The Biggest Take Away of All? Trump Calls It Mean, But Will He Stop It?

During his campaign for President, Trump promised to replace Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) with better health care coverage for more people. The "repeal and replace" bill that came out of the Republican House, and now the Republican Senate's bill do not measure up.  In fact, they are thinly disguised efforts to give the wealthiest Americans tax breaks that they don't need and pay for them by cutting health care coverage for tens of millions of people.  Trump has called the bills mean.  Is this just empty talk? Will he cave to the Republican Congress or insist they come up with something that actually serves the people who voted for him?

There are many helpful analyses of the bills available. Here are links to a few:

On winners and losers created by the Senate (and House) bills:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/23/15857044/senate-health-bill-winners-losers-poor-wealthy-disabled

On the "process" the Senate followed and the result:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/26/1675303/-These-pictures-are-worth-a-thousand-words-and-an-untold-number-of-lives

Another way to visualize the trade-off in benefits:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/26/15862002/tax-cuts-ahca-republican-health-plan

Keep the pressure on your Senators and Representatives.  These bills are disaster.  They need to take steps to stabilize the Affordable Care Act.  The Democrats are ready to work on it.  As Kevin Drum at Mother Jones puts it:

  ... “Keep Obamacare but fix it” is practically the Democratic rallying cry these days. There’s hardly a Democrat alive who doesn’t loudly and publicly support this position. A couple of months ago all 48 Democratic senators signed a letter promising, “If repeal is abandoned, we stand ready to work with you to help all Americans get the affordable health care they need.” Every liberal rally and march includes people carrying “Don’t repeal it, fix it!” signs. I’ve personally written multiple times about this, most recently two days ago: “Obamacare’s modest problems could be fixed with nothing more than a few minor changes and additional funding of $5-10 billion or so.” Those minor changes include, possibly, a higher mandate penalty and continuing to fund the CSR subsidies. Nothing all that hard.

A detailed report on ways to stabilize the ACA can be found here:
http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2016/rwjf430816

But Trump has said if there's no repeal and replace bill, just let Obamacare "crash and burn".  That doesn't sound to me like he's on the side of those who voted him into office.

Trump is Taxing Our Wallets and Our Patience

Our tax returns are due on April 18. Join the Tax Day Protest.  

Here’s my list for President Trump: 

• Release your tax returns so we taxpayers can see your business connections with foreign governments, and other potential problems.
• Stop gutting the services that benefit the majority of Americans - health care; social security; clean food, air and water; education.
• Stop spending taxpayers’ money on bombs; diplomacy is cheaper and more effective.
• Reimburse the US Treasury for the cost of the excessive number of trips you are taking to Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower. (We pay for you to stay in the Whitehouse.)
• Stop using your position to increase the wealth of your family.
• Come up with a tax plan that requires the richest among us to carry a bigger share of the burden. They used to. Your current plans favor people like you, your family, and your cronies.

Trump and Bannon Want to “Make America Grate Again”

No, “grate” isn’t a typo. A tip of the hat to a dear friend who called to my attention the aptness of this play on words.


The intentional shredding of America was in evidence during Trump’s campaign, and has intensified via executive orders and proposed legislation. And Trump’s tweets, whether he means them to be or not, are annoying, and distracting to Americans who want our country to be a democracy that works for everyone.

One aspect of the shredding is the perennial “let’s you and them fight” tactic that keeps the power brokers in the 1% in charge. Consider this quote from a recent post by D.R. Tucker at Political Animal. (http://washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/)

Even if they (the hardest core supporters of Trump) feel pain, so long as their Adversaries, their Enemies (as defined by the Trump administration), feel more pain, they will be happier than the proverbial pig in you-know-what. …
Remember what Lyndon Johnson told us decades ago:
I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it,” he said. “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”

Text in ( ) added by me.

Substitute anyone from a group considered “other” for “colored man” and you’ll get the picture.

