WePurrsevere
WePurrsevere's JournalA couple reasons... 1)Campaign funds can be used for legal defense...
if incurred as a result of their run for office.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-close-to-choosing-outside-counsel-for-russia-investigation/2017/05/22/8709f62e-3f22-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.10c9ed33673f
>>But campaign finance lawyers said Trump could probably draw funds from his reelection committee to cover legal expenses related to the Russia inquiries, including money donated this year.
“When it comes to legal expenses, the test is whether the expenses would have been incurred irrespective of the campaign,” said Daniel Petalas, a Washington campaign-finance lawyer who served as the Federal Election Commission’s acting general counsel and head of enforcement. “So if the allegation is Trump — either as candidate or officeholder — is facing legal costs as a result of those statuses, then he is entitled to use his campaign funds to defray the legal expenses.” <<
Pence can use them too:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/16/politics/mike-pence-campaign-attorney/index.html
Vice President Mike Pence has hired a pricey personal defense lawyer amid the mounting Russia investigation -- but how exactly is he going to pay for it?
Pence, who unlike his boss is not independently wealthy, could possibly use funds from the Trump-Pence re-election campaign or from Pence's new PAC, which is hosting a fundraiser Friday, to pay Richard Cullen, the chairman of McGuireWoods LLP.
2) Trump has never stopped running for office he already has. These ongoing PR rallies could be covered by by campaign funds.
3) Leftover campaign funds can't be used for personal use BUT they can be donated to other political campaigns OR charities... like... oh say... Ivanka's or any other Trump non-profit and those non-profits can pay a salary to those that run it.
http://www.newsobserver.com/latest-news/article158526404.html
So... just because Trump has filed for re-election doesn't mean he's actually going to RUN in 2020. It could only be so he can keep the campaign funds he has, and is still raising, handy. For him it's a win-win.
Official White House Tweet About ACA With Alt Facts/Math
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/879411199934443520"FACT: when #Obamacare was signed, CBO estimated that 23M would be covered in 2017. They were off by 100%. Only 10.3M people are covered."
If you can see Twitter most of the replies to this are worth a read.
Timelines: Russia and Trump, etc
The ones at the link my eldest daughter just sent me seem to be quite extensive but please feel free to add other timelines, diagrams, etc that might help us keep things straight. Goodness knows my head is often spinning with the constant flood of info and I know others have mentioned feeling much the same. 
http://billmoyers.com/story/the-trump-resistance-plan-a-timeline-russia-and-president-trump/
Investigative reporters have begun to flesh out the Trump/Russia timeline. To keep everything in one location, here’s an updated summary (so far).
Impeachment of the president, explained (Source: Vox)
This seems to match what I learned eons ago so I thought it might be interesting and perhaps helpful given all that's going on with Trump ATM.
Like so many others I'd love to see him and his whole cabal disappear like NOW but there's a process and unfortunately for us it's not normally a speedy one.
"The history and logistics of trying and removing the president from office."
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/12/15615066/impeachment-trump-process-history
.
President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey has raised questions about whether he was trying to obstruct an investigation into his campaign and associates. And this, not even four months into Trump’s term, has led to chatter about impeachment — the process by which a president can be charged with “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and removed from office if he is convicted of those charges.
For the moment, this chatter is just that. It’s quite difficult to impeach, convict, and remove a president from office — so much so that’s it’s never happened in US history. (Two presidents have been impeached but acquitted; another resigned to avoid near-certain impeachment.) So far, we are not even remotely close to this politically charged process getting started for Trump, let alone actually happening.
But if you’re interested in understanding how impeachment works, the important thing to know is that while it looks and feels a whole lot like a legal or judicial process, in practice it is dominated by politics from start to finish.
That’s because, rather than being run by any courts, impeachment and any ensuing presidential trial are carried out by the House of Representatives and the Senate, which are partisan bodies
Continue reading for more info at the link above.
Delusional Trump says if election held now 'I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8'
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/12/trump-says-if-election-were-held-now-i-would-win-by-a-lot-more.htmlPresident Donald Trump said he has seen new poll numbers that make clear if the presidential election were held now "I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8."
"And I think we're doing a great job," Trump said.
Trump's brash claims, which contradict recent public polls that show his already low approval ratings are falling even lower, came during an exclusive interview with NBC News at the White House.
"We had a group in the other day with poll numbers that were so good," Trump said in a clip that aired on the "TODAY" show Friday.
"That were so good, so strong, that if the election were held today, I would win by a lot more than I did on November 8," Trump told NBC's Lester Holt.
Umm... Wow... He really is totally delusional... unless... he knows Russia would 'help' him again.
FWIW - Info And The WHOLE Tumpcare Bill Passed By The House
Aka: H.R.1628 - American Health Care Act of 2017
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1628/text
ETA: Apparently the above doesn't include the MacArthor Amendment. Did the Upton Amendment pass too. It's here as well...
http://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=105944
I wanted to see the exact wording on a few things and thought I'd share it here for others use, dissection and discussion. 
