Elon Musk and Donald Trump are running a heist that many knew was coming, yet they accepted it based on their loyalty they would not be the victims.
WASTE – FRAUD – ABUSE
Projection is one thing but when you can convince people there is a high level of Waste, Fraud and Abuse, its better than a pic-pocket. The hustle we are seeing makes three card monte appear legitimate.
Trump wanted back in the White House for revenge and to pillage or continue to steal what he could not take during his first term. In addition to his DOGE lemmings, Elon Musk was his perfect accomplice. Greed is contagious and other billionaire lads were cajoled to join the heist, they were bludgeoned into submission by their own thirst realizing if Musk was successful in accumulating the high degree of waste claimed, the residual benefits to them would fund the promised tax cuts, while the public and the Republican party was left paralyzed wondering what happened?
This heist has affected many with the loss of employment, savings and other critical assets. Some are shocked their guy, Donald Trump would turn on them. But, when asked if they would vote for him again, many more than you might imagine proclaim YES. The blind loyalty is incredible.
This heist is nothing new. What is remarkable is it is happening in broad daylight, while career employees are seeing their aspirations evaporate right before their eyes. Only time will tell but Musk had the cash to buy himself a seat and Trump was the perfect vehicle, complete with a criminal mindset to use the public coffers to pull it off. The question will be when will the public wake up before the goal of achieving the funds from the Waste-Fraud-Abuse ploy occur?
Professional Sports is a huge business. Major League Baseball (MLB) is near the top of the heap when it comes to money-makers. Yet, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp may have positioned himself for the 2021 “Bonehead of the Year” award when he agreed and signed into law the hat trick created by state legislators and voting officials in the disguise of voter protection. Senate bill 202 professes to be a bill designed to correct flaws in the voting system.
Even after being publicly humiliated by U.S. President Donald Trump, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp somehow agreed to adopt his ridiculous claims.. Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
THE PROBLEM
On surface just about everybody agrees there is nothing wrong with correcting something that is flawed. The problem is during the recent 2020 general election Kemp and voting officials all agreed there were no issues on the voting process. Sure, there may have been some minor adjustments needed but none rising to the level of needing a new law?
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 06: Gabriel Sterling, Voting Systems Manager for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, answers questions during a press conference on the status of ballot counting on November 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 06: Georgia Secretary of State Ben Raffensperger holds a press conference on the status of ballot counting on November 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
They vehemently protested when the sly Donald J. Trump started his charade of irregularities. To boot, the courts threw out or ruled against the numerous cases by Trump and his allies that something was amiss. Kemp, the legislators and voting officials apparently misunderstood who Trump was.
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.” Abraham Lincoln
Trump built a career on hustling (taking advantage of people) and adopting gangster-like moves way before he decided to run for the presidency. The problem is many people did not know who he was and felt, “how bad could it possibly be?” His moves did not change. He merely brought the same style during his term as president. As hustlers do, once the race for the 2020 presidency heated up, he went into action. He threw out all sorts of insinuations and ridiculous banter to cloud the issue of fairness. This was done as a type of insurance policy as surely, he wanted to win but just in case he was on the losing end, he would have created some protection or justification that he was somehow harmed.
TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump looks for anybody who will adopt his BS. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Even though I haven’t forgotten once the 1996 Olympics was over, the stadium was supposed to be named after famed slugger – Henry Aaron. Instead, ego or some other calamity overcame team owner Ted Turner and he named the stadium “Turner Field.” To add insult to injury less than twenty years later officials agreed the stadium needed to be moved and relocated to a more favorable part of Georgia which offered easier access to their predominate fan base. Nothing is wrong with that – business is business, although I’m still not convinced something nefarious occurred because they left the “hood” for greener pastures. Truist (SunTrust) stadium is in Cobb county and actually not that far from the old location. It’s a great venue with all of the modern amenities needed to attract a wider swath of fans who might like baseball but really appreciate the developments that have restaurants, bars that add to the fan experience. Plus, the stadium features a great plaque and memorial to Aaron.
Everybody seems to want to chime in on this issue. Your political perspective pretty much dictates your opinion. As a matter of fact, those who embrace a conservative ideology such as writers David Harsanyi and Jeff Greenfield have penned recent articles stating moving the games from Georgia is a mistake. Worse, they point out MLB has been tricked or bullied by those with a “left-wing” ideology! What? They point to Colorado having some voting guidelines which some might consider suppressive. What they fail to realize is unlike Georgia they did not change laws after swearing everything was alright. So, what they try and communicate to their readers is what some might call a “red-herring.”
