Monthly Archives: August 2025

All I ever needed to know about Missouri I learned at the state fair

08 Friday Aug 2025

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This morning we joined Missouri Democrats at the Missouri Democratic Party tent at the state fair in Sedalia. We sat in the shade, conversed, people watched, and engaged with many passersby. Unlike last year, there was no overt hostility from the MAGA cult. There was the occasional glare. You’re welcome.

We did get a lot of friendly waves, friendly and supportive comments, and good conversations. Good Democrats and others were happy to see us there (they told us so) and they thanked us.

Flowers in the median on West 16th Street, near the entrance to the state fair.

At the edge of the parking lot, just outside the main ticket entrance:

He was there when we arrived at 10:00 a.m., he was there when we left around 1:00 p.m. The temperature was in the 90s.

Comfort food:

In almost every direction you look at the state fair.

The Missouri Democratic Party tent:

“You shouldn’t need a passport to vote”

“Democrats support education”

The republican tent, down the street, didn’t appear to be open for business.

A vendor, apparently catering to the MAGA crowd:

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty” – Thomas Jefferson

The usual suspects have been strangely silent about “Second Amendment Solutions” these days. I wonder why?

Just words, no action:

“The Second Amendment isn’t for hunting”

Irony challenged:

“My rights don’t end where your feelings begin”

“We the people are pissed off”

You can say that again.

The large flag on the fair grounds, wind from the south:

In the parking lot – on the way out:

“Don’t tread on my gun rights, freedom first”

Missed it by that much.

Previously:

Missouri State Fair Parade – August 7, 2025 (August 8, 2025)

Billy, we hardly knew yah…

08 Friday Aug 2025

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Billy Long (r) [2021 file photo]

Today:

IRS Commissioner Billy Long replaced after less than two months
August 8, 20254:18 PM ET
Scott Horsley

The Trump administration is replacing IRS Commissioner Billy Long, less than two months after the former Missouri Congressman took over at the agency. It’s the latest in a string of IRS management shakeups.

A White House spokesman confirmed Long’s ouster, which was first reported by the New York Times. The administration did not offer an immediate explanation for the move, which took IRS staffers by surprise.

For the time being, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner. The IRS churned through four acting commissioners in the early months of the Trump administration before Long was confirmed to the post in mid-June.

Long, who served six terms in the House of Representatives, is an auctioneer with little experience in tax administration.

[….]

At Billy Long’s (r) U.S. Senate confirmation hearing:

Missouri’s Billy Long grilled over donations, tax credits in Senate confirmation hearing
By: Jason Hancock – May 20, 2025 2:28 pm
[….]
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, who sent Long a 14-page letter questioning his past, repeatedly asked Long about a federal statute prohibiting the president from ordering tax audits on specific people or businesses.

“Is it illegal for the president to instruct the IRS to remove nonprofit status from taxpayers?” Warren asked several times.

“In the first place, he wouldn’t do that,” Long replied.

“That’s not my question, Mr. Long,” Warren said.

A few seconds of back and forth later, Long said he was “going to follow the law,” but that “I’d have to go to the lawyers at the IRS to tell me.”

Warren wasn’t impressed.

“If you think follow the law is you get to make it up on the spot,” she said, “then you don’t get to be the IRS commissioner.”

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, continued the line of questioning later, pressing Long over whether he had previously said he would ignore an order from Trump to audit a taxpayer.

“I think I told you that he wouldn’t do that in the first place,” Long responded, “but if he did, I’d do exactly what you said. So, yes.”
[….]

That’s interesting.

Still on the IRS web site:

Commissioner Billy Long

Billy Long is the 51st Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. As Commissioner, he presides over the nation’s tax system, which collects approximately $5 trillion in tax revenue each year, generating about 96% of the funding that supports the federal government’s operations. Commissioner Long oversees an agency of approximately 75,000 employees and an annual budget of roughly $11 billion.

[….]

Billy Long (r) [2022 file photo].

Missouri State Fair Parade – August 7, 2025

08 Friday Aug 2025

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“Save the country from Trump.”

“It’s worth saving.”

Pettis County and Johnson County Democrats presented floats in the Missouri State Fair Parade yesterday evening. Parade entries (with the exception of equestrian units) started lining up in assigned spots along State Fair Boulevard around 4:30 p.m. The parade started at 6:00 p.m., crossing 16th Street into the fair grounds, making a grand circle, and finally exiting via 16th Street.

The Pettis County Democrats float.

Setting up the Johnson County Democrats float.

Before the start of the parade.

Various commercial interests, social and benevolent groups, and youth groups also had entries in the parade.

