Category Archives: Congress

Common Sense? Where did you go?

Grandma P and I were fortunate in completing a 15-day Alaska cruise in August. The scenery in the 49th state is phenomenal. It is the cruise everyone should take. Our cruise aboard a Princess ship was exceptional, as always, except for one issue. We were still required to wear masks in public areas. And anyone who tested for covid was isolated in a deck 12 balcony suite. (This was not a perk as they could not leave their rooms for the entire cruise!) There were some cases, but the number was very low. Maybe 17 cases with 2200 people on board. I will not go into the draconian measures the cruise lines have to perform if the rate exceeds 1% of the total number of people on board. You have heard of some of them, cruise ships returning to port, cruise lines canceling cruises, cruise ships being sanitized.

Of course, all these draconian measures were to assure the public safety. In the past two years, the CDC and the US government could not do enough to sledgehammer the cruise lines into governmental compliance. So, with this little story as an introduction, here is my question. If for the past two years the government is so concerned about Covid, why are we letting illegal immigrants across our southern border with an estimated positive Covid rate of 18%. 18 frickin’ percent! If the government was so concerned about Covid and its effect on the citizenry, would they not have stopped a mass introduction of the disease via illegal immigrants? Does that display common sense?

College Tuition Proposal

Don’t you just love it when your government makes you feel like an idiot? What I am referring to is the proposal for $10,000 in student loan forgiveness. Was I an idiot or what! I worked parttime during my college years, oftentimes holding two parttime jobs. When summer break occurred, or any break between semesters occurred, I went full time. I ran out of money after my first year of college, and even though my parents could have contributed some, I did not want to ask. Call it pride. Call it stupidity. Call it parenting that taught me to be independent, but I paid for myself and completed by college experience without a loan. During my college career, no one went to Florida, Mexico or the Bahamas for spring break. After all, if you were a male and flunked out of school, you could visit Viet Nam for free for at least one year, all courtesy of the U.S. military.

I am not totally opposed to providing $10,000 in loan forgiveness. As a matter of fact, I would encourage it under the following conditions:

  1. The money is granted for income earning degrees. Teachers, nurses, doctors, dentists, business majors, etc. If your degree is Greek Mythology, Basket weaving or underwater bird calls, you don’t get it. Talk to your parents about bad choices.
  2. Colleges reduce tuition. Yup. Quit overpaying professors that teach three hours a week and quit building buildings that look like chrome donuts. Put the money inside the building and not in the building.
  3. Double the cost of obtaining a law degree. We have to many damn attorneys and many of them become bad politicians. Just look at our Congress.

But what provision is made for those attending vocational schools, where every program is an income earning profession? Have you hired an electrician, plumber or carpenter lately. I hold my breath that nothing happens to one of my vehicles for fear of what it would cost to repair, with such a huge shortage of auto mechanics. Not everyone is cut out for college or wants to go to college. And, as mentioned, many college degrees are a big waste of money. Here again, just look at Congress. How many members of Congress can you name as the ‘best and the brightest’ in the land? Maybe a handful, but there are 535 members!

It is about time that the younger generations that think everything should be handed to them should learn two things: 1. Your parents are paying for it. 2. The working public is paying for it while politicians are attempting to buy your vote with these ludicrous proposals! Don’t you find it interesting that high school and college students are predominately liberal, but once they get a good paying job and pay taxes, they become conservative? The chickens come to roost, but unfortunately a large segment of our population has figured how to get another chicken’s eggs for free. Common sense. Nothing is free!

Illegal Immigration

Apparently, all those attorneys that are now in Congress never read the chapter about the ‘definition of the word illegal.’ If you smile and smirk every time you hear about another group of illegal immigrants being transported by the governors of Texas and Florida to a blue state, I know you are a Republican. But here is the irony. The federal government and some blue state attorney generals are attempting to find a way to stop the governors from transporting those illegals. Okay. I have a sure-fire solution to this problem…. STOP THE ILLEGALS FROM CROSSING THE BORDER! Much like the gunfighters at the OK corral who ran out of ammunition, the governors would not have illegal immigrants to transport if they were not there. Case closed. Common Sense. But yet, not enough common sense to protect our borders. Wow.

