such to recognize that the higher taxed states took less Federal aid comparative to low taxed states, because they collected state taxes that provided more services to their residents than lower taxed states. This caused their State's taxpayers to have lower overall benefit for the tax dollars they paid compared to their compatriots in lower taxed states. The advice to move to a place you like less, or where your job isn't located, isn't a very serious answer especially in light of the clear sacrifice of working people's tax rates in those states to line the well-heeled. As for what is culturally acceptable, I'm unsure of what kind of bacchanalia you believe is happening in the streets and yards of states with higher taxes. People in these states work, raise families, send children to school, go to restaurants, take in shows, go to parks, camp, hike, bike, hunt and any other kind of activity people do in the low taxed states.
As for the current stock market being in the tank, it is the Republicans insisting that they will risk default on debts incurred by not raising the debt ceiling to pay for them. That is giving the market fits. Lots of that debt was run up from the borrowing Republicans took out to balance the tax cuts shown above that began in the Trump years, all four years of which created deficits. That default threat unnerved markets and stock markets, being an indicator of forward looking business, don't respond kindly to the idea of the world's biggest economy on the brink of default.
Finally, you never replied with any Republican policies you believe help working people. I'm interested to hear what those are.
Biden has been calling them out more so than any politican I've heard throughout recent history. Stating clearly what they want to cut wirlth this game their playing and what will stay due to their demands.
---but MSM is go anti BIDEN & democracy. I tired of their constant framing- "conservatives" there is 0 conservative about the R party. GOP are Christo fascist oligarch extremists-- who want to establish a fascist theocracy-- but you will never hear that from MSM.
Right. That's the "logical" explanation. Heather Cox Richardson is an expert on these economic matters and politics as she writes from her home office in her privileged progressive New England life.
"More equal taxation"... you mean a flat tax? Or elimination of income tax to be replaced by a common national sales tax? What is "more equal taxation"? It seems people just throw out these luxury virtue signaling terms and idea without owning any responsibility to define them... and certainly without any care to assess the full pros and cons inventory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AsXI2gHi7M
It is all Laffer Curve stuff. Common sense. Liberals are hypocrites on this and they know it. They tax cigarettes and sugary soda because they know it will result in reduced consumption of both. Yet they deny that increasing taxes on economic opportunity will result in reduced economic opportunity. They know it will result in reduced economic opportunity and thus their argument for increasing taxes in intellectually dishonest.
"intellectually dishonest." like letting Trump raise the national debt by several trillion and still the GOP wants to cut Social Security and "finish the wall?"
Exactly like that. Intellectual dishonest hogwash.
Bullshit.
Love this deep intellectual response. Demonstrates profound brain power.
As an older fossil in my later years engaging in online progressive forums, I am very new to substack and its all pervasive monetizing scheme and seen HCR's work including her ability to write. However your critique and specific flat tax correlation is a significant connection of the dots that likely even here many Many have missed bases you not having received a single like. I commiserate on the apparent silo-type selectivity.
However would you please add some weight to your final argument as clearly a progressive income tax especially on the super wealthy and greed-flation pricing of monopoly type private companies would hardly be a disincentive to barn-raising economic opportunity in contrast to those who are barn-razing their way to much profit?
Today where I live, at my income level… that is high only late in my career after having worked my way up from a wage-earner… the next dollar I earn is taxed at over 50% including state and federal income tax. So why would I take risks growing my business or starting a new business when the added work and stress would result in government taking more than half?
I would value more free time instead.
So the jobs and additional tax revenue I would have created just vanished.
Now raise the top income tax brackets so it is 60% or 70% to fund the Democrat’s out of control vote-buying spending. Now more people like me just decide they are good not working as hard.
Increase corporate tax rates and capital gains tax and it has a similar impact.
There is an equilibrium where the rate of taxation derives the most tax receipts. Increasing and decreasing the rate derives lower tax receipts.
Also, tax liability is largely unpredictable today because the tax code is a mess of complexity. A flat tax is predictable, easy, fair, and gets all voters vested in the topic. A national sales tax replacing income tax is predictable, easy, fair and gets all voters vested in the topic. It also helps spur economic growth with exports because the lowering of income and corporate tax supports lowering prices of goods for sale in global markets. It also supports wage growth.
A national sales tax is a disaster for low income families and not at all fair. https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/who-bears-burden-national-retail-sales-tax
Well guess what Frank, if you don't 'grow' your business, 'work hard' and add 'jobs' that just opens up the opportunity for some other entrepreneur(s) to create their own business(es) to fill whatever market need you thought your expansion was going to fill. This is not a negative. Growth does not need to exist only within the realm of existing businesses.
LOL. That is a weird assessment given that the taxation would be applied to all that would start and grow a business.
The fatal flaw in liberal ideology is their inability to force people to stay and work as they keep raising the tax rates. Liberals think that people will just adopt the new normal. Liberals in general don't start and grow business and so they don't get this point that increasing taxation on economic activity causes less economic activity.
