<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster: The New Way Forward by The Future - Today & Tomorrow ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Eric Foster, Cofounder of the Future - Today & Tomorrow Super PAC (an African American founded Super PAC), shares the vision for how the Pro-Democracy side of America must change it's analysis, communications and operational approach to move the Non-MAGA Majority (164,295,439 Eligible Non-Trump 2024 voters) to become active, informed, consistent voters.   
We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen's right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/s/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nCW9!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8cff2ef-e5f3-4730-abff-cbb0f8002d39_1080x1080.png</url><title>Common Sense by Eric Foster: The New Way Forward by The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow </title><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/s/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:49:36 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[ericfoster52@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[ericfoster52@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[ericfoster52@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[ericfoster52@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[How to Respond to the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act Decision in Louisiana v. Callais]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Court weakened a core protection against racial vote dilution. The response cannot be panic. It has to be strategy.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 18:06:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/197382453/880fd4d4e014402ff19d9d3a04351483.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Supreme Court&#8217;s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is not just another redistricting case. It is a warning flare for every person who cares about voting rights, multiracial democracy, and the ability of communities of color to elect representatives of their choice.</p><p>The decision strikes at one of the most important remaining tools under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: the use of federal voting-rights law to challenge maps that dilute the political power of Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian American, and other minority communities. For decades, Section 2 has been one of the main legal protections available when states draw districts in ways that deny minority voters a fair opportunity to elect candidates who reflect their communities, experiences, and policy priorities.</p><p>Now the Court&#8217;s MAGA-aligned majority has moved the law sharply in the wrong direction.</p><p>The message from the Court is clear enough: remedies designed to counter racial vote dilution can themselves be treated as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders unless they survive a narrow and demanding test. In practical terms, that puts communities of color in a trap. If a state draws maps that weaken minority voting power, the remedy may now be attacked as too race-conscious. If advocates cannot use race-conscious remedies to address race-conscious harm, then the law becomes a shield for the very discrimination it was supposed to stop.</p><p>That is why this decision matters so much.</p><p>It does not just affect Louisiana. It gives political actors in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and other states a roadmap for attacking majority-minority districts and coalition districts. It threatens legislative seats, congressional seats, county commission districts, municipal districts, school board districts, and other elected bodies where minority communities have used political organization to build representation.</p><p>Civil-rights groups and democracy organizations have warned for years that weakening Section 2 could put majority-minority, minority-opportunity, and coalition districts at risk. The congressional consequences alone could be serious, especially in Southern states where Black and Latino voters have relied on Voting Rights Act protections to obtain fairer representation.</p><p>But the response cannot simply be outrage. Outrage is justified. Outrage is honest. Outrage is morally correct. But outrage by itself does not win elections, protect representation, or build power.</p><p>The response has to be strategic.</p><h2>The First Step: Build the Worst-Case Maps</h2><p>The first thing pro-democracy organizations, civil-rights advocates, political strategists, and community leaders need to do is build the worst-case map.</p><p>That means asking a hard question in every affected state: what would the legislative, congressional, county, municipal, school board, judicial, and local-government maps look like if MAGA-aligned mapmakers use this decision as aggressively as possible?</p><p>Do not wait for the other side to act first. Do not wait until the maps are introduced. Do not wait until the filing deadline. Start modeling the damage now.</p><p>For each state, advocates should identify:<br>- which congressional seats are most vulnerable;<br>- which state House and Senate districts could be dismantled;<br>- which county commission and municipal districts could lose minority voting power;<br>- which school board and local districts could be reshaped;<br>- where coalition districts are most exposed;<br>- where minority voters remain large enough to influence outcomes even after unfavorable redistricting; and<br>- where new turnout or population strategies can still defeat the intended effect of the maps.</p><p>This is not just a legal exercise. It is a power exercise.</p><p>The people trying to weaken representation are already thinking in maps, numbers, turnout, population shifts, and district lines. The pro-democracy response has to be just as disciplined.</p><h2>The Second Step: Identify the Non-Voting Eligible Population</h2><p>One of the biggest opportunities in MAGA-controlled states is hiding in plain sight: low participation.</p><p>In many red states, especially in state legislative, congressional, county, and local elections, a large share of eligible voters simply does not participate. That matters because some districts that look safe on paper are only safe because so many eligible voters are sitting out.</p><p>The response to a hostile map cannot only be litigation. It also has to be participation strategy.</p><p>Every affected district should be analyzed by eligible voting-age population, registered voters, actual turnout in primaries and general elections, race, ethnicity, ancestry, age, income, education, geography, precinct-level overperformance and underperformance, and close races where turnout expansion could flip outcomes.</p><p>The goal is simple: find the people who are eligible to vote but are not voting, and build a real strategy to engage them.</p><p>This is especially important in races that are less than plus-20 MAGA. If a district is heavily tilted but still within reach through turnout expansion, it should not be written off automatically. A hostile district can become competitive if enough people who are already eligible choose to participate.</p><p>The lesson is not complicated. When more people participate, the electorate becomes more representative. When participation collapses, organized minority rule becomes easier.</p><h2>The Third Step: Treat Voting Power as a Strategic Asset</h2><p>The uncomfortable reality is that population distribution now matters more than ever.</p><p>Redistricting is not just about lines. It is about where people live. Census apportionment is not just about counting people. It determines how congressional seats and Electoral College votes are distributed. That means long-term pro-democracy strategy has to include a serious conversation about population movement, political geography, and where voters can build the most power.</p><p>That conversation cannot be casual. It cannot be insulting. It cannot treat people like chess pieces. Families make residential decisions based on jobs, housing, schools, safety, community, culture, climate, cost of living, and opportunity.</p><p>But political organizations also need to be honest: voters are consumers in the residential decision-making process. People can be informed, persuaded, invited, and supported in choosing communities where their families can thrive and where their civic power can matter.</p><p>That means pro-democracy organizations should study migration strategy with the same seriousness that campaigns study media markets.</p><p>There are two strategic lanes. First, strengthen blue states and prevent loss of representation. States like California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Wisconsin, and others need to retain and attract pro-democracy population. Second, build up swing and emerging states where additional pro-democracy population could change statewide and congressional outcomes. Georgia and North Carolina should be taken seriously. Montana should be studied seriously. Nevada and Arizona should be strengthened. Virginia should be protected.</p><p>This is not a one-cycle strategy. It is a 2026, 2028, 2030, and reapportionment strategy.</p><h2>The Fourth Step: Stop Pretending the Other Side Sees Us as Legitimate</h2><p>There is another reality that needs to be said plainly.</p><p>Many MAGA-aligned officials do not view Democratic voters, pro-democracy voters, civil-rights advocates, journalists, immigrants, dissenters, or non-MAGA Americans as legitimate participants in American life. They may tolerate your presence when they have to, but they do not treat your citizenship, your questions, your votes, or your rights as equal to theirs.</p><p>So stop pretending this is a normal disagreement with normal political actors operating under normal democratic rules.</p><p>The response has to be grounded in reality. If the other side is organizing to reduce representation, dilute votes, control maps, delegitimize opposition voters, and lock in minority rule, then pro-democracy organizations have to respond with equal seriousness.</p><p>That means legal strategy, turnout strategy, relocation strategy, coalition strategy, communications strategy, and candidate recruitment strategy all have to operate together.</p><h2>The Fifth Step: Build a Coalition Response That Can Actually Execute</h2><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC does not see this moment as the end of the world. We see it as a strategic imperative.</p><p>That does not mean minimizing the harm. The harm is real. The Court&#8217;s decision is wrong. It conflicts with the Reconstruction-era purpose of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and the race-conscious historical reality that produced the Voting Rights Act. Congress did not pass those amendments or that statute in a colorblind fantasy world. They were adopted in direct response to racial exclusion, racial violence, racial subordination, and the denial of Black political power.</p><p>So yes, the decision is wrong. But the question now is: how do we win in spite of it?</p><p>The answer is not one organization, one lawsuit, one march, one fundraising email, or one election cycle.</p><p>The answer is a coordinated, long-term, pro-democracy response that includes:<br>- worst-case redistricting maps;<br>- turnout expansion plans;<br>- non-voter eligible population analysis;<br>- local district vulnerability studies;<br>- targeted voter registration and mobilization;<br>- strategic residential and population-growth messaging;<br>- coalition-based legal response;<br>- pro-democracy candidate recruitment;<br>- state-by-state and district-by-district communication plans;<br>- defensive work in blue states;<br>- offensive work in swing states; and<br>- a 2030 reapportionment strategy starting now.</p><p>This is where pro-democracy organizations need to move from reaction to execution.</p><p>We have spent too much time on our back foot. It is time to get on our front foot.</p><p>The Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais is a major setback. But it is not the end of the fight. It is a call to become smarter, more disciplined, more strategic, and more serious about power.</p><p>We can fight back. We can protect representation. We can grow participation. We can build new firewalls against authoritarian politics.</p><p>But only if we stop treating strategy as optional.</p><p>Let&#8217;s win together.</p><p></p><p>By <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg">Eric Foster</a></strong></p><p>Co-Founder The <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-today-tomorrow/">Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</a></strong> Super Pac</p><p>Co-Founder, The Change Maker Initiative</p><p></p><p><strong>The New Way Forward by The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong> - Part of the Common Sense by Eric Foster podcast network at <a href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/s/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/s/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future</a> </p><p>Listen on Apple Podcasts: </p><div class="apple-podcast-container" data-component-name="ApplePodcastToDom"><iframe class="apple-podcast episode-list" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future-today-tomorrow/id1882489767&quot;,&quot;isEpisode&quot;:false,&quot;imageUrl&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/podcast_1882489767.jpg&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The New Way Forward by The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow&quot;,&quot;podcastTitle&quot;:&quot;The New Way Forward by The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow&quot;,&quot;podcastByline&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster, Co-Founder&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:777,&quot;numEpisodes&quot;:24,&quot;targetUrl&quot;:&quot;https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future-today-tomorrow/id1882489767?uo=4&quot;,&quot;releaseDate&quot;:&quot;2026-03-17T20:00:00Z&quot;}" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-way-forward-by-the-future-today-tomorrow/id1882489767" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *;" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/how-to-respond-to-the-supreme-courts/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tax Cuts Don’t Work: It’s Time to Stop Selling the Fantasy]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Lie We Keep Telling Ourselves]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:01:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/193288424/5319e25d6a36ab4a0f693d369ec64501.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I want to address something I keep seeing everywhere&#8212;in campaign ads, in candidate speeches, and in everyday political discourse. It is the mythology of tax cuts.</p><p>For more than fifty years, Americans have been fed the same message: taxes are bad, tax cuts are good, and if we just cut government down enough, ordinary people will somehow come out ahead. That message has been repeated so often that many people now accept it as common sense.</p><p>It is not common sense. It is a political fantasy.</p><p>Taxes are not inherently bad. Taxes are how government raises the money to provide services that the private sector either cannot provide at all or will only provide in a more expensive, less equitable, and less reliable way. That is the reality. You pay taxes, and in return, government is supposed to deliver public goods and services. If elected officials spend that money badly, then you replace them. That is how representative government is supposed to work.</p><p>But the answer to poor governance is not to starve government and pretend that starvation is reform.</p><p><strong>Government Needs Revenue Because Society Needs Services</strong></p><p>There is a reason taxes exist. They fund the basic functions that hold a society together: education, public safety, health-related services, infrastructure, transportation systems, and the regulatory and administrative machinery that keeps life from descending into chaos.</p><p>And let&#8217;s be honest about another talking point that needs to die: the constant attack on so-called &#8220;unelected bureaucrats.&#8221; Those people are not random strangers who appeared out of nowhere. They either got their jobs through appointment by elected officials or by qualifying for positions based on education, professional training, exams, and experience. If you do not like how those systems work, then change the elected officials who shape and oversee them. But stop pretending government can function without structure, staffing, and expertise.</p><p>That structure costs money. It always has.</p><p><strong>The Billionaire Tax Panic Is Ridiculous</strong></p><p>Right now, places like California, New York City, and other jurisdictions are looking at forms of billionaire or ultra-wealth taxation. And predictably, some wealthy people respond the same way every time: by screaming that they will leave if asked to pay more.</p><p>That reaction is absurd.</p><p>If you are a billionaire, paying an extra $500,000, $1 million, or even $1.5 million is not some great act of suffering. You are a billionaire. You will be fine. What that additional money can do, however, is help fund healthcare, education, infrastructure, utilities, and other public investments that improve the lives of people who are not billionaires.</p><p>So do not tell the public that you care about the world, opportunity, or social progress while throwing a tantrum over being asked to contribute a little more to the society that helped make your wealth possible.</p><p>If you have been blessed that much, then help bless other people. Stop acting like modestly higher taxation on extreme wealth is persecution.</p><p><strong>The Messaging Problem: Pro-Tax Voices Need to Explain It Better</strong></p><p>Part of the problem is that the people defending taxation often do a terrible job communicating its benefits.</p><p>They need to explain, clearly and concretely, how public revenue improves the <strong>quality of daily living</strong> for actual people. They need to tell voters what additional investment means for a single adult, for a married couple without children, for a married household with children, and for a single parent trying to hold everything together. They need to explain how public spending can reduce out-of-pocket expenses, lower household stress, and leave more room for people to invest in themselves.</p><p>That is the argument. Not taxation as abstraction, but taxation as practical relief.</p><p>And there is another side to that same message: when billionaires and multimillionaires pay more, that money does not disappear into thin air. It spreads through the economy. It funds systems that make life more manageable for the majority, and those people, in turn, spend money in the economy. The wealthy benefit from that, too, because they almost always own or invest in the very companies those people buy from.</p><p>More responsible public investment does not shrink the economy. It can strengthen it.</p><p><strong>The Tax Cut Scam</strong></p><p>Now let&#8217;s deal with the other half of the myth: tax cuts.</p><p>Tax cuts by themselves do not solve the problem they claim to solve. In fact, for most people, they often do not solve anything at all.</p><p>Here is the question every voter should ask: if tax cuts are so wonderful, why is your life not actually getting cheaper?</p><p>Look at your income and household expenses from one month to the next. Did you have more money in your checking account at the end of the month than you did at the beginning? Did your savings grow? Did the tax cut meaningfully reduce your real cost of living?</p><p>Because if it did not, then you were sold a fake benefit.</p><p>That is the scam. The tax cut sounds good in theory, but in practice it often does not increase your real financial breathing room. Why? Because many of the things those taxes used to fund do not disappear when government stops paying for them. The costs just shift back onto you.</p><p><strong>Public Education Proves the Point</strong></p><p>Public education is one of the clearest examples.</p><p>I am a child of the 1970s. I did not personally attend public school, but my brother did, and so did most of my cousins. Back then, parents generally did not have to buy nearly as many school supplies and classroom materials as they do now. Schools had more money. They had paper. They had supplies. They had resources.</p><p>By the time I became a parent, that had changed. Schools were sending home lists of items families needed to buy&#8212;not just for their own children, but for classrooms more broadly. Paper, pencils, tissue, cleaning supplies, binders, folders, and other materials that used to be covered by the school budget now had to be purchased by parents.</p><p>So what happened? Did cutting public investment save families money?</p><p>No. It shifted the expense.</p><p>The state or district cut back, and the household picked up the tab. That is not tax relief. That is cost transfer.</p><p><strong>Government Has Not Really Gotten a Raise Since 1979</strong></p><p>One of the simplest ways to understand the problem is this: government has effectively not gotten a real raise in decades, even while the cost of doing everything has gone up.</p><p>Imagine a worker making the equivalent of $60,000 in 1979. Back then, that income could support a home, perhaps even a second property, multiple vehicles, maybe a boat, and a substantial share of a child&#8217;s college education. Now imagine asking that same person in 2026 to cover all the equivalent responsibilities with only a marginal increase in income while the price of housing, healthcare, education, technology, labor, and transportation has exploded.</p><p>That would be absurd.</p><p>Yet that is exactly what we have effectively demanded of government. We have expected it to do the work of 2026 with the revenue mindset of 1979. Salaries cost more. Technology costs more. Materials cost more. Vehicles cost more. Public expectations are higher. But the political conversation still treats revenue as though it should remain frozen while the workload expands.</p><p>That is not serious math. That is magical thinking.</p><p><strong>Why &#8220;Eliminate the Income Tax&#8221; Is a Dangerous Gimmick</strong></p><p>This is why I get so frustrated when candidates run on slogans like eliminating the state income tax or endlessly promising more tax cuts as though that alone is a governing philosophy.</p><p>It is not.</p><p>There is not enough waste, fraud, and abuse in government to fully replace the revenue streams these candidates claim they can wipe out. That is a lie, and the truth is not in them when they say it.</p><p>And even if they succeed in eliminating those taxes, what happens next? The government either cuts services or degrades them. Then people end up paying more privately for what government used to help cover publicly. So the tax disappears at the front door and comes right back into the house through the kitchen, the bathroom, the stairs, and every other room.</p><p>The form changes. The burden remains&#8212;or gets worse.</p><p>That is why the promise is so deceptive. It sounds like freedom, but it often produces higher costs, worse services, and greater instability.</p><p><strong>The Wrong Answer Is Not &#8220;No Taxes&#8221;</strong></p><p>Some progressives also make a different version of the same mistake when they propose radically reducing tax burdens for broad swaths of the population without honestly grappling with how to replace the lost revenue.</p><p>That is not responsible either.</p><p>If you take substantial revenue away from government without replacing it, you are still starving the system. You are still asking a public structure to do more with less. You are still creating a mismatch between public need and public capacity.</p><p>This is not about whether taxes are pleasant. It is about whether government has the means to function.