A political earthquake rattled Washington recently when President Trump brokered a deal with Democrat Party leaders. Republicans in Congress shrieked in horror. "Betrayal," they brayed to the television cameras. These imposters had nothing to complain about. They are the traitors.
Since Mr. Trump's inauguration, Republican leaders Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Mitch McConnell have stonewalled the president's agenda at every turn. To add insult to their recalcitrance they have criticized Mr. Trump on every issue from his use of social media to his town rallies.
Their behavior underscores the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats take care of their own. Party leaders marshal their soldiers to support their president. Republicans eat their own. They desert their party's occupant in the Oval Office at the first sniff of controversy.
Just ask George W. Bush. Or Ronald Reagan, who is lionized today by Republicans but was buffeted by the GOP on many issues. President Reagan quickly extended a hand to Democrats and discovered willing allies. This Republican Death Wish is hard to swallow for the party's legion of voters.
Remember when the House impeached President Clinton? Every single Democrat lined up in support of their flawed leader. On the other hand, a tweet can land President Trump in hot water with Mitch or Paul. Republicans are too eager to curry media favor and establishment fawning.
Mr. Trump schooled Republicans that ignoring his agenda comes with a price. The president will link arms with Democrats if that's what it takes to achieve legislative progress. He understands keeping his promises with his political base is more important than party fealty.
Hypocrite Republicans pilloried Mr. Trump after the Democrat-supported deal to avoid a government shutdown, raise the debt ceiling and provide emergency hurricane funding. These same detractors failed to repeal and replace Obamacare after seven years of promises. They are the turncoats.
This disgraceful performance has earned them the scorn of Republican voters. A recent Gallup Poll showed that Republican voter approval of Congress is below water at 18 percent. In the same poll, GOP voters gave Congress a thumbs up 50 percent approval in February.
All voters, both Republican and Democrat, surveyed by Gallup gave Congress a 16 percent approval rating. Despite the polling data, Republicans appear to be blissfully ignoring the rising tide of vote anger. They are wasting a golden opportunity while controlling two branches of government.
The spineless duo of Mitch and Ryan have failed to come to grips with the message of millions who cast ballots for Mr. Trump. Voters, especially Republicans and independents, want disruptive change. They are fatigued with Washington's business-as-usual political gamesmanship.
Republican voters want more than a few niggling changes to Obamacare. They want it erased from history. They want a border wall. They don't give a wit about how Congress gets the funding. They want tax reform. Lowering a few rates won't satisfy them. They are demanding sweeping change.
Mitch and Ryan are from the old school of Republican establishment politics. Nothing big ever gets done until the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the big donors are in agreement. Those days are gone. Too many Republicans and Democrats haven't read the voters' memo.
Whatever his imperfections, Mr. Trump did not stroll in the Oval Office to occupy space. His passion is action, getting things done. You can disagree with his methods, his brusqueness or his non-traditional presidential style, but America has a president that wants action on important issues.
If his party's weak-kneed Republican leadership and their sycophant sheep are intent on obstruction, then they had better get used to being snubbed by the president.
Monday, September 25, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
DACA: Media Deporting The Truth
The national debate over so-called 'Dreamers' has been hijacked by big media. Instead of facts, the dishonest media establishment has dished up heaping helpings of half-truths, scare-mongering and deliberate distortions in an attempt to emotionally blackmail Americans.
The usual suspects in the fake news business are ginning up outrage by suggesting that brown-shirted immigration agents soon will be storming schools, snatching kids and herding them in cattle cars while their parents wail in horror. It would be humorous if so many people weren't fooled.
The news coverage represents a new low even as Americans' trust of the media has skidded to historic troughs. Nearly everything being reported about President Trump's recension of the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has been lacking in context and truthfulness.
In 2012, President Obama signed an executive action allowing illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. before age 16 an opportunity to remain in the country to study or work. Those approved for the program were handed a work permit and protection from deportation for two years.
Even before he inked the order, Mr. Obama on several occasions had claimed it was unconstitutional for the president to act on immigration without Congressional approval. Yet he did it anyway. Most constitutional scholars agree Mr. Obama had no authority to unilaterally create immigration law.
