How the American Voters Have Become Political Orphans

You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that America is more divided than at any time in its history. More so than the decade leading up to the American Revolution. More than the decade preceding the Civil War. More than during Great Depression or the turbulent 1960's.

In fact, the division today may be so deep and the gulf so wide that it may never be bridged. We have become a nation of diverging ideals.  The recent elections (such as in New York City and Virginia as well as events in places like Dearborn Michigan) have served only to highlight our division. What have we've become?

One ideal our nation was founded on was the belief in a small or limited federal government. Low taxes, a level economic playing field, and government out of our private lives. However, now there are those who believed that government should be our primary source of our social and economic salvation. While our Founders believed that one succeeds or fails by their own efforts, we have those who think that government and by extension, society, “owes” for them simply for existing.

There are those who believe in entitlements, where all aren't just equal in the government's eyes, but some are more equal than others and should be given special consideration for some historical slight or another. Another group believe success comes from a good education and hard work, be it white collar, blue collar, pink collar or any other collar; that teachers are there to impart the skills one needs to succeed in society.

Meanwhile, others believe in downgrading the quality of education so that everyone "succeeds" or is a “winner”. As a result, society has to become a mediocrity. Meritocracy, where people are hired based on their skill and compatibility, is proclaimed “unfair” or “racist”. Successful people somehow "owe" those less successful because they spent their time skipping school or goofing off or thought that playing sports  was more important than studying English, math, science, or history; that they are owed a job just in the name of diversity or equity instead of knowledge or ability.

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a nation of "Yeoman farmers" and local merchants. We're a long way from that. They believed in the right to petition their elected representatives meant the right to question them, and if necessary, to recall them. They believed in transparency in government. They believed that no matter how well intended, government had no business in our private affairs. Individual privacy was essential as was freedom of speech, press, and association. With just five corporations controlling 96% of everything we watch, hear, or read, including the news, we no longer have those freedoms. We have a propaganda machine.

They believed America should look after America first and no “foreign entanglements”. Indeed, our Founders were ardent nationalists. They truly believed in "America First". They believed in the right to own arms. Not just for hunting or self-defense, but because recent events had proven to them that their mistrust government was justified. They understood that power, once obtained, is seldom willingly given up. They also knew, long before Lord Acton famously said it, that power corrupts and absolute power corrupted absolutely.

An armed citizenry was much harder to intimidate than an unarmed one (just look at England now). Most importantly, they believed in a small federal government with little taxation power because they knew they the way to destroy freedom can come from just as easily from the ability to tax as it can from the barrel of gun. Power should rest primarily in the hands of the States. Local control was the best control.

Most of our Founders opposed the creation of political parties as “cliques” who would, in time, seized power from ordinary citizens and use it to push their own agenda. They would be horrified by the control Big Business has over government.

Forty-three percent of registered voters now identify as Independent, and that doesn’t include members of third parties like the Libertarians or the Greens. That makes them the largest political bloc in the country. That also means that both of the two corporate owned parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are in fact minority political parties. That also means that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired of the petty partisan bickering pushing their own agendas without public input or approval.

Our Founders also supported the concept of the “citizen legislator”, where a citizens would serve one or two terms in office and then return home and allow another citizen to do the same; a form of term limits. In this way, legislation would also stay relevant and reduce the chances of corruption.

What that absolutely disapproved of was notion of a “professional” politician, which was seen as little better than leach living off their fellow citizens. As an aside, these “citizen legislators” were only to be reimbursed for out of pocket expenses and not given a salary. Serving in government was seen as the civil duty of each citizen.

Personally, I believe that once a newly elected politician raises their hand to take the oath of office, they automatically end any political allegiance. They aren’t there to represent the agenda of some political  party or corporate clique. They are there to solely represent the American People and those of their district. Nothing more and nothing less.

We elect individuals to go to Washington, to our state capitols, or to City Hall and to work together to solve problems, but all too often those problems are the result of backroom dealing making or making unnecessary laws while We the People are left dealing with the mess and picking up the tab on something we had no say in.

We constantly hear how it's always the “other side” who won't cooperate. It's more like how one corporate clique wants more of our tax dollars. Playground antics and high school bullying instead of trying finding common ground is the rule in politics today and not the exception. They play economic chicken with the welfare of the people they were elected to serve. Anything goes as long as their master---big business--- profits.

Who is the "big business"? They are the ones who bankroll both political parties and pull their strings. They are the ones you rarely see at the national conventions. They are the ones who draft the laws with loopholes so they can make more money while avoiding taxes (or better yet, passing those taxes on to us). They are the ones who walk through the revolving doors of Wall Street boardrooms into cushy government appointments and back again. They are the corporate lobbyists and Beltway insiders.

They're the new and improved global military-industrial-technological complex President Eisenhower tried to warn us about. They are the exploiters of people and resources. Their goal is nothing less that control, be it of assets, market access, natural resources, and, of course, of us.

They know no national loyalties and are restricted by national boundaries. They have turned us from self-sufficient producers and proud citizens to mere global consumers “loyal” to one toilet paper brand, detergent or another product. If you carefully watch their programming, you’ll see just how interchangeable we're made to feel. We’ve become indentured economic serfs, hostages to credit ratings, manipulative consumption, and built in obsolescence.

They are the ultimate users and corruptors. We are artificially divided as every turn. We are pitted against each other in some way, be it work, entertainment, sports, and of course, gender, race, religion, and politics. As long as we’re divided, we aren’t focused on the real villains of our collective misery.

So, what are we to do? Can we mend this manufactured divide or is it too late? Frankly, I don't know. But this I do know. The system as envisioned by our Founding Fathers no longer exist. Returning to our constitutional republican government will require more mere tweaking.

