Tag Archives: Congress

Prayers are not enough

Posted on by under Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary

I sometimes feel as if I’m talking to a wall when I write about the need for far stricter gun laws than we have in this nation. Actually, I feel like I’m having my head beaten against a wall much of the time, for some Americans feel more strongly about their right to “bear arms” than they do their own children. But I refuse to “sit down and shut up”, as I have often been told when I tackle this subject. Friend and fellow-blogger Keith has written the best piece I have ever read, including my own, on this topic, and has given me permission to share it, so I ask you to please … PLEASE take a moment to read … and think about … what he says. Thank you, Keith!

musingsofanoldfart

There is an old joke where a man prays and prays for God to let him win the lottery. After years of praying, he asked God why have you forsaken me and deny me winning the lottery? The clouds parted and God said “It would help if you bought a ticket.”

After yet another gun tragedy, many have offered prayers in public places for the victims and their families, even in the halls of Congress. Being a religious man, I am all for praying, but after so many gun tragedies, it is time we “bought that lottery ticket” and take legislative action. The status quo is not working and legislators are simply not doing their job.

I have written variations of this several times and will have to write it again in the future as our Congressional representatives are too concerned with upsetting the NRA than trying to solve an obvious…

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Think Again …

Posted on by under Political commentary, Rants

So, you think that Senator or Representative you voted into office last year is serving in the best interest of We The People?  You think he/she cares about the issues that affect our daily lives?  You think he/she votes on bills keeping in mind how it will affect not only his/her constituents, but the nation as a whole?  Boy are you in for a shock!  We The People are not even in the running, not anywhere in the minds of our elected representatives and are important only for about 30 minutes once every 2-6 years, as we stand in front of the voting booth.

U.S. Representative Chris Collins, representing New York’s 27th congressional district since 2013, led the headlines today …

Top GOP congressman: My donors told me to pass the Republican tax bill or ‘don’t ever call me again’ – Business Insider, 07 November 2017

Now, while it is on my to-do list, I have not studied the tax bill, so can judge only on what I read, but from everything I am seeing, reading and hearing, the tax bill is essentially what we all expected it to be:  huge benefits for the wealthy and for corporations, little or nothing for the middle-income earners, and cuts in services for the poor.  If you are not familiar with the word ‘plutocracy’, now may be a good time for you to study it a bit.

“Moderate Republicans from New York and New Jersey worry their constituents would lose big if they can no longer deduct their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill — one of the key ways Republicans are hoping to pay for the corporate tax cut at the center of the plan. Outside groups on the right, like Club for Growth, also object to the bill, saying that taxes for millionaires should be cut even more. Outside estimates project that millions of middle-class Americans could end up paying higher taxes.

Yet the bill is still expected to pass the House.” – Vox, 07 November 2017

chris collins

Rep. Chris Collins

Let’s look a bit at Mr. Collins’ record over the past few months, for I believe he is representative of most in Congress.

  • He supported Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, saying, “The Director of the FBI serves at the pleasure of the President. I respect President Trump’s decision at the recommendation of the Attorney General.”
  • He voted to repeal ACA (Obamacare) and voted for the abominable GOP health “care” plan that would have taken health care away from millions, even though he admittedly had not read the bill! I guess, one doesn’t need to read what they are voting for, since their ‘donors’ are telling them how to vote.  “Don’t bother reading the fine print, sonny, just sign on the dotted line.”
  • He supported Trump’s ‘executive order’ banning people from Muslim countries (except those where Trump conducts business and makes a profit), saying “I get a little frustrated with the folks who don’t like Trump trying to make something into something it’s not. So I’m just disappointed that we can’t have a true and honest debate without someone inflaming the situation and claiming there’s religious overtones.”

So, it is obvious that Mr. Collins has been a bootlicker all along, but still … when I hear that ‘donors’, which amounts large corporations, wealthy people who are heavily invested in large corporations, and lobbying groups such as the NRA, are threatening to cut off funding if our elected representatives don’t do things their way, I get a little hot under the collar.

