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Local businessman does bad

Ken Fisher, billionaire owner of Fisher Investments in Camas, is reported to have made scurrilous and discriminatory remarks at a meeting of investment CEOs recently. His vocalizing was so bad that the pledge of secrecy was broken by three other attendees and the State of Michigan company removed some $600 million dollars of retirement investments. When confronted, Fisher first said these were typical remarks for him and he's never received complaints previously, but he ultimately apologized. Read The Columbian article- LINK

UPDATE - Fallout from Ken Fisher's offensive remarks continues to plague him and his company. It may cost him a billion dollars in investments -LINK

Impeachable? Yes!

Trump has done so many things that should be impeachable. Things like recommending Trump Doral for the G7, diverting supply planes to refuel adjacent to his failing resort in Scotland, never divesting of his businesses, covering up illegal campaign contributions, taking Trump foundation money for his campaign, to name a few.

But making this perfect call to Ukraine leader Volodomir Zelensky requesting smear data on Joe Biden, Trump's seemingly main political 2020 competitor, has been a nice easy item to pin him with, quid pro quo notwithstnding. What he asked of Zelensky is illegal and is enough to impeach on by itself. The trade aspect is clearly inferred with Trump's needing a "favor, though".

Then begins the cover-ups. There's the denials, the prevention of testimonies, the protestation that his office is exempt even fro investigation, and Giuliani, Sondland, firing Marie Yovanovitch, and the subsequent gas deal for fun and profit. The best denial is that his rights to due process are being ignored, or that the impeachment is an attempt to swing the 2020 election.

No matter & whatever, There's enough there to remove him from office and public opinion is at about 51% to impeach and remove him from office. Publiv opinion is the thing that will let impeachment happen. It does not appear that the Republicans will ever show any backbone and take country first as a their sworn oath and be anywhere close to honest about Trump's illegal doings and his insufficiency for office. One thing that got the attention of the R's is the kowtowing to Turkey's Erdogan and the abandonment to slaughter of our Kurdish allies in the overthrow of ISIS. A couple of R's have been vocal over that singular situation.

Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post had a few things to say about the "cowardice" of the GOP in being honest about Trump - LINK

The impeachment is happening

Wait. What? Trump is greedy. Fer sure!. He even admits it. Here's an article by Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post that outlines Trump's most significant instances of personal greed over country first. LINK.

This laughing stock president would be funny is he wasn't so dangerous. That's dangerous to the earth, to the water, to the people of the US, and to the reputation of the United States. We're in a real pickle with this corrupt administration that includes Trump, William "The Walrus" Barr, Attorney General, and perhaps Mike Pompeo, Seceretary of State. Not to neglect tarring "Moscow" Mitch McConnell and his gang of immoral Senate Republicans that stand aside while Trump destroys this country in politics, and pollution so that the Republicans can get a few of their agenda items pushed though. This in spite of any cogent national budgeting or gun control or healthcare plans. The R's have allowed so much deviousness to go by that for them to accuse Trump of wrongdoing they would have to include themselves as guilty for letting so many other things goes to devastation.

Here's an impeachment summary from Rex Huppke of the Chicago Tribune wherein is outlined the simple facts, quid pro quo notwithstanding, that makes trump's guilt simple, observable, and actionable. And it is being acted on. The push back is happening from the guilty in the form of blathering denial, finger pointing, grandiose conspiracy schemes, backpedaling and just plain lying. LINK to the Article

JHB "hypocritical"

It doesn't take much to call Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler hypocritical, but here it is in The Columbian. No doubt it. Editorial Page Editor Greg Jayne calls Beutler out for backing Trump's trade war and budget deficit increases, and rightly so. The woman is profoundly just a party marionette who attempts to act neutral with ineffective phone-in town halls (by invitation) and valueless job fairs and industry visits. read Greg's editorial - LINK.

Oh yes. Have you heard the very wonderful Carolyn Long is running again for the Washington 3rd Congressional District. She won Clark County last time over Beutler, but struggled with the other six counties in the district. She is the real deal - very well spoken and very well qualified - and is expected to win in 2020. It's very important to back her, finance her, and volunteer for her. Start NOW!

