Community Roundtable

I’ve heard more concern from folks about leaving their grandchildren a government budget-deficit than in their own progeny inheriting an imperiled planet.  Since the mid-20th century the warming-trend is proceeding at an alarming rate, according to a body of data collected over decades by technological advances.  Carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas is produced by burning fossil fuels, exacerbated by deforestation, and we, as consumers have an opportunity and a duty to humanity to lessen these effects on our world by cooperating to curb our energy footprint where possible.  We experience the stepped-up climate changes in proportion to where we reside; small island nations experience a rise in sea levels with devastating results.  Some experience changes in weather patterns and precipitation, heat waves, droughts, forest fires, heavier rains storms, flooding, oceans expanding, diminished air and water quality, vector-borne diseases, temperature-related deaths and illnesses, loss of agricultural land and crops, higher food prices, major disruptions in ecosystems and habitats, with some animal species becoming extinct.  Earthlings beware!

Trish Forsyth Voss

I’m more familiar with the televised reporting of the above-named newspapers, but I follow the news daily, and there’s already a significant amount of information known, and much more to discover regarding the Russia/Trump connection.  Democracy depends on a free, strong, independent press, which plays a critical role in keeping government accountable to the American public.  It is all the more important when we have a lawless, untruthful, corrupt administration in charge of our policies, our laws, and especially our safety.  In an extremely polarized, politically-charged atmosphere, where media is denigrated and attacked from the president on down, we see incidents such as occurred 5/24 in Montana, where a Republican candidate for U.S. Representative feels he can physically assault a journalist for asking him a question.  How responsive and available do you suppose such a representative would be to his constituents with questions?   Good journalists are the bedrock of our society, and we should value them greatly!

Trish Forsyth Voss

I think the Lake Storey contract seems fine and many will be glad that the beach, concessions, boat rentals, water slide and softball concession stand will be open this season.  Actually I’m more jazzed about DOJ appointing, Robert Mueller, former FBI Director, as Special Counsel to oversee the entire Russia probe, since DJT fired  FBI Director James Comey;  and the following day DJT privately entertained two Russian spies in the Oval Office, putting our American press out; the next day pictures were posted by the Russian press — of the little “party”.  The next day we learn that DJT has seriously breached highly classified, code-word intelligence (given to us by Allies and not to be shared) by giving that info to the Russian “guests”, (who you know had recording devices).  Putin taunted us yesterday, by saying that he has a transcript of the “meeting”,  he will be glad to share with us.  The day after the Russians cavorted in the White House,  Sheikh Mohammed Binzayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi had a sit-down with DJT, and the next day it was Turkey president Erdogan, who was hosted; he brought along his bodyguard thugs, who beat up several American protestors outside the Turkish embassy in Washington D.C.

Trish Forsyth Voss

OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE — COVER-UP!  Special Prosecutor!  Do Trump’s words and actions matter at all?!  He has expressed having full confidence in Director Comey.   His most recent episode of The Apprentice — “he’s FIRED!”   The termination letter stated that Comey advised Trump three times that he was NOT under investigation.  VP Pence told press Wednesday, “the president is NOT under investigation!”  It’s reported that Comey requested additional resources from DOJ, expanding Trump-Russian investigation, and Comey was in court requesting subpoenas hours or days before his termination.  “The timing was too reckless to believe!”  Now Democrats are being attacked for hypocrisy because we’re not celebrating Trump’s latest buffoonery.  The Republican response is more interesting.  McConnell sees no need for a special prosecutor; the slow, impeded investigations in Congress are sufficient for them?!   Looming Constitutional Crisis!    Their echoed chant of “No Evidence” is fake news!   So many parallels…    Shades of Saturday night massacre!    Simply Nixonian!   And for some weird reason Henry Kissinger sat with Trump in the Oval Office on 5/09/17!  And Trump entertained two top Russian spys in that same Oval Office the day after firing FBI Director James Comey!   UNBELIEVABLE!!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Renovating the old Ferris Moving & Storage building into a “boutique hotel with restaurant” is a great idea and should be very successful!  I’m all for preserving our historic buildings and homes, tearing down those too dilapidated — to create more green and gathering places and parking spaces.      I love the emphasis on revitalizing and beautifying downtown Galesburg.  A vibrant downtown area will draw more residents and visitors to enjoy themselves, spending money at locally owned businesses.  As we recreate the downtown hub, we also have to solve the issue of creating more and better parking facilities.  “If you build it, they will come”, but they want parking close by.   With college students near, with renewed focus on exercise and conservation, and creating more bike lanes, there’s a need for new, locking bike stations, one in each block.  We need to include those in our new city plans, possibly cutting down on some vehicle parking and encouraging and accommodating more bikers!

