I listen to music;
Hearing things all the time.
Some comes from others
And some is just mine.
There's good and there's bad
and there's other that's so-so
With pianos and harps
With percussion and dobro.
But amazing, I find it,
That so much that's inferior
Finds its way to the masses,
And not merely in theory were.
With that certainty, forward
I proceed with much gusto
And commitment to express
Myself true, if you must know.
(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
Other Ray Jozwiak Offerings
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Other Ray Jozwiak Offerings:t
(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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. . . where they originate
Or their length or their size
Or their breadth
No matter the gravity
Of a thought they convey
Or if there's a lack of such depth
All's fair in this game
(or this passion; this craft)
Any scrap, bit or morsel is good
As in automobiles
Homosapiens too
Reserve judgement
Til you're under the hood
Have a bite of this now
Just in passing; a taste
You may find that it's droll; or enhancing
Nothing serious now
It's not science or skill
At this time, it's a season for dancing
". . . Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sent a tweet . . . that opposed putting Paul Manafort in "solitary confinement" if he is moved to a jail in New York City. That possibility, however, appears to be incorrect. Officials told NBC News that Manafort would not be placed in a solitary unit, which is considered a punishment, but if transferred to New York would be given his own cell for his safety. . ."
How can we ignore the fact
That they are them and we are us?
Neither is greater nor inferior
Both deserving the good and the just
We all are human
With wants and needs
Our differences- surface at best
Can we stop for moment
And think about this
Stop pretending that someone is less?
". . . "We have very fast airplanes, we have very good cargo planes," the president said. "We can come back very quickly, and I'm not leaving. We have a base in Iraq, and the base is a fantastic edifice.". . . Brennan pointed out that Trump had criticized former President Barack Obama for announcing military moves and asked if Trump likewise was telegraphing the U.S. retreat. . . "I'm not telegraphing anything," Trump said. "No, no, no. There's a difference. When President Obama pulled out of Iraq, in theory we had Iraq. In other words, we had Iraq. We never had Syria because President Obama never wanted to violate the red line in the sand.". . ."Being in Iraq was a mistake, okay," he added. "Being in Iraq — it was a big mistake to go — one of the greatest mistakes going into the Middle East that our country has ever made. One of the greatest mistakes that we've ever made.". . ."
(from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2018/12/14/is-there-anything-trump-touches-that-isnt-corrupt/?fbclid=IwAR04ICqGKb_Tcc9IeDV_zvciOvg30K8FG-ebBwvrtc9WMnJWGaZU0V-R1Ko&noredirect=on&utm_term=.a5e09b861827)
*Trump’s campaign is under investigation for possible hidden dealings with Russia and a possible conspiracy to violate campaign-finance laws.
*Trump's administration has been beset with a shocking number of scandals of various types.
*Trump is currently being sued for allegedly violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, since foreign governments are directing money his way by booking large numbers of rooms and holding events at his properties.
*The attorney general of New York is seeking to have the Trump Foundation dissolved, citing a pattern of "persistently illegal conduct" that made the foundation little more than a scam devoted to self-dealing.
*In October, it was revealed in an exhaustively documented investigation that Trump, his father and his siblings engaged in a conspiracy to commit tax fraud on an absolutely epic scale, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
*Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump repeatedly misled buyers and investors about properties they were developing in order to acquire funding and pump up sales.
. . . Do you know what you want?
Do you highly value anything at all?
Do you live with other people
In this world of good and bad?
Did you notice that they're
Very much like you?
Do you try to understand
The things that someone else goes through?
Do you make an extra effort just to try?
Do you think that is could simply be
Exactly what we're all supposed to do?
The recent funeral services (and accompanying media coverage) for U.S. Senator John McCain, were respectful, appreciative and seemingly non-partisan. 'Seemingly' is the operative word here. Many sources are available that question McCain's actual patriotism, bravery and present contradictions in the details of his life(the devastating fire and explosions that killed 134 sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal during the Vietnam War). I have always felt that death brings out the most generous forgiveness in we humans; take for example the demise of both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.
We can only imagine the 'heartfelt' tributes that will accompany the passing of Henry Kissinger. This can be interpreted as either good or bad. We are each, individually entitled to select those that we admire and choose to remember in longingly reverent fashion. I do however wish that the media would cover the past lives of public figures as actual news stories (i.e., presentations of factual information about accomplishments as well as failures) and not as fawning tributes to the deceased which disregard the latters' humanity, both good and bad.
The time that's spent
Is yours alone
The choice of how
Or where it's spent
Must be undertaken
With all the seriousness it merits
Like music, good or bad,
Once it's heard
It's gone in the air
Never again to be retrieved
