"... A LITTLE REBELLION NOW AND THEN IS A GOOD THING....." Thomas Jefferson, January 30, 1787: letter to James Madison

As described in a previous column, upon leaving Independence Hall one day, Ben Franklin was asked by a woman passing by the Constitutional Convention, "well, what have you given us?"  Franklin responded, "a republic, Madam, if you can keep it."  The great American adventure was about to begin - an experiment in self-government the likes of which had not been seen before.  Over the decades and the more than two centuries that have passed since those words were uttered, our system of government - and its basis - the US Constitution - would be tested over and over again.  Through wars, foreign and domestic; issues, collective and individual; upheavals, civil war, peace marches, civil rights and many other causes and concerns, our democracy has evolved and endured.  And, I assume that we will get through this Trump travesty too.  But......


I AM PISSED OFF!

Thomas Jefferson observed that a revolution now and again was a good thing for a democracy.  He believed that the "renewal" of a democracy was dependent on the active engagement of those governed and that, unless that engagement was real and continuous, the will and well-being of the people governed would be sacrificed on the altars of those who's motivations were colored by personal interest and profit, and not in the interests of the commonweal (the common good). A periodic "purge" was a necessity.

As you all know, participation in voting, seeking office, civic involvement, engaging in public debate and discussion regarding the future well-being of the nation and public policy alternatives had eroded over time and, today, is at perhaps the lowest level ever.  There are signs, however, that this gradual abandonment of public engagement and activism may have turned a corner.  From the Women's March on Washington on January 21, 2017 to the Science March, the Climate March, the Tax Day March, and hundreds of Town Hall meetings, the levels of engagement has reached levels not seen since the marches of the 1960s.  America has awakened and Thomas Jefferson would be proud. So, what has resulted in this refreshment and renewal of our public discourse?  My guess is that the forces of privilege and private profit, working together in the interests of private and corporate greed, has once again seized control of the levers of power and are choosing to ignore the best interests of the people.  And, they do so because they believe that the "uninformed masses" will continue to sleep and stand idly by while the oligarchs and those in power use their money and their influence to change America into a "different democracy" dominated by money, wealth, profit, and power.  And, that brings me to the most recent evidence of this attempt to ignore working families and the Middle Class, and turn the clock back to "the good old days" of  Robber Barons and the accumulation of untold wealth while the vast numbers of working folks die from malnutrition and lack of medical care.  Make no mistake - that is what the House vote for - to repeal the ACA and replace it with a far weaker health care scheme that abandons 24,000,000 or more of our fellow citizens of more modest means without health care and, in the end, without hope. And, what did our local Members of Congress do?  Faso and Stefanik abandoned their constituents, violated their oath of office, and chose party and donors over people.  

Like you, I am angry, frustrated, and my blood pressure is up there (guess I have a pre-existing condition now...). FASO LIED!!!!! STEFANIK LIED!!!! They were the 2 votes that were needed to inflict this monstrosity on the American people. I am embarrassed that my Congressman - FASO - promised a young constituent - with CANCER - right in the street in front of his house in Kinderhook with me and many others as witnesses - that he would not support any bill that would take away her health care, and then DID JUST THAT LAST WEEK! I was there when FASO promised that he would support Planned Parenthood - he LIED.... And in his vote last week, did just that with his support for the Trumpcare bill. This alternative health care reality, as described by that lying sack of crap Sec'y Price, as providing "access" to health care, is but another LIE being perpetrated on the American public by the most underhanded, shady, and untruthful group of liars that has ever occupied the halls of power in DC. THIS MUST STOP! I am done with being "civil." I am finished with the niceties of polite protest. Writing post cards is good, calls and e-mail are too. But, we did all that, and what happened? LIES, MIS-DIRECTION, AND VOTES AGAINST US ALL. Those who voted for the Trumpcare bill have no respect for the truth and even less regard for their own constituents. And, that tells me that the only course left to protect ourselves from this insane and destructive demolition squad at the switch in Washington, is "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY."

The Republicans say that they support freedom of speech and urge an orderly and peaceful "assembly." Meanwhile, they are lying and inflicting hurt on those who can least defend themselves. Trump and company "support" civil discourse, while the deals are cut in back rooms, and secret agreements are made with foreign interests until someone's hand is found in the cookie jar. The Republicans demand equal time to present their "alternative facts" and then lie, lie, lie, misrepresent, spin, and lie some more and then leave blood on the floor with the passage of legislation that will leave millions high and dry and will - without doubt - cost lives. Yet, they could care less and remain cavalier in stripping away the care for 24 million Americans of modest income, double health costs for seniors between 50-64, cut Medicaid by nearly a BILLION dollars, and erode the financial stability of hospitals across the country, especially those in rural areas. Yet, Paul Ryan and Secretary Price, along with our LYING President, insist that no one will lose health care.  And, to what end? A massive tax cut for wealthy Americans, increased profits for insurance companies, and big bonuses for insurance CEOs and other executives, already earning millions in pay and benefits. With each passing day, Trump is turning our nation away from its long tradition of caring for one another, and back to a pre-20th century "Robber Baron" period in our dark history when we looked more like a feudal society than a robust democracy, "with liberty and justice for all."

