I grew up in a rural conservative county that was overwhelmingly Republican.  With only one exception every elected County and State Legislative office were occupied by Republicans.  I admired most all these neighbors growing up.  They were sophisticated, wise, and honest members of our community.  It's now difficult for me to fathom how those people would toss their self-respect aside and concede alliance with the obvious thuggery and blatant bias demonstrated by their current party leadership.

What makes this current Impeachment matter such circus is the President's lawyers.  Offering naught but pronouncements of innocence devoid of relevant or material fact of evidence, they and certain of the Republican Senators continue to disrespect the rules of evidence to allow witness testimony (and certainly cross-examination) in arbitration of the Impeachment articles.  And, if there be one group entitled to determine the truth of Trump's Administration, it's those that voted for him.  Not those who find reason to oppose the President's incompetent manner of governance or the disrespect he shows for the protocol and manners of the office.  The mettle of the man Trump is disgusting to anyone of self-respect for themselves and their fellow citizens of this country.
(The Enlightened Prisoner 1-27-2020)

Enlightened Prisoner

When you consider the amount of evidence currently in hand that offers such strong argument for the President's calculated actions to abuse the powers of his office, how can you not be swayed by what amount of further evidence must be discoverable when you see the President's actions to prevent its disclosure?  Truly this is beginning to appear as guilty behavior and we had better be concerned with how a deraigned mind reacts as that noose tightens.  
Let's just hope there's a lot of folks in government right now that are remembering their oath was to protect the Country and its Constitution, not its leadership.  That's a script that only belongs in nations run by despots.   

These are the rants of a deraigned demagogue, not a rational human statesman.  Be wary ye citizens who would praise this Caesar, his bellowing is a curtain for hidden guilt and the chaos of governance by ignorance.   
(Enlightened Prisoner 1-6-2020)

It's just been announced by the Federal Bureau of Economic Affairs, (yes they really are a government agency that's paid to gather information on our economy), that through the third quarter of 2019, corporate taxes paid to the US Treasury accounted for just 3.5 percent of all federal tax revenue, a sharp drop from the 9 percent they paid in 2010 and, the 22 percent paid in 1960.

Folks. federal tax revenue comes from several sources but, the greatest amount paid into the Treasury comes from you, the taxpayer in the form of withholding tax.  Another source is revenue from excise taxes on liquor, gas, tires, etc.  Then  there's the revenue that comes from the collection of tariff fees but bear in mind those fees are usually on marketable items so that fee (or tax) is passed along to you the consumer as a higher price.

Yes, thanks to that Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court, national corporations can now spend as much money on Congressional Representatives as they want.  Which is exactly what happened to influence that big corporate tax break they got when Trump took office.  The one that lowered their taxable table from 35% to 22%.  Trouble is, they get so many deductions on their taxable income, (you'd be amazed at the number of items they get to deduct from their tax liability), that some pay no tax at all, but most paid way below the 35% they claim is stiffing their profits?

Profits at all time highs, cash reserves so great they can destroy competition with buy outs, salaries of corporate officers to production employees so overwhelmingly inequitable, most of their realized income from that tax break being used to buy back stock instead of use for product or production. Yep, their living high and we're not.

On 12-11-19 the Enlightened Prisoner wrote:

I believe the cause for impeachment of President Trump would have been enhanced if the Democratic Representatives would have charged him with "Conduct Unbecoming a President of the United States".  The amount of evidence to support that charge would have overwhelmed Republicans.  

On 12-10-19, the Enlightened Prisoner wrote:

To characterize this Administration as capable of dealing with problems is the problem.  Since their arrival at the White House the atmosphere of community in this country has been placed in jeopardy.  Our reputation for giving a hand to those who want what we've achieved, peace, stability, and opportunity to achieve, is treated as a God-given right, not the privilege of self-determination.  The arrogance and indifference shown by this Administration through its Presidential leadership, is abysmal and has reduced our national reputation for wisdom and compassion into a nation of division and suspicion.  Corrective action is needed and it begins with us because this Administration has placed itself above and uncaring of the national conscience.  Now this President talks of firing still another FBI Director because he would not endorse the President's personal view.  

In the days of J Edgar Hoover, when he was the top dog at the FBI, the issue of political bias was very much in the news.  However, in the case of Hoover, the bias was not directed at the political party, but at the individual who was thought by Hoover to be inimical to the interests of the United States.  Hoover's high-handed ways were exposed by the media and usually it was because of his own cadre of agents who couldn't abide such bias in a controlling government official.  So, my point here is there's always been an independence within the Bureau that put the interests of the country first. They are not and don't want to be considered agents of those who would abuse the power of a government office.  Particularly those elected with little or no concern for any public interest, only self-interest.  I'd certainly put the Country's welfare in the hands of the FBI before the political fortitude of the ineptness currently occupying the White House.  

"It's becoming obvious that the multitude of lies told by President Trump make it impossible to predict which one will be his downfall.  It's a little like backing into a buzz saw and trying to determine which tooth hit you first." 
 Enlightened Prisoner (11-16-19)

The President's words and his actions to thwart and intimidate the legal activity of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee amount to violation of 18 US Code 115, Treason, Sedition & Subversive Activities.  Yes, he used words that threaten civil unrest would result if he were impeached.  And, he made a written twitter record of that.  No matter that he used words that came from another.  He wrote it, he owns it.

Furthermore, his activities to now are evidence to support the Muller Report's conclusions for interference with the 2016 US Election Process.  It doesn't matter that direct evidence of his involvement is not conclusively  evident. The fact is that several people have been indicted, several are identified in the report as failing to provide records or testimony, and there are many instances that would cause a reasonable person to conclude a foreign government was enlisted to help create a negative impression on Secretary Clinton and a favorable one for Trump.  And, all this happened while Trump was in direct control of his election committee composed of people who made the Russia interference possible, and conducted.

Now, the Ukraine actions, which he admits would influence the 2020 election process is before us.  It is the subject of a Congressional Investigation to determine grounds for impeachment.  Because our Constitution forbids any attempt to influence a US Election by the use or efforts of a foreign government.  There is clear and present evidence that our President withheld authorized funds from Ukraine in order to force their government to convene an investigation of a political opponent.  Even though the matter has been determined to lack evidence enough to be conducted.

And this is in addition to the obvious use of his office and its influence to enhance his financial gain while serving in an elected government official.

God speed our Congressional Representatives in their lawful pursuit of this criminally inclined demagogue because we have no hope for an independent investigation from within the Administration.  And, the idea of this being politically motivated is purely a smoke screen.  For an elected representative, this represents a duty to their office, the check and balance of one political party over another.

And right now, our government is in the hands of an unscrupulous cheating, lying, bigot who belies a threat to our Constiuted Republic of government by laws, not men.  This President and his Administration has caused irreparable harm and needs immediate removal and condemnation.

It's just a shame when those who govern believe their emotions are more important that the people they were elected to govern.

It's an arrogance that demands sub-severance and, of course that's unpopular.  It goes again a person's dignity.  (Enlightened Prisoner 8-21-19)