Politifact re Jon Ossoff on AHCA

June 14 2017

Politifact Georgia in the Wednesday AJC gave a half true rating to Jon Ossof's pronouncement that the Republican sponsored AHCA would mean massive price hikes for Georgians with pre-existing conditions. I often have a hard time understanding how the people in Politifact Georgia arrive at their conclusions. Perhaps if they rated the AHCA impact in terms of mortality probability we would get a better sense of the truthfulness or otherwise. A half true massive impact is meaningless and insulting to those Georgians suffering from pre-existing conditions.  Do they mean a reduction from Himalayan to Alpine impact or merely just Smokey Mountain level impact? In any event they appear to be out of step with Trump who rated the AHCA as Mean, Mean, Mean. I think I understand that, and so apparently does Jon Ossoff.

Paris Agreement Withdrawal

June 2^nd 20017

In a mistake of monumental proportions, Trump withdraws from the Paris accord on climate change. In spite of the fact that the targets are on a voluntary basis and can be adjusted as necessary within each country, Trump misses an opportunity to show real leadership and strength, and instead bows to the pressure of ill informed lobbyists from the outdated fossil-fuel industry.  A primary motivating factor seems to be his completely misplaced paranoia that other countries are laughing at us and taking us for Patsies. Coupled with his hatred for Obama and his intent to undo all the progressive steps that Obama put in place, Trump is acting like a spoiled brat and placing America in a position that the majority of the country disagree with. This decision by Trump is unforgivable, and places our children and grandchildren in harm's way. Concerned citizens need to voice their disapproval and make it clear that we are not happy with his unilateral decisions that go against the wishes and health of the country.

Trade Deficit

May 31^st 2017

Trump's comments on Germany show a breathtaking ignorance of the free market economy. The trade deficit that exists with Germany is a reflection of the consumer demand in America for quality German products  that can't be matched by domestic producers. Moreover, German automakers employ over 33,000 Americans who manufacture German luxury cars right here in the USA and export more than $10billion annually, a sum that partially offsets our deficit. German sales in the US are less than 7% of the US auto market. This is hardly foreign domination. Additionally, investments pouring in from Germany to establish manufacturing facilities and support other American interests benefit many hundreds of thousands of working Americans. Trump's crass tweets and comments are a clear indication that he has no grasp of the complexity of the modern global economy. His unthinking pronouncements can harm decades old relationships and endanger the future for many Americans employed by German and other foreign investors.

Rural Voters - Published by the AJC

May 22^nd 2017

As Georgia experiences renewed growth and prosperity around Atlanta and other metropolises, as shown in the AJC article today,  our citizens living in rural areas are left behind. Many depend on the social safety net provided by Medicaid to survive and many others have lost this basic protection as a result of our state government refusing to accept the federal offer of Medicaid expansion. Now the Trump Administration is proposing a budget that would cut even further into that program and likely affect rural Georgians more than the city dwellers. Instead of providing a "New Foundation For American Greatness" as this proposal is called, it is really a first step in the dismantling of America's social safety net including Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Ironically the people most negatively affected by Trump's plan  are the ones who voted for him and the republicans. Rural Georgians will be hit hard if this budget is enacted and many people will be left with nowhere to turn. It will be a sorry future for millions. Please remember this when going to the polls next time.