</p><p><strong>The Right Target: Social Security and Medicare Caps</strong></p><p>If we want to have a real conversation about improving the tax system, there are smart places to start.</p><p>One of the clearest examples is the income cap on Social Security and Medicare taxes. Right now, once income rises above a certain threshold, earnings above that amount are no longer taxed for those purposes. That makes no sense.</p><p>If that cap were raised significantly&#8212;or eliminated&#8212;Social Security and Medicare would immediately receive a major funding boost from upper-middle-class, wealthy, and ultra-wealthy earners. That would strengthen solvency and help protect two of the most important public programs in the country.</p><p>That is practical. That is logical. That is how serious governance works.</p><p><strong>The Bottom Line: Tax Cuts Are Fantasy</strong></p><p>If we are going to be honest, then we need to be honest all the way.</p><p>Taxes are necessary. Government needs revenue. Public services cost money. Tax cuts do not automatically help ordinary people. In many cases, they simply move costs from the public ledger to the household ledger. That is not savings. That is deception.</p><p>So candidates need to stop running on the mythology of tax cuts as though they are inherently transformative. Voters need to start asking harder questions. Did that tax cut leave you with more money at the end of the month? Did it reduce your real expenses? Did it make your life meaningfully easier?</p><p>If not, then it was not for you.</p><p>The truth is simple: taxes are necessary. Tax cuts are often fantasy. And anyone promising otherwise without a real revenue plan is selling a lie.</p><p>That message may not fit neatly on a bumper sticker, but it happens to be true.</p><p>And it is time we started building political conversations around truth again.</p><p></p><p><strong>Eric Foster, Co-Founder of The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong>, breaks down what the pro-democracy majority must do to build durable political power. This show focuses on voter behavior, political communications, coalition strategy, candidate support, and the operational changes needed to move infrequent and disengaged voters into informed, consistent participation. It is a practical conversation about how to defend democracy by changing how we organize, persuade, and mobilize. </p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections. Let&#8217;s make truth simple again&#8212;and win.</strong></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/tax-cuts-dont-work-its-time-to-stop/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><div class="community-chat" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/ericfoster52/chat?utm_source=chat_embed&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;ericfoster52&quot;,&quot;pub&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3207005,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bvQj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce92af05-4358-4e98-9514-c83503572961_358x358.jpeg&quot;}}" data-component-name="CommunityChatRenderPlaceholder"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Not all Congressional Dysfunction is the same]]></title><description><![CDATA[MAGA Congressional Subsidiary members are failing in Congress, Not Democrats, Independents & Non-MAGA Republicans]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:01:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190652933/2bd01f1ae7d8030e1b46111025b3ee89.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Eric Foster, and I am the co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC. Today, I want to address a critical issue affecting our political landscape, governance, and daily lives. The challenges we face as individuals, as a nation, and as a global community are deeply intertwined with the functionality of our government.</p><h2>The Importance of Co-Equal Branches in American Government</h2><p>One of the most fundamental aspects of the American government is the system of co-equal branches: the judiciary, the legislative (Congress), and the executive. At present, many claim that Congress is not functioning as it should. However, this critique requires clarification.</p><h2>Framing the Problem Accurately</h2><p>The issue is not with Congress as a whole, but rather with the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary, which currently holds the majority and runs Congress. This distinction is essential. In pro-democracy circles, traditional non-MAGA media, and among elected officials and candidates committed to maintaining our constitutional republic and representative democracy, it is important not to generalize the problem as a failure of Congress itself. Instead, we must be precise in our language, acknowledging that the dysfunction stems from the specific majority in power, not from all members.</p><h2>The Danger of Overgeneralization</h2><p>When we refer to &#8220;Congress&#8221; as the source of dysfunction, we unfairly implicate all members, including non-MAGA Republicans, Democrats, and independents who are working to fulfill their duties as legislators. This broad characterization distorts reality. Most Democratic members, independents, and the few remaining non-MAGA Republicans are striving to uphold the responsibilities of Congress.</p><h2>Analogy: The Detroit Pistons and the NBA Eastern Conference</h2><p>This situation is similar to how the Detroit Pistons were perceived during the early 2000s. While the Eastern Conference was generally considered weaker compared to the Western Conference, the Pistons demonstrated their strength by winning the 2004 NBA Finals against the Lakers. Prior to that, they were unfairly grouped with less successful teams in their conference. The lesson here is that lumping all teams&#8212;or all members of Congress&#8212;together obscures the efforts and successes of those who are performing well.</p><h2>The Impact of Grouping All Members Together</h2><p>By failing to distinguish between those who are complicit in dysfunction and those genuinely working towards solutions, we undermine trust in government and diminish the value of the good actors. Grouping everyone together discourages those striving for positive change and misleads the public about the true sources of dysfunction.</p><h2>The Role of the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary</h2><p>The reality is that the current MAGA congressional majority has aligned itself with a dictatorial regime, willingly ceding its constitutional authority. This shift is not due to fear but a conscious choice to support a unitary executive theory, which effectively translates to a dictatorship. If you do not wish to live under such a system, it is crucial to differentiate between those who are perpetuating the problem and those working to solve it.</p><h2>Action Steps: Separate and Act Accordingly</h2><p>To restore trust in government and make meaningful progress, we must clearly separate the actions and intentions of different congressional members. Recognize and support those genuinely working for the public good, and hold accountable those who have joined in the dismantling of democratic norms. Use your voting and economic power to make these distinctions matter.</p><p>In summary, do not treat all congressional dysfunction as the same. Communicate the reality that Congress contains both those who are committed to democracy and those who are undermining it. Support and follow the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC through our website, Apple Podcasts, Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, and Instagram. Join us as we advocate for a constitutional republic and an inclusive, multiracial, multicultural, and multi-faith democracy. Thank you for your support, and have a blessed day.</p><p>Eric Foster, Co-founder, Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC</p><p></p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections.</strong></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Common Sense by Eric Foster</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/not-all-congressional-dysfunction/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Media's Role in Iran War Coverage is failing America]]></title><description><![CDATA[Good afternoon, everybody.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:02:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190653402/42b12eebbead31f8a2ac1f634c20b8d1.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Good afternoon, everybody. Eric Foster, co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC.</strong></p><p>I recently watched Donald Trump&#8217;s press conference at his golf club. During the event, which he shows off his &#8220;pimping&#8221; of the United States, since taxpayers are required to pay for agents to stay at his property. Trump charges the country for access while he is present, which essentially creates a kickback for himself, funded by American taxpayers.</p><h2>Media Coverage and Its Shortcomings</h2><p>Observing the coverage of this press conference, it is apparent that traditional media too often attempts to explain Trump&#8217;s statements using common sense. The media treats the words coming from Trump and others, such as the Defense Secretary, Scott Bessett, Howard Lutnick, and others, as if they are grounded in tangible policy dynamics that can be reported on.</p><p>In reality, the most effective way to communicate what is happening is to acknowledge that everything said by Trump and his administration is a lie. Except, perhaps, for their names&#8212;unless proven by birth certificates, which they demand for voting citizenship. Their statements regarding Iran, strategy, end goals, planning, and actions are all false.</p><h2>Lack of Strategy and Justification</h2><p>There is no clear game plan for exiting the current situation, nor for stabilizing the Middle East or the wider world. There is ultimately no justification for American involvement in the Iran conflict&#8212;there is simply no rationale provided by the administration.</p><p>Meanwhile, American troops are dying, soldiers have been injured, and thousands of people have lost their lives. The conflict has resulted in tragic incidents, such as the bombing of a school with young women in Iran, leading to hundreds of deaths.</p><h2>Media&#8217;s Framing and the Need for Truth</h2><p>Despite these realities, media coverage often focuses on market impacts and attempts to frame Trump&#8217;s statements as coherent or meaningful. However, he offered no clear framing of the situation.</p><p>A more effective communication approach would be to start from the premise that the administration&#8217;s statements are lies. Media should construct truth by dissecting the falsehoods and connecting them to factual realities and the real-world impact. It is important to analyze whether anything said or done by the administration relates to what is actually happening.</p><h2>Call to Action</h2><p>If you want to help organizations that are actively engaging in this fight and communicating the truth, please visit our website at www.futurepac.today. You can also check out my Substack channel, &#8220;A New Way Forward,&#8221; by the Future Today and Tomorrow. Listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, which expands on these topics.</p><p>It is crucial to not simply accept the information presented by the MAGA Administration or the mainstream media. Ask questions, dig deeper, and refuse to accept the lies. The attempts by traditional media to make these events appear logical or rooted in common sense are misguided&#8212;nothing in their statements makes sense.</p><p>Thank you for listening and watching. Join us at the Future Today and Tomorrow at www.futurepac.today. &#8212; Eric Foster, co-founder of The Future Today and Tomorrow.</p><p></p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections.</strong></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Common Sense by Eric Foster</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/medias-role-in-iran-war-coverage/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Congressional hearing strategy – How to handle MAGA obstruction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Have a plan, make a plan work]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:02:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190654190/320be51bb62acfb40942d734b2d9f015.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Eric Foster, and I am a co-founder of The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC.</p><p>I want to offer some guidance to our pro-democracy friends in Congress and in state legislative bodies who are dealing with recalcitrant MAGA officials appearing before them in hearings. This problem is especially visible in Congress, where hearing after hearing follows the same script: a MAGA-aligned official comes before a committee, speaks one way to Democratic, Independent, and non-MAGA Republican members, and another way to the cheerleaders of the MAGA regime. The result is not serious oversight, but political theater, deflection, and propaganda.</p><p>The larger question is this: what can legislators do differently if they actually want to get useful information out of these hearings and use the moment to educate the broader public? Too often, members approach these hearings as though they are dealing with a normal administration or a conventional political disagreement. They are not. That old approach is not working, and it is time to adjust.</p><p><strong>The Predictable Script of a MAGA Hearing</strong></p><p>Every time we watch one of these hearings, we already know how the rodeo is going to go.</p><p>The MAGA party currently controls the House and the Senate, so the committee chair typically opens by portraying the Biden administration, or prior Democratic administrations more broadly, as the source of every problem imaginable. The chair then presents the Trump regime as the answer to everything and frames the appointee or witness as the ideal person to execute the MAGA agenda.</p><p>After that, the Democratic ranking member usually responds by saying, in essence, that what was just said is false, that the real issues are different, and that the committee hopes to have a substantive conversation that leads to useful answers. That is where the first major mistake occurs. The ranking member is still approaching the hearing as though the witness is there to participate in a normal good-faith exchange. In many of these hearings, that assumption is already dead on arrival.</p><p><strong>Why the Current Approach Fails</strong></p><p>At The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow, we believe Democratic and Independent members need to pre-plan and fundamentally change their approach, especially ranking members on committees and subcommittees.</p><p>The problem is not simply that MAGA officials refuse to answer questions honestly. The deeper problem is that too many pro-democracy members still structure their questioning as if these witnesses are there to help solve problems in their districts, assist states fairly, or provide honest testimony for the public record. In reality, many of these witnesses arrive prepared to do the opposite. They come to deflect, demonize, distort, and attack. They are there to protect a political project, not to help legislators gather facts in the ordinary way.</p><p>Because of that, members need a different theory of the hearing. The purpose should not be to pretend that a cooperative hearing is possible when it is not. The purpose should be to expose the strategy, define the stakes, and organize questioning in a way that creates useful material for public understanding.</p><p><strong>The Ranking Member Must Reframe the Hearing</strong></p><p>The ranking member should begin by leveling settting for the public. That means clearly explaining who is testifying, what the chair has said, and what is actually happening in reality. The ranking member should not drift into generic objections or mild institutional frustration. The opening should be direct, disciplined, and structured around three core themes.</p><p>First, the ranking member should make clear that the witness is there to mislead, deflect, and attack. Members should not assume that the witness intends to provide honest answers simply because the hearing is taking place under the formal rules of Congress. The public should hear, at the outset, that the witness&#8217;s testimony must be understood in that light.</p><p>Second, the ranking member should directly challenge the false narratives already introduced by the chair. If the committee chair has spent the opening statement rewriting history, blaming prior administrations for everything, or framing basic democratic governance as corruption, those claims should be answered immediately and explicitly. They cannot be allowed to stand as the uncontested opening frame for the hearing.</p><p>Third, the ranking member should explain why the witness and the chair are advancing those falsehoods. That explanation should be tied to the real-world consequences of the policies and politics at issue. Whether the subject is voting rights, criminal justice, clean energy, contracting, civil rights enforcement, immigration, or economic access, the public needs to understand that these lies are not random. They serve a larger purpose: preserving power, denying opportunity, and undermining the rights and security of people outside the MAGA coalition.</p><p><strong>Make the Hearing Committee-Specific</strong></p><p>That broader framework then has to be translated into committee-specific language.</p><p>If the hearing is before Judiciary or Oversight, the opening should explain how claims about &#8220;weaponization&#8221; are often used to delegitimize lawful oversight, constitutional processes, grand jury activity, and accountability mechanisms. If the hearing is before an environmental or energy committee, members should directly rebut falsehoods about clean energy, jobs, public health, and household affordability. If the hearing is before a small business, commerce, or contracting-related committee, members should explain how efforts to eliminate programs addressing historic barriers are really about preserving unequal access to contracts, capital, and opportunity.</p><p>The key is to connect the lies to the material interests of ordinary people. Members should make clear that these policies are not abstract ideological disputes. They affect affordability, employment, public health, representation, and whether people can build a stable life. When officials lie about who deserves support, who counts, or which communities matter, they are not merely insulting their opponents. They are helping justify policies that take money, opportunity, and security away from the people those officials do not value.</p><p><strong>Organize Questioning Into Thematic Blocks</strong></p><p>Once the ranking member has laid out the pillars of the hearing, the rest of the committee should not proceed with random, disconnected questioning. Members should be organized in advance into coordinated thematic blocks.</p><p>If there are twenty-four members on one side of the committee, they should be divided into four groups of six, with each group assigned to a specific subject area. Those subject areas should be chosen strategically based on the witness, the committee&#8217;s jurisdiction, and the hearing&#8217;s public value. One group might focus on law enforcement abuse and selective accountability. Another might focus on voting rights or democratic exclusion. Another might focus on economic harms, contracting, and access to opportunity. A fourth might focus on public lies, media strategy, and the specific harms to communities targeted by the administration.</p><p>These groups should question in a cadence that allows their exchanges to build on one another rather than scatter in every direction. The point is to create a coherent record on each topic. Done correctly, each block of questioning becomes a clean narrative segment that can later be turned into public-facing educational material, commentary, and analysis.</p><p><strong>Stop Asking Questions That Assume Good Faith</strong></p><p>One of the biggest mistakes members make in these hearings is asking normal district-service or problem-solving questions of witnesses who have no intention of helping. If the administration is hostile to your state, your district, your city, or the people you represent, then it is a mistake to proceed as though you are dealing with a conventional policy disagreement that can be resolved through ordinary oversight.</p><p>That approach may have made sense under previous Republican administrations such as George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Reagan, Ford, or even Nixon. It does not fit the reality of a MAGA regime that often treats blue states, Democratic districts, and non-MAGA constituencies as enemies rather than constituents. In that environment, members should stop wasting time on questions that presume reciprocity, fairness, or a desire to solve problems together.</p><p>Instead, members should ask questions that expose motives, contradictions, harms, and real consequences. The goal is not to perform normalcy. The goal is to document the abnormal reality clearly and repeatedly.</p><p><strong>Respond to Lies Immediately</strong></p><p>There is another major change that must happen in real time during hearings.</p><p>When a MAGA member finishes speaking, the next non-MAGA member cannot simply ignore what was said and pivot into a fresh line of questioning. In the first thirty seconds, that member should directly answer the lies that were just told. If a prior speaker has lied about Democratic voters, Democratic communities, past administrations, witnesses, or the basic facts of the hearing, that must be challenged immediately and clearly.</p><p>Why does this matter? Because those lies will not remain confined to the room. They will be replayed, clipped, circulated, and amplified through friendly media and propaganda channels. If there is no immediate response on the record, then the public only hears the original lie. Every pro-democracy member needs to understand that rebuttal is not optional. It is part of the hearing strategy.</p><p>That rebuttal does not need to consume the entire time. But it does need to be direct. A lie should be called a lie. A false accusation should be labeled false. Members cannot afford to let the hearing move forward as though the previous speaker&#8217;s statements were normal contributions to a good-faith exchange.</p><p><strong>Stay on the Point When the Door Opens</strong></p><p>Members also need more discipline once they begin questioning.</p><p>If a member&#8217;s first question opens a door on something important, they should not rush on to the second and third questions simply because those were on the original note card. Stay on the point. Press it. Drive it as far as it will go. If the exchange reveals a contradiction, exposes a motive, or forces the witness into an uncomfortable position, that is the moment to keep pushing.</p><p>Too often members abandon productive openings because they are trying to cover too much ground in too little time. But the most effective hearings are not the ones where every question gets asked. They are the ones where a small number of important truths get pinned down and made visible.</p><p><strong>Work With Any Non-MAGA Republican Willing to Participate</strong></p><p>There is also room for coalition where it exists.</p><p>If a non-MAGA Republican is willing to join in a serious effort to expose bad-faith testimony and defend the institution, that member should be brought into the planning. They should be given a lane of questioning tailored to their position and credibility. That does not mean pretending that all differences disappear. It means recognizing that, in a constitutional republic, there may still be people across party lines who understand that institutional collapse and authoritarian governance are not acceptable.</p><p>Any serious pro-democracy hearing strategy should make room for those voices when they are genuinely available.