Tax is just another expense. If you increase expense it reduces profit. If you reduce profit then there is less incentive for the economic activity that produces the profit. If you reduce economic activity, you reduce tax receipts.
There is no mechanism in the economy where there are slots to be filled. Either there is a profitable business model or there is not. If there is, then there will be growth and competition. If there is not, then there will be nothing.
Malarkey.
And I know that I successfully debunked strongly held mythological views with theses types of brainy replies.
💤
So being trillions in debt doesn't matter? We are all over taxed. Just making politicians rich. Convention of States is the only solution.
Well-earned recognition, Judd. Bravo! Thank you for all the digging you do.
I would love it if you would focus some attention on Ohio's Republican super majority and their agenda. Like trying to overturn a 111 year old right for citizens to approve constitutional amendments with a 51% majority, mainly to head off an expected citizen initiative to keep abortion legal in November. They're forcing a special election in August to vote on this referendum just months after passing more restrictive voting regulations, including eliminating August elections for only a handful of issues (this not being one of them without their voting to override that). And it comes on top of their ignoring several rulings from the Ohio Supreme Court, ruling that their redistricting did not meet the constitutional anti-gerrymandering requirements Ohio voters passed in 2015 and 2018.
The DNC seems to have all but written Ohio off, so we can use all the sunlight the news media can shed on us to help us overcome the increasingly arrogant Republican supermajority now ruling our state.
Thankfully, I don't have to worry about what the DNC or anyone else thinks is important. Thanks for raising this!
I also came here to say this about my state. We're kind of screwed on the legislature even though we passed an anti gerrymandering ballot initiative (one whole hour of this American Life dedicated to this!) And now they're going after the ballot initiatives themselves. It feels very hopeless https://www.thisamericanlife.org/784/mapmaker
Sounds like a worthwhile investigation. Let's remember that Sherrod Brown has been a popular Democrat Senator since 2007. Why has he been so successful in this Red state? I think that Ohioans trust him to have their back. Was it Theil's money that caused JD Vance to win over Tim Ryan? Vance blamed the border chaos to be responsible for fentanyl deaths in Ohio! Is it always about the money that can tip an election? If so, Brown is being challenged by matt Dolan whose family owns the Cleveland Guardians [ $ ].
I was busy yesterday and am just now catching up on my reading. Therefore, I’m late to the party. I want to also recommend digging into Ohio and the shenanigans in our statehouse. Barbara does a great job summarizing, but let’s not also forget that many of these yahoos were brought (bought) using money from a fraud scheme orchestrated by the former speaker of the house (for which he is now on trial).
I apologize, the former speaker was found guilty in March. He is not currently on trial (as far as I know). Typing faster than my brain could think!
Ohio breaks my heart. I live in Cincinnati, which feels so very far away from the shenanigans in Columbus. This quote I read yesterday really resonated: "Cincinnati existed for years before Ohio. Cincinnati has almost nothing in common with Ohio. Ohio just happened to Cincinnati."
I was going to ask the same, Barbara! And now, the Columbus criminal cabal wants to rework the public schools and their social studies by eliminating the state Board of Education's input and replacing it with a nine-member board, selected by the governor, the Senate leader, and the House Speaker. Look up Ohio House Bill 103. Straight out of Nazi Germany, or 2023 Florida! At best, frightening; at worse, the end of Democracy.
I hear you. Daniel! The new board only established after more progressive candidates won a majority of the Education department seats. So they emasculated the board, establishing a new cabinet where the real power resides, under the governor. Like I said, Ohio breaks my heart. Especially since our 54R/46D split should prevent this.
I hear you. Daniel! The new board only established after more progressive candidates won a majority of the Education department seats. So they emasculated the board, establishing a new cabinet where the real power resides, under the governor. Like I said, Ohio breaks my heart. Especially since our 54R/46D split should prevent this.
I'm in the Cleveland area, Barbara. Gerrymandered beyond belief up here. Our biggest problem is getting people out to vote!! I believe the last midterm, our local turnout was under 40%. If that's not a recipe for disaster, I don't know what is! I'm trying to be as loud as I can, but I need a lot of help! My heart, too, is broken.
I love and support your work. I’m stunned after the performative arrests of POC for voting while felons in FL while these self confessed Villages voters bought their way out https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/01/30/4th-resident-of-the-villages-admits-to-voting-twice-in-the-2020-election/
Also the decades long littoral ships fiasco whose ships came in way over budget, never worked and are now being retired at huge costs to taxpayers. No one seems to think this is a scandal.
I've written some about this but should revisit: https://popular.info/p/update-desantis-voter-fraud-arrests
I've written some about this but should revisit: https://popular.info/p/update-desantis-voter-fraud-arrests
I had never heard of littoral ships. Thanks for the heads up. It does smell rotten.
