I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate your enthusiasm in appointing cabinet officials who have shown you loyalty in the past. It is valuable to be surrounded by loyal staff. However, I believe it is equally, if not more, important to be counseled and represented by appointees who are also competent and trustworthy.
The recent fiasco regarding security failures related to USA attacks on enemies raises serious questions about the competence and trustworthiness of senior personnel among your appointees. Their failure to recognize details of a planned destructive and deadly assault on enemies as information worthy of Secret or Top Secret classification and failure to take appropriate security precautions in communicating that information suggests that they are incompetent to hold the high offices and responsibilities that they do.
If, by some stretch of imagination, they were aware of the highly sensitive and classified nature of the attack plans and you were willing to allow them this one “slip up”, I believe that lying (by stating and in some cases swearing) that the information was not classified breaks the bond of trust that I assume has existed between you and them.
I, like many others, do not believe in their competence or trustworthiness and believe they should be replaced.
I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate some of the goals you have set for your administration, including the effort to cut government costs.
However, I strongly oppose your plans to make significant cuts in employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Services for veterans like my son are already too slow and difficult to receive. Serious cuts in manpower to plan and provide those services will further delay their timely delivery.
I believe these cuts are a breach of promises made to America, generally and in particular to our sons and daughters who have served us in our armed forces.
I urge you to reconsider your strategy for reform and cost-cutting in Veterans Affairs.
Additionally, I call on my representatives in the House and Senate to oppose these cuts in Veterans Affairs.
Sincerely, Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate some of the goals you have set for your administration, including the effort to cut government costs.
However, I strongly oppose your plans to dismantle the Department of Education. I believe there are more effective ways to improve the department’s efficiency without causing such significant disruption. I fear that your approach may do more harm than good.
I urge you to reconsider your strategies for reform and cost-cutting.
Additionally, I call on my representatives in the House and Senate to oppose the dismantling of the Department of Education and to explore research and legislation that support less disruptive and more effective reforms.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have proposed some good goals for your administration, including cutting government costs. I recall, however, that you promised not to cut Social Security in the process.
I now see that you are working to break that promise by reducing the staff and the number of local offices that serve Social Security recipients like me. It already takes too long to reach a real person by phone at Social Security offices, and getting an appointment is much more difficult than that.
I understand that the rules proposed by your representatives will increase the number of us who must have appointments to get clearance to receive or maintain our benefits.
That is not my idea of Making America Great, at least not for senior citizens and those who will follow us, hoping to have a Greater America where Social Security is better rather than poorer in benefits and services when they retire.
Back off if you want to get votes in the midterms for Republicans from me and millions of others who are retired or expect to retire in the coming years.
Deporting violent criminal aliens is a good idea if you do it legally with appropriate due process.
Open Letter to the President #08 . . 3/18/2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have proposed some good goals for your administration, including deporting violent criminals who came here from other countries, but I believe that you are going about it in the wrong ways.
(1) Give persons accused of being violent criminals due process, including an opportunity to have competent legal representation to defend themselves and require substantial, trustworthy evidence against them before deporting them.
(2) Do not automatically assume guilt because of associations with those proven guilty. (Otherwise, you might be in jail now yourself for your association with persons convicted of crimes.)
(3) Do not make up artificial “wars” with other groups or countries so you can use “wartime” legislation to justify illegal actions.
(4) Definitely DO obey court orders! I realize that it is irritating to have the courts slow down the execution of your policies. You are right that they were not elected. It is not their job to support or oppose public policy. It is to make sure that public policy is carried out legally under our constitution.
(5) Find a legal way to fulfill your policy promises or go to Congress to change the laws. Do not pursue illegal alternatives.
Many millions of US citizens, including myself, are watching and are willing to seek your impeachment, conviction, and removal from office if you continue with illegal executive overreach.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
MISJUDGEMENT & OVERREACH Open Letter to the President #07 . . 3/17/2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, including cutting the cost of government, but I believe that you are going about it in the wrong ways.
(1) I believe that cutting down or cutting out our broadcast services that promote free speech, democracy, and the USA is a grave mistake. I believe these services are highly effective at promoting our interests abroad and bring us many benefits at very low cost. I believe these services do not constitute waste, fraud, or abuse. I am sure there is always room for improvement and that improvement should be pursued constantly. Firing 99% of good, effective employees and 99% of good, effective programs looks like an approach likely to produce much more harm than good.
(2) I understand that a large portion of these services were mandated by legislation with funding authorized by Congress and were signed into law. I understand that means Congress, not you or any other president, has the lawful authority to end those programs or their funding. If you carry out such breaches of the Constitutional role of the Legislative branch of government, then I believe you should be impeached, convicted, and removed from office, the same as I would recommend for a president from the Democratic, Independent, or “Other” political party.
I implore you to reconsider your approach, which I find rash, counterproductive, and illegal.
At the moment, my advice and request to my representatives in the House and Senate is to stand up against your actions to override their authority and responsibility in these matters. If you do not back down from your attempts to overreach your Constitutional role, then I advise and request that they lead a movement to impeach, convict, and remove you from office, the same as I would advise and request regarding any other president under similar circumstances.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Mr. President, I am writing to raise my concern about Elon Musk and the way he has been going about rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government.
If the concern you raised about important decisions in our government being made by unelected bureaucrats applies, then surely it is appropriate to raise concerns about important decisions in our government being made by an unelected billionaire.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Open Letter to President Trump #005 . . March 8, 2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, including seeking peace between Ukraine and Russia.
