I have been re-reading the stirring words and the history leading up to our Declaration of Independence and reflecting how our founding fathers were prepared to lay everything on the line – their lives and their fortunes – to bring us the freedoms we enjoy, and may take too much and too comfortably for granted today.

The Democratic debates featured a split between those supporting Universal Health Coverage and those supporting Medicare for All. There is a huge difference that needs to be understood as voters begin to assess these issues being espoused by the candidates. There is a vast amount of misinformation being spread on all sides that really confuses people.

There were 20 well-spoken and thoughtful candidates – any of whom would be a huge step forward from President Trump. The debates were thoughtful, informed and respectful – a far cry from the name-calling and school yard bullying and ridicule that characterized President Trump and his Republican challengers in 2016.

http://laschoolreport.com/los-angeles-voters-roundly-defeat-parcel-tax-leaving-lausd-on-shaky-financial-footing/

 

The 16¢ per square foot parcel tax was badly defeated – getting only 46% of the vote when it needed 66% (due to Prop 13). It would have raised close to $500 million to offset the costs of the recent contract negotiated between LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) and the teacher’s union (UTLA).

President Trump is proposing to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs of 5% growing to 25% on Mexico to deter illegal immigration from Central America. This will hurt our economy, and Mexico’s economy because we are each other’s largest trading partners. Citizens and businesses in Texas and California will be particularly badly hurt by the tariffs. The impacts will be felt on prices in the supermarket, the price of cars and many other consumer goods.

Every elected President has an agenda for the nation. Every President swears an oath to uphold the constitution in so doing. All Presidents get sued, but no President within my memory or knowledge has so consistently violated the nation’s laws and its very constitutional framework as President Trump has over the past 2.5 years.

Just the other day I read a news blurb about an election reapportionment case from my home state of Ohio. Reading further, one of the chief counsel was a remarkable woman I’d worked closely with more than 40 years ago in Boston. So I downloaded it for a little light reading. The opinion is 300 pages long and fascinating reading. It highlights the extremes of partisan gerrymandering, and the efforts of a thoughtful three-judge court and highly technically proficient counsel to assess and then remedy it.

 

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods. They are a sales tax that the buyers/ US consumers and business must pay. So when the President raises taxes on Chinese goods; he is adding 10% and now 25% to the costs of goods made in China. He also may be raising the prices of goods made in America by indirection as the domestic manufacturers have fewer competitors and are thus able to raise their prices. The same applies to foreign steel and aluminum, to foreign made cars, to washing machines and solar panels.

 Our Democratic system is based on three co-equal branches of government whose roles are described and circumscribed by the US Constitution and by respect for the laws they enact and the court decisions they render. Even as we may disagree on policies and politics of these three branches, we need now more than ever the support and leadership of individuals who value the pillars of American democracy.