We MUST stand up to this budding oligarchy of wealth. We MUST speak TRUTH TO POWER. We MUST SPEAK OUT and MARCH ON! Only by actions taken by ALL OF US - voter registrations and get-out-the-vote drives, public displays of support for positions that our elected officials take in defense of us, our interests, or our democracy, and VOCAL OPPOSITION against those who abandon their oath of office and their promises to act on behalf of and in the best interests of their constituents. And, we must be especially LOUD AND VOCAL AGAINST THOSE WHO LIED TO US - as John Faso has done time and again over just 4 months in office. Double-talk, double-speak, and the double-cross MUST BE CONDEMNED in the strongest terms.

Jefferson said that he could foresee the future struggles in the history of a democracy.  His belief was that the forces of wealth and power would ebb and flow, balanced against the will of the people served - in a never-ending struggle for primacy.  He trusted that the people - you and me - would prevail in the long run - but only if working people were educated, informed, and vigilant in "keeping" their "republic" in the service of their benefit as Franklin suggested. And, so, John Faso - for frustrating the will of the people, and in defense of our democracy - WE ARE COMING FOR YOU. You have proven yourself to be a tool of a mean-spirited right-wing cabal and not a representative of the people that you represent. You have demonstrated that you could care less for your neighbors and voters by siding with your donors, the Mercers, the alt.right wing-nuts, and that madman in the White House. You have abandoned any District 19 decency in representing the needs of your constituents and, instead, have traded your vote for a smile from one self-centered liar from Wisconsin, Paul Ryan. If you want to represent Paul Ryan, you should move to Wisconsin. Maybe that is the best idea .... because in less than 2 years, your career will be done.

WE ARE COMING FOR YOU JOHN FASO. MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT. YOU ARE DONE! Your constituents will stand up in their righteous indignation in 2018 and say to you, "NO MORE LIES, NO MORE JOHN FASO."  The time has come to cleanse our democracy of the poison of dark money and the influence of wealthy oligarchs that have hijacked our government. Too many have sacrificed too much for too long.  Too many have died in defense of our freedom and our nation.  And, that sacrifice was for the government of the people that was created by Jefferson, Franklin, and others. It's time for this generation to stand up for their heritage and for their future.  It's time to take our government back.  It's time for the federal government to become - once again - a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" and not one controlled by wealth, corporations, and billionaire oligarchs.  Jefferson would be proud to march along side of those in this battle to reclaim our democracy.  The time has come. 

STAND UP!  SPEAK OUT!  MARCH ON!

MERLIN MNUCHIN, MAGICAL THINKING, AND THE TIME MACHINE...... BACK TO THE FUTURE?

Ready to go for a ride?  A ride back in time?  A "Back to the Future" experience?  Then, lets take a look at the "new and improved" tax plan as announced by President Trump in the person of Merlin Mnuchin.  And, if you get the uncomfortable thought that you have been there before.... a "deja' vu" experience..... a "been there, done that" feeling.... a sort of, back to the future moment....  you might be right.   
 
Turns out that Mnuchin's magical thinking moment - otherwise known as the Trump Tax Reform Plan - now showing at a theater near you, is just that - "THEATER."  And, it is a movie that we have seen over and over, time and again, and each time that the voting public is duped into voting a Republican into the White House since the 1980's.  From Regan to Bush I, Bush II, and now Trump, not to mention the reactionary Republicans holding court in the House and Senate, we have experienced similar "Tax reform" proposals that all have a common denominator - each lowers taxes on these with the most wealth and/or income, lowering taxes on corporations, large and small, and stripping the enforcement tools that the IRS needs to compel compliance.  And, in each case, the massive deficits resulting from the revenue reductions suffered as more wealth was concentrated on the top 1% of income earners in the country, were never re-captured by the promised economic growth.  In fact, not only did the projected increased economic growth and the taxes that might have resulted failed to appear, the reverse actually took place.  In the case of Regan, a deep recession began and continued under his successor, George Bush I which, in turn led to the election of Bill Clinton in 1992.  And, when George Bush II was handed the presidency over Al Gore by the Supreme Court, his "trickle down" tax cuts resulted in the largest recession since the Great Depression of the late 1920s-early 1030s, leading to the election of Barak Obama. In both of these contemporary examples, not only didn't the promised "rising tide lift all boats", but the revenue losses crippled government and increased deficit spending so as to put pressure to ignore other pressing national needs such as health care.  In both cases, jobs evaporated, unemployment rose, and economic growth tanked.  So much for the "job creators" and their desire to expand opportunity with their new-found cash assets.  Instead, the oceans of cash accumulated by individuals and corporations wound up in tax sheltered investments or off-shore accounts through tax loopholes and remained beyond the reach of the tax collectors. 

