Arming School Teachers: A Cowardly Act By Those Who Lack Courage.

Weeks after the mass shootings at a Parkland, Florida school we are still talking about arming teachers as a solution.  The Louisiana legislature is talking about it and Louisiana's governor Edwards is opposed to the suggestion.  High school students are letting their voices be heard around the country that there is a better solution.  It takes very little courage to suggest arming teachers and a lack of courage to face the real problem of mass shootings.

The real problem is semi and automatic weapons that are manufactured to kill a lot of people in a short period of time.  They are weapons of war and should be banned from the streets of America.  But it takes courage to face up to the NRA, the gun lobby and those who want to change the subject.  The teachers responsibility is to teach and educate and not pack a weapon with one eye on the books and the other eye looking for trouble.

It is the city and the states responsibility to make and keep our schools and places of education safe so teachers can do what they are trained to do.  The city and states have to provide the resources necessary to do so and not hide behind budget cuts like a bunch of cowards.

The short supply of courage in facing up to the real problem after so many innocent school children have lost their lives is shameful.  The demonstrations by those students who are willing to make their voices heard for real changes have more courage than the adults and hopefully will continue the dialog for real changes to our gun laws.  They can be the movement that will finally break the link between the NRA and elected officials who do their bidding.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Louisiana's Two Republican U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy Confirm What PolitiDose Has Been Saying For Years

In a Times Picayune article of 3/25 by Drew Broach concerning the $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by the republican controlled Senate last Friday, Cassidy and Kennedy confirmed what PolitiDose has been saying for years.  That both of them like their party are hypocrites and that republicans do a poor job of governing and in the end, the country and its people pay a steep price.

The $1.3 trillion spending bill will take the federal government through the current fiscal year which ends 9/30/18.  The bill passed on a bipartisan vote with both republicans and democrats able to obtain increases in both military and domestic spending.  The bill had to be passed by last Friday to avoid another government shutdown.  The bill was handled in a way that gave members of the senate little or no time  to read the 2232 page bill.

Cassidy and Kennedy voted against the bill and were hypocritical in their comments about the bill increasing deficit spending and the national debt.  They are right of course but they still voted for Trump's tax cut that will increase deficit spending and debt more than the $1.3 trillion spending bill they voted against.  It is the same old republican rhetoric.

Both Cassidy and Kennedy also confirm that the republican party are poor at governing with the following comments:  "Its easy to spend money but hard to set priorities."  "The senate was given less than 24 hours to review the Bill."  "Everyone who participated in this process ought to put a bag over their heads."  "There was an easy solution to this mess.  The senate could have been allowed to amend the budget bill in order to reduce wasteful spending.  Instead we were kept in the dark.  There was no communications and no collaboration."

The reader should keep in mind it was the republican controlled senate who managed the bill all the way and set the rules.  Cassidy and Kennedy did not realize it but they confirmed with their own comments what PolitiDose has reported for many years.  The republicans are THE hypocritical party and the WORST at governing.  The reason they rushed through the spending bill with out the proper debate was to avoid another crisis shutdown which was unnecessary to begin with.  The party has several different factions and all claim to be some type of conservatives, but the record confirms they are not.

Cassidy and Kennedy are no friends of Louisiana or its people.  Mary Landrieu's past support for our state and its people are sadly missed.  And so is the fact that the last administrations to balance the federal budget and leave office with a smaller deficit than when they took office was President's Clinton and Obama, both democrats.  No republican has achieved either since President Eisenhower in 1960.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

The War In Iraq: Fifteen Years of American Sacriface and We Are Still There

In March of 2003 President George W. Bush launched the war in Iraq over WMD that did not exist.  It was described as a preemptive war against a dictator who would use those WMD against the United States.  It was a fabrication and a lie and the story line by the Bush administration was swallowed by the news media and even promoted by them on many fronts.  There was zero accountability concerning facts by Bush or the media even though the weapons inspectors in Iraq said over and over Iraq had no WMD.  And those inspectors were on the ground in Iraq, the best place for intelligence.

So now in March 2018, fifteen years after the invasion we are still there, there are still no WMD and our men and women in uniform and their families are still paying the price for that lie.  In fact 7 of our troops died there just this month while on a helicopter patrol.  Bush and the neocons who clamored for that war and invasion still make the self serving statement that the war was justified even though Iraq had no WMD.  The contradiction is so glaring no rebuttal is needed.  Our country lost over 4000 good young men and women (and still counting) in the war and the war has been treated like just a footnote in history.

It is pretty sad to think the country has another President who lives and governs by lie after lie.  The Trump administration is making sure that the present is repeating the same mistakes as the past, only this time lying about everything.  Trump is also the very first Presidential candidate who ran a campaign willing to deal with a foreign country (Russia) to seek dirt on a political opponent.  No other Presidential candidate has been willing to go down that dark in-American road and for good reason.

