Trump Outdoes His Former Ignorant Statements

As reported on Democracy Now (today)---

"And then I see the disinfectant... knocks it [the virus] out in a minute...is there some way we can do that... by injection... inside [the body]... almost a cleaning."  ~ DJT

The above statement was toward the end of Trump's announcement about new research to be done on covid-19 by Homeland Security.  Perhaps it was more of his gaslighting, meant to confuse people.  Or, perhaps it was simply another measure of his utter ignorance regarding human biology in particular, and Science in general.  In any case, these kinds of outrageous announcements might encourage uneducated people who may be feeling desperate to try it on their own.  Hopefully, that will never happen.

In all my years of following American politics, I've never heard anything more stupid than this bit by DJT.  Absolutely unbelievable.  This is the man who has access to the nuclear war trigger.  Think about that.  Not only that, he's the man who asked, "Why can't we use them [nuclear weapons]?".

Shortly after The Don's imbecilic remark, Lysol issued the following warning:
"...under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion, or any other route)."

Even a four-legged donkey (or a puppet for the Financial Sector) should be able to beat Trump in the next election... that is, if there's any common sense at all left in the American people.

Not only my opinion.  Stay Well

Politicians Are a Lot Like Diapers

They need to be changed often, and for the same reason.  😄

The above is from the movie, Man of the Year, with the late, great Robin Williams...

and it's so true.

In 1975, the "liberal" Think Tank, the Trilateral Commission (founded by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski) published its first book-length report,  The Crisis of Democracy: Report on the Governability of Democracies.  The Report was written by Left-leaning/Liberal authors.  Their conclusion was this:  the crisis is that democracies have too much democracy, and that's what makes it difficult to govern them.  According to the authors, that had to change.

Since 1975, in the USA we've had an increase in the pace of the fairly steady march toward total Oligarchy and Plutocracy, and a fairly steady retreat from genuine, participatory democracy.  One, and only one, of the reasons for that is:  voters don't vote out politicians often enough.  People such as McConnell, Cornyn, Pelosi, Schumer, and the like all should be returned to private life.

Politicians are a lot like diapers.  They need to be changed often...

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Election = a Mixed Bag - Plus, World Corporate Empire

In what should have been a resounding, slam-dunk rejection of the corporatist, plutocratic, serial-lying, ignorant but clever, law-breaking Trump Admin (and any candidate supported by The Don), the election turned out to be a mixed bag.  There are many reasons for that, but in this essay I'll focus on a chief reason.

[Technically, all the election results have not yet been tabulated.  This is being written just before midnight on Tuesday, Mountain Standard Time.  Nevertheless, I feel comfortable with the "mixed bag" characterization.  Of course, both sides undoubtedly will claim victory on Wednesday.  Once again, and for any new readers here, I'm not a Republican or a Democrat.]

Just as during the Bill Clinton Era, today's Democratic Party (at the highest levels) is run by plutocratic corporatists...or their puppets.  After Clinton left office, the DNC re-took power from the Clintonite DLC (Dem Leadership Council, which heavily leaned toward Corporatism).  Unfortunately for genuine Populists, the DNC quietly adopted most of the policies of the outgoing, corporatist DLC.

So, today (& for a number of years), the only difference between so-called Democrats and so-called Republicans is on most social Hot-Button issues---such as gun control, abortion, gay rights, etc.---and maybe one or two non-Hot-Button, domestic issues.  When it comes to the economy, finance, war, empire, monetary policy, fiscal policy, corporatism, and foreign policy, the two Parties (again, at the highest levels) are pretty much the same.

All of the above means that the Dems in control of their Party don't want to rock the Corporate Boat.  That's why, in the lead-up to the election, we heard little to nothing about the following---

1.  About 50% of working families in the USA are either in poverty, or so close to the brink of it that the difference doesn't matter.  They are in the "Precariat Class", a term coined by the economist & professor, Guy Standing.  People in this Class are insecure relative to their material & psychological existence.  Their lives, through little to no fault of their own, have become extremely precarious.

2.  Of the remaining 50%, about 35% of them are doing okay, but they still are in the Precariat Class...at least in terms of economic and financial stability.  Their jobs and lifestyle are no longer secure.  They could lose it all virtually in a few weeks, or at most, a few months.

3.  The economy is "booming" only for about the top 15% of income earners.  Despite any piddly wage increases of late, wages/salaries still essentially are stagnant (after adjustment for price inflation).  That's been true for about thirty years.  In the same period, the Upper Crust has increased its income by 700%.

4.  Our crushing National Debt (which has the potential of further ruining our economy) is not primarily due to social spending; rather, the main cause is massive Corporate Welfare (including military spending).  Corporate welfare DWARFS all social spending combined.  The "Nanny State" in the USA is for corporations, not people.

5.  Our foreign policy kowtows to Mega Corporations...especially those in the Financial Sector.  Our Fed Gov't is belligerent on the world stage because that ultimately benefits the Big Boys in Biz.  [See the book, War is a Racket, by General Smedley Butler, a Marine for 33 years.]  Our foreign policy is further bankrupting our country.  Do you really believe that we need 900 military bases around the world?  Do you really believe that we still need to be in Afghanistan...after 17 years?  Do you really believe that sanctions on a country are not an act of war?  Do you really believe that we need more expensive nukes?  Our military budget already is larger than those of the next top seven countries combined...and that includes China & Russia.

6.  The goal of Mega Corps is to privatize everything...worldwide.  At the highest levels in DC, politicians are helping them do that...or, at the very least, not opposing them.  The monopolists of Mega Biz are moving us all toward NeoFeudalism, and the pace rapidly is increasing.  In the not-too-distant future, the Middle Class no longer will exist.

7.  Finally, our foreign policy is crucial mainly because it drives domestic policy.  Surveillance, War, Trade Wars, Sanctions, Empire...it all drains economic security from We the People.  It all enriches the Upper Crust at our expense.  It serves to funnel spending away from any safety net for the most vulnerable, and increasingly, from any economic security for everyone who isn't in the top tier of income earners.
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The Big Boys & Girls at the DNC ignore most of the above.  Even the small Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party often appears to not get the significance of foreign policy vis-a-vis the World Corporate Empire.  The Democratic hierarchy is basically the same as the Republicans when it comes to foreign policy, sanctions, war, and Empire.

It all comes down to more wealth for the already wealthy...and the top Democrats don't want to rock the boat.  So they mostly ignore Corporatism, and instead, concentrate on immigration or Russian "interference".  No wonder they can't slam-dunk the rejection of Trump & Crew...and if anything needs slam-dunking, it's that.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Electoral College and a Popular Vote Lead of Over 2.6 Million

Below is my response to an email which stated that the Electoral College system in the USA "makes sense" as evidenced by the fact that of the total number of Counties in our Land, the overwhelming majority voted for Trump.  That email was written when Clinton's popular vote lead was 1.1 million less than it is now.  [My piece below is edited very, very little.]
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The email below apparently was written when Clinton's lead in the popular vote was only 1.5 million.  [It's now over 2.6 million...and still counting.]  It follows, then, that it was a bit premature to say with certainty how many counties voted this way or that way... because the vote count wasn't over.  It still isn't.

But all that aside---

Yes, of course the Electoral College system makes sense... as long as---

1.  You don't believe in democracy, i.e., every vote is equal, every vote is counted, and whoever gets the most votes... wins.  The College always has been weighted in favor of less populous areas; thus, every vote is not equal.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

2.  You believe a winner in Presidential races should be determined before all the votes are counted.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it makes sense.

3.  You don't believe in the concept that the winner must get the most votes.  If you're fine with that, then yes, it all makes sense.

4.  You accept the fact that when College Electors vote in the actual Presidential election (this time it's on December 19th), they don't have to vote according to the pledges determined when we voted.  They can, instead, vote according to their "consciences"... even if that's the opposite of the pledges.  If you're fine with that, then yes, the Electoral College makes sense.

"Luckily" (so to speak, but not really), except for social hot-button issues, it makes very little to no difference who gets elected President.  Nowadays, they're all Neoliberals... that is, all of them at the highest levels in the two major Parties.  [Any exceptions are fairly quickly marginalized.]  They all have similar beliefs when it comes to significant issues like war, economic policy, monetary policy, the corrupt Fed Reserve, Global business, too-big-to-fail-or-jail Mega Banks, the broken Fed Justice System, the war on the Fourth Amendment, the war on the First Amendment, the war on cash (part of the war on privacy), Corporatism/Crony Capitalism, & a few others.  Plus, Trump shortly will discover that it's high-level, lifelong bureaucrats who run the Gov't, not Presidents.  Especially in the case of Trump v. Clinton, we were shafted no matter who won.

To refer to those who opposed Trump as "whiners" really is hilarious.  Today, the biggest whiner in politics is the Don... he's still whining even after he was elected.

Finally, in case anyone doesn't know, 58% of the electorate opposed Trump AND CLINTON.  [That includes me.]

p.s.  The Don, like all politicians, already has started going back on his campaign promises... even before he takes office.  Example:  he railed against Wall Street insiders, but now is appointing Wall St. insiders to his Admin.  Example:  he said he'd deport the "illegals" (11 million of them); now it's down to about 3 million--- those who are "criminals".  Example:  he said he would launch an investigation into the criminality of Hillary; now that's off the table.  Example:  he said he would register all Muslims; now that's gone as well.  [It's a good thing; such a registry would be blatantly unconstitutional AND unAmerican.]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Actual Presidential Election is on December 19th

Below is a slightly edited email I sent to a few friends and family members today.  Not that I want her (or Trump) to, and though it's not likely, Clinton still could win the election.  It's certainly not probable, but it is possible under the Electoral College system.
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1.  Technically, the Presidential election is not yet over.

2.  Electors are not bound by the Constitution to vote according to electoral pledges of the election we just had.  Many, but not all, States and/or Parties have rules stating the electors should vote that way...but the fine for noncompliance is below $1,000.

3.  President-Elect Trump is the least popular "winner" (of the pledges) we've had since 1824.

4.  The Electoral College system was set up to favor the less populous States. 

5.  Clinton's lead in the popular vote is now over 2.2 million.

I'm surprised that the Corporate Media are not harping on all this; they clearly favored Clinton during the entire campaign season.  The fact that these two candidates were selected as nominees is a sorry state of political affairs...and in Trump's case, a testament to just how much Americans are (in general) filled with anger & despair because of the policies & actions of the elitist Establishment.  [It's too bad that Trump is, among other things, a rich billionaire Crony Capitalist.]

Boycotting would have sent a more powerful message.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead is Now Over Two Million

Though the election is over and Trump is the President-Elect, Clinton now has over two million more votes than the Don... and there still are uncounted votes.  We have quite an unusual "democracy", eh?  I suggest our leaders stop the hypocrisy, and stop calling our form of gov't a democracy.  Obviously, it isn't.

[I'm in favor of a genuine democracy, but not in favor of either Clinton or Trump.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Clinton's Lead Grows, & the Evil of Two Lessers

As of 11-19-16, Clinton leads Trump by about 1.5 million more votes.  The tally continues.  Because of 240 years of relentless propaganda and indoctrination, we still think we live in a true, participatory democracy.  To those who disagree with that assessment, I suggest watching this series:  Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States... and this documentary as well, Requiem for the American Dream.  Both can be found on Netflix and elsewhere online.

Finally, it's not about Left v. Right anymore.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well
p.s.  Reminder:  58% of us (including me) were not in favor of either major candidate.  We never should vote for the evil of two lessers.  When will we ever learn?

November 16--- The Latest Vote Count

Clinton is about one million votes ahead.  It's a good thing for Trump that the election wasn't in a democracy.  So much for "every vote counts" and "your vote is just as important as the next person's".  I don't agree with Scott Walker on much of anything, but he was right about this--- "Twelve States will elect the next President.".

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say this:  It's too bad for Clinton that the election was in a kinda, sorta, partial democracy.  In any case, it finally should be obvious to everyone that the USA is not a true, participatory democracy.  It never has been.  Propaganda reigns supreme here.  Molding the public mind is the Oligarchy's national pastime... especially regarding the subject of "democracy".