The problem, of course, for all members of Congress is that if they are honest and truly want to work in the best interest of the nation and its people, they are doomed to fail, for unfortunately in our current election process, it is a matter of “he who has the most toys, wins”.  Without the money from the donors, the opponent, who is in the pocket of the 1%, will have more television ads, more money to dig up dirt on his opponent, more full-page newspaper ads, more money for rallies, and other public appearances.  Unfortunately in our culture today, the one who is seen most, who has the greatest name recognition, is the one whose name a majority of voters will tic on their ballot each November.  Thus, the rare honest candidate is doomed before ever leaving the gate.  And we wonder why there is so much voter apathy?  Think on this one for a bit … and don’t forget to look up that word: PLUTOCRACY.

A Fairy Tale Even Grimmer Than Grimm’s

Posted on by under Political commentary, Social commentary

Once upon a time there was a president, a leader, and he tried to do the right thing for the people who had elected him.  Some of the people did not like him and made up stories about his religion, his birthplace, and anything else they could think of.  They said they hated him, and they rallied against everything he wanted to do to try to help the people.  But he was a kind and benevolent leader, well-reasoned and being possessed of an even temperament, and he did not respond to their taunts.  Eventually, as must happen at least every eight years, he was replaced by another, a man possessed of a sharp, untruthful tongue, a man who thought only of himself and cared not one whit for the people who had elected him.  When the first leader spoke to the people at an event called a ‘news conference’, he used the opportunity to present information about things that were important to the people, to the nation.  He informed, he sometimes joked briefly with the reporters, and he always tried to explain what he and his team were doing and why it was important.  But when ‘the other’ came along, he rarely spoke at these news conferences, but he held rallies to tell the people lies about how great he was. And when he did speak to the people, it was ugly-speak.  He spoke in an ugly language, criticized most everyone, threatened, bullied and spoke falsely about what a great job he was doing.  And the people, most of the people, cried and asked themselves, “What have we done?” And they did not live happily ever after …

The ’other’, of course, is none other than Donald Trump.  Last evening, he gave a press conference whereby he bashed Hillary Clinton for her election loss, criticized former President Obama, praised himself, and went to great lengths to assure every one of his “outstanding” relationship with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell was at Trump’s side, looking rather like a recalcitrant child or an obedient house pet. Trump’s speech was relatively short, a lot of tooting his own horn, but the more interesting parts came with the rather lengthier Q&A session afterward. Let us take a look at a few of the ‘highlights’ … as always, my snarky remarkys are in blue italics.

Trump: What Mitch will tell you is that maybe, with the exception of a few — and that is a very small few — I have a fantastic relationship with the people in the Senate, and with the people in Congress.  (This came totally unsolicited, as a response to a completely unrelated question.)

Reporter: Why haven’t we heard anything from you so far about the Soldiers that were killed in Niger?  And what do you have to say about that?

Trump: I’ve written them personal letters. They’ve been sent, or they’re going out tonight, but they were written during the weekend. I will, at some point during the period of time, call the parents and the families — because I have done that, traditionally. I felt very, very badly about that. I always feel badly. It’s the toughest — the toughest calls I have to make are the calls where this happens, soldiers are killed. It’s a very difficult thing. Now, it gets to a point where, you know, you make four or five of them in one day — it’s a very, very tough day. For me, that’s by far the toughest. (Aye, pobrecito!!!) So, the traditional way — if you look at President Obama and other Presidents, most of them didn’t make calls, a lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it. They have made the ultimate sacrifice. So, generally, I would say that I like to call. I’m going to be calling them. I want a little time to pass. I’m going to be calling them. I have — as you know, since I’ve been President, I have. But in addition, I actually wrote letters individually to the soldiers we’re talking about, and they’re going to be going out either today or tomorrow. (Multiple points here.  1) The Green Berets killed in Niger were killed on October 4th, fully 12 days before this speech.  2) It is highly unlikely that Trump wrote any letters, but more likely that someone on his staff hastily wrote them, if they have even been written, once Trump came under criticism.  Trump spent the weekend at his golf course. 3) President Obama not only called the families of slain soldiers, but in some cases even visited them.)