People powered entries awaiting the start:

The crowd along the parade route:

The response from the crowd, especially from Democrats, was generally positive. The were obviously happy to see the entries in the parade.

“Go Trump.” Interestingly, he stopped abruptly when he saw the camera.

The taxes you pay

07 Thursday Aug 2025

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Late last night:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

RECIPROCAL TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LARGELY FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY, WILL START FLOWING INTO THE USA. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP AMERICA’S GREATNESS WOULD BE A RADICAL LEFT COURT THAT WANTS TO SEE OUR COUNTRY FAIL!

3.04k ReTruths 12.2k Likes Aug 06, 2025, 10:44 PM

A few minutes later:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

IT’S MIDNIGHT!!! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TARIFFS ARE NOW FLOWING INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

3.53k ReTruths 14.3k Likes Aug 06, 2025, 10:58 PM

You’re paying those taxes.

Elect a clown, expect a circus. And we all pay for it.

Wingnut Welfare

05 Tuesday Aug 2025

Posted by in Eric Schmitt, social media, US Senate

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“….There are, of course, many forms of wingnut welfare. Book publishing scams are just one of the oldest….”

Eric Schmitt (r) [2024 file photo]

He’s selling a book. Oh, goodie.

Last month:

Eric Schmitt
[July 11, 2025]
[….]
For too long, the Right played defense while the Left weaponized our legal system.

It’s time to fight to win.

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE is the inside story of how we beat the Left in court before—and how we can do it again.

Available for preorder now: [….]

Under Biden, the Left used the executive branch to build a powerful lawfare machine.

Trump won. But the Left’s lawfare continues. Activist groups and far-left judges are wielding our courts like a political weapon, twisting the law to undermine the will of the American people.

As Attorney General of Missouri, I went on offense again Biden—and won.

We blocked his vax mandates, forced him to enforce the Remain in Mexico policy (for a while), killed his student loan bailout scheme, exposed his censorship regime, liberated a million people from forced masking and countless more examples.

We didn’t win these fights by playing by the old conservative playbook. We won by throwing it out and starting over.

THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE is all about the new blueprint we wrote—and how it can help us defeat the Left in the fights to come.

Left-wing lawfare remains one of the chief fights of our time. I wrote this book because our side needs a manual to beat it.

On shelves August 19.
[….]

“…We blocked his vax mandates…” “…liberated a million people from forced masking…”

Yeah, we remember:

A simple request (December 9, 2021)

We get a response (December 14, 2021)

We’re still waiting… (December 31, 2021)

There’s much more to follow (January 6, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 1 (January 6, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 2 (January 7, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 3 (January 8, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – clown (January 8, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 4 (January 8, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – Get In Good Trouble (January 9, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 5 (January 9, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – One Is The Loneliest Number (January 9, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – Photo Evidence (January 10, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 6 (January 10, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 7 (January 11, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – Generations (January 12, 2022)

illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov – RSMo § 610 – Missouri Sunshine Law – email submissions – part 8 (January 13, 2022)

Elect a clown, expect a circus:

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s (r) anti-mask public school complaint email address: illegalmandates@ago.mo.gov

Grifters gotta grift.

Gaslighting, because he can

04 Monday Aug 2025

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Today:

Congressman Mark Alford
[August 4, 2025]
OBBB = making sure YOUR money stays YOURS!
[….]

Some of the responses:

I love these comments for you lmao
The tides are turning, friend. Jump ship!

Wow,everyone will be able to afford a billion dollar plane and a new golf course in Scotland, let them eat cake

We like pie.

Mark is empty. Just another bobblehead.

…but the fine print says….

Shhhh. You’ll upset the Fascist cult.

No thanks. I’ll take democracy

Of course they’re breaking rules. If they played fairly, they would NEVER win at anything and Trump would be in prison, where he should be.

A sham.

Show us the FINE PRINT, Mark.

None of that is true. Apparently you didn’t actually read it before you voted.

Oops. You forgot to subtract the tariff tax from more money . Net LESS money for us regular folks.

Publish the entire truth!

I don’t get tips or overtime but I still get to pay more for most things I purchase from food to my daughter’s dance uniforms thanks to the ever changing tariffs. Can you do something about those, Congressman Mark Alford ?

If more money is going into our so called pockets, why do we have to go through the IRS for it?

because he doesn’t know the difference between truths and lies

You literally made tax cuts for billionaires permanent and the other provisions only for a couple years.

We’re not stupid Alford. Publish the truth.

So what you’re saying is that you didn’t read the bill you voted for.

Read the fine print baby trump, it’s not like you’re pretending it is.