I believe that the reason for the developers having say over the Villages is that they are still building it. Land off Florida's Turnpike north of Winter Garden to I-75 used to be vineyards and orchards. Now, it is an ever expanding The Villages. I believe the law states that the developers must turn over a homeowners association to the residence at a certain point after all the homes are sold. A Florida attorney can provide a more accurate description of this issue.
I am curious about the connection between the rise in fascism and the rise in developer/hoa creation and spread across the nation. HOAs are not transparent and are ripe for fascists to control and terrorize residents. How can the nation stop these?
Good question; and from my perspective the connection you suggest is highly plausible, only I would probably make the connection between Christian Nationalism, AKA the Christian Right (CR) and high wealth real estate developers who subscribe to staunch conservatism at the very least, or possibly are CR associated.
Yes Robert - great addition. This is why I think it is a huge possibility area for a reseach journalist - as I have conjectures and ideas and wonder what research and data might reveal. Also curious on voter apathy levels and if the voter lives in a HOA. Local governance helps people feel engaged and HOA is local goverance with no oversight or accountability - is it eroding citizenship and engagement?
From the Daily Mail piece just posted:
People react as they watch a broadcast of Fox News showing presidential election returns at an election night watch party organized by group 'Villagers for Trump' on November 3, 2020. The Villages are a Republican stronghold with a demographic that is 98% white with nearly 70% of Villagers voting for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Because older voters are America's most reliable voters, the retirement community has become a popular election stop and platform for Republican political figures such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush, Mike Pence, Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Rick Santorum, President Donald Trump
Trump became the first sitting US president to visit The Villages twice. He appeared alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis before approximately 10,000 supporters in a field behind The Villages Polo Club and was the only president to visit the retirement community twice. 'This is a stop at The Villages to say hello to people that have been with me for so long,' he said
Apparently The Villages is a Republican stronghold.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9147745/amp/Inside-Utopian-Disneyland-retirees-belies-sinister-underbelly-racism-orgies.html
https://www.tampabay.com/news/aging/the-villages-florida-retirement-community-provides-foundation-for/1245520/
I need to wash my eyeballs.....
Jodi, thank you for your confirmation. I myself have been aware of and at first, then casually, now more attentively, been keeping track of the Dominionist movement's influence and advancement of its ultra-conservative agenda. It seems as if people are only now just starting to become aware of the danger that American liberal democracy is clearly and obviously under attack from what is a genuinely distorted world-view that is rooted solidly in a fixed/metaphysical epistemological mind-set; the only truly logical consequent result of such a mind-set is a totalitarian society.
The big and most important question right now and weighing heavily on my mind at this time is; what are we going to do about it? Time is not on our side any longer, especially given that this emergent ideology has been hard at work in the shadows for more than fifty-years now, and is fast approaching a period of significant confrontation within society overall.
I started my Substack recently so as to be able to bring awareness to this problem, and in all honesty I am not very good at self-promotion, but the fact of the matter is I believe that this election cycle will be perhaps one of the most pivotal periods in American political history.
I really, really need people who are willing to get onboard with me to work this problem. I too have a distant relative who is trapped at the Villages, and this is then only way that I can help her and every one of us who sees the dangers ahead of us.
So grateful. Thank you
I’m familiar with the Villages story , the relation to desantis, and Rick Scott’s Medicare fraud. There is so much dirt and slime to dig up in Floriduh.
Congratulations on the superb work. I would be interested in a deeper story on the state of Iowa defanging its auditor so there is no oversight for its massive privatization of the school system. It's set up to be a complete grift ripping off the taxpayers and serves as a model for the rest of the country as the way to do things the republican way.
Interesting. Thanks for raising this issue.
This sounds like something Judd could investigate...these unknown areas that many of us know little about...important to keep an eye on before they take over in ways we'd abhor.
It's so much worse than anyone knows. Iowa was engineered by the forever governor and Trump ambassador to China Terry Branstad to be a Republican stronghold. He worked in conjunction with ALEC and the Heritage Foundation to remake Iowan politics from the local level on up, deliberately choosing women to be the face of the effort (Kim Reynolds, Joni Ernst, and Ashley Hinson were all wholly unqualified but hand-picked and heavily funded). It's a huge story of corruption that is designed to serve as a model for how things should be done. It's made a state that was known for producing Henry Wallace, outlawing Jim Crow, and legalizing gay marriage into a nationalist Christian stronghold.
Do you read the Storm Lake Times? Also a great resource, I’m an occasional reader and discovered them after a great doc on PBS https://www.stormlake.com/
We have a couple Judd-like journalists who publish stories. Iowa Starting Line in Des Moines and Little Village in Iowa City are two of them, but they're strictly local. Judd commands national attention, and this should be brought to light because it, like Florida, is a template for the complete dominance of government by a mendacious theocracy. Thing about Iowa is that there isn't a blabby ape-man standing on the stage taking all the oxygen. It's far more stealthy, and because of that, far more dangerous... and effective.
