Why we never may meet intelligent aliens

Through time, intelligent species create more sophisticated methods and devices that can cause species destruction. As the number of these devices increases, the probability that one will be used increases. Eventually, species destruction probability reaches 100%.

INTRODUCTION

Extremophiles and Extreme Environments Pabulo Henrique Rampelotto Organisms, known as extremophiles, thrive in habitats which for other terrestrial life-forms are intolerably hostile or even lethal. They thrive in extreme hot niches, ice, and salt solutions, as well as acid and alkaline conditions; some may grow in toxic waste, organic solvents, heavy metals, or in several other habitats that were previously considered inhospitable for life. Extremophiles have been found depths of 6.7 km inside the Earth’s crust, more than 10 km deep inside the ocean—at pressures of up to 110 MPa; from extreme acid (pH 0) to extreme basic conditions (pH 12.8); and from hydrothermal vents at 122 °C to frozen sea water, at −20 °C. For every extreme environmental condition investigated, a variety of organisms have shown that they not only can tolerate these conditions, but that they also often require those conditions for survival.

Such conditions exist not only on earth, but on several planets and moons in our own solar system.

Saturn as viewed from Enceladus
Saturn’s moon Enceladus tops the list in terms of having just the right conditions to host life. The sixth-largest of Saturn’s 62 confirmed moons, Enceladus boasts a massive saltwater ocean hidden beneath its icy surface. Another strong candidate is Titan, and Saturn’s largest moon. Europa the sixth-largest moon in the solar systemhas saltwater oceans beneath its 10-mile-thick icy surface. Europa may hold more liquid water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. Ganymede and Callisto may also have subsurface liquid oceans. Mars probably had liquid water on its surface. Venus, as well.

While earth’s extremophiles are not really “intelligent” life, they might be a stepping stone. Consider the numbers in our solar system alone:

There are more than 200 moons in our solar system. Most of the major planets – all except Mercury and Venus – have moons. Pluto and some other dwarf planets, as well as many asteroids, also have small moons.

Then, moving on from our solar system to our galaxy, the Milky Way, we find the estimate that there are around 100 billion estimated planets at least, and there are an estimated 40 billion planets (not counting moons) that might support life in our Milky Way galaxy. Moving up to the next notch, the observable Universe, which has a radius of 46.5 billion light-years, seems to contain at least two trillion galaxies.

Observable Universe Contains Two Trillion Galaxies, 10 Times More than Previously Thought - Science news - Tasnim News Agency — **Just a thin slice of the 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe, with each galaxy containing billions of stars, planets, and moons**

Do the math, and you will see there are so many places that could support life, together with the fact that life even exists in places we currently don’t expect, and you might think it is inconceivable that life does not exist elsewhere. And if life exists, intelligent life may not be far behind. And if alien life began only a million years before earth’s life — but a moment on the universe’s time scale — it could technologically be far, far ahead of ours. (Consider how far we have come just in the past 100 years.) So mathematically the odds are that intelligent life — even life far more intelligent than we are — exists somewhere out there. SO WHERE ARE THEY? Many explanations have been given for our lack of contact, to date:

The universe, even the galaxy, is too big. The Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across, and even the very nearest star is 4 light-years away. That’s about 24,000,000,000,000 miles away, much too far to travel, even with the best technology, we even can imagine.
The universe is too hostile. Even if we could find a way to travel that far, perhaps with multiple generations, the radiation, lack of gravity, lack of sustenance, and other factors could doom traveling so far.
We’re so small and insignificant, intelligent creatures aren’t interested in expending the effort to travel here.
They secretly have been here, and want nothing more to do with us.
They are here and we don’t know it.

The list goes on and on –many discussed at length — but there is one possible reason, less often discussed: For several reasons, intelligent life never may survive long enough to create the necessary technology. After surviving extinction from meteor hits, sun explosions and other natural disasters, intelligence itself might not be a survivable phenomenon. Consider what our “intelligence” has brought us”

Getting help to skirt COVID-19 rules Community leaders coaching parents on mandate exemptions By Gillian Flaccus, Janie Har and Sara Cline Associated Press ALSEA, Ore. — An Oregon school superintendent is telling parents they can get their children out of wearing masks by citing federal disability law. A pastor at a California megachurch is offering religious exemptionsfor anyone morally conflicted over vaccine requirements.

It’s like this: If you simply claim you’re disabled or religious, the Delta virus will respect that and not infect you. Also, if because you’re not vaccinated and/or wearing a mask, and you exhale the virus, it won’t infect other people. Right?

And Louisiana’s attorney general has posted sample letters on his office’s Facebook page for those seeking to get around the governor’s mask rules. Across the country, religious figures, doctors, public officials and other community leaders are trying to help people circumvent COVID-19 precautions.

It’s like this: The job of attorneys general, doctors, public officials and community leaders is to flout laws that protect the people, and instead, apply laws Donald Trump and the least educated in the community, approve. As for the aforementioned educated religious leaders, they prefer magic to science; they assume God will protect you better than the vaccines will. The Oregon Superintendent considers this to be a teaching moment for its students: If you don’t like a law, lie enough to evade it.

Oregon has broken its record for COVID-19 hospitalizations day after day, and cases among children have increased dramatically.

In Kansas, the Spring Hill school board is allowing parents to claim a medical or mental health exemption from the county’s requirement that elementary school students mask up. They do not need a medical provider to sign off. School board member Ali Seeling said the idea is to give parents “the freedom to make health decisions for their own children.”

Any intelligent group surely will encourage uneducated parents, rather than educated medical professionals, to make medical life/death decisions. That is the intelligent thing to do.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican who regularly spars with Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, posted sample letters that would allow parents to seek a philosophical or religious exemption from Edwards’ mask rule at schools — or from a vaccine requirement, if one is enacted. The letters have been shared by GOP lawmakers and thousands of others.

