Another Duck in the Swamp

Well I knew it would just be a matter of time before President Trump became infected, and he finally has.   He caught the dreaded politician plague.   For those unfamiliar with this disease it basically slowly consumes all those who enter the field of politics destroying all of their lofty promises for change. 

One can start out as a candidate for a political position in government as an honest, dedicated individual intent on best serving his/her constituents, and promising to change the corrupt system that politics has become.   These individuals may even pride themselves on the fact that they come from a nonpolitical background and therefore won’t be controlled by the powerful lobbyists and PACs that control others within the system.

However, these newly elected individuals will soon learn that they are now a member of an elite society which requires compromises and deals to be made in order to get anything accomplished.  Basically they will have to begin to “sell their souls” and become indebted to others within the political system who expect payback in return for those individuals’ support of any agendas these newly elected individuals wish to accomplish.

Additionally, there is always the looming reality that, if they want to keep their elected position, they will have to scale back any changes they may wish to make in order to ensure they can muster up enough votes for re-election.

Sadly, the longer you remain within the political system, the more likely it becomes that eventually you will be consumed by its disease.  It’s really only a matter of time until all those deals you make with others come to fruition.

To President Trump’s credit he held out a long time, but some of his recent actions indicate he is now infected.  This media excerpt regarding his handling of the recent vaping epidemic, and other events, seems to indicate the seriousness of Trump’s infection:

“Everything seemed ready to go.  President Trump’s ban on most flavored e-cigarettes had been cleared by federal regulators. Officials were poised to announce they would order candy, fruit and mint flavors off the market within 30 days; a step the president had promised almost two months earlier to quell a youth vaping epidemic that had ensnared 5 million teenagers. 

One last thing was needed, Trump’s sign-off.

As he had done so many times before, Trump reversed course.  This time on a plan to address a major public health problem because of worries that apoplectic vape shop owners and their customers might hurt his re-election prospects, said White House and campaign officials. He also believed job losses tied to the ban would cost him as he sought to trumpet economic growth.

It was the latest example of the chaotic way policy is made, and sometimes unmade in a White House where the ultimate decider often switches gears after making a controversial vow, whether on combating gun violence, pulling troops from Syria, promising to deliver an Obamacare replacement,"or the announced Chinese tariffs, which were subsequently rolled back to favor smart phone (Apple) and other electronic manufacturers.

Guess the old idiom about a duck now aptly applies to President Trump:  If you look like a politician, walk like a politician and quake like a politician; you are a politician.

He is now no better than the rest of the swamp. It’s always about re-election.  A typical politician at heart, and firmly established as a 100% member of the club.

You see the political system that exists within our country today is just too big to change, and it will not lend itself to change by its very nature.  It eventually consumes all who attempt to do it.

So long President “Drain the Swamp” Trump. When, as has been prophesized, you are re-elected, you will simply be another member of the swamp. Congratulations!

Mayoral Candidate Violates Voters' Trust

Sometimes one can learn a lot from a newspaper ad.  A recent ad in the Ponchatoula Times claimed that one of the candidates running for mayor of Ponchatoula was the subject of Lee Zurik, Fox News, investigative reporting.  I had forgotten about this investigation, but this ad reignited my interest.

The news cast broke about the same time that our illustrious former governor, Bobby Jindal, was in the middle of presenting one of his “smoke and mirrors” state budgets.

Basically, Jindal was proposing raiding dedicated state funds earmarked by Louisiana voters for use for specific purposes.  He wanted to use these funds for a different purpose, namely, to help balance the state budget and avoid a deficit.  These money raids included the following:

1)      The Medicaid Elderly Trust Fund that totaled over $830 million.   The money was dedicated for providing supportive home health services for the elderly and disabled.  The intent of these funds was to never touch the principal amount and use only the accrued investment dividends, but Jindal depleted the principal amount with a vote of approval by state legislators in the Louisiana House and Senate.

2)      The retirement funds for probation and parole officers totaling over $3.7 million. Funds were instead used by Jindal and our legislators to offset state general budget expenses.

3)      The Blind Vendors’ Trust Fund, totaling $1.6 million. This fund was established to set aside money from vending operations in courthouses and other state or federal properties and use it to help the legally blind run snack stands, cafeterias and vending machines. By allowing the raiding of this fund, our esteemed legislators were literally assisting Jindal in taking money from the blind.

4)      The State Employees Health Insurance Plan, Office of Group Benefits.  The plan had $500 million before Jindal, with our state legislators’ approval, spent $472 million of it to plug a hole in the state budget.

All of these actions were a clear violation of the voters’ trust, namely, that these monies would be used for their intended purposes.

However, another blatant violation of the voter’s trust was the subject of the Lee Zurik investigation of Ponchatoula mayoral candidate Steve Pugh. It reported that some of the money, donated by loyal supporters to his campaign fund with the expectation that it would be used to finance his re-election bid, was used instead, by him, to wine and dine some of his favorite constituents.

This action not only smacked of behavior similar to Jindal’s, but also provided insight into Pugh’s voting record as a legislator in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

He voted in support of, and never publically voiced opposition to any of Jindal’s budget proposals draconically impacting education and health care in our state, and eventually leading to a $2 billion state deficit.

Furthermore, as evidenced by his legislative votes, he, along with most of his legislative buddies, assisted Bobby Jindal in the previously cited questionable, unethical spending of taxpayers’ money for purposes contrary to the mandates of the voting public.

I always wondered why Steve Pugh, our state representative, supported these actions, but now I think I understand thanks to the power of a newspaper ad.