FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

May 22

Why People Have Become So Reliant On News And Opinion Via Twitter?

by bcurry

Let’s face it, many of the 140-character “tweets” by individuals seem inane. Why would Twitter users want to read short messages about what someone ate for breakfast or lunch?  It’s a reasonable question.  However, people like President Trump seem to understand that social media has become the nervous system of the American news business and political thinking. With one or two tweets, Trump can dominate cable TV, the web, newspapers and talk radio for an entire day.

The attention span of the average American and Canadian is about a few minutes before they need to skip to the next social media excerpt. The need for brief releases proved very successful during Trump’s campaign when he cultivated a Twitter fan base.  His core of supporters continue now  to hang on to his every tweet as if it were gospel.  In turn, the main stream media is forced to pay attention to President Trump’s tweets which have now become part and parcel of our daily news.  However, his continued use of Twitter has proven to be much more than a mere annoyance to Trump’s advisors and staff, since they must regularly respond to each nonsensical tweet by clarifying what the President actually meant to say in the tweets.

Now, we have Twitter co-founder Evan Williams apologizing for the fact that Twitter may have helped Trump become President. You see, Twitter tends to penalize nuance and moderation, while rewarding hot takes and bombast.  Twitter was intended as a research tool to allow individuals, governments and business share information and opinions about products and services through social media.  However, like any new technology, the Internet and Twitter can also be abused by anyone to put out “fake news” or spew hate and falsehoods instantaneously anywhere in the world.

Evan Williams is correct in suggesting that Twitter can create more problems than solutions, but he may be giving social media too much credit. I would suggest that the fact that over fifty percent of Americans and Canadians get their news from social media, their blind acceptance of such news and opinions without further investigation is the real problem.  One 2012 study further revealed that 51 percent of people age 25 to 34 use social networking at the office – more so than any other age group. Doesn’t look good for future generations!

I personally gather my information for my blogs from reputable news sources which are normally peer reviewed for their facts and accuracies. Without journalistic integrity, who is really to blame if individuals simply accept opinions or arguments put forward in tweets and social media as valid and truthful?  Like anything else, it’s buyer beware.  For all you know, one might be providing you with a bill of goods, biased and filled with falsehoods.  I also keep my blogging to four or five short paragraphs in recognition of our brief on-line attention spans.  Given Trump’s limited attention span, Twitter certainly appears to have been made for him.

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May 6

‘Trumpcare’ Danger Is What It Takes Away From Existing Health Insurance

by bcurry

Any politician worth his or her career will tell you that the hardest thing to do in government is to take away what currently exists in law or programs that affect their constituents. Obamacare was often seen as a ‘band-aid’ solution to long-standing problems with health care coverage in the U.S., either private or public. Prior to its introduction at the time, the government estimated that the number of people in the country without health insurance was about 47 million persons.  Furthermore, if the proportions remained constant, it was estimated that there might have been nearly 16 million people with a chronic condition but no insurance to pay for medical care.  Individuals with health preconditions could either not obtain health insurance or could not afford insurance due to much higher premiums.

What the Republicans have to worry about is a real danger to their control of the House and Senate in upcoming elections because of Trumpcare. Based on the current bill, budget analysts estimate 24 million people would lose insurance over a decade, 14 million in the first year. Older Americans would face higher costs. It also gives the states more leeway to reduce coverage under Medicare and Medicaid, as well changing other health care policies. The insurers that will almost certainly feel the strain are those who provide a lot of coverage through Medicaid, which is subsidized. The Democrats have already accused the GOP of favouring the rich over the poor with proposed changes under Trumpcare. One can bet that Democrats will carry this highly emotive issue into the next federal elections. Republicans up for re-election have already faced hostile opposition from affected constituents to the point where some Senators have vowed to write their own bill.

There’s a basic premise in politics that it is always harder for a ruling party to take away provisions or funding that exist under current laws. Given that Obamacare has been around for several years, Americans who have benefited are prepared to fight to maintain their access to health care under the present system. Despite assurances by the GOP and the President, Trumpcare represents a great number of uncertainties. With the health of millions of Americans, both young and old, at stake, these uncertainties represent a real danger to the GOP control of Congress. In dismantling the Affordable Care Act, the stakes are very high, especially if done in a quick and dirty fashion.  No issue has been more contentious in modern times.  If mishandled, this critical issue could eventually lead to the downfall of the GOP, one way or another.

