Category Archives: President Trump

07/19/17

Policy v Personality Trump

Policy v personality? Huh, Big Red Car?

Big Red Car here in the dark awaiting the sun’s rising. Going to be a great day in the ATX — on Earth as it is in Texas, y’all!

So, the other day, the Big Red Car is reading a blog, CONTINUATIONS, which asks the question — “I am genuinely curious whether there is anyone attempting a cogent defense of the record so far.”

The author of that statement is one Albert Wenger. He is a partner of Union Square Ventures, an experienced venture capitalist, and a successful entrepreneur in his own right.

He is also a Trump hater and a Manhattan liberal. Still, he is smart as Hell and broad minded enough to have asked the question. A poorly educated chap (Harvard College econ and computer science degrees plus MIT PhD in liberal info tech — just kidding about the “liberal” part), he cannot get beyond the Manhattan elitist Trump syndrome, so I am here to assist him.

Today, the Big Red car will provide that defense — a cogent defense of the Trump record.

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07/11/17

Veterans Administration Changes — Culture

The toxic culture at the Veterans Administration is finally getting some overdue attention. Bravo!

Big Red Car here on an incredibly beautiful Texas day. Will be hot, sunny, and Texas. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all!

So, big things going on over at the Veterans Administration. Finally!

In late June, the President signed the Veterans Administration Accountability bill codifying some simple commonsense changes to an organization with a toxic culture which falsified records resulting in veterans not receiving timely care and employees receiving performance related bonuses based on bogus information. Not a good thing. One would that fraud in most instances, financial fraud. The kind of fraud folks go to jail for, but not at the VA.

The Union — can you believe that government employees at the VA are union members? — says it is a wholesale assault on Federal workers to which the Big Red Car says, “Bravo! About time!”

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05/30/17

NATO Allies, Ungrateful Freeloaders?

NATO allies are ungrateful freeloaders, Big Red Car? Not all of them, just some.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, having spent a few days with President Donald J Trump in Washington, DC and now having spent a NATO Summit and G7 meeting utters:

“The times when we could fully rely upon others are to some extent over. I experienced that in the last few days. We Europeans must take our own destiny into our own hands.”

Read those words a second time and see if you have any basic disagreement with them. The Big Red Car sayeth, “Duh?”

This bit of wisdom comes on the heels of President Trump repeating what he has said for a long period of time — NATO members are not living up to their contractual obligations to spend 2% of their GDP on defense.

This is as essential element of the NATO (the Atlantic Charter) as Article V which states an attack on one is an attack on all. It is difficult to see why the Europeans think the United States should honor Article V and come to their rescue if they don’t honor their part of the deal.

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05/18/17

Special Counsel

Robert Swan Mueller III – special counsel. Big news, y’all.

Big Red Car here on power washing day. Two power washers hitting the paint and the stone in anticipation of a new exterior paint job. It is crazy loud here.

So, the Acting Attorney General invoked the provisions of 28 CFR 600.1 – Grounds for appointing a Special Counsel. This is exactly the situation for which that statute was written.

There is a criminal investigation and the objectivity of the Department of Justice staff may have a conflict of interest. Bingo!

So, they pick Robert Swan Mueller III to run the show. Would you please join the BRC in a short round of applause?

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05/17/17

Anonymous Sources — The Washington Post and The New York Times

Anonymous sources — what does that mean, Big Red Car?

Big Red Car here in the gray before dawn waiting for its brain (electronic ignition) to wake up. Might need some hot 10W40?

So, today, dear reader, we talk of a dinosaur which no longer roams the earth — journalism.

Journalism was that respected profession through which we earthlings were informed of goings on near and far. Journalists wrote reliable utterances and you could count on their accuracy because they held the imprimatur of such venerable institutions as The New York Times or The Washington Post. [Note the reverence which the Big Red Car visits upon these publications by using the word “The” to precede their names. Very impressive, Big Red Car.]

Alas, these “institutions” are now crack dens extensions of the People’s Democrat Party. Unfair, some may say as they have long since ceased to be followers and are now leaders. They are not reporters of news; they are manufacturers of news. They do not follow the direction of their masters; they lead the way.

Ask yourself if you can find a single conservative or Republican amongst the staffs of those once great papers. Unicorns? How can there be balance when there is no balance?

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04/25/17

US v Canada — Canadian Softwood Lumber! Grudge Match

Wait a damn second, Big Red Car. Canadian softwood lumber? A grudge match? What? You got some ‘splaining to do, Big Red.

Big Red Car here on a grayish Tuesday. Still, on Earth as it is in Texas, y’all!

So President Donald J Trump has fired his first shot in the centuries old trade dispute between the US and Canada over the export of Canadian softwood lumber to the US, by imposing 90-day retroactive countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports of up to 24%. Hello, Canada!

Canadian US flags lumber

Everyone was expecting the trade wars to start with Mexico or China. Nope — Canada.

Game on, y’all. And, President Trump started it, just like he promised he would. [Promises made, promises kept.] Get some popcorn, a lemonade, and a seat.

This has been a sore spot for so long it is a sore spot within a sore spot.

First, let’s know this is a complex issue with a bunch of talking which  has gone on for so long it has bridged more than a dozen US administrations.

Let’s review the bidding, shall we?

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04/13/17

Gravitas — US Foreign Policy Gravitas

Big Red Car here on an early Thursday morning. Hey, it’s Thursday and who doesn’t love Thursday? Let’s talk gravitas, shall we? [No, gravitas is not something you eat on a toasted bagel with capers and chopped onion. Sorry.]

So, the Trump administration has begun to engage with the Russians.

The first notable engagement was the launch of sixty Tomahawk cruise missiles to strike client state Syria. [The Trump admin launched SIXTY and only FIFTY-NINE made it to the target. Hey, Raytheon dudes, can we get a refund on the one that went swimming?]

Cruise missile launch 2

The Tomahawk cruise missile — when you care enough to send the very best. A thousand pounds of explosive love and gravitas.

 

When you cruise missile a sovereign country on the first date, that sends a certain message as to the seriousness of your intentions. No? Stuff is getting real and fast. Hang on.

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04/11/17

Texas — Made In America

Big Red Car here. Hope all is well with you, dear reader. OK, we are talking Made in America today, y’all, and why not?

One of the promises that Candidate Trump made was he wanted to protect the jobs of Americans and toward that end, he suggested that public projects should use goods made in America.

In particular, he mentioned the Keystone XL Pipeline and its use of foreign steel pipe.

To jog your memory, the Keystone XL Pipeline project was disapproved by the Obama administration in 2015 after seven years of hand wringing.

It was approved and the permit issued in late March, less than two months after President Trump took office. Promise made; promise kept.

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