By G. Murphy Donovan
The author had two tours in Vietnam as a junior officer and
subsequently served as command Intelligence briefer in Hawaii where he
updated CINCPAC, John McCain’s father, on POW matters.
Donald Trump is a piece of work even by New York
standards: tall, white, loud, brash, entrepreneurial, successful, rich,
ruthlessly candid, well-dressed, and fond of heterosexual women. He has
married at least three delicious ladies in fact. Trump has five children and
seven grandchildren. Indeed, his progeny are well above average too, smartly
groomed, photogenic, and successful to boot.
As far as we know, Donald does not have any
tattoos, piercings, unpaid taxes, or under-aged bimbo interns. He is not a
drunk or a junkie either. Trump projects and enterprises probably employ
more folks than the NYC school system -- or the United Nations.
You could say that Trump is living the life, not the
life of Riley, but more like Daddy Warbucks with a comb over. “The Donald,”
as one ex-wife calls him, is not just living the American dream. Trump is
the dream -- and proud of it.
You could do worse than think of Trump as upwardly
mobile blue collar. He is the grandson of immigrants and the product of Long
island, a Queens household, and a Bronx education. The Donald survived the
Jesuits of Fordham University for two years before migrating to finish his
baccalaureate at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
When readers of the New York Times , The New Yorker ,
and the New York Review of Books speak of “the city”, they are not talking
about the Queens or the Bronx. Growing and schooling in the blue-collar
boroughs gives Trump a curb level perspective, something seldom found in
Manhattan. Or as any “D” Train alumnus might put it, Trump has “a pretty
good Bravo Sierra detector.”
So what’s not to like about Donald Trump? He doesn’t
just stay in four-star hotels; he builds them. He doesn’t just own luxury
condominiums; he makes them. He doesn’t just own historic buildings; he
restores them. He doesn’t just eat at the best restaurants; he creates them.
He just doesn’t belong to the best country clubs; he builds those, too.
And Donald Trump, unlike the Manhattan/Washington
fantasy Press and every Beltway political pimp, doesn’t just pay lip service
to a bigger and better economy, he creates micro-economies every day.
The only thing we don’t know about Donald Trump is why
he would like to immigrate to the District of Columbia.
In any case, the merits of entrepreneurs like Trump
might best be defined by the character or motives of his critics. Trump
detractors are for the most part “B” list politicians, ambulance chasers,
and a left-leaning Press corps that lionizes the likes of Nina Totenberg,
Dan Rather, Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, and Brian Williams.
If the truth were told, most of Trump’s critics are
jealous, envious of his wealth and they loath his candor. Donald might also
be hated for what he is not. Trump is not a lawyer, nor is he a career
politician who lives on the taxpayer dime. Trump is paying for his own
campaign. Bernie, Barack, McCain, and Kerry could take enterprise lessons
from a chap like Trump.
Unlike most government barnacles, Trump can walk and
chew gum at the same time. He knows how to close a deal and build something.
He is a net creator, not consumer, of a kind of wealth that provides “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for Americans -- real jobs not
feather merchants.
Today, Trump has nothing left to prove. Yet, success
has allowed him the rarest of public privileges, an electoral pulpit and the
courage to speak his mind. Alas, truth is not necessarily a political asset
in a socialized democracy.
Indeed, the erstwhile presidential candidate stepped on
his crank recently by suggesting that Mexico, already exporting dangerous
drugs, cheap tomatoes, and even cheaper labor, was also exporting violent
felons to the US.
Truth hurts! Trump’s rude candor is underwritten by
nearly half a million illegal felons in American jails. Coincidentally,
events have conspired to support Trump’s take on Mexican dystopia with the
El Chapo Guzman jailbreak and the murder of Kathryn Steinle by Francisco
Sanchez.
Senor Sanchez sported a lengthy criminal record and had
been deported on four previous occasions. San Francisco, a "sanctuary" city,
failed to honor existing warrants and released Sanchez from jail just before
he blew Kathy Steinle away.
As serendipity would have it, Trump then went to
Phoenix on 12 July and gave a stem winder to a sell-out crowd on the subject
of illegal immigration. Senator John McCain was not pleased to have The
Donald on Arizona’s front lawn and intemperately called Trump supporters
“crazies.” Trump returned fire saying that McCain was no hero.
Here again Trump cut to the quick, pointing out that no
one qualifies as a hero because he was shot down or captured. Indeed, being
a hostage in North Vietnam is not necessarily heroic either. McCain is
thought by some to be a heroic because he refused to accept an early
release.
In fact, the Hanoi parole offer was a ruse, a Hobson’s
choice, designed to embarrass McCain and his father at CINCPAC.
If McCain took the parole and abandoned his fellow
POWs, he would have shamed his father and been ostracized by shipmates.
Indeed, had John McCain not been the son and grandson of famous no
victorious, Pacific Command flag officers, no one would have noticed him
then or now.
