CONGRATULATIONS TO SIX-YEAR OLD CROIX FOR HIS MAY 15, 2026 GRADUATION WITH HONORS!

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Administrator

WAY TO GO CROIX!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO FIVE-YEAR OLD COLTON FOR HIS MAY 14, 2026 GRADUATION, WITH HONORS, FROM PRESCHOOL

Posted on May 14, 2026 by Administrator

GREAT JOB COLTON!!!!!!!

Colton and his teacher, Mrs. Fontana

Colton and Croix with mom and grandma on graduation day.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO 6-YEAR OLD CROIX FOR PLACING 3RD, IN HIS GROUP, IN THE 2026 JR. RANGER COMPETITION

Posted on May 10, 2026 by Administrator
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February 14, 2026

Posted on February 14, 2026 by Administrator
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What Everyone Needs To Understand About The Duties of Our U.S. House and U.S. Senate

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion: Patricia Johnson

In accordance with the United States Constitution there are three branches of Government in the United States, each having their own separate set of powers.  Their functions are spelled out in the first sentence, in the first three Articles of the Constitution as follows:

United States Constitution, Article I §1 

   “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

United States Constitution, Article II §1

      “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”

United States Constitution, Article III §1

     “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”  

Constitution of the United States  (from Senate.gov)

Preamble   Article I   Article II   Article III   Article IV   Article V   Article VI Article VII AMENDMENTS   

In simple terms, Congress is authorized to make the laws, the President is authorized to execute the laws made by Congress, and the Supreme Court is authorized to judge the laws.

What is interesting is the order of the core functions.   The very first listing is the Congress, not the President, which makes sense.  Our current Congress is made up of 535 individuals, 435 Members of the House and 100 Members of the Senate.  These 535 individuals were elected by “we the people” to make laws based on what the majority of voting individuals wanted in their respective districts.

In addition to making laws, our Congress is also responsible for oversight.  The following statement is from the Congressional  Oversight Manual:

“Congress’s lawmaking role does not end when it passes legislation. Oversight is fundamental to make sure that laws are working as intended and are being administered in an effective, efficient, and economical manner. The information that oversight can bring to Congress is essential as the body grapples with the complexities of American government and society.”

On February 11, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi was called on to testify before the full Committee on the Judiciary at a hearing on oversight of the Department of Justice. The Congressional hearing was entitled “Oversight of the Department of Justice” and a video of the hearing follows the bottom of the page. 

Bondi’s testimony left more than a little bit to be desired.  Her attitude towards the majority of Democratic members asking questions could only be described as unnecessarily rude and arrogant.

When you testify at a congressional hearing you are required to testify, in her case under oath, to the questions asked to you by the various members of Congress.  The entire goal of the hearing is to obtain answers to questions.

Instead of answering the questions asked, Bondi would continually bring up what was done in former administrations, go on and on about how President Trump is doing such an incredible job, and/or criticize the Democratic members for doing their job. Very few questions posed were answered by the Attorney General.  The entire hearing could probably be described as a total waste of time for Congressional members.

Bondi has described Americans as ‘domestic terrorists’ that attempt to impede ICE employees from doing their job which is exactly what she did.  It was her job as the head of the Department of Justice to answer the questions asked of her honestly and truthfully during the hearing, yet she did everything she could possibly do to avoid answering.  Her lack of understanding about how an oversight hearing is supposed to work is more than sufficient evidence to call for her resignation.  Her lack of manners toward the men and women attempting to do their job is unacceptable.

You may judge for yourself by listening to the following video.

Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice

Please call or write your member (s) of Congress to express your thoughts about Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance at the hearing and/or any other subject on your mind.  Our officials don’t know our thoughts unless we tell them.

Representatives  Listed by State

Senators  Listed alphabetically

If you don’t know the names of your members of Congress, use the drop down menu at the top of the Representatives page.

© 2026 Patricia Johnson

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Buyer Beware

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion: Patricia Johnson

Recently I have been receiving a lot of email from a place offering various coins and bills having a patriotic theme. The last email I received caught my eye as the ad was indicating it had just come from the Mint. Authentic products available from the United States Mint are only available through the U.S. Mint, or U.S. Mint distributors. An authentic U.S. Mint coin will contain a distinctive mint mark P.D.S. or W, indicating where it was minted within the U.S.

(c) 2026 Patricia Johnson

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It’s Your Tax Dollar – Should Headstone Changes Be Made for Deceased Veterans at the Expense of Veterans in Nursing Homes, Increasing Your State’s Medicaid Payments?

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion:  Patricia Johnson

Every once in a while I’ll read something and simply shake my head in disbelief.  H.R. 2701 basically falls into that category.  Before I continue, it’s necessary to explain my thoughts on death.  I don’t want anyone to think I’m anti-semitic because I’m not, I’m simply anti-death.

In my mind, when someone passes away they go to Heaven and their Guardian Angels take over from that point.  While they are here on earth their family members, hopefully, take care of their needs.  Within a 2-year period of time I had 13 members of my immediate family and/or friends pass away so I’ve had enough ‘death’ to last the rest of my life.  

I try to remember my loved ones, as they were; not lying in a casket with people standing around saying how good they look. I mean, seriously, how good can you look if you’re dead?

But back to the subject at hand.  H.R. 2701 Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act was introduced in the House on April 7, 2025 by Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Representative Wasserman Schultz is a Democrat representing the 25th District in Florida.

Her bill passed the U.S. House on September 15, 2025 with 41 cosponsors; 21 Republicans and 20 Democrats.  The fact more Republicans signed onto this bill than Democrats is what originally prompted my interest in it.

On September 16, 2025 it was received in the U.S. Senate.  On December 9, 2025 the bill was read twice in the Senate and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders; Calendar No. 292.

When this bill passed the U.S. House, the rules were suspended and there was no roll call vote to indicate the names of the individuals that voted for this bill to pass during a voice vote.  Just the numbers; 21 Republicans and 20 Democrats.

The bill indicates there are approximately 900 U.S. Jewish-American soldiers killed in World War I and World War II buried in overseas American military cemeteries with a Latin Cross on their tombstone, instead of a Star of David (Emblem 3) or other appropriate marker offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

The purpose of this bill is to provide the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) with the funding necessary to hire outside nonprofit experts to research which Jewish American service members are buried with incorrect markers on their graves.

An excerpt from the bill:

The cost of this undertaking is estimated at approximately $3 million dollars.  ABMC will hire an outside nonprofit contractor to be paid $500,000.00 once a year for a period of five fiscal years (from date of enactment) to identify and contact the survivors and descendants of deceased Jewish American servicemembers buried with incorrect headstones.

I thought WWII ended in 1945, almost 80 years ago, wouldn’t the survivors of these Veterans have already complained loudly about the erroneous markers?

ABMC has already been doing something along these lines, working with nonprofit organization Operation Benjamin as their website indicates the following from 2020:

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), in coordination with Operation Benjamin, today replaced the Latin Cross headstones marking the graves of five Jewish US soldiers buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial with Star of David headstones.

These actions correct errors that had persisted for nearly 75 years until they were discovered by Operation Benjamin, a U.S. based organization whose mission is to ensure that Jewish American soldiers, who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, are buried under headstones that correctly reflect their faith.

I have mixed feelings about this bill.  On one hand, I think every servicemember that’s served, wounded and/or died for this country during wartime should receive every honor and benefit that could possibly be accorded to them, but at what cost?  What would the deceased Veterans want?  Would they want new markers or would they want the Veterans in Nursing Homes to be paid their full Pension?

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated this would have a total cost of $3 million (the actual cost of $2,500,000.00 is rounded up).  That cost is going to be offset by an extension to the reduction in pension payments to Veterans that are in Medicaid paid Veterans Affairs nursing homes for the two-month period beginning November 30, 2031 to January 31, 2032.   That’s a total of 63 days. 

The Veterans will be paid a total of $90 per month.

The total amount the two months will save the Department of Veterans Affairs is $20 million dollars, or $10 million per month, but this bill also affects Medicaid.  Because the reduction affects the Veteran’s total income, the Medicaid calculation changes and Medicaid is forced to pay more for each Veteran that’s in a Veterans Affairs nursing home.

Medicaid costs will increase by $6 million for each month for a total cost of $12 million dollars.  Deducting the $12 million from the $20 million leaves a savings to the Federal Government of $8 Million dollars and an Increase to State Medicaid payments of $12 million dollars.

What boggles my mind on this bill is the fact the total five-year cost of $2,500,000.00 would be covered during one month, it wouldn’t take two.

We have a Veterans Affairs Nursing home within driving distance from our home and the Veterans in that facility have access to many different areas where they are able to spend money.  Specialty coffee drinks, a cafeteria, numerous vending machines, a gift shop, home-made items brought into the facility from various providers, newspapers, magazines, and every type of food available that you can order to be delivered.

What will $90 a month purchase for these men and women?

Write pr call your member(s) of Congress and tell them to give the Veterans in VA Nursing homes back their full pension.  If the Veteran doesn’t thank you, your State will for their Medicaid Savings!

© 2026 Patricia Johnson

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Latest International Trade Report Indicates High Tariffs as Well As High Trade Deficit

Posted on February 3, 2026 by Administrator

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​Is the Ultimate goal of the Republican Party to Bankrupt the United States?

Posted on January 29, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion:  Patricia Johnson

President Donald J. Trump increased the National Debt of the United States by $7.8 trillion dollars during his four years in office or a total of $1.95 trillion dollars per year.

Donald J. Trump was our 45th President, in office from January 20, 2017 through January 20, 2021.  When he began his term as President of the United States our National Debt was $19.9 trillion dollars [$19,947,304,555,212.49].  When he left office on January 20, 2021, our National Debt was $27.7 trillion dollars [$27,751,896,236,414.77]. 

His second term in office as President of the United States began January 20, 2025 with a National Debt of $36.1 trillion dollars [$36,100,000,000,000.00]. By January 20, 2026 Trump had already increased our National Debt by $2.3 trillion dollars to a total of $38.4 trillion [$38,484,705,102,35.33].

On December 31, 2025 the U.S. Total Debt Outstanding was $38.5 trillion dollars, which consisted of $30.8 trillion debt held by the public and $7.7 trillion in intragovernmental holdings.

Members of the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress released the following data as of January 7, 2026:

​https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/debt-dashboard

The Joint Economic Committee goes on to list forecasted interest rates on the public debt as if interest rates are the main reason our national date is so out of control.

​​There is no doubt interest rates are a major factor in our unprecedented national debt growth, but consistent budget deficits are equally to blame.  Whether it’s an individual or the greatest country on earth, you cannot continue to spend more money each month than what you have coming in, in revenues.

The last time this country had a budget surplus was in 2001, a quarter of a century ago.  That was the first year George W. Bush was President and the surplus wasn’t due to any policies put in place by him, but a carryover of the Willian J. Clinton policies.  Clinton’s prior two years in office also ended with budget surpluses.  Something we have not been able to see under Republican leadership.  

In fact, the incredible number of tax cuts in EGTRRA put in place under George W. Bush is a main reason why this country has been experiencing national debt growth over the past twenty five years.

The tax cuts in EGTRRA were so dramatic that by the time the CBO completed their 10-year projection in January of 2002 [for the period of 2003-2012] the surplus had dropped from $5.6 trillion to $1.6 trillion.  Although the $4 trillion dollar reduction was made up of several items, the major factor affecting this reduction was the EGTRRA tax act alone, reducing the projected surplus by $1.275 trillion dollars.

Tax cuts affect budget projections in three separate ways.  They reduce the amount of revenues going into the treasury, they increase the amount of outlays, and if there is a deficit they increase the amount of interest to be paid by increasing the deficit, also known as debt service.

How do they increase outlays?  Many tax cuts include what is known as a tax credit, meaning the taxpayer can reduce the amount of taxes owed by the credit, or if no taxes are owed the treasury sends a tax refund to the taxpayer.

Why did this one tax bill have such a major impact on the deficit?  The tentacles of this one tax act stretched far and wide from simple tax rate percentage changes for the average Jane and John Doe to excise tax relief, to changes in tax treatment of restitution payments to Holocaust victims, to major tax loopholes for the ultra-wealthy.

EGTRRA contained nine major sections as follows:​

Due to the fact this particular tax bill was deficit financed; this one bill alone added an estimated $1.4 trillion dollars to the deficit. 

When a tax law is enacted it goes into effect on a specific date and it may or, may not, have an expiration date.  EGTRRA had expiration dates, but were extended as part of the agreement on increasing the debt limit.  As a result of these extensions, EGTRRA continues to add to the national debt each and every day and this law is just one of many.  During the 107th Congress [January 2001-January 2003] alone there were more than 10 different bills passed affecting our tax laws, our budget deficit and subsequently our national debt.

Understanding the impact these laws have on our lives is difficult at best, due to the complexity of the issue, and the fact these taxes went into effect decades ago.

The following chart is based on estimated deficit data from the Joint Commission of Taxation estimates for the period of 2001 through 2012, based on the implementation of EGTRRA.  Please note that the highest revenue deficit was estimated to be in 2010, two full years after Bush left office, and a full nine years after the implementation of EGTRRA.

On July 4, 2025 PL 119-21, referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law by President Trump and included a $5 trillion dollar increase to the U.S. statutory debt limit.  This brought the statutory debt limit to $41.1 trillion dollars.

On December 31, 2025 our statutory debt had risen to $38.3 trillion dollars, leaving a balance on the statutory debt limit of only $2.8 trillion dollars.

How can that be? Since Donald J. Trump has been in office, there have been major cuts to hundreds of U.S. and foreign programs, over 200,000 government employees have lost their jobs, supposedly, this country is hauling in tons of cash due to tariffs, yet as a country we are going to be very close to hitting the new statutory debt limit in a month or two.

Are we going to wait until our country is totally broke before we pay attention to what is going on around us, or are we going to replace the political party in office that is creating deficits and subsequent debt? 

© 2026 Patricia Johnson

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How Much Are You Willing to Pay to Effect Change in Government?

Posted on January 25, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion:  Patricia Johnson

United States tax dollars is what keeps our country operating,  As poll after poll has indicated the majority of U.S. citizens are not satisfied with the direction our country is headed in a lot of areas, but mostly when it comes to the Department of Homeland Security, DHS.

DHS is run by Kristi Noem, the cabinet member responsible for all components of DHS.  As you can see by the following organization chart, ICE is a component of the DHS.  

The most recent New York Times/Siena Poll released January 22, 2026 indicated a majority of registered voters disapproved of the manner in which the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement , ICE is handling its job.  55 percent strongly disapproved, while 8 percent somewhat disapproved for a total disapproval rate of 63 percent.  

The poll was taken between January 12, 2026 and January 17, 2026.  Renee Good was shot by the ICE agent on January 7, 2026 so this poll is representative of voters opinion of ICE shortly after her death.  Statements made by DHS personnel on how the shooting happened have been contradicted by the videos released by news media.

On Saturday, January 24, 2026 Alex Pratti was shot and killed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents.  CBP is also a component of DHS, run by Kristi Noem.

