Just read an article from the Associated Press entitled, "No relief in sight as U.S. egg prices continue to skyrocket"

Did a little research into the USDEP (United States Department of Egg Pricing). Turns out, over the past four years -- purely a coincidence, I'm sure -- the main focus of the USDEP has been to seek diversity in its staff/leadership, rather than hiring the most competent people for the job (which is holding down the price of eggs).

Thank God this is about to change!

You are joking but I re-engaged with my cousin in Texas yesterday. I told him (because he was always railing at Biden on the inflation issue) that I felt trump's tariff move was going to be very inflationary.

He responded by saying the economy was going to need to be F'd up for a while in order to make it better in the long run. Exact words. He is For the tariffs.

Then he went on a rant about DEI.
I told him I did not wish to engage on social matters because we simply disagree.

My point is, these people are tapped into a rage machine. I don't know if it's Foxnews or Newsmax or AM radio or what, but the propaganda works. It's a very real brainwashing.

My poor mother also sits around and watches Fox all day. I see her get programmed, too.

This is why I comment so regularly about Nazi germany and Goebbels posters. I don't know what other social forces existed in 1930's Germany (newspapers, radio, churches) but the brainwashing mobilized an entire nation to commit mass mass murder.

It's truly horrifying what man is capable of, and this country is on that path.

Interesting commentary yesterday by Princeton Intl Affairs professor Kim Lane Sheppele on Christiane Amanpour's show (PBS/CNN/Podcast):


"Orban did is exactly what we now see Donald Trump doing, which is that he came into power with thousands of pages of laws that had been written by

private actors outside the system before he assumed power.

And so when he came into office, he began shoveling these laws through his compliant parliament, and the members of parliament didn't really know what

they were enacting. And so, by the time I think everybody figured it out, three years into Orban's regime, he had captured virtually all of the independent institutions.

He had also rewritten the election law, and there was no way any opposition force had the toehold, the resources or the organization to actually ever

oust him from power. So, what we're seeing now in the U.S. is exactly this kind of thing. And I must say, you know, what's interesting is that

people still think that you lose democracies with tanks in the streets.

And what I keep saying is, no, you lose -- you lose your democracy when you have lawyers trying to undermine it by law.



Link to their interview:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/31/Tv/video/amanpour-us-autocracy-norm-eisen-kim-lane-scheppele

Scheppele and Norm Eisen wrote a NYTIMES oped, "Sleepwalking into Autocracy". Here's a link no paywall SLC newspaper

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2025/01/19/opinion-are-we-sleepwalking-into/

Amanpour:

Hungary is the nation that set up as the prime example of a democracy turning into an illiberal democracy using the law.

This is what you both write.
"Autocracy is not built out of the whims of a leader, but becomes entrenched only when it has been certified by legalism exploiting legal means to serve autocratic ends."



Eisen said to Amanpour:

I should tell you that I'm not a
visceral never-Trumper.

I actually helped with his first presidential transition on those same ethics issues that are my specialty. But I think you can -- he -- that you

can only say he promised to be a dictator on day one. He fulfilled that promise by trying to rewrite the constitution, and he's continued,

Christiane, you know this as somebody who follows these issues around the world. Dictatorial powers once assumed are seldom voluntarily relinquished.

Another interesting section of their conversation:


AMANPOUR: So, that's really interesting. I am telling you that I hate to go back to the Nazi era. I don't want to bring up Hitler. It turns a whole

number of people off, but I cannot help but be struck by what Joseph Goebbels said after they seized power -- as they were seizing power from a

democracy. He said, "the big joke on democracy is that it gives its mortal enemies the means to its own destruction." And Kim, you saw that firsthand in Hungary.

SCHEPPELE: Absolutely, exactly. Hungary, it was Poland, it was Turkey, it was even Russia, which we forget in the early days was all consolidation of

power by law. So, this is how it happens all over the world in Venezuela and in Ecuador, the leaders there rewrote the constitutions in their first year. Orban did that too.

[14:10:00]

And so, what happens is that we have this idea, which is how democracy is supposed to function, a leader gets elected and then they change the law.

So, when the leader gets elected and changes the law, many people stand around and say, well, gee, you know, I kind of disagree with this leader,

but that's how democracies work.

And what they need to see is, you know, it's not just any law that these new autocrats are passing, it's laws that actually remove restraints on the

executive. And that's the danger signal we're seeing now in the United States. You know, Trump is claiming the power to stop all federal funding.

Does he have that power by law? Well, no.

But somebody is going to have to tell him no. And the question is whether Congress rises to the challenge, whether the courts rise to the challenge.

And frankly, the thing I'm alarmed about in the United States is that unlike in Trump's first term, we're not seeing people go to the streets.

