To listen to the Democrats, the next worse thing to ISIS (and to some, climate change), and the terrorist Muslims in Syria and Iraq, are the wealthy individuals in the United States of America. They keep harping on the erroneous fact that that the rich don't pay their “fair share” in paying income taxes and that they are greedy besides, and have become rich on the backs of the poor. Is it true that the rich don't pay their “fair share” of income taxes?

As former Democratic candidate for president, Al Smith (1928) once said, “Let's look at the record”. According to the 2014 (which is still valid today) non-partisan Tax Foundation report, the top 1% earns 19% of the gross national income and pays 38% of all federal taxes. The top 5% earns 34% and pays 59%. The top 10% earns 45% and pays 71%. The bottom 50% pays just 3% of federal tax. If that isn't “soaking the rich”, I don't know what it is? Shouldn't everyone have a dog in the fight by paying something to the government?

It is true that during the 8 years of the Obama Administration, the rich had gotten richer and the poor and middle-class had remained stagnant or had lost income, mainly due to the run-up of the stock market, which the rich were heavily invested in. The spending policies and the regulatory policies of the Obama Administration, and the low interest rates of the Federal Reserve, have also contributed to this income gap. The only economically sound way to stop this difference in income differential was to get the economy stimulated with policies that would encourage entrepreneurship so that we could produce more jobs, and in return generate more tax revenue to the federal treasury, so that we could reduce the burden of taxation on the upper and middle-class taxpayers. The policies of the Obama Administration did not work for most people, and change was needed (not the hope and change “snake oil” promoted by Obama) to get us back on the right economic track. President Donald Trump, before and after his election, proposed a reform of our tax system to make it easier for people to pay their taxes and to reduce the rates that all taxpayers now pay. Those reforms were passed and signed by Trump, and our economy has responded upward as was predicted. Obama said it wouldn't happen. Egg on his face.

But, with the inexperience of former President Obama in economics , and his lack of sound fiscal and administrative knowledge, he seemed to have had a “tin ear” as to what was needed to get our economy booming again. The voters had the chance in 2016 to elect a real “money man” of fiscal integrity in Donald Trump, and they voted him president. Much to the chagrin and dismay of the political establishment of both the Democrats and the Republicans.

The semi-Marxist/Socialist plan, espoused by President Obama (and the Democrats), did not get us out of our stagnating economy during his 8 years in office. He preached “income redistribution” by blaming the wealthy of not doing their “fair share” to contribute to the government's revenue. Without the wealthy class paying the vast majority of the income taxes, we'd be in a much greater financial bind than we are in right now, approaching $22 trillion in debt. Even the “evil” Koch Bros., as the Democrats like to call them, have a company that employs over 67,000 workers at better than average wages, yet they are vilified as being un-American by the Democrats, and some have even claimed that they should be jailed for being so “rich”. What, for being successful and wealthy? Are the Democrats that out of touch with reality or what? Even today, the newly elected self-proclaimed socialist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has proposed raising the income tax rate on wealthy people to 70% as she follows the dictates of her tutor, Bernie Sanders. It looks like both of them missed the Economics 101 class in college.

We need many more Koch Bros., and other millionaires and billionaires, in order to keep our economy moving upward like it is now going. The Democrats and the Liberals should stop demonizing the wealth creators for purely partisan political purposes. They are the job creators. Remember, most all of us were never hired by a poor person. The old adage that “one should not bite the hand that feeds you” certainly applies in this case.

So, the answer to this editorial's headline is - YES - the rich do pay their “fair share” and we do need more people to get a well paying jobs so that we can continue get out of the economic malaise that the Obama Administration had kept us in for 8 years. We should all strive to become millionaires and billionaires, as it would be good for our country and to the entire world. Instead of “sharing the wealth” by taking from the rich and giving to the poor (the Robin Hood syndrome) in the form of handouts and financial government “goodies”, in order to gain votes by the recipients of those “goodies” at election time, we should be promoting the “sharing the opportunity” for all to succeed and achieve financial success. That's the American way. A hand up instead of a handout is what will make America great again. The economic policies of President Trump during his first two years in office, the GDP averaged between 3% and 4% as compared with the GDP under Obama, that averaged less than 2% during all of his 8 years. All have benefited under the Trump economic policies and that includes the middle- class as well as the wealthy who are still paying 70% of all income taxes.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

You've got to hand it to the Democrats (a/k/a liberals, Progressives and Socialists) for latching onto a word or phrase like a pit bull latches onto its victim. Since the Mueller Report fizzled out out for the Democrats by finding President Trump not guilty of collusion (i.e. conspiracy) with the Russians, the liberal radicals are now incessantly using the word “racist” to label President Trump and his supporters. All sense of decency is being thrown out the window in their quest to undermine the president and to hopefully, for them, to win back the White House in 2020.

