Why support Trump?
American voters are used to going to the polls to pull a lever for a compromise. Too often we are faced with no real choice of policy change or alteration in the direction for our nation. We are forced to choose from among several less than ideal options. The American system is not a true democracy...or perhaps even a fair representative one. The recent circus-like events in both the Republican and Democrat nomination elections this season have exposed the ugly behind the scenes certainty of just how much our systems favors the super wealthy, the autocrats and oligarchs. Our founders did not favor us with a parliamentary system in which the voter has a better chance to elect a more representative government. So we often must just make do. This time, perhaps by lucky happenstance we do have actual options. Mr. Trump, though not an ideal candidate, still he provides us with a rare opportunity to change the course of government for the better.
How and why?
Trump is the non-politician that the founders may have envisioned as our representatives when they crafted our Constitution. He is perhaps the only candidate who actually has a record of achievement in the real world. He is demonstrably a successful businessman and multibillionaire. He has worked all his adult life at growing and managing a business empire. He comes with exceptional experience and skills in several areas which would stand him in good stead in both the Oval Office and in front of the TV cameras as a political leader.
Trump also "thinks out of the box". He sees problems as a businessman and has demonstrated a unique ability to craft novel solutions, unthinkable to Washington insiders. Our nation desperately needs such ability and expertise.
Most importantly,Trump gives us the opportunity to send a strong message to both parties that voters will no longer tolerate the massive and unwarranted influence of the mega donors in our elections and the evils of unlimited money in politics. Trump, who never fails to remind us that he is self-financing his campaign, is, as a result, not controlled by big money interests or the establishment types which are trained to beg for cash and take orders. He can and does "tell it like it is". He is the only one (along with Bernie Sanders) who can actually go to work in Washington for the average citizen, and give the middle finger to the Kochs, the Paul Singers and the Adelsons and their ilk, who in the past decades have had such a damaging effect on the political system and American policy, both foreign and domestic.
Trump, uncontrolled by the establishment and the megadonors, will place America, and the well being of the USA and it citizenry, in the forefront of his decision making. We can all agree that some "America First" thinking is needed in Washington.
His foreign policy aims are to reduce our entanglements abroad. He will end our bloody, disastrous, expensive, self-defeating, neocon-inspired and supported adventures abroad in "unending wars" of the Middle East and elsewhere.
He sees NATO as useful but unfair to our citizens and a drain on our military and our economy. Why should the American taxpayer, who works harder, lives more frugally, and not as healthfully or as long as our German, Japanese and European allies, pay the lion's share for THIER defense expenses?
He favors renegotiating NAFTA and other trade agreements which have drained our nation of wealth and meaningful and well-paying jobs.
He favors strong border controls and limits on uncontrolled immigration which has held down middle class salaries and had devastating effects on jobs for middle and working class Americans.
He promises to "make America great again". That can only be accomplished, as Trump rightly states, by "bringing jobs back to America", and by revitalizing the middle class.
Cruz, the once "so called outsider", has somehow hypocritcally morphed into the new "establishment candidate". He is now the "Jeb Bush" candidate. Cruze along with Kasich, and Clinton would bring us only a return to the same old corrupt system of big money-megadonor-controlled, politics, foreign wars, and economic stagnation.
Think change, think of abandoning the disastrous policies of the the Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama-Bush regimes of the last decades. Unlike in recent past elections where voters could make only the meaningless choice between Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum, this fall Donald Trump is giving us a real choice---make use of it.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
US:NO JOBS, NO $, NO DEMAND, NO INFLATION, NO YELLEN
At the end of April, Janet Yellen speaking, before the Economics Club of New York indicated that there would no Federal Bank rate hikes this year. She mentioned the stagnant global economy, flat lining commodities, and a strong dollar. There is no inflation to raise rates hikes to protect against. Her earlier rate hike was not necessary either.
Yellen has no worry about inflation! Far from it. Inflation is a measure of demand. Demand of people with money in their hands chasing after commodities, goods and services. There is no demand in our stagnant economy because money is scarce...as are good paying jobs for the vast majority of the workforce.