After the Obama decree, what began as a trickle of DACA applicants soon turned into a roaring river. As of March of this year, the government had received 936,394 requests for Dreamer status and approved 886,814 since 2012. Of that number, 1,056 have become U.S. citizens.
The statistics cited above were gleaned from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Mr. Trump's action triggered a media propaganda blitzkrieg which showcased smart college aged immigrants who had taken advantage of DACA to further their education. But college graduates are a minority of the Dreamer population.
The Bipartisan Policy Center reports the average age of a DACA beneficiary is 25, a far cry from the media image of a struggling teenager. A Harvard study found less than 20 percent of Dreamers had graduated from college. Since 2013, some 2,139 recipients forfeited their benefits because of crimes.
Mr. Obama's open-ended edict also has been abused. DACA immigrants can renew their work permits and deportation protection every two years. Since 2012, about 800,000 renewals have been issued, according to Pew Research's review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
DACA was never intended to be a permanent ticket to remain in the United States. In fact, in 2012 after stamping the executive order, Mr. Obama made it clear that DACA "is not a path to citizenship." That point has been trampled in the media-manufactured hysteria over deportation.
In an attempt to sway Americans, the media has dredged up photos of children riding trains through Mexico to reach our border in an attempt to escape violence and drugs in Central America. That picture is at odds with the facts. More than 78 percent of DACA applicants are from Mexico.
Liberal lawmakers and the media have featured Karen Caudillo as a poster child for DACA's benefits. In a tearful interview near the Capitol, she told reporters: "I have been fighting so long to be able to sustain myself, to go to school, to be productive." It was compelling television. It was also a fraud.
Turns out the 21-year old Ms. Caudillo owns a cleaning company, is allegedly registered to vote, cast a ballot and made political campaign contributions. She also claims to attend college. Very heady stuff for someone who is not even a citizen of the United States. And potentially very illegal.
Mr. Trump has taken the right path in ending DACA. As any fourth grader knows, Congress makes the laws and therefore must tackle the thorny issue. This is where the matter should be resolved. Democrats had their chance when they controlled all three branches of government but punted.
Now the current do-nothing Congress must prove it can produce legislation. Any legislation. Their challenge will be to avoid being compromised by the media's drumbeat of sob stories and manipulated data. But then no one has ever accused of Congress of sticking to the facts.
The usual suspects in the fake news business are ginning up outrage by suggesting that brown-shirted immigration agents soon will be storming schools, snatching kids and herding them in cattle cars while their parents wail in horror. It would be humorous if so many people weren't fooled.
The news coverage represents a new low even as Americans' trust of the media has skidded to historic troughs. Nearly everything being reported about President Trump's recension of the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has been lacking in context and truthfulness.
In 2012, President Obama signed an executive action allowing illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. before age 16 an opportunity to remain in the country to study or work. Those approved for the program were handed a work permit and protection from deportation for two years.
Even before he inked the order, Mr. Obama on several occasions had claimed it was unconstitutional for the president to act on immigration without Congressional approval. Yet he did it anyway. Most constitutional scholars agree Mr. Obama had no authority to unilaterally create immigration law.
After the Obama decree, what began as a trickle of DACA applicants soon turned into a roaring river. As of March of this year, the government had received 936,394 requests for Dreamer status and approved 886,814 since 2012. Of that number, 1,056 have become U.S. citizens.
The statistics cited above were gleaned from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Mr. Trump's action triggered a media propaganda blitzkrieg which showcased smart college aged immigrants who had taken advantage of DACA to further their education. But college graduates are a minority of the Dreamer population.
The Bipartisan Policy Center reports the average age of a DACA beneficiary is 25, a far cry from the media image of a struggling teenager. A Harvard study found less than 20 percent of Dreamers had graduated from college. Since 2013, some 2,139 recipients forfeited their benefits because of crimes.
Mr. Obama's open-ended edict also has been abused. DACA immigrants can renew their work permits and deportation protection every two years. Since 2012, about 800,000 renewals have been issued, according to Pew Research's review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
DACA was never intended to be a permanent ticket to remain in the United States. In fact, in 2012 after stamping the executive order, Mr. Obama made it clear that DACA "is not a path to citizenship." That point has been trampled in the media-manufactured hysteria over deportation.
