President Biden pardon son, Hunter, despite "No One is Above the Law" promises

Merry Christmas to Hunter Biden!  His dad, outgoing President Joe Biden, has reloaded Hunter's "Get out of Jail" card, thus ensuring junior will skirt around the U.S. legal system once more.  Hunter's pardon  proves again to the American People and the world what we've known all along, that the United States has a dual legal system, one for the wealthy elites and one for the rest of us.

The then candidate President Joe Biden promised the American People on several occasions that his son, Hunter, would not be receiving a pardon from him, citing his trust in the U.S. justice system and Hunter's innocence (apparently he's not feeling so confident any more). If convicted, Hunter would be the first child of a president to face a possible prison sentence for felony criminal charges.

Hunter has been in repeated trouble for years including charges of cocaine possession (some have speculated that he may been the one who brought a stash of  "coke" into the White House, bypassing security. Something a ordinary visitor wouldn't be able to do), tax evasion, illegal gun possession to name but a few. There's been allegation that Hunter spent time on Jeffrey Epstein's "Pedophile Island" (who was actually there is still a matter of some dispute).  

Some believe his businesses dealings with Ukrainian oligarchs and politicians was a factor behind the current war between Ukraine and Russia. The war has caused the loss of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in damage, threatened Europe with war, ruined U.S. and Russia's relationship, and all over a  deal with oligarchs in the Ukrainian government involving oil and gas rights in the Black Sea in exchange for NATO protection (and supposedly guaranteed by then Vice President Joe Biden).

Of course, Trump supporters are giddy about President Biden's Christmas gift to Hunter since this appears to be a gift which just keeps on giving.  Thanks to Hunter's pardon, conservatives now see an opportunity for President Trump at being able to pardon all those facing possible jail time and/or fines for their part in the so-called "January 6th Insurrection" using the same legal argument.

If, as it's argued, Hunter can skip away untouched for all his misdeeds, then the "J6 political prisoners" as they're called, should be able to walk away too. If you think about it, it's hard to believe how far America has slipped. After all, the legal system, of all our branches of government, was expected to be the one branch  least affected by partisan politics and corruption, but here we are!  What happened?

Born in 1970, Hunter's life has been rife with trouble. Although his father doesn't drink, Hunter has more than made up for it. He's also had a long history of cocaine abuse dating back to his time in college and has been in and out of rehab centers (he attended Georgetown College and Yale's law school).

Shortly after graduating, Hunter was hired as a consultant by MBNA America, a holding bank with close tie to his father, Joe Biden, and one of his top political contributors. As Hunter quickly rose through the ranks to executive vice president, Joe was busy supporting a bankruptcy reform through Congress, which, as an aside, would aid certain financial institutions. You know, like MBNA America (which was eventually acquired by Bank of America).

In 2013, Hunter decided he wanted to join the U.S. Navy Reserves. And so following a swearing in ceremony at the White House under the  beaming gaze of his then Vice President father, Hunter was ordered to report to his first duty station...and was promptly discharged shortly after arriving for testing positive for cocaine. I guess he forgot having  read (and signed) the Navy's zero tolerance policy statement about drug use.

The death of his older brother, Beau,  from a brain tumor in 2015, sent Hunter back down the bottle again. He reputedly would never leave his house for days at a time unless it was for a trip to the liquor store! According to Kathleen Buhle, his ex-wife, that when they were going through their divorce, Hunter was consuming "massive" amounts of drugs and alcohol while spending a great amount of time and money on hookers, at strip clubs and with other women to the point where the family had no money left to pay their bills. 

A 2019 DNA test confirmed he was the father of child with a woman who had been employed as "exotic dancer". In a 2021 memoir, Hunter admitted that it was the unbridled infidelity that drove his wife away. As an aside, while the divorce with Kathleen was still pending, Hunter hooked up with Hallie Biden, the wife of his deceased brother Beau. Given that Hunter and Beau was considered inseparable, doing nearly everything together, perhaps this isn't too surprising.   The affair lasted about two years.

Despite being an addict and alcoholic, Hunter purchased a pistol in 2018, following another stint (this time for 60 days) in rehab. Allegedly, Hunter lied on the gun purchase application by saying that he was not a addict at that time. Hallie said that she found the gun and ammo in Hunter's car while she was removing drug paraphernalia.

Hallie went on to say that she put the gun in a old grocery bag and pitched it into dumpster. Hunter and Hallie split in 2019 just as Joe Biden announced another bid for the White House, this time against sitting President, Donald Trump.

Hunter didn't morn the breakup for long. Just about a month later, he met and married Melissa Cohen, documentary producer and social activist from Johannesburg, South Africa  following a six day "romance" on May 19, 2019. Shortly afterwards she became a naturalized citizen U.S. She is 16 years his junior.

By this point, while still employed by MBNA Bank, Hunter started a lobbying firm (no potential conflicts there). Politico Magazine reported that many of his early clients were in industries overseen by Joe Biden's committees in the Senate. In 2008, Hunter, along with another family member, acquired a hedge fund group, Paradigm Global Advisors just as Senator Biden resumed his chairmanship of  the Foreign Relations Committee (both Joe and Hunter have denied any collusion or wrong doings).

