A Representative Democracy: It’s NOT All About You

13 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by Paul Kiser in Communication, Government, Politicians, Politics, Public Relations, Representative Democracy, Republic, United States

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democracy, Democrat, Dunning Kruger Effect, politicians, representative democracy, republic, Republican

“You Represent ME, Dammit!!!!”

One of the most misunderstood and abused aspects about elected officials is that it is her or his job to represent the individual. The deeper you dig into that concept, the more absurd it becomes. Even under minimal consideration, the idea is ridiculous. How can one person represent the individual needs, wants, and hopes of every citizen?

A Representative Democracy: Senators of the 117th Congress

Simple Explanations Fail a Representative Democracy

A representative democracy, or a republic, is a very complex idea, formed over thousands of years. It allows individuals to have a say in his or her laws, rules, and policies, but it does not mean that every individual will be satisfied with the outcome.

However, many people think that politicians are to represent only their point of view. That explanation fails to describe the actual responsibilities of an elected official.

Unfortunately, those with limited education may prefer simpler explanations of complex concepts. News media and public relations professionals often ‘dumb down’ information to a sixth-grade reading level. If they don’t, that person may not stay engaged and fail to grasp the information.

However, a simple explanation may pacify a person’s need to know, but fail to adequately inform. This gives a false feeling that one understands the full scope of the problem or idea; however, this is not the case

The Dunning-Kruger Effect on a Citizen’s Competence

Understanding the role of an elected official based on a citizen’s knowledge of a representative democracy

In 1995, a man spread lemon juice on his face and robbed two banks, believing that the lemon juice would make his face invisible to security cameras. He knew that lemon juice could be used as invisible ink on paper and he was confident it would work the same on his face. This is an example of illusory superiority studied by David Dunning and Justin Kruger. Their work led to the theory of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.

The Dunning-Kruger Effect indicates that a person’s confidence in understanding a concept or problem leaps upon learning a little information. Confidence typically drops significantly with more information; however, confidence then improves as the person becomes more informed.

The common misunderstanding a representative democracy is a good example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Most citizens have a simple understanding of the role of an elected official. They may believe that the role of a politician is to represent only his or her interests. This belief can result in dissatisfaction when a politician doesn’t appease their point of view.

What IS the Role of an Elected Official in a Representative Democracy?

An elected official is to represent the best interests of all of the citizens in his/her district. Not only the ones that voted for her or him but all the citizens. It may be obvious, but not everyone holds the same values, nor has the same vision, so some may not agree with every choice a politician makes on their behalf.

But a representative democracy has further complications. If any of the citizens sought to create laws and policies that could potentially harm others, a politician should not assist them. For example, if a group of citizens sought a law to require three eyewitnesses to a rape, a politician would be wrong to represent that point of view. It would mean that almost every rape would be unprovable in court and all women would be at risk. Even if it is the view of the majority, a politician is duty-bound to act in the best interest of all citizens.

A politician’s role can be stated simply; however, it differs from common beliefs:

An elected official’s role is to serve the best interests of her or his constituency to the best of their ability, ignoring political ideologies, biases of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, or creed.

Colorado’s 17 Dying Counties

23 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by Paul Kiser in Colorado, Conservatives, Donald Trump, Economy, Education, Government, jobs, Mining, Politicians, Politics, Small town, Taxes, United States, Voting

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Baca County, Bent County, Cheyenne County, Colorado, Conejos County, Counties, County, Democrat, Dolores County, Donald Trump, Hinsdale County, Jackson County, Kit Carson County, Logan County, Moffat County, Otero County, Phillips, Phillips County, Political ideology, Politics, Prowers County, Republican, Rio Blanco County, Rio Grande County, Sedgwick County, Yuma County

From 2010 to 2019, Colorado has enjoyed a 14.5% growth in population. Urban areas, such as Denver, have had more significant growth than rural areas. The growth has led to more jobs, more paid taxes, and a general boost to the economy of the State.

However, Colorado consists of 64 counties and many of the rural counties struggle to maintain a viable economy. A declining economy means fewer jobs, fewer jobs means less income for residents, and less income means a decline in the tax base for essential county services. It is the death spiral that a rural county suffers, leading to a collapse of its economy. When the 2020 Census is complete, there are seventeen rural Colorado counties that will likely show a decline in population.

Colorado counties with population declines (2010 to 2019 est.) Percentages indicate the amount of decline, other numbers indicate the population of counties under 10,000. [Number colors indicate the last 40 years of political party support. Red-Republican, Blue-Democrat, Purple-Split]

Typical Economic History

Colorado, like many other U.S. States, established an economy on agriculture and mining. Also like many other States, as businesses became more centralized and industrialized, rural areas became outpaced by the income potential of urban areas. This conversion of the foundation of our economy left rural areas isolated from the economic benefits of newer industries.

Rural Colorado is isolated from the economic power that exists in Denver and other urban areas.

Arteries of the Economy

Geographic location has played a major role in the economic fortunes for Colorado counties. Most pioneers heading west avoided the difficult mountain passes of Colorado and traveled through Wyoming. It wasn’t until the trains came to Colorado that significant growth began. In the 20th century, paved roads allowed smaller towns to emerge along highways that could provide services to the traveler.

The completion of Interstate 80 (I-80) through Wyoming, and Interstate 70 (I-70) through Colorado, siphoned off the traffic that fed the economy of many smaller communities. Even communities located on I-70 found that faster roads and improved gas mileage hurt their economy. The result was a loss of jobs and revenue in small towns outside of urban corridors. By the end of the 20th century, many of Colorado’s remote communities began seeing stagnation and decline in their population.

Off The Path

The counties experiencing population decline since 2010, indicate that isolation from Colorado’s central urban core is continuing to impact communities in the State. Thirteen of the counties experiencing a population decline are located on the Colorado State border. The other four are adjacent to a county located on the border.

Colorado has 26 counties that have a population under 10,000 (2019 est.) Most of these counties are also located at or near the State border. Eleven of the seventeen counties experiencing a decline in population also have less than 10,000 residents. This means that many of the counties losing residents are exacerbating the crisis for the county.

But not every county on the fringes of Colorado’s borders is losing population. Are there common traits of dying counties? The answer is yes, and the attitudes of the residents may be a factor.

Five Common Characteristics of a Dying Colorado County

1. Small Population

The total population of all 17 dying counties is just over 130,000 people. That means that the average population for the counties is well below 10,000 people.

2. Large ‘White Only’ Population

The average ‘White Only’ demographic for Colorado is 68%. The 17 dying counties have an average ‘White Only’ demographic of 73%.

3. Fewer College Degrees…by almost half

Over 40% of Colorado residents have college degrees. In the 17 dying counties, only 21% have college degrees.

4. Average per Capita Income is Less…about one-third less

The average per capita income for a Colorado resident is $36,415. The average for the 17 dying counties is $24,735.

5. Strong Republican Support

Rural counties tend to be more conservative, but these 17 dying counties are diehard Republican fanatics. All of the 17 dying counties voted for Donald Trump in 2016 by an average of 71% of the vote. In addition, almost all of the counties have voted for a Republican candidate for President in each election for the past 40 years.

Table 1.0 – Colorado Counties Decreasing in Population. [Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Wikipedia]

Not All Small Counties Vote Red

It is easy to assume that all rural counties with a small population are conservative and vote Republican. That is not true in Colorado. Most of the 26 smaller counties do vote Republican, but there are eight small counties that have voted for the Democratic Presidential candidate a majority of the time during the last 40 years.

Those eight Blue counties with populations under 10,000 have a ‘White Only’ demographic slightly less than Colorado’s average, an average population growth rate of 8.5%, have a college degree rate of about 50% greater than the dying counties, and have an average per capita income that is about halfway between the dying counties average and the State average.

Table 2.0 – Colorado Blue counties with a population of less than 10,000. [Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Wikipedia]

Does Political Ideology Determine the Fate of a County?

The correlation between a county’s fate and the political leanings of its citizens does seem to exist, but does ideology determine the fate of a county, or does the county’s situation determine the political ideology? There is no obvious answer to that question.

Still, the political ideology reflects the attitudes of its citizens in decision-making and the fact that all of the counties in Colorado that are losing population, voted for Trump in the last election, and that the long term history of those counties has been to vote Republican, it would seem that the traditional political leanings of a county have an impact on the success or failure of a Colorado county.

Dying Counties Don’t Die

The tragedy of dying counties is that they don’t die.

Colorado has three counties with a population under 900 people each. These three counties have their own county commissioners, their own county administrative offices, and their own county sheriff’s department. All three of these counties are adjacent to each other and yet they exist as separate entities.

