The 2020 Crash and Failed Response to Corona virus

So the Virus we knew was coming a decade ago finally hit us and the USA is woefully unprepared. Pay attention and please share these talking points as we still have a chance to reduce the damage the next time this happens, and it WILL happen again.

Why its so bad

• Trump disbanded the emergency response unit that was put in place to protect us. Standard Conservative policy, cut govt programs because individuals and corporations should be able to fend for themselves.
• Trump has made things much worse by not taking it seriously from the start and worrying more about the stock market than human lives. So he kept telling people it was contained and over rated, nothing to worry about. So it spread further.
• He waited to long to restrict travel and then exempted countries where has hotels.
• Testing kits were offered by WHO early on but Trump admin refused, so an American company could get exclusivity. Except of course the kits were made in China because of our disastrous trade agreement and turned out to be contaminated. This put us way behind the rest of the world.

Trump and Republican "Solutions"?

• Bailouts to major corporations.
• Payroll tax cuts which of course wont help the people sent home without pay or laid off.
• Finally after more than a month persuading insurance companies to not charge copays for testing and our taxes covering their costs. Meanwhile treatment wont be covered, and of course millions of workers will lose their insurance because there no longer working.

The Corporate Response

• Lay off workers because consumer demand in many industries is down.  Honestly you cant blame the companies, but rather than put people on leaves of absence so they keep their health insurance (If they can afford the premiums without a paycheck) their now out of work for an unknown length of time.

The Biden Plan

• This is what the status quo with our health care system looks like.Once you lose your job you lose medical coverage. Even before that happens your discouraged from getting testing (when available) or treatment because for many people the copays and deductibles are too high.
• Taxpayers by the way foot the bill when these people use the ER after it gets serious because they could not afford to go.
• Think about that come election time, The AHCA was better than what we had, and certainly better than the nothing Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnel came up with but it was not enough.

The Sanders Plan

Had Sanders won in 2016 and managed to get his Medicare for all plan through Congress (yes it was and is a long shot and hard. But anything worth doing is hard, and the alternative to not even trying is failure) we would simply not be in this mess.

• You have no Health Insurance now or its too expensive? Under Sanders plan you and all those healthy young people would have been paying into the same healthcare pool everyone uses.  Yale did a study and showed it would save $45 Billion a YEAR. Yes it costs 30 trillion over 10 years as the health insurance companies and the talking heads on TV tell you.  But were already spending 54 trillion in that same time period according to a REPUBLICAN study by The Heritage Foundation. In other words even they know it saves money, they just don't want YOU to know so Health Insurance companies will keep paying them off. Every researcher knows it saves money, they just tell you the costs in taxes but not the savings in your wallet with no more premiums, deductibles, and copays.
• Imagine if everyone who gets sick could get tested (Neither Sanders or Biden would have botched the testing kit thing) and would get tested because they could afford it. Maybe they lose their job for being sick, thats sad but they would still get medical care and maybe quickly find another job.Especially since companies would still be doing a good business.

Summary

Its really too late for this outbreak, we should have elected Sanders in 2016.

However there will be another one, maybe in a few years, maybe a dozen, we do not know when but we know it will happen. In the meantime 45,000 Americans die each year and thousands of newborn babies because people cant afford the current system. It works great for the upper class, lousy for everyone else. And do you really like your insurance company? Not talking about your doctor, but the company you pay every month to help with your medical bills when you need it - are they there for you when you need them? Or do they delay payments and string you along with paperwork?

Getting rid of a business that only makes a profit by not paying out what you pay them for just makes no sense. Of course we have the worst health care in the entire modern world!

Biden is winning the Dem election, not because people like his policies, exit polling in every single state so far proves that. He is winning because the millionaires on TV and the Radio, as well as those in D.C. are telling you everything is fine, lets not rock the boat. Ask yourself, is it fine for you? Would you like it to be better? Sanders can still win if people come out and vote not on nostalgia over President Obama, not over fear of stupid buzz words like socialism but because they want a better future. If Sanders loses America loses, simple as that.

Its true he may not get his plans through Congress and we may lose anyway. But the other side is telling us we certainly will lose of they win and Sanders is defeated because they will change nothing.

I fought for America in the USAF, I'm not surrendering now. My country and generations after me deserve better!

Trumps Latest Attack on the US Military

I get that a lot of Republicans are racist, but just how far are you willing t go?
The latest effort by Trump in saying children board to US service members will no longer count as US citizens is absurd.  So we send a soldier overseas to fight and possibly die for the country and they and their spouses lose a natural American right?
Why are ok with this?  Is it because you think it will only affect colored people? Those of a different religion? Will you make an exception for white people?

