The states run education, and some do a good job. Others do a bad job, actively discouraging children from thinking critically. They know that if the kids do think critically, the game is over and the incumbents will be gone with the wind. I’m looking at you, the Deep South.
Growing up in NY I thought everyone had the same education as I had and then I got a computer and realized how wrong I was. It's hard to accept that so many are so ignorant in this country and around the world.
I grew up in NY also, then lived in Florida, California, Alabama and Michigan. The northern states have better education systems, Florida is terrible, and Alabama is just a class in boll weevil eradication. In our local HS in Alabama, only 1 student (in 500) was accepted to an out of state college. He was my nephew and the college was MIT. Go figure.
Born and raised in Bergen County NJ, way before computers, my eyes were awakened, though. Lived in a town where education was top of the pile and moved to a similar town raising my son.
Here in NJ, I, too, learned to think critically. It wasn’t until my husband was sent to Ft. Sill OK for training, that I realized how much the educational system in NJ was superior to most in the south. It was shocking to me that people I met took everything they read as fact.
Minnesotan here. People underestimate our education systems; Universities and Colleges. It’s true that there will be those who cannot grasp critical thinking but Minnesota does well to teach the skills . I remember the local Catholic church tried hard to persuade my parents that they were not good parents by enrolling us in public school. My parents firmly believed in public education and looking back, were always teaching us to look at situations with an open mind, rely on truth but seek evidence and willingly listen to others’ perspectives.
My mom went to Catholic school until 7th grade. When my grandparents moved, mom went to public school. When I came along my parents were firm believers in public school, same schools my dad went to. Getting into colleges was very different and tons more selective when my son was applying than back in my day. It was the first that we heard that the high schools were ranked and weighted differently, not just the classes the student took.
I was in 12th grade in 1980 and my civics teacher also taught an English class called mass media, which was basically media literacy. Among the things that stand out most were that she asked us to look at ads thinking about what feelings The advertiser was trying to evoke in us, pity or insecurity or fear of missing out.
Forty-one years later I cannot help but do that when I see ads, and I've shown my kid. He's 13 and we homeschool for various good reasons, and I've always included discussing relevant aspects of media literacy and critical thinking, since he was very little.
My son (grown now) has dyslexia and dysgraphia. Public school's solution was to put him in with the slow learners. Not an option for me! I put him in private school, but it was still a lot of work. I used to tell people that I picked him up from school and went home and home schooled. Fortunately, he was a hard worker and now he has a degree in computer science.
I'm glad to hear you're homeschooling him—I was moderately gifted growing up, too, and my Junior High put me in "Learning Disabilites" class because they didn't know what to do with me!
My ex-wife also has dyscalculia and dysgraphia—she found it annoying that I could do basic sums in my head, and forget asking her to read a map! We bought a Garmin when I started driving again, which we used until Google Maps on my iPhone got good enough that I could use that instead.
THE INCREDIBLES is great—THE INCREDIBLES II a bit too derivative, though still really enjoyable.
DR Darke, I am so sorry your school was so disrespectful of your gifts. I was a teacher of Gifted students in a very disadvantaged school district and had students with all kinds of other learning differences. I met with students for several hours each week, K-12, the only such teacher in the district. I led discussions with students on all kinds of topics, even informal debates. I chose not to teach the subjects the students were already getting in their classes, although I would help if there were particular learning challenges in required subjects. I also did not teach in the same ways the regular education teachers taught because I understood the students were already experiencing that in their classrooms. That is in no way to disparage teachers; I had the most amazing colleagues and we worked well together. I knew Gifted students needed something more. Dealing with media and propaganda were subjects we ended up discussing and examining rather often because those were important to them. I am 3 years retired and really do miss the exciting work I was able to do with my wonderfully interesting, creative, challenging students.
Our local gifted program is really just about academic achievement, not how kids can learn very differently. And there's no way he wouldn't suffer in school. Three separate professionals have told us to keep homeschooling him. He has friends and is physically active and understands and though I have taught him to think independently as best I can, he still would vote the same way I do.
My daughter was very intelligent and missed most of 2nd grade traveling in Europe so was pretty worldly and her CA classroom bored her, so her 2nd grade teacher wanted me to put her on Ritalin rather than having to deal with her. That was a hard no! By 4th grade the GAT (gifted and talented) program had started which was just what she needed.
I worked in the School System as a paid employee for 23 years and volunteer for 9 years. It has been my experience that Autistic children are very artistic and smart. They see the world from a different perspective. Yet, I have often wondered if they know more about navigating life better than so called "normal thinking people." God Bless you Mary and your family.
We had a discussion about abortion, even, a long one. He wasn't sure he agreed with me for a little bit but ultimately, I asked him who should make the choice, the pregnant person and their doctor? Or the government? So now he knows how he would vote, at least at this age. And he agrees with me.
He has his own brain, I want to help him develop into a caring, thinking person. After that it's on him.
Deep South, here. You are right about that. Also, where I live, Louisiana, a very large number of families send their kids to private (often religious) schools. Thinking critically for those schools means thinking critically based on religious beliefs. I think we probably all know how that does and would turn out. The parents want their kids to have the same way of thinking about culture, history, politics, etc.
I just saw some of the things that the “ southern” states have done to their schools… it’s beyond scary
1. How to you know when you have to use the bathroom?? They only allow a certain number and time throughout the day want yer kid to learn or worry about “ holding it” THATS BEYOND AWFUL!!
and there’s one school allows a man to watch while the kid uses the toilet!! Really is that an answer??
I thought it was the idea of making school something that was enlightening and encouraging children to think about what was being taught and not just going thru the motions so teachers couldn’t be inconvenienced
Robert. I agree with you. Children are told what to do. They're not encouraged to think things through and express and discuss, without arguing, a coherent and satisfying agreement. They see all this
wickedness, killings, downright hatred. I believe they're actually believing this is the norm.
I went to school in SoCal and don't remember anything about critical thinking in my education. And that was in the 1950s (I graduated high school in June 1962). It's downright horrifying that so many states are not encouraging thinking.
I also went to school in Santa Monica but had one fantastic English Teacher in Highschool who took us through how to spot propaganda, advertising, politics and other shifty influencers along with logical thinking. Our teachers were very divided between the best ever and the worst. I also had a Woman American History Teacher who every time I raised my hand to ask a question would say, "That's a stupid question.". So I stopped of course. But I still had questions which I was thinking and the boy next to me would raise his hand and ask My Question Verbatim! She would then say "That's a excellent question!?". That made me furious. I put her into the worst category but I also discovered misogyny was from women too.
I actually emailed my really good civics teacher from 1980, a couple of years ago, because I searched for her and found that she had retired and gotten an award from the state for her teaching. I thanked her for helping me to learn critical thinking because I continue to use it.
Moon Cat, it sounds like we were both graduates of Samohi! I remember my history teacher, Miss Montgomery as being pretty good.. My worst teacher was the one I had for second year Latin, who alternated teaching Latin and Spanish all day, and was very easily manipulated by the students. I am sorry you ran into misogyny in school - that's very sad. I was pretty out of it in high school and don't remember anything like that. Oops, maybe I do. Mr. Jerome, the chemistry teacher let me know that I was stupid for having a bad reaction when he opened a gallon bottle of ammonia right under my nose. You've brought back some interesting memories.
Lida, children do need to learn that this hatefilled, lie-enhanced "news" that is everywhere is not normal. It is loud and presented all over because it gets "likes", but it is not "normal" and should never be acceptable. That's where critical thinking and other media skills would come in, and a major reason Trump and his buddies want to undermine our public schools, schools that often try hard to help students to be educated human beings and decent citizens, even when challenged at every opportunity by those who would prefer brainwashing people to go along with that hatred, lying, abusive crew of current Republican candidates.
I was just at looking at the schools ( I believe it was Florida because of covering books with a blue material??)
They are doing some really crazy stuff.. only allowing bathroom breaks at certain times??
Also feeding kids stuff that looks absolutely awful!!
And allowing the school staff to watch kids while they are using the toilet??
Boy there really needs to be some sort of accountability of what’s going on… I don’t have kids in school anymore but sure wouldn’t allow these kinds of things to happen
AMEN!! This topic was an absolutely fabulous piece!! It is so, so sad that here in our allegedly “advanced” country, I’m not aware of ANY educational programs that even resemble Finland’s pursuit. The US needs to become less arrogant and “learn to learn” from others. I feel certain Finland would be more than willing to share their curriculum and methods. The US probably just needs to ask. 👍🏼
In my local homeschool group there's a family from Finland who moved here and popped their kids into dchool, then yoinked them back out in horror and homeschooled them. It's not like Finnish education is so much more rigorous, it's just so much more developmentally appropriate and useful for the real world, while still spitting out kids that are going to do fine in college.