Many already recognize this. Given the dominance of Independent voters, it’s obvious that many are finally waking up. Some, however, may never. They prefer to remain blissfully naive, while others couldn't care less as long as they're getting theirs and someone else is picking up the tab.

Lady Liberty has been prostituted out by Wall Street. Our freedoms, once guaranteed, are being usurped and sold to the highest bidder.  Uncle Sam is on life support while his two incompetent physicians, the Democrat and Republican parties, have their hands on the plug as they argue over the treatment for the disease they caused. Meanwhile, you and I are soon to become orphans. The only real question my dear readers, is what will you do? One thing is for certain. Inaction is not a choice. 

If you want to know more about this article's topic, please check out the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you! 

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Black Friday and Cyber Monday: The Two High Holidays of the Retail World

 

Well, here it is again, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the two high holidays of the Retail World. Thanksgiving, usual, got short thrift once again this year, stuck as it is between the "Candyween" and "Chargemas"(more accurate names for Halloween and Christmas respectively). I guess you can't really blame anyone.

 After all, it's pretty tough trying to commercialize a tradition of giving thanks for family and friends. Where's the money in that outside of inflated gas prices and plane tickets? Besides, Thanksgiving is mostly a family oriented day, punctuated with excessive eating and football, followed by food induced comas (nothing says "thank you" to the All Mighty like overindulgence and a seven point spread).

I guess what I object to the most is all the pre-Halloween Christmas hype. This year I saw my very first commercial (I kid you not) the week before Halloween! Seriously, Christmas commercials in October? I recall going into a popular local drug store in early September and seeing Halloween items on one side of the aisle and Christmas stuff on the other side! It's not uncommon to see Valentine Day items on sale in January and at the same time seeing St. Patrick's Day stuff. 

I realize that Christmas sales typically account for around 20% of all yearly retail business. In fact, the National Retail Federation, which represents retailers, are expecting sales to exceed $1 trillion dollars this year, but shouldn't there be a law or something prohibiting any promotion of a holiday before the preceding holiday? As an aside, did you know that Halloween is the second largest retail day behind Christmas? After counting candy, costumes, declarations, and so forth, Halloween brings in $13.1 billion dollars with the average consumer spending roughly $144.00 each.  

For example, no advertising of Thanksgiving (as if that's going to happen anyway) before Halloween. No Christmas commercials, TV specials, sales or anything else until the day after Thanksgiving. Now doesn't that make more sense? Let's give each holiday its proper due and respect (not to mention our frantic nerves and credit cards a break).

Speaking of Christmas, did you know that when Obama was president, he had agreed to sign a law applying a 15 cent tax to every fresh cut Christmas tree sold? As if that wasn't outrageous enough, the reason was even more outrageous. According to the Agriculture Department, the tax would apply to all "producers and importers" of 500 trees or more. The USDA went on to say that this tax was for the benefit of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board. Now just what is the Christmas Tree Promotion Board you might be asking yourself about now? Well, let me tell you.

The Christmas Tree Promotion Board is a private association of Christmas tree growers who are feeling the stiff competition from the manufactures of artificial Christmas trees (I wonder if there's an Artificial Christmas Tree Promotion Board?). Seems that the board was needing some help getting its message out about the splendors (and smells) of having a fresh Christmas tree in every living room in America. Apparently unable to obtain voluntary cooperation from within the group, they turned to the Washington and the USDA.

Fortunately, after much ridicule, the Obama Administration and the Agriculture Department agreed that  talk about taxing a Christmas tradition just wasn't politically in the spirit of the season and decided to withdraw the tax until a more appropriate time (like when the public was distracted by another holiday). Nevertheless, just why the federal government even considered a tax on behalf of a private organization for the benefit of their advertising and PR costs?

Well, the truth is that costs incurred by private corporations are routinely passed on to taxpayers. This is part and parcel for the Washington and Wall Street partnership (commonly referred to as the "corporatocracy"), which we see in the form of subsidies, built-in loopholes in legislation, exemptions, bailouts, low interests loans, and so-called "external costs". 

Collectively these are known as "corporate welfare" or "corporate socialism". Under President Biden, corporate welfare amounted to some $540 billion dollars of our money. Of course, the smaller "mom and pop" businesses are typically excluded from these forms of involuntary taxpayer subsidies.  

The bottom line here is this. Wouldn't it be nice to have the opportunity to relax and enjoy one holiday at a time rather than constantly being prompted into constantly thinking about the next one right around the corner? Of course, the message of the season has long sense been drowned out by the sound of cash registers ringing up another sale and credit cards being swiped. Besides, "peace on earth" just isn't profitable  enough is it?  

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White House Sidelines Christmas Tree Tax

NRF expects holiday sales to surpass 1 trillion for the first time in 2025

Corporate Welfare in the Federal Budget

Special Interests and Corporate Welfare

Is Civil War on the Horizon?

 

You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that America is more divided than at any time in its history. More so than years leading up to the American Revolution. More than the decade preceding the Civil War. More than during the era of Women's Suffrage, Prohibition, or the Great Depression. Even more so than the turbulent 1960's.

In fact, the division may be so deep and the gulf so wide that it may never be bridged. We have become a nation of diverging ideals.  The recent presidential and national elections (such as in New York and Virginia) has served only as dark mirrors of our division. What have we've become?

One ideal is in the belief of a small or limited federal government. Low taxes, a level economic playing field, and government our of our private lives. The other ideal is one where government is the sole source of our social and economic salvation. The first believes in opportunities where one succeeds or fails by their  own efforts.  Neither the government or society  owes you anything.

