THE WOMAN CARD

Hello Human Trump,
You said Hillary plays the woman card. It sounds more like you want to play the man card. Hillary discusses serious issues. You should also discuss issues instead of superficial nonsense. Hillary is experienced and well informed in domestic and foreign affairs while you are just a real estate huckster. You claim that Hillary is not honest. Look at yourself in the mirror. You claim that Hillary is not strong enough. She will mop the floor with you in the general election. Hillary is real. You are just a bad television image.
Chloe

CAKE, FROSTING, AND CAKE BOX

Hi Humans,
Making an analogy concerning the candidates in the current primary elections, Hillary Clinton is cake and Bernie Sanders is frosting on the cake. Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are cake boxes with nothing in them. So now if you American Humans want cake with frosting, you should elect Hillary Clinton with some Bernie influence on the Democratic platform. If all you want is an empty box, Donald's box is more colorful, but either one will do.
Chloe

DEMOCRATS ARE ON THE WAY

Hi Democratic Humans,
So it looks like Hillary is on the way to winning the nomination of the Democratic party. Now is the time for the party to pull together. Bernie Sanders Humans, your effort was not for nothing. You have already pulled Hillary and the party to the left. If the Bernie movement hadn't happened no one would have known you were there. Basically, the Hillary Humans and the Bernie Humans have the same goals, gun control, minimum wage, affordable health care for all, affordable college tuition without crushing student loans, the freedom to be whoever you are (straight, gay, transgender, whatever), the freedom for a woman to make decisions concerning her own body, etc. The differences between Bernie and Hillary and have been the path to reach those goals. The Bernie has greased the wheels to get there faster, and Hillary has the ability to make it happen. As for wealthy contributors, why not as long as they don't take advantage? There's room for all on the bus who have their eyes on the goal, even moderate Republicans who want some sanity. As for the Republican party, it looks liked they have settled on Trump. Hillary will mop the floor with him if the Democrats stick together. Under his bluster, Trump is a loser.
Chloe

HAND IN HAND

Hi Humans,

       As a dog in a Jewish family, I have a special interest in what goes on in Israel because it is home to more than a third of all the Jews in the world and the only country in which Jews are the majority. So, when I ran across Hand in Hand on the internet, I found it very interesting. Hand in Hand is an organization that creates integrated schools for Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. School is where humans’ attitudes are formed.

The problem between Israel and Palestine is that years of conflict have created populations on both sides with hardened attitudes toward each other. Examples of this on the one hand was seen in Gaza, when Israel withdrew from Gaza as a first step toward a two state solution, and the Arabs of Gaza elected Hamas, a rabidly anti-Jewish government, that began attacking Israel with rockets and terrorist tunnels, and persecuting any Arabs that disagreed with them. On the other hand in Israel we have seen the growth of a radical settler movement that puts their ideological nonsense ahead of the security of their fellow Israelis as well as the dignity of the Palestinian Arabs. We see an elected Israeli government that panders to them despite the cautions of Israel’s military and intelligence leaders.

Some Israeli Jews are even suspicious of their fellow Israelis who are Arabs. Integrating Israeli Arabs and Jews is necessary to make Israel a unified country. After all, Israeli Arabs make up 20% of the population of Israel, Jews 75%, and various others 5%. Integration would make Israel stronger and could be a model in helping to create a lasting peace between Israel and the two Palestines in Gaza and the West Bank.

The link online to Hand in Hand is https://www.handinhandk12.org/

 

Chloe

 

HI WALL STREET HUMANS

Hi Wall Street Humans,
There was an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday in which the author said something like Obama would be better than Trump or Cruz. Now the Wall Street Journal favors the views of the humans who run Wall Street, in other words the very wealthy, the corporations, the banks, and other financial institutions (Republicans). The implication is that the Frankensteins who have become the Republican front runners are even worse than President Obama. The nerve of you Wall Street ingrates!!! You should be kissing the ground that Obama walks on. After all, he saved your asses after you destroyed the economy with your tricks and greed. Some say he should have let you sink in your own manure. But being a pragmatic realist, Obama knew that although you were not worthy, letting you sink would have pulled down all the other human Americans who wandered into your web and even humans outside the US. But instead of thanking him, you demonized him, complained that he did not bring the economy back fast enough, and placed roadblocks in his path. Considering what Obama had to contend with, and how much he accomplished in spite of you, Obama was the greatest president of our time and maybe of all time.
Chloe

