Is Trump Finally Stopping Trump...now?

Before I say anything, the title of this blog today is perfect and summarizes Trump's speech. Tom Hanks has now perfectly summarized whether anyone should vote for Trump now. People are voting for him just because, apparently. They don't seem to fact check him. They don't want a professional who can do the job, just some lout who thinks he can because he's so full of himself.

Republicans are voting for him because they know he's a fool, but they want that all important Supreme Court nomination to be a conservative. Like we need that kind of a nightmare to continue. Bad enough we have had to put up with Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia. One down, one to go. My apologies Justice Scalia. Though now that he's gone some interesting things are happening.

Let me just say that I've been proud all my life to be a non-partisan voter. I've voted for candidates in the past of both parties. But in recent years I find more and more how necessary it is to vote against conservative interests and the Republican party. Republicans have done this on purpose. For the first time I have registered as a Democrat to vote for Bernie who is now out of the race.

I was supportive of Hillary even through all the white noise that has been generated against her by the right all these years. I've been trained at my university years ago as a researcher and a psychologist. I'm above average in my opinion, as I research, look for neutral sources, compare positive and negative sources, and have a history of understanding the bigger and smaller picture.

Republicans have gone for ideology over the citizenry since the 90s which was the tipping point after a decade or two before that. Led by Newt Gingrich and on the side by that nutcase Wayne LaPierre from the NRA along with his power and money. Republicans gave us the likes of Dan Quayle as vice president and yet, I voted for George GW Bush. He was a smart guy. His sons, not so much.

Then we saw others, George W Bush, and sadly fooled once, America voted him back in, mostly because of 9/11. Then we saw John McCain bring the fool Sarah Palin into the national spotlight. I don't blame John, he assumed a state Governor wouldn't be a nutcase. Well we know better now. Especially after the likes of others like Rick Snyder who has actually killed people. And Rick Scott, Mike Pence and others.

And then there is, Trump. Most recently with the release of his lewd comments toward women from some years back with Bill Bush. The one time he did have a good mic, but didn't know it was on. This is a disgusting human being, who found himself in a situation to do what he does but it doesn't make him a genius, a brilliant businessman, or a good human being.

All of which discounts the reasons many have for voting for him as president.

Even his old accountant has said Trump barely knows anything about business, finance or the tax codes. It makes you wonder then, why do people want to vote for him. What is it about him they find, attractive? And what does that say about those who have been supporting him and who still support him?

Yes. Stop listening to this blowhard. Stop listening to the Narcissist. The Authoritarian. The Man Who Doesn't Walk the Walk, who tells Soldiers who have, who have suffered for it, how they are weak for acquiring PTS, a normal reason to insane and terrifying environments Remember how Trump opted out of when others had to go to war. But he didn't. Because he was rich. And afraid.

Fear, a normal reaction. Fearing Trump. A normal reaction. If you don't fear him, you're not normal. Or you're simply not paying attention to everything, discounting this, elevating that, picking and choosing in what he says. As people do with other things. Like the Bible. No, I'm not equating Trump to the Bible. I'm equating how people are delusional about things, picking and choosing what they believe should be relevant, when it's all relevant.

Start talking about what "matters".

Stop talking about Trump's nearly $1 billion in loses that allowed him to claim 18 years of tax breaks giving him an edge up on the competition and on his own follow up efforts... for 18 years. That's a genius. But let's face it. He's not a CPA. He pays people to figure that out. As for who he surrounds himself with, it's been shown that many of them are not that great. As Trump has said, surround yourself with idiots and you look great!

Stop talking about how his own ex wife had enough animosity against him (very possible and reasonably so) that it's highly plausible she turned in those pieces of released tax returns to the media. Pieces that show there is more available, and more coming. Stop talking about Trump's latest and greatest campaign manager and spokesperson, Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway. The supplied link to a recent SNL skit is hilarious and, all too accurate. Too soon? Too close to the truth? Too much? Too real.

START talking about how this business "genius" (and yet mental and emotional midget) lost nearly $1 billion dollars leading him to claim those losses against taxes owed. Talk about how that could have spanned 18 years. How that meant many public entities suffered for Trump's benefit: children, the poor, infrastructure and who knows what else.

Start talking about how Trump isn't presidential material. How he's all smoke and mirrors. And how those who support him have been duped and are now apparently too self involved (or stupid?) to rectify their choice of candidate for President of the United States of America now that he has shown (though he has all along) who he really is and what he really thinks.

Realize... reality.

Stop thinking you're a patriot if you support a low IQ, low EQ, bully who will damage America as President; who already has damaged this country merely in saying things, and further in running for president.

Supporting someone like Trump as president isn't patriotic, it's.bleeding Americanism. And you're almost on empty. And you're draining America. Draining the world's view of America.

Trump CAN make America great again, by dropping out the the race.

Or as George Will's brilliantly put it, saying exactly what I've been trying to put into words myself this past year:

"Donald Trump is the GOP’s chemotherapy." 

Perhaps, but will he really purge the GOP after he loses the election of their stupidity. Really I don't think they are even capable of that after their failed elections of 2012 and 2008. By the way, also check out Timothy Egan's piece on our piece of garbage candidate, Trump.

Before you're thoroughly depleted start talking about what matters. It's not about Hillary's emails, a moot point blown out as usual into a morass of conservative diatribe. Or her abilities... ones that far exceed Trump's. It's not about another non issue like Benghazi. Or Whitewater. Or her husband. White noise tossed out by those who have nothing of substance, and taken up and run by supporters who do not know any better.