The other believes in entitlements, where all aren't just equal in the government's eyes, but some are more equal and should be given special consideration for one historical slight or another.  One believes success comes from a good education and hard work, be it white collar, blue collar, pink collar or any other collar; that teachers are there to teach the skills one needs to survive in society, not to babysit. They believe everyone needs a helping hand from time to time.

The later believes in downgrading the quality of education so that everyone "succeeds" or is a “winner”. A society  where mediocrity is superior to a society of meritocracy; that successful people "owe" those who aren't as successful because they spent their time skipping school or goofing off or playing sports is more important than studying English, math, science, or history; that they are owed a living just for showing.

They believe they should be "forgiven" of their school debt because they received degrees which aren't marketable but fail to explain how taxpayers, who must pick up their defaulted debt, are responsible for their bad decision making. 

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a nation of "Yeoman farmers" and local merchants. We're a long way from that. They envisioned a nation free to believe what they wanted without being manipulated. They believed that the right to petition their representatives meant the right to question them and if necessary recall them. They believed in transparency in government. They believed that no matter how well intended, government had no business in our personal business. There's’ no doubt this belief would extend to corporations as well.

They believed America should look after America first and no “foreign entanglements”.  Indeed, our Founders were ardent nationalists. They believed in the right to own arms. Not just for hunting or self-defense, but because recent events had proved their mistrust government.

An armed citizenry was much harder to intimidate than an unarmed one (just look at England now). Most importantly, they believed in a small federal government with little taxation power because they knew they the way to destroy freedom can come from just as easily from the ability to tax as surely as it can from the barrel of gun. Power should rest primarily in the hands of the States. Local control was the best control.

Forty-three percent of registered voters now identify as Independent, and that doesn’t include those who are members of third parties like the Libertarians or the Greens. That means that both of the two corporate owned parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, are minority political parties. That also means that the majority of Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired of the petty partisan bickering and legacy media propaganda.

We elect individuals to go to Washington, to our state capitols, or to City Hall and to work together to solve problems, but all too often those problems are the result of backroom dealing making or making unnecessary laws while we are left dealing with the mess. 

We constantly hear how it's always the “other side” who won't cooperate. It's more like how the other side won't simply roll over and let them have their way. Playground antics and high school bullying instead of trying finding common ground is the rule, not the exception. They play economic chicken with the welfare of the people they were elected to serve. Anything goes as long as their master---big business--- profits.

Who is the "big business"? They are the ones who bankroll both political parties and pull their strings. They are the ones you are never allowed to see at the national conventions. They are the ones who draft the laws to allow them to make more money while avoiding taxes. They are the ones who walk through the revolving doors of Wall Street boardrooms to government bureaucracy and back again. They are the corporate lobbyist and Beltway insider.

They're the new and improved global military-industrial-technological complex President Eisenhower tried to warn us about. They are the exploiters of people and resources while selling us illusions of how our lives could be in ten second TV spots or 8 x 10 retouched glossy magazine photos if we only bought their product.

They know no national loyalties and are restricted by no boundaries. They have turned us from self-sufficient producers and citizens to mere global consumers. We’ve become indentured economic serfs and captives to credit ratings, manipulative consumption, and built in obsolescence. They are the ultimate users and corruptors.

So, what are we to do? Can we mend this divide or is it too late? Frankly, I don't know. But this I do know. The system as envisioned by our Founding Fathers no longer exist. Our constitutional republican government is beyond mere reform. Many already recognize this. A few more are finally waking up. Some, however,  may never. They prefer to remain blissfully naive, while others couldn't care less as long as the they're getting theirs and someone else is picking up the tab.

Uncle Sam is on life support while his two hopeful murders, the Democrat and Republican parties, have their hands on the plug as they argue over the treatment, Meanwhile, you and I are soon to become orphans. The only real question my dear readers, is what will you do? One thing is for certain. Inaction is not a choice any longer. 

If you want to know more about this article's topic, please check out the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!

11 Reasons Why the American Middle Class is Doomed


11 Graphs that Allegedly Prove That the West Is Doomed


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President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” : A Comprehensive Overview and Analysis

 

If there is anything we can all agree on about Donald Trump, it’s his propensity for hyperbole. Going all the way back to when he first appeared on Robin Leach’s “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, Trump  has always described anything he’s involved with as “the biggest”, “the most”, “the best”, “the greatest ever”, and so forth. Everything he does is over the top. 

Trump, the son of a real estate entrepreneur, learned as a child that it’s not what you actually say or do, it’s all about the perception. So, now, here we are with President Trump’s 870 page “One Big Beautiful Bill” which (allegedly) contains the greatest sweeping changes in our country’s history. The bill, we're told, will become legendary. Aren’t we blessed to be here and now to witness its unveiling? But just what is in this bill and is it as wonderful as it’s being portrayed by the Republicans? Is there anything in it we're not being told? 

The bill was officially known as H.R. 1 “One Big Beautiful Bill” (aka “OBBBA”) and was sponsored by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and originated in the House Budget Committee May 20, 2025 (I’m sure he’ll find an extra special “something” in his Christmas stocking).

The bill passed in the House with a 218 to 214 vote after barely sliding by a vote in the Senate, 51 to 50, marking a significant victory for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) despite three Republican senators voting against the bill--- Rand Paul (R-KY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

The bill, which focused on tax cuts, was considered by many to be an extension of President Trump’s earlier bill, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“TCJA”). The bill represents a saving of about $3.7 billion tax dollars to taxpayers (or if you look at it another way, $3.7 billion in taxes that the federal government won’t collect for various programs).

The bill makes Trump’s previous tax cuts permanent, while increasing spending for border security,  military expenditures, and energy production (with little funding for alternative energy projects). Two compromise points was postponing the sale of public land for the time being and temporarily prohibiting state regulations over artificial intelligence (AI).