The Foreign Relations Committee is the only Senate committee to oversee, debate, and report on treaties directly to the president as they pertain to national security issues, including war powers, foreign aid programs, treaties, military deployment, executive agreements with foreign powers or agencies,  arms control, sales, and training matters, global economic policies, holding confirmation hearings for high level positions within the State Department, oversight of the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as monitoring all American embassies, diplomats, and international posts.

By 2013, Hunter finally made it into the majors. He took a founding board seat with the Chinese private equity firm, BHR. Originally, he was apparently there as a unpaid consultant. Later, however, apparently because of his vast knowledge of foreign affairs, he was given a 10% equity stake in the company.

Much has been made in the media of a official trip by Vice President Biden, accompanied by his son, Hunter, to China for a simple "meet and greet" with Chinese government officials and various business leaders, including BHR's chief executive. Hunter described the meeting as merely stopping by for a "cup of coffee".  Shortly afterwards, BHR was registered in Shanghai, often called China's  "economic and technological crown jewel".

According to the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice, during this same time frame (between 2016 and 2020), Hunter knowingly and willingly set out to defraud the government. Officials  estimated that Biden filed to pay some $1.4 million dollars in taxes.  When he did finally file his tax returns, he included false business expenses in order to reduce his tax liability, misrepresented payroll and other deductions among other allegations.  

In 2017, Hunter joined with Chinese businessman, Ye Jianming, founder and former chairman of CEFC China Energy Company Limited, in a deal to acquire natural gas rights in Louisiana (Ye was also an economic advisor to Czech president, Milos Zeman). However, before the deal could take off, Ye was picked up by Chinese security on charges of bribery and other "economic crimes".  As of March 2018, Ye hasn't been seen.

In 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy holding company headquartered in Kyiv involved in exploration and production. The company was owned by Russian oligarch, businessman, and politician, Mykola Zlochevsky, through his private company, Brociti Investments Limited.  For his participation on the board, Hunter was paid $1.2 million dollars a year.

 Later, through investigation by Ukrainian authorities, it was determined that oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, was the real owner behind Burisma.  Kolomoisky, a Ukrainian born Israeli businessman and billionaire, was at one time considered to be Ukraine's most powerful oligarch.  It bears mentioning that  Hunter's presidential pardon by Biden extends back to the start of his dealings with Burisma Holdings in 2014.

At the same time, Vice President Biden promoted the investigation of the Ukraine's leading legal prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was being accused of corruption. By pure happenstance, Shokin, the Prosecutor General of the Ukraine (equivalent to our U.S. Attorney General), was investigating alleged corruption between government officials and Burisma Holdings and its board members.

Now, why should a U.S. Vice President concern himself with a clearly internal legal matter in the Ukraine? Claims of collusion was denied by the White House and Democratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.  In 2016, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Shokin from his office. Not surprisingly, Viktor Shokin maintains his removal was due to his investigation of Burisma.      

Nevertheless, an FBI informant claimed that Joe and Hunter Biden were paid $5 million dollars each by Burisma executives for helping stop the investigation. The claim proved later proved to be false  (apparently you just can't trust FBI informants despite what they say on those TV shows). Meanwhile, one of Hunter's reputed business partners said that Joe Biden was part of conference calls with Hunter and other contacts, implying that Hunter had the support of his father.

A laptop belonging to Hunter was left with a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware eventually found its way into the hands of the FBI. An examination of its hard drive was said to hold evidence of Hunter's dealings in China and Ukraine as well as his extensive use of drugs and booze.

Just exactly what was on the hard drive remains unknown, although since the revelation of the hard drive's possession by the FBI, the media has repeatedly implied that it proved Hunter's shady dealings which may have affected our national security, proof of bribery and corruption, or Joe Biden's direct or indirect involvement.

Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence release a report which proposes that 51 CIA subcontractors, including then CIA Director, Gina Haspel, aided the Biden presidential campaign in misleading the public about President Biden and the contents on the laptop's hard drive. If the report is accurate, it would further damn Biden's political legacy not to mention the already crumbing credibility of the U.S. government and the power of the Deep State.  

On September 5, 2024, Hunter Biden was found guilty of tax evasion pertaining to a nine count complaint. Biden was found guilty on three felonies and six tax related misdemeanors. The Justice Department said that there was no plea deal made with Hunter. On December 16th, Hunter is scheduled to appear for sentencing, which carries a maximum 17 year prison sentence. On the gun possession charges, Hunter could face up to 25 years of prison time.

Although whatever was on the hard drive was enough for federal prosecutors to bring a criminal investigation against Hunter. But with Hunter's blanket pardon, the issue is moot. Hunter gets to walk away virtually unscathed despite President Biden's statement that "no one is above the law", well, except apparently his son, Hunter.

The U.S. Constitution grants the president the authority to issue a pardon, amnesty, reprieve, or commutation. A commutation reduces a sentence without completely setting it aside. A reprieve is a temporary delay or suspension of a sentence. A pardon absolves the person of all criminal charges as well as restore all civil rights while an amnesty is the same as a pardon but applies to multiple individuals or groups.

