Get a Grip, America

Resist.

Donald Trump and his Republican loyalists are subversives who have gained illegitimate control of the US government. The case is developing that includes public evidence that is spewed from the "Tweeting" and undisciplined leader. It is from wildly apparent obstruction of justice and intimidation. It is from continuous disrespect for the US Constitution and three branches of government.

The nation is past the point of being at risk. It is a democracy that is falling fast. The world can see it, yet are Americans lost in the forest?

Speak out. Don't "go along," as that is our doom.

House republicans obstructing Mueller? 

Members of House Intel Committee push forward on disputed memo despite warnings from Justice Department.

Morning Joe 

 

Speak out, they are. 

Understanding the Trump Economic Hype

The fact is that Donald Trump and Republican Tax Policy accompanied by reduced regulation have an immediate positive effect on wealthy persons and corporations that act at once to exploit the advantage. It is also a fact that the long-term consequences of their policies and actions won't become apparent for four to eight years after implementation.

Wall Street rallies and posts big gains. Some companies give modest raises while reducing the size of their workforce. The results are mixed.

That is why it is imperative that Congressional systems can accurately simulate, project, and predict economic consequences of laws and regulations. I wrote about that in my book, Smart Data, Enterprise Performance Optimization Strategy (c) 2010 Wiley Publishing. It was a plea to apply math and systems engineering technology to support the creation of laws and regulations to understand their expected performance and to identify possible disasters. The US Department of Defense paid attention, while most of the government does not.

In another book, Regenerating America with Sustainable Economics by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, I try again to explain the imperative to change the economic model and to become better at predictive management.

"When Hillary Clinton said last spring that she would put her husband “in charge of revitalizing the economy,” I argued that Bill Clinton doesn’t deserve much credit for the late-1990s boom. That’s not a knock on the 42nd president in particular. It’s just that presidents, in general, have far less control over the economy than the public often thinks. It is impossible to know for sure, but it is likely that the housing boom and bust would have played out much the same way under President Gore as it did under President Bush, and it’s likely that the recovery would have been just as long (and just as disappointing) under President McCain or President Romney as it has been under President Obama. 

But that doesn’t mean presidents have no power over the economy at all, or that their policies are unimportant. Indeed, presidents, along with Congress, can exert profound influence over the economy, for good and ill. It’s just that their true impact is rarely what gets talked about in party conventions or on the campaign trail. True presidential impacts are often invisible — as much about what doesn’t happen as what does — and become clear only years or even decades after they leave office." 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-presidents-economic-decisions-matter-eventually/

The Congressional Budget Office predicts some dire consequences from the Trump policies, however, no one is listening yet.

I have listened to several savvy capitalists discuss their investment planning, and while they are pleased to leverage the current policy, there is caution. For one thing, they believe there are hidden negatives to be discovered that will dampen some of the positives. More important, they anticipate the bubble bursting sooner than later because the Trump plans are riddled with unrealistic assumptions.

They are calling him 'pragmatic'

How the Illegal Immigrant Number Mushroomed

Before retiring from NPR, Robert Siegel described how the number of “unauthorized immigrants” grew to approximately 11 million, of which approximately 800,000 are children who had no choice in the matter. They are now called “Dreamers.”

To make a long story succinct, America departed from an open door policy in 1920 after which immigration controls were imposed. Different laws were made to adjust how to regulate the influx of immigrants. In my analysis, the nation has failed to answer basic questions:

1.     What is the optimal population for the US with respect to optimizing the return on national resources? Presuming the there is an ideal relationship between population size and natural resources.

2.     What is the optimal demographic mix with regard to skill, knowledge, and experience profiles for the nation and its communities? This determination must be made in a global competitive context.

3.     What is the optimal demographic mix as to age and the number of people working versus retired persons? That determination must be made in context with people living longer.

4.     What do corporations need in the form of human resources skill, knowledge, experience, and proficiency profiles?

5.     What is the US working population competitive position now and trending with regard to known and emerging opportunities? Where is the potential for upward mobility over rolling lifecycles?

