THE WALL: A Black Eye For America

For over two centuries the United States had leaders who were capable and committed to find the resources to protect our country and its borders without building Walls.  They even did so during the cold war and even now against terrorists.  And no WALL would have prevented the tragic attack on 9/11.  But the United States had leaders who learned from that attack and our homeland has been safe.  Wisdom puts a lot of things in proper order.

East Germany built the Berlin WALL that divided the people of East and West Berlin in order to stop the flow of East Berliners to the West who were seeking a better life for themselves and their family.  That WALL of division tore family and people apart.  The WALL no longer exists and served no purpose of progress or advancement for humankind.  The WALL did not stop the dreams of the people in East Berlin to seek a better life.

Now the United States has a new President in Washington who wants to build a WALL on American soil to keep people out.  Unlike past American Presidents who found a way to keep America safe, even during the nuclear age, President Trump does not have the wisdom or character to find a way to keep our southern border safe without building a WALL.  The self proclaimed greatness of Trump is no where to be found.  The truth of the matter is Trump and the republicans in congress do not want immigration reform because minorities usually vote democratic.  President George W. Bush wanted immigration reform during his term in office but his own party in congress blocked it.  They did the same during the Obama administration.  So after 16 years of do nothing on immigration reform, they found a brilliant idea, a WALL to no where.

Real immigration reform and the use of technology and other resources would protect America's borders and at the same time help our relationship with Mexico because they have a stake in the matter and input that would help the situation. WALLS that divide countries also divide people on both sides of the WALL and is unAmerican at its core.  Trump's threat to impose a tariff on Mexico to pay for the WALL is childish at best and shows no original thought.  Mexico could easily answer that threat by imposing their own tariff on every American manufacturing plant in Mexico.  And if that happens then the American taxpayer would pay for the WALL twice.

President Trump obviously is not a great thinker and lacks wisdom and understanding.  His corrupt practice in the business world can not be allowed from the White House.  As President he stated he was a great builder and he would build a great WALL.  A great WALL that past Presidents would never build because they understood what America the Beautiful was all about and they found ways to protect our country without building such WALLS.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio  

Who Will Be The Next Supreme Court Nominee?

The Trump administration and the President himself said he will announce his choice next week and described his nominee in glowing terms.  He also said the anti abortion people will be happy with the choice.  The republican party in general would like to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, not because their moral values are higher than others but because it translates into votes and one of their divisive tactics.

Over the years President Trump had no stand on the issue until he ran for President.  He choose the matter as a campaign issue like his party and catered to the religious right.  His extreme actions with women show he has no real claim on the issue and since the campaign, promised to nominate supreme court judges who would over turn the status quo on abortion.

This writer believes a so called conservative court may not even over turn Roe vs. Wade and for good reasons.  First the law is well established and prior to Scalia's death the court was conservative for a number of years and did not over turn the decision.  Also, it was a conservative court that made the decision possible and a conservative supreme court that upheld the challenge to the Affordable Care Act and chief justice John Roberts who was appointed to the court by former President George W. Bush, cast the deciding vote.

The big problem Trump and the republican party have today fall on the extreme ideology, and today most conservative judges do not use ideology from the bench as a whole.  And most people do not understand that cases that reach the supreme court are not cut and dry cases.  Also in the case of Roe vs. Wade, this writer is not aware of the testimony in that case to be refuted.

So after the announcement next week look for all the hype that will take place on both sides and for Trump to put his nominee up on a pedestal, because Trump does nothing but great things.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Trump's First Week In Office Was Pretty Sad

It started out with an inaugural address that was so divisive and self centered, no one will be willing to quote from it in a positive manner.  He then called the news media dishonest for reporting that the crowd at his inauguration was smaller than it was at Obama's inauguration.  That contradicted Trumps statement that his inauguration attendance would be a record.  It was not and his ego got bent out of shape.  The man hates the truth so his press secretary had to try and change Trump's lie by calling it "alternative facts."  Of course, any one of sound mind knows who the dishonest one really is.


Trump also met with auto industry executives and told them his tax cuts would bring manufacturing back to America.  Those executives must have laughed when Trump left the meeting because the industry had its most profitable years under the Obama administration and even sold a record amount of auto units.  And that happened even though the Bush tax cuts expired.  The Dow averages almost tripled during the Obama administration so Corporations and their stock holders did pretty well and that would never have happened if profits are not there.

Between all that, Trump issued executive orders that he boasted about but no one will know the ramifications until down the road.  And once again said Mexico will pay for the wall and Mexico's President said no way in response and cancelled his planned visit with Trump.  Mexico's decision illustrates that foreign nations, especially our allies have enough clout to deal with Trump's threats.