HILLARY WON NEW YORK

Hi Humans,
Hooray, Hillary won the New York Democratic primary election. Now Bernie, don't say mean things about Hillary, stick to the real matters of substantive disagreement (none of this personal crap about who is qualified and who gets what financing from whom). And when the primary is over, actively encourage your supporters to support her. After all, do you really want Trump to be president?
Chloe

OBAMACARE VERSUS SINGLE PAYER

Hi Humans,
The question of Obamacare (Federal Government fills in the gap in health insurance for those without private insurance) versus Single Payer (Federal Government provides all health insurance) has become an issue in the Democratic Primary election. Hillary Clinton favors keeping and expanding Obamacare. Bernie Sanders favors doing away with Obamacare and all private health insurance and replacing them with Single Payer for all Americans. The Republicans say they want to destroy Obamacare. Cruz is enough of a radical ideologue to maybe really do it (big surprise for those among his supporters who depend on it). Trump and Kasich speak the Republican mantra about getting rid of Obamacare but in reality would probably change the name, give it some cosmetic watering down, and actually keep it. Now I am just a dog, so I asked Dad who happens to be a physician who worked for 15 years in solo practice in a suburb of Chicago and 32 years in an HMO here in California. During some years of his HMO time, he was the chief of his department and had some exposure to the administrative side of medicine. So this is why he favors Obamacare and Hillarycare over single payer Berniecare.
1. The HMO where Dad works consists of 2 entities, one insurance company and a confederation of medical groups. Although the insurance humans are not all just heartless money crunchers and the physicians are not all complete altruists, in general the job of the insurance company is to balance the books and the job of the medical group confederation is to provide quality care to the patients. So the medical groups are to some extent the ombudsmen for the patients and the insurance company concentrates on the bottom line. Since the insurance company and the medical group confederation are about equal in power, it works out. In the single payer system, the US government would be the insurance company with which the physicians would have to negotiate. The power would no longer be equal. The balance would be tipped in favor of the bottom line unless you had a comparably strong National Medical Group to negotiate with the government. We have not heard anything from Bernie about a National Medial Group. In fact we have not heard any details from Bernie.
2. A big issue in medical insurance today is that physicians and medical groups have to provide evidence of quality of care in addition to cost effectiveness to the entities that pay money for medical care (insurance companies, corporations, pension plans, federal and local governments, etc.). Gone are the days when the payer gave an HMO a sum of money to care for its people and just said, "Do it." The reality is that it is extremely difficult to provide that evidence. So in order to pacify the payers, measures are often dumped on providers as busy work with little relationship to real quality. This is one of the reasons why you can not simply pull medical insurance policy out of a hat. The process involves trying this or that, discarding what does not work, and expanding what does work (in other words incremental change, not revolutionary change).
3. Competition between insurance plans, including the government plan, is good. Single payer means a monopoly for the government plan.
4. One can say that single payer works in other countries. That might or might not apply here. The USA is an innovative country. Maybe whatever happens here will be better than what happens elsewhere. Medical education and technology in the USA are the best in the world. The problem here is in the distribution of payment. Care must be taken to not decrease the quality of what already exists while improving the distribution. Maybe the process will eventually lead to single payer care and maybe not, but single payer should not be a holy grail in itself. The goal is to provide good medical care to all USA humans however it comes about.
So you humans have a lot to think about. By the way, will you ever consider veterinary care in your plans? After all, that applies to us doggies.
Chloe

COMPLEX SOLUTIONS FOR COMPLEX PROBLEMS

Hi Humans,
One would think that you Humans with your big brains would realize that the complex problems which you guys create might require complex answers. But so many of you crave simple quick solutions to your problems. One should progress carefully, and if something doesn't work you try it a different way. No one has all the answers on the spot. Trump and Cruz think they obviously have all the answers, too much government on financial issues and not enough government concerning personal life. In addition, both support gun anarchy, xenophobia, and brawn over brain in foreign affairs (all simplistic solutions). Sanders also has simplistic answers (although at least in a better direction). For him the financial fault is all with the big corporations and insurance companies. Knock them down, and give their power to the government elected by the people. Well, not so simple. Greater control is needed to keep them on the track, but they do serve a function. As for trade barriers to keep jobs in the US, the rest of the world can play the same game which could harm American jobs even more. American innovation is a more complex solution, but will serve everyone better. As for staying out of foreign conflicts, that's a nice goal, but the reality is that knowing where and when to get involved is not so simple and requires careful judgment (with mistakes requiring corrections along the way). The two candidates who favor approaching problems incrementally without professing to have all the answers are Clinton and Kasich, but Kasich tilts in the wrong direction and is not enough of an ideologue to get nominated by an uncompromising Republican base. So that is why I am for Hillary Clinton. Hopefully enough of you Humans with your big brains will elect her to be the next President of the USA.
Chloe