</p><p><strong>The Same Logic Applies to the Media</strong></p><p>This approach should not be limited to Congress. Traditional non-MAGA media should absorb the same lesson when interviewing Donald Trump or MAGA-related officials in press gaggles and public appearances.</p><p>Journalists can no longer operate as though they are standing outside the story when MAGA officials are constantly trying to turn them into part of it. The style of journalism that may have been sufficient in the 1990s or early 2000s does not fit the current moment. Reporters have to push back in real time. They have to call lies lies to people&#8217;s faces. And when officials claim that the press agrees with them or shares their assumptions, journalists need to answer plainly and make their disagreement unmistakable.</p><p>Neutrality does not require passivity in the face of deception. It requires fidelity to the truth.</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>The old hearing model is not working. Too many pro-democracy legislators continue to approach MAGA witnesses as though these are ordinary disagreements inside a functioning democratic system. They are not. These hearings are structured arenas of propaganda, deflection, and attack. If members want to get more value out of them, they need a different strategy.</p><p>That strategy begins with reframing the hearing, naming the bad faith directly, organizing members into coordinated thematic blocks, rebutting lies immediately, and staying on critical points when they emerge. It also requires abandoning the fantasy that hostile witnesses are there to help blue states, Democratic districts, or non-MAGA communities in any sincere way. They are not. Members must question accordingly.</p><p>If pro-democracy legislators and media figures adopt a more disciplined, coordinated, and reality-based approach, they can do far more than survive these hearings. They can turn them into opportunities to educate the public, expose the real agenda at work, and cut through the noise with clarity.</p><p>My name is Eric Foster, co-founder of The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC. Thank you, have a blessed day, and see you on the other side. </p><p></p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections.</strong></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/congressional-hearing-strategy-how/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Common Sense by Eric Foster</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[After the Texas Primary, Pro-Democracy allies in-fighting must end]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Current Political Climate: Understanding the Current Struggle]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:31:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190653527/0b323da1c8d3d8c7a4297802d08624b1.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Right now, we find ourselves in the midst of a conflict&#8212;a struggle that feels like a war in many ways. But this isn&#8217;t a war that most Americans asked for or wanted. In fact, the majority of people across the country do not desire this kind of divisiveness and confrontation.</p><p>Moreover, this ongoing conflict is not productive. It does not serve to improve our circumstances or contribute positively to our society.</p><p>Instead, it only exacerbates challenges related to affordability, public safety, and our ability to focus on effective policy solutions.</p><p>It also undermines our collective ability to build a brighter present and a more promising future.</p><p>Ultimately, the consequences of this situation impact our children, our families, our friends, and everyone we care about.</p><h2>Importance of Clear Communication and Unity</h2><p>And in this time, it requires clarity in communication, because while all of these things are happening. If you&#8217;re the pro-democracy camp, and the leading pro-democracy entity that we have from an electoral strategy standpoint is the Democratic Party.</p><p>This is a time where you have to accept the reality that we face and allow any and all allies who are willing to be a part of the Avengers, if you will. We&#8217;re going up against Thanos and to fight in the final battle, to win the day, we need all the help we can get. Regardless of whether you like them or not or whether you like all things about them or not. Because right now, we don&#8217;t have time for any other crap or garbage. We have to work together.</p><h2>Refocusing on the Real Challenge: Lessons from the Texas Primary</h2><h3>Reflecting on Post-Primary Conversations</h3><p>The reason for highlighting this issue stems from the ongoing discussions and reactions following the Texas primary. Many of these conversations center around the contest between State Representative James Talarico and U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. The aftermath has been marked by heated exchanges, particularly from supporters of Congresswoman Crockett. As someone who supports her, having met her and her team and believing in her potential and future, it is important to acknowledge the reality of the outcome.</p><h3>Accepting Election Outcomes</h3><p>Despite her strengths and campaign, Congresswoman Crockett did not win. Instead, a majority of Democratic voters chose Talarico, and that outcome is valid. It is essential to recognize that this is a normal part of the democratic process.</p><h3>The Real Opponent</h3><p>Neither Talarico nor Crockett should be viewed as the enemy by the opposing side&#8217;s supporters. The actual adversaries are figures such as John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and the broader MAGA movement, who represent a significant challenge to the policies and societal direction that many seek. The focus must remain on these true opponents.</p><h3>Moving Beyond Infighting</h3><p>All the internal disputes and infighting within the pro-democracy camp are distractions that need to be set aside. The real battle is against forces that threaten democratic values, and the urgency of this fight leaves no room for petty disagreements. The struggles within the camp are not the main issue&#8212;winning the larger fight is.</p><h3>Working Together Against Common Threats</h3><p>In this moment, the pro-democracy camp faces a convergence of challenges, likened to the combined threats of villains such as Thanos, Dr. Doom, and other infamous figures. With so much at stake, it is counterproductive to argue over issues that can be addressed later. The priority now is unity and collective action against the dominant opposition.</p><h3>Unity Across Differences</h3><p>There will always be those who disagree with the call for unity, insisting that their grievances take precedence. However, in a context where survival and success depend on collaboration&#8212;whether in a horror movie, a battle in Star Wars, or among superhero teams like the Avengers&#8212;anyone who stands against the main antagonist is an ally. Those who oppose the greatest threats, regardless of their differences, are on the same team.</p><h3>Winning First, Resolving Differences Later</h3><p>The primary goal must be to win the larger struggle. Once that has been achieved, there will be time to address the internal details and dynamics that divide the group. For now, focusing on the common enemy and setting aside lesser disputes is essential for progress.</p><h2>Understanding Voter Dynamics and Campaign Realities</h2><h3>The Reality Behind the Vote</h3><p>The case must be made with clarity: here is the reality of the situation at hand. When voters are given the chance to participate in elections, the majority will vote according to their own beliefs and priorities. That is, simply put, how democracy works.</p><h3>Addressing Rumors of Conspiracy</h3><p>There was no conspiracy within the Democratic Party against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, nor was there any collusion targeting Representative Talarico. The outcome reflected the will of the over two million voters who turned out for the Democratic primary in Texas. These voters cast their ballots to support the candidates they believed in, motivated by a desire for change and concern over figures like Ken Paxton and John Cornyn&#8212;not by animosity within the party.</p><h3>Campaign Challenges and Opportunities</h3><p>While it would have been ideal for Congresswoman Crockett to enter the race earlier, she began her campaign when she was able. She faced structural challenges, including a fundraising disadvantage compared to Talarico, though she held an advantage in brand identity. Each campaign had unique strengths and areas that could have been leveraged differently. For example, Crockett could have more openly emphasized her Christian faith, which may have resonated with certain voters, particularly in the Hispanic community where faith plays a significant role in voter preferences. Talarico spoke more openly about his faith, and this likely influenced his success in Hispanic-majority counties and municipalities. The results were not driven by dislike for Crockett, but by campaign presentation and voter connection.</p><h3>External Factors and the True Opposition</h3><p>In Dallas County, the actions of the MAGA-aligned regime were deliberate, targeting not only Democratic voters but also potentially disenfranchising voters who may have supported Paxton or Wesley Bell. These efforts were designed to benefit John Cornyn, whom the establishment views as a stronger candidate, and to create confusion and infighting among Democrats. The chaos sown within the Democratic side was an intentional strategy by the opposition to divide and weaken the pro-democracy movement.</p><h3>Moving Forward Together</h3><p>It is important that everyone acknowledges their feelings about the process and outcome. However, the priority must be to set aside these internal disputes until after the November election. Only then can the movement address any lingering issues and move forward in unity to achieve shared goals.</p><h2>The Importance of Teamwork and Unity</h2><p>We are all on the same team within the pro-democracy movement. Every organization and every voter who supported Representative Crockett and Representative Talarico are working toward the same goal and share common values.</p><p>It is essential that we work together to achieve our objectives.</p><p>Some may disagree with this perspective, and that is understandable. If you feel frustrated or upset with this message, you are entitled to your feelings. Nevertheless, our focus at the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC remains unwavering: we are committed to winning in order to preserve and protect our country&#8217;s democratic foundation.</p><p>Our vision is to build a sustainable, pro-democracy coalition that is multicultural, multiracial, and multi-spiritual.</p><p>We strive for a movement that accepts everyone and recognizes that diversity is a true strength. Once we are united, we will have the capacity to address issues and implement meaningful change. This will allow us to refine our policies, strengthen our alliances, and continue progressing. But first, unity is essential.</p><p>To put it simply, we cannot overcome significant challenges if, in the midst of our struggle, we are divided&#8212;like heroes from different teams arguing instead of fighting together against a common foe.</p><p>Just as the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Ravagers, the Avengers, and even the Asgardians had to set aside their differences to face a formidable adversary, we too must put aside disagreements and unite for our shared cause.</p><p>Personal feelings and minor disputes should not stand in the way of what we can accomplish together. We simply do not have time for division or distraction.</p><p>Let us commit to fighting together, working together, and ultimately winning together.</p><h2>Conclusion and Call to Action</h2><p>Thank you and if you want to support us at the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC, please visit <a href="http://www.futurepac.today">www.futurepac.today</a>, there&#8217;ll be a link to our donation page to donate so we can help push and support candidates that are in the pro-democracy, pro-diversity side of America.</p><p>Thank you, have a blessed day.</p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections.</strong></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Common Sense by Eric Foster</span></a></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/after-the-texas-primary-pro-democracy/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><div class="community-chat" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/ericfoster52/chat?utm_source=chat_embed&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;ericfoster52&quot;,&quot;pub&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3207005,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bvQj!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce92af05-4358-4e98-9514-c83503572961_358x358.jpeg&quot;}}" data-component-name="CommunityChatRenderPlaceholder"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Take advantage of free advertising content from MAGA divisive behavior]]></title><description><![CDATA[Message dominance requires Democrats to start using MAGA content to change conversations]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:46:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/190653732/ebc25a6bd7237279f6ae17923a84c74f.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good evening, everyone. My name is Eric Foster, co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC. I want to address the pro-democracy camp regarding an urgent opportunity to counter current political narratives.</p><h2>Current Political Landscape and Missed Advertising Opportunities</h2><p>We have witnessed the State of the Union and the state of the country. We have seen Pam Bondi&#8217;s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Kristi Noem&#8217;s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and numerous press conferences from Donald Trump and other MAGA figures, such as Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense. Additionally, we have observed the ongoing illegal war, which is not only costing American lives but is also misallocating funds that could be used for childcare, housing, and other vital needs.</p><p>Despite having a wealth of information and compelling moments, there is a noticeable absence of advertising from Democrats and the pro-democracy side. The material available is &#8220;gold&#8221;&#8212;content that could be utilized in ads immediately. Instead, groups like American Sovereignty have repurposed Donald Trump&#8217;s State of the Union remarks to paint Democrats as pro-criminal and pro-undocumented immigrants, while positioning Republicans as defenders of the people.</p><h2>Contrasting Pro-Democracy Values with MAGA&#8217;s Actions</h2><p>It is crucial to create a clear, stark contrast. For example, during Pam Bondi&#8217;s testimony, she refused to acknowledge survivors of sexual predation tied to Jeffrey Epstein, while MAGA members remained silent. Other instances include the Clinton testimony and the erratic questioning of Secretary Clinton by Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace. These moments offer the opportunity to highlight that the MAGA party stands with pedophiles, predators, sexual sadists, and sexual abusers and ignores the needs of non-MAGA voters.</p><p>Footage from these committee hearings, depositions, and press conferences should be used to demonstrate these stark differences. For example, Pam Bondi&#8217;s refusal to face victims, the targeting of Democrats with unfounded accusations, and the lack of interest in MAGA contributors involved in criminal activity all serve as powerful material for educational advertising.</p><h2>Urgency and Action Steps</h2><p>If MAGA is going to accuse Democrats of standing with criminals for not supporting Trump, Democrats should respond by exposing MAGA&#8217;s own actions and affiliations. This includes using their committee behaviors and statements about affordability and non-MAGA voters in ads. There is no time to wait; this information should be rolled out now to inform the public and remove any doubt about where the MAGA dictatorship party stands.</p><p>It is not enough to assume the American public will understand the implications on their own. Clear, truthful, and direct messaging is needed. If Democrats do not act, the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC is prepared to step in and use these resources to reach the majority of Americans who are eligible voters but not MAGA supporters.</p><h2>Call to Action</h2><p>Support is needed to produce ads, distribute mailers, and connect with the millions of non-MAGA eligible voters. Quality material should not be left unused. By contributing to the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC, you can help ensure that the country receives the truth through effective and timely advertising. Links to our website and donation page will be provided for those who wish to join this effort.</p><p>We must take the information available to us and use it to run educational advertising now and every day. Thank you for your attention and support.</p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> or &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections. </strong></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/take-advantage-of-free-advertising/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Handling MAGA lies at Congressional Hearings - Make Truth Simple Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[Good evening, everybody.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2026 20:01:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/176381758/e0caef00cf2dbf080c90beb3db5608bf.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good evening, everybody. My name is Eric Foster, and I am the co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC. I wanted to share a brief message based on a video segment of The Weeknight on MSNOW, where Michael Steele echoed the same concerns our Super PAC has emphasized over the past year, responding to MAGA Regime lies at Congressional hearings.</p><h2>The Challenge for Democrats at Congressional Hearings</h2><p>When Democrats are confronted with misinformation and falsehoods from the MAGA dictatorship regime and its congressional allies&#8212;referred to here as the MDR and MCS&#8212;it is imperative to respond assertively. Many Democratic members continue to behave as if congressional hearings are the same as those held during the Bush or Reagan eras. However, the current environment is drastically different.</p><h2>The Nature of MAGA Communications</h2><p>During recent hearings, particularly those involving figures like Pam Bondi (dubbed &#8220;Politburo Pam&#8221;) and other MCS committee members, there has been a surge of vitriol and misleading statements. Other than Senator Schiff, most Democratic members attempted to ignore these falsehoods, focusing instead on traditional oversight or trying to validate their questions by highlighting non-answers. While this approach may reveal dishonesty, it allows hours of false information to spread unchecked, both through mainstream media and MAGA-aligned channels.</p><h2>The Need for Direct and Immediate Responses</h2><p>Every time false claims about the weaponization of the Department of Justice under President Biden arise, they must be challenged directly. There has been no such weaponization during Biden&#8217;s term, and allowing these lies to go unchallenged only enables their dissemination. Democrats must treat responding to lies as a fundamental necessity, just as essential as breathing.</p><h2>Shifting Strategies for Modern Political Battles</h2><p>Current Democratic strategies are outdated, reminiscent of an era of analog televisions and carpeted speakers, while the opposition operates in a modern, streaming media landscape. The tactics employed today must evolve to match this new reality. Relying on traditional questioning and expecting honest answers from witnesses like Pam Bondi or Kash Patel is ineffective when their aim is propaganda and distraction, not transparency.</p><h2>Expert Opinions and The Need for Change</h2><p>Michael Steele, a respected former Republican Party leader, advocates for making truth simple and mandatory again, and he urges Democrats to fight back aggressively. In contrast, Mark Elias, a prominent election attorney, suggested Democrats face a choice between legitimizing falsehoods by responding or seeking serious answers. However, this view is misguided. The MAGA-aligned members and media are not interested in legitimate discourse; their goal is to propagate lies and attack pro-democracy voices and communities.</p><h2>Embracing a Proactive Approach</h2><p>Democrats must recognize that every statement made by the MAGA faction in congressional hearings is likely a fabrication. It is crucial to respond in kind to prevent misinformation from gaining traction among the American public. As a Super PAC, we are committed to encouraging and assisting Democratic members and their offices to stand up to the MAGA dictatorship budget and improve their communications strategies.</p><h2>The Power of the Pro-Democracy Majority</h2><p>There are over 164 million eligible American citizen adults who could vote, including more than 75 million who supported Vice President Harris. The focus should be on mobilizing this non-MAGA majority, rather than attempting to win back the roughly 77 million who voted for Trump. The numbers speak for themselves: the pro-democracy pool is significantly larger and holds the key to the nation&#8217;s future.</p><h2>Invitation to Collaborate</h2><p>If you are interested in working with us or learning more, please visit our website at www.futurepac.today or contact me via email at eric@futurepac.today. We are eager to help you refine your communication approach and reach the millions of eligible voters who oppose the MAGA regime and its misleading narratives.</p><p>Thank you for your attention. Together, we can change strategies, improve outreach, and secure the future of our country. I look forward to connecting with you soon.</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/handling-maga-lies-at-congressional/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This is the Way: The Cannabis & Hemp Industry must change its losing political strategy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Good evening, everyone.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:35:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/177840719/3661069a1e4af6b109bd4ade5c50ee38.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good evening, everyone. My name is Eric Foster, co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC. I am here to address the Changemaker Initiative. While there hasn&#8217;t been much discussion about this in recent months, it is crucial to revisit the topic due to the current challenges faced by the cannabis and hemp industries.</p><h2>Current Threats to the Cannabis and Hemp Industries</h2><p>Both the cannabis and hemp sectors are under significant pressure, and the strategies currently employed are likely to fail. At the state level, efforts to roll back adult use legalization are underway in several places. In Massachusetts and Maine, MAGA-aligned individuals&#8212;not the state governments&#8212;are driving ballot initiatives aimed at reversing legalization. Similar actions are taking place in Nebraska, where despite overwhelming voter support for medical marijuana, the process is being undermined by MAGA officials through lawsuits, restrictive regulations, and manipulation of the governing board.