We're not seeing a really mobilized constituency in the general public that's going to let the institutions know that the public sees what's

happening, and that's because we don't have focused leadership right now.

Same thing happened in Hungary, everybody objected, people did not go to the streets, and within three years, their democracy was over.

AMANPOUR: And you said it was one of the quickest collapses of democracy in recorded history. Norm, I want to ask you, because Orban made three

trips, not one, three to Mar-a-Lago and President Trump in the year leading up to his election. Also, Project 2025 envisions similar, a 180-day, you

know, trying to throw out and shift and change the U.S. constitutional, legal, legislative precedents.

What do you think is going to be the next steps? Because as Kim said, and others have told us, even rescinding the OMB thing doesn't mean to say that
they have relinquished it.



EISEN: Well, I think we're going to continue to see this furious assault on the constitution and laws by executive orders and executive power.

There's also been the wrongful firing of hundreds and impacts on thousands of federal civil servants, where Trump is trying to oust those individuals

wrongly and replace them with those who will execute his program of authoritarianism. Look for the court pushback, though.

I think, Christiane, the story of these first days of Trump's administration is, he's pushing to do what Orban and others have tried.

A lot of roosters these days are trans and trying to lay eggs, not working.

Big C said:

---

Just read an article from the Associated Press entitled, "No relief in sight as U.S. egg prices continue to skyrocket"

Did a little research into the USDEP (United States Department of Egg Pricing). Turns out, over the past four years -- purely a coincidence, I'm sure -- the main focus of the USDEP has been to seek diversity in its staff/leadership, rather than hiring the most competent people for the job (which is holding down the price of eggs).

Thank God this is about to change!

---

I thought the high egg prices are due to the hens calling in sick!

calpoly said:

---

Big C said:

---

Just read an article from the Associated Press entitled, "No relief in sight as U.S. egg prices continue to skyrocket"

Did a little research into the USDEP (United States Department of Egg Pricing). Turns out, over the past four years -- purely a coincidence, I'm sure -- the main focus of the USDEP has been to seek diversity in its staff/leadership, rather than hiring the most competent people for the job (which is holding down the price of eggs).

Thank God this is about to change!

---

I thought the high egg prices are due to the hens calling in sick!

---

All kidding aside, Surely there are a number of radical-lefties from the Democrat party who believe that there are roosters who can lay eggs. No doubt this is one factor in the higher prices. I bet, especially in California, a lot of the egg-laying jobs are being taken by trans hens. And don't get me started about which bathrooms they are allowed to use.

Is there a USDALP (United States Department of Anti Lunatic Presidents)? If not, there should be.
Of course, the Orange Idiot would've fired the head of the department and appointed someone like Hannibal Lector.

calpoly said:

---

Big C said:

---

calpoly said:

---

Big C said:

---

Just read an article from the Associated Press entitled, "No relief in sight as U.S. egg prices continue to skyrocket"

Did a little research into the USDEP (United States Department of Egg Pricing). Turns out, over the past four years -- purely a coincidence, I'm sure -- the main focus of the USDEP has been to seek diversity in its staff/leadership, rather than hiring the most competent people for the job (which is holding down the price of eggs).

Thank God this is about to change!

---

I thought the high egg prices are due to the hens calling in sick!

---

All kidding aside, Surely there are a number of radical-lefties from the Democrat party who believe that there are roosters who can lay eggs. No doubt this is one factor in the higher prices. I bet, especially in California, a lot of the egg-laying jobs are being taken by trans hens. And don't get me started about which bathrooms they are allowed to use.

---

"All kidding aside, Surely there are a number of radical-lefties from the Democrat party who believe that there are roosters who can lay eggs. "

Really? Do you have facts to back this up?

---

Yes, I do! Hold on, while I pull them out of my azz (which is the go-to source for many of my posts here).

hey, calpoly, if bear2034 "gets" me (and he does), I am confident that a poster of your stature can, as well

concordtom said:

---

You are joking but I re-engaged with my cousin in Texas yesterday. I told him (because he was always railing at Biden on the inflation issue) that I felt trump's tariff move was going to be very inflationary.

He responded by saying the economy was going to need to be F'd up for a while in order to make it better in the long run. Exact words. He is For the tariffs.

Then he went on a rant about DEI.
I told him I did not wish to engage on social matters because we simply disagree.

My point is, these people are tapped into a rage machine. I don't know if it's Foxnews or Newsmax or AM radio or what, but the propaganda works. It's a very real brainwashing.

My poor mother also sits around and watches Fox all day. I see her get programmed, too.

This is why I comment so regularly about Nazi germany and Goebbels posters. I don't know what other social forces existed in 1930's Germany (newspapers, radio, churches) but the brainwashing mobilized an entire nation to commit mass mass murder.

