The Only Mandate Trump Has Is To Get Richer

                                         Good Day World!

Let's talk about what a mandate is.

Our president-elect obviously doesn't know what it means when he claims he was elected by mandate.

Definition: the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election.

For starters, when his opponent Hillary Clinton got 3 million more votes than him...that's not a mandate.

When 50 electors were found to be illegal...that's not a mandate. 

Evidence has surfaced for cause to challenge congressional ratification of the Electoral College vote which takes place today.

Yesterday, Alternet's Steven Rosenfeld wrote an article summing up the need to challenge the election results: 

“Trump’s ascension to the presidency is completely illegitimate,” said Ryan Clayton of Americans Take Action, who is promoting the effort. “It’s not just Russians hacking our democracy. It’s not just voter suppression at unprecedented levels. It is also [that] there are Republicans illegally casting ballots in the Electoral College, and in a sufficient number that the results of the Electoral College proceedings are illegitimate as well.”

To be clear. Trump is the most disliked president we have ever elected. His rise to power has Americans and the rest of the world worried.

So let's call a Chump, a Chump. Trump does NOT have a mandate... with the exception of getting richer.

Time for me to walk on down the road..

Rage Stalks the Skies and Roads of America

                                          Good Day World!

We're living in an age of rage.

People are pissed off to the point that nearly any inter-social action could turn into a fight.

Remember the Friendly Skies the airlines use to brag about back in the day? They're not so friendly now. We've even coined a phrase for what's happening: air rage.

Cases of "air rage," or incidents in which a passenger angrily loses control, have continued to increase in the past few years. 

Airlines reported 10,854 cases of "air rage" last year, according to the International Air Transport Association. That marks a 16.5 percent jump from 2014, when 9,316 cases were reported. 

Then we have Road Rage.

The cases of angry drivers continue to climb and are becoming more deadly by the year.

Toddler Dies After Road Rage Gun-Fire Hits Car

Nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the past year, according to a new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

We have brawls in shopping malls:

Nation-wide mall brawls Have Authorities Looking at social media.

So what is going on? People are a lot less tolerant for starters. The bottom line is most Americans are stressed out to the max.

This year's biggest stressor has been election anxiety. 

The American Psychological Association has released some preliminary data from its upcoming annual "Stress in America" report, on the nation's level of anxiety specifically around this election.

There's a thousand things that can seriously irritate a person in this fast-paced society. The ability to cope with them makes the difference between being happy, or full of rage.

In the end it's up to each one of us. 

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Trump's Billionaire Boy's Club Is Straight From Bizarro World!

Good Day World!

Trump's picks for cabinet positions and other key government positions have been stunning.

Think Twilight Zone or DC Comics Bizarro World 
where everything is opposite of the way things are normally done in this world.

If all of Trump's cabinet appointments get confirmed, it will be the richest presidential cabinet in our history. Even surpassing Warren Harding's corrupt administration (Think Teapot Dome Scandal). 

Trump's pick for Secretary of State, Rex W. Tillerson, who happens to be butt buddies with Russia's Putin, is supposedly going to represent the interests of the average American. Snap.

Not too mention he's an oil Billionaire who plans on profiting under the Trump Billionaire Boy's Club (once known as the President's Administration).

How about Rick Perry being appointed Secretary of Energy? How could you not laugh at this?

He's the guy who couldn't even remember the name of the department he wanted to get rid of (Department of Energy) during the 2012 presidential campaign (Live during a debate..."Ooops!").
And now he's going to run that department?

And how about Betsy DeVos heading up the Department of Education? Trump couldn't have picked a worse person to advance public education. She's all about private schools.

And how about Ben Carson for Housing Secretary? This is the man who told us that the Pyramids were built to store grain! He knows a whole lot about housing....right?

When it comes to a champion for white guys it's not easy finding a bigger one than Jeff Session who Trump thinks would make a good Attorney General.

Steve Bannon - champion for the alt-right - would be my choice for minister of hate, but Trump has taken him in as a chief adviser for the Billionaire Boy's Club.

You want more irony? Look no further than Steven Mnuchin as Secretary of the Treasury. Talk about leaving the hen house door open to predators!

Mnuchin is the former CEO of OneWest, a bank that critics allege acted more like a movie villain by locking out one homeowner during a blizzard and foreclosing on a 90-year old woman who sent a check that was short 27 cents!

When Trump selected Scott Pruitt (aka oil corporation bitch) for E.P.A. Administrator it was a real boon to the fossil fuel industry. Not so much for the rest of us as environmental regulations will disappear in the dust.

I could go on, but you get the idea. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

New Congress Tries to Close Independent Ethics Office - Fails This Time

                                             Good Day World!

It didn't take long.