Once again, the statements made by DHS personnel surrounding this killing were contradicted by videos taken at the scene.  At no time did Alex Pratti remove his weapon from his holster.  The firearm was removed from his holster by a CBP agent and after the removal Alex Pratti was shot numerous times by CBP agents.  Future polls will probably indicate a much higher disapproval percentage for DHS.

Our government is out of control and needs to be stopped.  Normally, registered voters could change the way our government works by voting, notifying their congressional leaders of views, and/or protesting.  The goal of protesting is designed to show congressional leaders changes need to be made.

Unfortunately, we currently have a House of Representatives and Senate that are controlled by Republicans who consistently follow the wishes of President Trump out of fear.  They don’t always agree with the President’s views but are placed in a bad position.  If they oppose what Trump wants they are blackmailed into agreeing with him, by threats of Trump backing their opponent in the next election.

Blackmail is the same tactic Trump has used on our Universities, Law Firms and the Media as well as other entities to have them do his bidding.  Perhaps we should follow his lead.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) designated Monday, January 26, 2026 as the opening date of the 2026 tax filing season.  This designation was issued January 8, 2026 on IRS News Release IR-2026-02

Every U.S. taxpayer has the right to request an extension on paying the taxes due April 15, 2026 without exception.  The difference is, if your taxes are not paid by the date due the taxpayer is subject to interest and penalties for nonpayment.

How much are you willing to pay to change the way our government is being run?

If all tax returns were filed by April 15, 2026 for individuals that have a refund coming, and all individuals that owe taxes waited until after April 15, 2026 to file, we would definitely get our point across without the violence currently being seen in the streets of America.

Remember if you owe taxes on your 2025 income tax return and fail to file by April 15, 2026 you will be liable for both interest and a penalty on the amount due.  You must complete IRS form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.  Completion of this form extends your filing deadline to October 15, 2026, but does not extend the payment date.  

You will be charged interest and penalties for late payment. 

There is the possibility that if enough taxpayers withhold payment, members of the House and Senate will realize taxpayers are demanding change now, not waiting until the midterm elections and will pass a bill to waive the interest and penalties due on 2025 tax returns.  Thinking our legislators might do the right thing may be wishful thinking at this point, but if enough taxpayers fail to file they may find the guts to do what’s right.

Withholding tax returns is a form of protest that most Americans will think is too radical an approach to the problem at hand, but what other choices are there?  Can we really continue to allow, what appear to be untrained, members of DHS to treat protestors as domestic terrorists and kill at will?

© 2026 Patricia Johnson

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2025 Job Creation Under The Administration of President Donald J. Trump

Posted on January 10, 2026 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson

For the past twenty years I have been writing articles off and on about the employment situation in this country and, without a doubt, I have never seen numbers as pitiful as the number of jobs created in 2025 by Donald J. Trump.  

In the entire year of 2025 there have only been 584,000 jobs created under the Trump Administration.  That amounts to 48,666 jobs created monthly.  A disgraceful number.

On a comparative basis there were 2,012,000 jobs created in 2024 under the Biden Administration which amounts to 167,666 jobs created monthly.

The nonfarm employment jobs report is created by the Bureau of Labor Statistics each month and following is a table prepared by their site indicating the number of jobs created monthly over the past 10 years.

The only other time in the past 10 years that employment numbers have been so pitiful is the last time Donald J Trump was in office.  During his four-years in office he managed to lose a total of 2,860,000 jobs.  On a comparative basis during the four-years Joseph R Biden was in office he gained 16,394,000 jobs. You may go to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website to confirm my numbers and or prepare your own tables.

Can this country afford to have this President in charge of US job creation for another three years?

©  2026 Patricia L Johnson

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A Smile For The Day

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Administrator

SMART KID – STUDENT RECEIVED 100 FOR HIS ANSWERS TO THE EXAM QUESTIONS

Q1.. In which battle did Napoleon die? * his last battle

Q2.. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed? * at the bottom of the page

Q3.. River Ravi flows in which state? * liquid

Q4.. What is the main reason for divorce? * marriage

Q5.. What is the main reason for failure? * exams

Q6.. What can you never eat for breakfast? * Lunch & dinner

Q7.. What looks like half an apple? * The other half

Q8.. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become? * Wet

Q9.. How can a man go eight days without sleeping ? * No problem, he sleeps at night.

Q10. How can you lift an elephant with one hand? * You will never find an elephant that has one hand.

Q11. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges

in other hand, what would you have ? * Very large hands

Q12. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it? *

No time at all, the wall is already built.

Q13. How can u drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it? *Any way you want, concrete floors are very hard to crack.


~Author Unknown~

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Almost Everything We Need To Know To Survive 2026

Posted on January 9, 2026 by Administrator

Opinion by:  Patricia L Johnson

In his recent newsletter, Tucker Carlson asked the question “How come so few conservatives are viewing this story through a human lens?”  Carlson was referring to the ICE shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis.

All of us have heard the term “trickle-down” when referring to economics.  That term also applies to real life.  The individual holding the highest office in this country appears to have no respect for life, or laws.  For whatever reason, he believes he is above the law and his words are no less than a command from the big guy in the sky. 

Time will tell whether or not he is, indeed, above the law.  Eventually, our legislators will file the necessary court documents to determine whether or not President Trump was entitled to take military action against Venezuela, whether or not he’s entitled to keep Venezuela’s oil, whether or not he can “buy” Greenland, whether or not he can take military action against Columbia, Mexico, Cuba and any number of other countries.

The perverse attitude of our President has trickled down to cabinet members as well as some Maga followers.  The ICE officer that shot and killed Renee Good had apparently been in a position where he was dragged by a vehicle in the past, causing injury. When presented with a similar situation the officer may have been so fearful of being dragged again, that he didn’t give a second thought before shooting and killing Renee Good.  

On the other hand, Renee Good may have been absolutely terrified when the ICE agents approached her vehicle and tried her best to leave the scene.  Should she have stopped when the officers demanded, yes, of course.  But, should she have been shot at when she attempted to leave the scene?  Not according to DHS and Justice Department policy 044-05, Homeland Security Department Policy on the Use of Force.

The Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department policy on deadly force generally prohibits officers from shooting at a moving vehicle solely to disable it or prevent escape.  Shooting at the driver of a moving vehicle appears to be allowed only if someone in the vehicle is using deadly force other than the vehicle itself.  

President Trump was voted into office in 2024 to do what he promised he would do, if elected President, he has not done that.  Members of Congress, both House and Senate, were voted into office to meet the needs of “we the people”.  They are not doing their jobs, probably due to the fact they are being threatened by the Administration that if they don’t do this or that, the POTUS will make sure they are not reelected to their offices.  

The United States of America is not governed by threats, but by the will of the people.  When people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson start questioning the actions of the GOP you can bet something is not as it should be.

Fear is what appears to have caused this terrible tragedy, and will continue to cause tragedies all over this country until such time as our POTUS changes his attitude toward the citizens of the United States.  When President Trump starts showing respect to the citizens of the country, his cabinet might follow his lead.  It’s also possible that when US citizens are treated with respect by those in authority they will attempt to act accordingly and it may turn into a  win-win situation for all.

One thing is for sure, if we all followed Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know, I learned in Kindergarten” we might be able to get along better in life.

© 2026 Patricia L Johnson

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From PBS – Deposition of Jack Smith Before House Judiciary Committee On Decision to Indict Donald J Trump

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Administrator

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/read-jack-smiths-full-deposition-on-the-decision-to-indict-trump

Following is an A1 Summary of the 255-page deposition listed above:

The document is a transcript of a deposition of Jack Smith, a former special counsel, conducted by the House Judiciary Committee regarding the oversight of the Biden-Harris administration’s use of the Justice Department for political purposes.

Deposition Overview and Context

  • The deposition of Jack Smith, former special counsel, took place on December 17, 2025, before the House Judiciary Committee.
  • The committee is investigating the alleged weaponization of the Justice Department under the Biden-Harris administration.

Legal Framework and Procedures

  • The deposition follows House regulations, allowing for questioning by committee members and staff.
  • Witnesses must provide truthful answers, with legal restrictions on discussing certain confidential materials.

Jack Smith’s Statements and Testimony

  • Smith asserts strong evidence against President Trump regarding election interference and classified documents.
  • He emphasizes his commitment to impartiality and adherence to legal standards throughout his investigation.

Meeting with the Attorney General

  • The meeting occurred in June 2023 to discuss potential indictments.
  • The Attorney General had the authority to countermand the decision but did not explicitly advise against proceeding.
  • Discussions primarily focused on the elections case, as the classified documents case had already been indicted.

Concerns Over First Amendment Rights

  • The Attorney General expressed concerns about potential First Amendment implications of the proposed indictment.
  • The prosecution aimed to clarify that the case was about fraud, which is not protected by the First Amendment.
  • The witness emphasized that knowingly false statements targeting lawful government functions are not protected.

Witness Intimidation and Gag Orders

  • Gag orders were sought due to threats against witnesses and court staff from President Trump’s statements.
  • The courts found that Trump’s actions could intimidate witnesses and chill future cooperation.
  • The witness noted that the gag order was narrowed by the appeals court, allowing some statements.

Investigative Techniques and Congressional Records

  • The Special Counsel’s Office used subpoenas for toll records but did not seek search warrants for content from Members of Congress.
  • The witness acknowledged the Speech or Debate protections but believed noncontent records did not violate these protections.
  • The process for obtaining nondisclosure orders was discussed, emphasizing the risk of obstruction of justice.

Witness Testimony on Guilt and Prosecution

  • The witness believes Mr. Nauta and Mr. Oliveira were guilty of the charges against them.
  • They felt confident in their proof beyond a reasonable doubt for convictions at trial.
  • The witness sees no reason for the case to have been dismissed under DOJ protocols.

Volume Two of the Report

  • The witness cannot discuss Volume Two due to a judge’s injunction.
  • They have not reviewed Volume Two since submitting it to the Attorney General.
  • The witness emphasizes the importance of adhering to the injunction to avoid any violations.

Witness Intimidation and Its Impact

  • Witness intimidation is described as corrosive to the rule of law.
  • The witness has encountered intimidation in various cases, including murder and domestic violence.
  • Precautions include moving witnesses to safety and expediting cases to limit intimidation opportunities.

Special Counsel Appointment and Investigation Scope

  • The witness was appointed as special counsel on November 18, 2022, by the Attorney General.
  • Their investigation focused on election interference and the handling of classified documents.
  • The witness asserts they would have accepted the role regardless of the political affiliation of the President involved.

Coordination with State Officials

  • No proactive coordination with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes or Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis.
  • Limited communication with other state officials, including Michigan and New York.
  • Requests for information were received from some states, but no significant outreach initiated by the special counsel team.

Investigation of January 6 Events

  • Extensive contact between Trump and Members of Congress before and on January 6.
  • Evidence showed Trump was aware of the false nature of his claims regarding election fraud.
  • Key witnesses included Republican officials who pushed back against Trump’s assertions.

Evidence of False Claims

  • Trump made knowingly false claims about voter fraud, including allegations of dead and underage voters.
  • Evidence indicated Trump was informed by trusted allies that these claims were false but continued to promote them.
  • The investigation highlighted the importance of party loyalty in Trump’s outreach to officials.

Role of Fake Electors Scheme

  • Trump attempted to implement a fraudulent elector plan in several states, including Pennsylvania.
  • Some Republican electors rejected the scheme, leading to the need for replacements.
  • The scheme lacked proper procedures and consent, raising legal concerns.

Testimony on Election Fraud Investigation

  • The witness discussed the Pennsylvania fake electors and their claims that they were misled about the use of their certificates.
  • There were meetings and events, such as the Four Seasons Landscaping press conference and a hotel hearing in Gettysburg, aimed at promoting false claims of election fraud.
  • The witness emphasized the importance of testimonies from individuals who opposed the fraudulent actions.

Pressure on Vice President Pence

  • Donald Trump pressured Vice President Pence to reject lawful elector certificates and declare Trump the winner.
  • Pence resisted this pressure, prioritizing the country over party loyalty, which the witness deemed courageous.
  • The witness noted that Pence’s refusal to comply may have altered the course of history.

First Amendment and Fraud Claims

  • The witness clarified that fraudulent speech is not protected under the First Amendment.
  • The case involved evidence showing Trump knowingly spread false claims about the election.
  • The witness compared the situation to affinity fraud, where trust is exploited for deceitful purposes.

Principles of Law and Justice

  • Emphasizes the importance of following the law and treating everyone equally.
  • Highlights the complexity of applying these principles in cases with significant consequences, such as war crimes versus domestic violence.

Impact of DOJ Actions on Democracy

  • Discusses the negative effects of firing DOJ prosecutors and FBI agents involved in high-profile investigations.
  • Argues that loyalty to political figures over merit leads to corruption and incompetence in government.

Role of Public Integrity Section (PIN)

  • PIN was established post-Watergate to handle complex corruption cases and ensure proper investigative procedures.
  • Concerns raised about the dismantling of PIN affecting public corruption prosecutions and investigations involving Congress members.

Classified Documents Investigation Overview

  • Details the indictment against Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice.
  • Describes the evidence of concealment and attempts to delete security footage related to the investigation.

Access to Classified Information and SCIF

  • Discusses the implications of President Trump’s access to classified information and the potential for a recommissioned SCIF at Mar-a-Lago.
  • Stresses that all individuals, regardless of status, should adhere to the same legal standards regarding classified information.

Discovery and Trial Preparation Challenges

  • The defense faced the daunting task of reviewing 13 million pages of documents and thousands of hours of video footage.
  • The proposed trial date was deemed reasonable despite the extensive materials to digest.
  • The defense’s ability to review documents was questioned, with estimates suggesting they would need to process 100,000 pages daily.

Prosecutorial Conduct and Fairness

  • The prosecutor asserted adherence to principles of fairness and justice in handling the case against President Trump.
  • The prosecutor emphasized the importance of a speedy trial for public interest, not just the defendant’s rights.
  • The prosecutor believed their schedule was appropriate and did not reflect any lack of kindness.

Impact of Presidential Pardons

  • President Trump pardoned individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol attack, including those who assaulted law enforcement.
  • The pardons were viewed as detrimental to public safety and law enforcement morale.
  • The prosecutor expressed concern that pardoning violent offenders could lead to further crimes.

Retaliation Against Legal Counsel

  • President Trump issued an executive order targeting the law firm representing the special counsel, seeking to suspend security clearances.
  • This action was perceived as an attempt to intimidate and retaliate against those associated with the special counsel’s investigation.
  • The prosecutor indicated that such actions could chill legal representation for individuals involved in high-profile cases.
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From Public Citizen

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Administrator
Trump Embraces Big Oil and Empire After Kidnapping Venezuela’s President
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Creative Accounting At Its Worst

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Administrator

It appears the US Treasury department showed us the best way to push a rumor that individuals in the United States, suffering from the changes put in place by the Trump Administration economic policies, is to issue a press release on the US Treasury website indicating checks are forthcoming. 

