New Rule: American Kleptocracy | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Subscribe to the Real Time KZbin: itsh.bo/10r5A1B
When the "Forever Flu" hit America, Washington’s answer was a mountain of money and a sign that said “come steal it.”
Connect with Real Time Online:
Find Real Time on Facebook: / maher
Find Real Time on Twitter: / realtimers
Find Real Time with Bill Maher Official Site: itsh.bo/HttKcM.
Find Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO GO® itsh.bo/iioY87.
Find Real Time with Bill Maher on Connect: connect.hbo.com/real-time-bill...
Find Real Time on Instagram: / realtimers
The Real Time blog: www.real-time-with-bill-maher-...
It's HBO.
Connect with HBO Online
Find HBO on Facebook: / hbo
Follow @HBO on Twitter: / hbo
Find HBO on KZbin: / hbo
Find HBO Official Site: HBO.com
Find HBO Connect: Connect.hbo.com
Find HBO GO: HBOGO.com
Find HBO on Instagram: / hbo
Find HBO on Foursquare: Foursquare.com/hbo
Check out other HBO Channels
HBO: / hbo
Game of Thrones: / gameofthrones
True Blood: / trueblood
HBO Sports: / hbosports
HBO Documentary Films: / hbodocs
Cinemax: / cinemax
HBO Latino: / hbolatino

[@ProtectMyLiberty]

If they had literally dropped the money out of helicopters, more of the people that needed it would have gotten it.

[@michaelmorningstar8645]

So stupid. This is how it works. Our only other option is to do nothing. This isn't a point. It's just ignorance.

[@brianwall9592]

@@jimmyboard lol excellent retort... >;]

[@weaselworm8681]

They should have dispersed it in 1000 dollar lots per month and made people go to the banks to sign for it. Real people in need would have hated doing that but they would have gone out of necessity. But a Donald Trump couldn’t steal enough in that fashion to make it worth his time. The super wealthy need to steal on an entirely different scale then the rest of could even conceive of.

[@davidgoldman9820]

@@michaelmorningstar8645 this is how government works, need lot less government

[@davidgoldman9820]

@@jimmyboard omg go get rich then

[@Whimsy4fall]

Yeah my mom is a small business owner and is still struggling, barely made ends meet, and had to get a second job, yet these huge businesses got even more money. Our leaders/government is disgusting.

[@nw7629]

The biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. The biggest fraud committed against the American people since the bailout of banks when housing bubble crashed. These happened under Democratic presidents and democratic controlled government. "This is something Trump would do!" And the audience laughs and claps. Very telling.

[@jnb756]

I'm right there with her.... it took a lot of time and effort to end up with a $6000 loan and to see someone like Kanye and Tom Brady get millions pisses me off to no end. Nothing against them but they have money and I don't think that they should be considered "small" businesses.

[@KonohazFinest]

Well at least your mom can hold her head up high knowing she's doing the right thing and I hope it turns around for mom. This is the kind of bullshit that really pisses me and the rest of America off. True hard working Americans like your mom get shafted while the rich get richer and couldn't give two fucks what happens to us.

[@vagrxncy499]

Sounds like a Troll to me...considering this was about stolen federal assistance.

[@lpk6372]

This is what happens when you vote culture war be alike banning trans and CRT, gay existence or any of these things that are your own personal business.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

2:41 "Defunding the police? Yes, that's a bad idea. But so is de-policing the funds." Best thing said all episode.

[@Vyrus36]

In all honesty, the defending the police thing should have been redone to mean the real intention. Alter/augment the police. I mean, defunding IS a part of it. But only to put that money into social psychological programs and to respond to minor threats. Save the real police for moments when we actually need them. Not to hassle the homeless guy who thinks he's got ants in his shoes.

[@michaeldurrant8446]

Except it's wholly wrong. Municipal police budgets and the national defense budget are really similar. - Requests for more money are rarely challenged - When they are, fear is used - "if you don't give us more money, you won't be safe" - More $$$ != more safety "Defund the police" sounds like we just stop paying police. It's taking a portion of the funds - you'd be shocked how fiscally irresponsible police departments are, imagine the usual waste of government except everyone is afraid to audit you because you're the police - and putting it into policies and people that will actually reduce crime.

[@benc.3128]

@@michaeldurrant8446 taking funds away from them is ridiculous. They should simply be encouraged to up investment of officer training, rather than taking that extra money away from them. The government has the money to do it

[@michaeldurrant8446]

@@benc.3128 They get a lot of money for training already and they don't do anything. These discussions don't work if people can't admit to the facts and the facts are police departments do not make us safer. Communities enforce morality, not the threat of incarceration.

[@ralphpal]

@@Vyrus36 you really think that is it How many people were shot, stores looted after the BLM riots

[@cda133]

I’m a conservative… and when your friend and your enemy are both telling you the same thing… it’s time to listen…

[@ccar3y]

Do you consider liberals to be the enemy?

[@johnvilsysack2453]

​@@ccar3y

[@ryanjensen5897]

@@ccar3y Yeah that's that classic thing people do. Dividing a country may not be hard because people divide themselves already.

[@rodneyskelly5960]

You don't have an enemy! You have a fellow American with a different viewpoint.However, the point you make is a good one.

[@cda133]

@Brant Powell if we went by facts instead of opinions that would vastly improve the quality of life

[@lisbethbird8268]

Thank you for calling out the stealing on a massive scale, while many suffered, lost their livelihoods and homes.

[@nomadicroadrat]

and nothing will be done about it. There will be investigations and committees and testimonies and subpoenas and bupkis zip nothing zero nada

[@mindsigh4]

yeah,Bill, like Russell Brand are hitting it outta the park, calling hypocrisy wherever it slithers.

[@wonderlizz]

It is so sad to hear about all the fraud because it really helped a lot of us be able to stay in our home. Make the millionaire companies pay it back if they got it!

[@pilonpatrick573]

We had the very exact same problem, up here in Canada. Shameless peeps.

[@Marijuanifornia]

This is what our society is. Since the end of World War II, the American people have been inundated with advertisements for mass-produced garbage. We've been sold the idea since birth that buying things makes life better. The soul of the nation has suffered from this incorrect thinking for the last half-century. Numbers are infinite, and money rewards greed. No one can ever have "enough" money. All that life is now is a mad scramble for more money, consequences be damned. The entire system has been designed to direct as much money to the wealthy as possible. Everyone is struggling, miserable, and no one cares about each other while 24-hr television shows people smiling and wind-surfing and partying and "living the good life." The national ethos is "make money and buy shit." It's a hollow existence and everyone can feel it, which only amplifies the nation's hopelessness.

[@davidgraham2673]

I'm impressed. Bill Maher of all people has been calling out the absurdities we've been harping about for years. I know he didn't start yesterday, but it's good to see a headliner who views from the liberal side go against the grain. Hopefully the progressive leftists pay heed to him, and don't go into cancel mode.

[@dridadbunkerphd6523]

It is the Grumpy Old Pervs trying to control a woman's body who don't care that big corporations steal this money meant for the Public. Remember, Corporations are people, my friends. Except they aren't held accountable for their crimes - just like the pervs running Churches and "farmers" who don't work farms but were Congress critters who leased out farm land. Progressive do care and are trying to clean up the System. Get a clue!

[@ndesdsadfd]

They can cancel this 8===D These lunatics won't be able to 'cancel' shit. They're the minority in the whole wide world...

[@dawnsstar5918]

All in all , no matter the division, we are all people of America, and yes, why aren't out representatives representing us?

[@davidgraham2673]

@@dawnsstar5918 , I agree completely. Greed has overwhelmed our politicians, who look to office as a means of getting rich off their constituents. Both sides.

[@lillierobinson1786]

How did you miss the fact that the graft wasn't done by a specific party. There are so called conservatives who are blatantly corrupt and plugged into these schemes

[@jesswalczak9946]

"Thank you one guy!" We should say that same thing to our one guy, Bill Maher.