Funding for the increases came, in part, from reductions in the budgets for programs like Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutritional Aid Program, better known as “SNAP,” as well as other healthcare and nutritional support programs. Some opponents claim that the reductions will potentially leave some without healthcare and leave the underserved even worse off. Congressional Republicans deny this will happen.

For some reason, I’m reminded of when President Ronald Reagan made a similar cut in the National School Lunch Program. At one point, after being criticized over the cuts in fresh fruits and vegetables being available to school age children living poverty, he said the ketchup, which was readily available in school lunchrooms, should be counted as vegetable (also mentioned was pickle relish). It’s just not the same Gipper.  The cut of 1.5 million dollars was intended to give schools more “flexibility” to the lunch programs, however, it backfired. As I’ve said on many occasions, perception in politics is everything.

With respect to Medicaid, which was created in 1965, approximately 71.4 million people are currently using Medicaid which is intended for low income individuals and families as well as those disabled and unable to work. A further 7.3 million are enrolled in the Children’s health Insurance Program (“CHIP”), which brings the total to 78.7 million people who benefit from Medicaid, or roughly 24% of the U.S. population.  

As an aside, both Medicaid and Medicare were expanded under President Obama’s healthcare legislation, known as the “Affordable Care Act” in an effort to  provide coverage for those without any healthcare and to provide a bridge for those who fell through the cracks. So, I guess “Obamacare” has effectively been replaced by “OBBBAcare”!

Some of the changes made under Trump’s bill includes changing annual application enrollments to every six months and additional residency verification requirements in order to eliminate non-citizens from applying. Medicaid has always been for low income or handicapped individuals and their families. Under the “One Big Beautiful Bill”, there will be tighter restrictions on incomes.

Federal provider coverage will dropped from 6% to 3.5% over the next seven years.  That’s expected to have an adverse effect on small community clinics and rural hospitals (especially in low income areas like the Ozarks and Appalachia). The bill mandates that “able bodied” adults to work or volunteer up to 15 hours per week. This also applies to those receiving SNAP benefits to work or volunteer a minimum of 15 hours weekly.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, an estimated 12 million Medicaid recipients could lose coverage over the next decade. Proponents claims that only those able to work and obtain coverage on the open market and those who’ve obtained coverage fraudulently (such as illegal immigrants) will be affected.

Social Security will also be affected. Once considered to be “untouchable”, Congress regularly raids Social Security with the assurance that these “loans” with be repaid but has resulted in concerns that the national retirement safety net  will go broke over the next few decades. 

A good piece of news is that individuals dependent on tips or overtime to make ends meet with no longer be required to pay taxes on their income up to $25,000. Many individuals, especially in the service industry, aren’t paid a standard wage. Instead, they depend on tips while others, especially in manufacturing, count on overtime to make ends meet.

Previously, workers were required to pay taxes on this extra but essential income, under Trump’s bill, they will be tax deductible on the first $12,500 of overtime earned. The child tax credit will be increased by $200, making it now  $2,200 and then adjusted for inflation thereafter.

Taxpayers will be able to write off a portion of their state and local taxes (SALT) on their federal taxes up to $40,000 on incomes up to $500,000 until 2029 when it will drop back to the current rate of $10,000. The deduction benefits those who pay high property taxes, which tend to be the wealthy. Private jets will now be tax deductible. In another prop for the well-to-do, individuals can now pass up $15 million to their heirs tax free (if any of you are rich, I’m available for adoption).  

Private school vouchers were also added to the bill. Families who earn less than three times the local income average may now receive up to $5000 in tax credits to be used for homeschooling and private schools (including religious based schools). Private colleges with a student population of 3000 or more, will pay up to 8% in taxes on their endowments. Students will now be capped on the amount of federal loans they can borrow for college. 

Car buyers will be able to write off up to $10,000 in interest annually on car loans IF the car is assembled in the United States. A boon for American auto workers. Additionally, those 65 and over will be able to deduct up to $6000 in taxable income off the top through 2028.

According to a Penn Wharton Budget Model Forecast, the beneficiaries of this portion of the bill will be those in the upper income brackets, especially the top 1% (as if they need another tax break). Low income families currently receiving Medicaid and/or SNAP benefits could lose around $28,000 over a lifetime while those earning $58,000 or more could see savings as much as $65,000 over the same period.    

When it came to the energy and the environment, it was a victory for oil and gas companies. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” cut President Biden’s clean energy tax breaks for alternative energy sources (such as wind and solar power), especially those with “foreign ownership or other connections” (ie: China). Companies currently involved with alternative energy will continue to be eligible for the full tax credits. However, starting in 2026, new construction projects will be eligible for just 60% of those credits, dropping to 20% in 2027, and disappearing altogether by 2028.

It bears mentioning that the bill includes language encouraging continue and accelerate oil and gas leasing as well as permits oil and gas companies to us deductions built into the bill to avoid paying so-called "must pay" minimum corporate taxes of 15% imposed by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. 

The U.S. military is the largest in the world, exceeding the next ten nations combined (including China, Russia, India, France, and the UK), but under Trump’s bill, they’ll received an increase over their current budget by $150 billion dollars, with an emphasis on rebuilding a badly depleted military in addition to creating a missile defense “Golden Dome” along the lines of Israel’s “Iron Dome” (look for China to build a “Jade Dome”) next.

In 2024, the Heritage Foundation published a summary of U.S. military readiness and key foreign threats. According to the report, the U.S. military was not adequately prepared for a two front war or a prolonged war across a broad single front. The U.S. Army’s capacity was listed as “weak” while its capability was “marginal”. The Navy’s capacity was categorized as “very weak” while its capability was “marginal” and its readiness was “weak”.