I was just reminded of the North Carolina State Rep Tricia Cotham, who ran on a long-held pro-abortion rights stance, then changed party affiliation from Democrat to anti-abortion Republican, giving the Republicans a supermajority in the state, override the governor's veto of a 12-week abortion ban. Somebody needs to follow the money - or whatever influence drove that switch. It's not a coincidence.
I've done some digging on this but nothing to report yet. We'll keep an eye out.
Looking forward to see what you find. Thank you for your reporting - it's been incredibly informative.
I live in NC. There must be something there. One does not simply decide one day their thinking was wrong in this manner. To go from a champion for equal rights and especially women’s rights, to voting for the subjugation and oppression of women. Something is either not right with the situation or the person, Cotham in this case. It needs closer examination.
We all want to know what caused her to jump. She said something about not liking the way she was treated, that some were assuming that she was their puppet. Does this mean that she thinks this is the way to demonstrate that she is an independent thinker?
I wonder... Would you throw over one of your core values, that you've run on consistently and with passion for years, just because someone(s) on your own side aggravated you? Presumably another of her core values was to represent her constituents faithfully and fairly (why else run at all?) and she was just re-elected as a pro-choice candidate. She's willing to throw over her credibility, her political career, her reputation, and her core values, for what? Vilification on a national stage as a liar and political traitor? A completely shredded legacy? The knowledge that no sane person or party will trust her word for anything ever? Is that easier to deal with than some pressure from her previous-fellow Dems? And damn, that's some next-level spite to wield because her fee-fees were bruised... I don't buy it. Follow the money, follow the incentives (or blackmail); I'll bet my next donation to Planned Parenthood that she's been bought or coerced in some way.
Why not both? "Gold or lead" as the saying goes.
Agreed - it's the money. Her characterization of events doesn't match with what others in her party have said, and, in light of how dishonest she now appears, I'm not inclined to believe her version.
I just posted, asking much the same questions. NC is too beautiful a state to have such ugly people "representing" it.
Someone must have kompromat on her.
Fantastic, in-depth work. I would be intrigued to know why there is no legislation in the U.S. against corporations buying single family homes in the U.S., where is legislation to stop foreigners from buying real estate, and more information on those lobbying against Medicare for All when statistically it would actually save the government money and bring relief to citizens. I am a firm believer that another upside to Medicare for All would be the unlocking of the growth of entrepreneurs because corporations are definitely holding back the creativity and innovate minds of their employees.
I'd like to get more into housing issues. I've explored a few stories but haven't had one come together in awhile.
I look forward to it. The negative affect that corporations have had on single family homes in driving prices up, rent up, and blocking out the younger generations from being able to purchase a home should have been addressed several years ago.
There is nothing wrong with foreigners buying real estate per se.
Agreed, I am specifically talking about corporations / billionaires. For example, the Chinese own over 200,000 acres of U.S. farmland(maybe 300,00 depending on article).
Keep taking that muck and exposing these policy makers and corporations! Please continue to circle back to provide follow up on critical stories. I think this is the major contribution your reporting makes, and is sorely missing from the contemporaneous scribing of most new organizations. Thank you for what you do
Thank you!
Yes… “circling back” is so important in this world of constant news cycles.
Yes ! Saw the article. Bravo ! This is a lesson for the future of journalism. Smart , crisp , and well researched and documented reporting needs to be paid for. For free you get crap. For handing over your personal information, you get crap and you pay for it another way. In a larger way that fact applies to our comfortable modern lives-----$5 tee shirts and lots of low paid “essential” (a label of convenience) workers to provide services. Basically we need less stuff and we need quality stuff and we need to be willing to pay a fair price.
Thanks George!
Congratulations, Judd....you and your team deserve the accolades. Thank you for your hard work and for keeping your readers informed.
Please turn your laser focus to exposing the creeping takeover of the federal Medicare system by private insurance/Medicare "Advantage" imposters. Many seniors don't truly understand the difference and what they're giving up by signing on to an Advantage program; these scams are not given adequate oversight by CMS and are getting away with reaping unbelievable profits through denial of claims, requiring prior authorizations, and limiting in-network options for care. Please expose this racket for what it is....just another cash cow for insurance companies. Thank you again!
This is a very worthy topic.
Yes, exactly. I didn't realize what a scam Medicare Advantage was until I turned 65. My elderly mother has an Advantage plan but believes (and insists) that she has Medicare. And the Advantage plan kicked her out of rehab for a broken hip before she could navigate her house, so she is now in a nursing home with zero chance of ever going back to her home. My partner, a healthy 65 year old man who had a car accident and needed to go to PT rehab was repeatedly denied by his Advantage plan – they wanted to send him to a cheap, awful nursing home to "recover." We had to fight like dogs to get him 2 weeks of rehab. If insurers didn't make a ton of money on these crap plans by denying care, would they be advertising them so heavily all over TV? Would they have called my house every day starting 6 months before I turned 65 to try to sell me an Advantage plan? I never answered the calls because you could tell from the caller ID who they were, and they all called daily until I blocked them. There were at least a dozen different companies, ALL with Medicare in their names. Why does the government allow this rip-off of seniors? I'm a pharmacist, and it's worse than I ever realized from the outside. And the recent stories about instant rejection of normal claims is horrifying. Most people have no idea how to appeal or dispute, especially seniors, so the Advantage plans just refuse to pay without ever opening the patient's chart? Oh, hell no.
