Thanks for any pub of this unique subscription drive ... which is really trying to pound home the message that Substack READERS are the key to our ability to fight back against captured forces.
Can Substack readers increase the “paid” ratio of Substack writers to, say, 10 percent? Right now it’s about 1 to 4 percent paid. What we have is about 100 fairly well-known “Covid writers” taking on 40,000 salaried MSM “journalists” …. It’s the “1 percent of the 1 percent” who are actually subsidizing the world’s “freedom” writers.
One of the big complaints about how the House has been operating relates to its use of massive Continuing Resolutions - that no one can even read, that contain all kinds of items that would likely not withstand scrutiny and bypass normal passage through committees.
Freedom Caucus and a whole lot of ordinary people want a return to single issue bills that have gone through committee - McCarthy committed to doing this and completely failed to get it implemented.
This is far more likely to happen under any of the likely replacements - they certainly couldn't do less than McCarthy.
Unfortunately, my push to have Tulsi Gabbard as Speaker has yet to gain traction - but still trying...
As I recall Boehner made a similar commitment when he was Speaker. Better and simpler legislation would be an improvement over the status quo, but neither side seems all that interested in passing either better legislation or simpler legislation. Even Rand Paul, while he talks a great game, eventually bends the knee. And so nothing ever changes.
Seems to me the committee chairmen could impose this rule fairly easily--but haven't. And so nothing ever changes.
Which is to my mind the larger problem--even the Freedom Caucus has come up way short in terms of pushing reform through the House. The status quo keeps winning every time.
Which is why my vote in 2024 is going to be straight ticket "None of the Above," and I encourage everyone to do the same thing. In 2024 do not elect one single solitary individual to so much as county dogcatcher.
They want a shutdown? Shut EVERYTHING down by electing NOBODY.
And having a half a million Ukrainians dead in a pointless, un-winnable (unless you're, say, Blackrock) conflict is a better alternative?
Pull Western support and the war would be effectively over in days or very few weeks - maybe not 'peace' but an excellent step in that direction.
If Ukraine (w/US & EU inducement) had not abused its Russian-speaking population, Russia would likely have never intervened.
If Ukraine had let the Donbass and Crimea go and agreed to neutrality it could have been as secure and ultimately as prosperous as Finland or Austria have as (had, in the case of Finland) armed neutrals.
Now the country is wrecked, half the population fled or dead and they may not get as good a deal as if they'd never fought the war.
Russia did not "intervene" in the Donbass in 2022, but had been intervening all along (Russian military units were participating in the separatist fight there since before the Minsk Accords).
Even at that, had Russia confined its military aggression to the Donbass vis-a-vis a "peacekeeping" solution we would be having a completely different discussion.
Instead, Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine, including those parts not inhabited by ethnic Russians. There was no separatist movement in Kherson or Zaporizhia Oblasts. Launching a decapitation strike at Kyiv is not a credible intervention to protect an ethnic minority in what even Russia acknowledges is a sovereign nation.
Russia has legitimate security concerns vis-a-vis Ukraine cozying up to NATO, but Ukraine has fought to achieve and maintain its independence from Russia since the late 17th century. That also has to be acknowledged.
No, millions of dead Ukrainians is not a good alternative. But pretending that Russia intended anything other than a war of conquest is also not a good alternative. They were not "forced" into this conflict. Security issues notwithstanding, Russia CHOSE this conflict. Do not ever forget that.
Russia correctly regards this conflict (in the broader sense of it being a proxy conflict with the US/EU/NATO) as an existential threat.
There is no room in the WEF plan for everyone's future for strong national identities and truly sovereign states - or individuals, for that matter. And that is at the heart of the attempts to weaken Russia.
We should hope those attempts fail and that Russia maintains its independence - and make every attempt to normalize relations instead of weakening ourselves, killing off Ukrainians and pushing Russia into closer relations with China - which is really our primary adversary.
Vivek Ramaswamy gets this - are you familiar with his positions?
Thanks for any pub of this unique subscription drive ... which is really trying to pound home the message that Substack READERS are the key to our ability to fight back against captured forces.
