Dear Editor:
Please consider this timely and urgent analysis by political scientist Dr. Mel Gurtov on the aggregate of alarming autocratic actions and aspirations of Donald Trump. For PeaceVoice, thank you,
Tom Hastings
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From President to Autocrat
by Mel Gurtov
730 words
An Autocrat Like All Others
A recent special issue of Foreign Affairs is devoted to profiling some of the world’s most prominent autocrats: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte, Viktor Orban. Strangely, Donald Trump is not included. He should be upset, since he admires every one of them. Trump’s performance in office reveals a man who not only aspires to greatness as an unchallenged leader in the mold of other autocrats, but is clearly dedicated to outdoing them. He is dismantling the Constitution, taking actions that expand the powers of the president at the expense of other branches of government, and abusing his power.
Have you ever heard Donald Trump talk about democracy, here or anywhere? He hasn’t the slightest interest in it. Governing so as to firm up accountability, transparency, and the rule of law is alien to him. What does drive him is finding ways to expand his personal power and make a profit at the same time. And he’s been pretty good at that. Here’s the short list:
• His corruption is in-your-face and boundless, yet critics have failed to rein him in or get the documentation they need to expose corruption’s full extent.
• He has acted the bully whenever things go badly—denigrating judges and courts, demanding absolute loyalty of subordinates (and attacked anyone who turned against him), and insisting that Article 2 of the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever I want as president” (July 23, 2019).
• He has directly interfered with the work of independent agencies—the department of justice, the FBI, and the Federal Reserve—as though they were his personal instruments that could be used to further his political agenda.
• His attacks on the liberal media are legendary, as is his constant lying: over 13,000 documented lies so far.
• He has essentially dismantled the state department and intelligence community by ignoring their findings, forcing career officers to either resign or be silenced, and carrying out a private foreign policy.
• He has twice sought to get foreign countries to become involved in US elections, with quid pro quos that undermine US national security.
• He has violated international and domestic law, undermined humane practices, and rejected science-based findings, notably in his stances on immigration and climate change.
• He has catered to the “swamp” of energy executives and lobbyists with a destructive environmental agenda that will take years to undo.
Autocrats, however, cannot achieve and maintain their power without help from enablers, and Trump has them: Giuliani, Barr, Pompeo, Pence, Mulvaney and assorted hangers-on with “acting” before their title. They inhabit a world in which lying and dissembling on behalf of their lord and master are essential. They have no principles; maintaining their own power requires enhancing Trump’s. Thus Barr lies about the Mueller report’s findings, Pompeo pretends he was never asked to defend Ambassador Vokanovitch (he lied too), Giuliani disseminates conspiracy theories about Ukraine, Pence lauds Trump’s every move without blinking, and Mulvaney goes around diplomatic and intelligence officials. His cabinet is dominated by self-interested, inept sycophants who know only one thing: Feed the greed.
Can We Win?
In a word, this president is a first-class autocrat—an outlier in a constitutional democracy. Yet, to my constant amazement, he may once again lose the popular vote and still win in the electoral college. As is being widely reported, Trump trails Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren nationwide by several percentage points, and—thanks to independent voters—that margin is widening. So far the impeachment inquiry is working against Trump. Yet Trump is just a few percentage points behind or in front of the top Democratic candidates in all the battleground states. Are voters in those states really so blind as to reelect the most corrupt, indecent, and incompetent president in American history?
As I write, Andy Beshear has defeated Matt Bevin for the Kentucky governorship, overcoming last minute visits to this very red state by Trump and Pence. And in Virginia, Democrats flipped the senate and house, putting them in complete control of state government. There’s a lesson here for Democrats that was learned in 2018 but must not be overlooked in 2020: health care, the environment, education, and other social wellbeing issues are central to a winning message, and progressive groups are essential to carrying it. Impeaching Trump is necessary but will not be sufficient to claim victory.