There are thirty MLB teams and each one thirst at the opportunity to host the All-Star game. When they selected Truist to host the 2021 event it was a no-brainer as it was fit to be a great host. Then came the darn 2020 general election which included voting for president. By normal standards the election wasn’t even close. It was just a matter of counting all of the ballots. Lo and behold Joe Biden snakebit Trump for the presidency and the cous de gras was Joe Ossoff and Rafael Warnock turned everything upside down by capturing the two Senate seats. Immediately after professing everything was copasetic, someone must have tinkered with the legislators and Kemp’s water? They immediately went to work and inadvertently bought into Trump’s malarky (Biden) and other’s that the voting system was indeed flawed.
Perhaps, it is like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell waking up and realizing it has been the donations from major corporations which fueled his ascent to power? MLB surely woke up. They realized the new law was a ruse where you give one but take two or three or however you define it, the outcome is to make voting more difficult for a certain part of the electorate. By another definition that is called voter suppression. Most will confess, in political races you don’t need to win by a zillion. A couple here, a couple there and even though it may be a close race, victory can be had. Many corporations sided with MLB and promptly issued their public outcry that the new bill was a solution looking for a problem.
ATLANTA, GA – Trust Park had been selected to host the game until legislators tinkered with the voting process. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
DENVER, COORS Field – Selected to replace Atlanta as the site of the 2021 All-Star game. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Poor Jared Polis who is the Governor of Colorado was minding his own business. I mean it is April and Christmas has long passed and won’t return for a couple of months. His state was already on MLB’s roster to host an upcoming All-Star game. However, since Kemp couldn’t muster up the courage to maintain his position that Georgia’s recent election was in order, he kowtowed to those like Trump and other malcontents and the result is his gift to Polis.
Jared Polis, front, celebrates. (Photo by Josh Lawton/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images)
MLB quickly ratified the move and the rest is history as Georgia is left wandering like Rip Van Winkle felt once he awakened. “What the hell just happened????” And to add insult to injury Kemp’s move forced MLB to demand Atlanta Braves players cover over any and all All-Star logos.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 04: The All-Star Game logo is covered up on the right sleeve of manager Brian Snitker #43 of the Atlanta Braves during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 4, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Atlanta was scheduled to be the host city of this year’s All-Star Game, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that due to Georgia’s new voting laws, the league would be moving the game elsewhere. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
The chart below list Electoral College votes per state. Of course in the United States, the winner is declared by securing a total of 270 votes or above. In 2016 Donald Trump scored over 300 votes while securing a win. Noteworthy was him winning battleground states by a total of less than 100,000 votes. Remarkably, Hillary Clinton secured the most total votes but fell short in the determining tally which was the Electoral College.
Getting to 270 seems like a basic equation. For Trump supporters they are licking their chops thinking they will see a repeat of 2016, if not better. Some have been heard stating “we are in for a landslide.” On the other hand, Biden supporters claim no way! They point to the battleground states claiming Trump won by a fluke, emphasizing there is no way he will run a “Boston” this time around. Interesting for Trump as his first term is nearing the end is very few can point to any significant increases to his base of supporters. That might come back to bite him because based on elections following his win in 2016, more voters have switched to the other side, than staying put with him.
Another huge assumption is it is very unlikely Trump will win any states Clinton secured in 2016. Joe Biden on the other hand is assured of those states. At the same time, it is reasonable to assume he will win a few battleground states which Clinton lost? Therein lays the trouble for Trump, unless he cheats or pulls some maneuver to manipulate the votes? If Biden were to win just two battleground states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, he would eke out a victory!
We encourage you to play around with the electoral tool we created to define your own assumptions.
cartoon courtesy of David Brown studios (Los Angeles Sentinel)
“After two years and millions of pages of documents (and a cost of over $30 million) no collusion!” Donald Trump – Dec. 7, 2018
“If the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight, somehow that’s a Russia connection,” the White House spokesman insisted during a contentious exchange with reporters.