The Air Force was “very weak” when it came to readiness. Its capability and capacity were both determined as being “weak”. The Marines, as expected, were listed as “strong” when it came to readiness and capability, yet “weak” in regard to capability. The Space Force was “marginal” across the board (making us vulnerable to Martians I suppose). Overall, the report indicated that the current state of our military was on the low side of “marginal”.

The Golden Dome will be specifically designed to stop incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (“ICBMs”) as well as the latest in high tech destruction, hypersonic missiles which travel at five times the speed of sound and “fractional orbital bombardment systems” or  as they’re better known, “FOBS”.  FOBS are a type of multiheaded nuclear ballistic missiles which, after launch, remain in low earth orbit, until being directed toward their intended target much like a maneuverable  glider.

 As an aside, in the event the crisis is alleviated (such as capitulation or diplomacy), they can redirected into space and detonated.  Critics say the “Golden Dome” only heightens global tensions while proponents believed it will serve  to deescalated the threat of a global war.

Trump has promised (and largely delivered) to enforce existing immigration laws and improve border security. Accordingly, thousands of migrants have been rounded up and deported. In an effort to continue and step up efforts, the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”)  was being given an additional $150 billion to their budget, which had been reduced to just $8 billion dollars by previous administrations. The increase now makes ICE the top funded federal law enforcement agency in the country.  

In summary, President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will extend tax cuts over the next decade, resulting a savings of approximately $4.5 trillion dollars to taxpayers and corporations. Border security and immigration enforcement will see an increase in their Christmas stockings of $129 billion dollars, and the military will get an increase over their current budget of $150 billion dollars. That should buy a lot of new toys for them to blow up.

On the down side, the Congressional Budget Office said that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will likely add $3.4 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade. The debt ceiling will be raised to $5 trillion dollars, ostensibly to help pay for current and future federal programs.

Medicaid will see a drop of $930 billion dollars over the next decade (some see it as a savings since it will reduce from the roll those not legally entitled to the various programs covered under Medicaid). Because of reductions in Medicaid, nursing homes receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding will face a hiring moratorium.  

The bill also provides Big Pharma with a major break. It limits Medicare's ability to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Other public assistance programs, such as SNAP, will see a reduction of $287 billion over the next ten years (the same reason as above). Meanwhile, the so-called “green industry” will lose some $488 billion dollars in federal support.

In conclusion, President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is largely positive overall for most Americans, and certainly for big business as well as the very well-to-do. However, as usual, lower income brackets (and by extension, minorities) and some seniors didn’t fare well with reductions in the social safety net programs. However, many of the tax breaks and other cuts are temporary which may be the best a deeply divided Congress can do.

The military, as is usually the case, made out like a pirate (or should I say “privateer”?). For those who are curious, the budget for intelligence agencies are separate and are generally kept secret from the public as well as the majority of Congress.  Thus, their budgets are apparently none of our business even though we fund them through our tax dollars. Tax breaks on income, especially tips and overtime, were long overdue, but come on, private jets? Really? 

 Crackdowns on illegal immigration and dramatic improvements in border security are seen as a good thing for national security, though it may be closer to the proverbial closing of the chicken coop after the foxes are in. Educational funding had a number of pros and cons but ultimately benefited the kids, which is what matters the most (now they need to figure out how to improve the quality of their education).  

Finally, all things considered, after having spent a lot of time researching the bill, I’m not sure I would have called it “One Big Beautiful Bill”, but I guess “One Big Not Ugly Bill” doesn’t sound as marketable.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

H.R. 1 One Big Beautiful Bill text

Big Beautiful Bill 101: What you need to know about the newlaw

Affordable Care Act

Senate passes Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in 51 to 50 voteafter marathon session

Ketchup as a vegetable

Can Donald Trump build the ‘Golden Dome’ over the US?

What are the key items in Trump’s sprawling budget bill?

Is the Pentagon headed for a military readiness crisis?

Military Readiness: Implementing the GOA’s recommendations…

Executive Summary of the 2024 Index of U.S. Military Strength

7 Overlooked Provisions In Trump and The GOP’s Ugly Tax Bill

 

Ending The Corporate Takeover of Politics: No Money For Taxes But Plenty For Donations?

We are going to continue with our series in examining the ongoing corruption of the American political system, which began with our March 28th article entitled  “Has the Season ofMAGA Finally Arrived? Democrats Struggle for Relevance”. I should point out that I’m hesitant to say “our” political system since, as most of our readers already know, it stopped being “our” political system many years ago. Certainly, since the 2010 Citizens United folly by the Supreme Court when it defaulted to Wall Street.

Any vestiges of a Republic “of, by, and for the people” as President Lincoln famously proclaimed, ceased at that point since it placed elections in the hands of the highest bidder and effectively removed any competition between Wall Street and unions, but between the wealthy elite  and ordinary citizens.

We’ve also taken a look at partisan gerrymandering and unlimited term limits which has virtually ensured that the two corporate owned parties---the Democrats and Republicans---maintain a lock of the system. Partisan gerrymandering as allowed them to redraw congressional districts to their advantage (and basically permitting them to “choose” their voters instead of the other way around).

Unlimited term limits gives them a virtual unhindered lock on their seat in Congress regardless of how low their approval rating is (the same can be said for federally appointed judges, including the Supreme Court). Approval ratings for Congress are often in the low 30% range (it’s been as low as 9%), and yet Congress still has a 97% reelection rate.

Can you imagine bombing every employee evaluation by your boss, consistently getting customer reviews, routinely going over budget, and keeping your job? How about even allowing you to decide on your own pay raises?  Well, in Congress you can.  