The GOP's first attempt at covering their own corrupt asses by doing away with an independent ethics office in Congress failed.

"The move to effectively kill the Office of Congressional Ethics was not made public until late Monday, when Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that the House Republican Conference had approved the change. There was no advance notice or debate on the measure." (New York Times)

Just hours after the first reports of the Republicans sleazy attempt to cover their corrupt activities was revealed a storm of bipartisan criticism stopped them in their tracks.

House Republicans met yesterday in a secret session and voted to do away with the ethics office. They did this despite Speaker Paul Ryan's objections.

Trump even tweeted it was a waste of time and to move on.

 It was an embarrassing turnabout on the first day of business for the new Congress. Their first attempt to pass a bill failed.

The hoped for show of force never materialized. 

How united is the Republican party? Apparently, there's contesting agendas.

It's kinda like listening to Dueling Banjo's  in the movie Deliverance, except in the halls of Congress instead of some hillbillies porch.

This assault by wealthy radical ideologues is only a sign of things to come from our new Congress. Unless of course, Trump becomes an obstacle while pursuing his own agenda.

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

People Are Curious Creatures

Good Day World!

People are curious creatures.

We have the ability to love and hate. 
We can be monsters or angels. 
We can be geniuses or morons.

Our capacity for destruction is without end. 

We kill off other life forms routinely. Either to eat, hunt, or to sell off body parts in the name of medicine or high fashion.

We pollute the planet and ravage it's resources without consideration for future generations.

Our only nobility seems to lie in the ability to recognize these failings and to try to correct them. 

When it comes to politics we are a country divided between the Party of Trump and Democrats (with a scattering of Independents, Libertarians, Green, Etc.) 

Our ambivalence towards our new president is reflected in a recent Gallup poll. Most Americans Don't Think Donald Trump Can Handle Being President  

So how did Trump get elected if people thought he couldn't do the job?

Gotta smack my forehead and go back to my original premise...

People are curious creatures.

Related: "Why Are We So Curious?"

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Note To Democrats: Make a Sweet Change From Sour Lemons

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
 -Eckhart Tolle

Good Day World!

We may have situations in our lives when we feel like we lost something, when in fact it turned out that we gained something.

The Democratic Party needs to understand that. There's a lot of different factors that contributed to Donald Trump's stunning victory.

One of the biggest reasons was the party was not united. Bernie Sanders supporters couldn't stomach Hillary Clinton and the party itself had lost touch with the average American.

Losing to Trump was the biggest low point in Democratic Party history. Ivory tower liberals got bitch-slapped!

The good news? There's only one way to go from here...up!

Fact: The Clinton's no longer own the Democratic Party. It's time for a makeover.

The future of the party lies with liberal politicians like California senator-elect Kamala Harris, and Rep.Keith Ellison (D-MN). 
Note: Ellison is currently the top candidate for new DNC chair.

Everyone doesn't think Ellison is the best pick however:

Staunch liberal Dershowitz: "I'll leave the party if Ellison becomes DNC chair."

The DNC is going to have to change their tactics with minorities. It's time to go grass roots again and see what the majority of Americans are facing on a daily basis.

Liberal ideology is fine, but for the sake of reality and getting a plurality the party needs to listen closer to what people are saying.

Sounds simple, but it isn't. Reconnecting with a base from one century to the next has been fraught with challenges, as Democrats discovered this election.

If the effort is made, and the right people get into positions to create positive change, the American people can still be the eventual winners!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Happy New Year's (poem)

Happy New Years!

I'm starting 2017 off with a poem.

I also want to thank you for stopping by. If you're not already a regular reader, I hope you will become one.

A NEW YEAR

Be of good cheer

another year is here

let the past disappear

don't shed a tear

there's no need for fear

it's a New Year

Have a beer

for yesteryear

the future is unclear

keep hope near

create a positive atmosphere

and don't be insincere

face challenges and persevere

but don't develop a hard veneer

be of good cheer

It's a New Year.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

The Rush To Save Scientific Research About Climate Change Is On!

Good Day World!

Over the centuries there's been uncounted libraries, and repositories of knowledge, destroyed by conquering armies and new administrations.

Science has been at war with civilizations throughout the world's history. Deniers of science have always treated scientific facts with disdain and fear.

Take the famous "flat earth" belief that went out of style during the waning days of the Roman Empire.

Imagine a coin as the Earth, and then imagine the edge of that coin is actually a giant ice wall—either described as 150 feet or 1,500 feet tall. 

That’s the world flat Earth believers envision when they think about the plane - and because Earth is a disc, that makes it a plane, not a planet - that they live on.

Believe it or not there's still people today who believe in the flat earth myth.  They are the same people who deny climate change is caused by mankind.