[@CrypticFoxGaming]

The stupid thing is the IRS already has information on every legal worker who has filed taxes. They could have just sent payments directly to people and cut out the company middlemen. Would have spent less and people would have gotten more. Would have helped minimize fraud too.

[@paulybrunner9091]

Except that the IRS has been defunded by the Republicans for years. They just don't have the staff power to do that kind of oversite. This blatant ripoff of money IS the future the Republicans have been voting for.

[@CrypticFoxGaming]

@@paulybrunner9091 Well that's sort of the issue isn't it. Employers submit information to the IRS about a person's earnings, so its not like they don't have that information, and the submissions are strongly encouraged to be electronic, so in theory the information is already present in their system. It's pretty crazy that they can't efficiently gather and process earnings data when every person earning a taxable income has a unique numerical identifier, every employer has to submit earnings data based on that unique identifier, and every taxpayer has to do the same. The computer should already be able to output the earnings of everyone who filed taxes and know what they should have received, and the process they used didn't have oversight either. I'm in Canada, but we had the same problem lol.

[@CrackinSkulls]

That wasnt the agenda. Nice knowing you America. PPP stands for Piss Poor Planning

[@JaesWasTaken]

The IRS is criminally understaffed and underfunded (thanks Congress). It should be no surprise that so much of the COVID relief funds went into pockets that had no business receiving them in the first place. Congress will never accept that literally just giving money to citizen will solve problems. It'll always be siphoned through programs like like the PPP instead and the perpetual cycle of corruption will continue.

[@hellstromcarbunkle8857]

Republicans refused to sign off on that.

[@jeremymenning56]

The morally bankrupt are rich. The morally rich are bankrupt.

[@TheN0odles]

And this is all of governement. They pander false promises to their constituents.

[@iamwell5654]

Well put.

[@AR-rn8ok]

So anyone with money is bankrupt? Are you talking about a tech in silicone valley making $250,000 a year or a Hollywood actor making $150,000 a year. Or are you talking about a wallstreet hedge fund director making billions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing but lobbying politicians?

[@jw6487]

Where are the morally rich, though?

[@RelentlessOhiox]

At this point having morals doesn't seem to get you very far in life.

[@all_things_beautiful6905]

A family-owned car dealership (they have a lot of locations) that makes millions, vacations all the time, owns a yacht, etc. got around 4 million in PPP money. Another locally owned construction company that is a multi-million dollar company also got several millions in PPP loans. They gave not one employee any money.

[@rnrtruestories]

bill is so spot on. As someone whose worked with different levels of govt the hole to bucket ratio is astonishing.

[@danielwalter5268]

I completely disagreed with Bill most my life, now I find I’m almost always in agreement with him. What a strange world we live in.

[@phillipedwardness9591]

Did you change or did he

[@danielwalter5268]

@@phillipedwardness9591 a little bit of both. I think….

[@phillipedwardness9591]

@@danielwalter5268 world is very different than it was even 5 years ago. Crazy times!

[@kantraxoikol6914]

maybe you should have agreed with Bill more, we wouldn't be "here"

[@MsTifalicious]

Because the left is going so far left he had no choice but to stay in the middle where it's actually moving closer to the right

[@Trevdawg48]

Thank you, Bill. You are one of the few voices of reason on the Left right now. 5.7 trillion divided by the 330 million people in this country is over $17k per person. For me, with 7 people in my family, that is almost $120k. We got no where near that. I'm guessing most/all upper middle to poor people didn't get close to $17k per person in their household. Why did billionaires increase their wealth by 4 trillion while the middle class lost the same?

[@larrybarnhouse9989]

Your math is off! $1000 million in a billion dollars! $1000 billion in a trillion dollars! Each Americans would have gotten 100s of millions of dollars each with 5.7 Trillion dollars! Bill forgot to add the billions stolen by Trump and Jared!

[@jaquanpowell4605]

Imagine what 3.5 million enslaved people felt after America gave us empty promises. This pandemic was a lesson on how to be black in this country.

[@noli.me.tangere]

Because the billionaires who got richer are big tech, Amazon and the media. The ones who have been pushing the Covid narrative to begin with.

[@jaquanpowell4605]

@@noli.me.tangere Don't forget the investors who bought all the houses got rich and made another housing crisis.

[@wcolautti]

@@jaquanpowell4605 🙄

[@xsentrik1107]

I'm a staunch conservative I'm a white boy who grew up in the hood of Southwest Philly dropped out of school in the 7th grade and started working in junk yards for cash money so that I can help support my younger brothers and sisters now that I'm older I still don't have much of an education but I surrounded myself with smart people from every Walk of Life Republican Democrat poor and wealthy alike and I can tell you that the tribalism keeps us from doing the greater good we need to stop worrying about who's Republican and who's Democrat and we need to fix what's going on in government because at the end of the day we all believe the same thing basic fundamentals should be followed!

[@relicman]

Thank you Bill for calling out everyone who deserves to be.

[@ssstracener]

He didn't call out biden, who has given trillions to foreign nazis and illegal immigrants as well as this covid ppp fiasco. and, now this administration has hired an army of irs auditors to collect more from the middle class to pay for this spending spree.

[@relicman]

@@ssstracener That's a good point, however, I was just trying to give him props for not being the typical Hollywood liberal.

[@jessstuart7495]

When the corruption runs so deep, only the corrupt can succeed, the system is broken and should be radically reformed.

[@jakespivey3716]

This is the breach of trust that makes us vulnerable to a failure of democracy. When politicians say to themselves look at all the good we can do even though we have to pay the rich off first in order to do it.

[@DrJohnnyJ]

Only constitutional amendments can save us. The Supreme court has been on the side of big money and bribery since Reagan.

[@tylerfields2654]

Yes but who do you trust not to be corrupted it's a terrible catch up 22

[@j.dragon651]

@@tylerfields2654 Start by voting for anyone without and R or D in front of their name.

[@radwonderland1435]

The whole Covid was an scam.

[@elaineteut9579]

We recently had our taxes done, we are middle class, it’s the same every year but they asked us if we were making any outside money, which we aren’t. The government spent trillions and we see absolutely nothing for accounting from them, yet they are terrified we might be making $500 they don’t know about. That Walgreens comparison was spot on.

[@stepha5926]

Yes not an American here, but your country is set up in the most extreme corrupt *right-wing* way possible. It's a complete joke. Not one developed country in the world takes the USA seriously anymore. Nobody took you seriously since Dubiya. So, over 20 years.

[@stevewalkerph.d4961]

Such a great point!

[@darkprince56]

Exaaaactly it’s total bs. I also maintain the attitude of “fook you, it’s none of your business” when the government wants to know about the money I earn.

[@DK-tq8ql]

Thats what Trump wanted to do. Pelosi and Schumer and the Democrats said No.

[@joriskemper5392]

In all honesty, these days I don't have a clue what middle class is anymore. The have not's are getting squeezed ever harder. The have's are being gifted more loopholes in tax system than Swiss cheese. With the energy crisis and inflation on top, I don't really think there is a thing like middle class for much longer - if it even still exists. Middle class will be some ancient term in history books about a time long forgotten, when there was a group of people, who weren't filthy rich, but didn't have to work 13 hours a day just to buy a piece of bread.

[@YoBroMan]

I've always viewed Bill as entertaining, using his political show platforms to satirize the political landscape of the country. I've never really been a fan, except he did get laughs. Now, I can't believe he has become the voice of reason and his assessments are actually on the money, most of the time. When people like Bill Mahar are basically saying, "Wait a minute..." then you know something is really wrong.

[@Dude101p]

I know right? 🤣

[@LeoTheComm]

Let's not forget, Bill has matured just like we have. People's perceptions and beliefs change over time.

[@patrickcoyne1960]

The only thing missing in the security guard analogy at the end is the guard meeting the robber later to get their payoff for looking the other way and doing nothing.

[@jasonphair8478]

For the record that money (7.8 trillion ) divided by the amount of people in America , equals almost 22 thousand to every American including children. That's the biggest scam of all.

[@coryryder9070]

and wallstreet too amc gme too the moon

[@guynamedjames]

56 thousand to each household in america

[@h2beezy2]

I got $0

[@TheFinnmacool]

@@h2beezy2 Not only did you not get zero, you're going to pay. Cool eh?

[@AlexanderRay92]

@@h2beezy2 Same, all this inflation and I didn't even get a check

[@Hollowsmith]

Effing EXCELLENT segment. "Hole-To-Bucket Ratio" should be the metric people across the political spectrum monitor more.

[@ericl447]

I agree. Yet he left out the easy meat for liberals, the deficit went down under Biden.

[@reedy9333]

Also, The bureaucracy is a skeleton of its former self. Monitoring and patching the bucket It's harder to do after the small government crowd gets done gutting department after department after department

[@jimmym3352]

Actually shooting money out of a cannon would actually be more efficient at getting money to needy people. That's how ineffective these programs are.

[@QuantumTrading2023]

What people don't understand is the government is printing these trillions that Bill Maher mentioned. This drives up inflation. They are literally printing trillions and giving to rich. Only 4 things can stop this madness: 1. Stop printing excessively and return dollar to a gold standard. 2. Cut size of government and government spending. 3. Dismantle federal reserve and return power of the currency back to the people. 4. Eliminate income tax and let people keep their earnings. Only sales tax is needed.

[@topsykrett9171]

Absolutely, great phrase. I will try to ad it to my repertoire.

[@northwestrepair]

Watched. Laughed. Went about my business like everyone else. They are counting on it.

[@brent4209]

The GOP voted repeatedly against ANY oversight for these funds and now you know why.

[@mikebennet7697]

What a f'ing lie. Pelosi and the House Democrats porked up two "Covid relief" bills in 2020 with an extra $2.5 trillion. Republicans were completely shut out of these budget negotiations.

[@tonydeveyra4611]

they should've just divied up the money and sent a check to everyone with a social security number.

[@taco1212]

Why do you hate undocumented immigrants? The thing they won't tell you is that almost all of this money was stolen by BIPOCs. Ever heard of disparate impact? Cracking down government benefit fraud is racist.

[@dingusdingus2152]

That would make too much sense. That's not how things work

[@Trevdawg48]

$17 grand for every single human in the US...

[@italiannn16]

HAHAHAHA. Yeah great idea. People are so responsible and would invest and save that money for things they need. They wouldn't all spend it in a week on useless shit then cry about needing more from the government. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@nite82hawk]

But then you run the risk of a few illegals getting some of the money... according to Ted Cruz. Instead wealthy people like Kanye getting some... Which he did.

[@mrsmegz]

I just did the math. That is $17,800 for every single breathing American, how many of us saw that?

[@TheKrazysexykool]

I didn't

[@danburnes722]

I got 0, and would be ok with it, if the money had gone to the right place.

[@romefox]

It really was a windfall for business owners, I worked for a small business that was never shut down (essential), only 1 employee (me). I was at the desk where I found a letter stating 4k was granted for employees to the owner. This business was far from impacted from cvid and the owner openly said, "yeah I got money, every one did". Just one of many examples. Fyi, I didn't geta dime of that money, he even kept my tips lol.

[@steffenjensen422]

how is that not illegal

[@romefox]

@@steffenjensen422 its not but the oversight for PPEs were basically non-existent.

[@alhara4843]

Bill just nailed it!

[@ekrenz5268]

There airlines were bailed out with no strings attached. They got money, fired a lot of their employees, and bought their stocks back.

[@bhavpat514]

It wasn’t just the airlines. It was everyday people and even those friendly mom and pop small businesses we all think of as innocent

[@TheFinnmacool]

@@bhavpat514 You guys would be pissed to know that in America this has been going on for over a hundred years and thousands of years across the world!!!! Welcome.

[@TheFinnmacool]

You should have been around for the banker bail out of 2008. Oh and 2001. And 87. And, and, and, and....... Welcome to the present.

[@rockonmadonna]

It's more like, "Welcome to Human Nature 101," even if they've never read a single serious history book in their lives, right? People are so naïve; I almost envy them.

[@lpk6372]

@@bhavpat514 everyday people weren't bailed out. Many didn't even get the money they were owed.

[@reellivin9576]

It’s awesome how he called out everyone for the stolen $, but it’s going to be hard to stomach seeing all those same people get away with it and nothing happens.

[@natalyawoop4263]

Similar thing happened in the Iraq war, private corporations brought in trillions. They're not big on taxes but they damn sure are big on taking public money.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

Claw it all back, including profits made by the 1% due to the pandemic, and divvy it up to we the people in the 99%. 😡🤬👿

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

Look on the BRIGHT side: Perhaps an extreme and potentially dangerous right wing BACKLASH will occur in REACTION to all this woke lunacy and corruption and "ol Billy" will still be employed to criticize it? (Pray the backlash doesn't get too far out of hand--Israel may actually have to turn even "ol Billy" ^^^ away should it actually go THAT far!!)

[@philipnelson4525]

1 trillion could have been used to beef up the regulatory agencies and the IRS. But Congress won't do that, making it that much easier to steal from the government, er, we taxpayers.

[@gailwaters814]

I'm not a Republican or Democrat, just a concerned American. From years of studying the way the media portrays issues it has become clear that 99% of America's "journalists" are simply propagandists for the Dem Party. That's how we got two of the most incompetent people on the planet as our president and VP. (The lib media won't show you this, but the number of idiotic statements by Biden and Harris are beyond belief.) This is because the umbrella corporation that controls the corporations that own America's media companies have actively replaced seasoned newsroom bosses with young, brainwashed liberals. The idea is to use the media to cause racial division in America, and to remove white Americans from all positions of power. South Africa has shown what happens next, but you probably don't know what happened in South Africa over the last 26 years because the liberal media do NOT want you to know what happens when race politics takes its natural course. South Africa is collapsing under the weight of extreme hyper-corruption by a one-party government that has destroyed every aspect of the economy and society -- joblessness is passing 50% and salaries can't keep up with the fast rising cost of living. The elites love this kind of chaos because they make immense profits from making deals with South Africa's hyper-corrupt government. The US is following the exact same pattern of racial politics and race-baiting. The result is one-party leadership by race-baiting racists like Lori Lightfoot, and the murderous chaos that is Chicago. But the reality is that once the Lori Lightfoots of the Dem Party are in control of all of the US, things will get a lot worse than Chicago's south side. The Dem propaganda machine controls 99% of America's media, and they are putting destructive, corrupt racists like Lori Lightfoot in charge of the US.

[@lindadeal3344]

True enough!!You speak truth!

[@AXG1981]

Facts all around. As a Progressive I agree with you 100%.

[@petermatthews3729]

The congressman isn't the security guard just standing there, the congressman helped the conman get the stock into the bag because he was paid his cut in donations.

[@zeebest1004]

He was McConnell, she was Nancy...

[@oc6617]

To be fair, that wasn't even a security guard. She had a clearly visible TSA patch.

[@Hirnlego999]

Precisely, the congressman is bought by the corrupt system. And the congressman wants to be bought in order to enrich himself on tax money and not really doing fuck all for the people

[@Time_to_Stop_Animal_Abuse]

@@zeebest1004 - Not Nancy, AOC.

[@LeSyd1984]

Yeah... the congressman in this picture was the bicycle, lol! (helped him get away...)

[@cpthornman]

And this is why I am convinced this country will collapse in my lifetime. This level of corruption isn't sustainable.

[@kt798]

The sad part is the people who complain the most had their hands out too. Everybody's doing it seems to be the running excuse for corruption. Especially with the PPP funds.