Unfortunately, the press release indicated on the front page of the United States Treasury website is from December 30, 2020.

You may be able to see for yourself by going to the following link Treasury and IRS Begin Delivering the Second Round  [https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1224]

The attached is an image of the U.S. Treasury website as of December 31, 2025, but it may have been corrected by now.

Historically, President Donald J. Trump has battled the truth, so it’s no wonder members of his staff have followed his lead.  The following websites fact check politician distortions of the truth:

The US Treasury estimated the fourth quarter of 2025 (October through December) would have an end-of-year cash balance of roughly $850 billion U.S. dollars.  Apparently, even the U.S. government has overspent as it appears Treasury will need to borrow $569 billion in privately-held net marketable debt, to meet their goal.

Where is all the money going?  Where are all the billions going the U.S. is collecting in tariffs?  

© 2026 ArticlesandAnswers2011.wordpress.com

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BEST WISHES FOR SAFE, HEALTHY AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Administrator
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How Long Has The Takeover Of Venezuelan Oil Been Planned?

Posted on December 7, 2025 by Administrator

Opinion By:  Patricia Johnson

The first U.S. strike against the people of Venezuela was on September 2, 2025 when 11 people were killed in Operation Southern Spear.  President Trump claimed the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang was using the vessel to smuggle drugs.  He went on to claim “TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere”.

If the goal of the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) is to “crush” drug cartels it seems we should be attacking boats carrying drugs from the country that supplies the majority of drugs to the U.S., which is not Venezuela.  The United Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  doesn’t appear to even list Venezuela as a country that has a cartel.

The majority of illegal drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl) that come into the United States all come through Mexico from the Sinaloa and CJNG drug cartels.  

Venezuela may not have the drugs, but they do have something the entire world uses and that’s oil. Venezuela has the world’s “largest proven oil reserves”, estimated at 303 Bbbl (billion barrels) in 2024.  “Proven oil reserves” is a measure of the quantities of crude oil that are economically recoverable with current technology.  Saudi Arabia is second with 267.2 Bbbl, Iran comes in 3rd with 208.6  Bbbl and Canada 4th with 163.6 Bbbl.  In comparison, the United States is oil poor with only 55 Bbbl.  In addition to oil, Venezuela also has the second largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere.  What more could you possibly want?

The following are now located off the coast of Venezuela:

  • The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group.
  • Several destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious assault ships.
  • At least one nuclear attack submarine.
  • F-35 fighter jets, B-52 bombers and other support planes
  • Approximately 12,000 – 15,000 troops. 

It does not appear as if there is a legitimate reason for our military force to be off the coast of Venezuela.

© 2025 Patricia Johnson

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Concerns Raised Over DHS’s Arrests of Criminal Illegal Aliens

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Administrator

An August 14,  2025 Homeland Security Press Release states “The American people are generously offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now.”  I didn’t vote for illegal immigrants to be provided with free flights and a $1,000 exit bonus, did you?

CBP Home Mobile App to self-deport offers the following incentives for illegal aliens in the United States: 

  • A $1,000 exit bonus
    • The exit bonus will be provided upon confirmation through the app that return has been completed.
  • Travel assistance
    • Illegal aliens who register for voluntary self-departure through the CBP Home Mobile App will receive travel assistance, such as arranging travel for their children or extended family or obtaining valid travel documents. Aliens requesting assistance will have a timely departure arranged for them (estimated departure to be within 21 days of approval). Illegal aliens in need of assistance should take extra care to ensure they provide accurate contact information and are responsive to outreach attempts.
  • Forgiveness of any failure to depart fines.
  • Leaving voluntarily may improve future immigration options.
  • De-prioritization for enforcement actions, detention and removal by ICE
    • Once illegal aliens submit their intent to depart through the CBP Home Mobile App and pass vetting, they will be deprioritized by ICE for enforcement action, detention and removal before their scheduled departure.

September 23, 2025 press release from the US Department of Homeland Security reads “New Milestone:  Over 2 Million Illegal Aliens Out of the United States in Less Than 250 Days”

That is an extremely impressive number until you read the fine print.  Of the 2 million plus illegal immigrants that were supposedly removed from US soil in less than 250 days, 1.6 million or roughly 80% voluntarily self-deported.  The other 527,000 were deported by US personnel.

The October 22, 2025 Department of Homeland Security Press Release made a point of individually listing five persons as being the “worst of the worst”, due to criminal convictions.   Congratulations to the Department of Homeland Security for capturing these people, but their arrest leaves some unanswered questions.  If they are the “worst of the worst”, why weren’t they already behind bars once they were convicted of the crimes committed?  Or were they?  Where were the five at when they were taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security?  

The DHS press release did not list any details regarding the arrest of any of the five, other than minimal details as follows:  “Angel Gabriel Ramirez-Robles, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for sexual assault of a child in Hidalgo County, Texas.”    Research indicated there are no court records listed in the Hidalgo County TX Court  for the individual listed by the name of Angel Gabriel Ramirez-Robles.  If you can find any court records for this person in Hidalgo County TX, please add to the comments section of this post.  Thank you.

Our Department of Homeland Security is making history with all the individuals that have been arrested and/or deported, but are they arresting and deporting the correct individuals?


© 2025 articlesandanswers2011.wordpress.com

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THANKSGIVING 2025

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Administrator

Whether the tradition began in the Americas with the Green Corn Dance of the Cherokees, or on May 27, 1578 in Newfoundland, or in 1607 in Popham Colony in Maine, or with the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving Feast of 1621, the day of giving thanks is just around the corner.  President George Washington originally signed a proclamation on October 3, 1789 “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer” to be observed on November 26th.

The day of giving thanks was changed several times by subsequent Presidents until a Joint Resolution issued by Congress on October 6, 1941 declared the last Thursday of November as the National Holiday.

(C) 2025 articlesandansers2011.wordpress.com

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEVIN

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Administrator
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ICE REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOR THE PAST FIVE FISCAL YEARS

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Administrator

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Statistics has a tremendous amount of interactive material on their website, providing information.  The site may be reached at ice.gov/statistics 

The following data was taken on November 19, 2025 at 1:36 PM CST which indicated total removals of 616,657 for the five fiscal years beginning 2021 and ending with 2025.  Of the 616, 657 illegal immigrants removed from the US during that five year period,  220,040 were convicted criminals.

Of the total 220,040 removed, 22,654 were removed by the Trump administration, while 197,386 were removed during the four fiscal years of the Biden administration (based on ICE statistics).  In order to see the actual numbers on the above ICE chart, tap the various components of the chart on your phone, tablet, or computer and the following will appear (the data won’t appear on the chart above, due to it being a screenshot.) Screenshots of the data as it appeared on the date and time listed earlier follows:

Remember a fiscal year begins on October 1st and ends on September 30th of the following year as follows:

FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING AND ENDING DATESIA’S REMOVED WITH CRIMINAL CONVICTIONSADMINISTRATION
2021 10-01-2020 –
09-30-2021		39,149Democrat
Joseph R. Biden 75% = 29,361
202210-01-2021 –
09-30-2022		38,447Democrat
Joseph R. Biden
202310-01-2022 –
09-30-2023		57,021Democrat
Joseph R. Biden
202410-01-2023 –
09-30-2024		68,266Democrat
Joseph R. Biden
202510-01-2024 –
09-30-2025		17,157Republican
Donald J. Trump
75% = 12,868
TOTAL220,040Biden = 197,385
Trump = 22,655

In fiscal years 2021 and 2025 the Administration listed was only in power for three of the four fiscal quarters. Therefore, a minimum 25% of the illegals removed should be applied to the opposing party.

Politicians may exaggerate the truth on a regular basis, but as the old saying goes “the proof is in the pudding”.

(c) 2025 ArticlesandAnswers2011.wordpress.com

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HAPPY VETERANS DAY!

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE

Posted on November 10, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG AND TIM

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINA

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Administrator
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Why Speaker Johnson is Delaying Grijalva’s Swearing-In Ceremony

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Administrator

Adelita Grijalva is the Member-Elect of the US House of Representatives for the 7th Congressional District in the State of Arizona. 

On March 31, 2025, Grijalva announced she would pursue the Democratic nomination, in a special election, for Arizona’s 7th congressional district.  On July 15, 2025 Grijalva won the Democratic primary.  On September 23, 2025 Grijalva won the special election by 40,000 votes.

With 100% of all district 7 precincts reporting, Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma, Grijalva won the election with 70,148 votes, with the Republican candidate receiving 29,944 votes; or a difference of 40,204 votes more than her Republican opponent.

On October 14, 2025 the results of the Special Election for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District were certified by Governor Katie Hobbs. Attorney General Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adian Fontes.

US House of Representatives James Walkinshawa, Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine won special elections and were sworn into office within days of their elections, whether or not the House was in session, so why is Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson refusing to swear Member-Elect Adelita Grijalva into office?

He claims it’s because the House isn’t in session, but we know that’s not the real reason based on the fact he has sworn other members into office when the House was not in session.

Speaker of the House Johnson is not doing his job, the entire House of Representatives is not doing their job because they are not in session.  Are they getting a paycheck?

Speaker Johnson during an interview with Kim Strassel of the Wall Street Journal on October 24, 2025 made the following statement when talking about paying our military.  “We don’t know if there’s enough to pay the next paycheck period, which of course is the end of the month”. 

All we have heard from this administration for months is how much money is being brought in by the Tariffs imposed by this President. So where is the money?

We don’t have money to pay our troops, our air-traffic controllers, or any number of other government workers who are working without pay, yet we can pay the U.S. House of Representatives for doing nothing for almost an entire month and we can find an extra $20 billion to assist Argentina with their problems?

© 2025 ArticlesandAnswers2011.wordpress.com

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OOPS! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO BOBBY

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DORIE

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Administrator
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The Role of Congress in US Governance

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Administrator

In accordance with the United States Constitution there are three branches of Government in the United States, each having their own separate set of powers.  Their functions are spelled out in the first sentence, in the first three Articles of the Constitution as follows:

United States Constitution, Article I §1 

      “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

United States Constitution, Article II §1

      “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.”

United States Constitution, Article III §1

     “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court,and in such inferior Co0urts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.”  

In simple terms, Congress is authorized to make the laws, the President is authorized to execute the laws made by Congress, and the Supreme Court is authorized to judge the laws.

What is interesting is the order of the core functions.   The very first listing is the Congress, not the President, which makes sense.  Our current Congress is made up of 535 individuals, 435 Members of the House and 100 Members of the Senate.  These 535 individuals were elected by “we the people” to make laws based on what the majority of voting individuals wanted in their respective districts.

Our forefathers apparently wanted our Congress to legislate according to the desires of the people; but that doesn’t appear to be what is happening in our current administration.  Our current Congress appears to be taking their legislative direction from the President, instead of their constituents.  Were they elected to blindly follow the wishes of one person?

Our country is currently at a standstill due to a government shutdown.  How is that even possible?  The Republicans control the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and the Presidency.  In other words, Republicans are the Government of the United States so why is the Government of the United States shutdown?

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript#2-1

(c) 2025 articlesandanswers2011.wordpress.com

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How The Federal Register Affects You

Posted on September 24, 2025 by Administrator

What is the Federal Register?

The Federal Register is the Daily Journal of the United States Government. 

It is the legal record for proposed regulations, executive documents (executive orders, proclamations, etc.) public notices, and administrative regulations.  The Federal Register is the place where the public can view changes that may affect your future and submit comments on some proposed regulations. 

The current,  Wednesday, September 24, 2025, issue of the Federal Register consists of the following:

The three Presidential Documents recorded consisted of one notice, one proclamation and one Executive Order as follows:

The title of the Executive Order “The Gold Card” caught my eye so I checked into it further.  President Trump’s distaste for immigrants apparently does not apply to wealthy immigrants.  This particular Executive Order sets up procedures for allowing aliens into the country if they are able to pay  the million dollar entrance fee.  

Instead of being called what it is, it is being referred to in the EO as a “voluntary financial gift to the Nation”.  That’s the cost for an individual.  Should a corporation or similar entity choose to buy entrance into our country, on behalf of a particular individual, the voluntary financial gift to the Nation doubles to two million dollars.

This approach to the United States immigration problem seems a bit hypocritical, but when a country is running a current account deficit of -251.3 billion dollars [Q2 2025] anything goes.

© 2025 articlesandanswers2011.wordpress.com

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For Greg and Bryna

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Administrator
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Hot Off The Press

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Administrator

Kacey and Croix are at it again catching one whopper of a fish. The fishing trip to Eagle River was six-year-old Croix’s bithday gift from mom and dad. His younger brother, five-year-old Colton, also had a birthday this month so it was an extra birthday gift for both boys. The fish (maybe a Northern Pike) was caught on a jig, with a minnow, in Meta Lake, Eagle River WI. The fish is 41 inches long. If this is a Northern Pike, the record for the longest Northern caught in the State of Wiscsonin is 46.25″. That Northern was caught on September 7, 2018 in Green Bay, Oconto County, Wisconsin.

I wonder if the boys will catch a record-breaking trophy fish this trip? GOOD LUCK!!!!

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For Char and Kevin

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Administrator
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For CROIX

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Administrator
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For GABE

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Administrator
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For LOGAN

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Administrator
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For COLTON

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Administrator
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FOR ELLI

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Administrator
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AND MAY YOU HAVE MANY MORE

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY KIDS. MAY ALL YOUR BIRTHDAY WISHES COME TRUE.

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Administrator

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Sigmund Freud Said It Best

Posted on June 14, 2025 by Administrator

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” – Sigmund Freud

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Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on U.S. Households

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Administrator

One Big Beautiful Bill Act text 

Preliminary analysis of the distribution effects by the Congressional Budget Office from cbo.gov

Letter from Congressional Budget Office Director to U.S. House of Representatives detailing the major changes that would occur under the bill, as it exists, for the 2026 through 2034 period of time.

“CBO estimates that if the legislation was enacted, U.S. households, on average, would see an increase in the resources provided to them by the government over the 2026–2034 period. The changes would not be evenly distributed among households”.

U.S. House of Representative Republicans will probably be repeating the above statement from the CBO estimate to gain support for the bill. Unfortunately, the  increase in resources will not be equal because most budget cuts are directed towards the less fortunate.  Some of the cuts follow:  

Please read the complete letter the Congressional Budget Office sent  to the U.S. House of Representatives based on the estimates completed by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

This one bill is going to affect many millions of Americans with the least amount of resources over a long period of time whenever it is passed in whatever form.  

All of us need to pay attention to what is happening with the bill.  If you intended for your 2024 vote to reduce Medicaid programs for those in need, and spend less on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), do nothing.

