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Tag Archives: Observation

Rauner Roundup


Illinois issues appear to be more apolitical and inane than based in reality. The current governor in my opinion won based on the weakness of the former governor and the publicly perceived impotence of the legislature. Since Mr. Rauner has had the office, the state has rapidly gone down a dimly lit path to stability. A State is NOT a business! The statement of running the state like a business is a great sound bite but just another election ear grabber. Most voters have no idea what that statement means but in the Governor’s mind it means running the state in the same pinch penny fashion as he has apparently run his businesses. In business these are the facts: you produce a product of some sort. You hire people to manufacture this product and of course you pay what is required for these hires to get the job done. Next you price the product to sell and pay for the labor and material including cost of shipping , receiving and other business expenses. As costs rise for whatever reason you have to adjust your selling price accordingly. This is not how it works in Government where your product is public service and the raising of costs is tied to taxes. So it appears that the way to make a Government solvent is to raise taxes in a way that still will benefit the population. Raising taxes is one way but if you stated that you would not raise taxes when you were running for office it becomes a bit hard to then raise taxes. So the issue is how do you fund a government without taxes? Attack the workers whose Union you see as the problem? Or take a sit down with the Unions to determine what can be done? How about starting a full blown assault on the Unions and the established political system (no matter how flawed)?  I would offer that perhaps explaining to the taxpayers how their demands influence spending in relation to the basic needs of  running a Government (which includes infrastructure maintenance and the agencies that provide services). Meanwhile this long lasting stalemate has cost jobs, stopped education for some and caused untold issues for others. It appears that this business model has failed and looks a lot like the companies that have gone under due to this impasse. I do not see a second term in the Governors future and of course it is not an issue as his financial picture is quite rosy unlike many Illinoisans who have suffered under his actions or lack of.

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UN criticism of Trump draws Russian complaint


Trump is affecting international politics.MA

GENEVA — Russia lodged a formal complaint last month with the United Nations over a top U.N. official’s condemnations of Donald Trump and some European politicians, an intervention that underscores the unusual links between the Republican presidential nominee and the Kremlin.
There is no evidence Trump sought Russia’s assistance, or was even aware of the criticism by Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.
Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, told The Associated Press on Friday that he complained to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about Zeid’s remarks.
Three diplomats familiar with the conversation said the complaint occurred in a private meeting on Sept. 13. Churkin angrily protested a pair of speeches by Zeid that denounced “demagogues” and specifically targeted Trump and several populist leaders in Europe, even likening their tactics to Islamic State propaganda.
“Prince Zeid is overstepping his limits from time to time and we’re unhappy about it,” Churkin said Friday. “He criticized a number of heads of state, government. He should stick to his file, which is important enough.”
In a speech in Cleveland three months before Republicans gathered there to nominate Trump, Zeid said: “Less than 150 miles away from where I speak, a front-running candidate to be president of this country declared, just a few months ago, his enthusiastic support for torture.” Zeid was referring to a speech Trump gave in Ohio in November promising to restore waterboarding and introduce even harsher interrogation methods for suspected terrorists.
“In what may be a crucial election for leadership of this country later this year, we have seen a full-frontal attack — disguised as courageous taboo-busting — on some fundamental, hard-won tenets of decency and social cohesion that have come to be accepted by American society,” Zeid said.
Demarches, or formal diplomatic communications, are everyday occurrences. At the United Nations, they’re generally used concerning broader foreign policy questions and sometimes used to complain. But they rarely center on specific individuals, let alone involve a Russian complaint about how the U.N. is treating an American politician.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not immediately respond to several requests for comment.
Churkin’s personal intervention could add to questions about the relationship between Trump and Russia.
Trump has praised President Vladimir Putin’s strength and leadership, vowing to improve ties between Washington and Moscow if he defeats Democrat Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8. He has questioned whether NATO, an alliance of Western nations formed to counter the Soviet Union, is outdated. He has suggested Russia hasn’t entered Ukraine although it annexed the Crimea region in 2014 and is supporting anti-government rebels in the east. And he urged Moscow to find emails that Clinton deleted from the private server she used while secretary of state.
The diplomatic complaint could revive charges that Moscow is interfering in the presidential election, following the U.S. government’s accusations that Russia sponsored cyber-intrusions including the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s emails.
A spokesman for Russia’s U.N. mission said he couldn’t discuss the matter.
“We don’t comment on meetings with ambassadors,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.
Three diplomats, including two U.N. officials who were familiar with the meeting between Churkin and Ban, said that the Russian complained “virulently” to Ban about Zeid’s Cleveland speech and one in Europe in September.
A senior U.N. diplomat familiar with the discussion said Churkin specifically “condemned the fact that Zeid mentioned Trump.”
The diplomats weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing possible diplomatic repercussions from Russia, a powerful, permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.
The Kremlin has said it has no position on the U.S. election.
Trump’s policy pitches have upset human rights officials like Zeid, including the candidate’s calls to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, temporarily ban Muslim immigration and even potentially kill the families of Islamic extremists.
Trump’s positions on Russia have faced sharp attacks from some Republican leaders as well as Clinton.
His supporters pressured Republicans to back away from supporting U.S. lethal aid to Ukraine, which many GOP leaders want. Instead, the platform backed “appropriate assistance” to Ukraine.
Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign manager, resigned this summer over revelations about Manafort’s work for Ukraine’s Moscow-backed former president and other pro-Russian officials. And Carter Page, a former Trump foreign policy adviser, criticized the U.S. and other Western governments on a July trip to Moscow for “their often-hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change.”
Eight days before Churkin’s complaint, Zeid went after Trump again in a Sept. 5 speech in The Hague, Netherlands, lumping the billionaire businessman with several populist leaders in Europe. “All seek in varying degrees to recover a past, halcyon and so pure in form, where sunlit fields are settled by peoples united by ethnicity or religion,” Zeid said, calling it a sentiment they share with the Islamic State.
Zeid concentrated on Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders, who opposes asylum for refugees and, similar to Trump, immigration from Muslim countries. Wilders also advocates closing mosques and Islamic schools, and outlawing the Quran.
Zeid also criticized by name the pro-Brexit head of the U.K. Independence Party, Nigel Farage, who appeared with Trump at an August rally; Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico; Austrian presidential candidate Norbert Hofer; French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Czech President Milos Zeman.
U.S. and European officials accuse Russia of providing financial or other assistance to several of these politicians’ parties. Russia doesn’t acknowledge such support.
Allies of Wilders, Orban, Le Pen and Farage complained vociferously after Zeid’s speech. Trump didn’t publicly respond.
While Zeid’s criticism carries no legal weight, his position gives him a highly visible pulpit to shame governments and politicians around the world. The U.S. — like Russia and other powerful governments — lobbies hard to avoid condemnation.
___
Klapper reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

