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Tag Archives: current-events

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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The White House Child


There have been many movies and stories about child heroes and perhaps our TOTUS relates to those stories. I must point out that these stories for the most part are fiction or fictionalized accounts. With that being said what is the driving force behind  TOTUS (aside from poor advice from his advisors)? The adoration train is leaving the station with  fewer riders by the day. The Neer do wells are doing less and less while their work goes undone. Mr. McConnell is doing his usual stand back and speak occasionally when it will impact him the least and have the most impact on the situation. This has always been his style if you look back on his record as a member of the Senate. Paul Ryan has all but been left out to dry and has had severe feed back at home like so many other members of the Congress. The love affair with Congress is definitely over and it is about time. Our political system is in disarray since the age of Statesmen is seemingly over. As a reminder : Statesmen were public servants who once elected  made sincere efforts to do the work of the people, that work was to enact laws that benefit the people (all not perfect) but these laws were enacted with a consensus from both major parties and some of the outliers. Those days are over with the advent of angry politicians who do not seem to understand their purpose in the office. Is it possible that these “public Servants” are overpaid for the work they do? As an example: Paul Ryan earns $200,000. annually as speaker with a limousine at his disposal and will earn over $70,000 upon retirement. I believe people should earn a living wage with the possibility of a livable pension amount upon retirement but our legislator’s payouts are obscene compared to the voters who support them and barely trust them. The “child” is so focused on the short-range goals that he cannot see where his end game needs to be. Tweeting does no more than gain short-term attention and more distrust except for the real “fake” news of the Fox network. It is reasonable to question information from the W.H. but the spokespeople giving out the information appear to be ill-equipped to explain or answer any questions without becoming angry and abusive to the questioners. With all of this we are still in election mode and not on governing mode, the near future points toward an ongoing campaign style governance. The indication that the WH administration is inept is revealed by the undoing of as many Obama era executive orders as possible since these do not require Congressional action, this undoing is more harmful than many can imagine and the Congress does not care. This administration is all about show not substance, most recently a press conference showing TOTUS donating his salary to the National Park Service which will cover 0.005% of the Proposed budget cut for the Service and the show goes on. The message is clear our Government is in trouble and we (voters) are the only cure. Do not be swayed by any politician who has been in office more than 10 years, pay close attention to what they say and do. No matter how much you like the person, their actions are what count not their personality (this is how Trump became President), pay attention to the Chyrons.

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Judge rejects motion to dismiss suit against Trump


The beat goes on, President Trump has incited National unrest primarily due to his rhetoric. I believe he is no more than a shoot from the hip idiot..MA.

USA TODAY
Grace Schneider
9 hrs ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge said in a ruling that then-candidate Donald Trump incited the use of violence against three protesters when he told supporters at a campaign rally a year ago to “get ’em out of here.”

U. S. District Judge David J. Hale of the Western District of Kentucky also wrote in an opinion and order released Friday that because violence had broken out at a prior Trump rally and that known hate group members were in the Louisville crowd, Trump’s ordering the removal of an African-American woman was “particularly reckless.”
Citing case law from tumultuous 1960s race riots and other student protests, Hale rejected motions to dismiss the pending complaint against Trump and three supporters in the crowd that was filed by three protesters after a March 1, 2016, campaign rally in Louisville. Only a portion of the defendants’ motion was granted, but the decision means that the bulk of the claims will proceed.
The protesters, Henry Brousseau, Kashiya Nwanguma and Molly Shah, are seeking unspecified monetary damages. They claim they were assaulted by audience members who were riled up by Trump. Besides Trump, the lawsuit names three defendants in attendance — Matthew Heimbach, a leader with the white supremacist group Traditional Youth Network from Paoli, Ind.; Alvin Bamberger, a member of the Korean War Veterans Association from Ohio; and an unknown individual.
The men were caught on video pushing and shoving Nwanguma to usher her out of the Kentucky International Convention Center after Trump’s urging from the stage.
Trump’s lawyer, R. Kent Westberry of Louisville, had argued that the suit’s allegations threaten fundamental constitutional protections by chilling political speech and that those accused of assaulting the three were not acting for or at the direction of Trump or the campaign. Instead, they were acting on their own initiative and for their own purposes, Westberry wrote.
Hale pointed out that, as the protesters had alleged, the violence began as soon as Trump gave a command and an order to get the protesters out of the rally.
The judge dismissed one of the plaintiffs’ claims that Trump was vicariously liable for Heimbach and Bamberger’s actions. The men weren’t employed by Trump or his campaign and therefore weren’t under his control during the rally, Hale wrote.

