Dan Schaefer
@dan4mo.bsky.social
Former Democratic candidate for the Missouri State House, writer, programmer, podcast producer/host, engineer, father, husband
When enforcement replaces justice, when secrecy replaces transparency, when blind conformance replaces common sense, democracy rots from the inside. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/is-the-doj...
Is the DOJ Rigging the Next Election?
The Department of Justice’s Power Grab and How It Affects You
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM
When enforcement replaces justice, when secrecy replaces transparency, when blind conformance replaces common sense, democracy rots from the inside. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/is-the-doj...
We do not build a more perfect union by surrendering our voices, our votes, or our belief that citizens should shape our future. Gvmt was never the enemy; the abandonment of democracy is. The solution remains what it has always been: We the People. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/government...
Government Was Never the Problem
But we live with the fallout from pretending it was
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:31 AM
We do not build a more perfect union by surrendering our voices, our votes, or our belief that citizens should shape our future. Gvmt was never the enemy; the abandonment of democracy is. The solution remains what it has always been: We the People. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/government...
Democracy doesn’t defend itself; that’s the job of ordinary citizens. Every voter, regardless of party, should trust that political power comes from the people, not from those who manipulate the rules to gain power. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/democracy-...
Democracy for Sale: $5,000
The right to petition our government is for sale
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Democracy doesn’t defend itself; that’s the job of ordinary citizens. Every voter, regardless of party, should trust that political power comes from the people, not from those who manipulate the rules to gain power. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/democracy-...
Today's article is from Yvonne Reeves-Chong, Vice-Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party. She discusses the recent capitulation of the Senate Democrats and how it's up to us to create our own heroes and save ourselves. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/we-have-to...
We Have to Stop Trusting Electeds to Save Us — They Won’t
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Today's article is from Yvonne Reeves-Chong, Vice-Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party. She discusses the recent capitulation of the Senate Democrats and how it's up to us to create our own heroes and save ourselves. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/we-have-to...
The wealthiest among us are constructing a digital infrastructure for control under a thin veil of security. It protects property, not people. It shields corruption, not democracy. It presumes suspicion, not innocence. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/spying-on-...
Spying on Americans
Watching Everyone, Protecting No One
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:03 AM
The wealthiest among us are constructing a digital infrastructure for control under a thin veil of security. It protects property, not people. It shields corruption, not democracy. It presumes suspicion, not innocence. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/spying-on-...
When the government is doing its job, it protects citizens from real threats to life & property. But when lawmakers are distracted by culture wars, it leaves ordinary people vulnerable to real criminals who undermine our safety and our way of life. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/they-stole...
They Stole My Home, and No One Would Listen
When government fails to guard against fraud, ordinary citizens pay the price
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:15 AM
When the government is doing its job, it protects citizens from real threats to life & property. But when lawmakers are distracted by culture wars, it leaves ordinary people vulnerable to real criminals who undermine our safety and our way of life. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/they-stole...
It is tragically fitting that Cheney, late in life, expressed alarm at Trump’s autocratic tendencies. Metaphorically speaking, Dick Cheney built Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, giving unchecked power to a megalomaniac who could not be controlled. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/cheneys-mo...
Cheney's Monster
Cheney’s experiment in unchecked executive power has escaped the lab
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 AM
It is tragically fitting that Cheney, late in life, expressed alarm at Trump’s autocratic tendencies. Metaphorically speaking, Dick Cheney built Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, giving unchecked power to a megalomaniac who could not be controlled. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/cheneys-mo...
Here's a radical idea: restructure our municipal bonds so we make money on future repairs rather than lose money on past repairs. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/the-bond-t...
The Bond Trap
How public debt keeps our schools on a treadmill and what we can do about it
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Here's a radical idea: restructure our municipal bonds so we make money on future repairs rather than lose money on past repairs. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/the-bond-t...
Our guest author, Yvonne Reeves-Chong, comments on the current government shutdown and what's really taking place behind the scenes. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/refuse-to-...
Refuse to Yield
In the face of Republican extremism, Democrats must show the courage of conviction — not the comfort of compromise.
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Our guest author, Yvonne Reeves-Chong, comments on the current government shutdown and what's really taking place behind the scenes. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/refuse-to-...
Missouri is waging war on the people's voice. When citizens lose their right to petition, they lose the only direct way to check a legislature that refuses to listen. The right to petition isn’t just a procedural relic; it’s the lifeline of democracy. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/lawfare-lo...
Lawfare: Locking in Control
When lawmakers don’t like what people say, they pass a law to muzzle the people
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Missouri is waging war on the people's voice. When citizens lose their right to petition, they lose the only direct way to check a legislature that refuses to listen. The right to petition isn’t just a procedural relic; it’s the lifeline of democracy. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/lawfare-lo...