If that wasn’t your intent, please contact your members of Congress and voice your concern.  Click to find your members of Congress [U.S. House and U.S. Senate]

© ArticlesandAnswers2011.wordpress.ccm

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Understanding 2025 Tax Payments: Individuals vs Corporations

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Administrator

The April 15, 2025 income tax payments have been made, with individuals paying $537 billion and corporations paying $94 billion.  On a comparative basis, individuals paid $185 billion in March 2025, with corporations paying $18 billion.   Our tax system was originally set up in 1913 after ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the  U.S. Constitution.  At that time, there were seven tax brackets, with a minimum tax rate of 1%, and a maximum tax rate of 7%.  We currently still have seven tax brackets, but the minimum tax rate is now 10% with a maximum rate of 37%.

MONTHLY TREASURY STATEMENT APRIL 2025 – FIGURE 1

While the less fortunate in this country supposedly pay a lower tax rate, the wealthy in this country have legal tax loopholes to greatly reduce their income tax burden. 

Look at Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett who has stated in past interviews that his effective tax rate is about 17.7% while his staff pays an average of 32.9%.  The difference is due to much of Buffett’s income coming from Dividends and Capital Gains, which are taxed at a lower rate than salaries. Buffett is fully in favor of higher taxes for the wealthy. Did you pay more than 17.7% in taxes this year?

The current administration is wanting, once again, to lower the tax rate of the wealthy in this country, which may turn out to be double-taxation on the poor.  If tariffs are continued it is also a tax on those less fortunate as most of us will supposedly be paying more for the items we need on a daily basis. We are now looking at tariffs on most countries we purchase goods from, along with a potential increase in the lowest tax bracket.  

Prior to 1913 federal income was derived mostly from tariffs and excise taxes and the tariffs were discontinued due to the fact they supposedly cost poor taxpayers more. 

Is that what our forefathers wanted when they set up our current taxing system?

© 2025 ArticlesandAnswers20ll.wordpress.com 

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Understanding Media Bias: A Deep Dive into AP Reporting

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson

Last night the subject of media bias came up in relation to Associated Press reporting.  Earlier in the day I read an Associated Press article and was relaying the information to my husband and a visitor.

Both gentlemen immediately accused me of reading a far left publication that could not be believed due to its extreme bias.  Personally, I have always considered AP as being an accurate source of information so I decided to check out their claims.

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the AllSides Media Bias Chart and at the top of the LEFT category was AP.  I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday so I decided I needed to spend a bit of time checking out “AllSides” to figure out where their questionable data was coming from.  I didn’t need to look far.  At the top of the Media Bias Chart is the following statement:

“Ratings based on online, U.S. political content only – not TV, print, or Radio.  Ratings do not reflect accuracy or credibility; they reflect perspective only.”

Just out of curiosity, if the ratings don’t reflect accuracy or credibility why are they being published?

Bottom line, we live in an era where we are provided misinformation on a second-by-second  basis and it’s up to each individual to search for the truth.

A more accurate gauge of media bias, IMHO, is Ad Fontes Media which gives AP a Bias rating of Middle and a Reliability rating of Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reporting.  In addition to explaining how it came to its rating for AP, and all other media, Ad Fontes provides a listing of approximately 25 recent sample articles for each with Bias and Reliability rating scores for each.

Be sure to check out your favorite news sources on Ad Fontes Rating by Individual News Source pages.

© 2025 Patricia L Johnson

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CONGRATULATIONS

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Administrator
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GET WELL SOON JOSE VEGA

Posted on October 28, 2023 by Administrator
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Congratulations Gloria C.C.

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Administrator
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOBBY

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Administrator
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Happy Birthday Lisa

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHARD

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Administrator
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Happy Birthday Dorie

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Administrator

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Happy Birthday Perla

Posted on October 5, 2023 by Administrator
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Congratulations to Melissa

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Administrator
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Happy Birthday Arturo

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Administrator
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The Dumbing-Down Of The Masses

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

If we made the statement that the majority of U.S. Citizens are familiar with the Declaration of Independence most folks would consider that an accurate statement, but is it true?  Let’s take a trip back in time and find out.

The Second Continental Congress created a five-member committee on June 11, 1776 to complete the task of composing the declaration, declaring that the Thirteen Colonies in North America no longer belonged to Great Britain, but were independent states.  The committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. 

The committee chose thirty-three-year-old Thomas Jefferson to compose the draft.  Thomas Jefferson completed the draft, but prior to submitting to the full committee he sent it separately to Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Mr. John Adams requesting corrections.The revised copy was sent to Congress on June 28, 1776.  Even though there are six copies of the draft, there is only one “original rough draft” with edits by Franklin, Adams and Congress and it is located in the Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress. The Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, 1776. 

Although the document is fairly legible, Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting does leave a bit to be desired; therefore on July 19, 1776, Congress ordered the document to be formally handwritten on parchment and the title changed to The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. 

Timothy Matlack, assistant to Charles Thomson, engrossed [formally handwrote] the document and on August 2, 1776 most members of the Continental Congress met in Independence Hall and the document was signed and is on display at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C.

One of the most important documents related to the history of the United States had to be re-written by someone with better penmanship than the originator, and yet our country has chosen in the last decade or two to place handwriting on a back burner due to cursive no longer being taught in many of our schools.  Our forefathers took tremendous pride in their work on the Declaration and if you look at it closely you can see the pride Timothy Matlack took in writing each word in the Declaration with perfect penmanship.

Is not teaching writing a grand plot to subjugate the rest of us?  Has cursive just been eliminated from the poor and middle class schools or has it also been deleted from the schools wealthy children attend?    Will the new crop of doctors, lawyers and judges be able to sign their name in cursive, or will everyone’s signature now become the letter X?

The future of the United States is not in the hands of our politicians, it’s  in the hands of the children in this country and their education will determine how successful we are in the future.  The 3 r’s of Education are Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.  Do you want your children to learn the basics or are you willing to ignore what is going on in schools and allow the politicians to place learning emphasis on critical race theory, woke culture, or sexism, etc.

The United States came in 21st in a 2022 US News ranking of countries with the most educated population.  That’s 21st out of the 85 countries in the survey.  While education is our future, politics is our downfall.

What has happened to a country where a former President can demand his followers protest the fact that he may be arrested for allegedly breaking the law of the land?    On the other end of the spectrum we have Florida House Bill 1069 which, if passed, will restrict 4th and 5th grade girls from talking about their menstrual cycle.  Do they also have a bill in place to restrict 4th and 5th grade boys from talking about whose penis is bigger?

Have we completely lost our way as a country or is this truly a concerted effort, that has been planned for a decade or more, to do whatever can be done to  tear the citizens in this country apart for the sole purpose of dumbing-down the population in order to exploit our unrest and dominate our thoughts and feelings?  

Our future is at stake.  If you truly care about your country, find out what your students are being taught in school and if it’s not an education that includes the 3 r’s, and  will benefit both the student and our country in the future, protest their teachings.

© 2023 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Richard E Walrath is a former Ohio State Budget Analyst currently residing in Central Ohio.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer.

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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6 Attack on the Capitol

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Administrator


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JUSTICE NEWS

Department of Justice

Office of Public Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6 Attack on the Capitol

Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, will mark 24 months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results.

Under the continued leadership of the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the following statement:

“Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election. Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.

“Since then, countless agents, investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and others across the Justice Department have participated in one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history. I am extremely grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and integrity with which they have done this work. This investigation has resulted in the arrest of more than 950 defendants for their alleged roles in the attack. We have secured convictions for a wide range of criminal conduct on January 6 as well as in the days and weeks leading up to the attack. Our work is far from over.

“We will never forget the sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who defended the members of Congress and others inside the Capitol that day. And we will never forget the five officers who responded selflessly on January 6 and who have since lost their lives: Officer Brian Sicknick, Officer Howard Liebengood, Officer Jeffrey Smith, Officer Gunther Hashida, and Officer Kyle DeFreytag. 

“The Justice Department remains committed to honoring them. We remain committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for the January 6 assault on our democracy. And we remain committed to doing everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.”

***

Based on the public court documents, below is a snapshot of the investigation as of Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. Complete versions of most of the public court documents used to compile these statistics are available on the Capitol Breach Investigation Resource Page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases.

Arrests made: More than 950 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (This includes those charged in both District and Superior Court).

Criminal charges:

  • More than 284 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including approximately 99 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
    • Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.
  • Approximately 11 individuals have been arrested on a series of charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media, or destroying their equipment, on January 6.
  • Approximately 860 defendants have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds. Of those, 91 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
  • Approximately 59 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and approximately 36 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.
  • More than 295 defendants have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding, or attempting to do so.
  • Approximately 50 defendants have been charged with conspiracy, either: (a) conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, (b) conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, (c) conspiracy to injure an officer, (d) seditious conspiracy, or (e) some combination of the four.

Pleas:

  • Approximately 484 individuals have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, many of whom faced or will face incarceration at sentencing.
    • Approximately 119 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Another 364 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
    • A total of 52 of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to federal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers. An additional 22 individuals have pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Of these 74 defendants, 41 have now been sentenced to prison terms of up to 90 months.
    • Four of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded guilty to the federal charge of seditious conspiracy.

Trials:

  • 40 individuals have been found guilty at contested trials, including three who were found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Another 10 individuals have been convicted following an agreed-upon set of facts. 16 of these 50 defendants were found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, a felony, including one who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sentencings:

  • Approximately 351 federal defendants have had their cases adjudicated and received sentences for their criminal activity on January 6. Approximately 192 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration. Approximately 87 defendants have been sentenced to a period of home detention, including approximately 14 who also were sentenced to a period of incarceration.

Public Assistance:

  • Citizens from around the country have provided invaluable assistance in identifying individuals in connection with the January 6 attack. The FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying approximately 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.
  • Additionally, the FBI currently has 14 videos of suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers and one video of two suspects wanted for assaults on members of the media on Jan. 6 and is seeking the public’s help to identify them.
  • Some of the violent offenders about whom the FBI is seeking public tips to identify and locate Evan Neumann, Jonathan Daniel Pollock, AFOs #91, #292, #371, and #383. AFO #91 uses what appears to be a stick to strike multiple officers numerous times while in the doorway of the Lower West Terrace, commonly referred to as the tunnel. AFOs #292, #371, and #383 are all shown on video charging at and assaulting officers, and they appear to grab and attempt to take possession of the officers’ batons.
  • For images and video of the attackers, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Topic(s): 

National Security

Component(s): 

Office of the Attorney General

USAO – District of Columbia

Press Release Number 23-3

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8.7 COLA Increase For Social Security Beneficiaries For 2023

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Administrator

Press Release

Thursday, October 13, 2022
For Immediate Release

Mark Hinkle, Press Officer
press.office@ssa.gov

News ReleaseSOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security Announces 8.7 Percent Benefit Increase for 2023

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 8.7 percent in 2023, the Social Security Administration announced today. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January.

The 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023. Increased payments to more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2022. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits). The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Medicare premiums are going down and Social Security benefits are going up in 2023, which will give seniors more peace of mind and breathing room. This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned,” Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi said.

To view a COLA message from Acting Commissioner Kijakazi, please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgm5q4YT1AM.

Some other adjustments that take effect in January of each year are based on the increase in average wages. Based on that increase, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $160,200 from $147,000.

Social Security and SSI beneficiaries are normally notified by mail starting in early December about their new benefit amount. The fastest way to find out their new benefit amount is to access their personal my Social Security account to view the COLA notice online. It’s secure, easy, and people find out before the mail arrives. People can also opt to receive a text or email alert when there is a new message from Social Security–such as their COLA notice–waiting for them, rather than receiving a letter in the mail. People may create or access their my Social Security account online at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

Information about Medicare changes for 2023 is available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare, their new higher 2023 benefit amount will be available in December through the mailed COLA notice and my Social Security’s Message Center.

The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.ssa.gov/cola.

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS: Here is a fact sheet showing the effect of the various automatic adjustments.

To get more Social Security news, follow the Press Office on Twitter @SSAPress.

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Happy 92nd Birthday Richard E Walrath

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Administrator

October 8, 2022

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How Do You Know If News You Are Reading is True?  Did President Biden Really Sell Our Crude Oil from SPR to China?

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Administrator
Map of SPR Storgage Site Locations

SPR Storage Sites

Emergency crude oil is stored at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in underground salt caverns at four major oil storage facilities in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, two sites in Texas (Bryan Mound and Big Hill), and two sites in Louisiana (West Hackberry and Bayou Choctaw). Created deep within the massive salt deposits.https://images.app.goo.gl/1pHJDH66potT9toJ9

By Articles and Answers 2020 Staff Writers, Patricia L Johnson and/or Richard E Walrath

One of the most difficult tasks U.S. voters will face this election cycle is trying to determine whether the news we are reading is accurate.

Back in 2018, we published an article “How in The Hell Did We Get to Where We Are Today?” where we attempted to explain how we came to have so much false information at our fingertips.  Since 2018, the situation has only gotten worse, for every true article there are ten false articles.  How do you tell the difference?

Let’s begin by looking at a relatively recent claim against the current administration by the opposition party.

“At a time of skyrocketing inflation and record gas prices, and with SPR drained to its lowest level since 1986, it is reckless and inexplicable that President Biden would allow oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to be exported to China. This practice poses a direct threat to American national security, not least of all because the Chinese Communist Party is currently stockpiling oil for strategic use, and the Biden administration is aiding their effort,” said Cruz. 

https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-moves-to-stop-biden-from-sending-oil-reserves-to-china

What is truly sad about this claim is the fact that eight prominent names in the Republican Party do not seem to be aware of the rules covering our Strategic Petroleum Reserves.

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and their colleagues to introduce the No Emergency Crude Oil for Foreign Adversaries Act to ensure that reserves sold from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) are not exported to adversarial nations like China. Joining Lankford and Cruz in the bill’s introduction were Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Joni Ernst (R-IA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK

https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-moves-to-stop-biden-from-sending-oil-reserves-to-china

The first step in being able to read the news and determine fact from fiction is common sense.  Does it make any sense for the President of the United States to send oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves to a foreign country when gasoline prices are so high in this country?

Since the answer to that question is a resounding “no”, what really happened?

First, just like there are rules regarding paying taxes, there are rules surrounding the Strategic Petroleum Reserves, which can be reviewed in the following report ” The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Background, Authorities, and Considerations”   

This 21-page report was written by the Congressional Research Service in 2020 and has been available to all members of Congress, including the above listed Republican Senators, since it was written. 

On April 1, 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Sale of 30 million barrels of SPR crude oil, with 16 companies responding.  126 bids were submitted for evaluation and the contracts were awarded to 12 companies with the highest bids.  Included in the 12 companies was Unipec America, who received a contract for 0.95 million barrels of the 30 million barrels offered.  Unipec America is a Houston based company, but it’s owned by China Petroleum and Chemical.  The Notice of Sale was published on the DOE website April 22, 2022.

“Congressionally mandated drawdowns are required by law and require the SPR to sell crude oil in a competitive auction to the highest bidder.” 

https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/Strategic%20Petroleum%20Reserve%20Fact%20Sheet%20July%202022.pdf

Please remember that a requirement for a company and/or customer to be on the Strategic Petroleum Reserves is they must be registered with the United States.

Not sure how it appears to you, but it looks to us like the Republicans closed the barn door after the horses already left the barn.

