Monday, March 18, 2024

'Show Me The Money'

Tonight, the news is that Donald J. Trump emptied his Charles Schwab account as collateral to secure a bond from Chubb Insurance in the E. Jean Carroll conviction. 

However, in the New York State fraud case, he cannot secure a bond for nearly $500 million. The cash is due Monday, and after seeking bonds from thirty different sources, no one is willing to post bond for Trump. Why would the bond companies not take real estate as collateral? First, the real estate may be encumbered. Second, it may be overvalued, and determining the correct value is too hard.

The State of New York, under Letitia James and the Court, does not want the real estate paper either. They want the money for New Yorkers who were defrauded by Trump.

Think about it. The bond is $500 million. Trump's real estate may not be worth that amount, which means he is broke except for his president's pension and Social Security.  I am confident he and his lawyers will weasel the best they can, except lawyers want to be paid, too. 

So, the battle cry is, "Show me the money!" 

Of course, Donald Trump has a new source of revenue: the Grand Old Party, which he controls. He had better be careful because that is another area of regulation.


Jerry McGuire 







Saturday, March 9, 2024

Off the Bench

No, I am not moving to England YET. No, I am not stopping writing biographies with mysteries. No, I am not giving up painting. So, what is new?

I am renewing my writing about the American political system, beginning with How to Revamp American Political Parties (c) 2024 by James A. George. This will be a scholarly work.

Many people have yet to read How to Select an American President. Poo on you. Many still need to read Regenerating America with Sustainable Economics. More poo on you. 


If you are not part of the solution, you are the problem.  I am helping the academic community embrace my work. It is easy to read and understand, though you (my friends) have much picking up to do.

Every friend who reads and reviews on Amazon provides significant help. That's all I ask.







Friday, March 8, 2024

Lost Soul

James George

How to Select an American President

8 March 2024



Lost Soul

A Cousin Who Never Got It

My cousin passed last year, and for a while, we quarreled as he was a Trump MAGA supporter. I wondered why. I tried to understand because I knew the facts about him.


He worked for his brother as a sheriff's deputy.

He came from a farm family.

He was a white male living in a dominant white rural community.

He spent most of his life working for a communications company.

He had no military service.

He wasn’t particularly religious.

He enjoyed his life with his wife and family.

He was middle class in a rural village.


Racial and ethnic composition of 2022 voters

More than eight-in-ten Republican voters in 2022 (85%) were White, non-Hispanic, down slightly (from 88%) compared with the 2018 midterms. Nearly identical shares of Democratic voters in 2022 (64%) and 2018 (65%) were White.”

Pew Research: Demographic profiles of Republican and Democratic voters


What my cousin resented or feared the most was having his taxes paid for welfare. (He lived on Social Security.) He worked hard all his life and didn’t believe anyone “down on their luck” deserved a break. When I probed this notion, it came down to greed and assuming that the “government” spends too much.


When attempting to understand his ideas about “too much,” he could not or would not answer. He threw up his hands in futility. Why? He could not think about it in detail or express his opinion because he had no basis for his feelings.


When I asked him why he was a Trump supporter, the answer came down to his belief that Trump stood for minimal control by the government and my cousin's affinity for joining the crowd whom he perceived as “winners.” 


What is a winner, I asked. His answer was surprising — people who have money and play golf.


Did my cousin have money? No, not much. Did he play golf? Yes. Did my cousin gamble and drink? The answer was when he could.


My cousin didn’t want his feathers ruffled. He wanted to be on a winning team. He died believing he won. That is for others to judge.




Bloomberg Image













Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Too Late to Say Goodbye

James George

How to Select an American President

6 March 2024



Too Late to Say Goodbye

Biden or Bust

When writing my book, How to Select an American President (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, I scored Joe Biden over Hillary Clinton. In 2016, Joe Biden was America’s best choice. That didn’t happen, and we ended up with Trump. 


Using my system of evaluating resumes, I see that Trump and Clinton were equally wrong for different reasons. Trump had no elected office experience. His corporate experience was from a large-scale mom-and-pop real estate enterprise, and the management comparison didn’t fit. Hillary had government experience, though she was smeared by lies and some mistakes. 


In 2020, Biden competed and won. Since then, he has managed well, and the economy is great. His problems are immigration and foreign affairs—Ukraine and Palestine. 


Trump and Republicans have attacked women’s rights and minorities. They are not aligned on the side of morality. They are unpatriotic. Trump is a crook and a convicted rapist.


What is America to do?


