Mueller finally Speaks out

"If we had confidence the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. We did not," Mueller said.

I have long held the belief that deceitful Donald can not be impeached for the simple reason that this action would serve only to make this narcissistic liar a martyr. Previously I felt that the only way this current occupant of the oval office should be removed from his temporary lodgings was via a resounding defeat at the ballot box. I know what you are saying. Even if he is defeated in 2020, many of his supporters will claim that some deep state conspiracy rigged the 2020 election so that their megalomaniac couldn't win re-election. Of course none of that is true, but they will claim it, and I even heard a young woman at Justin Amash's townhall last night in his district claim that it would lead to civil war. This is what the crazy rambling of a privileged idiot leads to, a woman claiming that the removal of Donald Trump, a proven snake-oil salesmen, from office, for his litany of crimes, would result in civil war. Thanks Donald.

However, being a student of history, a lover of the Constitution and American democracy, I am starting to be pulled away from my entrenched no-impeachment position. If he can commit crimes with impunity, rebuff Congressional subpoenas and hire an Attorney General, Bill Barr, who already committed perjury in front of Congress, and get away with all of it, than we might as well use the Constitution as kindling. It has not meaning!!! What next? Is he just going to start defying the Supreme Court when they inevitably rule against him in case after case related to these congressional subpoenas. Watch out Neil Gorsuch and Brett "Bart" Kavanaugh. The President is just one bad ruling away from referring to you in a tweet as those nine-angry Democrats in the Supreme Court.

Something must be done about this pathological liar in the White House. I do not envy Democrats because they will be brutalized by this monster for even suggesting impeachment, but it's looking more and more like the only course of action. And to make matters worse, even if they do impeach him in the House of Representatives, finding 20-25 Republican Senators to remove him from office is a herculean task. It will never happen, because the cowards in the Senate with R's next to their names drank the cool aid by buckets. They are completely afraid of this man, and I am not sure why. After all he is a "moron" just ask Rex Tillerson - former Secretary of State for Donald Trump.

Given the cowardice of most Republicans when it comes to this matter, I must tip my cap to Justin Amash, a 39-year-old member of the House from Michigan, who decided to let the world know that he is in favor of impeaching Trump and let the political blow back fall where it may. Members of both parties could learn a great deal from this profile in courage. Amash said that after reading the Mueller report, which can be found at the bottom of this post in its redacted version, impeachment was the only answer. So I say to you, read the report, watch Mueller's explanation and give me your feedback on what the right course of action is.

Mueller report pdf

China is not paying!!!!

Regardless of what you think regarding the effectiveness of tariffs, I can tell you one thing for certain. Tariffs are not paid by the country that you impose the tariff on. This means when you impose a 25 percent tariff on goods made in China, the tariff (or tax) is imposed on the item when it reaches our ports of entry. This tax is paid by the American company who is importing the items, and usually that tax or price increase is passed on, in full or in part, to YOU - the consumer. It's a tax on YOU and ME!!!!!!

So when "Deceitful Donald" tells you that we are taking in so much money from the country of China as a result of these tariffs, big surprise, he is LYING!

The United States Constitution grants Congress the power to "regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states." Over the last 90 years, since the passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (1930), the congress has handed over more and more authority to the executive branch in this regard.

The Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the Trade Act of 1974 are prime examples of Congress giving the executive branch more authority when it comes to reduce tariffs or negotiating trade treaties with foreign countries, which are then presented to Congress for up or down votes. 

The reality is that regardless of who authorizes tariffs, these taxes on goods is always a horrid idea. Whether it was the tariffs passed in the early 1800's by Thomas Jefferson, which crippled New England's shipping and trade economy, or the Smoot-Hawley Tariff's passed by Congress in 1930, which lead to a prolonged and deeper GREAT DEPRESSION, tariffs are always a failure, because there in nothing preventing other countries from imposing retaliatory tariffs on the United States. Tariffs do not protect U.S. industries, they just raise prices on goods for all consumers and business. 

TRUMP says "trade wars are easy to win." Spoken by someone who is completely ignorant of our history. NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE wins in a trade war. 

The answer is not protecting old industry to make it great again, but the real answer is innovation and new industry so that the United States remains the world leader in new industry and technology. 

See the Cato Institute video on Smoot-Hawley

HBO VICE video on Trump's Tariffs and the real world impacts of these tariffs on real Americans!

Prime example of Congressional failures

Here is a perfect example of the gridlock that has completely engulfed D.C.

Since being elected as the majority in the House of Representatives in 2018, the Democrats have passed more than 130 pieces of legislation in just under 4 months. Now I want to make this CLEAR, not all of these measures are good bills, nor should they all become law, but there is no EXCUSE for MITCH McCONNELL - the Senate majority leader - to not take up any of these bills and debate them and send a Senate version to conference committee. Does the Senate plan on doing any work????

"Nobody came (to the Senate) for gridlock," said Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin). "Members do want to accomplish something."

"Senator McConnell describes himself as the Grim Reaper," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California). "The Senate is the Graveyard" for legislation.

McCONNELL only seems to be interested in pushing through young judges so that maybe new law never has to be passed again, and we can just have a country run completely by extreme justices from both sides, although in this case it's McCONNELL'S judges. 12 Votes were taken this week in the Senate and all of them were appointment votes, primarily for judges. Not a single vote was taken on any legislative matters.

Feel free to contact Mr. McConnell @
317 Russell Senate Office Building
office number 202-224-2541
https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform

DO YOUR JOB MITCH!!!!!!

What voters in this country need, and I have thought this since I was young, is a viable third party that would challenge the two existing parties, and force both Republicans and Democrats to center in order to form a governing majority. I thought we had a real chance at this when Ross Perot ran as a member of the Progressive Party, or when my neighboring state of Rhode Island was forced by the courts to recognize, however briefly, the Rhode Island Moderate Party. Alas, it was not to be. The rules that have been established, not surprisingly by the two existing parties, make it nearly impossible for a third party to get, and remain, on the ballot.

U.S. News and World Report article on the forced removal of the Moderate Party from RI ballots (2019)
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rhode-island/articles/2019-02-11/moderate-party-loses-its-status-as-a-party-in-rhode-island

Here is the link for the underlying article for this post:
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2019-05-17/congress-works-but-little-gets-done

Introduction to the New Moderate Party

I am new to this blogging thing, but I feel like I could not remain silent anymore given the status of our nation - a nation that I love a great deal.

With that being said, let me introduce this blog and tell you what you can expect to see.

This is a political blog geared toward the new moderate. Let's begin by defining what a new moderate is. A new moderate is a member of the silent majority. STOP. I am not referring to Richard Nixon's silent majority, but the majority of the country in 2019 who would like to see government work again. We should put that on a hat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SGWA!!!

This blog deals only in common sense issues, but I am not going to lie, John Q. Public will lose his mind from time-to-time. I feel this will be therapeutic and that is why I do it. John Q. Public, which if you haven't guessed yet, is me, is a social liberal and fiscal conservative, who would love nothing more for the politicians "running" this country to meet in the middle, and get things done for the real backbone of this country, the people.

Please feel free to share this blog, which is going to give daily takes on the news of the day, with your friends and I encourage interaction and comments. Share the blog at thenewmoderateparty@blogspot.com

more to come.