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Tag Archives: current-events

The Lies We Are Told!


The past 10 years in politics have shown the dirtiest side of politics since McCarthyism.
The lies we are told about candidates, proposed laws and laws that are passed have been so outrageous at times that it is small wonder that a Trump presidency came about. Politics appears to be more about lies innuendo and insults than facts. There have been stories about candidates that prove to be true and just as many not. Without going into the many lies and insults, lets just go to what we know is true:

Donald Trump is a consummate liar.

Our Congress members are not to be trusted.

Donald Trump appealed to the anger of many of us who have gone unheard by their Congress.

The small group of Racists in our midst have latched on to Trump as a champion because he doesn’t know any better and loves to be adored at any cost.

Donald Trump is so insecure that his method of dealing with problems (and non problems) is an insult and or a lie.

The Spokes people for Totus seem to be uninformed and will do what ever he says out of fear.

The over coverage of the signing of Executive orders is more a photo op than anything serious as those orders will be at some point repealed or if not cause great harm to us.

Our Congress is using Totus as cover for their own nefarious actions.

Our Congress’ healthcare is not affected by the ACA or the new Health care act.

There are so many more items that can be added that I would spend the next several days listing them. It is the duty of each reader to pay attention to the real news (not Fox) to determine what our Congress is doing to us as they are surely not doing anything for us.

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How Smart?


How smart do you have to be in order to be President? We should all know that it doesn’t take a college degree to be elected to office or even to grow rich. What it does take is at least a rudimentary knowledge of history and general knowledge. Apparently these modern times have changed that since we have a Sexist, insulter in the Oval office. This individual seems to lack the basic knowledge of American history, For example Andrew Jackson died 15 years before the Civil War began, Frederick Douglas died 121 years ago these two men have both been cited in recent terms by our current Oval office occupant. It has occurred to me that I know the basics of these two men and I am not necessarily smarter than a modern day 5th grader but where does that put our TOTUS? Where does that put the current Congress who is busily touting him but making laws that harm the oft cited “American People”? It should apparent to us all that our lackluster attitude towards voting is why the present occupant of the White House is there, we as voters need to smarten up and become “woke” or we are destined to live under poor representation in Washington D.C.. The white House is “our” house, whoever occupies it is, in a sense “renting” it from us so it’s appearance and physical  upkeep are important but sadly those things seem to be slowly going downhill along with some protections that affect us all.

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Once Again and Always


Apparently TOTUS is again blaming others for his failure, ineptitude or lack of governing ability. The recent focus is  a scrap of paper called the Constitution. The campaign promises made were at least overblown rhetoric with no basis in reality. The blame game appears to be the strongest suit in his deck of cards couple that with the flashy signing of executive orders which will at best bog down the courts and at the least create chaos in the states. It is without precedent that a President has moved in ways that have the potential to create a war footing at the cost of true security. Add in the push for the “great wall” and  repealing &  replacing “Obamacare”, this Healthcare action will leave many millions with less to zero coverage at a higher rate (to be clear several states never opted in so that coverage may not be affected). The “great wall” is another potential money pit as some areas do not need a wall due the terrain being a wall in itself. These two items have the potential to devastate State budgets and cause immeasurable harm to millions of American people. The blame for all of this has the fingerprints of a neer do well Congress who stated years ago the President Obama would get nothing passed, now hat has passed is being undone by a child! All of this with tacit and open approval of  a Congress who has no regard for their supporters , no matter what they say. This is possibly the worst Administration in years and we fell for the hype and dismissed the rhetoric. To toss out a few clarifying statements: We were allowed to shoot ourselves in the foot, we were led down the garden path and we were brought to water and water boarded! It will take the next President (if it’s not Pence) years to clear away the debris while our Congress if we re-elect them continues to range far afield doing what ever they want in Our Names. Our perception of Congress is that they are in charge and they are not-WE ARE!

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House Republican’ Didn’t Read the Health care Bill


Do we need yet another reason to pay attention to who we elect to represent us? MA.

Journalist, ThinkProgress. Twitter: @atrupar. Email: arupar@americanprogress.org
May 5
________________________________________
House Republican didn’t know the health care bill he voted for could cost his state $3 billion
Rep. Chris Collins didn’t read it before he voted for it.

Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) didn’t read the American Health Care Act (AHCA), legislation to dismantle Obamacare that will result in millions of people losing access to affordable insurance, before House Republicans voted to pass it on Thursday. And he had no idea the bill would cost his state billions of federal dollars used to insure thousands of his constituents.
During a CNN appearance on Thursday, Wolf Blitzer asked Collins if he’d actually read the AHCA before voting for it.
“I will fully admit, Wolf, that I did not,” Collins said. “But I can also assure you my staff did. We have to rely on our staff… I’m very comfortable that we have a solution to the disaster
“Congressman, this legislation affects a fifth of the U.S. economy and millions and millions of Americans — don’t you think it was important to actually sit down and read, read the language of this bill?” Blitzer pushed back.
Collins replied by suggesting he was hardly the only Republican who didn’t read the bill, which was rushed through before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office could score it to detail its specific impact.
“You know, I have to rely on my staff, and I could probably tell you that I read every word, and I wouldn’t be telling you the truth, nor would any other member,” he said. “We rely on our staff, and we rely on our committees, and I’m comfortable that I understand this bill in its entirety, Wolf, without poring through every word.”
WATCH: Republicans prepare to vote for a health care bill they haven’t read
It wasn’t long ago that House Republicans touted a “Read the Bill” promise.thinkprogress.org
But not reading bills can have serious consequences. Later on Thursday, Collins admitted that he didn’t know the AHCA will cost New York $3 billion in federal funds — money that’s used to insure 19,000 of his constituents.
From The Buffalo News:
Told by a Buffalo News reporter that the state’s largest loss of federal funds under the bill would be $3 billion annually that goes to the state’s Essential Health Plan, Collins said: “Explain that to me.”
The Essential Plan is an optional program under Obamacare, offered only by New York and Minnesota, that provides low-cost health insurance to low- and middle-income people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. State Health Department figures show that more than 19,000 people in Erie and Niagara counties were on the Essential Plan in January.
Asked by The Buffalo News if he was aware of the bill’s cut in funding to the Essential Plan, Collins said: “No. But it doesn’t surprise me for you to tell me that there were two states in the nation that were taking advantage of some other waiver program and New York was one of the two states.”
In an attempt to defend Collins’ comments, his spokesman, Michael McAdams, tried to blame The Buffalo News.
“Once again The Buffalo News is twisting a Republican’s words to fit its out-of-touch, liberal narrative,” McAdams said, according to the publication. “Congressman Collins has been intimately involved in the creation of this legislation from its inception… He understands the impact it would have on Western New Yorkers. To infer Congressman Collins doesn’t understand the disastrous impact Obamacare has had on our region and our nation is absolutely shameful.”
Collins is correct that he’s not the only GOP lawmaker who didn’t read the legislation before casting a vote for it. During a CNN appearance Friday morning, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) admitted that he too hadn’t read all of the AHCA before Thursday’s vote.
“I turned through every page,” Sanford said. “As to whether or not I got through some of the details on some of the pages, no. But yes, I attempted to read the entire bill.”

This is a far cry from the fall of 2010, when House Republican leaders unveiled their “Pledge to America,” which contained a “Read the Bill” promise.
“We will ensure that bills are debated and discussed in the public square by publishing the text online for at least three days before coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives,” it said.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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