After 48 years "in harness," I took an early retirement at 62 instead of waiting until I turned 66. A "quality of life" decision for which I continue to be penalized 25% of my annual Social Security benefits.
For the three years immediately following that move, I was without Medicare, simply because I couldn't afford it. I already had some "pre-existing conditions" - always a red flag for any healthcare - but to get all the necessary coverages I would have had to downgrade my already rather Spartan existence (I'm a man of few material needs: books, pistachio-almond ice cream, Twinings English Breakfast tea, some DVDs, safe & clean accommodations, a tall ship and a star to steer her by ...) to the subsistence level, including taking up residence in some far-less-than-acceptable senior citizen/po' folks/dump. Or perhaps living in my car, which was at least paid for. Of course, I could always go back to work, which would sort of defeat the purpose of retirement (especially as I would have to repay the benefits I'd already received). Something had to give, so I did without both Medicare and the joke known as Medicaid. So, there's another "quality of life" decision.
These things led to my making the largest "quality of life" decision of all: saying goodbye to Amerika. The other contributing factor was the deteriorating social and political climate which continues to this day with encouragement from politicians of all stripes and their corporate sponsors and - most upsetting of all - the increasing violence, racism, willful ignorance, and intolerance for any and all differences of opinion, lifestyle, or thought among the populace.
So, what's left to take away? My citizenship? If I had to fill out a form stating my views on the military, Congress, the US heath care industry, the emphasis on "foreign policy" over domestic issues, the continued assaults on the Constitution, the highly partisan Supreme Court, and where "on a scale of one to ten" I'd rank my level of patriotism and pride in the Amerikan enterprise ... yeah, they just might yank my passport, strike me from the roll of true patriots. Again, what else is left?
Pistachio -almond ice cream? English Breakfast tea? Lucky b@*****! I had to walk five miles to pick up the sweepings of the granary floor- now called muesli- that is -when it were my turn to wear the shoes…
Thank you, Dennis. My retirement is working out fine, but I had to say goodbye to my home to bring that about and more's the pity, but there are worse fates in Life.
These articles from the MSM always carry the same neocon message - we need to spend more on war preparation because we are in charge of the world - Israel told us we are (with their help, of course.)
At same time, no one ever asks how we can go to war with China as it supplies many of our consumer products and a good percentage of our iPhones. The short answer is, we can't - but building up for that war makes a lot of people very rich.
How long have I been hearing that we need to cut social spending in order to increase spending on things like the military? Like, just about all my life. This used to come exclusively from Republicans, but for quite some time now also comes from Democrats. This is because both fake parties have been captured by big money, and they do what big money tells them to do (stop giving any money to workers or poor people! IT IS A WASTE!). Just give it to the big boys and girls who will spend it wisely on war and destruction.
Too bad their ridiculous chart doesn't also show the national debt over the same period. And I don't think it is socialism to say that those things funded by tax payer dollars should be state owned. The MIC profits are a complete ripoff for "sophisticated" garbage.
When I read that NYT article I was flabbergasted. We (the USA) spend more on our military than the next ten countries combined, including our allies. We desperately need to harken back to the warning issued by Eisenhower. Cut the defense department budget at least 25%, and bring the troops home.
After the statement that the pentagon is weak (never mind how is weak defined); you have to ask why is the pentagon weak?
My view is corruption, at best shoddy quality assurance of what the money gets. Along with pouring god money after bad (political actions for jobs and dividends) for cost over runs which deliver less than the contract requirement.
Sonce some time around the mid 20 teens the pentagon has failed all attempts at auditing it asset books. Largely because things like F-35 are paid for as a contract specification, which is largely not delivered.
The NYTimes is a Propaganda vehicle that propagates horrible myths-delusional thinking.
The problem with it is it is read widely a most cited authority. It's corporate and buys into and spreads all the neoliberal-neocon myths. I expect little of it and read other sources like Common Dreams for closer versions of the truth. I read it to gage the state of neoliberalism-mythology in America. What angers me more is the likes of Timothy Snyder-an academic-an expert-a scholar on freedom writing books and long columns on freedom when his notion of freedom is propagandist nationalism-feeding the Warstate to defeat Putin in Ukraine. Freedom completely escapes him. He should read Erich Fromm's 1941 masterpiece Escape From Freedom.
What we need now is a new Sen. William Proxmire always an aggressive critic of wasteful Gov't. spending. Always liked his "Golden Fleece Awards" back in the day. Any takers..?
