The Crucifixion of Judge Brett Kavanaugh

I want to begin with one thing that is significant to me that makes me question if Dr. Ford is telling the truth or not.  She provided the names of four witnesses that could confirm her story: 1) Judge Kavanaugh, now you could say he would lie and deny the event happen to protect himself and his family.  What the Judge said was, “This is a completely and totally false allegation. I have never done anything like what the accuser describes”, 2) Mark Judge, who is a friend of Judge Kavanaugh. He stated, “I have no memory of this alleged incident.”  You could say he would lie because he is a friend of Judge Kavanaugh and was suppose to be in the room when the sexual abuse took place, 3) Ms. Leland Ingham Keyser, a close friend of Dr Ford, Ford’s attorney denies they are close friends, she stated, “I do not recall the party, but that she was close friends with Dr. Ford and I believe Dr. Ford’s allegation.” Ford said, she was at the party with her. Now her close friend does not recall the party. Ms. Leland Ingham Keyser might have every reason to lie for Dr. Ford she is a staunch Democrat, has work for the Democrat Party and was married to Bob Beckel, former news commentator for Fox News and represented Democrats and liberals for Fox.  He has been a Democrat strategist for many Democrat candidates.  Something else I found interesting  is she called Dr. Ford after the hearing and expressed how sorry she was that she could not back up Dr. Fords story and 4) Patrick J Smyth who should be reliable, since they have been friends since high school. He stated he did not recall the party and he was not at the party as Dr. Ford stated.  He went on to say he has known Judge Kavanaugh since high school and “I know him to be a person of integrity, a great friend and have never witnessed him exhibit any improper conduct.”  What we end up with is the people Dr. Ford claims were at the party all denying they were there and none of them even recall the party.  The only one’s that know the truth if there was a party or not are Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh.  Another he said, she said.

Dr. Ford does not know when the sexual abuse happened or where it happened.  So why are the Democrats trying to destroy him and his family? Is it because he ruled in his court The Affordable Care Act could not mandate employers to provide contraceptives or is it he ruled in his court a prayer could be said at the beginning of presidential inaugurations or that he ruled that the Supreme Court ruling suggested citizens could own gun or is it the Democrats just want to delay the confirmation hoping they will control the Senate in November and then can block President Trump every time he nominates someone or is it the Republicans blocked Obama’s nominee Judge Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court. The Republicans I am sure retaliated for the Democrats doing the same to them in the Bush Administration, surely the Democrats are not so childish they are doing it because they are upset that Hillary lost the election. If that is the case they are not qualified emotionally to hold office.

The Democrats released a statement that for two weeks Judge Kavanaugh has not produced any evidence that he is innocent.  I must have been asleep in school when they announced the law had been changed in the U.S.  According to Democrats we are guilty until we can prove our innocence.  We can now make claims against anyone and they have to prove we are not telling the truth.  Democrats believe her story because she is 100% sure it was the judge who sexual abused her 35 years ago, but she is not sure of anything else, except, she is sure she drank only ONE beer.  It does not matter that the judge has a letter signed by 65 women who knew him in high school and they stated he had always treated them with dignity and respect.  It does not matter that none of Dr. Fords witnesses can verify what she is saying.  Senator Hirono said on ABC the Judge should have gone to the F.B.I. and requested the investigation himself and because he did not he delayed the hearings, not the Democrats.  The Judge has had that same investigation approximately six times and nothing has ever turned up.  The Democrats are the ones who wanted the investigation, so why did they not pursue an investigation. They waited until it was nearly time to vote in order to play a Hail Mary to stop the vote.  Senator McCaskill of Missouri, had made up her mind before the hearing ever began.   She ask Ms. Mitchell who ask Dr. Ford questions on behalf of the Republicans was it possible that her cross examination may have been flawed because she only had 5-minute intervals to question Dr. Ford.  This is what got mw, she added, “Ms. Mitchell was not use to investigating innocent people and Dr. Ford is innocent.”

Dr. Ford claimed it was her civic duty to come forward to protect America.  The Judge was confirmed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2006. He has determined over 300 cases in his court. Dr. Ford did not care that for nearly 15 years he has decided the guilt or innocence of people.  She obviously thinks a Federal Judge is not important. I think she would be concerned if she was brought before a Federal Judge and I hope as soon as he is confirmed that happens. Many do not realize that the judge may have to go before the House to be investigated even if he is confirmed in the Senate.

I have not heard the national media or the Democrats say they are interest in the two men who came forward and gave in-depth statements stating they believe they are the two men Dr. Ford is talking about and it was not Judge Kavanaugh or his friend. But, the Democrats and media are interested in two more women that spoke out accusing the judge, a Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick.  Ramirez claims the judge exposed himself to her at a party.  Julie Swetnick claims she helped him spike drinks with drugs so the girls at the parties would be easier to gang rape.  Now we have two women that put other women in harm’s way and did nothing to stop a potential rape.  This really upset me.  When Ms. Swetnick first came out she was ask if it bothered her knowing the Judge and his family were being destroyed.  She replied that it did not bother her because regardless of what the outcome he will still have a good job. The Judge and her ran in different circles.  She went to public school and he went to an upscale private school.  The icing on the cake is in 2000 she was sued for sexually harassing to co-workers.  She was fired.  In addition, they discovered that she had lied on her application when she stated she was a college graduate.  This is the kind of people the Democrats like to associate with, so she should be really comfortable around Democrat politicians.  

This is only a question.  Why did the GoFundMe page double in one day after Dr. Fords testimony, $250,000 was reported given early the next morning after she testified?  It now has $412,000 in the account.  Did the Democrats donate?  

Now the Democrats are not satisfied with just the F.B.I. investigation on Dr. Fords accusations.  They want to charge him with perjury for statements he has made in the last month.  It looks like the Dr. Ford scam may not work, so they are preparing to get him another way.  They feel he will be against the Democrats after his confirmation.  Anyone who would vote for a Democrat after this is as immoral as the Democrat leaders and politicians.  I hope the voters are not as stupid as Democrat leaders and politician think we are.  They honestly believed we would buy the lies without any evidence and some foolish people have..

