THE LATEST executive order of United States President Donald Trump creates the Gold Card Visa at the reduced price $1 million, originally priced at $5 million.
There have been a number of concerns expressed about access, ethics, inappropriate candidates, and basic fairness.
The card, as shown in a number of papers and online, appears not to be gold colored but more urine colored. This might be appropriate symbolism.
There are other special visa schemes including the H-1B “…that allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, as well as fashion models…” (thanks Wikipedia). Approximately 250 models, including the now First Lady, Melania Trump, have received this visa.
Whatever the color, it is more important that the visas go to people who will be of benefit to the country.
Earn you visa, don’t just buy it.
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Stand strong
The departures of talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, and who knows the next one, are apparently for a number of reasons, officially costs and rating, but there is also a common occurrence: they criticized President Trump, a lot.
He has commented “… all they do is hit Trump”, and “I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
And maybe I could use the same approach with those that have displeased me, the bully in grade two, the gym teacher who doubted my ability, although accurately, and the English teacher who said I was going to fail badly, although I am not sure how you could fail goodly.
What I have actually done is forget them and move on. You need to stand up to bullies and that can be by just ignoring them.
A frail ego needs a lot of protection at times but it shouldn’t be at the cost of other people’s jobs.
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Three times
1. Stephen Colbert
2. Jimmy Kimmel
3. The right to comment
Three strikes and you’re out, but President Trump is still here.
With the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel for some truthful asides about Trump, we see another voice silenced. Even if the truth is gagged, it is still the Truth.
There are some countries where criticism of the leadership will see the voice silenced and the speaker killed. So far in America it isn’t that bad, yet.
Some people, the late-night hosts and their crews of hundreds, have lost their jobs and the New York Times faces loses of $15 billion, and thus it’s existence, if Trump’s lawsuit is successful.
There is a need for a range of voices, some from all areas and most will be ‘lawful’ without breaching laws of slander or offence.
Open your mouths and speak your own words while you still can.
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Words count
An Australian journalist asked President Trump about his “business activity” and got shut down swiftly.
The official White House account later reported about “a rude foreign Fake News loser”. Oh, the eloquence and sophistication of the President and the official online voice.
Much of this presidency will be defined and remembered by those words: “rude”, “fake”, and “loser”. The reader can decide on how they want to use these words and many other derogatives or if they wish to, some praise, although that is less likely. (dennis.fitzgerald.letters@gmail.com)/PN
