Cosmic Aspirations

Skeptical, generally respectful, not trying to be important

[POLITICO @politico]

As results continue to come in in Michigan’s hotly contested Senate race, a class divide is emerging.

El-Sayed is performing best in places with higher incomes and education levels — while Stevens is doing better in more working-class areas. https://t.co/9aAP0lQnD3

[Handre @Handre]

Between 1837 and 1863, the United States ran no central bank, and prices barely moved. This is no coincidence.

After Andrew Jackson killed the Second Bank of the United States in 1836, America entered what historians call the Free Banking Era. Banks operated under state charters, competed with each other, and issued their own paper notes backed by gold and silver. No Federal Reserve. No lender of last resort handing out cheap money to well-connected institutions.

The result? Average annual inflation sat somewhere around zero. Some years actually saw mild deflation, meaning your dollar bought more over time. Imagine telling that to someone who watched their grocery bill climb 20% between 2020 and 2023.

Free market thinkers have pointed to this period for decades because it demonstrates a fundamental mechanism: competition keeps banks honest. If a bank in Ohio issued more paper notes than its gold reserves could support, people caught on fast and demanded redemption. The bank either held enough gold or it failed. There was no bailout waiting.

Yes, banks did fail sometimes. Free banking critics love bringing that up. But bank failures in a competitive system are exactly how bad actors get flushed out. Depositors learned to check a bank's reputation. Publications like the *Bank Note Reporter* gave people real information on which institutions were solid.

The system wasn't perfect, but it produced something modern central banking has never once delivered: sustained price stability without a government committee deciding what money should cost. The Fed has existed since 1913, and the dollar has lost over 97% of its purchasing power since then.

[Rothmus 🏴 @Rothmus]

Another illuminating example of the moral authority American higher education now elevates.

Angela Davis bought the guns used to murder Judge Harold Haley in the 1970 Marin County courthouse takeover.
She fled, made the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and later ran for VP on the Communist Party ticket. Twice.

And her reward in this little depraved society of ours is academic awards and commencement speeches to “inspire” the next generation.

[The Real Mike Rowe @mikeroweworks]

Not the way I planned on spending my afternoon, but 7,600 comments should not be ignored! Bots, trolls and personal attacks notwithstanding, the critics of yesterday’s post were dominated by a large and vocal contingent who rushed to remind me that there’s “a difference between socialism and communism,” an obvious indication that they didn’t actually read the post.

Shelley Armour writes… “Mike! You know there is a difference between democratic socialism and communism, right?”

Hi, Shelley. Yes, I know there’s a difference, and I understand what the difference is. The larger point, and the fundamental flaw with your comment, is that you seem to believe the candidates within the Democratic Socialist Party are both “democratic and socialist" simply because that’s the name of their club. Well, maybe some of them are. I really couldn’t say. What I can tell you for sure is that more than a few have called for the complete dismantling of capitalism, free markets, representative government, property rights, borders, police, prisons, and the Constitution in general. My post referred to them, as well as a number of elected Democrats who have agreed to campaign on their behalf – including Gavin Newsom, who said, "The Democratic Party must accept the DSA in order to take back the Congress.” His words, not mine.

Tracey Steele writes…“Wow! I cannot believe Mike Rowe said this. He has a huge reach, and he is actually spouting the word “communism” like it’s the 1950s! Wow Wow Wow!”

Wow indeed, Tracey, and thanks for noticing the size of my reach! (Contrary to popular belief, size does matter!) To say it again, I am not the one “spouting” communism or conflating socialists and communists. The word is being “spouted” by members of the DSA who are using it to describe themselves. I am not accusing them; I am quoting them.

John Engles… Hey Rowe, what’s the difference between the Communists who want to run the country and the Nazi/fascist who currently is?

