The Bells are Ringing…

So an interesting (and sad) thing happened to me last week.  An old high school friend reached out to me through Instagram (really more of an acquaintance these days since we graduated in the 80’s and lost touch).  It was an attack.  It wasn’t the first  time he had reached out to launch attacks at me due to my position on an issue.  He has called me a few derogatory names.  Unfortunately most of the insults revolve around “racism” (amazing how easily people throw the “racist” word at you these days.  It’s pretty sad.  Such a degradation of the word, what it represents in our nation’s history, and what it really means when you are actually a “racist”.)

I started to provide a response to his many messages but Instagram doesn’t really let you provide a ton of information in a reply.  So, it sparked me to write this blog post.  Many who know me also know that I don’t post on my blog often (if you need proof, look at the dates of the previous posts). When I do a blog post, I try to include references to provide as much information as possible to support my positions and conclusions (otherwise it is just an alphabet vomit spewing opinions that will convince no one of why I take the positions I do).  This one was no different.  It pushed me to do as much research as possible to provide support to my response.  This was difficult. 

Why?  It was obvious.  Google throttles search results. If you don’t believe this, do a search for “Trump Liz Cheney Rifle Comment” and look at what you get.  It took four pages of search results to find an article that actually spoke the truth of the conversation Trump had with Tucker in Glendale, AZ.  I had already seen the conversation so I knew what I was looking for.  Google made this impressively difficult to find.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-war-hawk-liz-cheney-should-have-guns-trained-her-face-1978432  

In addition to having trouble finding correct information about the conversation, what was glaringly obvious was the amount of mis-information and fabrications done by mainstream media.  MSNBC, ABC, CNN, NBC, Washington Post, New York Times… ALL had headlines and stories stating or implying Trump wanted Liz Cheney to face a firing squad.  Nothing could be further from the truth. He was actually stating that she was a “War Hawk” who had no problem sending people into combat when she isn’t the one going into combat zones herself.  His point was if people who sit behind desks in DC would experience war first-hand, they may think twice before sending troops into foreign wars to begin with.   It was presented by most of the media in a specific way in order to run a specific narrative.  TRUMP IS BAD!  He is UNHINGED!  They didn’t discuss the message.  Only the messenger and the way he delivered it.

Writing this blog made me really think about the state of the country today and the vitriol being hurled.  It’s everywhere!  And the worst part (IMHO) is the insults and accusations are completely based on fabricated narratives in the political spectrum.  Remember Charlottesville… “Very Fine People”? 

People are now attacking others.  It’s no longer just being upset with our political leaders.  Now friends attack friends.  Family members attack each other.  And the attacks are based on emotion and fear… the emotions and fears the power elite want you to have!   We are being fed narratives.  We are being fed false information designed to push these narratives.  I don’t claim it is only from the left, but I will say that it is primarily from the left.  And the mission is to create so much fear of Trump, people can’t vote for him.  And those who do will be cast as racists… misogynists… fascists… a true threat to democracy and the nation… and a true threat to those who don’t support Trump.  What is happening as a result is a greater divide in our nation and our people. 

The attacks I received from my old friend are simply a microcosm of all that is happening in this nation.  He attacked me because he is passionate, but his passion is based on lies and mis-information.  He is doing what most on the left are doing, and it is exactly what those in power on the left want them to do.  It has almost got Trump killed twice.   

What is lost in all of this hatred is that most people voting for Trump are not voting for the person.  They are voting either because 1- the like the policies he is pushing or 2- are against the policies the Harris-Walz campaign represent, or 3- a bit of both.  For me, its all about policy.  I am fighting to stop the radical Progressive agenda.  I have my reasons which are explained in the following response to my friend (as well as in my previous post in this blog, which is referenced in the thread).  I am not a fan of Trump the person, but I am more terrified of the progressive platform than I am of Trump.

Following is the conversation.  Maybe this post will help wake people up.  We are not enemies.  We are all Americans.  There are bad apples out there, but for the most part, we are a good people!  I hope we can survive this election and come out better and stronger on the other side.  Only time will tell.

JM

 

=== His initial messages===

=== Here is my reply===

MG – I started to copy/paste this response from my blog but it turns out I am limited in the number of characters I can place in Instagram.  To save time, here is a link to the reason I am voting against Kamala  Harris / Tim Walz for President of the United States.  It is long but it spells out ALL of my policy issues: READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE REST OF THIS POST! 

https://jimmymouton.blogspot.com/2024/08/so-what-about-2024-policy.html

Many people are voting Trump not because of a love or affinity for Trump the person, but to stop the crazy Progressive Left movement, of which Kamala Harris has been considered the farthest left.  Did you know she was rated by GovTrack.org as the most progressive, liberal Senator in 2019? What’s really funny… when she became the Democrat nominee for President, GovTrack.org took down their story on her at the same time she shifted her positions for her platform.  Don’t take my word for it.  Here ya’ go. 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/webpage-rated-kamala-harris-most-liberal-senator-2019-suddenly-disappears

But there was (is) a web archive.

https://web.archive.org/web/20200816001336/https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/kamala_harris/412678/report-card/2019

She knew she would not be able to win an election with such far left policies... so she changed them to get elected.  She is nothing but a lie... a fabrication for the democrat base to support.

Trump doesn’t support most of what you noted in your thread but lets look at these.

Deportation – Yes… all people who entered this county illegally should be deported, especially those who entered the country with criminal backgrounds.  They should wait for their immigration hearing from a different county, which is what CURRENT immigration law requires (your “top cop” Kamala and Biden refuse to enforce this law… a dereliction of duty).  Funny how the 2023 immigration bill would have changed this, allowing up to 5,000 illegal entries into the county daily. And before you bring up “Trump killed this bill”… read a full list of the issues with this bill here: 

https://www.heritage.org/homeland-security/report/the-senate-border-bill-disaster-border-security

There is no Muslim-ban agenda (democrat propaganda). This was propaganda pushed against Trump during his first term by the democrat party who wanted the "racism" label placed on him.  He extended the Obama travel restrictions and expanded them based on active terror threats.  The MEDIA labeled this move an act of xenophobia to target Muslims.  It was a narrative.  

There is no limiting women’s healthcare (murdering a baby in the 3^rd trimester is not women’s healthcare).  SCOTUS put this to the states so the people of each state could decide what they wanted.  Trump has already said he will not sign a national ban.

Tariffs:  Trump has already stated he would not put a blanket tariff on all imported goods.  This is propaganda yet again.  However he WILL use tariffs to protect American manufacturing and American jobs.  Tariffs can be a good thing if done correctly. There is a reason Biden left most of Trump’s tariffs in place.  Here is good reading on why tariffs can be good:

https://www.cato.org/publications/separating-tariff-facts-tariff-fictions. 

Trump’s “shitholes” comments were ugly and disgusting.  It is one of many reasons I don’t like Trump the person.  Hopefully this will stop. 

Insurrection? There was none.  It was and remains a democrat party strategy.  Here is a good read on the subject: 

https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/january-6-insurrection-hoax/. 

Division?  The Biden-Harris administration and Democrat party has done more to divide this nation than any political movement in history.  I don’t put this on Trump at all.  Mean tweets didn’t divide this nation.  Identity politics did, and it started before Trump and is pushed much harder by the democrats than any other. 

Tax Cuts for Billionaires. You need to learn more about his tax policy and the impact the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act actually had on lower and middle class Americans, real wages, jobs, and the limits on inflation.  Here is a good review:  

https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/tax-cuts-and-jobs-act/.  

I’ll take this tax policy 1000 times over the Harris-Walz policies, especially now that his plan includes a severe hatchet job to current government expenditures (let’s go Elon!!!).

Destroying healthcare?  No, he didn’t. He set out to destroy Obamacare but was limited in what he could do.  His plan, and that of RFK, is to focus on reducing pharmaceutical costs at the manufacturing level while using federal incentives and changes to federal regulations for private insurance markets, while supporting an expansion of the Medicare program.  Again, another Democrat party lie.

He has NO PLANS to limit or change SS / Medicaid.

As for retribution on his political enemies, pretty ironic when the Democrat party spent the last 8 years coming after Trump, especially the lawfare over the past 2 years.  It is sick what they have  done to the guy.  From Russia-gate / Dossier to sham impeachments, Presidential Records Charges (which Biden, who took records out of a SCIF as a SENATOR, was not charged) where evidence was manipulated by the federal prosecutor (will be overturned on appeal), changing laws to bring records violation charges and boot-strap false allegations of intent to fraud in order to change to felonies and have penalties that are excessive and in violation of the US Constitution (all to be overturned on appeal)… having a judge and prosecutor determine Trump’s guilt on a sexual assault case that zero evidence of a crime and was hearsay at best (will be overturned on appeal)… the list is amazingly ridiculous.  It was all done specifically to sway the public’s view of Trump. It is amazing.  There are actual white house visitor logs what show many meetings between multiple city DA’s and the Biden Admin lawyers.

He actually isn’t a white nationalist (he has denounced white supremacy, far right groups, neo-nazis so many times) but the democrat party likes its narrative… so people who want to believe it will.  Charlottesville?  I bet you still have not seen the entirety of the “Very Fine People on Both Sides” comment.

If you want to understand his platform (it’s not Project 2025), read his actual policies here - 

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/platform

As for Kamala’s capabilities, information is being pushed on the American people by the democrat party machine and media.  It has all been created by the democrat establishment to rebrand Kamala.  If you want to know who she truly is, you need to understand where she came from and how she achieved the status she has today.  There is a great video documentary by Ben Shapiro / Daily Wire called “Scamala”.  You should take a view.  The funny part is everything he says is true.  In the words of democrats, “Facts Don’t Lie”.  They are what they are.  The Kamala you love was created… for you… for those who follow what they are told… just as the Trump narrative was spun on you, and believed by you hook, line, and sinker.  Take a second to watch this video (4 sections, each about 30 minutes).

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX_rhFRRlAG6jfeBd1-qsmrM6F2MtRvzW

Remember, if she is going to do what she is saying in her current rallies, why didn’t she try to achieve this in legislation while a Senator?  Or try to move the issues through Congress as the nation’s VP? Or champion these causes as a District Attorney or California’s Attorney General?  Bernie Sanders said as much on CNN last month.  She shifted her stance to ensure she didn’t alienate the voters (the overwhelming majority of voters would not vote for her if she was honest about her positions).  She is staying true to her values… so expect her to do everything she said she would do when she ran for office in 2019.  She hasn’t changed. 

If she has her way, and has the votes in Congress, she will…

• Stack the Supreme Court to ensure the Democrat Agenda can be passed and implemented, even though it contradicts the US Constitution.  This will fundamentally change the rules of representation of the people.
• Eliminate the Senate Filibuster, making single party rule a priority to get the far-left progressive Democrat agenda passed and into law.  
• Ensure the modifications of Title IX, allowing men into women spaces and destroying the protections women receive under Title IX
• Move forward with the electric vehicle and appliance mandates, ensuring no one can purchase a gas powered vehicle by 2030 and new home construction can’t include gas heaters, stoves, and water heaters. 
• Ban Fracking, which will have an impact on fossil fuels resulting an sky rocketing energy costs and inflation (which is what happened in 2021 when Biden-Harris took office)
• Criminalize many types of guns and gun accessories the government deems inappropriate while implementing a national gun buy-back program to remove all illegal weapons
• Implement open border, free-walk immigration policies making the US border and national U.S. sovereignty non-existent 
• Implement high tax-and-spend policies resulting in greater deficits and higher taxes
• Implement Unrealized capital gains taxes of 25%, killing opportunities for generational wealth opportunities (something Trump wants to remove, especially for minority families and businesses) https://taxfoundation.org/blog/harris-unrealized-capital-gains-tax/
• Corporate Taxes of 28% making the US the highest corporate tax rate in the world.  This will absolutely KILL corporate investment in the US. (https://taxfoundation.org/blog/harris-corporate-tax-rate-analysis/)
• Implement open trade polices such as NAFTA, which will remove any protections current US manufacturers have in the US market. 
• Control pricing of goods and services (causes inflation and hurts the free market economy, which she wants to limit)
• Increase the US presence in the WHO and WEF, including endorsing and signing into policies designed to put the global interests of other nations above those of the US. 
• Expanding the US Draft to include women and implementing the draft
• Continue support for global wars and the US War Machine. 

My first Republican choice was Haley… not Trump.  My second was Vivek… not Trump.  But since Trump is the nominee / candidate, I have no choice but to vote for him to stop the movement the Progressives are leading.  To save the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 8^th, 10^th amendments and the constitution as a whole, I’m voting against Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

As for what Make America Great Again means to me….   

• Reduce the size of the Federal Government and federal regulation overreach
• Change the tax code to reduce taxes paid by all Americans
• Focus inward on US Economic, Industrial, and Technology growth and strength
• Focus on rebuilding and strengthening our military and national security
• Minimizing involvement of the US in global institutions WHO and WEF
• Ensuring the level of NATO support and involvement is matched by all NATO members
• Protect Women’s Rights and Title IX protections for women in sports and school
• Focus on building wealth for all individuals and eliminating poverty
• Focus on eliminating the opportunity gap for all in the US so we all have equity of opportunity
• Control Immigration to ensure 1- immigrant levels don’t overload community infrastructures (schools, hospitals, roads, housing, etc.) and allow for infrastructure expansion to accommodate growth of population due to immigration, and 2- immigrants are screened PRIOR to entry to ensure they don’t pose a threat to the US citizen and our communities
• Ensure the US Dollar remains the global currency standard
• Protect the religious freedom of all Americans
• Protect the right of Free Speech, ensuring no government entity can determine what free and fair speech is
• Supporting School Choice and each State’s right to run education within their state, free from federal overreach and mandates
• Focus on rebuilding and modernizing US infrastructure
• Promote energy independence while continuing to grow green energy technologies and capabilities
• Protecting consumer freedoms
• Clean the US Food Supply
• Reduce the influence capabilities of the lobby machine
• Introduce term limits on congressional seats to ensure representation in Congress returns to the people and not to lifelong politicians.

It’s amazing to me that anyone in the country could want something different.  But unfortunately, many people have been blinded by hate and fear.  Remember, “projection” is a gift the democrats have mastered.  They project their own actions onto others, and then use a scheme referred to by Nancy Pelosi as the Wrap-Up Smear.  Here she is in her own words:

https://youtu.be/GMBeUORJWj4

And if you want a little bit of truth regarding the democratic party, take a listen to the amazing Carol Swain.  She gets it.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_a7dQXilCo

And if you want a refresher of what the party has done to gain control and eliminate anyone or any group that gets in their way, here is a great video for you (on my FB thread).  And you wonder why the Democrat Party makes me so sick to my stomach.

https://www.facebook.com/jimmymouton2000/videos/1091385552610322

Now you see where I come from.  It isn’t from a position of race.  It is actually quite the opposite. It is a matter of POLICY and the world I want OUR kids and grandkids to have.  It’s for a country that focuses on equity of opportunity and not equity of outcome… that focuses on merit, providing all the opportunity to be the best they can be and achieve based on hard work.   Politically I am registered as a Republican but should be Independent (In Georgia, you can’t vote in a primary unless you are registered to the party).  I would be considered a Libertarian more than a Republican.

As for your continued attacks on my "Christianity", it is amazing to me a person who went to St Thomas More and is supposedly a Catholic would support any party that promotes abortion on demand with no limits, celebrates transgenderism and men in women's safe spaces, mutilation of children's bodies and sexual re-assignment surgeries / hormone blockers, celebration of homosexuality in elementary schools, government paid sex change surgeries for illegal immigrants and people in prison, exclusion of school choice, elimination of prayer in any public school function, removal of the bible and prayer from public functions, the removal of tax benefits for religious charities, and the branding of Christians as "an extremist movement" that is a "threat to the country", and the FBI surveillance of Christian churches and gatherings resulting from this belief.  Your pro-abortion, anti-family radical Left has sought tirelessly to undermine the nuclear family, religion, and traditional values for years. It is sad you support this.  

If you want to continue the discussion regarding policy in place of race, I am more than happy to continue.  But simply given you started your statement with “Yes I said every Trump supporter is racist, sexist, bigoted, anti-Christian and narcissistic”, you have been so blinded to reality it’s just not worth the time,  I don’t use race in my arguments and fight against anyone who does.  The fact you do this… well… it actually makes YOU the racist. 

And regarding your comment that started this... "Yes I said every Trump supporter is racist, sexist, bigoted, anti-Christian and narcissistic".  Does that include everyone on this list of supporters? 

• 50 Cent
• Ali Alexander
• Alina Habba
• Amber Rose
• Anna Paulina Luna
• Axalia Banks
• Bari Weiss
• Ben Carson
• Ben Shapiro
• Brett Favre
• Burgess Owens
• Buzz Aldrin
• Byron Donalds
• Candace Owens
• Catalina Lauf
• Charlie Kirk
• Clay Travis
• Danica Patrick
• Daniel Cameron
• David Webb
• Drea de Matteo
• Eli David
• Elise Stefanik
• Elon Musk
• George "Tyrus" Murdoch
• Giano Caldwell
• Harmeet K. Dhillon
• Harriet Hageman
• Harris Faulkner
• Harrison Butker
• Herschel Walker
• Jack Brewer
• James Dobson
• James F. Linzey
• Janice Dean
• Jeanine Pirro
• Jim Caviezel
• Jimmy McMillan
• Joey Jones
• Julie Banderas
• Kari Lake
• Katrina Pierson
• Kellyanne Conway
• Kevin Corke
• Kimberley Strassel
• Kodak Black
• Kristi Noem
• Larry Elder
• Lawrence Jones
• Lil Pump
• Lil Wayne
• Lisa Booth
• Marsha Blackburn
• Martha Zoller
• Megyn Kelly
• Mercedes Schlapp
• Michele Tafoya
• Mike Tyson
• Nancy Mace
• Nicole Shanahan
• Nioh Berg
• Omarosa Manigault
• Paris Dennard
• Pastor Mark Burns
• Riley Gaines
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Sage Steele
• Sam Brown
• Sara Carter
• Sarah Huckabee Sanders
• Sexxy Red
• Shannon Bream
• Shawne Merriman
• Sonnie Johnson
• Stacey Dash
• Stacey Washington
• Steve Hilton
• Tammy Bruce
• Teddy Riley
• Terrel Owens
• Tim Scott
• Tina Campbell
• Tony Lindsay
• Tulsi Gabbard
• Vernon Jones
• Vianca Rodriquez
• Vivek Ramaswamy
• Wesley Hunt
• Winsome Earle-Sears
• Zachary Levi

 

 (Header “Bell” photo borrowed from the National Bell Festival Website: https://www.bells.org/

SO WHAT about 2024 Policy!

Economy truth...

Credit card debt- $1.14 trillion… ALL TIME HIGH

Median price of a home- $426,900 - ALL TIME HIGH

Median price of a car - $48,644 - ALL TIME HIGH

Job reports have been showing new jobs every month… but it has just been talking points. They have been releasing numbers to show the economy looking strong. What they DON'T tell you is every job report issued through the media was followed by an updated downward revision wiping out many of the jobs they claimed to add.

“The result was that in almost every month of 2023, thousands of jobs being added to the economy were ones presumed to have already existed. But even after downward revisions effectively wiped away hundreds of thousands of jobs from the cumulative total for the year, these monthly reports still overstated annual job growth. The BLS also publishes a quarterly census of employment and wages. Unlike the monthly job reports, which rely on a relatively small survey, this census reaches about 18 times as many businesses, covering 95% of jobs in the United States, with figures available down to the county level. One downside to the quarterly census is that the information is not nearly as timely as the monthly job reports, typically taking five months to be published. Nevertheless, the data is finally in for 2023, and it shows the previous estimates were off spectacularly, even after the huge downward revisions. Adding up the cumulative change in those monthly reports for 2023 shows annual job growth of 2%. The wider-reaching census data, however, shows annual growth of just 1.5%. At first blush, one-half of 1% seems like a mere rounding error. But in an economy exceeding 150 million jobs, that’s a significant difference. Job growth was overestimated by more than 770,000 last year. Put differently, about 1 in 4 jobs that were supposedly added last year never existed. That’s like eliminating all of the jobs gained in three whole months of 2023.” Courtesy of EJ Antoni… read his article here:

https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/commentary/bidens-job-growth-disappearing-act

In addition, many of these jobs are going to non-US born workers. US born workers in the workforce are down since pre-Covid numbers. Non-American born workers are up from pre-Covid numbers. And the contrast is startling, hence why most Americans find it hard to believe the economy is doing as well as Kamala Harris claims. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the month of May shows that foreign-born workers in the United States gained 637,000 jobs year-over-year, while native-born workers lost roughly 299,000. Also per E.J. Antoni, “native-born employment is not only millions below pre-pandemic trend, but even below pre-pandemic level, while millions more foreign workers are employed today than [February of 2020], and back to trend.”

https://x.com/realejantoni/status/1799083225123578144?s=61&t=K5KUsVbqXwjTIapeODt34w

In addition, of all new jobs created, over 35% are government related with another 20% social services sector. This means minimal GDP impact and increased government spending, adding to the already exploding US deficit and accumulating debt!

They say consumer spending is booming. When we look at consumer spending, what is not discussed is the amount of spending done on credit. This is why our credit balances are as high as they are today. RECORD HIGHS!!! And due to the high cost of automobiles, banks are being encouraged by the administration to offer 90-month loan terms! Once credit is maxed, spending will stop and stop hard. In the meantime, just more debt. I guess the banks will like the interest they will receive... if they receive it. Once the economy reacts, the recession will be real. Job losses will be real. People will not be able to pay back the loans on credit cards and automobiles. Banks will lose these assets currently on their balance sheets. It will spiral. The economy won’t do well.

This entire thing is one big bomb that is about to go off. The current administration and Democratic Party seem to have no plan for it. If there is a plan, I want to hear it from Harris/Walz directly, which is why a true press conference / debate is warranted.

Simply saying they will stop corporate greed and resulting price gauging is not an answer. If they truly believe corporate greed prize gouging is causing the inflation issue, they are absolutely idiotic... or insane. No serious economist from any side of the aisle would ever say the cause of our inflation is corporate greed. It’s ridiculous. But I guess it fires up their base... mostly people who simply don’t know any better.

They need a true plan and they simply don’t have one. Or if they have one, they are waiting to announce it in order to keep the Trump administration, Republican Party and the small conservative media from dissecting it prior to a debate. It's definitely hard to rebut a policy position with facts if you have no idea what the policy position is which you need to address.

But to illustrate how much Harris DOESN’T know, let's just take monetary policy and inflation. Understand that the Biden-Harris SENIOR Economic Adviser Jared Bernstein couldn’t even explain monetary policy and the impacts of printing money, borrowing money, and confiscating money (taxes). He flat out admitted he didn’t know how money works!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZRUCD2DJXQ.

This is basic Macro Econ 101. THEY DONT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!

We are hearing plans from the Trump-Vance side. 1. Remove government regulatory interference. 2. Drill baby drill. 3. Severely cut government deficit spending and reduce the available money supply.

Attack the current root cause of inflation and the rising costs associated with raw goods production and distribution/logistics with heavy reductions in / removals of government regulations across multiple economic sectors, making it cheaper and easier to produce and distribute goods due to less government restrictions, procedures, and fees. It will help bring down the cost to produce and transport raw materials from cotton to steel to plastics to produce and groceries.

Remove the war on fossil fuels by incentivizing long-term expansion of fossil fuel exploration across the northern American hemisphere, expand distribution options for LNG, and increase distribution channels for light and heavy crude from well to refinery to bring down the cost of energy and oil-based commodity production across the board. The result is reduced fuel prices, which reduces logistics costs of consumer goods, further reducing the price to consumers.

Last, enact massive cuts to government spending and government waste, reducing the money supply, resulting in the reduction of the deficit and increasing the value of the US Dollar.

Kamala privately gets it. She knows that people understand the war on fossil fuels is "fueling" the price hike of energy. She also understands the number of jobs associated with the fossil fuel industry. So now she is claiming to be "in favor" of fracking. Really? This wasn't her TRUE stance on this issue when she ran for the democrat party nomination in 2020. I can assure you it isn't her policy now either. She is gas-lighting the American voter to get your vote.

https://www.realclearenergy.org/video/2020/09/11/kamala_harris_no_question_i_would_ban_fracking_577117.html

If you listened to the Musk-Trump “fireside chat” Monday night, you would have heard them discuss this in detail. In addition, you would have heard Elon and Trump agreeing that we can’t de-commit from the focus on Green, Clean energy as the energy source of the future and must have a focus on clean energy and building an infrastructure that can support it. The Trump administration will invest in clean energy initiatives… investing in research and technology designed to improve capabilities so when we reach a point that electric vehicle technology can replace gas performance, we can slowly transition without disrupting the economy and our way of life.

There will not be mandates for consumers forcing them to use electric cars by 2030 and no push for consumers to switch when the US infrastructure can’t support it. There will not be mandates forcing consumers to use electric water heaters and stoves in place of gas and no push for consumers to choose these options when the electric grid can’t support it. We the people will choose for ourselves what we want to use and when technology produces a better alternative to gas, and when the us electric infrastructure can support the capacity, the people will choose these options.

There will be major incentives for corporations to build factories and bring operations to the US and to hire US workers. There will be caps on annual immigration to ensure the labor market stays balanced with job opportunities and the community infrastructure can support the population it serves. There will be an effort to reduce the impact of the federal reserve as an independent body so interest rates can reflect what the people can afford, reducing the cost to borrow money for a house. There will be an overhaul of tax policy to remove taxes from social security and tips earned by the service sectors.

Yeah… Kamala is trying to steal this one and take credit (she can’t even come up with her own policies). But her IRS plan sure didn't include this idea, did it. Going after taxes on server tips was included in the IRS portion of the Inflation Reduction Act. Guess you didn't know this.

https://www.heritage.org/taxes/commentary/so-called-inflation-reduction-acts-bait-and-switch-irs-crack-down-waitresses

If you want to see more about Trump's "PLAN"….

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/platform

At least there is a plan.

Continue to vote for these crazy spending policies and consumer control policies of the left and you will continue to get the same results. And this doesn't even discuss the far-left "progressive" policies the candidates have supported (though they will certainly claim they no longer support these in order to get votes... and then if elected, certainly move back to their far left ideology). Confiscating guns deemed by the government as illegal; disregarding the 1st amendment by codifying hate-speech and disinformation as illegal (but the government determines exactly how both are defined at any given time). The UK tried to stop the Trump-Musk discussion and threated the arrest and extradition of US CITIZENS who used social media to repost any discussion they deemed as possibly leading to unrest in their country. SPEECH!!!! Arresting AMERICAN CITIZENS IN OUR OWN COUNTRY!!! Yes, this is the same way the democrat progressives look at free speech. Say something we don't like, go to jail. This is part of the New World Order.

https://www.cybersecurity-review.com/uk-police-commissioner-threatens-to-extradite-jail-us-citizens-over-online-posts/

We haven't even started talking about Harris stating she didn't believe any person in this country without papers should be considered "illegal" and called for "reimagining" ICE and CBP... which was to change both organizations from enforcing border policy to working as a processing system for all. No such thing as an "illegal immigrant". ALL immigrants are welcome and no need for points of entry. Just come on' in and we will process you...10, 15... 20 years down the road. They are already providing illegal immigrants with housing, clothing, food, healthcare, and education at taxpayer expense, while so many US citizens need help. Over 30% of NYC hotel rooms are taken due to immigration housing policies, paid for by the government. Have any idea what this costs? Any idea where this money COULD be going? Any idea what this does to the cost of remaining inventory to the public who want to visit NY (if such a demographic actually still exists)?

https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2024/01/24/city-signs--77m-contract-with-hotels-to-house-migrant-families

https://nypost.com/2024/07/07/us-news/hotel-make-up-vast-majority-of-migrant-shelters-raking-in-millions/

Do you know the impact of these policies on the communities? What about the impact on minority communities? Black communities? Well the Center for Immigration Studies gets it. There was a recent panel discussion on the issue. Here is something the left doesn't want you to understand. On this panel, you have the Director of Membership Development for Black America for Immigration Reform, Donna Jackson, and the Executive Director, Kathleen Wells. Illegal immigrants are getting ahead of black people economically at the hands of the Democratic Party. They’re getting the jobs, free education, free housing, free healthcare, government funding; in some cases employers have even laid off staff in order to replace them with immigrants. They’re also taking over black communities and preventing black ownership & entrepreneurship.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzSTzve1aSE

For all of the videos from this important debate, visit the CIS video page here:

https://cis.org/Video/Panel-Video-Impact-US-Immigration-Policy-Black-Americans

The "open border" of the Biden-Harris administration has only been addressed recently due to public outcry. She is even saying that one of her first actions as president will be to "close the border". Seriously? She's been in office for 3-1/2 years as Vice President and charged with handling the border crises. NOTHING WAS DONE! Not to mention her opportunities to address immigration reform as a Senator. Again... NOTHING! Her recent change in policy is nothing short of gas-lighting the voters in order to get votes. It is a LIE.

The first thing Harris-Walz will do is remove the constraints that have recently been put in place to cover for the Biden-Harris administration's failure. Both agree there should not be border enforcement and people should have the right to come and go as they chose, citizen or not. And they BOTH agree that non-citizens should have the right to vote in FEDERAL elections. There is a reason all but a few democrats voted AGAINST H.R.8281 - SAVE Act in the house, and it will NOT pass the Senate. Democrats claim there are no non-citizens voting, but yet there is proof that non-citizens are handed voter registration forms with IDs when going through processing. Say again??? I guess this is just mis-information... soon to be illegal in the US.

https://nypost.com/2024/06/14/us-news/how-non-citizens-are-getting-voter-registration-forms-across-the-us-and-how-republicans-are-trying-to-stop-it/

And we haven't even touched on the Biden-Harris Title IX modifications... sure to be expanded under Harris-Walz. This is such a slap in the face of women Funny how Harris calls for protection of "Women's Rights" when discussing abortion and pregnancy, but can't define a women when it comes to women benefits and protections regarding athletics, scholarships, and the right to simply have a locker room safe from male anatomy. This reform hurts women, reduces the burden of proof needed for sexual assault claims, and enforces the use of hate-speech laws by punishing those who chose to use biologically-based pronouns for people who identify as something other. Sad.

https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-the-biden-administrations-title-ix-rule-change-denies-women-opportunities/

They also support and promote youth gender reassignment surgeries as well as gender transition care with hormone replacement therapy for children. They approve sexually explicit materials made available to elementary school students in their school libraries, and supporting policies such as barring school districts from requiring that parents be informed of their child’s change in sexuality or gender identity without the child’s permission.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/newsom-signs-law-barring-schools-from-requiring-that-parents-be-informed-of-child-gender-transition/

Not to mention they support laws such as California's AB 957, through which parents may lose custody of the child if they resist gender transition. The STATE can take away children from their parents if the child wants to transition their gender and the parents do not allow it.

https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/california-passes-bill-incorporating-gender-affirmation-in-child-custody-cases-explained-17758741.htm

The government intrusion on the family is mind-boggling.

And I haven't even started discussing the policies of Tim Walz as Governor of Minnesota. We can review at a later date his handling of the 2020 riots that burned down Minneapolis, placing feminine hygiene product machines in boys bathrooms in high schools, Covid-19 lockdowns, lax oversight of pandemic programs that cost millions of taxpayer dollars, his claim of using military grade rifles "in combat" yet never serving in live combat (referred to by military veterans as "stolen valor"), designating Minnesota a "sanctuary state" scaling back local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, opening a hotline allowing individuals to snitch on those who were eschewing the state’s stringent lockdown rules (so much for his "mind your own damn business" comments, eh?... ), opposition to school choice in support of the teacher's union, signed the "trans-refuge" bill, called upon state agencies not to approve health insurance plans that didn’t cover gender-affirming operations for minors with or "without parental consent", and 100% tax-payer funded college education for all in Minnesota.

And we can also take a look at his tax policies and the impact on Minnesota. He inherited a $17.6 B surplus and eviscerated it with social program spending. To save any form of a surplus, he instituted a massive tax-and-spend policy (the most of any governor in the U.S.), and the result has been higher corporate taxes, higher income taxes, higher tourism taxes, higher sales taxes, investment taxes, etc.. "The tax increases came against the backdrop of this $17.6 billion budget surplus, suggesting that they were driven less by perceived revenue needs than by their contribution to greater tax progressivity." (Jared Walczak, the Tax Foundation) See more about his tax policies here:

https://taxfoundation.org/blog/tim-walz-tax-policies/

What about foreign policy? Well, again... we have NO idea of how their platform will address foreign policy. But we do have a glimpse into their progressive views.

"We do know Harris and Walz favor Biden’s program to pressure allies and appease opponents. We do know that Walz supported the Iran nuclear deal, which has flushed the Iranian regime with cash and enabled it to fund its terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East. Although initially supportive of Israel right after the Oct. 7 attacks, he has been willing to appease a loud and dangerous anti-Semitic faction of the base. He has expressed solidarity with the pro-Palestinian protesters who have at times been violent and destructive and have sympathized with and outright defended Hamas terrorists and their continued efforts to maximize the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza to harm and weaken Israel." (Rebeccah L. Heinrichs, Senior Fellow and Director, Keystone Defense Initiative).

Here is a great article from Ms. Heinrichs on the issue of the projected Harris-Walz foreign policy. And yes... it is disastrous.

https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/new-champions-disastrous-foreign-policy-rebbecah-heinrichs

With so much possible controversy surrounding the policies they have publicly supported and endorsed, there is no wonder why the Harris-Walz campaign has not published their new, updated, watered-down policy platform. They know they will be called on the numerous flip-flops needed to secure votes and the craziness of the original policies. Of course it is only controversial for non-progressives. The progressive party / movement supports every policy issue noted above... but they know they can't win an election with just the progressive wing of their party!

Most of the people voting for the Harris-Walz ticket today are IDENTITY voting only. They are not progressive but not voting for a policy. They are not voting for a plan. They just like the way Harris and Walz talk, the way they look, and the identity politics they shove down everyone’s throat. They accept the recent shift in tone without question because it is Kamala Harris... possibly the first black woman president of the U.S. And many of their voters are so obsessed with TDS, they will vote for anything as long as it isn't Trump! And what is worse is they believe things about Trump because their party told them to. If the destruction we’ve seen over the past 3-1/2 months doesn’t teach you something, you are not teachable.

I hope the American people can be better than this. I hope they can make an informed decision of what policies we want to guide our nation. 2024 is too important. For the right and many from the middle, it isn't about the person at this point. It is about the policies that will shape the nation of our children and grand children. It is THEIR lives that matter. God help us if you don't understand this.

The Truth about GA SB 202... from a representative involved in drafting the bil

 

So what is GA SB 202?  Given the controversy we are witnessing in national media, social media, and at the water cooler, I thought it would be best to simply re-post a statement made by Tom Kirby.  Who is Tom Kirby?  He is a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from the 114th District, serving since 2013. Kirby represented the 107th district from 2012 to 2013. He has sponsored 150 bills.  He was also a representative voting FOR this controversial bill.  Here is the bill... in HIS words: 

Tom Kirby

MnartuScphio gm2d7gehS cronhslsmat f5ion:re4i7 PdM  · 

I understand that some of you have some concerns about the election bill we passed in Georgia. I realize many of you are limited as to the news coverage you see about the bill. Let me walk you through the actual bill so you can make an informed decision.

To start with, the Democrats in Georgia lie. They don’t even try to be honest. We started in June 2020, 5 months BEFORE the election working on restoring the people’s confidence in our elections. Why you ask? Democrat Stacey Abrams has spent 2 years running all over the country telling everyone who would listen that the election was stolen from her. Despite the facts, the data, showing otherwise, the media loved to give her air time to push her false narrative. This did however plant the seeds of distrust in our elections. We have seen for years now, Democrats use feeling and emotions, while Republicans use facts and data. This is also true with SB 202. You have heard “Jim Crow 2.0”, “voter suppression”, “Disenfranchise” and of course the democrats favorite, “Racist”. The bill is none of that, and it is easy to see. Let’s begin.

The first change in the bill (lines 171 – 178) requires the Attorney General to “establish and maintain” a telephone hotline so anyone can file a complaint of voter intimidation or illegal activities. It even recognizes these complaints if made anonymously. That appears to be contradictory to the “voter suppression” statements.

The next change the bill creates is changing the chairperson of the State Election Board. This is fairly long and is line 180 – 266. Prior to this, the Secretary of State was the chair of the State Board of Elections. We believe this role will better serve the citizens of Georgia if the Chairperson is not someone whose name is on the ballot. This position will be appointed and cannot be an elected official, a candidate or party operative. This change clearly address the accusations of the 2018 governor’s race being “stolen” as Brian kemp was Secretary of State. Don’t see this as oppressing any vote either.

Line 268 – 373 is where we say, “We’ve had enough of the same counties being on the news, every election with the same problems.” I know you have seen them yourself, as you have called and asked me, “What is going on there?” The County Board of Elections run the elections in Georgia. What this section says, if they consistently year after year have the same issues, then the State Board of Elections will be able to step in and fix them. Last October, the news showed and interviewed people standing in lines for hours to vote during early voting. The secretary of State kept sending messages, “We have more voting machines available, open up more precincts and or request more machines and we will get them to you. In fact 6 counties in Georgia did request and receive more machines, but none of them were the counties you saw on the news. It is attributed mostly to Einstein, “Doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results is insanity.” Here again, this is where problems voting have been identifies and gives an avenue to make it better and easier for all to vote. Any voter suppression there?

How much nonsense have we needed to deal with? Lines 378 – 410 give you some insight. The 2020 election was conducted in a pandemic and Georgia was operating under the Governor’s emergency declaration. Believe it or not, some wanted to challenge changes put in place to keep people safe during the pandemic, using several false arguments including the Administrative Procedures Act. In brief, that is the law that requires public hearing and notices and related items before changes are made to regulations. This section of the bill makes it clear, if we are under an emergency in the future, the Board of Elections may implement emergency rules and regulations to keep the people safe. Not some people but all the people of Georgia need to be kept safe.

A short section on lines 430-435 simply says, if you are the person running the election in your county, you cannot take money or gifts to do so from anyone. It is the government’s responsibility to supply the needed funding. There were some who said they needed “outside money, so we put in the law for the State Board of Elections to look at this and report back by October 2021. Not letting some outside group funnel a lot of money to run an election the way THEY want. Sounds more like getting rid of voter suppression.

Another short section on lines 440-454 deals with filling vacancies in the counties for the superintendent of elections. This gives that responsibility to either the probate judge or chief judge of the superior court for the county. In Georgia, our judges run non-partisan and also part of their oath is to remain non-partisan. One could argue, everyone has some partisan beliefs, but this is the best way to keep partisan politics out. And again has nothing to do with voter suppression or Jim Crow.

We continue in lines 473-479 to help elections run smoother. Here we allow “poll officers” to serve in their home county or in a neighboring county. Especially in some of our rural counties both parties have opportunities getting enough poll watchers for 3 weeks of early voting and Election Day and counting votes. Don’t think this will slow down voting for anyone either.

.

There is a lot of new law being added on lines 484-541, perhaps this is where Democrats are seeing voter suppression? No, I don’t think so. This entire section allows for a performance review of a local election official to be requested. What a radical idea, if it appears the election official is not doing the job, the State Board of Elections can conduct a performance review. Now this is after the election occurs, so it has nothing to do with voter suppression or any of the other nonsense you have heard.

The short section on lines 546-553 deals with what happens if a candidate already on the ballot dies. What happens if they win or get in a runoff. Another section that has nothing to do with the dems narrative.

The next several sections contain a lot of current law, but have a few additions. These go from lines 555-694. Similar to the elections board, the board of Registrars cannot take money, grants or gifts from outside organizations. It allows for challenges and requires the any challenge to be heard in 10 days. No one will be able say someone should not be allowed to vote and let it languish for months until after an election. That too sounds like trying to make sure someone can vote who is legally registered to do so.

Lines 698 – 702 must surely be discriminatory. This states if the Secretary of State receives information that a person died or moved out of State, then they may be removed from the voter list. How can this be fair, is Georgia the only state that doesn’t allow dead people to vote?

Lines 721-734 surely must contain language that would cause the uproar we have heard from the left. No, it too is making it easier for voters. It says that if voters had to wait 1 hour or more in the previous election, then the county has to reduce the size of the precinct and open an additional one. That may be the secret plan. We move the voting location or open a new one to confuse the voters. No, we then read lines 750-755 were for 7 days before the election this information must be in the legal organ. It goes even further by requiring on election day a 4’ x 4’ sign be placed at the old polling location directing the voters to the new location. Making sure people know where to vote and reducing the wait times. How does that discourage voting?

Section 20 on lines 759-778 does not have too many changes to the law. It simply requires the counties to use the same criteria in selection of early voting locations as it does for election day polling places. It does allow for mobile voting locations, but only under declared emergencies. If it wasn’t so sad, I can hear the quacks saying , “Start the bus, we have a group of people coming we don’t want to vote.”

Huge change on line 786, this must be it. We are adding the name of the precinct on the ballot for the primary. Yes, in Georgia our precincts have both a name and a number. I vote in West Walton Precinct #422. I know most voters may not know their precinct name or number, they just know where they vote. But then we continue to line 862 adding the precinct name to other ballots. This is really radical stuff that could cause civilization to be overturned.