Few of the demagogues who have come to John McCain’s
defense could name any of the 600 Vietnam-era POWs other than McCain. McCain
is famous today because he, like John Kerry, has parlayed a very average
Vietnam military service into a three-decade political sinecure.
We know of 50,000 Vietnam veterans that might be more
deserving than John McCain. Unfortunately, they died in a war that generals
couldn’t win and politicians couldn’t abide. A body bag seldom gets to play
the “hero.”
McCain is no political hero either.
He is famously ambiguous on domestic issues like
immigration. He is also a Johnny-come-lately to Veterans Administration rot,
which has metastasized as long as McCain has been in office. On foreign
policy, McCain is a Victoria Nuland era crackpot, supporting East European
coups, playing cold warrior, and posturing with neo-Nazis in Kiev. McCain
pecks at Putin too because the Senate, like the Obama crew, hasn’t a clue
about genuine threats like the ISIS jihad or the latest Islam bomb.
To date, Trump has run a clever campaign. He is
chumming, throwing red meat and blood into campaign waters and all the usual
suspects are in a feeding frenzy. McCain, the Press, the Left, and the
Republican establishment all have something to say about “the Donald.” It is
truly amazing how cleverly Trump manages to manipulate the establishment.
If you are trying to sell an idea or a candidacy,
there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Who knows where the Trump campaign goes? For the
moment, he has scored direct hits on Mexico and McCain. With El Capo on the
loose again, every time a toilet flushes in Sinaloa, Mexican garbage is
likely spill out in Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Francisco, Portland, or
Seattle. Indeed, it’s hard to believe that the Left Coast could survive
without cheap labor, pistileros , meth, coke, heroin, or weed. Necrotic
immigration and its byproducts are ready made targets for a gunslinger like
Trump.
Trump is no bigot. He probably employs more Latinos and
Blacks than Enrique Peña Nieto or Barack Obama. In his own way, Donald Trump
is both immigrant and POW, a refugee from Queens and still a prisoner of
Wharton. The Donald is The Dude, the guy with babes and a roll of Benjamins
that would choke a shark. He is the wildly successful capitalist that some
of us love to hate.
Before democratic socialism, success and effectiveness
were measures of merit. It doesn’t take much insight to compare Trump’s
various enterprises with federal programs. Public education, banking
oversight, public housing slums, poverty doles, veterans fiascos, Internal
Revenue hijinks, and even some Defense Department procurement programs are
consensus failures. The F-35 “Lightning” fighter is an illustration,
arguably the most expensive single DOD boondoggle in history. Pentagon
progressives seldom win a catfight these days, but they still spend like
sailors.
If and when Trump fails, he is out of business.
In Trump’s world, failure has consequences. In
contrast, Washington rewards failure with better funding. Indeed,
generational program failure is now a kind of perverse incentive for Beltway
politicians and apparatchiks to throw good money after failed programs.
The difference between Trump and McCain should be
obvious to any fair observer; Trump has done something with his talents.
McCain, in contrast, is coasting on a military myth and resting on the
laurels of Senatorial tenure.
Any way you look at it, Donald Trump is good for
national politics, good for democracy, good for America, and especially good
for candor. If nothing else, The Donald may help Republicans to pull their
heads out of that place where the sun seldom shines.
The author had two tours in Vietnam as a junior officer
and subsequently served as command Intelligence briefer in Hawaii where he
updated CINCPAC, John McCain’s father, on POW matters.
Look what's coming
Here's looking at you kid
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Donald Trump's Position In The Race
It is unlikely that Donald Trump will accomplish anything more than a little more publicity for his enormous ego. In my wildest dreams I cannot fathom that Trump will finish higher than 10th in this farcical republican circus.
I see Trump as a very wealthy wannabe celebrity who lets his ego feed on such things as these debates. It is an adrenalin high for him and he craves to be spoken about by the media. He has some good personal thoughts about making America great again, and recovering America's position as the worlds leader with a healthy economy, and military dominance. Thoughts which I wish he could actually put into action. But his one big problem is that he is enamored with himself, and he can do nothing more than promote self and then sit back and admire what he is doing while reveling in the media's response to almost everything he does or says. He is in no way a serious contender for president of the worlds most prolific economy, most dominant military, and the mightiest nation in the history of the world.
True enough, our current president, barack hussein obama, our present islamic half breed idiot in charge, has almost destroyed our country, and is on a personal best conquest to spend more money on his own personal stinking self and his half male wife (if we use the term loosely), than any other world leader since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so if the dems win again. But if Trump is even to have a chance, he will have to do a 180 and come up with a strategy that is plausible and which will appeal to the largest number of voters, and which will win over all the media moguls to his side. But with his ego, that ain't gonna happen.
Trump - things you don't know about him
Thankfully, at least, he’s waking some of the RINOs up.
