;)
The Commentariat -- July 10, 2021
David McCabe & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden signed a sweeping executive order on Friday intended to increase competition within the nation's economy and to limit corporate dominance, factors the White House says have led to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers while dampening pay and restricting the freedom to change jobs. The administration encouraged federal agencies to take a wide range of actions, such as more closely scrutinizing the tech industry, cracking down on high fees charged by ocean shippers and allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter. 'What we've seen over the past few decades is less competition and more concentration that holds our economy back,' Mr. Biden said in the White House on Friday, citing the agriculture, technology and pharmaceutical industries. 'Rather than competing for consumers, they are consuming their competitors. Rather than competing for workers, they're finding ways to gain the upper hand on labor.'" (This is an update of a story linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Jeff Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Biden signed an executive order Friday taking aim at industries where certain companies dominate the market, kicking off a major new battle between the administration and corporate titans that could reshape aspects of the U.S. economy. The executive order -- which contains 72 initiatives -- is striking in its scope and ambition, challenging the business practices of America's enormous technology, health-care, agricultural and manufacturing firms while also aiming to shake up smaller sectors dominated by only a handful of companies, such as the hearing aid industry. 'The heart of American capitalism is a simple idea: open and fair competition,' Biden said in remarks before signing the order, accompanied by several members of his Cabinet. '...Competition keeps the economy moving and keeps it growing. Fair competition is why capitalism has been the world's greatest force for prosperity and growth.'... The effort ... tees up a major challenge for the administration, which is likely to face sharp resistance from businesses that may seek relief through courts that have shown skepticism about competition arguments in the past." ~~~
David Sanger & Nicole Perlroth of the New York Times: "President Biden warned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday that time was running out for him to rein in the ransomware groups striking the United States, telegraphing that this could be Mr. Putin's final chance to take action on Russia's harboring of cybercriminals before the United States moved to dismantle the threat. In Mr. Biden's starkest warning yet, he conveyed in a phone call to Mr. Putin that the attacks would no longer be treated only as criminal acts, but as national security threats -- and thus may provoke a far more severe response, administration officials said. It is a rationale that has echoes of the legal justification used by the United States and other nations when they cross inside another country's borders to rout terrorist groups or drug cartels.... Later, as he was leaving for Delaware for the weekend, Mr. Biden appeared to specify one of the ways the United States could respond. Asked if it might attack the servers Russian cybercriminals have used to hijack American networks -- meaning knock them offline -- Mr. Biden responded, 'Yes,' according to a pool report." An ABC News story is here. ~~~
~~~ Here's the White House readout of the call.
Get Out! Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: "President Biden fired ... Donald J. Trump's appointed head of the Social Security Administration on Friday, setting off a possible legal showdown over who rightfully holds the position. Mr. Biden asked on Friday morning for the resignations of Andrew Saul, the agency's commissioner, and David Black, a deputy commissioner. Mr. Black resigned as requested, but Mr. Saul refused and was notified by the administration that he had been fired, an administration official said. He has vowed to fight Mr. Biden's move as illegal. Mr. Biden moved to appoint an acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, while the administration looks for permanent successors for the two jobs. Ms. Kijakazi has been the deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy at the agency.... A White House official said Friday that Mr. Saul had undermined Social Security's disability benefits, terminated a telework policy at the agency and alienated federal employee unions over work force safety planning amid the pandemic. In March, three top Democrats on the House's Ways and Means Committee called for Mr. Saul's ouster, accusing him of 'aggressive anti-union activities' and the pursuit of benefit cuts that would hurt vulnerable Americans." A number of Congressional Democrats have called for Saul's firing. CNN's story is here.
Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will no longer detain most pregnant, nursing and postpartum women for deportation, reversing a Trump-era rule that permitted officials to jail thousands of immigrants in those circumstances, according to a new policy to be released Friday. ICE's new policy is even more expansive than it was during the Obama era, when President Biden was vice president. The Obama administration generally exempted pregnant women from immigration detention, but the Biden administration is also including women who gave birth within the prior year and those who are nursing, which could last longer than a year." The Hill's story is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ ** Kevin Sieff of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration began separating migrant families along a remote stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border months earlier than has been previously reported -- part of a little known program coming into view only now as the Biden administration examines government data. In May 2017, Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Ariz., began implementing a program known as the Criminal Consequence Initiative, which allowed for the prosecution of first-time border crossers, including parents who entered the United States with their children and were separated from them.... Some of the parents separated under the Yuma program still remain apart from their children four years later." MB: Reports about Trump & Sessions' "zero tolerance" program horrified Americans, and apparently we didn't know the half of it.
Rebecca Robbins of the New York Times: "The Food and Drug Administration on Friday called for a federal investigation of the process that led to the approval of a new drug for Alzheimer's disease that has spurred sharp criticism from lawmakers and the medical community. In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services' independent Office of the Inspector General, the F.D.A.'s acting commissioner, Dr. Jane Woodcock, acknowledged the scrutiny the agency has faced about the approval process for the drug, which is known as Aduhelm and has a $56,000 annual price tag. She pointed to interactions between representatives from the drug's developer, Biogen, and the agency, saying some 'may have occurred outside of the formal correspondence process.'... It is unusual for the agency to request an investigation into its own staff's decision-making process for an individual drug approval."
Felicia Sonmez & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The panel charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob will hold its first hearing this month, its chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), said Friday. In an interview on MSNBC, Thompson also said the hearing will 'absolutely' go forward even if House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declines to recommend Republican members for the panel.... McCarthy opposed the creation of the committee and has repeatedly declined to say whether he plans to appoint members; at a news conference last month, he dodged questions on the subject."
Jasmine Hilton & Ellie Silverman of the Washington Post: "The metal fence that has encircled the Capitol since a mob of Trump supporters stormed the complex on Jan. 6 began coming down early Friday evening, relieving residents who had been walled off in their own neighborhood and making way for tourists to get a closer look at the iconic democratic building. The perimeter had become one of the last remaining symbols of the failed security response to the riots that disrupted Congress from confirming President Biden's election victory and led to the deaths of five people.... Capitol Police will continue to monitor threats and the Capitol will still remain closed to public visitors, according to ... a memo sent to lawmakers Wednesday [MB: from, uh, somebody]."
Allen Feuer of the New York Times: "Against the advice of a lawyer, [Stewart] Rhodes..., the leader of the Oath Keepers militia..., spoke freely with [FBI] agents about the Capitol assault for nearly three hours, he said in an interview on Friday. Mr. Rhodes said that he denied that he or any other Oath Keepers had intended to disrupt Congress's certification of the Electoral College vote -- the chief accusation the government has lodged against 16 members of the group who are charged with conspiracy. He also said he told the agents that members of his militia went into the building only after they had heard that someone had been shot inside and wanted to render aid. (A New York Times visual investigation of the events of Jan. 6 did not find evidence of Mr. Rhodes's claims.)" A TPM summary story is here.
A "Spurious" Defense. Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's claim that the First Amendment shields his conduct leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is legally 'spurious' and should be rejected as a federal court considers lawsuits that allege he incited the violence, four prominent First Amendment lawyers and scholars argued Thursday. Targeting a key defense raised by lawyers for Trump and co-defendants including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), the legal experts said that courts have long recognized that speech central to a crime -- such as the political intimidation of voters, lawmakers and government officials -- is barred and not protected by the Constitution. In a 23-page proposed friend-of-the-court brief filed Thursday in a case brought by members of Congress and Capitol police, the legal scholars argued that courts must strike a balance between protecting freedom of political speech and preventing political intimidation.... The four signers were First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, who has fought several precedent-making cases in court, Berkeley law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky, former Harvard Law School dean Martha Minow and noted constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe."
