Category Archives: National

Trump the Bugblatter: some survival suggestions

National, , ,

A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing ; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.” If only it was that funny…or simple.trumpblatter2

A day or so after Trump won, I read Autocracy: Six Rules for Survival. Practical suggestions shared  by Russian/American journalist and LGBTQ activist Masha Gessen, someone familiar with the tactics of Trump’s buddy, Putin.

Now, about 2 months later, with Donald John Trump (no denying it, or hiding from it) about to be sworn in as the 45th President of the USA, it’s an additional  jolt to re-read the six rules … it can happen here.

 

Here are rules #1 and #3 of  Gessen’s six Rules for Survival:

Rule #1: Believe the autocrat. He means what he says. Whenever you find yourself thinking, or hear others claiming, that he is exaggerating, that is our innate tendency to reach for a rationalization.

Rule #3: Institutions will not save you. It took Putin a year to take over the Russian media and four years to dismantle its electoral system.

Of course, the United States has much stronger institutions […] The problem, however, is that many of these institutions are enshrined in political culture rather than in law, and all of them — including the ones enshrined in law — depend on the good faith of all actors to fulfill their purpose and uphold the Constitution.

The national press is likely to be among the first institutional victims of Trumpism.

One thing for certain: we’re headed into an unknown and wild four years (or more), so any tool at all could prove useful to survive Trump the autocratic Bugblatter.

Donald Trump: Yes, to Beans, No to Don’s Johns

International, National, , ,

The Office of Governmental Ethics issued a general reminder to the incoming administration that government officials should refrain from endorsing any product, company or service days after Donald Trump tweeted we should go out and buy LL Bean products. Is it possible they have taken it to heart? Or is Team Donald simply picking winners and losers: ‘Yes’ to Beans and ‘No’ to Don’s Johns ?donaldsjohns

 

In an “unpresidented” move, the logo reading “Don’s Johns” (Motto: We’re #1 in #2 ) on almost three thousand portable toilets rented by the government for use along the National Maul during the inauguration are having their logos hidden from view with tape.

Don’s Johns has provided portable toilets for many large events in Washington, including the 2009 and 2013 inauguration ceremonies for President Barack Obama, Weghorst said. No logos were taped over during those events, he said. And here is Don’s Johns homepage  — he has testimonies and a blog … really!

The Washington Post reports the Architect of Capitol has come clean and is taking responsibility for ordering the cover-up, which, they say, will bring the toilets into compliance with previously ignored restrictions on Don’s Johns logo “advertizing”.

It could be sensitivity to the Ethics Office warning. Or perhaps someone in the Trump camp is hyper-sensitive after his rumored Russian hotel exploits to the possibility of  the logo Don’s Johns  being shown around the world and permanently associated with Donald’s Presidential inauguration ceremony. Always protect the TRUMP™ brand — keeping him #1.

Does Trump really know beans about brands?

National, Uncategorized, , , ,

Donald Trump is once again demonstrating his knack to distract. Trump found time amid confirmation hearings for his cabinet and a brewing scandal over his relationship with certain Russian men and women to tweet this:beans

The Trump tweet is referencing a squabble about oversized donations Linda Bean, the granddaughter of the founder of LL Bean,  made to Making America Great Again PAC, a Trump campaign organization. These contributions resulted in a call by a group called Grab Your Wallet to boycott LL Bean products.

The AP reported in Maine days ago that Bean’s contributions to Trump’s Making America Great Again PAC that may have been more than ten times  the amount allowed for individual donations.

Making America Great Again LLC [not a super PAC, and which also goes by the name “Making Maine Great Again”] was limited to individual contributions of $5,000, according to a letter Wednesday from federal regulators obtained by The Associated Press. Federal campaign finance reports show Bean contributed $60,000 while the group spent $66,862.

A longtime Republican activist, Linda Bean has run for a seat in the US Congress, operates Linda Bean’s Lobster Dreams in Maine and also is on the LL Bean board of directors. LLBean Inc. was forced to reiterate an earlier statement that the company is “apolitical” following Trump’s enthusiastic shop at LL Bean’s message.

