149 Comments
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FREED0ML0VER's avatar

But how can we tell if he's dead or alive? Which brings to mind another question: how long will his grifting family hide his death in order to keep collecting?

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KC & the Sunshine's avatar

When “Weekend at Bernie’s” decomposes into “Decades at Bernie’s”…

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Positively Paying It Forward's avatar

Now that’s become clear (from their complicity to empire),that Congress and the Senate are nothing more than federally funded daycare centers for the politically connected.

The good news is that……………….

At least they’re not empty spaces like those in MN.

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Loesje Shema's avatar

Is that really such good news?

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🌱Nard🙏's avatar

I just came to say it’s a good thing. He’s not gonna live very long lol.

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Positively Paying It Forward's avatar

Depends. If his federally funded office space is a life support bed in some super spendy hospital, could get real pricey quick.

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Valerie's avatar

I came here to leave the same comment!

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J. Lincoln's avatar

Yo también.

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The Watchman's avatar

For all we know he died several years ago!!!!

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New Humanity's avatar

Haha

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Anna Lafferty's avatar

I had the same thought.

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SadieJay's avatar

Omgosh....it has been Weekend At Bernie's for the last 5 years with NO end in sight. The corpse is now a shriveled skeleton as the line of Understudies jostle for a spot on the Christmas card. In the back. With only a forehead and tuft of white hair showing. Bah.

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Mary Ann Caton's avatar

Wheel his preserved body out periodically just like they do for Jeremy Bentham?

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Occam's avatar

The absolute scale of the money our governments pay is coming into focus now.

Billions is a rounding error - these people have firehoses everywhere, spewing cash to everyone/everything.

With apparently very little checks/balances to ensure it's being spent correctly.

Flabbergasting.

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Valerie's avatar

Which is EXACTLY why the federal government should be as small as possible. Anything they do (schools, etc) turns to crap because the scope is too big, problems are ‘solved’ by throwing money at them, and the breadth is too big for real oversight.

I have a client that is an FBI agent. In her former role she investigated Medicare fraud. She told me that the FBI wouldn’t even look at a case unless it was over a million dollars. Just imagine how many people are perpetrating frauds of less than that and getting away with it just because we don’t have the scope to chase it down. (Reference daycares in MN, which I know is a state thing, but still illustrates my point and I’m using it because it’s recent).

Limited. Federal. Government. Like the founders intended. It’s a hill I will die on.

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Occam's avatar

Exactly.

Human nature is predictable - huge money will always corrupt the best of intentions. ALWAYS.

The only answer is smaller govt and strict controls.

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David Nelson's avatar

Public education teaches "Government--all government--saves." All that has to be un-learned, and only half are capable.

We _have_ to abandon this notion that public-school ideologues are "heroes" who turn out model citizens, and reform education to teach that "Government--all government--is dangerous to freedom."

Two words for Joe Biden, the Man of the People, from this people: Die quickly.

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Tonee norman's avatar

Hopefully no bad guys read this Substack and get an idea!

Yesterday,911 went out in our county for 24 hours. It was “emergency broadcast“ on every possible device people owned. All I could think was “great,now every bad guy in town knows that “….

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Jake B's avatar

(Yet another reason for 2A.)

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Tonee norman's avatar

Indeed.

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Valerie's avatar

Holy cow how does that even happen?

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Tonee norman's avatar

I do not know. There’s been a lot of rain,but, that’s not unusual this time of year,if we are lucky.

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Occam's avatar

Happy New Year, Jenna.

Thank you for doing what you do.

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

☺️🩷

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David Nelson's avatar

...and thank you for what you are going to do.

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Juju's avatar

This is why the presidency has become the holy grail for fraudsters

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Frontera Lupita's avatar

Just like every other country in the world. Mexico is notorious for the exiting President to leave the office far more well funded than when they went in, living the Expat life in another country.

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Meddling Kid's avatar

It’s pathetic that easy things like this, the lowest-hanging fruit of “what to do when you regain the majority” wasn’t done by Rs when they hit the trifecta. No cancellation of golden parachutes, no forbidding of insider trading, no investigation of the Clinton Foundation, no hellfire missiles up the ass of George Soros like I keep begging for, not even a bill for fair elections.

