The Indictment of Donald Trump Is A Basic One.

Forget about Donald Trump being a President or former one for that matter.  Forget about the GOP and their noise machine.  Forget about the media's talk about the indictment being in new territory.  Forget about the attacks on our judicial system and our laws of governing some congressional members are trying to use to distract from the real issue.  Forget about those who are trying to define the indictment for you to control your thoughts.  Why?  Because the indictment is a basic indictment before a basic grand jury of peers.  But, more important, forget about all the noise.

The indictment will contain the same information and charges in any other indictment.  The subject will be arraigned, there will be a trial according to the laws of the state, Mr. Trump will be defended by his attorney just like anyone else on trial and a verdict will be issued.  Mr. Trump and his attorneys will have the power of discovery like anyone else.  But the most compelling reason the indictment is a basic one are founded in our democratic legal process of, "No One Is Above The Law" code.  It is a law code those who live by ideology love to forget, those in power love to destroy and those who seek authoritarian rule turn their backs on.  

The indictment now brings us to the next basic step in law enforcement.  The legal system will play out and a decision will be rendered.  And the whole process will not recognize the defendant as being a former President of the United States.  He will be a defendant, just like everyone else in the eyes of the law.  So my fellow Americans, do not pay attention to the side show you will see unfold in the media. 

And that is the way it should be.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio 

The U.S. House Passes The GOP's Energy Bill.

The Republican controlled House passed their energy legislation on Thursday by a vote of 225-204.  All Republicans except one voted for the bill and all Democrats except 4 voted against the bill.  Louisiana's little boy representative Steve Scalise used the same language to support the bill that in the past has proved to be false.  The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate for its actions.

The Congressional Budget Office reported that if passed it estimated that the repeal of climate provisions in the bill would increase the nations deficit by about $2.4 billion by 2033, reduce direct spending by $4 billion and reduce revenue by $6.4 billion and that is only one part of the legislation.  Scalise and his party failed to do anything on their own watch under Trump.

This writer offers the following on what the U.S. Senate might want to do with the bill.  (1)  They can remind the GOP that the GOP controlled House during the Obama administration failed to even take up the Senate's comprehensive Immigration reform legislation the Senate passed, never even debated it and just let it die without even a hearing.  (2)  They can remind the GOP that during the Obama administration the GOP controlled U.S. Senate failed to give Obama's Supreme Court Justice a hearing and a vote on his nomination, they just let it die.  (3)  Or the democratic controlled Senate could put the legislation up for a hearing and a vote.

The Senate would be justified if they just let the bill die based on the GOP's past performance.  This writer believes the best political, democratic and workable decision would be for a Senate debate and vote on the bill and then let the President decide if he will sign it or veto it if it passes the Senate.  There are no good reasons why the democrats should start being ditto heads like the GOP.

President Biden and the democratic party are the only sane voices in Washington on the economy, jobs, moving the country and its people forward for the better and defending democracy and democratic institutions.  And yes, the oil industry is doing well on the President's watch.  The federal government lost trillions of dollars in revenue because of the Reagan, Bush 43 and Trump tax cuts and now the CBO tells us the government will lose $6.4 billion more revenue just in one part of the GOP passed energy legislation.  

Is it any wonder why the GOP are the deficit and creator of debt champions?  And that really says it all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio