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Never in my lifetime did I ever imagine that any president of the United States would incite racism, but that is exactly what Donald Trump has done, and if he continues to promote the ugliness of this vulgar hate, it will escalate to violence and could inflame his followers in to initiating America's second Civil War.
It's bad enough when Trump allows for such insolent and abusive behavior to interrupt a campaign rally with blatant bigotry, but it's just as bad - if not worse - when he lies that he tried to stop the crowd's repulsive rants. More on that later in this column. It irks me to no end when Republicans on Capitol Hill - and those nationwide - defend Trump as not being a racist. After all, it's Trump's fault that began his supporters -
at a Greenville, North Carolina campaign rally on Wednesday, July 17th, 2019 - to shout out their atrocious language. With his venomous rhetoric, Trump has set the tone throughout our country for the people of his base to explode with their latest form of incendiary expression..."Send her back."
It's been said that Donald Trump stunned the nation when he viciously tweeted on Sunday, July 14th that four freshman Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives - each of them women of color - should "go back" to the "crime infested places from which they came." But Trump is malicious when he wrongly attacks the quartet of first-term congresswomen and claim that they are not citizens of our country. Trump's un-American assault on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan is so disturbing that his abominable action has incensed decent Americans from east to west, north to south.
Self-identifying themselves as "The Squad," each of the four congresswomen are, in fact, U.S. citizens, and only Omar was born on foreign soil. She came in to this world in October 1982 when her mother gave birth in Mogadishu. However, Omar is a naturalized American citizen. A Somali refugee, Omar reportedly moved to the United States in 1995 when she was about 12 and a half years old. About five years later, in 2000, before she turned 18, Omar became an American citizen.
Trump lied on Thursday, July 18th when he told reporters at The White House that he tried to stop the multitude of people at the Greenville rally from vocalizing their horrendous and heartless chant. "I was not happy with it. I disagreed with it." But the video of that night proves that Trump absolutely gave the callous crowd carte blanche to sing out their reprehensible refrain for thirteen seconds before he resumed his prepared speech. Trump clearly appeared to pause and wait as he reveled in the sound of his base providing him with an oral stamp of approval. By Friday, July 19th, Trump had flip-flopped from his answer to reporters the day before. Instead of being displeased with the chant, Trump described his North Carolina supporters as "incredible people" and "incredible patriots."
Trump began his tweet storm in retaliation to "The Squad's" criticism of his policies, especially Trump's immigration agenda and the horrid conditions at migrant detention centers. "So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." On July 17th, Trump let it be known that he will employ similar tweets in the future, as such messages will be instrumental in his campaign strategy for 2020. On Sunday, July 21st, Trump doubled-down and tweeted another harsh message. "I don't believe the four Congresswomen are capable of loving our Country."
More than two-thirds of Americans feel Trump's tweets, which targeted the four minority congresswomen, were offensive. A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll indicates that 68 percent of registered voters marked Trump's actions with that brand, and 59 percent of those surveyed called Trump's tweets "un-American." Nearly two-thirds of those polled - 65 percent - responded that Trump's phrase "go back" to the "places from which they came" is a racist remark. However, when calculating feedback of just Republicans, 57 percent say they agree with the tweets.
Meanwhile, only 4 congressional Republicans jumped on the Democrats' bandwagon on Tuesday, July 16th when the House of Representatives voted to pass a resolution condemning Trump's comments as "racist." Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California introduced the resolution and did not mince words. "These comments from The White House are disgraceful and disgusting, and the comments are racist."
It's appalling that there are so many Americans who will not denounce and castigate Trump for his social media messages. But then, Trump is the poster boy of obscenities who empowers discrimination. It boggles my mind that nearly 63 million voters overlooked Trump's prejudices and cast their ballots for him in the 2016 election.
Despite others being astounded by Trump's diabolical demeanor with his recent tweets, I am not at all shocked by his current cruelty. Although he insists to not have "a racist bone in my body," (a tweet from July 16th), Trump has displayed for years that he is indeed racist and xenophobic. I am, therefore, livid by his despicable diatribe towards any person of color - any non-white individual. But Trump's racism began long before July 14th of this year.