[@12345Micki]

Everybody is too obsessed with political tribe and not paying attention to corruption.

[@gailwaters814]

I'm not a Republican or Democrat, just a concerned American. From years of studying the way the media portrays issues it has become clear that 99% of America's "journalists" are simply propagandists for the Dem Party. That's how we got two of the most incompetent people on the planet as our president and VP. (The lib media won't show you this, but the number of idiotic statements by Biden and Harris are beyond belief.) This is because the umbrella corporation that controls the corporations that own America's media companies have actively replaced seasoned newsroom bosses with young, brainwashed liberals. The idea is to use the media to cause racial division in America, and to remove white Americans from all positions of power. South Africa has shown what happens next, but you probably don't know what happened in South Africa over the last 26 years because the liberal media do NOT want you to know what happens when race politics takes its natural course. South Africa is collapsing under the weight of extreme hyper-corruption by a one-party government that has destroyed every aspect of the economy and society -- joblessness is passing 50% and salaries can't keep up with the fast rising cost of living. The elites love this kind of chaos because they make immense profits from making deals with South Africa's hyper-corrupt government. The US is following the exact same pattern of racial politics and race-baiting. The result is one-party leadership by race-baiting racists like Lori Lightfoot, and the murderous chaos that is Chicago. But the reality is that once the Lori Lightfoots of the Dem Party are in control of all of the US, things will get a lot worse than Chicago's south side. The Dem propaganda machine controls 99% of America's media, and they are putting destructive, corrupt racists like Lori Lightfoot in charge of the US.

[@ag5576]

So many people left supportive roles in the nursing field (LPNs, CNAs, techs, etc.) because they were only making half or a quarter of what others were being paid to be at home “protecting” us. When you’re making $500/week on the front line and your friend is a hairstylist, not working, making $1300/week it is hard to justify going in the work to quite literally risk yours and your families lives (or so we thought at the time). Horrible lawmakers, horrible policies.

[@cocktailpost]

I remember his first "call to reflexion" video about measures taken to "fight covid"... he knew this is going to happen, some of us did too

[@fitupwitsamsword]

We are a small, family-owned winery that needed PPP money to stay afloat, due to CA shutdowns and heavy restrictions on being able to operate due to the pandemic. I can say that the only reason we obtained PPP funds was because of my boss’ efforts to secure it right away, but many others didn’t because of several reasons: who they bank with, understanding and filling out forms, etc. There were plenty of companies that didn’t need these funds though, and took it from others that ended up having to shut down their business. There was no equal opportunity when it came to these funds

[@andydixon8952]

The ones that got it were profitable enough to have highly paid lawyers to file for them

[@fitupwitsamsword]

@Pot Kettle not as small as u

[@fitupwitsamsword]

@Pot Kettle hahaha, now that’s funny! 🤣

[@gailwaters814]

I'm not a Republican or Democrat, just a concerned American. From years of studying the way the media portrays issues it has become clear that 99% of America's "journalists" are simply propagandists for the Dem Party. That's how we got two of the most incompetent people on the planet as our president and VP. (The lib media won't show you this, but the number of idiotic statements by Biden and Harris are beyond belief.) This is because the umbrella corporation that controls the corporations that own America's media companies have actively replaced seasoned newsroom bosses with young, brainwashed liberals. The idea is to use the media to cause racial division in America, and to remove white Americans from all positions of power. South Africa has shown what happens next, but you probably don't know what happened in South Africa over the last 26 years because the liberal media do NOT want you to know what happens when race politics takes its natural course. South Africa is collapsing under the weight of extreme hyper-corruption by a one-party government that has destroyed every aspect of the economy and society -- joblessness is passing 50% and salaries can't keep up with the fast rising cost of living. The elites love this kind of chaos because they make immense profits from making deals with South Africa's hyper-corrupt government. The US is following the exact same pattern of racial politics and race-baiting. The result is one-party leadership by race-baiting racists like Lori Lightfoot, and the murderous chaos that is Chicago. But the reality is that once the Lori Lightfoots of the Dem Party are in control of all of the US, things will get a lot worse than Chicago's south side. The Dem propaganda machine controls 99% of America's media, and they are putting destructive, corrupt racists like Lori Lightfoot in charge of the US.

[@jameslyninger1280]

Indeed, how .. tragic would it be to lose a precious outlet for alcohol? then we'd only have like, what, a million other ones left?

[@jordanbergman1387]

Thank you for covering this. I am a CPA and worked on many of these programs first hand. These programs, along with many other factors, are what has helped push inflation to where it is now.

[@yuckyool]

Ditto here. Floods of money. Hoping some of it was spent on restaurants and local/small businesses. Lots going into savings & investment accounts. More cash, printed by the Fed.Reserve . . . meanwhile, workers were encouraged to stay home and be unemployed. So fewer goods & services.

[@thesun6211]

@@yuckyool too many going to Fraudsters and Scammers; too little to Paycheck-to-Paycheck Service Industry folks to spend on food, housing, and utilities.

[@artstrology]

Agreed, the lag time and newly staked living conditions tantalized the businesses to price gouge. most companies reduced quality as well especially food.

[@wheelie642]

Bill is not funny. I hate the fake laughs in the audience.

[@hannagg9365]

Yea bc the 1% has so much money… it’s become like funny money,,, little to no value!

[@Coouge]

I'm liking Bill Maher more and more!

[@johnnydxon3105]

That's right brother. love you tell it like it is much Love ❤️

[@waynelust9431]

Same thing happened in Canada. Large corporations that were totally unaffected by lockdowns, got millions, then gave their executives big bonuses.

[@petert1692]

Example?

[@auturgicflosculator2183]

@@petert1692 David MacDonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, could tell you more, if you care.

[@Bonnah-]

I remember when Trump wanted to send the money directly to the people n the speaker said no!!! It the speaker fault

[@perniculous]

I know that’s CRAZY! Here in the US the republicans who are critical of government spending and vilify anything remotely associated with “socialism” were the first in line with their hands out.

[@michaelpreston233]

Corruption all the way around Vote , I guess..smh.

[@rsmith4339]

It was worse than inefficient . All that cash floating around has actually harmed the most needy by driving inflation .

[@TheFinnmacool]

Yeah I knew that in jr high.

[@michaelcelani8325]

@@TheFinnmacool gee wizz..you sure is smart.....!!

[@thisbagisnotatoy9639]

I had to close my business when the pandemic started. I got a $3,000 PPP loan (I actually underestimated my projected earnings because I didn’t want to take advantage and I don’t like accepting handouts) and went to work for an art gallery. The owners often bragged that they got $40,000 for each of their 3 locations. Even without PPP, 2020 and 2021 were their most profitable years ever and they were already very well established and profitable. It always amazed me how little shame they had over this.

[@cheekypiper512]

Thebagisnotatoy: Sorry to hear about your struggles. What you described is absolutely not fair. The captain of your boat has a problem with its steering. I hope that there is a better outcome in the future for you and other small businesses.

[@royster7170]

The last part in Walgreens, was straight truth.

[@kennyoconnor6564]

As a public school employee, our hours were cut right above the threshold for extra help. They created a program for us, cut us above the threshold, and received no help. Scam goes both ways.

[@robertstone9988]

Probably would have had a little bit more money for the education budget if it wasn't wasted on stupid shit like bureaucratic waste and Welfare Queens

[@jaelynn7575]

@@robertstone9988 Ah, living in the 1980's I see.

[@FakingANerve]

@@jaelynn7575 Should we tell him about the Iran-Contra affair too, or just let him see it as it happens live in his timeline?

[@a.m928]

@@robertstone9988 the welfare Queen is a myth or boogeyman.

[@radoraf]

@@robertstone9988 Apparently the welfare queens are mostly business owners in this case

[@phil5569]

"Defunding the police, yeah that's a bad idea. But so is de-policing the funds." ~Bill Maher. BRILLIANT!