It's doubtful the American public will ever know the full contents for sure.  Nevertheless, the whole nefarious episode demonstrates to all just how broken society has become and how just much value we place on money, power and prestige, even if it means destroying our own lives or the lives of others. It also shows that those with money or hold power don't face the same rules or outcomes as does the common citizen. This is truly a nation of two separate and unequal legal systems.

 

Thank you for reading Another Opinion! We hope you enjoyed this article and will pass it along. Please don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly, please "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps beat the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Please find below the links we consulted in researching this article.

 

Biden, Inc.

The Bidens' Influence Peddling Timeline

From laptop to pardon: The Hunter Biden story explained

Joe Biden pardons son Hunter: What it means and why itmatters

Melissa Cohen Biden

Burisma

Mykola Zlochevsky

Ihor Kolomoyski

Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Democrats)

Hunter Biden laptop controversy

 

New Information Shows CIA Contractors Colluded with theBiden Campaign to Discredit Hunter Biden Laptop Story

Robert Hunter Biden Convicted on Three Felony Tax Offensesand Six Misdemeanor Tax Offenses

Age May be But A Number, But Can Youth and Enthusiasm Win Over Age and Experience?

"Count your age by friends, not years. Count  your life by smiles, not tears" ----John Lennon

So, Joe Biden has been forced to step aside allegedly "for the good of the country and for the good of the Party". Biden is one of the longest serving politicians in Washington, starting in 1970. Now, Biden is one its oldest. Certainly the oldest serving president, having been elected at age 78.

Had Biden remained in the race and won (which was doubtful) he would have been 82 years old when sworn in. But how much does that really matter? Ronald Reagan was just shy of 70 when first elected (and yes, age was an issue then too), making him oldest person ever elected to the presidency at that point, and he went on to serve two terms.

Former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was just 70 when he left office in 1961 (succeed by one of our youngest elected presidents, John F. Kennedy, who was a mere pup at 43. The youngest when elected was Teddy "TR" Roosevelt at age 42). The average age of presidents is 55 at the time of their inauguration.

It's worth noting at this point that the topic of age was intensely discuss by the Founding Fathers when it came to serving in Congress or the Presidency. However, they weren't concerned with placing a age cap on elected officials. In actually, they were more concerned with establishing a minimum age!

During the 1781 Constitutional Convention, Virginia's George Mason lobbied hard for establishing a minimum age. Many of the Conventioneers, lead by James Wilson of New Hampshire,  felt the someone should be at least 25 before seeking high office (remember that the mortality for men back then was about 40), which kind of makes sense actually.

However, Mason was able to convince his fellow delegates that (supposedly) age brought with it a measure of wisdom and maturity thanks to life's experiences. So, after the usual give and take, a compromise age of 35 was finally settled on as the minimum age to be elected as president. To be elected to the House of Representatives, the minimum age would be 25 (apparently wisdom and maturity aren't required as much there). For Senator you had to be 30 years old.  

Speaking of age, do you know why the minimum age to collect Social Security was set at age 65? Because the average life expectancy for men (the main bread winner) in 1935 was 60 years old (65 for women). Men had to beat the average by five years before they could apply!

So, if an "age cap" wasn't of any real consequence for our Founding Fathers beyond setting age floor, what's all the hubbub about Biden's age? I think the answer is a simple as it is obvious. We've all known individuals in their 40's, 50's or 60's who act like their octogenarians. They're sluggish, always tired and don't want to do anything that involves expending much energy (operating the remote doesn't count as expending much energy). Even their memory isn't quite what it used to be mainly because they don't challenge themselves intellectually.  

Then there's those individuals who are in their 70's, 80's and older who are constantly on the go. There are few household projects they won't tackle. They keep their minds sharp, be it actively watching game shows like "Jeopardy" or "The Weakest Link" and "competing" with the contestants to taking academic courses, learning a new skill, staying engaged with others, are proactive with their healthcare ,or so forth. These people boldly defy the age stereotype.

Despite his age going into office, Ronald Reagan developed a reputation for being active (like  riding horses or working on his 688 acre ranch at Rancho del Cielo). How many of us haven't seen photos of Reagan splitting wood? Even though Eisenhower was 70 when he left office in 1961, he continued to golf ("Ike" maintained a 14 handicap) but even while President, he never failed to get in 36 rounds of golf a week. 

Nevertheless, age eventually catches up with all of us no matter how fast we run. For President Reagan the early signs of Alzheimer were already there as early as 1984 according to Reagan's son, Ron. By  the time Reagan was almost completed his second and final term, the symptoms were becoming harder and harder to overlook. However, his official diagnosis didn't come until October 1994, five years after leaving office. 

Well, that brings us to Donald Trump and Joe Biden. We'll start with "the Donald". At the time Trump was 70 years old when he was inaugurated in 2017. That made him the then oldest president ever elected. However, if age is just a number marking our trips around the sun, then what factor should we be most concerned with?  