The criticisms of Trump are amazingly missing something. They are lacking in negative stories from those who work for him or have had business dealings with him. After all the employees he’s had and all the business deals he’s made there is a void of criticism. In fact, long term employees call him a strong and merciful leader and say he is far more righteous and of high integrity than people may think and while it may surprise many, he’s actually humble when it comes to his generosity and kindness.
A good example is a story that tells of his limo breaking down on a deserted highway outside of New York City. A middle-aged couple stopped to help him and as a thank you he paid off their mortgage, but he didn’t brag about that. Generous and good people rarely talk of charity they bestow on others.
But as much as all this is interesting, the real thing that people want to know is what Donald Trump’s plan is for America.
It’s funny how so many people say they don’t know what it is, or they act like Trump is hiding it. The information is readily available if people would just do a little homework. But, since most Americans won't do their own research, here, in no particular order, is an overview of many of Trumps positions and plans:
1.) Trump believes that America should not intervene militarily in other country’s problems without being compensated for doing so. If America is going to risk the lives of our soldiers and incur the expense of going to war, then the nations we help must be willing to pay for our help. Using the Iraq War as an example, he cites the huge monetary expense to American taxpayers (over $1.5 trillion, and possibly much more depending on what sources are used to determine the cost) in addition to the cost in human life. He suggests that Iraq should have been required to give us enough of their oil to pay for the expenses we incurred. He includes in those expenses the medical costs for our military and $5 million for each family that lost a loved one in the war and $2 million for each family of soldiers who received severe injuries.
2.) Speaking of the military, Trump wants America to have a strong military again. He believes the single most important function of the federal government is national defense. He has said he wants to find the General Patton or General MacArthur that could lead our military buildup back to the strength it needs to be. While he hasn’t said it directly that I know of, Trump’s attitude about America and about winning tells me he’d most likely be quick to eliminate rules of engagement that handicap our military in battle. Clearly Trump is a “win at all costs” kind of guy, and I’m sure that would apply to our national defense and security, too.
3.) Trump wants a strong foreign policy and believes that it must include 7 core principles (which seem to support my comment in the last point):
· American interests come first. Always. No apologies. Maximum firepower and military preparedness.
· Only go to war to win.
· Stay loyal to your friends and suspicious of your enemies.
· Keep the technological sword razor sharp.
· See the unseen. Prepare for threats before they materialize.
· Respect and support our present and past warriors.
4.) Trump believes that terrorists who are captured should be treated as military combatants, not as criminals like the Obama administration treats them.
5.) Trump makes the point that China’s manipulation of their currency has given them unfair advantage in our trade dealings with them. He says we must tax their imports to offset their currency manipulation, which will cause American companies to be competitive again and drive manufacturing back to America and create jobs here. Although he sees China as the biggest offender, he believes that America should protect itself from all foreign efforts to take our jobs and manufacturing. For example, Ford is building a plant in Mexico and Trump suggests that every part or vehicle Ford makes in Mexico be taxed 35% if they want to bring it into the U. S., which would cause companies like Ford to no longer be competitive using their Mexican operations and move manufacturing back to the U. S., once again creating jobs here.
6.) Trump wants passage of NOPEC legislation (No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act – NOPEC – S.394), which would allow the government to sue OPEC for violating antitrust laws. According to Trump, that would break up the cartel. He also wants to unleash our energy companies to drill domestically (sound like Sarah Palin’s drill baby, drill?) thereby increasing domestic production creating jobs and driving domestic costs of oil and gas down while reducing dependence on foreign oil.
7.) Trump believes a secure border is critical for both security and prosperity in America. He wants to build a wall to stop illegals from entering and put controls on immigration. (And he says he’ll get Mexico to pay for the wall, which many have scoffed at, but given his business successes I wouldn’t put it past him.) He also wants to enforce our immigration laws and provide no path to citizenship for illegals.
8.) Trump wants a radical change to the tax system to not only make it better for average Americans, but also to encourage businesses to stay here and foreign businesses to move here. The resulting influx of money to our nation would do wonders for our economy. He wants to make America the place to do business. He also wants to lower the death tax and the taxes on capital gains and dividends. This would put more than $1.6 trillion back into the economy and help rebuild the 1.5 million jobs we’ve lost to the current tax system. He also wants to charge companies who outsource jobs overseas a 20% tax, but for those willing to move jobs back to America they would not be taxed. And for citizens he has a tax plan that would allow Americans to keep more of what they earn and spark economic growth. He wants to change the personal income tax to:
· Up to $30,000 taxed at 1%
· From $30,000 to $100,000 taxed at 5%
· From $100,000 to $1,000,000 taxed at 10%
· $1,000,000 and above taxed at 15%
9.) Trump wants Obamacare repealed. He says it’s a “job-killing, health care-destroying monstrosity” that “can’t be reformed, salvaged, or fixed.” He believes in allowing real competition in the health insurance marketplace to allow competition to drive prices down. He also believes in tort reform to get rid of defensive medicine and lower costs.
