Fleecing the Sheeple

 Posted by at 12:31 pm  Politics
Jan 092019
 

Last night I watched Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten give his Oval Office speech.  The effect was extreme.  I filled all my barf bags, my trash cans, my pocket, and George, my artificial leg.  I was expecting him to declare a state of emergency.  He did not.  He regurgitated the same old tired lies.  I wondered what the point was until later.  Then I discovered what he was up to.  He was fleecing the sheeple.

President Trump doubled down on one of the biggest gambles of his presidency on Tuesday night with a televised appeal to pressure Congress into paying for his long-promised border wall, even at the cost of leaving the government partly closed until lawmakers give in.

Embarking on a strategy that he himself privately disparaged as unlikely to work, Mr. Trump devoted the first prime-time Oval Office address of his presidency to his proposed barrier in hopes of enlisting public support in an ideological and political conflict that has shut the doors of many federal agencies for 18 days.

In a nine-minute speech that made no new arguments but included multiple misleading assertions, the president sought to recast the situation at the Mexican border as a “humanitarian crisis” and opted against declaring a national emergency to bypass Congress, which he had threatened to do, at least for now. But he excoriated Democrats for blocking the wall, accusing them of hypocrisy and exposing the country to criminal immigrants.

[Read our fact checks of Mr. Trump’s speech.]…  [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

Here is the complete list of everything valid, honest, or even decent Trump said:

[end of list]

If you wish to watch it, click here.  I did not include the video out of care for you.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Here is the response by Pelosi and Schumer.

They did a fair job of debunking Trump, but in addition to explaining why Trump is wrong, they should have explained how Democrats word provide border security without the wall.

Rachel Maddow added good analysis.

Why didn’t Pelosi or Schumer say that native born Americans commit crimes at a higher rate than undocumented immigrants?

But it was Lawrence O’Donnell that, in addition to providing more analysis, showed us that sheeple fleecing was Trump’s real goal.

And if he does not run in 2020,he gets to keep the money.

If you are one of the Republicans, who was stupid enough to donate to the so-called "Secure the Border Fund", bend over, grab your ankles, and say…

BAAA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!

RESIST!!

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Jan 092019
 

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox.  I’m feeling a bit queasy, because I watched the speech last night.  I’m waiting for Store to Door to deliver my groceries.  WWWendy comes this evening.  Before we destink the TomCat, we’re going to lower my ears.  I woke up at Midnight and could not go back to sleep.  Groceries are now put away.  Happy Hump day to all.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:10 (average 5:05).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rips Trump For Systematic Attack On Immigrants

 

In theory, this segment wasn’t about Trump’s speech, she rebutted it more effectively than Pelosi and Schumer. RESIST!!

From Daily Kos: How can you tell when Mike Pence looks ashen? Does his complexion change 10,000 shades of white, all the way from ecru to ivory to eggshell to scared-shitless-Mike-Pence*?

Regardless, he sure doesn’t look comfortable here as he swears in a bisexual woman who’s opted to take her oath with her hand on a law book. (I suppose the only way this could have been worse for him is if she’d brought her own table and bowl of pasta and forced him to sit down to dinner.)

0109PenceSinema

Oh my! Does that hateful, pseudo-Christian homophobe look like he just ate a bad clam or what! RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: MSNBC will preëmpt Donald Trump’s national address on Tuesday night by airing Barack Obama’s keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, network officials have confirmed.

Harland Dorrinson, an MSNBC spokesperson, said that the network elected to air the Obama speech “in order to best serve our audience.”

“Based on the data gathered by our research department, the number of MSNBC viewers who were planning to watch the Trump speech was approximately zero,” Dorrinson said. “This seemed like a better way to go.”

Dang Andy! I sure wish they had! RESIST!!

Cartoon:

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Hate on Our Media?

 Posted by at 12:49 pm  Politics
Jan 082019
 

This evening Donald Trump, Grand Dragon of the Russian Chapter of the KKK, second only to Grand Wizard Putin [R-RU], plans to don his hood and robes to spew a message of hatred and racism against Latinos here without documentation or trying to enter the US, legally or otherwise.  The major Broadcast TV and Cable networks should not give him free air time for the propaganda of hate.

