Truthful News Weekend 2023-02-24 – (14 videos and many comments)

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Summary: issues of People’s Party success possibility, Ukraine war, crumbling corrupt societies, Peru demonstrations, and more — some news video with many good written comments from listeners.

Stars and channels: Graham Shepard, Democracy At Work (Richard Wolff with Stephen Bezruchka), Second Thought (JT Chapman), Wealthy Expat, Sabby Sabs, Academy of Ideas, FINANCE ZONE, The Zero Hour with RJ Eskow (with Merith Basey), New Economic Thinking, People’s Podcast, The Real News Network, Al Jazeera English

Topics:

A Guy’s Thoughts and Recommendations for a People’s Party ***
Major Needs for Escaping Capitalism ***
Capitalism is Not a Proper Human Nature (Socialism can be Better) **
Confusing Tax Loopholes for the Rich *
Fake “Dem” Progressives, Tough Independent or 3rd Party Elections, Fighting from the Bottom *
History: Rome’s Collapse from Inflation and Overtaxation *
Stock Market Infos
Crumbling American Middle Class
Fight for Affordable Drugs Discussion
Insane Game for the Richest 1%
War and Wealth Terror ***
Peru update: The Demonstrations Continue *
Health Risks: Current Bird Flu Boost

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Very important to think about a people’s party like the one that started founding in 2017, has been attacked, but may potentially recover using tips like these:

1. A Guy’s Thoughts and Recommendations for a People’s Party ***

I’d say I fully agree with 90 to 95% of his recommendations (not sure if I understood them all correctly). Personally I would add this one: Have a People’s Party communicate the goals with the people and let all its members at the bottom (one voice one vote) alter and/or vote in or out the proposed goals, and constantly making it clear that this is how this party works, from the bottom to the top, not the top to the bottom. Some of his goal suggestions may not be 100% perfect, but would be properly handled by designing and voting on them from the bottom to let the majority of our people unite in that party and get the most urgently needed changes made, then gradually figuring out harder to pick choices.

HELLO PROGRESSIVES – A TIME FOR CHOOSING ~ Graham Shepard (Jan 11, 2023)

2. Major Needs for Escaping Capitalism ***

The first insight given in part one when presenting India’s extreme inequality that is very much like ours in the U.S.A.: capitalism = colonialism = feudalism. All basically the same: a few cruel lords ruling, looting, and oppressing the rest of us. Let me add, these wealth gangsters are rewarded for their evil (an evil this insane culture leads them into). And this happens when most of us are not evil and would act differently. But when split up and pitted against each other, and kept buried in survival struggles and confused with fake politics, we fail to rise up together, standing shoulder by shoulder and changing back to a proper human system and culture aiming at a Good Life for All. The next insight given: lack of liberty in the working class (example: “non-compete” job contracts and other restrictions). Employers blocking their workers’ liberty (and even their professional growth). The third insight: the insane privatized profiteering setup of our insurances is another problem (higher costs, less help, or even help denial). Finally, in the second half, comes an insight in our bad healthcare system outcomes: 50 other countries having their people live longer than us Americans, and we Americans currently shrinking further in our age reaches. We are not the fantastic country anymore as which we were still seen when I was young. Wouldn’t you agree that we need to change our eco-political system and culture?

Economic Update: Inequality’s Insidious Spread – COVID-19, India, Insurance ~ Democracy At Work (with Stephen Bezruchka, Feb 20, 2023)

Good comments from listeners:

I just visited another country and I loved how there were so many businesses that were street vendors and mom and pop stores and restaurants. Here we have to shop mostly at only large corporate stores like Walmart, dollar stores, fast food. Small businesses are becoming rare.
Just had Knee surgery by a top surgeon in Australia, I went to the hospital, went home after with crutches they loaned me and pain killers in case I needed them, it cost me Nothing, no one asked me for or even mentioned money. Went to my local GP to have stitches removed today, cost me nothing I was seen in approx 5 min. Universal healthcare is fantastic and worth every tax dollar.
I got charged $8000 to sit in a bed and have some tests. No diagnosis.

