A veto worth the cost.....

Mr. President, 

As the year nears its close, once again the failure of Congress to pass

a budget necessitates a short term spending bill to prevent a partial

shutdown a small percentage of our government.

Your opponents in and out of the media will focus and ridicule your
campaign promise to build a wall to protect our southern border as
the reason, rather than Congress which again fails to perform its most
important responsibility.

The Senate has sent a stopgap two month spending bill across to the
House without the money for the wall that will surely be passed, and 

attention will turn to your hand and "pen". 

The unanswered question, "Will you sign this bill?"  

I strongly suggest you do not.  Funding the wall may be getting attention,

but the failure of Congress is the reason for this annual budgetary 'drama'.

Your signature should not brake a campaign promise to protect national
security.  The fault falls squarely on where it belongs,  Congress. If it wants
this bill passed, they can do with an override of your veto.  

In closing, there are 62 million reasons, the people that voted for you and
 have not wavered since the day you were elected.
  

Don't sacrifice your principles to protect Congressional folly.

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2018 Mid-Term Election Recap....

 "It could have been worse!"

This is how I sum up this election, both here in North Carolina

and across the country.

Across the nation, Democrats took the majority in the US House, 

adding approx. thirty seats.  This should have not been a surprise 

on two accounts.

First, the failure of Republican leadership under both John Boehner 

and outgoing speaker Paul Ryan. Neither man did as promised, 

on time balanced budgets, not continuing resolutions, immigration
reform, reduce wasteful spending, lowering taxes, all that Trump

attempted to do, keeping "their" promises.

Apparently, President Trump "promises made, promises kept" 

do not mean much to either Boehner or Ryan. 

The second was the reversal of fortunes in states that Trump won, 

notably West Virginia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.  Give Democrats 

credit, they stepped up while state Republicans let Trump's successes

slip away.

For what its worth, the thirty-plus Democrat gain is about equal

to the 80% advantage the forty-five incumbent Republicans who 

are retiring would have had, a key factor in making these battles 

more competitive.

The Senate was another matter as Republicans even gained seats
that ensures this chamber will not be a 'rubber stamp' for whatever

comes from the House.

Holding the Senate ensures President Trump's next Supreme Court

nominee will get a fair confirmation hearing, unlike the one for Justice

Kavanaugh, which Democrats undermined. 

Under Mitch McConnell the Senate will be a firewall against 

Democrat legislation pushed in House bills.

Equally important, the Florida seat of incumbent Sen. Nelson was 

defeated by Rick Scott. And Texas seat was 'saved' as Cruz held.

Two important governorships were also won by Republicans,

Florida and Georgia, ensuring the South can counter Democrat
influence on the West Coast. 

Last observation, despite the numerous appearances at rallies, 

Trump's 'star power' was not enough to help many Republicans 

win their own elections. 

I am sure some in the Republican Party will look at our 'larger than
life' president and  filter through the media and elsewhere much of
the blame is his. Republican voters across the country know otherwise.

Republicans still have a big job ahead of them, having squandered
their recent success.

Here in North Carolina, Republicans kept majorities in both chambers
of our General Assembly, but they no longer have veto-proof control

over legislation. 

(Note: I think this is good, as I believe every governor should be in
partnership with the people's representatives)

Also, four of the six state amendments did pass, including voter-id,
victim's rights, and limit on state tax and right to hunt. This success
came in the face of a well-funded campaign to "defeat all amendments".

Wake County became deeper 'blue' as Democrats continue to control
most municipalities and the county. This will almost guarantee more
debt will be added and lead to the next increase in our property taxes.

Stay tuned and more importantly, stay involved.

Feedback always appreciated...

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A pox on political consultants..

The fortunes garnered under Republican leadership, nationally

and state wide,  should make the upcoming mid-term election 

an overwhelming success, not a razor thin margin that can go 

either way. Why is this so?

I believe it is due to those seeking elected office not modeling

campaign ads after Donald Trump who continually reminded

voters what he would do if elected and equally important, what

he has done in the past two years.