The Columbian recommends candidates

The Columbian interviews virtually all candidates prior to ballots being mailed and provides their studied and guarded opinion on who is the better choice for the job at consideration.
So far this 2019 election cycle, they have made several recommendations:
No on I-976 - Constraining car tabs to $30 cuts out way too much very necessary revenue. It's an 'Eyeman' thing - LINK
Yes on R-88. It prevents "documented discrimination" in hiring. It is supported by Democrats. LINK
Yes on Senate Joint Resolution 8200. This keeps government running not only in the event of an "enemy attack" but in case of natural disaster like earthquake - LINK.
Yes on Vancouver Charter 7. This caps salaries - LINK
Kathy Decker over Lisa Messer for Vancouver School Board Position 4 - a close choice - LINK.
Kyle Sproul over Dale Rice for Vancouver School Board Position 1- LINK.
Divya Jain over incumbent Rachael Rogers for Evergreen School Board Position 4 - LINK
Sarah Fox over Jeanne Stewart for Vancouver City Council - LINK
Ty Stober over David Regan for Vancouver City Council. - LINK
Gary Medvigy over Adrian Cortes for County Council District 4. - LINK
Tracey Barrows over Chris Lewis for Vancouver School Board Pos 5 - LINK.
Erik Paulsen for Vancouver City Council - Versus the rather absent Maureen McGoldrick. LINK
Rob Perkins for Vancouver School Board - he is incumbent vs the very well qualified and "impressive" teacher; Bethany Rivard. LINK
Jack Burkman for Port Commissioner over Dan Barnes, who could also be adequate. LINK.

Using Nan as an example for today

Do you know Nan Henriksen? Have you heard of Nan? She foresaw that Camas couldn't depend on a single industry to sustain itself. She became the mayor of Camas and proceeded to facilitate industrial growth and sustainability.

Greg Jayne, The Columbian Editorial Page Editor, cites Nan's accomplishments and on on to use her visionary capabilities and successful implementation as the kind of vision and effort needed to solve today's problems, especially climate change. Enjoy the piece at - LINK

Clark County Forward event 09/26

Clark County Forward is a relatively new activity here in Clark County. Their mission is to talk with Democratic voters and get to know them, get to know their issues and get them to vote. The Regional Technical Director is Colin Peddicord.

The Kickoff Event is a way for folks to get to know what this group is all about and to see that their efforts will assist in encouraging voting and in getting the best people elected in Clark County.

Hamburgs and hot dogs will be served, and beer and wine available, at the following:

CLARK COUNTY FORWARD
KICK OFF EVENT
IAFF Local 452 (Firefighters Union Hall)
2807 NW Fruit valley Road - MAP
Vancouver WA
5:30-7:00 PM

Trust Trump? - No way!

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post Writers Group cites instance after instance where Trump has backpedaled on a statement AND denied ever saying it. MIlbank posits that it may be old age forgetfullness, or that he misrepresents past statements to get [himself] out of trouble. It['s easier to belioeve the latter - that he just lies about things. Or it's possible he thrives on chaos where no one knows what his true feelings or directions are so he retains control and keeps everyone off kilter and ineffective. Read the piece at - LINK

Trump diverting $3.6 billion from military to Wall

Update: A television report 09/20/19 indicated Trump was planning to take a second sum from the military to the tune of another $3.6 billion.
This is all money that was approved by Congress in its budget administration function. These dollars are taken from projects that need doing. One in particular is adding safety and protection to the Washington State submarine base in Bangor WA just NW of Seattle.

The Columbian editorial of Sunday 09/15/19 says clearly that the Trump plan to fund his ego wall with $3.6 billion dollars taken out of the pentagon military budget is wrong and must be opposed. Congress sets the budget, not the president. That money was allocated for construction projects all over the country and the world to build piers, schools, and do naval ship maintenance, to name a few. Trump is "dictatorial" and the congress is "shameful". Read the piece at - LINK

Trump pocketing tax dollars

Are you keeping up on the Trump emoluments violations? Trump suggests the G7 be held at his resort. Air Force planes are doing refueling stops at a Scottish airport adjacent to his failing Turnberry resort. Pence stayed on the opposite side of Ireland in a Trump resort an d commuted to Dublin for meetings. Attorney General Barr is throwing a $30,000 birthday party at the DC Trump hotel. Here's a little graphic to describe those situations:

Herrera-Beutler wrong on trade war

The Columbian editorial by Greg Jayne (Sun 09/15/19) takes off after the rising national debt, and after Congresswoman Herrera Beutler's "hypocritical acquiescence over Trump's economic policy. On the trade war, she's waiting to see what he does and "watching to see what I can do to mitigate the impacts". Uhoh, wrong side of the issue , Jaime. It calls for proactive action. Read the oped at - LINK
This is way too similar to Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell's saying he can't act on gun control until he knows what the president wants. Again, the tail is wagging the dog.

When George W. Bush was president it felt like the country was going to hell. Now it feels like we have gone there.

Trump re-elected?!

Seeing trump in the White House for another four years is a terrifying thought. At this point six out of ten voters are trying to ignore the daily lies, grifts, and horror stories and are waiting for November 2020 when they expect he will be gone. But how did he get there? Who supports him? Roughly 40% of voters seem to like his policies. They don't seem to care that he's taking the citizens' tax dollars away from worthwhile projects to needlessly build the southern ego wall. Nor do they dislike his horrible treatment of the immigrants of color from the southern countries. Nor do they seem to mind his snarky bigotry toward non-whites. Nor do they mind their tax dollars going into his personal pocket from forced uses of his hostelry like Mar-a-Lago, Turnberry, Doonebeg, or DC venues.

Diligence and VOTING are tantamount in ousting this sham of a president. Anne McFeatters of Tribune News Service sums it up nicely at - LINK

Refuel Air Force planes to richen Trump

Trump owns a golf resort in Scotland called Turnberry. It is very unprofitable. The closest airport is about 30 miles away and also is a money loser, to the extent that the owners were going to shed it. Through some form of communication yet to be determined, the large C-17 Globemaster transport planes that fly from the US to resupply bases in Kuwait have begun landing at this private Scottish airport and refueling their 35,000 gallon tanks at commercial prices. While there, the crews go to the Trump hotel and spend more government money. This little airport has taken in an additional $11 mil since this started.
The planes had always refueled at US bases in Germany or Spain where they refueled with less expensive fuel and stayed at military accommodations. This activity can only be construed as a violation of the constitutional emoluments clause which makes it illegal for a president to make financial gain from his office. Read more at - LINK

Trump = 12,000 lies

The Columbian's Greg Jayne expounds on President Trump's inablity to be honest. It's so bad that nothing Trump says can be believed. Even if he says he'll do something one day, he may take it back the next. The US Citizenry and the world have grown tired and inured to his ridiculous boasts. Sometimes h=his staff tries to cover for him, other times they rat him out. Read Greg at LINK

Perfectly Ugly

Dave Reichert running for WA Gov?

Dave Reichert (R) was 8th CD congressman until he retired in 2017. Kim Shrier (D) won the position over Dino Rossi in 2018. reichert is now considering a run for the governor's seat. Read the article - LINK.

Nirvana founder Novoselic is Gray's River WA grange leader

Krist Novoselic and accordion in Giants in the Trees

Krist Novoselic founded Nirvana with Curt Cobain to great success. Krist was active in the WA State Democratic Party around 2009 and attended the Clark County Democrats Annual fundraiser and Dinner at the County Fairgrounds Event Center that year. He was well received. Congressman Brian Baird and DNC Chair Governor Howard Dean had their pictures taken with Krist at the dinner.

Krist is still active in his community and still making music. Check out his current activities at - LINK.

