What's Next?

      Well, what President Trump couldn't do because of the Democrats, he claimed, he did by signing a document rescinding his prior document on immigration. Now the big problem facing America is the tariffs we've placed against the world causing the world to place tariffs against us. Who knew? Who could have foretold that if we placed huge tariffs against China, the E. U. Canada and Mexico that they would retaliate with huge tariffs against us? Almost everybody, that's who.
       And guess what? Its starting and it ain't gonna be pretty. If we insist on holding onto our tariffs against products from these countries you can be sure they're gonna hit us where it hurts most. And the thing is those countries can pinpoint our products and where they're made and in who's districts those factories are in and cause huge unemployment in those districts ahead of elections.
       Politics are always involved in everything everyone does. You hit one of our industries and that causes unemployment to go up, we're gonna hit one of your industries so the unemployment goes up, but we're gonna look for industries in areas or states where it will hurt you the most come election time. We're too global to mess with other nations. So how do we make others play fair?
       The answer to that question isn't likely to be available from any one person. But a leader has access to many advisors from many different interests and industries that he can bring together to devise a plan that will force others to all play fairly. We hope. But the leader has to actually listen to those advisors and act on their recommendations. The leader has to be able to make the final decision, but only well advised. No flying by the seat of his pants.

Separation.

       The family flees their home because of the fear of violence. They believe their only chance for safety is in America. After a cruel trip to the Mexican border with the U.S. A. they cross over into the land of the free and safe. They are arrested and incarcerated. Then they are separated; toddlers and infants to one location older boys to another and girls to a third location. Parents to a forth location.
Nobody is informed where the rest of the family is.
       The parents are sent before a federal judge who sentences them to time served or a month or so and then deported to their home country. They are not accompanied by their children. That's because nobody knows where the children are in the maze of holding camps for children. So now the U.  S. A. has custody of several thousand unaccompanied children, and that number keeps growing because families still would rather take their changes in America than remain in their homeland. What do we do with these children? They still belong to the families deported. Now the court has to decide to take the family apart so it can give those children away to someone else.
       In the meantime these children are traumatized. The parents have been punished and will be for life. The tax payers must pay to support these children until some acceptable solution for their futures are decided.  Also in the meantime the whole world is watching the "shining city on the hill" Ronald Reagan talked about which is now stealing children and using them as hostages for Trump's border plans. Make America better? You're kidding, right?  

Our Lost Image

       Donald Trump. Ya know, Phyllis Diller would probably repeat herself by saying of him, "his finest hour lasted a minute and a half." I'm not so sure it lasted that long. Look at the record; he has decided to eliminate the illegal immigrant situation by abducting the children of families crossing the border and placing them in cages.
       If somebody took your children and sent you back, wouldn't you try again to gain entry in order to get your children back? But if we keep the children, what are we gonna do with them? I mean, that is legal to do. We can't make cheap laborers out of them. But we'll have to feed them and cloth and shelter them. Maybe we'll give them away. Or auction them off. That's not funny.
       But my question is: Has anyone given any thought to the future of these children? Honestly, they will have futures, they'll grow up in spite of everything our government does to them, so what will we do with them? How can we possibly keep them from nightmares? What can we do for these small, utterly innocent children?
       Our country has, apparently intentionally, done these children harm. How do we go about making a very bad situation better. How do we mend our image? The whole world is looking at us with disdain. How can we ever regain our position of respect in the world when we treat children this way?
       I keep saying "we" instead of "our government" because "we" put our government in place. We elected them. The only solution is to begin to replace those who foster and excuse this outrage. Our first opportunity to do this comes this November. Make it a point to know how your elected officials stand. Make it a point to vote.

Stealing Children

       I Thought I understood what was going on at our southern border. Boy was I misinformed.  In the N.Y. Times this morning a report tells about a woman and her eight year old son who were captured crossing into America from Guatemala. The boy was sent to a shelter for migrant children. And, the mother was deported and sent back to Guatemala.
       So what happened to the boy? Its almost as though the government of the United States of America had decided it needed more young children but not the parents. Okay, you explain how the government can separate a family and send the parents back, but keep the children. I'd like to hear how the law allows that. And even if it actually did, and I'm sure it doesn't, but even if it did, for what purpose?
       And if the law actually permits the administration to keep those children instead of sending them back home with their parents, what in the world is the Congress doing, or more accurately, not doing about it. Now the president blames the Democrats, but the Democrats have no control. The House of Representatives and the Senate are both controlled by the Republicans, who seem to be controlled by the President.
       And even the First Lady has spoken out against it and the last Republican First lady did too. How can anyone with a soul think this is a good and fair outcome? We seem to be interested in forming enemies right within our own country. Does anyone think these kids will grow up and be happy about the way America treated them?
     

