Category Archives: President Trump

Another Game of Sticks

08 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by in International, Politics, President Trump, Trade Agreements

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The Middle East is always complicated but the death and reaction to Jamel Khoshoggi’s murder has further complicated a geo-political game of sticks. We had helped the Saudi’s in their war with the Yemen’s Houthis by selling the planes, bombs, and rockets and refueling their planes so they bomb the southeastern cities. We provide intelligence through drones, satellites, and electronic monitoring so they know what to bomb. The bus full of kids was probably our intelligence error.

The President says we can’t cut relations or sanction Saudi Arabia for killing Khoshoggi because they are our partners in the region and they are buying over $100 billion in military equipment from us. The President hasn’t stated to the world what another country can do before he will react. The question is where is the line and how will he react.

NATO and the European countries say our President is Putin’s boy. He hasn’t implemented all the sanctions Congress mandated for interfering in our election. President Trump has repeatedly said he sees no purpose in antiquated organizations like NATO, SEATO and OAS. The destruction of NATO benefits only one country – Russia.

The destruction of the trade pacts and tariffs has upset world’s trade routes, supply lines, and multi-national companies. The new NAFTA is the old NAFTA with the changes that had been planned for years. The agreements being worked on with the Asian countries is the old TPP. Without the TPP agreement China has been able to make huge inroads into Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia.

Geo-politics is not a game of sticks for beginners.

Tariffs Hit Homeowners

20 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by in President Trump, Tariffs

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I built my house thirty years ago and it is worth much more than I paid for the materials. As long as I don’t buy any appliances I couldn’t believe Trump’s tariff fights would affect my finances. I had to connect the dots to see how I have just got dinged.

A few weeks ago I read where home builders were expecting to pay $4,000 to $6,000 or more for the lumber to build homes. Since I am not building a new one, it is not my problem. Yesterday I got my house insurance bill. It had gone up because the cost to rebuild my house had risen.

So we have to pay more so his billionaire friends can raise the price of wood from American trees and override the Wildlife Preservation restrictions to cut in protected areas. Note his comment on the need to cut more trees to reduce fires. That’s another dot to connect.

It’s costing me another few percent. As new houses are built and sold I bet our real estate tax will rise too!

Sleight of Hand

20 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by in Politics, President Trump

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I don’t know if the President is coordinating the news releases or some incompetent staffers who are well over their head. When the administration does something stupid they try to get the public to look at something less stupid or inane. Today they revoked former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance. The notification was dated over two weeks previously. This release which was pulled back so today’s date could be shown on the text (another screw-up).

Was this done because they wanted to change the public’s attention from the media’s editorial on Trump’s attack on the media , his self-inflicted wounds, the Manafort trial, the negative impact of tariffs, and/or the Mueller investigation? Has the wounds become so massive that it is impossible to keep diverting attention from one screw-up by creating another one (a sleight of hand).

These self-inflicted wounds occur almost every day and often several times in the same day. Since the President wants to be in the spotlight, he is the cause of almost all the wounds himself. Some current and past White House staffers have commented on his mental capacity and stability. His tweets have given mental professionals cause to publicly question his condition. His staff tries to control and moderate his constant need for attention and admiration. His demand for the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and several cabinet members to “Tell you how great I am” while he sat like a king near the lectern indicates a 26th amendment possibility.

He once said “I could kill somebody on Madison Avenue and still get elected”, or his statement “you knew I was a snake before you elected me.” Perhaps his 30% base is ignorant of his screw-ups or are just stupid.

Do Unto Others

14 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Politics, President Trump, Religion

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I do not believe one’s religion should consider itself better than any other because their belief should be their own. If someone doesn’t believe in any God then it is their right, too. If a person believes Jesus is the son of a God or a prophet or even the second to last prophet, then it is their right. If they believe in a multi-armed woman or an elephant God, it is their right. If their God is the emperor or some very fat guy, it is their right. My mother told me to treat everyone the same because it is their right to believe what they want.

