". . . Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, both announced on Twitter that they were moving to a new social media platform. . . . "I'm proud to join @parler_app -- a platform gets what free speech is all about -- and I'm excited to be a part of it," Cruz tweeted. . . Many others followed suit. Parler, founded in August 2018, touts itself as an "unbiased" social media platform focused on "real user experiences and engagement." In recent weeks, it has become a destination for conservatives who have voiced their disapproval of how mainstream platforms such as Facebook and Twitter moderate content. . . But as with every other platform on the internet, Parler's free speech stance goes only so far. The platform has been banning many people who joined and trolled conservatives. . ."
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". . . a series of cost-cutting decisions made by the Trump administration in preceding years that had gutted the nation’s infectious disease defense infrastructure. The “pandemic response team” firing claim referred to news accounts from Spring 2018 reporting that White House officials tasked with directing a national response to a pandemic had been ousted. . . Rear Adm. Timothy Ziemer abruptly departed from his post leading the global health security team on the National Security Council in May 2018 amid a reorganization of the council by then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Ziemer’s team was disbanded. Tom Bossert, whom the Washington Post reported “had called for a comprehensive biodefense strategy against pandemics and biological attacks,” had been fired one month prior. . . It’s thus true that the Trump administration axed the executive branch team responsible for coordinating a response to a pandemic and did not replace it, eliminating Ziemer’s position and reassigning others, although Bolton was the executive at the top of the National Security Council chain of command at the time. . ."
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". . . One of the biggest themes of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address — and one of the biggest themes of his reelection campaign — is that he inherited a weak economy from President Barack Obama and turned it into a strong economy by implementing his own policies. . . "The years of economic decay are over," he told the joint session of Congress on Feb. 4, 2020. "The days of our country being used, taken advantage of, and even scorned by other nations are long behind us. Gone, too, are the broken promises, jobless recoveries, tired platitudes and constant excuses for the depletion of American wealth, power and prestige.". . . Trump added, "If we hadn’t reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witnessing this great economic success.". . . When we reached out to the Trump campaign, they offered several statistics showing Trump has notched greater gains than Obama did, such as manufacturing job creation, the unemployment rate, and economic growth. We found those statistics, and other specific facts Trump cited during the State of the Union, were accurate, or largely so. . .However, unlike Obama, who inherited the Great Recession, Trump inherited an economy that was already getting back on its feet. Overall, we found a continuation of the favorable trend lines Trump inherited from Obama. . . "
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(from https://apnews.com/3750c39f92c817a6790098be323142df?fbclid=IwAR0sqO393mF2za6Nl6i_QZil0BfSrrZJoExlC3Y19JV_xNBEQ0umMr18yAY)
TRUMP: “Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally on our southern border and were arrested, you were simply released and allowed into our country, never to be seen again. My administration has ended catch-and-release. If you come illegally, you will now be promptly removed.”
THE FACTS: Not true. Under previous administrations, Mexicans were quickly returned back over the U.S.-Mexico border, while others were held in detention until they were deported. . . there is (currently) a 1 million immigration court case backlog, which means many migrants wait up to three years before a court hearing before a judge who will determine whether someone is deported. . . fewer people are being held and fewer would need to be released. But an effort by immigration officials to detain children indefinitely was blocked by a judge, so children are still released into the country.
TRUMP: “Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign, the United States has become the number one producer of oil and natural gas, anywhere in the world, by far.”
THE FACTS: Trump is taking credit for a U.S. oil and gas production boom that started under Obama. . . (and is attributable) to a U.S. shale boom that has driven production up since 2011, not to deregulation or any other new effort by the Trump administration.
TRUMP: “In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000 working-age people dropped out of the workforce. In just three years of my administration, 3.5 million working-age people have joined the workforce.”
THE FACTS: Trump is being misleading . . . During the eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency, the labor force rose by 5.06 million, according to the Labor Department. The improvement reflected a rebounding economy from the Great Recession and population growth. As the unemployment rate has fallen, more people are finding it attractive to work and joining the labor force. This has enabled the labor force to climb by an impressive 4.86 million in just three years under Trump.
TRUMP: “The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers and factory workers.”
