246 Comments

Doing an article about this today - this 'government by extortion' scheme really has to stop. They do nothing for months and then cry about how "WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE BECAUSE HURRICANE VICTIMS!"

Meanwhile, they vote themselves raises and immunity and continue to fund junk like the Global Engagement Center.

And now it's rumored they're going to vote for this TODAY and not Friday as originally planned?

GEE I WONDER WHY

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And we have the power to vote them out and yet, no one does. This is what baffles me. Unless elections are truly rigged at this point (possible), the populace kind of deserves this. The info is out there. Every house member who agreed with this should be made to stand in the town’s square and address the people. But nope, hardly anyone even lines up to vote in an off year primary.

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The average person does vote and tries its best to vote them out. But the money, grift, backroom deals, and corporate oversight just diminishes anything I have to say or do. They can buy people, I can’t. Most American are trying just to make it to the next paycheck, hope the kids aren’t into something, fighting for healthcare, trying to think how they will retire ( sad note, they won’t) and survive in their world. They deal with the reality that is right in front of them, it is not of their making.

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The average frustrated voter is given a choice of two corproate imperialist muppets. You can choose betwween Team R Tweedledee and Team D Tweedledum.

The basic difference is which flavor of iddpol you prefer for your corporate imperialist muppet.

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Like trying to pick the best smelling dog turd….

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Funny; but some do smell better than others. I'm betting on the new team.

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And no safety net.

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They're all brothers in the same lodge. There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt - until recently... and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties.

Gore Vidal

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In a modern society people can live without hope only when kept dazed and out of breath by incessant hustling.

Eric Hoffer

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This why they like to keep majorities tight so voting someone out could switch the majority to the other party. Besides, the crook you vote out may have blackmail on everyone else. Just look at firing Kevin McCarthy as speaker and the getting even shit he did.

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Tight margins mean that a McConnel can sell Team R support while still maintaining pallusible deniability.

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It is indeed baffling. Back when Clinton was elected, I was stunned. "America cannot *really* think this way," I thought. Then I learned and the learning hasn't stopped... the low-information peeps are hurting society.

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I agree. I live in No Virginia and we see it all. It is nauseating, positively ghastly

what goes on, WITH OUR MONEY!

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Even in the "red" mid west, neighbors on either side and at least 1 across the street are very skeptical of me because I am a Conservative.

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Definitely rigged but it's still a pretty small minority who have the interest and time to get into the weeds on issues.

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Yes, elections are rigged. Jay Valentine and others, including thousands of ordinary citizens, have been uncovering the extent of the fraud for the past four years. Why did California spend weeks counting votes for U.S. Representatives? I believe they were busy inserting fraudulent votes into the system to deny victory to the actual winners so that Trump’s margin in the House would be extremely precarious. I read somewhere that the only reason the election wasn’t stolen from Trump yet again is the big bankers stopped it because they were worried about economic collapse under Harris. We aren’t living in a constitutional republic. We’re victims of a criminal cartel.

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That's not entirely fair, IMO. Most people (of voting age, who tend to be older) don't have the time or energy to vote in caucuses or primaries. By the time November comes,,we have the choice between a democrat & republican, sometimes a 3rd party (who usually has no chance). I'm not voting for a democrat, sorry. I may choose not to vote for a specific Republican if I don't like them, but that won't be enough to oust them. Even so, most ppl in my city in Texas aren't willing to help elect someone in a party that goes against everything they believe in just to stick it to the Republican & hope they learn their lesson (hint, they won't). The way the system is set up, there's not an easy way to do what you're asking. In the primary, the non incumbent usually gets 1000x less attention, so even if it's just a primary where we can cast a simple ballot, like on election day, we have no idea who the other person is, so we're not willing to go out if our way to help get them elected. The incumbent has guaranteed support, 1000x more money for advertising, etc, etc, etc. It's just not a fair fight, & u can't blame citizens who are just wanting to go to work & relax for a bit before they have to go back because they don't spend every waking hour investigating primary candidates (often several, not just one). Blame the process, if anything.

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It’s actually even more fair with your comment. If people cannot go vote (it takes next to no time- especially now that we don’t even have to physically go in many states) in a primary or caucus, then that is why we have the system we have.

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What happend to the 72 hour rule so everyone can thoroughly read and understand the bill?

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That can be overridden by the "Fuck you, that's why" clause. (Government loves that one.)

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and they won't even take us out to wine and dine us first.

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We’d only have to pay for that too.

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and a large tip.

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What i discovered by trying to read this 1547 page bill myself is 72 hours isn't enough. We need 2 weeks. And public release of text. For voter input plus bills need to be short and 1 issue only.

