February 17, 2017

Another congressional office lockout - New Mexico

Yes, NM-02's very own representative of the 1%, Steve Pearce.

At a time when Republican Congresspersons are under fire for cutting off town halls and canceling public events, New Mexico’s sole Tea Party Congressman just went one step further.

Thursday afternoon, over fifty people from around New Mexico’s Second Congressional District – some traveling from more than 100 miles away – came together at the Las Cruces field office of their Congressional Representative, Steve Pearce, during office hours to ask for a chance to talk to their Congressman face-to-face about his support for President Trump.

But the staff snuck out the back door then refused to open the front door or take phone calls. Then it turned into a thing.

It all started with an awkward Telephone Town Hall

The first caller was probably a shill, started off with a bunch of ass-kissing, then rattled on without asking a question.

Promptly at 1:30pm, just as constituents were arriving to meet, the office locked the door. ProgressNowNM’s local organizer Lucas Herndon caught Pearce’s outreach coordinator, Peter Ibarbo, slunk out the back door, jump in his truck and drive away.

Driving away, Ibarbo tells constituents that staff is in the office to meet with those gathering. BUT… they found the doors locked and staff refused to answer the phone.

Here's the rest, with videos:
[link:http://progressnownm.org/2017/02/16/rep-steve-pearce-and-his-staff-refuse-to-see-or-hear-constituents/|

February 11, 2017

Poor suffering trumpsters

I know comments like this have been posted before, but this is the most extensive list I've seen:

A Trump supporting Facebook friend told Scott Mednick, "We suffered for eight years. Now it’s your turn.”
Scott wrote a brilliant response asking how exactly his friend had suffered under Obama:
"I am surprised you would wish suffering upon me. That of course is your right, I suppose. I do not wish harm on anyone. Your statement seems to continue the ‘US v THEM’ mentality. The election is over. It is important to get past campaigning and campaign rhetoric and get down to what is uniting, not dividing and what is best for
ALL Americans.
There will never be a President who does everything to everyone’s liking. There are things President Obama (and President Clinton) did that I do not like and conversely there are things I can point to that the Presidents Bush did that I agree with. So I am not 100% in lock step with the outgoing President but have supported him and the overall job he did.
And, if you recall, during the Presidential Campaign back in 2008 the campaign was halted because of the "historic crisis in our financial system." Wall Street bailout negotiations intervened in the election process. The very sobering reality was that there likely could be a Depression and the world financial markets could collapse. The United States was losing 800,000 jobs a month and was poised to lose at least 10 million jobs the first year once the new President took office. We were in an economic free-fall. So let us recall that ALL of America was suffering terribly at the beginning of
Obama’s Presidency.
But I wanted to look back over the last 8 years and ask you a few questions. Since much of the rhetoric before Obama was elected was that he would impose Sharia Law, Take Away Your Guns, Create Death Panels, Destroy the Economy, Impose Socialism and, since you will agree that NONE of this came to pass,
I was wondering:
Why have you suffered so?
So let me ask:
Gays and Lesbians can now marry and enjoy the benefits they had been deprived of. Has this caused your suffering?
When Obama took office, the Dow was 6,626. Now it is 19,875. Has this caused your suffering?
We had 82 straight months of private sector job growth - the longest streak in the history of the United States. Has this caused
your suffering?
Especially considering where he the economy was when he took over, an amazing 11.3 million new jobs were created under President Obama (far more than President Bush). Has this caused
your suffering?
Obama has taken Unemployment from 10% down to 4.7%. Has this caused your suffering?
Homelessness among US Veterans has dropped by half. Has this caused your suffering?
Obama shut down the US secret overseas prisons. Has this caused your suffering?
President Obama has created a policy for the families of fallen soldiers to have their travel paid for to be there when remains are flown home. Has this caused your suffering?
We landed a rover on Mars. Has this caused your suffering?
He passed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Has this caused your suffering?
Uninsured adults has decreased to below 10%: 90% of adults are insured - an increase of 20 Million Adults. Has this caused
your suffering?
People are now covered for pre-existing conditions. Has this caused your suffering?
Insurance Premiums increased an average of $4,677 from 2002-2008, an increase of 58% under Bush. The growth of these
insurance premiums has gone up $4,145 – a slower rate of increase. Has this caused your suffering?
Obama added Billions of dollars to mental health care for our Veterans. Has this caused your suffering?
Consumer confidence has gone from 37.7 to 98.1 during Obama’s tenure. Has this caused your suffering?
He passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Has this caused
your suffering?
His bi-annual Nuclear Summit convinced 16 countries to give up and destroy all their loose nuclear material so it could not be stolen. Has this caused your suffering?
He saved the US Auto industry. American cars sold at the beginning of his term were 10.4M and upon his exit 17.5M. Has this caused your suffering?
The deficit as a percentage of the GDP has gone from 9.8% to 3.2%. Has this caused your suffering?
The deficit itself was cut by $800 Billion Dollars. Has this caused
your suffering?
Obama preserved the middle class tax cuts. Has this caused
your suffering?
Obama banned solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons. Has this caused your suffering?
He signed Credit Card reform so that rates could not be raised without you being notified. Has this caused your suffering?
He outlawed Government contractors from discriminating against LGBT persons. Has this caused your suffering?
He doubled Pell Grants. Has this caused your suffering?
Abortion is down. Has this caused your suffering?
Violent crime is down. Has this caused your suffering?
He overturned the scientific ban on stem cell research. Has this caused your suffering?
He protected Net Neutrality. Has this caused your suffering?
Obamacare has extended the life of the Medicare insurance trust fund (will be solvent until 2030). Has this caused your suffering?
President Obama repealed Don't Ask Don't Tell. Has this caused
your suffering?
He banned torture. Has this caused your suffering?
He negotiated with Syria to give up its chemical weapons and they were destroyed. Has this caused your suffering?
Solar and Wind Power are at an all time high. Has this caused
your suffering?
High School Graduation rates hit 83% - an all time high. Has this caused your suffering?
Corporate profits are up by 144%. Has this caused your suffering?
He normalized relations with Cuba. Has this caused your suffering?
Reliance on foreign oil is at a 40 year low. Has this caused your suffering?
US Exports are up 28%. Has this caused your suffering?
He appointed the most diverse cabinet ever. Has this caused
your suffering?
He reduced the number of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Has this caused your suffering?
Yes, he killed Osama Bin Laden and retrieved all the documents in his possession for analysis. Perhaps THIS caused your suffering?
From an objective standpoint it would appear that the last eight years have seen some great progress and we were saved from a financial collapse. Things are not perfect. Things can always be better. We are on much better footing now than we were in 2008.
I look forward to understanding what caused you to suffer so much under Obama these last eight years."
Copy & paste to share. I hope you will.