I do not agree, however, with your approach. I believe you have made grave mistakes by
(1) Belittling Ukraine and Zelenskyy,
(2) Flattering and expressing your trust in Putin,
(3) Taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the negotiating table,
(4) Offering to sacrifice Ukrainian territory,
(6) Declining to identify Putin as a dictator,
(7) Attributing responsibility for the war to Ukraine,
(8) Declining to identify Russia as the aggressor,
(9) Initiating negotiations with Russia without Ukrainian and European representatives participation,
(10) Making an outrageous and shameful display of American bullying of an important ally during your recent televised meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
(11) Doubling down on your expressed (but wrongful) portrayal of Zelenskyy as the disrespectful one in the conversation,
(12) Using your misrepresentations of Zelenskyy as a basis for withholding USA support for Ukraine,
(13) Alienating and threatening to desert allies around the world who are so important to our long term security.
It is clearly in our national interest to support the defense and success of Ukraine. Allowing them to fail will embolden not only Russia but also China, North Korea, and others who stand ready to exploit every weakness in the alliance of freedom-loving countries around the world.
Do not abandon Ukraine! Do not abandon Europe! Do not abandon Tiwan! Do not abandon other allies around the world! The hundreds of billions invested now may save us many trillions of dollars and millions of American lives later.
Mr. President, I watched and listened to your rousing speech at the recent joint session of Congress. Your projection of a great new golden era of prosperity for America is appealing.
However, what I am learning about your promotion of cryptocurrencies and related ideas gives serious pause to my trust in your actual intentions. Your involvement appears to guarantee personal profit for yourself by invoking (if not also directly involving) your office as President of the USA. I understand this as a clear example of corruption and find it unacceptable. Also, your reported approach and activities appear to guarantee that vast numbers of investors will lose. This reeks of betrayal of the trust of those who contributed to your election and wealth.
I would like to know if there is another explanation for your actions.
Meanwhile, I call on Congress and other watchdogs inside and outside government to investigate. If your actions prove to be as illegal as they appear, then I call upon Congress to impeach, convict, and remove you from office. If my concerns prove to be unfounded and wrong, then I will be relieved of my anxieties on these issues and offer my apologies.
IF IT WERE US facing an invasion instead of Ukraine, how would we respond? Open Letter to President Trump #003 . . March 3, 2025
Dear President Trump,
IF CHINA WERE ON OUR NORTHERN BORDER instead of Canada and they
1 – Repeatedly broke border agreements with the USA,
2 – Invaded the USA,
3 – Captured our states along the great lakes,
4 – Tortured and slaughtered USA citizens within those states,
5 – Claimed those states as their own,
6 – Shipped multitudes of our children off to China to be brought up as Cinese,
7 – Sent drones, missiles, and bombs attacking our major cities, infrastructure, and civilians all across the USA for three years,
8 – Claimed you were an illegitimate leader of a noncountry that belonged to China,
9 – Demanded that we not join in military alliances with our Mexican, South American, or European friends,
WOULD YOU trust their head of state to negotiate in good faith and honor any agreement made?
WOULD YOU sign on to have a supposed ally of ours from across an ocean negotiate on our behalf for peace when they
1 – Start negotiations without you? 2 – Claim that the war is your fault? 3- Assert that you are a dictator?
4- Propose that you sacrifice our captured states to the enemy?
5- Demand half of our most precious natural resources in payment for their services?
6- Then, shout you down in front of an international audience, proclaiming that your multitude of public expressions of gratitude are insufficient. You should now grovel in appreciation for this opportunity to be the world’s sacrifice to appease China and postpone World War Three?
I THINK NOT!
I and hundreds of millions of Americans would be ashamed of you if you did.
Do NOT ask NOR expect any self-respecting leader of a free and democratic nation to accept such things.
BE A LEADER worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, not a weak appeaser of tyranny. Stand up for Ukraine, NATO, and our other freedom-loving friends and allies around the world.
Open Letter to President Trump #002 . . Feb. 28, 2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, but you and Vice President Vance have made me ashamed of you both today in your televised meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
I am 82 years old, and I have never before seen such an outrageous and shameful display of disrespect and bullying by USA leaders of such a courageous man and ally as Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
He and his people are every day putting themselves on the front line of Democracy’s war not just with Puttin’s Russia, but the world’s ongoing assault against Democracy and Freedom. We are fortunate here in America to have such an ally serving the cause of our freedom and prosperity by bearing the brunt of the military aggression of Russia without involving the sacrifice of our people.
It is clearly in our national interest to support the defense and success of Ukraine. Allowing them to fail will embolden not only Russia but also China, North Korea, and others who stand ready to exploit every weakness in the alliance of freedom-loving countries around the world.
Do not abandon Ukraine! Do not abandon Europe! Do not abandon Tiwan! Do not abandon other allies around the world! The hundreds of billions invested now may save us many trillions of dollars and millions of American lives later.
If Trump’s actions (like the ten listed in my post “OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP”) persist, then Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, convicted, and removed from office.
We (the people of the USA) need and deserve a President (whether Republican, Democratic, Independent, or otherwise) that (1) tells the truth, (2) obeys our laws, (3) carries out the funding directives of the Legislature, (4) honors the decisions of our Judiciary, and (5) maintains the independent functioning of departments, agencies, and officials tasked with protecting the human rights, civil rights, health, welfare, education, security, etc. of our people. ……..
Trump and his administration are not doing that- quite the opposite, in fact!
Most of these independent entities/roles and their supporting funding and regulations were established by congressional action. If the president wants to change these entities/roles/etc, he must return to the legislature to request that they change those laws. The president has neither the right nor the authority under our Constitution to make these changes independently. Doing so are crimes that certainly qualify as impeachable offences worthy of conviction and removal from office.
When the president does these things, it puts him in the category of an authoritarian dictator rather than the president of a democratic republic. That might well be considered a form of treason.