It’s like this; In Louisiana, most parents are doctors of medicine or doctors of philosophy, so they are the ones best equipped to make those sort of decisions for their children. After all, they were involved in the impregnation, weren’t they.

In California, the state medical board is investigating a doctor who critics say is handing out dozens of one-sentence mask exemptions for children in an attempt to evade the statewide school mask requirement. The California Medical Association issued a statement condemning “rogue physicians” selling “bogus” exemptions. Pastor Greg Fairrington of Rocklin’s Destiny Christian Church has issued at least 3,000 religious exemptions to people with objections to the vaccine, which is becoming mandatory in an increasing number of places in California.

One hopes that Pastor Greg Fairrington received numerous contributions in return for his life-saving efforts.

Fairrington said in a statement that his church has received thousands of calls from doctors, nurses, teachers and “We are not anti-vaccine,” he said. “At the same time, we believe in the freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. The vaccine poses a morally compromising situation for many people of faith.”

The children in Pastor Fairrinton’s church were vaccinated with chickenpox, diphtheria, influenza, hepatitis a, hepatitis b, haemophilus influenza type b, human papillomavirus, measles, meningococcal, mumps, pneumococcal, poliomyelitis, rotavirus, german measles, shingles, tetanus, and whooping cough before they could attend kindergarten. One hopes their morality was not compromised, but perhapse Dr. Donald Trump will need to be consulted about that issue. The point of this diatribe is that intelligent people’s intelligence turns against them when confronted with supreme idiocy. And if this is typical of all the universe’s intelligent species, then it is clear why none of them may have survived long enough to make contact with us, now will we survive long enough to make contact with them. But wait: A second example of how intelligent life can be self-destructive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Health coverage barrier for noncitizens lessening Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune Expansion to benefit thousands of essential workers who are seniors By Laura Rodríguez Presa Chicago Tribune Though Maribel Cordero was told that her stage 2 cancer needed to be treated immediately, she was denied urgent treatment because she did not have any type of health insurance. As an immigrant from Mexico living in the country without permission, she does not qualify for federal programs that offer health coverage and she can’t afford private insurance.

Keep in mind that the U.S., being Monetarily Sovereign, creates unlimited dollars at the touch of a computer key, so providing Mrs. Cordero with health insurance would cost no one, anything at all. The U.S. government has the infinite ability to pay for all the things that will help the species survive: Universal health care, schooling, food, shelter, clothing, infrastructure, etc. Yet, as intelligent creatures, we fail to do it. Why does Mrs. Cordero face unaffordable costs, requiring her to choose among food, clothing, and education for her children vs. personal survival? Because we are an “intelligent” species.

Cordero is among 11,000 people in Illinois who would be eligible for Medicaid-like benefits under an extension to a program created last year that was the first in the nation to provide government- subsidized health benefits to seniors living in the U.S. illegally.

Why is her residence here illegal? No real reason. She is as law-abiding as any legal resident, but being an intelligent species, we have erected useless barriers to citizenship. These barriers are designed to force people not born here, to wade through byzantine and pointless immigration laws (except for the rich, who do not have any difficulty becoming citizens). Why these useless laws? Because we are an “intelligent” species. And then there’s this: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Our technological advancement has allowed us to create ever more potent machines of death, which we use indescriminately.

About 1.4 million people have died from firearms in the U.S. between 1968 and 2011. This number includes all deaths resulting from a firearm, including suicides, homicides, and accidents. Compared to 22 other high-income nations, the U.S. gun-related homicide rate is 25 times higher. Although it has half the population of the other 22 nations combined, among those 22 nations studied, the U.S. had 82 percent of gun deaths, 90 percent of all women killed with guns, 91 percent of children under 14 and 92 percent of young people between ages 15 and 24 killed with guns.

And not just gun proliferation. No, we have become far more sophisticated than that.

05-27-21 The U.S. is alarmingly close to an autonomous weapons arms race Weapons systems that think for themselves remain in their infancy, but geopolitical pressures and mistrust may force them into use prematurely. One of the Pentagon’s primary jobs is anticipating what the wars of the future will look like so that it can allocate the resources necessary to make sure the U.S. has the edge in those battles: AI, autonomous weaponry. These technologies are in their early stages of maturity; defense forces don’t yet understand the best ways to deploy them in battle. Military leaders in other wealthy countries, including China and Russia, are also talking about such matters, though we don’t know where they’re placing their bets. For a number of reasons—some old, some new—the U.S. could easily get pulled into a race to develop and use autonomous weapons before it understands how to use them predictably, effectively, and ethically.

Those of you who have viewed the “Terminator” movie series, might understand the existential dangers of automated war. The machines become so sophisticated at killing humans that they kill us all, or at least enough of us to send us back into the dark ages. THE POINT OF ALL THIS The point of all this is that humans do not always act rationally, and intelligence provides greater and greater powers to the irrational. There may be certain aspects of intelligence that work against survival. Intelligence implies a measure of creativity, i.e. the desire and ability to find a different solution and a different belief. Given the problem of survival, there can be myriad solutions and beliefs, and if just one of those solutions happens to be antithetical to species survival, and it is implemented by a belief that also is antithetical to survival, then the species may not survive.