The Odd Couple. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post: "Ten days ago..., [Mitch McConnell] was asked ... to imagine: 'You're stranded on a desert island and you can only have one companion. Your choices are Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter. Who do you choose? McConnell had little hesitation. 'Biden and I did four bipartisan deals during the Obama administration. I consider him a personal friend,' he said. 'I was the only Republican who went to his son Beau's funeral. So that would be an easy choice. I think Biden is a first-rate person.'" Milbank imagines Joe & Mitch doing a couple of TV survival shows in which they're stranded together on a desert island. For instance, "Episode Two: The survivalists go fishing. Biden spears a fish. Biden goes foraging for kindling to cook the fish but returns to discover tha McConnell has eaten the whole fish raw. McConnell blames Biden for his upset stomach."
This Should Work! ~~~
CPAC attendee sent me this pic of a card they were handed about a “7-pt. plan to restore Donald J. Trump in days, not years,” which involves installing Trump as speaker and ousting Biden & Harris. pic.twitter.com/dS0tQ5jW7b
— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) July 9, 2021
~~~ Solender is a Forbes political reporter. Via the Raw Story.
Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service: In the U.S., "white Christians ... have expanded their share of the population, particularly white mainline Protestants. That group sits at 16.4%, an increase from 13% in 2016, whereas white evangelicals ... now represent about 14.5% of the population, down from a peak of 23% in 2006. White Catholics now hover around 11.7%, up from a 2018 low of 10.9%.... The percentage of white Christians ticked up overall, rising from 42% in 2018 to 44% in 2020.... Even with these small gains, however, white Christians have shrunk dramatically as a proportion of the population over the past few decades, having represented 54% of the population as recently as 2006.... Religiously unaffiliated Americans, or 'nones' in religion demography parlance, have lost ground, making up just 23% of the country. The complex group -- which includes atheists, agnostics and some people who say they pray daily but don't claim a specific faith tradition -- peaked at 25.5% of the population in 2018." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ ** Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "The presidency of George W. Bush may have been the high point of the modern Christian right's influence in America.... But the evangelicals who thought they were about to take over America were destined for disappointment.... From this fact derives much of our country's cultural conflict. It helps explain not just the rise of Donald Trump, but also the growth of QAnon and even the escalating conflagration over critical race theory.... QAnon is essentially a millenarian movement, with Trump taking the place of Jesus.... [As for those who are anti-C.R.T.,] the idea that public schools are corrupting children by leading them away from a providential understanding of American history has deep roots in white evangelical culture.... I was frightened by the religious right in its triumphant phase. But it turns out that the movement is just as dangerous in decline.... It didn't take long for the cocky optimism of Generation Joshua to give way to the nihilism of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. If they can't own the country, they're ready to defile it." (Also linked yesterday.)
Steve Thompson & Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "Attorneys general in four states are looking into the online fundraising practices of both major political parties.... The practices being examined include the use of pre-checked boxes that lock in recurring donations from political donors who may not intend to sign up for more than one contribution, according to an April 29 letter included in a court filing Wednesday by WinRed, a fundraising platform for GOP committees and campaigns. WinRed is asking the U.S. District Court in Minnesota to stop the investigations by the attorneys general of Minnesota, Connecticut, Maryland and New York, arguing that consumer protection statutes that the attorneys general may try to enforce are preempted by federal law. Identical letters were sent to WinRed and ActBlue, a fundraising platform for Democrats, according to a person familiar with the inquiry...." (Also linked yesterday.)
Annals of Journalism, Ctd. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post: "In recent months, local TV news crews have faced verbal and physical abuse while on the job. A few reporters have been injured. Some have been robbed or had equipment damaged.... [The year] 2020 ... may have been the most dangerous year in history for TV reporters in the United States.... 'What we're seeing now is part of a disturbing trend of [TV] journalists being in jeopardy in what otherwise are routine stories,' said Dan Shelley, the [Radio Television Digital News Directors Association's] ... director. 'It's not just riots and protests.... Many people feel as if they have permission to be aggressive toward journalists.'... Station managers ... said their journalists had been verbally harassed, punched, slapped, shoved, spat on, robbed at gunpoint, and hit with rocks and water bottles.... Many of the culprits were demonstrators, managers said, but police have also been involved in roughing up journalists."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Sheryl Stolberg, et al., of the New York Times: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged schools on Friday to fully reopen in the fall, even if they cannot take all of the steps the agency recommends to curb the spread of the coronavirus -- a major turn in a public health crisis in which childhood education has long been a political flash point. The agency also said school districts should use local health data to guide decisions about when to tighten or relax prevention measures like masking and physical distancing. With the highly contagious Delta variant spreading and children under 12 still ineligible for vaccination, it recommended that unvaccinated students and staff members keep wearing masks. The guidance is a departure from the C.D.C.'s past recommendations for schools."