THE FACTS: The president is exaggerating. . . . The U.S. International Trade Commission examined the deal with Canada and Mexico in an April report. The report estimated that the deal would add only 28,000 auto industry jobs six years after the deal is implemented. Separately, government officials are quoted in the report saying they believe the sector would add 76,000 jobs based on their methodology. . . . It’s still not the 100,000 jobs claimed by Trump.
TRUMP: “From the instant I took office, I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy — slashing a record number of job killing-regulations, enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts, and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements.
THE FACTS: The U.S. economy. . . ('s) gains have largely followed along the same lines of an expansion that started more than a decade ago under Obama. . . . Total economic growth last year was 2.3%. That is roughly in line with the average gains achieved after the Great Recession — and a far cry from growth of as much 3%, 4% or more that Trump told voters he could deliver. . . .The tax cuts did temporarily boost growth in 2018 as deficit spending increased. But the administration claimed its tax plan would increase business investment in ways that could fuel lasting growth. For the past three quarters, business investment has instead declined. . . Trump premised his economic policy on wiping out the trade gap. Instead, the trade deficit has worsened under Trump.
TRUMP: “For the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down.”
THE FACTS: Prices for prescription drugs have edged down, but that is driven by declines for generics. Prices for brand-name medications are still going up, although more moderately.
TRUMP: “We are restoring our nation’s manufacturing might, even though predictions were that this could never be done. After losing 60,000 factories under the previous two administrations, America has now gained 12,000 new factories under my administration.”
THE FACTS: Not quite. Manufacturing has slumped in the past year, after having advanced in the prior two years. The president’s tariffs regime and slower growth worldwide hurt the sector in ways that suggest that Trump’s policies robbed it of some of its previous strength. Factory output fell 1.3% over the past 12 months, according to the Federal Reserve. Manufacturing job gains went from more than 260,000 at the end of 2018 to a paltry 46,000 for the 12 months ended in December, according to the Labor Department. Manufacturers lost jobs last year in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — the older industrial states where Trump had promised revival.
TRUMP: “We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions.”
THE FACTS: That’s a promise, not a guarantee. The Trump administration is backing a lawsuit by conservative-led states that would overturn the entire Affordable Care Act, including its guarantees that people cannot be turned down or charged more for health insurance because of preexisting medical problems. Trump and congressional Republicans have vowed they will protect people with preexisting conditions, but they have not specified how they would do that.
TRUMP: “We will always protect your Medicare and your Social Security.”
THE FACTS: In a recent television interview, the president appeared to suggest that he’s willing to consider entitlement cuts in the future. During the CNBC interview, Trump was asked if tackling entitlements would ever be on his agenda. “At some point they will be,” he responded. As a candidate in 2016, Trump vowed not to cut benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare
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(from The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche by H.L. Mencken)
". . . that a student learns at the average school are few and unconnected, and instead of being led into habits of independent thinking he is trained to accept authority. When he takes his degree it is usually no more than a sign that he has joined the herd. His opinion of Napoleon is merely a reflection of the opinion expressed in the books he has studied; his philosophy of life is simply the philosophy of his teacher - tinctured a bit perhaps, by that of his particular youthful idols. He knows how to spell a great many long words and he is familiar with the table of logarithms, but in the readiness he has made comparatively little progress. If he was illogical and credulous and a respecter of authority as a freshman he remains much the same as a graduate. In consequence, his usefulness to humanity has been increased but little, if at all, for . . . the only man whose life is appreciably more valuable than that of a good cow if the man who thinks for himself, clearly and logically, and lends some sort of hand, during his life-time, in the eternal search for the ultimate verities . . . "
". . . Several heavily publicized police shootings have persuaded activists that minorities are in mortal danger from racist cops, whereas three analyses (two by Harvard faculty, Sendhil Mullainathan and Roland Fryer) have shown no racial bias in police shootings. . . Guiding policy or activism by conspicuous events, without reference to data, should come to be seen as risible as guiding them by omens, dreams, or whether Jupiter is rising in Sagittarius. . ."
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. . . one of the major problems (in the U.S.) today . . .
