2018?

This ending year leaves questions on the table
The likes of which we’ve rarely seen before
And as of now to answer we’re not able
Surprised we’ll be by next-year what’s in store

If so, and when will Mueller’s probe be ended?
By natural course or cut off at the knees?
Discrediting or firing; what’s intended
By those who know the findings will not please

Defeating ISIS, what will happen next?
Assad remains or overthrown be he?
V. Putin calls the shots; he’ll write the text
Aye, aye sir! Trump’s response; you wait and see

Is war with North Korea in the works?
How close are we to nuclear conflagration?
Both Trump and Kim react like knees that jerk
How vulnerable are we to Kim’s gyrations?

The tax bill passed and happy are the wealthy
Will happiness extend to mid-term polls
Enough to make Republicans more healthy
So as to maintain Senate, House control?

Supreme Court Justice Kennedy might retire
And if he does, the vacancy that’s made
Might then be filled one who’d Trump require
To overturn the hated Roe v Wade

Real Rexit rumors rampant on his fate
One can’t call Trump a moron and survive
So who’ll Trump choose to be the next Sec. State
While Kushner does the dealings from inside?

Will Dems on Dreamers ultimately cave
And so give in to Trump’s demand for funds
To build the wall, and thereby Dreamers save?
Or will they show some strength and stand their ground?

The questions just go on and on and on
Afghanistan, Iran and NAFTA too
The new year has so much to think upon
Here’s wishing, too, a thoughtful year for you

12/24/17

Stop Gap Continuing Resolution

Yeah, yeah and yeah, no government forced vacation!
Three weeks reprieved; that really calls for celebration
Included in are CHIP, the Vets, and warrantless surveillance,
Emergency defense and waiving mandated compliance

Because the tax bill raises up the level of our debt
Entitlement reduction automatically is set
It also cuts our military spending equally
The CR waiver waives these spending cuts conveniently

Not covered in the CR were disasters, health and Dreamers
Presumably they’ll come to terms, but both sides have their schemers
I would expect real fireworks come January third
Some voices rarely listened to will make their voices heard

12/21/17

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Tax cuts for the well-to-do and jobs, perhaps a few
Tomorrow it becomes official once Trump signs the bill
Some eighty three percent of cuts to one percent accrues
With loop holes benefiting Trump and senators as well

With this one Act Republicans have transformed our democracy
In blatant, naked, selfish greed into a true kleptocracy

What happened to the moderates: Bob Corker, Susan Collins?
Sen. Collins bargained with McConnell over health insurance
He would include funds in the budget if she’d vote the bill in
And Susan, perhaps gullibly, accepted his assurance

In Maine, throughout, her protesters loud shouted out these words
In desperation, “Kill the bill!”. She acted like she hadn’t heard

Surreptitiously slipped in the bill by Senate conferees
A clause that later got the name: the Corker Kickback Clause
Designed to buy Bob Corker’s vote, who’d voted with the nays
The Senate bill raised debt too much, it really was too flawed

The final version of the bill still raised the self same debt
But Corker’s new position was resoundingly, you bet!

The bill contains incentives to repatriate large sums
Of out of country holdings and of jobs now over seas
But these incentives actually discourage bringing home
The money and the foreign jobs. Observe and you will see

This act, the most unpopular in over thirty years
Will dearly cost the GOP when balloting is here

12/19/17

Trump and Mueller

 

Two Things, tonight, Bob Mueller and tax legislation
This week sometime Trump’s legal team will meet
With Mueller hoping for desired verification
That Trump will soon exonerated be

Trump’s lawyers have been telling Trump for weeks
That Mueller will clear him of charged collusion
But that won’t be the tone of Mueller’s speech
It may take months to reach a just conclusion

News commentators think Trump does believe his team
And when he learns his legal team’s been lying
Misleading him these many months it seems
The President will off the rails go flying

I can’t imagine that Trump bought his lawyers’ views
It seems as though his lawyers underestimate their boss
It’s known that Trump spends hours a day on cable news
He’s certainly aware his lawyers’ views are gloss

Trump said he won’t dismiss the special counsel
If past is prologue Mueller will be fired soon
The grass-root orgs, MoveOn and Indivisible
Are set to demonstrate in mass and shoot the Moon

Tax legislation, other topic cited earlier,
Will take too many verses for my thoughts
My poem next will set you on your derrière
As I discuss the ups and downs this bill has bought

12/18/17

Democracy

Hypocrisy, hypocrisy
The bane of our democracy
What politicians really fear
Is other politicians near
Who’ll tell each what he wants to hear
And gobble up my votes, oh dear!
I’ve got to beat them to the punch
So when the voting’s in the crunch
They won’t be eating me for lunch
But how to guarantee a win
I know that lying is a sin
It’s not a lie, it’s simply spin
And justified to keep me in
More contributions I must get
From members of the monied set
For favors that I won’t forget
Those TV adds just pile on debt
I’ve got to knock opponents out
My donors give me all the clout
A smear campaign, what it’s about
Down in the muck I’ll rub their snout
And when I win, I’ll do and state
Just what my Party does relate
And praise the Lord for this, my fate
And for democracy so great

