Lets play the pornography game

 Jim Ferris and the Tea Party crowd have declared themselves the holy guardians of morality in Payson. According to Ferris, the greatest threat facing civilization is apparently a library book. Forget corruption, lies, greed, or a  president facing lawsuits and criminal convictions — the real danger is a librarian shelving a book some MAGA dinger hasn’t actually read.

Ferris rides into town council meetings like a self-appointed sheriff of decency, waving around accusations about “pornography” in the library. He wants to decide what your children can read, what adults can check out, and what ideas are acceptable in a free society. But strangely enough, Ferris had no problem voting for Donald Trump — a man caught on tape bragging, “Grab ’em by the pussy.” Apparently that kind of vulgarity doesn’t offend the Tea Party moral police.

That is the heart of modern MAGA hypocrisy.

A novel in a library? Outrage.

A president who lies every day, mocks disabled people, cheats on his wives, insults veterans, and talks like a drunken frat boy? Silence.

The Tea Party crowd acts like they are defending “family values,” but their values disappear the second Trump opens his mouth. They clutch their pearls over books while excusing behavior from Trump that they would condemn in anyone else. If a Democratic president had spoken the way Trump speaks, the Tea Party would have marched through the streets carrying crosses and pitchforks.

Ferris and his allies want government control over books because outrage is easier than solving real problems. They cannot explain rising housing costs, threats to Social Security, healthcare costs, or why working people keep getting squeezed, so they create culture-war theater. The library becomes the enemy because it distracts the Hoopleheads from asking harder questions.

Meanwhile, Trump lies with every breath, and the MAGA faithful applaud like trained seals.

The hypocrisy gets even richer when these same people scream about “freedom” and “government overreach.” They don’t want government telling them what kind of truck to drive or whether they should wear a mask, but they are perfectly happy using government power to decide what books your family can read. Freedom for them means freedom to control everybody else.

That is why the Tea Party movement has become less about principles and more about performance art. Outrage is the product. Anger is the fuel. Facts are optional.

Ferris can posture as the defender of children all he wants, but children learn more from the example adults set than from books sitting quietly on a library shelf. And what example does MAGA set? That lying is acceptable if your tribe benefits. That vulgarity is acceptable if your side wins. That morality only applies to political opponents.

The truth is this was never about protecting children. It was about political theater for the MAGA crowd — red meat for the culture-war addicts who need a new outrage every week.

And the saddest part? While they are busy hunting for imaginary pornography in the library, the real problems facing Payson continue untouched.

Staying in the cult.

 As Trump’s behavior grows more erratic by the day, even some of the faithful Hoopleheads seem uneasy. The cult used to wear the uniform proudly — red hats in every grocery store aisle, giant flags flapping from lifted pickups, bumper stickers screaming loyalty to the King. Lately? Not so much. The hats are disappearing. The noise is quieter. Maybe the spell is wearing off.

The gas pump has always been the true church of the dingers. They can overlook the lies, the corruption, the grifting, the endless whining, and even an attack on the Capitol. But hit a Hooplehead in the wallet while he’s filling up his F-250 and suddenly patriotism gets complicated. Nothing shakes blind devotion like paying another twenty bucks at the pump.

Even some of the smarter cult members are beginning to ask uncomfortable questions. Why is Trump glorifying and financially rewarding people who smashed their way into the Capitol? Why does every “patriot” scheme somehow end with money flowing into Trump’s pocket? Why does the man who promised to “drain the swamp” surround himself with con artists, conspiracy merchants, and political carnival barkers?

The cult was never built on ideas. It was built on grievance, anger, and the comforting fantasy that every problem in America is somebody else’s fault. College education won’t usually get you into the cult because higher education tends to encourage skepticism, curiosity, and the dangerous habit of asking for evidence. The MAGA movement survives on emotion, not logic.

But reality has a way of leaking through even the thickest skulls. When groceries cost more, when retirement accounts wobble, when chaos becomes exhausting, even the Hoopleheads start wondering if the King has no clothes. Some will never admit they were conned. Pride is too powerful. But you can see the cracks forming.

