I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s hard to keep up with all the “Trump stuff” and all the “republican stuff” because it’s coming at “we the people” at breakneck speed.  It’s hard for me to focus on one topic at a time.  Of course, there’s the “Russia thing” which is definitely “heating up” now that Michael Flynn is OFFICIALLY in the “cross hairs” of Robert Mueller and there’s the republican tax scam which – well it really is a tax cut – will take the issue of “income inequality” that many in America agree is the number one economic issue and – well, true to form – makes it WORSE.

Virtually every estimate – save for those of Trump’s economic “chief” or the republicans in Congress themselves – shows that eventually – meaning in the next 10 years – there will be a shift of hundreds of BILLIONS going from the pockets of working Americans to the check books of the top 1%.  I’d call this “highway robbery” but, it’s worse than that.  It’s a bunch of LYING republicans making a frantic attempt to keep the checks flowing from their “donors.”  You know, the people who’ve bought and sold our Congress – at least the republican’s side of it.

Not only are the rich (again) PILFERING the “poor” in America – and, in the most SHAMELESS manner I’ve ever seen (I’ve been around since the days of Eisenhower) – but, republicans have their sights squarely set on undermining Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  This has been part of Paul Ryan’s dream for as long as I’ve been aware of him.  The FACT Donald Trump, himself, PROMISED over and over again on the campaign trail that – not like Hillary Clinton – he would not touch Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  That’s because so many of the unsuspecting dupes that voted for him rely on those programs to survive.  Should be interesting to see how they respond once they figure out they’ve been “had.”  Unfortunately, it may be too late at that point.  I’ve been writing for years – “we the people” NEED to put this present version of the republican party into the history books!

I forced myself to watch the republicans (well, for a while – as long as I could stand it) slobber all over themselves after passing the bill in the Senate at around 2:30 AM on a Friday night. (December 2nd – officially)  I kept asking myself, “How do these HORRIBLE people sleep at night?” (Of course, they were wide awake in the middle of that night)  It wasn’t long ago that Lisa Murkowski, John McCain, and Susan Collins prevented the republicans from gutting the health care law without a viable alternative – saying either, as in McCain’s case – the process was disgusting; he said he want’s a return to “regular order” where republicans and democrats work together to pass reasonable legislation – to Collins and Murkowski who objected to the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare in the republicans attempts to “gut the Affordable Care Act.”  Surprise, surprise – this tax cut is a “back door” way of gutting the Affordable Care Act AND cutting Medicaid and Medicare – with Social Security right around the corner.

I’m sorry Mr. McCain, the process hasn’t changed, PLUS, this bill is LIKELY to increase the deficit by at LEAST twice what the Congressional Budget Office is predicting ($1.4 TRILLION) so McCain’s support is baffling – he MUST have made some kind of back room deal – which is another of his (previously) pet peeves.  Then there’s Murkowski – who was voting against the “health care” fiasco – which had nothing to do with “health care” and was all about TAX CUTS because of a stated defense of Medicaid and Medicare.  Well, that went away for her “sweet heart” deal – which, from what I could tell, is the opening of the Arctic wildlife refuge to OIL DRILLING.  You know, in Alaska you can’t get enough oil out of the ground no matter what it does to the environment – and, republicans don’t seem too concerned that the polar ice caps are melting at a rapid pace – so, this shouldn’t be too surprising, I guess.  I couldn’t stand to watch long enough to hear all the other “deals” included in the package – but, one thing it’s not – and that’s a real “Middle Class tax cut.”  Apparently, for a year or so maybe 90% of workers will get a slight tax cut.  But……………

In the Senate bill they’ve agreed to repeal the Individual Mandate in the Affordable Care Act – saving their donors an additional NEARLY $400 BILLION which makes this bill even more cynical.  What that means is – according to estimates I’ve seen – there’ll likely be something like 13 MILLION less people insured and the rates for everyone else will increase 10% or more.  Basically, young “healthy” people will likely go without insurance and the less people insured means the more those who are insured will pay – either because of people who use the emergency room for their health care and can’t pay the bills or insurance pools with less “healthy” participants.  What this means for all us “Middle Class” recipients of a few hundred dollars in tax cuts (which decline yearly to the point where MOST will actually pay more progressively over the next 10 years) are HIGHER medical premiums that will offset any tax cut.