WHY HILLARY IS THE BEST

Hi Humans,
During the last 7 years President Obama has slowly brought the American economy back to normal after the economic collapse brought on by the policies of the preceding Republican administration. He has made careful incremental social as well as economic improvements. He has made the USA stronger in the world, building alliances. He has made mistakes, but his careful moves have allowed corrections when they inevitably occur. He has done this despite an obstructionist US Congress and chaos in the world outside our borders. Among the candidates for president, Hillary Clinton is the most committed to moving forward carefully, building on Obama's successes. Trump and Cruz want to go back to the old policies that crushed the economy 7 years ago. Bernie Sanders' ideas sound nice but lead us rapidly into uncharted waters. The best that can be said about the three of them is that when actually in office, reality will push them into a path more like what Obama started and Hillary plans to continue. But why take a chance that maybe they will be forced to change when Hillary's stated approach makes sense? Certainly you Humans with your big brains should see that!
Chloe

BERNIE SANDERS ON THE VIEW

Hi Human Mr. Sanders,
I watched you on the View this morning. As a dog living in a home that tends more toward the ideals of the Democratic party than those of the Republicans and as an advocate of gun sanity (as one can plainly see by reading the entries in my blog), I listened to the conversation with interest. I must admit that I am partial to Hillary Clinton. I think she is very well qualified to be President of the USA (as are you). I think the recent back and forth between the two of you on that subject is just silly political stuff (normal in an election). However, I do take issue with you on the matter of gun control. I realize you are not a gun anarchist like Cruz and Trump (or at least their supporters to whom they are beholden). But you are not as strong on this particular matter as Mrs. Clinton. I realize that many of your constituents in a rural state like Vermont like guns, and you have to return to them when and if you do not become President (but that is not my problem). Your less than complete opposition to the gun lobby is comparable to Hillary's acceptance of money from corporate America. I am sure that either one of you would do your job as President, and either one of you would be infinitely better than a Cruz or Trump catastrophe. Let us hope that when the nomination is done, if Hillary Clinton is the nominee, you will encourage your supporters to not only vote for Hillary, but also to get excited and participate in her campaign, to make phone calls to encourage others. You will have to explain it to your many supporters because Hillary's campaign would be our campaign and not supporting it with the enthusiasm with which they supported you in the Primary could give us Cruz or Trump with a Radical Right Congress.
Chloe

PRESIDENT OBAMA SAVED CAPITALISM

Hi Humans,
Let me remind you that 7 years ago, the Republican administration under President Bush almost destroyed the capitalist system in the USA (and the world) by lowering taxes for the very rich people and making a counter productive war in Iraq without raising taxes to pay for it. The Republicans claim that lowering taxes helps the economy? Well the facts certainly did not support their theory. Then Obama came in and saved the capitalist system from collapse. It was painful, but he did it. The Republicans complained because he did not produce immediate results. What did they expect? Their destruction was very deep.
Socialism and capitalism are just two different ways of distributing services, products, and compensation. Some humans extol socialism as a perfect system, the more the better. Others hate socialism and say only capitalism is perfect, the less government the better. I'll tell you, Humans, the truth is probably somewhere in between. Capitalism if properly controlled works. That's why even communist countries like China have embraced it. But either system, if allowed to run amuck, can be devastating. North Korea is a monstrosity not because it is socialist, but because it is ruled by a xenophobic dynasty of dictators who now have acquired nuclear weapons. The US economy did not run off the track 7 years ago because of capitalism, but rather because the Republican administration and some very greedy Humans abused it.
Capitalism and social liberalism are a work in progress. There is no perfect system. You try this and that, discard whatever does not work, and continue whatever does work. It should be the job of Progressives to push new ideas and of Conservatives to say "just a minute there, is that really better?" The goal is to move forward incrementally improving on what has already been accomplished. That is why I appreciate the work of President Obama and hope that Hillary Clinton will be the next president to build on that work.
But what do I know, I'm just a little dog. You humans have the big brains.
Chloe

