Community Roundtable

We the majority of The People are appalled and saddened, but motivated by the comments of DJT blaming counter-protestors for the violence and deaths in Charlottesville, VA, where torch-bearing KKK groups joined with swastika-waving neo-Nazis, skin-heads, and Alt-right folks in Trump/Pence caps, who gathered to celebrate in a Festival of Hate, and protest the pending removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee, who led confederate armies (who fought to keep and expand a slave empire) against Union forces, thereby contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands on both sides.  We defeated the Confederates in the 1860s, the Nazis in the 1940s and Jim Crow in the 1960s.  I expect that many of the over 700 statues will be removed in time, probably inciting “monumental anger” but they stand counter to the culture that the U.S. stands FOR.  History cannot be changed, but we can study it and evolve.  Those who recently graffitied the Lincoln monument are enemies of freedom and equality; and for DJT to equate General Lee with Washington and Jefferson, founding fathers of our nation, is ignorant and despicable.  Germany can no longer fly a Nazi flag, and Japan, under Article 9, cannot muster military force against US.  The South needs to quit manufacturing and flying rebel flags — your great grandfathers LOST!  What did your fathers and grandfathers fight FOR?   We DO have a shared heritage to celebrate; it’s a UNITED States of America!  It is the legacy that we want to carry on!  DJT asks, “Where does it end?”  He is the one who started again stoking the white-based fear, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny and discontent in our country.  He needs to end his support for far-right groups who present big threats to the ideals and freedoms that our brothers, uncles, fathers and grandfathers fought to secure and preserve!  And now our sisters, aunts, mothers join in the fight for our continued liberties; and those with hateful ideologies war against our shared values and against the efforts of all our men and women in uniform fighting for our country, our Constitution and our Bill of Rights!  We the majority of The People call for Donald J. Trump to step down from the presidency before he has to be impeached.  He is a UGE embarrassment to our country and our values as a nation!  He has repeatedly shown himself UNFIT to serve as Commander-in-Chief of America!

We the majority of The People are appalled and saddened, but motivated by DJT’s comments blaming counter-protestors for the violence and deaths in Charlottesville, VA, where torch-bearing KKK groups joined with swastika-waving neo-Nazis, skin-heads, and Alt-right folks in Trump/Pence caps, who gathered to celebrate in a Festival of Hate, and protest the pending removal of a statue of General Robert E. Lee, who led confederate armies (who fought to keep and expand a slave empire) against Union forces, thereby contributing to the deaths of hundreds of thousands on both sides.  We defeated the Confederates in 1860s, the Nazis in 1940s and Jim Crow in the 1960s.  Many of the over 700 statues will be removed in time, probably inciting “monumental anger”, but they stand counter to the culture the U.S. stands FOR.  History cannot be changed, but we can study it and evolve.  We DO have a shared heritage to celebrate; it’s the UNITED States of America, which stands for liberties and equality!

As negotiations continue to try to reach a compromise, SB1 returns to the Illinois Senate on Sunday, where the Senate and the House will hopefully accept and pass the amended version that was issued by Governor Rauner.   I know; I can hardly believe it myself, but I’m inclined to be swayed by the logic that the amended bill seems more fair to downstate tax payers.  There is bipartisan agreement that the current funding formula “is flawed, and a new one that directs the most money to the neediest districts should be enacted”.  The amended SB1 would have the state pay for the annual, “normal” cost of Chicago teacher pensions going forward, but would hopefully moderate CPS’s inclinations to keep increasing teacher salaries and pensions at a higher cost to the rest of the state; it would cut out the annual block grants to CPS that the original bill intended.

NO!  Sean Spicer lasted 3 more months than I prophesied.  I’m betting snarky Sarah Huckabee Sanders could blatantly lie everyday of her life, so she’s probably safe, for now.  Priebus was always in danger of being sharkbait, so after Repubs failed to Repeal and Replace Obamacare, Trumpo took out his frustrations vicariously by letting Scary Scaramucci toss him overboard.  Sleep with the fishes, Reincie!   The “Mooch” lasted an unofficial 11 days, and the “People’s House” is definitely improved by his absence!  He was too obviously gangster; his obscenities too profane to even be fully reported on primetime TV.  We’ll see how long White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, can rein-in Captain Chaos, with his outrageous allegations, tyrannical threats, looney lies, manic musings, and pathological tweets.  If Steve Bannon, Steven Miller and flakey Kelly Anne Conway could be cut loose … that would brighten the landscape, but “the fish rots from the head on down”, so until we Dump Trump all the other “changes” are just cosmetic.   I’m looking forward to, in a very short period of time, Mueller escorting the Trumpino Crime Family and cohorts from the premises that he calls “a dump!  And into Spartan private prison cells for long, austere stays!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Good paying jobs would be great!  Safety is foremost!  Reduced drug-use and reduced crime would be Awesome!  There seems to be lots of home-burglaries, vehicle break-ins, meth labs and violence in our town.  I’ve been surprised at the small penalties people receive for making meth.  Now heroin and opiates must be easy to obtain, seeing the deaths by overdose we’ve witnessed.  These opiates are drugs prescribed by doctors, and this is a huge problem across our nation.  This War on Drugs needs to begin with awareness that it isn’t all illegals bringing in drugs from other countries, and opium from Afghanistan — it’s also citizens deciding to use these terribly addictive substances.  The solution has to start with each of us and what we’re willing to ingest and tell ourselves we need or want; alcohol, pot and tobacco cause enough problems and deaths in our society.  Meth, cocaine, heroin, and opium-derivative addictions are causing widespread hell.