It would be logical to fold a failed county into an adjacent county; however, that is not what happens to counties that no longer are viable. These counties become wards of the State, dependent on State tax revenues to exist.

In the end, dying counties become dependent on the rest of the citizens of Colorado.

April Fool’s Day is Donald Trump Day

01 Sunday Apr 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, All Rights Reserved, April Fools Day, Assault Weapons, Communism, Conservatives, Discrimination, Donald Trump, Economy, Ethics, Gender Issues, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Green, Gun control, Gun Extremists, Health, History, Honor, Mass Shootings, Nevada, Politicians, Politics, Pride, racism, Relationships, Religion, Reno, Respect, Russian influence, Second Amendment, Soviet Russia, Taxes, United States, US History, Vladimir Putin, Women

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April Fool's Day, April Fools, Donald Trump, GOP, Republican, Republicans, Soviet Republicans, Trumpsters

On the third Monday of February, our country celebrates the great Presidents. For Donald Trump, we have a different holiday. For this day the western world can join in a celebration that even predates our country. We used to call it April Fool’s Day, but now we have the poster child of April Fool’s Day as our President.

Our Biggest April Fool

Donald Trump Day isn’t just for the man who became the Resident of the White House, but it recognizes all Trumpsters who adore hu and hu’s foolish ways. It is a day that the new Soviet Republican party can be remembered for their Collective Closed Mind. This is a holiday that has been in search of its people and now its people have been found!

On this special day let’s remember how special Donald Trump and the Trumpsters are as Fools of Humanity. To be a Fool:

One must believe that freedom of religion means a Taliban-like State where Christian extremists inflict their made-up racist-based mythology on everyone.
A person must accept that gun deaths are caused by non-Trumpsters, and the solution is more guns.
One should know that a man has the obligation to rule over women as subservient beings.
A person must believe that a book of mythological stories of life written over 2,000 years ago. They should think that it is how we should govern all citizens of the United States of America in the 21st century.
One must ignore all facts that contradict what you want to believe.
One must read the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America without the words “militia” and “well regulated.”
One can declare that all non-whites are illegal immigrants and that nullifies all laws prohibiting racism.

We Look Forward to the Day

There are many more, but this is a day for Donald Trump and hu’s Trumpsters. Let them speak for themselves. For the rest of us, we look forward to the day when the holiday only reminds us of Trump reign. Remind us of when Soviet Republicanism briefly took over our country. Remind us of why we celebrate April Fool’s Day only once a year, instead of suffering through it all year.

Mass Shooters Not Criminals Before They Picked Up A Gun

18 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Crime, Government, Health, History, Mass Shootings, Medicine, Mental Health, Politicians, Politics, US History, Violence in the Workplace

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Columbine High School, Congress, Conservatives, gun, Gun control, gun laws, gun lobby, gun rights, gun violence, mass murders, Mass shootings, Mental Health, mentally ill, NRA, psychopath, Republican, suicide, Violence, Violence in the Workplace, Virginia Tech Massacre

Gun extremists like to portray the perpetrators of mass shooters as known criminals that should have been identified and stopped. That is a damn lie. Like millions of people in the United States, mass shooters often have anti-social behavior and/or involve themselves in hate-filled social media posts. Almost all of those people will not become a mass murderer. None of the mass shooters are identified as criminals until after they have picked up a gun and killed people.

Here is a list of the 20 worst mass shootings and indicators of instability prior to their crime:

TABLE 1.0 Worst 22 Mass Shooter Events in the USA

Millions of People Are Mentally Ill, Only a Few Kill

In some of the instances listed above the mental illness was known but was not an accurate predictor of the actions taken by the perpetrator. Almost all of the perpetrators were U.S. citizens, male, had easy access to guns, and/or was obsessed with gun ownership.

The five worst events have occurred after the ban on assault rifles was allowed to expire in 2004. Half of the top 22 mass shootings have happened in the last 18 years and the other half occurred in the 50 years prior.

More Guns, More Deaths

The simple fact is the explosion of gun ownership in the past three decades has resulted in an explosion of gun deaths. We are not safer now than we were 50 years ago, and while the funding for mental illness treatment is a factor, if guns weren’t easily accessible, the mentally ill would not have the opportunity to use them.

There are only three mass shooting events among the top 22 where the guns were not legally obtained. In two cases the guns were obtained because the criminal records of the perpetrator were not on record as they should have been. In the Columbine High School shooting, the two teenagers used friends to buy them guns. The other 19 events were people who had easy, legal access to the guns and if they hadn’t had that access, I wouldn’t need to write this article.

GOP Memo is Last Straw

06 Tuesday Feb 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Crime, Ethics, Government, History, Honor, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Republic, Respect, The Tipping Point, United States, US History, Voting

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115th Congress, 92nd Congress, Co-conspirators, collusion, Devin Nunes, Donald Trump, GOP, House Intelligence Committee, Putin, Republican, Republicans, Richard Nixon, Russia, Vladimir Putin

Last Friday the United State of America reached a point of no return when Republicans attempted to cast doubt on Trump campaign’s collusion with the Russians. Loyal Trumpster, Representative Devin Nunes, ignored all warnings and common sense in a desperate move to discredit the U.S. Intelligence community with a GOP memo claiming they were doing the bidding of the Democrats.

Trump and GOP Now Co-Conspirators

Any possible hope of Donald Trump and the Republican party maintaining their legitimacy as elected representatives ended with the release of a Republican-authored House Intelligence Committee memo that reconstructs facts to fit to create a manufactured story. Not only does the memo create a false version of the facts, but Trump was already promising a Republican that he was planning to release the memo as he was walking out after his of the State of the Union (or Uniom) speech.

Watergate Without a Democratic Congress to Stop Him

We are witnessing a more corrupt version of the Nixon administration without a Democratic majority in Congress to act on behalf of the people of our country. There is ample evidence to warrant a serious investigation into Donald Trump, his family, and his campaign regarding collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election. The attempt to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the investigation by Trump and congressional Republicans is meant to reinforce the support of Trumpsters. It is an attempt to divide the country, not claim innocence.

Unfortunately, Trumpsters would likely not accept full video and audio recordings of collusion as evidence, so the release of the secret memo is simply a way for Trumpsters to maintain their belief that Trump is just a misunderstood genius. Trumpsters now have a way to reassure themselves that any evidence against Trump and his campaign is all part of a conspiracy by Democrats.

It is difficult to imagine a path toward normalcy in our country without some type of violent retaliation by some Trumpsters who will claim that Trump and the Republicans were illegitimately removed from office.

[COUNT TO 500: 495th Article in PAULx]

Why We Elect the Wrong People?: #2 We Don’t Understand the Purpose of a Republic

30 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Aging, Business, Communication, Economy, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Management Practices, Politicians, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Religion, Republic, Taxes, The Tipping Point, United States, Universities, US History, Voting, Women

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115th Congress, Business, candidates, Caucasian, democracy, Donald Trump, GOP, issues, Opinion, PAC's, platform, representatives, republic, Republican, uninformed, Voting, white male

Bad politicians are elected because the most voters don’t understand the purpose of a republic and because we don’t understand, we are manipulated by those who tell us what we want to hear. When anyone complains about Congress or the President we have to keep in mind that it is the voter that puts them in office and we are to blame.

Business Uses Republicans For Profit

Last weekend I published an article on why Big Business wants dumb politicians. Simply put, dumb politicians don’t interfere with unethical business practices and unethical business practices are more profitable than ethical business practices. Republicans have discovered that business will finance their campaigns if they are willing to restrict the function of government in a republic; however, Republicans are elected because they know how to manipulate a certain population in our country.

The Purpose of a Republic

Democracy is only effective if everyone is capable of researching all the information needed to make an intelligent decision on every issue facing a society. Even then, the ‘majority rules’ of a democracy is inherently unfair to the minority.

A republic accepts that not everyone will have enough information to make intelligent decisions on issues confronting a country so representatives are elected to research the issues and make the decisions that benefit the greatest number of people. The catch is that the representatives have to be capable of understanding complex issues and have to be honorable in the discharge of the duties of her or his office.

Opinions Are Irrelevant

What most voters don’t understand is that their ‘opinion is irrelevant in a republic,… and it should be. Opinions are based on the knowledge of the person. If the person is not qualified, not educated, and/or not experienced enough to understand the issue, his or her opinion is defective. When a ‘person on the street’ is interviewed, they are the least likely to have a valid opinion.

GOP Uses the White Male Voter

Republicans use uneducated and/or biased voter opinion to their benefit. They target issues that are based on misinformed or uneducated opinion that the voter is passionate about and elevate those issues in the political arena. Often these issues are based on the personal bias of the voter. Primarily, Republicans target opinions of the uneducated white male and exploit them by saying what the white male wants to hear to gain his support and trust.

