Here's a civics lesson for the guy sitting at the big desk in the Oval Office.
The term of a U.S. president is four years, not eight. Stop talking as if you have a guarantee you'll be there that long.
The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens.
A 140-character message sent out via Twitter is not an official executive order, and has no -- repeat, no -- standing in law. It is only gossip, nothing more.
There is no such thing as "clean coal."
Demanding loyalty and obedience from employees of a business may work, since you can fire them with a single word, but members of Congress do not answer to your every whim. You are an elected official, not a sanctified monarch. Stop acting like one, or you will be diselected.
You are subject to the laws of this nation and of the states in which you do business. When you break a law, you will be caught and punished. The same goes for members of your family. Working in the White House does not exempt you and your family from the law.
As chief executive of the United States government, your duty is to enforce laws, not ignore them.
A free and responsible press is essential to democracy. If you destroy that, you destroy democracy.
Insulting people may satisfy your ego for the moment, but people have long memories. Especially reporters and TV people, who can rerun the video of things you say and do. There is more "fake news" on Twitter, Facebook and other social media than in the mainstream press.
The Second Amendment is an important part of the American system, especially the part about a "well regulated militia."
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Friday, October 6, 2017
Scary News
In another Friday night news dump, the Department of Commerce announced 20 sets of regulations that the president should cut as a way of "removing roadblocks to American job creation."
This on the same day that another government agency, the Labor Department, said the unemployment rate dropped yet again, to 4.2 percent. To economists, this means that nearly everyone who wants a job has been able to find one. The report also noted that total employment faded by 33,000 jobs last month, largely due to hurricanes that roared through Florida, Texas and neighboring states.
The total number of unemployed persons actually fell by 331,000 last month, to 6.8 million, out of a total civilian labor force of 161.15 million.
Separately, the president claimed that proposed tax cuts will provide "rocket fuel for our economy."
However, experts have long warned that a faster rise means a harder fall in a nation's economy, and this philosophy has guided the strategy of the Federal Reserve Board as it modulates the nation's money supply to stabilize unemployment and inflation.
Economic experts have also cautioned that the president's recent appointment of Randal Quarles, a conservative, as the Fed's vice chairman for supervision is another step in his campaign to ease government regulation of business.
And come February, the president will have another opportunity to roll back the Fed's outlook and strategy, when Janet Yellen's term as chair ends. Even if he does not renominate her as chair, she will remain as member of the board of governors.
Meanwhile, the board of governors is still three short of its full complement of seven members. This gives the president still more opportunities to bend the regulatory body's attitudes to his hands-off philosophy of business and financial markets.
The nation's economy has been steadily improving for the past seven years under the guidance and influence of the current Fed board of governors. Whether removing a plethora of government regulations, enabling the economy to hit "rocketing" growth, is a safe and sane strategy, is another question, one which economists insist is too dangerous to attempt.
This on the same day that another government agency, the Labor Department, said the unemployment rate dropped yet again, to 4.2 percent. To economists, this means that nearly everyone who wants a job has been able to find one. The report also noted that total employment faded by 33,000 jobs last month, largely due to hurricanes that roared through Florida, Texas and neighboring states.
The total number of unemployed persons actually fell by 331,000 last month, to 6.8 million, out of a total civilian labor force of 161.15 million.
Separately, the president claimed that proposed tax cuts will provide "rocket fuel for our economy."
However, experts have long warned that a faster rise means a harder fall in a nation's economy, and this philosophy has guided the strategy of the Federal Reserve Board as it modulates the nation's money supply to stabilize unemployment and inflation.
Economic experts have also cautioned that the president's recent appointment of Randal Quarles, a conservative, as the Fed's vice chairman for supervision is another step in his campaign to ease government regulation of business.
And come February, the president will have another opportunity to roll back the Fed's outlook and strategy, when Janet Yellen's term as chair ends. Even if he does not renominate her as chair, she will remain as member of the board of governors.
Meanwhile, the board of governors is still three short of its full complement of seven members. This gives the president still more opportunities to bend the regulatory body's attitudes to his hands-off philosophy of business and financial markets.
The nation's economy has been steadily improving for the past seven years under the guidance and influence of the current Fed board of governors. Whether removing a plethora of government regulations, enabling the economy to hit "rocketing" growth, is a safe and sane strategy, is another question, one which economists insist is too dangerous to attempt.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Death Quota
How many people must be shot dead before government acts on gun control?
