Misdirected Funds

24 Friday Mar 2017

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We have a president who said he wouldn’t take his presidential salary. We don’t yet know if he has kept that promise or if he has already blown through his presidential expense account.

What we do know is he goes to his club in Florida every other weekend at a cost of $2,500,000. As of mid-March that is $10,000,000 and rising. At that rate for four years it would be 104 trips for at least a quarter billion dollars.

For now the first lady is staying in their penthouse in New York City. A very conservative estimate is about a $1,000,000 per day. That’s a third of a billion each year.

His proposed budget cuts back on school breakfasts, healthcare for the poor, and many other costs he says our country can’t afford.

Somewhere I think our billionaire president has lost touch with how the people who elected him survive on their salaries. Is he still thinking “me, me, me” and not what he can do for the country?

This Sputnik Doesn’t Fly

16 Thursday Mar 2017

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Russia has a new Sputnik and it’s extremely dangerous to democracy. No, it doesn’t fly in outer space; it operates in cyberspace. Putin has put together a battalion of hackers and media specialists. Where did you think those stories concocted and spread about Hillary Clinton last year (remember Pizzagate) or about the leaders and potential winners this year in European elections and those Russians who Putin doesn’t like come from — Sputnik!

Sputnik has fabricated stories about many Russians to make it easier for him to kill, jail, or exile if they crossed Putin in some way. Their expertise is so good many intelligent people believe the concoctions, not just the gullible and stupid. Putin has an opponent’s killed and the people were told it was gangsters.

Just as Putin picked Trump, who he could control, and not Clinton, who scared him, he has picked who he wants in France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Many Europeans, after learning how Russia affected our elections, are learning how to ignore Sputnik’s lies and fabrications. With our own smear experts and the Russians looking to get their picks elected, why do people look at social media sites and other propaganda? If you want to know if something is true check politifacts or reputable media which can be sued. Talking heads are covered by the first amendment. That’s Fox and MSNBC, etc.

The Oval Office

16 Thursday Mar 2017

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Isn’t it too bad Trump’s people have no corner to put the President when he rants and raves. In Mid-February he spoke out and tweeted the opposite of what his cabinet members were saying to other countries. One day he is for something and the next he is against it. He says his administration is a smooth running machine, it isn’t.

His comments remind me of Richard Nixon’s rants about the press during the Watergate stories. Those stories led to his abdication before impeachment. The difference is Nixon had a well-oiled machine of experienced people. He had Kissinger as his advisor while Trump depends on John Bannon and 31-year old Stephen Miller.

Trump says he has had no business with Russians, but his son said in an interview a few years ago that “we are doing an inordinate amount of business with Russians”. Who’s lying?

If Trump comes on TV and says we need to invade a country because… Would you believe?

His Word Is Insufficient

16 Thursday Mar 2017

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History cites the power and honor of the President of the United States when the President of France was asked if he would like to see the photographic evidence of Russian missiles in Cuba. He said “No, the President’s word is sufficient.”

Can you image anybody taking President Trump’s word for anything? The only bi-partisan agreement in the House and Senate is the occupants of the White House are undependable and untrustworthy. The entire administration seems to be composed of multi-millionaires and billionaires with no board experience in running the second biggest corporation (China is biggest). Diplomacy with a level-head keeps us out of war with another country and gets us help from dependable allies.

President Kennedy’s level-headed diplomacy prevented World War III. If a similar situation happened today, you could kiss your butt goodbye!

Alternative Financing

15 Wednesday Mar 2017

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When I built my house 39 years ago with a 30-year mortgage, I was thrilled. A few years later I found if I waited the full 30 years it would cost 3 times my original loan. I paid it down quickly.

That’s important because when Clinton left office all the 30-year and nearly all the 20-year bonds were paid off. They were deciding on how many 10-years bonds could be paid off without wrecking the world’s financial stability.

Bush cut taxes, raised expenses and started two wars costing trillions. Soon 20 and 30-year bonds were back. Obama inherited the great recession which cut revenues increasing deficits and debt.

Now we have a huge deficit and a 17 trillion debt. As interest rates go up the money we pay in interest will go up. That means a higher portion of the revenue will go to interest payments. Trump wants to cut taxes to the super rich and corporations. That will create higher deficits and debt.

To overcome the old debt, the new administration is going to propose, not a 40-year bond, but a 100-year bond. If my 30-year bond was going to cost me triple the money I borrowed, what do you think a 100-year will cost? It is 6 times!!!

Fair Pay For State Workers

10 Friday Mar 2017

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For thirteen years I worked alongside Mr. Yanko’s Pipe Fitters Local #597 as a non-union estimator and field engineer. They taught me many things and I taught many of their apprentices engineering. I worked with their journeymen to solve problems they encountered. We built the Ni-Gas SNG Plant, Collins Station, Braidwood Station and LaSalle Station.

The local is one of the largest in the national union. I don’t know if other locals are organized the same, but 597 was basically run by the piping companies who employed the members. Some of the leaders were permanently employed members may of had some ownership.

We had many discussions about the local but I never heard a single derogatory remark about the arrangement. During those thirteen years it honored only one strike by another union. Members were well-paid and expected to do a good day’s work. If they didn’t, they left voluntarily or otherwise.

I understand Mr. Yanko’s support for AFSCME since he is a 597 member, but his union’s model won’t work for the state. I think a responsible union is necessary but a uniform pay scale is wrong. The wages of someone in Cook or the collar counties may allow a decent living. The same wages in most of the rest of Illinois allows a very high living standard.