The GOP reinforces the white male voter’s belief that he is correct. Republicans blame the government and liberals as the cause of the issue and convince white men that they will fix the problem if elected. Once they have gained the trust of the voter, it is relatively easy to plant other ‘issues’ in his mind. The twisted logic of giving money to the rich will create more jobs is a prime example of how Republicans plant an idea that completely defies common sense, and yet, Republican voters accept it as fact.

The Cure

If our country hopes to elect better politicians, then we have to choose those who are highly intelligent and honorable. We also must stop expecting candidates to take positions on issues before they are elected. Candidates with strong positions are often attempting to say what people want to hear. If our elected officials are intelligent and honorable, they will make good choices.

We also have to understand that our opinion is irrelevant unless we have expertise regarding the issue. Everyone has an opinion, but the only ones that count are the one with knowledge of the issue.

The State of the Union of the United States of America

29 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Crime, Customer Relations, Customer Service, Economy, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Green, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Management Practices, Panama, Politicians, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Relationships, Religion, Respect, Science, Space, Taxes, Technology, United States, Universities, US History, US Space Program, Women

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Congress, Donald Trump, economy, Education, GOP, ICE, Illegal Immigrants, immigrants, Immigration, Paul Kiser, President, public education, Republican, Republican Party, Republicans, roads, Space Program, State of the Union, Tax Cut and Jobs Act, tax cut for wealthy, tax cuts, taxes, United States, United States of America

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the good citizens of the UNITED STATES of America:

We are a country of greatness, that has allowed itself to be taken over by the ungrateful. For centuries we have been the place that the world looks to as a model of what they hope to have for themselves and their families, and yet, in one year that model has become the example of what not to do.

The World Economy

We are the marketplace of the world. Companies in Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, and Austrailia want to capture the market of the United States of America. Our citizens support the world economy, and they know that when the United States falters, the world falters.

And yet, the Republican party would have you believe that if our companies are required to pay their portion of support for the United States of America, they will move their jobs away. It is a twisted logic that accepts companies will move away from their customers, but that is what the Republican party would have you believe in order to fatten the wallets of those who don’t need more money.

It is true that companies in the United States of America have been allowed to hide their money in other countries to avoid supporting the people of the United States of America. The solution to this is not to lower taxes, but to refuse to allow a company to have access to our market if they won’t pay their taxes. The Republican model rewards companies that break the laws of the United States of America by legalizing nonpayment of taxes.

The Power of Government

The Republican party has convinced people that government is inherently evil and that the citizens of this country shouldn’t have to financially support it. They have lied to our citizens by claiming that taxes are wrong, government is evil, and business is holy.

And yet, when we closely examine the ‘waste’ of government we find that typically it is a private business that is stealing from the government, not government waste. Business is based on greed. Government, our government, the government established by our forefathers, the government that financed the railroads, the government that built the water systems, the sewer systems, the dams, the roads and highways, the bridges, government that helped our world neighbors win World War I and World War II, the government that established fire protection, law enforcement, national parks, national monuments, and the government that took us to the Moon and back, THAT government is not evil. THAT government is responsible for all the great achievements in the United States of America.

We are not strong because business made us strong. The history of corporations in the United States of America is one of abuse of workers, deception of neighbors and customers, of mismanagement, fraud, and greed. It has been consistent in our country that when the government keeps a close eye on business, business has succeeded. Government, our government, the government of the United States of America makes for good business, and when government is not there, business brings down our country and our economy, just as the banks did in 2007.

The United States

In this speech, I have not used the word, “Americans.” I don’t use that term to refer to the citizens of the United States of America. Brazilians are Americans. Peruvians are Americans. Panamanians are Americans, Canadians are Americans. And our friends south of our border in Mexico are Americans. All the people of North, Central, and South America are Americans.

WE are the UNITED STATES of America. We celebrate and demand the UNION of our country, not the divisions. What we have is unique. What we have is special. Those that use only the last word in our country’s name fail to understand the importance of the first two words.

As the United States, we are pledged to a government by the people, and for the people, ALL THE PEOPLE, of the United States of America. No one is superior. The wealthy are fortunate, not better. The poor are unfortunate and we have their backs.

Immigrants are our guests until they become citizens, and we will be judged on how we treat them. We don’t need walls, we need paths. Every immigrant should be recognized and assisted as they join our great nation. Anything short of heroic support of the visitors to our nation is beneath the character of the citizens of our country.

Education For All

A miracle has happened in the United States of America. Between 1950 and 2010, our country’s population doubled. In 1950, only 34% of the adults in our nation had a high school degree. Only 6% had a college degree. By 2010, Almost 90% of the adults in our country had a high school degree and 30% of our adult citizens had a college degree.

Our schools, our PUBLIC schools not only kept pace with the growing population, they expanded the gift of education to almost everyone willing to do the hard work of becoming better citizens.

We cannot stop now. Education is the foundation that this country stands upon. Education creates new job possibilities. Not just for the student, but for the employer. When a good employer realizes that her employees have a greater potential than his or her current job requires, they find ways to expand the challenges, and that means the company can stay competitive, and even outpace other companies in countries that don’t have the power of an employee educated in the United States of America.

It is Time

We have been deceived. The Republicans have tried to tear our country down and then claim they are building it up. Our country doesn’t need to be rescued by people who seek only to line the pockets of a few at the sacrifice of everyone else. The stock market is a measure of greed, not of wealth. Our economy is driven by millions with good jobs that pay them enough to have money to spend, not by a few investors making millions off everyone else.

Taxes are the lifeblood of our great country, and when the wealthy don’t pay their fair share, everyone suffers. It’s time we stopped the lies and deception. It’s time we remember who we are and what we stand for…We are the United States of America, and those that don’t support shouldn’t be leading our country.

Why We Elect the Wrong People?: #1 Business Wants Dumb Politicians

27 Saturday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Honor, Politicians, Politics, Taxes, US History

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approval rating, Big Business, big oil, Business, campaign contributions, character assassination, Congress, disapproval rating, Donald Trump, GOP, Money, PAC's, pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical industry, politicians, Republican, Republicans

Business loves Republicans for a reason

Fifty-six percent of U.S. citizens don’t approve of Donald Trump’s job as President. The job disapproval rating for Congress is at 75%. Why do we hate our politicians? Why don’t we elect people who will make us proud instead of disgusted? The answer is that it is our fault, but not completely.

Dumb Politicians Are Good For Business

Making money is easier for unethical people in business. Finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes would be great, but there is no money in curing diabetes. There is a lot of money in selling diabetic supplies and insulin. There is more money if a pharmaceutical companies work together and raise prices. It is not in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry to have a government looking over their shoulder telling them what they can and can’t do.

This is why businesses and business-related lobbying groups don’t want intelligent, caring people elected into a political office. It is not good for business. They want less intelligent, unethical, uncaring people as politicians because it makes less trouble for them. Big business puts their money behind candidates that won’t ask questions and won’t interfere when they do something unethical.

Follow the Money

In 2016, pharmaceutical companies spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars ($247,033,814) to lobby politician’s favor. They increased that by over $30 million in 2017. This is not money being spent for good government. This is money spent by the pharmaceutical industry, for the pharmaceutical industry.

Energy companies give to the Republican party by default

Energy companies spent over $171 million in campaign contributions during in 2016, and 77% of the money was given to Republican candidates. There is no doubt that the energy industry knows who will support them and they make sure that their candidate has the money needed to win.

There is a reason that Republicans won the White House and Congress. Business wants unintelligent, unethical, and uncaring politicians. Business is good when politicians are bad.

Character Assassination

It’s not enough to just spend money on the politician that business wants to win. They also spend money to destroy the character of the opposition. Business overlooks the character flaws of the candidate they want to win, but focus an intense eye on the person they don’t want to win.

A thinking, considerate, competent person running for office can expect to have business mount campaigns to expose any flaw or perceived flaw in her or his character. It effectively discourages anyone who doesn’t support big business from running for political office.

Tuesday: #2 We Don’t Understand the Purpose of a Republic

Trump and GOP Causing Emotional Numbness?

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Crisis Management, Economy, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Internet, Journalism, Mental Health, Politics, racism, Religion, Respect, Social Interactive Media (SIM), Taxes, Traditional Media, US History, Women

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Congress, Donald Trump, economy, GOP, government shutdown, Mental Health, post trauma, PTSD, Republican, Republicans, shock

There is a term for the state of emotional numbness. It is called depersonalization-derealization disorder (DD.) It is a feeling of emotional detachment from reality, and the United States seems to be experiencing DD in epidemic levels. Has Donald Trump and the Republican (GOP) steamrolling agenda created a state of emotional shock for our citizens? It would answer many questions as to the lack of reaction to the absurdity of what our country has become.

