You're NOT a conservitive if you support Donald Trump

 Support Donald Trump or that other person.   Either way you have to vote our concious, but don't fool yourself.   I know many of us vote on emotion.  But facts are facts. If you are voting for Donald Trump, it is simply on emotion and not fact and definitely not based on conservative ideals.

What are conservative values, and what do conservatives want out of our government? 

Below, I have listed just a few of the key issues of conservative values, that as a former Reagan worker on both of his campaigns, the first one, even before I could vote......I came to internalize and believe in them to work for the betterment of our our country and society.  There are more, and I am always happy to discuss where one should land.

Individual Freedom......

If you Google Conservative values, this is often at the top of the list.  So what does that actually mean?

My interpretation of that is "Government should do ONLY for the people,  what the people cannot do for themselves."  That is a mantra I grew up with when I worked on President Reagan's campaigns. It was the mantra of the campaign, and the conservative movement.  "Take Government out of my decisions.". It is one I still believe in today. Each and every policy should be debated on that sentiment alone. We may differ on some substantial issues, "what can we do, and what cannot we do, for ourselves" but if we keep that in mind, we can at least have a normal debate.

Abortion....Oh the BIG issue.....   My opinion, as a conservative that relishes personal liberty,  is that government shouldn't be involved in a woman's absolute right to chose.   Some would say life begins at conception, and the government would need to intervene for the right of that entity.  I am personally not there.  I will not go into the science of it, and that is only my opinion. But Government shouldn't be making that choice for an individual.    The bottom line is that governent should not be involved in a woman's right to chose.  State Government, nor Federal Government. Eliminate federal fundings for abortion, I get that. That falls in line with the original mantra. 

Our Supreme Court, filled by Trump justices, doesn't follow that logic.  

All that being said, it is what it is, and the right to life faction got it's wish. A STATE, (ie the government)  may decide now, what a woman does with her body, and she no longer has the freedom to chose. Government intervention at it's best.  That is the anthesis of a core conservative value of "Individual Freedom".  Obviously, Abortion is an issue that man of us disagree on.  My opinions were listed above.  the fact is though......Government involved in deciding, whether state or national, should not be the case.  All of that is a personal decision, and Individual Freedom is a clear conservative value.

Fiscal Convervancy..... 

This one I find absolutely hilarious. "Reduce the national debt" "Government shouldn't be spending so much money"    Here are some facts.  And these are objectional facts.  Non-debatable, but simple truths.

During his first term in office, Donald Trump added $28 trillion. to the national debt.  Stop here and read that again, and then read that out loud.  $28 trillion dollars added to the national debt. That is the highest since WWII.   That counts for $28,500 for every American.  That is you and I.   That came to be, even though the economy was booming, and unemployment was at a record low when he took office.  Are you kidding me?  

Some will say that is because of Covid, which he couldn't help.  Here are the facts:

Trump's tax cuts, especially the sharp reduction in the corproate tax rate to 21% from a historic low of 35%, (remember, in the 60's and 70's it wast at 65% to 85%)  took a big bite out of fedral revenue. 

When Obama left office, the budget deficit was less than 2% of our gross domestic product.  Under Trump, AND PRIOR TO COVID, the deficit reached 4.6% of our gross domestic product. That isn't very conservative. 

At this point, you may be saying that "Federal Revenue should be cut" . "Cut Government spending".  But I am sure you have waited in your car at a flag stop for road improvement lately.  I sure have.  As frustating as that may be, I am thankful for this current administrations funding of road improvments throughout our nation.  Every bull-dozer opperator, every flag person should be thanking this administration for the job they have.  

It is Econ 101. The renvenues from actually taxing corporations and individuals beyond their critical mass of revenue, pays for improvements throughout the country.  They contract those same companies, who make a boat load of money,  to do the work, who hire people to do the work, who buy shit from companies that make a boat load of money, that hire people to make and sell to those people.  THAT, my friend is true trickle down economics, whereby we reduce the national debt and create jobs, and increase the economy and makes those companies a boat load of money.   Not my buddy Reagan's idea of trickle down, written on a napkin, ( that is a true story) but it works far better. Donald Trump wants to reduce, and has reduced that funding. That is crazy, and definitely not a conservative ideal. He jsut wants to reduce taxes on those that have reached a critical mass of revenue, and therby eliminating the jobs being paid for by those revenues.  Ergo, That Dozer Operator goes on unemployement, that flag person goes on unemployment, that retail clerk goes on unemployment.  That my friends is trickle down as well.  And that is what will happen when he is in office. Not very conservative in my mind.  

