Prioritize joy. Dictators want you to feel afraid.

Max Burns, a Daily Kos contributor, discussed the huge amount of government (as in our) money the nasty guy is throwing at AI companies. He is also working to ease AI regulation.

There’s just one problem: A new report from MIT found that over 95% of AI companies fail without providing a dime of return to investors or the public. That report drove a massive AI stock sell-off this week, and tech guru Erik Gordon predicts investors’ financial pain is just beginning.

That financial pain might include your pension plan. AI stocks surged over the summer, mostly because of all this government money. But the bubble seems about the burst. In the meantime AI CEOs are rewarding themselves lavish pay increases and bonuses. Why not skim off this taxpayer money while it flows freely? The nasty guy’s interest isn’t so much in the technology, but in bringing all these rich dudes into his sphere of influence. The rich dudes want easing of regulations so they can build their huge resource devouring data centers wherever they want, damn the environmental consequences. Though AI is much in the news and lots of people have tried it (sometimes to comical results) it is still speculative and unproven. If (when) the smaller companies fail, that could trigger a cascade of tech bankruptcies. Only the companies the nasty guy is throwing money at seem immune. The rich tech bros will be fine. The losers will be those whose pension fund took a big hit, those who aren’t already at least millionaires. Amanda Becker, in an article for The 19th posted on Kos, wrote about the Free DC movement founded by four women. It is the latest chapter in the generations-long fight to allow the district to govern itself and have representation in Congress. Alas, both parties have blocked that effort. Becker discusses that history. Free DC, the latest effort, is of course in response to the nasty guy posting troops in the city. It is a people-led campaign. They have working groups and hold events open to the public. They have constituency groups for college students, parents, and government workers. They have 38,000 followers, above the 25,000 that represent the 3.5% that researchers say are needed to overcome a dictator. All this in response to “overpolicing and autocracy.” Three principles are effective in taking on autocrats: show solidarity, take up space, and prioritize joy. The last one is important because a dictator’s biggest weapon is to make the people feel afraid. Thom Hartmann, an independent radio pundit and member of the Kos community, has run a contest for the entire 22 years of his radio program. His prize is an autographed book.

Name even one single piece of legislation from the past 40+ years (since Reagan) that was: — authored by Republicans, — principally co-sponsored by Republicans, — passed Congress with a Republican majority, — signed by a Republican president, — and benefited average working people or the poor more than it did the GOP’s donor class.

Nobody has collected the prize.

They run for public office because it can make them rich, introduce them to people who’ll help them get richer, and might even improve their sex life.

They get into office “because they’ve convinced enough people that wrecking the plane is the same thing as piloting it.” This explains: Letting America be the only country where the leading cause of childhood deaths is bullets so they can take billions from the gun industry. Killing off government programs to pay for tax gifts to billionaires. Supporting monopolies that rip off customers. Refusing to fix health insurance or student debt. Deregulating polluters when we’re being hit with climate change. Causing millions of unnecessary deaths while insurance and medical executive become billionaires. Gutting unions. Destroying public schools. Ending free or low-cost college because bankers make big profits from student debt. They don’t hate Social Security and Medicare because they are “socialist,” but because they are paid with tax dollars and Republicans and their billionaires hate paying their share of taxes. They don’t do these things just because of racism, though they are racist and their racist language brings them voters.

The reason Republicans work so hard to keep Black and brown people down is because they subscribe to a weird economic theory that “requires” an underclass who do most of the hard work for very little money. Thus, morbidly rich Republican “donors” — being part of the overclass — can reap the benefits of increased corporate profits while keeping their taxes low so they can stuff the extra cash into their money bins.

It isn’t about conservatism, which used to mean “cautiously” improving society. Now the only thing they conserve is their bank accounts. Their only interest in the culture wars is that it brings in more voters. Their only interest in guns is it brings in “male voters who are insecure about their own masculinity.” They say queer people are “coming for your kids” because that brings in voters. But see the leading cause of childhood death above. They don’t care about immigrants stealing jobs from Americans. Their backers like having workers they can underpay. Even though there is a law against hiring undocumented workers, the white owners never go to jail.

All Republican politicians care about is money. Greed is their principle animating force, and is what binds them to their morbidly rich donors.

I have a slightly different take on this. Yes, the accumulation of money is a driving force for Republicans. It is also about and may be more about the power (which Hartmann mentions), prestige, and a high place in the social hierarchy that money can deliver. When someone strives for a high place in the hierarchy they emphasize their lofty position by oppressing those below them. And all those policies that Hartmann says put money in Republican hands also oppress those low in the hierarchy. In today’s pundit roundup for Kos Greg Dworkin has quotes about Robert Kennedy Jr and his degradation of the national health, gun culture, and the latest power grab by the nasty guy. And this tweet by Annie For Truth:

When Trump says, “I know nothing about it.” He knows everything about it. When Trump says, “I know everything about it.” He knows nothing about it.

In the comments there are several memes and cartoons about the mass shooting in Minneapolis. Jesse Duquette posted a cartoon of a boy talking to a man with a briefcase. The man could be a politician or an investor of or executive at a gun manufacturer. The boy says, “If third graders can get used to the constant threat of murder, so can you.” Tina Smith tweeted:

“Do not offer thoughts and prayers as you systemically enable such tragedies. Do not claim prayers are sufficient when children die as they pray. Do not pretend you do not understand.” — Lydia, 16, Minneapolis

Other commenters wish Democrats were as direct. I also saw a Bible verse that is appropriate:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Matthew 6:5

Several days ago the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain announced a change to its logo. The new design did away with the old man sitting beside a barrel. The outrage was so strong the company changed it back. In response to the shooting paulpro posted a meme that says, “I need Cracker Barrel logo change level outrage about school shootings.” Laugh About It cartoons posted one it knows is not funny. It shows the White House and says a strategy session is in progress. A voice says, “Another mass shooting? Great! That’s today’s distraction from Epstein.”