Day: March 3, 2016

Trumponomics – How the Trump Economic Plan Will Work

I recently ask a question here on IST of just what are Trump’s stands on issues…..a kind reader sent me a link but I was not thrilled about the answer I got there so I started some more research and I went to Trump’s website in search of the answers I sought……

Even his website was not real helpful….most of it was the slogans from his rallies….slogans are fine but they do not answer the question…..it does not help me understand his positions or his solutions….

So back to the drawing board…..it took awhile…I was hoping to find some sort of analysis of his economic plan and after some nail biting and cursing I found an analysis on a blog by Ian Welsh……

It is a good piece on the proposals of Donald J. Trump…..please no one have a stroke…..I want to be fair to this person…if his plan has merit then it should be reported……

Ok folks, let’s say what people keep refusing to say.

Trump’s economic plan makes sense and will work.

Okay?

What Trump wants to do is to use tariffs to return production to the United States.  He has mentioned a 35% tariff on cars produced in Mexico, for example.

This is not crazy, this is not insane, this is how economies were largely run for most capitalist history.

If a country is running a trade deficit it has more demand than it is filling domestically.  If it has unused capacity and less than full employment (both are true in the US, I would want to see the US running under 2% unemployment consistently for years before I was sure it was at full employment) then the stuff it is making overseas, which can be made at home, should be made at home.

Source: Trumponomics – How the Trump Economic Plan Will Work | Ian Welsh

Do not take this post as an endorsement for Trump’s plan…….I just want to be fair and give my readers all the info I can find on the candidates…..with the hope that they will make an informed choice when voting……we have had enough knee-jerk voting…..it has given us the circus we have now…..we are so much better than that….infantile name calling will not help in our search for a leader……

Can Hil Really Do It?

I have not been a supporter of anyone in the Clinton family since the election of Bubba Clinton as president…..I think that his policies did more damage than good during his time in the White House and now I am being asked to vote for yet another Clinton…..do not think it is in the cards….fool me once is on me and I refuse to be sucker punched twice…..

I tried to get on her campaign website and found that I could only go there if I give them my email….sadly that will NOT HAPPEN!  I did find a site that would let me access her plans, as they are……

I have heard her speeches about the middle and lower classes needing a boost up and there is where I want to comment……

Her plans are as follows from the site of her campaign (the one that I could access)

  • Give working families a raise, and tax relief that helps them manage rising costs.
  • Create good-paying jobs and get pay rising by investing in infrastructure, clean energy, and scientific and medical research to strengthen our economy and growth.
  • Close corporate tax loopholes and make the most fortunate pay their fair share.

Hillary believes the defining economic challenge of our time is raising incomes for hardworking Americans.

Too many families are working harder and harder, but still not getting ahead. Our country is standing again, but we’re not yet running the way we should be. From her first day in office to the last, Hillary Clinton will fight for you and for more take-home pay so you can get ahead and stay ahead.

Hillary understands that in order to raise incomes, we need strong growth, fair growth, and long-term growth. And she has a plan to get us there.

These are lofty ideals….but will she hold her hubby’s ideals up as an example?

I hope the Hell not…..this graph will show just how effective Bill’s deal was……

If you do not like that graph…how about another?

No matter how you want to cut it the middle class declined in the Clinton years and has not recovered to the point that the middle class can survive……

As you can see income for the poor was flat lined and the income for the middle class declined especially from 1992 to 2000….the magic time of the Clinton presidency…..is this what we working stuffs have to look forward to with a Hillary prez?

You vote for whom you want…..but if you want the middle class to survive then I would suggest that Clinton is not the way.

 

How To Beat A Trump

The media has all but crowned the next Dem and GOP nominees…..their speculation has turned this election cycle into more of a circus than in the past…….

There are few situations in these primaries that are a bit disturbing, at least to Dems…..these are the low turnout by Dem voters and the rise in voter turnout for the Repubs……

If this trend continues will it extend into the general election in November?  If it does and the Dem nominee is Clinton how can she set about trying to counter anything that Trump (if he is the GOP nominee) has in his bag of tricks……well there is an answer to that question…..

She, Clinton, will have to focus on what is perceived as Trump’s weaknesses…………

The line used to be that Donald Trump can’t possibly win the GOP nomination. And now it’s, OK, he can win the GOP nomination, but he can’t possibly win the general election. But as the New York Times reports, two people not buying into that thinking are Bill and Hillary Clinton. Both think that a Clinton-Trump race would be close and that “only a concerted campaign portraying him as dangerous and bigoted” would allow Clinton to win, write Amy Chozick and Patrick Healy. The story takes a look at how the strategy already is taking shape—pro-Clinton groups have begun testing ads and scripts—even as Clinton continues to fend off Bernie Sanders in the primaries.

One key part involves aggressively employing Bill Clinton and President Obama on the campaign trail, with Obama making clear that he’d be happy to portray Trump as unfit for the office. Other facets include showing Trump to be a “heartless businessman,” highlighting his “derogatory” comments about women, and showcasing his “explosive temper.” One thing that’s clear: The race would be ugly. “Hillary has built a large tanker ship, and she’s about to confront Somali pirates,” says former Bush strategist Matthew Dowd, now an independent. CNN, meanwhile, has news that might cheer the Clinton camp: Its new poll finds that Clinton would beat Trump 52% 44% in a head-to-head match-up. For that matter, Sanders would beat him 55% to 43%, according to the poll.