12/17/17(

Forbidden Words

When the CDC drafts its new budget requests
Some words aren’t allowed by Director’s behest
No, they’re not all the bad words in vogue much these days
All of those are allowed, else there’s nothing to say

The words are: “transgender”, “science”-something and fetus
And even “diversity”, where that may leads us
To somehow decipher Director’s intent
Just what was his purpose? It’s something hell bent

The pundits are guessing. What motives might be?
A strange group of words, no connections they see
Some men in the Congress detest words like these
They might not approve the whole budget it seems

But I think it’s simple: the key word is fetus
Since words that are alternate might so entrap us
By labeling unborns as true human beings
And every abortion is murder, their reasoning

So why other words on the list of forbidden?
To mask true intent so their purpose is hidden
Else many more words would show up on the list
This makes it a puzzle we cannot resist

12/16/17

Alzheimer’s?

The tax scam will pass; Rep. resistance has caved
All thousand, some pages made public today
The vote’s called for Tuesday; it’s road map is paved
With errors and loop holes, tax lawyers’ field day

But be that as may, it is not my main topic
Trump scorched the news channels with his diatribe
Denouncing the Bureau in terms highly toxic
Not just Mueller’s team but the whole FBI

The Bureau employs thirty thousand employees
Except the Director, all civilly serve
They’re the Federal Police working throughout our counties
With codes of behavior that they must observe

The FBI agents work hundreds of cases
That Trump would these agents disparage so vilely
Because Mueller let go just one of his agents
Who messaged opinions on Trump not so nicely

Of late Trump’s behavior that he’s been exhibiting
Of angry paranoia: everywhere are enemies
With the increase of tension that this probe’s contributing
It could be early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

12/15/17

Judiciary Committee

Today the judiciaries met on the Hill
To question Rod Rosenstein over Bob Mueller
Rod, who is Deputy Attorney General,
Was pressured to oust Bob for biased behavior

Much to his credit resist them Rod did
I know Robert’s work and Fox News news is toast
Republicans clearly do want to get rid
Of Mueller’s Trump probing; he’s getting too close

Republicans on the judiciary committee
Are frantic in fear of this investigation
They must, then, expect the results won’t be pretty:
Of justice obstruction revealed to the nation

It’s part of a major campaign to discredit
Results of Bob’s efforts so none will believe
Conclusions he’s come to; but they will regret it
The rest of the country will likely agree

But while the Republicans are still in charge
No action is likely; impeachment is out
The prospects for Democrats are looming large
In twenty eighteen to take Senate and House

‘Twill be only then that Impeachment be done
For obstructing justice and Russian collusion
Meanwhile there are many a race to be won
And Dems joining in must occur in profusion

12/13/17

Oh My!

Winners and losers tonight, oh my!
Doug Jones, Alabama, the odds defied
To soon be its senator come next year
For Democrats winning brought lots to cheer

And even Republicans within the Senate
Breathed sighs of relief that Moore wouldn’t be in it
They are losing a seat. What a price to abide
For not having a pedophile colleague inside

Aside from Roy More, who were losers tonight?
Steve Bannon, Pres.Trump and the Tea Party caucus
But overall I’d say the most profound winners:
The women who spoke against Roy Moore the sinner

12/12/17

Eighteen Days

The inside-beltway brew is heating up
On White House staff, as Mueller zeros in
Upon the eighteen days, a mystery gap
From when Yates told until Trump fired Flynn

Pres. Trump did not intend Flynn to be sacked
Until the Post revealed ‘twas really so
That Flynn talked sanctions with S. Kislyak
‘Twas only after that Trump let Flynn go

That Mueller’s concentrating on this gap
Determining just where and when Trump knew
That Flynn had told the FBI false facts
Obstruction is the charge Mueller pursues

He’s clearly into facts most sensitive
Determining conspiracy as well
All pointing to our top executive
That he is close, is child’s play to tell

Defenders of the President erupted
With leveling gross accusations on
The Mueller team, who all have been corrupted
You can’t trust anything they’ve worked upon

They are the worst; they all should go to jail
Their prejudiced conclusions be ignored
Their arguments won’t hold since facts prevail
Before grand juries. Mueller has last words

And even if Trump try’s to fire Mueller
An action he most likely wants to do
Not yet convinced by heads that are much cooler
Trump does what he desires; that’s nothing new

A massacre it would turn out to be
Ensuring repercussions beyond scope
Though Trump might win a local victory
The longer run, my answer would be nope!

12/11/17