[In case anyone doesn't know--- I wasn't for either one of the major candidates.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Latest Count: Clinton Has 395,000 More Votes Than Trump

Her lead is up from 225,000... and all the votes still have not yet been counted.  Welcome to American "democracy".  We can stick our heads in the sand and ignore this (again), or we can work to change our electoral system.  It would be helpful if we all stopped drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid.

Long ago, James Madison said that the opulence of the wealthy must be protected from the majority.  He also stated that democracy is the most vile form of government.  John Jay, also a signer of the Constitution and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, stated that those who own the country (property owners) should rule it.  Benjamin Franklin defined democracy as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch.  Other Founders referred to the tyranny of the majority.  Benjamin Rush, one of our Founders, said that a simple democracy is the devil's own government.  John Adams, the second U.S. President, claimed democracy soon degenerates into an anarchy.  Gouverneur Morris, the writer of the Final Draft of the Constitution, stated that the tumults of democracy terminate in despotism.  Fisher Ames, the framer of the 1st Amendement to the Constitution, claimed that democracy is the most violent of despotisms.  Even the respected Thomas Jefferson said that democracy is mob rule.  Long story short--- our Founders were against having democracy as our form of gov't.  They succeeded in that quest.

Despite the above, our current/recent leaders at the highest levels keep referring to "our democracy".  They rarely ever refer to our form of government by its proper name, our Republic.  The two types of gov't are not the same.  We don't have a democracy in the USA.  We've never had one.  Most other developed countries do have a democracy...and they haven't devolved into anarchy, or tyranny, or mob rule.  What they have done is a better job of protecting the majority from the Super-Rich... a better job of it than our gov't has done.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

It Turns Out That Trump LOST...

the popular vote.  Plus, almost one-third of the California vote has yet to be counted.  The Don won the election due to the constitutional electoral college system.  It's all legitimate; it just isn't democracy.  I suspect that many Americans don't understand the electoral college system, and further, don't realize that our Founders were not in favor of democracy.  That's why they created a Republic.  Perhaps it's time to reconsider our electoral system.

This is not sour grapes--- I didn't want either one of the major candidates to get elected.  My main point is that Trump and his following most likely believe they have a popular mandate... but that's not true.  He lost the popular vote.

It's a testament to the power & persistence of Propaganda that most Americans believe they're in a true democracy.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

A Con Artist Has Conceded to Another Con Artist!

It just goes to show you:  no one can predict everything with accuracy.  Mea culpa.

Trump borrowed a page from a man he can't stand, Obama:  the Don sold a bit more than half the voters* on HOPE and CHANGE... with little to no details.  I give Trump voters less than a year from January 20th before they become disgruntled.  [I forget how long it took Obama voters to become disgruntled after January 20th, 2009.]  *Later I discovered that he lost the popular vote.

The good news---
1.  IF Trump was sincere, the TPP is dead.
2.  The rule of the dictatorial, major political Parties may be over.
3.  A war with Russia is now somewhat less likely...hopefully, much less likely.
4.  If we're lucky, the Clintons are out of politics.
5.  Wall Street is bewildered.

The bad news---
1.  Trump's economic "plan" consists of only two parts:  put the brakes on so-called "Free Trade" deals, and Trickle-Down Economics.  Only the first part of that is good.  The second part doesn't work because of false assumptions.
2.  America's Police State will grow... especially if Giuliani is in the Cabinet.
3.  Crony Capitalism will expand.
4.  The economy will worsen.  First will come the next Financial Crisis... soon.
5.  The Super-Rich will get richer.
6.  The Middle Class will continue to be hollowed out.
7.  The Poor are just plain shafted.
8.  The International Financial Coterie has won... the next Financial Crisis will make them even richer, and increase their Power.
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The Asian Stock Markets already are taking a nosedive:  the Nikkei is down almost 1,000 points; the Hang Seng is down almost 500.  Let's see what happens when the NYSE opens... hopefully, not much.