I found it interesting how Cory Booker pretended to be interested in sexually abused women.  He himself has sexually abused women and admitted it in his book.  I guess he never thought he would one day be a Senator sitting on this committee.  His own written words came back to bite him in the butt, but he is such a hypocrite, liar and smooth talker he was able to pull it off and he would spear head the Democrats fight for injustices done to women.  His first fight should be with Hillary and Bill Clinton.

In closing I would like to mention two things: 1) How people have attacked the judge for appearing to be angry and Dr. Ford was not.  The judge has every reason to be angry.  Dr. Ford has in his opinion falsely accused him of something he did not do.  Her accusations have led to his family being threaten.  Her accusation has led to death threats on his children.  Her accusations have given fuel to the Democrats to delay his confirmation.  I WOULD BE MAD AS HELL!  2)  The lie Dr. Ford told that she did not fly on airplanes because she was afraid and had a phobia of airplanes and she blames the fear on what Judge Kavanaugh did to her.  We know she flew to visit relatives on the East Coast several times, we know she flew to Hawaii to do her graduate work, we know she flew to go on vacations with her husband many times, we know she was flying somewhere when they gave her the polygraph test in the airport.  Her lawyer said she did not have much time because she was making plane connections.  Now I for one believe, if she would lie about flying, she could possibly lie about being sexually abused.       

Decaying of America “Part III”- Illegal Immigrants

You will hear it argued, especially by the Democrats and Liberals, that illegal immigration are good, not bad for our country.  They tell you that the jobs the illegals take are jobs Americans will not do.  That simply is not true.  The jobs illegal takes are usually job’s that Americans without a high school diploma or no college would take.  The problem is illegal immigrants will work for far less pay than Americans bringing down the pay scale employers are willing to pay.  We presently have the highest percentage of American’s finishing high school than ever in modern times.  Ninety percent of American’s between the age of 25 and 45 have a high school diploma.  That still leaves 10 percent of working Americans without a high school diploma, That is millions of Americans. If these millions of Americans cannot find work they will go on welfare and other government assistance programs which cost the government. Another problem the illegal immigrants create is they take jobs from students who need to earn money to pay for tuition. In my opinion it does affect the U.S. Government negatively. 

In 2014 there were more than 12 million undocumented workers in America that we knew about, many more that we did not know about. The ones we do not know about makes it difficult to determine the real overall effect on America.  People born in the U.S. into low income families are the hardest hit by illegal immigrants.  They lack education, work skills and money. These people are willing to take janitor jobs and similar jobs. If you go to downtown Houston any night of the week after 10 p.m. you will think you are in Mexico. That’s the time janitors start to finish their tour of duty. 

Most illegal immigrants are low skill workers. Can you please tell me how low skilled workers, from a different culture, speaking a different language, are not familiar with our laws and less productive, benefits our economy? Now those that want to argue they work harder than Americans think about the time spent on instructing them to do a job when there is a language barrier.  Do you think that these low skilled immigrants are trained to use the modern equipment we have in America?  In my opinion the greatest harm they do to our American workforce is they bring down the pay scale.  Few know that illegal immigrants qualify for workers’ compensation if hurt on the job. They do not qualify for unemployment insurance. 

You will be told by Democrats and Liberals illegal immigrants do not cost the government anything.  They will tell you illegal immigrants are not entitle to any benefit programs paid for by the Federal or State Governments.  Since 1982, states are required to provide K-12 public education for students with illegal status.  Who pays this expense - local school districts? Local school districts must set aside 15% of their budget for illegal immigrant students.  The local school districts must provide Spanish speaking teachers which are paid more than regular teachers. They must provide special education classes for disable children.  They must provide federal breakfast and lunch programs.  If needed illegal immigrant students must be referred to appropriate institutions for dental, mental, health and other issues. The government pays for these services. We do no pay for American students to get the same services.  There are more than 840,000 illegal immigrant children going to school according to the last data the government has.

Illegal immigrants do not qualify for Medicaid, UNLESS the woman is pregnant or the situation is considered by medical staff to be an emergency.  But, six states and the District of Columbia ignore this federal law and grant Medicaid to illegal immigrants. Politicians claim we do no pay for health care benefits because they do not qualify for them, but Americans shelled out 18.5 billion in 2016 for illegal immigrant health care. They can also go to community health clinics and be treated for free.  The part the federal government paid of the 18.5 billion amounts to $34 for every US taxpayer. Now our politicians say that amount is so small it is not worth fighting over and it is a humanitarian gesture.  Illegal immigrants are eligible for the federal governments W.I.C. programs.  This programs provides food, infant formula, and immunization for babies. 

Even though illegal immigrants are not considered eligible for any state welfare benefits, some states give it to them anyway. The one that determines who gets state benefits is the county social services. They do not have legal jurisdiction to do it nor are they qualified to determine immigration status. Democrats and Liberals still argue  illegal immigrants do not affect America in a negative way, instead they argue it has a positive effect on America.  Immigrants granted asylum are qualified for all federal and state benefits.  Do you remember when Obama wanted to flood American with immigrants seeking asylum.   

Some states have chosen to ignore federal law because they say illegal immigrants pay about $12 billion in state, local and federal taxes per year and receive only about $5 billion in benefits. Another government agency claims they pay about $10.6 billion in taxes. The C.B.O. claims if we increase the number of illegal immigrants we would collect $48 billion over a decade.  Do you notice the big discrepancies?  Who really knows? Remember now illegal immigrants cost Americans nothing and the majority file federal tax returns – I find that hard to believe.

It is possible for illegal immigrants to buy a house without a social security card. The lending institutions get them what is called an identification number (ITIN).  They can also pay cash and do not need any documents.  Let an American try to purchase a home without a social security card. 

In the Philippines and many other countries foreigners cannot own land.  The Philippines does allow foreigners to own a condo, but they cannot own the land the condo is built on and 40% of condo owners in the building must be Filipino.  If a foreigner is married to a Filipino the land will always go to the Filipino and at death it will go to the heirs of the Filipino that are natural born Filipinos.  In the Philippines it is nearly impossible to get a work permit.  To own a small business you have to employ a minimum of ten Filipinos.  Large corporation like Ford and others must  allow a Filipino to own at least 40% of the Philippine operation.  If people think U.S. immigration laws are tough, they should check the immigration laws in other countries, especially third world countries. 

