So says U.S. District judge William Young in a decision handed down April 6 and released through the Associated Press concerning a lawsuit challenging the ban filed by the gun lobby and the gun owners action league of Massachusetts. The law banned assault type weapons and large capacity magazines and mirrors the federal ban that expired in 2004. It bans the sale of specific and name-brand weapons and explicitly bans copies or duplicates of those weapons.
Other important statements concerning the decision by judge Young in the release are as follows:
(1) The weapons fall beyond the reach of the second amendment and are military firearms and aren't protected by the constitutional right to bear arms. Regulation of the weapons is a matter of policy not for the courts.
(2) Other states are equally free to leave them unregulated and available to their law abiding citizens. These policy matters are simply not of constitutional moment. Americans are not afraid of bumptious, raucous and robust debate about these matters. We call it democracy.
(3) Judge Young also upheld Attorney General Healey's 2016 enforcement notice to gun sellers and manufacturers clarifying what constitutes a copy or duplicate weapon under the 1998 assault weapons ban including copies of the Colt AR-15 and the Kalashnikov AK-47.
(4) The gun owners action league and other groups that filed the lawsuit argued that the AR-15 can't be considered a military weapon because it cannot fire in fully automatic mode. But Judge Young dismissed that idea, noting that the semi-automatic AR-15's design is based on guns that were first manufactured for military purposes and that the AR-15 is common and well known in the military. The AR-15 and its analogs, along with large capacity magazines are simply not weapons within the original meaning of the individual constitutional right to bear arms, Young also wrote.
Massachusetts' Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey said the ruling vindicates the right of the people of her state to protect themselves from these weapons of war. Strong gun laws save lives, and we will not be intimidated by the gun lobby in our efforts to end the sale of assault weapons and protect our communities and schools. Families across the country should take heart in this victory.
Judge Young's ruling confirms what PolitiDose has been saying all along. That semi and automatic weapons are weapons of war and do not belong on the streets of America and that the states can take the proper steps to regulate them. The decision should prompt all governors and state legislatures to take what ever action is necessary to follow Massachusetts' lead. After all, the state has one of the lowest gun violence rates related to deaths.
And to think, my state, Louisiana has just introduced a bill in the legislature to simply raise the age to 21 before an assault type weapon can be purchased. That does not solve the problem of having those killing machines on the street. How sad. The ignorant mentality of kicking the assault weapons ban down the road and ignoring what is likely to be more mass killings is truly tragic.
It should be noted that last year the U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal from Maryland gun owners who challenged the state's ban on assault weapons. The stage is set for the states to act on the subject matter and take control away from the NRA and the gun lobby with their pressure and campaign contributions.
With courage, it can be done.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Immigration Rhetoric Grows Louder As Trump and Others Follow The Lead of The Fox News Network.
It is being reported that Fox News has convinced President Trump that the immigration issue is a winner for him with his base and he should follow the networks lead in making it the number one issue. The reports tell us that Trump has met with more than one Fox host to discuss the subject matter and Trump has been following the networks broadcasts with his own tweets.
WWL talk radio in New Orleans has picked up the subject matter and made things worse for its audience with comments that lack facts on the issue and recently interviewed a person with the Heritage Foundation concerning the recent political history of immigration reform. And of course the conversations end up blaming President Obama for the nations lack of an immigration policy. That is what conservative republicans always do, blame others. It is their standard M.O.
The record is clear that the democratic controlled U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration plan under Senate bill 744 in June of 2013 by a vote of 68-32. Fourteen republicans joined all the democrats in the Senate to pass the bill. That bill contained $30 billion to beef up border security by doubling border patrol agents, 700 miles of new fencing and advanced surveillance. It was truly comprehensive immigration reform. The CBO said the bill would increase the Gross Domestic Product and lower deficit spending. The George W. Bush Institute said the bill is bullish on the U.S. economy.
That senate passed bill was sent to the republican controlled U.S. House where it died. John Boehner, the republican speaker of the house at the time would not even take up the bill for debate, he just let it die. He said his house members approach to immigration reform would be peace meal and not comprehensive reform. So they killed the Senate passed bill. But guess what? Boehner's house never came up with a peace meal plan, not even to this very day. And to top it off, both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House have been controlled by the republican party for the last 3 years and two months and still do not have an immigration plan. And for the past 14 months Trump and his party have controlled it all and still no immigration plan.
