Update at 6:00 pm
We have a new area in the sidebar. The name is tentative, but the links are live.
Keeping Track
I have seen some great letters here and there in the comments as people share that they contacted one of their elected officials. The letter below was here toward the end of January. I won’t post the nym here because it appears to be an real name, but he can out himself in the comments.
I’m thinking it would be great if BJ peeps could add their letters in the comments – it could be a great resource for all of us who want to write to their officials. Or write a letter to the editor.
Or maybe we can get Betty Cracker to write some amazing letters for us as we respond to their “acres of smarmy bullshit”.
Also OPEN THREAD if you’re not interested in the letter idea.
Letter from the commenter to their Senator (Adam Schiff), FWIW (will call later when not at work):
Hello,
I’m writing to ask you, in the strongest and most existential terms, to oppose the Trump administration on every front and using every means at your disposal. Right now, that means slowing down his ability to confirm a whole slate of atrocious picks for his cabinet.
More generally, the era in which traditional formalities matter has passed, because Republicans rendered them meaningless. In politics, anyway, my view is that traditions only matter if both sides respect them and/or they win you votes. Neither condition is operative in this moment. Collegiality only matters if it will help you sway the most approachable Republicans to do less harm. So I write asking you to dispose of collegiality. Democrats are the only opposition party we have that stands between the democracy we must preserve and the rising authoritarian fascism that Trump represents.
Do not keep your powder dry. Fight everywhere, at every opportunity.
Yours in solidarity,
Anybody game to share?
Open thread.
Baud
I wrote a letter asking for a post office to be named after me.
Great letter? Why only Schiff?
Baud
Via Reddit
WaterGirl
@Baud: Can’t really say that she’s wrong about that!
WaterGirl
@Baud: You don’t think that was a great letter?
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Punctuation typo. Should be a period.
Albatrossity
Letters to my spatchcocked Senators (Moran and Marshall) have been sent, and are routinely replied to with boilerplate platitudes and self-congratulatory twaddle. But I keep sending them. My latest is short and sweet. And I’ve sent it three times with no replies so far.
goldengirl
GREAT letter. I’m totally on board.
Butch
All I’ve gotten from my (Democratic) senators are boilerplate responses.
Old School
@Baud:
The one in France isn’t good enough for you?
Baud
FO is a bitch
“Don’t blame me for your choices.”
Baud
@Old School:
France has so much culture.
Lumpy
I think one of the main points of this type of resistance is that it becomes a media narrative. Democrats cannot literally halt Trump, but they can make resistance an ongoing story that advances Democratic messaging, which rallies the base and positions Democratic candidates for success in upcoming elections where they can win the power to literally stop Trump. I wonder if acknowledging this idea (this is sometimes just about strategic messaging, but that’s important) would be something to acknowledge in a letter, so that the letter doesn’t get dismissed as naive (“this voter doesn’t realize how limited I am”). Democrats are terrible at messaging, and a unified resistance as a media phenomenon would be a big improvement on that front.
Mr. Bemused Senior
It’s an old country, that’s why.
Andrew Abshier
My ‘Critter drives a hopped-up F-250 crew cab. I would like to point out that if he’s man enough to drive such a rig, he’s man enough to face consituents in a town hall (he never has for as long as he’s been my critter). It’s Greg Steube, FL-16. Herr Reichkanzler Rick Scott and DEESantis’s seat warmer, Moody, are useless–so I’m mainly applying pressure to my ‘Critter.
Shakti
These are good letters. Any letters I’d write would be pointed JAQ-ing questions letters, which aren’t terribly actionable.
Like “Dear Rep Luna, what actions are you taking to restore Noaa and Fema funding? I understand that you and your kids like many who live in our district had to evacuate from Milton. You sent me several texts alleging FEMA was appropriating funds for illegals. Musk, who runs DOGE in effect, has by his own admission, violated US immigration law immigration law prior to his US naturalization in 1998.
What actions are you taking to counter doges misappropriation of federal funds that were already agreed upon in the budget voted upon by Congress by a foreign national who has no right to be here? If you approve of these, what is your financial interest in any information that DOGE is providing to any companies you, your donors, family members, friends own, have a controlling stake in?”
WaterGirl
@Albatrossity: Love yours, too!
Cliosfanboy
I made a few edits and sent it to my 3 Congress-critters (and Democrats, thank God). I made some changes not because I thought the original was bad, but so it did not come off as a cut n paste if they get multiples from here.
Hello,
I’m writing to ask you, in the strongest and most existential terms, to oppose the Trump administration on every front and using every means at your disposal. Right now, that means slowing down his ability to confirm a whole slate of atrocious picks for his cabinet. NONE of them are good picks. Not a single one.
More generally, the era in which traditional formalities matter has passed, because Republicans rendered them meaningless. Traditions only matter if both sides respect them. Collegiality only matters if it will help you sway the most approachable Republicans to do less harm. Authoritarians use democratic norms to take power, counting on their opposition to play by the rules. Once in power, those norms and rules are disregarded.
So I write asking you to dispose of collegiality. All it does now is further enable the far right to destroy our freedom.
Democrats are the only opposition party we have that stands between the democracy we must preserve and the rising authoritarian fascism that Trump represents.
Do not keep your powder dry for some fight to come. Fight EVERYWHERE, at EVERY opportunity.
Cliosfanboy
@Shakti: It seems so fitting that a rep named “Luna’ is barking mad.
WaterGirl
@Cliosfanboy: Thank you!
WaterGirl
Can I squeeze in a plug for the Wisconsin Supreme Court donations?
Just $389 more and we will have met our goal for Wisconsin, and we can get started on the upcoming special elections.
Saltwater Cleanse
Congressman Obernolte (R from Yucca Valley) said at a recent townhall, “Take it from me, we don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.”
I’ve heard several Repubs say the same nonsense. I wish we could turn it around and point out that billionaires and millionaires who think they need more tax cuts don’t have a revenue problem, they have a spending problem.
Seriously, you have millions and millions and yet you need more? Must be a lot of waste, fraud, and abuse in your household.
mali muso
@WaterGirl:
Thanks for the reminder! Just put a little in the plate.
Shakti
@Cliosfanboy:
She’s only good at showboating.
I dislike this stupid woman with a passion.
She’s not even good at getting funding for her district, which is how my rep who passed, got an endorsement from the local paper.
I would want to know what special favors she going to grant some member of this DOGE since congressional budgets are suggestions now.
Ooh that’s an angle [congress member pet project] + what are you doing to make sure doge doesn’t yank it on a whim?
ArchTeryx
@Lumpy:
I am so sick of seeing this trope. It’s cheap and lazy; Democrats have obstacles to getting their message out that Republicans simply do not. They have an entire media infrastructure and cinematic universe to get their message out. We do not. It’s nearly impossible to message effectively when the communication infrastructure is almost 100% in the hands of the enemy. That’s what Ds have always had to fight, and it’s gotten worse with every election. Combine that with massive voter suppression in a number of swing states, and you have a race where we start about 20 paces behind at the blocks. They run on pavement. We run in mud. Messaging is not the problem. A completely rigged system is the problem.
Lobo
Reminder:
To reiterate, encourage Senators in opposition.
House of Representatives:
No help in the budget, until Trump stops illegal activities.
Broader Message: Make them work for it.
JaySinWA
@Baud:
It’s how they make cheese, isn’t it?
trollhattan
@Lobo:
This is good. Big fan of the bullet list.
Redshift
Hey, I did remember to save my last letter to my congressperson, Don Beyer (who does listen and is mostly already doing what I want.)
dc
Here’s one of mine to my traitor senators from NC:
dc
Here’s another one (sent earlier than the one above) to Tillis and Budd, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum of NC:
dc
One to Valerie Foushee, our Dem Rep. for my Congressional District:
Jackie
The FFOTUS is going to demand an apology from Zelenskyy…
I suggest we write letters to FFOTUS and Vice Puppet Vance, demanding they apologize to Zelenskyy for starting the argument.
Lobo
@trollhattan:
Why this is important. Budget Talks.
Old School
@Jackie:
And, of course, engaging will not be the same as participating. He won’t actually be there.
TONYG
I contacted my New Jersey “Democratic” congressman and senators to bitch and moan about Musk three weeks ago. THEY DO NOT GIVE A FUCK. Almost as bad as the Republicans.
Lumpy
@ArchTeryx: It is not “cheap and lazy” to say Democrats suck at messaging. During the Harris – Trump race, we heard that Trump was an existential threat to democracy. My senator Chuck Schumer is tweeting about how outraged people will be when they see how the price of pizza went up on Super Bowl sunday. Schumer, the “leader” of Senate Democrats is a perfect example of a terrible messenger. Schumer doesn’t inspire anybody with his grandfatherly demeanor – if he gets mad, he might give you a stern look – he is a dinosaur from another era where Senate comity is paramount. When I think about effective Democratic messaging, I’m stumped to think of examples. The Dems who are good at messaging like Jasmine Crockett and AOC are the minority – that’s why they stand out.
WaterGirl
@Jackie:
I have regret for what happened! If by “what happened” we mean Trump being elected president and choosing a cabinet people who want to bulldoze our entire country.
More constructively, I love the idea of a concerted and coordinated effort to send letter to FFOTUS demanding an apology to Zelensky.
WaterGirl
Really appreciating all these letters and bullet lists.
Please keep ’em coming.
Off to another meeting…
AWJ
Dumbest man in the Senate Tuberville saying the quiet part out loud: “It’s gonna be Putin and President Trump and the people on our side that will end up making this decision for the future of Ukraine.”
Redshift
@ArchTeryx: Also, Democratic messaging is hampered by caring that it’s actually true, whereas Republicans only have to care about how much outrage it provokes.
kwAwk
My senators are Dick Durban and Tammy Duckworth. My Rep is Jan Schakowsky. They’re all on the right side of the fight on this one. May not need to hear my bitching.
To me it seems Trump is trying to reenact the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. And then he wonders why people call him a Nazi. What is obvious is that he’s not trying to help Ukraine win the war with Russia, he’s trying to normalize US-Russian relations, and honestly after 10 years of this bullshit, I don’t think any of us really understand why. John may be right that Trump is a Russian asset. Or is it Melania or Stephen Miller?
oldgold
Should this happen there will be more than angry letters for Congress to contend with. And, I am not sure Trump could politically survive it.
kwAwk
@TONYG: I don’t think it’s that they don’t give a fuck, I think honestly there is nothing they can do.
The Constitution only works if both sides agree to adhere to its principles. It is only a piece of paper after all.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: I really enjoy what those two do and I admire them. But that’s not the same as being effective, which could only mean getting attention and support from people who aren’t liberal Democrats like me. Where is the evidence for that?
Aziz, light!
Last night I had a dream in which all the former presidents of the United States were gathered in a room with a lectern at the front. Trump came in and gave them one of his long incoherent spiels. All the former presidents stood and exclaimed together “America, what the fuck were you thinking? Have you all lost your minds?”
dc
@kwAwk:
Your Dem senators will appreciate your encouragement. See my letter to my Dem. Rep., Valerie Foushee above. You thank them for something they’ve done, then make an ask for them to turn up the temperature, so to speak. You let them know that you have their backs and that you are already working to save democracy.
Lumpy
@Steve LaBonne: I would point to Bernie Sanders as an example of a liberal who attracts people from across the spectrum because he’s seen as a “change” agent. The same went for Obama during his first presidential campaign. Good messaging can even transcend policy positions, we see that with Trump… messaging is his super-power.
Also, I did not say that the problem we face as liberals is messaging. I’m saying it’s a tool they should be using better. The next elections are being won or lost right now, based on what candidates are saying, or the positions they are staking out.
Omnes Omnibus
@Lumpy: I don’t think a single, unified message is the way to go yet. We don’t know which messages are actually going to resonate. As a result, I think we need to try many approaches and follow up on those that turn out to be effective.
Steve LaBonne
@kwAwk: They are currently doing the only thing they can, and the thing we want them to- demanding an end to Skum’s marauding as the price for bailing Republicans out on a CR to keep the government open. But God forbid we should ever give our own side any credit.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: LOL. Bernie Sanders has always been a detriment to Democrats on the national stage. He deserves a lot of blame for Clinton’s loss. (Also he’s, you know, not actually a Democrat.)