Also at the end of April we learned that the US economy produced a few more than 200,000 new jobs. That number, touted by the Obamians as a success sign, is unfortunately not quite enough to offset new recruits into the workforce each month (a workforce which continues to stagnate at one of its lowest levels of participation in decades). In fact, even government employment figures for those seeking work for the month inched back up to 5%...but of course that number does not tell the entire story of the partly employed, underemployed, and those who have given up seeking jobs.
With our present system of inequality in wealth and income...almost all economic growth goes to the few at the top. They are by definition very few....only one percent...Think of it. One percent of 300 or so million of this nation.. is 3 million. Three million wealthy,even very wealthy ones can not have much effect on the economy of the remaining 297 million who have seen only paltry increases or no increases in their incomes. This vast majority of US citizens, the remaining 297 million, are those, each of which have the small effect, but in total have a massive impact to stir the economy, increase demand and yes even cause a bit of inflation. The 99% need money in hand to increase demand....increase economic growth..and cause the inflation that Janet Yellen is ordered to control.
The question is how do we get that money down from the three million wealthy into the hands of the rest of us? Could it be that we might need government to raise minimum wage rates? Perhaps government must increase taxes on the super wealthy and redistribute that wealth downward. Perhaps government should increase entitlements, instead of cutting entitlements?
Our present system, which permits the wealthy to enjoy the benefits of their position, as well as control both the economy and the political agenda...seems to be such that we can simply not help ourselves.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
TRUMP APPEAL: FIGHTS BIG MONEY
MR. TRUMP'S APPEAL: UNTETHERED FROM THE BIG MONEY MACHINE. ITS THE MONEY!
Mr. Trump's campaign has unintentionally underscored and exposed the evil influences of big money donations on our political campaigns and the sinister effects it has on the way our government operates.
Donald Trump has garnered massive support during these 2016 Republican nomination elections. To date, Mr. Trump has out-voted, out-appealed and out-lasted all but one of his opponents, almost all of whom were highly experienced politicians, who were massively-financed and well connected politically or descended from established political dynasties. He has (almost) withstood all the many ambushes, and mine fields planted for him by his many enemies in the political establishment and the media, two groups who too often collude and closely support each other. The Donald remains the GOP front runner with nearly double the delegate strength of his closest competitor. Yet, the print and electronic media elites, the nation's top editors, TV talking heads, and the blogosphere pundits have all been at a loss to explain his popularity.
He appeals to "the racists, the anti-feminists, the under educated and ill informed," they claim. "He's a bully, a brute and a fascist..and worse", they rail, claiming that is why voters like him. He appeals to "the angry white men" in the population, they state. But all of these Trump voters could not all be ill-informed, women-hating, angry white men, and these proffered reasons simply can not explain his massive popularity, the enthusiasm of his supporters and his manifest success at the polls over wide geographic ranges of this nation and with a highly diverse demography.
What is Mr. Trump's real source of popularity? The primary answer is that unlike all of his competitors, this candidate is untethered from the GOP money machine and its failed ideology. Mr. Trump can speak his mind. He is free of ideas framed and controlled by the big donor class, the monied oligarchs of the party. These 400 or so super wealthy ideologues have for too long commandeered the party of Lincoln with lucre. For the last decades they have doled out funds to their favorites. They have controlled the pick of candidates, the message and the GOP's governing policies. Their power is based on their ability to provide campaign funds, and as importantly, it rests on the threat of withdrawal of financial support. And even more fearful is their ability to quickly shift cash from a uncooperative (independent, perhaps a patriotic ) candidate to a different, more compliant one. Oftentimes these powerful oligarchs can squash a politician's long career by financially supporting an opponent in a primary challenge. You see---It is the money! The pols are so scared they almost always do exactly as they are told.
Mr. Trump is in large part financing his own campaign. He is not controlled by the the monied elites. His message can thus stray from their prepared script. His message can actually serve the needs of a the wider American electorate. The prepared script and policy serves only the needs of the one-tenth-of-one percenters who control the message and messengers.
Where has Mr. Trump taken us with his free message? His stated goals are clearly more in tune with the vast majority of voters than those espoused by the controlled establishment candidates. The electorate has responded favorably to Mr. Trump and rejected the establishment types. One has only to examine the list and pedigree of the failed establishment darlings: such as Mssrs Walker, Rubio, and Bush, who mouthed their prepared talking points and went down in flames in front of the unhappy voters.