Here's how Donald Trump would launch a nuclear strike - and he doesn't actually have a big red button - Mirror Online

Think of the aforementioned “Terminator” invention, or the unleashing of a human-made disease that cannot be stopped, or the current reluctance to counter global warming, or a global atomic war that leaves the earth radioactive, or the invention of a black hole that rapidly eats the world, or the creation of a chemical that eliminates the earth’s protective gasses — i.e. a worldwide ozone hole. Each day, our intelligence creates more means by which only a few, or even just one person, has the ability to end all human life, by accident or intent. Even now, an American, Chinese, or Russian leader could set in motion a nuclear war that either would end all human life, or send us back to a stone-age existence. Imagine Hitler acquiring atomic weapons before America did. And this already may have happened on the billions of planets or moons in the universe, that were unlucky enough to have fostered the creation of intelligent life. There may be a built-in limit. When intelligence reaches the point where individuals control the technology to destroy the entire world, then inevitably one individual will use that technology, no matter how foolishly suicidal that may seem to the rest of us. Suicide very well may be the inescapable fate of intelligence, and that may be the real reason why we are unaware of alien contact. Imagine that yesterday, there existed exactly 25 ways to destroy the world, but as technology improves, tomorrow there will be exactly 50 ways to destroy the world. As technology continues to improve, we eventually will find 100 ways, then 1,000 ways, then a million ways, etc. Eventually, there will be so many ways to destroy the world that one will be used. It’s inevitable. At a certain level, intelligence may always destroy itself. Rodger Malcolm Mitchell Monetary Sovereignty Twitter: @rodgermitchell Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

The most important problems in economics involve:

Monetary Sovereignty describes money creation and destruction.
Gap Psychology describes the common desire to distance oneself from those “below” in any socio-economic ranking, and to come nearer those “above.” The socio-economic distance is referred to as “The Gap.”

Wide Gaps negatively affect poverty, health and longevity, education, housing, law and crime, war, leadership, ownership, bigotry, supply and demand, taxation, GDP, international relations, scientific advancement, the environment, human motivation and well-being, and virtually every other issue in economics. Implementation of Monetary Sovereignty and The Ten Steps To Prosperity can grow the economy and narrow the Gaps: Ten Steps To Prosperity:

The Ten Steps will grow the economy and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and the rest.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY

The “Deniers” as America’s New Taliban

We all tend to see what we want to see, but some — let’s call them “the Deniers” — are terrorized and incensed by the threat of truth. Despite humanity’s comparatively massive intellect, the universe and its threats to life, are too big and too complex for us to comprehend. We know enough to be frustrated at how little we know. Because we are under such stress, some of us search for solutions, and when scientific solutions are not to be found, or more commonly, are the liking of Deniers, they invent new “facts.” If these new “facts” are physically impossible, that is less important to Deniers than if the impossible is emotionally satisfying. Deniers detest science. They retreat to “alternative facts,” and nowhere is this more apparent than in today’s Republican Party, ground center for America’s denial, conspiracies, and myths. The GOP seems to have become a quasi-religious cult, complete with a supernatural, superhero god — a deux ex machina — and political priests, who promise to save us, and all they ask of us is to deny reality. Here are a few truths the new American Taliban (aka the Republican party) deny:

- Global warming is a real, imminent, and existential threat to humanity. It is caused by the production of greenhouse gases,
- The pollution and destruction of nature also are real, imminent, and existential threats to humanity, and also are within our ability to cure.
- Trump attempted a coup — a forcible takeover of the American government. To foster this coup, he consistently lies about the election being “stolen” or “rigged.”
- Donald Trump lied about COVID and continues to lie about COVID, and these lies contributed to the 300,000+ American deaths. In a true sense, Trump is the greatest mass murderer in American history.
- Trump no longer is President. He was voted out in a fair and honest election, by a huge, 7 million vote majority. Despite what QAnon and the other conspiracy websites claim, Hillary Clinton does not eat children in the basement of a pizzeria; Trump is not anointed by God, nor will he ascend to the Presidency last/this/next month.

- Children can and do sicken and die from COVID. Denier governors, like those from Florida and Texas, who outlaw attempts to enforce mask-wearing, are complicit in the sickness and deaths of American adults and children.
- Masks work. They help prevent the transmission of airborne diseases.
- Masks do not reduce anyone’s breathing — not children’s, adult’s, or even those who have breathing problems. Masks do not lower oxygen saturation, increase CO2, or enable bacterial growth.
- Vaccination not only helps prevent people from dying, but it is remarkably safe. That is true not only of the COVID vaccines, but also true of the vaccines for, Chickenpox, Diphtheria, Influenza, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus Influenza type b, Human Papillomavirus, Measles, Meningococcal, Mumps, Pneumococcal, Poliomyelitis, Rotavirus, German Measles, Shingles, Tetanus, and Whooping Cough, many of which are required for children.
- Additionally, vaccinations are proven effective for preventing the sickness and death from Adenovirus, Anthrax, Cholera, Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies, Smallpox, Tuberculosis, Typhoid Fever, and Yellow Fever

All 50 states and DC require various forms of vaccination for kindergarten entry. Objections to the COVID vaccination are based on ignorance, denial, and right-wing loyalties, not on science.
Requiring vaccination and/or masks does not infringe on anyone’s freedom. The Constitution does not permit unlimited freedom. All laws restrict freedom. Thus, you cannot drive too fast, put your children in safety seats, You must purchase a license to fish, hunt, carry a gun, drive a car, open a store, etc. You must be of a certain age to purchase cigarettes and alcohol, to marry, to sign a contract. You must be of a certain size to ride in certain amusement park rides. You must obey thousands of laws, all of which impinge on someone’s “freedom,” but are necessary for a functioning democracy. Mask mandates help preserve human life.
Donald Trump is a compulsive liar and a cheater. He cheated on his taxes and on his wives. He cheated his employees, his lenders, and those who attended Trump University. He cheated on his draft deferment, his school grades, and his “charitable” foundation.
Fox “News” has admitted to being an entertainment vehicle, and not a news vehicle, and its commentators are entertainers, not providers of facts.
The U.S. government, being Monetarily Sovereign, has the unlimited ability to create its own sovereign currency, the U.S. dollar, which gives it the unique and infinite ability to spend without collecting taxes or borrowing.
The U.S. government has the infinite power to narrow the Gap between the rich and the rest. Contrary to political claims, the so-called federal “debt” and “deficit” are not burdens on the government or on present or future taxpayers. The federal government could fund Medicare for All, Social Security for All, College for All for those who want it, modernize the infrastructure, cure poverty, and support the myriad types of research — all without collecting a single dollar in taxes.

