“Fairy Tales can come true……”

How would you define a “Fairy Tale” ? Most of us would say it’s a children’s story with magical beings, fantasy, mystical worlds, etc. Right?

Another equally accepted definition of a “Fairy Tale” is “a fabricated story, especially one intended to deceive.

When I read the news below, I saw  a new Fairy Tale in the making. This is a tale that takes place in a mystical world devoid of logic, reason, common sense and reality.

I call it “The Tale of the Big Wall”. The characters consist of a candidate and his followers.

The candidate is a “politician” who is defined by Merriam Webster as ” a person primarily interested in political office for selfish or other narrow usually short-sighted reasons”. Let’s name him the“Great Trumpster”

The followers are a group of well meaning folks. Let’s name them the “Young at Hearts”.

 

 

“The Tale of the Wall”

In the burgh of Pitts, at a boisterous rally and live interview at the “Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall” for the “Great Tumpster”, a sense of awe was being experienced by the “Young at Hearts”.

When the “Great Trumpster” spoke to the interviewer and revealed for the first time that the wall between the US and Mexico would be built within two years the crowd was spell bound.

When he said …”and it will be a real wall. It will be a real wall” the “Young at Hearts” could not contain themselves.

The “Young at Hearts” starting chanting, “Build the Wall! Build the Wall!”

Sensing that he had the crowd in the palm of his hand, the “Great Trumpster” followed up with “Who’s gonna pay for the wall?”.

The “Young at Hearts” shouted back ,“Mexico!”

When the rally and interview ended, the “Young at Hearts” went home. Although they knew nothing more about the details of the Wall, except now it was only going to take two years to build, it mattered not. The “Great Trumpster” knew what he was doing, and to them it was the only thing that mattered. They really, really, really felt good.

The quotes above are from the actual Fox News Story below:

Trump vows Mexico border wall will be built within two years

Published April 14, 2016

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/04/14/trump-vows-mexico-border-wall-will-be-built-within-two-years.html?intcmp=hpbt1

 

Back in January 2016 the AP did a YUGE story about finishing the wall, fence or barrier between the US and Mexico. It was rooted in the facts including private land, public land, treaties in place, environmental law, construction costs, topography, etc. Although laws were passed with specific time frames, construction is years behind due to pending lawsuits and other legal constraints. This should music to the ears of the candidate with over 200 current pending legal actions as plaintiff or defendant.

Completing US-Mexico border wall would be daunting task

By Seth Robbins

Jan. 1, 2016 10:03 AM EST

……….Officials struggled to find places where construction could start fast to meet Congress’ deadline of building 255 miles by December 2008. They sought contingency fencing that did not require “significant real estate acquisitions” or cut through sensitive wilderness, the emails show. Wealthy landowners demanded more compensation or refused to allow construction.

………….Finishing the some 1,300 miles of border fencing would also be costly. According to a 2009 Government accountability report, pedestrian fencing, meant to keep out smugglers and migrants crossing on foot, has run anywhere from $400,000 to $15.1 million per mile, averaging $3.9 million. More recent construction has been even more expensive, with segments constructed in 2008 costing $6.5 million per mile. If kept at this rate, the wall would cost nearly $10 billion to complete just for materials, and challenging geography could bring it much higher

.Read entire story here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c21596af5cf044339f7716d9d7f34260/completing-us-mexico-border-wall-would-be-daunting-task

Two years?   “Fairy tales can come true” are the first words of the Frank Sinatra hit “Young at heart”. Listen closely to the lyrics. If we only lived in a fantasy world….

 

“You gotta play with me…….”

So whines the character known as “Stinky” from the 1950’s Abbot and Costello TV show. “Stinky” was a spoiled, impish, bratty, overgrown man/child dressed like Buster Brown.   He was played by Joe Besser.

Whenever he appeared, everything revolved around what HE wanted to do and HE set the rules by which everyone had to follow. Each encounter with Abbott and Costello ended with Abbott taking “Stinky’s” side and poor Lou Costello getting tormented by “Stinky” and Abbott. “Stinky” always won because it was HIS game.

There has been a ton of bloviating coming from candidate Trump concerning the Republican Party  caucus in the state of Colorado. Every state in the union (and territories) have their own rules concerning how delegates to the national Republican convention are chosen: open caucuses, closed caucuses, open primaries, closed primaries, hybrid systems, binding or non-binding straw polls, etc. The rules are clear….if participants want to win, they must know the rules.