Comprehensive immigration reform has been kicked down the road by both the republican party and Trump, not by the democratic party, and that is what prompted President Obama's executive orders on immigration and DACA. It was the trumpet man who campaigned on immigration and said he had a plan but he has none. Only the 4 points he addressed in his state of the union speech, but those points are not a plan. To make matters worse and show his ignorance on the matter, Trump cancelled DACA with out a plan to send congress to replace it.
Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader let the cat out of the bag when he said he did not know what Trump's immigration plan was. In other words, there is no Presidential leadership on immigration. Besides, Trump is known to undercut his own positions and what he agreed to with congress. He is doing that now with the $1.3 trillion spending bill he signed just recently. He now says he wants to cut some of that spending after Fox news and some conservatives stated their opposition to the spending bill.
Republican John Boehner, after resigning from the U.S. House said the republican party would never pass a health insurance plan because they really were never interested in doing so. He was right of course, but long before he said that you read it first here in PolitiDose. And the republican party is not interested in passing comprehensive immigration reform and neither is the trumpet man. President George W. Bush wanted a immigration reform bill but his party never took the matter up for debate during his 8 years in office.
Trump's rhetoric on the WALL, DACA and blaming democrats for any negative situation that happens on his and the republican watch is as old as the republican party itself. But the true story and the facts on immigration is a leaderless party with an ideology void of debate because they have a predetermined conclusion about the subject matter and not really interested except to use the issue to satisfy their base.
Trump and his party are in complete control of what issues congress will address and they have failed the test of leadership and governing. The news media does not get it because they are blinded by their own brand of ideology and as a result the people are not fully informed. For Trump and his party, nothing has changed, it has gotten worse with scandal after scandal and a President who respects no one. The rhetoric will continue to grow because courage is lacking and policy plans are no where to be found. People with common sense and knowledge on the subject matter will prevail at some point.
In the mean time, those who really care will understand the true facts about immigration.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
WWL talk radio in New Orleans has picked up the subject matter and made things worse for its audience with comments that lack facts on the issue and recently interviewed a person with the Heritage Foundation concerning the recent political history of immigration reform. And of course the conversations end up blaming President Obama for the nations lack of an immigration policy. That is what conservative republicans always do, blame others. It is their standard M.O.
The record is clear that the democratic controlled U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration plan under Senate bill 744 in June of 2013 by a vote of 68-32. Fourteen republicans joined all the democrats in the Senate to pass the bill. That bill contained $30 billion to beef up border security by doubling border patrol agents, 700 miles of new fencing and advanced surveillance. It was truly comprehensive immigration reform. The CBO said the bill would increase the Gross Domestic Product and lower deficit spending. The George W. Bush Institute said the bill is bullish on the U.S. economy.
That senate passed bill was sent to the republican controlled U.S. House where it died. John Boehner, the republican speaker of the house at the time would not even take up the bill for debate, he just let it die. He said his house members approach to immigration reform would be peace meal and not comprehensive reform. So they killed the Senate passed bill. But guess what? Boehner's house never came up with a peace meal plan, not even to this very day. And to top it off, both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House have been controlled by the republican party for the last 3 years and two months and still do not have an immigration plan. And for the past 14 months Trump and his party have controlled it all and still no immigration plan.
Comprehensive immigration reform has been kicked down the road by both the republican party and Trump, not by the democratic party, and that is what prompted President Obama's executive orders on immigration and DACA. It was the trumpet man who campaigned on immigration and said he had a plan but he has none. Only the 4 points he addressed in his state of the union speech, but those points are not a plan. To make matters worse and show his ignorance on the matter, Trump cancelled DACA with out a plan to send congress to replace it.
Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader let the cat out of the bag when he said he did not know what Trump's immigration plan was. In other words, there is no Presidential leadership on immigration. Besides, Trump is known to undercut his own positions and what he agreed to with congress. He is doing that now with the $1.3 trillion spending bill he signed just recently. He now says he wants to cut some of that spending after Fox news and some conservatives stated their opposition to the spending bill.
