I’m Listening; Please Speak Up

One of my big frustrations is:
If I say I believe in one particular thing, people assume that I also hold to several others.  For example, if I say that I believe the scientists who say the planet is warming, I must also believe all that is declared by the Pro Choice Movement, LBGTQ comunity, anti conservative sentiment and anything else deemed “libreral” or “progressive.”  I may or may not be inagreement; I may concur to one degree or another.  The deal is, I don’t really fit in any one camp.  I find truth on all sides AND I find error (at least as I see it.)

All of this to ask you what it is you believe.

Here are some pump primers:
*On a scale from 0-100, how would you rate your approval of Mr. Trump?

*On the same scale, how would you rate your approval of

-The House of Representatives
-The Senate
-Your representative specifically
-Your senators

*On a scale from 0-10 (0= “I don’t buy it at all”  10= I absolutely hold that to be true)  where are you?
-Climate change is real and needs serious, immediate attention.
-All illegal immigrants should be rounded up and deported.
-The Affordable Care Act is good for the most part; a little tweeking would make it better.
-The US should impose ttariffs and import taxes on goods shipped from other countries.
-A wall between the US and Mexico is a good idea.
-We need to continue funding Planned Parenthood and programs like it.

 

Okay, now that I have warmed you up a bit, would you please share:

The most important issue(s) as far as you are concerned?

Now it’s your turn.  What questions do you want to ask?

I am looking forward to your comments.

Cat and Mouse

“I’ll tell you my decision…

Today maybe…

Or tomorrow….

Changed my mind!

Okay, I’ll leave things as they are…

For now, anyway;

Or until

I change my mind.”

 

PLEASE

Stop playing cat and mouse with the American people and the world!!

 

SNAP & CHIP

“The budget will recommend tightening restrictions on eligibility for assistance programs — like food stamps — in an effort to increase the number of people
in the workforce and grow the economy. The SNAP program better known as food stamps is up for a $193 billion cut.

“We need people to go to work,” Mulvaney said. “If you’re on food stamps and you’re able bodied we need you to go to work. If you’re on disability insurance
and you’re not supposed to be — you’re not truly disabled — we need you to go to work. We need everybody pulling in the same direction.”

 

Could we get just one thing straight here?  SNAP (food stamps) serves a large number of people who work;  CHIP is for children of people who work and still live in poverty or near poverty.

 

Social Security Disability is based on earned income called quarters of coverage and is not all that easy to get on.  Once enrolled, each beneficiary is re evaluated every other year, so staying on if not “truly disabled” is pretty difficult.

 

In short, the number of people who live in or near poverty in the United States WORK!  … Or did:  They’re retired and barely making it on Social Security Retirement Benefits.  Many of these people get SNAP, Meals on Wheels ( another program Trump wants to eliminate) and Medicaid (Medicaid will pay the premium for Medicare if a person’s income is low enough.)

 

The notion that people receiving “food stamps” and other assistance are lounging around, sucking up benefits when they could be supporting themselves  Is the unfortunate result of a propaganda campaign in the 1980’s to paint a picture of Welfare fraud that has never existed.  Yes, there are people who take advantage of the system, but let’s not give them more clout or press than we have to.  Instead, let them be dealt with according to the provisions in place.

 

I have known a lot of people who are enrolled in SNAP and/or other poverty relief programs.  Of all of them, there are maybe 2 or three who were “mooching.”  At that, there is something about these people that isn’t quite right…they never seem to get on their feet.  I’m not sure I would want to kick them out of the system.

Defunding services most certainly is not the answer.

 

One idea I have:  Hire people who live in or near poverty to work on a solution that works.  The fat cats trying to make the policies don’t know what they’re talking about.  Mulvaney and Trump are two great examples of that.

 

One more point about SNAP:  The part that the Trump budget would eliminate is a provision that was included during this last recession.  It allows people who live in parts of the US where unemployment is high to receive benefits.  Many of these people are under employed or unable to find work, in spite of their efforts.  If the Trump Administration wants to help, find ways to create jobs in these regions.

An Interesting Thing

In today’s news, there is an article saying that Hillary Clinton is starting her own organization to encourage people to take political action.

That now makes three powerful people:

Hillary

Barack Obama

Bernie Sanders

 

What intriques me most is that this is so in keeping with what seems to be an awakening in the United States.

For so many years, people were sure they were not being heard; that anything they had to say made no difference at all.  The result:  we became cynical and apathetic.

Not these days!  When representatives go back to their  home States and have town halls, they get an earful.

I do wonder if Congress is paying attention.  People are stirred up; they are pushing for responsible policy making.

If Congress doesn’t take us seriously, they will find out that they made a grave error in 2018:  Voting does have consequences!