Colorado Republican caucus rules have been in place since 1912.

The Colorado Caucus is the electoral process used in the state of Colorado. Caucuses are held in 3,000 neighborhoods across Colorado and are open to the public. The Colorado Secretary of State is charged with the responsibility of providing information about the system.

On March 1, 2016, the Republican Party held a caucus in each precinct. Members of the Republican Party chose delegates to represent their precincts at the county convention and eventually to the state convention. Last August, the Republicans opted out of doing a “Preferential Presidential Poll” aka “Straw Poll”.  Since according to the rules delegates are not bound either to their stated intent or to the preference given by caucus attendees, a  Straw Poll is irrelevant.  All delegates are technically “unbound”, but their leanings are known.

The Cruz campaign employed high energy gamesmanship to make sure that they had representatives at as many of the 3,ooo neighborhood caucuses as possible to make the case for Cruz. Then they  worked to get selected as delegates at this level to go onto the county level and then finally the state level. At each step, the Presidential Preference of each member is known. At the state level where the final 34 open delegates are chosen, they fill out the paperwork where they declare their preference officially. Cruz won it all. Grassroots politics at it’s best.

Gamesmanship is “the practice of winning a game or contest by doing things that seem unfair but that are not actually against the rules” according to Merriam Webster.

The Trump campaign did none of what the Cruz campaign did. They had almost no presence in Colorado, no attempt to organize at any level, and to top it off Trump did not have enough respect for Colorado to show up at the state Republican convention.

Trump and “Stinky” have had the luxury of playing by their own rules when it suited them. Trump hit a brick wall in Colorado because he refused to follow the “rules of the game” and his opponent embraced the “rules of the game”.

The way to understand Trump’s cries  of “rigging the system”, “unfairness, “political games”, etc. is in light of what he, like “Stinky”, have been able to get away with in the past.

When Trump, like “Stinky”, says “You gotta play with me…”, they mean by their terms and their rules. It was all Trump, until Colorado “set the rules” and Trump lost.

The video below shows a typical encounter between “Stinky” and  “Abbott and Costello”.

This is Trump’s world view, and now you know why he got really, really, really got upset.

 

 

 

” There is a mountain……”

When someone today hears the term “Baby Boomers”, there is an impression that it represents a single homogenous group. Technically, the term refers to those born between 1946 – 1964.  However, those of us born in the middle of this group know differently. The early “Boomers” were the “Woodstock” generation….they were old enough to actually go to the Woodstock Festival on their own legally.

Pop music at the time had many references to the drug culture and “Zen” mysticism, about which I was rather naïve. The first wave of “Boomers” really got into this music.

Donovan (Donovan Leitch) was a popular songwriter/ singer at the time whose psychedelic folk rock style was a staple to these Boomers. Some of  his hits were “Mellow Yellow”, “Sunshine Superman” and the awful “There is a Mountain”.  Hillary Clinton is part of the first wave of “Boomers”.

As we know, she is being investigated by the FBI (at least 150 agents) for criminal activity related to various statues of the Espionage Act because of her use of a private e-mail server and other devices. Over 2,ooo “classified” documents and 22 “Top Secret” ones were discovered on her personal e-mail server.  Hillary has vigorously defended her actions. She says her intentions were always in the best interest of the country. Besides, she claims  “classified” documents are not always “classified” and they may change over time.  What was a “secret” yesterday is not a “secret” today.  Guess what, recently President Obama defended his former Secretary of State on Fox News Sunday saying the same thing about “secret” information.

Charles Cooke writing in the below referenced National Review article states:

One doesn’t need to go down the Clintonian there’s-classified-and-then-there’s-classified rabbit hole in order to grasp that what Obama is saying here is irrelevant to the larger questions at hand. For a start, per 18 USC 1924, if Clinton became “possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States . . . with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location,” she’s guilty of a crime. That the president doesn’t think that the material involved was “classified classified” is neither here nor there. The law is written clearly, and it does not contain a section subjugating the meaning of its key words to the expedient musings of the commander-in-chief.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner?page=2

I finally figured out what is going on here. Hillary is reliving her past and listening to Donovan. As I noted earlier, one of his hits was ” There is a mountain”. The lyrics consist of a long dull mantra of “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain then there is…”First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain then there is….”ad nauseam. It seems to reference some mystical sense of reality about what we see when we look at something. Is it real? What is reality? The first wave “Boomers” were into this thinking, if you can call it that.