Here is an interesting fact:....Keep in mind, this is FACT.  Not some liberal interpretation of something, not some liberal media BS, but actual fact:

Every single major economic indicator has been better under a Democratic President, than under a Republican President since WWII

• Job Growth. increased substantially
• GDP Growth increased substantially
• Wage Growth, increased substantially
• Income Equality Diminished
• Inflation was Lower, by a lot
• Federal Deficits, (Not even Close)
• Stock Markets...just look it up.  that includes your 401K
• Corproate Profits increased substantially. 

Most of these statistics aren't even close.  I could post the resources for this, but I am assuming you might actually take the time to look it up for yourself.  If not, then that's on you wishing to spout emotion instead of fact.

Here is another bit of Econ 101.... Our birthrate keeps getting lower.  Without population growth, Capitalism and the economy dies.  And dies fast.  Just look at Japan. 

We need imagrants. If you want to keep your job, we need people coming to this country, simply because you aren't doing the nasty enough. We absolutely need population growth to keep our jobs. That is a simple fact of capitalism.  

Responsible immigration is the key.  Obama built more Border Wall than Donald Trump.  BUT he, and Trump ran into a "wall"  To get the full border wall built, the government would need to implement Eminant Domain....Taking ranchers land from them for the betterment of the country.  Obama stopped as the legal bills cost our tax payers millions and millions of dollars. You all, as "conservatives" seem to be ok with taking a ranchers land just so you can get a wall.  Doesn't seem very conservative to me.

We have a border bill that the Border Patrol endorses.  Increased Border staff, increased judges to procjess, increased surveilance, all the things a wall will never provide us. But Trump said to squash it.  Doesn't seem very conservative to me. 

The wall will never be built, and every attempt at it will cost the U.S. Goverment....that is you and I, Millions and millions of dollars.  That isn't fiscal responsibility. 

Donald Trump, in 2004 even said, the economy does better under a Democratic President than a Republican one.  (He was a registered Democrat then)

Moral Compassy....or Religeous Ideals......

You don't have the be a Christian to be a conservative, though Christians tout conservative ideas on a daily basis.   Muslims are pretty damn conservative too.  Family values, moral adherence, etc.... 

So if you, as a Christian, and do not want Muslims in this country, then you are not a conservative. Not to mention Christian values.....but that is another conversation for another time. 

You fear Terrorists.....Drug runners, and all the  people" eating dogs and cats and the pets of the people that live here".  We track terrorists, far better than we used to.  Our government has been able to stop numerous terrorists from acting on some radical belief, (I wish they could have stopped Timothy McVeigh, a Christian Terrorist from blowing up the Federal building in Oklahoma) and that is the role of government.  To do for the people what it cannot do for itself.  It does fail sometimes, and we have a right for outrage when it does.

If you want a leader who has a moral compass, and supports Trump, then you are not a conservative.  I don't need to list his numerous trangressions, but anybody who makes fun of a disabled person is certainly not my idea of a moral, ethical, or decent person. 

I for one, will NEVER forget 9/11, nor January 6th. Both were attrocities on our nation and a threat to our democracy.  If you don't think so, then you are not a conservative.

Look, I get it.  We all feel the pain of inflation, caused by a mishandling of Covid, but it has gone from 9% down to 2.1% in the time this administration has taken office. Over-all inflation under Biden is less than under Nixon, Ford and Reagan. That seems to me, to be fiscally conservative. 

There are numerous issues I am frustrated with, over-regulation, (though I do like having food I can eat and water I can drink, and streams I can fish in), manufactured outrage, (from both sides), the homeless and crime problems, but I know those can be fixed if we are active.