Stock Market Non-Event

This week I was listening to Market Place on National Public Radio (NPR.) Kai Ryssdal was pointing out (22 January 2016) how the craziness of Congress and the government shutdown didn’t seem to be affecting the stock market. His point seemed to be that uncertainty has become the new ‘normal’ so uncertainty no longer affects the stock market in the way it has in the past.

It seems that the United States is in a zombie-like state as more events pile on that, in the past, would have created turmoil throughout our society. Today, events like a government shutdown seem to have little, if any, effect on people.

Trauma as Normal

During and immediately following a crisis people affected tend to shut down emotionally. They cannot process all of the events that have happened and become numb to new events. It is a coping mechanism in our brains that protects us and prevents us from experiencing further emotional trauma.

Germany in the early 1930’s is an example of mass DD. The Wall Street Stock Market crash of 1929 brought a period of prosperity and stability to an end and severely damaged the German economy.

After a series of economic issues and with a government in chaos, the German people became numb to the constant state of crisis in their country. Conservatives and reactionaries in Germany began to seize power in the absence of a coherent strategy to bring order to the country. This opened the door for the Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party to rise to control the country as the people largely sat back and watched.

What Does It Mean?

We are a nation of in a state of shock from the actions of Donald Trump and the Republicans. We are likely to do nothing that will stop the racist agenda of the President and the GOP. This year’s elections may only serve to exacerbate the situation. If the Democrats take control of Congress, it may lead to a political war between Trump and Congress. If the Republicans maintain control they will feel justified in intensifying the racist agenda.

Our country is faced with a situation that threatens everything we stand for, and yet, we are numb. Let us hope there is a way out of this mess.

Government Shutdown An Opportunity

18 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by Paul Kiser in Business, Crisis Management, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Honor, Information Technology, Internet, Politics, Pride, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Respect, Social Interactive Media (SIM), Social Media Relations, Taxes, US History, Women

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DACA protesters in San Francisco 5 September 2017

Time for Democrats to take a stand

A government shutdown is a bad thing. It creates a lot of problems and it affects a lot of people. Typically, one political party is blamed, and that creates a risk of losing elections.

But this is a different moment in time. People are tired of being mowed over by the Republican party. People are tired of the Democrats always giving up concessions only to have the Republican take more away later. It’s time for Democrats to take a stand and not flinch.

Provisions To Avoid a Government Shutdown

Democrats can’t take the stand for just one issue. It has to be for several core issues and they cannot negotiate away any of the issues. Democrats should demand the following Provisions:

All DACA recipients will be given a 20-year deferral and shall have preferred status in obtaining citizenship provided they are employed, a full-time student, are not convicted of a felony and pay all taxes as required.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be restricted from taking any action on any immigrant unless the person has committed a felony. All immigrants in custody that have not committed a felony will be released.
Net Neutrality must be restored.
All measures passed by the House or Senate must achieve a two-thirds majority for the remainder of the 115th Congress, and for the 116th Congress if Republicans maintain a majority in the House or Senate.
The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act is repealed except for those tax cuts for those earning under $250,000.
All Trump appointees must be removed from office and all acts by those appointees are to be rescinded. All new appointees must be meet Provision 4, above.
President Donald Trump will not be allowed to make any Executive Orders for the remainder of his term, and all of his previous Executive Orders by President Donald Trump are rescinded.
All funding for a wall between Mexico and the United States will be void, with the exception of sections of the border that both Mexico and the United States agree upon.
President Donald Trump will not be allowed to have a Twitter account.
President Donald Trump must pay for all services and costs when not staying in the White House or other government-owned facilities.

Shutdown Better Than Alternative?

These ten provisions may seem harsh. The alternative may be mass work stoppages, strikes, and protests, which is what will likely happen if the Democrats fail to stop the Republicans from destroying our country.

Dear Republican: Your Party Left Without You

28 Thursday Dec 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Aging, Business, College, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Public Relations, racism, Relationships, Religion, Respect, Taxes, Technology, Universities, US History, Women

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Donald Trump, GOP, National Republican Committee, Neo-Republicans, Republican, Republicans, Roy Moore, Senator Dean Heller, Steve Bannon

Roy Moore: One of the faces of the new Republican Party

Republicans seem to fall into one of four groups:

People who truly believe in a rational approach to various issues, and are extremely frustrated with many of the current positions and actions of their party.
People who are embarrassed by their party and won’t admit that they voted for Donald Trump (“YOU don’t know who I voted for!!!!)
People who quietly believe that destroying our country’s government will magically result in a better personal situation for them.
People who believe that Donald Trump is the savior and who believe that everything he says and does is blessed.

There is some crossover in these groups, but these are the traits I typically see in Republicans with which I have interacted. The last two groups seem to have little loyalty to the United States of America. If left up to them, any person who disagrees with them should be lined up and hung or shot or both.

People in the second group seem to recognize the lies and absurd positions of the leaders of their party, but don’t want to be associated with it. They might feel great about winning their party winning the 2016 election, but they don’t want to be linked with what has happened since Donald Trump became President.

It is the first group, the original Republicans, that are paying the price for the takeover of their party by people who are just lashing out at anyone and anything that is rational or reasonable. This is no more evident than when Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee recently raced to support Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. The Republican party has left the core of their party behind and now consists of a majority of people who only have their own self-interests in mind.

It’s unfortunate that good people in the Republican party have become mired in the antics of the fringe-turned-majority of the GOP, but as long as the new Republicans control the party, the core Republicans will face the backlash.

The Nuclear Amendment

30 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Public Image, racism, Religion, Respect, Science, Taxes, US History

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115th Congress, Affordable Care Act, Amendment, citizenship, Donald Trump, GOP, Republican, Republicans, tax reform, United States of America, US Constitution

Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

Upon ratification of this amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America by at least two-thirds of all states and/or territories of the United States of America, all acts of the 115th Congress and of the 45th President shall be nullified and repealed retroactively. This amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America supersedes all other past and current federal, state, and local laws to the contrary.

In addition, upon ratification of this amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, all members of the 115th Congress who voted in favor of any legislation relating to adversely changing and/or the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and/or who voted in favor any tax reform bill shall have all personal assets seized, here and abroad, and shall lose citizenship to the United States of America.

In addition, upon ratification of this amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, the 45th President shall have all assets seized and shall lose citizenship to the United States of America.

In addition, upon ratification of this amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, all official and unofficial political appointees and/or advisors of the 45th President, including those nominated by of the 45th President, regardless of whether or not they are still holding the office, shall have all assets seized and shall lose citizenship to the United States of America.

In addition, upon ratification of this amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America, all businesses and/or organizations that gained favored treatment, or profit on measures passed by the 115th Congress, or on actions, policies or, executive orders of the 45th President or any or his advisors, nominees, or appointees, shall forfeit twice the value of the actual, or estimated financial value of said action.

Job Killing: The Republican Prime Directive

25 Thursday May 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in About Reno, Branding, Business, Education, Employee Retention, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Human Resources, Management Practices, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Taxes, Technology, Universities, US History, Women

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BLS, Bureau of Labor Standards, Employment, GOP, government jobs, high paying jobs, job creation, jobs, Manufacturing jobs, Republican, Republicans, Trump's finances, Unemployment

There may be no political party in the history of the world that has killed more jobs, or enacted legislation to kill jobs, than the Republicans of the United States of America. They attempt to deny their legacy and claim that it is government that is killing jobs, while also claiming that illegal immigrants are taking high paying jobs from our citizens. Those are damn lies.

Trump’s SS forces raid homes to allegedly save high paying jobs for U.S. citizens

Business and Republicans are one in the same. Republicans always do what business wants, and in the past thirty years there have been few, if any, examples where a majority of Republicans have voted for legislation that was contrary to business wishes. When manufacturing jobs leave the United States, a Republican businessperson is behind it and it is done with the blessing of Republican politicians.

Manufacturing jobs in the U.S. 1939 to present. Growth occurs under Democratic leadership and shrinks under Republican leadership. (Source: Bureau of Labor Standards)

Trump’s feigned anger at businesses sending jobs overseas is almost comical if it weren’t so pitiful. In 1995, the sixty-year reign of Democratic majority control of Congress ended. in that sixty year history Democrats controlled either the House of Representatives and the Senate for all but four of those years. Republicans controlled the House of Representatives for six additional years during the Reagan administration. Since 1995, Republicans have controlled the Senate, House, or Presidency for all but two years under a banner to thwart all Democratic legislation.