Fear of "Needle Nazis." Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "It has been three days since President Biden announced an initiative to send people door-to-door trying to get more people vaccinated, and Republicans and their conservative media allies have wasted no time turning those door-knockers into terrifying straw men.... Republican members of Congress and conservative talkers have wrongly pitched the effort as forced vaccination -- even repeatedly invoking the Nazis -- and lodged baseless suggestions that it would be done using illegally obtained medical information. Others have suggested it's something akin to government coercion or even a precursor to gun confiscation.... [After] Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) ... compar[ed] the effort to 'medical brown shirts showing up at their door ordering vaccinations.'..., Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) took to Twitter the next day to offer her own Nazi comparison, labeling the door-knockers 'needle Nazis.'... Fox News host Tucker Carlson also wrongly pitched this effort as being about forcing vaccinations." (Also linked yesterday.)
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Beyond the Beltway
Arizona. Jordan Williams of the Hill: "Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill on Friday preventing local governments from teaching critical race theory. The measure, House Bill 2906, prohibits 'the state and any local governments from requiring their employees to engage in orientation, training or therapy that suggest an employee is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,' Ducey's office said in a statement. The Arizona state House passed the bill in a 31-25 vote.... The state Senate passed the bill on a 16-12 vote.... Republicans have used the term critical race theory as a catch-all for teaching racism, with some panning the theory as discriminatory." MB: The bill, as reported, doesn't seem to have anything to do with critical race theory.
Texas. Sabrina Tavernise of the New York Times: "People across the country may soon be able to sue abortion clinics, doctors and anyone helping a woman get an abortion in Texas, under a new state law that contains a legal innovation with broad implications for the American court system. The provision passed the State Legislature this spring as part of a bill that bans abortion after a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Many states have passed such bans, but the law in Texas is different. Ordinarily enforcement would be up to government official.... But the law in Texas prohibits officials from enforcing it. Instead, it ... effectively deputizing ordinary citizens -- including from outside Texas -- to sue clinics and others who violate the law. It awards them at least $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It's odd how confederates are all concerned about medical professionals getting your "medical information" when they go door-to-door to vaccinate people, but it's just fine for me, as a wingnut busybody with no professional code of ethics, to interfere with the health care of a young woman far, far away.
Virginia. City to Remove "Totems for Terrorists." Michael Levenson & Hawes Spencer of the New York Times: "Four years after a woman was killed and dozens were injured when white nationalists protested the planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va., city officials said they would remove the statue on Saturday, along with a nearby monument to Stonewall Jackson, another Confederate general. The announcement by the city on Friday came more than four years after the City Council initially put forth a plan to remove the statue of Lee from what was then known as Lee Park, prompting scores of white nationalists to descend on Charlottesville in August 2017 in a 'Unite the Right' rally to protest the removal.... The violence that day, as well as the open racism and anti-Semitism displayed at the rally, intensified calls to remove Confederate statues across the country." The AP's report is here.
