And, As Predicted, The Cockroaches Crawl Out of The Woodwork

[Minimalist]

with their hands out!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/business/...index.html

US airline industry seeks about $50 billion in federal help

Washington, DC (CNN Business)US airlines slammed by the coronavirus are requesting an aid package from the federal government that could amount to about $50 billion, according to industry group Airlines for America.

The requested aid would be in the form of loans, grants and tax relief.

Tax relief?  There is a whole list of Fortune 500 companies who don't pay any taxes at all.  How much more "relief" can the scumbags get?

They've been arguing against government regulation for years and packing people into their cattle cars with wings in the absence of regulation and now they have the balls to come begging? 

Isn't that SOCIALISM, fuckwits?

[skyking]

Bernie had a name for it

[Minimalist]

And he would not be wrong.

[Szuchow]

Apparently "socialism" is bad only when money goes to poor.

[Minimalist]

Ding.  Ding.  Ding.

We have a winner.

Congrats, Szu.

[Minimalist]

$850 Billion for his corporate scumbag pals.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/how-lit...l-display/

How little Trump cares for workers — and how much he values corporate swamp monsters — is now on full display

Here's the Washington Post story.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy...s-package/




Anyone remember when the republicunts lost their shit because Obama wanted to save the domestic auto industry?

[Szuchow]

$850 Billion for his corporate scumbag pals.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/03/how-lit...l-display/

How little Trump cares for workers — and how much he values corporate swamp monsters — is now on full display

Here's the Washington Post story.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy...s-package/




Anyone remember when the republicunts lost their shit because Obama wanted to save the domestic auto industry?

If only comrade Lenin would be still alive.

[Minimalist]

When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract

V. I. Lenin to G. Zinoviev

[Aroura]

When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract

V. I. Lenin to G. Zinoviev

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

[Szuchow]

When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract

V. I. Lenin to G. Zinoviev

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

They might hang themselves however, if thanks to their greed public will finally realize that they simply want to milk state for all they can while simultaneously decrying state assistance to ordinary people.

I don't have high hopes for such scenario though.

[abaris]

Capitalism is corporate socialism. We privatize the gains and socialize the losses.

[GenesisNemesis]

When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract

V. I. Lenin to G. Zinoviev

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

I'm not sure. Depending on how bad this pandemic gets it could cause some upheaval. I do hope that upheaval occurs in that scenario personally, rather than people just acting like nothing happened.

[Szuchow]

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

I'm not sure. Depending on how bad this pandemic gets it could cause some upheaval. I do hope that upheaval occurs in that scenario personally, rather than people just acting like nothing happened.

There might be some upheaval but it's not synonymous with change - look at Occupy Wall Street movement and it's results.

[GenesisNemesis]

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

I'm not sure. Depending on how bad this pandemic gets it could cause some upheaval. I do hope that upheaval occurs in that scenario personally, rather than people just acting like nothing happened.

There might be some upheaval but it's not synonymous with change - look at Occupy Wall Street movement and it's results.

I think we need to upgrade from that. Something along the lines of the French Revolution. 

I might get shit for saying that, but I don't give a fuck.

[Szuchow]

I'm not sure. Depending on how bad this pandemic gets it could cause some upheaval. I do hope that upheaval occurs in that scenario personally, rather than people just acting like nothing happened.

There might be some upheaval but it's not synonymous with change - look at Occupy Wall Street movement and it's results.

I think we need to upgrade from that. Something along the lines of the French Revolution. 

I might get shit for saying that, but I don't give a fuck.

As long as it won't be repeat of Russian Revolution (or rather takeover) which did brought some positive change but resulted in monstrous tyranny.

[GenesisNemesis]

There might be some upheaval but it's not synonymous with change - look at Occupy Wall Street movement and it's results.

I think we need to upgrade from that. Something along the lines of the French Revolution. 

I might get shit for saying that, but I don't give a fuck.

As long as it won't be repeat of Russian Revolution (or rather takeover) which did brought some positive change but resulted in monstrous tyranny.

Basically I'm getting rather disillusioned with the whole idea of "playing nice". We've been playing nice for decades and have been getting fucked over for decades. And now, during a pandemic, we're still getting fucked over. Something has to change.

[Minimalist]

When it comes time to hang the capitalists, they will vie with each other for the rope contract

V. I. Lenin to G. Zinoviev

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

I agree.  Lenin was a revolutionary.

[Szuchow]

I think we need to upgrade from that. Something along the lines of the French Revolution. 

I might get shit for saying that, but I don't give a fuck.

As long as it won't be repeat of Russian Revolution (or rather takeover) which did brought some positive change but resulted in monstrous tyranny.

Basically I'm getting rather disillusioned with the whole idea of "playing nice". We've been playing nice for decades and have been getting fucked over for decades. And now, during a pandemic, we're still getting fucked over. Something has to change.

Playing nice is only effective in certain circumstances. I doubt that such is the case in today USA.

Something has to change, in this I agree, but as long as "socialism" would be atomic weapon of right wing rhetoric I don't expect change to occur. First whatever left is left in USA must win battle for narrative I think and then it might try to stir people. Without compelling narrative and language conservatives and those who favor status quo will won.

