NOW THEY PAY © Byron Gene Manering
Lyric and Melody by B.G. Manering
Original Vocal, Guitar, and Drum performed by B.G.Manering and processed by AI
All other tracks created by AI
Song Editing and Mastering by B.G.Manering

About the Song:
I finally got around to writing this song then Trump’s pardon-fest confirmed it…the Capital Hill rioters imprisoned for trying to destroy democracy and terrorizing all those people had their martyrdom immortalized.  Their hateful criminal actions that caused trauma and life long suffering for the victims and their families have now been trivialized. There was justice. Now there is not. That is how tyranny works. This song is about that.

NOW THEY PAY © Byron Gene Manering

They boiled into a rage 
He kept pumpin ‘em up
‘Take the Hill, boys!’
They went all in for Trump

What were they thinkin
It was just a rally day
They fought democracy
Now they pay [They Should Pay]

He was tweeting in the White House
They were getting handcuffed
It was all on them
They got too rough

What was they thinkin
It was just a rally day
They fought democracy
Now they pay 

Armed and angry
Heroes of the right
Sent both parties
Running for their life

What were they thinkin
It was just a rally day
They fought democracy
Now they pay
 
What were they thinkin
It was just a rally day
They fought democracy
Now they pay

Music Editor: B.G.Manering
Executive Producer Byron Gene Manering
Recorded: Oct 30, 2025 Label: BGM
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More…

—one truth-tuned lyric at a time…
Byron is driven to expose bad actors one truth-tuned lyric at a time. Writing with grit, wit, and an honest strut, he turns real stories into songs that say what you feel. Byron’s Oklahoma roots meet in today’s complex world of relationships and power culture. Explore his singable hooks and banter at byrongenemanering.com

Byron uploaded a live recording of his original song (Lyric, Melody, Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, and Drums) and had AI smooth out the rough edges and enhance the best qualities of his tracks. He used AI to add the other tracks which he edited into the final song.

Now They Pay

Randy: “We’re supposed to believe the central bank manages inflation by using interest rates?”

Steve: “It’s ridiculous.”

L. Randall Wray, one of the original MMT economists, recently wrote a paper with Yeva Nersisyan entitled, No, the Fed is NOT Independent – It is a Creature of Congress.  Steve invited Randy for a conversation about how the Federal Reserve is, and always has been, a “creature of Congress,” and its supposed independence is a smokescreen that benefits the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.

The Fed has a dual mandate of full employment and price stability, yet it consistently prioritizes the stability of Wall Street over the well-being of Main Street, bailing out banks while leaving workers to face the fallout of manufactured recessions.

Randy describes how raising interest rates – the Fed’s so-called tool – works to suppress wages by slowing the economy and killing job growth. Federal Reserve transcripts explicitly state that they fear “wage inflation” but see “profit inflation” as desirable.

Randy wants Congress to take control of the central bank. (Some of us don’t see Congress as independent either.) But whatever our belief in the role of the state and who it serves, the episode contains valuable information on central bank operations, how interest rate hikes discipline labor, the truth about “fighting” inflation, and the difference between monetary and fiscal policy. We need to understand the mechanics of power if we’re going to build the future we deserve.

L. Randall Wray is a Professor of Economics at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, and Emeritus Professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is one of the developers of Modern Money Theory and his newest book on the topic is Understanding Modern Money Theory: Money and Credit in Capitalist Economies (Elgar, 2025).

The Fed As a Weapon of Class Power with L. Randall Wray

Tonight, Monday, November 17th, at 6 pm on The Brian Crombie Hour I interview ✅ Sergio Marchi. 👉 ALL my 🎤 podcasts and 🎦 video casts can be accessed any time on my web site https://briancrombie.com which holds repository of all my shows. 📌 Sergio Marchi, former MP, Cabinet Minister, and Canada’s Ambassador to the WTO, talks about his new book "Pursuing a Public Life", written to inspire a new generation to enter politics and national service. He explains why young Canadians drift from democratic life, the key lessons from decades in public service, the tension between global NGOs and domestic politics, and how economics and cross-border integration reshape Canadian identity. He reflects on the power of personal relationships in real politics and shares memorable stories from his career, including meeting Pope John Paul II and insights into Jean Chrétien’s leadership.

📻 The Brian Crombie Hour airs nightly at 6 PM on Sauga960AM
🎧 Podcasts: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour
📺 Videos: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery
📌 Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2Oioec8

#BrianCrombie #CanadaPolitics #Leadership #PublicService #YouthEngagement #Democracy #Policy #NationalIdentity #SergioMarchi

Sergio Marchi | Public Life

How to deal with the weaponization of information? What is the future (if any) of independent journalism? What does public interest information mean and why should it be protected? Have we lost the shared understanding of the world? And, if that is the case, how can we restore it?