How, Where, and Why America is particularly, actually, really WEAK*** is bluntly but eloquently and elegantly explained as follows [particularly RULES 13, 14, and 15]...:
15 RULES FOR DISCUSSING ISRAELI WARMONGERING by Caitlin Johnstone 24 Sep 24
Israel killed some 500 people in a massive new onslaught in Lebanon on Monday which saw the IDF launch more than a thousand airstrikes.
The US is once again sending additional troops to the middle east as things escalate, on the orders of god knows who because the president’s brain has completely stopped functioning.
It’s been a few minutes since Israel last began a new project of mass military violence, so perhaps it’s time for a refresher on the official RULES on how we’re meant think and talk about such matters.
RULE 1: Recorded history began on October 7 2023. Maybe some things happened before that date, but nobody can remember.
RULE 2: Anything bad that Israel does is justified by RULE 1. This is true even if it does things that would be considered completely unjustifiable if it were done by a nation like Russia or Iran.
RULE 3: Israel has a right to defend itself, but nobody else does.
RULE 4: Israel never bombs civilians, it bombs terrorists. If shocking numbers of civilians die it’s because they were actually terrorists, or because terrorists killed them, or because a terrorist stood too close to them. If none of those reasons apply then it’s for some other mysterious reason we are still waiting for the IDF to investigate.
RULE 5: Criticizing anything Israel does means you hate Jewish people. There is no other reason anyone could possibly oppose military explosives being dropped on areas packed full of children besides a seething, obsessive hatred for a small Abrahamic faith.
RULE 6: Nothing Israel does is ever as bad as the hateful criticisms described in RULE 5. Criticism of Israel’s actions is always worse than Israel’s actions themselves, because those critics hate Jews and wish to commit another Holocaust. Preventing this must consume 100 percent of our political energy and attention.
RULE 7: Israel can never be the victimizer, it can only ever be the victim. If Israel attacks Lebanon, it’s because Hezbollah attacked it completely unprovoked while Israel was innocently minding its own business trying to commit a little genocide in peace. If people protest against Israel bombing entire cities into dust, then Israel is the victim because the protests made Israel’s supporters feel sad.
RULE 8: The fact that Israel is literally always in a state of war with its neighbors and with displaced indigenous populations must be interpreted as proof that RULE 7 is true instead of proof that RULE 7 is ridiculous nonsense.
RULE 9: Arab lives are much, much less important to us than western lives or Israeli lives. Nobody is allowed to think too hard about why this might be.
RULE 10: The media always tell the truth about Israel and its various conflicts. If you doubt this then you are likely in violation of RULE 5.
RULE 11: Unsubstantiated claims which portray Israel’s enemies in a negative light may be reported as factual news stories without any fact checking or qualifications, while extensively evidenced records of Israeli criminality must be reported on with extreme skepticism and doubtful qualifiers like “Lebanon says” or “according to the Hamas-run health ministry”. This is important to do because otherwise you might get accused of being a propagandist.
RULE 12: Israel must continue to exist in its current iteration no matter what it costs or how many people need to die. There is no need to present any logically or morally grounded reasons why this is the case. If you dispute this then you are likely in violation of RULE 5.
RULE 13: THE US GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER LIED ABOUT ANYTHING EVER, AND IS ALWAYS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF EVERY CONFLICT.
RULE 14: (AMERICANS ONLY) NOTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS AS URGENT OR SIGNIFICANT AS MAKING SURE THE CORRECT PERSON WINS THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. IGNORE ANY INCONVENIENT FACTS WHICH DISTRACT YOU FROM THIS MISSION OF UNPARALLELED IMPORTANCE.
RULE 15: ISRAEL MUST BE PROTECTED BECAUSE IT IS THE LAST BASTION OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NO MATTER HOW MANY JOURNALISTS IT HAS TO ASSASSINATE, NO MATTER HOW MANY PRESS INSTITUTIONS IT NEEDS TO SHUT DOWN, NO MATTER HOW MANY PROTESTS ITS SUPPORTERS NEED TO DISMANTLE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH FREE SPEECH IT NEEDS TO ELIMINATE, NO MATTER HOW MANY CIVIL RIGHTS IT NEEDS TO ERASE, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY ELECTIONS ITS LOBBYISTS NEED TO BUY.