Being President isn't for the faint of heart or the couch potato. The Presidency is a highly demanding around-the-clock job.  For the next four years you're never "off the clock". As proof, we've all seen the before and after pictures of presidents. Most look like they've aged decades instead of just 4 or 8 years no matter how young they looked going in.

So, perhaps the most critical factors are their overall health, physical stamina, and mental acuity.  There's no question that Trump is a physically fit individual. He does things that would exhaust someone half his age, and his physicals bear that out.  At 6'3" and roughly 244 pounds, Trump has been proclaimed by independent doctors to be healthy (though he could stand to lose a few pounds). His blood pressure runs around  121/79 with a heart rate of 63.

In addition, in preparation for this race, Trump clams to have completed five cognitive skills tests (as he mentioned in his debate with Biden) and successfully passed all of them. What's not disputed is that the former president aced the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which is one of the most accurate cognitive tests available. When voters were polled  47% generally tended to agree that Trump was mentally pretty sharp (compared to only 28% for Biden), which brings us to Biden and his health.

Long before the June 27th debate between Trump and Biden there's been a lot of discussion about Biden's mental  and physical health. Countless videos showed him confused or forgetting words or names, a blank stare, getting angry over nothing, getting lost, or talking to empty space. Physically, he often walks stiff like he had trouble with his movement or balance, stumbling, or simply fumbling with stuff. This happens to all of us at some point, but it's become almost expected for the president, which is not normal.

Foreign leaders have said that Biden isn't the man they had known in the past. Many have commented that he seemed dazed, having difficulty concentrating, making decisions, getting lost, and so forth. Our enemies, and even some of our friends, have come to see Biden as feeble and weak. That  in turn makes America seem vulnerable. To our friends, it gives them pause as to whether we are still dependable. 

President Biden underwent his annual physical  in February 2024 and was pronounced as "fit to serve" and "no new concerns" by his doctors  According to a White House press release, Biden has never officially been diagnosed with Alzheimer, dementia, stroke, or Parkinson's Disease and that Biden had met with three neurologists on three separate occasions.

Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that Biden has repeatedly declined to take any cognitive tests, which understandably has failed to reassure party leadership or corporate donors, especially based on what they've been seeing and hearing.  If, in fact, Biden had taken some sort of acuity test, the White House isn't telling anyone, including Democratic leadership.

Perhaps too this is all a game of semantics. Biden hasn't been "diagnosed" with any neurological disorders, but he also hasn't taken any tests to confirm it, which appears to imply the "diagnosis" was based solely on observation and not on empirical evidence.   Therefore, the statement "fit to serve" was more likely intended to simply ease public and party concerns  and reinforce confidence in Biden's bid for reelection than an actual statement of fact.

But any speculation is now all moot. Biden succumbed to mounting pressure and withdrew from the race on July 21th. The last poll conducted 48 hours before his announcement showed that he was trailing in six key swing states and that support for his continued campaign had all but collapsed in Virginia and Minnesota.    

According to a Pew Report released just before Biden's announcement, almost 75% of the respondents felt that Biden wasn't mentally fit compared to Trump's positive 58%.  Only 24% said they would describe Biden as "energetic".  Just slightly under one third approved of his job performance (which has never been on the plus side),  This makes his job approval the lowest of any president seeking reelection.  

As a side note, on  issues such as honesty and compassion, Biden outperformed "the Donald". 48% of those polled said Biden was more honest than Trump who polled just 36%. When it came to compassion for the masses, Biden squeaked by with 49% compared to Trump's 44%.

However, the number which stands out the most was that 71% of Biden supporters no longer supported his reelection bid.  Only 23% wanted him to remain on the ballot. For a reelection campaign, that's catastrophic. On the other side of the aisle, an April poll showed that 35% of Republicans and conservatives wanted to see Trump replaced on the ballot. That number dropped to 26% as of July with 72% happy the way things are.

With Biden out, Trump will face off against the 59 year old Vice President Kamala Harris (the same age as Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance). Ms. Harris has the dubious designation of having the lowest consecutive approval rating of any Vice President of any party at any time in U.S. history. As of July 23rd, Harris has a 51.4% disapproval rate among Americans in general.

Key to her election bid is her approval rating among the nation's largest voting bloc---Independent voters--- and especially among Independent women where she is currently polling just 29% (and about the same among men).  Mainstream news outlets have been on full court press to try and make Harris more appealing to voters which, at this time, appears the equivalent of using a bucket to bail out the Titanic.

Age may very well be "just a number", but whether is bestows wisdom and maturity is entirely a different matter. However, with four months to go until the November election, it appears that experience along with some guile and cunning are beating out youth and lukewarm enthusiasm.

 If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps beat the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!

