ELECTION 2016

Election 2016

So the Election of 2016 is now past, described by the discredited media as an upset outcome.  I followed the entire presidential election avidly and am not surprised that the media is sticking with their fallacious polls, still using them to discuss the election. 

In the Primary, the polls were limited to a subset of voters, those qualified to vote in any given primary, thus raising the likelihood of accuracy.  During the Presidential, some polls were shown to sample voters most likely to vote for their partisan candidate, rather than a representative sample of the population.  After this bias sample was taken, then their candidate was declared ahead in the polls and the media chitchat proclaimed the Democrats the winning candidates.   The Los Angeles Times polls were the most accurate showing Mr. Trump ahead nationally, but were discounted by conflicting polls. 

Online the polls suggested different results.  Donald Trump had more followers on social media and the phone polls online indicated that Mr. Trump would win the election.  I followed the poll discrepancies during the election and was not surprised to find that an NBC poll was allegedly stacked against the Republican. 

And how about the cheating during the debates?  It was proven that the Democrat cheated by accepting purloined questions from Donna Brazile, employed by CNN.  How many other debate questions were provided by network staffers?  Some of the media creeps were even taking suggestions for them to ask Mr. Trump during future interviews.  Isn’t this cheating also?  These morally bankrupt media people were bought and paid for by the Democrat Machine, which surely will be dismantled as a threat to Democracy.  The media news networks need to clean house and they need to do it now, before a new administration gets underway.  Any ‘journalist’ who was proven to take orders from the DNC or any other political organization should be fired immediately in order for the networks to regain journalistic credibility. 

I believe the intensely partisan nature of the Washington DC atmosphere lately is due to the entrenched power brokers begun by earlier administrations and continued on through the loss of the White House to the present.  30 years of this line of thinking has produced a declining USA economy, a concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, huge student debt and fewer good jobs, plus an expensive unwieldy insurance debacle.  This is an unsustainable trend.   I view with relief the Republican controlled presidency, house and senate. 

As for Mexico, we have important, beneficial trade to maintain with Mexico.  About 30% of Hispanics voted for Mr. Trump, so the basis for trust is present.  The deep water port in Guaymas can be an asset for continued commerce through Pima County and maybe the border towns can have revitalized tourism and trade as banking problems in border communities are resolved.  Governor Doug Ducey has initiated better trade relations with Mexico and our representative is Juan Ciscomani, a local Tucsonian.  Things are looking up in our relations with Mexico. 

The Supreme Court nominees will be those who would preserve the integrity of the Judicial, Legislative and Executive branches of the government.  Mr. Trump has already mentioned some candidates who don’t scare people.  The Justice Department needs to be cleaned out and the partisans removed from any position of power or knowledge because they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy.  And for Mr. Podesta, who obviously cultivated sources within the FBI and the Justice Department, will have his own day of reckoning as his reputation has plummeted.  Mr. Comey also needs to clean house and continue any investigations underway.  Mr. Comey has escaped blame for the Democrats’ loss by warning people there were investigations before the election, then bringing it up again in the Weiner Abedin case, then again on the eve of the election, announcing the Democrats innocence of a very narrow range of the investigation, reminding us all of possible, even probable malfeasance.  I’m beginning to believe Mr. Comey is a cop after all. 

Is it possible to pardon anyone before they can be investigated and charged?  The idea of that makes me view it as a coverup, which the current administration cannot want on record.  Subverting an investigation using the power of the pardon is not my idea of justice.  It’s like a hydrogen sulfide bomb in a high school hallway. 

VICTORY FOR DONALD TRUMP

Election 2016

Thinking back on the beginning of the election cycle for President, I see predefined correctness imposed on a gullible grassroots populace via the ‘TV stream’ news being shattered by Donald Trump.  Mr. Trump has been known and liked for a long time in our society, which the TV stream media immediately used to garner ratings and money for themselves. 

Playing themselves for fools, the TV stream media took advantage of Mr. Trump’s ratings while mostly plotting to benefit Hillary Clinton behind the scenes, like slipping her the questions in advance, asking for her approval on ‘news’ pieces, which turned them into vicious journalistic hacks masquerading as decent journalists searching for the truth to present to the people dependent upon them to do that job. 