Reporter: Mr. President, in 2012 you tweeted that “Obama’s complaints about Republicans stopping his agenda are BS,” in your words, “since he had full control for two years.”  You wrote, “He can never take responsibility.”  But today, you’ve said about some of the challenges right now in Congress and in Washington, “I’m not going to blame myself, I’ll be honest. They’re not getting the job done.”  So what’s different then than now?  (Oooh … good one!)

Trump: Well, let me just explain what’s different. We have nominations pending right now, and we have 182 approved — if you look at this:  the number that he had approved was 65 percent and 70 percent, and we have 39 percent. They’re holding up every single nomination. (Did he answer the question and I missed it?)

Reporter: How about the agenda broadly?

Trump: Schumer and the group are holding up every single nomination. They are obstructing. They’re doing — I’m telling you, they’re not good politicians, but they’re very good at obstruction. (But I thought Schumer and Pelosi were his new, best friends?)

Reporter: If it would help you — if it would help Special Counsel Robert Mueller get to the end of the Russia investigation, would you –

Trump: Well, I’d like to see it end. Look, the whole Russian thing was an excuse –

Reporter: Would you –

Trump: Excuse me. Excuse me. The whole Russia thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election, and it turns out to be just one excuse. I mean, today Hillary blamed Nigel Farage. That one came out of nowhere. So that was just an excuse for the Democrats losing an election that, frankly, they have a big advantage in the Electoral College. They should always be able to win in the Electoral College, but they were unable to do it. So there has been absolutely no collusion. It’s been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it because I think the American public is sick of it. (No, Mr. Trump, the American public is not sick of it. The American public wants answers and it is clear to any who can see, hear and think, that you and your team have, in fact, colluded with Russia.)

Reporter: Mr. President, in the wake of an avalanche of allegations made against Harvey Weinstein, your campaign is being subpoenaed for any documents relating to sexual harassment allegations made against you. Do you have a response to that?

Trump: All I can say is it’s totally fake news. It’s just fake. It’s fake. It’s made-up stuff, and it’s disgraceful what happens. But that’s happens in the world of politics. (There has, in fact, been a subpoena for those documents.)

Reporter: Do you maintain that the federal response [to Puerto Rico] has been outstanding?

Trump: Oh, I think — well, that’s according to the Clinton administration’s head of FEMA, it’s been outstanding. Puerto Rico is very tough because of the fact it’s an island. (REALLY???) But it’s also tough because, as you know, it was in very poor shape before the hurricanes ever hit. Their electrical grid was destroyed before the hurricanes got there. It was in very bad shape, was not working, was in bankruptcy, owed $9 billion. And then on top of that, the hurricane came. Now, you’re going to have to build a whole new electrical plant system. We’re not talking about generators. We moved — Puerto Rico now has more generators, I believe, than any place in the world. There are generators all over the place. The fact is, their electrical system was in horrible shape before and even worse shape after. So we are working right now — as you know, relief funds were just approved and are in the process of being approved by Congress. And that includes Texas, by the way. That includes Florida. And it also includes Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, et cetera. But it was in really bad shape before. We have done — I will say this, we have done – (No snarky remarky required here … he does it to himself)

Reporter: Mr. President, in an interview earlier today, Hillary Clinton said that she did not believe that players taking a knee in the NFL was about disrespecting the flag — at complete odds with the way that you have referred to this. You fired back in a tweet saying that you hope that she runs again in 2020. Why –

Trump: Oh, I hope Hillary runs. Is she going to run?  I hope. Hillary, please run again.

Reporter: So she’s at odds with you over whether or not this is disrespecting the flag. Is she right or is she wrong?

Trump: I think she’s wrong. Look, when they take a knee — there’s plenty of time to do knees and there’s plenty of time to do lots of other things. But when you take a knee – But when you take a knee — well, that’s why she lost the election. Honestly, it’s that thinking — that is the reason she lost the election. (Who knew?)

There is much more, but I have already far exceeded my self-imposed word limit.  And, I have run out of patience for tonight … there is only so much of this one can take.  You can read the full transcript or watch the full video (1 hour 17 minutes), if you are a masochist and really want to do so.

