“Running for President is a pretty good gig.” The Trump story

Have you ever wondered why the Republicans had 18 people running for President?
Have you ever wondered about the real reason Donald Trump is running for President?

In May, Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham said, “I’m thinking about running for president. You get a house and a car and a plane. It’s a pretty good gig.”

Indeed it is a pretty good gig, as Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Michele Bachman, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee and others can testify. Those are some of the political celebrities whose means of support comes mostly from running for President and/or having run for President.

For instance, Rick Santorum: This is the Evolution denier who, in the November 7, 2006, election, lost by more than 700,000 votes, yet runs for President every term. Seemingly, running for President, and the fame he receives, are the basis for his primary income sources.

But Santorum, Cain et al are mere pikers compared with Donald Trump.

Here is what the Washington Post had to say:

“Of the $63 million his campaign spent through May, more than $6 million — close to 10% — went to Trump properties or to reimburse Trump or his family for expenses.”

How did he do that? Ask Rachel Madow, who on her show gave viewers these statistics about where Trump’s contributor’s money went:

  1. Trump International Golf Club: $29715
  2. Trump National Golf Club: $35,845
  3. Mar-a-Lago Club: $423,000 (Trump rented his own private home. It’s where he lives in the winter. And the $423,000 was for May only.)
  4. Trump Tower (NY): $520,000 (Trump rented his own apartment in New York. It’s where he lives in the summer.)
  5. Trump’s own private jet: $4.6 MILLION (Trump rented his own private jet)
  6. Trump National Doral: $26,000
  7. Trump Hotel, Chicago: $11,000
  8. Trump Plaza: $99,000
  9. Trump Post Office/Hotel: $5,000 (Don’t ask me what this is)
  10. Trump SOHO: $5,000 (Huh?)
  11. Trump Winery: $5,000 (It’s owned by his son-in-law. I don’t want to draw inferences, but three expenses, each for $5,000??)
  12. Trump Restaurants: $125,080
  13. And there are expenses for Trump Grill, Trump Ice (wha??), Trump Cafe

My gosh, does this guy have any personal expenses? Contributors have taken care of his summer home and his winter apartment and much of his food and transportation. What’s left?

And then there are Trump’s books, which he likes to hawk during is paid-for speeches. Nice personal income, there.

Yes, running for President is a “pretty good gig,” especially for a self-proclaimed billionaire, who wants to deport immigrants, who in total, probably don’t have his income or wealth.

But, undoubtedly, Trump will offer his followers some very wonderful reasons why all that money needs to go to him, and his followers will believe, because as we all know, Trump is a very truthful man:

Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech

TRUMP’S CLAIM: Hillary Clinton “is a world class liar”

The facts: According to PolitiFact, 59% of Trump’s checked claims have been deemed false or “Pants on Fire” false, versus 12% for Clinton.

Donald Trump:
True: 2%
Mostly True: 7%
Half True: 15%
Mostly False: 17%
False: 40%
Pants on Fire: 19%

Hillary Clinton:
True: 23%
Mostly True: 28%
Half True: 21%
Mostly False: 15%
False: 11%
Pants on Fire: 1%

If Hillary is a “world class liar” what does that make Donald?

Let me count the ways: Liar, greedy, bigot, con man, fear monger, narcissist, mean-spirited, ignorant about foreign affairs, ignorant about economics, ignorant about science, inexperienced.

Does that pretty much cover it?

Be sure to contribute your hard earned dollars to this rich man’s campaign. He needs your help, so he can continue to enjoy his “pretty good gig.”

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty

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Ten Steps to Prosperity:
1. ELIMINATE FICA (Ten Reasons to Eliminate FICA )
Although the article lists 10 reasons to eliminate FICA, there are two fundamental reasons:
*FICA is the most regressive tax in American history, widening the Gap by punishing the low and middle-income groups, while leaving the rich untouched, and
*The federal government, being Monetarily Sovereign, neither needs nor uses FICA to support Social Security and Medicare.
2. FEDERALLY FUNDED MEDICARE — PARTS A, B & D, PLUS LONG TERM CARE — FOR EVERYONE (H.R. 676, Medicare for All )
This article addresses the questions:
*Does the economy benefit when the rich afford better health care than the rest of Americans?
*Aside from improved health care, what are the other economic effects of “Medicare for everyone?”
*How much would it cost taxpayers?
*Who opposes it?”
3. PROVIDE AN ECONOMIC BONUS TO EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD IN AMERICA, AND/OR EVERY STATE, A PER CAPITA ECONOMIC BONUS (The JG (Jobs Guarantee) vs the GI (Guaranteed Income) vs the EB) Or institute a reverse income tax.
This article is the fifth in a series about direct financial assistance to Americans:

Why Modern Monetary Theory’s Employer of Last Resort is a bad idea. Sunday, Jan 1 2012
MMT’s Job Guarantee (JG) — “Another crazy, rightwing, Austrian nutjob?” Thursday, Jan 12 2012
Why Modern Monetary Theory’s Jobs Guarantee is like the EU’s euro: A beloved solution to the wrong problem. Tuesday, May 29 2012
“You can’t fire me. I’m on JG” Saturday, Jun 2 2012

Economic growth should include the “bottom” 99.9%, not just the .1%, the only question being, how best to accomplish that. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) favors giving everyone a job. Monetary Sovereignty (MS) favors giving everyone money. The five articles describe the pros and cons of each approach.
4. FREE EDUCATION (INCLUDING POST-GRAD) FOR EVERYONEFive reasons why we should eliminate school loans
Monetarily non-sovereign State and local governments, despite their limited finances, support grades K-12. That level of education may have been sufficient for a largely agrarian economy, but not for our currently more technical economy that demands greater numbers of highly educated workers.
Because state and local funding is so limited, grades K-12 receive short shrift, especially those schools whose populations come from the lowest economic groups. And college is too costly for most families.
An educated populace benefits a nation, and benefiting the nation is the purpose of the federal government, which has the unlimited ability to pay for K-16 and beyond.
5. SALARY FOR ATTENDING SCHOOL
Even were schooling to be completely free, many young people cannot attend, because they and their families cannot afford to support non-workers. In a foundering boat, everyone needs to bail, and no one can take time off for study.
If a young person’s “job” is to learn and be productive, he/she should be paid to do that job, especially since that job is one of America’s most important.
6. ELIMINATE CORPORATE TAXES
Corporations themselves exist only as legalities. They don’t pay taxes or pay for anything else. They are dollar-tranferring machines. They transfer dollars from customers to employees, suppliers, shareholders and the government (the later having no use for those dollars).
Any tax on corporations reduces the amount going to employees, suppliers and shareholders, which diminishes the economy. Ultimately, all corporate taxes come around and reappear as deductions from your personal income.
7. INCREASE THE STANDARD INCOME TAX DEDUCTION, ANNUALLY. (Refer to this.) Federal taxes punish taxpayers and harm the economy. The federal government has no need for those punishing and harmful tax dollars. There are several ways to reduce taxes, and we should evaluate and choose the most progressive approaches.
Cutting FICA and corporate taxes would be an good early step, as both dramatically affect the 99%. Annual increases in the standard income tax deduction, and a reverse income tax also would provide benefits from the bottom up. Both would narrow the Gap.
8. TAX THE VERY RICH (THE “.1%) MORE, WITH HIGHER PROGRESSIVE TAX RATES ON ALL FORMS OF INCOME. (TROPHIC CASCADE)
There was a time when I argued against increasing anyone’s federal taxes. After all, the federal government has no need for tax dollars, and all taxes reduce Gross Domestic Product, thereby negatively affecting the entire economy, including the 99.9%.
But I have come to realize that narrowing the Gap requires trimming the top. It simply would not be possible to provide the 99.9% with enough benefits to narrow the Gap in any meaningful way. Bill Gates reportedly owns $70 billion. To get to that level, he must have been earning $10 billion a year. Pick any acceptable Gap (1000 to 1?), and the lowest paid American would have to receive $10 million a year. Unreasonable.
9. FEDERAL OWNERSHIP OF ALL BANKS (Click The end of private banking and How should America decide “who-gets-money”?)
Banks have created all the dollars that exist. Even dollars created at the direction of the federal government, actually come into being when banks increase the numbers in checking accounts. This gives the banks enormous financial power, and as we all know, power corrupts — especially when multiplied by a profit motive.
Although the federal government also is powerful and corrupted, it does not suffer from a profit motive, the world’s most corrupting influence.
10. INCREASE FEDERAL SPENDING ON THE MYRIAD INITIATIVES THAT BENEFIT AMERICA’S 99.9% (Federal agencies)Browse the agencies. See how many agencies benefit the lower- and middle-income/wealth/ power groups, by adding dollars to the economy and/or by actions more beneficial to the 99.9% than to the .1%.
Save this reference as your primer to current economics. Sadly, much of the material is not being taught in American schools, which is all the more reason for you to use it.