Mr. Trump has shined a much needed light on the failings of the GOP policies of the past...and its slavish attendance to the needs of only a small sliver of the electorate--the donor class-- the one percenters---the Singers, Koch brothers, the Adelsons--while the Washington elites abandoned the vast middle, the working classes, the small businessman, farmers and the independent voter. The strategy of throwing the dry crumbs from the political table to these millions of hard working, voting men and women in the form of wedge issues, like abortion, marriage regulations, flag waving, a "strong military", and phony trickle down economics issues etc. etc. while astutely toeing the line for the rich to cut taxes, cut entitlements, deregulate banks, maintain a porous border, expand free trade agreements, and finance military adventures abroad, all in support of big donor wishes. These domestic and foreign policies have backfired and the failings have been duly noted by voters. They know that the Bush- neocon adventures in Iraq were a disaster. They know that our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges and transportation system are crumbling about our ears. They see us deploy troops abroad, expand foreign bases, butt our noses into the affairs of nations far afield while our own people suffer with poor wages, non-existent or poor-paying jobs. They find their expensively educated children still living in their basements. And in face of the government bail out of wealthy Wall Streeters, they find they are no better off then they were thirty years ago. They are still paying dearly in gold and blood for the misguided policies of the GOP.
Yes, Mr. trump is correct! NATO should be reevaluated and we should not be asking the American taxpayer to foot the vast majority of that bill to succor foreign nations who can well afford to pay for their own defense. What purpose do all of those 900 military base serve abroad? Yes we must staunch the flow of illegals at our porous borders. Yes we must bring back jobs to American workers and prevent the flow of jobs offshore. Yes we need better, wiser deal making with our trading partners.
All these issues would not have been raised or placed into public debate without the unfettered speech by Donald Trump a candidate untethered from the political money machine.
The appeal of Mr. Trump? Do not defame and berate the electorate as racists and fascists. It is the Washington money machine that is the cause.
Mr. Trump's campaign has unintentionally underscored and exposed the evil influences of big money donations on our political campaigns and the sinister effects it has on the way our government operates.
Donald Trump has garnered massive support during these 2016 Republican nomination elections. To date, Mr. Trump has out-voted, out-appealed and out-lasted all but one of his opponents, almost all of whom were highly experienced politicians, who were massively-financed and well connected politically or descended from established political dynasties. He has (almost) withstood all the many ambushes, and mine fields planted for him by his many enemies in the political establishment and the media, two groups who too often collude and closely support each other. The Donald remains the GOP front runner with nearly double the delegate strength of his closest competitor. Yet, the print and electronic media elites, the nation's top editors, TV talking heads, and the blogosphere pundits have all been at a loss to explain his popularity.
He appeals to "the racists, the anti-feminists, the under educated and ill informed," they claim. "He's a bully, a brute and a fascist..and worse", they rail, claiming that is why voters like him. He appeals to "the angry white men" in the population, they state. But all of these Trump voters could not all be ill-informed, women-hating, angry white men, and these proffered reasons simply can not explain his massive popularity, the enthusiasm of his supporters and his manifest success at the polls over wide geographic ranges of this nation and with a highly diverse demography.
What is Mr. Trump's real source of popularity? The primary answer is that unlike all of his competitors, this candidate is untethered from the GOP money machine and its failed ideology. Mr. Trump can speak his mind. He is free of ideas framed and controlled by the big donor class, the monied oligarchs of the party. These 400 or so super wealthy ideologues have for too long commandeered the party of Lincoln with lucre. For the last decades they have doled out funds to their favorites. They have controlled the pick of candidates, the message and the GOP's governing policies. Their power is based on their ability to provide campaign funds, and as importantly, it rests on the threat of withdrawal of financial support. And even more fearful is their ability to quickly shift cash from a uncooperative (independent, perhaps a patriotic ) candidate to a different, more compliant one. Oftentimes these powerful oligarchs can squash a politician's long career by financially supporting an opponent in a primary challenge. You see---It is the money! The pols are so scared they almost always do exactly as they are told.
