POST MORTEM

I think the vote said yes, we did want change. Despite the rhetoric. We wanted the other party. A new direction. Backward. And forward.

It's getting extremely difficult anymore for a party to keep the White House for 3 terms in a row. Maybe that's just us saying we choose balance. Because we can't trust either party longer than that.

Clinton got more votes. Like Gore in 2000. So, do we want to keep the electoral college? It obviously works for Republicans lately.

Word is Bill's advice was ignored on the rust belt vote. And she was negative, shrill at times, arrogant at times, even ill at times and definitely under investigation at times. Not a good thing.

Specifics start with voter participation was down from '12. That never bodes well for Dems. And probably the undertone was enough men still can't vote for a woman president. Then also African Americans didn't have an African American man or woman (even half African American) to vote for. Finally, why is voter participation in US so low? Isn't that something we should talk about?

So. Presidents historically fulfill about 75% of their campaign promises. That's what concerns a lot of folks about Trump. One thing for sure. He is going to change things up. He's promised to disravel anything Obama did. And all the other things promised we all probably are aware of. If he follows through on 75% we will surely be in a different place. And probably in a short time since he will have a Republican Congress, 30 Republican states and soon a Republican Supreme Court.

One thing I believe he is right on is cutting corporate taxes enough to have the lowest corp taxes in the world. Enough cuts to keep companies in US. And bring them (back) to the US. Corporate taxes now are about $300-400 Billion a year of US revenues. So. We could add that to deficits or come up with alternate tax. Like tax on carbon. Tax on sugar. And, as we've discussed, what's a $20 Trillion debt in light of $120 Trillion net worth. (Careful, though. Trump did go bankrupt how many times.)

He's reviving Reagan and Bush 2 economics. Maybe it can work. We can hope.

One thing I'm against Trump on is his view on climate change. The world is calling him on it. Even corporate leaders are calling him on it, telling him his view will jeopardize US prosperity, let alone leadership. I just don't understand how he can be so wrong on that. Unless, hopefully, he just went back to where the hurt was in the economy to pick up voters and create a negotiating position. (Which I also hopefully think he did on the social issues of our day.)

Well, that's about all the time you want to spend here. And probably all the time I want to try to keep you here. So. Happy trails, pards. Vaya con Dios. Until we meet again.

PS. The name. Trump. Beats Clinton. Trump several times in Revelations. Yep, I believe the Evangelicals came out to vote for Trump instead of a Mormon.

Godspeed the USA.

LAST DAYS

There are still Americans undecided about whom they are going to vote for. They've been either very busy, very preoccupied or otherwise out of the loop (probably a smart thing). And they may be the most important voters these last days.

As they turn their attention to the election what do they see? 2 major candidates most people don't like. One worse than the other so goes the rhetoric. One more criminal than the other. So goes the speechifying. It takes deep dig to find actual policy stances.

Well, I'd like to tell them I'm not voting for Trump for the sake of my granddaughters. I don't want them living in the male chauvinistic culture he would bring to the White House. Let alone the veiled racism, cultural hatred and just way too much vitriol, name-calling (for God sakes) and playground bullying. But the sexual assault history alone disqualifies this fool (even if just talk).

One more thing. He wants to end Fed investment in developing clean energy. That doesn't even make any business sense. Let alone the US leading the world in another tech. Let alone cleaning the environment. Let alone slowing global warming. Where is this guy's common sense? Or care for the future lives of our children and their children? Um, besides, the Fed still feeds the fossil fuel industry at least $4B/year. And we sure know they need that.

O, just one more thing. Hillary left office four years ago. And the FBI is just now getting around to investigating her emails and Clinton Foundation? Really. Is that how our country works?

Happy Saturday, pards. May we be well and full of soul and light.

HERE WE ARE

Elections historically tighten up at the end. Last exception was Reagan '84 (won every state but Fritz's). This one, though, starting to look like 2000. Remember hanging chads?

If neither Hilly or Donny get 270 electoral college votes, it goes to the House of Reps. Guess who wins there.

Libertarian or Green candidates or the rogue in Utah could tilt some states' results. Look what Nader did to Gore in Florida in 2000.

So far it still looks like Hilly gets 270 or more from the college of honorable electors. But a lot more states in flux than usual. PA could be what turns the election. And Philly transportation workers on strike. But, if you think about it, almost all urban polling places are within walking distance. So ....

The email FBI thingy is now factored in. But who knows if we'll have another swan - black or white - to land on either pond. 

Three straight presidential terms for the same party hasn't happened since Bush '88. But .... Trump has been crass, to give it a nice word. And would disrupt maybe a little too much of what we have going OK.