0108Trump

They had an extended discussion on Morning Joe today about the network decision to show Trump’s phony “border crisis” address in prime time tonight.

“Gene, let me ask you, if they didn’t run Barack Obama’s address on immigration in 2014 because they thought it was too political, what in the world would be their justification for running it tonight when they know that objectively, by the numbers, by the data, Donald Trump is going to go on TV tonight and he is going to lie about an imaginary crisis at the southern border?” Joe Scarborough said.

“Well, you know, there’s no objective good reason to do it, but I imagine they felt cornered. You know, he — the way he demonizes the media. If they refuse it’s going to be ‘see, they’re all biased, it’s all fake news, they won’t even carry, you know, an address, i’m the president wanting to speak to the nation,’ ” Eugene Robinson said… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

I agree with Willie.  Trump and his minions will attack authentic news sources whether or not they cover Trump’s hateful lies.  They should not do it.

RESIST!!

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Jan 082019
 

It’s another busy day here in the CatBox.  Anne from CCC and I are going to look at an apartment a week from Thursday.  I had to update some paperwork for the application and get a HOP card (TriMet’s Replacement for bus passes) mailed to me.  I’m not sure why, but I slept poorly last night, so I’m feeling quite tired.  Only 6 suspected terrorists were stopped the Mexican border during the first half of 2018.  41 were stopped at the Canadian border.  Build that northern wall! 😉

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:42 (average 4:35).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Parody Project Channel): 24 MONTHS OF TRUMP’S MESS – SEQUEL to 12 MONTHS of TRUMP’S MESS

 

Don, you’re still spot on in every way, but when are you going to sing about the LAST month of Trump’s mess? RESIST!!

From You Tube (Robert Reich Channel): Robert Reich: The Big Economic Switcheroo

 

The Reich on the left is right. Why not tax the Republican Reich’s 0.1% at 95% on such rip-off money. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In an unexpected breakthrough that could end the government shutdown, President Donald Trump has backed down from his demand for a wall and offered instead to post Vice-President Mike Pence at the border with big binoculars.

According to the White House, Pence’s mission at the border will alternate between keeping an eye out for potential intruders and glaring menacingly into the distance.

At a press conference announcing the development, Pence appeared to embrace his new role as the nation’s first line of defense against illegal immigration.

Dang Andy! If any Latinos try to get past Pence, he’ll preach at them that Republican Supply-side Jesus hates mud people! RESIST!!

Cartoon:

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Jan 072019
 

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve told you I favor single payer health care, I could take my place with the 0.1% and sniff my imported catnip and lap my sweet Italian cream from jewel-studded golden saucers.  I’m sure we aren’t about to get it.  However, we are going to hold hearings about it in Congress.  The last time that happened was 70 years ago.

0107health_care_human_right

The debate about Medicare for All is about to get more serious ― and more complicated.

The idea of creating a single national health insurance program for all Americans has been a big topic of political conversation since 2016, when Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) touted it during his Democratic presidential campaign. But Medicare for All couldn’t be anything more than a rallying cry as long as Republicans controlled the levers of power in Washington.

Political circumstances are different now. Democrats hold the House majority and, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office confirmed to The Washington Post on Thursday, at least two committees will hold hearings on Medicare for All this year. Exactly what those hearings will entail isn’t clear ― Democratic leaders aren’t saying ― but one focus will be a bill that Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) plans to introduce in the next few weeks.

Jayapal is a leader of a Medicare for All House caucus that had 78 members as of late November and, with an infusion of newly elected Democrats, should soon have more. The new bill will be similar to one she co-sponsored in the last Congress, which in turn was similar to a bill Sanders introduced in the Senate.

Jayapal has said she hopes a version will get a floor vote, although that seems a long ways off. The committees taking up the proposal initially aren’t actually the ones that would write a health care bill. Even so, the hearings could represent the most serious attention the concept has received on Capitol Hill since the late 1940s, when committees took up then-President Harry Truman’s similarly designed, but ill-fated national health insurance proposal…

Inserted from <Huffington Post>

A little over a year ago, Chuck Todd attack-interviewed my Senator, Jeff Merkley [D-OR].  Here’s the video:

To answer Todd’s objection that the plan would cost $3 – 4 billion per year with no way to pay for it, the US currently spends $3.3 trillion per year on health care.  75% is on insurance.  Americans would spend $2.5 trillion less on premiums, more than enough to cover the $4 billion.