We also just covered allowing unequal ballot access. Both of the two corporate parties (which also happen to minority parties when it comes to voter registration) are free to write (and pass) legislation giving them the advantage at the ballot box and effectively restricting competition by making it inordinately harder to get on the ballot.

One tool used is requiring 10x more signatures on ballot application or limiting the timeframe to obtain the signatures, as well as indirectly collude with the media to keep them out of debates (especially at the federal level), limiting “equal time” public access, and the perpetual belittling of third party and Independent candidates.  

Finally, adding salt to the wound, is legislation mandating that all taxpayers pay for the primaries of the Democrats and Republicans, irrespective of their registration, but despite paying,  you aren’t permitted the opportunity to participate. Imagine going out to eat. But, before you can order, you’re required to buy two dinners for someone else, and you don’t have any say in it. Why? Because that’s the restaurant rules, which, by the way, were written by the people whose dinners you’re paying for.  Is that fair? Of course not! In politics, it’s called taxation without representation and that’s what you have in closed primary states.  

Now, let’s say you’re a registered member of the Libertarian or Green party (the third and fourth largest political parties respectively in the U.S.). Despite belonging to an official party,  you are still obligated to pay for the primary of the Democrat and Republican parties. However, nothing goes to your party. Not a dime.

In fact, to keep your party going, you have to pay out of pocket if you want to support it.  Finally, if you’re a registered Independent (the nation’s largest political bloc), you face the same problem.  Not only are you prohibited from participating, you are being forced to financially support  your political opponents!  

So, we’ve obviously covered quite a bit since the kickoff on our political system corruption series. So, let’s take a look at another topic near and dear to our hearts----taxes (sarcasm intended). Actually, we’re going to look at corporate taxes and how it impacts politics.

Everyone is familiar with Tesla, thanks to Elon Musk, the current head of DOGE—the Department of Government Efficiency---whose job is to snoop around and file government “bad actors” and financial malfeasance of taxpayer’s money. But did you know that Tesla, which is valued at $41 trillion dollars, reported earning $2.3 billion dollars in 2024, paid zero dollars in federal taxes? That’s right. Nada.   As an aside, the average American family pays roughly 14% of their income on taxes.

Over the past three years, the auto manufacturer earned  $10.8 billion dollars and yet managed to pay just $48 million in federal taxes. That works out to be a corporate tax rate of 0.4% (the statutory corporate tax rate is 21%). But it was more than just clever accounting involved. Congress actually passed legislation giving Tesla a tax break which saved them some $2.4 billion dollars.

Meanwhile, according to CBS, Elon Musk donated $277 million dollars to the Trump campaign in 2024 through his political action committee, “America PAC”.  He also donated $10 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which backs Republican Senators. He also gave $3 million dollars to MAHA Alliance PAC, which is associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  I’d say that’s not a bad return on his investment.

In addition, 3M and Airbnb paid zero federal income taxes in 2024. Cisco, a high technology specializing in AI infrastructure, and networking company (reputedly also the second most valuable company in America) paid nothing in federal taxes either despite $2.7 billion dollars in profit in 2024. In fact, 10% of the S&P 500 companies paid nothing in federal taxes.

Top executives at Cisco contributed $2,301,092 to candidates, political action committees and other political organizations in 2024. The candidate who got the most was Kamala Harris. She received $588,525 while $63, 977 went to Donald Trump.  The DNC Services Corporation received the second largest amount at $244,261.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee got $62,543 while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee picked up $50,973 in donations. The National  Republican Senatorial Committee was given $42,947 (it should be noted that between this and Trump, all other leading donations went to Democratic candidates or causes)

Cisco lobbying ranks 197^th out of 9,200 company’s who employ lobbying firms. Their lobbyists spent $3,270,000 in 2024, which is up from 2023’s $2,790,000. 32 of their 43 lobbyists were previously government employees. That’s 74.42%. In 2023, they employed 34 lobbyists. 84.29% were former government employees (elected, appointed, or hired).  

When it comes to donations from 3M, the same hold true about top executives donating. 64.40% of all donations went to Democratic candidates, organizations, or causes. Republicans got 35.60%. Interestingly, 74.86% of incumbents were supported compared to just 25.14% of challengers. Kamala Harris was the top dollar among candidate, picking up 105,639 dollars.  Donald Trump received just over $21,000 while the conservative oriented “Never Back Down, Inc” received $150,000 in donations.

Airbnb’s top executive donors gave Kamala Harris the most. $224,995 went to her campaign with only Maryland’s Future, a conservative outfit, picking any money for the right of center crowd. They received $25,000. Of note, $43,050 went to the Libertarian Party’s National Committee . 93.92% of all donations went to candidates compared to just 6.08% that went to political action committees.

As an aside, Airbnb co-founder, Joe Gebbia, joined Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), which is headed by Elon Musk.  Gebbia stepped down from his executive role at Airbnb in 2022 but remains active on the board of directors. 

In terms of lobbying, Airbnb spent $940,000 in 2024, which is down from $1,030,000 in 2023. They employed 22 lobbyists in 2024, of which 68.19% held government jobs previously (elected, appointed, or hired).

General Electric earned close to $7 billion dollars in 2023 and not only didn’t pay any federal taxes, they actually got a refund of $423 million dollars! T-Mobile paid 0.4% in federal taxes yet bought back $13 billion dollars of its own stock back in 2023, giving its shareholders a hefty profit on their investment.

Top executives at GE gave Kamala Harris $159, 351. Trump received $43,987. The DNC Services Corporation got $43,342 while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee picked up $32,369. The National Republican Senatorial Committee got $20,527. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took in $19,931 in donations from GE executives.

The overall total donated for the 2024 election cycle was $1,139,136. GE lobbyists “invested” $3.570,000 in 2024. 44 of their 68 lobbyists (64.71%) previously held a government job as note above.  In 2023, it was 71.23% of the 73 lobbyists they employed.

