I’m just getting back in my version of live blogging mode having concentrated on family for the last part of December. I will admit that I didn’t follow the political news as intently as I normally do but that doesn’t mean I was totally ignorant of it. A lot happened, none of it good and I’d like to review some of it with you today. Let’s explore.
The worst event to take place during the closing days of 2017 was the passage and signing of the Trump Tower Tax Cut. I could write thousands of words about how harmful it will be but constraints will not allow that today. I was a folly of epic proportions that in the long run will almost exclusively benefit the top one-tenth of the top one percent. Any tax breaks the poor and working class derive will sunset while all corporate breaks are permanent. That tells you everything you need to know about the intentions and motivations of the bill’s authors!
This was the culmination of a life’s work for Paul Ryan. It is also an illustration of his evil intentions and arithmetic challenges. I am not a wealthy man but I could be if I could get Ryan into a prolonged game of trading currency. I will give him a hundred dollar bill for which he will give me three in exchange. I will continue playing as long as Ryan will. You say that Ryan would have to be insane to accept those terms; but that is exactly what he just did with your money. Perhaps to be more accurate the money he will borrow from China on your behalf which your grandchildren get to pay back with interest. Under the Trump Tower Tax Cut the debt will increase by $1.5 trillion and legitimate projections say that at most it will grow tax revenue by is $.5 trillion dollars. There’s your 3:1 losing ratio.
Speaking of Ryan, the Russiagate scandal may have quietly expanded to include him. It was reported that at least ten 2016 GOP Congressional candidates used information purloined from the DNC by the Russians to help them defeat Democratic opponents in competitive districts. Ryan ultimately was responsible for all efforts of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee (RCCC) which appears to have coordinated the information transfer. It now looks like Trump, Pence and Ryan could conceivably be thrown out simultaneously. That is difficult to envision happening and I wouldn’t exactly jump for joy if it did. Under that scenario Orrin Hatch becomes the President. I’m getting way ahead of myself here but, that might help explain the rumors of Ryan retiring and Trump’s sudden support for Orrin Hatch. A Senator Willard Mitt Romney is far from a progressive’s dream but it is better than Hatch continuing much less becoming President!
While I can’t publish George Carlin’s seven dirty words here and retain my PG rating but I can publish the seven “dirty words” that the Trump administration is mandating the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) not use. They are: fetus, transgender, vulnerable, entitlement, diversity, evidence-based and science-based. I draw two conclusions: Carlin had talent, Trump does not and while Carlin was entertaining and harmless Trump is neither.
Continuing in the war on science and denial of reality, Trump dismissed all members of the HIV/AIDS Advisory Council. I guess if Trump doesn’t get any advice from knowledgeable people and the geniuses on Fox and Friends don’t cover a problem it doesn’t exist; especially if we don’t talk about it.
Trump and the GOP are continuing their war on public education. Arizona was recently highlighted as a state whose Republican legislature and Governor cut funding to its state university by 41 percent and then its Republican AG turned around and sued it for not providing a college education “as nearly free as possible.”
Under Trump the swamp is not only deeper it is more opaque. Politico did an expose on how under Trump publically available information on the activities of Cabinet members is close to non-existent. Their time, staff and resources are paid for by our tax dollars. I think the least we can ask for is to know where they are and who they are meeting with.
Other than George Papadopoulos’ inability to hold his tongue after alcohol had passed over it, one of the main reasons we know about Russiagate is via NSA monitoring of the communications of foreign agents. The program is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and it must be renewed by January 19th. This is one worth watching. I fear it will be caught up in the debunked unmasking “scandal”.
It’s now over 100 days since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and still over 30% of the island’s inhabitants are without power. Some are suffering longer than that because they are without power since Hurricane Irma hit. “I” come before “M” in the alphabet. It is projected that power won’t be fully restored until May. Remember Trump gave himself an A+ and 10 out of 10 on his efforts in the recovery.
Trump continues to brag of his achievements and prominent in that rant is the rescinding of regulations. Who needs regulations? May I suggest the people who died in the rail crash in Washington State might still be alive with some? The invisible hand certainly failed them!
Trump not only lied to his voters (expect for his biggest donors) with the Trump Tower Tax Cut, he lied to his staff. In October his attorneys announced that shortly a Trump funded program to pay the legal expenses of many of his staffers would be unveiled. Here is a word of advice when it comes to Trump spending his money: Don’t count on it until the check has cleared the bank. In fact it seldom gets to the form of a check and if it does the check is probably not drawn on one of Trump’s personal accounts.
I could go on but you are probably nauseous by now. Who knows what critters will pop out of the swamp in 2018?
Please note: This article was written prior to Orrin Hatch announcing his retirement.
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