Mexico is already paying for the wall!

Ever since President Trump said he would build a wall on our Southern
border and "Mexico will pay for the wall" he has been attacked and
ridiculed by his opponents, former Mexican president, political pundits,
the media and even some of his supporters.

Are they right? Will President Trump be made a fool for continuing
to insist on doing something most do not agree will happen. Or, are
they totally wrong, ignoring what was already done by our Congress.

Most people are unaware of the 'Secure Fence Act of 2006' in which
Congress appropriated $1 billion to protect the American border even
though little was done to stop the flow of drug coming in from Mexico. 

So there is already a precedent, the idea a barrier approved and even
funded by our country. The new 'wrinkle' President Trump throws is
that Mexico should pay for it, which his critics question how cannot
be done.

Trump demands are reported as him trying to bully a smaller nation.

Quite the opposite, Mexico has been the stronger in our NAFTA
trade relationship with an advantage than could be five walls!

More than a year ago President Trump told the American people
that Mexico has an unfair $50-60 billion trade surplus which needs
to be more balanced.

If  our trade with Mexico nears being balanced than we would have
the money to build the wall, estimated at $10 billion.

Further, even now Mexico has begun paying for the wall as companies
are deciding to cancel projects in Mexico and move plants already
there back to the US.

President Trump approach to creating jobs in the US by lowing the
cost to business is the key to reducing the $800 billion trade deficit
between the US and it major trade partners, such as Japan, China,
Europe, Canada and Mexico.

What many took as bluster has deeper roots and was meant to set
a new course.

President Trump knows exactly what he is saying, create an environment
where it is better to create jobs in the United States than elsewhere,
at the expense of American workers!

Secondly, what has occurred over the past year in Mexico?  Carrier
decided to keep building its air conditioners in Indiana,  Ford will
not move manufacturing to Mexico, John Deere is leaving Mexico,





Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Who is President Trump?

Even after fifty years in the public eye I doubt anyone would
describe Donald Trump as the person I believe he really is.

Before his entry in the political arena how many of us would
believe a multi-billionaire who negotiates with corporate
executives, union and world leaders, comfortably sit down
with cops and construction workers could be elected.

After his successful venture in the entertainment business
with "The Apprentice" he was labeled an 'entertainer', a
foolish description of a man who changed the New York
skyline and built structures around the world.

In fact, one of his challengers for the Republican nomination
even called him an 'entertainer' at a debate', showing an
underestimation that proved to be the Achilles heal for the
entire field seeking the presidency.

What was missing in the political world was not lost on
the American people who elected him president.

I watched dozens of Trump events, listened to a lot of the
same stories told to different audiences.

I never tired of  hearing of the UN dismissing his offer to
rebuild its headquarters for a third of the projected cost,
or telling an audience as president he would "build with
American steel", or remind home builders their industry
is vital as it combines dozens of other industries, or say
he will stop the scourge of drugs in inner cities that govt.
have failed to do.

If you listened to Trump speaking at a rally you heard this
and so much more.

So, how should we describe President Trump? We already
know what his hateful critics are saying, indifferent to what
he wants to do to benefit all Americans.

Politicians do admit President Trump has touch a nerved
when he speaks of the "Forgotten Man", a sobering reminder
of the Great Depression.

But, politicians cannot defend their failures which they
turn over to the next politician who says he'll fix.

Trump supporters are tired of politicians failures and
willing to take a chance on a non-politician.

President Trump is not merely a businessman as most
would describe, he is so much more.

He does not want to 'invest' money to increase profits.
His objective is to spend our money, and less of it, to
solve our countries problems.

To me, Trump is driven by what is morally rights, just
and in the best interests of all Americans and our country.

We see him reversing several last minute decisions of
President Obama he believes do not serve our country.

But, yesterday President Trump did something which
will not get much attention and may only be important
to some people in New Jersey, old enough with long
memories about an injustice.

President Trump is seeking the extradition of Joanne
Chesimard, who escaped prison and fled to Cuba in 1980.
She was arrested and convicted after a 1973 robbery that
resulted in a NJ officer being killed.

Chesimard, who changed her name to Assata Shakur, lives
freely as no president since Reagan has been successful in
getting Cuba to return her.  But, Trump will try.

With all the issues he must work on, Trump still wants to
pursue justice that former presidents failed at.

Is this the act of an 'entertainer' or 'businessman'?  It certainly
is not the behavior of most politicians who would have little
interest in something that did not provide a personal benefit.

President Trump is not like anyone we have seen in a long
while, He is refreshing, and earned his support for the right
reasons.

So, who is Donald Trump?   Based on what I have observed,
President Trump is "Every Man".











Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Are we missing the genius of President Trump's "tweets"

President Trump has been criticized for using 'Twitter' throughout
his campaign, as being beneath the dignity of political discourse.

Despite the criticism  Trump continued 'tweeting' to millions of
followers, without the filter of the media.

Will President Trump, our 'Commander in Chief', also be called our
"Tweeter in Chief" if he decides to continue communicating directly
with millions of social media followers.

We can expect the same critics to say its "not presidential", but
they should consider how wrong similar criticism once was.

The "not presidential" argument was unsuccessfully tried in the
1930s as Franklin Roosevelt used radio 'fireside chats' to talk
directly to the American people, taking advantage of radio as
future presidents would television.

Twitter is no different, it allows for unfiltered, unbiased and
direct communication.

In fact, politicians have been using Twitter since its inception
to get their message out. So why not a president?