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What The Words mean.


The definitions below should be looked at closely and remembered when the so called representatives of the “American People” come to call (usually election time). Taken in context we are not the power behind the throne so to speak. We tend to blame the President for everything because our local electeds tell us to. If we are the power then we need to become n  more informed about the process of governing including the tax system beyond the annual  April “tithing”. Without taxes the country, state and local governments cannot function. How those funds are spent is the bigger issue. First look at what we pay our electeds- These are the people who enacted a law securing their pay with cost of living increases. Their health benefits are better than most. The cost to keep them in Washington or the state capitol is paid by our taxes. Now before picking up the pitchfork, understand that in a unified front voters can change all of that. First step is vote them out or give them a good scare but if we voters do not step up these electeds will continue the practice of putting us in the barrel. Pay particular attention to the last synonym.

re·pub·lic
/rəˈpəblik/
noun
noun: republic; plural noun: republics
a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

de·moc·ra·cy
/dəˈmäkrəsē
noun
noun: democracy
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
“capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world”

synonyms: representative government, elective government; More
self-government, government by the people;
republic, commonwealth
antonyms: dictatorship
“a multiparty democracy”

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Condescending Bastards


Congressional seat fillers who are considered leaders are no more than the “Washington establishment”. So  who are the real leaders? The large donors!. These  representatives continue to do nothing after the election. They have some how decided that the American people they so boldly cite regularly without permission or support are backing their actions or lack of. It is unfortunate that too many of us (voters) fail to understand that we have allowed these seat fillers to continue in office based on what they said they have done or what they say they will do. The idea that what they have or have not done is not always public is more unsettling since many times the very items they support are only supported because of add ons that favor their positions. These add ons are what is commonly known as pork or ear marks. as voters we accept these add ons whether they benefit us or not since most of the time we are not aware of them. The elections we experience that are so expensive and unproductive (as I see it) are no more than a beauty contest with some of the same vapid styled statements. Each rally, town hall or speech is designed to the audience of the area. People flock to these events to hear what they want to hear rather than what needs to be said (not Trump style). Considering that many American voters do not or will not read  what is happening in the government (Local, State or Federal), the Elected officials do what they must to stay in office and make friends for later. This type of kinship benefits them more than us. Each visit to their home State or area of representation is no more than a perfunctory act to be seen for future recognition(election time). With a serious look at politics one can easily determine that save a few,  the “electeds” condescension is a slap in the face of the voters.