Civil Liberties

By now, everyone is familiar with Derek Chauvin. Derek Chauvin was the 19-year veteran Minneapolis police officer that was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for violating George Floyd’s civil liberties. Chauvin was an experienced policeman that knew George Floyd and knew of Floyd’s physical capabilities. So, I would love to hear a response to this question, “If someone is deliberately breaking the law, are they not relinquishing their civil liberties?” After all, isn’t a crime, regardless of what it is: robbery, murder, rape, passing counterfeit money, all uncivil acts? I think Chauvin should have been punished, but not by a kangaroo court, televised, in an extremely biased location. And, did not George Floyd perform an uncivil act by passing counterfeit money? He broke the law. The shop owner thought so and called the police. He did not call a politician, or a lawyer, or a Minneapolis city councilman…he called the police. And the police, as is their job, responded. What kind of society would we have if the police did not respond. What kind of court system do we have that blew off the fact that Floyd had two illegal substances in his body and did not die by suffocation, as determined by the Hennepin County Coroner. But the die (pardon the pun) was cast, and Chauvin had to pay, and the Federal court had to step in to assure he received the maximum punishment by charging Chauvin with the violation of George Floyd’s civil liberties. Common sense tells me that George Floyd surrendered his civil liberties when he performed a crime and he killed himself by being drug addled.

It has been a bad year for the police in Minnesota. Do you remember Kim Potter? You will when I tell you that she is the suburban Minneapolis police officer who was reaching for her taser during a traffic stop and instead pulled her gun and killed a young black man. She is serving two years in prison after being charged with first- and second- degree manslaughter. In the heat of the moment, she made a fatal mistake.

But is justice always equal? If justice were truly equal, why is Alec Baldwin footloose and fancy free after making the fatal mistake of shooting and killing an actress on a movie set. He made a mistake. He is free and no one has gone to jail for the death of Halyna Hutchins.

I hate to draw comparisons on these three crimes, but here it is. Both of the victims in the Minnesota crimes were black. Both officers involved were white and are in prison. Both crimes received national attention. Alec Baldwin is white as was his victim. After a large media bomb, it has gone away, and no one has been punished for the crime. Why is that? Did the two police officers receive disproportionate sentences because the victims were black? Common sense fails to answer that question. But common sense tells me that because of the staffing issues with police departments everywhere, the caliber of the people applying to be police will be lowered. Did you know that police from the suburbs surrounding Minneapolis will not pursue law breakers into the City of Minneapolis for fear of being arrested themselves.? That reality provides society with a demented type of law protection. Egads!

Common sense tells me that these major cities better pull their collective heads out of their asses, and support the police, arrest, prosecute and incarcerate criminals and protect society. Isn’t that the principal purpose of government?

PS. My blog site was offline for over four months. My Houston nephew finally broke the code to get it operable. This blog is dedicated to Al from Hutch who convinced me to get off my Polish ‘dupa’ and write a blog. Good reading, Al.

I AM TIRED!

I am tired! No, I had a good night’s sleep. What I am getting tired about is what is happening to our country. When younger, I was sure we lived in a democracy and I was proud to be American. However, I am not sure about our democracy today! Our political system is fraudulent, filled with power and money hungry politicians, and making decisions that may destroy our way of life. We have faced four years of a president that is trying to make good decisions for this country, but he has faced every possible roadblock to his success. Just think what could have been accomplished had our government focused on governing instead of impeachment, destroying a Supreme Court Justice, the Steele Dossier, the pandemic, and too many destructive paths to mention.

Who is not tired of the pandemic? OMG! As of this writing, a day after the beginning of the new year, there are still so many questions surrounding this pandemic. Like you, I have become really tired about conflicting opinions about how and where it began, and how it is spread. It was not uncommon that people of my age have gotten the flu at least once or twice during their lifetime. Granted, we did not have a fancy name for it, such as COVID 19. It was just called the flu. And….it really made you sick. If you were unfortunate to get the flu, as I was at least twice, you stayed at home. The symptoms were: high temperature, coughing, lung congestion and the general all-around feeling that you had a gigantic body ache. The one thing that did not occur, was that the government did not shut down the economy, or send me money for missing work. Before I go any further, and receive death threats for being an idiot, I want to clarify that I do believe that COVID 19 is a real disease that can cause death, if you are high risk and have underlying conditions or are elderly. But guess what? Many of the other flus that we had did the same thing. Occasionally, a healthy person succumbed, as did many elderly.

I am tired of the draconian measures that have been taken, by the government, to stop the spread of the virus. The one fact I do know, is that it has never been proven that restaurants are ‘super spreaders’ of the disease. Fortunately, Grandma P and I live in a state where the restaurants are allowed to remain open. We try to patronize these restaurants at least twice a week, just to keep them open. Some of these restaurants have suffered hurricane damage as well, so they have suffered a ‘double whammy.’ During our last visit, we were seated so that there was a reasonable distance from other tables, and, as soon as one table was vacated, a masked server sanitized the table and chairs. Common sense was displayed by the restaurant, and by the patrons.

I am really getting tired of politicians that believe that rules and laws are for the electorate, but they are exempt from the rules. While closing down all the restaurants in California, the governor has a multi-thousand dollar meal, paid for by a lobbyist, at a swanky restaurant! Thankfully, the electorate in California are beginning to wake up, and petitioning for his recall. Unfortunately, Gavin Newsom is not the only politician that sees himself as privileged. His aunt, Nancy Pelosi, had a hair appointment in a supposedly closed beauty parlor. All of this was caught on camera. There are other examples of ‘politician privilege’ everywhere, while the general population is regulated and punished for the same behavior.