The loudest people at the Tea Party meetings used to act like Trump was a cross between John Wayne and Jesus Christ. Now some of them just look tired. They still repeat the slogans, but without the same sparkle in their eyes. The carnival act is getting old. Rage can only carry a movement so far before people start asking what exactly they got in return.

Maybe the cult isn’t dead yet. But maybe the melting has begun.

Jim Ferris will protect us from Porn

If you want to become a hero at a Tea Party meeting, the formula is simple: tell an emotional story that resonates with the easily manipulated. Jim Ferris understood that perfectly when he climbed aboard his “library pornography” hobby horse during his campaign for the Payson Town Council.

The Hoopleheads love being told that books are dangerous, corrupting, and somehow poisoning society. Ferris knew that if he cast himself as the brave defender of children against imaginary pornography at the library, he would instantly become a MAGA folk hero.

What followed was one of the most embarrassing Town Council meetings Payson has ever seen. Ferris publicly accused the Payson Library of harboring child pornography and pushed the accusation so aggressively that a library employee was brought to tears. It was a disgraceful performance built on fear, exaggeration, and political theater.

Then came the vote on library funding. Ferris voted against supporting the library, joined by fellow MAGA dingers Charlie Bell and Mayor Steve Otto. Fortunately, four responsible council members rejected the stunt and voted to preserve funding.

The Three Stooges coalition is still trying to gain control of the council. If they ever succeed, Payson may discover that attacks on libraries and ideas rarely stop with speeches and accusations. History has shown where that road can lead.

Eli Crane the coward

 

One of the fundamental principles of democracy is simple: elected officials should be willing to speak with all of the people they represent — not just those who already agree with them.

That is why it is troubling that Congressman Eli Crane refuses to hold a true public town hall meeting in Payson. Instead, he appears before Tea Party groups in meetings that are often closed to the general public, where he knows he will not be seriously challenged about his support for Donald Trump and Trump’s policies.

In those carefully controlled settings, it is easy to deliver rehearsed partisan talking points without facing difficult questions or meaningful scrutiny. But real representation requires more than speaking to supporters behind closed doors. It requires the courage to face constituents who may disagree and to answer legitimate concerns honestly and directly.

If Congressman Crane held an open town hall, many constituents would ask him about the consequences of Trump’s policies, the attacks on democratic institutions, and the growing division in our country. Apparently, that is a conversation he prefers to avoid.

Public office comes with a responsibility to face the public — all of the public — not just the political base that offers applause behind closed doors.

Imaginary pornography with Jim Ferris

 

Juicing up the Tea Party is easy. Jim Ferris is the worst councilman in the town of Payson. Add to Ferris his Tea Party buddies Steve Otto, and Charlie Bell and you have the Three Stooges. Early into his first appearance at town council Ferris tried to defund the library claiming it was promoting pornography to children. Ferris did not even read the book he was protesting. However, Ferris knew how to sing to the Tea Party. The Fox News gang never questions anything. 

Little does Ferris know about the Bible he follows. The Bible is full of sex and violence, but Ferris somehow missed it. 

The Payson Roundup featured a good letter to the editor about the Ferris insanity, read it. Ferris is one of the Three Stooges that are taking Payson to the stone age. Speak up and help get new people elected to replace these luddites. 

Meet the Tea Party at the grocery store.

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The Pharmacy Bench: A Lesson in Truth, Power, and the Cost of Silence

It started with a simple moment.

While my wife finished shopping, I sat down on a bench near the pharmacy at Safeway to rest. Before long, a woman with a grocery cart struck up a friendly conversation. We exchanged a few pleasantries, and—mistakenly—I assumed we saw the world the same way.

We didn’t.

She was a committed Tea Party supporter, and before long our conversation turned to politics—specifically, the presidency and the staggering accumulation of wealth surrounding it.

When I mentioned that the current administration has seen personal enrichment exceeding $4 billion since 2025, she didn’t hesitate.