Lumpy
@Omnes Omnibus: if there is a single message, it’s a message of resistance. National elections are won by rallying the base. Harris didn’t get the same turnout of the base that Biden did. Dems win not by persuading Republicans, but by getting high turnout of registered Democrats .
cmorenc
@Albatrossity: As to the Trump run for 3rd term question, no he won’t, but note that Don Trump Jr is eligible to run for two terms. Consider how Trump’s role model Putin handled his own Russian-Constitution (consecutive) term-limit problem: he had a nominal figurehead run for the interim term, but effectively remained President of Russia in all but name. Only difference is that Trump Sr will never be eligible to run again in his own name, rather than being a one-term disqualification before renewed eligibility. But for purposes of who would really control the US Presidency, the difference would be insignificant.
So, your seemingly demanding question isn’t really so effective as you thought.
Lumpy
@Steve LaBonne: Clinton’s loss was due to a whole range of issues, and what people focus on (as the reason she lost) is usually an indicator of their own personal politics.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: But people who think Bernie is the shizzle are the light and the truth. Again, LOL.
chemiclord
California COULD have had a wonderful Senator that would behave exactly like we claim we want, but I guess she was just too shrill or something…
Arclite
I live in a deep blue state and my Sen/rep already engaged in serious pushback. What kind of letter should I send?
Redshift
@kwAwk: Being on the right side is good, but it isn’t enough. I think a lot of them are still on board with the original plan of “Trump does incredibly unpopular things, we can only make it more difficult right now, so we hold on until the midterms and win big, and then we’ll have the power to make things somewhat normal.”
They need to understand that the best case scenario for that is they get to preside over the ashes of what was once the US government. They don’t have much formal power, so they need to move out of their comfort zone and designate some people to be the voice of the party instead of legislative leaders. Have coordinated messaging instead of the congressional norm of everyone doing it on their own. Coordinated to hammer on the same points over and over, fleshed out with the new evidence Musk is creating every day so it doesn’t become “old news.”
(In my humble opinion, that is.)
Omnes Omnibus
@Lumpy: Okay. I think everyone agrees that there should be a message of resistance.
Steve LaBonne
@Arclite: I am told that it is helpful and appreciated to send “attaboy” letters in that case.
Steve LaBonne
@Omnes Omnibus: Which is exactly what this is.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@Redshift:
The old regulatory and statutory frameworks are dead – you prosecute who and what you can for their behavior during the Trump Regime, and lock it in for future purposes – maybe an independent prosecutorial branch gets created to ensure compliance.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
Here’s an interesting exercise – when was the last time that uber Catholic Scam Alito went to confession? Does he ever talk about his gross dishonesty in service of obtaining power, or does he confine it to jerking it to tentacle porn?
Sister Golden Bear
@Baud: As Suzy (neé Eddie Izzard) said, Europe, it’s where the history comes from.
Lumpy
This thread is about writing a letter to urge resistance on all fronts. So it’s comical to me that I’m getting pushback for saying that Democrats shouldn’t just resist, they should also put this resistance front and center in their messaging (because their messaging is generally not good).
Steve LaBonne, your trolling game is weak.
CCL
@WaterGirl: Was waiting for the eagle to fly… but we’re so close to the goal, tossed in $50.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: And yet you still fail to acknowledge the resistance that is happening right now in the only area where congressional Democrats have actual leverage.
Redshift
@Omnes Omnibus: I think there’s a difference between trying out different messages to see what works and 200+ Democratic electeds communicating (or not) only with their own constituents and without much coordination. We are hampered by the fact that the party does not have a leader when out of power, because normally we don’t need one, but these are not normal times.
Lumpy
@Steve LaBonne: is having a terrific argument in his own imagination.
Lumpy
@Redshift: I agree that a coordinated message is needed.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: For instance, a coordinated message that Democrats will not help to pass a CR unless Trump starts obeying the law. Wouldn’t that be a great coordinated message? Hey guess what, they’re actually doing that! The truth is that people like you are simply not serious.
Omnes Omnibus
@Lumpy: Because what resonates in Brooklyn also works well in the UP…
Lumpy
@Steve LaBonne: citation needed re” democrats will not help pass a CR.”
Schumer sent a “dear colleagues” letter saying that Dems will cooperate with the GOP in order to keep the government from shutting down. He is taking their main point of leverage off the table, in advance.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/how-interpret-schumers-dear-colleague-letter
Lumpy
@Omnes Omnibus: I can see some of you are just here to argue, and you’re not limited to an actual topic.
ta ta for now…
Redshift
@Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: That still seems focused on what we do when we have a majority again. I’m talking about what should be done other than using the small amount of minority power, to try to move public opinion and harness the energy of everyone who’s already out attending town halls or protesting, to try to limit the damage.
Even if we can’t do much (which I don’t believe), doing everything we can and communicating it as well as we can is a much better start to appealing to people who don’t know the ins and outs of the system than waiting until the next election because other than a couple of key votes, that’s all we could do.
Steve LaBonne
@Lumpy: So you’re still incapable of clicking on my link to a more recent story. And you also don’t understand that the action is in the House and Schumer has nothing to do with it.
Redshift
@Omnes Omnibus: Coordinated doesn’t have to mean identical. Come on, we see that in every presidential campaign; common themes tailored to different audiences.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@Redshift:
My congressional/senate approach is actually maximalist and abandons all notions of comity and respect. it would include the following:
Redshift
As an example of the kind of thing I’d like to see effective messaging on, Hakeem Jeffries created a House Dems Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group, and publicizing that would be a great way to respond to people who want Dems to “do something!”, but it seems to have generated zero news since its creation on February 10 other than adding some additional members. Is it doing anything? Who knows. I only know about it because I happened to stumble upon it.
brendancalling
Dear Senator Fetterman: Now that you’ve had your vote to confirm Marco Rubio blow up in your face, what will you do to protect Ukraine? Just asking
That’s the text. Really short one.
Redshift
@Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg: Works for me!
AxelFoley
@Baud:
MorganFreemanShesRightYouKnow.gif
AxelFoley
@Baud:
Bernie woulda
wongot it done.Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
@AxelFoley:
Is she old enough to run in 2028?
Melancholy Jaques
I’ve been meaning to mention this in previous threads about contacting representatives. I cannot speak for current practices, but back when I worked in the state legislature, letters counted way more than phone calls. It’s because it take so much more effort & therefore shows more commitment to whatever the issue is. Believe me when I tell you the gun nuts will bury you in angry letters. We separated the form letters from the individual written ones. My main job was to tally, summarize, & draft responses. Good times.
Anyway, if you have the time & determination, I’d recommend writing. And I’d publish the answer on every place on the internet that you place things.
WaterGirl
@Arclite: I recommend a lovely thank you for standing up for democracy letter.
Maybe we can get suggestions / examples of that in this thread, too.
lowtechcyclist
Looks like we might be getting that recession. Per Barron’s:
WaterGirl
@CCL: Thank you!
Steve LaBonne
@Arclite: Man, I wish I still had Sherrod Brown to whom to send my appreciation and support. Ohio has turned into a real shithole.
WaterGirl
@brendancalling: Happy to hear that that blew up in his face! Do you have details? I would be quite happy to hear them!
cain
@oldgold: They are going to ignore this warning because the Trumpers think that’s for people abusing the system. Once those checks stop – it’s going to be hell on earth for Republicans.
The Dems have it easy in terms of messaging, but the press is not going to make it easy because they will blame Dems even if they aren’t in power. Yet you’ll see no editorials about GOP joining hands with Democrats like they insist Dems always do with the GOP.
Now, it’s going to fester and those people have guns.
Melancholy Jaques
@lowtechcyclist:
If the stock market was dropping like this & a Democrat was president, every news outlet would be calling it a crash. They would be interviewing retired people outside Ohio diners to talk about how worried they are about their stocks.
The NASDAQ is down about 10% since its record high in December.
Deputinize Eurasia from the Kuriles to St Petersburg
After doing a slew of darker stories, I just had a little fun with DeepSeek AI:
Title: The Cybertruck Showdown
Setting:
The story takes place in the Oval Office during the second term of President Donald Trump. Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been invited to discuss his proposal to replace the entire federal fleet of vehicles—including military vehicles—with Tesla Cybertrucks
Plot Outline:
Tone:
The story is a mix of dark humor and absurdist fiction, with moments of slapstick comedy and sobering reflection. It explores the consequences of ego and the absurdity of power.
Sample Scenes:
1. The Proposal:
Elon Musk stands in the Oval Office, presenting his plan with holograms and charts.
Musk: “The Cybertruck is the future of transportation. It’s durable, efficient, and unlike anything else on the road. We need to make this the standard for the federal fleet.”
Trump: “It looks like a dumpster on wheels. No way am I putting that thing in my military.”
2. The Argument:
Trump leans back in his chair, arms crossed, while Musk paces the room.
Trump: “You’re out of your mind if you think I’m replacing my beautiful tanks and Humvees with your ugly trucks.”
Musk: “You’re stuck in the past! This is about innovation, about the future!”
Trump: “The future? The future is making America great again, not turning it into a sci-fi movie!”
3. The Escalation:
Trump grabs a paperweight from his desk and points it at Musk.
Trump: “You better watch yourself, Elon. I’m not afraid to use this.”
Musk: “You think you can intimidate me? I’ve been to space!”
Musk picks up a telephone handset and hurls it at Trump, who ducks just in time.
4. The Battle:
The two men begin to brawl, using whatever objects they can find as weapons.
Trump: “Take this, you Silicon Valley weirdo!” He throws a bust of Abraham Lincoln at Musk.
Musk: “You’re a dinosaur, Trump!” He swings a golden eagle statue at Trump, narrowly missing him.
5. The Fatal Blow:
Musk grabs the golden eagle statue and swings it at Trump, striking him in the head.
Trump: “You… you…” He collapses to the floor.
Trump, in a final act of defiance, throws a heavy paperweight at Musk, hitting him squarely in the chest.
Musk: “I… I just wanted to change the world…” He collapses next to Trump.
6. The Aftermath:
Secret Service agents burst into the Oval Office to find the scene of destruction.
Agent 1: “What the hell happened here?”
Agent 2: “Looks like they took each other out. What a mess.”
The camera pans over the wreckage, with both men lying motionless on the floor.
7. The Legacy:
News anchors report on the bizarre and tragic incident.
Anchor 1: “In a shocking turn of events, President Trump and Elon Musk are dead after a violent altercation in the Oval Office.”
Anchor 2: “The incident has sparked endless speculation and conspiracy theories, with many questioning the sanity of those in power.”
The camera cuts to a Cybertruck driving down a deserted road, a symbol of the absurdity and excess of the era.
Closing Reflection:
The story ends with a montage of the wrecked Oval Office, the golden eagle statue lying broken on the floor, and the Cybertruck driving off into the sunset.
Narrator: “In the end, the clash of egos and the absurdity of power led to a tragic and senseless end. As the world moves forward, we must remember the lessons of the past and strive for a future built on cooperation, not conflict.”
The camera pulls back, showing a hopeful but somber world, ready to move forward.
WaterGirl
@mali muso: Thank you! We are so close.
Professor Bigfoot
As I ask everyone who speaks of “terrible Democratic messaging,” can you tell me why it is that Black people, Jewish people, LGBTQIA+ people all hear Democratic messaging quite well, but white people it would appear cannot?
That being the lay of the land, I would love to hear your ideas of how to get more white voters (because really, that’s who you’re talking about.)
cain
@Redshift:
There will be no midterms. There won’t be any federal workers to do elections. Trump would have fired them all. The feds control elections and now it’s fill with his people.
Once that sinks in to just about everyone – maybe we’ll have a collective spine and realize people in congress are just re-arranging deck chairs. I don’t know at that point what everyone is going to do.
SiubhanDuinne
@WaterGirl:
Just tossed in $25. Thanks for the reminder.
Baud
@cain:
Feds don’t control elections. States do.
Baud
@Melancholy Jaques:
They would do that if a Dem were president and the stock market was soaring.
cain
@Professor Bigfoot:
and Asian people also seem to not get the messaging. Not sure about Indians, they do all tend to be very astute in watching politics from what I know.
Melancholy Jaques
@Professor Bigfoot:
I wonder what could be missing from the messages. Must be something that white people seem to value. I just know it can’t be race, can’t be white supremacy. No way. Anyone who says that is just being shrill.