Mr. Trump is in large part financing his own campaign. He is not controlled by the the monied elites. His message can thus stray from their prepared script. His message can actually serve the needs of a the wider American electorate. The prepared script and policy serves only the needs of the one-tenth-of-one percenters who control the message and messengers.
Where has Mr. Trump taken us with his free message? His stated goals are clearly more in tune with the vast majority of voters than those espoused by the controlled establishment candidates. The electorate has responded favorably to Mr. Trump and rejected the establishment types. One has only to examine the list and pedigree of the failed establishment darlings: such as Mssrs Walker, Rubio, and Bush, who mouthed their prepared talking points and went down in flames in front of the unhappy voters.
Mr. Trump has shined a much needed light on the failings of the GOP policies of the past...and its slavish attendance to the needs of only a small sliver of the electorate--the donor class-- the one percenters---the Singers, Koch brothers, the Adelsons--while the Washington elites abandoned the vast middle, the working classes, the small businessman, farmers and the independent voter. The strategy of throwing the dry crumbs from the political table to these millions of hard working, voting men and women in the form of wedge issues, like abortion, marriage regulations, flag waving, a "strong military", and phony trickle down economics issues etc. etc. while astutely toeing the line for the rich to cut taxes, cut entitlements, deregulate banks, maintain a porous border, expand free trade agreements, and finance military adventures abroad, all in support of big donor wishes. These domestic and foreign policies have backfired and the failings have been duly noted by voters. They know that the Bush- neocon adventures in Iraq were a disaster. They know that our infrastructure, our roads, our bridges and transportation system are crumbling about our ears. They see us deploy troops abroad, expand foreign bases, butt our noses into the affairs of nations far afield while our own people suffer with poor wages, non-existent or poor-paying jobs. They find their expensively educated children still living in their basements. And in face of the government bail out of wealthy Wall Streeters, they find they are no better off then they were thirty years ago. They are still paying dearly in gold and blood for the misguided policies of the GOP.
Yes, Mr. trump is correct! NATO should be reevaluated and we should not be asking the American taxpayer to foot the vast majority of that bill to succor foreign nations who can well afford to pay for their own defense. What purpose do all of those 900 military base serve abroad? Yes we must staunch the flow of illegals at our porous borders. Yes we must bring back jobs to American workers and prevent the flow of jobs offshore. Yes we need better, wiser deal making with our trading partners.
All these issues would not have been raised or placed into public debate without the unfettered speech by Donald Trump a candidate untethered from the political money machine.
The appeal of Mr. Trump? Do not defame and berate the electorate as racists and fascists. It is the Washington money machine that is the cause.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
TRUMP ACCUSED BY NEOCONS AS SECURITY THREAT
TRUMP ACCUSED AS SECURITY THREAT (? TO ISRAEL?)
Donald Trump was attacked again by the neocons. This time is was Max Boot of Commentary magazine who penned a piece entitled: "Why Trump is a Security Threat". Boot, like the others at "Commentary", have a world view colored too deeply by their unwavering, knee jerk, allegiance to Israel to act as objective observers of US foreign policy. In light of the pain of the Holocaust, I respect and understand their position. But they can not be taken seriously when, as in this piece, they try to make judgments concerning the positions Americans take as a nation regarding our foreign policy, our military stature, our relation to NATO, our economy, and the best interests of the majority of tax paying, working people of this nation who find we can longer sanction, support or afford the overly aggressive foreign policy the neocons favor.
Viewed only by those who see the world through the pierced ear of Benjamin Netanyahu could Mr. Trump be seen as a "security threat". But that view should not overly concern an American voter, and is no recommendation for a commentator, or advisor to the US electorate or to its leaders. The Republican primary election voters have spoken out loudly with their enthusiastic support of the new, sensible, practical policies that Donald Trump has espoused.
The crew at Commentary and their neocon allies may not like what Trump has to say. As our late Supreme Court member, Antonin Scalia was fond of saying: "Get over it!"