She will have to do what the Clintons do best….go negative and nasty…..and maybe a dirty trick or two……what kind of dirty trick?

Hours before his wife was named the Massachusetts primary winner on Super Tuesday, apparent political novice Bill Clinton strolled into a polling station in Boston. Standing with Mayor Marty Walsh at the Holy Name Parish School, Clinton greeted poll staff and voters and even kissed an elderly woman on the head, reports Boston.com. When one woman asked to take a photo with him, he responded, “as long as we’re not violating any election laws,” reports MassLive.com. He might have done just that. The office of Massachusetts’ Secretary of State William Galvin notes Hillary Clinton’s campaign had to be “reminded” that state election rules bar the solicitation of a vote within 150 feet of a polling location.

The former president had also entered a polling station in Newton, reports the Boston Globe. When asked if his presence alone was a violation, a rep said, “He’s a well-known person and he’s a spouse of a candidate. That should answer the question.” Galvin, however, says Clinton was permitted in polling stations as long as he didn’t solicit votes. “We just took the extra precaution of telling them because this is not a usual occurrence,” he tells the New York Times. Galvin adds Clinton is “not from here so he may not know” the rules, noting penalties are only dished out in cases of “absolute disobedience,” per CBS Boston. A rep for Walsh says he and Clinton “were not campaigning inside the polling location.”

That is a lame excuse……his notoriety alone could sway voters……

Win at any cost….a Clinton mantra!

Even parts of Trump’s party, the GOP is gunning for him……….

Former Jeb Bush aide Tim Miller went on MSNBC Wednesday morning to outline the strategy for the anti-Donald Trump PAC Our Principles, for which he had recently been hired as spokesperson.

“Number one,” Miller said, “we’re gonna talk about how he’s completely unelectable in a general election against Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton could get indicted by the FBI, go to jail, she would still win 48 out of 50 states against Donald Trump. He’s getting crushed by her in all the polls.”

Source: Spox for Anti-Trump PAC Outlines Strategy to Defeat Frontrunner by ‘Educating Voters’ | Mediaite

Just amazing the lengths candidates will go to to solidify there holds and to defeat their opponents……nothing is off limits.

This is sounding a lot like the 1968 Democratic convention……(and there is your historical perspective)……

In Defense Of The ‘Hog

I am an unapologetic supporter of the A-10 Warthog over the new piece of crap that is suppose to replace it on the battlefield, the F-35.

Does anyone know what a “Thud” is?  Probably not…..it is the nickname we grunts gave the F-105, a fighter-Bomber, in Vietnam….the plane was slow, maneuverable, and the sound it made when it hit the ground “THUD”….hence the nickname….I bring up this piece of memorability because the F-35 is the new THUD…..it has not really passed any of its trials and is in constant need of upgrades…..worthless as a close support plane….it has been named the plane to replace the Warthog…..a goddamn silly decision.  Ask any grunt that has been saved by the A-10 what he/she has to say about replacing the successful ‘Hog…….

Finally someone, in authority, has stepped forward in the defense of the ‘Hog……

Defense Secretary Ash Carter has made it official: ISIS has saved one of its deadliest enemies, the U.S. Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt.

The inelegant but well-armed and well-armored ground-attack jet, nicknamed the “Warthog,” was facing quick retirement after the Air Force said it needed the money and crews being used to keep the A-10s flying for the brand-new F-35s and other missions.

Then came Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Source: Defense chief: A-10s needed to bomb ISIS – CNNPolitics.com

The biggest obstacle to keeping the A-10 flying is that it is becoming out-dated…..a lame damn excuse…..the military has kept the B-52 flying beyond its intended time by  a program of up-dates….the ‘Hog could be done the same……and for a lot less than the massive costs of a flying brick, the F-35….

I do not think much of anything Ash Carter has said from the Pentagon….but at least someone there sees the need for an excellent close support plane….

The A-10 continues to impress and perform…..so why replace a success with a piece of expensive crap?

Why so many US presidents have failed to bring Middle East peace

When I was teaching a course on US foreign policy in the Middle East the class discussion inevitably turned to the Arab-Israeli conflict…..and as always the question would be asked….why has all tries at a peace deal failed?

In an introductory class that was a bit of a complex question to try and explain to my students the wrangling that would go on…..and on both sides….

I would explain it as simply as possible and I could see that it left many questions in the minds of the students…..that was encouraging to me because there is NO simple answer and the students would pursue the question and maybe somewhere in there someone may have a brilliant idea that would end the silliness…..

I saw this article recently and would have love to have this for my students to read and we could discuss….check it out and see what you think….

Attempts by a long line of American presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, to broker an accord between Israelis and Palestinians or promote initiatives to end the conflict have hinged more on timing than anything else.

Source: Why so many US presidents have failed to bring Middle East peace – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East