I want to see Venezuela-style raids on governors’ offices, senators’ offices, representatives’ offices, and most importantly, on CEOs’ offices who we know are working with dems to undermine the American people.

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Penny North's avatar

I think it is because there are those in Congress shooting for the Presidency and that retirement package.

Until the government corruption here is truly exposed, nothing will happen.

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David Nelson's avatar

Really have to wonder if Senators and Representatives with 30+ years of self-"service" don't regularly beat out, mere, Presidents who've only got 8 years--tops--to put together their packages. May we know Pelosi's compensation details?

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Dena's avatar

Exactly. Ex. - MTG left office after 4 - 5 years & will collect a lifetime pension + healthcare benefits. Minimum service is 5 years in order to qualify. Obviously we pay.

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Clara's avatar

I agree with you, but I’m pretty sure that state crimes can’t be prosecuted by federal jurisdictions. The good guys hands are tied. Fortunately, that means the bad guys hands are mostly tied unless you count the rogue judges out there sticking their big fat noses into things that are not their business. We saw the Democrats law fare run amok during the Biden administration.

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David Nelson's avatar

Yeah Kid, the old Republicans seemed to have a "we-can-take-turns!" approach to sucking on government teats.

On the other side of government raids on elected officials' offices, the new Republicans could take pledges not to enrich themselves while in office. (I'll be the blue dead guy in the corner holding his breath.)

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Teresa Parmenter's avatar

Me too!

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Soujourner's avatar

Why would the R's remove the low hanging fruit while they are enjoying eating it themselves?

If you are an American, I feel sorry for you and all of you advocating kidnaping of officials that you have personally tried with no evidence?

New MAGA slogan:

"Let's take the country further down in lawlessness, French revolution-style."

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David's avatar

Did you actually read what Jenna wrote? Trump is forfeiting his salary and (most) benefits. Biden is robbing us blind. Yet you broad swath generalize and attempt to derail. The tissues for narcodictator supporters are on aisle 3. Bye Felicia.

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John Wright's avatar

Would we still have to pay Biden's post presidency support if Venezuela kidnaps him? Let's throw Walz in as a bonus!

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Warrior Mom's avatar

sweeeeet. ;)

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SeeingTruth's avatar

Best use of "bless his heart" in written history! 👏👏👏👏👏

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

🤗🩷

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Teresa Parmenter's avatar

Amen!

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LAURA LEE's avatar

How many of those losing their mind over his capture is due to their drug network taking a big hit?

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Jeff Johnson's avatar

I think you just said the unspoken part out loud. Yep.

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Skenny's avatar
3dEdited

With retirement, like justice, stock trading, health insurance, and legalized(sometimes) thievery, there is a system for DC, and a system for the rest of us.

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Penny North's avatar

Bingo.

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Warrior Mom's avatar

yup. I just started being forced to pay for Medicare that I don't want (doesn't cover any kind of 'health' care I will agree to receiving!) and can't afford (thanks to all the waste & fraud). the only ones making out in this scam is the insurance industry & pharma

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DJL's avatar

Just one more way the government bends over the taxpayer just to shove their criminality up our collective hind-parts. It’s a wonder we aren’t all anarchists by now. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

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Maureen's avatar

Taxes offer no benefit to the average person paying them. At this point, it’s nothing but protection money to keep the government from confiscating your assets and making you homeless. …’And so the rise of questions like "Why in 7 kinds of calamitous hell am I paying taxes for this" will continue’. America is coming to a tipping point where taxes are either not going to fund this kind of garbage anymore or will not be paid in the first place.