The modern Republican party is despicable and keep attacking Americans, our rights as citizens (things like voter suppression and declaring corporations are people, and money is Free Speech), our livelihood (rolling back regulations that protect citizens to give corporations more money, for example), imposing taxes on American citizens to give to corporations such as Tariffs and allowing big companies to pay no federal income tax through loopholes, to stoking hatred and fear using tools such as racism to divide and control the middle and working class so they are easier to take advantage of.

• Illegal Immigrants take jobs Americans dont want and pay billions in taxes for services they are not able to use. If you really think its an issue go after the companies that hire them, but since that almost never happens the real purpose is clear.
• Trump put thousands of veterans on the street in 2017 because he delayed renewing housing benefits for them in efforts to force the Democratic party to fund his wall.
• Trump made tens of thousands of poor children suffer and undoubtedly some died when he pulled the same tactic with CHIP.
• Trump has stolen money from the military and the US Coast Guard to fund his wall.
• Trump and Mitch McConnel block efforts to secure our elections from foreign meddling.

The list goes on and on and its clear, if you vote Republican in 2020 your voting against America.

Right Wing Challenge!

So if you read this blog you know I am a humanitarian and thus Left Wing in my politics.
But one of the biggest personal goals is to get money out of politics. Efforts to do this seem to mainly be from the Left, with Take Back Our Republic the only group I know of on the Right.
On the Left we have Wolf Pac, Brand New Congress, and Justice Democrats.

Why so little effort from the Right?  If its really a populism movement and not just corporate manipulation of some of our population how come there is so little effort to get money out of politics?

If you really believe in privatization because you think its good for America how come people have to pay politicians to do it? If Americans really believe deregulation why do corporations have to buy Congress? If you prefer private insurance and those who are in between jobs, laid off, work for small business, or simply cant afford it why is so much of the money coming from insurance companies?
Shouldn't the individual voter and American citizen be able to matter and influence their politician if the numbers are really on their side?

So my challenge to the Right Wing is start an organization like Brand New Congress or Justice Democrats and help Take Back Our Republic.
If your goal is to get rid of elitist control of our government put thepower back into the hands of the individual American!

Abortion Bills

With the recent slew of conservative judges being put on the bench states are pushing strictor abortion bills in hopes of getting Roe vs. Wade overturned.

Alabama

Said to be the strictest bill yet HB314 is effective once a fetus is in utero.

Georgia

Currently restricts abortion after 20 weeks, just signed a law that bans it so soon most women wont even know their pregnant before its illegal. it blocks abortions after about 6 weeks.
It includes provisions for up to life imprisonment and penalties if she has a miscarriage.

Iowa

Passed a law in 2018 that requires the governor personally approve an abortion (If its covered by medicare) even if the womens life is in immediate danger.

Ohio

Trying to ban birth control coverage by medical insurance.

Several other states have passed or are pushing more laws along these lines, including punishments.

You know whats missing in these so called pro life arguments?

• Contraception for women, even while male contraception is covered by most insurance.
• Healthcare for women and children.
• Severe penalties for the fathers who refuse to take care of the child once born.
• Economic support for single mothers, especially those who have children with birth defects or were raped and forced into single motherhood by the state.
• Effective adoption, foster care and other support for children.

It makes one wonder what the real priorities are here.

Article V Testimony in WA

So I watched a committee hearing on SJM8001 and SJM8002 for a call for a convention to overturn Citizens United and reform our campaign financing.
By far most were for it but some were opposed.
In watching the entire testimony I have to first compliment the Committee and participants fora great example of Democracy and civil discourse.
Second, every single person who spoke wanted money out of elections and feel corruption is a serious problem.  The only dispute was a few feared that a constitutional convention could get carried away so prefer to wait for Congress to resolve the issue.
On the one hand that is heartening, on the other its discouraging that a few allow themselves and the country to be paralyzed by fear.
We need to get examples and precedents out there to deal with that fear if were to move forward.

Bernie Sanders for 2020

So Senator Sanders finally announced and most of the results are as expected.