“Fake news,” she said.

That response told me everything I needed to know.

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A Judge’s Perspective: Evidence Still Matters

I spent 25 years on the bench. In a courtroom, “fake news” isn’t a defense. Evidence is. Facts are. Documentation is.

So instead of arguing politics, I reframed the discussion the only way I know how: as a case file—a “Docket of Enrichment.”

If we claim to believe in limited government and constitutional principles, then we should examine the record not as partisan rhetoric, but as entries in a ledger of public trust:

• World Liberty Financial (Crypto): $1.1 billion (Forbes)
  Personal profit tied to federal policy shifts

• Foreign Gift (Qatar Luxury Jet): $400 million (House Judiciary records)
  A direct conflict with the Foreign Emoluments Clause

• General Business Revenue: $3.0 billion (The Fulcrum / CREW)
  Unprecedented private gain while in public office

• G20 Summit at Doral (Miami): Millions (CBS News)
  Taxpayer funds directed to a personal resort

• IRS Lawsuit Claim: $10 billion (U.S. District Court)
  Suing the government for personal financial gain

Then I asked her a simple question:

If a local mayor accepted a $400 million jet from a foreign government and then awarded that same government a city contract, would you call it good business—or a bribe?

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When Ideals Meet Reality

The Tea Party was founded on the belief that government should not serve as a “piggy bank” for the powerful.

Yet here we are—watching the machinery of government, diplomacy, and even federal agencies used to build a private fortune measured in billions.

At some point, this stops being about politics.

It becomes arithmetic.

In my years on the bench, I learned something simple: you can ignore evidence for a while, but eventually the bill comes due. For American taxpayers, that bill now stands at roughly $4.5 billion—and rising.

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When Truth Becomes Optional

But the encounter didn’t end there.

There is a deeper issue—one that goes beyond national politics and reaches into our own community.

In some circles, truth has become whatever people want it to be.

Consider this: Donald Trump has made over 30,000 documented false statements. On multiple occasions, he has even admitted to lying. Yet for many, facts simply don’t matter.

I’ve seen that same pattern play out locally.

Years ago, Gary Morris, then head of the local Republican Party, circulated a claim that I had been arrested twice for assault in North Dakota.

It was false.

The truth? The incident involved me defending a young mother in Mandan, North Dakota. Morris left out every relevant detail and replaced them with fabrications. He repeated these claims in restraining order filings, adding more falsehoods—including that I carried a handgun. I did not.

Even after being told the claims were baseless, he continued.

Anyone can verify the records. Morris had confused me with a different individual—another Michael D. Quinn—from Stanton, North Dakota. I lived in Hazen.

He even claimed in court that the The Washington Post was his source. The actual article said the exact opposite.

Eventually, his pattern caught up with him. In front of an unbiased judge from Scottsdale, the truth came out. Morris was exposed as a serial fabricator—and he resigned the following week.

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The Closed Door Problem

Despite all of this, I’ve repeatedly offered to present the facts publicly—to stand in front of the Tea Party and explain exactly how these lies were created.

The answer?

No.

When I asked the woman at Safeway a simple question—“What exactly has Mike Quinn done that would justify banning him from attending?”—there was no answer.

The same pattern exists with KMOG. When confronted with facts, the line goes dead. The fallback response is always the same:

“He’s disruptive.”

That’s not a description. It’s a code word.

It means: he challenges us with facts we don’t want to hear.

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Two Rooms, Two Standards

Here’s the contrast that matters:

At Democratic meetings, anyone can attend. Anyone can speak.

That is not how the Tea Party operates locally.

If you challenge misinformation or confront conspiracy theories, you’re stopped at the door.

I’ve personally attempted to engage with individuals like Steve Otto and Michael Heather. Each time, the response was the same: refusal to engage, followed by claims that my attempt to speak constituted “assault.”

Only one person—Inga—was willing to listen. We disagreed on many things, but she allowed a conversation. That alone earns respect.