The bottom line is this; if you call yourself a conservative, or even a Republican who adheres to the original principals of the party, to our nation, to our society, and you support Donald Trump, you are not being intellectually honest with yourself.   You are NOT a conservative.  Nor can you call yourself a Republican.  Just saying.

 

"I Won't Forget This; Ever!"

"I won't forget this; ever!" my co-worker stated recently.  He had been a life long Republican.  A fan of Reagan, "One of the greatest ever! Other than Lincoln of course", and "Nixon, as wrong as he was for what he did, was the only one who could open China to the West."  He was for going into Iraq, but now realizes it was a mistake.  He is not a Compassionate Conservative, though he does have compassion when pressed.  He is a good man, and one of the smartest people I know.  He can give you a historical perspective on anything from the economy, to the California water system, and the water rights battles in early statehood.  But now he comes into my office on a daily basis and shakes his head, and wags his finger in in disgust.  And he blames you.

Yes you, his fellow Republicans.  You rubes!!!  I tried to explain to him that with a field of 17 candidates, all the sensible, semi-intelligent voters spread their votes out among many, and the radicals, those that are vulnerable to cult like followings, went for the cult leader Trump.  He almost spits in my face when I try to tell him intelligent people voted for Trump.

But what makes him more angry, angrier than the rubes that voted for the moronic Cult Leader, is the Republican Congress and their lack of a spine to face reality, to stand up and speak to truth, and to call the idiot out. I tell him they may be worried about the cult following base that Trump has.  Or it could be a long term strategy. They know he will hang himself, and so are trying to walk the line of appeasing the cult followers, and when he finally slips the noose around his own neck; that moment when he will be so exposed as a traitor, a thief and a liar that even the cult followers abandon him, they will turn on him and kick the crate out from underneath him.  They will all get behind Pence, and claim America is saved.

We both agree that this is an absolutely idiotic strategy.  the GOP has made it's bed. Most have shown that they put party before country, and that their every action is only for their own benefit, not the country's and not their constituents.  They are catching their own house on fire, and then will claim to be the fire truck that comes to save the day. They are wrong.

There are millions of Republican and Independent constituents that won't buy it.  They will remain angry and the won't forget this..........EVER!

The Cult of Trumpism

Those Who Can Make You Believe Absurdities, Can Make You Commit Atrocities” .... Voltaire

Getty Images/Stock photo

Order of the Solar Temple; The Branch Dividians; The Unification Church, (Moonies); Aum Shinrikyo; The People’s Temple (Jim Jones); Heaven’s Gate; Scientology; ISIS, Al Queda; Trumpism.  Yes, these are all cults.

By definition, “A system of veneration and devotion directed towards a particular person or object” or “A misplaced or excessive admiration of a particular person or thing” Trumpism fits that mold, and is just as dangerous as any of the afore mentioned cults.

Additionally, a cult has these characteristics: (From Adrian Furnam, Ph.D. in Psychology Today, 2/24/2014. note that this was long before the elections.)

• Powerful and exclusive dedication/devotion to an explicit person or creed.(he can admit to grabing a woman by the pussy, and yet his followers don’t care, the creeds: Make America Great Again, Drain The Swamp)
• Cults nearly always go in for milieu control signals: a different,unfamiliar setting with different rules, terms, behaviour patterns. (Drain The Swamp)
• Cults insist on reprogramming the way people see the world. (“Fake Media, NATO is obsolete, Liberal Democracy is defunct)
• The use of “thought-reform” programs to integrate, socialize, persuade and therefore control members. (Rapid increase in crime, Massive unemployment, Immigrants are dangerous, thousands of Muslims celebrated in the streets of New Jersey on 911)

Other signs to consider that you are actually acting as you were in a cult would be:

• All your friends believe just like you do.  Now when we talk politics, this is quite common.  Political thought tends to group with like minded political thought. But today we see a radicalization of this.
• Nobody Questions authority.  Don’t anybody dare question Trump.  To his supporters, he is doing no wrong, he is on the right track.  Perhaps he should quiet his Twitter activity, but no matter what he says, in the White House, or in public, it is gospel….even when they can’t agree on what he actually said.
• The source of authority is vested in one person.  Just ask him.  He will fire anybody who speaks out against him, and the Cabinet and his advisors stand by that.
• Secrecy and excommunication.  The media doesn’t need to know what we are doing. Many of the policy actions are done behind the media's back, and they have been excommunicated in many ways. Defiled, berated, and ostracized.

