How do we fix this mess?

[kentuck]

Bill Barr is long gone but the damage he did to our Justice Department is still being assessed.

The present Attorney General, Merrick Garland, stepped into an impossible situation. After the violent and seditious act of January 6th, his job became even more difficult.

Our nation is in an existential crisis, in my opinion. There are many sociological factors at play. For example, how do we define the new work force? How do we pay them? How do we manage the wealth created by our economy? How much should be applied to personal wealth and how much should be applied to social advancement? There are many issues.

But the issue at the forefront, in my opinion, is whether or not justice is applied equally in our society, rich or poor, black or white, powerful or powerless. This is the issue that haunts the nation at this time in our history, in my opinion.

Where should we begin to fix it? It is proper and appropriate that the FBI is arresting those that attacked our Capitol on January 6th, with no grievance other than that they were angry because their guy lost. Nothing else.

In my opinion, the Justice Department needs to charge someone other than the useful idiots that attacked our Capitol. They need to go after the leaders of the conspiracy. An indictment would send a strong message to those Americans that are skeptical that justice will ever be done? The message is more important than a conviction at this time, in my opinion.

Until the previous Administration is held accountable, there can be no healing for this country. The idea of justice is dying. The Justice Department should act now, without regard to political consequences. There are people that need to be indicted for various crimes, including sedition and incitement to insurrection. They will maintain the right to prove their innocence.

[aocommunalpunch]

1. The wealthy and connected protect each other.

It’s why they’re “friends and colleagues”.

[brooklynite]

32. So the Biden Justice Dept. is "protecting friends and colleagues"?

Have you told President Biden about this? I'm sure he'd like to know. Assuming you have evidence of course.

[gab13by13]

2. I'm telling you where I'd start;

MF45 left Nazis scattered throughout government, including within the intelligence and defense departments. The guy at the top of the Post Office etc. They all need to be weeded out. If they can't just be fired they need to find other ways to force them out of government.
These Nazis are not working for you and me. This DeJoy guy was put in charge of the Post Office for the sole purpose of making it fail, he needs to go.

We need dedicated people in government, people dedicated to fostering our democracy, not people who are dedicated to destroying our democracy.

President Biden needs to put someone in charge of weeding out these people.

As far as our DOJ goes, I am disappointed. It should have stopped the fraudit going on in Arizona, instead of just writing a stern letter. Now these Cyber Ninjas want to come to my state, Pa. because they were not held accountable in Arizona.

As far as I see it, not holding people accountable is a big problem. As far as I see it, unless action is going on behind the scenes, the top priority for president Biden should be getting S1 passed, getting rid of the filibuster, it's all that matters because without federal legislation protecting our elections our democracy is toast.

[kentuck]

3. I would agree.

They need to clean out the snake den.

And they need to understand that democracy is on the line, and pass S1 immediately. If the Democratic Senators cannot see the writing on the wall, then they should not expect Democratic support in their next election. Let them join their Republican comrades. Somebody needs to speak clearly to them.

[gab13by13]

4. Manchin and Sinema can't be used as a excuse to do nothing.

Break up S1, bring bills to the floor one after the other in the Senate. Bring up Bills that are popular no brainers, make election day a national holiday, etc. When Republicans keep voting down these bills one after another then go after Manchin and Sinema to kill the filibuster. Do something.

[kentuck]

5. "Do something."

Well said.

[global1]

9. NO!!! - You Are Falling Into The Trap Being Laid For Us......

The Repugs are setting us up. They want us to pull our support for the Dems in the next election. That's the only way that they ever take back power. They are trying to divide us as Dems.

Don't fall for it. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The Dems are all we got. We might not be completely happy with all of them - but they are the only show in town that can save our democracy.

We have to come out for them and give them all the support we can and more in order to maintain and improve our majority over the Repugs.

We need to put in place a homogeneous majority are all on the same page that can't be filibustered and that's the way you will beat them.

If we let our guard down in 2022 we'll never recover.

Please don't advocate not supporting the Dems. That's a recipe for disaster.

[kentuck]

10. We are not talking about "not supporting Dems"...

We are talking about Dems not supporting us.

[global1]

13. That's Not What You Said In Your #3 Post - Here's Your Quote.....

"If the Democratic Senators cannot see the writing on the wall, then they should not expect Democratic support in their next election. Let them join their Republican comrades. Somebody needs to speak clearly to them."

What am I misinterpreting here?

We - in fact - must support them now more than ever.

[Ferrets are Cool]

17. Supporting Democrats is not the same as supporting

the "same" Democrats who are not working for us. Of course, we are going to support Democrats, even if we have to hold our collective noses while doing it. That doesn't mean we can't do everything in our power to weed out the "bad" ones. JMO

[global1]

21. We Might Not Be Able To - As You Say - "....Weed Out The Bad Ones" - So....

we'll have to be able to add more 'good ones' around them - so the numbers are such that we could drown out their negative effects.

