Jess Piper offers an essential service. As the barrage of fundraising emails begin again for candidates - you know, the banal, inauthentic and breathless admonsihments like ‘I just talked to my finance director and we’re in trouble, followed by ‘we did it thanks to you’ even though you didn’t contribute. Multiply that by 100 identification emails in our inbox. Don’t they get it how inauthentic that comes off? I have decided I am going to support progressive voices on Substack. Folks like Jess Piper and other with less name ID like @Robert Leonard in Iowa, need our $ and are educating voters on the issues. They are an essential voice in preserving democracy.
Absolutely could not agree more. I'm sick of do-nothing Dem politicians who keep asking for money and over and over, while Jess Piper is actually on the front lines asking questions!
Exactly right. Why pay consultants instead of boots on the ground?
I have been a solid Democrat ever since Nixon flipped me from my family's conservative heritage, but our Party just doesn't get it ... humanity is a social animal that trusts people in their community, not outsiders that parachute in with promises, MAGA is a community ... one built on hate and lies but a community nonetheless ... and we have to build community. There is no shortcut.
I appreciate it as well, as I'm not one that has that kind of courage. Of course, it always seems there's a familiar refrain of the wealthy creating jobs, which isn't actually true. It's sad that people have been brainwashed by the wealthy to do their work for them.
Even when the wealthy create jobs, they work to zero out all the costs that it actually takes to make things or provide services, including, especially labor. So kissing rich people's butt is not going to get you a job that's sustainable or actually lucrative.
It's so ironic that just everyday people who do work for a living blindly put their faith in people who have money because they assume they know better because they have it, that they're successful and somehow it will trickle down to us. It's sad and so frustrating.....thanks for speaking up. We all have to when you're hit in the face with a knowing lie that even on the surface leaves you thinking what the hell is going on...crazy.
Exactly but why do people continue to believe it? Their defenses are up and it seems predisposed to believing what they've been told by people they should be able to trust but no longer can....
Because the near 50 years of Right Wing Christian Nationalist ideology FUNDED by Koch Bros, Heritage and Rush Limbaugh, then disgusting anti-govt. Sexual Assualter Roger Ailes’ remaking of Fox News led into Con-Theory culture of Alex Jones post 9/11, and EVERY modern RWYoutube Russian Asset (ahem Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool) that spawned off of Jones' Infowars ALWAYS CREATES A HATED "OTHER" to get their vote...
I mean Reagan Era Trickle Down Econ shit has been exposed for decades, it didn't work in 'Rump 1.0 and most certainly won't work in Con-Felon 'Rump 2.0, now with First Nazi Musk ILLEGALLY rampaging through U.S. Treasury, USAID, NOAA, Dept. Of Education with his openly facist, racist Teenage Mutant DOGE Incel hackers!
*not to mention a ‘Rump’s Right Wing Grifter Rogues Gallery Cabinet worth almost 500 BILLION, WTF MAGA VOTING PEOPLE! THEY DON’T HAVE OUR INTERESTS UNLESS YOU ARE A BILLIONAIRE LIKE THEM! Not hard to figure this out!
ENGAGE & RESIST 'RUMP & MUSK ENABLERS LOCALLY TO EFFECT THEM NATIONALLY! (and great post too Jess!)
Seems like they have every base covered and it's been ongoing as if they have put people in a trance to believe everything they keep repeating.....it's damn scary.
In the 1990s, I would talk to southern Christians who were anti-gay to try to connect and help them see a broader perspective. It wasn't easy as I am gay myself. So I cannot thank you enough for doing the work you do.
What I have found useful now with online conversations is using chat to form responses to conservatives and it works more often than not, and it helps me not live in a strong emotional place that would exhaust me. For example, If someone posted the statement "I don’t give a shit who is paying for what and I am tired of people always bashing the wealthy when they are the ones creating the jobs,” a quick way to respond using chat would be the following. And I have found it works
I hear you. Hardworking folks like us don’t want to bash anyone—we just want a fair shake. But if billionaires are funding these tours, don’t you wonder why? They’re not doing it to help us—they’re doing it to help themselves. It’s not about hating the wealthy; it’s about making sure the people who actually build this country—farmers, teachers, small business owners—don’t get left behind while billionaires get richer off our hard work.