Yes, President Trump does use bombast to label those against

his policies, most often after he has been attacked. But, anyone 

who has followed his campaign rallies can probably repeat from

memory the achievements, unemployment down, jobs up, 

economy growing, etc.

So why do so many seeking political office rely on negative ads

to promote their candidacy?  

I fault political consultants, an 'establishment' group that gets

little attention but wield a lot of influence during election seasons.

Unfortunately, most consultants rely on the same playbook, 

offering voters negative messages against opponents rather

than pointing to their own successes.

We have been told for years that "negative ads work", but do 

we really know for sure since the majority of campaigns only 

produce negative ads.

Where is the "morning in America" ads that President Reagan

campaigned on in 1980?  Don't expect to find any among the

consultants advising most campaigns.

But, we do see it each time President Trump mentions 'make 

America great again'.  The thousands that attend his rallies

know exactly what he means, applaud and cheer the one

person that refuses to denigrate our nation while recognizing

the successes of American businesses and their workers.

Republican incumbents relying on negative ads against their

opponents rather than promote the successes of the party

have taken the positive 'oxygen' out of their campaigns.

Even the amount spent on consultants should be questioned

after the surprising victory of President Trump who spent very

 little while Jeb Bush led his other challengers spending over

$130 million, several stories were written  questioning the value

of  political consultants

Will this mid-term be a repeat of previous ones where majorities

get 'flipped'.  If it is the question needs to be asked, what value

do political consultants really have when majorities are so easily

defeated?

In less than a week we will know.......

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"Every Mother's Son"

"Every Mother's Son", forms an unbreakable bond, one the

'#MeToo' movement seeks to shatter when it finds a 'son' 

guilty solely on an accusation and a 'mother' brokenhearted 

watching his life destroyed and being unable to stop it.

Unfortunately, a troubling number of women with a righteous

contempt for those accused of sexual assault believe any man

is guilty even without learning the facts supporting the accusation.

They are frozen in their thinking, guilty must be the verdict!

To them, all accusations are credible, nor are they interested in

jurisprudence that allows accusations presented and adjudicated

under the law.  They find the process too slow, too 'messy' and

more importantly, too risky, as the results of "justice being served" 

might prove the alleged innocent.

This is the world  the '#MeToo' the movement wants to live in,
but it is also the world lived in before, during the  "Inquisition", 

started in 12th century France!

Every mother's son should not pay a price for something he did

 not do.

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Should Non-Profits be allowed to use "political intimidation"

Its my understanding that non-profit status is a privilege 

the IRS grants to organizations which meet criteria within 

the code. Within this code we find non-profits "must be 

organized and operated exclusively for "exempt purposes".

With more than 1.5 million non-profits its impossible for the 

IRS to properly oversee that only 'exempt purposes' occur, 

which opens the door for the privilege to be abused, even to 

the point of doing damage to individuals, businesses and 

even other non-profits.

Which brings me to the subject question... 

Should Non-Profits be allowed to used "political intimidation"? 

Intimidation can take many forms, but is easily recognized when 

the damage is inflicted. And, by any reasonable understanding 

'intimidation' would not fit into the category of an exempt purpose.

Recently this abuse of non-profit guidelines was seen at the

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Planned Parenthood,

two prominent non-profits, more political activist organizations

than non-partisan non-profits.

The Southern Poverty Law Center  (SPLC), doesn't even try to 

hide its desire to  intimidate.  It has shamelessly promoted its

list of "hate groups" which it actively publicizes and uses to 

destroy, through intimidation, as has done quite often and 

successfully for years.

The SPLC's intimidation campaign is now seeking to destroy the 

David Horowitz Freedom Center by contacting the two largest 

credit card services,  Mastercard and Visa, demanding they 

refuse to do business  with his Freedom Center, that would 

shut down its primary fund raising mechanism.  