Now the Attorney General has decided to put together a task force to ensure we have a Christian country. This country was founded on not being a Christian or Catholic or Jewish because the reason for most discrimination and wars were religious. They wanted a country with the morals of religion but not a mandatory religion. This task force smack of a state supported and protected belief. Turkey’s President Erdoğan has changed the secular constitution to a state supported Islamic one. He has locked thousands up and fired tens of thousands more for disagreeing with his changes. Other countries have become a one religion nation.

Could it happen here? I would have doubted it a couple of years ago. Now we have an administration that is against Muslims. The alt-right devotees are anti-Jewish and they are supporters of the administration. Could they become like Hitler’s brown shirts and harass everyone that doesn’t share their particular faith? History gives many examples of what happens when the camel gets its nose under the tent. The religious right would love to have a government with Christian laws against what they perceive as immoral and doesn’t fit within their narrow views.

Conspiracy Believers Abound

14 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Militias, President Trump

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I really hope history is not repeating itself with all the conspiracy groups and militias which believe President Trump is their leader. The Ku Klux Klan is resurgent and marching along with new white nationalist groups. The Patriot Prayer in Oregon and the wide assortment of groups in Charlottesville, Washington D.C. and other places believe President Trump is one of them. The conspiracy group Q Anon is openly showing itself at Trump rallies. Showing themselves in such numbers tends to give others the confidence to join in their lunacy.

The Q believes Trump is directing an overthrow of the deep state or shadow government. His demeaning statements of people and the media are a rallying cry for these conspiracy whackos. They believe Trump is sending them messages when he misspells a word or makes a new one. I think he knows this and does so to encourage their devotion. Hopefully his nonsense hasn’t yet caused them to act with violence.

Old groups are reforming and new groups are forming with two goals. The white nationalists want to put all non-Europeans in their place, or kill them, or deport them no matter how many generations they have lived here. The second goal is to overthrow the existing government by force, if needed, and replace it with a populist one.

Years ago the FBI broke up and drove underground the Idaho militia groups. One of the leaders said they were part of an association overseen by a committee. What if all these white nationalist and conspiracy groups fall under the control of a committee controlled by one person? Could it become like Poland’s Law and Justice Party or Turkey’s Justice and Development Party or Hitler’s Brown Shirts of his nascent Nazi Party? American’s have shown a proclivity to believe in conspiracies. Let’s hope they never really get organized!

The Consumer Tax

02 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by in Economy, President Trump, Taxes

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The congressional budget office and independent economists have said the tax cut could add a trillion dollars to our already red ink ocean. Has the administration come up with a sneaky way to reduce the tax cut’s red ink? Yes, it’s called a tariff war! The administration says any tariff will be absorbed by the companies and little if any will be passed on to the consumer. We know the corporations received about 80% of the cuts and aren’t going to eat the tariffs. They will pass the tariffs taxes on to us.

So consumers, suck it up, and if you manage to keep your job, you will spend more to buy those consumer products you enjoy. The President said the stock market has gone up during his tenure so if it goes down because of tariff wars, it is okay.

Since he believes he is the Supreme Being then the usual words at a graveside service are appropriate. “Trump giveth and Trump taketh away.”

Racism on the Rise

12 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by in Politics, President Trump, Racism

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I wish everyone would be as distressed as my wife and I were when we read about an “incident” in Los Angeles. A 91 year ethnic Mexican was beaten with a brick by a black woman with her daughter. He was a permanent resident walking on a sidewalk during the Fourth of July celebrations. After that, a group of young black men thought he was trying to abduct the girl so they kicked and punched him while he lay curled up on the sidewalk. He has broken bones and teeth. Both incidents were videoed with the mother yelling “go back to your country”.

Another incident occurred in a Cook County Park District Park. A man harassed a woman wearing a Puerto Rico flag shirt. He kept yelling at her for not being an American citizen. She had flawless English and he didn’t so I wonder whose family has been citizens longer (Puerto Ricans are citizens).

Most racial incidents are not recorded for the internet and TV audiences but those that are show racism is exploding. The incidents against brown skinned people are growing rapidly. In California, it has increased over 40 percent since Trump started his racist campaign against Latinos. He said they are rapists, murderers, and drug gangs.