Economy still growing out of '08 debacle. War on ISIS our only real war and we are fighting it smartly with many allies. Jobs are growing every month. Why not keep it going?

Well, happy trailers, pards. Onward and upward. Vaya con Dios hombres and hombrettes. Godspeed.

PS: Many Christians didn't vote for Romney because he is Mormon. Trump may get those Christians.

UNBELIEVABLE

FBI to investigate new Clinton emails from Weiner's computer. This election can't get any weirder.

Brace for President Trump.

What will he be able to change? Tax rates? Corporate regulations? "Obamacare"? Paris climate accords? Clean Power Plan? Sexual assault protocols? Immigration? Religious freedom? Abortions? Stop and frisk? What else is he talking about? Hillary in jail? Trade deals? More nuclear countries? World security arrangements?

Brace for impact.

Or will Hillary pull it out?

US presidential elections usually tighten up at the end. But this may be as tight as 2000. And now we have a deadlocked Supreme Court. What happens then? Or is this just too many email questions too many for Hillary? And can FBI put enough agents on reading the dam mails quickly enough to give us a judgement before the election?!

This is unbelievable.

President Trump. Oy. God save our daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters from sexual predation. And the world from whom knows what. And the nation from xenophobia and racism.

Or it'll be just another change of party in leadership. We've lived through it before. '01 to '08. Yea, the fun years.

OCTOBER 15. IDES. BIG MOON TONIGHT.

What an election, right? What should we have expected with the 1st woman running against a 3-balled billionaire off to the rodeo.

Just like in nature. The biggest croc gets the waddado.

I'm honestly turning to gin to get through it. Though just a little earlier or more than usual.

It looks like Clinton will win. I guess last surprise worth headlines was Truman beating Dewey. Though we've had cliffhangers since. Maybe even a few steals.

But, wait. Trump called Clinton the devil. Well, that changes everything. This must be the end of the world as we know it.

Yeah. Makes sense. Trouble everywhere. Next year 50th anniversary of Jews taking Jerusalem. Year after that the 70th anniversary of Israel.

So, Hillary the devil. Sets up new world government for peace. And Trump feels pussies along the way to bring it down. O man, it gets too heavy to vote sometimes.

Anyhoo, I just wish Democrats could get behind lowering corporate tax rates to compete with the world. What more would bring and keep business and jobs here?

That's it. I get my say. Here. Goes viral, of course. And then into the trash heap of digital history. (Check me emails will ya, ye bastards.)

Well, happy trailers pards. Enjoy the locker room banter. And pussy videos. Doggy videos good too.

Rick

OCTOBER 11

1 day before Columbus Day. Columbus took native slaves. Is that fact? What are facts? Norwegians found "America" first. AFTER the original Americans. Where did the original Americans come from?

OCTOBER 1. HAPPY NEW FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR, PARDS.

So. We've discussed the national debt. And the trade deficits. Year after year. A debtor nation do not be the ancient advice. But we are.

Maybe that's what's ailing our economy. Or maybe it's not. What's wrong in our economy? People not making enough money. A lot of people not making enough money. A lot of bad decisions, like recently the Wells Fargo thingy. Corruption? Sure, there's that. People not acting right. We take it on case by case.

What's ailing our country? The constant neverending war. There's always a war. In my lifetime it was the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, Watergate, the war on inflation: Whip Inflation Now, the war on Carter's malaise, then the Iran hostages, Granada, Beirut, Central America communists, Panama, Gulf War I, and the rest you certainly know by now. Our lives are constantly under attack. But, thank GOD and our government, we our pretty darn well protected.

And now it's Republicans v. Democrats again. You'd think we would get tired enough of that. And when I talk to my family and friends there's political discussion. But we laugh about it. Or seriously examine things. It's not the hate like up there on top in the news or even on Facebook or Twitty. It's not hate at all. We're family and friends, for GOD sakes.

I guess the point is we're a lot better off than we were in '08. '08 was scary. '16 is not so much scary. '01 was really scary. Not as scary now. So. We've done pretty well all of us together getting to here. Compared to other parts of the world. And I'm still thankful to GOD that I was born in the USA. Luck of the universal draw, pards. Appreciate it.

PS. O yea, Iraq asking for more of our troops to help attack Mosul.

O I WISH

MY DREAM TICKET:

BILL GATES AND GEORGE CLOONEY

BILL AND MELINDA, GEORGE AND AMAL.

OR GEORGE AND BILL.

Why can't we have what we want? We're the baby boomers, for Godsakes. We always got what we wanted.

Let's change this thing up. We want George and Amal and Bill and Melinda. How hard can that be? Who's with me?

