Shiveman
shiveman.bsky.social
Shiveman
@shiveman.bsky.social
Philosopher wannabe
Fridays are for poetry. A central part of growth is being open to change.
That I May Grow
A poem about challenging beliefs
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
"Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women... have rendered the notion of 'capitalist democracy' into an oxymoron."
Oligarch Peter Thiel, CEO of Palantir
November 12, 2025 at 4:32 PM
American Dream update: average age of first-time home buyers is now 40. The wealth lost by the average person between buying at 30 and buying at 40 is $150,000. That money is instead redistributed to the upper classes.
November 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Does it really have to be an either/or proposition?
Beyond the Binary
Can socialism actually save capitalism?
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Shiveman
Truth.
November 12, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Not a good look internationally for the US!
November 12, 2025 at 2:11 PM
The more impatient we are, the less we are willing to hold on to our ideals.
Discounting the Future
Impatience can lead to the loss of liberty
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Can you imagine how much we could do for Americans if we taxed billionaires at the top 37% tax rate we tax lottery winners instead of the 23.8% rate they actually pay?
November 11, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Fridays are for poetry. Music opens a portal to the truth of the universe.
Finding Truth
A poem about music
open.substack.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Capitalism and democracy need not be at odds. We just have to agree on a framework that achieves true freedom for both.
Capitalism and Democracy
Why the two need not be in conflict
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I am currently in Portland, OR, and this is spot on!

"From the moment the armed services violently engage their first civilians, their prestige will be gone forever, and service members will be destroying the Republic they are sworn to serve."

open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
The Next Terrorist Attack
And What Comes After (Updated)
open.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Millions of Americans (about 12.5%, in fact) are going hungry, and he hosts a Great Gatsby Party. He obviously didn't read the book! This is nothing less than a giant middle finger to the American working poor! You just can't even begin to make this stuff up!
Trump hosted 'Great Gatsby' Halloween party hours before SNAP funding lapsed
President Donald Trump has come under fire after he hosted a "Great Gatsby" themed Halloween party just hours before millions of Americans lost their SNAP benefits.
abcnews.go.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Fridays are for poetry:

This one is for Rick
Because he asked me for it
Here is his haiku
Blunt Force
A haiku for a friend (because he asked)
open.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:33 PM
We can all be fooled into reacting the way a demagogue wants us to, no matter what side we are on.
Not Falling For It
Demagogues use bait to catch supporters and detractors alike
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Shiveman
At The Westport Suzuki Music School about to hear a lovely concert steeped in high-end jazz by Julian Shively and Emma McDonald @shiveman.bsky.social
October 24, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Friday is for poetry.
Did you?
Making sense of life's nonsense
open.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Control of what people know or think they know is at the heart of political power.
Information is Power
An argument for control or not of such
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Democracy thrives in the space between me and we.
Liberty Through Civic Virtue
It ain't the system that's buggy, it's the user
open.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
America does not have a hereditory monarch. That is what it's based on. It's a shame we constantly have to remind people of this.
October 19, 2025 at 4:14 AM
WE the PEOPLE in order to form a more perfect UNION, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the COMMON defense, promote the GENERAL welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to OURselves and OUR posterity. This was never meant to be a country of the few or the one.
October 19, 2025 at 3:27 AM
I was a bit lazy this week. I only published one article and missed my Friday morning poem. To make up for it, I offer this as recompense.
We Should Stand Back
A grand landscape requires an adequate view
open.substack.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:30 AM
When you can no longer rely on the structures of government to operate within the frame of their own rules, you are in real trouble. We didn't get here overnight. It has sneaked up on us with an accelerating pace. That's what monsters do, and we are nearly within their grip.
October 18, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Once again, Fridays are for poetry. Have a great holiday weekend for all my fellow Americans.
And This I See
Taking inventory of my stock.
open.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I like this winning better than our current "winning."
October 9, 2025 at 4:01 PM
It strikes me that the real problem for some when it comes to empathy is that it brings people together when their goal is actually to keep the people divided. Empathy diffuses power which is the real reason why individuals with power fear it. #itstrikesme
October 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM