I'm blogging here again until the election.
I'm developing RachelGoodstein.com
and will launch it after the election

I'm not in Chicago anymore.
(But I am leaving the Chicago & Illinois resource links on this site. Too lazy to remove them.)

At the beginning of October 2016 I moved to Presque Isle County in Northeast Michigan, that's on tip of the index finger of the mitten. 

This neck of the woods, and I own fifty acres of the woods, is a political pastel.
Sometimes its light blue and sometimes its light red.
In 2008, it narrowly supported Barack Obama.
In 2012, it narrowly supported home-stater Mitt Romney.
In 2016, it said NO to Hillary and YES to Trump.
Eventually someone may write a PhD dissertation on why that happened but,
after being around here for 12 years (eight years just visiting my property)
I think it was because some people thought they were voting for a successful businessman,
some people here won't vote for any woman
and some definitely weren't gonna vote for THAT women.

The drop in Presque Isle  County votes for the Democratic Party Presidential candidate dropped
from 3,722 for Obama in 2008
to 2,400 for Clinton in 2016.

(Here's a secret:
the drop in Democratic Presidential votes from 2008 to 2016
in the "Index finger" equaled 10,696 votes.
Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes.
​Making Presque Isle County blue like Lake Huron is important work in 2020.)

The parties I prefer include food and drink.
In Chicago, there really weren't parties.
There was the Daley Machine and the progressives.
I was a progressive because I opposed
the scandals, squandering and skullduggery that were the hallmarks of Daley's machine.

Up here, after Trump won, I did some research, located the Presque Isle County Democratic Party and joined in January 2017.

At the end of June 2020, the Party Chair decided to help out the Biden campaign and I was elected Chair for 127 days until THE ELECTION. Having once walked a marathon we are in the .2 part of the 26 mile event.

With 62 days to go I'm gonna blog again.  >

I have not posted an entry for a very long time. But I thought I would publish the long email I sent to some friends last Friday. I updated it a bit today and sent it out to a few additional people, one of whom tweeted out this site. So, in case someone meanders by here is why I'm voting for Hillary and why Donald is/would be a disaster.
(I hope the links work. I'm rusty and doing this.)

Subject: RACHEL’S NOVEMBER ELECTION SURPRISE

UPDATED MONDAY AM:
Some of you received the earlier version; updates are clearly marked.
Some are getting this for the first time.
There is still time to help campaigns.
Remember, it ain't over til the FIRST woman wins!
Don't forget to vote.

SURPRISE! 
I am writing to you on the Friday before the 2016 Presidential Election. 
(And I am sending this message out as individual emails so that it does not get stuck in a spam file. No bcc’ing today.)
(ACTUALLY this update is a bcc event. Takes less time to do.)

Why am I writing?

Because while the 2016 campaign process has seemed like a Reality TV program from Hell, on November 9, 2016, the results will be REALITY. 

A 2016 reality that will impact the future of the United States for 25 to 35 years through the appointment of Supreme Court Justices.

A political campaign is an audition for the position the candidate is seeking.

Based on the more than a yearlong audition process I have determined that Hillary and not Donald has demonstrated the ability to undertake the role of President. UPDATE Donald also lacks the temperament and personal control to be President and communicate with world leaders, command troops and have access to nuclear codes.

I will be voting for Hillary. 
And I urge you and everyone you know to vote for Hillary.

Whether you vote for her wholeheartedly, or pinching your nose, or covering your eyes, just do it!

If you are deeply unhappy with the major party candidates at the top of the ticket than strengthen another party of your choice by voting for its candidates down ballot.  That way third party candidates might get elected to state legislatures and even the Congress and become part of the on-going political conversation.

(This is not a year to “Go Nader” to prove some abstract political point. If you want to live in a country RULED by Donald than just vote for him directly because if you go third party on Election Day you will have contributed to Donald’s victory.)

Over the next four days there are still several ways to help Hillary's campaign. Volunteering to do Get Out The Vote (GOTV) calls or canvassing. Donating money on-line.   I will be in Alpena, Michigan make GOTV  calls.

And please forward this email to your contacts. And ask them to send it to their contacts etc. etc. etc.