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I agree. 72 hours wouldn't be enough. Two weeks is about what it takes to read a thick novel. The ability to stay focused and concentrate and analyze a bill that large and dense legalese would still be daunting in 2 weeks. The size also shows the text was put together long ago, not just written = a plan (used often, I would say). I also believe bills should be short and 1 issue only. It is also time to stop omnibus bills, mini bus bills and stuffing pay raises into them. In fact, pay and raises should be set by the tax payers.

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Later i read the first bill ( wed) was put together by Johnson McConnell. Shummer Jeffries. My opinion. Is now Johnson is as bad as all the other 3.

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Johnson and the other rinos is our biggest problem. I watched the speeches from AMfest last night. Tucker Carlson talked how Lindsey Graham would find an issue that would resonate with his constituents each time he was up for reelection then get elected and never do a thing about the issue and just go on being his "charming" rino self. These guys are more concerned about other countries, donors and grift than about the American citizens.

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Definitely need to be one issue bills. But then it would be harder to hide the pork and self-serving stuff.

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that's been put forward by a couple of Congressmen over the years but it always gets voted down. Many don't want US to understand what the bills say or will do. It is a way to hid all their crap. This one is a good example. Thank goodness Vivek and a few others found a few significant issues that could be gotten out to the public quickly. The storm that created had the desired effect.

We can only hope this happens more often. I LOVE the one subject bill and written in easy to understand language rather than "legalese" It would go a long way to help people believe in our government again.

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Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either.

Gore Vidal

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Sure sign it's the puppetmasters' bill.

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Thus edging ever closer and closer to our very own July 14th, 1789!

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*Louis has exited the chat*

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Our legitimate President, Trump, has publicly come out against this unbelievably outrageous bill, and it is hoped that there are also enough honest elected members of the House to kill this thing, but don't hold your breath. And I echo Gato, WHO wrote these blatantly unconstitutional power and money grabs? WHO???????????? They need to be named and removed, permanently, from ALL positions of power, inside and outside of government, ASAP.

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Amen brother

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Will look for your article. Might want to pour a bourbon ahead of time, lol. Thanks.

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Better drink fast, because it's like a half-hour from being published ;)

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OK. Just subscribed to you. Will look for it.

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Every country in the world needs to actively look at their own "houses". This is bad and beggars belief that they are even trying it- but i guarantee that if its happening in USA, its happening in various degrees, everywhere. They are all still trying to hide the bodies under the carpet.🤨🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤬

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we should take away their funds, kind of the same as the illegals.

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They play this "last minute" game every.single.time without fail. I heard Rand Paul earlier today discussing how the essential government functions can and would be funded through early March without passing this bill. It's the pork and excess that wouldn't be funded. Every Republican need to grow a pair and insist on a bill that contains zero pork. And make it a law to do that. The other stuff should be voted on as separate bills.

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Sunlight on just who inserted this 'PROTECTION' for a public official FROM the public is paramount.

Sunlight always makes the vampires in movies scurry in fear much like the creatures in congress.

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This is what happens, every time, we accept the lie, that ...

the Ten Commandments have no place in politics.

As soon as we accept that lie ...

our politicians ...

Murder

Rape

Steal and

Lie.

And issue 10 year blanket pardons for any crimes at all, including ...

child rape and murder.

The Ten Commandments is THE MORAL LAW.

There is no way of having morality without them.

If we want to live in a country, like the one ...

we thought we did live in, when we were children ...

we, the people, need to DEMAND the application of the Ten Commandments ...

to EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE ...

from the Sewage Treatment Plant ...

to the White House.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish - Psalm 1

God Bless

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The news is saying that Congress has rejected cost of living raises since 2009 and that the bill only included a 3.8% raise, not 40%. Can anyone show that this is not the truth?

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Old Salary: $174,000

New Salary: $243,300

New Salary is 139.8% higher.

The 3.8 raise refers to max cost of living adjustments, which isn't the issue being discussed. Congress has not gotten those 'raises' since 2009.

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Do you have a citation for that number, $243,000, from the bill or anywhere else? The news is saying the Musk was repeating the statement of someone who had only calculated what their salary would be if they had not been rejecting the cost of living raise for the past 15 years. I have not yet found conclusive proof for either position.

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I guess it depends if the pay freeze is just lifted for this year or for every year since 2009. Knowing government, it could be either.

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We have long ago reached the "open looting" stage, where everyone mouths the usual old platitudes, while everyone who can steals everything not nailed down.

This is similar to the late stage Soviet Union. No, Trump will not save us.

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Is it not written that, when reporting a crime is treated as a crime, then you are ruled by criminals?