People who succumb to the cult, stop critical thinking altogether, and ignore danger signs as they slap them in the face.  But let’s not forget that very intelligent people join cults.  Very intelligent people voted, and still support Trump.  How can we explain this? Why would someone who is paying even the least bit of attention still think Trump will , “ “Make America Great Again” and is doing a good job? Any mention of his failings are met with vitriolic anger, sometimes violence.

Cults gain prominence by convincing individuals to eliminate critical thinking. According to Dr. Furnam, they introduce a “sacred creed” (See MAGA, and Drain The Swamp, America First). Cults “deliberately induce powerful emotions like fear…. but also pride”. America First! “Stop the Muslims coming in...they’re dangerous and will commit acts of terrorism.”

So what is Trumpism offering that is so appealing to masses of people? The same thing cults offer; Friendship, identity and security. Many people are more than happy to trade their liberty for the illusory security that is promised.

Dr. Furnam says that: “Extreme groups offer simple, clear messages in an increasingly complex world. Old certainties are crumbling; ethics even science is portrayed as having only relative truths. The world is corrupt, evil, unfair and very complex. So a group or leader who offers a "sensible, sane" explanation for the complex world…is very attractive”.

  We are witnessing a man, if looked at with reason, is diminishing our standing in the world by belittling other nations, their leaders, and the organizations that have kept countries from war, since the 1945. NATO is obsolete, old allies are now idiots.  The Liberal Democracy of Europe that has prevent additional world wars, is, according to Trumpism, only taking away freedoms of the common man. Everything that we have come to know, through science, political thought, and the social and economic sciences is too complex and needs to be dispelled.and yet people still believe he is doing good things for America. Big League!

Smart people have fallen for Trumpism and what he offers. But on behalf of the majority of United States Citizens, I quote this from an unnamed source on social media immediately after the election:

“I am not mad at you that Clinton lost. I am unconcerned that we have different politics. And I don’t think less of you because you vote one way and I vote another. No...I think less of you because you watched an adult mock a disabled person in front of a crowd and still supported him. I think less of you because you saw a man spouting clear racism and back him. I think less of you because you listened to him advocate for war crimes, and still thought he should run this country.  I think less of you because you watched him equate a woman’s worth to her appearance and got on board. It isn’t your politics that I find repulsive. It is your personal willingness to support racism, sexism, and cruelty. You sided with a bully when it mattered and that is something I will never forget. So, no….you and I won’t be “coming together” to move forward or whatever. Trump disgusts me, but it is the fact that he doesn’t disgust you that will stick with me long after this.”

In other words, you go on with your cult following. I can do nothing to save you. I can only hope that someday, you will decide to no longer be brainwashed. I chose to keep my sensibilities, and sense of reason and critical thinking, and not fall into the Cult of Trumpism.

Its Time For Hillary To Retire.....

Madame Secretary,

We’ve seen Hillary make a couple of public appearances since losing the election, and in one of those appearances, she readily put the blame of her loss on James Comey.  While saying she took some responsibility, the brunt of the blame was on James Comey's actions, rather than hers. Was that an attempt to remain in the public eye? To test the waters for some future public office?  Only she, and her close confidants can know.

It very well could be argued that Mr. Comey had as much impact, if not more, on the elections as the Russian meddling. But the fact remains, rightly or wrongly, Hillary Clinton did not win this past election, nor will she ever have the opportunity to win a future presidential election…..or, at this point, quite likely even a congressional election.

Hillary’s brand is flawed.  I say that with the utmost respect for Madam Secretary.  And I say that knowing that if the populace had spent one tenth of the time actually trying to find out the truth to the multiple scandals appointed to her, as they did spreading the misinformation, her brand would be elevated far higher.  But it is impossible at this point to force the masses to actually educate themselves on truth.  Be it Whitewater, Vince Foster, The Clinton foundation or Benghazi, the misinformation that is entrenched in the popular mindset simply can’t be overcome.

