Tag: Donors

Toyota Shuts Down Donations

Toyota seems to be taking the protests against them for supporting the insurrection of 06 January….

Toyota has reversed itself and now says its political action committee will no longer contribute to the Republican legislators who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.

The move by the Japanese automaker comes after a social media backlash over the contributions, including threats to stop buying the company’s vehicles.

“We understand that the PAC decision to support select members of Congress who contested the results troubled some stakeholders,” Toyota said in a statement Thursday. “We are actively listening to our stakeholders, and at this time, have decided to stop contributing to those members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election.”

Axios reported that Toyota led companies in donations to the 147 members of Congress who voted in January against certifying election results on the false grounds that the election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-government-and-politics-elections-election-2020-a89989327a96ecc72b4fb808747a3aed

I say well done!

On the other hand is this a serious move or is it just a way to quell some of the blowback from their buying of political figures?

How many other corporations will follow suit?

So far I have heard nothing but crickets from others….

Time to eliminate the cash from corporations to buy individual representatives.

If we want to eliminate corruption at the highest levels then eliminate the cash flow.

I wrote about this earlier…..https://lobotero.com/2021/06/16/do-you-want-to-stop-the-bs-in-government/

Why bother…..as long as the profit rolls in and the politicians are owned it matters not what the people of this country want.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Trump Between War And Money

I have stated on several occasions that I support our president in his effort to try and end our endless wars….he has shown some brilliant policies only to be stomped on by the MSM, Neocons and the donors….

And then I have been disappointed in his policies shortly after the groundbreaking decisions…..

What seems to be the malfunction?

President Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to withdraw the United States from its ongoing wars in the Middle East, and avoid the kind of military adventurism, like the Iraq war, that has destabilized the region. Trump’s track record, however, is largely detached from his promises — a disconnect perhaps at least partially explained by his largest campaign contributors’ consistent advocacy for U.S. military action in the Middle East and support for starting a preventive war with Iran.

Trump appears to understand that the American public is largely supportive of ending the endless wars in Afghanistan and the greater Middle East. “Great nations do not fight endless wars,” said Trump in his 2019 State of the Union Address to bipartisan applause. But Trump’s actions haven’t lined up with his words. Despite his reckless Syria withdrawal announcement and blessing a Turkish invasion into northern Syria, total U.S. troop levels there are expected to remain at around 900, a small reduction from the 1,000 soldiers in Syria at the time of Trump’s announcement. Meanwhile, despite Trump’s repeated claims that he’ll end the war in Afghanistan, U.S. troops will stay there “for several more years,” as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said last month.

Trump tearing up the Iran nuclear deal, moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and a mission creep in Syria that’s expanded stated U.S. goals from containing ISIS to an “effort to push back against Iran,” according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are also a far cry from moving away from Middle East military adventurism, as Trump has always said he wants to do. 

Trump Stuck Between Ending Endless Wars and his Hawkish Megadonors

For someone who pretends to be so independent and tough he submits to the donors so easily…..

If only he would pick a policy and stick with it then he might have more support from people like me.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Are You An Organ Donor?

Closing Thought–03Sep19

I am not…..an organ donor that is……my thoughts are if I donate a kidney then why should all along the medical line make money off my free kidney?

When the whole process is free then all my organs can be had.

This is a story that I wish I did not have to read or report…..

Speaking of kidneys and transplants….

Every day, 12 Americans die while waiting for a kidney transplant. In what will be an especially hard pill to swallow for the 93,000 Americans currently on the waiting list, about 10 donated kidneys are discarded in that same period, reports USA Today. A study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that 17.9% of kidneys donated in the US over the decade ending in 2014 were rejected (28,000 kidneys in all), compared to 9.1% in France. In 2016 alone, about 20% of 3,631 donated kidneys in the US were discarded, per CNN.

France, it turns out, is more willing to use kidneys from older donors or those who have an ailment such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or Hepatitis C. Researchers cite the “intense regulatory scrutiny of US transplant programs, which may lose credentials if their one-year death and graft failure outcomes exceed predicted outcomes.” Meaning, the programs don’t want to risk their credentials and opt to use only organs in the best condition. But patients “using kidneys from diabetic donors do remarkably well,” study co-author Sumit Mohan of the Columbia University Medical Center tells USA Today.

You read it right 28,000 wasted kidneys in a decade.

Someone please explain that waste to me.

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Speaking The Truth!

Personally I want representatives to speak the truth….but that is impossible in some cases in DC…..and thwe biggest one is criticism of AIPAC as Rep. Omar has learned….

Omar singled out AIPAC, one of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington, as the source of those donations.