What I have learned.

The past three months I have been in the process of moving from Chicago to the swing state of Michigan so I have not had time to do as much politically as I usual do or would have liked to do. 

But most days, late at night I have been doing research on the net.  

In this email I am sharing with you my thoughts about what I have read and in many cases sharing links to supporting  articles.

I am a political independent. My analysis is based on practicality not partisanship. 

In addition, to my analysis and reasons for voting for Hillary I have included a link to Seth Meyers’ How Do You Chose: A Closer Look segment that recaps many of the better known Donald weaknesses. https://mobile.twitter.com/hashtag/ACloserLook?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Racists know Donald is a racist.
If the KKK supports you in a front-page editorial in its major newspaper, whether the KKK calls it an endorsement or not IT IS A KKK ENDORSEMENT.
The KKK brand is racism. 
Anti-minority, anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic and anti-Jew racism.   
If the KKK supports Donald it means Donald’s views and platform are in sync with the KKK.   

Donald has no real friends.
That’s astounding for a 70 year old man.
He refers to his children-employees as his friends.
How many 70 year olds do you know who have no friends?
For Donald Trump, Friends in Few Places - NYTimes.com
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/nyregion/for-donald-trump-friends-in-few-places.html
 UPDATE: Trump has no (non-human) pets. Every President for the past 114 years has been a dog owner.
http://www.nowaytrump.com/?p=751

Donald the Tycoon was and is the figment of Mark Burnett, the TV executive.
Burnett pitched “The Apprentice” to NBC as “Survivor”, Burnett’s already successful reality program, in another setting, Corporate America. And Donald was cast as the big bad businessman because of his image.  And Donald was available to participate full time in producing the program.  (Name another big-time real estate developer or top executive in a major industry who would have time to be a TV star, too.)

Remember Burnett has threatened lawsuits if anyone leaks tapes of Donald making more skanky misogynistic statements on the set.

Donald is a horrendous manager. 

And while the media likes to use the term Commander-in-Chief and not President, we are electing a person to preside over the Executive Branch of the Government.

(I don’t think Donald actually understands the role, but that just demonstrates his ignorance.)

Donald Trump's Constitution: The multiple opportunities for the abuse of executive power by Robert Kuttner June 13, 2016
http://prospect.org/article/donald-trumps-constitution

Donald Trump's Constitution - prospect.org
prospect.org
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in front of his jet during a campaign rally on June 11, at a private hanger at the Greater Pittsburgh ...

During his career, Donald has not increased the value of the core business he inherited: a huge portfolio of apartments for middle class people. That is a cash cow business.

Instead Donald went for glamour in Manhattan and glitz in Atlantic City.

He proceeded to bankrupt THE PLAZA HOTEL and THE TAJ MAHAL and other casinos. Properly run casinos are also cash cows. The house always wins. So how did Donald lose so hugely? DEBT. He took on as much debt as he could without concern about how to repay the debt.  (This is not Presidential behavior. This is the behavior of a gambler who winds up in Gamblers Anonymous and banned from the casinos.)
 
Trump bankers question his portrayal of financial comeback
By Reuters Media on Jul 24, 2016 at 12:19 a.m.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-bankruptcies-insig-idUSKCN0ZX0GP
Art of the spin: Trump bankers question his portrayal of ...
www.reuters.com
NEW YORK Donald Trump, who often says he only likes winners, tells one grand tale of loss: In 1990, he nearly went bankrupt and was forced to ask dozens of banks to ...

His businesses have filed for bankruptcy six times. 

He does not carefully vet candidates for real world jobs. It’s been a revolving door at his campaign.  Because other than selling racism at rallies and on the Internet to people who are racists, Donald does not know how a campaign works.
 (Does he even understand that with government employees you can’t just yell, “Your fired.” to remove someone from a position.)?

See also TIME 10 Donald Trump Business Failures April 29, 2011 Updated: Oct. 11, 2016 11:14 AM ET     
http://time.com/4343030/donald-trump-failures/
Donald Trump Business Failures - time.com
time.com
Donald Trump talks a lot about his business successes, but he’s had more than a few failures over the years as well. Here’s a look at some of the missteps he’s ...

