The Trump Administration seems to have a knack for finding a new low in scheming, criminal efforts and unethical childish behavior. We believe that inflation, Iran, Immigration, elections, retribution and every other move made by Trump or his minions is designed to deflect from the release of the Epstein files. Put another way, Epstein revelations will clearly destroy Trump and his MAGA nut jobs when specific proof can be presented to the voters that Trump was a full-services Epstein client. He can survive the Iran war, inflation, immigration and every other unethical and ill-conceived action but Epstein. Think about it. Trump will be impeached, tried, and convicted and the aftermath GOP fallout will be substantial. Now you can see why he will do anything to control the midterm elections. For him, it’s win or impeachment and probably jail. His desperation is off the charts so expect any magnitude of distraction. He might even start a war with other countries to push Epstein off the front page.
We are presenting the following observations in no specific order. As always, we work from known facts to comment on possible next steps. You will not see these comments on any media outlet because they don’t want the threat of a lawsuit hanging over their heads. But we can speculate.
EPSTEIN UPDATE
There are various Democratic moves going on as we write this comment. Victims will speak out against Todd Blanche today for his failure to pursue the release of the files and his unwillingness to “sign off” on the elimination of the thug fund weaponization money. We also note that Thomas Massie, who once led the charge to the Epstein file room, is suddenly silent. It appears that the health issues of Mitch McConnell have given him hope that he could win McConnell’s senate seat if Mitch cannot continue. To do that, Massie would surely need the support of the Kentucky GOP machine. So it looks like the Epstein files will need to wait until that issue is decided. Massie shows himself to be just another politician who puts selfish needs ahead of America. What a shame it worked out like this.
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
As November nears we have another incredible dilemma unfolding. Trump knows that losing control of Congress spells the end of his political life and maybe his personal freedom. This all came about because of the unfavorable actions he (and Stephen Miller) have taken to destroy the fabric, laws and ethical behavior of America. Tomorrow he will continue his plan to sow the seed of doubt in voters minds that the upcoming elections need to be controlled by Washington (that is, by him). He has already laid the foundation by seizing the Georgia 2020 ballots, repeatedly claiming that election tampering is real (it isn’t), and by pushing his Save America Act which severely limits eligibility to vote. The question needs to be asked: If elections are so vulnerable to tampering but you were elected with a tainted process–why change? It worked in your favor before. The answer goes back to what we said above. His actions over the first 18 months of Trump’s second term have been disastrous and voters know it. They may not all admit it it–but they know it. Watch for his “revelation” of “facts” on Thursday, July 16th, to “prove” that he needs to count the votes and tell us who won. DON’T BE FOOLED. He is a sociopathic liar who is seriously desperate to retain control of Congress. He will say or do anything to convince you. Allow rebuttal to his speech before you make a final decision. Two things to keep in mind. In previous elections, numerous audits, recounts and lawsuits have found virtually NO EVIDENCE that free and fair elections were tampered with. And secondly, Obama oversaw the Trump election process in 2016 and Biden oversaw the 2024 elections from an Administration duty viewpoint. The only election Trump oversaw was the 2020 election where he lost to Joe Biden. That should also tell you something about the need to change a proven voting system.
THE IRAN “WAR”
“The war is over–we won.” said Trump. So why are we still bombing them every night and they are firing missiles and blocking the Strait of Hormuz? There is no doubt in our minds that China (and maybe Russia and India) are helping Iran as they lose money by resisting the US attacks. Most of the Iranian oil export goes to India and China, And Russia wants to make sure Trump focuses on Iran and Ukraine fades from his tunnel vision. Think about this. Trump is depriving China and India of oil just like he is depriving Cuba of Venezuelan oil. We all can see how difficult life in Cuba is these days and it will continually worsen until Venezuela resumes oil shipments. That’s how China and India must be reacting to the Iran blockage. Two comments: (1) Iran is the world leader in terrorism and they have sworn to kill Trump; (2) it is widely known that VP Vance was never in favor of attacking Iran and is next in line if Trump falters. Can you see the obvious target on Trump’s back? We hope his “excursion” can be settled without any further bloodshed but with Trump trying to save face–that seems highly unlikely.
THE SCOTUS BIRTHRIGHT DECISION
The US Supreme Court recently decided 5-4 that Trump could not rescind the birthright provision contained in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. He tried an Executive Order but SCOTUS said “no”. The significance of this is scary. If SCOTUS had allowed an Executive Order to change the law of the land would Trump have attempted to eliminate the two term limit for Presidents to serve? Would Trump be able to suspend habeas corpus without any conditions? Trump would have become what Hitler became when Germany passed the Enabling Act to satisfy Hitler. The first action Hitler took was to eliminate the German legislature. Would Trump–who by his own admission reads Hitler’s Mein Kampf every night–have disbanded Congress? And remember, this birthright decision was only 5 to 4. One more SCOTUS justice voting for the Executive Order could have signaled the end of the democracy. We came that close.
