A Real Hero

So I saw small clips of this Black Capital Police Officer running from the mob. My initial thoughts were that is understandable as they likely would have killed him if they caught him but he should probably lose his job. Dying is part of the risk you take for these kinds of things, which is why few people should be in these high risk jobs.

However, I heard a report and checked into it and turns out the Senate chambers were just down the hall. Looking at this video clip you can see him glance over (apparently noticing the Senators had not been secured yet) and deliberately egging the rioters on. Then he runs a short distance, turns and continues to confront the, This repeats several times and you hear him giving his location an calling for backup where he leads those that followed into a trap.

This shows incredible bravery and presence of mind in a tough situation. Remember these people are waving racist flags and symbols around so its clear they hate any nonwhite and likely would have beaten him to death had they caught him.  Sure that skinny white guy at the front doesn't look too dangerous as commentators have said, but he could easily have been armed. Plus there is the whole mob behind him.

He deserves our thanks, a raise and hey President Biden why dont you use the Medal of Freedom appropriately instead of the participation trophy Trump has turned it into? Give this guy a medal!

Common Sense Thoughts on the COVID-19 Epidemic and Getting Past it.

As states and other entities talk about reopening lets look at this closely.

Why did people decide to shut down?

The purpose of the shutdown is to delay the spread of the virus, not stop it just slow it down enough that the hospitals are not overwhelmed. If the hospitals get too many patients at one time they cant handle the load and more people die. That includes hospital staff, nurses, service staff, even patients not in the hospital for the virus as they get ignored because of overcrowding or actually get infected.

The sooner we open up again the worse the effect on human lives and though this may give a short term economic respite it will prolong the crisis and increased overall costs.

What do I do if it opens too soon?

• Use masks and physical distancing from others as much as possible.
• If your lucky enough to have a job that lets you work from home, do it as much as possible.
• If your in an office cancel meetings in the conference room and use video or conference calls. Even if your all in the building, being in a room for an hour is asking to catch anything your coworkers have.
• Avoid restaurants, bars, gyms, salons, etc. Delivery can support them and get you good food.  These businesses will suffer the most which is why Congress needs to take care of them.
• Don't hoard! Supply chains are stressed but working, hoarding puts your neighbors at extra risk as they lack essential supplies.  On the other hand shop wisely and infrequently.
• Remember you can be a carrier before you show symptoms!  Avoid close interaction with people till a vaccine is available. If you get sick notify everyone you recently encountered.

What Should the Government Do?

Roughly every decade we have a significant countrywide disaster, its pretty predictable and the government needs to stat taking their jobs seriously and think long term. Just as any member of the military they swore an oath under God to serve and protect, time they started taking that obligation seriously.

• Get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) into peoples hands, no excuse for this not being done months ago. It was just laziness that killed thousands of Americans. Nurses do not need to be called heroes while we send them into die from getting infected because our government doesnt want to spend the money to get them basic equipment to protect them.
• Get Testing out, again we are way behind where we should be due to laziness and government inaction.  This was no real surprise, a pandemic has been expected for decades, so why are we so unprepared?  Because politicians think short term, not long term and too many let them get away with it.
• Once PPE and widespread testing are available it wont be safe to open up, but it will be safer. Again short term thinking makes the long term cost much more severe and expensive overall. If we had been prepared we may have not even needed a shut down, and certainly fewer people would have gotten sick or even died. When things open up there will be another spike, the longer we hold back the smaller that spike will be and the fewer lives lost. They key is how prepared we are when we do open up.
• Businesses are suffering now and will suffer even after we reopen. Government needs to take care of them, primarily the smaller businesses who dont have the resources of larger businesses. Also emphasis service and restaurants.
• Politicians looking at their wallets and encouraging people to die so they can get more money for themselves and their donors need to simply stop thinking that way and put the country first.

As an aside those Churches trying to encourage people to come to service are likely doing it to serve the church leaderships pocket, not their parishioners. Ask yourself, how many services dd Jesus have in a church versus open air? Think about it, you dont need to worship together to be faithful, so whats in it for those wanting you to risk your live to go to their building?

What Should we do Before the Next Disaster?

We know there will be another one, probably not as bad in about ten years. We should think ahead and plan for it. Whether its another bank, oil, airline, real-estate, or manufacturing bailout, a pandemic, or a climate inspired refugee crisis there are measure we can take now that will save lives and money later.