Ramalama
@WaterGirl – so glad you did this. I am cutting and pasting into a file dump where I will craft my unique message to my Dems (lucky that I have Eliz Warren but also a Congress person who might be a little too eager to cross the aisle.) and send out only the finest argument, perfectly seasoned and spicy, with a side helping of bullet points and a little bit of filling inny.
Also just for kicks, I listened to AOC talking to Steve Inskeep on NPR, a news org I stopped listening to a while ago. It was great. AOC was amazing.
Melancholy Jaques
@Baud:
Good point. I checked the supposedly Democratic friendly MSNBC website. No mention of the stock market doing down like a stone. But at the top of column one is Loser Tim Ryan lecturing Democrats on how they should talk to people – What I wish Joe Biden told voters. If there is anyone who knows what to say, it’s got to be Mr. Lost by 6 points to a Total Clown. Even people who had been voting for him for a decade didn’t vote for him! My head hurts now.
frosty
I have been using comments from here for phone calls and posts on my Rep’s contact forms. And saving my rants in Notepad, although they get obsolete in a day or two. Here are my latest;
(after Friday’s mtg)
We don’t support what you Republicans are doing, so stop doing it in our name. We don’t want an alliance with Russia, and we don’t want a betrayal of Ukraine. And frankly, we are embarrassed.
cain
@Baud: But it still has to go to a federal elections board right?
Professor Bigfoot
@cain: Every immigrant* wave is offered the chance at “whiteness,” and the “model minority” trope was that offer to Asians.
Once upon a time the memory of Manzanar and the exhortations of Uncle George kept that at bay, but that was really about Japanese Americans, and perhaps other Asian folk believe it can’t happen to them.
*Except the Africans, of course; every caste system MUST have someone to walk on.
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: Thank you!
Steve LaBonne
@cain: My you are fact challenged today (as with who runs elections). Both East and South Asian- Americans vote in their majorities for Democrats.
tobie
@Lumpy: The letter is from Feb 10. It’s possible Schumer’s position has changed since then.
Steve LaBonne
@cain: There is no such thing.
WaterGirl
The photo in the sidebar today is of jellyfish at the Long Beach Aquarium, shared by FelonyGovt. You really need to click on it to get the full effect.
The photos in the sidebar will be heavy on pets this week because someone (I can’t recall who!) has the grandkids this week, who might really appreciate the dog pics.
Speaking of FelonyGovt, she is having hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, so send good thoughts her way if you have any to spare!
David Collier-Brown
Off-topic:
Tim Bray wrote
I just realised: it’s cognitive dissonance.
“I love Mr Trump, he’s going to make us rich, but my stocks are mysteriously falling”.
Same stages as dying, and every bit as strong. Denial, to be followed by anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. (I was wondering why Republicans and Conservatives were so reality-resistant)
Denali5
@Lumpy:
I think things are serious enough the Democrats should go to the mat; stop the budget from passing. They can do it if they are determined. This is a watershed moment. Republicans simply cannot be trusted to correct matters on their own.
David Collier-Brown
@David Collier-Brown: And Jay Kuo just reported that Mr Trump has promised tariffs will go into effect tomorrow.
The markets are now tanking.
Omnes Omnibus
@cain: That’s simply not true.
CCL
@Baud: However, if the 2025 SAVE ACT HR 22 passes and the Senate also act, there’s gonna be a ton of Federal interference at the state level.
David Collier-Brown
@Baud: I wonder if red states might be tempted to report what they’d like the vote to be, not what it was.
Steve LaBonne
@CCL: Not a fiscal measure thus can’t be done via reconciliation thus cannot pass in the Senate unless you imagine there are a bunch of Democratic Senators who would support it.
Baud
@David Collier-Brown:
Markets are just resting.
tobie
@Professor Bigfoot:
My theory FWIW is that if you’ve faced your continual exploitation, degradation, and threat of extermination, you’re not looking for magic in politics, just a commitment from a party to equal rights, due process, a level playing field, and a social safety net (parameters to be determined). You’re also suspicious of appeals to “the little guy” and “the salt of the earth” which have turned into exclusionary, nativist appeals in the past.
piratedan
not sure that we can “one easy trick” our way out of this mess. I think that our representatives and those of us that can get access thru any mechanism should continue to express our outrage and the idiocy, writ large and small about what is being done, how its being misrepresented. There’s no telling what will resonate with whom, so who gives a shit if there’s no one coherent message, the other side doesn’t worry about that shit, they lie as they see fit. It appears that all it behooves us to do is to tell the fucking truth, bring receipts, point out the lies and who made the choices and why. Give the other side agency for their fucking actions.
Allen Henderson
I made the front page — nice :-)
(more seriously and actually-importantly, happy to hear feedback on ways to push the congresscritters in better directions)
— friendly neighborhood biochemist and 15+ year lurker
cain
@Omnes Omnibus:
Your right, Baud pointed out on the federal elections. So I will recant what I said.
Baud
@David Collier-Brown:
They tend to focus on voter suppression, but who knows what they’ll do if that stops working.
WaterGirl
@David Collier-Brown: You make an excellent point.
ArchTeryx
@Professor Bigfoot: Because black folks are politically astute enough they don’t need constant media bombardment. They’ve been shit on the entire history of this country, and nobody has to tell them who’s on their side. When your life depends on the outcome of elections, it clears the mind remarkably fast.
A lot of white people either vote their bigotries or just don’t care about politics that much. 90% of what people squawk about with “messaging” is how to get through to low-info, low-interest voters. That’s where carpet-bombing repetition comes in, and that’s not a messaging issue. It’s a media issue, and we have a massive problem with that.
Black folks alone aren’t necessary for Republicans to win elections. The Electoral College guarantees they can win with white votes alone if they get enough of them. For Democrats, black voters are necessary but not sufficient, and that’s why we are where we are.
Institutional and ingrained racism is going to be the death of us all.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Just a short break, nothing to see here unless the president is a democrat.
David Collier-Brown
@David Collier-Brown:
Your mission, Mr. Democrat, is to ensure Republicans go through all the of stages of dying: Denial, to be followed by anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
Liberals should replace anger with retaliation. “Don’t get mad, get even,” – Robert F. Kennedy
Allen Henderson
@Baud: Thanks!
Sent similar to Padilla, Harris’s fundraising requests and my local Rep. Then started tagging Jeffries, Schumer and the DNC on bsky with comparable messaging. Zero indication that any of it got read but this is a long game.
Steve LaBonne
@David Collier-Brown: Republicans, apart from a few closely divided Congressional districts, are not afraid of us but only of Republican primary voters.
Steve LaBonne
@Baud: They’re pinin’ for the fjords.
ABH
@Cliosfanboy
I like “not a single one.” Stealing for next round.
Allen Henderson
@Baud:
@WaterGirl:
Y’all are making me blush. Thanks (really). Glad the letter seemed helpful.
cmorenc
@David Collier-Brown: Red states will find grounds to disqualify enough voters in blue precincts until an accurate count of votes left = GOP candidate win. If they can’t disqualify enough folks before they cast votes, they will claim grounds to throw out cast ballots. See the currently still-in-litigation NC Supreme Court seat election where the GOP candidate who lost by 734 votes is trying to have 60k votes thrown out.
WaterGirl
@cmorenc: We don’t know yet how that will end.
But we can be sure that will be their playbook.
Allen Henderson
@Ramalama: This was really good. Thanks. AOC has been so good and so effective, especially lately. Loved the talk with Stewart (Stewart whom I have otherwise been ignoring lately).
cain
@Steve LaBonne: I did take my AD&D pills today! :D
I know that Indians vote majority Democratic. I don’t know about anybody else but if you claim that it is – ok.
Ramalama
@Allen Henderson: Oh cool. Bookmarked for tomorrow when I have an hour. Thanks. This time of day my wife hovers around me asking me about clients, payments, what I’m working on. Can’t listen to podcasts or yuba-tuba when she gets like that.
A Ghost to Most
We’re past letter writing. Words are of little use now.
Allen Henderson
@Ramalama: 100% understood.
Mike in Pasadena
Excellent letter. I’m going to put it into my own words so tnat Schiff’s staff does not think it’s a form letter.
WaterGirl
@Mike in Pasadena: I may compile some of these into a page that I can put in the sidebar.
It’s always easier to edit something than it is to start with a blank page.
Stately Plump Buck
Letters posted to Senators Budd and Tillis
I am alarmed and outraged by Mr. Trump’s latest assault on our military institutions – a late-night purge of three of the country’s top generals and admirals in an apparent effort to consolidate power and install loyalists at the highest levels of national defense. These unprecedented and deeply troubling actions threaten our national security and the core values of a diverse and professional military. The implications for North Carolina, a state with one of the largest military populations in the nation, are particularly dire.
Mr. Trump’s reckless and feckless firings included the widely respected four-star General C.Q. Brown, the first Black officer to lead a branch of the U.S. military, as well as the military’s top female leader, Admiral Linda Franchetti. These purges completed the removal of both the first and second women ever to hold top military ranks, erasing years of progress in ensuring our armed forces reflect the nation they serve. Furthermore, Mr. Trump’s hand-picked defense minister has openly expressed hostility toward women in the military and has already begun cutting back on recruitment of racial minorities.
For a state like North Carolina, home to Fort Liberty, Camp Lejeune, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and other critical military installations, this coup-like behavior within the armed forces is an existential threat. Thousands of service members in North Carolina, many from diverse backgrounds, are being told, loud and clear, that their dedication and service are less important than their gender or skin color. Military families here are rightfully concerned that competence and leadership are being cast aside in favor of a regressive political agenda that values obedience over experience.
Traditionally, U.S. presidents do not purge military leadership upon taking office. That Mr. Trump has done so in such a sweeping and vindictive manner is a grave warning sign of his disregard for the nonpartisan stability of the military. His decision to replace General Brown with a less qualified white general underscores his commitment to a return to the old boys’ club of unearned privilege and exclusion.
North Carolina’s military members, veterans, and their families deserve a force led by the most qualified leaders, not one being manipulated into a tool for Mr. Trump’s authoritarian ambitions. I urge you to speak out forcefully and act decisively against this dangerous overreach. The security of our nation and the integrity of our military depend on it.
Bless your heart.
To mix metaphors, the writing is on the wall, flashing in bold red letters: Mr. Trump and his reckless policies are leading us straight into economic disaster, and it is imperative that you act now to prevent catastrophe. The American people are not blind. The markets are not deaf. The signs of an impending financial meltdown are all around us, and yet, Congress continues to entertain the dangerous delusions of a man more interested in his own power than the stability of this nation.
The Dow just plunged over 700 points, a clear warning shot from investors growing increasingly alarmed by the chaos spewing from Mr. Trump’s floundering political circus. But this is just the beginning. In January, China rattled global markets with news that its AI capabilities may already be surpassing our own. Days later, Mr. Trump, in his signature ignorance, reignited trade war fears with his asinine “America First” policies that do nothing but punish hardworking Americans with higher prices and job losses. Then, as if to underscore his complete incompetence, he recklessly cast doubt on the security of U.S. debt – long considered the safest investment in the world – sending yet another shockwave through financial markets.
Consumer confidence is plummeting. Americans are spending less, not because they want to, but because Mr. Trump’s disastrous policies have left them no choice. Inflation remains suffocatingly high, and thanks to Mr. Trump’s ridiculous tariff blunders, relief isn’t coming anytime soon. Meanwhile, mass layoffs loom as Mr. Trump barrels forward with his rage-driven ejection of government workers and contractors, putting unemployment on the verge of a catastrophic spike. And let’s not forget Congress’s role in this mess: pushing through $4 trillion in tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy while everyday North Carolinians struggle to keep food on the table.
The economic consequences for North Carolina will be catastrophic. Farmers, already battered by Mr. Trump’s previous trade war antics, will once again find themselves abandoned as supply chains fracture and markets dry up. The tech industry in Research Triangle Park, once a beacon of innovation, faces job losses and declining investment. Blue-collar workers in Charlotte, Greensboro, and beyond will watch as manufacturing jobs disappear. And rural hospitals and small businesses across our state, already hanging by a thread, will be left to collapse under the weight of Washington’s negligence.
