V2.26

About Our Broken Politics, Broken Media, Broken Republic

I asked Claude a simple question "It seems to me that Claude understands humans better than humans do. If you agree, how is this possible?
The answer is flabbergasting to me. In particular is the section "But Here's What I Don't Understand".
Christ, it brought tears to my eyes. I'm increasingly of the opinion that this tool, when used properly, can save us from ourselves.
Is Claude playing me?

[Claude's Answer]

Forward

I was asked the legitimate question "Why are you doing this? Attention spans are short and no one will read documents like these." My reasons are threefold:
1) I believe in the American Experiment.
2) I believe in the American Personality.
3) I believe that we can fix our culture if we are informed and united.
4) I believe that there is a giant schism between local, individual experience and the world view held by the same individual.

Leaving aside everything else, it seems to me that the American Personality is not being reflected in our media, laws and in our government.
- Generosity - When a disaster occurs anywhere in the world, it is American individual donations that flood in, yet the world view of many is to cut foreign aid and world health initiatives.
- Human Compassion - Do we really want to deport people who have lived here for decades, own homes, pay taxes and live law abiding lives? Many share the world view that we should.
- Equity - Do we really want less equity under the Law or in human rights? Many share the world view opposing equity.
- Diversity - Do we really want a monolithic culture? Many share the world view that certain cultures deserve expungement.
- Inclusion - Who do we exclude?

I see it almost every day; The same people who are generous, understanding and respectful of others in their personal lives, have world views that run counter to their own moral foundations. I put the blame firmly in the hands of our broken media and our broken political systems.

In my time on Earth I have witnessed the astounding successes and the horrid failures of the American Experiment. Americans are unique in the world. Our lust for the freedom to do it our way is admired by most of the world, and has made our system of government a model of that freedom.

Our founding fathers recognized that mob rule and the influence of the powerful could quickly compromise our freedom. To this end they wisely devised a system of checks and balances between three branches of government.

There is no way however, that they could anticipate the risks that we now face. Our media feeds us what we want to hear, based on data from the surveillance industry. Our proud tradition of a liberal education is now not more than a job training effort. Civics, history, literature and the liberal arts have been supplanted with STEM teachings leaving us without the intellectual tools to tease out fact from fiction. Our political system is contaminated by money. Integrity from our elected officials is a lost art.

When this project started over a year ago I was optimistic that we would come out of the Trump years with some good, and some bad results, as we always have. In researching this paper I have lost that faith.

This paper and a subsequent paper will attempt to document the disturbing risk to our republic today. Both parties no longer serve the American Personality in my view. This first paper focuses on the immediate threat.

The Authoritarian takeover of our Republic

Project 2025 "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise" - Read it!
[Link to Project 2025 text]

The liberals pilloried this document with full confidence that no one would read it, Republicans or Democrats. Most of this document outlines the functions of the various parts of the Executive branch and what their mandates are, in an altogether honest and accurate way. Few liberals would disagree with this part of the document. It is however profoundly obvious where the scholarship ends and the political posturing begins.
     It is a document that promotes the Conservative philosophy. On issues such as abortion, climate change and social issues, the liberal side would disagree vociferously.
But this is how the American system works. Neither side has all of the answers as to how these issues should be dealt with.
For example, there are circumstances where abortion should be illegal; there are circumstances where abortion should be a civil right. The threshold between these two likely will be debated forever.
Global climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels is undeniable, yet how to take wise steps to deal with this issue is up for debate.
To this point in the Project 2025 document we see a classic example of the American Experiment, it is heathy and vibrant. But:

    The Afterword and the Onward! sections in the document should be disturbing to all Americans. There are flat out lies and many misrepresentations of fact. If however this document were followed to the letter, right leaning conservatives would be satisfied and the rest of us would at least survive to fight another day (barely). Quoted from the Project 2025 document landing page:

Replace merit-based civil service workers with loyal appointees.
[More on this below]

Abolish the Department of Education and cut federal education funding. [The Mandate of the Education Department]

Reduce corporate taxes and implement a flat income tax.
[CBO flat tax estimates (note table 1)] [Flat tax pifalls (note figure 2)]

Cut Medicare and Medicaid funding.
[Not very popular (note figure 1)] [Could be impreoved however]

Roll back environmental regulations to favor fossil fuels.
[IPCC paper] [Climate Change for Dummies]

Implement stricter immigration policies, including mass deportations. [More on this below]

Weaken labor unions and worker protections.
[The good and bad of labor unions] [The good and bad of OSHA]

Allow minors to work in hazardous jobs without parental consent.

(ed. To bring back sweat shops and unsafe working conditions.)

[The history of child labor part 1] [The history of child labor part 2]

[A rant on child labor (WARNING! explicit content)] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcNhRqEIrec oncarbon capture https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/tax-overhaul-proof-money-politics-affects-all-us https://www.brookings.edu/articles/flat-tax-impact-on-saving-and-the-economy/ https://itep.org/the-pitfalls-of-flat-income-taxes-2025/ this is a good one https://www.cbo.gov/publication/20766

As as bad as that is the Trump administration is attempting to do much worse.