THE AMERICAN ECONOMY AND THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
We are providing these two topics together because, for the first time in our history, they are suspiciously linked. First, it must be said that Trump controls all the stats we see coming out of any and all Federal agencies/departments. He has fired all the seasoned pros who did the work for years on a purely apolitical basis. No one “cooked the books” and we all felt confident that the numbers were accurately presented. Enter Trump. He disbanded several departments and fired several key members. Then he replaced them with loyalists, campaign donors and GOP cronies…all inexperienced and unqualified. Then he told them what to present, when to present it and how to sneakily change the calculations so that his planning could be supported by their fraudulent statistical output. Some numbers you can’t hide. The price of gas, beef, milk, etc. are pretty obvious but even those numbers can be artificially tainted so that it looks like the economy is growing and improving. Example: Expect that in the third quarter (July, August and September, Trump’s BLS numbers will show inflation dropping, new job creation (no one can verify that number), unemployment improving (another uncheckable stat) and any other positive economic signs that will cause you to support GOP candidates with your vote. DON’T BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!! The man is a liar and this manipulation of economic info is designed to create an impression that his economic policies are working. FYI, the Big Beautiful (UGLY) Bill eliminated food benefits for 4.7 million people. So–to hide the food insecurity impact–the Trump team at the US Department of Agriculture changed the system it has been using for the last 30 years to measure how significant hunger is among lower income citizens. The result is a total misleading of the public on the negative impact Trump caused by the same law that gave a huge tax break to his billionaire buddies. By the way that story was buried deep in the printed newspapers so Trump wouldn’t be offended by its revelation. Do you see how it works? A final thought…we were told that the very brief (non-existent?) ceasefire with Iran caused inflation to drop from 2.9% to 2.6% in one month. Sorry, that can’t happen that quickly. Gas prices may have come down during the ceasefire but the oil that was in the pipeline carried the same cost prior to and after June. The only way gas prices could have dropped is if Trump asked his oil exec buddies to reduce their exorbitant profits for a short time to make him look good. Your blog editor has a degree in economics and has checked with other objective sources on this and the 100% agreement is inflation cannot adjust downward/upward 10% (2.9 to 2.6) in one month…never happened before and will never happen. TRUST NOTHING TRUMP PUBLISHES. HE IS A LIAR.
SENATE PERSONNEL CHANGES?
By now we have all heard that Lindsey Graham, Senator from South Carolina, died from an apparent heart malfunction. Death, especially sudden death, is always traumatic to those who surrounded your orbit. We have sympathy for Senator Graham’s family and friends. The Trump comments notwithstanding, he served his country for many years. He was an Air Force lawyer for three decades and therein lies our summation of the man. Earlier this year Trump called out 6 senators who placed an ad telling members of the military that they were not responsible for carrying out illegal orders. Graham said nothing when Trump (who he talked with daily) threatened to charge those members of Congress with treason–a crime punishable by death. Then Trump authorized a bombing of Venezuelan fishing boats and defended a “double tap”–the deliberate killing of shipwrecked survivors of the first attack. Again, Graham, the lawyer, said nothing. This silence is particularly disturbing when we heard Graham say in the relation to the Jan 6 riot “I’ve had it, this is too much”. Trump never forgot those words and held it against Graham when asked for his reaction to the Graham death. He gave Graham a 99 out of 100 simply because Graham said what every honest person saw and heard on Jan 6. That reflects sorely on Trump. Bottom line: Graham was a sycophant who sacrificed his integrity, and we assume his self-respect, to display a traitorously flawed character. When he could have done the ethical thing he turned his back. His tombstone should read “I failed to do my job”.
Regarding Mitch McConnell, we believe he is either deceased or totally incapacitated. The GOP doesn’t want to reveal is condition and is so incompetent that they tried to display a picture of Mitch and his wife via an artificial intelligence rendering. He’s wearing the same shirt he was wearing in other published pictures and his smile is the same. And the medical details on his condition seem to be sealed. It would not be a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to provide the American people with his ability to return to his senatorial role. A five minute telephone conversation with Governor Andy Beshear (Kentucky) would suffice. The GOP is manipulating the info but it will be divulged at a later date–probably when it suits GOP purposes. We think the resurrection of Thomas Massie as a potential candidate to replace Mitch suggests that Mitch will never return to his duties. This is another GOP stalwart who shirked his responsibilities by putting his own self-interests and those of his Party over the welfare of America. Whatever happens in the near term, Mitch has also soiled his legacy by abandoning his duties on Jan 6, the two impeachment trials and his leadership to pass the Trump legislative agenda. Shame on you, Mitch. You could have shone so brightly but you turned away.
