Safety, Protection, and Care for Everyone

. . . not just some

“Socialism” is a scare word they’ve hurled at every advance the people have made. “Socialism” is what they called public power, social security, farm price supports, and free and independent labor organizations. “Socialism” is their name for anything that helps all people.

—US President Harry Truman

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VOW OF PURITY

Some worshipers of capitalism are incapable of grasping the plain truth that we in the United States live in a system that blends socialism and capitalism. They believe, against all evidence, that socialist elements are inherently evil.

I invite them to take a Vow of Purity, as originally described by DailyKos.com at https://tinyurl.com/PurityPledge. Below is that vow:

From this day forward, I will never again make use of, speak kindly of, or support any activities that allow the government to intrude into my personal life in a socialist manner. Therefore:

I will oppose and condemn the socialist military of the United States, which is entirely funded and operated by the government.

I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce weapons for our socialist army. 

I will protest socialist intelligence agencies such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, NSA, Department of Homeland Security, and all their socialist employees. 

I will abstain from the purchase or use of any socialist goods and services including but not limited to all those named below.

       • Police, fire, and emergency services

       • US Postal Service

       • All roads and highways

       • Air travel, which is regulated and subsidized by the government

       • I will not fly on airplanes if I am compelled to pass through the security measures overseen by the TSA (Transportation Security Administration)

       • US railway system

       • Public subways and metro systems

       • Public bus and lightrail systems

       • Rest areas on highways

       • Sidewalks

       • Public water and sewer services

       • Municipal garbage and recycling services

       • Public and state universities and colleges

       • Public and charter primary and secondary schools

       • The TV show Sesame Street

       • Publicly funded anti-drug use education for children

       • Public museums

       • Libraries

       • Public parks and beaches

       • State and national parks

       • Public zoos

       • Unemployment insurance

       • Any product manufactured or produced by a corporation that receives the welfare of government subsidies and tax relief, including Boeing, Shell Oil, general Electric, Intel, Ford, General Motors, Nike, Tesla, Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Walt Disney, Toyota, Delta Airlines, Apple, AT&T, Bank of America, FedEx, and Microsoft.

       • Half of all basic scientific research, including that for new drugs

       • The home mortgage deduction, a major subsidy to the real estate, banking, and construction industries

       • Treatment at any hospital or clinic that ever received funding from local, state or federal government—most of them

       • Medical services and medications that were created or derived from any government grant or research funding—most of them

       • Byproducts of government investment, like duct tape and Velcro

       • The internet, originated and built through the Department of Defense.

       • Clothing made from crops, especially cotton, that were grown with or benefited from government subsidies

       • Food grown with the help of government subsidies

       • Most football and baseball stadiums, which are at least partially funded by taxpayers

       • All federal employees, of which there are more than two million—including judges, Congresspeople, and their staffs

       • The 15 executive departments of the federal government, including the Departments of the Treasury, Interior, Agriculture, State, and others

       • Smithsonian Museums

       • Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments

       • All government buildings and properties

       • Statue of Liberty

       • Grand Canyon

       • World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials

       • Arlington National Cemetery

       • Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security payments in excess of the amount I have paid into those programs with my taxes

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COMMIE PINKO DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

When staunch Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower was the US President between 1953 and 1961, the top tax rate for very wealthy people was 91 percent. As for corporations, their top tax rate was 52 percent

As Chuck Collins, an economics scholar, noted, "That crafty pinko Eisenhower also presided over government-subsidized mortgages that helped millions of Americans purchase their first home and attend college for free. He presided over the construction of public housing and state-owned infrastructure (like highways)."

Another tidal wave of socialist chicanery struck the US in 1965, when Congress launched Medicare, a program to provide medical insurance to all Americans older than 65, irrespective of their income or their health history.

Dearest One, I'd love for you to borrow Chuck Collins' approach as you wage your own arguments in behalf of good sense and true facts and obvious secrets.

That is, mix humor in with your serious attitude. Be mischievous and have fun as you craft your incontrovertible zingers. Make it challenging for those who disagree with you to be mad at you for being right.

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CORPORATE WELFARE

For decades the U.S. government, as well as state and local governments, have handed out far more welfare benefits to big corporations than to poor people.

Among the top 25 recipients of at least one billion dollars of corporate welfare in the past 20 years: Boeing (airplanes), Alcoa (aluminum), General Motors (cars), Nike (shoes), Intel (semiconductor chips), Royal Dutch Shell (oil). (More info: tinyurl.com/WelfareCorporations)

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THE SOCIALISM OF THE US MILITARY

During the interminable national arguments about guaranteed health care for all Americans, one relevant set of facts has been constantly distorted.

Right-wingers suffer from the preposterous delusion that a government-run health system would freshly infect our pure capitalist system with the stain of socialism.

But the truth is, America has long had a mammoth socialist enterprise: its sprawling military establishment, which is completely paid for by taxpayer dollars and run by the government.