 

Pew: Joe Biden,Public Opinion, and His Withdrawal From the 2024 Race

Gallup: Biden's Approval Hit New Low Before Exit From Race

Biden quitrace for reelection after agonizing over poll data, sources say

Fivethirtyeight:Do American approve or disapprove of Kamala Harris

What the White House and the president doctor's say about the president's health

Mental AcuityQuestions Catch Up With Trump

List ofpresidents of the United States by age

Most U.S.presidents have been in their 50s at inauguration

The 8 OldestU.S. Presidents in History

ElectoralHistory of Joe Biden

Tying Up Loose Ends: A Last Word on Three Stories

Over the past several weeks, we've covered a wide range of topics, from the situation in Syria and the plight of the Kurds, to the vanishing middle class, and Kentucky's state races. However, we've not quite finished the stories, which were still pretty fluid at the time. Personally, I hate to be left hanging; not knowing what finally happened; the "coda" as it were. I guess that hearkens back to the legendary Paul Harvey and his famous "rest of the story" format (I loved to listen to Harvey back in the day). So, with this edition of A/O, we're going to step back and take a parting look at some of the stories we've recently covered.

Let's start with Kentucky's Governor race. As we left it, it appeared the Attorney General Andy Beshear (D), son of former Kentucky governor Steve Beshear, had narrowly defeated Governor Matt Bevin (R) by just over 5000 votes or a margin of 0.36%. However, Governor Bevin refused to concede, citing possible voting "irregularities".

As a result, Bevin called for a recanvassing. Speaking from personal experience, voting "irregularities" in Kentucky are more common than not, so I can't say I blame him. Nevertheless, if Bevin was expecting to see the gap needed to win close, he was mistaken. None of the areas in question (mainly in the sparsely populated counties of Eastern Kentucky) could account for the 5189 votes he needed to pull out a victory. On Thursday, November 14th, the recanvassing was completed and not much changed. Beshear had won and Matt Bevin was out.

Bevin had counted on President Trump's popularity to help him win. However, what he failed to take into consideration was that Trump had lost much of his popularity among Kentuckians since 2015. Since taking office, Trump's approval rating across Kentucky has declined by almost 25%. Still, he remains popular among large segments of the population, especially in rural Kentucky but not in the heavily populated urban centers like Louisville, Lexington, or even Bowling Green for instance.

Secondly, Bevin had been ranked as the most disliked governor in the U.S. earlier in 2019 (he rose one place, to 49th, in the third quarter). The moral of the story is that if the voters don't like you, attaching yourself to a more popular figure typically won't be enough. Bevin should have focused more his accomplishments such as increasing corporate investments in the state to $9.2 billion dollar; nearly two times the previous record set in 2015 of $5.1 billion, which translates into more jobs and an increase in the tax base. He fully funded the Actuarially Required Contribution (ARC), the first administration to do so for instance.

Instead, his opponent, Andy Beshear, set the tone by making the race about Bevin's "abrasive" personality. Like it or not, politics is a popularity contest. If voters have a favorable opinion of someone, be it their appearance or personality (it's called "relatability"), they'll likely give them their vote. If not, they won't, no matter how positive their record is. Yeah, it's pretty shallow and no way to elect representatives, but that's the way it is. The average voter rarely takes time to research a candidate's position on issues or their political record. I guess that's why those who promise the most seem to the best.

Earlier we took a look at America's vanishing Middle Class. As just about all of know, it keeps getting harder to make ends meet. We seem to increasingly have "more month than money". The gap between the rich and everyone has steadily been increasing for decades. According to an article in the May edition of Forbes, the richest top 10% control 70% of the wealth just in America, an increase 10% over the last ten years. Meanwhile, the top 1% controls over 1/3 of all the wealth. The article went on to say that the bottom 50% saw a net zero gain over the last 30 years.

In another article, this one from the St. Louis Federal Reserve, pointed out that in 1989 the top 10% controlled 42% of the nation's wealth. The middle 50% - 90% had the same--42%---and the poorest segment about 15%. In 2016 that had changed. The top 10% had 50% of the total wealth while the middle 50% - 90% had just 37% and the poorest shrunk to 13%.

America has gone from being a democratic or representative Republic to being a defacto Oligarchy, leaving us (for the time being) the illusion of choice when it comes to elections. America's political system is broken beyond "reform" (whatever that means). We need to end partisan controlled gerrymandering, impose term limits, and end "Citizens United" which gives "person-hood" to corporations while equating free speech with unlimited financial contributions (though it still caps what flesh and blood citizens can give), allow equal access of candidates and parties, as well as citizen referendums.

Here's an interesting aside to consider. As anyone who has run for office knows, it takes a lot of money to get elected. Money, after all, is what you need to buy name recognition and get your message out there. Without it, you might as well not exist. If you want to run for the U.S. Senate, you better have $10 million just to get in the game. Think a U.S. Representative may be a better way to go? Great. Count on coughing up at least $5 million. Hillary Clinton spent $1.4 billion in running for president and still lost.

Statewide elections can be just as expensive. In 2002, Texas millionaire Tony Sanchez ran to become the state's first Hispanic Governor. He spent $65 million dollars to unseat Governor Rick Perry...and lost. In the 2018 Illinois Governor race, Democrat Jay Bob ("J.B.") Pritzker raised $175.1 million dollars to his opponent, Bruce Rauner's $79.7 million.

In Florida's 2018 Governor's race, Republican Rick DeSantis raised just under $59,000,000.00. His opponent in the race, Democrat Andrew Gillum, raised $55,062,506.84. Many political consultants will tell you that unless you can raise at least $20 million dollars, stay away from the top jobs. Even the down ticket offices are going to set you back a pretty penny.