They're Just Kids.

       Huh, America is still stealing children from their parents and sending them - Who knows where. But fear not, the Republicans have an answer. They're floating a proposal to allow the children to be jailed along side their parents. So now the idea is not to steal the kids, but to jail them. You're all heart people. This all comes from the idea that since the parents entered America illegally they must go to jail until they can prove they are not criminals and that they fear for their safety if they are returned to their home country.
       First off, can they really hold someone in prison until they prove they are not guilty? Is that the American way? What's next? Will we be found to be not sufficiently adoring of the dear President? Lock em up. I get it that we have to be sure of who we allow in. And that we go by first come first served, legally and illegal entry doesn't get you automatic citizenship.
       But is imprisoning these people for fleeing dangerous conditions back home the best answer we can come up with? And shouldn't these children be getting an education? Of course school's out for the summer. How is it that we can send our president on missions to alienate our friends and maybe making friends with our enemies. Enemies who have time and time again broken promises.
       Of course we're big and strong. We can throw children around while their parents are in jail. How about getting tough on Russia and China. If we're as big and tough as our President thinks we are, then lets get tough with our enemies, not admire them. And you Republicans are a long way from fair.

Too Much.

       I'm hopeful that the Trump - Kim summit will meet with success, but I have two questions that are bothering me, neither of which is directly related to the summit. First, I'd like to know why our foreign policy seems to be to warm up to our enemies and at the same time alienate our closest allies? First we have a crush on Putin, then we befriend China by dropping our tariffs on them, then we back out of our deal on Iran, and now sitting down with Kim of NK.
       But at the same time we've been badmouthing our allies and partners backing out of deals like the Paris Peace Accord on global warming and now blowing up the G7 meeting. What's the deal? Are we turning into a Jihadist-Communist-dictatorship fiefdom?
       The second question is not so divisive. But how come the price of gasoline has gone up so much and without even a small outcry. I remember the last time the price at the pump slid up that much even Congress got into the shouting match. Are we all that satisfied with the increases in the price of go-juice that we think we can afford it so, let em rip.
       I have to say, I for one ain't happy with the slide upward in the price. Somebody is making a killing on this and it ain't me. Isn't it time for all of us to start badgering our Congressmen and Senators about it? Because last time that got us lower prices on gas. And isn't that what we all want?

She Ain't Robin Hood.

       Number two on the hurt parade is Ms. Betsey DeVos She's the cabinet member who's decided there really is no need for public education. Private schools can do so much better in educating the students who deserve an education, that is to say, those who can afford it. Education is wasted on the masses when it is exactly those students who are or will be needed for the more menial tasks. Or at least it seems like a good portrayal of  her philosophy. She doesn't seem to be concerned about the majority of students left behind. She hasn't thought it through, or doesn't care.
       Actually she's trying to take the best and brightest from public education and place them in private schools through the use of vouchers and the like. Now that's okay for those best and brightest, but for everyone else, why they're stuck in an underfunded public school. Underfunded because the vouchers take money away from the public school.
       That's not the answer. Bright kids should have an opportunity to excel in the best schools, but the funding for those "best schools" needs to come from industry. That's where these bright kids will go after schooling. Industries will benefit from the education these kids get so the industries should help pay for the schools through scholarships. Or just outright grants. And the government profits from these gifted kids. It should pay also.
       But Betsey wants only to take funding away from the poor and give to the rich. Its the mirror image of Robin Hood.Take from the poor, give to the rich. Poor Robin, he'd be greatly dismayed. But then that's Washington for ya.
      
 

It's All In The Defination.