Once again, the “rich will get richer” and screw the rest of us.  This is how republicans deal with the issue of income inequality.  They make it WORSE.  Their arrogance is beyond my ability to believe what’s happening – and, the reason it’s happening is because so many Americans have been fooled into voting them into office.  Yes, it’s TRUE that Trump was DEFEATED by the largest number of votes via the popular vote than any president in American history who managed to carry the “White House.”  If “we the people” are unable to get rid of the Electoral College this could continue because more and more Americans have been forced from rural areas into the cities or suburbs – so, many in those areas legitimately would feel their voted doesn’t count because when a person can LOSE by 3 MILLION votes and still “win” it seems something’s terribly wrong.

The last two republican presidents have managed to make it into the “White House” despite LOSING the popular vote and, in both instances, under questionable circumstances – even considering the Electoral College.  In the instance of GW Bush, it was the right wing Supreme Court that intervened in a manner that should have caused MORE of a negative response from progressives.  It probably didn’t happen because Al Gore was too willing to allow Bush to steal the vote from him in Florida.  That was a shady circumstance, but it doesn’t hold a “candle” to Trump aligning himself with the Russians to win the “White House.”  If Trump manages to “get away” with that one, this nation could be doomed to the ash heap of history.  If “we the people” are unwilling to see this Mueller investigation through and demand the republican Congress “do their duty” then we deserve what we get.

People around the world are watching what’s going on in America – it seems to me – closer than a too large segment of our own people.  In Britain, they’re attempting to BLOCK Trump from stepping onto their soil.  His racist “stuff” has just gone over the edge with them – especially, after he chose to “re-tweet” some “tweets” from a group in Britain with NAZI affiliation.  I don’t do “Twitter” so I’m only repeating what I’ve read and heard.  Today, I listened to a reporter from an English publication ridiculing Trump and pointing out how our Middle Class is getting “screwed” by the republican “tax cut.”  I know too many people around me who have no idea what’s in the tax cut, who benefits, or ANYTHING else that’s  part of “current events.”  You bring up the topic of politics and they get angry – “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Yesterday, as I had predicted some time back, Michael Flynn became the center of the “Russia thing.”  Now, I didn’t predict he’d plead guilty to just one charge of LYING to the FBI, but  what I did predict was that he was the next “domino” to fall AND, that he would “cut a deal” in order to protect his son.  My thinking was Flynn has enough “ammunition” for Mueller to give him what many have already referred to as a “sweet heart deal” – because, essentially, he’s vulnerable in a NUMBER of serious situations – along with his son.  In my mind, as soon as I heard Flynn Jr. was also in the “cross hairs” of the investigation I thought it’s just a matter of time until Flynn “flipped.”  Say what you will about Flynn – (and, I’m sure I have) I figured he’d do whatever he could to protect his son.  Trust me, Mueller wouldn’t have made this deal with Flynn to get Jared Kushner or Trump Jr.  His sights are set on Trump Sr!  And, he wouldn’t have made this deal if he didn’t have what he needed to get Trump.

I’m figuring Mueller is going to come after Trump from several different angles – not just the obvious, that he’s OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE.  There can be NO DOUBT that Trump obstructed justice – in essence, he admitted to doing so in his interview with Lester Holt, and then, a few days later, “doubled down” in his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister and Russian Ambassador in the Oval Office where he denigrated James Comey and claimed that “now the pressure of the Russia investigation is off.” (or words to that effect) Since then, he periodically makes things even worse for himself with his “tweeting” – including this past weekend admitting he knew Flynn LIED to the FBI while Flynn was in the “White House” and when he asked James Comey to “drop the investigation.”   It’s so obvious to me that Trump is in SERIOUS legal jeopardy that I often wonder why the republicans in Congress continue supporting him.  The two thoughts I keep coming back to is – one: he’ll sign anything they can produce or two: they’re afraid of his VIOLENT base – the white nationalists – you know, the “very fine” people carrying the tiki torches at Charlottesville while wearing NAZI armbands and chanting NAZI anti Semitic slogans.

Either way, they’re going to face a dilemma when Mueller finishes his probe – of course, the last stage will likely be the report to Congress on Trump’s “high crimes and misdemeanors.”  (Trump’s already well past “high crimes and misdemeanors” – as I’ve said many times, he likely will find himself in the American history books right next to Benedict Arnold – AND, Fox “news”)  Republicans will either need to IMPEACH Trump or face even MORE wrath from the voters in 2018.  Today, Trump’s approval rating was at 33% – the lowest yet, but, I believe it will eventually drop into the mid twenties because even many of those who chose to vote for him despite the FACT he’s an admitted sexual predator will not be willing to accept his connection to the Russians – along with what I believe will be a plethora of other illegal acts – many which will have to do with his previous business dealings that likely turned him into a “Russian pawn.”