Hillary must have summoned her inner Boomer and re-wrote the lyrics: “First there is a secret, then there is no secret, then there is…First there is a secret, then there is no secret, then there is…” ad nauseam.                                     

She is banking on Justice Department agreeing with her (and Obama) that a “secret” today may or may not be a “secret” tomorrow and really, what is a “secret” anyway. Hopefully the Justice Department enforces the law, 18 USC 1924, because none of that is relevant.

Below is Donovan with his hit. Be sure to substitute Hillary’s lyrics……

 

 

“Slight of hand……..”

Tax Day this year is April 18. The reason of course is not so simple. It has to do with the Bylaws of Emancipation Day which is a local Washington D.C. celebration. Since it is a legal holiday in the wonderland of D.C  we all get a few days longer to file.

Having the luxury of a wonderful spouse who is a CPA, my role in the process has been to review the return in detail, ask questions, comment and do my best to try to get her to allow more deductions…ANY deductions or anything to lower the tax burden. I like “gray” to her “black and white”. She wins.

Imagine my surprise when I read this Newsmax summary of a Washington Post article:

Wash Post: Trump’s Charity Donations Don’t Come from Own Pocket

By Greg Richter   |   Sunday, 10 Apr 2016 10:53 PM

GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s claim to have given $102 million to charity over the past five years doesn’t completely add up, with many of the donations being free rounds of golf from his numerous courses or money given by his foundation, which is funded by others, The Washington Post reports. The Post sorted through a 93-page list of 4,844 donations provided by the Trump campaign and found that none of the donations came out Trump’s own pocket.

Trump instead gave away free rounds of golf at his courses for charity auctions and raffles. He also counted a piece of property he gave to New York state more than five years ago – outside the timeline claimed. A large number of the gifts came from the Donald J. Trump Foundation, to which Trump did not contribute between 2008 and 2014.

Read entire article here

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-charity-pocket/2016/04/10/id/723184/

How does he claim 102 million dollars worth of charitable donations when he actually gave almost nothing out of his pocket ?

I call it “Slight of hand” donations.

According to Wikipedia:

Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card cheating, card flourishing and stealing.

The team of “Penn and Teller” are artists who know the business of both “Sleight of hand” and “Magic”. The 7 basic principles of  “Slight of hand” are: palm, ditch, steal, simulation, load, misdirection, and switch. 

---

The video below shows each of the basic principles in action: 

 

Now that we know how it is done, go back and  read the entire Washington Post article.  Try to  figure out where Trump used each of the 7 principles (palm, ditch, steal, simulation, load, misdirection, and switch) to claim $102 million in donations, when nothing came out of his pocket. Rest assured I am looking at it closely for  our next year’s  tax return.

 

“Two tens for a five……”

The headlines recently about Bernie Sanders winning the last 8 out of 9 contests in the Democratic race sound great for his supporters. His base of support are  the “yout” voters,  18 -24 year olds with a huge college debt and a naive “gimme” mentality. Heck, “free” college and paying off your debt…why not?

They rally with enthusiasm, sending in their $5.oo donations, hoping that their candidate will win and usher in a new age of, I don’t know Nirvana or something. Then they read:

“Bernie Sanders takes Wyoming caucus but Hillary Clinton picks up delegates”  from the Guardian.

What the naïve do not understand is the Democrats have “rigged” their primary with 719 “superdelegates” who support Hillary almost 100%. Hillary gets these delegates regardless of who wins the caucus. This is why when “Bernie wins, he actually loses and whether Hillary wins or loses, she actually wins.” No matter what happens, Bernie will lose the race.

Just another example of Abbott and Costello Math 101.

Think of Bernie as “Costello” and Hillary as “Abbott” in the video below.

The “two tens for a five” is a classic vaudeville routine that the comedy duo perfected. It starts off like this:

Bud Abbott: Have you got two tens for a five?

Lou Costello: Just happen to have it.

There you have it. The entire routine starts off with a false premise. It goes by so fast that you need to pay attention . Just like the premise that the Democrats are the party of “the little guy” and the race will be fair to Bernie.

