#pragmatism — Public Fediverse posts

Follow the Money Toward WWIII — Russia’s $300 billion of confiscated assets make peace close to impossible

It has been said that all wars are “bankers wars,” however, against the modern era of inverted fascism where corporations tell the govt what policies take priority, the more accurate truism ‘is all wars being controlled by money’, not necessarily banks.

The European Commission has constructed a very special kind of proactive financing for Ukraine that doesn’t require them to give their own €uros to the historically corrupt country.  Partly because the EU doesn’t have their own money, and partly because everything the EU does in the sphere of finance is always a false construct, what the EU put together was a financial system based on sanctioned, confiscated (ie stolen) Russian sovereign wealth funds {citation}.

As part of the sanction regime, the EU and western NATO alliance seized roughly €250 billion, $300 billion USD, in Russian sovereign wealth assets.  As long as the USA was financing the Ukraine government and war effort, those funds sat on the sidelines undiscussed.  However, once the USA stopped writing checks to Ukraine an alternate finance system was needed.

What the EU (Ursula von der Leyen) put together was a finance package using the confiscated $300 billion in the Russian sovereign wealth fund as collateral for loans to Ukraine.  The EU would send the money to Ukraine as a loan that did not have a payback mechanism. Instead, the thinking goes that when the negotiations for a ceasefire take place, Russia would be forced to give up the confiscated $300 billion as part of a reparations package to Ukraine.

Ukraine doesn’t have to pay back the loans because Russia will be forced to give up their sovereign wealth fund, and those funds will repay the loans.  That’s the way the EU financing of Ukraine is set up. {SOURCE}  The EU isn’t giving Ukraine EU money; the EU is giving Ukraine the Russian wealth fund money.

Now, immediately you can see a few problems.

♦ PROBLEM 1 – What happens if Russia demands the return of their $300 billion as one of their baseline terms for a peace deal?  If the confiscated money is given back to Russia, the EU and Ukraine are on the hook for the $300 billion they would have spent.

♦ PROBLEM 2 – With #1 in mind, there is now an incentive to never reach a peace agreement or ceasefire; at least never reach a solution that would consider the return of the $300 billion.  Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin has previously said the stolen money belongs to the Russian people and must be returned; he will never accept the theft.

link

There is more than just this very important factor. It strongly appears that the Iran War is spreading and merging with the Ukraine War, which indicates top Western elites are not giving up on destroying Russia, and probably Europe as well. Chaos always favors the strongest players, who may overestimate their positions. Only time will tell. I dislike predictions but do like seeing the signs of things that may come to be and assessing them based on what seems probable. WW3 is a constantly increasing possibility and has been on a front burner since Gaza, and now Iran. If USA agrees to marry Israel’s IDF, that will mean WW3 will follow with much greater probability. Notice the many ties between China and Israel, as both deeply infiltrate USA and Europe with many similar aims. I can imagine an Israeli-Chinese plot to goad Europe and USA into war with Russia, while China and Israel wait on the sidelines to reap the spoils. China will gain territory from and power over a war-torn Russia, while Israel will increase its control over USA and Europe, and probably take full control of Ukraine, if not more. ABN

Follow the Money Toward WWIII — Russia’s $300 billion of confiscated assets make peace close to impossible

It has been said that all wars are “bankers wars,” however, against the modern era of inverted fascism where corporations tell the govt what policies take priority, the more accurate truism ‘is all wars being controlled by money’, not necessarily banks.

The European Commission has constructed a very special kind of proactive financing for Ukraine that doesn’t require them to give their own €uros to the historically corrupt country.  Partly because the EU doesn’t have their own money, and partly because everything the EU does in the sphere of finance is always a false construct, what the EU put together was a financial system based on sanctioned, confiscated (ie stolen) Russian sovereign wealth funds {citation}.

As part of the sanction regime, the EU and western NATO alliance seized roughly €250 billion, $300 billion USD, in Russian sovereign wealth assets.  As long as the USA was financing the Ukraine government and war effort, those funds sat on the sidelines undiscussed.  However, once the USA stopped writing checks to Ukraine an alternate finance system was needed.

What the EU (Ursula von der Leyen) put together was a finance package using the confiscated $300 billion in the Russian sovereign wealth fund as collateral for loans to Ukraine.  The EU would send the money to Ukraine as a loan that did not have a payback mechanism. Instead, the thinking goes that when the negotiations for a ceasefire take place, Russia would be forced to give up the confiscated $300 billion as part of a reparations package to Ukraine.

