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Category Archives: My Opinion

No Collusion(?) But A Lot Of Covfefe


In the ongoing saga of  Administrative mismanagement, chaos and Congressional malfeasance anything that occurs in this current administration should be of no surprise to anyone who is paying attention. The supporters of this Resident will probably not see the light until  they are blinded by the long range effects. The recent tariff’s while not immediately, will affect many products  we send overseas and now China (one of our biggest trading partners) is imposing tariffs, if China decides to enforce more tariffs on items like Soybeans or automobiles, those 2 items would have a severe effect on many of TOTUS’ supporters. This Tariff issue is more about intellectual properties than physical issues and there are many. The installation of a vindictive child as Leader will over time push us ALL back 2 decades and alienate our allies. The rush to get things done with no apparent discussion is the wrong way to Govern. We already have an inept Congress lead by two self servers, adding a self aggrandizing child has only exacerbated our declining position on the world stage. There appears to be no understanding of how diplomacy  works or  what diplomacy is, yet policy is made and enacted much like a fleeting thought. Looking at the ongoing tweet storm method of Governing, we have a poor Tax reform enacted that on the face looks great but underneath the dirty end of the stick still falls to the mid to lower income Americans. Just because companies have given pay increases or bonuses to employees does not mean a boon to those employees and their families. More taxes will have to be paid on these increases and bonuses, the larger deduction will not offset these taxes. Larger deductions do not directly offset pay increases, there is only a percentage advantage. The Corporate tax cuts allow for the wage increases and bonuses but at the same time allows the investors and share holders to gain (how many low to middle income taxpayers own stock?). In the long run these tax cuts, tariffs and other executive orders will bite the low to middle class tax payers in many more ways that we never think of. For instance: The TOTUS has through his actions allowed for EPA regulations that protect our air and water but benefit the main polluters (our vehicles and certain industries), These actions do not produce any new jobs but have the capacity to cause and aggravate more illnesses for many of us. There is no upside for this Administration and the slide downward is getting slicker. To be clear we collectively do not have very good Congressional representation or Top down leadership and that falls on our shoulders because we as voters do not or will not investigate the people we vote for. The political ads are no more than buzzwords and soundbites that sound good enough to get someone elected but once in office, they do what is best for them and their party while our needs became tertiary or lower. This is again a call for all voters to forgo the entertainment value of our current administration and see behind the curtain. All of the actions of  “TOTUS” is for his edification and pursuit of adoration as evidenced by the ongoing campaign style meetings. Being adored is not the role of the Leader of our country, it is a thankless job if done as correct as possible and we see this administration tumbling into an abyss that will take many years to get out of and only if have the courage to make changes in our lackluster Congress along with electing a Leader (no matter which party) who is not Jar Jar Binks!

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No Collusion-Lots of Covfefe


The Resident has reached a new high in trying to achieve his agenda and as usual uses any misinformation he is told. His favorite target is still President Obama. The recent stretch is regarding 100 plus Judicial vacancies. These vacancies are primarily the fault of the Congressional majority and its leader Bitch McConnell, McConnell if we recall stated publicly that “this President (Obama) will be a one term President and to that end not much legislation submitted by President Obama got passed few Judicial appointments were approved. This is the party of President Trump. As a voter the actions of the current majority party and it Titular heads should enrage you. The current administration and the Congressional leaders have their own agendas and we as voters are not part of it. It is wise to remember that for many years most of our “representatives” on both sides have become increasingly self-indulgent and lie to us when election time comes. We now have the ultimate punishment :Donald Trump as President (in his mind Emperor). The effects of this Presidency will be chaos for a number of years and if we do not oust the current Congressional leaders we will fare no better. Forget the rhetoric, the tweets and finger-pointing. Pay attention to the actual facts, get these facts by reading a variety of publications because that’s where the truth lies. The entertainment “news” is merely the unilateral opinions of people who do not share your interests and are seeking ratings rather than the truth. If we ignore the activities of this administration and the long serving Congress we are doomed to have the same poor Governance we have now.