February 10, 2017

Is ICE Becoming the Border Nazis?

This was posted previously, but didn't seem to get much attention. This is serious stuff; looks like Immigration & Customs Enforcement is self-appointing itself menacing powers based on trump's proclamations and to hell with the courts.

Canadian woman denied entry to U.S. after Muslim prayers found on her phone

Fadwa Alaoui is a Moroccan-born Canadian citizen living in Brossard, Quebec. Like a lot of Quebecers, she sometimes drives down to Vermont to take advantage of the deals. But on Saturday, when her family pulled up at the border, Alaoui encountered something new.
After the usual set of questions, Alaoui says she was asked about her religion and her thoughts on U.S. President Donald Trump. She says border agents took her phone and fingerprints. Four hours later she was told that her family wasn't welcome and she was forced to turn back.
The rest of the article:

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.3972400/canadian-woman-denied-entry-to-u-s-after-muslim-prayers-found-on-her-phone-1.3972404

February 5, 2017

Temper Tantrums

Our local online news site has posted a couple of editorials about demonstrators' "temper tantrums". Since the only tantrums I've noticed have emanated from the White House, I responded as follows:

Temper Tantrums?
There have been a couple of recent editorials referring to “temper tantrums” at protests over the president’s actions. For example:
“When Obama was elected, when Clinton was elected, when George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were elected, people who didn't vote for them didn't throw a temper tantrum because they lost, and they certainly didn't hire people to torch cars and break store windows on the day of our peaceful transition of power when the presidents came into office.”

Yes, a few people have let their anger get out of control; there is no evidence that anyone was “hired” to vandalize.