Way Beyond
Haiti. The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Saturday are here: "United States and Colombian officials say they will work with Haiti to understand the origins of a complicated plot that left Haiti's president dead and the country in chaos even as Haitian investigators confront questions emerging closer to home. Of the at least 20 people detained so far in the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse this past week, 18 have been identified as Colombians and two as Haitian Americans. Five suspects are still being sought." ~~~
~~~ Natalie Kitroeff, et al., of the New York Times: "After 24 hours of wild gun battles with suspects in the assassination of Haiti's president, the nation's authorities announced the arrests of 20 people and called on the United States to send troops to help protect crucial infrastructure. Haiti's remarkable request for military assistance from the United States, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation's affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. As new developments unfolded at a dizzying pace on Friday, the mystery over who was ultimately behind the assassination only deepened. On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and the police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia -- former military men said to have turned mercenaries -- as questions arose about why it had been so easy for attackers to burst into President Jovenel Moïse's home and kill him, seemingly with no shots fired from security staff. And in a brewing political crisis, suspicion has prompted what may shape up to be a standoff between rival governments." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Reporters can marvel at Haiti's "remarkable" request for U.S. military assistance. But you can bet no one in Haiti would be dialing Washington's help line if the former guy had not been run out of town.
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of developments in Haiti Friday are here: "Two Americans arrested in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse of Haiti this week said that they were not in the room when he was killed and that they had worked only as translators for the hit squad, a Haitian judge said on Friday. Clément Noël, a judge who is involved with the investigation and who interviewed both men soon after their arrest, said that neither was injured in the assault." (Also linked yesterday.)
Algeria. Siobhán O'Grady of the Washington Post profiles Zohra Drif, an Algerian resistance fighter who in 1956 set off a bomb in an Algiers bar popular with French settlers, an incident that "marked a major turning point in Algeria's struggle for independence."
News Ledes
New York Times: "The temperature [in Death Valley, California,] soared to 130 degrees on both Friday and Saturday and was forecast to hit the same peak on Sunday.... The blistering weekend heat, one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth, matched a similar level from August 2020. Those readings could set records if verified, as an earlier record of 134 degrees in 1913 has been disputed by scientists. Much of the West is facing further record-breaking temperatures over the coming days, with over 31 million people in areas under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories. It is the third heat wave to sweep the region this summer."
New York Times: "The death toll [at the collapsed Surfside, Florida, condominium] rose to 86 on Saturday, according to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade County. Dozens of people remained unaccounted for...."
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Reader Comments (9)
Yowsa! Such in depth planning CPAC has accomplished. –-just like that--wham! They turn the tables inside out without any problem whatsoever. Their 7 pt. plan to restore Fatty to the pulpit takes your breath away! One could, if one had an ounce of common sense, look at this as some kind of joke but I gather this is a serious plan, a plan that they actually plan to carry out.
Being in the percentage of having common sense I reckon the word for this stunning plan is a word that was put forth at the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
GEWGAW: an object lacking in substantial value
The* President put out an EO seeking to curtail the monopolistic and restraining power of corporations and the regulations that sustain corporate powers to exclude. (above)
"What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9
" ... (the war) ... has been a trying time for the republic, but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavour to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxious for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless." Abraham Lincoln, 1864, letter to his friend William Elkins
" The belief is common in America that the day is at hand when corporations ... after having created a system of quiet but irrestible corruption - will ultimately succeed in directing government itself. ... The corporation is in its nature a threat against the popular institutions which are spreading so rapidly over the whole world ... and unless some satisfactory solution of the problem can be reached, popular institutions may yet find their very existence endangered."
Henry Adams, 1870
Lincoln and Adams quotes contained in "Gangs of America", Ted Nace, 2003
U.S. laws, society, economics, demographics, and global position have changed dramatically in the last 150+ years, but the ability of responsible citizens to perceive the absolute threat to the Republic of corporations' power to corrupt has not changed. We can expect that "the money power" will paint The President's initiative as "radical", but real conservatives (Burkeans, were there any left) would applaud it as a traditional American attempt to restore political and economic power to "the people," popular power which has been consistently whittled down by legislation and juridical precedents that favor corporate immunity at the expense of "little guys."
Maybe there is a social natural law that consolidation of power at the top is the way of the world, but the American experiment was founded in part to refute that hypothesis, and those who support the hegemony of the "money power" (is there a better name?) are not true to the American concept. Except, in America, its all about the money.
