By J.C. Bruce
The cost of living and inflation remain the most decisive issues influencing voters in this midterm election, but government corruption comes in second—a concern closely tied to the Trump Administration and one reason the president’s approval rating is in the toilet.
In a just-released Harris Poll, nine out of 10 Americans said government corruption—defined as public officials putting their own interests above the public’s—is a major concern.
The poll was commissioned by The Guardian, and here are the issues voters said were of greatest concern:
The New York Times has been traveling the country talking to voters about this. In Florida, a 61-year-old voter from Dunedin (where both Ron DeSantis and I graduated from high school), had this to say:
“Trump said he would drain the swamp, and he’s become the swamp.”
Ballrooms, tax cuts for billionaires, gold plating the Oval Office, unprovoked wars, self-dealing, persecuting political enemies, pay-for-pardons, insider trading, suing his own government for billions—Trump’s corruption is open for all to see. Which explains why so many Republicans are running from him.
Polls indicate they can’t run fast enough as Democrats seem assured of winning back the House and maybe the Senate.
Here in Florida, we’re hardly strangers to government corruption, either. Can you say Alligator Alcatraz and Hope Florida? Thanks, DeSantis.
Will that be enough to turn around a state with 1.5 million more Republicans than Democrats? Sure, if people get off their couches and go vote. We’ll see if that happens on Tuesday.
That Was the Week That Was
Speaking of corruption …
Trump was furious when he learned that one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba Mildon, landed a contract for more than $50 million to work for a billionaire Venezuelan family, the patriarch of which he had pardoned.
Was he concerned it looked like a pay-for-pardon scheme?
Of course not. He just wanted a piece of the action.
According to The New York Times, Trump was angry at the size of the deal, and told aides and allies that she should donate a portion of that money to his future presidential library or another Trump-related entity.
Speaking of the economy …
Millions of Americans who depend on Obamacare for their health insurance face another double-digit price increase next year thanks to Republicans and the Trump Administration allowing health-care tax credits to expire.
The average price of health insurance in the Obamacare marketplaces will rise by 13 percent next year, according to an analysis on Friday by KFF, the health research group.
Cheesy remarks wound Trump
Donald Trump was furious when Barack Obama said his redecorating of the Oval Office resembled what would happen if Saddam Hussein was turned loose in a Cheesecake Factory.
That, of course, was terribly unfair. Hussein had many faults, but even he wasn’t as tasteless as Trump.
Turns out, The Donald had another reason to be upset. Obama’s remarks could have hurt one of his investments. He owns stock in Cheesecake Factory.
Fall back
Just a reminder, not that you are likely to have forgotten, but if you haven’t done so already, it’s earlier than you think. Daylight Saving Time expired at 2 a.m. this morning, so be sure to “fall back” an hour on your clocks.
And if you are wondering what happened to that bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, it passed the House of Representatives but died in the Senate, even with Trump’s endorsement. He’s winning so much.
Meme of the Week
The Strange Files
Saved by the phone
A cellphone in the pocket of a Boynton Beach man may have saved his life when a robber shot him, but the bullet lodged in his phone.
According to a report in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the victim was walking toward his car at a gas station when he felt a gun in his back, and he heard a voice say: “Give me all you got.”
He turned—no doubt appalled by the cliché—and was shot in the ankle. Then a second shot hit his pocket with the cell phone in it. He managed to run back to the gas station while the robber continued shooting at him.
Police have since arrested an 18-year-old Lake Worth Beach man.
Cop quits after he’s caught squatting
A Lauderhill police officer who was accused of stealing the identity of a dead man and taking over his house has resigned.
Police allege that the cop arranged for the funeral of the home’s owner after he died because he had no family, and then he and his partner moved in. They even invested more than $200,000 in improvements to the house.
Small problem: The deceased owner did, in fact, have family, and eventually the whole scheme unraveled.
Third Quarter Comment Contest Winners
Once a quarter, we recognize the marvelous writers who have contributed to the Comments section of the Tropic Press newsletters. Honestly, there are far too many wonderful letters to list, so thanks to all of you, and please keep commenting. For Quarter III, the five finalists and the winning entry are:
FINALISTS
Fear is the driving force behind the climate change deniers and the MAGAS. They are so afraid of what is happening that they go all in denying that there are serious threats to our survival as a species and as a democracy in this country. They can’t handle the scientific truths and obvious dismantling of our constitution so they refuse to acknowledge it. Denial is a very powerful defense mechanism when faced with facts that are frightening and or threatening. As a result they seek reassurance from leaders that assuage their fears with the reality that makes them feel safe. My experience has been that the less educated the person is the more they are in denial.