Several differences, John, but the only one relevant to this conversation is the fact that the communists currently running for office have clearly identified themselves as such. They do not dispute or reject the label. They embrace it. It is who they are, who they claim to be, and who they want to be. The president, on the other hand, has never claimed to be a Nazi or a fascist. That doesn’t mean he isn't, but it is worth noting he has rejected the accusation outright. Obviously, you are entitled to that opinion and the right to share it publicly, thanks to our Constitution. Unlike in a fascist, Nazi, or communist regime. (Also worth noting, Nazis and fascists are not the same thing.)

Chris Tomaloff writes… “Kinda like how the political right didn’t shout down the extreme rhetoric coming from their candidates?”

No, Chris, not like that at all. In the video I shared, we saw examples of prominent Democrats saying things like, “We need to elect more communists!” (Cea Weaver, Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office.) Mamdani himself literally tweeted, "Each according to their need, each according to their ability." That’s a direct quote from the Communist Manifesto.

But what exactly is the corollary from the right? Are prominent Republicans tweeting, “We need to elect more Nazis! We need to elect more fascists! Eat the poor!” I don’t think so. John Engles may think Trump is fascist and a Nazi, but Trump disagrees, and so do a majority of voters. Communists, on the other hand, say it loud and say it proud. I’m inclined to take them at their word.

Beto Ojeda… “Mike has always leaned to the Trumpian view of things but never states it, so as not to alienate anyone, but we know how to read between the lines. This “communist” talk is McCarthyism 2.0.”

I wasn’t around in the 1950s, Beto, but from what I’ve read, it was indeed a very difficult time to be a communist in this country. Lots of private citizens were dragged before Congress, made to take “loyalty oaths," and blacklisted in their places of work. I can’t justify it or condone it, but I can explain it. We had just fought a hot war against fascism and Nazism and just begun a Cold War against a communist regime. The existence of an organized Communist Party in this country at such a time strained the limits of tolerance. But do you really think we’re less tolerant today than we were seventy-five years ago? Do you really believe my comments about communists who claim to be communists are synonymous with another Red Scare? If you haven’t noticed, Chris, no one in the DSA, including the communists, is being dragged before Congress and made to swear a loyalty oath to the Constitution. Today, a communist in America can run for office…with the endorsement of the governor of California! And the tacit approval of a major political party! Seems to me we’re about as far from McCarthyism as we can get.

As for my desire not to alienate anyone, I suppose I am guilty of that. I run a foundation that is open to people of all political beliefs, and we’ve assisted lots of Americans who lean to the left. I also know for a fact that many Democrats have supported mikeroweWORKS historically, and I have no desire to run them off. But do you really have to “read between the lines” to understand where I’m coming from?

True, I’ve never endorsed a candidate or publicly encouraged people to vote. But I’ve been very transparent about the fact that I’m a registered Independent who favors policies and programs that often align with conservative principles. Obviously, I would not characterize those conservative principles as “Trumpian,” because a) they were around long before him, b) Trump is not a conservative, and c) I do not agree with or support everything the President says and does. So, is it possible, Beto, that your accusation is rooted in the fact that I have never publicly denounced the president to your satisfaction? Is it possible you think I'm a Trumper, simply because I've never called him a fascist, or a Nazi, or a liar, or a conman, or a traitor, or whatever else you believe him to be?

Gretchen Seipp… Mike, the fact that you still act as though you’re not political after all this time is a bit ridiculous. I still support your work and foundation because I believe in it, but the folksy act has worn thin.

Aw, shucks, Gretchen. Folksy? Lil' ole me?
Honestly, how am I acting as if I am “not political?” This entire conversation is the very definition of “political.”

Christopher Pugh… I would have voted for Mike Rowe and Freddie a few years ago before he went full-on MAGA, and I’m all in favor of his project, but it’s pretty clear the political direction that he’s moved in and the money trail that has influenced it.