The Ten Steps will grow the economy, and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and you.

9 thoughts on ““Running for President is a pretty good gig.” The Trump story

  1. Mitchel;

    Surely, you understand that HRC has benefited much more than Trump from government “service”. She, Bill and their daughter have made hundreds of millions from their various gigs in federal government.

    $250000 for a single speaking engagement, $500,000 to sign off on the sale of weapons to a despotic 3rd world nation, other bribes, and “donations”. The list goes on:
    http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2016/06/22/is-the-syrian-war-about-to-experience-a-major-escalation/

    I am not a Trump supporter, but it looks like you have your democratic party blinders on.

    Regarding Trump the profoundly shameless liar: He can lie all day long and people don’t care because he admits it frequently, and in so many words. Meanwhile, HRC claims to be honest. In my mind, her claims to honesty -which are obviously lies – makes her the more dishonest psychopath of the two. Which is the most repulsive snake, the rattler, or the cobra??

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  2. Now I’m no Trump fan, but I think it’s very important Hillary Clinton gets hit hard and for the right reasons throughout the campaign. She’s violent, corrupt and displays all the attributes of a sociopath. While Trump is unquestionably an authoritarian who says really stupid and hateful things, Hillary Clinton has actually done egregious things throughout her public life. Furthermore, as I outlined in a post earlier today, she is far more likely to start WW3 than he is.

    FROM:
    http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2016/06/22/trump-appeals-to-sanders-supporters-and-lands-first-real-punch-against-clinton/#more-35250

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    1. “HRC has benefited much more than Trump from government “service”.
      I’m sure that is true; Trump has zero government service. That is one of the many strikes against him: He wants a job for which he has no experience.

      Would you hire someone for any job, let alone the world’s most important job, who has absolutely no experience?

      I have no objection to people profiting from their political “gig.” I just want to call to the attention of those who plan to donate their hard-earned dollars to Trump, that the self-proclaimed billionaire will take many of those dollars for himself.

      Poor people give campaign contributions out of idealism. But, when a wealthy person or group gives a large campaign “contribution,” that always, at the 100% level, is bribery.

      I’m glad to learn you don’t have your Republican blinders on.

      “He can lie all day long and people don’t care because he admits it frequently.”

      Funny, but I don’t recall hearing Trump ever admit that he has lied. In fact, he is one of the great deniers in politics. He even denies Trump U. was a scam.

      Perhaps you can direct me to the speech where he admitted lying.

      As you can see from the PolitiFact site, Trump is a massively greater liar than Clinton, and perhaps greater than any Presidential candidate in history.

      Sadly, his followers continue to excuse his lies with, “He didn’t really mean that” comments.

      I also am interested in your sociopath remark. I wrote about a similar disease here.

      Given all the lies Trump has delivered, he has stated one truth: He said, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,”

      I believe he analyzes his followers’ intelligence, correctly.

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  3. Trump is no angel, and anyway you have said you hope he gets up, and not just the nomination. Michael Hudson, whom you must know, said HRC is to the right of Cheney. Her problem is that she IS known and her record speaks for itself. Kunstler’s latest blog explains some details of her corruption and unfitness for office re the email revelations. Hopefully Trump is sharpening his sword there. I also approve of what David Stockman had to say about Trump;
    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article44935.htm

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  4. ” . . . you have said you hope he gets up, and not just the nomination.”
    I have no idea what this means. “Gets up”???

    “HRC is to the right of Cheney.”
    I assume you have some evidence of this. No, actually I don’t assume that at all. You have none.

    ” . . . details of her corruption . . . re the email revelations.”
    In English, the word “corruption” has to do with stealing or immorality. Specifically, which Email revelations have to do with her stealing or immorality?

    And if you want to get into “corruption,” where shall we begin? With Trump’s 3,500 lawsuits? His cheating of creditors? With his attempts to evict an elderly lady from her apartment? With the Trump U. scam? Or with the very contents of this post listing how he diverts campaign contributions to his own pockets?

    You quote David Stockman? Yikes! The man is a fool.

    His article can be boiled down to this: “Because Trump is completely ignorant of International and domestic economics and politics, and submits really stupid ideas, he would be a good choice for President.”