I am tired and concerned about the amount of foreign influence and money that has corrupted our elections. You don’t believe that foreign governments are not dumping millions, and billions of dollars into our elections? Just look at the upcoming Georgia election for two US senators. There is an estimated $500 million being spent on that campaign. $500 million! If that much is being spent there, how much do you think was spent on the 2020 election? Where did that money originate? I have a pretty good idea that billions of dollars are coming from China…which segues into my next paragraph.

I am tired of the media reporting stories that are 97% negative about Donald Trump and his presidency. Beyond his crass and brass personality, and his seemingly unending tweets, Trump had bushels of accomplishments for the benefit of our country. I can name at least 10 things that his administration accomplished from memory in his four years. (What has Biden accomplished in his political career? Pelosi? Shumer? I rest my case!) The media glorified the Steele dossier. They supported Trump’s impeachment, supposedly because Chuck Shumer had myriads of facts to support his impeachment. Facts that just never seem to appear, but were given more credibility than Moses receiving the ten commandments. The Democrats got nasty and created lies to denigrate and discredit the Trump Supreme Court nominees. The accusation that Brett Cavanaugh was the leader of a ‘teenage gang of rapists,’ was a clear indication of how low in the manure pile the Democrats will shovel. Have you ever wondered who owns these media outlets?

I am tired of social media, supposedly representing open forums, from censoring what is on their social platforms. Hunter Biden issues were censored, because they claimed there wasn’t any proof. Yet, the Steele dossier, and fictitious Shumer accusations against Trump were allowed freely. Unbiased? Not in a million years. And unfortunately, 65% of all Americans get their news from the intranet. This blog is being censored, as the comments on the last three blogs have not been published. A coincidence, since this all began two months before the election?

I am tired (and concerned) that a member of the House Intelligence Committee is still on the committee after having a lengthy affair with a Chinese spy. Nancy Pelosi’s driver was a Chinese spy. How much of our government have the Chinese permeated? There is one sure thing that Donald Trump did accomplish. I’ll explain. The Chinese are a very patient people. They, unlike Americans who require instant satisfaction, play the long-term game. The Western world, led by us consumer-driven Americans, have made China wealthy over the last 50 years. (See the 4/11/2020 blog: Were we in Africa, or Were we in China.) China likes being wealthy. They will use that wealth to rule the world economically, technologically and militarily. They will do all of this without having a “cum by yah’ sing- along at the UN, because they want to rule the world and don’t care one bit about globalization. But unexpectedly, along comes a political surprise by the name of Donald J. Trump. What does Trump do? Well, he passed tax credits which made it economically feasible for American companies to bring their manufacturing jobs back to the US. He drastically lowered the unemployment in America. He lowered the number of people on welfare. When American companies did not respond, he threatened to put tax levies on their goods manufactured outside the US. He renegotiated a more favorable trade agreement with China, (He also did the same with Canada and Mexico.) He did what was right for America! But you know what else he did? He pissed off the Chinese. Now they were not getting as rich as before Trump. They also observed that the US was rebuilding their military. The US is now the only major hurdle between China and world domination, which I suspect may occur within the next 20 years, if we let it! So….in the eyes of the patient Chinese, Trump must go! But at what cost? A few million? A few billion? A trillion dollars? Who owns these media sources? Who owns our politicians? Who would benefit the most from the collapse of the US economy? Who would benefit most with Trump being taken out of office? How many of these questions can be answered with one word: China.

I am really tired that many of our elected officials are so entrenched, that there is no opportunity for new faces advocating new ideas. WE NEED TERM LIMITS. Am I the only person in the United States that wants to know how a poor politician becomes a millionaire? Barrack Obama had a net worth of less than $500 thousand when he ran for president. Today, his net worth is estimated at $135 million! His salary for 8 years as POTUS was $3.2 million before taxes! How did he get to $135 million?

I am tired of the fact that our nation is so self-absorbed, that we, as a people, are too ignorant to recognize that we have enemies in the world. We have become the ‘me first’ individuals, rather than the ‘us together’ country.

I am tired of the fact that we may lose our democracy, because we allowed an election within our country with bushels of ballots being sent in the mail without verification if qualified voters actually received them. We allowed ballots to be counted that could not be substantiated. We allowed ballots to be counted that were post-marked after the election date. We allowed 38 states to count ballots with the use of a computer program that was developed outside the US; whose original purpose was to create ballot fraud, to sway the outcome of elections in foreign countries. Did we just become one of these ‘foreign countries?’ Apparently, some people think so as there are over 1500 sworn affidavits attesting to observing voter fraud. For once, I would like our bureaucracy to meddle in the form of the FBI and the DOJ. What did either do? I believe it was Stalin who said, “It’s not the vote that counts, it’s who counts the votes.”