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WE Have To Do It


This election has shown how little we know about the election process and the effects of media coverage on our judgement of the candidates. Yes many if not all of us are angry or upset with how Government is run but unfortunately we are placing our hope for change in the wrong place. Reading more about the current seat fillers in Congress and in State legislatures will do more to improve our political system than the person who is elected to the top office. The National head is important but Congress is more so in that they stop or screw up more legislature than the President. Looking back at the decision to not support or even look at the Affordable care act and promising to defund , replace  or make something new has been an ongoing issue that has cost the voters more money and in some cases poorer service. The idea that they (Congress) will not even consider a replacement for the empty seat in the High court when there are issues that affect us all is unforgivable and has nothing to do with the Presidency but everything to do with the proper running of the country. The decisions made in our names are not necessarily decisions we asked for or wanted but we allowed it by not speaking up (this involves reading and listening to real news). Our Congress has overtly and covertly injected Racism in our politics while abdicating their responsibility as legislators. These are the people we have voted in over and over again and complained when nothing changes. The key to good government is the vote and we the “American People” control that. We would be well advised to remember that this country was founded by and on the backs of immigrants from all of the known world (even as far back as tens of thousand of years). We upon arrival in this country displaced the Native Americans almost to extinction and are just recently acknowledging their place as citizens of this country. Overall as a country we are still the destination for many other visitors from the rest of the world as temporary and permanent residents no matter what the current rhetoric indicates. A quick note on immigrants as related to terrorism: the average time before any immigrant can get into the U.S. is 5 years (of vetting), of course there are and probably will be the few that sneak in and get away with it but overall our borders are reasonably tight. We get up in arms when we hear about the bad ones but we did not ask for them or allow them in. There are homegrown bad actors from all citizens naturalized and native,these are people who would do what they have done or will do no matter where they live. Our obligation is to read and understand how the world works now and pay less attention to talking heads looking for acclaim as knowledgeable when their goal is their personal gain.

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Party of Lincoln?


Party of Lincoln? Listening to all of the rhetoric from the left and right, the major parties along with the oddly phrased support of  the major party’s support of their frontrunners has given me a reason to dig deeper into past , recent and potential future issues from each. While I  identify as independent, I will vote Scamocrat more often than not. The Dupublicans track record from the last flip during the Civil war and the more recent flip during the Roosevelt years has shown up the “party of Lincoln” moniker to be just another buzzword. The Dupublicans have  more influence on the economy and American life than the Scamocrats. Each party has their share of blame but it appears that the “Dupes” are complicit in actions that are still having deleterious effects. The Dupes were prime movers in the Privatization of the educational finance system which has brought us to the huge cost of education and the financing of that system. The Financial crisis while not a direct factor was a part of the now disastrous educational finance mess. See blog dated earlier today. The “Party of Lincoln” is just another way to pull the wool over the eyes of the voters. Our political system is broken (for us) and the only repairmen are the voters. It is wise to remember that politicians lie for a living and we hear it every day. How can someone who makes 100K plus annually no matter what shape the Federal finances are possibly convince anyone who really works for a living understand what that everyday person is dealing with. American people are the government by way of the vote and the Congress needs an overhaul.

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Do Not Call Registry


Most of us are aware of the national “Do Not Call Registry”. This was supposed to stop the unwanted calls from sellers, promoters and scammers. The registry was great at first now in the electronic age we live in, it has become ineffective. I have found that most cell phones have a method of blocking these calls and I suggest you use it. Some of us who still have land lines may have a phone set up that also has this feature. I was made aware of this recently and saw that the system I have has this feature. It has worked better than the do not call registry. If you still have a landline look at the instruction book that came with your system you may have a tool the allows you to block these calls. Another option that helps is a phone message that screens some calls. Do not use a message that gives your name, phone number or states whether you are home or not. Simple message example: ” This call is being screened. Leave a message – no message, no call back”.