Good Luck to Us All
Be Well

Why Trump Will Lose...Big Time

Preface
Again, a reminder that I am vehemently against both Clinton and Trump.  Both of them are Corporatists and serve the so-called 1%...the Oligarchy.  [I'm aware that Trump True Believers don't believe that about their man, but they are dead wrong.]  By the way, Corporatism is not Free Market Capitalism.  Corporatism is Crony Capitalism, AKA, Fascism...the perfect marriage of the State to Big Biz.
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In politics, one cannot be 100% certain that any prediction will be accurate.  That's because politics arguably is the most despicable profession in existence; one never knows what sleaziness is going on behind the scenes.  Nevertheless, based on Logic and plain ol' common sense, here's why Trump will be buried at the polls today.  [It's now about 2:40 AM (Mountain Time) on Election Day.]  He has about one chance in a trillion of winning.

1.  The billionaires at the highest levels on Wall Street want Clinton to win; they usually get what they want.

2.  The majorities of the following groups will vote for the Corporatist Clinton, rather than the Corporatist Trump:  Millennials (ages 18-35, 31% of the electorate), Latinos (15% of the electorate), Blacks, all other minorities, college-educated Whites, Women (52% of the electorate), Independents (42% of the electorate), and the Super-Rich.  All of them together make up the overwhelming majority of voters.  Game over.

Trump supporters don't appear to get it--- this election is pretty much a repeat of the Goldwater v. Johnson election in 1964.  I'm intimately familiar with that fiasco.  One of the major differences between the two elections is this:  after his devastating loss, Goldwater went on to become a Senior Statesman... well respected by both Repubs and Dems.  That won't happen with Trump.
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The real winners in this election are the Mega, Globalist Financiers of the world... the Ruling Oligarchy.  The election should have been boycotted on a massive scale.
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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's the REAL Clinton...and Obama

The piece (at the link) below is from Bill Moyers and the publisher of Harper's, John R. MacArthur.  It's almost two years old, so it gives insight into the fact that the Dem Party higher-ups promoted the Corporatists and marginalized the Populists regarding this current election.

Once Madam Pres gets elected, she'll again change her mind about the TPP & be in favor of it...more jobs will evaporate, & more factories will move overseas (most likely to Malaysia and Vietnam).  Count on it.  Low-paying service jobs and part-time and/or temp. positions here will expand.

"Free Trade" Agreements are not primarily about Trade; instead, they're about investments and proprietary agreements.  They enable the hollowing out of the Middle Class in our country.  They overwhelmingly benefit the Oligarchy, not Main Street.  They evaporate American manufacturing and jobs.  Clinton, Obama, Schumer, McConnell, McCain, and many other Corporatist national politicians promote and support them.

This all reminds me of Ross Perot & Al Gore discussing NAFTA---Perot was right on the mark ("All you'll hear is the loud sucking sound of jobs rushing to Mexico..."), and Gore was dead wrong ("NAFTA will create more jobs here").  As predicted by Perot, one million jobs were lost here because of NAFTA.  The TPP will be much worse.

Trump (for other reasons) AND Clinton = disaster for the Lower & Middle Classes in this country.  Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0rA1oCp4_g&list=WL&index=38

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Third "Presidential" Debate, 2016

If this whole situation weren't so tragic, it would be absolutely comical.  The performances of both candidates can be summarized with the following words---

deceit
misdirection
avoidance
pettiness
rudeness
propaganda
elitism
farcical
ridiculous
tragic

These two puppets are supposed to be the best this country has to offer for the highest leadership position in the Land.  Good grief---no matter who wins, we are totally shafted.  With one, we'll get who-knows-what...and craziness.  With the other, we'll get much more Neoliberalism...which is a polite form of craziness, elitism, and economic disaster.  With both, we'll get acceleration of the rush to NeoFeudalism... and probably WAR.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy alternative candidate.  Boycotting is best because the election already is over---whichever candidate is installed into office in January, the International Financial Coterie has won.  SSDD.  All we can do is send a powerful, peaceful, legal message (by boycotting), and then work outside the corrupt system to eliminate elitism-Neoliberalism-Oligarchy and bring about genuine democracy.  STEP ONE is to stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid being promulgated by the State-Corporate-Financial Complex.

