Tag: donald-trump

Worse than Watergate

publius9111 Comment

8/27/25

Senator Grassley recently said that the machinations of the years since Trump came down the escalator are “worse than Watergate”. This is the understatement of the century (so far). Recall that Watergate was a cover-up of an attempt to find dirt on a political opponent. Men went to jail and a President was removed from office as a result.

What we have today pales in comparison. It starts with a conspiracy of government officials using fictitious information to subvert a candidate first and a duly elected President second. Reflecting this back to Watergate is laughable yet here we are, wondering if we will ever see anyone, let alone those who are now found to have lied to Congress, will see the inside of a jail cell.

Having jailed hundreds of Trump’s supporters for “crimes” like entering the Capital without permission or having a phone call with a foreign representative, there is a collective “so what” when the cabal’s obfuscation and outright lies are mentioned. The clear intention of subverting an election mirrors their fictitious allegations of foreign collusion that nearly brought down a presidency. Millions of dollars and two plus years of investigations were brought to bear, causing not only domestic upheaval but international chaos.

To those that continue to say, there is nothing here, understand the enormity of what took place. Government officials. At the highest level, used their power to keep a person from being elected by using false information. Once elected, they continued to use that false information to subvert the will of the people with terrible consequences still reverberating here and around the world. (This says nothing about the “deep state” activities that undercut the first Trump administration at every turn.) Given their skulduggery, is it out of the question that the 2020 election was tainted?

The actions of those involved in this conspiracy may weasel out of any physical accountability but make no mistake, history will show them as the criminals they are. Shame on them for the damage they did to our country.

Rigging the Game

publius9111 Comment

8/6/25

The headlines are all about how congressional districts are drawn. Gerrymandering is named after a Massachusetts politician who was the first to use district drawing to favor his political party. Gerry (hard “G” by the way), was combined with “salamander” for the shape of a district that was drawn. Cue the current Illinois Congressional district map.

The battle for supremacy in US politics is in the state houses. This is where the power to affect outcomes is most pronounced. That is, without Congressional districts that can be won and controlled, there can be no federal power. The partisan drawn districts determine who controls Congress.

It’s been over a century since Gerry’s first 1812 “gerrymandering” and it has only led to more of it. The result is the current morass separating Americans. The political divide is most evident in the way we assemble Congress. With districts that do not reflect a mix of political views, each party has “locked” in safe seats throughout the country. Representatives no longer have to run campaigns building large war chests  that further their insulation from competition. They can ignore constituents who do not hold their party’s orthodoxy and worse, they reflect the loudest of those within their district even if not that of the majority.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 poured gas on the issue of Congressional districts. It requires there to be carved out “minority” districts. As is/was the case with affirmative action, combating discrimination with more discrimination doesn’t work. It is high time for any and all references to anyone other than an individual to be purged as has been done with college entrants. It is long overdue for congressional districts to be drawn not on the color of the residents but on those attributes that are germane to governance. The criteria should be, the number of citizens, those who are eligible to vote, and smallest physical size and geometrically sound shape. There is sufficient data and mapping software available to achieve a much more logical outcome.

The registered party of the citizen is immaterial in this scheme. Removing party labels is critically important to begin the process of knitting back the fabric of our society. Representatives should no longer be able to hide out in the shadow of one or the other party. They will more likely have to move to positions that have appeal to the majority of their constituents who now reflect a more diverse mindset. That is, the center with minority extremes no longer holding sway over the majority. My suggestion.

Step 1 – Repeal the Voting Rights Act of requiring minority districts

Step 2 – Collect data on the number of citizens and where they reside (Census upgrade)

Step 3 – Create and apply universal mapping software that utilizes citizens data with geo mapping to create compact physical areas for representation.

How Much is the Federal Government Worth to You

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2/27/25

We consumers are making decisions on what to buy every day. Do I get the premium brand ice cream of the store labeled one? Do I drive 4 more blocks to save a penny per gallon on gas? Can I afford that vacation or should I save the money for my retirement? These are real decisions that are made every day across America and by folks in every socioeconomic stratum. The lack of information available has thwarted our ability to make the same decisions when it comes to our federal government? DOGE has changed that.

Any discussion of value must begin with the service/product being provided. Just what is being offered for “consumption”? In the case of the federal government, it is supposed to be spelled out in the Constitution. Clearly outlined in the preamble are the two things; personal safety including defense of our territory, and coordination of economic activity. While the particulars of these two delineated functions are left to the interpreter, it is clear that over the course of our nearly 250 years as a country, the definitions have been severely expanded.

Most Americans understand the need for money to be spent on our “defense”. Does that include sex change operations for servicemen and women? What about funding of United Nations  “peacekeeping” forces stationed in remote African countries? CIA activities in Panama? Is healthcare a “right” that the government is bound to provide? Is personal economic success (ex. universal income) part of the promotion of general welfare? We voters only get to answer these questions through our elected Representatives who may, or more likely, do not have any clue on whether these are proper expenditures. They are relying on bureaucrats who are “experts” on the situations. Many of whom are employed because we are spending the money so as to be heavily biased.

Through DOGE, we are seeing more clearly how far afield of the Constitutional dictates we have veered. A return to basics where we question every dollar can help voters gauge which candidates are being better stewards of their money. With the findings being presented through DOGE, voters must ask the question, “Do you support this expenditure and if so, why?” Through the revealing of each check being signed by our government, we better understand the worth of that purchase against our value proposition. We can then apply it to the representative’s/candidates’ answer.

Instead of choosing who to represent you by which color lawn sign they use, the light of knowing where your tax dollars are being spent will provide more substantial reasons on which to make your selection. How much is that worth to you?