Every day it just gets worse. Yesterday's Press Conference was unbelievable! The man, you know who I am speaking about, was not even coherent most of the time. I could not watch much of it as it made me ill.
So Michael Flynn has resigned because of his conversations with Russian government officials and "misled" the Vice President. Now it is rumored that the FBI will not bring charges against him. That was not the first time he collaborated with the Russians as it was done during the campaign also. What make me furious is the fact that this was known in the fall and then President Obama knew it and did nothing because supposedly Mitch McConnell told him he would publicly blame him for interfering in the election. Well, he should have done it anyway and now we are stuck with this buffoon. I hope the Senate Intelligence Committee calls Flynn as a witness and makes him testify under oath and he sings like a bird! If anyone believes that Pence did not know all this was going on then I have a bridge to sell you! McConnell and Ryan knew and I think they should be called as well as Barack Obama. There is much more to this story that needs to come out.
Also yesterday, the president signed an order repealing the regulation that said coal companies could not dump their waste in the rivers and streams. So now it is okay to pollute the waters. This should have a great effect on people's drinking water! If Scott Pruit is confirmed as EPA Director it will get even worse.
So to all the people who said you have to give him, trump, a chance and see what happens in six months just look at the damage he has done in a month. Are the republicans so evil that they hate the people and the country that much that they are willing to destroy our government, take away health care, roll back environmental protections, sell off public lands, and destroy the EPA that looks out for the health and safety of the country? I wish I was rich and I would give lots of money to get rid of the bunch of them. I will be honest in my opinion that we are in terrible trouble and our way of life is threatened. At eighty years old I may not live to see the destruction of our planet but I fear for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Friday, February 17, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
WHAT CAN WE DO?
I spend most of my days between anger and fear! There is much to be angry about and much to fear. One of my biggest fears is the position that Steve Bannon holds in the White House. Many of the executive orders have apparently been written by him. Trump will sign anything put in front of him just so he can hold up his signature as if he knows what he is doing. One example is the executive order naming Bannon to the National Security Council. Now Trump says he did not realize just what he was signing. That is just one example and it is a scary one. The man does not belong there. Bannon is an avowed white supremacist and has been quoted as saying that he wants to bring the government crashing down. He is well on his way.
The Republicans are using Trump as a cover so they can do their dirty work behind the scenes and at night. They voted to do away with the Election Assistance Commission, "which helps states run elections and is the only federal agency charged with making sure voting machines can’t be hacked." ( The Nation, Feb. 2/7.2017 Ari Berman.) This makes it easier to steal elections. Can they do this on their own? It is bad enough that they have gerrymandered so many districts in their favor. It will make it doubly hard for Democrats to win over the Senate and especially the House.
Speaking of the Democrats! They are their own worst enemy. Are they waking up to the reality that they have served their corporate masters too long and have not represented us? I think they may be feeling the heat from all of the protests and phone calls, emails, petitions, etc. In retrospect they ran the wrong candidate. While I voted for Hillary she was a flawed candidate and the democrats were to stupid to see it. They have lost state houses, governorships, the senate, the house because they have not, in my opinion, kept in touch with the people.
Right now what are Maine democrats doing to keep the resistance going? We should be getting action items from the all the time. They should be actively looking for good candidates to run against Poliquin. We should be recruiting very good candidates to run for governor in 2018. They should be speaking out against the outrageous Trump cabinet nominees along with those of us who are making almost daily phone calls to Senators or meeting with their staff people. That is called leadership! If they are doing those things they need to keep us informed so we can be part of the process.
I have gotten off track! I had intended in this post to review the cabinet appointees as they are a large part of my fear and anger. But I also want to encourage you to watch Robert Reich online each week day night at 8:00 pm. He bring us up to date with what is going on, actions we can take and in general tries to encourage us. Another great resource is Rogan's List. She is a former university librarian who researches during the day and them posts a list of actions that we can take. You can subscribe by going to http://roganslist.blogspot.com/.
Also join a Facebook group like Suit Up Maine where there are also actions that can be taken.
I encourage you to be active and engaged. I know it is discouraging and tiring but we cannot let up.
We can make a difference. Carry on bravely!
The Republicans are using Trump as a cover so they can do their dirty work behind the scenes and at night. They voted to do away with the Election Assistance Commission, "which helps states run elections and is the only federal agency charged with making sure voting machines can’t be hacked." ( The Nation, Feb. 2/7.2017 Ari Berman.) This makes it easier to steal elections. Can they do this on their own? It is bad enough that they have gerrymandered so many districts in their favor. It will make it doubly hard for Democrats to win over the Senate and especially the House.