</p><h2>Misguided State-Level Initiatives</h2><p>Several states are allocating substantial resources to initiatives that are unlikely to succeed. In Florida, for example, Trulieve and its allies are attempting another ballot initiative for adult use marijuana, despite spending $150 million in 2023 and 2024 on previous failed efforts. The focus remains on ballot initiatives instead of addressing the composition of the state legislature, redistricting, and other structural challenges. Idaho is pursuing a medical cannabis initiative with little chance of success, diverting money from more effective long-term strategies like electing pro-cannabis lawmakers. In Oregon, efforts are underway to create social lounges or cannabis cafes, but resources would be better spent building support within the legislature. Oklahoma also faces repeated failed initiatives, with $20 million spent previously without success. Missouri&#8217;s hemp sector is looking to amend the state constitution, but similar structural issues remain, including congressional redistricting that favors anti-cannabis representatives.</p><h2>Regulatory and Legislative Challenges</h2><p>The hemp side of the industry is also facing challenges, with 39 state attorneys general&#8212;spanning MAGA, non-MAGA Republicans, and Democrats&#8212;sending a letter to Congress and the White House seeking to ban intoxicating hemp products. The lack of a robust industrial hemp sector has left the industry vulnerable, with consumable products now under threat and no alternative industry foundation in place.</p><h2>The Need for Strategic Change</h2><p>These setbacks are reminiscent of the Detroit Lions hiring Matt Millen, a decision that led to years of failure. Similarly, the cannabis and hemp industries must move away from ineffective leadership and strategies. Despite some past successes, the industries are now losing ground. The recent excitement over Donald Trump&#8217;s CBD-supporting video is misplaced, as there is little genuine support from him or similar figures for these industries.</p><h2>Learning from Successful Models</h2><p>The crypto industry offers a blueprint for success. Stakeholders in crypto are preparing to invest $269 million in federal and state campaigns for 2026, having already secured legislative victories and favorable representation. Their ongoing commitment to political engagement and adaptation is key to maintaining their success. The cannabis and hemp sectors must adopt similar strategies, focusing on electing supportive lawmakers and engaging their broad consumer base.</p><h2>Action Steps for the Changemaker Initiative</h2><p>The path forward requires building political power and changing the regulatory environment. The Changemaker Initiative provides the framework for this transformation. Contributions and collaboration are essential to activate this strategy, particularly for upcoming elections and legislative sessions in key states like Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. Growing majorities, protecting turf, and striving for championship-level success should be the goals.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>The cannabis and hemp industries are at a crossroads. Change is possible by shifting focus to electing allies, engaging consumers, and adopting adaptive, winning strategies. The Changemaker Initiative is the vehicle for this progress. For more information or to get involved, visit www.futurepac.today/changemaker or contact me at <a href="mailto:eric@futurepac.today">eric@futurepac.today</a> or eric@bankscompany.us.</p><p> Together, we can change lawmakers, improve our regulatory environment, and secure a stronger future.</p><p>Eric Foster</p><p>Co-founder, Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC</p><p>Co-founder, Changemaker Initiative</p><p><strong>Call to action: Visit &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/change-maker-initiative1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/change-maker-initiative1</a> or &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a></strong> <strong>and contribute to help us reach the Pro-Cannabis, Pro-Hemp voting majority community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections. Change the Lawmakers, Change the Regulatory Environment and Change your Future, The Changemaker Initiative</strong></p><p><strong>About The Change Maker Initiative</strong></p><p>The <strong>Change Maker Initiative</strong> is the industry&#8217;s <strong>best and only path forward</strong> to secure long-term executive branch and legislative victories and regulatory stability. The current <strong>political and legal landscape is hostile</strong>, but by <strong>learning from the success of the crypto industry</strong>, we can <strong>build an unstoppable political force</strong> that will protect and expand cannabis and hemp industries. The <strong>Change Maker Initiative (CMI)</strong> will shift from a <strong>state-by-state ballot measure and disjointed hope and inference Federal approach</strong> to a <strong>federal and state coordinated electoral office strategy, with voter-industry customer engagement, diversification of lobbying and legal strategies to change the lawmakers and change our future</strong>.</p><p><strong>The time for action is now.</strong> Will your company invest in securing its future? Will your organization stand with us in defending civil rights, economic justice, and cannabis equity?</p><p></p><p><strong>Eric Foster</strong> is a Co-Founder of <em>The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow</em>, an African American-founded Super PAC committed to protecting civil liberties and advancing inclusive economic and educational policies. The organization champions a democracy where every citizen can vote freely, safely, and without interference. Learn more at <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/">www.futurepac.today</a> or contact him at eric@bankscompany.us </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/this-is-the-way-the-cannabis-and/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Truth Simple Again Podcast: Tariffs & Elections 3-4-26]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dealing with MAGA Lies on how elections work and who pays tariff taxes]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs-f2f</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs-f2f</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:13:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/189909758/13d97d8206ec738038b9e6fe577f2b80.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s Make Truth Simple Again podcast, I deal with two focal points of the MAGA Dictatorship Regime&#8217;s purposeful lie-fest, <strong>tariffs and elections</strong>. Both lies</p><p>Tariffs installed by Trump are a tax on American businesses and American consumers, period. The tariff tax revenue you collect is from American businesses and American consumers, period. No country is &#8220;charged&#8221; tariffs, it&#8217;s an American MAGA import tax that steals money from American businesses and American consumers, period. </p><p>There is no ambiguity.</p><p>There is no possibility.</p><p>That&#8217;s exactly what tariffs are.</p><p>This type of clarity must be adopted by Pro-American Business interests, Democratic, Independent, 3rd party and Non-MAGA Republican elected officials and Non-MAGA Mainstream and Independent Media. No country, in the history of countries, has paid the tariff taxes for a business in a foreign country to import products from businesses in their country. </p><p>While I didn&#8217;t go into this on my podcast but here&#8217;s an easy real world example that can be used to Make Truth Simple Again. On July 27, 2025, Trump &amp; the MDR &#8220;agreed&#8221; to jack up tariffs on $610 billion worth of European goods from 2.2% to 15%. That&#8217;s a <strong>12.8% tax increase on American businesses and consumers</strong>.</p><p>Let&#8217;s be real: <strong>Europe isn&#8217;t paying that tax&#8212;we are.</strong><br>Walmart? They&#8217;re paying it. Ford? Microsoft? They&#8217;re paying it. And guess what? They&#8217;re passing it on to <em>you</em>. Overall, Trump tariff taxes will cost the <em><strong>average American family $1,300 more this year and $2,000 in 2026</strong></em>. That&#8217;s <strong>stealing your money out of your pocket, not Trump&#8217;s, Scott Bessent&#8217;s or Howard Lutnick&#8217;s pocket.</strong> </p><p>Meanwhile, European companies importing American goods? They&#8217;re getting a break&#8212;taxes cut from 2.7% to zero. You heard that right: <strong>Europe gets a tax cut. America gets a tax hike.</strong> That&#8217;s the MAGA math.</p><p>If this policy had a billboard, it would read: <strong>&#8220;Welcome to MAGA Economics: Now With 12.8% More Screwing You Over.&#8221;</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>The second topic covers addressing the MAGA Dictatorship Regime lies </strong></p><p>Donald Trump, MAGA Dictatorship Regime elected officials across the country, MAGA Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas and MAGA Mainstream Media have continued to state multiple lies and false allegations about the 2020 election, lies  claiming that certain states (States that Donald Trump lost in 2020 and North Carolina) broke the law in their administration of the election. They have continued those lies for the 2022 and 2024 elections and in advance of the upcoming 2025 election, 2026 election, 2027 election and 2028 elections. This is all bullshit and nothing that these MAGA folks say is true, no matter if it is the DOJ, MAGA Congressional Subsidiary members of Congress, MDR Governors or MAGA Media officials, it&#8217;s all lies. Yet too often, Traditional Mainstream Media, Democratic and Independent elected officials and Pro-Democracy stakeholders don&#8217;t confront the lies immediately and clearly, so I try to clearly explain the step by step federal and state constitutional law, statutory law, and judicial precedent that can easily crush the lies and rain down truth like the waters of justice. Or as my Grandma Foster used to say, &#8220;they&#8217;re lying and the truth ain&#8217;t in them&#8221;. </p><p>So how do you <em><strong>Make Truth Simple Again on the MAGA election lies?</strong></em> Here&#8217;s the answer in a real simple format.</p><ul><li><p>The election lies that are told by Trump and the MAGA Dictatorship Regime (MDR) are lies. Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, Marbury v. Madison, and Judicial Review, the 10th Amendment, and state constitutions all govern and allow for states to function like the federal government. which requires a Republican form of government, three co-equal branches at the state level, period.</p></li><li><p>State legislatures can&#8217;t operate as a independent, unequal dictatorship body, the Republican form of Government Clause (Article 4, Section 4 of the constitution) requires Co-Equal branches of government, legislatures don&#8217;t have a special get out of the Republican form of government clause card.</p></li><li><p>Everything else that they&#8217;re saying about changes that were made that they say were illegal is a lie. All changes were made legally. Whether you agree with them or not, every change was made legally. None were made illegally.</p></li></ul><p>That&#8217;s it. Direct, simple, truthful and easy. </p><p>What if someone says, <strong>what are those steps that clearly show how every State followed their laws &amp; governance structure to run legally compliant elections? I address them in greater detail but here&#8217;s a brief guide:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Article IV of the Constitution,</strong></p><p><strong>2. The Republican Form of Government Clause in Article IV,</strong></p><p><strong>3. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>4. The 12th, 14th, 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>5. Marbury V. Madison Judicial Review precedent</strong></p><p><strong>6. State Constitutional &amp; Statutory Laws &amp; co-equal Govt. Branches</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Underlying background supporting each step is provided as follows:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Article IV of the Constitution: establishes states as legal, separate governmental bodies from each other and with the Federal Government, also referred to as the States&#8217; Relations Article</strong></p><p><strong>Section 1: </strong>Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.</p><p><strong>Section 2: </strong>The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.</p><p><strong>Implications for Elections:</strong></p><p>Our Federalist Constitutional structure allows <strong>each state</strong> to maintain it&#8217;s <strong>own separate sovereign government</strong>. The Full Faith and Credit Clause requires each state to respect the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of every other state and the separate sovereignties of each individual state. This constitutional provision was upheld in two court cases  (<a href="http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep455/usrep455691/usrep455691.pdf">Underwriters Nat&#8217;l Assurance Co. v. N.C. Life &amp; Accident &amp; Health Ins. Guar. Ass&#8217;n, 455 U.S. 691, 703&#8211;04 (1982)</a> (Ours is a union of States, each having its own judicial system capable of adjudicating the rights and responsibilities of the parties brought before it.) and V.L. v. E.L., 577 U.S. 404, 407 (2016)<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a> (per curiam) (explaining that the Full Faith and Credit Clause alter[s] the status of the several states as independent foreign sovereignties, each free to ignore obligations created under the laws or by the judicial proceedings of the others, and to make them integral parts of a single nation)). </p><p><strong>2. The Republican Form of Government Clause in Article IV: </strong><em><strong>The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. </strong></em><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Constitutional Basis:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Article IV, Section 4:</strong> Guarantees every state a &#8220;Republican Form of Government,&#8221; ensuring states maintain systems of governance that are representative and accountable to the people.</p></li><li><p>A core principle of a <strong>Republic government is the establishment of co-equal branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial)</strong> to prevent the concentration of power and provide checks and balances, i.e. State Governments can&#8217;t become Dictatorships or Monarchies and one branch (the legislature as argued by the MDR under the Independent State Legislatures Theory) can&#8217;t execute unchecked, unquestioned power above the other branches. An implied condition of Article IV, Sec. 4&#8217;s Republican Governance Clause is the establishment of State Constitutions, to further codify the division of co-equal governmental branches and their separation of powers. </p></li></ul><p><strong>Implications for Elections:</strong></p><ul><li><p>States must conduct elections that are free, fair, and reflect the will of the people. The three co-equal branches of state governments have a shared role in the execution of elections and the <strong>constraints of Co-Equal Governance cannot be dispatched</strong>, as is argued through the Independent State Legislature Doctrine. The <strong>Republican form of government&#8217;s Co-Equal Governance Doctrine requirement</strong> underpins the legality of adapting election procedures to ensure accessibility and integrity.</p></li></ul><p><strong>3. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>Tenth Amendment:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Federalism Principle:</strong> Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states, including the administration of elections.</p></li><li><p><strong>State Authority:</strong> States have the authoritative primary responsibility for conducting elections, allowing them to tailor processes to their specific needs and legal contexts.</p></li></ul><p><strong>4. The 12th, 14th, 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Principle:</strong> Establishes the structure for Presidential elections, defines equal protection rights under law, codifies that the right to vote shall not be denied or discriminated against, codifies that a woman&#8217;s right to vote shall not be denied or discriminated against and codifies that a citizen between the ages of 18 to 21 shall not be denied or discriminated against.</p></li><li><p><strong>Application:</strong> Establishes formal procedures for electing a President, codifies that the right to vote shall not be denied by race, gender or ages above 18 years old and establishes equal protection remedies to efforts to deny or abridge your right to vote. What is missing is tying the right to vote as a grant of American citizenship, currently the right to vote is governed as a grant of your state of residence.</p></li></ul><p><strong>5. Marbury V. Madison (1803) Judicial Review precedent:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Principle:</strong> Established the principle of judicial review, allowing courts to interpret the constitutionality of laws and actions.</p></li><li><p><strong>Application:</strong> Courts reviewed and upheld state actions and modifications to election laws during the 2020 election, ensuring they were consistent with constitutional and statutory requirements.</p></li></ul><p><strong>6. State Constitutional &amp; Statutory Laws &amp; co-equal Govt. Branches</strong></p><p><strong>State Constitutions:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Provisions for Elections:</strong> Most state constitutions include detailed provisions regarding the administration of elections, empowering state officials and defining the roles and responsibilities of state and local officials to ensure the proper conduct of elections.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:</strong> The California Constitution grants the Secretary of State the authority to oversee and administer elections, providing flexibility in how elections are conducted.</p></li><li><p><strong>Examples:</strong> Some states have specific clauses addressing election emergencies, mail-in voting, and the certification process.</p></li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>State Statutes:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Adaptability:</strong> State legislatures passed laws to address the challenges posed by the pandemic, such as expanding mail-in voting, extending deadlines, and modifying polling place procedures.</p></li><li><p><strong>Precedents:</strong> These actions were consistent with the states&#8217; powers to ensure safe and accessible elections.</p></li></ul><p>State legislatures and the State Executive branch both abide by the independent arbiter role of the State Judiciary as the third branch of State Government &amp; separation of Powers Doctrine/Constitutional language of the State in question.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific State Statutory Laws and State Constitutional Amendments governing election administration:</strong></p><p><strong>California</strong></p><p>California&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 8, and Article V, Section 1) and statutory laws (California Elections Code Sections 10 and 3021, and the California Emergency Services Act, Government Code Sections 8558 and 8627) empower state officials to administer elections and issue emergency orders.</p><p><strong>Georgia</strong></p><p>Georgia&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 1, and Article V, Section II) and statutory laws (Georgia Election Code Sections 21-2-50 and 21-2-386, and the Georgia Emergency Management Act, O.C.G.A. &#167; 38-3-51) grant the necessary authority to manage and modify election procedures.</p><p><strong>Pennsylvania</strong></p><p>Pennsylvania&#8217;s Constitution (Article VII, Section 14, and Article IV, Section 2) and statutory laws (Pennsylvania Election Code, 25 P.S. &#167; 2621, and Act 77 of 2019, and the Emergency Management Services Code, 35 Pa. C.S. &#167; 7301) support state officials&#8217; actions to ensure fair elections.</p><p><strong>Texas</strong></p><p>Texas&#8217;s Constitution (Article IV, Sections 1 and 8) and statutory laws (Texas Election Code Sections 31.001 and 86.001, and the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, Texas Government Code &#167;&#167; 418.014 and 418.016) provide the framework for election administration and emergency measures.</p><p><strong>Michigan</strong></p><p>Michigan&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 4, and Article V, Section 1) and statutory laws (Michigan Election Law, MCL 168.21 and 168.759, and the Michigan Emergency Management Act, MCL 30.403) empower state officials to oversee elections and adapt to emergencies.</p><p>Just to be clear and direct, all of the 2020 General election voting procedure modifications (39 States made modifications to voting procedures including 19 States won by Trump &amp; 20 States won by President Biden) and Absentee/mail-in voting procedure modifications (37 States made modifications to absentee/mail-in voting procedures including 16 States won by Trump and 21 States won by President Biden)<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a><a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a> went through the existing election Statutory laws, administrative rules making processes, Statutory &amp; Constitutionally granted powers of the Executive Branch and litigation processes as defined by State Judicial Laws and procedures along with any judicial rulings preventing adoption of modifications. Everything was legal. So to sum up:</p><ol><li><p>None of the election administration actions taken were outside of their State constitutional authority. </p></li><li><p>No state &#8220;violated&#8221; federal law in making sovereign state decisions on elections administration.</p></li><li><p>State executive and judicial branches have equal jurisdiction over election administration with state legislatures because state governments are established via Article IV, Section 4 of the </p></li><li><p>Only legally registered American citizen voters voted in 2020, 2024 and will vote in future elections, even though the right to vote isn&#8217;t a constitutional or statutorily codified right of citizenship.</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><p><a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/464/">https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/464/</a></p><div><hr></div><p><a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_election_dates,_procedures,_and_administration_in_response_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020">https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_election_dates,_procedures,_and_administration_in_response_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020</a>; <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-mail-voting-policies-in-effect-for-the-2020-election.aspx">https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-mail-voting-policies-in-effect-for-the-2020-election.aspx</a></p><p><a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-2020-0">https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-2020-0</a> </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs-f2f?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs-f2f?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs-f2f?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:255480201,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[MAGA Media Consolidation & Pro-Democracy Call to Action]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the slew of breaking news that we have experienced, there&#8217;s a major piece of breaking news from last week that really is troubling for anybody that&#8217;s in the pro-democracy side&#8212;and I&#8217;m going to be clear when I say anybody in the pro-democracy side, because leveraging conversation and saying &#8220;all Americans&#8221; is really useless.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:01:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/189615916/8bd4460c8b127b1a3aecdbfe5ef08584.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the slew of breaking news that we have experienced, there&#8217;s a major piece of breaking news from last week that really is troubling for anybody that&#8217;s in the pro-democracy side&#8212;and I&#8217;m going to be clear when I say anybody in the pro-democracy side, because leveraging conversation and saying &#8220;all Americans&#8221; is really useless. If you&#8217;re in the MAGA camp, you&#8217;re happy with this.