America's Greatness.

       Even though it pains me to say it, I'm beginning to think Donald Trump may have been right. He wants to make America Great Again. I thought America was already great, and it is. But something is missing in our greatness, and perhaps Mr. Trump saw that something. I don't know if the greatness lacking that he saw is the same as what I see as missing in our greatness.
       What made America the tremendous success it was, is the amalgam of truly gifted entrepreneurs and job creators. Its their ideas that make business and industry flourish in America. However its like a wheel with only one spoke, it won't go far. It needs investors to provide the cash and impetus and the means to get business up and running. Investing is the second spoke in the wheel of American greatness. Still business and industry can't fulfill the needs of the American public's demands.
       The third spoke in the wheel is labor. Without the workers to make the wheels turn, business and industry comes to a halt. The workers strengthen the wheel by also becoming the purchasers of the products and services in vast numbers which is the force that makes the wheels turn.
       The problem comes in when the spokes of Business and Industry sit down to divvy out the profits from their success. Business and industry leaders speak for the companies, investors have their speakers and labor once had its speakers at these sit-downs. But the Unions which once represented labor to see that it was fairly treated have fallen into disuse for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was corrupt leadership and campaigns against unions in general.
       The result is that the harmonious interactions of the past have given way to a situation that has left workers out of the mix in far too many companies. The wages of management and investors have risen astronomically while the wages of labor have fallen substantially when inflation is taken into account. This is not what the founding fathers had in mind. They saw a nation where all would flourish. When America's business and industry fail to include labor in its sharing of its profits, then America loses its greatness.

A Powder Keg.

       Aleppo! Syria? Where have we gone wrong and where have we done right? I have to say, I'm disappointed in Obama's non-approach to the war in Syria, but on the other hand I do understand the idea that after a decade and nearly another half of war in the Middle-East, American's are sick to death of constant war. We want the carnage in Syria and elsewhere to stop. We want Putin to stop, but the minute an American is killed or even assigned in the Middle-East we catch holy hell for it.
       John McCain just said "We have a stake in Syria, yet we do nothing." Now that tells exactly what we've done, or not done, and its exactly what the people want, yet don't want. What Americans want is to have a peaceful victory in the Middle-East. There has never been a peaceful solution to the problems in the Middle-East since the partition of that corner of the world after the First World War and in fact going back to before the crusades, nothing peaceful has resulted in a continuing peace.
       Russia has led the way to the destruction of Aleppo and may seem to be in a position of advantage. But the history of Syria is unwritten. The Russians were triumphant in Afghanistan until they became not-triumphant. The moral of the story is that outsiders are triumphant in that part of the world for only a short time.
       Now both Putin and Trump seem to be ramping up interest in returning to a nuclear race. Is it just bluff and bluster? Let's hope so because the one thing we don't need is more and better bombs. We don't need more bad actors in the race. We've already got at least three members of the nuclear family in the Middle-East, we don't need more, especially in that region.
       The problem is that we're neither respected nor feared there and never really were respected nor feared there. They've always wanted our money but they've always hated us for our way of life and our success. They don't want outsiders trying to change the way they are, their way of life. Maybe we need to change the way we think and act towards the Middle-East.

Majorities Don't Mean That Much.

       Our nation elects its president every four years, not by a majority of citizens who took the time and effort to vote, but by an unusual means that promotes the number of states and the populations of those states. Except that states with very small numbers of citizens still get at least three votes, even if that state had only one registered voter.
       What makes it interesting for voters of very highly populated states is that each individual voter has less say in who gets elected than people in low population states. Now, I'm not necessarily finding fault with the Electoral College system, as its called, but I do find it odd that a country that prides itself on fairness and majority rule would ignore the majority factor when electing its President. Even the One Person, One Vote rule is ignored.
       So, in the most recent election, there was a clear winner of the majority of voters and a clear winner of the Electoral College vote, and it wasn't the same person. That's okay, but what I don't understand is why the same process is not used in the House of Representatives election? Hey, if its good enough for the Presidential election it should be good enough for Congress.
        Of course the Senate is a completely different setup. Each state gets two seats regardless of the size of the state or its population. So tiny Rhode Island gets the same as Alaska and Idaho gets the same as California. I have to say, the American electoral processes seem to be unable to come to a consensus. The whole process seems to have been written by several opposing factions. which, in fact, is exactly the case. That's what happened. So, just because you're in the majority doesn't mean you get to have your say. Sometimes the minority wins. And it would take a super majority to change it.

Put It To Rest.

       Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but Donald Trump won the  Electoral College vote, so they both have something to hang their hats on, but Trump is the one who gets to sit behind the desk in the oval office. And he's the one who gets to pick his cabinet along with thousands of lower level bureaucrats. That won't change. The Electoral College won't change that.
       But there are a lot of questions about Trump that could potentially change it. However none of those potential changes will put Clinton in the White House. Pence maybe, but not Clinton. Its time to pursue other causes. The Democrats made a bunch of mistakes during the late campaign. They overlooked far too many unhappy voters with unhappy grievances.
       On the other hand Trump won the election by noticing those voters and their grievances and promised them he could solve their problems. He could bring back those lost jobs. Well, he can't. Nobody can or will. Those high paying jobs don't exist anymore. They've been eliminated by technology. And maybe that's a good thing even though it hurts to lose the jobs.
       But what happens when those voters who swarmed to Trump find out that he can't help them the way he promised? Trump may not take the brunt of their anger, but he'll get some of it. But who will be the goat? corporations? Hey, they'll do what they have to do to succeed. Obama? Some will try. Congress? Well whether of not they get accused for the loss of jobs or not, they've been the ones who have handled things wrong. Trickle Down has never worked, yet they still try. They piddle around with ACA, with no replacement, Voter fraud, almost nonexistent, and a host of nonsense while our own Rome burns. Wouldn't ya think they'd want to help their own neighbors instead?

It's Not Salad Oil.

       I'm sure you've all heard of Standing Rock and the Sioux Indians fighting to stop a pipeline through their lands. Well, a small item in the news today, namely the Huffington Post, states that an existing pipeline in North Dakota, and only 150 miles from Standing Rock has had a spill of 176,000 gallons or 4,200 barrels of crude oil.
       Gosh, imagine if it had happened at the height of the protests against the proposed pipeline through the Sioux lands at Standing Rock. Still, it hasn't been that long ago since President Obama and Core of Engineers put a stop to the pipeline. The spill has potentially caused environmental damage to a creek when the oil spilled into it.
       Of course the owners of the proposed pipeline can't wait for President-elect Trump to take over because they assume he'll okay the route originally proposed. Who cares about native Americans anyway. I recall that a bunch of Veterans joined the protest. I wonder what would happen if thousands of veterans joined in. That's the problem in this country. You can't get fair treatment unless thousands stand up against the people those thousands elected to serve them in the first place.
       You'd think that when these politicians got elected they'd understand it was for them to lookout for the best interests of those who elected them. But no, the politicians would rather wait on the money they already made and hope to make in the future.
       Meanwhile, back at Standing Rock, the Sioux tribe has surely noticed the "crude" oil spill down the road and worry more than ever about President-elect Trump. Let's hope Trump will do the right thing. Make the pipeline folks change directions.

Springtime Sports.

       According to David Lightman of the McClatchy Washington Bureau "The Debt Limit Monster is Coming Back." Yes that problem of a debt ceiling which needs to be increased from time to time will be nearly all in the hands of Republicans next Spring or even a little earlier, along with our current budget and next year's as well. So, to you folks who will be representing all of us out here in America next Spring, have at it. Just remember, you're representing us, not your personal ideological beliefs. That means you represent all those who voted for you, but also those who didn't vote for you or didn't vote at all, because we're all citizens and as such are entitled to be represented, fairly and honestly.
       So you're all gonna get loads of numbers dumped on you. Pres. Trump will have numbers, Senate and House leadership will all have numbers for you, the minority leadership in both houses will have numbers, and to nobody's surprise, none of the numbers will match up. But all will claim their own sets of numbers will best represent the needs of the people, when in fact none will represent the people very well at all.
       On the Debt Limit, and without increasing it, as most Tea Partiers prefer, there would have to be crippling cuts to many  programs including even the military and safetynets for the poor. Or a fight to the (almost) death for some if it is increased.
       On the budgets, anyone who thinks it'll be a slam dunk for the Republicans, well you'd better think again. That's because you begin to get into favorite programs of specific legislators. Senator X won't hear of cutting his favorite and Congresswoman Y absolutely needs another program or else. And of course Democrats will be against many cuts as a matter of ideology and for some, just because Republicans were against some of Obama's programs because he was a Democrat.
       Spring will be a fun time of year. So much so that it will surely spill over into Summer.
      

