Daily Check-In 10/22/2018

Daily Check-In

Monday, October 22, 2018 and the weekend

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

There’s no longer any dispute that Saudi Arabian officials killed Jamal Khashoggi. The US, UK, and Canada must immediately apply the Magnitsky Act to those who participated in, ordered and covered up the killing. All countries who don’t have a Magnitsky Act should pass one ASAP

For those unfamiliar with the Magnitsky Act, it freezes assets and bans visa of people involved in torture, extrajudicial killing and other gross human rights abuses. It would have a dramatic effect of wealthy Saudi princes

Applying the Magnitsky Act to the people who ordered Khashoggi’s murder would also send a chilling message to other tin pot dictators that there will be grave consequences for these types of atrocities

And for what it’s worth, the ludicrous Saudi “explanation” of what happened to Khashoggi should expand the list of officials sanctioned to those who have been involved in the cover up. That’s what happened in Russia in the Magnitsky case and should happen here as well

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

 

SCOTUS 

 

#METOO

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET

 

TRAITOR TOTS

 

FIGHTING BACK

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

 

SOROS

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

Houston Rally

 

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

BLATANT BIGOTRY

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

PRIESTS

Well…, there is another way, but technically it involves either ex-communication or desecrating a holy wafer after it’s been blessed.  Due to that whole transubstantiation thing where a piece of bread or wafer literally becomes JC’s flesh, not eating that flesh is considered a mortal sin of the highest regard.  And unlike child rape, this is their “Go Straight To Hell” sin that only the Pope can forgive.

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

Probably because kids are expensive, and young people are poor.

Seriously, think about it for a second.  Younger people make less comparatively than their parents did.  They also have fewer chances at better jobs, are priced out of the housing market, and are either unable to get a decent job because they don’t have a college degree, or they can’t afford to do anything because of student loans.  Assuming they can even get into a long-term relationship, the prospect of kids is daunting.  Child care costs are prohibitive.  $1200-$1500 for day care a month is not uncommon.  That’s before diapers, wipes, formula, baby clothes, car seats, and everything else.

I have a single friend who owns his own race car.  He can afford his race car by simply not paying for day care.  The amount of money he would have spent on a baby went to make a race car from scratch.

When I hear reports about experts wondering why people aren’t having kids, I think back to a few years ago when my oldest was in day care, and before I consolidated by student loans.  My mortgage was the third biggest bill each month behind those two.

 

ELECTION 2018

People were camping out overnight to vote?  In Texas?  I’ve seen people camp out for concert tickets, sporting events, and iPhones, but never to vote.  This is different.

 

THINKING AHEAD

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

 

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

 

RUMOR MILL

 

Asking all my 50-60 year old followers. Please do the following exercise & post your thoughts about it 🙏: 1. Calculate how many years you’ve been paying into Social Security. If you can, calculate # paychecks (2 per month for x months) YOUR EARNINGS were removed for SS. (cont)

2. Now, go to your retirement planning. Your MONTHLY budget. And REMOVE Social Security amount you are expecting to receive for your retirement. Again, REMOVE the Social Security line item from your retirement budget.

3. Next, REMOVE your earned healthcare benefits: Medicaid and Medicare. And ADD in the cost of private insurance plan that will cover assisted living costs (estimate needing this at 85 yrs. to be conservative). For R/x costs, conservatively add $800/month.

4. Lastly, if you have a parent relying on Medicaid or Medicare, ADD that cost to your spreadsheet. If they are in assisted living, or require in-home care, ADD that overhead to yours. (cont)

5. How’s your budget look? Are you going to be able to afford to retire? How much longer will you have to work now? Because that money – YOUR MONEY THAT YOU EARNED & ARE COUNTING ON… it’s gone. (cont)

6. That’s what the tax bill was all about. & gave all that money of yours – money that you broke your back earning for decades – to billionaires. Don’t fall for any nuanced bullshit that SS & other earned benefits are in some other bucket… (cont)

7. They’ve said blatantly that to pay for the astronomical deficit that they just created, they are taking Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid away. THIS IS THE PLAN. The midterm elections ARE about your wallet – YOUR RETIREMENT. has failed to communicate this, so…

8. We’re going to have to do it ourselves. Again. The guardrail – the check & balance – is not just on Trump’s corruption, but on REPUBLICAN CONTROL OF YOUR MONEY. & are STEALING YOUR MONEY. Your retirement. THEY STOLE IT FOR BILLIONAIRES. (cont)

9. We can do this. Just do that financial exercise & SHOUT ABOUT IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SHOUT IT TO YOUR LOCAL DEM CANDIDATE & DNC. And remind them of this: It doesn’t matter how “great” Trump’s economy is when you retire. Because you won’t be in it. Neither will grandma. – END –

 

 

That’s it for the last few days.  It’s been crazy the last few days, and things feel shitty right now, but there is always reason to hope.  There is always reason to see that things will get better.

Right now, millions of Americans are waking up for the first time to the corruption around them and fighting back.  They’re voting, their advocating, and they’re organizing.

Right now, there are at least a half a dozen separate investigations going on involving the Trump family alone.  That doesn’t include all of their associates, their lackeys, or their co-conspirators.

Right now, an entire generation of students are registering to vote for the first time, and the way they start now will likely shape their views for the next 20-40 years.

Right now, someone in the White House is trying to come up with something, anything, that will motivate Trump’s base to vote for him, and they’re literally throwing everything against the wall at this point.

Right now, someone who has never organized so much as a birthday party is out knocking on doors, trying to get their neighbors to vote.

Right now, someone who has never donated to help a campaign or work an election is signing up for Lyft or Uber just so they can shuttle people to the polls on election day.

Right now, someone is sifting through over 54 hours of interviews with Paul Manafort, categorizing each and every claim he made, and lining them up against the evidence they have on file and with the testimony of other witnesses.

Right now, at least a half a dozen people in the White House are panicking, wondering if their actions rise to the level of criminality needed to press charges against them.

Right now, a powerful man in this country is scared shitless at the thought that his actions from 30 years ago will come back to haunt him.

Right now, a parent is making a protest sign with their child.

Right now, a family is coming together for the first time in years, as the long-time Republican in the family has finally had enough of Trump’s and McConnell’s bullshit.

Right now, people are pissed, yet hopeful.  They’re pissed at the way their country is going, but hopeful for where it can go.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Published by noneofthisisnormal

Published

One thought on “Daily Check-In 10/22/2018”

  1. Pingback: Daily Check-In 10/24/2018 – None of this is Normal

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