individuals

individuals https://www.dailykos.com/news/individuals News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 05:07:58 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 05:07:58 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) It's Dark Out There https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/11/29/1719679/-It-s-Dark-Out-There Short Rant Tues Nov 28. Watching Rachel when the power goes out. I’m sitting here in the dark along with my neighbors. Everybody is now inconvenienced. My only light is from my 18v Ryobi spotlight looking for some candles, which turn out to be 4v battery candles. Whoopee! Why does this have to be? Because: <ul> <li>Corporate Dominance?</li> <li>Corporate Stupidity?</li> <li>Corporate Brainlessness?</li> </ul> YES! WE are to the be the sole providers of goods and services — BY DESIGN. Fuck the Individual. Corporations uber alles. The inability of people to function without Corporate power is the problem. The past is prologue to the future. Will end with one of my standard memes: A Solar Panel and Wind Helix on Every Roof A Battery in every Garage. End Rant! rss@dailykos.com (Errol Nelson) Corporations individuals PowerOutages RenewableEnergy _1719679 Thu, 30 Nov 2017 01:57:53 +0000 How Democrats Can Fix Their Crappy Messaging and Attract Republican Voters https://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/7/17/1678761/-How-Democrats-Can-Fix-Their-Crappy-Messaging-and-Attract-Republican-Voters There have been numerous stories lately here at Daily Kos lamenting the inadequacy and inability of the Democrats to clearly and succinctly disseminate their policy and positions. Democrats keep trying to be all things to all people, but the presentation still isn’t working. In contrast, the Republicans have a short, incisive message they keep endlessly repeating in restricted markets: and it keeps, maintains and energizes their base. It’s time for Democrats to do likewise. Whats the Problem? Democrats need to: 1. Stop trying to be all things to all people. 2. Go to more General Messaging. 3. Keep the messages Simple and Generic. 4. Counter the Republican messages point by point. 5. Keep repeating: Republicans are supported by the rich (1%): to enrich the rich. Democrats just get the rest (99%) that need services and assistance also. Then adopt a program that will provide it, and explain it to them in simple terms. Get with the program, Democrats 6. Remember that Democrats have more potential and actual voters than Republicans. They just don’t do what is required to either court them or snag them. Get with the program, Democrats. 7. Invade the communication markets the Republicans are presently dominating or have exclusive (Radio/TV) rights. Take the listeners/watchers out of the dark. Re-institute Howard Dean’s 50-State strategy. Get with the program, Democrats. 8. Actively expose and resist Republican shenanigans like voter suppression, voter purging and gerrymandering, etc. Get with the program, Democrats. Am I repeating myself? 9. Keep stating that ‘Freedom’ and ‘Individual Rights’ are not rationales to allow Republicans to bask in exclusion politics. 10. Continually remind everyone that Government is: Of the people, By the People, and For the People. It is not just for the rich (and definitely should not be by the rich or of the rich) who try and do influence law and policy with money. The Three Elements of Humanity: Individuals — Groups — Society Who, and what you are is determined by intrinsic elements (gender, race, physical characteristics); and ‘membership’ in groups, both intrinsic (families, tribes, etc) and legal constructs (associations, corporations, religions, nations, etc). Society is collective humanity, all 7 billion+ of us, and growing. Individual___________Groups_______________Society Groups have different needs and interests. It falls largely on government to balance these interests for the greatest benefit of everyone. And that is the ever changing problem that keeps eluding one size fits all solutions. Accentuate the Differences This is a general template of differences for discussion purposes. It is not a description of absolute characteristics of either Party. Democrats Republicans We (99%) They (1%) Inclusive Exclusive Liberal Conservative Trends Socialism Trends Capitalism Collective Responsibility Individual Responsibility WGYB (We've Got Your Back) YOYO (You’re On Your Own) General Welfare Limited (Rich) Welfare Publicization Privatization Country before Party Party before Country Universal Defined Benefits (1) Few Benefits-Low Taxes Group Restraint (2) Small Government Global Cooperation (3) Strong Defense/Isolation Environmental Stability (4) Less Regulation Voter Expression (5) Voter Suppression To get down to specifics, we need to focus on the bolded differences between the Democrat and Republicans, using