FEATURE ARTICLES. A TRUMP VISION OF THE U.S.?

WHAT ARE THE TRUE GOALS OF A DONALD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND WHAT WILL SUCH POLICIES MEAN TO ALL AMERICANS, NOW, AND IN THE FUTURE?

HERE IS A SHORT LIST TO CONSIDER:

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS                                      REPUBLICANS.

            SUPPORT.

                                                                                        

                                                                                         

-  UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.                                         OPPOSE ALL

-  RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE.                                           OF

-  LEGALIZING SAME- SEX MARRIAGE.                              THESE.

-  RESTRICTIONS AND DISCLOSURE LAWS,                       

   ON CONTROLLING  CAMPAIGN SPENDING.

-  PROVIDING SANCTUARY FOR WAR REFUGEES 

   FROM SYRIA.

... AND STRICT GUN CONTROL LAWS.

WHAT CAN WE TAKE FROM THIS?

It is a List that gives us a snapshot OF WHAT IS CONSIDERED IMPORTANT TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ON A NATIONAL LEVEL. ( OR ISN'T IMPORTANT, TAKE YOUR PICK.)

It can also give us INSIGHT INTO WHY THEY ARE ANXIOUS TO DEMONIZE ENTIRE GROUPS OF HUMAN BEINGS, WHICH INCLUDES FELLOW AMERICANS, WHO ARE GUILTY OF NOTHING.

HOW SO?

REPUBLICANS DO NOT SUPPORT

ANYTHING ON THE LIST, EVEN THOUGH IT...

-  Gives different groups of AMERICAN CITIZENS 

RELIEF FROM SPECIFIC CAUSES OF ECONOMIC 

DISTRESS. ( UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, RAISING

THE MINIMUM WAGE.)

-  Offers an OPPORTUNITY FOR COUPLES OF THE 

SAME GENDER, TO ENTER INTO A LEGAL AND MORAL

MARRIAGE CONTRACT. 

-  Expands or Creates Laws that Limit Campaign Spending, and

Discloses Lists of Prominent Donors.

-  Expands Gun Control Laws To:  REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS,

LIMIT PRIVATE GUN SALES, RESTRICT THE SALE OF

AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. 

-  OFFERS REFUGE TO WAR VICTIMS, WHO ALREADY

HAVE TO PASS A COMPREHENSIVE BACKGROUND CHECK, AND

HAVE NEVER BEEN ACCUSED OF HARMING ANYONE.

WITH THE ABOVE IN MIND, LET US ASK THE FOLLOWING:

QUESTION #1.

WHICH PART OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS

HARMED BY ANY OF THESE?

IF SO, HOW, AND IS THE HARM ENOUGH TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT

THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ANY CITIZEN?

QUESTION #2.

DO ANY OF THESE ALLEVIATE HARDSHIP, OR CAUSE IT?

QUESTION #3.

WHO BENEFITS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS LIST,

AND WHO SUFFERS?

QUESTION #4.

DOES THIS LIST VIOLATE ANY PORTION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION,

IF SO, HOW?

QUESTION #5-  DO ANY OF THESE REMEDY PAST INJUSTICES,

OR ELIMINATE ANY INEQUALITIES FOUND IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, OR IN CIVIL LAW.

??????

Date- 12/10/2015.

ETHICS AND MORALITY. RIGHTS- WHAT THEY ARE, AND WHAT THEY ARE NOT. PT 2.

Rights, when we are discussing the Public Sector, generally fall into two categories;

1)  HUMAN RIGHTS-  These are Protections, Freedoms, and Guarantees that are bestowed upon individuals by virtue of their being part of the Human Race.  To a certain degree some of these may be applied to all living things, but only to a certain extent and varies depending on specific situations.

2) CITIZENS RIGHTS-  Are granted by a governing body with the legal authority over a specified jurisdiction, to individuals identified as part of the recognized civil population.  These Rights can vary greatly, depending on the source of Authority.  i.e (Constitutional Republic, Monarchy, Oligarchy, Dictatorial etc.)

This brings us to the concept of CIVIL RIGHTS, which is basically a sub-category

of CITIZENS RIGHTS. The main difference is;

     -  Rights given to all Citizens may include the ability to chose a System of Morality and/or Faith that is constructed by the individual, and is not interfered with by the State.  Further, that one cannot be held either Criminally or Civilly for Behavior or Speech that others consider offensive.

      -  Civil Rights are guarantees set up by the State/Government, that protect individuals from Malicious, Discriminatory, Arbitrary and Hateful acts that target them specifically as a single person or as part of a group. These Rights apply to both the Public and Private sectors.  Civil Rights are basically set up to"Level the Playing Field", in which no single person or group has an unfair advantage over other parts of society.

However they are applied, not all Rights are created equal.  Some can never be taken away, Some are Valid only in certain cases and others may be given up voluntarily.

There is one main rule that applies to all Rights:  NO ONE CAN EXERCISE A RIGHT, WHICH AT THE SAME TIME VIOLATES THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS.

End of PT 2.

My favorite off-off-Broadway performance. HILLARY CLINTON.