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May 2

President Trump, Cozying Up To ‘Dictators’ Can Be Very Hazardous

by bcurry

In 1938, British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, flew to meet Germany’s Adolf Hitler at his private mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden in an attempt to resolve the Sudetenland crisis in Czechoslovakia. If history has taught us anything, Chamberlain’s appeasement policy made war much more likely because Hitler thought he could get away with anything.  Meetings between legitimate elected leaders and ‘dictators’ are seen as legitimizing ‘dictatorial’ regimes.

Trump’s description of Russia’s Vladimir Putin as a “nice guy” two years after Russia annexed Crimea from the Ukraine baffles one’s mind. The incursion by the Russian military was seen as responsible for the defeat of Ukrainian forces. Many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, implemented economic sanctions against Russia or Russian individuals or companies.  Amnesty International expressed its belief that Russia is fuelling the conflict, noting that there had been an estimated 8000 casualties resulting from the conflict.  The Russian Federation was accused of fuelling the ongoing violence with the presence and continuing influx of foreign fighters and sophisticated weapons and ammunition.  More recently, Putin has aligned himself with Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, who has used chemical weapons on his own citizens. Maybe, not so much a “nice guy” or one to be admired!

Now one sees President Trump continuing to outreach to rogue leaders, even declaring that he would meet North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un and Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte. Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung established a Stalinist state after the Korean War.  Kim has continued to build a huge military arsenal, including a nuclear potential, while human rights are abused and North Koreans are starving from a lack of food.  Of course, we are familiar with Duterte who is accused of supporting thousands of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in his country.

Having a face-to-face meeting between two or more businessmen is not the same thing as it is in the world of international diplomacy. You are not only the President of the world’s most powerful nation, but you are also a leader among ‘democratically elected’ national leaders.  You have alliances, both military and political, and their policies and positions must be respected.  The international community looks to you for coherent and strategic leadership, not showmanship.  Simply by meeting with the likes of Assad, Duterte and Kim can look like recognition of and support for their regimes, both internally and externally.  For the most part, this is exactly what they relish and seek out.  Such meetings will achieve very little towards resolving the real issues and dictatorial behaviour.  Only comprehensive and aggressive international actions and their economic and political consequences can help to prevent further abuses in these countries and future threats to global peace.  Indeed, beware of the Chamberlain effect!

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Apr 20

With Trump, ‘Brinksmanship’ Appears to be the Name of the Game

by bcurry

Brinksmanship is defined as the pursuit of a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping. When it comes to Syria, North Korea and Iran, it appears that President Trump is willing to employ this approach to his foreign policy. What is curious, is the fact that during his campaign Donald Trump indicated that he wanted the U.S. to avoid becoming the world’s policeman. Even then, his platform was and continues to be incoherent as evidenced on his changed stance on Russia and NATO. Putin was a good guy, now not so much!  NATO was obsolete, now not so much!  Worry about ISIS, not about Syria’s Assad regime. All that changed with the recent use of chemical weapons by Assad on civilians, including children.

I remember the Cuban blockade of Soviet Union cargo ships which was imposed unilaterally by President Kennedy in response to Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba. Fortunately, this scary example of brinksmanship did not lead to a full-out nuclear war because of delicate behind-the-scenes diplomatic negotiations with Moscow at the time. The U.S. had to agree to withdraw its missiles stationed in Turkey in exchange for the removal of the Soviet missiles from Cuba. Both sides came to their senses, and back room diplomacy saved the day.

The U.S. is today’s only real superpower. With respect to the proportion of its GDP in terms of military spending, it far outspends countries such as China and Russia. However, even though the U.S. currently has enough nuclear weapons to completely destroy any country, President Trump wants to increase its nuclear arsenal. Given such policies, one would think that other countries would see his position as a further threat to their internal and external political and economic objectives.  Whether one agrees or not with American intentions, launching unilateral military strikes against countries or carrying out military exercises off their shores is being interpreted as belligerent actions.  Moreover, saying that foreign regimes “must behave” sends an ‘inciteful’ message.