The four presidents mentioned above were elected and accepted as reasonable men.
None of them insulted leaders of other countries.
None of them stalked their opponent during a debate and called her “nasty”.
None of them refused to release their tax returns.
None of them threatened their opponent with arrest and prison.
None of them appointed a Nazi racist as a chief advisor
None of them claimed to be immune from conflicts of interest.
None of them have nominated cabinet members whose records show they will disable the agencies to which they have been appointed.
None of them have promised to “Run the country like I run my businesses”, six of which have gone into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Never have we had a Congress so determined to undermine the programs we depend on: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.
Never have we had so many Republican Senators and Representatives who do not represent their constituents, but are only capable of rubber-stamping the destructive policies of party leaders.

No, it is not temper tantrums we see, but a quiet rage that is building and will continue to build until the Legislative Branch recognizes this rage and reins in both themselves and the administration.

John
Mimbres, New Mexico

February 2, 2017

New Mexico Senator, Rep at opposites on Gorsuch

Press releases from Senator Tom Udall and Rep. Steve Pearce:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tom Udall made the following statement on President Trump's nomination of Federal Appeals Court Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court:
"I will thoroughly review the record of Judge Gorsuch and listen to the people of New Mexico before deciding how I will proceed with considering his nomination and how I will vote. However, I almost always disagreed with Justice Scalia's opinions and politics, and I believe the nation would be better off with a more mainstream, centrist justice in his seat. President Trump received nearly 3 million fewer votes than Secretary Clinton. He does not have a mandate to appoint an ultra-conservative justice to the nation's highest court.
"The first 11 days of President Trump's administration have made it chillingly clear how critical it is to have an independent judiciary that will evaluate matters on the facts and precedent, rather than a political agenda, and how fundamental the checks and balances in the Constitution are to our democracy. The Supreme Court will consider many weighty issues, and I will be carefully scrutinizing Judge Gorsuch's record for how he would rule on workers' rights, laws that keep our air and water clean, and preventing discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation, among other issues. But President Trump has emphasized that he was choosing a nominee who would carry out his intention to reverse Roe v. Wade. So I want to be clear where I stand: Roe v. Wade has been the law of the land for over 40 years, and I will fight any effort to reverse the law and take away a woman's right to make her own health care decisions."

I DO like our Senator!

Washington, DC – Congressman Steve Pearce released the following statement after President Trump announced his nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge in Denver, CO, for U.S. Supreme Court Justice:
"I'm confident in the preservation and protection of our Constitution with the nomination of Neil Gorsuch. The Constitution is a sacred document that must be honored in order for our Democracy and nation to continue and prosper. The Supreme Court needs justices with the moral foundation to do just that." said Rep. Pearce. "Our U.S. Supreme Court is the cornerstone of our Democracy, guarding against abuses and willful neglect of the Constitution. These are big shoes to fill with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. I look forward to seeing the confirmation process for Neil Gorsuch followed through in the U.S. Senate."

My comment: The usual inane drivel from our misrepresentative. We are seeing abuses and willful neglect of the Constitution every day. It’s unlikely that a trump appointee will stop them. So I faxed this to Pearce:

Rep. Pearce:
I am responding to your press release regarding the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.

From your release: Our U.S. Supreme Court is the cornerstone of our Democracy, guarding against abuses and willful neglect of the Constitution.

YOUR president has been committing abuses and willful neglect of the Constitution on a daily basis. How can you believe that his appointee will stop this? Supporting this appointment is NOT in the best interests of the people of New Mexico.

January 28, 2017

They just don't get it - they refuse to get it

I called the office of our misrepresentative last week, got this in reply a couple of days ago:

(bolding mine for emphasis)
January 26, 2017
Mr. JR

Dear Mr. R
Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
On January 13, 2017, the House of Representatives took the first step to dismantle Obamacare by passing a budget for fiscal year 2017. This budget gives Congress the flexibility to replace the law with a system that works for all Americans. It has been nearly six years since Obamacare was enacted into law, and in that time, it has been defined by broken promises and unworkable implementation. It has forced Americans to pay more for their healthcare coverage, led some to lose their doctors, and others to lose the insurance plans they designed for their families.
The solution must uphold patient-centered solutions, continue the few positives in Obamacare, such as ensuring access to care regardless s of pre-existing conditions and allowing individuals under the age of 26 to be covered on families’ plans; but also reform medical liability, increase competition, and protect religious convictions of consumers.
Americans deserve better than the false promises of Washington politicians. I voted in favor of the budget as a needed step to strengthen our healthcare system and empower individuals to make decisions without being burdened by government mandates.
While we may disagree on this issue, I appreciate hearing from you. The only way to ensure our great republic continues to thrive is for citizens like you to exercise your First Amendment right, and voice your opinion. I am truly honored to be fortunate enough to represent the people in the 2nd Congressional District.
Again, thank you for taking to the time to contact me. I appreciate having the benefit of your views.
Sincerely,
Steve Pearce
Member of Congress
P.S. For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit pearce.house.gov. You can sign-up to receive e-newsletters, news releases, and updates on various issues important to Southern New Mexico. There, you can also visit my official pages on Facebook and Twitter.

This is so narrow-minded and contradictory!

Pearce's press release of Jan 20:
“The inauguration of President Trump this morning is the ultimate example of our Democracy in action,” said Pearce. “Chief Justice Roberts swearing in President Trump, as he did for President Obama, shows the strength of our nation. After a brutal election season and partisanship, the nation came together to peacefully transfer power to the people’s chosen successor.
“Today should be an example for the months and years to come. Now more than ever, we need to set aside our differences and work together to improve the lives of the New Mexican people. Finding what unites us, improving access to affordable and safe housing, creating stable and good paying jobs, and expanding personal opportunity for prosperity. I look forward to working with my colleagues in New Mexico, the House, and President Trump to move our nation forward and better it for generations to come.”

Gag.

OK southern New Mexicans in the 2nd district — who’s going to run against this guy in 2018?

January 24, 2017

Reply from ryan's office

I had contacted ryan’s office regarding the Affordable Care Act. This is what I got back several days later. A bit long but enough of it and I should have a great garden this year. I’ll need it. My comments and highlights in italics.



Element removed


January 23, 2017 | Speaker Paul Ryan

Dear John,

Thank you for contacting me about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). In my role as Speaker, I am committed to ensuring that the House functions in an open and transparent way to repeal this failed law in its entirety and replace it with a patient-centered system that expands access to health care, lowers health care costs, and puts health care decisions in the hands of patients, not bureaucrats.

Benefits over 20 million Americans and it’s a failure? El Mimbreno

As my colleagues and I listen to our fellow Americans, we hear from more and more individuals who have serious concerns about what the implementation of the ACA will mean for them, their families and their businesses. Businesses, policy experts, government actuaries, and even some supporters of the law have confirmed what the country already knew: the ACA is bad policy that does not accomplish what it was designed to do. Instead, the law spends trillions of dollars we do not have, and raises taxes on workers, businesses and families, and puts the federal government squarely in the middle of health care decisions.

This law has resulted in cancellation notices and massive premium increases for families and individuals nationwide. Insurance premiums remain high—in fact higher than ever before for many Americans—and they are rising faster than the rate of inflation, the economy, and average income. These premium increases are taking a big toll on family budgets –not to mention the federal budget. Under the ACA the federal government now either directly or indirectly subsidizes most premiums, meaning the burden of rising premiums is also falling on taxpayers. In Fiscal Year 2016, this subsidization alone will cost an astonishing $300 billion. Unfortunately, we now know that the most damaging effects of the ACA only get worse as we look to the future. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently projected that average employer-based premiums will go up nearly 60 percent between this year and 2025. It should come as no surprise then that late last year, CBO also projected that, because of the ACA, the workforce will be two million full-time workers smaller in 2025 than it would be otherwise.

As you may also know, in an effort to protect the American people from the ACA and clear the way for common sense reforms, the House has acted boldly to make use of a budget process known as reconciliation during this Congress. After working to resolve budget differences between the House and the Senate, Representative Tom Price introduced a reconciled budget report as independent legislation on October 16, 2015. This bill, H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015, would dismantle the president's demonstrably unworkable health care law. Specifically, H.R. 3762 repeals the individual and employer mandates, the medical device tax, and the "Cadillac" tax on high value insurance plans. By eliminating the most coercive and onerous pieces of the ACA and by laying the foundation for a patient-centered system, H.R. 3762 would force President Obama to deal with the fact that his health care law has resulted in higher costs and lower quality care for working families. On October 23, 2015, in bipartisan fashion and with my support, the House passed H.R. 3762 by a vote of 240 to 189. On December 3, 2015, the Senate passed this bill with minor changes by a vote of 52 to 47. On January 6, 2015, the House once again acted in bipartisan fashion and passed the Senate's version of H.R. 3762 by a vote of 241 to 168.