10.) Trump wants spending reforms in Washington, acknowledging that America spends far more than it receives in revenue. He has said he believes that if we don’t stop increasing the national debt once it hits $24 trillion it will be impossible to save this country.
11.) Even though he says we need to cut spending, he does not want to harm those on Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. He believes that the citizens have faithfully paid in to the system to have these services available and that the American government has an obligation to fulfill its end of the bargain and provide those benefits. Therefore, he wants to build the economy up so that we have the revenue to pay those costs without cutting the benefits to the recipients. He disagrees with Democrats who think raising taxes is the answer and says that when you do that you stifle the economy. On the other hand, when you lower taxes and create an environment to help businesses they will grow, hire more workers, and those new workers will be paying taxes that become more tax revenue for the government.
12.) Trump also wants reform of the welfare state saying that America needs “a safety net, not a hammock.” He believes in a welfare to work program that would help reduce the welfare roles and encourage people to get back to work. And he wants a crackdown on entitlement fraud.
13.) Trump believes climate change is a hoax.
14.) Trump opposes Common Core.
15.) Trump is pro-life, although he allows for an exception due to rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
16.) Trump is pro 2nd Amendment rights.
17.) Trump’s view on same-sex marriage is that marriage is between a man and a woman, but he also believes that this is a states’ rights issue, not a federal issue.
18.) Trump supports the death penalty. Trump believes that there is a lack of common sense, innovative thinking in Washington (Hmmm… looks like he believes in horse sense!). He says it’s about seeing the unseen and that’s the kind of thinking we need to turn this country around. He tells a personal story to illustrate the point: “When I opened Trump National Golf Club at Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles, I was immediately told that I would need to build a new and costly ballroom. The current ballroom was gorgeous, but it only sat 200 people and we were losing business because people needed a larger space for their events. Building a new ballroom would take years to get approval and permits (since it’s on the Pacific Ocean), and cost about $5 million. I took one look at the ballroom and saw immediately what needed to be done. The problem wasn’t the size of the room, it was the size of the chairs. They were huge, heavy, and unwieldy. We didn’t need a bigger ballroom, we needed smaller chairs! So I had them replaced with high-end, smaller chairs. I then had our people sell the old chairs and got more money for them than the cost of the new chairs. In the end, the ballroom went from seating 200 people to seating 320 people. Our visitors got the space they desired, and I spared everyone the hassle of years of construction and $5 million of expense. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a little common sense.” On top of his saving years of construction and $5 million in expenses, he also was able to keep the ballroom open for business during the time it would have been under remodeling, which allowed him to continue to make money on the space instead of losing that revenue during construction time.
Donald Trump’s entire life has been made up of success and winning. He’s been accused of bankruptcies, but that’s not true. He’s never filed personal bankruptcy. He’s bought companies and legally used bankruptcy laws to restructure their debt, just as businesses do all the time. But he’s never been bankrupt personally. He’s a fighter that clearly loves America and would fight for our nation. Earlier I quoted Trump saying, “I love America. And when you love something, you protect it passionately – fiercely, even.” We never hear that from Democrats or even from most Republicans. Donald Trump is saying things that desperately need to be said but no other candidate has shown the fortitude to stand up and say them. Looking over this list of what he wants for America I see a very necessary set of goals that are long past due. Before we criticize someone because the media does, maybe we should seriously consider what he has to offer.
I didn't verify any of this. Some I did find interesting. Not endorsing Trump at all, but I do like it when those seeking political office are willing to answer questions without all the hedging and polling answers. It is probably generational on my part.
I see Trump as a very wealthy wannabe celebrity who lets his ego feed on such things as these debates. It is an adrenalin high for him and he craves to be spoken about by the media. He has some good personal thoughts about making America great again, and recovering America's position as the worlds leader with a healthy economy, and military dominance. Thoughts which I wish he could actually put into action. But his one big problem is that he is enamored with himself, and he can do nothing more than promote self and then sit back and admire what he is doing while reveling in the media's response to almost everything he does or says. He is in no way a serious contender for president of the worlds most prolific economy, most dominant military, and the mightiest nation in the history of the world.
True enough, our current president, barack hussein obama, our present islamic half breed idiot in charge, has almost destroyed our country, and is on a personal best conquest to spend more money on his own personal stinking self and his half male wife (if we use the term loosely), than any other world leader since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so if the dems win again. But if Trump is even to have a chance, he will have to do a 180 and come up with a strategy that is plausible and which will appeal to the largest number of voters, and which will win over all the media moguls to his side. But with his ego, that ain't gonna happen.
Trump - things you don't know about him
Thankfully, at least, he’s waking some of the RINOs up.
The criticisms of Trump are amazingly missing something. They are lacking in negative stories from those who work for him or have had business dealings with him. After all the employees he’s had and all the business deals he’s made there is a void of criticism. In fact, long term employees call him a strong and merciful leader and say he is far more righteous and of high integrity than people may think and while it may surprise many, he’s actually humble when it comes to his generosity and kindness.
