Dani Smart
@smartruminations.bsky.social
Writer (Substack: Smart Ruminations), graphic designer, wood worker, Realtor.
We weep for the refugee baby in the manger, then walk out the church doors and check our phones—scrolling past headlines about modern families fleeing the same violence. At what point did the Gospel stop being a way of life and start being just local folklore? open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Manger and the Wall
As a née-Episcopal-married-Catholic, I join my fellow Christians each Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
open.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
We weep for the refugee baby in the manger, then walk out the church doors and check our phones—scrolling past headlines about modern families fleeing the same violence. At what point did the Gospel stop being a way of life and start being just local folklore? open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
America’s healthcare debate is stuck in a moral vs. fiscal responsibility standoff—and it’s costing us far more than better health. Universal healthcare isn’t radical—it’s economic common sense. Fixing healthcare may be the key to fixing the middle class. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Hidden Mortgage Killer: How Healthcare Costs Are Eating the American Dream
The debate over universal healthcare has fallen into a political chasm—one that has effectively denied the United States a genuine bipartisan solution.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:23 PM
America’s healthcare debate is stuck in a moral vs. fiscal responsibility standoff—and it’s costing us far more than better health. Universal healthcare isn’t radical—it’s economic common sense. Fixing healthcare may be the key to fixing the middle class. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The echoes of Iraq are happening again in Venezuela. 20-years and the same playbook: manufactured threat, the rhetoric of “liberation” hiding who really profits, fentanyl a "WMD," Venezuela’s oil the ultimate prize. A war would cost lives & trillions of $$.
danismart.substack.com/p/iraq-and-v...
danismart.substack.com/p/iraq-and-v...
Iraq and Venezuela: How Manufactured Threats Pave the Road to War
How Fear, Fentanyl, and Oil is Leading the U.S. Down a Dangerous Path
danismart.substack.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:36 PM
The echoes of Iraq are happening again in Venezuela. 20-years and the same playbook: manufactured threat, the rhetoric of “liberation” hiding who really profits, fentanyl a "WMD," Venezuela’s oil the ultimate prize. A war would cost lives & trillions of $$.
danismart.substack.com/p/iraq-and-v...
danismart.substack.com/p/iraq-and-v...
Can you still say “Merry Christmas”? Spoiler: yes. But the debate over Christian nationalism shows how a holiday greeting serves as a political flashpoint. Is the U.S. a Christian nation? I'd argue, that's it's not.
danismart.substack.com/p/christian-...
danismart.substack.com/p/christian-...
‘Christian Nation’? The Myth Driving Fear and Division
From memes to policy, cultural memory clashes with the Constitution in today’s politics.
danismart.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Can you still say “Merry Christmas”? Spoiler: yes. But the debate over Christian nationalism shows how a holiday greeting serves as a political flashpoint. Is the U.S. a Christian nation? I'd argue, that's it's not.
danismart.substack.com/p/christian-...
danismart.substack.com/p/christian-...
12/4/2025, Amnesty International released a report titled “USA: Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State: Human Rights Violations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Krome in Florida.” This article is about the report's eerie echoes from history.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-stroll...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-stroll...
The Stroll Past Atrocity: What 1945's Indifference Teaches Us About Today's U.S. Detention Camps
The haunting image of a boy walking past Belsen’s dead finds its chilling parallel in state-funded cruelty and the high cost of looking away.
danismart.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:29 AM
12/4/2025, Amnesty International released a report titled “USA: Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State: Human Rights Violations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and Krome in Florida.” This article is about the report's eerie echoes from history.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-stroll...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-stroll...
The administration promised "America First," but their own policies created the farm crisis. Now, taxpayers are footing the bill to bail out for an industry hurt by tariffs, labor cuts, and foreign aid to competitors which has fueled this self-inflicted storm. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
“America First” vs. Global Reality: The $12 Billion Farm Bailout
Policy Creates the Crisis and Taxpayers Are Funding the Damage
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
The administration promised "America First," but their own policies created the farm crisis. Now, taxpayers are footing the bill to bail out for an industry hurt by tariffs, labor cuts, and foreign aid to competitors which has fueled this self-inflicted storm. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Is removing the Social Security cap on income over $176,100 the magic bullet to preserve the program that millions of Americans depend on in their retirement? open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Why We Need to Rethink the Social Security Cap — Without Pretending It’s a Magic Wand
A look at why the Social Security cap deserves a rethink—and how we can fix it without breaking the system.