    The fact that Trump’s comments are ignorant, bigoted, self-aggrandizing, hate-filled, and false is a favorable attribute to Stockman (the guy whose economics program featured raising taxes on the middle class.)

    Stockman loves Trump’s ignorance, when considering who should have the world’s most important job. Ignorance is a Stockman criterion.

    If you click the link (above) and read the referenced article about Stockman, you will be embarrassed at having referenced him.

    Later, you will be embarrassed at having backed Trump (despite your “I’m no Trump fan” and “I’m not a Trump supporter,” after which you support him.)

    You may hate the Clintons, but Trump would be an absolute disaster for America — and I suspect you know it.

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    1. I don’t hate the Clintons. They betray America and the Democrats, e.g. repealing Glass -Steagall. a very republican move,no?
      How can you defend HRC? Her record is woeful. If you don’t like the email revelations in Howard Kunstler then take it up with him. Or do you have evidence the emails were all harmless? I don’t think so.

      This an extract from Hudson, in an interview with Bonnie Faulkner:
      B.F talks about sacrificing Germany and Europe to conduct a war with Russia and China…..

      MH says” When you say the United States, we’re talking about really the neocons and a particular group within the US government.The neocons are led by the old Bush-Cheney people, including Obama and Hillary Clinton., who is to the RIGHT OF CHENEY. Hillary says that we should go back into Libya, that we should fight even more, and that Putin is Hitler. That means that when she comes to power you can be pretty sure that there will be a confrontation. If there is, a number of former generals in America have been warning that the chances of atomic war have never been higher. If Hillary gets in, Russia’s going to on an immediate nuclear alert and there’s a good chance of war. But Hillary is not the United States although the United States may end up electing her, in which case, in my mind, there’ll be a disaster”

      As for Stockman, I do know he’s not on our side and I have criticised him myself in his blog, but on Brexit it is not relevant. He may not be wrong all the time.

      Yes, Trump may well be an absolute disaster, but the chances are – not as disastrous as Clinton!!! The certainty of a Clinton disaster is greater than a Trump one. What a choice!

      “Gets up” means wins the prize. Don’t you remember once lauding him? Obviously not now. As you said, he knows his audience, Soon he’ll have a different one and will adjust for that Chameleon like.
      We’ll see.

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  5. Understood. Your “evidence” she is to the right of Cheney is . . . someone said so. Wow!

    I don’t remember HILLARY Clinton repealing any of the Glass Steagall provisions, but perhaps the way she dresses makes you think she really is BILL Clinton.

    Do you think they are one person? As I recall, it was he who cheated on her and not the other way around. So maybe, just maybe, they are two people.(Personally, I believe she is much smarter than Bill.)

    Clinton worked for Obama, and she probably is more similar to him — a right-wing Democrat. (I really hoped for Sanders, but he apparently didn’t make it — though the California count isn’t complete, so maybe . . . ).

    The problem with Trump is he is ignorant and reckless, but believes he is the smartest guy in the room — the most dangerous possible combination.

    Clinton has seen what can happen with bad decisions; Trump feels he never makes bad decisions.

    Since Trump has no international experience, no economic experience, no political experience, is a colossal liar, says he has no programs (only “suggestions”), is a bigot and a racist, an egomaniac, and cheated on the first of his wives and possibly the second, and cheated creditors and students at Trump University (which wasn’t even a university), I wonder this:

    Why do you think such a low life should be President of the United States? Is this the kind of man who represents our nation?

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    1. “Someone said so, wow.” Do you believe that “evidence” doesn’t apply to your surmises? Billary is one animal. Someone said so,Wow! You and I don’t know sheim., together or separately, so it’s all surmising.
      I agree with all you say about trump, with knobs on, but seeing – as we do from outside the USA, he perfectly represents the toxic mix we see in US politics today. So YES, he is indeed suitable., but it is everyone’s problem. Individual Americans such as yourself, are not like that but the poison of right wing and neo-liberal policies are grounded in something! It’s not like money. It doesn’t come from thin air!

      Personally our whole civilization is failing. Our industrial dynasty is at an end after its allotted 250 years, so extremism is the norm and will infect every nation on the way to collapse. Look around, all we do is consume, creation is just on smarter gadgets, more museums, shopping malls and stadiums, so we can spend, spend and spend to exhaustion
      News just in, Britain voted to leave!

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