Freedom of Speech - It is a real thing. Suck it up buttercup.

I am no fan of Trump - bias stated. But if you wrap yourself in the flag, and run for office then you open yourself up to slings and arrows (mixed metaphors and references abound). WaPo reports Trump's response to Snoop Dogg's video - I have not watched because well frankly none of it is to my taste - but really, Dude (not the Lebowski use of the reference btw), you are Prez - rise above! It is called free speech and it includes things most "average" people dislike: flag burning, in your face homosexuality (it isn't that we mind what you do, we just don't get it and need time to adjust - I personally struggle with transgender, and I know the logic and agree with it but emotionally I struggle), protests that damage property, cuss words, and so on. I know, I know, it is pedantic. But whatever my misgivings on any controversial issue I SUPPORT THE 1ST AMENDMENT!!!! Snoop is using it and more power to him! If you love this country you should feel the same (at the risk of being preachy) - this is what young men die for! We may not think this specific case is worth it, but the big idea is. So suck it up buttercup.

Misinformation - But it is not from the media

WaPo exposed White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney's misinformation, or shall I say outright lie??!! They rated it 4 Pinocchios. In essence, he took his unique circumstance and applied to people making 1/5 what he makes except those people would not have been in his situation. This is typical of the ACA misinformation campaign of the last 6 years. It isn't that I mind arguing about policy, or even taxes or what not, but rather let's start with a set of facts. But that never seems to happen with Repubs and Trump Loyalists. The alternative facts universe is ridiculous.

When you play with rattlesnakes, sometimes you get bit......

WaPo looked at the fracture within the GOP between Trump Loyalists (are we really having to use the term Loyalist in 2017??) and the Ryan GOP over Healthcare (Trump Loyalists sound the Alarm).  On one hand, this is classic Trump - bail out when the going gets hard. He is not a loser because he changes sides before the losing really happens. This is indicative of his shockingly amoral character (hello, Evangelicals who might have just elected the antichrist). It also tells us that the GOP doesn't get what  Populist revolution is. Ryan thought he could play with a rattlesnake in order to get his austerity measures passed. (What he thought was going to happen over the military budget, I don't know.) I am cynically amused.

Tin foil hats and Taxes

The big story last night was Rachel Maddow and Trump's 2005 Tax Return which showed that Trump paid roughly a 25% tax rate. Boo hoo. Um, my husband and I with a family income of $120,000 pay a 25% tax rate. The fact Trump and his millions pay the same as my family is obscene.

Now for the Tin Foil. WaPo posed the question Did Trump Leak His Own Return ? The return does have "Client Copy" on it, and all it really shows is his total income and what he paid in taxes - very little information on it really. It is the kind of thing one uses when filling out a FAFSA, etc. (not that Trump ever filled out a FAFSA, or knows what it is).

I thought last night that this is a Trumpian tactic to distract from the healthcare debate. He is getting mad about Ryan and Trumpcare and wants to shift attention away. The fact that we even consider this as a viable truth is also obscene.

At best, this is much ado about nothing that changes nothing. At worst, it is part of the dystopian world we now live in. You decide.

Trump - Worse than Nixon?

Two link here: First, a link to PolitiFact rating Donald Trump on the Truth Meter - half of what is says is false. Then WaPo has an article from Nixon's John Dean on Donald Trump that is pretty telling. He rates Trump as more authoritarian than Nixon.

Trump and the Saudi Prince meet

CNN Money posts about the meeting between Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince I don't know how you feel about Saudi Arabia but I have issues with Saudi Arabia politically.

Trump's Jekyll and Hyde on Foreign Policy

Politico Magazine has a piece on Trump's Foreign Policy that is truly terrifying. WWIII. Just saying.

PM cites interviews from the 80s and 90s where Trump claims he has more expertise than any other 20th century leader and that his foreign policy goes to pre WWI. Yes. Really.

EU and Freedom of Expression

Al Jazeera did an article on a Ruling from the EU Court Allowinig Employers to ban political, religious, and philosophical symbols that is largely perceived as targeting Muslim women. Is this a slippery slope?

CBO: What is it? What does it say? And why attacks on the CBO matter.

WaPo breaks down the CBO report and then questions why the White House is attacking it.

ACA Revision will leave millions without healthcare which is something I have already posted about.

Notably, the CBO states that defunding Planned Parenthood will lead to more births  which is ironic since the Repubs in Congress and the WH want to cut education and lunches and life expectancy in the US is lower than other developed countries. Huh? What is this about?

Lastly, what is the CBO and why do attacks matter?  It is non partisan and analyzes implications of Congressional policy - put in place in 1975 probably as a response to frustrations with Great Society programs and attempts to streamline those. Dems and Repubs are often at odds with it, and the ACA was targeted as well. (Repubs cited it as a source then!) Why do attacks on it matter? Because in this world of "fake news" there should be some sources we rely on. The Trump Administration wants to demonize any sources except the president and people, that is totalitarianism.

The Sad State of Healthcare in the U.S. and what the Republican plan does to ignore it

The WaPo has an op ed and NYT has 3 articles that are worth reading on the subject.

The first is an op ed that Being an American is Life Threatening . I lead with this because it points out the problem of healthcare in the U.S. It is an op ed though.

Next is a fact check piece by NYT on the Trump Administration's attacks on the ACA . This illustrates that the ACA faces a LOT of misinformation.

NYT also provided hypothetical cases on How the Republican Healthcare Plan will affect you , so if you want examples to visualize what the plan means this is it. It illustrates that the working poor suffer the most.

NYT also provided a CBO analysis with graphics that illustrate the CBO analysis. For more info on the CBO attack, see the CBO post. 😀