Establishing answers to these questions allows policy makers, legislators, and executives to determine the number, frequency, and rate of migrants from a strategic point of view. Complicating this further is attending the global need to help rescue people from dangerous and repressive conditions ranging from hostile governments to natural disasters. What is the nation’s capacity to address global humanitarian needs?

The current laws and regulations are woefully simplistic and poorly managed. One reason is that Congress fails to adequately fund and support the laws and their enforcement. Another is that the laws are incredibly arbitrary such as having an immigration lottery mechanism that undermines deliberate management.

The increase in the size of the people affected results from deficient governance and executive management. The people are not intentionally lawbreakers. They came for work and employers hired them. They stayed, had families, and pay taxes.

The way ahead is the provide amnesty for the affected population and to legislate smarter management systems for immigration and security.

“How Did We Get To 11 Million Unauthorized Immigrants?
 March 7, 20175:55 PM ET
Robert Siegel 2010
 An estimated 11 million immigrants live and work in the United States illegally. Their fate is one of the big policy questions facing the country. The story of how that population grew so large is a long one that's mostly about Mexico, and full of unintended consequences.
 Prior to the 1920s, the U.S. had few restrictions on immigration, save for a few notable exclusions.
 "Basically, people could show up," says Jeffrey Passel, of the Pew Research Center.
 For workers in Mexico, crossing into the U.S. made a lot of economic sense, then and now.
 "That person can make seven, eight, perhaps even 10 times more than they make in Mexico," says Jorge Castañeda, Mexico's former foreign minister.
 As more people came into the U.S. to find work, Mexicans became a larger percentage of the workforce.
 "Mexican immigration is something from our grandparents' era," says Michael Clemens, an economist at the Center for Global Development. "The fraction of the labor force in Kansas that was Mexican in 1929 was higher than it was in 1990. The same is true of Arizona. The same is true of New Mexico."
 A legal worker program
 During World War II, the federal government created a legal system for Mexican farmworkers to come work in the U.S. It was called the Bracero program, and its advocates were growers who wanted a ready supply of farm labor. In its peak year, it brought in 400,000 legal workers nationwide.
 Critics said the Bracero program cost American farmworkers jobs. It was problematic in other ways, too. For one, workers were bound to one employer.
 "That person had total control over your life," says Doris Meissner, former commissioner for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. "And that leads to a very unequal relationship, and it's a recipe for exploitation."
 (Read the rest at the link)
 https://www.npr.org/2017/03/07/518201210/how-did-we-get-to-11-million-unauthorized-immigrants

DACA recipients and supporters outside Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on Monday. CreditLucy Nicholson/Reuters

Stephen Miller, Trump Advisor

Stephen Miller gives Donald Trump his marching orders on immigration policy. What are his credentials and qualifications?

"Stephen Miller
Senior Advisor to the President
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2017
Serving with Jared Kushner
President    Donald Trump
Preceded by   
Brian Deese
Valerie Jarrett
Shailagh Murray
Personal details
Born    August 23, 1985 (age 32)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Political party    Republican
Education    Duke University (BA)"

Wiki

Pathetically, he is grossly unqualified. Trump is incompetent. For this, the nation's government was shut down.

Do your jobs, American voters. Change this government before it is too late.

Stephen Miller

Governing is not 'kicking butt'

Devisive Donald Trump added nothing except chaos and confusion to the Republican-led Congress in trying to keep the American government open. He failed, and the government closed. It is opening again for a short window in which to address illegal immigrants, 'Trump's wall, and the military.

Americans should know by now that punishing 800,000 immigrant children is child abuse. Bashing their parents is too.  The reason is that laws were in place to manage immigration and Congress failed to enforce the law and to fund enforcement sufficiently.

The consequence is not an excessive burden because the immigrants found work in America that other citizens would not perform. All of them are our prospective citizens, just as most of our ancestors.

Improving the immigration process is essential as is improving border security. As necessary, is having a foreign policy and strategy to improve the Mexican economy and relationship with the government to halt illegal drug traffic.

