THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS

For more than two centuries, the Federal legislative process has involved three parties, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the President.  With the advent of President Trump, there are now a total of six (6) parties, with Fox News, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh now added to the parties involved.  It is the failure of the Democrats to recognize new realities that is the cause of recent problems.   Until the others are invited to the negotiating table, there will continue to be problems in the governance of the Federation called the United States of  America.

PRESIDENT PUTIN, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!

Trump's threat to close down the southern border, an act that would cause pain and economic damage to the American people, unless his orders are followed, evokes childhood memories of reports of how Hitler's Gauleiters ran Nazi-occupied European nations during World War II,ut but  and subsequently, Russia acted in the lands behind its Iron Curtain.  The entire counry was punished, even brutally, if orders, emanating from either Berlin or Moscow, were not followed.

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Since walls can serve not only to keep people out but to prevent them from fleeing, will we, one day, need someone to say, "Mr. Putin, tear down this wall!"

TRUMP CLAIMS FACT CHECKERS FAKE NEWS

Trump is upset with fact checkers who keep counting the same lie over and over again every time he repeats it.  He says that once they declare something he states  to be a lie, is unfair  to count that as a lie  every time he repeats it.  He claims that when properly tallied, he actually lies infrequently.

TRUMP NOT WRONG

Trump is not necessaarily wrong for stating that most of the people not receiving pay checks,, because of the Government shut down are Democrats, even though he has absolutely no evidence.  He can be certain, even if more Republicans were affected by the shutdown, there are now more Democrats affected.

TRUMP AND THE STOCK MARKET

Trump has maintained that he is responsible for increases in the increase in value of the market averages even as the head of the fed is responsible for any losses suffered by same.  I see another strange connection, in that whereas before the Christmas holiday, there were a string of losses, the day after the holiday, when Trump went to Iraq, the market rebounded  1000 points. As soon as Trump arrived back in the U.S. the stock market resumed its losing ways. Is it possible that if we keep Trump out of Washington, say, in Iraq we can continue to enjoy a prosperous market?

STEEL FENCE IS RECYCLABLE

Perhaps Trump might explain to his constituents that by putting up a steel slat fence, on the border, he is actually transferring  needed resources to an otherwise impoverished area.

Liberals should think of the fence as a 2000 mile vein of high grade metal which can be processed and sold to Mexican mini-mills providing a source of income to recyclers.

HARD TO ARGUE THE POINT

Trump adamantly rejects any allegation that he would accept the blame for any Government shutdown if they didn't fund the wall at the border.  Trump says that he said that his tax cuts would not increase the national debt but they did; he said that the Mexicans would pay for the wall and they didn't.  Trump claims that no reasonable man could have the expectation that his promise to assume responsibility for the shutdown could possibly have any validity.  Hard to argue the point.

COMMODITIES TIP

After a look at Donald J. Trump's plans for a "slat steel fence" on the Mexican border, it seems to me that Fedex sized document envelopes, that can fit between the slats, will become a hot ccommodity item for the drug cartel.  

BOMBING THE WRONG GOVERNMENT

Republican Presidents, in this cenury, seem to be fond of bombing the wrong countries.  After the World Trade Center was attacked by Saudi Arabians based in Afghanistan, George W. Bush bombed the country of Iraq.

Now because Mexico will not pay for a wall, Donald J. Trump is planning to bomb the Government in Washington by shutting it down financially.  Trump should be shutting down the Government of Mexico not ours.

A SYMBOLIC ACT

Many Republican members of Congress, both Senators and Representatives, are showing disapproval of the present Administration by retiring and not running again for Congress.  Perhaps they consider this their personal stand against Trumpism.  Of course, it is nothing of the sort.  A far better symbolic act would have been to caucus with the Democrats while still retaining their Republican party affiliation.

50 YEARS FROM NOW

50 years from now,  when Hillsary Clinton has turned 126. and the first Republican to be elected to office after the Trump debacle, is in office and again in trouble,  that Republican will be looking to an investigation into the Clinton emails in order to save his Presidency.

HOW CAN IT BE CALLED AN EMOLUMENT, WHEN....???

Donald Trump, feels it is extremely unfair for law suits to be filed against him and/or his companies for allegedly receiving emoluments from foreign entities, in violation of the Constitution, for rentals at his properties.  How can it be called an emolument when he has to negotiate, and be competitive in his pricing, with each and every one of his deals? 

TRUMP VISIBLY UPSET

Trump, visibly upset by all the pomp and circumstance shown for the funeral of George H.W. Bush, considering his inability to get funding, himself, for a military parade or even a Wall, was mollified, to an extent, by John Kelley, who indicated that the American people would gladly give Trump a glorious funeral. 

UNREALISTIC STANDARDS

 The Mueller investigation, if anything, has revealed the unrealistically high standard that has been set for occupants of the highest executive office in our land.  By requiring the candidates to that office to follow the law is exceeding reasonable expectations.