The republicans in congress and conservative journalists are going along with Trump's "alternative facts" all the way by shaking their heads but still supporting his lies.  But time is not on their side.  There is one suit against Trump for his conflict of interest with the Presidency and this writer believes there will be more from the women who said Trump sexually abused them.  Those are the same women who Trump said he would sue.

And to top if off, Trump's job approval rating was just 34%.  His popular vote in the November election was 46%.  The President also revealed his mental problems of not being able to cope with Hillary Clinton's victory in the popular vote.  First he said he would have won that vote if he had campaigned in those states where Hillary beat him.  Of course he did campaign in those states.  But this week he came up with a different reason he lost the popular vote.  Now its because there were between 3-5 million fraud votes cast by people who voted more than once and by dead people.  Wrong again with no factual proof but mentally, Trump has to lie to satisfy his ego.

It really was a sad first week for a President whose ego is so affected by the truth is willing to let it corrupt the Presidency.  And this is only the beginning.  And today the popular vote was still Clinton 65,844,610 votes for 48% and Trump 62,974.636 votes for 46%.  And mentally he still can not accept that Clinton beat him badly and Trump has no mandate from the voting public.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

An Irresponsible U.S. President

President Donald Trump was irresponsible when he spoke before the CIA on Monday, mentioned Iraq and said we should have taken the Oil.  That statement could put our troops stationed in Iraq and other middle east countries in danger of reprisals and terror attacks at a time when our troops are in a support position.  It is against international law to seize another country's assets.  That is why the U.S. and its allies removed Iraq from Kuwait during the Gulf War of 1991.

This is serious business especially since the President added something to the effect that maybe there is still the chance to take the oil, we will see.  That is a dangerous policy statement from a reckless President and the safety of our country and our men and women in uniform.  Five days in office and the President has learned very little.  He can issue all the executive orders he wants and continue to Pout because Clinton won the popular vote but he has yet learned how to be President.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Tim Morris: The Latest So Called Conservative Editorial Writer For The Times Picayune

So called conservative journalists-opinion writers have had a hard time defining who they are and what they really stand for.  It all started with the Reagan era that allowed a true conservative view to be high jacked by a right wing extreme ideology that opposed every thing democratic and stood for nothing. And those journalists-opinion writers jumped on the band wagon.

It has been so bad that Tim Morris had to pen a recent column in the Times Picayune that listed a number of conservative principles to define his writings.  It seems Morris and crowd has had a hard time defining themselves, especially for the past eight years and because of their savior Donald Trump.  The view of those journalists-opinion writers have been wrong about ever thing republican and how the country would do so well on the republican watch, especially with trickle down economics that favored the wealthy.  However the country has done better and so has the people on the democratic watch of Obama and Clinton.  The conservative journalists-opinion writers have been silent on the 20 years of deficit spending by the Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 administrations.

Those same writers have become so screwed up they were afraid to mention or write about the George W. Bush years it was so bad, but at the same time could not bring themselves to write any thing positive about the Obama administration even though the President kept America safe and brought the economy and jobs back, reduced deficit spending and brought Bin Laden to justice.  And now they have adopted Donald Trump as their savior, an expert in the blame game.

Tim Morris can print as many conservative rules he wants to but that is not what the journalists-opinion writers go by today.  It is all right wing extreme ideology unrelated to true conservatism.  Over 8 years ago the leaders of the republican party in the U.S. House and Senate said they would not work with President Obama because they wanted to make him a one term President.  In other words, the hell with the country and its people even though President Bush left a mess.  And so called conservative journalists-opinion writers were silent.

The best journalists-opinion writers today are those who do not use ideology to express themselves on the issues but know how to break down what is taking place on the issues.  And it was PolitiDose in a commentary in December of 2009 that explained why President Obama would turn the country around from the second great republican depression.  And it happened and was predictable.

And one can bet when something negative happens on President Trump's watch, it will be the conservative journalists-opinion writers club that will blame some one else.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Donald Trump: The Forty Fifth President of The United States

Donald Trump's inauguration as the 45th President took place January 20, 2017 and begins a new era for this generation.  The President's beginning shows no resemblance to President Obama's beginning eight years ago as Obama's approval rating on inauguration day was 80% compared to President Trump's 35-40% according to the latest two polls this week.  The President will also start his administration with many of his appointments not yet sworn into office.  

President Trump also enters office with a conflict of interest because he has yet to completely divorce himself from his business interest like past Presidents have done so they can commit their time only to the country and its people's business.  In fact, the President still wrongly claims he can handle both jobs.  So the President's beginning is not a good one or a united one.  And because of his past extreme comments and behavior he also enters office as a tainted President.

