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Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts

Friday, February 5, 2021

Big Picture Damage Trump and the Republicans Did to Our Nation

I'm hoping lots of Americans read and understand this article from The New Yorker  just now. I think it very likely true but also important, however ugly for us.

The World Likes Biden But Doubts the U.S. Can Reclaim Global Leadership

A bit from the article:

...Biden faces the core problem of convincing the United States’ chief diplomatic, economic, and military allies to believe in America again. Some wonder if the U.S.—which was, for decades, the world’s most powerful democracy—has lost its groove for good. “It will be hard to convince allies that Washington is capable of coming back as a global leader,” Mark Leonard, the co-founder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, told me. “Our polling shows that, while most people in Europe were happy to see Biden elected, they also feel that America’s political system is broken, that they can’t rely on the U.S.A. to defend them, and that China will overtake the U.S.A. as a great power.” Europeans like what Biden stands for, “but they are not convinced that he can deliver, and they are worried about who will follow in his wake.”

America’s global reputation has plummeted to the point that it will even be difficult to persuade key Western allies to make common cause against China. “A majority of the public would prefer to stay neutral than to take America’s side,” Leonard said of European views. To regain the confidence of allies, the Biden Administration would have to think differently about alliances—and not assume “that other nations will automatically follow American leadership,” he added. Most of all, Biden has to prove that America has “the staying power to follow through.”

Yet more proof, as though we need or needed it, of the damage Republican Party President Donald J "Jenius" Trump and his political party did to our nation and nation's standing in the world.

Thanks so much, fellas. One more thing that's on us but that is also on you, on you all. Forever. You did this. 


Monday, January 18, 2021

Donald J Trump Legacy, Part II

Thanks, Mr. President. Again, thanks. So much. 

(click on picture for easier reading)

Thanks, Republicans.

That's quite the guy you got there. Quite the guy you foisted on us all, on the nation.


The Donald J Trump Legacy, Part I

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, what he did. And what he most certainly didn't do.


Thanks, Mr. President. Thanks, Mr. Trump.
Thanks, Republicans.

For nothing.

Because that's what good we got from this guy. 

Nothing. 

Literally nothing. Zero.


Wednesday, December 2, 2020

An Open Letter, a Plea, Really, to Missouri's Senator Josh Hawley

From Republican Party's Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and his Facebook page today. He posted it at about 1:30 pm. He's concerned about---China


What a year for #china - Beijing inflicted #COVID19 on the world and continues to violate its treaty obligations & destroy the liberties of its people, including this latest crackdown in #HongKong

 With this article from The New York Times

Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow Are Sentenced to Prison Over Hong Kong Protest

To which, I respond...

China. 

More on China from this guy. 

Unbelievable. 

Have you heard, do you know there is the worst, most deadly, killing international pandemic in the last more than 100 years going on just now, presently, this year, Senator? Do you know we all still need PPE out here? And testing? And that millions, literally millions of Americans are going hungry presently due to this pandemic? And that literally millions of Americans are going into winter facing eviction from their homes because of the pandemic? Would you DO SOMETHING about these situations, Senator Hawley, instead of harping about China, for pity's sake? Please?


Because we'll beg. I'll beg. Honest I will. Please.

Help.

The USA.


Wednesday, October 21, 2020

More Trumpian HIts Today

 This President and his Presidency and administration have all repeatedly stunned me in the last 3-1/2 years. Now the news on him each day surprises if not shocks me.  Check these beauties out today.

Post image

Biden Will Make America Lead Again - WSJ


And that's not a big enough endorsement but note who and where it's from, folks. This is from very Right Wing and very conservative Rupert Murdoch and his ultra-conservative Wall Street Journal. That alone is stunning. And naturally very welcome.

This broke today.


President Trump's tax records reportedly show that he maintains a bank account in China controlled by Trump International Hotels Management LLC. Trump also reportedly has bank accounts in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The president's foreign bank accounts are reportedly held under corporate names and as a result don't appear on the president's public financial disclosure forms.

More on the same topic.


Potentially damaging details of President Donald Trump's business ties in China have emerged with just weeks to go until the presidential election in another body blow for a re-election campaign undermined by allegations of criminality, impropriety and corruption.

The New York Times revealed Tuesday that Trump International Hotels Management maintained a previously undisclosed bank account in China, which paid more than $180,000 in taxes to the Chinese government between 2013 and 2015.

I add this one just because the detail in the title is good and important.


