CATCH-2020

Democrats banked everything on taking full control of Congress.  They were nearly assured to get back the House, though they didn't do as well as the opposite party typically does in the Mid-term Election. But what really messed Democrats up was losing more seats in the Senate.  The Senate is crucial!

The Left threw everything they could at the Senate - spending a fortune, the most ever.  They threw illegal aliens and fraudulent vote handling in key races like Florida. And now they are throwing lawyers at it. On the flip side Trump threw himself at it with an amazing set of enormous rallies. How does he find the energy at 72 years old?

For the Democrats it is not about an agenda for the American people as much as it is about power, money and gaining the control they need to stop the President.  While Trump promoted more success for America. The Left's platform was essentially "if you hate Trump pick us."

What's at stake?

1. First and foremost, Trump is going to confirm a record number of Federal and Supreme Court Conservative judges.  For Democrats, it is absolutely critical for them to have Progressive Liberal ideologues on the bench because they legislate with lawyers. They can't get their uber-Left agenda through the Houses of the People, so they need Judges who let them Legislate through the Courts.

2. Trump is going to defend our borders and reform our messed up immigration laws.  Trump wants more immigrants, but he wants them to enter legally, through an orderly process that protects us. He also wants sensible criteria that prioritizes immigrants who are more likely to contribute to society and our nation. The Left wants open borders. Democrats would count every illegal alien as a voter if they could -- Process, security and cost to the taxpayers be dammed.

3. Trump is going to protect the 2nd Amendment from overly ZEALOUS gun laws. Reform, yes!  But the Democrats want to go too far.

Besides, in many cases of mass murder, the laws existed that should have thwarted the crime. Enforcement, errors in judgment and oversight were the problem, not existing gun laws.  And lets face it, someone set on committing mass murder isn't concerned with law anyway.  That is why it's said that "the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

4. Health care. The Right wants to drive down costs through competition, negotiating with drug companies, innovative approaches and other free market methods. The Left wants a massive increase in government coverage, a Socialist approach. A large Government program that citizens depend on is the best job security that Democratic politicians can hope for. That is why we are in the unsustainable entitlement situation we are in today! What is the best solution for health care cost, quality and delivery?  One indication - drug companies loved Hillary!  They gave mightily to her campaign.

5. Removing Trump. Democrats are by no means done with what Comey, Lynch and Obama started, and Peter Stroyk called "Plan B."  Like Bill Clinton, Trump can not be removed through impeachment without support in the Senate.

With different political Parties in Congress it means one of two things:  Gridlock or Bipartisanship. Trump is NOT an ideologue. He can work with Democrats, and has offered many times to do so. Together we can accomplish some positive Legislative results. Truly!

The problem is that a more successful America puts Democrats in a Catch-2020. Positive results for America while Trump is President may help Trump's reelection. And for Partisan focused politicians, Party comes before country. Citizens are the losers!

What can we do?  If you are a hyper-partisan person inflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome, I have no suggestion you want to hear. But for the rest of us regardless of Party, we can demand that Congress work together with the POTUS to fix the problems our Nation has.

The answers do exist. There are solutions!!!! But they require cooperation from both sides. This takes dialogue rather than debate. Listening with an open mind. It takes empathy and respect. It means individual accountability versus the blame game.  It means having the courage to stand up for what is right, even when it's not popular.

THE HYPOCRISY IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH.

WE NEED TO REMEMBER. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO SEE.

November 9th marks the anniversary of one of the darkest day's and times in history - Kristallnacht (crystal night) 1938. Also know as "The Night of the Broken Glass." The name Kristallnacht comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and the many hundreds of synagogues that were smashed, ransacked and burned with support of German authorities. Additionally, ~30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. The unimaginable "Final Solution" was underway.

How could this happen, especially in Germany which was the pinnacle of culture and civilization? In the context of the Great Depression, the people and media let hate get out of control.  

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In America today, we have too much hate.  Uncivil behavior is too prevalent. The media needs to put a check on it's biase and incessant efforts to foster division and anger which leads to hate.  

President Trump is NOT the root of the problem. The problem stems from hyper-partisanship where BOTH SIDES, Left and Right compete for the outrageous power and money associated with politics. Why else would people raise and spend $80 million to win a position that pays about $200k? 

Both sides use their philosophical views, to justify their desires. Said another way, both sides use their knowledge of good and evil to justify their behaviors in an effort to seek power (control and money). This should sound familiar!! 

We are witnessing an old story that has played out long before Trump. When leaders like Trump and Reagan and Goldwater and especially Lincoln, all on the Right, give the Left a real "run for their money and power" things get very ugly.  Just do a little research to see what the opponents of Reagan and Lincoln said about them in their day, and you will see the similarities.

The problems of politics today should be familiar because the Father of our Country, George Washington, warned us of putting Party over country in his Farewell Letter. 

Today's political battles should also sound familiar because the roots can be traced all the way back to Genesis when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden because they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil. 

Ever since Mankind was expelled from the Garden of Eden, we have used our knowledge of "good & evil" to justify our "desires."  The differences and competition in our desires have been at the core of the greatest destruction in history.  It is how a society even as sophisticated as Germany digressed into insanity and hell.  And it can happen again in America if we don't stop the direction we are going in. Anarchy just needs a catalyst, such as an economic depression and a spark like an assassination for there to be another "Kristallnacht" as society spirals out of control.

Americans need to stop dividing ourselves from one another!  We need to align along our common challenges and American interests, not along COMPETITIVE PARTY LINES!  We need to hold ourselves and the leaders of our OWN PARTY accountable, and expect others to do the same, not through BLAMING THEM but by setting a better example. 

We need to have a dialogue rather than debate. Together we must identify common concerns and practical solutions that are consistent with our Constitution and the Vision of the Founders of this great Nation. 

The press has to do it's part to encourage cooperation rather than exploiting controversy and contention to get ratings.  Their objective should only be to report the news fairly, honestly and objectively with high professional and ethical standards. They must police their own in ways that bring out better behavior.  America's greatness depends as much on the integrity of the press as any institution!

Last but not least, we need to anchor ourselves to the moral code of our Judeo-christian valves. We have to put our Faith in G-d not Government.  George Washington warned on this as well  

Our Government leaders must be our SERVANTS!!  Our Government must protect our freedoms, not rob them from us through excessive taxation and control. 

In the spirit of the Golden Rule, we must rely more on ourselves and give generously to help our friends and neighbors DIRECTLY through acts of loving kindness, volunteerism and charity.

All the problems are solvable. But they will only get worse if we refuse to work together and blame one another.  We need to demand that politicians work with one another. Debating and defeating each another is not a way forward, it is an endless circle that leads to frustration, corruption and decay.