• Talking Heads are going crazy with "How is he going to stand out from the crowd?" The idea here is that many of the Democratic candidates have adopted some of his positions so why go for him in 2020? 
• My thoughts are why vote for the follower or copycat when you can vote for the leader? The one who stuck his neck out for a position before it was popular is more likely to be honest and vigilant in his stance than someone who came to those ideas after they were popular?
• Can he beat Trump?
• Well according to the 2016 Democratic primaries he won most of the Midwest and red states over Clinton. Thats really important and indicates he was more likely to win in 2016 than she was.
• Also hes a fighter and has stood up for his beliefs and a lot of attacks without backing down.
• He had problems with reports of women being sexually harassed in his campaign.  Not by him of course but by some of his volunteers who reportedly made for a unhealthy working environment.
• Anyone who has ever worked for a large company has seen that kind of thing going on. It is important how the leadership deals with it but I give him a pass here because A) He looked into it, said it definitely happened and hes sorry and has taken steps to ensure it wont happen again. That level of self accountability is something we dont see enough of in politics.  Also he ramped up fast which left infrastructure holes and minimal vetting.
• Hes pretty old now, can young people relate to him?
• Hes always polled really well among younger voters.
• Watch him on stage, hes got a lot of energy and is in better shape than Trump.
• And notice how people bring up his age but not that of Joe Biden who is only a year younger.
• Identity Politics, or We need a "X"
• We dont need someone who checks off the right demographic box, that's something Clinton was hoping would carry her in 2016. What we need is not a woman but someone who will fight for women. What we need is not a person of color but someone who will stand up for them. We need a candidate who supports jobs and improved economic opportunity for every American. We need a candidate who is for civil rights and willing to invest in our youth and improve the countries long term growth rather than just looking for how to win the next election.  We need to vote on policies and integrity, if the best one matching our policies is the same or a different gender, orientation, ethnic background or whatever fine, But dont vote for someone like Ben Carson because hes black, or Clinton because shes a woman.
• Fundraising
• Senator Sanders has already raised a lot and based on previous history most of his money will come from small donations from individuals rather than large donations from corporations, PACs, and big name donors.  Those who donate are likely to vote so thats a big starting edge and indicator right off.
• He should run as a Democrat, or since hes not be treated as a third party and not voted for in the primary.
• Do you want to lose?
• Really do you?
• People complain about Jill Stein of the Green Party splitting the vote. If Senator Sanders ran as an Independent or Third party candidate he would split the vote in the general election.  And I think its reasonable to believe he would take far more of the Democratic vote than Jill Stein ever has or could. Instead Bernie has opted to compete among Democrats and abide by the party choice as regards the general election. He stumped heavily for Clinton after he lost to her in 2016, sure those who wanted him to win were mad at and many did not vote for Clinton but thats not on him.  He stumped for her and many other Democratic candidates then and later.
• You want Sanders to run as an Independent in 2020 than you want the Democratic party to lose in 2020. Instead, stop fighting and thank him for his help!

Summary

Personally I think Senator Sanders has the best chance of winning the general in 2020 and its between him and Senator Warren as to who I want to win. Either one will help the country move forward.

Most of the rest I dont trust their positions as they have not been consistent or shown serious efforts at fighting for them.

Does Anyone Still Think Republicans Are For The People?

• So average tax refunds are down 8.4% meaning as predicted the GOP tax plan did not help the majority of Americans.
• Deficit headed to record highs, interest payments mostly helping China.
• Insurance rates are trending up, though not by huge amounts, but watch for increases in your deductibles and co-pays.
• Due to the obstructionist tactics of the GOP Senate under Mitch McConnel there is a backlog of judicial appointments that the GOP has filled so that is a Conservative win,
• The government was shut down for a record duration, plus several shorter ones at the cost to the taxpayers and economy of billions, still Conservatives who hate the government may call that a win.
• Hate crimes were way up, increase in mass shootings and gun violence so many on the right call that a win, though the NRA took a political hit after it was revealed how they have been working with Russia.
• Corporate regulation took a beating, Banks got looser regulations, workers safety went down, more food poisoning due to relaxed FDA regulations and inspections, National Parks had acreage sold off to mining and oil companies, and of course pollution increased.
• Illegal Immigration increased due to Trumps policies, though its still lower than under President Bush. However, many of the separated children will be stranded in USA without their parents, costing taxpayers even more, plus the internment camps extravagant charges to the taxpayer of almost $700/per day per person means were spending far more than ever before. Trump took Coast Guard, FEMA, and US Military funds to help cover his increased detention costs. So our National Security and disaster preparedness is weaker.
• Tariffs costing US consumers billions (remember we pay the cost, not other countries as they just charge us more) and hurting various industries, especially agriculture and fishing.
• Russia, China and other countries emboldened to increase cyber attacks on USA and election meddling due to Trumps war on Intelligence agencies, and GOP refusal to improve security.
• Weakening of NATO and USA Military and trade alliances allow Russia and China to take advantage and make better deals, this is more a long term damage effect as it will be hard to get that business back.
• Women's, GLBT, and minority rights eroded.

I get that if your priority is Roe vs. Wade or you believe corporations are more important than citizens and national security this administration might be a win in your mind.