A functioning President with an aptitude for the job would address these needs adequately as would Congress. They are deficient and need replacing and impeaching.

"Democrats Agree To Reopen Government Without Protections For Dreamers
The Senate reached a deal Monday to fund the government and potentially provide a path forward for a larger immigration agreement. 

Senators approved a three-week funding measure to reopen the government, with many Democrats saying they felt encouraged by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) assurance over the weekend that the Senate would proceed to an immigration bill soon. 

Democrats insisted they weren’t caving, even though they didn’t get what they wanted: an immediate vote on protections for undocumented young people often called Dreamers. But the deal gave them a way out of what could have been a politically damaging shutdown. The promise of a vote on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, although it could be reneged on, is something Democrats didn’t have before. It’s the first time Democrats received a firm deadline for a vote on an immigration bill. And if McConnell doesn’t follow through, Democrats will be able to use this promise to vote against the next spending bill and pin the blame on Republicans."

The Hill

Senator Schumer

Pigout

Donald Trump and the Republican Party, along with 25% of the nation's population is having a pigout. They are gorging now and starving the future. They are hell bent not to provide affordable healthcare, to undermine Social Security, to harm children at every turn including "Dreamers" who belong to us all.

Only a small percentage of the 25% are wealthy-greedy bastards; the rest are just plain stupid.

"The Memo: How Trump changed everything 

One year into the Trump presidency, supporters and critics agree on a single thing: America has never seen anything like it. 

To his detractors, President Trump is a reckless and uncouth figure, out of his depth at best and, at worst, putting American democracy at risk. 

To his backers, the 45th president is delivering on his promises, especially on the economy. He is staying true to himself as the ultimate outsider in the face of a hostile media and political establishment."  

The Hill

Image by Political Jack.

Trump Failed to Make a Deal

Trump had congressional leadership coming and going to and from The White House, and yet there was no deal. Why?

First, President Trump didn't truly know what he wanted or second, he waffled and changed his mind creating confusion.

His job was to be the closer. He didn't close the deal.

Democrats are holding out to secure protection for 800,000 "Dreamers," children of immigrants who are seeking citizenship. If they kick the can down the road until March, they loose leverage that they have now over a recalcitrant and hostile Republican regime.

In the long run, Democrats will stand for what is right and for their constituents, even if they have to share some of the blame.

The bulk of the blame and responsibility is with the Republican regime and president who are the majority in charge.

"The U.S. Government Shuts Down After Congress Fails To Pass Funding Bill 

The Senate did not pass a continuing resolution that made its way through the House before the Friday midnight deadline. This is the first time that a shutdown has occurred when the same party controlled both chambers of Congress and the White House. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers face furloughs." 

NPR

The government in the dark.

Staffing by President, Most Important

In my book, How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, I define the six principal presidential tasks with "staffing" being first.

An adequately vetted presidential candidate will have assembled a shadow cabinet well before declaring victory because it takes time to recruit and clear qualified appointments.

The Republican Party failed to vet Donald Trump adequately. Voters had no standard for evaluating him. Nonetheless, the administrative tasks must be done.

The evidence shows that Donald Trump is a miserable administrator and deficient in staffing.

"A presidential candidate should be knowledgeable about and sufficiently experienced in enterprise performance improvement initiatives, preferably with successful past performance on the resume. This experience can be from public or private sectors. 

Continuous improvement in a democratic form of government comes from the following:
•    Changing, amending, and retiring and replacing present laws
•    Issuing presidential directives and memos communicating policies and policy guidance
•    Administering directives and memos as they too require changing, amending, retiring, and replacing
•    Strategic planning
•    Budgeting and funding requests  

All of these things are a product of the president’s management approach and government processes and routines governing them. 

Proposed is that the first and most important presidential task is staffing, organizing and scheduling the executive branch work of government. In retrospect, the community organizing skills possessed by President Barack Obama were most significant and relevant. However, a president must also have a robust network of associates and allies from which to recruit and staff executive positions. Having a recruiting universe of qualified candidates (those who can readily obtain security clearances) for all of the government department and agency executive positions is an essential requirement.
Furthermore, an effective chief executive leverages the appointed staff as a multiplier on their effectiveness by selecting individuals who are more knowledgeable about specific areas of government than the commander-in-chief.  