       Scott Pruitt is one of the longest serving cabinet members that President Trump has. Maybe that's the problem. Ya see, Mr. Pruitt misunderstands the term EPA That is the Environmental Protection Agency. Scotty got beamed up by the chemical and energy producing industries.  They convinced him that the protection part is for them, not the environment. To their way of thinking it should read the Protection From the Environment Agency.
       Scotty missed the whole point. He's supposed to be protecting the Environment from the chemical and energy industries. In other words he's supposed to be protecting the only environment we have so that we can actually live and thrive in that environment without fearing some contamination brought on by manufactured chemicals or burning energy or digging it up. Be a Johnny Appleseed. If you like chemicals, put them in your swimming pool, not in our environment.
       Now I know, people have been complaining about your fetish with used mattresses, chic-fil-a eateries, telephone booths, and a score of other problems, but if that keeps you away from screwing with our environment, so be it. First class is okay with me if you promise to reinstate a few safeguards for the environment. Need extra security? Then issue each one of them a pair of green gloves and a rake.
       In short, use all the money given your agency to safeguard our environment, while we still have one. I don't ask for much, I'd just like to know that the water I drink and the veggies I put in my salad won't kill me. That's not asking too much, is it? Check out the definition of the term Environmental Protection. You may be surprised at what you find. I'll be surprised if you change your mind.
    

Tariffs Anyone?

       Do you know enough about tariffs? I sure don't, but here's what I do know. I know that we need strong steel and aluminum industries for our national defense. To make them strong again they need to be competitive with other countries' industries. The quick way is to place tariffs on those industries, meaning to levy taxes on those products if they're shipped to America. That's a tariff.
       So why do these other countries hate our tariffs so much? Because it makes their industries products more expensive in America, which means American companies stop buying their products. Which means their companies have to lay off employees because of lost demand for product. Which means more unemployed in those countries.
       So, in the case of Mexico, and probably more countries, they will levy tariffs on products made or grown in America. That means those products will be more expensive over there. That means more unemployment in America. They call that trade war. Tit for Tat. You hurt me, I'll hurt you. That's children's rules. How come we want to start a school yard brawl?
       And why would we want to start that fight with our best friends. That's the kind of fight you reserve for your worst enemies. I have to say I don't have the answer. What concerns me the most is that our leadership doesn't seem to have an answer either, and that's a bit scary. This great booming economy could wind up in the trash heap if we keep picking fights with our friends.

Twiddle Dee

       "A president can't obstruct justice", but if he can, he has the "absolute power to pardon himself." Well pardon me. I can't be found guilty of anything. If I kill Comey, I can't be tried, but if I am, then pardon me. Our justice system is under attack. Our president can't even be impeached. It takes the House of Representatives to vote in favor and then the Senate must have a two thirds majority vote to impeach. Neither is possible now, and a two thirds majority in the Senate in the foreseeable future is unlikely.
       In Kentucky, a young man gave one of his favorite quotes and credited it to Donald Trump to great cheering. Then he laughed and said it was actually a Barrack Obama quote. The cheering ceased. There were a few laughs, some few polite applause and a few boos. I guess America is not over it's racism yet.
       Illegal immigrants who are caught, are placed in detention (prison) but any children cannot legally be imprisoned so they are removed from the parents and sent to other facilities and organizations. How do over 4000 children get lost to the system? Easy. The children get sent where there is room for them, the parents get sent to where there is room for them. Neither knows where the other went. You figure it out.
       Who wrote this portion of our history? What a great comedy. It's sure to win an Oscar. Nobody will ever believe that such nonsense could actually happen in America. I guess that's what makes it so funny. Unfortunately nobody could dream up such silliness. Therefore it has to be real. How can we be proud of such hatred for our fellow man?

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.

       I agree with President Trump that we need strong and viable Steel and Aluminum industries in the event of a national or international emergency. I get it. But why are we punishing our friends and allies? And why are we rewarding our enemy? That's not the way to strengthen our industries. Our friends and allies are ready to impose tariffs on us while our enemy continues to screw us.
       If you hold a party and invite your friends and your enemy to the party, but you charge your friends to attend and your enemy gets in free you'd get your party paid for. However your friends decide to hold parties too. Each charges you alone to pay, By the time you're finished, it'll cost you far more than you profited from your party
       If you're gonna give a free pass to anyone, shouldn't you have given it to your friends? Since your enemy has been screwing you for quite some time, shouldn't you have charged that enemy instead of your friends? Yes, your enemy might have charged you higher tariffs, but you've got all your friends to 'have your back'
       All your enemy has that nobody else has is cheap labor. Maybe you and your friends should charge that enemy a tariff on labor. The problem with Trump is that he seems to start off strong, but weakens when anyone threatens him. We need someone who starts off  slower, gives it more thought, but finishes strong. We've got the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. And since we're stuck with him, we need to put a harness on him. Congress won't stop him. We need a new face to Congress. Elect a Democrat.