What is the quota?
Does the quota include members of Congress and their families?
Does one politician's death by gunfire count for more than another American citizen?
If so, what is the ratio? Does one murdered politician equal five voters? Ten? Twenty? Fifty-nine, which is the number of people shot dead in Las Vegas last week?
Who decides the number? Has the National Rifle Association taken on the task of determining a quota before it will agree to reasonable gun regulation?
When and how will the NRA decide on an "acceptable" quota?
And who gave them the right to decide that?
Today, the NRA announced it was willing to "enter a conversation" about more firearm regulation, even as it claimed that gun ownership is a "God-given right."
That's odd, considering that God existed long before firearms were invented. Even more odd, since gunpowder was invented by the Chinese long before Western religion reached that country.
In any case, has God spoken to you recently about anything, including the right to own dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition?
And for those ready to quote the Bible to support their position on gun control, which the NRA apparently wants to do, isn't there a conflict with the bit that says, "Thou shalt not kill"?
As for "entering a conversation" about gun regulation, echoed by the president after he first said, "Now is not the time to talk," consider this: Talk alone is meaningless, unless it quickly leads to action. Otherwise, talk can drag on for years, until people get tired of endless yammering and arguing about increasingly minor details. And when the initial furor is over, nothing gets done.
It is long past time for talk. Action is long overdue. Government officials attack those advocating gun control for "politicizing" the issue.
But it is, in fact, a political issue, and only politicians can deal with it.
If not now, when? How many more must die before politicians develop the moral gumption to act?
Who sets the quota?
How many is enough?
What is the quota?
Does the quota include members of Congress and their families?
Does one politician's death by gunfire count for more than another American citizen?
If so, what is the ratio? Does one murdered politician equal five voters? Ten? Twenty? Fifty-nine, which is the number of people shot dead in Las Vegas last week?
Who decides the number? Has the National Rifle Association taken on the task of determining a quota before it will agree to reasonable gun regulation?
When and how will the NRA decide on an "acceptable" quota?
And who gave them the right to decide that?
Today, the NRA announced it was willing to "enter a conversation" about more firearm regulation, even as it claimed that gun ownership is a "God-given right."
That's odd, considering that God existed long before firearms were invented. Even more odd, since gunpowder was invented by the Chinese long before Western religion reached that country.
In any case, has God spoken to you recently about anything, including the right to own dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition?
And for those ready to quote the Bible to support their position on gun control, which the NRA apparently wants to do, isn't there a conflict with the bit that says, "Thou shalt not kill"?
As for "entering a conversation" about gun regulation, echoed by the president after he first said, "Now is not the time to talk," consider this: Talk alone is meaningless, unless it quickly leads to action. Otherwise, talk can drag on for years, until people get tired of endless yammering and arguing about increasingly minor details. And when the initial furor is over, nothing gets done.
It is long past time for talk. Action is long overdue. Government officials attack those advocating gun control for "politicizing" the issue.
But it is, in fact, a political issue, and only politicians can deal with it.
If not now, when? How many more must die before politicians develop the moral gumption to act?
Who sets the quota?
How many is enough?
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
"Now Is Not The Time"
If not now, when?
Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 1, 2017 -- 59 dead, 500+ wounded.
"Now is not the time" to talk about gun control, said the president and other political leaders.
Tucson, Arizona, Jan. 8, 2011 -- Six dead, 11 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Not the time to talk about gun violence.
Seal Beach, California, Oct 12, 2011 -- Eight dead.
Not the time yet.
Oakland, California, April 2, 2012 -- Seven dead in a college classroom.
Not the time.
Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012 -- Twelve dead, 58 wounded in a movie theater.
Not the time.
Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 5, 2012 -- Six slain by a white supremacist at a religious temple.
Now is not the time.
Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012 -- Twenty children, six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Not the time.
Washington, DC, September 16, 2013 -- Twelve people shot dead at a Navy Yard.
Not time yet to talk about gun violence.
Fort Hood, Texas, April 2, 2014 -- Three dead, 16 wounded.
Not time yet.
Isla Vista, California, April 5, 2014 -- Six slain at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Not the time to talk about gun control.
Charleston, South Carolina, June 18, 2015 -- Nine people shot dead in a church by a white supremacist.
Not the time.
Roseburg, Oregon, October 1, 2015 -- Nine slain at a community college.
Not the time to talk.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 29, 2015 -- Three slain at a Planned Parenthood clinic.