Thanks to Citizens United, corporations now underwrite these campaigns, backing the candidate they believe will best serve their interests...not ours. Once elected, their lobbyists ensure that politicians toe the line by "helping" write legislation, ensuring that certain bills get voted up or down, and funding reelection war chests (aka "Leadership" PACs) not to mention all sorts of indirect bribes. Once a politicians (or even senior staffer) decides to hang it up, they tend to become lobbyists, political consultants, or Wall Street executive, thus perpetuating the cycle. Who do we have to look out after our interest? Absolutely no one, and that's not likely to change any time soon without a fight.

As you may have noticed, we haven't heard anything recently about the Kurds. When I last wrote about them in October, there was a ceasefire in place. The U.S. had withdrawn a small contingent of troops from Northern Syria in order to allow Turkish troops to freely invade the area and push back our allies, the Kurds, from the area. There was a real concern that prisons holding ISIS fighters and guarded by the Kurds, would be left unguarded, thus allowing thousands of dangerous ISIS fighters the opportunity to escape (which indeed happened at two locations). Also, pro-Turkish fighters were able to assassinate a popular Kurdish diplomat and peace advocate, Hevrin Khalaf, along with eight others in a ambush.

Nevertheless, the situation did create a unique opportunity for the U.S. military. With the pullback of the American troops and announcement by President Trump of a pending American withdrawal of troops, the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, came out of hiding...albeit briefly. He had been long targeted by U.S. Special Forces who, it would appear, were just waiting for the right opportunity. That opportunity came on the evening of October 27th when members of the super secret Delta Force chased the ISIS leader into a cave outside of Syrian town of Barisha where, using a suicide vest, he blew himself up along with three of his children.

As for the Kurds, U.S. intelligence agencies (principally the CIA's Special Activities Division), confirmed that the Kurdish led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) provided essential intelligence information as to the movement of key ISIS leaders, including that of al-Baghdadi, as well as information regarding his compound and security. The U.S. State Department added that the attack was delayed briefly after President Trump announced the troop pullback ahead of the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria.

Nevertheless, SDF as well as the Iraqi Kurds, continued to provide highly credible intelligence deep from within both ISIS and al-Baghdadi's inner circle, once again proving their importance as valuable American allies in the region. Shortly after al-Baghdadi's death, the second in command and ISIS spokesman, Abdul Hasan al-Muhajir, was killed in an airstrike thanks to information provided by the Kurds.

As a brief aside, it should be noted that Turkey's President Erdogan has repeatedly stated that he considers Kurdish nationalism to be a greater threat to Turkey and the region than that of ISIS and a Islamic Caliphate. We need to bear this in mind given that Turkey, which is 98% Muslim, is a major player in NATO and a key economic trading partner with the European Union.

The Kurds having been living in the same area---northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northern Syria and southeastern Turkey--- for nearly 5000 years. The majority belong to the Shafi'i sect of Sunni Islam, there are also enclaves of Christians, Shia Islamists, Yazidisms, Zoroastrianists, Alevists and Yarsamists. They have been the victims of countless purges, exiles, and genocide. However, I should point out that part of the land they've long claimed also contains some of the richest oil and gas reserves in the region, so this is much more than about mere "nationalism" or a homeland for a persecuted people.

While Turkey is mostly Muslim, it's also mostly secular with strong connections to the West. An Islamic State could change that. It would certainly destabilize Turkey and even possibly push it toward religious extremism. One could imagine how that would affect its role in NATO or as a reliable trading partner. Meanwhile, the majority of Kurds have been forced to move to safer territory in Northern Iraq as they have time and again over the centuries.

So that, as Paul Harvey so often said, is the rest of the story. As a writer, I felt it was necessary to put a final statement on each of these stories, which had been left open do to the ongoing nature of events at the time. You, the reader, deserve nothing less than the full story.



Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin concedes to Dem Andy Beshear in reelection bid


America's Humongous Wealth Gap is Widening Further

What Wealth Inequality in America Looks Like: Key Facts and Figures

Kurdish informant provided key intel in operation that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi

What Does Halloween and Politics Have in Common?

Halloween. My most favorite of annual holidays. After all, what's not to like? You have cool fall weather with the smell and crunching of falling leaves, not to mention the vibrant colors. Then you have all the kiddos dressing up like their favorite villain or super hero knocking on the door and that near unison shout of "Trick or Treat" as they bravely hold up their plastic pumpkins, bags, or optimistically, a pillow case in the hopes of a successful treat hunt. Of course, Halloween gives adults the excuse to dress up too; be it their favorite monster or character from TV, the movies, or simply their imagination. Halloween is also a time to watch classic horror movies (Lugosi, Karloff, Price, Lee, Lorre, Hitchcock, or Chaney) or more modern fare such as the "Slash and Gore" genre (Freddy Kruger, Jason, Saw or Leatherface),witches, demons, or the latest from Stephen King, plus let's not forget "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" or "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" ("It's a jump to the left..."). Then there are all those sweet "leftover" goodies...and we don't even need another excuse, it's Halloween!