The Commander-in-chief is the top executive and is also the top expert in Constitutional law about which the incumbent is the leading executive implementer and often the author of the new and amended legislation.  

Task 1: Planning, staffing, organizing, and scheduling Presidential work and government functions  

Subtask 1.1: Recruit and staff the cabinet and department and agency appointments 

Subtask 1.2: Conduct cabinet meetings to develop and implement strategies and policies for accomplishing the nation’s workload and issues  

Subtask 1.3: Define the nation’s outcomes and priorities for each major department and agency to produce the nation’s strategic plan  

Task 2: Develop the President’s management agenda and budget and reconcile with Congress  

Subtask 2.1: Assume responsibility for the legacy agenda and make adjustments to align with the President’s management agenda or equivalent 

Subtask 2.2: Work with cabinet heads to develop performance plans and schedules  

Subtask 2.3: Work with Congressional leadership and collaborate to implement the nation’s strategy, plans, and programs  

Task 3: Initiate and approve legislation  

Subtask 3.1: Propose bills to Congress 

Subtask 3.2: Consult and advise Congress 

Subtask 3.3: Collaborate with industry and business leaders in the development of policies and regulations of all kinds  

Subtask 3.4: Approve or veto legislation 

Subtask 3.5: Request a declaration of war from Congress  

Task 4: Implement plans and manage on-going operations 

Subtask 4.1: Review and evaluate programs that include new acquisitions and on-going operations 

Subtask 4.2: Evaluate programs including legacy processes and engineer new ones for accomplishing and producing required and promised outcomes 

Subtask 4.3: Continuously improve 

Task 5: Report progress and discuss issues with the American public to keep them informed 

Task 6: Meet with heads of state and participate in international meetings and conferences for heads of state 

Subtask 6.1: Participate in international economic conferences  

Subtask 6.2: Respond to international crises and requests for assistance 

Subtask 6.3: Promote democratic process and reforms  

The principal behavioral characteristic that portends presidential effectiveness is the ability to collaborate and to produce consensus among diverse and disparate interests for the common good of the nation."

How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing.

"'Record-Setting' White House Turnover In Trump's First Year, Report Finds
Compared with recent predecessors, President Trump has had far more turnover of top White House aides. His 34 percent is triple the changes in former President Barack Obama's first year, a new report from the Brookings Institution shows." 

NPR 

Chaos, Corruption, Confusion

'Shithole' President

Will people be offended if I refer to the President as a "shithole"? Would that be "overblown"?

Try to regain focus on the subjects of immigration and population management. You see a "smart" President, one that is intellectually able, of which the incumbent is lacking, would address these critical matters in policy in the absence of racism and bigotry.

President Trump is critical about immigration policy that permits more Haitians to enter the country. He questions the capacity of the nation to absorb more people who are severely lacking in education and skills as that adds to the burden we already have. America is not able to provide affordable healthcare to all citizens, for instance. It has a significant number of people living in poverty. So, immigration policy should deter adding deficiently able people to the population.

Foreign Policy would be better by helping people in their nations in contrast with permitting more migration. The trouble is, the Republican Congress can't manage multiple variables, much less see the relationships among policies.

The President, who speaks at grade level 4.6 is unable and unfit to lead on these topics. Therefore, he just spits verbal abuse that makes the nation appear as ignorant as he is.

"Trump’s “shithole” comments were the most openly racist by a president in decades, historians say"
By Tess Owen and Alex Thompson Jan 13, 2018

'Shithole'

The American Party

George Washington was no friend of the idea of political parties. He warned that they could be corrupted and leveraged by people with contrary and subversive aims. He lost that argument as I described in extensive detail in my book, How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing.