Most of us 'connect' with the president through a long distance lens
as he is walking through a room, towards his car or Air Force One,
or sitting with a world leader. We rely on news reports or a White
House spokesman, or political pundits, not the president directly.

Only on rare occasions do the American people hear from the president
directly. We see them from a distance, rarely in direct contact unless
it is as a major statement.

I believe President Trump will change all that. He believes in staying
close to the American people, and social media allows him to do this.
He can tweet on key issues we may not be aware of, agreements made
with other nations, recognizing outstanding Americans, successes and
concerns.

Tweeting is a long distance connection we have accepted, this new
technology is as common today as the telephone was 100 years ago.

Also, we can tweet back, creating a dialogue which cannot be done
with "one direct' media airing!

What Trump has begun may be commonplace in the future...where
presidents and the people can have ongoing dialogues and there
is nothing wrong with this!





Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

America's New Dawn!

America's New Dawn!

There seemed to be more anticipation for Donald Trump's Inauguration
Address than all others. And rightly so.

What would the most unorthodox president say in his first address
to the American people?

Those who know him best, the millions who elected him, may have
already knew. His opening remarks set the tone.

"Today's ceremony has very special meaning. Because today we are not
merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or from
one party to another – but we are transferring power from Washington
and giving it back to you, the American People.
 
That all changes – starting right here, and right now, because this 
moment is your moment: it belongs to you. It belongs to everyone 
gathered here today and everyone watching all across America. This 
is your day. This is  your celebration. And this, the United States
of America, is your country.

January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became 
the rulers of this nation again.

With all that has been said about him, Trump made certain the reason
he ran was reiterated!

Quite simply, President Trump was 'sick and tired' seeing how our
govt was serving the American people.

His address today was built on his campaign promise, it cut to
the heart of our country's problems, the failure of government.

The members of Congress may have been uncomfortable hearing
an incoming president speak as Trump did. But, as uncomfortable
as they were, the people who voted for Trump were comforted
hearing him say again what he said for almost two years.

The media made Trump's first official speech the focus of their
first 'official' criticism.  They universally panned his speech,
concluding his remarks will make it difficult "working" with
Congress after taking them to task for their failures.

Even now, the media and political pundits still don't "get it"!

What the media neglected to say was that President Trump spoke
the truth as he has since announcing his candidacy in June, 2015.

Throughout the speech Trump reminded the American people
of who they are and the nation they deserve!

He pointed to the problems, here and abroad, that cost American
jobs and threatened American security.

Trump did not sugar coat his message in deference to the members
of Congress or even outgoing President Obama.

Trump reminded every American, in this country anyone can speak
"truth to power" no matter his position.

Today, the American people have a president who speaks for them,
unlike any president since Franklin Roosevelt did.

The media will try to undermine Trump's remarks and even some
politicians will take exception to what he said.

No matter, President Trump's commitment to the American people
will remain an unbreakable bond between them.

Reagan's speech writers gave us "morning in America". Trump
has given the American people a "New Dawn"!

The state of environmental concerns today

We can expect this to be a banner year in the battle over "Climate Change", formerly called 'Global Warming' until the public became confused every time the temperature dropped!

Why this year?

The difference between this year and others is that President Donald Trump has publicly been a skeptic, affectionately called a 'denier', even accusing all the concern is about enriching those in the 'green industry',  not to end the supposed damage man is doing to the planet.

Today, as most countries have turned the tide from thoughtless pollution to thoughtful
efforts to minimize the environmental impacts, the 'sky is falling' crowd is telling us the
worst is yet to come. We are have been told the end is near for a planet which has been
spinning around the Sun for almost five billion years.

If the Earth only "knew"the end is so near, it might consider going out of orbit on its own
and get it over with...NOW!

But, all the factual evidence which provides a contradictory assessment of the state of the environment has led 'deniers' like President Trump to question what is being spewed by politicians,  media, environmentalists, 'green energy' corporations and a consensus of climate experts.

To bring to light when the "experts" warned us off more than forty years ago, which have
not occurred. For this I'll refer to a column written by George Will in 2009.

Mr. Will reminds us of the warnings if the problems contributing to Global Warming were
not immediately addressed.

"Things are worse than they can possibly be." former Energy Secretary Steven Chu, an atomic physicist.  Chu also stated "global warming might melt 90 percent of California's snowpack, which stores much of the water needed for agriculture, meaning no more agriculture in California," Chu added : "I don't actually see how they can keep their cities going."

Chu also predicted "Nine decades hence, our great-great-grandchildren will add the disappearance of California artichokes to the list of predicted planetary, none of these calamities happened. Now, global cooling recently joined Chu's lengthening list."

Gregg Easterbrook's "Law of Doomsaying": Predict catastrophe no sooner than five years hence but no later than 10 years away. Convention time frames, soon enough to terrify but distant enough that people will forget if you are wrong.

But before there was a concern about warming, the threat was cooling. 

In the 1970s, "a major cooling of the planet" was "widely considered inevitable" because it was "well established" that the Northern Hemisphere's climate "has been getting cooler since about 1950" (New York Times, May 21, 1975). 

Although some disputed that the "cooling trend" could result in "a return to another ice age" (the Times, Sept. 14, 1975), others anticipated "a full-blown 10,000-year ice age" involving "extensive Northern Hemisphere glaciation" (Science News, March 1, 1975, and Science magazine, Dec. 10, 1976, respectively). 

The "continued rapid cooling of the Earth" (Global Ecology, 1971) meant that "a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery" (International Wildlife, July 1975). 

"The world's climatologists are agreed" that we must "prepare for the next ice age" (Science Digest, February 1973). 