Of course, Halloween is meant for fun; at least these days. We know it's fake, though we enjoy the bit of fright it brings. But what are we really afraid of? What is it that actually scares us? I'm pretty sure it isn't the prospect of Zombies or mummies. So what is it that makes us worry or uncomfortable? Well, according to an article in 'Market Watch' by Jacob Passy, our top ten fears, as published by Chapman University, are, from least to most, as follows. Starting with tenth place is air pollution. 45% of Americans are most worried about foul or dirty air, which I could see as a real problem, particularly in some cities like Los Angeles or Louisville (California has 7 cities in the top 10 for worse air quality. Pennsylvania has 2 and Kentucky has 1). Coming in ninth is North Korea at 48%. Apparently, a sizable number of Americans are worried that the "Boy Dictator" may not be bluffing this time and just might launch an attack against South Korea, Japan, Guam, Hawaii, Alaska, or maybe the West Coast on a good wind day. However, 52% think the Kim Jong Un is simply trying to obtain more freebies from the West to keep his economy running for a bit longer, and why not? By threatening a war with South Korea, Japan, or America, the Kim Dynasty has been able to extort billions in aid and credit which has kept the Hermit Nation in kimchi . But if Kim was to launch a nuclear or chemical attack against the U.S. or its allies in the Pacific, American response would be swift. Who knows? A ill-conceived attack could result in South Korea suddenly becoming an island .

Next on the list is global warming/climate change. It too came in at 48%. Apparently, large minority of Americans aren't buying the line from Republicans that the earth isn't getting hotter. Perhaps it has something to do with increase in the number and intensity of storms, tornados, and hurricanes. It may be the dry weather and longer lasting droughts or maybe the number of forest fires and the increase in so-called "dead zones" in parts of the oceans. Of course, their concern could be the seemingly increase in sea ice resulting from large chunks of the Arctic melting. Of course, some well known scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku, and Neil deGrasse Tyson claim that the existing scientific data indicates that there is an increase Earth's overall temperature (just saying). Of course, that still leaves 52% who think that the changing conditions are simply the result of cyclical weather patterns. As for the other data, they're called "seasons".

Another 48% of those polled said their greatest fear is that the U.S. will be involved in another war. Sorry, but I think that's practically guaranteed. Since America's founding in 1776, we have been at war---declared or not---222 years out of 239 years. That represents 93% of our history since our we told the Brits to take a hike. Folks, that's not good. Right now, we have been at war longer than at any time in our nation's existence. Sadly, I don't see any prospect of this changing. America, as many of you know, is no longer a democratic republic. We let that slip away while focusing on mindless TV programs, sports or video games, not to mentioned accepting the dumbing down of schools. We were kept busy trying to keep our jobs, finding healthcare, and so forth. We saw the growing number corrupt or incompetent millionaire politicians and keep reelecting them. We saw the government take some action, like the Wallstreet Bailout and while we said "no", Washington did it anyway without any fear of repercussions. Besides, they could always manufacture a new "crisis" to distract us anytime they wanted. As the founder of Athenian democracy, Pericles (495 BC - 429 BC), once said, "Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you".

America is now an Oligarchy; a plutocracy. Our foreign and domestic polices emanate from boardrooms and backroom deals. This Oligarchy is not about money. Heck, they literally control the money supply. This is about control. Control of assets and resources. If they can't get what they want through co-opting, bribery, intimidation, or extortion, then they will seek to use our military if necessary as their enforcers. Domestically, they've neutered most unions, while others have simply been brought into the fold. They've exported good paying manufacturing jobs overseas where they don't deal with union salaries and benefits, safety issues, wage and hour, etc. All they have to do is grease the right palms. Domestically, you and I get what's left. Yes, some jobs are pretty good. They pay great and benefits, but they're few and far between. Those who go to college end up with a monstrous loan debt which will take decades to pay off, and still with no assurance of a job. Those who go no further than high school have an equally tough time finding a job, unless they went to a trade school. Luckily for this "excess" demographic the military is always hiring. Wars and pseudo-wars are what keep our economy going. Without them, our economy tanks. Meanwhile, we've become economic serfs ("wage slaves" as some say) where our credit rating represents our value to the system.

Medical bills are next on the list; again at 48%. I can easily see why many have a fear of this, especially those with pre-existing injuries or seniors. No matter what side you're on, I think most of us can agree that we are facing a healthcare crisis. Originally, people simply bought coverage out of pocket or got it through their employer (especially before the manufacturing jobs were exported). Obamacare was a nice effort, but ill-conceived and ultimately a failure. President Trump is trying to rewind the healthcare clock, and that too isn't going to work. Let's also not forget than many healthcare professionals have taken early retirement, gone into consulting or private healthcare groups. In some cases, this leaves individuals with substandard care and overworked doctors, nurses, and staff. It's true that the U.S. was the only developed nation without a nationalized healthcare system. It was equally true that we didn't worry about waiting lists or whether our care was subject to some bureaucratic committee's approval (ironically called "death panels") like they in some countries with nationalized healthcare.