Four years after the Republicans seized control of Congress and passed major business-friendly legislation, the number of manufacturing jobs in the United States began a plunge that would take it down to levels not seen in fifty years.

Job killing our country’s key employer is a primary goal of the Republican party. Federal, state, county, and local governments have been under attack since the Reagan administration. Republicans have consistently sought to strangle funding for public schools as our population has grown, eliminate jobs of the people paid to protect workers and consumers from unethical businesses, prevent funding for workers providing veteran services, and attack critical jobs that provide services for the typical citizen.

The goal of every business person is to make money, not create jobs. That is why Republicans seek to eliminate costs by killing jobs, rather than spend money to create jobs. To a business person, jobs are an expense, and are the obstacle to making money. What Republicans don’t understand is that jobs move the money through the economy, and eliminating high paying government jobs takes money out of the economy. This is why our economy is barely moving forward.

Trump supporters can’t understand the complexities of a national economy, which is why they are the problem in perpetuating Republican domination of our government. Trump is trying to push our economy into a disaster that we may never recover from unless he is stopped.

Conversations With Conservatives

12 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Crisis Management, Customer Service, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, Taxes, Technology, US History

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2008, conservatism, conservative, Conservatives, corruption, deregulation, Drug prices, economy, GOP, Healthcare, healthcare reform, Housing crises, Housing inflation, jobs, Regulations, Republican, Republicans, Unemployment

Recently I have had a couple of face-to-face, civil conversations with conservatives. The conversations gave me a better understanding of how Donald Trump and the Republican party have managed to stay in power for the last 37 years.

The Issues
Among the issues we discussed:

Finance regulation: Banks unethical practices
Housing inflation: Housing prices increasing too fast
Economy: Not growing fast enough
Jobs: Not enough good paying jobs
Healthcare: Taking care of people who can’t afford healthcare, keeping healthcare costs down
Drug pricing: Prescription drug unfettered pricing

Government or Business Corruption?
There are many more issues; however, the ones discussed offer insight to the driving attitude of conservatives. It was not surprising that conservatives believe that the government is inherently corrupt. They also have an unshakable opinion that business and capitalism are the solution to almost every social and/or economic problem.

When asked about the above issues, conservatives will automatically assume the problem can be attributed to government corruption, interference, or mismanagement. They also believe that government is holding back, or preventing from business solving the problem.

It is admirable that most conservatives don’t need, nor care if their opinions have no proof, or facts to support their position. Even when it is apparent that business is/was the cause of the problem, conservatives have the ability to double down on the fallacy and ignore anything that contradicts their opinion.

Cause of the Housing Crisis: Business as ~~Usual~~ Unethical

Regulation: The False Enemy
In one conversation I was told of how a bank sold the fixed rate housing loan of this person to another bank and the new bank raised the interest rate without the consent of the owner. Though the person kept paying on the loan, they were finally told that they were in arrears on the loan because they had failed to pay the additional interest on the new loan. Ultimately, the person was forced into either spending thousands of dollars on legal fees, or walking away from the house.

Three factors are key to this situation. First is the greed of the banks to make more money for the investors. Second is the lack of ethics by the bank. Finally, the lack of government oversight over the banks to prevent them from selling the loan, remaking the loan, and then forcing the homeowner into foreclosure.

Business was the corrupt party in this situation, and a lack of government oversight was the contributing factor; however, to the conservative, this was another example of a corrupt government.

NEXT: The Thirty-Seven Year Lie

Preparing for the Post Trump Era: Step One

10 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Ethics, Generational, Government, History, Honor, Management Practices, Panama, Politics, racism, Taxes, US History

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Donald Trump, GOP, Jerry Falwell, Michele Bachmann, Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, Republican, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Trump properties, Vladimir Putin

Donald Trump is the apex of the Republican model of government. What is happening today is exactly what has been desired by conservatives like, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Jerry Falwell, Rush Limbaugh, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Mitch McConnell, and Paul Ryan. It is a corporate government, not to serve the public, but as a corporation to satisfy the desires of the wealthy.

It is racist. It is secretive. And it is illegal. Our model of government is that it is a government of the people and by the people. What Trump is doing is anything but that.

It is a model of government that Vladimir Putin has perfected, and it seems apparent that he has been trying to export his perversion of government to create subsidiaries of his corporate government in democratic countries.

There is ample evidence of a Trump/Putin connection that is inappropriate for the Office of the President. It would be cause for investigation and removal from office; however, our Republican leadership is in the same bed as Trump.

Still, the tolerance of the political fiasco in our country is wearing thin, and the United States doesn’t suffer fools for long. Before that happens, our country needs to establish a plan of how we will move forward and not let this happen again.

Step One: The Disposal of the Trump Era
It will not be enough to remove Donald Trump from office. He will need to be prosecuted for his crimes against our country. There seems to be enough evidence to suggest that he should be charged as a traitor. If found guilty, he must face punishment. There can be no pardon for him.

If he is found guilty of crimes against foreign countries, extradition should be on the table.

Trump’s tower in Panama

All his assets, and any asset using his name should be confiscated and placed in the public treasury. He cannot be allowed to walk away with the fortunes he is gaining at the expense of the citizens of this country, and we should not be forced to see his name on buildings, projects, and programs.

His children must also be investigated, and prosecuted if they are suspected of acting against the interest of the people of the United States of America.

All Trump appointees, and anyone hired into federal service during the Trump administration should be removed from office immediately. All actions taken by Trump and/or his appointees should be immediately rescinded.

There is likely no legal precedent to allow all of these actions, but Trump has violated the established norms and mores of our country, and legal precedent does not apply.

Republicans Living Down to Expectations

09 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Business, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Honor, Human Resources, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, racism, Respect, Taxes, US History, Women

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GOP, health insurance, Healthcare, healthcare reform, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, Republican, Ryancare

GOP’s big loser takes from the elderly and poor to give to the rich

They did exactly what was expected and then went further. Republicans put together a plan to shred our healthcare, and then added more tax breaks for the wealthiest. Ryancare could best be described as the bomb dropped on the United States to distract us from noticing how deep Vladimir Putin is in Trump’s pants.

‘Repeal and Replace’ is, as expected, ‘Flush and Make the Wealthiest, Wealthier.’ By bullet point, this is what the Republicans shot down.

Mandatory coverage, gone. A return to pre-Obamacare
Subsidies, still there, but smaller
Medicare money raided to give the wealthy a big tax cut
Elderly and people with pre-existing conditions will pay up to five times more for insurance

Many believe that Ryancare will undergo significant changes; however, none of the discussed changes will improve the existing law. Republicans are committed to carnage and destruction. Business as usual.

What Trump Didn’t Do Today

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Politics, Taxes, US History, Women

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2016, Donald Trump, Election, Election 2016, GOP, May 17, National Republican Committee, NRC, prediction, Presidential candidates, Presidential race, Republican, Republicans

Donald Trump: The Republican Anti-Christ?

The SS Trump: A disaster in progress

It didn’t happen. Trump didn’t do it. Donald Trump didn’t drop out of the Presidential race today as I predicted he would at 9:00 AM EDT. I was wrong.

If I ever wanted to be wrong about something, this was it. The SS Trump has set sail across the sea of stupidity and the Republican party is all on board. Trump doesn’t fear the icebergs of reality because he doesn’t believe in reality.

I knew my prediction would probably be wrong after I heard about last Thursday’s ‘Big GOP meeting.’ Instead of setting the stage for a Republican reality check and Trump’s departure, Paul Ryan played the role of Lucius Malfoy and pretended that our country’s Voldemort was going to be reborn and not be the laughing-stock of the world.

It is possible that the Republican leadership is really as stupid as they are acting, but I have a hard time accepting it. Our two-party system has had many bumps and bruises in the last two centuries, but when one party is going down in flames, the core believers in that party usually regain control and steer it back on course. That doesn’t seem to be happening this time.

But maybe I’m wrong about the date? Maybe he still is running a fake campaign but he’s going to drop out later? If he is going to drop out, he doesn’t have much time. Every day Trump adds another nail in the Republican coffin, and conservatives have been digging their grave since Reagan was President.

Regardless, I was wrong about May 17….today is a great day!

Trump and GOP About to End the Facade?

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics, US History

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2016, Donald Trump, Election, GOP, Joffrey Baratheon, National Republican Committee, NRC, Paul Ryan, President, Presidential candidates, Reince Priebus, Republican

Donald Trump: The Republican Anti-Christ?

