The Burger King Tells Whoppers.

Whopping Liar

Painful as it was, I watched all of Trump's State of the Union speech last night.  Actually it was more like an end of year wrap up of his proudest moments and lies.

I never watched the Apprentice, but he does have a talent for acting like he cares about people.  He gave awards to some people who deserve the attention and he shared the stories of people who have endured terrible losses.  Of course he didn't really care about any of these people.  He just wanted to use their stories to bolster his self-image and pretend to show how much he cares about them.  Trump has repeatedly shown that empathy is not an emotion he understands.  These people were just props for him.

He again claimed that tariffs are great and that foreign countries pay for tariffs.   He said he liked tariffs because he could use them to make other countries do what he wants them to do, they bring manufacturing jobs back into the U.S. and they raise a lot of money.  He even said that someday tariffs could replace income taxes. 

But two of his tariff goals are contradictory.  The more manufacturing that occurs in the U.S. rather than a foreign country, the less revenue generated by tariffs.  Imported manufactured goods generate tariff income.  Without an income tax those same goods made by workers in U.S. factories do not generate any tax revenue.

As would be expected, Trump lied continuously and outrageously.  If he is talking he is lying, so in a speech that lasted an hour and forty seven minutes he could spew a lot of lies. 

And the burger king tells whoppers.

Trump's OBBB Is Bad

The devil is in the details

Trump and MAGA Republicans (aka magettes) are trying to destroy America.  Trump's OBBB (One Bodaciously Bad Bill) that was just passed is proof.  I'm sure there are some good things in the bill, but from what we know now the harm this bill will generate will far out weigh whatever good it creates.

The bad things I've heard about include the number of people who will lose health care.  This not only hurts these people. The cuts will hurt health care in areas that depend on Medicare and Medicaid dollars.  There will also be a massive transfer of costs to the states.  Either state taxes will go up or other state priorities will be cut.  Missouri's governor is already cutting items from the state's budget to be prepared for the expected increased state costs caused by Trump's OBBB.  And he is a Republican!

Trump's OBBB cuts support of renewable energy sources.  Trump just said he wants to double electric energy creation in the US.  This is mainly because of the massive energy demands of AI (and crypto).  The fastest, cheapest, cleanest way to increase electricity production is to use renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.  So cutting support of renewable sources will make rapid increases of electricity more difficult.

China is loving Trump's OBBB.  This will make it easier for China to win the race to become the world's AI leader.

While Trump's OBBB decreases support for renewable energy it increases support for dirty energy like coal.  If you like hot summers, large wild fires, powerful hurricanes, lots of big tornadoes and massive floods then Trump's OBBB was made for you.

Trump's OBBB has lots of money for border security.  It will make ICE the single largest federal law enforcement agency.  Think about that when you hear stories about how ICE treats people they detain.  I didn't say arrest because many of the people they put into ICE detention facilities and move or try to move around the country and the world have no arrest warrants.  If you think you are safe because you are a citizen or because you have a legal status to be in the US, you are naive.

The timing of the fiscal effects of Trump's OBBB are interesting.  The parts that benefit the lower ends of the income scale are implemented quickly.  The parts that harm the lower ends of the income scale are delayed until after the mid-term election.  This should tell you who to trust and it is not Trump and his magettes.

This is, as Trump is happy to tell you, a very big bill.  We are going to hear a lot more about hidden items in the bill.  You are going to frequently hear "I didn't know that was in the bill" from politicians, including Trump.  That will be another clue about how bad this bill really is for America. The devil is in the details.

Has Trump Done Anything Right?

Donald Trump is completely incompetent.  If he does something presidential it was probably an accident.  I really believe he is trying to destroy the country although I can't figure out why other than his personal and mental deficiencies.

Below is a list of issues where I disagree with what he is doing.  Some represent failures to honor his presidential oath, others are just illegal, some are flagrant corruption.  Many are just the result of his outrageous stupidity and ignorance.  Some are all four. 