Hm, loyalty to Trump or to their constituants…now there’s a tough one!

 

I will have to check out Hillary’s site.  I already drop in on Obama.org and get emails from ourrevolution.org.

 

It’s too soon to tell how Barack and Hillary will do at listening as much as they promote candidates or specific viewpoints on issues.

Our Revolution doesn’t seem to listen all that well.  Most of their messages are solicitations so I don’t give them much time.

There are so many important issues; Trump seems to make more of them.

Right now, the matter of keeping him from doing further harm is my priority.  He isn’t just a bull in a china shop; he is more like a baboon in an operating room.

 

Trump’s First 100 Days

This is a list from a memorandum produced by the White House, touting Trump’s accomplishments in his first 100 days as President.  I found it on

http://www.cnn.com

Let’s have a look:

•Energy Independence Executive Order
•Revocation Of Federal Contracting Executive Orders
•Reexamination Of CAFE Standards
•Review Of Waters Of The United States Rule
•Creation Of Regulatory Task Forces
•Eliminating Stream Protection Rule
•Eliminating Regulations On Extraction Companies
•One-In-Two-Out Regulation Reform
Hmm, accomplishment?
JOB CREATION

•Buy American, Hire American I would say he tore things down, instead of building them up.
A lot of Trump’s activity is more about dissing Barack Obama than it is creating forward momentum.

•Dakota Access Pipeline
•U.S. Material In Pipeline Construction
•Partnering With Private Sector

I would say that Trump is taking credit for things he didn’t do.  Companies have largely made their choices, regardless of what he says; many things were already in place when he took office.
The Keystone Pipeline was largely finished, except for the stretch through Native American lands.  I don’t know how it got that far without being thwarted, but Trump only contributed the last nail to the coffin.

TRADE

•Withdrawal From The Trans-Pacific Partnership
•Trade Enforcement
•Comprehensive Reports On The Causes Of U.S. Trade Deficits

I’ll give him withdrawal from the TPP.  That was a no-brainer.
ETHICS

•Federal Hiring Freeze
•New Ethics Commitments On Political Appointees

Okay, I have to laugh at this one.  A freeze on hiring has nothing to do with ethics and and “new ethics commitments”?  Yeah.  That’s why we have Bannon, Flynn and Trump’s own conflicts of interests.  Right…

•Strike On Syrian Airfield
•Travel Restrictions On Select Countries
•New Iran Sanctions
•Defense Spending In Budget
•F-35 Cost Savings

Defense spending in budget?  So what else is new????
The only thing in this list would be the F-35 cost reduction.
As for the rest, they caused much more damage than benefit.  As a matter of fact, Trump’s “ban on select countries” is still hung up in court because it violates the US Constitution.  Perhaps worse than that, it alienates people at home and abroad and weakens relationships with allies.
Trump’s “strike on the Syrian airfield was more of a kneejerk reaction than a strategic move.
•Immigration Enforcement, Including Constructing A Wall
•Sanctuary Cities Funding
•New Hiring To Enforce Immigration
•Prioritizing Criminal Immigration Enforcement And Hiring More Immigration Judges

Could we define “accomplishment?”
Trump has not built a wall…yet; may he never succeed.
His “crack down” on immigrants has hurt innocent people and stands to bring down producers of food, meat and meat products and other industries in the US.  IT also strains our relationship with Mexico – I don’t think we want Mexico for an enemy.  By the way, there goes more food supply:  Most of our winter produce comes from there.
He hasn’t succeeded in defunding sanctuary cities yet, either; in fact, two of them have sued his administration.

There is permission to hire more immigration workers; however, ICE has not been able to fill positions that existed before Trump’s order.  Moreover, Trump pretty well emptied out the Department of Justice, so there are no judges to hear all those immigration cases.

I would call these ideas or wishes; not accomplishments

Here’s the rest of the list…before it gets redundant, that is:
PUBLIC SAFETY

•Commission On Opioid Crisis
•Protecting Law Enforcement Officers Crime
•Tackling International Cartels

HELPING WOMEN AND MINORITIES

•HBCU Initiative
•Canada-United States Council For The Advancement Of Women Entrepreneurs
•Promoting Women In Entrepreneurship Act
•Women And Space Exploration

SUPREME COURT

•Nominating And Confirming Gorsuch

Nominating Gorsuch…Trump didn’t confirm him; the Senate did by bending the rules.  Okay, accomplishment, but a bit soft.
“Protecting Law Enforcement Officers Crime”?
What on earth is this about???????

The rest of the list?  Again, more wishes and ideas; more taking credit that Trump doesn’t deserve
But not really accomplishment.