[@thefactonista]

Thank you, one guy!

[@Marijuanifornia]

Defunding the police is a brilliant idea. In 1942 following the attack at Pearl Harbor, the US Federal government encouraged Americans to grow "Marihuana" to make equipment for the military during World War II. The permit to grow Cannabis that is shown in the 1942 US Department of Agriculture video, *Hemp For Victory,* reads in bold, black print: "Producer of Marihuana." The video was banned from history books and public broadcasts for almost 50 years after WWII in order to wage the war on drugs. This is why defunding the police is a great idea. If we can grow "Marihuana" to make equipment for the military in World War II, then we can grow "Marihuana" to make equipment for the militarized police in the war on drugs. With police protecting "Marihuana" fields like they did during World War II, billions of tax dollars will not need to be spent each year on surplus military hardware for state and local law enforcement agencies to use against the American people to keep "Marihuana" illegal.

[@rorybitchell7702]

The police perpetuate the system of crime. We need a better system. having a profit driven legal system run by power crazy pigs with guns has not been working in any sense of the word.

[@ronblack7870]

except all the " policers" are working from home doing fuck all.

[@FakingANerve]

@@Marijuanifornia Whoa, whoa, whooooaaaa! You're bringing up cannabis here too?!?! Where did you buy your shoehorn, and is it on sale on Black Friday?

[@MW-eh1sz]

Thank you, Bill! I couldn't agree more!

[@claraht.6999]

How did I almost miss out on this man in my life time?

[@mikemckay4256]

I gotta say Bill. I’m a libertarian and I don’t typically agree with your views but it feels as though those of us closer to the center are starting to find commonality. It’s refreshing ! This discourse is long over due and I wish all folks on both sides nothing but well. We are all part of the same human family.

[@joshuaphillips755]

And Bill isn't a libertarian?

[@terriej123]

Ok but do you want to fix it so that the help starts getting to those who actually need it? Or do you just want to shut off the faucet altogether? I suspect you’d like to do the latter. Am I wrong?

[@hassanabdaladl]

You're a libertarian. The archetypal libertarian doesn't believe "we are part of the same human family." Libertarian ideology literally believes we should have the "liberty" (freedom) to do whatever the f we want, even at the detriment of others, and that society or "the free market" will "figure out a way" to take care of our most vulnerable and hold people to account. Your self-professed political position is, in fact, the exact opposite of "we are part of the same human family". Hopefully you open your eyes one day and just accept the fact that you don't really care about other humans, or that you do care about humans and you're not actually a libertarian. ✌️

[@farvasstache6532]

@@hassanabdaladl "Together, we are the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian Party (LP) is your representative in American politics. It is the only political party that respects you as a unique and responsible individual. Our slogan is that we are “The Party of Principle” because we stand firmly on our principles. Libertarians strongly oppose any government interference in your personal, family, and business decisions. Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another."

[@hassanabdaladl]

@@farvasstache6532 lol "as long as they do no harm to each other" Well, clearly, you proved my first point about how there is no concept of a shared human family, in Libertarianism because...if you look closely (not really lol) at the statement, you'll see that there's no concept of taking care of each other or helping the most vulnerable in society lol. Usually, families try to take care of each other lol Secondly, you missed the point that required a tiny bit more thought than the first proof lol. When the website states "as long as they do no harm to each other" lol this sounds nice as a slogan, but not in reality. This is due to the fact that Libertarians can define "harm" however they want, and for the most part, historically, they've defined it as only literal direct physical harm. What do libertarians care about pharmaceutical companies releasing untested or dangerous drugs to the public, for example? Or pouring chemicals into a lake that supplies a community with drinking water? They don't...even though these are clearly "HARMS." They don't want the FDA or the EPA "interfering" in our lives or businesses lol. Libertarians believe that people can defend themselves against practices like these, done by huge chemical/pharma companies, in court lol. Who cares about preventing the harms from happening in the first place, right? What did we learn from this little exercise? We learned that Libertarians not only can't read very well, they also can't process anything that requires an additions 30 seconds of pragmatic thought.

[@patriciatoomingtheplantpar2558]

We were looking at lay-offs, the bookkeeper said don't worry, the boss had me apply for the PPP and it was approved, we took a sigh of relief, they got the check and fired us all! A friend of mine has a small biz and was taking a Major hit, she does both the production of the product and sales but relies on walk in retail sales and also does custom orders. She applied, she was told they were "too small" one by one each of her 3 employees were fired as a result and she eventually lost her brick and mortar, she runs it from home now, by herself and trying to bootstrap back into a location with her trade tools which take up considerable space. Meanwhile all the rich 🤡 cronies got cash by the bucket full

[@ronwallace7454]

Lol, the whole to bucket ratio changed!!!! Is why i will always enjoy mr. Maher. 🙏👍

[@donaldmeiner1532]

Man, Bill makes more and more sense.

[@mariakauffman8050]

I had a small business that was considered "non-essential", so I was forced to close down to "flatten the curve". The weeks turned to months, with extensions of time to follow. When the PPP was announced I applied, and was DENIED! I received only the minimal amount that just covered the last pay period for my employees. I was forced to shutter my doors permanently. My only saving grace was I was able to sell my building a couple of months later when some of the restrictions started to lift. Unfortunately I didn't get as much as I had hoped I would in the sale, but at least I had a little money to pay the back bills for my home that I spent on the phone working out the best payment plans I could so not to have my utilities shut off. My husband had his hours cut in half, but thankfully not for too long. So between his paycheck, and the sale of my building we were able to get by in 2020. The government didn't give a rat's a$$ about the American people. They offer forgiveness for student loans, but not for mortgages. So many people lost their livelihoods, small businesses that were built from the ground up with blood sweat, and tears closed forever. But the government still wanted our tax money. The fallout from this pandemic made me lose what little faith I had left in out government. So I don't want to hear "Make America Great Again" or "Build Back Better". I'm tired of words, I want to see actions that our leaders actually care about it's citizens to make this country the place our Founding Fathers meant it to be.

[@MrJimheeren]

Well your founding fathers really likes slavery. So I guess you are just where Washington wanted you. Out and poor. Let only the rich landowners vote and everything will be fine. Oh sorry that’s not what you meant

[@jeffreykamberos7524]

The Founding Fathers were crooks too. America is working just like it's supposed to. You just didn't make the right connections. You still haven't grown up and you still believe in fairy tales.

[@giantsr1eva]

@Maria Kauffman Let’s start by not electing the same 2 parties who created the mess in the first place.

[@kellysmith8858]

I don’t know if this is what you are thinking when you mentioned student loan forgiveness (which hasn’t happened yet right, there was a freeze on paying back loans) but it’s a shame that we end up seeing this as an us versus them thing, home owners versus students. Home owners AND students should have been cut some slack. It’s such a symptom of the way things are in the US that we imagine everything as a zero sum game, that the corruption ends up turning us against each other when instead home owners AND students (and every other group that got short changed and screwed over) should be outraged together at the root cause, not pissed at each.

[@ZlevelS]

@@kellysmith8858 people paying back student loans aren't students anymore. Many of them have been professionals for years dragging their feet on a matter of personal accountability.

[@Blanco8x8]

Rich people: Poor people don't deserve government handouts. Also rich people: I want my government handout.

[@vavan100]

Rich person: We Have 1 % of the vote. Poor person: We have all the votes lets vote to for Pedocrats and government corruption

[@davidgoldman9820]

total bs

[@jebidiahnewkedkracker1025]

What EXACTLY is rich to you? Or WHO is rich to you?? No need to actually answer such questions since they are more of a RHETORICAL type. (But I'm sure your buddy "Billy" ^^^ would LOVE to take more OUT of HIS income so YOU personally can drive a more recent model BMW or Mercedes?? Or at least buy your girlfriend a REAL Gucci handbag?