The beliefs in myth, conspiracy, and magic have plagued the Republican Party for decades, but have increased markedly during the Trump “science-and-truth-be-damned” years.

NEWS: **COVID Hitting Kids, Teens Harder Than Any Other Demographic in Florida**

Today, we have believers so hypnotized that they attack mask-wearers, whose only crime is to try to protect themselves and others. One cannot help but think of the Taliban, who behead any who speak truth. In short, the GOP has become the Party of Deniers, the Party of Myth, the Party of Anti-science. This normally would not be too problematic for a minority sect, which is exactly what the Republicans are, but that minority sect has gerrymandered the nation and taken the levers of power, until today, we are on the verge of being ruled by insanity. The Republicans, in fact, have become America’s Taliban.

–NEWS: Miami School Superintendent Wrecks Ron DeSantis For Failing Kids — Hospitalizations with COVID-19 have risen quickly and substantially across Florida — and pediatric patients have been among those hospitalized — but even amid the ongoing surge of what’s known as the delta variant of the virus, DeSantis has refused to relent in his opposition to certain basic safety measures.

DeSantis and his team have promoted the idea that they could withhold certain state funding — including, specifically, the salaries for superintendents and school board members — in the event of the imposition of a mask mandate, but Carvalho indicated to the governor that he’s not backing down.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell Monetary Sovereignty Twitter: @rodgermitchell Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

……………………………………………………………………..

THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

The most important problems in economics involve:

Monetary Sovereignty describes money creation and destruction.
Gap Psychology describes the common desire to distance oneself from those “below” in any socio-economic ranking, and to come nearer those “above.” The socio-economic distance is referred to as “The Gap.”

The Ten Steps will grow the economy and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and the rest.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY

I am a Trumper. Vote for me. Just like President Trump, I know more than the doctors.

DeSantis: “I follow the science — except when it disagrees with my hero, Donald Trump.

**Be sure to vote for me. And trust those obviously brilliant guys standing behind me.**

“Trump, the Great, knows more than the doctors, and I too know more than the doctors.

“That is why rather than listening to stupid doctors, who have a so-called ‘education’ in medicine, I will leave it up to other parents to decide what is best for your kids.

“So, if their kids don’t wear masks and then, give your kids COVID, that’s just the way real science works.

“Because, let’s face it, wearing a mask is way too big a burden, just to save a few kids’ lives. I mean, who can breathe wearing a mask? Not me. No one can.

“So I am punishing those selfish, stupid bureaucrats who, listening to selfish, stupid doctors, force your kids to wear masks, and foolishly try to reduce the transmission of COVID.

“I’ll show them what selfish stupidity is all about.

“Just as a reminder, here is what my President-for-life said about COVID, I believe him, no matter what the doctors say, because he knows more than the doctors and he never lies, and I too know more than the doctors, and I never lie, either.

“Trust me.”

In chronological order:

JANUARY 2020

“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China. We have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”

“We think we have it very well under control. We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five — and those people are all recuperating successfully. But we’re working very closely with China and other countries, and we think it’s going to have a very good ending for us … that I can assure you.”

FEBRUARY

“Now, the virus that we’re talking about having to do — you know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases — 11 cases, and many of them are in good shape now.”

“So we’re at the low level. As they get better, we take them off the list, so that we’re going to be pretty soon at only five people. And we could be at just one or two people over the next short period of time. So we’ve had very good luck.”

“But that’s a little bit like the flu. It’s a little like the regular flu that we have flu shots for. And we’ll essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner.”

“It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”

“So a number that nobody heard of that I heard of recently, and I was shocked to hear it, 35,000 people on average die each year from the flu. Did anyone know that? … They say usually a minimum of 27, goes up to 100,000 people a year die, and so far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States. Nobody. And it doesn’t mean we won’t and we are totally prepared. It doesn’t mean we won’t. But think of it, you hear 35 and 40,000 people and we’ve lost nobody. You wonder, the press is in hysteria mode.”

“Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, you know that, right? Coronavirus, they’re politicizing it. We did one of the great jobs. You say, ‘How’s President Trump doing?’ They go, ‘Oh, not good, not good.’ They have no clue. They don’t have any clue. … They tried the impeachment hoax. That was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything. They tried it over and over. They’d been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning. They lost. It’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.”

MARCH

“[W]e have a very small number of people in this country [infected]. We have a big country. The biggest impact we had was when we took the 40-plus people [from a cruise ship]. … We brought them back. We immediately quarantined them. But you add that to the numbers. But if you don’t add that to the numbers, we’re talking about very small numbers in the United States.”

“We’ve had 11 deaths, and they’ve been largely old people who are — who were susceptible to what’s happening. Now, that would be the case, I assume, with a regular flu too. If somebody is old and in a weakened state or ill, they’re susceptible to the common flu too. You know, they were telling me just now that the common flu kills people and old people is sort of a target.”

“So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common Flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!”

“And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.”

“This is a very contagious — this is a very contagious virus. It’s incredible. But it’s something that we have tremendous control over.”

“When I’m talking about control, I’m saying we are doing a very good job within the confines of what we’re dealing with. We’re doing a very good job. … If you’re talking about the virus, no, that’s not under control for any place in the world. … I was talking about what we’re doing is under control.”