Agreed. In my career I'd been an insurance agent, then marine P & C underwriter for years; but held a health insurance license for a while; so fortunately understood enough about health coverage & read enough to know most of these Advantage plans were misleading & folks often ended up paying much more out of pocket. Stayed the course at 65 with Medicare & an AARP United Health care plan & have not been turned down anywhere. It's served me well & reasonable out of pocket costs.
This story is of huge interest and consequence to me as well. I found Wendell Potter’s articles in Substack, along with links to others of similar substance, well researched and informative on this subject.
Congratulations! You are remaking the investigative journalism model. I'm happy to be a subscriber.
Thanks Sherry!
Me,too
me, as well....When I read Heather Cox Richardson quote Judd, I'm left wondering why more journalists and news agencies aren't investigating with the same level of vigor as Judd....How can one man be shouldering the weight of our democracy? It's not insane, as I used to think.....It's becoming more apparent to me that its incredibly corrupt and complacent which is why I can seriously imagine the country "going down". Maybe this is the natural progression of all living entities. And Putin still rules....incredible and horrific.
I have been bashed on here in comments previously for giving the MSM hell. But they deserve it.
Judd is our voice in the wilderness crying out for justice.
The same bashers didn't like what I said about Twitter last week and why I am still on it. Judd's biggest following is on Twitter. Where I found him and it is precarious since Musk gives him the evil eye.
More than anything the freebies on here need to subscribe to Popular Information
When sued by Dominion, Fox claimed they were not news but entertainment. LoL
Thank you, Judd and team, for your great reporting. I would like you to shine more light on the NRA. Who are they paying? Is this public information? Also, gun manufacturers. Smith & Wesson left Mass for east TN because the people of Mass protested their making of semi automatic rifles and my state saw it as jobs. Personally, as a Tennessean, I appreciate what you dug up on Cameron Sexton and how you didn’t stop until you got the whole story.
Congratulations on well deserved recognition! I’ve paid for as long as I can remember. I encourage others to do the same. The article on underreported deaths of indigenous women was especially welcome.
Thanks Tony!
I'd like more information on what I believe is the illegal election that is going to take place in Ohio in August to raise the election requirement from a simple majority to 60% to pass a bill. I'm worried that the election will be successful and that the recourse to correct it will both take a long time and may not be successful.
YOU are GREAT!
I’m troubled by having politicians practicing medicine without a license. It behooves legislators to consult with experts before enacting laws re: medical treatment that they actually know nothing about, or restricting treatment for political purposes. Office holders are sworn to protect and serve--to carry out DUE DILIGENCE ensuring their capacity as legislators. Yet-- In Nebraska, Gov. Jim Pillen recently said, as he signed a bill restricting treatments for LGBT children, “Don’t listen to the other side . . . We are protecting boys and girls.”
He is, by training, a veterinarian; however, his business was about raising pigs for the slaughter house.
Specifically, Gov. Pillens attacks on LGBT medical treatment by the Republicans fail to recognize that gender is NOT a binary, “black and white” characteristic in the human species--there is, and always has been, a spectrum based upon genetics, hormone receptors, brain development in utero, etc. I think failure to research causes and outcomes on legislation amounts to: 1. Negligence, even malpractice. 2. Abuse of power of an office. I refer you to this excellent article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/
Another topic used by Repugs to target medical accessibility is, of course, abortion. One of the unintended consequences of these bans results in physicians not learning how to perform certain procedures, thereby laying additional, severe risks upon pregnant women who will be forced to have c-sections. For example, if you have an anacephalic fetus (there are all kinds of nonviable abnormalities), the procedure to extract that fetus past 12 weeks is entirely different than a dilation and curettage. Banning “all abortions” will : 1. Result in physicians without the training and knowledge to deal with such nonviable cases (In my husband’s office, he and one other physician are THE ONLY ones who know how to do this in their hospital system; my husband is retiring at the end of the year. ) 2. Add risk endangering the lives of women with complicated pregnancies.
I once asked a so-called “pro-lifer” about this, and she promptly replied, “Let ‘em die.”
This is not acceptable. Politicians/ legislators who fail to do their duty to PROTECT AND SERVE, should face legal, even criminal, consequences.
Repug pandering to extremist voters needs to end. . .
And with that, what is it going to take to repeal “Citizens United”?
