Trump and his toadies are threatening judges, activists, and the press.
It takes courage to defend democracy. God save America.
Quakers Protest Current Events
Quakers are inherently grass-roots. It comes from the belief that metaphysical truth is revealed to any and all of us if we but listen. There is that of God in each of us, and, as communities, we are called to speak up when human events conflict with our values. One of the ways we express our collective sensibilities about important matters is to agree on a “minute” recorded at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business. Here is one such expression of unity and commitment from my Newtown Friends Meeting:
The Hidden Hand That Makes Billionaires Possible
We are all in this together, even Elon.
There’s a myth we tell ourselves in America—that the wealthiest among us are entirely self-made, that their success comes purely from their own hard work, intelligence, and risk-taking. You hear it all the time, often from the billionaires themselves. They built their companies “from scratch.” They “earned every penny.” And when the subject of taxation comes up, they argue that it’s unfair for the government to “confiscate” the wealth they created and give it to those who haven’t worked as hard.
It’s a compelling story. But it’s also incomplete.
Elon Musk didn’t build Tesla and SpaceX in a vacuum. Jeff Bezos didn’t create Amazon out of thin air. Even the late Steve Jobs, the genius behind Apple, didn’t succeed in isolation. Every billionaire, every entrepreneur, every corporate empire stands on a foundation of public investments, social systems, and infrastructure that made their success possible.
The Roads, Wires, and Networks They Didn’t Build
Start with the basics. Without roads, bridges, airports, and railways, businesses couldn’t transport goods. Without an educated workforce, companies couldn’t hire skilled employees. Without a functioning legal system to enforce contracts and protect intellectual property, innovation would be too risky.
But let’s go even deeper.
The internet—without which companies like PayPal, Amazon, and Google wouldn’t even exist—was created with government funding. It started as ARPANET, a project of the U.S. Department of Defense. The same goes for GPS, touchscreen technology, and countless other breakthroughs that companies later turned into billion-dollar industries.
Elon Musk, now the world’s richest man, got his start with PayPal, an online payment platform that was only possible because of the internet and a stable financial system backed by government regulations and consumer protections. His later ventures, Tesla and SpaceX, have received billions in government subsidies, research grants, and contracts. And yet, he rails against the very taxes that support the system that made his success possible.
The Myth of the Self-Made Man
The idea that billionaires “did it all themselves” ignores the millions of people whose labor keeps their companies running and the social programs that keep their customers able to buy products. Amazon’s entire business model depends on reliable roads, an educated workforce, and customers with disposable income. Walmart thrives in towns with a strong middle class. Tesla cars aren’t selling in countries with extreme poverty.
If the economy collapses, so does their wealth. That’s why government stimulus programs—so often criticized as “handouts” for regular people—are quietly welcomed by big business when things go south. During the 2008 financial crisis, banks got massive bailouts to keep them afloat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, government relief checks kept people spending, which in turn kept businesses from sinking.
The True Purpose of Taxes
When billionaires and corporations push for tax cuts, they frame it as a moral issue. They argue that it’s unfair to take what they’ve “earned” and give it to the undeserving. But taxation isn’t about punishing success—it’s about maintaining the system that allows success to happen in the first place.
Progressive taxation funds the infrastructure, education, healthcare, and social stability that create the conditions for prosperity. When done right, it prevents economic stagnation, reduces poverty, and ensures that opportunity is available to more than just the lucky few.
If taxes were really the enemy of success, why do countries with strong public investments—like Denmark, Sweden, and Germany—continue to rank among the world’s most competitive economies? Why do billionaires still flourish in places with high taxes and strong safety nets?
Investing in the Future
No one is saying billionaires shouldn’t be rewarded for their vision, leadership, or innovation. But let’s stop pretending that they did it alone. They benefited from the roads they didn’t pave, the schools they didn’t fund, and the technology they didn’t invent. They thrived in an economy kept stable by government protections and social investments.
And when they argue that taxes are unfair, maybe we should ask: unfair to whom?
A society that supports its people—through education, infrastructure, healthcare, and fair wages—is not just good for the poor. It’s good for the wealthy, too. Because without it, there would be no wealth to accumulate.
Keeping Track
The very unpopular and much lied about Project 2025 is notching off its “accomplishments” one-by-one as congress allows the executive branch unfettered sway even when the actions are lawless overreach. Here is a website that’s keeping score and citing the sources.
This does not, of course, track items on the more hidden agenda of intended covert consequences that is disabling and eliminating the means to hold anyone accountable. Much of the factual reporting and more candid analysis is showing up in independent media like Substack.
The NY Times has a series titled “The Opinions” and if you are trying to understand the lack of GOP and mainstream media opposition to all of this evil, I recommend you listen to “There’s a reason even smart people surrender to Trump” (below).
There’s a reason …
This thirty-minute interview explores how we are being manipulated into anticipatory compliance contrary to our deeply held values. The GOP fell into line first, and now they are coming for the rest of us.