We, as Americans, have two choices. The first is, how long are we going to tolerate the government at all levels to control our lives. Businesses closed. Schools closed. Churches closed. But you still go to Walmart and Target. I believe that the pandemic has shown bureaucracy gone amok in many areas.

The second decision is for us to recognize the threat that we have to our democracy, and what we need to do about it. We will not have honest and fair elections until some election officials are arrested for being dishonest and unfair. We will not have a fair and honest election until we prohibit, and un-elect those politicians who are taking huge sums of foreign monies to maintain power. That issue would disappear if we had term limits, so that 40 year entrenched politicians would begin to do what is ‘right for America,’ than what is right for a foreign power or lobbyist or themselves.

It is up to you, America! I’m tired. Time for a nap. But please decide what you want. The clock is ticking for us and future generations. The Chinese are patient.

The Democratic Platform: ‘deja vu’ all over again!

Did you have favorite television programs while growing up? I sure did. In my time, I enjoyed Bonanza and Gunsmoke as westerns. I really enjoyed The Man from Uncle and I Spy for spy shows. And, I could not get enough of the Carol Burnett Shows for comedy. Luckily, practically all of these shows are now available on networks that specialize in reruns. But here is the problem. After watching the original shows and then watching each show as a rerun two or three times, I lose interest. After all, how many times can you watch the same show over and over and over again without losing interest?

Now I need to time travel from the past to the present and as to what is happening on the political scene. Other than the negative mass media coverage of Donald Trump’s tweets, the next most media consuming event is the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. To say that there are a plethora of candidates would be an understatement. To say that there are a platoon of candidates would be more accurate. There are so many candidates, that I have lost count! I thought there were 22 or 23, but I see the upcoming debates are only for 20 candidates. Did some candidates drop out or were they hired to join the Mueller investigation posse? No doubt with Mueller’s concern about Russian influence in our last presidential election, he will now want to focus on what the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton election team had going with the Russkies! (Okay, I am dreaming. That would never happen with the team of Clintonites he had on his staff.)

Here is where I segue my last paragraph with my opening paragraph about reruns of television programs. After watching a television show three times, I would lose interest and quit watching that program. After watching part of the Democratic debates, I lost interest and quit watching. Why? Because the Democrats have not come up with an original thought and it is a rerun of the garbage they have been spewing for way too many years.!

Free health care for everyone! And with a unanimous show of hands, the candidates all agreed that that would also include ‘illegal aliens.’ Or, in the parlance of the political correct, ‘undocumented immigrants.’ (If an illegal alien can be an undocumented immigrant, does that mean a dope pusher is an undocumented pharmacist? Does that make a bank robber just performing an undocumented withdrawal?) Free college education for everyone! Free this! Free that! Free! Free! Free!

Is there a word in the English language (or press two for Spanish) that could possibly be more liberal with other people’s money than the word socialist? Just how would all of these ‘free’ entitlements be paid. Well, that is an easy question for Bernie Sanders. Because for Bernie, there are words in America that are naughtier that the four letter words we heard as kids. The word profit, is a naughty word. If you follow Bernie’s logic, which is in line with the other candidates, a corporation or business should be ashamed, and punished for making a profit! That punishment would come in the form of higher and higher taxes. And, we will need more government regulation and intervention to control those greedy profit makers! Did you notice how many times the words ‘large corporations’ came up in the debate. Oh yeah, those large corporations are what is wrong with America. Have we heard this drivel in the past?

The other source of funding, and another place to punish is the talk about the ‘upper 1%.’ Of course, this refers to the top 1% of those with wealth in our country. Hereto, these people need to ‘pay their fair share.’ Bernie goes on to attack Trump by saying that he passed tax reform that unjustly helped the top 1% over all other taxpayers and wage earners.

I am becoming comatose listening to the same reheated, rehashed garbage coming from the liberal left, just as I have lost interest in multiple reruns, because their platform is a rerun on a continuous loop. And….don’t let reality cloud a faulty accusation.