The donation to MAGA and Trump’s subsequent tweet of solidarity could prove grating to many people not enamored by the soon-to-be president. LLBean may be just another sporting goods and outdoor clothing retailer to some, but for others the clothing is a sort of liberal/outdoorsy ID badge or icon. Just take a look at former Vermont Governor Howard Dean’s official state portrait. govdeanbean

Howard Dean, as you can see, is practically wrapped in LLBean outdoor iconography. The painting could stand in for the cover any LLBean fall catalog.

And as for Donald Trump? Well he may not know beans about the outdoors but he knows how to engineer a good distraction from his daily crisis — LOOK SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Donald’s poll numbers are falling, not good…sad.

National, Uncategorized, , ,

How bad are President-elect Trump’s poll numbers? Well, so bad they may be record setters. You can find the newest Quinnipiac poll results here. And the Washington Post has rundown of how bad they are and what rough a honeymoon Trump is having as president elect. The poll was conducted here in the USA, not Russia.

Trump’s favorability rating, which had risen slightly since the election, is shown by Quinnipiac to be quickly dropping back to record lows for a president-elect. Here are some highlights or low-lights if you want: American voters give President-elect Trump a negative 37 – 51 percent favorability rating, compared to a divided 44 – 46 percent favorability rating November 22. trumpoww

Vice President- elect Mike Pence gets a split 37 – 34 percent favorability rating. [Note: the second number is the unfavorability rating.]

Before entering office recent U.S. Presidents have had much higher numbers than Trump now has: Bill Clinton 58%, George W. Bush (2000) 59% and Barack Obama 68%.

Before he’s even sworn in Trump has already got a rough task ahead — making his favorability poll numbers “great” or even “good” again.

GOP governors: It’s Numberwang !

National, , ,

Does anyone wonder how Vermont GOP Governor Phil Scott’s fellow “fiscally responsible” Republican governors have done keeping their state’s fiscal houses in order? numberwanged

Well, as early as last spring US News&World Report noted that at least a half dozen Republican-governed states that had been running “real life experiments” with Laffer inspired tax and budget cuts were “awash in red ink, facing nine- and ten-figure deficits heading into the new fiscal year.”  So mostly, It’s Numberwang!

In Kansas, as of early this past year, Governor Sam Brownback’s program of budget and tax cutting had created a state budget that’s nearly $1 billion in the red, forcing deep cuts in education, social programs and some services.

Now, with Trump about to be in control of the White House and GOP majorities in the US Congress — all poised to do god-knows-what in terms of tax “reform” at the national level, some GOP red states are now considering the unthinkable — raising taxes to correct severe budget shortfalls.

The GOP tax ideas run the board from raising gas taxes, shifting from property taxes to some combination of sales taxes, gross receipts taxes, and internet sales taxes, and/or raising taxes on alcohol or cigarettes (sin taxes). That’s quite a menu of choices, but not surprisingly for states enjoying Republican rule, raising income taxes on the wealthy or perhaps capital gains taxes seem to be off the table. You may notice too that most of these suggested revenue enhancers under consideration would have a heavier impact on lower-income earners — those already under stress from GOP cuts to education and social services.

And with Republicans’ “real life” Laffer-curve experiments knocking budgets out of whack and their resulting looming fiscal disaster, can you guess what is about to happen in states that now have newly elected GOP governors and majority legislatures?  Well … In New Hampshire and Iowa, states now wholly run by Republican governors and legislatures, leaders say they will work to reform the tax code by condensing the number of individual tax brackets or by cutting corporate tax rates.

It’s almost unbelievable, but it appears that states currently on reasonable financial footing but now under Republican control are about to swallow the same GOP tax-cut medicines that failed so spectacularly elsewhere. With President Trump and GOP control at the federal level the Laffer dose could be double strength.

Here in Vermont Democrats control the legislature which likely may save us from a full-scale GOP Numberwanging.

But why take foolish chances? Keep an eye on Phil Scott. He may just be settling in but right off has drawn a line in the sand — promising to veto any budget that grows faster than wages or the state economy in the previous year.

The Numberwang game: Once finished, becomes “WangerNumb”, where the players, in a more tense situation, say numbers until one gets “WangerNumb.” In the end, one contestant loses (almost always the same contestant) and is tortured in a way such as being arrested by the police.

Makes about as much sense as the numbers games Republican governors are playing.

 

Van lines survey: VT second highest number of people moving in

Business, National,

For the third year in a row a survey by United Van Lines [Ed. updated link 3/17] suggests Vermont is a desirable location for people wishing to relocate. movinvtUnited is one of the nation’s largest moving companies and has tracked customer state-to-state migration for the past 40 years.  In the 2016 national study Vermont moved up from third to the second of the top states with increases of inbound moves.