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Pastor Says If Jesus Supported ‘Demon Possessed Traitor,’ Evangelicals Can Support Trump


If this is an example of the Evangelicals or Religious folks who support Totus, then many of us are going to “Hell in a Handbasket” . This rant by a “man of the Cloth” is clear that aside from a possible self proclaimed Ministerial cloak, Pastor Locke appears to be no more than an attention seeking Trumpian: I have included the Pastor’s FB information so you can decide what or who he is:

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Launched on November 5, 2014

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The Official Facebook page for Pastor Greg Locke. He’s the Lead Pastor @ Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, TN and a sought after conference speaker

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Since 1992, Pastor Greg Locke has travelled around the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 2006 he became the Founding and Lead Pastor of Global Vision Church

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Gillian Edevane
Newsweek•March 27, 2018

Pastor Says If Jesus Supported ‘Demon Possessed Traitor,’ Evangelicals Can Support Trump
Prominent Pro-Trump evangelicals have sounded off on the Stormy Daniels controversy in recent days, with many vowing to continue supporting the president despite an alleged affair with the adult film star.
Tennessee pastor Greg Locke, who made headlines last year for a viral rant against gay people, shared his rationalization for supporting the blustery business mogul with his 30,000 followers and 1.5 million Facebook followers.
“People are like ‘If you support Trump you can’t be a Christian,'” Locke tweeted.
“Do y’all listen when you talk? Jesus hired a demon possessed traitor to handle his money for 3 years. He can use the President if He so desires. Take a seat people.”

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McConnell wants hemp removed from controlled substance list


Here it is again!: Mitch McConnell is getting himself or his GOP set for re-election or election this year. He is pushing for Marijuana legalization to pose as more liberal than he is. His MO is always the same: look our Mitch! He advocated for coal with lies about Obama killing coal jobs which were already dead and gone, he has purposely kept quiet on his part in passing the tax reform(?) and the recent spending bill. He and Paul (miscreant) Ryan have conspired to do their dirty work by allowing the “Resident” to rant and rave about anything he wants without comment. They allowed certain Democratic add ons in the spending bill to cover themselves. Essentially they are still the same old neer do wells they have always been. It is time to put your voting power to work and get new people elected no matter what party as long as they are moderate (which means they will work with the other side.MA

BRUCE SCHREINER,

Associated Press 16 minutes ago

Wisconsin taking applications to grow industrial hemp
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Senate’s top leader said Monday he wants to bring hemp production back into the mainstream by removing it from the controlled substances list that now associates it with its cousin — marijuana.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told hemp advocates in his home state of Kentucky that he will introduce legislation to legalize the crop as an agricultural commodity. The versatile crop has been grown on an experimental basis in a number of states in recent years.
“It’s now time to take the final step and make this a legal crop,” McConnell said.
Kentucky has been at the forefront of hemp’s comeback. Kentucky agriculture officials recently approved more than 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares) to be grown in the state this year, and 57 Kentucky processors are helping turn the raw product into a multitude of products.
Growing hemp without a federal permit has long been banned due to its classification as a controlled substance related to marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, but hemp has a negligible amount of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.
Hemp got a limited reprieve with the 2014 federal Farm Bill, which allows state agriculture departments to designate hemp projects for research and development. So far, 34 states have authorized hemp research, while actual production occurred in 19 states last year, said Eric Steenstra, president of the advocacy group Vote Hemp. Hemp production totaled 25,541 acres (10,336 hectares) in 2017, more than double the 2016 output, he said.
The crop, which once thrived in Kentucky, was historically used for rope but has many other uses, including clothing and mulch from the fiber, hemp milk and cooking oil from the seeds, and soap and lotions. Other uses include building materials, animal bedding and biofuels.
Hemp advocates fighting for years to restore the crop’s legitimacy hailed McConnell’s decision to put his political influence behind the effort to make it a legal crop again.
“This is a huge development for the hemp industry,” Steenstra said. “Sen. McConnell’s support is critical to helping us move hemp from research and pilot programs to full commercial production.”
Brian Furnish, an eighth-generation tobacco farmer in Kentucky, has started making the switch to hemp production. His family will grow about 300 acres (120 hectares) of hemp this year in Harrison County. He’s also part owner of a company that turns hemp into food, fiber and dietary supplements.
Furnish said hemp has the potential to rival or surpass what tobacco production once meant to Kentucky.
“All we’ve got to do is the government get out of the way and let us grow,” he told reporters.
McConnell acknowledged there was “some queasiness” about hemp in 2014 when federal lawmakers cleared the way for states to regulate it for research and pilot programs. There’s much broader understanding now that hemp is a “totally different” plant than its illicit cousin, he said.
“I think we’ve worked our way through the education process of making sure everybody understands this is really a different plant,” the Republican leader said.
McConnell said he plans to have those discussions with Attorney General Jeff Sessions to emphasize the differences between the plants. The Trump administration has taken a tougher stance on marijuana.
The Department of Justice’s press office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
McConnell said his bill will attract a bipartisan group of co-sponsors. He said the measure would allow states to have primary regulatory oversight of hemp production if they submit plans to federal agriculture officials outlining how they would monitor production.
“We’re going to give it everything we’ve got to pull it off,” he said.
In Kentucky, current or ex-tobacco farmers could easily make the conversion to hemp production, Furnish said. Equipment and barns used for tobacco can be used to produce hemp, he said. Tobacco production dropped sharply in Kentucky amid declining smoking rates.
Furnish said his family has reaped profits of about $2,000 per acre for hemp grown for dietary supplements, better than what they’ve made from tobacco, he said.
Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, whose great-grandfather grew hemp for rope to support the war effort in the 1940s, said he hopes hemp’s legalization can “open the floodgates and we can see the true potential of this crop.”
“We hope to position Kentucky to maximize the benefit of this crop once legalized, so the economic activity stays right here,” he said.