[kentuck]

24. These are not normal times.

Democracy is at stake. Voting rights are at stake. You support them or you do not. There is no try.

[brooklynite]

33. So, tell us: which are the "bad ones"?

nb: Sinema and Manchin aren't up in 2022, so let us know who you'll be targeting?

[Ferrets are Cool]

34. Where is my eye roll emoji

[AllaN01Bear]

6. id give all the former guys appointees a stern talking to. if they continue , fire.

have we got rid of dejoy yet. if the former guy can fire at whim, what about biden? git rid of all 45s judges on down in the federal system.

[lagomorph777]

15. Heee! "a stern talking to" Nope, fire or prosecute them, whichever can be done quicker.

They take their orders from TrumPutin; no amount of stern talk will have any effect.

[TigressDem]

7. Focusing on Economy VS Social Programs

I think we should have "new housing projects" made up of self-sustaining Tiny Homes and Tiny Apartments where there are onsite services like electric car rides to work and either greenhouse or storage container hydroponic farms that can be above or below ground.

The point would be to address homelessness and give low income people access to solar and wind power to drive costs of living down. As well as the greenhouse or hydroponic farms could help provide fresh fruit and veggies for residents. Could also be part of their "rent credit" as in 5+ hours a week working in the "garden" per rental unit with much of the plant care being automated, so much would be focused on harvesting and monitoring every system is working. Or they could be the drivers of the electric cars for rent credit.

And these projects could also include cottage industry work like modifying clothing to update used items to more current looks that could be sold or bartered onsite. Or building solar panels on site for upcoming projects in the area or local home owners.

So get people into inexpensive homes and reduce their cost of living, give them work to do close to home and the means to get to other jobs so that people can live on less than minimum wage and still have a better quality of life.

It's a little bit like using the poor to make progress on lowering carbon imprint, driving the costs of living down and sharing resources to make their life more independent and productive.

So instead of treating the poor horribly as "users" of the system, we make a system that let's them do something about their own problems without getting immediate backlash from the system. Currently if someone is trying to get "off the system" as soon as they make any progress their assistance is dropped an equal amount so that no progress actually is made.

Set up the system to actually get people into sustainable lifestyles that get them OUT of the Poverty Trap.

Tiny homes could be set up as mobile units that are "berthed" in the project location until the person or family has "purchased" the unit and can drive it away and park it elsewhere. Like RENT with Option to BUY homes, part of the rental income goes toward purchase and these homes are much less expensive, so it's an achievable goal.

[kentuck]

8. Great ideas!

[TigressDem]

35. Thanks.

I wish I could find a way to have the conversations. I started then stopped here in Minneapolis.

I have one person I could talk to, she's a mixed bag. Little bit of a tRumper, but mostly a nice person.

Take one for the team, I guess.

[JudyM]

11. Good ideas. I'd vote for you in a heartbeat.

Part of it is also getting people to think differently, and your ideas would help reframe things.

[TigressDem]

36. Thanks. But I am the kind to be dragged kicking and screaming into politics.

As much as I am not doing what I need to be doing to get this going, I don't have ANY patience for how politics slows down the ability to get anything done. I've been on enough committees for non-profits to see some of that.

I am much better at boots on the ground and hopefully can get this idea out there. I have tried, but it's been frustrating.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

16. Terrific stuff!

Sounds like a great plan.

[TigressDem]

37. You guys are really lighting a fire under me about this.

I am about halfway poised to set up a non-profit and see (again) if I can get anyone to listen.

Your moniker makes me smile - IrishAfricanAmerican.

I met a guy named Seamus from Spain who was Irish and Spanish and I thought that was an interesting combo.

He was quite a character. Got so fed up with Jehovah Witnesses coming to try and convert their family he says he opened the door Naked and asked if they were here for the orgy..... Not sure if it was just a story or not.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

38. 😂

[inwiththenew]

12. There is absolutely going to be another Jan. 6 type event if no one higher up is arrested

The people who fomented it are not only still free but are portraying those involved as martyrs and political prisoners. I don't think it will be on the Capital again but there is going to be another similar type uprising in the future if nothing is done to stop the message that is being sent.

But to answer the question of how you fix this, I don't know that you can. How do fix the problem that a significant portion of one of the two major parties in this country has abandoned democracy? For this system to work you need everyone to believe in it, not just 60-70%.

Imagine if 30-40% of people decide to stop following the law and committed crimes everyday. It would be absolute chaos. We don't have the police or courts or the prisons to handle it. This is what is now happening, albeit in less immediately noticeable terms, with the Republicans outright assault on democracy.