Can't we just keep being a Patriot here in the states and wouldn't that turn our defense/offense budget into pocket change. All that saved money could go to the deep surveillance state to weed out indigenous unpatriots
From the chart one can see that by the year 2100 the US won't even have a defense budget. At which point the NY Times will be saying that having all those guns in the hands of private citizens is a good thing. So avoid the rush! Get yours today! (sarc)
Sounds like a Goebble‘s appeal in the middle of WW II. On 18 February 1943 he gave a long speech in the Berlin „Sportpalast“ (arena) to arouse the masses to greater patriotism after the catastrophe of Stalingrad. More patriotism and less food and social services to achieve the promised victory over BOLSHEVISM. More guns and less butter. The NYT article sounds eerily familiar to me who grew up with the rubble of that patriotic war.
I can remember when being a "liberal" (like the NY Times) meant you wanted more social spending and less defense spending. So now it's the opposite? Sheesh. No wonder people are confused about politics.
Reading Bill's cross posting of Mark Taylor brought Gabor Mate's writings to mind. Gabor describes what he experienced in Gaza in contrast to the mythology he believed as a Jew about Israel before he went there and saw Gaza and experienced it-saw it before his very eyes. Mate
quotes Erich Fromm to get at reality-not academics-not at abstract notions on freedom or war.
Let's see now ...
After 48 years "in harness," I took an early retirement at 62 instead of waiting until I turned 66. A "quality of life" decision for which I continue to be penalized 25% of my annual Social Security benefits.
For the three years immediately following that move, I was without Medicare, simply because I couldn't afford it. I already had some "pre-existing conditions" - always a red flag for any healthcare - but to get all the necessary coverages I would have had to downgrade my already rather Spartan existence (I'm a man of few material needs: books, pistachio-almond ice cream, Twinings English Breakfast tea, some DVDs, safe & clean accommodations, a tall ship and a star to steer her by ...) to the subsistence level, including taking up residence in some far-less-than-acceptable senior citizen/po' folks/dump. Or perhaps living in my car, which was at least paid for. Of course, I could always go back to work, which would sort of defeat the purpose of retirement (especially as I would have to repay the benefits I'd already received). Something had to give, so I did without both Medicare and the joke known as Medicaid. So, there's another "quality of life" decision.
These things led to my making the largest "quality of life" decision of all: saying goodbye to Amerika. The other contributing factor was the deteriorating social and political climate which continues to this day with encouragement from politicians of all stripes and their corporate sponsors and - most upsetting of all - the increasing violence, racism, willful ignorance, and intolerance for any and all differences of opinion, lifestyle, or thought among the populace.
So, what's left to take away? My citizenship? If I had to fill out a form stating my views on the military, Congress, the US heath care industry, the emphasis on "foreign policy" over domestic issues, the continued assaults on the Constitution, the highly partisan Supreme Court, and where "on a scale of one to ten" I'd rank my level of patriotism and pride in the Amerikan enterprise ... yeah, they just might yank my passport, strike me from the roll of true patriots. Again, what else is left?
Pistachio -almond ice cream? English Breakfast tea? Lucky b@*****! I had to walk five miles to pick up the sweepings of the granary floor- now called muesli- that is -when it were my turn to wear the shoes…
wdt, this 76-year-old New Zealander lived in Seattle from 1974.
Fantastic life in Offshore Heavy Construction!
But 5-years ago I saw the writing on the wall.
Moved back to my country of birth to spend my remaining years.
Best thing I ever did.
Now I just watch Murica imploding every day on the Internet.
And worry about my two kids (adults!) in WI and NY.
Been in hospital quite a few time - Leukemia
Never seen any paperwork! Never paid a dime. World class care.
Hope you can get your retirement "sorted".....hahaha.. Kiwi lingo!
Good luck and take care.
Thank you, Dennis. My retirement is working out fine, but I had to say goodbye to my home to bring that about and more's the pity, but there are worse fates in Life.
These articles from the MSM always carry the same neocon message - we need to spend more on war preparation because we are in charge of the world - Israel told us we are (with their help, of course.)
At same time, no one ever asks how we can go to war with China as it supplies many of our consumer products and a good percentage of our iPhones. The short answer is, we can't - but building up for that war makes a lot of people very rich.
How long have I been hearing that we need to cut social spending in order to increase spending on things like the military? Like, just about all my life. This used to come exclusively from Republicans, but for quite some time now also comes from Democrats. This is because both fake parties have been captured by big money, and they do what big money tells them to do (stop giving any money to workers or poor people! IT IS A WASTE!). Just give it to the big boys and girls who will spend it wisely on war and destruction.