He said every official that’s been briefed on the matter has said there’s no sign of “collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia.” Sean Spicer March 2017
“from what we know on the public record, Mueller has failed to prove the Trump-Russia collusion that he was appointed to investigate 19 months ago.” Fox News
“I have nothing to do with Russia. I have no investments in Russia, none whatsoever. I don’t have property in Russia. A lot of people thought I owned office buildings in Moscow. I don’t have property in Russia … I built a great company, but I’m not involved with Russia. I have had dealings with them over the years where I sold a house to a very wealthy Russian many years ago. I had the Miss Universe pageant which I owned for quite a while. I had it in Moscow a long time ago, but other than that, I have nothing to do with Russia.” Donald Trump
[Postscript] This was a critical week for a few of Donald Trump’s close allies who have pled guilty and simply are waiting for their sentencing. The filings regarding Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen provide the public a better picture of what occurred during the 2016 presidential campaign. Despite emphatic communication from Trump supporters, their claim is despite the filings no crime has been committed and proves people are out to get Donald Trump simply because he won the election!
In the meantime, those who swore the SC investigation is a witch-hunt or it would end in a few days……might want to wake up and stop their prognostication.
This morning the benchmark 30-year mortgagejumped eleven basis points and came in at 4.15%. Likewise, mortgage applications also increased almost five percent from week over week reporting. As the economy continues to pick up steam consumers can expect to see rates increase accordingly as they are cyclical in nature and move based on a variety of economic factors.
Also, it is noted consumer confidence has improved. Combined with the heralded tax cut and the recent announcement of companies providing bonuses to employees, the result is more household cash to work with. Some analyst caution the giddiness being reported about the bonuses and cuts. Just this morning Home Depot joined the list of companies who will provide bonuses to eligible staff to the tune of up to $1,000. For most, the additional cash might seem like a great windfall but in the larger picture higher interest rates or higher cost of goods will reduce perceived savings.
Short term gain, long-term loss
Could the tax cuts touted by Donald Trump be another one of his “slight of hand” hustles? Throwing a bone to average people, while he and his elite group escape with the real riches?
Let, take a look. As an example, assuming a mortgage of $200,000, prior to the tax cuts rates where around 3.90%. Compared with today’s mortgage survey release of 4.15%, the difference is 25 basis points here is the bottom-line.
3.90% principal and interest = $943
4.15% principal and interest = $972
The difference is a motley $29 per month which seems nominal. However annually it is $348 and factoring seven years (which is the average time consumers keep their mortgage) the result is $2,436. So, while the bonuses are great in today’s dollars, it is more than wiped out based on higher cost.
Short term gain, long-term loss
There is a long-standing political debate on what effect the tax cut has for the “average” family that typically lives paycheck? No doubt in the capital society which we live in it is great to receive extra money such as bonuses or tax cuts, however the issue for many is sustainability or how long it will last?
The jump is interest rates is one sign attributed to the increase in mortgage applications. On one hand consumers may have extra money but on the other hand those who are in the market for a refinance or new mortgage realize any delay in making an application or locking in a rate may subject themselves to higher movement or additional cost to their budget.
The mortgage rates which are reflected are from the Freddie Mac weekly rate survey. The mortgage application data is from the Mortgage Bankers Association from the “Mortgage Application Weekly Survey.”
Thanks to my brother Reginald and my sister-in-law, Shannon I was treated to attending the Pete Souza book signing and received an autographed copy of this masterpiece.
The Trump administration woke up this morning knowing many eyes and ears would be focused on Michael Wolff’s scathing new book “Fire and Fury.” In the past several days regardless of how they have attempted to dismiss it as full of crap, fake news or otherwise unreliable, their strategy has backfired as even with the bitter cold in the east coast, the public is snatching up the book in record numbers.
Customer at book store in D.C. Photo credit ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images)
Many supporters of Donald Trump and his administration cry foul that the media refuses to focus on all of the great things they are accomplishing. The problem with that narrative is perhaps more focus would be given on accomplishments and positive news if Trump and his administration didn’t have so many self-inflicted issues which become newsworthy, thus journalist and reporters have an ethical obligation to report that, as well of other issues of the presidency!
The book Fire and Fury is just one example that is blocking great news such as the soaring stock market. The other may be the January jobs report which was released this morning by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Unfortunately, the 148,000 jobs reported in December fell 42,000 short of projections. While the news is not alarming or worthy of concern, it does present an awkward sign for a person such as Trump who likes to boast of his success
The reduction in numbers have been attributed to the decline of jobs in the retail sector.