• Medicare for All saves lives and taxpayers hundreds of billions annually. More than that, imagine a world where instead of paying your health insurance premium, co-pays, and deductibles you pay HALF that total in taxes instead. Imagine  not worrying about losing your health care if you lose your job (as many are doing now) or even just switch to a new job (usually you lose it for 90 days). Imagine not losing your home or lifesavings if you or a family member get cancer or other serious illness. Imagine looking for a job based on pay or it being what you like to do rather than worrying about its health benefits. As a business imagine not having to deal with insurance companies and the extra overhead. Able to hire older or disabled Americans without your health costs going up. Imagine a small business owner being able to compete on a level playing field with larger companies, or hiring full time workers instead of twice that many part time workers (and the extra training costs) or permanent instead of contractors all to avoid dealing with health care coverage requirements. Imagine a healthier workforce because they can get preventative care instead of putting it off till its far worse or maybe they infected other workers.
• Financial regulation to keep big "Too big to fail" companies from knowingly making poor decisions because the CEOs know the taxpayers will pick up the tab.
• Responsible and forward thinking EPA and Climate legislation to reduce the effects of natural disasters and seasonal extremes that are hurting so many industries.  Remember we will have to pay for it at some point, but the longer we put it off the bigger the tab and total costs. Millions of new jobs can be created, farms saved, etc and current businesses relying on fossil fuels wont shut down overnight, there will be years, probably decades in transitioning. And remember, those jobs are going away. If America does not step up other countries will (and are moving that way now) and in trying to put it off by sticking our head in the sand and thinking short term we and those people will be left behind. If we dont work on electric cars someone else will, we used to be a leader in Solar energy but other countries have started moving ahead which means jobs we just gave away. How smart is that?
• Election Reform should be a priority.  We cant hold our politicians accountable if they get billions from the wealthy to buy ads and tell us their lies. Politicians use a classic Divide and Conquer strategy to keep Americans fighting each other instead of holding them accountable to us. Voter suppression needs to be stopped for the good of everyone and money must be taken out of politics. Why should a Congressmen or Senator get away with insider trading? Especially when they put their wallets ahead of yours and the country?

An Open Letter to Joe Biden

You had a good night, owing to your expected win in South Carolina after getting the Clyburn endorsement and President Obama and the party leadership telling Amy Klobachar, Pete Buttigeg, and Beto O'Roarke to toe the line and endorse you to consolidate the right wing of the party against the left wing of it.
It will be a week or two before we know the full results, but that helped you get back in the contest.
Your case is your more electable and you say you can unite the party. Its up to you to convince the voters of both these things. Here are my questions, and though I am just one voter I hope your staff points this letter out to you for consideration because these things will come up.

Unifying Rather Than Dividing the Party

Clinton and the DNC divided the party in 2016 by cheating on Sanders and this in effect was telling every Sanders supporter to, as your wife put it 'I know you dont like the policies but you need to just swallow it and vote party line' (paraphrasing as the swallow is all I recall for certain.). Clinton is to this day still whining and trying to say her oss was all Sanders fault, as if Comey, the media harping on forever about her emails, Russia, and her bad decisions such as telling many in the party they had to vote for her even when she ignored them (like Wisconsin) or told them their votes were not important (Sanders supporters). She lost that election due to her actions and choices. Will you do the same?

If you dont not win 51% of the delegates and get the nomination through a contested or brokered convention, there is no doubt Sanders will support you, just as he did Clinton because hes more loyal than most of you. Remember Clinton did less for President Obama - remember her phrase PUMA?

The thing is that Sanders is not in control of his voters, this is America after all and politicians should earn our votes, some will support the nominee no matter who but when you yourself refused to commit to that you cant reasonably demand his voters to toe the line. And not all his supporters are even Democrats, he won Independents and even Republicans too. You need a message that appeals to the voters and to give us reason to trust you.

The DNC is right wing and at war against the Left, preferring to support people who vote Republican most of the time over progressive candidates. If the Dems want to be Right over Left, why not just vote Republican? What, and can you be specific about how you will unite the party rather than continuing the policy of demanding voters just do what the party tells them to.

Clinton's attitude more than anything else lost 2016, how will you be different? Especially if you win not by voters but by the decision of party insiders?

What Do You Offer as Reason to Support You?

Other than supporting Obama Care which the Republicans have largely dismantled and will again if you reinstate it how will you improve the situation with health care?

What will you do, if anything about the issues voters care about?

We all know Sanders is unlikely to get everything he wants, but we trust him to at least fight for it and us. You have been recorded as telling your donors not to worry, nothing will fundamentally change. That led us to Trump in the first place.

Voters have disagreed with you at town halls and you tell them to vote for someone else, including telling them to vote for Trump. You do not appear to be trying to address or care about their concerns.

How Can You Beat Trump?

The Republican party have given permission and support to weaponize the federal government against their political opponents. 

• He will use the DOJ and the IRS against you and Hunter, are you prepared for that?
• He will go on and on about your history as a DC insider and the money you and your family have made, Ukraine, China, the stuff in Delaware,etc Does not matter what he is doing is far worse he will do it anyway and his voters will cheer, even as they are ripped off.
• Despite being the stupidest person ever to hold the office he will make fun of your Gaffs and slurred sentences.
• He will bring up your comments about cutting Social Security, despite him trying the same thing.
• He will hit you with the Iraq war and the Crime Bill.  He will hit you with stuff most of us dont even know about yet, and he will lie and twist things so they appear even worse than they were.
• In 2016 he had a lot less money and was less organized, his attacks on Clinton will pale to what he will do to you. Are you really ready and up to it?  Can you convince us that you are? Against Sanders all he really has is calling him a socialist, which of course he will call you anyhow. The difference is Sanders will embrace it so the attack fails among his supporters but you will deny it and likely just look weak to the conservatives and independents, while reminding the progressives they could have had someone with policies they believe in and wanted.
• Trump is a liar, a cheat and will play dirty, worse with the Federal government supporting him this will be the toughest and nastiest fight of your political career. Can you really handle that? Please convince us.

Oct 2020 Dem Debate Opinion

Lets see what the polls say but my initial takeaways...