The liberals have need to take a fact check into reality and, just as important, into economics. Firstly, only a small portion of the total federal government tax revenues come for businesses and corporations. That number has fluctuated over the years, but for 2018, corporate income taxes accounted for only 6% of the federal tax income! Personal income taxes accounted for 51% of the federal tax income. Payroll taxes accounted for 35% of the federal tax income, with miscellaneous taxes accounting for the last 8%. Bernie wants to do a WWF style smack-down on those corporations that only contribute 6% of the federal taxes to support all of his socialistic programs. What would be the result of that economic taxation maneuver? Hate Trump if you want, but his economic policies have stimulated the economy to the point of experiencing the lowest unemployment rate in 50+ years! Like Ronald Reagan said, “The best welfare program is a job.” And gosh darn it, by eliminating government regulations and intervention, and by lowering the corporate tax rate, that 6% (corporations and businesses) have created many more people contributing in the form of personal taxes. If the socialist left-wing dingbat democrats have their way, this trend would reverse. Corporations would again relocate manufacturing and corporate headquarters outside of the US. Higher unemployment would follow, just like during the 10+% unemployment during the Obama years.

Another democrat mantra….”the 1% need to pay their fair share of taxes.” Really? In 2016, The top 1% of the wealthiest people in America paid 37.3% of all federal income taxes. The bottom 90% of wage earners paid just 30.5% of all federal income taxes. Another statistic? The top 50% of all wage earners paid 97% of all the taxes. So you think the IRS codes are skewed unjustly to benefit the top 1%, as asserted by the liberal left? Well, in 2016, the top 5% paid an average of 23.5% in taxes. The top 1% paid 22.9%. (Better accountants?) But the bottom 80% paid a tax rate of 15.6%. So….what part of this is unfair? Wouldn’t fairness, in this age of political correctness and equality, mean that everyone pay the same tax rate? What would those rates be if all those socialistic programs were put into effect? 40%? (If we were lucky!) 50%? (Probably not enough!) 80%? (Probably!)

So, dear readers, here is a summation of my observations of the Democratic presidential candidates and of the democratic platform:

  1. Like before, the democrats are fomenting the belief that in America, it is ‘us versus them.’ They foment this belief by unscrupulously advancing the belief that the 1% are entitled, and the rest of you are being screwed. Trump is responsible…so he needs to be impeached.
  2. Corporations and businesses are your enemy, especially those that have the audacity to make a profit. Never mind that they provide jobs, expand the economy and raise the standard of living for their employees. If they make a profit…Trump is responsible…so he needs to to impeached.
  3. Trump needs to be impeached. (Heard this before?) I have never heard one reason or charge that would warrant this….but Trump needs to be impeached.
  4. Trump is guilty of treason. (See number 3 above.)
  5. Have you ever heard one solution advanced by any of these candidates that would address some of the more serious problems facing America? Me neither. All I have heard so far is free this, free that…yada, yada, yada. Never mind China, illegal immigration, Iran, etc.
  6. Speaking about illegal immigration. I find it interesting that practically every Democratic candidate is a lawyer and does not know the definition of the word, ‘illegal’, as in illegal alien. How do you uphold and defend the constitution of our great country, and not know the difference between legal and illegal. Just sayin’.
  7. Another democratic mantra…’if at first you don’t succeed, begin labeling and name calling.’ Trump is a racist. Trump is a sexist. Trump is this, Trump is that, and anyone who votes for him is ‘deplorable and incorrigible.’ Enough name calling! Advance something that would be good for our country without putting our grandchildren in indebted servitude.
  8. Speaking of servitude…have you picked up that the government (meaning you and me) should pay blacks for slavery reparations? Have you met any blacks lately, or within the last 150 years that were slaves? Trolling for votes. A desperate, stupid move that divides this country further, but yet they blame Trump for dividing the country.

In an odd way, I find the liberal platform sort of creepy. It reminds me of my parents lecturing me when I was young about not taking candy from strangers. These liberals are trolling for votes by offering candy in the form of all kinds of unaffordable freebies. The question becomes, ‘are you smart enough to not take the candy?’

So like too many reruns of the same episodes of the same show, I will probably tune out most of the Democratic presidential debates until they get down to less than a platoon of candidates. It’s boring and it is certainly repetitive. Like Yogi Berra said, “it’s deja vu all over again.” That is the political correct way of saying….same crap, different day.

PS. If you would like to learn why we have a platoon of Democratic candidates, please read my blog entitled: P + P = M The New Political Formula

P + P = M The New Political Formula

During my formative years (now known as the young and dumb years!), I had an idealistic attitude toward our government and to the people that represented us in that government. I thought the job of these people was to do what is right for America. Now that I am old, somewhat mature, and somewhat knowledgeable (?), I am taking a rather dimmer view of the quality and motivation of the people representing us at the highest levels of government. It’s not my fault! 24/7 news channels, loaded up with ranting educated idiots have made me this way!

Did you know that at the time of the founding of our country, many men lost everything they had because they were representatives of the new federal government. Yup. They were patriots and they thought it was their duty, once selected, to represent their constituents in Congress. For some, this resulted in great financial loss. While they were in Congress, there wasn’t anyone representing their best interests with their businesses, their farms or at their plantations. Thus they suffered great financial and personal losses. My…how things have changed.