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No More


No More sound bites, buzzwords, catch phrases please! These snippets do  more to obscure and obfuscate the facts than an outright lie. It appears that the media and the people who write or invent these snippets seem to think that the readers are unable to understand a complete thought or sentence. The politicians for years have hired writers who in their push to grab headlines write like ad writers (no offense). Ad writers express ideas to get your attention as they have a limited time to get your attention (often seconds). This writing method has  crossed over to political writers who through the attention grabbing style of writing tell the public nothing but hint at something which leads to speculation and self-definition based on innate biases. Apparently truth is not as comfortable as a lie (we should recognize that as we have been hearing it from legislators for years). It is unfortunate that telling lies and  shading the truth has become the order of the day for many folks running for office. If your message cannot stand alone then perhaps it’s not a good message or its incorrect according to public sense. The electronic age has brought us to the point of receiving these  targeted messages seemingly forever. We see them online when we do anything, on the tube, in movies and on and on. We need to smarten up and recognize what we are receiving daily in the most innocent ways. Our electronic devices may just be our worst enemies.

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Foot Health


This article supports my opinion of “Flip-Flops” which I believe are the worst type of footwear and should be banned which will save many visits to the E.R. for foot and ankle injuries. I have seen the huge summertime purchase of inexpensive “flip flops” for summer ware and not just for beachwear and showers. These “ankle breaking, foot injury producing ” pieces of foam rubber and other elastic products have captured the American foot as the summertime foot wear. There are more expensive models however the nature of the beast is not changed by better manufacturing and is just a better grade of foot injuring footwear.

Flip-flops are not your friend.
“When I was pregnant, I wore flip-flops often because they’re so easy to slip onto swollen feet. But they’re really not meant to be worn all the time: They offer no arch support. Plus, your leg, toe, and foot muscles have to work harder to keep them on, which could make tendons tight and lead to pain that will affect your lower back. I encourage my friends to wear more supportive shoes whenever they’re doing a lot of walking or standing – you don’t want to put on flip-flops for an all-day trip to the amusement park – and to do foot and leg stretches to counter any tightening. My favorite is a runner’s lunge: Stand with your hands against a wall and your feet about 12 inches from it. Step back with your right foot, then bend your left knee, keeping your back leg straight and your heel firmly on the ground. Hold for 20 seconds, and repeat on the other side.” – Suzanne Badillo, clinical program director of the Women’s Rehabilitation Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

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Demagogues, Witch hunters and Charlatans


It has become clear to me that many current and past well known figures in politics and the public eye are not who they purport to be. We have over the years been enthralled or distracted by seemingly larger than life figures who have turned out to be less than most of us ordinary people. We have had Jim Jones (Jonestown) who induced hundreds to commit suicide or be murdered , Senator Mc Carthy who sent the nation on “red” witch hunt and ruined lives, We had Several Evangelicals who fell from grace after information on their personal and financial misdeeds came to light, we have had several Federal legislators ousted and imprisoned over  official and personal misdeeds. Years ago in the 1600’s we had the “Salem Witch Trials”. All of these things have to do with people who took upon them selves the mantle of  leadership under the guise of administering justice and religious right. Our current political climate appears to be running in the same vein. We have a congress lead by Right wingers who without our explicit consent doing what “they” want and ascribing it to the “American people”. We have a leading Presidential aspirant with unknown affiliation or motivation who has excited the angriest (gullible?) elements of the country into a mob who are covered with a blanket of hate for anyone not like them in mindset and skin color. This is the same type of mass sentiment that created the witch hunts ala Salem and the McCarthy eras. It is of great concern to me that the media coverage no matter how the middle of the road is flavored and often overshadowed by  the extremes of the right and left of center outlets. With all of the truth being available not enough people avail themselves of it and become entrapped by the Demagogues, witch hunters and charlatans whose sole purpose is to incite discord which in turn hides their own agendas which do  include the good of anyone but themselves and their cohorts. Remember the following Names: Joe McCarthy, Dennis Hastert, Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump, Spiro Agnew, Jim Jones, Cotton Mather, Tom Delay and many others. They have all been (or are currently)  high in the public eye and (or will fall) fell after their true nature or purpose is exposed. If we become and remain vigilant we will be wary when the lies sound like the truth according to someone with a high public profile.

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