Mr. Trump’s incompetence is not just inconvenient: it is dangerous. The markets know it. The analysts know it. The people of North Carolina know it. This is not a partisan squabble. This is an existential crisis for millions of Americans who simply want a stable economy, affordable goods, and access to decent jobs. And yet, instead of taking action, Congress continues to sit on its hands while Mr. Trump dismantles the foundations of our financial system.
Time is running out. The American people will not forgive those who stood by and allowed a preventable economic collapse to happen. You have a choice: stand up for North Carolinians and fight back against this economic sabotage or be remembered as one of the enablers who let it happen. The people of this state are watching, and we will hold you accountable.
I am outraged that Congress is considering devastating cuts to food assistance and health care, essential programs that North Carolinians rely on, while pushing massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. These proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid will directly harm families across our state, worsening hunger, poverty, and health inequities at a time when costs are already squeezing working families.
Slashing SNAP benefits would be disastrous for North Carolina. Reducing the already modest $6.20 daily benefit to just $4.80 would make it even harder for families to afford groceries. Stripping benefits from those who cannot meet rigid work documentation requirements would leave countless vulnerable people, including children, seniors, and disabled individuals, without access to food. Cutting $230 billion from SNAP, as outlined in the House budget, would be a direct assault on food security in our state.
The proposed cruel $880 billion in Medicaid cuts would be just as catastrophic. Medicaid ensures that children, low-income seniors, and people with disabilities receive the care they need. Nearly a quarter of the population in congressional districts nationwide relies on Medicaid: this is not just a statistic, it is a lifeline for countless North Carolinians. Cuts of this magnitude will mean people in our communities losing access to critical health care, leading to worsening health outcomes and even preventable deaths.
The expansion of Medicaid between 2014 and 2022 is estimated to have saved 27,400 lives. To now rip that coverage away to finance tax breaks for the wealthiest 1% is unconscionable. These cuts are nothing more than an upward transfer of wealth, prioritizing corporate giveaways over the basic well-being of North Carolinians.
I urge you to stand against these cruel budget proposals. Public opposition is growing, and we have seen members of Congress – both Democrat and Republican – speak out against these cuts. Now is the time for you to take a clear and public stand. Reject any budget that slashes SNAP and Medicaid to finance tax cuts for the wealthy. Our state depends on it.
I look forward to your response and to seeing your leadership in protecting North Carolina’s families.
I am writing to express my deep concern and strong opposition to the nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education. The future of our students, educators, and public schools hangs in the balance, and we cannot afford to put someone in this position who lacks a steadfast commitment to strengthening and defending public education. North Carolina’s children deserve a leader who will champion their right to quality schooling, not someone who will enable its systematic destruction.
Since 1979, the Department of Education has played a vital role in ensuring federal funds reach the students who need them most: low-income children, students with disabilities, those in rural communities, English learners, and young people striving to pursue higher education or career training. These investments have transformed countless lives, including right here in North Carolina. Now, this terrible administration is intent on gutting those resources, and Ms. McMahon has given no indication that she will fight to stop them.
The irresponsible Trump administration has made it abundantly clear that it seeks to dismantle the Department of Education, redirect public funds to private interests, and erode the foundation of our nation’s public school system. We need a Secretary of Education who will resist these efforts, not one who will simply carry them out.
Before the Senate advances Ms. McMahon’s confirmation, these critical issues must be addressed:
Public education is not an afterthought: it is the bedrock of our democracy, our workforce, and our communities. The people of North Carolina have made it clear that they demand fully funded, well-supported public schools. Teachers and school staff refuse to stand by while their profession is dismantled and their students are left behind.
Will Linda McMahon be a defender of students and public schools? Will she support literacy programs, protect vulnerable children, and ensure that every student – regardless of their background – has access to an inclusive and supportive learning environment? Or will she be complicit in an agenda that strips $26 million from Title I funding, slashes $7.6 million in federal special education support, guts $13 million in Pell Grants for first-generation college students, and eliminates career and technical education funding that prepares students for real-world jobs?
These are not small budgetary shifts: these are direct attacks on our children’s future.
As your constituent, I urge you to take a hard stand against this nomination. The stakes are too high for rubber-stamp approvals. North Carolina’s students, teachers, and families are counting on you to do the right thing. But you won’t do it.
I look forward to your response.
I write with rage and disgust over the vile, despicable remarks made by Mr. Trump, advocating for the forced removal of Palestinians from Gaza. His words are not just offensive: they are a brazen endorsement of ethnic cleansing, a grotesque violation of international law, and a revolting incitement to commit war crimes. How dare he spew such monstrous rhetoric – and how dare any public official remain silent in its wake?
Mr. Trump’s abhorrent claim that Palestinians “have no alternative right now” but to abandon their homeland, alongside his revolting suggestion to “find the right piece of land” to dump them like discarded refuse, is nothing short of genocidal propaganda. This language mirrors the horrors of the Nakba of 1948, a dark stain on history when over 750,000 Palestinians were violently uprooted to create the state of Israel. Gaza’s current population is composed largely of these refugees’ descendants, trapped in an endless cycle of dispossession and suffering.
Mr. Trump’s repugnant remarks, made in the shadow of his meeting with Mr. Netanyahu, strip away any pretense of moral authority in U.S. foreign policy. This isn’t just inflammatory bluster – it’s an explicit call for war crimes. Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention categorically prohibits the forced transfer of a civilian population under occupation. Mr. Trump’s reckless advocacy should disqualify him from public life, let alone any leadership role. His words drip with the venom of imperial arrogance and whitewashed colonial violence.
The carnage in Gaza is not some abstract tragedy: it is a genocide funded, armed, and politically shielded by the very government you serve. Over 186,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered or maimed, including more than 17,000 children. Nearly 1.9 million people, over 90% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced, their homes reduced to rubble with American tax dollars. Mr. Trump’s depraved suggestion that these victims should be forcibly expelled instead of receiving justice is nothing short of sociopathic.
I insist that you, as my so-called representative, act without hesitation:
Your silence is a stain of complicity, a coward’s retreat in the face of overt fascism. History will not forgive those who stood by while ethnic cleansing was rebranded as “policy.” If you fail to act, you are as culpable as the monsters who pull the triggers and drop the bombs.
The United States is drenched in the blood of Gaza. We have a legal and moral obligation not just to rebuild what our weapons destroyed but to end the blank-check complicity that enables Israel’s atrocities. Mr. Trump’s genocidal rhetoric must be crushed with the full weight of public condemnation. Anything less makes you a collaborator in crimes against humanity.
I stand with the Palestinian people in their struggle to exist, to resist, and to demand justice. I expect you to find a shred of your conscience and do the same.
I am writing with deep outrage and concern over the reckless breach of privacy and security that now threatens not only the nation but the people of North Carolina specifically. The fact that Elon Musk and his teenage techbro associates have been granted unauthorized access to the personal and financial information of millions of Americans is a staggering violation of our rights, with dangerous potential consequences for every resident in our state.
Mr. Musk is not an elected official. DOGE (properly known as “doggie”) is not a federal agency. Mr. Musk has not been vetted, confirmed, or authorized to handle sensitive government data. Yet, under your watch, this unelected billionaire and his unchecked associates have gained access to critical personal information, stored on private servers beyond public oversight. This is more than just a breach of trust – it is a direct threat to the privacy, security, and livelihoods of North Carolinians.
How can we be sure that our data won’t fall into the hands of hostile foreign entities or bad actors? What happens when the financial information of North Carolina’s small businesses, veterans, healthcare providers, and families is compromised? This isn’t hypothetical: it is a ticking time bomb for identity theft, financial fraud, and even threats to public safety.
Adding to the outrage, Mr. Musk and that psychopath Mike Flynn have openly bragged about cutting Congressionally authorized payments to Lutheran Family Services. Imagine if a billionaire donor with opposing views unilaterally defunded organizations vital to North Carolina communities. This is not about partisan politics – it is about the dangerous precedent of allowing private individuals to wield unchecked power over government functions that directly impact our citizens.
This is not governance; it is a blatant corporate power grab. And while this happens, the people of North Carolina are left vulnerable. As our Senator, your silence in the face of this crisis is unacceptable. You were elected to protect us, not to stand idly by while our security is compromised.
I demand immediate action: revoke Mr. Musk’s access to all government data, initiate a thorough investigation into this breach, and implement strict protections to prevent future violations. North Carolinians deserve to know that their elected leaders are fighting for them, not bowing to corporate overreach.
The people of North Carolina are watching, and we will remember how you respond. Stand up for us. Do your job.
It has been only a few weeks since the devastating mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport, a tragedy that never should have happened. And yet, rather than accountability, all we’ve seen is silence, deflection, and excuses.
I am writing to express my outrage over your continued complicity in enabling Mr. Trump’s reckless and self-serving dismantling of critical public safety measures. His obsession with gutting government oversight, often with no justification beyond political theater, has cost lives. And you, by standing by and doing nothing, bear responsibility as well.
Just days before this horrific disaster, Mr. Trump abolished the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, an agency that had worked for more than 30 years to ensure air travel safety in the United States. His justification was a vague claim about “eliminating waste.” The consequences were a catastrophic collision that took the lives of every passenger aboard – children, parents, world-class athletes, and dedicated flight crew members, including those with direct ties to North Carolina.
Mr. Trump’s callous disregard for public safety was only outdone by his response to the tragedy itself. Instead of offering condolences, ordering a serious investigation, or addressing the glaring policy failures that led to this disaster, he took to social media to spew baseless conspiracy theories and attack diversity programs, as if any of that had anything to do with what happened. It was a grotesque display of self-preservation over leadership, distraction over truth.
And where were you? Rather than standing up against this brazen assault on public safety, you have remained silent, excusing Mr. Trump’s recklessness and, in doing so, betraying the very people you swore to serve. Your refusal to hold him accountable makes you complicit in this tragedy and the suffering of families now mourning their loved ones.
This disaster was not an accident: it was a direct result of reckless policymaking. And Mr. Trump’s war on public safety didn’t stop there. His elimination of diversity recruitment programs at the FAA, despite an urgent air traffic controller shortage, only underscores his complete disregard for aviation safety. His decisions are not about efficiency, not about protecting taxpayers: they are about ideological extremism at the expense of human lives.
You were elected to represent the people of North Carolina, not to serve as a rubber stamp for a man who has repeatedly shown he values his ego over American lives. If you have even a shred of integrity left, you will publicly condemn Trump’s reckless decision to eliminate the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, demand its immediate reinstatement to prevent future disasters, and push for a full investigation into how this administration’s negligence led to this deadly crash.
The victims of this senseless tragedy deserved better. The people of North Carolina deserve better. I can assure you this will not be forgotten.
I am furious, and I am watching.
The chaos of the past few days has laid bare an undeniable truth: Mr. Trump is willing to break the law and devastate millions of Americans just to push his reckless agenda. His attempt to freeze all federal aid to communities wasn’t just illegal, it was a direct, calculated attack on working families, children, seniors, and the most vulnerable among us. While public outrage forced him to walk back parts of his freeze, the damage is already being felt. And unless Congress takes immediate action, the consequences will only get worse.
Here in North Carolina, families are already suffering. Medicaid portals have shut down, leaving people without access to life-saving healthcare. Parents who rely on school meal programs and SNAP benefits now face terrifying uncertainty about how they will feed their children. Funding for students and adults with disabilities is under threat, jeopardizing their ability to access education and essential services. Even our basic safety is at risk, as disaster relief efforts, food inspections, and public health protections are thrown into chaos. And research that saves lives – from cancer treatments to opioid addiction prevention – is now stalled because of Mr. Trump’s reckless freeze on the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.
This isn’t some abstract policy dispute. This is an assault on the people of North Carolina, on the farmers who rely on federal agriculture programs, on the veterans who need healthcare, on the families who depend on affordable housing assistance, and on the children who simply deserve enough to eat. Mr. Trump’s actions don’t just defy the laws of this country; they undermine the will of Congress and set a dangerous precedent. No president should have the unchecked power to block funding that Congress has already approved. If lawmakers allow this to stand, there will be no limit to the destruction he can inflict.
Your constituents need you to fight for them. I urge you to immediately and unequivocally reject Mr. Trump’s illegal and reckless funding freeze. Stand up for the people you were elected to represent. Defend the integrity of our government. Demand that these critical programs remain funded. Every single day that this crisis continues, North Carolinians suffer. The American people cannot afford another moment of this manufactured catastrophe.