Man v Land

       The case for and against the Electoral College boils down to Real estate or People. Now the pro Electoral College (EC) people will scream and holler that its the states that are most important, and in order to make sure that all states have a say in how the country is run. After all, those more sparsely populated states provide more of the food and raw materials we consume, so the argument goes.
       On the other hand, the People contingent say the law calls for One Man, One Vote. The fact that some few states have the most people, yet have a smaller say in governing (per capita ) is unfair.  What it means is that for many people their vote doesn't count. Forget how many counties there are. Suppose there was a state with 300,000 people, do you really think they should have the same representation as a state with 30,000,000 people? Because that's what the Electoral College tries to accomplish. And in doing so, it turns the reins of government over to rural states.
       Our country is made up of people. The Supreme Court gave personhood to corporations, and in order to convince small states to join in the fight for independence the Founding Fathers devised this formula. In effect it gave personhood to the real estate, the land. That was fine then, but now we need a better way. Now we need to recognize the importance of the people. Somehow we need to devise a system that gives all people the same representation whether they live in a small (population) state or a New Jersey, the most densely populated state.
       Idaho and Alaska are examples of very low density. But because of the Electoral College, these low density states get more electoral votes per citizen, than NY, Cal, NJ, and others. The fact that there are many more of these low density states gives them more lopsided votes. We need a compromise between the Electoral College and the One Man, One Vote. Our representatives in Washington have a responsibility to provide fair representation to every citizen. Because we all deserve those rights. That's why we need a Constitutional Convention.

Arbitrate My Foot.

       Do you understand the meaning of the term "arbitration?" It means that the two or more sides of a disagreement sit down and with the help of neutral parties hammer out a solution acceptable to everyone. Generally all sides get less than they'd hoped for, but everybody gets some of what they wanted. At least that's the idea of arbitration. But then along came the Supreme Court a few years ago and said that certain corporations could force complainants to use arbitration rather than lawsuits that are grouped together.
       With this method corporations can handle a thousand complaints, generally with a mediator of their choice who winds up being their employee, for all intents and purposes. So instead of losing a thousand lawsuits at, say a thousand a piece, they can agree under arbitration to settle for ,maybe, a  hundred a piece. Now sometimes the complainant can sue, but the legal few and court costs, they'd wind up owing a hundred. That's why they wanted to join their suits together.
       Meantime, the corporations get away with paying a whole lot less than they should. Of course its all perfectly legal because the Supreme Court decided that the poor corporations weren't happy with the old way. Its a lot like tax loopholes except instead of Congress giving away your money, the SCOTUS gave permission for the Corporations to take it away.
       Now we're due for a new President to come along soon. But don't expect him to change the arbitration thing. He won't have the authority. Same with tax loopholes.  I'll bet you thought he'd be able to give you everything you hoped for and that he promised you, didn't you? Well, HAHA. The jokes on all of us.

Snowden v Petraeus

       Ya know? As things begin to unravel, I'm beginning to think Edward Snowden is getting a raw deal. Since he pointed out that General David Petraeus "disclosed more sensitive information than I did," I've been thinking about it.
       Snowden found out about all this Peeping Tom kind of listening in that we've been doing, he thought it was wrong and so he leaked the information to the media. Petraeus, on the other hand, was entrusted with far more highly classified information, gave it to his biographer in order to impress her into having sex with him. So Petraeus is successful in his sexual endeavors and only gets a semi-hard slap on the wrist, but Snowden, who did it because he thought it was the right thing to do,well, let's say his uncle Sam wants to hang him out to dry, permanently.
       But that's not the end of the story. Now the good General is being considered for the position of Secretary of State. Presumably to be updated on more highly classified information to pass on to an even cuter biographer, while the Ex National Security contractor is looking at some far more serious retribution from his Government and he's not even line for a job as a Washington D.C. dog catcher. Where's the fairness there?
       If Petraeus wanted to give his mistress something really interesting, maybe he should have given her the news about the $125 billion bureaucratic waste the Pentagon was hiding. Now that's something she could certainly make use of. What girl wouldn't love to have a $125 billion nest egg  to snuggle in. I'm just saying. As for Snowden, its too bad he didn't have a girlfriend.

I'm Willing To Listen.

       I'll be honest and say we need to give Mr. Trump a chance to prove himself to be the leader we need. But there are a few issues that deeply concern me. I'm retired so naturally I'm concerned about Social security, Medicare and for those in need, Medicaid. Republicans in Congress have been trying to eliminate, defund or change one or more of these programs as long as I can remember. Social Security seems to be either out of money, running out of money or fully funded for 40 years or more, and all these reports have experts backing them up. What would be wrong with removing the ceiling on payments into the fund or raising the ceiling to $500,000 or some such figure?
       Then there's the environment. We've got so much proof that air pollution is causing global warming and at the same time causing many health issues, why can't we continue the work we've begun and more? We don't need more pipelines, because we don't need more pollutants, we need less. The coal industry is done, let it go and more pipelines only means more oil. Why not more solar or wind generation. More and better battery powered cars.
       We need more jobs, good jobs, but we've got to realize that in this day and age, expecting high paying jobs in the numbers of the past just isn't gonna happen. So let's stop making promises we can't keep. Lets train as many of those who have lost their jobs as we can for new jobs. And finally let's not get into any more wars except as a last resort, not first resort. Be smart, not dumb. Other than that, Donald, have at it. If you want to look and sound foolish, its your Presidency to do with pretty much as you wish. But then don't expect folks to put up with it for two terms. On the other hand if you work to make life as good as possible for everyone and treat all your constituents fairly and humanely, you just might be as successful at this job as you'd like to be remembered.

The Tea Partiers Are Not Home.

       You remember how the Tea party movement started, don't you? "Taxes were too high and they had no say in Washington, right?" Well, it turns out the answer is Wrong! That's right actually the Tea Partiers were giving and receiving the exact opposite. And they still are, according to an article in the N.Y. Times today. How can this be, you ask?
       It's simple, the way we're governed is by a President elected by the electoral college. Now aside from whether or not you like the E.C., you've got to agree that it gives more political weight to smaller more rural states. Its simple math. A state like Wyoming with a small population gets more power, per capita, than New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the country. The reason is that every state gets two extra votes, one for each Senator.  Wyoming with a small population has two Senators, just as New Jersey does.
       And as for taxes, Well, "for every dollar paid in taxes by New Jersey taxpayers, it gets back about 61 cents in goods and services. But for every dollar Wyoming taxpayers pay in taxes, it gets back $1.11." If you want to have more say and pay less taxes, you'll have to move to someplace like Wyoming. As the article says, the real Tea Party is in the Blue states, not the red ones. Those red staters are just a bunch of whiners. They're the ones who've got it made.
       And all this time I felt a little embarrassed for cheating the poor red staters. Turns out those red state folks have been bamboozling me. It just ain't right. Just because they've got all those "wide open spaces" that need to have interstate highways with nobody living nearby to pay for them, why do I have to pay for them? And what about power and telephones and police to protect them
Wyoming folk? How come I'm paying for them?  The electoral college, that's how come.

The New Military Retirement Plan.

       A lot of people are concerned about having too many Generals in Trump's cabinet including myself. That is until I read a piece by Rosa Brooks in Foreign Policy publication. She points out the differences between our founding fathers' times and ours. They were distrustful of a military in a small emerging nation. We don't have those same problems and except for a few conspiracy crackpots and fear mongerers, we should really not be so concerned. We've got a lot more serious problems than that.
       The resurgent White Nationalist movement ( I thought about not using caps for their name) which has been "emboldened by Trumps victory," the losses of voter rights across Red America, Climate Change, and many more are far more problematic than how many Generals we've got in Trumps 'American board of directors.' We need to be more concerned about how they feel about some of these really troubling problems.
       We just can't ignore or allow any elected President to encourage any of these things to fester into something more dangerous than they already are. They'll feed off each other until they become irreversible. On the other hand, the likelihood of a half dozen Generals manipulating enough of our Military into agreement to force our nation into some military coup is highly unlikely. There are far too many civilian firearms to get away with anything like that.
       So if you must worry about something, worry that I didn't get my book published yet, or that my car doesn't get the kind of mileage I had hoped for. Or maybe some personal problem that couldn't be as important as mine. Or you could consider an old adage, 'What, me worry?'