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, in his role as Magical Merlin, waved his magic wand over the tried and failed program of "trickle down" economics, enacted by President Regan (described by Bush I as a primary candidate running against Ronald Regan and, later as his VP, as "voo-doo economics"), and  trumpeted the plan as the "single largest tax cut in our nation's history." It turned out to be a one-page re-hash of tax cuts for rich individuals and wealthy corporations, and, as with the other magical thinkers of the trickle-down school of economics, came with the promise of dramatic growth of economic activity - some 3% or 4% or as much as 6% (notably, derided as impossible by legions of economists). Merlin Mnuchin, as with all alchemists, promised that drinking of this potion would result in a hyper-growth in jobs and wealth so great that, "the net cost of the plan would be paid for by the revenue receipts from the new growth."  Looking at the revenue deficit that would result from the full implementation of the plan - both personal and corporate - is calculated at a reduction of $6.2 TRILLION over ten years.  The most optimistic economist's calculation of growth and resulting tax receipts if enacted stands at $2 TRILLION over the same period.  That leaves over $4 TRILLION over ten years in deficit growth! Most economists view growth at 3% and more as highly unlikely.
So, where does that cash come from?  Obviously not from the military side of the budget that Trump has committed to increasing in large numbers. 

So, what is the reasoning behind this re-visit to the failed "trickle-down policies of the past?  Merlin Mnuchin and advocates for this massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy would say that there are 2 reasons.  First, that the US has the highest corporate tax rates on the planet.  And, second, that the US has the highest personal income tax on the planet.  The result, so the argument goes, is that there "oppressive" tax rates - on corporations and on the "job creators", prevent our economy from the robust recovery that it should have.  Sounds good, right?  Are you kidding me?  Let's take a look at the FACTS, not the ALTERNATIVE FACTS. The following are easily discovered with a small amount of research.  FACTS MATTER!

HIGHEST PERSONAL TAXES ON THE PLANET....

The highest personal tax rate in history was a whopping 94%!  That was the rate on those earning over $200,000 in 1945, with inflation factored in, equivalent to around $2.8 million today. And, although some economists, including Nobel Laureate Peter Diamond, argue that the top rate should be 73% today, the top rate stands at 39.6%. There is nothing magic about that number - if you go back to the 60s, 70s, and 80s, the top tax rate was much higher - between 50% and 91%.  In fact, the rate didn't come down below 50% until 1987 with the "Tax Reform Act" of 1986 sponsored by Senator Bill Bradley.  Even a small change in the top rate, a few percent - say on those earning more than $1 million a year - would make a big difference in how much the federal government brings in - and that revenue can be used for anything - military outlay, health care, Social Security and Medicare, student aid/or free college, or deficit reduction.  But, lets take a look at the Republican claim that we pay the "highest taxes on the planet", another "alternative fact."

In a study published last month and reported in Bloomberg News last month, the UN-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported on the relative individual tax burdens in 35 nations, including the US.  The 584 page report, "Taxing Wages", shows that the US tax burden on most American workers has not budged much over the last two decades although there have been substantial tax cuts for upper income earners under George Bush and slight increases on the same class of taxpayers under Barack Obama.  So, considering all 35 nations under the tax microscope, guess who came out at the top of the list for highest relative tax burden?  No, not the US.  At the top are Belgium and France.  Workers in Chile and New Zealand are tax least.  The US is in the bottom third (25th out of 35), just 1% above Canada.  In fact, the US rate for the average worker was 32%, 4 point below the 35 nation average of 36%.  Other countries included in the study are Belgium at 54%, Germany at 49%, Italy at 48%, Austria at 47%, Greece at 40%, and Denmark and Norway at 36% to name a few.  The average tax burden for all 35 OECD nations is 36%.  Again, the US falls in the bottom 1/3 of the list leading to the conclusion that the average US worker pays quite a bit LESS than he/she would elsewhere in the developed world!  And, that's a FACT!

HIGHEST CORPORATE TAX RATE ON THE PLANET

According to the National Priorities Project in a 2017 report of federal budget expenditures, noted that more than 80% of the federal budget comes from personal and payroll taxes.  Last year, only 11% of federal revenue came from corporate taxes - a number substantially down from  a high of 43% in 1943.  This is partly due to a comparatively low tax rate at 35% and partly due to loopholes and holding assets off-shore.  In fact, over an 8-year period, out of 258 profitable Fortune 500 companies (no-profit = no tax), 100 of them managed to pay NO TAXES AT ALL in one or more years. These 100 companies made some $336 BILLION in pretax US profits.  But, instead of paying $118 BILLION in taxes as the 35% rate requires, not only did they NOT pay federal taxes, but ehy RECEIVED TAX REBATE CHECKS FROM THE TREASURY OF $32.1 BILLION. Eighteen profit-making companies - including General Electric, Priceline.com, International Paper, and PG&E (not to mention the Trump Real Estate Group) - paid NOTHING for all 8 years, despite making a profit in every year. Zero, zilch, nada - in-spite of making substantial profits. 