Moving In: The top inbound states of 2016 were:

  1. South Dakota
  2. Vermont
  3. Oregon
  4. Idaho
  5. South Carolina
  6. Washington
  7. District of Columbia
  8. North Carolina
  9. Nevada
  10. Arizona 

Vermont’s jump continues our state’s trend up, which runs counter to other states’ trends in the Northeast. New Jersey tops outbound states with New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania continuing to have substantial outbound moves according to the United Van lines survey.

Despite certain demographic challenges to population growth (aging population, people leaving, and a low birth rate) Vermont is, at least according United’s survey, going against a trend toward outbound growth in Northeastern states. Although our population is staying the same or slightly declining we are doing something right regarding this positive trend.

Obama, Sanders and Clinton beat Trump! Says end of year poll

National, , ,

What was wrong with 2016? Well at least it is coming to a close and various year end lists and polls are appearing. One of them is Gallup’s most admired person poll.wwww2016

Since 1946 the Gallup organization has conducted a poll of Americans asking them which man or woman in the world they admire the most. Perhaps the good news for Democrats stung by the recent election is that for the ninth year in a row President Obama was the one found to be most admired. Hillary Clinton was named the most admired woman. The poll conducted Dec. 7-11, 2016, was based on telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,028 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Obama won with 22 percent of the vote. Trump came in second with 15 percent, Pope Francis was third with 4 percent and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders came in fourth place with 2 percent of the vote.

Obama has the second-largest number of first-place finishes among men. The first place goes to former President Eisenhower, who was named Most Admired Man 12 times.

On the female side, Americans named Hillary Clinton their Most Admired Woman. It was her 15th consecutive year at the top spot, and her 21st time overall at the top of the list, a Gallup record.

First lady Michelle Obama came in second among the most-admired women, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. 

Not sure what value any of this has in the bigger scheme of things but given the grim year coming to a close maybe it offers a wee bit of a bright spot.

The not-so-good news is President-elect Trump was only seven percentage point behind Obama. So what was wrong with 2016?

waylaughing

Monday Trump administration fun-facts!

Business, National, , , ,

Donald Trump’s buildings are always (he says) the tallest, but according to the Washington Post  his cabinet really will, by far and away be the richest one ever! Biggestly!

When George W. Bush assembled his first Cabinet in 2001, news reports dubbed them a team of millionaires, and government watchdogs questioned whether they were out of touch with most Americans’ problems. Combined, that group had an inflation-adjusted net worth of about $250 million — which is roughly one-tenth the wealth of Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary alone.

Commerce Department Secretary nominee Wilbur Ross, Jr., is a longtime Trump acquaintance (he managed one of Trump’s bankruptcies). Forbes rates him the 232nd wealthiest person in the US, with a net worth of $2.5 billion.

Ross has worldwide interests according to the maritime news publication gcaptain.com: fatcatrowboat5[Ross] built his fortune investing in troubled companies, including the oil and gas, steel and financial industries. He has a large ownership stake in Navigator Holdings, and his Diamond S Shipping is one of the world’s biggest owners of medium-range products tankers.

As the agency’s name suggests The Department of Commerce is charged with promoting American business in the US and overseas.This  includes gathering economic data, enforcing international trade agreements, and issuing trademarks and patents. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is part of the Commerce Department. NOAA (which includes the National Weather Service) manages scientific data on weather, oceans, and climate conditions to assess the health of the world’s oceans. I recall recent efforts by Congressional Republicans to privatize the U S Weather Service.

So fat-cat Wilbur Ross, Jr., as Commerce Secretary may soon oversee NOAA — but under President Trump I doubt he needs a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing.

It’s Winter in America, find your footing

National, , , , , ,

Just in case anyone wants to step back (or recoil) from the daily news spew, you know, get away from the daily ‘Donald Trump tweeted this or that’ and coverage of the casting calls to fill his horror-show administration. If that’s the case, then take a load off your feet, slip away for a moment because here’s a bit of practical, perhaps slightly political news from our surefooted neighbors in Canada.noslipups

At the WinterLab at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute researchers have studied, tested, and are now providing traction rating for footwear in slippery conditions. In Ontario 2015 accidents involving slipping on ice sent 21,000 people to the hospital. Here in the USA during 2014 there were 34,860 same-level workplace injuries (not from heights) related to ice, snow, and sleet that required at least one day to recover away from work. Canadian researchers discovered that most winter boots sold in Canada (and probably the US) won’t keep you upright in slippery situations.