It's truly horrifying what man is capable of, and this country is on that path.

---

concordtom, you are also somebody who "gets" me. And you are correct: It is going to take a while for any of the MAGAs to even begin to understand that something bad that happens going forward might actually be Trump's fault.

In fact, the hardcore ones will always be in denial. However, of the 49.9% that voted for Trump, I'm guessing 15-20% are not in his "base" and will start to figure things out, at some point. The tariffs are going to be key: really a stupid idea that will cause some bad things to happen to the US economy. Unfortunately, the pro-tariff idea is more simplistic and easier to sell than the anti-tariff concept.

Really, the left and especially the center (where most Americans reside and always will) need to up their game on the messaging.

Big C said:

---

concordtom said:

---

You are joking but I re-engaged with my cousin in Texas yesterday. I told him (because he was always railing at Biden on the inflation issue) that I felt trump's tariff move was going to be very inflationary.

He responded by saying the economy was going to need to be F'd up for a while in order to make it better in the long run. Exact words. He is For the tariffs.

Then he went on a rant about DEI.
I told him I did not wish to engage on social matters because we simply disagree.

My point is, these people are tapped into a rage machine. I don't know if it's Foxnews or Newsmax or AM radio or what, but the propaganda works. It's a very real brainwashing.

My poor mother also sits around and watches Fox all day. I see her get programmed, too.

This is why I comment so regularly about Nazi germany and Goebbels posters. I don't know what other social forces existed in 1930's Germany (newspapers, radio, churches) but the brainwashing mobilized an entire nation to commit mass mass murder.

It's truly horrifying what man is capable of, and this country is on that path.

---

concordtom, you are also somebody who "gets" me. And you are correct: It is going to take a while for any of the MAGAs to even begin to understand that something bad that happens going forward might actually be Trump's fault.

In fact, the hardcore ones will always be in denial. However, of the 49.9% that voted for Trump, I'm guessing 15-20% are not in his "base" and will start to figure things out, at some point. The tariffs are going to be key: really a stupid idea that will cause some bad things to happen to the US economy. Unfortunately, the pro-tariff idea is more simplistic and easier to sell than the anti-tariff concept.

Really, the left and especially the center (where most Americans reside and always will) need to up their game on the messaging.

---

I guess it's easier to tell lies than the truth.
Like, with the evening news, if you tell about how it was a lovely day, there were no fatal car crashes, a boy smiled at the sailboat going by, that gets fewer eyeballs than some screaming idiot blaming some invented "problem", which we should all fear, on the thems over there.

A calm, beautiful sunset can't compete.

Big C said:

---

Really, the left and especially the center (where most Americans reside and always will) need to up their game on the messaging.

---

One day, the left of center will find their own Trump if they haven't already.

bear2034 said:

---

Big C said:

---

Really, the left and especially the center (where most Americans reside and always will) need to up their game on the messaging.

---

One day, the left of center will find their own Trump if they haven't already.

---

This is why I really treasure Donald J. Trump (even though I accidentally forgot to vote for him in the last three Presidential elections): so humble, so self-deprecating. Almost, dare I say... lovable and cuddly?

There is no left of center… I'd argue it has never been.

It's facists and Neo liberal racists

DEI has placed an asterisk on the achievements of every black person and woman in a prestigious role.

It’s caused those people and the public to reasonably doubt whether they earned their role by merit or agenda.

This hurts black people, women, and public trust.

— Kaizen D. Asiedu (@thatsKAIZEN) January 31, 2025

bear2034 said:

---

DEI has placed an asterisk on the achievements of every black person and woman in a prestigious role.

It’s caused those people and the public to reasonably doubt whether they earned their role by merit or agenda.

This hurts black people, women, and public trust.

— Kaizen D. Asiedu (@thatsKAIZEN) January 31, 2025

---

You are selling wolf tickets you don't even aline/rock with this immigrant fellow. Hahahahahah like you give a damn about Black people,the ones that built the initial wealth of this country for you and yours definitely not me and mine ,financial freedom/foundation / generational wealth. Stolen wealth/inventions/labor/ murder/ rape /terrorism ( state sponsored) has a price/ the debt must be paid in full plus accrued interest to begin atonement for damages done thus fully addressing the wrongs done in the past through the present day. This is the real (non racist ) way to for the first time Make America Great First for whom those deserve it most.

I’m looking for smart pro-trans/gender ideology advocates to talk to.

I’m in an echo chamber over here and want to round out my perspective.

If you know anyone smart and nuanced who engages without hostility and personal attacks, let me know.

Ideally has medical background.

— Kaizen D. Asiedu (@thatsKAIZEN) February 4, 2025