In an attempt to sway Americans, the media has dredged up photos of children riding trains through Mexico to reach our border in an attempt to escape violence and drugs in Central America. That picture is at odds with the facts. More than 78 percent of DACA applicants are from Mexico.
Liberal lawmakers and the media have featured Karen Caudillo as a poster child for DACA's benefits. In a tearful interview near the Capitol, she told reporters: "I have been fighting so long to be able to sustain myself, to go to school, to be productive." It was compelling television. It was also a fraud.
Turns out the 21-year old Ms. Caudillo owns a cleaning company, is allegedly registered to vote, cast a ballot and made political campaign contributions. She also claims to attend college. Very heady stuff for someone who is not even a citizen of the United States. And potentially very illegal.
Mr. Trump has taken the right path in ending DACA. As any fourth grader knows, Congress makes the laws and therefore must tackle the thorny issue. This is where the matter should be resolved. Democrats had their chance when they controlled all three branches of government but punted.
Now the current do-nothing Congress must prove it can produce legislation. Any legislation. Their challenge will be to avoid being compromised by the media's drumbeat of sob stories and manipulated data. But then no one has ever accused of Congress of sticking to the facts.
Monday, September 11, 2017
Hurricane Harvey: Americans Shine In Crisis
A disaster of epic proportions on the Texas Gulf Coast served to remind us what makes America great. Ordinary folks in Texas and across the nation joined together in heroic fashion to respond to the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey. This is the America the world knows and admires.
Millions watched the heartbreaking scenes unfurl on television as more than 12 trillion gallons of rain fell in the Houston area. Flood waters swamped homes and businesses. People lost their cars, their homes and all their possessions. Rebuilding costs are expected to far exceed $100 billion.
But you can't put a price tag on human life. At least 70 people died in the horrific aftermath of the hurricane. But the toll could have been much higher if not for the heroism of first responders and ordinary citizens, who unselfishly risked their lives to save others.
A Harris County Deputy Sheriff carried two children, one in each arm, as he waded through waist-high murky brown water to take them to safety. Houston SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck reached a 13-month-old boy and his mom in the nick-of-time as water gushed through their home.
The Cajun Navy, a rag-tag band of good Samaritans from neighboring Louisiana, arrived in the city's darkest hour with a flotilla of small watercraft to assist with evacuations. This citizen armada rescued hundreds in driving rain and gusty wind conditions ignoring their own safety.
The volunteers went neighbor-by-neighborhood in their hunting and fishing boats plucking Houstonians from their water-logged homes. Louisiana's governor threw in with his citizens, dispatching search-and-rescue teams from the state's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Other states joined in the effort as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, now attached to the Department of Homeland Security. Coast Guard helicopters hovered over flooded homes and businesses, rescuing dozens of citizens from rooftops and second stories. The dramatic rescues captured the nation.
Ordinary Joe's unattached to any organization just showed up with their boats and high-water trucks. An African-American man told television reporters he was "gonna try to save some lives." He ignored the danger of flood waters to help stranded homeowners and drivers stuck in their vehicles.
David and Lizzie Cue opened their home to a couple and their children after the flood waters claimed the family's residence in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods. Mary and Robert Hall welcomed Houston relatives who were victimized by the flood even as surging waters threatened their home.
Churches, schools and even some businesses took in thousands of displaced Houstonians whose homes were no longer habitable. A mattress and furniture businessman dispatched his delivery trucks to pick up storm stragglers. He allowed the victims to sleep in his two stores and fed them, too.
This was America at its finest. Neighbors helping neighbors. Strangers extending a hand to those in dire need. Race didn't matter. Neither did ethnicity nor immigration status. In these tense moments, no fights broke out. No one called another person a hateful name.
What happened in Houston stands in stark contrast to the ugly confrontation in Charolettesville more than a month ago. There evil hooligans engaged in fisticuffs after protests turned violent. The thugs represented an infinitesimal minority of Americans, but you wouldn't know it by the media coverage.
This is why no one trusts the news media. Reporters and editors are always looking for the worst in America to serve up on the evening news. But that isn't the real America. Houston proved once again that the overwhelming majority of Americans are giving, loving, caring people.
That may be news to the media but not to everyday Americans.