Farmer's tipping point is fuel ethanol

The farmer's haven't protested a large amount over the loss of soybean sales due to the China tariffs Perhaps like this Iowan they felt it was a necessary long-term solution to balance the trade deficit. But when Trump showed favoritism to 31 oil refineries by letting them forgo the addition of ethanol from corn to their gasoline, the indignation rose. About 40% of the nations corn crop goes into fuel ethanol. The China soybean war is looked on as a long game, but reasonable. The ethanol decision is deemed liking the oil companies better than the farmer. Of course, you'll remember that ethanol was added to gas to make a burn cleaner and was a part of the Clean Air Act. Read the article - LINK.

Can't lose weight like you used to?

This article from The Atlantic says to stay the same weight nowadays, one must eat less than one did in the 1980's to stay low. Why? They cite possible causes: chemicals, hormones in meat, and changing gut bacteria. It's too believable. There are chemicals everywhere altering our bodies from the inside and there's global warming killing us from the outside. It's all about profit - lot's of it. Read the article - LINK

Inslee withdraws, and runs, with dignity

Credit: David Horsey, Seattle Times

WA Governor Jay Inslee is pretty cool. He has withdrawn from the Presidential Primary race with dignity and without doing anything detrimental to himself, the campaign, or any office. He left a legacy of heightened awareness about climate change which is being appropriately picked up by the more popular candidates as a salient issue, particularly by Sen Bernie Sanders.
The Columbian editorialized 08/26/19 about Inslee's withdrawal legacy, and were complimentary to our Governor. Jay's Gold Standard climate change revocation plan is "well-reasoned.well-informed". Read the piece at - LINK.

Now we can keep our impressive Governor Inslee.

Trump diagnosed "psychotic-like"

A psychiatrist who has followed Trump and his idiosyncrasies since the campaign is reporting again on trump be unbalanced, and increasingly so. He notes that Trump has now referred to himself as the "chosen one", a term usually used to reference the Messiah. Read the piece - LINK

A good synopsis of US economy

Here's a little analysis of where we are with the US economy. It seems that opposing forces are at play by the Trump administration - they are significantly raising the amount we owe in the national debt, and they are significantly reducing the amount of money collected to run the government through tax cuts to corporations and wealthy individuals. Catch up via this article - LINK

Jay Inslee withdraws with honor...to run!

Washington Governor Jay Inslee, running for US President as the Climate Change Candidate, has withdrawn from that race. He made his announcement Wednesday on the MSNBC news show; The Rachel Maddow Show. He was very positive and dignified and received statements honoring his perseverance and sense of issues from newscasters and other presidential candidates.

Jay announced Thursday that he will seek a third term as the Governor of Washington. He is well supported in that regard. Some who would have run for Governor are on record as stepping aside if Jay runs. Similarly, WA Attorney General Bob Ferguson has said he will run for Attorney General in support of Jay, and other attorney general opponents will step aside.

Jay has certainly successfully promoted the need to combat climate change. He has raised awareness for climate change and will work with the current presidential candidates to bolster their understanding of the urgent climate problem.

Trump on no gun control

The statistic about gun deaths in America is pretty clear - we are the only modern country with rampant gun deaths especially mass slayings, and the distinguishing differenc in us and the other countries is the huge numer of guns per person in this country. Other countries have the same mental health problems as us but do not have mass killings. It's time to disarm. Trump spoke out for better background checks soon after the Dayton OH and El Paso shootings, but as of Tuesday, just 18 days later, he backpedaled saying the US already has "very, very strong background checks". He cited his supporters love for the Second Amendment as the cause for the reversal.

Trump - "...recession...? OK?"