I understand that many Republicans in our legislature are afraid of President Trump’s power, but he should be equally afraid of theirs. They can remove him from office.
The fact that President Trump is in the same party as the majority of legislators does not give him the right to steal authority from them by disobeying laws based on their legislation. The fact that the majority of legislators are in the same political party as the president does not relieve them of their oath to support and defend the Constitution, including maintaining the balance of powers among the branches of government.
What is the legislature really accomplishing if it sets the precedent of the legislature being subservient to presidents? It may seem OK now when their goals are generally aligned with the president’s, but as is wont to happen, the dominant party will change. Republicans will have contributed to the degradation of our democracy and seriously worsened the impact of their own loss. They will suffer under the whims of a new leader who does not hold their views and has the power to run right over theirs.
I call on all of our legislators to use your influence to stop our current president from overreaching his authority and disobeying our Constitution and laws. If not successful soon, then use your power to impeach, convict, and remove him from office.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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I shared my opinion. What is yours? Let us know in the reply section below.
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, but you have made me ashamed.
FOR:
(1) the many lies you have used to support your actions,
(2) the hypocrisy you have shown in railing against the weaponization of government only to do so yourself to the extreme,
(3) your abandonment of our allies in favor of supporting our enemy in the form of Putin’s Russia,
(4) your illegal, immoral, and impractical proposal to remove the citizens of Gaza and replace them with resorts;
(5) your use of a “Bull in a china shop” approach to cleaning out “waste, fraud, and abuse” in our government that results in more harm than good
(6) Your use of an un-elected MUSK-Wolf to clean out the rats and guard the hen house
(7) Your confiscation of legislative authority for your personal/administrative use
(8) Your disobedience of US laws and Judicial orders
(9) Your indiscriminate release of January 6 criminals
(10) Your initiation of tariff wars that seem more likely to raise the cost of living than to lower it.
Your margin of victory in the electoral vote was impressive. Congratulations! But in the popular vote, more people voted for other nominees than voted for you. Any mandate from the general population in America is quite small. Backlash from offenses like the ten I listed above could lead to a Democratic sweep in 2026 and 2028.
I know that is not what you want, but I believe that is where you are headed.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Each new administration claims a mandate to execute its policies. After all, they won, didn’t they?
But we have had (?#) recent (how many years/elections) elections in which the popular vote went one way and the electoral vote went another. The electoral vote certainly carries the day in our republic, but does it really carry any significant mandate when more people vote against the winning candidate than voted for him or her?
This year, Trump claims a significant mandate to execute his proposed policies, yet more people voted against him than voted for him.
I found a website that claims to show the official vote count from the 2024 presidential election. When you add it all up, it shows that the majority voted not for Trump but for someone else:
The total popular votes received by Kamala D. Harris, Donald J. Trump, and Others are as follows:
Kamala D. Harris: 48.32%
Donald J. Trump: 49.80%
Others: 1.88% (calculated as 100% – 48.32% – 49.80%)
I have not researched this yet, but news commentators have pointed out a pattern over a number of election cycles where one major party wins with a small margin of popular support. They start out assuming a significant mandate and go “gung-ho” forward with major policy changes, only to experience considerable backlash in the midterm elections and then lose the next presidential election.
It may be that the more extreme the policy changes, then the more extreme the backlash. We will surely see over the coming years because President Trump is starting with extreme policy changes at an extreme pace.
How do you feel? Are you “Gung Ho” for Trump’s aggressive policy changes? Would you like different ones? Or a different pace? What do you think about those already underway?
—- (1) our recent YEARS OF INFLATION WERE MADE INEVITABLE BY THE TRUMP/PENCE ADMISTRATION tax cuts and pandemic assistance programs.
—- (2) The BIDEN/HARRIS ADMINISTRATION ADDED TO THE SIZE OF THAT INFLATION with pandemic assistance programs of their own.
—- (3)RECOVERY FROM THE INFLATION WAS NOT INEVITABLE BUT WAS ACCOMPLISHED MASTERFULLY BY THE BIDEN/HARRIS ADMINISTRATION.
—- (4) LEADING ECONOMIC EXPERTS (INCLUDING NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING ECONOMISTS) ARE RIGHT IN THEIR ASSESSMENT THAT THE HARRIS/WALZ ECONOMIC PROPOSALS WILL BETTER SERVE THE USA THAN THOSE BY TRUMP/VANCE.
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A CLOSER LOOK
The Democratic Obama Administration passed on to Donald Trump a nation in excellent economic condition. Trump kept the public feeling good about the economy by cutting income taxes and spending trillions of dollars for COVID-19 pandemic assistance.
There are, however, negative consequences from putting all those tax dollars and pandemic assistance money into the hands of consumers.
(1) The government did not have the income to cover the expenditures. The Trump administration thereby added seven trillion dollars to our national debt. That is over $51,100 per person living in the USA. (What would the total befor just your immediate family?). That is a debt we citizens must repay, along with the accumulating interest.
(2) All this money flowing into the economy stimulated a growing demand for goods and services on which to spend the money. The demand continued to increase while COVID-19 restrictions caused a decline in the production and delivery of those goods and services.
“INCREASING DEMAND FOR A DECREASING SUPPLY“ is the perfect recipe for inflation.
The trump policies that made us all feel so good also made significant inflation inevitable for the next administration, whether Republican or Democratic.
That inevitable inflation arrived as predicted and worsened as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, and the new (Democratic) administration invested trillions of dollars more in pandemic assistance.
Inflation soared to 9%.
That was painful!
It was not as painful, however, as my life and millions of other lives would be now had Trump and Biden not invested heavily in fighting COVID-19 and in assisting me, my family, and many millions of others.
INFLATION was INEVITABLE! RECOVERY was NOT!