Step one in learning whether a particular claim is true is research.  You can’t just read something, comment about how awful it is on Twitter and then pass it on as gospel. There’s a huge difference between gospel and gossip.

There are numerous fact-checking sites available, so if you read a story that seems questionable, question the facts, question the source, and most of all use your own common sense. 

Treat fact-checking sites the same as an article, don’t readily accept what one says, research the facts until you’re sure of them.

AP Fact Check

Fact Check Tools Google

AFP Fact Check

USA Today Fact Check

Check Your Fact

FactCheck.org

Lead Stories

MediaWise

PolitiFact

The Dispatch Fact Check

The Washington Post Fact Checker

Science Feedback

© 2022 Articles and Answers 2011

Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in Northeastern IL. Richard E. Walrath is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio.

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Why Is Inflation Out Of Control In The United States?

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

It’s amazing how many people in this country blame rising prices [inflation] on our President.  Since inflation is a global problem, blaming our current President makes about as much sense as blaming Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse for the economic downturn the entire world is experiencing.

U.S. inflation for the month of June 2022 was 9.1%, but if you look at the balance of G20 [group of 19 countries, plus the European Union] for June 2022, you’ll note that only five were under 7%, eight came in between 7.01% and 9%, while the last seven were between 9.1% [United States] and 78.62% [Turkey].  

According to Congressional Research Service Insight Report IN11926 current worldwide inflation is due to many factors as follows:

  • Disruptions to global supply chains
  • Labor shortages
  • Temporary business disruptions due to Covid-19 
  • Commodity shortages due to Russian invasion of Ukraine

All through the pandemic the labor force participation rate has been incredibly low leaving companies unable to fill job openings.  The seasonally adjusted labor participation rate for the month of June 2022 was 62.2% (published July 8, 2022).  There has been a worldwide chain reaction to delays and disruptions that has had a negative impact on all countries involved.

Without labor there is no increase in productivity and without an increase in productivity, there is no increase in wages.  There isn’t even an argument about it because there is no way to pay for an increase.  As to how to divide productivity gains, there would be nothing produced at all without labor – not to mention nobody to buy the goods and services produced.  Millions of jobs alone have been exported overseas over the past decade (s).

Many citizens in this country are too quick to try to place the blame for what is happening to us on one particular person, or one particular party, group or country.  Numerous factors have led to the current inflation rate both in this country and around the world so there is more than enough blame to go around.

© 2022 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in Northeastern IL. Richard E. Walrath is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio.

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Two Wrongs Do Not Make A Right And Nominating A Black Woman To The Supreme Court Is Wrong

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Administrator

The Supreme Court as composed October 27, 2020 to present

By Patricia L Johnson

Article III, §1, of the Constitution provided for the creation of a Supreme Court.  Our forefathers considered the creation of this court such a high priority that the very first bill introduced in the Senate was the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789 (1 Stat. 73).  Our newly formed Supreme Court met on February 1, 1790 in New York City, the Nation’s Capital at the time.

The ultimate responsibility of the Supreme Court of the United States of America is to provide the American people with the promise of EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW and currently consists of nine individuals, a Chief Justice of the United States and eight associate justices.  The total number of associate justices is determined by Congress (28 U. S. C. §1) and has been changed six times before settling on a total of nine justices in 1869.

Our current Supreme Court consists of the following individuals:

John G. Roberts, Jr.Chief Justice of the United StatesWM
Clarence ThomasAssociate JusticeBM
Stephen G. BreyerAssociate JusticeWM
Samuel A. Alito, Jr.Associate JusticeWM
Sonia SotomayorAssociate JusticeHF
Elana KagenAssociate JusticeWF
Neil M. GorsuchAssociate JusticeWM
Brett M. KavanaughAssociate JusticeWM
Amy Coney BarrettAssociate JusticeWF

W = White   77.8%

B = Black    11.1%

H = Hispanic    11.1%

M = Male   66.7%

F = Female   33.3%

Based on the above percentages our current Supreme Court is not at all reflective of the diverse population of the citizens in the United States, which follows.  Without a doubt the next appointment to the Supreme Court should be a female, but would increase the Black composition of the court to 22.2%.

The Census Bureau indicates the following data for July of 2021 as far as percentages of the three major races and sex:

60.1% = White Only 

13.4% = Black Only 

18.5% = Hispanic or Latino

Female = 50.8%

Females now represent more than ½ of the citizens in this county and for decades females have been underrepresented in the Supreme Court, but should a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court ever be based on anything other than qualifications?

As a female, there is nothing I would like better than to see another woman appointed to the Supreme Court because that is the fair and just thing to do, but as a citizen I also have to live with the decisions made by the court and I think I would prefer to see the most qualified individual appointed, rather than an appointment to make up for past wrongs, or to fulfill a campaign promise.

© 2022 Patricia L Johnson

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Is There Anyone Faster Than These Three?

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Administrator

We are so very proud of Gabe, Logan and Olive.

They received Star Wars: The Mandalorian, The Child – GROGU, aka “Baby Yoda” LEGO building kit with 1,073 pieces as a Christmas gift and had it completed by the day after Christmas. AMAZING!!!

You three are AWESOME!

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EXCELLENT WORK BOYS! (AND GIRL)

Posted on September 12, 2021 by Administrator

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Neurological Manifestations of Covid-19 By Jennifer K. Lynch, MD, FABSM, CoxHealth Neurology

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Administrator

Refer to Pages 4-5 of March/April 2021 Green County Medical Society Journal

https://cdn.flipsnack.com/widget/v2/flipsnackwidget.html?hash=z9qra0qjiq&t=&fullscreen=1

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Equality, The Essence of Life – Part II – Our Number One Problem

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Part one of this series dealt with an excellent solution for dealing with the extraordinary income equalities we are now facing in this country. The solution was offered by Economist, Milton Friedman, in his “Negative Income Tax” theory published in 1962 in his book titled “Capitalism and Freedom.”

Friedman’s theory was to provide each poor family with a guaranteed income that they could spend on whatever they wanted. This would eliminate the need for welfare payments, and food stamps, rent subsidies, etc. It would also give poor families more bang for their buck because the money would go directly to the family via an IRS payment, vs., going through the various organizations that now provide assistance.

The problem with Friedman’s theory was it was so simple and logical and would have saved taxpayer funds while helping to reduce the number of destitute families that it never got off the ground. It was never implemented by those at the top.

But it apparently did not go unnoticed by members of the Republican Party because NIT became the deal of the day under Republican administrations. If more money would help bring destitute families out of poverty, what could it do for the well-to-do?

From President Reagan through President George W Bush, each time this country had a Republican President, taxes have been lowered on the rich. The end result is recessions, government stimuli to get the economy moving again so the Republicans can pass another tax cut for the rich so we can have another recession. It’s a vicious circle that has resulted in income inequality in this country that will take decades to reverse. We are now at a point in time when a guaranteed annual income may eliminate all that nonsense and get us back on the right track.

The following charts were prepared for “Un bon croquis vaut mieux qu’un long discours,” one of our articles on the economy written in 2011. Charts for the Obama and Trump terms will be prepared for a follow-up article.

The four separate charts cover a period of the 28 years, from 1981 through 2008 and are separated by each Presidents term of office. As you can readily see we had Republican presidents for 20-years and a Democratic president for a period of 8-years.

Without a doubt this is an instance where if “A picture is worth a thousand words” the four charts have to be worth a few trillion.

Republican presidents are consistent from one administration to the next – they create deficits, each and every year they are in office, the only exception in the 20 years of Republican leadership is 2001, when there was a surplus.

Why? The answer is simple, Republicans cut taxes which create deficits, and those deficits are then added to the National debt. When Democrats take over, they have to raise taxes in order to break even. Fiscal year 2020, the last year our former Republican president was in office had a budget deficit of $3.1 trillion dollars. No one wants higher taxes, but let’s face it, our founding fathers did not set up a tax code for the sole purpose of making the rich richer, and the poor poorer.

The tax cuts, which were primarily directed towards the rich, are part of the reason why people are poor. Instead of tax cuts for the rich, we need tax increases to replace our rotting, decaying and worn-out infrastructure. The recent disaster with the Texas electrical grid is a prime example of what can happen in any state.

Our founding fathers set up the tax code with a 7-1 ratio. They intended those at the top paid to pay 7 times as much in income taxes as those at the bottom. For additional information on this subject click the following What Was the Intent of Our Founding Fathers on Taxes for the Rich? or type any of the following words in the Articles and Answers search box; taxes, deficit, national debt, economy, etc.

© 2021 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in Northeastern IL. Richard E. Walrath is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio with his family.

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Equality, The Essence of Life – Part 1 – The Solution

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Administrator

By Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

There are numerous types of inequality in this country. We have ‘economic’ inequality which generally refers to ‘income’ inequality, “opportunity” inequality, and inequality of “rights”. No matter what you call it, it all seems to boil down to one word “money”. If you have money, you generally have a place to live, food on the table, education choices and work choices.

When you are poor and do not have a sufficient amount of money, you may end up homeless, uneducated and without a future. All too many of our fellow citizens are currently in this position and something has to be done to change the path they’re following.

In 1943 Psychological Review published Abraham H Maslow’s “A theory of Human Motivation” which set up a hierarchy of human needs.

Basic needs such as air, water, food, sleep, clothing and shelter must be met before the person could move on to safety needs, which included personal security, emotional security, and financial security. Once these needs were met, the individual could then move up the ladder to psychological needs, self-fulfillment needs, etc.

As long as we continue to have a ‘poor’ population and fellow Americans out of work, basic needs of US citizens are not being met.. As long as we have individuals that are homeless, do not have health insurance and are living hand to mouth, US citizens needs are not being met.

What is the answer?

The 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics winner, Milton Friedman had the answer a long time ago and he was a Republican. Guaranteed annual income. Not out of the goodness of his heart. He saw that the economy needed more spending. The poor spend all they have and it is not enough. The rich have five or six of everything they will every need and don’t have room for anything more.

You may read the pros and cons of Milton Friedman’s “Negative Income Tax” theory (explained beginning on page 5) of the June 2003 paper prepared by our National Bureau of Economic Research.

Friedman’s theory was based on a simple premise that the solution to the poor was to give the poor more money. The following is taken from a New York Times article “The Other Milton Friedman: A Conservative With a Social Welfare Program” written a week after Mr. Friedman’s death in 2006.

His proposal, which he called the negative income tax, was to replace the multiplicity of existing welfare programs with a single cash transfer — say, $6,000 — to every citizen. A family of four with no market income would thus receive an annual payment from the I.R.S. of $24,000. For each dollar the family then earned, this payment would be reduced by some fraction — perhaps 50 percent. A family of four earning $12,000 a year, for example, would receive a net supplement of $18,000 (the initial $24,000 less the $6,000 tax on its earnings).

Mr. Friedman’s proposal was undoubtedly motivated in part by his concern for the welfare of the least fortunate. But he was above all a pragmatist, and he emphasized the superiority of the negative income tax over conventional welfare programs on purely practical grounds. If the main problem of the poor is that they have too little money, he reasoned, the simplest and cheapest solution is to give them some more. He saw no advantage in hiring armies of bureaucrats to dispense food stamps, energy stamps, day care stamps and rent subsidies.

As always, Mr. Friedman’s policy prescriptions were shaped by his desire to minimize adverse economic incentives, a feature that architects of earlier welfare programs had largely ignored. Those programs, each administered by a separate bureaucracy, typically reduced a family’s benefits by some fraction of each increment in earned income. Rates of 50 percent were common, so a family participating in four separate programs might see its total benefits fall by $2 for each extra dollar it earned. Under the circumstances, no formal training in economics was necessary to see that working didn’t pay. In contrast, someone who worked additional hours under Mr. Friedman’s plan would always take home additional after-tax income.”

Why is a plan that contains so much common sense not being utilized in this country?

© 2021 Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

Richard E. Walrath  is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio with his family.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in Northeastern Il.

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Denial Is Not Going To Fix The Economy

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Administrator

By Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

The Hill published the following article :Toomey: Economy is ‘roaring back,’ another stimulus package would be ‘inappropriate’”

Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) must be talking about a different country’s economy because he certainly cannot be commenting on the US economy.  Even with a stimulus, should they ever get it passed, our economy is not going to come roaring back.  The policies of the prior administration, along with the COVID-19 pandemic have ensured the fact that our economy needs a massive influx of cash for an extended period to come “roaring back”.   In January, Toomey claimed that Biden’s stimulus plan would “likely slow down a recovery in employment,” 

It would be pretty near impossible for employment to “slow down” anymore than it has already.  49,000 jobs created for the month of January 2021 is quite simply unacceptable.

Our country has a population of approximately 329 million people.  Of the 329 million, only 150 million are employed, giving us a Labor Force Participation Rate of 61.4 percent [the labor participation rate is the number of people working (or seeking work) as a percentage of the working population].  Note:  If a person stops looking for a job, they are no longer considered part of the labor force.

Of the 150 million persons employed in this country, only 125 million have full-time jobs.  The other 25 million are all part-time workers and in many cases are working more than one job.

Numbers are meaningless unless you have something to compare so let’s compare the US Labor Participation Rate to a few other countries.  We’re at 61.4%, the UK is 79.3%, France is 71.6% and Australia is 66.2%.  Let’s remember the COVID-19 pandemic hit all the countries with the same force so why is the US so far behind the rest of the world in providing jobs for residents?

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims for the week ending February 6, 2021 were 334,524.  That means 335,000 of your friends, neighbors or coworkers that are out of work applied for PUA last week.  Who are these people?

They are folks that have exhausted their rights to regular Unemployment Compensation, or have no rights to Unemployment Compensation due to the fact they are self employed workers, freelancers or independent contractors.

Since many members of Congress feel the Biden proposed stimulus plan is over the top, it seems the only way they’ll be able to relate to their fellow citizens is to paddle the same boat.  

Immediately, their salaries should be withheld so they have no income, and then perhaps they would be able to comprehend the necessity of providing assistance to those in need.

©  2021 Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

Richard E. Walrath  is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio with his family.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer currently residing in Northeastern IL.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Administrator
THANK YOU WINCALENDAR!
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Administrator

This tribute would not be complete without adding the name of a Very Special Marine Veteran, Patrick John, deceased May 6, 2002. THANK YOU PAT!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH!

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CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Administrator
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HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Administrator
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Our Country Is In Trouble; What Are YOU Going To Do About It?

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

At 5:45 PM EDT, on April 2, 2020, John Hopkins CSSE released the following Coronavirus numbers for the United States:

Confirmed Cases:  238,820

Deaths:  5758

This is only day number 71 of the Coronavirus pandemic in the US and US cases are more than  DOUBLE what the world cases were on day 71. The first reported case of Coronavirus in the United States was on January 23, 2020.  On the other hand, the first reported case of unknown pneumonia cases in China were first reported on December 31, 2019. So what happened 71 days later on March 10, 2020 in China:

Confirmed Cases:   80,924

Deaths:   3,140

71 days later the Global numbers were:

Confirmed Cases:  118,319 (includes 696 US cases)

Deaths:  4,292 (includes 25 US deaths)

We all should know the reason (s) WHY* the United States has more than double the Coronavirus cases, but the question remains, What are you personally going to do about it? Doing nothing is not an option.

