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?
Do you remember September 11, 2001? Where were you and what were you doing when you heard of an airplane flying into one of the Twin Towers in New York? … . And when another plane flew into the second tower? … . And when you learned these were part of an even larger attack on the USA.?
It was an attack that proved more deadly than the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the USA into World War Two.
This infamous 9/11 assault was recently reawakened by the news that after almost 23 years, two of the men behind the attack are finally being sentenced for their crime. They will spend the rest of their lives in a high-security prison.
I remember September 11, 2001. My wife, Mary, and I saw a newscast of that first plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers while we were having breakfast at a motel near Charlotte, North Carolina. At that moment, no one there realized it was anything more than a horrible accident. We left the breakfast and the motel and drove on to Carowinds Amusement Park, none the wiser.
We arrived at Carowinds with our truckload of supplies and started setting up the stage you see in the top photograph above, along with other decorations scattered about the theme park. Our stage set became the main focus for Charlotte Pipe and Foundry’s celebration of their 100th anniversary. Later in the day, we learned that what we glimpsed on TV was part of a larger terrorist attack on buildings, lives, and morale in the USA.
At the time, there was the temptation for America to shut down, withdraw into cells of our own creation for protection, and start living imprisoned by fear of future attacks.
Mary and I were so pleased and proud of Charlotte Pipe owners for choosing to proceed with plans for their employees to gather, retell their great American story, and celebrate the American Dream that they had achieved as a family of workers over the previous one hundred years. Here is an excerpt from the “Thanksgiving Message 2001” delivered to the company employees at the stage event pictured above:
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 built a legacy of iron and plastic pipes and fittings that serve 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 pipes and fittings and 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. You have built a legacy that will positively influence the lives of all who come to know your story in the days, years, and centuries to come.
I believe that each of us now reading of their Great American Story might well aspire to have such things properly said of our lives, our service, our businesses, and our legacy. I believe we might all feel like singing along with Lee Greenwood (on the center stage projection screen in the photo at the top of this article): “I’m Proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.”
Their story and celebration of the last one hundred years of their lives in America stands out in my mind as a powerful rebuttal to those who attack America.
The question for you and me becomes, “What have we done? What will we do In our private lives, in our business lives, and in our public lives to build a foundation of integrity and a commitment to service worthy of the best of men, the best of families, the best of businesses, and the best of nations? That is, after all, a plausible path to have individuals, families, businesses, and nations around the world seek to emulate us rather than annihilate us. And, just maybe, have no more Pearl Harbor or 9/11 attacks.
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The Balloon Story
Meanwhile, let me continue the story of what we (My wife, our crew of a few other balloon professionals, our four daughters, and I) contributed as balloon decorators and event planners to this event.
My wife, Mary Queen Rouse, and I started planning with Charlotte Pipe staff more than 18 months in advance. (1) We planned the stage decorations, decorations for various sites around the park, and the balloon drop on the audience. (2) Mary arranged for the marching band to perform. (You will see them in the photo [tall white hats] at the foot of the stage.) (3) Mary arranged for Lee Greenwood to fly in and perform his song “Proud To Be An American.”/”God Bless The USA” (You will see a projection of him on the big screen over center stage along with one line from “Proud To Be An American.” (You can watch an official performance by Lee Greenwood of this moving song at Lee Greenwood – God Bless the USA (OFFICIAL) (youtube.com) (4) I wrote the keynote speech for the company’s Chief Executive to give to the employees and special guests. (You can read the speech, its story, and its optional variations (a sentence, a paragraph, a page, in five minutes, and an outline for fifteen minutes) in a separate post at this link https://rouseings.com/writings/thanksgiving-message-2001/
Special challenges came with the job, but we developed innovative solutions. We created new tools and techniques that remain available and unique in the balloon decorating industry even twenty-three years later.
September is hot here in the southeastern United States, and this event was outdoors. The stage and the audience were under a roof, but the seating area had no walls. Other venues for decorations in the amusement park were outdoors with no roof. Time was limited for set up. ( I know. I know. That part is almost always true.) We decided to build all the stage decorations with foil balloons. Their durability allowed us to prepare most of the stage balloons ahead of time and have some assurance that they would survive the summer heat at the event. They filled up a forty-foot tractor-trailer truck.