Because of "ominous signs" that "the Earth's climate seems to be cooling down," meteorologists were "almost unanimous" that "the trend will reduce agricultural productivity for the rest of the century," perhaps triggering catastrophic famines (Newsweek cover story, "The Cooling World," April 28, 1975). 

Armadillos were fleeing south from Nebraska, heat-seeking snails were retreating from Central European forests, the North Atlantic was "cooling down about as fast as an ocean can cool," glaciers had "begun to advance" and "growing seasons in England and Scandinavia are getting shorter" (Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 27, 1974).

As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. 

Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.

A recent Pew Research Center poll asked which of 20 issues should be the government's top priorities. Climate change ranked 20th.

Real calamities take our minds off hypothetical ones. Besides, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization, there has been no recorded global warming for more
than a decade, or one-third of the span since the global cooling scare.

So, here we are fifty years later and we still don't know for sure if there is a problem, or 
what can we do to address it.

As President Trump addresses the issue of climate I am certain he will not defer to any 
opinion without the clarity factual evidence provides.  

The "sky is not falling", only the integrity of those who believe they can sell anything to
the public.


Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Gloria Prescriptions

Aspirin 81 MG Daily
Astorvastatin 8m MG one nightly
Duloxentine 60 MG
Gabapentin 300 MG 3 x daily
Levothyrorine 25 MG one daily
Lisinoprl HCT 20-12.5 MG
Lorazepam 1 MG as needed
Metoprololol ER SUCC 25 MG day nightly
Zolpidem ER 12.5 MG one nightly

Understanding mandates and handling our regrets!

Earlier I emailed of an Op-ed written by Sen. Thom Tillis stating the Republican

Party does not have a 'mandate' with the victory of Donald Trump.

The earlier piece:  http://bit.ly/2jNTT0L 

This led to several replies highly critical of Tillis by people who regretted voting
for him.

I offer two thoughts; what a 'mandate' is and addressing our 'regrets'.

Tillis, despite his experience in politics, missed the broadness of the word
'mandate'.  It doesn't only mean what needs to be done, it also means what
must stop being done!

If you think back to the mid term election of 2010, the message was clear, STOP
deficit budgets and increasing our nation debt. This led to Republicans gaining
the majority in the US House and given the mandate to restrain spending!

Unfortunately, the 'mandate' fell on deaf ears as Republican leadership joined
with Democrat leadership and passed more deficit budgets and increased debt.  

Worse, this pattern  continued from 2012 until 2016, even as Republicans gained

majorities in both chambers of Congress.

With the Senate barely in Republican hands, the message to Tillis  and others
was clear but sadly unheeded, mandates need to be respected and applied!

Now to voter remorse, regretting voting for a candidate who disappoints us.

The Op-ed by Tillis should do more than anger people who voted for him, it
should be a reminder of the culture Tillis finds himself in.

The Senate is not the House, Tillis like every other senator has the luxury of
'time',  time to not think of  a reelection campaign for several years, allowing
him to devote more time to working with colleagues; meaning pushed to "reach
across the aisle", "compromise" and "end  gridlock", all worn out buzz words,
meant to pacify an  electorate, not necessarily equal to the mandate the people
gave them.

Tillis finds himself in a culture that is more corrosive than constructive, with
an entrance for lobbyists to freely access Congressional offices. These are the
people Tillis and others 'represent', until the calendar points to the  end of his
term.

But, before any of us swear off Tillis consider the difference between him and 

Dole and Faircloth. Neither of them were 'battle tested' in the state as Tillis was.

You may recall the grass root demanded NC repeal and replace Common Core.

It was Tillis who authorized a study committee which led to this occurring. We 

can do the same with him in the Senate.

Tillis may merely be 'misguided' and Limbaugh's exacting rebuke of his Op-ed 

and reinforcing the mandate voters gave Republicans may be a Blessing.

We need to contact Tillis and let him know we are on the same page as Donald 

Trump is, not his Senate colleagues!

Trump committed to lock the door and end the cozy politician-lobbyist relationship. 

It is up to us to "ring Tillis phone off the hook", even use social media, to let him 

know we are watching.  We should also bring our concerns to state party leaders, 

let them know our displeasure.

Thom Tillis has shown he will respond.  Let's not let our displease lead us to do 

nothing!

Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

"One Term Tillis"

What is it about first term Republican senators in NC, do they really have
a single term death wish?  Will Sen. Thom Tillis join Lauch Faircloth and
Elizabeth Dole and squander his incumbency and lose his reelection bid
by being out of touch?

If the following is any indication, he just might.

Sen. Tillis gained national attention today when Rush Limbaugh offered
a response to an Op-ed Tillis submitted to the Charlotte Observer, a hard
left leaning paper which I'm sure is in full agreement.

It was not the kind of attention Sen. Tillis is likely to appreciate as
Limbaugh took him s "to school" on his assessment of the 2016 election.

Tillis Op-ed was entitled, "Voters didn't give the Republicans a mandate".

If we didn't know Tillis wrote it we could easily conclude it was written
by the New York Times or any of Democrat, or even a few of his get-along
Republican colleagues.

Perhaps its that Tillis is his "rookie" season as our senator, or that he has
been dining with McCain or one of his 'establishment' colleagues for him
to believe there was no mandate.

If Tillis would tally up the number of Republican governors, state
legislatures, majority in both chambers of Congress he would see what
a mandate the GOP does have.

Voters across the country did provide a mandate, to govern as conservatives,
not "reach across the aisle" and get bloodied for the effort.