“I’ve always known this is a — this is a real — this is a pandemic. I’ve felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.”

“So I think Easter Sunday and you’ll have packed churches all over our country. I think it would be a beautiful time. And it’s just about the timeline that I think is right.”

“I brought some numbers here, we lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the flu. We don’t turn the country off, I mean every year. Now when I heard the number, we average 37,000 people a year. Can you believe that? And actually this year we’re having a bad flu season, but we lose thousands of people a year to the flu. We never turn the country off. We lose much more than that to automobile accidents. We didn’t call up the automobile companies, say, ‘Stop making cars. We don’t want any cars anymore.’ We have to get back to work.”

“So you’re talking about 2.2. million deaths — 2.2 million people from this. And so, if we can hold that down, as we’re saying, to 100,000 — that’s a horrible number — maybe even less, but to 100,000; so we have between 100- and 200,000 — we all, together, have done a very good job.”

“I mean, I’ve had many friends, business people, people with great, actually, common sense, they said, ‘Why don’t we ride it out?’ A lot of people have said, a lot of people have thought about it, ‘Ride it out, don’t do anything, just ride it out, and think of it as the flu.’ But it’s not the flu.”

APRIL

“Because remember, after a month or so — I think once this passes, we’re not going to have to be, hopefully, worried too much about the virus.”

“So (the CDC recommendation that everyone wear masks) is voluntary; you don’t have to do it. They suggested for a period of time. But this is voluntary. I don’t think I’m going to be doing it. … So with the masks, it’s going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You don’t have to do it. I’m choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that’s okay. It may be good. Probably will. They’re making a recommendation. It’s only a recommendation. It’s voluntary.”

“We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. And hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we’ll be very proud of the job we all did. We can never be happy when so many people are dying, but we’re going to be very proud of the job we did to keep the death down to an absolute minimum — the least it could have happened with this terrible, terrible virus.”

“I also spoke with more than 3,000 mayors, county commissioners, and state and tribal leaders to provide an update on our administration’s ongoing drive to beat the virus, to crush the virus. And that’s happening. And it’s happening, I think if you look, a little bit more quickly than people thought. Maybe a lot more quickly, I hope. And it’s something that all over the world we’re watching, but people are watching us and seeing what we’re doing, and they’re very impressed.”

“America is continuing to make critical progress in our war against the virus. Over the weekend, the number of daily new infections remained flat nationwide. … This is clear evidence that our aggressive strategy to combat the virus is working and that Americans are following the guidelines.”

“We continue to be encouraged that many of the areas hardest hit by the virus appear to have turned the corner.”

“This virus will eventually be gone. And if it should show up in the fall, we’re going to put it out very fast.”

“So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but you’re going to test it. And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you’re going to test that too. Sounds interesting, right? And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it’d be interesting to check that. So that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me. So, we’ll see, but the whole concept of the light, the way it kills it in one minute. That’s pretty powerful.”

“This is where they’ve come in with a final report that sun has a massive impact, negatively, on this virus. In other words, it does not live well with humidity, and it doesn’t live well with sun, sunlight, heat. It doesn’t live well with heat and sun and disinfectant. And that’s what I brought out. And I thought it was clear.”

“But as far as where I’m going in Arizona, I’m going to have to look at the climate. I’d have no problem wearing a mask. I don’t know. I’m supposed to make a speech. I just don’t know: Should I speak in a mask? You’re going to have to tell me if that’s politically correct. I don’t know. If it is, I’ll speak in a mask.”

MAY

“On Jan. 23, I was told that there could be a virus coming in, but it was of no real import. In other words, it wasn’t, oh, we have got to do something, we have got to do something. It was a brief conversation.”

“Intelligence has just reported to me that I was correct, and that they did NOT bring up the CoronaVirus subject matter until late into January, just prior to my banning China from the U.S. Also, they only spoke of the Virus in a very non-threatening, or matter of fact, manner … ”

“I mean, I had a mask on, but I didn’t need it. And I asked specifically the head of Honeywell: ‘Should I wear a mask?’ And he said, ‘Well, you don’t need one in this territory.’ And as you know, we were far away from people, from the people making the masks. They were making the masks.”

“Well, I feel about vaccines like I feel about tests. This is going to go away without a vaccine. It’s going to go away, and it’s — we’re not going to see it again, hopefully, after a period of time. You may have some — some flare-ups and I guess, you know, I would expect that. Sometime in the fall, you’ll have flare-ups maybe. Maybe not. But according to what a lot of people say, you probably will. We’ll be able to put them out.”

“Coronavirus numbers are looking MUCH better, going down almost everywhere. Big progress being made!”

“I’m taking it — hydroxychloroquine. … Right now. Yeah. A couple of weeks ago, I started taking it. … Because I think it’s good. I’ve heard a lot of good stories.”

“Great reviews on our handling of Covid 19, sometimes referred to as the China Virus. Ventilators, Testing, Medical Supply Distribution, we made a lot of Governors look very good – And got no credit for so doing. Most importantly, we helped a lot of great people!”

JUNE

“If we didn’t do testing, we’d have no cases.”

“I think, in the fall, you’re going to see the schools all open and in great shape.

“The children, the numbers are very, very small, almost — almost nonexistent. And it’s an incredible thing. Their immune system is very strong. And so we have to get the schools open.”

“They call me, they say the job you’re doing — here’s the bad part, when you test of — when you do testing to that extent, you’re going to find more people, you’re going to find more cases. So, I said to my people slow the testing down, please.”

“So, we have more cases because we do the greatest testing. If we didn’t do testing, we’d have no cases. Other countries — they don’t test millions. So we’re up to almost 30 million tests. So when you do 30 million, you’re going to have a kid with the sniffles, and they’ll say it’s coronavirus — whatever you want to call it.”

