“Government resources” = your taxpayer dollars

From an article in the New York Times on growing economic inequality: Inequality is hardly a new feature in America. But the explosion of wealth at the very top is without precedent in U.S. history. At the height of the Gilded Age at the end of the 19th century, the richest handful of Americans had a net worth equivalent to about 3 percent of the country’s annual economic output, according to data compiled by the French economists Gabriel Zucman and Emmanuel Saez. Today, the fortunes of the same 0.00001 percent — about 20 individuals — make up roughly four times as large a share, equivalent to 12 percent of annual output. . . . . . The picture for the other 99 percent of Americans is more nuanced. More than half of U.S. households own stocks, either directly or through retirement accounts, meaning they have benefited at least somewhat from the record-setting run-up in share prices. Wealth has risen more slowly for middle-class families than for the rich over the past decade, Federal Reserve data shows, but it has still risen. For most Americans, however, “wealth” is a somewhat abstract concept, tied up in the house where they live and the retirement accounts they hope to leave untouched for as long as possible. What matters more, day to day, is their income. And the share of national income going to workers has been trending down for decades. It hit a record low in the first quarter of the year, according to data from the Commerce Department. ______ As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s the Golden Age for America’s oligarchs and a Golden Shower for ordinary Americans. And as the few at the top prosper and the masses at the bottom struggle, our national debt keeps growing, now standing at $39.25 trillion. And rest assured that our MAGA Republican dominated government will take from the masses and leave the oligarchs unscathed if they ever decide to do anything about the deficit and debt . . . after all, anything you do for the rich is a wholesome incentive and anything you do for the poor is evil socialism! People hate getting screwed, and rightfully so. Perhaps someday they’ll realize that the best way to stop getting screwed is to stop screwing themselves. Or maybe I’m overly optimistic.

Waste of time and money to shield the delicate eggshell ego of old Rumpled Thinskin.

The shitheads at Texas Tech are making the entire Big-12 look like tacky garbage. It is embarrassing. The conference should immediately eject TT, or enjoy complete irrelevance.

A disgrace.

A large elephant promoting Gov. Greg Abbott urinates heavily at the Texas GOP Convention

Chuck Edwards is out with another of his idiotic surveys. This time, Chuck wants to know whether his constituents are for or against wasteful government spending and fraud. Seriously? Are there actually taxpayers out there who say “I’m all for ripping me off and wasting my money?” And if Chuck was really interested in combating fraud and waste he’d detach his lips from Trump’s ass and do his part to stop Trump from starting wars, gold plating statues, constructing ballrooms and garish arches, building himself an opulent sky palace, and trying to reward domestic terrorists. He’d put his foot down and demand Trump stop his corruption and his billions of dollars of blatant grift. The real fraud here is Chuck Edwards and paying his congressional salary is most definitely waste.

Good to see the Kennedy Center graffiti removal work is underway!

RT @airforcepam: Please resend this. @PeteHegseth is trying to erase the accomplishments of people of color & women. We all need to make su…

A really good op-ed by David French on the deleterious effect Donald Trump has had on America’s political and moral culture. A free link to the op-ed is pasted below and here’s an excerpt: ______ Republicans, as we all know, now defend and even cheer conduct they once found abhorrent. Trump’s own corruption has corrupted virtually the entire party, turning it into a magnet for grifters and conspiracy theorists. And it’s obvious that Trump has influenced the evangelical church more than the evangelical church has influenced Trump. But here’s the even more insidious part. Trump’s influence has spread beyond Trump’s base. By lowering the bar of acceptable behavior below the floor of normal human decency, he’s made a mockery of the idea that character matters in politics. What value is there in being a virtuous loser? ______ And in somewhat related news, with the Space X IPO today, Elon Musk is about to become the world’s first trillionaire. I have no illusion that he’ll use his obscene wealth to do good for the world. It’s the Golden Age for the oligarchs and a Golden Shower for the rest. nytimes.com/2026/06/11/opini… via @NYTOpinion

Trump’s relationship with the world’s most notorious pedophile is well known and well documented. Trump’s first Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, when he was a U.S. Attorney in Florida, gave pedophile Epstein a sweetheart deal that resulted in a 13 month jail sentence and extremely generous work release privileges. Ken Paxton gave pedophile Adam Dean Hoffman a sweetheart deal allowing him to plead guilty to 2 misdemeanors, serve 1 day in jail, and not have to register as a sex offender. Michael Whatley repeatedly appointed convicted pedophile Harvey Lee West, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison and is on the sex offender registry, to key leadership posts in the North Carolina Republican Party. You can’t swing a Republican by the ankles without hitting a pedophile or two. GOP = Guarding Our Pedophiles

No! Not Saudi blood money drenched FIGJAM?

And if she thinks Trump gives a rat’s ass about her she’s as delusional as the farmers, factory workers, miners, and Veterans who gleefully bend over and grab their ankles believing that Trump cares about them.

In my ongoing effort to highlight things I like rather than dwelling exclusively on things that piss me off, I’m a fan of these guys from Boone NC (home of App State). share.google/7Udjhh0CGEvrowd…

As much “justice” as money can buy . . . what a travesty.

When Donald Trump went to see the Knicks they lost to break a 13 game winning streak. When Taylor Swift went they staged the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history. 🤔🤔🤔

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene killed over 100 people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and damaged 30,000 more in Western North Carolina causing $60 billion in damage. Trump stood a couple of miles from my house shortly after Helene and promised that he’d be with us every step of the way and build back bigger, better, and more beautiful. Trump appointed Michael Whatley as the Hurricane Helene recovery czar to guide the recovery efforts. While the federal government covered 75% or more of damage costs after hurricanes Maria, Sandy, and Katrina, Western NC has received just 14%. And now @WhatleyNC wants to represent us as a Senator? HELL NO!

Southern Baptists: Women should be had, not heard