There are many, many reasons to be optimistic thru the rest of this year, and even more so for the outcome of the ‘24 elections. With no major change in the 3-4 most important issues to Dems in the next election, Abortion Rights is still solidly in our favor as well as vying for the top spot. While keeping in mind the idea of personal choice over critical decisions such as childbirth, maybe there is one more important point that is Not being discussed in MSM nor widely on sites like DK.
**Major crime fell precipitously about 16-20 years after Roe V Wade became the “Law of the land” and/or “settled law”. Why? Because young mothers, especially those who were single, poor, and those feeling not ready to care for an infant didn’t have kids. So, the “missing children”, many of whom would have swelled the ranks of angry and/or criminal members of US society, were unborn and therefore not a social welfare burden- and not new criminal statistics!
Note: This is old news from Freakonomics, by Levin, Steven D., and Dubner, Stephen J
Below, your musical introduction of the day, from Paul Simon
More on optimism and hope>>>
*** I am essentially optimistic. Being alive is incredible. Life is extraordinary and beautiful. It can be hard and sad and terrifying, but it’s all we’ve got.”
— James Frey
*** “There's no difference between a pessimist who says, 'It's all over, don't bother trying to do anything, forget about voting, it won't make a difference,' and an optimist who says, 'Relax, everything is going to turn out fine.' Either way the results are the same. Nothing gets done.”
— Yvon Chouinard
*** “Youthful cynicism is sad to observe, because it indicates not so much knowledge learned from bitter experiences as insufficient trust even to attempt the future.”
― Maya Angelou
*** “We need optimism to make progress — yet that alone isn’t enough. To contend with environmental crises and make life better for everyone, we need the right kind of optimists: those who recognize that the world will only improve if we fight for it.”
— Hannah Ritchie, in an article for Vox
*** “Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it's unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope.”
— Noam Chomsky
*** One final comment about optimism. I try very hard to not be a Pollyanna, to not go all out optimist without reason. I feel that having seen so much of evidence of Republican ratf***ery, so much evidence of women getting activated by abortion rights and climate, so much evidence of Youth Voters registering (and turning out) in 2022/’23 and getting ready for ‘24, that I have a strong sense that the US has passed a major “tipping point”, (or 2-3 of them). We’ll see no proof of that till the polls are tallied after Nov 5, 2024.
* Hot News — Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker of the House on Tues.,Oct 3rd!!!
McCarthy vote live updates: House speaker ousted for first time in US history. RE: ABC News
** A showdown on Tuesday with a breakaway faction of his own party saw House Speaker Kevin McCarthy removed as leader of the chamber -- a historic development that signals chaos to come on Capitol Hill.
Hard-line Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida led the charge against McCarthy, a fellow conservative.
** McCarthy tells his party that he won't run again for speaker
In a closed-door meeting on Tuesday night, McCarthy told fellow Republicans that he will not run again for the speakership, per multiple sources in the room.
** A band of eight Republicans succeeded in ousting Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker on Tuesday, and we trust they’re happy. They now have the chaos they wanted, though it isn’t clear what else they hope to achieve. Their clever plan seems to be to cut off their own heads. …
(Above from the Wall Street Journal 10-3-’23)
** What does this mean for the Repub Party?? More chaos? Probably so. What’s next?? I honestly have no idea!
** MORE:: Former President Donald Trump was slapped with a gag order Tuesday by the judge overseeing his civil case in New York after he made a Truth Social post identifying the judge’s principal clerk.
Judge Arthur Engoron issued the order that prohibits Trump or any party in the case from posting or speaking publicly about Engoron’s staff.
Note: Some people are saying that this is really welcome news, and wish that it would happen more often- much more often, if not daily.
** Vice President Kamala Harris is launching a tour of college campuses aimed at engaging young students and potential voters focused on abortion rights, gun violence, climate change, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights and “teaching America’s full history.”
* Democratic strategists and youth participation experts said Harris’ tour is notable for making early and intentional outreach to young potential voters and voters of color — instead of just visiting or campaigning at large flagship universities the summer before an election.
In addition to visiting historically Black colleges and universities in key electoral states, Harris also plans stops at Hispanic-serving institutions, community colleges, state schools and apprenticeship programs.
“I think the fact that this engagement is coming from the White House and not necessarily the campaign is also important, because it shows an emphasis on looking at young people not just as voters to turn out, but as important organizers and an important constituency, we believe, to the present and future of our country,” she added.
* … “Members of Generation Z, born from 1997 to 2012, made up the entire 18-to-24 age group for the first time in the 2022 midterms. Census data shows that 28.4 percent of Gen Z cast ballots in 2022, a higher turnout than millennials or Generation X showed in their first midterm elections, according to an analysis by CIRCLE at Tufts University, which researches youth voter turnout and civic engagement. And 31 percent of voters under 30 cast a ballot in 2022, the third-highest youth voter turnout in the past 50 years.”
Note: This is exactly the focus I was urging my OR Senators and Pres. Biden to make in terms of recruiting Youth Voters (18-29 yrs) and getting them to commit to voting, not just in 2024, but in all elections. Not only could this have a critical impact in ‘24; it could also upend campaign calculus for a LONG, LONG time.