Conflict Of Intererst

       Here's an interesting situation according the Huffington Post. President Trump has a  newly opened hotel in Washington D. C., which was formerly a post office and is still owned by the Federal government. Trump leases the property. There is, however, a clause in the lease which states that no elected official may be involved in or profit from any lease for any governmental property.
       Therefore if Trump is still involved in that lease when he takes office in January, he will be in violation of that lease. He would be both landlord and tenant. Its what you might call a conflict of interest. In fact it would be a conflict of interest, no question about it.
       But this hotel isn't the only conflict of interest he's involved in. According to an article in the Huffington Post today, in 2013, Trump entered into an agreement with GSA for a lease on the property. As President, Mr. Trump would oversee the GSA and would appoint its administrator, another conflict of interest. Trump's list of conflicts keeps growing.
       So just what will Pres. Elect Trump do about these many conflicts of interest? He has recently stated that he's president, so there can't be any conflicts of interest. In other words, if I understand his thinking he might be in a conflict of interest now, but as soon as he's sworn in, they all get wiped away, a clean slate, so to speak. Slick deal if you can pull it off. But the hotel lease clause is a little sticky, don't you agree? It'll take some pretty fancy dancing to wiggle out of it. I mean, how can we be sure he doesn't profit from it if his kids are running it? Where's the proof? None of this "Trust Me" business.
      

Oh No! Not Betsey.

       Trump's latest pick for his cabinet walks on water. Can you believe it? Betsey DeVos is the new Education Secretary and she can walk on water at the same time. Some folks have been wondering, why Betsey? Well the very wealthy Betsey DeVos has been helping to fund school choice and voucher schools and that sort of activism. She's also on record as disliking public schools more than a little. Now she'll be in charge of funding public schools and at the same time depriving them of funding. Well done again, Donnie.
       The reason I mentioned her walking on water is to satisfy the ultra-right wing folks who adore and defend anyone President Elect Trump even considers appointing to a position in his administration. No matter how profane or sexist or racist or anti-education they may be. Speaking of Betsey, the one who walks on water, she also wants to educate only those with the money to afford a good private school or take money from the public school of their choice in order to defund schools to the point they will only be able to afford to teach kids to put their mark on the dotted line in order to get paid, so little Georgie will know how to spell X.
       See, the way voucher systems work is that if a student wants to get into a better school and is smart enough, then he's entitled to get a voucher to pay his tuition to the better school and his old public school gets to pay for that voucher funding. so, in theory the old public school winds up defunded eventually.
       Of course that's the whole point to the voucher system. That's why Betsey DeVos makes such a natural for Education Secretary. She hates public schools. Secretly, I don't think she wants poor kids educated at All. After All, X is good enough for them, right? Ya teach those poor kids too much, they may figure out they're not happy being poor. That's no way to keep allowing the rich to get richer. All hail dear Betsey, she walks on water in the dark of night.

Good News For Those Who Voted For Him.

       I haven't written anything for a bit because I was looking for something humorous to write about. But I just couldn't find any such thing in the buildup to the Trump presidency and post-inaugural government. Every time I turned around it seemed more bad news by a thin skinned president in waiting who told the sitting president not to say anything to world leaders because he would soon be the president.
       So I started watching to see who his selections would be for his cabinet and kitchen cabinet. Mostly, it seems, it's his daughter and son-in-law with a sprinkling of anti- Jews, anti- Muslims, anti- Hispanics, anti- Blacks, anti-Women and, probably children, Europeans, Asians, Africans, So. Americans, and any other Minorities. And then to balance it all, he has a man named Reince Prebius who cancels out at least a few of those named. While he thought Trump was a bad joke during the Primaries, he now considers Trump to be a very good choice.
       Unfortunately Mr. Trump does not like Hamilton or at least the cast of that show and expects an apology for the horrible statements made toward the Vice President in waiting. Who doesn't think it was all that bad.
       Mr. President must have thought he was meeting with the Boogie man because he was too uncomfortable to be alone with the leader of Japan, so he had his daughter join him in all the private meetings. Or was it to make sure Mr. Trump wouldn't make any mistakes or slips of the tongue. We can be proud of our new President Elect.                                                                                           

A Promise Made Is A???

       It certainly looks like a real boon to working men and women who voted for President elect Trump in part because of his promise to dump all those lobbyists and industry consultants. So in order to live up to his promise he has appointed to his transition team, a generous number of.... guess who? Lobbyists and industry consultants, of course. They'll be the ones who will select the folks who will be in Trump's cabinet.
       According to the New York Times, people like Jeffrey Eisenach-telecommunications, Michael Catanzaro-big oil & gas, Michael Torrey-big food industry and the fun is just beginning. The list of potential appointees to cabinet positions seems to include some big name corporate and lobbying leaders and a few unsavory politicians as well. Of course these last are only on the shortlist of actual appointees.
       I still have high hopes for Pres. Trump to begin to kick out all those Wall Street people, and those lobbyist types will surely be hoisted up on his Piccard. And I hope all The Donald's faithful followers will hold their breaths as will I.
       Seriously though, I realize that many campaign promises are meant and expected to be left in the dust of convention halls all across the country to be swept up by maintenance crews. But some promises are meant to be swept up into the actions and arms of the winner. Apparently the promise of a  lobbyist free government is not to be of the latter. So if you have more interest in that promise, check with maintenance.

It Ain't Over Til The Talkshow Host Says So.

       Well the first obligatory meeting between the outgoing and incoming is over and it went well. What now? Mr. Trump has a good many meetings and briefings ahead as well as decisions on who to appoint where. The questions as to how good he's likely to be as President over the next four years depend greatly on who gets to run what departments of our government. Let's hope he neither pleases the alt-right nor the ultra-liberal wings of the political establishment.
       If he can do that, he may have a chance to get some badly needed work done for Americans. On the other hand if he decides to go for a more hardline group of leaders in his cabinet, he's likely to have a difficult time getting past those pesky Democratic Senators. Remember, the Republican Senate does not have a filibuster proof chamber. And while I hope the Democrats don't use that action as freely as the Republicans have, I certainly hope they block any totally harmful attempts the Republicans try to push through Congress. Remember what doesn't reach the President's desk can't become law.
       But here's the remarkable thing. Nearly every talkshow host, pundit and even some pollsters are frantically explaining how they knew this was going to happen exactly as it did. Or at the vary least how they thought it was extremely likely. From both sides of the political spectrum, hints of their prior knowledge are exploding into the media air, one not to be outdone by the next.
       Its too bad we can't have a campaign to elect the winners for these talk shows, but then we might wind up with The Onion. Seriously folks, why do we need media types to tell us who will be selected for the cabinet and what they will do. My 13 year old granddaughter is probably better informed than any of these. But then I think she may be on her way to Canada. Hitchhiking. Or maybe New Zealand, she likes New Zealand.

Election Result.

       All I can do is put my chin on my chest, tuck my tail between my legs and congratulate President Donald Trump on his election success. I wish him success in governing and hope and pray that he can deliver what Americans want and need most. My congratulations to all his supporters, you've won! Now is the time to put away the divisions of the past and hope we can once again become one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Last Minute Thoughts.

       Well, tomorrow will be the end of it. Boy oh boy do hope so. Here's the thing about this campaign. Both Hillary and Donald are deeply flawed which begs the question, how can you decide which to vote for, right? I mean, let's face it, neither candidate can be trusted, based on what they've said or done in the past or during this campaign.
       So, again, how to decide? Because Hillary would be the first female president? Because Trump would be the wealthiest president? Neither would be reason enough to vote for or against either. Well how about age? But both are pretty close there too. What about experience? I think you'd have to admit Hillary doers have an edge there, but Trump has built what amounts to an empire. Which is more important, being near the governing action or being a business tycoon?
       No, its something else. There's got to be some defining quality upon which to make the decision to vote for or against Clinton or Trump. There's fewer letters in Trump's name, but that's not a quality, its just happenstance. Who would be the better loser? Actually it would be Clinton, but it would be close. Hillary has wanted the job a lot longer than Donald, again not a big deal.
       But all those reasons are not reason enough to vote for or against either. So what's a voter to do? There is one quality we haven't mentioned. Its interest. Enough interest in the job to research, look into, digest the information supplied by those who have the very latest, most nearly correct information. And be most familiar with all the world players as well as all the domestic players. That makes Hillary the only one left to be worthy of being elected our next president.
       You may not like her, I'm not enthralled, but there she is. She's got what we need most. And I do believe she'll be a better leader than Mr. Trump, for all his bravado and sting. We'll be safer with her hands on the nuclear codes. Good luck out there. Don't be swayed by bullies. Happy days.

Fit To Be President.