Meta (which owns Facebook) spent $20 billion dollars on stock buyback in 2023, which was four times more than they paid in federal taxes. General Motors spent $11 billion dollars on stock buybacks, which was 40 times more than they paid in federal taxes.

In 2024, Meta spent $24.4 million on lobbying efforts while key executives at Meta donated over $5.5 million to candidates, PACs, and other organizations. Kamala Harris received the most at $1,657,461.  It’s worth mentioning that 53 of their 65 lobbyists previously held government jobs. That’s 81.54%.

These are just a smattering of companies who pay little or no federal taxes. JP Morgan Chase for instance had an effective federal tax rate of 5.9% in 2021 despite earnings of $48 billion. Microsoft ‘s effective tax rate was 9.7 although its earning were $33.7 billion. Chevron’s was 1.8% but earned profits of $9.5 billion, and the list goes on.  

Of course, they take full advantage of whatever deductions are available based on existing federal laws, and who can blame them? However, it is noteworthy that many of key officers for these corporations have also made substantial political contributions. In addition, many of their top executives have received compensation greater than the amount of federal tax their corporation pays.

What can we do? Frankly nothing as long as Citizens United remains in place. However, Congress could mandate a minimum tax based on anticipated profits by independent auditors. They could also direct that no donations can be made to candidates who have a direct relationship with their industry or that all donations over $5000 per person must be directed to a blind trust, to be dispersed by the party along with a percentage to be donated to a fund available to third party and Independent candidates.

Additionally, the cap of $3,500 an individual can donate per campaign should be eliminated. Afterall, people should be entitled to the same “free speech” as corporations, who are nothing but legal fictions. Of course, partisan gerrymandering must end, and term limits must be imposed. Lobbyists should no longer write legislation and all interaction between election or appointed officials, their staff, and lobbyists should be transparent and made public. 

Rank choice voting would also be a good step for more fair elections as would equal ballot access. Lastly, parties should be responsible for funding their own primaries. Until then, the corporate takeover of  elections will continue.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Elon Musk spent $277 million to back Trump and Republicancandidates

Telsa Reported Zero Federal Income Taxes on $2 Billion ofU.S. Income in 2024

Big Corporations Paid Shockingly Little Taxes Last Year

 

Nearly 10% Of S&P 500 Companies Paid No Tax----Including Telsa

FEC: Contribution Limits

These 19 Fortune 100 Companies Paid next To Nothing---or Nothing at All---in Taxes in 2021

Who Pays and Doesn’t Pay Federal Income Taxes in the U.S.?

 

 

 

How companies like Amazon, Nike, and FedEx avoid paying federaltaxes

 

Federal Employees Play “DOGE” ball with Elon Musk's Cuts as President Trump Fulfils His Campaign Promises

As we close in on Trump’s first 100 days, he’s has cut through the Washington quagmire like General Sherman's march through Georgia. With Elon Musk leading the charge through “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency), over 200,000 federal employees in 18 agencies have had their employment come to an end, not to mention 75,000 who have accepted buyouts.

 That number includes 2,400 Veterans Administration employees, 1,700 workers from the consumer watchdog agency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,  2,000 from the Department of Energy, and 2000 from the Department of the Interior, including 800 from the Bureau of Land management.

The IRS has seen 6,000 employees terminated and 5,400 probationary workers from the Department of Defense with an estimated 70,000 who may be let go by the time it’s over. 700 workers at the Centers for Disease Control have fired along 388 employees from the Environmental Protection Agency.  

The Department of Homeland Security has seen a reduction of 400 individuals, of which half were from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Small Business Administration has seen a reduction of 20% of its workforce.

 Lastly, 10,000 individuals from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on indefinite leave. The move is estimated to reduce government “bloat” and save billions in taxpayers dollars.

Meanwhile, some 530,000 immigrants have seen their temporary legal status revoked while some 27,000 illegal immigrants have been deported back to their country of origin as the Pentagon has announced the deployment of some 10,000 active duty and National Guard personnel to our southern border while so-called “sanctuary cities” are facing the possible loss of the  federal funding which keeps them afloat.

So, what do Americans think of the Trump-Musk blitz on the Status Quo? Are all the cuts and reductions justified or is this another example of government going too far? 48% of Americans surveyed by a Pew poll see illegal immigration as problem, so there’s presumably happy with President Trump’s handling of the problem.

As for the mass layoffs, 57% of those polled though the budget deficit was a serious issue, so the reduction in the federal work force would presumably be a good thing. While the layoffs have little or nothing to do with the corruption, 72% believe money in politics is problem. Perhaps Trump can take steps to reduce the control Wall Street has on Washington, such as overturing Citizens United, term limits, and honest to goodness campaign finance reform.

But for that to happen, we’d have to have a level of bipartisan cooperation that we haven’t seen in decades. The divisiveness in today’s politics borders on political turmoil or even a possible civil war. Maybe that’s why 56% of respondents are concerned about the failure of the two corporate owned parties to work together. 48% are worried about the failure of our political system itself and why not?

Afterall, given our “winner-take-all” system, the majority of voters have no representation. Only those whose side wins have any form of representation, while the losing side is out of luck, and when you consider that the largest percentage of voters are Independents, that means that no more than 28% or 29%  of voters (the respective size of the two parties by registration) can claim to have a voice in politics. Of course, when we consider that Washington serves Wall Street and gives Main Street lip service at best, a pretty good argument can be made that voters have little real representation at all.