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The Real Question

So here’s the question no one seems willing to answer:

Why not let me speak?

Why not allow me to stand on that stage and explain, point by point, how these claims were fabricated?

The answer is simple.

Because the truth would expose the lies—and the people who spread them.

And that is something they cannot afford.

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Some good people

Some good people have stepped up to turn Payson around. The younger people running for office in Payson have a view of the future anyone can embrace. Payson needs young vibrant people unafraid of the future. The old guard caters to the old ideas, and they fear the future. Progress does not come from standing still and clinging to the past. Why let those with a short future control the young with much more at stake. It is time to vote the old guard out, and bring in fresh ideas with fresh people. 

Why can't the Hooples see Trump is nuts

There is an obvious question many people avoid asking: how can a person display clear signs of instability in public, day after day, and still keep a loyal following? Imagine an anonymous man who rants constantly, cannot accept criticism, invents enemies, boasts endlessly, and shifts from grievance to praise to anger in the span of minutes. If you met such a man in ordinary life, most people would quietly conclude something was wrong.

Yet place that same man on a stage, give him power, wrap him in slogans, and suddenly behavior that would alarm people in private becomes “strength” in public. Cruelty becomes “telling it like it is.” Paranoia becomes “fighting the system.” Confusion becomes “genius.” Rage becomes “authenticity.”

Why do followers fail to see what seems obvious to others? Often because they are not really supporting the man himself. They are supporting what he represents to them. He becomes a vessel for resentment, fear, identity, and tribal belonging. Once that happens, evidence no longer matters. Every outburst is excused. Every contradiction is ignored. Every warning is called an attack.

There is also comfort in the crowd. If millions cheer, people assume millions cannot be wrong. But history shows crowds can be very wrong, especially when emotion replaces judgment.

The saddest part is that supporters may not be blind at all. Some likely see the instability clearly. They simply prefer it because it serves their anger. They mistake destruction for leadership.

A healthy society requires citizens willing to judge leaders by character, temperament, honesty, and fitness. When people excuse obvious dysfunction because the dysfunctional man flatters their grievances, they are not just fooling themselves. They are putting everyone at risk.

Sometimes the real mystery is not the troubled man on the stage. It is why so many people in the audience keep applauding.

Trump's dog in Payson

Jim Ferris wants to pose as a friend of young people, but his record tells a different story. Ferris, a member of the Payson Town Council, is a relic of old reactionary politics—one of the local trio carrying the faded banner of the Tea Party into town hall. When the library needed support, Ferris was there trying to slash funding, tossing around the tired right-wing claim that libraries somehow “promote pornography.” It was the same stale culture-war nonsense used whenever extremists want to attack education, books, and public spaces that help ordinary families.

Then came the opening of the new mountain bike course, built through the hard work of community members who actually care enough to create something positive for Payson’s young people. Volunteers came together, invested time and energy, and turned city land into something healthy, active, and exciting for the next generation. And there, front and center, was Ferris—trying to bask in the glow of a project built by people with the civic spirit he so often opposes.

If that hypocrisy was not enough, Laurie Miller was also there, doing political theater for Eli Crane. Miller handed out a certificate from Crane congratulating those who built the course. Crane, meanwhile, voted against resources that could have brought millions back to help communities in his own district. It is easy to hand out certificates after others do the work. It is harder to fight for real funding, infrastructure, and opportunity.

This is the modern political grift: oppose government when it helps people, then show up for the ribbon cutting when citizens succeed despite you. Attack libraries, starve services, block investment, then smile for the cameras when decent people build something worthwhile.

Payson deserves leaders who support youth year-round, not just on photo-op day. The people who volunteer, build trails, support schools, and defend libraries are the ones moving the town forward. The Tea Party leftovers and MAGA opportunists are simply trying to ride their coattails. Midterm elections cannot come soon enough.