* It took me a while, but last night after hearing several GOP MOCs' clips on the news, I realized they never refer to The President as "President Biden" or "The President." Always as "Biden." Disrespect? Of course, but also, they can't call him "The President" if he's a usurper, right?
What a bunch of fools. (I looked for a better synonym. There are hundreds. "Dingleberry", however, commended itself. Let them be that.)
To continue with another example of Gewgaw, the object of Donny junior's cold heart is that woman who could sink ships with her screeching voice reminding us once again that females can be just as ruthless as any male. Seems Fatty has a big problem with Kimberly Guilfoyle cuz she be backing and working for GOP Senate candidate (MO) Eric Greitens who wants to take Roy Blunt's seat. Eric resigned as Missouri's governor in 2018 amid sexual misconduct. Fatty is furious with Kim and is publicly keveching about it. Let's remember that Fox fired Kim for her sexual misconduct so I imagine she and Eric have lots in common. So–– a wee bit of family fun in the belly of the beasts; "pass the coleslaw, you miserable piece of...." says Fatty to Kim whose partner stands up and defends her while Eric laughs, Ivanka leaves, Tiffany snatches the last sweet bun and Melania bangs a knife on her china plate and says–––BE BEST!
You betcha!
@Patrick: thanks––good stuff! "Except, in America, its all about the money."
Great quotations, Patrick. Thanks.
For want of an original comment will send along a remark I made this morning to a good friend who had sent me this Sirota piece.
https://www.dailyposter.com/workers-are-funding-the-war-on-themselves/
Money has its own generative power. In hands unencumbered by any moral sense, it lives to make more of itself by any means possible. No guardrails, no restraints. I liken it to untreated cancer, all consuming.
The problem for pension funds is two-fold. Where pensions do still exist, largely in state hands, they are notoriously underfunded, so their caretakers must rely on future earnings to make the promised payroll.
To that extent, they are Ponzi schemes, clear evidence that the states that offer pensions in lieu of adequate salaries are running on the cheap because they do not have the will to levy adequate taxes, which then forces them to “invest” where they will get the greatest return regardless of social consequence.
And I'd add to that, pensions funds are only one of the many Ponzi schemes we've stupidly invested in where we're depending on future earnings we have no prospect of receiving.
The western states' drought naturally makes me think: water...
Little Andy Saul of Social Security: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Saul. Since his former company went bankrupt, apparently Saul has issues with fiduciary duties. Does that surprise anyone that Lil' Donnie would overlook fiduciary ability with appointees? Andy must have some Sackler blood in his veins and his work for Jewish charities reeks similarly. This is no different than putting that dumb ass Betsy DeVos in charge of education.
One more thought on the severance of morality (ethics, whatever) from the pursuit of profit.
The creation of LLC's (limited liability corporations) went a long way to sundering the connection. If you have an LLC, which millions do, for your business(es) you are well-insulated from responsibility for your actions and inactions.
Personal responsibility? What was that?
@Patrick: When I was growing up, the attraction "little guys" had to capitalism was that they believed it was the antidote to evil communism. Today, the progeny of those little guys see capitalism as the antithesis of evil socialism. None seem to have much of a grasp as to how those organizing principles work and have worked in practice.
Biden's proposals are essentially conservative; that is, they are designed to take us back to the good ole days when there was -- ideally -- a balance among government, capitalists & unions/little guys. One would think the little guys would see the advantage to that, but I expect we will soon see Tea Party-style protests against Biden-socialism.
As for the right refusing to call Biden the President, the same was true of their references to President Obama. I found myself constantly typing "[President]" preceding "Obama." Of course the same must be said of me as I constantly delete the word "President" when it precedes "Donald Trump."
You know that 7-point plan. The card listed a website. I went there so you wouldn't have to, via VPN and Incognito paths. The URL takes you to this pdf. It's complete utter batshit bullshit, a guaranteed whack-a-doodle must have prepared it. I would caution against clicking on any of the embedded links. Who knows what rabbit-hole they'll take you down.