We live near a wildlife corridor high in the Rocky Mountains, and a bear has been leaving its prints around our property for the past two weeks. It is nearly the end of December, and it is way past the time (around October) for him to be hibernating. Concerned he may be sick or starving, I called our state wildlife office in our county. No, there are reports of bears late hibernating because we have had a very mild winter so far, they told me Their hibernating is triggered by cold weather, and due to a run of warmer-than-usual fall weather, it is not unusual to see bears hibernating later or even or for a shorter duration. We are seeing the effects of global warming, I conclude. We have already lost forests of lodgepole pines due to a beetle infestation because winters are no longer cold enough to kill them each season. I have been a full and part-time resident of our home in the Winter Park/Fraser area for 50 years. In our early years, below zero F weather, even 30 degrees F below 0 ( O F is minus -17 C ) was not unusual, but even a few degrees below 0 F are fewer and far between.
WELCOME TO THE BLOG This blog reflects my views of current political issues.. It is also an archive for columns in the Sky Hi News 2011 to November 2019. Winter Park Times 2019 to 2021.(paper publishing suspended in 2021) My Facebook page, the muftic forum, posts blog links, comments, and sharing. Non-political Facebook page: felicia muftic. Subscribe for free on Substack: https://feliciamuftic.substack.com Blog postings are continuously being edited and updated.
Friday, December 27, 2024
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
New resistance opportunity arises: Rule by oligarchs and class warfare updated 12 22 2024
Trump's reliance on oligarch contributions to his campaign and his fawning, and surrounding himself, his cabinet, and his advisers with the current crop of the ultra-rich is ripe for a resistance campaign issue for the midterms. Trump's rule by an administration filled with billionaires that he is planning for his next act is a gift to Democrats as they plot strategy for the midterms in 2026 to get back those working-class voters they lost in 2024. Democrats can and should make a bigger deal of class warfare. It is low-hanging fruit, obvious and visible, and Democrats have a tradition and a credible track record of supporting the middle class ' pocketbook interests.
GOP priorities regarding tax policy are designed to make the rich richer by extending the tax cuts the rich love. Either they blow the hole bigger than now in the deficit or cut social programs that benefit the middle class and the working poor. Health care, social security and Medicare are targets, among others. This one issue alone is ripe for class warfare. The burning question Democrats need to ask at every opportunity is "How does that benefit whom" and they need to then be ready to point out their alternatives. The GOP has been handed a gift: recovery from COVID-19, putting the breaks on inflation, and jobs for everyone who more or less paid enough to keep up with inflation. Now, let us see what they do with that.
This is a good summary of the GOP's legislative agenda: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/
The most damaging blow to democracy was Citizens United where contributions could be hidden by corporations in lobby and interest groups and political committees. We used to be able to see who contributed. Now they are hidden thanks to the absurd Scotus opinion corporations are people and have rights Musk was brazen. Nothing hidden there:$ 277 million. https://www.msn.com/.../elon-musk-put-277-million-into... If there is one change that would help democracy survive as it was meant to be, it would be to undo the Citizens United opinion. The other would be to undo political gerrymandering, another bad Scotus opinion. This permits those with money to determine the outcome of representative bodies by threatening to provide enough money to "primary" someone who steps out of line. Musk just did it. Republicans dismiss Elon Musk's threats after bill rejection
Elon Musk, a person who could fit the definition of an oligarch, has recently become Trump's alter ego. Now that Elon Musk seems to be running the transition and Trump sits in Mar A Lago nodding his head, Musk deserves real scrutiny. Do we really want that powerful influence over Trump by Musk, who is revealing himself as a neo-Nazi sympathizer? He just congratulated the AFD party in Germany for its recent showing and called it the savior of Germany, a party widely recognized by many as a neo-nazi party. It should not come as a surprise. Trump has given American neo-Nazis a public platform since taking over Twitter (now X). Some (writing opinions) even think Musk wants to rule the world. This would explain his meddling in other countries' affairs. We used to dismiss a person who pulls the world's strings as nothing but a paranoid delusion. That thought the Musk would attempt to be such a force is frightening. Elon Musk seeks to install himself as global dictator – and 'so far it's working': expert
In 2024, Democrats raised the fear that oligarchs would damage democracy (https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/10/democracy-has-oligarch-problem.html) and instead made combatting MAGA's extreme positions on choice and minority rights and other cultural issues their prime issues.Harris did her best to talk about grocery and gas prices and the high cost of housing and presented some constructive ideas to deal with it, but Trump, the ever real estate promoter and con man, sounded more credible, pointed to low prices pre COVID to make America great again though he had no plans. We know how that turned out. We also know he can't deliver, already saying" it is too hard to do it." Now, in Trump.2 it appears that the middle class and working families will also be the victims of the oligarch influence over Trump.
