Last week, I told you about the enormous court victory in Ohio against Ohio’s universal voucher disaster.
Nobody understands this issue in Ohio better than former state rep. Steve Dyer, who writes a Substack called 10th Period. And compiles the best data out there on what is happening:
Steve was also an active participant and expert in the lawsuit, some of which he writes about here. So Steve and I had a conversation above about how out-of-control vouchers Ohio are; how this historic case came to be; what the court ruled and why; and what it means. If you want to fully understand what’s happening here (and what’s happening here follows the same pattern seen in states around the country—or what you WILL see in states that have just begun to go down this road), you’ll want to watch out discussion.
I think you’ll enjoy it.
Um, They’re Fighting Again…
After weeks going underground, Elon Musk emerged again to rip on the Big Ugly Bill that, tragically—and thanks to Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Jon Husted, among others—passed yesterday.
And as much as I hate agreeing with Musk, he did accurately describe the bill in numerous ways.
It will indeed destroy millions of jobs:
It his indeed a political catastrophe for Republicans…
It hamstrings certain critical industries for the future…(reminds me of Ohio’s corrupt HB6 in that way, so of course Husted is for that):
It will also destroy countless countless good construction jobs:
It absolutely explodes the deficit (although I don’t agree with Musk on “one-party”):
Incredibly, Musk even grew rightfully concerned about the attack on court orders that was once in the bill (update to Elon—thanks to Democrats and the parliamentarian, that provision was removed):
Musk is so mad, he now wants to form a third party:” (Ross Perot II?)
And in the part I like the most, he is threatening to primary anyone who votes for the bill. Go for it!!!! Start with Jon Husted….and call me if you want materials on what you can say about him…
Trump’s Authoritarian Response:
Of course, Trump swiped back at Musk for critiquing this historically awful bill.
And in his response—all kidding aside—he truly shows the instincts of an authoritarian. Threatening to investigate Musk, as well as to deport him:
As much as I loathe all the damage Musk has inflicted on our government and our country, Trump’s response here is indeed chilling. Let me tell you why:
When I worked in Russia, and as it was growing in corruption in front of our eyes, one of the most clearcut tell-tales of its slide into lawless authoritarianism was that as most people began to behave corruptly—what determined if you were prosecuted or investigated for that corruption was simply whether you were in power or in good standing with those power.
Once you were out of power, you got investigated and prosecuted…for doing the exact same thing you were doing while in power (and that those who remain in power are still doing). You just were no longer protected from a politicized and corrupt government.
Trump’s public pronouncement of that mindset and those tactics because someone disagrees with him is another advertisement that that Putin-style governance now embodies American government and American politics. And you can only imagine what he does behind the scenes to players far less powerful than Musk.
Such as, perhaps, Paramount…this happened in the middle of the night:
