Trump praises Putin and criticizes POTUS and dismisses the CIA and FBI. Trump is wrong. This goes so far beyond disrespect and taking yet another step in presenting the United States as in chaos. This follows Trump's weighing in on the UN resolution and subsequent fall out.
The concept of one President not in Trump's wheelhouse.. It is one thing to forge new ground but trump is ruining the reputation of the USA on the international stage. Who on the entire planet would think that Trump has a handle on what he's doing?
Trump's repeated statements that nobody knows what is going on undermines credibility of the entire USA. Does he think he knows what is going on? What is he going to say after January 20? He ahs lied so extensively - I focus for the moment on hhis statements that he won by a landslide and how much Clinton lost by, and that he would have won the popular vote except for the "million of illegal voters".
Most importantly, what does Trump think he gains by his behavior? Is it the tactic of a forward thinking international chess player planning the next step or is it a spontaneous flippant quip of a egocentric personality? Who knows.
Will anyone ever be able to trust anything Trump says when he is President?
Terrifying
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Cult of Personality
Get used to it.
Trump "announced" the return to the USA of 5000 jobs by Sprint. He declared that this was because now there is hope.
In fact, this return of jobs was apparently planned in July, thereby having nothing to do with Trump. The Japanese head of Sprint may have let Trump announce the job return because Sprint wants to merge with TMobile and has been blocked as anti-competitive. So Sprint has every reason to curry favor with Trump.
Trump knows how to use publicity to his own interest. Trump has talked publicly about Boeing, Lockheed and Carrier. Now Sprint.
Regarding Sprint, Trump did nothing to get these 5000 jobs to the US. It was Indiana that put up $7 million to keep some carrier jobs in Indiana - and Carrier is still sending some jobs to Mexico.
So, first of all, Trump is definitely taking credit for the work of others. Is that lying? Misrepresenting?
And, of more concern, is the paradigm of Trump's dealing with individual corporations on very small unique deals. Is there quid pro quo? Do these corporations expect favorable decisions in return? Is that anti-competitive toward the competitors of these favored companies? Should Carrier's competitors also be given $7 million? Should the Trump administration permit the Sprint TMobile merger?
This is no way to run a country. Well, maybe a banana republic.
Trump "announced" the return to the USA of 5000 jobs by Sprint. He declared that this was because now there is hope.
In fact, this return of jobs was apparently planned in July, thereby having nothing to do with Trump. The Japanese head of Sprint may have let Trump announce the job return because Sprint wants to merge with TMobile and has been blocked as anti-competitive. So Sprint has every reason to curry favor with Trump.
Trump knows how to use publicity to his own interest. Trump has talked publicly about Boeing, Lockheed and Carrier. Now Sprint.
Regarding Sprint, Trump did nothing to get these 5000 jobs to the US. It was Indiana that put up $7 million to keep some carrier jobs in Indiana - and Carrier is still sending some jobs to Mexico.
So, first of all, Trump is definitely taking credit for the work of others. Is that lying? Misrepresenting?
And, of more concern, is the paradigm of Trump's dealing with individual corporations on very small unique deals. Is there quid pro quo? Do these corporations expect favorable decisions in return? Is that anti-competitive toward the competitors of these favored companies? Should Carrier's competitors also be given $7 million? Should the Trump administration permit the Sprint TMobile merger?
This is no way to run a country. Well, maybe a banana republic.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Kerry & Israel
Secretary Kerry spoke with great passion for over an hour. A passion for a realistic peace. Even more, a lesson for President-elect Trump. We can be sure that Trump has listened to those who donated to his campaign, including Sheldon Adelson and David Freidman, the latter who is now designated to be the US Ambassador to Israel. However, does anyone have any confidence that Trump has explored the details of the longstanding issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian efforts to live in one space? Has Trump listened to all sides of this issue? Who knows. At least Secretary Kerry just provided a thorough education if President-elect Trump listened.
Transition
Trump just tweeted that the concept of a smooth transition is not happening and laying the blame on President Obama. President Obama tried. But the President-elect Trump has gone out of his way to take steps that at a minimum contradict the current President or at worst interfere with the current governing process, which includes everything from contacting the Taiwanese leader to generally declaring positions that will change upon his taking the oath of office. Not to mention his vague tweeting that leads to fears about nuclear proliferation, undermining the UN and leaving the relationship with China in doubt.
This tweeting is not an appropriate way to express views and positions that remain unclear. The long standing tradition of communicating via the mainstream media with a press secretary and press conferences allows for more accurate clear communication. Not to mention that the USA has one President at a time and Trump doesn't care about that anymore than he cares about stability both domestically and internationally. Everything is personal to Trump. This time it's a zinger against the President - wait until he is President and the zinger is against the Chinese premier. Terrifying.
It is high time that President Obama stand firm on his views and continue acting upon them while he is President. A beginning for the political response to the coming Trump Presidency from the Democratic Party.
This tweeting is not an appropriate way to express views and positions that remain unclear. The long standing tradition of communicating via the mainstream media with a press secretary and press conferences allows for more accurate clear communication. Not to mention that the USA has one President at a time and Trump doesn't care about that anymore than he cares about stability both domestically and internationally. Everything is personal to Trump. This time it's a zinger against the President - wait until he is President and the zinger is against the Chinese premier. Terrifying.
It is high time that President Obama stand firm on his views and continue acting upon them while he is President. A beginning for the political response to the coming Trump Presidency from the Democratic Party.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
American Cancer Society
I have been seeing endless tv ads for the American Cancer Society over recent weeks, endlessly! My guess is that these are paid ads, not PSA's, since these ads recur so frequently. In any case, I decided to take a look at their financials. Here's what I discovered through the reliable charity evaluator, Guidestar:
Assets $1,893,983,000 (almost $@ trillion!)
Expenses:
Administration $48,606,000
Fund Raising $177,011,000
Program Services $631,708,000
Add fund raising and administration and the total is $225,617,000 while program services are $631,708,000. It doesn't look like much is going to services. I think there are many other organizations both fighting cancer and supporting patients.
My advice - look closer where you donate and don't get sucked in by glitzy endless sentimental ads. Do some research and make sure you get your money's worth when you contribute!
Assets $1,893,983,000 (almost $@ trillion!)
Expenses:
Administration $48,606,000
Fund Raising $177,011,000
Program Services $631,708,000
Add fund raising and administration and the total is $225,617,000 while program services are $631,708,000. It doesn't look like much is going to services. I think there are many other organizations both fighting cancer and supporting patients.
My advice - look closer where you donate and don't get sucked in by glitzy endless sentimental ads. Do some research and make sure you get your money's worth when you contribute!
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