Now one thing I agree with the Democrats and Liberals on is many illegal immigrants use false social security cards to get jobs.  They usually use the numbers of dead people are infants, those not paying into Social Security.  They cannot ever draw that money out, so it does increase the funds in Social Security.  The money paid in by illegal migrants is about $100 billion over ten years according to SSA.  Since about 1937 the SSA has kept a suspense file of social security payments that cannot be matched to legitimate claimants.  They estimate about 3 million files fall into that category.  Hillary Clinton, Democrats and Liberals say that that it is not fair for us to keep their money. They want the law changed where they do not pay social security at all or can draw a social security benefits upon retirement.  The employer pays half of the social security tax and the employee pays half.  Don’t you think if a law was passed that illegal immigrants did no have to pay social security the employers are going to take advantage of it. They would not be hiring Americans if they could fine illegals to do the job.

The proposals that President Trump is talking about are the exact laws that President Clinton got passed in 1996.  Now President Trump wants to enforce those laws and the Democrats and Liberals are all up in arms. They say illegal immigrants should receive the exact benefits as American citizens because America's uneducated poor citizens do not contribute to the country as much as illegal immigrants.

Do you think we need a border wall? Hillary Clinton, Democrats and Liberals say we don't.  They claim it would weaken the U.S. economy.  They claim open borders improves a countries economy.  They claim with  open borders we could give all immigrants full participation in our government and we would collect more taxes. They are already pushing for illegal immigrants to have the right to vote.  Frankly, I do not want anyone that is not a citizen of the U.S. voting in our elections.  Why should they have a say on who leads our country. California already allows them to vote on school board members.  They also say better skill workers would come if we had open borders.

Is 18 billion too much to pay for a wall?  I believe the wall would pay for itself if it reduced illegal immigrant entry.  President Bush constructed a wall in El Paso, Texas and I did not hear anyone complaining.  Federal data shows that walls do work.  Where Bush constructed the wall, illegal immigration decreased by 89% over a five-year period.  Homeland Security say 1.7 million more illegal immigrants will enter from Mexico in the next ten years if a wall is not constructed.  The I.R.S. pays out billions of dollars each year for child tax credits to illegal immigrants.  The Dreamers Amnesty Act has cost $26 billion the first ten years. These two government illegal immigrant benefits would pay for most of the wall.

The latest U.S. Census Bureau’s count said 62% of illegal immigrant head of household are on the federal dole.  More than double that of American head of household.  Surprisingly the benefits they are not supposed to be getting are the ones they use the most - Food Stamps and Medicaid.  They obtain them through fraud, administrative errors and green card holders.

President Trump often speaks of illegal immigrant crimes.  It has upset four universities so much they have completed a study and claim illegal immigrants do not increase crime rate.  They claim the crime rate for undocumented immigrants shows immigrants commit less crimes than American’s.  I believe there are far more American than illegal immigrants in America so I would expect more crimes would be committed by Americans.  They stated those that say different are racist. Now government federal records say 26% of prisoners in federal prison are illegal immigrants.  The records show 146,243 illegal immigrants  make up the population in state prisons. I suppose if you compare it to the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. the number is not staggering, but who is paying to lodge, guard, feed, clothe and provide health care for these illegal immigrants?  American's of course.  They did not mention the damages done by the illegal to Americans.

One thing is certain illegal immigrants are increasing tension in our country. Some citizens say deport them and other say let them stay and welcome them into our communities.  That is what the Sanctuary Cities are doing. I believe Sanctuary Cities are a violation of Federal Law and I was taught federal law supersedes state law.   

In closing I want to share a list that Democrats and Liberals say that makes illegal immigrants important to America: we are culturally enriched; employers have a ready supply of cheap labor; employers do not have to report them to the government in turn companies save on taxes; employers do not have to provide job benefits, which allows products to be produced cheaper and  consumers can purchase their products cheaper; wealthy American’s and upper middle class have access to affordable labor for jobs around the house, such as child care, cooking, cleaning, drivers, etc. and to care for elderly sick parents.  They also say it is another type of international aid to poor countries.  Am I the only one that read that list and did not find anything that helped middle class or the poor?  It seems to me Democrat politicians are only looking out for themselves and their rich friend.  Do not forget that during the last campaign Democrats harped Republicans are only interested in the top  1% of Americans.   It also appears to me Democrats and Liberal do not respect the law of the land too much and are encouraging people to disobey our laws.

---

 [TM1]

Decaying of America “Part II - Spirituality/Religion”

I wrote about our infrastructure and now I would like to discuss Spirituality/Religion. I think Millennial's are less religious today than earlier generations. This is my opinion because studies only go back a couple of years. It may be that it is a temporary phase in their life’s because they are not settled yet, they have not experienced serious illness or deaths and that is usually the time people call on religion to comfort them.

I have read studies where two million young people were surveyed and it revealed twice as many high school seniors and 3 times as many college students described their religion as “none”. In the eight grade and tenth grade 40% surveyed said they had no religious affiliation.  It appears to me that young people have a weak interest in religion or God.  What shocked me is 75% of students in the twelfth grade said they had never attended a religious service and had no interest in doing so. This has a definite effect on our society. I have heard it argued that young people have replaced spirituality for religion if that is the case why did 20% of college students say they were not spiritual.  They also said they are not motivated to meditate or pray. I feel confident in saying young people in America are moving away from religion not towards religion.

Millennial's are less religious than young people have been in six decades.  It amused me that parents stated they are fighting a losing battle to get their kids to church and when ask if they attend church they replied, “No we are too busy or it is the only day of the week we have off”.  In other words, they do not lead by example.

I think a major problem in society today is we focus more on self and less on social rules.  Premarital sex is at an all-time high.  Today’s attitude is if it is good for me the hell with you.  Americans are more focused on individual freedoms than they are social rules.   A more individualistic culture will always be less religious because it means belonging to a group, which means you will adhere to their teaching and practices. Religion also requires respect for authority and Americans today are less likely to respect authority.  America everyday gets to look more and more like Northern Europe where marriage is optional and religious participation is low.  In 2013 41% of babies were born to unmarried mothers.  If you do not think this effects society, think again – homes without a father figure, homes with one parent trying to provide financially in this day and time has little time for children, many have to depend on government aid which is a drain on government and generally education is not stressed as much.  I am not talking about all single parents some do as well as when there are two parents in the home and sometimes the home is better off without the father. But, those that are single carrying the load of two parents need to be seen as heroes. The consequences of discarding a sacred moral code to govern the actions of individuals are far graver than most people realize.