Trump has most likely been a private racist all his life. But in my eyes - and in the eyes of most Americans - Trump mounted a platform of racism when he for years maintained that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. It was in the spring of 2011 when Trump joined the so-called "birtherism" movement. Wrongfully, Trump questioned the validity of President Obama's birth certificate. Mr. Obama was born in our 50th state of Hawaii. But Trump argued that our 44th president's birthplace was in Kenya, Africa. It wasn't until September 16th, 2016 that Trump publicly dropped his five-and-a-half-year conspiracy theory that President Obama was not born in America. Trump openly accepted that "President Barack Obama was born in the United States." But Trump's acknowledgment was all political as he came forward
53 days before the 2016 presidential election. His Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, noted at the time that Trump "owes (President Obama) and the American people an apology." The former Secretary of State was precise and concise that "(Trump) has led the birther movement to delegitimize our first black president. (Trump's) campaign was founded on this outrageous lie." To this day, Trump has never apologized to Mr. Obama for trying to tarnish his name and reputation. Unbelievably, an NBC News/Survey Monkey poll from the summer of 2016 showed that 72 percent of registered Republicans doubted the citizenship of President Obama.
Before he ever retreated from his "birtherism" crusade, Donald Trump elevated his racism to another loathsome level moments after he rode his Trump Tower escalator and traveled downstairs to a roomful of supporters and reporters to announce he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. On that day in New York City - June 16th, 2015 - when he insulted our neighbors south of the border, Trump showed his true colors and proved to me, and no doubt tens of millions of other Americans, that he is a racist. "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists." Trump went on to offend other non-whites. "It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America, and it's coming probably - probably - from the Middle East." From there the issue of Trump's racism and xenophobia got even worse when Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering our country, and he pledged to build a wall on the U.S./Mexico border, a barrier I tagged four years ago as "The Wall Of Hate." I wrote then, as I do today, and as I have written throughout the last two-and-a-half years of Trump's Oval Office occupancy, that there will never be a wall constructed across the 2,000 miles that separate the United States and Mexico.
The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research confirm that more than half of our country think Trump is a racist. Their poll concludes that 57 percent of all adults, including more than 80 percent of African-Americans, 75 percent of Latinos, and nearly 50 percent of Caucasians, believe Trump is a racist. A whopping 85 percent of Democrats consider Trump to be a racist while only 21 percent of Republicans will label him with that moniker.
There are numerous other examples of Trump's racism and xenophobia, over and above his mudslinging about President Obama's birth and his derogatory remarks towards Mexicans and others during his formal notice to the world that he was running for president. This column will focus on just a handful of others.
It's downright dreadful that so many Americans continue to lift Trump up on to his pedestal of profanity after his slur on January 11th, 2018 against Haiti, El Salvador, and the nations of the African continent. "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" There is no excuse to use such raunchy vocabulary about anybody's homeland. The New York Times in 2017 reported that Trump - during a meeting with Cabinet officials and members of The White House staff - complained about admitting Haitians in to America because "they all had AIDS," and that if we let Nigerians in to our country they "would never go back to their huts."
Following his recent tweets disparaging the four Democratic congresswomen, white supremacists have given Trump renewed support. A neo-Nazi wrote on his organization's website, "This is the kind of WHITE NATIONALISM we elected him for," and Trump seems to be a-okay with white supremacists applauding him. Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts of Fox News asked Trump on Monday, July 15th, "Does it concern you that many people saw that tweet as racist, and that white nationalist groups are finding common cause with you on that point?" Trump's response was sleazy. "It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me. And all I'm saying, they want to leave they can leave." Trump continued, "If they're not happy with the United States, if they're doing nothing but criticizing us all the time... These are people that in my opinion hate our country. They can leave. They have to love our country." To another reporter, Trump answered, "I'm saying that they're socialists definitely. As to whether or not they're communists, I would think they might be. But this isn't what our country is about. Nevertheless, they're free to leave if they want. And if they want to leave, that's fine. And if they want to stay, that's fine. But the people have to know."
Praising neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, and white supremacists is unforgivable. Trump can never walk back his detestable diction that there was "blame on both sides" of an August 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that resulted in the violent death of 32-year old Heather Heyer who was killed when a neo-Nazi protester deliberately plowed his car in to the crowd of counter-protesters who were demonstrating against the white supremacist event. The rally was sparked by an April 2017 decision by the Charlottesville City Council to remove a Confederate statue of Robert E. Lee from Lee Park. There were 19 other counter-protesters who were injured by the vehicle ramming. I am intentionally omitting the murderer's name from this column. On July 15th, 2019, a judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 419 years without the possibility of parole. He was also fined $480,000, which was recommended by a jury in the criminal case. Donald Trump proclaimed there were "very fine people on both sides." Unite The Right was organized by self-identified white supremacist, far-right racists. There could never be "very fine people" among a white supremacist group.