I couldn't agree more, canjat! I've long hated our arrogance. I've seen a lot of that on the long cruises we used to take. It is sad when the passengers on the ship look down on the crew, who are wonderful people. It's sad when people in "lesser" jobs don't get respect. And it's sad when they don't get respect because they are "other". I learned a lot from developing relationships with the ship's crew, and had a much better time on the trip, much better dining room service, just by being respectful and pleasant, and having fun with them. In other words, treating them like the human beings they are. I really wish that as a country we would be more willing to learn from others. That would make us a much better country.
You also have to remember two things about 'Finland, it is relatively small in both size and population and it is also relatively homogenous in population - they are nearly all native born.
Our problem is instead of having a centralized education so all children have equal access to an acceptable education. We have 50 different States with 50 different philosophies. Massachussetts has the best educated students in the Country West Virginia the worst and they rank in between. In some States if they can read the bible they are considered sufficiently educated, in some States just being quiet and obedient is considered good enough..
If you watched the video you would have seen students of colour in the classroom—immigration from outside Finland is growing. When I visited Finland in 2009 I had a Somali born bus driver in Helsinki who spoke fluent English and Finnish. My Finnish relative who spoke to him in Finnish said that his Finnish was really good. The population is much less homogeneous than it once was.
Good to know, thank you, Susan, I've never been to Finland, but it is a Country I wanted to visit. I used to love ballroom dancing and I read the Finns are really good dancers.
The media has been losing our trust daily and they don’t seem to calculate that means losing viewers-subscribers. At the very least, CBS moderators could aim for the good job that the ABC team did, asking questions that included the fact check in them before the lying liar could lie again. By posing the questions in a very specific and confrontative manner they could call out the bullshit that Vance has been spewing and also give Walz an opportunity to respond without having to fact check the scumbag.
It is NOT going to be a debate. Vance will lie about everything and turn it in to a MAGA lie fest. No point in having a debate against people like Donald and Vance.
What’s the purpose of a debate when moderators choose to allow people to lie?
I think I won't be watching it. I won't let them force me to watch Vance spew lies with no one to challenge them but Walz. That'll mean that Tim Walz will be forced to spend ALL his time debunking MAGA conspiracy theories.
I can't wait until November. The utter void of any intelligence or capacity for self-determination scares me among any whack job that would vote Republican. It should scare everyone!
Imagine wearing these t-shirts in front of your MAGA neighbor 👇 🤣
Kamala Harris in her debate with trump called him out on a lot of stuff - her answers often started with what trump had said or done. I can see Walz doing the same thing. I'm with you on being scared by so many people voting for republicans.
I'm going to watch it to see Walz mop the floor will Vance. He's dealt with military men, High school kids, politicians and came out a Governor. Vance can't even order donuts or stand up for his wife. Vance is only in his position because he kissed up a billionaire and the Heritage Foundation who are sticking their cuckoo egg into Trump's nest. No one would actually elect him if they interacted with him. But he will push Project 2o25 and Trump isn't in good enough shape to finish his term if elected.
I’m 76. In what we called grammar school in those days, we were taught how to identify yellow journalism in social studies class in Illinois. Would have been in the late 1950s. Same principle and same techniques apply to today’s media. Such a short lesson, but one I’ve carried with me all these years.
Same here. In Illinois education. Further advanced education in the same areas along with how to debate, in English classes in high school. We had four years on English. From Basic Grammar, Literature Classics, Junior- 3rd Yr, & Senior Years - an Elective if B or A average, options included More Literature focus or Creative Writing, and Advanced Writing, Journalism.
Sadly, Thats Not "The NEW WAY". Today Power & Wealth are all that matters. Eventually, younger people will out-live the Good Ol Boy Networks. Hopefully, they will take control in in the RIGHT WAY...
We seem resistant to progressive ideas but learning to deconstruct the media and advertising landscape is vital to our survival. Know your source is always a good start.
The finns saw what misinformation did to Russia and decided they wanted no part of that future. Conservatives in America want to turn America INTO Russia. And if we don't stop them, they will succeed.
In this morning's edition of Countdown Keith urged his old friend Norah O' Donnell to ignore her bosses at CBS and rise to the occasion. She's leaving anyway, what are they going to do, pull her off the air in the middle of the debate? Don't lose sight of the fact that CBS' cowardice is only because they know Vance is going to lie from beginning to end and they don't want to deal with the inevitable MAGA freakout if he is called out.
As for critical thinking, as long as Republicans see critical thinking as a threat to their power, they will continue to force schools to dumb down their curriculum so that it is never learned. And Finland style programs will never see the light of day here.
O'Donnell isn't leaving. She is moving to "60 Minutes" and they are going to give her big interviews. You are right, though. CBS doesn't want to bother with the fact checking. I wouldn't be surprised if it was O'Donnell and Brennan who didn't want to have to do the fact checking. Too much work?? I am sure they both know who would come out on the side of truth.
I know. Never in my life did it ever occur to me that I would think that, but here we are. It's not just Trump and his cult, it's the mainstream media doing everything possible to facilitate the end of our democracy and the Supreme Court, which I always felt was trustworthy and really sacrosanct turning into a bunch of bought and paid for legal thugs. I think a lot of people are going to be looking elsewhere if it doesn't change.
I wish going elsewhere were feasible. Personally I like New Zealand, but with all the medical issues I'm experiencing in my old age, I don't think moving to a different country would be feasible.
UK has some of the same problems as US does, also stoked by Putin & Musk.
What happens to the US, good or bad, affects the rest of the world, so you really can't hide. Consider if Trump gets back in power, he'll probably withdraw from NATO. Russia will likely conquer Ukraine, then go roughshod against the Baltics, Poland & the rest of Europe. China will be encouraged to invade Taiwan & perhaps other nations of eastern, southern & central Asia. Venezuela will try to take over the Guianas, etc. Climate chaos will get out of control, & we'll have ecosystem collapse & mass extinction.
I hope (& expect) you vote for Kamala & other Democrats before leaving, if you do go.
I know. But you can't go bankrupt from medical debt and you don't have to worry so much about being shot. Plus my husband's family is there. And yes, we're voting blue.
Hi Debbie, yes I am and have been thinking about it for almost 2 years now. My daughter is well on her way to citizenship in Italy. I am on a waiting list as is my sister.
Yes, Italy has problems too but the cost of living there is less than half of what it is here.
Yet, Italians have a nice lifestyle with decent housing, etc. We chose Italy because that is
our heritage and they make it much easier to become a citizen in a comparatively shorter
time. Good luck with your decisions. I love the United States but it is scary here and likely
I hope it works out for you. I spent some time in Italy when I was young and loved it. I should have moved there after college but I didn't. It's probably not feasible now as my husband doesn't speak Italian and isn't great with languages.
It has crossed our minds, but we’re staying here. Maybe we can be part of the solution. Blue flight would just leave the country helpless in the hands of unchecked insanity.
I have been living in Taiwan since 2007. It’s a wonderful place to live. Peaceful, people are kind and friendly. Healthcare is amazing and affordable for all. I always thought we would move back to the US though. It makes me sad that it’s no longer an option. I miss my country so much, but the one I grew up in and loved is gone.
I hope Taiwan can keep its sovereignty & territorial integrity. I keep reading about China considering invading Taiwan in or around 2027. China will feel extra incentive if Trump is in power, withdraws from NATO & permits Russia to "do whatever the hell it wants to do" with Europe.
Yeah that’s the bog fear here. I wonder what is so special about 2027. I will still stay, even though I live in the mountains of Yangmingshan in Taipei. There are lots of strategic spots in our area. (Where I walk my dog!). I used to see the military gathered in spots for military exercises. They even blocked one of the roads on my daily walk. It was strange to ask a man holding a machine gun if I could please just walk my dog! I knew the answer but thought I’d try!
But yes- the fear is that if Trump wins, he will thrown Taiwan under the bus. Biden was all about protecting Taiwan, not so much for its democratic status, but for microchips. Trump would be a fool to disengage from helping us.
The US is many years away from becoming self-sufficient in producing chips. They are just starting (with the help of thousands of Taiwanese engineers!).