As Jeff explained, Medicare for all is only a partial description for whatever single payer plan we adopt.  To get decent health care now, a Medicare beneficiary has to get either separate Medicare supplement and prescription drug policies, or a Medicare Advantage Plan.   The drug policies are pretty bad.  On non-generics, the prescription co-pays cost than I would pay for the same drug in a foreign pharmacy.  And the donut hole is horrid.  Since September, I have paid over $1000 per month.  That needs to be fixed

We are a long way from finding the right plan and implementing it.  However, unless we start talking about it in Congress, we’ll never get there.  This is a good step.

RESIST!!

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Jan 072019
 

Once again, it’s a busy day here in the CatBox.  Monday almost always is, as the weekends tend to be somewhat slow for news.  Finding stories for you takes more time.  OGIM!!

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:05 (average 4:56).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube (Vox Channel): How the Republican Party went from Lincoln to Trump (published 7/2016)

 

Almost 2.5 years later, the leaders’ choice is revoltingly obvious. Republican voters have two choices. They can goose-step with the Republican Reich or they can leave it. RESIST!!

From Huffington Post: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said there’s “no question” President Donald Trump is a racist, citing in an interview that aired Sunday the White House’s response to white supremacist groups and ongoing rhetoric about migrant communities.

“The president certainly didn’t invent racism. But he’s certainly given a voice to it and expanded it and created a platform for those things,” Ocasio-Cortez told “60 Minutes” correspondent Anderson Cooper during the segment. When asked if she believes Trump is a racist, she replied: “Yeah. Yeah, no question.”

 

I appreciate this woman’s straightforward honesty more and more: RESIST!!

From NY Times: Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is in the final stages of deciding whether to run for president and has told allies he is skeptical the other Democrats eyeing the White House can defeat President Trump, an assessment that foreshadows a clash between the veteran Washington insider and the more liberal and fresh-faced contenders for the party’s 2020 nomination.

Many Democratic voters, and nearly all major Democratic donors, are keenly interested in Mr. Biden’s plans because of their consuming focus on finding a candidate who can beat a president they believe represents a threat to American democracy. But there is also a rising demand in the party for a more progressive standard-bearer who reflects the increasingly diverse Democratic coalition.

Mr. Biden would instantly be the early front-runner if he ran, but he would have to bridge divides in a primary that would test whether Democrats are willing to embrace a moderate white man in his 70s if they view him as the best bet to oust Mr. Trump.

As much as I love Joe personally, I consider him a bad choice politically. His progressive credentials need bolstering, and he suffers from foot-in-mouth disease. RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Would a volunteer please give a BJ to both Pence and Trump?

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Jan 062019
 

It’s a very busy day here in the CatBox.  WWW id due in 20 minutes and we have a big load of chores to do.  This is my only article today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:41 (average 5:35).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From YouTube: Barry McGuire – Eve of Destruction

 

Though released in 1965, this song is still appropriate today. RESIST!!

From The New Yorker: In a bold gambit to end the government shutdown, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said on Saturday that she would bypass Donald J. Trump and negotiate directly with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

“I owe it to the American people to bring this shutdown to the swiftest possible conclusion, and so I’m avoiding the middleman,” she said.

Dang, Andy! I had no idea that Nancy was so smart! RESIST!!

From Common Dreams: As many historians, economists, and informed citizens were forced to point out in the wake of the freak-out over a proposal by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to raise the current tax rate on the very wealthiest Americans to 70 percent, such a rate is not at all unprecedented and higher rates were the norm for a large portion of last century.

And one of the reasons that much higher rates were once very popular was because they were able to generate lots of revenue that was then put to good use. And, since most people are not extremely rich, there was popular support for such progressive taxation.

What Ocasio-Cortez is actually suggesting, said economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, is "what top public finance economists have been saying for some time" and "not at all outlandish."