JULY

“Well, I don’t know if you need mandatory [requirements], because you have many places in the country where people stay very long distance. You talk about social distancing. But I’m all for masks. I think masks are good. I would wear — if I were in a group of people, and I was close. … I mean, I would have no problem. Actually, I had a mask on. I sort of liked the way I looked, OK? I thought it was OK. It was a dark black mask, and I thought it looked OK. Looked like the Lone Ranger.”

“Well, I’d say listen to that instruction, listen to your governors. But I have to say the same people that say wear a mask are people that said, a long time ago, don’t wear a mask, masks are bad. They said they’re not good. So, you know, like Dr. Fauci, surgeon general, a lot of people — a lot of people — the surgeon general said that also.”

“I don’t agree with the statement that if everybody wear a mask everything disappears. Hey, Dr. Fauci said don’t wear a mask. Our surgeon general — terrific guy — said don’t wear a mask. Everybody who is saying don’t wear a mask — all of sudden everybody’s got to wear a mask, and as you know masks cause problems, too. With that being said, I’m a believer in masks. I think masks are good. But I leave it up to the governors.”

“We’re asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They’ll have an effect.”

“I believe that you should wear it, even if there’s a 1% chance it helps. You know, when you look at Dr. Fauci and others — and this isn’t a knock, because this is just the way it — if you look, early on, they were all saying, don’t wear a mask. Don’t wear a mask. That didn’t make total sense to me, but don’t wear a mask. Now they’re all saying, wear a mask. My attitude is, it probably helps. Give it a shot, because we have to win this thing.”

“We’re seeing improvements across the major metro areas and most hotspots. You can look at large portions of our country; it’s — it’s corona-free.”

“Wear a mask when you cannot avoid crowded places or socially distance. And wash your hands as often as possible.”

“With the exception of New York & a few other locations, we’ve done MUCH better than most other Countries in dealing with the China Virus. Many of these countries are now having a major second wave. The Fake News is working overtime to make the USA (& me) look as bad as possible!”

“I also urge Americans to help us stop the spread of the virus. Practice good hygiene, socially distance, avoid large crowds, and wear a mask where distancing is not possible. It’s a patriotic thing to do.”

AUGUST

“So we want to see college football start, and, hopefully, a lot of great people are going to be out there. They’re going to be out there, playing football, and they’ll be able to fight it off. And hopefully, it won’t bother them one bit. Most of them will never get it, statistically.”

“Shutdowns cause, I think probably, or possibly, much bigger problems than even the virus itself.”

“Shutdown Wolf. He can’t do this. He’s going to destroy your soul. You know, what happens is depression, anxiety, problems with family members, drugs, heart attacks, obesity. I mean, what is he doing? It’s more dangerous than the virus. He’s got to open this state up.”

“Today, I’m pleased to make a truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives. The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization — and that’s such a powerful term: emergency use authorization — for a treatment known as convalescent plasma. … it has proven to reduce mortality by 35%.”

“And when we get rid of this — this virus, which will happen, and it will happen sooner than people think — and that’s with the vaccines, but even without the vaccines. It’s happening.”

“I want football back. These are young, strong guys, they’re not going to be affected by the virus. If you look at it, it’s generally older people, older people that have heart conditions, that have diabetes, that have problems.”

SEPTEMBER

“I’m the one that says play football. I said, ‘They’re young strong people, they’re not going to have a problem with COVID or the China virus or whatever you want to call it.’ I’m the one — and they didn’t like my narrative, so they just made up a narrative. Because if you look, Michigan is closed. All of these states that are closed, North Carolina is closed — these states that are closed are run by Democrats, and the reason they’re closed is because we have an election on November 3, and they don’t want the opening of the states and they don’t want the income. They want to keep it nice and closed.”

“I’ve never seen a man [Biden] that liked a mask more. Look, I’m all for it … but did you ever see a man that likes a mask as much as him? And then he makes a speech and he always has it, not always but a lot of times he has it hanging down because you know what, it gives him a feeling of security. If I were a psychiatrist — right? No, I’d say — I’d say this guy has got some big issues.”

“And we’ve done a fantastic job on this China virus, the invisible enemy. I get no credit for it.”

“But we’re defeating the China virus.”

“We’ll be ready before the end of the year and we will very easily defeat the China virus. That’s what’s happening and we’re already making that turn. We’re making that round beautiful last turn.”

“You don’t have to wear masks at protests. So I said, ‘You know, we can’t have a rally.’ The most we can have is 10 people, but why don’t we just call it a protest because this is a protest. It’s a protest against stupidity.”

“But we have done an incredible job, and we’re doing an incredible job. And, uh, we will be, uh, we’re, in my opinion, we’re rounding the turn.”

“When needed, I wear masks. I don’t have — I don’t wear masks like [Biden]. Every time you see him, he’s got a mask. He could be speaking 200 feet away from — and he shows up with the biggest mask I’ve ever seen.”

SEPTEMBER

“(Biden says) he’ll listen to the scientists… If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression instead — we’re like a rocket ship. Take a look at the numbers.”

OCTOBER

“They are getting tired of the pandemic, aren’t they? You turn on CNN, that’s all they cover. ‘Covid, Covid, Pandemic, Covid, Covid.’ You know why? They’re trying to talk everybody out of voting. People aren’t buying it, CNN, you dumb bastards.”

“Turn on television: ‘covid, covid, covid, covid, covid.’ A plane goes down, 500 people dead, they don’t talk about it — ‘covid, covid, covid, covid,’ “By the way, on November 4th, you won’t hear about it anymore.”