But honestly I dont see how any patriotic American is willing to sacrifice and hurt the USA so badly can consider this a win. If your a staunch conservative, at least minimize the damage by replacing Trump with Pence who is a real conservative, but your willing to sacrifice the country for your hatred of women and minorities shows your real priorities and is creating a backlash.

This week in Congress

So AOC had this wonderful bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJlpS4vhKP0
You know what was amazing there? Not just how clear she framed and showed the corruption really is but that she was so clear not one Republican dared interrupt her to try and obfuscate and hide the corruption.  Normally we see a lot of theater and grandstanding for the cameras but here she made it so obvious that no one wanted to call attention to themselves or be caught on camera defending these practices and regulations.
Make no mistake, they will fight tooth and nail to protect that corruption but in this instance at least they knew they were outmatched.

Meanwhile in another committee we had Whittaker make a fool of Congress and showed he is loyal to Trump, not the United States of America. So did several Republicans.
This was all about theater and pandering to the audience with no real answers.

MSNBC stats review

Its short and worth the viewing if you want well researched facts.
https://youtu.be/ZTzBVpNlzQg

Brand New Congress 2020 run

So Brand New Congress is one of the groups I support and they announce their first candidate for 2020 Cori Bush!
She ran for the first time last cycle and is taking those hard won lessons back on the campaign trail.
Most first time candidates lose, but only a few try again so shes to be commended,
Also she had a harder road than most since she was a grassroots no Corporate PAC money candidate. Unfortunately money wins elections :( but 2016 proved the power of grassroots crowd funding and 2018 Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats supported 11 winning candidates.  FYI that was the first election for both those groups so its an impressive win. But it would not have happened without great candidates and voters tired of the same old same old establishment politicians.
We need change so please take a look and support candidates who work for Americans instead of multinational corporations.

Political Victories are More Important Than Responsible Leadership

The Senate failed to pass a bill to open the government today. The Republican bill actually failed to get more votes than the Dem bill, even though they are in the minority. This shows the problems the Republicans have had since they took over at the beginning of 2016. They cant agree even among themselves what to do, like Repealing and replacing ObamaCare they were unable to agree among themselves how to improve it.  Sure they have been able to gut it pretty effectively, even when they were a minority party they were great at sabotage.
Its coming up with and agreeing on solutions is where they keep coming up short.  The only priority they managed to get done in 2 years of controlling the government was tax cuts. And that is because their billionaire donors demanded it of them.

Whether you agree with the Republican goals or not, the above is simple fact.
President Trump keeps sayins everyone is willing to sacrifice for the wall and they just need to make adjustments.
While Wilbur Ross says just go get a loan, no big deal. Wilbur Ross goes on another interview to say its not a gigantic number overall its less than 1/3% GDP so its not a big deal.
Lara Trump "Its a little bit of pain, but good for the country"

Think about how out of touch or how little these people really care for American workers.
Republicans dont understand that for most Ameicans a missed paycheck, much less 2 and the threats of this going on through April (or as Trump said even years) is a big deal.

Does that sound right to you?
As everyone tries to spin this it is important to remember.
The shutdown started under GOP control when FoxNews told Trump he was weak if he did not get the wall. Te House voted on day #1 after taking control to end the shutdown, the Senate led by McConnell has not even voted to open it until today.
Trump wants something he can call a Wall for a political victory and he is willing to take Americans hostage by withholding pay to get it.
Republicans so far have chosen to back that play.
The Dems have funded increased border security but not the wall.

Who is right? Do we need a wall or not?
Honestly, that does not even matter anymore. Trump and the Republican party has decided a wall is suddenly the most important thing and are willing to withhold pay for 800,000 workers plus contractors (who will simply never get paid) and force many to work, preventing them from getting another temp job to pay the bills.
Republicans say that this is all the Democrats fault for not surrendering.
Democrats, however know that even if they do surrender or in fact make ANY kind of deal Trump will simply use this tactic again. In March, if the dems deal now the Republicans led by Trump will simply do it again since they know its a working strategy.

Summary

We need leaders who can negotiate in good faith and compromise so both sides walk away from the table satisfed they got what they want. Every Congress person represents Americans, Republican, Democrat or other and what our so called leader forget when they blame each other that people are behind the votes.
Please contact your legislatures, tell them to pass a clean funding bill, no strings or deals attached. Get the government open and people back to work. Than negotiate with each other in good faith and without using Americans as leverage for your petty political victories

Why Republicans Win

The Republican agenda is counter to what most Americans want, yet they win more often than Democrats. Why?

Divide and Conquer! 

The Republican party is very aggressive in its messaging and has their own dedicated cable channel to push the messages aimed at stirring up anger, fear and hatred. The strategy is divide and conquer.