And thus ends this chapter in the fairy tale book, but we are a long way from the end of the book.  Let us hope that there is a Prince Charming to come rescue us … perhaps his name is Robert Mueller?

The Latest Playground Feud …

Posted on by under Global Issues, Political commentary

kitten-yarn-2The unraveling continues in Washington … it reminds me of a tangled ball of yarn in the hands of a playful kitten.  A number of members of Congress have recently announced that they will not seek re-election next year, one of whom is Senator Bob Corker, a republican from Tennessee.

Those who are ‘jumping ship’ have given a variety of reasons, but the reality appears to be that they are not finding it easy to work with Donald Trump, are not fond of the bullying and browbeating tactics he uses when he does not get his way, and are disturbed by the chaos that defines the present administration.  I can relate and I would have resigned long before now … probably on January 21st.

I am not a fan of Bob Corker because of his climate change skepticism and socially conservative ideologies, but he is not the worst of the lot, either.  And he certainly did not deserve the scornful tweets Trump issued this morning:

“Senator Bob Corker “begged” me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said “NO” and he dropped out (said he could not win without…” – 9:59 AM – Oct 8, 2017

“..my endorsement). He also wanted to be Secretary of State, I said “NO THANKS.” He is also largely responsible for the horrendous Iran Deal!” – 10:09 AM – Oct 8, 2017

“…Hence, I would fully expect Corker to be a negative voice and stand in the way of our great agenda. Didn’t have the guts to run!” – 10:13 AM – Oct 8, 2017

Sigh.  The little boy who was placed in a position far beyond his intellectual capabilities, tweets again.  Wouldn’t it be lovely to have an adult in the White House?

Bob Corker earned a measure of respect from yours truly, however, with his comeback:

“It’s a shame the White House has become an adult day care center. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning.” – 11:13 AM – Oct 8, 2017

You have to love that one, folks!

corker

Senator Bob Corker

Trump just shot himself in the foot, though. He is expected to make the announcement next week that he will de-certify the international nuclear deal with Iran, saying it is not in the national interest of the United States.  (Where he gets these notions, I have no idea, for there is no basis for this move.  Does he just feel the need to be stirring things up at all times?)  Senator Corker happens to be the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and therefore the leading voice on Capitol Hill determining the future of the Iran nuclear deal.

It should be noted that the Iran deal, by all accounts (except Trump’s) is working exactly as it was intended and Iran is living up to their part of the bargain.  It is an important pact in terms of peace in the Middle East and around the globe. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, General Joseph F. Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and others are in favour of leaving the agreement in place, saying it is working.  In fact, in August, 36 retired US generals and admirals published an open letter giving their full backing of the Iranian nuclear deal, hailing it as “the most effective means currently available to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.” The only reason I can see that Trump wants to scrap the deal is because President Obama had a hand in negotiating it.  Immature and very dangerous way of thinking … let us hope the cooler heads are able to prevail here.

I find it interesting that Trump supposedly penned a book titled, “The Art of the Deal”, when his negotiating skills, conversational skills, and ability to play nicely with others are all among the worst I have seen.  His idea of ‘deal-making’ appears to be somewhat along the lines of the proverbial ‘bull in a china shop’ … bluster, bullying and browbeating being his main tools of negotiation.

Corker also sits on the Senate Finance Committee, and as such will play a key role in the upcoming debate over taxes. The senator already has expressed some concerns with the Trump administration’s proposal on tax cuts.

According to the Washington Post …

“A Republican congressional official familiar with Trump and Corker’s recent conversations disputed each of the claims the president made in his tweets. Trump called Corker early last week and asked him to reconsider his decision not to seek reelection, according to this official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the private conversations. The official said the president also reaffirmed that he would have endorsed Corker had he decided to run again — which, the official added, was not the first time that Trump had extended such an offer of support.” – The Washington Post, 08 October 2017

So … who to believe?  Trump or Trump?  He contradicts himself often enough to make one wonder if he has some multiple personality disorder. Corker was a supporter of Trump’s election bid, and was said to be considered as a running mate at one time.  But the tides turned in August, after Corker criticized Trump’s response to the tragic white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying “[Trump] has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”

And thus began the feud, if one would call it that.  It might be humorous, were it not so dangerous. Trump is apparently making decisions that affect not only the U.S., but every nation on the planet, based more on emotion than on intellect or thought.  He defies his own advisors and wastes his time harassing and alienating the very people he needs to be working with instead of against.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on today’s Meet the Press, “I think it’s going to be fun to work with him [Corker], especially now that he’s announced that he’s not running for reelection, because I think it sort of unleashes him to do whatever and say whatever he wants to say.” Well, perhaps, but I might rather see an adult in the White House, working toward goals that are in the best interest of the nation and the world, rather than this petty, grade-school style bickering.