Cruz is out. Kasich is out. It’s all over. Donald Trump wins, and the Republican party goes down in flames in one of the biggest political blunders since Nixon began recording his phone conversations.

Could it be true? No.

I have a hard time believing that the current antics of the Republican party are genuine. A year ago all Hell broke loose in the Republican party. Every wacko came out to run for President, and the party was being divided up into little pieces. It looked like the 2016 Presidential race was over before it started. (SEE: The Trump Card – Aug 2015)

Joffrey: The Leadership Model for Trump

Enter Donald Trump. From the start, Trump’s tactic was to be the biggest and loudest wacko. It made no sense. The majority of voters of the United States of America were not going to elect the Joffrey Baratheon of conservative politics as President. Not even a majority of Republicans would fall for it.

But, Donald Trump was accomplishing one vital objective. He was rounding up all the wackos under one banner. That was huge.

The only problem was that, in the process, Trump alienated the rest of the country. Could Trump be so stupid to think that he could charm intelligent people after insulting them for a year? Could he be so stupid to not realize that he was inciting a backlash of voters who would not only send him down in flames, but send the rest of the party with him?

In August of last year, I said that I thought that Trump’s run for President couldn’t be real and in December I even predicted a date and time as to when he would drop out and order his minions to vote for the real Republican Presidential candidate. (SEE: Trump Dropout Countdown – DEC 2015)

Last month I admitted that at least part of my prediction was wrong, and that Jeb Bush was apparently not to be the beneficiary of Trump’s fake campaign. (SEE: Am I Wrong About Trump? – APR 2016)

Now it is less than ten days to my May 17th prediction and it there is no indication that Trump is ready to end the charade; however, I still believe Trump is faking it.

Why?

It’s Just Business
In big business, especially in investment and real estate, the game is deception. Make your competition think you’re doing one thing, while you are actually doing something completely different.

Trump is a businessman, and he is skilled at the art of deception. He is arrogant, but he’s not that stupid. Trump’s buffoonery is too much drama, and indicates he is trying to create the grand illusion.

To fake out the country, and then pull in the ‘hero’ who would save the day, would be Trump’s ultimate business deal.

Ryan’s Denials: Methinks the Lady Doth Protest Too Much
Paul Ryan is the most likely person to play the hero role at the end of Trump’s melodrama. He has been exceptionally low-key in this past year, which would be expected if he was avoiding any political controversies prior to a run for the President.

One could make the argument that it is easy to be Mr. Invisible when you don’t do anything, but Ryan has never been shy about the political spotlight even though he does nothing. To go from a rank and file Representative with national recognition to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and become invisible doesn’t make sense.

He has denied he would run for President, but Ryan denied that he would be the Speaker of the House five times before he ‘reluctantly’ accepted the position. He seems to play coy, and then force people to woo him before he suddenly take pity on the poor mortals, and does what he says he won’t.

The more Ryan denies that he will run for President, the more likely he will.

Reince Priebus: In on the big secret?

Anemic Republican Leadership
Another clue is the attitude of Reince Priebus, the chairperson of the Republican National Committee. For over a month now Priebus has been playing peacemaker with Donald Trump. This is odd. The party is in uproar over Trump as their nominee, and the leader of the party is acting as if Trump is just a misunderstood child.

This behavior doesn’t make any sense unless Priebus knows that Trump is running a fake campaign, and that he will drop out and throw his support behind a real candidate.

The End Game
Donald Trump has achieved his goal. All the GOP wannabes have dropped out of the race. There is nothing more for him to do but drop out.

However, Trump can’t just announce that he is dropping out of the race and tell his supporters to vote for Ryan. He has to lay the groundwork first. The following is a scenario of how it might happen:

GOP Uproar. There has to be enough outrage from high profile Republicans to make it look as if that Trump will not be able to win in November. This has already started happening, but this has to reach a crescendo just before he takes the next step.
The Big Meeting. Once it appears that Trump has no support from the GOP establishment, a meeting between Trump and the Republican leadership would be needed. The meeting gives Trump a cover story, so that it doesn’t look like his campaign was faked from the start. The meeting will later be credited with laying the groundwork for Trump to bow out and for Paul Ryan to step up as the Presidential candidate. Last Friday (May 6,) the Republican leadership announced a Big Meeting with Trump and the Republican leadership, including Paul Ryan. It is scheduled for this Thursday, May 12.
Trump’s Anguish. After that meeting, Trump will ‘have to think some things over.’ There will be leaks to the press that Trump was told he can’t win and that he will destroy the Republican party. Trump’s campaign will begin to leak that he is concerned about the damage he is doing to the Republican party, and there will be hints he is dropping out. The rumors will need a few days to soak in.
The Big Fall. As soon as all the news media is speculating that Trump is about to drop out, and that a deal has been brokered, Trump will make his announcement that he is falling on his sword for the good of the party and the nation. Paul Ryan’s announcement that he is stepping into the race has to come at the same time, or almost immediately to keep anyone else from restarting their campaign. May 17 would be about the right timing, even though Kentucky and Oregon primaries are on that day.

Of course, I could be wrong. Perhaps Donald Trump is stupid enough to think that he can reinvent himself and win over moderates, but I have faith in the citizens of the United States. Whether Abraham Lincoln said the following or not, it applies to Donald Trump:

You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

5 Reasons Why Sanders Should Be the Democratic VP Nominee

27 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Ethics, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, History, Passionate People, Politics, Taxes, The Tipping Point, US History, Women

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2016, Bernie Sanders, Congress, Conservatives, Democrats, Dems, GOP, Hillary Clinton, House of Representatives, President, Presidential race, Republican, Republicans, Senate, vice president, White House

Bernie Sanders is passionate, if he is anything

Bernie Sanders as Vice President. It’s not going to happen. It seems like the logical move, but there are too many forces working against it. Hillary Clinton will not want an adversary as Vice President. Sanders won’t want to play second fiddle. Contributors for the Clinton campaign will fear Sanders influence in the White House. The list goes on.

However, Sanders as Vice President is exactly what our nation needs:

ONE: He will energize the ticket and bring in supporters who might not vote
Sanders will bring in the youth vote, who very well may walk away if he’s not on the ticket. A Clinton/Sanders ticket will end any chance for a Republican win. The best they can hope for is to try to keep the House of Representatives, which is unlikely with Trump at the top of their ticket.

Hillary Clinton: In her 3rd decade of fighting for a government by the people

Hillary Clinton needs Sanders as her liberal standard-bearer

TWO: He could be tasked with helping Democrats take back the House and Senate
There is no doubt that for Sanders to see anything on his agenda achieved, the Democrats have to control government. He would be the perfect catalyst to make that happen.

THREE: As Vice President, Sanders can push a liberal agenda
Sanders is relentless on changing the conservative status quo. Even before he would be sworn into office, he will put conservatives on the defensive, instead of taking the offensive as they did when Barack Obama was elected in 2008.

FOUR: Sanders on the ticket creates a big win
Red States, like Arizona, might turn to voting Blue if Sanders is on the ticket. Certainly, Clinton will beat Trump, but the win has to be so large that the unintelligent, immature, and racist Trump supporters must be humiliated. Sanders can make that happen.

FIVE: Clinton will do better with a team of rivals
A spirited debate within the administration will lead to better decisions. Liberals value intelligence, logic, and empathy, and that requires a thorough examination of all viewpoints. Sanders would be a key element in challenging the paradigms of politics, economics, and social values.

Am I Wrong About Trump

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Politics

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2016, candidates, Donald Trump, Election, fake candidacy, GOP, Paul Ryan, Presidential candidates, Republican, Republicans, Ted Cruz

Goodby Mr. Trump

If you’ve been reading my blog, seven and a half months ago I predicted that Donald Trump mission was NOT running for President, but instead he was gathering up all the wacko conservatives to deliver them to a real Presidential candidate. (SEE: The Trump Card – 21 Aug 2015) Four months later, I not only confirmed my prediction, I set a date and a time (17 May at 9:00 AM EDT) for Trump to drop out. (SEE: Trump Dropout Countdown – 21 Dec 2015) Now that we are about a month from my prediction, the question is, am I wrong about the Trump fake candidacy?

It appears that I am wrong about one part of the prediction. I predicted that Trump was gathering up all the unintelligent, older, white males to deliver to Jeb Bush several weeks prior to the Republican convention. Unless Jeb Bush steps back into the race, which is unlikely, my prediction regarding the beneficiary of Trump’s fake candidacy is wrong.