If there were the possibility that politicians could be prosecuted for manslaughter, or perhaps reckless endangerment, things would change. For example, let's say a woman dies from being denied an abortion after Pillen signs a bill in Nebraska. After being advised by numerous experts, medical boards, etc., that it is a dangerous law. I say that Pillen should be charged with manslaughter, or at least reckless endangerment. Jail-time type stuff.
I mean, the real problem is that we elect people who say, flat-out, that they will ignore the advice of learned people, experts, and others who know more about certain topics. This is Harry Truman-like "The buck stops here" stuff. Take ownership. This argument is specifically about the executive branch.
And so, there is no accountability, yet doesn't it seem there needs to be? Sure, the argument could go that there are a number of expert opinions. One could muddy the waters that way. But why not let a jury decide that? Let them weigh whether the decision to take the advice of, say, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, over the American Medical Association? To me, that seems like malpractice. What do you think would happen if a builder built a house on the edge of a cliff after having been advised by geologists there was a high probability the cliff could collapse at any time. Oh, and not disclose that to the buyers, who shortly after moving in, fall off the cliff along with their new house. How's a jury going to rule in that case?
Now obviously, this cannot apply to every piece of legislation. It would create a legal nightmare. Tenuous connections could be found between almost any legislation and a person's death or injury. I'm talking about only laws that ban, or restrict access to, currently accepted medical procedures.
You are 110% correct. Unfortunately, there will always be right wing doctors who have no qualms about breaking the hippocratic oath, even obstetricians, that Republicans can use to convince their great unwashed to back anti-abortion bills.
Congrats on the feature in WaPo. The FEC complaint against Kyrsten Sinema might be a worthy topic as information develops on that front. Also, I read something about No Labels floating the idea of an independent/third-party run with the likes of Joe Manchin(!) as a candidate, so I'd want to know if that were a complete joke or what.
Here’s some great info on No Labels: https://www.commondreams.org/news/no-labels-funded-by-billionaires
Great on you, Judd. I count on PI as a great news source that publishes important news stories. I would love to see continued coverage of the movement to destroy public education (and how 'they're' doing it), and I'd love to see coverage of the place workers' unions have in our societal and economic landscapes.
I'm really grateful for all of your work.
Here is the charter of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice: "The Civil Rights Division works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all persons in the United States, particularly some of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Division enforces federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), disability, religion, familial status, national origin, and citizenship status." However, the Civil Rights Division actually seems incapable of protecting our civil rights! Freedom of speech, freedom of press and voting rights are under attack in many states. Minorities and the most vulnerable of our citizens are threatened daily and in certain instances, violently. I know the previous administration gutted the DOJ. I realize there are still ultra conservative, if not outright Christian Nationalists in the DOJ. However, it has been 845 days since Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021. At his home in Delaware he had four years to witness all the damage the previous administration did in every section of our federal government. Biden did not have an action plan for diving right in and rectifying the damage of the previous administration. Now here we are with deep concerns about the future of our Democracy. That is my biggest concern.
Thank you for all you do. I’d love to find out who funds this organization No Labels.
https://www.nolabels.org/
I did a little reporting on this and there is some limited info on funders in here: https://popular.info/p/the-opaque-70-million-scheme-that
Thank you. We need to watch this space for sure.
Excellent question—I did a quick search and common dreams has some info in the meantime: https://www.commondreams.org/news/no-labels-funded-by-billionaires
All you have to say is Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and I threw up
You're doing very important work!
First, many thanks and congratulations to Popular Information for the recognition you so richly deserve.
A topic that sets my scalp on fire is the world of Christian Nationalism and evangelism. While there may be some separation between the two, they both benefit greatly from the messages that are spewed forth by their leaders, often to the huge monetary enrichment of its leaders. Quite some time ago I was on a flight. When we reached our destination and people were deplaning, I saw a lot of people handing money to someone sitting in first class. As I passed by the individual, I recognized him as Jimmy Swaggart. His hand was filled with $50 and $100 bills. We certainly know what happened to him.
So why are people like him and many others so able to openly run con games on millions of people to their personal benefit and nothing happens? Why has there not been more challenges to the separation of church and state?
I read an article yesterday about one of the Texas State Republican sponsors of a bill to mandate the 10 Commandants be displayed in all public schools (bill failed last night). The cosponsor of the bill was quoted as saying that when religion was removed from schools everything went downhill. She sited one example as being mental health (I'm guessing she is a frequent blamer of mental health for the huge uptick in mass shootings). I'm sorry, but religion and mental health and nothing to do with each other, especially in schools. I digress though.
Bottom line, how and why are Christian Nationalists and evangelicals able to openly run the con they do? Not only are they giving religion a bad name, but it has lead to many leaving their churches that have and are doing really good work.
My former Congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the late great Tip O' Neill said "All politics is local." He was right. While the federal government is powerful, your city, town, county, state or commonwealth has more immediate influence on your life.
Since local newspapers have died there is a lack of coverage of your city council, state house, or county. In Boston our state house has an independent coverage from the State House news service.
Since smaller towns can't afford a state house reporter, they supply news on what House or Senate bill # would do in their community.