I have lived through thirteen different presidents. Without a doubt, I believe one of those thirteen was the most scrupulous of all. Want to take a guess? My choice would be Harry S. Truman. Why? Because once his second term in office was completed, Harry and his wife Bess moved back to Missouri and lived in the house that they had once shared with her mother. Once out of office, Truman quickly decided that he did not wish to be on any corporate payroll, believing that taking advantage of such financial opportunities would diminish the integrity of the nation’s highest office. He also turned down numerous offers for commercial endorsements. Since his earlier business ventures had proved unsuccessful, he had no personal savings. He faced financial challenges and only had an old army pension. Because of his financial condition, a pension was eventually granted to retiring presidents, and Harry was the first recipient. (Herbert Hoover also received it, as he was the only other surviving former president. Hoover was wealthy, but took it so as to not embarrass Truman!)

I think the ethical/patriotic component of being a politician, started by our founding fathers, may well have died with Harry Truman. I believe the new inspiration for most people seeking political office lies in my formula: P + P = M. Power + Prestige = Money. Yup. I think that too many of our politicians are running for office for the pursuit of the almighty dollar. I also think too many decisions made by our elected officials are being influenced by the almighty dollar. And…being the skeptic that I am…I am wondering from where this money is coming.

Campaign contributions

During the last presidential election, over $1.5 billion was raised by the two major party candidates, with Hillary Clinton raising about $1 billion herself. My question is, what happens to the unspent campaign contributions, especially for a losing candidate? Let me offer a theoretical situation. What if Hillary’s campaign spent only $750 million, what would happen to the other $250 million? Supposedly, there are strict rules governing this very situation. But, like all things coming out of Washington, D.C., there are loopholes and shady gray areas in the regulations. The candidates are forbidden from using those funds for personal use. (Yeah. Like I believe that!) And…the money is supposed to go to the political party or back to the contributors. (Really? Back to the contributors? Another fairy tale!) Once the political party has the money, they can do with it as they please. Does that mean they could give it back to the candidate? There are instances where candidates have purchased season athletic tickets, and paid extravagant salaries to friends and relatives. Yet….it has never been enforced. (Do you think all campaign contributions are reported?)

Could these campaign contributions be at least part of the reason we have almost fifteen people vying for the Democratic presidential nomination? Let’s be realistic. You and I both know that about a dozen of these people have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning the nomination. But here they are…stumping and posturing for the first caucuses. How much money are we talking about? When Beto O’Rourke announced his candidacy, his campaign raised $6.5 million in 24 hours! And when all the losers drop out of the race, do you think all of the campaign contributions will be returned?

Net Worth

Will someone please explain to me how Barrack Obama can enter the White House with a net worth of less than $500 thousand, and now have a purported net worth of up to $140 million? If I am not mistaken, his annual salary as POTUS, was $400 thousand per year. That equates to a little over $3 million for his eight year term. He would net, after taxes, about $2 million. How do you take a leap of $138 million in such a short period of time? There is nothing the Obama’s have done; book deals, speeches, consulting that would earn this type of money. My skeptical nature tells me that money had to come from somewhere else. Campaign contributions? Executive decisions such as the Uranium One deal? Other executive decisions that resulted in donations or contributions? I am not accusing. I am just wondering out loud! Real loud!

How could I possibly bring up net worth without mentioning Bill and Hillary Clinton. According to Bill himself, the Clinton’s left the White House $16 million in debt. Much of this was because of attorney fees and settlements paid out for sexual harassment law suits. But yet, today the Clinton’s have a purported net worth of $240 million! Now that is what I call a miraculous financial turnaround! How did all of that occur? Well, there was that wonderful organization called the Clinton Foundation. This was a foundation located in Canada to protect the donor list, that was never certified as a charitable foundation because less than 3% of its donations were used for charitable causes. It sounds to me like it was more like a personal Clinton piggy bank. And some of its donations were huge. One $145 million donation came from the Russian investors involved in the Uranium One deal. This deal took place while Hillary was Secretary of State and Obama was POTUS. Coincidence? Do you find it coincidental that the Clinton foundation donations ceased as soon as Hillary lost the election, thereby forcing the closing of the foundation?

How were these large net worth amounts attainable? P + P = M!

Influence Peddling

Who made this statement?

“People who enter the United States without our permission are illegal aliens, and illegal aliens should not be treated the same as people who entered the U.S. legally.”

Donald Trump? Mike Pence? Sarah Sanders? Mitch McConnell? Well, in 2009, that statement was said by none other than Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority leader. My…how things have changed. But I digress.