I would suggest that American behaviour has to also be in accordance with international laws and coherent foreign policy goals. The way to avoid brinksmanship is to keep open the lines of communication through diplomatic channels, including those of one’s allies.  Canada and its other NATO allies cannot afford to sit back, wait and watch as this dangerous drama unfolds on the international stage. It is incumbent upon America’s allies to provide a stabilizing effect when confronted with any form of brinksmanship. As during the Cuban crisis, we may be able to avoid future conventional wars, and even all-out nuclear conflicts.

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Apr 12

Why Expect Lifestyles of Political Leaders to Change Once They are Elected?

by bcurry

Well, here we go again with complaints about the costs of keeping Presidents and Prime Ministers in lifestyles they’re accustomed to. President Trump spends more time at his Trump Tower in New York and his Florida golf resort at Mar-a-Lago. American taxpayers are paying millions of extra dollars to provide additional security at both locations.  Everyone knew about Trump’s celebrity lifestyle, so why complain?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose father Pierre Elliot Trudeau led a lavish lifestyle, is continuing to frequent the hospitalities of rich friends. Like all prime ministers, Trudeau cannot fly on commercial airlines for security reasons and must instead travel on Department of National Defence Challenger jets, which cost about $10,000 per flying hour to operate. Sounds reasonable.

However, during winter holidays last year, the Trudeau’s flew to and stayed at the Paradise Beach Resort on the Caribbean island of Nevis. The private resort has a brand new collection of seven beachfront villas that come with their own personal butler and, apparently, monkeys.  Celebrity gossip site TMZ reported that Trudeau paid $2,500 US a night for a 3,400-square-foot villa.  Fortunately, Trudeau personally later picked up the bill for the pricey resort stay.

More recently, Trudeau and his family spent several days during a New Year’s vacation as the guest of the billionaire philanthropist, lobbyist and spiritual leader the Aga Khan at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. The Aga Khan’s island, Bell Island, is 115 km away from Nassau. A Canadian air force executive jet took the Trudeaus from Ottawa to Nassau. It was the Aga Khan’s private helicopter that took his family back and forth to Bell Island. This episode raised eyebrows because the federal Conflict of Interest Act prohibits ministers from using private aircraft without prior permission from Parliament’s conflict of interest commissioner. Apparently, Trudeau did not seek prior permission. Surprise, surprise!

Do you really expect Donald Trump or Justin Trudeau to change their celebrity ways? Complain all you might, but the electorate put them in power, lifestyles and all. After all, they’re both working to benefit us middle-class folk.

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Mar 14

A Letter to Precedent Trump

by bcurry

C/O Trump Tower, New York, N.Y., LOL999XOXO

Dear Precedent Trump:

Hi. Big fan here! I think that you are doing a tremendous job.  I don’t read or watch the fake news media which are always totally negative and the enemy of the American people according to your left-hand man Steve Bannon.  Instead, I rely on Brietbart and Fox News which gives us the real insight and alternative facts.  As for all those nasty terrorists, I fully support your ban on Moslums wanting to travel to our wonderful country and do harm.  These are bad dudes and need to be stopped.  Don’t let a bunch of supposed judges stop you.

As for your tweets, please keep them coming. I find them so informative and precedential. It’s important to get information right from the horse’s mouth.  Don’t let those late night TV shows discourage you, because they’re only concerned about ratings.  The American people need to know firsthand what you’re thinking, just like when you were on the ‘Apprentice’.

As for the Washington establishment, keep giving them the boot. Keep the campaign going.  Most good Republicans will continue to back you no matter what.  There are a lot of government agencies that we could do without, like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Labor Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Agency.  They just get in the way of businesses wanting to create good paying American jobs.  Chinese businesses don’t have to put up with all those environmental and health and safety regs.  Oops, that reminds me to fix my made-in-China glasses.

I am fully supportive of enlarging our brave armed forces, especially our ability to nuke other countries. It’s not enough that we already outspend Russia and China for defense by double and triple the amounts. Good for you telling those so-called NATO partners to contribute more to their own defenses.  They’re all a bunch of loafers.  Besides, Russians love you and Putin is really the nicest guy.  Nevertheless, it’s always good to have those nukes in your back pocket, just in case.

As for the planned wall with Mexico, I’m going to adorn it with good old American graffiti. If you need more bodies to patrol the border, I know a few fellows who would be more than happy to help out.  They’ll even bring their military-grade rifles and equipment.  Know what I mean?

Precedent Trump, keep up the terrific work. As we saw from the election, there are millions and millions of Americans behind you, given that you won the popular vote.  Keep on tweeting.