Donald Trump was attacked again by the neocons. This time is was Max Boot of Commentary magazine who penned a piece entitled: "Why Trump is a Security Threat". Boot, like the others at "Commentary", have a world view colored too deeply by their unwavering, knee jerk, allegiance to Israel to act as objective observers of US foreign policy. In light of the pain of the Holocaust, I respect and understand their position. But they can not be taken seriously when, as in this piece, they try to make judgments concerning the positions Americans take as a nation regarding our foreign policy, our military stature, our relation to NATO, our economy, and the best interests of the majority of tax paying, working people of this nation who find we can longer sanction, support or afford the overly aggressive foreign policy the neocons favor.
Viewed only by those who see the world through the pierced ear of Benjamin Netanyahu could Mr. Trump be seen as a "security threat". But that view should not overly concern an American voter, and is no recommendation for a commentator, or advisor to the US electorate or to its leaders. The Republican primary election voters have spoken out loudly with their enthusiastic support of the new, sensible, practical policies that Donald Trump has espoused.
The crew at Commentary and their neocon allies may not like what Trump has to say. As our late Supreme Court member, Antonin Scalia was fond of saying: "Get over it!"
Friday, March 25, 2016
NATO: TRUMP RIGHT AGAIN
TRUMP RAISES ISSUE OF NATO. UNFAIR TO US TAXPAYER, NEEDS RESTRUCTURING. KUDOS TO TRUMP!
Our homeland is in trouble. We have been on a wrong-way course now for decades. Our nation is today a land of big debts, faltering economy, lost good paying jobs, massive inequalities in wealth and income, porous borders, unfettered immigration, trade deficits which favor our foreign partners, as well as losses on the battlefield, and deep seated corruption in Washington. I envision our homeland in a foxhole, like those the doughboys dug in basic training. I see all the other candidates, the "presidential hopefuls" busily digging themselves down deeper and deeper in the bottom of that hole, while proclaiming they are "going to solve our problems"...but applying the same shovel to the same dirt and going down, down, down.
The sole exception is Donald Trump, who seems to be able to rise up to look over the rubble-piled edge. While the others are busy digging deeper, he peers outward and views another option, a possible solution. He raised issues the other candidates have ignored..our waves of immigrants, our porous borders, our illegals, our unequal trade balances, our loss of jobs overseas, and now our relationship with NATO.
My career happily gave me a wonderful opportunity to travel widely in Europe. Coming home after a long stay abroad, I always marveled at the Europe I left, and their up-scale life style. They had then and still have some of the best highways, most advanced infrastructure, fastest broadband, longest vacations, best services, abundant social safety net and world class healthcare. Yes, we have to admit it, we may make more money here, but our life style is only second rate. Those Japanese, the French and Germans live pretty nice lives. How could that be?
The ready answer is that, here in the USA, we as taxpayers are saddled with the costs of a massive military establishment, which at over $600 billion dollars annually, 900 bases around the world, and millions in uniform, is designed and projected to protect the entire free world...not just our shores. Yes, we are paying not simply for our own "defense", but to defend them too! The abused American taxpayer pays through the nose to make life safe for the Japanese, the Koreans, the French, and Germans and the rest of the so-called "free world". These people, unburdened from their own defense costs, get to spend their energies on beating us at trade and to live it up, while, we have to shell out our meager earnings to keep them safe. NATO is one of our biggest foreign military expenses. We foot the major part of that bill.
Looking over the edge of the foxhole...the Donald saw the stupidity of our NATO position and called it right again. Let's restructure NATO to reflect the modern reality. Make our so-called allies pay their fair share of legitimate defense costs. Let's refocus NATO on terrorism rather than a land war with the now extinct Soviets.
Let us use those freed-up funds to rebuild our infrastructure, our highways and our nation. Kudos to Trump who again sees the world as it really is and is not afraid to say what he thinks.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
GOP VOTERS REJECT PARTY DOGMA
The GOP dogma of mass migration, deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, budget cuts for the middle class, and "war war war"..has been soundly rejected by the party voters. Now it is time for the adherents of these failed policies to come to terms with the facts. As Antonin Scalia said..."get over it".