Ukraine doesn’t have to pay back the loans because Russia will be forced to give up their sovereign wealth fund, and those funds will repay the loans.  That’s the way the EU financing of Ukraine is set up. {SOURCE}  The EU isn’t giving Ukraine EU money; the EU is giving Ukraine the Russian wealth fund money.

Now, immediately you can see a few problems.

♦ PROBLEM 1 – What happens if Russia demands the return of their $300 billion as one of their baseline terms for a peace deal?  If the confiscated money is given back to Russia, the EU and Ukraine are on the hook for the $300 billion they would have spent.

♦ PROBLEM 2 – With #1 in mind, there is now an incentive to never reach a peace agreement or ceasefire; at least never reach a solution that would consider the return of the $300 billion.  Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin has previously said the stolen money belongs to the Russian people and must be returned; he will never accept the theft.

link

There is more than just this very important factor. It strongly appears that the Iran War is spreading and merging with the Ukraine War, which indicates top Western elites are not giving up on destroying Russia, and probably Europe as well. Chaos always favors the strongest players, who may overestimate their positions. Only time will tell. I dislike predictions but do like seeing the signs of things that may come to be and assessing them based on what seems probable. WW3 is a constantly increasing possibility and has been on a front burner since Gaza, and now Iran. If USA agrees to marry Israel’s IDF, that will mean WW3 will follow with much greater probability. Notice the many ties between China and Israel, as both deeply infiltrate USA and Europe with many similar aims. I can imagine an Israeli-Chinese plot to goad Europe and USA into war with Russia, while China and Israel wait on the sidelines to reap the spoils. China will gain territory from and power over a war-torn Russia, while Israel will increase its control over USA and Europe, and probably take full control of Ukraine, if not more. ABN

"This conception of mind as an isolated being underlies the conception that esthetic experience is merely something “in mind,’ and strengthens the conception which isolates the esthetic from those modes of experience in which the body is actively engaged with the things of nature and life. It takes art out of the province of the live
creature."

John Dewey, Art as Experience, p.264

#pragmatism #art #philosophy

"This conception of mind as an isolated being underlies the conception that esthetic experience is merely something “in mind,’ and strengthens the conception which isolates the esthetic from those modes of experience in which the body is actively engaged with the things of nature and life. It takes art out of the province of the live
creature."

John Dewey, Art as Experience, p.264

#pragmatism #art #philosophy

Real Story Behind State Department Cuba Report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhFujpXonOg

Real Story Behind State Department Cuba Report

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhFujpXonOg

Left vs Right

Left vs Right

Modern psychology is almost entirely the theory and treatment of the ‘self of the gaps’

The “self of the gaps” is the self that fills in the many gaps of understanding that occur during interpersonal communication.

These gaps can be small or large, but they are always there and there are many of them. Almost all people everywhere build their personalities on their need to fill these gaps.

They have been with you since you became conscious, You were raised on them. You can will yourself through them. Or theorize yourself over them. You can be confused by them or you can use them to confuse and control others. Malignant egos and narcissists thrive on gaps of understanding. Kinder people can be and often are devastated by them.

No one is free of them. Gaps arise frequently and can perdure for decades, whole lifetimes.

Communication gaps are filled with assumptions, illusions, wishful thinking, paranoia, emotionality, habit. When people visit a psychologist, a root cause is always going to be many painful gaps that have been internalized, reified, filled with wrong assumptions, make-believe.

The only way to correct a “self of the gaps” is FIML practice. Only FIML focuses precisely on real-time, real-world communication gaps and fixes them several orders of magnitude better than what they were.

FIML or something similar has never been discovered before because it comes very close to violating a fundamental language instinct; the instinct to recoil at being questioned personally and quickly. Almost all people feel threatened, insulted, attacked when questioned quickly, especially if the question involves something we just said. More precisely: especially if the question involves “personal” contents of the working memory, out of which we just spoke. Doesn’t have to be anything bad in the working memory; it’s just that that information is close to home and almost never shared for itself.

FIML “comes close to violating” this instinct but it most assuredly does not actually do that. Instead, it assuages our tendency to fear being questioned. FIML is never a gotcha question. It is always a question that arises out of an explicit previously made agreement. Any FIML question can be truthfully answered, “I would rather not say.”