BTW, the above post is from: Grace Panetta The19th ; Originally published by The 19th
* It’s a very interesting read, I think, for those interested in the Gen Z/ Youth Voter issue.
** On the note of Republicans doubling down on a losing issue (for them), another important election is coming up in Ohio concerning abortion rights. ……………….. Given that in 6 of 6 recent state elections, pro-abortion rights voters have won, I think this will be another big win, this time in Ohio!!
***
If you want to collect more money, go where the money is! In fact, they plan to weaponize AI in doing it. Jacob Knutsen, Axios
* Why it matters: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said it will start using AI and other tools to detect tax violations by high-income earners and large business partnerships.
- The IRS said Friday it leveraged AI to open investigations into 75 of the largest partnerships in the U.S. that each have more than $10 billion in assets on average.
- Machine learning tech helped identify the targets, which include hedge funds, real estate investment partnerships and law firms, while seeking threats to the tax system in a segment that's historically seen limited scrutiny, the service said.
Driving the news: The IRS is prioritizing cases involving taxpayers with incomes above $1 million but tax debts of more than $250,000.
- It said around 1,600 taxpayers fall under this category and "owe hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes."
(The above item is a repeat of a point from chloris creators GNR of 9-9-’23. H/T to cc!! )
** A central reason I'm bullish on Biden/Dems:
"An analysis from FiveThirtyEight found that in 38 special elections held so far this year, Democrats have outperformed the partisan lean .....of the areas where the races were held by an average of 10%" https://t.co/CrkM88zl0t
— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) September 10, 2023
** From chloris c: “I agree, hope is important, because without any hope, you won’t bother. When you have hope, you take one step, and then another, and then others join you and you become a force.”
** I know that getting the young ‘uns to vote is important, but so is helping the elderly. They may need a lift to a polling place, or they may want to talk through a ballot.
Expected trial date: Oct. 2, 2023 in New York
After a three-year investigation, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, the Trump Organization's executive team and three of his eldest children, last September.
** Breaking News! Trump Basically Just Lost the New York Bank Fraud Case Before It Even Started !!!
Story by Jose Pagliery •6h
Former President Donald Trump, his top executives, and heirs were declared completely liable of “persistent and repeated fraud”—and the real estate empire was unceremoniously stripped of its business licenses in New York—after a judge’s powerful ruling Tuesday ahead of a massive trial that seeks to hit them with more than $250 million in penalties for bank fraud.
Even before the trial officially starts, the ruling handed New York Attorney General Letitia James a near total victory, meaning that next week’s trial will mostly focus on damages that could pulverize the business empire that helped elevate the real estate tycoon into the White House.
In his 35-page opinion, Justice Arthur F. Engoron tore apart what he called the Trump family’s “bogus arguments” and obstreperous conduct. And he summed up the entire defense as “a fantasy world, not the real world.” (Continued at VOX)
** HT to TallCityGirl for the brief, but heartfelt, poem:
“tot’s ‘n pears”, you BLOAT
FU, Donnie, you ol’ goat! OK, I just love genuine FAFO like this!!!!
6) E. Jean Carroll case
Expected trial date: Jan. 15, 2024, in New York
In 2019, writer E. Jean Carroll first publicly came forward saying Trump had raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s when Trump was known as just a businessman. Trump responded then (and since), denying the accusation and saying that the writer had ulterior motives.
Miscellaneous Good News
*** Norway rewilds Arctic coal-mining town www.goodnewsnetwork.org/…
*** Farmers show off mammoth pumpkin @ 1,300 pounds at county fair www.goodnewsnetwork.org/…
*** NASA may have just cracked the code for replacing lithium in batteries- with 2-3 times more energy www.goodnewsnetwork.org/...
*** Rhino conservation success: Global populations surge to 27,000
In an encouraging turn of events, the worldwide rhinoceros population has defied the odds and demonstrated astonishing indications of recovery. These magnificent species, which once numbered approximately 500,000 in Africa and Asia in the twentieth century, have suffered grave threats from poaching and habitat degradation. However, new data from the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group provides some hope. By the end of last year, the global rhino population rose to roughly 27,000, marking an important milestone in their conservation journey.
Closeout music by Tom Petty
**************************************************** The end
Note: As a bush-league bettor, I am unable to follow the betting line on TDFG. My non-legal advice: stick to personal bets among friends, and write them down. Personally, I am betting that he gets convicted of at least 60 of the 91 felony counts. I’m also betting there will be extensive MSM coverage. Also betting the wine & beer sales will be stronger than usual, and ditto for popcorn and cheeseburgers!
Note 2: I am having company again this week from Mass., and I qued a smaller than usual GNR to prepare for them.
Note 3: I am very sorry that my last GNR was chopped by more than half for no known reason- but most likely cyber gremlins. Neither I not the help desk could recover it. I was highly irritated at myself, which is not news, but that’s not stopping me!!
Finally: Please let me know if this was too much, or too little, on the topic of Hope and Optimism. I will adjust accordingly in my next GNR.
I’ll be posting at 4:00 AM Pacific daylight time, and going back to bed almost instantly. Do what usually do. As usual I request that commentators obey the usual rules of the road.www.dailykos.com/...