What added salt to the wound was that the President, Judicial System, Congress, and Federal employees were exempt from Obamacare. It was like they were saying that Obamacare was beneath them and that rubbed people the wrong way. Personally, I prefer a single payer plan. It would provide a basic level of courage and would allow for individuals or employers access to buy from supplemental plans. That way, small businesses could at least compete with larger companies for potentially better qualified employees while low income individuals would still have at least some coverage. Additionally, it would require everyone--including all government employees---to participate. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Not surprising , therefore, is fear of not having enough money for the future is next on the list. 50% of those surveyed said that running out of money was a real concern. Given our discussion about healthcare, that's understandable. For those with 401K or other retirement plans, there is the issue of market volatility. My best advice is diversity and a willingness to ride out the highs and lows. You have to think long term. Downsizing and the loss of a job as a result of consolidations or mergers represent another real concern. One has to worry about rising taxes and fees, which never seem to end. Another factor to consider is the extremely high cost of college, often with mediocre prospects of finding a decent job after graduating for many majors. Those who obtain engineering and applied science degrees tend to do the best (both of these disciplines require excellent math skills by the way).

An alternative to a four or more year college degree without debt in the six figure range, is through trade school. First, and most importantly, there is real demand for plumbers, tool and die machinists, electricians, heavy equipment operators, carpenters, and auto mechanics. Secondly, most programs are reasonably affordable, while many have apprenticeships which allows the student to earn as they learn. Lastly, you can earn great money in the trades and you have the option to work for someone or go into business for yourself (as an aside, these jobs aren't exportable), and the jobs are transferable. You can go anywhere and find a job.

The next two fears are closely related, so we'll treat them as such. One is drinking polluted water at 50% and the other is pollution of the oceans, lakes, and streams with 53%. It seems to me that polluted drinking would be a byproduct of polluted waterways and oceans. However, this could also be viewed as part of a failing infrastructure. As some of you might know, America has a serious issue with outdated and decaying infrastructures such as dams, dikes, roads (including interstates and US highways), crumbing bridges, our electrical grids, sewage systems (including pipelines which can easily be over 100 years old), and, of course, our water treatment plants.

As Hurricanes Katrina, Irma, and Harvey showed us in New Orleans, Huston, and parts of Florida, it doesn't take much to create a backflow into the water treatment plants to effectively shut down the city's water supply, which often takes weeks or longer to clean up. Texas Governor Greg Abbott estimated that Hurricane Harvey created between $150 billion to $180 billion in damages. A German disaster firm, Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction, estimated that the damage to the infrastructure in Texas would top $267 billion, while home damage was estimated at $35 billion. For the record, the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, then the most expensive in U.S. history, cost $108 billion.

Next on our list of top fears for 2017 is "Trumpcare", which polled at 55%. Like the ones we just discussed, this could tie back into America's fear of the increasing cost of medical care as well as the fear of not having enough money over time; especially for any type of retirement or unexpected emergencies. Given the relationship between categories, I think it's safe to assume that healthcare, employment, and retirement are the key domestic issues affecting most Americans, and they should be. These issues affect us personally more so that infrastructure or pollution issues. As, it's the failure of Washington to find a solution which is also causing serious concerns for most of us.

At the time of Obamacare, House Republicans fought tooth and nail to defeat it. It was ultimately save by the Supreme Court when it, unconstitutionally, rewrote the bill into a tax. Nevertheless, House Republicans repeatedly stated that once they won the White House, and assuming they maintained a strong factor in the House, Obamacare would be "smothered in the cradle". Senior Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that House Republicans would continue to work on the matter and would have workable plan available to "pull out of the drawer" when the opportunity arose. Well, they didn't. They had nothing. Zippo. Nada. Zilch. They lied. And you know what? Nobody really expected them too. Voters knew damn good and well that nothing would be done, and as usual, the public was right.

Finally, we come to America's top fear, which shouldn't come as a surprise. In fact, it's the same fear that Americans have had decades. 74% of Americans are afraid of our corrupt government. Going back to 2015, that figure, which was also ranked top, was 58%. According to Gallup, the approval rating for Congress stands at 16%, which is pretty darn good when you consider that in early November 2015 it was only 9%. Interestingly, I had to go back to the week of June 12, 2005 just to reach 50%! In most countries, an approval under 55% is enough to set off alarm bells and brace for a possible coup at the polls or a revolution in the streets. Yet, we endure decades of poor Congressional approval ratings with barely a whimper. Why? As I've often said, Americans know our political system is broken beyond repair. We've come to accept that the time for reform is long past. No amount of tweaking is going to work. Uncle Sam is on life support with no pulse or brain activity. All that awaits him is for those who loved Uncle Sam the most, ordinary Americans, to perform a final act of compassion for him and pull the plug, and then to start our great experiment all over again. Hopefully, we will have learned from our mistakes.



Americans are most afraid of this---hint: it's not Obamacare or terrorism


America has been at war 93% of the Time--222 out of 239 Years-- Since 1776



Hurricane Harvey could cost $190 billion, Topping Hurricane Katrina



Gallup News: Congress and the Public