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When saying "No, I did not rape that woman" is treated as a crime, but the people saw through that travesty, we are in new territory.

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I'm afraid the Transnationals are setting DJT up for a mean ambush.

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I believe he's well aware of "his" lane. Look at these appointments!!!

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He will save us for a while and so will Vance but we are still going down.

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No one is coming to save us. It’s up to us to save ourselves. Federal tax strike.

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I truly believe they are involved. To believe otherwise is foolish. I will eat my words if he shocks me and does something good in January.

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G you’re a regular bluebird of happiness🤮

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Also Enron.

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Well, at least this bill got quashed, thanks to Trump and other patriots who spoke out against it.

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As Sean Davis said “The US government is behind it and they are lying to cover it up”

Johnson’s lie is that this has to MOASS to get relief to hurricane victims. That’s a lie. They could do a CR and pass a separate bill. They are providing cover for themselves. They are all pieces of shit.

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I left the democrat party in 2021. Why would I go to the other bunch of grifters and punks? Tell me why?

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I left GOP in 2012 after having to hold my nose and vote Bush, Dole, Bush 2, McCain, Romney... all RINOs !!! Barf. Politicians are prostitutes to the money that elects them. That's why Trump appealed to me... a no nonsense pragmatic businessman. Just cut the BS and get down to business... only the best & brightest on his team... no identity politics hiring in his admin. Look at the nonsense hires in the Biden-Harris fiasco... what a joke and it almost ruined America. God Bless Trump & Vance and the new Trump team.

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I do have some hope because I know the quality and honesty of some of Trumps picks. I’ve watched these people for several years. Congress may be one of his enemies because they have other agendas and most are not for us. President Trump will have his work cut out for him with this bunch.

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Hoping for the best. Positive change, gov’t efficiency & cost cutting, no more proxy war funding, domestic energy production, illegal migrant deportation, border security, FINISH THE WALL, alphabet agencies purged, make God a part of society again.

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American Independent Party. Beholden to no one. We vote for principal not party.

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I had to get Biden and Harris out. My only grandchild is trapped in the trans ideology. It’s a hell no one really understands unless you are close and seeing it. So why would I waste my vote when what I want is vaporizing revenge on certain swamp donkeys and those who rode in on them. Someday maybe. But all my votes these days are just against the other side votes. Actually all the congress can just GTH.

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The Democrat Party left me 22NOV63!

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They killed the best person that ever carried their torch. Looking back, a lot of America died that day. Bring back 1950s America.

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"Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

John F. Kennedy

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That's brilliant. If he were alive today, he'd be considered Conservative. What a treasonous travesty that he was murdered by his own team. The Warren Commission Report was a sick joke... only an idiot would believe that trash. We all know who murdered JFK.

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Yes, JFK was a Democrat, it was a different Party in a different time. Myself, I continue to be a Jefferson, Jackson, FDR, HST, JFK Democrat. You are spot on regarding the Warren Commission. "For some time I have been disturbed by the way the CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy making arm of the government." If you have not read it you may find this HST letter of interest: Harry Truman's December 1963 Letter to The Washington Post on the CIA.

Harry S. Truman

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It’s really quite stunning when you realize that we are involved in a constant pitched battle AGAINST those in OUR OWN GOVERNMENT who happen to be the biggest threat to our Constitution and the Rule of Law.

Extraordinary.

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alas, it is not so much stunning as the modal outcome of human experience. our founders and framers knew this full well.

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

-george washington

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Indeed. It’s one thing to know that intellectually, as we were warned by our Founders time and time again, but pretty devastating when you’re living on the receiving end of it.

We’ve allowed so much corruption for so long to seep into the woodwork, and now the whole house is rotted and needs to be torn down and built back from the ground up, only with this time with even more stringent measures in place to prevent it from happening again, if that’s even possible.

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And don't forget the raise for themselves that's in there!!

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Hell yeah, they are voting themselves a raise - forget that salary increase nonsense, they are providing themselves with lifetime immunities for their graft, corruption and malfeasance. That's where the real financial incentives lie waiting. Term Limits, please.

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I'm surprised they didn't put in a "no-takesies-backsies" clause!

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No worries, it's in there - somewhere.

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40 percent! incredible

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What! This happened in Canada too where they voted themselves the second highest pay in the world ( after US) and also voted themselves the best pensions in the world.

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Hey, inflation is an issue! Congressmen gotta eat, too!

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Let's put 'em on a pork-free diet.