We have seen the damage when extending our hand in bi-partisanship.

Tillis foolishly say the public is tired of the "gridlock".  Really?

I would not call deficit spending, record debt, greater power shifted to
Washington and more regulations "gridlock".  It is governance malfeasance.

One last point, we need to understand exactly what a 'mandate' is.

Its not always to "do something". In the case of the millions of people who
voted Republican to control Congress and for Donald Trump it means to
"stop doing something"..such as deficit budgets and increasing annual debt
and allowing lobbyists to 'govern

Read the following transcript from Limbaugh, once again he nails it!


RUSH:  North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis in the Charlotte Observer yesterday wrote his own op-ed: “Voters Didn’t Give Republicans a Mandate.”  He says, “Since the election, I’ve heard some of my fellow Republicans claim that the party received a decisive mandate from voters. Let’s be clear: The American people didn’t give the GOP a stamp of approval or a mandate to ram through an ideologically-driven, far-right agenda. If the election was a mandate for anything, it was for elected officials in both parties to break through the gridlock to finally start producing results.”


BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: Now, Thom Tillis. I ran into this last night, and I know what’s going on here. And this, by the way, is, I think, a good illustration.

So here comes Thom Tillis, senator, North Carolina, in the Charlotte Observer, writing an op-ed piece claiming: “Voters Didn’t Give Republicans a Mandate.” He says, “Since the election, I’ve heard some of my fellow Republicans claim that the party received a decisive mandate from voters.” He says, “Let’s be clear: the American people didn’t give the GOP a stamp of approval or a mandate to ram through an ideologically-driven, far-right agenda.” Here’s a Republican using the term “far-right.”

I mean, that is a derogatory term, and he’s using it to talk about his own voters and other Republicans all across the country. He says, “If the election was a mandate for anything, it was for elected officials in both parties to break through the gridlock to finally start producing results.” Now, this is patently not true. It’s obviously not true. So why is he writing this? Well, I will venture forth some guesses here in just a second. But let’s deal with the substance here.

How could anybody look at this election and this campaign and conclude that what voters wanted was the two parties to “break through the gridlock” and work together? Because what has happened in this country since 2010 is that the Democrat Party has been shellacked.

The American people have defeated Democrats in 2010, 2012. Remember, even when Obama wins reelection 2012, the Republicans won control of the House. The tea Party election 2010, then 2012, and then they got the Senate.

They’ve lost over a thousand electoral seats in national and state elections. They have been repudiated totally. Obama personally and political has been repudiated. There was no evidence and is no evidence whatsoever that American voters want anything to do with the Democrat agenda. Not a majority of them. The Democrat Party has been, folks — it really has been rendered — in many ways not a national party.

Democrats were told to take a hike. And yet here’s a Republican senator claiming that this is an election about sending Republicans and Democrats to Washington to work together, to stop gridlock.

This election was specifically about making America great again. And to do that, the American people realized they had to defeat Democrats. They don’t want to the Democrats participating in this. The Democrats are the reason people are miserable and unhappy and have future careers that look dismal and look like they’re absent any serious health care. I mean, it’s just… It’s a total, total mess. Tillis then says, “Americans from all walks of life have voiced their deep frustration with Washington’s seeming inability to get anything constructive done.”

There’s all kinds of stuff that got done, and the American people didn’t like it. How in the world can Tillis say that people are tired of Washington not getting anything done?

One-sixth of the U.S. economy was taken over by Washington! Health care. The Constitution ceased to exist. Look at immigration! The laws of the land have been entirely, totally ignored. People cannot find work. There are 94 million Americans not working because of Obama and Democrat Party economic policies.

There is or was national malaise of depression and just America was flatlined. There wasn’t any energy; there wasn’t any optimism. Obama was giving away the United States’ superpower status. He was giving away the American lead in technology and in energy. This was about all kinds of things getting done that the American people didn’t vote for!

“For decades,” Mr. Tillis writes, “they have watched politicians talk a good game while failing to deliver.” No, no, no, no. They have delivered! This is the problem! This is a Republican senator writing this, don’t forget. The Democrats have delivered.

And the Republicans didn’t do very much to stop it. We have out-of-control budget deficits. We had a out of control national debt. We have Obama budget after Obama budget that was rubber-stamped and authorized!

There wasn’t anything that didn’t get done? The government was growing inexorably. The government was growing unstoppingly. The government was taking over everything it could get its hands on!

The IRS had been politicized. The EPA had been politicized. The Department of Justice had been politicized. You had the Benghazi circumstance where people were put in jail for having had nothing to do with what happened. The American people were lied to routinely.

We had Fast and Furious where the Regime sold high-powered weapons to Mexican drug cartels in a scheme to get the American people so upset they demanded gun control, which is another thing the Democrats are trying to do is get rid of guns.

And Senator Tillis claims that the American people are tired of nothing getting done? The American people are tired of precisely what was happening and getting done! He says, “They have watched as politicians intentionally create chaos and widen the partisan divide for their own personal gain.”

Republicans were given mandates in 2010. The Republicans were given a mandate in 2014. They didn’t do anything! Here’s Tillis saying that there wasn’t ever a mandate and certainly not in 2016. “Republicans should remember that when Trump campaigned, he wasn’t holding up a conservative manifesto at every rally. Instead, his message was simple: cut deals and deliver results.”

Senator Tillis, you either weren’t listening or you’re not watching. Have you noticed who he’s surrounded himself with?

Take a look at Trump’s cabinet. Take a look at the people who speak for Trump. He has surrounded himself with perhaps a more conservative cabinet than any Republican president we’ve ever had!