Republican John Boehner, after resigning from the U.S. House said the republican party would never pass a health insurance plan because they really were never interested in doing so. He was right of course, but long before he said that you read it first here in PolitiDose. And the republican party is not interested in passing comprehensive immigration reform and neither is the trumpet man. President George W. Bush wanted a immigration reform bill but his party never took the matter up for debate during his 8 years in office.
Trump's rhetoric on the WALL, DACA and blaming democrats for any negative situation that happens on his and the republican watch is as old as the republican party itself. But the true story and the facts on immigration is a leaderless party with an ideology void of debate because they have a predetermined conclusion about the subject matter and not really interested except to use the issue to satisfy their base.
Trump and his party are in complete control of what issues congress will address and they have failed the test of leadership and governing. The news media does not get it because they are blinded by their own brand of ideology and as a result the people are not fully informed. For Trump and his party, nothing has changed, it has gotten worse with scandal after scandal and a President who respects no one. The rhetoric will continue to grow because courage is lacking and policy plans are no where to be found. People with common sense and knowledge on the subject matter will prevail at some point.
In the mean time, those who really care will understand the true facts about immigration.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Sunday, April 1, 2018
President Trump and Amazon: The Trumpet Man's Rhetoric Is Another Indication Of An Unstable President
Trump's comments about Amazon paying no taxes is a good example of the President's corrupt attitude concerning corporate America. Here we have the President of the United States who refuses to make his tax returns public so no one knows how much taxes he or his companies pay, yet he says Amazon pays no taxes. Well maybe they do not and maybe Trump and his companies do not either.
All of this confirms that Trump and the republicans tax bill that was passed in December was a fraud. Corporate America's tax rate was reduced from 35% to 21%, a reduction of 14%. And remember, Trump and the republicans said the tax reform was going to do away with the loop holes and special tax deductions granted to business. It did not and one should know there are many business, including Trumps that will pay no federal taxes in the future.
Trumps real problem is Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos who also owns the Washington Post, a newspaper that does investigative reporting and has reported a number of stories about Trump, his business and his campaign contacts with Russia. Those reports were critical of Trump and his campaign so Trump is lashing out like he always does and uses his position as President to try and intimidate. Only an unstable person would act like Trump does.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have made over 30 years of tax returns public. They think the people have a right to know. Their latest tax return made public was during the 2016 Presidential campaign and it showed the Clintons paid a federal tax rate in the 30% range and state taxes in the 40% range. The Clintons trusted the American people and were not afraid to make their finances public. Crooked Trump will not allow the American people to see what he is hiding, so he uses Amazon as a distraction. What a pitiful person.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
All of this confirms that Trump and the republicans tax bill that was passed in December was a fraud. Corporate America's tax rate was reduced from 35% to 21%, a reduction of 14%. And remember, Trump and the republicans said the tax reform was going to do away with the loop holes and special tax deductions granted to business. It did not and one should know there are many business, including Trumps that will pay no federal taxes in the future.
Trumps real problem is Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos who also owns the Washington Post, a newspaper that does investigative reporting and has reported a number of stories about Trump, his business and his campaign contacts with Russia. Those reports were critical of Trump and his campaign so Trump is lashing out like he always does and uses his position as President to try and intimidate. Only an unstable person would act like Trump does.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have made over 30 years of tax returns public. They think the people have a right to know. Their latest tax return made public was during the 2016 Presidential campaign and it showed the Clintons paid a federal tax rate in the 30% range and state taxes in the 40% range. The Clintons trusted the American people and were not afraid to make their finances public. Crooked Trump will not allow the American people to see what he is hiding, so he uses Amazon as a distraction. What a pitiful person.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Saturday, March 31, 2018
North and South Korea Will Meet In Summit On April 27
South Korea announced that its President Moon Jay-in would meet with North Korea's President Kim Jong in summit on April 27. Both sides will examine working level discussions on the agenda. It will be the first meeting between the countries leaders since 2007. The tone of the summit this time should be different since South Korea's leader after being elected expressed a desire to have dialog with the North instead of confrontation.