[@DTwxrisk]

100% correct

[@linguist8623]

@Maher You are greatl admired, because you are a realist, and yet are able to get people to "wake up" and laugh. Keep doing it, Maher. As usual, you are spot on and civil. 😊

[@perfectsense3240]

One of the best 9 minute segments in Bill’s show in years

[@iggy-not-pop9875]

Bill's Coming Around & is Very Courageous & True To His Values. It Shows The Truth Of: "If you're not liberal when you're Young, You Have No Heart, But If You're Not Conservative When You're Old, You Have No Brain!" Bill Is Finally Growing Up!

[@beardown6574]

Thanks Bill for shedding light on that. It's truly alarming and needed to be said.

[@marcdiedrich4791]

It's alarming that you just now heard of it.

[@cortster12]

What the heck happened, Bill suddenly became reasonable! I love to see someone's eyes opening.

[@lindadeal3344]

Entertaining and provacative and you must respect the comments made by Bill as he gives all of us plenty to think about and consider in our lives!

[@laurab3441]

Let's talk about corporate greed and how even during a global pandemic insane corporate profits are robbing us blind.

[@JasbirSingh-zj1fg]

It is probably because they know that there is no pandemic, or that it is not serious enough to worry. But they do want everyone else to believe in an ongoing "pandemic" and want everyone to take it seriously, because only if people take a "pandemic" seriously, would the corrupt be able to rob us blind.

[@gabeo9474]

And here I am still waiting for over a year to have my *totally legitimate* claim processed with no payment whatsoever or even an update about why I'm still waiting. Now I'm homeless and living in my truck while these clowns have paid out $400,000,000,000 in false claims. I give up

[@WalkerOne]

God is the answer, not government.

[@deadinside8781]

@@WalkerOne God can't give him money or help him out of homelessness. Incredibly insensitive.

[@janglandis773]

@@deadinside8781 Exactly, the so called, all powerful, all knowing and wise god, seems to be asleep on the job. Somebody wake him up.

[@dy6682]

Sorry about ur situation, comrade. No words!

[@micahmcgowan8007]

Pure fire.

[@sawyer4713]

Keep it up, Bill Mahr.

[@crickey__in__durham]

Agree with everything you said except for trying to portray Manchin and Sinema as being motivated by genuine concern for waste, rather than concern for their donors' interests.

[@urwrstntmre]

Well if their corrupt interests align with the people's interests, i dont care. Politicians gonna be corrupt anyways

[@crickey__in__durham]

@@urwrstntmre "Well if their corrupt interests align with the people's interests, i dont care." Which is exactly why America is in the state that it is in.

[@JeffreyGoddin]

Bill is cultivating a new audience, he's been demonstrating faulty logic regularly for a while now...

[@odigomez1787]

I said the same thing. They voted for the corporate giveaway aka infrastructure bill but $25 insulin, seniors getting more benefits, lower the cost of medicine, more tax cuts for families… that’s too much smh

[@TheFinnmacool]

@@crickey__in__durham "Which is exactly why America is in the state that it is in." And which state is that? Ignorant citizens lead to a terrible country?

[@christinasuozzo]

Finally Bill Maher is addressing how both sides suck not just the republicans

[@tylerrjohnson68]

No baby formula in the stores but there's plenty at the southern border

[@christiad6069]

Took us a minute to "get it" lol!

[@bradleyrichard]

“Hole-to-bucket ratio” is a term I’m going to insert into every conversation I have about politics until the 2024 election.

[@j.c.5749]

The ol' trickle down theory is "the bucket handle," now exposed as a deluge down on the rich that dries up to barely a dribble by the time it might get to the workers.

[@christinasuozzo]

🤣🤣🤣

[@redman27597]

This will keep going on until we rise up as a people and hold all congressman ,presidents and mayors accountable. No matter what party they are from. We still have large segments of the population without internet, decent roads and bridges and not to mention the real important things like healthcare and decent pay. We can give billions to other countries to help with wars and our own people are in need and get looked over. I am tired of both parties at this point.

[@lpk6372]

Who voted these scammers in... If your polticans is screaming deregulation without context it means they were bought out and want to make some rich corporations or business persons life easy for abuse. We have more then enough money to help other countries and ourselves yet most of you fall for the weakest things. You rather vote in a politican that has been found to insider trade and collect bribes because he says they will ban trans or that they support unborn fetuses.

[@independentsistah]

I agree!

[@jbarton1541]

When PPP was passed Dems insisted on oversight but Trump. Mnuchin, and Republicans made sure that there was ZERO accountability. That was only one of the programs Trump and his buddies got ever richer on. Trump himself stole more than $500Million to keep his failing golf properties open.

[@daddybender2739]

Amen, vote gold.

[@winninglifeyo]

Oh come on politics as a spectator sport that you check in on to root for your favorite team is the best! What could go wrong?

[@Veretax]

I had like this video just for the expression "the hole to bucket ratio has changed"

[@dallasgadawgdude9871]

I have more respect for Bill every day, I am glad somebody is not scared to tell the truth.

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

Same in Australia. Many nonviable "business" owners leeches false relief from the federal government. Useless.

[@ishtiaqahmed-fh7sr]

Same in the Uk,

[@greenlime1997]

still no where close to the sheer scale of corruption and greed the United States has. Your country doesn't have a corporate, profit-driven healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, America does. The United States is an oligarchic wage slave economy, Australia simply doesn't come anywhere close to that, as a matter of fact hardly any other developed country comes close to that lol....

[@justinvschanel]

Seems to happen everywhere, also in the Netherlands

[@TGBurgerGaming]

That's just the beginning. If we tried to house the homeless you'd see $900k per apartment. Plus travel costs and overtime and red tape and then it would be handed as a contract to an ex Lib-Lab owned company with two workers and technically stationed in Hong Kong to avoid tax.

[@itookallthenames]

True, and also millionaires like Harvey Norman cashed in

[@maliksamarijones9304]

Sounds like a great year to not pay my taxes. 🤘

[@richh650]

Every American should watch this video!!!

[@DayTukErrJawbs]

This totally pisses me off seeing it. But bill is right. Nothing in comparison to the crap people in higher places do

[@genox3636]

"As above, so below."

[@canadianmistake2640]

Bill will continue to vote for this same wasteful government waste

[@verbalkint4258]

@@canadianmistake2640 most of this happened under trump and the republican controlled senate

[@TentaclePentacle]

stop voting for dems, republicans are horrible too, but at least there is a sense of shame on the right and they curtail some of those excesses.

[@TentaclePentacle]

@Crack Shot trump has never lied about the important stuff, unlike previous presidents

[@GiratinaofFury]

We have it just as bad in the UK as well. Dodgy contracts drafted up to friends of politicians, usually delivering far less than was promised and with no repercussions. When Br'exit was starting up, the travel secretary set up a contract to help ease potential supply issues with a shipping company that had no ships. And their terms and conditions from their website? Literally taken from a takeaway menu. And yet, there were no calls to get that money back.

[@TenFalconsMusic]

UK politics is one, massive party... and we aren't invited.

[@WinterSo1dier]

We do it across the board and have never batted an eye. Having favorable (or inside) contractors/ auto repair techs writing false estimates for repairs happens for even the lowest on the totem pole everywhere. Accepting the old cliché “you don’t think the govt really spends $15k on a toilet do you?” as a joke throughout the decades. It all gets overlooked and added up. What was once “well an extra $100 for my troubles won’t hurt.” Has turned into “so that’s $10k to fix it, $10k for you and $10k extra for the repairman for fixing the bill.” Now that it’s spiraled completely out of control and there’s 0 accountability, even the most passive are starting to complain.