Chris Wallace is by far and away the best Journalist to anchor a presidential debate.  He went into the experience with a good reputation that is now enhanced.  He was fair; not perfect, but fair.  I thank him and I appreciate the honest approach. 

I follow the TV stream news and the internet news and the Facebook news and the disparities in the polls are such that nobody really knows for sure but Mr. Trump is way ahead on social media and the internet, but behind in TV stream media.  Crowd size is another issue, with Mr. Trump drawing thousands while his opponent draws hundreds.  Mike Pence drew more than Bill Clinton in our town, to give you an idea.  Crowd size is an issue ignored by the TV stream media.  I have heard them dismiss crowd size as an indicator of anything, but of course we know better. 

Social Media News and Internet News allow the grassroots to bypass TV Media News in favor of self-searches, internet alerts, phone aps, and other shortcuts to data exemplified in our new electronic society.  Thanks to our teachers, our population is literate and have been taught to think for themselves, despite all the rhetoric to the contrary.  I know young professionals who unsubscribed to TV media due to a lack of interest or a desire not to fund blatant bias disguised as news.  People are no longer gullible.

The final presidential debate proved several things:  Ms. Clinton lied at least 7 times during the debate, evaded pointed questions about Bill Clinton, talked over Mr. Trump when he was discussing the Clinton Foundation, took a jab at Mr. Trump about taxes when he has broken no tax law, and slandered Mr. Trump’s character.  She sets herself up as an authority on who is ‘qualified’ to be President, without taking responsibility for her errors and possible illegalities and high payment requirements for her pay to play schemes.  Money from corrupt dictators becomes clean and fresh in the hands of the Clinton Foundation!  I felt she was defensive, nervous and showed it by repeatedly smirking at Mr. Trump’s answers, which was condescending and rude. 

So now we are heading down the homestretch in a contest between a Jack of all trades billionaire businessman builder and a career politician wife of a former president who has ‘connections’.  The biased members of the media are part of her connections, as is the Clinton Foundation, the FBI, the State Department and the DOJ and the presidency and the Moroccan King, apparently.  She just wants to continue everything as it is now, so many of these people are backing her.  All this coziness has not produced success in the Middle East arena, nor has the economy picked up, and the labor participation rate stands at about 63%.  That means that 37% of able bodied people of working age are not working.  Obamacare is a failure and Mr. Trump wants to replace it with free market insurance and affordable healthcare opportunities.  His opponent apparently wants to socialize medicine, require payment through income tax, force medical personnel to accept pay cuts, and take over the hospitals and make it all like the VA while taking a large percentage of your income to do so. 

The craziness continues the more I learn about Ms. Clinton.  Foreign policy based on who donated to her foundation was not a success.  The Haiti debacle took advantage of the poorest people to line the Clinton’s foundations coffers.  The King of Morocco bought an audience with Queen Hillary for $12,000,000.  Qatar gives Billy Boy a million for his birthday.  Saudi Arabia gets fighter jets and donates to the Clinton Foundation.  What happened to the stinger missiles in Libya?  Where did the missing billions from the State Department go during Ms. Clinton’s tenure there?  Who donated to the Clintons in Canada and why is it secret?  Why did Ms. Clinton say she wants to assassinate Julian Assange of Wikileaks?  Mr. Kennedy was asking the FBI to enable him to hide Ms. Clinton’s emails in return for FBI jobs overseas.   There are more and more serious questions every day. 

Donald Trump has weathered the Clinton Machine and has defeated opposition within the Republicans that has persisted in the old entrenched interests and among disgruntled losers.  Of course he is not perfect, yet his values resonate with the grassroots voters and he understands how the economy can be revitalized.  He also has a clear vision for the Supreme Court that will maintain our Bill of Rights.  Mr. Trump believes in free enterprise and lower taxes and less regulation. 

I am a Populist and I admire the groundswell of voters supporting Mr. Trump.  His showing in the Primaries was amazing as Mr. Trump, from a standing start, defeated all those other candidates, including the favored of the ‘establishment’ who spent millions and still lost.  This proved that money was not the deciding factor.  The restlessness of the voters became evident as Mr. Trump won.  What was the deciding factor? 

