For the past several months every thinking American has expected the Republican Party to try to rig the midterm elections. All the non-Fox affiliates addressed the issue by reporting on gerrymandering, gutting the 1964 Civil Rights Act, various US Supreme Court decisions favoring Trump interests, threatening to sue if the GOP candidate doesn’t win (a DOJ mandate from Trump) and other staffing changes at the local levels with steadfast Trumpian supporters and 2020 election deniers. Well, glad to say, the noose around Trump’s neck is tightening as polls plummet. It is now predicted that–assuming a fair election–the Dems will control the House of Representatives and have a shot at controlling the Senate. And so the big steal ratchets up a notch. The following posts are in random order but we ask that you observe midterm election news with a jaundiced eye. THIS IS THE ELECTION THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE ITS CORRUPTION, DESTRUCTION OF OUR ECONOMY, ALIENATE FOREIGN ALLIES EVEN MORE, AND EMBRACE RUTHLESS NATIONS LIKE RUSSIA, CHINA, AND NORTH KOREA. We strongly recommend that you ignore the fake rumors that people like Elon Musk and others are cramming down your throat in the hopes that you’ll swallow their lies and vote Republican. DO NOT BE SWAYED. BILLIONAIRES CANNOT AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU HATE PAYING $4.50 FOR A GALLON OF GAS AND HIGHER PRICES ON VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING ELSE.
A US ECONOMY UPDATE
Because the economy impacts 99.5% of all Americans, we start with an update. As suggested above, inflation is growing rapidly because of tariffs and the illegal Iran war. We are looking at a 4.3% annual rate. When you consider that the 4.3% EXCLUDES THE COST OF FOOD AND GAS (because Trump changed the Bureau of Labor Statistics rules) the 4.3% is significantly UNDERSTATED. Add to that the fact that wages are increasing at somewhere around 2.5% and the result is obvious. Americans are losing purchasing power. It hasn’t completely shown up because families are using credit cards to buy what they once paid cash out-of-pocket. Credit card balances are at an all-time high. Property foreclosures are higher than ever. And auto repossessions are increasing rapidly. Our economy is a sinking ship and Trump continues to poke holes in the hull. Unemployment is growing, The percentages don’t tell the whole story because a slight decrease in unemployment fails to account for the reality that more people are in the labor force-so more people are unemployed than the stats show. The overall measure of an economy is the value of its Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. Economists tell us that a 3% annual growth is the goal so that the economy can create enough new jobs to absorb the growth in job hunters annually. Well, our GDP-since Trump’s reign began–is a steady 2.2%, hardly anything to brag about. And, the final straw is that the Federal Open Market Committee raised interest rates for the first time in 3+ years to combat inflation. The ripple affect of this move has sent mortgage rates soaring to 7.5% for a 30 year mortgage. Obviously, this dampens home sales and stifles purchases of big ticket items like appliances, cars, etc. In conclusion, the Trump unnecessary tariffs and the Iran war–both voluntary acts by Trump–will guarantee economic disaster near and long term for all but billionaires. We predict a recession after the first quarter of 2027 unless corrective measures are initiated immediately. Your choice on November 3rd makes all the difference.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FAILURES
- The measles outbreak is quickly reaching epidemic proportions. Several people have died. Thousands have been hospitalized and school induced closeness threatens to spread this once fully-contained disease around the country. This is the result of the idiots we have in charge of our health. RFK Jr.–backed by a moronic president–insists that vaccines be avoided. This is contrary to every medical and scientific research report EVER CONDUCTED. So, we ask, why do so many people listen to unqualified, inexperienced hacks when their health and the health of their family and friends are at stake?
- Katie Zacharia, the recently departed Press Secretary, is a perfect example of poor choices. Yes, she had no clue about the job. Yes, she made a mess of her words. Yes, she was nervous but that should have been part of the selection process. She fits right in with Kristi Noem, RFK Jr., Pete Hegseth, Mehmet OZ, Pam Bondi, Markwayne Mullin, Tom Homan, etc. None of them are qualified to do the work they were hired for. Their failures are obvious.
- The banishment of media networks from White House briefings is another example of many failures. First, it violates the First Amendment of the Constitution–freedom of speech. Second, it robs the American people of their right to know what their elected officials are doing. Third, it allows fake social media posts to fill the void of real news and blocks voters ability to confirm/disaffirm whatever they hear. The courts fixed this issue but Trump will continue to antagonize any reporter who tests his knowledge with words of more than one syllable.