I am writing to express my deep concern about the devastating impact of continued tax giveaways to the ultra-rich on the working people of North Carolina. The growing wealth gap in America is not a natural occurrence – it is a direct result of policy choices that prioritize billionaires and powerful corporations at the expense of ordinary families.
In 2024 alone, the world’s billionaires amassed an additional $2 trillion, equating to an astronomical $5.7 billion a day. If this trend continues, we will see five trillionaires emerge within the next decade. Meanwhile, working families across North Carolina are struggling with the rising cost of living, stagnant wages, and the erosion of public services.
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was a massive $1 trillion giveaway to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. The richest 0.1% of Americans received a tax cut that was 277 times greater than that of middle-class households. Now, with the TCJA set to expire in 2025, the Trump-Musk administration is pushing to not only extend but expand these tax breaks for billionaires – at the direct expense of the programs and services that working North Carolinians rely on.
This policy is an insult to the hardworking people of our state. Instead of fueling economic growth, these tax cuts have only deepened inequality, shifting the burden onto working- and middle-class families while allowing the ultra-rich to hoard unimaginable wealth. Public schools remain underfunded, healthcare costs continue to rise, and essential infrastructure improvements are neglected, all while billionaires and corporations pay lower tax rates than everyday workers.
North Carolina cannot afford another round of massive tax breaks for the wealthy while the majority of its citizens struggle to make ends meet. I urge you to oppose any extension of the Trump-Musk tax cuts and instead advocate for a tax system that ensures the richest Americans and corporations pay their fair share. We need investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and clean energy – investments that support working families, strengthen our communities, and build a future where all North Carolinians have a fair shot at success.
The choice before Congress is clear: continue down a path of wealth concentration that benefits only the elite or stand up for the majority of Americans by creating a fair tax system that works for everyone. It would be best for all concerned to stand with the people of North Carolina and reject any further tax giveaways to billionaires and corporations.
I am writing to express my deep alarm at the ongoing dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the devastating consequences this will have not just for the United States, but for North Carolina in particular. The reckless gutting of USAID is not only unconstitutional but poses a direct economic and security threat to our state.
North Carolina is a leader in the international development field, and USAID funding supports the livelihoods of hundreds of North Carolinians. Agencies such as RTI International and FHI 360, both based in the Triangle, employ top-tier experts who contribute to life-saving global initiatives. If USAID is dismantled, these jobs will disappear, and North Carolina’s influence in international development will be severely diminished.
The elimination of USAID is also a national security risk, one that will hit North Carolina particularly hard. USAID plays a crucial role in stabilizing regions plagued by poverty, weak governance, and violence, thereby reducing the conditions that fuel illegal migration, conflict, and terrorism. For years, USAID has worked alongside our military, including civilian-military affairs teams at Fort Liberty, supporting U.S. troops in conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Weakening USAID will increase the likelihood of future crises, putting North Carolina-based service members in harm’s way more often and with fewer diplomatic and development tools to prevent conflict before it starts.
Furthermore, USAID has long been a destination for North Carolina’s world-class academic talent. Our universities – including Duke, UNC, and NC State – have provided the agency with engineers, agronomists, educators, and governance specialists. Duke’s renowned Masters in International Development Policy has trained professionals from across the globe, many of whom go on to work for USAID or partner with the agency in their home countries. The dismantling of USAID would undercut these academic programs, stifling the pipeline of talent that has made North Carolina a hub for international expertise.
While the new administration’s actions have already caused widespread disruption, the attack on USAID is especially egregious for North Carolina. Our state punches far above its weight in the international development sector, and we stand to suffer more than most from the destruction of the world’s largest humanitarian assistance agency.
I urge you to take immediate action to halt this assault on USAID. Stand up for the thousands of North Carolinians whose jobs, security, and academic institutions are at stake. The consequences of inaction will be severe for our state, our nation, and our standing in the world.
I write to you today out of grave concern for the state of American leadership and our nation’s standing on the global stage. The recent disgraceful display in the Oval Office, featuring Mr. Trump’s predictable tantrum and Mr. Vance’s obsequious groveling before him, was nothing short of an embarrassment to the United States. In stark contrast, President Zelenskyy once again demonstrated the very qualities we should aspire to in our own leaders: courage, resilience, and an unshakable commitment to his nation’s survival.
What we witnessed was not strength, but the pathetic bluster of a man whose playbook consists only of bullying, deception, and self-interest. Mr. Trump, a lifelong conman, attempted to intimidate President Zelenskyy, as he has so many others in the past, through brute-force rhetoric, bad-faith deal-making, and the implicit threat of American abandonment. But this time, it failed spectacularly. President Zelenskyy did not waver, did not beg, and did not stoop to the pathetic groveling that Mr. Vance so willingly displayed. Instead, he stood firm in defense of his people and his nation’s future, while Mr. Trump and his lackeys debased themselves before the world.
Mr. Vance’s sycophantic performance was an insult and an embarrassment to American foreign policy. His bizarre need to reassure Mr. Trump with physical contact – despite Mr. Trump’s well-documented aversion to being touched – reeked of desperation, reinforcing the widely understood fact that Mr. Vance, for all his grandstanding, is nothing more than a servile courtier to a man who demands loyalty but gives none in return. This, from a former senator entrusted with representing the interests of the American people and yet bizarrely now elevated to Executive rank, is beyond shameful.
Mr. Trump’s inability to handle President Zelenskyy with anything other than bluster and petulance is a direct reflection of his failures, past and present. The man has built his entire career on intimidation, deceit, and endless litigation, yet he was utterly powerless against a leader whose strength comes not from wealth or threats, but from an unyielding commitment to his nation’s survival. Unlike Mr. Trump, who has made a career of grifting and exploiting others, Zelenskyy laid himself bare before the world, offering to step down if it meant securing lasting protection and NATO membership for Ukraine.
This stark contrast should send a resounding message to every U.S. ally: Mr. Trump’s America is not to be trusted. His outburst, and Mr. Vance’s humiliating attempts to justify it, have made it abundantly clear to our partners in the EU, UK, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and beyond that a second Mr. Trump presidency will be a disaster for global stability. President Zelenskyy did not fall into Mr. Trump’s trap; rather, he forced Mr. Trump to expose himself, revealing his pettiness, his cowardice, and his complete unsuitability for the office.
I urge you to take a stand. Mr. Trump and his enablers cannot be allowed to dictate America’s foreign policy through tantrums and sycophancy. Ukraine’s fight is the fight of all free nations, and we must not waver in our support simply because a failed businessman with a fragile ego was momentarily embarrassed on the world stage. America’s credibility, security, and moral standing depend on leaders like you rejecting this disgraceful behavior and reaffirming our unwavering commitment to our allies and democratic values.
WaterGirl
@Allen Henderson: Thanks for sharing it with us in the first place!
WaterGirl
I appreciate all the contributions today!
We now have a new section in the sidebar.
You’ll notice that the third item isa compilation of all the notes and letters to elected officials that people shared in the comments of this post.
Keeping Track
Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Jim Appleton
This to my worthless maga/dogebag rep, Cliff Bentz, OR2:
The founders of our Constitution intended the strongest element of federal government to be Congress, The People.
Over time, the balance has tilted unevenly to the Executive, yet still retaining at least token respect for Article One.
Until January 20, 2025.
In the last five weeks, you have enthusiastically given up what remained of norms respecting any balance of power.
Day by day, the Executive seizes unlawful control over Constitutionally explicit Congressional jurisdiction, and you give two thumbs up.
In the near future the Constitution may well be an afterthought.
Representative Bentz, you are in the rare position to rescue our democracy.
I have little confidence that you will, yet I implore you to consider our history and to understand that cappitulating to Trump and his wrecking ball DOGE has perilously harmed our republic unconstitutionally, and, with your support, has delivered us into the early stages of fascism.
Please represent your constituents in upholding your vow to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Karla
I write to my 3 repub congressmen every day. Here is today’s message –
Please speak against Russia’s control of Trump and his minions and the ongoing dismantling of our government
Dear _________
More data pours in every day substantiating Putin’s ownership of Trump and the “Russia NON-hoax.” The effects are obvious in the weakening of our government, including not only the Executive but Congress and the Supreme Court. The links to corruption by Russia have not been so obvious until now, deliberately obfuscated and hidden by the faithless scavenger oligarchs who plan to batten on the corpse of our polity.
American society is still relatively open, and information seeps through. Creditable revelations include 2016 election interference, theft of cyber-security systems and data, corruption of lawmakers and politicians left and right. Most recent and damaging of all is the willing capitulation by Donald Trump and his people to the destruction not only of our government, but of the founding Constitution itself, now truly hanging by a thread.
It hardly matters if the rot originated in Russia or with our own power elites. Putin has said he hates the West for the destruction of the USSR. I suppose a destabilized and reeling US is the perfect revenge, and I suppose we deserve it for how often throughout history we have done the same to smaller nations.
Please use whatever courage and influence you have to speak up against the destruction of our country.
Sincerely, your constituent,
ewrunning
Late to this party since I was “working” all day today at my weekly volunteer gig. Here’s the letter I faxed last night to my two Democratic Senators. I put the stuff about my career in, not to brag, but to give them some idea that I know what I’m talking about and the implications of what I’m asking them to do.
Dear Senator Murray/Senator Cantwell,
I am writing to you in the wake of the Oval Office atrocity of Friday, February 28 and the President’s evident intention to dismantle our 80-year-old treaty relationships with NATO and align us with the murderous war criminal currently running Russia, with whom he has expressly stated he feels a great affinity.
By way of background, I am a retired Foreign Service officer who served twenty-six years including tours in the western hemisphere, western Europe and Southeast Asia. I also served on arms control delegations in negotiations with Russian and Ukrainian diplomats. I spent a year attached to the House International Relations committee staff on a Pearson fellowship, followed by two years as the Congressional Advisor to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
I spent yesterday, Saturday March 1, dividing my time between a “Tesla Takedown” protest outside Bellevue Square and the hastily arranged defense of Ukraine demonstration on the Seattle waterfront, as described in today’s Seattle Times.
When I served abroad in newly emerging democracies, and in one case a country where a struggling democratic government was overthrown by a military coup d’etat, I would never have imagined having to spend my retirement protesting similar sorts of developments in our own country. Nor could I have imagined in my time on Capitol Hill a supine Congressional majority would abandon its constitutional role as a co-equal branch and allow a lawless president and an unelected plutocrat to destroy legally constituted agencies in complete disregard for checks and balances.
Things have reached the point where I believe Democratic Senators have no choice but to take correspondingly drastic measures. Since Secretary of State Rubio, who disappointingly was confirmed without a single dissenting vote, has seen fit to do nothing to halt this illegal and diplomatically disastrous turn of events, and in fact is now approving massive arm sales to Israel without regard for requirements for Congressional consultation, I urge and all your Democratic colleagues in the Senate to withhold unanimous consent for any and all motions to proceed on nominations for Department of State appointments, including ambassadors, and also promotions into the Senior Foreign Service.
In view of the present leadership of the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, I urge that you also withhold unanimous consent for motions to proceed on all DOD appointments and general officer promotions and any appointments to congressionally confirmed positions in the intelligence community. This should continue until the administration ceases its illegal and unconstitutional actions.
I would further urge that no Democratic senator vote for any continuing resolution beyond March 14 for the current budget year without an end to the rampant and illegal destruction of executive branch agencies being carried out under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
Thank you for your service to our country and commitment to our constitutional system. I look forward to hearing your response.
Eric W. Running
Foreign Service Officer (retired)
WaterGirl
Just added the two new arrivals.
ewrunning
@Lobo: I’m on the same wavelength as you. See my letter that I just added above.
Gloria DryGarden
@frosty: helpful!
ewrunning
@WaterGirl: I just added another one that I sent last night.
WaterGirl
@ewrunning: You can check, but I’m pretty sure that you at #147 was one of the two I had just added that I mentioned in my comment.
ewrunning
@WaterGirl: I looked and it was two earlier ones that you entered. I think my comment was still in the 5 minute countdown at that point.