There is an organization of grass root reporters called Investigative Reporters and Editors at the University of Missouri.the first journalism school in the world. They do workshop, on in depth reporting. They publish a book The Investigative Reporters Handbook that is a guide to documents. Check it out.
Please keep a focus on lobbying and the vast amounts of money involved. Individuals have a difficult time figuring out how much their personal representatives are taking (earning?) from lobbyists and I think that knowledge could made a difference at ground level. I have to believe that enough attention to this could break through to people.
Glad to see you and your team getting some well-deserved recognition. I continue to be concerned about the chipping away of rights here in Ohio by the gerrymandered legislature, the executive branch and even the courts (Gov Dewine’s son sits on the Supreme Court and refuses to recuse himself in cases having to do with his dad?). Next up an August election with a single ballot question proposing a new supermajority requirement to change the state constitution. Dive in anywhere, pick any topic related to the folks “in charge” here and follow the money. I am confident you’ll find plenty to report on.
Good for you. I saw the article. I’ve been a subscriber- home delivery even! - since 1982! Im old!! I’d like to know what’s driving the push to hire children. I suspect it’s lack of availability of legal labor willing to work for low pay. They’ve driven out the illegal immigrants. Made it impossible to emigrate legally, so now they’re corporate donors have pressured them to find them workers. So they are going after the legal poor. Next will be a push to allow children to leave school early to work (at dead end jobs for low pay).
Congratulations! Reading the comments, I see so many good tips for future stories - all worth a look. Thank you for shining a light into the areas the schemers and scammers and anti-democratic forces want to keep hidden. It's all good work!
I cheer every time I see your work taken up by the Washington Post and the New York Times and brought to everyone's attention, not just us subscribers.
Thank you for the critically important work you do and keep exposing the bad elements in our society!
Thanks Jeanne!
Bravo!
Today I am furious about Roberts’ seeming impunity in defending the Supremes.As if we did not have a cause to be concerned about their impartiality. (He seems to be dieting)
Yes! This. The supremes. Current exposure of ethical misconduct and ignoring congressional oversight. Also. The relationship of Justice Kennedy’s retirement to his son’s work w Deutche Bank in loaning Trump money. Smells.
Congrats Judd! Detailed journalism matters, including local, but not enough ppl fund local...only concentrate on national/large news networks. Santos is the perfect example why local journalism matters. When his scandal was revealed, my husband and I wondered why all that information wasn't dug up BEFORE he was elected into office. Much of the dark money and coordinated effort to chip away our rights, are happening locally, which brings me to see if you are willing to do a story on the school board member Darbi Boddy...about her background and who her supporters are. She's already pushed out our superintendent and now there's a curriculum panel, AND Ohio is trying to strip local government power away to concentrate to state government. I'm just sick of the chaos...
Dear Popular Information,
I hope you will report about the misleading journalism around nuclear energy. It is being named a "green, carbon-free energy". This expensive energy, which is now set to get a lot more funding, is neither. Around here, DTE counts their carbon footprint only by counting what actually goes on inside the reactor. Completely ignored is the uranium mining mess left culturally and environmentally, the amount of fossil fuel it takes to transport and build reactors. The SMR smaller ones now being planned are no different in the threats to all of us. There is NOWHERE to safely put the waste. If you want more information, the group I work with, Citizens Resistance at Fermi Two (CRAFT) and our wide network has lots more information. shutdownfermi.org
Thank you for your work.
Kathleen
I saw the documentary film, Pandora's Promise back in 2013 and remember that nuclear energy could be used economically and safely. The major issue is waste, and surely some scientific geniuses could come up with a solution. I remember that the Fukashima disaster would not have happened if they had followed the advice laid out in that film.
Early in the development of the worldwide web, I did a search for nuclear waste accidents in the US. I was floored to see listed dozens of incidents per year, usually transport accidents. I don’t remember how many years were included or specifics other than transport. I had read about nuclear waste having been buried on or near a Native American reservation (Arizona? maybe) and I wanted to know how else it might be disposed of. I also learned years later when my 18yo nephew was sent to ‘liberate’ Iraq in 2003, that depleted uranium (DU) (used since the 90’s) was used to reinforce the armor of the Bradley (like a tank) he drove as well as in munitions because of its high density. DU is claimed to be stripped of most radioactivity. Studies continue but it’s unclear whether it causes ill health effects though it’s residues from explosion on impact are suspected of causing cancer and kidney disorders. It’s difficult to suss out causes of disease in populations of conflict zones. My nephew has shown no physical ill effects to date.
big fan down under here.
Judd, I hope you can turn up the investigative heat on the "Freedom Caucus" to highlight just how much power these clowns have accrued over the past 12 years. They operate in the shadows as 'Speaker' w impunity.
Well earned recognition. Re local news in North Carolina.... the party switch by NC house member Cotham. It just seems to me there is more to that story than a sudden dissatisfaction with her party. Did she plan that all along? Was she paid by the state GOP? What's going on?