Sincerely, a fan.

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Mar 2

Trump is Now Being Called the ‘Blamer-in-Chief’ President

by bcurry

Apparently, former President Harry S. Truman kept a plaque on his White House desk that noted that the “buck stops here”. He was also quoted as saying: “If you can’t convince them; confuse them.” This latter quote appears to be Trump’s primary modus operandi.  As Commander-in-Chief he blames others, including former President Obama, and inanimate objects, like microphones, for problems that he is having or events that took place during the first month of his presidency and during his campaign.

Well, Mr. President, the buck stops with you. You wanted the job, now you’ve got it.  Deal with it.  I know that it’s hard for you — especially being an ‘extreme narcissist’. Blaming others rather than taking responsibility for your actions, including your administration’s mistakes, has a lot to do with narcissism.  In your previous life, you could control and manipulate the tabloids.  However, trying to blame mainstream media won’t work and inventing something referred to as “fake news” doesn’t hold water.  You need to take responsibility for the failure to get the facts right.

I pity your advisors who have to regularly interpret to the Press and the American public just what it is that you have said or have tweeted. It’s gets all very confusing and is not very presidential to say the least.  I suspect that following the recent resignation of your national security adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the use of “you’re fired” in the Oval Office will be heard loudly once again. Furthermore, there will be the continuing tendency to blame indiscretions by appointed advisors and Cabinet members on leaks for federal departments and agencies.

Mr. President, you need to get on with the job at hand, that of the nation’s highest elective office, and to stop whining. This is not a TV reality show called the ‘Blame Game’.  This is reality itself.  A president will make mistakes or have problems arise within and under his or her administration, just as a CEO incurs in any business.  Along with the high profile and perks, the president or CEO must accept accountability, whether personally justified or not.  It’s not enough to acknowledge successes, one must also take responsibility for failures.

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Feb 21

Is There a Difference Between a Failure to Tell the Truth and a Lie?

by bcurry

As a student of the English language, I find that the use of certain phrases and words is becoming somewhat confusing. This is particularly true within the “bafflegab” found in political speeches, government pronouncements and social media.  For example, decorum dictates that one should suggest that the person wasn’t exactly truthful or had misrepresented the truth.  We never imply that the person lied, as lying is considered disreputable in societal terms, except apparently when applied to politicians.

A “fact” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a thing that is indisputably the case”. A “lie” is defined as “an intentionally false statement”.  Usually facts are founded on science-based investigations or the results of thorough studies.  Yet, now we hear about something referred to as “alternative facts”.  I suppose it is O.K. to cherry pick and manipulate the facts if it can be rationalized.  However, wouldn’t such actions border on encouraging “lies”.

Then there is the new phenomenon referred to as “fake news”, which appears to alter facts in order to better reflect one’s preconceived ideas or opinions. Editorialists are known to interpret events and facts to support their views and opinions on issues.  Journalists on the other hand are supposed to base their reporting on the facts as they are known.  How reliable the facts are is in turn based on the dependability and accuracy of their sources.  Thorough fact-finding requirements do not occur in the case of “fake news”, which has increased with the growth of ‘social media’.  Recent studies have shown that about half the population depends on social media for their daily news, including fake news.

We also have individuals who, after being interviewed or speaking, declare that they “misspoke” at the time. Otherwise, they did not mean to say what they said at that time.  This gives the impression that they didn’t think before their mouth uttered certain statements.  Politicians apparently misspeak a lot nowadays.  However, they never lie!  All any of us can do is obtain our information from as many ‘reliable’ sources as possible.  We will then hopefully be in a better position to discern what are facts, lies, opinions or fake news.  Good luck, you’ll need it.

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Feb 12

President Trump, Please Keep Your Immigration Ban On

by bcurry

As a Canadian, I’m hoping that the President can keep some form of ban on the entry of people from certain countries. Why?  Simple, it may help Canada to fill a shortage of ‘knowledge workers’ in several industries. Needless-to-say, such a ban will hurt a number of sectors in the U.S.  A Canadian study in 2016 concluded that there will be as many as 182,000 high-paying technology jobs up for grabs in Canada by 2019. However, the country’s school systems aren’t producing enough high technology expertise to fill those positions.  Close to a million people are working in information and communications technology jobs in Canada, and almost half of all technology workers are employed in the professional and technical services industry. They also have a significant showing in health care, the public sector and in manufacturing.

