Author: admin

When was the last time you heard someone say, “Wow, I can’t wait to see another campaign ad on TV”?  In 2020 candidates spent about $14 billion dollars on their campaigns.  14 billion.  Most of it a waste of money.  Most of it we did not want to hear/see/read.  And then there were the billionaires who openly tried to buy elections with tens and hundreds of millions of dollars.  The whole thing is disgusting. 

If there are two thoughts that emanate from 2020 it is the need for new election standards (see WE NEED A NEW LAW FOR NATIONAL ELECTIONS published 22 Nov, 2020) and campaign finance reform. 

Campaign finance PRO AND CON:  There are those who believe strict disclosure requirements and donation limits impinge upon the rights to privacy and free expression, hampering participation in the political process. Others claim that current federal campaign laws do not go far enough to mitigate corruption and the influence of undisclosed special interests.

My positions on financial contributions to a political campaign are as follows:

-One, it should be an action between the candidate and the voter. Period.

-Two, the politicians will complain, “How can I get outside financing?”  You shouldn’t be able to and that’s good news.

-Three, the lobbyists will complain, “How am I going to influence the candidate?”  You won’t be able to, and that’s good news. 

-Four, the candidates will complain, “How can I afford TV advertising?”  You may have to cut back on campaign spending and that’s good news. 

Let’s begin by defining campaign financing that is being practiced today.

COMMUNICATION COSTS: This category applies primarily to unions, trade groups and other member organizations who expressly advocate the election or defeat of a federal candidate. Comment: Why should a few leaders of organizations with millions of members think they know best who an individual voter should support?

INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE, aka DARK MONEY:  Money spent on political advertising in support of or against a particular candidate from outside a candidate’s own election organization. Generally, there is no limit placed on independent expenditures.

Comment: “No limit” is a euphemism for out of control. There is a reason it’s called “dark money”. The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center said the dark-money provision ensures “that the door to foreign dollars in U.S. elections remains wide open through secret contributions to these ostensibly nonpolitical groups that run campaign ads without any disclosure of their donors.

SOFT MONEY: Unlimited amount of money given to a political party from any source, including individuals, corporations and unions. These contributions cannot be used to advocate for the election or defeat of a particular candidate.  Comment: the political party is not running for reelection, candidates are.  Soft money is soft on reality. 

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES: A group organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to defeat and elect candidates. There are two types of political action committees:

One, political committees established and administered by corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations. These committees can only solicit contributions from individuals associated with the sponsoring organization.  Comment:  Is “solicit” from subordinates synonymous with “contribute or else…….”?

Secondly, committees not sponsored by or connected to corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations and are free to solicit contributions from the general public.  Comment: Remember the “general public” includes all the billionaires.

SUPER PACS: Groups who raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates. Comment.  “Unlimited” also has unlimited downsides.  How beholding can a candidate become to the PAC members and their policy positions? 

HARD MONEY:  Money given directly to a political candidate by an individual.  Comment: Finally, we have something that begins to make sense.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is a federal regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing the nation’s campaign finance laws. The commission was created by the US Congress 1975. The FEC is authorized to, 1) “disclose campaign finance information” and 2) “enforce the provisions of the law, such as limits and prohibitions on contributions.” Comment:  They cannot accomplish either mission very well given the “unlimited” and “undisclosed” elements contained in campaign finance laws, rules and procedures. 

Here is how to fix it, all of it, with one simple law.  The law should say: 

1. Campaign financing for all federal candidates will consist of one, and only one, source.  The source is the voter who is geographically associated with the candidate.  For example, any registered voter in the US may donate to a presidential candidate; any registered voter in a state may contribute to their US senatorial candidates; and any registered voter in a congressional district may contribute to a House of Representative contest. 

Comment of paragraph 1:  Why does a contributor need to be a registered voter? A successful democracy provides rights and privileges equally to every citizen.  But along with those cherished rights and privileges comes responsibilities.  Freedom isn’t free; this is perhaps most obvious to those who have served/are serving in the US military.  But every citizen should be responsible enough to register to vote a be prepared to support democracy with a vote.  Civics 101:  1) Be proud to be a citizen. 2) At age 18 register to vote.  3) Use your freedom of speech to verbally support your candidates and/or make a campaign contribution. 4) Vote in every election.  About 100 million eligible voters did not vote in the 2016 election.  

2. The amount that can be contributed by any single registered voter to any single candidate cannot exceed $1000.  This $1000 limit also applies to the candidates themselves.

Comment on paragraph 2: The candidates will scream, “but I cannot campaign on that small amount of money”.  Yes, you can.  Every candidate will be under the same restrictions.  For the first time, the contribution playing field will be leveled. We-the-people will not be subjected to a continuous barrage of ads we don’t watch/listen to/or read about. The billionaires, just like you, can contribute a total of $3000; $1000 to a presidential candidate, a Senator (or both Senators on the rare occasion when both are running) and a Representative.

3. Anyone found to have contributed more than $1000 to a single candidate will be guilty of a federal offence and subject to a fine of $25,000 each offence. 

4. Every contribution must contain the social security number of the contributor and each candidate must keep scrupulous accounting records of every contribution that can be accessed, sorted and reviewed by both name and SSN.

5. Concurrently, every federal candidate must scrupulously and continuously account for every campaign expenditure

6. For every national election, the Federal Election Commission will have temporary auditors operating in all 435 Congressional Districts and will have open access to every candidate’s campaign finance records.  The FEC auditors operating in each Congressional District will also audit senatorial and presidential campaigns. FEC auditors will, throughout the campaign, audit candidates’ books with the objective of aligning contributions and expenditures. 

7. During each calendar year of a national election, the FEC will create some number of panels consisting of five retired federal judges for each panel.  All accounting irregularities will be immediately referred to a FEC panel of judges.  If the panel finds conclusive evidence of gross campaign finance irregularities, the candidate is subject to being disqualified.  

8. The Democrat and Republican National Committees will not distribute any funds to any candidates.

Conclusions: During the primary season leading up to the 2020 elections, Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he raised $34.5 million from an average donation of $18.53 in the fourth quarter of 2019. Yes, small donations from dedicated voters can add up to enough money.

How many times have we heard the accusation that some politician is beholden to some lobbyist or some corporation because they were bought and payed for with campaign contributions?  The answer is too often; this can be and should be stopped.

In 2016, 60 Minutes broadcast an expose unveiling the outrageous phone banking operations of an uncontrollable D.C. political machine.  They reported, “Your newly elected Congressional representative is expected to spend half of his or her working hours dialing for dollars at a secret phone bank near Capitol Hill.” Did you elect a full-time telemarketer or a lawmaker?

This entire campaign finance mess can be cleaned up with one, simple, 300-word, 8-paragraph, one-page law.  If you agree with this law send it to your US Representative and Senators.

Voter fraud and voter apathy are threatening our democracy.  They both can and must get fixed with election and campaign finance reform laws.

Marvin L. Covault, Lieutenant General, US Army retired.

The integrity of national elections is a key underpinning of our democracy.  It is right there with freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  But based on recent events, tens of millions of Americans have lost faith in the election system.  Additionally, every eligible voter must understand that with rights and privileges there are personal responsibilities to earn that right. 

If the system cannot be trusted, democracy can fail.

States’ rights is another concept passed down from the brilliance and foresight of the founding fathers.  It is a fact that voter regulations and procedures vary from state to state and in some states from county to county. It is also a fact that states have floundered, are inconsistent, and have not earned the right to act independently when it comes to national elections. 

The 2020 national election is over and it would be easy to just take a deep breath and leave it behind us.  But that is irresponsible because much of what happened in 2020 should never be repeated.  Without action to the contrary, we will see it again in 2024. We need a base-line of national norms and standards for elections passed down from the federal level. 

What follows is a list of what needs to be fixed and the verbiage for the federal law.

WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE 2020 ELECTIONS?

COMMENT:  Election procedures in 2020 were a knee-jerk reaction to the covid-19 breakout. Tens of millions of mail-in ballots were put into circulation opening multiple opportunities for fraudulent use, the harvesting of ballots, postal ineptitude, differing deadline dates for mail-in delivery, differing deadlines for completion of counting, must they be post-marked,  what happens if not signed, what if they are not witnessed, how to verify the validity of signatures and on and on and on. All this nonsense was put into play because of the pandemic when in fact it was much safer to mask up, stand in a social-distanced line and vote in person than to go to the grocery store.  To compound the problem, states were making decisions and changing rules on the fly as election day got closer and closer.  What is more egregious is that we knew going into the election year that there were problems all across America; some examples: 

May, 2020 California determined they had 1.5 million individuals who remained registered even though they no longer were eligible to vote.

Oregon:  A survey found that 5% of registered voters admitted that other people marked their mail-in ballots; 2.4% said someone else signed their ballot.

Virginia: An investigation found 592 examples where registrants were simultaneously registered in another state.

New Mexico: The Public Interest Legal Foundation found more than 3,000 individuals registered multiple times; 1,700 registrants who are dead; 1,500 voters aged 100 or above, 64 of whom are over 120 years old.

The Election Assistance Commission found that 28.3 million ballots in federal elections between 2012 and 2018 were lost or disappeared in the mail.      

Conclusion:  These examples of ineptitude and opportunity for fraud are an indication of the depth of the problems across the country.  Federal guidance must be used to correct the situation before the 2024 elections. 

As a result of mail-in ballots the election counting centers were overwhelmed with the sheer volume of documents to process. Hand-counting the mass of mail-in ballots provided tens of millions of opportunities for miscounting, intentional or otherwise.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:  THE INTENT OF THIS FEDERAL LAW IS THAT THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS WILL PHYSICALLY GO TO A LOCAL POLLING SITE, RECORD THEIR VOTE PRIVATELY ON A PAPER COPY AND PERSONALLY INSERT THE COMPLETED VOTE INTO THE ELECTRONIC COUNTING TERMINAL.  THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE VOTING PROCEDURE IS TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT FROM WHERE THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE.

FURTHERMORE, THE INTENT OF THE SPECIFIC VOTING PROCEDURES DESCRIBED BELOW IS TO ENSURE TRANSPARENCY OF THE PRECESS, ACCOUNTABILITY BY ALL ELECTION PERSONNEL, AND VOTER FAITH THAT THE PROCESS IS EROR FREE. 