Mr. Tillis obviously is going to run for some other office somewhere down the road, because this — what he’s writing here and what he’s saying — bears no resemblance to what happened
in the most recent election.

This is the kind of moderate, bipartisan BS that you get from RINOs, and RINOs had nothing to do with this past election, other than trying to stop Trump, and they failed.

Thom Tillis was elected in North Carolina to enact conservative solutions, to participate with the rest of the party in enacting conservative solutions to the existing problems created by the left and by the Democrat Party.

He was not sent to Washington to compromise with far, far leftists in the Senate! I can’t believe that he actually thinks he was sent to Washington to compromise with radical leftists.

But here’s the thing. Senator Tillis, like it or not, the problems that we have that Trump was elected to address and fix are going to have solutions, and every one of these solutions — and I don’t care who you are. Every solution is going to have conservative elements. It must or there won’t be any solution.

Any solution that has any of the status quo, which has radical liberalism in it, will not be a solution! It will be a continuation.

And Mr. Tillis was not sent to Washington to continue what has been happening the past eight years. Tillis barely won his first election to the Senate, and he would not have won if conservatives had seen this side of him.

If he had campaigned for his Senate seat writing things like this, he would not have won. In this sense, he’s a throwback.

He is one of those guys that, as a Republican, runs as a conservative and tells you all these great things you want to hear — and gets to Washington and doesn’t do it. So maybe he wants to be governor of North Carolina someday. I don’t know. But this is the kind of stuff you say if you are going to seek an office in, say, a local election or state election like governor, where you have a sizable collection of leftists and Northeastern transplanted Yankees who’ve come down to escape high taxes and oppressive government and are creating the same circumstances in their new locations in the South.














Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

A "license" to be divisive

Its interesting how some people are not held to the same standard
as Donald Trump is. For almost two years Trump's been bombarded
with criticism, often much deserved, for his remarks during the
campaign.  No one gave Trump a pass, nor should they. If he said
something offensive or divisive, he owns it!

Not so with Rep. John Lewis who is rightfully acknowledged as
civil right hero in the 20th century. And for this reason Lewis is
not criticized for his headline grabbing remarks which have been
aired for several days and will continue as long as they hurt Trump.

This is what occurred after Lewis called Donald Trump 'illegitimate',
based on his belief Russia "elected" him.

Lewis is so respected even those who disagree with his comment
felt compelled to mention his past achievements first.

Really?  Has anyone considered that Lewis is taking advantage of
his moral high ground, using his most pious tone, to widen the
gap between forty millions Blacks and Trump?

Lewis is well-schooled in partisan politics and quite comfortable
beating the Democrat drum that 'Russia elected Trump'.

And, Lewis is not alone, ask any member of the Congressional Black
Caucus and most agree with him.

They do not want a better relationship between Donald Trump and
the Black community, as evidenced by Lewis remarks being used
in anti-Trump fund raising letters.

Lewis was a hero in the sixties, but  "what has he done lately?"

Those who refuse to criticize John Lewis need to ask this question.

Where was his voice condemning the Black Lives Matter movement
which gave license to hatred of law enforcement leading to several
assassinations of cops?

Where was Lewis in the fight against the genocide of unborn
Blacks, double the percentage of Afro-Americans?

Nor, do I recall Lewis speaking out for more to be done to end
the national scourge of drugs destroying Black communities.

Nor, did I see Lewis meet with conservative Black ministers to fight
against illegal immigration that has hurt Black workers the most.

I'm sorry folks, the John Lewis we see today is NOT the one who
walked with Martin Luther King.  Lewis is just another politician,
seeking a partisan advantage to serve his party.

John Lewis "owns" his 'illegitimate' comments which incidentally
echo what is being sent out by the Democrat Party.

Lewis did not care about the negative impact his remarks would
have on millions of Blacks who revere his past accomplishments.

It was time to yell "fire" in a crowded theater, and John Lewis
was man for the job, how little he must think of himself.

I have no respect for Lewis or most of the Black members of
Congress who used race related issues to advance their own
careers, at the expense of the people they claim to represent!

One last point, the political party which most Black Americans
have gravitated to is the Democrat Party whose members beat Lewis
and had dogs attack him and other protesters, a mention you will
not find in "revisionist" history books!














Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

What Donald Trump offers the 'anti-Trump' protesters

At no time in American history do I believe so many groups
have aligned themselves towards an incoming president as
ones against Donald Trump; groups, diverse yet unified in
their hatred, yes hatred, towards our next president.

Included are organized labor, teacher unions, minority
groups, women's groups, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, media
among others.

Trump never offered duplicitous messages, honed to appeal
to whatever group he was speaking to like most politicians.
He offered the same message to every audience, "make
American strong again, safe again and great again!"

Respectful dissent should always be encouraged; but obscene,
over the top anger needs to responded to.

Organized labor has suffered for decades as companies abandoned
the US, under presidents of both parties, for more profitable
manufacturing sites overseas. Trump wants to change this by
offering lower corporate tax rates, reducing regulations and
penalizing companies for departing US locales.

Teacher unions claim Trump will damage public education, absurd
and without merit if they bothered to listen to him. Trump wants
education to be local, not driven by Washington that mandated
what local schools must do. He wants to end the Common Core
standard both teachers and parents are against. Many teachers
know well their efforts have been damaged by the 'intrusion' of
the Dept. of Education in what and how the teach. Such concerns
are not backed with facts!