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Is removing the Social Security cap on income over $176,100 the magic bullet to preserve the program that millions of Americans depend on in their retirement? open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Why do we fully fund education for military recruits but cap the degrees needed to staff our hospitals, schools, and clinics? The DoED’s new loan policy reveals a double standard we’ve been conditioned to accept—and it’s hurting essential professions. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Why Do We Fund Education for Soldiers but Not for Public Servants?
The Strange Double Standard: Why America Only Extends Educational Investment to Military Forms of Public Service.
open.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Why do we fully fund education for military recruits but cap the degrees needed to staff our hospitals, schools, and clinics? The DoED’s new loan policy reveals a double standard we’ve been conditioned to accept—and it’s hurting essential professions. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
For a brief moment in 2022, Americans stood united in support of Ukraine, a democracy under attack. Today, the conversation has fractured and many are now cheering for Vladimir Putin—a literal Communist—while dismissing the democratic nation he’s invading. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Democracy at a Crossroad: The U.S., Ukraine, and the Inflection Point
For a brief moment in 2022, America felt united.
open.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
For a brief moment in 2022, Americans stood united in support of Ukraine, a democracy under attack. Today, the conversation has fractured and many are now cheering for Vladimir Putin—a literal Communist—while dismissing the democratic nation he’s invading. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The recent Congressional resolution (H. CON. RES. 58) "denouncing the horrors of socialism" has created a dangerous ideological trap. Before we allow popular social safety nets (like Medicare and childcare) to be dismantled, we need clarity. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
November 22, 2025 at 1:47 AM
The recent Congressional resolution (H. CON. RES. 58) "denouncing the horrors of socialism" has created a dangerous ideological trap. Before we allow popular social safety nets (like Medicare and childcare) to be dismantled, we need clarity. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
I’ve seen the memes—the dramatic lists claiming the DoEd is “eliminating” entire professions. They’re not accurate, but the truth behind them is actually more concerning. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Big Ugly Bill and the Threat to Post-Graduate Education
You may have seen the memes floating around: “A list of degrees the Department of Education will reclassify and no longer consider professional degrees…” Some even include a list of twelve degrees and...
open.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:13 AM
I’ve seen the memes—the dramatic lists claiming the DoEd is “eliminating” entire professions. They’re not accurate, but the truth behind them is actually more concerning. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
There was an investigation in the previous administration. The current administration killed it in January and then officially declared there was "nothing to prosecute." So may questions...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Epstein Files Fiasco: Administration Closes Probe, Declares Innocence, Then Orders New Investigation
The Unraveling Hypocrisy of the DOJ and the Call for Unvarnished Truth
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
There was an investigation in the previous administration. The current administration killed it in January and then officially declared there was "nothing to prosecute." So may questions...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Epstein files are making the rounds again and the conversation is still stuck in Left vs. Right. Most Americans genuinely don’t care whose name shows up. They just want the truth. This really isn't about politics at all. It’s about money and control.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
What the Epstein Files Reveal About Power, Money, and Manufactured Division
How a global network of money, leverage, and distraction keeps the powerful protected and the public divided.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
The Epstein files are making the rounds again and the conversation is still stuck in Left vs. Right. Most Americans genuinely don’t care whose name shows up. They just want the truth. This really isn't about politics at all. It’s about money and control.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Have you ever wondered what it's like to feed 100+ elite musicians, crew, and volunteers on the road? I did—four meals a day, from before sunrise to after midnight, chasing a Drum Corps across the country. Chaos, calzones, and the mysterious “Fourth Meal” included.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
November 15, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Have you ever wondered what it's like to feed 100+ elite musicians, crew, and volunteers on the road? I did—four meals a day, from before sunrise to after midnight, chasing a Drum Corps across the country. Chaos, calzones, and the mysterious “Fourth Meal” included.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Americans pay more than any other wealthy nation for healthcare—and get worse outcomes. The ACA was meant to stabilize insurance companies, not improve access or health. Here’s the reality of a system where profit, not patients, drives care. It's time for a change.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
November 12, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Americans pay more than any other wealthy nation for healthcare—and get worse outcomes. The ACA was meant to stabilize insurance companies, not improve access or health. Here’s the reality of a system where profit, not patients, drives care. It's time for a change.