No time for talk.
San Bernardino, California, December 12, 2015 -- Fourteen killed at a community center.
Not the time to talk. Donald Trump denounces "political correctness" of anti-gun talk.
Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016 -- 49 dead, 58 wounded at a gay night club.
Not yet time to talk.
Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963 -- President John F. Kennedy slain by a man who bought a sniper rifle by mail order for $12.78.
Washington, DC, March 30, 1981 -- President Ronald Reagan shot and wounded.
New York City, December 8, 1980 -- John Lennon shot and killed.
Alexandria, Virginia, June 14, 2017 -- Rep. Steve Scalise shot during baseball practice.
Over the years, four U.S. presidents have been assassinated by gunfire: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. Ten others were shot but survived.
There are more guns in America than there are people, with a few owning many guns. The shooter in Las Vegas brought 19 weapons with him to his hotel room, and investigators found 23 more at his home.
More Americans have been killed by guns than have died in all its wars combined.
But now is not the time to talk, because it "politicizes" the tragedy of gun violence, say some government leaders.
Yes, it does "politicize" the issue, as well it should, and it must. Gun violence is indeed a political issue, and can only be dealt with through political measures.
Yet the NRA would have us believe that the answer lies in more guns, more powerful guns, held by more people, including children whose weapons would have silencers to "protect their hearing."
And they insist that "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
Correction: People use guns to kill people.
Finally, the U.S. Constitution is right when it acknowledges the right of the people of a state to have a "well regulated militia" to protect its security.
That does not acknowledge the right of every individual to own dozens of fully automatic machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Unless he is a member of a well regulated militia. The Las Vegas shooter was not, nor were the many others responsible for the killings listed above.
Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 1, 2017 -- 59 dead, 500+ wounded.
"Now is not the time" to talk about gun control, said the president and other political leaders.
Tucson, Arizona, Jan. 8, 2011 -- Six dead, 11 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Not the time to talk about gun violence.
Seal Beach, California, Oct 12, 2011 -- Eight dead.
Not the time yet.
Oakland, California, April 2, 2012 -- Seven dead in a college classroom.
Not the time.
Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012 -- Twelve dead, 58 wounded in a movie theater.
Not the time.
Oak Creek, Wisconsin, August 5, 2012 -- Six slain by a white supremacist at a religious temple.
Now is not the time.
Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012 -- Twenty children, six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Not the time.
Washington, DC, September 16, 2013 -- Twelve people shot dead at a Navy Yard.
Not time yet to talk about gun violence.
Fort Hood, Texas, April 2, 2014 -- Three dead, 16 wounded.
Not time yet.
Isla Vista, California, April 5, 2014 -- Six slain at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Not the time to talk about gun control.
Charleston, South Carolina, June 18, 2015 -- Nine people shot dead in a church by a white supremacist.
Not the time.
Roseburg, Oregon, October 1, 2015 -- Nine slain at a community college.
Not the time to talk.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 29, 2015 -- Three slain at a Planned Parenthood clinic.
No time for talk.
San Bernardino, California, December 12, 2015 -- Fourteen killed at a community center.
Not the time to talk. Donald Trump denounces "political correctness" of anti-gun talk.
Orlando, Florida, June 12, 2016 -- 49 dead, 58 wounded at a gay night club.
Not yet time to talk.
Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963 -- President John F. Kennedy slain by a man who bought a sniper rifle by mail order for $12.78.
Washington, DC, March 30, 1981 -- President Ronald Reagan shot and wounded.
New York City, December 8, 1980 -- John Lennon shot and killed.
Alexandria, Virginia, June 14, 2017 -- Rep. Steve Scalise shot during baseball practice.
Over the years, four U.S. presidents have been assassinated by gunfire: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. Ten others were shot but survived.
There are more guns in America than there are people, with a few owning many guns. The shooter in Las Vegas brought 19 weapons with him to his hotel room, and investigators found 23 more at his home.
More Americans have been killed by guns than have died in all its wars combined.
But now is not the time to talk, because it "politicizes" the tragedy of gun violence, say some government leaders.
Yes, it does "politicize" the issue, as well it should, and it must. Gun violence is indeed a political issue, and can only be dealt with through political measures.
Yet the NRA would have us believe that the answer lies in more guns, more powerful guns, held by more people, including children whose weapons would have silencers to "protect their hearing."
And they insist that "Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
Correction: People use guns to kill people.
