How to Select an American President: 2021

Thursday, December 23, 2021

Russia, Ukraine, and US

Why would Russia want to invade Ukraine with military force?

Putin says he believes that the US and Nato are a direct threat to Russia's sovereignty by protecting Ukraine with military assurances and arming.

Putin seeks assurances that the US and Nato will not invade Russia and will not attack Russia if Russia engages Ukraine militarily for whatever reason. Of course, such open-ended assurances are a non-starter.

One reason why Russia wants to control Ukraine is that it is a rich fertile producer of agricultural products. Russia would benefit from the acquisition of farm assets.

Since Ukraine is a very large nation, second only to Russia in landmass in the European theater, it is wanted to increase Russian power and dominance.

If Russia invades Ukraine militarily, not only would thousands of lives be lost on both sides, the land would be damaged and economic and political turbulence would ensue without an end in sight. Further, it is possible that such invasion would trigger a nuclear conflagration.

True it is that many Russian-speaking Ukrainians are Ukrainian citizens. With Ukraine being poor and corrupt, their desire to join Russian might be a political outcome if left to a vote in free elections. Who knows?

The trouble is, Russia is an authoritarian and undemocratic state. That is another non-starter for Western allies to engage in negotiations with Russia.

Russia could easily change the dynamics if Putin and his oligarchs would lean more toward becoming a democratic republic. The trouble is, the U.S. is actually becoming less of a democratic republic, especially with Trump-Republicans on the horizon.

"Ukraine is a developing country ranking 74th in the Human Development Index. It is the poorest country in Europe alongside Moldova, suffering from a very high poverty rate as well as severe corruption. [13][14]. However, because of its extensive fertile farmlands, Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world. [15][16].

It also maintains the third-largest military in Europe after Russia and France. [17]. Ukraine is a unitary republic under a semi-presidential system with separate powers: legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

The country is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the GUAM organization, and the Lublin Triangle, and is one of the founding states of the CIS, even though it never became a member of the organization."

Ukraine - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine

Ukraine

Thursday, December 16, 2021

The IRS and Trump

What concerns me is that after years of Trump's stonewalling the release of his tax returns, have we heard anything from the IRS about any irregularities?

From a Judge's decision, we know now that Congress can see them, pending an appeal to the Supreme Court.

"Donald Trump, President of the United States from January 2017 to January 2021, has controversially refused to release his tax returns since the 2015–2016 campaign for the presidency at the 2016 election. Though Trump promised to release the returns during his campaign,[1][2][3] he repeatedly refused to release his tax return information throughout his presidency,[4] the first major-party U.S. presidential candidate or president since 1976 to do so.[5][6] Trump had repeatedly and falsely claimed that he could not release the returns while they were under audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).[7][8][9][a] It was reported in 2019 that it is IRS policy to annually audit tax returns of presidents and vice presidents. [10]"

The IRS failed to act in the six-year time frame and is unlikely to work against Trump anytime soon. They are incompetent.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Save Our Democracy: Appeal to Corporate America

Save Our Democracy

The evidence is indisputable. All major news companies have reported that the American Democracy is under siege by radical rightists, Trumpians. Even Fox News opinion writers sounded the alarm when Donald J. Trump refused to all off the rioters he helped instigate into an insurrection. Americans had the opportunity to see and hear his words and deeds before, during, and after the January 6th Capital riot. The amount of planning and communication by Trump and his political organization and the White House staff engaged in interfering with the electoral process is missing details and under investigation.

It is clear that Trump and his Republican followers intend to run out the clock, hoping that Republicans will gain control of the legislative branch and terminate the process before it is finished.

Because the rule of law and fair elections are at stake as pillars of our Democracy, I am calling for corporate America to stand against Republican insurrectionists. I want my friends to join me in asking corporations and their boards to help We the People stabilize our republic by ending Republican corruption, suppression, and authoritarianism. Trump and his followers are not good for the health and security of America, and we need Coporate America's power and support to stop it.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Joe Manchin's Credentials

All you have to do is read -- search Wikipedia, it's mostly there.

Joe Manchin's Credentials

As with all politicians, I begin with their resumes. What is missing from this Wikipedia-specific reference is his educational credentials other than a BS degree in business, that I have also.

Manchin graduated from Farmington High School in 1965. He entered West Virginia University on a football scholarship in 1965, but an injury during practice ended his football career. Manchin graduated in 1970 with a degree in business administration and went to work for his family's business.

Conflicts of interest

Manchin received the most funding from any senator's oil and gas industry from May 2020 to May 2021, including $1.6 million in donations from fossil fuel PACs.[56]. He also receives funding from individuals and PACs connected to law and real estate, among others.

In June 2021, ExxonMobil lobbyist Keith McCoy said that Manchin was one of its key targets for funding and participated in weekly meetings with the company. Many senators and journalists have criticized Manchin's opposition to climate change legislation given his funding by the fossil fuel industry and shares in his family-owned coal business.

Manchin is a member of the National Rifle Association.

One may wonder how the son of a carpet store owner accrued 7.6 million in personal wealth while being in public service all those years?

Manchin is a prominent opponent of policy proposals from the progressive wing of his party, including Medicare For All, abolishing the filibuster, increasing the number of justices on the Supreme Court, raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, and defunding the police. He is also among the more isolationist members of the Democratic caucus, has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, and opposed most military interventions in Syria. Manchin's business interests include founding the coal brokerage Enersystems, in which he owns $1–5 million of non-public shares. He receives the largest coal, oil, and gas industry donations of any senator.