A year before the U.S. Constitution was ratified Edward Gibbon published the final volume of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He listed five things and one that made the list was Religion.  He believed the lack of religion led to an insatiable craving for pleasure and the breakup of families. He wrote the root cause of Roman societal collapse was their loss of individual morality. You see he believed the laws of morality were as unchanging as the laws of mathematics and physics.  George Washington said, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” I think if America falls it will be due to our failure in the area of morality. 

Gibbon and Washington believed the safeguards of society were not the military or productive merchants or prosperous consumers but, high morals and sincere religion. Yet most politicians and educators today reject that belief.  They say that what people do in the privacy of their own homes has no connection to national security or national well-being. For the most part Democrats, Liberals and a lot of Republicans (Rhinos we call them) have rejected the idea that national stability depends on the laws or morality

At one time people knew what character meant. It meant things like honoring your parents, not murdering, not stealing, not lying, not coveting and not committing adultery.  But, in the 60’s a Supreme Court Justice said it was impossible to define character.  That was a radical departure form the past. In short it meant keeping the Ten Commandments, the laws of the Bible were not important..

John Adams wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, “The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my religion.” During the 18^th Century the United States and Britain held its citizens, families and leaders to a high moral standard.  I realize they had flaws and vices.  Many believed only if they were God fearing would they survive.  Today our educators and politicians want us to believe the founders were not religious men. 

The family structure use to produce good fathers, mothers, teachers, ministers, judges, engineers, orators and statesmen.  Policy makers then understood the connection between family breakdown and societal problems like alcoholism, drug addiction, welfare addiction, juvenile delinquency and violent crimes.  Today a large percentage of our policy makers are adulterous, alcoholics, liars, cheats and thieves. 

At the turn of the 20^th century, educators in the United States and British Commonwealth began to reject the idea laws of morality were not unchangeable.  People began to think what was right in the past may not be right now or in the future.  They believe morality is always changing to suit the times.  What is right for me, may not be right for you, but it is right for me. They embraced Sigmund Feud.

Today only about 3% wait for marriage to have sex, before 1912 it was 80%. Only 20% of Christians wait until marriage to have sex.  The majority of the younger generation do not even see fornication as being wrong. They rationalize a difference between love and sex.  Sex is just pleasure and love is commitment. 

In 1890 there was one divorce for every 18 marriages and today the number is one divorce for every 2 ½ marriages.  You do not think premarital sex and acceptance of pornography has not contributed to the failures of marriage?  Do you not think the lack of morality has not contributed to premarital sex and pornography? 

Children who grow up without a father figure are four times likelier to be poor, nine times likelier to drop out of school, 11 times likelier to commit violent crimes and twenty more times likelier to be arrested.  NOW I KNOW THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS.  There is a direct link between the fracturing of families and major societal problems which have a definite effect on the nation.  According to projections by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, rising entitlement spending and paying the interest on the national debt will consume 99% of all tax revenue in the next decade.  That means only one thing can happen the national debt will sky rocket.

Niall Ferguson a Financial Historian said when the debt exceeds the cost of protecting your borders is when countries usually fail. I guess we do not have to worry about that one because the Liberals and Democrats will not allow us protect our border.

In closing, there are no moral truths because there is no longer a religious basis for morality. The Bible was more than the enlightenment to the original settlers, the Bible was one reason America’s Christians were different from most European Christians.  Regardless of what anyone may say the Bible did have an influence on our Founding Fathers. Today Americans are taught to rely on their feelings to determine right behavior.  It makes me cringe when a child needs correcting and instead of telling the child what is right and wrong the parents say, “Sweetie how do you feel about that.”

If you acknowledge that American society is in decay, it is your obligation to fight to undo the harm that has been done.  If you cannot acknowledge that American morality is in decay then you are the proof that it is. 

More Than Infrastructure is Falling Apart in America

If you search what is falling apart in America all you get is hundreds of references to the Infrastructure is falling apart.  I know the infrastructure is falling apart and it has been falling apart for decades.  It is estimated to take 3.6 trillion dollars to repair America’s infrastructure.  The President’s 2019 Budget gives a prominent place to infrastructure policy.  It proposes $100 billion matching funds to state and local governments, as well as $50 billion in funding to rural infrastructure and 50 billion in other infrastructure funding. The Administration plan revolves around a $1.5 trillion spending goal and only $200 billion would come from the Federal Funding.  I am concerned about the $100 billion in matching funds from the States where will it come from. Many states are near bankrupting. Where is the Federal money coming from? All of this on top of the fact that politicians spend less in real cost than they did 15 years ago for infrastructure.

My concern is will it come from Social Security Funds.  The very people who are barely surviving and do not use the infrastructure as much. President Trump, whom I support, has mentioned the booming cost of Social Security and pensions must be brought under control before the problem can really be addressed. The President has suggested higher fuel taxes. It has not been raised since 1993. President Trump has proposed Private Partnership. I think that is a good idea.  Private corporation spend their money to build and repair infrastructure and charge a toll until the project is paid for.  The government regulates the toll charge.

The problem with the Private Partnerships along with state and local participation is the Democrats want the Federal Government to have control over these projects when it comes to bidding, construction and after the construction is finished.  I guess it makes it easier for them to steal funds for their pet projects. They claim they want to make sure the environment is protected.  I also want to note Obama’s stimulus plan failed miserably.  He claims the shovel ready jobs were not shovel ready as he thought and got a big laugh out of it.


We have 15,500 hazardous dams and 2170 are rated as dangerous and must be repaired immediately.  A whopping 45 billion dollars is needed just to repair the dams. There are 67,500 bridges with structural defects. There are 200,00 bridges over fifty years old. Many of the water pipes have been in use for more than 100 years and due to leakage two trillion gallons of water is wasted each year.  The problem cannot be ignored for 50 more years like Washington politicians have done since the 60’s.

Franklin Roosevelt spend a large sum of money for infrastructure in the 1930’ and no large sum of money was spent again until 1950’s and 1960’s for interstate highway systems.  That infrastructure has outlived its life expectancy and we are still using them today.  Also note it was the Republican Administration’s that really tried to address the issue under Eisenhower, Reagan and Trump, but could not get support from the Democrats.

The Democrats are determined not to give the President anything to boast about before mid-term elections.  Politics over country as usual. Democrats claim private partnership would only be interested in funding projects that could produce a toll and they are against that.  I believe something is better than nothing.  Private partnership would certainly help.  Democrat’s do not like the idea because Trump proposed it. Many countries have been doing this type of financing for years.

Robert Farris a former Federal Highway Administration head claims that when the Federal Government participates in any transportation project the cost automatically goes up at least 30%.  He is talking billions of dollars a year wasted because of Washington’s involvement.  One cost increase is the Federal Government requires Union wages to be paid and that alone increases the cost by 22%.  Obama had a law past that any large projects had to hire only Union employees. Nixon had a law passed that requires extensive environmental reviews which has delayed project up to ten to fifteen years. This causes the original cost to be void and the construction cost increases at least 10 percent.  Local bike trails and running trails come out of the Transportation Fund instead of States budgets and cost 2% of the infrastructure budget.  The FHWA and DOT duplicate work at a cost of about 400 million dollars a year.

Who is really responsible for the infrastructure problems today?  It is the politicians for they pass the buck to another Administration for they know the American people do not like to spend money. Therefore, they ignore the problem while they are in office.  The American people do not like to see their money wasted by politician’s but, they are willing to pay when the money is used in a way that benefits them, without waste. The politicians get a D minus for their approach to the infrastructure problems and our present infrastructure is rated at D minus, the same as it got in 2013, by experts.

I think the only solution is to get Private Partnerships involved as President Trump proposed. All projects will not be suited for private partnerships, but many will. Airports should charge a usage tax to the people using the airport outbound.  This would help offset building and maintenance of airports.  The delay now will be Congress has already passed a two-year budget and any additions would take about two years to get approved.  I wish the President would have veto the first budget and if it meant shutting the government down then shut it down. The way I see it we are about $1.4 trillion short in funds needed and funds available.

Tomorrow or in a few days I will comment on how I think our societal problems are contributing to America falling apart.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY MY THOUGHTS AND I RESPECT YOUR THOUGHTS.  I DO NOT PROFESS TO HAVE THE SOLUTIONS. I DO KNOW IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE REPUBLICANS CONTROL THE HOUSE AND SENATE IF PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS – DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER.

WILL YOU HAVE REGRETS WHEN YOU GROW OLD?

 I recently saw an article asking the same question and I immediately said NO.  Of course I am already OLD, but people have ask me would I do anything different if I could go back in time or if I had any regrets about the decisions I made in the past and I always said NO.  I have had a blessed life and although I had many struggles in my life with the help of God I got through them and think the struggles made me a stronger person. 

After reading the article I realized I do have some doubts about some decisions I made, but I do not know if I could really classify them as regrets.  I recently was sent a small quote, “Sometimes you have to be hard.”  I found that difficult to do.  You see no one help me with one penny of my education, no one help me start a business, no one has ever been at my side, except God.  He was my shadow and the only one I could ever turn to.  My dad died when I was a teenager and from that time until I made it on my own it has been a struggle.  We went from the good life to poverty in a matter of months. 

I have always reached out to help others so they would not have to experience the things I went through and have been burned over and over again.  My best friend constantly ask me, “Father, why do you do it?”  I have helped various members of his family and he has always said, “Father, you are making a big mistake.  They will not appreciate the help and they will use you not the opportunity you gave them to get ahead.”  He was right every time.  The more you give the more they want.  You give them opportunities to get out of poverty and they are not willing to do what is necessary to accomplish the task.  They would prefer you just give them money every week.  Now if I have regrets this would be a significant one.  You can lead the horse to water, but you cannot make the horse drink.  I have a hard time putting that into practice.

I also came to realize how much I had worried about the welfare of others.  I felt an obligation to fix everything and try to make life better for others.  I was worrying about someone else problems and that is foolish.  I was trying to fix others life and neglecting my own.  Worry is never a solution to anything.  Most of the things we worry about will never happen in the first place.  Worry is a waste of time and only contributes to your stress.  

I was not one who was afraid to take risk.  Many Senior Citizens in the survey put that as the number two thing they regretted.  I always preferred taking a risk rather than later thinking ‘I should have’.  I have never been afraid to fail because I always knew I could try again.  I have never wondered if I would have done this what would life be like today.  My advice to young people is – TAKE THE CHANCE.  It is foolish to try and talk yourself out of trying new things. I am not speaking of drugs or alcohol or improper sex that can destroy you or others. If you want to go to Europe, do it! If you want to start a business, do it! But, always do your research before you do it.  Getting into your thirties with a long string of regrets will haunt you all your life. 

The survey found that 76% of Senior Citizens regretted not following their dream.  I do not have any ‘should of’ or ‘ought of’ in my past.  I knew I wanted to be a minister and an entrepreneur.  I was told a thousand times you have to choose one or the other.  I did not settle for one or the other - I had both.  God made it all possible.  My first business was presented to me and I saw it as a way of giving employment to unemployed people in my parish.  I took the risk and from that day until the day I retired I always owned a business and used it for the glory of God.   I feel I was all I should have been and have no regrets. 

Many baby boomers regretted they had not travel more when they were young.  They put it off until they were old and found then their health would not allow them to travel.  Young people, if you do not do it now, you will wish you had later.  One day you to will find your traveling days are over and you will regret it.  I have been to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Europe, Mexico, all the Virgin Islands and all the USA states.  Some of these places I have made repeat visits.  Traveling is rewarding and if you have the opportunity to do it take it.  To me traveling is more important than a fancy car, branded clothes, remodeling the kitchen, expensive home or jewelry.  I admit I have always had a very nice home with very nice furniture and today I live in a modest townhouse with modest furniture and you know I was not happier in the expensive home with expensive furniture than I am where I live today.  Those expensive things are not really for you to enjoy they are you to show off.