       Every liberal pundit and most conservative writers, have pointed out the horrible flaws that make Donald Trump unfit to be president, including the worst, authoritarianism. He doesn't see that anyone who disagrees with him  should have any rights at all. But the real seal of his unfitness is the fact that even Charles Krauthammer, Krauthammer an arch-conservative, said in an editorial today in the Washington Post, that "Comey's announcement brought flooding back every unsavory element of Clinton's character. But it still doesn't make Trump fit to be president."
       Fit To Be President. That's the whole point in this election. Everything boils down to fitness. Hillary could be a horrible person, as is Trump. But at least Clinton is fit to be the leader of our diverse country. Trump is completely unfit to lead any diverse organization. His hatred of anyone who is not just like him is too obvious.
       Oh he's changed, he's changed for the purpose of running for the presidency. But he hasn't changed, not really, not at his core. He's still a racist, sexist, protectionist, xenophobic authoritarian. And to top that off, add the fact that he should never be allowed anywhere near the button that controls our nuclear arsenal.
       But I admit he's good at some things. He knows better than anyone I've ever heard of at pushing hot buttons. He can make some people believe he's the answer to their prayers. He agrees with everything they've ever wanted. And if he doesn't agree, give him a few minutes and he will agree. After the election I assure you, he'll be his same old self. And even his loyal supporters won't like what he'll become.

Planning To Vote?

       If you're planning on voting for Donald Trump, you might want to sell any Florida coastal property you own. For that matter, you may want to sell any U.S. coastal property you own, because his plans to pull out of any Climate Change treaties we're in, eliminate the EPA, and bring back the coal industry endangers all of us. Now there's a triple whammy for ya. And if you're one who agrees with Trump that Climate Change is a hoax, you might want to ask the folks along most of our coastlines if they agree with you. But be prepared to duck.
       Donald Trump is perhaps the most irresponsibly dangerous candidate for the presidency in our history. And not just because he likes to grab women. Think about him holding the switch on our nuclear arsenal when somebody makes fun of him. Or finds fault with him or calls him for what he is.
Lord help us all if he gets elected. So don't let it happen.
       I know, I know, you may not like the choices, but you'll hate the outcome if The Donald wins. You definitely should vote, just not for Trump. If you were planning to vote for Trump, vote for Mickey Mouse or Oil Can Harry or anybody but Trump. Don't know who Oil Can Harry is? That makes you younger than me. He's a much nicer villain than Trump.

Elect Real Leaders.

       Ever notice how presidential candidates either don't mention how they plan to carry out their plans for the future of America or suggest they plan to work "across the isle" in order to make their plans work? Hah! They think you don't know how working across the isle is next to impossible. That's not an isle at all, its a demilitarized zone, complete with political mines-fields. Nobody gets across that DMZ without years of negotiations that fall apart from time to time because of elections.
       Its not the time to work across the isle, its time to begin peace talks. Lay down your sharpened tongues, unclench your tightened fists, throw down your arms. We're supposedly all Americans. Let's start treating each other like fellow citizens who can all enjoy the same rights. And let's all consider the idea that America is the land of immigrants. After all, our families were all once immigrants. Lets cure our immigration laws and realistically make our borders safe.
       If you want to make America great again, that's how to do it. Lets start be throwing out any legislator who doesn't want to work with the other elected legislators, for the good of the country. Being isolated from the other side cannot make America great. It can only destroy it, and by the way since you're likely in the minority, you won't like the outcome of your efforts. And remember, the majority rules, but to be successful it rules benignly not hatefully.
      

Oh No, Not Them.

       Dr. Michael Mann sent out an email to remind us all that science is on most of the ballets next week. That's right, people like Donald Trump don't seem to believe science. Whether that or they just won't admit there's such a thing as global warming and climate change. Back in the 1980s "even Exxon scientists were describing climate change as catastrophic in internal memos." That was until Exxon's execs realized that to admit it would cost them money.
       I suppose that either the oil company executives have bought up all the high ground for their final homesteads or will shortly begin to do so. But really its no laughing matter that most Republican politicians spout the same rubbish trying to make people believe there's nothing to this global warming, or its just typical, scheduled earthly actions. Wrong! Some believe the science is true but fear for their seat in Congress. Others just don't get it.
       If you've got a Congressman or Senator who happens to be a climate change denier and he's up for election next week, now's your chance to strike a blow for the world. We need serious leaders and until the Republican party decides its more important to save the world than  it is to get more votes, I don't see them as being serious. So let's show Trump and his non-science candidates the back door.

What A Mess.

What if FBI Director Comey's bombshell release of the reconvening of the investigation into Hillary's emails as they relate to her aid, Huma and her estranged husband, former Congressman turned porn wannabe, Anthony Weiner were to fatally affect the outcome of the election, only to find there's nothing to these new emails that in any way relate directly to Hillary?
       What if this letter to Congress about these newly found emails doesn't affect the outcome of the election but later its found to be a criminal offense by Hillary or Huma, Weiner is a separate issue, but before Hillary is sworn in? What if after she is sworn in? It apparently has cost her about 2 points in polling at this point.
       Its all moot now but I think Congress and the President need to set new and firm guidelines on what and when the FBI may release any information about any probe, whether at the time the probe begins or upon final completion. It does seem to me , unfortunately, that Congress can't keep political secrets even if their lives depended on it. Therefore I think probes should remain secret from Congress and anyone else, until they're complete.
       Otherwise it'll be run-amuck political finger pointing between the parties above and beyond the norm. The way this election has come to pass is tragic for America, but there's no guarantee that the next and beyond won't be as bad or worse.
       If you'd like my opinion on Presidential elections, its that so few want to run because they would be so deeply investigated and that nobody is completely pure. What's left are only those who don't care about their reputations or are too delusional to understand the consequences of the campaign. What should be done? Nothing, I guess, except take the money out of politics. Money isn't free speech! Speech is free speech. And mine is as important as your.

Good Jobs By Government.

       America needs good paying jobs. Good paying jobs need good up to date infrastructure. Good up to date infrastructure needs funding. Funding for infrastructure must come Congress. Congressional Republicans have refused funding for infrastructure for nearly 7 years!
       The claim is that we can't afford more debt. But business and industry need good infrastructure and without it America will stagnate. With new infrastructure the American economy can soar. When it does, we can begin to pay down the debt. Without it we can't afford to pay our debt. You know what happens when we can't afford to pay our debt? Huge tax increases. For everyone. Even the rich.
       Look hard at your Senator and Congressman. Are they so conservative that they won't allow America to grow? Are they refusing to spend the money to rebuild our infrastructure? Don't they want us to pay our debt? Don't they want good paying jobs? It doesn't look like they do. Listen to Donald Trump. He claims to knows how to create jobs. But his only experience is building huge buildings. Well guess what? The building trades include building infrastructure along with a host of other fields. So even Trump understands that much.
       Whoever starts rebuilding our infrastructure will be creating millions of good paying jobs, all over the Country. Trump doesn't understand that. But Hillary does. That's how government actually does create good paying jobs. And no, business and industry isn't interested in building infrastructure. That's government responsibility. Let's get Congress to live up to its responsibility.
                                                        

Aleppo!

       I hope and pray the folks of Aleppo can survive until next year because they're being bombed out of existence by Russia and its puppet Syrian dictator. Meanwhile our plan of action, namely some bombing and not much else, ain't working. I'm not suggesting there's anything we can do that won't start WWIII, but my hope is that we can try a way to make Putin pull his dogs off those Aleppo folks so we can get some relief into them and allow them to get out alive.
       Unfortunately Pres. Obama missed any chance to stop Putin before he loosed his dogs on Aleppo in the first place. Strong sanctions might well have given him cause to be less aggressive. I'm not sure its all Obama's fault though. Remember that Congress is often a fly in the ointment even if quietly so. I'd be willing to bet Congress would have squealed like a stuck pig if Obama had tried anything that might have given him any brownie points.
       I guess its gonna be tough to come up with a plan to make Putin stop what he's doing even if we try to make it seem like he's the hero. Of course a new Pres. Trump will have a plan. Question is will it be to give Putin the keys to Syria or nuke the Kremlin? Heck, he might do both. Turn the keys over in a nice ceremony while the missile is flying.
       But what will a new Pres. Hillary figure out? It won't be easy, but then there are a number of serious problems facing the next President. I can't imagine why he or she would want the job, for any reason, no matter the prestige it carries. Of course Donald would love the increased value of his brand, and Hillary gains the historical record of First Woman President. In a fantasy world, neither would be on their respective tickets and Putin and Assad would both have drowned in a boating accident in a teacup.

Time To Reflect.