If there is anything good that may come of this it is that perhaps even more members of Congress will begin to shed their rose-coloured glasses and see Trump for what he is.  But don’t hold your breath, friends.

Another Strike Against Women …

Posted on by under Political commentary, Social commentary

I am beginning to wonder why we have Congress at all, for it seems that Trump and his administration are doing pretty much whatever Trump wants done without the approval of our elected officials.  Executive orders and cabinet-level decisions have become the norm, bypassing the legislative branch altogether.

Legislative:  having the power to make laws

By now you have all heard the news, that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “rolled back” (translation: eradicated) the ACA requirement that employer’s insurance plans cover contraception (birth control).  Now any company can refuse to provide insurance plans that include birth control based on ‘religious or moral’ grounds.  Let us not kid ourselves here … companies will indeed cite religious or moral grounds and they will indeed drop coverage of birth control, but the real reason will be because it will save them money.  General Motors is a company, owned by a group of shareholders, none of whom give a whit whether their employees use birth control or not.  But they do care about seeing the value of their stock go up, they do care about their dividend check.

I understand why some people have strong feelings about abortion.  It is, as it should be, a topic to be seriously considered, and while I fully support a woman’s right to choose, I can also see why others may feel differently.  But birth control???  In this, the 21st century, people still have moral objections to birth control? I do not believe that more than a very small percentage can actually wish a family to have an unlimited number of children that they can barely afford to feed.  I cannot believe that any thinking person wishes to see the population of the world soar, just as food supplies are diminishing due to the effects of climate change.  I have a hard time seeing that those people really want to be responsible for children being born into families where they will be abused and neglected.  If that is what the religious right are supporting, I really have to question the moral values they claim.

Does anybody besides me find it odd that there is such a hue and cry over birth control for women, yet nobody seems bothered, nobody says a word about the fact that a large number of insurance plans cover Viagra for men, a drug that has no actual medical benefit, but is merely for men’s … pleasure?  Am I the only one who sees a disparity here? Women’s economic, physical and emotional health vs. men’s pleasure.  Hmmmm … tell me again that it is not still a man’s world?

This action on the part of HHS will certainly be challenged, for already women’s health care groups are preparing lawsuits, and ultimately the issue is likely to end up on the docket of the Supreme Court.  Meanwhile, how many women will suffer? In light of today’s action, I would suggest that the Department of Health and Human Services should be renamed to the Department of Religious and Moral Services, for they have shown their disregard for both health and humans.

In August, Trump struck another blow against women’s rights when he suspended a proposed policy that would have required companies to disclose pay data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for the purpose of identifying gender and racial pay gaps.  This action, combined with today’s announcement are a reversal of rights that women have fought for in the past decades and set a course that is disturbing, to say the least.

But the even bigger aspect, as I see, is the fact that this administration has been busily abusing its power for more than eight long months, and one must ask the question:  what next?  I think it would be best if we return to having the legislative branch, Congress, make the laws based on what is best for the nation as a whole, not merely one segment of religious zealots.

When Is The Right Time To Discuss Gun Control? The Answer Is Anytime You Can

Posted on by under Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary

The NRA and its ‘bought-and-paid-for’ politicians, including leaders of both chambers of Congress, as well as the ‘man’ in the White House, have been busily telling us that it is a sacrilege, that it is profane, for us to discuss the need for stronger gun legislation at this time. They are dead wrong. Two blogger-friends have expounded on the need to have this discussion NOW, and I am re-blogging both, for they are both excellent pieces. Please, whether you agree or disagree that we have a gun-addiction problem in this country, take the time to read and ponder Keith and Gronda’s words, both of whom I agree with wholeheartedly. Thank you, Keith and Gronda, for your work, and permission to share.