There was a time when the internet promised connection through difference. Unfortunately, it often delivers the opposite: islands of certainty surrounded by seas of contempt. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/when-polit...
When Politics Becomes Group Therapy
How online tribes turn emotion into identity
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:57 AM
There was a time when the internet promised connection through difference. Unfortunately, it often delivers the opposite: islands of certainty surrounded by seas of contempt. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/when-polit...
The moral test of our time is not whether we can avoid conflict, but whether we can face it with courage. Each time we fail that test, the moral line retreats a little farther into the darkness, dragging democracy with it. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/without-co...
Without Courage, Morality Collapses
The Anti-Defamation League bows to the bullies it was built to confront
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:52 AM
The moral test of our time is not whether we can avoid conflict, but whether we can face it with courage. Each time we fail that test, the moral line retreats a little farther into the darkness, dragging democracy with it. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/without-co...
Many Republican legislators in Missouri rail against “out-of-state billionaires” funding ballot initiatives while turning a blind eye to the millions flowing in from dark money groups that fortify their own causes. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/missouri-f...
Missouri for Missourians, Not Hidden Donors
Politicians lecture voters about outside money while raking it in
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
September 24, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Many Republican legislators in Missouri rail against “out-of-state billionaires” funding ballot initiatives while turning a blind eye to the millions flowing in from dark money groups that fortify their own causes. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/missouri-f...
Medicare was created to serve people, not corporations. With determination, we can strengthen it, expand it, and ensure it remains a true public lifeline — not another profit center for industry. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/medicare-d...
Medicare Disadvantage
How private industry exploits a public lifeline
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
September 19, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Medicare was created to serve people, not corporations. With determination, we can strengthen it, expand it, and ensure it remains a true public lifeline — not another profit center for industry. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/medicare-d...
The Missouri Hammer came down on the voters again in Missouri today. The GOP ran roughshod over the rest of the legislature, going the extra mile to screw their voters.
September 12, 2025 at 9:10 PM
The Missouri Hammer came down on the voters again in Missouri today. The GOP ran roughshod over the rest of the legislature, going the extra mile to screw their voters.
Medicare was built to care for people, not to enrich corporations. Let’s keep it that way. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/privatizat...
Privatization by Another Name
Medicare’s new plan trades away patient health for profit margins
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
September 3, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Medicare was built to care for people, not to enrich corporations. Let’s keep it that way. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/privatizat...
The larger share of Americans who live in cities find their voices limited, while the smaller rural population enjoys outsized influence in national politics. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/one-vote-u...
One Vote, Unequal Weight
Why geography, not democracy, decides how much your voice counts in America
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:35 AM
The larger share of Americans who live in cities find their voices limited, while the smaller rural population enjoys outsized influence in national politics. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/one-vote-u...
Voting is a right, and rights shouldn’t come with red tape. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/rights-sho...
Rights Don’t Require Registration
So why should voting be any different?
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Voting is a right, and rights shouldn’t come with red tape. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/rights-sho...
In a free democratic society, disagreements are inevitable. Negotiation and compromise are the lifeblood of democracy. But under extremism—the seedbed of authoritarianism—such principles are branded as betrayal. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/the-extrem...
The Extremist Trap
The Missouri Freedom Caucus is shrinking fast, exposing the fatal flaw at the heart of every authoritarian movement
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
August 21, 2025 at 5:05 AM
In a free democratic society, disagreements are inevitable. Negotiation and compromise are the lifeblood of democracy. But under extremism—the seedbed of authoritarianism—such principles are branded as betrayal. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/the-extrem...
The conflict between the wealthy elite and the working class isn’t a polite debate. It’s a street fight for the American dream we once cherished. It’s time we started acting like it. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/god-greed-...
God, Greed, and Government
Inside the unholy alliance that threatens to bury American democracy
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:01 AM
The conflict between the wealthy elite and the working class isn’t a polite debate. It’s a street fight for the American dream we once cherished. It’s time we started acting like it. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/god-greed-...
The National Guard isn't in our streets to "restore order." It’s a test. Trump is seeing how much freedom you’ll surrender before you notice it’s gone. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/restoring-...
Restoring Order, Removing Freedom
Trump’s D.C. takeover is a trial run for military rule on our streets
frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com
August 12, 2025 at 2:50 AM
The National Guard isn't in our streets to "restore order." It’s a test. Trump is seeing how much freedom you’ll surrender before you notice it’s gone. frontlineprogressive.beehiiv.com/p/restoring-...