Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: In the second presidential debate, Donald Trump indicated that, if elected, he would have a special prosecutor investigate Hillary Clinton and her private e-mail server. If Trump wins, should Barack Obama step in and pardon her and others involved in the scandal or should he remain neutral?

Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-In the interest of the country, Barack Obama probably should remain neutral concerning Hillary Clinton’s scandal ridden career, particularly in reference to her actions as Secretary of State, and he is fully aware of her e-mail transmissions, her access to a private e-mail server and her Clinton Foundation solicitation of foreign donations. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Donald Trump has advocated an energy policy that will rebuild energy production in America as well as deliver jobs to blue collar workers in a number of critically important states. His policy stands in sharp contrast to Hillary Clinton’s. What are the stark differences in Trump’s policy as opposed to Clinton’s, and what will the possible ramifications be of both?

Owatonna, MN Correspondent-Trump’s main thrust seems to be the goal of energy independence from the rest of the world, particularly independence from OPEC. He advocates more exploration and utilization of reserves on land and offshore. Clinton’s focus is on mitigating climate change as the sole reason to have an energy policy, so her proposals center on cutting pollution, promoting clean energy sources, and advocating conservation and stewardship. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Chaos and disruptions throughout America have reached fever pitch and continue to raise concerns as to what can be done to maintain the law and appropriately deal with law breakers at all levels. What kind of policies should be implemented under a Clinton or Trump administration to solve the challenges in law enforcement?

Gastonia, NC Correspondent-We have got to make a bold and decisive statement of faith in law enforcement at the national level.  Our president must support the police rather than calling their integrity into question at every turn. Obama’s conduct in this matter sickens me.  There is always massive media coverage when a police shooting occurs, but the presses fall silent when the shooting turns out to have been completely justified.  The public picture that the police are to be hated, feared and spat upon is abhorrent and a complete work of fiction. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Foreign policy has steadily and dangerously regressed and eroded under the leadership of both President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. What has to occur concerning foreign policy to turn the tide in understanding the issues that America faces, whether in a Trump or Clinton administration?

Owatonna, MN Correspondent-If elected, Clinton will probably maintain the policies begun during the Obama administration and give us more of the same unsteady world leadership. She may surprise the world by veering off course from her script while Secretary of State, but the safe bet is she will not change dramatically from her leadership style on display since she was FLOTUS. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: With the economy and jobs being two of the hottest interrelated issues of the 2016 campaign, what will be the solutions to bolstering a stagnant economy and returning Americans to work?

Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-The solutions to bolstering a stagnant economy and returning Americans to work lie in the reestablishment of a number of institutions and policy approaches that will strengthen the economy and return Americans to work.

With the number of businesses, companies, corporations and organizations leaving America in record numbers and corporate tax rates remaining at high levels, the demand for lower waged workers, and lower priced products and services have driven significant numbers of companies and jobs overseas. In addition, jobs have disappeared or have been significantly diminished to the point that entire industrialized sectors of the American economy have been driven out of existence. Continue reading

Computer Hacking and National Security

From Our Gastonia, NC Correspondent

Do the denial of service attacks have other implications for US national and economic security?

The denial of service (DDOS) attacks last week which took down Netflix, Amazon and other large sections of the internet should be a huge wake-up call to our nation’s IT security experts.  The evidence so far is that the attacks were launched not with PCs or laptops, but with millions of internet-enabled home devices such as refrigerators, baby monitors and door cameras.  The “internet of things” was used against us in a scenario reminiscent of some bad dystopian sci-fi movie. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: With indiscretions concerning voter fraud and intimidation during past elections, and with electronic voting machines, computers and hackers ready, willing and able to rig elections, what if anything can and be done to stop voter fraud that will likely occur during the 2016 election cycle? US Seeks to Protect Voting System Against Cyberattacks yet we can’t stop voter fraud at polling stations in America? What’s wrong with this picture?

Gastonia, NC Correspondent-I question the validity of the assumption this question makes that voter fraud “likely will” occur.  Despite the Trump campaign’s fearmongering and spreading of doubt, actual evidence of voter fraud in the U.S. is harder to find than a vegan at a barbecue cookoff.  Most of the battleground states have Republican governors, and the entire process will be scrutinized at a level never before seen. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Should ALL voters be required to answer and pass the citizenship test before they pull the lever in the voting booth? Should voters be required to have some knowledge about civics, American history, politics, etc. before being able to vote?

Gastonia, NC Correspondent-I’m the guy who’s in favor of intelligence tests for prospective parents, so the idea of some sort of qualifying test for voters holds great allure for me. However, I’m fairly sure it would require a constitutional amendment to make it happen.  I am a native-born American citizen, and as such have the right to vote.  I’m a fairly smart fellow, but I know a lot of my fellow small-town residents who probably shouldn’t be allowed to bathe without supervision, much less help decide who will be the next leader of our country.  However, they have as much right as I do to vote. Continue reading

Election 2016 Round Table Discussion: Are there any realistic solutions to campaign finance reform?

Owatonna, MN Correspondent-It’s easy to say campaign finance reform has gotten so far out of control that nothing can be done. When money becomes the dominant force as to who wins elections, those without many feel their votes are wasted. But underdogs still win. Candidates with more charisma than cash sometimes carry the day, so money alone can’t guarantee election results. If that were true, we wouldn’t bother holding elections since we could just as easily award the victory to the candidate in each race with the biggest bank account. Continue reading