Rather than come up with popular solutions they take the easy path of blaming everyone else for the problems the country faces. This was the strategy of Stalin and Hitler (not saying all Republicans are the same, just that they use the same strategy) and it is an effective one. Much easier to blame someone else than it is to come up with practical solutions for improving things.
Think about it, who is more responsible for wages that dont keep up with inflation or rising medical prices? Immigrants working minimum wage (or lower) jobs or the people in charge of the banks and big corporations? More people each year from prescription drugs than illegal drugs but the Pharmaceutical companies donate money to GOP coffers so the focus is put on illegal drugs.  Sure, stop those from coming in or being made but lets not ignore the major killer just because they pay you off.

Who caused the last recession? Illegal Immigrants, poor people tricked into taking out loans they could not afford? Or the banks that knew they could not pay off the loan but aggressively conned them into signing up? The banks knew that they could confiscate the homes and other collateral and even if they lost money the taxpayer would cover their losses.

Summary

Divide and conquer and lying to their base is an effective strategy, at least until they get caught too often at those lies. It is not very American and has numerous long term problems (you eventually run ot of people to blame and of course waste a lot of time and energy looking for victims rather than working on solutions) but its suitable for those who focus on the short rather than long term.

For example the GOP ran for 7 years on repealing and replacing ObamaCare or the AHCA but once they had power it turned out they never worked out an actual plan they could agree on. They of course tried to blame not having a super majority for the failure but the reality is if they could not get all Republicans on board (Mostly the House Freedom Caucus kept sabotaging their efforts) how can anyone take them seriously?  I mean with 7 years surely YOU would have put in work on something you ran on as a key issue right?

It seems Trump, who is not as smart or sophisticated in his lies is slowly hurting the party but he is good at playing up peoples fears. Those who favor smaller government and fewer regulations need to break off and join the Libertarian party. With that influx it has a better chance of winning, I think Trump has irrevocably damaged the Republican party.

Trump and FoxNews shutdown about to hit day 30

So Trump came out with his new offer.
He wants 5.7 billion for his wall, offered to hire 75 more judges (instead of the 275 or so requested by Senator Lankford last year), a 805 million on increasing security and inspections at Ports of Entry, 2750 border agents (where most of the drugs enter), 3 years extension for DACA and TPS (which he himself canceled and is being ruled against in the courts).

The temporary extension is meaningless since Trump has shown he is wiling to use it as a negotiating tool and cancel it at anytime. Plus its in the courts hands now.
Not enough judges so we still have to pay hundreds of millions for the extra internment camps he set up, at a whopping $680 per person per day! That huge price tag is why Senator Lankford proposed hiring so many judges. The faster the cases are pushed through the less it costs the taxpayers.
However certain people are making a lot of money with those camps and can you guess who is getting kickbacks to keep them open and full?

Trumps plan offers nothing the Democrats want or can rely on, costs the American taxpayers more money, and does not solve the Immigration or illegal drug problem.
Remember he was ready to sign a deal without the wall until Fox News laid into him, then he canceled on Senator McConnell (who is still hiding from embarrassment).

So it looks like the shutdown will go well beyond 30 days, possibly into the Feb timeframe Trump said he was prepared for (though not years). Soon a lot of federal workers will miss their second paycheck, and as people quit to get jobs where they will get paid replacements will be long in coming.
And contractors will never get paid for the lost time.
If this goes into February a recession seems likely.

Summary

Bottom line it, whats going on here?

Trump wants his wall and he is unwilling to negotiate in good faith. An actual negotiation is the concept behind what our government was founded upon. Different sides and points of view coming together and compromising until a mutually satisfactory deal is reached.

Trump has said and shown thats not what he wants, he refused deals when the GOP controlled both Houses and now is in a weaker position and wont act like it. Since he wont negotiate or give up something substantial in trade he chose to shut down part pf the government, just as last year he blocked CHIP (health care for poor children) and a VA benefits bill passed by the GOP Congress.

Without being wiling to trade something of value to get what he wants he has decided to hold American workers hostage by withholding their pay.

The Democrats could give into that tactic, but of course that just proves it works and encourages him to do it each time he wants something.

The Trump and Fox shutdown on Day 21

So we just hit day twenty one in the latest shutdown of the Trump administration. As of midnight it will be the longest one in US history and Congress has adjourned for the weekend so its likely to go into next week. Congress and Trump are showing its simply not an important issue, especially Mitch McConnell who is refusing to even allow a vote to resolve the issue. Apparently giving money to Israel was more important to him.

