Thursday, December 26, 2019

Current Events Discussion Topics

An on-line "Zoom" discussion is conducted every Monday morning at 9:30am Chicago time through the North Shore Senior Center hosted by Ron Mantegna. You can enroll in this discussion session at   https://www.nssc.org/

Ron conducts a Northbrook Library zoom discussion every 1st and 3rd and 5th Thursday, 10-11:30am. Open free to all who enroll.  Contact the Northbrook Library to connect with Ron Mantegna.

Authoritarian? Or Ron’s TDS? Trump admires dictators. He has total control over Congress and Justice. By not returning Garcia, he is defying the spirit of the Supreme Court’s decision. Trump seeks ways to disregard our Rule of Law, desiring a nation where his rulings alone are The Law. Are we willing to revamp our system of Governance and embrace Authoritarianism and “One Man Rule”?

 

Is chaos at Republican Town Halls driven more by Liberals? Does chaos help Democrats?

 

What message is Trump sending America by defying the Supreme Court and not bringing Garcia back to America after admitting he was deported and imprisoned in error?

 

What is Trump’s Tariff strategy? So, we WILL negotiate tariffs. Big Tech is exempted—but only temporary? How can businesses make plans given contradictory positions from the White House?

 

China has to make the first move. China needs a deal more than we do.” Do they? What might be an “off ramp”? Who is in a better position to live with political pain on the Street—Che or Trump? In this battle of egos, who may be in a weaker position and may be more likely to blink first?

 

Can Trump swing a deal with Iran? What are America’s carrots and sticks? US and Iran are conducting “productive” talks. Trump says he only seeks guarantees Iran won’t go nuclear. Obama’s agreement only delayed this. What promises might allow Iran to give up their only big deterrent?

 

America supports tough action to control Borders. How far should we go with Deportation, while still following America’s Rule of Law? Undocumented Immigrants have broken laws. Are all of them “criminals”?  If they are criminals, should all be deported? If not, who?

 

Should we ship really bad “homegrown criminals” to horrible El Salvador prisons? Who should make that decision?

 

What are risks/rewards of cutting off Government funding to universities used for critical research and development in Healthcare and Technology…over their political views?

 

Is it acceptable for the President to ask the Attorney General to conduct an investigation in search of any crime by his political opponents? Trump directed AG Bondi to investigate former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor.  Trump accuses Taylor of committing treason for writing about what he saw during Trump’s first term. Trump also ordered the investigation of Chris Krebs, Trump’s election security director during his first term. Trump says Krebs was part of an effort to steal the 2020 election because Krebs repeatedly said he could find no evidence of fraud.

 

Passover attack on Gov. Shapiro. Did his response underscore his national leadership creds? “No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly and proudly.” Yes, it’s too early. But how do you feel about those likely to be duking it out for the 2028 Democrat Presidential Nomination? Shapiro. Newsom. Emanuel. Buttigieg. Pritzker. Waltz. Whitmer.

 

Where are we with the War in Ukraine? Is Russia stalling while it captures more territory? Trump says Biden and Zelenskyy are responsible for the war, not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Possible approach to end the War proposed by a Trump envoy: Ukraine could be divided “almost like Berlin after World War II” as part of a deal to end Russia’s full-scale invasion.

 

 

 

A different way to improve America’s Health? Health Secretary RFK Jr suggests Americans who

eat doughnuts, guzzle sodas or smoke should not be provided with free healthcare.  “If you're smoking three packs of cigarettes a day, should you expect society to pay when you get sick?

 

Is the Supreme Court less Conservative than it appears? Major MAGA influencer, Catturd, who has 3.6 million followers on X, posted: "There's nobody I have less respect for in the entire country besides Dr. Fauci than Amy Commie Barrett - Trump gave her a dream job and she's been an ungrateful, backstabbing POS since day one. Weak, coward, sellout, fraud. She's everything that's wrong with this country. She's an Absolute disgusting fraud."

 

Good ruling? An immigration judge ruled that Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from the United States due to his involvement in leading last year’s pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

 

Is Trump positioning the United States to be more of a “Colonial Power”? He talks seriously about acquiring lands or parts of lands from other nations. Greenland. Gaza. Canada. Ukraine. Panama. A prison deal with El Salvador? What are the risks and benefits for America?

 

What might be the benefits and downsides of HHS cutting 20,000 jobs? Layoffs are at health agencies charged with tracking disease, researching, regulating food. Are any savings we may enjoy be worth the risk to our health?

 

Who represents the broad Middle of America where most voters reside? How much does the Radical Left and MAGA represent Mainstream America? Are both Democrats and MAGA out of touch with a majority of voters, who are mostly Independent? Who can lead a “Move To The Middle”?

 

How does this benefit consumers? After firing all Inspectors General, Trump replaced two with loyalists who have ethical charges. “Like Al Capone running the IRS.”  In some cases, Trump is replacing competence with political cronies. Consider lack of experience of key Cabinet Members. Trump fired Director and Deputy Dir. of National Security Agency after visit from Loomer.

 

Is slashing the number of Social Security offices an effective way to cut costs? OK to share IRS data with DOGE?

 

Voice of America was silenced by Trump’s Executive action.  Is this a big loss?

 

Does the recent rash of plane crashes suggest anything more than Media attention?

What are ramifications of eliminating FEMA/hurricane warning operations?

 

What are pros and cons of putting the Post Office under Department of Commerce?

 

The war continues in Gaza. Now with protests against Hamas. What might that change?

 

What might be gained or lost by the canceling of the Comedian typically highlighting the White House Correspondence Dinner? 

 

How vulnerable is our personal security due to high tech advances? Not only “Signal”. Not just A.I. How much are we being persuaded by fake stories, texts, images, videos, sound bites?  How do we know that post just received isn’t fake?

 

In today’s high-tech world, are Newspapers and TV Media now irrelevant?  Conservatives now dominate the internet, especially with younger people.