“A little bit of a disappointment when you only get 2,000 jobs out of the government and get retail at the absolute busiest time of the year losing 20,000 jobs. It just goes to show the true struggle that traditional brick and mortar is having now,” said JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade.
Just today while discussing President Trump, nationally acclaimed journalist David Gregory reported on CNN, “He is his own worst enemy.”
One more critical point and indicative of Donald Trump’s communication style is this afternoon on his way to Camp David but taking time to have an impromptu chat with the media belted out, “the jobs report released this morning is good.” A perflexing comment when you compare January 2016 data while President Obama was in office as the numbers were 151,000 but better than the 148,000!
“Never apologize, never back down, never admit you were wrong, use every means possible toward achieving your ends,” Donald Trump as private citizen
Some who were in attendance at the 2011 Correspondent’s Ball have suggested it was that event which convinced Donald Trump revenge was the only remedy to the humiliation Present Obama dumped on him. On that chilly night in April Obama’s team of writers had him buzzing better than the late Richard Pryor or even the late Redd Foxx as he had the entire room in laughter while chastising Trump over his ill-advised birther crusade.
As Trump was forced to sit in his chair all the while seething, you could see his mind was plotting the next move. During the 2016 presidential campaign he swore to his supporters that if elected he would take on an aggressive strategy of attempting to rescind any order approved by Barack Obama. Interestingly, even as his supporters wildly cheered his proclamations, they were not aware or didn’t pay attention that some of those orders actually benefitted them!
Nevertheless, Trump was determined and hell-bent on getting even. Fast forward to the holiday season of 2017 and we see first hand how Trump is obsessed with getting even with Obama, as he can’t find enough orders to rescind while suggesting they ALL were terrible.
The latest charade is the Net Neutrality issue. It doesn’t matter that in 2015 the Federal Communications Committee approved a guideline committing to equal access to the internet. With a majority in hand the Committee led by Ajit Pai felt obliged to help Trump in his quest to remove yet another Obama order. In the guise of increasing competition or the notion that any regulation is bad for consumers, on Thursday, December 14th the Committee voted along party lines to remove net neutrality guidelines.
The beneficiaries are the large communications companies such as A.T.& T, Verizon, Sprint and others known as internet service providers (ISP’s). The result of the vote means they now can manipulate internet speed which will affect traffic and in many cases, send a signal to consumers to be prepared for a price hike.
As simple as Net Neutrality is, it just sounds complicated. No doubt there is always room for improvement and yes, those consumers who use more than others should be expected to pay more. Surely, you can’t blame the ISP’s for having the desire to charge you for services which you use. The rub is consumers already have the option of improving internet speed by the tiered pricing structures ISP’s have.
At the same time the entire focus of net neutrality was to make the internet accessible for all, not to use it as a commodity to penalize those who simply lack the resources to obtain. Internet pricing has moved just like cable television. What seemed like a bargain at $29 per month has morphed to over $100, $200 and more. Companies offer a variety of rebuttals to justify the price increases, so as long as your budget allows you to pay, you simply keep moving. The ire for those protesting the commission’s vote is the core question; what happens to those who are priced out?
While the commission did indeed vote to rescind Obama’s 2015 guideline, it appears the last word on this issue has not been spoken. Just after the vote, public outcry reached a fever pitch as people from across the nation, even those who claim support for Trump have started their plea for Congress to overturn the commission’s ruling.
Protestors claim the fight has just begun
For those such as Trump, the issue does not appear to be what is in the best interest of the public as evidenced by public opinion. The issue for them is to use elements of our government as tools for revenge.
U.S. President Barack Obama nominates Richard Cordray a former attorney general of Ohio to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as Elizabeth Warren, the Obama administration adviser who is setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, listens during an announcement at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, July 18, 2011. Photographer: Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
If you thought president Barack Obama was a person the Republican party despised, you are correct. Or, in addition to him, you may have noticed that Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren have also gotten in the craw of the party? And, in Warren’s case, even Donald Trump takes great glee to call her out of her name. If this is so, you may have missed the lad by the name of Richard Cordray who was selected the first official director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, after Warren set up the frame-work and subsequently trekked back to Massachusetts to reclaim Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat.
