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No problem, Sis.  In truth, when it come to true charity, you have always been the more generous one.  And we have enough work to do already.  Not least of which is feeding all the people the SNAP cuts will leave hungry.  One rule of thumb being tossed around is that every food bank in America has to double their capacity.  That ain't gonna happen.  This is like subprime, without the mortgages.  A time bomb rigged to gradually explode. Truth be told, I have an ulterior motive.  I am a calculating bitch.  As you well know, but graciously refrain from saying.  I think Thom Tillis is right.  He does know a lot about politics.  And the coverup is worse than the crime.  He did not say that, literally.  He said when you say you can keep your doctor, and it turns out you can't, people get pissed.  They feel that you lied.  So as bad as the legislation itself is, the fact that Trump and good MAGA folk are trying to cover up what it really does adds insult to injury. I hope Trump and all these cruel MAGA barking dogs bark up a storm about how we should all love this bill.   And ain't it great. And won't it be good.  They already have 2 in 3 voters who don't believe it.  So let them try to cover it up.  Let them bark as loud as they fucking can.  It will only make it worse for them as this unfolds and the truth is obvious. Sorry.  I am such a bitch.

Yah that makes it trying.....

It's funny. I took a few paragraphs of my post out.  Now given what you wrote I wish I'd left them in. What I said is that for most of my life one political model prevailed.  There was Team Republican and Team Democrat.  And there could be fierce political battles.  But often enough, especially on big things like winning the Cold War or creating a budget surplus, the two teams compromised and got big things done.  And this had an impact.  There are two Presidents who left office having restored trust in government to about 50 % of the public:  Reagan, then Clinton.  I'd argued that is because of what I said.  People noticed that the Cold War ended.  People noticed we had a budget surplus.  Since 2000, no POTUS has cracked something like 20-25 % of people who actually trust the government most of the time. Now the model is that we have Team Red and Team Blue.  There is much less respect for government, or politicians.  And, partly as result, more Independents who say a pox on both your houses.  But they have not been effective in building a third party.  And, with all due respect to Elon Musk, there is no reason to think they ever will succeed.  Parties can change, which Trump has proven.  But in the US that is how parties evolve.  It is very rare for them to die.  So then the game becomes trying to convince Independents, who are turned off in general anyway, that the other team is bat shit crazy.  And we have now had a bunch of close elections where it substantially comes down to which way Independents go. So that is what I took out of the post.  My point is that in a way what Democrats or Republicans think is irrelevant.  All that matters now is Independents. So from that perspective, we don't have to wonder how to convince Independents that this bill sucks, and is cruel.  The poll says they are there already.  They think the bill sucks.  And it is cruel.  That is the most important political fact.  This is why conservatives like Molly Ball are saying loud and clear in the Wall Street Journal that this is definitely bad news for Republicans.  Who were likely to face headwinds in 2026 anyway. What is also particularly toxic is that this poll shows that among Republicans who are NOT MAGA supporters, which is of course a minority of Republicans, they think this bill sucks and is cruel, too.   So for at least some slice of Republicans, Democrats are reinforcing what Republicans already believe.   For Republicans who are MAGA supporters, the poll confirms you are correct.  And our cruel barking dog is proof of concept. He deserves his treat.  Because he is conditioned to bark like mad.  Especially now.  The sick and cruel dog brain is conditioned to think this is loyalty.  Not cruelty.  In fact, if the sick and cruel dog brain could understand polls rather than Tik Tok, the barking dog might realize he is making an ass of himself.  And I am getting joy out of seeing him do it.  Which I suppose means I am not Mother Theresa.  I never pretended to be.  But the sick and cruel dog is helpless, and proves it with each new post.  So I will just goad him and laugh at him.  It neither helps not hurts the most important reality:  Independents think this bill is a  cruel piece of shit.

He wrote this after his concerts were banned in Canada in March 2022 under pressure from the large Ukrainian diaspora, consisting mainly of the descendants of Hitler's henchmen who fled to Canada. Without this declaration, he would have been left without concerts in the West, as happened with Netrebko, who did not bend under political pressure and was kicked out of the Metropolitan Opera for refusing to make a statement condemning Russian actions. And after the declaration, Malofeev's concerts were restored and they took place in the summer of 2022. And every publication about Malofeev's talent was necessarily accompanied by the quote you provided above. Malofeev in Vatican month ago:

A Will should be written as soon as one reaches a stage of financial independence and lives on their own. This could be as early as 21 years of age. One can never predict when they will die nor know the circumstances of the cause. An accident such as an auto accident, plane crash or any other disaster could leave the deceased's Estate with substantial money. Even a simple holographic (hand written Will) not witnessed can be probated.  There is no excuse for not having a Will. ( Not sure if holographic Wills are acceptable in Thailand). I had a friend in Thailand who had several "drafts" of his Will to insure his latest boyfriend(s) would be taken care of, but the drafts were never executed, only one Will from  years ago was witnessed, and so that boyfriend(s) received his inheritance.