Racism is what Trump and any Republicans are practicing when they don't support DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The program was created in 2012 by President Obama. It has provided protection to nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who came to the United States when they were children. These kids, known as "Dreamers" and most of whom are now adults, were granted the temporary right to live, study and work in America. But the majority of Dreamers hail from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. As we know, those countries are not at all favorites of Donald Trump.
Every single Dreamer should be awarded American citizenship. Not temporary or even permanent residence status, but all law abiding Dreamers who have graduated high school (or who are still attending), or who have served in the U.S. military, deserve to be given full U.S. citizenship as taxpaying Americans. After all, Politifact confirms that undocumented immigrants - and please don't call them "illegal aliens" - pay 12 billion dollars in taxes every year.
The U.S. Supreme Court says that in its next term the justices will review Trump's decision to terminate DACA. The program protects Dreamers from deportation. Should the high court rule in Trump's favor, these innocent individuals - some of whom are friends of yours, neighbors of yours, co-workers of yours, and students in your local schools, will likely be hunted down by federal immigration agents and sent back to countries where they have no homes and no jobs. Dreamers were brought to the United States by their parents. Some Dreamers came to the U.S. when they were so young that they probably have no memory of their birthplace. It would be totally unfair and un-American to force people to leave who have lived in our country nearly all their lives and to transport them to foreign lands that mean little or nothing to them. America is their country too. America is their home. Just as you and I, Dreamers bleed "red, white and blue." So Dreamers, in essence, are Americans. Our government needs to make it official. It will be a miscarriage of justice if Dreamers are not given the right to stay in America forever as citizens. To do anything differently would cause our Founding Fathers to roll over in their graves with agonizing revulsion.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose the deportation of Dreamers. A poll by Politico and Morning Consult shows that 84 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Independents, and 69 percent of Republicans support these immigrants being allowed to remain in our country, which is their country. Only 24 percent of Republicans, 12 percent of Independents, and 8 percent of Democrats think that Dreamers should be given their national eviction notice.
Dreamers are vital to our country in many ways. They are an integral part of our economy. Dreamers own companies and they give jobs to other Americans. Numerous Dreamers are true heroes. They serve our nation in branches of our armed forces. Some Dreamers help others as they are first responders. Many Dreamers risked their own lives to rescue victims in Texas and Louisiana following the Hurricane Harvey catastrophe in August 2017. No doubt there will be Dreamers who will do the same, if needed, should other disasters strike our country.
America is a land made up of immigrants. The rights of all people is the bedrock principle of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Founders' "dream" come true. So as with all born and naturalized American citizens, the rights of the Dreamers must be protected. We are a nation that has always opened the doors and our hearts to people of all races, religions, and ethnic heritages. We should not lock up or lock out any law abiding persons, no matter where they come from, and no matter how they got here. We should not ever be a country that builds border walls or that incarcerates people in cages because they are seeking asylum. And we should never confine babies and other children in those cages or separate them from their mothers and/or fathers. The welcome mat should be at our front door to immigrants from all nations.
Unless you're a descendant of Native Americans - such as people from the Algonquin, Iroquois, and Pueblo tribes, among other indigenous groups - then your personal family history is one that originated from countries other than America. Therefore, you are a descendant of immigrants. That being said, Native Americans were not considered U.S. citizens until June 2nd, 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge signed in to law the Indian Citizenship Act. How could Native Americans not be citizens when they were here first? They were the original citizens. But as late as 1948, Arizona and
New Mexico had laws that prevented Native Americans from voting. Until President Lyndon B. Johnson signed in to law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Native Americans were tragically discriminated against, similar to African-Americans and certain other minorities.
Donald Trump's racism also goes back to the days when he was a television producer. Trump was hurtful to Alicia Machado - now an American citizen, but originally from Venezuela - who wore the crown of Miss Universe 1996. The former beauty pageant winner says that in 1997, Trump - who, at the time, owned the Miss Universe and Miss U.S.A. pageants - harassed her over her weight after she put on a few pounds. In a Hillary Clinton campaign video - which was posted on Twitter in September 2016 - Machado alleged that Trump characterized her as "ugly" and "fat," and that "sometimes" he'd address her as "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping." Machado and Secretary Clinton asserted that Trump dubbed the beauty queen "Miss Housekeeping" because she is Latina. Painting Machado with that nickname is flagrant bigotry as it contends that women who are of Latin ethnicity are nothing but maids. Trump nauseates me.