By doing FIML, malignant old gaps are gradually filled with truthful data while new gaps are much less likely to form or grow. FIML can be difficult to understand because it entails an entirely new way of looking at human psychology. By focusing on small segments of conversation (psychological morphemes) FIML enables partners to see and understand how their minds are actually working in real time.

This replaces the need to rely on external theories of psychology by just examining what is actually there.

PS: My SO and FIML partner came up with the term “self of the gaps” this morning.

Modern psychology is almost entirely the theory and treatment of the ‘self of the gaps’

The “self of the gaps” is the self that fills in the many gaps of understanding that occur during interpersonal communication.

These gaps can be small or large, but they are always there and there are many of them. Almost all people everywhere build their personalities on their need to fill these gaps.

They have been with you since you became conscious, You were raised on them. You can will yourself through them. Or theorize yourself over them. You can be confused by them or you can use them to confuse and control others. Malignant egos and narcissists thrive on gaps of understanding. Kinder people can be and often are devastated by them.

No one is free of them. Gaps arise frequently and can perdure for decades, whole lifetimes.

Communication gaps are filled with assumptions, illusions, wishful thinking, paranoia, emotionality, habit. When people visit a psychologist, a root cause is always going to be many painful gaps that have been internalized, reified, filled with wrong assumptions, make-believe.

The only way to correct a “self of the gaps” is FIML practice. Only FIML focuses precisely on real-time, real-world communication gaps and fixes them several orders of magnitude better than what they were.

FIML or something similar has never been discovered before because it comes very close to violating a fundamental language instinct; the instinct to recoil at being questioned personally and quickly. Almost all people feel threatened, insulted, attacked when questioned quickly, especially if the question involves something we just said. More precisely: especially if the question involves “personal” contents of the working memory, out of which we just spoke. Doesn’t have to be anything bad in the working memory; it’s just that that information is close to home and almost never shared for itself.

FIML “comes close to violating” this instinct but it most assuredly does not actually do that. Instead, it assuages our tendency to fear being questioned. FIML is never a gotcha question. It is always a question that arises out of an explicit previously made agreement. Any FIML question can be truthfully answered, “I would rather not say.”

By doing FIML, malignant old gaps are gradually filled with truthful data while new gaps are much less likely to form or grow. FIML can be difficult to understand because it entails an entirely new way of looking at human psychology. By focusing on small segments of conversation (psychological morphemes) FIML enables partners to see and understand how their minds are actually working in real time.

This replaces the need to rely on external theories of psychology by just examining what is actually there.

PS: My SO and FIML partner came up with the term “self of the gaps” this morning.

Big Government vs small farmer

This kind of problem is fixable. The more people aware of food quality and the importance of small farms, the better. We go out of our way to buy good food from quality local farmers. ABN

Big Government vs small farmer

This kind of problem is fixable. The more people aware of food quality and the importance of small farms, the better. We go out of our way to buy good food from quality local farmers. ABN

Glad to see #pragmatism advancing arguments and evidence about #intuition and #reflection. I've applied it to
- #CogSci and #metaphilosophy broadly: https://doi.org/10.1111/meta.12534
- #AI and #PhilMind: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2505.22987

A new paper extends it to #Sociology: https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.70053

Glad to see #pragmatism advancing arguments and evidence about #intuition and #reflection. I've applied it to
- #CogSci and #metaphilosophy broadly: https://doi.org/10.1111/meta.12534
- #AI and #PhilMind: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2505.22987

A new paper extends it to #Sociology: https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.70053

Respect if she does it

link

Respect if she does it

link

Declining population RAISES incomes — Peter St Onge

Declining population RAISES incomes — Peter St Onge

The Save Europe Act has officially hit the streets of Europe!

All poster, flyer, sticker, and header designs are now available for free on our website. When you put them up, be sure to take a photo and use #SaveEuropeAct so we can repost you!

link

The greatest outcome of this Act would be if all of Europe rose up and led the rest of THE WEST—USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, etc—to retake Western civilization and all together make it better than ever before! There is strength in optimism and optimism in strength! ABN

The Save Europe Act has officially hit the streets of Europe!

