The people need the Democratic party. We need to be able to explain why.

James Carville: How About a Sweeping, Aggressive, Unvarnished Platform of Pure Economic Rage.
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The President has done nothing to curb the cost of what it requires to take even a breath in America today, the centerpiece promise of his 2024 campaign. The people are revolting, and they have been for some time.

This offers Democrats the greatest gift you can have in American politics: a second chance. I am now an 81-year-old man and I know that in the minds of many, I carry the torch from a so-called centrist political era. Yet it is abundantly clear even to me that the Democratic Party must now run on the most populist economic platform since the Great Depression.
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Le peuple se lève.

Andy Beshear: How Democrats can start changing rural red to blue
Be the party of aspiration — and talk like normal human beings.

Democrats won huge victories up and down the ballot this month. We won statewide in Georgia, held the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania, broke the supermajority in the Mississippi State Senate and took two gubernatorial elections by double-digit margins. In New Jersey and Virginia, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won by relentlessly focusing on the pocketbook pressures families across our country are facing.
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Trump has given Democrats a huge opening. He is making it so much harder for people to even get by. During the government shutdown, he was willing to use the hunger of Americans — including children and seniors — as a bargaining chip. It was cruel and wrong, and, importantly, it backfired. His One Big Ugly Bill will kick 17 million Americans, including 200,000 Kentuckians, off their health care and threatens to close 35 rural hospitals in the state, and 338 nationwide. His tariffs are jacking up prices across the board — for no reason.
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We’re not going to win the messaging battle if we say that Trump’s policies make people “food insecure.” No, they make people hungry.

The President has been pushing relentlessly for consequences for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video they made reminding servicemembers of their duty to disobey illegal orders.

The President "called the lawmakers’ actions “seditious” and “treason.”

President Donald Trump labeled the recording "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR" that's "punishable by DEATH!"

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly's response:
I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly was a Captain in the Navy. He flew combat missions in the Gulf War. He flew four NASA space shuttle missions. He is married to " Gabby Giffords, who was shot and nearly killed in an assassination attempt in Arizona."

The current President does not believe the results of the 2020 election. He believes the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was a tourist visit. He pardoned many if not all of the insurrectionists.

What happened to you, Tim Cook?

A decade ago, Alabama invited one of its most successful native-born sons to take his place in the Alabama Academy of Honor.
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“Little else matters,” Cook said, “more than equality and human rights.”

That was 10 years ago.
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In recent months, like other tech executives, Cook has bent the knee before inviting any acrimony from the White House.

The No. 20 Tennessee football team finally broke the curse, defeating Florida 31-11 on the road Saturday night, winning in the Swamp for the first time since 2003.

Tennessee didn't score in the second half. What's the deal?

Newest SpaceX Starship booster is significantly damaged during testing early Friday

This is after the May, 2025, SpaceX Starship launch failure. The 9th so far. The spacecraft tumbled out of control and broke apart.

Maybe Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin efforts will eventually replace SpaceX. "Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin space company successfully launched and landed its New Glenn rocket Thursday afternoon, marking a major technical breakthrough"...

A group of 10 Tennessee parents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the constitutionality of the state’s new “universal” private-school voucher program.
...
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the lawsuit says the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship Act violates the state constitution by shifting public funds to unaccountable private schools that “openly discriminate” against students.
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The program has two categories of students, 10,000 set aside for those whose family incomes hit 300% of the federal subsidized lunch program, up to $180,000, and 10,000 for students with no family income requirement.

The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika — an emblem of fascism and white supremacy inextricably linked to the murder of millions of Jews and the deaths of more than 400,000 U.S. troops who died fighting in World War II — as a hate symbol, according to a new policy that takes effect next month.

Instead, the Coast Guard will classify the Nazi-era insignia as “potentially divisive” under its new guidelines. The policy, set to take effect Dec. 15, similarly downgrades the classification of nooses and the Confederate flag, though display of the latter remains banned, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

As I said earlier in the week, is it safe?

Update: Coast Guard reclassifies swastikas and nooses as hate symbols after backlash

Potchke Bagel of Knoxville placed 3rd in the 2025 New York Bagelfest competition.

Potchke Bagel of Knoxville, Tenn., also won Most Creative and Best Bialy.

There is now a "mass surveillance network" focused on your car.

You used to have more freedoms.

Now,
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, The Associated Press has found.

The President of the United States of America "When asked if there was anything "incriminating" in Epstein's emails, Trump pointed a finger in a female reporter's face and snapped. 'Quiet. Quiet, Piggy."

What does this teach our young people ?

Republican lawmakers passed legislation this year that cut more than $1 trillion in federal health care spending to help offset large tax cuts.

Republicans then created a special $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals stay afloat...

But, nothing extra for urban hospitals.

...analysis deemed 109 hospitals most exposed to the coming Medicaid cuts, because they share three risk factors: They serve vulnerable communities, their finances are already fragile, and more than a quarter of their patients rely on Medicaid. Of those hospitals, 85 percent were in urban areas.

However, urban areas are primarily Democrat majorities. Thus, Republicans don't care.

Elon Musk is set to make more than every U.S. elementary teacher combined.

Tesla shareholders approved a $1 trillion pay package for Elon Musk over the next 10 years. That averages to $100 billion per year.

Whereas, "MacKenzie Scott Gives $700 Million to Historically Black Colleges."

Whatta ya gonna do?

The Postal Service is reminding employees and contractors to beware of brushing scams, which can lead to identity theft, compromised accounts and increased spam.