“Cases up because we TEST, TEST, TEST. A Fake News Media Conspiracy. Many young people who heal very fast. 99.9%. Corrupt Media conspiracy at all time high. On November 4th., the topic will totally change. VOTE!”

NOVEMBER

“Joe Biden is promising to delay the vaccine and turn America into a prison state—locking you in your home while letting far-left rioters roam free. The Biden Lockdown will mean no school, no graduations, no weddings, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no Fourth of July”

“We have more Cases because we have more Testing!”

JANUARY 2021

“The number of cases and deaths of the China Virus is far exaggerated in the United States because of @CDCgov’s ridiculous method of determination compared to other countries, many of whom report, purposely, very inaccurately and low. “When in doubt, call it Covid.” Fake News!” Fauci responds, “”The deaths are real deaths. All you need to do is go out into the trenches…”

[SKIPPING AHEAD]

AUGUST 2021

“[Biden] is now president and he’s doing a lousy job with coronavirus. Coronavirus is back. If that ever happened to me where it came back, OK, when I left it was virtually gone. It was over. Now it’s coming back through the Delta [variant] and I don’t know if you even want to call it that.”

(There were 4,400 COVID deaths on Trump’s last day in office.)

“(Booster shots) sounds to me like a money-making operation for Pfizer. Think of the money involved. An extra shot … How good a business is that? If you’re a pure businessman, you’d say, ‘you know what, let’s give them another shot,’ that’s another $10 billion of money coming in – the whole thing is crazy.”

“I, Ron DeSantis, Governor for Life, promise to follow in the great Donald Trump’s footsteps, so I simultaneously will recommend and also ban masks.

“Also, like the great Trump, I will downplay the seriousness of COVID because you are too stupid to handle bad news. It’s better for you to stay ignorant.

“Finally, no kids die from COVID, and kids don’t give each other COVID, so you loyal Trumpers should forget about masks. Even Tucker Carlson agrees.

“Despite what the so-called ‘educated’ doctors and researchers tell you, just go with your gut. Why listen to doctors about medical decisions, when you can listen to your gut and me?

“And be sure to vote for me.

“Your pal in Trumpism,

“Ron”

How not to debate a conservative.

If you plan to debate a conservative, understand first that in today’s conservative world, the important people are rich, and the rest of us are a drag on the economy.

So when today’s conservatives present their “alternative facts,” be prepared for an onslaught of deliberately wrong, ignorantly wrong, passionately wrong, and humorously wrong gibberish, masquerading as facts. The success in the conservative world of QAnon, Tucker Carlson, and many conspiracy theories is a testament to the strange thought processes rampant. And with that introduction, I present Lewis K. Uhler, of the Heartland Institute. In case you’ve not heard of the Heartland Institute, let me give you a couple of quotes:

“Uhler has been at the forefront of the national movements for a Tax Limitation/Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution””Most scientists do not believe human greenhouse gas emissionsare a proven threat to the environment or to human well-being, despite a barrage of propaganda insisting otherwise coming from the environmental movement and echoed by its sycophants in the mainstream media.” “The claim of “scientific consensus” on the causes and consequences of climate change is without merit. There is no survey or study showing “consensus” on any of the most important scientific issues in the climate change debate.”

By “most”, we assume Uhler is referring to approximately 1% of the world’s climatologists, who think, as Trump does, that global warming is a Chinese hoax. Balanced federal budgets always lead to recessions

“Every dollar spent by Washington is a dollar earned somewhere else. It matters not that the dollar was earned in Idaho, it is still a dollar extracted from taxpayers who are already shouldering a $28 trillion national debt.”

(Here, the Heartland writer demonstrates its ignorance about the differences between federal funding vs. state/local/personal funding. Federal spending is not extracted from federal taxpayers.) Now that you understand the Heartland, right-wing mentality, Check out the following article, ostensibly written by Uhler, that is guaranteed to get a hearty laugh from anyone who actually understands economics. Begin with the hilarious headline:

We need a Reagan tax revolt to counter today’s big-government spending Lewis K. Uhler Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) and Sen. Bill Roth (R-Del.) – significantly cut the top income tax rates from 70 percent to 50 percent, reduced and indexed for inflation business and capital gains, and ushered in more than two decades of unprecedented economic prosperity.

How do the Reagan tax cuts for the rich (aka “tax revolt”) reduce federal spending? They don’t, of course. But Uhler uses the right-wing’s alternative facts, which are based on how he wants the world to have been, not how the world really was. It’s the typical, GOP, right-wing “trickle-down” theory: Give money to the rich and claim it will trickle down to the rest. Sadly, the “trickle” seems to stop at the top, and the Gap between the rich and poor widens — just as the rich want. And yes, there was “economic prosperity,” but only if you eliminate Reagan’s first and last years — the 15-month recession that came at the beginning of Reagan’s two terms, and the 9-month recession that came at the end.

**Reagan served from January 20, 1981, until January 20, 1989 (vertical gray bars.)**

By widening the Gap between the rich and the rest, Reagan effectively made the rich richer and the poor poorer. (“Rich” is a comparative. The wider the Gap, the richer are the rich). And that “big-government spending,” Uhler hates: It was for benefits (Medicare, Social Security, poverty aids) to the middle and the lower-income groups. Being a GOP right-winger, Uhler despises giving these groups anything.

These achievements were founded initially in the crucible of the California Tax Revolt which then-Gov. Reagan led. He understood the power of (state) tax cuts and the resultant unleashing of American capital and innovation. In the early ’70s, Reagan asked me to lead a group to devise a California government spending and tax reform measure, which eventually became Proposition 1 on the 1973 state ballot.