White against black racism grew during Obama’s tenure with Trump pushing the birther lies. He has been shown to say he would undo everything Obama has done. He has repeatedly fired up crowds against Mexicans. The President’s rhetoric and actions have made racism acceptable or even patriotic. Not since Woodrow Wilson have we had such an openly racist President.

Why Trump Loves Putin

05 Thursday Jul 2018

Posted by in International, President Trump

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Why is President Trump so friendly and supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin? He refuses to admit the Russians interfered with the 2016 Presidential election. He is willing to forgive Russia for annexing the Crimean Peninsula and is heavily involved in the Eastern Ukraine fighting. A long and extensive investigation confirms the airliner was shot down by Russians using a Russian anti-aircraft missile.

Could it be because Putin has full control of his legislative body? (Agree or unpleasant things happen to you or your family.) The remaining news media is very supportive of Putin because the media outlets are repressed by exile, harassment and jailing of reporters and owners, or murder. Putin does not fear an investigation since his old KGB friends run the new security service. Putin has revised the Russian Constitution to where he can be in office for the rest of his life.

Our economic and military allies dropped Russia out of the G-8 Alliance, now G-7, because of the Ukraine invasions. Trump wants to reinstate Putin because of Russia’s economic power. Russia is far down the list on economic power since its economy is based on gas and oil prices. It has little other trade impact with the rest of the world.

Is rumored blackmail true? Is it because Putin’s cut from all trade and take-over’s has made him a multi-billionaire and Trump loves billionaires? Is it because without Putin’s help Trump would have lost the election?

I doubt if we will learn any more after the upcoming meeting between the two Presidents. It will be a love fest.

Who Will It Be In 2020

14 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in President Trump, Uncategorized

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Assuming Donald Trump is still President in 2019, who will be the Republican Party’s nominee? Will ego and narcissism cause him to run again, possibly against some of those who sought the nomination in 2016. One pair is already being pushed by the power brokers in the GOP and those of the party who Trump has minimalized and besmirched. The pair is Vice-President Mike Pence and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Both have been Governor of their states. Pence would probably not have been re-elected Indiana’s Governor because of his excessive need to cut the budget, reduce taxes, and run up debt. Haley was less strident in a moderately red state. Her skeleton was removing the Confederate Battle Flag from all South Carolina government flagpoles and properties.

The current polls indicate Trump’s support is still around 40% but many of those would not vote for him again. The Democrats will probably take control of the House and possibly the Senate. Trump has not had a good relationship with the Republican controlled legislative branch and he would not be able to work with a Democratic one that won their seats because of him.

Bush I rode very high after Desert Storm but quickly lost support and the election. Can Trump create an impression of enough successes to hold off Republican challengers? He lies. He bullies. He is narcissistic and immoral. Can he keep enough support from people who dislike his ethics? Would he run if he might not win? If he runs, it will be the ugliest contest ever!

Clancy Drained the Swamp

11 Friday May 2018

Posted by in Government, Politics, President Trump, Uncategorized

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In Tom Clancy’s Book, Executive Orders, he imagined what would happen if the President, Cabinet, Supreme Court, Joint Chiefs, and all the members of Congress were killed. Clancy forgot to kill off the lobbyists who are the real power. They spread millions of dollars and write many of the laws Congress votes on. The Supreme Court’s decision on Citizen’s United allows millions in “Dark Money” (unregistered and hidden) to find its way into pockets, campaign chests, and political organizations.

Clancy did not write how such an event would affect the billionaires who currently control our three branches of government. In the book, Clancy proposed the people who would run for Senator might hate it so much one or two terms would be all they could stand. Of course, each Governor would appoint the Representatives for that state so they would be political. Think of it, no existing empires to control new people so it would have to start all over again.

Trump’s swamp is real but the first thing he did was to deepen it by doing away with the ethics rules. Lobbyists and lawyers who fronted for special interests were chosen for cabinet posts and under secretaries.

Before the reader thinks the swamp is only in the Administration, think about how a retired high school coach and Speaker of the House can still be wealthy after paying three million to a blackmailer. When they retire, high paying jobs in banks, consulting corporations, and others awaits them assuming they voted right. Those in the Administration get offers in the same places.