A good example is a story that tells of his limo breaking down on a deserted highway outside of New York City. A middle-aged couple stopped to help him and as a thank you he paid off their mortgage, but he didn’t brag about that. Generous and good people rarely talk of charity they bestow on others.
But as much as all this is interesting, the real thing that people want to know is what Donald Trump’s plan is for America.
It’s funny how so many people say they don’t know what it is, or they act like Trump is hiding it. The information is readily available if people would just do a little homework. But, since most Americans won't do their own research, here, in no particular order, is an overview of many of Trumps positions and plans:
1.) Trump believes that America should not intervene militarily in other country’s problems without being compensated for doing so. If America is going to risk the lives of our soldiers and incur the expense of going to war, then the nations we help must be willing to pay for our help. Using the Iraq War as an example, he cites the huge monetary expense to American taxpayers (over $1.5 trillion, and possibly much more depending on what sources are used to determine the cost) in addition to the cost in human life. He suggests that Iraq should have been required to give us enough of their oil to pay for the expenses we incurred. He includes in those expenses the medical costs for our military and $5 million for each family that lost a loved one in the war and $2 million for each family of soldiers who received severe injuries.
2.) Speaking of the military, Trump wants America to have a strong military again. He believes the single most important function of the federal government is national defense. He has said he wants to find the General Patton or General MacArthur that could lead our military buildup back to the strength it needs to be. While he hasn’t said it directly that I know of, Trump’s attitude about America and about winning tells me he’d most likely be quick to eliminate rules of engagement that handicap our military in battle. Clearly Trump is a “win at all costs” kind of guy, and I’m sure that would apply to our national defense and security, too.
3.) Trump wants a strong foreign policy and believes that it must include 7 core principles (which seem to support my comment in the last point):
· American interests come first. Always. No apologies. Maximum firepower and military preparedness.
· Only go to war to win.
· Stay loyal to your friends and suspicious of your enemies.
· Keep the technological sword razor sharp.
· See the unseen. Prepare for threats before they materialize.
· Respect and support our present and past warriors.
4.) Trump believes that terrorists who are captured should be treated as military combatants, not as criminals like the Obama administration treats them.
5.) Trump makes the point that China’s manipulation of their currency has given them unfair advantage in our trade dealings with them. He says we must tax their imports to offset their currency manipulation, which will cause American companies to be competitive again and drive manufacturing back to America and create jobs here. Although he sees China as the biggest offender, he believes that America should protect itself from all foreign efforts to take our jobs and manufacturing. For example, Ford is building a plant in Mexico and Trump suggests that every part or vehicle Ford makes in Mexico be taxed 35% if they want to bring it into the U. S., which would cause companies like Ford to no longer be competitive using their Mexican operations and move manufacturing back to the U. S., once again creating jobs here.
6.) Trump wants passage of NOPEC legislation (No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act – NOPEC – S.394), which would allow the government to sue OPEC for violating antitrust laws. According to Trump, that would break up the cartel. He also wants to unleash our energy companies to drill domestically (sound like Sarah Palin’s drill baby, drill?) thereby increasing domestic production creating jobs and driving domestic costs of oil and gas down while reducing dependence on foreign oil.
7.) Trump believes a secure border is critical for both security and prosperity in America. He wants to build a wall to stop illegals from entering and put controls on immigration. (And he says he’ll get Mexico to pay for the wall, which many have scoffed at, but given his business successes I wouldn’t put it past him.) He also wants to enforce our immigration laws and provide no path to citizenship for illegals.
8.) Trump wants a radical change to the tax system to not only make it better for average Americans, but also to encourage businesses to stay here and foreign businesses to move here. The resulting influx of money to our nation would do wonders for our economy. He wants to make America the place to do business. He also wants to lower the death tax and the taxes on capital gains and dividends. This would put more than $1.6 trillion back into the economy and help rebuild the 1.5 million jobs we’ve lost to the current tax system. He also wants to charge companies who outsource jobs overseas a 20% tax, but for those willing to move jobs back to America they would not be taxed. And for citizens he has a tax plan that would allow Americans to keep more of what they earn and spark economic growth. He wants to change the personal income tax to:
· Up to $30,000 taxed at 1%
· From $30,000 to $100,000 taxed at 5%
· From $100,000 to $1,000,000 taxed at 10%
· $1,000,000 and above taxed at 15%
9.) Trump wants Obamacare repealed. He says it’s a “job-killing, health care-destroying monstrosity” that “can’t be reformed, salvaged, or fixed.” He believes in allowing real competition in the health insurance marketplace to allow competition to drive prices down. He also believes in tort reform to get rid of defensive medicine and lower costs.