All poster, flyer, sticker, and header designs are now available for free on our website. When you put them up, be sure to take a photo and use #SaveEuropeAct so we can repost you!

link

The greatest outcome of this Act would be if all of Europe rose up and led the rest of THE WEST—USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, etc—to retake Western civilization and all together make it better than ever before! There is strength in optimism and optimism in strength! ABN

🚀 Behold the "Best Simple System for Now," where complex buzzwords go to die! Dan North graces us with the revelation that #perfectionism and #pragmatism are not mutually exclusive—who knew? 🙄 In just 26 minutes, this masterpiece of redundancy assures us that we can have our cake and eat it too, if only we follow the sacred tenets of #XML streaming and #JSON library worship. 🍰💻
https://dannorth.net/blog/best-simple-system-for-now/ #BestSimpleSystem #HackerNews #ngated

🚀 Behold the "Best Simple System for Now," where complex buzzwords go to die! Dan North graces us with the revelation that #perfectionism and #pragmatism are not mutually exclusive—who knew? 🙄 In just 26 minutes, this masterpiece of redundancy assures us that we can have our cake and eat it too, if only we follow the sacred tenets of #XML streaming and #JSON library worship. 🍰💻
https://dannorth.net/blog/best-simple-system-for-now/ #BestSimpleSystem #HackerNews #ngated

America is now paying foreign aid to 177 countries. And Congress just shipped another $50 billion — Peter St Onge

It’s an odd way to run an empire when Washington’s cutting checks to basically the entire planet while Americans buy groceries with credit cards.

America is now paying foreign aid to 177 countries. And Congress just shipped another $50 billion — Peter St Onge

It’s an odd way to run an empire when Washington’s cutting checks to basically the entire planet while Americans buy groceries with credit cards.

Carney Calls It a Rupture. Trump Just Cracked Iran After 47 Years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr579oCbnrI

Carney Calls It a Rupture. Trump Just Cracked Iran After 47 Years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr579oCbnrI

Trump reprimands Israel’s bombing of Lebanon at G7

…’You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. There are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.’ 

Israel has killed at least 3,783 people and wounded 11,699 others in Lebanon between March 2 and June 14, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The agency does not distinguish between civilians and military combatants.

Trump also aired his anger with Bibi over the Israeli PM’s decision to bomb Beirut just two hours before the memorandum of understanding was to be signed by the US and Iran on Sunday. 

‘Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,’ Trump said. ‘I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon, and with Hezbollah.’

Trump also noted that he has told Israeli officials that Syria should ‘take care’ of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. 

The President also doubled down on his recent claim that Israel would have been destroyed by Iran. 

‘Without the US, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel because no other President was willing to do what I did.’

link

……….

More data for the extremely important question — Who rules whom? Israel or USA, in what order and to what degree? Israel and Jewish Supremacists inside USA appear to have strong control of our Deep State. Trump appears to have meaningful control of much of our foreign policy and appears to be wrestling with the Deep State, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It looks like he is building a peaceful Middle East economic confederacy which includes Israel as an equal partner to the other states in the region. This may result in ending the Israeli fantasy of becoming the region’s hegemon. The ongoing battle for Greater Israel is a supremacy battle which unquestionably is being waged inside USA as well as in the ME. Right now, our totally cucked Congress is actually trying being bribed & blackmailed to to marry USA’s military to Israel’s military, while also repeatedly deliberately failing to pass basic voter ID laws, which are overwhelmingly supported by the public. How will this all shake out? Your guess is as good as mine. ABN

Trump reprimands Israel’s bombing of Lebanon at G7

…’You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody. There are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they’re not all Hezbollah.’ 

Israel has killed at least 3,783 people and wounded 11,699 others in Lebanon between March 2 and June 14, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The agency does not distinguish between civilians and military combatants.

Trump also aired his anger with Bibi over the Israeli PM’s decision to bomb Beirut just two hours before the memorandum of understanding was to be signed by the US and Iran on Sunday. 

‘Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,’ Trump said. ‘I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon, and with Hezbollah.’

Trump also noted that he has told Israeli officials that Syria should ‘take care’ of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. 

The President also doubled down on his recent claim that Israel would have been destroyed by Iran. 

‘Without the US, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel because no other President was willing to do what I did.’

link

……….