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Perhaps WE Are Not Sure?


Why does it take a large event to focus on the failings of our Congress and the current (lack of) administration? We already know we do not have a  national leader in the “normal” sense yet many of us have not turned the corner and understand that our Resident is lost. The packing of his cabinet with supporters and adorers is a huge red flag that should enrage us all. The idea of a cabinet is to have people who hopefully have integrity and an ability to do the work or learn to do the work. The current cabinet is staffed with folks who are not in it for the service but more for themselves and Resident. Unfortunately there appears to be no “public” in their public service. The Resident in under fire for current and past transgressions yet he was elected to lead (?) us. This leadership is steeped in entertainment style activities designed to get ratings instead of accomplishing the work of the people. If the many pronouncements, announcements and campaign (still) meetings are not an indication of the mismanagement of the office and are not offensive to you then perhaps we are not sure. Not one of us will ever be completely satisfied with whatever administration is in but there is usually some rationality in it’s actions. This administration along with a neer do well Congress are not putting their best foot forward. It appears to be more of a foot in the mouth.

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The Truth Is In The Movies


In the Movie: Hunt For Red October, Richard Jordan’s Character NSA director Jeffrey Pelt stated to Jack Ryan: “Listen, I’m a politician which means I’m a cheat and a liar, and when I’m not kissing babies I’m stealing their lollipops. But it also means I keep my options open”. This sums up our own political system at this time or possibly for a long time before now, except this administration keeps no options open. While there will always be some subterfuge and unspoken information from the government (from local to Federal) and I believe most us understand that, whether we like it or not. The above quote seems more resonant now and probably has been the case for the last 20 years, the difference now is that media coverage has put the lies out faster than ever. This being the situation, isn’t it on the shoulders of the citizens to examine the various outlets to garner the truth rather follow one line of thought with impunity and be terribly misinformed? We now have the Resident who has what appears to be a revolving door on the oval office. This “swap out” of personnel  seems to be a quest for the perfect set of folks who will agree with the Resident no matter what he says or does. This is not how Government is run. Our majority Congress appears to be afraid to stand against the obvious actions that could bring us to the brink of war and isolation. Meanwhile the major source for the Resident’s information (Faux News) has become his go to for White House advisors. The Extreme conservative contributors of the same News system are now espousing a trend toward impeachment for the President. This indicates that the extremists on the right are not happy and it begs to wonder  how it will affect the actions of the already volatile Residents actions. This could very well prove to be a watershed years for this administration with the revolving door method of staffing. The world is watching that includes allies and enemies alike while we wait for the other shoe to drop.