Winners

• Senator Sanders had people writing him off after his heart attack. He needed to show he had it still and I think he was the most animated on the stage. Also again, most issues are framed around him. He easily had the most to lose so needed to do really well and he dd that tonight.  Also the AOC endorsement came out tonight will help, not a huge deal since so many supporters shared but if she had gone for Warren it would have hurt him. 
• Yang did a great job. His UBI is practically a mainstream issue now where before it was treated by the media as a joke.
• Castro did a solid job overall. I doubt he gets a big bump but he did very well.
• Tom Steyer was pretty focused as we knew he would be but he hit his core issue of corruption really well. Also saying as a billionaire he also thinks they need to pay more in taxes will win him points.

Losers

• Senator Harris kept trying to use that personal anecdotes and it came off false. Also what was with that attack on Warren? Trying to pin her on twitter banning Trump was a weak move I dont think resonated well.
• Mayor Pete was overly combative,though he had a good moment on Syria.
• Senator Gabbard also was overly aggressive and her attack on Mayor Pete on Syria I think will alienate a lot of vets who would agree with Buttigeg that Americas word is a powerful defense and our soldiers need it.
• VP Biden took some solid hits from Senator Warren and Sanders. And he opened himself up to both those big hits. If he hadn't have attacked Sanders I doubt Sanders would have hit back. And he came off condescending to Warren on the CFB, especially if you know the history,

Summary

I think Sanders had the biggest night, he really needed to show he still had more energy than anyone else on the stage. I was watching talking heads and they commented on it.I think it was Maggie Haberman who said he had more energy in the last hour than she did.

I dont think anyone else will see a big rise but the winners list dd well for themselves.

Warren had the mos talk time and as the current front runner took the most incoming fire and she did not really win them all. She needs to come clean on the increased taxes thing. Overall I think she held her place, which as a front runner is enough.

Biden was I felt a big loser here. He picked two fights he came out behind on and relied on his record which is a mixed bag. Also he needed to turn around the falling in the poll status. He came off week.

This week on Right, Left, Center

Lets talk about Defense Spending!

Right

Conservatives, especially leadership feel that the majority of our tax money should go towards defense spending. A strong military is an important part of national security. However Conservatives also believe in smaller government and lower taxes.

Left

Liberals and Progressives (there is a difference) believe that the majority of the governments spending should be domestic. The Left is more willing to pay higher taxes but want the money spent wisely and according to their priorities.

Center

Both sides agree that a strong military is vital to protecting the country. The dispute between them is a matter of how much is enough and where the priorities are. Unfortunately this is also confused with pork barrel politics and lobbying. Defense contractors lobby Congress for further increases in spending so they can make and sell more stuff. A Corrupt Congress will do what gets them the most money, influence, and power. Also defense contractors may operate factories, research facilities and other things in a Congress persons district which can affect voting. And House Reps especially are supposed to look after their districts and the people who voted them into office. Senators look after their states but are generally supposed to have a long view on whats good for the country and act that way.

All too often when the Budget is figured out Republicans raise military spending, even above what the military requests. If Democrats object they are called unpatriotic and if they want to match the increase domestically they are called wasteful and accused of just wanting to raise taxes.

This leads to a partisan mess that hurts the country and wastes tax payers money.

Choosing Priorities

No one really likes paying taxes or wants them to go up. However money has to be raised to be spent.

So the question is not do we spend it but how do we spend it and when is enough enough?

US Military spending is typically over  half the US budget in discretionary spending. So if taxes are to be lowered its an obvious place to look for cuts. If we cut too much we make ourselves vulnerable, which is unacceptable. So again how much is enough?

The US outspends every other country in the world on defense, and by a large margin. In fact we typically spend as much as the next 5 to 10 top spending countries combined! The count varies from year to year but its always a lot more than others.

Here is a fairly recent example but this has been measured for various years by many companies.

In deciding if we spend enough the question has to be asked. Why do we need to spend more than everyone else year after year to be safe?

Is Congress saying the American military is so bad it can only win if it costs so much more than anyone elses?

Regime change wars are ineffective and usually turnout bad for us. We win the war but turn the people of the country against us and build up more anti-US sentiment which spawns more problems, including terrorism.
I think we need a strong defense but not t be involved in so many wars or prop up defense contractors. Imagine if we put a hundred billion into repairing our roads, airports, new dam and water projects to better manage flooding, renewable energy to combat climate change, etc. We could create thousands of new jobs very quickly and save more American lives.

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.

Who I want to be President and Why

There are a lot of candidates running for President, several hundred in fact! Yes thats right, according to the FEC as of Aug 12 2019 we have 816 candidates who have filed to run.! Naturally we have never heard of nor are likely to most of them and of course most do not expect to win.
Lets take a quick look at some of the major candidates and my personal opinions.
Senators Sanders and Warren are my top picks so I'll start off with the others in the order I think of them.