So, what does this reduce his list to?
Ruining a number of people’s lives by deporting them, even though they were contributing to the prosperity of the US and by separating parents and children
Promoting racism and bigotry by villifying Mexicans and Muslims
Withdrawal from the TPP
Nominating Gorsuch
Partially dismantling and weakening environmental research and protection at a time when we really need both
Hurting women and minorities by defunding such programs as Planned Parenthood and wanting to do away with agencies that help honeless and low income Americans
Gutting Federal agencies so that work can’t get done.

I’m not sure I call these accomplishments.

Trump Doesn’t Like People

He continues to prove that by what he says and does:

*He is cracking down on immigrants, even when they are contributing to the well being of our nation.

*He wants to shut down the government in order to push through funding on his “wall” – a move that will mean that millions of Americans will go without their monthly incomes.

 

*He is willing to repeal the Affordable Care Act without something at least as good to replace it.

*He is spending tax money to have expensive weekends at Mar A Lago, while he strives to shut down programs that help homeless and low income Americans.

*He wants to do away with such organizations as NPR, the National Endowment for the Arts and museums…

 

*Hee wants to do away with anything that has to do with protecting the environment.

*He calls us stupid, silly,…

 

On the list goes.

 

How did we ever end up with such a self absorbed, simple minded man for President???

Don’t Be Afraid

As I sit drinking my coffee and perusing the Internet, this thought comes to me:

“Don’t be afraid.”
The news is filled with chaos, anger, foreboding and all sorts of rip offs.  If we take all of this too seriously, we’ll be severely depressed.
But there’s a truth for us that keeps us from fear:
What each believes and the choices we make are squarely in our hands; no one else’s.

I don’t need to be afraid because I know who God is and who I am.  I know my boundaries and limits.  I will choose how I think, feel and act; no one can make me do otherwise…unless, of course, I choose to give them the power.

I admit that I write this as an American, sitting comfortably in the United States.  There are no soldiers outside my door who insist that I look and act a certain way.

These days, there are challenges arising here:  Will I turn in an illegal immigrant or support that person?  Will I join in the hateful speech and actions of many or risk alienation because I choose to honor all?

Dear fellow patriots:
For those of you who face grave consequences as you choose to be true to God and yourself, I am praying for you.  Stand tall; don’t be afraid.
To all who are more like me:  The risks are less threatening; the choices more subtle, I pray for you as well.  Take a stand for goodness and all that is right; don’t be afraid.

When you are tempted to say that somebody is making you think or act in a particular way, remember the heroes around the world who refused to acquiesce, even if it meant giving their lives.  The power is yours; stand firm, don’t be afraid.

If enough of us stand for what is right, refusing to give in to corruption and chaos, peace and joy will reign.
Let’s join together as one loud, clear voice:  Speak truth and act with the welfare of all around us in mind.  As an army of peace, we have strength and power that cannot be stolen or quenched.  Together, we will not be afraid!

Mr. Trump Wants to Kill These Federal Agencies

There are other sources, but this is from

time.com/money/4639544/trump-nea-sesame-street-budget-cut/

“Some of President Donald Trump’s planned budget cuts appear to be targeted more at undercutting Democratic priorities than at shrinking the national debt.

A host of planned funding cuts to federal agencies, reported last week by
The Hill,
are part of the Trump administration’s desire to eliminate roughly $10.5 trillion in spending over the next 10 years — nearly all of the federal government’s

discretionary spending.

Yet Trump has
vowed not to cut entitlements,
such as Medicare and Social Security, and promised to beef up military spending, which represents the lion’s share of federal spending — making it hard
for him to do more than chip away at the margins of the nearly $20 trillion national debt.  What, then, would the reported cuts accomplish? The answer appears to be defunding a number of projects seen as liberal darlings — including groups aimed
at preserving and supporting the environment, civil rights protections, the arts, minority-owned businesses, and public broadcasting.”

 

The agencies include:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

National Endowment for the Arts

National Endowment for the Humanities

Minority Business Development Agency

Economic Development Administration

International Trade Administration

Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Office of Violence Against Women

Legal Services Corporation

Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department

Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Justice Department

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy ReliabilityOffice of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Office of Fossil Energy

 

 

I hadn’t heard of some of these and had no idea about the people they serve or their contribution.  It would be foolhardy to kill some of these, such as the Office of Electricity Deliverability and Energy ReliabilityOffice of Energy Efficiency and, which works to improve and protect the power grid – Why would Mr Trump and co. want to get rid of these guys?  Go figure.

 

Could some of these be combined?  Are there ways to keep them apart from government support?

 

What do you think?

How do we citizens take action?