Minority groups need to understand Donald Trump, unlike other
politicians boldly campaigned he will take on the challenges of
poverty, crime, drugs, failing education and lack of opportunities.

As Donald Trump says to minority groups, "What do you have to lose?".

To this I add,"Give him at least once chance, after giving the same
people chance after chance, year after year, with little improvement".

Women's groups need to look at a calendar, its the 21st century, not
the 1970s! The glass ceiling has been shattered, women can be found
serving in McDonalds, running universities, CEOs of major corporations,
and even be the Secy. of State. Trump has proven for over forty years
in business women can do as well as men. He even fully supports and
has contributed to Planned Parenthood. There is no evidence he will
differ while president.

Hollywood concerns are impossible to understand for they fail to address
how Trump affects them. It is Trump who has spoken about intellectual
property, including the piracy of the creative works of Hollywood, that
politicians have failed to end. Trump has committed to end this thievery.

Silicon Valley offers no argument either, yet Trump offers the same
reassurance, to protect the IT industry as well.

The media is the toughest to convince, it is ideologically driven by a group
without much skin in the game. Its obvious they have taken sides, they
disregard principled journalism in favor of biased reporting. They fail
to see such blatant partisanship has resulted in dwindling readership and
viewership. They are too blind to see the connection. Trump will never
convince them, even as the country becomes better than it is.

Will this simmer down the 'anti-Trump' protesters?  It really doesn't
matter, as long as Trump achieves his campaign promises resulting in
"Making America great again!"






Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Trump's gonna need a bigger vacuum!

Of the many catchy lines Donald Trump has used to connect with Americans
who have had it with government malfeasance is his line "drain the swamp".

On the surface most of us believe it means getting rid of the corruption and
incompetence which has failed the American people.

But what we perceive as a 'swamp', is merely the top layer of a body of
corruption as deep as an Alpine lake.

Even when we think we know where to find the corruption we are learning
it is more widespread than even Donald Trump believes it is.

Even many of us who follow the relationships of politicians with agencies,
lobbyists, donors and media have no idea that deep within the bowels of govt.
there is another power 'underground', well hidden, with more influence than
most believe.

We would never suspect these august organizations created to do the "good
works" that compliment what govt. provides.  We have been led to believe
these groups are so valued and deserving of govt. exemptions and benefits
not available to most others.

Yet, they operate in a most sophisticated and innocent fashion, hiding their
politically partisan desires, undercutting honest and fair governance to
achieve success.

We all know many of these groups. We support them, even contribut,
never aware what they seek to do goes well beyond any mission statement
to present.

They are "Non-Profits" and among the most powerfully influention organizations
found in the swamp. They not only

Notable is Planned Parenthood who we learned has hired a

And with recent revelations about their stealth efforts to exploit political relationships
we see the true motives which guide many of them.





Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Obama's Foreign Policy....."Bombs Away!"

Last week I read that in 2016 we dropped over 26,000 bombs in
several Middles East countries. with 24,000 in Syria and Iraq alone.

I did not give this report much notice, but thought of it when
I heard Sen/ Marco Rubio ask Secy. of State nominee, Rex
Tillerson would he call Vladimir Putin a "war criminal".

Well, if Rubio believes Putin is a war criminal would the people
in Middle East reasonably consider President Obama one as
well?

I don't recall the US declaring war on Syria or President Obama
telling the American people a bombing campaign would begin,
why and the targets.

Wouldn't our actions be considered "criminal" as well? Yet,
not a peep from Rubio or other members of Congress.



an
obvious attempt by Rubio to jump on the anti-Russia band
wagon while placing Tillerson in an awkward position as
he is the person who will meet with Putin.







http://www.ibtimes.com/obama-foreign-policy-legacy-us-dropped-over-26000-bombs-iraq-syria-more-nations-2016-2474319



Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Congressional insult to America's "Blue Heroes"

The prize winning painting of  the annual Congressional Art competition
was taken down in December by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-CA,  in response
to more than 27,000 protests from law enforcement, six months after being
placed in the Capitol  complex. The winner is a high school student.

The reason, Rep. Hunter was offended by the message, that portrayed cops
as pigs!  Duncan returned the painting to Missouri Rep. Lacy Clay's office
who heads the annual competition.

This led Clay and several of his colleagues to rehang the painting saying
it represented "free speech", with little interest of the message it implied.

The "cops are pigs" rhetoric is nothing new, its decades old, born as
a taunt in major cities by anti-war and civil rights protesters to provoke
law enforcement to use needless force against them!

Well, yesterday's taunt has become today's rallying cry, condoned by
politicians who seem to revel in allegations against law enforcement,
even ones proven false.

This event is troubling from several perspectives. First, consider the
high school student who made this painting. Is this what this student
actually believes, that "cops are pigs"?  If so, than public education
has a long way to go in what is being taught, and more disappointing,
what is not taught in our schools.

Secondly, educated individuals fortunate enough to have the honor
to serve in Congress refuse to acknowledge the disrespect this painting
shows towards law enforcement, quick to use 'free speech' as a defense,
yet not condemn this as "hate speech", which is what it really is!

Finally, what of the two thousand officers who come to work each day
and feel offended seeing this "artwork" as they patrol the Capitol? How
much consideration did the people who chose this winning painting give
to the people who protect them?

If you have not seen the painting, this is what it takes to 'win' in the
judgement of Rep. Clay and his colleagues.

This link reports the story:   http://fxn.ws/2i0FkIl

Oh, there is one more portrait I want to share, two officers who died this
week in Orlando doing what most others would not, protect and serve their
communities.