Gronda Morin

Image result for photos of bump stocks that turn guns into machine guns

We have already heard ad nauseam the republicans’ talking point, that right now, so soon after the 10/1/17 Las Vegas Mass shooting tragedy, it is too soon to be discussing issues pertaining to gun control.

“We the people” who are part of the resistance, beg to disagree. We are certain that all those who are grieving because of loved ones suffering harm, would want us who are supportive of sensible gun control measures, tackling this issue head-on with no delay. They would want to save others from experiencing their pain.

Image result for photos of bump stocks that turn guns into machine guns

For example, I see no reason for “bump-stock” devices being an item that is legal to sell, especially when its sole purpose is to turn a rifle into a machine guns. Machine guns have been  illegal to purchase, if made after May 1986.

In Nevada, it is legal for a resident to own a machine gun. Under federal law…

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When is the right time?

Posted on by under Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary

The NRA and its ‘bought-and-paid-for’ politicians, including leaders of both chambers of Congress, as well as the ‘man’ in the White House, have been busily telling us that it is a sacrilege, that it is profane, for us to discuss the need for stronger gun legislation at this time. They are dead wrong. Two blogger-friends have expounded on the need to have this discussion NOW, and I am re-blogging both, for they are both excellent pieces. Please, whether you agree or disagree that we have a gun-addiction problem in this country, take the time to read and ponder Keith and Gronda’s words, both of whom I agree with wholeheartedly. Thank you, Keith and Gronda, for your work, and permission to share.

musingsofanoldfart

We should mourn the loss of innocent American lives at the hands of one shooter. We should offer our prayers, thoughts and support to the victims, injured, caregivers and their families and friends. And, we should demand from our lawmakers to act like parents and grandparents and to stiffen our gun governance.

NRA funded politicians, who unfortunately include the leaders of the two chambers of Congress and the White House, say now is not the time to discuss gun control. When is the time? The NRA is likely horse whispering in their ears to stiff arm the gun control proponents until the crisis abates. Then, lip service will be given to the subject as it is defeated once again, given the NRA’s ability to highly mobilize its confederation of zealous followers, even though they are small in number.

Speaker Paul Ryan has noted that it is more than a gun…

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The Rick & Bubba Show

Posted on by under Political commentary

rick-bubba-2Donald Trump does not like any of the news outlets that I like.  What a surprise, yes?  He calls such esteemed journalistic enterprises as The Washington Post and the New York Times, “failing”, “losers”, and “fake news”.  He likes Breitbart and Fox … and he seems to now have a new favourite, the “Rick & Bubba Show”, a syndicated radio program based in Alabama that airs across the South. The hosts bill themselves as the “two sexiest fat men alive.”  No, dear readers, I am not kidding. Can you imagine Presidents Obama or Bush appearing on the Rick & Bubba Show?

Yesterday, Trump did a 15-minute call-in interview with Rick & Bubba.  He spent a bit of time criticizing John McCain and Susan Collins, both of whom have said that they will not vote for the Graham-Cassidy bill that would rob millions of U.S. citizens of health care.  I find it interesting that even though Senator Rand Paul has also said he would not vote for the bill, Trump has not criticized him. His strongest condemnation was against Senator McCain …

bill“It’s disgusting. When I ran, I was told I’d have a bill on my desk and I’d sign it on Day 1. Now, when it matters because you have a president who is actually going to sign it, they don’t do it. And they pander, and they grandstand. You look at McCain — what McCain has done is a tremendous slap in the face to the Republican Party. Tremendous. He was good to go all the way up until 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning when he voted … Without John McCain, we already have the health care.”

A slap in the face to the Republican Party?  Am I the only one who sees a problem here?  John McCain, nor any of the other 534 members of Congress, answer to the Republican Party nor do they answer to Donald Trump!  Each and every member of Congress was voted into the office they hold by the constituents of their district, their state, by We The People.  For the record, the Graham-Cassidy bill is not a health care bill.  It would provide nothing and take away health care from tens of millions of people.