Sitting in front of the people attending a town council meeting, there is Steve Otto praising the town library. Steve's buddy and fellow Tea Party stooge sits two seats away. Jim Ferris tried to cut off funding for the very library Otto is praising because Jim Ferris claimed the library promoted pornography. The same stooges railed against the one percent sales tax, now the stooges relish spending the tax they were going to repeal. Hypocrisy is their stock in trade. It is time to replace the Tea Party Stooges with caring people who want Payson to go forward. 

Why have a shit hole?

 The Hoopleheads love a little trash in the yard, maybe even a junked car. Do the Three Stooges care, Otto, Bell, and Ferris? The simple answer is no. The Stooges know the Hooples go to the Tea Party and vote for the Stooges. As a stooge the last thing you want to do is offend the Hoopleheads. Everything is in place to clean up the town, but it ain't happenin. Some people find comfort in squaller, and the Stooges are here to help. Trump has made a stooge mess of the Whitehouse, with his fake gold everywhere. The little Trumpers in Payson are of the same mindset. 

What would an idiots convention look like?

The curse of Payson has been the Tea Party. Imagine a group of people who get their news from Fox News. Imagine a group of people who gather to hear lies and conspiracy theories. Who would this group of busted flat losers want to represent them. Well here is there choice. 

If the normal people of Payson don't awaken, this is what they will have for representation. Mayor Otto is on the left. He is a liar, plain and simple. Next is Jim Ferris, a man who claimed the library should not be funded because it advocates pornography. The tow goofs on the right are duplicates of the two on the left. God help us if these guys get elected. 
 

You get what you pay for

 

Complaining about taxes has become something of a national pastime, and Payson is no exception. But before we work ourselves into a frenzy, it’s worth looking at the facts: by global standards, Americans are actually lightly taxed.

According to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, total tax revenue in the United States amounts to about 26–27% of GDP. Compare that to countries often held up as models of quality of life—France (around 45%), Germany (about 38–40%), and Sweden (over 40%). Even middle-tier European nations routinely collect far more in taxes than we do.

And what do those higher taxes buy? On average, Europeans live longer, enjoy universal health care, face dramatically lower rates of gun violence, and report higher levels of life satisfaction. The United States, despite its wealth, ranks behind many of these countries in life expectancy, infant mortality, and overall happiness.

We like to think we’re getting a bargain—but in many ways, we’re getting what we pay for. Lower taxes may feel good in the short term, but they come with trade-offs: underfunded schools, uneven health care access, and social systems that leave too many people behind.

The truth is simple: societies that invest more in themselves tend to produce better outcomes for their citizens. If we want world-class results, we may have to accept that they come with a price tag.

You get what you pay for.

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A different world.

Mr. and Mrs. Kadizzle are visiting our daughter and grandchildren in New York. We are in a part of the world were poverty is not permitted. The minimum lot size is three acres. Many people here die from acute prosperity. If you have the illusion we live in a classless society, we got bad news for you. 

Yesterday we visited West Point and spent time in a military museum there. Seeing the history of how humans have slaughtered each other from the beginning of time was a bit unnerving. 

The grandchildren are a lot of fun and growing at an amazing pace. Megan is in the perfect place for her business which is interior design. Sam works with computer software. Both work from home so having our interruption is a problem.

The grandchildren live a charmed life, with every toy, dance lessons, gym lessons, and instant gratification too many times. It all works out well in the end. Putting effort into children generally pays off it is done well. 

Although both of us grew up in the East, we would never move back. The weather, the crowded conditions, are just not worth it. The terrain in the West differs every mile. Here from Florida to Main it is all about the same. 

Yesterday Kadizzle met a person who lives in the East and has never been west. These people who have no desire to see the rest of the world are amazing. 

How much has Trump stolen

How Much Has Trump Enriched Himself?

When Donald Trump returned to the presidency in 2025, he didn’t just bring his politics back to Washington—he brought his business model with him.

And business has been very, very good.

Let’s cut through the noise and look at reality. Conservative estimates suggest Trump and his family have enriched themselves by $3 billion to $5 billion since taking office. That number isn’t pulled out of thin air—it comes from publicly reported income, asset growth, and the explosion of Trump-linked ventures.