• Incessant lying to confuse all the unpresidential actions the administration is taking. Trump lies about everything.  He lies constantly.  Add to that he can't keep his mouth shut if he thinks he can make himself look good.  This includes spilling  national security issues. 
•  The rule of law is ignored.  Due process is ignored.  Laws that Trump doesn't like are ignored.
• Disdain for the separation of powers as defined in the Constitution.
• Coercion is used to effectively neuter congressional oversight.
• Courts and judges are insulted and abused.  Judicial orders are ignored. 
• Politicization of historically independent agencies like the Department of Justice and the FBI. 
• Executive actions are often invoked to inflict pain and damage on individuals, political enemies, businesses, institutions (independent, public and private).
• Willful cruelty has become a political tool and in some cases, a policy. 
• Willful ignorance as to what made this country the "leader of the free world" and how his actions are diminishing our standing in the world.
• Disrespecting and punishing allies who are not sufficiently obsequious.
• Failure to understand that are allies are part of what make us the most powerful country.  At least we were the most powerful country.  Trump may change that. 
• Putting clearly unqualified people into important positions. 
• DOGE: Every administration is expected to fight waste, fraud and abuse.  They will try to delete, remove or improve the actions of previous administrations, but DOGE seemed like more of an attempt to destroy departments, agencies and civil service employees for no apparent reasons except maybe retribution or spite.  
• Lack of support for Ukraine.
• Reverence for authoritarians. 
• Politicization of the military.  The military is just another tool to protect himself or increase his power.
• Use of the active military for domestic police activities. 
• Politicization of the federal civil service work force. 
• His war on DEI.  His lack of respect for historical individuals and institutions that have helped to make this county great. 
• Denigrating the military service of women. 
• Removal of protections for LGBTQ+ people.  Banning trans individuals from the military.  
• His war on trans individuals, especially trans children and their families. Life can be hard enough for these people without Trump using them as political tools.
• Rewarding MAGA states, sycophants and supporters while punishing political opponents, liberals and blue states.
• Renaming military institutions to honor Confederate soldiers and politicians. 
• Rolling back protections for the environment.   Actions to increase fossil fuel production which includes opening formerly protected federal lands.  Reducing pollution controls on coal fired energy plants.
• Relying on extortion as his primary negotiation strategy.  He is not good negotiator.  He is a bully. 
• Destruction of USAID.
• Dismantling the Department of Education.
• Dismembering agencies like FAA, FDA, NIH, CDC...  
• Disdain for scientific research.  Casual destruction of research which could take years to restart.
• Ignorance of basic scientific facts and a refusal to listen to people who could help him understand these issues.   I think he hates scientists because they obviously know more than he does about their areas of expertise.
• Oblivious to the harm his rash actions cause. 
• Destroying ongoing research in many areas of study. 
• Attacks on the freedom of the press and attacks/de-funding of PBS, NPR, CPB, Voice of America and related communication agencies that promote democracy and truthful reporting around the world. 
• Tariffs.
• Disrespecting and punishing allies who are not sufficiently obsequious. 
• Attacks against out allies. Especially the bullying of  Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Panama, Europe, NATO, etc.
• Border and immigration issues.  What started as a policy to deport illegal immigrants who had committed serious crimes became actions to roundup and deport many non-citizens for no apparent reasons.  People who are here legally were also caught up in their lawlessness.  Some were arrested without warning by people who were not clearly identifiable as legal officers of the government, forced into vehicles with nothing that identified them as official vehicles and then they were moved around the country and out of the country to prevent them from getting the legal support they were entitled to. 
• Attacks on higher education.  Our higher education institutions were the envy of the world.  Trump wants to destroy them or make them subservient to the administration.  Especially Harvard which Trump clearly wants to destroy. 
• Measures were taken to intimidate foreign students in the U.S. to force them to leave the country.  That is so stupid.
• Corruption.  Using his position as president to enrich himself, his family and key supporters.
• Meme Coins.
• Special rewards for  people who buy large amounts of Trump's meme coin.
• The Qatari luxury jet.
• Openly selling presidential access. 
• Trumps relatives and friends making money off of their relation to him.
• Trump's eagerness to financially hurt working people so he can reward the rich.  
• Pardons of the January 6th rioters and other pardons seemingly to help Trump supporters. 
• Despite his outrageous boasting, Trump realizes he is not the smartest and most knowledgeable person.  Many of his actions are attempts to hide his very, very low self esteem.  This mental anguish is so debilitating he spends a great deal of effort trying to make other people convince him he is really great.  His desire for to remake the rose garden, add big flag poles around the White House, win a Nobel Prize, have his bust added to Mount Rushmore, put his picture up in multiple places in the White House, get his own opulent Air Force One are all examples of desire to cement his historical legacy and make him feel important.  It would all be very sad if his mental deficiencies were not hurting all of us. 

I will add more issues as I identify them.  Trump is obviously proud of his ability to break all the laws, rules and norms he can so we can all expect more outrageous acts. Please comment on any issues I've missed.

Trump's Conflicting Easter Messages

Donald Trump issued a traditional Easter Message today.  Please read it if you like, but it is basically the usual type of message we would expect from a president for Easter.  

Below is another Easter Message from him on Truth Social.  This is from an Irish Star article (this link also contains the traditional Easter Message).

"Happy Easter to all, including the Radical Left Lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring Murderers, Drug Lords, Dangerous Prisoners, the Mentally Insane, and well known MS-13 Gang Members and Wife Beaters, back into our Country."

"Happy Easter also to the WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Judges and Law Enforcement Officials who are allowing this sinister attack on our Nation to continue, an attack so violent that it will never be forgotten!"  

"Sleepy Joe Biden purposefully allowed Millions of CRIMINALS to enter our Country, totally unvetted and unchecked, through an Open Borders Policy that will go down in history as the single most calamitous act ever perpetrated upon America.   He was, by far, our WORST and most Incompetent President, a man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing."

"But to him, and to the person that ran and manipulated the Auto Pen (perhaps our REAL President!), and to all of the people who CHEATED in the 2020 Presidential Election in order to get this highly destructive Moron Elected, I wish you, with great love, sincerity, and affection, a very Happy Easter!!!" 