Yes, there’s got to be a reason Trump criticizes virtually EVERYONE except Vladimir Putin.  He’s gone after MOST of the republicans on Capital Hill, yet, here they are walking arm and arm with him as they CRAM this tax cut down “we the people’s” proverbial throats.  I think republicans are cramming this bill because they want it signed into law before Mueller clues people in on who will be signing it.  And, obviously, having someone with Trump’s BAGGAGE only speeds these republicans up because they don’t care who signs the bill – they just want those checks to keep coming.  Now, here’s an interesting thing to think about:

Once Trump signs this bill it seems to me the republicans in Congress may become much less attached to Trump.  Trump’s about to head to Alabama to campaign for Roy Moore – who may be an even worse example of a sexual predator than Trump himself.  They certainly both have a lot in common – but, the reality is that there MUST be some republican women who are going to notice who’s leading their party and who may start taking a stand against the type of behavior Trump and Moore represent.  Republican members of Congress likely will be feeling less attached to Trump once this bill is signed and, I guess what I’m saying is maybe this will increase the chance they suck up the courage to IMPEACH Trump – as they should have done already.  I’ve written ad nauseam about the DAMAGE he’s doing to our country and it’s pushing the irreparable – it’s up to the republicans to put a stop to it.  Maybe once they get their bill they will stop sucking up to this terrible man.

Don’t hold your breath on that last thought, but I can hope can’t I?  So, here’s the deal.  It appears republicans will get their tax bill done within the next week or two.  Hopefully, “we the people” will continue calling Senators and Congress people to demand they stop this thing – or, at least turn it into a real “Middle Class Tax Cut.”  I’m no economist, but I understand enough about how this all works to know that when the economy is booming (as it is) saying you’re passing a tax cut to get the “economy moving again” is an insult to intelligence of the American people.  And, that they’re getting away with it just shows that the American people either aren’t paying attention or aren’t “intelligent.”  I kind of hope it’s the former, but……….  And, suggesting this tax cut is going to generate enough extra revenue to pay for itself would be laughable – but, they’re claiming this again.  I guess “we the people” don’t remember even back to Bush/Cheney.  They took a $250 BILLION surplus (that was projected to pay off the debt in 10 years) and turned it into massive deficits with ONE ill timed tax cut package and then, after starting an invasion of a sovereign nation for the first time in American history (a nation which hadn’t attacked the U.S.) they, incredibly, managed to pass a second tax cut.  (At least, Bush/Cheney actually sent checks to Middle Class families to produce a short term “boost” to the economy in the first tax cut – which, of course, didn’t last)

These republicans float an endless supply of LIES every time they do this – and, every time they do it, they and their donors “laugh all the way to the bank.”  Of course, Trump is the greatest LIAR I’ve ever seen.  He’s beyond pathological!  The other night I saw him speaking to a rally somewhere, with a big smile on his face saying, “This tax bill is really going to hurt me.  I’ve got some really wealthy friends and they’re not too happy with me” And, the audience sucked it up.  (That’s why I include the possibility of “lacking intelligence” when I’m trying to understand his supporters)  By all accounts Trump and his family are set to gain well over a BILLION dollars from this tax cut.  Of course, we’ll never know the total because his taxes are in that endless IRS audit! (His followers believe that – in fact, they still believe Mexico’s going to pay for the wall and President Obama was born in Kenya).  So, here’s what I proposed to the Senators from my state the other day when I called them – call Trump’s bluff.  And, I believe this SHOULD be the democratic strategy.  They all – EVERY ONE OF THEM – should say – if Trump PROVES the tax bill “hurts him” they’ll all vote for it.  Mr. Trump, show your tax return!

Final Thought:  I said at the beginning of this post, I can’t keep up with all that is happening with Trump and the republicans.  Obviously, the two big deals right now are the tax cuts and the “Russia thing.”  This tax cut, along with all the deregulation that’s happening under the radar in Trump’s administration is likely to lead us into a recession – one that could be severe and one that republicans will not know how to pull us out (remember 1929) – but, if that’s what it takes for them to get the courage to end this Trump NIGHTMARE then so be it.  Trump is ruining this nation for my children and grandchildren and your children and grandchildren (if you’re lucky enough to have them).  “We the people” MUST stay active in the so-called “resistance” to push Congress to save our nation.  The time is now!

Final prediction: When Trump’s son and son in law become entangled in Mueller’s investigation and face charges – in Kushner’s case, it’s HIGHLY likely and soon – I think Trump will go after Mueller.  Then we’ll find out if republicans in Congress really care about this nation and the constitution that’s carried us for well over 200 years more than the “checks” they’re expecting after the tax cut.  Obviously, Trump arrogantly views himself as being above the law – kind of like an American Putin. We could be at a cross roads!