Radical Islamic terrorism and immigration is an issue people will not ignore and Mr. Trump is very conservative on this important issue.  Military security and preparedness is important to citizens.  Getting rid of Obamacare and Common Core are key issues on the domestic front.  Intense regulation and taxation of small businesses has strangled the economy….I have listened to Mr. Trump discuss the problems of the nation and he is expert in recognizing solutions to problems like fixing the tax code and encouraging stateside investment in real projects.

Mike Pence is a huge asset to the Donald Trump campaign.  He bested his opponent in the vice presidential debate and has maintain a steady, dependable presence in this presidential race.  Gov. Pence is a good example of the kind of people Donald Trump will choose to fill his cabinet.  Some people know how to delegate important jobs and Donald Trump is one of them.  His opponent merely chooses whomever benefits herself the most and gives them the job.  Or they could donate to her campaign or to her foundation to get an advantage, rather than relying on resumes and excellence.  That’s why her foreign policy was an abject failure.  She has surrounded herself with self-serving sycophants. 

Looking down through the campaign, I see huge success for Donald Trump, not because he is a perfect man, but because he is right.        –DP Niemi

MATT LAUER AND THE TOWN HALL WITH MR. TRUMP AND MS. CLINTON

MATT LAUER AND THE TOWN HALL WITH MR. TRUMP AND MS. CLINTON

So it looks like the presidential campaign has entered the last weeks and both candidates have their ways of facing the future. 

Ms. Clinton is more afraid of being indicted than of losing the election, or she would not have used a faulty memory as an excuse to avoid prosecution for security lapses.  A concussion and subsequent health problems would not have been mentioned in front of the voters, except out of desperation.

I did watch Matt Lauer’s Town Hall featuring Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton.  I am not familiar with Mr. Lauer’s work, but this Town Hall was good, respectable work.  He does have a reputation to hold up and I think he did well towards that end during this program.  He did put Ms. Clinton on the hotseat when he asked he about all the pay for play scandals.  He also asked Mr. Trump if he really knew more than the generals, like he had said earlier.  Mr. Trump adroitly dodged the direct question but did deal with the dicey situation with the generals.  Maybe Mr. Trump does know more about Isis’ finances than the generals.

Ms. Clinton complained about lack of time to talk, but she attacked Mr. Trump six times after giving her word at the beginning that she would discuss the issues rather than her opponent.  I mean this woman made a promise on worldwide media and then broke it six times in the next thirty minutes.  Mr. Lauer had anticipated the attack dog problem and attempted to handle it by asking for a commitment from Ms. Clinton to discuss only her views on the issues at the outset.  She happily agreed then broke the agreement six times.  She can be counted on to be agreeable to whatever, then doing what she impulsively chooses to do. 

I thank Mr. Lauer for bringing this out. 

The media has been under fire lately.  I’ve seen stories of rampant bias ordered by the huge honcho owner and I’ve seen stories of reporters influencing the news with their own inclinations, whether real or paid for by special interests.  How about the one that the liberals had infiltrated the media with friends, associates and family members, exemplified by Chelsea’s $600,000 starting salary?  Ms. Kelly viciously attacks a Republican presidential candidate on the basis of what he used to do in show business and this is condoned in the media and she is temporarily elevated but like Humpty Dumpty is she destined to be.   Editorializing should always be identified instead of being embedded as fact.   

A $20,000,000 lawsuit settlement over sexual harassment and stories of the old casting couch still in use in the show business the news media has become.  Sleeping your way to the top was always an option, apparently.  No wonder the mission became flaunting legs and influence peddling, rather than reporting the news.

Whatever happened to the morality of the media?  Whatever happened to the old ideal that journalists were committed to the telling of the truth and the achievement of justice?  What happened to commitment to truth and justice by the media?  If the media cannot be trusted, then their influence is waning because people have other sources of news.  Remember that bias is a form of lying if you are being paid to spout it.  And due to the tremendous literacy rate in the USA, WE WILL SEE THE LIARS.

SO WHO IN THE MEDIA IS GOING TO SURVIVE THE COMING PURGE OF LIARS AND FOR SALE JOURNALISTS?  The journalists chosen to moderate the debates are going to be scrutinized very carefully by a very literate and alert population.  If the candidates are not treated fairly, we will see it and your careers will suffer as a result.  I hope they realize that their own careers are in jeopardy and that they are not in charge of the results of the debates, even if their purpose is to slant the coverage in favor of one candidate or the other.  Impartiality is the key if they want to keep their credibility.  I’m tired of left right games and I feel we deserve some impartiality from the news media around here.    