Go rid’n with Biden. If he falters after being elected, his backup is great. Kamala Harris has come on strong. Backed by a Democratic House and Senate, she would manage quite well. Biden may very well perform for another four years. Democracy will survive.


On the other hand, if America gives Trump another term, the nation is asunder. It is our choice as voters.



Berkeley News




Monday, March 4, 2024

Not Wanting to Be Cynical

James George

How to Select an American President

4 March 2024



Not Wanting to Be Cynical

Obama warned against it.

President Obama cautioned not to be cynical and to vote at the polls. He was correct about voting, though, in the face of the Trump cult era confounded by a corrupt and immoral Republican Party, a dysfunctional House of Representatives, and a shaky Senate, people have every right to feel cynical.


“Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interestdistrustful of human sincerity, or integrity.”


America has fallen flat on its face worldwide, and it isn’t Joe Biden stumbling. I believe the Democratic Party could have and must do more to demonstrate leadership and to shore up its leader, Biden. I see VP Kamala Harris coming forward, and she appears more competent and confident onstage. After all, if Biden goes down for whatever reason, Kamala will lead the way.


Comparing Harris and Haley, Harris has more executive branch experience. Haley’s credentials and performance give me confidence — both women are excellent candidates, and Harris is the incumbent.


Trump and his cult are reasons to be cynical, to the extent that we must use our vote to purge them.




Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Allegations against US Representative Jim Jordan

Anyone watching the news over the past several years has become familiar with Ohio’s US Representative, Jim Jordan.

Jim Jordan was complicit in Donald Trump’s initiative to overturn the 2020 election. He obstructed justice and continued to lie about the failed insurrection. He is democracy’s enemy planted as a Trump cog.

 

To be fair, he says what he does: “Jordan has been an advocate of the taxpayer, looking for waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. He serves as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and serves on the House Oversight Committee.” (His website)

 

"What has he accomplished?

 

His Legislative Record

Jordan has sponsored 825 bills and resolutions since 2011 (when Bill Track 50 began tracking legislation). But if you narrow down to the bills where he was the primary sponsor, you're left with 16. They are set out on this stakeholder page. Interestingly, not a single one of them has passed and become law. There are some broad categories of topics. Several aim to protect second amendment rights, there are some intents on reducing federal spending and taxation and a few more defending the right to free speech. HR408 - the Spending Reduction Act of 2011, sought to slash federal spending by $2.5 trillion. It never made it out of committee. In 2013, he introduced the Life at Conception Act, which again died in committee. Other notable failures include the Welfare Reform Act of 2014 (which sought to, among other things, link food stamps to a 'healthy marriage' and restrict funding for health benefits coverage that includes abortion) and The Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2015."


https://www.billtrack50.com/blog/house-race-jim-jordan/

 

 

Jim Jordan

 

Chair of the House Judiciary Committee

 

Incumbent

 

Assumed office

January 3, 2023

Jerry Nadler

 

Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee

 

In office

March 12, 2020 – January 3, 2023

Doug Collins

 

Jerry Nadler

 

Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee

 

In office

March 31, 2020 – June 29, 2020

Mark Meadows

 

James Comer

 

In office

January 3, 2019 – March 12, 2020

Elijah Cummings

 

Mark Meadows

Chair of the House Freedom Caucus

 

In office

October 1, 2015 – January 3, 2017

Position established

Mark Meadows

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

from Ohio's 4th district

 

Incumbent

 

Assumed office

January 3, 2007

Mike Oxley

 

Member of the Ohio Senate

from the 12th district

 

In office

January 3, 2001 – December 31, 2006

Robert R. Cupp

 

Keith Faber

 

Member of the Ohio House of Representatives

from the 85th district

In office

January 3, 1995 – December 31, 2000

Jim Davis

 

Derrick Seaver

 

Personal details

James Daniel Jordan

 

February 17, 1964 (age 60)

Troy, Ohio, U.S.

 

Republicans

 

Polly Jordan

 

 

(m. 1985)

 

4

University of Wisconsin–Madison (BS)

Ohio State University (MA)

Capital University (JD)

 

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2021)



WOSU TV





Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Republicans Are The Enemies Within

 While Donald Trump sews doubt about the US commitment to NATO, and he threatens to unleash Russia, the US Republican Congress tried and failed to impeach Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. 


Concurrently, the Republicans refuse to enact Senate-passed bipartisan legislation to help Homeland Security cope with the immigration problem. They blocked it because Donald Trump told them a solution would be bad politics for him (not the nation.)


Therefore, reasonable citizens might wonder, are Republicans good for America or are they aligned with the enemies? 


I submit Republicans are the enemies within