the basic Republican template. These are my definition of the differences based on a message of collective responsibility . Feel free to add, modify or expand to get a Better Democratic Message for the 2018 and 2020 elections. (1) Universal Defined Benefits: There are already several defined benefit programs used to a varying degree through both public programs and private sources: <ul> <li>Retirement (Social Security) is provided by fees on earned income. However it is not-yet-universal. There are opt-outs by States to provide Retirement Plans also. Most are solvent, but some States have large, unfunded liabilities. If a State goes bankrupt, their retirement funds can be affected. Social Security should be revised to include insure that everybody (including those who didn’t pay in) receives a minimum basic retirement. </li> <li>Healthcare (Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare) is limited to the older, indigent and military veterans. Single Payer would make it more inclusive and universal. It would also reduce the egregious (15-20% unnecessary) fees charged by for-profit insurances companies that are paid to investors and for excessive corporate salaries. </li> <li>Education is provided largely by State and local government entities, with some Federal assistance. However there are Republican efforts to privatize it via charter schools. Education is now the key to almost all jobs and should be Universal from kindergarten through College. It should remain public and universal. </li> <li>Banking via Glass-Steagall separated commercial and investment banking from 1933-1999. It should be reinstated. Personal commercial banking services could, and should be expanded to include banking services provided by the States and the USPS (especially in the more rural locations). This would expand financial services and reduce the fees that privatized banks charge. </li> <li>Voting should be inclusive and universal: Modeled largely on the present Oregon program. You are automatically registered at 18 and you must opt-out. Voting should be for the best convenience of the voter and secure, with a paper trail. The voter suppression efforts by Republicans are an effort to maintain a failing political philosophy. Requiring people to stand in line and vote at a precinct is — in itself — a voter suppression tactic. </li> </ul> (2) Group (Corporate) Restraint: Groups, from families to corporations want to conduct their activities to maximize their profit; whether is personal power or monetary. Probably the best example of that is Citizens United, which has unleashed a flood of money in support of opposition of candidates, initiatives and legislation. In effect, money is more influential then even the most vigorous Get Out The Vote efforts. It is, simply put, a distortion of democratic politics that must be corrected to achieve more equity an balance in our political system. See (5) below. (3) Global Cooperation: In the long run cooperation yields more benefits than either isolation or confrontation. It is not necessary to agree on all issues, any more than it is necessary for Democrats or Republicans to agree on all issues. We are not a Do It Yourself planet. Everything, and everybody is tied everything and everybody else. War is an exercise in destruction and in the long run benefits very few. It is like the difference between analysis and synthesis. Analysis means to take apart, synthesis means to put together. Which is the most effective process for resolving our differences? (4) Environmental Stability: Everything a person or group does impacts our physical environment e.g. society. And in response the environment attempts to compensate in either a small or big way. LeChatelier said it best: If a change occurs in one of the factors which a system is in equilibrium, the system will tend to adjust itself to annul, as far as possible the effect of the change. We are seeing the effects of that now, with climate change: More people — more CO2 — higher temperatures — rising seas — etc. The efforts should be to minimize the changes. The methods can and will vary and needs to maintain maximum flexibility while achieving that goal. People, Corporations and Governments are not entitled to use our societal resources — the Planet — as a ‘free’ garbage dump for their air and water pollution, and land/extraction damage. That should be a cost of doing business. If you can’t afford it, you probably shouldn’t be in business. As for the Republicans, they cater to a more exclusive set of policies. They ignore the fact that the population keeps growing, and have no problem degrading both the environment and people for the benefit of a few. (5) Voter Expression: For Democrats to attain and retain a majority they need to expand their base. That means that everyone of voting age is entitled to vote in every