Aside from dodging taxes altogether, the 258 Fortune 500 companies have become expert in avoiding paying the full freight that the law requires due to "loopholes" in the tax law, hard won by their well-paid congressional lobbyists.  Taken together, these companies - profits and all - paid an average of 21.2% over the 8 years in the study (2008-2015) - far lower than the official rate of 35%.  A fifth of these companies (48) paid an effective rate of less than 10%.  And, of those companies that have significant off-shore profits, more than half paid higher rates to foreign governments where they operate than they paid in the United States on their US profits. Only 66 companies paid 30% or more in taxes on their profits over the 8 year period.  In essence, the 35% corporate rate is a MYTH. The Beltway notion that US corporate taxes are more a burden than elsewhere and that makes us "uncompetitive" is patently false!  And, that is a FACT!

SUBSIDIES:  The hidden tax benefits picked from the pockets of wage earners.

Over the 2008-2015 period, these 258 companies earned $3.8 TRILLION in pretax profits.  At 35%, they would have paid $1.3 billion in income taxes over that period.  Instead, they paid only 60% of that amount due to tax SUBSIDIES.  These tax subsidies, totaling a staggering $527 BILLION over 8 years, are legal under the current tax code and have been concentrated in just 25 or 10% of the Fortune 500 profit centers.  Some $286 BILLION in tax subsidies were provided to these 25 companies including ATT, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Verizon, IBM, GE, Exxon Mobile, Comcast, Goldman, and Time Warner Cable.  It seems to me that what we need is a dose of tax fairness and not further subsidies or reductions.

Opponents argue that the US corporations and businesses pay "the highest taxes in the world!"  Not only is this simply hyperbolic language that adds little to the debate, but is is simply FALSE!  And, adding more "alternative facts" to this discussion is of little use. A report issued by the Congressional Research Service in 2014 concluded that the effective corporate rate in the US and the other OECD nations "is about the same" and the rate applied to new investments is "only slightly higher."  The report also states that a change in the statutory rate from say 35% to 25% would, at best, produce a "modest positive effect on wages and output" but at a cost of some $1.3 TRILLION in revenue deficits over 10 years.  The US is not a corporate tax monster.  And, that is a FACT!

Proponents of a massive tax cut also claim that a reduction from 35% to 15 % as proposed in the Trump plan would result is a giant growth in jobs as businesses invest in expanding job opportunity.  In a December, 2013 report, "The Corporate Tax Rate Debate", the Center for Effective Government studied the link, if any, between corporate profits and job growth.  They studied corporate taxes, profits, and job growth.  The report cited the US Government Accountability Office report on corporate taxes that noted that US corporations pay just 12.6% of their profits in federal income taxes.  And, they examined the job creation track record of 60 large, profitable US corporations from the list of 280 profitable Fortune 500 companies with the highest and lowest effective tax rates between 2008 and 2010.  The study found:
    
     1. 22 of the 30 companies that paid the highest tax rates on their profits created almost 200,000
         jobs between 2008 and 2012.  Only 8 firms with high tax rates reported reducing employees in
         that period;

     2. The 30 profitable companies that paid little or no taxes over three years collectively shed 51,289
          jobs, half created new jobs and half shed jobs in the period;

     3. Lowe's, the nation's 2nd largest home improvement store, paid 36% in taxes in the period
         on profits of $9 billion between 2008 and 2010 and hired an additional 28,820 workers in that
         period;

     4. Verizon, the USs largest wireless provider, reported $32 billion in US profits between 2008
         and 2010, received tax refunds totaling $951 million, and REDUCED the number of employees
         by almost 56,000 between 2008 and 2010.

     5. In 2004, a "tax holiday" (similar to that being discussed today) was adopted to encourage
         companies to bring back to the US cash assets held off-shore.  58 firms brought back some
         $218 billion in profits for a saving of $64 billion in taxes.  In the following 2 years, those firms
         eliminated 600,000 jobs.

The report notes that US corporations currently (2014) have more than $1 TRILLION in cash or liquid assets on hand.  In other words, they have the cash to invest in expansion and new jobs should they choose to do so.  The report concludes, however, that there is NO EVIDENCE that cutting the tax rate on corporate profits induces firms to create new jobs in the US.  And, that is a FACT!

Facts matter in any debate.  And, facts certainly matter in the congressional debate yet to come this year.  That debate, as with all discussion in the congress, will be filled with loose rhetoric, facts, and "alternative facts."  Facts need to matter in this discussion.  Because, decisions on tax and budget policy made this year will define economic opportunity for the future - both ours and that of our children.  We need to get this one right. And, the goal should be tax fairness, sharing the tax burden between working families, wealthy earners, and profitable corporations. And, we should aim for economic opportunity for our people, a minimum wage and a living wage to lift our citizens out of poverty in back alleys and onto the main street of America.  Trickle down doesn't work, never worked, and will not work.  We have tested this out several times and each time has resulted in a failure of the claims made.  What may work, some would argue, is an expanded economy with good wages for more workers, more taxes on wealth - personal and corporate - and less on labor that would put more money into the hands of legions of consumers thereby increasing demand for goods and services and spurring the economy to greater heights.  That has always been a formula for American expansion and success. And, it can be again.  If only we have the will to pay attention to the FACTS.

Stand up!  Speak out! March on!  

  

 

 

"I WILL JUST BOMB THE SH*T OUT OF THEM...." What have we learned? What have we become?

Important questions to consider....  Who are we?  Who have we become? How did we get there?

Teddy Roosevelt more than a century ago when speaking about American foreign policy implementation famously said, "Walk softly but carry a big stick." Is that what we are presently doing?  Or, have we come a far distance from walking "softly" and, instead of "carrying" a "big stick", are we stalking the planet and bashing those with whom we have issues with a very large CLUB?  Have drones, missile strikes, and the "Mother of All Bombs" taken the place of negotiation and diplomacy?  Since Dwight Eisenhower warned us in his Farewell Address in January 1961 to "guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex", and, in "pursuit of the goal of peace with justice", that we be "confident but humble with power", our nation has fallen more and more frequently into using our excess military might to demand compliance with our own national foreign policy goals by other nations.  The tragedy of Viet Nam that cost the lives of tens of thousands of our young men and women for no positive or evident advance of the national interest was a generational blood-letting.  The first Gulf War, thankfully over in mere weeks, opened the door to a Middle East slog that has drained both American blood and treasure for more than a decade. The invasion of Iraq in the Second Gulf War in pursuit of non-existent WMDs in retaliation for the attack at the World Trade Center on 9-11 turned out to be a thinly-veiled fraud perpetrated on the Congress, the UN, our allies, and the American people by the Bush II administration - especially Neo-Cons Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. And, from 9-11 forward, the Iraq/Afgan War became an example of government propaganda at its best in the never-ending, Orwellian war.  Well... until Donald Trump....  and the dawn of "alternative facts."

Fast forward more than a decade, and as we are still mired in "wars" in Iraq, Afghanistan, and, more recently, a growing presence in Syria, we have  new hand at the switch and a new finger on the nuclear button.  Is Donald Trump more in the mold of the Supreme Commander of the largest military force ever assembled in the history of the world, the Allied Military Commander, Dwight Eisenhower who as General and, later, as President, lamented the bloodshed of war and cautioned against committing to "saber-rattling" as a tool of advancing our international relations?  Or, have we elected a President more in the mold of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un - an autocrat who relies on lies, propaganda, and "alternative facts" to shield his citizens from the truth, especially when real facts do not support his world view or agenda?  Is Trump a President who prefers the "big stick" to "walking softly"?  Again, in his Farewell Address, President Eisenhower commented "as one who has witnessed the horror and lingering sadness of war - as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization" and that the "potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist",  that international relations must be based on "a confederation of equals with mutual trust and respect" and "cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield." Is President Trump a bringer of peace or a monger of war?

From the earliest days of his campaign of 2016, Donald Trump made no secret of his goals of dramatically expanding the lethal force of the US Military, often describing the largest, best trained, best funded, and most practiced military on the planet - larger than the next 12 nations on the planet - as weak, leaderless, and ineffective.  The US spends more tax money in our bristling Defense budget - nearly $6 BILLION a year - nine times Russian outlays and three times defense spending in China - in support of 3 million troops under arms plus all of their hardware and technology - more than any other budget category.  Yet, for President Trump - much more than anyone else is still not enough... and, his budget calls for substantial increases in military expenditures and cuts everywhere else to support that increase.  one might question, for what purpose?

The answer may lie in Trump's continuous bellicose or insulting comments that he has directed toward friend and foe alike.  Within the last several months, Trump has disparaged Mexico and other Latin American countries, derided Canada, hung up on the Australian Prime Minister, and refused to shake hands with the leader of Germany in addition to attacking NATO as having outlived its usefulness. (Last week, after a meeting with the NATO Chairperson, Trump relented and described NATO as "still relevant."). As everyone knows, Trump continues his "bromance" with Vladimir Putin and has recently warmed to the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, not to mention his recent congratulatory phone call to the Turkish Leader, Recep Erdogan on his tightening grip as he erodes the long-held democratic traditions of this troublesome NATO ally.

Trump also seems to be quick on the trigger. Just in the past month he launched 59 Tomahawk missiles against an airbase in Syria, further inflaming tensions with our allies and risking an expanded conflict with Russia (although the Putin was informed in advance of the US planned attack), and attacked Iran as "not living up to the spirit of the agreement" that had been hard-won by the US and 6 other nations to halt the Iranian development of nuclear weapons. And, although the regime' in Syria has proven itself vicious and inhumane in slaughtering their opponents on the battlefield and while held in detention centers as recently reported by Amnesty International that described mass hangings of thousands of opponents of Bashar al-Assad in Syrian prisons, and the resulting refugee crises, President Trump delivers bombs and missiles, not relief supplies, and continues to refuse to let Syrian refugees into our country.

And, in the case of North Korea, Trump has again flexed his military muscle in issuing numerous threats leveled against their unstable leader, Kim Jong-un and sending an "armada" of US naval ships, including an aircraft carrier, from military maneuvers with the Australian Navy toward North Korean waters.  This exercise in brinkmanship Syria and with North Korea could make the world a more dangerous place to call home, or it may call the bluff of both.  North Korea, already issuing open threats to sink a US aircraft carrier and escalating threats to South Korea, Japan, and Australia - all American allies - may very well be calling Trumps bluff while both Russia and China are moving military assets to their respective borders with North Korea.  Risky business, this.