Let’s see.
We have air raid drills twice a year. They used to freak me out when I lived in the city! Quite eerie.
We often think that way, especially my husband. My fear of moving centers on how the world will be if Trump is elected. Russia will certainly go after Poland. Not sure I’d want to be in Europe if that happens. Also we are retired on SS and a Teamsters pension and I wonder if the U.S. would retaliate under a Republican administration and not allow the transfer of funds out of the U.S.
Exactly my concerns, too, which is why I fear I'm stuck in the USA. It's yet another why it is imperative to prevent Trump & the GOP from getting back in power. I wish everyone realized the stakes.
By the way, for those of you who are thinking of moving, there are a number of blue states that have great progressive leadership, which I assume will at least try to remain that way, even if Republicans take over the federal government. So you might want to consider moving to 1 of these states. However, if you're in a swing state or near swing state, we need your votes in those swing states.
Hi James, I am from NY...very progressive but I live on Long Island which I'm afraid to say is MAGA country in our state! Republicans have controlled most of LI since I can remember. Makes me nauseous.
I hadn't thought about that, but I have SS and my husband has his teacher retirement income. We could probably survive without, but I don't want to even think about it.
Good to know. The only question I have, living in the state of Texas, is would they honor my husband's pension. The current government of Texas is really nasty, and I don't trust them for anything..
Just like discerning the evil in these bastards - Sulzberger, Khan, and friends.
And those were his wins. His tax plan added $2 trillion to the national debt; his promised extension of them would add $5.8 trillion over the next decade. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal destabilized the Middle East. His support for antidemocratic strongmen like Mr. Putin emboldened human rights abusers all over the world. He instigated the longest government shutdown ever. His sympathetic comments toward the Proud Boys expanded the influence of domestic right-wing extremist groups.
In the years since he left office, Mr. Trump was convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records, was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and faces two, possibly three, other criminal cases. He has continued to stoke chaos and encourage violence and lawlessness whenever it suits his political aims, most recently promoting vicious lies against Haitian immigrants. He recognizes that ordinary people — voters, jurors, journalists, election officials, law enforcement officers and many others who are willing to do their duty as citizens and public servants — have the power to hold him to account, so he has spent the past three and a half years trying to undermine them and sow distrust in anyone or any institution that might stand in his way.
Most dangerous for American democracy, Mr. Trump has transformed the Republican Party — an institution that once prided itself on principle and honored its obligations to the law and the Constitution — into little more than an instrument of his quest to regain power. The Republicans who support Ms. Harris recognize that this election is about something more fundamental than narrow partisan interest. It is about principles that go beyond party.
In 2020 this board made the strongest case it could against the re-election of Mr. Trump. Four years later, many Americans have put his excesses out of their minds. We urge them and those who may look back at that period with nostalgia or feel that their lives are not much better now than they were three years ago to recognize that his first term was a warningand that a second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first.
I mostly agree with what you've said. The exception is that the republican party has been on the downslide at least since the days of Nixon. I did not appreciate Eisenhower adding "under God" to the pledge, or changing the country's motto, and Herbert Hoover was a total disaster. IMO Teddy Roosevelt was the last good republican president.
Interesting article. Highly disappointing that CBS & Nora O’Donnell will not be fact checking. She’s a highly regarded journalist. I’m surprised she signed on for this. This will be just like the first debate that was hosted on CNN with Trump & Biden. Can’t recall how many lies Trump told in that one, but it doesn’t matter after the fact. It’s more important to fact check on the spot and embarrass them for lying, don’t you think?
Once again you supply critical thinking & information- this about Finland. I hope Kamala is reading. Also, thank you Mary for keeping this free. I’m a huge fan living solely on my hard earned lifetime social security (and still managing to buy art supplies).
I do admire Finland’s approach towards its citizens, and truly appreciate Mary’s enlightening post. Will I move there? If Trump gets elected, where in the world is anyone safe?
Finland is about a good a country as it gets, at least the government & the people, & I think the land & environment is quite good, too. However, I wouldn't want to live nextdoor to Russia. Russia already took half of Finland's territory 70 years ago, & wouldn't hesitate to take the rest if it felt it could get away with it, which is probably why Finland decided recently to join NATO.
Thank you, Mary. I admire your courage and dedication to the truth, and to our country. The information about the educational system in Finland was news to me. It gives me hope. The Good In Us is important and valuable. Thank you for sharing it.
Mary, you know him better than anyone reading this. If you really want to stop Trump, Vance (and Elon Musk) from hijacking the US Government and taking over the White House, (FBI & Civil Rights Division) read pages 549-569 from project 2025 that will destroy America. And vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to stop project 2025 and save America.
Speaking of lies - there are dozens if not hundreds of lies being posted on X. These agents of the right are saying the Biden-Harris Admin is withholding aid to victims of Hurricane Helene. PLEASE go to X and reply to these lies. They are everywhere on X so it is easy to find them. Thanks
I blocked him before he bought it. He's still blocked. As to magats, I see them, I block them. I don't have a conversation with them, I have enough of that with friends and family.
The corporate media lost half their viewers/readers after Trump left office. CBS (in particular) is owned by an intergalactic widgetmaker (Paramount) that is desperate to find a way to get rid of it (and also, with the sale of the company to the Ellisons - of whom Daddy Ellison is the major source of money and a rabid Trumper along with his buddy Elmo Muck - there's a political element) . To do so, CBS needs to be "profitable" - more viewers. They figure Trump brings controversy which brings viewers which means profits, soo....
With these conscienceless scum, you ALWAYS follow the money.
This loss in viewership has occurred or continued since these corporate media went pro-Trump in coverage, so that seems to be a failed strategy. There are already plenty of heavily pro-Trump/fascist media; we don't need more. What we need is more objective media that expose the truth, not both-sides every issue or sanewash everything Trump says.
Tell John Malone (biggest shareholder in Warner Bros Discovery, rabid Trumper) who told Zaz to get CNN changed to "more mainstream" and defined that as "Fox lite."
MSNBC has Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Mathews, Rachel Maddow and others. They aren't perfect but they are the best for mainstream Media News. Then I supplement with Brian Taylor Cohen, Glen Kirshner, David Doyle the Rational National, the Meidas Gang, and other independents. Robert Reich is great and of course Mary Trump. I've been finding so many great discussions and people on Substack that I am barely checking in to Facebook or X.
I miss MSNBC since we had to cancel Xfinity TV. We now have an over-the-air antenna and Roku and Tablo TV. Fixed income and ever increasing basic costs and medical costs make any form of paid TV or streaming service a thing of the past. I can occasionally find some things on YouTube, but that’s all I’ve found so far.
Canceling cable saved me $120 a month. There were so many channels I didn't watch, it just wasn't worth it. On Roku I watch NBC streaming and BBC sometimes. I get the major networks on over-the-air antenna, too. MSNBC is one of the few channels on cable I miss.
I got rid of cable a year ago, but I can listen to Rachel Maddow and Nicole Wallace on line, which I do. I have not seen the others you mention except Robert Reich, which I read here and on Instagram. I sometimes watched Lawrence O'Donnell when I had cable. What I read/watch now takes up about all of my news consumption time. I subscribe to The Atlantic, also.
It will help them discern what evil bastards like Sulzberger & Khan are saying before they flip because subscriptions are plummeting.
OPINION
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The Only Patriotic Choice for President
By The Editorial Board
The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.
It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks.
Those disqualifying characteristics are compounded by everything else that limits his ability to fulfill the duties of the president: his many criminal charges, his advancing age, his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates.
This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election.
For this reason, regardless of any political disagreements voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.
Most presidential elections are, at their core, about two different visions of America that emerge from competing policies and principles. This one is about something more foundational. It is about whether we invite into the highest office in the land a man who has revealed, unmistakably, that he will degrade the values, defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong.
As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race. She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s.
Ms. Harris is more than a necessary alternative. There is also an optimistic case for elevating her, one that is rooted in her policies and borne out by her experience as vice president, a senator and a state attorney general.
Over the past 10 weeks, Ms. Harris has offered a shared future for all citizens, beyond hate and division. She has begun to describe a set of thoughtful plans to help American families.
While character is enormously important — in this election, pre-eminently so — policies matter. Many Americans remain deeply concerned about their prospects and their children’s in an unstable and unforgiving world. For them, Ms. Harris is clearly the better choice. She has committed to using the power of her office to help Americans better afford the things they need, to make it easier to own a home, to support small businesses and to help workers. Mr. Trump’s economic priorities are more tax cuts, which would benefit mostly the wealthy, and more tariffs, which will make prices even more unmanageable for the poor and middle class.