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Mel Gurtov, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University.3
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USDA Invests $4.2 Million in Rural Broadband for Oklahoma Families
(Muse, Oklahoma, Nov. 5, 2019) – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey today announced USDA has invested over $4.2 million in high-speed broadband infrastructure that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for rural households and farms in Oklahoma. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments.
“Broadband is pivotal for access to services and information, whether we’re talking about a Main Street business or a family farm. Our mission to increase rural prosperity cannot be achieved without addressing the digital divide our rural communities face because of a lack of high-speed broadband Internet connection,” Northey said. “Technology and innovation are key in meeting the growing demand in agriculture. We are committed to being a strong partner to rural communities in deploying this critical infrastructure, and I’m excited at the tremendous implications that broadband will have for farmers in rural Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma Western Telephone Company will use ReConnect Program loan funding to deploy a fiber to the home (FTTH) broadband network capable of simultaneous transmission rates of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) or greater. The funded service areas include 312 households and 20 farms. The project will facilitate more access to services and information for local residents, and it will improve the overall quality of life for people in the community.
Background:
In March 2018, Congress provided $600 million to USDA to expand broadband infrastructure and services in rural America. On Dec. 13, 2018, Secretary Perdue announced the rules of the program, called “ReConnect,” including how the loans and grants will be awarded to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. USDA received 146 applications between May 31, 2019, and July 12, 2019, requesting $1.4 billion in funding across all three ReConnect Program funding products: 100 percent loan, 100 percent grant, and loan-grant combinations. USDA is reviewing applications and announcing approved projects on a rolling basis. Additional investments in all three categories will be made in the coming weeks.
These grants, loans and combination funds enable the federal government to partner with the private sector and rural communities to build modern broadband infrastructure in areas with insufficient Internet service. Insufficient service is defined as connection speeds of less than 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory, and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump, which included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local, and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please see the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed Internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
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FOR RELEASE - November 5, 2019
The Federal Trade Commission and the Utah Division of Consumer Protection sued Nudge, LLC and affiliated companies, alleging that they make empty promises about earning money by “flipping” houses, to convince consumers to buy real estate training packages that cost thousands of dollars. In a filing today, the FTC and the Utah Division of Consumer Protection requested that a court prohibit Nudge and its affiliates (Nudge) from selling the packages.
A mailer sent by defendants enticing consumers to attend a Nudge “preview event.”
According to the complaint, Utah-based Nudge markets its training through real estate celebrities who promise to reveal strategies for making “amazing profits” at seminars included in the packages. One celebrity endorser quoted in the complaint, for example, promises he will share his “formula for success” that is “proven” to get results. As alleged in the FTC’s complaint, however, the seminars are mostly designed to sell additional training, not to help consumers make money. According to a survey included in the FTC’s court filings, more than 95 percent of consumers who attended Nudge’s seminars paid more to Nudge than they netted in subsequent real estate transactions.
“These defendants presided over a sales process that started with empty promises of future wealth and ended with many consumers left in financial ruin,” said Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The lure of easy income is strong, but consumers should stop and evaluate the facts behind any money-making promise.”
Nudge began selling real estate training packages at least as early as 2012. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Nudge’s revenues from late 2014 to late 2017 alone were more than $400 million.
According to the complaint, the scheme starts with advertisements featuring real estate television celebrities, including Scott Yancey from A&E’s “Flipping Vegas,” Doug Clark from Spike TV’s “Flip Men,” Drew Levin and Danny Perkins from HGTV’s “Renovate to Rent,” and Josh Altman from Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles.” These advertisements, which promise celebrities’ insider tips on how to make money in real estate, allegedly have enticed thousands of consumers to attend free 90-minute seminars.