WHEN SHOULD ELECTIONS BE HELD?

COMMENTS:  Given the importance of a federal election, one would think we should do everything possible to get every eligible voter excited about going to the poles.  But, we don’t. 

Our Constitution (article 1, section 4) specifically gives Congress the power to regulate the, “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections.”

In 1845 Congress passed a law designating, “The first Tuesday following the first Monday in November” as the time for Federal elections.  In 1845 most of the US population was agrarian and it was not uncommon for farmers to have an all-day round trip by horse and wagon to reach a polling place.

Why November?  In most of the country the weather can be bad in the winter. Spring planting as well as summer and early fall harvesting were very busy times.  By November, the crops were in and the majority of agrarian voters had time on their hands; hence November elections.  

November is still a good time of year to vote but Tuesday, a work day across the country, makes no sense and actually discourages eligible voters from making special arrangements to be available to vote.  

Another question is, why only one day?  We should spread out the voting timeline and take away most of the excuses for not voting. 

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:  NATIONAL ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE BEGINNING ON THE FIRST SATURDAY IN NOVEMBER AND RUN FROM 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. DAILY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  MONDAY OF THE VOTING WEEKEND WILL BE A NATIONAL ELECTION HOLIDAY WITH ONLY ESSENTIAL FACILITIES OPEN.

EARLY VOTING IN ALL STATES WILL BEGIN ON OCTOBER 20^TH.

VOTER REGISTRATION:

COMMENT:  To attempt to eliminate persons from voting more than once, voting in different states, voting for someone else, voting for a deceased person, voters must be pre-registered before election day. Voter registration is an area where citizens must demonstrate personal responsibility.  They can only be registered in one location at a time.  Those in the process of moving from one state to another must make arrangement to be registered in one location and, if necessary, request an absentee ballot.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:   VOTERS MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED BEFORE VOTING BEGINS ON OCTOBER 20^TH.

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO REGISTER, AN INDIVIDUAL MUST HAVE A VALID STATE IDENTIFICATION.  THAT IDENTIFICATION MUST HAVE BEEN OBTAINED IN AN OFFICIAL STATE DEPARTMENT (DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES, FOR EXAMPLE) AND PART OF THE PROCESS WAS PROOF OF A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. 

A CITIZEN MAY BE REGISTERED IN ONLY ONE LOCATION.  MULTIPLE REGISTRATION IS A FEDERAL OFFENCE AND PUNISHABLE BY A $25,000 FINE FOR EACH OCCURANCE.

BY SEPTEMBER FIRST BEFORE EACH NATIONAL ELECTION, EVERY STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL MUST CERTIFY THAT THEY HAVE INVESTIGATED THE VOTER REGISTRATION ROLLS AND DETERMINED THAT THE ROLLS HAVE BEEN SCRUPULOUSLY REVIEWED AND ARE ACCURATE TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE.

VOTER FRAUD IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE.  PRIOR TO EVERY NATIONAL ELECTION, THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION WILL PLACE INVESTIGATORS ON ALERT TO BE ABLE TO BEGIN A VOTER FRAUD INVESTIGATION WITHIN HOURS OF BEING NOTIFIED. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE STATE CENTRAL VOTER REGISTRATION IS ALERTED TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOMEONE HAS VOTED TWICE, THE FBI WILL BE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED. 

EVERY STATE WILL HAVE A CENTRAL REGISTRY OF ALL THEIR REGISTERED VOTERS THAT IS IMMEDIATELY ACCESSIBLE BY LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS.  ONCE A PERSON HAS VOTED THAT INFORMATION MUST BE AUTOMATICALLY AND IMMEDIATELY ANNOTATED ON THE STATE REGISTRY.   IF THAT PERSON IS ATTEMPTING TO VOTE MORE THAN ONCE AN ALERT WILL APPEAR ON THE STATE CENTRALIZED REGISTARY, THE FBI WILL BE IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED AND OPEN AN INVESTIGATION

IN-PERSON VOTING SITE ORGANIZATION:

COMMENT:  Over the past few weeks, post-election, we have seen videos on TV of ballot counting operations in large rooms with dozens of people standing around, desks stacked with unattended ballots and boxes and a look of total chaos.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY: PERSONNEL WORKING THE IN-PERSON VOTING SITES WILL BE ORGANIZED AS FOLLOWS. ALL OF THE WORK WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TEAMS. EACH TEAM WILL CONSIST OF A PERSON AFFILIATED WITH EACH OF THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES PLUS AN OBSERVER.

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM WILL OVERSEE ALL OPERATIONS FROM 7 a.m. THROUGH 7 p.m. EACH VOTING DAY AND ENSURE THAT EVERY PROCEDURE PERSCRIBED IN THE LAW IS BEING ADHERED TO. AN EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBER MUST SECURE THE VOTING FACILITY AFTER THE LAST DEPARTING ELECTION WORKER.

THE ADMISISTRATIVE TEAMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IN-PROCESSING ALL VOTERS. 

THE COUNTING TEAMS WILL MANUALLY COUNT ALL IN-PERSON AND ABSENTEE PRESIDENTIAL BALLOTS. 

THE ACCOUNTING TEAM WILL VERIFY THE COUNT OF EACH BOX OF COUNTED BALLOTS, SECURE THE COUNTED-BALLOTS STORAGE ROOM AND MAINTAIN THE TOTAL PRESIDENTIAL VOTE COUNT.

AT ALL TIMES THERE WILL BE A CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY FOR EVERY SINGLE BALLOT IN THE HANDS OF ONE OF THESE TEAMS.  

EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THE VOTING PROCESS WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE AN OATH AND SIGN IT. 

THE OATH IS AS FOLLOWS:  I (STATED NAME) DO SOLEMLY SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN FEDERSL LAW xxxxxxx.  I SWEAR (OR AFFIRM) THAT I HAVE READ THE LAW AND UNDERSTEAND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE TO DEPART FROM THE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS THEREIN AND THAT I AM SUBJECT TO FEDERAL PROSECUTION.  I AM WILLINGLY SIGNING THIS OATH, SO HELP ME GOD. 

THE PROCEDURES CONTAINED IN THIS LAW WILL BE PROMINENTLY POSTED IN EVERY POLLING LOCATION. 

IN-PERSON VOTING:

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:  IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THERE IS A NATION-WIDE ELECTION SYSTEM IN WHICH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE CONFIDENCE.  THE SYSTEM MUST BE SET UP TO INHIBIT ALL FRADULENT VOTING ACTIVITIES, ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF THE COUNT AND MAINTAIN A CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY

IN-PERSON VOTING WILL BE THE PRIMARY METHOD OF VOTING.  ABSENTEE BALLOTS WILL BE THE ONLY AUTHORISED BACKUP PROCEDURE. MAIL-IN VOTING IS PROHIBITED. BALLOT COLLECTION (“HARVESTING”) OUTSIDE THE VOTING LOCATION IS PROHIBITED.

IN ORDER TO INSURE THE MOST ACCURATE AND TIME-SENSITIVE PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS, THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES WILL BE FOLLOWED TO THE LETTER IN EVERY VOTING LOCATION.

1. UP0N ARRIVAL EACH VOTER MUST PRODUCE AN IDENTIFICATION WHICH SHOWS THEIR LOCAL ADDRESS AND WAS OBTAINED WITH A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD AS PROOF OF WHO THEY ARE. 
2. EACH VOTER WILL RECEIVE A BALLOT CONSISTING OF TWO PIECES OF PAPER.  PAGE ONE CONTAINS ONLY THE NAMES OF THE PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATES AND, IF APPROPRIATE, A NATIONAL REFERENDUM ISSUE.  THE SECOND PAPER IS FOR ALL STATE AND LOCAL CANDIDATES.  THE VOTER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN EACH PIECE OF PAPER STATING THAT THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE, THAT THEY HAVE NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY OBTAINED AN ABSENTEE BALLOT AND THAT THEY UNDERSTAND VOTING MULTIPLE TIMES IS A FEDERAL OFFENCE.
3. THE VOTER COMPLETES FILLING OUT THE TWO-PAGE BALLOT AND PRESENTS THE BALLOTS TO THE PERSON OPERATING THE ELECTRONIC TABULATING MACHINE. BOTH PAPER BALLOTS ARE ENTERED INTO THE MACHINE. THE TABULATING MACHINE IS THE PRIMARY METHOD OF COUNTING VOTES FOR THE STATE/LOCAL CANDIDATES.  THE PRIMARY COUNTING METHOD FOR THE PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT BALLOT IS HAND COUNTING. THE TABULATING MACHINE BECOMES A BACK-UP COUNT IN THE EVENT OF A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF PAPER BALLOTS BY FIRE, FLOOD, THEFT, ETC.
4. THE PRESEDENTAL PAPER BALLOT WILL BE RETRIEVED FROM THE TABULATING MACHINE AND PRESENTED TO THE COUNTING TEAM.  THE COUNTING TEAM WILL CONSIST OF TWO PEOPLE OF DIFFERING POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION PLUS A COUNTING MONITOR. THE COUNTING TEAM PROCESS WILL PROCEED AS FOLLOWS: 

-NUMBER THE BALLOT IN THE UPPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THE BALLOT STORAGE BOXES HOLD 500 BALLOTS, THE NUMBERING WILL CONTINUE FROM #1 THROUGH # 500.

-EACH COUNTER AND THE MONITOR WILL INITIAL UNDER THE PAGE NUMBER OF EVER BALLOT AND RECORD THE DATE AND TIME, THEREBY ESTABLISHING CHAIN-OF -CUSTODY DURIGN THE COUNTING PROCESS.

-EACH COUNTER WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PARTICULAR CANDIDATE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTING PROCESS.  EACH COUNTER WILL KEEP A TALLY OF THE BALLOTS FOR THEIR CANDIDATE. 

-AFTER EACH 100 COUNTED BALLOTS THE COUNTERS AND THE MONITOR WILL CONFIRM THAT THE COMBINED TALLYS ACCOUNT FOR 100, 200, ETC. FOR EXAMPLE, 53 FOR CANDIDATE “A” AND 47 FOR CANDIDATE “B”; 97 FOR CANDIDATE “A” AND 103 FOR CANDIDATE “B”, ETC THROUGH 500.  IF THE TALLYS DO NOT TOTAL AN EVEN CENTURY NUMBER, THE BALLOTS WILL BE IMMEDIATELY RECOUNTED. 