Just more than a century ago, the world went to war in the "War to End All War" that took the lives of another generation.  Millions died in the long and bloody struggle that began almost as an accident. The world stumbled, piece by piece, into broad conflict that started with the assassination of a minor dignitary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife that took place in Bosnia. That assassination took place on June 28th, 1914 and was carried out by a lone Serbian nationalist - by modern descriptions, a "terrorist." Within one month, Austria declared war against Serbia and allies on both sides, bound by treaties, declared war on each other and WWI was underway. Countless millions died in long-forgotten places, thousands of towns were destroyed, nations disappeared from the map of Europe, other nations were inserted where that had not previously existed, and the seeds for the Second World War were sewn. Can history repeat?  Will it?

In 1961 Eisenhower cautioned, "we must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate... another war could  utterly destroy this civilization that has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years."  So, I ask this - Is anything really worth the risk?  And, is Donald Trump - the man at the switch - the person with his finger on the nuclear button, the man that you would trust to make these life-altering decisions?  Or, is he an unpredictable and unstable wild-man, ready to lash out at a moment's notice or on a whim to prove who is king of the mountain like his counterpart in North Korea?  Trump's most recent comment on the North Korean crisis:  "If China doesn't take care of it, we will." Feel better now?  Stay tuned.....    

THE DRUMBEAT OF DEMOCRACY MARCHES ON...... CAN IT BE SUSTAINED?

PHEW!   This has been quite the roller coaster ride.... and, we are only 3 months +/- into 45's reign. Along the way, we have won some and lost a big one - the Gorsuch appointment to the Supreme Court.  While we all know that the resistance effort would be fraught with peril - some known (like the constant "tweets" from the Prez) and some unknown (like some unprincipled Senate Dems abandoning ship and supporting the Trump agenda, Gorsuch included) - the sting of the Gorsuch appointment may very well turn out to be the "gift" that keeps on giving.... for decades.  Only time will tell just how much damage Gorsuch can do from his new lifetime perch.  On the other hand, your resolute activity in resisting the reactionary agenda of the new administration has produced stunning results.  So, at this period - the second "district work period" - as Congress is home for the Easter break and yet another opportunity for "Town Hall" activism presents itself - let's re-cap where we have traveled so far. And, although we did not win the recent Kansas 4th District special election to fill a seat in the House that had been held by Republican Mike Pompeo, now CIA Director, in a district that Trump carried by 20+ points, we did come within 7 points of the Republican candidate, reducing the margin of victory by 19 points!  If that trend were to be projected all the way to the next House elections in 2018, we would easily win control of the House and the Senate!  But, the road to that day is a long one.  This month the race to fill a vacancy in the Georgia 6th District previously held by Health Secretary Tom Price (don't you really want to slap his face for lying with a smile?), is a coin toss.  Although Price easily won that district last fall by 24 points, right now the Democratic candidate is well ahead in a field that is crowded by more than  dozen Republicans seeking to get to the run-off.  Tuesday, 4/18 is round one of the election and if no one gets 50% of the votes cast, a run-off will take place between the top two.  Looks like the Dem and one of the Rs will face off... But, just maybe.... Jon Ossoff can pull off the upset of the decade and win the seat outright this week....  If not, he will surely be in the run-off election against one of 18 Republicans seeking the party spot.  Hold on tight!

Again, congrats to all the members and activists engaged in the resistance! Nunes is off as chair of the House Intel Committee Russia investigation; Bannon is off the NSC; the AHCA failed to pass;the Muslim travel ban is blocked by the Courts so far; for the most part, Senate Dems held and the Gorsuch nomination filibuster was in place but the Senate Rs pulled the "Nuclear Option" trigger and succeeded in the Gorsuch appointment;  Prez T is sinking in the polls to new lows - presently at 38%, the lowest of a new President in history; Mike Flynn requested immunity; the Senate Intel Committee, headed by a Republican, so far looks legit.; and, public sentiment has taken a dramatic turn against the Trump reactionary policies and programs of this fake president.

Right from the Women's march on January 21st, your active engagement has proven to be the factor that galvanized the resistance movement across the nation which is saving our democracy from those who would dismantle, hobble, or destroy what took a century to carefully craft. From conservation and environmental protection and voting rights, to advancing the cause of encouraging quality education and civil rights, to caring for our poor, sick, and elderly, you are leading the way in defending our values that are under attack from the right-wing nuts currently at the switch.

Post cards, letters, phone calls, e-mail, rallies, marches, demonstrations, town halls, voter registrations and all the rest are making a real difference. But, know this..... You and I are engaged in the long game - with a common goal of taking our country back! Our commitment must be strong and continuous. We cannot let up, we cannot sit down, we cannot shut up until the goal is reached. And, that goal may take 2 years until the next congressional election or 4 years until the next presidential. Between now and then, the challenges will be great and they will be many. Our opponents will not go easy into the night. They have schemed far too long and worked too hard to lull the majority to sleep or to awaken their fears and prejudices, turning them into voters voting against their own interests. But, this shell game cannot work in the long term. People ultimately wake up... and, when they do, they will take their pound of flesh with a ferocious anger against those who tricked them, lied to them, and led them down a dark alley lined with false promises. That will be a day of reckoning and also the day when the fog of war blows away, and the smoke clears, and the American promise will again become a beacon of hope and a shining symbol of freedom, equality, and opportunity around the globe. 

