Seeing the Round Corners

SEEING THE ROUND CORNERS

LOOKING BACK ON THIS ELECTION

   Today’s column title may seem a bit strange in that the election is still several days away, but listening to all the analysis this past week end, the results are a done deal. That is a sad commentary on this country’s most important election – that of President of the United States.

   To use the term “politics as usual,” a term politicians are said to loathe, just does not even begin to adequately describe the politics of the 2016 Presidential election. Most American voters had hopes that once the conventions were over, the two candidates would show some respect for the office each was seeking. No such luck.

   A biased media has done nothing to try to get the train wreck back on the track, preferring instead to concentrate on bashing one of the candidates when the other candidate’s spouse has the reputation of a sleaze ball, even though he is a former President of the United States. An article in the New York Times some weeks back, “If Hillary wins, what to do with Bill?” Yet, the media has given the Clintons a pass on Bill’s backroom shenanigans.

   While it goes without saying, you usually find what you focus on. After the Al Gore/George Bush election debacle, a federal commission lead by former President Jimmy Carter determined the need for better identification requirements because in close elections, even a small amount of fraud can make the difference in who wins, and just “the perception of possible fraud contributed to low confidence in the system.”

   Immigration status has three programs that are potentials for non-citizens voting. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) are looked on by many Americans as ways around proper identification, making it easier for non-citizens to vote. The numbers on these deferred actions is mind boggling:  DACA – 2 million non-citizens; DAPA – 5 million non-citizens. Suffice it to say, with the ability to fabricate fraudulent identification documents in today’s digital world, “rigging” an election could be a piece of cake.

   Another group of non-citizens – Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – have the ability to vote. Non-citizens can gain TPS when they are in this country and there is a natural disaster or war in their country of origin. Of course, a system for keeping track of those non-citizens has never been accomplished. The latest number available is for the year 2014:  304,310 non-citizens have TPS.

   The Republican candidate has been relentless that the system is rigged without a great deal of evidence, but there are two possibilities on this one:  1) the media has been exemplary in its coverage of every negative rant made by Trump, but only the rant, never the rest of the language. Out of context snip-its are grand fodder for the incessant ads by political action committees; and 2) the electoral college system which many, many Americans view as a way of defeating the will of the people.

   And so, here we are, less than three weeks from election day, with the Republican and Democratic candidates still spending their time attacking each other like a couple of spoiled playground brats, showing no class, much less respect for the office which they seek. No real solution to the poor, homeless, Seniors, care for the veterans, or those whose jobs have been shipped overseas because of the NAFTA bill signed by former President Bill Clinton –  just attack each other as though trying to see who can stoop the lowest.

   For those of you obsessed with getting a women in the White House, be careful what you wish for. For those of you tired of Washington/Congress and its abysmal years of do nothing, be careful what you wish for. The country is headed for a train wreck of phenomenal proportions regardless of which candidate wins. After the incredible job President Obama did of turning the country around following the worse recession since the great depression, it is a sad statement on what we have to look forward to with the Clintons or Donald Trump in office. Yes, Clintons – remember with her, you get him, like it or not!!!

   By the way, the latest statistics on Obamacare is its is doing much better than America has been lead to believe!!!!

The reader's comments or questions are always welcome. E-mail me at doris@dorisbeaver.com.