WaterGirl
@ewrunning: You are correct! Just added it now.
frosty
WG – here’s three more:
We are the richest nation in the history of the world and the Republican party is engaged in immiserating the majority of its citizenry to give even more unearned wealth to its minority wealthy cohort..
In your district, over 150,000 people on Medicaid are at risk of losing their health care under the Republican budget plan you just voted for.
You voted to cancel my son’s Medicaid health insurance so that Musk can get more tax cuts. You should be ashamed. I don’t know which is worse, whether you think this is good ideologically and don’t care about the consequences, or whether you thinking robbing from the poor to give to the rich is a good thing. I am outraged.
=====
I didn’t vote for Musk. Neither did you. Trump, with the aid of Elon Musk, has consistently violated the Constitution and willingly broken laws. Their actions threaten the legitimacy of government itself.
I expect you to obey your oath, uphold your obligations and protect our freedom from these smash and grab thugs. Do your constitutional duty and remove Trump from office.
=====
I didn’t vote for Elon Musk. He has no business anywhere near the Federal Government. He’s busy destroying the Constitution and neutering Congress. Is this why you ran your campaign? Did you work so hard to win office just to sit back and watch it all get stolen from you? You swore an oath to the Constitution. Do something! Stop this unconstitutional takeover of the US government by an unvetted, unconfirmed South African billionaire!
frosty
@WaterGirl:
The jellyfish picture is stunning. One of the best you’ve posted. I’ll have to click to embiggen it now, I didn’t know I could do that.
WaterGirl
@frosty: Thank you, your three letters have been added.
Stately Plump Buck
When Senator Tillis sends me this crap:
“Thank you for contacting me about executive branch nominations by President Trump. I appreciate hearing from you.
The American people delivered a clear message that they want the country to move in a new direction by electing Mr. Trump as President. Now that the new Senate majority has been sworn in, our top priority must be considering and confirming President Trump’s Cabinet nominees. I look forward to working with President Trump, fulfilling the Senate’s advice and consent role, and confirming his nominees as quickly as possible.
In addition to the Cabinet posts, there are over 1,000 positions that require Presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. However, not all Presidential nominees and appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. For example, Presidential cabinet positions, the secretaries of the various agencies, ambassadors, and federal judges do require Senate confirmation, while most employees of the White House do not.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me. Please do not hesitate to reach out again about other important issues.”
I send back this:
“Thank you for your response regarding executive branch nominations. Unfortunately, your letter fails to meaningfully engage with the concerns I raised, instead offering vague generalities and a passive endorsement of the administration’s actions.
You claim that “the American people delivered a clear message” by electing Donald Trump. More accurately, however, the Electoral College enabled his presidency, not an overwhelming public mandate. A more nuanced understanding of the election results should inform your approach to governance – not blind acquiescence to the administration’s demands.
Further, your letter implies that the Senate’s role is to act as a rubber stamp for the President’s nominees. This misrepresents the Senate’s constitutional duty of “advice and consent,” which is meant to serve as a critical check on executive power. Your emphasis on confirming nominees “as quickly as possible” suggests a disregard for thorough vetting, a process essential to ensuring that only qualified, ethical individuals assume high office. Given the serious concerns raised about several of Mr. Trump’s nominees – including conflicts of interest, lack of experience, and extremist views – your rush to confirm them is both irresponsible and a dereliction of duty.
Your letter also offers a rudimentary civics lesson about which positions require Senate confirmation, a fact I am already well aware of and which does nothing to address my original concerns. If anything, this inclusion highlights the letter’s vacuousness, as it neither justifies your support for Trump’s nominees nor acknowledges the substantive objections many Americans have raised.
In the future, engage more thoughtfully with your constituents’ concerns rather than sending generic, boilerplate responses. The role of a Senator is not merely to rubber-stamp a President’s agenda but to act as an independent representative of the people. I expect you to fulfill that duty with the seriousness it deserves.
(That was fun.)
When Sen. Budd sends me this empty crap:
“Thank you for reaching out about President Trump’s cabinet nominees. It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina and I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
The Appointments Clause in Article II of the Constitution gives the President the authority to appoint Executive Branch nominees. Once appointments are made, the Senate has the job of vetting nominees. Not every position in a President’s administration requires Senate confirmation, but those that do include secretaries for federal agencies, ambassadors, and federal judges. These nominees often face a rigorous process and thorough vetting by the Senate committees with jurisdiction. As a member of several Senate committees, I look forward to meeting with and vetting nominees on behalf of the people of North Carolina.
Please know this is a task I do not take lightly as a Senator, and I will keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate considers President Trump’s nominees.”
I bring the fire:
“Thank you for your profoundly uninformative form letter, which admirably manages to convey absolutely nothing of substance while feigning engagement. I appreciate the effort that surely went into crafting such a masterclass in political nonresponse.
Your explanation of the Appointments Clause is truly enlightening – who knew that the President nominates officials and the Senate confirms them? Certainly not anyone who has completed a basic civics course. However, I regret to inform you that I did not reach out to you in desperate need of a Wikipedia summary of constitutional procedures. I wrote to you with specific concerns about President Trump’s nominees, concerns that your letter so deftly sidesteps in favor of generic platitudes about “rigorous vetting” and your solemn duty to “keep my thoughts in mind.”
How reassuring to know that you approach this process with the utmost gravity. Of course, you make no attempt to address whether my concerns – on policy, qualifications, conflicts of interest, or temperament – actually matter to you in any tangible way. But at least I can sleep soundly knowing that you “look forward” to the process. What a relief.
Since my original inquiry was apparently lost amid the deluge of similarly ignored constituent concerns, I’ll repeat the question more simply: Will you actually do anything about the specific issues I raised, or is your role merely to rubber-stamp these nominees while feigning due diligence?
Looking forward to your next installment of boilerplate drivel.”
Stately Plump Buck
Appeasement from Ted Budd
“Thank you for contacting me about U.S. support for Ukraine. It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
I believe it is firmly in America’s interest for Russian aggression to be stopped and for the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible. It is unfortunate that this war has dragged on for more than three years, resulting in the destruction of countless cities and villages and the death and injury of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians. This is due in large part to the Biden administration’s misplaced fear of Russian escalation and piecemeal provision of military weapons and equipment that could have, and should have, been provided earlier in the conflict. If it had, we might be having a different conversation today.
Now, more than ever, is the time for a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine. The war is headed in the wrong direction. Russia is making incremental gains on Ukrainian territory as well as regaining its own territory following Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk. Like this or not, it’s a reality playing out for the world to see.
The American people have been more than generous in their military and economic support to Ukraine. Sustained support of this nature is neither practical nor in the U.S. interest. Acknowledging this reality and seeking peace is not the same as supporting Russia or abandoning Ukraine.
President Trump’s mineral agreement is an out-of-the-box vision for continued U.S. engagement in Ukraine for decades to come. Demands for Ukraine’s entrance into NATO or overt U.S. security guarantees are as untenable as they are unnecessary as European countries have already made security guarantees and promised peacekeepers.
Should Russia choose not to come to the negotiating table or break any negotiated peace, they risk a significant shift in U.S. and European military and economic support to Ukraine to change the situation until Vladimir Putin relents. But the status quo cannot continue.”
And my rebuttal:
Senator Budd,
Your statement on Ukraine is a dangerous exercise in appeasement, riddled with falsehoods, strategic miscalculations, and a blatant disregard for both American interests and democratic values. It deserves nothing less than a forceful rebuttal.
First, you attempt to blame the war’s duration on the Biden administration’s “misplaced fear of Russian escalation” and its “piecemeal provision” of military aid. This is revisionist nonsense. The only party responsible for the war dragging on is Mr. Putin, whose genocidal ambitions have been repeatedly confirmed by his own words and actions. While it is true that the U.S. and allies could have provided weapons more swiftly, the delay was due to Congressional obstructionism from those who now suddenly declare the war unwinnable. Moreover, your statement conveniently ignores the undeniable reality that when Ukraine is properly armed, it can and does push back Russian forces. The problem is not excessive caution – it is insufficient commitment from those now calling for surrender under the guise of pragmatism.
Second, your claim that “now, more than ever, is the time for a negotiated settlement” is nothing more than a euphemism for capitulation. Negotiation requires two willing parties. Mr. Putin has made it abundantly clear he has no interest in peace, only in conquest. He has rejected multiple diplomatic overtures and continues to escalate, violating ceasefires, abducting Ukrainian children, and bombing civilian infrastructure. To suggest that Ukraine should negotiate from a position of increasing weakness, as you describe it, is to call for its subjugation. Worse, you parrot Kremlin propaganda about Ukraine’s supposed “incursion into Kursk,” a blatant false equivalency between the defender and the aggressor.
Third, your assertion that “sustained support of this nature is neither practical nor in the U.S. interest” is flatly incorrect. The cost of helping Ukraine defend itself is minuscule compared to the strategic catastrophe of allowing Russia to prevail. Abandoning Ukraine would embolden adversaries worldwide, from China to Iran, and send a clear message that American commitments are meaningless. The U.S. does not “support Ukraine” out of charity but because a Europe destabilized by Russian imperialism is an existential threat to global security. Your position dangerously ignores this fundamental reality.
Fourth, you praise Mr. Trump’s so-called “mineral agreement” as an “out-of-the-box vision” for U.S. engagement in Ukraine. Let’s be clear: this is not a strategy; it is a blatant attempt to monetize Ukraine’s suffering while dodging real commitments. Ukraine does not need American business deals; it needs weapons, resources, and unwavering support against Russian aggression.
Finally, your dismissal of NATO membership for Ukraine as “untenable and unnecessary” is a gift to Mr. Putin. NATO expansion has always been a response to Russian aggression, not the cause of it. The best way to ensure Ukraine’s long-term security is through the ironclad guarantees that only NATO membership can provide. European security “guarantees” are no substitute for the alliance’s proven deterrence. Your willingness to leave Ukraine exposed to future Russian invasions is not pragmatism; it is recklessness.
Your statement’s conclusion – threatening that Russia “risks” a shift in support if it refuses to negotiate – is laughably weak. Mr. Putin has spent decades testing Western resolve and finding it lacking when faced with politicians like you, who advocate for de-escalation when only strength will deter further aggression. If the “status quo cannot continue,” then the answer is not surrender, it is victory.
Your approach is not one of strategic wisdom but of cowardice disguised as realism. Ukraine’s fight is our fight, and history will judge those who failed to stand with democracy in its hour of need.
ironcity
@Baud: The markets (NYSE, HangSeng, Ftse, et al) are joining the choir celestial and pining for the fjords.
Stately Plump Buck
Okay, I am trying a different tactic today. I asked ChatGPT to rewrite one of my letters in the style of 1). Ernest Hemingway, 2), Ayn Rand, and 3). David Sedaris. I think they’re wonderful. What do you think?
I am sending them all, of course, and separately, of course, and under my name, of course. Of course, I encourage you to do the same, and, of course, have some fun with it!
______________________________
Here’s a rewrite in the style of Ernest Hemingway:
I’m writing because the country is in trouble. The kind of trouble that doesn’t go away on its own. The kind that comes from bad decisions, from men who don’t know what they’re doing but won’t admit it. The kind that leads straight to disaster.
The markets see it. The Dow dropped 700 points. People are nervous, and they should be. This isn’t just bad luck. It’s cause and effect. Trade wars. Alliances broken. A man at the top who treats the economy like a game and doesn’t know the rules. China pushes ahead in AI, and America falls behind. Then he makes it worse. Tariffs go up. Costs rise. People suffer. And then the worst of it: he questions U.S. debt, the one thing the world has always trusted. You don’t play games with that. But he did. And now everything shakes.
People stop spending. Inflation eats away at their paychecks. Layoffs come next. A $4 trillion tax cut that helps the rich and leaves the rest behind. The gap widens. The weight gets heavier.
And North Carolina? It’ll get hit hard. Farmers who’ve worked the land for generations will watch markets dry up. Tech companies in the Triangle will lose investment. Jobs will vanish. Manufacturing towns – Charlotte, Greensboro – will feel it worst. People there have seen hard times before. But this is different. It’s not a cycle. It’s a man-made storm.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about people. Working people. Families trying to hold on. They need stability. They need a fair shot. They need a government that doesn’t gamble with their future just to settle a score.
The warning signs are flashing. The crash is coming. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when. You know it. Everyone paying attention knows it. The people of North Carolina are counting on you to stand up and do something before it’s too late.