Can you imagine this being true for any other President but this one? I can't. It's like when he conjectured publicly at one of his campaign rallies last week that he would think about leaving the country if he loses this election.  What other President has EVER said or even suggested such a thing?

Yesterday, he collapsed.


He's so fragile he can't do a complete interview with Lesley Stahl for CBS' "60 Minutes."  Again, Republicans, thanks so very much. That's quite the guy you have there.

This President is no way doing himself any favors, I'll say that. At least we have that going for us all.

Then there's this bit of huge, good to great news.


And check out how much more.


I don't care what you say, that's hope right there, folks.

Finally today, there's this not insignificant note.


That's gotta' hurt.  I hope.

Let's do this.

86 45

BYEDON

More:



Monday, July 20, 2020

Friday, July 10, 2020

An Open Letter to Senator Josh Hawley


From Senator Hawley's Facebook page today.



He posted it on his Facebook page today with this:

Hey ESPN - don’t make Adrian Wojnarowski apologize. He’s just saying what he really thinks. Call out the NBA. You know, your job

To which I resond:

Dear Senator Hawley,

Could and would you please do some real, actual work for the citizens of Missouri, Senator? Please? Actual work. Things that help us. Stop this obvious, pitiful, pathetic posturing and see to it hospitals across the state have enough personal equipment for this pandemic and/or work on improving our infratstructure, as just two easy, fast, important examples?

I can't believe we have to say this. I say again, I-70 needs improving, updating and widening, for pity's sake, from St. Louis, all across the state to Kansas City. How dare you waste time on this while we have real, actual needs. What the absolute heck. Get busy. Do actual work. Stop grandstanding. Please.

Your rant here and this issue is about an NBA TEAM.

May I point out to you, sir, that THERE IS NOT ONE NBA TEAM IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF MISSOURI?

How ironic, how hypocritical can you get, sir? Hopefully no more or worse than this.

This news broke yesterday.

Missouri again breaks record for 

most COVID-19 cases


Meanwhile, this news broke today.


These all have the potential to effect Missourians.

It's surprising you're not embarrassed by this post but that you proudly put it out there, instead. This is insane. It shows your deeply skewed, very wrong priorities or a lack of priorities at all.

Get to work. For the citizens of Missouri. Again, for pity's sake, top the grandstanding. 

Please.

It's hard to believe anyone has to even say this.


Sunday, July 5, 2020

Note to Trump Supporters


All true. Facts.

Image may contain: text that says 'DEAR TRUMP SUPPORTERS: Only 3 miles of wall have been built, Mexico isn't paying, Hillary is not in jail, Obamacare wasn't repealed or replaced, North Korea and Iran are building nuclear weapons, there's no China trade deal, the deficit has skyrocketed, race relations have worsened, tens of millions are unemployed, and our country is the epicenter of a global pandemic. YOU GOT PLAYED BY A CON MAN.'

But wait. There's more. Much more.

Mexico just closed their border with us, the US, in a case of deep, deep irony and the EU is opening its borders to many nations but THE US ISN'T ONE OF THEM. Also, we, the US, have the largest number of coronavirus cases--and deaths--in the entire world, China and India included. Etc.

Thanks, Republicans.

It's bad enough you were and are suckers. You didn't have to bring us, the nation, along with you all.


Saturday, July 4, 2020

Either Instead of or Along With Defunding Police, Let's Do These


Either instead of or along with defunding police, for a much better, stronger society, let's do the following, instead. I've been saying this for years.

Invest In America The Hitsory Of EB5 Visa


We pay more out, year after year, than any other country, far and away, for what we call "defense." We buy bombs and weapons and have bases all over the world.

You'd think we were still fighting World War II.

And we just keep increasing how much we shell out for this "defense."

It's insane. It's not rational. It's certainly not moral nor necessary. It's not making us stronger, either, as a nation. This businessman said this correctly and it was 3 years ago.


And keep this in perspective, too, before anyone says it would weaken us as a nation.

If we cut our defense budget in half---cut it IN HALF---we'd still, still outspend and overspend EVERY OTHER NATION IN THE WORLD.  Still.

Then, after that, how about we STOP INCARCERATING SO MANY AMERICANS.

Check this out.


We incarcerate more people THAN ANY OTHER NATION.

Put that into perspective.

China has approximately 1.43 billion citizens.
India, 1.353 billion people.

We, the US?

We have a paltry 329 million people.