We American taxpayers buy more "defense" than the next seven biggest spenders combined: China, Saudi Arabia, India, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and Germany.

The socialist military accounts for 15 percent of all federal spending and half of all discretionary spending. For every dollar you and I pay in taxes, more than 24 cents goes to the Pentagon.

Among the corporations that are paid by the federal government to produce goods for our socialist army are defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others.

Personally, I would feel OK if maybe ten cents of each of our tax dollars went to support the military. If that were the case, the U.S. would still have better-financed armed forces than China.

But I'd love for a greater share of our taxes to be allocated for education, health care, the environment, and the infrastructure.

What are your heartfelt intuitions on these matters? How much money would you like our socialist military to draw from our taxes?

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So yes, the fact is that the military is a socialist enterprise designed to keep Americans safe and healthy.

The health care system should also be a socialist enterprise designed to keep Americans and healthy.

The single smartest strategy for financing a new health care system that protects the health and safety of everyone would be to reduce military expenditures, which have long been far more than enough to keep Americans and healthy.

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Liesel Kershul writes: Since my marriage at 23 to a career Marine officer, I have never had to exist in the messiness of what we in the military community refer to as living “on the economy.”

I have benefited from a tax-free housing allowance; the ability to shop for wholesome, subsidized food at the commissary; nearly free health care; and generous tuition assistance, which my husband and I were able to use to help pay for our master’s degrees.

When my husband retires from the service, he will still have income in the form of a pension. This is the very definition of social welfare.

—author Liesel Kershul

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SOCIALIST FOOTBALL

Writing in Esquire magazine Chuck Klosterman described the National Football League as one of the most successful socialist institutions in the world.

As evidence, he notes that rich teams in the biggest markets are required to share their revenue with poor teams in small markets.

One of the league's best franchise for many years, the New England Patriots, won so many games because its star players have volunteered to accept reduced salaries, making more cash available for the team to assemble the best possible collection of second-line players.

More: https://tinyurl.com/SocialistFootball

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Image by Mike Licht

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IRRATIONAL ARGUMENT

Conservative: There has never been an example of socialism that has worked and not led to brutal oppression.

Leftist: Countries like Norway, Sweden, and Finland seem to be doing pretty well.

Conservative: They’re not socialist!

Leftist: So it would be okay if we adopted all their compassionate policies for things like healthcare, wages, education, vacations, retirement, and the environment?

Conservative: No! That’s socialism!

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DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM

Many of the Western countries with the highest level of "socialist" services are ranked among the top nations of the world in terms of democracy and freedom.

A UK-based company does an annual study to determine which of the world's countries offers the most democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit measures indicators like civil liberties, pluralism, political culture, and the freedom and fairness of national elections.

During a recent year, the top ten countries were Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Ireland, Canada, Finland, Australia, and Switzerland. Six of those nations were also analyzed as being among the top ten most socialist countries. They are Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Canada, and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, another organization, Freedom House has published an annual report titled "Freedom of the World" since 1973. It measures the amount of freedom in all the countries of the world.

For one recent year, the ten nations that scored highest in the freedom index were Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Uruguay, New Zealand, Luxembourg, and Denmark. Again: Six of them are highly socialist.

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of August 31

© Copyright 2023  Rob Brezsny

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo journalist Anthony Loyd has spent a lot of time in war zones, so it’s no surprise he has bleak views about human nature. He makes the following assertion: "We think we have freedom of choice, but really most of our actions are puny meanderings in the prison yard built by history and early experience." I agree that our conditioning and routines prevent us from being fully liberated. But most of us have some capacity for responding to the raw truth of the moment and are not utterly bound by the habits of the past. At our worst, we have 20-percent access to freedom of choice. At our best, we have 70-percent. I believe you will be near the 70-percent levels in the coming weeks, dear Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libra poet T. S. Eliot wrote the iconic narrative poem “The Wasteland.” One part of the story takes place in a bar near closing time. Several times, the bartender calls out, "Hurry up, please—it's time." He wants the customers to finish their drinks and leave for the night. Now imagine I'm that bartender standing near you. I'm telling you, "Hurry up, please—it's time." What I mean is that you are in the climactic phase of your astrological cycle. You need to finish this chapter of your life story so you can move on to the next one. "Hurry up, please—it's time" means you have a sacred duty to resolve, as best you can, every lingering confusion and mystery.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Addressing a lover, Scorpio poet Margaret Atwood says, "I would like to walk with you through that lucent wavering forest of bluegreen leaves with its watery sun & three moons, towards the cave where you must descend, towards your worst fear." That is a bold declaration. Have you ever summoned such a deep devotion for a loved one? You will have more power and skill than usual to do that in the coming months. Whether you want to or not is a different question. But yes, you will be connected to dynamic magic that will make you a brave and valuable ally.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian theologian N. T. Wright writes, “The great challenge to self-knowledge is blind attachment to our virtues. It is hard to criticize what we think are our virtues. Although the spirit languishes without ideals, idealism can be the greatest danger.” In my view, that statement formulates a central Sagittarian challenge. On the one hand, you need to cultivate high ideals if you want to be exquisitely yourself. On the other hand, you must ensure your high ideals don’t become weapons you use to manipulate and harass others. Author Howard Bloom adds more. "Watch out for the dark side of your own idealism and of your moral sense," he writes. “Both come from our arsenal of natural instincts. And both easily degenerate into an excuse for attacks on others.” Now is a good time for you to ponder these issues.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn playwright and novelist Rose Franken said, "Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly." That's interesting, because many traditional astrologers say that Capricorns are the *least* likely zodiac sign to be silly. Speaking from personal experience, though, I have known members of your tribe to be goofy, nutty, and silly when they feel comfortably in love. An old Capricorn girlfriend of mine delighted in playing and having wicked good fun. Wherever you rank in the annals of wacky Capricorns, I hope you will consider expressing these qualities in the coming weeks. Romance and intimacy will thrive if you do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As I work on writing new books, I often draw on inspirations that flow through me as I take long hikes. The vigorous exercise shakes loose visions and ideas that are not accessible as I sit in front of my computer. Aquarian novelist Charles Dickens was an adherent of this approach. At night, he liked to walk around London for miles, marveling at the story ideas that welled up in him. I recommend our strategy to you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. As you move your body, key revelations and enriching emotions will well up in you.