Too bad their ridiculous chart doesn't also show the national debt over the same period. And I don't think it is socialism to say that those things funded by tax payer dollars should be state owned. The MIC profits are a complete ripoff for "sophisticated" garbage.
When I read that NYT article I was flabbergasted. We (the USA) spend more on our military than the next ten countries combined, including our allies. We desperately need to harken back to the warning issued by Eisenhower. Cut the defense department budget at least 25%, and bring the troops home.
After the statement that the pentagon is weak (never mind how is weak defined); you have to ask why is the pentagon weak?
My view is corruption, at best shoddy quality assurance of what the money gets. Along with pouring god money after bad (political actions for jobs and dividends) for cost over runs which deliver less than the contract requirement.
Sonce some time around the mid 20 teens the pentagon has failed all attempts at auditing it asset books. Largely because things like F-35 are paid for as a contract specification, which is largely not delivered.
Why is the pentagon weak: corruption.
A lot of money wasted, for sure. And what's the "solution" offered? Give them even more money!
Late in my time in the MIC the PM’s would say “it is better than the old stuff”.
I knew that to be extremely low standard.
Off the top of my head I have the following comments.
1. Cutting Social Security is totally bogus. The government can readily pay all beneficiaries. Former Chairman of the House Budget Committee, John Yarmuth explains the solution in under 30 seconds at https://open.substack.com/pub/realprogressives/p/social-security-isnt-broke?r=e3m1v&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
2. Is there something wrong with China having a presence in the South CHINA Sea? After all it is off the coast of China and China is its namesake.
Throwing money at the Pentagon is like bringing lemon meringue pie to a someone who is trying to lose weight.
The NYTimes is a Propaganda vehicle that propagates horrible myths-delusional thinking.
The problem with it is it is read widely a most cited authority. It's corporate and buys into and spreads all the neoliberal-neocon myths. I expect little of it and read other sources like Common Dreams for closer versions of the truth. I read it to gage the state of neoliberalism-mythology in America. What angers me more is the likes of Timothy Snyder-an academic-an expert-a scholar on freedom writing books and long columns on freedom when his notion of freedom is propagandist nationalism-feeding the Warstate to defeat Putin in Ukraine. Freedom completely escapes him. He should read Erich Fromm's 1941 masterpiece Escape From Freedom.
Clarity- I read the NYTimes to gage the state of neoliberalism-mythology in America. It looks like Bill does too.
What we need now is a new Sen. William Proxmire always an aggressive critic of wasteful Gov't. spending. Always liked his "Golden Fleece Awards" back in the day. Any takers..?
How, Where, and Why America is particularly, actually, really WEAK*** is bluntly but eloquently and elegantly explained as follows [particularly RULES 13, 14, and 15]...:
15 RULES FOR DISCUSSING ISRAELI WARMONGERING by Caitlin Johnstone 24 Sep 24
Israel killed some 500 people in a massive new onslaught in Lebanon on Monday which saw the IDF launch more than a thousand airstrikes.
The US is once again sending additional troops to the middle east as things escalate, on the orders of god knows who because the president’s brain has completely stopped functioning.
It’s been a few minutes since Israel last began a new project of mass military violence, so perhaps it’s time for a refresher on the official RULES on how we’re meant think and talk about such matters.
RULE 1: Recorded history began on October 7 2023. Maybe some things happened before that date, but nobody can remember.
RULE 2: Anything bad that Israel does is justified by RULE 1. This is true even if it does things that would be considered completely unjustifiable if it were done by a nation like Russia or Iran.
RULE 3: Israel has a right to defend itself, but nobody else does.
RULE 4: Israel never bombs civilians, it bombs terrorists. If shocking numbers of civilians die it’s because they were actually terrorists, or because terrorists killed them, or because a terrorist stood too close to them. If none of those reasons apply then it’s for some other mysterious reason we are still waiting for the IDF to investigate.
RULE 5: Criticizing anything Israel does means you hate Jewish people. There is no other reason anyone could possibly oppose military explosives being dropped on areas packed full of children besides a seething, obsessive hatred for a small Abrahamic faith.
RULE 6: Nothing Israel does is ever as bad as the hateful criticisms described in RULE 5. Criticism of Israel’s actions is always worse than Israel’s actions themselves, because those critics hate Jews and wish to commit another Holocaust. Preventing this must consume 100 percent of our political energy and attention.
