Smackdown: Vikings 29 -- Saints 19 and bountty gate continues to rule

The Saints started off the regular season again with a loss.  It was the fourth straight season of doing so and the fall out from bounty gate continues.  The Vikings looked like a team who wanted to win, while the Saints looked like the same old Saints of the last several years.

Brees and the offense had a problem getting the football in the end zone when they reached the red zone and had to settle for four field goals, until late in the game when they scored their only touchdown.  Bradford, the Vikings quarterback played at a higher level than Brees and kept his offense moving.

The Saints defense that many bragged about during the preseason did not live up to their expectations and gave up a lot of big plays and lots of yardage.  This writer previously raised the caution flag concerning Saints defensive co-ordinator Dennis Allen who does not have a past record of being a successful defense co-ordinator.  And Sean Payton does not have a record of hiring successful defensive co-ordinators.  One game does not make a season but playing poorly too often has become a Saint habit.

The bounty gate fiasco is still playing a negative role on the Saint's team both with the players and coaching staff.  The Saints ownership, general manager and head coach have offered nothing new to the teams downward spiral but all three continue to take home huge pay checks.  So does Brees even though the Saints have 4 losing seasons in their last five. Some things never change until its too late.

And the New Orleans sports writers offer nothing new in their evaluation of the team.  They still do not know the difference between a preseason game and a regular season game.  What a shame.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Democrats Lead and President Trump and The Republicans in Congress Follow

President Trump was talking about shutting down the government if congress did not pass a funding bill that included money for Trump's WALL and tying other revenue and expenses to the overall bill that had to be passed by September 30, the end of the governments fiscal year to avoid a shutdown.  The republicans in congress said there would be no government shutdown but some demanded attachments to the funding bill which was a non starter for the democrats who have always supported a stand alone bill to keep the government running.

The republicans shut the government down during the Obama administration for a short time because they wanted to tie the repeal and replacement of the ACA to the funding bill.  The democrats in congress broke that with a clean CR and the shutdown ended.  This time around, the President and the congress are controlled by the republican party and the party still wanted attachments to the bill.  The democrats wanted a clean bill to deal with the funding to keep the government opened and proposed a clean spending bill and increase in the debt ceiling until December 8.  That would give congress more time to address the issue with out shutting the government down.  Trump accepted the proposal and the congress voted to approve.

But the republican controlled U.S. House needed the democratic vote for passage as 90 republicans voted no.  The republicans wanted an extension beyond December 8, and the democrats objected.  What Trump and the republicans should do between now and December 8 is come up with a clean funding bill with the democrats to fund the government thru the next fiscal year that will end on September 30, 2018.  DACA, immigration reform and other issues should be handled separately to avoid future fiscal cliffs at the last moment.

Democrats have a better record at governing and accomplishing things and have put Trump and the republicans on notice they will fight for stand alone issues such as DACA, immigration reform and tax reform and not tie those issues to other legislation that can not pass or be so diluted will accomplishment nothing.

Here we are 22 days from September 30 and Trump and the republican controlled congress could not even agree on a stand alone funding bill and increase in the debt ceiling to keep the government open and they could not come to terms with their own selves and party and inform the people of their decision.  It took the democratic leadership of Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Nancy Pelosi to make the case.

Now we will see the second time around, what actions Trump and the republicans take between now and December 8.  Will they act timely and get the job done, or will they run the string out to the last minute and enact legislation that does not address the issues.  Do they dare tell the American people how they will proceed?


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

President Donald Trump: Unable To Lead By Example

The true character of a President is revealed when he leads by example.  Un-fortunately, President Trump does not display that Presidential character even though he has been in the White House almost eight months.  The signature issues he campaigned on and continues to talk about as President lack leadership by example and he is still playing the blame game.

Trump has failed to lead by example on the issue of Mexico paying for his border wall.  He has had 18 months to inform congress and the people how Mexico will pay for the wall and instead threatened to shut down the government if congress did not fund the wall.  Ditto on the issue of repealing and replacing the ACA.  Trump said he had a health care plan to do so and would introduce his plan then never did so.  As a result he placed blame on the republican party and its leadership.  And to top it off, the news media never asked Trump about his plan, especially the conservative news media.