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DJL's avatar

Just think about all the money this year that doge uncovered going to nefarious NGO’s and their fake programs. Think of all the money that’s been uncovered going to foreign countries for bullshit reasons. Think of all the money going to these fake Somali daycare centers. Billions upon billions of dollars maybe trillions, If these tax dollars were to remain inside our country for the purpose of helping our infrastructure, our schools, teachers, our first responders, can you imagine how great our country would be??! Here we are all thinking gosh we’re paying all these taxes and it’s just never enough. It’s never enough. It’s never enough. But it is; it’s just that all of our tax dollars are being pilfered by these fucking criminals. if we get all of this money back and we stop the fraud our country would be wealthy beyond imagination. Our veterans would get the help that they need, we need to stop fraud within the welfare programs stop sending money overseas. It’s really very simple. Except that It isn’t because politicians and bankers are such criminals

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Maureen's avatar

I know. I keep saying tha I’m not paying taxes this year - but I know they will just come take it. I’m hoping one of these days a real movement, on the order of the Boston Tea Party, comes about. We can scream ’Fair Tax’ all we want, but we are being ruled with little to no representation.

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Tonee norman's avatar

If only….

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John Wright's avatar

I'm not quite sure I agree with "no benefit". We do like our roads.

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John Wright's avatar

It is a wonder isn't it? All this really makes you question if maybe anarchy might actually be *better*.

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Warrior Mom's avatar

anarchy does actually mean, 'rules but not rulers'.

most people think it means chaos, but its serious proponents just want no established government

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John Wright's avatar

Yes, I think that's a common misunderstanding to assume that anarchy equals chaos.

The tricky part is who enforces the rules? We've seen (politicians are a great example) that humans, if given the opportunity, will break the rules. I'm not quite ready to go back to "six gun justice" but I do ponder whether it actually would be better.

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Warrior Mom's avatar

yeah, that's the million dollar question, is it not?

the larger human communities became, the more difficult to reach consensus on 'rules'. shame and ostracization used to work as enforcers but imperfect at best, in any setting. its a conundrum.

smallest possible 'government', like our founders seemed to have intended, should be a goal but DAMN... this shit is out of control!

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John Wright's avatar

This is on reason I promote "local government". In the USA, your local city government should be the most "active", county government should do a little less, state government even less and federal government almost nothing.

We NEED ***small*** government!

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Janet's avatar

Somebody should check those offices after Joe kicks the bucket. Make sure Hunter isn’t operating a brothel or scam office there on my dime. Or, check if he’s got an art studio and cans of, well, you know what—not gold plated—on a shelf.

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Randy Althoff's avatar

Nice deep dive into something of which most of us "normal" human beings know little. Thanks for your helpful insights, Jenna.

2026 promises to be a great year--isn't the news coming out of HHS these days terrific? 🧸

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

Indeed! Working on that for tomorrow! 🤗

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KC & the Sunshine's avatar

🥰🥰🥰 Wasn’t me, sitting in the moonlight at my little barn last night, crying happy tears like a blooming idiot.

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Ginny Moore's avatar

“The irony cup overfloweth.” 😂 SO MANY gems in your writing but some make me giggle just a little more than most. 😜

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

😂🩷🤗

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Amy Jo Aylward's avatar

A++ for your snark, Jenna. 🎯🎯🎯

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Jenna McCarthy's avatar

☺️🩷👸

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Vee's avatar

Puppets got to puppet. Why else would they make all of these terrible decisions to destroy our country and the lives of millions of Americans? These huge monetary rewards are great incentives to keep the anti-human machine running. This is why the majority of politicians vote for war instead of peace. Mandates instead of informed consent.

Can you imagine how much money was made outside of this annual allowance from the bureaucracy? 🤪

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Peace's avatar

Does Jill continue to get benefits from the Joe's pension after his passing?

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Mindy's avatar

The president's spouse is eligible for a small pension of like $20,000 per year, but only if she doesn't get other pensions. As a senator's spouse, her pension could be up to half of what the senator's pension was. If that pension would be higher, she could turn down the $20k per year so she could get the larger pension. It's all garbage.

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Warrior Mom's avatar

wow and my mom just started getting a whopping $150 a month from dad's pension after he passed in October (he worked 35 years in a steel mill for her to get that!)

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Janet's avatar

Thanks, I commented later on that.

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Mindy's avatar

Razzies for Rulers. I'd actually tune in for that.

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Pastor Mike's avatar

I just don't want to comment ... Can't. Speechless.

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