About Steve Bannon and his philosophical stand that America is in a “fourth turning”, crisis period: (http://www.businessinsider.com/book-steve-bannon-is-obsessed-with-the-fourth-turning-2017-2)

I wonder, along with the author of the Business Insider article at the link above, whether Bannon is trying to bring about a fourth turning by using Trump to produce chaos, and at the same time not understanding that each “fourth turning” (if one buys that analysis of history) is unique - that there is such a thing as progress in human moral development, a tendency to be more inclusive of others and concerned for their well-being.

In my opinion, Bannon’s promoting war with Islam, anti-immigrant executive orders, destroying safety-net programs, and gutting environmental protections, etc. assumes that these are necessary catalysts for a new order to emerge. But I believe he’s got it wrong.

From the Business Insider article:

If Bannon believes that he is working for this Gray Warrior (the supposed hero of the fourth turning), then he's missing a very important point: Millennials are the ones who lead the way forward out of crisis in this story, but considering the needs of the young has never had any place under Trumpism. Trump's words appealed most to older generations who felt like something had been taken away from them, not to younger generations who felt like they were never given a chance at the American Dream in the first place. Text in ( ) added by me.

What I hope is happening under Trump and Bannon is that the foolhardiness of executive orders that try to turn the clock back to the 1950’s, or worse, is becoming evident to more and more people. And, that the blowback resulting from this realization will kick us into a new period designed to address the needs and aspirations of the 99%.

The Abominable Trump Budget - Take Aways That Kill

I'll start with a quote, courtesy of Public Citizen:

“Budgets are moral documents. Federal funding should reflect the priorities and the values of the majority of the American people.”
Mike Pence said that in 2009 — long before he became Donald Trump’s vice president.

There is no way Trump's budget reflects the priorities and values of the majority.  Despite what Trump claims, the majority of American's who voted in 2016 voted for Hillary Clinton and the values she represents.

The Trump budget is a loser, a plan to shift money from domestic spending to building a border wall, amping up the military, and providing big tax breaks and other special treatment for millionaires and corporations.

The Boston Globe published a list of all the agencies and programs the Trump budget would cut: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/16/here-list-agencies-and-programs-trump-budget-would-defund-entirely/FU6eHGUMCBIketz8uPWDJJ/story.html

What could Trump (or whoever put this budget together) be thinking?  If enacted, this budget would throw America back to the bad old days.

• Did anyone total up the potential job losses?  
• The cost in lives of the elderly, sick, and disabled? 
• The number of malnourished children? 
• The number who will be without legal representation because they are poor? 
• The lost opportunities for education - formal and informal, such as visits to museums and libraries? 
• The financial losses from storms and other natural disasters? 
• The health costs of polluted air and water, and tainted meat and produce. 
• The increased potential for war when the capacity for diplomacy and aid to developing nations is damaged beyond repair?

I could go on, but will leave it to you to read the list at the link above, and study analyses of the impact. Nothing in Trump's budget will serve to "make America great again."  To the contrary, it will damage America's standing as a leader in the free world.

Add this budget to Trump's draconian immigration policies, failure to honor the Constitutional rights of all US citizens, and failure to condemn violence directed towards people because of their religion, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender presentation, etc, and you have a picture of a dis-United States of America headed for a steep decline.

We, the majority of Americans, cannot let this happen.  Let your Senators and Representatives know that you want them to call out this budget as the disaster it is, and tell them what your priorities - real American values - are.

Trump Administration's Deeply Flawed Immigration Policy

Trump's recent Executive Order banning certain people from entering the US couldn't have been better designed to create chaos.  And, one wonders if that wasn't part of Steve Bannon's strategy in drafting it.

NPR provided an annotated analysis of the order: http://www.npr.org/2017/01/31/512439121/trumps-executive-order-on-immigration-annotated that is definitely worth reading.

At the time of this post, the EO is under a Temporary Restraining Order imposed by a Federal judge. 17 States have filed a brief asking that the TRO be kept in place.  This list from the brief is a good summary of their rationale:

Washington, Minnesota, and Other States Have Standing to Challenge the Executive Order Because of the Harm It Inflicts on the States themselves.

