kanesrealm

Donald Trump wants to change the tax code and accomplish something that so far has eluded him, a legislative victory. Our tax code absolutely needs serious reform but preliminary indicators suggest that's not what this is. Trump insists that the rich, including himself, will not benefit from the changes he and the Republicans are proposing. So we begin with a lie, how then do we trust anything else in the legislation? The old drum is once again beating it's favorite tune, the elimination of the estate tax. Currently for an individual the first 5.49 million dollars is exempted from this tax which means for most people this is never a factor. The argument for repeal of the estate tax has always been about the family farm and small business owners, it is a false argument. There are no real small businesses or family farms worth more than the exempted amount. Let's, just for the hell of it, act like it's true. The tax, which is 40%, doesn't kick in until after the exem...

When Colin Kaepernick first chose to kneel during the singing of the National Anthem, as opposed to standing, many lost their minds. He began this now wider NFL player supported gesture to protest police brutality of African-Americans and an imbalance in our criminal justice system. A peaceful protest and silent statement. So, what's the problem? President Trump has decided to go to war with the NFL and more specifically the players who are participating in this, calling them S.O.B.s and saying they should be fired. His outrage is very easy to understand, he's doing what he does best, changing the subject from major issues while keeping himself at the center of attention. In the movie, "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" the governor is portrayed by the talented Charles Durning, who epitomizes the politician that loves attention but hates to do his job and tackle tough issues. In one scene Durning sings a delightful tune that goes, "oooh I love to dance a little s...

Well isn't this sweeter than Grandma's peach pie! At least six Whitehouse advisors, Federal government employees all, including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Steve Bannon used their private emails to conduct official business. Do you suppose the Trump supporters at his rallies will start chanting LOCK THEM UP? They sure loved saying it about Hillary Clinton throughout his campaign and are continuing to do so, all at the urging and to the delight of Donald Trump. Will he silence that rhetoric now? Of course not, he wouldn't dare interrupt the mad rantings of his loyalists, he can't afford to. Like Victor Frankenstein, he cannot control his creation. So what to do? Trump will simply ignore it, call it fake news, say there's no comparison and tell his fans to just trust him, he and he alone is their saviour and can do no wrong and since he can do no wrong, neither can his minions. Rience Priebus, the now fallen Chief of Staff, knew this was going on and tried to ...

Puerto Ricans are American citizens, got it? They have been since 1898 and if you don't know that, shame on you. Now to you Mr. President, you are not doing a good job on the human catastrophe unfolding on the island of Puerto Rico, stop patting yourself on the back and mobilize the military. Stop saying ignorant things like, "you know Puerto Rico's an island, it's in the ocean a big ocean you can't drive your truck there". No kidding. That's what ships, planes and helicopters are for. You offered not a word of sympathy to the 3.4 million Americans facing death on that island. Only after you were hounded did you tweet out an attack on Puerto Rico's infrastructure and debt problems. Do you even know Puerto Rico is a part of the United States? You should, you've done business there. Seven days in to this horrific situation and we are still not taking the actions necessary. There are FEMA workers there who have been held up by red tape waiting for t...

I am returning to blogging. No, you're right, an explanation isn't required but I'm going to give you one. I tried, I really tried, but engaging in political dialogue on Facebook is pointless. When I reactivated my account I chose not to launch political statements from my homepage but I did try participating in other threads. In written dialogue, one person puts down their thoughts, the next person reads that person's thoughts, digests them and then responds directly on point, right? Not on Facebook. With only a few exceptions, I have found that what I write isn't being read, based upon the responses I often received which have nothing to do with what I said. My problem appears to be that I actually read what people write and respond to their words and that's not how it works. It's just random thoughts and in the case of active thread presenters, their main interest seems to be basking only in their own glory, which is fine but don't invite commenting ...