The rule of billionaires in this second Trump administration is likely to be Trump's Achilles heel. Dems can take aim at those super-rich to the extent that billionaires 1) do not know what wage earners have to do to make ends meet and 2) don't care because they only see public policy good that increases their wealth in tax policy and deregulation. 3) Billionaires often see offsetting the cost of their tax cuts and the damage of doing that by cutting social security health care, feeding the poor, etc, that make the middle-class and working poor's lives easier. Therein lies the reasons Dems can and should engage in class warfare as a contrast to their policies that help wage earners and, the middle class and the needy. They have a track record of advocating, supporting, and protecting the middle class that the GOP does not have. Trump's billionaire appointees plan is a new opportunity ripe for attack not available to Democrats in 2024.
https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/resistance-is-not-enough-democrats-have.html
HOW BILLIONAIRES GET POLITICAL INFLUENCE
Post 2024 election, the billionaire contributions to Trump continued per this meme, data unverified but worthy of attention: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18SyzrraVK/
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BILLIONAIRES AND OLIGARCHS Are all billionaires oligarchs? I have my own take on that. Oligarchs are those who participate in an oligarchy. is an interesting evolution of the usage of the word oligarchs that has roots in economic terms, in how many limited numbers of companies control a "market', or specific sectors of the economy.
Oligarchs also wield more power than just in business. They are politically involved and control more than one power center, such as the media and political positions, informal or formal. An oligarch is now most frequently associated with political power. Not all billionaires are oligarchs, but an oligarch is usually a billionaire or at least a multi-millionaire.
However, Putin's regime is supported by what Russians call oligarchs...very rich Russians who act on Putin's behalf (or meet unfortunate deaths if they do not). It has become more of a political term than a business/market term. The term oligarch resembles the US. It has become a political description of a billionaire tied up in political power that resembles the Russian counterparts. I see it in that context.
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Is Trump an oligarch? If not, he is at least an aspiring one. He acts like one and surrounds himself with bonafide ones to such an extent that at least he appears to treat them as his peer group. Recently, in the passage of the continuing resolution for keeping the government open and his failure to get what he wanted (ending the debt ceiling), he looked like he bowed to his peer, Elon Musk, and Musk's attempt to blow up the bi-partisan deal reached earlier.
This is a potential issue, and to the extent those like Elon Musk and others hurt ordinary Americans, it needs to be followed closely. It also depends upon the messaging skills of Democrats to make the connection, to date, at best, poor. The opportunity is there. Not only is it a class clash, but it also has practical consequences that will hurt Americans in their gut of pocketbook issues. If what the oligarchs do appears to be self-serving, wealth-building while the rest of us take it on the chin can become a major issue. It is especially ripe if what appears to ordinary people is that those like Musk who proposes hurting and cutting out federal programs such as Obamacare and Social Security, consumer protections from abusive business practices and unsafe products are the oligarch's way of offsetting the tax cuts and regulatory requirements.
Is Elon Musk an oligarch? He fits my definition of an oligarch, and he is an example of one who attempts to influence political policy and candidates to benefit him. Musk controls many sectors, including automotive EVs. social media via Twitter/X , and space exploration.He seems to think at this moment that he also controls Congress, the executive branch, and the GOP. MAGA seems willing to dance to his tune. The significance of the House vote on whether to shut down the government or fund it on December 20 was that even Elon could not control that. Trump looked like he, too, was dancing to Musk's tune, following his lead on the budget ceiling, which both Musk and Trump failed to get it included in the final version.