This election is the worst political farce I've seen in my entire life...and I was born in 1942.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This & That About the Public and Private Powers-That-Be

1.  Notice how the Corporate Media and the Democratic Party Machine have responded to the leaked transcripts/excerpts of Clinton's highly paid speeches to Mega Bankers and other Mega Corporations:  "Russian hackers did it; they're trying to influence the election here."...little to no discussion of what Hillary said in those speeches.  That's because some of the content of those talks largely contradicts the Propaganda that she's some sort of Populist.  If Hillary Clinton is any kind of Populist, then I'm a Chinese astronaut.  I can see why most likely she was never going to release those transcripts.  The texts/quotes are online; see for yourself.

2.  From the leaked Democratic Party Hierarchy emails, it's now obvious that the Sanders campaign was targeted for destruction by the Corporatist Democrats from the very beginning.  Of course, it was fairly obvious as it unfolded... well before the leaks.  Keep in mind that Party Hierarchies are supposed to be completely neutral regarding Primary candidates.

3.  Trump is complaining that the Corporate Media favor Clinton (which is true), but fails to mention that during the Republican Primaries he was given more exposure to the voters than all the other candidates combined.  That's because his idiocy was a money-maker for them.  The Corporate Head of CBS freely admitted as much.  Candidates such as Rand Paul, because he favored a non-militaristic foreign policy, were given such short shrift by the Media that at times I wondered if he had dropped out of the race... before he did drop out.

4.  The current Administration continues its unconstitutional War in Syria.  Yes, the Assad Regime is brutal and ISIS is brutal---bombing civilians (including children), hospitals, schools, etc.  Here's what the Administration here fails to mention:  the US Gov't-backed, Saudi-led Coalition is doing the same thing in Yemen.  Our Gov't helps by refueling bombers, providing intelligence, and providing weapons.  Obama recently approved a $38 billion military aid package for Saudi Arabia.  Not long ago, a funeral home was bombed in Yemen; dozens & dozens of civilians were killed.  Just before that, a hospital was bombed.  Since the beginning of that war, over 900 children have been killed.  All that because of the Sunni-Shia conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran... and our Govt's "help".  Shame on the highest levels of the US Gov't.

5.  Both public and private, the Powers-That-Be continue to use ISIS as an excuse for US Gov't Hegemony throughout the world.  At the same time, they criticize other major countries (China, Russia, Iran) for wanting to have a big influence in their respective regions.  The US Powers can't stand it when some other country wants to exercise its own hegemony.  Imagine that---some country wants to be influential in its own backyard.  Well, we can't allow that!  [Hypocrisy abounds.]

6.  The Corporate Media here are so desperate to support the lie that our economy is "recovering" that they recently reported on thousands of temporary, holiday season jobs opening up.  You know, the way those jobs open up every holiday season.  This year they're being touted as something really special.  According to the major stores with the openings, 90% of those jobs will be converted to full-time, permanent positions after the holidays.  I seriously doubt that.  It's much more likely that some permanent employees will be laid off after the holiday season.  Our economy is worsening, not getting better... unless you're in the upper 10% or so.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Second Presidential Debate, 2016

Mostly SSDD.

Interrupting each other again, but this time a bit less of that...especially by Clinton.  Both candidates regularly exceeded their response time limits, and did so while talking over the moderators' pleas to stop.  The same amount of personal sniping at each other was present...of little to no interest to us, and completely unprofessional.  A tiny bit more discussion of the issues, but that primarily was due to audience questions.

Here's what was glaringly obvious in this debate:  national politicians are masters at either avoiding the question, or answering in such generalities as to make the answer essentially meaningless.  Both Clinton and Trump did that over and over and over.

So, we had a debate set up by a private corporation (the Commission on Presidential Debates), moderated by reps from mega corporations, with two candidates who are Corporatists.  Oh, for the days of the League of Women Voters running the show.  What we have now is a farce.

Clinton's biggest misstep probably was her handling of the question concerning her leaked, taped statement of awhile back that went something like this (paraphrased):  At times, a politician has to have a public stance and a private stance.  [In other words, politicians have to be two-faced.]  This, of course, is pretty much true; that's one reason politicians are despicable.  Hillary's answer to that question was revealing (paraphrased):  Um...[hem-haw], I believe I was talking about Abraham Lincoln [hem-haw]...um...etc.  She then very quickly changed the subject.  I gauge the probability of that answer being an outright lie at about 90-95%.