THE COUNTING PROCESS IS SIMPLE AND QUICK; NUMBER THE BALLOT, INITIAL THE BALLOT, RECORD THE DATE AND TIME AND ENTER THE WINNING CANDIDATE ON A COUNTER TEAM TALLY SHEET CAN BE COMPLETED IN 10-15 SECONDS.  THEREFORE, ONE COUNTING TEAM CAN PROCESS BALLOTS FROM MANY VOTING BOOTHS AND NEVER JEOPARDIZE THE SECURITY OF THE BALLOTS.

5. UPON COMPLETION OF COUNTING THE BALLOTS TO FILL A STORAGE BOX, THE ACCOUNTING TEAM WILL BE CALLED IN.  THEY WILL PERFORM FIVE FUNCTIONS.

ONE:  INSTRUCT THE COUNTERS TO SIGN AND RECORD THE DATE AND TIME ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL TALLY SHEETS AND PLACE THEM INSIDE THE STORAGE BOX WITH THE NUMBERED BALLOTS.

TWO: SEAL THE BALLOT BOX WITH PERMANENT ADHESIVE TAPE. 

THREE: PLACE A PERMANENT-ADHESIVE BALLOT BOX ACCOUNTING SHEET ON TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.  ALL MEMBERS OF THE COUNTING AND ACCOUNTING TEAMS FOR THAT BOX WILL SIGN THE SHEET INDICATING ALSO THE DATE AND TIME. THE BOX WILL BE NUMBERED AND THE TOTAL VOTES FOR EACH CANDIDATE WILL BE ENTERED ON THAT EXTERIOR BOX ACCOUNTING SHEET.

FOUR: THE BOX NUMBER AND ITS ASSOCIATED VOTES FOR EACH CANDIDATE WILL BE ENTERED ONTO THE ACCOUNTING TEAM’S OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL VOTE TALLY DOCUMENT.

FIVE: THE BOX WILL BE IMMEDIATELY MOVED TO A SECURED STORAGE ROOM AND LOGGED IN WITH ACCOUNTING TEAM SIGNATURES AND DATE AND TIME.  THAT ROOM MUST BE OFF LIMITS TO ALL EXCEPT THE EXECUTIVE AND ACCOUNTING TEAM MEMBERS.  AT NO TIME CAN A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL FROM ANY TEAM ENTER THE STORAGE ROOM ALONE OR WITH AN INDIVIDUAL OF THE SAME POLITICAL AFFILIATION.

IF, FOR SOME PRECISE REASON, A BOX MUST BE REMOVED FROM SECURE STORAGE, IT MUST BE DONE SO BY AN EXECUTIVE TEAM AND THEY MUST MAINTAIN CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY UNTIL THEY LOG THE BOX BACK INTO SECURE STORAGE.  

ABSENTEE VOTING:

COMMENT: Currently every state has different rules and timelines for absentee voting; procedures need to be standardized.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY: ABSENTEE VOTERS MUST FILL OUT AND MAIL THE FEDERAL MANDATED STANDARD VOTER REGISTRATION AND ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST TO THE VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE WHERE THEY ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE.  THAT REQUEST WILL REQUIRE THE VOTER TO SPECIFY THE REASON THEY CANNOT BE ON HAND TO VOTE LOCALLY, SUCH AS:

-BEING UNABLE TO GET TO THE POLLING PLACE DUE TO ILLNESS, INJURY, OR DISABILITY.

-BEING ON BUSINESS TRAVEL OR VACATION OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTY OR CITY OF RESIDENCE ON ELECTION DAYS.

-BEING A STUDENT AT AN OUT-OF-STATE COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.

-MILITARY PERSONNEL STATIONED OUT OF STATE OR OVERSEAS.

THE VOTER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAILING THE ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUEST NOT LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 15^TH.  VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAILING THE RETURN ABSENTEE BALLOT NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 5^TH.  ABSENTEE VOTERS MUST MAIL IN THEIR COMPLETED BALLOT NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 20^TH OR HAND-CARRY THE BALLOT TO THEIR LOCAL ELECTION OFFICE NOT LATER THAN OCTOBER 20^TH.  COUNTING TEAMS MAY BEGIN COUNTING ABSENTEE BALLOTS UPON RECEIPT FROM THE VOTER USING THE SAME PROCEDURES DESCRIBED ABOVE FOR IN-PERSON VOTING.   

RELEASING VOTING RESULTS:

COMMENT:  The time-honored practice of having the media name the winners and losers throughout post-election night is insane. When polls close on the east coast and the media begins competing to see who can be first to name a winner, voter living in the western half of the continental US and especially Hawaii can become completely disincentivized to vote at all.

The combined effects of early in-person voting, counting absentee ballots as they arrive, and the fact that a counting team can process a presidential ballot in just a few seconds, provides assurances that overall State results should be available a short time after polls close across the country.  No voting information can be released anywhere in the US before the polls close in Hawaii.  We need the completely eliminate the all-night media guessing game.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:  AS POLLS CLOSE ACROSS A STATE, ACCOUNTING TEAMS WILL FAX A DATE/TIME SIGNED DOCUMENT WITH TOTAL PRESIDENTAL VOTE RESULTS TO THE STATE ELECTION HEADQUARTERS.  THE VOTE TOTALS FROM THE FAX COPY WILL BE VERIFIED VIA A PERSONAL PHONE CALL FROM THE LOCAL EXECUTIVE TEAM LEADER TO THE STATE HEADQUARTERS EXECUTIVE TEAM. 

ELECTION RESULTS WILL BE RELEASED SIMULTANEOUSLY ACROSS THE NATION BEGINNING AT 10 a.m. EASTERN STANDARD TIME THE DAY FOLLOWING ELECTION CLOSE.  ANY RELEASE OF VOTING RESULTS BY ANYONE AT ANY TIME BEFORE THIS IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE AND WILL BE IMMEDIATELY INVESTIGATED BY THE FBI. 

RECOUNT PROCEDURES:

COMMENT:  Currently States determine what constitutes the necessity for a too-close-to-call recount.  We need one standard national formula. The first step in a close race for president, would be to gain insight by comparing the electronic generated data with the hand-count data.  If there is a significant discrepancy in the totals, launch an investigation.

THE LAW SHOULD SAY:  RACES THAT END WITH COMPETING CANDIDATES’ VOTE COUNT WITHIN ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT OF EACH OTHER WILL BE RECOUNTED. 

COMMENT:  In the 2016 election approximately 100 million registered voters failed to cast a ballot.  In the 2020 election tens of millions of voters lost confidence in the fidelity of the election system.  The fate of our democracy depends on fixing the system.

If, those of you reading this agree with this proposed law, please send it to your Senators and Representatives. 

MARVIN L. COVAULT, LT GENERAL, US ARMY, RETIRED.

IS VOTER FRAUD A VALID CONCERN? 

Our ability to legally vote and ensure that our vote is properly counted is one of the underpinnings of a successful democracy, right up there with freedom of speech. 

Is voter fraud a problem in the United States? Yes.  How prevalent is voter fraud?  The correct answer is, no one knows for sure because fraud is a crime and folks don’t go around advertising that they are breaking the law

Let’s take a snapshot of the current voter/voter registration problem across America and from that get an idea of why we do not yet know the results of the 3 November presidential election.    

Generally, voter registration rolls are notoriously inaccurate and out of date, containing the names of voters who are deceased, have moved, or otherwise have become ineligible. 

Millions of main-in ballots were sent out to potential voters. Many thousands of those ballots arrived in the mail for individuals who no longer reside at a registered address thereby risking that those ballots could have been stolen and voted.  

California:  A couple years ago it was determined that 1.5 million individuals were registered even though they no longer were eligible to vote. Actual cases: Disregarding several warnings, Mr. “Smith” was convicted of registering his four dogs and his deceased father to vote.  Or take Mr. “Valdez”, an illegal alien from Mexico who voted multiple times under a false identity.  Mr. “Jones” was involved in a scheme with eight other individuals where they solicited hundreds of false and/or forged signatures on voter registration forms by offering homeless people $1 and/or cigarettes for their participation. Other cases out of California include individuals who forged the signatures of voters, being paid $5 per signature.  

North Carolina: In 2018 in the 9th Congressional District race was overturned because of illegal vote harvesting that included altering and forging absentee ballots.

Oregon:  A survey found that five percent of registered voters admitted that other people marked their ballots (5% of 2.2 million registered voters equals 110,000 potential fraudulent actions). Additionally, 2.4% said someone else signed their ballots.  It is suspected the actual number was much higher, given that most people would not want to admit being a party to a crime. Likely tens of thousands of mail-in ballots have been cast in Oregon by individuals other than the registered voter.

New Jersey: A candidate bribed voters with $50 payments for mail-in ballots. 

The Election Assistance Commission found that 28.3 million ballots in federal elections between 2012 and 2018 were lost or disappeared in the mail.

Virginia: An investigation found 592 examples where registrants were simultaneously registered in another state. There are about 11,600 dead people on Virginia’s voter rolls, all of whom would have receive mail-in ballots.

New Mexico: The Public Interest Legal Foundation found more than 3,000 individuals registered multiple times; 1,700 registrants who are dead; 1,500 voters aged 100 or above, 64 of whom are over 120 years old. All of these supposed voters would have received mail-in ballots.

These are just a few examples of the ongoing voter fraud and election board stupidity in America. Collecting these examples just took a few minutes on Google.  Imagine if we went state by state and searched out voting and voter registration investigations.   Absentee and mail-in ballots are the tools of choice of election fraudsters because they can operate outside the supervision of election officials, making it easier to steal, forge, or alter ballots, as well as to intimidate voters. 

Marvin Covault

I voted early in case I got into a quarantine situation. My presidential preference was not based on personality.  I voted because there are multiple issues before us that will define the future of our republic which is hanging in the balance.

I voted for the economy: I’m in favor of lower taxes, not higher. I’m for less poverty; over 4 million Americans lifted out of poverty, 2018-2019.  I like higher wages (median household income increased by $4,400 in 2019; up 9.7% in the last 3 years).  I prefer less food stamps (food stamp recipients are down 8.5 million from the Obama/Biden high).  I’m in favor of opportunity; historically high employment for women, Hispanics and Black Americans. Income gains for minorities topped all income groups in 2019.