       I agree with some of the folks saying its time to stop butting heads with Trump. It seems to be pretty much over for him anyway. Why, even he has started to speak of issues and talking about what his first one hundred days might have been like had he won. Okay, so he worded it slightly differently, the point is its time to dream, for both Donald and Hillary.
       For Donald Trump the dream is of his first hundred days in the White House. He mentioned something about suing all the women who have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate touching conduct. Gosh, all these months of struggling to get elected and if he does, all he wants to do is pick on some ladies he didn't get to score with. What a loss.
       Hillary has a somewhat different dream. She's hoping that all this email talk will go away. That's about as likely as seeing The Donald sitting in the oval office. What she needs to set her eyes on is all the problems facing an American President, most of which will be unsolvable. And those that can be solved will take the total attention and energy of a caring president.
       The other problem the new President faces is a Congress with no interest in agreeing with anything either new President would like to work on solving. They're having enough trouble solving the seating arrangement in both houses of Congress. But when the dust settles over Washington, it's unlikely either party will have a clear and formidable majority, even within that majority's own caucus.
       The problem for the American people in the coming years will grow worse and worse. We'll grow closer and closer to war. And such a war will be fought with conventional arms and cyber attacks, and lord hope it not be nuclear. Now, we can blame past presidents and the legislatures they faced, Barak, George W, Bill, George H. W, Ronald, and beyond. But the blame game won't absolve us of the fact that we chose them all, Presidents, Representatives, and Senators.

Nature! What A Wonder.

       Ya know, I think the smartest thing the Republican Party could do right now would be to completely pull the plug on Donald Trump. By that I mean bully every Congressman and Senator in the party to denounce Trump and ask voters to skip the presidential race, just vote the down ballet races. Whatta they got to lose? Just the Presidency, the House and Senate. But for only two years.
       There would be a landslide win for Democrats, sure, but how long would it be before any Trump base people with half a brain would begin to realize that he was not the answer to their complaints. Such a landslide would bring a fair number of that base back to the Republican party. Why? Because those folks with a desire to see more conservative leadership will realize Trump is a lost cause. Let him have his hate message die a slow death.
       It would make for a stronger Republican party than if they allow Trump to completely fracture the party. That would be nice for Democrats initially, but not for America. We need more than one party and I'm a Democrat that's saying this. On the other hand it may be time to break up both parties and let new parties form around the different ideologies. Right now the two major parties don't represent all their members all that well.
       Of course there's always the possibility that such a landslide victory for the Democrats would provide an opportunity to take the reins of government and begin to solve all the problems of America in an even handed method and root out all the corruption and waste. Yep, they could do it, but, hey, their politicians. Its not in their nature to do things right. It is in their nature to screw things up more than ever. That's when the Republicans can jump back in and screw things up in a different way. That's the nature of things.

Talk About Dumb.

       Donald Trump is absolutely, one hundred percent wrong about the media. They may not like him, but just because they're reporting news he doesn't like, doesn't mean they're out to get him. What's happening is there is so much bad news coming out about him, they have little else to report on. I can tell you that if there was news about policy coming from either candidate, the media would pounce on it like a starved dragon.
       The reason the media would pounce on news about policy like that starved dragon is because they know the public is fed up with all this nonsense and are genuinely anxious to find out a little bit of what these two candidates will actually try to accomplish. I say try because, remember, a president is not a monarch, a president has to work with a congress in order to accomplish much of anything.
       I think that's where the candidates for president have always been nervous about saying too much. People hear a candidate say something and then they assume it will absolutely come to pass. And if it doesn't, then they assume the candidate (now president) must be a liar. People don't care if newer circumstances make it impossible to follow through on their promise.
       Its just that Trump has made so many vague promises and made so many more crude threats that he's painted a big red target on himself. When you make foolish statements about what you can and will do, you've got to expect to get called out about it. When you claim brilliance and act otherwise, you better expect to be shown the fool. When you speak of bombs like its no biggie, you'd better be prepared for thinking people to consider you insane. Mr. Trump, its not true that all media exposure is good exposure. You're brand is learning that now.

What An Election.

       I have to say, I'm extremely concerned about the elections. The rhetoric has climbed to a feverish pitch and has descended to a vile pit of misinformation, lies and accusations, so that the only way to win this election is to keep your head above the mud. That's why I'm worried. You see, while I'm told that Hillary is an excellent swimmer, Trump is taller.
       The question is will Trump's height win the day for him, will it keep his mouth above the mud or will Hillary's porpoise style swimming allow her to rise to the occasion? Seriously folks, wouldn't it be nice to actually have a civil discourse on the needs and possible solutions for our country and its people? Come on people, the whole world is watching us and are either laughing their butts off or shrieking in horror.
       What we do actually does concern the whole world and what we are doing, in our electoral campaign, is horrifying them. We have two people vying for the presidency, one is a buffoon and the other can't seem to keep from shooting her foot off. But here's the thing; one of them is gonna win. What will that mean for the future of America?
       Will we be faced with an era where candidates will be forced to be taller and taller or better swimmers in order to defeat the mud? Or perhaps a more stout candidate with huge lungs will bubble to the top of the election polls.
       Perhaps Canada does have a better idea. A short campaign season. Why, I've been hearing a lot of speculation on the 2020 elections already. Names are being thrown around like a popcorn popper. The campaign is on in full force already. Shouldn't we at least get over this one first?

The Four Seasons.

       I've come to realize there are four seasons to the Trump election campaign. To begin, I think Donald decided to run for president on a lark. He was at the top of his chosen profession and it seemed there was nothing he could not do, so why not run for president. He thought and still thinks he would make a wonderful president. Someone of his stature would be able to turn the country around and make it a profitable operation. Season One.
       Midway through the primaries Donald began to realize he could actually win. It gave him pause, did he actually want to tie himself down with all those uninteresting duties? YES! Because he has absolute confidence in his abilities. This is when he doubles down in badmouthing his opponents. Republican candidates and even the two Democratic candidates he might have to face. Any lie, any fabrication, no matter how outlandish, was on the table. Season Two.
       Now Donald is the GOP nominee. He need only badmouth one candidate, and its the one with the most baggage. It's almost too easy. Between her and her husband, he could fill a book with all the indiscretions and misstep blunders they've made. His base just ate up everything he said. Throw her in jail? A good idea and he's proud of it. Season Three.
       Then something began to change. Donald began to lose votes. Not his base, that base is resolutely behind him and knows the only way for him to lose would be if the system is rigged and he reinforces that impossibility. He begins to foster the idea of insurrection if he does lose. He begins to become crude as rudeness begins to show up in audio evidence. Season Four.
       Just stop and think of what Donald may have started in our country. Chaos and anarchy, if his base actually begins a revolution or anything like it. Donald has changed this country forever. He may have caused our country to begin to crumble.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
      

A Successful Businessman.

       Ya know, I may have been mistaken. I said Donald Trump lost nearly a billion dollars, but I now hear what he lost was nearly a billion dollars of other people's money. It makes a huge difference. Losing a billion dollars of your own money was bad business but losing other people's money isn't so bad. I mean you won't make a lot of friends that way, but with nearly a billion dollars you can buy new ones.
       On the other hand, if you lose your own money, its hard to buy anything and almost nothing on credit. Of course, when you lose OPM it gets hard to buy on credit too. I guess when you come right down to it, losing money is never good business. In fact if you lose a billion and get to go 18 years without paying any taxes, its not even good for government.
       I never took any business courses in school, but I kinda think they suggest you not lose money at all. I mean the whole idea of business is to make money, right? If you spend all your time losing money, it doesn't leave much time for making money. And that's the whole idea of being in business, to make money, as I just said. Of course if you insist on losing money, I suppose its best to lose a whole lot of money, that way you get to have some small tax advantages. Maybe not so small.
       On the other hand, if you're a country, losing money doesn't have any such advantages. Just disadvantages. So if you're planning on being your own country, I hope this has been helpful. And if you're planning on loaning Donald Trump any money, I hope this has also been helpful.

The Ins And Outs And Ups And Downs.

       How does one go about losing nearly a billion dollars in one year? And if that year was 1995, it was almost undoubtedly more than he was worth back then. And to top it off that loss of more than he was worth allowed him to go 18 years without paying any federal income taxes at all. Nice work if you can get it. But how good a businessman are you if you lose that much money in a single year? And how many other years did he lose money?
       So he's right that the tax code needs to change. But his plan gives him and folks like him even more advantages while taking more advantages away from middle class tax payers, I'm told. Now I don't begrudge him a little help. After all, anyone who has lost nearly a billion dollars in one year certainly needs a little help. But I wouldn't recommend him for president. We're already far enough in debt as it is.
       And why is he all of a sudden after Hillary for her husband's infidelities and maybe, he says, hers too? I suppose its because she's hitting at him for his, along with a long list of his other outbursts. There's something wrong when neither candidate seems willing or able to talk about anything with substance about that which is most important to Americans. You know, like which superstar is getting ready to divorce their spouse.
       This election campaign is by far the most confusing campaign season I've ever experienced, so I guess its going exactly the way the candidates want it to go. After all, it wouldn't do for the public to get a headful of plans they can then pick apart. Actually it wouldn't be the public that would do the picking, the public has too much other information on its mind. Like that superstar's upcoming divorce. No it would have to be the media types, you know, the talking heads that'll have to do the heavy lifting of explaining what the candidates meant. Do you really trust that the talking heads know what they're talking about? After all, they don't agree with each other.
      

