Time to Think

2025 Was a Negative Year                                                                    #369 Commentary Here we are at the end of one of the most tumultuous years in U.S. history. 2025 has been a turning point.  The year has been Trump, Trump and more Trump, but we need to look closer at what has been done to our country while Trump distracted us with smoke, mirrors and insults. First: economics When Donald Trump took office last January 20th, the unemployment rate was just over 4%. In  November it was 4.6%.  The inflation rate for November was 2.7%, exactly the same as it was in November of 2024, and much of this year's inflation was fueled by tariffs.   At the same time, t he nation's debt went up from $33 trillion a year ago to over $38.5 trillion now.   The numbers are not sta...

                                                                                                                           #368 By Hank Silverberg Commentary      "Memorial--   serving to preserve remembrance   / of relating to memory" That definition comes from Merriam Webster's Dictionary, and it makes you wonder how Donald Trump's name fits on a building that stands as a MEMORIAL to President John F. Kennedy.  ( The  John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts)   "The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts" has stood as a glowing tribute to our 35th president since ground was broken for the building in 1964...

Words Still Matter                                                                                   #367 By Hank Silverberg Commentary What's in a word? They do still matter. A few examples for you, my loyal readers. It is the holiday season with Chanukah occurring this week, Christmas and Kwanzaa just a week away, and New Year's Day not far behind.  It's a time of celebration, joy and goodwill in many places, though we are reminded by the events in Providence and Australia that often the words "good will toward men" don't mean much.  But still, we try to spread a bit of sunshine in the middle of a cold winter by greeting people with a smile and the words  "Happy Holidays". Oh, wait, I forgot, those words symbolize a "war on Christmas" to many on the right who per...

Birthright                                                                                                                     #366 By Hank Silverberg  Commentary  This week, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments from the Trump Administration claiming that Birthright Citizenship is not legal.  It is, frankly, the most ridiculous and alarming claim this administration has ever made. Here is what the Constitution's 14th Amendment says on the issue...a direct quote here:  "14th Amendment Section 1 All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No S...

The Autopen                                        #365 By Hank Silverberg Commentary What's all the fuss over an autopen? Every president since Thomas Jefferson has used one from time to time to sign letters, documents and pardons. Jefferson even invented one.  P resident Trump, now keenly aware that he cannot just raise his voice or wave his hand and negate anything he doesn't like, is now threatening to wipe out anything his predecessor signed with an autopen. Of course,. they are more sophisticated now than in Jefferson's era. Here's a look at the one he used at Monticello in 1803.    Trump maintains that Biden was not present when a 21st century version of the autopen was used to sign some executive orders, pardons and some rule changes and that everything signed with such a device was illegal. But there is plenty of history to say otherwise. John F. Kennedy used it e...