Voter Fraud?? No such thing.

The Republican right wingers have been pounding this over and over again saying we need protection against voter fraud.  THERE IS NO VOTER FRAUD.  There are maybe a couple of times in the last 50 years that there was anyone convicted of voter fraud.  It is not because someone is getting away with voter fraud it is because there is nobody committing the offense... period.  

On the other hand the Republicans are massively committing ELECTION FRAUD for all the elections since Richard Nixon was President.  It has been proven that Nixon committed treason and election fraud in his win.  He had conversations with the South Viet Namese officials asking them not to accept the peace terms offered by Lyndon Johnson at the time.  He was recorded doing it and was never charged with it.  Johnson pointed it out to Everett Dirkson who agreed with Johnson but nothing happened.  Since that time Ronald Reagan and every Republican candidate for President has done something similar.

Currently we see voter suppression efforts by Republicans like Chris Kobach of Kansas and Brian Kemp of Georgia having a deep effect.  This has yet to be called out but it needs to put these folks in jail not rewarded.

Blending In

As for who is the President of the United Sates one has to wonder if we are governed by Donald J Trump (DJT) or Donald Duck?  I mean, the President cannot be as ignorant as he seems (or claims) to be. The item from about a week ago was DJT saying that he always tried to tell the truth... when he could.  This stuck with me for obvious reasons.  DJT's problem is that he does not seem capable of telling what truth is and therefore he is unable to tell the truth because he does not know what the truth might be.

Beyond that there are a number of items that are distressing right now.  On the horizon is the possibility of a Constitutional Convention.  This is where the 1% has been driving us for quite some time.  The rich are attempting to rewrite our constitution in a way that will favor them even more than they already are.  They require Republican Governors in 38 states to bring this about.  They need adherence to their ruthless "free market" economic policies.  Let me say right now, there is no such thing as a free market.  It cannot exist.  All markets exist because there have rules created to make them happen.  Within those rules are the ways in which it is allowed or not allowed to make money, exchange goods and services or be taxed.  Taxes are also one of the ways in which we control how this works.  It is taxes that shape the market.  It is taxes and the spending of them that determine our humanity or lack of humanity.  A Constitutional Convention run by the 1% is the greatest threat to a democracy continuing to exist in the USA.

 

Involvement

Writing your Congress Person is a valid activity for all citizens

An Open Letter to the Honorable Jaime Hererra Buetler;

The outcome of your recent Town Hall meeting should be, but may not be, fully apparent to you.  When asked what your replacement for the ACA (ObamaCare) was you stumbled and gave platitudes.  When the attending citizens pressed you about the actual ideas that you would include in the replacement act you stammered and stumbled some more and appeared angered that they were not listening to you.  My grandmother, many years ago, explained to me that is difficult to listen when you are doing all the talking.

Here is the thing about this that you seemingly missed.  For several years now you and almost all of the Republicans have been saying that you will repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with something that you like better.  You have said you have a plan and that it is better.  You act as if this will be done in two steps.  Repeal and then at some undisclosed point replace.  The replacement will be with better provisions you are still saying.  Yet you are unable to define that better plan.  What you did not want to hear was that it is not two separate actions. 

Language is sometimes a funny thing.  Repeal and replace can and should be done, if you really have a better idea, in one single action.  The same bill that repeals the ACA should and could be the act that does the replacing.  It is not difficult.  The first paragraph of the replacing act says, simply, the former bill known as the ACA is retracted and all the paragraphs after that would be the replacement language.  Then as it would be debated and explored working its way through the process you (and all of us) could decide if you really had a better plan.  If you push along a bill that does not meet that simple test you would know that your job is on the line.  You would know, in your heart, if you were looking out for the best interests of those you represent.  If you insist on telling us the continued untruths that you have to date we would all know that you did not listen and traditional Republicans combined with better informed Democrats would likely replace you.  The far Right Republicans would lose their traction if you forgot to listen to all of your constituents but that is what Town Halls and democracy looks like. 

Sincerely;

Vancouver, WA

Trump's Carrier Nonsense

Ha!  It probably had to happen this way but DJT has just stepped on himself... Big Time!  

Carrier, a United Technologies owned company, has 2100 employees at a plant in Indiana.  It had decided to send those jobs to Mexico.  Trump had said he would prevent that by installing a tariff on the goods coming back into the country from Mexico.  When he went to make a "deal" with Carrier to stop the loss of jobs in the U.S. what did he do?

Most logical people would say he only got 40% of the jobs saved.  That is, that he failed.  Not Mr. Trump.  He says he won because his "deal" kept 800 jobs in the U.S.  By what stretch of the imagination is that a win?  How did he pull off this miracle "deal"?  

Since Mike Pence, his running mate and Vice President elect, is still the Governor of Indiana he offered to fleece the citizens of Indiana for $7 million.  DJT needed Pence to still be Governor to pull this off.  In exchange he got no guarantee of a time frame for how long this "deal" is good for.  He "saved" 800 jobs at the expense of the people of Indiana AND at the expense of the remaining 800 employees.  This travesty is just what we have come to expect from DJT lying repeatedly and telling his minions that he is great.  It might be he wants to say, He is great.  Dictator much?  He, DJT, still lost 1300 jobs in the net AND we have no idea how long the "deal" is good for.