The thing that was high on the list of Senior Citizens was not spending enough  time with loved ones.  Reluctantly I have to say I do have some thoughts about that.  Regrets no, but maybe ‘wish’ I had done better.  I took care of my mother the last 18 years she lived.  I tried to avoid the rest of my family because they only came around to get, not give.  I adopted my nephew and I do wish I would had not worked as many hours and spent more time with him as he was growing up.  I do feel I cheated him.  I was fortunate enough to be with both parents when they died.  The rift with my older sister that left us not speaking to one another for nearly 30 years does hurt.  The only constellation is I did try for about ten years to have a relationship with her.  She is now 90 and I am 80 and both confined to home because of health issues and will never be able to see one another again, thank God we resolved our issues through the mail. I would say to young people do whatever it takes to resolve problems with those you love.

Some Senior Citizens regret the bad habits they formed when they were young and have never been able to break them or broke them too late in life, the damage had already been done. I did not smoke, drink or use drugs because I witness how it destroyed my family members.  I do wish I would have paid more attention to my health when I was young and exercised more.  I ignored a lot of signs because I did not want to admit my heart was not as it should be and that I had been cursed with the family disease.  If you young people are doing drugs, drinking too much, ignoring your health know this you are not only hurting yourself you are hurting those that love you now and may love you in the future. 

Many Senior Citizens regret they did not take education seriously.  If that happens to be you it is never to late to get an education.  You may not be one for college, but there are many good technical fields you can go into if properly trained.  Education is one thing no one can take from you.  I do not recommend going in debt to go to school.  There are plenty of State funded programs you can now take advantage of.  I believe having the name Yale, Harvard or Purdue on your diploma will help very few people.

Thirty-eight percent of Senior Citizens said they regret working at a job all their adult life that they hated.  They were afraid to leave because where they were they were making good money.  It is not worth it.  The real reason they stayed was  they were are afraid to take a risk.  I would rather make less money and be happy than make lots of money and have regrets.  You young people had better stop and figure out how many hours you will spend at a place of employment during your lifetime before you sacrifice happiness for more money. 

The Number 2 thing on the list Senior Citizens regretted was the choice they made with their money.  They ran up debt, lived above their means, did not save enough and spent too much on their adult children trying to make their lives easier.  I started out my adult life thinking about the future.  I read in a church bulletin your money should be set aside each and every payday this way 10% for God, 10% for personal savings and you live on the rest and if anything is left at the end of the money it goes in personal savings.  I have practiced that all my life. The only thing I ever bought on credit was a house.  If I wanted something I figured up the cost and began putting that aside and when I could pay cash I got it.  You really enjoy it much more when you are not worried about how you are going to pay the interest and the principle. I had a friend that used a Sears Revolving Charge Card for yeas.  She never was late on a payment then she got cancer.  Sears eventually came to collect the merchandise.  She thought they were going to take back the last thing she had purchased and not paid off.  Sears took everything she had ever purchased on that card that they could find in her house.  She did not realize the old things were the collateral on the new things she purchased on the card.  I learned a good lesson that day.

Now the number one regret of Senior Citizens was worrying about what people would think.  I AM GUILTY! I did not stop worrying about what people would think  until I was 50 years old.  Today I do not care what other people think about me.  I care what God thinks about me.  I cannot please everyone and I no longer try to.  It is my life!  Young people should go after their own life and their own happiness regardless of what others think.  Be who you are and say what you feel.  Those that are hurt by the truth are not your friends anyway.  White Lies in order to get along with someone never works.  The truth eventually surface and always surfaces at the worse time.  Life is shorter than you think, everyone has flaws, everyone is focused on what is best for them rather than what is best for you.  Embrace uncertainty and do not be afraid to make mistakes.   

I spent my life trying to please everyone in my family and my parish.  I realized too late that it is pointless and impossible.  One Sunday I confronted a problem in my parish from the pulpit.  I announced from that Sunday on I will do what God is leading me to do and if you do not like it leave.  The door in this church works both ways and there are a lot of churches in this town for you to go to and ruin.  No one is going to tell me what to preach or not preach any longer, they are not going to tell what programs I should or should not start and they certainly are not going to tell me who they want or do not want in this church or the kind of people they want in OUR church.  This is not OUR church this is God’s church.  My problems stopped immediately. 

BE WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE. BE YOURSELF AND YOU WILL FIND HAPPINESS. BE YOURSELF AND YOU WILL HAVE NO REGRETS WHEN YOU GROW OLD.    

Generational Poverty

There is a cycle of poverty known as “Generational Poverty” and it is nearly impossible to correct.  Generational Poverty is when three or four generations of the same family have grown up in poverty.  They have no memory of anyone in the family not living in poverty. They begin to accept that survival is enough and do not make an attempt to get out of poverty.

 

Many much smarter than me say they begin to accept survival over trying to advance because they lack resources, education and connections. They claim that if they had outside help they could break the cycle of poverty.  Without outside help they are destined to be poor generation after generation.

This is true to a certain extent, but I do not believe it is the only cause of generational poverty.  Generational poverty becomes a mindset and is nearly impossible to break regardless of the outside help they have. I say this because I have tried to help and have first hand experience in the Philippines.  I will explain later. 

I admit poverty can be and generally is the results of low productivity, low salaries, poor governance, ignorance, lack of skills and technology, lack of education, disease, disasters, unemployment, marital status, lack of confidence, victim mentality and mass imprisonment of men.     

A 1960 study said trying to advance the skills of children in poverty has proven difficult and expensive, therefore they suggest supplementing the income of all poor 
families to bring them up to the level of the other students in their schools.  I am sorry this does not make sense to me.  Do they intend for us to supplement the salaries of every generation that follows and there will never be and end to the burden it puts on tax payers and it will never advance an individual who is living in poverty.  There is an old clique give a man a fish and he will eat once, but teach him to fish and he will eat the rest of his life.   