The story: https://bit.ly/2OYUzPW

Most recently Planned Parenthood successfully got an Austin 

movie theater to not show the movie, "Gosnell", the true story 

of an abortion doctor now in jail.  The target is not a single

theater it is ANY theater that dares to show it.

 Story: https://bit.ly/2xNHmDt

Non-profit status was included it the original Revenue Act 

of  1913 for a purpose, but it was not to do harm through 

threats or intimidation. The laudable reasons for non-profits

seem to be forgotten when zealots run them.

Non-profit were meant to "further a social cause or advocate

a point of view", but not at the expense lawful enterprises or

individuals. 

It one thing to address issues but quite another to intimidate 

businesses  as these two non-profits and I am sure so many 

others are doing. Its time the IRS gets tough on these abuses. 

Regards,

Anthony Bruno

Sen. Schumer can be mum when it serves him well.

Schumer Demanded FBI Probe Kavanaugh, Was Mum On Wife’s Role in NYC Deadly Crash

September 21, 2018

Democrat minority leader, Chuck Schumer has deemed Brett Kavanaugh accuser’s claims against the judge as “extremely credible”.

Yes, the pathologically partisan senator has proclaimed that;  6 different FBI background checks, days of grueling testimony and an endless number of character witnesses to the contrary, Christine Blasey Ford’s 36-year-old allegation, unsupported by specific critical details such as year, time, and place, is plenty good enough for him!

Chuck wanted the FBI to “reopen” their background investigation, although he wasn’t precise as to which of those half dozens should be reopened.

Schumer demanded the feds step in and get to the bottom of this;  no matter how long it takes.  He wanted them to find all the answers, especially if there are no real answers to be found.

Seeing Senator Schumer shamelessly preening in front of friendly cameras never comes as a surprise to anyone paying attention.

But, what even Schumer watchers may not know is;15 years ago, during what would normally have been one of those classic ambulance chasing media moments Chucky lives for, he was nowhere to be found.

In the fall of 2003, there was a horrific, deadly ferry boat crash in the senator’s very own New York City. 

Strangely absent, was the typical spectacle of Schumer racing for a camera and calling for an over-the-top federal look into the circumstances surrounding one of the worst public transportation disasters in NYC’s history. There was none of his usual bluster crying out for increased regulations and punishment for all those responsible. He went underground. Why?

Because hidden from public view, the key player entwined in this calamity, was one Iris Weinshall.

Here’s the story:

On Wednesday, October 15, 2003, the Andrew J. Barberi crashed full-speed in a concrete pier at St. George ferry terminal, killing 11 and injuring 165. The crash was so horrific, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg felt compelled to issue a statement saying it was not a terrorist attack.

Facing multi-million dollar lawsuits the NYC Department of Transportation had the hard-hearted chutzpah to claim the clearly avoidable tragedy resulted from an Act of God.  Not only was that pathetic argument debunked to the tune of well over $50 million, but 5 people were charged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York with 11 counts of seaman’s manslaughter and making false statements.

In addition, an independent federal report found fault with upper management ruling, “the lion’s share of culpability in this case as resting with the high-level management of the Ferry Service.”, given this was just the kind high profile catastrophe Senator Schumer would normally use to bleat about dramatically expanding the Fed’s role; where was Chuck?

The answer is easy if you know two things. The Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation was Iris Weinshall. Iris Weinshall was Senator Schumer’s wife. If this was unknown at the time it’s not the reader’s fault. The power couple was very careful covering their tracks. In July of 2006 Iris, as a defendant in a related lawsuit, went so far as to have the hyphenated Schumer part of her Weinshall-Schumer name removed and both were virtually unreachable for comments regarding the deadly accident.

While others were disciplined, fired and/or served jail terms Ms. Wesinshall had the remarkable good fortune to serve in that position for another four years. She then took a job at the City University of New York, ironically tasked with overseeing the planning, building, and maintenance of physical structures.

A running joke has been the most dangerous place to be standing in between a camera and Chuck Schumer. On October 15, 2003, literally, the most dangerous place to be standing was on ferry under the control of a NYC agency headed by Mrs. Charles Schumer.