Bernie Sanders boasts that his campaign is being funded by thousands upon thousands of small donations, mostly from his core demographic supporters. Those poor 18-24 year old college students  gleefully send in their $5.00 bills to Bernie, only to find out that Hillary ends up with 2 $10.00 bills. 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…..”

The above quote is from the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”. It is the climatic scene when Dorothy and her friends (Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion) come face to face with reality. When the curtain is pulled back, the “GREAT AND POWEREFUL OZ” is exposed as a former carnival barker.  The first words out of his mouth are, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”.

This was the Trump headline the other day:

Trump blasts Ford over plans for new Mexican plant

Brent Snavely, Detroit Free Press 5:36 p.m. EDT April 5, 2016

Ford will be building a new plant in Mexico which will create about 8,000 Mexican jobs by 2020. Currently Ford has about 85,000 US manufacturing jobs.

Following the announcement, Trump labeled the move “an absolute disgrace.”

“These ridiculous, job crushing transactions will not happen when I am president,”

As the Cowardly Lion (actor Bert Lahr) would say with his wonderful NY accent: “the noive (nerve)”. Imagine, Ford Motor Company, competing in a world economy, building cars in a foreign country.

Let’s take Trump’s complaint and indignation and apply it to ALL automobile manufacturers worldwide. Keep American jobs in America; keep Japanese jobs in Japan; keep German jobs in Germany; keep Korean jobs in Korea…..

Highest-volume U.S. carmakers

Ranking of automakers by the number of passenger vehicles assembled in U.S. factories in 2014. Numbers include vehicles exported for sale outside the U.S.

Automaker	Vehicles built in U.S. (2014)
Ford	2,178,120
General Motors	1,926,007
Fiat Chrysler	1,733,002
Toyota	1,334,691
Honda	1,268,904
Nissan	931,974
Hyundai/Kia	768,230
BMW	349,949
Mercedes-Benz	220,181
Subaru	193,022
Volkswagen	123,415
Mitsubishi	69,178
Tesla	36,036
Total	11,132,709

Seems to me that almost half of the automobiles manufactured in the USA are from foreign manufacturers. How many USA manufacturing jobs does that represent?

I am sure the hard working men and women in Lincoln, Alabama who Acura (Honda Corp) employed to built my 2015 Acura MDX are glad that Acura built a manufacturing plant in their town.

The “man behind the curtain” puts up a HUGE front. In the movie the special effects are dazzling as a disembodied head floats amongst shooting flames with a deep resounding scary voice.

In reality, “the man behind the curtain”, was dumber than the Scarecrow, more heartless than the Tin Man and more cowardly than the Lion as Dorothy found out once he was exposed.

Hmmmmmm…..perhaps it time TO pay attention to the latest “man behind the curtain”.

To a Trump supporter, the bellowing disembodied head of the Wizard is all he sees and believes. “FORD MOTOR COMPANY IS A DISGRACE (flames shooting up and up)….THESE JOBS BELONG TO AMERICANS….”. Trump at his best.

Never mind facts, logic and reason when it comes to automobile manufacturing or anything else. The spin of the Wizard is all that matters and the “man behind the curtain” is in control.

Wonder what the “GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ ” has to say about the  Donald J. Trump – Signature Collection and where the clothes are made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

” US Patent #821,393……”

The USPTO, United States Patent and Trademark Office, has been around in one form or another since the founding of the United States of America.

On April 10, 1790, President George Washington signed the bill which laid the foundations of the modern American patent system. The U.S. patent system was unique; for the first time in history the intrinsic right of an inventor to profit from his invention was recognized by law. Previously, privileges granted to an inventor were dependent upon the prerogative of a monarch or upon a special act of a legislature.

“Congress shall have the power…to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.” – U.S. Constitution  Article 1. Section 8.

Since then, nearly 8 million patents have been granted. Out of these, there have only been a handful that have consistently been on the “Top 10” list since their approval. Patent # 821,393 is one of them. Where on the list it falls has varied over time usually between #1,867,377 (slice bread machine of “greatest thing since sliced bread” fame) or #223,898 (light bulb-Thomas Edison).