Perhaps it is time the members of our legislative branch woke up and realized that they are public servants, hired by the people and responsible to the people and their best interest.  A few get it, but it would seem, when there are some 49 Republican senators who are willing to vote for a bill that would take health care away from many of the very people who voted for them, they have obviously lost their way.  It is time we start preparing to oust these donkeys in 14 months!

Trump also used the interview to speak of his support of Luther Strange in today’s republican primary election for the open senate seat in Alabama.

“[Luther Strange] will absolutely win against the Democrat, whereas Ray’s [Roy Moore] going to have a hard time. If Ray wins, they’re going to pour in $30 million, like they did in Atlanta … The good new is I’m 5-0. I want to make it 6-0. I’m doing it really for the country. We can’t lose him.” 

One of the hosts corrected Trump’s misnomer, telling him that it is Roy Moore, not Ray, to which Trump replied …

“I don’t know Roy Moore at all. And I think it’s perhaps indicative when somebody doesn’t even know his name. You know, that’s not a good sign — for him.”

You have to at least chuckle a bit when Trump predicts the candidate will lose simply because he, Trump, cannot get his name right!  What an ego!

And then he took on Mitch McConnell, saying …

“As you know, Mitch is not, polling-wise, the most popular guy in this country. They like to label [Strange] because he happened to be there for a number of months in the Senate, so they like to label him as Mitch’s best friend but he’s not. He hardly even knows him. He’ll be fighting Mitch. I know he’s going to fight him on that ridiculous filibuster rule where you need 60 votes instead of 50 or 51. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. So that means we need eight Democrats, and the Republicans can end it. And Mitch wants to keep it, which is ridiculous by the way. But Mitch wants to keep it. How do you get votes? That means you get eight Democrats every time. It is absolutely insanity to keep it. The Republicans have a very slim margin.”

You can listen to the entire segment    if you’ve a mind to, but frankly I wouldn’t waste my time. As always, Trump is full of himself and says little of value.

My point in all this?  Simply this.  It is the way of a child to attempt to get his way by ranting, pouting and criticizing others.  The same behaviour is highly unbecoming, unprofessional and unacceptable in an adult, and most especially to a ‘man’ who holds in his hand the keys to the highest government office in a nation of more than 300 million people.  At a rally last July, Trump claimed, “With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that’s held this office.” He has not once proven those words in eight months in office, and I do not believe he is capable of doing so.

dennis-menaceThis nation is in a great deal of turmoil, both internally and internationally.  Trump has almost single-handedly caused a great divide among the citizens of the U.S., tensions are high, and violence threatens to erupt in many venues.  He has also escalated tensions between the U.S. and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, and it will require mega-doses of diplomacy to stabilize that situation.  We do not need this errant tyrant in the Oval Office, and we do not need boot-lickers and yes-men in Congress.  Anyone … anyone who thinks this situation is good for the country, should be required to take a crash course in both civics and the history of Germany in the 1930s.

I am annoyed with Democrats and Republicans

Posted on by under Political commentary

Blogger-friend Keith has written of his annoyance with the lack of responsibility to We The People in the halls of Congress and the White House … an annoyance that I completely recognize and share. Our elected representatives have left us out of consideration entirely, and are answering only to partisanship and their big-money lobbyists. Please take a moment to read Keith’s post … I am betting you will share his sentiments. Thank you, Keith, for putting into words the thoughts we are all thinking … and also for implicit permission to re-blog!

musingsofanoldfart

This post may be offensive to some of my followers, but I appreciate your comments should you disagree. As an Independent voter who left the Republican Party in 2006, but did not choose to rejoin the Democratic Party, I want our leaders to solve our problems and work together. We have gotten progressively worse with partisanship and that is not good, as we are attempting to solve problems with party rhetoric and not data and or common sense. Both sides are to blame, but I find more fault with my more recent former party given their support by a more active misinformation base parading as a mainstream news network.

Like many people, I do not fit into a nice compartment. I am fiscally conservative and socially progressive. I have these beliefs we need to pay for things and every citizen has equal rights and opportunity. Per Teddy Roosevelt, they need a ‘square…

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Son of a B#$%&!!!