Beyond the economy, Ms. Harris promises to continue working to expand access to health care and reduce its cost. She has a long record of fighting to protect women’s health and reproductive freedom. Mr. Trump spent years trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and boasts of picking the Supreme Court justices who ended the constitutional right to an abortion.
Globally, Ms. Harris would work to maintain and strengthen the alliances with like-minded nations that have long advanced American interests abroad and maintained the nation’s security. Mr. Trump — who has long praised autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban and Kim Jong-un — has threatened to blow those democratic alliances apart. Ms. Harris recognizes the need for global solutions to the global problem of climate change and would continue President Biden’s major investments in the industries and technologies necessary to achieve that goal. Mr. Trump rejects the accepted science, and his contempt for low-carbon energy solutions is matched only by his trollish fealty to fossil fuels.
As for immigration, a huge and largely unsolved issue, the former president continues to demonize and dehumanize immigrants, while Ms. Harris at least offers hope for a compromise, long denied by Congress, to secure the borders and return the nation to a sane immigration system.
Many voters have said they want more details about the vice president’s plans, as well as more unscripted encounters in which she explains her vision and policies. They are right to ask. Given the stakes of this election, Ms. Harris may think that she is running a campaign designed to minimize the risks of an unforced error — answering journalists’ questions and offering greater policy detail could court controversy, after all — under the belief that being the only viable alternative to Mr. Trump may be enough to bring her to victory. That strategy may ultimately prove winning, but it’s a disservice to the American people and to her own record. And leaving the public with a sense that she is being shielded from tough questions, as Mr. Biden has been, could backfire by undermining her core argument that a capable new generation stands ready to take the reins of power.
Ms. Harris is not wrong, however, on the clear dangers of returning Mr. Trump to office. He has promised to be a different kind of president this time, one who is unrestrained by checks on power built into the American political system. His pledge to be “a dictator” on “Day 1” might have indeed been a joke — but his undisguised fondness for dictatorships and the strongmen who run them is anything but.
Most notably, he systematically undermined public confidence in the result of the 2020 election and then attempted to overturn it — an effort that culminated in an insurrection at the Capitol to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power and resulted in him and some of his most prominent supporters being charged with crimes. He has not committed to honoring the result of this election and continues to insist, as he did at the debate with Ms. Harris on Sept. 10, that he won in 2020. He has apparently made a willingness to support his lies a litmus test for those in his orbit, starting with JD Vance, who would be his vice president.
His disdain for the rule of law goes beyond his efforts to obtain power; it is also central to how he plans to use it. Mr. Trump and his supporters have described a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats. He vows, for instance, to turn the federal bureaucracy and even the Justice Department into weapons of his will to hurt his political enemies. In at least 10 instances during his presidency, he did exactly that, pressuring federal agencies and prosecutors to punish people he felt had wronged him, with little or no legal basis for prosecution.
Some of the people Mr. Trump appointed in his last term saved America from his most dangerous impulses. They refused to break laws on his behalf and spoke up when he put his own interests above his country’s. As a result, the former president intends, if re-elected, to surround himself with people who are unwilling to defy his demands. Today’s version of Mr. Trump — the twice-impeached version that faces a barrage of criminal charges — may prove to be the restrained version.
Unless American voters stand up to him, Mr. Trump will have the power to do profound and lasting harm to our democracy.
That is not simply an opinion of Mr. Trump’s character by his critics; it is a judgment of his presidency from those who know it best — the very people he appointed to serve in the most important positions of his White House. It is telling that among those who fear a second Trump presidency are people who worked for him and saw him at close range.
Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s vice president, has repudiated him. No other vice president in modern history has done this. “I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” Mr. Pence has said. “And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”
Mr. Trump’s attorney general has raised similar concerns about his fundamental unfitness. And his chief of staff. And his defense secretary. And his national security advisers. And his education secretary. And on and on — a record of denunciation without precedent in the nation’s long history.
That’s not to say Mr. Trump did not add to the public conversation. In particular, he broke decades of Washington consensus and led both parties to wrestle with the downsides of globalization, unrestrained trade and China’s rise. His criminal-justice reform efforts were well placed, his focus on Covid vaccine development paid off, and his decision to use an emergency public health measure to turn away migrants at the border was the right call at the start of the pandemic. Yet even when the former president’s overall aim may have had merit, his operational incompetence, his mercurial temperament and his outright recklessness often led to bad outcomes. Mr. Trump’s tariffs cost Americans billions of dollars. His attacks on China have ratcheted up military tensions with America’s strongest rival and a nuclear superpower. His handling of the Covid crisis contributed to historic declines in confidence in public health, and to the loss of many lives. His overreach on immigration policies, such as his executive order on family separation, was widely denounced as inhumane and often ineffective.
And those were his wins. His tax plan added $2 trillion to the national debt; his promised extension of them would add $5.8 trillion over the next decade. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal destabilized the Middle East. His support for antidemocratic strongmen like Mr. Putin emboldened human rights abusers all over the world. He instigated the longest government shutdown ever. His sympathetic comments toward the Proud Boys expanded the influence of domestic right-wing extremist groups.
In the years since he left office, Mr. Trump was convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records, was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and faces two, possibly three, other criminal cases. He has continued to stoke chaos and encourage violence and lawlessness whenever it suits his political aims, most recently promoting vicious lies against Haitian immigrants. He recognizes that ordinary people — voters, jurors, journalists, election officials, law enforcement officers and many others who are willing to do their duty as citizens and public servants — have the power to hold him to account, so he has spent the past three and a half years trying to undermine them and sow distrust in anyone or any institution that might stand in his way.
Most dangerous for American democracy, Mr. Trump has transformed the Republican Party — an institution that once prided itself on principle and honored its obligations to the law and the Constitution — into little more than an instrument of his quest to regain power. The Republicans who support Ms. Harris recognize that this election is about something more fundamental than narrow partisan interest. It is about principles that go beyond party.
In 2020 this board made the strongest case it could against the re-election of Mr. Trump. Four years later, many Americans have put his excesses out of their minds. We urge them and those who may look back at that period with nostalgia or feel that their lives are not much better now than they were three years ago to recognize that his first term was a warningand that a second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first.
So I guess I’ll be yelling at the screen again when the lies start flowing and no one does anything about it 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I’ll be in good company though as I’ll be right there with you and the Nerd Avengers ❤️❤️❤️❤️
If only Americans could be educated in this way!
The states run education, and some do a good job. Others do a bad job, actively discouraging children from thinking critically. They know that if the kids do think critically, the game is over and the incumbents will be gone with the wind. I’m looking at you, the Deep South.
Growing up in NY I thought everyone had the same education as I had and then I got a computer and realized how wrong I was. It's hard to accept that so many are so ignorant in this country and around the world.
I grew up in NY also, then lived in Florida, California, Alabama and Michigan. The northern states have better education systems, Florida is terrible, and Alabama is just a class in boll weevil eradication. In our local HS in Alabama, only 1 student (in 500) was accepted to an out of state college. He was my nephew and the college was MIT. Go figure.
Born and raised in Bergen County NJ, way before computers, my eyes were awakened, though. Lived in a town where education was top of the pile and moved to a similar town raising my son.
Here in NJ, I, too, learned to think critically. It wasn’t until my husband was sent to Ft. Sill OK for training, that I realized how much the educational system in NJ was superior to most in the south. It was shocking to me that people I met took everything they read as fact.
Minnesotan here. People underestimate our education systems; Universities and Colleges. It’s true that there will be those who cannot grasp critical thinking but Minnesota does well to teach the skills . I remember the local Catholic church tried hard to persuade my parents that they were not good parents by enrolling us in public school. My parents firmly believed in public education and looking back, were always teaching us to look at situations with an open mind, rely on truth but seek evidence and willingly listen to others’ perspectives.
My mom went to Catholic school until 7th grade. When my grandparents moved, mom went to public school. When I came along my parents were firm believers in public school, same schools my dad went to. Getting into colleges was very different and tons more selective when my son was applying than back in my day. It was the first that we heard that the high schools were ranked and weighted differently, not just the classes the student took.
Having grown up in Ohio, I feel the same as you, Bonnie.