Bullied,Used, Disregard; all in Secret- Headlines That Should Alarm Us

I just gathered these from

news.google.com/

 

I think the most horrendous one is about the Communications lockdown occurring in federal agencies.  I copied and pasted some of that; I’ll leave it to my readers to follow others:

 

Trump seeks to revive Dakota Access, Keystone XL oil pipelines

Washington Post

– ‎1 hour ago‎

President Trump signed executive orders Tuesday to revive the controversial Dakota Access and Keystone XL oil pipelines, another step in his effort to dismantle former president Barack Obama’s environmental legacy.

 (I call this bullying.  Things were being worked out; he would do well to leave them alone.)

Information lockdown hits Trump’s federal agencies Politico  – ‎2 hours ago‎ Federal agencies are clamping down on public information and social media in the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency, limiting employees’ ability to issue news releases, tweet or otherwise communicate with the outside world, according to memos and … POLITICO Magazine Information lockdown hits Trump’s federal agencies ‘It’s a dark time right now,’ a former Obama administration spokeswoman says as multiple agencies tell employees to restrict news releases and social media. By Andrew Restuccia, Alex Guillénand Nancy Cook | 01/24/17 03:03 PM EST | Updated 01/24/17 05:48 PM EST lockdown_agencies_ap.jpg White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he was still looking into the agency restrictions on Tuesday. | Federal agencies are clamping down on public information and social media in the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency, limiting employees’ ability to issue news releases, tweet or otherwise communicate with the outside world, according to memos and sources from multiple agencies. The steps to mute federal employees — seen to varying degrees in the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of the Interior, Transportation, Agriculture and Health and Human Services — are sparking early fears of a broader crackdown across the government, as Trump vows to pursue an agenda sharply at odds with his predecessor. New administrations have long sought to control the message coming out of federal agencies. But watchdog groups worry about what restrictions the Trump administration may yet impose on federal workers, who are already reelingfrom the president’s decision Monday to freeze most hiring, as well as a move in Congress to allow lawmakers to impose draconian salary cuts for individual employees. “From what we can tell, the cloud of Mordor is descending across the federal service,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “It’s a dark time right now,” said Liz Purchia, who headed EPA’s public affairs office during the Obama administration. “People are nervous and they are scared about what they can and can’t do. They don’t want to get in trouble and they want to do the right thing. “It’s ironic that Trump based his entire campaign on Twitter and social media and now he’s preventing the staff that work from him from communicating with the public,” Purchia added. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on this story. But Trump aides have rejected criticism that they’re planning to embark on a “witch hunt” targeting federal employees. Still, a wholesale clampdown on public information would pose risks, said Steve Lenkart, the executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees. “I would advise this new administration to tread lightly when ordering any increase of secrecy of government operations or policies,” he said. “The American people expect an open, transparent and honest government.” Related United States Environmental Protection Agency » Donald Trump » Trump administration seeks to muzzle US agency employees: sourcesReuters Trump bans EPA employees from giving social media updatesThe Hill Highly Cited:Trump Administration Imposes Freeze On EPA Grants and ContractsProPublica See all 176 sources » Related United States Environmental Protection Agency » Donald Trump » (I consider this to be very dangerous: Imagine the policies, practices and actions that could be put into place without our knowledge, until it is too late and we are oppressed by them.)

 Opinion:Battle between President Trump and the news media is bad for everyone –

especially the people: Ted Diadiuncleveland.com

Trump’s Supreme Court Choices Come Into Focus New York Times  – ‎2 hours ago‎ Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of the federal appeals court in Atlanta in November. He is a former Alabama attorney general, a graduate of Tulane’s law school and an outspoken opponent of abortion and gay rights. (I really get tired of choices for positions that are to be objective rather than partisan being so loaded.  That really means nobody’s rights are safe.) Related Donald Trump » Supreme Court of the United States » Democrats urge Trump to make ‘bipartisan’ Supreme Court pickPolitico Trump huddles with Senate leaders ahead of Supreme Court battleThe Hill (blog) See all 184 sources » Trump’s budget nominee defends support for cuts to Social Security, Medicare Chicago Tribune  – ‎57 minutes ago‎ Rep. Mick Mulvaney testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in … Related Donald Trump » Mick Mulvaney » Trump budget pick: Cut benefit programs; tax hikes on tableWashington Post Trump pick for budget director backs Medicare changes, promises debt cutsUSA TODAY See all 103 sources » There will be plenty of headlines in the coming days and weeks.  Let these be wake up calls:  Pay attention; take action!

Russia and Trump

This is from the Washington Post:

The FBI and CIA have concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election in part to help Donald Trump win the White House.

I can’t help wondering….

Why does Russia want Trump for President so badly that they’ll hack in order to get him?

What is TRUMP’s part in all of this??????