Category: Government

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Mid-Terms Over

It is all over but the shouting. The Mid-term election is past tense. Millions upon millions of dollars were spent in electronic media; the media loved it. The Democrats now hold a majority in the US House of Representatives and the Republicans retained a majority in the US Senate. There has been some shake up in which political party holds governorships and state legislatures. A few vote results remain in dispute. Challenges will continue for a time. Democrat strongholds remain the larger population centers on the east and west coasts while Republicans hold about everything in between where regular people, the “deplorables”, live.

But where are we as a country? For the past two years, Democrats have prided themselves on being the “Resistance”. We have heard loud criticism and complaints about everything. “Impreach 45” was a rallying cry from the far left. “Impeach Justice Kavanaugh” was another. The caravans from Central America heading for the United States border are nothing; they are a myth, say some. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, ICE, has been likened to the Ku Klux Klan by Senator Kamala Harris. Most of the electronic media, the New York Times, and the Washington Post have become propagandists for the liberal left. The Democrats in the House of Representatives now threaten to flood the political landscape with investigations upon investigations.

Oh, but the worm has turned. Now that the Democrats hold the House of Representatives, we will all learn whether they have anything to offer but bitching. They certainly have not for the past couple of years. What proposals do they offer to move the United States of America forward to a more productive and positive place? They can hide no longer. Democrats got what they wanted: control of at least part of the Congress. They have two years before the next elections to show whether they can do anything positive. My hunch is they cannot and will not. Their goal will continue to be resist President Donald J. Trump.

Ex-president Barrack Hussein Obama, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and their cadre of followers damned near tanked this country. We were on the edge of a cliff and really did not realize it. Our military forces were so depleted that we had to scavenge parts from equipment “grave yards”. We were told manufacturing jobs were gone forever. We were told that Gross Domestic Product growth would stay below 2% annually. We apologized to the world for our past. We continued to be the suckers in financing of organizations like NATO and the United Nations. We continued to allow countries all over the world to abuse us in trade. We allowed this country to be the “piggy bank” for the rest of the world while at the same time neglecting our own needs.

The next few months will be interesting, indeed. The jockeying for power will continue. President Trump is strong. Now we need to see some backbone from the United States Senate and something — anything — positive from the House of Representatives.

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The “Caravans”

The hordes may be coming.

Venezuela may seem far from the United State of America, but is it? We are already seeing thousands of people migrating north through Mexico from the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and an already large number from Mexico itself. The southern border of the United States has been historically porous; millions have crossed it illegally and are literally hiding out somewhere in our country. It has been reported that over 100 countries are represented presently in our detention facilities, so people we know nothing about are coming from all over the world.

And why the concern about Venezuela? Venezuela is a failed state. Millions have already fled that country. They have gone mostly to Brazil and Columbia and, yes, to the United States of America one way or another. Columbia sits at the southern end of Central America as the north most country in South America and adjacent to Venezuela. Are you beginning to get the picture. There will continue to build a pressure for large populations to migrate.Where will they want to end up: the USA, the land of milk and honey.

Big problem. Too many people. Our social structure will be irreparably damaged by the needs and wants of thousands upon thousands of people we know nothing about. But now there may be a greater worry. Contagion from Venezuela’s economic meltdown is starting to spread to neighboring countries — not financially, but literally in the form of potentially deadly diseases carried among millions of refugees.

Venezuela’s health care system has collapsed. That country has become an incubator for malaria, yellow fever, diphtheria, dengue fever, and tuberculosis as well as for AIDS. Measles has returned. Dr. Irene Bosch, a research scientist who has studied infectious diseases in Columbia and Venezuela with the U.S. National Institutes of Health has said the current picture is one of a “perfect storm condition for a catastrophic medical situation”. People are contracting more than one disease at a time.

Since 2014, over 2.3 million Venezuelans have left that country. After Brazil and Colombia have had their fill, you can bet eyes will be turned northward past Central America, past Mexico, and become focused upon the United State of America, if they have not already.

If we want to keep our country, we must do whatever is necessary to prevent migration of millions from south of our border into the United States. The caravans are really tokens of what will come. Most are young men: uneducated, unskilled, and non-English speaking. Few are women and children or families. Doubt this? Just look at the pictures we seen every day in the media. Democrats seem to be totally, or more likely politically, blind to the truth about who is in those caravans.