10.) Trump wants spending reforms in Washington, acknowledging that America spends far more than it receives in revenue. He has said he believes that if we don’t stop increasing the national debt once it hits $24 trillion it will be impossible to save this country.
11.) Even though he says we need to cut spending, he does not want to harm those on Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security. He believes that the citizens have faithfully paid in to the system to have these services available and that the American government has an obligation to fulfill its end of the bargain and provide those benefits. Therefore, he wants to build the economy up so that we have the revenue to pay those costs without cutting the benefits to the recipients. He disagrees with Democrats who think raising taxes is the answer and says that when you do that you stifle the economy. On the other hand, when you lower taxes and create an environment to help businesses they will grow, hire more workers, and those new workers will be paying taxes that become more tax revenue for the government.
12.) Trump also wants reform of the welfare state saying that America needs “a safety net, not a hammock.” He believes in a welfare to work program that would help reduce the welfare roles and encourage people to get back to work. And he wants a crackdown on entitlement fraud.
13.) Trump believes climate change is a hoax.
14.) Trump opposes Common Core.
15.) Trump is pro-life, although he allows for an exception due to rape, incest, or the life of the mother.
16.) Trump is pro 2nd Amendment rights.
17.) Trump’s view on same-sex marriage is that marriage is between a man and a woman, but he also believes that this is a states’ rights issue, not a federal issue.
18.) Trump supports the death penalty. Trump believes that there is a lack of common sense, innovative thinking in Washington (Hmmm… looks like he believes in horse sense!). He says it’s about seeing the unseen and that’s the kind of thinking we need to turn this country around. He tells a personal story to illustrate the point: “When I opened Trump National Golf Club at Rancho Palos Verdes in Los Angeles, I was immediately told that I would need to build a new and costly ballroom. The current ballroom was gorgeous, but it only sat 200 people and we were losing business because people needed a larger space for their events. Building a new ballroom would take years to get approval and permits (since it’s on the Pacific Ocean), and cost about $5 million. I took one look at the ballroom and saw immediately what needed to be done. The problem wasn’t the size of the room, it was the size of the chairs. They were huge, heavy, and unwieldy. We didn’t need a bigger ballroom, we needed smaller chairs! So I had them replaced with high-end, smaller chairs. I then had our people sell the old chairs and got more money for them than the cost of the new chairs. In the end, the ballroom went from seating 200 people to seating 320 people. Our visitors got the space they desired, and I spared everyone the hassle of years of construction and $5 million of expense. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a little common sense.” On top of his saving years of construction and $5 million in expenses, he also was able to keep the ballroom open for business during the time it would have been under remodeling, which allowed him to continue to make money on the space instead of losing that revenue during construction time.
Donald Trump’s entire life has been made up of success and winning. He’s been accused of bankruptcies, but that’s not true. He’s never filed personal bankruptcy. He’s bought companies and legally used bankruptcy laws to restructure their debt, just as businesses do all the time. But he’s never been bankrupt personally. He’s a fighter that clearly loves America and would fight for our nation. Earlier I quoted Trump saying, “I love America. And when you love something, you protect it passionately – fiercely, even.” We never hear that from Democrats or even from most Republicans. Donald Trump is saying things that desperately need to be said but no other candidate has shown the fortitude to stand up and say them. Looking over this list of what he wants for America I see a very necessary set of goals that are long past due. Before we criticize someone because the media does, maybe we should seriously consider what he has to offer.
I didn't verify any of this. Some I did find interesting. Not endorsing Trump at all, but I do like it when those seeking political office are willing to answer questions without all the hedging and polling answers. It is probably generational on my part.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
I hope I'm Wrong
Subject: Blog idea: We're OK now
Boehner and O'Connell heading up the senate and the house. Boy! Sparks will start flying now! 2 days ago Mitch made the unbelievable statement that (sic) "Obama continues to show signs that he's not going to move to the middle". Really Mitch? Are you telling us that you really thought he might move to the middle? Crap, he and his fellow socialists think they are in the middle! Anyone who knows anything about Obama knows he's a far left Alinsky socialist radical who will only move one way. That's right, further to the left. Come on, Mitch. After the 2010 democrat losses, did he move to the middle? No, the only movement then was the RINOs moving farther to the left. Good grief, I'm hoping after 2014 the RINOs will start moving back to the middle. (That would be a left to right move for any of you ivy league grads).
I hate to be overly negative here, but I have no faith whatsoever that these 2 have any plans to do anything but "compromise" with our beloved muslim messiah, Hussein Obama. A quick question. Why was O'Connell voted to lead the senate by the outgoing senate members? Why wouldn't they wait for the new senate & house to select their leaders for the next 2 years? Personally I was rooting for people like Trey Gowdy to lead. We got anymore like him?
We'll find out very soon what kind of leadership we now enjoy. Let's see what happens when Hussein issues blanket amnesty for millions of Hispanics who broke our laws, not to mention the millions of hangers-on who will be allowed to reunite (in the US) with their law breaking relatives. Mitch has already made a bold and brazen comment that he was disappointed, and Boehner lit another cigarette, put down his golf clubs and warned Hussein that he was poisoning the well. Wow, that oughta make him get in line.