Brushing involves sending merchandise to people who did not order it.
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These fraudulent deliveries appear to be harmless, but they may indicate that cybercriminals have access to the recipient’s name, address and phone number. Once this personal information is online, it can be used for various crooked enterprises.
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Do not scan any QR codes on the packages because this can install malware on your device.

Does this also meaning we have to be cautious scanning any QR codes?

"I don’t give a f--- about any of our political figures right now, and it's like to fight in front of them seems like some f---ing ‘Hunger Games’ type of f---ing s---. I don’t give a f--- to fight in front of some f---ing billionaires and rich people that could give a s--- less about me...."

Wow! He speaks the truth.

Did you know you pay approximately $281,516 in interest on a $300,000 30 year mortgage with 20% down and a 6.063 rate?

$1,702.66 Monthly payment, including property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Do you know you would pay approximately $524,736 in interest on a $300,000 50 year mortgage with 20% down and a 6.063 rate?

$1,528.56 Monthly payment, including property taxes and homeowners insurance.

Thus, you will pay an extra $243,220 interest on a $300,000 home if you elect to obtain a 50 year mortgage.

Your mortgage payment will only be $174.10 a month less.

Note, In general, shorter term loans have lower interest rates and lower overall costs. Thus, if you go with a longer term, e.g. 50 years over 30 years, then your interest could increase and you would pay more in total interest over the term of the loan.

Note: I used mortgage calculators from the internet to come up with these numbers. I used the Alcoa, TN zip code. I could be wrong.

Children are not safe in custody at the troubled Knox County juvenile detention center, the former interim superintendent of the facility told Knox News on Nov. 11, two days after he abruptly quit with no explanation.

Brian Bivens resigned, he said in a written statement, because county leaders have failed to live up to their promises to turn around the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center.
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In light of the County’s failure to make good on its commitment to these children and to this community, I could not, in good conscience, remain involved."

June, 2025: We need a leader who gives a damn, like Richard Bean has for almost 60 years

November 2023: State lawmakers demand answers after 'damning' report on Knox Co. juvenile facility's punishments

Veterans Day is a chance to reflect, remember, and show gratitude.

Veterans Day is an important day set aside to honor and show appreciation for ALL who have served in the United States military—in wartime or peacetime, living or deceased.

In 1954, this federal holiday was changed from “Armistice” to “Veterans” Day.

The Food and Drug Administration will remove the so-called black box warning from all hormone replacement products containing estrogen, Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, announced on Monday.
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In 2003, large government-run clinical trials concluded that hormone pills did not protect against heart disease or dementia, and in fact raised the risk of blood clots and breast cancer. Medical guidelines since then have told women to use hormones only sparingly for menopausal symptoms like hot flashes.
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Critics opposed to removing the warning, the strongest kind the F.D.A. issues, had urged Dr. Makary to convene a scientific advisory panel to carry out a careful assessment of the evidence before making any changes to the label.

“Removing the black box and putting warnings in a lengthy label that many doctors and most patients will not read is taking women’s health backward,” Diana Zuckerman, a scientist and president of the National Center for Health Research, said on Monday.

“The claim that hormones for menopause is the best way to improve the health of women is inconsistent with years of research and will harm millions of women,” Dr. Zuckerman said. “There are many better ways to reduce the chances of osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer and dementia than hormone therapy for menopause.”

Many of the articles I read do not mention those opposed to removing the warning nor do they mention the request to "convene a scientific advisory panel to carry out a careful assessment of the evidence before making any changes to the label."

How can we trust anything that comes out of this administration while the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA, CDC, NIH, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) is a conspiracy theorist that doesn't believe in vaccines?

Once again, "Republican senators floated a proposal toxic to Democrats: scrapping the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare." They want to replace Obamacare with no plan.

They are proposing ACA "subsidies to be replaced by health savings accounts."

Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, shared an alarmed response to Trump’s proposal from Larry Levitt, the executive vice-president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who wrote on social media: “You have to read between the lines here to imagine what President Trump is proposing. But, it sounds like it could be a plan for health accounts that could be used for insurance that doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, which could create a death spiral in ACA plans that do.”

“In other words, Donald Trump’s ‘concept of a plan’ for health care is another cynical attempt to repeal Obamacare,” Warren commented. “It’s the same failed Republican plan that’s been rejected by voters and Congress. We can lower costs and open the government TODAY by extending ACA tax credits.”

Beware. As I said before, we had trouble getting individual health insurance in Tennessee after moving here from Florida. No insurance company would sell us an individual policy. Luckily for us, we have a small business with two or more employees and were able to obtain health insurance through the business. "How many people in the State of Tennessee were unable to purchase individual health insurance until the passing of the Affordable Care Act? How many people were unable to get the healthcare they needed since they did not have health insurance? Do you have any idea of the pent up demand in Tennessee since individual health insurance policies were unavailable until recently? Do you really care? I don't think so."

Money in a health savings account does not guarantee you will get health insurance. Money in a health savings account will not cover the costs of major health issues. That's why you have insurance.

Nero is tuning his fiddle. Can you hear him?

America might be in a recession already. It’s impossible to tell officially, as the public officials who make those calls have been furloughed or fired.
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The American economy is cleaving into the have-nots and the have-yachts.

And what has Nero done about it? He’s building a Big, Beautiful Ballroom.

Who could have known Alabama allowed a political humorist in the state?

And, Alabama sending $300 to needy families, $5M to food banks as shutdown continues.

I'm behind on Tennessee government. What is Tennessee government doing to help SNAP recipients who are not receiving benefits?

No SNAP benefits or direct assistance for Tennesseans. The TN Gov has said he will take $5 million out of TennCare surplus to send to food banks.