I was in 12th grade in 1980 and my civics teacher also taught an English class called mass media, which was basically media literacy. Among the things that stand out most were that she asked us to look at ads thinking about what feelings The advertiser was trying to evoke in us, pity or insecurity or fear of missing out.
Forty-one years later I cannot help but do that when I see ads, and I've shown my kid. He's 13 and we homeschool for various good reasons, and I've always included discussing relevant aspects of media literacy and critical thinking, since he was very little.
Mary, if you laugh especially hard at this cartoon from THE INCREDIBLES Universe?
https://youtu.be/Ybar3Q0Caf4?si=Lg5FYzp2aL70M7OP
You probably have a Profoundly-Gifted son.... 😉
He's moderately gifted :) also autistic and with disabling levels of dyscalculia and dysgraphia. But I do love The Incredibles!
My son (grown now) has dyslexia and dysgraphia. Public school's solution was to put him in with the slow learners. Not an option for me! I put him in private school, but it was still a lot of work. I used to tell people that I picked him up from school and went home and home schooled. Fortunately, he was a hard worker and now he has a degree in computer science.
I'm glad to hear you're homeschooling him—I was moderately gifted growing up, too, and my Junior High put me in "Learning Disabilites" class because they didn't know what to do with me!
My ex-wife also has dyscalculia and dysgraphia—she found it annoying that I could do basic sums in my head, and forget asking her to read a map! We bought a Garmin when I started driving again, which we used until Google Maps on my iPhone got good enough that I could use that instead.
THE INCREDIBLES is great—THE INCREDIBLES II a bit too derivative, though still really enjoyable.
DR Darke, I am so sorry your school was so disrespectful of your gifts. I was a teacher of Gifted students in a very disadvantaged school district and had students with all kinds of other learning differences. I met with students for several hours each week, K-12, the only such teacher in the district. I led discussions with students on all kinds of topics, even informal debates. I chose not to teach the subjects the students were already getting in their classes, although I would help if there were particular learning challenges in required subjects. I also did not teach in the same ways the regular education teachers taught because I understood the students were already experiencing that in their classrooms. That is in no way to disparage teachers; I had the most amazing colleagues and we worked well together. I knew Gifted students needed something more. Dealing with media and propaganda were subjects we ended up discussing and examining rather often because those were important to them. I am 3 years retired and really do miss the exciting work I was able to do with my wonderfully interesting, creative, challenging students.
Our local gifted program is really just about academic achievement, not how kids can learn very differently. And there's no way he wouldn't suffer in school. Three separate professionals have told us to keep homeschooling him. He has friends and is physically active and understands and though I have taught him to think independently as best I can, he still would vote the same way I do.
My daughter was very intelligent and missed most of 2nd grade traveling in Europe so was pretty worldly and her CA classroom bored her, so her 2nd grade teacher wanted me to put her on Ritalin rather than having to deal with her. That was a hard no! By 4th grade the GAT (gifted and talented) program had started which was just what she needed.
I worked in the School System as a paid employee for 23 years and volunteer for 9 years. It has been my experience that Autistic children are very artistic and smart. They see the world from a different perspective. Yet, I have often wondered if they know more about navigating life better than so called "normal thinking people." God Bless you Mary and your family.
When I was in the 7th grade, I had to go to church to see the lord. English (Mr. Church), and social studies (Mrs. Lord) were the classes.
when my husband was in grad school he had his choice of advisors between Dr Hell and Dr Fink. He transferred.
Your child is fortunate to have a home schooling parent who believes in asking questions and not just swallowing dogma.
We had a discussion about abortion, even, a long one. He wasn't sure he agreed with me for a little bit but ultimately, I asked him who should make the choice, the pregnant person and their doctor? Or the government? So now he knows how he would vote, at least at this age. And he agrees with me.
He has his own brain, I want to help him develop into a caring, thinking person. After that it's on him.
Deep South, here. You are right about that. Also, where I live, Louisiana, a very large number of families send their kids to private (often religious) schools. Thinking critically for those schools means thinking critically based on religious beliefs. I think we probably all know how that does and would turn out. The parents want their kids to have the same way of thinking about culture, history, politics, etc.
I just saw some of the things that the “ southern” states have done to their schools… it’s beyond scary
1. How to you know when you have to use the bathroom?? They only allow a certain number and time throughout the day want yer kid to learn or worry about “ holding it” THATS BEYOND AWFUL!!
and there’s one school allows a man to watch while the kid uses the toilet!! Really is that an answer??
I thought it was the idea of making school something that was enlightening and encouraging children to think about what was being taught and not just going thru the motions so teachers couldn’t be inconvenienced
Robert. I agree with you. Children are told what to do. They're not encouraged to think things through and express and discuss, without arguing, a coherent and satisfying agreement. They see all this
wickedness, killings, downright hatred. I believe they're actually believing this is the norm.
I went to school in SoCal and don't remember anything about critical thinking in my education. And that was in the 1950s (I graduated high school in June 1962). It's downright horrifying that so many states are not encouraging thinking.
I also went to school in Santa Monica but had one fantastic English Teacher in Highschool who took us through how to spot propaganda, advertising, politics and other shifty influencers along with logical thinking. Our teachers were very divided between the best ever and the worst. I also had a Woman American History Teacher who every time I raised my hand to ask a question would say, "That's a stupid question.". So I stopped of course. But I still had questions which I was thinking and the boy next to me would raise his hand and ask My Question Verbatim! She would then say "That's a excellent question!?". That made me furious. I put her into the worst category but I also discovered misogyny was from women too.
I actually emailed my really good civics teacher from 1980, a couple of years ago, because I searched for her and found that she had retired and gotten an award from the state for her teaching. I thanked her for helping me to learn critical thinking because I continue to use it.
Moon Cat, it sounds like we were both graduates of Samohi! I remember my history teacher, Miss Montgomery as being pretty good.. My worst teacher was the one I had for second year Latin, who alternated teaching Latin and Spanish all day, and was very easily manipulated by the students. I am sorry you ran into misogyny in school - that's very sad. I was pretty out of it in high school and don't remember anything like that. Oops, maybe I do. Mr. Jerome, the chemistry teacher let me know that I was stupid for having a bad reaction when he opened a gallon bottle of ammonia right under my nose. You've brought back some interesting memories.
Lida, children do need to learn that this hatefilled, lie-enhanced "news" that is everywhere is not normal. It is loud and presented all over because it gets "likes", but it is not "normal" and should never be acceptable. That's where critical thinking and other media skills would come in, and a major reason Trump and his buddies want to undermine our public schools, schools that often try hard to help students to be educated human beings and decent citizens, even when challenged at every opportunity by those who would prefer brainwashing people to go along with that hatred, lying, abusive crew of current Republican candidates.
I was just at looking at the schools ( I believe it was Florida because of covering books with a blue material??)
They are doing some really crazy stuff.. only allowing bathroom breaks at certain times??
Also feeding kids stuff that looks absolutely awful!!
And allowing the school staff to watch kids while they are using the toilet??
Boy there really needs to be some sort of accountability of what’s going on… I don’t have kids in school anymore but sure wouldn’t allow these kinds of things to happen
Why are we allowing it now?
AMEN!! This topic was an absolutely fabulous piece!! It is so, so sad that here in our allegedly “advanced” country, I’m not aware of ANY educational programs that even resemble Finland’s pursuit. The US needs to become less arrogant and “learn to learn” from others. I feel certain Finland would be more than willing to share their curriculum and methods. The US probably just needs to ask. 👍🏼
In my local homeschool group there's a family from Finland who moved here and popped their kids into dchool, then yoinked them back out in horror and homeschooled them. It's not like Finnish education is so much more rigorous, it's just so much more developmentally appropriate and useful for the real world, while still spitting out kids that are going to do fine in college.
I couldn't agree more, canjat! I've long hated our arrogance. I've seen a lot of that on the long cruises we used to take. It is sad when the passengers on the ship look down on the crew, who are wonderful people. It's sad when people in "lesser" jobs don't get respect. And it's sad when they don't get respect because they are "other". I learned a lot from developing relationships with the ship's crew, and had a much better time on the trip, much better dining room service, just by being respectful and pleasant, and having fun with them. In other words, treating them like the human beings they are. I really wish that as a country we would be more willing to learn from others. That would make us a much better country.
You also have to remember two things about 'Finland, it is relatively small in both size and population and it is also relatively homogenous in population - they are nearly all native born.