US NET WORTH $124T IN 1Q14 (WITH $146T DEBT OBLIGATION)

So. What's a $19T national debt do to us?

SEPT 15 ADDENDUM. (CUT OFF BY INTERWEB, BLOGSPOT OR YOUNAMEIT.COM)

 Why are we so divided? Is it educated whites, blacks, Hispanics, etc vs. uneducated whites and rich whites and their spouses? Why can't we talk together with common sense? Well, it's probably too hard for us to do.

Football game started on CBS. Red v. white. Buffalo v. Jets. I always liked CBS - it said to me: see BS. See the US BS.

OK. Back to a point. Hopefully. I feel like Calvin Trillen. I know. Esoteric. Like asking for gespachio at a burger joint.

Allright. A point. What do we want our next President to do for us? I got it. I got it. Fix everything. Get rid of the bad. Give us the good. O, is that too simple? Well, that's kinda what we're getting from one side. Make America great again. When was it great? World War 2. Cuban missile crisis. Desert Storm. Afghanistan after 9/11. Taking out Bin Laden. And stuff like that. We've always risen to greatness when called upon. And always will.

I think the current problem is can we have a woman as President. Why not? They rule everything else if most men will be honest about it. And I say hale yea get them out of the kitchen and go make some money. So I can drink beer on the couch and watch sports and keep track of the kids.

OK. Maybe I'm a little too overboard working on my boat. Game's on TV. Out.

SEPTEMBER 15. THE IDES.

Took time off with Hillary recuperating. And nothing is on schedule. Except baseball, football games, sunrise and sunset.

Where the hell are we in this presidential campaign imbroglio? Apparently, Trump has tied it up or is ahead. With popular vote. But. We all know it's the states. The electoral college. Thank our Founding Fathers. Though we still have the '00 election in our craw. What's a little cheating in Florida, yeah? And then again in Ohio in '04. Well, the Republicans decided to stop paying down the national debt and started giving money back to the ultra rich. Again. Of course, we had to run up deficits then after 9/11. And yada yada.

Here we are. $19 trillion dollars in debt. In debt to whom? Doesn't matter. What matters is interest payments and interest rates. And income. And bills.

LABOR DAY #122

Trump has gained on Hilly. He had good words in Black church. He's been behaving. And Hill hurt again by more email crap.

Young Blacks not as likely to come out to vote for Hill as BO (If at all.)

DT could actually win this thing.

But. I just don't think so. I think we will have Hill and a Democrat Senate. And a more Democratic House. I guess I'm going on record. It's primarily the demographics. And the vagaries of Senate elections (lots more Rs up this year than Ds). And, honestly, things are much better economically in the last 8 years. Even the last 4. Especially for the megarich. You know all that new US debt? Yup, mostly into rich pockets.

But who knows what might happen.

2 months to go.

Teamsters endorsed Hill. Drivers I suspect not so much. (I wonder if there will be an internal fight there over contributions.) Does Teamster leadership take a vote of drivers for endorsement?

"American Experience" on TV. PBS. About US coal miners history. Talk about labor. And now they are out of jobs. Coal power less and less competitive with natural gas, wind, hydro and even solar. And folks, that's good for the miners as well as our own health. Coal power pollution kills and maims us, but gave miners black lung, let alone mine explosions or cave ins.

So God bless the coal miners who grew our country tremendously. When we weren't aware of the effects of greenhouse gases and global warming climate change on top of the pollution.

The labor movement ended 14-hour days 7 days a week, child labor, no benefits, pitiful wages and the rest. Started in 1894. The gilded age. The "Gay '90's". Railroad barons and steel magnates. Coal kings and oil empire builders.

Thank God somehow people rose up and claimed their share of the wealth. The commonweal. Look what they made for us. Look at all we have. Our parents, great grandparents, great great grandparents built what we have today. Because they wanted us to have a better world than they had. And they did that.

Guided by the ultrarich who decided what to build. Because they had the money. And built what would make them even richer. But all the rich were not evil doers. In fact, really, most also wanted things better for everyone.

But you wouldn't be able to tell that back in the 1890's. So.

So. Thank you, labor movement leaders, for fighting for as much of our present world as you could. And the recent $15/hour minimum wage movement is testament.

And may labor be more rewarded as we go onward and upward until Jesus' return.

AUGUST 28. MUDDLING THROUGH. WHO WOULD WE REALLY LIKE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?

I wanted Bill Gates to run. I assume as Republican. And there's a Kennedy always ready to run on Democrat side. THAT might have been a very interesting race.