". . . arguing over the size of an inauguration crowd may seem trivial. But (former Trump Press Secretary Shean) Spicer’s very bold, very public and very disprovable lie arguably set the tone for the entire Trump presidency. This White House, Spicer implied, would not be concerned with facts and accuracy. No longer would administration officials allow the truth to prevent them from spreading their own narratives. They would just say what they wanted, and when challenged with the facts, label the questioner as biased and declare the media outlets to be “fake news.”. . . "
(from One Nation After Trump by E.J. Dionne, Jr., Norman J. Ornstein & Thomas E. Mann)
". . . The road to "fake news" was paved by the disdain in a large part of the conservative movement for real news. The trail to "alternative facts" was blazed by a mistrust of those whose jobs and professional ethics required them to report and rely on real facts. . . the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan's coinage: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts". . . "
He's right, according to an analysis of corporate filings put out by the progressive think tank Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP.)
. . . . . . . . .
"We pay more for prescription drugs than any place, actually, in the world. We’ve got nothing to show for it," Bullock said during a round of questions about health care.
Close. Americans pay more for drugs than people in any other developed country in the world, CNBC reported, citing recent studies.
. . . . . . . . .
"When I went to Canada the other day, people paid 1/10th the price of insulin that they’re paying in the U.S," Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed Tuesday night.
Americans do pay 10 times more than Canadians for insulin, according to the reports documenting Americans who drive across the border to purchase the lower-priced insulin. The cost of insulin for treating Type 1 diabetes nearly doubled between 2012 and 2016, according to the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
. . . . . . . . .
Sanders flubbed one of his regular talking points — that three people have more wealth than the bottom half of the nation.
We've fact checked the original talking point before, and it’s true that three people — Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett — are estimated to have more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of the American population, according to a report by the left-leaning think tank Institute for Policy Studies.
. . . . . . . . . "
False . . .
Donald Trump
The United Kingdom is "our largest (trading) partner."
— PolitiFact National on Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
Says Pennsylvania Republican nominee for Congress Fred Keller "was a 50-50 shot" before his landslide victory.
— PolitiFact National on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"They didn’t even put up a fight against SALT"
— PolitiFact New York on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions, very importantly."
— PolitiFact Health Check on Thursday, May 16th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
Tariffs are "paid for mostly by China, by the way, not by us."
— PolitiFact National on Tuesday, May 14th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"The poverty rate for Wisconsin families has reached the lowest rate in 22 years."
— PolitiFact Wisconsin on Tuesday, April 30th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
With a late-term abortion, "the mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby, they wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby."
— PolitiFact National on Monday, April 29th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"Puerto Rico got 91 Billion Dollars for the hurricane, more money than has ever been gotten for a hurricane before."
— PolitiFact Florida on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"The FBI said (former national security adviser Michael Flynn) wasn't lying."
— PolitiFact National on Thursday, March 28th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"The Democrat(ic) position on abortion is now so extreme that they don’t mind executing babies AFTER birth."
— PolitiFact National on Thursday, February 28th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
Says Gov. Ralph Northam "stated that he would even allow a newborn baby to come out into the world... then talk to the mother and talk to the father and then execute the baby."
— PolitiFact Virginia on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
Says that at Beto O’Rourke’s rally in El Paso, there were "200 people, 300 people."
— PolitiFact National on Tuesday, February 12th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"The border city of El Paso, Texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the country, and considered one of our nation's most dangerous cities. Now, immediately upon its building, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country."
— PolitiFact National on Friday, February 8th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"58,000 non-citizens voted in Texas, with 95,000 non-citizens registered to vote."
— PolitiFact National on Monday, January 28th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"We are not even into February and the cost of illegal immigration so far this year is $18,959,495,168. Cost Friday was $603,331,392. There are at least 25,772,342 illegal aliens, not the 11,000,000 that have been reported for years, in our Country."
— PolitiFact National on Monday, January 28th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
Says there’s "never (been) so many apprehensions ever in our history."
— PolitiFact National on Friday, January 11th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"When I say Mexico is going to pay for the wall, that's what I said. Mexico is going to pay. I didn't say they're going to write me a check for $20 billion or $10 billion."
— PolitiFact National on Thursday, January 10th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
California’s deadly wildfires "would never happen" with "proper Forest Management."
— PolitiFact California on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trum
"At the request of Democrats, it will be a steel barrier rather than a concrete wall."
— PolitiFact National on Wednesday, January 9th, 2019
False . . .
Donald Trump
"Mexico is paying for the Wall through the new USMCA Trade Deal."
— PolitiFact National on Friday, January 4th, 2019
Page 1 of 12 . . . "
Lindsay, Ted, Marco, Mitch and EVERYBODY, please SING ALONG . . .