Now imagine board rooms all over the country, especially in states with Republican Governors, saying, "Look, I know how to get more value out of our Company...  we'll threaten to move the company to Mexico (actually insert the country of choice)."  It will be a gold rush like you have not seen in your lifetime to rape the citizenry.

Meanwhile, south of the border here is the feeling about the King with no clothes.

Less politely, if that's possible, is this one:

Yeah, that's the thing, DJT is touting his awesomeness while the rest of the world laughs its collective butt off.

Swamp or Not

Clearly the DJT continuation of infesting the swamp has gone on unabated for the entire time after the election.  Even though DJT lost the popular vote (again in most place it is simply called the "vote") he insists that he has a mandate.  He has no such thing but that does not deter him.

He makes poor choice after poor choice on his Cabinet members.  Each one of those chosen are antithetical to good governance.  Putting the fox in charge of the hen house does not begin to describe what is happening.  DJT is coming at us from every direction.  In the Congress there is discussion of cratering Social Security, Medicare and the ACA (ObamaCare).  From the picks for the Cabinet there is discussion to voucherize (privatize) the educational system.  The economy will be overseen by those who exacerbated the recent economic melt down.  Commerce and Transportation will be overseen by those with clear conflicts of interest.  On and on it goes.  In Ronald Reagan's time his administration was rife with people who during and after his term in office were convicted of all manner of felonious conduct.  It has been put on steroids under DJT tutelage.  

A bumpy ride is turning into a hurricane of consequence at this point.

Perhaps a Ponder

We find ourselves in an increasingly disintegrating government due, in large measure, to the seeming absence of the Fourth Estate.  That, in turn, is due to the media now being in the effectively complete control of corporate interests.  If you have not noticed that ABC news, for example, cannot go a full broadcast without referencing a Disney product then you just are not paying attention.  If you think the spin put on nearly ever story by Fox News comes days or even weeks after an events airing by other networks then you are not paying attention.  It takes them awhile to think up creative lies that can be disseminated by the misrepresentations they promote.  If you have not noticed that many events have no coverage at all then you are not paying attention.  It can be cited that minimal attention was paid to the TPP, Keystone XL pipeline, DAPL protests or, unless it suited an anti-protest line due to this bias.  You may never have heard the phrase, “Net Neutrality” for the same set of reasons.

The press is slowly being denied access to the stories by Trump’s minions even before he takes office.  There is twitter storm every time Trump does not LIKE something.  It is a counter offensive that knocks the press out of reporting actual news.  We are dependent upon having a real and concerned press.  Trump has said that he wants to collar the press.  His minions (Steve Bannon comes to mind) are all for a dark out of the media.  They have already moved to silence the press and protest.  Freedom of speech encompasses both ideas in the First Amendment to the Constitution.  The press is essential to a democracy.  There is no easy way to turn back from the criminal direction the Trump election is pushing us.  Let us be truly clear here.  Trump himself is just part of the symptom.  He is not even the head of the snake.  He has only a monetary worth of 10% or less of the Koch brothers (if he has any worth at all).  Ponder that for a moment.  Trump said after Mitt Romney was defeated that Romney (purported net worth of around $200 million) just did not have the juice to win… in part because he did not have the net worth of Trump.  Trump then started to dig in for a run at the Presidency.  The real damage has been created by the octopus that is the Koch network of creative lying but even THAT is not the head of the snake.  We have a corporate domination that wants all the rules to disappear. 

Ponder some more and you will eventually come to see that real freedom is in as much danger as it has ever been.

What've You Been Smokin'?

Gads, this past week has been an intense rumble through political insanity.  On all sides people are urging “everyone” to chillax and give Trump an open mind.  Yet every single he moves to see that we all lose rights.  Every day his team does one more outrageous thing.  The folks that voted for him are saying we “all” need to give him a chance. 

He has been telling us what he will do.  Deport 3 to 4 million people by creating a deportation squad.  He is green lighting climate deniers to gut environmental safety net.  He is nodding when Paul Ryan says he will gut Medicare.  They will steal Social Security.  They will repeal (and perhaps some day replace) the Affordable Care Act knocking 20 million citizens off of medical coverage.  Yes, the list continues ad infinitum. 

Jobs?  That’s sidelined.  The TPP?  That’s a go ahead even though the campaign said it was a no go.  Net Neutrality?  Not a chance.  Barrow and run up the national debt to create infrastructure.  If a Dem is ever elected again the GOP will scream bloody murder that the debt is too large but will remain absolutely silent while they create it.  Jobs will continue to flee overseas.  Minimum wage increase… again it will disappear. 

What have we gained from this election?

Nothing but the whirlwind is gained.  If you think otherwise send me a sample of what you’ve been smoking.