Posted on by under Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

caduceusThe healthcare bill, known in the House of Representatives as the American Health Care Act, but more commonly called Trumpetcare, or Trumpcare, stood very little chance of passing the House, and even if it did, stood zero chance of passing the Senate.  According to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), some 24 million people are likely to lose their healthcare coverage once the bill is passed.  That in itself was reason enough for the bill to fail, and it needed some serious alterations before it would become palatable to We The People.  A number of representatives were committed to voting “nay” for that reason alone.  There was another group of uber-right-wing-conservatives, however, who felt the bill did not go far enough in stripping healthcare from the poor and middle-income citizens.

Trump, realizing that his bill was doomed to fail in today’s vote, understood (or, more likely, somebody explained to him) that changes would need to be made in order for the bill to stand a chance at surviving the initial vote.  So, he made a change.  No, he did not restore any of the benefits we previously had under ACA (Obamacare).  Instead he caved to the demands of the far-right, further stripping away any semblance of a universal healthcare bill.  He opted to remove federal requirements that health insurance plans provide a basic set of benefits like maternity care, emergency services, mental health and wellness visits.  So, in the simplest of terms, if your child is running a fever of 104° in the middle of the night and you need to take him to the emergency room, expect to pay, out of pocket, upwards of $500 just for a doctor to look at him, maybe do a strep test, give him some antibiotics and ibuprofen, then send him home.  Your insurance, unless you opt for the high-premium plan, will not cover it.  And God forbid that you get pregnant and expect your insurance to cover your monthly/weekly doctor’s visits, ultrasound, and other tests.

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Notice that there are only wealthy, white males making the decisions here …

Even with the change, legislators were not convinced they would have enough votes for the bill to pass this afternoon, so they delayed the vote until Friday morning, although some doubt that a vote will be held before Monday. As of this writing (7:00 p.m, Thursday 23 March) there are some 47 Republican representatives either undecided or planning to vote against the bill.  This is encouraging in that it says some have managed to remember who their employers truly are.

There are some level-headed people in the House.  Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts urged House Republicans to ‘slow down’, saying, “This health care repeal affects millions upon millions upon millions of Americans. Don’t jam a disastrous bill through the House with patched-up fixes.”  And Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said, “I believe this bill, in its current form, will lead to the loss of coverage and make insurance unaffordable for too many Americans, particularly for low- to moderate-income and older individuals.”  And Representative Andy Harris of Maryland said, “This legislation simply won’t lower premiums as much as the American people need, and lowering the cost of coverage is my primary goal.”

The delay in putting the bill to a vote is intended by boot-licking Republicans to give Paul Ryan a chance to talk the bill through … to convince holdouts to vote ‘yea’ instead of ‘nay’.  But, as noted by the New York Times Thursday evening, “as Mr. Trump and House leaders focus on the Republican Party’s conservatives, they are losing House moderates.”

Back on the campaign trail, as I have previously noted, Trump made certain, specific promises regarding universal healthcare:

“We’re going to have insurance for everybody. here was a philosophy in some circles that if you can’t pay for it, you don’t get it. That’s not going to happen with us.”

“I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid.”

“I am going to take care of everybody … Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.”

It appears that with the bill currently under consideration in the House of Representatives, each of the above promises is an alternative truth.  ‘Everybody’ will not have insurance, many of us will not be able to afford any health insurance, Medicaid will be cut out within the next two years, and Trump is taking care of nobody other than himself and his wealthy backers.

As of March 1, there are 237 Republicans in the House, and 193 Democrats.  What this means is that for a simple majority, it only requires that 23 Republican representatives remember to whom they answer and say ‘NAY’ when the vote comes up.

What happened to his promises?

Note to Trump supporters:  this bill will affect you just as much as anyone.  This is what you wanted?  Whether or not it is, your representatives apparently believe it is, and they are acting ‘on your behalf’, to shove this piece of crap legislation through the House with a speed that they have not seen during the entire past eight years!  I sincerely hope that you will be happy with the choices you made back in November, as this, my friends, is the result.  Enjoy the rest of your short lives.