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June 21, 2023
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HI Carl, the following link will lead to information regarding the event called the Dust Bowel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl. Even though the exact start date of the severe dust storms is impossible to determine form the Wikipedia article. I would disagree with your start date of 1931, seeing that drought was a major factor in its creation and the first of three waves of drought started in 1934,

Richardson is referring to government outlays as a percentage of GDP. The following link will lead to some information about it https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYONGDA188S. You are referring to national debt to GDP ratio which is not the same as government outlays to GDP ratio. Google “government outlays” to see the difference.

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Re: Rep. Elise, Orwell had an apt description of her kind:

“...she had without exception the most stupid, vulgar, empty mind that he had ever encountered. She had not a thought in her head that was not a slogan, and there was no imbecility, absolutely none that she was not capable of swallowing if the Party handed it out to her. 'The human sound-track' he nicknamed her in his own mind.” History repeats...again.

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As always, THANK YOU Ken. she is more and more off the rails...I just wish the democrats in the 21st district could find a viable candidate to challenge her...Oh well, we can only hope.

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And the economic hit if we send those millions of working people packing.

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Richardson's essays are an oasis in the sea of disinformation.

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If Elise wasn’t backing Former Guy maybe she could ask DeSantis how his state’s farmers feel about having immigrant labor demonized, threatened and driven out of the state. It’d be an awful thing if Fox is not a safe space for MAGA Republicans anymore. There’s always OANN and Bannon’s War Room, tho.

Thanks for the piece highlighting HCR’s writing. It brings to mind the old saw that Republicans claim that government doesn’t work and set out to prove it once elected.

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This is off topic, but I’ll share it because it’s topical. This is Kim Wehle’s lovely take on the Hunter Biden verdict from yesterday. It’ll be more than useful in warding off the stream of disinformation that’s sure to come from our deranged rep. Mangia!

https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/hunter-biden-rule-law-plea-bargain?r=9qpud&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

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Thanks for calling our attention to the work of Heather Cox Richardson. An excellent historical analysis.

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Her rhetoric is dangerous.

Her social media is disgraceful.

And of course no public forums where we can ask questions.

I no longer try to even talk to people who support those beliefs.

I think about the events of 1/6 and watching it unfold in real time. She denies it even took place.

I don't, and don't want to understand the mindset of her followers.

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Thank you, Ken, for highlighting the daily Substack “Letter from an American” by Heather Cox Richardson (free to read). I was referred to her column several years ago and read it faithfully every day. As you point out, one of her strengths is that she can relate current events to trends in past American history, which actually gives me a little hope that the country might survive the mess we’re in. The other strength I rely on is that she sources every single piece of information she writes about - if you are surprised or shocked or suspicious of something she writes, you can drop to the bottom of the column and link directly to the source where she got the information. This is invaluable to me.

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That’s a good question. But if they cut or change Social Security and Medicaid, it seems to me they will be hurting the poor. I read that it would affect Blacks a lot more because they make up more of the poor population.

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