Many Southern states started off with fewer cases than Northern states, but they are rapidly catching up as they ignore keep your distance rules.

Some Evangelical churches continue to hold services, helping to spread the virus. Roman Catholic churches on the other hand are closed. No where is it written that you have to be in a church setting to practice your faith.

Many thousands will die, unnecessarily, if we do not ALL do our part to contain the virus, and that means following the rules and encouraging others to do the same.

In a crisis in the past, the United States has been a leader. This time it is bringing up the rear and our children’s, grandchildren’s and every other living persons life in this country is now in the hands of an administration that cannot seem to get their ducks in a row, no matter how hard they try.

*Brookings Institution released a report on March 31, 2020 listing the government timeline in responding to this crisis. It’s a short read that’s very informative.


© 2020 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath


Richard E Walrath is former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, currently residing in Ohio with his family. Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer located in the Midwest.

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Should the Increased DJIA Really be Considered an Accurate Gauge of U.S. Economic Performance?

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Administrator

Opinion: Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

The Stock Market goes up when there is news about the US and China getting together on trade talks. Then it goes down when this Administration cancels the talks. This produces a yo-yo effect on the market, up today, down tomorrow, but otherwise the trend would probably be down. The market as it exists, under this Administration, is far too volatile.

It all began in the late 1800’s, when Charles Dow and Edward Jones launched the Dow as a simple means of determining a measurement of 12 companies contributing to America’s economy. By 1928 the Dow Jones Industrial Average had grown to 30 stocks and has remained at that number since.

As time passed various companies were replaced by others, but the number of companies has remained at 30. The total DJIA reported on a daily basis is a price-weighted average of the total of the 30 stocks; divided by the Dow Divisor, making the value of this particular economic indicator questionable from the onset.

For each $1 change in the value of the of the 30 stocks in the DJIA, the market goes up or down by a point spread. We’ll use the Dow Divisor as of April 2, 2019 as an example. The divisor was 0.14744568353097 divided by 1 = 6.792 points. So, if one of the 30 stocks was to go up by $1, the DJIA average would have increased by 6.792 points.

The entire problem with this method of determining an average, is a $1 loss on a $10.00 stock is far more significant on a percentage basis than a $1 loss on a $100 stock, and that difference is not taken into consideration in the methodology.

On June 26, 2018 Walgreens Boots Alliance [WBA], replaced General Electric [GE] as one of the 30 stocks in the DJIA. GE, by the way, was one of the original 12 stocks in the DOW and has remained in the average until Walgreens stock was added. Walgreens stock trades around $52.56, while GE stock is going for $8.71. Seems like replacing one stock with another that’s worth six times as much, is a relatively simple way to increase the total market value. If you go one step further and multiply the number of outstanding shares of GE stock by six, you might be looking at some pretty hefty numbers.

It seems fair to say that when it comes to the stock market, there’s only one number that matters and that’s the average return. As you can see from the following, 2016 was a good year, 2017 was an excellent year (remember the former Administration economic policies were still in effect for the majority of 2017) while 2018 was the worst year for stocks in a decade.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average did not return 13.54% in 2016, although that is probably a number that you’ll see quoted. Adjusted for dividend reinvestment, the 2016 Dow Jones Industrial Average Return was actually 16.47%. That’s a full 2.93% points higher due to reinvested dividends.

2017 Dow Jones Industrial Average Return. The Dow Jones Industrial Average returned +24.39% in 2017. Using a calculation which includes dividend reinvestment, the Dow Jones returned +28.11%.

2018 Dow Jones Industrial Average Return. The Dow Jones Industrial Average returned -5.97% in 2018. Using a calculation including dividend reinvestment, the Dow Jones returned -3.48% in 2018.

There are two economic numbers the majority of Americans are familiar with; job creation and the stock market. The number of jobs created under this Administration are definitely questionable, and the market ups and downs definitely appear to be manipulated.

If you’re a parent, you know what it’s like for your kids to come home from school advising they need to sell xx number of candy bars for this or that school project. Being the good parent you are you call your friends, neighbors and co-workers and invite all of them to purchase the candy.

Is this Administration doing the same thing? When the majority of your cabinet members are wealthy, when you own numerous golf courses in the US where most of us couldn’t afford the entrance fee, how difficult is it for you to ask John Doe or Jane Smith to buy a little more stock in this company or that company? How difficult is it to actually manipulate the ups and downs of 30 stocks?

Over the past nineteen years there have been several occasions when we have experienced large increases or decreases in the DJIA in any given day. The Great Recession is an excellent example. During 2008 and early 2009 there were six instances where there was a large increase and four instances of a large decrease in the daily DJIA.

The Great Recession was a catastrophic event and major upsets were expected. We have not had any catastrophic events in 2018 or 2019, yet the DJIA had six instances in 2018 with large increases and seven instances with large decreases. So far in 2019 there have been three instances of large increases and five instances of large decreases.

Without a doubt there is something not quite kosher with this particular index.

Richard E Walrath is former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, currently residing in Ohio with his family. Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer located in the Midwest.

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What Games are Being Played With Jobs?

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Administrator
Opinion:  Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released their report for the month of August 2019 on September 6, 2019 indicating August Nonfarm Job Creation of 130,000 jobs, which in one word is pitiful.

25,000 of these jobs are for temporary employees hired by the US Government for the 2020 Census count.

The problem with the jobs report, under this Administration, is the fact the numbers are revised on a regular basis after they are released. Which isn’t at all unusual. We have always had revisions to the jobs report after release. The difference is the Revised numbers from this administration are lower than the originally reported numbers, in five of the past seven months. March, April, May, June, and July 2019 have all been revised downward by a total of 154,000 jobs, or a downward revision of 30,800 jobs per month for the past five months.

Why? What games are being played with the jobs report? Perhaps your response to that question, is we’re grasping at straws. We don’t think so. Going back through prior years, there have been revisions, not every month, and certainly not trending downward on a regular basis.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does an excellent job of reporting accurately; therefore, the only conclusion that can be reached is the private sector is turning in late and/or erroneous data to the BLS. When all is said and done there were only 96,000 nonfarm jobs created by the private sector in August of 2019. Do you consider that evidence of a booming economy?

Jobs and the stock market are about all people pay attention to regarding the economy.  Monetary and fiscal policy interest rates and the Federal Reserve are not table talk topics.  This Administration knows this and is making excellent use of the information.  If the economy is not creating many jobs, the next best thing is creative reporting followed by later reports reducing the number of jobs previously reported.

Add that to the Benchmark Revision that will be made in February of 2020 for calendar year 2019 of -501,000 jobs and it’s crystal clear the only change that needs to be made is a change in Administrations.

The economy will decide next year’s election which is still over a year away.  That is a long time to keep the economy propped up with puffed up jobs’ reports followed by downward corrections.

© 2019 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath
Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer located in the Midwest.   Richard E Walrath is former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, currently residing in Ohio with his family.
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Cooking the Books aka Surviving in a Country Filled with Smoke and Mirrors

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Administrator
By Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

The news coming out this week about our GREAT economy is bordering disaster.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated a preliminary revision to the number of non-farm jobs created by this Administration, during 2018 and early 2019, of a whopping 501,000 jobs.

The preliminary revision by the BLS is completed each year at this time, while the final report will be issued in February of 2020.  What is most unusual about this report, besides having overstated the number of jobs created by this Administration by half a million jobs, is the sheer percentage of jobs lost at -0.3 percent.

Annual benchmark revisions over the past ten years have averaged in the plus or minus two-tenths of one percent of total non-farm employment, while this revision is a reduction of a full three percentage points.

Other major economic happenings during the week ending Friday, August 23, are:

  •  the volume drops in MBA Mortgage Applications, which have averaged 0.50 percent from 2007 until 2019, dropped from 21.7% for the week ending August 14, 2019 to -0.9 percent for the week ending August 21, 2019.
  • The IHS Markit US Manufacturing PMI dropped to 49.9 percent.  This is the first time PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) has contracted with new orders falling the most in a decade (since September 2009).

A revision as large as 501,000 does more than just raise eyebrows.  It smacks strongly of cooking the books.  The Trump economy was never great.  It was propped up by ballyhoo and false statistics.  Now a trillion-dollar deficit looms.

So much for the Trump economy.

© 2019 Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson.
Richard E Walrath is former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, currently residing in Ohio with his family.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer located in the Midwest.

 

 

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Real Life, Real Money, Not a Reality TV Show

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Administrator

ByPatricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

What is it going to take for the voters in this country to pay attention to the major problems this country is facing, rather than listening to the latest gaffe by former V.P. Joe Biden, or reading the most recent tweet written by our current President?

The most recent Monthly Treasury Statement was released by the Department of the Treasury on August 12, 2019, indicating a one month budget deficit for the fiscal month of July 2019 of $120 Billion.  That’s an additional -$120,000,000,000.00 in the hole in one single month under this administration.

Anyone that thinks our economy is running at top speed simply doesn’t understand the facts.  The facts are in July of 2019, we received $251 billion in receipts, while we spent a whopping $371 billion, resulting in the -$120 billion deficit.

The majority of us don’t work in billions so let’s look at these numbers realistically.  Let’s say you earn $251 dollar a week. The current Federal minimum wage is $7.25 [although some states have opted to pay their workers more per hour.  At minimum wage, a worker would earn $290 for a 40-hour week].

Our worker only earns $251 dollars a week, but he/she spends $371 dollars a week.  That leaves our worker with a shortfall of -$120 each and every week, so as each week goes by our worker gets further and further in debt.

That is exactly what is happening with our country under the current administration.   With each month that passes we become further in debt, with no end in sight, and the situation has worsened with time.

Donald Trump became President in January of 2017.  In July of 2017 we had a budget deficit of -$43 billion, with $232 billion in receipts, and $275 billion in disbursements (please recall we were still operating under the previous administrations budget in July of 2017).  Historical data located at U.S. Treasury

In July of 2018 we had a budget deficit of -$77 billion with receipts of $225 billion and disbursements of $302 billion.  The deficit nearly doubled under the current administration.

Now we are up to the current year with a July 2019 budget deficit of -$120 billion.  All the claims of how our receipts were going to skyrocket are nonsense. Receipts have only increased a mere $19 billion from July of 2017 [$232 billion] compared to July of 2019 [$251 billion] while disbursements have increased $96 billion [$275 billion compared to $371 billion].

Do you have anything at all to show for the $96 billion additional spending? Have your medical costs been reduced?  Has your income increased dramatically? Has the value of your property increased tremendously? Do you have piles of money sitting around waiting to be taken to the bank?  Are your children all attending college for free? Have all the bridges in your area been completely restored? How about the highways? How about your food costs? Have they decreased to the point where you’re not concerned about where your next meal is coming from? How about transportation.  Do you have high speed train service in your area? Do you have ANY train service in your area? Do you have needs that could and should be met by our government?

More than likely the answer to all the above questions are no.  This administration has done little to assist the average person, but the major problem is this administration has done absolutely nothing to improve our economy.  Our GDP Growth Rate for the second quarter was down a full percentage point see The Great U.S. Economy, that isn’t released on July 30, 2019.

We are now in the 11th month of our fiscal year.  10 months of data has been released and out of the 10 months of budget data, there have only been two months where we have had a budget surplus rather than a deficit.  We had a small surplus in January, and a surplus in April when taxes are due. Each of the other 8 months of the fiscal year have shown a deficit, with the deficits rising due to the uncontrolled spending by this Administration.

Closing out the economic picture is the question of the Trump not so “EASY TO WIN TRADE WARS”. How much have they cost the U.S. and the World? They are bringing on the recession sooner.  DJIA is down 700 today [when this article was written and this could be the beginning of “The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century”,  to borrow the title from Nobel Prize Winner, Paul Krugman.

Someone please tell us what this Administration is doing with the money, since they aren’t spending it on improving our lives, or improving our economy.

© 2019 Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer-photographer.  Richard E. Walrath  is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio with his family.

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The Great U.S. Economy, that isn’t

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Administrator

 

 

 

 

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

The problem with any economic number released in the U.S. is the fact a large majority of voters are basically clueless when it comes to the actual meaning of the numbers.  Let’s face it, numbers are boring, so it makes little sense to release numbers if voters, and would-be voters, are not able to comprehend their meaning.  A prime example is U.S. GDP Growth Rate

U.S. GDP or Gross Domestic Product is the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States.  The most recent GDP value was $20.5 trillion dollars for 2018.  GDP is calculated by using the following equation GDP = C+I+G+ (X-M) or GDP equals private consumption plus gross investment, plus government investment, plus government spending, plus exports minus imports.

While the actual GDP is indicated for a year and doesn’t change until it is calculated for the following year, the GDP growth rate is released for a three-month period.  The growth rate is the difference between the GDP for the previous quarter, compared to the current quarter and is indicated as a percent.

This percentage is subject to change once additional data becomes available.  The Real GDP Growth Rate released on July 26th, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, was the “Advance Estimate”.  A new percentage will be released on August 29, 2019 called the “Second Estimate for the Second Quarter 2019, while the “Third Estimate” will be released September 26, 2019.

The 2nd quarter, GDP growth rate percentage released on July 26, 2019 indicated a rate of 2.1 percent for the quarter.  Translated, that means during the period from April 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019 our Gross Domestic Product growth rate, was a full 1.0 percentage point lower than the prior quarter [January through March 2019 when GDP growth was 3.1 percent].

2.1 percent is the advance number so it will probably change within the next few months as additional information becomes available; but on a comparative basis GDP growth rate has averaged 3.21 percent from 1947 until this year.  GDP growth rate is one of the most widely used economic indicators released and a lower percentage for the first two quarters of this calendar year is not indicative of a “great” economy.

Forbes recently published an article titled “Trade War is Hiding China’s Big Problems” with one of the problems listed as China’s “soaring debt”.  China’s government debt to GDP is 50.5% for 2018, while the U.S. recorded a government debt of 106.10% of GDP for 2018.

What no one is bothering to tell voters about our supposedly GREAT economy is government debt to GDP averaged 62.31 percent from 1940 until 2018.  Under this Administration, government debt to GDP has risen 43.79 percent.  What do you have to show for the record 44% increase in debt to GDP?

Along with worrying about China’s debt we might want to give a passing thought to “soaring” U.S. debt, which is now over $22 trillion dollars [$22,023,283.00 through June 2019].  Year to date figures through June 2019 released by the Treasury Department indicate we took in $2.6 trillion dollars this fiscal year and spent $3.4 trillion, resulting in a 2019 budget deficit of $747 billion which will be added to the $22 trillion dollar debt we already have and we have four more months to continue our spending spree before the fiscal year ends.