Well at least Obummer got China to start initiating pollution control methods by 2030, while we have to start immediately. That means more EPA executive orders, folks. He's going to fool around and really upset John and Mitch if he isn't careful.
Hope I'm wrong. In the interim, adios America.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
BUCHANAN TO OBAMA
By Patrick J. Buchanan
Mr. President,
You say we need to have a conversation about race in America. Fair enough. But this time, it has to be a two-way conversation. White America needs to be heard from, not just lectured to. This time, the Silent Majority needs to have its convictions, grievances and demands heard. And among them are these:
First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian
salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known. Jeremiah Wright ought to go down on his knees and thank God he is an American.
Second, no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the '60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Third, Governments, businesses and colleges have engaged in discrimination against white folks -- with affirmative action, contract set-asides and quotas -- to advance black applicants over white applicants. Churches, foundations, civic groups, schools and individuals all over America have donated their time and money to support soup kitchens, adult education, day care, retirement and nursing homes for blacks. We hear the grievances. Where is the gratitude?
Fourth, Obama talks about new 'ladders of opportunity' for blacks. Let him go to Altoona? And Johnstown, and ask the white kids in Catholic schools how many were visited lately by Ivy League recruiters handing out scholarships for 'deserving' white kids?
Fifth, Is white America really responsible for the fact that the crime and incarceration rates for African-Americans are seven times those of white America ? Is it really white America's fault that illegitimacy in the African-American community has hit 70 percent and the black dropout rate from high schools in some cities has reached 50 percent? Is that the fault of white America or, first and foremost, a failure of the black community itself?
Sixth, As for racism, its ugliest manifestation is in interracial crime, and especially interracial crimes of violence. Is Barack Obama aware that while white criminals choose black victims 3 percent of the time, black criminals choose white victims 45 percent of the time?
Seventh, Is Obama aware that black-on-white rapes are 100 times more common than the reverse, that black-on-white robberies were 139 times as common in the first three years of this decade as the reverse?
We have all heard ad nauseam from the Rev. Al about Tawana Brawley, the Duke rape case and Jena. And all turned out to be hoaxes. But about the epidemic of black assaults on whites that are real, we hear nothing. Sorry, Barack, some of us have heard it all before, about 40 years and 40 trillion tax dollars ago.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Something Else to Remember
Want to see your representative do the "Washington two step". Ask this question.
What happened to the money of those who died before they collected Social Security?
EVERY ONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT...
THIS IS SURE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!!!!
THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE
GOVERNMENT'S CALCULATION OF AVAILABLE SOCIAL SECURITY IS THEY FORGOT
TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY EVER COLLECTED A SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK!!!
WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO?
Remember, not only did you and I contribute to Social Security but your employer did, too.
It totaled 15% of your income before taxes.
If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close to $220,500.
Did you see where the Government paid in one single penny?
We are talking about the money you and your employer put in a Government bank to insure you and
Me that we would have a retirement check from the money we put in, not the Government.
Now they are calling the money we put in an entitlement when we reach the age to take it back.
If you calculate the future invested value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% interest (less than what the Government pays on the money that it borrows).
After 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98. If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit!
If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.
THE FOLKS IN WASHINGTON HAVE PULLED OFF A BIGGER PONZI SCHEME
THAN BERNIE MADOFF EVER DID.
Entitlement my foot; I paid cash for my social security insurance!
Just because they borrowed the money for other government spending, doesn't make my benefits some
Kind of charity or handout!! Remember Congressional benefits? free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days.
Now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement payments entitlements?
They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives, and now, when it's time for us to collect, the government is running out of money.
Why did the government borrow from it in the first place?
It was supposed to be in a locked box, not part of the general fund.
Sad isn't it?
What happened to the money of those who died before they collected Social Security?
EVERY ONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT...
THIS IS SURE SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!!!!
THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THE
GOVERNMENT'S CALCULATION OF AVAILABLE SOCIAL SECURITY IS THEY FORGOT
TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY EVER COLLECTED A SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK!!!
WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO?
Remember, not only did you and I contribute to Social Security but your employer did, too.
It totaled 15% of your income before taxes.
If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close to $220,500.
Did you see where the Government paid in one single penny?
We are talking about the money you and your employer put in a Government bank to insure you and
Me that we would have a retirement check from the money we put in, not the Government.
Now they are calling the money we put in an entitlement when we reach the age to take it back.
If you calculate the future invested value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% interest (less than what the Government pays on the money that it borrows).
After 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98. If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit!
If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.
THE FOLKS IN WASHINGTON HAVE PULLED OFF A BIGGER PONZI SCHEME
THAN BERNIE MADOFF EVER DID.