It’s Freddy, not Freddie. (I don’t much care, but he’s a terrier and particular about such things.) As for the “full-on MAGA” moniker, is there something I did specifically to earn that designation? Is there some kind of general definition you can share? Or, are you coming from the same place as Beto? Is calling me “Full-On MAGA" your way of saying that I’ve failed to condemn Trump to your satisfaction?

For the record, MRW is supported by liberals and conservatives alike. I have no idea what “money trail” you are referring to. Also, regarding my personal politics, think about the implications of what I wrote. I said that the Democrats have been given a gift – an opportunity to appear reasonable by speaking the truth to their own party, just as Bill Maher has done. All they have to do is distance themselves from candidates who have called for the complete dismantlement of our Constitution. All they have to do is say, “Hold on, comrade. Our tent is not that big. We respect your right to hate America, but we don’t want you in our party, and we will not support your candidacy.”

If they say that, I think a lot of Independents would see them as they see John Fetterman, who has, in the eyes of many voters, become the most “rational” Democrat currently in office. If they don’t – if they actually welcome communist candidates into their party – then I’m afraid the Democrats, by default, will offer the American people a very simple choice in November – a party that disavows communism vs. a party that doesn’t. I think such a choice would be very positive for Republicans because I don’t think most Americans want to align themselves with a Democratic Party that welcomes communists. The question for you, Chris, is why would a “Full-On MAGA” like me encourage Democrats to act in a way that would disadvantage the Republican Party? And the answer is simple – it’s because I support the existence of a Democratic Party that believes America is still a fundamentally good place.

I think there’s a lot of room for improvement in our country, and I believe the best way to realize those improvements is for Democrats and Republicans to have continuous, robust and public debate about all the issues. But if one of those parties is affirmatively determined to transform our democratic republic into a communist state, then we’re no longer debating the various ways to make our country better; we’re debating the merits of destroying it. And really, what’s the point of tolerating that?

America is already a big tent, filled with hundreds of millions of people with wildly differing views and lots of political parties that represent those views. We’ve got the Green Party, the American Freedom Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Constitution Party, and of course, the Communist Party USA, as well as the Democratic Socialist Party. America’s tent is so big, we can even tolerate fringe parties like the KKK, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and so forth. Why then, does Gavin Newsom want to make room in the Democratic tent for socialists and communists? There’s only one reason, and he’s already spelled it out for us – he believes the Democrats need them to win back the Congress. I think it’s a bad bet for the Democrats and for America. And if a prominent Republican reached out to the KKK with the same “big tent” offer, you’d better believe my vote would be in play.

Michael Tillman… When are you going to throw your hat into the ring, Mr. Rowe?

Ha! When it no longer fits my head!

[Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal]

🇩🇪 1,051 German lawyers just signed a letter to ban a party millions of Germans keep voting for.

Judges, prosecutors and legal experts all say the AfD is unconstitutional and want the courts to shut it down before it climbs any higher in the polls.

The timing gives it away. The AfD is now one of the strongest parties in the country, so the move is to remove it by ruling instead of by vote.

And here's the catch. Under German law, regular citizens get no say in this. Only the government, the Bundestag or the Bundesrat can ask the Constitutional Court to kill off a party.

So a leading opposition party could be banned by the exact establishment it's beating.

Whatever you think of the AfD, that part should worry everyone.

Source: Spiegel. de / Writer: Daniyal

[Aperture Geopolitics @AperatureFinTek]

@ProudSocialist Who put 800 million people into poverty in the first place?

Only after adopting capitalist reforms did the poverty begin to alleviate in China.

[Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes]

Nick Shirley interviews illegal migrants in Ceuta, Spain

They say that in Morocco, there is no schools they can attend and no food or money

This is very interesting because America gives Morocco $75 Milllion+ PER YEAR in financial aid…. Where does the money go??

Money given to Morocco by America

2024 $76 million
2025 $38 million
2023 $48 million
2022: $75 million

In the last 10 years over $1.5 billion has been given in aid from our tax money

[Cosmic Aspirations @CosmicAsp]

@oliviakatbi @DemSocialists Inspired to do what? Destroy a nation?

