Presenting my It Has to Be Read. selection for the month of May, American Breakdown: Why We No Longer Trust Our Leaders and Institutions and How We Can Rebuild Confidence by Gerard Baker.
Mr. Baker uses the failure of journalists to prove that Trump was aided by Russia in the ‘16 election as a reason for distrust of journalism. In fact, it is not the job of journalists to prove anything but to report on their investigations. And, Mr. Baker not withstanding, the Mueller investigation did, in fact, prove that Russia did, in fact, aid Trump. It was the corrupt AG Barr who derailed the conclusion. Coming so early in the podcast, his spin made me distrust his further statements.
I appreciate different viewpoints and try to get to the root of what folks are saying. It’s a little trying to hear an “elite” conservative carry on and on about liberal “elites”. He never mentions what conservatives have done to poison the water.
He doesn’t get to anything meaningful until he talks about how the billionaire tech bros (and all the other titans of industry) are a gigantic problem. And the wealth imbalance that follows. His solutions seem to involve regulation. I guess he knows that the conservatives that run the republican side of this country will not accept any regulation. And, in his elite ivory tower, he thinks that everyone believes slavery was bad. He obviously has never lived among the little people of south, like I have and do.
There are many, many people (maybe even a majority) who do not think slavery was bad and think abolishing slavery destroyed the south and the entire country.
The biggest problem here (besides loss of family and community) is run away greed with nothing in sight to control it. He seems to realize that but his solution is “more capitalism”. I am not a socialist but that’s ridiculous.
In the meantime, in the real world, we have a person running for president (and ahead) who plans to be a dictator on day one and let all the tools of the conservative elite enact Project 2025 chapter and verse asap.
Of course folks like him believe they’ll be sitting pretty since they are on the right side so he’s unable to see the whole picture.
I actually believe we can get to a better place but it has to be a collective effort and also involve a bit of a miracle at this point.
Mr. Baker uses the failure of journalists to prove that Trump was aided by Russia in the ‘16 election as a reason for distrust of journalism. In fact, it is not the job of journalists to prove anything but to report on their investigations. And, Mr. Baker not withstanding, the Mueller investigation did, in fact, prove that Russia did, in fact, aid Trump. It was the corrupt AG Barr who derailed the conclusion. Coming so early in the podcast, his spin made me distrust his further statements.
I appreciate different viewpoints and try to get to the root of what folks are saying. It’s a little trying to hear an “elite” conservative carry on and on about liberal “elites”. He never mentions what conservatives have done to poison the water.
He doesn’t get to anything meaningful until he talks about how the billionaire tech bros (and all the other titans of industry) are a gigantic problem. And the wealth imbalance that follows. His solutions seem to involve regulation. I guess he knows that the conservatives that run the republican side of this country will not accept any regulation. And, in his elite ivory tower, he thinks that everyone believes slavery was bad. He obviously has never lived among the little people of south, like I have and do.
There are many, many people (maybe even a majority) who do not think slavery was bad and think abolishing slavery destroyed the south and the entire country.
The biggest problem here (besides loss of family and community) is run away greed with nothing in sight to control it. He seems to realize that but his solution is “more capitalism”. I am not a socialist but that’s ridiculous.
In the meantime, in the real world, we have a person running for president (and ahead) who plans to be a dictator on day one and let all the tools of the conservative elite enact Project 2025 chapter and verse asap.
Of course folks like him believe they’ll be sitting pretty since they are on the right side so he’s unable to see the whole picture.
I actually believe we can get to a better place but it has to be a collective effort and also involve a bit of a miracle at this point.
Frank, you’re asking really important questions! How to survive in the current political landscape is significant issue to be addressed!
Thank you, Anthony!
Your comments and thoughts are reassuring to many of us who are struggling with today’s issues!