Not surprisingly, President Obama vetoed H.R. 3762. While the president’s refusal to admit failure and chart a better course is unfortunate, the passage of this budget reconciliation bill is a major victory for those who believe in patient-centered health care reform. After more than five years of trying to put a bill on the president's desk to repeal his healthcare law, Congress was able to hold the president accountable for the unmitigated disaster that is his signature policy item. Importantly, because the reconciliation process was used to achieve this victory, Congress has now shown that the ACA can be repealed without the 60 votes required to pass most legislation in the Senate. On February 2, 2016, in bipartisan fashion, the House voted 241 to 186 to override the president’s veto. While this bipartisan majority failed to meet the two-thirds threshold required by the Constitution to override a presidential veto, the House demonstrated its unwavering commitment to repealing the ACA by completing the entirety of the constitutional process.

As part of the effort to repeal the ACA continues, Congress must show what a better way forward would look like. There is no doubt that health care reform is needed in this country, but the law the president signed aggravates the worst aspects of our nation’s health care system, without fixing what was and remains broken. The troubled rollout of the ACA goes far beyond a dysfunctional website. For too many Americans, the ACA simply means increased costs and cancellation notices. The negative effects of this law on Americans are sweeping, and instead of offering quick fixes that only temper the consequences, Congress should instead be focused on offering much-needed reforms to our nation's health care industry.

The law the president signed was what congress gave him, not what he wanted. El Mimbreno

Congress should advance solutions that strengthen health care security by taking power away from the government and insurance companies, and empowering patients with control over their care instead. These solutions should realign incentives so that individuals and their doctors—not government bureaucrats or insurance company bureaucrats—are the nucleus of our health care system. This requires reforms to equalize the tax treatment of health care insurance, invite true choice and competition, and ensure critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid can deliver on their promises in the 21st century. As Congressional Republicans, we must show the country our vision of patient-centered reform, and we can do so by putting forward a bold, conservative agenda in the months ahead.

This year, the House is turning a new page. To solve more problems, we are improving the way we seek solutions. To serve the People all members are elected to represent, the People’s House has to function the way the Founders intended. I approach my role as Speaker from the perspective of a two-time committee chair, and so I believe the committees should retake the lead in drafting major legislation.

We have more to do to get our country back on track, and so my top priority is to work with my colleagues to assemble a bold, pro-growth agenda for the country. We will make clear where we stand and how we would apply America’s founding principles to today’s problems. To accomplish this goal, I have worked with my colleagues to define six key areas of focus for restoring a more confident America, and we have formed six committee-led task forces charged with developing a bold, pro-growth agenda. The task forces, comprised of committee chairs of jurisdiction, will seek input from all members to ensure their ideas and perspectives are reflected in this agenda. For updates, please visit: www.speaker.gov/...

Here is an overview of our six areas of focus for building a more confident America:


This doesn’t give me any confidence; it scares the crap out of me. El mimbreno


National Security

Goal: Develop an overarching strategy and the military capabilities required to confront the national security threats of the 21st century.

Tax Reform

Goal: Create jobs, grow the economy, and raise wages by reducing rates, removing special interest carve-outs, and making our broken tax code simpler and fairer.

Trickle down economics: Piss on the 99%. El Mimbreno

Reducing Regulatory Burdens

Goal: Make it easier to invest, produce, and build things in America with a regulatory system that reduces bureaucracy and eases the burden on small businesses and job creators, while still protecting the environment, public safety, and consumer interests.

Based in the cabinet nominations, I say bullshit! El MImbreno

Health Care Reform

Goal: Repeal and replace Obamacare with a patient-centered system that gives patients more choice and control, increases quality, and reduces costs.

OK, let’s see it. El Mimbreno

Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility

Goal: Strengthen our safety net and reform educational programs to make them more effective and accountable, help people move from welfare to work, and empower productive lives.