Trump continues to surpass himself. On Tuesday he was interviewed about his tariff policies on China and their effect on the US economy. He acknowledged the tariffs could cause economic pain or even a recession but that it had to be done. "Somebody had to take China on", he says. He believes, probably correctly, that a weakening US economy will weaken his chance for re-election. So where he has not admitted before that the tariffs may hurt US citizens, he is now acknowledging that they might be harmful.
Many market observers report that a recession is likely. Tariffs are a factor as is the longetivity of the recovery which started under Obama and has continued with influence by Trump until lately with the tariffs. Read the article and all Trump's quotes at - LINK

Trump's tariffs a problem

.The farmers are being hurt by the tariffs with China because China isn't buying our crops, soybeans in particular. Trump says the tariffs do not hurt consumers, but every analyst says they do. In fact, Trump said last week, he was delaying additional tariffs on China until after the Christmas buying season, saying "in case tariffs have an impact". There the double-speak is revealed. Whimsical ploicies is his norm and the volatility of the stock market lately reflects this. It affects how people spend money and plan to spend money. It is widely accepted that the currently good US economy started on a rise in Obama's tenure and has continued since without any real influence by Trump. Market indicators lately say a recession is coming. Admittedly the predictors are not finite or perfectly accurate, but market volatility and withholding of investment dollars are mostly emotional responses to whispers about instability and recession. Such talk unnerves buyers and investors and the economy stumbles. The stage is set through Trump's wooing of dictators, domestic terrorism support, whimsical policies, and government by Tweet that confidence here and abroad is sinking.

Bernie Sanders' day in the sun is past

Froma Harrop of Creators.com clarifies the validity of some Bernie Sanders complaints about how the media, particularly the Washington Post, covers, or doesn't cover, him. She points out that his big moment in life was 2016 when he ran against Hillary Clinton. Bernie has brought his 10-points to the fore, however, with the result that Hillary moved left, and now Elizabeth Warren is touting Bernies' platform. She does it in a way that is much more friendly and somehow feels more doable than Bernie. Read the piece at - LINK

Kevin Siers cartoon: Trump’s teleprompter plea for unity falls flat

This lightly veiled dig references Trump's Teleprompter speech on Monday 08/05/19 after the El Paso and Dayton massacres. That speech verbally, but unemotionally, called for "unity", but the Tweets that day were the same braggadocio and diatribes against critics, like Beto O'Rourke. He continues to dog whistle hatred for brown people and to make that a center-point of his campaign, despite what he might flatly utter in a speech.

Nobody listens to Trump anymore

David Frum, staff reporter for The Atlantic, doesn't like Trump and his machinations. He reports that Trump "shames and debases the office every day". Trump's over-the-top statements are so bizarre that people shrug them off - and wait for a change. And while he makes a worldwide fool of the US daily, he keeps us on the brink of war and recession. Read the editorial at - LINK

Trump is 'the environment'

George Will, columnist for the Washington Post, says Trump is responsible for today's US turmoil. Will quotes Eric Hoffer, American writer and philosopher, that "malice enhances the penetrating power of and idea or opinion", and "rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength". Malice and rudeness are the methods Trump uses to make his points, along with a few dog whistles. The listener is too often inclined to believe Trump's sentiments and seeming direction are guideposts for antisocial behavior. Read the piece at - LINK

It's past time to talk about guns

Greg Jayne, editorial page editor of The Columbian, asks when is the time to talk about gun control if not now. He points out that "the United States is the only country where mass shootings are essentially a daily occurrence". Every other country has mental health problems and video game availability, but none have the overwhelming number of guns per citizen that the US has. He says Herrera Beutler has no interest in banning assault weapons. Read the article at - LINK

Must have the Senate

Mitch McConnell, federal senate leader, is an obstructionist. For meaningful legislation to be passed (gun laws, election protection), he has to go. Eugene Robinson of the Miami Herald has some suggestions - LINK

NRA to Trump >$30,000,000

The Associated Press did a little study on the NRA recently. You remember the National Rifle Association - they used to teach gun safety to kids. Now they encourage owning guns that contribute to school shootings. They are a powerful lobby and have Trump's ear admittedly. The attached article discusses their rather odd CEO, who brought back assault weapons after they were banned. The article notes the NRA contributed $30 million to Trump's campaign. Read the piece at - LINK

Mental health, video games not shooting cause

Here's a factual article by William Wan and Lindsay Bever of the Washington Post that says only about 25% of massacre shooters have mental illness, and that video games are not a problem. Gun availability in the light of resentful thinking or nedd for infamy or narcissism is the tie-in. "Gun access" is what needs to be prevented as is done in other civilized countries. Especially gun access to military grades weapons. In Dayton the shooter fired "41 shots in less than 30 seconds", a speed which was enabled by having a military weapon. Read the WaPo article - LINK

Trump said Monday that “mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun”. Even if this were true, which the above says it's not, then elimination of "the gun" would still prevent the act of atrocity. No other civilized country has this problem. Why do we put up with it?