DONALD TRUMP AND THE WILL TO WIN!

Donald Trump and the Will to Win

So now after all the media and sore loser hooraw against the idea, Mr. Donald Trump is the elected presidential nominee for the Republican Party, duly chosen by the people with a majority of delegates far exceeding the required number for a win.

No way around it unless you are that cold eyed guy who used to be in the Sen. Ted Cruz campaign before Sen. Cruz fired him.  MSNBC quickly picked him up as an erstwhile commentator and now he was on the air advocating changing the Republican Convention rules to allow an ‘open’ vote on the first vote.  This way the nomination could be jerked away from Mr. Trump and gifted to someone more malleable towards the existing power structure.  And to hell with the Republican electorate who elected Mr. Trump. 

With so many delegates obligated to him by the massive vote for him, Donald Trump will officially become the nominee and the opportunity for new people to be heard is immense, as ‘party insiders’ lose their powerbase and are forced to more on to other endeavors. 

I like the populism and the surging knowledge levels among the people as the communication revolution sweeps the nation.  The population is less dominated by TV and alternative ideas flood the Internet.  The negative political media coverage of Mr. Trump was counteracted by the fact that Mr. Trump was already known in entertainment media and his reputation as a fair guy was established, and slanted negative stories did nothing to change the opinion of the electorate.   The political media attacks actually made them look bad because they were so obviously biased for other candidates.  Nobody likes unfairness, especially those who have so little defense against it.  And they vote too.

Get out the vote!  How often have I been told that in political meetings!  Now the Republican Vote is burgeoning due to Donald Trump and the Republicans should become in action what they are in fact.  Defeating Hillary Clinton is possible with party unity plus some Independents, some Bernie supporters, and anybody else who feels the present trend is not helping the nation meet the challenges of the future.  So many of us worked to get out the vote but Donald Trump is actually doing it and we can win in November.   

Donald Trump and The New Literacy

What a political week this has been!  This has been a rough primary season after seventeen candidates ran and the last candidate is now standing.  Not based on money or influence in the current hierarchy, not based on prior ‘political’ experience, and not based on what the media wants, or who the media employs, or who owns the media.  The handpicked candidates were knocked off early, leaving three renegades.

All I want to say about Senator Ted Cruz is that if he had campaigned like he quit the primary run by speaking to the hearts and minds of the people, he might still be in the race.  Governor Kasich’s  withdrawal speech brought tears to my eyes.   I have great respect for both for a valiant run and their courage.

This election was pure populism in action and the thrilling spectacle of the voters actually making up their own minds unfettered by the traditional methods of control used by the media and the DNC and the RNC, which is to limit the actual information available to the voters.  And of course, whomever poured the most money into the traditional advertising and the hiring of party ‘consultants’, and the hosting of ‘high level’ events for party honchos, and all the other hangers on who profit from campaigns feared a change of emphasis due to Donald Trump’s success without their assistance. 

I am a lifelong educator and I know that people are being taught to read and the new impetus to learn to read is no longer books and newspapers:  the new impetus to learn to read, follow directions and discern patterns is coming from electronics and computers and in many cases is already surpassing that of their elders as they gleefully experiment with the games and devices.  This wave of new literacy is surfed by those of us in the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs generation who have remained intensely interested in any new technology.  The Techie Trekkie Generation, maybe. 

This newly educated population is not necessarily academically credentialed, but are self-educated through electronic media, plus whatever they learned in school and on the street and from their family and peer group.  These people watch TV and they watch such as Game of Thrones and Justified and other happier shows as well, but these are not naïve rubes tuning in for the first time when they hear about stacked elections or they find out that the delegates elected in their state don’t match the will of the people as expressed in an election, and that ethics are secondary to ambition.  We knows it when we sees it. 

As Mr. Trump pointed out, the policies of the last sixteen years have resulted in relentless wars and it’s time for a real change, not a mere changing of the guard on old policies that have resulted in failure, no matter who is collecting the profit from it.  It is time for a new foreign policy focus, one that ensures the interests of the United States of America. 