Again, let’s see the plan. El Mimbreno

Restoring Constitutional Authority

Goal: Reclaim power ceded to the executive branch over the years by reforming the rulemaking process, checking agency authority, exercising the power of the purse, and conducting more robust oversight.

Thank you again for contacting me. If you would like to find information about the lawmaker who represents your congressional district in the House or about how to contact that person, you are welcome to visit www.house.gov, where you will find this and other useful information about the work of the House.


I already know who my misrepresentative is, Steve Pearce, a multi-millionaire who has no idea what the average New Mexican wants or needs. El Mimbreno


Sincerely,


Element removed

Damn, I sure wish he could be removed. The BS level is so high I couldn’t even read it all.

January 23, 2017

"Alternative facts" clarified - (AKA: lies exposed)

From the New York Times via MSN.com:
By NICHOLAS FANDOS

WASHINGTON — Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the White House had put forth “alternative facts” to ones reported by the news media about the size of Mr. Trump’s inauguration crowd.

She made this assertion a day after Mr. Trump and Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, had accused the news media of reporting falsehoods about the inauguration and Mr. Trump’s relationship with the intelligence agencies.

In leveling this attack, the president and Mr. Spicer made a series of false statements.

Sign Up For the Morning Briefing Newsletter

Here are the facts.

1. In a speech at the C.I.A. on Saturday, Mr. Trump said the news media had constructed a feud between him and the intelligence community. “They sort of made it sound like I had a ‘feud’ with the intelligence community,” he said. “It is exactly the opposite, and they understand that, too.”

In fact, Mr. Trump repeatedly criticized the intelligence agencies during his transition to office and has questioned their conclusion that Russia meddled in the election to aid his candidacy. He called their assessment “ridiculous” and suggested that it had been politically motivated.

After the disclosure of a dossier with unsubstantiated claims about him, Mr. Trump alleged that the intelligence agencies had allowed a leak of the material. “Are we living in Nazi Germany?” he asked in a post on Twitter.

2. Mr. Trump said of his inauguration crowd,“It looked honestly like a million and a half people, whatever it was, it was, but it went all the way back to the Washington Monument.”

Aerial photographs clearly show that the crowd did not stretch to the Washington Monument. An analysis by The New York Times, comparing photographs from Friday to ones taken of Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, showed that Mr. Trump’s crowd was significantly smaller and less than the 1.5 million people he claimed.

3. Mr. Trump said that though he had been “hit by a couple of drops” of rain as he began his address on Inauguration Day, the sky soon cleared. “And the truth is, it stopped immediately, and then became sunny,” he said. “And I walked off, and it poured after I left. It poured.”

The truth is that it began to rain lightly almost exactly as Mr. Trump began to speak and continued to do so throughout his remarks, which lasted about 18 minutes, and after he finished.

4. “This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration — period — both in person and around the globe,” Mr. Spicer said.

There is no evidence to support this claim. Not only was Mr. Trump’s inauguration crowd far smaller than Mr. Obama’s in 2009, but he also drew fewer television viewers in the United States (30.6 million) than Mr. Obama did in 2009 (38 million) and Ronald Reagan did in 1981 (42 million), Nielsen reported.

5. Mr. Spicer said that Washington’s Metro system had greater ridership on Friday than it did for Mr. Obama’s 2013 inauguration. “We know that 420,000 people used the D.C. Metro public transit yesterday, which actually compares to 317,000 that used it for President Obama’s last inaugural,” Mr. Spicer said.

Neither number is correct, according to the transit system, which reported 570,557 entries into the rail system on Friday, compared with 782,000 on Inauguration Day in 2013.

6. Mr. Spicer said that “this was the first time in our nation’s history that floor coverings have been used to protect the grass on the Mall. That had the effect of highlighting any areas where people were not standing, while in years past the grass eliminated this visual.”

In fact, similar coverings were used during the 2013 inauguration to protect the grass. The coverings did not hamper analyses of the crowd size.

7. Mr. Spicer said that it was “the first time that fencing and magnetometers went as far back on the Mall, preventing hundreds of thousands of people from being able to access the Mall as quickly as they had in inaugurations past.”

The Secret Service said security measures were largely unchanged this year. There were also few reports of long lines or delays.