3. Capitalism is Not a Proper Human Nature (Socialism can be Better) **

No “ism” guarantees that people will always do the right things, but capitalism is set up to give wealth and power to a few overly greedy and selfish people who eagerly hurt others because it fits into the rules of that game. The conclusion of the video (describing socialism) deserves three stars (***), but the preceding part of the video is in some parts a little hard to understand (uncommon vocabs use and talk too fast — tsk tsk!)

Is Capitalism Really Human Nature? ~ Second Thought (Feb 17, 2023)

A cute comment given by one of the listeners:

Scientists for 3000 years: “My desire is knowledge!”
Artists for 3000 years: “My desire is creation!”
Craftsmen for 3000 years: “My desire is to solve problems!”
Capitalists for 200 years: “hUmAnS OnLy rEaL dEsIrE iS gReEd!”

I am really glad that more and more people are waking up. Here are more really nice comments made by listeners:

I grew up in a religious community that also believed that humans were naturally evil and selfish. Since leaving, I’ve learned that people are mostly kind. Whatever selfishness they do exhibit is usually because they’re in a desperate situation and have needs that are going unfulfilled, not because they are trying to gain advantage over someone else for no good reason.
If I could live my life being able to create art without having to make money to survive then I would likely just give stuff away that I make for free, even taking free requests. I love making things and sharing those things. I hate having to make money to survive.
I often get caught up explaining to people that historically humans are not selfish. We wouldn’t have survived as a species otherwise. But pointing out to people in this video that under socialism someone being greedy and selfish is gonna have a tough time convincing others to do what this selfish person wants is a lovely argument I had never considered.
My dad makes this point all the time when I talk to him about capitalism, I tell him it’s the capitalist apparatus that created all the greed in our society. Humanity is communal, loving, and caring for each other; we wouldn’t be at this point in society if it weren’t for community and working together. Humans aren’t meant to be individualistic, we’re social creatures. So, SOCIALism is the best.
Not all humans are greedy. We probably have a small amount (5%?) of greedy people. Similarly to predator/prey ratios in nature, there is a certain stable equilibrium. With capitalism enhancing greediness, we’ve moved far away from that –> that causes damage around us and to ourselves.
The problem about humanity is not that we are evil or selfish, but very easily manipulated. No matter if child or adult, too many of us are too vulnerable this way and don’t learn to think for ourselves properly. I myself am also guilty of this, and I work on it every single day.
I often think that the “people are selfish and greedy” argument is sincerely made by the few people who really are selfish and greedy. Such people seem to honestly believe that altruism and compassion are weaknesses. Further, they want to live in a world that rewards their skills at ruthless violence or manipulation. So they spend a lot of effort convincing other people that there’s nothing to be done about it.
We’re vulnerable because the sociopathic class has developed a society over centuries that robs us of the tools to think for ourselves properly. It’s on us to relearn how to do this and share this knowledge with the people around us.
I studied cultural anthropology in university. We often talked about “human nature” in class. Early humans would care for one another, for the sick and dying, for the children. Because humans are gregarious animals, we are meant to form communities and that’s how we survive. That’s one of the reasons why we’re living a major mental health crisis all over the world, because capitalism tears us apart instead of bringing us together. We’re lonely because community is no longer encouraged as it once was. Human nature is togetherness and dependability, not gouging each other’s eyes out for some gold coins we can hoard.