Leszek Jazdzewski (Fundacja Liberte!) talks with Patrice Schneider, Chief Strategy Officer at the Media Development Investment Fund. He started as a war correspondent in 1980s conflict zones, then spent two decades in media management at Hachette and Time Warner — a transition that proved surprisingly relevant. For 23 years at the Media Development Investment Fund, he has channeled that early idealism into pragmatic action — co-designing impact investment vehicles for independent media and mobilizing €171 million to fight media capture across emerging democracies. He is now turning his focus on building something entirely new: a lab reimagining public interest information that supports any form of public interest information that serves democratic sense-making. Tune in for their talk!

This podcast is produced by the European Liberal Forum in collaboration with Movimento Liberal Social and Fundacja Liberté!, with the financial support of the European Parliament. Neither the European Parliament nor the European Liberal Forum are responsible for the content or for any use that be made of.

The Future of Independent Journalism and Public Interest Information with Patrice Schneider

Tonight, Wednesday, November 26th, at 6 pm on The Brian Crombie Hour I interview ✅ Meredith Preston McGhie. 👉 ALL my 🎤 podcasts and 🎦 video casts can be accessed any time on my web site https://briancrombie.com which holds repository of all my shows. 📌 I speak with Meredith Preston McGhie, Secretary General of the Global Centre for Pluralism and one of the world’s most experienced peacebuilders, about why pluralism is a strategic advantage in a time of polarization and democratic strain. Drawing on decades of work from India to Kenya and Sudan, she shows how diversity becomes strength when countries invest in dialogue, shared belonging, and inclusive institutions. We explore how pluralism works in practice, what real-world conflicts teach about managing differences, and why ordinary people often drive the most powerful change.

📻 The Brian Crombie Hour airs nightly at 6 PM on Sauga960AM
🎧 Podcasts: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour
📺 Videos: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery
📌 Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2Oioec8

#BrianCrombie #Pluralism #Peacebuilding #Democracy #Diversity #ConflictResolution #GlobalAffairs #Leadership #MeredithPrestonMcGhie

Meredith Preston McGhie | Pluralism

In this episode of The Language of Power, Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores the dangers facing liberal democracy within the European Union and what can be done to counter them.

Last week, we examined the global assault on democracy – from socio-economic and technological forces driving public alienation to the rise of a new authoritarianism, with a few bright spots of democratic renewal. This episode turns the lens to Europe, where “illiberal democracy,” a term coined by Fareed Zakaria in 1997 and later embraced by Viktor Orbán, has spread from Hungary to Poland, Slovakia and EU-candidate Serbia. Elected governments have used majorities to weaken judicial independence, capture media, and roll back women’s and LGBTQ+ rights.

Joining Paul to discuss how these trends are reshaping European politics – and how liberal democracy can be defended – are distinguished Professor of Political Science Brigid Laffan and Liza Saris, Policy Analyst and Project Manager of the EPC’s Connecting Europe initiative.

This podcast is a part of the European Policy Centre's Europe in the World Programme.

The Language of Power: Liberal democracy under threat in the EU

What happens to liberal democracy when not only institutions, but also social and societal rights come under strain?
In a special edition of The Language of Power – recorded live at the margins of the EPC Annual Conference 2025 – Paul Taylor, Senior Visiting Fellow at the European Policy Centre, explores how threats to Europe’s democracy are evolving.
After examining global and EU-level democratic backsliding in previous episodes, this conversation turns to the erosion of employment protections, welfare rights, women’s rights and LGBTQ+ rights, and the ways in which these pressures are reshaping European politics.
Paul is joined by:
• Laszlo Andor, former European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of FEPS
• Georgia Mourad Brooks, CEO of The Nine and founder of the Fempower Initiative
Together, they discuss whether liberal democracy is losing its social foundations, and what Europe can do to protect them.

Special Edition: Liberal democracy's social, societal fabric under threat – Live from the EPC Annual Conference 2025

Tonight, Thursday, December 4th, at 6 pm on The Brian Crombie Hour I interview ✅ Jo-Ann Roberts. 👉 ALL my 🎤 podcasts and 🎦 video casts can be accessed any time on my web site https://briancrombie.com which holds repository of all my shows. 📌 Jo-Ann Roberts, former Interim Leader of the Green Party of Canada and author of "Storm the Ballot Box", warns that Canada faces a democratic crisis as voter turnout plunges and disengagement grows. She argues that lowering the voting age to 16 is a crucial reform, noting that countries from Austria to Scotland already do it and that research shows 16- and 17-year-olds vote more consistently than first-time voters at 18. She highlights how civics education and school-based outreach boost participation, why early voting habits last a lifetime, and how the Supreme Court may soon push change. Roberts also urges broader reforms such as mandatory voting, recall elections, stronger candidate selection, and more transparent campaigns.