On March 2, 2018, the President of the United States wrote on Twitter that ‘trade wars are good and easy to win”.  As time passed, he spoke of the many billions of dollars the US was collecting in tariffs, due to his policies.  Fifteen months later the facts are as follows:

May 2019 (the latest recorded data) had a trade deficit of $55.5 billion dollars as follows:

EXPORTS                $210.6 BILLION

IMPORTS                $266.2 BILLION

DEFICIT               $  55.5 BILLION

China, of course, added the most to the May deficit with the U.S. importing four times as much as we exported.  So far this calendar year [Jan through May of 2019], our trade deficit with China has totaled $137.1 billion dollars.

You may hear the words “great economy” over and over and again and you might believe it, but the facts are; our country is headed in the wrong direction economically.

© Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer-photographer.  Richard E. Walrath  is a former Budget Analyst for Ohio State University, residing in Central Ohio with his family.

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US Military Forces and You

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

The following is a must read for all Americans that value the lives of our men and women in uniform.  The data was copied from CRS Report Number RL32170, Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2009, which consists of 33 single-spaced pages of US military involvement in foreign countries.  How many more pages would be added if the material was updated to the current year?

The 17th anniversary of 9/11 is here and seventeen years later we are still making a major ordeal out of the attack on our country where less than 3,000 individuals were killed by terrorists.  When are we going to start reading the names of the hundreds of thousands of US Servicemembers that have given their lives protecting this country and our freedoms?

Enough is enough.  9/11 has been kept front and center for over a decade and that’s a good thing if you’re looking to go to war with every country in the world and you want the American public behind you, but 10-years should have been a reasonable length of time for us to honor the victims of 9/11.  Everyone that is old enough to remember, remembers 9/11 and we aren’t going to forget the scenes that flashed before us on that dreadful day, but the men and women in our military are going to battle every day and the very least we can do is mention their names when their life is lost, or when they are returned with broken bodies or broken minds due to the horrors of war they have endured.

America’s Wars Fact Sheet published May 2017 by the Department of Veterans Affairs (source data for battle deaths, wounded, number of Servicemembers, etc.), shows the following totals for the period of (1775 – 1991).  These totals include wars both inside the U.S. and foreign countries, such as the American Revolution from 1775 – 1783 and Indian Wars (approx..1817-1898).

America's Wars 1

2,977 victims were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack and if you add in the 19 terrorists killed, that brings the total to 2,996 dead.  From 2001 on, twice that many military personnel have been killed in our never-ending War on Terror.  It’s interesting to note the revised total of deaths due to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is 2,975, or only two fewer deaths than occurred on 9/11.  Are we going to declare war on FEMA?

There were 6,000 individuals that suffered injuries in the 9/11 attacks on our soil.  From 2001 on there have been a total of 52,728 members of our military wounded, or seven and a half times the number injured on 9/11.

Details may be viewed on the following Department of Defense chart.

America's Wars 2

 

The 52,728 wounded are wounded that required hospitalization.  How many were wounded that didn’t require hospitalization for their wounds?  How many are going to die and/or be wounded in retaliation and when will the killing and maiming stop?

How do you determine the cost of war?  In lives that cannot be replaced?  The cost of treating the injured, sick and wounded?

The answer you will receive is we have an all-volunteer military.  Why?  Why would a person enter the military when there is a chance they might be killed or wounded?  In many instances it’s because of the patriotism they feel for the country, but in all too many cases the reason our young men and women join the military is for an education.  An education they cannot afford on their own.

The wealthy can afford the education required to make it in this country, but the poor cannot.  The draft used to be a big problem for the rich as they had to get deferments to avoid wars or serve in a war zone.  Now with an all-volunteer military, the same people are deployed repeatedly.

The Veterans Administration completed a study in 2014 to determine the number of living Americans that had served in the military.  Using figures from their own records, the Department of Defense, the US Census Bureau, the IRS and the Social Security Administration, they came up with a total of approximately 7% living Americans split as follows:  3.1% Army, 1.7% Navy, 1.4% Air Force, .8% Marines, and .5% Non-Defense or reserves.

The only way you can understand why and how our country gets into wars is to read the full report published by the CRS.  The following pages apply to the wars and deployments most Americans are familiar with, what about the deployments you knew nothing about?

These individuals in our military need your help.  They need your help in leveling the playing field and the only way you will be able to provide that assistance to them, is to vote for individuals in the upcoming election that care what happens to them, not only when they’re fighting for their lives, but when they return home and require assistance with their wounds, both on the outside and those hidden deep inside their heads and hearts.

The declared and undeclared wars listed below are those most familiar to Americans.

American's Wars 3

America's Wars 4

© 2018 Johnson and Walrath

Richard E Walrath is a former budget analyst for Ohio State University and currently resides in Ohio with his family.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in the Midwest.

 

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US Trade Wars and You

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Administrator

By:  Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

Biggest, best, highest, lowest are all terms all too familiar with this Administration, so let us apply those terms to trade.

On September 5, 2018 the monthly trade report was released indicating $50.1 billion dollars was added to the goods and services trade deficit for the month of July, which by the way was $4.3 billion higher than the June 2018 deficit.

As a clarification (only for members of this Administration who don’t seem to comprehend the difference), an increase in the trade deficit is not a good thing.  We are, in fact, moving backwards.  The goods and services deficit is a full 7% higher than it was for the same period in 2017.

But let us not forget the to mention the highest:

July imports of goods and services $261.2 billion, were the highest on record (not good).

July Imports of goods $214.9 billion were the highest on record (not good).

July imports of services $47.2 billion, were the highest on record (not good).

The United States has three major trading partners (in alphabetical order) Canada, China and Mexico, which by strange coincidence are the same three countries that our current Administration has involved in an apparent no-win trade war.  These three countries represent approximately 45% of all US trading partners.

Why is it an apparent no-win?  A cursory review of the July numbers should tell you everything you need to know on the subject.

YTD Trade July 2018

Data Source:  US Census Bureau Foreign Trade Report – September 5, 2018

When we import 75% more in goods from China than we export, does it make any sense whatsoever to wage a trade war on the country?  That obviously depends on the goal of the administration.   Is the Administration intent on bringing on a recession?  Tariffs mean higher prices; higher prices mean inflation.  The Federal Reserve will ward off inflation by raising interest rates.  We’re two steps and a tumble from a recession, as well as being overdue.  This Administration is on a path towards bringing on the inevitable sooner.

The trade deficit will continue to get worse until those in control see the error in their thinking.  People in this country will continue to buy if they have a job and money to spend.  Tariffs mean higher prices for consumers and we are already paying the higher prices.  Farmers are losing markets and our legislators are considering additional subsidizes for farmers over this Administrations apparent no-win trade war.

The Administration believes our ace in the hole are soybeans, due to the inability of China to grow enough on their own soil.  They are already working on solving that problem by buying cheap Russian land and growing soybeans.  It takes far less time to grow a soybean than it does to negotiate an apparent no-win trade war.

© 2018 Johnson and Walrath

Permission is granted to republish in its entirety.

Richard E Walrath is a former budget analyst for Ohio State University and currently resides in Ohio with his family.  Patricia L Johnson is a former special assignment writer/photographer residing in the Midwest.

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US Economy and You

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the US economy?  We think it would be safe to assume most US voters think of the monthly Jobs Report as being representative of how well, or how poorly, our economy is doing.

Our current Administration is constantly touting job growth as an indication of how well this country is doing, but the fact is we aren’t even keeping pace with the number of jobs created the last year the prior Administration was in office.

Our Bureau of Labor Statistics released a preliminary figure of 201,000 jobs created for the month of August 2018, on September 7, 2018.  201,000 jobs by itself is a good number, but when you combine it with the 147,000 jobs created for the month of July 2018, you’re only talking about an average of 174,000 jobs per month, for the two-month period.  Please do not forget, these numbers are preliminary, meaning they are subject to change once finalized.  They could either be increased or decreased.

Let us go back to the prior Administration.  In 2016, the last year of the Obama Administration, there were a total of 2,344,000 jobs created or an average of 195,000, jobs created each month of the year.

President Trump went into office on January 20, 2017 and the total number of jobs created for calendar year 2017 was 2,188,000 or 182,000 jobs per month.

2018, with eight months of jobs reported, totals 1,654,000 jobs created, which is terrific, but two of the numbers are preliminary and the year isn’t over so only time will tell the story.

The one thing that must be taken into consideration is where the jobs created are coming from, they are not in manufacturing, they are not in mining, they are not in any of the industries the Administration claimed would benefit from their job growth plan.

The jobs are being created in the food and drink service industry, which will increase automatically no matter which party is in office.  Folks are no longer eating at home because it’s far cheaper and more convenient to either eat out and/or have meals delivered.

Since 2000 the trend in food and drink service jobs has increased and the increase was slightly more rapid under both the Bush Administration and the Obama Administration, compared to the current Administration.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs in the food service industry represents 5.6 percent of all jobs created, under the Trump Administration, between January 2017 and June 2018.  The balance of jobs falls into the following categories:

09-07-2018

Data Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics

In summary, jobs created are mostly service jobs which are the lowest paying jobs in the economy.  They will not support buying a home or paying off student debt which is now $1.5 trillion dollars, for the first quarter of 2018; coincidentally, the same amount that will be added to the deficit, annually, due to the Trump tax cut for the wealthy.

In short, the rich will continue to get richer and the poor will stay poor under this Administration.

© 2018 Johnson and Walrath

Posted in Economy, News and politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opinion or Fact?

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Administrator

Opinion by Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson

Elections are where we are most vulnerable.  The Republicans are following President Trump’s lead and clouding the issue as much as they possibly can by talking about voter fraud.  The fact is voter fraud in the United States is minimal, and at least one Federal Election Commission member is still waiting for proof of fraud to be turned over to support the President’s erroneous allegations. 

In the meanwhile, study after study makes it clear voter fraud, in this country, is virtually non-existent, unless you consider four prosecutions out of 135 million voters major fraud.

Russia had their trolls and bots in place on Facebook and Twitter during our 2016 election spreading lies about the opposing candidate and working to influence voters in the United States to vote for Donald Trump.  It worked very well, Donald Trump gained enough electoral votes to become POTUS, even though his opponent won the popular vote by 2.9 million votes [2,868,686].



It has recently been determined that our election was not the only one influenced by Russians.

Russia wasn’t satisfied putting their choice in the White House, Russia’s interference in the Brexit vote has now been proven and investigations are being undertaken both in the UK and US to determine the involvement of the Russians, Donald Trump, and Aaron Banks, the financial backer of Brexit opposition. 

That Brexit deal always smelled funny, it was a reminder of how Trump won the title of Twitter in Chief.  Only time will determine how far and wide in our shrinking world the smell is able to permeate.

This balance of trade story is garbage, every item has been paid for.  American consumers are deep in debt; that’s how all the stuff was paid for.  Yes, as a producer, the U.S. would like to sell more to China and every other country, but making their products more expensive to American consumers is not going to help the U.S. sell more.

Brexit has already cost Great Britain billions.  Now they are trying to figure out how to have another vote on it, it’s a shame we’re not able to have a second vote on the 2016 election, any guesses on the outcome?

(c) 2018 Walrath and Johnson



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The Digital Sovereign or SOV

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

Most of us have heard of “Bitcoin”, but how many of us know anything at all about the SOV?  The SOV is a cryptocurrency soon to be released by the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the small group of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The SOV is not the first cryptocurrency to be launched by a foreign country.  Last month Venezuela released the virtual Petro, backed by crude oil reserves.

What’s different about the SOV is the fact it will be LEGAL CURRENCY, backed by the government.  The SOV will be equal to the U.S. Dollar as a form of payment.

What’s interesting about the SOV is the fact the Republic of the Marshall Islands will be working with the Israeli Company, Neema.  The Republic of the Marshall Islands will issue 24 million SOV’s in its “Initial Currency Offering”, with 12 million SOV’s going to the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and 12 million SOV’s going to Neema.

While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can be purchased anonymously, the SOV requires users to identify themselves.  While the anonymity factor has kept many governments from supporting the cryptocurrencies in the past, this problem will be eliminated when the SOV is launched.

Six million SOV’s of the 12 million being held by the Republic of the Marshall Islands will be sold to international investors with the proceeds being used to invest in projects designed to lessen the effects of global warming and support those individuals still affected by U.S. nuclear testing.

Another 2.4 million SOV’s will be distributed to the 60,000 residents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands for their use in buying groceries, paying bills, etc.

When the launch date rolls around it will be interesting to see what happens, especially due to the fact the U.S. and Republic of the Marshall Islands are united through the Compact of Free Association, where the U.S. provides about $70 million U.S. Dollars each year in assistance, in addition to running the U.S. military base on Kwajalein Atoll.

The world is more than a little concerned about President Trump and our $20 million-dollar national debt, which will do nothing except go up due to the passage of the $1.5 trillion-dollar tax cuts for the wealthy and big business.  Creating another currency could allow the U.S. dollar and this country to sink, reducing the value of everything in the U.S.

The world would like to get away from the dollar.  While other countries raise taxes to pay for health care, college, and retirement the U.S passes tax cuts for the rich by going into debt.  The rich already have everything they could possibly need or want so they will buy bonds with the money.  Free bonds for the rich while the rest of us can look for a few more dollars in our paychecks.

The deficit will increase as will the national debt.  Those two things will cheapen the dollar and on top of that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to ward of inflation, with a big bust coming in the stock market.

Any sort of plan to create a new global currency should be watched carefully, but especially the SOV due to the potential for worldwide acceptance of this new currency.

© 2018 Johnson and Walrath
Posted in Foreign Affairs, Government, Israel, National Debt, News and politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How in The Hell Did We Get to Where We Are Today?

Posted on March 11, 2018 by Administrator

By Patricia L Johnson and Richard E Walrath

The other day a stranger began a conversation with me about the weather, but immediately proceeded to talk about the sad state of our country. The gentleman asked me a question that, at the time, was totally above my pay grade, because not only did I not have an answer, I didn’t have a clue.

He asked, “how in the hell did we get where we are today?”

When I got back home I called my writing partner and the two of us spent a considerable amount of time on the phone discussing the various possibilities and finally concluded what seemed reasonable to both of us.

Social Media is the culprit, brainwashing was the method used and it all began almost 20 years ago. At the time we didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, etc. What we had was email and you would constantly find messages in your inbox making some sort of accusation. Embedded in the email would be tidbits of truth followed by paragraphs of lies and the sad truth is 20 years ago not that many people were interested in politics, so they didn’t know fact from fiction.

They would read the email, be taken aback about what they read and immediately pass it on to everyone on their contact list. The more ridiculous the lies, the quicker it was passed around because if there’s anything American’s relish, it’s the ugly truth (or in this case misleading data).

Were other countries involved in the brainwashing back then or was it simply various groups with their own personal agendas? We’ll never know. What we do know is 20 years of brainwashing worked. With the addition of social media sites more and more lies were spread until everyone in this country is angry about one or more issues, and many, if not most, have an opinion  resulting in a country so divided Humpty Dumpty and all the king’s men would be hard pressed to put it back together again.

Years ago, Richard and I had a very popular website where we would post articles and hundreds, would write comments on our blog. What we didn’t have was the extreme anger that is prevalent in most current postings. Folks had opinions, but their comments were constructive and not filled with hatred because a person believed differently than they did, were a different color than they were, a different race, or a different religion.