One issue which has come to the forefront lately is the Trump-Musk duumvirate cutting social services like Welfare, food stamps, Social Security, and  Veteran’s benefits. Supposedly, these cuts will affect just the administrative staff of these agencies and have little impact on benefits. 47% of those polled said they were concerned about the financial solvency of the Social Security and Medicare while 67% are worried about the cost of healthcare.

Of course, cutting back the staff will certainly impact wait times. As anyone who’s applied for Social Security or Veteran benefits already knows, it can sometimes take weeks or months before they receive benefits, which can seem like an eternity when you’re needing the money.

Nevertheless, the reductions are designed to improved the financial stability of safety net programs like Medicare and Medicaid, so that they’ll be available for future generations. One change which will likely occur is changing the minimum age requirement to receive benefits to 70, which makes sense.  For instance, when Social Security was introduced by President Roosevelt in 1933, an applicant had to be at least 65 years of age. That was ten years beyond the average male life expectancy. Today the average life expectancy is 78 years old.

Another possible change is allowing individuals the option of allowing future recipients to invest a portion of their SSN payments themselves into something like an IRA account. Currently the federal government handles all that. Some people may prefer a more aggressive strategy. Of course, should their investments not live up to their expectations,  they could end up receiving a smaller social security check at an age when they need the money most and then what?

In a related area,  63% of those surveyed are concerned about the impact of inflation. It seems that every time we go out to eat or go to the grocery store, food prices have skyrocketed. From 2020 through 2024, food prices have jumped 24%. Egg prices are up 37.5%. thanks in large part to another round of Bird Flu. The average price for a dozen regular size eggs is $5.90. Drought and feed prices has resulted in a reduction of cattle for consumption to the lowest level in 70 years, resulting in 5% increase in the price of beef. Chicken has seen comparable increases in price.  

The price of coffee has increased 1.9%. Orange juice and other frozen juices have spiked 17.2%. The reason is primarily because of weather conditions. Brazil, which is responsible for 30% of our orange juice, has just face one of the worse harvest its had in decades thanks to flooding (due to hurricanes) in some regions and drought in others, as well as a citrus greening disease.  Analysts, reflecting the opinions of 41% of those polled, said climate change may be the culprit.  As a result, don’t expect to see prices go down anytime soon.

Rising prices and taxes coupled with stagnant or declining wages are fostering concerns about the poverty rate. 53% of those polled were worried about the declining middle class and the growing number of individuals slipping into poverty.  As of 2023, 11.5% or 37.9 million Americans were living at or below the national poverty level.

44% of those polled admitted being concerned about natural disasters, which are usually handled by FEMA.   Last year, in 2024, there were 27 weather or climate related disasters in the United States according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, with each exceeding $1 billion dollars in damage and a total of 588 deaths.

In 2024, there were 90 declared “major disasters” according to FEMA. That’s roughly a declared disaster every four days. 41% or 137 million individuals lived in an area affected by a natural disaster. Also in 2024, there was 64,897 wildfires reported. That’s up from 56,580 in 2023. 8,924,884 acres were destroyed compared to 2,693,910 acres in 2023.

California by far experienced the most damage, followed by Alaska, Mew Mexico, Texas, and Oregon (together, they accounted for 46% of all fires).  The cost in terms of private property and economic impact to the affected areas was between $ 250 and $275 billion dollars.

Aside from natural disasters, crime and violence is another area where America’s are concerned. 48% said they were worried about gun violence while 47% were the rise in violent crime. The District of Columbia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama had the highest number of gun related deaths.

The Department of Homeland Security reports that gang related violence is on the rise thanks to the expansion of ultra-violent gangs from South and Central America and the growth of the fentanyl market.

 Most of the violence is occurring in inner cities, which is sparking fear among city leaders that their city will turn into gang controlled “narco-cities”.  51% of respondents said the drug problem is our biggest concern. 50% said declining morals and values are a contributing factor.

Will Trump’s crusade help ease the concerns of Americans or will it backfire? According to an NBC News Poll conducted in March by the Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, 46% of those surveyed thought DOGE was a good idea. 40% didn’t while 14% had no opinion. However, the numbers flipped when asked about Trump appointee, Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE. 51% disapproved the billionaire tech president. While just 39% actually approved.

However, in another poll conducted by Quinnipiac, 54% of their respondents said the DOGE was actually hurting the country. 60% disapproved of how DOGE dealt with federal employees while just 36% approved. The poll also indicated that 50% of those polled did not approved of how Trump handled the termination of the federal employees. 82% of Republicans thought Trump was doing a good job when it came to DOGE. 94% of Democrats disagreed.  

The polling results shouldn’t come as a great surprise. They go to show the extent of our divide. It’s also another case of “NIBY” or “Not in my back yard”. Many Americans appear to want to cut the size and scope of the federal government, but not if it adversely affects them.  

We’ve become too dependent on the government. It’s a sense of entitlement. We’ve come to expect it as normal. We want everything but we don’t want to pay for it. Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. There’s a cost to everything. President Trump campaigned on what large numbers of Americans said they wanted, and in keeping with his promises, he is acting on them. But, as the American People are coming to realize, the consequences of having often doesn't match the anticipation wanting.

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Americans Continue to View Several Economic Issues as TopNational Problems

Here are all the federal agencies where workers are beingfired

NCEI: Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters  

As Trump Works to cut FEMA, data shows there was a major disaster every four days in 2024

National Poverty In America Awareness Month: January 2025

Food Prices are on the rise again. What’s behind theincrease

Trump’s early immigration enforcement record, by the numbers

Poll: Voters like the idea of DOGE, but Elon Musk and hisearly results raise red flags

 

Voters frustrated with Elon Musk ‘s DOGE cuts, new pollfinds

How the Trump Administration Could Leave Families Hungary: Potential Cuts to SNAP in 2025 and Beyond