But we jail more fellow Americans than ANY OTHER NATION, to repeat.

How is this not insane?  It's completely, totally unnecessary. Again, obscene and immoral.

Here's a thought.

Instead of jailing so many people, how about we take that money and, oh, I don't know. INVEST IN THEIR SCHOOLS, instead?? Invest in health care? Invest in social programs?  Take care of our people instead of throwing them away?

Check out this one statistic:

America Spends Much More on Prisoners 

Than Students


The U.S. spends more on prisons and jails than it does on educating children – and 15 states spend at least $27,000 more per prisoner than they do per student, according to a new report. (link below)
And along with this incarceration is the fact that, since the end of the Civil War, we, the United States, have also disproportionately incarcerated FAR more African-Americans as a percentage of our population.

Black Americans incarcerated five times more 

than white


Let's stop this insanity. Let's stop this ugliness. Let's stop this waste and stupidity.

Let's do this, America. 

Let's invest in our people.

We'll be far stronger, all of us, because of it.


Thursday, June 18, 2020

The Collapse of This Presidency Likely Began Yesterday


With the soon to be released books on this President by John Bolton, from within his own administration, and his niece, from within his own family, it very much looks like the collapse of this Presidency began either yesterday or more broadly, this week.

Either one is excellent, of course.
donald trump











It seems there are new, negative stories released about this President at least daily, if not hourly. Here are just a few of them from John Bolton's book, his former National Security chief:


Bolton says Trump asked China to help him get reelected


And then there are the claims of his niece, as we know.


Can you imagine making fun of your father who's suffering from Alzheimer's?

Even if he WEREN'T going to give you 493 million dollars---but especially if he were.  Wow.

Meanwhile and additionally, the Supreme Court ruled this past Monday that LGBTQ Americans should have equality in our nation---imagine that!---and shouldn't be able to be fired in the workplace for being gay or transgendered, etc. This goes completely against Mr. Trump and his goals.

Then, today, there was this Supreme Court ruling, also:


That was breaking news this morning. Within the last hour, the President tweeted this:


Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?


Ah... pobrecita....

To add complications to his re-election bid, it was announced yesterday that Tulsa, Oklahoma had it's largest outbreak of coronavirus yet. Famously, his re-election rally is set to be there this Saturday.

It was announced this week he's scouring the White House to find out who ratted him out about going to the bunker during the protests. And not just find out who it was but prosecute them in court, too.


That this President is using our own Department of Justice to do his bidding to keep Bolton from selling and distributing his book should alarm virtually all Americans.



Finally, at least here and now, today, ABC is going to air an interview with John Bolton this Sunday night, 9 pm Eastern time, covering and giving yet more details of his pretty scathing book on President Trump.


So yes, ladies and gentlemen, either yesterday was the day, I feel strongly, or this is the week but the wheels seem to have absolutely come off this Donald Trump re-election. You're all, we are all witnessing it now. It's not pretty, certainly, and we hope we can and do keep the nation safe and secure, even strong from here to Election Day, November 3rd and then from then until the following January 20 when the next President takes office.

God help us all and keep us safe.

May this long, national, dangerous, reckless nightmare be soon over, safely over.


Monday, May 18, 2020

Possibly the Best, Most Important Article You Could Read Just Now


A friend posted a link to this on FB:



Western capitals aren’t just worried about the risk of a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

A bit:

With most European countries confident that they are past the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, their attention is turning to the chance of its resurgence once society returns to some semblance of normal. But beyond the epidemiological challenges lies a slowly amassing threat that is not pathological in nature, but economic, political, and military. This is the geopolitical second wave, and its power is already starting to concern Western leaders.

Imagine a scenario: Just as Europe and the United States begin to feel as if they have the coronavirus under control, it takes hold in the developing world. Exhausted, indebted, and desperate for their own economies to get back up to speed, richer countries are too slow to help. Panic ensues. Migrants mass in southern Europe, which is still struggling to pull itself out of a coronavirus-induced depression. Somewhere, a state defaults on debt held largely by Western financial institutions. In the chaos, an autocrat eyes an opportunity for a land grab. A United States already unwilling to take the lead leaves China to step into the void.

This is just one (invented) scenario of a number that are raising concerns in Western capitals and that were laid out to me in conversations with more than half a dozen leading security experts, academics, and government advisers in recent weeks. Of those I spoke with, few doubted that a second wave was coming. The real concern was where it would land.


Highly recommended, folks.