The question is, will this slander and libel work against the president or will the electorate say enough is enough and and send his detractors (the anti-Trumper's) packing and re-elect the president for 4 more years?

Never in all my years have I seen such a concerted effort to disparage and vilify an individual, in this case President Trump, like the Democrats and their flunky's in the media have been trying to do ever since he announced that he was running for president. With little to no facts, only emotion and innuendo, they have systematically been on a crusade to delegitimize President Trump by constantly using half-truths and outright lies about him, his family, and those who surround him. It seems to be a 24/7 assault on his character and his policies no
matter what the truth might be. These attacks remind one of the Soviet Union and the KGB as they tried to purge all who might be a thorn in the side of the oppressive regime.

The United States is not the Soviet Union and to imply otherwise is disingenuous to say the least. Just because the last election didn't turn out the outcome they thought was in the bag for Hillary Clinton, doesn't give them the right to use the tactics of the KGB to reverse a result the electorate voted for.

One thing in President Trump's favor is that he doesn't take personal assaults laying down. He comes right back at his critics by using Twitter and Facebook to get his side of the story out to the cyber universe, and he generally gives back twice as much as he gets. Of course, he then gets criticized by his political enemies for defending himself like any wounded “animal” would do to protect himself and his family. When 90% of the main street media is against him and his Administration, he has no choice or recourse than to fight back. Yes, he might be crude and gruff at times, which some might find offensive, but at least you know where he stands on the issues. He says what he means and means what he says. How refreshing is that?

Remember, we didn't elect a Pope, we elected a leader, and President Trump is that leader. So will the latest charge against him as being a “racist” stick with the public or will they conclude that this is a cheap slur against him for purely partisan reasons with no real basis in fact. His actions speak louder than his words and that will be the reason why he will be re-elected in 2020.

Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

That seems to be the thinking of the 20 plus candidates for the Democrat nomination. All decry the shootings in Texas and Ohio, but is the shootings of 53 and the killing of 7 in Chicago over a weekend any different from the shootings in El Paso and Dayton? Also, include the fact that Baltimore has reached 200 murders this year alone, thereby taking over the top spot of murders per 100,000 residents in the United States. Where's the outrage with those damning statistics? Is it less of a crime that murders in those cities are less important than the shootings in Texas and Ohio?

Before all the bodies were recovered in El Paso and Dayton, the feckless Democrats (and their main stream media cohorts) were accusing President Trump of being part of these massacres. How ridiculous is that? Does politics trump (no pun intended) all sense of propriety? Who are those who pass judgment on others because of partisan considerations? Even after President Trump gave his heart felt condolences to the victims and their families, and his recommendations for possible future legislation, some of the Democrat candidates accused him of encouraging those demented individuals to commit those horrendous crimes. Some even used this tragedy to fund raise (the Democrat National Congressional Committee did this). Have they no conscience of what is right and wrong? Calling the president of the United States a racist, a bigot, a clone of Hitler etc. is beyond the pale, and these people want to be the
next president?

If you listened to the main stream media, mainly CNN, MSNBC, NPR etc., you'd think that President Trump was leading the charge of encouraging these shootings by giving aid and comfort to these mental-case killers (shooters). Can't they let their hatred and animosity against President Trump be muted at a time of national mourning over the victims of these shootings?

