A CITIZEN'S GUIDE TO HOW AMERICA WORKS

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May 01, 2025

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🤯 YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!

Pickleball Grants!

It’s anticipated that large crowds will descend on the Department of the Interior not to protest but to sign up for Federal Pickleball Grants. No, that’s not a typo. At the end of last year, the Department of the Interior handed $12,000,000 to Las Vegas to build a 30-court Pickleball complex. And there are more Pickleball grants available for the taking. I guess the benefit of Pickleball grants to us non-Pickleballers is that, while we may be ranked low in education, we’re about to become number one in Pickleball. Go, America!

THIS WEEK’S FRONT PAGE

The title, The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility ACT (a.k.a., SAVE) sounds harmless enough, but is it?

While much of the spotlight in Washington has been focused elsewhere,  the House passed a bill that could radically affect how Americans register to vote. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act) would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, in person when registering to vote or updating their voter registration. The measure now moves to the Senate, where Democrats have promised to block it.

Supporters of SAVE, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, say the bill is needed to increase public confidence in elections and ensure that non-citizens don't vote in American elections.  

(Time out for Fact-checking:  Studies and state-level audits have found that such cases are extremely rare. And, according to a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll, more than 2/4 of Americans, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, already have confidence in the process.) 

So is there something more afoot here than meets the eye? Does the Republican House have an ulterior motive? 

The Brennan Center summarizes the opposition’s point of view. “The House has just passed one of the worst pieces of voting legislation in American history. The Senate must stop it. The SAVE Act would put voting out of reach for millions of American citizens. It should not become law. More than 21 million American citizens don’t have the documents required by the SAVE Act readily available. The bill would effectively eliminate forms of voter registration that millions of voters rely on: registering by mail, online, and through voter registration drives would no longer be possible. The SAVE Act would also create chaos for election administration by imposing significant burdens on election officials and disrupting the systems that keep our elections running smoothly.” 

So, go or no go it’s now up to the Senate. It will cause a bitter debate. If you have an opinion, now is the time to act. ☎️ Here’s the Capital Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121. They will connect you directly to the Senators you elected.

BEHIND THE MICROBYTES

Behind every social media length post, there’s an interesting backstory, which puts a little meat on the bone. They’re just too good to pass up.

MICROBYTE: HABEAS WHAT?

👩‍⚖️ The Writ of Habeas Corpus and Due Process are interconnected legal concepts that our founders put into the Constitution to prevent you from being swept off the street, thrown in prison for months or years, or maybe forever, without a warrant, without a court hearing, or even a charge. Think places like Russia, China, and North Korea. 

Like most things having to do with the American legal system, Habeas Corpus tracks back to England and Magna Carta. In 1215, following a revolt by the nobility against his rule, King John placed his royal seal on Magna Carta. The 39th clause of that world-changing document states clearly that “No free man shall be imprisoned or deprived of liberty except by lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.” Due Process evolved from that last sentence and represents the legal right to fair and just procedures before the government can take away a person's life, liberty, or property. 

Given that our founders came from a world where the King could do no wrong and where We The People had no rights, they viewed Habeas Corpus as sacred and essential to the Idea of America.

MICROBYTE: COWBOY CAPITALISM

🤠 There’s real capitalism and there’s Cowboy capitalism. 

Let’s begin with a given: Capitalism needs democracy to thrive, and Democracy needs capitalism to pay off the promise of the American dream. It’s an uneasy partnership and a delicate balancing act between American workers and American capitalists–workers seeking to improve their lives and capitalists seeking to maximize their profit. 

To mono-focused capitalists, rules and regulations, any sort of government interference in their pursuit of profit, are odious obstacles that must be eliminated for the good of, well, if we’re honest, for the good of themselves. 

Cowboy Capitalists will vehemently deny that it is sometimes necessary for the government to intervene if and when things go off the rails. But it is.

They will also deny that rules and regulations protect us, We The People, from the inevitable excess of deregulation. But they do.

Lax regulation of subprime lending created the 2008 financial crisis that brought the world to the brink of collapse. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted from sloppy regulations in the oil and gas industry.

There’s a very long list of bad decisions and bad results. And there are almost as many fancy economic theories as there are fancy economists. 

But here’s where we are in real life. In 2010, when the Supreme Court removed century-old campaign finance restrictions, it enabled Big Money to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections. That gave the anti-rules, anti-regulations crowd, ultra-wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups enormous influence over the people who make or unmake the rules and regulations. You don’t have to be an economist to figure out where that goes.

Now, there is an antidote to Cowboy Capitalism. It’s called We The People. They may have the power of money, but our Constitution gives us the ultimate power, the power of the vote.

So, if you have an opinion, get hold of the people you elected and tell them that you expect them to act in your best interest.  Remind them that it’s you they’ll have to answer to come the mid-terms.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

THIS WEEK THERE ARE 4!

🇺🇸 U.S. President Donald J. Trump: "We’re taking care of their military," Trump said. "We're taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don't need them to make cars for us. In fact, we don't want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don't need their lumber. We don't need their energy. We don't need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state."

🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney: “As I have been warning for months, America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never ever happen.”

🇺🇸 U.S. President Donald J. Trump: “We have to have Greenland.”

🇬🇱 Greenland Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede: “ The Americans and their leader must understand that we are not for sale and cannot simply be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” (The post ended with a clenched fist emoji and a Greenlandic flag.)

POLITICAL JOKE OF THE WEEK

😂 “Nothing sparks fear in the hearts of our enemies like a defense secretary who puts foundation on his face and a big palm full of Suavecito Pomade in his hair every day. It’s the warrior ethos.”

Jimmy Kimmel on Pete Hegseth

WHAT I’M READING NOW

📖  Strong Men. If you’re curious about how Mussolini, Pinochet, Gaddafi, Mobutu, and Putin got there, Ben-Ghiat outlines their strikingly similar paths to power. Timothy Snyder, Yale Professor, author of On Tyranny, writes: “With a steady gaze and an eye for the telling detail, Ruth BenGhiat delivers a timely analysis of how a certain kind of charisma delivers political disaster…”

(Ruth Ben-Ghiat, internationally acclaimed historian, author, columnist, and professor of history at New York University.) As an Amazon Associate, we earn commission from qualifying purchases.

BOOBY PRIZE OF THE WEEK

🙄 On the morning of Pope Francis's death, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) posted this touching tribute on X: "Today, there were major shifts in global leadership. Evil is being defeated by the hand of God."

WE ARE PEOPLE FUNDED

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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO COVER?

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HOW TO TAKE ACTION

Attend Local Town Halls or City Council Meetings

Most political change starts locally. Show up at town halls, school board meetings, or city council sessions. These are often open to the public and a great way to voice opinions, ask questions, and hold local officials accountable.

Google your next town hall or city council meeting—showing up is half the battle. 

Check out social accounts and websites run by the elected officials and their staff. 

  • Facebook, Bluesky, X, etc

  • Official government websites

  • Official government newsletters (usually found on their websites)

  • Call/Email their offices

☎️ United States Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate office you request.