This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016

Humor impaired

There are times when I am slow on the “uptake,” other times when I am “ahead of the curve,” and even some times I’m, “behind the eight ball.” I dearly enjoy my daily read of The Telegraph newspaper, especially the wisdom shown in many of the comic strips, excluding Doonesbury.

I was obviously ahead of the curve observing the 2016 first presidential debate of the two major political parties. Fifteen minutes was all I could stomach watching two proven liars make themselves look more foolish in the contest of who will make the worst president in the slipstream of the current president’s eight years best described as a bad dream.

As the graduate of a nontraditional university of higher learning, I admit to being a slow learner of nontechnical subjects at times, but I have observed that a writer accustomed to composing serious articles, is quickly out of his/her element of quality journalism when attempts of significant humor are attempted. Capisce? (Such as it is with my Italian.)

What voters want

I disagree with George Will. Donald Trump’s rise does not reflect America’s decay. It is a true indication that voters are dissatisfied with the politics as usual in Washington. Voters are tired of incumbents’ false promises.

Voters want the tax code replaced. They don’t want new rates or added deductions or credits. They want to file a one page form, not pay $200 to a tax preparer because they can not understand the tax code. They want Congress to balance the budget and stop borrowing to fund their pet programs.

Voters want the southern border secured. They want the free flow of drugs and illegals to end. Voters want homegrown terrorist attacks stopped. They want the police to be able to use all available methods to identify terrorists and quickly arrest them. They want terrorists to be tried quickly and receive harsh punishment.

Voters want the welfare system reformed. They are mad that their tax dollars are used to fund unproductive lifestyles. They want Social Security and Medicare stabilized. They want the fraud and waste in the Social Security Disability program ended.

Voters want the size of the government to be reduced. They want departments like education eliminated and its function reassigned to the states. Voters want the VA reformed so vets can be treated by local doctors. Voters want the government to induce corporations to bring back the millions of dollars they they have in foreign banks. Voters would support a small tax, 5 percent, if the money is used to create jobs. They want the government to establish incentives for companies not to relocate plants out of country.

I know this is a long list. It can be implemented if voters elect qualified people. You get what you voted for.

Take off the halos

As a long time Republican, I am now ashamed of the leaders of this party. Most of the local, federal and state leaders are jumping on Trump for what he said 11 years ago. I don’t believe there is a man walking that has not said or thought the same thing Trump did. All of them who are dumping on Trump need to take off those phony halos and look at the skeletons in their own closets. I will now change my party affiliation to independent. The Republican Party is destroying itself.

Iffy propositions

So our 21st Century Partnership had an ad in The Telegraph recently asking for donations to protect Robins Air Force Base jobs, yet the new CEO believes that RAFB will get more C-130 work in a couple of years because the Ogden,Utah depot will run out of parking space for the C-130s with their new planes to maintain. And a former USAF colonel who was stationed here and who is in charge of maintenance work at Ogden will make sure we get their C-130 maintenance work.

All of the possibility of Robins getting the new maintenance work on C-130s because Ogden doesn’t have enough parking spaces is too iffy and probably pie-in-the-sky and intended to try to justify his own new job with the partnership.

The union situation at our base with the AFGE from Washington here in charge sounds like a coup d’etat being done in an orderly, legal and fair manner and with little, if any, resistance from our local union and base officials. It sounds like the headquarters folk have already won and vanquished the local AFGE union leadership here.

It all sounds like the AFGE headquarters folks are winning if they haven’t already won. Our local government leadership at city hall, county leaders and state legislators may be trying to save our local union behind the scenes, but I doubt it. Local apathy about our base appears to have helped the Washington AFGE leadership to win the day.

Chicago, we’ve got a problem

So an 8-year-old kneels during the Pledge of Allegiance, and a 10-year-old draws a picture of a lynching with Klan characters in it. Someone (read Catherine Meeks) please enlighten me as to how children so young are so “aware” of these things without indoctrination by their elders. It is a crying shame that young kids are told to be afraid of the police who put their lives on the line every day for a mostly irresponsible populace. It would be more appropriate to teach children the responsibility they bear as law-abiding and productive citizens.

A few facts for Meeks: While only making up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, blacks are responsible for 62 percent of robberies, 57 percent of murders, 45 percent of assaults in 75 of the biggest cities in America. Forty percent of cop killers are black. In New York City, blacks make up 23 percent of the population, but are responsible for 75 percent of shootings, 70 percent of all robberies and 66 percent of violent crime. Forty percent of the prison population are black.

I can assure Meeks that our law enforcement professionals don’t wake up, shower, strap on a bullet proof vest, and say “I think I’m going to go kill a young brother today.” If you point a gun, real or not, or act like you have a gun, or keep your hands in your pockets after being told not to, you can expect one outcome. Comply, and you won’t die. As of last week, in Chicago, there have been 516 murders by gun, with 2,798 wounded. By my math, that comes out to about one dead every 13 hours since January 1. There’s your problem, Ms Meeks, and that’s just one city.

This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016."