Could the two leaders surprise the world at the summit and come to agreement that would bring the two countries closer together and away from future threats? Will they take on the issue of unification and a more active role in determining their own country's fate without external influence? Will they concern themselves with other issues previously written about in past PolitiDose commentary? Those were issues no one else even wanted to talk about.
The most significant question would be, could Moon and Kim come to a resolution dealing with the North's nuclear weapons that would make the proposed meeting with Trump moot? There are a lot of good things that can come out of the summit if both leaders are sincere and think the status quo has to change for the better.
The bottom line is North Korea is not going to attack anyone because it could not survive a war itself. Kim has received the attention he was seeking and now the only way left is to move his country and its people in another direction of progress and peace and join the world community.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Could the two leaders surprise the world at the summit and come to agreement that would bring the two countries closer together and away from future threats? Will they take on the issue of unification and a more active role in determining their own country's fate without external influence? Will they concern themselves with other issues previously written about in past PolitiDose commentary? Those were issues no one else even wanted to talk about.
The most significant question would be, could Moon and Kim come to a resolution dealing with the North's nuclear weapons that would make the proposed meeting with Trump moot? There are a lot of good things that can come out of the summit if both leaders are sincere and think the status quo has to change for the better.
The bottom line is North Korea is not going to attack anyone because it could not survive a war itself. Kim has received the attention he was seeking and now the only way left is to move his country and its people in another direction of progress and peace and join the world community.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Friday, March 30, 2018
European Leaders Lead The Explusion Of Soviet Diplomats And President Trump Follows.
The leaders of Europe took the lead in expelling Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a Soviet spy and his daughter. British Prime Minister May said Russia was responsible for the poisoning. President Trump followed those actions and expelled Russian diplomats from the United States. European leaders understood they could not let Putin run wild and acted swiftly in response and called out the Soviet leader.
It is a far cry from the way President Trump has responded to Russia's interference in the 2016 Presidential election. And in fact Trump the candidate gave Putin and Russia encouragement when he asked for their help to hack into Clinton's email in order to find dirt. We also know from Special Counsel Mueller's investigation that Trump's son and son in law were doing business with Russia during the campaign and after.
Trump has abandoned America's strength in leading the free world on matters of importance that really matter and make a difference. His negative comments concerning NATO has encouraged Russia's Putin to take a more aggressive role toward America's NATO allies. And although it is not in public view a new arms race between the U.S. and Russia is taking place.
With the Trump administration in so much trouble on so many fronts all it would take is a miscalculation to start another unnecessary war or farther unravel the fabric of our institutions where chaos becomes the norm. That must not happen.
Note: Russia has expelled both European and U.S. diplomats from its soil in retaliation. Its the tit for tat that goes on in the diplomatic world of politics in government.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
It is a far cry from the way President Trump has responded to Russia's interference in the 2016 Presidential election. And in fact Trump the candidate gave Putin and Russia encouragement when he asked for their help to hack into Clinton's email in order to find dirt. We also know from Special Counsel Mueller's investigation that Trump's son and son in law were doing business with Russia during the campaign and after.
Trump has abandoned America's strength in leading the free world on matters of importance that really matter and make a difference. His negative comments concerning NATO has encouraged Russia's Putin to take a more aggressive role toward America's NATO allies. And although it is not in public view a new arms race between the U.S. and Russia is taking place.
With the Trump administration in so much trouble on so many fronts all it would take is a miscalculation to start another unnecessary war or farther unravel the fabric of our institutions where chaos becomes the norm. That must not happen.
Note: Russia has expelled both European and U.S. diplomats from its soil in retaliation. Its the tit for tat that goes on in the diplomatic world of politics in government.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Are People Really Turned Off By Government?
The polls are saying so and in the news lately telling us that government does not work for the people. It was the subject on WWL talk radio just recently. But those polls do not tell the full story nor do the people who participate in those polls. The polls are also a contradiction because there is no government if there are no people, for governments are made up of people.
The people who find fault with government are the same ones who vote and reelect the same people over and over again who run government. Governments can be good or bad depending on the people who run government. But the polls and the people who participate in them never cross that bridge. To them, government is some kind of mythical organization that is just there and something to blame.
This writer believes we have the type of government we have because enough people are just not informed on the issues, really don't care to be and are willing to believe any thing they hear. They just know that government is to blame and that the same people they vote for over and over do not contribute to government's lack of accomplishments.