Donald Trump Rally Tucson March 2016

The Donald Trump Rally in Tucson Saturday 19 March 2016

Mikki and I heard about the rally on Facebook and so decided to go down to the Tucson Convention Center to check it out.  We arrived at the parking lot about 12:30, saw a line going in so we paid our $10 to park and located parking places towards the back of the lot.  Mikki was pulling into a parking place in an area where there were several more, when we were startled by a woman screaming at us.  Mikki opened the window to hear her and evidently we were using ‘her’ parking place she had staked out.  I pointed to a space just opposite for her to use and Mikki pulled on into the space.  This woman screamed with her face all contorted that we would have smashed windows when we returned.  This was a white woman in her fifties in a beige PT Cruiser with a black convertible top.  Unbelievable!  We reported the incident when we walked by the ticket shack.  We wondered if we looked like Trump supporters and if that engendered the hostility.  We had no banners or signs or bumperstickers but I tend to get a little wary. 

So we hiked around the side of the convention center to the front door of the arena, where the front lot was filled with cars and chanting demonstrators who began marching alongside the line forming to get into the Trump event.  Maybe 12 feet separated the two lines.  The demonstrators/protestors were a mixed bag of adults rather than families, shouting at the tops of their voices so that the sound reverberated off the brick wall filling the air with so much noise that nobody could talk.  They carried signs like ‘dump Trump’ and then many signs like ‘fuck Trump’ and other expletives.  There were maybe about 100 protestors and probably more who were less active.  I started flashing the old peace sign or the even older victory sign and a woman about my age stuck her middle finger right in my face.  Obviously an ageing hippie who lost her peaceful way.  The protestors were crowding the entrance but we could still get through.  I heard that the protestors blocked off the entrance after we got in, denying the people who wanted to see Trump their civil rights to assemble and listen to a man exercising free speech.  It’s the old liberal way of taking rights away from those they disagree with.

The people waiting to see Donald Trump included many family groups, college students, and other adults of all ages.  I saw Veterans and the elderly and babies.   We took a seat close to an exit high up on the east side of the arena, which gave a good view of the event and the audience, if a bit on the small side.  I wished for binoculars.   The audience was admonished to treat protestors with respect and no violence and just wait for them to be ushered out of this private event.  I think that is the key.  The protestors can go to the event and listen and would be allowed to do so but if they became the event instead of the guy who paid for it, then they would be ejected. 

The man who was hammered offended an airman, always notoriously short tempered around here even in the good old days.  I’m not sure what offended the airman, but the protestor carried a sign with a Confederate flag across Trump’s face and his cohort was wearing a Klan outfit, which was swiftly discarded when the fight broke out.  Some people don’t like Klan shit and I guess this airman didn’t like it.  Or maybe the protestor threw an elbow first.   The sign was actually an unfair, untrue smear of a man’s character.  Those protestors must have a habit of showing up at private parties, taking them over and using them for their own purposes, which was to prevent freedom of speech and assembly.  I heard the airman was charged with a misdemeanor and released, which is SOP around here for that sort of thing. 

I applaud the Tucson Police Department and their patience in handling the whole rally.  Nobody was hurt and order was kept.  I heard by word of mouth that the protestors rushed the front doors in a futile attempt to thwart security and get inside, but they were discouraged.  I heard only two people were arrested. 

After listening to a soft rock concert as the people filtered in, we prayed for peace and did the pledge and a beautiful young woman sang a heartfelt national anthem to start off the show.  Former governor Jan Brewer, Treasurer and Trump Arizona campaign manager Jeff Dewit and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio spoke before Donald Trump took the stage.    He’s like a showman and a politician combined.  I don‘t know who provided the sound system, but it was superb, filling every corner of the arena with clear sound.  The crowd cheered and chanted USA USA and Trump Trump, a polite respectful crowd of about 5,000-6,000.  I noted many who did not participate but who politely listened.

Mr. Trump spoke for about an hour, touching on immigration, interest rates for savings, veterans’ care, trade deals and other economic topics.  He told the sneaky snake story while security was removing protestors with ‘fuck Trump’ signs, who were attempting to shout down Mr. Trump, which was difficult due to the excellent sound system.  Crank it up!