4. Confusing Tax Loopholes for the Rich *

… and quite frankly also for poor people for instance looking for a foreign new home where life could be cheap enough to be able to retire there when not getting enough retirement income or old age freelance work income or some such income to ever be able to retire in their home country like the U.S. where the costs of living are much higher; but then having to deal with foreign taxes taking a lot away from a poor retirement income transferred over there. — Such troubles for poor people plus high government expenditures on brutal unjustifiable wars and global terrorism, plus any attempt of working freelance when unemployed quickly getting you into trouble too (like losing Medicaid, having to register yourself as a company and then having weird accounting issues and lawsuit risks, and, and, and…) makes it understandable to me that people at all ranges of incomes and possessions end up distrusting taxation and looking for some seat belts to protect them from over-taxation or getting found guilty of tax avoidance when merely having struggled unsuccessfully with the endless hay stack of tax rules, exemptions, loopholes, and, and, and, all invented because of the morality struggles so many of us sooner or later get slapped with by our immoral tax systems in an immoral money culture. (Property tax example: recall for instance the unfair taxing of home ownership in contrast to no property tax being taken from stocks.) And, yes, it is hard to find proper informers, helpful agents (especially when not rich because unaffordable). But in this video it is claimed that even rich people often get dishonestly assisted by people who professionally deal with these weird issues but ultimately only care for their own profits. That’s why this video from a rich-folks-assistant was interesting to me.

Pay Zero Taxes Without Moving Overseas… How? ~ Wealthy Expat (Mar 10, 2022)

Note: Rich people should pay higher taxes than many of them do in order to finance help for the poor. But which countries really even attempt either part of this or do it well? In fact, IMHO, there should be cap tax on the rich (both on income and possessed wealth) to prevent any of us to get rich enough to bribe governments in their pockets. And at the same time (financed that way) there should be – for everybody! – a guaranteed minimum income (UBI) plus guaranteed housing plus guaranteed universal healthcare (and a healthcare system shifted away from profiteering into actual care for people’s health). Thus us all being able to return into true human lives where we can focus again on proper human interests and needs and enjoyments with love and care – dealing with life! – and money no longer terrorizing us.

5. Fake “Dem” Progressives, Tough Independent or 3rd Party Elections, Fighting from the Bottom *

… a number of important issues discussed between Sabby Sabs and Glenn Greenwald for under 14 minutes. A correction needed for a memory-error in this video: Kshama Sawant did not run as a “Democrat”. She ran under her party name Socialist Alternative.

Glenn Greenwald EXAMINES Third Parties & Direct Action (Interview Clip) w/Glenn Greenwald ~ Sabby Sabs (Jan 30, 2023)

Comments from listeners:

Along with direct action, mutual aid, civil disobedience, and local politics, we should add refusing to support the duopoly in national elections to the left’s arsenal. This action (not endorsing the status quo by voting DemRep: voting new party, abstaining, write in, whatever) upholds an historically literate understanding of the past decades. Voting for the lesser evil = evil. Temporary harm reduction = more harm.
Sabby, you are becoming more and more important for us leftist. I follow you now more than a year and it is so great to see your show growing.
Third parties can be bought too. We need to pass and enforce Campaign Finance Reform.
The Right was able to mobilize locally, often via school-board elections and city/county politics. This local-focused politics was successful across large parts of the nation due to the fact that the Right has a coherent set of demands, or what is known as a “political program” and so while working locally, they also network nationally and coordinate their efforts. This is the secret of the Right’s success, and it should be studied and emulated where possible by those on the left who wish to advance an agenda. It helps to have a coherent set of demands – positive demands – rather than mobilizing as an “anti” whatever, though “anti” politics also has its place, particularly in regard to America’s costly and ruinous Forever War.

Another comment written there: “One major difference is that people in other countries have universal healthcare, so they can come and go as they please. People in the US are scared witless about keeping their jobs to keep their healthcare.”

6. History: Rome’s Collapse from Inflation and Overtaxation *

The collapse we may expect if we don’t change our insane money-game society setup (our suffering already begun). The video’s final conclusion end we can ignore. A better conclusion would be that money is too corrupt by design when both its accumulation and loss are left unlimited.

How Inflation Precipitates Societal Collapse ~ Academy of Ideas (Oct 10, 2022)

7. Stock Market Infos

Surprising variations.