Omar’s comments touched upon a long-running, and particularly ugly, thread of the anti-Semitic movement — that Jewish money fuels backing for Israel in the United States and elsewhere. A freshman Democrat, Max Rose of New York, said, “Congresswoman Omar’s statements are deeply hurtful to Jews, including myself.”

And the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee is a non-profit that doesn’t donate directly to candidates. AIPAC, however, does relentlessly push a pro-Israeli message on Capitol Hill and inside the executive branch, and its members donate to pro-Israel lawmakers and candidates while seeking to defeat those it considers a threat to U.S.-Israeli relations.

(Politico)

And then the mental midget Kevin McCarthy had to put his babble into the discussion…

Omar has come under fire from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and other Republicans over her comments criticizing Israel, both remarks made since her election to Congress and long before she even began her political career.

McCarthy and other Republicans have pressed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and top Democrats to “take action” against Omar and Tlaib, saying he would do so if the GOP were the majority party.

McCarthy added: “Anti-Semitic tropes have no place in the halls of Congress. It is dangerous for Democrat leadership to stay silent on this reckless language.”

He, slow McCarthy,  made my point for me….does he know what antisemitism actual is?  Apparently NOT!  And they trust this slug to count votes…..(insert raucous laughter)

Speaking truth is not antisemitism!

Does AIPAC spend a lot of money on Congress?  You bet your ass it does!

Please someone call these moron d/bags out on the lies they spread!

I pray these brave women continue to speak out and putting these old white a/holes in their place……Pelosi needs to grow a pair and step up to these women’s defense….and NOW!

After I wrote this draft news has come that she had issued an apology…..

Omar did tweet a statemement Monday saying, among other things, “I unequivocally apologize,” but she added that she stands behind her criticism of “the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics,” including AIPAC.

She did what the cowards of the DNC wanted….so it is DONE!

The mash up was nothing but a diversion…..but the truth that will not be said……the Dems are bought!

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sorry-democrats-your-nra-is-spelled-aipac_us_59d62c62e4b0666ad0c3cb12

The MSM has shown exactly who controls their content especially on this issue.

Why did the media not fact check her statement for accuracy?

I know why!

It would be too embarrassing when the truth came out…..that is why!

But let me introduce you to the Israeli Lobbying scheme…..

https://ifamericaknew.org/us_ints/introlobby.html

Electronic Intifada obtained and published the four-part series, but it did so during the week of the midterm elections, and the documentary did not get a lot of attention then.

In it, leaders of the pro-Israel lobby speak openly about how they use money to influence the political process, in ways so blunt that if the comments were made by critics, they’d be charged with anti-Semitism.

https://theintercept.com/2019/02/11/ilhan-omar-israel-lobby-documentary/

Further Reading:

https://splinternews.com/everyone-is-dumb-1832517641

Money And Elections

The 2018 mid-terms is just days away…..and as with every election for decades the talking points will be about which party and/or candidate has put together the most donors and cash.

Everybody knows the old talking points about campaign cash…..he who spends the most wins….Dark money……yada yada…..

But there is a bit more to the effects of cash on elections than the 30 second sound bite network TV gives the listeners….

The Nerds at geeky website, fivethirtyeight.com, has put together a good piece to explain the effects of cash on elections.

To quote the great political philosopher Cyndi Lauper, “Money changes everything.” 1 And nowhere is that proverb more taken to heart than in a federal election, where billions of dollars are raised and spent on the understanding that money is a crucial determinant of whether or not a candidate will win.

This year, the money has been coming in and out of political campaigns at a particularly furious pace. Collectively, U.S. House candidates raised more money by Aug. 27 than House candidates raised during the entire 2014 midterm election cycle, and Senate candidates weren’t far behind. Ad volumes are up 86 percent compared to that previous midterm. Dark money — flowing to political action committees from undisclosed donors — is up 26 percent.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/money-and-elections-a-complicated-love-story/

SCOTUS has made corporations equal to individuals and in doing so made the dark money a driving force in elections…..it has replaced real issues with the direction of donors.

Just 15 groups were responsible for more than 75 percent of dark money political spending from 2010 to 2016, and together poured more than $600 million—out of a total of $800+ million—into campaigns in the wake of the landmark Citizens United case, according to a new analysis from Issue One, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for stricter campaign finance rules.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/09/13/citizens-united-just-15-groups-account-75-percent-800-million-dark-money-spent-us

Dems are just as bad as the GOP…..they talk a mean game but do little to change anything…..

For voters concerned about the bad consequences of big business spending on elections, a New York Times reportlast month promised mid-summer relief. “Tired of Money in Politics, Some Democrats Think Small,” the headline read.