I’m with you on not wanting to point fingers just for the sake of it. But think about it—if the wealthy were really creating good jobs, why are so many people in our communities still struggling? Wages are stagnant, healthcare’s out of reach, and our schools are underfunded. Maybe it’s not about ‘bashing’ anyone—it’s about asking, ‘Why aren’t things getting better for us while the rich keep getting richer?
I totally get being tired of the blame game. But think about who’s really benefiting here. The people funding these politicians want us to fight each other over scraps while they make off with the whole pie. This isn’t about ‘bashing’ the wealthy—it’s about asking why they get to write the rules while the rest of us play by them.
I get it—no one wants to hate on success. But here’s the thing: it’s not the billionaires creating jobs. It’s small businesses, family farms, local shops—people like you and me. When billionaires dodge taxes, it’s our roads, schools, and hospitals that suffer. They profit while we pay the price. Shouldn’t the people who benefit the most from this country contribute their fair share?
It is just like in the classroom Jess. You never know who you will impact. We shouldn’t just thank you, but do as you do. We all have to step up to the plate, because we’re in this together.
Not sure how to respond to the ignorance & shortsightedness of these lawmakers & the folks that swallow their BS. Thank you, Jess, for keeping up the fight to educate us all!
Hi Jess. I am a new subscriber, but I've been following you for a while. I really appreciate your insights and love how you stand up. I'm originally from NW Missouri (Savannah) but now live in SW Missouri near Branson. I decided I'm not taking it from these people. My representative, Eric Burlison, sends out his Burlison Brief and it's just full of negativity and divisiveness. I contact him after every newsletter and will continue to do so. I think all of us have to stand up and be heard. Yes, Branson is red as red can be with two Trump stores. But I've decided I'm not walking on eggshells around Maga. I'm with you all the way and so thankful for you!
I believe it was the late William Greider who stated that the reason why people support the agendas of billionaires is that they're clinging to the largely unrealistic hope the someday, somehow, THEY TOO will become billionaires because that's the promise of America, and that if they support legislation that helps non-billionaires, their own aspirations will be be crushed. It's a waste of one's breath to explain to them that "trickle-down" economics" generally doesn't trickle very far down at all.
The Horatio Algers fantasy, as Michael Moore put it. The self-made man - completely snuffed out by all the monopolies and anti-trust violations the already rich have now rigged the system with. Yet dummies like that Repub woman Jess described keep falling for it hook, line and sinker.
Thank you for that! It lays out a brilliant case. Of course, many people on that side refuse to give credence to any figures put forth by Progressives such as Reich, period. I like to view “trickle-down” via this rather crude analogy: A billionaire drinks champagne, then urinates in your mouth and you’re expected to be grateful. Not that I have any objection to an ordinary working stiff starting a business and achieving great success at it—far from it! But it doesn’t mean that the ones already at the top should be rigging the rules completely in their favor, which is what they’re now doing.
Exactly. Reich also has some great vids on HOW the system's rigged. His cartoons are wonderful. But yeah, getting anyone to venture out of their echo chamber these days is well nigh impossible. Talk about The Great Brainwash. I've never seen anything on this scale in all my 60 years.
But of course, that's all part of the rigging. A handful of billionaires own 90% of the media now, so they simply keep fomenting hatred and divisions over piddly-poo, "wokeism" and fake issues to keep most people from seeing the Big Picture.
MAGAmericans betting on the wealthy to allow anything to trickle down that would benefit the majority of Americans is a huge, losing bet! The only trickle down is the higher costs to the consumer! WE have pay for their tax loopholes, WE pay when their tariffs raise the price of consumer goods, WE will pay a very high price when their Project 2025 leads to a void of health services/hospitals, public education, well maintained roads, bridges, dams, etc.! I can only hope that the devastating effects of Proj. 2025’s horrific agenda will finally break the hold that the extreme right has had on MAGAmericans, before its too late!
Thank you. Showing up where you aren’t wanted and asking the uncomfortable but oh, so necessary questions, is a heck of a better alternative than being consumed by the flames of democracy dying.