- The Lindsey Graham law was passed to prevent any nation we do business with from funding Putin’s war with Ukraine. Less than a month after it was passed, Trump signed an Executive Order that removed trade sanctions against Russia. Next he started making energy and other deals with Russian oligarchs and–to prove his loyalty to Putin–he ordered the suspension of the Starlink defense system for Ukrainian use against Russia. The failure here has led to a huge increase in Ukrainian civil casualties and a fraying of the bond among NATO allies. The president said he didn’t know who ordered the suspension of Starlink. Do you really believe that the president didn’t know that? Just another lie. Trump’s allegiance to Putin has put all of Europe on notice that America is not only abandoning their democratic form of government, it has opened the door for Putin to leverage NATO survival as winter draws near. Remember, Trump makes deals and, with the power of his office and the US military, he holds all the cards.
- We want to comment on another Executive Order because we think the mass media has overlooked a major angle. Trump recently established a Whistleblower program. Under this program, any government employee who reports fraud, misuse or theft of public funds is eligible to receive 1% of recovered monies–no limit. Kind of a bounty hunter co-worker image. Think about this. The Trump Administration has been plagued by multiple leaks of inside information. They have been unsuccessful finding and plugging those leaks. (This is just another sign of their incompetence.) But now, with a financial incentive, any government employee has a reason to report internal shenanigans to Trump instead of going to the media. This will cause every Federal, state and local employee to re-think how tax revenue is handled within their purview. They can dream about big money if they just “rat” on their co-workers. The distinction here is simple: Whistleblowers in the past blamed government procedures for wasting tax revenue but now they are encouraged to catch their co-workers in criminal acts. The other note is that public employees can help the incompetent Trump Administration to hide their own grifting. Imagine an employee who sees failure to request competitive bids to repair the Lincoln Reflecting Pool and reports it under this program. How do you think the program will handle that whistleblower? It’s a poorly thought out program with major negative implications; but what would you expect from a mind like Stephen Miller?
THE MIDTERM ELECTION RIGGING EFFORT
Today it was announced that the Trump Department of Justice is suing the state of Alaska to prevent it from certifying the election results UNLESS THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE WINS. Their position is that with two opposing candidates–both named Dan Sullivan–voter confusion could happen. Yes, that may be true. But why sue ONLY IF YOUR GUY LOSES? Does the DOJ not care about voter confusion if the GOP candidate wins? This is just the beginning of a bloody and distasteful voting season. If anyone had any doubts about the Trump weaponizing of the DOJ, let him/her now recognize how blatantly corrupt the Blanche DOJ is and how desperate Trump is. Alaska is a sparsely populated wilderness. What do you think Trump has planned for Texas, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio and Maine? Expect a lot of dirty tricks, fake news, attempts to blacken the reputations of Democratic candidates–anything he can muster.
AMY ACTON FOR GOVERNOR OF OHIO
By now, most people have heard the furor or seen the ad put out by the Ramaswamy campaign. It shows Amy Acton’s Mother calling her a liar. For the record–and this has all been verified–Dr. Acton was raped repeatedly when she was 12 or 13 years old by her stepfather. The court intervened and did the rare move of taking Amy and her brother, Phil, away from their biological Mother. They tried to indict the stepfather who fled the state and was never pursued. As an adult, Amy excelled in her studies and earned a medical degree. She served as the Ohio State Director of Health and was well-respected for her medical capability. Despite living in many different homes while growing up, including a bout of homelessness, this woman overcame incredible odds to become a stable, capable and contributing member of society. But now her opponent has dredged up the unfit Mother for political purposes–forcing Amy to re-visit that horrific time in her life. How low can a candidate go to publicize child rape and a disgruntled old woman who was judged unfit a long time ago? In typical GOP fashion, Vance and Trump don’t want us to see the story for what it was intended to be—a character lynching. Even Governor DeWine (pronounced “Da-weeny”) while denouncing the ad is still publicly supporting Amy’s opponent–the slimy and desperate individual who establishes a new low level of worth every time he speaks. Our hope is that intelligent people see this episode as a model of the Republican agenda and vote accordingly.
