Not The Same.

       Abe Lincoln did something amazing. He split the country in order to free the slaves. It was a necessary and wonderful thing. But he caused a split that evolved into a civil war. In the end his emancipation of all slaves in this country was upheld. History has proved it to be a wise decision. And Lincoln has gone down as one of our greatest presidents. His image is on Mt. Rushmore and he sits in the Lincoln Memorial.
       Donald Trump has split the nation once again. Not for such a monumental and moral deed. But rather, his immoral deeds have split the country. His is an administration built on lies, mistrust and the striving to enrich his and his family's personal fortunes. And do it at the expense of the country he swore to put first. He has not shown any interest in doing that. He has made America Alone Again. You will never see his likeness on any mountain.
       What we need is a change of face in Congress. Our current Congress is so fearful of Mr. Trump and being primaried that they will not disagree with him even to the detriment of the country, states and districts they have sworn to serve. Since they won't serve and protect, they need to be replaced.
       If we were talking about a Cub Scout or Brownie troop leadership, they would already have been kicked out. Without badges, in dishonor. We who love this country find it unconscionable that anyone would lie so often. And for our President to do so is all the more despicable. I truly hope you plan to vote on Tuesday next. And if you do, I hope you will consider voting for anyone but an incumbent.

The Switcheroo.

       Who cares if the Democrats or the Republicans win the mid-term elections? I mean in the scheme of things does it really matter? Well for one thing, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, they all matter to a whole bunch of us old timers.
       The thing is, the Republican leadership in the house and even the Senate are focused on cutting Social Security and eliminating Medicare and Medicaid. Not all at once of course, that would be too obvious and would cost them in the 2020 elections.
       But they would like to begin to lower the monthly stipend folks get from Social security. They look at it as a giveaway of government money. They hate to admit that you and I and everyone else paid into it so its not their money its ours. Same for Medicare. Now Medicaid was designed to help people who just don't have the money to pay for insurance and copays.
       Here's the reason the Republicans want to slash these programs; they need to pay for that tax cut they gave to the one percenters. Its simple. They gave away too much money so now they've got to pay some of it back. They think Retirees won't mind. That's where they're wrong. I'm mad as all get out. I hope you are too. 

Tax Cut Again?

       Remember that tax cut that got passed last year? Remember how it saved your financial lives by increasing your pay checks so much? What's that? It didn't increase your paycheck enough to even pay for the higher taxes you had to or will have to pay to cover the increase to our deficit and debt? Huh! Well it more than paid for those pesky taxes for the wealthy, and then some. In fact it paid for a big, WOW.
       It was so popular with the I% that they're asking for seconds. So Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan is trying to push through another tax cut for the wealthy, although on the sly. Unlike the last one that got so much publicity, this time it's being quietly pushed through and the hope for the Republicans is that nobody will find out or at least not until after the midterms.
       So the question is: Do you approve of the one percenters getting another huge tax break leaving you and I to contend with the increase in our debt and deficit? Or would you rather see a tax increase on the one percenters to help pay down that debt? After all, the rich are the ones responsible for the deficit and debt in the first place.
       I don't mean to be picky, but isn't it time for the one percenters to start paying their fair share?
And their idea of a fair share for them is to pay the same number of dollars in taxes as homeless, penniless, poor people. In other words they want a tax system that requires them to pay nothing at all and they think that's fair. I don't.

Making America Alone Again.

       Can you imagine? President Trump and his friends in Congress and around the country are still touting that slogan "Make America Great Again." Make America great again? Its hardly happening. A more appropriate chant would be "Make America Alone Again."
       A country's greatness is measured by how much it shows leadership and in that arena Trump has transformed America into a country without a plan to lead, but a country to stand apart and belittle anyone willing to take up the standard. You don't lead by calling foreign leaders nasty names. You don't lead by pointing out other country's faults. Especially when you've got far too many of your own. Disparaging another hardly makes you a leader.
       While Trump may have helped some Americans with his misunderstandings of how to deal with countries, it has hurt others, some immeasurably. And it has caused such unpleasantness among our own people that it borders on violence. That's not greatness. It's not great to constantly beat up on the other guy.
       He won the election. The economy is doing well. Its fair to mention you've done what you promised, even if what you promised wasn't what America needs, but to suggest Americans treat other Americans harshly isn't great. Just like treating other countries harshly isn't great. But it will make you lonely. He's Making America Alone Again.

