What Republicans Offer the American People?

By Terry AmRhein

Author of Democracy on the Edge

Available at www.amrheinsbooks.com

 

What is the Republican Party offering the American People?  What is the Republican plan for revising Campaign Financing that allows large businesses to contribute literally unlimited funds to advertisements for their favorite candidate?  With so much money and power concentrated in the hands of the few, the voice of people gets drowned out.

 

What is the Republican plan for rebalancing the tremendous wealth inequality that exists in this country?  A situation where the wealthiest 20% of the population own about 90% of the nation’s wealth.   Is their plan to reinforce “trickle-down economics” of Reagan’s era, a plan that exacerbated the wealth inequality in the first place?    Is their plan to provide the richest with more tax breaks and more favorable government legislation, such as the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (that then allowed investment banks to use people’s saving accounts for purchase of riskier corporate securities) or the weakening of the Security and Exchange Commission that overviews the securities market?   Is their plan to increase exemptions for estate taxes which is already almost $5.5 million?

 

What about Social Security and Obamacare?  Absolutely the Republicans will repeal Obamacare and remove health insurance for the 14 million people who got health care since start of the plan.  And what will these 14 million people be left with?  The Republicans have no plan. 

 

As for Social Security, the Republicans will privatize the plan.  Social Security has been in existence since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time.  It has worked well and is financially solvent until the 2020s.  After 2021, cost will exceed income.  But with a few changes, increasing the retirement age for example, the plan could remain solvent for years.  Republicans want to privatize it saying that private business could do better.  Really!  The administrative costs for Social Security is 0.8% (less than 1%) and has been for decades.  Republicans know this, but their priority is making money for finance industry.  

 

It is understandable that people are tired of a dysfunctional congress, which has done very little since Obama’s first two years as president.  That is a shame!  But people are reacting emotionally, not logically.  Who has caused the gridlock?  Who caused the government shutdown in 2011 and 2013?  Who has caused the failure of any legislation on global warming or immigration, a bill that was ready for a vote in the House until Leader Banner pulled out?  Who now is refusing to vote on a Supreme Court replacement despite of the Constitutional requirements?  The answer is Republicans.  And those that vote for Republicans, are voting for exactly the same people who caused the dysfunction, they are voting against their own self.  No wonder the Republican debates are so childish.

 

Democracy on the Edge, A discussion of Political Issues in America

Available at www.AmrheinsBooks.com

Let’s Make America Great Again

By Terry AmRhein,

Author of Democracy on the Edge

available at www.amrheinsbooks.com

 

 

Let’s make America great again is Donald Trump’s hallmark quote.  What the hell is he talking about!  America’s unemployment rate is presently 4.9%.  That is phenomenal.  The unemployment rate in good times is generally considered to be 5.5%.  We’re at 4.9%! 

            There is an estimated 14 million people who have health care today, who didn’t have it in 2010 when Obamacare was passed.  That’s got to be a great thing for our country, even if you don’t like Obamacare.  Today anyone who is under 26 years old can stay on their parent’s healthcare plan thus providing younger individuals without jobs the opportunity to continue having health care.  Today, no one can be refused health insurance because they have a pre-existing disease.  This also has got to be a great thing.  Having health care reduces deaths of people with chronic diseases that could be helped if they have medical care.  In 2009, the American Journal of Public Health estimated that 44,800 die each year because of lack of heath care.  This reduction in deaths must be a great thing.  Also, although most people don’t know it, but people with heath care a paying over $1000 per year to provide emergency room services to those without heath care, according to News Week magazine.  All of these must be great things.

            Now look at the economy. In 2014, the GDP of the US was 17,419 trillion, the highest ever!  GDP per capita was $46,405.26, the highest ever!  (These figures from the World Bank.)  The GDP of China, $10.355 trillion. America’s GDP is second to the European Common Market at $18.514 trillion with China coming in fourth. America’s economic growth must be a great thing.    

            Our military is the strongest in the world.  Based on money spent, we are projected to spend $598.5 billion dollars in 2015.  This represents 37% of the total military spending throughout the entire world.  We spend more money that the next 9 highest nations combined.  This includes China, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, India, South Korea and Russia.  And don’t just think that all that money is wasted buying $10,000 toilets.  The weaponry we possess is awesome.  No one else can match us.  But spending a lot of money is not necessary the deciding factor in world conflicts.  Knowing what weapons are needed in a given situation and being able to apply those weapons is also an important factor.  Removing Osama Bin Laden proves we have the capacity and the know-how. 

 

            Putting troops on the ground however, is a path that will lead to disaster.  Haven’t we learned anything from Iraq and Afghanistan?  Once you get into a Mideast war, you can’t extract yourself.  A better approach is to take the long term approach.  Form a coalition of nations, European and Mid-eastern and, over time, destroy ISIS’s support.  To paraphrase Mao Zedong, a person who knew a little about terrorism, “terrorists are like fish, remove the water and the fish will die.”  Shouting “let’s make America Great again” might arouse Trump’s manhood and may sound good in television sound bites but it definitely won’t lead to greatness.      

Do Hillary Clinton’s Emails Matter?

 

By Terry AmRhein

 

For almost a year now, Hillary Clinton’s emails have been front page news throughout the nation, in every news paper and on every news show.  Here are the facts in a “nut-shell.” 

            Clinton used her private email account to send emails to hundreds of government officials.  In 90% of the cases, she used the receiver’s “.gov” account.  In doing this, the emails are automatically saved in a government server and are available for government review.  At the time she was using her private account, it was not illegal, and people before her had been doing it for years.  In December of 2015, Clinton turned over 55,000 pages of emails from her private email account.  Clinton claims that she never sent an email that was marked as classified.  Upon investigation, the congressional committee investigating the email fiasco confirmed that the emails were not marked as being classified when they were sent.  However, some of the emails were reclassified after they were sent as containing sensitive information.  In fact, seven of Clinton’s emails strings have been reclassified as “Top Secret” but they were classified later after Clinton sent them. 

            What all this shows is that Clinton made a big mistake in using her private email account.  She let her guard down and left a gaping hole, wide open for criticism.  She has admitted this mistake many times during her campaign.  What this mistake does NOT show, is that Clinton violated the law.  It also does NOT show that she purposely disclosed classified information or willingly and with disregard harmed Americans or America’s classified operations.  And while some will try to charge that Clinton did willfully harm America, there is no facts supporting this claim.  

Author of “Democracy on the Edge”

Available at www.amrheinsbooks.com