• Disruption and Additional Costs at State Colleges and Universities.
• Disruption to State Medical Institutions
• Diminished Tax Revenues from Students, Tourists, and Business Visitors
• Irreparable Harm from Establishment Clause Violations
• Harm to Sovereign and Quasi-Sovereign Interests

You can read the full brief here: https://www.scribd.com/document/338596484/17-States-Join-Washington-v-Trump#from_embed

This quote from the President of the University of Pennsylvania, Amy Gutmann, regarding the EO is telling:

The damage already done to the lawful freedoms and opportunities of our students and colleagues, here and around the world, is undeniable and indefensible.

Update: On February 9, a 3 judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court upheld the Temporary Restraining Order. The text of the decision can be found here: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/09/politics/travel-ban-9th-circuit-ruling-full-text/ A key issue in the decision was "lack of due process" in depriving individuals of their life, liberty or property.

More on upcoming action in the courts here: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-court-idUSKBN15O2XS

Have we returned to the bad old days of the Know Nothing Party a hundred years ago?  Consider this bit of history from Martin O'Malley, former governor and mayor, that puts today's immigration controversy, especially "sanctuary cities" in context: https://medium.com/@MartinOMalley/the-truth-behind-sanctuary-cities-a40b67f9cd15#.8evmojgmm

Here is a report from Amnesty International on what Syrians who are fleeing there country face: http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/human-slaughterhouse-mass-hangings-and-extermination-at-saydnaya-prison-syria

From the WWII days:

Trump Unfit to Govern

As each day of his administration passes, Trump consistently shows that he is unfit for the Presidency.

This article in the Washington Post lays out the concerns: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/01/25/maybe-trump-isnt-lying/

From the article:

...Republicans need to be pressed to state their view: Is he lying or is he unable to separate what he wants to believe and what exists, literally, in front of his eyes? The first makes him morally unfit, and was the basis upon which many #NeverTrumpers refused to vote for him. If the latter, they — and we all — have a constitutional crisis the likes of which we have never seen.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment read: “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”

Update: A Whitehouse mid-level staff member leaks their concerns. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/26/1625349/-West-Wing-leaker-silenced-after-pulling-back-the-curtain-Trump-irrational-staff-demoralized

Trashing Transparency in Government

Taking away the people's right to know...

...about their President: Another day passes and Trump is still in violation of the Constitution he swore to uphold.  According to the Center for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington, a citizen's watchdog group, "The foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution prohibits Trump from receiving anything of value from foreign governments, including foreign government-owned businesses, without the approval of Congress."

President Trump has not asked Congress for a review and approval of what his businesses around the world will receive from foreign governments.  To conduct such a review, Congress would need him to release his tax returns.  He refuses to do that, thus denying the public its right to know about any foreign entanglements.

For more about the CREW's suit, follow this link: http://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/17451/

...about the work of government agencies: As of yesterday, these government agencies have reported receiving messages from the White House telling them to cease communications with members of Congress and the press: The

• Department of Health and Human Services
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Agriculture
• National Institutes of Health
• Department of Transportation

More information here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/01/24/federal-government-in-lock-down-mode/

Be it noted that authoritarian governments believe in controlling the information that is available to the public.  They are anti-transparency.  The operate under the assumption that what we don't know, won't hurt them.

Taking Away Environmental Protections

These actions of Trump's are environmental take aways.

The Environmental Protection Agency:

Lest we forget: “EPA was created to ensure that all Americans can enjoy clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and have their health protected from environmental and climate threats” - Liz Perera, climate policy director for the Sierra Club, quoted in the Seattle Times article referenced below.

Also from the Seattle Times:

Emails sent to EPA staff since President Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday and reviewed by The Associated Press detailed specific prohibitions banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts.
The Trump administration has also ordered what it called a temporary suspension of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders were expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide. EPA contracts with outside vendors for a wide array of services, from engineering and research science to janitorial supplies.