Unsecure borders are a national security issue.  I voted against open borders for tens of million illegals.

I voted to continue not being held hostage by the need for foreign oil; fracking has provided perhaps the single most significant issue with respect to US foreign policy development. For decades all Middle East policy has been driven by our need for imported oil. Our export of natural gas to Europe is providing freedom from Russian gas dependance.   More available oil and gas at lower prices is putting enormous economic pressure on some of our adversaries, namely Iran and Russia.  

For decades NATO countries have not paid their share.  Now they are paying. The democrats call that bullying.  I voted for someone who will stand up for America’s interests and American taxpayers.

I voted against Canada and Mexico taking our jobs and markets under punitive NAFTA provisions. NAFTA has been replaced.

Four previous presidents stood by and watched China steal our technology and move towards world domination.  I voted for standing up to the Chicoms.

Our embassy in Israel should have moved decades ago.  I voted for Mr. what-the-hell-are-we-waiting-for. 

I voted for a rare occurrence in our history, someone who has kept his campaign promises.

We had become a regulation-nation, stifling progress and innovation.  I voted to continue the massive deregulation clean-up and economic growth.

I voted against appeasement towards our adversaries.  It didn’t work 2009-2017 and it won’t work 2021-2025. 

I voted against retrofitting every structure in the country to meet some pie-in-the-sky green environmental goal.

I voted for the geo-political paradigm shift orchestrated this year from the White House in the Middle East that will align countries against Iran’s long-range plan for Middle East hegemony; AKA a “Middle East NATO.” 

I voted against a plan to compel workers to join a union and pay union dues, thereby voting for right-to-work laws administered at the State level. 

For decades we have been drowning in the Washington swamp.  I voted to continue draining the muck. 

I’m sick of violence and looting in democrat-run cities.  I voted for someone who will do something about it.

Abandoning, degrading and defunding our police is nonsense and unamerican.  I voted to stand with those in blue who put their butts on the line every day for all of us.

In Fiscal Year 2019, ICE officers arrested and removed more than 267,00 criminal aliens.  I voted for someone who knows how important ICE is rather than those who will abolish it.

Charter schools are making a positive difference in education in general and particularly in low-income communities.  I voted for someone who believes this is positive, necessary and must be expanded, not someone who will abolish charter schools in order to appease the teachers’ unions.  

The dem’s big, all-knowing, all-controlling government is a non-starter.  I voted for states-rights and the wisdom of our founding fathers.

The First and Second Amendments to the Constitution are under attack.  I voted to, “…. support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic…”

Most of us know socialism is a failed system.  I voted against those who just don’t get it.

I voted for someone who I know will not send a, supposed-to-have-been secret plane load of cash to Iran so the world’s number one state-sponsor of terrorism can use it to kill innocent women and children around the world. 

I voted for someone who is wise enough to put America and Americans first and still be the most benevolent nation in the world’s history.

I voted for someone who is not afraid to call out the United Nations for their daily display of stupidity and ineptitude.

I voted against protected havens for our criminals, AKA democrat sanctuary cities and states.

I recognize that many women want, “the right to choose”.  Until someone can explain to me the difference between very late third-term abortions and premeditated murder, I vote against it.

I voted against taxpayer funded Medicare and food stamps for illegal aliens. 

No one hates war more than military leaders.  I voted for a Commander in Chief who clearly knows how to exert economic pressure to inhibit rogue-nation activities rather than using a knee-jerk military strike.  But at the same time someone who can surgically use the military without hesitation when called for.  ISIS califate leaders, remember us?

Military strength is a powerful deterrent.  I voted for someone who understands that.  Carter decimated the military.  Clinton completely hollowed out the forces.  Obama departed with one, yes just one, fully combat-ready Army brigade and 50% of the fighter aircraft could not get off the ground.  Anyone see a pattern here? 

In the past we have looked at our presidents’ ability to adroitly meld diplomacy and military strength. I voted for a president who has expanded that thinking to include international economic pressure with powerful positive results for America and the world.   

I voted for someone who understands that when the weak and downtrodden need a helping hand, the United States will act.  Russia invaded Ukraine; Obama sent blankets.  This administration sent the latest tank-killer weapons. 

For decades no president made a move against a North Korean regime bent on putting a nuclear warhead on the pointy end of an intercontinental missile.  That is, until the NK foreign minister announced to the world that, “A nuclear strike on a US city is inevitable.”  My commander-in-chief was all over the short, fat guy and has kept up unrelenting pressure. North Korean nuclear testing stopped.  

The amazing wisdom of our founding fathers foresaw the distinct possibility that future presidential elections could be driven by a few population centers, like Philadelphia, New York and Boston in their day.   Creation of the Electoral College was brilliant.  Without the Electoral College in the 2016 election where Trump carried 85% of the counties in America, the election would have been won by the Clinton plurality in just five counties on the east and West coasts.  I voted for someone who understands the wisdom of the Electoral College concept. 

There are two solutions to getting Black Americans out of poverty and low-income, crime-ridden neighborhoods.  Good jobs and a good education.  I voted for both.

I voted for someone who believes promises-made equals promises-kept. I didn’t vote for a politician, I voted for a results-driven pragmatist.

I voted for someone I can trust to defend and promote America first.

I voted for Donald Trump because he understands and promotes all of the above while I have zero confidence that either Biden or Harris has the intent or capability to pursue any of these issues that define the future of our great Republic. 

Marvin Covault, Lt Gen US Army retired. 

“I will raise taxes for anybody making over $400,000,” Biden says over and over. “Let me tell you why I’m going to do it. It’s about time they start paying a fair share of the economic responsibility we have. The very wealthy should pay a fair share, corporations should pay a fair share.”

That thought, soak the rich, is appealing to many.  But, as they say, the devil is in the details.  Let’s begin with a simple question for teleprompter Joe; can you explain to Americans what you mean by “fair share”?

Background: In 2017, the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid more income taxes than the bottom 90 percent combined. Included in that bottom 90% are the folks who pay no federal income tax.  Is that not a “fair share” by the rich?

According to the Tax Policy Center, approximately 72.6 million people or 43.2% did not pay ANY federal income tax in 2016.  Interestingly, in 2018, AFTER President Trumps Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the numbers of those paying nothing INCREASED to 76.4 million, 44.4%.  The question remains, what do you mean by “fair share”?

August 8^th, Biden goes on to say, “We’re in a situation where you have the top 1%, in fact, making — paying a lower tax rate than you do.”  “You” being teachers and carpenters.

The democrats want you believe that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act only reduced the tax rate for the highest earners.  Not so.  Under the previous law, there were seven brackets and there are still seven under the Trump tax cut law.  The tax rates under the two laws are as follows: old percent (new percent): 10% (10), 15%, (12), 25% (22), 28% (24), 33% (32), 35% (35) and 39.6% (37).

Under the Trump tax law, here is an example of what the actual savings were for middle class and the rich, (recall the bottom 44.4% paid zero federal income tax). The average earner in the middle third of the income distribution earns about $85,000. This family saw their taxes drop from $18,378 to $15,968, a difference of $2,410, a 13% reduction.

A high-income family earning about $154,000 would experience a drop from about $41,600 to $36,900, a reduction of about $4,700, 11% reduction.

Stated another way, the middle 20% of earners, with income of $50,001 to $87,300 will pay an average federal tax rate of 12.4%, according to the Tax Policy Center analysis, that’s less than half the effective tax rate paid by the top 1%.

As explained by Mr. Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, “Do some high-income individuals pay less? Yes, you can invest all your money in tax-exempt bonds and pay no federal income tax on the interest. Investors can avoid paying tax on capital gains by simply not selling the assets. But in general, the federal tax system is very progressive. The more you make, the more you pay.”

Kyle Poneroeau, chief economist and vice president of economic analysis at the Tax Foundation, points out, “There may be cases in which specific top income earners face a lower rate than a middle-income earner, especially if all of their income is long-term capital gains, but that is not typical.

First conclusion:  What we have is another political sound bite, “The Trump tax cut was a tax cut for the rich”, which does not pass the smell test.  Biden and Harris are both on tape before an audience saying, “We will repeal the Trump tax cut on day one.” But, what they don’t do is finish the sentence.  If they did it would go like this, “We will repeal the Trump tax cut on day one and you will all be paying more federal income taxes.” 

Second conclusion:  The long-suffering democrat economic policy of tax-and-spend simply does not/cannot grow an economy.  Take a note America, 2019 tax revenues under Trump, EVEN WITH HIS TAX CUTS, WERE THE HIGHEST IN HISTORY! Economic policy and taxation must to be about growing the economy.  When the economy grows EVERYONE wins. 

CORPORATE TAXES: The Trump tax cuts reduced corporate taxes form 35% (highest in the developed world) to 21%.  “The idea that we have a tax rate for corporate America at 21% is ridiculous. It should be 28 %,” Biden said.

CONSEQUENCES: First of all, corporations who manufacture a product generally sell on the world market.  The cost of producing their product consists of raw materials, plant operations, wages, advertising, corporate taxes, etc.  The point being, corporate tax is just another cost of producing a product.  If the corporate tax goes up, the selling price to the consumer goes up.  Corporations don’t pay taxes, people pay taxes.   

The second consequence of higher corporate taxes is much more serious.  If manufactures cannot compete price wise on the world market, they will look for a way to reduce production costs and be competitive.  That usually means cheaper foreign labor and that means moving manufacturing overseas.  During the Obama/Biden era with 35% corporate taxes, tens of thousands of manufacturers left the US while others simply went out of business.  Good idea, Joe; corporations have lots of money lets raise their taxes again.  

BIDEN ON CAPITAL GAINS TAX: “So every single solitary person, their capital gains are going to be treated like real income and they are going to pay 40% on their capital gains tax.” That would double the current capital gains tax rate of 20%.  

First, it is important to remember, the capital gains tax is a double tax. This is money that you already made and you paid tax on it. Then you invest that money in somebody else’s business which, in turn, creates jobs and wealth. And if your investment is successful and you make a profit, the feds tax you again.