There was a study in France in 2004 that liked the idea that Obama proposed “Income Transfer”, take from the rich and give to the poor.  But, the study did  
 conclude this should only be a quick fix and could not be continued because the real solution is the government must assure a quality education for all. This plan was 
different than the GREAT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S for his plan would have 
continued for ever because it was to be part of the I.R.S.  

Do you remember the other great plan of the Democrats in the 1960's favor minorities in job and entrance to college. They did not apply for jobs and they did not go to college.  When it came time to stop the plan they revolted.  The ones that benefit from the Civil Rights Plan would have probably succeeded without it for they were already achievers.  Contrary to what we are told I believe most rich people do not inherit their wealth they obtain their wealth by working hard.  Most of the rich did not attend private schools they attended public schools.  I think it has more to do 
with  the motivation of the individual to want to do better than handouts.

After my Father died, when I was in my early teens, we became poor very fast.  I was 
determined I did not want to be poor all my life and I worked my way through 
college and graduate school and manage to obtain a lifestyle where I never experienced poverty again.

Since living in the Philippines I have paid all expenses for five students to go to college  and given them a weekly stipends.  One graduated from College.  The others did not have enough desire to advance in life.  One young lady was an honor student, but her parents thought it best she drop out and go to work so she could help support 
the family. She believed she should follow Philippine tradition.  One family was afraid the child would have more of an attachment for me than them and would not 
help them when he finished college. I now pay a family to send their daughter to school who is in the seventh grade and an honor student and pray she continues.  Her 
family seems to understand the importance of an education.

My point is these five students had outside help and only one took advantage of it.  Now I will give you more examples. They concern helping families start a business. 

A young couple in their late twenties, a nice couple, was living in poverty and I was 
the Godfather to their child.  They went back to the city where they came from and I financed a small café for them.  I personally went and purchased all the equipment, had the space remodeled and paid one year utilities and rent in advance.  They opened and did better than I had ever anticipated.  The first warning to me was when the wife said we are the owners and I should not be waiting tables I should be the cashier.  She had her Father build her a nice little cashier booth where she sat on her 
butt all day.  They had to replace her with a paid employee.  The third month they had made enough money to take a vacation in Cebu to show off their new found wealth to his family.  They closed for three weeks.  When they returned they found that the customers they had daily had gone elsewhere and they  could not 
understand why.  To make a long story short they pawned all the equipment, left the 
building empty with about ten months rent and utilities paid.  To top it all they did not even feel and obligation to tell the customer on a sign that they were closed for three weeks and would reopen. They had outside help, but could not or would handle the responsibility.

I help a mother and son open a grocery store.  The mother was disabled and the son was about 23 and a prostitute making money at the mall off of foreign men.  I visited the mother and knew the circumstances and decided to help.  She did have a home on a busy street and a front yard big enough for a small store.  I had it build, equipped and stocked.  Another success story for about six months.  I visited the mother to find 
the store closed and found the boy like being a prostitute better than having to stay in the store more free time he said prostituing  Today he has A.I.D.S. and the mother is deceased.  It was not the lack of outside help it was the lack of desire and being responsible.

I helped a brother and sister open another café and I will not go into to that. I had owned a restaurant in Houston, Texas and try to advise them, but no they would not listen. They preferred to blame lack of business on the lack of traffic and the people in cars drove by to fast and everything else they could imagine.  I told them they should try a buffet style restaurant before they closed – no interest.  I told them they should have a limited menu and an offer a different meal everyday and then simply repeat it for the next week for the workers near by – no interest.  Restaurant closed!

Still being the fool I am I helped a woman open a vendors stall at the Davao Street Market.  She is doing well, but could do much better.  The problem is she does not like change.  Whatever you suggest you can see it in her face she is not listening and is not going to try it. She was told if she would arrange the used clothing in colors and sizes and put them on the rack neatly more people would come into her stall.  I was told Filipino’s do not like that they like digging through stuff piled on a table and finding what they want.  So in other words ALL Filipino people have no desire to 

shop in ease and in a well organized place they are too low class for that.  That what I hear her saying.  There is a saying in retail that women do not like to “Butt Swipe” when shopping which means they like enough space so other are not brushing up against them.  I was told Filipino’s do not care anything about that they live five and six in one room they are use to being crowed.  Last night I advised them no more help and no more money.  I think they will make enough to have a dried fish and rice everyday for breakfast.  Outside help may have failed again.

I was helping an orphanage in a nearby town.  One day I happen upon one of the directors Facebook Page.  All of these pictures of people that were supposedly 
volunteering at the Home were going on all day sightseeing trips on boats, staying the weekend at resorts on Samal Island. But, I was told weekly, “Father, if we do not get money in we will have to close in two weeks.”  Most of the volunteers were friends 
and family. Naturally they get nothing from me any longer.  They got outside help, but did not change anything.  These people were college graduates who  when looking at their material possessions it looks like they have nothing, house not decent, no car, cheap furniture, etc.

Then my Filipino friend told me, “Father, those people are not going to change no matter what you give them.  You give it and they spend it on a party.  They are happy the way they are and do not want more out of life.  You want to give them a chance to live a better life, because you feel sorry for them, but what you do not understand is 
they really do not care about having a better life because that would mean more work, less play and more responsibility.” This friend is the only one I helped that finished College and got a degree in Accounting.

This week I happened upon a You Tube site where a young Filipino man was talking about poverty in the Philippines.  This young man has made it big in the entertainment business in the States.  He said that all his family expect him to support them while they lay around the house in the Philippines.  He claims he did that for several years.  He then realized he was not helping them get out of poverty and now he gives them nothing.  He said of course they think he is terrible and has no heart and tell him that was not the way he was raised.  His reply is it is not the way I was raised and if I followed the culture and traditions of the way I was raised I would be 
poor to. His niece is at the moment hates  him for not sending her to college. He told her no one sent me I worked at a Call Center at night and went to college in the day you can do the same.  What he said may seem cold, but he is right.  He is only contributing to Generational Poverty as long as he keeps supporting them all.  One has to desire to get out of poverty in order to get out of poverty.