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. . . So many people
I no longer see
nor (with whom I) interact
Like, "Didn't we have fun?"
and "What happened to our youth?"
Like, "Why did you punch me?",
and "Do you still punch people?"
Like, "Did you continue in music?'
and "What are you singing now?"
Like, "Where did you two meet?"
and "Any regrets on not continuing your education?"
Like, "Have you considered all the facts?"
and "Do you know that changing your view is not a character flaw?
Like, "Did you consider the details of her personal life?"
. . . and "Did you realize the human being is the most valuable?"
(from https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/01/08/facts-donald-trumps-border-wall-address-nation-immigration-shutdown-column/2503981002/)
►Illegal border crossings are down. Significantly.
In 2000, 1.6 million people were apprehended trying to cross the southern border into the United States. In 2001, 1.3 million were apprehended. In 2018? Less than 400,000.
►The counties along the southern border are among the safest in the United States.
According to data from the Wilson Center, as summarized by The Washington Post, “The crime rates in U.S. border counties are lower than the average for similarly sized inland counties, with two exceptions out of 23 total.”
►Most undocumented immigrants don’t “sneak” across the border.
The majority of immigrants in the USA without authorization first entered the country legally, and then overstayed their visas. Even the anti-immigration Center for Migration Studies said in a 2017 report that crossing the border is not the way “the large majority of persons now becoming undocumented.”
►The White House is lying about terrorists crossing the southern border.
In an interview on Fox News this weekend, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' careful wording suggests she knew she was more than bending the truth. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace fact-checked Sanders: “Do you know where those 4,000 people come, where they are captured? Airports.”
►Migrant caravans aren’t “sneaking” across the border, either.
It’s important to distinguish between illegal border crossings and migrants lawfully presenting themselves at southern ports of entry in order to apply for asylum.
►Drugs entering the USA across the southern border are most often hidden in legal shipments.
While 90 percent of heroin enters through the southern border, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, “illicit drugs are smuggled into the United States in concealed compartments within passenger vehicles or commingled with legitimate goods on tractor trailers. . . A wall wouldn’t stop most heroin from entering the country.
►Conservative political figures and think tanks think Trump’s wall is pointless.
(The) reason Trump couldn’t get funding for his wall during the past two years of his presidency when his own party completely controlled both houses of Congress: They didn’t want it.
►There are already 654 miles of border fencing.
The U.S.-Mexico border is 1,933 miles long. Of that, 34 percent already has a wall or a fence — in particular, parts along the areas of the border that are most easily accessed by people traveling by car or on foot.
►Americans do not support Trump’s wall.
“The people of our country want it,” Trump said recently. No, they do not. A mid-December poll found that 54 percent of respondents opposed Trump’s wall.
. . . that this is not merely a matter of opinion but either TRUE or FALSE!!! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP US!!!!
(from https://thehill.com/policy/defense/422223-us-ally-in-syria-the-islamic-state-has-not-been-defeated)
". . . The White House also said in a statement that the U.S. "has defeated the territorial caliphate.". . . Trump then doubled down on those claims in a video message Wednesday evening, saying that the U.S. has "won against ISIS.". . . “We’ve beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land and now it’s time for our troops to come back home," he said. . . "
Please be careful how much you believe what you hear . . .
(from Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams and David Fisher)
". . . then from memory (Attorney John Palmer) quoted John Adams, "but as Mr. Adams told us, 'Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictums of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.' . . . "
(from https://www.boldprogressives.org/ronald-reagan-in-1984-social-security-has-nothing-to-do-with-the-deficit/)
". . . Social Security, let’s lay it to rest once in for all…Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit. Social Security is totally funded by the payroll tax levied on employer and employee. If you reduce the outgo of Social Security, that money would not go into the general fund to reduce the deficit. It would go into the Social Security trust fund. So Social Security has nothing to do with balancing the budget or erasing or lowering the deficit. . . . "
. . . in a million years
Could I have imagined
If it were possible at all
To live a million years
That folks would be so careless
In the choices that they make
Due to simple unawareness;
Lack of facts; one large mistake
I understand frustrations
And the powerless one feels
I appreciate the waiting
For some benefits to appear
But it may be mere misjudgement
That combined with pure disgust
Which led so many people
To choose what they thought they must
