Every new President is elected by people who believe they are voting for someone who is going to change things. People who wanted a change from the policies of Lyndon Johnson elected Richard Nixon. People who wanted a change from the policies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford elected Jimmy Carter. People who wanted a change from the policies of Jimmy Carter elected Ronald Reagan and G.H.W. Bush. People who wanted a change from the policies of G.H.W. Bush elected Bill Clinton. People who wanted a change from the policies of Bill Clinton elected G.W. Bush. People who wanted a change from the policies of G.W. Bush elected Barack Obama. People who wanted a change from the policies of Barack Obama elected Donald Trump. And for all of the “change” people have voted for, not much has changed.
Before Trump was elected, especially after World War II, spending levels of the federal government increased exponentially during every single presidential administration, regardless of which political party the President was from. (The last President to completely pay off the national debt was Andrew Jackson--seventh President of the United States from 1829-1837.) From Republican to Democrat to Republican and back to Democrat again, nothing changed: the size and scope of the federal government continued to mushroom. And now that we are back to another Republican president, nothing has changed again. Under Donald Trump--and for the first time in U.S. history--our country is over $20 trillion in debt.
From CNS News: “The federal debt officially surpassed $20 trillion for the first time on Friday, as the debt subject to the legal limit set by Congress jumped $317,645,000,000 in one day--following President Donald Trump's signing of a spending-and-debt-limit deal that will fund the government through Dec. 8.
“At the close of business on Thursday, Sept. 7, according to the Daily Treasury Statement for Friday, the total debt of the federal government was $19,844,587,000,000 and the portion of it subject to the legal limit set by Congress was $19,808,747,000. After President Trump signed the legislation suspending the debt limit, the total debt immediately jumped to $20,162,177,000,000 and the portion of it subject to the limit jumped to $20,126,392,000,000, according to the Daily Treasury Statement for Sept. 8, 2017.
“That means the total debt jumped $317,590,000,000 on the day it officially topped $20 trillion for the first time and that the part of the debt subject to the legal limit jumped $317,645,000,000 on that day.”
See the report:
It's Official: Debt Tops $20 Trillion For First Time; Jumps $317,645,000,000 In 1 Day
So much for change.
Likewise, before Trump was elected, the federal government was increasingly (and illegally) spying on the American people--especially since the administration of G.W. Bush. From the Republican Bush to the Democrat Obama, unconstitutional spying on the American citizenry grew constantly.
Anybody who was paying attention knew that the federal government was illegally surveilling the American public, but none of us knew just how bad it was--until the revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Snowden risked (and continues to risk) his life in order to let his fellow citizens know just how massively the federal government is spying on us.
From Reason.com:
“As former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed to the world in 2013, the U.S. government routinely spies on its own citizens.
“‘I, sitting at my desk, could wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president,’ Snowden told the journalists crowded into his hotel room before the publication of his leaked documents.
“The leaks exposed lies from government officials about the mass surveillance of American citizens, with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifying before Congress that the NSA didn't ‘wittingly’ collect any data on millions of Americans.
“Four years after the Snowden leaks, the government is still collecting Americans' private information. Though the NSA claims it ended bulk collection of domestic phone calls, the agency is still operating several other far-reaching domestic spying programs.
“Now there's a way to end these unconstitutional practices. The NSA gets its authority to spy on U.S. Citizens from Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act. The law will expire this year after it hits its five-year sunset. Lawmakers will soon be deliberating over whether to renew Section 702 for another five or maybe even make it permanent.
“Watch the video . . . to see why it's vital that they let Section 702 lapse.”
See the report (and watch the video) here:
End Warrantless Deep State Spying: Don't Renew 702
Does anyone remember when Donald Trump complained about the Obama justice department spying on him? Well, one would think that a man who was elected President on the promise that he was going to change things and drain the swamp in Washington, D.C., and who himself was victimized by the illegal spying of the executive branch of the federal government (the same branch of government that he, Trump, now controls) would want to put a stop to this pervasive and pernicious spying on the American people. Right? Wrong.
Instead of thanking Snowden for his courage in blowing the whistle on this illegal activity and setting about to change the way this criminality goes unchecked in Washington, D.C., President Trump calls Snowden a traitor and wants to have him EXECUTED. And you can bet your bottom dollar that Trump will push Congress to extend the sinister section 702 of the FISA Amendment Acts--perhaps indefinitely.
So much for change.
And again, from G.H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton to G.W. Bush to Barack Obama, U.S. foreign policy has conducted war on just about the entire world. The U.S. military has dropped more bombs, fired more missiles, launched more drone attacks, and sent more troops to invade more foreign countries than the rest of the world’s militaries combined.
Barack Obama was elected on the promise of ending America’s endless foreign wars, but all he did was escalate them. Donald Trump was likewise elected on the same promise. Trump used to condemn Obama for his incessant interventionist wars. But as soon as Trump became President, he not only continued these wars, but he is escalating them to a level that has brought the United States (and the entire world) to the brink of global nuclear war.
Former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Paul Craig Roberts recently quoted a column by Global Research writer Stephen Lendman. The column is titled (I don’t like the crude language in the title, but I DO understand the author’s frustration with the American people for allowing their government to take them to the brink of nuclear war) “If you don’t see that Washington is driving to war with Russia you are a dumbs### American.”
After quoting Lendman’s column, Roberts writes, “The Russian Operational Command has already concluded that Washington is preparing a surprise nuclear first strike against Russia. What do you think this latest Washington outrage, a first in diplomatic history that goes beyond even Adolf Hitler, tells the Russians?
“The American people should be extremely concerned that ‘their’ government is crazy off the scale. I mean really, we are confronting total insanity in Washington.
“The insane government in Washington has the entire world on the brink of nuclear armageddon.”
See the column here:
Paul Craig Roberts - Washington Driving War With Russia
So much for change.
Before Trump was elected, Barack Obama granted amnesty to over 800,000 illegal aliens via DACA. After campaigning against amnesty for illegals, Trump has now told Congress that he wants them to pass legislation ensconcing DACA into law within the next six months, thereby granting permanent amnesty to over 800,000 illegal aliens.
Again, so much for change.
P.S. As many of my readers know, I was recently victimized (for the umpteenth time) by a vile, slanderous lie from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and one of its toadies in the mainstream media (the Idaho Statesman newspaper in Boise). Read the story here:
The SPLC And Mainstream Media Keep Spreading Hate
After the article slandering me (and Liberty Fellowship) was published, scores of people sent letters, emails, phone calls, etc., of outrage to the Idaho newspaper, and I sent them a formal letter demanding they print a public retraction of this libelous slur against me. I’m still waiting--but not holding my breath.
The next Sunday, I preached a message to the folks at Liberty Fellowship (and to those who watch us online) entitled “My Answer To The SPLC And Liberal Media.” I strongly urge readers to get this DVD and even get extra copies for friends and loved ones who constantly hear these sick and slanderous accusations from the SPLC and their lackeys in the mainstream media. It’s time we started answering these liberal propagandists--and that is exactly what I have done in this message.
Find my DVD message “My Answer To The SPLC And Liberal Media” here:
My Answer To The SPLC And Liberal Media
© Chuck Baldwin
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