Donald Trump doesn't care who his wicked racism harms. In June 2016, Trump slammed a judge in a fraud case against Trump University and blasted the jurist as being a "hater." Trump accused U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel from the Southern District of California of being unfair to him because His Honor is "Hispanic," because he is "Mexican," and because of Trump's desire to build a wall on the U.S./Mexico border. Judge Curiel is an American citizen. He was born in the United States, specifically in Indiana. The judge attended law school at Indiana University. Curiel is of Mexican heritage, but as I noted earlier, except for Native Americans, we are all of a foreign ancestry.
Trump's racism is often embroiled with lies. Trump was dead wrong when he beat up on Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez by claiming she referred to Americans as "garbage." She did not. At the North Carolina rally on July 17th, Trump put his audience in to a fierce frenzy when he falsely told them, "She described contemporary America" as "garbage." Trump continued with, "That's you, that's me, that's all of us." But that's not what Ocasio-Cortez said. Going back to an event in March 2019, Ocasio-Cortez was asked why it had taken a long time for any Democratic candidate to run on bold progressive policies such as Medicare For All and The Green New Deal. Ocasio-Cortez replied, "I think all of these things sound radical compared to where we are. But where we are is not a good thing. This idea of 10 percent better from garbage shouldn't be what we settle for." I interpret her words by thinking she feels today's America - under Trump's and the Republican Senate's policies - is "garbage." And she'd be right. But Ocasio-Cortez did not call any American "garbage" - not even Donald Trump.
Trump also twisted the truth about what Congresswoman Omar tweeted in 2012. This was the tweet. "Israel has hypnotized the world. May Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel." But Trump lied when he told reporters on July 19th that Omar "can't talk about 'Evil Jews.'" As a Jew myself - and one who, on a number of occasions, has experienced anti-Semitism first-hand - I do not believe that an individual's political or military opinions about Israel as a nation make someone anti-Semitic. Omar explained to CNN, "I don't know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans. My comments precisely are addressing what was happening during the Gaza War, and I'm clearly speaking of the way the Israeli regime was conducting itself in that war." Apparently, the word "hypnotize" is deemed by some Jews to be an anti-Semitic slur as they feel it implies that Israel has ambushed other countries of the world through trickery and deceit in order to get their support. Omar stands firm and emphasizes that her tweet was inappropriate. After her CNN interview, Omar tweeted on January 22nd, 2019 "that my use of the word 'hypnotize' and the ugly sentiment it holds was offensive. The statement came in the context of the Gaza War. It's now apparent to me that I spent lots of energy putting my 2012 tweet in context and little energy in disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used, which is unfortunate and offensive." Omar has stressed that her tweet was not directed at Jewish people. "It is important to distinguish between criticizing a military action by a government and attacking a particular people of faith." Whether anyone - be them Jewish or not - finds Omar's explanation acceptable or unacceptable, she did not in any way say "Evil Jews." Omar may regret her use of the word "hypnotize," but since some Jews classify it as anti-Semitic, I would have liked to hear her speak the words, or write the words, "I'm sorry" or "I apologize." Nowhere can I locate Omar using either of those two-word phrases in response to the aforementioned 2012 tweet.
A formal apology did come from her for another of Omar's thoughts that she vows was unintentional. When she replied to a tweet in February 2019 that pointed the
finger at Omar for being critical of Israel, the congresswoman wrote, "It's all about the Benjamins baby," which refers to $100 bills with Benjamin Franklin's picture on them, and that's a stereotypical negative statement against Jews that we are money-grubbing people who would do anything to make or save a buck. Not! On February 11th, Omar tweeted sorrow for the anti-Semitic tweet. "Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes. My intention is never to offend my constituents or Jewish Americans as a whole. We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack for my identity. This is why I unequivocally apologize."
When Congresswoman Omar - or anybody else - is critical of Israel as a nation, I don't judge those remarks as anti-Semitic. I agree with Omar that "Being opposed to (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and the occupation (of the West Bank) is not the same as being anti-Semitic."