Ask Prof Wolff: What Happens to the Stock Market After Capitalism? ~ Democracy At Work (Feb 22, 2023)

8. Crumbling American Middle Class

A bunch of (of course not complete) details given on the poverty coming for us all (except the 1% of money mafiosi). Me adding what was of course not mentioned in this vide: Let’s not forget, though, that there has also always been a highly suffering poverty class. The middle class was developed not only by a certain degree of revolution from the bottom against poverty, but also by the rich gangsters on our top wanting to have a protective to them class between them and the utterly poor, a class feeling that the world is fine enough and therefore not insisting on changes. Then the money lords stealing more and more from the middle class to enrich themselves further could also be aligned with PR claiming that the poverty class were the middle classe’s trouble by government taxation on middle classers for welfares for the poor. It’s a typical strategy of the immoral lords to split up the population into groups aimed against each other as supposed enemies or problems. A perfect distraction away from the real trouble makers, the sociopathic robber barons at the top.

12 Things The American Middle Class CAN’T AFFORD ANYMORE ~ FINANCE ZONE (Jan 10, 2023)

9. Fight for Affordable Drugs Discussion

I find it over-optimistic. Personally, I think that all the things we humans need (including medications) are constantly dragged away from us, respectively made too expensive in a Monopoly-game-like money world we live in now. Way too weak legislations started to give us hope tend to strike me as nothing more than dishonest promises, things either never fulfilled or always kept too weak while in the meantime more damages are getting done by the rich money lords who want to own everything (or in some cases possibly even themselves feel pushed into self defense in our cruel money game life). Still, if you have not heard much about our medication legislations, you may capture useful information in this discussion.

Merith Basey: The Fight for Affordable Drugs ~ The Zero Hour with RJ Eskow (Feb 11, 2023)

10. Insane Game for the Richest 1%

… and a growing awareness they need to be taxed. An interview with Oxfam members.

Survival of the Richest ~ New Economic Thinking (Feb 20, 2023)

Nice comment from a listener: “In 1971 the dominance of fiat in banking began globally. Followed by a group of ‘leaders’ in banking that told the public: self-regulation is the best policy. Now we see the results half a century on. It’s not complicated; these people printed extraordinary sums of money to give to themselves and those in their network. Laundered through various clever means and mechanisms like the expansion of consumer credit, stock buybacks, asset price inflation, etc. In the end, they just wound up pulling one of the oldest con jobs in the book: counterfeiting. Only with a few extra steps and loop-d-loops to throw sand in the eyes of the public. And they can keep it going by printing all the money in the world to bribe, cajole, and influence whoever and whatever they want without a check. For as long as the dollar is the reserve currency. — This isn’t a diatribe to promote Gold, Bitcoin, or whatever. It’s to call it as I see it: theft on a scale unprecedented in the entire history of our species.”

11. War and Wealth Terror ***

Very short but very much to the point.

Rage Against The War Machine – David Swanson ~ People’s Podcast (Feb 18, 2023)

12. Peru update: The Demonstrations Continue *

“We will die for our motherland.” – Over 50 people have been killed by military and police in more than two months of demonstrations for new elections and a new constitution following the ouster of democratically-elected President Pedro Castillo. Demonstrators in Peru accept risking their lives when demonstrating, being sick of all the suffering they have been given.

‘We will die for our motherland’ | Peru fights back against Boluarte coup government ~ The Real News Network (Feb 21, 2023)

Part 2: racism reminder

Peru protests: Indigenous communities call for Boluarte resignation ~ Al Jazeera English (Feb 19, 2023)

13. Health Risks: Current Bird Flu Boost

Let’s remember that COVID was only soso. A much stronger pandemic can hit us any time. Right now the bird flu has a risky boost.

Peru suffers mass deaths of sea lions amid bird flu ~ Al Jazeera English (Feb 22, 2023)

And don’t forget to regularly look into The Revolution Continues for good reads.

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