[@tres311]

It would be safe to say that government officials are gettin in on the takes. This should be a lesson for those that think the government can do ANYTHING AT ALL efficiently. It’s always interesting to meet someone over the age of 22 that’s still stupid enough to think “if we could only create a new bureaucracy to solve these problems” have you seen the people running our congress?! 1 guy thought Guam could capsize, even the admiral being asked the question couldn’t believe someone so stupid was in charge of writing our laws. When a Supreme Court justice can’t define what a woman is…

[@Kiyoone]

Lots of places in the world is in the same SHI* man.

[@nonono9194]

They need rounding up and something *interesting* happening to them, they're all mates with the MPs who are all in on it

[@ramonaking1029]

Sometimes this man talks the truth. Refreshing

[@frankhubbard8703]

I worked for a company that was considered essential during COVID. This company took the money that the gov. Gave them, and gave us a $2 dollar an hour raise ( only for a few months. But the managers of that company all got new cars.

[@jonnielsen9001]

Well that’s what happens when you have the government not making sure that money is being dispersed in increments and to the people who are supposed to be paid. The company has to tell the people who are dispensing the funds and how much. Then they send a cheque to that company . Hope the government has learned a lesson a very expensive lesson.

[@waggishsagacity7947]

As we often realize, C. Northcote Parkinson was absolutely right: "The time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum [of money] involved." Thus, a committee [but could be the government] will spend 3 hours discussing the cost of, say $573 for bicycle shed , but only 17 1/2 minutes on allocating $10 million for building a nuclear reactor [in the 1960s]. In our case here, when it came to trillions to be spent on worthy causes, no one spent more than 20 minutes to prevent fraud. However, if 500 people committed unemployment compensation fraud of $187.39, each, the time spent on arresting and charging them exceeded 20 hours. See? Thanks, Bill Maher, for bringing this horror to our attention: It's OUR money, isn't it????

[@davidgoldman9820]

well said

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

OUR money is what the #GOP wants, the greedy pissants.

[@JerzyFeliksKlein]

To answer your question - no, but it will be your money/taxes to pay it off

[@gailwaters814]

I'm not a Republican or Democrat, just a concerned American. From years of studying the way the media portrays issues it has become clear that 99% of America's "journalists" are simply propagandists for the Dem Party. That's how we got two of the most incompetent people on the planet as our president and VP. (The lib media won't show you this, but the number of idiotic statements by Biden and Harris are beyond belief.) This is because the umbrella corporation that controls the corporations that own America's media companies have actively replaced seasoned newsroom bosses with young, brainwashed liberals. The idea is to use the media to cause racial division in America, and to remove white Americans from all positions of power. South Africa has shown what happens next, but you probably don't know what happened in South Africa over the last 26 years because the liberal media do NOT want you to know what happens when race politics takes its natural course. South Africa is collapsing under the weight of extreme hyper-corruption by a one-party government that has destroyed every aspect of the economy and society -- joblessness is passing 50% and salaries can't keep up with the fast rising cost of living. The elites love this kind of chaos because they make immense profits from making deals with South Africa's hyper-corrupt government. The US is following the exact same pattern of racial politics and race-baiting. The result is one-party leadership by race-baiting racists like Lori Lightfoot, and the murderous chaos that is Chicago. But the reality is that once the Lori Lightfoots of the Dem Party are in control of all of the US, things will get a lot worse than Chicago's south side. The Dem propaganda machine controls 99% of America's media, and they are putting destructive, corrupt racists like Lori Lightfoot in charge of the US.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

@@gailwaters814 😂😂😂

[@grahamaddisonusnncisfmr.8835]

Loving this! I'm a right wing conservative and I'm finally laughing again at intelligent wit Bill

[@skinnimalone165]

Bill said it best 😭😭 kleptocracy

[@toddgrady7119]

Thank you Bill that was really good, very funny.

[@thjbird]

Just because Manchin and Sinema question spending doesn’t mean they aren’t grifters. They are. They just have a different approach.

[@ashleythompson6520]

Dems need to ditch those two

[@zeebest1004]

They just call out what they choose - by convenience…

[@akatdrag3003]

Besides manchin and cinema both like those hole’s it goes to their donors

[@Batman-gn9yh]

Agree with that 💯 percent they are Republicans Hiding as Democrats

[@KaoticReach1999]

Gonna explain that maybe? You're kinda proving Bill's point

[@Stonedmonkey1x]

My boss told me that our company got qualified for a million dollars in PPP loans. When he handed out the money it amounted to about $200 to each employee and there's about 20 of us when I questioned I thought we got a million dollars why is this solo he said oh that's because the million dollars got spread out between a multitude of businesses and that he really only got about $10,000 of that million dollars something sounds fishy to me especially since he was able to buy $180,000 cabin during covid. Where is the protection for us common workers?

[@TheFinnmacool]

Strangest story I ever read.

[@JasbirSingh-zj1fg]

If these were PPP "loans", don't the people have to pay them back??

[@kevinc5533]

@@JasbirSingh-zj1fg No, they were forgivable if the business could show a certain decline in revenue. We were able to show that easily based on the shutdowns. I know my business owners put a windfall of about 200,00 directly into their pockets. Even with the shutdown, our business was in no danger of being unable to fund paychecks

[@pamelacass9642]

What does $200 do?

[@Stonedmonkey1x]

@@kevinc5533 yep and we are appliance repair we never shut down worked thru the whole pandemic

[@ishrartabassum2204]

I would like to thank you for your work Bill

[@texcenrealty4799]

I love seeing Bill realize the problem.!

[@a24396]

I wondered the whole time: if the spending worked out to roughly $17,500 per person and the MOST stimulus money a single person could have received was $3,200 - and many received less than that full amount. Sure, some of this went to the unemployment supplements, and some of it was sent to support the housing assistance programs... But those are state-run programs and almost none of the states spent what they received, never mind actually providing assistance to everyone that requested assistance or needed assistance. Meanwhile, anyone with a business that claimed it was "impacted" by COVID got to receive either "free" Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans to protect their business. A case in point: The Mcdonald's down the street from me got PPP money because they were "impacted" by COVID... Sure... Except "impacted" in this case was HELPED! They had MORE business and STRONGER sales because people still had to eat and in-person dining wasn't an option, so drive-through sales massively increased. And, because they kept their employees on staff (and hired more) they had their loan forgiven. And then they raised prices because there was less competition... And made more in profits... Ultimately that money ended up getting invested in real property (like houses) bought for cash and intended as investments against inflation. And then they massively raised the rents of their investment property. And ultimately the very wealthy managed to collect most of the stimulus money and then used that money to finance their accumulation of more assets that would let them accumulate even more money. And everyone else paid for it with the taxes we pay... Taxes the wealthy don't have to pay because they make enough that they can avoid having to pay. But I'm told that "CRT" or Transgender athletes are important issues to care about and the Republicans don't even have a platform other than "we're not Democrats" and the Democrat's platform seems to be so mixed up that I don't even know how they plan to do any of the things they claim to want to do...

[@hellooutthere8956]

Remember the thousands tht weren't eligible for unemployment.

[@jakemac1396]

It’s almost like it was planned! 😂

[@arnabiarnab3037]

Well said….. The two party system needs to be dismantled

[@gailwaters814]

I'm not a Republican or Democrat, just a concerned American. From years of studying the way the media portrays issues it has become clear that 99% of America's "journalists" are simply propagandists for the Dem Party. That's how we got two of the most incompetent people on the planet as our president and VP. (The lib media won't show you this, but the number of idiotic statements by Biden and Harris are beyond belief.) This is because the umbrella corporation that controls the corporations that own America's media companies have actively replaced seasoned newsroom bosses with young, brainwashed liberals. The idea is to use the media to cause racial division in America, and to remove white Americans from all positions of power. South Africa has shown what happens next, but you probably don't know what happened in South Africa over the last 26 years because the liberal media do NOT want you to know what happens when race politics takes its natural course. South Africa is collapsing under the weight of extreme hyper-corruption by a one-party government that has destroyed every aspect of the economy and society -- joblessness is passing 50% and salaries can't keep up with the fast rising cost of living. The elites love this kind of chaos because they make immense profits from making deals with South Africa's hyper-corrupt government. The US is following the exact same pattern of racial politics and race-baiting. The result is one-party leadership by race-baiting racists like Lori Lightfoot, and the murderous chaos that is Chicago. But the reality is that once the Lori Lightfoots of the Dem Party are in control of all of the US, things will get a lot worse than Chicago's south side. The Dem propaganda machine controls 99% of America's media, and they are putting destructive, corrupt racists like Lori Lightfoot in charge of the US.