I am not a fan of Omar. She has made, at the very least, some questionable comments that whether she meant them to be anti-Semitic or not, the remarks have been received in that light. If there is no malice, a comment can indeed be anti-Semitic. But without malice, it can be forgiven. My advice to Congresswoman Omar is to next time think before she speaks or tweets. I'd give the same counseling to Donald Trump, but he'd never listen. Hopefully, Omar will. And if she has doubts, Omar can even ask a Jewish colleague in Congress before expressing herself. If she doesn't, my views won't be so kind and understanding in the future.
All of the above being said, Congresswoman Omar does not deserve to be treated with hideous and disruptive chants of "Send Her Back." It should never have been suggested by Trump that Omar, Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley, and Tlaib should take a hike and leave America.
Former Vice President Joe Biden - who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president - communicated the following in a July 17th email. "It's clear that Donald Trump is trying to divide us by race and gender. It's immoral. Our children are listening. Donald Trump thinks that our nation's great diversity makes us weak - because he has no idea what makes us great. Here's what has always made America great. Honesty. Decency. Treating everyone with dignity. Demonizing no one - not the poor, the powerless, the immigrant, the other. Giving hate no safe harbor. Understanding that, as Americans, we are part of something bigger than ourselves. These Members of Congress - children of immigrants, just like so many of us - are an example of exactly what makes America great."
Racism is rampant in our republic when there are so many Americans who are unwilling to condemn and chastise Trump for his repugnant rhetoric. God help us if we sink back into a hell hole when blacks couldn't eat in the same restaurants as whites, and when public bathrooms were labeled by race. God help us if we ever return to a time when Caucasians thought African-Americans were put on this Earth to be nothing but slaves. God help us if the U.S. government were to discriminate against Hispanics, other Latinos, and anyone else from a minority race, ethnic group that isn't white, or non-Christian religion by not welcoming them to our shores. However, with Donald Trump, that's where our country is headed. It is vital for Americans with a conscience to fight back against Trump's racism.
Donald Trump is a hostile and vindictive vermin who thrives on being a heinous thug. He is morally and mentally unfit to be president of the United States, and unless Republicans in the Senate come to their senses and join forces with the Democrats in the House of Representatives to impeach, convict, and remove Trump from office, it will be up to Americans on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020 to not give him the opportunity to further his racist agenda and destroy our nation.
Donald Trump obviously feels that if your skin is not lily white, and if you don't bow down to him and cheer him with accolades for everything he does, then you can get the hell out of our country. That, though, is not what the United States of America is about. But Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again," is clandestine code for "Make America White Again."
After reading this editorial, if you can still raise a glass to Donald Trump, I want you to ask yourself, "Am I a racist?" If you can endorse a president whose actions and communications reflect those of what a racist is, are you not a racist too? I will leave each of you to answer that question yourself.
Donald Trump is an embarrassment to the United States. He has brought shame to our country for 913 days and counting, as this column is published. Democrats and everyone else who oppose Trump need to speak up and speak out about his racism. Time and time again, Trump has crossed the line of decency, and yet Republicans in Congress - and throughout our country - continue to defend him. Trump's Twitter tirades echo his foul mouth and toxic tongue. As the weeks, months and years go by, it has become more and more apparent that Donald Trump is no better than a white supremacist, no better than a Ku Klux Klansman. I have to wonder if in private - does Trump dress up in a white robe and hood?
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
Please express your personal opinions by following the instructions printed at the top of this column. And thank you for reading The Controversy.
Photo credits: Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press (Donald Trump #1), Jonathan Drake/Reuters (Donald Trump #2), Carol Guzy/Zuma Wire/REX/Shutterstock (Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and Congresswoman
Rashida Tlaib), United States Capitol (Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi), J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press (Former President Barack Obama), David Becker/Reuters (Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), Michael Graae/New York Daily News (Donald Trump #3), Fox News Channel Screenshot (John Roberts), The Office of the Virginia Governor (Heather Heyer), United States National Archives and Wikipedia (Former President Calvin Coolidge), Warren K. Leffler/Library of Congress (Former President Lyndon B. Johnson), Benjamin Gibbs/Pageant News Bureau (Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado), San Diego Superior Court (United States District Judge Gonzalo Curiel), United States Department of the Treasury and Wikipedia ($100 Bill), Gali Tibbon/The Associated Press (Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu), Getty Images (Former Vice President Joe Biden) and The Associated Press and Getty Images (Donald Trump #4)
Copyright 2019 Gary B. Duglin and TheControversy.net. All Rights Reserved.