Thanks for your work.
You’re doing a phenomenal job Judd! Exposing more corrupt Florida politicians is always my favorite as I’m thinking of jumping into a city council race. Hopefully it stays non-partisan and the big D won’t matter in my red county that’s been ignoring its residents requests.
Congratulations! I enjoy this newsletter! Great stuff.
Time to tie together the libertarian take over of the conservative party.
Libertarians must use stealth (lies) to get their policies in place. Everything the GOP "freedom" caucus puts out is libertarian. No government agency power, all must be done by elected officials. The "locks and bolts" if James Buchanan. It is all what gerrymandering is about.
David Pepper has it right in his Laboratories of Auotcracy book.
Keep up the great work Judd!
Thank you for your tremendous reporting on so many stories. My question: what have you found to be the best activist/advocacy tools that consumers can do to keep these corporations accountable? It seems once the media attention drops off - they go back to their old ways. Thank you again.
Corporations generally respond to public pressure which can take any number of forms: social media posts, calls, letters, protests, etc. I don't think there is any one silver bullet.
Congratulations Judd & team! Your coverage about what’s going on in Florida (DeSantis etc) is encouraging. It makes those of us fighting for democracy feel validated and brings attention to what’s at stake. And that’s just Florida -- thanks for all your hard work and commitment to truth in journalism.
Good work! A topic: Exploring/sharing concentration-data on wealth/income transfers since 1980 to “top 1-10%” of families or individuals
Excellent work deserves recognition, well done! I was very happy to see your coverage on the Mika Westwolf story... Sadly, the Native American plight receives little to no coverage... My only suggestion, if possible, is shedding light on the numbers od Native American women who go missing... The FBI claims to have had renewed dedication to investigating these possible crimes, and Deb Haaland has put some pressure of the Federal authorities to do more... Your story shed some much needed light on the shamefully low local coverage on crimes committed against Native Americans, and particularly Native American women... Thank you!!
In my view the structural problem with America is the sorry state of public education. Thanks to the permanent underfunding of the entire education ecosystem, the average American is below average. (pun intended) There are just too many uninformed citizens nourishing all-American fascism.
"The best service that can be rendered to a Country, next to that of giving it liberty, is in diffusing the mental improvement equally essential to the preservation, and the enjoyment of the blessing." —James Madison (1826)
Gerrymandering
Book banning/restrictions
Voting rights
DOJ and Jan 6 Committee report- where is that?
Classified docs at Mar a Lago - will Trump be held accountable ?
I’d like to see something on ICWA, which is under threat thanks to a deeply compromised SCOTUS. Specifically, I am interested in the implications for Tribal Sovereignty.
Likewise, there is a disturbing trend with indigenous people, African Americans, and LBGTQ people: The antidemocratic powers seem to be using tactics associated with genocide, like book bans and law suits to erase heritage and progress.
Climate Change. Climate Change. Climate Change.
And bravo on the nod from WaPo!
Congratulations. I would love to see you dig into the continuing BS lawsuits from people like Kari Lake still claiming election fraud. I don't think most people know these are still going on. And the politically motivated lawsuits from states suing regarding administration policies, like the one filed yesterday by the state of Texas, claiming the barely working app at the border for appointments encourages illegal immigration, when in fact the even the current administration has decimated legitimate asylum entry. Or more about the recent FL law to confront immigration in a completely biased and likely unconstitutional way, that provides a slush fund to DeSantis for his political acts of moving immigrants from other states, and tries to invalidate drivers licenses from other states, that is now being copied by other states, like Kansas.
What's happening with Toyota? Are they still supporting the destruction of our democracy?
Yes.
Disappointing
If you want a scoop: look to AZ school voucher program put in place last year under Gov Ducey benefiting the home schoolers, chapter schools & richest people. $7500/child! Goal: Gut public education...
Congrats! Your journalistic efforts are amazing and very much appreciated. Keep up the hard work. And thanks so much!
Thank you Shielagh
Good on you Judd and crew. Your work is being not only recognized but utilized by the "MSM." Hopefully that will bring about a re-reckoning of sorts on the news dynamic. We the public don't need to be excited, titilated, cozened or anything other than well informed.
I'd like to know more about property taxe increases around the nation or at least in specific areas. Here in Cook County Illinois, we lost many many residences to the housing collapse due to the door-to-door selling of bad loans in the neighborhoods by big players like Chase.
Now those properties are either vacant, sold to Chinese consortiums or sold to Middle Eastern consortiums for rental only. Meanwhile the new Assessor seems to be cutting off ways to appeal, especially for commercial properties!
I wonder if a big land grab of commercial properties similar to that of residential properties is in the offing and if this type of stealthy appropriation is happening elsewhere.
I’m guessing private equity will be the biggest property owner if recent history is any indicator.
Do more reporting politics and the environment
👏👏👏
Congrats, well deserved.