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Boy Who Wouldn’t Break — and the Democracies That Might danismart.substack.com/p/the-boy-wh...
November 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM
The Boy Who Wouldn’t Break — and the Democracies That Might danismart.substack.com/p/the-boy-wh...
I didn’t mean to find Péter Mansfeld. But once I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about what his story says about Hungary today—and about us.
My latest op-ed is live: open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
My latest op-ed is live: open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The Boy Who Wouldn’t Break — and the Democracies That Might
Hungary once inspired the world with a revolution for freedom. Today, that same country stands as a warning — proof that democracy doesn’t collapse in a bang, but in a quiet shuffle of paperwork and p...
open.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
I didn’t mean to find Péter Mansfeld. But once I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about what his story says about Hungary today—and about us.
My latest op-ed is live: open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
My latest op-ed is live: open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
With so many political debates centered on the U.S. Constitution, it is easy to forget The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration's list of complaints resonates not just as history, but as an urgent, modern-day indictment. danismart.substack.com/p/crisis-poi...
Crisis Point: The Declaration of Independence as a Modern-Day Indictment
In an era dominated by political debates centered on the U.S. Constitution—its clauses, amendments, and checks and balances—it is easy to forget the foundational text that necessitated its creation. T...
danismart.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:55 PM
With so many political debates centered on the U.S. Constitution, it is easy to forget The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration's list of complaints resonates not just as history, but as an urgent, modern-day indictment. danismart.substack.com/p/crisis-poi...
This is a good time to review the myths around Voter ID laws that would disenfranchise millions of voters. Please share.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
The Citizenship Document Requirement and Voter Disenfranchisement
Immediate call to action
danismart.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This is a good time to review the myths around Voter ID laws that would disenfranchise millions of voters. Please share.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
In this article I discuss the surprising bi-partisan history of the ACA, dispel common myths, and share some ideas about how we can move forward open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
America's Healthcare Crisis: Unraveling the ACA's Past to Forge a Healthier Future
Summary: The ACA’s Bipartisan Roots, Present Challenges, and Path Forward
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:13 PM
In this article I discuss the surprising bi-partisan history of the ACA, dispel common myths, and share some ideas about how we can move forward open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Important words to hear, understand, and act on.
open.substack.com/pub/petebutt...
open.substack.com/pub/petebutt...
The Cost of Trump’s Politicization of the Military
They’ve crossed one line after another since January - and we must not become numb to the mounting damage to our military and national security.
open.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Important words to hear, understand, and act on.
open.substack.com/pub/petebutt...
open.substack.com/pub/petebutt...
So much to unpack…
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
Quid Pro Quo? New Qatari Military Base in Idaho Follows Trillions in Trade and Personal Deals
A Quick Overview
open.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 12:28 AM
So much to unpack…
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
The U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) is taking public comment until Oct 20, 2025 regarding requiring all voters to provide documentation of citizenship to register to vote. Non-citizen voting is vanishingly rare & millions stand to be disenfranchised.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
The Citizenship Document Requirement and Voter Disenfranchisement
Immediate call to action
open.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC) is taking public comment until Oct 20, 2025 regarding requiring all voters to provide documentation of citizenship to register to vote. Non-citizen voting is vanishingly rare & millions stand to be disenfranchised.
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
danismart.substack.com/p/the-citize...
In short: Burning the U.S. flag as a form of political protest is not illegal, the President cannot create new laws or penalties, and the military is barred from making domestic arrests. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...
President vs. Precedent: The Unenforceable Order on Flag Burning and the Limits of Executive Power
Why U.S. Law Protects Symbolic Protest and Bars Executive Policing
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:55 PM
In short: Burning the U.S. flag as a form of political protest is not illegal, the President cannot create new laws or penalties, and the military is barred from making domestic arrests. open.substack.com/pub/danismar...