Breaking news, wealthy folks do not put their money under their mattress.  They invest it.  They risk it.  When the investment is successful, they make more money and invest more.  Capitol is the fuel for capitalism.  So, yes Joe, by all means lets take that capitol out of circulation by doubling the gains tax and let the federal government waist it.

But Biden’s doubling of the federal capital gains tax is only half the problem.  Many states also tax capital gains.  California, for example has a 13.3% tax on capital gains.  So, Californians, for example, would be facing over 53% capital gains taxes.

What else is coming out of Joe’s basement? 

ESTATES (AKA DEATH) TAXES:  The most despicable tax of all.  Estate taxes are currently set at 40% of the estate value above $11.6 million.  It looks like the Biden/Sanders plan will lower the exemption to $3.5 million and raise the tax rate to 77%.  Across the heart of America this strikes a death-blow to passing on the family farm or ranch to the kids.  Farmers are habitually “land rich and cash poor.”

PAYROLLS:  Apply a 12.4% Social Security tax split between workers and their employers.  Currently this tax comes off after $137,700 of income.  Under the Biden plan there would be no shutoff limit.

COPORATE MINIMUM:  Put a 15% minimum tax on the income of businesses with $100 million in profits.  All this would do is revert to Obama- economics, drain capitol and slow economic growth.  Another great idea.

REGULATION IS A STEALTH TAX:  Without a doubt Biden/Harris will dust off the thousands of stifling federal regulations that President Trump has eliminated, particularly those affecting small businesses and corporations. More impediments to economic growth and innovation. 

A final thought about wealthy folks.  Because they have means immediately at their disposal, they have options.  For example, a study of the behavior of wealthy people in California who were faced with a tax hike on top earners, packed up and moved.  The result was that 42% of the expected revenue gains from the tax hike never materialized.  New York state is facing a financial crisis as NY residents depart in droves.  Governor Cuomo points out that, “A single percent of New York’s population pays half of the state’s taxes and they’re the most mobile people on the globe” 

Democrats need to study up on what happened in France a few years ago when taxes on the wealthy went through the roof.  In 2013 the number of French tax payers earning over €100,000 a year and departing France rose by 40 %.  And for the very, very rich who earn over €300,000 each year, the number rose by 46 %.  From 2000 to 2014 France was ranked third in the world for the number of millionaires (42,000) who left their country.  The unintended consequence of targeting the rich with an array of high taxes is that the tax burden eventually shifts to the middle class.  Are you listening, Joe? 

I am a soldier, not a tax expert so you might also want to check out the analysis by The Tax Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Tax Policy Center, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and Wharton Business School. They have all come to the same conclusion: Biden’s plans will INCREASE TAXES ACROSS THE BOARD.

BOTTOM LINE: Biden/Harris openly plan to replace a tax plan that has reduced many Americans’ tax burdens with one that would raise everyone’s taxes while slowing the economy. To quote teleprompter Joe, “Come on man.”

Marvin L. Covault

Lt Gen, US Army, retired

Biden/Harris will campaign on a promise of amnesty/citizenship to 11 million illegal aliens currently in the US. Experts tell us the actual number is most likely over 20 million.  WHILE PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL CAMPAIGN ON CONTINUED IMMIGRATION REFORM, HE DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A CITIZENSHIP PLAN TO RUN ON.

Amnesty-for-all will be a complete disaster for the country.  “Amnesty for all” means ALL; forward deployed drug cartel members, MS-13 gang members, sex slave entrepreneurs, those out of work, those who don’t want to work, those sucking on welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, government housing and the many hard-working honest folks who love this country.  As long as they are old enough to vote, the democrats want them and will get them if Biden is elected.   

The republicans must counter this with a plan that makes sense for citizenship and will actually benefit the nation. 

The purpose of this memorandum is to not only present a citizenship plan for President Trump to campaign on, but also solve a huge piece of the overall illegal immigration problem. 

All persons residing in the U.S. are supposed to fall into one of three categories; that is, a U.S. citizen or those with a Green Card permanent resident status or temporary inhabitants with Visitor or Student Visas.  However, an estimated twenty million inhabitants exist outside those categories; WE DO NOT KNOW WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO OR WHERE THEY RESIDE. This plan is simple, self-regulating, and does not require supplemental regulations or a federal bureaucracy to execute. 

Phase One, 1 January, 2021 thru 30 June, 2021:  The President prepares an approximately 10-page law based on the procedures explained herein followed by Congressional passage of the Immigration/Citizenship Reform Plan.  The language in the law must be very specific and not subject to interpretation or change by States or local authorities.  The reason for specificity in the law is to preclude the requirement for federal bureaucrats to interpret the law and re-write it into policy with unintended consequences. 

Also, in Phase One each state will set up illegal alien card registration sites (hereafter IACard.  The logical solution is to add one or two positions to each DMV office.  Additionally, in Phase One, every law enforcement agency in the United States will forward information to the Homeland Security on every felony committed by an undocumented inhabitant (who, what, when and where).  The Department of Homeland Security will establish and maintain a national database of these cases which allows for an immediate check against an application for an IACard.

Phase Two, 1 July thru 31 December, 2021:  Every undocumented inhabitant in the U.S. will be invited to report to an IACard registration site in the state where they reside in accordance with a published alphabetical schedule (last name beginning in A, B, C, or D report during July, 2021, etc.).  the DMV will check into the Homeland Security felony data base and if the applicant has a felony conviction, that person will be taken into custody, deported and will NEVER be eligible for an IACard.  This is an example of the specificity of the language that must be in the Immigration/Citizenship Reform Law; one strike and out. 

Prior to appearing at the IACard registration site, each applicant must download a Federal Form, Employer’s Statement of Employment, fill it out and have it signed by their employer. No employer signature, no IACard.  The form must contain a statement of strong penalties for any employer signing a false statement.  Registration fee for the IACard is $50 per year. 

WHEN PHASE TWO ENDS IT WILL NEVER BE REPEATED.  EVERY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN THE UNITED STATES ON 31 December, 2021 will be either A LEGAL HOLDER of an IACard or THEY ARE DEPORTABLE.  That is, on 1 January, 2022 we will know how many employed illegal aliens there are, where they live, where they work, what they do and how many direct family (spouse and children) members they have.  The remaining non-IACard holders need to be located and deported.   

Phase Three, 1 January, 2022:  This is the phase that begins to change behavior and thereby solve the dual problems of undocumented inhabitants and unsecured borders.

On 1 January, 2022, the day following the initial 6-month registration period any employer who employs an undocumented worker (no IACard) will be subject to a fine of $25,000 for each worker, first offense; $50,000 each worker, second offense. No exceptions, no excuses. No employer is going to risk his livelihood over the employment of an illegal alien. Laws change behavior and add accountability of employers into the immigration solution.   

This simple act of requiring illegal aliens to carry an IACard will have four positive and immediate results:

• First, employers will protect themselves from potentially heavy fines by only hiring inhabitants who have a valid IACard.

• Second, undocumented inhabitants who choose not to apply for an IACard or were denied an IACard will not be able to find an employer who will take them on.  They will therefore be unemployable, will be constantly liable for deportation if detained for any reason and will likely return to their country of citizenship.

• Third, foreigners contemplating illegal entry into the United States in order to work will soon learn that no employer is going to hire them and illegal entry will be futile. This inevitable behavior change will, by default, reduce illegal immigration to a trickle. 

• This will provide Border Patrol officers the opportunity to concentrate their efforts on the illegal entry of drugs, terrorists, gang members, those operating in the slave/sex trade as well as those seeking asylum.  

Phase Four, 1 July 2022 thru 30 June 2023:  This phase begins the twelve-month reissue of IA Cards; $50 fee.  The card color will change each year.  ONLY (again, specificity in the law) those inhabitants holding an IACard can receive a renewal card.  Additionally, they will be denied renewal if they have been unemployed and made less than $5000 or if they have been convicted of a felony.  Once denied, they will be detained, deported and NEVER receive another card. Any IACard that is not renewed by the annual renewal date will automatically be moved to the government’s deportation list.

In order to fund the Immigration/Citizenship Reform Law, a provision in the law will require IACard holders to pay 10% Federal income taxes on gross income.  Employers must issue a 1099 using the individual’s IACard number to identify them to the IRS.  The IRS will establish a National Registry of Card numbers and the data base will list earned income and taxes paid for the previous year. 

During the IACard renewal process, the DMV registration center will access the IRS data base to determine if the applicant has in fact been employed, made at least $5000 and paid taxes.  No tax records, no renewal and the applicant will be detained and deported.  The Federal Government will retain 2% of the tax revenue to fund four national data bases for The Immigration/Citizenship Reform Plan. The remaining 8% will be returned to the States in proportion to the number of IACard holders. 

Any IACard holder convicted of a felony will have his card pulled, be detained and deported.  That person’s file and IACard number will be annotated at the national registry to ensure that any future attempts to reapply will be denied.

An IACard holder who loses his or her job may immediately place an employment application to a National IACard holder registry website maintained by the Department of Labor.  This database will describe the IACard holder’s skills and be broken down by zip code.  An employer seeking to hire a carpenter, for example, has two options. One is to make direct contact with an IACard holder; second is to review the Department of Labor national data base of unemployed IACard holders.

There will be four related national data bases associated with this plan.  First is the basic national data base with the personal data and card number of each IACard holder, maintained by Immigration and Naturalization Services.  Second is the data base of taxpaying IACard holders maintained by the IRS.  Third, is the data base of undocumented known felons in the US; maintained by the Department of Homeland Security.  Finally, there is the jobs-available register at the Department of Labor. 

An IACard holder will have the following four privileges:

• One, they may apply for a State vehicle operator’s license and will be tested in English. A provision of the law will be that every state must prominently display the individual’s IACard number on the State Driver’s License.  Additionally, every applicant must show proof of auto insurance.

• Two, a current IACard will authorize the holder to legally cross US borders. 

• Three, legal holders may apply for an IACard Dependent Card (using the sponsor’s IACard number with a suffix) for their spouse and children (no extended family members).  If granted, the sponsor will be authorized to escort the dependents across the U.S. border.

• FOUR, AFTER LEGALLY HOLDING AN IACARD FOR FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS, THAT PERSON IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY (SPOUSE AND CHILDREN).