Is the real reason that the Democrats are fighting the wall is to stop Trump from keeping a campaign promise, or is it something else. Something else…like money. I brought up in my last blog that it was not coincidental that the marijuana legal states are controlled by Democrats. Correspondingly, most of these states are fighting immigration reform and border security. As well as the influx of illegal aliens, there has been an influx of illegal drugs. How much money is generated between legalized marijuana and illegal drugs in those states? I don’t think anyone really knows because there have not been any drug lords in America that have religiously filed personal and corporate tax returns. I am willing to speculate that amount of money is enormous ( or gi-normous in modern vernacular) and would probably astound the average person if known. So…is that money finding its way into the campaign coffers of politicians from those states? Because once money is in campaign coffers, that money seems to find its way to parts unknown.

I know that one reason for resisting the wall is that the Democrats are speculating that illegal aliens will increase their political base. That is so they can maintain POWER+ PRESTIGE. If my formula is correct, the MONEY will follow.

The Mueller Investigation

The Mueller Investigation results were released this past weekend. With eighteen full time attorneys and forty full time FBI investigators, at an expense of over $25 million over two years, the Democrats are doubling down on their efforts to discredit the report. I predicted that the Democrats would rather investigate than legislate and it appears my crystal ball is still finely tuned.

Here’s another quote. Who said this:

” Carry the battle to them. Don’t let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive and don’t apologize for anything.”

Chuck Schumer? Nancy Pelosi? Cory Booker? Hillary Clinton? Nope. This quote was made by Harry S. Truman. I believe he was referring to World War II, but does it sound like the battleground being fought today by the Democrats. Does that quote pretty much describe the political climate in Washington? I am convinced that the Democrats, even though losing the last presidential election, even though not getting the desired ‘goodies’ from the Mueller report to impeach Trump, will do anything to gain/retain POWER + PRESTIGE. After all, with it comes the MONEY.

One more prediction? I think that Trump is going to rip the scab and expose all the puss surrounding this whole affair. Watch for the cockroaches scurrying for the darkness.

My Senses are Degrading….Just Like Our Society!

Gosh Darn It!  There are times when getting older really does suck.  And as I get older, my senses are degrading in acuity.  You remember those five senses from grammar school…sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch.  It appears to me that as my senses are degrading, so are the senses of our society.  (My mind is faltering, too.  But, dammit, I did not have to use Google to remember the five senses!)  Let me provide examples of how I think society’s senses are faltering, much as mine.

Hearing

Have you ever watched an episode of ‘The View?’  That is a daytime show with four very left- leaning women, trying to convince other women to be left-leaning.  Well…admittedly, I have never watched more than 5 minutes of that show, mostly because I am not left-leaning or a woman.  Surprise.  The four primary women on this show are Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Abby Huntsman, and Sunny Hostin.  This past week, they were mocking the message that Melania Trump produced about defending her husband from a New York op-ed piece.  Sunny Hostin began reading this message in an improvised, not funny-at-all, Melania accent.  Admittedly, one of the other women had the good graces and common sense to tell her to stop.

I am sure than anyone that hears Melania speak, can also hear her accent.  (Did you catch that segue?)  I wonder if they would have mocked her accent if they would have heard her speak the other five languages that she speaks?  Yes, Melania speaks six languages: Slovenian, French, Serbian, German and Italian, and of course, English.  I am willing to bet that she speaks more languages than the other four ladies on The View combined.

Touch

Have there ever been instances in your life that you ‘would not touch with a 10 foot flagpole?’  I know I have, but whenever I have gotten close to a real ’10 foot flag pole’, I was either saluting it or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  During all twelve years of my el-hi education, the day was begun with the Pledge of Allegiance.  If Colin Kaepernick gets close to a ’10 foot flagpole….he takes a knee.

Amazingly, just to show how disrespectful this act is, the Nike corporation has decided to use Colin as the face of their newest ad campaign.  Their reasoning?  They believe that Kaepernick showed ‘bravery and sacrifice’ by taking the knee.  Now I realize that my mind isn’t as sharp as it once was, but I am having one hell of a time equating disrespect for our flag, our national anthem and our country as being ‘brave and sacrificing!’  

I will give Nike the benefit of the doubt about market research in making this decision.  They realized that their target group is younger people, and that virtually anyone over the age of 55 is off their radar.  But you screwed up in your assumptions.  Us ‘over 55’ crowd are parents and grandparents, which means that those grandkids get presents for birthdays and Christmas.  Do you think us older folks, us that recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day,  are going to rush to buy Nike gear for their grandkids?  Not likely.  You may be spot on by targeting the generation that has never had to live through a costly war.  Their perception of ‘sacrifice and bravery’ would be diluted from us who lost friends and relatives in Viet Nam or Korea or World War II or from 9/11.