The trick to using the foil balloons was assembling and holding them into a nine-foot anniversary cake, two ten-foot corporate logos, two 20-foot side walls, a 40-foot American flag, and a 60-foot “Thanks For A Hundred Years” banner. The solutions were new, custom versions of Rouse Matrix Systems TM (RMSTM) now sold under a new branding, realGRIDZTM (Rouse-Expand-And-LoadGRIDZTM)
While we already had many variations of Rouse-expand-and-load balloon grids, the standard ones were honeycomb (hexagon-shaped) openings sized for either latex balloons inflated to 4″ or 8″ in diameter. Now, we needed openings sized to accommodate foil balloons of 9″ or 18″ before inflation, and we needed to keep those slick metallic balloons in place. I had done a few smaller projects with Matrix in those sizes. I decided to upgrade them with wider straps on the matrix and coated them with extra adhesive before loading the balloons. We experimented with loading techniques. The foil balloons require more care when loading. We preloaded especially sized panels of foil balloons into the trailer. We used fans to circulate air through the trailer to minimize the chance of overheating the balloons and exploding them before traveling to the event. Despite some bumps along the way, it all worked out to what you see in the top photo above.
[You can learn more about the “Super Builder,” as we call the realGRIDZTM for 18″ round foil balloons, at https://gridz.link/SuperBuilder . We also have realGRIDZ for the 9″ foil balloons available from https://GRIDZstore.com but only as a special order item. As far as I know, these are the only balloon grids designed specifically for round foil balloons.]
We did use latex balloons for the balloon drop and venue decorations. We waited as late as possible to inflate the balloons. We also underinflated them to give them more strength and to allow for heat expansion. Those projects also worked out. “Thank Goodness!”
TELL YOUR STORY – ASK YOUR QUESTIONS
Use the “Leave A Reply” section below to tell your story about 9/11/2001 or to express your opinion about what happened and what we might best do on a personal or national level to prevent a recurrence.
Or, you could tell us about a balloon project you had that had special circumstances or conditions to overcome or that was especially successful in fulfilling the event’s goals.
Or maybe some other things or questions that “9/11/2001 – A Balloon Story” stirs in your memory or imagination.
I would love to hear from you, and I expect many others would as well.
ENTRENCHED LIES VERSUS A PASSING FOG At the Presidential Debate #1 – June 27, 2024
Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden showed themselves to be the quality of candidate I want for my next president, at least not during their 90-minute debate on June 27, 2024. Yet, they are the options before us and will likely remain so.
DONALD TRUMP
Donald Trump spoke clearly and confidently but mostly reiterated his standard set of entrenched lies. I find this dishonest and unacceptable. There is the possibility that he is not “lying ” but actually believes the many untruths he spreads. In such a case, Trump would be even less acceptable as my president. I believe a Donald Trump detached from reality would be even more dangerous than one who simply lies to hide unpleasant or incriminating truths.
JOE BIDEN
Joe Biden spoke more honestly. However, he was plagued with sporadic incidents of “brain fog.” He recovered from them and went on. But, “What if they recur?” I believe he will recover from them and move on. There is the possibility, however, that, like dementia in Donald Trump, deterioration with age could eventually seriously impair Joe Biden.
Joe Biden did not consistently and persistently lie to us as Trump did. Neither was Biden out of touch with reality. He just had short, clearly identifiable incidents of “brain fog” that made it difficult to call up his thoughts for a few moments. This is manageable. The apparently pathological lying and/or demented detachment from reality exhibited by Donald Trump is not so easily managed or cured.
IN THE BALANCE
Neither candidate showed me the total package I want, but when it comes to a choice, there is no real contest. I much prefer a president with manageable, sporadic brain fog who is committed to the truth and backed up by a Vice President, a staff, and a political party loyal to the Constitution. The option of a president who may be in early dementia but is certainly committed to a host of lies and is backed up by a Vice President, a staff, and a political party loyal only to him (and to his entrenched lies) is dangerous and puts me in fear for our democracy.
