Week in Review Jan 17th -- 22nd 2022
Nothing is really going on in Congress so if you haven't already you should disconnect from the national news media now.
Greetings!
Welcome to another week in review! It’s incredible we’ve even made it this far huh?
I say this as something of surprise myself. In reality I wasn’t sure how long I was going to be able to make this project work. After all I have done a number of these projects in the past and every time they ended after a week or two when I gave myself an excuse to quit.
But I’ve since realized that we all have a very narrow opportunity to earn our own independence. Most, after all, never do become independent — and when thy do it usually isn’t within the ranks of some company or corporation. Thus this newsletter is something of a project in self-salvation — can I really use my knowledge in philosophy, sales, and politics to make a living through writing?
I guess we’ll see.
In the meantime let’s move on to Congress. What are they working on? Well as it turns out not much.
What’s going on in Congress
In fact at this point Americans have essentially been granted a rare reprieve from politics. Congress, for all practical purposes, is in a lame duck session and members are likely aware of this. That’s why the majority has pivoted to purely messaging bills. They know they won’t be able to come home any substantial legislative wins so they’re trying to save face with bills that are never going to pass but sound good to their partisan constituents.
This is one reason why everyone should disapprove of how the contemporary Congress operates. Members of Congress should be working to build consensus around legislation that can pass but they’re not. Apparently they’re in re-election/ fundraising mode and that means doing all the worst things to get attention instead of getting re-elected for working with other members of Congress in good faith to pass significant legislation.
But let’s not forget that the minority party isn’t totally free from blame here either. Republicans like that Democracts are trying to pass extreme bills that won’t go anywhere — these bills help them raise funds and attract new donors that aren’t really paying attention to what’s actually going on.
Of course this level of swamp politicking is enabled by the national news media. National news outlets are particularly fond of covering extreme messaging bills that have no chance of passing because these extreme bills help drive ratings. By being so extreme these bills create a sense of fear that have viewers eyes’ glued to the TV. Pundits know this, and being insecure about the meaning of their own lives, continue to exploit others in this way. For the insecure all that exists is relief through power.
Thus whenever the left wants the federal government to take control of the elections the elites — regardless of whatever side of the issue they fall on — rejoice. It’s an opportunity to exploit people’s fears for power.
That exciting point brings us to the Week in Review.
Week in Review
On Jan 17th we discussed left wing religion and how the left aren’t honest atheists. What I didn’t clearly articulate is the fact that there are atheistic religions — and that the left is atheistic but not irreligious. I should have made that distinction.
On the 18th I discussed the notion of a “parallel society” and how philosophical republicans should reject traditional government institutions and instead set up their own voluntary institutions to escape domestic tyranny.
On the 19th I discussed how marriage is the keystone to liberty. Without marriage we wouldn’t have the liberties we have today — and likewise the loss of marriage as a key institution highlights how we’re headed in a dangerous direction.
On the 20th we looked at how COVID brought us to a crossroads between tyranny and freedom. At first many opted for tyranny but are we now headed toward freedom?
Lastly on the 21st we set the so called “progressive” record straight. We came to see that what was once called the “progressive” era is actually the collective era. And we discussed how this oversight came to be.
If you want to discuss these ideas with us — Christian Watson and I — join us later this Sunday from 12-1PM at my Youtube by clicking here. Alternatively you can join us via Facebook or Twitter at the links below.
Weekly Article Links
For your convenience see the links below to catch up on last week’s release of articles!
Jan 17th — God without Gods?
Jan 18th — A Parallel Society
Jan 19th — Liberty and Marriage
Jan 20th — The COVID Test
Jan 21st — Progressives and False Progress
That’s all we have this week! Join us on Sunday to discuss these articles!
Zigmund Reichenbach holds a M.A. in Philosophy from West Chester University. You can find him commenting on news stories of national and state interest at his Facebook page Zigmund Reichenbach -- Commentator or you can follow him on Twitter @zreichenbach1. Additionally you can find both the live sessions and the re-airs of the weekly Sunday podcast — 12-1PM — episodes here.
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