Follow Grace Schneider on Twitter: @gesinfk

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Republicans Eye Cutting More Obama Era Regulations


 

Kerry Picket

Reporter

10:11 PM 02/16/2017
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed two of the three pieces of legislation this week passed by Congress that roll back Obama-era regulations.
Republicans are repealing the regulations through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The president’s signature on such legislation Tuesday is the first time the CRA has been used to repeal regulation in 16 years, when Trump signed legislation to roll back a Securities and Exchange Commission rule that would mandate energy companies to show their payments to foreign governments.
The coal industry cheered on another CRA piece of legislation Thursday that came to Trump’s desk for his signature that repealed an Obama-era Department of the Interior rule on coal mine discharge into nearby streams. (RELATED: Trump Signs Repeal Of Obama Coal Mining Regulations)
The CRA allows for Congress to review and repeal federal government department regulation within a 60-day window after the rule has been established. Legislation under the CRA cannot be filibustered in the Senate.

Congress initially proposed 37 resolutions under the CRA as a means to repeal the Obama-era rules.
“Congressional Review Act legislation provides relief for Americans hurt by regulations rushed through at the last minute by the Obama administration. This means freeing up American entrepreneurs, creating jobs, and jump-starting our economy,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement of the numerous bills passed under CRA.
One piece of legislation waiting for Trump’s signature that passed the Senate Wednesday under the CRA repealed a Social Security Administration rule established in December. The regulation mandated that the agency would submit Social Security recipients’ information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) with the intent of showing those who may not be eligible to purchase a firearm.
Democrats say the rule would keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, but Republicans argue the rule cast way too large of a net around social security recipients.
“Over the last several weeks we’ve been using a Congressional Review Act or what is known as CRA’s to take action on the explosion of Obamacare regulations. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of regulations that we’ve seen hurting families destroying jobs all across the country and here’s why our work is so historic. Up until now only six of those bills have ever reached the president’s desk in 21 years and only one was ever signed into law by the end of this week. We will have passed 13 in the last three weeks,” House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said at a press conference Thursday.
The Senate is expected to take up two more resolutions passed by the House in the coming days, one of which repeals a regulation established by the Bureau of Land Management as well as a rule put forth by the Department of Labor.
The House passed three resolutions under the CRA last week and by the end of Friday, the Senate will be on track to consider 10 resolutions that repeal Obama administration regulations in the next legislative period.
Follow Kerry on Twitter