I think a graduated system should be used to create a new pay scale. This would be done by freezing the scale in cheaper areas while higher areas got a raise. The maximum difference could be $10,000. This would be fair to their neighbors and the state’s taxpayers. Perhaps it could be extended to legislators — Oops, that will never happen.

Election Hacking

10 Friday Mar 2017

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I was just reading another article on the possibility of our election being hacked. It caused me to remember an interview I saw two or three years ago. The guy was a government expert on computer security. He probably came closer to the truth than anyone else I ever heard. He talked about how cars, home appliances, power plants and yes, ComEd’s smart meters could be hacked.

The major discussion was the possibility of someone affecting an election by hacking. He said the official answer is over 99% secure, There is no system that isn’t hackable. Even air gap systems (meaning not attached by wire or WI-FI.) can be hacked if another device is temporarily attached and then connected to another system not air gapped. A 99% secure system means it is secure from the average hacker but not experts in the employ of certain countries and groups.

He said no system is completely secure but our computer system of voting and reporting is mostly secure. He said our defense is the tens of thousands of voting districts around the country. I would have asked him one question. Since the winning of the electoral votes of just a few states is required to be President and a few votes in several of those voting districts can sway the state, do you think it is still nearly impossible? Changing 30 or 40 votes a district between the two front runners could do it. It would be so easy!!

Maybe the old paper ballot manually counted and phoned in is the only system secured from hacking. A few dead voters are better than Russian’s or Chinese deciding the winner.

Very Special Relationship

02 Thursday Mar 2017

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I keep hearing that Israel and the United States have a special relationship. It is absolutely true. No other country in the world can tell the United States to jump through a hoop and we do it.

No President of the United States since Jimmy Carter has really accomplished anything in the Middle East. He did so because Began and Sadat wanted the chance for peace. Both were killed by their own people because of it. It has held because both countries want it to continue.

Every President since has tried to solve the Palestinian-Israeli problem. Israel has a messy political system so every Prime Minister has problems with the far right nutty parties who don’t want peace.

One reason they don’t want peace is the 12 billion we give them each year. Without it, Israel goes bankrupt in a year. If the Arab countries stop subsidizing the Palestinians and we the Israelis, then peace will suddenly breakout.

Why have we kowtowed to Israel? They have laid the Holocaust guilt at each President’s and Congresses’ feet and kept them to the fire by anti-defamation leagues, numerous well placed mouthpieces, and high priced lobbyists. Oh, don’t forget that 12 billion dollars come back to our armaments manufacturing companies which put some of it into campaign chests.

Last fall, Kerry put together a group of Arab countries and Israelis. Israel got everything they wanted, but Netanyahu broke away because the far right would have brought his current government down. They valued their elected and appointed positions more than peace. That is why President Obama was so cool to the Prime Minister.

Just like in so many other countries, a few people are pulling the strings of their country’s leadership.

Anarchists Finally Win

26 Sunday Feb 2017

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For many years the Koch brothers and their friends have been trying to take control of the federal government and as many states as possible. The new house, senate and administration are tied into the group; financially and idealistically. Their followers are in total control of 25 states, the legislatures in 7 more, and in 8 other states they just have the governorship. Illinois is one of the 8. (Alaska’s is independent.) In 19 states Republicans control either house or governor.

It is very well documented as to what the Brothers, their brethren, and their minions want for our country. They hate all government regulations and controls. They do not believe in any government financial help unless it benefits them. They believe people should be self-supporting while saving for retirement. Most of the cabal was either born multi-millionaires or billionaires. They don’t have a clue as to how minimum-wagers are supposed to live and yet save for retirement and medical expenses.

The programs they and their minions want to eliminate are: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, ACA, environmental laws, and banking regulations. They feel that they can exert a long lasting impact if they fill the 100+ federal judge openings with people who share their ideologies. Since they have complete control, all the nominees will be confirmed. They will be in line for later Supreme Court vacancies. In a few years they may have all nine seats.

The last President they consider worthwhile is Herbert Hoover. He helped the Great Depression to take down the financial system. FDR put through many programs and laws making the middle class grow and irritating the super rich. Ever since then, the super rich have been trying to turn the clock back. The Koch brother’s father founded the anarchist John Birch Society. He failed, but the sons won’t!!

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Leadership Is Important

14 Tuesday Feb 2017

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Quite possibly the most important person on this planet is the President of the United States. The President is the face of our country. To outsiders, what the President says or does is our policies and ideals. The person sitting in the oval office must work to gain (not bully) the respect of all Americans, our allies, neutrals, and many unfriendly countries.

No past or future President will ever have complete support of all Americans or the respect of all other countries. Our greatest Presidents have never achieved it. FDR and Lincoln still have many detractors. Washington wasn’t a heroic figure then and not for decades.

LBJ did many great things for our poor and destitute. However his handling of the Vietnam War created the second most divisive period in our history. Not until today have we had so many Americans taking to the streets.

From the day he announced his candidacy, Donald Trump has gotten very little respect from here or abroad. After being elected he has alienated even more in American and in other countries. The protests in the country and around the world are beginning to rival those of the Vietnam Era. Twice as many protested him on January 21st as supported him on the 20th.

He has lost the respect of leaders and people of Australia, United Kingdom, and Germany among others. I have friends in those countries and an Australian friend summed it up by sending this, “I don’t blame you for having an idiot for President.”

I think he might redeem himself if he fired his advisors, muzzled himself and let party leaders and his more intelligent cabinet secretaries guide him. He is obviously in over his head and bullying people, companies and countries isn’t the way to gain respect.

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