'The Big Beautiful Bill, Explained' by Leeja Miller

Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which I'm going to call the Big Brutal Bill, is still being debated (really, the House version of a filibuster) as I type this and I'm getting tired of waiting for a vote, which looks like it will pass, so I'm embedding The Big Beautiful Bill, Explained by Leeja Miller.

The House is poised to pass Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act as soon as they can iron out the details. Most of the worst parts of this bill are set in stone at this point, so let's break down what's in this nearly 1000 page monster and how it will impact you.

I agree with Miller that Republicans are much better at messaging than Democrats, particularly so with Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump and what I called "his feral instincts for self-promotion, dominance, and survival," particularly his talent for self-promotion. That's frustrating, but I chalk the difference up to liberals and progressives being rational while conservatives are irrational. This isn't my take; it's the late Jerry Pournelle's, a conservative. Conservatives' irrationality connects them better to emotions, so the tell more effective stories than liberals, who have better command of facts and reason. Those aren't enough to persuade a consistent majority, so liberals need to get more in touch with voters' emotions to win. This includes better marketing of our ideas.

John Oliver concentrated on the loss of health and food benefits in the video I embedded yesterday, so I'm commenting on the changes in taxes, education, and immigration enforcement. For the bottom 40-60%, the lowered taxes will not offset the loss of benefits, so the majority of Americans will be worse off. On the other hand, the top 40% and especially the top 20% will be better off, at least in terms of lower taxes vs. any lost federal benefits. One of those benefits is education, particularly student loans and other federal aid. This looks like part of the implementation of Project 2025 along with a goal of Curtis "Mencius Moldbug" Yarvin to reduce the power and influence of educated professionals. As I wrote the last time I featured Miller, "That makes his ideas personal to me, as I'm an educated professional."

The Big Brutal Bill's effect on immigration enforcement deserves its own post along with its own version of The tax bill and the U.S. economy in 2018 and beyond. In the meantime, I'm sharing this image Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler used to illustrate Stephen Miller’s War on Cancer Cures.


Leeja Miller didn't even mention what the Big Brutal Bill did to science research beyond increased tax benefits to corporations for research and development; I doubt that will make up for loss of federal support to basic research in dollars spent and it will certainly change what research takes place. This image shows where that money is going to, defense and homeland security, especially immigration enforcement. Priorities in action. Speaking of which...

It’s not just that Russ Vought and Stephen Miller are cutting AIDS prevention and cancer research. They’re doing so to pay for Miller’s gulag. Miller is cutting your access to health care and cancer cures to pay to deport your nurse assistant and cancer researchers (and, given the unnecessary bump in DOD spending, to invade Canada to take their health care away too).

Given how Canada has responded to Hoover Cleveland's threats, I'd be more worried about Greenland.

I've had enough DOOM for today. Stay tuned for the 4th of July. No Kings!

Leeja Miller examines 'The Ideology Behind The End Of Democracy'

Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences was one of my best shares on Bluesky last year, so I'm examining Curtis "Mencius Moldbug" Yarvin again by sharing Leeja Miller examining The Ideology Behind The End Of Democracy.

JD Vance, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and many other operatives in the Trump administration are all united in their belief in the ideological teachings known as Neo-Reactionism, popularized by fringe blogger-turned Silicon Valley darling Curtis Yarvin. His pseudo-intellectual ravings have been adopted by some of the most powerful people on the planet and could lead to the downfall of democracy in the United States.

Like RFK Jr., I've decided to focus on Yarvin/Moldbug as a source of the terrible ideas being implemented by this administration. He seems to be replacing Ayn Rand and Objectivism as the person and philosophy animating the Right. He also seems to be one of the original people behind the attack on educated professionals I mocked in I ask The Archdruid and his readers 'Can you show us on the doll exactly where the educated professionals hurt you?' A Festivus airing of grievances. That makes his ideas personal to me, as I'm an educated professional.

By the way, Miller mentioning Nick Land moving into a Satanist's house got my attention. I suspected he moved into Aleister Crowley's old home; that's exactly what happened. Reality is stranger than fiction.

I expect to say more about Moldbug. In the meantime, stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature, which will be another post worth sharing in June.