Vote Your Conscience. But, be Cognizant

As an example, if people want to vote on abortion and ignore what a party does for their economic future, that's their prerogative. But, they shouldn't blame other people when that party pays lip service to their abortion views while ignoring their economic concerns. Even if you believe Hillary Clinton is a "murderer," don't pretend that the "pro-life" party you are voting for won't lower your wages, strip you of healthcare and subject your retirement savings to the whims of the "free market." When Republicans do precisely that, don't blame Democrats. At least be honest with your rage.

Words are Cheap. Focus on Actions.

I never trust ANY politician at their word, as words are cheap. Ditto for photo-ops. I care about what someone has DONE and what they DO. What they claim they will do should be measured by the past.

Why? Actions speak for the heart. The rest is noise/fluff.

In that regard, I cannot put my trust in Trump to abide by "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Trump's history and current rhetoric give me no confidence that he has Christ-like values towards "the least of these."

Forgive me for basing my assessment on "by their fruits ye shall know them."

But, then again, as an unbelieving heathen, what do I know? I'd say just about as much as Thomas Jefferson who separated the wheat from the chaff when he composed his work: The Jefferson Bible.

Trump's pursuit and elevation of greed and lust betray whatever else he might allege to profess. That there aren't more Christians skeptical of a 70-years old man who has converted on guns and abortions (to name just two issues) just in time for a presidential election says more about their gullibility than whatever rewrite the candidate is trying to engage in.

Moving on from Conservatism

Let us move UP from conservatism, a once respectable idea (in the tradition of Edmund Burke) of implementing progress and change incrementally (vs. not at all; or worse - rolling back progress already made).

Modern conservatism – certainly in the USA – is a reactionary force – rather than a practical or governing force. Railing on about what you are against only gets you so far.

Up from Conservatism by Michael Lind

https://www.amazon.com/Up-Conservatism-Michael-Lind/dp/0684831864

"If by a 'Liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people-their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal', then I'm proud to say I'm a 'Liberal'." --John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

Let the Right-wing Witch Hunt Begin (again)

If there's any doubt about the right-wing foaming at the mouth to profit from another Clinton presidency, I offer a correspondent I received today from a "Miss Fran Griffin" promoting a 1990s book called "Hustler: The Clinton Legacy" by Joe Sobran.

Right-wingers are shameless in pursuit of their fantasy demons. And lazy, too, as they apparently can't be bothered to create new material for a new generation of right-wing dupes.

Why did I receive this solicitation in the first place? Because I was once an anti-Clinton Republican.

I've gotten smarter and wiser with age and no longer fall for this kind of manufactured nonsense. But, I do get joy from wasting their money when they send me easily recyclable trash and collectible stamps.

Trump Fails the Character Test

The New York Times may have uncovered the fact that Donald Trump has not paid taxes, possibly for many years.

The sad part is that Trump probably did it all legally, thanks to loopholes Congress has put in place to make it easier for the wealthy to skip out on their responsibility.

Recall the Republican gospel is that taxes are too high on the "producers." It was only a natural extension of that ideology to go to bat for the wealthy any way they could, including the tax code.

For those who take the admonishment “to whom much is given, much is expected” seriously (like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, etc.), they accept their responsibility (in what they say and what they pay) rather than evade it.

Trump has failed the test of: "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's looking."

Well, everybody is looking now.

Realism: Manufacturing Jobs Aren't Coming Back

Nobody can bring blue-collar jobs back - assuming you don't force companies to come back or stay here. And, I doubt a free-market proponent would be in favor of government coercion in capital choices. But you never know. Republicans were against deficits (Clinton), before they were for them (Bush) before they were against them (Obama). Also, what about the irony of Trump going after free-trade that his own party has been selling for the last 30+ years? Sure, triangulating Bill Clinton signed NAFTA, to his everlasting shame. But, by and large, free-trade has been a cornerstone of modern GOP economics. And many of the same people voting for Trump are the same ones who voted for candidates of that very same GOP!

The only way companies would voluntarily choose to come back is if there were incentives in place that would reduce their COGS (cost of goods sold) - which would require reducing COGS such that they were less than what they would be overseas. The chief component of COGS is often labor - and that translates to lower wages, which is not what America needs. What America needs is to become more competitive in the higher-paying white-collar jobs -- e.g. engineering. This means re-training former blue-collar workers into those higher paying jobs; or re-training them for labor-intensive jobs that are on the forefront of technology - e.g. solar, wind energy design and installation. America also needs to prioritize STEM education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) because those are the cornerstone of high-paying jobs. Why have those jobs filled by Indian or Chinese workers when we can focus on our own citizens pursuing STEM careers? But all of this requires forward-thinking and investments that a reactionary Congress seems incapable of focusing on. They are missing the forest for the trees by staying entrenched in their ideology - or their need to be right - or their hostility to the occupant of the White House, etc. The world is going to pass America by if America does not get its act together and starts behaving like the super-power it is, not just militarily - but with investments in its people and its infrastructure. Progress is not cheap. But, leaders must be willing to make the hard choices when deciding where to invest and how much. Right now, the US has no such leadership.

Was Mother Teresa a Saint?

According to Pope Francis, Yes. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-francis-proclaims-mother-teresa-a-saint_us_57cc0153e4b078581f136836?section=& I have my doubts. I'm sure Ms. Teresa did many wonderful things and I'm not going to undermine that by saying she added no value to human existence. She did. Her tireless toil was unmatched. But, at the same time, by perpetuating Catholic teaching against family planning and contraception, she needlessly spawned new generations of poverty by burdening families with children they could not properly educate, clothe or feed. If your only "moral" goal is to procreate, she was a stunning success. If your goals also included ensuring children are loved, cared for, sheltered, clean, educated, healthy, etc. maybe not so much. Ms. Teresa was "old school" in many ways - and I can't fault her for being a product of her times (that makes her human - not a saint). But, I can foster skepticism towards the accolades being unfurled upon her.