[@a24396]

@@gailwaters814 Three things: Paragraphs would make your text wall a lot more readable. Claiming you aren't partisan and then repeating partisan talking points nearly word for word isn't a great way to convince anyone you aren't partisan. You're the one that brought up race... As a response to a complaint about the stimulus money turning into a giveaway to the already wealthy. Seems to me that maybe you're the one with racist issues.

[@garyha2650]

Can a transcript of this be found somewhere? I want to send it to a friend who blindly despises Bill so bad he gets emotional at the mere mention of his name, but agrees with almost everything said. Will let him guess who said it

[@captainchadapparelaccessor6556]

Look at the description of the video and scroll to the bottom. It’ll say “show transcript”.

[@magicmarker7047]

Be side the like , dislike, share, etc. you will see 3 little dots- click on that and you will see "show transcript".

[@TheFinnmacool]

Doesn't sound deceptive at all.

[@garyha2650]

@@magicmarker7047 Thanks the three dots thing, copy/paste, cleanup, sent. By the way Bill, the 2021 spending bill HR133 had more words than the Bible but is harder to read, notwithstanding the foregoing for example, deliberate obscurity. Only 200 billion was for our $600 checks, the rest was government handing out money to itself like candy, we have government of the government, by the government, for the government

[@sunrisewolfy]

@@magicmarker7047 “she used her convent cash to hire a hit man”. Ya the transcript is not shareable. Convent =/= Covid.

[@tommyz9413]

Maher's Law: Hole to bucket ratio formula.... That was great lmaoo

[@richarddrapeau7599]

De policing the funds, great quote.

[@TracyAllenVideos]

I am a solopreneur and I received a small amount of PPP which I used on my business and to keep a roof over my head since I work from home. I am so grateful to have received the help that I did. It’s disappointing to know that there were some people that thoroughly abused the money but I’m glad it did help some of us that really needed it.

[@DWilliam1]

So, you got to use the PPP to pay your mortgage?

[@TracyAllenVideos]

@@DWilliam1 PPP funds could have been used for 4 purposes: payroll, mortgage interest, rent/lease, and utilities.

[@DWilliam1]

@@TracyAllenVideos Well, you work from home, so it could be used for your mortgage and when you first get a mortgage most of your monthly payments are interest(unless you used mostly cash to buy). I’m well aware of what PPP is used for.

[@mikehochburns8740]

@@TracyAllenVideos that is not true. Those are the only expenses you can use to get forgiveness, but you can spend the money on whatever you want.

[@stridertherangerwoof]

WHO EVER HANDLED IT AFTER IT WAS GIVEN IS TO BLAME. IT HELPED MY FAMILY. IF SOMEONE GOT SOMTHING THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO AND THEY DID NOT RETURN IT. THAT IS ON THEM.

[@MsABee1]

As an “essential worker” I didn’t qualify to receive a penny from all of the funds that were dished out! It’s very difficult to see how much of my tax dollars are constantly being wasted!!

[@brookebyrne6615]

That's because the PPP loans were to go to businesses to keep people employed, not to employees directly. You benefited from a whole slew of businesses being able to somewhat stay alive and not destroy the economy by mass bankruptcy. Those people who decided you were essential also decided that some businesses should die. My business was closed down for 13 months and l went from a thriving business with no debt to enough debt to buy a house in California if it was cash. I lost all my jobs in a day. Being considered essential would have been an economic savior for me.

[@MsABee1]

@@brookebyrne6615 I did not qualify for any stimulus money. All kinds of dollars were tossed out by the government. As a tax payer, I witnessed many people near and far waste the money. Sorry to hear about your business.

[@user-pt8hz2ws8g]

@@MsABee1 If you were an illegal immigrant you would have gotten paid.

[@12345Micki]

I was a hardcore Democrat until about June 2020, all of the stolen money, "defund the police", school shut downs, and being attacked for pointing out how ridiculous this has gotten put me over the edge. Now officially independent, I'm just done watching my hard earned money being stolen and actively used to promote crap that is bad for my family.

[@Pantsinabucket]

@@12345Micki assuming you live in the suburbs, defunding the police is senseless as they aren’t excessively overfunded. Meanwhile inside major cities, police typically take up >50% of the budget. For example, I live in Chicago, where police got ~52% of the 2021 budget, along with over half the COVID relief funds as a bonus. Meanwhile in the suburb I was raised in, police received 20.44% of the town budget. When you are dealing with billions of dollars like a major city’s budget, investing money into those who do not prevent crime and rarely solve it is just downright wrong when you can invest that into community resources that will provide healthy alternatives to crime. I’ve never once witnessed cops or security on CTA, yet that’s where a disproportionately high amount of crimes are reported. However, living on a major street, I can’t walk half a mile without a cop car driving by on patrol despite being in one of the safest and richest neighborhoods in town.

[@sjerome]

All of a sudden Bill Maher makes a ton of sense.

[@kathycrew2435]

Brilliant, as always☺

[@jjcproducer]

Wow! Corruption is corruption, regardless of political angle. Keep up the good work, Bill!

[@jamespetkwitz8737]

I love that Bill is now coming out and speaking about all this, the problem is that it is bout 4 decades late. The Hole to bucket ratio really hasn't changed much. It probably the same percentage stole as it always was, we are just now dealing with Trillions instead of Millions and Billions, so it's more and more apparent.

[@litedawg]

Why? He continues to blame and take shots at Republicans who are not in charge of anything right now. The Democrats are a disaster and yet he continues to take shots at everyone else except the ones who fucked all this up- the Democrats and the Biden Administration.

[@nocturnalrecluse1216]

Except when he tells you far left gumbas to get in line and vote, right? 🙄

[@RagingGeekazoid]

It's worse now. Started 40 years ago, Clinton tightened the belt in his second term, but Dubya pissed all over that, and it's been ballooning exponentially ever since.

[@ShawnLH88]

it's called just now adding the numbers up you didn't know about it either at full scale. genius

[@jake_]

Actually, he has talked about it in the past . A lot. Remember when he was comparing the cost of building.. well, anything, in the US? How much a mile of railway costs in America in relation to Europe? About how after WW2 the government built homes for the veterans at a fraction of the cost asked for housing homeless people today?(yes, accounting for inflation first) About money for various projects going to the pockets of lawyers and consultants and not to the people who actually build them? About gritters who pocket public money for projects that are then abandoned? Unfortunately, people truly have a very short memory. Six months from now, they will have forgotten this too.

[@larrylebowski8386]

Bill Maher 2024!

[@robertmiller1655]

Bill Maher gets it. And makes me laugh too. I admire that.

[@bigdaddyjoe2819]

Speak the truth Bill!!! Thanks for the reality check!!!

[@nw7629]

The biggest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. The biggest fraud committed against the American people since the bailout of banks when housing bubble crashed. These happened under Democratic presidents and democratic controlled government. "This is something Trump would do!" And the audience laughs and claps. Very telling.

[@kylestubbs8867]

It’s the only kind of check a lot of people were able to get.

[@justistruth]

All these years! Thank you Bill! I don’t always agree with you however your rants are good to hear!

[@user-po2qb6cm9q]

That West Side Story joke should have had a drum roll and a cymbal to finish it with 😅