With Donald Trump coming into power the Flat Earther's and Climate deniers have a champion. Trump believes climate change is a hoax by the Chinese.

Knowing this, scholars across the nation are rushing to preserve all the scientific research that's been done.

The fight to preserve facts is detailed in the following article:

Scientists Scramble To Protect Decades of Climate Research Before Trump Takes Office

The next four years are going to be a challenge for America.  

Remember when Hitler's minions burned any books he deemed contrary to his rule? 

This is the 21st century version of Hitler's purge. The names change, but the hate and ignorance continues.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Cold War II Redo: 'Let It Be An Arms Race'

Good Day World!

I grew up during the Cold War with Russia, and can remember getting under my desk at school to protect myself from an atomic blast.

Teachers would suddenly yell "Drop!" and students were expected to kneel down under their desks with their hands clutched around their heads and necks.

If the blast did come, we would have all been toasty critters despite those safety drills.

I thought those days were gone. 

Looks like I'm wrong. Now I find myself worrying about my grandchildren under the Trump regime.

Trump has single-handedly sparked a new age of Nuclear conflict, and he's not even sworn in yet. His outrageous tweets about nukes are giving national security agencies the heebe-geebies.

Trumps blossoming bromance with Russia's Putin has only been marred by one thing; the prospect of a nuclear war. Putin says Russia can shoot down anything America sends their way.

When talking about a possible nuclear arms race with Russia Trump tweeted, "Let it be an arms race." Doesn't that make you feel good?

Related:

Analysis: What Will Trump Do About North Korea's Kim Jong Un?

No one knows what Trump will do. Not even Trump. But consider what you know about our thin-skinned, stubby fingered, president-elect...when he's upset, he mindlessly tweets threats and curses. 

Once he's sworn in, his tiny hands will be within reach of THE BUTTON. If that doesn't give your the cold sweats nothing will.

I wonder if America's schools are gearing up for the possibility of Cold War II? If they are, I'm sure students won't be asked to get under their desks. We know better now.

Instead, students will be encouraged to call their parents to say goodbye before the blinding flash ends their reality.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Brawls in Malls: What Part Did Social Media Play?

                                          Good Day World!

It's like a ritual. 

Every year the "after Christmas sales" packs people into the malls of America like lemmings.

This season was no different. With one exception; there were 15 malls nationwide that had brawls. We're talking about knock down, kick-ass fights among hundreds of people.

What the hell could have set that off? And all on the same day? 

Authorities in all 15 states are investigating to see if it was a coordinated event. They suspect social media had something to do with it.

But to what extent?

This weekend is the last ad blitz for the season. There was record shopping sales this year (over a trillion dollars) and there's no reason not to expect the malls to be packed again for the New Year sales.

But what about the brawls in the malls last weekend? 

There was heavy security, and luckily no one was seriously hurt, but there's no guarantees when it comes to melees.

As authorities puzzle over the apparent coincidence (no proof yet it was coordinated) they should be prepared for a repeat. Who knows? It could spread to more than 15 locations the next time.

I don't believe in coincidences. I'm also not a conspiracy theorist. What happened can be explained. One way or the other.

I advise bargain hunters to be on their toes this weekend. You won't find me there. I'll be getting my bargains online.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

1920s Robber Barrons Envious of Trump and His Cabinet

Good Day World!

Our new Conman-in-Chief is ready to expand his business empire. 

When Trump and his appointed minions meet for their first cabinet meeting next year they'll bring corporations and Wall Street with them. 

The robber barons from the 1920s are looking up from their perch in hell and are envious.

What kind of assurance do we have that this new administration isn't going to loot the country? None. Just think about it.

As President, Will Donald Trump and His Cabinet Trade Inside Information?

 "If Trump gets advance access to the monthly jobs numbers and the quarterly GDP report. Suppose Trump finds out that the job growth in March is far weaker than the markets expected, or that GDP growth for the first quarter of 2017 is surprisingly strong.

These reports would have a huge effect on the stock and bond markets. Trump could make a fortune by making highly leveraged bets just before the government reports are officially released. 

Or, if he doesn't want to make the trades himself, he can pass the information along to Vincent Viola, his designee for secretary of the US Army, who became a billionaire running a high-frequency trading company. Apparently, Viola plans to maintain a stake in his high-frequency trading company even after he enters the government."

This is just the beginning of ways in which Donald Trump and his top appointees can personally profit from their positions in government. 

We already have heard accounts of foreign diplomats changing their reservations so that they can stay at Donald Trump's new hotel in Washington. 

And, it seems likely that foreign leaders will be more generous in considering licensing requests from Trump-owned properties throughout the world.

The era of Trump is upon us. Can the country survive the damage he's going to inflict during the next four years?

Time for me to walk on down the road...