Regardless, one would think that the USPTO would know where patent #821,393 was at all times because of its significance, right? I came upon this the other day. I had just finished listening to the audio book “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough when I saw this:

LONG LOST WRIGHT BROS PATENT APPLICATION TO BE DISPLAYED

Everett Historical / Shutterstock.com (Wright aeroplane pictured, July 1909

A long lost patent application filed by the Wright brothers more than 100 years ago that led to the invention of the aeroplane will go on display at a US museum next month.

The patent application for a “flying machine”, filed in 1903 by Orville and Wilbur Wright, was last displayed in 1979 but went missing shortly after.

According to the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, which will display the document, the missing file was found last month following a search as part of a special programme to recover missing and stolen materials.  Some news organisations reported that the file had been discovered in a cave in Kansas where the museum keeps some historical records, but the museum has not confirmed this.

The patent, US number 821,393, was granted on May 22, 1906 and the display will coincide with the 110^th anniversary of the grant.

Huh? The patent for the Wright Flyer, the first airplane LOST since 1979? How is that possible? The US government losing something as significant as one of the Top 10 patents of all time? Reading a bit further, I saw the truth.

Patent #821, 393 was co-located in a “cave in Kansas (see above story)” along with Crate #9906753. What was in Crate #9906753?

Why of course, the Ark of the Covenant , from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. It was stored right here in that “cave in Kansas”!

This “REALLY” restored my faith in the federal government….The USPTO and The National Archives working together to ensure that priceless historical documents/artifacts are preserved for all time. Perhaps it’s time for a new movie, “Raiders of the Lost Patent”.

It’s a shame that Indiana Jones  accidently destroyed Crate #9906753 during the Crystal Skull adventure.  Glad though that he didn’t destroy Patent #821,393 at the same time!

 

 

“Lincoln Logs………”

Lincoln Logs was a toy that most us in the baby boomer generation had as a staple in our arsenal. It is still available today.

From Wikipedia: Lincoln Logs is a US children’s toy consisting of notched miniature logs, used to build small forts and buildings. They were invented by John Lloyd Wright, second son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright.^[1] Lincoln Logs were inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999. As of 2014 Lincoln Logs are manufactured by K’NEX Industries Inc.

The current front runner for the GOP, Donald Trump, was just asked by Bob Woodward ( a renown Washington Post investigative journalist/editor; made his name in the Watergate Investigation of President Nixon; a softball question about our 16th President Abraham Lincoln.

Woodward asked: And why did Lincoln succeed? Thought about that at all?

Trump’s answer:

“Well, I think Lincoln succeeded for numerous reasons. He was a man who was of great intelligence, which most presidents would be. But he was a man of great intelligence, but he was also a man who did something that was a very vital thing to do at that time. Ten years before or 20 years before, what he was doing would never have even been thought possible. So he did something that was a very important thing to do, and especially at that time. And Nixon failed, I think to a certain extent, because of his personality. You know?  It was just that personality. Very severe, very exclusive. In other words, people couldn’t come in.  And people didn’t like him. I mean, people didn’t like him.”

PLEASE…..re-read the above response and think about what this guy is saying. I have no idea and I am on my 5th reading of the response. I see a convoluted and tortured statement that says nothing but tries to somehow show he knows who Bob Woodward is by bringing up President Nixon.

Trump should have simply said:

“Well, I think Lincoln succeeded for numerous reasons. The main reason he invented a TERRIFIC, TERRIFIC toy. Lincoln Logs!  It was a HUGE success and many, many, many kids found enjoyment in building things. I built TREMENDOUS buildings with Lincoln Logs including the now bankrupt Trump Taj Mahal Casino. People keep calling me and saying “Donald, what is the secret to your success? I tell them Lincoln Logs. I use my TERRIFIC brain, I have a GREAT brain to see the future through Lincoln Logs. I  combine this with my WINNING, I mean it WINNING personality which has made me REALLY,REALLY, REALLY rich. So Bob, there you have it, the reason Lincoln succeeded and why people like him.”

Take your pick…..answer number 2 makes just as much sense and could have flowed from his lips depending on which synapses of his TREMENDOUS,GREAT, TERRIFIC, etc. brain. were firing at that moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“7 x 13 = 28…….”

This is what I call Abbott and Costello Math 101.

From Wikipedia: “William “Bud” Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy duo whose work in vaudeville and on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and early 1950s. Their patter routine “Who’s on First?” is one of the best-known comedy routines of all time and set the framework for many of their best-known comedy bits”.

