That was 35 years ago!

I bought a modest home, leased vans, lived well and took family vacations. I even launched a second successful business with savings and a top notch credit rating.

My first employees never left.

An aside: An overlooked-power that banking has ended mine and a lot of my customers businesses You see, when banks mess up they stop short-term business lending. A death knell!

I paid all employees in full even though customers stiffed us.

The point though is that my family enjoyed a good life and relationship with employees who were paid a decent wage and more than what some greedy soulless corporations pay TODAY! 35 freaking years later!

Greed requires legislation.

Congress got it right after WWII. Even Nixon kept the playing ground fair with rent control and the EPA.

The financial assault on hard-working Americans went Full Monte beginning with Reagan and the sociopathologist bastards behind his election are now backing Trump.

Even from their jail cells!

Unbridled greed is despicable!

There are some great first hand examples of life in the 1980s below. Thanks to all who contributed ✌️

This can be a difficult time of year for we left behinds (not a political pun )

Perhaps we have some things that lighten the spirit of melancholy missing.

Here’s mine:

I bought matching photo albums for each member. I labeled each with their names using gold letter stickers. In each, the photos progress from infancy to the obit and filled with wonderful pics of memories like their wedding pics, diplomas, news articles, cards signed by co-workers at their retirement parties, and so on.

Each page is awash in tears because the last two died within one year.

It’s been 15 years since their passing. 15 years as the last living.

I share these albums with the grandchildren on my family members birthdays.

I enjoy the memories on those days when the missing melancholy visits.

Do you have a particular manner of managing your missing?

To all those who mourn, may the happy memories, the funny memories and the profound memories carry you peacefully throughout the holidays.

We are not alone as nothing can cut the cord of familial love.

Here’s some soothing Christmas music for those special memory moments that accompany wrapping, cooking, or just remembering.

✨✨❤️✨✨

Not sure why some are so negative about AA.

I hope someone who has experience overcoming alcoholism chimes in below.

To those who shared, Thank You for sharing your heartfelt stories and AA experiences. Sharing is how we help each other. There is no shame. Addiction is an indiscriminate disease.

The stories of AA recovery in the comments below are the best part of this article.

I will share that I lost two spouses and my one brother to early deaths from Alcoholism. They held their noses when AA was mentioned.

On the other hand, I became friends with many who succeeded in controlling their addiction by regular AA attendance every week for the rest of their lives.

Here’s what a kind, honest agnostic shares below:

Comment # 32.

Agnostic with 17+ years sober through AA.

I distinctly remember cracking open the Big Book for the first time looking for religious (Biblical) terms, names and phrases that I didn't want anything to do with. They weren't there.

The only word I saw was God and AA clearly say's to choose a God of YOUR understanding. That I could deal with.

Since I'm agnostic and have no clue who, what or if God is, I "took what I needed" from the program and left the rest, which AA has no problem with you doing.

Individual counseling does not have a higher success rate and the co-pays are unaffordable for most.

AA is free!

Addiction is never “cured” but controlled. Addiction lurks, it ebbs and flows and can easily be triggered. The addict benefits from regular group support. Those that can afford individual counseling improve their control by also attending a support group.

But with both, if the addict doesn’t work the program, the program doesn’t work. Therefore, success rate score cards are arbitrary.

Here’s a bit of comparative analysis

Another study mentioned in the same publication observed a smaller outpatient sample. The results concluded that over 70% of those who attended a 12-step program weekly for 6 months before the two-year follow-up point were abstinent from alcohol. Another study conducted on those with an untreated drinking problem showed 70% of those with 27 weeks or more in AA were abstinent from alcohol at the 16-year follow-up mark. Moreover, the study revealed those with a shorter duration of time in AA had lower rates of abstinence.11
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/12-step/whats-the-success-rate-of-aa

Same applies to any addiction. The addict is the only person that can succeed in using tools and faithfully work whatever programs he/she chooses.

There but for the Grace of God or Your Higher Self go you or I! Addiction is a disease.