If Schumer continues his factually unfounded vendetta against an honorable Brett Kavanaugh, the Dem pol should be reminded of events 15 years ago that drove him to keep his mouth shut.

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Sen. Grassley on the Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing.

Committee Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley needs to make 

a statement concerning the recently concluded Kavanaugh 

Confirmation Hearing.

As much as he provided fair and equitable leadership, it

was not enough get any sense of 'comity' the Senate

prides itself on.

I hope Grassley offer such a statement, such as below.

The Senate hearing to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh

for the vacated seat on the Supreme Court has been a circus from day one 

which could have been predicted soon after the announcement by President

Trump on July 9th.

It did not take long for Democrats​ to 'fill in the name' of the already created, 

scripted criticism to be used over and over against whomever Trump chose.

From the first, all Democrat members ensured the hearing would not go 

without interruption. First, they provided tickets to people interested 

in disrupting the proceedings, not respectfully listening to what was 

being said.  

But, this was not the worst of this 'circus', what we saw next surely 

was, the performance of Democrats on the committee themselves,

all showed little interest in a respectful query of Judge Kavanaugh, 

only an ongoing attack on him.

The foregone conclusion was obvious and two fold.  Even before 

the hearing began every Democrat said they would not confirm the 

nomination, while a few Republicans wanted assurances on 

concerns they wanted addressed.

After a three day hearing that included three sessions of questioning 

Kavanaugh by all twenty-one senators, totaling one hour each

they hearing ended, with only the scheduled vote on Sept. 19th 

to be taken.

The next day I learned from Sen. Diane Feinstein that she received

a letter from a woman that claimed she was sexually assaulted by

Judge Kavanaugh when they were teenagers, over thirty years ago,

information Feinstein new about in July!

Now, the Democrats, who I remind you, were not going to vote

for Kavanaugh at all, want to bring in this women, now a professor

to address the committee.

But, even that does not seem to be enough, now the women's lawyer

is demanding an FBI investigation before she speaks to our committee

which the Democrats demand as well.

I have to call this as I see it, a slow moving flow of lava to scuttle the 

appointment of Judge Kavanaugh which I will refuse to allow.

Our committee will not submit to demands by either party or any

individual. I will call for a vote at the earliest, not negotiate with 

Democrats that from the beginning had little interest in Judge 

Kavanaugh's of the law.

As much as I empathize with Prof. Ford, beyond allowing her to 

address the committee, I will not delay the the vote for demands

of any nature, by anyone. 

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"The Coddling of the American Mind"

I am not sure you are aware of or read this subject book, but I did come

across the one hour CSPAN video "The Coddling of the American Mind",

in which the authors, Greg Lukianoff and Johnathan Haidt discussed it.

From the introduction:

Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last

few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they

are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety,

depression, and suicide are rising—on campus as well as nationally.

How did this happen? 

I did not read the book, but I learned enough from the one hour CSPAN

video to see a glaring omission, the possibility that "coddling" began

when raising children changed in our country, with the birth of "latch

key" school age children, leading to the the current state we are in!

Perhaps I am 'old school'  but discussions  of "micro aggression", "safe

spaces" and "demands of the students",  etc.  never occurred forty odd

years ago, which is more than troubling when the authors did not

delve into what could be the source of many of the problems today.

To me, the current method of public education may be the cause and

needs to be examined and compared with earlier education and

societal rearing. 

Did replacing at home development with day care have played a role?

Perhaps the uptick in single parenthood, leaving millions without the

presence of a father figure.

In K-12 we learned  the building blocks required to become responsible

adults. Observing that college students need "coddling"  also shows

many have yet to reach adulthood.

Even the word 'rigger', used to describe teaching, has been reduced to

a pacifier, perhaps to mislead parents, as true 'rigger'  and structured

standards were replaced with more relaxed ones so students could easily

advance without learning what is needed to meet the next grade's standard;

none which the authors discussed.