Jess, you rock! I live in New Hampshire, where we have neither income tax nor sales tax. As of January 1st of this year, the interest & dividends tax is gone. Basically all that’s left is property taxes. Mitt Romney pays less in property taxes on his mansion on Lake Winnipesaukee than we do on our 2100 square foot 3 bedroom house on 16 acres of hayfields. Our town is one of the poorest in the state, and yet we pay the highest property tax rate in the state.
Those Missouri farm folks may want to think about that as they consider dropping the income tax. Folks who are property-rich and income-poor may find themselves funding the state government.
Unexpected consequences of a sales tax elimination.
It will be the property owners who make it up. Check out sales tax free Oregon and then check their property tax. My son pays $8,000 yearly in property alone for a house whose value is that of a small farm in NW Missouri. Check out their inheritance tax. You don’t want to die there. Look to tourist friendly southern MO. Don’t you want the tourists to pay taxes? If not, then you property owners will be doing it.
And yeah, cut labor costs. People will really want to work for then, especially when they know they won’t be able to buy a home because the property tax will eat up a chunk of the house payment.
Jess Piper offers an essential service. As the barrage of fundraising emails begin again for candidates - you know, the banal, inauthentic and breathless admonsihments like ‘I just talked to my finance director and we’re in trouble, followed by ‘we did it thanks to you’ even though you didn’t contribute. Multiply that by 100 identification emails in our inbox. Don’t they get it how inauthentic that comes off? I have decided I am going to support progressive voices on Substack. Folks like Jess Piper and other with less name ID like @Robert Leonard in Iowa, need our $ and are educating voters on the issues. They are an essential voice in preserving democracy.
Absolutely could not agree more. I'm sick of do-nothing Dem politicians who keep asking for money and over and over, while Jess Piper is actually on the front lines asking questions!
Exactly what I wanted to say!!!
Exactly right. Why pay consultants instead of boots on the ground?
I have been a solid Democrat ever since Nixon flipped me from my family's conservative heritage, but our Party just doesn't get it ... humanity is a social animal that trusts people in their community, not outsiders that parachute in with promises, MAGA is a community ... one built on hate and lies but a community nonetheless ... and we have to build community. There is no shortcut.
Thank you for being brave, Jess. ♥️ I will try to be more brave too.
Yes, Jess is inspiring us all to be more brave.
I came here to say something like that. You said it better. Thanks
All I can say is kudos to you for going into that environment and trying to stay sane. You are brave and please know you are appreciated.
I appreciate it as well, as I'm not one that has that kind of courage. Of course, it always seems there's a familiar refrain of the wealthy creating jobs, which isn't actually true. It's sad that people have been brainwashed by the wealthy to do their work for them.
You are right. The wealthy do not create the majority of jobs. Small businesses do. Practice saying that out loud.
Even when the wealthy create jobs, they work to zero out all the costs that it actually takes to make things or provide services, including, especially labor. So kissing rich people's butt is not going to get you a job that's sustainable or actually lucrative.
The only reason we have a minimum wage is because they’d pay you less If they could.
It's so ironic that just everyday people who do work for a living blindly put their faith in people who have money because they assume they know better because they have it, that they're successful and somehow it will trickle down to us. It's sad and so frustrating.....thanks for speaking up. We all have to when you're hit in the face with a knowing lie that even on the surface leaves you thinking what the hell is going on...crazy.
Trickle down economics has been proven time and time again to be a falsehood promulgated by the wealthy and large business owners.
Exactly but why do people continue to believe it? Their defenses are up and it seems predisposed to believing what they've been told by people they should be able to trust but no longer can....
Because the near 50 years of Right Wing Christian Nationalist ideology FUNDED by Koch Bros, Heritage and Rush Limbaugh, then disgusting anti-govt. Sexual Assualter Roger Ailes’ remaking of Fox News led into Con-Theory culture of Alex Jones post 9/11, and EVERY modern RWYoutube Russian Asset (ahem Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool) that spawned off of Jones' Infowars ALWAYS CREATES A HATED "OTHER" to get their vote...