Sliding into inflation was easy. Recovering from it was a monumental challenge. The Biden/Harris administration pulled off that recovery masterfully. Inflation is down to less than 3% and is on track to reach the goal of 2% in the coming months without causing a recession. Employment is exceptionally high. Unemployment is exceptionally low. The stock market has reached all-time highs.
This accomplishment by the Biden/Harris administration convinces me that a Harris/Walz administration will carry forward the expertise necessary to outperform what a Trump/Vance administration would provide. That conviction is reinforced by the opinions of leading (and Nobel Prize-winning) economists who say that Harris’s proposed economic policies will be significantly better for the US economy.
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JOIN THE CONVERSATION
What do you think? Why? Let me and other readers hear from you in the “Leave A Reply” / “Submit Comment” section below.
When we last met in Rouseings’ “Election 2024,” I reviewed the first presidential debate. I felt neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden showed themselves as a match for the standard I am looking for in my next president. ……….. I believe we now have a better choice for president in Kamala Harris. I enthusiastically endorse and commend her to you as worthy of your vote.)
Kamala Harris :
I believe Kamala Harris will bring to the presidency — NOT ONLY valuable life experiences, a sound education, a wealth of knowledge, management skills, and executive expertise — BUT ALSO, …….. Empathy of Heart …….. Soundness of Mind …….. Energy of Youth …….. Strength of Character
Kamala Harris demonstrated to me her superiority as a candidate for president by quickly — UNIFYING the Democratic Party — INSPIRING nationwide enthusiasm — WINING her debate with Donald Trump
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD beyond the accomplishments of previous administrations, including her own under Joe Biden.
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARDto the flaws and failures of previous administrations, especially those of Donald Trump.
EXAMPLES:
Kamala Harris REFUSES to go BACKWARD toward Donald Trump’s widely reported practices (and in some cases, multimillion-dollar convictions for) fraud, sexual assault, slander, lying, bullying, bribing, bankruptcies, and just plain making up all sorts of untrue stuff on a whim.
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD by developing an “0pportunity Economy” focused on the middle class and spreading out from there.
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARD to Donald Trump’s policies of pandering to the elite with significant tax breaks while giving only small ones to the rest of us.
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD by strengthening alliances with allies in NATO and other pro-democratic nations.
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARDto Donald Trump’s policies, which would weaken those alliances and thereby weaken our national security.
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD toward a “green economy” as a necessary element in ameliorating the impact of climate change, developing new technologies, opening up new industries with new jobs, and securing a role for our country as a leader in saving planet Earth for human habitation for millennia to come.
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARD toward Donald Trump’s head-in-the-sand denial of climate change. Climate change is evident to everyone else who watches the news of increasingly frequent and extreme weather events worldwide and hears of the rapidly increasing loss of homes, lives, and livelihoods in the United States and around the world.
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD to the return of a woman’s freedom to choose the completion or termination of her pregnancy. I believe Kamala Harris will also LEAD our country FORWARD to maximize the number of women who choose to complete their pregnancy and give birth — By taking steps to minimize the occurrence of high-risk or unwanted pregnancies and — By increasing resources and options that reduce risks and maximize the likelihood of a good life for every child born in America, whether living with natural parents or surrogates.
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARD toward Donald Trump’s promotion of national, state, and local restrictions on the freedom of women to choose what happens to their bodies.
I believe Kamala Harris will LEAD our country FORWARD to significant (and legal) improvements in immigration management by following up and following through with bipartisan compromise legislation that provides the workforce and other resources to — Better secure the border against …….. Illegal immigrants …….. Drug smugglers …….. Human traffickers — Better and more quickly process applications for …….. Legal asylum …….. Legal immigration — Better and more promptly …….. Identify undocumented residents …….. Take actions related to their presence according to applicable laws
[ We could have made major strides toward this solution many months ago with compromise legislation agreed to by bipartisan leadership, except for Donald Trump’s phoned-in interference.]
I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARD toward Donald Trump’s proposals to illegally use military forces to round up, incarcerate, and deport millions of undocumented residents of the USA.(The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 makes it illegal to use our military against civilians in the USA.) I believe Kamala Harris will REFUSE to go BACKWARD toward — Donald Trump’s Untrue accusations against immigrants. (here are a few:) …….. They Eat pets (False: There is no evidence to support the claim & Local officials entirely deny it) …….. Large numbers come directly from prisons. (False: there is NO evidence to support this & relevant officials deny it.) …….. They cause significant increases in violent crime in the USA. (False: Official government records show immigrants are involved in fewer violent crimes per capita than citizens) …….. They will dilute our bloodline. (False: We are already a nation of immigrants. Very, very, very few Americans are full-blooded direct descendants of the native Americans that inhabited the lands of the USA for thousands of years before our forefathers arrived. …….. They are taking away many American jobs. (False: New immigrants have long come to America to fill primarily low-paying, manual labor jobs that residents did not want but need to be filled to sustain long-term residents’ living standards.
SUMMARY:
I believe in Kamala Harris’s — Empathy of Heart — Soundness of Mind — Energy of Youth — Strength of Character
I cannot honestly say the same about Donald Trump.
I believe Donald Trump accomplished some good things as president, but I do not trust him to put the interests of our nation above his personal interests.
He lies so often and freely that I dare not trust his words.
He constantly turns up the negative characterizations of his opponents (as well as of immigrants) to make them (the other half of our population) appear less and less human. He would thereby reduce his followers’ inhibitions against the use of violence to win victories over their neighbors for his own aggrandizement.
He turns so quickly and viciously on even staunch supporters and long-term allies who dain to disagree with him that I would not want to associate with him.