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F these Mfers they need to go

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Is it just me or should a bill be made about bills. Ie 1 bill for one law? How many new laws get proposed in this stack? Leviathans tentacles are writhing through every sheet…when you can’t disentangle how it’s all interconnected the bill should be ignored. A bill should be about clarity but it has become purposefully unclear. We teach elementary kids how to write clear and concise and yet our politicians can slap this together so that very few (including themselves) know what it means to pass it. BUT finding this single section here is enough to shred the three reams of paper used to print it. Gato sharpen those claws and get going (I would actually like to see this in real life ha).

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Rand Paul proposes to end this with the "One Subject at a Time Act" https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s287

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Washington State's experience with such a requirement is not encouraging. In recent years it has mostly been used by the courts to overturn some very popular initiatives.

It all comes down to that it is fairly squishy to try to define "one subject" In a meaningful way.

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Just wrote about BS like this in Washington State. They're trying to overturn the voter-passed "no natural gas ban" -- even as storms take out power across the state.

https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/while-rest-of-america-reverses-course

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"one subject at a time" is a logical idea but the site itself states :-

"This bill has a . . .

1% chance of getting past committee.

0% chance of being enacted.

Only 11% of bills made it past committee and only about 2% were enacted in 2021–2023."

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There we go…I’m sure it’s not too popular

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Pitchforks & torches…. Unite!!!

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Heads on Pikes

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Perhaps a shotgun or two.

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Or three😆

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Empty words - unless you're all prepared to take the time to hassle your representatives about this, as well as spreading the word as far and as wide as possible.

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One of our wisest, yet unknown founders, “Anti-Federalist” Robert Yates, nailed it about practically everything we see today because it is what happens when we create a strong, centralized government that becomes so corrupt and out of control – life in upside down world 21st century America. He predicted it all – forever wars, activist supreme court judges, the divide in the country because we are a country too big and diverse to get agree on issues, and of course, the absolute corruption in a central government, far away from the people’s watchful eyes.

You’d think he was a prophet of what was to come by creating a huge, out of control government. So, why not revisit the thoughts of the wise founders we call the “Anti-Federalists” who were the REAL federalists. Maybe their wisdom is a way out of this mess? https://lizlasorte.substack.com/p/name-that-anti-federalist?r=76q58

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Not necessarily prophecy. The founders had only to look across the Atliantic to see the effects of bloated central government. London was to Imperial Britain what Washington DC is to the current US empire.

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Good point - whoever inserted this section into the bill likely has some incriminating electronic records they need to protect. Otoh, perhaps all the congressional leaders are in that situation.

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If you ever awakened in the night anxious that with the perhaps now neverending Plague Era finally ending and you wouldn't have much to write about going forward--

you ain't never likely to run out of stuff to write about going forward. Every new day dawns with another little or bigger atrocity that needs to be dragged out into and scorched by sunlight.

Great post here.

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Agree, and it usually is more than one atrocity per day... they are trying to wear us all down.

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And we'll keep coming back!

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We leave sometimes?

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Not willingly

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And of course, it will fly through and be approved without debate and largely without being read. After all, they’re voting themselves a monstrous raise, aren’t they?

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And I bet the raise is listed before the dirty stuff so they stop reading at that point. No different than the voters, what's in it for me.

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After years of diligent striving, the Congress of the United States of America is pleased to announce - "We have now reached, and even exceeded, eastern European, AND sub-Saharan African levels of corruption."

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Pft. You act like it was easy.

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"diligent striving"

It was not easy. It took them decades of hard work to create the foul swamp creature about which President Eisenhower so presciently warned us. We allowed them to supplant "We the people" with government for the lobbyist, by the lobbyist.

It took decades of consistent effort to 'dumb us down' - to reduce literacy and numeracy to early 1800's levels, and to virtually eliminate civics and history from school curricula.

It took those same decades to grow a functioning civil service into a Brobdingnagian behemoth of ineptitude, incompetence and corruption.

And we let them.

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Bro, you going full Brobdingnagian now.

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Just really, really pissed off about the latest atrocity.

Thinkin' - Da bigga dey is, da harder dey fall.

Trouble is - they're trying very, very, hard to take us with 'em.

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Hang in there, Andy and Merry Christmas bro

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He said Diligent, man v

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This is completely frustrating and utterly shocking. Whatever can we do?

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I think many people know exactly what needs to be done. We the People are being pushed to the edge of an abiss which the DSers yearn for as they feel totally invincible. Time and God will determine what actually happens.

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This is not shocking. It’s what we should expect from these corrupted politicians.

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How can they get away with this? The author of this bit of legislation is not worthy if the office. What should we do? Who has the authority to stop this?

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That’s my question… we can all scream and holler about this, but how do we STOP it!?? 😡🔥🔥🔥

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You (metaphorical you) do. But you lack the courage to do what must be done.

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