But, we seldom get what we want. But if we try sometimes we get what we need. Our granddaughter even sings that song.

So. To go with that sentiment, are we trying? Of course we are. The discourse is heated and questioning. Of course Trump could win. Anything can happen. And usually does.

Noon Sunday. TV still on Daystar. Our preachers. Heat advisory the weather challenge here at home. I start sweating just stepping outside. Global warming reporting on my clean energy investing site......... Nearing a decade. Funny ha ha how fast time passes.

Oops, back to 16. Our next president. How did Obama do? We didn't have a depression. Jobs have grown. Stock market has gone up. Our troops have come back from wars. In these times, that's 4 for 4.

So. Whom do we vote for now? We could have a write-in campaign for Jesus. On second thought, yeah!

But, we have Trump or Clinton. So far. Godspeed the United States of America.

IT'S A LONG LONG WAY FROM MAY TO AUGUST. AUGUST 21. LAST POST IN MAY. PRETTY LONG VACATION, YEAH? YOU KNOW THEY SAY SELL IN MAY AND GO AWAY.

IF I would vote my clean power convictions, I would vote for Dr. Stein. Green Party. But. That could throw election to Trump. Mister bring back coal. Maybe not IF House of Reps were not Republican.

Trump now "apologized" for mispeaks. Well, we shall see.

What did he bring to Louisiana flood? I read somewhere it was a 18-wheeler full of something. Not much press on it. Did we see him helping clean up a home or anything like that? No. The Donald only puts on a hardhat. Apparently he didn't even bring in any workers or we would have heard about it. I remember Reagan pitching in at least with filling sandbags somewhere along the Mississippi during a big flood. But at least The Don braved the mosquitos and water-borne diseases. For how many hours?

Hillary? She vacationed up on the Cape or somewhere. And pledged after her winning, their foundation won't be open for business as usual.

Let's see. Trump won't release tax returns. Clinton still fighting off emails and foundation and Banghazi. Trump may be in cahoots with Putin. And Obama golfing on the Cape.

Meanwhile, back at the store, debt is approaching $20 trillion, GDP barely growing, and trade deficits approaching what? While the stock market is at historic highs. Does anyone think this is good?

But employment keeps growing, GDP keeps growing, and ... and ...

O, yeah, interest rates around the world's central banks keep falling. Though the US lately raised rates. In December, wasn't it? And the yen now equal to the US cent. I've never seen that. But I've only been paying attention for decades.

We do have inflation in Venezuela. And the army delivering food there. Syria still in hell. And why DON'T we make a no-fly zone, Mister President? So we don't have to import all those people to places they don't really want to be.

Lots and lots of questions we have, don't we? About our elected leaders who are making all these decisions up on top for us.

Not just Syria. Libya. Sudan. Iraq. Ukraine. Nigeria. Iran. Yemen, Somalia. North Korea. Name 'm. The hell of war. Most from ISIS. And how is that going? Slowly.

Syrian planes lately bombed Kurd forces that US supports. Seems to be the news today. But you have to dig for your own relevant news these days. Everybody's freewheeling on Facebook and Instagram and YOUNAME IT dot com.

But we have to face it, pards. We are destined to choose our next 4 years of government here in the USA. And may God help us do that right.

SO

SO. Trump.

Who thought it. Now what? What does he want to do? Build a wall. Stop Muslims from entering US. What else? Hillary may be facing charges on her email server. Really? Hay. That's politics today.

MARCH 10. THE IDES APPROACHING

I wonder if the Trump votes are about take all we got you farkin billionaires. Get it over with. Or belief a billionaire would finally again (since whom? G. Washington?) know how to lead us.

And when does FBI finish Hillary investigation? Charges without indictments?

FEB 17

The racism against our President is evil, despicable and detrimental to our country. And we have endured it for 7 years. And that is why the economy is in the doldrums all these years and why racial hate crimes grew over the years. To begin to cite the problems it has caused.

I, for one, am sick of it. I'm sick of racist Americans. It sickens our country. It sickens what our country stands for. It sickens our world.

Enlighten yourselves. Learn love. Stop the hate. Grow up. Appreciate the last 7 years under Obama's leadership. Or move to another planet.

JANUARY 23

Hay, pards.

Where are we? Trump v. Sanders in the general? Almost makes sense. The billionaire v. the socialist.

Who wants Hillary? Feminists? Women? Democrats?

Still wish Bill of Gates would have run. Or George and Amal.

But we have whom we have. Running for the prize.

Though now there's talk of Bloomberg making a third party run. Maybe Gates will run as vice president with him. That would be my pick. I think.

Anyway, the voting kicks off next week. Tally ho.