—Eileen Hoffman
Whoever said “you can’t fix stupid” seems to have predicted the end of the human race and most of the rest of the planet. Between climate change and AI both appear to be accelerating us towards Armageddon. The only hope is that perhaps AI might stop us first in a self preservation move. Reading this week’s news about AI “breaking out and hacking another company’s system alerts me to how little we really know about what is happening behind the curtain that the Wizard of OZ hides behind.
—Alan Margulies
David Jolly should take a lesson from (Alex) Vindman, deciding not to debate his primary opponent (Angie) Nixon. Refusing to debate Donalds, who he calls a liar, but not being willing to get on the stage to demonstrate his ability to dominate Donalds publicly is a huge mistake. People need to see these two guys standing up publicly, answering questions. That’s how we’ll take the measure of the men, not by the incessant texts and emails we get asking for money.
—George Terranova, M.D.
If I was a Republican running for re-election I would be trying really hard to have some exotic disease to keep from having to attend the mid-term convention. Thinking about it, maybe having Trump’s name associated with a candidate could be considered a disease in itself.
— Jim Hunter
Clearly the Republicans, nationally and in this state, are the party of big government. They want to control everyone one way or another, and extract more money from ordinary people in order to benefit the super-wealthy. Donalds is just like his boss, Trump: a constant liar.
—Lewis Pulsipher
WINNER
I read the report that David Jolly refused to debate a liar who set the ground rules for the debate. No live audience and the debate would be recorded and edited and played for the media at a later date. That’s not a debate that’s a made for TV fantasy. I have a better idea. Use an AI bullshit detector in a live debate with a statistically politically comprised audience (this is called stratified sampling ). These AI programs already exist and I would love to see AI applied this way.
— Greg Gargan
When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead. (Paid subscribers to this newsletter have full access to the complete Onward Thru the Fog archive.)
Nov. 2. Today is Election Day Eve. So, if you haven’t already voted by mail, or if you didn’t take advantage of early voting at the polls, today is a good time to plan when and where you will vote tomorrow. If you need help finding information, I suggest you check the News2Use section.
Nov. 3. Election Day. Vote. It’s your superpower. Don’t squander it.
Nov. 4. Check Your Blood Pressure Day. This will be very appropriate for some people, depending on how they voted. They call high blood pressure the silent killer because people can experience it for years without knowing, all while it damages blood vessels and internal organs.
Nov. 5. Susan B. Anthony broke the law on this date in 1872. She had the temerity to vote in the presidential election even though—egad!—she was a woman. For this, she was arrested, fined, and later recognized as a hero of the women’s rights movement, especially after women won the right to vote 48 years later.
Nov. 6. Speaking of presidential elections, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States on this day in 1860, just in time for the Civil War. It is also National Nacho Day. It is unknown if Abe was a nacho fan, although I have it on good authority that he subscribed to Tropic Press (see below).
Nov. 7. It was 1492, and that year in the Americas resonates as the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the so-called New World. That year also saw another historic event: A 280-pound meteorite slammed into our planet near the town of Ensisheim, near the borders of modern-day France, Germany, and Switzerland. They called it the “Thunder Stone.” Its sonic boom could be heard a 100 miles away. What remains of the space rock is now in a museum, preserved as the oldest European meteorite left in existence.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.
Here’s why we can’t let bullies and fear-mongers have their way this election
The Epstein Files are back in the news with a demand by Democrats to investigate Trump
Oddsmakers now say the U.S. Senate is in reach for Democrats; in Florida it’s a tight race
King Donald wants to ban votes in California; Gavin Newsom wants to ‘kick his ass’
ASK THE BIRD: Is this where all of Saddam Hussein’s gold went? To the Oval office?
News2Use
Check out the latest section on the Tropic Press website, News2Use, a handy reference library with links to useful information such as election deadlines, how to contact your elected representatives, and more.
A little help, please …
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While I appreciate that some voters have finally discovered that corruption in government (led by the Grifter in Chief in Washington is an issue, I am saddened that the threat to democracy is not on the list. It is on mine.