More data for the extremely important question — Who rules whom? Israel or USA, in what order and to what degree? Israel and Jewish Supremacists inside USA appear to have strong control of our Deep State. Trump appears to have meaningful control of much of our foreign policy and appears to be wrestling with the Deep State, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. It looks like he is building a peaceful Middle East economic confederacy which includes Israel as an equal partner to the other states in the region. This may result in ending the Israeli fantasy of becoming the region’s hegemon. The ongoing battle for Greater Israel is a supremacy battle which unquestionably is being waged inside USA as well as in the ME. Right now, our totally cucked Congress is actually trying being bribed & blackmailed to to marry USA’s military to Israel’s military, while also repeatedly deliberately failing to pass basic voter ID laws, which are overwhelmingly supported by the public. How will this all shake out? Your guess is as good as mine. ABN

Beyond the War Budget? Trump Is Bringing Back the American System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljx7FT5eDr4

_________

In this effort, USA has the ironic advantage of coming from behind in many areas. This both forces and allows us to build with the newest and best. ABN

Beyond the War Budget? Trump Is Bringing Back the American System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljx7FT5eDr4

_________

In this effort, USA has the ironic advantage of coming from behind in many areas. This both forces and allows us to build with the newest and best. ABN

The entire Western world is ruled by a self-centered elite numbering but a few thousand

The entire Western world is ruled by a self-centered elite numbering but a few thousand. No one who is not either onboard with them or accepts being a servile toady to them (most politicians) ever gets anywhere near real political power, or honest social influence.

Historically, elites have always manufactured social and political ‘reality’. In today’s world many of their traditional tricks are not working as well as they did only ten years ago.

What’s changed today is social media, especially X, does allow the honest voices of ordinary people to be heard.

Moreover, it is obvious to anyone paying attention that more voices and more information about anything actually results in better and truer information. 

Crowds crowd-sourcing themselves have proved to be much more savvy than a few thousand elites, who all bow to a small handful of super-elites.

It is simply a fact that more information seen by more people who add yet more information yields better information. Bad info is quickly sifted out.

Elites fear open-ended information more than anything because it reveals how selfish, wrong, small-minded and crazy they are. 

That said, not all elites are always bad.

The best of them understand what is happening with human information and information-sharing and what is feasible.

It seems clear to me right now that more than one battle is going on among them. ABN

The entire Western world is ruled by a self-centered elite numbering but a few thousand

The entire Western world is ruled by a self-centered elite numbering but a few thousand. No one who is not either onboard with them or accepts being a servile toady to them (most politicians) ever gets anywhere near real political power, or honest social influence.

Historically, elites have always manufactured social and political ‘reality’. In today’s world many of their traditional tricks are not working as well as they did only ten years ago.

What’s changed today is social media, especially X, does allow the honest voices of ordinary people to be heard.

Moreover, it is obvious to anyone paying attention that more voices and more information about anything actually results in better and truer information. 

Crowds crowd-sourcing themselves have proved to be much more savvy than a few thousand elites, who all bow to a small handful of super-elites.

It is simply a fact that more information seen by more people who add yet more information yields better information. Bad info is quickly sifted out.

Elites fear open-ended information more than anything because it reveals how selfish, wrong, small-minded and crazy they are. 

That said, not all elites are always bad.

The best of them understand what is happening with human information and information-sharing and what is feasible.

It seems clear to me right now that more than one battle is going on among them. ABN

Gabbard releases evidence of over 120 USA-funded biolabs in 30 countries

Today, I’m releasing never before seen intelligence revealing new evidence of past US government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including Ukraine.

In support of President Trump‘s Executive Order to end federal funding of dangerous gain of function research around the world, and increase transparency and accountability, ODNI will continue working with partners across the Administration to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what “research” is being conducted.

https://odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2026/4163-pr-10-26

Gabbard releases evidence of over 120 USA-funded biolabs in 30 countries

Today, I’m releasing never before seen intelligence revealing new evidence of past US government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries, including Ukraine.

In support of President Trump‘s Executive Order to end federal funding of dangerous gain of function research around the world, and increase transparency and accountability, ODNI will continue working with partners across the Administration to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what “research” is being conducted.

https://odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2026/4163-pr-10-26

»the world is not to be learned and thrown aside«
Dewey, Art as Experience, Ch 13

#Art #pragmatism #relationality

»the world is not to be learned and thrown aside«
Dewey, Art as Experience, Ch 13

#Art #pragmatism #relationality

Job openings jump 731,000 – the second-highest on record — Peter St Onge

While job creation is running 2x population growth.

link

Job openings jump 731,000 – the second-highest on record — Peter St Onge

While job creation is running 2x population growth.

link

Promethean Action PAC Discovers MAGAnomics

In 2015, even before President Trump came down the golden escalator, CTH was outlining a ‘new era and dimension’ in American economics that could be possible if a presidential candidate focused on specific Main Street policy. {Go Deep}

Throughout the next four years we watched carefully how Donald Trump was organizing that Main Street revival {Go Deep} and what specifically was creating the economic growth {Go Deep}.