VALUE OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE AMERICAN FARMER’S LOT
Trump has spared no corner of the economy with his stupid moves. His tariffs have diminished grain exports and at the same time raised the cost of fertilizers. By almost completely shutting down the sale of soybeans and other produce to China, he has caused China to seek and find other sources. Some of the tariffs have been reduced but the drop in Chinese grain imports is still a burden. To add to that effect, the Trump immigration policies have severely reduced the number of migrant workers who harvested much of the field production. They have been detained (most illegally), deported or just gone into hiding. This limits the yield per acre and causes much of the harvest to be plowed under. Of course, a reduced supply means higher prices for all of us. A recent study showed that “countries labor productivity grew significantly during and after periods of higher immigration rates”. And one final blow to the farmer…climate change has been producing catastrophe-like weather conditions across the country. Devastating wild fires, higher temps than normal and inconsistent rain patterns have made growing a real “crap shoot” as one farmer put it. Higher temps wring humidity from the air mass and exaggerate rainfall totals. Hence we have all the mid-America (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, etc.) flooding that washes away millions of tons of ready-to-harvest product. Again, the perfect storm that can all be traced back to White House stupidity.
THE GROWING PROBLEM OF MEDICAL COSTS
Medical costs will escalate as long as Americans eat too much, drink excessively, use drugs, and generally ignore the health implications on their own bodies. But now the BBB law has deprived millions of people of Medicaid coverage and has eliminated subsidies to ObamaCare–causing many millions more to lose coverage. As one individual told us, “My cost for the ObamaCare plan went from $400/month to $1,400/month. I had to drop the coverage and hope nobody in the family gets sick”. As the year rolls on, more people are expected to drop coverage. As this trend continues, it presents just another reason for Trump wanting to control midterm elections. he knows that voters on the verge of medical bill bankruptcy will not support GOP candidates. As we’ve said before, 80% of personal bankruptcies are filed because the individual could not pay their medical bills. AND THIS WAS BEFORE THE BBB ELIMINATING COVERAGE WAS PASSED. Imagine what these stats will look like next year–if Trump doesn’t rig the reporting system.
DETENTION CENTERS (CONCENTRATION CAMPS)
Under the Trump Immigration policy ICE has deported over 470,000 people, many to countries where they have never lived, do not speak the language, have no contacts and no job prospects. Many are exiled to dangerous environments where life is cheap and they have no defense. Also, the vast majority of these people have NO CRIMINAL RECORD. They are not “the worst of the worst”. In addition, detention centers currently hold over 60,000 inmates in 2,000 facilities across the US. Some of these detainees are being held for 6 months with no charges filed against them (in violation of the habeas corpus provision of the US Constitution). Many of these facilities are owned by private companies that have Federal contracts worth from $500 to $600 million annually. (Owners of these facilities have proven contributions in huge amounts to GOP candidates, including Trump). The cost to house these inmates is approximately $4 billion annually. With all the attendant additional costs, the total cost during the Trump second term is estimated at $45 billion. The question is: what does America gain by this policy? The answer is WE LOSE. We lose productive workers who are overwhelmingly criminal-record free. We lose because we take billions away from providing Medicaid and ObamaCare coverage to lower income people. We lose by jeopardizing the survivability of the American farmer. He/she have fewer hands at the harvest so their per acre output is reduced. Because output is lower higher prices result leading to higher inflation. We lose by not accomplishing the stated Trump goal of re-establishing manufacturing in America. Fewer than 10.000 new manufacturing jobs have been created in the last 18 months. And we lose the once proud image of welcoming those whose homeland has been taken over by unscrupulous and dangerous factions. Whatever happened to Ellis Island? The costs shown above exclude the cost of 470,000 deportees annually. And the daily cost is a minimum because inedible food, no medical care and harsh treatment are not factored in. THIS IS WHAT YOUR ELECTED OFFICALS ARE SANCTIONING. IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT? IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN TO GROW UP IN? WE HOPE NOT.
AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY AND AN OPTIMISTIC WISH
Our final post is a recognition and appreciation of America’s 250th birthday. The grand experiment conceived in infancy by honest pilgrims has not only survived its birth. It has grown into a role model for the world. For all of the faults of the present Administration, we are still America, the leader in inventions, scientific discoveries, vaccines, space programs, and all sorts of invisible positives that we take for granted every day. Some days we stumble on a glimpse of the possibilities that could happen if only the world’s countries learned to collaborate instead of fight. Imagine what we could accomplish if the whole world’s scientists worked together to find a cure for cancer; or to explore the planets; or to solve energy problems; or to provide for the millions of homeless and starving among us. Diversity is the common thread that gives us hope and fuels us in that effort. Different people with different training, skills, experience and attitudes coming together to address a common problem present a multitude of possible solutions. But that can only happen if we act like responsible human beings and learn that helping each other is better than killing each other. How tough can that be, and yet, after several hundreds of years, we revert to petty jealousies and try yo outdo the other guy? When will we learn the golden rule works for countries as well as individuals? Yes, as we celebrate our 250th we have reason to be proud–but not too proud. If we are to leave a better world for our descendants we must start now to trust and respect each other. Building on that foundation will guarantee that better world. Happy Birthday, America!! And many more to come!!!
UNTIL NEXT TIME….
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