Entitlement my foot; I paid cash for my social security insurance!
Just because they borrowed the money for other government spending, doesn't make my benefits some
Kind of charity or handout!! Remember Congressional benefits? free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days.
Now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement payments entitlements?
They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives, and now, when it's time for us to collect, the government is running out of money.
Why did the government borrow from it in the first place?
It was supposed to be in a locked box, not part of the general fund.
Sad isn't it?
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Trump trumps Trump
Trump trumps trump
Trump for president? Sounds ridiculous except when you hear him speak, then he sounds very much like a right wing conservative, but the question is, what is he exactly? He has been a big donor to democrats for many years, including Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, the Clinton Foundation, and other far left libs, and lib causes. So what is he? An opportunists seeking/buying allies in government?
The one thing that seems to be overlooked by the media and establishment republicans is he surged to #2 in most polls because he espoused TEA Party ideals. In other words he came out stirring up the conservative base of the party showing moderates that if you want to win all you have to do is promote conservative values. Appeal to the Republican base. The question is, will the RINOs get the message? I seriously doubt it. They like the idea of big government so long as they can be in control of it. Romney won the independent vote and lost the election. Doesn't that register with the RNC?
Meanwhile little Hillary continues to blame her troubles on that vast wing conspiracy that has been working against her and her cheating husband for the past 30 years. She is completely separated from all those endless scandals, all those examples of incompetency, all her Alinsky-ite values, all her lies, all those dead embassy personnel.....all just republican lies. If it weren't for talk radio, Fox News and Donald Trump (and Cruz), you wouldn't be hearing much about it. (side note): Has anyone noticed how the Clinton's had more friends, associates and adversaries commit suicide than Joseph Stalin did? Could be a nasty unfounded rumor.
I think Trump will stay in the race long enough to build a fire under the republican base, then choose which of the other 17 candidates would best appeal to that base, then put his money and support behind that candidate. If he will do that we could see a campaign that makes the Swift Boaters look like choir boys.
Who that emerging candidate might be is a huge question. Most likely Cruz, Walker, Perry, with a few other possibilities such as Fiorina, Jindal, Rubio, Paul. Who it is not is Jeb Bush, Graham, Pataki, Huckabee, and Santorum (whom I liked in 2012). Christy has enough Trump-like fight to gain a lot of support, but his "Obama hug" and the bridge scandal will get heavy play in the far left media. The female Fiorina can attack the female Clinton without being accused of war-on-women manhood by the media. She could get by with things the men wouldn't dare try. (Except maybe Trump).
My main reason for silently hoping Trump is the candidate is because I'd love to see him debate Hillary. That would be priceless.
Trump for president? Sounds ridiculous except when you hear him speak, then he sounds very much like a right wing conservative, but the question is, what is he exactly? He has been a big donor to democrats for many years, including Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, the Clinton Foundation, and other far left libs, and lib causes. So what is he? An opportunists seeking/buying allies in government?
The one thing that seems to be overlooked by the media and establishment republicans is he surged to #2 in most polls because he espoused TEA Party ideals. In other words he came out stirring up the conservative base of the party showing moderates that if you want to win all you have to do is promote conservative values. Appeal to the Republican base. The question is, will the RINOs get the message? I seriously doubt it. They like the idea of big government so long as they can be in control of it. Romney won the independent vote and lost the election. Doesn't that register with the RNC?
Meanwhile little Hillary continues to blame her troubles on that vast wing conspiracy that has been working against her and her cheating husband for the past 30 years. She is completely separated from all those endless scandals, all those examples of incompetency, all her Alinsky-ite values, all her lies, all those dead embassy personnel.....all just republican lies. If it weren't for talk radio, Fox News and Donald Trump (and Cruz), you wouldn't be hearing much about it. (side note): Has anyone noticed how the Clinton's had more friends, associates and adversaries commit suicide than Joseph Stalin did? Could be a nasty unfounded rumor.
I think Trump will stay in the race long enough to build a fire under the republican base, then choose which of the other 17 candidates would best appeal to that base, then put his money and support behind that candidate. If he will do that we could see a campaign that makes the Swift Boaters look like choir boys.
Who that emerging candidate might be is a huge question. Most likely Cruz, Walker, Perry, with a few other possibilities such as Fiorina, Jindal, Rubio, Paul. Who it is not is Jeb Bush, Graham, Pataki, Huckabee, and Santorum (whom I liked in 2012). Christy has enough Trump-like fight to gain a lot of support, but his "Obama hug" and the bridge scandal will get heavy play in the far left media. The female Fiorina can attack the female Clinton without being accused of war-on-women manhood by the media. She could get by with things the men wouldn't dare try. (Except maybe Trump).
My main reason for silently hoping Trump is the candidate is because I'd love to see him debate Hillary. That would be priceless.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Independence Day
Something to remember….
Patriotism and the Declaration of Independence
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well-educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson,Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!
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