Outlier Zealots on the spiritual scale can’t seem to help but vehemently argue with each other. The grinding need to “Be Right” is the very basis of being an indignant loudly verbose zealot.

I fear zealots on either side of the issue of Faith the most. Haven’t zealots led the greatest atrocities throughout history?

That said, I hope we all encourage the addicts in our orbit to try & work all the tools available to get the monkey on their back under control.

Addiction is a chronic, life long disease.

Warn the children! My parents warned me and scared me enough that I didn’t start using substances. Forever grateful ❤️

The anti-AA campaign is mystifying.

Could it be fueled by the hugely profitable rehab industry?

What kind of high school kid were you?

Asked because in recent years and all too often politics is reminiscent of high school gossip. He said, she said stuff.

Without a litany of life experiences, talking about others, sports, weather, and consumerism is all kids have to keep their conversations in play.

But adults engaged in the serious business of politics would be better served with policy discussions seeking solutions 😂😂

Laughing because almost half of Americans have returned to their most negative high school conversational vapidity with an emphasis on hateful gossip.😭😭😭

Crying because our Third Estate Free Press seems to revel in repeating the screeds.

Like it or not, we are engaged in a

WAR of WORDS

Some really hateful comments are being woven within our mostly civil and informative conversations. And what’s with the thread-jacking.

Have you noticed?

Makes one wonder how many of those uttering phrases the “other side”’could use to disparage this community are, in fact, working for the “other side”

Many have been muted; however, if Twitter and Facebook have moved to remove “bad players” perhaps we need a method to report those who seem to intentionally do DU a disservice like a good troll should.

Is there a method of reporting suspected DU BOTS?

We must win The 2020 War of Words!

At a glance, Trump has a long way to go to have a majority Trump judges appointed. Also, Reagan et al leads the pack for judge appointments.

President Obama has the 2nd largest number of Judge Appointments, followed by Clinton.

Read footnotes for some clarifying notes.

I find this overview helpful.

******************************

Judgeships Appointments by 1980.

Roosevelt (1933-45) 207

Truman (1945-52) 140

Eisenhower
(1953-60) 182

Kennedy
(1961-63) 125

Johnson (1963-68) 176

Nixon (1969-74) 235

Ford (1974-76) 63

Carter (1977-80) 262

Reagan (1981-88) 402

Bush (1989-92) 197

Clinton (1993-00) 387

Bush (2001-08) 340

Obama (2009-16) 334

Trump* (2017-2018) 85

*Appointments made by the current President are as of December 31, 2018.

As of December, 2019, there are now 200 Trump Appointments. Details here:
.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Donald_Trump

(4) The total represents the overall number of confirmations rather than judges. As a result, individual judges may be counted more than once.

For example, President Reagan appointed Antonin Scalia to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1982 and to the Supreme Court in 1986. Both appointments are included in the confirmations totals.

In addition, the counts for the USCFC and the territorial courts include judges reappointed after their terms expired.

For complete chart view go to
https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/apptsbypres.pdf

Not the first time noticed.

Surely MSNBC knows the GOP demonizes this strong, dedicated leader.

So why persist with the least flattering pictures? Caveat Emptor!

https://twitter.com/bluesnebula/status/1208439864837865472
Just rejoined DirectTV after many years without and, quite frankly, find needed daily trips to view Democracy Now to find a broader spectrum of world news. Lawrence McDonnell is my personal favorite because he asks more open ended questions imho.

That said MSNBC’s coverage of the Impeachment Hearings was stellar.

Why so much free air time for some rather lengthy Mr. Bloomberg interviews. Is he paying for them?

Almost all citizens old and young know the US Constitution must remain this Republic’s highest law.

The Senate will soon decide the fate of our Republic.

Please frame the “Senate Impeachment Trial” for what it really is:

The foundation of our democracy is at risk if GOP fealty to Trump and party trump the GOP Senators Sacred Oath to uphold The Constitution of these United States if America.

Trump is merely the enabler of impeachable offenses. The House of Representatives weighed Trump’s behaviors and found him Constitutionally guilty of Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Congress.