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Donald Trump and his GOP cronies want people to believe - through misleading numbers - that the United States economy is in the best shape ever. Trump has made such a false declaration time and time again, including when he officially launched his 2020 campaign at a rally in Orlando, Florida on June 18th, 2019. "Our economy is the envy of the world. Perhaps the greatest economy we've had in the history of our country." Such a claim is categorically untrue. But I'll expound on that fact later in this column. Unfortunately, Republicans and a smattering of Independents nationwide have bought in to and accepted the deceit being thrown at them by Trump.
The unemployment rate may officially be at 3.6 percent, but just because someone is working doesn't mean they are not starving, and it doesn't mean they are able to pay their bills. With today's cost of living, the average person simply isn't making enough money to even "get by" without winding up in terrible credit card debt, while others - who can't qualify for a Visa, MasterCard or other such plastic - are having to struggle so much that not only can they not keep their head above water, they're being forced to pass on critical purchases such as healthy foods, prescription medicines, and other necessities that an American in the 21st Century should be easily able to afford by right...not by privilege. That said, with exorbitant interest and finance charges on credit cards, if you're simply paying the minimum each month, you're bound to end up losing your shirt, with bankruptcy as your only likely option. Debt experts, therefore, advise cutting up those cards before you get in to more financial trouble.
The unemployment rate is a fake figure anyway, as it truly doesn't provide the total truth. Let's say a person is laid off from his or her job after making an annual salary of $60,000. A year goes by and this individual is still unable to get hired and be paid a wage that is commensurate to his or her previous income. Desperate, the person accepts a position where the salary is only $30,000. It's a job so the individual is no longer considered "unemployed." But can that person really live - or support a family - on half the money he or she was earning twelve months earlier? Obviously not.
Wages have risen for some people, but not by much, which is certainly not enough. All Americans deserve to be paid more money, and no person should have to work more than one job. We are not on this Earth just to work. People must be able to enjoy life and have fun. It's a cliche, but it's true. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." But the federal minimum wage rate is still only $7.25 an hour. Some retail outlets are paying as much as $10 or $11 an hour to start, but it's nowhere the amount needed for a person to survive. Even those Americans who currently earn $15 an hour can't get out of the hole from their past years of worse salaries. An hourly minimum wage of 15 bucks is the amount proposed by many Democrats, but that still is not an acceptable sum of money for anyone living in 2019 and the future.
Federal and state government officials also don't seem to consider that when a person does make $15 an hour their "take-home pay" is excruciatingly less once taxes and other required deductions are plucked away by Washington and your local political powers. But Uncle Sam and his 51 nephews only care about a person's gross income not the net. So when you multiply 40 hours a week by $15 an hour, that's $600 or a yearly gross salary of $31,200. It's still mighty difficult to weather the storms of fiscal life after FICA and the other taxes are withheld. It's almost impossible for a worker in that income bracket to do anything extra, let alone eat, pay rent, and meet other financial obligations. Believe it or not, $31,200 is $19,060 over the poverty level, which for individuals is a scant $12,140. So what if that same 31 grand is all the earnings for a family of four? It's $5,450 above the poverty guidelines. A two-spouse household with a couple of kids can't go over $25,750 in order to receive government assistance. How the hell does anyone think two parents can raise two children on such a small amount of money, whether $25,750 or $31,200? Federal officials have to start understanding that to provide a family - or even a single person - with a safe, better than decent place to live, food that's not going to create adolescent and adult blimps, healthcare for everyone, and all the other essentials to live, the dollars need to pile up in a mountain of cash that flows over the top like green volcanic lava. And if that same two-parent home doubles their income to more than $60,000, they're still not on easy street, as it's virtually impossible to exist without going in to serious debt.
A 2018 Federal Reserve study proves my points. The Fed says 39 percent of American adults couldn't, on their own, come up with $400 in an emergency. The survey says 27 percent would need to borrow the bucks or sell something to raise the needed funds, while 12 percent would be up the creek without a paddle, as they couldn't cover the nut at all.
Inequality.org is described as the "premiere portal" for anyone seeking "information and analysis on wealth and income inequality." According to the organization, "An estimated 43.5 percent of the total U.S. population (140 million people) are either poor or low-income," and "the official poverty rate understates the number of people in the world's richest country who have trouble making ends meet."