• Marianne Williamson: Initially I thought she was kind of a nutjob but I have since listened to some of her interviews and changed my mind. She appears smart and well educated and has a good depth of knowledge on several issues, shes done her homework. Net Worth $1.5 Million, Progressive, Signature Issue is healing and uniting America. She has a lot of good plans to do that too, but I suspect some like reparations are too controversial to pass.
• Kamella Harris: I liked her more early on but do not feel she is handling the debates and interviews very well. In my opinion shes too evasive and has flipped flopped on several issues. I feel shes too worried about what polls well and not authentic. Net Worth $6 million
• Pete Buttigieg: Hes smart, maybe the smartest and best educated of the candidates. However he has not handled local division and races issues well as Mayor. I'd like to see him get more seasoning and prove his ideas. Also he is catered to by the big donor class far too much for my liking and I fear would work more for them than the average American.  Net Worth $100K, Socially left, otherwise more centrist and pro-establishment.
• Joe Biden: Far too establishment for my taste, also thinks he can work with #MoscowMitch even though President Obama was usually blocked by him. The establishment and big donor class love him and I think we have had them in control for far too long. Net Worth $9 million. Establishment and a bland moderate to Conservative. Signature Issue is "I can work with Republicans" and wont rock the boat.
• Andrew Yang: I initially dismissed him,that Universal Basic Income thing is a bit too socialist fir me. However listening to some interviews and its not as out there as I thought. Alaska does this already where every adult gets money from oil pumped out of the state. His proposal is to do the same thing for the tech industry. Considering how much they make off our personal data and the jobs they want to automate I'm ok with a tech dividend for Americans. I love that hes talking about the dangers of automation too.  No one else really hits on that but the fact is most Americans will lose their jobs to automation and sooner than most people think. Net Worth $1 million, Progressive, Signature Issues UBI and how to counter the massive unemployment thats coming.
• Inslese: An afterthought, i dint think he expected to win. I think he jumped in to get climate change talked about and I respect that dedication to a vital issue

Senator Sanders and Senator Warren

Both are strong progressives with a long track record of working for American people over corporations. 

          Senator Warren fought for us while she was a law professor and was responsible for creating the Consumer Protection Bureau. She was nominated to head it but Republicans feared her so much they killed that, she then ran for Senate and won and been a thorn in their side ever since. "Never the less she persisted" is a fitting theme.

          Senator Sanders has been a champion of human and civil rights his entire career, probably more consistently than any other serving politician. One of his early famous moments was when he was arrested at a 1963 Chicago protest for defending black civil rights. As Mayor and later in Congress he has continued to fight for human rights for everyone.

Both have the broadest appeal across the country of voters, where the others may be more popular in certain regions. This is best seen by looking at the small dollar donations and where they come from.

Both of these people are powerful progressives with plans to move the country forward and work for the people instead of the corporations. They have similar ideas, I would say that Warren is more focused on economic protections and preventing exploitation by corporations, while Sanders is more focused on health care and other basics. Either one would be great for the country.

My Preference is Bernie For President

This is purely my opinion and some of it based on feelings more than a comparative analysis.

• Sanders is the underdog and I like underdogs. Hes hated by corporate media, Republicans and Democrats both fear him and each are working hard to push the narrative that hes too left and extreme to win. With that many powerful organizations after you, your an underdog- and hes winning!
• He pushed the Democratic party to the left and we know he means what he says because hes been pushing it for 40+ years. Others have come to his ideas much later as polling shifted so we have less reason to trust them.
• Hes willing and able to fight for us, anywhere and anytime.He went on Fox TV and defended his left wing policies to a right wing audience against right wing moderators who were trying for a got'ya moment and he got a standing ovation.
• Health care is a major economic issue for Americans and he will fight hard to give it to all of us. Media trying to kill the idea of Medicare for All happily point out that his plan will raise taxes to pay for it. Where most politicians dodge that he comes out and says the truth. I love that honesty and integrity, we need more of it! I have blogged about Health care several times so wont repeat it here, check out the blog using Healthcare as the keyword.
• Climate Change is the other key issue for the country, even if climate deniers try to push it away. He has plans for that too and if we dont act soon and vigorously nothing else matters.
• Campaign Finance Reform is another important issue.  We need to change things so politicians work for the citizens, not the corporations and special interests. He is another pioneer here and while many talk about he has been fighting it for years. He is an independent to avoid the "Dialing for Dollars" routine and stand aside from the corruption rather than help it. His 2016 grassroots campaign proved individual donations from voters could fund campaigns without being bought by corporate PACs. Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats were inspired and successful because of him in 2018 and likely will be more so in 2020.

I'll be perfect;y happy with Warren for President but Bernie is my first choice. Both are fighters with proven records of working for Americans rather than against them, but for me the edge goes to the stubborn goat who has been fighting the establishment the longest. I want the underdog to win and the more the mainstream media and establishment Democrats say he can't the more I want it.

All that fear and dismissive asides tells us all what we really need to know about this race.

Critical Thinking Applied to Politics

So you believe everything politicians tell you?  How about the media?
The fact is many people lie, and even more spin things so they only tell us part of the truth. Its frustrating and people lose confidence and do not know who to trust or what to do about it.  However there are things we can all do to improve things.

Pay Attention to Agendas

Everyone has one, often more than one. If you understand someones agenda or the bias they have you can more easily spot the spin or half truths they tell you.