Start with the easy money: hundreds of millions in income from crypto projects, licensing deals, and branded ventures. These are cash streams—real money flowing in.

Then comes the bigger story: asset inflation. When your name is tied to a presidency, everything you touch suddenly gets more valuable. Crypto coins branded with Trump’s image surge. Business ventures tied to the family skyrocket. Companies connected to the Trump orbit don’t just grow—they balloon.

His sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have stakes in ventures now valued in the billions. Whether every dollar is liquid or not doesn’t matter—the wealth is real, and it was created while their father holds the most powerful office in the world.

This isn’t normal.

Presidents used to divest. They used to step away. At the very least, they tried to avoid even the appearance of using the office for personal gain. That guardrail is gone.

What we’re seeing now is something different: the presidency as a wealth engine.

And here’s the part that should bother people regardless of politics—this kind of enrichment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It depends on access, influence, and perception. When the line between public office and private profit disappears, trust disappears with it.

Support Trump or oppose him, that’s your call. But the numbers tell a story that’s hard to ignore:

The presidency is no longer just a seat of power—it has become a tool for massive personal enrichment.

And once that door is opened, it doesn’t easily close.

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The Hoopleheads mastery of English

 

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Big ideas and complex thinking don’t get much traction in the Hooplehead world. Trump understands that. He speaks their language—short, simple, and heavy on cheerleader slogans. That’s the connection.

What stands out in most Hooplehead messaging is the absence of any real train of thought. The ideas are brief, often just a handful of words, and rarely build into anything meaningful. Reading has never been a strong suit, and Trump himself seems cut from the same cloth. Books contain an inconvenient ingredient—facts—and facts tend to disrupt the narrative.

Instead, the Hooplehead vocabulary leans on hollow labels and easy insults. Once they latch onto a catchy phrase, they treat it like a revelation. “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is a perfect example—repeated endlessly, rarely examined, and almost always misunderstood.

The formula is simple: keep it short, keep it loud, and don’t let facts get in the way. It’s a strategy that works, and outlets like Fox News have mastered how to package and deliver it.

Trump's Speech

 

We have the biggest, the best—things no one has ever seen before. That’s the constant refrain. Listening to Donald Trump speak isn’t inspiring—it’s exhausting. The exaggeration, the cartoon logic, the endless self-praise—it all feels less like leadership and more like a performance stuck on repeat.

History won’t be kind to this moment. Trump will likely end up in textbooks not as a model of leadership, but as a case study in what happens when ego overtakes judgment. The question is no longer what he says—it’s why anyone still believes it.

The damage isn’t abstract. It’s economic instability, environmental neglect, and strained relationships with allies around the world. Untangling it won’t be quick or easy. It will take years to repair what has been weakened.

And yet, somehow, the illusion persists.

At some point, reality has to break through the noise. Because leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room—it’s about being the most responsible one.

What's the problem?

Of the Rich, For the Rich, By the Rich: The New American Normal

There are an estimated 902 billionaires in the United States. That’s 0.0002% of the population—a statistical rounding error that somehow owns a nation.

While the rich have always managed to get richer, things took a dramatic leap after the Republican tax cuts. Analysis shows that the net worth of people who were already billionaires grew by 49% in just eight years. That wasn’t because they suddenly worked harder. That wasn’t because they invented anything new. It was a direct result of policy engineered to funnel wealth upward at warp speed.

And here’s the punchline:
If you’re a poor billionaire—someone scraping by with “just” $1,000,000,000—you would need to survive on about $40 million a year if you limited yourself to a humble 4% withdrawal rate. Imagine the struggle. Imagine the sacrifice. Somehow, against all odds, they endure.

Of course, most billionaires have more than one billion. Many have dozens of them.
They seem to muddle through.

The Numbers That Should Start a Revolution

• 902 people

• owning 32% of all wealth in the United States

• while making up 0.0002% of the population

Republicans tell us this is “freedom” and “opportunity.”
Everyone else sees it for what it is: a gilded-age oligarchy wrapped in a flag and sold as patriotism.