[Mrgunsngear @Mrgunsngear]

Convicted murderer David Simpson, is let out of jail and within 90 minutes he shot a person. You didn't misread that. WITHIN 90 MINUTES.

Our legal system has fallen.

Arm yourselves accordingly...

#CityLife #Charlotte #crime #decay #FailedState #3rdWorld #WTF #NC #urban #democrats

[National Association for Gun Rights @gunrights]

Exactly right.

The CDC's own data shows the "children dying from gun violence" issue is built on manipulated statistics. Even where the claim is true, it is overwhelmingly concentrated within a single demographic and in very specific areas.

It's intercity gangs killing each other. A very direct and solvable problem.

[Wilfred Reilly @wil_da_beast630]

Absolutely hilarious.

It turns out that the org. polls on this, and 2-4% of members in any recent year have held ANY blue-collar job.

[Palmer Luckey @PalmerLuckey]

@ZacksJerryRig Rifles, of all kinds, account for less than 3% of shootings.

People advocate for banning rifles because there is huge money behind that political objective, not because it actually saves kids. Also, the majority of the "kids" are 17, 18, and 19 year old men using illegal guns.

[Peter St Onge, Ph.D. @profstonge]

"Climate change" boils down to exporting your entire industrial base to Asia, where the emissions don't count.

NGO's get billions to promote the imaginary crisis. Blue-collars get unemployment.

[Cosmic Aspirations @CosmicAsp]

@ColoradoOhio This country will be lost because conservatives have their heads up their asses

[Cosmic Aspirations @CosmicAsp]

@mcsquared34 Sorry. You have no idea what the American dream is. You're living in a fantasy camp

[Rothmus 🏴 @Rothmus]

Every intellectual who invents excuses for mass murder eventually learns the commie regime has no permanent use for useful idiots.

Take Malcolm Caldwell, who spent the 1970s as a University of London Marxist dismissing every report of Khmer Rouge mass murder as Western propaganda and calling their peasant revolution “valid and valuable.”

In December 1978, the regime invited him in as one of the few Westerners allowed since they took power. He left the meeting with Pol Pot euphoric. Hours later, he was shot inside the Phnom Penh guesthouse.

They never said why.

[Cosmic Aspirations @CosmicAsp]

@noeticgas @mcsquared34 Not in the NE. it's a hot humid sticky mess, akin to walking through warm broth every day. 85° and 78% humidity think about it

[Cosmic Aspirations @CosmicAsp]

@DPowers1950s @mtaibbi Lol the person who wants to get rid of the constitution change the entire government and set up a little oligarchy of authoritarians who wanna run everything and tell everyone what to do with no checks on power. And you're calling other people out of their mind? 🤣

[STUNNER @Cr7Godbrand]

This is for the feminists who don't read history.

Women ALWAYS had bank accounts. Single, married, widowed — all of them. You could walk into a bank in 1900 as a woman and open one.

What you couldn't get easily was CREDIT. And there's a reason. Under coverture, a married woman could not be sued for debt. Her husband was legally responsible for it.

So why would a bank give YOU a loan when they can't legally collect from YOU? They made your husband co-sign because HE was the one on the hook if you defaulted.

That's not oppression. That's liability.

Married Women's Property Acts started in 1839. By 1900, in most states, women could own property, keep their own wages, inherit, run businesses, and have bank accounts.

Madam C.J. Walker, a Black woman during the slavery era, became a self-made female millionaire in 1910, before women's alleged voting rights. How did she keep her money? In the house? How did she own a business legally?

Discrimination against a few women is not a law against all women. Same way today you need a guarantor, collateral, or a credit score to get a loan. That's not sexism. That's banking.

Y'all confuse not qualifying for credit with being banned from banking.

Read a book, not a Twitter thread.