I mean Reagan Era Trickle Down Econ shit has been exposed for decades, it didn't work in 'Rump 1.0 and most certainly won't work in Con-Felon 'Rump 2.0, now with First Nazi Musk ILLEGALLY rampaging through U.S. Treasury, USAID, NOAA, Dept. Of Education with his openly facist, racist Teenage Mutant DOGE Incel hackers!
*not to mention a ‘Rump’s Right Wing Grifter Rogues Gallery Cabinet worth almost 500 BILLION, WTF MAGA VOTING PEOPLE! THEY DON’T HAVE OUR INTERESTS UNLESS YOU ARE A BILLIONAIRE LIKE THEM! Not hard to figure this out!
ENGAGE & RESIST 'RUMP & MUSK ENABLERS LOCALLY TO EFFECT THEM NATIONALLY! (and great post too Jess!)
https://indivisible.org/
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-dont-allow-trumps-recess-appointments
https://5calls.org/
Seems like they have every base covered and it's been ongoing as if they have put people in a trance to believe everything they keep repeating.....it's damn scary.
I always keep in the forefront of my mind the quote “Behind every great fortune is a criminal.”
Sadly, it does make you wonder....
In the 1990s, I would talk to southern Christians who were anti-gay to try to connect and help them see a broader perspective. It wasn't easy as I am gay myself. So I cannot thank you enough for doing the work you do.
What I have found useful now with online conversations is using chat to form responses to conservatives and it works more often than not, and it helps me not live in a strong emotional place that would exhaust me. For example, If someone posted the statement "I don’t give a shit who is paying for what and I am tired of people always bashing the wealthy when they are the ones creating the jobs,” a quick way to respond using chat would be the following. And I have found it works
I hear you. Hardworking folks like us don’t want to bash anyone—we just want a fair shake. But if billionaires are funding these tours, don’t you wonder why? They’re not doing it to help us—they’re doing it to help themselves. It’s not about hating the wealthy; it’s about making sure the people who actually build this country—farmers, teachers, small business owners—don’t get left behind while billionaires get richer off our hard work.
I’m with you on not wanting to point fingers just for the sake of it. But think about it—if the wealthy were really creating good jobs, why are so many people in our communities still struggling? Wages are stagnant, healthcare’s out of reach, and our schools are underfunded. Maybe it’s not about ‘bashing’ anyone—it’s about asking, ‘Why aren’t things getting better for us while the rich keep getting richer?
I totally get being tired of the blame game. But think about who’s really benefiting here. The people funding these politicians want us to fight each other over scraps while they make off with the whole pie. This isn’t about ‘bashing’ the wealthy—it’s about asking why they get to write the rules while the rest of us play by them.
I get it—no one wants to hate on success. But here’s the thing: it’s not the billionaires creating jobs. It’s small businesses, family farms, local shops—people like you and me. When billionaires dodge taxes, it’s our roads, schools, and hospitals that suffer. They profit while we pay the price. Shouldn’t the people who benefit the most from this country contribute their fair share?
Very well spoken and very good advice. Thank you.
Saving this. Thank you Holli!
It is just like in the classroom Jess. You never know who you will impact. We shouldn’t just thank you, but do as you do. We all have to step up to the plate, because we’re in this together.
Not sure how to respond to the ignorance & shortsightedness of these lawmakers & the folks that swallow their BS. Thank you, Jess, for keeping up the fight to educate us all!
We can respond like Jess. Tell the truth. We are so lucky to have her to educate us. Don’t let her fight alone!
Hi Jess. I am a new subscriber, but I've been following you for a while. I really appreciate your insights and love how you stand up. I'm originally from NW Missouri (Savannah) but now live in SW Missouri near Branson. I decided I'm not taking it from these people. My representative, Eric Burlison, sends out his Burlison Brief and it's just full of negativity and divisiveness. I contact him after every newsletter and will continue to do so. I think all of us have to stand up and be heard. Yes, Branson is red as red can be with two Trump stores. But I've decided I'm not walking on eggshells around Maga. I'm with you all the way and so thankful for you!
Oh, god. I’m so sorry about Burlison.