In truth, we do not need more and more immigrants. The time for massive immigration into the United States is long past. Yes, we have tens of thousands of job openings. The need is for skilled and/or educated people to fill those jobs. That is not what is in the caravans. We need to focus on training our own citizens, not importing from elsewhere. That is what will keep America strong.

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Acosta

The White House was ordered by a Federal Court judge to return hard press credentials to Jim Acosta; the CNN propagandist who wanted to lecture, argue with, disrespect, and dominate President Donald Trump at a press briefing. Acosta’s behavior was abominable. He would not relinquish the microphone when requested to do so. He resisted the intern physically when she attempted to retrieve the microphone. He should have been summarily escorted out of the briefing by security.

The 15 day temporary ruling was issued by Federal Court Judge, Timothy J. Kelly. We now have an oral court precedent that says the President of the United States of America does not have unilateral control over who is in or out of press briefings. Judge Kelly issued a verbal order and has obfuscated any request for a transcript of court proceedings. The only details of this matter known to the public are those reported by a biased press.

This begs a larger issue and that is what is the role of a free press in our Republic. It is not to behave like a Jim Acosta; a spoiled, unruly brat. It properly is to gather information and report in an objective and unbiased way to the population of this country. The Founders wanted to be sure the people knew what was taking place in government so they, the people, could make informed decisions about the future of the county.The electronic media, New York Times, and the Washington Post, for example, have lost their way. The record shows false reporting and bias dominate. The record shows over 90% of what has been reported about the President and his administration has been negative.

CNN argued two issues. The first was that removing Acosta violated the First Amendment to the US Constitution, the freedom of the press. Neither the President nor anyone at the White House attempted to limit what Acosta or anyone else in America could print or report, be it fact or fiction. The court did not address this claim.

The second issue, not even filed by CNN but injected by the judge, was whether Acosta and CNN were denied the right to “due process” under the 5th Amendment.

The press briefing is not a court room for a civil or criminal proceedings. It is the White House press briefing room. There is no “due process” or law against which to measure “due process”; yet, this is what the judge hung his ruling on. Apparently the judge believes there must be a set of rules of behavior for the “reporters” to follow and some procedure for discipline if those rules are violated. However, as noted, we don’t know exactly what the reasoning was because the judge will not make public a proceedings transcript.

President Trump says his administration will write up some rules. It is my opinion such rules should say the President has sole authority over who is present at a press briefing and that he may bar anyone he deems appropriate, no questions asked. And…. guess what? The President does have total say over whether there will even be press briefings. He said that if things in his judgment get out of had: he and/or those conducting the briefing will say “BYE – BYE”.

This would be a shame given President Donald Trump has given more access for the press than any President in history. He responds to questions readily about any time and any where in spite of the disrespect and “fake news” reporting. The major national news media have a well deserved label: “The Enemy of the People”.

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The Soldier & President Trump

The Soldier & President Trump

To the NEVER TRUMPERS… Those who hate him will always hate him, no matter what. In his stead, I certainly couldn’t imagine Hillary or Obama making anything even close to this gesture. It was not for publicity or for the camera. It was a private moment.

If you cannot understand the meaning of this, I feel sorry for you. Please try to understand the weight of this image. This soldier lost both arms. The feeling of a handshake is now lost to him. Trump realized this, and so touched his face so he can feel the human connection. This is what I see when I think of Trump’s motives. He gave up a billionaire lifestyle to now be insulted, dragged through the mud, and lied about on a daily basis. All to save this country and the people he loves.

God Bless and protect President Donald Trump.
[modified somewhat from an anonymous Internet posting]

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Blessed Electoral College

[Below is a piece from the Internet. For the Electoral College, we are blessed!]

In their infinite wisdom, the United States of American Founders created the Electoral College to ensure the States were fairly represented. Why should one or two densely populated areas speak for the whole of the nation?

The following list of statistics has been making rounds on the Internet. It should finally put an end to the argument as to why the Electoral College makes sense.

There are 3,141 counties in the United States. Trump won 3,084 of them. Clinton won 57. [Let that sink in!]

There are 62 counties in New York State. Trump won 46 of them. Clinton won 16.

Clinton won the popular vote by approximately 1.5 million votes.

In the 5 counties that encompass New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Richmond & Queens), Clinton received well over 2 million more votes than Trump. Clinton won 4 of these counties with Trump winning only one, Richmond. Therefore, these 5 counties alone more than accounted for Clinton winning the popular vote of the entire country.

These 5 counties comprise 319 square miles. The United States is comprised of 3,797,000 square miles.

When you have a country that encompasses almost 4 million square miles of territory, it would be ludicrous to even suggest that the vote of those who inhabit a mere 319 square miles should dictate the outcome of a national election. Large, densely populated Democrat cities (NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.) do not and should not speak for the rest of our country!

And….. it’s been verified and documented that those aforementioned 319 square miles are where the majority of our nation’s problems foment. Think about that.

[There is no way the Electoral College would be abolished. That would take a Constitutional amendment. To amend the Constitution of the United States requires a vote of 2/3rds of both the US Senate and House of Representatives or 2/3rds vote of a National Constitutional Convention called by Congress at the request of the legislatures of at least 2/3rds of the states. Then to become an operative part of the Constitution, an amendment, whether proposed by Congress or a national constitutional convention, must be ratified by either the legislatures of 3/4ths of the states or state ratifying conventions in 3/4ths of the states. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Those calling for abolishment of the Electoral College are barking at the moon…..much like many so called proposals of the Democrats. ]

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Honduran Mob

A Honduran mob is marching our way waving their fists and the Honduran flag. They intend to swarm through our borders illegally. They blew through Mexican forces attempting to stop them. Their numbers have swollen from 2000 to 7000.

Virtue signaling Progressives and Democrats clamor these are people looking for work and a better life. America is a wealthy country with jobs to spare, they declare. They tell us to open our hearts and borders. They indignantly remind us—America is a land of immigrants.

Who are we to believe? Border patrol agents tell us our capacity to process illegal aliens is beyond capacity and an average of 6000 illegals are caught every day. The courts are swamped and backed up. Our laws demand illegals be put in ankle bracelets and given a court date to adjudicate their claims. Once released, illegals cut off their ankle bracelets and disappear into our country. They don’t show up for court.

Should we believe the Nicaraguan woman who followed the rules to gain entrance to our country? She warns, “This is an invasion of our country. We don’t know who these people are. They aren’t carrying American flags. They are carrying Honduran flags. These people say they want jobs. They only want free benefits. We can’t allow this to happen.”

Do we believe our own eyes? When stopped on the bridge into Mexico, many retreated to the shores of the river. Main Stream Media told us they made the rafts we saw them riding across the river. How often have you seen large inner tubes and well cut boards lying around on riverbanks? Clearly these were paid for and made by those seeking to fund this mob. Videos show person after person being handed cash. Main Stream Media describes this mob as families seeking a better life. Look again. It is a sea of young males with a few women and children interspersed here and there. Corruption and skullduggery are surely afoot—but paid for by whom?

This nonsense HAS to stop. Our country admits more legal immigrants than any country in the world. Illegal aliens don’t contribute to the health and growth of our nation. They burden the benefit system paid for by our tax dollars and intended to help needy Americans. There’s no magic money tree to fund the growing costs of illegals.

It is time to stop listening to those who tell us we can afford all these illegals because we are a wealthy nation. The truth is we are teetering under the weight of a $21.5 trillion dollar debt and an unknown amount of unfunded mandates. Don’t forget it was Obama who doubled that debt.

The fault for our insane immigration policies lies at the feet of Congress. President Trump offered to help the Dreamers in exchange for funds to build the Wall. The “compassionate” Democrats said no. Speaker Ryan shamefully put three billion dollars into this year’s budget and next to build the Wall—far short of the 25 billion needed. Congress has failed to pass legislation ending chain migration, lottery migration, and catch and release. It refuses to fund the Wall. It refuses to mandate immediate turn back of any illegal aliens caught without need for court action.

President Trump inherited an economy so anemic most Americans needed multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet. We now have a surplus of jobs. We also have a long line of people waiting to immigrate legally. We must not surrender those jobs to the uneducated, unskilled, non-English speaking mob threatening our border.

President Trump has declared he will close our southern border and use regular military forces to stop this mob, if necessary. Congress should call an emergency session to fix our broken immigration laws. If we fail to stop this hoard, many more will follow and the sovereignty of the United States will be lost forever.

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Immigration Revisited

The citizens of the United States have a right to be angry. The laws about immigration passed by earlier Congresses are idiotic and self defeating. What were they thinking or could it be they were politically self serving? The worst are those that established chain migration where one immigrant could bring into our country dozens of relatives we know virtually nothing about and the one that established the practice of immigration by lottery. Both are insane. As President Trump has said, countries don’t put their best into the lottery system and in chain migration who knows who, including criminals and terrorists, are allowed in.

Now the big debate is about minors: unaccompanied “children” and those brought in illegally by parents. The solution to the “family” (i.e. father and/or mother with children) is very easy. Turn them around 180 degrees at the border and send them back to the country from which they came, immediately. Those minors that come alone need to be rounded up, cleaned up, fed, clothed, and then taken back to the country from which they came. No exceptions to those who cross the border illegally.

The separation of “children” from illegal alien parents has been a policy for many years. President Obama tried to hide the problem. And think about it, US citizens are separated from their children if arrested for a crime. Crossing the US border without authorization is a crime. Big surprise.

The so-called asylum laws must be revised. Potential immigrants that follow the law and show up at legal ports of entry should not be given asylum just because the country of origin is a mess. Most such countries are over populated, have corrupt governments, and are poor. The United States of America cannot be the Shanghai La for the world. Take a look at what has happened to the European countries that opened wide the door to immigration from countries in the Middle East and Africa. They have been transformed in most negative ways. Cultures are in the process of being lost. Crime rates are up. Enclaves of particularly Muslim immigrants have formed that even law enforcement is afraid to visit. If allowed, our country will experience the same only from hordes of immigrants from Central America and Mexico along with those who sneak in from other parts of the world.

The truth is the USA does not “need” more immigrants. Our population needs to stabilized at present levels to be sustainable for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. This is not 200 years ago when the country offered wide open spaces and opportunities, assuming you have total disregard for what was done to the Native Americans. Those times have long passed.

Time to close the door. Build the wall and be very selective about who comes into the United States by whatever means, particularly to live permanently. Merit based immigration is the only answer and then only as a real need arises.

The political posturing must stop. The wants of those who demand open borders have to be blocked. Those include the multi-national corporations who want a constant supply of cheap labor. Those include sectors of corporate/industrial agriculture and construction as well. And they include the Democrats who want to promote a socialist country.

Congress has a chance to clean up the mess earlier Congresses created. Will they have the stature to do so. We shall see soon.

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To Mitch & Paul

3-23-2018
Senator Mitch McConnell
Representative Paul Ryan

Sen. McConnell and Rep. Paul Ryan:

I hate to say this but you both and the Republican held Senate and House are a damned disgrace. I say this as a very angry life long and old Republican. What you did with the 2300+ page Omnibus bill was to hold the President hostage and screw the taxpayers of this country. The President and all of us in fly-over country absolutely wanted the military to be properly funded. However, we wanted, too, for the Wall to be properly funded and DACA to be dealt with including stopping chain migration and the Visa lottery, and wanted lowering legal immigration numbers. You have let the Democrats  and RINOs run Congress. You, obviously, are among them. Shame, shame on you.

I am placing a bet today that Congress will be controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer after the coming November election. Too many Republicans will simply stay home they are so disgusted with the way you have performed since November 2016 when the President carried the day for most of you.

Get off of your asses! You really do not know how angry people are. All Congressional incumbents need to be defeated except for the Freedom Caucus members and other likeminded Representatives and Senators.
In Indiana, we are going to do everything we can to see that Rep. Todd Rokita is defeated in his run for the US Senate. He represents the Establishment (SWAMP) just like the two of you do. In one of his current ads, among other things he claims he will push for term limits. We know that is simply BULL.

We do not understand the corruption in Washington DC. On top of the screwing up by the Republican Congress, we have an Attorney General that has totally given in to the other side. He has no backbone to do the right thing with Rosenstein, Mueller, and all the rest of the law breakers in or formerly with the Justice Department, State Department, and FBI. He has not pushed for pursuit of justice for any of the Clinton cadre.  More Republican disgrace. Another independent Special Counsel is needed badly. Hopefully it would be one from outside of Washington DC where it appears the majority there are corrupt.

People are angry. They will not forget.
Regards,
Kent H Blacklidge
Past Publisher/ The Kokomo Tribune

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Immigration Continued

“Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.” Pardot Kynes / Planetologist

Kynes, a fictional “planetologist” from the Dunes universe, has hit the nail right on the head. Too many people on a planet floating in the vast expanse of space, like Earth, leads to collapse of the supporting ecosystem and a race to the bottom for the quality of life. Ultimately, human life descends to the base needs of food, water, and shelter.

The United States of America is at a decision point. Population expansion and immigration pressures from all over the world are at our doorstep. We will face up to them or go down the road to eventual degradation if we have not already stepped foot on that road. The bold fact is that the United States of America does not need additional numbers of people. We need to be concentrating on elevating the quality of life for those already American citizens, not bringing more and more people in from other parts of the world.

Congress is in the process of playing games with the future of the country and the lives of our citizens. President Trump has already gone well beyond “compromise” with his four pillars of immigration policy reform. He has taken the position he will accept allowing nearly two million illegal immigrants a path not only to residency but to citizenship in exchange for building the southern border wall, ending the incredibly insane visa lottery program, and ending or severely curtailing chain migration. He has gone as far as he should go and maybe beyond; period. There are those of us who believe he has gone too far already in a willingness to appease or “compromise”.

The road block seems to be the U.S. Senate where presently 60 votes or more are required to pass any new immigration legislation. This matter is too critical to allow this. The future health or likely survival of this country is at stake. If there was an army at our door like was the case with World War II, we would not hesitate to take whatever action was required. We are at a similar point whether recognized or not. It is time for the U.S. Senate to face up and change its rules.

The success of passage of meaningful and tough immigration legislation that mirrors what has been proposed by President Donald Trump is in the hands of one person: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is the road block. He is the one stopping the elimination of the 60 vote rule, part of which was eliminated by the Democrats when they controlled the Senate. The rest needs to now go. If it doesn’t, the future of the United States of America is in jeopardy and should be laid at the feet of McConnell and the Republicans. No excuses. And God help us if Democrats ever again gain control of Congress.

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DACA dilemma

Stupid, insane, dangerous, Visa lottery, chain migration, anchor babies, DACA, suicidal: words that go together! Our immigration system is broken.
A whole cottage industry has sprung up around “anchor babies”. Illegal entry into the USA of pregnant women is expedited by criminals for profit. The women and their babies receive “free” medical care and then dependent child support under the Welfare system. The baby, a US citizen, and parents are allowed permanent residence.

Most recently, Democrats have artificially elevated DACA to a crisis. Yes, we are faced with what to do with the alleged 800,000 illegal aliens in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates the real number that are eligible or included is closer to 3.6 million.

In 2012, then President Obama decreed anyone in DACA would be allowed to stay in the USA without fear of deportation. He said he did not need Congress. He illegally acted with the stroke of his pen. Obama behaved as king or dictator. Now, we have the notorious 9th Circuit Court illegally blocking the ending of illegal DACA.

President Trump refused to extend this illegal program beyond six months. He said Congress was responsible for creating immigration law, not the President. He and Republicans have indicated a willingness to accept a permanent DACA solution including provisions for remaining in the US in return for funding of the border wall and ending chain migration and the immigration lottery system.

Democrats decided full amnesty for all in DACA is important enough to them that they shut down the federal government putting our nation’s security at risk. In return, they are not willing to end chain migration, the lottery system, or provide sufficient funding for the wall; all for recruitment of foreign born potential voters. No one is fooled. Their actions have nothing to do with compassion but rather with politics.

I propose no deportation for DACA high school grads who are fluent in English and who are in added education (college or technical school) AND graduate or have a productive job or who have served in the military. Deport all currently on public assistance programs or who commit a crime.
Any plan must be tightly predicated on funding of the wall and the ending of the anchor baby provision, chain migration, and the immigration lottery. Our country must control its border to prevent illegal immigration and stem the flow of drugs. The drugs are killing us and we must know who wants into the United States.

For those who cry we are a nation of immigrants, the immigration of the 19th and 20th centuries is not the same as today. There is no shortage of potential workers. We have over 90 million citizens out of the work force. They deserve priority. And, earlier immigrants made every effort to assimilate. That is no longer a given.

As citizens, we have been incredibly naive and negligent too long. It is past time to drastically reduce overall immigration and put any immigration there is on a merit based system that benefits our country economically and culturally. We are and will continue to be the compassionate melting pot of the world; not suckers.