Erika

Here it comes, kids. The horrendously shitty things Republicans have done - and continue to do  - and continue trying to do - generally don't take effect immediately. That is, we don't see or feel the effects right away. (There's that pesky old "elasticity thing" I go on about sometimes)

Anyway, the fucked up every-man-for-himself hellscape that the Plutocrat-friendly GOP has been pimping these last 50 years is starting to take shape.

If It Hurts, It's Alive

So stop trying to deny that first part.

The Tyranny Of Percentages

The "average" American is getting about $350 more than last year in their tax refunds.

Yay for that. This is a good thing.

Problem:

The cost of gas, and groceries, and other goods is increasing (inflation is up around 3.3% now), and that means we're going to pay more in sales taxes.

That's kinda how percentage works.

At a total Sales Tax Rate of 6% (a low-ish average nationwide), my usual $110 in groceries costs $116.60.

Inflation pushes the cost of my groceries to $113.63, which is $120.45 with tax.

If that new total of $116.60 is what I spend every 5 or 6 days, then the $6.40 in extra tax means I'll spend almost $390.00 more this year than I did last year, and - obviously - that eliminates any gain in my tax refund, and equates to a hit on my $65,000 average income of almost a full percent.

So a "tax cut", (minus inflation, minus tariffs) means my annual income goes down - and that's just looking at the food that I can't not buy. Wanna talk about clothing? Wanna talk about having a child or two? How 'bout maintenance on your car and your house?

Meanwhile, people making over the magic threshold of $400,000 will likely not see any discernible change at all.

And don't get me started on Parasite Billionaires.

Today's Maggie

Another Mr Global

"We" are not going to make a lot of money, in spite of what Mr Trump tries to tell us.

The Dirty Fuels Cartel will make a lot of money, because they own a controlling share of our coin-operated politicians.

We - you and me and our friends and neighbors - will not make that money.

We will go broke filling the pockets of the plutocrats.

Mr Global

BOTH

SIDES

DON'T

Leavitt tried to articulate some kind of moral superiority, but she only further debased the whole sorry fucked up mess.

And the kicker:

She needs us to think about how sick and twisted and disgusting it is for Democrats to have known about Swalwell and said nothing about it until the story broke, without the slightest hint of irony or self-awareness about Republicans who're still actively engaged in covering up for Trump.

And she's right, in a perverted way. The whole stupid Washington game of collecting bargaining chips to use for, or against somebody "when the time comes", and the difference in how the parties are playing that stupid game now - that's where the real disgust ultimately belongs.

Democrats aren't exactly pure as the driven snow, but Republicans are like that ugly gray-brown slush on the streets when a heavy snow starts to melt.

The Right Kind Of Fuckup

Madison said:

"The purpose of the separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries."

So the whole point of the Freedom of Religion clauses in the first amendment, is aimed at the two basic points:

1. Keep the government from dictating what religions have to be and do
2. Keep the god-knobbers from dictating government policies

I've said I'll vote for just about any candidate who says they'll close down the White House Faith Office, and the Office Of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. I don't want my government to give one lousy dime of my money to some bible-thumping Jesus freak. Ever.

There are much better ways to help "the needy".

One look at Paula White* and it has to be obvious what a stupid thing it is to hand her millions of taxpayer dollars and let her do whatever she sees fit with it.

So when Trump spits on the Pope, and Hegseth delivers fire-n-brimstone "Christian Soldier" screeds, and then tries to pass off a "quote" from Pulp Fiction as something from the bible - all of which ends up accumulating into a massive "fuck you" to Christians in general - well - you know - Trump always makes things worse for Trump.

* (Google)

AI Overview

Whether Paula White is considered a "fraud" is a matter of intense public debate and perspective, largely centered on her promotion of prosperity theology and her fundraising methods. While she is a prominent televangelist and a spiritual advisor to Donald Trump, she has faced significant accusations from critics regarding her practices.

Accusations and Criticism:

• Fundraising Practices: White has been criticized for her, at times, relentless solicitation of donations, often promising divine returns for financial "seed" money, which critics characterize as exploiting low-to-middle income followers.
• Financial Scrutiny: Her ministry, "Without Walls," previously went through a bankruptcy, and her lavish lifestyle has drawn scrutiny in contrast to her solicitation of donations.
• Accusations of Exploitation: Critics, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, have accused her of engaging in "spiritual exploitation" and promoting a "grift" rather than providing genuine religious support.
• Political Controversy: Some observers, including legal experts, have accused her of running a "ponzi scheme" and "prophetic" scams for profit, particularly when she was connected to her role as a White House spiritual advisor.

Prosperity Theology:

White is a proponent of "prosperity theology," which claims that financial blessing is the will of God for Christians and that donations to the church will bring financial returns.
This theology is frequently criticized by other religious leaders as heresy, unbiblical, and exploitative.

Defense and Position:

• Supporters see her as a legitimate spiritual leader who has successfully navigated a male-dominated field of televangelism.
• She has maintained a close relationship with high-profile political figures, notably Donald Trump, and has defended her teachings, framing her work as ministry.

Ultimately, for her supporters, she is a preacher of prosperity; for her critics, she is seen as a "con artist" or someone committing financial fraud in the name of religion.

Erika

2 weeks.

That's the method to his madness.

Mathing It Out

Yes, the top 1% pay about 40% of the taxes.

A better way to put it is that the top 1% pay $880 Billion a year in taxes, while controlling - and living on - more than $53 Trillion.

And an even better way to put it:

$880,000,000,000 ÷ $50,000,000,000,000 = 1.7%

The elite 1% are parasites.oo

GIGO

Disclaimer: Everything I'm saying here is from my own limited knowledge and experience of what it takes to "program" a computer.

AI has already shown a nasty tendency to hallucinate. Its programming is such that it gets sent out to capture as much data as possible. Generally, that data has been processed down to actual information, and sometimes, it's been contaminated by "raw data" that's just out there floating around.

And as each AI thingie keeps eating everything put out by all the other AI thingies, there's a fair likelihood that we're going to get a kind of closed-loop information track that eventually leads to what we used to call Machine Psychosis.

ie:

10 print: Help, I'm stuck in a loop!

20 go to: 10

One of the problems right now is that everybody and his fuckin' uncle has been putting up an AI thingie, and they're all pretty much feeding on each other. So if some random yahoo throws some totally bogus info into cyberspace, it's going to get swept up and included in practically everybody's output.

So the big problem, as I see it, is that most AI engines haven't been taught any great skills of discernment - kinda like most Americans haven't. Not yet anyway.