David -- A few weeks ago, I spent a little time at my favorite off-off-Broadway performance: my granddaughter Charlotte’s annual spring dance recital. Watching her wave and spin among her friends, I felt so grateful to be a part of her big day. I can’t say that I’m completely free from the frustration and sadness I felt after the 2016 election, but spending time with family never fails to give me hope. The same can be said for the time I’ve spent lately with some incredible leaders, from the group of women journalists I met in DC last month who have risked their lives to report on human rights violations in Georgia, corruption in China, and more, to the the artists, authors, and thinkers at the PEN World Voices festival who are fighting to defend free expression and freedom of the press -- around the world and right here at home. And of course, I’m always inspired by the incredible organizations that Onward Together partners with. On Monday, we held our first-ever Onward Together convening, where the organizers and activists behind these groups and I had the chance to make plans for the next few months and beyond. I was so glad to see all of them, including the team at Voto Latino, who are behind some of the most thoughtful organizing of the last few years. Take a moment to learn a little more about them, and then head back out into the fight re-energized and ready to win. Onward! Hillary Onward Together works to build a brighter future for generations to come by supporting groups that encourage people to organize in their communities or run for office. Because you're an important part of Onward Together, we wanted you to get a chance to know these groups a little bit better. To learn more about Onward Together, click here. The organization: Voto Latino The organizers: María Teresa Kumar, President and CEO The mission: To build a stronger and more inclusive democracy by providing culturally relevant programs that engage, educate, and empower Latinos to shake up politics. The story: Voto Latino began as a PSA-based project in 2004 and evolved into a pioneering civic media organization that shakes up the political process by engaging the fastest growing, second largest group of citizens -- American Latinos. In the last 14 years, they’ve built a dedicated social media following that reaches over 10 million people weekly and cultivated a strong base of support from cross-industry arts, media, and pop culture influencers. Through three core competencies -- issue advocacy, leadership development, and civic engagement -- they have registered more than half a million voters, co-founded National Voter Registration Day, and can run and scale digital programs aimed at Latinos in all 50 states through tested social platforms, partnerships, and strategic digital targeting. The latest: Voto Latino is launching a massive nationwide voter registration and civic engagement campaign leading up to the 2018 elections and 2020 census, including a strong digital campaign and a new version of VoterPal, the first-of-a-kind peer-to-peer voter registration app that promises to disrupt how we engage new voters. Voto Latino deeply believes that it’s time to go back to basics. By May, they will have trained over 300 new organizers in California’s Central Valley alone. Look out for them in eight states this summer, in addition to Los Dells, the nation's premier Latin American music festival over Labor Day, where Voto Latino will be the official voter registration partner. The next step: Head to votolatino.org to learn more about where and how Latino voters can shape the 2018 elections.

[D-52] Photos from the trail. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE PAT RYAN.

Hi David, April was a busy month on the campaign trail and I wanted to catch you up on what we’ve been doing on the ground here in NY-19. We turned in thousands of petitions to officially get my name on the ballot. We also started counting down the days to my primary like we did in the Army. We’re now at [D-52] and we’ve got a lot of work to do. Our team has been crushing our field goals and we’re ramping up our TV and online communication plans this month. Here are some of my favorite highlights from April on the trail: Stopped by Keegan Ales right here in Kingston to learn about making beer and the booming microbrewing industry here in our district. Great group of folks -- and the brewery is just a short walk from our campaign office. On the trail, people ask me about how to get young people involved in politics and for me, the best way is to meet them where they’re at. So I headed over to SUNY New Paltz to hang out with the College Dems and we talked about what’s on their mind: healthcare, tuition and student loans, and criminal justice reform. My lovely wife, Rebecca, joined me for lunch at family-run Dietz Stadium Diner (one of my old hangouts back in high school) to talk with NY-19 voters about what issues they’re focused on this cycle. What strikes me in these conversations is how optimistic folks in NY-19 are about our future, even with the current state of politics. My Field Organizer, Ciara and I spent the day knocking doors in Amenia. We met Maxine, who is thrilled that I’m running to replace Faso and loved that we came to her door. She even asked us to put a sticker on the bird feeder on her front post so all her neighbors could see! The team and I also took a stop after canvassing to meet with friends and volunteers at Crossroads Brewing Company in Catskill. Love connecting with local businesses in the district to see how I can go to work for them in Congress. Ran into Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at the NYS Democratic Rural Conference. Her former House district overlapped with NY-19 and as I travel to those parts of our district, I often think of how Kirsten connected to voters and outworked her opponent to win the race. Sen. Gillibrand is a true progressive champion who fights tirelessly for all of us here in NY-19 and across the state. I spent Earth Day with my Uncle Mike, cousin Sally-Marie, Aunt Jackie, my wife Rebecca, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Barbara and enjoyed the landscape and the beauty of NY-19. I want to protect our planet so that my kids can enjoy our beautiful landscape like I did growing up. Here’s a photo of me phone banking with New Paltz High School students. The next day I spoke at my alma mater, Kingston High School. Really pumped to see these students get engaged in politics and humbled that they chose to volunteer for my campaign. Our campaign team stopped by Keegan Ales after the Radio Kingston forum to celebrate our field organizer Max’s birthday. Thanks for giving your all every day Max!  Having the chance to talk with voters across the district has been my favorite part of this campaign. Thanks to everyone who’s canvassing, phone banking, coming out to events, and donating to our campaign. Our momentum on the ground is strong. I can’t do this without you all. Want to join the fun? We're looking for volunteers to knock on doors and make phone calls with us to make sure our message reaches across our district. If you're interested, reach out to our amazing Field Director Brit at Brit@patryanforcongress.com. I’m looking forward to another great month on the trail meeting voters and sharing what motivates me to run this race. Thanks for being on our team. Talk soon, Pat