5. Concentrated ownership
• Fewer owners control more outlets.
• Decisions can reflect elite interests that see stability—even authoritarian stability—as safer than upheaval. (6)

4. Weak public media
• Underfunded and vulnerable to political attacks.
• Less power to provide strong, independent warnings. (5)

3. No duty to defend democracy
• The First Amendment protects press freedom—but doesn’t require truth-telling or public-interest coverage.
• Outlets can choose sensationalism, access journalism, or safe euphemisms without legal penalty. (4)

2. Both-sides norm in journalism
• U.S. media culture rewards “balance,” even when one side is authoritarian.
• The system teaches journalists to avoid strong truth-claims to seem “neutral.” (3)

How does the system enable this?

1. Corporate ownership & profit motive
• Media outlets are owned by giant corporations.
• Profit depends on access, ad revenue, and not alienating audiences.
• Calling out “dictatorship” risks losing access to powerful figures and advertisers. (2)

Authoritarian Tactic: Neutralize or weaken the press through fear, complicity, or ambiguity.
• Instead of clear warnings, media use vague, watered-down language.
• This keeps the public confused or complacent about the threat. (1)

Defunding public media isn’t random—it’s possible because our system has no strong protections for independent news. That leaves us vulnerable to politicians cutting off critical voices and controlling what info the public gets. It’s a rigged system by design.

#PowerProtectsPower

The system enables this GOP cycle: cut taxes for the rich, run up debt, then demand cuts to social programs. No balanced budget rule, easy borrowing, hard-to-reverse tax cuts, and donor influence make it possible—and designed to favor the wealthy.

#RiggedForTheWealthy

The new democracy doesn’t have to start big, it just has to start real.

Our current system lets:
• Large corporations pay low wages and rely on scale and subsidies to survive
• Small businesses underpay because it’s the only way to compete
• And workers carry the cost — in hunger, housing instability, and debt

That’s not a free market. That’s structural exploitation.

In Iceland citizens enjoy:
• Universal, publicly funded childcare
• Equal paid parental leave for both parents
• Legally enforced equal pay
• Free or very low-cost university tuition
• Government-backed renewable energy
• Strict limits and transparency in campaign finance

#HumanFirstGov

Portugal decriminalized ALL drugs in 2001. Drug use is treated as a public health issue, not a criminal one.
• Drug deaths plummeted.
• HIV infections from injection use dropped by 94%.
• Incarceration for drug offenses collapsed.
• Public support for the policy grew after they saw the results.

If MTG thinks Grok is left leaning what would she say about God/Jesus? How can you be a Christian WITHOUT being left leaning?

Norway discovered oil in the 1960s. Instead of selling it to corporations, the government kept control.
• Profits go into a sovereign wealth fund now worth over $1.5 trillion.
• That money is used to fund public services and pensions — with strict limits on political tampering.

#SharedWealthFund

Denmark is ranked one of the least corrupt countries on Earth:
• Officials must declare all financial interests, lobbying is strictly limited, and public records are accessible to all.
• Whistleblower protections are strong.
• TV/radio campaign ads are banned in Denmark.

#AdFreePolitics

Canada launched the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol — a rapid response team.
If foreign or domestic disinfo campaigns are detected during elections, the public is notified — clearly, calmly, with evidence.

They beat the lie before it sticks — using transparency.

#ElectionShield

Canada embeds digital literacy and critical thinking into school curriculums.
Students are taught to spot disinformation, understand algorithms, and evaluate sources.

Instead of banning ideas, they strengthen minds.
It’s a long-term immunity plan for democracy.

#MediaSmart

What if your government asked permission to see your data — and logged every time they touched it? Estonia does. Why doesn’t yours?

New Zealand — a democracy known for governing with empathy, transparency, and long-term thinking.

What makes New Zealand stand out:
They built a “Wellbeing Budget” — where success is measured by mental health, child welfare, and environment, not just GDP.

#WellbeingBudget

Ireland rewrote its constitution with a citizens’ assembly. Putting 99 strangers (randomly selected non-politicians) in a room with facts and time. Then the public voted. It worked so well they did it again to address deeper issues.

#DemocracyWithoutDistortion

Taiwan builds its democracy in the open.
Budgets, laws, proposals — all online.
Citizens can suggest edits like Google Docs.
It’s not just transparency. It’s collaboration.

In Estonia, you can vote online, check laws, see where your taxes go.
Transparency isn’t a buzzword — it’s the default.

“The real safeguard of democracy is education.”

“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.” Thomas Jefferson

Other countries teach democracy to everyone — immigrants and kids alike.

A stronger democracy starts when all of us learn how it works.

⚓️

Someone told me you can relieve the grief somewhat by looking up toward the ceiling. It did seem to help.

Trump-world uses a classic authoritarian tactic: first appear respectful, then twist it. After Biden’s cancer news, they offer sympathy—then accuse him of a cover-up. It’s sabotage of truth, trust, and decency—all while keeping their base outraged.

#USDemocracy
When Bush 2 left office, lenders weren’t lending, houses weren’t selling, unemployment was ridiculously high. The American Auto Industry was crashing, threatening well over a million jobs. President Obama turned it around. More businesses opened up because insurance was available.

So when are we going to talk about the possibility that a lot of the “federal agents” in masks could be paramilitary goons and that authoritarianism inevitably partners law enforcement with extremist street gangs?

Of the 10 most intelligent U.S. presidents (estimates based on educational background, speech analysis, decision-making patterns, and historical assessments), 8 were democrats. Of the 10 least intelligent, 7 were republicans.

MAGA voted for a guy who doesn’t know what “groceries” are.