EXAMPLE: “THE BIG LIE“
“The Big Lie” is Donald Trump’s persistent and deeply entrenched assertion that he won the Presidential election of 2020 but was cheated out of the presidency by illegal activities on the part of opponents. YET: (1) The largest number of convictions for taking illegal actions to affect the outcome of the election are against Trump supporters, not Trump opponents. (2) All 62 attempts by Trump supporters failed to prove in courts across various states that there were any voting irregularities that could have changed the outcome of the election. (3) High ranking supporters of Donald Trump in his own administration told him that he had lost in 2020 and that there was no substantial basis to deny Joe Biden’s victory. (4) If Donald Trump had full confidencein the truth of his assertions, he would likely have sued by now for many millions of dollars from media reporters, government officials, and wealthy public personalities who routinely refer to his assertions as the “big lie.” He has not dared to do so.
LET’S BE THE ONES
Let’s be the ones who share our opinions along with the evidence that informs and supports them.
Let’s also be the ones who listen to the opinions and evidence of others.
I have shared some of my opinions. Share some of yours in the “Leave a Reply.” section below.
STAINS & STARS FROM DONALD TRUMP’S “HUSH MONEY” TRIAL
WHAT WAS THE TRIAL ALL ABOUT? Donald Trump was convicted on May 30, 2024, of 34 felony counts of falsifying documents. The documents identified payments to Michael Cohen as being for “legal services.” The charges say the payments were actually reimbursements to Michael Cohen for $130,000 Cohen paid to Stormy Daniels on Oct. 27, 2016, for exclusive rights to her story about Donald Trump’s sexual affair with her.
The purpose of purchasing these exclusive rights was to gain control over the story so that it could be killed,
The importance of killing this story was to protect Donald Trump’s reputation in the last month of his 2016 campaign to become president of the USA. At that time, Trump’s reputation was in great need of protection
THE THREAT TO TRUMP’S ELECTION On October 7, 2016, The Washington Post published a video and article about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and television host Billy Bush having a lewd conversation about women in September 2005.
Wikipedia reports that during the conversation
Trump described his attempt to seduce a married woman and indicated he might start kissing a woman that he and Bush were about to meet.
He added, “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. … Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”[1]
The public and political backlash against Trump for these and other comments was swift, widespread, and seriously threatening to his candidacy for president.
There was the possibility that if the story of Trump’s infidelity with Stormy Daniels came out before the vote in November 2016, it would cost Trump the election.
As it was, the election was quite close. In fact, Donald Trump actually lost the popular vote for president. It might have taken only a little more negative press for him to lose the electoral vote and the presidency.
CORRUPTION All 12 of the jurors found Donal Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying those documents.
When Trump falsified financial documents to hide the truth about his sexual liaison with Stormy Daniels, it was “dishonest/fraudulent conduct by someone in power.” That is the very definition of corruption.
MISDEMEANOR VS. FELONY I understand that Donald Trump’s dishonesty regarding the financial records might have been classified as a misdemeanor rather than a felony in New York had his corruption covered up nothing more than little personal embarrassment. In this case, however, he used illegal means (falsifying financial documents) to cover up breaches of campaign finance and tax laws.
I understand that falsely claiming $130,000 as a business expense when it went to support a political campaign violates campaign finance laws, as well as tax laws.
Donald Trump’s corruption had potentially enormous consequences for the election in the USA and, through it, enormous consequences for the world at large.
It was like stealing the gold bullion used to back up the USA’s currency, compared to overcharging for an ounce of gold.
MOTIVATION VS EVIDENCE Many Trump supporters have complained that the charges were politically motivated and should, therefore, be dismissed regardless of their gravity. This argument ignores the more important question of whether the charges are true or not.
For instance, Trump supporters pursued the impeachment of President Joe Biden for corruption. Those charges were clearly politically motivated, yet Trump supporters pursued the charges aggressively despite their political motivation. That appears hypocritical, doesn’t it?