Yes, I am getting a little “snarky”, I would hope you are starting to wonder, “Where in the wide wide world of sports is this suppression and Jim Crow and Racism?”

Let’s look at section22, lines 864-876. Current law says 1 voting booth for each 250 electors in state-wide general elections. However, we added lines 870-876 clarifying the counties have the authority to add more if think they need them. They can use less, especially if early voting and mail in voting shows there are not that many voters remaining. Wow, here is the county allowed to run the election and state giving them what they need.

One of the most entertaining moments during the floor debate was listening to the Democrats argue against section 23 on lines 878-887. Other than the electronic military and overseas ballots, all ballots in Georgia will be printed on security paper. The ballot paper will have watermarks and other embedded things, like our currency and checks do now. No one will be able to photocopy a ballot and make more. Why would anyone, other than someone who wants to cheat and make more ballots, be against this? Once again it in no way limits anyone’s ability to vote.

Section 23A is another section about printing ballots and adds the requirement to print the name of the precinct on the top.

Finally section 24, lines 895-921 talks about voting machines, they must be the problem. Well no, this section requires a notice to be posted telling when the machines are going to be test to ensure they record votes accurately. These test allow for political parties, news media and even members of the public to attend and witness these test. Does that suppress any vote, I think not.

Let’s get serious for a minute. Lines 923-1151 deal with absentee voting. This is one area we constantly hear democrats complain about and throw around their key words of suppression and Jim Crow and the rest. Most of this addresses actual issues that occurred in the last several elections. This first is when you request an absentee ballot. Prior to this bill being passed, you could request an absentee ballot 6 months prior to an election and up to the Friday before the vote. This caused issues on both ends of the request dates. If you request an absentee ballot, then decide to vote in person, you must turn in the absentee ballot. 6 month before the election, we heard some lost them, some changed their mind and threw them away, some said they forgot they asked for one. The change we made puts in 78 days before the election. (11 weeks plus a Monday before the November general election) As with most of the legislative process, this was derived by the information we received and appears to be about right. If this needs to be changed either way in the future, that should not be an issue. Before this bill, one could request an absentee ballot on the Friday before the election. We heard from the United States Postal Service on this. They testified 15 days should be the minimum to ensure the completed ballot was delivered in time to be counted. We thought that was too long and went with 11 day, adding a week to the current 4 days. Since the mail is staying mostly in the same county, we believe that should be adequate, but we know 4 days was not working and causing late ballots not to be counted. Yes, you read that correct, this is to ensure ballots are counted not rejected.

The second issue we had with absentee ballots was the “ridiculous” signature match requirement. I seriously doubt my signature today matches the one on my voter registration card signed over 20 years ago. The question is how to verify a voter’s eligibility for an absentee ballot. We decided to keep it simple so everyone can easily comply. The same identification used for in person voting will be used for absentee voting. The 2 most common are a driver’s license or a FREE State issued photo ID card. There are other government issued photo IDs allowed including military IDs that are all listed in the current law. However, for a driver’s license or state ID card, you do not need a photocopy; you only write the number on the appropriate place on the ballot. A driver’s license or state ID card contains all of the needed information to ensure you get the proper ballot for the location you live. If you use a different government issued ID such as a military ID, you do need to include a photocopy. The US Army won’t give the State access to their data base to confirm the information, nor should they. I want you to think about this for a minute. This is a common sense approach that gets rid of the “signature match” and says no matter how you vote in Georgia, you use the same ID. No more opinions on a signature throwing out a vote.

Lines 1153 – 120 we address in law for the first time Ballot Drop boxes. Georgia law states how absentee ballots may be returned. Before this bill was signed into law, drop boxes were not in the code and not allowed. However, under the emergency declaration, to protect our citizens, drop boxes were introduced in the 2020 election. Guess what, they work and make it easy for someone to place their absentee ballot in a drop box so we added them to the law. There are some details about the boxes including how opening should be designed to keep out liquids or anything one could try and put in them to damage ballots. We added into the law when and how ballots are to be securely retrieved. Then were should they be placed need to be answered. We came up with a radical idea, “Let’s put them at the polling places.” Nothing hidden, not trying to keep them away from anyone, Vote where you go to vote even if voting by absentee using a drop box. No line, no wait, no check in, just drop it in the box. We included having the boxes open during the times the polling place is open to vote. The polling place already has poll watches and poll officials to keep the drop boxes secure. Again adding the drop boxes into law makes it easier for all Georgians to vote. Without this section, drop boxes would have gone away once the emergency declaration is over. Tell me again how we are suppressing the vote.

Section 27 contains a few changes and a lot of current law wording. It does change the time for requesting an absentee ballot for a primary similar to the change for the general election. But I would encourage you to look at lines 1270-1276 we make sure a voter in the hospital can request an absentee ballot for a primary or an election up to and including on Election Day and that application shall be immediately processed. Another part of the bill where we are making sure every voter gets a chance to vote. The remain part of the section simply ask the voter to sign the ballot saying this is their vote and not someone voting for them and clears up who may help them vote if needed.

Starting on line 1392 is the “We want our Christmas back” part of the bill. I could not even enjoy a good Christmas movie that was constantly interrupted by political campaigns nonstop. For many decades are runoff elections occurred 4 weeks following the original election. Then a judge ruled that may not be enough time for the Military and Overseas ballots. So here we took a page from other states. For contested races that could end up in a run off, there will be an “order of Preference” ballot. This way the voter votes for their candidate, then can also vote in order who they want should there be a runoff. No need to reinvent the wheel, use what other states are already doing that works. Since this is a significant change, the section is long and goes to line 1444.

Lines 1456 – 1468 again add the language of using the same ID for absentee voting as in-person voting. Like many laws there is often the need to update many different code sections. This section of the bill also contains an important change starting on line 1488- 1518. This adds a second Saturday required during early voting. Yes that is correct, in our effort to “suppress votes” we are making all 159 counties in Georgia add, not just another day, but a Saturday for early voting. We still have 3 weeks of early voting now with 2 Saturdays required and still allow counties the choice if they want to have early voting on Sundays. We did not mandate Sunday voting as only 16 of the 159 counties had Sunday voting in November 2020 and only 6 counties had Sunday voting in the January 2021 runoff. Let them decide if Sunday voting works for them. Adding an addition day to vote, can anyone explain how that is voter suppression?

The remaining lines of section 28 add requirements for notifying the public about voting. Straight from line 1525; “… shall publish the dates, times and locations of the availability of advanced voting …” Another obvious attempt to suppress the vote?

Section 29 beginning on line 1560 has another code section of Georgia law that address using the same ID to vote absentee or in-person. Once you get through a lot of current law, you arrive at line 1657. Here we change when absentee votes can start being scanned in to the voting machine on the “third Monday prior to the Election Day”. Absentee ballots are scanned into a voting machine the same as in person voting ballots are scanned into the voting machine. Before this law, this could not be done until Election Day. The tabulation from the machine will not be done until after the polls close on Election Day, the same as all other voting machines. This is a long section as in contains a great deal of current law in the code section being changed and making this significant change to get votes scanned sooner requires a significant amount of change. Again, this section of the bill in no way suppresses anyone’s vote, but should allow for results to be known sooner.