My in-laws are in Savannah!
Wow! Was your husband raised in Savannah?
As for Burlison, I live to harass him!
I believe it was the late William Greider who stated that the reason why people support the agendas of billionaires is that they're clinging to the largely unrealistic hope the someday, somehow, THEY TOO will become billionaires because that's the promise of America, and that if they support legislation that helps non-billionaires, their own aspirations will be be crushed. It's a waste of one's breath to explain to them that "trickle-down" economics" generally doesn't trickle very far down at all.
There is never a trickle. The flood goes into the reservoirs owned by the wealthy and uber wealthy. The dry deserts are vast
The Horatio Algers fantasy, as Michael Moore put it. The self-made man - completely snuffed out by all the monopolies and anti-trust violations the already rich have now rigged the system with. Yet dummies like that Repub woman Jess described keep falling for it hook, line and sinker.
And no, there is never any trickle-down, going all the way back to Reagan. This little 5" vid rolls the facts out clearly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJZHQHHT8g
Thank you for that! It lays out a brilliant case. Of course, many people on that side refuse to give credence to any figures put forth by Progressives such as Reich, period. I like to view “trickle-down” via this rather crude analogy: A billionaire drinks champagne, then urinates in your mouth and you’re expected to be grateful. Not that I have any objection to an ordinary working stiff starting a business and achieving great success at it—far from it! But it doesn’t mean that the ones already at the top should be rigging the rules completely in their favor, which is what they’re now doing.
Exactly. Reich also has some great vids on HOW the system's rigged. His cartoons are wonderful. But yeah, getting anyone to venture out of their echo chamber these days is well nigh impossible. Talk about The Great Brainwash. I've never seen anything on this scale in all my 60 years.
But of course, that's all part of the rigging. A handful of billionaires own 90% of the media now, so they simply keep fomenting hatred and divisions over piddly-poo, "wokeism" and fake issues to keep most people from seeing the Big Picture.
MAGAmericans betting on the wealthy to allow anything to trickle down that would benefit the majority of Americans is a huge, losing bet! The only trickle down is the higher costs to the consumer! WE have pay for their tax loopholes, WE pay when their tariffs raise the price of consumer goods, WE will pay a very high price when their Project 2025 leads to a void of health services/hospitals, public education, well maintained roads, bridges, dams, etc.! I can only hope that the devastating effects of Proj. 2025’s horrific agenda will finally break the hold that the extreme right has had on MAGAmericans, before its too late!
It might if it doesn’t kill most of us off first.
Thank you. Showing up where you aren’t wanted and asking the uncomfortable but oh, so necessary questions, is a heck of a better alternative than being consumed by the flames of democracy dying.
Jess, you're an expert in John Lewis's "get in good trouble." Keep it up. We who can't be there love it and support you.
You are valued by this kindred spirit. Let's spark change!
Jess, you rock! I live in New Hampshire, where we have neither income tax nor sales tax. As of January 1st of this year, the interest & dividends tax is gone. Basically all that’s left is property taxes. Mitt Romney pays less in property taxes on his mansion on Lake Winnipesaukee than we do on our 2100 square foot 3 bedroom house on 16 acres of hayfields. Our town is one of the poorest in the state, and yet we pay the highest property tax rate in the state.
Those Missouri farm folks may want to think about that as they consider dropping the income tax. Folks who are property-rich and income-poor may find themselves funding the state government.
Thank you for sharing exactly what happens when you eliminate the income tax
Unexpected consequences of a sales tax elimination.
It will be the property owners who make it up. Check out sales tax free Oregon and then check their property tax. My son pays $8,000 yearly in property alone for a house whose value is that of a small farm in NW Missouri. Check out their inheritance tax. You don’t want to die there. Look to tourist friendly southern MO. Don’t you want the tourists to pay taxes? If not, then you property owners will be doing it.
And yeah, cut labor costs. People will really want to work for then, especially when they know they won’t be able to buy a home because the property tax will eat up a chunk of the house payment.
Things to think about!
Wow! Thank you for your courage to speak up and for sharing this with us.
We are all braver than we think. We are all braver together.