Finally, the U.S. Constitution is right when it acknowledges the right of the people of a state to have a "well regulated militia" to protect its security.
That does not acknowledge the right of every individual to own dozens of fully automatic machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Unless he is a member of a well regulated militia. The Las Vegas shooter was not, nor were the many others responsible for the killings listed above.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Thoughts and Prayers Are Not Enough
Every time there is a mass shooting in America, political leaders are quick to offer their "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and the families of the dead.
That, of course, is good as far as it goes. Unfortunately, it doesn't go very far.
Nothing is said about limiting the availability of guns to those who should not have access to them.
"Now is not the time" to talk about gun control, say the politicians as the nation mourns the loss of dozens of people shot down indiscriminately by a deranged gunman armed with an arsenal of military style weapons.
But when is the right time? Next month, next year, next election cycle?
Now is precisely the time to talk about gun control.
Advocates of unlimited ownership of guns of any and every type often cite the need for self defense. As if everyone in a crowded theater or children in a grade school classroom should have a pistol so they could shoot back.
"Self defense is important in case of invasion by a foreign power," they insist.
Such a claim only shows a lack of trust in the U.S. Marine Corps, the 82d Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, Army Rangers and every other unit of the U.S. military, as well as local and state police departments nationwide.
In any case, when was the last time the U.S. mainland was invaded by a foreign military force?
Elementary history knowledge says it was during the war of 1812, some 214 years ago.
That, of course, is good as far as it goes. Unfortunately, it doesn't go very far.
Nothing is said about limiting the availability of guns to those who should not have access to them.
"Now is not the time" to talk about gun control, say the politicians as the nation mourns the loss of dozens of people shot down indiscriminately by a deranged gunman armed with an arsenal of military style weapons.
But when is the right time? Next month, next year, next election cycle?
Now is precisely the time to talk about gun control.
Advocates of unlimited ownership of guns of any and every type often cite the need for self defense. As if everyone in a crowded theater or children in a grade school classroom should have a pistol so they could shoot back.
"Self defense is important in case of invasion by a foreign power," they insist.
Such a claim only shows a lack of trust in the U.S. Marine Corps, the 82d Airborne Division, the 101st Airborne Division, Army Rangers and every other unit of the U.S. military, as well as local and state police departments nationwide.
In any case, when was the last time the U.S. mainland was invaded by a foreign military force?
Elementary history knowledge says it was during the war of 1812, some 214 years ago.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Well Regulated Militia?
What well regulated militia?
Nevada has virtually no regulations at all for gun ownership and use, thus enabling one person to gather an arsenal of automatic weapons and fire randomly into a crowd.
This defies the Constitution, which guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms, but this guarantee is couched in terms of a well regulated militia.
Don't believe me? Look it up. The phrasing of the Second Amendment is clear, regardless of what the National Rifle Association and its devotees insist.
The almost total lack of control of weapons in Nevada easily enabled a single gunman to carry ten rifles into a hotel room in Las Vegas, then open fire on a crowd gathered for a concert in an open space below.
Hunters do not use automatic weapons to kill deer because they feel it is unsportsmanlike. Using similar weapons to kill dozens of people apparently is acceptable.
The NRA insists on emphasizing the last part of the Second Amendment, which says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
But the first part speaks of a "well regulated militia." That, in itself, is an infringement, and an appropriate and necessary one, as are many other regulations set up by society and government to ensure domestic tranquility.
Remember that phrase? It, too, is in the Constitution, at the very beginning. Domestic tranquility cannot exist without some regulations. Otherwise, anarchy results.
Nevada has virtually no regulations at all for gun ownership and use, thus enabling one person to gather an arsenal of automatic weapons and fire randomly into a crowd.
This defies the Constitution, which guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms, but this guarantee is couched in terms of a well regulated militia.
Don't believe me? Look it up. The phrasing of the Second Amendment is clear, regardless of what the National Rifle Association and its devotees insist.
The almost total lack of control of weapons in Nevada easily enabled a single gunman to carry ten rifles into a hotel room in Las Vegas, then open fire on a crowd gathered for a concert in an open space below.
Hunters do not use automatic weapons to kill deer because they feel it is unsportsmanlike. Using similar weapons to kill dozens of people apparently is acceptable.
The NRA insists on emphasizing the last part of the Second Amendment, which says "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
But the first part speaks of a "well regulated militia." That, in itself, is an infringement, and an appropriate and necessary one, as are many other regulations set up by society and government to ensure domestic tranquility.