Using the reasons they give for using this inflammatory rhetoric, makes common sense appear non-existent. Was Bernie Sanders responsible for the shootings of the Republican baseball players by one of his ardent supporters? Also, what about the rhetoric of Representative Maxine Waters, who implored people to confront and harass Trump supporters, and for the other Democrats who have been calling our president a traitor, a racist, a bigot, a homophobe, among other epithets? Aren't those incendiary words? Why do these people get a pass while condemning President Trump? In addition, what about the words and deeds of the liberal and progressive Hollywood types such as Robert DiNero, Kathy Griffen, Tom Arnold, Rob Reiner, Alyssa Milano, Madonna etc., etc. Their words and deeds are even worse than what they accuse President Trump of saying and doing. President Trump is a “politically incorrect” counter-puncher who fights back when his critics falsely accuse him of bad behavior or being unpatriotic. As the old saying goes, “people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones”.

Using President Trump as the “pinata” every time some nut-job commits a senseless massacre, is a disgrace, especially by the same phonies who preach tolerance, but are the one's who are grossly intolerant. Shame on their duplicity.
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Conservative commentary by Chuck Lehmann

Rhetoric from Democrats to the horrific killings in El Paso, TX. and Dayton, OH. is disgusting. Using the tragedies to score points against the President has no foundation other than to disrupt his administration.

Using their own hatred in accusation of him stirring the hatred pot is ludicrous, when considering persons like Maxine Waters, Madonna and other staunch liberals, who endorse using any method to discredit and destroy him, including violence.

Unrestrained interpretation of the First Amendment gives license for the loonies to use that right for heinous deeds, and needs to be revisited to tighten up its frayed ends and still maintain its meaning for innocent and responsible citizenry.  

Weapons are inanimate and can't be manipulated to function on their own. They are objects that require intelligence to operate for their purpose.

A chisel and hammer in a sculptor's hand creates art; in the hands of a deranged person, it can be a shiv to be plunged into a body and a weapon to crack open a skull.

Media, technology, entertainment, religion and mental health are some of the things that influence intelligence, Not the real hate mongers with an agenda, disguised in empathy clothing, who search for somebody to blame and not to find solutions.

Conservative Commentary by George Giftos

That song by Kenny Rogers should be played before any gathering of Democrats who are pushing to impeach the president.

It seems the “egg on their face” Democrats can't seem to let go of their narrative that President Trump committed impeachable crimes of which four agencies said he didn't commit (the FBI, the House Committee on Oversight, and the Senate Committee on Oversight, and the Mueller Report). Even after the disastrous performance of the so-called architect of the Mueller Report, Robert Mueller, they (the Democrats) want to continue the charade of harassing the president by continuing the witch hunt that was started under the previous administration of President Obama. When will the saner heads of the Democrat Party raise its ugly head and start doing the business of the American people? Instead of wasting time and money trying to unseat
a duly elected president, why don't the House of Representatives address the problems of illegal immigration, repair of the country's infrastructure, and add to the economy etc.? Those areas affect people's lives, not the incessant investigation of the president of the United States which has been shown to be a hoax and a vindictive exercise of hatred for another person (in the case the president of the United States).

After The Mueller hearing, which was a disaster for the vengeful Democrats, and from which the Democrats did not get the “smoking gun” that they thought that Mueller was going to give them by his halting, out-of-touch, frail looking presentation, the Democrats have now doubled-down on their quest to continue their desire to unseat our president or to try to make him lose his re-election bid in 2020.

As the one of the anti-Trump FBI agents, at the beginning of the Mueller Investigation who said of the charges of Trump's conspiracy (a/k/a collusion) with the Russians, that there was no “there there” to hang the noose around the neck of President Trump in colluding with the Russians, it should have ended there. These frustrated Hillary Clinton Democrats are like a crazed pit bull who won't let go of its victim. Until the leadership of the Democrats can convince the radical Democrat Trump haters from continuing their misguided “coup attempt” against the president, they will forego any chance of defeating President Trump at the polls in the 2020 election. Those members with TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) will lead their party into oblivion for the next few election cycles.

President Trump and the Republicans should encourage the path these disgruntled Democrats are pursuing because they are “the gift that keeps on giving” to their chances of maintaining the White House and to take back the House of Representatives and keeping the Senate.

So what Kenny Roger's song advised to potential losers (in this case the Democrats) of “Know When to Fold 'Em”, should be sufficient to bring sanity back into our political discourse, but I fear, with the hatred of President Trump so intense and ingrained among the Democrats, they will bury themselves without even the help of the Republicans.

Conservative Commentary by Chuck Lehmann