One of the points emphasized in 2016 about Trump’s unique MAGAnomic policy, was how both Trump and Bernie Sanders agreed on the problem.  The difference between them was the solution.

Think of it like economic football.

Both Trump and Sanders identify the rigged game.  Bernie Sanders wanted to change the referees so that government controls the game. Donald Trump’s approach was different.  Trump wanted to change the rules of the game, not step in and try to play referee to a rigged game where the rules were flawed.

One of the examples of economic “rule changing” is trade tariffs.  You don’t need govt to regulate the corporations directly (ie. raise corporate income taxes). Instead, you can change trade policy to make the better corporate decision a return of production back to the USA (a fundamental rules change).

Both approaches involve a different govt policy, but Trump’s approach changes behavior.  That’s MAGAnomics.

One of the reasons Trump’s approaches are much more effective, is that his rule changes extend beyond the American corporate game.  Trump’s approach changes the behavior of foreign governments and foreign corporations, a win/win/win.

An example is the Japanese government investing in America to offset reciprocity tariffs; while Toyota, a corporation, invests in specific auto manufacturing expansion to avoid baseline tariffs.

You don’t get that kind of result through Bernie’s approach changing the American referee in an all-American game and raising corporate income taxes. And don’t forget, the corporation can just move offshore and avoid income taxes entirely.  Apple used to have their company incorporated in Ireland.  Trump’s rule changes brought them back.

The Promethean Action PAC is now highlighting the fundamentals of Trump’s MAGAnomics and how the policy is distinctly different from all U.S. economic policy before it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTMY0U5QeZs?feature=oembed

link

This short piece provides an excellent explanation of what MAGAnomics means to this administration and how that explains some of what the Promethean group is saying in its videos, which are models of video conciseness and appropriate brevity. Reposted this piece in full with the author’s permission. ABN

Promethean Action PAC Discovers MAGAnomics

In 2015, even before President Trump came down the golden escalator, CTH was outlining a ‘new era and dimension’ in American economics that could be possible if a presidential candidate focused on specific Main Street policy. {Go Deep}

Throughout the next four years we watched carefully how Donald Trump was organizing that Main Street revival {Go Deep} and what specifically was creating the economic growth {Go Deep}.

One of the points emphasized in 2016 about Trump’s unique MAGAnomic policy, was how both Trump and Bernie Sanders agreed on the problem.  The difference between them was the solution.

Think of it like economic football.

Both Trump and Sanders identify the rigged game.  Bernie Sanders wanted to change the referees so that government controls the game. Donald Trump’s approach was different.  Trump wanted to change the rules of the game, not step in and try to play referee to a rigged game where the rules were flawed.

One of the examples of economic “rule changing” is trade tariffs.  You don’t need govt to regulate the corporations directly (ie. raise corporate income taxes). Instead, you can change trade policy to make the better corporate decision a return of production back to the USA (a fundamental rules change).

Both approaches involve a different govt policy, but Trump’s approach changes behavior.  That’s MAGAnomics.

One of the reasons Trump’s approaches are much more effective, is that his rule changes extend beyond the American corporate game.  Trump’s approach changes the behavior of foreign governments and foreign corporations, a win/win/win.

An example is the Japanese government investing in America to offset reciprocity tariffs; while Toyota, a corporation, invests in specific auto manufacturing expansion to avoid baseline tariffs.

You don’t get that kind of result through Bernie’s approach changing the American referee in an all-American game and raising corporate income taxes. And don’t forget, the corporation can just move offshore and avoid income taxes entirely.  Apple used to have their company incorporated in Ireland.  Trump’s rule changes brought them back.

The Promethean Action PAC is now highlighting the fundamentals of Trump’s MAGAnomics and how the policy is distinctly different from all U.S. economic policy before it.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTMY0U5QeZs?feature=oembed

link

This short piece provides an excellent explanation of what MAGAnomics means to this administration and how that explains some of what the Promethean group is saying in its videos, which are models of video conciseness and appropriate brevity. Reposted this piece in full with the author’s permission. ABN

Thinking aloud on a work in progress:

John Dewey needs to be rescued from both his fans and his foes.

