Thursday, December 28, 2017

"2017 Liar of the Year" — Envelope Please, Cue the Music The Winner Is: Donald J. Trump

Always the Showman and Showoff Above Everything

“I would be the best firefighter ever believe me the best ever.”

The numbers from official documents – oops…

From NPR vis-à-vis another huge Trump string of lies… pathetic – the headlines:

Trump Signed 96 Laws in 2017. Here is What They Do and How They Measure Up
Introductory highlights from this fine article:

When Trump signed the $1.5 trillion tax cut bill December 22 at the White House, he made a bold claim — that his “legislative approvals were off the charts. No. 1 in the history of our country” citing 88 as the number of bills he had signed into law, he said in part.

Fact Check time (and with Trump it’s a daily routine must-do task):

The actual number of laws he signed this year is 96.

His claim of historic achievement isn't accurate, either.

But that didn't stop him from repeating the erroneous claim Wednesday during a visit with firefighters in West Palm Beach, FL when he said: “We have signed more legislation than anybody.”

Another Fact Check: No, he hasn't.

In sheer numbers of bills signed into law during a president's first year in office (January 20 – December 31), Trump is behind his six most recent predecessors (see chart above).

All this according to tallies by Gov Track, Plus, bonus fact: Trump trails Ike, Nixon, and JFK and nowhere near Truman who had somewhere between 240-250 (the precise number is hard to pin down, but in that range).

But as the article also says, and I agree with totally is this: Tallying laws signed is not necessarily a good way to measure accomplishment.

For example political scientists say a far better — though more subjective — measure is significance, because not all bills are created equal.

For instance, “S 810: A bill to facilitate construction of a bridge on certain property in Christian County, Missouri, and for other purposes” isn't in the same realm of significance as “HR 3364: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.”

NPR analyzed all 96 laws signed by Trump this year, categorizing them. Summary is:

1.  More than three dozen modify or extend existing law.

2.  Sixteen repeal rules and regulations using a process known as the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

3.  A dozen commemorate or honor people and organizations such as by renaming federal buildings (like a Post Office).

4.  Seven provide temporary government funding or one-time disaster relief funds.


A quick summary of the 96 Laws Trump signed are listed at the end of this article by general subject category of the bill signed.
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My 2 cents: Again I ask honestly – how and why do we accept this man’s constant string of lies – a daily dozen in some cases … have we lowered ourselves this low and accept lies as routine matters … trust in our leaders and especially our president is paramount on so many fronts I can’t list them here, like giving a reason to invade Iraq that turns out to be a lie – what about “I had to bomb North Korea to stop them from maybe, possibly ready to bomb us.” 

Our national sanity is at risk under Trump.

I wonder did he tell the firefighters in Palm Beach that he would be the best firefighter ever – besides he knows more than the Generals, too, right? Yeah, right.

Happy New Year and thanks from stopping by. 

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