I understand and believe he has done things (like those listed below) that give me and you fair warning not to trust what he will do as well as not to trust what he says: — cheated on his wife — Stiffed (denied earned pay to) employees/contractors. — declared bankruptcy 6 times — used fraudulent information at least 34 times to avoid public embarrassment and/or to gain unearned financial advantages in his business transactions.
I believe this is not a person worthy of my trust/vote or yours as president of the United States of America. I believe Kamala Harris is.
What do you believe? And why do you believe it? Share your thoughts in the “Leave a Reply”/”Submit Comment” section below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you are among those who believe Donald Trump’s record on the economy earns him a “pass” on challenges of his character, be sure to come back for my next post in “Election 2024”.
This slice of pizza #MadeWithBalloons™ draws attention to a parable illustrating how competitors can help build YOUR balloon business.
OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Quite some years ago, I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Every once in a while, my wife and I went to a favorite local Italian restaurant. It was a little out of the way, and the prices were not cheap, but the food was great, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was a relaxing change from the hectic pace of our busy days.
WHAT ABOUT COMPETITION
On one occasion, I spoke to the manager to thank him for a wonderful evening and ask how business was since the new pizza chain had moved in down the road at the shopping mall.
“Business is very good!” he said.
“When I heard they were moving in, I was worried,” he told me, “but they have actually helped my business.”
He went on. “I knew they would have a larger advertising budget. They built in a more convenient location for drive-in traffic, and they get walk-in traffic from the mall that we never get. Plus, their prices are lower.”
“I think we have lost a few customers to them that used to be regulars, but they were ones that rarely spent much.”
THANKS TO THE COMPETITION
“Overall, our business is up, and I think we have the new pizza chain to thank for much of that increase. Their advertising, promotion, and visibility have stimulated increased demand for Italian food in our area. It would not surprise me if even sales of Italian food at the grocery stores have gone up.”
BEING THE BEST
“But, when it comes to Italian food, we have a bigger menu, a great chef, an excellent service staff, and a wonderful atmosphere in which diners can relax and enjoy the experience. If you don’t mind me boasting a little bit; ‘We are the best in town!'”
“Yes, you are,” I agreed.
“Thank you,” he replied. “And thank you for dining with us this evening. Do come again.”
“In fact,” he continued. “Take this gift card with you. Bring it with you when you return and enjoy wine with your dinner on us.”
“Thank you,” I said. “We’ll do that.”
And we did…. .. .
THE BEST SURVIVE & THRIVE
Has your small balloon business done well over the last years despite the shrinking economy, the entrance of large department stores and party store chains, and even grocery stores adding balloons to their offerings? Chances are that it has not been your low prices, great advertising budget, or high-traffic location that has pulled you through.
It is more likely that, like our favorite Italian restaurant, you are providing some significant added value for your customers. It is also likely that you have reaped the benefits of the “big boys” using their great advertising budget, high traffic location and low prices to promote balloons in the minds of a broader audience in your community.
If you don’t mind a little boasting, it is likely that “YOU are the best in town” at something meaningful for your balloon market. Maybe you are especially good at entertaining, decorating, sculpting, or producing walls, backdrops, or other graphics #MadeWithBalloons
AMATEURS
As Italian foods appear more frequently in advertising and in the news, it will be natural for the do-it-yourself amateurs to gather spaghetti and sauces and microwave dinners and serve them to family and friends. Some of these amateurs will never grace the doors of our favorite Italian restaurant. They will, however, spread their interest in Italian food to others who will become excellent prospects for our favorite dining spot
In a similar way, you can expect an upsurge in do-it-yourself balloon activity as your low-price competitors do their thing. Do not whine about it. Celebrate it. Nurture it. Help each amateur succeed in their small way as they spread an interest in balloons to others.
But, be sure to also show them the difference you can make for them and their friends, the difference of dealing with “The Best For Things MadeWithBalloons™.”
RAISING THE BAR
In the back of your mind, you may still be wondering about all this amateur activity. Will those amateurs begin doing for themselves some of the things that professionals do now?
Yes, they will.
The bar for professionals will be raised to reflect what consumers do for themselves and what professionals must do to get and keep the business of those same consumers.
BEING A PROFESSIONAL
You must take ordinary latex balloons that anyone can purchase locally and turn them into something special.
You must take those simple message balloons that are available everywhere and make them flatter the egos and satisfy the aesthetic tastes of senders and recipients.
You must take an ordinary birthday party and turn it into a memorable event.
You must inflate more than the balloons that fill a room.
You must inflate the imaginations and emotions of the people that fill that room.
When you do these things, it will help your business for consumers to have and use all those cheap latex balloons, all those simple message balloons, and even those new balloons and gadgets that are sure to come. Those amateurs will be spreading their interest in balloons and helping build a more significant balloon business for you because, in your market, you are
Are you a professional in your field? Do you reap benefits from encouraging awareness and interest in your specialty from the general public? What distinguishes you from the amateurs and other professionals in your market? Have you had incidents where encouraging amateurs has harmed your business rather than helping it?
Share your experiences and feedback in the “Leave A Reply” / “Submit A Comment” section below. We would love to hear from you.
Over many years, I read, watched, and listened to many motivational gurus before formulating the recipe for success that you see here. Thirty-two years later, I still refer to it and benefit from its advice. I hope you will, as well.
Yet, I remind you now, as I often remind myself, “No matter how memorable the words nor how wise the advice, remembering them, repeating them, and praising them is not enough. You only get full value from them when you actually use them.”
Most of us spend most of our Lives pursuing other people’s goals. As children, it seemed we were always trying to please parents, teachers, or friends and live up to their goals for us. Even as adults, most of our time is spent looking after our children to make them successful, earning money to pay for our family’s lifestyle goals, or striving to achieve company goals so we can keep our jobs.