Trump's biggest misstep probably was that, except for slashing taxes & eliminating regulations, he rarely ever says HOW he's going to accomplish this, that, or the other.  Slashing taxes and eliminating regs has been tried...more than once.  It didn't work; it only made the rich into the Super-Rich.  The trouble with Trickle-Down economics is that it assumes Big Biz will invest in USA manufacturing, new ventures, new products, etc.---all requiring new employees---instead of investing in foreign currencies, foreign bonds, foreign factories, bizarre financial derivatives, etc., or simply socking the extra money away somewhere offshore...all of which require no employees.

Right after WW II through the 1950's and into the very early 1960's was the greatest period of prosperity ever known in this country.  It was known as the Golden Age of [American] Capitalism.  During that time of tremendous economic expansion, corporations were taxed at a 90% rate.  They now pay (if at all) a 35% rate; Trump wants to lower it to 15%.

As to war, both candidates favor different versions of it.

There was no discussion, or sometimes no significant discussion, about:  the gutting of the Middle Class, the coup of Financialization, the Recession in which we find ourselves, the various economic/financial Bubbles ongoing, Climate Change, the ongoing one trillion dollar Fed Gov't nuclear weapons program, our current Police/Surveillance State, the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, the failed War on Drugs, Crony Capitalism, USA Hegemony, and a few other significant issues.

For the most part, the candidates squabbled about the past, sniped at each other, and had very little to say (except for broad generalities) about the future.  According to the corporate moderators and the Corporatist Trump & Clinton, the most pressing issues facing the country apparently are:  Trump's comments about women, Trump's taxes, Clinton's emails, Bill Clinton's marital affairs, and other such trivia.  Talk about distraction from what's really important...good grief!

Neither one of these candidates should be President of the USA.  Both are shills for Corporatism and the Globalist Oligarchy.

The Kabuki Theater continues...on & on.  Wall Street and the CRONY Capitalists are the Directors.  Carroll Quigley's International Financial Coterie is the Academy.  The Oligarchs already have won the election.  Our best hope for avoiding the fairly imminent NeoFeudalism that's coming and the continued hollowing out of the Middle Class is peaceful, direct action outside the Rotten System...such as boycotting the election, or (if you must) voting for a worthy alternative candidate.  On a massive scale, either of those actions would send a powerful message.  Unfortunately, because of unending Edward Bernays style Propaganda, I don't see either of those things happening this year; but, one always can dream.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Once Again: Trump is Trumped by Trump

Here's my latest email to family and friends---
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RE:  tonight's news---

The man's mouth again reassures me that my prediction is correct:  barring extreme unforeseen circumstances, the Don will be slaughtered in the upcoming election.  Too bad that Clinton is a rich, two-faced Corporatist...much like Trump.  That's about his only hope, however slim, of winning.  Wall Street prefers Clinton; and it looks like they're going to get her.  Whichever one wins, we lose.
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The Kabuki Theater continues.

Boycott the election, or vote for a worthy "Third Party" candidate.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Carroll Quigley on the Major Political Parties

"The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers."  Carroll Quigley

Carroll Quigley. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2016. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/carroll_quigley.html, accessed September 18, 2016.

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It's astounding to me that today many people still think there are significant differences between the Democrats and Republicans...especially regarding the economy, finance, mega banking, foreign policy, USA hegemony, Corporatism, Gov't deficit spending, the trashing of the Constitution, Orwellian policies, and war.  American history, particularly in the last 26 years, proves otherwise.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Democratic & Republican Hierarchies FEAR Third Parties

Evidence of the truth of the title above can be found in the refusal to allow any Third Parties to participate in the upcoming Presidential Debates.  That refusal is the policy of the private corporation that manages the debates.  Republican & Democratic "aristocrats" run that corporation.  Evidence also can be found in harsh Ballot-Access Laws put in place by Dems & Repubs.