Our problem is instead of having a centralized education so all children have equal access to an acceptable education. We have 50 different States with 50 different philosophies. Massachussetts has the best educated students in the Country West Virginia the worst and they rank in between. In some States if they can read the bible they are considered sufficiently educated, in some States just being quiet and obedient is considered good enough..
If you watched the video you would have seen students of colour in the classroom—immigration from outside Finland is growing. When I visited Finland in 2009 I had a Somali born bus driver in Helsinki who spoke fluent English and Finnish. My Finnish relative who spoke to him in Finnish said that his Finnish was really good. The population is much less homogeneous than it once was.
Good to know, thank you, Susan, I've never been to Finland, but it is a Country I wanted to visit. I used to love ballroom dancing and I read the Finns are really good dancers.
The media has been losing our trust daily and they don’t seem to calculate that means losing viewers-subscribers. At the very least, CBS moderators could aim for the good job that the ABC team did, asking questions that included the fact check in them before the lying liar could lie again. By posing the questions in a very specific and confrontative manner they could call out the bullshit that Vance has been spewing and also give Walz an opportunity to respond without having to fact check the scumbag.
It is NOT going to be a debate. Vance will lie about everything and turn it in to a MAGA lie fest. No point in having a debate against people like Donald and Vance.
What’s the purpose of a debate when moderators choose to allow people to lie?
I think I won't be watching it. I won't let them force me to watch Vance spew lies with no one to challenge them but Walz. That'll mean that Tim Walz will be forced to spend ALL his time debunking MAGA conspiracy theories.
I can't wait until November. The utter void of any intelligence or capacity for self-determination scares me among any whack job that would vote Republican. It should scare everyone!
Imagine wearing these t-shirts in front of your MAGA neighbor 👇 🤣
teespring.com/stores/libtees-2
Kamala Harris in her debate with trump called him out on a lot of stuff - her answers often started with what trump had said or done. I can see Walz doing the same thing. I'm with you on being scared by so many people voting for republicans.
I'm going to watch it to see Walz mop the floor will Vance. He's dealt with military men, High school kids, politicians and came out a Governor. Vance can't even order donuts or stand up for his wife. Vance is only in his position because he kissed up a billionaire and the Heritage Foundation who are sticking their cuckoo egg into Trump's nest. No one would actually elect him if they interacted with him. But he will push Project 2o25 and Trump isn't in good enough shape to finish his term if elected.
I’m 76. In what we called grammar school in those days, we were taught how to identify yellow journalism in social studies class in Illinois. Would have been in the late 1950s. Same principle and same techniques apply to today’s media. Such a short lesson, but one I’ve carried with me all these years.
Same here. In Illinois education. Further advanced education in the same areas along with how to debate, in English classes in high school. We had four years on English. From Basic Grammar, Literature Classics, Junior- 3rd Yr, & Senior Years - an Elective if B or A average, options included More Literature focus or Creative Writing, and Advanced Writing, Journalism.
Sadly, Thats Not "The NEW WAY". Today Power & Wealth are all that matters. Eventually, younger people will out-live the Good Ol Boy Networks. Hopefully, they will take control in in the RIGHT WAY...
It helps to have persons like Tim Walz as a role model. I feel so sorry for kids who have grown up under Trumpian doublespeak and moral depravity
Unfortunately, our TEACHERS have lost their critical thinking skills!
We seem resistant to progressive ideas but learning to deconstruct the media and advertising landscape is vital to our survival. Know your source is always a good start.
The finns saw what misinformation did to Russia and decided they wanted no part of that future. Conservatives in America want to turn America INTO Russia. And if we don't stop them, they will succeed.
In this morning's edition of Countdown Keith urged his old friend Norah O' Donnell to ignore her bosses at CBS and rise to the occasion. She's leaving anyway, what are they going to do, pull her off the air in the middle of the debate? Don't lose sight of the fact that CBS' cowardice is only because they know Vance is going to lie from beginning to end and they don't want to deal with the inevitable MAGA freakout if he is called out.
As for critical thinking, as long as Republicans see critical thinking as a threat to their power, they will continue to force schools to dumb down their curriculum so that it is never learned. And Finland style programs will never see the light of day here.
Good example of critical thinking as a threat is, imho, banned books.
O'Donnell isn't leaving. She is moving to "60 Minutes" and they are going to give her big interviews. You are right, though. CBS doesn't want to bother with the fact checking. I wouldn't be surprised if it was O'Donnell and Brennan who didn't want to have to do the fact checking. Too much work?? I am sure they both know who would come out on the side of truth.
I agree. But CBS cannot change the fact that trumpvance lie every time they speak.
To factcheck this debate would give JD two thirds of the available oxygen.
You know what’s getting scary? I want to live somewhere other than the United States…
I know. Never in my life did it ever occur to me that I would think that, but here we are. It's not just Trump and his cult, it's the mainstream media doing everything possible to facilitate the end of our democracy and the Supreme Court, which I always felt was trustworthy and really sacrosanct turning into a bunch of bought and paid for legal thugs. I think a lot of people are going to be looking elsewhere if it doesn't change.
I wish going elsewhere were feasible. Personally I like New Zealand, but with all the medical issues I'm experiencing in my old age, I don't think moving to a different country would be feasible.
We may be moving to the UK. Come visit us if we do.
UK has some of the same problems as US does, also stoked by Putin & Musk.
What happens to the US, good or bad, affects the rest of the world, so you really can't hide. Consider if Trump gets back in power, he'll probably withdraw from NATO. Russia will likely conquer Ukraine, then go roughshod against the Baltics, Poland & the rest of Europe. China will be encouraged to invade Taiwan & perhaps other nations of eastern, southern & central Asia. Venezuela will try to take over the Guianas, etc. Climate chaos will get out of control, & we'll have ecosystem collapse & mass extinction.
I hope (& expect) you vote for Kamala & other Democrats before leaving, if you do go.
I know. But you can't go bankrupt from medical debt and you don't have to worry so much about being shot. Plus my husband's family is there. And yes, we're voting blue.
All great reasons to live in UK instead of US.
Don’t forget to add the very realistic likelihood of a World War III, with dunderhead Donnie, it wouldn’t be long before he stumbles into that.
Yes, very likely. Although we may be heading that way, anyway, with his fellow psychopaths Putin & Netanyahu on the loose.
Hi Debbie, yes I am and have been thinking about it for almost 2 years now. My daughter is well on her way to citizenship in Italy. I am on a waiting list as is my sister.
Yes, Italy has problems too but the cost of living there is less than half of what it is here.
Yet, Italians have a nice lifestyle with decent housing, etc. We chose Italy because that is
our heritage and they make it much easier to become a citizen in a comparatively shorter
time. Good luck with your decisions. I love the United States but it is scary here and likely
to become scarier, sadly.
I hope it works out for you. I spent some time in Italy when I was young and loved it. I should have moved there after college but I didn't. It's probably not feasible now as my husband doesn't speak Italian and isn't great with languages.
My cousin went to Italy for some schooling after a stint in France, met a man from Switzerland there, they married & moved to live in Belgium.
It has crossed our minds, but we’re staying here. Maybe we can be part of the solution. Blue flight would just leave the country helpless in the hands of unchecked insanity.
You can still vote from elsewhere.
That's currently. Not necessarily in the Project 2o25 future.
Good point!
Excellent point to consider!!!
And the world at the mercy of fanatics in the last superpower really!
I have been living in Taiwan since 2007. It’s a wonderful place to live. Peaceful, people are kind and friendly. Healthcare is amazing and affordable for all. I always thought we would move back to the US though. It makes me sad that it’s no longer an option. I miss my country so much, but the one I grew up in and loved is gone.
I hope Taiwan can keep its sovereignty & territorial integrity. I keep reading about China considering invading Taiwan in or around 2027. China will feel extra incentive if Trump is in power, withdraws from NATO & permits Russia to "do whatever the hell it wants to do" with Europe.
Yeah that’s the bog fear here. I wonder what is so special about 2027. I will still stay, even though I live in the mountains of Yangmingshan in Taipei. There are lots of strategic spots in our area. (Where I walk my dog!). I used to see the military gathered in spots for military exercises. They even blocked one of the roads on my daily walk. It was strange to ask a man holding a machine gun if I could please just walk my dog! I knew the answer but thought I’d try!
But yes- the fear is that if Trump wins, he will thrown Taiwan under the bus. Biden was all about protecting Taiwan, not so much for its democratic status, but for microchips. Trump would be a fool to disengage from helping us.