Speaking of the Democrats! They are their own worst enemy. Are they waking up to the reality that they have served their corporate masters too long and have not represented us? I think they may be feeling the heat from all of the protests and phone calls, emails, petitions, etc. In retrospect they ran the wrong candidate. While I voted for Hillary she was a flawed candidate and the democrats were to stupid to see it. They have lost state houses, governorships, the senate, the house because they have not, in my opinion, kept in touch with the people.
Right now what are Maine democrats doing to keep the resistance going? We should be getting action items from the all the time. They should be actively looking for good candidates to run against Poliquin. We should be recruiting very good candidates to run for governor in 2018. They should be speaking out against the outrageous Trump cabinet nominees along with those of us who are making almost daily phone calls to Senators or meeting with their staff people. That is called leadership! If they are doing those things they need to keep us informed so we can be part of the process.
I have gotten off track! I had intended in this post to review the cabinet appointees as they are a large part of my fear and anger. But I also want to encourage you to watch Robert Reich online each week day night at 8:00 pm. He bring us up to date with what is going on, actions we can take and in general tries to encourage us. Another great resource is Rogan's List. She is a former university librarian who researches during the day and them posts a list of actions that we can take. You can subscribe by going to http://roganslist.blogspot.com/.
Also join a Facebook group like Suit Up Maine where there are also actions that can be taken.
I encourage you to be active and engaged. I know it is discouraging and tiring but we cannot let up.
We can make a difference. Carry on bravely!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Collins Chooses Party Over Public Education
In spite of thousands of calls and emails and letters from her Maine constituents and from people all over the country, she voted to move the nomination of Betsy DeVos to the full Senate. It really shows that she does not give a damn about what her Maine people think. DeVos has given large sums of money to five members of the HELP Committee. Those five should have recused themselves. They are Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, Timothy Scott and Todd Young. She has stated that when she donates money she expects some thing in return. So it is the old pay to play game.
In voting for DeVos Collins went along with DeVos' public education is "a deadend." She also must believe that Charter Schools are better than public schools. She advocates for the use of vouchers even for religious schools. She has no teaching or administrative experience. She was not asked about the Common Core or how she would handle racial inequity in education.
What really angers me is the fact the Susan Collins would vote to approve someone even when her constituents plead with her to do otherwise. Elected officials seem to forget that we pay their salary and the huge benefits that they have.
I suspect that she, Collins, will disappoint us again on other nominees. I will address some of them in another post. Even though we are angry and disappointed we must continue to call and make our positions known. It is easy to give up but we cannot let up.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Reviving My Blog!
It has been a long time since I have used this blog but I have decided that I need to be able to express myself in a format other than Facebook and Twitter. This will consist of opinions that I hold but will hopefully be based on facts. If any of you do not want to receive posts by email just let me know and I will remove you from the list. I will most likely post links to this blog on my Facebook page also.
I will probably post a couple of times a week but sometimes if events call for it I might post more frequently. Those of you who have been selected to receive posts by email were selected because we share many things in common and you are special to me and I value your opinions even if they differ from mine. So happy reading. Be well and be safe! More posts will arrive in the next few days.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Maine Senators and the President's Budget
I have not posted in a while as I have been so depressed and angry at the current state of politics in this country. The level of hatred that is exhibited towards our President is outrageous and, frankly in my opinion, totally inexcusable and very unpatriotic. I consider actions by John Boehner and Mitch McConnell and the forty seven senators that signed a letter to the Iranians treasonable and seditious. If the Democrats had done that to George Bush there would have been a hue and cry and all kinds of investigations. I am so disappointed in our government. I really do not trust many of our elected officials. What a sad state of affairs.
Well to the purpose of this post. I watched the news on WCSH TV last night when Senators King and Collins responded to the Presidents budget. First of all they both talked about the national debt. It is important to note that the programs the President is supporting are paid for by closing certain tax loopholes. That to me is very sensible. How can these two senators not support programs that will help many needy Maine families? I have written the following letter to Senator Collins. I will do a separate one for Senator King. The letter is below. I hope that I can urge many of you to write to them also. I know it feels as though it does not do any good but sitting on our hands does not accomplish anything either. So the eternal optimist that I am keeps on writing and making phone calls and hoping that others will do the same.
Dear Senator Collins,
As I watched your response to President Obama's budget on WCSH6 i was stunned to hear you mention the federal debt. Might I remind you that you helped create that debt by voting to fund two wars that were never paid for and for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest citizens. And also allowing the former President Bush to borrow or I should say steal money from the Social Security fund and never paid it back. President Reagan also did the same.