Just like Marco Rubio, caught repeating his now infamous talking point.."Obama knows exactly what he is doing" over and over again during that fateful pre-Super Tuesday debate, the party big wigs continue to repeat their phony mantra to "cut taxes, cut spending, cut regulations, make endless war, and support Israel." This rich man's prescription for success has manifestly worked well for its target group the top one percenters and the donor class, but unfortunately for the GOP we still have some remnants of a democracy to deal with, and the Republiacn Party must actually be elected by a majority of voters. The policies the GOP has been touting over these last decades has been an abject failure for the mass of working, middle class Rpublican Americans. The GOP CAN NOT BE ELECTED TO OFFICE WITH THE VOTES OF THE 400 WEALTHIEST, THE DONOR CLASS, THE KOCH BROTHRERS, AND A FEW PARTY ELITES. THEY MUST FACE THE FACTS. GOP POLICIES HAVE IGNORED THE MASS OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS.
This is a time for renewal and change...the party big wigs have to begin talking out of the other side of their mouths. They are politicians after all....that is part of their make up.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
GOP REJECTS MATH
GOP GOES INTO SELF DESTRUCT MODE
The party that has too often rejected reality for an alternate one, preferring concocted, flawed myths regarding economics, science, evolution, and global warming (and immigration) has is now firmly rejecting MATHEMATICS too. GOP party elites, the donor class and the neocon wings of the party are all united in a concerted effort to overturn a clear equation for success, the manifest math of recent nominating elections giving a massive plurality of votes to Donald Trump. They would ignore the math hand the election over to Hillary Clinton. Their insane need to support myth rather than reality, their rejection of fact for an alternate cosmos are preventing them from making the wise and sensible decision---- the bottom line...to support the winner. When one candidate has a good forty to fifty percent of the Republican electorate tied up and committed, how can party leaders reject that candidate and swing support to a minority candidate who has won only one state, and polls in the low double digits, or another who has won a few states but polls at the twenty percent level? The neocons, National Review editors, mega donor class and party elites it seems, have all failed remedial College math.
They somehow can not bring themselves to face the numerical reality that by rejecting the candidate who has been selected by vociferous, determined and energized pluralities of Republican voters in almost all demographic categories from the north south east and west of this nation, they are tossing away the election. The rejected voters will certainly stay home on Election Day. The is no winning without Donald.
It seems these party elites would prefer to keep their cushy jobs, perks, and positions of authority as members of a losing party and under the thumb of a Bill and Hillary Clinton regime, rather than be flexible and change course to win. They prefer loss in the general election rather than face a real world in which vast numbers of previously ignored and sidelined voters have roundly rejected their long-honored three-legged policy-stool, smashed and broken by Donald Trump. The fact is their mythic world has been demolished by TRUMP and is no more.
The party that has too often rejected reality for an alternate one, preferring concocted, flawed myths regarding economics, science, evolution, and global warming (and immigration) has is now firmly rejecting MATHEMATICS too. GOP party elites, the donor class and the neocon wings of the party are all united in a concerted effort to overturn a clear equation for success, the manifest math of recent nominating elections giving a massive plurality of votes to Donald Trump. They would ignore the math hand the election over to Hillary Clinton. Their insane need to support myth rather than reality, their rejection of fact for an alternate cosmos are preventing them from making the wise and sensible decision---- the bottom line...to support the winner. When one candidate has a good forty to fifty percent of the Republican electorate tied up and committed, how can party leaders reject that candidate and swing support to a minority candidate who has won only one state, and polls in the low double digits, or another who has won a few states but polls at the twenty percent level? The neocons, National Review editors, mega donor class and party elites it seems, have all failed remedial College math.
They somehow can not bring themselves to face the numerical reality that by rejecting the candidate who has been selected by vociferous, determined and energized pluralities of Republican voters in almost all demographic categories from the north south east and west of this nation, they are tossing away the election. The rejected voters will certainly stay home on Election Day. The is no winning without Donald.
It seems these party elites would prefer to keep their cushy jobs, perks, and positions of authority as members of a losing party and under the thumb of a Bill and Hillary Clinton regime, rather than be flexible and change course to win. They prefer loss in the general election rather than face a real world in which vast numbers of previously ignored and sidelined voters have roundly rejected their long-honored three-legged policy-stool, smashed and broken by Donald Trump. The fact is their mythic world has been demolished by TRUMP and is no more.
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