The Players

• Trump says its a National Emergency despite illegal immigration from the southern border continuing its lowered trend. In other words less illegal immigration than before, starting under President Obama. He cites fake statistics and just lies (surprise) to make it seem like an emergency yet offers no specifics when asked about what hes going to do with the funding if he gets it. 
• The Democratic House voted to open the government by passing previously approved Senate bills that Trump killed after Fox News told him to do so.
• The Republican Senate has decided to bow out and cedeits authority to the President and says they will not vote on anything or try to do a veto overide to open the government. They, through Senator McConnell have declared no votes on the issue until Trump decides he has gotten what he wants.

The Issue

• The Wall is the key sticking point between Trump, Democrats and many Republicans (mostly old fashioned conservatives who dont like spending money and border state Republicans who say there is no emergency or real problem) and Democrats.
• The Secure Fences Act, passed in 2006 was a major effort at securing the border but DHS later leaned away from that for more modern methods. There is still alot of fencing but DHS determined there were cheaper and more effective methods, depending on location.

The Problems

• Trump considers this a campaign issue and needs a fight on this, not a win but an ongoing fight. He keeps changing his requests and when prior funds were approved (most still unspent) he kept ramping up the demands and refusing to negotiate and compromise with the Democrats in return. One of the more talked about incidents was his refusing 25 billion for the wall in return for DACA, The last was him canceling the deal he had with Senator McConnell after Fox News laid into him.
• Related to the above, Trump needs attention and a distraction from the investigations into him. Whenever someone seems to be getting more attention he manufactures a crisis of somekind to get the media focus back on him.
• No one can trust Trumps word since he goes back on it and changes his mind so often. A deal requires trust or a means of enforcing compliance to it.
• If Trump gets what he wants he can be expected to shut down the government again or refuse to sign any bill anytime he wants something. Its a policy of extortion he has shown a tendency for so its like negotiating with a terrorist. So if the Democrats give in, they can expect to see this happen again and again. He did it with CHIP (withholding money for childrens health care), the VA (holding off signing a VA benefits package to get wall funding), and others that dont stick in my mind as much.
• The Republican party shows no willingness to stand up to Trump.

The Solutions

• National Emergency: This was floated so Trump could do what he wants and avoid dealing with Congress. However some people have appeared to talk him down from that ledge for fear of setting the precedent. I dont count this option as complete; out however, as we have seen he frequently changes his mind.
• Trump feels the heat enough to give in but somehow can call it a win.
• Democrats cave into political or moral pressure as more people get desperate at losing pay and the consequences such as losing their homes or apartments. Also, remember its not just government employees but stores, restaurants and other businesses that take a hit.
• Republicans feel enough political heat to be willing to stand up to Trump.
• Someone comes up with a compromise everyone can live with.

Is Compromise Possible?

The trouble here is giving everyone what they really want (not always the same as what they say)

Trump wants something he can declare a win but the Democrats have to be careful to give him a win without looking too weak (or they will be voted out again) or encouraging him to just repeat the tactic every few months (also gets them voted out again).

So as I always say, you have no right to complain if your not offering solutions or at least trying to fix a problem, here are my ideas 

(I keep telling my Congressman, but Rep Lucas staff says its not a focus, Senator Inhofe less said the better, Senator Lankford seems to care but sides with Trump.)

• Democrats offer to rebuild broken fencing and barriers, probably citing specific areas recommended by DHS. Gives Trump a win he can spin.
• More judges (Senator Lankford supports this, Trump opposes it) so we process those seeking asylum faster. This is actually a true conservative ideal since it actually saves us money. Did you know that under Trump were now paying $680 per person per day?! Thats because Trump and Sessions encouraged private prisons and they have seen massive stock rises in return. At taxpayer expense of course.
• Improve inspection stations with upgraded equipment and more personal to more effectively catch imported drugs.
• Improve border patrol with more people and equipment, including drones and fast response stations. Trump has actually taken money from border security (and other organizations, including FEMA, Coast Guard, and the US military) to fund those internment camps which are growing quickly under his new policies (again at taxpayer expense).
• Offer the Democrats a high profile win such as DACA so they can say thats why they voted for it instead of bowing to extortion and the extortion of America. That hopefully keeps Trump from seeing this as a precdent so he keeps doing it, and the Dems feel they wont be voted out for being cowards and encouraging GOP terrorism.

The GOP lost 41 House seats (might end up as 40, depending on what happens with NC but its 41 right now) because they have left Trump unchecked. The Democrats know that (along with Health Care) it was a key issue that won them their seats and failing to hold him accountable will cost them in 2020 just as it cost so many Republicans in 2018.

Remember there is no real Immigration emergency or border invasion. Thats just made up by Trump and alt-right members who promote racism. We know this because the numbers are in decline so its less urgent an issue now than previous years. We actually have more illegal immigrants coming from Canada! But no talk of a border wall there, hmm wonder why...