President Obama's budget pays for those programs by closing certain tax loopholes. I support that. I just paid my federal and state taxes and I am very angry that so many wealthy citizens and corporations pay less than I, a 78 year old woman, or that they pay nothing. I am sure that you can see the inequality in that. Everyone needs to pay their fair share It is time for Congress to close all the loopholes and subsidies that they have created.
I would urge you to think again and support the President's budget that addresses the needs of many Maine citizens as well as those around the country. If cuts need to made, make them from the military budget. We are spending too much money on the military and there is too much waste there. We spend more than nine other countries combined. That is pretty outrageous.
Please stand up for the people and try to overcome the extreme hatred of our President.
Sincerely,
Priscilla Payne
Well to the purpose of this post. I watched the news on WCSH TV last night when Senators King and Collins responded to the Presidents budget. First of all they both talked about the national debt. It is important to note that the programs the President is supporting are paid for by closing certain tax loopholes. That to me is very sensible. How can these two senators not support programs that will help many needy Maine families? I have written the following letter to Senator Collins. I will do a separate one for Senator King. The letter is below. I hope that I can urge many of you to write to them also. I know it feels as though it does not do any good but sitting on our hands does not accomplish anything either. So the eternal optimist that I am keeps on writing and making phone calls and hoping that others will do the same.
Dear Senator Collins,
As I watched your response to President Obama's budget on WCSH6 i was stunned to hear you mention the federal debt. Might I remind you that you helped create that debt by voting to fund two wars that were never paid for and for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest citizens. And also allowing the former President Bush to borrow or I should say steal money from the Social Security fund and never paid it back. President Reagan also did the same.
President Obama's budget pays for those programs by closing certain tax loopholes. I support that. I just paid my federal and state taxes and I am very angry that so many wealthy citizens and corporations pay less than I, a 78 year old woman, or that they pay nothing. I am sure that you can see the inequality in that. Everyone needs to pay their fair share It is time for Congress to close all the loopholes and subsidies that they have created.
I would urge you to think again and support the President's budget that addresses the needs of many Maine citizens as well as those around the country. If cuts need to made, make them from the military budget. We are spending too much money on the military and there is too much waste there. We spend more than nine other countries combined. That is pretty outrageous.
Please stand up for the people and try to overcome the extreme hatred of our President.
Sincerely,
Priscilla Payne
Monday, December 15, 2014
MORE OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL!
This is a letter that I have sent to Senators King and Collins. I wish there was some way that I could get other folks to do the same. We, the people, need to stand up and let our views be known. These people we have elected have a responsibility to us the citizens and not to their corporate donors.
Dear Senators King and Collins,
I am writing to let you know how disappointed and angry I am that you voted in favor of the 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill. That bill contains many things that are detrimental to our economy and to us as individuals Number one is the fact that the bill rolled back provisions in the Dodd-Frank bill that now allows the banks to gamble with taxpayer money. The use of risky derivatives could crash our economy again and we the taxpayers will have to bail them out!
Number two is the fact that now there will be even more money in politics since the cap on single donor contributions has been raised by a huge sum. The programs that would have benefitted regular people and the poor have been slashed again. WIC slashed 300 million dollars, food stamps slashed again, and allowing corporations to cut benefits for current employees of which I am one. Maybe we should slash your benefits! How would you like that? But then most of the people in Congress are so wealthy they do not care!
Provisions that take away the ability of the EPA to regulate and enforce the clean water act were also in that bill along with many other things that are harmful to out economy.
This bill was a give away to the the big banks, and corporations. I have decided that the only time you and other elected officials care about your constituents is when you are trying to get elected. Then you go to Washington and could care less about the general welfare of the people and the country as a whole. It is pretty bad when a bank like Citigroup gets to write the legislation for you. I suspect this is more often true than false.
I will try once again to have you listen (yes, i did call your office asking you to vote no on the spending bill and perhaps if enough had done so we could have had a better bill)as I urge you to vote against confirmation of Antonio Weiss for a top job in the Treasury Department. It is rumored that the company he works for, Lazard Financial Services, will give him a 20 million dollar bonus if confirmed. If this is true it is just a bigger sign of the corruption that has invaded Washington. Why would you want another person in the treasury who has been advising Burger King to avoid millions in tax dollars so they can move their business to Canada! Please do not vote to confirm him.
So you can tell that I am one angry and very disappointed constituent! Our country has lost most of the values that we were founded on Corruption is so rampant in our government that one does know who to trust anymore. It is a very sad situation.