It is good to help others. Even our own personal goals should benefit others as well as ourselves. Yet, no one ever becomes a success until they are in motion toward their own personal goals.
CHOOSE GOALS
big enough to excite you,
appealing enough to stir actions by you,
demanding enough to challenge you,
close enough to be attainable by you,
valuable enough to be worth the cost to you,
important enough to evoke persistence by you until you have attained them or replaced them.
Something stands between you and your goals, or you would have them already. What are those obstacles and roadblocks? Question: what is it that is keeping you from doing all the things you really want to do, from having all the things you really want to have, from becoming the kind of person you really want to be?
What will it take to overcome, get around, or remove those obstacles and roadblocks? How could you arrange to do what it will take? When could you arrange to do what it will take? Where could you arrange to do what it will take?
How much will it cost? Are you willing to pay the price? If not, then forget that goal and move on to another.
If yes, create a detailed, written plan. Break it down into small steps that allow you to take positive action toward your most important goals each day. Include a way to track your progress.
Every day, practice visualizing yourself as if you have already achieved your goals.
SEE IT
Practice seeing yourself doing the things you really want to do, using all the things you really want to have, and being the kind of person you really want to be.
SAY IT
Every day, practice talking out loud to yourself about your goals as if you already have achieved them.
FEEL IT
Then, practice feeling the way you want to feel when you do the things you want to do, when you use the things you want to have, and when you become the kind of person you really want to be. The more clearly, intensely, and frequently you visualize yourself as if you have already achieved your goals, the more surely and quickly you will achieve them!
At one time, you did not know a single word, much less how to speak, write a sentence or compose a thought. At one time, you could not crawl, much less walk, run, or drive a car.
You have succeeded again and again on your journey to where you are, and you will succeed again and again on your journey to where you want to be.
Remember each of your old successes. Picture each of your new successes as you will create them by unlocking more of your potential, exercising more of your powers, and executing each of the small steps in your plans. The more frequently and intensely you visualize each of these successes, the more quickly and surely you will be filled with indomitable self-confidence.
Once you have this kind of self-confidence, you cannot resist taking the actions that will get you to your goals.
With the other four steps firmly in place, your success is just a matter of time, a matter of taking one more step and then another and another, always moving closer to your most important goals.
It is normal to adjust and refine your goals over time, but do not be dissuaded from your mission simply because of difficult obstacles, well-intentioned opinions, or malicious actions directed at diverting you.
You have goals, plans, desires, and confidence. You need only persist one more day at a time to MAKE YOUR LIFE SHINE WITH SUCCESS!
Does this recipe for success make sense to you? Will you try it? Do you have a favorite recipe or saying or bible verse, etc., that you call up to help you keep yourself on the track to the future you want? What is it? Where did it come from? Are you satisfied with it?
Share some of your answers and questions about this “recipe” for success, as well as others you have encountered. Use the “Leave a Reply” section below.
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry had reason to be thankful and celebrate in September 2001. They had risen from a small family company in 1901 to an international leader in their field in 2001. They did it while upholding great American values.
Charlotte Pipe called on us (Rouse International) to help plan the event, decorate with balloons, and even prepare the keynote speech for the CEO.
The whole event, however, was threatened by the terrorist attacks just as we were setting up for the celebration on September 11, 2001,
Charlotte Pipe stood firm against terrorism by continuing with their celebration and by presenting this speech affirming their company’s values and their freedom in the USA to pursue success for another 100 years and beyond.
I prepared versions of the speech for (1) a sentence, (2) a paragraph, (3) a page, (4) five minutes, and (5) fifteen minutes.
THANKSGIVING MESSAGE 2001
IN A SENTENCE Seldom in history have so few done so much for so many as have you, the employees of Charlotte Pipe.
IN A PARAGRAPH Seldom in history have so few done so much for so many as have you, the employees of Charlotte Pipe.I am proud of you. I thank you. I am honored to be part of this family and this business as we celebrate the past 100 years and step forward to begin the next 100 years together.
IN A PAGE Seldom in history has one family of workers served so many, so well, for so long as have you, the employees of Charlotte Pipe.
You have made Charlotte Pipe the only business of its kind to survive and thrive one hundred years under continuous ownership in the United States. You have made us the only manufacturer in the world with a full line of both cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings. You have made this business grow from a beginning of 25 to a family of 1500 employees. You have built our service area from one county of Mecklenburg in the one state of North Carolina to all the counties of all the 50 states of all of America and beyond. You have grown our annual revenues from thousands to millions of dollars. You have changed our status from an out-of-place upstart in 1901 to a recognized world leader in our field in 2001.
You have built a legacy of iron and plastic that will last for generations by manufacturing pipe and fittings that will continue to serve the needs of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of families in their homes, in their workplaces, in their places of play, and in their houses of worship.
But you have also built a legacy more valuable than pipe and fittings, a legacy more lasting than iron and plastic. You have built a foundation of integrity and a commitment to service worthy of the best of men, the best of families, and the best of businesses.
On this foundation and with this commitment you have set an example in your personal lives, you have established a tradition in the life of this company, and you have built a legacy that will be a positive influence on the lives of all who know of you for as long as your story is told in the days, the years, and the centuries ahead.
I am proud of you. I thank you. I am honored to be part of this family and this business as we celebrate the past 100 years and step forward to begin the next 100 years, together.
IN 5 MINUTES Seldom in history has one family of workers served so many, so well, for so long as have you, the employees of Charlotte Pipe.I am proud of you. I thank you. I am honored to be part of this family and this business as we celebrate the past 100 years and step forward to begin the next 100 years, together.
You represent the fourth generation of this proud family of Charlotte Pipe employees.