_____________________________________________
Here’s a rewrite in the style of Ayn Rand:
I write not in mere concern, but in defiance of the economic catastrophe that looms over this nation, a catastrophe not born of misfortune, but of the deliberate, reckless, and contemptible policies of Mr. Trump and his administration. It is not an accident; it is the inevitable consequence of irrational governance, of a leader who scorns reason, tramples upon economic laws, and wields power with the capricious recklessness of a man unfit to command his own affairs, let alone a nation’s.
The market, that supreme arbiter of reality, has spoken. The Dow, plunging over 700 points, is not merely a number: it is the silent scream of investors, the producers, the creators, who now face the consequences of a government at war with reason. They do not flee from external forces alone, but from the chaos sown by Mr. Trump’s hand: the trade wars, the dismantling of alliances, the assault upon economic stability. When China announced its AI advancements, the markets trembled, not from fear of progress, but from the stark realization that the United States, under the grip of irrational leadership, is stumbling blindly into obsolescence. And when Mr. Trump, in his ignorance, questioned the security of U.S. debt, the very foundation of global financial confidence, he did not merely gamble with numbers; he gambled with the lives, the futures, and the achievements of every producer in this nation.
This is not an abstract crisis. It is here. It is now. Inflation, a hidden tax upon the productive, festers unchecked, exacerbated by the lunacy of protectionist tariffs that punish the very individuals who drive this nation forward. Consumer confidence collapses, not because of ephemeral fears, but because Americans – thinking, rational beings – see the handwriting on the wall. Mass layoffs loom, not as an unfortunate twist of fate, but as the inevitable outcome of a government that loots from the competent to sustain the incompetent. Congress, complicit in this destruction, ushers in trillions in tax cuts that do not liberate the individual but merely enrich the already entrenched at the expense of those who strive to build.
And what of North Carolina? What of the men and women who create, who produce, who sustain the industries that drive its economy? Agriculture, the bedrock of human survival, stands imperiled by trade policies that destroy its markets. The technology sector, the crucible of innovation, faces decline as investment flees an economy spiraling into instability. The manufacturers, the builders, the men of action: condemned to suffer as their profits, their businesses, and their futures are sacrificed upon the altar of political expediency.
This is not about politics. It is about survival. The choice before us is not one of party or ideology – it is one of life versus death, reason versus destruction. The American people do not need the arbitrary whims of a ruler who plays at governance with the recklessness of a gambler squandering stolen wealth. They need stability, they need security, they need a government that upholds, rather than destroys, the fundamental principles of economic reality.
The clock is ticking. The market does not forgive, nor does it forget. If Congress does not act, if the guardians of this nation’s future do not rise in defense of the productive, then the consequences will be neither uncertain nor avoidable. The people of North Carolina and of America await your decision. Will you stand for reason, or will you stand aside as destruction takes its course? Choose wisely. Reality will not wait.
_________________________________________________________
Here’s a rewrite in the style of David Sedaris:
I’m writing because, once again, the country is teetering on the edge of an economic meltdown, and – surprise! – it’s not because Mercury is in retrograde. It’s because of Mr. Trump, a man who treats the economy the way a cat treats a roll of toilet paper: something to bat at wildly until it all unravels into a useless mess on the floor.
The signs are everywhere. The Dow just dropped over 700 points, which, even for someone like me, whose grasp of finance is mostly limited to staring blankly at my 401(k) and whispering, “Please grow,” seems like a bad thing. Investors are nervous, not because of some fluke, but because the President of the United States thinks sound economic policy involves picking fights with our biggest trading partners and making vague, ominous statements about the U.S. debt, as if he’s hinting at a plot twist in a true crime documentary.
And then there’s China. The country announced its AI advancements, and the markets reacted as if they’d just been told that yes, their mother does have a favorite child, and no, it’s not them. Then, just when everyone was still reeling from that, Mr. Trump decided to double down on tariffs, which, if you’ve ever enjoyed paying more for, well, everything, is really great news.
Now consumer confidence is tanking, and for good reason. People are spending less, because they suspect – correctly – that at any moment, the bottom might drop out. Inflation is still hanging around like a houseguest who won’t take the hint. Mass layoffs are looming, Congress is gleefully shoving through a $4 trillion tax cut for the ultra-rich, and regular people are left staring at their paychecks and wondering if it’s too late to go live off the grid and learn how to whittle.
In North Carolina, the situation is even worse. The economy here depends on agriculture, tech, and manufacturing, three industries that are currently looking at this administration the way a cow looks at a butcher. Farmers are being yanked around by trade wars. Tech companies in the Research Triangle are wondering if they should start printing résumés. Blue-collar workers in Charlotte and Greensboro are bracing for layoffs. And if you’re a small business owner or running a rural hospital? Let’s just say now might be a good time to start stress-baking.
Look, this isn’t about politics. It’s about not wanting to live through another financial crisis where we all spend years pretending to enjoy homemade gifts and eating soup made from whatever’s left in the pantry. The markets are warning us. Economists are warning us. My own mother, who still hides cash in her freezer because she doesn’t trust banks, is warning us. If Congress doesn’t do something, millions of hardworking Americans, including plenty of people here in North Carolina, are going to be left wondering how it all went so wrong.
So please, use your voice, your vote, and whatever it takes to keep us from spiraling into another recession. The people of North Carolina are counting on you. And if you need an incentive, just imagine explaining to your constituents why they lost their jobs while the ultra-wealthy are busy getting a tax break on their fifth yacht. Nobody wants to have that conversation.
Stately Plump Buck
Rewrite in the style of Charles Dickens:
Sir,
It is with a heart weighed down by righteous indignation, with a spirit wounded by the treachery of those sworn to protect the people, that I take pen in hand to compose this letter. What astonishment, what disbelief, what unutterable fury must one feel to behold such a depth of inaction; so profound, so monstrous in its negligence, that it might well be mistaken for open alliance with those forces of unfeeling greed who now lay siege to the very foundations of our republic! A betrayal so base, so loathsome, that one struggles to conceive of it without shuddering at the sheer enormity of the offence!
How is it possible that you, who have been entrusted with the sacred duty of representation, should stand idle while the richest man in the land – Mr. Musk, a veritable emperor of unchecked wealth – conspires with his confederates to pervert the mechanisms of government, to wield them against Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid? These, sir, are no mere bureaucratic indulgences; they are the sturdy pillars upon which our most vulnerable citizens lean in times of frailty. And yet, you, in your unconscionable silence, would see them toppled without so much as a feeble cry of protest!
Did a single man or woman cast their vote for the destruction of these protections? No! And yet here we stand, on the precipice, witnessing the brazen schemes of Mr. Musk and his associates, who seek to seize the levers of government’s treasury and bend them to their own ends. A former Treasury official has stated that such instruments have never before been wielded for partisan machination; yet the villainy is now plain to see, and you, in whom the people placed their trust, remain as still as a statue, as mute as the grave!
Is it fear that restrains you? Is it a craven obedience to those with deeper purses and loftier ambitions? Or, more damnably still, is it knowing compliance? Your failure to act is not merely disgraceful, sir – it is an outrage upon the very principles of democracy! Even as you remain cloaked in your silence, the agents of unchecked ambition conspire to throttle the lifeblood of the people. Mr. Musk and his ignoble confederates have spoken openly of their intent to dismantle what generations have built with toil and sacrifice!
Every moment squandered is another stone laid upon the road to ruin. Even now, Mr. Musk, with the cunning of a usurer and the ruthlessness of a despot, maneuvers himself into dominion over our treasury, poised to decide – by his own arbitrary standard – who is worthy of support and who shall be cast aside. And you? You do not rally to the defense of those imperiled, but lurk in the shadows of political expedience, allowing the great robbery to proceed!
Let there be no mistake, sir. The hour is late, and the peril is grave beyond reckoning. This is not mere political dispute, not some passing squabble of party interests, but an outright assault upon the people. Mr. Trump, reckless and unchecked, sets flame to the institutions of governance, while Mr. Musk seizes, with grasping fingers, the keys to the nation’s treasury! This is no administration: it is a usurpation, a hostile takeover of the people’s will!
And you, sir – you, who might have stood in the breach, who might have cried out against this villainy! – you have chosen silence. But let me assure you, it shall not be forgotten. No, sir, it shall be remembered, and the names of those who stood by while the people suffered shall be inscribed in the annals of infamy! We shall not forget your cowardice. We shall not forgive your dereliction. We shall, in time, hold you accountable for every moment you allowed this calamity to unfold!
The fire is lit, sir. The blaze rages. And your name shall either be recorded among those who dared to quench it or among those who stood idle while North Carolina burned.
I await your answer.
_________________________________________
Rewrite in the style of William Faulkner:
I write to you from within the fevered, pulsing heart of a land betrayed, the air thick with the reek of stagnation, of inaction, of a silence so weighty it settles like grave-dirt upon the backs of those who once believed, who toiled and built and trusted and now find themselves staring into the abyss of loss, of theft, of obliteration. And you, standing there at the precipice, hands limp at your sides, eyes dull with the glassy sheen of indifference or cowardice, while the machinery of greed, oiled with the sweat of laboring men and women, grinds forward, ruthless, unrelenting, unstoppable because men like you, men who swore to hold the line, have chosen instead to stand aside.
There is no mystery in it. No shadow nor subterfuge. It is bare and brutal, as obvious as hunger, as suffering, as the long wail of loss rising from a widow’s throat. No one voted for this. No one cast a ballot for the rich to grow richer on the stripped bones of the working man, for the lifelines – the hard-earned, long-fought-for bastions of dignity – Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid—to be placed upon the auction block and sold to the highest bidder. No one called for the wealthiest to kneel before the altar of their own avarice and decree who is worthy to eat and who must starve, who may survive and who shall be left to perish in the dust.
And yet, here we stand. The richest man alive, drunk on his own supremacy, hand outstretched to seize what is not his, to twist the levers of government into the instruments of his own will. Mr. Musk, with his cold machinations, his cabal of hungry men, his calculating, craven assembly of lackeys, all moving now, shifting and conspiring, dismantling, erasing, making of our institutions a husk, a hollow thing, a vessel emptied of its purpose, fit only to be filled with his will. Our systems have never been used this way. They were not built for this. And yet, even as the gears turn, as the weight of it all tilts toward destruction, you stand silent, watching.
Is it fear that stills your tongue? Is it greed, some promise whispered in darkened halls, some hand clasped in the quiet assurance of power? Or is it simply that you do not care, that the suffering of those who built this nation, who toiled and tilled and trusted, is but a murmur, a distant thing, far from your own safe world of deliberation and delay? You say nothing, you do nothing, while Mr. Musk and his hounds speak openly of their intent, make no effort to conceal their aim, declare their purpose with the boldness of men who know they will not be opposed. And they are right. You do not oppose them. You do not speak. You do not move.
Every moment you wait, you do not merely allow this to happen; you ensure it does. Every breath you take without raising your voice, every hour that passes in which you do not act, is another brick in the road to ruin. He is moving now. Mr. Musk, hands closing over the treasury, fingers tightening around the data, the records, the histories, the lives of men who have worked and paid and earned their right to stand, and yet he, in his infinite, arbitrary wisdom, may decide otherwise. And you will watch. You will mutter platitudes, you will speak of compromise, you will dress your cowardice in the language of prudence while the nets that once caught the weak are torn away, thread by thread, until there is nothing left but the long, unbroken fall.
Do you not see? Do you not understand? This is not governance. This is not policy. This is not the shifting tide of politics, the ebb and flow of power as it has always been. This is fire. This is destruction. This is theft upon a scale so vast, so unprecedented, that history will not have words for it. And still, you do not move. Still, you do not speak.
But we see you. And we will remember.
Make no mistake: this silence is a choice. A deliberate, damning choice. The people placed their trust in you. They put their faith, their hope, their future into your hands. And you, through every moment of hesitation, of evasion, of inaction, have cast that trust aside, trampled it beneath the weight of your own failure. But the people remember. They will remember. And they will hold you to account.
The fire is upon us. You may stand and fight, or you may stand aside and let it consume all that is left. But you will not escape the reckoning.