Remember that phrase? It, too, is in the Constitution, at the very beginning. Domestic tranquility cannot exist without some regulations. Otherwise, anarchy results.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
President Nero
Trump golfs while Puerto Rico collapses.
The president of the United States relaxed at his New Jersey golf course while 3.4 million American citizens on the island of Puerto Rico struggled to survive the devastation wrought by two hurricanes.
He did, however, take some time out to blame the victims and attack the mayor of San Juan for a "lack of leadership" in trying to arrange recovery efforts.
On Sunday morning, the MSNBC television outlet showed side by side pictures of the president on his golf course, and images of the devastation in the island's largest city.
As for the president's criticism, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said, "Bring it on," and added, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," a classic line from the movie, "Gone With the Wind."
And despite the president's claims that support operations are going "really well," Mayor Cruz said, "Damn it, this is not a good news story."
The islanders need help, she repeated. "We are dying here," she said, and the federal government doesn't seem to care.
Meanwhile, there have been almost no news stories about Red Cross involvement in rescue efforts, to the point that it would seem that organization had been disinvited from joining.
Published lists of aid organizations sending help to the battered island do not include the Red Cross. The group has been widely criticized for temporarily suspending its registration system for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Earlier, an investigation by ProPublica and NPR News reported that of the nearly $500 million raised to help Haiti after a major earthquake there in 2010, little of that money actually went to help rebuild.
The Red Cross claimed that all the money went to help 4.5 millions "get back on their feet," according to the ProPublica-NPR report. That would be "100 percent of the urban area" at the time, said a Haitian official. "The would mean the American Red Cross would have served entire cities."
In one instance, the report noted, the Red Cross claimed to have helped more people than actually lived there.
Typically, the Red Cross takes a cut of the money it raises for administrative costs, and gives some of the rest to other organizations which also take a slice of the funding.
The investigative report noted that such costs can eat up a third of the money that was supposed to help Haitians.
Here's link to the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/2015/06/03/411524156/in-search-of-the-red-cross-500-million-in-haiti-relief.
Meanwhile, the president spent much of the first few days after Hurricane Irma battered Puerto Rico attacking the National Football League and its players who protested police mistreatment of minority groups, rather than focusing on the damage in the U.S. territory.
One wonders about his priorities.
The president of the United States relaxed at his New Jersey golf course while 3.4 million American citizens on the island of Puerto Rico struggled to survive the devastation wrought by two hurricanes.
He did, however, take some time out to blame the victims and attack the mayor of San Juan for a "lack of leadership" in trying to arrange recovery efforts.
On Sunday morning, the MSNBC television outlet showed side by side pictures of the president on his golf course, and images of the devastation in the island's largest city.
As for the president's criticism, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said, "Bring it on," and added, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," a classic line from the movie, "Gone With the Wind."
And despite the president's claims that support operations are going "really well," Mayor Cruz said, "Damn it, this is not a good news story."
The islanders need help, she repeated. "We are dying here," she said, and the federal government doesn't seem to care.
Meanwhile, there have been almost no news stories about Red Cross involvement in rescue efforts, to the point that it would seem that organization had been disinvited from joining.
Published lists of aid organizations sending help to the battered island do not include the Red Cross. The group has been widely criticized for temporarily suspending its registration system for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Earlier, an investigation by ProPublica and NPR News reported that of the nearly $500 million raised to help Haiti after a major earthquake there in 2010, little of that money actually went to help rebuild.
The Red Cross claimed that all the money went to help 4.5 millions "get back on their feet," according to the ProPublica-NPR report. That would be "100 percent of the urban area" at the time, said a Haitian official. "The would mean the American Red Cross would have served entire cities."
In one instance, the report noted, the Red Cross claimed to have helped more people than actually lived there.
Typically, the Red Cross takes a cut of the money it raises for administrative costs, and gives some of the rest to other organizations which also take a slice of the funding.
The investigative report noted that such costs can eat up a third of the money that was supposed to help Haitians.
Here's link to the NPR story: http://www.npr.org/2015/06/03/411524156/in-search-of-the-red-cross-500-million-in-haiti-relief.
Meanwhile, the president spent much of the first few days after Hurricane Irma battered Puerto Rico attacking the National Football League and its players who protested police mistreatment of minority groups, rather than focusing on the damage in the U.S. territory.
One wonders about his priorities.
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