• Politicians want to get elected or reelected so will tell you things that he that goal. They are vey unlikely to tell you anything bad about them, many wont even own up to it when they are caught. Likewise they will tell you things to hurt their opponent, even if its not true or certain details are left out.
• Politicians have donors and often put those donors ahead of everything else, after all donor money pays for ads and other campaign expenses to get them elected or keep them in office. Sometimes a politician gets personal favors or expects a job from the donor after they leave office.  Many politicians get very cushy jobs as lobbyists or otherwise working for industries they helped while in office.
• News and political media have advertisers, donors, or subscribers they need to stay in business. Legitimate news organizations have legal and ethical standards so wont lie to their audience, but they will spin and slant stories certain ways.
• Political media is subject to far fewer restrictions and sometimes outright lies to their viewers. How do you know the difference? These are the talking heads who give opinions rather than simply report facts. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and in America allowed to share it. The trouble is when they express their opinions as facts, so watch for that.
• Mixed media is a blending of both, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, etc all have legitimate news and talking heads so mix it up. We need to pay close attention to who is reporting the news and who is trying to make or change the news.

Follow the Money

For media look at the advertisers, they will tend to favor stories that help their advertisers. After all if you put out stories that make your advertisers look bad they will stop advertising. They don't give the money for charity, especially to for profit companies. So look for that bias.  Also this means boycotts are powerful as the advertisers are effectively pushing the stories and do not want to be associated with bad images that may hurt them.
Also look at donors and subscribers. If the owner is a Conservative they will be more likely to hire conservatives and push a conservative agenda, similarly expect liberal owners to push liberal agenda.  However most media push an establishment agenda and that is often not talked about and overlooked. Whats an establishment bias? The idea here is that the media and advertisers are making a lot of money so want things to stay as they are and fear change to the status quo.

Whats the Bias?

• CNN and MSNBC are primarily an establishment bias. They are making money off the current system and Fox has the Conservative side locked down so they are pro-establishment and sometimes tend liberal to differentiate themselves from the competition.
• FOX News is heavily conservative, relying heavily on drug manufacturers and advertisers aimed at older demographics. The company was founded for the purpose of helping the Republican party recover from the Nixon debacle.
• The Young Turks is an online Progressive company so has a left wing agenda.
• Print and web based media are mostly donor or subscriber based. They often cater to specific audiences or demographics. Subscriber based will tell their audience what they want to hear and donor based will support the agenda the donors want.

How do I Find Out the Bias?

• The money is key here.  Find out who is paying the bills and you find out who they are most likely really working for.
• Politicians have to list their donors with the FEC, its a bit hard to read but you can get very detailed information here. Open Secrets gets its info from the FEC and lays it out in an easy to read manner, though it skips a lot of the details. Follow The Money does the same thing but goes into more detail. These sites are used by news media and politicians for opposition research but are also available to any voter. We can see donors based on industries, special interests, or individuals.
• This is Important! Ideally a politician gets most of their money from voters and small donors (usually listed as under $200). If they get most of their money from companies or large donors they will work harder for them than they will voters. Often you will see groups of companies in specific industries and often based on committee assignments.
• Media is harder but pay attention to their primary advertisers and owners can be looked up.

Polls

Polling is often used to push an agenda but works the same way. While a reputable poll wont lie, they can spin things. What questions are asked, how they are phrased, and whom they ask all can affect the answers. So Conservative organizations will phrase things to encourage answers that favor their agenda, same with liberals. Note however that most polls have an establishment or conservative bias, this is because they are run by companies. Entrepreneurs and young companies tend to be more liberal and willing to take risks, bigger established companies tend to favor deregulation (conservative) because that saves money and fewer rules favor the big guys over the little guys. As for the establishment bias obviously if they are successful the way things are they tend to want things to stay that way. Also big companies are often less nimble and able to adjust as quickly as smaller companies.

So pay attention to who made the poll.
Real Clear Politics has aggregate polls so you can filter out the bias, further since the sources are named you can see who is biased for or against a candidate or issue.

Summary

By figuring out the agenda and who is financing someone we can usually spot their agenda and more easily know when they are trying to put one over on us. It can take a lot of work but if more people did it America would be a lot better for it, regardless of your political leaning try to see the bias of those talking to you.

At the very least use Open Secrets to see the main income for your politicians,

Senator Sanders Medicare for All Plan. Will it Save YOU $$?

Senatars Sanders plan will raise an employees payroll tax by 4%. But before you decide thats good or bad you need to look at the bottom line to find out the real answer.
According to PeopleKeep https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/what-percent-of-health-insurance-is-paid-by-employers,
Also....
https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/training/blog/what-percentage-health-insurance-employers-pay-how-much/
If you work for a good company your employer pays part of your premiums.
Single coverage costs $6,435 in 2016 according to Kaiser Health.
Family coverage costs $18,142 for the same period.
If your employer pays the average of 80% and you pay the remaining 20% plus any deductibles and copays the break points are.
Single coverage workers who make more than $25k a year will pay more in his proposed payroll tax.
Family coverage workers need to make about $120k a year before they start paying more under his plan.
This assumes a couple of things.

• If your Employer pays a different percentage, or none than the the number changes. Lets say you have no employee health insurance, either you work at a small business, are self-employeed, or just changed jobs in the last 90 days divide $6,435 (single) or $18,142 (family) by your salary to see your basic rate. If you are paid hourly double your hourly rate (assuming 40/ hour work week) to estimate your salary.
• Remember this is your premium cost, you also have deductibles and co-pays under normal insurance,
• You are also paying income tax on whatever your company pays in benefits.
• Remember this is just premiums, if you actually use it your costs go up with co-pays, deductibles, caps, and things the insurance company refuses to cover. Sanders plan adds a lot of the stuff medicare recipients use supplemental plans for now such as hearing aids, eyeglasses, etc.