If you still think Hillary Clinton a criminal, after investigating all of the scandals associated with her, the least you can say is that she is a far more capable criminal than that one Donald J. Trump.  After all, she has evaded prosecution for over 30 years. But, she just doesn’t have the charisma to overcome that mindset.

All that being said, Secretary Clinton should now retire.  She has served her country as First lady, Senator, and Secretary of State.  She has fought the battles she believed in her whole life.  After all that,  she has an incredible foundation of which she can devote her time to.  A foundation, while broiled in controversy during the election, still has saved many lives, and continues to do so.  She can still influence world leaders, she can still garner donations from the world’s oligarchs, and she can still work to save lives.  But what she can no longer do, is serve the public as a public official.  She did her part. I tip my hat and thank her for her service. I worked on her campaign, I donated, and voted for her, but now I must say, for the betterment of the party; for the betterment of the country…...adieu!

Why You Should Not Use Your Electoral College Vote For Donald Trump

I wrote this letter and sent it to each red state Elector stating their responsibility to our Democracy. Contact information for them can be found here.

You, being a community leader, with intelligence, honor, and a duty to your country, hold in your hand, the very tool that our founding fathers gave to you.  They gave you this tool for a very specific reason.  They, in their great wisdom, set up the system in which we have lived for over 200 years, in order to keep our Democracy alive and well by keeping it out of the hands of populist demagogues.

Our country has not come face to face with that specific reason.....until now.  If you have not already heard this quote from Alexander Hamilton, one of the architects of the Electoral College, I present to you here:

“…the office of president will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”

We are now in a time in which this disaster is eminent, but for you. We need not debate the demerits of Mr. Donald J. Trump and his lack of qualifications to hold the office of President.  You, I am sure, are aware of his demeanor, his recklessness, and his lack of aptitude to hold this office. You, as an esteemed Elector, guardian of our democracy, must look deep into your soul, and know that this is a time of action.  The fact that we have never been through this before, does not relinquish your current responsibility to act now to do your part in keeping a populist demagogue out of office.

We need not worry of the riotous consequences should you not give Donald Trump enough votes, for Congress can very well maintain his selection, there-by appeasing those masses.  At the same time, this communicates to Trump, that his is not a mandate as he has stated, but puts him more at the mercy of those responsible for his election, those smarter than he.

The consequences of resistance to fulfilling your obligation as an Elector, may well be The abolishment of this one last protection, should you not prove it’s worth.

We Don't Listen Anymore; Now We Are Paying For It.

Many sit in disbelief, and remain in shock of Tuesdays results and ask how and why.  They ask themselves how can America be this stupid, this racist, this divided?

At the same time, there are many people, good people, hardworking people, people who share the same exact values as those others, who sit in relief and celebrate.  

Pisha! my liberal friends say.  Well then ask yourself this…..Do you think every Muslim is a terrorist?  No? How about a majority? No again, right? Then how can you say that every Trump supporter is a racist?  Or even a majority of them are? You can’t, because many of them are the same people who not only put our first African American in office, but re-elected him.  Many of them are of Latino descent, and many of them are black. More of those two groups voted for Trump, than did Mitt Romney. That is an indisputable  fact.

So how can this be?  As we sift through the autopsy of this election, talking heads are asking that same question over and over again.

The answer is simple really.  We don’t listen. We heard different things from each of the candidates.  We heard what we wanted, and ignored, or didn’t believe what we chose not to.  And that is the problem with our society today.  We don’t hear each other. We don’t ask questions, and all we want to do is vomit our own points, either with memes or platitudes.

Insert Platitude Here…..

I know many wonderful people who didn’t hear what Clinton supporters heard.  They didn’t hear the attacks on women, they didn’t hear the attacks on minorities, they didn’t hear the attacks on the disabled.  And Clinton supporters didn’t hear the pain and struggles people feel, they chose not to hear the lack of empathy of the Democratic Party, they chose to hear only the big philosophies. They didn't hear the anger, and they didn't hear the lack of trust in their candidate.