Hundreds of thousands of citizens took to the streets of America to protest Trump’s continued refusal to release his “very beautiful” tax returns, as he promised he would during the campaign; his excuse then as now is: he is under audit and therefore cannot.  The IRS has stated that “nothing prevents individuals from sharing their own tax information”, so just more deceit.  Hiding his hugely-complex, international business dealings, while pursuing tax breaks for himself and others at the top, is NOT acceptable!  “We The People” do care and are demanding a more open and accountable government.   As Joe O’Brien said, “Our lives are directly impacted by the decisions made by these elected representatives, and we as citizens deserve to know if their decisions support us or their own private interests”.  The uber-rich should have to contribute proportionately (to what they gain from our capitalistic society) to the building and maintenance of our roads, bridges, schools, healthcare and other infrastructure.

Trish Forsyth Voss

We have no idea what’s next for U.S. intervention in Syria because the Trump administration has no clear foreign policy and it changes day by day, according to who last advises President Trump.   We presently have around 1000 special forces on the ground in Syria.  It’s curious to me that around 86% of Republicans now agree with Trump’s missile strikes, compared to around 22% of them — for taking military action under President Obama  in 2012 when many more people in Syria were killed by chemical attack.  Around 38% of Democrats were for military action then, and around 37% now agree with Trump’s actions, which had no approval from Congress.  Obama, in his “red line speech”  declared that “the use of chemical weapons by Bashar Assad would cross a “red line for us” and might trigger a U.S. military response.  That red line was set by the international community under the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty, and ratified by Congress in 2003.  Obama asked Congress to support a strike punishing Assad’s regime for use of chemical weapons, which Congress never agreed or acted upon, and U.S. public opinion was not for taking military action.   Russia and China have repeatedly used their veto power in the United Nations General Assembly to block action against Assad’s regime; and Iran is against any such action.  What now?!

The long hearing was highly informative even though FBI Director Comey and NSA Admiral Rogers were unable to answer most questions posed to them in the public forum, as their ongoing investigation is classified to protect sources and methods, and to where the investigation is leading.  Director Comey did state that the FBI is conducting an investigation into any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in our 2016 presidential election.   It was stated in the hearing that Russia has a long history of political interference and uses a variety of techniques such as the dumping of documents, slick propaganda measures, as well as bribery, blackmail, compromising material and financial entanglements to secure needed cooperation from individual citizens of targeted countries.  Comey and Rogers both agreed that Russia will continue to use these tactics in future elections, if not stopped.  Director Comey stated there is “no information” to support claims by President Trump that Obama had him wiretapped. **************** Neither Comey nor Rogers stated or suggested that “nothing had yet been discovered” in their investigations (which began in July 2016) into a possible coordination effort of Trump/Russia, as three Community Roundtable commenters stated.   Though Comey/Rogers could confirm little, there seems to be  PLENTY of tricky Russian connections, with Russians being killed off left and right!   For cutting-edge journalism watch Rachel Maddow on MSNBC every weeknight at 8:00 p.m. Central time.

Trish Forsyth Voss

The GOP-proposed healthcare plan is opposed by AMA, AARP, doctors and hospitals and is a giant step backward in the push for universal care for Americans, millions of which will lose coverage due to massive cuts to Medicaid, which helps fund poor and low-income people, maternal and infant care, nursing home care, addiction and mental health programs.  Income-based subsidies being replaced by age-adjusted tax credits increase costs of services and deductibles for those age sixty and above.  All healthcare services: cancer treatments, surgeries, medications  will be more costly.  When lower and middle-income folks cannot afford primary, preventative care, resorting to emergency room care is very costly in dollars and lives.  With hospital and clinics shortening hours and restricting care, expect professional job layoffs.  Undoing the mandate for coverage is replaced by levying large fines for those who let their coverage lapse.  If Obamacare is repealed and AHCA is passed, please hold the voting Republicans responsible for “Trumped-up Care”!   The Lyin-King strikes again!

Any GOP healthcare plan is NOT going to be better, more affordable or accessible for Americans — the current plan they’re trying to push through is a thinly-veiled, huge tax-cut program for the wealthy.  Hot-head Trump responding to any foreign leader is concerning — anticipating his response  to North Korea’s provacationss are extremely troubling, especially with Trump’s talk of needing more nukes and a $54B increase in defense spending.  If there was a FISA warrant for wire-tapping Trump Tower a court decided there was sufficient reason to do so, not Obama’s call.  The most significant issue facing our nation is Trump and his associate’s ties with Russian financiers,  and what they have promised to do in exchange, not only for the cyber-hacking assistance in the 2016 election, but for the millions or billions of dollars floated to Trump and Company.  We need a bipartisan, independent counsel or a special investigator to get underway NOW to root out this corruption and treason!

Trish Forsyth Voss