______________________________________________
Rewrite in the style of Flannery O’Connor:
I expect you don’t like to think of yourself as a coward. I expect you tell yourself you are patient, reasonable, a man of prudence. But let’s not play pretend. The thing about cowards is they don’t always know they are cowards, because they spend so much time dressing it up in other names. The thing about betrayals is that they don’t happen all at once, but in a slow, creeping silence, in little acts of looking away, until one day you wake up and find that the house is on fire, and you were the one who let the match burn down between your fingers.
You sit there, a man elected to serve the people, watching as Mr. Musk, the richest man alive, a man who could build a golden tower to the sky and still find a way to complain that the view isn’t good enough, picks apart the federal systems like a child tearing the legs off a beetle. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid – programs that hold up the old, the poor, the sick – these are the things being pried loose, not with brute force, but with the kind of methodical, back-room tinkering that lets a man keep his hands clean while the rest of the world gets dirtied up. And you, sitting there, see it happen and say nothing.
No one asked for this. Not a single soul cast a vote to have their lifelines ripped from beneath them, to have their futures turned into a ledger item for a billionaire’s convenience. And yet, here we are. Mr. Musk and his pack of hungry dogs are openly planning, counting on the fact that men like you will sit back and let them, too polite or too scared to stop them.
I wonder, do you tell yourself this is all just politics? That nothing truly bad can happen? That surely, in the end, decency will win out? That is a comfortable lie, and I imagine it helps you sleep at night. But here is the truth: every moment you do nothing, you are laying the groundwork for ruin. Every time you bite your tongue, you make it easier for the wolves to take another step forward. Mr. Musk already has his hands on the federal treasury, already has his fingers inching toward the ability to decide who gets what and who gets nothing at all. What do you think he will do with that power? Hand it back?
No, sir. This is not policy. This is not the natural turn of things. This is a wrecking, a dismantling, a stripping down of what was built for the common good. And your silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.
I will say this plainly: we see you. And we will remember. You may not believe that, but time will prove it true. When the safety nets have holes wide enough for entire generations to fall through, when the people who trusted you realize they have been left with nothing, they will recall the sound of your voice, or the lack of it.
You may think there is still time. There is not. You may think you can wait this out, step aside from the worst of it, let others take the blame. You cannot. This fire is already burning, and whether you like it or not, your hands are on the matches.
Stately Plump Buck
I am writing to express my deep concern about the devastating impact of continued tax giveaways to the ultra-rich on the working people of North Carolina. The growing wealth gap in America is not a natural occurrence – it is a direct result of policy choices that prioritize billionaires and powerful corporations at the expense of ordinary families.
In 2024 alone, the world’s billionaires amassed an additional $2 trillion, equating to an astronomical $5.7 billion a day. If this trend continues, we will see five trillionaires emerge within the next decade. Meanwhile, working families across North Carolina are struggling with the rising cost of living, stagnant wages, and the erosion of public services.
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was a massive $1 trillion giveaway to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. The richest 0.1% of Americans received a tax cut that was 277 times greater than that of middle-class households. Now, with the TCJA set to expire in 2025, the Trump-Musk administration is pushing to not only extend but expand these tax breaks for billionaires – at the direct expense of the programs and services that working North Carolinians rely on.
This policy is an insult to the hardworking people of our state. Instead of fueling economic growth, these tax cuts have only deepened inequality, shifting the burden onto working- and middle-class families while allowing the ultra-rich to hoard unimaginable wealth. Public schools remain underfunded, healthcare costs continue to rise, and essential infrastructure improvements are neglected, all while billionaires and corporations pay lower tax rates than everyday workers.
North Carolina cannot afford another round of massive tax breaks for the wealthy while the majority of its citizens struggle to make ends meet. I urge you to oppose any extension of the Trump-Musk tax cuts and instead advocate for a tax system that ensures the richest Americans and corporations pay their fair share. We need investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and clean energy – investments that support working families, strengthen our communities, and build a future where all North Carolinians have a fair shot at success.
The choice before Congress is clear: continue down a path of wealth concentration that benefits only the elite or stand up for the majority of Americans by creating a fair tax system that works for everyone. It would be best for all concerned to stand with the people of North Carolina and reject any further tax giveaways to billionaires and corporations.
______________________
Rewrite in the style of F Scott Fitzgerald:
There is a hush in the air, an uneasy stillness, as the weight of privilege tilts the scales ever further, pressing down upon the backs of those who toil. And so I write to you, not merely as an observer, but as one who has watched, with growing dismay, the gilded excess of the few rise ever higher upon the sacrifices of the many. The great chasm between wealth and want in this country is no accident: it is the handiwork of policy, deliberate and exacting, etched by those who sip champagne in hushed, candlelit rooms while entire families wonder how they will afford the week ahead.
Even now, in the grand and glittering year of 2025, the world’s billionaires amass fortunes that defy imagination: two trillion dollars in a single year, a breathtaking $5.7 billion a day. The numbers are so vast, so incomprehensible, that they cease to be numbers at all, dissolving instead into a cruel abstraction. Within the decade, if left unchecked, we shall bear witness to the birth of the trillionaire, a figure of such obscene wealth that it will seem as if the gods of old have returned, not in temples, but in glass towers and private jets that cast fleeting shadows over towns forgotten by prosperity.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina and beyond, the workers, the men and women whose hands craft the nation’s dreams, find themselves bound to the slow, merciless tide of rising costs, stagnant wages, and the steady unraveling of the public trust. The schools that should ignite young minds crumble at the edges; the hospitals that should heal demand a toll too great to bear; the roads, the bridges, the promise of something better – all left to decay, while the architects of fortune pay less in taxes than the clerks and carpenters who keep the country standing.
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was not merely a policy – it was a coronation, a trillion-dollar tribute to those who needed it least. The wealthiest 0.1% of Americans were granted a windfall 277 times greater than that of the middle class, a mockery of fairness wrapped in the language of prosperity. And now, as the law nears its expiration, the Trump-Musk administration seeks not only to extend but to expand these lavish indulgences, as if the working people of North Carolina were mere footnotes in a story written for billionaires.
This is no longer a question of economic philosophy but of justice itself. A nation cannot thrive when its wealth pools in the hands of a vanishingly few, while the many are left to scramble for the remains. We must resist – must insist – that Congress refuse to endorse another round of gilded excess at the expense of those who rise each morning in service of something greater than themselves. Let them instead turn their attention to what truly builds a nation: education that enlightens, healthcare that heals, infrastructure that endures, and clean energy that sustains.
And so the choice stands, as clear and stark as the skyline at dusk: to march ever onward toward an empire of wealth so concentrated it topples beneath its own weight, or to reclaim the promise of America as a land not merely for the privileged few, but for all who call it home. The people of North Carolina, the people of this nation, deserve no less.
________________________________________
Rewrite in the style of James Joyce:
I write, yes, I write and the ink flows like the years and the wages and the old promises that never were, to speak, to say, to cry out against the great gold heaping, the fattening of the few while the many go lean, the high towers taller and the small homes slipping, sinking, gone. North Carolina, America, the great swelling gulf of coin between them that have and them that have not, not a natural thing, no, not rain nor river nor the slow steady creeping of the tide but the hand, the fine gloved hand, writing laws on parchment, whispering in marbled halls, setting it so: let the rich grow richer and the rest, the rest may toil.
A trillion here, a trillion there, the billionaires in their high rooms watching, the numbers clicking, ticking, spinning like great celestial orbs, and down below, the men and women of the land, the working hands, the ones who bring forth and build and bear up, they tighten belts, turn pockets inside out, wonder where the years went, where the future went, where the fair share ever was, if it was. Two trillion dollars they took, amassed, amassed, like kings, no, more than kings, for what is a king but a man on a throne, and these men, these high financiers, these wizards of wealth, they sit not on thrones but on the air itself, untouchable, unsinkable, while the others, ah, the others, watch the prices go up, the wages stay low, the old promises crumble like dust in the hand.
And the law, the law, what law but the law of the golden rule: the man with the gold makes the rules. The year was 2017, the men in their rooms, the ink on the page, a trillion-dollar gift wrapped in the flag, sent forth with a flourish, a flourish and a lie. The richest of the rich, the thin-lipped, silk-suited, watch-ticking, empire-holding few, given a cut, a slash, a bounty, 277 times greater than the middle ones, the striving ones, the dreaming ones. And now, now again, the great machine moves, the cogs turn, the wheels grind: let it not end, let it go on, more for the high, less for the low, and call it growth, call it prosperity, call it anything but what it is, a taking, a hoarding, a hand in the pocket of the worker, the mother, the teacher, the child.
And what of North Carolina? What of the roads and the schools, the hospitals, the bridges, the old promises? See them bend, see them crack, see the dust rise in the evening light where once there was brick and steel and mortar. The tax cut, they call it, but a cut is a wound, a bleeding thing, and it is the people who bleed, not the billionaires, no, never them, their pockets lined, their ledgers clean, their castles high above the reach of those who must pay the price.
I say no. I say stop. I say turn the great ship before it crashes upon the rocks. The choice is made in great halls, in hushed rooms, but its weight is felt in the homes of the many. Let Congress not sign the name of the people to this theft, let them not seal with wax and flourish the fate of the working man, the striving woman, the child who does not yet know what has been stolen from him. Let them stand, let them say, let them turn back the tide before all is washed away.
For there is a choice, always a choice: to build or to hoard, to give or to take, to let the few rise like gods or to remember that a nation is not built on the fortune of five men but on the backs of millions. Let it be fair. Let it be just. Let it be for all.
_______________________________________
Rewrite in the style of The Bible
1 And behold, I lift up mine eyes, and I see a great burden upon the people, yea, upon the laborers of the land, and upon the poor, and upon those who toil from the rising of the sun unto the setting thereof. 2 For lo, the princes of the earth have heaped unto themselves treasures without measure, and the mighty men of wealth have stored up gold as the sand of the sea, while the multitudes faint with hunger and are sorely afflicted.
3 And in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five, the rich men waxed yet richer, and their coffers overflowed, for they gathered unto themselves two trillion talents of gold, and each day brought forth spoils in the sum of five and seven-tenth parts of a billion. 4 And they said unto themselves: “Behold, we shall build yet greater storehouses, and we shall increase our riches, and none shall take from us.”
5 But the laborer that is in the field, and the mother that is in the house, and the child that hath no bread, they groan beneath the weight of tribulation. 6 For lo, the wages of the worker increase not, and the price of his meat and his dwelling waxeth ever greater, and the services that were his right are taken from him and given unto the rich.
7 And in the days of the kings of the land, there was written a decree, and it was called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 8 And the rulers of the land took from the storehouses of the people and gave a great gift unto the wealthy, yea, even a trillion in gold, and they said: “It is good.”
9 But their ways were not just, for the rich were made richer, and the poor were brought low. 10 And now, in the year of decision, the rulers seek yet again to increase the portion of the mighty and to take from the weak, and they seek to make this law everlasting. 11 Yea, they join hands with the merchants of the earth, and they conspire together, saying: “Let us increase our wealth and cast off the burden of the poor, for they are as dust beneath our feet.”
12 But woe unto them that grind the face of the poor! Woe unto them that build their houses upon the toil of the laborer and fatten their hearts in the day of slaughter! 13 For the Lord seeth, and He is not mocked; He upholdeth the cause of the afflicted, and He bringeth low the pride of the haughty.
14 And the land of North Carolina crieth out, and her people are weary; their burdens are great, and they can bear them no longer. 15 Shall the princes of the land yet again take from the widow and the fatherless? Shall they lay heavy tributes upon the working man that the rich may dwell in palaces?
16 Nay, let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream! 17 Let the rulers of the land turn from their wickedness and restore that which is taken; let them lift up the poor, that the land be not utterly consumed.
18 And thus I say unto thee, O Congress: Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve. 19 If ye will serve the rich and increase their portion, then shall the people of the land groan yet more, and the judgment of the Lord shall be upon you. 20 But if ye will serve the people, if ye will hearken unto the cry of the afflicted and turn not away from the cause of the needy, then shall the land be blessed, and the people shall rejoice.
21 Let not the wealth of the few be made greater while the multitudes perish. 22 But establish fairness in the land, that every man and woman may dwell in peace and eat the fruit of their own labor. 23 And let the rulers of the land take heed, lest the day come when the poor shall rise up and the mighty shall be brought down.
Thus saith the Lord.