The Big He Bull

      So you think Donald Trump is in charge and responsible for all the problems. You guessed wrong. There's a guy you know very well. Mitch McConnell is the Majority leader in the Senate. He's the guy that decides what legislation gets a hearing and what legislation dies in committee. Nothing happens in Congress unless He gives it the OK to proceed.
       So when a liberal gets nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice, he just doesn't even recognize the man exists, but when two conservative nominees come before him, he puts his arms around them and they proceed to the court. Now, I think its okay that there are conservatives and liberals on the court so long as they can be fair and honest about their opinions. It remains to be seen whether or not Kavanaugh can be such a justice.
       But the real problem is that Mitch McConnell is not an American Senator, he is a Republican Operative. He appears not to care about our country, he only appears to care about the Republican party. He will bend any rule and destroy any historical precedent to reach his Republican goals. And the people of Kentucky still elect him. I recall vividly when he was the minority chairmen. He was the biggest whiner in Washington.
       Now that he's the big he bull in Congress, he's thrilled to be that Republican Operative on everything that comes from the White Housie as long as its ruled by a Republican. When we didn't have a Republican in the WH he didn't allow anything to get past him that he didn't absolutely have to. Its a sad state of affairs.

Flying While Drunk.

       With everything else going on in America wouldn't ya just know that the bird population in Minnesota is inebriated. You heard that right. Birds in Minnesota are flying around drunk. It seems that an early frost has caused local berries to ferment. The birds eat the fermented berries and what would you expect? Happy hour in the trees and on the bushes.
       We've got Supreme Court troubles, trade war with China, Nuclear threats from  Iran, the Interpol president has gone missing in China, and Putin has again posed topless. Friends the world is indeed in dire straits. Drunk birds? Really? Isn't there some way to explain to the birds involved that unless they're 21 years old, they can't eat fermented fruit.
       Next thing you know, Minnesotan police will be handing out FWD arrests. Don't laugh, flying while drunk is a dangerous pastime. They're recommending you put decals on windows. Like Don't, Don't, Don't Eat The Berries. I hear Oregon has a tank for drunk birds until they sober up. I wonder how many repeat offenders?
       The next thing you'll hear is bad drunk bird jokes. Three birds enter a bar. A Robin, a Blue Jay and a Cardinal. No berries, so all three leave. I told you, bad jokes. Actually, the birds just might be onto something. With all that's going on in the world maybe they've got the right ticket.
      

Alternative And Truth.

       I wonder how many law professors there are in America? I ask because 650 of them have written a letter to suggest that Brett Kavanaugh lacks the judicial temperament to sit on the Supreme Court. Yet he is the chosen one of the alternative leadership of our fair country. An alternative leader who started out in life with a paltry $400 + million from his father. And through subterfuge, bankruptcy, and some might say, cheating on his taxes, an accusation which is as of yet unproven, has parlayed this paltry sum into some unexplained Billions of dollars.
       Here is an alternative leader who has surrounded himself with like minded second level alternatives to leadership. The truth of these second level alternative leaders is that they suggest that such truth is not truth. So now not only do we have alternative leaders, but we also have alternative truths that may not be truths at all.
       So just when is a truth not true, when is a fact not a fact at all? When our alternative leader states unequivocally, that they are not true or factual. And when he changes his mind this afternoon, what then?" Climates don't change and drier droughts and stronger storms and rising temperatures and more rain are simply changes in weather over a longer period of time, also explained by some as Climate Change.
       The new brainstorm of the alternate universe is that there is no other place in the universe but America and we'd best be getting used to being alone. No trade, no nuclear agreements, No allies, no enemies. The best of everything. We've made America Great Again by making America alone again.

They're Just Kids.

       I wonder if or how members of the ICE department of the federal government have any idea how toxic their work is towards little children? They take these children and after ripping them from their parents, they send them to detention centers. Then, some time later, they take these children in the middle of the night, place them on buses and transport them to a different center. The fact that the new center is close to the Mexican border means nothing to them. They don't know where they are or where their parents are.
       It brings to mind what German Jews must have thought and felt when they were taken to interment camps. And in the war crimes trials after the war, the Nazis and soldiers who imprisoned and guarded them and sent them to their deaths, these guards claimed they were "Just following orders." I wonder how these ICE "guards" feel about what they are doing? Is their answer "I was just following orders?" The war crimes courts usually found those folks guilty. What might our own courts decide? What must other countries think? What will our closest allies think?
       But most importantly, what will these children think years from now? How will they think of America then? Time may heal all wounds, except the wounds of the soul. How many ICE soldiers will have nightmares in their future? How many of those children will have nightmares in their future?
       I get it that illegal entry into our country is a criminal offense no matter the reason, but that's our problem to work out. The forced separation of children from parents is unconscionable and it is our national shame. The time to resolve this inhumane practice is past due.