Skip navigation

Tag Archives: current-events

Too Hard Not To SpeakUp


Edited today: Congress is covered under the ACA so it is odd that they have made changes that affect their Health, see yellow highlight MA.

Currently our government is in chaos and lead by a non functioning Congress who are at this time no more than opportunists who are playing on the whims of a inept leader. The leadership of our country is based on a person who garnered the office by “straight talk” that has no basis in the real world and cannot operate in a governing position. Tweets and executive orders are  not governing. The Congress is in the background attempting to dismantle the Affordable Healthcare Act maliciously  dubbed “Obamacare”. This healthcare change has the potential to devastate many households and even States. Keep in mind that the folks deciding on these changes will not affected by these changes!  These same elected officials have stated time and again what the “American People” want and they apparently have no idea what the “American People”  want since they never asked! What has happened is the Politicians have taken the tactic of telling the same story as if it were true to convince many that it is true . This method of speaking is similar if not the same method a European strongman used to convince the populace that the Jews were the reason that the Country was in such dire straits (not the previous failed war). If we are not careful here in America we could be going down the same path led by an inept Leader and a more duplicitous Congress. This type of political activity is evident even down to the State and local levels.

Please Donate

The American People?


Who are the American people that the politicians and their spokespeople (cohorts) are always speaking about and for? We have had the politicians who are running or backing someone who is running asserting what the “American people” want or do however how do they come by what “the American people” want. I believe this phrase is just another method of garnering attention for or against some issue while putting an idea out there as truth without any backup. It is easy to issue statements that appear to be correct, true or plausible on  the surface but in the light of day they seem to crumble. We have many well known, high profile pundits and on air celebrities who associate with one party or another along with the various sub sects of those parties, yet none can or do speak for the “American People”. It is difficult to speak for people you don’t really know beyond some scientific (sometimes pseudo) information which can be suspect as the sampling for the gathering of this information can be skewed by factors that are as diverse as the “American People”. The idea that a political aspirant can speak for all or most is inherently flawed since these runners selectively meet and greet with their existing or potential constituents. It is unfortunate that the electorate has become so tired of the all of the promises that they will and tend to believe the freshest information that aligns with their current feelings about the government as it relates to their current situation. The real facts as I see them are: We (voters) have to be better informed and not be guided by talking heads whose sole job is to present information as fact according to who they work for. The more controversial the better and the truth is immaterial, voters have to do their own detection of the truth and then vote as they see fit. We have an obligation to ourselves to oust (by vote) any and all representatives who do not truly represent us. Read the Constitution (it is only a few pages) and understand that it is not absolute and therefore can be interpreted according to our times and laws not any individual or organization. The Constitution as with any written or spoken words can be skewed to suit an agenda but personally reading it should give you a better idea of what is about and how it relates. It is unfortunate that we have reached a state that we keep the most divisive people in office  then elect someone who is so unqualified as to be considered inept just because we want change. It is “woke” time

Please Donate

First Strike


The  strike on the Syrian airfield was effective for a few hours, with no follow up the Syrian air force went to the air again and bombed the same village they attacked before once again. There was no apparent discussions on how to proceed from there. It has been disclosed that the Obama administration was stopped from making a strike by the CONGRESS and now TOTUS authorized the strike with no approval from the same Congress and not a word has been said other than glowing approval from the media and some Congressional members. The issue now is what is to be done now. Given the paucity of truth coming from the Legislators and the Whitehouse, what is the electorate supposed to think? Are we heading for an armed conflict with Russia, North Korea? The titular head of the country seems to be getting his information from the news (FOX?) rather than his self appointed advisors. Where indeed are we headed? It looks as if the spinning fan is nearing its inevitable pile of dung! Taking the continual outpouring of semi and full lies from 1600 and the Dome, we (voters) need to pay attention to everything that is said by the people we elected since many of these small things will resonate for years to come. The town halls that have been occurring in various parts of the US have shown that many formerly pro Trumpists are not happy and have voiced their opinions loud enough to cancel town halls. To add to the mix we have the military leaders working in a vacuum. The first 100 days have become a focal point in the news as to what is being accomplished by the White House. This is no measure of real accomplishment it is merely an arbitrary timeline to compare one administration to another. The campaign side of the race is over and the real work needs to start in a serious manner. Our big issue is how effective will the President be and to what end? It has been said many times and  in as many days- “talk is Cheap!”. Healthcare and job growth will be the big domestic issues, to accomplish either or both will require some critical thinking and looking at them with eyes of the people who are and will be affected their changes. There are jobs in healthcare which will be affected by any changes, there are opportunities to grow jobs if the “wall” resources are put into infrastructure, keeping In mind that coal jobs are not coming back so those folks can be moved into the infrastructure jobs. The soon to be or possible soon to be eliminated environmental jobs will have to go somewhere , how about infrastructure? If the current Congress is for the people then these are just some areas where they can do some good for a change.