Dear Senators King and Collins,
I am writing to let you know how disappointed and angry I am that you voted in favor of the 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill. That bill contains many things that are detrimental to our economy and to us as individuals Number one is the fact that the bill rolled back provisions in the Dodd-Frank bill that now allows the banks to gamble with taxpayer money. The use of risky derivatives could crash our economy again and we the taxpayers will have to bail them out!
Number two is the fact that now there will be even more money in politics since the cap on single donor contributions has been raised by a huge sum. The programs that would have benefitted regular people and the poor have been slashed again. WIC slashed 300 million dollars, food stamps slashed again, and allowing corporations to cut benefits for current employees of which I am one. Maybe we should slash your benefits! How would you like that? But then most of the people in Congress are so wealthy they do not care!
Provisions that take away the ability of the EPA to regulate and enforce the clean water act were also in that bill along with many other things that are harmful to out economy.
This bill was a give away to the the big banks, and corporations. I have decided that the only time you and other elected officials care about your constituents is when you are trying to get elected. Then you go to Washington and could care less about the general welfare of the people and the country as a whole. It is pretty bad when a bank like Citigroup gets to write the legislation for you. I suspect this is more often true than false.
I will try once again to have you listen (yes, i did call your office asking you to vote no on the spending bill and perhaps if enough had done so we could have had a better bill)as I urge you to vote against confirmation of Antonio Weiss for a top job in the Treasury Department. It is rumored that the company he works for, Lazard Financial Services, will give him a 20 million dollar bonus if confirmed. If this is true it is just a bigger sign of the corruption that has invaded Washington. Why would you want another person in the treasury who has been advising Burger King to avoid millions in tax dollars so they can move their business to Canada! Please do not vote to confirm him.
So you can tell that I am one angry and very disappointed constituent! Our country has lost most of the values that we were founded on Corruption is so rampant in our government that one does know who to trust anymore. It is a very sad situation.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL
This is a letter that I have sent to Senators Angus King and Susan Collins. I will also send it to Chellie Pingree. I called their offices but those folks who answer the phones do not know what is in a bill so no blame goes to them. I cannot believe that a spending bill had so many secret provisions added with no debate. All I can say is Thanks to Elizabeth Warren for giving a blistering speech about the roll back of provisions in the Dodd Frank bill.
Dear Senators King and Collins,
I am so angry and frustrated about some of the provisions in this spending bill. It is evident that the people of this country do not matter to Congress. All they care about is getting the big contributions from the big banks, corporations and big donors and the average person's voice is not heard. The heart and soul has been ripped out of our government by a corrupt Supreme Court and an equally corrupt Congress.
I am very concerned about the items that have been slipped into this bill such as the repeal of portions of the Dodd Frank bill that would protect the taxpayers against paying bail outs for risky bank behaviors. Also I am concerned about a provision that allows pension benefits to be cut for current retirees. Do you know what that would do to millions of seniors who are barely making it. Wealthy donors can now give more money to political candidates.
Then in the area of the environment there is a provision that the EPA cannot enforce parts of the clean water act. What kind of nonsense it that?
Safety??? Now truckers can now drive without adequate sleep. That endangers all of us on the road.
What are you people there in Washington about? It sure is not looking after the interests of the people who elected you! I am so disgusted and disheartened. Merry Christmas to the American people! What a gift. The only good thing is the government won't be shut down.
Priscilla Payne
Dear Senators King and Collins,
I am so angry and frustrated about some of the provisions in this spending bill. It is evident that the people of this country do not matter to Congress. All they care about is getting the big contributions from the big banks, corporations and big donors and the average person's voice is not heard. The heart and soul has been ripped out of our government by a corrupt Supreme Court and an equally corrupt Congress.
I am very concerned about the items that have been slipped into this bill such as the repeal of portions of the Dodd Frank bill that would protect the taxpayers against paying bail outs for risky bank behaviors. Also I am concerned about a provision that allows pension benefits to be cut for current retirees. Do you know what that would do to millions of seniors who are barely making it. Wealthy donors can now give more money to political candidates.
Then in the area of the environment there is a provision that the EPA cannot enforce parts of the clean water act. What kind of nonsense it that?
Safety??? Now truckers can now drive without adequate sleep. That endangers all of us on the road.
What are you people there in Washington about? It sure is not looking after the interests of the people who elected you! I am so disgusted and disheartened. Merry Christmas to the American people! What a gift. The only good thing is the government won't be shut down.
Priscilla Payne
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