Nike, you missed the boat.  If you wanted to push the envelope of society, and touch the hearts of a patriotic America, you could have been a trendsetter by choosing someone else.  How about a fire figher who rushed into the World Trade Center, knowing they may die while trying to rescue others?  How about a paraplegic, athletic soldier or Marine that has lost both legs while defending this country rather than denigrating it.  Those military people who have lost their limbs would only take two knees to pray, but never one knee to disrespect this country.   Need a famous athlete, as you have selected in the past?  How about J.J. Watt?  He raised over $47 million for Hurricane Harvey relief.  But I would guess that J.J. Watts, excellent role model like he is, is not ‘edgy’ enough for your campaign.  Peyton Manning would be left out because he has only built a children’s hospital with his own money.

But there is an upside to this whole affair.  In today’s Trump improving economy, even Colin Kaepernick got a job!

Smell

This past week, the New York Times came out with a scathing op-ed piece about the White House and Donald Trump.  The entire article was based upon a ‘high level anonymous source.’  Within the last two weeks, Bob Woodward has published a new book, also very negative about the White House and Donald Trump.  His book is largely based on ‘anonymous sources and hearsay.’  In his book, he has said that, “his anonymous source overheard” a conversation in the White House.

Does anyone ‘smell a rat’ when it comes to ‘anonymous sources and hearsay?’  I don’t know about you, but I am beginning to equate the word ‘anonymous’ with the word, ‘fictitious’  and the word  ‘hearsay‘ with the word, ‘rumor.’  The reason why I ‘smell a rat’  concerning this type of reporting and journalism is that I am wildly skeptical because of the timing.  It has become common in the last few decades, to release negative garbage just prior to an upcoming election, by both parties.  (Okay.  I am biased.  I feel like the liberal media has the edge in the garbage department.)  This year’s midterm election is going to be huge on how the outcome affects the direction of America and the smelly  journalistic garbage campaign is already beginning.  You can certainly be assured that there will be more to follow.

My opinion about ‘anonymous sources’ is that if they feel so strongly about what information they are providing, then they should be courageous enough to identify themselves.  If they are not willing to identify themselves, then they should not disclose their information.  That is the way it would be in the Grandpa T fantasy world.

Sight

One of my fondest memories of growing up was being in, and watching parades.  I would love to see the floats, the bands with their beautiful majorettes, the beauty queens, the classic cars and catching the handfuls of candy that accompanied every parade.

But I have one regret.  I have only seen one circus.  I was probably 5 or 6, and somehow our family got tickets to see the Ringling Brothers circus.  For a young kid, it was magical!

There are advantages to getting old.  For one advantage, I get to watch a whole lot of television.  For one disadvantage, I get to watch a whole lot of television.  With that in mind, I would like to share with you that while watching television this past week, I got to see another circus.  That makes two circuses in my lifetime!   This particular circus was hosted by the Senate Judiciary Committee during its confirmation hearings involving Judge Brett Kavanaugh.  It was obvious from the questioning and from the proceedings that there were more clowns in this circus than Ringling Brothers could ever afford.  Total lack of respect.  Total lack of decorum.  Total dedication to disrupting the proceedings.

I can see that this is what we receive when we load a room with over-inflated egos, posturing to become a presidential candidate.  Eventually, we did get a smattering of what the Supreme Court Justice nominee had to say, but it was secondary to the circus being in town.  After watching this event, I began wishing for two things:  1.  Take the cameras out of the room, because most of these clowns never met a TV camera they didn’t like, and, 2.  Is it too late to change our government to a benevolent dictator so we would not have to watch how crappy our government really operates?  (How did those 70 demonstrators get into that meeting room?  Did they need a pass from one of the senatorial participants?  Just wondering out loud.)

Taste

In late June,  Sarah Sanders and her family were asked to leave before getting a taste of the cuisine at at the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia.  Bummer.  She was asked to leave by the owner, stating that she was asked to leave because she works for Donald Trump.  The owner then took this personal display of stupidity and disrespect by following Sarah and her family to the next restaurant.

But just like the TV commercials, ‘but wait…there’s more!’  Maxine Waters, U.S. Representative from the California 43rd congressional district took this one step further by stating that, “Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up.  And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd.  And you push back on them.  And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”  Wow!  Aren’t our elected officials suppose to do what is best for America?  Aren’t they suppose to set an example for Americans?  Heal racial wounds?  Promote a united America?  Well, in this instance, Maxine went out of her way to demonstrate her intolerance and stupidity.

One can only hope that sometime in the near future, Maxine Waters gets a taste of her own medicine and gets thrown out of some facility.  Hopefully that would be the House of Representatives.  Just thinking out loud about the Grandpa T fantasy world.

I still have enough intellectual wits about me to know that my senses are slightly duller as I get older.  My big concern is, ‘Does our society have enough intellectual wits to realize that its senses are dulling, also?’  (And, probably faster than mine!)   America needs to become more cognizant of its ‘senses.’  And in that vein, let’s continue to “Make America Great Again!”