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.

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???

What Is Your Top Issue?

Regardless of where you live, there are matters that really have priority:

Wages

Taxes

Education

Medical care

Human services

Poverty relief

Environmental quality

Safety

Equal rights

Cost of living

Fairness in government

And more

 

I have always cringed when I ear politicians say, “That’s what the American people want!”  Like they have listened long enough to know.  Almost always, it is quite different from anything on my wish list.

 

What issues are important to you?  If you could put one thing before leaders, what would it be?

 

 

 

 

Welcome!

I am writing this two days after the end of the most contentious, difficult election of my lifetime for sure, possibly in the entire history of the United States.  I could spend plenty of time commenting on candidates, issues and all of that, but I think we have heard quite enough!

 

What has my attention is this:  We the people need to have a much stronger voice.

 

AT this point, we sort of get swept along, being left with choices that we don’t really want to make.

 

Oh, there’s Bernie Sander’s “Our Revolution,” which has merit; but the common person doesn’t have a say in the agenda or issues to be addressed.

 

We can contact representatives, senators and the White House, but again, we don’t really get heard.

 

So this is my attempt to give everyone who wants to express opinions, ask questions or make suggestions a chance to speak and be heard.

 

I do have a couple of simple ground rules:

 

1.  Please refrain from name calling, profanity, insulting others who comment or advertising.  In other words, please be respectful.  If your post is offensive, I’ll remove it.
2. Please be constructive.  If I get suggestions and ideas that are noteworthy, I’ll pass them on to appropriate parties.
3. Please be patient.  I try to answer comments, but there is more to my life than blogging.

 

Thank you for participating; have a powerful, encouraging visit.