Which one do you think Trump wrote?

MAGA Voters Need A Reality Check

When Democratic voters became aware of the effects of aging on President Biden, they encouraged him to reconsider his candidacy.  His accomplishments in office and his unselfish act of withdrawing from the campaign will cement his legacy as a great president.

For anyone outside the MAGA bubble, the decline of Donald Trump's mental competency and his failing grip on reality is obvious.  Trump's current poll numbers show that those inside the bubble either never see any of his outrageous comments or they really do not understand or care about the damage he proposes to inflict on the country or his political opponents.  

One of the responsibilities of being a citizen is that you be an informed voter.  That means you should search for information outside of media and information sources that tailor their product to a specific population to gain economic benefits or shape opinions.

Facts about his outrageous behavior surrounding January 6, 2020 are easy to find.  Examples of flagrant and continuous lying are everywhere.  If you can't find any, just wait.  He happily generates new ones everyday.

MAGA voters, you need a reality check and as a responsible voter it is on you to make that happen.

After the fact apologies that you didn't know or didn't believe he would be that bad will not cut it.

President Trump's Troubling Projection

 There are several things we know about President Trump.  

 He seldom tells the truth.  The more impassioned he is about an issue, the more likely it involves a lie.

He has mental health issues.  He is a narcissist and is very insecure. One of his coping mechanism is to project what he believes are his issues and weaknesses onto others.

It is therefore very troubling that President Trump has, without any proof, accused Joe Biden of taking drugs to sharpen his public speaking.

We need to watch how often President Trump makes this baseless claim.

Rehabilitating Michael Flynn

Republicans are once again trying to warp reality to excuse President Trump's delusions.

President Trump and Republicans are outraged over the unjust treatment of former National Security Advisor, former general Michael Flynn by Obama's FBI. They have Attorney General Barr's dismissing of the prosecution of Flynn as proof that Flynn was mistreated and set-up by the FBI.

This story is more long and more involved then can be discussed here, but I'm dismayed by several things.

What should the FBI have done when they found the Russian's had tried to interfere with our elections? Factor in the public appeals by Trump for Russia to provide him help, the unusual and considerable number of contacts between the campaign and Russia and the overwhelming electronic proof that the Russians were helping Trump. I would be outraged if they hadn't opened an investigation, including the actions of Flynn. If the investigation spiraled out of control, and I don't think it did, it is was certainly in part because there clearly was a lot to investigate and involved people at the highest levels of our government.

But what now bothers me about the rehabilitation of Flynn is the attempt to completely forget the basic facts.

Flynn had contact with the Russian ambassador and then lied about it to the FBI and Vice-President Pence. President Trump cited these lies when he fired Flynn. And then to make it worse, Flynn lied to federal prosecutors and a federal judge.

When Flynn denied his contact with the ambassador, one group knew for sure he was not telling the truth, the Russians. This is a classic example of how to turn a person into a spy. The Russians could then go to Flynn and say something like, “We know you lied about having secret contacts with us. We won't tell anyone about this, but we could use a favor.”. And then they ask for some small favor. They do this a few more times with the requests being more significant each time. It becomes harder and harder for Flynn to say no. At some point they have enough evidence that, if released, would cause Flynn to be locked up forever. Then what would they expect the National Security Advisor to do for them?

If Flynn is so innocent, why did he repeatedly lie?

Who knows, the Russians may have more damaging information about Flynn that we don't know about . If they do, would they hesitate to use it to coerce him? And yet President Trump and Vice-President Pence say they would be open to hiring Flynn again. Really?

The FBI was right to be concerned about these guys. I certainly am.

We Need A Trump Truth Emoji

Since it is hard to know when Donald Trump is telling the truth, how about a new emoji?

What about a new emoji just for Donald that means "I double down promise this is what I think I believe until it is inconvenient or I get some facts".


I know that is not much of a promise, but it is more than we get now.

What should it look like?

How about a miniature Presidential Seal?  Maybe that would give him pause before he makes outlandish statements.

Forget that.  What was I thinking?

When Is A Campaign Promise Real?

So Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's former campaign manager believes that voters didn't take everything Donald Trump said on the campaign trail literally.

Given Trump's history and his statements after the election, it seems neither did Donald Trump.

Even today KellyAnne Conway still cited a long list of campaign promises she says resonated with voters and claimed those promises are why Donald Trump won.

How does she know which statements he said during the campaign were things we should believe and what were just hyperbole or statements made to win a vote?

If we can't hold him to what he said and promised during the campaign, then we must assume he lied to win the election or he made statements about issues he didn't fully understand. 

Even now people close to the President-elect won't stand behind many of his most recent statements.  Vice-President Pence down plays current Trump statements and asks us to withhold judgment until the inauguration.

Really!


So we and the rest of the world should not believe anything Donald Trump has said or will say until the after inauguration?

Given Donald Trump's political history, I don't think we will ever be sure when he is telling us the truth.