[lagomorph777]

14. It's not a matter of opinion that the leaders/coup plotters/funders need to be jailed.

If we fail to do that, the American Experiment is over. Do or die.

[Mr. Ected]

18. 1. Most of the GOP electorate gets its "news" from an "entertainment" network

2. As such, wild and provocative topics are presented as fact and the right wing hang on every word of it.

3. Their media is the perpetual driver for all liberal hate and distrust.

4. Unless and until every major news outlet is required to provide authentication for their legitimacy, or to segregate news programs from opinion pieces, the public will continue to believe outlandish, unsubstantiated bullshit and the likes of DJT will continue to milk it.

5. The result will be a USA that looks more like Soviet Russia than amber waves of grain.

[jaxexpat]

19. Hey old man. You've noticed how high profile litigations ....

Devolve into circus wherein either the bad guy gets a slap on the wrist or goes free or puts up such a confusion that people lose interest and at least faith that the system is even capable of justice. Is that simply because it's all theater and we the perpetual audience? Has the justice system turned into a perpetual impeachment proceedings? And of course there seems to be too much instant justice dispensed by amateur Earp wannabes.

[Hotler]

20. Nothing is going to get solved until Joe Biden get as pissed off as we are.

He still wants to play nice, reach across the isle and keeps thinking they are still his friends.

[notinkansas]

25. He does express a desire for bipartisanship, but

the mistakes of the Obama years can't be ignored. He knows from experience that there isn't enough bipartisanship on the other side to make a difference. Given that, wasting time waiting for the other side to come around is a particularly bad plan. Hopefully he will act accordingly sooner rather than later.

[bucolic_frolic]

22. Privileged hierarchies use control for law and order and capitalist incentive

The world has no precedent for an orderly society with diminishing exploitation that devolves responsibility and financial rewards to individuals, for egalitarianism in other words. That's what has so freaked the privileged classes. We are headed to a world that strips political privilege and its ability to capture financial flows to one that rewards intellectual property, be it home-gig/worker ingenuity or corporate manufacture that we all rely on. Financial markets and educated millennials will be the most rewarded, and those are blue state populations for the most part. Freaked, I tell ya. They are freaked out.

[Firestorm49]

23. One would think that by this time in our evolution

we would be beyond the primitive caveman like thinking that permeates our society. But obviously, I am naive. Too bad. Mankind is showing its weakest traits.

[Kablooie]

26. I'm hearing from legal experts that there's not likely to be more accountability

The case against Weisselberg is as far as it will go unless he flips and that's unlikely.
The penalty for him and the Trump org is not very severe.
If NY had more on him they would have used it.

It's crazy but there is just not enough evidence against Trump that he can't wriggle out of.

[usaf-vet]

27. We are in a real mess. And all the ideas I can come up with I think might get me arrested.

I'm glad we have one party that hasn't lost its collective mind. And is working to turn around the mess TFG has made.

[Snackshack]

28. You start with...

The core principles. This is a nation of laws. AG Garland needs to put recourses into investigating the different events that have taken place over the last 5yrs and start charging people who broke those laws no matter who they are. President Biden and AG Garland are going to make a huge mistake if they stick to this altruistic notion of protecting the office of the president and give DT a pass. If he did break any laws while president he must be charged and held accountable if he isn’t it leaves the door wide open for the next guy to come in and do even worse then DT who admitted to lying about how deadly a virus was and allowed 600,000-1,000,000 Americans to die.

[Amishman]

29. Accept that dramatic change isn't going to happen, work incrementally

Prosecution of 1/6 offenders is ongoing, and we won't get them all. It still looks like more than enough will be convicted to send the message needed on that front.

Focus on corruption, and realize the majority of Trump's inner circle won't end up in prison. Some will, and let that be enough.

Focus on non-controversial reforms and allow for a few comprises. National voter ID is OK if the accompanying reforms stops the purging of voter records.

Biden's focus on the infrastructure bill is perfect, and be willing to accept compromise and incremental implementation there too.

The Senate is 50/50, we hold the house by a razor slim nine seats. We don't have enough weight to throw around to rock the boat.

If tomorrow is even the tiniest bit better than today, we are still making progress.

We are not the majority. We are a fairly narrow plurality. Joe got 81 million votes but there are 214 million voters. Yes, there are a few million more of us than them, but there's tens of millions of voters who are neither.

[kentuck]

31. You are probably correct that the majority of the criminals will not end up in prison.

But we cannot accept that at face value. We must try to hold people accountable that flaunt and break the laws. If we simply give up, we lose.

[Initech]

30. Trump may be gone, but Trumpism is alive and well.

And it lives through his minions like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Josh Hawley and Ron DeSantis. And if any of those advanced their positions of power (most of which they shouldn't have had to begin with)...