I saw CNNs Dana Bash describing the Tucson Trump rally as ‘violent’, which is a huge exaggeration.  If the other Trump rallies described at violent were violent like this one was, then CNN ought to be more circumspect in reporting.  That Bash woman overuses the same words like Isis attacks and Republicans attack each other, like it’s one and the same.  ‘Violence’ at Trump rallies is the same ‘violence’ committed by Isis???  Give us a break from this slanted, vicious news coverage. 

We watched as the rally broke up while more music played as the crowd disbursed peacefully.  We headed for the southside of the building.  It was amazing that all of the protestors were gone!  Thank you TPD and our new police chief.  We hiked back to the parking lot and found our vehicle unharmed, so we went home for a few drinks and TV.    

I wanted to go hear Bill Clinton on Sunday speaking just a few blocks away but had planned a family dinner party and could not go in favor of Easter egg dying with the grandkids.  More important.  I heard Bill Clinton raised a crowd of about 1,200 while Bernie Sanders attracted 4,000 and Donald Trump 5,000 – 6,000. 

But at the dinner party, I talked to a retired military couple who were interested in the rally and politics in general.  They seemed freaked out about Mr. Trump because he is vague and they want to know who his advisors are and his other policy stances which they think are lacking.  So today Mr. Trump released the names of consults on foreign affairs.  I’m sure we will hear more about it but I hope the news coverage is fair. 

I hope that is not too much to hope for.                                                                                -DP Niemi, Tucson

Corrupt Media and the 2016 Presidential Primary

2016 Presidential Primary

I am fascinated by the presidential primary, I must confess.  At this point in time Sen. Rubio is lost in junior high school style squabbling, Sen. Cruz is hiding and watching and Mr. Trump is taking them both on like he did during the two timing debate.  These political times are like the days of old when the bars had to be closed on election day and feelings ran high, like during the Lincoln-Douglas debates when fistfights broke out in the audience and mud slinging was actual. 

The relative gentility of the last few elections is over, when political correctness ruled and politicians obeyed their friendly ‘donors’ and the powers that be backed both sides so they would be sure to ‘win’.  The financial crisis that actually began with the cancellation of the Glass-Steagall Act lurched on while the debt load increased and the middle class began transitioning to poor as the rich became richer without risking their money.  And now the latest news is that Iran is raking in ‘interest payments’ out of the tax till, while ordinary small holder Americans can’t get peanuts for interest on their money.  What’s wrong with that? 

And the pundits wonder why people are irritated.  And some of the less intelligent pundits continue to criticize the candidates’ manner of speaking while ignoring what is actually said, which is what the voters heard.  Voters are listening to what was said.  So much for gentility, which was always a disguise for power. 

The media miscalled the election.  It was to be between Clinton/Bush and the same big donors backed both people.  This was scripted and comfortable and well controlled and the current economic stagnation would intensify but the ‘right’ people would be in control.  Instead, the media is frantic to stop the momentum of Mr. Trump’s campaign, which is built on saying it like it is even if it offends someone.  This approach tends toward the truth and evidently the voters appreciate that, because Mr. Trump is popular and is now the front runner.

The media attacks have been crass and unprofessional, culminating in the august advice to the freshmen senators running for president that they would never succeed unless they attacked Mr. Trump.  For several days before the debate, attacking Mr. Trump was the advice and prediction.  It’s interesting that the media is now manipulating the news by being the news and making projections and predictions of dire consequences if Mr. Trump becomes the nominee.  Maybe the revolution in politics that we are seeing was not predicted by the media, is not controlled by the media and will not be determined by the media and their sponsors and important relatives and all the other hangers on who have a vested interest.  This is cronyism and all the cronies are freaked out.  The people are not voting as expected.  The people are voting for the candidate they like for whatever reason and the media has yet to understand what that reason is.    So many in the media are surprised that Mr. Trump’s supporters don’t change their minds, no matter what language Mr. Trump uses!  That’s because the voters are not interested in the use of politically correct language or not but they are interested in jobs and common core.  We are not children. 

I am an old school teacher and I think the literacy level of United States citizens has changed and is higher in comprehension than ever before, due to cell phones and texting.  Political correctness and texting don’t go together.  Texting is like summarizing and summarizing is an intellectual exercise involving literacy.  I know this is teacherese but I think that people are mentally mature earlier due to all the increased communications using electronics and that their language skills have increased.  In a sense, people are more worldly and less gullible than in the past but the media is unaware of this fact and they are treating viewers like fools by attempting to manipulate public opinion while not presenting enough factual information.  Some in the media were surprised people are angry. 