The FTC’s complaint charges that the free seminars are predominantly a sales pitch to spend more than $1,100 to attend a three-day workshop, where consumers will supposedly get access to a “system” for finding “lucrative” deals. Those promises also prove empty, as the three-day workshops largely consist of general information about real estate investing, misrepresentations about services offered by Nudge, and a sales pitch for “advanced training” that costs as much as $40,000, according to the complaint.
Until at least 2016, according to the complaint, the advanced training pitched by Nudge included access to so-called “Buying Summits” or “Investor Expos.” At these events, consumers were promised special access to properties at discounted prices for purchase. However, as alleged in the complaint, defendants typically sold or brokered the properties to consumers at inflated prices.
The complaint was filed by the FTC and Utah Division of Consumer Protection against Nudge, LLC and two of its affiliates, Response Marketing Group, LLC and BuyPD, LLC. The defendants also include five individuals who are principals or executives of one or more of those companies: Brandon B. Lewis; Ryan C. Poelman; Phillip W. Smith; Shawn L. Finnegan; and Clint R. Sanderson. The real estate celebrities featured in Nudge’s marketing are not named as defendants.
The complaint alleges the defendants violated the FTC Act and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, as well as three Utah statutes: the Utah Consumer Sales Practices Act; the Business Opportunity Disclosure Act; and the Telephone Fraud Prevention Act.
The Commission vote authorizing the staff to file the complaint was 5-0. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the named defendants are violating or are about to violate the law and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The case will be decided by the court.
The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
CONTACT FOR CONSUMERS:
Consumer Response Center
877-382-4357
CONTACT FOR NEWS MEDIA:
Jay Mayfield
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2656
STAFF CONTACTS:
Savvas S. Diacosavvas
Christopher Y. Miller
FTC Northeast Region
212-607-2829
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I wanted to send you a personal invitation to attend Health Care Solutions for Utahns 2019. This event is UHPP’s annual convening designed to cover the most compelling health care issues of the day, focus on the consumer/patient perspective, and drill down on solutions. We are excited to have 2 national speakers providing keynote addresses Joan Alker (Georgetown Center for Children and Families) and Elaine Ryan (AARP).
Here is a sample of the topics that will be covered this year:
I would also like to encourage you to invite members of your organization and other colleagues to attend the conference. Please include this link in any newsletters, social media post, email outreach, event/outlook calendars etc.
Also, let me know if cost is a factor and I can look into providing you a discount or scholarship. We don’t want cost to prohibit folks from attending.
Register at this link.
What: Health Care Solutions for Utahns 2019
Date: Wednesday, December 11th, 2019
Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Food: Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided
Location: Utah Cultural Celebration Center (1355 W 3100 S, West Valley City, UT 84119)
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Tips for End-of-Year Giving
Year-end planning is an important step for those coordinating their tax preparation and charitable giving. This year, do more for your tax plan and for the causes that matter to you.
Hi Dawn,
With Thanksgiving just around the corner and millions of people still shopping during the holiday, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its 2019’s Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving report as well as accompanying videos, along with fun and interesting stats about the holiday in its Thanksgiving Fun Facts infographic.
To help Americans decide where to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast without breaking the bank, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 20 key metrics. They range from cost of Thanksgiving dinner and share of delayed flights to volunteer opportunities per capita and forecasted precipitation.
Top 20 Cities for Thanksgiving
1. St. Paul, MN
11. Chandler, AZ
2. Scottsdale, AZ
12. Henderson, NV
3. Virginia Beach, VA
13. Mesa, AZ
4. Orlando, FL
14. Minneapolis, MN
5. Denver, CO
15. Plano, TX
6. Gilbert, AZ
16. Miami, FL
7. Louisville, KY
17. Lexington-Fayette, KY
8. Raleigh, NC
18. Colorado Springs, CO
9. Irvine, CA
19. Fort Wayne, IN
10. Norfolk, VA
20. Wichita, KS
For the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-to-go-for-thanksgiving/67603/
Thanksgiving Facts:
To view the full infographic, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/blog/thanksgiving-facts/28332/