Mark you should have stuck to being a tv personality.

All of WHICH ARE Bullshit! No Taxes on tips gets capped after a certain amount AND they expire in 2028. Tax breaks for the rich are permanent.
No tax on overtime. ALSO CAPPED! ALSO Expires in 2028. Again, the tax breaks for rich folks….permanent!

Oh great, you’ll keep more money to help pay for the increased costs due to Trump’s tariffs and the subsequent inflation that follows. So much winning!

Save a few hundred on tax on tips and overtime but no healthcare….. But a new gaudy plane and ballroom… What an idiot

So folks number one read the fine print. Number two who works so much overtime that they need to worry about that. If you have to work more than forty hours your not getting paid enough. But by all means read the fine print.. and shall we talk about the tariff taxes. That will hit all of you. It hurts the worker bees the hardest. Do your own research don’t take my word on it.. if you think the the importer pays for it. No they don’t. If you think the corporations will take the hit think again . Just get you facts.

Not for me Mark Alford. Lies, lies, lies. You and this administration are an embarrassment. Because of what the Republican has done I losing more money from paycheck and it is going to the pockets of Billionaires. Thanks a lot. You need to be recalled and voted out. Shame on you Mark Alford. You and the Republicans just don’t care

More money to pay those pesky tariffs!

Tariffs will be the largest tax increase in American history.

Tax cuts for billionaires and take away Medicaid for children and the elderly. How can you be proud of that Mark?

Mark Alford (r) [2023 file photo].

Do you really think we are this stupid? Don’t insult our intelligence. You are a real ass for posting this nonsense.

That’s bullshit.

More money for the rich and more expenses on us paying extra for the tariffs! $2,400 – $3,400 per year. Such winning! US going to 💩
Republicans are gerrymanding this country into an authoritarian banana republic!

Tips up to $2500 ?
You misleading fuksticks

I honestly don’t know how you and your supporters live with yourselves with all of the hateful things you think are ‘so wonderful’ for us…sad

More money funneled to the billionaire class to protect the child molester in Chief. Shame on the GOP!

When are we getting our $100 plus per prescription rebate checks?

1500%.

We are still taxed on it! Stop gaslighting

Liar. Liar. May your pants catch on fire.

Why are people OK with getting less for their tax dollars now? Do people consider themselves waste, fraud or abuse? And now, you are on your own after devastating storms as well. 6 months ago you would have been covered by FEMA. Now, your taxes are the same, but you get no assistance. They claim they are cutting fraud, where’s the proof? And all 17 million Americans who will lose their healthcare are all frauds? It doesn’t sound right, because it isn’t right.

And yet, billionaires cannot lose one penny of income. Ever.

Mark thinks we’re all stupid. Your claims are bogus.

You are lying again

Has anyone had the misfortune of going grocery shopping recently? Prices are higher now than ever before. And experts are saying it’s only going to get worse. But be at ease, the billionaires are going to be alright thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill (that screws over the rest of us.)

I have and had to leave stuff on the shelf that I used to buy because it no longer fits in the budget. No tax on tips and overtime? It’s a deduction! IF a person can’t itemize then the deduction doesn’t apply to them. Congressman Mark Alford doesn’t want his constituents to know the real truth, but they’ll find out when they file their taxes. The $6,000 deduction on SS benefits will not be a deduction we can claim because we can’t itemize.

Not really. They would have to itemize deductions to get those, and anyone with half a brain knows they dont make enough money to itemize. You’re good at passing on the lies like trump, though

The “no tax on tips” will expire in 2 years. The huge tax cuts for billionaires does not end in 2 years.
Trump’s tax cuts on billionaires will cost 4 trillion dollars added to the deficit.

Thank you for filling in the blanks, [….]. Mark loves to leave out the details.

Mark Alford (r) [2024 file photo].

Gaslighting for fun and profit

03 Sunday Aug 2025

Posted by in Congress, Eric Schmitt, social media, US Senate

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Eric Schmitt (r) [2022 file photo].

Yesterday:

Senator Eric Schmitt
[August 2, 2025]
I’ve always regarded the Senate as the greatest deliberative body in the history of the world.
Now, the Great Arsonist Chuck Schumer has taken a torch to the Senate. My Republican colleagues and I won’t allow it.
[….]

Deliberate this:

“[Eric] Schmitt is a Fascist doosh”

They ain’t buying what Eric Schmitt (r) is selling:

—–

OH complete and insane BULLSHIT 🤣 MITCH MCTURTLE torched the Senate DECADES ago… get over it. 🤣

My thoughts exactly.