So now President Trump has some serious decisions to make and the status quo is unacceptable.  The blame game now stops at his desk and his childish tweets have to stop.  He also has to release his tax returns so the people can see for themselves the financial dealings of Mr. Trump who from the beginning never planned to release them.  His latest remark on the subject matter was the self serving statement, "the voters don't care about my tax returns."

President Trump will now have an official record of progress or regression, depending on which one he chooses.  His campaign promises are still out there and when his first tern is completed an official tally will be available and the people will be able to judge his administration.  In this writers judgement there are many dark clouds hanging over the President, made possible by his own hand, especially concerning Russia and Putin.  

Will the future under President Trump turn out to be a rainbow.  That is the first thought that comes to this writers mind.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Administration of President Obama Comes To An End

President Obama's eight years in office ended January 20, 2017 and history will judge his administration's accomplishments well as he leaves Washington on a high note.  His latest job approval rating is at 60%, almost 30 points higher than former President George W. Bush when he left office eight years ago.  The economy, jobs, the country's fiscal house, unemployment, wages are in much better shape than when he took office.

The President has kept America safe and there was no major terror attack on American soil directed and carried out by any foreign terror group.  When John McCain ran against Obama during the 2008 Presidential election he said over and over if Obama was elected Al Queda would strike America.  He tried the fear tactic, a favorite of the republican party.  John McCain owes the President an apology for that personal attack.

President Obama has kept our country out of harms way free of unnecessary wars.  And with our allies, established a treaty with Iran to control that country's nuclear military ambitions.  On the Q.T. even Israel's intel people are saying the treaty is working.  The federal deficit is down from when President Obama took office.  It was up when Bush left office compared to the balanced budget President Clinton left him.

The Affordable Care Act insured 16 million of the uninsured and will continue to be a successful program regardless what the republicans do because the best parts of the Act are sound and can not be replaced.  The republicans will end up saying they made it better but have no record of honesty.  One of the great failures during Obama's eight years was the failure of the news media to talk about Obama's accomplishments that were taking place on a regular basis.  Instead, the news media preferred to air the negative attacks of the republican party and their divisive actions.

This writer predicted success for the Obama administration early after he was first elected and was right on target.  The economy, jobs, lower unemployment, a reduction in deficit spending, keeping America safe.  It was predictable and it happened.  And yes, no matter how you slice it, democratic administrations are better than republican administrations for taking care of the country and its peoples business.

Thanks Mr. President for a job well done and good luck to you and your family in your future endeavors.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Inauguration Day January 20, 2017

This coming Friday will begin the Donald Trump era in the White House as President and Commander in Chief.  His divisive campaign of lies and blame will end and and the "buck" will be transferred to his desk.  Will a Trump administration adopt President Truman's responsible and mature position of stopping the "buck" at his desk, or will the Trumpster continue his blame game carried out during the Presidential campaign.  Time will tell as the Donald's ego has never been under control.

Because the country and its people are so much better off today than when President George W. Bush left office, the country will find out pretty quick if Trump will lead the U.S. forward or backwards.  Will he use the power of his free will to make the right decisions or will his fondness for the "swamp" be confirmation of his true intentions.  If Trump repeals President Obama's executive orders like he said on day one a regression will take place, especially if the Iran agreement is one of them.

The most important question to be answered is does a President Trump understand the difference between "fate" and "destiny."  President Bush did not and started a war and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist and is still going on.  Some past Presidents and Presidential candidates thought the U.S. was destined to play a  certain role and made certain decisions that affected the world and as a result major blunders were made that had a major negative impact on the U.S. and its people.  (There is a difference between "fate" and "destiny" as explained in my commentary of December 31, 2008, titled The United States:  Past, Present and Future)

Friday January 20 the people will start to find out if there is any difference between President Trump and the candidate Trump or the President elect Trump.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

President Elect Donald Trump: The Author of FAKE NEWS

In his latest press conference this week Donald Trump struck out big three times and every day his lack of character and corrupt attitude continue to define his persona.  The man has no respect for civility which is needed in a President elect's ability to govern.  With only a week away from entering the White House the people of America and the world are being exposed to a person whose every comment is deplorable.

Trump first struck out when he refused to take a question from a CNN reporter and called that network's reporting "fake news."  Trump is the author of "fake news" and it started early on in his campaign.  He used "fake news" about Hillary's emails, Benghazi, called her a criminal, about President Obama's birth place, about the economy and ISIS only to mention a few.  This writer believes Trump has not heard the last from CNN.

Trump then struck out when he tried to deflect a question about Russia and Putin by asking the reporters if they really thought Hillary would be tougher on Putin than he would.  He then said give me a break.  Bringing up that kind of question at a news conference shows just how weak the President elect really is on Putin and Russia.  The answer is yes, Clinton would be tougher than Trump and that is why Russia tried to high jack the election in favor of Trump just like the intelligence report said.