The Most Expensive Senate Race, Ever!

       The Pennsylvania Senate race between Pat Toomey and Katie McGinty is headed for the record of being the most expensive senate race in history.  Are we proud of such a distinction? $100 million and counting is the projection. But its not the two candidates that are causing this all time record, it's the Supreme Court in its citizens united decision that is to blame.
       That decision opened the door for dark money non profits and Super-PACs to spread untruths, half truths half baked stories and on occasion a truth peeking through the curtain.  I don't have all the facts, but it sure looks like the candidates whose Super-PACs and dark money non profits that are spending the most money seem to be the ones spreading the biggest lies. And who might that be?
       One way to tell is to ask who wants the citizens united ruling reversed and who is silent on the subject. Well McGinty wants the decision struck down but Toomey seems to be content with it as it is. I can only assume that's because his dark money cohorts are outspending McGinty. Toomey himself is outspending McGinty almost three to one. So I guess if you like all those ads on TV, you must be in favor of citizens united and its supporter, Pat Toomey.
       The worst part of citizens united  is that these dark money folks can take money from anybody, even somebody like Vladimir Putin. Of course that would be illegal, but the donors are completely secret. So if these dark money handlers want to, they can take in money from anywhere. Look at who's funding Toomey, the Koch brothers are huge supporters. Of course they're not from Pennsylvania, but who cares, right? Dark money gets washed into clean money.
  

Gun-O-Mania

       Have you noticed how many shootings are happening every day? I'm pretty sure that number coincides with the number of guns sold every day. In fact I'd be willing to bet on it if only the NRA would allow Congress to begin to get the numbers on both. Ahh but alas, that information will not come to reach anyone who might use them to pass any sensible legislation.
       The watchword from the NRA is that we all need guns to protect ourselves. My question is how come so many more gun killings are taking place? More and more all the time. I wonder how many minutes pass before a next shooting? I suppose it will soon be listed as seconds before the next shooting death.
       I'm pretty sure there's enough guns in America to protect us from all comers, foreign or domestic, or alien. I think we've reached the point where there are more than two guns per man, woman and child in the country. So unless we grow a third hand we've probably got enough. But for some reason the NRA tells us we need ever more. You don't suppose the NRA is in cahoots with the gun manufacturers do ya?
       Now In admit, stopping the sale of guns to unstable people won't eliminate all murders , just some. But if you're part of the some, you might be in favor of such a ban. Even if the some includes someone you know, you might vote for such a ban. Now I know that the gun manufacturers need more sales in order to increase their income, but the thing is, I'm not sure America needs more guns in spite of what the NRA tells us.
      

Renegotiate My Foot.

       If Donald Trump is president he will renegotiate our nation's debt. Ya know how crazy that is? He goes to all our creditors and tells them we owe them 20% less than we do. And we will pay less in interest on those debts. And if they don't like it, we'll cancel the debt entirely. Why? How can we do it? Because Trump says we can and there's nothing they can do about it.
       Nothing they can do about it? Well for starters they could say okay but the next time we go looking to borrow anything we'd be out of luck. They'd also step back from any cooperation with America. But the thought of being unable to borrow money when we needed it would be crippling. We'd have to cut funding to everything. Foreign aid (peanuts), all entitlements (a drop in the bucket), school aid (Small change), but then we'd have to cut defense (now we're talking), and then we'd have to increase taxes on everybody (OMG).
       Ya see, in business you can demand to renegotiate a company's debt and get away with it because you can always declare bankruptcy. That way you get to cut your indebtedness and start fresh. But America isn't a business, its a country. And America is renowned for being honest and trustworthy all around the world. Our word is our bond. No matter if another country hates our guts, they know they can trust us to keep our word, friend or foe.
       That's why we are the monetary standard of the World. China wants to hold that title, but America is more trustworthy. Being the monetary standard for the world gives us prestige and financial opportunities not available to anyone else. You wouldn't really want to give up such a lucrative advantage now would you? Because if you did, we'd wind up paying even higher taxes, maybe a lot higher taxes, even after cutting out all those budgetary extras.

Charlie

       Ya know, I actually thought Charlatan was Donald Trump's middle name. Turns out its not who he is, its what he is. He's a showman, of the P.T. Barnum class of hucksters. Look at the way he finally admitted Obama was born in America. He called for a huge announcement and speech at his new hotel in Florida.
       He spoke a bit and then slipped in a one sentence statement that flatly stated what everyone knew to be the case, although a few still wished the opposite. And then took every media member there on a tour of his new edifice. It was a total infomercial, a grand opening complete with giveaways.
       Now I don't begrudge Mr. Trump the opportunity to trick the media into doing his bidding, its easy to fool a fool, even for a fool. What gripes me is Donald Trump has no idea what's involved with the Presidency and what's far worse, he doesn't care. And if you don't care about it, you can then say anything that comes to mind, even if it makes no sense as long as it sounds good coming out.
       His talk about reviving the coal industry. Especially in northeastern Pennsylvania, but everywhere else as well. Coal is a dying beast and good riddance. For all the health problems it causes and has caused workers nothing could be better for the world than the demise of coal.
       And that's just for starters. In nearly every, no I take that back because I can't think of a single idea emanating from his mouth that's worthy of serious consideration. I was going to say his brain, but I decided not to. For any other major league politician, he'd come in third in a two candidate race. It's getting to be time to wake up folks.

All The News You Can Stand.

       Ya know, there oughta be a law. When it comes to news coverage of some noteworthy event, there should be a half hour limit on coverage for each side of that issue. The pro side selects the spokesman or woman and goes first, the con side selects theirs and goes next and that's it for the day. Tomorrow the con aside goes first. I think people might actually watch the news and may even have a better understanding of the events.
       I say this because the current format is to have every minute of the day of a special or dreadful event taken up with as many different people basically stating the same thing in as many different ways as possible. Its downright confusing, which is the point. Ya see, by making the reporting as confusing as possible the networks hope you will continue watching in the hopes that someone will clear up the mix-up. Of course nobody will do that because then we'd be able to move on to something more interesting.
       I say its confusing because in order to report on a constant basis, they have to repeat anything and everything they hear about the event. A pick pocketing becomes everything from a wave hello to two armies going toe to toe, rumors to promises of rumors. A used car lot goes from a new sports car to an old plow horse. Wouldn't it be nice if the news people didn't speak until they actually had something to say. I know its pie in the sky to ask for such a gift, but???

Who Do you Really Want?

       Now who would you believe when it comes to the question of which candidate would be better able to protect us from terrorist's attacks? The internet news outlet Mother Jones, asked some folks in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in the block that was just bombed last weekend that question. They felt that Clinton was the one who could best protect, "Of course, Clinton." As for Trump, another resident said "He knows nothing."
       Now if somebody who is from, or works in a neighborhood that was just bombed, I'd say their thoughts on the subject should count pretty high. Trump reminds me of a loudmouth elementary student out on the playground claiming he knows more than the teachers and he can beat up anyone who dared question his superiority.
       Its all talk folks, and there's no substance worthy of consideration. Think about it. He has a plan to destroy ISIS, but he can't tell us because then ISIS would win? What's he talking about? Some Magic pill or putting something in the water? Build a wall? Maybe around Trump tower, but that's about it.
       If you think about it, Trump's somewhat like P.T. Barnum, who thought "there's a sucker born every minute," you might enjoy watching him in his show, but good lord, you'd never elect him to any position of authority. When someone like that has authority, there's no telling what he might do that could cause severe problems.
       Think about the underhanded things he's already done. Trump University a scam to rip off people who just wanted to get an education. They got an education all right. How to get ripped off. And what about his use of his charitable foundation to pay his business fines and bills? That's illegal. But he doesn't seem to care. He just changes the subject and accuses Hillary of some made up action.
      

Its Time To Throw The Bums Out.