Isn’t the purpose of the Senate to impartially review The House of Representatives Impeachment case’s Constitutional merit?

And, if so, both for historical records and fact finding/confirmation, isn’t the Senate Constitutionally obligated to hold a detailed, impartial review/trial?

Isn’t a major purpose of the Senate Impeachment review/trial to protect and set Constitutional precedents and to protect and guide all three co-equal Branches for this moment and the future?

From an eternal perspective, the defense of the US Constitution’s checks and balances are on trial and hugely more important than Trump.

That said, if impartially tried and if Constitutional Protection demands conclude “Guilty on One or Both Counts” then the Senate trial moves its focus to a remedy for the perpetrator, in this case DJT.

Am I missing something?

I’d like to see/hear Democrats & MSNBC hero’s speak more to the urgency of protecting the US Constitution and it’s mandated co-equal Branches.

If the Executive Branch gets away with stonewalling the Constitutional oversight of the House of Representatives, what will be lost?

The company also announced it is cutting its dividend by 80% to 1 cent a share. And after previously announcing it would suspend share repurchases, it announced Thursday that it was formally ending its share repurchase program. Shares of US Steel (X) were down 8% in early trading Friday, leaving shares down 32% for the year.
-- CNN Business' Matt Egan contributed to this report

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/20/business/us-steel-mill-closing/index.html

All that winning!

And a boatload of jobs being lost as plants close!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212803252

Am I right?

Trump is the enabler of impeachable offenses. The House of Representatives weighed Trump’s behaviors and found him Constitutionally guilty of Abuse of Power & Obstruction of Congress.

Isn’t the purpose of the Senate to impartially review The House of Representatives Impeachment case’s Constitutional merit?

And, if so, both for historical records and fact finding/confirmation, isn’t the Senate Constitutionally obligated to hold a detailed, impartial review/trial?

Isn’t a major purpose of the Senate Impeachment review/trial to protect and set Constitutional precedents and to protect and guide all three co-equal Branches for this moment and the future?

From an eternal perspective, the defense of the US Constitution’s checks and balances are on trial and hugely more important than Trump.

That said, if impartially tried and if Constitutional Protection demands conclude “Guilty on One or Both Counts” then the Senate trial moves its focus to a remedy for the perpetrator, in this case DJT.

Am I missing something?

I’d like to see/hear Democrats & MSNBC hero’s speak more to the urgency of protecting the US Constitution and it’s mandated co-equal Branches.

If the Executive Branch gets away with stonewalling the Constitutional oversight of the House of Representatives, what will be lost?

In response to “5 Pentagon officials have resigned in the last week”. All military brass has been replaced since July 2019!
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212799775#post25

Many Commanders have a four (4) year term so perhaps this is just a huge coincidence.

With great sadness, we have to acknowledge a window of doubt about loyalties created by reports of Trump’s demands for loyalty.

You can read about each new Head and their start dates at the links beneath each stated branch.
Army
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army

Navy
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_the_Navy

Air Force
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_the_Air_Force

Marines
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandant_of_the_Marine_Corps

Northcom
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/07/11/groundbreaking-female-general-in-command-of-us-army-north/

Southcom
https://www.southcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/Article/1905866/us-army-south-welcomes-new-commander/

Commander in Charge of Nuclear Forces
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/11/heres-the-new-commander-in-charge-of-us-nuclear-forces/

We can hope these new leaders have to report activities to The House of Representatives and/or Senators.

Big changes are underway in the branches

The Marines' new commandant has set the bar for real military reform
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-marines-have-set-the-bar-for-reform-can-the-rest-of-the-military-follow/2019/08/08/21b47d5e-ba1c-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html

Remarks by Acting Secretary of the Army Hon. Ryan D. McCarthy at U.S. Army Change of Responsibility
https://www.army.mil/article/225609/remarks_by_acting_secretary_of_the_army_hon_ryan_d_mccarthy_at_us_army_change_of_responsibility

We might want to keep up with Military news. Each branch has a website.