[Szuchow]

But we won't hang them.  We'll bail out the rich, and leave the poor to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, just as we did in 2008, and almost every time before that.
And nothing will change, except the letter in front of the president's name.

I agree.  Lenin was a revolutionary.

He certainly was a revolutionary. He was also highly educated man who wasn't even overly corrupted with material gains afforded to him by virtue of his station. Most importantly however he was a bloody tyrant and narrow minded ideologue and that is what makes his policies wholly unsuitable.

[Minimalist]

After 3 centuries of Romanov bullshit the country was in need of a revolution.

[Szuchow]

After 3 centuries of Romanov bullshit the country was in need of a revolution.

One in February would have sufficed. Reign of Lenin and his successors brought famines, genocide, displacement of people and all around suffering.

[Dancefortwo]

I'm not sure. Depending on how bad this pandemic gets it could cause some upheaval. I do hope that upheaval occurs in that scenario personally, rather than people just acting like nothing happened.

There might be some upheaval but it's not synonymous with change - look at Occupy Wall Street movement and it's results.

I think we need to upgrade from that. Something along the lines of the French Revolution. 

I might get shit for saying that, but I don't give a fuck.

You won't get shit from me for saying that.   I've been thinking this for a long time.  It's going to take a revolution to change all this and I don't mean some small sit-in on Wall Street.  It's got to be major. Unfortuantely it's frequently when people are hungry and starving that revolutions really happen.  Maybe the virus will be the tipping point and create a domino effect that results in major changes......maybe.

[Minimalist]

The problem with revolutions is that once they start they are hard to control.

Ask Robespierre.

[mordant]

Something has to change, in this I agree, but as long as "socialism" would be atomic weapon of right wing rhetoric I don't expect change to occur. First whatever left is left in USA must win battle for narrative I think and then it might try to stir people. Without compelling narrative and language conservatives and those who favor status quo will won.

I don't now how much more compelling it can be to put our healthcare system on a parity with the rest of the free world, do something meaningful and damn quick about climate collapse, help working people regain some dignity and security, etc. What ever else would you suggest?

As for socialism being some kind of "nuclear option" the right holds in reserve, I do not think it packs near the punch it once did, even in 'Murica. The hypocrisy of socialism for corporations and the wealthy is becoming patently obvious, the young don't fear those particular bogeymen, and so there is a sea change. It puts me in mind of FDR's fireside chat admonition that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". It is as if the fear of how the right will lose its shit about "socialism" is worse than the reality or the actual power that has anymore.

Besides, some really strange shit is going on. I listened to none other than Republican Tom Cotton saying on-camera last night that the Democratic relief plan doesn't go far enough and that they need to get $ into the hands of working people ASAP -- referring, I presume, to Mitt Romney's proposal. It's probably disingenuous pandering and grandstanding, but when Republicans are sounding like they're well to the left of Nancy Pelosi, something is definitely a little "off" about where the Democratic Party sits today with, as I think the WaPo had it a day or two ago, their "cult of pragmatism". It amounts, on balance, to limiting their ambitions to whatever Republicans will approve of.

[Szuchow]

Something has to change, in this I agree, but as long as "socialism" would be atomic weapon of right wing rhetoric I don't expect change to occur. First whatever left is left in USA must win battle for narrative I think and then it might try to stir people. Without compelling narrative and language conservatives and those who favor status quo will won.

I don't now how much more compelling it can be to put our healthcare system on a parity with the rest of the free world, do something meaningful and damn quick about climate collapse, help working people regain some dignity and security, etc. What ever else would you suggest?

As for socialism being some kind of "nuclear option" the right holds in reserve, I do not think it packs near the punch it once did, even in 'Murica. The hypocrisy of socialism for corporations and the wealthy is becoming patently obvious, the young don't fear those particular bogeymen, and so there is a sea change. It puts me in mind of FDR's fireside chat admonition that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". It is as if the fear of how the right will lose its shit about "socialism" is worse than the reality or the actual power that has anymore.

Besides, some really strange shit is going on. I listened to none other than Republican Tom Cotton saying on-camera last night that the Democratic relief plan doesn't go far enough and that they need to get $ into the hands of working people ASAP -- referring, I presume, to Mitt Romney's proposal. It's probably disingenuous pandering and grandstanding, but when Republicans are sounding like they're well to the left of Nancy Pelosi, something is definitely a little "off" about where the Democratic Party sits today with, as I think the WaPo had it a day or two ago, their "cult of pragmatism". It amounts, on balance, to limiting their ambitions to whatever Republicans will approve of.

When I say compelling I mean something that will appeal to ordinary voter (like for example price of insulin going down) and show him that healthcare  wouldn't be handout but something that all citizens deserve. Grand narrative about climate and parity with rest of the civilized world is well and good but does it sway people who aren't already convinced? Perhaps some dose of populism and easy to understand slogans that will appeal to the working class?

As for socialism, it may not pack the punch it had but at least from distance still seem to be a potent weapon. It is a word that need to be demystified but I can't imagine doing it in so polarized society as USA. It's like Poland and idiots here thinking that anything gov do is a communism - one can't reason with that. There is also issue of people that think that communism would be good - such extreme and absurd position can be quite an obstacle if spoken too loud I imagine.

Strange things definitely are going on but I don't carry much hope that strange will change into good.