SOCIAL SECURITY

Hi Humans,
Today I want to talk to you about Social Security. It is a US government insurance program in which you pay money regularly from your income so that when you are old, it will pay you a pension. Some politicians, particularly the Republican ones, say bad things about it like "it will go broke in a few years, it is too expensive, you can make more money by investing it by yourself or with a money manager." They want to privatize it.  What they say is not true!!! Social Security is well funded and secure. It has been and is a great success. It gives a guaranteed safe income. Privatizing assumes that everyone knows how to invest. It means feeding humans to money managers whose main goal is to make money by charging commissions. Privatization is bad for humans and bad for the economy. Vote against it!!!
Chloe

"BERNIE OR BUST" ???

Hi Humans,
What's with these "Bernie or Bust" humans? I am for Hillary, but if I could vote and Bernie won the Democratic Party nomination, I would vote for him. Bernie is not strong enough on gun control. He has to face his rural Vermont constituents to stay in the Senate if he doesn't become president. So? No one is perfect. What would be the alternative? crazy Trump? or Cruz (Trump without Tourette Syndrome)? Kasich would be sane, but still Bernie for the most part would be better.
So, let's hope that Hillary wins the nomination and Bernie's kids grow up and support her in the general election.
Chloe

PUBLIC SAFETY

Hi Humans,
So what's really at stake in the US elections? What are the most important issues? Certainly the economy, addressing a huge imbalance in income between rich and poor, a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion in her own body versus the rights of an unborn fetus in her body, equal access to voting for all voters, the selection of a Supreme Court justice, and many other issues are all important. But looking at things from the point of view of a little dog living among you humans and subject to your actions both good and bad, I would say that safety interests me the most, and probably should be the most crucial for you humans as well. So what does safety mean? I think you can divide safety into global safety and local safety.
So let's talk about global safety first. Some years ago the problem was between the major nuclear powers, the Soviet Union and its communist allies on their side and the USA and its capitalist allies on our side. Well that Cold War ended, the communist countries have joined in the capitalist game, and so capitalism versus communism is no longer the issue. The problem is now the threat from different groups. North Korea which is still a rogue state with a crazy demagogue leader has developed nuclear weapons with which it threatens its neighbors. Iran which is ruled by a fundamentalist theocracy came close to developing a nuclear bomb in order to gain power and promote its political religion. Worst of all is ISIS which has created a uniquely vicious fundamentalist political theocracy in a large portion of what used to be Syria and Iraq and sends out terrorists to perform terrorist murder in other parts of the world. There is the worry that nuclear weapons could fall into their hands. That would be catastrophic. Nuclear weapons were created more than 60 years ago, the genie is out of the bottle, and can not be shoved back in. The danger is and will continue to be there. President Obama has taken the lead in the recent international conference on  that very subject. Meanwhile Donnie Trump, the Republican front runner, has been rattling the nuclear sword for political ends. The US and the sane world (including us dogs) need a US leader with an intelligent cool head and a clear plan like President Obama and hopefully Hillary Clinton. Our time and the future time of our descendants depend on it.
The local safety issue involves the many killings that have occurred in the USA. The Radical Right has emphasized the radical Islamic terrorist murders that have occurred here and overseas. The biggest mass terrorist murder was 9/11. Probably the second biggest terrorist mass murder was the Oklahoma City bombing of a Federal building by Radical Right Wing White xenophobic gun advocate terrorists who were not Moslems and were raised as Christians. Most of the local killings have been carried out by gun carriers against relatives or other people they know, or occasionally for some cause like attacking Planned Parenthood clinics, or by criminals against each other. Unlike Europe, the USA is existentially a nation of immigrants which has been particularly successful in integrating various ethnicities. That is why Islamic terrorism has not taken root here as it has in Europe. The best way to stop or at least limit the killings here is to make better gun control to keep the guns away from the killers, domestic, crazy, terrorist, or other.
That's what I think. But what do I know? I'm just a little dog.
Chloe