Richard made a comment the other day about the songs that were in the top 100 on the charts. He stated music started going downhill about the same time everybody began to tweak, twist and Twitter and a country without music is a country without a soul. The same can be said about a country without proper leadership. We are now a country without a soul.

If we continue as we have been, we WILL end up in another civil war and we’re better than that. We ARE a county of immigrants, we ARE a country of kind, good, hard working individuals that just want to have a better life for our children than we had for ourselves, but at the rate we are going that’s not going to happen. We are constantly bombarded with lies and if it doesn’t stop we’re going to end up with a battlefield in our own backyards,

Is there an answer? We think so. Sitting next to your computer, tablet or phone spilling out your most intimate feelings about any and every subject in the world to hundreds of thousands who could, quite frankly probably care less about how you feel, isn’t going to change your life for the better. There is only one group of people that can help change our country and that is our elected officials, but they can’t or won’t change anything if they don’t know how we feel (and quite frankly, in some instances they don’t give a damn how we feel, but they need to know).  When was the last time you wrote to your Members of Congress and told them how you think or feel about any of the issues?

I suggested to someone they contact their Member of Congress the other day and I was met with “he’s not going to do anything for me”.  No, he/she won’t if they don’t hear from you that’s a guarantee. But, if they are not available, their employees will listen, and they will take note of your thoughts on the various issues at hand. Remember something, it is their job to represent YOU and they cannot do that if they don’t know exactly how you feel.

Click on the following links to contact your Members of Congress

• Representatives
• Senators

Don’t forget the midterms are upcoming. If there is any time your Representative is going to listen to what you have to say it’s over the next few months.

We seem to have forgotten the one word that has carried this country through all our trials and tribulations and that word is RESPECT. Once it finds its way back into our vocabularies we will be well on our way toward the country we once were and will become again.

© Johnson and Walrath

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Why Not Columbus?

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Administrator

Columbus-ohio-skyline-panorama

Columbus, Ohio. Photo shot by Derek Jensen (Tysto), 2006-01-23

Columbus Ohio was one of the twenty locations chosen by AMAZON on January 18, 2018 as a candidate for HQ2 out of a total of 238 proposals received from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.  Up to 50,000 high-paying jobs and an investment of over $5 billion will be the ultimate prize for the metropolitan area finally chosen as the companies second headquarters in North America.

Columbus Ohio was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Olentangy and Scioto rivers, and became the state capital of Ohio in 1816.  The city is named for explorer Christopher Columbus and is the 3rd largest city in the Midwest.

How does a company with more than 380,000 employees worldwide choose a second headquarters home?

  • AMAZON prefers that its second home to be in a metropolitan area with more than one million people.

Franklin County had an estimated 2016 population of 1.3 million.  In addition, out of the six largest counties in Ohio, Franklin County is the only one that has grown in population over the past 16 years.  The population in Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery and Summit Counties have all decreased considerably during that period.

  • AMAZON prefers a stable and business-friendly environment for its second home.

In addition to the five Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered in the Columbus area: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, L Brands, Big Lots and Cardinal Health, there are also more than 300 corporate managing offices, including 15 Fortune 1000 companies with corporate headquarters in the area.

Wendy’s Donato’s Pizza, Bob Evans, Max and Erma’s, White Castle, Red Roof Inn, Rogue Fitness, and Satellite are also based in the area.

The world’s largest private research and development foundation, Battelle Memorial Institute, is in Columbus.  The world’s largest clearinghouse of chemical information, Chemical Abstracts Service, is in Columbus.  The world’s largest fractional ownership jet aircraft fleet, NetJets, is in Columbus and one of the largest universities in the United States, Ohio State University, is also located in Columbus.

  • AMAZON prefers urban or suburban locations with the potential to attract and retain strong technical talent.

According to 2016 estimates (2012-2016) from the Census Bureau, 88.8 percent of Columbus residents over age 25 have a high school diploma, while 34.8 percent have a Bachelor’s degree or higher.  In addition to Ohio State there are 15 other 4-year universities located within 40 miles.

Columbus not only currently has the supply of technical talent required by AMAZON it has an unlimited supply of future talent.

 

The items AMAZON lists as preferences are straightforward and simple and Columbus Ohio meets, or exceeds the AMAZON preferences hands down and has something for everyone currently living in the metropolitan area, or will be in the future.

 

Good Schools:

Columbus OH was the only U.S. city named one of the world’s most intelligent communities in 2013 by the Intelligent Community Forum think tank.

Transportation in and out of the area:

  1. Columbus Ohio has ready access to Interstate 70 running east-west near Cove Fort, UT to Baltimore MD while Interstate 71 runs north-south from the Great Lakes to Louisville KY.

 

  1. John Glenn Columbus International Airport is located approximately 6 miles east of downtown Columbus and is readily accessible to out of town travelers via COTA AirConnect, which runs from John Glenn Columbus International Airport to downtown Columbus stopping at the Greater Columbus Convention Center as well as many downtown hotels.

 

CAR2GO is an on-demand network of 200 Smart cars providing service to Easton, Downtown, the Ohio State University and John Glenn Columbus International Airport.  CAR2GO is a great service for taking one-way trips to your destination as you may leave the vehicle in any legal parking spot within the Home area, with parking, fuel and insurance included in your fee.

 

For travelers preferring UBER or LYFT forms of transportation, both are available.

 

  1. If you’re looking for a more leisurely form of transportation try the free on-demand Hopper Carts that provide eco-friendly, electric, rides to your favorite local places. If you have children, they will surely enjoy getting around the downtown area via FREERIDE.  FREERIDE utilizes street-legal, open-air golf carts serving the downtown Columbus area for free.  Simply hail one as you would a taxi.
  2. We all know how important exercise is in your daily routine and CoGo Bike Share makes it possible with their public transportation system of 365 bikes located at 46 stations throughout downtown Columbus. These bikes are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

 

  1. Enjoy bike rides, but don’t want to use up all that energy peddling? Try E.C.T. Pedicab for an enjoyable ride in a bike taxi.  Pedicabs are in operation most nights of the week in downtown Columbus.

 

  1. What Columbus does not have is light rail or train service. This may prove to be an advantage, because if AMAZON does choose Columbus as the new HQ2 home, this could be the perfect opportunity to build new state-of-the-art facilities.

Central Ohio Transit Authority provides numerous transportation services to residents and visitors alike.

Columbus is especially interested in meeting the needs of visitors to the area.  Should you have any questions at all, look for the gold star pin worn by the Greater Columbus Certified Tourism Ambassadors.  These individuals are certified and trained to assist you with whatever you may need.

Now that we have the transportation problem solved, what can you hope to see in the Columbus metropolitan area?

North Market is the last remaining public market in Columbus and has more than 1 million guests per year enjoying their ethnic food specialties, ice cream, popcorn, coffee and pastries.

The Gallery Hop, located at the Short North Art District’s galleries and boutiques has been described by Huffington Post as the “Best art event in Ohio”.

German Village is a 233-acre historic residential district, with visitor center, and one of the well-known historic districts in the United States.

You will also want to visit the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, COSI, an excellent science center with more than 300 interactive exhibits, Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the only botanical garden in the world with a permanent collection of glass artwork by Dale Chihuly, and Easton a leading shopping, dining, and entertainment area in the Midwest.

Those of you that enjoy a little gambling may want to visit Eldorado Scioto Downs, Video Lottery Terminal gaming and harness horse racing, or Hollywood Casino Columbus a Vegas-style casino with more than 2,200 slot machines, 70 table games and 36 live poker tables in addition to excellent dining.

The Scioto Mile has 33 new acres of parkland in downtown Columbus with miles of trails from Bicentennial Plaza to North Bank Park.  Free concerts in the summer are hosted by Bicentennial Park which features an enormous set of fountains for children to play in during daylight hours.

Scioto Audubon Metropark nature center and birding area, contains the largest free climbing wall in the country.

Whether you prefer ballet, opera, plays or musical performances Columbus has it all in their Theater District.  The Palace, The Ohio, The South, The Lincoln, as well as others provide performances you will not want to miss, along with The Wexner Center for the Arts and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

 

Shadowbox Live, is the largest resident theatre company in America and offers sketch comedy, live rock ‘n roll, dance theater, and much more.

 

Interested in breweries?  Columbus has a total of six small breweries located in the Brewery District.

 

Shopping:  Columbus is the headquarters for fashion giants L. Brands, Express, DSW and Abercrombie & Fitch, in addition, to having the third highest concentration of fashion designers in America.

 

Tiffany & Co., Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton are all located close to Columbus in addition to Cabela’s, Ikea and Tanger Outlets, an outlet mall with more than 90 name brands.

 

If you’re a sports fan look no further.  Columbus is the home of the Big Ten OSU Buckeyes.  What is a buckeye?  It comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the Buckeye tree, and is a small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch.  The Buckeye nut looks like the eye of a deer and according to folklore, carrying one brings good luck.

 

Without a doubt, the Buckeyes have had good luck through the years.  It is one of only five universities winning a NCAA national championship in baseball and men’s basketball and recognized as a national champion in football as well as winning national championships in other sports arenas.

 

Richard E Walrath, former Budget Analyst, Ohio State University contributed to this article.

 

© Articles and Answers 2020

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Thought for the Day

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Administrator

from:  http://homeinsteaders.org

Sunday January 14th 2018

Posted: 14 Jan 2018 12:00 AM PST

“When the next generation asks us,
why didn’t you do something?
Why didn’t you speak up?
What are we going to say?
Mr. President,
I rise today to say, enough.
We must dedicate ourselves
to making sure that the anomalous
never becomes the normal.

With respect and humility, I must say
that we have fooled ourselves for long enough
that a pivot to governing is right around the corner,
civility and stability right behind it.

We know better than that.
By now, we all know better than that.”

~ Senator Jeff Flake

Jeffry Lane Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who since 2013 has served as the Junior United States Senator from Arizona. Due to his opposition to President Trump, Flake announced on October 24, 2017, that he would retire at the end of his current term instead of seeking re-election in 2018.

 

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Happy Holidays to All!

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Administrator

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Happy 242nd Birthday United States Marine Corps

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Administrator

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HAPPY VETERANS DAY – November 11, 2017, celebrated November 10, 2017

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Administrator

Veterans Day 2017

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What is a Veteran?

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Administrator

The legal definition of “veteran” from U.S. Code > Title 38 > Part I > Chapter 1 > Section 101 follows:

  • 101. Definitions

(2) The term “veteran” means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.

The U.S. legal definition of a Veteran is unfortunate.  If a man or woman went to war for us, served in a foreign country for xx number of years, or months, experiencing events most of us couldn’t survive and walk away because they just can’t live with the actions they’ve personally taken, are they any less of a Veteran?

No, they were still there, they still fought, they still served their country.  They are already penalized by our government by the fact they are not eligible for any Veteran benefits if they have a dishonorable discharge.    I suspect our government would say calling them Veterans would be dishonoring those Veterans that do have honorable discharges.  I’m sure many Veterans would also feel that way, but IMHO a major dishonor to Veterans in this country is the failure of Department of Veterans Affairs, the government agency responsible for caring for Veterans to remain open on Veterans Day.  Their mission reads “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s veterans.

While VA is contemplating whether, or not, they should remain open on Veterans Day, they may also want to consider changing their mission from “To care for him who shall have borne the battle” to “To care for those who shall have borne the battle”.  Apparently, no one has bothered to inform them women are now in the military.

Veterans are the young men and women that put their lives on hold for several years to serve our country in any capacity necessary which makes them “Our Heroes”. They are there to serve us morning, noon and night, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, under conditions that most of us would find unacceptable, but they do it to protect the freedom of the United States.

They come from all incomes, all races, all political and religious affiliations, and various countries.  The men and women who serve in our military were not all born in the United States.    They are as diversified as the men and women they fight for at home.   In some instances, they are not even from this country when they fight, and give up lives or limbs on our behalf.    How many lost their lives when we initially went to war with Iraq?  Numerous countries provided military support to the U.S.

Changes don’t come quickly in this country.  Veterans Day is a prime example.  Years ago, I wrote an article about trying to find a card to send out on Veterans Day to the many Veterans I know that have served our country.  None were available and I was absolutely flabbergasted.  I could not believe millions of men and women could lose their life or limb for this country and we couldn’t even honor them with a greeting card on THEIR day.  For years, I had to hand create cards to send out.  But, times have changed, cards are available (although limited), all sorts of pastries are available and numerous establishments honor those that served with freebies, free meals, partial meals, haircuts, car washes, discounts, etc.  You may review the following list to see what’s available in your location.  Please be sure to call in advance to confirm requirements for receiving whatever benefits are being offered.  Military Benefits Info

There is a total of 23,234,000 living Veterans according to America’s Wars Fact Sheet published by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  As of April 2017, there were a total of 4,444,533 Veterans receiving service-connected compensation for disabilities incurred during World War II, the Philippines, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Era and/or the Gulf War.

Just think about that number for a minute.  That means going back 75 years, men or women in this country have suffered from a disease and/or injury incurred while fighting for us.  It’s time you fought for them by demanding the VA medical centers stay open on Veterans Day, that we do not get into another war without total Congressional approval and you help celebrate Veterans Day by thanking a Veteran for their service to our country.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY to all who served!

© 2017 Articles and Answers 2020

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H.R. 1

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Administrator

H.R. 1

Click here to read full text

 

 

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INFORMATION for VETERANS

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Administrator

Click HERE to request Veterans Military Service Records online, by FAX or by mail (Don’t forget a DD215 is an addition/correction to your DD214 Discharge Summary.  Be sure to request both a copy of your DD214 and DD215, if applicable).

Click HERE to replace lost Military Medals and Awards.

Click HERE to obtain information on Healthcare available through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Click HERE for obtaining information on the 2017 ONLINE Veterans Health Benefits handbook.  If you are already enrolled in VA Healthcare you probably already received your personalized version of health benefits available to YOU.  If you are not yet enrolled, you may view the sample health benefits booklet that is currently online.

Go to the National Archives to obtain additional information sources for Veterans.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
© 2017 Patricia L Johnson
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A Chart Worth Reviewing

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Administrator
Go to the following link to review entire data:

Average annual growth by prcentile, 1980-2014

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CBO Cost Estimate of Senate Version of Healthcare Bill

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Administrator

The CBO cost estimate of June 26, 2017 of the Senate version of the Healthcare bill is 49-pages long, but you only need to read one sentence to make your decision on whether it’s good or bad for the people in this country.

“By 2026, an estimated 49 million people would be uninsured, compared with 28 million who would lack insurance that year under current law.”

Click to access 52849-hr1628senate.pdf

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HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Administrator

Father's Day 06-18-2017

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Happy Mother’s Day 2017

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Administrator

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVE FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2017

Posted on May 7, 2017 by Administrator

Olive - May 12 - 1

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Trump Administration Proposed Budget for 2018

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Administrator

Trump Budget – America First

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