President Trump’s campaign pledge will be that long-term, hardworking, honest illegal inhabitants deserve amnesty and chance at citizenship.

Remember, these people are here illegally.  Therefore, they will NOT be eligible for social security, welfare payments, food assistance programs, Medicare, Medicaid, or social services.  This will save hundreds of billions of dollars per year in federal and state assistance payments.  

Conclusions:

• Is this plan doable? Yes.  Is it 100% full proof? No, but no system can be.

• This plan is an efficient, simple, inexpensive way to document nearly every US inhabitant.

• This plan will readily identify illegal inhabitants who are currently a drain on Federal and State support systems and provide for their deportation. 

• If employers want foreign workers, they must become involved and accountable. Their only requirements are to hire IACard holders and to report employee earnings on a 1099.

• This program will drastically reduce the practice of unscrupulous and frequently deadly human trafficking.

• Enforcement:  Let’s say a person is stopped for a traffic violation.  If the driver’s license contains an IA Card number the law enforcement officer can immediately access the Homeland Security data base to determine if the person has a felony conviction, if the card is overdue for annual renewal or if the person is on a deportation list.  If any violations are found, the alien will be arrested, detained and deported. 

• For this to work two things have to happen.  First, the Congress has to pass a pure, non-watered down, straight-talk law with specificity that is not subject to interpretation by bureaucrats at the Federal, State or Local levels.  Secondly, INS, Homeland Security, IRS and Department of Labor, will need to develop high-speed, simple, secure, data bases that are immediately accessible by State and Local officials.  We cannot afford to create a bungling bureaucratic morass that is incapable of supporting down to state and local officials on a minute’s notice. 

• Immigration reform is not about amnesty or open borders; it is about accountability and changing behavior.

This Immigration/Citizenship Reform Plan will get illegal alien citizenship into the presidential campaign and highlight the insanity of the democrats’ amnesty-for-all program. 

PS: I have been trying for eight years to get someone in the White House to read this.  Additionally, my do-nothing republican congressman will not even read it, let alone work it towards a solution.  If anyone out there can get this plan some high-level visibility, I would appreciate it.  If you need a digital copy, reach out to me at MandDcovault@yahoo.com. 

Lt Gen Marvin L. Covault, US Army retired

Joe Biden’s campaign platform is beginning to creep out of his basement and so far, it is not a pretty picture. That was the opening line to a recent blog and the subject was
BIDEN’S “PLAN” FOR EDUDATION. For those of you who missed the blog, Joe got an “F” on education.   This time, let’s look at a second pressing national issue, immigration. 

All persons residing in the U.S. are supposed to fall into one of three categories; that is, a U.S. citizen or those with a Green Card permanent resident status or temporary inhabitants with Visitor or Student Visas.

The democrats would have you believe there are 10-12 million illegal residents.  Professors from MIT and Yale, using more sophisticated methodology, estimated in September 2018 that as many as 22.1 million undocumented aliens could be in the U.S.  They came to three conclusions; that 10-12 million is no longer viable, for sure there are at least 16 million and more likely over 20 million.  One thing is for certain, we do not know who they are or where they reside.

A nation that cannot secure its borders against drug traffic, criminals, gangs, human trafficking and illegal aliens has a serious national security problem.

President Trump has worked this issue and managed to bring it under reasonable control.  But the democrats will absolutely reverse all of those gains.  Why? It is common knowledge that the democrats see illegal aliens in general and Hispanics in particular as a valuable future voting bloc.

In a recent news conference, President Trump outlined 42 things Biden will do if elected. Nineteen of them had to do with immigration:

1. Abolish immigration detention.
2. Stop all deportation.
3. End prosecution of illegal border crossers.
4. Support the deadly sanctuary cities.
5. Incentivize illegal-alien child smuggling.
6. Expand asylum for all new illegal aliens.
7. Cancel all asylum cooperation agreements with Honduras, Guatemala, with El Salvador.
8. Taxpayer-funded lawyers will be given to all illegal aliens.
9. Abolish immigration enforcement against illegal workers.
10. Restore Catch and Release policies for illegals.
11. Grant work permits for illegal aliens.
12. Provide taxpayer subsidies and welfare for illegal aliens and new immigrants.
13. Federal Student Aid and free community college for illegal aliens.
14. Sign new immigrants up for welfare immediately.
15. End requirement for immigrants’ self-sufficiency and maximize their welfare.
16. End all travel bans, including from jihadist regions.
17. Grant mass amnesty.
18. Vastly expand low-skilled immigration to the United States.
19. Increase refugee admissions by 700 percent.

The fact-checkers, democrats and main-stream media went crazy saying there is nothing in the Biden’s platform that says he will take those actions.  Of course, they are correct; Biden will not RUN on open borders and amnesty for all.  But President Trump is also correct; if Biden is elected, he will execute these actions.  He won’t have a choice; the democrat party will demand it. Why?

For decades the democrat party has been synonymous with identity politics, particularly Black American voters.  Additionally, for several years they have seen the illegal alien Hispanic community as a new political identity target.  In 2016 Hillary Clinton was running on a platform promoting, “a pathway to citizenship.”

Trumps 2016 victory was a huge setback for the democrats’ plans for two reasons.  One, Immigration reform was an over-arching issue in Trumps campaign and it was the exact opposite of what the democrats intended to do.  Secondly, Trump not only campaigned on stopping the continuous flow of illegal immigrants, drugs, criminals, terrorists and human trafficking, he immediately set out to fix it.

Biden’s 14-page platform on immigration is littered with soft language and propaganda. For example, “Biden will move immediately to ensure that the U.S. meets its responsibilities as a nation of immigrants.” He says he will, “End prolonged detention.”  That is code for catch-and-release which was the Obama/Biden centerpiece and the reason we now have over 20 million illegals.  Then there is, “End the mismanagement of the asylum system.” More catch-and-release. “Welcome immigrants in our communities.”  That is to say, amnesty for all.  The one thing his website does NOT say, is how he will reduce illegal immigration. 

Let’s be clear about what is happening with Biden on immigration.  As pointed out there is the soft language in his printed platform and then there are the direct answers to questions during rare occasions when he is being questioned by the media. 

Earlier this year during the democrat primaries, there was open dialogue concerning, “Support for the elimination of criminal penalties for entering the country illegally”. That democrat position is a euphemism for open borders.  Why don’t they just come clean and say it, we democrats are for open borders?

During a recent interview Biden was asked if he would introduce immigration reform legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants promptly after assuming office.  “I already have the bill,” Biden said. And, he continued, “I will get it done in the first week.”  There it is, amnesty, pure and simple. In that interview, Biden went on to say, “illegal immigrants should have access to the same health benefits everyone else has.”

Homeland Security reports that from fiscal years 2017 to 2019, ICE agents arrested and eventually deported around 205,000 convicted criminals and about 36,000 immigrants with pending criminal charges.  Over that same period, ICE deported around 17,000 known or suspected gang members and 145 known or suspected terrorists. Keep your powder dry because Biden says he, “Will limit ICE’s ability to deport criminals.”

Doing the math on the 258,000 deportees cited above, over a 24-month period that would be, an average, deportation of 353 really bad folks a day.  So, when Biden emphatically declares he, “Will not deport a single soul in my first 100 days in office, that’s about 35,000 criminals that will still be in our neighborhoods but shouldn’t be.  Furthermore, what is the intellectual point about not doing something the first 100 days?  Is he signaling that deportations may be eliminated all together?  Given that he wants to reverse every gain made during the Trump presidency, that would be a valid conclusion. 

Then there are the democrat-established sanctuary cities; a place of refuge for illegal aliens and criminals.  Biden has said he will, “expand sanctuary locations.” Another scary proposal.

Amnesty-for-all is not only a slap in the face to the millions of upstanding citizens who worked through the immigration system legally but the long-term ramifications of amnesty-for-all are unthinkable. Once amnesty-for-all is initiated the precedent is set and precedent is a powerful force.  Organizations are generally change-averse and that includes this country. But once the work has been done to overturn the rock, the next time it is easy.  It is highly likely that amnesty-for-all will become the norm in the future every time the democrats are in power. 

How many will there be the next time?  There are actually hundreds of millions of people world-wide who would jump at the chance to immigrate to the US. The prospect of a second round of amnesty-for-all will likely result in all of our borders being overwhelmed by attempted illegal entry.  

Consider that you are one of those want-a-be poor folks in Guatemala and you can foresee crossing an open border, getting on welfare, enroll in Medicare, free legal assistance,  reside in government housing in a sanctuary city, have a government-issued work permit and look forward to guaranteed citizenship.  You build it and they will come….. by the tens of millions.

There are about 47 million Hispanic citizens in the US plus another 20 million illegals.  Politically, this is the holy grail for the democrats.  The democrats foresee a dynasty in power for years to come if they can get a strong hold on this Hispanic identity group. The complete revamp of the immigration system in the nineteen immigration initiatives outlined above by President Trump will certainly do just that.   

P.S. One thing Biden conveniently left out of his platform was a position on restraining illegal- entry children in cages.  You will recall the mainstream media going nuts and reporting, “Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing.” You will recall that was headline news until the media finally discovered that the pictures were file photos from the Obama era. 

Finally, I cannot help but take a swipe at Speaker Pelosi.  How many dozens of times has she lectured us during her weekly news conferences saying, “No one is above the law.”  I’m suggesting she needs to modify that as follows: No one is above the law except the millions of illegal aliens living among us.

Bottom line:  Open borders, amnesty-for-all and failure to deport illegal immigrant criminals are irrational policies, defy intellectual honesty and threaten our national security.  They may provide an up-side for the democrat party but, Joe, is there any value-added for America?  I think not.

On the upside, Joe, you are at least consistent;  an “F” in education reform and now I’m giving you a “F” in immigration. 

Marv Covault, Lt Gen, US Army, retired.

I’m old, seen a lot, moved 26 times while in the military but I have never lived in fear and still don’t.  But I do believe tens of millions of Americans today are doing just that, living in fear.

Fear: An unpleasant emotion caused by a belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. 

To illustrate what I believe many Americans are living with today are a series of statements and thoughts that could be attributed to many of you out there. 

I lived in (fill in the blank) for years and then moved to the suburbs.  I was recently back in town and found myself fearful as I walked the streets.