Trump on gun violence

The first weekend of August 2019 was particularly violent with explosive shootings in both El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Trump is felt by many to be stoking the fires of domestic terrorism with his inflammatory rhetoric about "fine" racists in Charlottesville, and chants with his followers. He made a speech after the terrible weekend about gun violence prevention through typical R techniques like mental health treatment and violent video games, and denounced white supremacy in a way. But there's no substance to these remarks and the accompanying New York Times article discusses how iterative the process was to finally get him to offer a fairly comprehensive speech. At one point Trump linked gun violence to immigration, somehow. Read the well done article at - LINK.

White bigotry successful?

How will people you know respond to Trump's fear-mongering and race-baiting?

Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald reminds us of George Wallace and other politicians who successfully used bigotry by whites to be elected. If you're woke, it is hard to picture how powerful this tactic can be. If you are around some pretty 'average' folk, and listen, you can see it is a surprisingly useful, and frighteningly successful, tactic. Read the piece - LINK

'Country first' is gone

Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald points out that the inclination to do the right thing for people over politics is passe. The new paradigm is scary and intolerable - Read the piece at - LINK.

Too much inattention

Here's a little piece by Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post. She pulls no punches about Trump and his misdeeds. Similarly she warns US citizens to pay attention - select a nominee that can beat Trump or lose democracy. - LINK

Local Election

Clark County Elections has posted a "Notice of Primary and Special Election", Tuesday August 06, 2019.
The voter registration deadlines are 5:00 PM Monday July 29, 2019 for on-line and mail registrations.

In-person registration may take place at the Elections Office up to August 06, 2019 at 8:00 PM.

The Columbian has recommended the following candidates so far:
Vancouver City Council Pos. 2: Erik Paulsen
Vancouver City Council, Pos 6: Diana Perez and Paul Montague
Vancouver School Board, Pos. 1: Dale Rice and Kyle Sproul, with a nod to Caressa Milgrove
Vancouver School Board Pos. 5: Tracie Barrows and Chris Lewis

Vote... early and often.

Racism abounds

The horror show is in full swing. Trump has people chanting racist calls about congresswomen. We all remember his respect for the white supremacists in Charlottesville.
The slaves were freed in 1865. The Civil Rights Act was enacted in 1964. All to the good and all to the point of understanding and recognizing that all men are created equal.
Unless you are a native American, you have migrant blood in your veins and you're part of the melting pot. But you may not be of color.

This Trump racism seems to be a campaign ploy to energize his base, much like cruelty to asylum seekers at the Southern border is intended to do. One hears that the some R's reject the racist direction but the R party never makes a statement. They like the fear bred by inferring that 'coastals', Democrats, will ruin the country. Check out Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post on Republican racism - LINK

The two words to denigrate Democrats in the 2020 elections are "Socialists", and "Send her back". We have to prove that socialism is not communism, and that we already have huge beneficial socialist programs, not the least of which is the military, followed by tax-fed police and fire.

What do we do to combat racism? We have to not allow it. Over the past 50 years, racism has been driven down, not truly eliminated, but at least the conversation was, to the largest part, politically correct. In the last two years, that political correctness has been washed away and it is okay to attack, slur, and assail another person for their race and/or color.

This is not the America of the our forefathers and our constitution.

Call him "ineffective"

He's calling us socialists and obstructionists and the cause of the border debacle. We call him racist and moronic and a liar. Strong argumentative words.

Let's call him "Ineffective". That label will be like nails on a blackboard to him. This was a suggestion by a panelist on CNN the other day. Try it on some people. The reaction has been good.

"Trump is 'ineffective'".

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