Despite all of the above, a July 2019 poll by The Washington Post and ABC News indicates that 51 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump's handling of the economy. So given all the proof that the United States is not as financially sound as Trump, his administration, and Capitol Hill Republicans want us to believe, how do more than half the voting population of our country think Trump is economically doing right by them? Americans are being bamboozled by Trump as the economy is a much darker reality than the rosy picture he paints.
On top of everything else, Wall Street - not to mention stockholders from everywhere - have practically suffered nervous breakdowns over the last two years as the stock market has gone up and down like a Six Flags rollercoaster. But it's important to note that only about one-third of U.S. households own stocks of any magnitude.
In 2016, I was all in and totally behind Hillary Clinton to become our nations 45th president. For 2020, I completely support Joe Biden. And as I did for Mrs. Clinton, I'm campaigning on Mr. Biden's behalf. These Democrats - as others have - speak the truth about economic inequality in America. According to Inequality.org, "Income disparities have become so pronounced that America's top 10 percent now average more than nine times as much income as the bottom 90
percent. Americans in the top 1 percent tower stunningly higher. They average over 39 times more income than the bottom 90 percent. But that gap pales in comparison to the divide between the nation's top 0.1 percent and everyone else. Americans at this lofty level are taking in over 188 times the income of the bottom 90 percent." In other words, the so-called "middle-class" are getting knifed in the back. I say the "so-called" middle-class because in reality there is no middle-class today. There are the super-rich, the rich, the comfortable but
careful, the people who barely squeak by, and the poor. Economist Edward N. Woolf - with data from the federal Survey of Consumer Finances - says, "The richest 1 percent of American households own 40 percent of the country's wealth."
But Trump and the Republicans in Congress are greedy for even more. Thus, there's that Republican tax cut bill that Trump signed in to law back in December 2017. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, as a result of the tax cuts, the richest 1 percent of Americans are expected - by the end of 2019 - to receive 27 percent of the benefits. Furthermore, the ITEP study shows that more than 50 percent of the tax cuts will help the top 5 percent of Americans, but the bottom 60 percent will get a mere 14 percent of the cuts. By 2027, some people - who don't make a whole hell of a lot of money to begin with - will pay more in taxes.
The Republican tax cut was a plan to give Donald Trump and his fat-cat billionaire buddies a way to put even more money in their already overstuffed wallets. It was never intended to help the majority of Americans. Oh sure, reports indicate that the legislation did help to take the unemployment rate below 4 percent, (an unrealistic figure as I explained earlier in this column), and the measure added about one point to the Gross Domestic Product growth. But many leading economists project that the economy is going to crumble like a stale Oreo as a result of the Republican's law, and that GDP growth will slow significantly to as little as 1.8 percent (or perhaps lower) by 2021. Of course Trump and his White House ass-kissers disagree with any such forecast.
America's economy is actually killing people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the adult and childhood obesity rates in the United States have skyrocketed. Logically, individuals and families have little or no choice but to buy foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat content. A box of spaghetti - costing roughly a dollar - can feed a person dinner for at least four separate evenings. All those carbohydrates will fill up the tummy, but carbs turn to sugar and, therefore, calories. Those calories quickly pack on the weight. Two doughnuts for breakfast every morning will also satisfy your hunger, and for a buck it won't break your bank. But those sweet treats will add more pounds to your belly or butt. As a result, cholesterol and triglyceride levels will soar in to the danger zone and lead to heart troubles, strokes, and other health problems...including the possibility of death. So Trump's tax law is also making money for hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and - at times - even funeral homes and cemeteries.
As people continue to not earn enough money to eat properly, they will get fatter and fatter. The CDC says, "In the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s." Data by the CDC shows that "nearly one in five school-age children and young people (6 to 19 years)" are obese. The CDC statistics also indicate that the prevalence of obesity is 39.8 percent and affects about 93.3 million U.S. adults.
So what's the answer? Elect a Democrat to the presidency.