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>What&#8217;s happening: Netflix is out, Paramount is in</strong></p><p>But Netflix&#8212;which honestly, I would have looked at as the non-MAGA alternative to buying Warner Brothers and CNN&#8212;is dropping its bid to buy that&#8230; and it&#8217;s going to Paramount.</p><p>Paramount is fully pro-MAGA. You see how they have, at Paramount, destroyed CBS News, 60 Minutes, and the like, turning those into MAGA-like entities? They will do the same with CNN.</p><p>So from where we sit: what should we do in terms of next steps?</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The legal pressure point: blue-state Attorneys General</strong></p><p>One of the things that&#8217;s critical is state attorney generals can actually weigh in on the competitive nature and file lawsuits to attempt to stop this hostile takeover of more media and communications by the MAGA dictatorship regime and its allies.</p><p>We have to be very aggressive in pushing that. Blue state attorney generals&#8212;you know the assignment. Use your in-state regulatory power as it relates to antitrust-related matters to file related lawsuits and to try to work to stop this.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The economic pressure point: cancel and boycott</strong></p><p>Along with legal action, we have to push the economic side.</p><p>If you are a subscriber to Warner Brothers&#8212;to HBO Max, etc.&#8212;if this deal goes through, cancel your subscriptions. Or as a matter of fact, start canceling your subscriptions now to show them that you do not want Paramount taking them over.</p><p>You have economic power. Personally, I have an HBO Max subscription. Because of this, I&#8217;m going to cancel my HBO Max subscription.</p><p>Now consumers, you need to know your job. If you&#8217;re a non-MAGA person and you still have Paramount+, or any of the related things that you can subscribe to individually under the Paramount umbrella, cancel those immediately.</p><p>Separately, with respect to Time Warner, start canceling your HBO Max or other related subscriptions and start showing them economically that you&#8217;re not with this. Start boycotting their shows. Start boycotting their movies that they come out with. Stop patronizing them in totality.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Why this matters: organize the non-MAGA majority</strong></p><p>We at the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC believe it&#8217;s important and critical to be proactive in this time&#8212;but to do that, we need your support.</p><p>So I&#8217;m asking: please&#8212;we&#8217;ll have a link for donation either at our website or at our ActBlue account: <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a>, where you can contribute to help us get this message out, because we need to take proactive steps. We need to rally.</p><p>We need to rally the non-MAGA majority&#8212;the 164,295,437 million Americans who didn&#8217;t vote for Donald Trump and MAGA&#8212;and the 41 million immigrants in America. Combined, we&#8217;re talking about 206 million people to leverage their economic power, their voice, and for that 165 million, their voting power to say no.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The mindset shift: &#8220;we can&#8217;t do anything&#8221; is a lie</strong></p><p>You don&#8217;t have to accept this. There is no &#8220;we can&#8217;t do anything about this.&#8221; Yes, there is.</p><p>You don&#8217;t have to spend money with them. And Stephen Miller&#8217;s not going to come to your house and force you to spend money with Paramount&#8212;or force you to go see a Paramount movie, or force you to go see a DC movie.</p><p>And unfortunately, if this happens, I&#8217;m going to have to cut off my DC connection. I love the DC universe, DCEU and DCU, but I can&#8217;t roll with this. Just like as much as I love Star Trek, I can&#8217;t roll with them under Paramount the way Paramount is operating.</p><p>Those are small sacrifices, but they&#8217;re important sacrifices to show that economically, you will say no to this.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Closing call to action: pressure AGs + join the fight</strong></p><p>And then additionally, getting state attorney generals in blue states&#8212;whereas the voting majority is non-MAGA&#8212;to say: use your regulatory power and authority to challenge this as an improper consolidation. A monopoly, as well as an abridgment to freedom of speech and communications.</p><p>However you have to find legal justifications, it&#8217;s time.</p><p>So let&#8217;s get about it, and be about it. And get out here and fight this fight.</p><p>Once again, visit us at <a href="http://www.futurepac.today">www.futurepac.today</a>. There&#8217;ll be links to connect with us and help us join this fight. Because we don&#8217;t have to sit here and say we can&#8217;t do anything. We can do things to say no to this garbage.</p><p></p><p>For more information:</p><p>Eric Foster</p><p>Co-Founder &amp; Spokesperson</p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC</p><p><a href="http://www.futurepac.today/">www.futurepac.today</a></p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/  </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/maga-media-consolidation-and-pro/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Voting Rights – Connecting it to Citizenship vs the State Franchise model ]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is time to reexamine the underlying legal rights attached to voting and citizenship, so we can correct a fatal flaw dating back to our founding as a nation.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:30:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/187822426/f74f49d6d83967b9f2b85f80b60154d4.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It is time to reexamine the underlying legal rights attached to voting and citizenship, so we can correct a fatal flaw dating back to our founding as a nation.</p><p>Here&#8217;s an uncomfortable truth; the right to vote is not constitutionally guaranteed as a right of citizenship. There are three significant Supreme Court cases I want to focus on that highlight this fatal flaw: <strong>Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000); Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013) &amp; McPherson v. Blacker, 146 U.S. 1 (1892)</strong> buttress how prior Supreme Court precedent treats the right to vote as a state-granted privilege rather than a federal citizenship right. These cases establish limits on the enforcement of voting rights under the 15th Amendment and subsequent amendments. While the 14<sup>th</sup>, 15<sup>th</sup>, 19<sup>th</sup>, 23<sup>rd</sup> 24<sup>th</sup> and 26<sup>th</sup> constitutional amendments prevent discrimination in the right to vote, they do not guarantee voting rights as a factor of being an American citizen. Additionally, Supreme Court decisions from the <em><strong>Elk v. Wilkins - 112 U.S. 94, 5 S. Ct. 41 (1884)</strong></em>, <em><strong>Minor v. Happersett - 88 U.S. (21 Wall.) 162 (1874); Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229 (1976); City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507 (1997); </strong></em>and <em><strong>Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013) </strong></em>have ruled that<em><strong> </strong></em>the individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote, that voting/suffrage was not coextensive with the citizenship of the States nor explicitly given as a right of national citizenship when the Constitution was adopted and subsequently that citizenship alone is not sufficient cause for voting and Legislatures can only enforce a pre-existing interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, unless they are enacting prophylactic legislation that aims to prevent violations of rights guaranteed by the Court.</p><p>These cases also opens the door for further individual voting rights dilution by prescribing a State legislature&#8217;s fundamental right to decide Presidential electors is of equal weight to the right of its citizens to vote for electors and that State legislatures&#8217; (after granting the voting franchise to citizens of its state &amp; in the Court&#8217;s contextual interpretation of Article II) can take back the power to appoint electors independent of the voting action of its citizens at any time.</p><p>We need to understand the serious threat this sets up. It is publicly stated practice that MAGA-controlled states aim to restrict access and eligibility to voting for Democratic, Independent, Non-MAGA Republican citizens and low propensity voting citizens, because those citizens don&#8217;t vote for MAGA candidates. MAGA Federal regime officials, Congressional allies and MAGA majority states Governments are using these theories and lack of formal voting-citizenship tie-bar to limit the franchise based upon a number of methodology, access, partisan or geographic considerations, similar to the way American citizens who are felons are denied the right to vote both in and out of jail in a significant number of states. </p><p>A Federal example of this purposeful effort exists in the so-called SAVE Act. The SAVE Act will create unnecessary barriers to voting and provide additional opportunities to prohibit citizens from voting without protecting the right to vote. We want to emphasize that proof of citizenship and residency is already required for voter registration in 49 out of 50 states, so this is inherently unnecessary. This act, which we classify as the &#8220;Start of Actively Vacating Eligibility of American Citizens To vote&#8221; aka SAVE Act, makes it easier to disenfranchise American citizens voting access by MAGA elected officials in MAGA majority voting states. </p><p>We must fix this through Federal statutory action. We at The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC, therefore, recommend that Democrats, Independents, Non-MAGA Republicans and Pro-Democracy organizations reintroduce and rally around the Right to Vote Act (S.3916 and H.R. 8825 &#8211; 118<sup>th</sup> Congress), formerly part of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, as a standalone bill that would actually ensure that voting rights are tied to your individual American citizenship, through Statutory law.</p><p>This is why, as an African American founded Super PAC, we at The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow are actively championing the Right to Vote Act, because as MAGA lies about the legality of Democratic, Independent and Non-MAGA Republican citizen voting as they are doing in Fulton County GA or about the 2020 Presidential election, they don&#8217;t tell you that your citizenship doesn&#8217;t guarantee your right to vote and that MAGA states you live in control your ability to vote. </p><p><strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Hon. Hakeem Jeffries</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Eric Swalwell</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Raja Krishnamoorthi</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Haley Stevens</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Rashida Tlaib</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Ritchie Torres</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Gregory Meeks</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Nikema Williams</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Teresa Leger Fernandez</a></strong> <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-foster-7779293/">Jared Moskowitz</a></strong> and your Pro-Democracy colleagues, please take immediate action to protect American citizens voting rights, by supporting the reintroduction and passage of the Right to Vote Act as a standalone bill.</p><p>We can&#8217;t wait for others to educate the Non-MAGA majority on this flaw in voting rights, we have to do it ourselves. This is the moment, are you willing to help us at The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow get the <strong>164,295,437 Non-MAGA Voting Eligible American citizens active and in the fight to become every election voters and every level of government policy advocates</strong>, for laws like The Right to Vote act, then join us and contribute so our Super PAC can get on the ground. Visit <a href="http://www.Futurepac.today">www.Futurepac.today</a>, <strong>Join us. Help us. Share this with others.</strong></p><p>&#127760; Donate today &#8594; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">FuturePAC.today/donate</a> <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a> <br>&#128153; or via ActBlue &#8594;<a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">ActBlue Donation Page</a> <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Common Sense by Eric Foster! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/voting-rights-connecting-it-to-citizenship/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:100102217,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Addressing the Erosion of American Freedoms and the Power of Economic Resistance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Good morning, everybody.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 19:37:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/181977665/d09aeb7eb17e9ecdfda4f7301704562d.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Good morning, everybody. My name is Eric Foster, co-founder of the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC. I haven&#8217;t been on in a while due to work and focusing on my health, but I felt compelled to speak today because our country is at a serious tipping point regarding the loss of what it is supposed to represent. While America has never been perfect and has made many mistakes, there is always the opportunity for change and improvement. Unfortunately, we are not currently taking that path, and it&#8217;s important to clarify that this direction does not reflect the will of all Americans.</p><h3>The Non-MAGA Majority: Numbers and Responsibility</h3><p>Out of 241 million eligible adult American voters, 164,295,439 did not vote for Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, Russ Vogt, Tom Holman, or the MAGA dictatorship regime. Only 77,302,580 voted in support. Even among those voters, some may now question the regime&#8217;s actions. My rationale for speaking today was motivated by something I saw on Instagram and then read in the New York Times regarding the TSA&#8212;the Transportation Safety Administration&#8212;which has been tasked with protecting us since 9/11, specifically concerning air travel.</p><h3>Surveillance and Data Sharing: TSA and ICE</h3><p>The current administration is sharing data with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to identify and potentially deport undocumented travelers. The right to travel, while not explicitly stated in the Bill of Rights, has been historically protected under the Ninth Amendment. However, this regime is turning travel into a surveillance tool, targeting undocumented immigrants first, but also legal immigrants and U.S. citizens who oppose their views. There is a proposed administrative rule requiring travelers to provide five years of social media history, email addresses, aliases, maiden names, and children&#8217;s names to enter the United States&#8212;all under the guise of protecting Americans. This, I assert, is not the truth; the real intention is to suppress dissent and block those opposing the regime from entering America.</p><h3>Economic Power: Boycotting Air Travel</h3><p>Given the TSA&#8217;s practice of sharing traveler data with ICE since March 2025, every traveler&#8217;s information&#8212;including that of children and family members&#8212;is now accessible to ICE. If you disagree with this intrusion, it&#8217;s time to exercise economic power. The Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC strongly recommends avoiding air travel and using alternative transportation methods. Until Congress passes legislation to stop this practice, boycott air travel to protect your privacy.</p><p>We need to regain control of Congress from the MAGA majority and return it to those who will enact laws to prohibit travel surveillance and protect citizens&#8217; freedom.</p><h3>Historical Context: African American Experience and MAGA Hypocrisy</h3><p>I want to highlight the 300th year since my ancestors were stolen from Madagascar and brought to America as slaves. My family, now twelve generations in America, has been here longer than many MAGA supporters who claim exclusive ownership of the nation&#8217;s future. This notion is hypocritical and unfounded.</p><p>Turning to Somali immigrants, the MAGA narrative portrays their community as a negative influence. In reality, 75% of Somali immigrants have become citizens, contributing significantly to the American economy. In Minnesota, Somali Americans generate $500 million in annual income, pay $67 million in state and local taxes, and have an $8 billion impact on the state&#8217;s economy. Removing these contributions would create an economic void that cannot be easily filled by others.</p><h3>Immigrants&#8217; Economic Contributions</h3><p>Immigrants are critical to the U.S. economy, paying billions in state and local taxes, supporting small businesses, and wielding substantial spending power. Claims that removing immigrants would improve economic conditions are false; native-born Americans already face poverty and unemployment and cannot readily replace the jobs and businesses immigrants support.</p><p>According to data from the American Immigration Council, immigrants pay $651.9 billion in taxes and hold $1.7 trillion in spending power. Removing 47.8 million immigrants would devastate the economy, as their contributions are not easily replaced by native-born citizens.</p><p>Among entrepreneurs, immigrants own 3,885,100 businesses, generating $116.2 billion in income. If these businesses disappear, there is no guarantee that MAGA supporters or others could successfully take over or maintain the same economic output.</p><h3>Undocumented Immigrants: Myths vs. Reality</h3><p>There are persistent lies about undocumented immigrants and their impact. The vetting process for immigrants is thorough, and entering illegally is a civil infraction, not a felony. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes they cannot benefit from, including Social Security and Medicare. They do not have access to these programs, contrary to claims made during the debate over the 2025 &#8220;Fuck Over America Act.&#8221; If you remove this population, the economic losses&#8212;$89.8 billion in taxes and $299 billion in spending power&#8212;will not magically transfer to others.</p><h3>Call to Boycott Anti-Immigrant Businesses</h3><p>The Super PAC calls for boycotting businesses that support the dehumanization of immigrants and urges the creation of new, sensible pathways for undocumented immigrants to become citizens. Crime statistics show that native-born Americans commit the majority of crimes; the portrayal of immigrants as criminals is misleading and unsupported by the data.</p><h3>Economic Resistance: Supporting Pro-Democracy Businesses and Media</h3><p>Spend your money with businesses and in communities that oppose dehumanization and support inclusive policies. Blue states, including those with moderate Republican leadership, should help residents and businesses minimize spending on federal fees outside of mandatory taxes. Use capitalism to counter the regime&#8217;s anti-American campaign.</p><p>The MAGA regime also seeks to control news and entertainment media. Boycott MAGA-aligned entities like Paramount, and support independent media outlets. States should consider antitrust actions to prevent media consolidation that would threaten independent voices. Maintaining media diversity is crucial to preserving freedom of information and entertainment choices.</p><h3>Economic Resistance: Action steps</h3><p><strong>Next steps</strong></p><ul><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50dcc0-d93e-11f0-ab2a-7e657a315c24">Non-MAGA majority: Boycott air travel where logistically possible, use driving, train, or other transportation methods instead</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50e2f3-d93e-11f0-b16f-7e657a315c24">Non-MAGA majority: Cancel Paramount subscriptions and boycott Paramount services</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50e67c-d93e-11f0-9935-7e657a315c24">Non-MAGA majority: Boycott businesses that align with and support the demonization of immigrants</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50e96c-d93e-11f0-a2c1-7e657a315c24">Non-MAGA majority: Spend money with businesses in states and communities that stand against the regime</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50ec18-d93e-11f0-984a-7e657a315c24">Blue state governments: Look at ways to help businesses and citizens minimize spending on federal government fees and services</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50eeb2-d93e-11f0-b720-7e657a315c24">Blue state governments: File antitrust action against a Paramount takeover of Warner Brothers</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50f151-d93e-11f0-838c-7e657a315c24">People in MAGA states: Start participating in elections and become every election voters to change state governments</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50f3e5-d93e-11f0-9736-7e657a315c24">Airlines: Fight against TSA data sharing with ICE</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50f66e-d93e-11f0-8353-7e657a315c24">Congress: If voters elect a Non-MAGA Pro-Democracy Congressional Majority in 2026, that majority must pass new statutory law to outlaw TSA data sharing with ICE and defund travel tracking programs</a></p></li><li><p><a href="https://us06tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=Cd0jcFxKS1%2BqE5pu7tX%2BHA%3D%3D&amp;stepId=7b50f901-d93e-11f0-a2a1-7e657a315c24">Congress: If voters elect a Non-MAGA Pro-Democracy Congressional Majority in 2026, that majority must pass a new immigration act with common sense pathway for undocumented immigrants to become citizens</a></p></li></ul><h3>Conclusion: Harnessing Economic Power for Change</h3><p>In summary, we have the economic power to push back against infringements on our rights, including surveillance of travel and attacks on immigrant communities. Boycott businesses and services that support these actions, and spend your money with those who stand for freedom and inclusion. Support efforts to regain control of Congress and state governments, and use your spending power as a form of voting between elections.</p><p>Finally, if you wish to support the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC, links will be provided. It is time to stand together, reject the regime&#8217;s harmful policies, and ensure our economic power is not misused. Thank you, and see you on the other side.</p><p><strong>Call to action: Share this and support pro-democracy organizing where you live. Visit &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1</a> and contribute to help us reach the Non-MAGA Majority voting community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections. Let&#8217;s make truth simple again&#8212;and win.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/addressing-the-erosion-of-american/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hemp & Cannabis Industries lost big as the Federal Government reopens]]></title><description><![CDATA[The end of the Federal Government Shutdown Delivers Major Setbacks to Hemp and Cannabis Industries]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:34:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1>Federal Actions Threaten Industry Progress</h1><p>The end of the federal government shutdown has brought significant challenges and setbacks to both the cannabis and hemp industries. Recent legislative changes and continuing resolutions have resulted in sweeping defeats, undermining years of advocacy and progress. Across several states, efforts are underway to repeal or restrict adult use marijuana laws, with legislative and ballot initiatives threatening both medical and recreational cannabis programs.