       Some years back Democrats held majorities in Congress. They didn't do all that great a job and so the voters of America took those majorities away from the Democrats and gave it to the Republicans. Well now the Republicans have had that majority in both houses of Congress and, well let's face it, they haven't done such a good job either.
       My hope is that now, finally, the Democrats have learned a lesson and deserve another chance to lead America into prosperity and fair handedness. After all, we can't really do any worse with Democrats in control instead of continuing with a Republican led road blocked nightmare. At some point we've got to expect one or both parties to get it into their heads that they have to be leaders, not roadblocks.
       It would be wonderful if somehow we were suddenly granted one wish and we had a Congress that always agreed and always worked together for the greater good. But since we've got what we've got, I think its time to hand the reins of government back to the Democrats. If they don't do a good job, we can always give it back to the Republicans again next time.
       I know, I know, it sounds like I'm proposing a yoyo policy of governance, but its what we've got to work with. And until someone comes up with a way to scare our elected officials into doing the right thing, its what we've got. So I'm voting Democrat and I hope you will too. And if the new Congress doesn't work out, four years from now I'll be the first to suggest some changes.

Gerry Mander Gerrymandered Again.

       The most popular and most successful politician in the history of America is a somebody by the name of Gerry Mander. Mr. (Ms.) Mander has been so successful at getting his fellow politicians elected that he has been invited into every state in the country, well almost every state. The reason for Gerry Mander's success is that he arranges for only people who belong to the right political party to be able to vote for the Congressman.
       Now how do you suppose Gerry Mander gets to make that possible? Simple. Gerry Mander gets into the various state legislatures and talks them into (are you ready for this?) gerrymandering all the districts. That means they shape the districts into the strangest tangle of neighborhoods known to man in order to assure that a majority of residents in those districts will vote for Gerry Mander or his/her favored candidate.
       Now you may wonder how Gerry Mander can gerrymander districts if the other party outnumbers Gerry Mander's party? Well Gerry Mander gerrymanders a district that is almost totally of the other party and then arranges the other districts so that his party outnumbers the other party by just a little bit. But remember, it only takes a little bit to win the election. Well, that or a hanging chad.
       But what if Gerry Mander's favorite candidate in the district is a dud? Easy, remember the district was gerrymandered by the state legislature so that only Gerry Mander's favorite candidate can win no matter if he's a dud or not.

Your Vote Counts Even More Now.

       I admit I don't know a whole lot about Zika. Apparently if a pregnant woman gets bit by a Zika carrying mosquito, her child may very well be born with a severe disability. It seems to have started somewhere in South America and worked its way to here in America. The researchers at the CDC are working hard to find a cure for Zika or eliminate the cause.
       The thing is though, it takes a lot of money to research almost anything. and, the CDC must also work on many other potential health problems. Now there's nothing unusual about needing money to do your job. What is unusual is that, in an election year, the U.S. Congress can't come to agreement on approving the funding the CDC needs to do its job.
       Here we have a very serious health emergency and Congress is fighting over something that has no part in the Zika problem. So it, Congress, won't fund the fight against Zika, so babies will be born with this terrible disability that may well be able to be curable before the babies are born, but not after they're born. So what is it that Congress is fighting about? Defunding Planned Parenthood.
       Imagine that. Defunding an organization who helps women with many health services, including legal abortions, is far more important than funding the fight against Zika now and fighting about Planned Parenthood separately! Just think! You voted for these fools! But in just 54 days you have the very best excuse to vote these fools out!
       The CDC isn't Planned Parenthood! Neither is the CDC connected to Planned Parenthood! They're separate organizations. Zika doesn't care about Planned Parenthood either way. It's just going to destroy the lives of unborn children and their families unless or until the CDC finds a way to stop it. Why can't Congress see that?

The Scourge of America.

       I listened, this morning, to a conservative's longstanding claim that our government cannot continue to support entitlements because they will destroy our economy. That same conservative stated that we must lift the freeze on increases in funding for the military, just not the entitlements. In other words, we need to build our defense capabilities far beyond its current state.
       But if we extend our military and do nothing further for those least able to fend for themselves, we lose that which we claim to be our excuse to exist. America is greatest when it lifts up all its citizens. So how do we fend for those in need? Because the numbers of people who will find themselves out of work, out of good paying jobs in the future will climb higher and higher.
       Many will be trainable for higher skilled positions, and many will just not fit in. Who will pay for the training necessary to raise those with the aptitude and what is to become of those who haven't the aptitude? America cannot long survive with a growing segment of its society sitting unused. No country in history could. Not Rome, not Germany between the world wars.
       Our politicians ignore this problem at our own risk. Rome provided the Coliseum and games with free food. It didn't work.  But we can't just shut down entitlements without some form of meaningful work. Activity is necessary to eliminate crime and racial hatreds. They're breed by inactivity. A busy person doesn't have time to learn to hate.
       So what kind of jobs can be created for those who don't fit into higher tech? Jobs that produce profits or fill needs? Otherwise riots, crime and hatred will fill our future. As long as our politicians ignore this problem the harder it will be to solve. But politicians are only mirrors of ourselves, they are the speakers to our microphones.

Campaign Solutions.

       I was kidding around yesterday and suggested we all write in a vote for Justin Trudeau for president this November. I decided that we could combine the two countries and call it the United States & Canadian Provinces of America. Somebody suggested we include Mexico. I haven't quite figured out how to add that to the name.
       But there are some really good reasons for combining the two countries and maybe Mexico. I haven't thought that through yet. Ya see, Canada has lots of natural resources and a very short election campaign season, and besides it has great fishing. Natural resources are always important to a country, and don't sell the fishing short. But most important is the idea of only a couple of months of campaign ads on TV. 
       With such a short period of time to get people to vote for you, it seems to me they've got to get down to the nitty-gritty quick. No time for much name calling and muck raking, if you know what I mean. Wouldn't that be great. And boy is the fishing good. They say the salt water fishing is good in Mexico, so there's that to consider.
       I think if there ever was a time to try this kind of merger its now. I think 65% of the people refuse to vote for Trump and about 65% of the people would never vote for Hillary. With that we'd have a negative 30% vote for president. Ya just can't swear in minus 30%. And I've heard of more than a few people state they'd move to Canada if Trump or Clinton got elected. My idea would eliminate that problem. The only question that I can see that would hold my idea up is whether or not Canada would have us. Or Mexico either.

Watch Out!

       North Korea has detonated another nuclear devise and has successfully fired long range missiles with a goal of putting the two together to have a nuclear guided missile capable of delivery to North America. The boy dictator is just unstable enough to try to use such a missile.
       The United States is engaged in a close fight for its presidency between a woman who's major fault is that she used a private email server instead of a government server for which she has admitted the mistake, and a multi-billionaire real estate magnet who is convinced his experience provides him with everything he needs to lead the free world.
       Now I know enough about real estate and construction to know that all the experience in the world about those two fields is nowhere near enough to lead even a small country let alone the only super power in the world. But not knowing how to lead such a complex nation as ours is one thing, not having the interest to learn about the intricacies of such leadership is quite another.
       If we were faced with one egomaniac in the form of Kim Jung Un looking for an excuse to unleash a nuclear conflagration and an under-informed, sabre rattling, Putin loving, bully wannabe like Mr. Trump, we could easily be confronting WWIII.
       It appears that both of these men hunger for attention and the approval of their personal ideologies. Neither individual cares about the people they do or would lead. The one sees the world as against him personally which he brings on himself, while the other only demands the world accept him as brilliant and successful in everything he does or says. He is not.

Pay What Ya Owe.

       Well, whatta ya think about the European Union tax bill against Apple? Fourteen and a half $billion for underpaid taxes to Ireland. What they're saying is that Ireland didn't charge Apple enough taxes, so now Apple has to pay up. Of course Apple claims they paid what they were billed and if there was a mistake, it's on Ireland. Ireland is siding with Apple even though they probably would like to get their hands on that cash.
       Here in this country, Congress and a whole bunch of politicians have been grousing about companies jumping to foreign countries to get away from paying taxes. But now all of a sudden the EU is doing something about it. That makes all those politicians happy, right? Huh, that's what you'd think, but no, now all those politicians are mad as all get out that the EU did this to our great and wonderful Apple.
       Now why do you suppose our politicians are unhappy with this new event. The EU has done almost exactly what we've been wanting someone to do, which is basically to take away some of the advantage of leaving America for some lower tax country. If you think I've got an answer, you're wrong. I've never been able to figure out what in the world these politicians are thinking. I Don't believe they have a clue either. I don't know if they're jealous that the EU thought of doing it first or if they're mad that that $14.5 billion isn't going to us.
       Whatever, Apple is suing the EU to try to get out of paying it. Can't blame them for trying. But after all, Apple should be paying more than about 0.1% in taxes over there. Its great for their bottom line, but what it means is that someone else (taxpayers) have to pick up the costs of running a government. I also know that many other companies agree with Apple and are mad at the EU because they don't want other countries to decide to pick up some extra cash from these companies who have picked up and moved out of America if just in name only. Personally I think what goes around comes around. Remember if you or I don't pay enough and the government catches it, we have to pay.

