WE CAN TRUST DONALD

A lot of people don’t trust Hillary, but we can all trust Donald Trump. For example, we can trust him to tell outrageous lies. He said that he objected to the dates of the proposed debates with Hillary because the dates conflicted with major league football games. He said that the NFL had written to him objecting to the proposed dates because of these conflicts.

However, the NFL stated they had written no such letter to Trump!

Since the beginning of his campaign he has made such disgraceful, untruthful claims. Furthermore, when confronted with his falsehoods, he has continued to insist that they are true, like the claim that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey were cheering after 9/11.

He has to know that he would be caught out in his claim about the letter from the NFL. Why would he even say such things? It seems to be a cynical view that despite the obviously lies, some of his followers would continue to believe him.

It is clear, of course, why he does not want to debate Hillary. He doesn’t have a chance against her. She will destroy him. Her insight into what is going on in the world and her logic against his uninformed rant. It would be no contest. 

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF, MR. TRUMP?

Donald Trump still refuses to release his income taxes, unlike every presidential candidate going back several decades. What doesn’t he want us to see? It can’t be good. It must be something that he is ashamed of.

Writing in the Washington Post, Chris Cillizza offers several possibilities.

1. Maybe Trump has major investments in Russia. That would explain his admiration for Vladimir Putin and his willingness to let NATO fall by the wayside. No wonder Russia is hacking Democratic computers and doing what it can to help Trump win the election.

2. He is being audited. Evidently he is. That didn’t stop Richard Nixon from releasing his taxes during an audit.

3. Maybe he didn’t pay any taxes. During the 1970s he did not pay any taxes for two years in a row. I haven’t paid income taxes since I retired from teaching 11 years ago because I don’t make enough money to be taxed on my income. But I am not pretending to be a crackerjack businessman.

4. Maybe he has ties to the mob. Ted Cruz brought that up during the primary campaign (Nice guy!) I don’t really think that’s the reason Trump is hiding whatever his income taxes would reveal. But his secrecy makes you wonder.

5. He donates very little money to charity. That is certainly credible. He has shown himself to be a cheapskate on several occasions.

6. He’s not as rich as he says. That’s another credible charge. While he obviously has a lot of money, it might not be as much as he says. To reveal that his statements about the size of his fortune is another empty boast, would damage his ego.

Mark Cuban suggested that possibly Trumps income taxes would reveal that he paid more in taxes that Trump made. It could be.

Anyway it comes down to this: Donald Trump is applying for the job of President of the United States. Since he has no public service experience, his major qualification, according to him, is his experience as a highly successful businessman. His income tax should support his assertion. If he is unwilling to share that with the public, we should not vote for him.

If you or I apply for a job and have a blank spot on our resume, say from 2009-2010, the employer would naturally wonder what we were doing during those years. If we refused to tell, there is no way we would get the job. Donald Trump is refusing to let us know how his business has been doing in the last few years. We would have to be really stupid to take his word for his business success in those years. We would not hire anyone for a sensitive position if that person refused to reveal what he was doing for two years. We should not hire anyone who claims to be qualified by virtue of his successful business experience if that person refuses to show us evidence of that experience.

GOP CONVENTION SPEAKER

No one knows what will happen at the GOP Convention in Cleveland, but whatever it is, it probably won’t be pretty. Former Republican Presidents and Presidential candidates have announced that they won’t be there. Donald Trump is even having trouble getting prominent Republicans to speak at the event.

In one of the strangest developments in this Strangest Show on Earth, rumors are circulating that the Donald will ask former Presidential candidate Dr. Carl Perrin to speak in Cleveland. What! Perrin is a life-long Democrat. How can anyone think that he would even consider speaking at the Republican convention, especially one that is poised to nominate Donald Trump?

We must emphasize that this is only rumor, a rumor that we have not been able to verify from other sources. According to this rumor, Trump is really desperate to get speakers for the big event, and although Perrin is not nationally known, within his small circle, a lot of people know him. Further, according to the story, the retired English professor will be able to speak on any topic he wants. The Trump people are even suggesting that Perrin will be encouraged to talk about cheap beer.

You can see the dilemma that puts Perrin in. People who know him are aware of much he likes to talk about cheap beer. As one close associate said, “He won’t shut up about cheap beer.” Will this life-long Democrat go to the convention in Cleveland and witness the possible nomination of the least-qualified presidential candidate ever in order to get a chance to talk to the country about cheap beer?

Only time will tell.