Be well out there. Be safe.


Monday, May 4, 2020

China Lampoons This President---and our United States Response to the Pandemic


Did you see this yet?

Chinese Embassy in France Mocks U.S. Coronavirus Response


Our President is so very immature and childish, a foreign nation came down to his level to mock him and his response to this worst pandemic in 100 years.


Meanwhile, we, the US, have more deaths from this pandemic than ANY OTHER NATION. Already. Now.  Stunningly, even this President admits it's going to get worse, too.

Trump Foresees Virus Death Toll as High as 100,000


Remember last week when his son in law said this---

Kushner calls US coronavirus response a 'success story'


More deaths, in the United States of America, than in any other nation.

Thanks, Mr. President.
Thanks, Republicans.


Sunday, April 26, 2020

Donald Trump: Russian Plant or Honestly Just That Stupid?


Post image

Statistics today, first, ladies and gentlemen, on this pandemic.

As of this moment, the United States of America has more confirmed deaths from this coronavirus pandemic than any other nation in the world.

More confirmed deaths than any other nation.

We have more than 1/4 of all the deaths in the world. Over 52,000 as of yesterday and there are approximately 200,000 deaths worldwide.

And the deaths in America from this are still climbing, keep that in mind.

China has a population of nearly 1.5 billion people. We have about 335 million citizens. But we have more, far more, of the total deaths from this pandemic than China or any other nation?

The "wealthiest nation in the world" has more deaths from this pandemic than any other nation and no way near enough protective equipment or, God knows, tests.

Then, with all this, a few days ago, our own President of the United States suggested, in the middle of one of his own daily press conferences on the coronavirus, that Americans inject disinfectants to treat themselves.


This is after the same President recommended Americans use a drug the medical field don't, in fact, recommend.

Trump recommends hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19


Our National Institute for Health had to come out against this advice.


His own FDA, our Food and Drug Administration, also had to come out after, as other doctors did, and say don't, a few days ago.


Along with this is the fact that earlier in this President's administration, he also praised Russia's Vladimir Putin. And more than once.

Trump Praises Putin


And that's just a little bit of the evidence and information that brings me to my, this question.

Seriously, is Donald Trump a Russian plant in our nation, in our White House, our government?

Or is he just honestly this stupid?

Saturday, August 10, 2019

The Many Dangers of Donald Trump


What we have is a problem, a person, who attacks or wants to attack virtually anything and everything--all institutions, virtually all nations, including our allies, everyone and everything, as i said except some dictators like Russia's Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un and the Philippines' Duterte.

This article, coincidentally, just broke yesterday from Bloomberg.

Trump Continues Destruction of the U.S. Government


Think about it. Think about all the people and organizations and nations this man, this Republican President has verbally attacked. The list is stunning.

Image result for trump attacks
  • Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and that simply because she doesn't agree with him completely, as he attacks everyone who doesn't
  • Robert Mueller, a Republican, simply because he, Mr. Mueller, was doing his job
  • "The Squad", four Congresswomen who happen to also be of minorities (besides just also being women) because, again, they disagree with him
  • Member of the House of Representatives Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, because her recollection and description of a meeting and conversation with a widow of a fallen US soldier
  • He famously and horribly attacks the media and repeatedly, First Amendment be damned
  • In fact, he infamously attacked a reporter with a disability (see link to video below)
  • China, and repeatedly, over trade, keeping in mind they are one of our two largest trading partners, second only to the UK
  • Members of NATO, our allies
  • the G20, again, our allies
  • The UK's Prime Minister Theresa May, one of our biggest and oldest allies
  • Fox News. Yes, he even attacked Fox. They didn't agree with him totally so he went after even that lapdog of his
The New York Times rather famously compiled this list. Because it's now dated, it's no longer complete.


Here's what just one of the results of his attacks has resulted in and cost the nation.


So, questions.

WHO DOES THIS? 

I mean, besides a 3 year old, who does this? 

Worse, what leader of any nation does this? And can you believe this is OUR leader? Or at least, he's supposed to be.

And then, how do you lead by attacking all the time? And how does one lead by attacking virtually everyone that doesn't already agree with you completely?

How is this productive? 

How is this good for the nation? Good for the people? Good for our futures, both the peoples' and nation's?

If this were the average person on the street, if it were, say, someone at our office we were supposed to work with, we'd certainly avoid them, at least, if we didn't also think they were crazy, legitimately.