As for drug importation, most of that is from ports of entry not fence hopping (makes sense its cheaper and get more bulk driving, flying or shipping it in than walking) also most drug deaths are from BigPharma and the opiod crisis, but Republicans want to protect the doctors and pharmaceutical companies so they can keep pushing addictive pain killers.

If there was a real crisis we would hear different numbers from DHS, FBI and others.

If there really a need for urgency why did the Republicans do nothing on the issue when they were in control of both houses of Congress? Why wait till now?

The answer is obvious, there is no actual emergency just the same old issue Congress has failed to address for decades. People need to get back to work, make it happen!

The Trump and FoxNews shutdown

So Senator McConnell decided not to accept the House bill to open the government, even though its the same one that passed the US Senate but was shot down by Trump after Fox News complained about it and demanded a shutdown.
Monday will tie for #2 and Friday tie for #1 in longest US shutdowns.

The GOP continues to follow Trump over the cliff, most of them know the wall is a big waste of money and will do very little to stop illegal immigration, yet they are willing to hold America hostage and let tens of thousands of Americans lose their homes for a simple talking point.

Will the GOP eventually cave to common sense, political outrage, and a sense for their own survival?
Will the Dems eventually cave to political outrage or maybe just decency and bow to the terrorists?
If the Dems cave first will they message it correctly? Will they be more vulnerable and the GOP encouraged to do more such hostage taking?
Trump and the GOP already have done it multiple times, including children (holding up CHIP) and veterans (Holding some VA benefits hostage) so we know they are willing.

No matter what happens here, it seems Americans lose.

Trump helps Russia, Again

Trump said he is considering pulling out of the nuclear arms deal President Ronald Reagan made.
Some of the media will over the coursew of the next few days talk about it, some will in trying to "analyze" it will say its a distraction to change the topic from the Khashoggi murder by the Saudis.
I'm sure that is partly true.
Fox will undoubtedly play it as a bold move to strike a better deal and say it proves Trump is not under Putins thumb. Putin will of course bluster about how dishonorable America is and that we cant be trusted to keep our agreements and honor treaties.
Under Trump that seems obvious.

Congress could block it, but as we have seen the GOP controlled Congress is unlikely too.
However regardless of what happens countries will lose trust in America, knowing any President can come in and throw out or otherwise sabatoge previous agreements or treaties. That hurts our national security going forward.
Maybe the deal wont be canceled, in which case we gain nothing but lose credibility and power. Maybe the deal will break down and Russia will improve their nuclear capability. Maybe they wont bother since they are still hurting financially. They never really recovered from the Cold War and all that military spending. Maybe they will even use that to get new concessions from the USA to avoid nuclear escalation they cant afford anyhow.
Maybe even Trump will manage to get a better deal than President Reagan was able to, though seriously who really believes that last option?

In the meantime we continue to see a passive GOP weakening our country, increasing the national debt, killing business and weakening alliances while China and Russia gt more powerful and take advantage of the weakness were showing under failed leadership.
Meantime they distract the American people with scandals and divide our country up. While they weaken it so they can retain and grab more power and further line their pockets, they weaken us against our enemies without.

We must stop this nonsense and replace Congress with people who put the country first!

The Fall of the GOP

So the GOP can add Rep Duncan Hunter and Paul Manafort (Not just Trumps campaign manager but also the RNC Treasurer) to the growing list of  Republican leadership indicted, convicted, or just having to resign due to scandals.
With the dual hit of Manafort and Cohen further implicating Trump in criminal matters the GOP needs to decide their fate, if its not already too late.
The last two years have seen a record number of disgraced politicians, most of them Republicans and a rise in white nationalists running for office under the GOP banner.

The GOP was discgraced under President Nixon but they did step up.  The modern GOP has yet to do so, choosing to hitch thier wagon to Trump and as each new scandal occurs they keep doubling down.
President Trump is..

• Guilty of violating the emoluments clause of the US Constitution.
• Lining his pockets at taxpayer expense by funneling money into his properties
• Guilty of having the highest turnover and corruption in any Administration.
• Dividing the country and promoting hatred and fear, rising hate crimes and mass shootings.
• Alienating our allies and sucking up to our enemies.
• Encouraging jobs being sent overseas and setting up a trade war that costs more jobs and may send us into a recession.
• Attacking US intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
• Trampling on the Constitution, including vital rights such as Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press.
• Campaign finance violations and probably working with a hostile foreign power to ensure his victory.

That's just the highlights!