Ditto on the issue of tax reform.  When a President refuses to make his tax returns public like past Presidents, he has no credibility on tax reform because he has something to hide and shows no leadership by example.  Ditto on the issue of immigration concerning DACA.  He said he would end DACA and then passed it off to his Attorney General and now wants congress to deal with it in six months.  But the  fact is Trump and the republicans in congress have showed no example how they would do immigration reform and in fact are actually against it.

Ditto on the issue of Made in America and Buy American which Trump is saying is taking place now.  But Trump and his family business still operate manufacturing plants in China, Mexico and other foreign countries and can not lead by example on the issue until he moves those factories to the U.S.

Ditto no the issue of Past Presidents separating themselves from their financial interest so there is no question of conflict of interest.  Trump has failed to lead by example big time and actually makes a mockery of the issue along with his family.  There are several suits pending against Trump on the matter.  

These are not the only issues but the ones Trump has pushed since being elected.  The TV star who tried to sell his leadership is a piece of fake news and fiction and just one other reason why he has few accomplishments and his latest job approval rating is at 34%.  Yes, America has a President incapable of leading by example.

NOTE:  Trump has been on the road this week touting tax reform, but the news media noted, the President gave no details of his plan to be consumed by the public.  Again, Trump has failed to lead by example on an issue important to all.

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Job Creation and The Unemployment Rate For The Month of August

The U.S. Labor Department reported the economy created 156,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate came in at 4.4%, up from the 4.3% in July.  It was the 83rd straight month of positive job growth for the economy.  The Department also reported job growth for June and July was revised down by 41,000 jobs.  Most economist were expecting job creation to be in the 180,000 range for August.

Hourly wage growth was up 2.5% on average the past 12 months.  Usually when unemployment is in the 4% range the average wage growth is between 3.5 and 4% the Department reported.  Trump called the Labor Department's job creation numbers during the Obama administration fake and now brags about the job creation numbers since he took office.  He said the same thing about the unemployment rate.

September 30 will actually end President Obama's last fiscal year and the federal governments 2016-2017 fiscal year.  And October 1 will begin Trumps very first fiscal year and after the republican controlled congress passes Trumps first fiscal year budget when they return to work this week, the American people will see how the future plays out economically and politically.

Because of Trump's behavior the past seven months as President and the failed economic record of previous republican administrations, this writer is not optimistic.  But hope is eternal.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Part of The Joel Osteen Story That Is Missing

Megachurch pastor Joel Osteen (that is how Times Picayune columnist Tim Morris described him in his article of Sept.3) has been catching flack from the social media and others who accused him of not opening his church to the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.   Joel's church was reported taken in victims of the storm during the middle of last week and were taken in donated supplies also.

Morris reports that televangelist Osteen is worth $50 million, owns a $10.5 million Houston home with six bedrooms, six baths, three elevators, five fireplaces, a guest house and a pool house.  That is a long way from what Jesus told his followers when he said "give up your possessions and follow me."  Of course, wealthy televangelist is nothing new, it has been a part of the God and Jesus culture for a long time and now also involves itself in politics which some politicians love, especially conservative republicans.

Because of the social medias role concerning their reporting on the Osteen matter, Morris ends his article with this sentence.  THE INTERNET COULD USE LESS SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MORE HUMILITY.  PolitiDose believes that should apply also to opinion writers who during the 2016 Presidential campaign regularly reported Trump's lies and fake news he tweeted over the internet and others use of social media to spread their hate.

But the real story that is missing is the oldest story of them all.  That is how Jesus when on earth, ran the money changers out of the Temple.  This writer believes that if Jesus walked the earth today, he would run the televangelist money makers out of their studios and arenas and would expose their lavish possessions.  

This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The Department Of Justice Confirms That President Trump Is A Liar

In response to a suit filed by an independent group to obtain the information claimed by Donald Trump that President Obama tapped his phones at Trump Tower during the 2016 Presidential campaign, the Department of Justice told the court there was no record or evidence that showed the FBI or any other government agency was ordered to tap Trump's phone by President Obama.  That filing by the Department with the court directly refutes Trump's big lie in his tweet of March 4, 2017 when he accused President Obama of ordering a tap on his phones in Trump Tower during the campaign.