The US is many years away from becoming self-sufficient in producing chips. They are just starting (with the help of thousands of Taiwanese engineers!).
Let’s see.
We have air raid drills twice a year. They used to freak me out when I lived in the city! Quite eerie.
Sorry for the typos! You can’t edit comments!
We often think that way, especially my husband. My fear of moving centers on how the world will be if Trump is elected. Russia will certainly go after Poland. Not sure I’d want to be in Europe if that happens. Also we are retired on SS and a Teamsters pension and I wonder if the U.S. would retaliate under a Republican administration and not allow the transfer of funds out of the U.S.
Exactly my concerns, too, which is why I fear I'm stuck in the USA. It's yet another why it is imperative to prevent Trump & the GOP from getting back in power. I wish everyone realized the stakes.
By the way, for those of you who are thinking of moving, there are a number of blue states that have great progressive leadership, which I assume will at least try to remain that way, even if Republicans take over the federal government. So you might want to consider moving to 1 of these states. However, if you're in a swing state or near swing state, we need your votes in those swing states.
Hi James, I am from NY...very progressive but I live on Long Island which I'm afraid to say is MAGA country in our state! Republicans have controlled most of LI since I can remember. Makes me nauseous.
I hadn't thought about that, but I have SS and my husband has his teacher retirement income. We could probably survive without, but I don't want to even think about it.
Most countries and pension plans for teachers will do direct deposits now anywhere in the world. (Retired Ontario teacher)
Good to know. The only question I have, living in the state of Texas, is would they honor my husband's pension. The current government of Texas is really nasty, and I don't trust them for anything..
Me too. My stepson lives in Australia 🇦🇺 and I have asked him several times if they had room for my dog and I.
Australia has big problems too right now.
Yoo hoo from Yucatan Mexico.
Me too!
Just like discerning the evil in these bastards - Sulzberger, Khan, and friends.
And those were his wins. His tax plan added $2 trillion to the national debt; his promised extension of them would add $5.8 trillion over the next decade. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal destabilized the Middle East. His support for antidemocratic strongmen like Mr. Putin emboldened human rights abusers all over the world. He instigated the longest government shutdown ever. His sympathetic comments toward the Proud Boys expanded the influence of domestic right-wing extremist groups.
In the years since he left office, Mr. Trump was convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records, was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and faces two, possibly three, other criminal cases. He has continued to stoke chaos and encourage violence and lawlessness whenever it suits his political aims, most recently promoting vicious lies against Haitian immigrants. He recognizes that ordinary people — voters, jurors, journalists, election officials, law enforcement officers and many others who are willing to do their duty as citizens and public servants — have the power to hold him to account, so he has spent the past three and a half years trying to undermine them and sow distrust in anyone or any institution that might stand in his way.
Most dangerous for American democracy, Mr. Trump has transformed the Republican Party — an institution that once prided itself on principle and honored its obligations to the law and the Constitution — into little more than an instrument of his quest to regain power. The Republicans who support Ms. Harris recognize that this election is about something more fundamental than narrow partisan interest. It is about principles that go beyond party.
In 2020 this board made the strongest case it could against the re-election of Mr. Trump. Four years later, many Americans have put his excesses out of their minds. We urge them and those who may look back at that period with nostalgia or feel that their lives are not much better now than they were three years ago to recognize that his first term was a warningand that a second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first.
Kamala Harris is the only choice.
I mostly agree with what you've said. The exception is that the republican party has been on the downslide at least since the days of Nixon. I did not appreciate Eisenhower adding "under God" to the pledge, or changing the country's motto, and Herbert Hoover was a total disaster. IMO Teddy Roosevelt was the last good republican president.
Ny Times editors, not me, are saying it
Point taken. Thank you for clarifying.
Well said!
Interesting article. Highly disappointing that CBS & Nora O’Donnell will not be fact checking. She’s a highly regarded journalist. I’m surprised she signed on for this. This will be just like the first debate that was hosted on CNN with Trump & Biden. Can’t recall how many lies Trump told in that one, but it doesn’t matter after the fact. It’s more important to fact check on the spot and embarrass them for lying, don’t you think?
They don’t embarrass. Not even a little bit. Ever. About anything.
Sure they do. But instead of bowing their head in shame, they get angry
Once again you supply critical thinking & information- this about Finland. I hope Kamala is reading. Also, thank you Mary for keeping this free. I’m a huge fan living solely on my hard earned lifetime social security (and still managing to buy art supplies).
It’s settled. Im moving to Finland.
I do admire Finland’s approach towards its citizens, and truly appreciate Mary’s enlightening post. Will I move there? If Trump gets elected, where in the world is anyone safe?
Finland is about a good a country as it gets, at least the government & the people, & I think the land & environment is quite good, too. However, I wouldn't want to live nextdoor to Russia. Russia already took half of Finland's territory 70 years ago, & wouldn't hesitate to take the rest if it felt it could get away with it, which is probably why Finland decided recently to join NATO.
‘’… probably why Finland decided recently to join NATO.’’
Uh, yeah
Thank you, Mary. I admire your courage and dedication to the truth, and to our country. The information about the educational system in Finland was news to me. It gives me hope. The Good In Us is important and valuable. Thank you for sharing it.
Mary, you know him better than anyone reading this. If you really want to stop Trump, Vance (and Elon Musk) from hijacking the US Government and taking over the White House, (FBI & Civil Rights Division) read pages 549-569 from project 2025 that will destroy America. And vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to stop project 2025 and save America.
Speaking of lies - there are dozens if not hundreds of lies being posted on X. These agents of the right are saying the Biden-Harris Admin is withholding aid to victims of Hurricane Helene. PLEASE go to X and reply to these lies. They are everywhere on X so it is easy to find them. Thanks
I quit X. I think everyone should.
I was banned when Musk took over. I had 25,000 followers. I can still read what is on X. I would never rejoin X with Musk at the helm.
I blocked him before he bought it. He's still blocked. As to magats, I see them, I block them. I don't have a conversation with them, I have enough of that with friends and family.
I walked away when it was still Twitter
Finland is absolute a dream come true ! Thank you thank you Mary. Could your article be sent to Kamala’s circle ??
Thou shalt not lie!
The corporate media lost half their viewers/readers after Trump left office. CBS (in particular) is owned by an intergalactic widgetmaker (Paramount) that is desperate to find a way to get rid of it (and also, with the sale of the company to the Ellisons - of whom Daddy Ellison is the major source of money and a rabid Trumper along with his buddy Elmo Muck - there's a political element) . To do so, CBS needs to be "profitable" - more viewers. They figure Trump brings controversy which brings viewers which means profits, soo....
With these conscienceless scum, you ALWAYS follow the money.
This loss in viewership has occurred or continued since these corporate media went pro-Trump in coverage, so that seems to be a failed strategy. There are already plenty of heavily pro-Trump/fascist media; we don't need more. What we need is more objective media that expose the truth, not both-sides every issue or sanewash everything Trump says.
Tell John Malone (biggest shareholder in Warner Bros Discovery, rabid Trumper) who told Zaz to get CNN changed to "more mainstream" and defined that as "Fox lite."
CNN went Right Wing and I dumped them along with the NY times.
There's a reason why I called them the Cretin News Network back before 2015.
So that is why CNN went "mainstream". I wondered why that happened!
Do you have any suggestions for letting CBS know that we don’t approve?
Don't watch them! Watch the debate on MSNBC or another local channel.
I understand Robert Reich & Qasim Rashid (separately) will be hosting debate watches with some fact-checking.
Oh, I see that Mary will, too.
I watch debates either via Robert Reich or the Nerds, but I assume they need to license that somehow, so CBS gets money regardless.
Here's where I sent an email to them this morning. https://www.cbs.com/showfeedback/
Email CBS all major anchors a short complaint ; can find on line.
I used to watch CBS nearly all the time. Stopped about 7 months ago. Glad I did.
MSNBC has Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Mathews, Rachel Maddow and others. They aren't perfect but they are the best for mainstream Media News. Then I supplement with Brian Taylor Cohen, Glen Kirshner, David Doyle the Rational National, the Meidas Gang, and other independents. Robert Reich is great and of course Mary Trump. I've been finding so many great discussions and people on Substack that I am barely checking in to Facebook or X.
I miss MSNBC since we had to cancel Xfinity TV. We now have an over-the-air antenna and Roku and Tablo TV. Fixed income and ever increasing basic costs and medical costs make any form of paid TV or streaming service a thing of the past. I can occasionally find some things on YouTube, but that’s all I’ve found so far.