Why should the voter in the street be angry? 

Retired people live under a 2% inflation target by the Federal Reserve, so their money and income depreciates at least 2% a year.  Price deflation is never mentioned. 

The Labor Participation Rate is around 60%, which means that the remaining 40% are living off of the 60%, plus they are paying for dependent children and taking care of elderly relatives.  That’s where their money is going.

And income among the middle class is not increasing even though they are subject to the same 2% or more inflation.

The stated unemployment rate of 5-6% is deceptive because around 40% of able bodied adults are not working. 

We have been attacked in our own country by Islamic terrorists.

Government regulation and crony government subsidies are driving small businesses out of business.

Zoning laws prevent home businesses and free enterprise.

Mandatory insurance has resulted in sky high rates.

Borrowing money is difficult.

2^nd Amendment rights are threatened.

Executive orders by the President are questionable. 

People are angry and these are only a few reasons that I have heard.

So this all sets the stage for the 2016 presidential election.  Now the pundits are rejoicing as the candidates ‘really go at it’, not about the issues, but personal ridicule, which the media is certainly more interested in.  Voters see some of this but they are still interested in the issues confronting our nation, rather than typos on twitter, for God’s sake let’s get back to the issues.  Let’s take a look at those libel laws again, not to limit free speech, but to limit blatant lying. 

My own stand on all of this involves a change of mind.  When the candidates declared, I liked Scott Walker because of his work about the unions but it soon became apparent this was not the year for him.  Disappointed, I cast about for another candidate.  I didn’t know much about Mr. Trump.  I’d never seen him on TV but I’d read a little about his business endeavors and successes.  I happen to like New Yorkers, because they seem open and honest, if a bit scalding at times.  So Mr. Trump’s manner and language didn’t bother me in the least as I began to listen to what he said.   What did bother me was the negative attitude of the media.

It is not the job of the media to vet the candidates.  It is the job of the voter. 

I plan to vote for Mr. Trump because I think he has insight into the economic problems the United States faces and I think he will not micromanage the military and will have an instinctive success in delegating competent people who can get a job done.  I don’t think any of the other candidates on either side can do this as well as Mr. Trump can.

I

Elections and Biased Media

Happy New Year!   Not happy new fear as some of the pundits would have us believe.  We can meet the future with courage and resolution or we can cower.  So let us live watchfully and walk softly and carry a big stick, to quote that august Republican Teddy Roosevelt. 

The presidential election is almost indescribable but I will give it a try.  The preordained Republican candidate is not winning and a newcomer to the political arena is winning the race in many parts of the country.  The lesser candidates are ripping each other apart as they did in primaries past, which produced losing candidates both times in the last two elections.  Maybe we need more respect for the voters, instead of viewing them as plastic to be molded.  I don’t think our election system was designed to bar candidates who have never held public office and it is obvious that the skills called for in governing do require the ability to use a consensus approach. 

Who am I to say when a candidate should drop out?  According to the polls, some don’t have much support but let’s wait for the actual vote before counting anybody out.  I like a vote better than a poll. 

I’m burned by the use of the executive order to attempt a change in gun sale regulations.  Sure, the President has not made as many executive orders as others, but it is the way he uses it.  If he can’t get something through the legislature, that means the people represented by those legislators do not want it and that people could vote them out for imposing it when they don’t want it.  That is the way the system is set up, in order to avoid dictatorial decision making.   The President is blurring the line between the Executive and the Legislative.  Crocodile tears don’t erase the Constitution. 

I’m tired of the media and their restricted vocabulary.   They use the same words to describe political contests as they use to describe war.  Everything is an ‘attack’ instead of a ‘criticism’.  Terrorists attack, politicians attack, people attack the media, God, would you give them a thesaurus?   Terrorists do attack but politicians debate and people criticize the media.  I’m sick of their negative exaggeration.

I look for a busy election cycle with many events and we will try to keep you posted about what is going on.  We hope for a mix of daytime and evening events featuring local candidates and senate candidates because we are electing a Senator this year.  All candidates are welcome to all of our meetings and there’s always time to say a few words.   This is truly one of the most important elections in modern times:  the voters will decide for more of the same downhill trends or a new direction for our endeavors.