“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” ― George Washington

The Republican Party today controls Congress and represents the Executive Branch led by Donald Trump. President Trump's actions and words produce a body of evidence that he is a racist bigot and unfit to perform as President of the United States. Worse, Trump is under investigation for possibly conspiring and colluding with Russians to interfere in the free election process.

More, President Trump consistently attempts to undermine the rule of law and to impose authoritarian dictates that are ruled illegal by the Courts. Throughout his incumbency, he has attacked the three branches of government, even Congress that is led by his party host.

The question posed in this article is about the purpose of political parties. They represent a brand of ideology and values embraced by their members. Candidates who run at their hosting have personal manifestos that are intended to align with their parties' platforms.

Party platforms are a foundation of value statements and policies advocated by them. Candidate manifestos may differ by degrees from that of their host where differences are either new directions in leadership or deviations by disagreement.

Citizen voters have the responsibility to do three things:

1. Participate in the formation of party platforms.

2. Know the extent to which individuals agree with platforms.

3. Know and understand candidate's manifestos and their alignment with party platforms.

Extensive problems exist from many factors.

1. There are no standards for political parties in America. (No quality control and performance management criteria)

2. The process for generating platforms is deficient and untimely.

3. There are no requirements and standards for candidates to produce manifestos and to demonstrate alignment with host parties.

The purpose of political parties is to produce candidates for office by known standards and foundations.

Washington's concern about corruption is valid as evidenced by today's situation. The US Congress has become so corrupted by powerful monied influences that they have permitted the erosion of the principle of one person one vote that is equality.

Three things must happen to improve the situation:

1. Establish standards for the performance of political parties including liability for vetting candidates.

2. Establish standards for platforms and manifestos.

3. Change and improve the laws to eliminate corruption by monied influences in the process.

Voters must act with urgency to address these needs, which is why my next book will discuss these topics.

Maybe we just need The American Party.

The American Party

Take Back America

Donald Trump is a disgraceful President who operates without Constitutional constraint because Republicans in Congress are failing to reign him in. In fact, they have participated in the obstruction of justice by attempting to undermine the investigation by the Special Prosecutor, Robert Mueller.

Citizens must make America first again by impeaching the entire regime that is undermining the Constitution and national culture.

Republicans, as they are, must be purged.

America is a two-party political system, though not a necessity that there be two parties. Political representatives should seek elected office by their qualifications, resumes, and manifestos.

Voters must improve their skills at evaluating them. Read my book: How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing.

"‘Like throwing gasoline to the fire’: Trump’s explosive remark roils immigration debate 

Immigration talks on Capitol Hill foundered Thursday after the White House and some GOP lawmakers rejected a tentative deal from a bipartisan Senate group. President Trump had already lashed out at the bipartisan group, using incendiary language to ask its members why they proposed restoring protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries. 

By Ed O'Keefe, Erica Werner, and Josh Dawsey  

The Washington Post"

AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/JIM WATSON

Trump's Staffing Debacle

In my book, How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, I emphasized that the first job responsibility of a President is staffing. That is the job of a CEO and commander-in-chief. It is a requirement for the incumbent to be able to do this in a timely, accurate, and complete manner.

Donald Trump fails at this as President because his experience as a family-owned business operator in a narrow niche is insufficient and incomparable to staffing the Executive branch of the US government.

Trump chose people who are not qualified and worse, may have conspired against the government. If proven, these are grounds for impeachment. Worse, if members of his campaign staff participated in what might be determined to be treason, he will subject to prosecution for which the death penalty is a possibility.

That is how serious Trump's deficiencies in performance are becoming.

There is also the matter if incessant "Tweeting" for which the contents antagonize unstable leaders of enemy states.

The time for the Republican Congress to rid the government of this regime is overdue.

You might want to drop your Congressional representatives a note to tell them to impeach the President.

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency,” Trump said Wednesday in a statement. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.” 

The statement continued: “Now that he is on his own, Steve is learning that winning isn’t as easy as I make it look.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-steve-bannon_us_5a4d200ce4b0b0e5a7aa6f15 

CNN Screen Capture

Image from the Business Insider