We are all guilty of pulling out the tidbits to make our argument.  We need to start listening and learning to use the steps of listening, which means paying attention, be interested in what the other person is saying, ask questions, and be aware of your own opinions and how that might affect how you are interpreting what that other person is saying.

All of this is difficult when the only way we communicate now, is through Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and other social media formats.  But we must.

This is the only way we can end the divisiveness, it is the only way we can rebuild, and it is the only way we can continue.

The Bright Side Of A Nightmare!

After having woken up this morning, my eyes opened to the realization that last night was not, in fact, just a nightmare, but a cold, dark reality. The reality that hits you square in the face like the sliding glass door you ran into full force thinking it was open and knocking you on your ass kind of reality.

I walked through the house in the same daze as I processed 4 of the  Kubler Ross 5 stages of grief; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, and Depression. Acceptance, the 5th stage of grief, didn’t come until I stepped into the office this morning, having listened to the news in a daze and shedding tears as I drove through the morning commute. It was raining and I told myself even God was crying.  But as I finally came into work, trying to muscle through the grind of doing what I do, attempting with all my might to smile at those I didn’t know in order not to show the disappointment and misery I felt, I came to an epiphany…. Things always seem worse at the outset, than they really are.

I will not deny that this is a disaster, and the imagination runs wild on how much of a disaster that it can actually become.  But that is the point…imaginations run wild. And in retrospect, one can also imagine what would have happened had Hillary Clinton won the election:

In my imagination, I see pitchfork and torch carriers rioting; I see the already incredible growth of militia participants increasing substantially; and I see massive gridlock for another 4 years of bi-partisan hatred and vehemence.   

My Sister-in-law, who is always that calming voice in the raging tempest pointed out, that if Hillary were elected, she would have been faced with the same obstructionist strategy from a Republican Congress in both houses, that Obama has faced for so many years.  In addition to that, she would have faced, and been embattled with, a partisan politik calling for more hearings and investigations.  It would have been never-ending, and our country would have seen more conflict and turmoil.

She also mentioned the same scenario that my wild imagination had envisioned and mentioned above. Had Hillary won, there would have been the uproar of all those constituents who vowed to raise pitchforks and torches.  Already through the Obama administration, we have seen a massive increase in militia groups from just 149 such groups in 2008, to over 1,400 in 2014.  She reminded me that at least with the win of Donald Trump, the pitchforks and torches crowd, along with the  militias, may now calm down, no longer in fear that their guns will be taken away. There are two ways to quash riotous crowds; smash them with the force of superior forces, or let them settle.  Muddy water does not clear up by shaking the bucket, but by putting the bucket down.  Yesterday, as much as many of us hate it, we put the bucket down, and now pray the waters clear.

As we contemplate the nightmare the majority of us woke up to, let us also remember that Donald Trump had been a Democrat far longer than he was a Republican.   What his actual policies will be, is left to be seen.  Even he said years ago, a leopard doesn’t change its stripes.  That is good and bad with President-Elect Trump, but let’s just remember that he has been liberal on some issues in his past and we can only hope that much of the rhetoric he spewed during the campaign, was simply to raise the pitchfork and torch carrying masses in his favor.

One issue that we can all agree with President-Elect Trump is that this country needs to rebuild the infrastructure.  That has been one of his actual policy issues that was coherent and straightforward.  The previous roadblock to that has been congress and its resistance to allocate the 500 Billion Dollars needed  to do that.  Mr. Trump has said he is the king of debt, and possibly he can convince congress into buying into that plan of allocating those monies to get it done.

So as many of us go through the 5 stages of grief, let this stage, the stage of acceptance, bring us to an optimistic light, and have faith in our country; a country that has been through so much, and far worse (hopefully) in its history, that there may be some bright sides to the election of Donald J. Trump. Otto Von Bismark was right, We can fuck things up pretty bad here in the United States, and yet, we will still be ok. thank God for providence......Optimism is the only way to survive tragedy.