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Musk proposes to cut out the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau so he can avoid regulation when he turns X( formerly Twitter) into a consumer bank and service site. He also wants to destroy reports of Tesla crashes. Bad for business. (per an expose by Rachel Maddow 12/16/2024) and Trump team set to end key vehicle safety rule opposed by Elon Musk's Tesla: report So now the oligarchs are proposing to cut the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau over outrage that $35 late fee is being reduced to $5 in the waning days of the Biden administration. The yelp from the finance companies over this outrageous money/profit generation that screwed consumers is heard on FOX. Whose side is MAGA on? The finance companies or their loyal consumers? Obviously, those getting screwed by this are the consumers; those demanding this profit center are the finance companies. Let's see how this one plays out.https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/cfpb-has-been-an-absolute-disaster-ej-antoni-explains-what-doge-should-cut-first/
Google AI summary: AI Overview
Credit card late fees are a major source of profit for some financial services companies. In 2022, credit card issuers collected over $14 billion in late fees, which was more than 10% of the $130 billion in interest and fees charged to consumers.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently finalized a rule that caps credit card late fees at $8 for the largest credit card issuers. The average late fee before the rule was $32. The CFPB estimates that the new rule will save Americans an average of $220 per year.
Now that Elon Musk seems to be running the transition and Trump sits in Mar A Lago nodding his head, Musk deserves real scrutiny. Do we really want that powerful influence over Trump by Musk, who is a neo-Nazi sympathizer? Are there other dark corners in Musk's head? This one should set off some alarm bells: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/world/europe/elon-musk-afd-germany.html He just congratulated the AFD party in Germany for its recent showing and called it the savior of Germany, a party widely recognized by many as a neo-nazi party. It is anti-immigrant to the extreme. How the Magdeburg Christmas Market mass killing affects German views of immigrants just might become even more extreme since the accused perp was an immigrant from Saudi Arabia Germany Christmas Market Attack: How Saudi Arabia Responded - Newsweek It appears that Musk even sees himself as the Secretary of State or Trump's mouthpiece on the Magdeburg, AFD issue. Is he or is he also not in charge of Trump's foreign policy? He told the German president he was a fool and ought to resign. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/elon-musk-s-controversial-demand-after-magdeburg-tragedy/ar-AA1wh6dx?
Musk's X (formerly Twitter) let neo Nazi's have a flourishing platform
HOW BILLIONAIRES GET POLITICAL INFLUENCE
"The single biggest target of billionaire campaign spending has been the historically tight presidential race. Nearly $600 million was spent in support of the two major presidential candidates, either through their respective fundraising committees or super PACs spending on their behalf (see below). The great bulk of that money backed former president and current Republican nominee Donald Trump, who benefited from over $450 million of billionaire donations–more than three times as much as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, who was the beneficiary of $143 million of billionaire contributions. That’s a 75%-25% split in Trump’s favor. " Billionaire Clans Spend Nearly $2 BILLION On 2024 Elections - Americans For Tax Fairness
Musk recently just threatened to use his money to "primary" candidates, Democrats and Republicans who do not fall in line in 2026.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Major Trump campaign promises evaporate. The list keeps growing. updated 12 29 2024 1/11/2025
Major Trump campaign promises and other rhetoric voters relied on have evaporated even before Trump has been sworn in. The list keeps growing. First, Trump could roll back grocery prices, but he knew or should have known he did not have the power to do it. Tariffs will raise prices to consumers, passed on to them, despite every economist in the world telling him that he was wrong: China would pay for them, he claimed. Now he says he"can't promise it consumer won't pay". Other issues that have already been backtracked or neutered are the Biden crime family-related prosecutions, the ending of H-1B visas, and the immediate ending of the Ukraine war (before he was even sworn in).