Then Trump struck out the third time when he let his attorney try to explain how there would be no conflict of interest between the Presidency and Trump's business.  The attorney's report   was only a P.R. "fake news" report and did not satisfy the ethic's requirement.  That night on T.V. ethic attorney's said the information passed out at the news conference was wrong and does not meet the ethical standards required of a President.

The President elect continues to operate as the judge and jury on every issue and makes a mockery of the political system.  And the way the Russian thing is unfolding, don't be surprised if there is confirmation that Putin and Russia are indeed holding some thing over the President elect.  And never forget that it was Trump himself who asked Russia to hack Clinton's emails.  Could that be the Rosetta Stone to the Putin-Russia-Trump connection?  Time will tell.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

More Good News For America and Its People As President Obama Prepares To Leave Office.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that the U.S. economy created 156,000 jobs in December, the President's last full month in office and the unemployment rate was at 4.7%.  The New York based Consumer Confidence Board said the consumer confidence index was at 113.7, the highest level since August of 2001.  When President George W. Bush was leaving office just the opposite was taking place.

The unemployment rate stood at 7.3% in December of 2008, the last full month of Bush's administration and the economy lost 524,000 jobs that same month.  Median income continued its decline, deficit spending continued to increase and was larger when Bush left office than it was when he took office.  When Obama leaves office deficit spending will be down over 50% from when he took office.  Median family income is still on the rise.  President Obama will also end his terms in office with a better job creation record than any past republican President.

Will a President Trump keep all the inherited accomplishments in positive territory or will he and his party once again set the country and its people on a backward course?  When Trump leaves office a comparison can be made but as of the moment he has no record, just loud mouth talk and a corrupted character lacking facts in his tweets.  He also has a problem with every day lies to the American people.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Atlanta Falcons 38 The New Orleans Saints 32

The dirty birds defeated the Saints in Atlanta on Sunday and in the process the Saints finished the regular season with a losing record of 7-9.  It was the third straight losing season for the Saints and the fourth in the last five years.  The Saints are stuck on 7-9 with no improvement in sight.  Atlanta won both of their games with the Saints this season.  

The game was not even close to the score and Atlanta scored on its first five possessions.  They went through the Saints defense like a hot knife goes through butter.  The Saints never showed up until midway in the fourth quarter.  This writer did not notice any desire on the part of the Saints to be playing in Atlanta, even though a win would have given them a break even record.  Payton, Brees and the team in general have not earned their salary for several years.  They are a team with out leadership and bounty gate started it all.

Tom Brady's team won another divisional title, another winning season and another play off spot.  Every year Brady and the Patriot's head coach sets the example for excellence and performance.  Payton and Brees don't even come close and the last five seasons have been a disaster.  Payton's choices for defensive co-ordinator have been a failure and in this writers opinion Dennis Allen will leave the team the same way the two previous ones left.

With the fifth season over, we will hear the same hype and cliches from the coaching staff, the players and the New Orleans sports writers but no words can change the Saints lack of progress among their experienced players.  Payton has had more than enough time to turn the team around and failed.  He and his coaching staff have to go.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Minimum Wage: Back In The News Again

Raising the minimum wage was back in the holiday news with protest in several parts of the country.  It is an issue that will stay active longer than some would like.  The evening news hour on television announced that 19 states will be raising their minimum wage beginning January 1, 2017.  The news media interviewed both workers and company executives to air their opinions on the subject.

The executives stuck to the same story they have relied on for many years.  That is, raising the minimum wage would cause job lay offs, raise prices, result in loss revenue, reduce profits and etc. and etc.  And of course the news media runs with that story and never bothers to be objective for the benefit of their viewers.  The fast food industry is a good example.  When it concerns wages, fairness is really the issue, just like it is with taxes.

The only way to judge fairness, especially the fast food industry one would have to chart over a period of time a workers wages, raises, benefits(reduced or increased) bonus or extra pay and do the same for administrative people and so called executives.  That would tell just how fair they are treating their store workers who are on the front line every day in their quest to make a living.  Those workers in the front lines could lose the company a lot of money with poor service and food preparation and are the ones the people see and have to deal with.

Executives who are against raising the minimum wage use the same story line against the corporate income tax rate.  They don't like the 37% rate and say it does not allow them to compete.  But we know for a fact that the average corporation pays between 12-13% and not 37%.  The IRS has confirmed that many times through the years.

Adding fairness to the minimum wage and tax issue has never been addressed in an objective manner and that is why it still remains active as an issue.  Cable news has so much time on its hands it could move those two issues forward to a resolution but the news media represents big bucks, so it falls to our political leaders to put the people and the country first on those two issues.  That would go a long way in improving the economic well being of the people who need the increase in the minimum wage.


This commentary was written by Joe Lorio