I love the idea, but 70%? Why so low? RESIST!!

Cartoon:

Thank God we beat them!

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The Hypocrisy of Exploitation

 Posted by at 12:29 pm  Politics
Jan 052019
 

If the wall would solve the problem of undocumented residents, Republicans would have zero interest in building it.  If it were possible to deport all 12 million undocumented residents, Republicans would have zero interest in doing so.  If we could deport undocumented criminals and allow the rest to work here legally, without fear, Republicans would have zero interest in doing it, because it would horrify them.  The interest of the Republican Reich is served only if the problem remains the same.  Republicans practice the hypocrisy of exploitation.

0105TrumpUndocumented

If I told you that President Trump employs undocumented immigrants, you might say, “That’s impossible. A staunch and principled opponent of illegal immigrants like him would never allow such a thing!” Or, if you actually knew anything about Trump, you might say, “Of course he does.”

Well guess what:

During more than five years as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Victorina Morales has made Donald J. Trump’s bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies. When he visited as president, she was directed to wear a pin in the shape of the American flag adorned with a Secret Service logo.

Because of the “outstanding” support she has provided during Mr. Trump’s visits, Ms. Morales in July was given a certificate from the White House Communications Agency inscribed with her name.

Quite an achievement for an undocumented immigrant housekeeper.

Ms. Morales’s journey from cultivating corn in rural Guatemala to fluffing pillows at an exclusive golf resort took her from the southwest border, where she said she crossed illegally in 1999, to the horse country of New Jersey, where she was hired at the Trump property in 2013 with documents she said were phony.

She said she was not the only worker at the club who was in the country illegally.

Obviously Trump doesn’t personally hire every housekeeper in his clubs (although one of these undocumented immigrants was ironing his underwear; that’s how close to him they were). The Trump organization says it will fire any of its workers it learns is in the country illegally. But the truth is that Trump has a long history of using foreign and undocumented labor, without much regard for the American workers he says are displaced by immigrant labor and sometimes without evident concern for the law. Let’s run through some of his history:

  • Trump regularly hires foreign workers for jobs as housekeepers and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. While the law requires an employer to first make an effort to find employees in the United States before filing a request to hire foreign workers, Mar-a-Lago accomplishes this by complying with the letter of the law but in a manner seemingly designed make sure it gets no American applicants: by placing two small ads deep inside the Palm Beach Post to which an applicant may reply only via mail or fax — not online, not by phone and not in person.
  • According to an investigation by Mother Jones, Trump’s modeling agency, Trump Model Management, brought foreign models to the United States to work, despite the fact that they were in the country on tourist visas, a violation of the law. “Two of the former Trump models said Trump’s agency encouraged them to deceive customs officials about why they were visiting the United States and told them to lie on customs forms about where they intended to live.” They were crammed into small apartments for which the agency charged them exorbitant rent and had other expenses deducted from their fees, leaving them with little income and the constant knowledge that they could be sent out of the country at any moment. “It is like modern-day slavery,” said one model.
  • Trump Tower was built in part by undocumented Polish workers who sued Trump to get wages they said they were owed. "We worked in horrid, terrible conditions,” said one. ”We were frightened illegal immigrants and did not know enough about our rights.”

It’s hard to know how much Trump knew at the time he was employing all of these undocumented immigrants; he tends to plead ignorance. But we certainly see a pattern of a man who wants things done cheaply and isn’t too concerned about the rules… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Chris Hayes has more depth on the ladies in Bedminster in this video.

As have seen, this is just one case of many violations by Fuhrer Drumpfenfarten.  But he isn’t the only Republican doing it.  For example, Little Lord Willard, aka R-Money [R-UT], did the same thing, when he was running in 2012.

The pattern works like this.  Republicans in government keep undocumented workers in a state of fear, so that Republicans in agriculture or business, especially in the service industries, by pretending to be undocumented workers’ protectors, can exploit them with excessive work hours, sub-standard wages and deplorable living and work conditions.  If we were to solve the problem, Republicans would lose the fear they use to keep undocumented workers cheap and obedient.  That is the hypocrisy of exploitation.  It is a Republican trait.

RESIST!!

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