</p><h2>State-Level Legislative Challenges</h2><p>In Ohio, lawmakers are finalizing Senate Bill 56, which is expected to drastically weaken the adult use law passed by voters in 2023. This bill threatens to strip away critical provisions supporting community reinvestment, diversity, ownership, and restorative economic policies. Similar prohibitionist efforts are underway in Maine and Massachusetts, where activists are pushing to repeal adult use marijuana laws via ballot initiatives. In Montana and South Dakota, state legislatures have attempted to roll back adult use and medical marijuana programs, respectively. Other states, such as Michigan, are implementing cannabis wholesale taxes and passing laws banning THC and hemp-related products, further restricting industry growth and viability.</p><h2>Impact of Federal Legislation: HR 5371</h2><p>While these state-level actions are concerning, the most severe blow comes from the federal government&#8217;s short-term budget continuing resolution and three specific appropriations bills contained in the passage of HR 5371. This bill funds the Agriculture Department, Veterans Affairs, military operations, and the legislative branch for the remainder of the 2026 fiscal year, along with the short-term funding vehicle to reopen the Federal Government until January 30, 2026. Hidden within these appropriations bills are provisions that significantly restrict the hemp and cannabis sectors.</p><h3>Key Provisions Targeting Hemp</h3><p>Section 781 of Title 7 in HR 5371 introduces critical exclusions, effectively banning almost all of the products that sustain the hemp CBD and THC consumable market. These exclusions make illegal any hemp plant seeds exceeding a THC level of 0.3% (by dry weight), intermediate hemp products, and hemp-derived cannabinoids that cannot be naturally produced by the hemp plant. Products synthesized or manufactured outside of the plant and those with more than 0.3% combined THC or similar cannabinoids are also prohibited. Additionally, final hemp-derived products marketed for end-consumer use and those containing altered cannabinoids are banned. <strong>In essence, this legislation renders 90% to 95% of the current consumable hemp product market federally illegal.</strong>.</p><p>What is specifically in H.R.5371 Title VII Sec. 781 (1)(C)? Here&#8217;s the language verbatim:</p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(C) EXCLUSIONS.&#8212;Such term does not include&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(i) any viable seeds from a Cannabis sativa L. plant that exceeds a total tetrahydrocannabinols concentration (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid) of 0.3 percent in the plant on a dry weight basis; or</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(ii) any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(I) cannabinoids that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(II) cannabinoids that&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(aa) are capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant; and</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(bb) were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant; or</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(III) more than 0.3 percent combined total of&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(aa) total tetrahydrocannabinols (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid); and</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(bb) any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services); or</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(iii) any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use; or</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(iv) any final hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(I) cannabinoids that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(II) cannabinoids that&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(aa) are capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant; and</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(bb) were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant; or</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(III) greater than 0.4 milligrams combined total per container of&#8212;</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(aa) total tetrahydrocannabinols (including tetrahydrocannabinolic acid); and</strong></em></p><p><em><strong>&#8220;(bb) any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).</strong></em></p><h2>Strategic Failures and Industry Response</h2><p>Despite warnings and extensive stakeholder engagement through initiatives like the Changemaker Initiative, <strong>the cannabis and hemp industries&#8217; approaches to federal and state lobbying have largely failed</strong>. Relying on state ballot initiatives without <strong>securing regulatory control among elected officials (Pro-Cannabis and Pro-Hemp majorities in the legislature and Pro-Cannabis and Pro-Hemp Statewide Constitutional officials: Governor, Attorney General, Lt. Governor and Treasurer)</strong> have proven ineffective and <em>a poor use of financial resources, as legislative bodies have repeatedly stripped beneficial provisions from such measures if they pass</em>. The recent federal actions exemplify the consequences of poor strategic planning and a lack of political realism within these industries. The MAGA Congressional Majority will not support you and the redistricting efforts to increase their numbers will decrease opportunities for Federal legislative support. Trying to convince them to change their views on Cannabis and Hemp is as fruitless as me trying to convince my second ex-wife to date me again, neither effort will result in a positive outcome. Separately, hoping that the Trump Regime will decide to support the Cannabis and Hemp is like hoping to find live Dinosaur eggs so you can build your own Jurassic Park. Neither is going to happen, no matter how much you hope for it.</p><h2>Loss of Veteran Medical Cannabis Protections</h2><p>Another significant setback is the removal of protections for veterans seeking medical cannabis. <strong>Section 261 of the Mil-Con-VA appropriations bill, which would have barred the VA from interfering with veterans&#8217; use of medical cannabis </strong>and allowed VA doctors to recommend cannabis for health issues, <strong>was excluded from the final version of HR 5371.</strong> This provision, previously supported by bipartisan legislators, is now absent, further limiting access for veterans.</p><h2>Industrial Hemp and Research Funding Cutbacks</h2><p>Attempts to support industrial hemp through dialogue and structural reform were also eliminated from the final legislation. Both House and Senate versions initially included measures to develop reports and establish guidelines for an industrial hemp program but were ultimately removed. A <strong>proposed FDA task force on cannabinoid products</strong>, which would have provided much-needed guidelines for the hemp CBD and THC industry, <strong>did not survive the legislative process into the final version of HR 5371</strong>. Additionally, <em><strong>funding for research into psychedelics, which had shown promise in Congress, was cut</strong></em>, affecting advocates in this emerging field.</p><h2>Rescission of Marijuana Charging Guidance: A Return to Enforcement Under Trump Administration</h2><h3>Department of Justice Policy Change</h3><p>With the Trump administration in office, the approach to marijuana possession enforcement has changed. <strong>On September 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice officially rescinded its previous guidance regarding the prosecution of simple marijuana possession cases and is now directing district attorneys to enforce federal prohibition laws related to personal cannabis possession</strong>. As a result, the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Wyoming promptly informed federal law enforcement agencies that marijuana offenses occurring on federal land, including national parks, will now be prosecuted with rigor.</p><h3>Impact of Presidential Pardons</h3><p>This policy shift follows President Biden&#8217;s recent actions, where he pardoned certain U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents for offenses related to simple possession, attempted possession, or use of marijuana. He also directed U.S. Attorneys not to prosecute these offenses, which had led to a significant reduction in federal prosecutions for misdemeanor marijuana charges.</p><h3>Federal Law and Enforcement Perspective: Consequences for Cannabis Possession on Federal Lands</h3><p><strong>U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith emphasized that marijuana possession remains a federal crime</strong>, regardless of the differing laws in various states. <em><strong>He stated, &#8220;The detrimental effects of drugs on our society are undeniable, and I am committed to using every prosecutorial tool available to hold offenders accountable.&#8221;</strong></em> According to Smith, the Trump administration has now restored discretionary enforcement power to U.S. Attorneys. The Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pamela Bondi, considers cannabis use a public safety hazard. Individuals caught with cannabis on national parks and other federal lands will once again face rigorous prosecution.</p><p>GOP Support for Cannabis Legalization Drops to 40% Under Trump</p><p><strong>Republican support for legalizing cannabis in the U.S. has decreased from a peak of 55% in 2023 to 40% in 2025, according to Gallup. </strong>This marks the lowest rate since 2015. Meanwhile, 74% of Republicans believe the Trump administration has made progress tackling illegal drugs, compared to just 12% under Biden in 2023. Gallup analyst Justin McCarthy notes that as Republicans perceive improvement on drug issues, their support for cannabis legalization has declined after stalling near 50% in previous years.</p><h2>The Path Forward: Changemaker Initiative</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg" width="1456" height="722" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:722,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:279185,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/179079486?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IJna!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b654972-b5e9-421d-bd4a-a6ba30db710a_2481x1230.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>With repeated legislative defeats, it is clear that current strategies are not working. The Changemaker Initiative offers a new direction, emphasizing the need for an aggressive electoral strategy, diversifying advocacy, regulatory engagement, and sustained financial support to change the landscape. The path to industry sustainability and growth requires long-term commitment, strategic planning, and active participation in the political process. Support and contributions are essential to effect change and prevent further industry decline. We need your support to make this vision a reality. With your support, we will:</p><p>&#9989; <strong>Mobilize the 70-80 million+ cannabis &amp; hemp-supporting voters</strong></p><p>&#9989; <strong>Fund Super PAC driven political campaigns</strong> to elect pro-cannabis, pro-hemp lawmakers</p><p>&#9989; <strong>Diversify the legislative and regulatory reform push to match the diversity of elected officials</strong></p><p>&#9989; <strong>Fight back against legal attacks on social equity policies</strong></p><p>Those interested in joining the movement and securing a future for cannabis, hemp, and related sectors are encouraged to contact Eric Foster at <a href="mailto:eric@futurepac.today">eric@futurepac.today</a> and learn more at www.futurepac.today.</p><p></p><p><strong>Call to action: Visit &#128153; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/change-maker-initiative1">https://secure.actblue.com/donate/change-maker-initiative1</a> or &#127760; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">https://www.futurepac.today/donate/</a></strong> <strong>and contribute to help us reach the Pro-Cannabis, Pro-Hemp voting majority community in advance of the 2026 and 2027 off-off year elections. Change the Lawmakers, Change the Regulatory Environment and Change your Future, The Changemaker Initiative</strong></p><p><strong>About The Change Maker Initiative</strong></p><p>The <strong>Change Maker Initiative</strong> is the industry&#8217;s <strong>best and only path forward</strong> to secure long-term executive branch and legislative victories and regulatory stability. The current <strong>political and legal landscape is hostile</strong>, but by <strong>learning from the success of the crypto industry</strong>, we can <strong>build an unstoppable political force</strong> that will protect and expand cannabis and hemp industries. The <strong>Change Maker Initiative (CMI)</strong> will shift from a <strong>state-by-state ballot measure and disjointed hope and inference Federal approach</strong> to a <strong>federal and state coordinated electoral office strategy, with voter-industry customer engagement, diversification of lobbying and legal strategies to change the lawmakers and change our future</strong>.</p><p><strong>The time for action is now.</strong> Will your company invest in securing its future? Will your organization stand with us in defending civil rights, economic justice, and cannabis equity?</p><p><strong>Eric Foster</strong> is a Co-Founder of <em>The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow</em>, an African American-founded Super PAC committed to protecting civil liberties and advancing inclusive economic and educational policies. The organization champions a democracy where every citizen can vote freely, safely, and without interference. Learn more at <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/">www.futurepac.today</a> or contact him at <a href="mailto:eric@futurepac.today">eric@futurepac.today</a> </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:255480201,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/hemp-and-cannabis-industries-lost/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Truth Simple Again Podcast: Tariffs & Elections]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dealing with MAGA Lies on how elections work and who pays tariff taxes]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 03:58:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/177297201/da383705e027fa4fffbfa23faca4a025.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s Make Truth Simple Again podcast, I deal with two focal points of the MAGA Dictatorship Regime&#8217;s purposeful lie-fest, <strong>tariffs and elections</strong>. Both lies</p><p>Tariffs installed by Trump are a tax on American businesses and American consumers, period. The tariff tax revenue you collect is from American businesses and American consumers, period. No country is &#8220;charged&#8221; tariffs, it&#8217;s an American MAGA import tax that steals money from American businesses and American consumers, period. </p><p>There is no ambiguity.</p><p>There is no possibility.</p><p>That&#8217;s exactly what tariffs are.</p><p>This type of clarity must be adopted by Pro-American Business interests, Democratic, Independent, 3rd party and Non-MAGA Republican elected officials and Non-MAGA Mainstream and Independent Media. No country, in the history of countries, has paid the tariff taxes for a business in a foreign country to import products from businesses in their country. </p><p>While I didn&#8217;t go into this on my podcast but here&#8217;s an easy real world example that can be used to Make Truth Simple Again. On July 27, 2025, Trump &amp; the MDR &#8220;agreed&#8221; to jack up tariffs on $610 billion worth of European goods from 2.2% to 15%. That&#8217;s a <strong>12.8% tax increase on American businesses and consumers</strong>.</p><p>Let&#8217;s be real: <strong>Europe isn&#8217;t paying that tax&#8212;we are.</strong><br>Walmart? They&#8217;re paying it. Ford? Microsoft? They&#8217;re paying it. And guess what? They&#8217;re passing it on to <em>you</em>. Overall, Trump tariff taxes will cost the <em><strong>average American family $1,300 more this year and $2,000 in 2026</strong></em>. That&#8217;s <strong>stealing your money out of your pocket, not Trump&#8217;s, Scott Bessent&#8217;s or Howard Lutnick&#8217;s pocket.</strong> </p><p>Meanwhile, European companies importing American goods? They&#8217;re getting a break&#8212;taxes cut from 2.7% to zero. You heard that right: <strong>Europe gets a tax cut. America gets a tax hike.</strong> That&#8217;s the MAGA math.</p><p>If this policy had a billboard, it would read: <strong>&#8220;Welcome to MAGA Economics: Now With 12.8% More Screwing You Over.&#8221;</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>The second topic covers addressing the MAGA Dictatorship Regime lies </strong></p><p>Donald Trump, MAGA Dictatorship Regime elected officials across the country, MAGA Supreme Court Justices Alito and Thomas and MAGA Mainstream Media have continued to state multiple lies and false allegations about the 2020 election, lies  claiming that certain states (States that Donald Trump lost in 2020 and North Carolina) broke the law in their administration of the election. They have continued those lies for the 2022 and 2024 elections and in advance of the upcoming 2025 election, 2026 election, 2027 election and 2028 elections. This is all bullshit and nothing that these MAGA folks say is true, no matter if it is the DOJ, MAGA Congressional Subsidiary members of Congress, MDR Governors or MAGA Media officials, it&#8217;s all lies. Yet too often, Traditional Mainstream Media, Democratic and Independent elected officials and Pro-Democracy stakeholders don&#8217;t confront the lies immediately and clearly, so I try to clearly explain the step by step federal and state constitutional law, statutory law, and judicial precedent that can easily crush the lies and rain down truth like the waters of justice. Or as my Grandma Foster used to say, &#8220;they&#8217;re lying and the truth ain&#8217;t in them&#8221;. </p><p>So how do you <em><strong>Make Truth Simple Again on the MAGA election lies?</strong></em> Here&#8217;s the answer in a real simple format.</p><ul><li><p>The election lies that are told by Trump and the MAGA Dictatorship Regime (MDR) are lies. Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, Marbury v. Madison, and Judicial Review, the 10th Amendment, and state constitutions all govern and allow for states to function like the federal government. which requires a Republican form of government, three co-equal branches at the state level, period.</p></li><li><p>State legislatures can&#8217;t operate as a independent, unequal dictatorship body, the Republican form of Government Clause (Article 4, Section 4 of the constitution) requires Co-Equal branches of government, legislatures don&#8217;t have a special get out of the Republican form of government clause card.</p></li><li><p>Everything else that they&#8217;re saying about changes that were made that they say were illegal is a lie. All changes were made legally. Whether you agree with them or not, every change was made legally. None were made illegally.</p></li></ul><p>That&#8217;s it. Direct, simple, truthful and easy. </p><p>What if someone says, <strong>what are those steps that clearly show how every State followed their laws &amp; governance structure to run legally compliant elections? I address them in greater detail but here&#8217;s a brief guide:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Article IV of the Constitution,</strong></p><p><strong>2. The Republican Form of Government Clause in Article IV,</strong></p><p><strong>3. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>4. The 12th, 14th, 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>5. Marbury V. Madison Judicial Review precedent</strong></p><p><strong>6. State Constitutional &amp; Statutory Laws &amp; co-equal Govt. Branches</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Underlying background supporting each step is provided as follows:</strong></p><p><strong>1. Article IV of the Constitution: establishes states as legal, separate governmental bodies from each other and with the Federal Government, also referred to as the States&#8217; Relations Article</strong></p><p><strong>Section 1: </strong>Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.</p><p><strong>Section 2: </strong>The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.</p><p><strong>Implications for Elections:</strong></p><p>Our Federalist Constitutional structure allows <strong>each state</strong> to maintain it&#8217;s <strong>own separate sovereign government</strong>. The Full Faith and Credit Clause requires each state to respect the public acts, records and judicial proceedings of every other state and the separate sovereignties of each individual state. This constitutional provision was upheld in two court cases  (<a href="http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep455/usrep455691/usrep455691.pdf">Underwriters Nat&#8217;l Assurance Co. v. N.C. Life &amp; Accident &amp; Health Ins. Guar. Ass&#8217;n, 455 U.S. 691, 703&#8211;04 (1982)</a> (Ours is a union of States, each having its own judicial system capable of adjudicating the rights and responsibilities of the parties brought before it.) and V.L. v. E.L., 577 U.S. 404, 407 (2016)<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a> (per curiam) (explaining that the Full Faith and Credit Clause alter[s] the status of the several states as independent foreign sovereignties, each free to ignore obligations created under the laws or by the judicial proceedings of the others, and to make them integral parts of a single nation)). </p><p><strong>2. The Republican Form of Government Clause in Article IV: </strong><em><strong>The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. </strong></em><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Constitutional Basis:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Article IV, Section 4:</strong> Guarantees every state a &#8220;Republican Form of Government,&#8221; ensuring states maintain systems of governance that are representative and accountable to the people.</p></li><li><p>A core principle of a <strong>Republic government is the establishment of co-equal branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial)</strong> to prevent the concentration of power and provide checks and balances, i.e. State Governments can&#8217;t become Dictatorships or Monarchies and one branch (the legislature as argued by the MDR under the Independent State Legislatures Theory) can&#8217;t execute unchecked, unquestioned power above the other branches. An implied condition of Article IV, Sec. 4&#8217;s Republican Governance Clause is the establishment of State Constitutions, to further codify the division of co-equal governmental branches and their separation of powers. </p></li></ul><p><strong>Implications for Elections:</strong></p><ul><li><p>States must conduct elections that are free, fair, and reflect the will of the people. The three co-equal branches of state governments have a shared role in the execution of elections and the <strong>constraints of Co-Equal Governance cannot be dispatched</strong>, as is argued through the Independent State Legislature Doctrine. The <strong>Republican form of government&#8217;s Co-Equal Governance Doctrine requirement</strong> underpins the legality of adapting election procedures to ensure accessibility and integrity.</p></li></ul><p><strong>3. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution</strong></p><p><strong>Tenth Amendment:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Federalism Principle:</strong> Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states, including the administration of elections.</p></li><li><p><strong>State Authority:</strong> States have the authoritative primary responsibility for conducting elections, allowing them to tailor processes to their specific needs and legal contexts.