Look What’s Going Down
Free Press
The administration is attacking the funding of listener-supported non-commercial radio by attacking the long tradition of acknowledging funding provided by businesses. The intent is to put a chill on non-promotional sponsorship announcements. You have heard them; they tell you the name of the business and something about what they do, but there is no call to action or promotional claims. Attacking stations and networks like PBS, NPR, and WHYY has only one purpose: to suppress news and opinions that don’t conform to the alternative facts of the administration’s propaganda machine.
In parallel with this, high journalistic quality news media are being replaced with low quality sources that spread conspiracy theories and the administration’s deceptions.
Will they seek to suppress or disrupt internet communications? Access to the Internet is in the hands of the FCC, now led by a GOP loyalist.
Justice
The purging of the FBI, and the Justice Department of those deemed not loyal to the President is clearly a move intended to tip the scales of justice to serve #47 instead of the people.
Separation of Powers
The Supreme Court has been made partisan; Congress fails in its role of advice and consent by approving nominees whose character, inexperience, and partisan loyalty make them obviously unsuited for elevation to powerful and critical office.
Law
The President is immune from prosecution. If they do his bidding, his cronies are all but assured of pardons. The Inspectors General, our watchdogs, have been dismissed. Agency leadership that follows the law, in defiance of #47 gets furloughed.
It’s already tyranny!
The behavior of Putin’s legislators, no dissent unless #47 gives it the nod, is what we are seeing in the GOP Senate and House.
Read what Timothy Snyder says about all of this. It’s expert opinion, not media hysterics.
What I Read
I shake my head at how I move through the day doing normal things while America is being eaten from within. Momentous, lawless, destructive, world-shaping events are happening by the hour. I go to my board meetings, update websites, and write this little offering for friends and relatives. There is a surreal quality to the ordinary. Life since the inauguration of #47 has been a nightmare, and the dread of what’s next permeates my mood. Yet people do the trivial, ordinary hum-drum stuff, exchange pleasantries, and generally go about business as usual.
Many have given up on mainstream media. I don’t listen to or watch the news except for the online on-demand NPR news. However, I have certain news analysts I have found to be trustworthy and good filterers of the flood-the-zone hype, shock, and outrage.
- Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American
- Joyce Vance Civil Discourse
- Robert Reich (His Blog)
- Doug Muder Weekly Sift
- David Kurtz Talking Points Memo
- Judd Legum Popular Information
- Chris Baxter Spotlight PA
Each day you can scan two or three of these in just a few minutes and understand what is important to know about.
Why it’s a Coup
“The ongoing actions by Musk and his followers are a coup because the individuals seizing power have no right to it. Elon Musk was elected to no office and there is no office that would give him the authority to do what he is doing. It is all illegal. It is also a coup in its intended effects: to undo democratic practice and violate human rights.” So says Timothy Snyder, esteemed author of On Tyranny and Freedom.
Snyder has spent his life studying how freedom is won and lost. Dismiss him at your peril.
Read more on Substack: Timothy Snyder
On Heroism
” … heroism is neither being perfect, nor doing something spectacular. In fact, it’s just the opposite: it’s regular, flawed human beings choosing to put others before themselves, even at great cost, even if no one will ever know, even as they realize the walls might be closing in around them.
“It means sitting down the night before D-Day and writing a letter praising the troops and taking all the blame for the next day’s failure upon yourself in case things went wrong, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower did.
“It means writing in your diary that you “still believe that people are really good at heart,” even while you are hiding in an attic from the men who are soon going to kill you, as Anne Frank did.
“It means signing your name to the bottom of the Declaration of Independence in bold print, even though you know you are signing your own death warrant should the British capture you, as John Hancock did.
“It means defending your people’s right to practice a religion you don’t share, even though you know you are becoming a dangerously visible target, as Sitting Bull did.
“Sometimes it just means sitting down, even when you are told to stand up, as Rosa Parks did.
“None of those people woke up one morning and said to themselves that they were about to do something heroic. It’s just that when they had to, they did what was right.” ~ Heather Cox Richardson 1/19/25
My granddaughter attends a Catholic parochial school in Key West. She sent us one of her lessons, which we keep on our refrigerator door. It enumerates “the fruit of God’s spirit.”
These are the qualities of true heroes, are the not? Ordinary decency coupled with a willingness to serve the greater good mark the kind of heroism that Richardson describes.
Have you ever heard of acts that manifest these qualities by the man who is being inaugurated as President of the United States this week? Even one?
Be a Prepper
No, I don’t mean one of those who make a hobby of preparing for the collapse of civilization by digging a bunker and learning to make fire by rubbing sticks together. The next four years will be chaotic, and we expect the excesses of the GOP to be exceeded only by the excesses of the extreme right that terrorizes them.
There are some actions to take to protect yourself socially, psychologically, and politically. I’ve mentioned On Tyranny. Marguerite has shared the link to his series of videos which present his wisdom in his own voice. She also offers a link that has advice for remaining grounded in the face of actions intended to put us off balance.
Here’s the link for a video series created by Timothy Snyder about On Tyranny:
Here’s the link for an article in Convergence Magazine on how to prepare ourselves for what’s coming:
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