Millions watched the heartbreaking scenes unfurl on television as more than 12 trillion gallons of rain fell in the Houston area. Flood waters swamped homes and businesses. People lost their cars, their homes and all their possessions. Rebuilding costs are expected to far exceed $100 billion.
But you can't put a price tag on human life. At least 70 people died in the horrific aftermath of the hurricane. But the toll could have been much higher if not for the heroism of first responders and ordinary citizens, who unselfishly risked their lives to save others.
A Harris County Deputy Sheriff carried two children, one in each arm, as he waded through waist-high murky brown water to take them to safety. Houston SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck reached a 13-month-old boy and his mom in the nick-of-time as water gushed through their home.
The Cajun Navy, a rag-tag band of good Samaritans from neighboring Louisiana, arrived in the city's darkest hour with a flotilla of small watercraft to assist with evacuations. This citizen armada rescued hundreds in driving rain and gusty wind conditions ignoring their own safety.
The volunteers went neighbor-by-neighborhood in their hunting and fishing boats plucking Houstonians from their water-logged homes. Louisiana's governor threw in with his citizens, dispatching search-and-rescue teams from the state's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Other states joined in the effort as well as the U.S. Coast Guard, now attached to the Department of Homeland Security. Coast Guard helicopters hovered over flooded homes and businesses, rescuing dozens of citizens from rooftops and second stories. The dramatic rescues captured the nation.
Ordinary Joe's unattached to any organization just showed up with their boats and high-water trucks. An African-American man told television reporters he was "gonna try to save some lives." He ignored the danger of flood waters to help stranded homeowners and drivers stuck in their vehicles.
David and Lizzie Cue opened their home to a couple and their children after the flood waters claimed the family's residence in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods. Mary and Robert Hall welcomed Houston relatives who were victimized by the flood even as surging waters threatened their home.
Churches, schools and even some businesses took in thousands of displaced Houstonians whose homes were no longer habitable. A mattress and furniture businessman dispatched his delivery trucks to pick up storm stragglers. He allowed the victims to sleep in his two stores and fed them, too.
This was America at its finest. Neighbors helping neighbors. Strangers extending a hand to those in dire need. Race didn't matter. Neither did ethnicity nor immigration status. In these tense moments, no fights broke out. No one called another person a hateful name.
What happened in Houston stands in stark contrast to the ugly confrontation in Charolettesville more than a month ago. There evil hooligans engaged in fisticuffs after protests turned violent. The thugs represented an infinitesimal minority of Americans, but you wouldn't know it by the media coverage.
This is why no one trusts the news media. Reporters and editors are always looking for the worst in America to serve up on the evening news. But that isn't the real America. Houston proved once again that the overwhelming majority of Americans are giving, loving, caring people.
That may be news to the media but not to everyday Americans.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Union Membership Shrinks As Political Clout Grows
Labor Day was established as a national holiday in 1894 to officially "honor the social and economic achievements of American workers." Labor unions mounted the campaign for an annual celebration to showcase their influence and to recruit and retain members. The strategy hasn't worked.
Union membership has steadily dwindled since 1983 when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began an official tally. Thirty-four years ago 20.1 percent of all wage and salary earners in the country belonged to a union. At the end of last year, union representation had dipped to 10.7 percent.
In 2016, there were 14.6 million union workers, a steep plunge from 17.7 million in 1983. Most of the members (34.4%) were represented by public sector unions at the end of last year. Their membership rate was five times higher than the private sector (6.4%).
One of the largest and most powerful unions is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with a membership of 1.52 million. AFT has an annual budget of more than $329 million and has reported assets of $106 million. Overhead and political lobbying account for nearly 22% of its spending.
Those figures were obtained from the Office of Labor-Management Standards, which requires unions to file annual reports with the group.
The teachers union wields enormous political clout. AFT flexed its muscles in the 2016 presidential election, dishing out a striking $32.85 million to candidates. Every single dollar found its way into the election coffers of Democrats. Not even a penny was donated to Republicans.
This is a predominant theme repeated throughout today's unions. The organizations have become nothing more than a fund-raising arm for the Democratic Party. A review of the Federal Election Records reveals that nearly every dollar the big unions pored into elections went to Democrats.