</p></li></ul><p><strong>4. The 12th, 14th, 15th, 19th and 26th Amendments of the Constitution</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Principle:</strong> Establishes the structure for Presidential elections, defines equal protection rights under law, codifies that the right to vote shall not be denied or discriminated against, codifies that a woman&#8217;s right to vote shall not be denied or discriminated against and codifies that a citizen between the ages of 18 to 21 shall not be denied or discriminated against.</p></li><li><p><strong>Application:</strong> Establishes formal procedures for electing a President, codifies that the right to vote shall not be denied by race, gender or ages above 18 years old and establishes equal protection remedies to efforts to deny or abridge your right to vote. What is missing is tying the right to vote as a grant of American citizenship, currently the right to vote is governed as a grant of your state of residence.</p></li></ul><p><strong>5. Marbury V. Madison (1803) Judicial Review precedent:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Principle:</strong> Established the principle of judicial review, allowing courts to interpret the constitutionality of laws and actions.</p></li><li><p><strong>Application:</strong> Courts reviewed and upheld state actions and modifications to election laws during the 2020 election, ensuring they were consistent with constitutional and statutory requirements.</p></li></ul><p><strong>6. State Constitutional &amp; Statutory Laws &amp; co-equal Govt. Branches</strong></p><p><strong>State Constitutions:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Provisions for Elections:</strong> Most state constitutions include detailed provisions regarding the administration of elections, empowering state officials and defining the roles and responsibilities of state and local officials to ensure the proper conduct of elections.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Example:</strong> The California Constitution grants the Secretary of State the authority to oversee and administer elections, providing flexibility in how elections are conducted.</p></li><li><p><strong>Examples:</strong> Some states have specific clauses addressing election emergencies, mail-in voting, and the certification process.</p></li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>State Statutes:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Adaptability:</strong> State legislatures passed laws to address the challenges posed by the pandemic, such as expanding mail-in voting, extending deadlines, and modifying polling place procedures.</p></li><li><p><strong>Precedents:</strong> These actions were consistent with the states&#8217; powers to ensure safe and accessible elections.</p></li></ul><p>State legislatures and the State Executive branch both abide by the independent arbiter role of the State Judiciary as the third branch of State Government &amp; separation of Powers Doctrine/Constitutional language of the State in question.</p><p></p><p><strong>Specific State Statutory Laws and State Constitutional Amendments governing election administration:</strong></p><p><strong>California</strong></p><p>California&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 8, and Article V, Section 1) and statutory laws (California Elections Code Sections 10 and 3021, and the California Emergency Services Act, Government Code Sections 8558 and 8627) empower state officials to administer elections and issue emergency orders.</p><p><strong>Georgia</strong></p><p>Georgia&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 1, and Article V, Section II) and statutory laws (Georgia Election Code Sections 21-2-50 and 21-2-386, and the Georgia Emergency Management Act, O.C.G.A. &#167; 38-3-51) grant the necessary authority to manage and modify election procedures.</p><p><strong>Pennsylvania</strong></p><p>Pennsylvania&#8217;s Constitution (Article VII, Section 14, and Article IV, Section 2) and statutory laws (Pennsylvania Election Code, 25 P.S. &#167; 2621, and Act 77 of 2019, and the Emergency Management Services Code, 35 Pa. C.S. &#167; 7301) support state officials&#8217; actions to ensure fair elections.</p><p><strong>Texas</strong></p><p>Texas&#8217;s Constitution (Article IV, Sections 1 and 8) and statutory laws (Texas Election Code Sections 31.001 and 86.001, and the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, Texas Government Code &#167;&#167; 418.014 and 418.016) provide the framework for election administration and emergency measures.</p><p><strong>Michigan</strong></p><p>Michigan&#8217;s Constitution (Article II, Section 4, and Article V, Section 1) and statutory laws (Michigan Election Law, MCL 168.21 and 168.759, and the Michigan Emergency Management Act, MCL 30.403) empower state officials to oversee elections and adapt to emergencies.</p><p>Just to be clear and direct, all of the 2020 General election voting procedure modifications (39 States made modifications to voting procedures including 19 States won by Trump &amp; 20 States won by President Biden) and Absentee/mail-in voting procedure modifications (37 States made modifications to absentee/mail-in voting procedures including 16 States won by Trump and 21 States won by President Biden)<a href="#_ftn1">[1]</a><a href="#_ftn2">[2]</a> went through the existing election Statutory laws, administrative rules making processes, Statutory &amp; Constitutionally granted powers of the Executive Branch and litigation processes as defined by State Judicial Laws and procedures along with any judicial rulings preventing adoption of modifications. Everything was legal. So to sum up:</p><ol><li><p>None of the election administration actions taken were outside of their State constitutional authority. </p></li><li><p>No state &#8220;violated&#8221; federal law in making sovereign state decisions on elections administration.</p></li><li><p>State executive and judicial branches have equal jurisdiction over election administration with state legislatures because state governments are established via Article IV, Section 4 of the </p></li><li><p>Only legally registered American citizen voters voted in 2020, 2024 and will vote in future elections, even though the right to vote isn&#8217;t a constitutional or statutorily codified right of citizenship.</p></li></ol><div><hr></div><p><a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/464/">https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/577/464/</a></p><div><hr></div><p><a href="#_ftnref1">[1]</a> <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_election_dates,_procedures,_and_administration_in_response_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020">https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_election_dates,_procedures,_and_administration_in_response_to_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020</a>; <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-mail-voting-policies-in-effect-for-the-2020-election.aspx">https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-mail-voting-policies-in-effect-for-the-2020-election.aspx</a></p><p><a href="#_ftnref2">[2]</a> <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-2020-0">https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/voting-laws-roundup-2020-0</a> </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-podcast-tariffs?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="directMessage button" data-attrs="{&quot;userId&quot;:255480201,&quot;userName&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;canDm&quot;:null,&quot;dmUpgradeOptions&quot;:null,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}" data-component-name="DirectMessageToDOM"></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The 68 Percent Majority Can Save America — Join the Fight Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[We at The Future &#8211; Today & Tomorrow Super PAC have been working directly with and through public communications, to encourage Congressional Democratic and Independent members in the U.S.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 04:07:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/176890868/afff523068de532e6399febdc461c3bd.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We at The <strong>Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC</strong> have been working directly with and through public communications, to encourage Congressional Democratic and Independent members in the U.S. Senate to who caucus with Democrats to stand firm against any MAGA Dictatorship Regime continuing resolution and fiscal year 2026 budget that defunds healthcare and continues to expand the MDR&#8217;s Dictatorship implementation plans. We have also been pushing the Democratic Congressional caucus to expand the governmental operations battle beyond healthcare to the weaponizing government against Non-MAGA Americans, while accepting who MAGA Congressional members are, fighting every MAGA lie and focusing on the Non-MAGA majority to save our Constitutional Republic and Representative Democracy American government.</p><p>In today&#8217;s podcast, I discuss our four part approach to building upon the current moment and why we need your support to further our work in the Pro-Democracy fight. The steps include:</p><p><strong>Stop the MAGA Budget and Title 10 Abuses</strong></p><p>The MAGA Dictatorship Regime is using federal power as a weapon against Democratic-majority states and cities. Democratic and Independent members of Congress must reject any 2026 budget or continuing resolution that funds Title 10 abuses, illegal domestic and international military deployments, or the federalization of National Guards without governor consent and doesn&#8217;t include the immediate withdrawal of troops and National Guard units from Democratic-majority communities and the restoration of education and local government funding stripped from the FY 2025 budget.</p><p>Our demand: <strong>Defund authoritarianism, restore education and local aid, and end domestic military deployment under false pretenses.</strong></p><p>This is a line in the sand. Democrats and Independents must stand together.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Expose the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary (They are not Republicans anymore)</strong></p><p>Every elected official who still calls themselves Republican but votes in lockstep with Trump&#8217;s MAGA Dictatorship regime and defends every Dictatorial action of the MDR, has made their choice. They are not hostages. They are accomplices.</p><p>Their behind the scenes words may sound cautious, but their votes and public actions empower repression. Stop pretending these are allies who can be persuaded. They aren&#8217;t coming back.</p><p>This isn&#8217;t about partisan politics; it&#8217;s about defending democracy itself.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>Fight Back with Truth and Courage</strong></p><p>When MAGA voices try to dominate culture, media, and public space, we respond with unapologetic clarity. Find your inner Gandalf and do not let their attacks pass. </p><p>They fear diverse voices like Bad Bunny because his success represents a multicultural America they cannot control. They want silence from everyone who isn&#8217;t them.</p><p>We say no. We defend the right to speak, create, and live freely.</p><p>Truth must be louder than propaganda&#8212;and we&#8217;re building that megaphone.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The 68 Percent Majority Is the Future</strong></p><p>Only 32 percent of eligible voters (77,302,508 votes) chose the MAGA Dictatorship Regime in 2024. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png" width="1456" height="868" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:868,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:148823,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/176890868?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yVxF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc43d4e76-96da-4ad6-bdaa-e5025db05a73_1979x1180.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The other 68 percent&#8212;those who voted for Vice President Harris, voted third-party, down-ballot only, or didn&#8217;t vote (<strong>164,295,439 eligible voters</strong>)&#8212;are America&#8217;s real center. It&#8217;s not about winning back MAGA voters; it&#8217;s about <strong>mobilizing the non-MAGA majority</strong>&#8212;the Democrats, Independent 3<sup>rd</sup> party, Non-MAGA Republican, moderates, progressives, independents, and non-voters who still believe in equality, opportunity, and constitutional governance.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png" width="1456" height="1155" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1155,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:142265,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/176890868?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xELz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec877186-a8e4-4de9-8e11-3cacd0628757_1665x1321.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>That&#8217;s who we&#8217;re organizing. That&#8217;s who we&#8217;re speaking to.</p><p>At The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC, we are mobilizing that 68 percent to reclaim the narrative, the ballot box, and the budget. We are building the economic and voting power that can stop MAGA authoritarianism.</p><p>This is the movement. <strong>Join it. Fund it. Share it.</strong></p><p>&#127760; Donate today &#8594; <a href="https://www.futurepac.today/donate/">FuturePAC.today/donate</a><br>&#128153; or via ActBlue &#8594; <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">ActBlue Donation Page</a></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The takeaway:</strong><br>It&#8217;s time for the 68 percent majority to act like the majority. Together we can defend democracy, truth, and freedom.</p><p><strong>Join the fight today.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/</p><p></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Common Sense by Eric Foster is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-68-percent-majority-can-save/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p><br><br></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Truth Simple Again: The Four Fronts of America’s Pro-Democracy Fight]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are in a deeply damaging political state.]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-the-four</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-the-four</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 02:55:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/176382959/b23bdcb6-09aa-426e-b654-db42ed3429ed/transcoded-00001.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are in a deeply damaging political state. As of October 2025, our country faces a federal government controlled by a movement that has abandoned the rule of law and representative democracy. We must be clear eyed and accept the reality that we&#8217;re fighting against. There are four key areas that we must integrate into messaging and communications around the current Federal budget fight to expand opportunities to build a sustainable coalition:</p><p><strong>1&#65039;&#8419; Stand Firm Against the MAGA Budget and Title 10 Abuse </strong></p><p><strong>2&#65039;&#8419; The MAGA Congressional Subsidiary Has Chosen Its Side </strong></p><p><strong>3&#65039;&#8419; Stop Negotiating with MAGA Zombies &#8212; Speak Truth and Stand Firm</strong></p><p><strong>4&#65039;&#8419; The 68 Percent Is America&#8217;s Real Center</strong></p><p>Let&#8217;s consider how to approach each pillar into a winning model.</p><p><strong>Stand Firm Against the MAGA Budget and Title 10 Abuse</strong></p><p>The first front of this fight is clear: Democrats and Independents in Congress must reject any continuing resolution or Fiscal Year 2026 budget that enables the <strong>MAGA Dictatorship Regime (MDR)</strong>. This is about more than healthcare or spending levels. It&#8217;s about stopping the weaponization of federal power against Democratic-majority cities, counties, and states.</p><p>Congress must prohibit funding for <strong>Title 10 abuses</strong>, prevent the federalization of <strong>state National Guards without governor consent</strong>, and block any use of the <strong>Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)</strong> to justify domestic military operations or illegal foreign interventions, like the current illegal undeclared war with Venezuela and reaching into Columbia. It&#8217;s time to <strong>defund the MDR&#8217;s authoritarianism</strong>.</p><p>We must demand the immediate withdrawal of troops and National Guard units from Democratic-majority communities and the restoration of education and local government funding stripped from the FY 2025 budget.</p><p>Make it simple. <strong>Make Truth Simple Again.</strong></p><div><hr></div><p><strong>The MAGA Congressional Subsidiary Has Chosen Its Side</strong></p><p>Some still hope that the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary will rediscover its conscience&#8212;that former Republicans in the House and Senate might stand up to the MAGA Dictatorship Regime. But my grandmother Foster always said: <em>&#8220;The words people say are important, but their actions tell you what they truly believe.&#8221;</em></p><p>Their actions are unmistakable. They&#8217;ve voted to erode rights, mocked representative democracy, and justified tyranny. These are not frightened legislators acting under duress. They are willing participants in a political project that despises equality, pluralism, and dissent.</p><p>Stop waiting for a moral awakening that will never come. The truth is simple: <strong>they want this government of fear and control</strong>.</p><p>Like a character in a zombie movie&#8212;once bitten, they&#8217;ve turned. In a nutshell, Jimmy is gone, he&#8217;s going to turn into a zombie, nothing you can do about it. You can&#8217;t reason with them, that will get you bitten by your former friend or surrounded by other zombies. You can only <strong>contain their damage</strong> by defeating them at the ballot box and confronting every lie with unapologetic truth.</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-the-four">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Future – Today & Tomorrow Super PAC Press Statement on the No Kings Rallies on October 18, 2025]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Future &#8211; Today & Tomorrow Super PAC condemns MAGA Lies about the No Kings Protest, Calls on the Non-MAGA American to let your voices be heard by the MAGA Regime]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 05:32:57 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg" width="1060" height="596" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:596,&quot;width&quot;:1060,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:122385,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/176471691?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I7Nu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb7f748cc-0e20-4f5c-b9d4-80e588102925_1060x596.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><strong>Washington, D.C.</strong> October 17, 2025 &#8212; In advance of the Saturday October 18 2025 No Kings protests, The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC today condemns the MAGA &#8220;Republican&#8221; Congressional members and Trump Administration, which we refer to as the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary (MCS) members and MAGA Dictatorship Regime&#8217;s (MDR) lies about the participants and organizers of the No Kings protests motivation and resistance to the actions of the MDR, the MCS and the MAGA Mainstream Media. The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow uses these terms purposely because the members of the MAGA Dictatorship movement don&#8217;t represent the real Republican party of Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, former Congressional members Adam Kinzinger &amp; Liz Cheney, Michael Steele, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Jack Kemp, William Milliken, President&#8217;s Eisenhower, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, Gerald Ford, U.S. Grant and should not be referenced as Republicans or the Republican Party.</p><p>Over the past two weeks, Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Steve Scalise, Rep. Lisa McClain and Rep. Tom Emmer, Senator Roger Marshall and Senator Refael &#8220;Ted&#8221; Cruz among other members of the MCS party, along with MAGA Governors and Donald Trump have spread vicious lies about the No Kings protest and the American citizens participating in the 2,600 protest around America. The MDR and MCS claims that No Kings is a hate America event, and both the people protesting and people who oppose the policies of Donald Trump, are Anti-American, active terrorists, violent paid insurrectionists and Pro-Hamas Marxists. We at the Future Today and Tomorrow Super PAC, condemn these heinous, dehumanizing attacks on Non-MAGA Americans and demand that the MDR and MCS retract their lies about Non-MAGA Americans. We don&#8217;t believe these attacks from the MDR and MCS are reflective of their being &#8220;afraid&#8221;, we see these as purposeful actions by the MAGA Dictatorship Regime&#8217;s view that Non-MAGA Americans aren&#8217;t citizens and criminalizing their dissent as mandatory to their actions. Real American patriotism, love of Country and citizenship are not defined by who you voted for.</p><p>&#8220;The fact that members of Trump&#8217;s MAGA Dictatorship Regime (MDR) and the MAGA Congressional Subsidiary (MCS) purposely lie, target and vilify the 169,295,439 Non-MAGA American eligible voters, Non-MAGA elected officials, Democratic majority voting cities, counties &amp; states proves the MDR/MCS agenda is to turn America into a permanent MAGA Dictatorship,&#8221; says Eric Foster, co-founder of The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC. &#8220;It is essential to address and correct lies regarding alleged &#8220;left-wing violence&#8221; and inciteful lies regarding communities with Democratic voting majorities. The rights of the Non-MAGA majority should be actively upheld by Democrats, Non-MAGA Republicans, and organizations that support democratic principles in a clear and direct manner.&#8221;</p><p>By representative actions of voting or not voting for, the Non-MAGA American majority voting eligible majority includes:</p><ol><li><p>75,017,613 Americans voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, 31.05% of the eligible Citizen voting population.</p></li><li><p>2,918,109 Americans voted for 3rd party Presidential candidates, 1.21% of the eligible Citizen voting population.</p></li><li><p>1,398,093 Americans voted for candidates for offices outside of the Presidential contest, 0.58% of the eligible Citizen voting population.</p></li><li><p>84,961,624 Eligible Adult U.S. Citizens who could vote and didn&#8217;t in the 2024 Presidential election equals 35.17% of all eligible citizen voters.</p></li></ol><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png" width="1456" height="1155" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1155,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:142265,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/176471691?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M4iI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb0c49317-8178-4611-b7c9-ca180ab75bfa_1665x1321.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The four groups total 164,295,439 American eligible voters, which is equal to 68% of the 241,598,019 eligible voting age American citizens at the 2024 Presidential election. Conversely, the 77,302,580 Trump voters are only 32% of all eligible citizen voters.