He is not smart, not knowledgeable and is incapable of clear complex communication.
His demonstrated active vocabulary is at best that of a sixth grader. The job he wants requires a larger vocabulary to understand and express the nuances to the situations he will face.

He lies by omission and commission. (Journalists and the media have documented this phenomenon pretty well, so I will only highlight a few incidents.)

He “believes” climate change is “a hoax.”  This is troubling because no matter what the cause the effects of climate change are real. And the next and every presidential administration going forward will need to address those effects and impacts. 

He has had business dealings with the mob.
Donald sought and got exceptions to New Jersey reporting requirements so he did not have to disclose those connections to state agencies.

Politico Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob?
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910
Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob? - POLITICO
www.politico.com
Investigation. Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob? I've spent years investigating, and here's what's known. By David Cay Johnston. May 22, 2016

His Russian connections, which individually may seem innocuous, but looked at together are troubling and problematic. 
They include his admiration (and maybe friendship) with Putin; his not completely disclosed business and banking deals and relationships in Russia; his modeling agency’s “use” of Eastern European women; the Ukrainian/Russian connection of Donald’s campaign manger, Manafort; Donald’s initial anti-NATO statements; Ivanka vacationing during the campaign with Putin’s putative girl friend Wendy (I used to be married to “Foxy” Rupert Murdoch) Deng and Donald’s saying he might go visit Putin if he wins the election but prior to his inauguration as President. 

Donald is bad for women. 
He is an admitted predator.
He is an accused child rapist.
His agency “imported” young women to be models represented by his agencies and told them to lie about their immigration status.
He housed his “models” in substandard housing in New York.

Donald does not abide by laws, rules or customary practices. 
Donald has not disclosed his federal taxes. We all know that. 
But based on the analysis of just a few pages of his state taxes, it is now known that in 1995 he claimed a nearly billion-dollar loss that could have been used to shelter income for about twenty years. 

Further analysis of his tax treatment of that loss indicates he was willing to file tax returns that eliminated his putative income from debt forgiveness. He filed these returns even though he could not/did not get a tax letter from an attorney that would support this procedure.
His self-serving family foundation did not comply with basic New York statutory filing requirements.

Donald does not follow through on promises.
Remember the promised press conference about Melania’s immigration process.
Hasn’t happened yet.
 UPDATE

MELANIA did violate immigration laws. And lied about it.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/melania-trump-modeled-us-prior-work-visa-43321283

Donald is not charitable nor has he been civically engaged, ever.
His lack of charitable contributions commensurate with his claimed wealth has been well documented.
But what has interested me is that he has not chaired any major charity in New York or elsewhere. 
In fact, it seems like he has never even served on the Board of a charity. (I was a transplant to Chicago and I managed to serve as the Chair of what was the Associate Board of the Chicago International Film Festival and, after ten years as a board member, as the President of one of the Chicago Boys and Girls Club and so served on the Corporate board of the entire agency.)  
To me this demonstrates his disconnection from the society around him.  
I also take it as evidence that his business peers did not want to work with him, 
Today   David Tepper, a billionaire hedge fund manager blasted Trump for NOT being charitable. Tepper asserts that Donald gave nothing after 9-11 and nothing after Hurricane, even though Donald had assets in both New York and New Jersey.
www.cnbc.com/2016/11/07/not-one-dime-billionaire-tepper-slams-trump-on-charitable-giving.html

Donald is cheap and a chiseler.
Doesn’t seem to make contributions to charity unless he is shamed into it (the Veterans contribution which eventually went to a group that supported Donald); or is buying something for himself or if one of his companies benefits by publicity or venue fees.
He routinely hires people. Lets them complete the work. And then stiffs them
Donald U. is under investigation.
Recent articles have reported that Donald has eliminated document evidence related to a range of legal matters.

Hillary’s emails.
 
I will admit that before Comey sent his vague letter to Congress I had not really given the deleted emails and the Benghazi inquisition a lot of attention.

Not because of any regard for Hillary. 

My nonchalance is the result of my experience as an applicant for a position in the Foreign Service. After I passed the written exam I was invited to interview with the State Department. 