While the teachers spent the heaviest amount, not far behind was the Laborers' International Union of North America (LINUA), which represents primarily construction workers. LIUNA funneled $25.9 million during the 2016 election cycle to an overwhelming majority of Democrats (98%).
The AFL-CIO, American Federal of State/County/Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Operator Engineers Union combined to contribute more than $42 million, the lion's share landing in the pockets of Democrat candidates. AFSCME donated 100% to Democrats.
Yet Democrats always grumble about the notorious Koch Brothers' deep-pocketed giving to Republicans. All the unions mentioned above each shelled out more than the Koch's did. Is this a case where Democrats better represent union members? Does that explain the lopsidedness?
Not according to the actual vote of union members. Surveys show for example that 20 percent of teachers union members cast their ballots for Donald Trump. Among all union households, Mr. Trump carried 43 percent of the votes, compared to 51 percent for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
This should make it clear that the unions' largess for Democrats has little or no relationship to the political views of their members. It is a scandal that union bosses continue to ignore their members, while using dues from their paychecks to support Democrats.
The rank-and-file in powerful unions are held captive by their organization's bosses, who are more interested in burnishing their own political influence. Workers have no voice in the choices the union makes in terms of its political activity. It is time members were consulted.
Fifty years ago there were legitimate worker issues for unions to address concerning hours, wages and benefits. Labor unions were champions of worker rights. Today they have evolved into nothing more than political organizations. Contract negotiations and bargaining are afterthoughts.
In light of this development, labor unions should be required to register as an arm of the Democratic Party since their primary function appears to be funding that organization's candidates.
Union membership has steadily dwindled since 1983 when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began an official tally. Thirty-four years ago 20.1 percent of all wage and salary earners in the country belonged to a union. At the end of last year, union representation had dipped to 10.7 percent.
In 2016, there were 14.6 million union workers, a steep plunge from 17.7 million in 1983. Most of the members (34.4%) were represented by public sector unions at the end of last year. Their membership rate was five times higher than the private sector (6.4%).
One of the largest and most powerful unions is the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) with a membership of 1.52 million. AFT has an annual budget of more than $329 million and has reported assets of $106 million. Overhead and political lobbying account for nearly 22% of its spending.
Those figures were obtained from the Office of Labor-Management Standards, which requires unions to file annual reports with the group.
The teachers union wields enormous political clout. AFT flexed its muscles in the 2016 presidential election, dishing out a striking $32.85 million to candidates. Every single dollar found its way into the election coffers of Democrats. Not even a penny was donated to Republicans.
This is a predominant theme repeated throughout today's unions. The organizations have become nothing more than a fund-raising arm for the Democratic Party. A review of the Federal Election Records reveals that nearly every dollar the big unions pored into elections went to Democrats.
While the teachers spent the heaviest amount, not far behind was the Laborers' International Union of North America (LINUA), which represents primarily construction workers. LIUNA funneled $25.9 million during the 2016 election cycle to an overwhelming majority of Democrats (98%).
The AFL-CIO, American Federal of State/County/Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Operator Engineers Union combined to contribute more than $42 million, the lion's share landing in the pockets of Democrat candidates. AFSCME donated 100% to Democrats.
Yet Democrats always grumble about the notorious Koch Brothers' deep-pocketed giving to Republicans. All the unions mentioned above each shelled out more than the Koch's did. Is this a case where Democrats better represent union members? Does that explain the lopsidedness?
Not according to the actual vote of union members. Surveys show for example that 20 percent of teachers union members cast their ballots for Donald Trump. Among all union households, Mr. Trump carried 43 percent of the votes, compared to 51 percent for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
This should make it clear that the unions' largess for Democrats has little or no relationship to the political views of their members. It is a scandal that union bosses continue to ignore their members, while using dues from their paychecks to support Democrats.
The rank-and-file in powerful unions are held captive by their organization's bosses, who are more interested in burnishing their own political influence. Workers have no voice in the choices the union makes in terms of its political activity. It is time members were consulted.
Fifty years ago there were legitimate worker issues for unions to address concerning hours, wages and benefits. Labor unions were champions of worker rights. Today they have evolved into nothing more than political organizations. Contract negotiations and bargaining are afterthoughts.
In light of this development, labor unions should be required to register as an arm of the Democratic Party since their primary function appears to be funding that organization's candidates.
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