Source: http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/trump-admin-orders-epa-contract-freeze-and-media-blackout/

More on Trump’s EPA actions here: 

http://www.vox.com/2017/1/24/14371256/trump-freeze-epa-grants

Pushing Keystone XL and DAPL - ignoring treaty rights of the Standing Rock Sioux:

From the Indian Company Media Network: 

Pipeline opponents…insist that the environmental damage these projects will wreak far outweighs the few permanent jobs that will ultimately be created with these pipelines. Any construction jobs are temporary, and the promise of energy independence that has been touted is also in question, given that piping the oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico coast opens it up more to exportation than domestic use.

Source: https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/news/environment/breaking-trump-pushes-dapl-keystone-xl-forward-executive-order/

Facts and Accountability

The war on facts: Facts* - gone from Presidential press briefings.  Substitute - “alternative facts” which a tweet from the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “false statements”.

*M-W definition: A fact is a piece of information presented as having objective reality. (for example, the number of DC Metro fares recorded January 21)

A related blog post can be found here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/01/23/trump-as-an-agent-of-chaos/

More on the ACA take away: The return to “junk plans” - ones where you pay in but get very low benefits.

http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/01/23/how-republicans-will-lower-health-insurance-premiums-a-return-to-junk-plans/

Today’s executive order take aways:

• TTP withdrawal plan (no US involvement in the negotiations)
• Freeze on government hiring (hard to see how this is a job creator; the effect on services to the public will be felt)
• Ban on federal funds to international groups that provide information on abortion as an option (Back to pre-1984 policy on this one)

From the Sacramento Bee: 

Trump signed an executive order indicating his plan to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations…The president also signed memorandums freezing most federal government hiring, though he noted an exception for the military, and reinstating a ban on providing federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article128191589.html#storylink=cpy

By the way, here's an article on what the government workforce numbers have been over the years: http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/1/23/14361504/trump-hiring-freeze-federal-workforce

Holding Trump Accountable from Day 1

Donald Trump has just been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America.  So, let's take a look at some metrics from the outgoing Obama Administration.

Nancy LeTourneau at the Political Animal blog has a useful post on the topic here: http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/01/20/a-snapshot-of-americas-performance-on-trumps-first-day/
It includes this summary of a few of the metrics the Trump Administration will inherit:

Unemployment rate: 4.7%
Underemployment rate: 9.2%
Labor Force Participation Rate: 62.7%
Federal deficit: 3.2% of GDP
Dow Jones: 19,732
Uninsured rate: 9%
Medicare is projected to be solvent until 2028
Number of troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria: 14,700 (6,000/8,400/300)

For a brief retrospective on Obama's presidency, there's this post from Kevin Drum blogging at Mother Jones: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/thanks-everything-president-obama-were-going-miss-you  His top 10 list includes:

Affordable Care Act
Stimulus package
Climate actions: Paris agreement, EPA power plant standards, auto mileage standards, etc.
Dodd-Frank financial reform
Iran nuclear treaty
Killed Osama bin Laden
Allowed gays to serve openly in the military
New START treaty
Delivered 74 consecutive months of job growth
Declined to get seriously involved in Syria

Now for a first pass at Trump Administration "take aways".  Number one is the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its protections. Info on Trump's executive order here: http://www.vox.com/2017/1/20/14343332/trump-obamacare-executive-order

And yet another executive order hits the middle class in the pocket book - rescinding help with mortgages: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2017/01/breaking-reduction-of-fha-annual.html

On plans to cut government spending, from Kevin Drum again: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/01/report-trump-team-wants-slash-social-security-medicare-medicaid-and-pretty-much-e  Here's a snippet:

So there you have it. Slash a bunch of hippy-dippy stuff (clean energy, water conservation, transit, climate); some employment stuff (jobs programs, Davis-Bacon); and military health care spending. Then take a meat axe to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and everything else, and you're done! Piece of cake.

Also on the chopping block, jobs in the humanities, arts, and public broadcasting. Check out this post on Talking Points Memo: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-team-budget-cuts
For perspective, this 2014 article lists 10 countries that even then were way ahead of the US in support of the arts: http://www.alternet.org/culture/culturally-impoverished-us-nea-spends-140th-what-germany-doles-out-arts-capita

It's hard to see how these cuts will "make America great".