Can Substack readers increase the “paid” ratio of Substack writers to, say, 10 percent? Right now it’s about 1 to 4 percent paid. What we have is about 100 fairly well-known “Covid writers” taking on 40,000 salaried MSM “journalists” …. It’s the “1 percent of the 1 percent” who are actually subsidizing the world’s “freedom” writers.
https://billricejr.substack.com/p/substacks-paid-subscribers-are-the?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Jim Jordan may have the credentials, but what has he done, nothing.
By that metric what has any member of Congress done?
What has Steve Scalise done to serve the interests of the American people?
What did Kevin McCarthy do to serve the interests of the American people?
What will the next Speaker of the House hopefully do to serve the interests of the American people?
Serious questions.
One of the big complaints about how the House has been operating relates to its use of massive Continuing Resolutions - that no one can even read, that contain all kinds of items that would likely not withstand scrutiny and bypass normal passage through committees.
Freedom Caucus and a whole lot of ordinary people want a return to single issue bills that have gone through committee - McCarthy committed to doing this and completely failed to get it implemented.
This is far more likely to happen under any of the likely replacements - they certainly couldn't do less than McCarthy.
Unfortunately, my push to have Tulsi Gabbard as Speaker has yet to gain traction - but still trying...
As I recall Boehner made a similar commitment when he was Speaker. Better and simpler legislation would be an improvement over the status quo, but neither side seems all that interested in passing either better legislation or simpler legislation. Even Rand Paul, while he talks a great game, eventually bends the knee. And so nothing ever changes.
Seems to me the committee chairmen could impose this rule fairly easily--but haven't. And so nothing ever changes.
Which is to my mind the larger problem--even the Freedom Caucus has come up way short in terms of pushing reform through the House. The status quo keeps winning every time.
Which is why my vote in 2024 is going to be straight ticket "None of the Above," and I encourage everyone to do the same thing. In 2024 do not elect one single solitary individual to so much as county dogcatcher.
They want a shutdown? Shut EVERYTHING down by electing NOBODY.
Stop the money laundering murderous madness in Ukraine and restore a smidge of faith within the populous of this country.
Any thoughts on how peace can be brought to Ukraine?
I don't see letting Putin conquer the country as being a good outcome for anyone, especially the Ukrainians.
And having a half a million Ukrainians dead in a pointless, un-winnable (unless you're, say, Blackrock) conflict is a better alternative?
Pull Western support and the war would be effectively over in days or very few weeks - maybe not 'peace' but an excellent step in that direction.
If Ukraine (w/US & EU inducement) had not abused its Russian-speaking population, Russia would likely have never intervened.
If Ukraine had let the Donbass and Crimea go and agreed to neutrality it could have been as secure and ultimately as prosperous as Finland or Austria have as (had, in the case of Finland) armed neutrals.
Now the country is wrecked, half the population fled or dead and they may not get as good a deal as if they'd never fought the war.
https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/war-theft-takeover-ukraine-agricultural-land
Russia did not "intervene" in the Donbass in 2022, but had been intervening all along (Russian military units were participating in the separatist fight there since before the Minsk Accords).
Even at that, had Russia confined its military aggression to the Donbass vis-a-vis a "peacekeeping" solution we would be having a completely different discussion.
Instead, Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine, including those parts not inhabited by ethnic Russians. There was no separatist movement in Kherson or Zaporizhia Oblasts. Launching a decapitation strike at Kyiv is not a credible intervention to protect an ethnic minority in what even Russia acknowledges is a sovereign nation.
Russia has legitimate security concerns vis-a-vis Ukraine cozying up to NATO, but Ukraine has fought to achieve and maintain its independence from Russia since the late 17th century. That also has to be acknowledged.
No, millions of dead Ukrainians is not a good alternative. But pretending that Russia intended anything other than a war of conquest is also not a good alternative. They were not "forced" into this conflict. Security issues notwithstanding, Russia CHOSE this conflict. Do not ever forget that.
Russia correctly regards this conflict (in the broader sense of it being a proxy conflict with the US/EU/NATO) as an existential threat.
There is no room in the WEF plan for everyone's future for strong national identities and truly sovereign states - or individuals, for that matter. And that is at the heart of the attempts to weaken Russia.
We should hope those attempts fail and that Russia maintains its independence - and make every attempt to normalize relations instead of weakening ourselves, killing off Ukrainians and pushing Russia into closer relations with China - which is really our primary adversary.
Vivek Ramaswamy gets this - are you familiar with his positions?