Some people do not believe or see all those things, but the number that do is growing as more and more examples and evidence emerges. At some point it will be obvious to even his most devoted supporters and then they will be angry at being lied to for so long. The GOP needs to decide do they ride the Trump train over the cliff or do they step up and put party over country and show some loyalty to the United States of America.

The longer they take the worse they look and the more of them like Jordan, Nunes, and Gowdy will go down in history as traitors to the country.

We are beyond appealing to their patriotism, now we need to hope they will start looking after their own survival and legacies.

And the ones that claim they do it for thier conservative agenda? They lie to you.  Pence would be far more effective at pushing it. The only reason they hold back is cowardice and greed.

My reply to Jeanine Pirro

After watching her speech on YouTube I sent a response. Since I cant post it all on Twitter here it is.

The Right wingers telling the Left they should stop getting mad at the Right and conservatives? Think about the hypocrisy of your statements. You have celebrated the critical illness of an American Hero like Jun McCain, think its ok for POTUS to even think about handing over American diplomat to Russia, protected and served Russia objectives by refusing to fund election security even while you fund gerrymandering and other policies to keep Americans from voting. You accept and even praise a President who bows down to Russia and praises them for their generosity and sincerity in offering to let our FBI show them our investigation techniques and try to get them to reveal sources so Putin can execute those sources., at the same time he declares the hacking was USAs fault. You back off on security measures against N. Korea for an empty promise they have already broken and a photo op. You want to parcel off and privatize America so you can sell it to the highest bidder, foreign or domestic. Instead of focusing on China in a calculated way and with the cooperation of our allies you start a Trade War with the entire world all at once. You give permanent tax cuts to corporations and billionaires and temporary tax cuts to working people. You promote corporate welfare and reward those who inherited wealth while penalizing those who work for a living and crushing the country under staggering depth. You attack the FBI relentlessly in order to protect Trump and GOP co-conspirators, obstruct an investigation that has still managed to reveal numerous attacks on our election. Recently you made it even harder to follow the money by changing the rules so your not embarrassed when things like NRA being funded and infiltrated by Russia are revealed. All so you can line your pockets and let foreign governments and international corporations buy politicians. ALL Americans should be angry but too many conservatives, and especially talking heads care more about their wallet or purse than the USA. You wrap yourself in the flag and wave the bible around, not because you believe in either but because you know you can fool a lot of people into think your sincere. Even when the facts show otherwise. Of course were mad, the Left loves this country and the Right seems determined to destroy it.

Air Force One turned into a touristattraction

From Buzzfeed, Trump has found another way to use the Presidency to line his pockets at taxpayer expense. Of course the GOP does nothing about it.
We have to vote in independents or democrats to replace the GOP in November!
Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats are our best hope to save the country from the current and worsening corruption that plagues it.

GOP Continues to Attack and Harass the FBI and DOJ

Why does the GOP want to protect Putin?

I get why Trump does, he owes him too much money and I suspect getting out of paying by declaring bankruptcy again wont work in this case. He has to do Putins bidding to pay the debt off, hence stalling and reducing sanctions as much as he can, weakening NATO, and making China and Russia more powerful on the political and economic stages at the expense of America.

But why are so many Republicans trying to help those efforts?

The GOP has..

• Blocked a bill to require Tariffs be voted on. Remember Tariffs are in effect a sales tax. Tariffs on incoming goods mean Americans pay more, and as long as Americans buy the goods or foreign countries can sell elsewhere they are not hurt at all.
• Allowed the withdrawal of multiple international treaties and agreements. Most of the benefit is going to China, but Russia is also gaining as the USA steps back other countries make new deals and trade partners. So our farmers and manufacturers are losing business.
• Allowed the weakening of the US dollar by massively increasing the national debt. If this continues the dollar will be replaced by the Euro or something else as the default currency. At that point we are in major trouble and unlikely to recover.
• Sabotaging the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling with the 2016 election. In doing this they are further eroding Americans confidence in the government, just so they can protect Trump.  If they really believed he was innocent they would wait for the investigation to finish and then declare victory.  No one fights that hard to obstruct justice if they are innocent. One of thier current excuses is that its gone on too long with no proof of collusion. 
• Russia Investigation; 397 days over 20 indictments and 5 guilty pleas so far, including 4 ex-trump advisers and a bunch of Russians.
• Benghazi, over 2 years
• Hillary Clinton's email investigation, over 3 years
• Iran-Contra; 2,420 days
• Whitewater; 2,978 days.

The evidence that Trump is helping Russia at the expense of the USA is clear and indisputable, the only thing we dont know for sure is if that is because of an arrangement or just incompetence.

Most of the GOP dont get the possibly incompetent excuse, they dont have a history of multiple bankruptcies and are reasonably presumed to be competent.

So why are they selling America out?