The U.S. is also experiencing shortages of ‘knowledge workers’ in several sectors, forcing companies to recruit and bring in skilled labour from other countries. This includes countries such as the seven predominately Muslim countries listed in the immigration ban.  Let’s consider a couple of facts.  A recent research report by Goldman Sachs estimates that 900,000 to a million H-1B visa holders (highly skilled foreign workers) now reside in the United States, and that they account for up to 13 percent of U.S. technology jobs. Technology giants like Microsoft and Google, among some 97 American companies, have pressed for increases in the annual quotas, saying there are not enough Americans with the skills they need. The high tech sector is only one of several that will suffer because of such restrictions.  Reports are coming out of persons on visas now working in the medical field, university research and financial services.

Several American tech companies already keep satellite offices in Vancouver, British Columbia. A number of these firms are looking into the possibility of expanding their operations in Canada.  Immigration lawyers are reporting a steep uptick in inquiries from foreign-born tech workers worried their U.S. visas may disappear.  Canada is a country that welcomes immigrants with open arms, especially those with much needed skills.  Canadian entrepreneurs also have programs to help Bay Area immigrants and others relocate to Canada, particularly the hundreds of persons on temporary H-1B work visas affected by this temporary travel ban.

Canadian companies, hospitals and universities are not the only organizations ready to capitalize on Trump’s immigration executive order should it remain in place. A number of European firms and organizations are also in the market for ‘knowledge workers’, no matter what their countries of origin. Whether or not one agrees with such a travel ban, there are always those who will benefit from its shortfalls and short-sightedness.  After all, as is the case for trade and commerce, we live and work in a global labour market.

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Feb 9

Don’t Compare the Position of U.S. President to Canada’s Prime Minister

by bcurry

Recently, there was a poll taken in Canada comparing approval rates by Canadians for President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau. The poll looked at everything from the handling of policies related to the economy, security, immigration, foreign policy and health care — to name a few. However, such a comparison is really like comparing apples and oranges.  The role of the executive branch in the two governments varies greatly and the constitutional powers are significantly different.

Canada follows the Westminster system based on ‘parliamentary sovereignty’ and ‘responsible government’. The Prime Minister represents the political party with a majority of seats in the House of Commons, and the Cabinet is chosen from among the party’s elected sitting Members of Parliament.  For this reason, the PM depends on the support of his/her party to make policy and to pass laws in Parliament.  The President on the other hand is elected separately and chooses his/her cabinet usually from non-elected persons who support his/her policies.  While the PM sits in Parliament, the President must work to gather support from Congress to implement his/her policies.  The PM must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons to continue to form the government.  Otherwise, loss of a confidence vote in the House would mean that he/she must dissolve Parliament and usually call an election.  Moreover, the PM’s ability to formulate policies is very much dependent on the support of his party in Parliament, thereby limiting the PM’s ability to independently issue executive orders.  The President, unless he/she is impeached, normally resides comfortably for a four-year term.

The President is the civilian Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. He has the authority to command them to take appropriate military action in the event of a sudden crisis and certain circumstances.  In Canada, the Queen is the head of state, and the Governor General officially represents her in the country.  The Queen is therefore the Commander in Chief, although through the Governor General as her representative.  The PM and the Government is somewhat limited in what military actions can be undertaken without Parliamentary approval, especially where new funding is required.  None-the-less, in domestic or foreign crisis, the PM and the Cabinet can react as needed under certain circumstances.  However, as in the U.S., there can be political consequences and negative electorate reactions to such actions.

Let’s face it, President Trump does not reflect all the views and positions of Republicans in both houses of Congress, especially when it comes to matters of free trade and immigration. Prime Minister Trudeau has no choice but to reflect the majority wishes of his party, which in this case is the governing Liberal Party.  Therefore, to compare the policies of a President and Prime Minister isn’t really a fair comparison, especially when you have a President issuing so many ‘executive statements’ without any direct Congressional involvement.  Furthermore, there appear to be a substantial amount of overt differences of positions between President Trump’s policies and the Republican Party.  Such overt differences could not happen in Canada given the need for Party solidarity to continue governing under the Parliamentary system. Thus, forget any irrelevant comparisons between the two and polls like the one by the National Post.

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