October 11-13, 2017: Trump Threatens to Revoke First Amendment

 

10/11/17: Did the President of the United States just say what we think he said? Did he just casually threaten to undermine the First Amendment? 

He did.  

 

Networks that criticize Trump may have licenses revoked. 

If you missed it Wednesday, he carried his assault on constitutional norms to a new low. And previous lows have been low indeed. Here’s his menacing tweet, aimed at NBC: “Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!”

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10/12/17: When the sun rises over the Rose Garden on Thursday, the president is up tweeting again. At 5:04 a.m.: “Clips from tax speech and @seanhannity on @foxandfriends now. Have a great day!” 

The fool loves Fox News. 

Search his Twitter feed. You’ll see. Twice recently he suggested everyone watch Jesse Watters on Fox. Four times he touted a show called The Five. Sixteen times since swearing to uphold the Constitution and 41 times as candidate he advocated for Hannity’s show. Bill O’Reilly was a favorite during the campaign (87 tweets). But O’Reilly has received only six mentions since Trump assumed office. This has nothing to do with Trump being “more presidential.” It has everything to do with the fact a free press brought the serial sex abuser O’Reilly crashing down. 

(Trump’s entire Twitter feed is taken down in the wake of the 2020 election, when he keeps lying and insisting that he won.)

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10/13/17: Remember watching the president tout his great tax plan? Remember how he promised his plan would not benefit the rich? 

It’s Friday the 13^th, and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin lets slip the dogs of truth. A key element of the plan is elimination of the estate tax. “Obviously,” Mnuchin tells an audience at the Institute for International Finance, this, “I will concede, disproportionately helps rich people.” 

Mnuchin, who $tands to benefit greatly, him$elf, explain$, it’$ only “fair” to end the “death tax.” $ome really rich people pay half their income$ in taxe$ during their live$. Why $hould they have to pay another tax when they die? 

Might we point out again ($ee: 9/26/17) how much Trump him$elf will $ave if the e$tate tax i$ wiped from the book$? 

At minimum: $554 million. 

At be$t: $1.9 billion.

 

Al$o $et to make a killing if the “death tax” i$ repealed: mega-donor$ to the Trump campaign (Rupert Murdoch, Robert Mercer, Charle$ and David Koch, $heldon Adel$on and many more). 

Here’s an idea. If the superrich really hate paying high taxes maybe they could start paying employees more. You know, spread the wealth around to the workers who helped them pile it up. 

 

POSTSCRIPT: Allow me to offer this patriotic suggestion, regarding taxation. Let U.S. multinationals bring back to our shores the $2.6 trillion they’ve hidden overseas. Pay the taxes owed, like regular plumbers, truck drivers and teachers. Pay like the man who owns the local lawn care service pays – like the woman who runs the corner bar pays – like the baker who doesn’t want to bake a cake for gays pays.  

Congress can use the windfall to double the death benefit for families of serviceman and women killed in combat. That includes DACA enlistees (see: 9/5/17), Muslim American soldiers and transgender troops.