To test the boots, researchers asked people to walk, first on a level surface covered with ice, then on an increasing incline, first of two to three degrees, and then up to seven to 10 degrees. Then they tested the same boots on wet ice. The boot testers wore a harness as they walked, so when they slipped they didn’t fall. Of 98 models of boots the lab tested on ice and wet ice, only nine passed a slip test.

The top-rated boots got a single snowflake out of three. That meant they gripped when walking up a seven-degree incline, while most of the boots failed to keep people from falling.

Here’s a link to WinterLab’s top rated shoes and boots.

Remember: tread carefully, double-check footwear to avoid costly slip-and-fall-related medical injuries — because Trump is coming for our healthcare coverage after all. It’s winter in America and the social safety net is about to have more holes cut into it. One fall and the medical bills could land many people in the poorhouse, or its modern equivalent, foreclosure and bankruptcy.

Now, better rejoin regular coverage of Trump’s horror show –because it’s still going on.

Huh? Democrat Rep.Tulsi Gabbard for Trump’s Sec. of State!

National, , ,

gabbardntrumpA steady stream of potential candidates for the president-elect’s cabinet and administration has been auditioning for Donald Trump.

And about six days ago Democratic US Rep. from Hawaii,Tulsi Gabbard who served with her state’s National Guard and volunteered for duty in Iraq  joined the pilgrimage to Trump’s New York tower of power on Fifth Avenue.

During the Democratic Presidential primary campaign, DNC chairwoman Gabbard made big news among supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders in February when she resigned her position to support Sanders’ candidacy over foreign policy differences with Hillary Clinton. She said then: “We can elect a president who will lead us into more interventionist wars of regime change, or we can elect a president who will usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.”

Rep. Gabbard was hailed last February as a Democrat to watch in the future, and now that prediction is proving true but in an unexpected and strange way. Democrat Gabbard has joined the line of well known Republican job seekers Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Jeff Sessions and lesser known former office holders Scott Brown and Rick Perry trekking to Trump Tower and Trump-owned golf resorts.

Her audience with Donald and his team raised a few eyebrows among Democrats. And fellow Democrats in Hawaii’s Congressional delegation note she failed to join 169 other Democratic House members that condemned “Alt-Right” supporter and possible ant-Semite Steve Bannon playing a major role in a Trump White House. And Howard Dean was particularly critical of Representative Gabbard: “She’s an interesting person, and the people from Hawaii basically have her tabbed as extremely ambitious with flexible principles.” He speculated that she may be motivated to position herself to the right for a future run for the Senate, but added: “So who knows what this is all about.”

Gabbard’s audience with Trump might have gained wider attention if the Trump transition itself wasn’t such a … well, circus. The NYTimes.com says he has transformed what is normally a quiet task of forming a government into: “…a Trump-branded, made-for-television spectacle, parading his finalists for top administration positions this weekend before reporters and the world.” We have to wonder, is it the red carpet or a future perp walk?

Gabbard’s audience with Trump, according to a spokesperson, was focused on foreign policy “…our current policies regarding Syria, our fight against terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS, as well as other foreign policy challenges we face.” They did not say if a job with the new administration was discussed.

Interestingly an opinion piece titled: Tulsi Gabbard is the pick for Secretary of State, not Mitt Romney appeared in TheHill.com and Brietbart News, floating the  congresswoman as possible Secretary of State:  [Gabbard]…does not play politics [and] embodies the very essence of the President-Elect’s ideological departure from the interventionist policies that have plagued this nation for the past two decades. No mention is made in the piece about Rudy Giuliani who has also been tagged a possible Sec. of State. But Mitt Romney, yet another candidate for the job, gets a trashing in the piece that is perhaps greater than any praise it offered for Gabbard.

Is this about Romney adversaries on the Trump team utilizing Gabbard for bit of political theater and showmanship to influence Donald? With all things Trump it is probably wise not to even speculate. On this one I’ve got to side with former Governor Howard Dean when he wondered: “So who knows what this is all about.”