I mentioned earlier in this editorial how Donald Trump has lied over and over again when he claims that the U.S. economy - under his watch - is the "greatest" in history. But it was President Bill Clinton who finished his two terms in office (January 1993 to January 2001) by leaving our country in the best economic condition with the biggest economic growth
since January 1969 when President Lyndon B. Johnson made his exit from The White House. No president since President Clinton has even come close to what our 42nd President achieved. Those statistics are factual according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Mr. Clinton was president at a time when the United States had the longest boom in history. His success followed the fiasco of President Ronald Reagan's "trickle-down economics," also known as "Reaganomics," which his vice-president continued when he succeeded Mr. Reagan and became President George
H. W. Bush. The public policy research and advocacy organization, Center for American Progress, states with certainty and proof that "trickle-down tax cuts don't create jobs. And, trickle-down tax cuts have consistently failed to benefit working families." In 1993, President Clinton raised taxes on the wealthiest of Americans - the top tier earners - from 31 percent to 39.6 percent. As the Center for American Progress notes, "Conservatives predicted disaster. Instead, the economy boomed." While President Clinton sat behind The Oval Office desk, a record 22.7 million jobs were created and
the economy grew for 32 consecutive quarters. But in 2001, when President George W. Bush took office after President Clinton, Mr. Bush drastically cut income taxes for the very rich, and by 2008 the United States had deteriorated in to an economic collapse. The "Bush 43" tax rates remained through 2012 until President Barack Obama was able to bring the nation back to that 39.6 percent rate, and also hike up the tax rates on capital gains and dividends. As the Center for American Progress reminds us, once again "conservatives predicted doomsday." However, the economy took off in leaps and bounds, growing steadily.
If Donald Trump had followed in President Obama's footsteps, we'd be moving forward, not backward, as is being projected for 2019, 2020, and 2021. America was headed towards long-term success with President Obama. With Donald Trump, we're on our way to an economic catastrophe.
Think about what it costs you today to fill up the tank in your car with gasoline. Oil prices declined during President Clinton's tenure with gas prices at the pump dropping to 95 cents a gallon. Remember this though...while President Bush 43 was in The West Wing, gas stations in some parts of our country were charging between $4 and $5 a gallon. Today, we're on the rise again. AAA says the cost of gas has increased to a national average of $2.75 a gallon. But, as this column is published, the station I frequent is selling regular gasoline for $3 a gallon.
Donald Trump can't - and will never - accomplish what President Clinton did. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office confirms that each year under Mr. Clinton the federal budget was balanced and the federal deficit was erased. Some of you might be asking what the difference is between the federal deficit and the federal debt. FactCheck.org explains, "A deficit occurs when the government takes in less money than it spends in a given year. The debt is the total amount the government owes at any given time. So the debt goes up in any given year by the amount of the deficit, or it decreases by the amount of any surplus." The bottom line is that President Clinton was largely responsible for a very robust economy during his presidency. And when he handed over the keys to the front door of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to President Bush 43, Mr. Clinton bid farewell with a surplus.
Donald Trump criticizes President Obama for his economic policies. But it was Mr. Obama who took the United States in to a pathway for prosperity after the worst economic crisis our nation has seen since The Great Depression. And the fault of what is known as The Great Recession lies primarily on the shoulders of President George W. Bush. Today, Trump wants to pat himself on the back for our current economy. The Washington Post says Trump - since early 2018 - has been labeling America's economy "the best ever." But The Fact Checker of The Washington Post has documented more than 10,000 false or misleading claims since Trump took the oath of office on January 20th, 2017. It is widely thought that Trump is a pathological liar. I disagree. Healthline.com defines a "pathological liar" as someone who lies "for no apparent reason." Trump does have a reason when he lies. I'm convinced his lies are deliberate. Trump is devious, unethical and immoral. His habitual lying is always - in some way - to benefit himself. The Washington Post says dozens of Trump's lies have been about the U.S. economy. But why not? After all, he's chronic. Trump lies about everything.
And that's The Controversy for today.
I'm Gary B. Duglin.
"We'll talk again."
The Controversy is a publication of GBD Productions. Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Controversy is Gary B. Duglin.
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Photo credits: John Raoux/The Associated Press (Donald Trump #1), Scott Eisen (Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), Nathan Congleton/NBC News/NBC Universal Photo Bank and Getty Images (Former Vice President Joe Biden), New York University (Edward N. Wolff), Karl Gehring/Getty Images (Former President Bill Clinton), Pictorial Press (Former President Lyndon B. Johnson), Michael Evans/Creative Commons and Getty Images (Former President Ronald Reagan), Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images (Former President George H. W. Bush), Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images (Former President George W. Bush), Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press (Former President Barack Obama) and The Associated Press and Getty Images (Donald Trump #2)
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