election. Re-instituting the Fairness Doctrine would require ‘both’ sides to be heard and discourage the one-sided media reporting that (Right Wing ‘Republican’ Radio/RV) dominates in some markets. e.g. Keep ‘em in the Dark. No news is worse than bad or misleading news. Mail in voting - Optical scanning - paper trail: This is where the older, tried and true methods have proven to be the most reliable. Electronic, and machine voting can be hacked and altered by those in charge of the system. So, Democrats: you can spiffy up your messaging with 5 magic words: Benefits Restraint Cooperation Stability Expression I’ll leave it to you (Democrat Establishment) to flesh out the details of your messaging for the upcoming elections. You’re the ones getting the big bucks, not me. This is a free analysis, I took it apart. You get to synthesize a program, and put something together. If the past is prologue, however, my expectations are pretty low. Prove me wrong. A good comparison would help your synthesis: Dems Repos Uni-Benefits No Stinkin’ Benefits Corporate Restraint Less Regs-No Restraint Cooperation Isolation/Defense Stability Less Government More Voters Fewer Voters ________________Bottom Line___ _________________ WGYB YOYO We’ve Got Your Back You’re on Your Own So, Democrats there is a program and message out there waiting to be synthesized and implemented. Are you going to be proactive or inactive? Just asking! Kossacks, all comments and replies should be directed at the Democrats. It’s their program and message, and our Country, we’re talking about, not mine. I’m only offering suggestions to improve and implement it. I’d like to see a formal Democratic response to my suggestions here in Kos. Now, that would make a difference. rss@dailykos.com (Errol Nelson) Benefits Cooperation Democrats expression Groups individuals Messaging Republicans Restraint Society stability _1678761 Mon, 17 Jul 2017 17:24:50 +0000 The Makings and Breakings of Suffering https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/21/1452948/-The-Makings-and-Breakings-of-Suffering Suffering Makes the Simplest among Us Vastly Complex and immeasurably Complicated Suffering Takes all Beings to the Edges And sometimes past the Edges Of Light and Dark Suffering can Break An Ordinary Or Extraordinary Exterior Life While Making A Self-Sustaining, stalwart Ordinarily Extraordinary Interior Life Suffering can Make you Or Break you The Character of the Soul Before the Suffering makes no real difference Suffering has made Angels demons And demons Angels Suffering has made Heroes Cowards And Cowards Heroes Suffering can make The destructively Foolish constructively Wise And the constructively Wise destructively Foolish Suffering can make The Sane Mad And the Mad Sane Suffering can make The compassionately Humane ravaging Beasts And ravaging Beasts compassionately Humane Suffering can make A Public Life Secret And a Secret Life Public Suffering can make Masters Puppets And Puppets Masters Suffering can make The Risen Crucified And the Crucified Risen Suffering can make Mere Words a War And a War mere Words Suffering can make Heaven Hell And Hell Heaven Suffering can bring Perceived Death to Life And perceived Life to Death Suffering has Destroyed Individuals, Communities, Nations and Civilizations Suffering has Created Individuals, Communities, Nations and Civilizations Yes, Suffering makes the Simplest among Us Vastly Complex and immeasurably Complicated rss@dailykos.com (Leah Sellers) Community Culture Humanity individuals Madness Nature Peace Sanity Suffering War _1452948 Sat, 21 Nov 2015 20:27:11 +0000 Environmentalism Can't Succeed Without Good Citizens and Good Consumers https://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/8/7/1117672/-Environmentalism-Can-t-Succeed-Without-Good-Citizens-and-Good-Consumers Originally posted at <a href="http://www.nextnewdeal.net/new-guard/environmentalism-cant-succeed-without-good-citizens-and-good-consumers">Next New Deal</a> Individual action alone won't solve our environmental problems, but neither will giving up on responsible consumer habits. "<a href="http://www.storyofstuff.org/">Story of Stuff</a>" creator Annie Leonard has posted a new video, titled <a href="http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-change/">"The Story of Change,"</a> in which she argues that it's not responsible consumers but good citizens – those who vote, participate, take action, and generally show up – who create environmental change. The video is quite good, but I disagree that one is better than the other. In fact, for us to get the changes we need, we’d do best to vote with both our dollars and our ballots. Leonard says as much, but the video and her recent piece in the New York Times’<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/07/30/responsible-shoppers-but-bad-citizens/individual-actions-just-dont-add-up-to-environmental-change">"Room for Debate"</a> series send a mixed message that discourages individual-level action. The argument environmentalists should be making loud and clear is that we must have good individual consumption habits and civic participation if we hope to succeed. rss@dailykos.com (UltraAyla) Activism Consumerism DK GreenRoots DKGreenRoots Environment individuals Media Messaging Movements Rescued _1117672 Tue, 07 Aug 2012 18:21:50 +0000 Morning Feature: Sticky Narratives, Part I - How Many Are We? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/4/842807/-Morning-Feature-Sticky-Narratives-Part-I-How-Many-Are-We <a target="_blank" href="http://s717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/NCrissieB/?action=view&current=New-MF-logo.jpg"><img alt="BPI-MF-Logo" align="right" src="http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww175/NCrissieB/New-MF-logo.jpg" border /></a>"The worst part is the awful randomness of it all. A bullet misses you and hits the guy next to you. One guy does everything right and gets blown up. Another does everything wrong and not a scratch. It makes no damned sense at all." So wrote an American G.I. during World War II. Yet military historian and combat veteran Trevor Dupuy, author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-prediction-war-history-evaluate/dp/0672521318">Numbers, Predictions, and War</a> proposed formulas to predict unit effectiveness and casualties, and found that training is a dominant variable. Is combat all random, as the G.I. experienced? Or is training a dominant variable, as the historian's data suggest? The answer has a lot to do with Big Narratives - the stories we live by - which 'stick' and which don't, and why the Stickiest Narratives aren't always the most reliable. More below the fold.... rss@dailykos.com (NCrissieB) DanielYergin Experience FranklinFoer Groups HowSoccerExplainsTheWorld individuals JimFixx KatePickett MorningFeature narratives Outcomes randomness Recommended RichardWilkinson StrongLawofLargeNumbers The Prize ThePrize TheSpiritLevel TrevorDupuy _842807 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:21:07 +0000 This diary brought to you by the Carlisle Group - I have seen the light https://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/1/22/828727/-This-diary-brought-to-you-by-the-Carlisle-Group-I-have-seen-the-light    When I was in law school - (yes they had law school even in the Jurassic Period) - I would frequently endure the calumny of my fellow students as being to the right of Genghis Khan.  The central thesis of our argument, regardless of the various guises under which it arose, was always the same - I argued that using judicial power to achieve social ends - without rigorous adherence to well reasoned and articulated judicial principles regardless of the loftiness of the intentions - was an invitation to abuse.     I remember distinctly having an argument with a fan of the Warren court - and I am sad to say that my prediction of that day haunts me for its accuracy:  that if we did not claw back from the fuzzy reasoning we were allowing and the authoritarians took the reins that they would sweep away the fundamental protections the Constitution enshrined for the individual over the collectives.    Yesterday that day came - and now I have seen the light rss@dailykos.com (Boxer7) collectives individuals SCOTUS _828727 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:05:38 +0000 From theory to reality, the 1st wave of a World pandemic https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/3/723448/-From-theory-to-reality-the-1st-wave-of-a-World-pandemic Here are few days of Lead time, use it wisely Kossaks and everybody. N.B. in Comment Back to the severity index I wrote I know, I start strongly by recommending you to first buy the regular critical medicine that you need for few months ahead and do it NOW, I know that few hundreds NOT BOX but Bucks (Sorry English is not my first language and I go sometimes by Sound.  Back to the Lead Time Bulletin Yesterday in Geneva at the World Health Organisation the Vice-Director Dr Keiji Fukuda said it loud and clear. In few days WHO will declare a World Wide pandemic for the first time since 41 years. A world wide pandemic will affect each of us, each of our family, each of our Community and all Nations around the World. And as you will find out a lot of things have change since the pandemic of 1968, 1957, 1918 or 1889.  Despite our technological huge leaps, we are in 2009 more vulnerable in many instances than we where back then. May you take the time to read the following because, sadly,  this is not an exercise. Snowy Owl rss@dailykos.com (Snowy Owl) Communities Families GeoPolitics impactsofH1N1pandemic individuals nationalpandemicresponses nations WHOPhase6 WORLDWIDE _723448 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:09:55 +0000 Bushvilles, Hoovervilles and Lost Causes https://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/4/712475/-Bushvilles-Hoovervilles-and-Lost-Causes     Love thy neighbor.         <object width="425" height="344"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y14Y9B3DXvM&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param><embed width="425" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y14Y9B3DXvM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344"></embed></object>     That clip is from January 2009 <object width="425" height="344"><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eih67rlGNhU&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param><embed width="425" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eih67rlGNhU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344"></embed></object>     History seems to be repeating itself.     More below the fold . . . . . rss@dailykos.com (MinistryOfTruth) AmericanHero attacking bankster baron BoardMembers Bonuses bruningtentcities Bullshit Bush-Cheney Bushville cards CEO Cities Class War Class Warfare Classic ClassWar ClassWarfare CO Commission Conservatives Consumers Corporate Corporation Corporatism Corruption Credit Crime Criminal Crisis crony Cronyism Debt Deficit Democrats Depression Disaster disgrace disproportionate Distribution duplicity Dying Economy Education Elitist Fail failedideas Failure Families fault FreeMarket George W. Bush GeorgeWashington GeorgeWBush GOP GreatDepression Greed Health Care HealthCare Heartless Help HerbertHoover History holdersEricHolderSpecial Homeless Homeowners Hooverville Idiot individuals Inequality Interest investor jimmystewart Justice lap dog lapdog Leadership lenders Lies Loans Losers lostcauses lostjobs LowWages Meme Middle Class MiddleClass Monument mrsmithgoestowashington nepotisism ninja Obama oppresion Poverty predatory presidents Prohibition prosecutor rates Reaganomics _712475 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:05:50 +0000 Dear Voters Young and Old https://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/27/465003/-Dear-Voters-Young-and-Old Dear voters young and old, Our country needs us to guide it into the future.  No longer can we look the other way in the face of excesses and abuses.  We must actively promote responsible living and curtail excesses and abuses. Down with corruption, down with excessive greed, down with racism, down with extremism.  Down with big corporation abuses.  Obama has shown us that one person with courage and acting responsibly can make a big impression and stir the desire for good that is in all our hearts and make a great deal of difference.  Let us take this lesson to heart and stand up and make changes in ourselves and in our community and in our world.   rss@dailykos.com (enlightened) abuses Censorship Corruption Extremism Freedom individuals negative Positive Responsibility _465003 Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:48:29 +0000 Conservative Confusion about the "State" https://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/2/23/305042/-Conservative-Confusion-about-the-State Conservatives have trouble explaining the existence of what they call "The State," meaning a centralized national government; this includes most vehemently what they call "The Welfare State;" and represents a fundamental bewilderment about why history doesn't occur the way they think it ought to. While conservatives will say that individual liberty is the highest value, when push comes to shove the justification of the individual's existence is always to perpetuate the existence of The State. We explore this in more detail below. rss@dailykos.com (infotrage) Conservatism Conservatives goodness individuals Libertarianism Liberty revelation sin State _305042 Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:25:32 +0000 Wherein I evaluate my racist self. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/25/213261/-Wherein-I-evaluate-my-racist-self I never thought of myself as a racist.  I don't think many of us do.  It really isn't too 'PC', nor intelligent, to come out with all guns swinging against a certain ethnic group.  Yet, I know that I grew up with 'white priviledge'.  I grew up in a small Maine town that was very affluent, and very white.  Yet, I always tried to maintain a certain level of open-mindedness about all sorts of topics, racism being one of those.  Yet, today during my commute (it is about an hour) I came to realize that I haven't been as tolerant as perhaps I could.  I wasn't outwardly rude to anyone, but if people could have heard my inner dialogue, I probably would have been shot.  Here are some examples why.... rss@dailykos.com (moanablue) Class individuals Racism Science _213261 Thu, 25 May 2006 16:42:34 +0000