Make no mistake, many battles loom ahead and we must be ever vigilant.  Without doubt, health care will again be under assault.  Then comes the Trump budget already proposed with massive cuts to education, environmental protection, social programs, women's health supports and Planned Parenthood, and numerous other programs reflective of American needs and values, and a massive expansion of spending on the US Military war machine - already the largest and strongest on the planet with spending levels greater than the next 20 nations added together!  Drain the swamp?  Nope.  Actually, drain the treasury - and our tax dollars - away from investments to build America and to educate and care for our people, to fund the military/industrial complex and the US War Machine to advance the corporate interests pulling the strings behind the scenes. And, then comes tax cuts for the large corporations and the wealthy at the expense of everyone and everything else.  Aside from dismantling of regulations that were designed over decades to protect us from bad food, ineffective drugs, corporate collusion and excess profits, consumer fraud, and threats to the environment, we are in the midst of defending the American future - the America that our children and their children will experience in the decades ahead.  The architecture of that alternative future is being designed and implemented RIGHT NOW.  The choices that we make today will shape the America of tomorrow.  We must engage.  We must stand up.  We must speak out.... WE MUST MARCH ON!  Stay engaged, stay active, and know that the future is counting on you and all of us.

RESIST! Bobby J 

FIRST, DO NO HARM: HIPPOCRATES AND HYPOCRISY

This past week, after hundreds of marches and rallies, after thousands of raucous Town Halls, and after millions of post cards, letters, phone calls and personal contact by millions of concerned Americans across the nation - in Red and Blue States alike, their efforts were rewarded with the implosion of "Trumpcare", "Ryancare", or more generally, the Republican Health Care repeal and replace legislation.  Broadly opposed by every medical association - doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other health care providers, by AARP and other senior groups, by child advocates, and by the 20+ million who would lose their health care had the bill been passed by the House Republicans, the proposal went down in flames last Thursday and Friday.  The current aftermath features finger-pointing and blame casting on many of the players.  These includes failures by House Republican Leaders, especially Speaker Paul Ryan; unhelpful comments from some Senate Republicans that undermined the House debate; a number of Republican Governors who wanted to protect their residents on Medicaid against being set adrift by the proposal in 2018; the 35+ House members of the "Freedom Caucus" - ultra-conservatives who insisted on removing "essential protections" that are provided under the ACA; Trump and his advisors who agreed to strip basic "essential" protections from the health care system to appeal to the Freedom Caucus votes and lost more reasonable, centrist, and moderate Republican House members. Republican moderate voices lost in abandoning "essential care" elements were ALL FIVE NJ Republican House members, including the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rodney Freylinghuysen, occupying an important leadership position appointed by Speaker Ryan.

This legislation was fatally flawed from the start. Like other versions of the Ryan ACA repeal legislation that the House Republicans voted for and ran on in several elections, this bill removed health care coverage from more than 24,000,000 Americans - first 14,000,000 right away in 2017 and, thanks to yet another amendment, another 12,000,000 in 2018-2020.  In addition, older adults would see their premiums increase from $1700 a year to 12,000 or more a year according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) - an age penalty; an $800 billion cost-shift to the states in Medicaid coupled with reduced funding support and a cap on any subsequent cost-growth, and the loss of health coverage by 24,000,000 Americans presently covered under the ACA.  States that had not joined in the ACA through expanded Medicaid coverage would be barred from adding coverage for those not yet signed on for care, leaving them permanently in a fiscal crises and with hospitals awash in red ink.  Yes.... the legislation would save federal tax dollars.... and be given back to insurance companies and the uber wealthy.  That is a far cry from what candidate Trump promised over and over again during the election campaign.  He assured the American people that he would "replace Obamacare with a new beautiful system of health care that would cover everybody with better service and at lower cost.  You will love it.  Believe me." Evidently, many American voters did just that - they believed candidate Trump.  And, last week, the man behind the curtain was revealed to be a liar as he turned his back on millions who took him at his word. HYPOCRISY! For now, the ACA remains in place.  But, round two will arrive at some point.  The clock ticks.

Hippocrates, the "father of modern medicine" and the author of the "Oath" taken by physicians, lived and worked in Greece in 400BC.  One of his most famous statements and one that is included in the modern Hippocratic Oath is a pledge that all doctors take - "FIRST, DO NO HARM."  Perhaps the Republican Members of Congress should have had that oath in mind as they crafted ACA replacement legislation.  The evidence, however, suggests that the only thing that they had in mind was a massive cost shift to the states and a massive tax cut for the wealthy and profits for the insurance companies.  To give money away, you first have to generate some, in this case, from program savings.  And, that's why the Freedom Caucus right-wingers, with Trump and Ryan's support, insisted on "amendments" to the bill as introduced.  I mention them here on the chance that the proposal sank so rapidly last Friday, that their willingness to inflict pain on people and, especially on those who have the least and are least able to defend themselves, have no lobbyists on the Hill, and do not make massive campaign contributions, for the ability to give massive tax cuts to high income earners, large corporations, and to boost the profits of health insurance companies like Aetna, Humana, and BC/BS. (Incidentally, these three insurers' most recent financial statements reveal that they each claim PROFITS of more than $1 billion a year after taxes under the current ACA system.  Can you say, not collapsing?).

