Trying to move on ……

Taxes:

Trump lays out his plan. Democrats react. Here we go again. And the details aren’t even out yet!
We need more information to present any true evaluation.  What are the brackets for the 12, 25 and 35% brackets?  What deductions go away? The one we know of is a doozy and will be a fight.
It’s the state and local tax deduction from your federal taxes. Buckle up for this one. The question we’ve asked is should the big tax states like California and NY get credit off their federal taxes causing people in low tax states to pay more? If it passes — whoa! The big Democratic controlled states with high taxes will have real election fights.
Otherwise there’s lots to like. No 10% bracket so people with income up to $24K pay no tax. An increased child credit tax. A care for the elderly tax credit. A reduction in the business tax and a one time bring back your money from overseas low tax offer.
the estate tax elimination will be a major issue with Democrats.
All good but where does the lost revenue get recovered? The devil is in the details. More to follow.

Thoughts on the NFL Controversy:

So we’ve given a lot of thought to the whole NFL controversy and have some suggestions and thoughts. First, readers are aware that we feel the President went overboard and created an unnecessary tempest. That said.

We’ve come to the point though, that we think taking a knee when the national anthem is played is hurtful to many. They see the flag as one that their families, friends and fellow citizens have suffered for, lost limbs defending and given their lives for. Why can’t they pick a different manner to protest something they say has nothing to do with the anthem. It just seems like common courtesy for many who have suffered to defend it. Care about your fellow citizens, their feelings and the price they have paid.

Next, the large majority of Americans in every poll say they are against kneeling for the anthem. Why is it then when you watch the MSM they are biased in favor of the kneelers? What happened to real news reporters and stories? The coverage is opposite what our citizens feel. Incredible.

It is sad to see long time loyal football team fans burning their tickets and team gear. Here are hard working, loyal citizens, many who served, giving up their passion and fun because of the actions of some players. That bothers us. We suggest conservative leaders do the following:

Announce out loud that it is a shame and wrong for these hard working citizens to have to give up their life long fan passion and enjoyment  because of some anti players. Thus, they are asking them not to stop watching. Instead, boycott the advertisers of the games. Immediately stop buying any products of NFL game advertisers. Cause the value of the ads to drop. Cause some pain back to the teams, league and eventually the players. Don’t cause pain to yourself, cause pain to them.
I promise Coke, Pepsi, Budweiser and all the others will not want to pay the millions to see the fans stop buying their product. The value of ads will drop. The teams will lose funds and the players will see the salary implications coming.
Then stop buying any NFL identified items. No more shirts, mugs, or anything where the teams and players get paid.
Do both those things and you’ll see action.
Why should the loyal fans pay a price for the players action? Let them, the teams, players and league pay the price and you keep the enjoyment of watching.
It’s time to fight back and show that we have values too. Let money talk, as it always does.

Next, they say the reason for kneeling is about police brutality. We get it, there are some cases for sure. However, there are many false charges too. Michael Brown was not “hands up don’t shoot”, it was a lie. The Boston Police did not act “stupidly” as President Obama said. His friend did.
Policing is tough, and working the streets is tough, especially in the dark of night.
So if you feel the police are bad, we suggest this. Have each community meet with their local police, all across the country. If the citizens of that community want less police and less aggressiveness, that should be granted. Others, like where we write this, a low crime area, would still take more. Let’s listen to the community. Baltimore, as an example, after blaming the police for Freddie Gray wanted the police to back off. They have. Let the community decide, let’s listen to them.
My bet is most will want more, and those who say less will see a Baltimore like spike. But go ahead, make that call.

And that’s our thoughts on the issue today.

Short Takes:

Did you see that Roger Stone testified before congress yesterday on the Russian probe? He wanted an open session, congress said no. He said you accuse me out loud, you are wrong. Now let the people hear the truth.
It does seem hypocritical that he can be attacked and then not be heard.

So down goes Luther Strange and the establishment takes a hit. We said watch the Republican primaries to come. Well, Bob Corker of Tenn. announced yesterday he was not running for reelection.
Now before you get too excited about beating the establishment, think of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz. They are so idealogical that even if their vote makes a difference they are not budging. Think healthcare. Roy Moore will be that strong minded.

One of those major changes with Trump winning is the refugee numbers. He has upended the policy, cutting by more than half the 110,000 refugee number that the Obama administration had given him and dramatically shifting the demographics of who is accepted.
President Obama’s overwhelming focus was on Muslims, and particularly on Syrians fleeing a civil war that his administration facilitated. Under Trump the Syrian refugees have been cut by more than 80 percent, and Christians have overtaken Muslims in total refugees resettled.

The Ratings:

From Adweek:

In the BT era (before Trump) the cable news channels did okay, with Fox News almost always a top 5 cable channel. Back then, CNN and MSNBC were usually found in the upper teens or twenties. But with non-stop news from Washington, all three channels have consistently been in the top 10.