The news media plays a role in this myth buy allowing their polls to be sound bites. The poll questions never reflect the full story of the issue being polled. Do the people and the news media realize and understand when an elected official blames the government for not working and being broken he is actually speaking about his own failure to make government work.
Blaming the government is a cop out and excuse for not taking the time in the first place to be up to date on the issues before one votes. Knowing the facts and voting accordingly is the best chance for good government, success and accomplishments that are necessary for the country and its people.
Blame has never solved a problem.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
The people who find fault with government are the same ones who vote and reelect the same people over and over again who run government. Governments can be good or bad depending on the people who run government. But the polls and the people who participate in them never cross that bridge. To them, government is some kind of mythical organization that is just there and something to blame.
This writer believes we have the type of government we have because enough people are just not informed on the issues, really don't care to be and are willing to believe any thing they hear. They just know that government is to blame and that the same people they vote for over and over do not contribute to government's lack of accomplishments.
The news media plays a role in this myth buy allowing their polls to be sound bites. The poll questions never reflect the full story of the issue being polled. Do the people and the news media realize and understand when an elected official blames the government for not working and being broken he is actually speaking about his own failure to make government work.
Blaming the government is a cop out and excuse for not taking the time in the first place to be up to date on the issues before one votes. Knowing the facts and voting accordingly is the best chance for good government, success and accomplishments that are necessary for the country and its people.
Blame has never solved a problem.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
President Trump: In Another About Face, Wants The Military To Pay For His WALL.
The trumpet man stuck it to his supporters once again. After two years of promise that Mexico would pay for his border WALL, the President now says the military should do so because they are rich following the latest spending bill that gave the military a large spending increase. Mexico won the battle of truth telling when they told Trump Mexico would not pay for his WALL. It comes at a time when Trump's supporters said they support him because he keeps his campaign promises.
The WALL was never a real issue until Trump made it one during the campaign. He did so to obtain votes and tried to use it coupled with immigration reform. But we also know that immigration reform is not a Trump priority because he has no immigration reform plan before congress and cancelled DACA with out a plan to replace it, so their is no Presidential leadership on immigration reform or the WALL, only rhetoric for his base.
If the WALL was really important in Trump's plans he would have campaigned on it with the U.S. building and paying for the WALL like he campaigned on increasing military spending. It was a set up for his base and the anti-immigration movement. In other words, it was a sucker punch for voters. Like other republicans, Trump played their game, then left them hanging.
The same thing took place with Trump and the republicans health care schemes to replace the ACA with their plans which was going to be a better health care plan. The CBO said other wise and both health care schemes failed to pass. American continues to be leaderless even on the issues Trump promotes because of his corrupt attitude. And the trumpet man still can not do the one elementary act that all Presidents do, make his tax returns public for the people to see.
Food for thought: Trump says the WALL is a matter of national security. If that is so why would we leave our national security up to Mexico. Common sense tells this writer America has to take care of its own national security.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
The WALL was never a real issue until Trump made it one during the campaign. He did so to obtain votes and tried to use it coupled with immigration reform. But we also know that immigration reform is not a Trump priority because he has no immigration reform plan before congress and cancelled DACA with out a plan to replace it, so their is no Presidential leadership on immigration reform or the WALL, only rhetoric for his base.
If the WALL was really important in Trump's plans he would have campaigned on it with the U.S. building and paying for the WALL like he campaigned on increasing military spending. It was a set up for his base and the anti-immigration movement. In other words, it was a sucker punch for voters. Like other republicans, Trump played their game, then left them hanging.
The same thing took place with Trump and the republicans health care schemes to replace the ACA with their plans which was going to be a better health care plan. The CBO said other wise and both health care schemes failed to pass. American continues to be leaderless even on the issues Trump promotes because of his corrupt attitude. And the trumpet man still can not do the one elementary act that all Presidents do, make his tax returns public for the people to see.
Food for thought: Trump says the WALL is a matter of national security. If that is so why would we leave our national security up to Mexico. Common sense tells this writer America has to take care of its own national security.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
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
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
Monday, March 26, 2018
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 $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
Sunday, March 25, 2018
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
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
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