Nine years after the administration of President George W. Bush, we have a President who is willing to resort to lies to govern the country and do everything in his power to destabilize the various institutions that have made America a great country.  America does not need a slogan "Make America Great Again."  She just needs a great American to be President again.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

President Trump Fires Another Appointee, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster

The trumpet man fired his second National Security Advisor in the last 14 months, this time Army General H.R. McMaster who replaced Trump's first National Security Advisor Michael Flynn who was also fired.  Trump choose John Bolton to replace McMaster.  Bolton is a well known extremist who likes to use the U.S military power with impunity.  He previously served in the administrations of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43.

President George W. Bush, using a recess appointment, made Bolton the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  But after his recess appointment expired, congress would not confirm Bolton to the regular position so he resigned.  Bolton was a major supporter of the Iraq war and said over and over Iraq possessed WMD.  He was part of Bush's neocons that were willing to start a war over a lie.  PolitiDose, in a two part commentary titled, The Rosetta Stone To The Iraq War, dated December 8 and December 11, 2007 offers evidence why Bush and his neocon friends knew Iraq had no WMD.

Trump's appointment of Bolton is a huge contradiction for Trump as he commented on more than one occasion that Bush and those in his administration that promoted the war have no credibility on middle east matters.  Bolton is also on record as a supporter of a military strike on North Korea and Iran.  Bolton is as divisive as Trump so they will get along for a certain period of time.

The trumpet man continues to surround himself with people who play to his base and is thinking about the next Presidential election.  He will never make it because Putin owns him and he will be impeached.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

President Trump: He Hires Them; He Praises Who He Hires and Then He Fires Them

Trump interviewed several people to be his Secretary of State and selected Exxon's CEO Rex Tillerson for the job.  At the time he praised Tillerson and said he would be a great Secretary of State.  But last week with less than 14 months on the job, Trump fired Tillerson in a "tweet" while Tillerson was returning from an official trip to Africa.  CNN and MSNBC both reported more than 40 people had left the Trump White House, the most turn over of any Presidential administration in their first 14 months in office.  And Trump said more changes would be made soon.

Trump also attacked special counsel Mueller in a tweet, trying his best to escalate the rhetoric towards Mueller's investigation in order to discredit his work  But the trumpet man has a problem with credibility and some thing new is exposed every day.  As a result there is no substance to Trump's rhetoric and no one with character really wants to work for him.  So the people that Trump hires will continue to leave one way or another.  And to top it off, Trump has his lap dog ditto heads like Louisiana's representative Steve Scalise who officially said he supports a special counsel to investigate the FBI.  It is another way for republicans to support Trump under the lie being used by Trump to discredit the FBI's investigation into the Trump-Russian connection.

Trump has an ongoing problem of attacking the people he hires and who work for him using twitter.  He did so to Tillerson more than once with a reminder that it is he, Trump who makes foreign policy and decisions.  No one can be on the same page as Trump because Trump likes to remind people who is boss.  Who ever becomes Trumps next Secretary of State won't be on the same page as Trump either because Trump wants to control everyone.

America has a leaderless President who still can not bring himself to make public his tax returns, the most elementary act of any President or Presidential candidate.  The trumpet man does indeed have something to hide besides his chaotic White House and his inability to lead the people he hires or governs.   And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

How Important Was The Pennsylvania Election For A Seat In The U.S. House?

First time candidate, democrat Conor Lamb his republican rival Rick Saccone found themselves in a close race to represent the 18th district in the U.S. House of Representatives and Lamb led by a narrow margin after the vote was counted.  There are fewer than 500 other ballots yet to be counted before a winner will be declared by the state.  There is also talk of a recount effort since the vote is so close.

The news media and the pundits are claiming the election results was a defeat for Trump and his policies and the republican party and a indication that the democratic party would make large gains in the November elections.  The media also pointed out how Trump won that same district in the November Presidential elections of 2016 by 20 points so Lamb's showing was a huge reversal for Trump and his policies.

This writer believes the November elections are too far away to draw a real conclusion how well either party will do in November but momentum is certainly on the democrat's side with several victories in other races against their republican opponents.  And Trump and the republican party's failure to lead since the Presidential elections has been glaring and scandal after scandal has left the White House in  chaos.  And now, Trump and his party are on the verge of passing legislation to deregulate the banking industry that will cancel out the safe guards put in place by the Obama administration after the Wall Street Banks collapse and the great recession of 2008.

What the people should do is follow what goes on in Washington and congress between now and November and act accordingly.  Forget about the fake news and all the speculation.  The past 14 months have been the worst for progress than any past administration and only a democratic controlled congress can change that for the better for the country and its people.  The democratic party has its problems from time to time but they are the party still best at governing because they govern with plans and  policy and are a steady voice for progress and facing the issues so important to the well being of all.