Please Donate

 

Paradigm Shifts


The campaign trail allows for many quotes and statements that sound good at the time and creates a narrative to receive votes. The many styles of campaign rhetoric  and promises have consequences such as delivery. The confidence of the voters is what gets votes and it appears that confidence is eroding. When you have headliners like Sean Spacer, Kellyanne Conwoman and Devin Nuneofus, it is hard to be taken seriously. The first 80 plus days have seen much ado over nothing except executive orders that don’t do much as they do not immediately become effective. The end game on these touted signings is more of a photo op than a real action. The downside is that the pinch of these orders will haunt us all for possibly decades. The repeal of the executive orders of the previous administration without a detailed look at the orders is a potential head on run into a brick wall without a helmet. These types of actions appear to be the methodology of the Trump administration. It is apparently the business man’s method of action, that is to shoot from the hip with just a smattering of information with no thought to the future effects of those actions. There appears to be some evidence of Trump pulling out of deals or activities if they do not progress the way he wants. The line of thought seems to be based on news summaries and semi solid information rather than solid information from staffers who are supposed to be available to verify or corroborate information. What have now is indeed a “failure to communicate”. Meanwhile the Dupublican Congress is busy in the background undermining the trust and health of the voters whom they so often cite as the reason for their actions.

Please Donate

The Sleep walker


As I was at the keyboard searching the news, it occurred to me that we have less than we need in the Whitehouse. Looking over some of the many tweets and outbursts, I have decided that we may have a sleep walker who while awake has no idea what is happening around him. While asleep , he tweets based on small mental hic cups that he believes are revelations and insights. Now in a wake state he has attacked Syria via its airbases. This is not a bad move considering Syria’s deadly gas attack on civilians . The only issue is that the Congress should have been notified of his intentions before he notified Russia. Again we have a wild card issue that could create more issues in an area that already is on shaky ground no matter what support we receive from our “partners” . We now have a broader issue with Russia and Iran, both of whom have interest in keeping the area destabilized  (much like our Congress). Russia is in it for the oil reserves and the naval and air bases. Iran is considered a major supporter of terrorism and will continue to be no matter what sanctions are imposed on them. The downside in all of this is the citizenry who continue to suffer under the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Any of our actions against either regimes ultimately affects the innocents which creates an additional rift between the west and their country. With the issue of a ” Muslim ban”, the innocents who have been vetted for years have little hope of survival unless joining with the Radical elements (ISIS and others). The area is still in flux and will continue to be until each affected Nation’s legitimate Government forces can successfully defeat ISIS and other radical elements who currently hold a disruptive position in their respective countries. Presently we have a crew of “diplomats” who have a treasure trove of inexperience and are making pronouncements that will surely cause us more grief as the Trump administration continues to “Tweet” along. At the same time our “Congress?” continues on the whiny path of doing their worst to the “American People” they have so often cited as the reasons for their actions. The picture for me is as clear as glass, we have to make the leap from victim to citizen and in a hurry. Pay attention to everything this administration does and do not be swept up in the hysteria promoted by rhetoricals issued by the Administration and some of the news media. We as citizens have become too caught up in what is said in the media and living in the mindset of “reality” shows. We are doomed to poor government as long as we want to be entertained rather that served by the people we elect.

Please Donate

Whose Opinion Counts?


Thinking and reading about the political scene local and Federal, I had a thought about the people who we elect to serve  or speak for us. Their opinion is not what matters! It is the will and opinion of the voters. The sole job of the elected officials is to take those opinions and the voter’s will  to the meeting rooms in Government and translate that information into Government policy that makes sense and works. We have seen the poor results for years and have not understood the basis of those results. To put this in perspective: When a person arrives in the centers of Government they are sworn in and have to pledge allegiance to the municipality and the Nation, the Nation and municipality being the citizenry they are supposed to represent. It is not illegal to give an opinion but it is (or should be) illegal to under or misrepresent the people who voted for them. It appears to be normal to offer what the “American People” want rather than what the American people need. That offer flies in the face of what the oft quoted “American People” are really asking for. It is so easy to make rash or suspect statements and hope the statement takes hold or collapses before the truth comes out but reality is less believable at that point. With the availability of news sources (many suspect) there is no reason to totally believe what comes out of the mouths of our elected officials. My manner of getting information is to look at several sources and put together a picture that makes sense generally. This information does not always make a perfect picture but it does form a basis to get the truth. How many times recently have you thought to yourself “what is this person I voted for talking about?”. The party affiliation does not matter as both sides only want asses in the seats so to speak. The reason I believe we are at odds with one another is that the elected officials want the power to do the bidding of their majority moneyed backers and at the same time tell us that they are working for us. To accomplish this trick the electeds go to town halls and other venues and tell the attendees what they want them to hear. There are times when many of us want to say “shut the hell up” when we hear the electeds and their spokespeople talk. Perhaps we should look at the speeches like a shoe lace that you just tied, as you move it becomes untied. It appears that what we are being told is like that shoelace.

Please Donate

Emboldened or Woke??


How many times daily, weekly or monthly do you wish we had better government? In my writings I have mentioned the power of the voters. I should add that the voters who are informed or “woke” as the younger people say will be the winners. We have for the past 10 to 20 years been suffering under poor legislators who expect us to just vote for them because we recognize their names. To be fair some legislators are doing good and sometimes better work . It appears that we (voters) need to pay less attention to the hype and look at the results or we will end up with another much less than we deserve State Administrator or CIC. To anyone who reads this I want to make a few points ,a
1.forget whatever party you have voted for all of these years.
2. do not get caught up in labels they mean nothing and only cripple your ability to make rational choices.
3. As voters the advertising world has become our information source in the form of political campaign information – Tums anyone?
4. When you ask for tissues is it “Kleenex” or something else?

My point is simple: any politician who cannot answer a question straight out is not to be trusted, we already have more than enough side talkers and barkers serving in the electorate as it is. This covers all elected officials from  city to Federal so do not get hung up on Carp and nonsense. It does not matter to me if you agree or disagree as facts are facts. Fiery rhetoric serves only to fire up the crowd and ignore the issues. The truth is that which hits you in the face unwaveringly with no change. The truth can be altered but only by more truth while lies can be altered constantly to suit the occasion. The question now becomes: Are you emboldened or woke?

Please Donate

Nuclear Option


The Dupublican Congress has created a precedent which will haunt them for years. “Mitch” will continue to be a lost boy who really believes he is right as he wields power but over time  the fractious Senate members will show how wrong he has been. This is indicative of how we as voters lose focus on our elected officials and continue electing them without a reexamination of what they have done to or for us. If this examination is done we will soon see that their words do not match their actions. Our fault in this is not taking these people to task when they stray. Their hope is that we do not pay attention with that in mind many of the laws enacted are not good for us. Healthcare is a big one so looking at the healthcare and benefits of the Congress, they are under the ACA but their plans are vastly different than what we can or will get. Don’t we as voters and citizens deserve as good a plan as the Congress, the people we elected and therefore are their bosses?  The nuclear option has set a precedent for future High court appointees and will as history will show create a path to less qualified Judicial members. Our Congress (save a few) who allowed the Nuclear option to proceed is possibly the worst in years and we do not have to take it. Forget labels and look at the candidates. If a candidate unwaveringly touts the party line or  mindset then that person needs a close look and very possibly a pass. We as voters have been advertised into voting for people and we are the worse for it. Advertising is bad enough for touting products we may or may not want nor need but when it comes to representatives it is more like an arm twist until we give in. It is in our power as voters to change how government works but if we do not become woke we are destined to repeat the same mistakes and keep the same sorry folks in office.

Please Donate

Paying Attention


The mid term elections (2018) are coming and with them the seemingly unending robocalls, TV ads and posters appearing out of nowhere. No matter which party or sub party you identify with, the people running are not always what they seem to be. Do not get caught up in the politispeak and rhetoric. The scripted and rash statements made are not talking points or even facts much of the time so we must be focused on what the candidates are saying and try to parse out the real meaning. Elections have become no more than entertainment and advertising disguised as political campaigns. If you are seduced by the darker side of these campaigns, you will surely be disappointed. Any person running for an office should be as honest as possible and able to stand close scrutiny, if not then we need to dismiss them. The choice we have in any election is usually not wide ranging since none of the aspirants can be truly honest without being insulting (ala Trump). Each side has researchers who investigate the other side for dirt (most of the times) and any information that will give them an advantage. The job of voters is to look at all available information for what it is ( campaign talk!).  The key is to learn as much as you can about your choice and be willing to change if you find something that does not sit well with you. Convincing someone about your choice is not your job, it is the job of the candidate. Always remember the candidates need you more than you need them.

Please Donate

Illinois or Illinoise?


Our current Governor still has no clue what Governing is, it is not about issuing ultimatums, it is about working with legislature no matter what party or length of time in office. This gentleman is a businessman who like another businessman thinks Government can be run like a business – guess what-it ain’t happening! The people of Illinois (including his own party members) understand that his stance on the budget is wrong , misguided or at the worst stupid. His recent political ads show the extent of his misguided efforts and lack of understanding of State Governance. He has plowed millions into campaigning for himself and other Dupublicans, this may not be enough since his lack of sympathy for the plight of the residents of the state, which is basically his doing is in the minds of Illinois Residents. Millions of dollars in assets do not make a good leader, proper actions with regard to the welfare of the States residents does. These actions along with a decent relationship with the legislature is key to good governing not holding the State’s most vulnerable hostage.

Please Donate