Rep. Clay should find a place for their photos on the walls of the US Capitol.

Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

The Jeff Sessions the media will not tell you about...

With the confirmation of Sen. Jeff Session after a
two month attack by Democrats with hateful rhetoric
which I can only describe as 'evil' I offer the
following which I wrote earlier as I expect the lies
and distortion to be used to defeat his nomination.

There is no bigger target than Sen. Jeff Sessions who was the first
politician who not only endorsed Donald Trump, but campaigned
for him for over a year and now has been named to be the next
Attorney General.

Those unfamiliar with Sessions might be easily convinced the vitriol
is true.  I won't even dignify what was said, I'll let my experience 
answer the charges.

Four years ago in Washington I attended a protest rally organized
by the 'Black American Leadership Alliance' (BALA) which opposed
amnesty and a Senate immigration bill which would have worsened
the state of our porous immigration policy.

The BALA event did not draw much of a crowd, which was a Blessing
for it allowed me to mingle. Most speakers were members of the Black
clergy. Politicians of note were Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Rep.
Steve King, and also former Congressman Allan West. Not a Democrat
could be found!

The crowd may have been about 500 , giving me the advantage to chat
with speakers. My interest was with the Black ministers. I asked 5-6 of
them the uppermost question on my mind, "what support are you receiving
from the Congressional Black Caucus". All answered, none at all.

Here we have good men, who I am sure support the Democrat Party telling
me the CBC has little interest in their concerns how illegal immigration has
 hurt their communities.

The story is on this link, http://bit.ly/2b1TbKt

Don't expect this to come out in the media. No, the false narrative has
hardened to 'truth' as only partisan journalists can describe it!

Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or
 email, ajbruno14@gmail.com

 "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

The less traveled "high road"!

Don't expect the critics of Donald Trump to stop anytime soon.
This is the way they are, and will always be! The "low road" is
the road they prefer to travel!

These people are not merely liberals who engage respectfully
with conservatives, these are hard core, intolerant Leftists
who will never respect views they disagree with.

These critics use whatever 'pulpit' provided, such as celebrities
use award show venues, to offer their own political message,
falsely believing this is what the public is fawning to hear!

They refuse to accept that not everyone is in agreement with
them, a view not based on knowledge, only sheer arrogance!

Trump's critics will applaud the majority of voters who wanted
Hillary to be our next president, but refuse to respect that over
sixty million Americans wanted Trump to win!

Doesn't this mean anything to his critics? Of course not!

There is no respect towards these people, especially when THEIR
votes in battle ground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
and North Carolina, decided Donald Trump would be our president.

Trump's critics believe these people have less value than the millions
of voters along the west coast and the northeast who voted for Hillary.

Rather than understand why they favored Trump critics ridiculed them,
calling them "less educated", "nationalists", even "White"!

Trump's voters are dismissed Leftist bigots, for the 'crime' of residing
in 'fly over country', the people joked about each evening on the late
night  talk shows and judged not "sophisticated" to understand complex
issues.

These voters are considered 'out of touch' for they don't read the New
York Times or embrace everything ill informed Hollywood luminaries
have to say.  And, worse they are stupid for electing Donald Trump!

Donald Trump rightly refuses to let any criticism go undefended, he
responds in kind, using social media to bypass biased media with a
direct message to millions of followers, equal to his number of voters!

Even respected, well known Trump supporters urge him to 'tone it down'
as he only brings attention to critics his supporters don't give a whit about.

But, when the complicit and partisan media join with Leftist groups such
advice is not worth taking.

I'm of another opinion, Trump should continue to "be Trump". He should
continue to use this 21st century 'bully pulpit' to speak directly to the
people who deserve to hear what HE has to say, not what others have to
say about him.

Donald Trump can go a step further, something his critics would never do,
travel the road less traveled, the "high road", to raise the level discourse in
his message, This is the one his supporters want and all Americans deserve.

This is how Donald Trump won the election, with the cornerstone, "Make
America great again"! In every response to each attack, Trump should
remind all Americans why he ran and what he intends to do!

The high road is the one Hillary refused to travel when she called Trump
voters 'despicable and deplorable' at an Planned Parenthood event to a
crowd which cheered in agreement.

Consider for a moment what Hillary said, that Trump voters are deserving
of ridicule!

Now, think of what Trump never said of any group of supporters of Hillary
or other candidates. Not once do I recall Trump calling any group of people
who supported Hillary, Bernie or even President Obama any derogatory names.

In fact, Trump reached out to Bernie voters who were disenfranchised by
a 'rigged' Democrat Party system and a Black constituency whose quality of
life is worse after eight years of the failed promise of "hope and change".
As Trump told them, "What have you got to lose?"

Its only the Leftists who have much to lose!

Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below,
or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com

 "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Woody Guthrie is turning over in his grave....

Most people do not know who Woody Guthrie was and rarely his name is
brought  up in conversations, even on topics he was keenly interested in.

Guthrie was a folk singer of the Depression era, at a time our country was
captured in poverty and most Americans saw little to be encouraged by.

He wrote many songs about the 'human condition' and reminded us, it is
OUR country, not the government's!

One of his legendary songs, . "This Land" reminded all Americans of every
citizen's birthright, strengthened with the certainty of key lyrics,

'This land is your land, this land is my land.....
                                                      .....this land was made for you and me"

The song has an interesting history, with changes, noted on this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Land_Is_Your_Land

I thought of Guthrie as I read that President Obama, during his two terms,
"took" more than eight hundred thousand square miles, more than three
times the size of Texas.