The accompanying article, which focused on a Minnesota Congressional contest, noted that, “in mid-term races around the country…dozens of Democrats [are] rejecting donations from political action committees, or PACs, that are sponsored by corporations or industry groups.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/09/12/big-money-in-politics-are-leading-democrats-really-on-the-wagon-or-still-sneaking-a-drink/

Dems are always bitching about the money in politics and all the while are standing with their hands out.  There is only one way to remove big money from politics……by law and by making elections a federal funded operation…..no private money.

Ten Paces Turn and Fire

There is a duel being fought in the media between Our Dear Leader and the uber rich Koch Brothers……for now it is a war of words….but things could spiral into a full fledged political war…….

Amid a morning flurry of tweets, President Trump took aim at two powerful figures on the right: brothers David and Charles Koch. “The globalist Koch Brothers, who have become a total joke in real Republican circles, are against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade,” the president tweeted. “I never sought their support because I don’t need their money or bad ideas,” he continued, adding, “Their network is highly overrated.” His comments, however, come after the Kochs lobbed an attack of their own at a weekend forum in Colorado. Coverage:

  • Kochs’ criticism: At a Koch network gathering in Colorado Springs, Charles Koch criticized Trump’s tariffs and protectionist trade policies and suggested he’s open to supporting Democratic candidates who are more in line with the Kochs’ free-trade and libertarian views, reports the National Review. “I don’t care what initials are in front or after somebody’s name,” he told the group.
  • Turning point? A video during the forum showed businesses supposedly shuttered because of retaliatory tariffs, notes Politico, which says “the open hostilities at this weekend’s conference came as something of a surprise.” At Vanity Fair, Tina Nguyen sounds a familiar note: “The Kochs’ hostility toward Trump isn’t new, though their rhetoric seems to mark a turning point.”
  • Another shot: The president of the Charles Koch Foundation was even more cutting over the weekend: “The divisiveness of this White House is causing long-term damage,” said Brian Hooks, per CNN. “When in order to win on an issue someone else has to lose, it makes it very difficult to unite people and solve the problems in this country. You see that on trade: In order to get to a good place on trade, convince the American people that trade is bad.”
  • Telltale race: The Koch network also has defied the White House in the Senate race in North Dakota pitting vulnerable Democratic incumbent Heidi Heitkamp against GOP challenger Kevin Cramer, reports the Washington Post. Trump has personally campaigned for Cramer, but the Kochs say they can’t support him because he’s not fiscally conservative enough, citing, for example, his support of Trump’s trillion-dollar spending package, per the Hill.
  • Familiar face: The Kochs’ criticism of the White House and their reticence to back the entire GOP ballot caused former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to lash out. “What they have to do is shut up and get with the program, OK?” Bannon told Politico. “And here’s the program: Ground game to support Trump’s presidency and program, [and] victory on Nov. 6.” Trump’s tweets, however, suggest he doesn’t want their help now.
  • The choice: In an analysis at the Atlantic, Reihan Salam susses all this out and frames it in general terms with this question: “Will the GOP be the party of Donald Trump or the party of Charles Koch?” The Kochs helped shape the GOP agenda during the Obama years, but the party’s populist turn under Trump has them worried, he writes. However, this new split with the GOP may ultimately backfire for the brothers, he warns.

Under normal circumstances I would be delighted to see the GOP in disarray…..but this president is destroying a once proud political party piece by piece and the elected reps from this party are enabling the party’s demise.

Closing Thought–09Dec16

Clinton sez “Thank you”……..

It is a bit slow news these days…we get pundits whining about what Trump is doing….we get Right wingers whining about what others are doing….and then there are the crazies and the #pizzagate bullsh*t…..so I thought I would indulge myself with something that has nothing to do with the happenings in the world….other than to make me cringe.

FLASH!  the election is over and Hillary Clinton had her ass handed to her!  (Just in case Cheetos and Warcraft has had you busy)….

She feels bad about losing so she wanted to do something nice for her supporters…..not all supporters…just the ones with deep pockets…..

Democrats Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine are planning a thank-you party next week for those who donated millions to their presidential campaign.

The party at the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom on Dec. 15 is expected to feature fashion icon Anna Wintour, investor Alan Patricof, hedge fund manager Marc Lasry and more, according to the New York Post’s Page Six.

“Hopefully there’s no balconies so nobody can jump,” an insider told Page Six.

Source: Clinton to throw thank-you party for millionaire donors | TheHill

Isn’t that just too sweet for words?

Instead of wearing knee pads at these functions she should go on live TV and apologize to the millions that were duped into thinking she was a good candidate….just a thought.

These people, the ones with ALL the money, will always be around to pay the next candidate…do not fear for them…they will find another candidate to own….but can the same be said for all those voters that were fooled into voting for her?