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The Madness of 2016 Election


2016 brought significant changes for some wrong reasons. The ascension of TOTUS to the head of our government was part of an unplanned and possibly unwanted event. The promises of “draining the Swamp”, “Make America Great Again” resonated  and created a backlash to the normal abnormalities of a major election. The poor performance perceived and real of the past administrations are merely cover-up’s of the real government problems which are firmly entrenched in the Congress. These are the folks who can and should have for years  kept America Great. These seat fillers have singlehandedly crushed the American productivity by ignoring the issues that needed work just because of Party politics. The current Resident is just a byproduct of our allowing then to do what they please without our approval since they do their dirty business in the back halls of the Congress. The televised activities are just window dressing. If you have ever looked at C-span, you will notice that it is dull and boringly  hard to watch. Some of you may remember when the idea of cameras in the Congressional chambers was debated with enough back and forth to arouse the public, then subsequently allowed. At that point the real trouble started, the real business went underground ( into the back halls) and we heard about the resolution of these issues after they were decided and  “stamped” with our approval without our approval. This election season demands that we as voters pay close attention to the candidates and ignore the now regularly occurring name calling and false statements that appear so regularly in the media. You might do well to remember what the “Citizens United” judgement has allowed in campaign financing. I have inserted a short explanation of that below:      Citizens United v. FEC

“Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310, is a landmark U.S. constitutional law, campaign finance, and corporate law case dealing with regulation of political campaign spending by organizations. The United States Supreme Court held on January 21, 2010 that the free speech clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for communications by nonprofit corporations, for-profit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.”

Simply put this allows organizations to spend millions to elect or keep someone in office.

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Clarity


Apparently some voters are still holding on to the idea that the current administration is doing good work. If you are a one issue voter and your issue has been addressed then perhaps you ARE satisfied. As a one issue voter perhaps you have not thought of how ALL legislation and Executive orders affect Everyone. This current administration has tweeted us out of the world circle and allowed some bad actors to emerge as world leaders (Forget about previous administration’s lack of action since we still have the same neer do well Congress). We now have Syria, Turkey (to name a couple) killing their citizens with impunity along with assistance from “their Friend” Russia. This administration is so inept in foreign and local policy that the exiting policies (no matter how poor)  have been weakened to the point of being nonexistent. The revolving door of personnel allows for errors in policy with TOTUS looking on and acting on items that will get the most attention for him and are of little to no value for us. Our long time allies have continued to do their work without us but have not dismissed us. The direction of this administration is still unknown and the very countries that have been impugned by our T.I.C. are using his ego to their advantage. The normal way of setting up meetings with estranged countries is by way of back channels and operatives. Those working the back channels work out the details and demands before the heads of government ever meet. With the current dysfunctional administration we have the possibility of progress or regress depending on what TOTUS says. In this case he (TOTUS) definitely is not the smartest person in the room and his minions are supporting him out of fear of being mocked or called out  shows the incoherence of this administration. The scary part is the shallowness of TOTUS’s knowledge in the details. This is not a PTA meeting where parental input can improve the school experience, this is real life where people can die. The majority party has gone out of its way to ignore issues with our election, I suppose their reasoning is to avoid the bullying of TOTUS. This administration has allowed for the rise of the baser elements of our society which can be a  reveal as to where our elected Representatives priorities lie. If these priorities do not include resistance to the poor policies of this administration  then it is time to replace them with people who understand what is required for the office no matter what party they represent. It is upon us, the voters to resist the “reality show”, name calling and lies that have been so prevalent and viral in the past 10 -20 years of elections. These headline grabbing utterances are used to avoid telling us what a candidate or incumbent stands for. Governing is not entertainment, it is a serious business and we as voters need to demand the dignity required to run for office. I believe we should adopt a “no dignity , no vote” attitude towards any candidate or incumbent no matter what party they belong to.

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The Tale Of Apathy And Its Long Range Effects