</p><p>You, one of the Vice President Harris voters, 3<sup>rd</sup> party POTUS voters, down-ballot only voters or eligible non-voters, as American citizen have the right to speak as you choose, to voice concerns, boycott, protest and vote against the current leader and the Anti-American Dictatorship vision of the MAGA movement, is the antithesis of who our country has been and must continue to be. We call on the 164,295,439 American, eligible, citizen voters, who in 2024 did not vote for Donald Trump and the MAGA regime to first, come out to tomorrow&#8217;s No Kings Protests, which you can find protest scheduled near you at https://www.nokings.org/ </p><p>. Second, call the office numbers of every MCS &#8220;former Republican&#8221; member of Congress, but specifically, those who have used the denaturalizing inciteful rhetoric, to respectfully demand that they stop demonizing you and calling you terrorists and anti-American hating criminals, while letting them know that you don&#8217;t agree with these characterization and want you and your communities to be treated with humanity and respect.</p><p>We&#8217;re including a link to a detailed spreadsheet with every member of Congress, with phone numbers for every office along with detailed demographic and voting history information about their district or State <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17t4PM_5gXjb3ZlTCaJdbpXzGgGi2vqZ2?usp=sharing">Congressional Directory &#8211; Contact &amp; Demographic information 10-17-2025</a> .</p><p>You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard for all members of Congress:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Phone number:</strong> (202) 224-3121.</p></li><li><p>When you call, ask the operator to be connected to your representative or senator by name.</p></li></ul><p>We recommend calling your Representative and Senator in your district and state first. We also encourage you to call other members offices in your state or other states because while they may not represent you, you are a citizen and have the right to share your views with every member of the U.S. House and Senate. We also encourage immigrants to speak up and contact the members of Congress that represent you. Your voice is important and critical as well.</p><p>Stand up, make your voice heard, let these people know that you are Americans as well, and that it is not okay to be dehumanized, demonized, and lied upon. Your voice matters and raising your voice is the essence of who America is. That&#8217;s what we at the Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow&#8217;s Super PAC believe is a critical, important part of how we continue to stand against the dictatorship tactics of the former Republican Party now the MDR with its MCS subsidiary in Congress. For more information, visit https://www.futurepac.today We look forward to working with you, to raise the voice of the Non-MAGA majority. </p><p></p><p>Contact: Eric Foster, Co-Founder &amp; Spokesperson</p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC</p><p>248- 996-5553</p><p>eric@futurepac.today </p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/</p><p>Paid for by The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow (https://www.futurepac.today/) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.</p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/the-future-today-and-tomorrow-super-8be/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Truth Simple Again — In Action: How to Deconstruct MAGA Lies on Crime and Healthcare]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Purpose of MTSA in Action]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 22:16:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/175831504/126e249926908f0ae44040661db94b75.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>The Purpose of MTSA in Action</strong></p><p>Every successful communications doctrine is measured not by how it sounds in a seminar, but by how it performs under fire.<br>The <em>Make Truth Simple Again (MTSA)</em> framework developed by The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC was never meant to live only in theory. It was built for <strong>real-time confrontation with political lies</strong>&#8212;for those moments when misinformation floods the airwaves before facts even make the morning news.</p><p>Trump&#8217;s MAGA Dictatorship Regime (MDR) and its MAGA Congressional Subsidiary (MCS) specialize in this tactic. They generate lies at campaign speed and force the pro-democracy majority to waste entire news cycles defending the obvious. MTSA corrects that imbalance by turning truth into a <strong>professional discipline</strong>, not a reactive scramble.</p><p>Two examples that I touch on in my video&#8212;MAGA&#8217;s lies about <em>crime in blue cities</em> and <em>Democrats supposedly giving healthcare to undocumented immigrants</em>&#8212;gives precise examples on how MTSA should work in action.</p><p><strong>Case Study One &#8212; &#8220;Crime in Democratic-Majority Cities&#8221;</strong></p><p>The MDR/MCS communications machine thrives on fear. &#8220;Blue cities are collapsing,&#8221; they claim, pointing to selective clips of violence or law enforcement failures.<br>It&#8217;s the oldest authoritarian dictatorship trick: <strong>invent chaos, then promise order.</strong></p><p><strong>The Reality</strong></p><p>Data shows that 85&#8211;90% of neighborhoods in cities like Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles are <em>crime-free on any given day.</em> Crime is overwhelmingly proximity based, traditionally and currently located in specific regions of a city, not on every block. Yet, by saturating media feeds with isolated incidents, MAGA transforms statistical rarity into emotional certainty.</p><p><strong>MTSA in Action</strong></p><p>When confronted with this narrative, <em>Make Truth Simple Again</em> communicators execute the four-step protocol:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Check the Lie:</strong><br>Identify whether the claim is factual.<br>&#8594; Example: &#8220;Democratic controlled cities are the most dangerous cities in America.&#8221;<br>&#9989; <em>Check:</em> FBI Uniform Crime Reports show year-over-year violent crime declines in major Democratic-led cities.</p></li><li><p><strong>Call the Lie a Lie:</strong><br>Don&#8217;t debate exaggeration&#8212;label it.<br>&#8594; &#8220;That&#8217;s a lie. Crime in Democratic-led cities has decreased, not increased.&#8221;<br>Calling out the deception reframes authority: it tells the public that truth has a spine.</p></li><li><p><strong>State the Truth:</strong><br>Deliver verifiable data in one sentence:<br>&#8594; &#8220;On any given day, at least eighty-five percent of Urban neighborhoods experience no daily crime; the real threat is MAGA&#8217;s attack on public safety funding.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Repeat Steps 1&#8211;3:</strong><br>Repetition professionalizes truth. Each retelling strengthens recall and inoculates audiences against the next iteration of the same lie.</p></li></ol><p>That&#8217;s MTSA&#8217;s advantage: it doesn&#8217;t let lies set the rhythm.</p><p><strong>Case Study Two &#8212; &#8220;Healthcare for Undocumented Immigrants&#8221;</strong></p><p>Recently, MDR/MCS leaders accused Democrats of refusing to pass the MAGA continuing budget resolution because &#8220;Democrats want to give free healthcare to illegal immigrants.&#8221;<br>It&#8217;s a deliberate wedge narrative&#8212;mixing xenophobia, economic fear, and misinformation into one potent soundbite.</p><p><strong>The Reality</strong></p><p>Under <strong>federal statutory law since 1996</strong>, undocumented immigrants <strong>cannot receive federal healthcare benefits</strong>. Not under Medicaid. Not under the ACA. Not under any U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule.</p><p>Yet this falsehood resurfaces every budget cycle because the MDR/MCS apparatus counts on Democrats responding with policy essays instead of decisive rebuttals.</p><p>For example, during a contentious back and forth with a MAGA Mainstream Media reporter, Congresswoman Maxine Waters was asked &#8220;why Democrats were demanding healthcare for &#8220;illegal immigrants&#8221; (which is a lie). Congresswoman Waters, being exasperated by the reporters lies said, &#8220;Democrats are demanding health care for everybody.&#8221; Congresswoman Waters well-meaning statement has been turned into lies by MAGA Mainstream Media and the response to the lies hasn&#8217;t been direct and clear, not general and open to malicious MAGA intent.</p><p><strong>MTSA in Action</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>Immediately Check the Lie:</strong><br>&#8594; &#8220;That claim is false. Undocumented immigrants have been barred from federal benefits since 1996 under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Call the Lie a Lie:</strong><br>&#8594; &#8220;Your question is a lie. Even before 1996, federal department rules already excluded undocumented immigrants from these programs.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>State the Truth:</strong><br>&#8594; &#8220;Our bill restores healthcare funding for <em>citizens and documented immigrants only</em>&#8212;the very people who lost coverage under MAGA&#8217;s budget cuts.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Repeat Steps 1&#8211;3.</strong><br>&#8594; Keep every response identical across interviews, social posts, and talking points. Repetition turns accuracy into muscle memory for your audience.</p></li></ol><p>MTSA reframes defensive communication into offensive precision. Instead of drowning in context, it turns truth into choreography.</p><p><strong>From Framework to Field Discipline</strong></p><p>Every press secretary, surrogate, and social media communicator should be trained in this four-step truth protocol. The goal isn&#8217;t just to rebut MDR/MCS lies; it&#8217;s to <strong>disrupt their narrative economy</strong>&#8212;to make lying cost time, credibility, and oxygen.</p><p>Here&#8217;s how organizations can institutionalize MTSA:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Create an MDR Briefing Unit:</strong> a rapid-response team that monitors emerging misinformation and drafts standard 4-step replies within 12 hours.</p></li><li><p><strong>Develop an MCS Library:</strong> short, repeatable message templates that any spokesperson can deploy verbatim.</p></li><li><p><strong>Cross-Train Local Messengers:</strong> community leaders and content creators should practice repeating identical phrases. That consistency converts local credibility into national narrative reinforcement.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Why the 4-Step MTSA Method Works</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>It&#8217;s neurologically efficient.</strong><br>Audiences remember structured repetition better than abstract correction.</p></li><li><p><strong>It&#8217;s emotionally confident.</strong><br>Labeling lies signals moral clarity, not anger.</p></li><li><p><strong>It&#8217;s media-optimized.</strong><br>Journalists quote crisp rebuttals, not dissertations.</p></li></ol><p>MTSA doesn&#8217;t dilute truth&#8212;it <em>distills</em> it.</p><p><strong>From the Communications Frontline</strong></p><p>Every day, communicators face MDR/MCS narratives that blend fear with falsehood.<br>When you apply MTSA&#8217;s steps&#8212;check, call, state, repeat&#8212;you don&#8217;t just respond to misinformation; you teach the public how to recognize it.</p><p><em>Truth is contagious when delivered with discipline.</em></p><p><strong>Closing Call</strong></p><p>The <em>Make Truth Simple Again</em> model works only when practiced.<br>Don&#8217;t wait for the next press cycle&#8212;apply it now.</p><p>We at The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow can work with Pro-Democracy stakeholders, Democratic party officials and candidates and other stakeholders who have interest. Visit our website or email me at <a href="mailto:eric@futurepac.today">eric@futurepac.today</a> or contribute to our Super PAC <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/donate/the-future-today---tomorrow-1">The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC</a> so we can get into the communications echo system. <br>Because every unchallenged lie becomes tomorrow&#8217;s headline, and every clear truth becomes tomorrow&#8217;s defense.</p><p>Make Truth Simple Again. Repeat until free.</p><p></p><p>By <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg">Eric Foster</a></strong></p><p>Co-Founder The <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-today-tomorrow/">Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</a></strong> Super Pac</p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/ </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/make-truth-simple-again-in-action/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Say No to MAGA’s Budget of Dictatorship]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Government Shutdown Manufactured by the MAGA Dictatorship regime and their MAGA Congressional Subsidiary]]></description><link>https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Common Sense by Eric Foster]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 2025 05:06:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ALB4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc4a6a8e6-937f-4ecc-8beb-ac41d79642bf_1665x1321.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On October 1, 2025, the federal government shut down after negotiations over the fiscal year 2026 budget collapsed. The immediate dispute focused on health care: Democrats demanded permanent extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversal of Medicaid cuts, while Republicans insisted these policies be excluded from the continuing resolution.</p><p>The shutdown is not just about dollars. It is about democracy. Donald Trump has weaponized the budget process to advance authoritarian control, revoking congressionally approved funding, threatening to federalize the National Guard, and calling America&#8217;s largest Democratic-majority cities &#8220;invasion zones.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Trump&#8217;s Authoritarian Rhetoric Made Plain</strong></p><p>Speaking to U.S. military leadership at Quantico on September 30, Trump declared:</p><ul><li><p><em>&#8220;We are under invasion from within&#8230; they don&#8217;t wear uniforms. At least when they&#8217;re wearing a uniform, you can take them out.&#8221;</em></p></li><li><p><em>&#8220;We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard&#8230; we&#8217;re going into Chicago very soon.&#8221;</em></p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg" width="866" height="327" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:327,&quot;width&quot;:866,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:51356,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/175070182?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gKkz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9a19c366-d1b4-43da-a139-b81fbe0990e9_866x327.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>These are not slips of the tongue. They are directions and they are targeting Democratic voters and Non-MAGA Americans. Trump has already declared crime emergencies in Washington, D.C., sent federal forces into Memphis, and sought to override governors in deploying troops. His words put cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles directly in the crosshairs.</p><p><strong>The Stakes for Democratic majority voting cities and people who live in them</strong></p><p>At upcoming <strong>Mayoral and City Council Candidate Forum in cities like Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Albuquerque and other Democratic majority voting cities</strong>, candidates must be asked: what would they do if our city was treated as a military training ground, or if civic protest were labeled an &#8220;invasion&#8221;? These questions are not theoretical &#8212; they reflect the lived threats of a President who views Democratic-led cities as battlefields and their American residents as &#8220;the enemy within.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg" width="923" height="422" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:422,&quot;width&quot;:923,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:107594,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/i/175070182?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hzlE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7a2f3fde-5f50-4e61-97f5-ebbf3ee80a74_923x422.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Boston, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Durham, Portland and the other cities Trump and MAGA are targeting are not an &#8220;invasion zones&#8221; and the residents are not &#8220;enemy combatants.&#8221; They are American cities, home to American citizens who voted overwhelmingly for Vice President Harris and Democracy in 2024, part of the <strong>164,295,437 Americans &#8212; 68% of the electorate &#8212; who did not choose Trump&#8217;s MAGA agenda</strong>. The Non-MAGA citizen voting eligible majority that Trump calls the &#8220;radical left lunatics&#8221; and &#8220;insurrectionists&#8221; that requires Trump using the military before they &#8220;get out of control&#8221;? They are comprised of four specific voting consumer groups out of the 241,598,019 eligible voting-age citizens from the 2024 Presidential election and include:</p><p>o <strong>75,017,613</strong> voted for Kamala Harris <strong>(31.05%).</strong></p><p>o <strong>2,918,109</strong> voted for third-party Presidential candidates <strong>(1.21%).</strong></p><p>o <strong>1,398,093</strong> voted only down-ballot, skipping the presidency <strong>(0.58%).</strong></p><p>o <strong>84,961,624</strong> didn&#8217;t vote at all <strong>(35.17%).</strong></p><div class="image-gallery-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;gallery&quot;:{&quot;images&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c4a6a8e6-937f-4ecc-8beb-ac41d79642bf_1665x1321.png&quot;},{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6529d973-37b0-4598-9912-b21657a8f68b_1429x1322.png&quot;}],&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;staticGalleryImage&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b5f77bc1-5257-42e1-b413-ae1b74368b1c_1456x720.png&quot;}},&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>These American citizens and the places they live in deserve a federal government that treats them as citizens and partners, not enemy combatants that need military occupation.</p><p><strong>Democratic Demands: Health Care, Housing, and Fair Funding</strong></p><p>Congressional Democrats have made clear demands in CR and FY26 budget negotiations:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Extend ACA subsidies</strong> permanently.</p></li><li><p><strong>Reverse Medicaid cuts</strong> that threaten to leave millions uninsured.</p></li><li><p><strong>Increase affordable housing funding</strong>, from tenant assistance to homeless grants.</p></li><li><p><strong>End Trump&#8217;s budgetary impoundments</strong> and restore Congress&#8217; constitutional spending power.</p></li></ul><p>But these are the minimum. They are essential, but they are not enough.</p><p><strong>What Must Be Added: Four Non-Negotiables</strong></p><p>We at The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC urges Democrats in both chambers to expand their demands to include:</p><ol><li><p><strong>End the illegal military invasions</strong> of Democratic-majority cities by withdrawing from occupied areas and halting planned deployments.</p></li><li><p><strong>Block any funding</strong> that could be used for Title 10 deployments of U.S. military forces against American citizens.</p></li><li><p><strong>Prevent statutory override</strong> of governors&#8217; authority to control their National Guards unless a true statutory emergency exists.</p></li><li><p><strong>Restore education funding</strong> at all levels &#8212; state, local, K-12, and higher ed &#8212; slashed in Trump&#8217;s FY25 budget.</p></li></ol><p>These are not policy riders. They are the minimum conditions for preventing the weaponization of the budget against American communities.</p><p><strong>Why Democrats Must Hold the Line</strong></p><p>Every continuing resolution, every concession, gives Trump leverage to deepen his authoritarian project. He has already signed executive orders for &#8220;quick reaction forces&#8221; to quell civil disturbances. He has praised ICE crackdowns as proof of &#8220;restoring civilization.&#8221; He has dehumanized Democratic members of Congress, governors, and mayors as &#8220;radical left enemies.&#8221;</p><p>The Democratic Caucus must respond with clarity: <strong>no continuing resolution, no FY26 budget, unless it protects Americans from authoritarian misuse.</strong></p><p>This is not a negotiation between parties. It is a test of whether elected Democrats will fight for the <strong>75,017,613 Democratic voters</strong> who chose Vice President Harris in 2024, and for the 164 million Americans who didn&#8217;t choose Trump&#8217;s MAGA dictatorship.</p><p><strong>A Call to Action</strong></p><p>We call on every Democratic Senator and Representative:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Vote no</strong> on any &#8220;clean&#8221; continuing resolution that fails to reverse cuts, restore Congress&#8217; spending power, and protect Americans from military invasion.</p></li><li><p><strong>Vote no</strong> on any FY26 budget that does not end impoundments, restore funding to cities and schools, and block Trump&#8217;s authoritarian deployments.</p></li><li><p><strong>Name and claim the majority.</strong> Stop negotiating as if Democrats are on defense. Represent the actual majority of Americans who reject authoritarianism and MAGA Dictatorship governance.</p></li></ul><p><strong>The Non-MAGA Majority is Watching</strong></p><p>The American people are not powerless. They see the shutdown for what it is: manufactured chaos to normalize authoritarian control. They see the threats to turn their neighborhoods into &#8220;training grounds.&#8221; They see their health care, housing, and schools at risk from budget games.</p><p>And they are watching to see if their representatives will stand resolute.</p><p>Democrats must reject Trump&#8217;s false framing, reject his budget, and fight for the future.</p><p><em>The Future &#8211; Today &amp; Tomorrow Super PAC will continue mobilizing the Non-MAGA Majority to ensure our leaders defend democracy, our communities, and our rights.</em></p><p></p><p>By <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAACrvwsBEYcDTx6eNJ9WLbB-CwpuZaYHLfg">Eric Foster</a></strong></p><p>Co-Founder The <strong><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/future-today-tomorrow/">Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</a></strong> Super Pac</p><p></p><p><strong>About The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow</strong></p><p>The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow is a Super PAC dedicated to the advancement and protection of civil liberties across the United States. We strive for a future where democracy is unassailable, and every citizen&#8217;s right to vote is sacrosanct. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to enhance, not inhibit, the democratic process, fostering a society where everyone has the freedom to choose their leaders without fear or interference. For more information about The Future - Today &amp; Tomorrow, please visit https://www.futurepac.today/  </p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship/comments&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://ericfoster52.substack.com/p/say-no-to-magas-budget-of-dictatorship/comments"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><div class="community-chat" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.substack.com/pub/ericfoster52/chat?utm_source=chat_embed&quot;,&quot;subdomain&quot;:&quot;ericfoster52&quot;,&quot;pub&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:3207005,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_name&quot;:&quot;Common Sense by Eric Foster&quot;,&quot;author_photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ofh8!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F686c418b-07c6-45b2-9cfb-7e963ccb0b93_1176x906.jpeg&quot;}}" data-component-name="CommunityChatRenderPlaceholder"></div><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>