📻 The Brian Crombie Hour airs nightly at 6 PM on Sauga960AM
🎧 Podcasts: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour
📺 Videos: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery
📌 Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2Oioec8

#BrianCrombie #CanadaPolitics #Democracy #VoterTurnout #YouthVote #ElectionReform #CivicEngagement #PolicyInnovation #JoAnnRoberts

Jo-Ann Roberts | Voter Turnout and Age

A hymn about what democracy should actually be: the people, not the state.

We Are The People (That State It Is Us)

[Intro]
In the twilight of our dreams,
We once danced with kings and queens,
Echoes of power, now they fade,
In a world where the brave can't invade.

[Verse 1]
Once upon a time, we roared with pride,
A realm of justice, where truth could abide,
From the ashes of battles, we sought the light,
But shadows creep in, by the dead of night.
We saw the monarchs rise and fall,
Golden thrones now stand, empty in the hall.
But beneath their crowns, the truth concealed,
In the age of money, our fate's revealed.

[Chorus]
Wake up people! Can’t you see?
Kings and queens, they’re history!
Fueled by greed, the empire spins,
We’re prisoners to the game they play to win.

[Verse 2]
Politicians bow down to dollar signs,
While power shifts and freedom resigns.
Big funders whisper in the ear of fate,
Under their spell, democracy's late.
Economic elites call the shots we take,
While the common man struggles, unsure of the stakes.
We’re drowning in cash, it clouds our vision,
The people's voice silenced by the wealth of precision.

[Bridge]
From the top, they look down, mocking our plea,
When will we stand? When will we be free?
History's lessons buried in gold,
We’re pawns on the chessboard, bought and sold.

[Chorus]
Wake up people! Can’t you see?
Kings and queens, they’re history!
Fueled by greed, the empire spins,
We’re prisoners to the game they play to win.

[Verse 3]
Now more than ever, the danger is real,
With voices of truth drowned in a spinning wheel,
We must rise from the ashes, reclaim our throne,
United we stand, our spirits reborn.
With fists in the air, let’s break the chains,
Dance through the fire, ignite the reigns.
No longer will money dictate our fate,
We’re the warriors now, we’ll no longer wait.

[Break]
(Instrumental Break: aggressive guitar riffs and pounding drums)

[Chorus]
Wake up people! Can’t you see?
Kings and queens, they’re history!
Fueled by greed, the empire spins,
We’re prisoners to the game they play to win.

[Outro]
So rise from the ruins, shake off the past,
Together we’ll fight until freedom lasts.
No more shadows to keep us in line,
We’re kings and queens in this battle divine.
Let’s rise up, reclaim what’s ours,
For the world is ours, under these stars.

Rise of the Fallen

Stay up to date with this regular podcast on EU affairs. Sounds dry? Don't worry, we'll be sure to find something to wet your appetite.
Stay tuned, stay fresh, stay informed.

I might be a guy from Munich, Bavaria, but I'm a huge fan of irish music and celtic music in general and also of Ireland and also Scotland as countries. It's the culture and the vibe in general which made me falling in love a bit with those places.

I mostly write my lyrics myself, always completely randomly, and produce the songs with the help of AI. That's just because I can't really sing and AI is therefore a good tool for realizing ideas. Technology is not my intention, it's the music.

Besides, I don't do this for money or anything like that; it's purely a hobby. It's important to me that people listen to the songs honestly if they like them.

Macroeconomics has never been so ... delish!  Macro and Cheese explores the progressive movement through the lens of Modern Monetary Theory, with hot and irreverent political takes, spotlights in activism, and the razor sharp musings of Real Progressives Founder and host Steve Grumbine.  The cheese will flow as experts come in for a full, four course deep dive into the hot queso. 

Comfort Food for Thought!

The European Liberal Forum (ELF) is the official think tank and political foundation of the European Liberal Party, the ALDE Party.
Together with 56 member organisations we work all over Europe to bring new ideas into the political debate, to provide a platform for discussion and to enable citizens to make their voices heard.

Brian Crombie has 20 years of corporate experience, a depth of knowledge in all facets of finance, strategic planning and corporate / business development for a wide breadth of companies in several industries. Brian has deep political, community and charitable involvement as well.

New tracks tagged #Democracy