"To Whom My Concern"

       What does health have to do with anything? I'm unhealthy, but I could do a better job than either presidential contender. In fact my kids could do better than them. The thing is, neither myself nor my kids would want the job. All kidding aside, the health question is a valid one. We need someone who would not be constantly distracted by health issues, if possible.
       So now comes a bunch of wild claims about Hillary's poor health, all of which seem to have been debunked. She ain't no spring chicken, but then we don't really want one as president. She does have some little experience. And while she's had some mistakes, she does seem to be thinking clearly and acting the same way.
       Across the stage and stepping to his podium, The Donald has in his hand a half page, typed letter from a Gastroenterologist (?) who seems to be a high school student with third grade writing skills. It took him five minutes to write  his report on Trump's health, affirming that the Donald will be the healthiest person ever elected to the presidency in all American history. Well, what about George Washington? He was in great shape. Is Trump in better shape than Washington? How would we know? Because this gastro doc thinks so?
       Ya know the more times you read that short letter the more it sounds exactly the way Trump would describe himself. Its like this doctor is a long lost identical Donald with long grey hair and beard who got his finger caught in a light bulb socket. And Trumps test results are "astonishingly excellent?"
       In fairness, we do need to get the accurate and complete report from a qualified doctor on the health of both candidates. It might be the most truthful and potentially useful information we would get in this campaign season. I say that because folks on the far right continue to claim that Clinton is incapable of telling the truth and the rest of the world think Trump is insane. And again in the spirit of fairness, in this insane world we live in, either trait could be helpful.
       So lets get complete reports including all tests completed and the results thereof on Hillary and Donald. Not even the upcoming debates would tell us more about the candidates. After all, claims of incompetence from both candidates against the other do little to convince anyone.

I''d Tell You But Its A Secret.

       Hey, the Trump campaign has discovered a new path to the White House according to the Washington Post today. No its not on any map of America or the District of Columbia What it is is a secret strategy that includes SECRET VOTERS in SECRET STATES. Now the reason why these secret states can't be found on any map of America is because they are secret, of course, but also because the Trump campaign won't release the names or places where these states can be found.
       Sounds kinda silly, but its the strategy how Trump's new advisor, Kellyanne Conway, has explained this new plan. I assume Trump will be speechifying to these secret voters secretly. I can't wait to see the news that Trump will be in secret state Alpha on Tuesday, where he holds a commanding lead in the secret polls.
       I know of a number of folks who might be interested in visiting these states. Some folks are proud that they have visited every state in the country and are now slightly upset that they were unaware of these states. I'm sure they'll be ready, at a minutes notice, to carry out a trip to these huge, more beautiful than any blue or purple states as soon as they hear where these states are.
       Just imagine all the corporations anxious to do business in these mysterious newly discovered states. There must be prime new business opportunities. I can see many entrepreneurs  salivating for the chance to move in. I suppose Trump Industries have already contracted to build huge hotels and spas, and maybe even casinos. I have it on the Q.T. that the governorship of at least one of these secret states is available to a Trump supporter, or even Trump himself should the election be hijacked by crooked Hillary supporters. I wonder how many new stars will have to be added to our flag?

What The Heck Is Going On?

       Okay, now he's done it. Now he's gone too far. I know, I know, he's said and done some pretty far out things but never has he said anything so divorced from the truth as far as the far right sees it. He's been hacking away at Hillary, and well he should. He's leveled blistering attacks at Obama and a slew of others including a good many fellow Republicans.
       But now, now he's done the one thing that is unforgivable in the eyes of every card carrying Tea Partier and right wing nut. Donald Trump has, upon greater reflection, stated that as President he will continue to do what Pres. Barak Obama is doing on immigration. As an afterthought he said "perhaps with a lot more energy." Nice try Donnie but not an acceptable save. You're still praising that devil Muslim, that Fascist, that Communist, that Socialist, Anti-American, Barak Husain Obama.
       Well he's done for now. Even all those African Americans who've changed their minds after his "What the hell do you have to lose" speech, even those millions of black voters can't save him now. What ever possessed him to compliment Obama? Why Obama is hated almost as much as Hillary. Hated him even more before Hillary decided to run for President. Doesn't he understand you can't just flip flop on something as basic to the ideology as anti-Obama-ism? He'll never get another Cracker vote. Why, I'll bet that even the uneducated won't vote for him now.
       And this came after the latest campaign shakeup. Well, I'll be surprised if this doesn't mean another shakeup at the top of his campaign committee. You can't expect to soften our hero, talk him into betraying us and then expect to continue to chair his committee and CEO it. But who's next? Maybe Sean Hannity, or someone like the NRA's Wayne LA Pierre.
       Ya know, unless Trump starts to act like Trump again the interest in this Presidential campaign is gonna flop. I'm surprised that the media, which is becoming almost as rich as Trump thinks he is, has allowed The Donald to do anything other than be outrageous. After all, he's become something of a cash cow for them. Of course Hillary is doing her best to fill in, but then there simply isn't anyone like Mr. Trump.

Balancing The Budget.

       There's a somewhat dangerous plan underway by Conservatives calling for an amendment to the Constitution by the states. Now on the surface that sounds okay. And the purpose to require a balanced budget for America sounds like an idea who's time has come. Problem is you've got to look beyond your own family budget making and keeping to the gigantic budget needs of America. Especially when you consider the Republican demand for no tax increase whatsoever.
       So what do we do, as a country, when we face environmental disasters, medical emergencies and wars? Where will the money come from to dispatch these never ending emergencies? And what about inflation? Right now it doesn't count for much, but even so, there's a need to increase spending for defense every year. Where will the increased funding come from? Because income to the Country doesn't necessarily increase just because there are unexpected needs?
       Should America depend even more on its credit card? Well, it depends on how they would write a balanced budget amendment. The idea and goal for these folks is to reduce the size of government and as you should already know they would accomplish this by reducing or eliminating entitlements. In which case you can say goodbye to food stamps and any other program designed to help the poor.
       Think it'll never happen? There's a clause in the Constitution that allows a two thirds majority of the states to call for a constitutional convention. It gives the states power to override and bypass the Congress. Think they'll never reach 2/3 of the states' legislatures? The count is 28 states so far that have approved of a convention. That leaves only six more and the constitutional convention is on its way. That would leave the door open for lots of mischief. Thirty one state assemblies are controlled by Republicans now, according to an article in the New York Times..
       So who's pushing this, who's funding this? Well among others are the Koch brothers and the ultra conservative organization ALEC. ALEC is the group that has pushed the stand your ground state laws as well as stringent voter ID laws. It's basically a white supremacy group claiming not to be.

Simple Trickle.

       Ahh, those Republicans, they love their Trickle Down theory, don't they. And in all honesty, it could actually work exactly as advertised. After all, if you look at it through a microscope, it does appear to make perfect sense. If you allow the rich to have more money, through tax cuts, they can and will create more jobs. Why not? After all, more jobs mean more products available for sale which means more profits. It just requires a completely honest and trustworthy society.
       How could such a simple, straight forward approach to life not work? Simple. For starters, having more product to sell doesn't automatically mean it will sell. And if it doesn't sell, then the company is stuck with a backlog of inventory. And when that happens jobs get cut. Management knows this so they don't hire until they know there's a market. And that market doesn't magically appear because a rich guy got a tax break.
       And another thing. Just because a rich person gets a new tax break doesn't obligate that rich person to invest in new jobs. Maybe he'll invest in real estate or pork bellies or who knows what. Remember that new hires mean new and added headaches and require more and new raw materials at additional costs. Sometimes its just easier to send those savings offshore.
       And then those tax breaks come with a cost to government. Maybe those costs are offset by added revenue, but never fully and usually not at all, as proven by history. So there has to be an offsetting budget cut. Fewer services like education, social services, even military, when it comes to big cuts. Cuts to social services and education most severely hurt the poor and middle class.
       On the other hand tax cuts for the middle class spur spending for products causing inventory shortages requiring new jobs. To offset these tax cuts, tax increases on the wealthy are called for which will deliver a tax neutral policy. Its sort of a trickle up theory. History tells us it works. Republicans want us to trust in their complete honesty and trustworthiness. Democrats admit they nor the Republicans are fully honest and trustworthy. You choose. Tax cuts for you or the rich.