by Norman Halls, contributor
We have to ask whether the present leadership in the Senate and House of Representative are performing the responsibilities they were elected to do. In the Declaration it says – “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter.” The House of Representatives must be reminded that every 2 years they are up for election. In the states where some of these Representatives are from, they should be concerned and start performing their job. In one New Jersey town they had a meeting with their Representative who has supported Trump, he decline to attend. “How can you possibly represent your constituents if you won’t listen to them” asked a voter. It turns out many Republican Representatives have no inclination to participate in our participatory democracy. Donald Trump’s 13 weeks as President have all been terrible. Is our democracy in trouble?
“Where is Paul Ryan? Where is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell? Where are those two men, number two and number three most powerful Republicans in the country? Why are they not standing up to Donald Trump? The reason is simple obviously. They’re afraid of him. They don’t have the courage to do it.” Wrote Farron Cousins of The Trial Lawyer magazine. Republican strategist and MSNBC contributor Nicolle Wallace said “that people outside of the administration who have spent time with Trump said that the president is showing signs of paranoia and delusional.” Is this the possible problem that is keeping Ryan and McConnell on edge?
“4 reasons Trump scares many Republicans and conservatives: First, Trump’s repeatedly stated admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin; Second, Trump is aligning the GOP with players that most members of both parties believe are anathema to American values and American interests; Third, many Republicans are well aware of, and deeply concerned by, the fact that Trump often says things that aren’t true, and Fourth, there is a profound worry among libertarians and civil libertarians, from the right as well as the left, that Trump has dangerously authoritarian tendencies.” By Brent Budowsky, columnist, The Hill.
“What makes people vote Republican? Why in particular do working class and rural Americans usually vote for pro-business Republicans when their economic interests would seem better served by Democratic policies? We can explain how Republicans exploit frames, phrases, and fears to trick Americans into supporting policies (such as the “war on terror” and repeal of the “death tax”) that damage the national interest for partisan advantage.” Jonathan Haidt is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. “Perhaps the rich think that Republicans will do a better job in fighting terrorism or believe they can have more influence over the direction of regulations under Republican administrations than they can under the Democrats. Still, the difference in performance seems largely inconsistent with the rich’s orientation to the Republican candidates.” He continues; “However all three postwar Democratic two-term Presidents; Kennedy-Johnson, Clinton, and Obama had better second terms. Princeton researchers attempted to explain the gap in performance by looking at the fiscal and regulatory policies of the various administrations, but could not find any statistically significant variable explaining why the Democrats did better. They left office financially healthier than the previous Republicans.” Writes Walt Schubert Professor of Finance at LaSalle University.
Why are so many working classes voting for candidates that have no interest in them? We are entering the fourth industrial revolution that will involve technologies with digital and biological action. There will be a need for upgrading industry and training for employees to transition into new careers. As in the past, the Democrats lead the way with the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Trump promised to be the “jobs president”, but in his budget, $2.6 billion has been cut from the U.S Department of Labor that involves job training. On February 23, 2017, a number of CEO’s told the President that jobs exist for the skilled worker. But, they can’t find skilled workers. This is the reason companies go off shore, because the countries are giving job training. Mike Gills, an Ohio AFL-CIO said “this budget proposal would be a disaster for working people across the country.” Gillis continued “Trump is breaking the promises he made to working people during the campaign, and his cuts would undermine workplace safety and gut job training programs that connect the workforce to job opportunities.” As Professor Haidt said “Republicans will trick Americans into supporting policies they will not fund.” Republican leadership should act on ALL the programs soon. The voters in their District may vote them OUT.
The next time you vote: “Before you assume, learn the facts. Before you judge, understand why. Before you speak, think.”