Then, how is this good for our nation? It can't possibly be argued it's good for us in any way. 

I ask again, now, as others have rightly asked, what kind of a precedent is this for our nation and for our government? There's no way this is good.

All I can say is, as ever in the last two years of this nightmare, 

THANKS, REPUBLICANS!

Bad as all this is, as bad a President and leader as this man has been, this is what concerns me most.


Vote, folks.

And may God, if there is one, and common sense and logic and intelligence and education and maturity and anything and everything good, one day rule again.

And very soon.

Additional links:








Monday, November 13, 2017

You Must Read This Article


If you only read one piece this year on technology and what it is, where it's going and where it may or may not go and take us, you should read this.

Will Democracy Survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence?

Will Democracy Survive Big Data 

and Artificial Intelligence


It has far, far more in it than I could ever describe here.

It is both fascinating and alarming, at once.

Governments will no way be able to keep up with technology. Heck, they're already far, far behind. 

I would like--heck, I want--every member of our national, US Congress to read this, let alone our state legislators and office holders.

All the things called for in the article would have to be done by government, of course. It would have to be done by far-seeing, responsible legislators.

I don't see it happening.

I'd love to be wrong.

God help us all.









Saturday, July 29, 2017

Update For Trump Voters



1. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” 

You bought it. 

But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. Just as well, too, thank goodness. His plan would have knocked 32 million off health insurance, including and maybe especially many of you.

2. He told you he’d cut your taxes. 

You bought it. 

But tax “reform” is stalled. And if it ever moves, the only ones whose taxes will be cut are the wealthy. That "Trumpcare" the Republicans came up with was little more than yet further tax cuts for corporations and the already-wealthy.

3. He told you he’d invest $1 billion in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.

You bought it.

But his infrastructure plan, which was really a giveaway to rich investors, is also stalled. And a lot of his fellow Republicans want no such spending on infrastructure.

4. He said he’d clean the Washington swamp. 

You bought it. 

But he's brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history, to make laws that will enrich their businesses, along with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who are crafting new policies for the same industries they recently worked for.

All The President's Billionaires: 

A Guide To Trump's Gilded Inner Circle


5. He said he’d use his business experience to whip the White House into shape. You bought it. But he created the most chaotic, dysfunctional, back-stabbing White House in modern history, in which no one is in charge.

6. He said he’d close “special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers." 

You bought it. 

But he picked a Wall Street financier Stephen Schwarzman to run his strategic and policy forum, who compares closing those loopholes to Hitler’s invasion of Poland.

7. He told you he’d “bring down drug prices” by making deals with drug companies. 

You bought it. 

Now the White House says that promise is “inoperative.”

8. He said that on Day One he’d label China a “currency manipulator.” 

You bought it. 

Then he met with China’s president and declared "China is not a currency manipulator."

9. He said he wouldn’t bomb Syria. 

You bought it. 

Then he bombed Syria.

10. He called Barack Obama “the vacationer-in-Chief” and accused him of playing more rounds of golf than Tiger Woods. He promised to never be the kind of president who took cushy vacations on the taxpayer’s dime, not when there was so much important work to be done. 

You bought it. 

But in his first 6 months he has spent more taxpayer money on vacations than Obama did in the first 3 years of his presidency. Not to mention all the money taxpayers are spending protecting his family, including his two sons who travel all over the world on Trump business.

Trump on track to spend more on travel 

this year than Obama did in 8 years


11. He said he’d force companies to keep jobs in America. 

You believed him. 

But despite their promises, Carrier, Ford, GM, and the rest are shipping jobs to Mexico and China. Meanwhile, he and his political party have done and will do nothing to take away tax credits for those expenses incurred to offshore those jobs and that manufacturing.

12. He said he’d create coal jobs. 

You believe him. 

He hasn’t. 

But here's what he has done: Since 1965 a federal program called the Appalachian Regional Commission has spent $23 billion helping communities in coal states fund job retraining, reclaim land, and provide desperately needed social services. A.R.C. helped cut poverty rates almost in half, double the percentage of high-school graduates, and reduce infant mortality by two-thirds. Trump’s first proposed budget eliminates A.R.C.

At what point do you all realize his promises are never going to be fulfilled and that he's only in this for himself and his own gain?

Soon?

Could it be soon?

Please?

(And mind you, the above is only a partial, abbreviated list).

Source:  Mostly from Professor Robert Reich on his original broadcast, June 30, 2017.