80% is pretty rare in my experience but it varies company to company, and small businesses dont even offer health care. Also Part time employees usually do not get benefits. The thing to remember though is what they pay also counts towards your income taxes as if it were wages so your paying taxes on that coverage. Plus the company has extra costs from HR departments dealing with it and doing the annual shopping. With Single Payer they can skip all that, they might even give some of that difference to you in higher wages to stay competitive. Look at your paycheck to see if this is better or worse. For a single member coverage average is 6.4k and $18k for family coverage, look at your paycheck. If you make $50k thats 12% for single payer plus out of pocket expenses like deductibles and copays. If you make more than that its a lower % (like most of these news anchors) and if you make less your paying a higher %. Some low income people get a tax subsidy but were already paying for that in taxes. Senators Sanders plan linked here https://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/options-to-finance-medicare-for-all?inline=file Employers pay 7.5% payroll so save huge. Employees pay 4% income tax so all but the richest save huge. Why is it so much cheaper? Lower overhead from more efficient Admin costs, no insurance lobbying (multi- Billion dollar industry), no need to advertise, no agents whose job is to prevent you getting your expenses paid, etc. Plus bigger pool better shares the costs. Also additional tax money paid by taxing capital gains and stock traders as if they were working for a living like most Americans, now they have a loophole to avoid taxes. A few other taxes on billionaires and some multi millionaires. Estate tax, Increase in their marginal rate, etc. So billionaires still get to be billionaires they just pay more in taxes. I'm ok with that.

Right, Left, Center - Private Prisons and Internment Camps

This weeks topic is inspired by the Detention or Internment Camps.
Comprehensive Health Services, owned by Caliburn International operates Immigrant camps charging the US Taxpayer $750 per day per person. John Kelly (former Trump WH) is on the board of Directors and has been seen onsite.
Heres another article

Right

The Right wing believes that as much as possible should be privatized, including prisons. The idea is that its better to have private companies do things than the government.Some say this is because smaller government is good and others that private companies are more efficient and have less bureaucracy.

Left

The Left believe that private companies have no morals and are vulnerable to corruption when there is no watchdog or competition.

Center

As usual the best option as regards privatization vs. government run organizations is somewhere in the middle. Were paying over $700 a day for each person detained with these internment camps. Other private prisons are more efficient but taxpayers pay more for private prisons than government controlled ones. Also private prisons have contracts that say they get paid even if empty, so there is incentive to lock more people up. At of course more cost to the taxpayer.

The reason private prisons dont work is no competition to lower prices once they are built and no customer incentive for quality. I mean its not like prisoners can shop around for the best prison!

So why do we have them?  Corruption, pure and simple. Companies know they can make a lot of money so spend a small cut on bribing politicians to get the contracts.

Some things are better in private hands but some aren't.

2020 Candidates Andrew Yang

Good fast interview on Stephen Colbert.
I think the citizen dividend thing is too far left for my taste but so far hes the only candidate with a plan for the automation crisis. Getting rid of the penny and a psychologist in the White House makes sense too.

Big Government vs. Small Government

This is one of the classic debates between the two camps, so lets look into it...

Right Wing

Big government is bad! As it gets bigger taxes go up to pay for it, bureaucratic red tape makes it slower and less efficient, and it intrudes in peoples lives.

Left Wing

The government should take care of its people.

Center

As with most things either extreme goes too far. The government is supposed to protect the country and its people from foreign attack, both sides agree there. But what abut other things?

• Police, fire departments add to the size of government and increase taxes but if no one did it we would have anarchy. Also privatized services cost more money to run because they want to make a profit and may choose to only cover those who can afford them. We actually used to have that setup in the USA but it turns out fires spread and if not controlled quickly they spread out of control.
• Corporate takeover is a risk from not just US based companies but foreign ones as well. In fact most corporations are owned in whole or in part by foreign entities. Without government oversight companies could seize your home, charge you anything they wanted, force competitors out of business, and trample all over citizens rights and freedoms. So clearly we need some government controls, the real question is how much is too much.  That is a topic for another post.
• Public Education is another thing to look at. We used to have private education but the trouble is uneducated people find a hard time getting good work and are more likely to resort to criminal activities. Also with a poorly educated population we have to import skilled workers from other countries or ship skilled jobs overseas. This weakens our country and makes it more vulnerable to foreign control so an educated population is in the countries national security interests.
• Infrastructure is something the government can do well, though its subject to corruption. We need roads and airports to connect us and do we really want all roads to be toll roads?

Summary

The size of government and what it does is a good topic for debate, clearly we need some but not too much. Those who think government can solve everything are mistaken, some things are in fact done better by private entities motivated by profit and greed over patriotism. However some things that profit over patriotism gets in the way and is counter to the good of the country. Remember in modern America big business is beholden to its stock holders and they may or may not be Americans. By definition we cant reasonably expect them to be patriotic and loyal to our country, especially over making a profit.