Our country turned for the better when more women with children chose

to pursue careers, but it needs to be understood such a change has a price,

and should be part of the discussion if there is to be a serious discussion.

Nor, did the authors address what else happened when women entered

the workplace; the 'delegation' of  parenting to public schools as well.

What was taught in the home was no longer taught at all.  The maturity

of children entering college was nonexistent in many, still immature,

leaving it up to administrators to handle, a task universities were never

charged to provide.

I don't know of anyone, other than Charles Murray, with  the courage

to compare then with now, so the public understands for themselves,

not be dependent on the education professionals to add another layer

of bureaucracy that fails public education as earlier ones have.

Pass along this email to friends in teaching.  AS always, your feedback

is appreciated.

This is the link to watch the video.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?450784-1/the-coddling-american-mind


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The media is worse than "Enemy of the People"

The media was quite disturbed when President Trump began calling 

their biased reporting on his Administration "fake news" but now the journalistic community have proven they are also dishonest brokers 

of public information and equally deserving of the president's latest

claim, they are the "enemy of the people".

To challenge the president they offer self serving platitudes on the 

First  Amendment, even daring to make a moral equivalence to
many high water marks of American journalism. Such ridiculous
assertions only demonstrate how far journalism has fallen.

Most open minded and objective citizens have observed for almost two

years the  mix of  both; "fake news" in the form of unverified reports

coming from unsourced leaks masquerading as journalism and prejudice by only reporting negative stories that strengthens the "enemy of the 

people" claim. A partisan media that omits information is clearly no

"friend of the people".

How can anyone call Trump's criticism a form of slander when over 

90% are negative stories. Perhaps "journalist malpractice" is more fitting.

And, having hurt feelings isn't enough. Now print media is going even 

further, organizing independent newspapers to attack, which only proves Trump's point! 

The call has been sent across the country for editorial boards to solicit 

opinion pieces on the "dangers" of Trump's criticism. 

While they are attacking to defend against the "enemy of the people" 
claim, they are making the case for the president!  Its one thing for an independent editorial to cite an opinion but blatantly dishonest when
only prejudiced commentaries are the only ones "the people" get to read.

When the print media publicly says it will enlist editorial writers to cite 

the dangers of  Trump's attacks they are no longer doing what the First Amendment protects, they have slid into the area of 'propaganda' on
a foundation of collusion! 

In closing, there are two parallels in what is going on.  The first occurred 

during the campaign when the National Review, a conservative magazine, published an entire issue, with solicited opinion pieces of why Donald Trump should not be elected.  We saw how that worked out.

Second and even more disturbing is the state of "editorial independence"

in the newspaper industry today.  One has to wonder why,on any given 

day across our nation so many editorials take the same position on an
issue, a concern that transcends the 'target' and goes to the core of the 
problem, the corrosion of American  journalism.

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Republicans are once again failing their electorate

Observing the remarks from Republicans and Democrats following

President Trump's meeting with Putin I noticed a distinct difference 

between how both parties advance their interests.

We have seen time and again Democrats seek to destroy a Republican 

president, as they did to Bush during the Iraq War without any

defense from Republicans.

Democrats seek to destroy a person, his reputation, his love of

country and even his legitimacy!

We now see this political strategy used against President Trump.  

Republicans will speak out against a Democrat president,  but

I know of no moment they launched charges of treason as many

Democrats are doing now. 

In fact, many Republicans joined Democrats in their criticism 

of  Trump's remarks after meeting with Putin, yet they allowed

over the top criticism of President Trump, to go unchallenged.

Republicans do this time and again, they take the bait, join

the lemmings, demean the president, sending a message to

the electorate which further divides a fractured constituency.

This is the reason elected Republicans are viewed weak and 

could lead to Democrats taking Congressional majorities in 

the mid term election.

Allowing  unproven allegations to go unchallenged Republicans

are doing their part in weakening the Trump presidency and

could lead to impeachment by a Democrat led Congress.

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