If one thinks of philosophy as not separated by unbridgeable gaps from either the natural sciences nor the study of society and its needs, then one is an heir to Dewey.

Paradoxically, his writings constitute not just a source but an obstacle for the best understanding of his thought.

He wrote too much; his collected works fill 76 volumes. Navigating such a plenitude of writings is a challenge in itself. Worse, navigating his notoriously turgid prose makes reading Dewey less like a voyage of discovery than a punishment march. The contrast with the stylish wit of fellow pragmatist William James or the rigorous elegance of his contemporary Bertrand Russell is painful.

Still, engage with Dewey one must if one is to understand both the problems, possibilities, and legacy of US progressive thought in the first half of the 20th century.

More to follow on this topic over the coming months.

Image: John Dewey -- Деветьяров Руслан -- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ -- Wikimedia Commons

#JohnDewey #USHistory #Philosophy #IntellectualHistory #Progressivism #Pragmatism

Thinking aloud on a work in progress:

John Dewey needs to be rescued from both his fans and his foes.

If one thinks of philosophy as not separated by unbridgeable gaps from either the natural sciences nor the study of society and its needs, then one is an heir to Dewey.

Paradoxically, his writings constitute not just a source but an obstacle for the best understanding of his thought.

He wrote too much; his collected works fill 76 volumes. Navigating such a plenitude of writings is a challenge in itself. Worse, navigating his notoriously turgid prose makes reading Dewey less like a voyage of discovery than a punishment march. The contrast with the stylish wit of fellow pragmatist William James or the rigorous elegance of his contemporary Bertrand Russell is painful.

Still, engage with Dewey one must if one is to understand both the problems, possibilities, and legacy of US progressive thought in the first half of the 20th century.

More to follow on this topic over the coming months.

Image: John Dewey -- Деветьяров Руслан -- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ -- Wikimedia Commons

#JohnDewey #USHistory #Philosophy #IntellectualHistory #Progressivism #Pragmatism

CFR WAVES WHITE FLAG: Trump Just Killed Britain’s 100-Year American Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGlOZOSJ7Q

CFR WAVES WHITE FLAG: Trump Just Killed Britain’s 100-Year American Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaGlOZOSJ7Q

Recommendations, not a checklist. Do what you can, when you can, comrades.

https://piefed.social/c/PLT/p/2084954/recommendations-not-a-checklist-do-what-you-can-when-you-can-comrades

Fresh off Hamvention with some shiny new toys! 🤩

Let's dive into new hardware, Pragmatic discussions, and probably some cybersecurity rants. 😅 Expect gaming, chill vibes, and Linux tinkering.

Come hang out and watch the chaos unfold! #Pragmatism #Cybersecurity #Linux

https://twitch.tv/chiefgyk3d

LA is Worth Saving

LA is Worth Saving

Carlson schools Trump on Middle East. Trump replies: ‘Yeah, I know’

__________

So if Trump knows, his apparent demotion of Israel is explained. If he knows, his end-run around Europe and Israel, makes sense. There many are other signs Trump knows the Middle East and Israel and more, and is reorganizing world geopolitics based on pragmatics and USA’s best interests. As a global top hegemon, Trump is doing what he has to do (by KOBK rules). I am speculating. I want the best for USA and the world, in that order. ABN

Carlson schools Trump on Middle East. Trump replies: ‘Yeah, I know’

__________

So if Trump knows, his apparent demotion of Israel is explained. If he knows, his end-run around Europe and Israel, makes sense. There many are other signs Trump knows the Middle East and Israel and more, and is reorganizing world geopolitics based on pragmatics and USA’s best interests. As a global top hegemon, Trump is doing what he has to do (by KOBK rules). I am speculating. I want the best for USA and the world, in that order. ABN

“There is no problem in all history so artificial as that of how “individuals” manage to form “society.””…”The facts of infancy and sex have only to be called to mind to see how manufactured are the conceptions which enter into this particular problem.”
– John Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/john-dewey/human-nature-and-conduct

#society #sociology #pragmatism

“There is no problem in all history so artificial as that of how “individuals” manage to form “society.””…”The facts of infancy and sex have only to be called to mind to see how manufactured are the conceptions which enter into this particular problem.”
– John Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/john-dewey/human-nature-and-conduct

#society #sociology #pragmatism