Category: Politics

  • Why is Trump Trying to Destroy Northern Arizona?

    Grand Canyon Watershed up for Destruction?

    The Hill recently reported that President Trump is considering lifting the Obama-era ban on Uranium mining in northern Arizona — a ban that was put in place to protect one of our state’s and country’s most beautiful and breathtaking regions.

    Mining in that fragile area would destroy a significant part of our landscape forever. It would also cause undue risks to our groundwater and soil — risks that could lead to an unmitigated disaster. [1]

    Trump is endangering the Grand Canyon watershed.

    Adoption of these recommendations would integrate analyses for oil and natural gas and geothermal leasing with the agency’s land management planning process.
    This proposal could reduce costs by 30 percent, as oil and natural gas and geothermal leasing analyses could leverage the assessment and public engagement
    processes that are part of the land management planning process. However, this integration would add complexity to land management planning, potentially
    causing an increase in overall land management planning costs. [3]

    Trump is ordering the U.S. Forest Service to no longer abide by their motto, “Caring for the land and serving people.”

    References:

    1. Steve Farley for Arizona Governor
    2. Steve Farley – Wikipedia
    3. Steve Farley – Arizona State Senate
    4. The Hill, November 1, 2017, Timothy Cama – Trump to reconsider Grand Canyon uranium mining ban
    5. U.S. Forest Service, October 11, 2017 (PDF) – USDA Final Report Pursuant to Executive Order 13783 on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth

  • Doing nothing is unacceptable

    GunsLess than a month ago, we watched the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas—one of more than 360 mass shootings in 2017 alone.

    Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough. Now is the time to act. Say you’ll join the team that’s working for common-sense gun policies.

    Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) says:

    Three weeks ago, we watched the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history unfold in Las Vegas.

    We know what comes next — day after day of watching the gun lobby and their friends in Congress follow their empty, tired playbook:

    Thoughts and prayers. “Now is not the time.” And then … nothing.

    It’s what they told us after Orlando, and Virginia Tech, and San Bernardino, and Aurora, and after each of the 364 mass shootings in 2017 alone.

    It’s what they told parents in Newtown.

    And if this cruel, horrible pattern has made you cynical, I don’t blame you. It’s easy to watch it play out, time after time, and think that we can’t change things.

    Big social change takes time and effort, and we’re already making real progress.

    We’ve passed referendums on state ballots to tighten gun laws. We’ve elected members of Congress who care deeply about the issue. And an overwhelming majority of Americans support common-sense legislation — things like universal background checks and limiting access to assault weapons.

    90 percent of Americans are behind us. Our democracy doesn’t allow for elected officials to be so far out of step with the views and values of their constituents for very long.

    But it’s up to us to make sure: We need to talk to our families, friends, and neighbors. To attend rallies and make noise, online and offline. To make a small difference in the local and national conversation, every single day.

    So don’t give up. Let’s work harder. [2]

    References:

    1. Organizing for Action
    2. Senator Chris Murphy




  • Tax Reform – What the Republicans are proposing should scare you to “Death”.

    You as a middle income tax payer will be paying more while the wealthy line their pockets.

    References:

    1. The Washington Post, October 26, 2017

  • “45” Administration Staffers used Private Email Account

    Dysfunction in the White House

    Private EmailThere is another hypocrite in the White House.  Opponents of the “45” Administration are openly calling, “Lock Them Up”.

    To make matters worse, certain White House officials are claiming that a Private Email Account on Shared Hosting is more secure than a Private Email Server as Hilary Clinton used.

    Using the same logic as the White House used against Hilary Clinton, these emails need to be made public.

    The excuses now keep coming:

    “Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business,” Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Kushner, said in a statement Sunday. “Fewer than 100 emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account. These usually forwarded news articles or political commentary and most often occurred when someone initiated the exchange by sending an email to his personal rather than his White House address.” [1]

    Domains that might have been:

    • ?????@ijkfamily.com – Registered with GoDaddy.com [4]
    • ?????@kushnercompanies.com – Registered with GoDaddy.com and routed through a DNS company called DNS Made Easy which is a subsidiary of Tiggee LLC which resolves querry traffic between several name servers.
    • ?????@ivankatrump.com

    The used of Private Email did not stop with Kushner, but also included the Chief of Staff and other high level officials.

    Folks that have used private email to conduct government business now includes:

    • Jared Kusher
    • Ivanka Trump [5] – Actual emails to SBA (PDF) [6]
    • Stephen K. Bannon
    • Reince Priebus
    • Gary D. Cohn
    • Stephen Miller

    References:

    1. Politico, September 24, 2017, Josh Dawsey – Kushner used private email to conduct White House business – The senior adviser set up the account after the election. Other West Wing officials have also used private email accounts for official business.
    2. The Hill, September 24, 2017, Julia Manchester – Kushner used private email for White House work: report
    3. The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2017 – Trump’s Son-in-Law Jared Kushner Used Private Account for Some Official Emails – Democrats quickly drew comparisons to criticism of Hillary Clinton’s use of private email server while secretary of state
    4. The New York Times, September 25, 2017, Matt Apuzzo and Maggie Haberman – At Least 6 White House Advisers Used Private Email Accounts
    5. Newsweek, September 25, 2017, Max Kutner and Nina Burleigh – Ivanka Trump Used A Personal Email Account for Government Work: Exclusive
    6. Mother Jones, September 25, 2017, Inae Oh – Here’s the Email Ivanka Trump Sent From Her Private Account Doing Government Work – Lock her up?




  • Jimmy Kimmel Exposing Dangers of Republican Healthcare Bill

    Healthcare Heart BeatIntroduced by Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, the Graham-Cassidy bill is no better than the previous repeal bills offered by Republicans.

    Coverage for pre-existing conditions would be eliminated, premiums would skyrocket, and Americans would see exorbitantly high surcharges on select conditions like pregnancy, lung cancer, and asthma.

    It is shameful that Republicans are on the verge of disrupting our healthcare system without understanding the impact of their actions. [1]

     

     


    Round 3 of Jimmy Kimmel’s Health Care Battle


    Senator Al Franken on Health Care Debate

    References:

    1. Dianne Feinstein