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EXTRA BONUS SUPPORT

Factual information and reasonable thinking alone are not sufficient to guide you through life’s labyrinthine tests. You need and deserve regular deliveries of uncanny revelation.

One of your inalienable rights as a human being should therefore be to receive mysteriously useful omens on a regular basis. In this spirit, I offer you the free weekly horoscopes you read here.

If you ever want more, and think it's worth paying for, try my EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES. They're four-to-five-minute meditations on the current state of your destiny and where you're headed.

To listen to your Expanded Audio Horoscope online, go to

https://RealAstrology.com

Register and/or log in through the main page.

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The cost is $7 per sign online. (Discounts are available for bulk purchases.)

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming months will be an excellent time to build, discover, and use metaphorical bridges. To get in the mood, brainstorm about every type of bridge you might need. How about a connecting link between your past and future? How about a nexus between a task you must do and a task you love to do? And maybe a conduit between two groups of allies that would then serve you even better than they already do? Your homework is to fantasize about three more exciting junctions, combinations, or couplings.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Climate change is dramatically altering the Earth. People born today will experience three times as many floods and droughts as someone born in 1960, as well as seven times more heat waves. In urgent efforts to find a cure, scientists are generating outlandish proposals: planting mechanical trees, creating undersea walls to protect melting glaciers from warm ocean water, dimming the sun with airborne calcium carbonate, and covering Arctic ice with a layer of glass. In this spirit, I encourage you to incite unruly and even unorthodox brainstorms to solve your personal dilemmas. Be wildly inventive and creative.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): "When love is not madness, it is not love," wrote Spanish author Pedro Calderon de la Barca. In my opinion, that’s naive, melodramatic nonsense! I will forgive him for his ignorance, since he worked as a soldier and celibate priest in the 17th century. The truth is that yes, love should have a touch of madness. But when it has more than a touch, it's usually a fake kind of love: rooted in misunderstanding, immaturity, selfishness, and lack of emotional intelligence. In accordance with astrological factors, I assign you Tauruses to be dynamic practitioners of genuine togetherness in the coming months: with hints of madness and wildness, yes, but mostly big helpings of mutual respect, smart compassion, tender care, and a knack for dealing maturely with disagreements.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Iain S. Thomas writes, "There are two things everyone has. One is The Great Sadness and the other is How Weird I Really Am. But only some of us are brave enough to talk about them." The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your relationship with these two things, Gemini. You will have the extra gravitas necessary to understand how vital they are to your full humanity. You can also express and discuss them in meaningful ways with the people you trust.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when the expectations we embrace actually come to pass. We cling so devotedly to a belief about what will occur that we help generate its literal manifestation. This can be unfortunate if the anticipated outcome isn't good for us. But it can be fortunate if the future we visualize upgrades our well-being. I invite you to ruminate on the negative and positive projections you’re now harboring. Then shed the former and reinforce the latter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The holy book of the Zoroastrian religion describes a mythical mountain, Hara Berezaiti. It's the geographic center of the universe. The sun hides behind it at night. Stars and planets revolve around it. All the world's waters originate at its peak. Hara Berezaiti is so luminous and holy that no darkness can survive there, nor can the false gods abide. I would love for you to have your own version of Hara Berezaiti, Leo: a shining source of beauty and strength in your inner landscape. I invite you to use your imagination to create this sanctuary within you. Picture yourself having exciting, healing adventures there. Give it a name you love. Call on its invigorating presence when you need a sacred boost.

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