What are they afraid of...why do they fear Third Party participation?  It's simple:  Third Parties primarily talk about significant issues instead of personalities.  The very last things that elite Dems & Repubs want to talk about are the issues.  Look at the current campaign.  Except for a few Hot-Button social issues, the candidates of the Repub-Dem Party mostly talk about how horrible is each one's opponent.  Major issues either are not mentioned, or glossed over in a cursory way.  Neither candidate talks in depth about our controversial military adventures overseas, or our failing economy, or our support of dictators in various parts of the world, or our crumbling infrastructure at home, or the failed "War on Drugs", or the broken Fed Criminal Justice System, or the Israeli-Palestinian problem (& our part in it), or Climate Change, or the fact that for 2-3 decades wages have been stagnant while the incomes of the Super-Rich increased 700%, or the trashing of the Fourth Amendment, or Legislative Absolutism, or Executive Absolutism, or the Fed's failed Monetary Policy, or the WTO problem, or the TPP problem, or the Trans-Atlantic Trade Agreement problem (the acronym once was TATA, but they keep changing the name of that Agreement...I don't know what it is currently), or the Eminent Domain problem, or the Money/Debt Bubble problem, or the Wall Street Mega Bank Casino Capitalism problem, or Crony Capitalism in general, or the $1.5 quadrillion Derivatives Bubble problem...and on & on.

Noam Chomsky is right when he states that major political candidates are marketed just like toothpaste--- the objective is to get uninformed consumers/voters to make irrational choices about vaguely-described products/candidates.  [I refer you especially to Obama's 2008 Campaign...he won a top marketing award from the Ad Industry for that Hope-Change-Yes-We-Can effort.]  The last thing the Powers-That-Be want is for voters to be informed on the issues and thus make rational choices about candidates whose positions on issues are described in depth.  The second-to-the-last-thing they want is to have Third Party candidates who concentrate on the issues get on the ballot in all 50 States and speak in debates watched by millions of Americans.

There is no true, participatory democracy in the USA; there is, however, a Rigged System.  Boycott the national elections...or at the very least, vote for a worthy Third Party candidate.  Dump the Repub-Dem Party.  [As the Pulitzer-Prize-Winning journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out on Democracy Now today, the Clinton Dem Party is to the Right of Dubya Bush regarding Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank.  There really is only one major Party in this Land.]

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"A Fraud...Upon the American People"

I remember well the days when the League of Women Voters, a totally nonpartisan group, was in charge of moderating Presidential Debates in this country.  That was in the 1970's and 1980's.  At the end of the League's stint, the Repubs & Dems rejected about 80 proposed questioners for the debate...as well as numerous tough questions.  Later, the Republicrats came up with a nontransparent contract sanitizing the debate, saying who should be in the audience, and determining the exact questions that would be allowed.  The League resigned with this statement:  "A fraud is being perpetrated upon the American People.".

That's how we wound up with a private corporation run by the Dems & Repubs, the Commission on Presidential Debates, being in charge of the debates.  The word "Commission" makes it sound as though it's some sort of public, representative, all-encompassing entity.  It isn't...not by a long shot.  This private company determines who is allowed to debate, who will moderate the event, what questions will be allowed, and who is allowed in the audience.  This is rigging to the Nth degree.

At least the top three "Third Parties" should be allowed to participate in the upcoming debates...regardless of any percentage in polls.  Why not?  Isn't that democracy in action?  If the Republicrats claim that there isn't enough time for that amount of participation, that's pure hogwash.  Look at how many candidates were in the Primary Debates.  Four, five, or even six candidates wouldn't hinder anything in the major Presidential Debates.  Quite the opposite:  such a scenario would enhance the choices for the electorate.  The fact is:  without being in those debates, a candidate has little to no chance to garner votes.  That's how the monopoly eliminates its competition.

[See the first featured segment on today's broadcast of Democracy Now, Thursday, August 18, 2016.  Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and others have something important to say.]

A private corporation should not be allowed to have complete control over those debates.  That's not democracy...that's Soft Fascism.

Okay, you're all excited about politics.  In this Rigged System I can't imagine why, but good for you.  Now, why not insist that Oligarchical control be relinquished, and instead, genuine participatory democracy be instituted?  Why not?  Habit?  Break out of the box.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well