Improve ACA, don’t abolish it!   Better yet, let’s go to a single-payer system.  We can afford it!  LET’S MAKE AMERICA GREATER!   To dismantle healthcare to provide greater wealth-care is SINFULLY IGNORANT!   This proposed healthcare legislation, poorly constructed, written in secret, leaving women out of the process, has produced a “mean” bill, that is vehemently opposed by AMA, doctors, hospitals, patient advocates, governors of both parties, and the majority of Americans!  The CBO numbers are BAD!  Women make the majority of healthcare decisions in this country, for themselves, their children, and their elderly parents.  DJT talks about a healthcare plan with “lower premiums, much lower costs and better protections”, which shows how little understanding he has about Plan A or Plan B; he is NOW promoting Plan C: Repeal and Delay; he wants to “let Obamacare fail”!   Quit lying about ACA!    The entire GOP “blueprint was based largely on falsehoods and broken promises!”

The question as posed suggests that the latest bombshell news was simply ordinary opposition research on an opponent — that anyone would take; nothing could be further from the truth!   The email Donny Jr received clearly stated that a “Russian government attorney” would meet with them  “to provide the Trump campaign — very high level and sensitive information ….but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump”.   No American citizen can legally accept any election contributions, money or anything of value from a foreign national; that is strongly prohibited!  Plenty of evidence will be forthcoming to demonstrate how the Trumpino Crime Family has acquired most of its wealth and mob connections through the decades.  They have ALL been compromised by Russian organized crime figures, spies, money-laundering, tax evasion, and now have stooped to Treason against our country!  Colluding to rig our 2016 election  … should be a hanging offense!    They are ALL guilty as sin!                 And poor Fredo, the inept, beguiled, loser son of the once-powerful Godfather was outed for conspiring with those who would cause the family’s eventual demise!

Trish Forsyth Voss

I am all for the Illinois legislature overriding Gov. Ruiner’s vetoes of their hard-fought, bipartisan efforts to hammer out a budget package — to end this long, drawn-out stalemate — to finally get Illinois back on track to fiscal responsibility.  The state needs to pay its bills, the schools need funded and to open timely, road construction needs to continue; a tax increase is needed to pay our bills!  “We need to protect our critical state services and the citizens of Illinois who rely on them.  This budget is balanced”, said Republican Senator, Dale Righter of Mattoon.     I have said from the beginning of this impasse that the Governor should never have attached his “reform want list” to a budget; each of his wished for “structural changes”, his “business-friendly reforms” should have been referendums on the ballot for Illinois citizens to vote on, not holding our state hostage to his union-busting strategies!

Trish Forsyth Voss

No, however that is the Republican talking point.  Russia attacked America’s 2016 electoral process with several active measures that were intended to disrupt our political system, and to favor Donald J. Trump.  Russian cyber-hacking targeted 21 states of our union, attempting to modify votes.  The effects are debatable, the actions are not.   Several people in Trump’s political campaign had numerous contacts and business dealings with Russian oligarchs and their cohorts.   Trump officials sought to swiftly lift Russian sanctions.   Flynn, Manafort and others have long been deeply involved in illegal activities, as evidence will bear out shortly; stay tuned.  Former FBI Director Comey, failing the Trumpian loyalty oath, announced that the Trump administration was under investigation, and was promptly fired.  Trump asked NSA Director Mike Rogers and Dan Coats to impede the proceedings, hence Mueller now has to consider possible Obstruction of Justice charges  against the President.   The Trump administration seems indifferent to the Russian attacks on our democracy; that is because: they will be found to be Treasonists … “in a short amount of time”!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Critics of SB1 say that it’s a bailout for CPS (Chicago Public Schools); that CPS should receive their normal cost pensions or the block grants, but not both.  CPS includes a fifth of the state’s total student population; it’s also the only school district in Illinois that is responsible for covering its teacher pension payments.  SB1 would amend that inequity, including additional state dollars to offset the amount of local funding CPS uses to cover the cost both of current pensions and legacy payments from years past when pensions were not properly funded.  Illinois’ current system is the “least equitable education funding in the country”, and Governor Rauner, last year convened a 25-member funding reform commission to find a new formula.  SB1 has passed both the Illinois House and Senate and “seeks to raise each one of Illinois’ 860-plus school districts to individual adequacy targets — or the amount of money needed to properly educate every student — through increased funding from the state”.

Trish Forsyth Voss