As I look out in the audience today, however, I am reminded of your loyalty, steadfastness, and longevity. Many of you began working with Charlotte Pipe as part of our third generation, some of you as part of the second generation, and you are still with us today!
That is a phenomenal accomplishment in its own right, and it speaks so well about you, about Charlotte Pipe, and about your family of coworkers.
You have proven exceptional in your ability to serve and secure the loyalty of one another. But more than that, you have proven exceptional in your ability to serve and secure the loyalty of customers. You have made a marriage of our family to the family of our customers and made it last, sometimes for generations.
You have earned the respect and kept the business of these customers by making the best products humanly possible and by giving them the best service available anywhere. I see it every day in the way each of you perform your special job in your special way.
It is in the friendly voice of the telephone operator, the skill of the iron pourer and extruder operator, the accuracy of the typist, the reliability of the shipping department foreman, and the pride each of you takes in a job well done.
Your success, however, is not only measured by the quality of your work but also by its quantity.
The combination of your quality and your productivity has yielded a positive value, a profit for Charlotte Pipe. That profit has been reinvested time and again into this business to make it a better and safer place for you to work, to put at your fingertips the most advanced technology for doing your job, and to fulfill our responsibilities as stewards of the environment in which we all live.
Through your efforts, you have made Charlotte Pipe the only business of its kind to survive and thrive a hundred years under continuous ownership in the United States. You have made us the only manufacturer in the world with a full line of both cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings. You have made this business grow from a beginning of 25 to a family of 1,500 employees. You have built our service area from the one County of Mecklenburg in the one state of North Carolina to all the counties of all the 50 states of all of America and beyond. You have grown our annual revenues from thousands to millions of dollars. You have changed our status from an out-of-place upstart in 1901 to a recognized world leader in our field in 2001.
Even if Charlotte Pike were to close today, you would already have built a legacy of iron and plastic that will last for generations. You would have built pipes and fittings that will continue for decades on end to serve the needs of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of families in their homes, workplaces, places of play, and houses of worship.
But you have also built a legacy more valuable than pipe and fittings, a legacy more lasting than iron and plastic. You have built a foundation of integrity and a commitment to service worthy of the best men, the best families, and the best businesses.
On this foundation and with this commitment, you have set an example in your personal lives, established a tradition in the life of this company, and built a legacy that will be a positive influence on the lives of all who know you for as long as your story is told in the days, years, and centuries ahead.
But Charlotte Pipe will not close today. In fact, if we keep people of your quality associated with Charlotte Pipe, then I fully expect this family of workers and this business to continue for at least another 100 years, maybe even into the next millennium.
So, as I conclude, let me say again, “Seldom in history has one family of workers served so many, so well, for so long as have you, the employees of Charlotte Pipe. I am proud of you. I thank you. I am honored to be part of this family and this business as we celebrate the past 100 years and step forward to begin the next 100 years together.”
IN 15 MINUTES I have not included the 15-minute version in ROUSEings.com. It is basically the 5-minute version, along with suggestions for places to insert data, illustrative examples, company milestones, and recognitions of outstanding employees and their accomplishments.
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I believe that each of us now reading of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry might well aspire to have such things properly said of our lives, our service, our businesses, and our legacy. It leaves us with the question of what we might do to fulfill our potential to be worthy…… … .
Share your thoughts in the “Leave A Reply” section below……….. How would you summarize your current Thanksgiving Message/Story in a sentence, a paragraph, a page, five minutes, or more? In what ways would you like it to change over the years, decades, or centuries ahead? What “Great American Business Stories” do you know that inform and inspire you?
I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate your enthusiasm in appointing cabinet officials who have shown you loyalty in the past. It is valuable to be surrounded by loyal staff. However, I believe it is equally, if not more, important to be counseled and represented by appointees who are also competent and trustworthy.
The recent fiasco regarding security failures related to USA attacks on enemies raises serious questions about the competence and trustworthiness of senior personnel among your appointees. Their failure to recognize details of a planned destructive and deadly assault on enemies as information worthy of Secret or Top Secret classification and failure to take appropriate security precautions in communicating that information suggests that they are incompetent to hold the high offices and responsibilities that they do.
If, by some stretch of imagination, they were aware of the highly sensitive and classified nature of the attack plans and you were willing to allow them this one “slip up”, I believe that lying (by stating and in some cases swearing) that the information was not classified breaks the bond of trust that I assume has existed between you and them.
I, like many others, do not believe in their competence or trustworthiness and believe they should be replaced.
I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate some of the goals you have set for your administration, including the effort to cut government costs.
However, I strongly oppose your plans to make significant cuts in employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Services for veterans like my son are already too slow and difficult to receive. Serious cuts in manpower to plan and provide those services will further delay their timely delivery.
I believe these cuts are a breach of promises made to America, generally and in particular to our sons and daughters who have served us in our armed forces.
I urge you to reconsider your strategy for reform and cost-cutting in Veterans Affairs.
Additionally, I call on my representatives in the House and Senate to oppose these cuts in Veterans Affairs.
Sincerely, Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
I am a registered Republican from South Carolina. I appreciate some of the goals you have set for your administration, including the effort to cut government costs.
However, I strongly oppose your plans to dismantle the Department of Education. I believe there are more effective ways to improve the department’s efficiency without causing such significant disruption. I fear that your approach may do more harm than good.
I urge you to reconsider your strategies for reform and cost-cutting.
Additionally, I call on my representatives in the House and Senate to oppose the dismantling of the Department of Education and to explore research and legislation that support less disruptive and more effective reforms.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have proposed some good goals for your administration, including cutting government costs. I recall, however, that you promised not to cut Social Security in the process.
I now see that you are working to break that promise by reducing the staff and the number of local offices that serve Social Security recipients like me. It already takes too long to reach a real person by phone at Social Security offices, and getting an appointment is much more difficult than that.