During the last 15 to 20 years we have had several types of President (regardless of party ). Each one has advisors good and bad who sometimes pushed agendas that at once followed the President’s agenda while simultaneously coloring that agenda with their own hues. These deviations from the main agenda has many times cause great harm and sometimes great good. The point is that we as voters need to be well versed in the issues of the world that can cause harm to us personally. We have always relied on the people we elect to look after our interests but recent political history should make us realize that there is very little will to look after our interests by our elected. The many labels that are flouted as being the one to adhere to because it will get us what we want is patently false. There is not one or any combination of labeled factions that will get us what we need or want. The truth ( which we cannot or will not get from elected officials) is the world is at our feet and without our European, Southeast Asian, Canadian and Southern American  neighbors we will be in trouble. These other regions have many of the same issues as we have and the same less than stellar leaders or even worse. It is unfortunate that part of being a politician is to be  prolific and persuasive in moving around the facts of many if not all issues. Our sole job as citizens is to pursue our own truths not by following the rallying cries of TV and radio personalities whose sole interest is providing listeners and viewers for their sponsors. The content of their shows often have no basis in fact but are steeped in the institutionalized biases that keep us separated as multiracial and multi ethnic people. This has been the electoral train for many years and we need to stop the train and get off. The way to do this is education. Education is simply reading several publications on line or in print, listening to several broadcasts. There will always be opposite views but these views should make you think and seek the truth of these views in other places. There are several fact checking sites and available for free, I would advise everyone to spend some time in looking for them. I could list them but it is possible that not enough people will put the minimal time into looking at them. I feel that not listing them will encourage the braver ones of you reading this will seek these sites out and become more enlightened on items you currently believe and see the fault in some things you thought were true. We are at this point victims of a chaotic administration using unfounded information as a basis for decisions. We currently have biggest con game since Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff going on right now! The overly effusive signing of “rollbacks” and executive orders that appear to deregulate but in reality harm us all whether you see immediate effects or not. Our Resident is still in campaign mode rather than Governing (or learning to govern). Essentially he has hired people who will do what they want with his blessing some of the time and will unashamedly bash them when he is not in agreement. We are in a time of much greater peril than we were at the onset of WWII. Our economy at this time is going well but n a very rickety set of rails. The only thing we can do is to keep pushing aside the political wool away from our eyes and understand that this administration is in it for themselves not the people who elected them. This is an unprecedented  time in America but possibly needed to wake us up and illuminate the true nature of our long serving politicians. The upcoming elections are the first step in reinventing our political system by electing different people and continue to replace when required until anyone who runs for office understands that we the people want and demand good government. We are the controllers of term limits.

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Do As I Say Not As I Do


People
Stephanie Petit 20 hrs ago

Ben Carson Reportedly Has a $31K Dining Set in His Office
A Housing and Urban Development (HUD) official claims she was demoted after failing to “find money” beyond a $5,000 cap to redecorate the dining room in incoming Secretary Ben Carson’s office.
Helen Foster was told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” after pointing out the legal spending limit for decorating the office, CNN reports, citing a November 2017 complaint. The former senior official said she was told about the redecorating initiative by Acting Secretary Craig Clemmensen, who said Carson’s wife Candy wanted the office upgraded. This occurred ahead of Carson’s appointment to the position.
Foster also claims she was demoted in retaliation, and reassigned to oversee privacy and Freedom of Information Act requests.
“I was put into a job that was made up, something in the federal government we call the ‘rubber room,’ and then I protested and asked to be put on detail until I could find another job,” she told CNN.

The department later spent over $31,000 on a new hardwood table, chairs and hutch for the dining room adjacent to Carson’s office. The furniture has reportedly not yet been delivered. A department official says they replaced the original set because it was in disrepair.
The former esteemed brain surgeon “didn’t know the table had been purchased” but has no plans to return it, HUD spokesman Raffi Williams told The New York Times.
ABC News also reported that HUD, whose responsibilities include providing affordable housing to more than 4.3 million low-income families, spent $1,100 trying to repair the chairs in the dining set before buying the new furniture. They also spent about $3,400 on new blinds for the office.
“The most frustrating part of all this was spending so much time on this issue,” a former HUD employee with knowledge of the situation told CNN. “Instead of focusing on HUD’s mission, we were talking about furniture for the Secretary’s office.”

The White House’s 2019 budget proposes to slash HUD’s budget by $8.8 billion. In a tweet earlier this month, Carson said, “The proposed budget is focused on moving more people toward self-sufficiency through reforming rental assistance programs and moving aging public housing to more sustainable platforms.

It’s worth mentioning that EPA manager Scott Pruitt is spending $139,000 for new doors, Secretary Ryan Zinke has a” special” flag raising ceremony when he is in or out of the office aside from his tax payer financed charter flights. How many other “perks” are being accessed on the public dime by this administration aside from the “Resident’s” trips to Mar-a-Lago? MA.

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