Trump Delivering Keynote At Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony in DC Tues
https://www.ushmm.org/information/press/press-releases/president-trump-to-speak-at-days-of-remembrance
During DOR, the Museum leads the nation in remembering the victims of the Holocaust and honoring the survivors. Every president since the Museum opened in 1993 (President Clinton, 1993 at the Museum dedication ceremony; President Bush, 2001; and President Obama, 2009) has participated in DOR commemorations. (Presidents Carter, 1979, and Reagan, 1981 and 1982, also participated.)
During the ceremony, six candles are lit by a Holocaust survivor accompanied by a member of Congress in memory of the victims. The annual observance also recognizes the American troops who liberated the Nazi concentration camps by opening with a procession of flags from each of the US Army liberating divisions.
"The Blueprint for Corporate Rule" (The Powell Memorandum)
I had totally forgotten about this until I saw it mentioned in a Tweet today so I did a quick search for a refresher and thought I'd share this article here.
If you've ever wondered how we've gotten to where we are with the Chamber of Commerce and corporations having so much power, etc I think you might find learning about this memo interesting in a 'know your enemy' way. The HuffPo article is an older one but seems like as good place to start as any.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlie-cray/40-years-ago-this-week-th_b_935486.html
Forty years ago this week, Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., an attorney from Richmond, Virginia, drafted a confidential memorandum for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that described a strategy for the corporate takeover of the dominant public institutions of American society.
-snip-
An astute observer of the business community and broader social trends, Powell was a former president of the American Bar Association and a board member of tobacco giant Philip Morris and other companies. In his memo, he detailed a series of possible “avenues of action” that the Chamber and the broader business community should take in response to fierce criticism in the media, campus-based protests, and new consumer and environmental laws.
-snip-
Because it signaled the beginning of a major shift in American business culture, political power and law, the Powell memo essentially marks the beginning of the business community’s multi-decade collective takeover of the most important institutions of public opinion and democratic decision-making. At the very least, it is the first place where this broad agenda was compiled in one document.
That shift continues today, with corporate influence over policy and politics reaching unprecedented new dimensions. The decades-long drive to rethink legal doctrines and ultimately strike down the edifice of campaign finance laws - breaking radical new ground with the Roberts Court’s decision in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission - continues apace.
More interesting info at the link above.
Pfft! Trump's budget director takes aim at SSDI & therefore DISABLED Americans
“Let me ask you a question, do you really think that Social Security disability insurance is part of what people think of when they think of Social Security? I don’t think so,” he said, with a slight grin on his face. “It’s the fastest growing program. It was — it grew tremendously under President Obama. It’s a very wasteful program and we want to try and fix that.”
[God/dess but I want to wipe that smirk off this pond scums face. YouTube clip at article's link below]
-snip-
In 2015, the federal government spent $143 billion on SSDI, which is primarily financed by the Social Security payroll tax. This totals around 4 percent of the federal budget. The average monthly benefit for disabled workers in January 2017 was $1,171.25.
SSDI has its own trust fund that is separate from the Social Security program’s funds reserved for retirees and survivors. The National Academy of Social Insurance illustrates how disability insurance and funds for old age and survivors are financed the same way but administered by two different funds, both run by the Social Security Administration:
The program largely benefits older Americans who have worked decades and are near retirement age. The “I” in SSDI stands for insurance because workers pay into this program so it is there for them when they need it. The average SSDI recipient has worked 22 years, and 75 percent of those who benefit are 50 years old or older. Recall that 53 percent of voters ages 50 and over supported President Trump during the election in November.
It is hardly an easy program to enroll in — the Social Security Administration rejects a majority of those who apply for disability payments. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities notes that fewer than 400 of 1,000 initial applications for approval are accepted.
https://theintercept.com/2017/03/20/trump-budget-director-takes-aim-at-wasteful-social-security-program-that-helps-disabled-americans/
Taking aim at any benefits people who are disabled enough to get approved for, no less stay on, SSDI is just friggin SADISTIC and may karma bite anyone who does so in the ass HARD.
Is there "waste"? Quite possibly at least a bit since most government programs tend to be a bit bloated but those on SSDI *NEED* the little bit of $$ they get to SURVIVE. Working, even part-time, isn't an option for most and the vast majority that I've known over the years would highly prefer to be healthy and able to work for the satisfaction and, in many cases, higher incomes instead of struggling to get by, often needing to use some or all of the safety net that the GOP are working on tearing apart.
(I'm unfamiliar with this as a source but the YouTube video at the link agrees with what Mulvaney said AND the info about SSDI is very close if not 100% accurate according to my research and personal experience.)
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Gender: Do not displayHometown: Upstate NY
Current location: NY's 21st District
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