I understand that the rules proposed by your representatives will increase the number of us who must have appointments to get clearance to receive or maintain our benefits.
That is not my idea of Making America Great, at least not for senior citizens and those who will follow us, hoping to have a Greater America where Social Security is better rather than poorer in benefits and services when they retire.
Back off if you want to get votes in the midterms for Republicans from me and millions of others who are retired or expect to retire in the coming years.
Deporting violent criminal aliens is a good idea if you do it legally with appropriate due process.
Open Letter to the President #08 . . 3/18/2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have proposed some good goals for your administration, including deporting violent criminals who came here from other countries, but I believe that you are going about it in the wrong ways.
(1) Give persons accused of being violent criminals due process, including an opportunity to have competent legal representation to defend themselves and require substantial, trustworthy evidence against them before deporting them.
(2) Do not automatically assume guilt because of associations with those proven guilty. (Otherwise, you might be in jail now yourself for your association with persons convicted of crimes.)
(3) Do not make up artificial “wars” with other groups or countries so you can use “wartime” legislation to justify illegal actions.
(4) Definitely DO obey court orders! I realize that it is irritating to have the courts slow down the execution of your policies. You are right that they were not elected. It is not their job to support or oppose public policy. It is to make sure that public policy is carried out legally under our constitution.
(5) Find a legal way to fulfill your policy promises or go to Congress to change the laws. Do not pursue illegal alternatives.
Many millions of US citizens, including myself, are watching and are willing to seek your impeachment, conviction, and removal from office if you continue with illegal executive overreach.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
MISJUDGEMENT & OVERREACH Open Letter to the President #07 . . 3/17/2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, including cutting the cost of government, but I believe that you are going about it in the wrong ways.
(1) I believe that cutting down or cutting out our broadcast services that promote free speech, democracy, and the USA is a grave mistake. I believe these services are highly effective at promoting our interests abroad and bring us many benefits at very low cost. I believe these services do not constitute waste, fraud, or abuse. I am sure there is always room for improvement and that improvement should be pursued constantly. Firing 99% of good, effective employees and 99% of good, effective programs looks like an approach likely to produce much more harm than good.
(2) I understand that a large portion of these services were mandated by legislation with funding authorized by Congress and were signed into law. I understand that means Congress, not you or any other president, has the lawful authority to end those programs or their funding. If you carry out such breaches of the Constitutional role of the Legislative branch of government, then I believe you should be impeached, convicted, and removed from office, the same as I would recommend for a president from the Democratic, Independent, or “Other” political party.
I implore you to reconsider your approach, which I find rash, counterproductive, and illegal.
At the moment, my advice and request to my representatives in the House and Senate is to stand up against your actions to override their authority and responsibility in these matters. If you do not back down from your attempts to overreach your Constitutional role, then I advise and request that they lead a movement to impeach, convict, and remove you from office, the same as I would advise and request regarding any other president under similar circumstances.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Mr. President, I am writing to raise my concern about Elon Musk and the way he has been going about rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government.
If the concern you raised about important decisions in our government being made by unelected bureaucrats applies, then surely it is appropriate to raise concerns about important decisions in our government being made by an unelected billionaire.
Graham Rouse gmr@RouseTECH.com
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If you (my readers) would like to write the White House to express your opinions, you may do so at this link:
Open Letter to President Trump #005 . . March 8, 2025
Mr. President, I am a registered Republican in South Carolina. You have espoused some good goals for your administration, including seeking peace between Ukraine and Russia.
I do not agree, however, with your approach. I believe you have made grave mistakes by
(1) Belittling Ukraine and Zelenskyy,
(2) Flattering and expressing your trust in Putin,
(3) Taking NATO membership for Ukraine off the negotiating table,
(4) Offering to sacrifice Ukrainian territory,
(6) Declining to identify Putin as a dictator,
(7) Attributing responsibility for the war to Ukraine,
(8) Declining to identify Russia as the aggressor,
(9) Initiating negotiations with Russia without Ukrainian and European representatives participation,
(10) Making an outrageous and shameful display of American bullying of an important ally during your recent televised meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
(11) Doubling down on your expressed (but wrongful) portrayal of Zelenskyy as the disrespectful one in the conversation,
(12) Using your misrepresentations of Zelenskyy as a basis for withholding USA support for Ukraine,
(13) Alienating and threatening to desert allies around the world who are so important to our long term security.
It is clearly in our national interest to support the defense and success of Ukraine. Allowing them to fail will embolden not only Russia but also China, North Korea, and others who stand ready to exploit every weakness in the alliance of freedom-loving countries around the world.
Do not abandon Ukraine! Do not abandon Europe! Do not abandon Tiwan! Do not abandon other allies around the world! The hundreds of billions invested now may save us many trillions of dollars and millions of American lives later.
Mr. President, I watched and listened to your rousing speech at the recent joint session of Congress. Your projection of a great new golden era of prosperity for America is appealing.
However, what I am learning about your promotion of cryptocurrencies and related ideas gives serious pause to my trust in your actual intentions. Your involvement appears to guarantee personal profit for yourself by invoking (if not also directly involving) your office as President of the USA. I understand this as a clear example of corruption and find it unacceptable. Also, your reported approach and activities appear to guarantee that vast numbers of investors will lose. This reeks of betrayal of the trust of those who contributed to your election and wealth.
I would like to know if there is another explanation for your actions.
Meanwhile, I call on Congress and other watchdogs inside and outside government to investigate. If your actions prove to be as illegal as they appear, then I call upon Congress to impeach, convict, and remove you from office. If my concerns prove to be unfounded and wrong, then I will be relieved of my anxieties on these issues and offer my apologies.