During the interview I was asked how I felt about the possibility of being killed as a result of my employment in the Foreign Service.  
The best answer to the question in those days was: “It would be a privilege to die in the service of my country.” 

So, to me, while it was sad and unfortunate that four Americans died in Benghazi. That possibility was a career hazard of representing the United States anywhere, let alone in  a third world hotspot.

I also find the endless Benghazi inquiry hypocritical by the current Republican majority. When their beloved Ronald Reagan was President 253 Americans were killed in the suicide bombing of the Marine compound in Beirut and 63 people, including 13 Americans were killed in the bombing of the U. S. Embassy there.

Congress, under Speaker of the House, Democrat, Tip O’Neil, did not launch a political witch-hunt. There was an investigation that issued a report on what went wrong and called for better security.

SO  VOTE  EARLY OR ON NOVEMBER 8!
 
Whenever I vote I vote for dead people.

That is, in voting for the living candidates of my choice I honor all the people who have lived who did not have the right to vote because of where they lived (like my ancestors in czarist Russia); their gender (American women until 1920 and millions of women alive on the planet today); or their status as slaves.

I vote because I have the right to vote and I can vote.
Which is not something most humans who have lived could say.
And is something many humans are today fighting to be able to do.
So, go out and vote November 8.

And urge those you know to vote too.

Remember, voting matters. And this year the outcome will matter for decades.

And not voting just means you are letting other people (Those who did vote.) make political choices for you.
 

Election Day in Chicago:  I voted for Dead People.

Its just about noon in Chicago.

Polls are open until 7pm.

So, there is still lots of time to vote in today’s mayoral and aldermanic election.

And if you are IN LINE at 7pm you have to be allowed to vote.

I already voted.

I voted for dead people.

That is, in voting for the living candidates of my choice today

I honored all people who have lived who did not have the right to vote

because of

where they lived ( like my ancestors in czarist Russia);

their gender ( American women until 1920 and millions of women alive on the planet today);

their status as slaves.

I voted  because I have the right to vote and I can vote.

Which is not something most humans who have lived could say.

And is something many humans are today fighting to be able to do.

So, go out and vote today for people you choose.

And urge those you know to vote today.

Remember, not voting just means you are letting other people (Those who did vote.) make political choices for you.

Personally, I’m hoping for both an aldermanic runoff in my ward and  a mayoral run –off in April. 

In my opinion, the more opportunities Chicagoans have to practice democracy the better!

If you are undecided I have put the link to

WTTW TWO MINUTE FREE TIME FOR MAYORAL CANDIDATES

http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2015/02/23/mayoral-candidate-free-time

All five candidates were offered the opportunity to tape a two minute piece.

Rahm Emanuel declined the offer.

Both the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune have posted candidate questionnaires on line.

You can use lunchtime to make your decision and vote on your way home from work.

Here is the link to find your polling place if you do not know it: http://www.chicagoelections.com/en/your-voter-information.html

After a very long sabbatical from writing about the chaos that is the public process in Chicago, I'm baaaack!!

This first post is going to be link to the volunteer project I'm working on this summer in Rogers City, Michigan on the shore of Lake Huron.

I hope you visit this site and that you will considering pledging and spreading the word.

Our deadline is September 27, 2013 (Really its September 28 at 10:02a.m. EDT, but why wait til the very last minute?

I went to the teachers march  on Monday.

I learned a lot there.

That one school nurse can have three schools and 2400 students to watch over. And that she is monitoring students receiving cancer treatments, taking medications for diabetes and asthma, etc. And that this situation is common.

That only 25% of Chicago schools have art AND music.

That there are lots of issues involved in the strike and they are not all about money for the teachers.

There are lots of links in this posting because no one would believe me if I wrote what the reports and studies show about the IDIOCY and LACK OF PLANNING by the BOARD OF EDUCATION and the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). 

Y’all would think I was making it up because I am no fan of Daley or Rahm.

But facts is facts.

So here are links to:
 the 2011 study on CPS facilities from the Illinois State Board of Education http://www.isbe.state.il.us/CEF/pdf/ceftf_recom_0211_pres.pdf.