The story:
http://www.mrctv.org/blog/obama-seizes-land-3x-size-texas-8-years

What most Americans do not know, even before Barack Obama was elected
one third of our country was federal land, including fifty percent west of the
Mississippi River.

This has been the pattern ever since President Teddy Roosevelt  designated
valued land for our National Parks system.

Over the years several presidents decided to isolate thousands of acres,
terminate state authority which removed citizens from deciding the best
use of THEIR land.

Its been over one hundred years this has been going on, yet Congress and
state delegations have done little to stop this abuse of federal power without
the consent of the people.

There is no need for the federal government to continue this "one direction"
land acquisition policy of ownership.

This country was not created to be a bastion of centralized authority with
states being only called upon to elect representatives and pay for whatever
the federal government demands citizens must.

Only when the desires of the people are respected and their will determines
elected officials decisions can we be assured the vision of the Founders have
been fulfilled!











Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

Congress keeps tripping over a molehill its mistakes for a mountain

As early as September there were reports Russia was trying to
influence our presidential election and desired Donald Trump to
be our next president by 'hacking' into US computer systems.

Stories of Russia go back as far back as the Summer of 2015,
but were not important enough for Obama's State Dept. to
address.

Before going into the moste allegation that private email accounts
were hacked by the Russians to undermine the election, the current
landscape needs to be examined, after eight years of President
Obama at the helm and four years Hillary Clinton ran the State Dept.

Obama weakened our defenses in Eastern Europe which pleased Putin.

Hillary made the deal with Canadian 'middle man' which allowed Russia
to get uranium from the US.

Obama did nothing when Putin took Crimea from Ukraine.

Hillary offered Putin a "reset button", an inference the relationship would
be better than it was when George Bush was president.

This all occurred in the first two years!!

With such a cozy relationship we are now asked to believe Russia wanted
Trump to be our next president!  Really??

I have been watching the folks in Washington going after Russia for
affecting the outcome of our presidential election.

According to the cyber experts in several govt. agencies the Russians
"hacked" into American computer systems.

Which govt. systems were hacked? Were they any of the systems at the
FBI, CIA, Dept. of Defense? If you thought any of these, you whiffed!

According to the heads of Natl. Security and CIA, the Russians hacked
into a private email account, not any of the secured government systems.

Consider, we are asked to believe Putin had no interest in information
concerning the war in Syria, our next generation of fighter aircraft, or
even our plans to fight ISIS.

What he really wanted to know is what people working to elect Hillary
Clinton were communicating to one another about!  Really?

Is this what we are expected to "swallow"?

Add to this, the folly of members of Congress doing what they always do,
make something out of nothing and being led by two Republican anti-
Russian hawks, Mc Cain and Graham.  McCain goes so far to call this
'hacking' was an "act of war"! Again, really?

Since when is a breach of a private computer system an 'act of war'?

These allegations against Russia are the latest misdirect and comes from
the same agencies who have failed time and again to thwart terrorist attacks
in areas we use our surveillance.

This latest front page story is part of the continued effort by the Democrats
to de-legitimize the presidency of Donald Trump.

The grand design of Democrats will continue. They will be relentless to the
point of being stupid enough to let everyone see they plan on deliberately
undermining anything Donald Trump attempts.

We have seen the meaningless recount by a candidate who settled for two
weeks of media coverage, criticism of the Electoral count which is what
determines the victor and now the folly of the Russians 'electing' Trump.

Along with  these feeble attempts comes the warning of what is next.
Sen. Schumer has told Trump Democrats will fight tooth and nail against
nominees they oppose, stating the confirmation hearings will draw on
for months.

Recall, this is the same party of Obama who saw 13 of his 14 appointments
confirmed in two weeks, with seven in two days!

There was no such warning from Republicans, they respected the desires of
President Obama and refused to poison the process.

Between some Republicans chiming in against Russia and Democrat boldly
stating they will be obstructionists Trump will have more to do than "make
America great again".

At this time I can think of no better person to address the problems and the politics!









Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/

In NC the people have 'voted' for four years!

Here in NC the voters recently elected a new governor, legislature and
local officials.

But, for more than four years in Wake and neighboring counties each
day most drivers heading to work or shopping cast their 'vote', against
toll roads!

Even though the Southwestern section of state road 540, formerly
designated an interstate roadway, is a beautiful and easily accessible
thoroughfare, the majority of drivers do not use it and continue to use
SR 55 congested with many backups due to dozens of traffic signals.

And for one reason...the egregious toll, which might be the highest
per mile in the nation!

Some officials have the gall to say its not the toll which led to the sparse
number of drivers. But, the NON-tolled section, Northeastern I-540, an
interstate roadway, is congested during rush hours proves otherwise.
Its obvious except to politicians, the toll is the difference!

It apparent, once a new 'piggy bank' such as the one created with toll
revenue politicians are reluctant to eliminate it.

In fact, one reason attributed to Gov. McCrory lose by less than 6000
votes was his support of toll roads. There is an opinion this decision
cost McCrory more than 30,000 votes!

The burden of new road construction and maintenance should be shared
as all other roadways are funded, by the revenue generated by the more
than seven billion gallons of fuel consumed for transportation annually.

Its long past time the General Assembly end the reliance on tolls to
fund basic roadways especially when the public does not want them.

To learn more and join the effort, go the the "NC Citizens Against Toll
Roads" website  http://www.nccatr.org/



.








Feedback appreciated. Feel free to enter in comments section below, or email, ajbruno14@gmail.com "Point of View" blog http://ajbruno14.blogspot.com/