Cordray has caused much consternation for the Republicans. You would think the remnants of the 2008 financial meltdown was only felt by those who claimed not to beRepublicans (i.e., Democrats, Independents, Green Party, etc.)? Cordray is the director of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB). Created out of the Dodd-Frank legislation designed to offer consumer protection from banks and those in the financial industry, their mandate was simple. Yet, many and particularly those who identify as Republican policy makers have gone to great measures to reduce the agency’s effectiveness and have been vocal that such protection is no longer needed. It’s the same example, anything the other team did, especially if named Obama must be dismantled or vilified as ineffective.
Fret no more! Today Richard Cordray announced he is stepping down from the CFPB and plans to leave by the end of this month. He has done a remarkable job to “steady the ship” in some very turbulent political waters. His eyes are laser-focused on moving back to Ohio and to throw his name in the hat for the run of the Governor’s race.
“The new director of the CFPB must be someone with a track record of protecting consumers and holding financial firms responsible when they cheat people. This is no place for another Trump-appointed industry hack.” Elizabeth Warren
Since the director of the CFPB is an appointed position, it will be interesting who the Trump administration appoints or even if they feel bold enough to try to eliminate the agency altogether? It’s one thing to be partisan, as if there is only one way to do things, it’s another to use government as a tool to protect the people and that is all of the people, especially those who are not in your party.
Ta-Nehisi Coates “We Were Eight Years in Power – An American Tragedy” is a must read for those who desire to stay informed in our current environment.
CLICK PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW ENTIRE VIDEO. (L-R), Ta-Nehisi Coates, author and national correspondent for The Atlantic, and moderator Michele Norris, freelance journalist and author, participate in The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC hosted “A Conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates: We Were Eight Years in Power”, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto)
“We Were Eight Years in Power” showcases Coates’ voice who is a Gen X’r but offers credible perspectives as seen through the African-American lens, or at least from those such as his. The book weaves eight essays and demonstrates a new thought of how our world is changing. The notion of Barack Obama running for president, let alone thinking he could get elected seemed like a lark, if not an impossible reality to so many. Yet, people like Coates and later generations such as millennial’s write with pride as Obama defied the odds to become President and successfully completed two terms. Starting as a Blogger, Coates joined the team at the Atlantic and in a short period has taken off.
The content of the book takes you on a journey of historic reality. Some may be troubled from how Coates portrays racism and how it has shaped our culture. He admits there has been progress but while so many dismiss the gains as we are “so better off,” his point is to remind you of the vestiges created from the notion of using race as a benchmark.
Regardless of whether you agree with some of Coates perspectives or not, the book is chalk-full of personal examples and other documented facts which allow you to better appreciate his writing style. He is unapologetic and reminds you how African-American’s have risen to tremendous levels of success, despite the barriers of how life is conducted in the United States.
Through his credibility as a journalist/writer he was given the opportunity to be in the company of Barack Obama. The first meeting morphed into a relationship where then president Obama invited him to the White House for more robust discussion centered around race and progress. Coates writes how much he treasured the invite and subsequent relationship.
The chapter “My President is Black” came from an essay which received international acclaim. Despite your feelings of Barack Obama, Coates allows you to better understand the rise and how he and first lady Michelle took the notion of being the first African-American president with pride and conducted themselves impeccably.
As this review is being written, Coates is concluding his book tour. Also, the recent elections of November 7, 2017 which brought a solid rebuke to Donald Trump, his politics and the rhetoric he spews is a point Coates makes, still in disbelief the voting public elected him as the 45th president is very interesting. The book references this point with a unique twist. Coates brings it home by helping the reader understand the dilemma and pressures Obama had to contend while, while Trump with just the reality of being a “white man” desiring to be president never had to deal with the continuousness. His primary issue was brought on by his own actions, not from systemic racism.
Coates admits not trying to be a “voice” for people or causes, but through his writing and how he has penned this book you quickly are thought to elevate him to a credible voice, which will be prominent for years to come.
The book which is a tad under 400 pages is a quick read. The good news is each chapter is its own separate essay and does a very good job of referencing how Coates saw things during the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency. It is a worthy investment for your library, especially if part of your frequent communication is on politics and race, and you truly desire a different perspective.
Thomas Reports 