—–

You won’t allow it? It’s easy to not allow something that isn’t happening 🙄

Karoline Leavitt = Hired Liar !

Turnabout is fair play

What is Eric Schmitt’s favorite whine?

Trump has cowered Senate Republicans. Not a single profile in courage among them

The way I see it Congress has the easiest job there is don’t even need a high school education,and you just do what the president says and then you pat yourself on the back and say to yourself job well done

You do have to discard your self-respect.

Yall are hilarious. You picked the wrong side of history

You do whatever Trump tells you to. You do not represent the people of Missouri. You represent Trump and those that donate a lot of money to you.

did you see they eliminated the capital gains tax for individuals after reversing our vote on sick leave? Crooked as they come.

—–

I bet you done everything Biden told you to do

Biden never directed us to do anything because we weren’t in a cult.

—–

Senate Republicans went scorched earth a long time ago. You are culpable .

Of Course Not , You Support The Orange Felon , Fraudster , Con-Man , Sexual Abuser , Election Tampering , Insurrectionist , Habitual Lair ! ! ! Says A Lot About You ! ! !
Release All of The Epstein Files ! Expose All of The Pedophiles ! Charge , Prosecute , Convict ! In Prison With All of Them ! ! ! Get Some Kinda Justice for The Girls ! ! !

Would Senator Eric Schmitt prefer more right-wing pedophiles in the Senate?

No one perverted the office more than Mitch McConnell, making you the dunce today.

If you are trying to tell us that Donald Trump is doing but he’s supposed to then you need to go get your head examined too you let this man destroy Medicaid Medicare SNAP benefits and everything else that Donald Trump is destroying used Republicans are letting him do it so I don’t want to hear anything else from none of you senators don’t access for your votes ever again you cannot be trusted so don’t give us a history give us a history of what Donald Trump is doing and you’re letting him get away with it

Eric is way too emotional for a serious job.

Heh.

McConnell sends his regards.

The Senate was a great deliberative body until you and your pals ceded all responsibility to a wanna-be dictator.

These days all you have to do is become a trump ass kisser like you

So Schumer is an arsonist because he isn’t a rubber stamp for an unstable, corrupt, lawless felon? You’re a flunky.

Republicans did it during the reigns of Democrats and now Democrats are doing it to Trump. It is fun to see Trump go into a expletive laced name calling tantrum at Schumer. Schmitt forgot that it was his BFF, Mitch McConnell, who announced that the sole job of Republicans in the Senate is to make Obama a 1 term president.

You have no backbone you are a Senatorial disgrace and you have let Missourians down Please Resign

So, we will NEVER be able to trust ANYTHING coming out THIS White House, just like we NEVER trust you. You are a blatant liar.
The jobs report is DISMAL. You are FAILING. This is why you’re trying to redraw the maps…to cheat. That’s the only way you can stay in power, NOT to serve the people, but to serve yourself.
You are scum.

You are a DISGRACE to the U.S. Senate!!!!

That’s saying a lot.

Protesting Trump (r) – Sedalia, Missouri – August 2, 2025

02 Saturday Aug 2025

Posted by in Resist

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Today, starting at 11:00 a.m., a group of eight demonstrators opposed to the administration and policies of Donald Trump (r) set up in the right-of-way near the intersection of U.S. Highway 65 and U.S. Highway 50 in Sedalia, Missouri. There is a lot of passing traffic at this intersection.

“Are we great yet?”

“No Kings”

There were a few passing Trump (r) loyalists. They were upset by the demonstration. Most of them used language you’d expect.

“…[@#$%&!^] liberals…”

“Only You Can Prevent Fascist Liars”

Those showing support far outnumbered those expressing disapproval.

A honk on the car horn, a thumbs up.

“Nope”

The smell of desperation

01 Friday Aug 2025

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Bad combover. Check. Too long red tie. Check. Orange spray tan. Check. Tiny hands. Check. Cluelessness. Check…

This afternoon:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting “Kamala” elected – How did that work out? Jerome “Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!

4.19k ReTruths 14.4k Likes Aug 01, 2025, 1:09 PM

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad — Just like when they had three great days around the 2024 Presidential Election, and then, those numbers were “taken away” on November 15, 2024, right after the Election, when the Jobs Numbers were massively revised DOWNWARD, making a correction of over 818,000 Jobs — A TOTAL SCAM. Jerome “Too Late” Powell is no better! But, the good news is, our Country is doing GREAT!

2.08k ReTruths 9.38k Likes Aug 01, 2025, 2:44 PM

Maybe you shouldn’t have put all those people in concentration camps, asshole.