This isn't about her at all, not about all that she actually HAS done for others and constinues to do all while Trump does for himself, his ego, his portfolio.

Stop with the bad you think Hillary did, rather than the good that the public record shows she did, and continues to do.

So in the end, what has Trump done in comparison for our benefit? Destroy himself? Perhaps that will one day be considered his greatest accomplishment and gift to the United States, and the world.

Perhaps. Still I would have to say that in the end, he has really done nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Trade Agreements

As you may know if you've read my previous blog, I've been moving out of my home of sixteen years into a new town, new house. My son (28 and 6'5") and I did the move alone for the most part over a weekend, the next weekend's Saturday and the following Wednesday (day after my birthday) to come. So I'm (we're) really worn out and mentally not at a peak. But I'll do the best I can on this week's blog. My apologies ahead of time should I make any obvious mistakes. 
Here's the thing about trade agreements.

We had prosperity in this country. Certainly compared to some other countries. A while back in the 1990s and before, we realized we needed the world to come along with us to support that prosperity. We needed to boost other countries in order to boost ourselves.

Along the way that got lost a bit in our not protecting ourselves as well as we should have. Of course to boost other countries we had to give some things up. It may have started innocently enough, but the trouble with it was that those in power and with money discovered they could benefit too. So of course, they got carried away.

We were originally told that some jobs would go elsewhere to other countries (the flood of jobs overseas). But that was supposed to be okay. And it was, but that meant pain here. It meant some types of jobs would disappear and go to not first world countries and just other countries.

It meant we would have to do other jobs, hopefully raising our standards of living, of jobs and levels of job types and our economy. We would make old world jobs, factory jobs, go away. We would start having better, higher paying jobs replace them. More high tech, service and first world type jobs.

That hasn't really happened to the extent that we needed now, has it.

Why is that?

The trouble there was that education started getting cut. Drastically. And other things. Our infrastructure has suffered. Needed education leading to the right types of jobs simply didn't develop. High schools weren't teaching our kids what they needed to know for getting a job out of high school anymore. They were stuck in a previous era as many still are.

Republicans more and more put off what they were supposed to do (along with some democrats). They got lazy. They claimed people should do for themselves. Do for themselves what we were all told they would set up for us, so we COULD do for ourselves.

That began the conservative trend to do for yourself, otherwise you were considered a loser. They began to warp what government was and should be. They worked to monetize government, privatize, incentivize.

This started to make the rich richer, the poor poorer. They knew that, but said the opposite and still do. It's failed, and their Emperor's new clothes are now seen as a nude Emperor. They did things like cut charitable services. "Let the churches and charities handle all that," Pres. Reagan said. "That's what they do best!" But it overwhelmed the churches and charities in trying to do what it would take a government to do.

We moved things from one stage, that didn't go to the other. Jobs suffered, people suffered, our economy suffered. In the end, we've all suffered.

Many (of the elite few wealthier class) have gotten rich though this and once won, they wanted to hold onto it. For some, at all costs. To others. To, us.

The masses have not gotten rich, the middle class has been dying because they aren't holding the reins, they can't group together to use the reigns they do have because they have been fractured by those who do have the power or simply the ability to do so.

Religion has told people to suffer, to put their energy into God, into prayer, but not into action.

Politicians have told people the same, but also given them hype and empty promises as evangelical techniques have suffused government.

We need a paradigm shift. We're on the cusp. Things can topple either way at this point.

While republicans and conservatives are pushing us back into the cup of poverty all while claiming it's anyone's fault but their own.

Democrats, many of them, don't get it either. They aren't helping as much as they should because they too do not fully understand. A few do though. Bernie does. And he has made others get it through his run for president. He has altered the talking points. Raised issues. Raised national consciousness. All while Republicans plug their ears and go on as always with their tired old arguments.

Part of the issue is that economics is complicated.

It's about not just America but the entire world. We have to consider the world, and ourselves, and the symbiosis between the two. It's a give and take. It's not just give. It's not just a take. It's give an take as things develop. It takes constant vigilance, occasional action, not too much action, not too little. We have an entire political allegedly conservative party dedicated against fixing this, and they think that is not the case.

A liberal party who also do not understand it clearly, but they are getting there. Finally. We need a progressive party handling things. Progressive in a way that shouldn't be considered progressive, but needs to be seen as such in order to maintain reality, affect correct and positive change with concerns for the masses and not just the wealthy, but the most and many and not the few and wealthy.

How does the few keep power over the many so well when there are so many?

Conspiracy theories, mis and dis information. Greed and perverts (not sexual but some of them to be sure as we see in the news, republican and religious leader after leader charged with crimes of illicit sex, hetero and homosexual (not hetero or gay sex as crime, but in paying for it and their dishonesty of it), crimes against women, children, things they most profess again). And fiscally related crimes. Even crimes against entire cities and in some cases, even humanity.

Crimes against entire cities in poisoning their water supplies. Abusing their power to shut down bridges. But of course, the "true criminals" THEY say... are in another party. It could never be them! It's others. Always others. But those others are not being charged with crimes.Those who are pointing the fingers are the ones being charged of late and finally.

We need to pay attention to reality, band together against what is really attacking us and holding us back.

Show me the money. Because someone has it. And it is not me, or anyone I know. And I'm doing far better than many others who are economically lower on the tables than where I fit in.

We need to see this. And act.