OHIO’S OTHER RACE: THE SENATE
While we’re focused on Ohio, let’s talk about the race for the US Senate. John Husted is the Republican candidate and Sherrod Brown is the Democratic candidate. All you need to know about this race is that John Husted took documented bribes from the First Energy utility in return for favors when he was Lt. Governor of Ohio. He also received more than $136,000 in campaign contributions from Jeffrey Epstein. Enough said…you figure it out. Sherrod Brown’s big “no-no” is that he favors the working people of Ohio and his multiple terms in the US Senate are overlooked. No sniff of corruption on his record. The GOP couldn’t find any.
CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS
The US Supreme Court is taking up an interesting climate change case. A 2021 Colorado wildfire took 1,100 homes and killed two people. The state is suing energy utilities that use fossil fuel. The state’s position is that the impact of fossil fuels is to dry out former wetlands, snow fields and other areas making for the likelihood of wildfires. Colorado says it has proof of the fossil fuel drying out effect and experts are lining up to support their claim. If the Supreme Court concludes that fossil fuels are the cause of wildfires the current EPA regs will need to be changed to accommodate the agenda they currently oppose. Trump just provided a $700 million grant to the coal industry…why, for votes, of course. We also remind the readers that the Supreme Court is usually a Trump ally. Stay tuned. Let’s see IF SCOTUS can be fair this time.
MORE DESPERATION ON THE STUMP
Trump recently told an Eastern Kentucky rally crowd that he will direct a $100 million plant be built in their area that will create hundreds of new jobs–IF THE REPUBLICANS RETAIN CONTROL OF CONGRESS AFTER THE ELECTION. He said he would direct the Secretary of War (We did not know we had a Secretary of War. Hegseth???) to use the funds for a pharmaceutical plant. Why Hegseth is involved with drugs is unclear? But, what is not unclear, is the blatant bribery offer that has zero chance of being paid. Just another example of corruption and desperation.
A WORD ABOUT IMMIGRANTS
The only GOP issue is immigration so let’s examine reality. Foreign-born workers make up about 19% of the US workforce, They are heavily employed in construction, agriculture and hospitality. Undocumented immigrants pay nearly $100 billion in Federal, state and local taxes annually. (Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy) And their pay is docked for Social Security (although it is doubtful any will receive it), Medicare (Part B), and unemployment insurance. In sum, unauthorized workers net contribution to the economy is a large positive number. If we look at crime, using 140 years of data (1870 through 2010), immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than native-born citizens. Even Texas reports that unauthorized immigrants are arrested for violent, drug and property crimes at rates substantially lower than native-born residents (Source: Migration Policy Institute). On the flip side, it costs between $26,000 and $ 70,000 to detain and deport an illegal immigrant (Source: Penn Wharton Budget Model). And when you subtract the immigrants from crop harvesting you cost farmers whatever those extra hands could have produced. Just another blow to the American farm belt. And, ask any Nursing home administrator how many employees they have lost since Trump’s deportation policy took effect. Finally, how many unauthorized immigrants have gone into hiding to avoid capture and what impact has that had on their value to our economy? This posting was gleaned from a recent letter to the editor who spelled out the real immigrant value and, in doing so, exploded many myths. Immigrants, in the vast majority, came here looking for safety, freedom from persecution and a decent life for themselves and their families. They aren’t the rapists and murderers that Trump says they are. And his deportation policies do not net the “worst of the worst”. It’s time we re-read the Ellis Island quote as a memory refresher. We were right then and we are so wrong now. Remember that on November 3rd.
YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE. YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ON THE BALLOT. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU THAT ANY VOTE FOR ANY REPUBLICAN MEANS HIGHER PRICES, THE CONTINUATION OF THE IRAN WAR AND THE ABANDONMENT OF UKRAINE TO RUSSIAN DOMINATION, THE WASTING OF TAX MONEY ON BALLROOMS, GOLF COURSES, STATUES, AND ARCHES, THE ILLEGAL DETENTION OF THOUSANDS OF IMMIGRANTS, CONSTANT VIOLATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL OATH OF OFFICE AND THE CONSTITUTION, AND CORRUPTION BEYOND ALL IMAGINATION. IF YOU’RE UNHAPPY ABOUT THE STATE OF THE UNION, STAND UP AND VOICE YOUR OPINION. VOTE AND HOPE THAT THE TRUMP REIGN CAN BE ENDED.
A VOTE FOR DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES IS THE CURE FOR AMERICA. REMEMBER THAT NOVEMBER 3rd.
Until next time…
YOUR BLOG EDITORS
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