However, several things have happened in the past week that indicate Trump is following a path to drop out. First, he had a staged meeting with the Republican leadership on March 31. This meeting was allegedly about Republican ‘unity,’ but it is exactly the type of meeting I suggested that Trump would have with the Bush campaign before he dropped out. This meeting sets the stage for him to drop out ‘after discussions with the Republican party,’ which allows him to tell his supporters that they must vote for the chosen Republican party candidate when he drops out.

Second, Trump is dismantling his campaign staff. The headline for one of yesterday’s stories in the Huffington Post was “Trump’s Campaign In Disarray.” This indicates he is preparing to drop out soon, and by dismantling his campaign now, he will likely not perform well in the upcoming primaries in New York on April 19, nor in the rest of the Northeastern bloc of States on April 26.

The GOP’s Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?

All of this allows Trump to have enough excuses to justify ending his campaign in order to look like it wasn’t a fake from the start. That’s important so that he can convince his supporters to back the appointed candidate. At this time, I believe that person to be Paul Ryan.

However, everything that is happening is at least a month earlier than I expected. It might be possible that the Republican party wants to put Paul Ryan in the game early in order to keep Ted Cruz from being a front-runner.

Why the Deception?
Why would Trump need to run a fake campaign?

Simple. The Republicans have backed themselves in a corner on issues. All the issues they campaign with are destroying their chances of being elected. They have pandered to the stupid, white males to the point that the majority of United States citizens are disgusted with them.

Trump’s Chump?

To have a chance at winning, the Republican party needs to use trickery and deception to avoid a campaign on issues. Trump’s fake campaign provides a Presidential candidate that avoids a bumbling Primary race surrounded by idiot candidates that sink all boats.

It’s still possible I’m wrong, but if I am, the Republican party is done. A serious Trump Presidential campaign would be catastrophic to the GOP. If I’m right, then Ted Cruz is going to look pretty stupid when Paul Ryan steps in and he’s left at the altar…praying to his Canadian God.

Trump Supporters: The Brown Stain On USA’s Underwear

21 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, College, Education, Ethics, Generational, Government, Higher Education, History, Honor, Politics, Religion, Taxes, Universities, US History, Women

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Conservatives, Donald Trump, lies, New York Times, Politico, Republican, Republicans

There are two things that are true about this Presidential election year. First, Donald Trump is a pathological liar, and second, that his supporters represent the worst examples of citizens of United States of America.

Lies of a Political Whore

Donald Trump says: the man who rushed the stage at him in Dayton, Ohio, “had chatter about ISIS, or with ISIS” in his social media posts.

Donald Trump says: “GDP was zero essentially for the last two quarters.”

Donald Trump says: Under the Iran nuclear deal, “we give them $150 billion, we get nothing.”

Donald Trump says: Common Core is “education through Washington D.C.”

Donald Trump says: The wives of the 9/11 hijackers “knew exactly what was happening” and went back to Saudi Arabia two days before the attacks to watch their husbands on television flying the planes.

Donald Trump says: Mahatma Gandhi once said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

Donald Trump says: “the New York Times can write a story that they know is false” yet “they can’t basically be sued.”

Donald Trump says: “We (Trump University) have an ‘A’ from the Better Business Bureau.”

Donald Trump says: “If it weren’t for me … (illegal immigration) wouldn’t even be a big subject.”

Donald Trump says: On the Iraq war, “I said it loud and clear, ‘You’ll destabilize the Middle East.’ “

Voldemort’s Big Lies

Donald Trump says: “I don’t know anything about David Duke.”

Donald Trump says: Ted Cruz “said I was in favor in Libya. I never discussed that subject.”

Donald Trump says: that in the Philippines more than a century ago, Gen. John Pershing “took 50 bullets, and he dipped them in pigs’ blood,” and shot 49 Muslim rebels. “The 50th person, he said, ‘You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened.’ And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem.”

Donald Trump says: “Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment. The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”

Trump Speaks the Lies of the Uneducated, Old, White

Since 2007, the only Presidential candidate that has a worse record than Donald Trump of lying, is Dr. Ben Carson, and Trump has twice as many “Pants on Fire” lies as even Carson. Donald Trump has built his campaign on incitement of the older, less educated, white people who see themselves as victims based on lies and misconceptions they created. Trump is loved by his supporters for ‘speaking the truth’ and ‘saying what no one else will say,’ which is to say, he is gaining their love by saying what they want to hear. Trump validates their view of the world, even though everyone else knows he’s lying.

The demographics of Trump supporters are the people the type of people who blame everyone else for their lot in life. Only 19% have a college degree. More than 80% are over age 45. Only 15% of Hispanics said they support Trump, and only 9% of African-Americans favored Trump.

Trump supporters are the opposite end of the model citizen, and based on multiple incidents and media interviews with them, they are violent and susceptible to the type of incitement that Trump offers in his rallies. They are misfits who don’t believe in anything that doesn’t match their dysfunctional view of the world.

Every time Trump lies to gain their support, they interpret it as a confirmation of all that they want to believe to be true. They believe they are the chosen ones by birth and through Trump, they will take their rightful place as the superior race, and the rest of us shall fall to our knees and worship them.

TRUMP: Product of 35 Years of Conservatism

29 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Aging, Generational, Government, Government Regulation, Higher Education, History, Politics, Public Image, Public Relations, Religion, Taxes, US History, Women

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Cliven Bundy, Conservatives, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, GOP, John Boehner, Mitt Romney, Republican, Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Tea Party

President Ronald Reagan: Actor, Cowboy, FBI Informant, Destroyer of Good Government

On January 20, 1981, Ronald Reagan became President. Before he was elected this actor, FBI-informant, dictator-like Governor was a minor figure in national politics. His rise to power came after the collapse of the Republican party in the post-Watergate era. Reagan became the new face for disgraced conservatives. He rose to power by becoming the Great White demigod for Caucasian males.

After Nixon proved the lack of morals of the Republican party, there were two choices. The first choice to would be to humbly accept the failure of ethics within the party and commit to an honest approach to serving our government. The second choice would be to double down and make the party even less ethical than it was before Nixon’s gang of Dirty Tricksters.

The party chose to double down and go for the gullible voter. Conservatives became two-faced. The outward face was a facade of saying anything to suck in the weak and the stupid, and the other face was the hidden face of power and corruption that steered the true agenda of the party.

Conservatives Made Government Corrupt
Federal, State, and local government had brought us out of the depression, created the interstate highway system, and put us in space. Those achievements set the stage for a prosperous country that had a new power infrastructure, 20th century transportation system, and was on the leading edge of technology. In addition, cities and towns had new water and sewer systems, and new schools to elevate the level of education for everyone in the United States.

President John F. Kennedy: Making Big Government Do Great Things

Our country was great, because our government was great.

However, our government also maintained the balance of fairness for all citizens. Our government held corporations to higher standards. If an airline wanted to have a route that was a financial goldmine, they also have to serve a smaller community that wouldn’t have air service under the typical business greed motivation. Conservatives had to make government evil in order to gain public support to destroy it.

Undercutting Government
The first step was to bankrupt the government. That was a job for the Reagan administration. To the public he railed against the size of government and proclaimed that taxes were too high. In 1981, he cut taxes for the lowest wage earners by 3%, (from 14% down to 11%,) but slashed taxes on the super rich by 20%, (from 70% to 50%.) along with slashing estate taxes and corporate taxes for the rich and powerful.

Then in 1986, he slashed taxes again for the super wealthy from 50% to 28%, but INCREASED the taxes on those least able to pay from 11% to 15%. In the end he had increased taxes on the lowest wage earner by 2% and decreased taxes on the super wealthy by 42%.

At the same time, Reagan increased federal spending through massive and wasteful military spending that put the country’s economy on the brink of disaster. This would all be sold to the public as the failure of our government, not the insane policies of a conservative economic madman.

Radicalized Right

Cliven Bundy – Created in Ronald Reagan’s Image (photo credit cnn.com)

With the humiliation of the Nixon presidency, conservatives had to find support in citizens who were susceptible to manipulation, as they had lost the trust of most of the intelligent citizens of our country. They began seeking out false problems that would win favor with the lesser intelligent white person.

Issues like gun ownership, Christian extremism, racism targeting Hispanics, demonizing public education, and laws targeting women, minority voters, and gays became the banner of the conservatives. All of these issues appealed to the least intelligent white male who sought to blame others for their failures.

By raising these false issues, the people who were gullible felt empowered and believed that conservatives had become their voice for issues that existed only in the minds of weak, insecure, racists. The white male and his spouse saw conservatives as angels of a mythical God of white people who would bring back the United States to be something it never was before.