Canceling cable saved me $120 a month. There were so many channels I didn't watch, it just wasn't worth it. On Roku I watch NBC streaming and BBC sometimes. I get the major networks on over-the-air antenna, too. MSNBC is one of the few channels on cable I miss.
I got rid of cable a year ago, but I can listen to Rachel Maddow and Nicole Wallace on line, which I do. I have not seen the others you mention except Robert Reich, which I read here and on Instagram. I sometimes watched Lawrence O'Donnell when I had cable. What I read/watch now takes up about all of my news consumption time. I subscribe to The Atlantic, also.
It will help them discern what evil bastards like Sulzberger & Khan are saying before they flip because subscriptions are plummeting.
OPINION
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The Only Patriotic Choice for President
By The Editorial Board
The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.
It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks.
Those disqualifying characteristics are compounded by everything else that limits his ability to fulfill the duties of the president: his many criminal charges, his advancing age, his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates.
This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election.
For this reason, regardless of any political disagreements voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.
Most presidential elections are, at their core, about two different visions of America that emerge from competing policies and principles. This one is about something more foundational. It is about whether we invite into the highest office in the land a man who has revealed, unmistakably, that he will degrade the values, defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong.
As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race. She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s.
Ms. Harris is more than a necessary alternative. There is also an optimistic case for elevating her, one that is rooted in her policies and borne out by her experience as vice president, a senator and a state attorney general.
Over the past 10 weeks, Ms. Harris has offered a shared future for all citizens, beyond hate and division. She has begun to describe a set of thoughtful plans to help American families.
While character is enormously important — in this election, pre-eminently so — policies matter. Many Americans remain deeply concerned about their prospects and their children’s in an unstable and unforgiving world. For them, Ms. Harris is clearly the better choice. She has committed to using the power of her office to help Americans better afford the things they need, to make it easier to own a home, to support small businesses and to help workers. Mr. Trump’s economic priorities are more tax cuts, which would benefit mostly the wealthy, and more tariffs, which will make prices even more unmanageable for the poor and middle class.
Beyond the economy, Ms. Harris promises to continue working to expand access to health care and reduce its cost. She has a long record of fighting to protect women’s health and reproductive freedom. Mr. Trump spent years trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and boasts of picking the Supreme Court justices who ended the constitutional right to an abortion.
Globally, Ms. Harris would work to maintain and strengthen the alliances with like-minded nations that have long advanced American interests abroad and maintained the nation’s security. Mr. Trump — who has long praised autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban and Kim Jong-un — has threatened to blow those democratic alliances apart. Ms. Harris recognizes the need for global solutions to the global problem of climate change and would continue President Biden’s major investments in the industries and technologies necessary to achieve that goal. Mr. Trump rejects the accepted science, and his contempt for low-carbon energy solutions is matched only by his trollish fealty to fossil fuels.
As for immigration, a huge and largely unsolved issue, the former president continues to demonize and dehumanize immigrants, while Ms. Harris at least offers hope for a compromise, long denied by Congress, to secure the borders and return the nation to a sane immigration system.
Many voters have said they want more details about the vice president’s plans, as well as more unscripted encounters in which she explains her vision and policies. They are right to ask. Given the stakes of this election, Ms. Harris may think that she is running a campaign designed to minimize the risks of an unforced error — answering journalists’ questions and offering greater policy detail could court controversy, after all — under the belief that being the only viable alternative to Mr. Trump may be enough to bring her to victory. That strategy may ultimately prove winning, but it’s a disservice to the American people and to her own record. And leaving the public with a sense that she is being shielded from tough questions, as Mr. Biden has been, could backfire by undermining her core argument that a capable new generation stands ready to take the reins of power.
Ms. Harris is not wrong, however, on the clear dangers of returning Mr. Trump to office. He has promised to be a different kind of president this time, one who is unrestrained by checks on power built into the American political system. His pledge to be “a dictator” on “Day 1” might have indeed been a joke — but his undisguised fondness for dictatorships and the strongmen who run them is anything but.
Most notably, he systematically undermined public confidence in the result of the 2020 election and then attempted to overturn it — an effort that culminated in an insurrection at the Capitol to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power and resulted in him and some of his most prominent supporters being charged with crimes. He has not committed to honoring the result of this election and continues to insist, as he did at the debate with Ms. Harris on Sept. 10, that he won in 2020. He has apparently made a willingness to support his lies a litmus test for those in his orbit, starting with JD Vance, who would be his vice president.
His disdain for the rule of law goes beyond his efforts to obtain power; it is also central to how he plans to use it. Mr. Trump and his supporters have described a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats. He vows, for instance, to turn the federal bureaucracy and even the Justice Department into weapons of his will to hurt his political enemies. In at least 10 instances during his presidency, he did exactly that, pressuring federal agencies and prosecutors to punish people he felt had wronged him, with little or no legal basis for prosecution.
Some of the people Mr. Trump appointed in his last term saved America from his most dangerous impulses. They refused to break laws on his behalf and spoke up when he put his own interests above his country’s. As a result, the former president intends, if re-elected, to surround himself with people who are unwilling to defy his demands. Today’s version of Mr. Trump — the twice-impeached version that faces a barrage of criminal charges — may prove to be the restrained version.
Unless American voters stand up to him, Mr. Trump will have the power to do profound and lasting harm to our democracy.
That is not simply an opinion of Mr. Trump’s character by his critics; it is a judgment of his presidency from those who know it best — the very people he appointed to serve in the most important positions of his White House. It is telling that among those who fear a second Trump presidency are people who worked for him and saw him at close range.
Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s vice president, has repudiated him. No other vice president in modern history has done this. “I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” Mr. Pence has said. “And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”
Mr. Trump’s attorney general has raised similar concerns about his fundamental unfitness. And his chief of staff. And his defense secretary. And his national security advisers. And his education secretary. And on and on — a record of denunciation without precedent in the nation’s long history.
That’s not to say Mr. Trump did not add to the public conversation. In particular, he broke decades of Washington consensus and led both parties to wrestle with the downsides of globalization, unrestrained trade and China’s rise. His criminal-justice reform efforts were well placed, his focus on Covid vaccine development paid off, and his decision to use an emergency public health measure to turn away migrants at the border was the right call at the start of the pandemic. Yet even when the former president’s overall aim may have had merit, his operational incompetence, his mercurial temperament and his outright recklessness often led to bad outcomes. Mr. Trump’s tariffs cost Americans billions of dollars. His attacks on China have ratcheted up military tensions with America’s strongest rival and a nuclear superpower. His handling of the Covid crisis contributed to historic declines in confidence in public health, and to the loss of many lives. His overreach on immigration policies, such as his executive order on family separation, was widely denounced as inhumane and often ineffective.
And those were his wins. His tax plan added $2 trillion to the national debt; his promised extension of them would add $5.8 trillion over the next decade. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal destabilized the Middle East. His support for antidemocratic strongmen like Mr. Putin emboldened human rights abusers all over the world. He instigated the longest government shutdown ever. His sympathetic comments toward the Proud Boys expanded the influence of domestic right-wing extremist groups.
In the years since he left office, Mr. Trump was convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records, was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and faces two, possibly three, other criminal cases. He has continued to stoke chaos and encourage violence and lawlessness whenever it suits his political aims, most recently promoting vicious lies against Haitian immigrants. He recognizes that ordinary people — voters, jurors, journalists, election officials, law enforcement officers and many others who are willing to do their duty as citizens and public servants — have the power to hold him to account, so he has spent the past three and a half years trying to undermine them and sow distrust in anyone or any institution that might stand in his way.
Most dangerous for American democracy, Mr. Trump has transformed the Republican Party — an institution that once prided itself on principle and honored its obligations to the law and the Constitution — into little more than an instrument of his quest to regain power. The Republicans who support Ms. Harris recognize that this election is about something more fundamental than narrow partisan interest. It is about principles that go beyond party.
In 2020 this board made the strongest case it could against the re-election of Mr. Trump. Four years later, many Americans have put his excesses out of their minds. We urge them and those who may look back at that period with nostalgia or feel that their lives are not much better now than they were three years ago to recognize that his first term was a warningand that a second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first.
Kamala Harris is the only choice.
So I guess I’ll be yelling at the screen again when the lies start flowing and no one does anything about it 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ I’ll be in good company though as I’ll be right there with you and the Nerd Avengers ❤️❤️❤️❤️