"First, do no harm... ."  Hippocrates would have his hair on fire if he observed the pain that the House Republicans were willing to inflict on the public to enrich the already rich.  They did this through a proposed cost-shift of billions of dollars to the states, bumping millions of Americans off of Medicaid, dramatically increasing insurance costs for seniors and older Americans, and abandoning millions of other Americans by permitting prices to rise beyond their ability to pay and/or eliminating "10 essential health services" from coverage under their health plan. So, here are the ten (10) "essential benefits" presently being required under the ACA that would be eliminated as a requirement and become a "choice of coverage" under Trumpcare/Ryancare:

   1. Outpatient care - your typical doctor's office visit with physicians "in network."

   2. Emergency Room Trips - this includes ER visits and ambulance service.

   3. In-hospital care - all care that you receive as an in-patient, including surgery.

   4. Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care - before the ACA 63% of non-employees coverage

       did not have any maternity benefit, exposing a patient to potentially tens of thousands of

       out-of-pocket expenses.

   5. Mental health and substance abuse disorder services - With the growing threat of opium

       abuse, such coverage is an essential element of a multi-phase approach to a solution. 

   6. Prescription drugs - Insurance companies often negotiate group discounts for 

       medications.  Left on their own, an individual would be exposed to thousands of dollars of

       avoidable expense. 

   7. Rehabilitative services - this includes physical therapy as well as treatments to help those

       with CP, MS, and kids with autism. 

   8.  Lab tests - What with rising malpractice insurance costs, doctors often order a full battery of

        tests to be thorough and accurate in making a diagnosis and crafting a treatment plan. Tests 

        like bloodwork, xrays, MRI or Cat Scans carry high costs that can be out of reach for

        average working families. 

   9. Preventive services - This includes vaccines, cancer screenings, mammograms,

       colonoscopies, and other diagnostic tools commonly used to diagnosis a potential problem

       early on while it is more treatable, curable, less costly, and less lethal.

10.  Pediatric services - including dental and vision care for children. 

Most employer health insurance plans already include these benefits as a matter of course. In fact, fewer than 10% of Americans buy their health insurance on the individual market.  The ACA program REQUIRES that all of these be included in a standard health coverage plan.  The Freedom Caucus, and the amended Republican Health Care Plan, eliminates those requirements and, as a result, exposes those insured to a roll of the medical dice.  And, if they "crap out", leaves the patient, their family, the hospital, and the states in a potentially untenable financial position.  In fact, 57% of US bankruptcy filings list medical bills as the root cause of the financial failure experienced.  Insurance is intended to avoid such pain.  But, not if the insured, because they cannot afford  "Cadillac" plan, have a bare-bones plan that essentially covers very little, resulting in fewer cash outlays by insurance companies, and higher profits for them.  

Let's take auto insurance, for example. Most states require that every driver with a registered vehicle have liability auto insurance in case of an auto accident.  Coverage - liability and comprehensive - is a system of joint risk.  That is, if you have an accident, you are covered.  But, you cannot buy insurance right after you have a crash!  If you could, it would cost whatever the damage total is - say, $40,000, the resulting medical bills if any - say, $20,000, plus 10% administrative fees and another 20% for insurance company profit.  Altogether, that policy would cost you $$78,000!  Not quite affordable.....  

If you don't have a crash, you still have to pay the premiums - no refunds!  So, what happens to your money when you didn't have a claim?  The pooled money goes to where it is needed - those who had the misfortune of having an accident.  That is what shared risk and insurance is all about. Its the same with health insurance.  Those without accidents pitch in for those with accidents on the promise that should they have a need for help in the future, everyone else would be there.  And, that's what the basis of insurance is all about.  It's called "shared risk."  The ACA set up shared risk in health care, and includes "essential health care" elements so that everyone is covered for those standard services, regardless of having an instant need for specific care.  And, also confident that, sooner or later - whether it be lab tests, surgeries, ER visits, ambulance services, or pharmacy needs, all of us will be able to call upon insurance coverage - rather than the bankruptcy courts to help us through a medical crises.

Republicans, and especially the Freedom Caucus - along with Trump and his senior staff - have demonstrated that they care little for the well-being of working and Middle Class Americans and that their entire agenda is driven by reducing taxes on thee wealthy, large corporations, Wall Street traders and firms like Goldman Sachs, and dismantling the protections hard won over the years for our safety (OSHA), the environment (EPA), consumer protection (FDA), and, in this case, health care for those in greatest need and of modest income.  This is not "fake news."  Just a simple fact.

STAND UP!  SPEAK OUT!  MARCH ON!