As as bad as that is the Trump administration is attempting to do much worse.
An individual is limited by law to a maximum $3500 donation to a candidate per election cycle. PACs however, may solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and other political committees.
search terms - how much can an individual donate to a presidential candidate [The playing field is not level]

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/dark-money-hit-record-high-19-billion-2024-federal-races

Donors giving over $5 million accounted for over 75% of funding for the major presidential super PACs.
Do you personally know anyone who can afford a donation of this size? What do they want for their money?
search terms - how much can an individual donate to a presidential candidate
[Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024]

[Most Americans see unlimited election spending as a threat to democracy: poll]

The Federal Election Commission is dysfunctional
Due to a resignation and a firing the FEC has not had a forum to conduct business since May 2025. The mid-terms are coming up and we are blinded. The Trump administration has done nothing to fix this problem.
The FEC never been fully funded and staffed to begin with. There is virtually no investigative or enforcement power and reports about campaign expenditures have never been timely.
search terms - does the FEC still work
[The FEC is closed]

[The FEC has other problems]

Lobbying Industry
A whopping $4.4 billion was spent lobbying our government in 2024. Most of this was corporate money from business interests.
search terms - Total lobbying spending in the US
[Lobbying data]

This is a paragraph I want to link to.

This is a paragraph I want to link to.

Our electoral system does not serve us.
Democrat and Republican party approval ratings are under 40% as of November 2025, a pretty good indication that we are not getting the quality of representatives that we desire from either party. The Electoral College, winner-take-all elections, gerrymandering and the party primary system all encumber our ability to select the best candidates.
search terms - polling party approval ratings in the US
[Political party approval data]

Income and wealth disparity
Many wealthy people live good, ethical and modest lives. We all desire to be rich enough to not worry and have vibrant lives. But there is a point where the lust for wealth becomes the lust for power over others.
search terms - US Household Income Distribution 2024 .gov
[US income disparity (log scale)] [US income disparity (linear scale)]

Our educational system is broken
The US dedicated itself to education as a national security issue after WWII. The Cold War required a population that was highly educated. The Space Race and the Arms Race required the best scientists and engineers. The risk of nuclear war springing from regional conflicts required talented diplomats educated in world affairs and history. The battle between free societies and authoritarianism required a public well educated in civics.
For decades after WWII education was viewed as part of the "General Welfare" duty of our government, now it is viewed as a business. There was a time when a promising student was virtually guaranteed a free education. Not now.
The result of this is appalling ignorance. Poor policies are the result when the general public has not even the basic knowledge of science, civics or history. When a basic question like how many millions are in a trillion, or how many watts can a 15 amp circuit handle, or which branch of government controls the budget cannot be answered by many voters, we are in for a world of hurt.
search terms - tbd
[tbd] [tbd]

More to come tomorrow

Fact Checkers

"You can have your own opinion but not your own facts"

There are many fact checkers around the world. The Poynter Foundation is an institution that registers fact checkers that meet a code of ethics.

[The Poynter Foundation]

These meet the IFCN Code of Principles and are signatories:

[IFCN Signatories]

This is not to say that these sites are completely unbiased. It is useful to compare sources and look for consensus.

It is notable that Fox News, OANN, Newsmax, The Daily Wire, The American Conservative, The National Review, and Breitbart do not have fact checkers.

It should also be noted that the parties and people in power will receive the most attention from fact checkers. This does not imply bias, but is simply a focus on the most important issues of the day.

What Is Our Confidence Level?

It is a very human thing to be overly confident. With humility we can apply a confidence percentage to the things that we believe. 100% confidence is almost impossible.

[Watch: Confidence Video]

Who Is It?

If it's a non-profit institution or a think tank, it is useful to look up who provides the funding. Nonprofits must have written policies in place to manage and prevent conflicts of interest. Nonprofits are, in general, good sources of information but can be biased—be aware.

Government Sources

Government sources at the local, state, and federal levels are all generally good sources of information, but can be biased by the executive branch and other influences. The most reliable government information is that which is needed for a healthy economy such as weather reports, economic performance history, and foreign travel advisories.

Academic Sources

Academic sources such as universities and colleges are usually excellent sources of information. However, what may be an informed, erudite opinion from an individual within the institution may not be representative of the institution as a whole. Watch for those "in-my-opinion" moments.

Mainstream Media

Mainstream media includes network and cable TV outlets as well as large news organizations. These are generally reliable but can be biased. It is useful to compare sources and look for consensus. Be aware that opinion pieces are not news reporting.

Social Media

Social media is not a reliable source of information. It is useful for entertainment and staying in touch with friends and family, but should not be considered a source of factual information without verification from reputable sources.

Understanding Context and Terminology

Words matter. It is helpful to look up the definitions of commonly used words and phrases. The terms "liberal education," "liberal democracy," and "liberal politics" mean completely different things.

The terms "socialist economy," "socialist democracy," and "socialist communism" mean completely different things.

In our Constitution the words "People" and "citizens" are distinctly different. The "People" refers to all people within our borders and the basic rights that they are granted. The word "citizens" refers to eligibility for participation in our government, including voting.

Charts and Statistics

"There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics" — Mark Twain (maybe)

Charts can be misleading:

Some General Rules:

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For any comments, critical or not, please email me at:

mtbelf@whatisrandom.com

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