Trump's lies are well known and represents how he lives, runs his business world and acts as President of the United States.  It confirms his lack of morals in his daily dealings and his disregard for the democratic process that past Presidents understood and are the foundation for America's success and unity.  Trump's ongoing lies also confirm that President Obama and Hillary Clinton's leadership stands tall in comparison to Trump.  In fact, its not even close.

Lies are corrosive and divisive, and when the President of the United States uses lies as policy and personal attacks against people he wants to harm, it indicates the country has a sick leader.  And impeachment is the only cure for the sickness in the White House.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Statues, Monuments, the Confederacy, Slavery and Division

After Charlottesville, President Trump asked, "are we going to remove the statues of Washington and Jefferson?"  "When does it end?"  Of course, Washington and Jefferson was not the issue in Charlottesville.  It was the statue of Robert E. Lee.  It was Trump's way to try and divide the country even more because division is part of his political strategy.  Conservative opinion writer Tim Morris in a Times Picayune article dated August 27 as usual tries to give Trump's statement credibility.

What happened in Charlottesville concerned the confederacy and the statue of General Robert E. Lee.  Washington and Jefferson did not live to see the confederacy or the civil war and the 11 confederate states that seceded from the union took place in 1860 and 1861, long after both Washington and Jefferson passed away.  Trump, who lacks knowledge of history made the wrong comparison.  Both Washington and Jefferson were Presidents of the United States and the statues and monuments that honor them do so in memory of their great contributions to our country.  The same can be said about Andrew Jackson plus his actions in the battle of New Orleans which honors him with a statue in Jackson Square in New Orleans.

Morris says its okay for the statue of Robert E. Lee to come down but was not so kind to Mayor Mitch Landrieu when he removed Lee's statue and two other ones.  The Mayor did what he did to take away the possible threat of violence because there are people who would use any excuse to start trouble.  Landrieu bit the bullet and the criticism that went along with his decision.  On the other hand, Trump used Charlottesville to introduce some thing unrelated to what happened there to divide the people.

The history of the confederacy and the civil war is not about statues or monuments.  That came long after the war.  All three are man made but history honors and is a record about heroic men and women who never had a statue or monument made in their honor.  Slavery had its time in our history and was a fact.  What we will never know for sure is what would be those slave owners position if they were living today.  Slavery was not the only reason the southern confederacy seceded from the union.

Slavery to some is a catch all and excuse to make trouble.  And there are those who still deny slavery ever existed.  And the hate groups that would do any thing to cause trouble and promote racism.  Statues and monuments became the excuse and all seems to snow ball from there.  What the country, the states and the cities need the most are elected officials with wisdom to address the issues and not use the issues to divide us.

America has a history of overcoming its most darkest of times because our people understand the bad times do not define who we really are and as a whole we are able to deal with the facts.  And America will not allow the statue/monument issue change the true history of the past.  To divide is to weaken.  To unite is strength.  And yes, understanding the mistakes of the past is still the key for a better future.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Like The Republicans Before Him, President Trump Threatens To Shut Down The Federal Government

President Donald Trump, taking his cue from previous republicans has threatened to shut down the U.S. Government if congress does not fund and build his WALL.  And I feel sure readers of PolitiDose know what WALL the liar is talking about.  Yes, its the WALL across Mexico and that country's President just reminded Trump again his country would never pay for such a WALL.

The republicans who control both houses of congress could put an end to that talk quickly if they really wanted too, but they will not confront Trump's big lie because they lack any and all policy to do so.  Trump's threat is no policy and is a tactic to satisfy his base who support his lies.  In the mean time all this talk is playing out while congress is out of session and Trump is tweeting up a storm.

Trump has been in office over seven months with still no major accomplishments and a job approval rating around 35%.  His signature promise to repeal and replace the ACA has failed, he wants the U.S. to now pay for his WALL and will not even submit his own tax reform proposal to congress for debate.  Instead he is leaving tax reform to congress.

The people of Louisiana should remember the last time the republicans in congress threatened to shut down the federal government, Louisiana's representatives in congress at the time voted to shut the government down if the ACA was not included in the bill.  They were Bill Cassidy, David Vitter, Steve Scalise and John Fleming who voted against the CR that would have kept the government open.

Robert Reich, the former Labor Secretary during the Clinton administration said it best last week when he said Trump has to go now and that our country could not endure 41 more months of Donald Trump and spelled out the reasons Trump should be impeached.