In shift, Trump downgrades soaring rhetoric on campaign promises Interesting that this article called his lies campaign soaring rhetoric. Not only does he backtrack on bringing down grocery prices, or tariffs impacting consumer prices, he also is backtracking ending Ukraine war immediately. Trump says Russia-Ukraine peace may be harder than Middle East
This one went south: the Biden Crime family. The FBI informant confesses he lied about Hunter and his father being bribed by a Ukrainian energy company. https://apnews.com/article/alexander-smirnov-guilty-plea-biden-informant-fbi-62a3b7acce0345303f812ca6d0206b10
Under pressure from his oligarch pals, he also just backtracked on certain visas extended to tech related foreigners(H-IB Visas) in spite of his promises. Trump says H-1B visa program is 'great' amid MAGA feud over tech workers
Left on his agenda are gas at the pump prices (He does not control oil per barrel prices; the international cartel does; "drill baby drill" was a great campaign slogan, but unattached to reality.) Stopping inflation is another empty promise. Tariffs will raise consumer prices; labor shortages will also be caused by mass deportations and add to inflation. Stay tuned on these issues and promises.
Trump was poised to inherit a strong economy. Then things got rocky and he added to the uncertainty.
MAGA will not feel this now. Just wait until the predictions come true to those who voted for Trump because they wanted lower grocery and gas prices and blamed Biden for inflation. Then they will get it.... or at least "we told you so" will have some meaning. Until then, this is just laying the groundwork to be able to say, "We told you so." Trump will try to excuse or blame others as he always does when things go south. The resistance needs to keep his feet to the fire and stick the blame on him when that happens: DJT
Here is the benchmark by which to judge Trump's measure of his success: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/is-donald-trump-inheriting-the-best-economy-in-history/ar-BB1rfC8Z?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=b5ba93218a514cd38504c43abdda7e04&ei=7
Sunday, December 15, 2024
Musk's return on investment in Trump has just begun
This is about as self-serving as a billionaire can get. Musk plans to abuse his newfound power as Trump's DOGE to protect plans for a new financial service from consumers and to remove safety requirements for Tesla. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/elon-musk-put-277-million-into-the-election-now-he-s-200-billion-richer. That is a return on investment of the century. Musk is planning to turn his X (formerly Twitter) into a financial services platform similar to Venmo, but offering far more serivces.. https://www.pymnts.com/financial-apps/2023/musk-x-will-encompass-users-entire-financial-life-by-2024Eliminating guardrails, allowing Musk to abuse customers as he sees fit in providing financial services is in his best interest, but not in consumer or public interests.Musk sees the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as redundant and unnecessary. I see it as the only viable guardrail to keep consumers from being victims of illegal and unfair treatment by powerful banks. “When I say payments, I actually mean someone’s entire financial life,” Musk said during a company all-hands call last week, per a report by the Verge.“If it involves money, it’ll be on our platform. Money or securities or whatever. So, it’s not just like send $20 to my friend. I’m talking about, like, you won’t need a bank account.” Imagine a power like the one he represents trying to sell consumers on "efficiency" and DOGE that eliminates consumer protections from financial service providers while he is planning to launch a financial services project as far-reaching as this. This is beyond corrupt, using his relationship with Pres. Elect Trump to get it done using the cover of eliminating duplicative agencies to save taxpayer money. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/06/doges-musk-ramaswamy-try-to-sell-congress-on-huge-spending-cuts.html
Update: 12/21/24 This is what the CFPB is doing, for example, that local and state consumer regulators do not have the ability and resources to do. CFPB sues JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo over Zelle payment fraud
Another Musk self-serving plan: Musk is unsafe at any speed. Musk plans to use his power to remove safety regulations that damage Tesla's interest. Trump team set to end key vehicle safety rule opposed by Elon Musk's Tesla: report
Add this to the already extensive stranglehold billionaires have in media and what we can hear and see to get our news. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Democracy has an oligarch problem. Musk is a player.