I gave the lady in the Davao Street Market 144 Tee Shirts, name brand, overruns.  She immediately replied I cannot sell those things.  They are too expensive and no one would pay what they are worth.  They are too thin, Filipinos like thick cotton shirts.  They are all tagged with prices from stores.  The price on the tags and what I ask her to try and sell them for is ¼.  The largest Department Store in the Philippines sells the same brands and same shirts. She honestly believes Filipinos prefer used clothes because that is what they are used to. Not open to trying and certainly not open to change.  It is festival week in Davao alot of people from out of town.  If they had money to fly here for the festival they may have money to pay a little more for new clothes. 

So I do not buy the idea that all people living in poverty need is OUTSIDE help!  They also need the desire to get out of poverty.

 

Tradition/Culture can be weird (nasty) sometimes!

I usually avoid writing or talking about things that really piss me off, for when I do, I get carried away.  Yesterday happen to be a day that three things that piss me off occurred.  So here goes.

I am trying to establish a new/used retail clothing store for my caregiver and two sisters in Davao. They have been loyal to me for over ten years. I will not live forever and I want them to have a means to support themselves. We have had a stall at the Davao Street Market in order to get familiar with vendors, suppliers and customers. Now it is time to go bigger.

We do not want a typical Ukay-Ukay store that you find in the Philippines.  We want everyone regardless of economic status to have a pleasant buying experience. It will be a super, super, super small SM Department Store.  First class fixtures, organized, clean, signage, room to move around in, men/women/children new (Factory Overruns) and Pre-Loved Clothes.

We finally found the place in the St. Pedro Cathedral area.  I thought it was the place God picked - WRONG!  The rent was more than we wanted to pay, but I decided to take the risk and pay one year in advance rent. The owner was out of town, but we knew it was our place when she returned - WRONG!  We discovered she did not want Muslims leasing her property, because they were dirty and ALWAYS used it as a business and a place to live in the back. I guaranteed her it would not happen and if it did she could  keep deposit and advance rent.  That did not satisfy her. She just did not want to do business with Muslims.  Remember now I am a retired Catholic Priest.

Yes, we were disappointed.  We had heard from retailers in the area where the property was, that, "The old lady and her daughter that owns that property are bitches and no one that knew them would rent that property."  I thought maybe they are wrong or do not want competition. I was wrong about the mother for sure!

I cannot stand a caste system that is really what slavery in the southern part of the USA was.  I am originally from Alabama.  I had my taste of family that loved segregation days, which in their eyes was a milder form of slavery. Went off to college and met Dr. Martin Luther King and join the protest marchers. My mother made me promise on my life I would never let a family member know what I was doing. I hated discrimination then and I hate discrimination now. Those sixty years between then and now the hate is just as strong.

That was PISS off number one. Now Piss off number two.  I schedule to get to an appointment thirty minutes early. That way I am never late. I simply take a book and read until the time for the appointment. Being punctual is very important to me. My time is valuable to me and I assume others time is valuable to them. Being late is RUDE!  If an emergency arises CALL do not keep the other person wondering and waiting.

I am having some work done on my house. The man is talented and like able, but three times he said he would be at my house and did not come.  Surprisingly I did not say anything until yesterday. I may be old and in a wheelchair, but you are not going to disrespect me.  I think he now understand you do not waste my time.

That was PISS off number two.  Now number three. I ordered 200 factory overrun dresses from Manila. They had called and ask could they ship another brand of the same quality. I agreed. The delivery man came and I was alone. I went to the front balcony and advised the driver I would come down on my elevator, but it would take time. He said okay.  I go down, open the gate, he says "Are YOU Father Tom Martin" and I say, "Yes".  He says, "Do you have a picture I.D."  I NICELY tell him if he thought I was going to struggle to go back inside for a picture I.D. He was crazy. He says, "You do not look like a Father."  I said politely of course, "Young man. I am eighty years old, sick and in bed until you came. I am sorry I did not shave or comb my hair before I came down.  But, I will share a secret with you.  Your parish priest wakes up in the morning goes to the toilet, showers, brushes his teeth and then puts on his clothes and goes to work JUST like you. God does not do those things for us. I no longer work so I do what I want."  Side note the dresses were not the same quality. I guess that was PISS off number four. I hate liars and dishonest people.

Expat Living in the Philippines

I get amused at comments expat’s make about the Philippine’s. They will say how GREAT it is and then say things like - expat’s do not usually last here two years - they will say how great the people are then say they are a bunch of thieves - they will say how great the women are then tell you of an expat that has lost everything to a dishonest woman - they are all quick to tell you how merchants cheat foreigners. They always mention  great smiles but most dishonest people smile alot before they screw you.

I have been here for 15 years and find the people are no better or no worse than other people around the world.

It is human nature to take advantages of people who let you. Some ecpat’s do not understand they use Filipinos as much ss they get used. They come for sex and take advantage of poverty. They live cheap many times because they do not pay their house help a fair wage.

Yes, living expenses are less and they are less because most Filipinos live in poverty. Merchants cannot charge first world prices are they would have no customers.

Doctors are not cheaper because they want to charge less. They are cheaper because most Filipinos cannot even afford to go to the doctor now. No one could go if doctors charged first world prices.

Someone pays for lower cost of living. It is those working six days a week for 3 to 6 dollars a day. They are lucky to get a job paying that much.

It is a lie to say you can live like a king in the Philippines on 500 to 800 U.S.A dollars a month. Most expats could not make the sacrifices needed to do that. That is the reason they only last about two years.

Electricity is the highest of any country in Asia. I use one air condition 24/7 it cost around 400 to 500 dollars a month. A decent house is going to cost 500 dollars a month and up. The same brand shoes in the Philippines cost more than in the U.S.A. at the mall.

You may find American products in the grocery store and never find them again. The products supposedly made by U.S.A companies are made in China. Many name brand we purchase in the U.S.A do not even taste the same.

I am very content here and do not desire to return to the U.S.A , but it is not paradise as some (most) expat’s claim. I guess they find it hard to admit they made a mistake moving here.

If you come here and expect to be treated like a Filipino you are going to be surprised. You will always be a foreigner. Family ties and loyalties will always go against a foreigner regardless if the foreigner is right.

Now get mad with me if you like I do not care. But I speak the truth. I have no DOG in this fight. I have a monthly income from a trust fund of 6000 USA dollars a month and can live anywhere in the world I want. I choose to live in the Philippines.ines