There is so much hatred and violence in America, I find myself being very careful what I say in public.  Violent revenge seems so commonplace today.  I’m often afraid for my physical safety.

I’m tired of being unjustifiably lumped into a large category and falsely accused of being a racist.  Like most Americans I have opinions on the subject of racism.  But I find myself reluctant to speak up or speak out because I don’t want to:

1. End up in a heated argument
2. Lose a friend
3. Be publicly castigated for having an opinion
4. All of the above

I am a registered republican and will probably vote for President Trump in November but I will not put a Trump sign in my yard and live in fear that (fill in the blank).  Drive around with a Trump bumper sticker?  Are you kidding, and get keyed in the parking lot, or worse? No way!

I sounded off the other day on Facebook about (fill in the blank) and got so much negative reaction.  I’m afraid it may come back to haunt me:

1. In my current job
2. For promotion consideration
3. In future job interviews
4. All of the above

I use to enjoy getting together with friends wherein we would usually end up having a lively debate about politics.  I can’t do that now for fear of ending the friendship. 

I am a college student, a conservative, and a member of the campus Republican Club.  I have always believed in speaking out about what I believe and politics in particular.  But now I can’t. I am constantly verbally abused and fearful of physical attacks.  I also have to keep my mouth shut during classroom discussions for fear of getting a grade lower than I deserve from my left wing/socialist professor.

I’m being considered for a big promotion at work but, like a lot of us, I did some stupid things in high school and college that I’m not proud of.  But these days there are no statutes of limitations on insensitive remakes or immature actions.  I’m afraid they will be dredged up and ruin my opportunities for advancement.

I’m proud to be an American, consider myself to be a patriot and for years have daily flown the stars and stripes outside our home.  Because of hateful remarks and threatening emails, I have chosen to take the flag down.  I fear for the safety of my family.

A friend of mine asked me the other day why I don’t wear my MAGA hat any more.  Are you kidding me?  Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats are getting verbally and physically assaulted all over the country. 

I am most afraid that the Trump hatred is breaking up my family. My brothers continue to refer to President Trump as a racist.  I have spent hours on line researching and I could not find any factual substantiating information leading to conclusions that President Trump is, in fact, a racist.  Quit to the contrary, here is some of what I did find:

-Jesse Jackson publicly applauded Trump’s “will to make things better” for underserved communities. Jackson also thanked Trump for meeting with him in 1984 and in 1988 when he ran for president at a time when the United States would’ve found the idea of a black president laughable.

-Donald Trump, pictured with Muhammad Ali and civil rights activist Rosa Parks, receiving the Ellis Island Award in 1986 for contributing to the conditions of inner-city black youths.

-Jesse Jackson thanks Donald Trump for contributing millions to inner city charities including the Rainbow Coalition.

-Then there is the photo of Donald Trump, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton at the launching of Rainbow Coalition’s Wall Street Project, 1996.

 Question, do any of the above scenarios apply to you? Uhuh, I figured they would. Is this what we have become as a nation? Are our most basic and sacred constitutional rights being denied to us?

Shouldn’t we expect that all reasonably-minded leaders, republicans and democrats alike, should be equally appalled that so many Americans are living in fear while ignorant thugs and well-financed anarchists burn loot and murder in our neighborhoods thereby destroying the livelihood of thousands of hard-working small businessmen and women? 

There is debate about who said it, but whomever it was, they were correct; “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

Our nation, with legions of hate mongers daily preaching to the masses, is on a tenuous path right now; a path with no goodness. 

Marvin L. Covault, Lt Gen US Army, retired, is the author of VISION TO EXECUTION, a book for leaders, a columnist for THE PILOT, an national-award winning local newspaper in Southern Pines, NC and the author of a blog www.WETHEPEOPLESPEAKING.com

Joe Biden’s campaign platform is beginning to creep out of his basement and so far, it is not a pretty picture.  At this time, let’s just look at one pressing national issue, education. 

Education is perhaps this nation’s greatest disgrace.  Yet every four years we go through the same song-and-dance.  The democrat sells his/her soul to the teachers’ unions promising to spend more billions of dollars, to regulate top-down, which then requires a bigger inefficient and ineffective Department of Education bureaucracy.  This is a decades-old formula for failure as our world rating in education continues to decline. 

Snapshots that illustrate the problems in government-run public schools:  Providence, RI:  Only 5% of eighth graders are proficient in math.  Newark, NJ: 21% proficiency in math.  North Carolina: 44 % of North Carolina third-graders are not proficient in reading.  Wisconsin: Black American eighth graders perform only slightly better than white fourth graders in reading and math.  Nation-wide, two thirds of eighth graders are not proficient in math and reading. And so it goes across the country.

One cannot adequately analyze education results without getting inside the government-run public schools vs charter schools discussion. Let’s begin by understanding what a charter school is.

Facts shared by nearly all the states: Charter schools are authorized by the State Board of Education. Charter schools are TUITION-FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS of choice that are operated mostly by independent non-profit boards of directors.

Myth # 1: “Charter schools are unaccountable, private schools that take money away from district schools.” Truth: Charter schools are 100% accountable to state authorities. Charter school students are typically funded at $0.73/dollar compared to district school students. Charter schools do not receive capital funding for buildings or transportation.

Myth 2: “Charter schools don’t serve a diverse population of students; they get to hand pick their students to populate their schools.” Truth: If a child is eligible to attend a public government school, parents may apply to any charter school.  If a charter school receives more applications than its capacity, a lottery is conducted. Discrimination based on race, national origin, or religion is prohibited.

Myth 3: “Charter schools exclude economically disadvantaged students by not providing transportation or food.” Truth: Most charter schools provide transportation and food without receiving any funding to do so.

Myth 4: “Charter school are not academically superior to government-run public schools.”  Truth: In New York City, for example, charter school students are predominantly black and Hispanic and live in low-income neighborhoods. In 2019, most students in the city’s government-run public schools failed to pass state-wide math and English standard tests while most of the charter school students passed both subjects. Ironically, in a number of minority communities, traditional public school and charter school classes are co-located in a common building.  In one co-mingled building in 28 different classes less than 10% of the government-run public school students tested to a proficient level while 81-100% of charter students were proficient.

Why is this happening?  There are three significant differences:  One, government-run public schools are top-down highly regulated vs charters with their own organization, planning, and programs. Unlike district schools, charter schools are independently operated, allowing them the freedom to use innovative school models and customized approaches to curriculum, staffing, and budgeting.

Second: Government-run public schools are highly unionized while charters are not.  There are great/gifted teachers, good teachers and also bad teachers.  Because of attitude, aptitude, expertise and lack of desire, some teachers should choose a different career.  The bad teachers will say, I present the material but I can’t make the students learn.  While that is a true statement, the great/gifted/good teachers, by contrast, can make the students want to learn. For anything short of criminal charges, a school principal generally does not have the time it takes to fight the teachers’ union through a dismissal.  On average it takes about two years of effort to fire a teacher for poor performance. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, it takes at least five years.

Finally, third, the bottom line is accountability.  Fact: an unacceptably high percentage of government-run public school students routinely fail standard tests.  When they do, what happens? Nothing positive. Students fail in fourth grade get passed on to fifth grade, in sixth grade they fall further behind and this pattern persists until a point, usually in high school, when the failing student feels frustrated, hopelessly behind, ridiculed and takes the only road he/she can see and drops out of school.  Across this great nation, on an average school day 7000 students drop out and join the ranks of the disadvantaged.  Accountability?  Zero. 

By contrast, if charter students do not measure up to standards, the school is subject to being shut down by state law.  Is accountability important in education?  Yes, the ultimate arbiter.

Back to the opening question; what is Joe Biden’s platform on education?

The bottom line: He has no plan to help education, period. He conveniently fails to mention charter schools on his official campaign website.  Specifically, he has made two public statements: “There are some charter schools that work.”  Wow, what a resounding endorsement!  And, “I will stop all federal funding for for-profit charter schools.” Only about 16 percent of charter schools across the country are operated by for-profit entities.

More telling than what he is saying is what he is doing; i.e. giving 100% support to teachers’ unions which have already endorsed his candidacy.

That leads us to the question, where are the teacher’s unions on charter schools?   Here is a summation of the misinformation they are spreading: Charter schools are privately-operated, deregulated, segregated, poorly-supervised, de-unionized, scandal-ridden contract schools that drain much-needed funds from demonized public schools. Oh, by the way, those are all lies.

The United Teachers Los Angeles, representing 600,000 K-12 teachers provides a good example.  One of UTLA current demands, as a condition of getting students back in classrooms this fall, is that privately operated charters that get government money be shut down; that would be 100% of them. Why? Charters threaten traditional schools, because the empirical record shows that urban charters, particularly those in poor neighborhoods, create better learning outcomes.

Teachers’ unions across the country are generally campaigning against charters and specifically working to influence local and state authorities to not approve new charter applications.  Examples: Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, proposed a state budget that would put a freeze on new charter schools and cap enrollment at existing ones.

Recently the Chicago Board of Education denied three proposals for new charter schools and rejected the renewal of an existing charter following a union-led pressure campaign. The Chicago Teachers Union has called for a moratorium on all new charter schools.

We are now in a counter-revolution against education reform led by teachers’ unions pressuring democrat politicians across the nation to turn down charter applications. In California local school district officials can now veto charter applications.  

So, Mr. Biden, by all means, lead this nation down the continuing path of big-government, over-regulated, over-priced, failing education.  While that may not be what you actually want for America’s future, it is so pathetically obvious that you are pandering to the unions for their vote.  Where is your accountability?

BREAKING NEWS:  25 July in the Wall Street Journal.  “Education Secretary DeVos recently announced that her department will award at least $85 million over five years for the Washington D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.

The scholarships let lower-income parents of children trapped in failing public schools attend the charter or private schools of their choice.  According to the Education Department, nearly 98% of students with Opportunity Scholarships graduate from high school compared with 69% of D.C. public school students.  Some 86% go on to college, while more than 90% of scholarship recipients are black or Hispanic, and the average family income is less than $27,000 a year.

Enter Joe Biden, whose own children benefitted from private schools.  But in his recent unity platform with Bernie Sanders, Biden specifically calls for eliminating the D.C. scholarships. There is no moral or fiscal justification for killing the scholarships.”

Sorry Joe, you just got an F in education.