Here, Uhler reveals his intentional or unintentional ignorance of Monetary Sovereignty and the differences between federal government and local government finances. While there is a direct connection between monetarily non-sovereign finances and taxes — taxes fund state/local spending — there is no connection at all between federal finances and taxing. Federal taxes do not fund federal spending. Even if all federal taxes were eliminated, the federal government could continue spending, forever, even at double or triple the current level. In fact, all federal tax dollars are destroyed the instant they are received by the U.S. Treasury. Uhler’s references to “tax revolts” are completely irrelevant to federal finances.

That citizen initiative was our first attempt at reining in government’s penchant for out-of-control spending and tax increases, and although this initiative fell short of passage, it touched a political undercurrent that sparked a much larger (state) taxpayer movement, ultimately leading to the passage of Proposition 13 to limit (state) property taxes and Proposition 4, the Gann Limit, which indexed (state) government growth to population and inflation.

Uhler demonstrates the single biggest problem in economics: The failure to understand the financial differences between the finances of the Monetarily Sovereign federal government vs. the finances of monetarily non-sovereign entities like state/local governments, businesses, and individuals. If you don’t know the difference between butter and a butterfly, your articles about cooking are apt to be quite wrong-headed, just as Uhler’s article is. And here, Uhler succinctly displays that ignorance:

More importantly, these achievements had the profound impact of proving the truth of supply-side economics and the power that a national tax revolt can provide to a nation. Reagan instinctively understood, first as governor of California and then as president, the nature of government spending and its potentially ill effects on people.

Because there is no connection between federal taxes and federal spending, Uhler is half right and half wrong. A national tax revolt to would reduce federal taxes on the middle- and lower-wealth groups would benefit America. But, of course, that is not what Uhler wants. Being a right-winger, he wants tax cuts on the wealthy. Rather than doing what is best for the nation — for example, eliminating FICA, America’s most regressive tax– Uhler wants to cut top-level taxes. And his complaints about government spending and “big government” are directly aimed at benefits for the middle- and lower-wealth groups. In short, Uhler is trying to convince you that making the richer richer and the poorer poorer will benefit you and all of America. That is exactly what “trickle-down economics” aka “big government” aka “out-of-control spending” aka “supply-side economics” all mean. Each time you read any of those terms, realize this: The author is talking about a system that enriches the rich, impoverishes the rest, and so widens the Gap.

I am often reminded of his quote on the dangerous essence of government spending: “No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”

In the right-wing Uhler-world, the federal government is bad (except when it gives tax breaks to the rich).

Big-government advocates, Reagan also once remarked, must be forced to curb their profligate ways.

Why must the federal government be forced to curb spending? No reason is given and none can be given, especially since by formula all federal spending increases Gross Domestic Product.

GDP = Federal Spending + Nonfederal Spending + Net Exports

That was the precept under which we lived as we launched the tax revolt – and we should be reminded of now, as we ponder a modern-day correction to the reckless economic course that Joe Biden’s administration has set for America. It’s no surprise that big-government tax-and-spenders once again have led our nation into high inflation and economic malaise with outrageous spending. Yet, Reagan’s work charted a course to follow that would steer clear of the rocky shoals into which the left is determined to lead us.

Contrary to popular myth, federal spending never causes inflation. Inflation, and its big brother, hyperinflation always are caused by shortages, most often a scarcity of food and energy. In short, inflation is not caused by “too much money chasing too few goods and services” as the saying goes. Inflation always is caused by too few goods and services. Period. How is inflation cured? Not by federal deficit cuts, which actually lead to recessions. Inflations are cured by federal deficit spending to obtain and distribute to scarce goods.

On Aug. 13, we celebrated the undeniable economic prosperity evidenced by Reagan’s signing of the Economic Recovery Tax Act. This anniversary ironically came in the same month that Senate Democrats were moving us in the opposite economic direction with a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and $3.5 trillion budget.

What Uhler “forgets” to mention is that Reagan’s “Economic Recovery Tax Act marked the beginning of the 15-month recession, started in the 3rd Quarter of 1981 and didn’t end until the 4th Quarter of 1981, when increased federal deficit spending cured finally cure the recession.

**Gray area is the 15-month recession that began with Reagan’s Economic Recovery Act.**

One of the most important legacies of the Reagan tax reform effort were follow-up state pro-growth policies, which are alive and well in many places.

Again, Uhler demonstrates that he does not understand the differences between federal financing and state financing. The two are opposite in that states use tax dollars for spending and can run short of dollars, while the federal government does not use tax dollars for anything, and never can run short of dollars. In essence, Uhler is using butterflies, when the recipe calls for butter.

“Simple fairness dictates that government must not raise taxes on families struggling to pay their bills,” Reagan said on many occasions. “You can’t be for big government, big taxes and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy.” These are words that Democrats would be wise to pay attention to. The supply-side movement he championed 40-some years ago is still right for our nation today – and some would argue, even more urgent.

The differences are that:

Big federal government costs taxpayers nothing.
Big federal taxes on the not-rich are bad for the economy, but big taxes on the upper .1% would help narrow the Gap between the rich and the rest.
And big federal bureaucracy is needed for a big economy. Further, federal payments to all those government workers help stimulate the economy, while costing taxpayers nothing.

In short, Uhler is a mouthpiece for the very rich, and virtually everything he says is a lie directed to that purpose. Otherwise, he may be a nice guy. Rodger Malcolm Mitchell Monetary Sovereignty Twitter: @rodgermitchell Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

……………………………………………………………………..

THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

The most important problems in economics involve:

Monetary Sovereignty describes money creation and destruction.
Gap Psychology describes the common desire to distance oneself from those “below” in any socio-economic ranking, and to come nearer those “above.” The socio-economic distance is referred to as “The Gap.”

The Ten Steps will grow the economy and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and the rest.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY

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