More on CFPB:
This, from https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/resistance-is-not-enough-democrats-have.html ..... billionaire Elon Musk in charge of Trump's current thinking about cutting "duplicative and unnecessary agencies" has just targeted the recently instituted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . (CFPB)Unnecessary for whom? Certainly not necessary for a billionaire. Duplicative of what agency? It was set up to do what other agencies had failed to do or had the power to do. Per Google AI, The FTC's Bureau of Productions for Consumer Protection ICFstops unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices by collecting complaints and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law. developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace. I spent over 20 years as an executive with consumer protection agencies, one similar to the CFPB on the local level, and a credit counseling agency (non-profit) , dealing with debt, foreclosure, and local, public, and private agencies attempting to help consumers deal with these kinds of financial problems. However, when we attempted to alert the Federal Trade Commission about a pattern of civil fraud, there was no easy way to do it nor was there a focus at the FTC to deal with consumer complaints. Musk does not have a clue of how important the Bureau is. Per the bureau:
- 4 million+ consumer complaints received responses
- $20.7 billion+ in financial relief as a result of CFPB actions
- 205 million+ people eligible for financial relief and their current target: credit card and bank junk fees.
That is a good reason why billionaires should not be making such policies.https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-calls-abolishing-consumer-finance-watchdog-targeted-by-republicans-2024-11-27
Alarm bells are ringing as Trump has indicated a potential desire to turn the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, into a political weapon and to set interest rates per political considerations. If the Fed begins to raise interest rates as inflation raises its ugly head again, Trump may try to replace the members with loyalists so he could control interest rates to make his regime look good politically. That move would be fought tooth and nail by business interests. The Federal Reserve has the only tool available to fight inflation. They control an overheated economy using interest rates. While high interest rates post-COVID were politically painful, in the long run they have brought inflation down to nearly 2%, an annual rate economists consider healthy.
Elon Musk's current relationship will likely run into conflict with Trump over tariffs and the environment (Tesla and batteries are important to him, and they depend on environmentally sensitive customers) Musk also understands science and its value to Space X. Cuts of government service runs counter to his business tech orientation which is highly dependent on science and data collecting. How that plays out will be a fascinating drama to watch. V Conflict with Trump's team members have already begun. Musk, top Trump adviser clash over Cabinet picks
Possibly an area of conflict between Musk and Pres. Trump is if Project 2025 is implemented. Eliminated as unnecessary are whole agencies at the EPA. . ‘Agencies To Be Deleted’: Vivek Ramaswamy Says DOGE Will Pursue ‘Mass Reductions,’ Fight Bureaucratic ‘Pushback’ In MAGA'S mind, environmental and climate research is unnecessary. Global warming is a hoax, per Project 2025 and Donald Trump. They must think if it is not collecting data that is reported in the media, global warming will go away. Besides, these regulatory agencies cut into corporate profits, and those agency cuts are needed to offset the tax breaks to the rich that will bloat the debt and deficits. Project 2025 proposes to eliminate any reference to man-caused global warming in government agencies including eliminating agencies who keep track of such unnecessary stuff since there is no global warming man causes. Among those on the cutting block are possibly Boulder's National Atmospheric Research labs, and NOAA's chief research facility also located in Boulder, Colorado. . https://www.noaa.gov/about-our-agency
Interesting, however, is that Trump's pick for energy czar is from Denver, who believes there is climate change, but it is not a crisis. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/11/19/chris-wright-colorado-energy-secretary-nominee
On the other hand, Elon Musk may see a business opportunity. He already has billions worth of government contracts, especially in space travel, exploration, and rockets. That is his business model. It is taking over stodgy government agencies and replacing them with money-saving contracts under his control and for profit. Running science agencies would more than benefit his bottom line and the automotive and space agencies that already make him the richest man in the world. Trump's victory brought Tesla and Musk 70 billion dollars. It also means that those agencies would serve him, but not the public interest. and competitors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/16/elon-musk-trump-treasury-tariffs/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/climate/trump-noaa-climate-data-weather.html
https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/research/other-research-initiatives/environmental-guid
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/07/what-project-2025-would-do-to-climate-policy-in-the-us/
Friday, December 13, 2024
RFK JR and and a dialog with an anti vax
RFK Jr for many years made his living promoting the dangers of vaccinating your kids. He is now most likely to be confirmed as head of HHS. I ran across this exchange from an anti-vax advocate today. will remove the name this Facebook exchange and my response to her line that it was a matter of my choice. "By all means tho it’s a choice and you have the freedom to choose. Keep getting boosted if that’s your choice" , as she continued: "Not to mention the heinous amounts of corruption and fraud within the CDC/NIH/HHS etc etc."
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