However, the biggest problem with the case against Biden was not the motivation behind the charges. It was the lack of evidence.
In Trump’s case, prosecutors did find convincing evidence of Trump’s corruption, presented it, and secured a unanimous conviction “beyond a reasonable doubt” on all 34 counts.
I believe that the unanimous conviction is more important than the political motivation of those who brought the case and more important than the political motivation of those who rail against the motivation of those who brought the case.
The exception might be if one’s motivation included criminal intent, but let’s give both sides the benefit of the doubt on that one for now.
UNFINISHED I understand there will be appeals of that verdict. That is a normal part of the legal process in the USA. It may even turn out that someone identifies errors in the proceedings serious enough to alter the final outcome.
DARK STAINS & GOLD STARS I believe, however, that no matter the final outcome,
(1) the fact of this trial, (2) the fact of the unanimous conviction, and (3) the fact of a legitimate appeals process will place both a dark stain and a gold star on the reputation of the USA.
The stain will be for corruption at the highest level of our government.
The star will be for holding that corruption accountable through a legal process based on evidence rather than mere speculative accusations.
LET’S BE THE ONES
Let each of us be among the ones who point out the stain of corruption by calling out dishonest/fraudulent conduct wherever it may be found.
Let each of us also be among the ones who are made worthy of gold stars by not lending our credibility to unsubstantiated accusations by others and by requiring solid proof before passing judgment ourselves.
HYPOCRISY OCCURS WHEN YOU ASK OTHERS TO LIVE UP TO A STANDARD YOU DO NOT LIVE UP TO YOURSELF.
DONALD TRUMP accuses the current administration of “weaponizing” the government, that is, using official government offices and programs against individuals and groups in inappropriate, biased, or even illegal ways. He argues that current government weaponization undermines his rights and stifles the reforms he believes could “Make America Great Again.” He speaks often against such practices.
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Donald Trump rightly demands that weaponization of government end, yet he proposes a new administration that would escalate rather than terminate government weaponization.
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His proposals would make weaponization easier and more tempting for the Chief Executive by confiscating power from the Judicial and Legislative branches for the Chief Executive’s use and benefit.
His proposals include the promotion of weaponization by example, that is, by using government weaponization himself.
EXAMPLES: In an article titled “How Far Would Trump Go” in Time Magazine on April 30, 2024, Eric Cortellessa reported on Donald Trump’s plans.
Donald Trump says he might be willing to fire a U.S. Attorney who doesn’t carry out his order to prosecute someone. (Donald Trump has publicly promised retribution on his enemies. Threatening to fire a US attorney for refusing to prosecute one of those enemies would be an apparent attempt to override the independence and authority of the Judicial Branch in favor of the Chief Executive.)
Donald Trump says he might be willing to use US military forces against undocumented immigrants. (This would be a clear weaponization of the Executive Branch since it would be contrary to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which removed the military from regular civil law enforcement)
Donald Trump’s close advisors say he would, at his personal discretion, withhold funds appropriated by Congress. (This could thwart the will of the legislative branch and weaponize funds by adding personal requirements to their release for use.)
Moves like these three may initially be wins for their sponsors. But suppose another candidate wins the 2024 election instead of him or maybe the election after that. These moves will give opponents examples and an excuse for even more severe weaponization of the government during their tenure. This cycle of escalating weaponization will erode the balance of powers in our government and move us ever closer toward the authoritarianism that many of our forefathers came here to escape and that our nation has kept at bay for nearly 250 years.
Weakening the checks and balances built into our form of democracy and weaponizing government against the will of the governed will not “Make America Great Again,” It could, however, “Make America Fail” as a democratic republic.
Let’s be the ones who GIVE UP HYPOCRISY and KEEP OUR DEMOCRACY. Let’s be the ones who de-weaponize government.
Let’s be the ones who stand up for the balance of powers in our government.
Let’s be the ones who stand against inappropriate, biased, or illegal applications of our laws against anyone.
Let’s be the ones who support representatives and leaders who will do the same in reality, not just in their speeches.