There is a reason why Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 Presidential election and that could play out in the November congressional elections and that is food for thought.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Will Our Nation's High School Students Turn Out To Vote In TheNovember Elections?

If they do and cast their votes against those candidates who support the NRA and the gun lobby their vote could make a difference in a close race and many of the races will be close.  And if they keep up the pressure like they are doing now all the way to the election they will surely gather more support from the public at large.

We have already seen Trump and his party pull back on some of their comments on gun control made after the Parkland, Florida shootings and of course they do not want to even talk about a ban on assault type weapons which is the key to prevent mass killings.  Elected officials responsibilities are to protect and to serve the people, especially those in school.  They now promote the NRA's position of arming teachers.  In other words, putting more guns in school.  The NRA and the gun lobby loves that because more guns will be bought.  All we need is an armed teacher to go berserk one day and kill every student in his class.  Talk radio in New Orleans is asking its listeners to talk about the subject matter, just what the NRA wants.  They want that seed to be planted, they already convinced Trump.

The NRA, the gun lobby and those elected officials who support their positions are not concerned with public safety.  It would be a great accomplishment if the younger generation are able to use their commitment on the issue and vote to break up that axis of evil and allow common sense gun laws to be enacted along with safety measures to keep our country, our people and our students safe.  If the status quo does not change, the future will look like the failed past to keep our children safe.  Hopefully the younger generation will stay engaged.  They really can make a difference that really matters.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Drew Brees Latest Contract Is An Insult

Drew Brees has led the New Orleans Saints to only two winning seasons in the last six years and for that was offered a two year contract worth $50 million.  Franchise owners are making so much money the green backs have no value to them.  Even during losing seasons, football revenue keeps rolling in.  Its like taking candy from a baby.

Sports writers will now tell everyone that Brees is worth every penny and how he will lead the Saints to another Super Bowl.  They will tick off all kinds of personal stats for Brees like they have been doing all  year but the most important stat is lacking, and the stat that is lacking is a consistent winning record.  Saint fans ae already being told how the team will be much improved over last years team.  But don't drink the kool aid.

One sports writer for the Times Picayune wrote the following:  THE TWO YEAR $50 MILLION CONTRACT WILL LET DREW BREES SET MORE PASSINGH RECORDS AS A NEW ORLEANS SAINT.  It seems that the writer thinks it is all about personal records and not a team effort.  In the sports section of the T.P. dated 3/14, is a list of the top five paid quarterbacks and Tom Brady did not make the list.  Its obvious the New England Patriots are receiving more for their money than any of the teams those five quarterbacks are playing for and Drew Brees and the Saints are one of them.

Saint fans beware, the team may not even make the play offs this coming season.  And when it happens, you read it here first in PolitiDose and Brees will not have earned his salary once again.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

President Donald Trump: The Betrayal ofAmerica and Its People Continue To Worsen, Especially For Our Young Children

Donald Trump, the President of the United States was comfortable once again to descend into the gutter when he called NBC's Chuck Todd a "SOB" at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.  Trump, the traitor, excels at lacking respect for any one and his corrupting attitude is a threat to our young people who are being exposed to his immoral  rhetoric and anti-American agenda.

Those ball players who refused Trump's invitation to the White House for a photo op with the trumpet man said it best.  They declined the invitation and said the White House was once a place of Honor.  That was so true in the past before Trump came upon the scene.  Honor has no place in President Trump's life.  He is a sick man who deserves to be impeached.  The Presidency, America and its people should not be exposed one more day to the darkness and corruption this man lives in.


Fifty four percent of the people who voted against Trump in the November 2016 Presidential election could see what Trump was all about.  They voted the way they did because they did not want to see a future that would turn out to be like the failed republican past.  Trump has not only failed, he is a President incapable of offering any hope.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio

Another Failure By The Louisiana State Legislature

Louisiana's governor John Bel Edwards call for a special session of the state's legislature to face the problem of a severe short fall for fiscal year beginning July 1 ended in failure.  The republican controlled House could not agree on what measures to take to deal with the short fall and so another special session will have to be called at a later date to deal with the same problem.

The republican controlled legislature has been broken since Bobby Jindal took office in 2008.  Their lack of a plan or policy lies in the conservative ideology of extremism which prevents them from dealing in facts with facts.  And the present situation of do nothing is being influenced by the republicans desire to defeat Edwards in the next election.  U.S. Senator John Kennedy who is said to be thinking about opposing Edwards has stuck his nose in the states business.  Too bad as he has been a failure at representing Louisiana in the U.S. Congress.

Governor Edwards has laid out a plan to bring Louisiana's fiscal house in balance and to seek a long term solution where future budget dealings would become more productive, reliable and lack the emergency of the last nine years that resulted in budget cuts that did nothing to correct the states real fiscal problems.

The people of Louisiana need to elect more democrats to the state legislature as a way to bring balance that is badly needed to that body.  That is one answer that would help in the future.


This commentary written by Joe Lorio