An Open Letter to Robert Mueller

Dear Robert Mueller,

I've heard you dont want to testify before Congress and that you feel your report stands by itself. I respect that, you seem like a work hard kind of guy and likely expect others to work hard too.  And having read your reports it seems pretty clear and well laid out case.
However most Americans have not, please understand that many are working multiple jobs and have families and dont have a lot of free time. And its hard reading, especially if your not a lawyer, and to be fair its a very hard read. Also many Americans likely feel that if there was anything in there Congress would do its job but all most are hearing are partisan politics. You have a major news channel in Fox telling everyone its a witch hunt and totally exonerated the President. You have the President himself and most of the GOP saying the same thing. So its understandable that Democratic voices are considered partisan hacks, especially since Speaker Pelosi and most of the House has chosen to not begin impeachment.  That tells the American people that they dont have enough evidence so they need to keep digging.

Unfortunately we have corruption and most of Congress looking to protect their own power and political aspirations.Some want to bury the investigation and let Russia and other countries continue their attacks on America to protect themselves and their party. Some just are cowards who are afraid to do what they swore to when they took office and are waiting for the wind to blow the right way.
I understand your disgust at all this and testifying before them will not be fun and you'll probably feel like showering for a month wont get rid of the slime and stench from being in the same room.  I understand the feeling that you served your country yet again and its about time others who are in a position of power to do so stand up and be counted.
But we all know that is not likely to happen soon, in the meantime cyber security has been pretty much nixed and our elections are still insecure as there is no political will to protect the country.

The sad truth is your country needs you again. We need you to stand up and explain in a manner that will get coverage and be clearly understood and repeated by every American. We cant trust Congress to do its job and hopefully we can replace most of them in 2020 for their failure. But efforts to protect our republic need to happen soon if they are to do any good at all. If the President and Congress are allowed to get away with these crimes against our country then things will only get worse.
So I ask, no I beg you to testify, do it soon, and do it publicly.  And I ask that you call out Congress (both parties) on their failure to do their duty.
America needs to hear from you, it may be our only chance.
Thank you,
Rory Fansler
USAF Veteran.
(No war hero, but I served and was willing to die for my country and do not feel its too much to ask the same of my elected representatives.)

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.

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.

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!

Green energy means LOCAL jobs!

Listening to an interview of Christine Hallquist, candidate for Governor in Vermont and she mentioned something I hadn't really considered from quite the same way before.
Most states pay other states, and even other countries for their energy needs.
Think about that a minute.
What if the money paid for out of state energy (coal, gas, oil, even hydro or nuclear) stayed in state and created local jobs?
Every state can provide energy see the Solutions Project for some options. Conservatives tend to prefer the old ways of doing things and many still do not think climate change is a serious issue. Those wanting to address the climate change system need to tailor the messaging to better reach the current audience.
If warmer weather causing rising sea levels, more severe storms, and billions in bailouts and recovery efforts for increasing natural disasters is not enough you can add jobs to the mix.
Fossil fuels will of course fight you, even if in another state but if you can create new permanent jobs, while lowering consumer energy costs (That means your utility bills) that should win some people over.

Summary

Clean energy is a practical and desired goal because...

• Reduces the damage were doing to the environment. This saves lives and money.
• Cuts down on health costs because the air and water will be cleaner.
• Increases USA national security due to less reliance on foreign oil.
• Increases our exports if we go green before most of the rest of the world.
• Provides local jobs which helps economic growth.
• Reduces the negative effect of seasonal layoffs in oil jobs as the price of oil fluctuates.
• Eventually oil and gas will run out, or simply become too expensive to use or sell. We already see this as a temporary problem whenever prices drop people get laid off till they rise again.
• Likely results in spin off technologies if we get serious and develop the tech before everyone else does. If were too late to the game we may have to pay other countries instead. China is making significant efforts to place themselves as the go to tech source in this industry.

Dr. Ford vs. The GOP

So I watched the whole thing today and here are my thoughts.
First, my respect to Prosecutor Mitchell. I figured she was brought in to do a hatchet job but look like it wasn't one while providing cover for the GOP members of the Judiciary committee.
She was very professional, probably why they gave her the boot early into Kavanoughs portion. She did go after Dr. Ford in a few areas, like the fear of flying and who is paying her legal fees. I think the fear of flying was a bad move, most people have fears of something that they can overcome. So why attack her on her preference not to fly to D.C. even though she does fly sometimes?
The money bit was probably put in her list by the GOP to see if they could label Dr. Ford as a political operative, a fair attack that failed.

The Committee

Pretty much a bunch of political grandstanding by both parties as expected. Special mentions...

• Senator Harris Solid questioning, one of the more professional members today.
• Senator Klobachar: Wow!!! Kavanough got personal there. One of his worst moments, challenging her if she got drunk.
• Senator Durbin Probably the best questioning on why Kavanough didn't want an investigation.
• Senator Graham Rich with hypocrisy and hyperbole.
• Senator Grassley: Really needs to go, embarrassed everyone today.
• Overall Members: Pretty much a lot of partisanship on both sides, little effort to reach the truth. Most of their energy was focused on attacking or defending political turf.

Kavanaugh

Came across as smug, rude and ill tempered. Most people who spoke that way to a committee would be hit with contempt of congress. Like his earlier interviews he was evasive way too much for me to believe his overall honesty. Basically he talks like a politician, I felt even his crying was faked.

Republicans obviously want a conservative judge who is going to overturn Roe vs. Wade and restrict workers rights in favor of corporations. I dont like it but elections have consequences so fair is fair. Even though the GOP has proven they dont extend the same courtesy.

However the GOP can and should do better. Find someone with more maturity, self control, and who will be honest.

Dr. Blasey Ford

She came across as very credible, even FOX was saying so.

She was mature, respectful and so obviously not a prepared political operative. Her memory falures were reasonable, if unhelpful. I had wondered why she did not remember the party address and other exact details but she made it make sense.

I mean really do you recall the address of every party you ever attended? Maybe a regular place but this was a last minute, hey want to come to a party tonight?  Also trauma can explain a lot.

I am betting some on the Right will attack her memory lapses and not knowing dates, but perhaps because I can relate to a poor memory for such things myself it helped her case for me.  Much better than one who can recite chapter and verse and rattle off a bunch of names and dates, except when its not convenient.

Who was More Credible?

In my view, she was and significantly so.

• She asked for an FBI investigation, he doesnt want one. An innocent man would ask for one and maybe force the Senate and Presidents Trumps hand by saying he wants a clear name so would withdraw if they did not give him one.
• Her lawyers stopped her from speaking several times, that struck me as her being both confused by some questioning and wanting to be painfully open and honest. However, he did a lot of filibustering and bragging or otherwise proclaiming how great a guy he is.  Came off like a used car salesman or seedy politician.
• She came across as honest and trying to help, he came across as evasive.
• I find the Renate Alumnus thing as being very un-credible, A bunch of jocks all declare that statement as a recognition they respected her? Seriously who believes that?
• The never drunk to blackout, but fell asleep line, Devils Triangle was just a drinking game like quarters, and the conspiracy rants all tell me he is a liar.
• He blamed his roommates comments about his drinking habits on a dispute between that one another roommate. Wierd

Summary

I believe her but she did not prove her case. Had the Senate allowed her to provide her evidence and subpoena Mark Judge the outcome might have been different. But this was not an attempt to find the truth, it was a political maneuver so the GOP can say they let her speak, now lets get on with the confirmation.

I think he should not be confirmed based on his behavior. What we saw today was no proof of illegality but it reflects very poorly as a job interview for one of the most important careers in the United States of America. I would not hire him to work for me at a call center, I would be worried about his behavior on the job.

In my opinion no reasonable person, regardless of their political views would vote for him except as a vote for party over country.

Anyone who does vote for him should be recorded in your notes and voted out of office at the next opportunity. And he should be investigated and likely impeached.

Those opposed to him should make that clear to their Senators, the GOP wants a long lasting conservative on the court. Tell them to find someone likely to be their longer and without a cloud over their heads.

Single Payer Week: Paying for it

So how much will a single payer system cost us?
Different sources give different numbers, please research several sources before making a decision on it. Also some studies take into account current costs and others don't, which makes a difference in the results.
In 2016 the government spent 1.38 trillion on healthcare, including CHIP, Medicare, Medicaid and VA care, as well as tax deductions and subsidies.
Adding those who are uninsured or have private insurance will obviously increase that cost.
Where does the government get that money?
If my taxes have to go up to cover that dont I lose? Not likely.
Look at how much you spend on medical costs each year, include your insurance cost, deductibles and co-pays. Before I retired I paid as a single person about $80 a check and rarely went to the doctor until the last few years. This was about 6% of my paycheck towards private insurance.
What percentage do you pay? And if you or your family see a doctor that year add those costs to your total.
In my case if I paid 6% in taxes instead of to the insurance company, I broke even. If I actually used a doctor I came out ahead. The Sanders plan would cost 6.2% so I would pay more, most of my coworkers would pay less under his system.
Is that a good deal for me?

• I pay a little more in years I dont use it but likely save money if I do use it, and save a lot if I used it several times.
• I save a lot of hassle dealing with choosing a plan each year and if I do get sick a lot of hassle with paperwork and aggravation dealing with the insurance company.
• Even if I don't use it I get the piece of mind my money is helping other people, including friends, family and coworkers rather than to the profit of an insurance company.

What about my employer? Will they save money or spend more?

According to most estimates employers would pay less than half what they pay now. One example we can see is that our major auto companies pay a lot less in Canada and eagerly embraced their single payer system over the cost of private insurance. 

Wait, if employees pay less and companies pay less, how can this work?

That question is what tripped me up for years and made me leery of this idea. However after some research I changed my mind and now embrace it.

Americans pay more than other countries for the same care. On average we pay twice as much for health care and a LOT higher prices on prescription drug costs.

Medicare pays about 3% on overhead, where insurance companies pay 15% to 25%. Why do they have so much overhead? Aren't private industries supposed to be more efficient? That money is spent on advertising, lobbying, marketing (to companies and doctors) and a complex system designed to make it harder for doctors to get paid. Government health care is aimed at treating patients as efficiently as possible and leave much of that to the doctor. Insurance companies do not want to pay for care so they can keep more of that money. think about your auto or homeowner insurance, they raise your rates if you use it to discourage you from using it.

So single payer will cut the actual money spent on health care in half! Imagine what we could do with all that extra money...

This is America, one of the greatest if not THE greatest countries in the world. Why d we pay more for less than everyone else? Are those who tell you single payer wont work saying our country is not up to the task of doing what almost every other country has been doing successfully for years? Sounds unpatriotic to me.

Some Sources

The Sanders Plan
Politifact review
Physicains for Single Payer Myths and Facts
Health Care Spending per Capita by Country or what your insurance company does not want you to know!