Page 13 really caught my eye.

Actually it made my eyes bug out and roll back in my head.

CPS has 600+ schools and from 2006 to 2010, $625 million of $1.14 billion capital spending on buildings was spent on only 67 of 603 schools.

Another $1.4 billion from a "specially funded" program called Modern Schools Across Chicago was spent to build 17 new schools and do 2 major renovations. 

Here are the links to the factual backup the map http://pbcchicago.com/upload/10012.pdf
and the press release
“PBC Announces Project Surplus, Other Positive Results For City's Modern Schools Across Chicago Initiative” http://pbcchicago.com/content/about/press_detail.asp?pID=300

No capital funds were spent on 330 schools.

And while some schools have no air conditioning CPS spent  $36 million on landscaping, parking and athletic fields.

If the Daley administration and the Emanuel administration want schools to be year round with longer days in the classrooms and if summer days can have temperatures in the 80’s, 90’s and even the 100’s doesn’t it make sense that providing a/c to all schools should be a goal for the CPS.

Well its not.

I’m not the only one thinking that air-conditioning schools is a real issue.

This link goes to an article in the Washington Post, “Why shouldn’t Chicago teachers ask for air- conditioned schools?”
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-shouldnt-chicago-teachers-ask-for-air--conditioned-schools/2012/09/12/453c61fe-fc34-11e1-a31e-804fccb658f9_blog.html

The teachers are only part of the school equation.

When will Rahm and Vitale deal with the administrative patronage bloat?

There are close to 20,000 "administrative/non-teaching" positions within the CPS, where patronage hiring is not prohibited by the Shakman decree.

Here are the links to the employment data.

The entire employee roster and salary info
http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Documents/EmployeePositionRoster_07112012.pdf

and

the administrator (principals) roster and salary info
http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Documents/CompensationReport.pdf

and overall CPS statistics
http://www.cps.edu/About_CPS/At-a-glance/Pages/Stats_and_facts.aspx

So, if we want to find money for arts and music and PE for all kids I say examine and thin out administration.

And for sure fire the ass of the administrators who can't get textbooks to students on time.

And, by the way, why does the CPS use different books at different schools?

And why hasn't anyone sued the CPS about the disparity in programs provided by the CPS in an educational system financed by public taxes?

I'm going to take a break to rethink and revise the site and blog. And for some general R&R.
I'm thinking up ways to make this endeavor more useful.
Don't worry.  I'll still be attending public meetings.

I always thought U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald was the most likely/only likely U.S. Attorney to bring charges directly against Richie Daley. I figured Daley would look like the picture to the left during his time in court.

Unless Fitzgerald is going to drop a Daley indictment on the way out the door I'm afraid  that Daley won't face the music. Sad. No pathetic.

Meanwhile I haven't bought a can or bottle of CocaCola since Daley was appointed to Coke's Board of Directors.
 
And you know what? Things go just as well without Coke!

Tuesday night I got to Millersburg (just west of Rogers City, MI) a few minutes after the Presque County Fair Board meeting began. I am really enjoying being part of the effort to reinvent the Fair into in 21st century agriculture event.  Each day of the Fair will have a theme: Thursday is Crafts; Friday is Plants/Gardens; and Saturday is Animals.

Lots to do up here over the weekend. The Forty Mile Point Lighthouse reopens for the season with a juried art show.

A local businesswoman, Cindy Vezinau,  who is creating a conference center and inn called the Purple Martin and is involved in social services helping foster children has organized a three-day event called Purple Martin Mania. 

Tonight  kicks off the outdoor concert season at the Lakefront Park bandshell.

For a city of 3,000 there is a lot to do here.

NOTE: The library will be closed tomorrow and Monday for Memorial Day. I will post again on Tuesday.

Dear Readers,
I have been attendiing lots of meetings and rallys the last two weeks. And I am behind on my writing. I posted lots of pictures from the anti-NATO rallys and will caption some of them tomorrow. Why not now? Because I am rushing off to Michigan to attend tonight meeting of the Presque Isle County County Fair Board meeting.
Thanks for your patience.
Rachel