Bombs and the attack on Democracy

On October 24, our democracy was attacked. That is not hyperbole. This is as real as it gets.

6 explosive devices were sent to 6 leaders of the opposition. The FBI, ATF, and other government agencies have stated that it appears more will be on the way. Think about that.

More bombs.

More violence.

Understand this. Bombs are not targeted weapons. They are designed for mass carnage. These were packed with glass and shrapnel. The bomber wanted to inflict mass death and injury.

Is this what we as a country want? Is this making America great again? And yes, I just took a rhetorical shot at the Trump administration.

All 6 intended victims are all people that this administration has targeted with rhetoric during rallies and tweets. From "Lock her up" to "I'll pay for your lawyer," this administration has encouraged attacks on those that oppose him. And now somebody has taken up arms in response and solidarity.

Now think about what this means. One of the intended targets was CNN and former CIA chief John Brennan. This was an attack on the free press and free speech rights that are the cornerstone of our democracy. This was an attempt to stifle the voice of opposition.

The voice of criticism.

The voice of the American ideal.

So what does this administration do? Do they denounce it in loudest and sternest way possible? They go out and complain about the rhetoric of those being targeted. Heck, an e-mail was sent out criticizing CNN as the police were defusing the bombs. And now (Oct 25), the President tweets that the Main Stream Media is responsible for these attacks. He admits to no responsibility that his own rhetoric may have added to it. In fact, at the rally, he started joking about how well behaved he was. You know who does that? My 5-year old.

And now, as I am writing this (Oct 25), 2 more bombs have been found. (Robert De Niro and Joe Biden)

This great democracy has survived over 240 years. We survived a war with ourselves. We survived great social upheavals. We have survived the greatest technological changes in the history of man. We can survive this, but only if people understand and use their Constitutional rights. We have to, no we must understand what is at stake here.

Those such as myself, who have opposed this President, have started looking at what we write, where it goes and the response it gets. I have joined the political discourse late in life and only recently. I have found myself nervous about even posting this. And this is what those bombs are intended to do. To stop people from talking and terrorize those that do.

After talking to my family, I will continue to add my voice to the discussion. I am but one voice and not a very loud one. But I refuse to stop being engaged. I refuse to stop using my Constitutional rights. And I refuse to walk in fear of another.

This is my country too. And I will be damned if I let anybody stop me from raising my voice. So bring it on, I'm ready for the fight. Are you?

A Fake Tax cut promise

Well, the President has promised a new middle class taxes cut by November 1 or sooner. I have to wonder if he thinks the American public is stupid or just his supporters.

But let's for a second assume that this is serious. There are a number of problems that any intelligent person can see.

The first issue is the timeline that he stated when is was going to be rolled out. He was on the White House grounds and announced it yesterday (Oct 21.). That means he has had at most, ten days to put it together and present it to the American people. The fact that this is such a blatant attempt at a voter buy off should in no way surprise people. Whenever he says that he will be announcing something 2 weeks’ time that is code for it never happening.

The next issue is the last tax cut. It went to businesses and the public got little to no tax savings. In fact, according to latest surveys, most employees did not see the pay increases that this administration promised would happen. The old now defunct trickle down economic theory.

To make matters worse, the great economic growth this was supposed to create, didn't happen. In fact, it has cause the US deficit to balloon to almost a trillion dollars. Yep, you read that correctly. That puts the US debt at over 22 Trillion dollars. So much for being solved in 8 years.

Now for the final point. Congress is not in session. They are on recess for the elections. They will not return until the week afterward, then take the Thanksgiving week off. Finally they work for the next 3 weeks. Then it is a new Congress. Not enough time to even think about a major bill like this, let alone pass it.

So why this announcement? This is a political strategy known has throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. Clinton used it just before the 94 election and we know how that turned out. Also, this is a way to drum up support for his base. He says what they want to hear, they show up and vote for his people on November 6.

If you are a supporter of the man, stop buying the lies and false promises. Your lives are not better off under this man.

Not supporter? Then you had better get out and vote. Are you under 30? Vote. Or people like me or the Trump supporters will determine your future. This is the time to seize your future.

Vote on November 6!

Are you better off than 4 years ago?

Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-SC) asked if you are better off economically better now than 2 years ago. A fair question for politics and life in general. Let's look at the numbers.

Gas prices are up. And they are now going to continue to increase due the increasing problems in the Middle East. Natural Gas prices are starting to rise. This is the chief fuel for heating and power generation.

Food prices are up. Don't believe me? Grab a receipt from last year and compare it to this year. And they will continue to go up due to gas prices. And farmers are suffering and watching their crop rot in the fields. (Can't get workers due to immigration crackdown)

Those wonderful tax cuts? A majority of them went to executive pay and stock buybacks. Simply put, your CEO got a pay raise and the company bought the stock to artificially raise the price (which gave your CEO an even higher pay raise). A lot people did not get a tax break or a pay raise. And over the next two years, expect your taxes to go back up, unless you are an one percenter or a company.