I fondly recall watching these guys on TV in the 60’s (re-runs of their TV show from a decade earlier) as well as their movies from the 40’s. They always intertwined their timeless vaudeville skits into their movies and TV shows. The following link will take you to one of their best. (Note the cameo role of Shemp Howard, the brother of Moe Howard of The 3 Stooges who eventually became a “Stooge” after Curley Howard had a stroke).

http://www.schooltube.com/video/130f49947f551d61e5a8/

Donald Trump said the other day that he, as President, would “pay off the 19 trillion dollar national debt in 8 years”. There has not been one economist, think tank, professor, expert, analyst, commentator or rational thinking person who says it is possible. For starters, economic growth would have to be between 13% – 24% where it has averaged around 3% historically. Heck, at 5% growth our economy is booming.

This analysis does not include what Trump has put forth as his own tax plan a few months ago. His own tax plan INCREASES the debt by 11.2 trillion dollars by 2026.

Donald Trump must have studied  math at Trump University which requires Abbot and Costello Math 101. He can pay off the 19 trillion dollar debt in 8 years while his own tax plan INCREASES the national debt by 11.2 trillion by 2026. The  only way to do this is by changing the axioms of mathematics as specified in Abbot and Costello Math 101.

The Trump Tax Plan:

In the world of Trump, 7 x 13 =28  and  19,000,000,000,000 + 11,000,000,ooo,ooo = 0.

Fact: 7 x 4 = 28 and 19,000,000,000,000. + 11,000,000,000,000. = 30,000,000,000,00

Read more below:

There is math, there is fantasy math, and then there’s Donald Trump’s economic math

By Jim Tankersley and Jeff Guo

For a moment, let’s take Donald Trump’s economic promises seriously.

Trump says he can pay off a $19 trillion national debt within eight years as president. He says he can do this while cutting taxes. He has not detailed any substantial cuts he would make to federal spending, so what he is really making is a growth argument — that he could supercharge the economy, creating sufficient budget surpluses to retire the debt. “The power is trade,” he told the Post in an interview last week. “Our deals are so bad.”

Full article :https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/04/there-is-math-there-is-fantasy-math-and-then-theres-donald-trumps-economic-math/

 

“Trouble with the curve…..”

This was the title of a Clint Eastwood movie from 2012. It was about an aging baseball scout who was losing his sight, but had excellent hearing and was able to determine the pitch thrown by the crack of the bat or the sound of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt. Clint tells the Atlanta Braves not to sign a potential superstar because he has “trouble with the curve”….long story short, he is vindicated at the end of the movie.

 

 

 

 

Donald Trump knows when to “throw the curve”. His latest spouting about an impending recession this past Sunday is the most recent example:

Trump’s Prediction of ‘Massive Recession’ Puzzles Economists

Donald Trump’s prediction that the U.S. economy was on the verge of a “very massive recession” hit a wall of skepticism on Sunday from economists who questioned the Republican presidential front-runner’s calculations.

In an interview with the Washington Post published on Saturday, the billionaire businessman said a combination of high unemployment and an overvalued stock market had set the stage for another economic slump. He put real unemployment above 20 percent.

“We’re not heading for a recession, massive or minor, and the unemployment rate is not 20 percent,” said Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York.

The official unemployment rate has declined to 5 percent from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009, according to government statistics. But a different, broader measure of unemployment that includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment is at 9.8 percent.

Read the entire story here:

Breaking News at Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/Finance/Economy/donald-trump-economy-recession-financial-bubble/2016/04/03/id/722073/#ixzz44sGYYu3i

The curve ball is hard to hit because when thrown properly, it “appears” to be only a few inches off in deviation, but because of the physics involved it actually curves almost 14 inches at the end. Thus, a swing and a miss.

When the news about Trump is negative as it was last week, he jumps into his baseball mode and “throws a curve”. His statement comes out of nowhere, has no basis in fact as demonstrated by the actual “facts”, looks like he is onto something “big” using appropriate language and is designed to throw everyone off.

We know that Trump’s fans and supports will eat this  up because only their candidate is smart enough to see the future as no else can.( I know of NO ONE who can see the future but that is another blog). They will swing at the curve with all their might only to hear the sound of the ball as it hits the oiled leather of the catcher’s mitt. It won’t matter to them that it is another strike.

Seems to me that ALL Trump supporters have “Trouble with the curve”.