Meanwhile, Back in Payson…

Take our own little experiment here in Payson.

We struggle for years to finance a simple community pool.
We argue, plead, tax, and bond ourselves into knots.
For 16,000 residents, paying for a pool will take two decades of scraping.

Yet one American billionaire—just one—could pay for the entire project with three months of passive income. That’s without touching the principal. Without noticing. Without even interrupting their third vacation home renovation.

But here we are, told that public amenities are “too expensive.”

And Then There’s Trump

While towns like Payson fight over modest civic improvements, Donald Trump has managed to amass $1.5 billion in a single year—almost entirely through influence selling, donor shakedowns, and plain old-fashioned grift.
The Republican Party doesn’t blink.
They applaud.
They call it “success.”

If a teacher found a way to make an extra $1,000, they’d be audited.
Trump hoovers up a billion and a half, and Republicans call it leadership.

The Bottom Line

America is now a country where:

• A tiny billionaire class owns a third of everything.

• Towns debate for decades over pools, parks, and playgrounds.

• Corruption is called “genius.”

• Inequality is a feature—not a bug.

• And the people cheering the loudest for this system are the ones most crushed by it.

But don’t worry:
Republicans assure us everything is fine.

The National Association will continue saying the quiet part out loud:
It’s not fine.
It’s a rigged system run by an elite who write the rules, buy the politicians, and expect the rest of us to thank them for the privilege of being fleeced.

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If you want, I can also produce a shorter version for Facebook, a punchier version for a Kadizzle blog post, or an extended version with sources and graphs.

How many pools

Trump’s New Playground Has Money for Downed Jets — But Payson Can’t Afford a Pool

Three military jets were accidentally shot down by Kuwait, collateral damage in what might as well be Donald Trump’s new global playground — a world where recklessness is policy and national security is treated like a live-action video game. Billions wasted, confusion everywhere, and the only thing consistent is that someone else pays the price.

But meanwhile, back in the real America — the one where actual human beings live — Payson can’t even afford a decent community pool.

Think about that contrast for a moment.

Washington burns money like fireworks, the ultra-rich glide through life on tax cuts and special favors, and last year 88 new billionaires were added to Trump’s collection of lickspittles, donors, and applause machines. They’re doing great — spectacular, actually. Their bank accounts got so fat they should be declared a national park.

But the kids in Payson?

They get potholes.
They get broken promises.
And if they want to cool off in the summer, they can go wading in a sinkhole on South Beeline.

This is the America we live in:

• Unlimited money to arm the sky like a casino slot machine.

• No money to give children a clean, safe place to swim.

• A booming billionaire class.

• Struggling towns being told to “tighten their belt” while the wealthy loosen theirs and buy another yacht.

The National Association for the Advancement of Humanity asks the obvious question:

How much longer will we tolerate a country where the rich get golden runways while small towns can’t even build a community pool?

America wasn’t supposed to be a theme park for billionaires. But somewhere along the way, we became a nation where jets can fall from the sky without consequence, yet a town full of working-class families can’t get a pool approved because “there’s no money.”

Let’s call it what it is:

Economic cruelty disguised as fiscal conservatism.
Government for the rich, subsidized by the rest.

If this is “great again,” I’d hate to see what “rock bottom” looks like.

The Crazy club

Shanika told me Shinney died. Who in the hell is Shinney. Back in the old days in Hazen, N.D. we used to meet on Wednesdays at the crazy club. A bunch of old people got together and bullshitted, and had a good time. Shinney ran a art shop for local artist. It was actually and old comfortable house set up as a business. So members of the crazy club just had a social hour or two. Shinney was always up on all the local gossip. Old people need to communicate. 

Now old Kadizzle is in Payson. There is no crazy club, but we do have Donuts with Democrats which is larger and similar. At donuts we just bitch about politics. On Thursdays we have board meetings, with the board. It is just three people enjoying a beer.