Prices for cars and electronics are rising due to the tariffs. And more are on the way. After the first of the year car prices are going up by 2000-3000 (Ford has already lost $1 billion and will be laying off a lot of people. ).

Because of the end of Net Neutrality, expect your internet access to increase in price. That means your streaming service will need to raise prices to get to the top of the heap. Social Media will now be selling more commercials.

Now all these price increases have a name.

Inflation.

And with that, the fed is raising the interest rates. That means credit card rates, mortgages, lines of credit, car loans, and general loans will start going up. The market will start (and has started) to drop because of it. And when it does, there goes your 401k.

The budget deficit is increasing at an alarming rate. When this happen, the value of the currency declines. Don't believe me on this one? Look at the economies of South America for the last 30 years. With that devalued currency, look for the increased prices in imports. And it is already happening.

So Senator Tillis, in response to your question, no we are not better off than we were two years ago. We are worse and are head down a economic hole. I will be voting against your party. You have proven that you party does not care.

November 6 is Election Day. Make the time to vote.

Rape and the numbers

On another person's wall, the owner posted a meme about girls having to protect themselves versus teaching boys to respect girls. It immediately devolved in a series of complaints on false accusations.

So, let's get some facts out there for the knuckle draggers. But it won't matter. They appear to think that every report of sexual assault or harassment is a false accusation. But I'm going to place the fact out there in the faint hope they might learn something.

81% of women have reported being harassed. Look at that number. For every 5 women in your life, 4 of them have been harassed. Cat calls, unwanted advances, touches, and sexual threats are just some of things these women have had to endure.

Now let's take it to the next step. Out of those 5 women in your life, 1 of them has been the victim of sexual assault. Simply put, rape.

An ugly thought isn't it. Let's make it even worse. For every 5 victims, 4 of them were raped before the age of 25. Not ugly enough? Alright, how about this. Of those 5 victims, 2 of them were below the age of 18.

Think about those numbers for a minute. That means that I guarantee that you know somebody who was either harassed or assaulted.

Now the President and his supporters have you would have you believe that every accusation is a false one. But let's look at the real numbers.

Out of 100 reported assaults, 3 are proven false. 97 are actual assaults.

97.

So, what is the real problem?

Men need to teach their sons respect for women. Men need to support women when they report these crimes. That means being witnesses to the police and at the trial. They need to stop other men and report crimes to the police.

Yes, allegations need to be thoroughly investigated. Thoroughly. That means no comments about her dress or drinking. No asking why it took so long to report. No old boy network. No investigators, prosecutors, or judges with links to the accused.

Men are not under assault. Women are. Time to wake up and realize that.

The President and hurricanes

OK, raise your hands if you remember Donald Trump complaining (via Twitter) about Obama going to a rally while Hurricane Sandy was hitting New Jersey and New York?

Now guess where the President is tonight?

Bueller? Bueller?

Yep, he is at a rally in Pennsylvania. He claimed that he didn't have a choice. He said that people had lined up overnight to see him. Nobody could find a single person that had waited in line.

Hey Trump! You are the freaking president. Try thinking about the people in the path of a natural disaster. Stop stroking your ego.

And you wonder why the country doesn't like you.

Impeachment (Part 2)

OK, I have been reading on many people's pages about impeachment. There is this mistaken belief that impeachment is a magical thing that will remove Trump and Kavanagh.

Let's first talk about what impeachment is. (The process later) Impeachment is the Congress indicting a political figure of high crimes and misdemeanors. What those crimes are is a political decision. It was left purposely vague.

Impeachment is not, I repeat, not the removal somebody. That requires a trail by the Senate. Two Presidents (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton) and an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court (Samuel Chase - 1804) were impeached but not removed.

The founders believed that impeachment was the avenue of last resort. They wanted Congress and the Judiciary to be a check on a runaway Executive, with the voters removing the Congress and Executive if they going against the will of the people. They never planned on the courts and the Legislative in league with the President.

Now the process for removal is straightforward. A committee (or subcommittee) recommends an article of impeachment. The entire House votes for impeachment. A simple majority is needed. It is then sent to the Senate. A trail is held. 67 Senators must vote guilty for removal.

There is the key to this entire discussion.

67 Senators.

67.

In the current environment, do you honestly think any of the Republicans would even think about removing Trump or Kavanagh? Do you really?

Think about this. Historically, the party that brings it about suffers in the next election. The Dems talk a good game, but they will not bring an impeachment process. The real strength will be blocking appointments, controlling the purse strings, and having subpoena power to investigate. Impeachment is fraught with political dangers.

Want the blue wave to happen? Well you got 30 days do something and then Election Day. So, what to do. Give some monies to your favorite candidate. Got no money? Buy the cheap coffee for the next few weeks and give the money saved to the candidate. Put a lawn sign up. The money for buying the sign goes to the candidate. Tell your friends about your candidate. Heck, tell the people that don't like you.

On November 6, go and vote. Have friends that can vote but can't get to a polling place? Offer rides to friends and neighbors. Little things add up and turn into big results.

Do you want to look into the eyes of your children and grandkids to tell them which side of history you were on? Then make the right choice.

Vote!