Maybe we will find some suppression in section 30? No this says the Secretary of State is authorized to inspect the audit during the 24 month retention period that records have to be maintained.

Section 31 came from an interesting discussion. The polls in Georgia close on Election Day at 7:00 pm. During some elections, some polls remained open citing different issues that caused delays. Now it has never been in question, that anyone in line to vote by 7:00 will be allowed to vote. But there were arguments that the polls remaining open longer were not covered in code. So we made it simple and gave the superior court judge the authority to do so. We did put in that the judge would issue a written order if the polls were going to stay open past 9:00 pm. This takes away any argument that polls staying open late are illegal and gives more people the ability to vote even if there was a problem at their polling location.

The next section should help voting and avoid issues at the polls. Beginning on line 1858 it requires poll watchers to go through training before they are allowed to be at the polls. Poll watchers are from the political parties and there to observe and verify the voting was fair. Getting them trained so they know what is allowed and what is not is a good thing. I see this as another win for the voters.

I started out very bluntly telling you Democrats in Georgia will Lie. There are several ways to lie, including having a convenient memory and leaving out details. Section 33 is one of those moments of forgetfulness. In the November election the Democrats led by Stacey Abrams and her Fair Fight group set up food trucks and food pantries at polling places. One was describe to be reminiscent of Disney where you walk through the gift shop after the ride. Here, you went to the food bank and received can goods and non-perishables after voting. In Georgia, outside of 150’ from the polling place, they can do what they want. Inside of 150’ there is no campaigning. That is why I have a 200’ tape measure so no campaign signs are too close to the building. I am not even allowed to wear a name tag within 150” of a polling place when I vote. If you want to disagree with me, go ahead, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck… These food giveaways were buying votes. That should not happen. It was comical that the democrats tried to spin this to say, “Poor grandmother cannot be given a bottle of water while standing in line for hours to vote.” That is why we added line 1888 making it very clear that coolers of water may be place along the voting lines. Don’t forget, we are doing everything we can to prevent the ridiculously long lines we have seen in some counties, but just in case, here is some water.

Section 34 starting on line 1890 is the “Yea, we know its Atlanta by the traffic” section. If my memory serves me correctly, I have voted in 5 different states in my lifetime. At the time I voted in each of those states, you had to vote in your correct precinct. Not now in Georgia. Here is what this section does. If you show up to vote in a precinct other than your own, the polling officials are required to inform you where your precinct is. There is an exception if it is after 5:00 pm and before the polls close. Let’s say you didn’t vote absentee, you didn’t early vote in-person, you decided you would vote on Election Day and stop after work to do so. Unfortunately there was a wreck on 285. You cannot make it to your polling place before the polls close, but there is one, in your county, you can make it too. After 5:00 and before the polls close you will be allowed to vote “out of precinct”. Let me state that again. You WILL be ALLOWED to VOTE out of precinct. This does cause some issues on the down ballot. Your school board member, county commissioners, even your state Rep may not be on the ballot where you are voting. Our system is not set up for that, perhaps in the future, but not now. Suppressing the vote by allowing someone to vote out of precinct, how?

Sections 35 – 37 add to the law changes to posting and reporting requirements after the election. The greatest impact is found in section 37 beginning on line 2060. If removes all of the language allowing for the counting to be stopped and then restarted on another day. Now, once the count starts it shall continue until it is complete. I cannot see how that is suppressing the vote, can you?

Section 38 is another code section where adding the precinct name is required. We cover this every code section of the law the same.

Section 39 simply addresses how to count a ballot that is torn, bent or otherwise defective so the machine cannot count it. And guess what, they prepare a “duplicate” ballot that can be processed, so again every vote is counted.

Section 40 is just cleaning up the language in current law stating on line 2162 that the votes will be counted “following the close of the polls …” This may seem like it is extremely detailed, and it is.

Section 41 is another section of the code where we clarify, counting the vote starts after the polls close and goes until it is complete. Line 2188 makes it clear that includes absentee votes, advance votes and election day votes Line 2209 changes when the count has to be reported to the Monday following the vote..

Section 42 is an additional part of the code section dealing with a runoff should no candidate receive a majority of the votes cast. With the changes made to include the order of preference for overseas and military ballots, we return to the 4 week runoff and this section cleans up the language to reflect that.

Section 43 does make some changes to special elections. Now this allows for the same equipment to be used if a special election is taking place as the same time as a general election or primary. Some might recall my own special election in 2012. The runoff was held on the same day as the Presidential Primary. However, they were 2 different election and 2 different sets of voting machines had to be used. You may recalled you went to the polling place, showed your ID and then voted in the first election, then went to a second table and repeated the same process to vote in the other election. This makes it easier to just vote once. Not a big deal but another small thing to make it easier to vote.

Section 44 is only when there is a special and general at the same time. In the last election, there was a special election to fill the unexpired term of the late John Lewis. At the same time the general election was being held for the new term for that congressional seat. This section just puts them both on the ballot in the correct place.

Section 45 ends the infamous “jungle primary”. In Georgia, the Governor appoints someone to temporarily fill a vacancy in the US Senate. Governor Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler. The appointment is only until the next schedule general election. In this case it was the November election. Special elections in Georgia have always been non-partisan elections and everyone ran in the race together. That is why we had 21 candidates on the ballot in November in this one race. This section changes to where we will have a special primary to choose the candidates from each party for the special general election.

Section 46 clarifies for all 159 counties that should a vacancy in the courts occur, the Governor will appoint the temporary successor and details how long the appointment will last.

Section 47 adds that one cannot “accept” a ballot to be cast in any means other than those listed in code. This removes any coercion to force someone to give up their ballot.

Section 48 is maintaining the privacy of the voting booth. No matter how you vote, your vote is your vote and it shall remain private.

Section 49 allows cities to re-draw their districts following the census before the next vote as long as there is a least 120 before the vote. We are not expecting final census numbers until this fall, so this could impact cities in November. People need to know which district they are in and who is running to represent them. If there is not enough time, then section 49 has it delayed until the next election cycle.

Section 50 adds language that if we are under a state of emergency again, and the State elections board needs to make some emergency rules, they need to notify the General Assembly at least 20 days prior to it taking effect and gives us the ability suspend it if there is an issue.

Finally Section 51 says a scanned ballot image is a public record and subject to disclosure.

I know this is long, but the bill is long. We want to make sure every legal vote is counted and no illegal votes are cast or counted. We want to restore the people’s faith in our election process by giving them secure and fair elections with accurate counts. I encourage anyone to actually read the bill and you too will see the summary I wrote matches the bill. If you are not familiar with the way a bill reads; anything new is underlined, anything being removed is lined out, plain text is existing law.

Democrat 101, If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. But the bill is easy to read gives you the truth.

You can read the bill for yourself by going to the House of Representqatives Web site, looking under legislation search for SB 202.

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As for an overview of the most controversial claims made by media against this bill...