Get politics and Washington news updates via Facebook, Twitter and in the Morning Briefing newsletter.

[link:http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-pushes-%e2%80%98alternative-facts%e2%80%99-here-are-the-real-ones/ar-AAm7yEL|

January 23, 2017

Promises, threats, and/or lies - a good summary

From the Associated press via MSN.com - trump's campaign "promises"

WASHINGTON — As a candidate, Donald Trump made a slew of "Day One" promises that any president would find daunting.

He declared that repealing and replacing his predecessor's health care law would be "one of his first acts as president." He released an 18-point plan for actions that would push forward sweeping ethics reforms and potentially undo scores of regulations. And he promised to fundamentally change the nation's approach to immigration and begin work on an impenetrable wall along the southern border — all on his first day.

Some of Trump's proposals would be easy: They require executive action or simply announcing his intention to do something.

Others, however, require congressional approval and would likely draw numerous legal challenges.

The list is long and ambitious — and there's no indication from the White House that the president has any intention of taking them all up on Monday.

Nonetheless, here is a list of everything Trump promised to do on "Day One" of his administration:

IMMIGRATION:

—Stop all federal funding to "sanctuary cities" — places where local officials don't arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally for federal authorities.

—Begin deporting what Trump estimates to be more than 2 million criminal illegal immigrants living in the country.

—Cancel visas for citizens of foreign countries that won't take those criminal illegal immigrants back.

—Immediately terminate former President Barack Obama's "two illegal executive amnesties." That presumably includes DACA, which protects people who were brought into the country illegally as children.

—Begin working on an "impenetrable physical wall" along the southern border.

—Ask Congress to pass "Kate's Law," which would increase penalties on people who unlawfully re-enter the United States after being removed.

SECURITY AND DEFENSE:

—Immediately suspend the Syrian refugee program.

—Convene his generals and inform them that they have 30 days to submit a new plan for defeating the Islamic State group.

—Suspend immigration from "terror-prone regions" where he says vetting is too difficult.

—Implement new "extreme" immigration vetting techniques.

TRADE:

—Announce his intention to renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.

—Formally withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership.

—Direct his treasury secretary to label China a currency manipulator.

DRAINING THE SWAMP and GOVERNMENT REFORM:

—Propose a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress.

—Ban White House and congressional officials from becoming lobbyists for five years after they leave the government.

—Ban former White House officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments for the rest of their lives.

—Ban foreign lobbyists from raising money for U.S. elections.

—Impose a hiring freeze on federal employees, excluding military, public safety and public health staff.

—Impose a requirement that for every new federal regulation imposed, two existing regulations be eliminated.

ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

—Remove any Obama-era roadblocks to energy projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline.

—Lift restrictions on mining coal and drilling for oil and natural gas.

—Cancel payments to the U.N.'s climate change programs and use the money to fix America's water and environmental infrastructure.

HEALTH CARE, GUN CONTROL AND OTHER ISSUES:

—Cancel "every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama."

—Ask Congress to send him a bill to repeal and replace Obama's signature health care law.

—Begin the process of selecting a new Supreme Court justice.

—Get rid of gun-free zones in schools and on military bases.

By JOSH BOAK and JILL COLVIN, Associated Press

[link:http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trumps-biggest-campaign-promises-face-day-1-test/ar-AAm8bz1?li=BBnb7Kz|

January 20, 2017

If you MUST watch the inauguration - here's a sing-along for you:

Hail to the Cheat, he’s the disgrace of the nation,

Hail to the Cheat! We oppose him one and all.

Hail to the Cheat, as we vow our defiance

In proud fulfillment of our great, noble call.

Yours is the aim to make this grand country hateful,

This you will try, that's our strong, firm belief.

Hell to the one that Putin made commander,

Hell to the big loser! Hell to the Cheat!


I tried to stay close to the actual lyrics, which are kinda corny, and as of midday tomorrow, totally inappropriate:

Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,

Hail to the Chief! We salute him, one and all.

Hail to the Chief, as we pledge cooperation

In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.

Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,

This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.

Hail to the one we selected as commander,

Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!


Feel free to join in with your own verses — a little ridicule is good for the soul. Or at least we can laugh in the face of fear.