Obstruct, Obstruct, Obstruct: Do Nothing Conservatives
George W. Bush became the final straw in our country to expose the failure of conservatives. He followed the conservative ideology to the letter and when it all failed, conservatives distanced themselves as quickly as possible. By 2008, every idea of conservatives was proven to be a failure and had destroyed our government and our economy.

The GOP’s Biggest Loser, To Become Their Last Hope?

Trump’s Chump?

Speaker John Boehner’s Puppet Master

Conservatives: Go F**k Yourselves America

Ted Nugent: America’s Epic Fail

John McCain still bitter about 2008?

Senator Mitch McConnell: “Election, what election?”

Rove’s laughing now.

Bush Logic: Trust me. I know what I’m doing

Rick Santorum – Extremist’s Lap Dog…but he’ll support Romney…didn’t you get his eamil?

Conservative Investigation: Celebrate males testify about women’s contraception

Rush Limbaugh Wants Sex Videos

Bachmann, Perry, Cain all served up what Evangelicals wanted

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley

Angle: Manning up in stupid

3rd Place in Miss Alaska, attended five different colleges in four years (one of them twice,) and 1/2 term Governor of Alaska (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Donald Trump: The anti-American candidate

Still, conservatives refused to accept reality and took the one action left for them. Try to sabotage any program or law that would repair our country. During their reign of terror on the United States they had managed to gerrymander districts across the country to keep a conservative majority in the House of Representatives. That was enough to give conservatives the ability to prevent any effective action to fix our government, which allowed them to promote the myth that our government was broken, even though it was conservatives who were breaking it. Any attempt to circumvent this tactic was declared to be an affront to the Constitution and the separation of powers.

The Product of Conservative’s Lunacy

Trump: The Political Whore of Stupid, White People
Thirty-five years of conservative politics and distilled out all rationality in the Republican party. The party has degenerated to the point that the most successful candidate to win the Republican presidential nomination has to incite the worst elements of our country into believing that we are doomed and that the best course of action is to elect the people who have consistently failed.

Trump is the bastard child of Reagan’s legacy. He is the champion of the citizen with the mentality of a eight-year old boy. He enables stupidity as a way to govern our country. He will give his supporters whatever excites them as long as he doesn’t have to be around them too much. Trump is what happens when an ideology refuses to accept its own failure.

Five Fixes For Our Primary/Caucus Fiasco

04 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Government, Information Technology, Internet, Politics, Taxes, US History

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Caucus, Caucuses, Conservatives, Democrat, Democrats, GOP, Iowa, New Hampshire, Primaries, Primary, Republican, Republicans

Voting FAIL

For decades we have been given this advice about our system for electing Presidents: “If it’s broken, don’t try to fix it.”

People get nervous about elections and major changes are automatically assumed to create new problems…and it’s true. Any change will create new issues; however, the question is whether or not the new issues are really significant, or whether they are just the Elmer’s in the room who try to find a problem even if it is absurd.

First, we have to accept that our current political system works for some people. People with money and power really, really like the current system because it is easy to manipulate. In addition, people who have more pull in the political system than they should have really, really like it because the current system gives a handful of Iowans and New Hampshirites much more of a punch to our political system than they should have under an all voices are equal” system.

But the United States of America is spiraling out of control because our system of electing our leaders has become a type of reality TV show where entertainment is rewarded and common sense is punished. So how do we fix it?

ONE: Corporations Are NOT People
It is hard to fathom how absurd the justification was for the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Citizens United. Free speech is our greatest foundation of democracy. Each person has a right to voice his or her opinion. What the Supreme Court did was to dilute our voice and say that not only do individuals have free speech rights, but some privileged individuals can amplify their voice to have a greater access to free speech than the common individual. It’s a perversion of the First Amendment and everyone knows it.

The ruling has to be reversed if our political system is to be restored.

TWO: Tax Big Donors
The mega-contributor to political campaigns is now the tail wagging the political dog. Our country’s dignity has been slowly eroded by the wholesale purchasing of politicians by wealthy individuals and organizations. Yes, that means unions and corporations.

Contributions that exceed $500 in a two-year period given directly or indirectly to a campaign or cause should be taxed at 100%. Give a million dollars to a campaign, pay an additional $999,500 to the government entity the candidate or cause will serve or impact.

THREE: Government Established Primaries
The idea that political parties can establish any method of choosing a candidate is ridiculous. It plays into the hands of the buffoon who suddenly decides that the method was unfair and then we are off to the courts. Every State should have a Primary, not a Caucus and it should be done under the same rules in every State.

FOUR: Fifty Primaries in Fifty Days
By lottery pull the names of each State. The first State pulled holds their primary on February 1st. The second State pulled has their primary on February 2nd, etc. Candidates can begin campaigning in a State three weeks before the primary for that State.

FIVE: Use both Internet and In-Person Voting
Voting is going to be done by the Internet. It’s coming. Why not start with the primaries? Keep the in-person option available, but allow people to vote on a secure website.

Each registered voter is given a unique code for each election. They register for the election website and set up a password. On the election date they sign in, enter their unique code, and vote.

Why Trump is Really Missing the Debate

27 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Politics, Public Image

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2016, Debate, Donald Trump, Fox News, GOP, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Presidential candidates, Republican, Republicans, Tea Party, Ted Cruz, Wackos

The Debate Strategy: Trump has the idiots right where he wants them. Now he needs to step out of the light and let Bush shine a little. (Image credit: TheBusinessPundit.com)

Donald Trump is playing the “poor little o’ me” card in his justification for missing the next debate, but there is likely another reason for Trump to not take the Fox News stage on Thursday.

He’s doing his job to well.

Five months ago I suggested that Donald Trump was not running for President (SEE: The Trump Card,) and that he was likely trying to corral the less intelligent Americans into one group so he could deliver them to the Republican Presidential nominee this summer.

Last month I predicted the approximate date that he would drop out and tell his drooling, weak-minded supporters that they have to vote for Jeb Bush or else Hillary Clinton will win (SEE: Trump Dropout Countdown.)

But why isn’t he going to the debate on Thursday?

The problem is that Jeb Bush is having a hard time looking like a leader when the Republican class clown steals the stage. Bush needs to move up in the polls and this debate is a perfect format for him to do that….if Trump is not there.

Bush needs to leap over Ben Carson and Marco Rubio after this next debate (Poll analysis credit: Huffington Post)

Bush can probably hold his own against Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Cruz and Rubio are usually victims of their own stupidity and at this debate Bush has the opportunity to make himself look like the kinder, gentler, more sane candidate than the rest of the pack.

A Bush win would likely put him in third place which lands him within striking distance of a diminishing Ted Cruz. Cruz can’t out Trump, Trump, and Bush looks more presidential, so Cruz will find himself bleeding support to both ends of the GOP spectrum. That will eventually put Bush in second which is where he wants/needs to be until next May when Trump will drop out.

Time to Repeal Republicans

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by Paul Kiser in Branding, Business, Communication, Ethics, Government, Government Regulation, Health, History, Opinion, Politics, Public Image, Religion, Respect, Taxes, US History, Women

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2016, Congress, conservative, Conservatives, Election, GOP, Healthcare, Obamacare, Paul Ryan, Republican, Republicans, Speaker of the House, Tea Party

The Republican party can’t help themselves. They are born to do the wrong thing.

Paul Ryan – Leader of the Stupid (Image credit: Wall Street Journal

Cliven Bundy – Created in Ronald Reagan’s Image (photo credit cnn.com)

Edgar Votes GOP (Image credit: Columbia Pictures

The United States of America was established on the principle that everyone is equal. Yes, there were ~~some~~ many of our founders who didn’t see African Americans as equals, nor were women seen as equals, but they probably also didn’t believe that the Earth orbited the Sun.

Over time we learned that all humans are truly equal. Over time we adopted a system of government that was committed to protecting the rights of ALL people. Over time we became the greatest country in the history of the world not only because of the principles that were the framework of our country, but because we took that framework and made it greater than the people who wrote it.

But there are always those who want to tear it all down under the belief that it is not ‘our’ country, but ‘my’ country. Those people who are too stupid to be let out in public, but want a gun in their purse when they our out among our citizens just in case they see someone they want to kill.

Conservatives have a history of tearing down great things. Guided by the concept that “we can’t,” conservatives have constantly battled for less for everyone else and more for them.

After fifty attempts the Cliven Bundy’s of Congress have finally passed a repeal of Obamacare. Nope, they don’t have a plan ‘B’, except they want American healthcare run by the greedy, not by compassionate. Republicans have proven again why they are the party of anti-Americans. They hate equality. They hate being told to be ethical. They hate paying for the privilege of being citizen of the United States of America.

It’s time we repeal Republicans and put our country back into the hands of the intelligent, the compassionate, and the true patriots.