RULE 7: Israel can never be the victimizer, it can only ever be the victim. If Israel attacks Lebanon, it’s because Hezbollah attacked it completely unprovoked while Israel was innocently minding its own business trying to commit a little genocide in peace. If people protest against Israel bombing entire cities into dust, then Israel is the victim because the protests made Israel’s supporters feel sad.
RULE 8: The fact that Israel is literally always in a state of war with its neighbors and with displaced indigenous populations must be interpreted as proof that RULE 7 is true instead of proof that RULE 7 is ridiculous nonsense.
RULE 9: Arab lives are much, much less important to us than western lives or Israeli lives. Nobody is allowed to think too hard about why this might be.
RULE 10: The media always tell the truth about Israel and its various conflicts. If you doubt this then you are likely in violation of RULE 5.
RULE 11: Unsubstantiated claims which portray Israel’s enemies in a negative light may be reported as factual news stories without any fact checking or qualifications, while extensively evidenced records of Israeli criminality must be reported on with extreme skepticism and doubtful qualifiers like “Lebanon says” or “according to the Hamas-run health ministry”. This is important to do because otherwise you might get accused of being a propagandist.
RULE 12: Israel must continue to exist in its current iteration no matter what it costs or how many people need to die. There is no need to present any logically or morally grounded reasons why this is the case. If you dispute this then you are likely in violation of RULE 5.
RULE 13: THE US GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER LIED ABOUT ANYTHING EVER, AND IS ALWAYS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF EVERY CONFLICT.
RULE 14: (AMERICANS ONLY) NOTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS AS URGENT OR SIGNIFICANT AS MAKING SURE THE CORRECT PERSON WINS THE US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. IGNORE ANY INCONVENIENT FACTS WHICH DISTRACT YOU FROM THIS MISSION OF UNPARALLELED IMPORTANCE.
RULE 15: ISRAEL MUST BE PROTECTED BECAUSE IT IS THE LAST BASTION OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, NO MATTER HOW MANY JOURNALISTS IT HAS TO ASSASSINATE, NO MATTER HOW MANY PRESS INSTITUTIONS IT NEEDS TO SHUT DOWN, NO MATTER HOW MANY PROTESTS ITS SUPPORTERS NEED TO DISMANTLE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH FREE SPEECH IT NEEDS TO ELIMINATE, NO MATTER HOW MANY CIVIL RIGHTS IT NEEDS TO ERASE, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY ELECTIONS ITS LOBBYISTS NEED TO BUY.
Source: https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/15-RULEs-for-discussing-israeli-warmongering ; EMPHASES added.
*** According to THE URBAN DICTIONARY, “weak” means:
1. Lacking aptitude or skill.
2. Lacking firmness of character or strength of will.
3. Likely to fail under pressure, stress, or strain; lacking resistance.
4. Unacceptable in quality.
5. Shitty.
Source: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=weak .
Glad to see you back Jeff!
I was worried about you! But not very much! LOL
Heh. Roger that; n Thankee.
Can't we just keep being a Patriot here in the states and wouldn't that turn our defense/offense budget into pocket change. All that saved money could go to the deep surveillance state to weed out indigenous unpatriots
From the chart one can see that by the year 2100 the US won't even have a defense budget. At which point the NY Times will be saying that having all those guns in the hands of private citizens is a good thing. So avoid the rush! Get yours today! (sarc)
Sounds like a Goebble‘s appeal in the middle of WW II. On 18 February 1943 he gave a long speech in the Berlin „Sportpalast“ (arena) to arouse the masses to greater patriotism after the catastrophe of Stalingrad. More patriotism and less food and social services to achieve the promised victory over BOLSHEVISM. More guns and less butter. The NYT article sounds eerily familiar to me who grew up with the rubble of that patriotic war.
I can remember when being a "liberal" (like the NY Times) meant you wanted more social spending and less defense spending. So now it's the opposite? Sheesh. No wonder people are confused about politics.
Reading Bill's cross posting of Mark Taylor brought Gabor Mate's writings to mind. Gabor describes what he experienced in Gaza in contrast to the mythology he believed as a Jew about Israel before he went there and saw Gaza and experienced it-saw it before his very eyes. Mate
quotes Erich Fromm to get at reality-not academics-not at abstract notions on freedom or war.