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To Continue


There will possibly be an end to the Trump saga but to what end? The current non-resident of the White House is no more than a child who has toy store and cannot decide what to play with first. The ownership has become boring since the details area not as important as the headlines. The adoration of the crowds is more important than the actual job of running the store. Having always been in the position of ruling by fiat, it is apparently difficult to consult with the legislators and even his own cabinet. The tweetstorm is apparently the easiest way for him to communicate since he is limited to 140 characters. This is fine if you are a child. His advisors and spokespeople are no more than a group of loose cannons who have no other purpose than talking points with little or no facts. Meanwhile back in the real world, executive orders rolling back Obama era orders are causing harm to ALL Americans, some of whom do not realize what effect it has and will continue to have on them personally. The constant weekends off and the outlying protective services for his children and spouse are costing Americans millions of dollars for protection (wasteful?). The acceptance of these types of outrages are at once un-American as well as expensive when so many folks are out of work, have no healthcare due to government inability to reconcile payments to states. With all of this our Congressional neer do wells are still doing nothing to help and we continue to keep them in office. All of the Trumpers who latched on to the idea that Government should be run like a business are ill-informed as Government cannot be run as a business due to the multitude of differences and  needs of the people. The only correlation of business to Government is that they have a chart of  organization with the government being more extensive than most businesses. This administration is already up to its waist in problems with no rope available and too many voters are unwilling or unable to see the inevitable downside. The damage that is beginning now will resonate for years and extend to our world partners. We are at the beginning of similar actions that began in the 1930’s in Germany. While we may not get to the outright Nationwide burning of books and the associated atrocities , the effects of these irrational actions has and will cause  harm for a long time. We have the salvation of the vote if our Congress fails to act and we have that salvation to use for the Congressional member who will also be up for reelection. For our own protection as voters we need to broaden and lengthen our view of the legislation coming out of Washington as the people who are making and enacting these laws do not have the same worries as the voters. It is easy to make decisions for other people when those decisions do not have an effect on them. Forget term limits as there will never be such a law, the only term limits are provided by the voters. Our (voters) remedy for all of this is to become informed and understand what is being done in our names.

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Anyone??


Is there anyone in the Trump Administration who knows what they are talking about or can tell the truth? His surrogates shoot from the lip pretty much like their boss and continue to lie as if it’s the truth. This is exactly what Pre world war II Hitler did to convince ordinary Germans that he was doing good things for them-until the bombs rained down on them and they were shown the concentration camps. Unfortunately too many Trump supporters are too angry to see the truth and will be shocked when the wall goes up and the jobs still do not come back. Then there’s health care and taxes, once these are addressed (or not) and more people do not have or can’t afford healthcare, the administration will blame someone else. As much as I would like to talk about something positive coming out of the Whitehouse, there is not much there. Jeff “the knife” Sessions is moving ahead like the racist he is, Steve “the hammer” Bannon is pulling the strings behind the scenes and Reince “figurehead” Priebus appears to be missing. The cost to secure this President rises daily with his children being everywhere, his trips to Mar A Lago along with the cost to scramble the Air force if a private aircraft appears in the no fly zone near the President(resident?). The Governing of the United States is not supposed to play out in the media yet this appears to be the situation the country is in. Many of the people who voted for Trump now have reservations but we are in this until at least 2018 unless the President does something worse than he is doing now. The Congress seems to be rudderless after all of the negative rhetoric about the previous administration and with a blank check attitude have confirmed unsuitable people for the cabinet. The President makes a big show of signing executive orders yet seems to have no idea what these executive orders will affect. I am of the opinion that our TOTUS is not well versed in the details (the real details) of his executive order rollback. It appears that he gets snapshots and acts on those. This is not governing, this is playing in the sand box without paying attention to the lumps. It is my opinion that we as voters should prepare for the worst as it is still coming and we will receive no help from our neer do well Congress.

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Are You Concerned?


Does it bother anyone that we are in the grip of government (our) employees who don’t give a damn about us? All of the high tone and blustery rhetoric is just that. The ongoing attempt to deregulate, deconstruct and repeal are the talking points from people whose sole mission is to take care of them selves while shoveling out homilies, half truths and outright lies. These outpourings do not take into account the long range effects of their actions. The lies put out have served to divide us racially, morally and ethnically. At this point I feel that we can expect nothing good from this administration. This one lie is particularly bad: The lie about EPA regulations causing job loss in the coal industry while the real truth is automation and the increased availability of cheap natural gas were and are still  a factor. Getting the public fired up with this type of misinformation is irresponsible and dangerous. What we have is a classic divide and conquer tactic that does nothing to fix our issues. The selections  made to aid the President were suspect initially but now are extremely troubling as the lie factory is running at full speed. It is apparent to me that the next several years will bring a substantial backwards leap for all of us while providing boosts for the worst of us.

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