Lieutenant General, US Army retired, Marvin L. Covault is the author of Vision to Execution, a book for leaders.

Politics combined with bad events too often leads to a rush to bad policy. This is not breaking news, but it is, unfortunately, too often true.  Why is that the case? 

One of the principle reasons is that we get caught up in the moment and consumed by emotion and perceptions rather than taking a deep breath and looking at the facts associated with the issue.  This article is about a little history, current events and two questions. 1) Have we in the past month redefined racism? 2) Are we consumed with emotion and ignoring the facts?

RACISM, HISTORICAL CONTEXT: General Ulysses Grant, commander of the federal forces in the Civil War, believed in abolishing slavery. He was a champion of African Americans and throughout the Civil War used his influence and leadership to assist slaves escaping from the Confederate states.  President Lincoln, a Republican, agreed with General Grant.

Although President Lincoln had previously “freed” all slaves by signing the Emancipation Proclamation, January 1863, during the siege of Richmond Virginia, the final months of the Civil War in 1865, General Grant and President Lincoln met frequently to discuss and plan for what freedom and equality should mean for the freed slaves. Their plan included the right to own property, to vote and hold office. The freed slaves would have access to all educational opportunities, public transportation and commercial activities; the rights enjoyed by every white citizen.  Black Americans would finally be aligned with the basis of our democracy guaranteed in the Constitution that “all men are created equal.” 

The Civil War ended when General Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April the 9^th, 1865.  Five days later President Lincoln was assassinated. The vision President Lincoln and General Grant had for the freed slaves died with the President. 

Lincoln’s Vice President, Andrew Johnson, a Republican, was sworn in as president.  Johnson was a weak, indecisive president and sided with the powerful Democrat leaders in the Confederate states to restrict the freedoms for the freed slaves.  The grand Lincoln/Grant plan for post-war reconstruction never came to fruition. 

One of the darkest periods in American history, from 1868 through the early 1870s the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) functioned as a loosely organized group of political and social terrorists. The Klan’s goals included the political defeat of the Republican Party and the maintenance of absolute white supremacy in response to newly gained civil and political rights by southern blacks. Fact, THAT WAS PURE RACISM.

It is estimated that there was a KKK organization in nearly every county in the former Confederate states.  President Johnson turned a blind eye to the KKK devastation.  After becoming president in1869, Grant used US military forces to attempt to crush Klan activity in the South.  However, white supremacy gradually reasserted its hold on the South as support for Reconstruction waned; by the end of 1876, the entire South was under Democratic control once again.

At its peak in the 1920s, Klan membership exceeded 4 million people nationwide. Today the Klan’s identity is unclear and their numbers are estimated to be less than three thousand.

For a period of 99 years, from 1865 until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Democratic party was the party of segregation.  Black Americans could not walk into a restaurant of choice, sit down and order a meal; NO BLACKS ALLOWED, the sign on the door read.  Blacks could not attend a school of choice; segregation meant 100% black/white separation in education.  Blacks could not take a seat of choice on public transportation; BLACKS SIT IN THE BACK OF THE BUS, the sign said.  WHITE ONLY WATER FOUNTAIN, the sign said. 

Racism defined:  Segregation, supported by the Democrat party for 100 years, was pure, unadulterated, unambiguous, in-your-face racism.  That was racism defined by facts.

Finally, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made segregation illegal in all states. But the Democrat party did not relent easily; 90% of lawmakers from states that were in the Union during the Civil War supported the bill compared with less than 10% of lawmakers from states that were in the Confederacy.

Fast forward to today where we define racism and racist in a different way.  I believe we can credit Hillary Clinton for the new methodology.  On September 9th, 2016 during a presidential campaign speech, Hillary stood behind a tel-prompter and read these prepared remarks, “You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. They’re racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.”  In two short sentences she defamed me and about 75 million of my closest friends.  Which, by the way, many believe was the beginning of the end for her campaign. 

The lasting impact of that insane Clinton speech was to make it OK to throw around the word “racist” with complete disregard for facts to the contrary. For example, it is now proper to label all nine hundred thousand cops racist because of a very few tragic interactions between police and black men. 

When I say, “very few” I mean it.  Back to some facts.  In 2018 police, while they had an estimated 50 million official interactions with the public, killed 47 unarmed persons; 23 white, 17 black, 5 Hispanic, and 2 unknowns. 

Looking at the numbers, each of those deaths was, literally, about a one-in-a-million happenstance.  Each one was tragic, especially for family and friends, but, back to facts, we do not live in a perfect world; bad things happen.  Bad things will always happen. Case in point; On 17 June, officer Garrett Rolfe and Rayshard Brooks, according to the video tape, were having as calm, cool-headed conversation about intoxication when in an instant the situation escalated to a point wherein two men were faced off each with a “deadly weapon”, a taser and a gun.  Yes, bad things can and will happen; another one-in-a-million.  But one could reach the conclusion that one-in-a-million illustrates tremendous restraint on the part of police.  

But, you say, those 17 unarmed blacks killed by police in 2018 represent 36% of the 47 fatalities while Black-Americans make up only 13% of the population.  You are correct, BUT.  In 2018 those Black-Americans made up 53% of known homicide offenders and committed about 60% of robberies.

In the current environment, calling someone or some group racist no longer needs to be backed up by facts. It is now acceptable to put a racist label on someone you don’t even know but do it because you are angry at them for something they said or did. But what is even worse, individuals and groups are often publicly called racist for simply having differing opinions on public matters and public policy. 

Where has all of this ugly, loose, racist talk gotten us?  George Floyd died a tragic death at the hands of Minneapolis policemen. Under the new “rules” for defining racism, at warp speed, accusations were made and conclusions drawn that the Minneapolis police force is fundamentally racist.  From that incident, politicians and extremist groups across the nation came to the same conclusion about their cities’ police forces. Defund/disband them.  This is a classic example of politics combined with bad events too often leads to bad policy.

Furthermore, what has flowed on from the defund/disband policy is the conclusion that anyone who disagrees with the new policy must therefore also be a racist. Just that easily and just that quickly America became divided on another issue.  Why, because sides were drawn up based on emotion and perception vs facts. 

The racism issue is further inflamed by discussions over slavery.  Senator Tim Kane, 2016 Vice Presidential candidate, Harvard Law School graduate, emphatically exclaimed recently that, “slavery was created in the United States.”  Ergo, the US is solely to blame for racism. 

This type of inflammatory rhetoric does not pass the history test but does throw gasoline on the racism fire.  

The facts, Senator Kane, are as follows: Man’s inhumanity in the form of slavery has been one of the great travesties in the history of mankind.  Slavery has existed in almost every civilization, dating back 3500 BC. Furthermore about 600,000 Americans died in our Civil War to decide that slavery should no longer exist in the US.  President Lincoln made the ban on slavery official on January 1^st, 1863 when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, thereby freeing all slaves.

Leftist Minnesota Governor Tim Walz declared, after a few days of protests and violence, “The sheer number of unarmed black people who are killed by police as compared to other groups reveals police brutality for what it is: systemic racism. You have to look at the systemic patterns of policing and how they disproportionately result in the deaths of Black people.”

Governor Walz statement is another prime example of emotional, fact-less rhetoric combined with politics leading to a rush to bad policy, defund/disband the police. How would that work out in Minneapolis given that car-jackings were up 45%, homicides 60%, arson 58% and burglaries 28% from January through May, 2020 compared to the same period last year

Minneapolis is not alone with respect to increasing major crimes. In San Francisco, homicides before the riots this year had increased by 19%, burglaries by 23% and arson by 39%. Philadelphia reported a 28% increase in commercial burglaries, 51% in shootings, 22% in auto theft and 28% in retail theft from last year.

Will defunding/disbanding police forces make these crime stats better? Quite the contrary.  I would expect the following to begin happening immediately.  Breaking and entering will go off the charts rapidly.  This will lead to massive new “community watch” initiatives.  Gun sales spiked more than 80 percent in May as consumers responded to safety concerns and civil unrest.

Remember Travon Martin, the 17-year old Black man who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman.  The case was headline news for months.  Hold on to your hat because there will likely be a Martin/Zimmerman situation happening nightly across America when the police are gone, or at least in scarce numbers, or untrained resulting from lack of funds and/or unable to function under new restrictive rules of engagement. 

All this mess is application of the classic, “people are entitled to their own opinions, no matter how wrong or off base, but they aren’t entitled to their own facts.”  But as Joe Biden said, “We choose truth over facts.” In other words, what feels like the truth takes precedent over the facts.  Nice going Joe, and where has that great proclamation gotten us over the past few weeks?  I’ll tell you where; more dead people, hundreds of injured police, more hatred, tens of millions in damaged property and a little anarchy in Seattle (or, as the Seattle mayor called it, “a summer of love.”) 

If we want to be proactive and actually try to reduce the number of one-in-a-million tragic police actions, why not first look at the hot-heads, the poor performers, the anger management failures inside the police ranks and then do something about it. The police know who these malcontents are but have negotiated such ridiculous agreements with the police unions that they are nearly powerless to get them off the streets. 

The union leaders say, “The job of a union is to protect the interest of its members, at any cost.” “At any cost” translated means policemen like Officer Chauvin charged with murdering George Floyd are still on the street in spite of being investigated 17 times in 19 years for misconduct in the line of duty and only disciplined once.

I began the above discussion with two questions; 1) Have we in the past few weeks redefined racism? Yes, I believe the jury is in and they have spoken.  We do have a new definition of what racism consists of, emotion and perceptions.  2) Are we consumed with emotion and ignoring the facts? Yes, consumed by, obsessed with and led by emotion and perception.  The facts be damned. 

This overall impact of all this across the nation is?  We have for several years been consumed with a culture of hate and blame.  That just got multiplied by some factor yet to be determined.  We have made continued progress in reducing factual, in-your-face racism since outlawing segregation in 1964.  Have actions over the past few weeks, led by the “left” set us back a few years or decades?  Unfortunately, probably yes. 

Oh, and don’t forget, by some deductions I am at a loss to understand, all this mess is the fault of the Republicans!?

A final question.  What do you do when you have an emergency, call 911 and it goes to voicemail?  Think about it. 

Lieutenant General, US Army retired, Marvin L. Covault is the author of Vision to Execution, a book for leaders.