It all adds up to a President with out leadership, morals and the qualifications to be President of the United States.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Note:  This writer is back once again writing commentary after 5 days in Gulf Shores, Alabama so stay tuned.

Does S. Korea's President Hold The Trump Card For The Korean Peninsula?

S. Korea's President Moon Jae-In said his country has a veto on any American preemptive strike on N. Korea.  Trump and America's military leaders know where President Moon is coming from and his willingness to start a dialog with the leaders of N. Korea.  Moon sees the N. Koreans and Trump escalating their threats and S. Korea sits right smack in the middle of harms way only a stones throw from N. Korea.

Our military leaders have been telling us that if the U.S. attacks N. Korea they would respond on S. Korea with horrific destruction and loss of life.  If their predictions are truthful and accurate its easy to understand the predicament the U.S. is in.  And its much easier to understand the predicament S.Korea is in.  S. Korea's leaders know that and feel they have veto power over any independent action by the U.S.

There is another big problem.  The U.S. has 20,000 plus troops in S. Korea and S. Korea could say withdraw your troops from our soil.  Those troops would also be in harms way from a N. Korean attack.  And contrary to what the story line says, American troops are not in S. Korea only to protect that country.  They are there because they are close to China and in Asia where our military thinks they are needed to respond to conflicts in that area and Chinese expansion.

The best prospect for the Korean people is still for the North and South to unite into one nation and one people with out interference.  This writer suspects S. Korea's Moon knows that and will try to lay the ground work to do that in time.  Future threats from N. Korea and or Trump may speed up his time table.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

How Long Does It Take To Understand President Trump's Un-American Attitude and The Damage He Has Done To America?

Well, if you are a republican in congress or a conservative opinion writer it make take forever.  What happened in Charlottesville ruffled a few republicans in congress to criticize Trump's double talk response to the violence but they still support him.  New York's republican representative in the U.S. House Peter King said Trump's white house strategist Steve Bannon should be fired and his time in the white house should be over.

Republican U.S. Senator Bob Corker said Trump has not demonstrated stability or competence or that he understands what has made this nation great.  Times Picayune conservative opinion writer Tim Morris in an article dated 8/16 said Trump needs to remove the alt-right influence in the white house starting with Steve Bannon, a key Trump adviser.  A few other republicans in congress followed and criticized Trump's double talk.

Steve Bannon was the top man at Breitbart, a right wing extremist publication that supported white nationalist and other extreme causes.  Trump hired him to work in his 2016 campaign as chief strategist, stayed on after Trump's election and was appointed by Trump to sit on the National Security Council which he had no experience.  Bannon was quoted as saying racial strife was a winning issue for Trump

Of course, the republicans in congress and Tim Morris knew of Bannon's back ground from day one and were silent the whole time until Charlottesville.  They were even aware of Trump's willingness to play up to various hate groups as part of his base.  The main street media exposed the relationship between Trump and Bannon to their credit and also the right wing ideology they were pushing.

Hillary Clinton and the democratic party also warned of the relationship and spoke out about the dangers of Trump's willingness to accept the support of hate groups.  Clinton even made a point of it during the debates and spoke out forcefully against hate, racism and bigotry.  There were no doubts where she stood.  There was timely warning before hand and as we now know was not really a political warning but a warning how giving hate groups legitimacy would compromise what America stands for.

Hillary Clinton was also right about every thing she said that Trump was not qualified to be President.  What she predicted would happen if Trump was elected President has happened.  And in a few weeks, the republicans in congress and Tim Morris will have forgotten about the President's Un-American response to the tragic events at Charlottesville and continue their support for Trump and their own right wing agenda.  They will also go back to their ditto head game of passing the buck and blame on any thing democratic.

It took a tragedy to bring some republicans and Tim Morris around to recognize and admit the truth about Trump, Bannon and their connection to hate, racism and bigotry.  Fifty four percent of the voting public understood the connection early on and voted against Donald Trump in the November general election.  And the crooked candidate in that race was Donald Trump.  Hillary Clinton not only won the popular vote by a wide margin, when the election ended, she emerged as THE CANDIDATE WITH THE MORAL CHARACTER TO TELL THE TRUTH.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

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