“Never argue with a woman. A woman is always right.” An old saying.
“If you are well-known and ahead in an election contest, why engage in a debate with your lesser know opponent and give her a platform to attack you?” – Emmanuel S. Tipon
“Never engage the enemy, unless you fully know its strength and weakness.” – Emmanuel S. Tipon
“One who knows the enemy and knows himself will not be endangered in a hundred engagements.” Sun Tzu in The Art of War.
“Discussion and debate are not simply courses in a college curriculum. They are the essential tools of a democratic society.” Discussion and Debate, Ewbank and Auer, 2d ed. 1951, Appleton-Century-Crofts. (We used this book when we were students in the University of the Philippines, College of Liberal Arts).
The first question in the Trump v Harris debate on September 10, 2024 by David Muir, the moderator, was:
“Do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?”
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN MY ANSWER:
Heck, No. We, rich and poor alike, are all worse off today than we were four years ago. Average inflation rate under Trump was 1.9% while under Biden it was 5.7% and hit 9.1%. See https://www.investopedia.com/us-inflation-rate-by-president-8546447. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-worst-inflation-in-us-history/ The price of eggs is double, so I cook only one egg for breakfast. I minimize using toilet paper which has tripled in price and is thinner; I have a bidet. (Most non-Filipinos in Hawaii do not know what is a bidet; I asked an attractive salesgirl in a large hardware store: “Where can I find a bidet (“be day”)?” “Biden is not here,” she replied.). The roads have become worse especially in Hawaii, which is controlled by Democrats, because they use asphalt that disintegrates easily especially when it rains (derisively called in the Philippines “asfalso”). Gas prices have almost tripled. Mortgage rates have doubled. There are not enough homes to buy and their prices are exorbitant. The cost of raising a child is sky high.
Millions of illegal aliens, many of whom are criminals or sick with contagious diseases or carrying dangerous drugs and guns, are allowed by the Biden-Harris administration. Illegal aliens are transported to the destination they like at government expense. They are taking jobs from citizens. They kill people. There are wars or threats of war around the world. Putin said that if NATO helps Ukraine fire long-range missiles at Russia there will be a war with NATO with the likelihood that Russia would use nuclear weapons. There are reports that Iran which has nuclear capability is preparing to attack Israel. North Korea has nuclear weapons and has threatened South Korea. China has encircled Taiwan with military drills using warships and fighter jets. Chinese warships are attacking Philippine naval vessels. The enemies of the U.S. and its allies could simultaneously start World War III on election day while the Democrats are busy cheating Trump (all World Wars started when the U.S. President was a Democrat).
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS’S ANSWER:
So, I was raised as a middle-class kid. And I am actually the only person on this stage who has a plan that is about lifting up the middle class and working people of America. I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people. And that is why I imagine and have actually a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy. Because here's the thing. We know that we have a shortage of homes and housing, and the cost of housing is too expensive for far too many people. We know that young families need support to raise their children. And I intend on extending a tax cut for those families of $6,000, which is the largest child tax credit that we have given in a long time. So that those young families can afford to buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy clothes for their children. My passion, one of them, is small businesses. I was actually -- my mother raised my sister and me but there was a woman who helped raise us. We call her our second mother. She was a small business owner. I love our small businesses. My plan is to give a $50,000 tax deduction to start-up small businesses, knowing they are part of the backbone of America's economy. My opponent, on the other hand, his plan is to do what he has done before, which is to provide a tax cut for billionaires and big corporations, which will result in $5 trillion to America's deficit. My opponent has a plan that I call the Trump sales tax, which would be a 20% tax on everyday goods that you rely on to get through the month. Economists have said that Trump's sales tax would actually result for middle-class families in about $4,000 more a year because of his policies and his ideas about what should be the backs of middle-class people paying for tax cuts for billionaires.
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S ANSWER:
First of all, I have no sales tax. That's an incorrect statement. She knows that. We're doing tariffs on other countries. Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we've done for the world. And the tariff will be substantial in some cases. I took in billions and billions of dollars, as you know, from China. In fact, they never took the tariff off because it was so much money, they can't. It would totally destroy everything that they've set out to do. They've taken in billions of dollars from China and other places. They've left the tariffs on. When I had it, I had tariffs and yet I had no inflation. Look, we've had a terrible economy because inflation has -- which is really known as a country buster. It breaks up countries. We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before. Probably the worst in our nation's history. We were at 21%. But that's being generous because many things are 50, 60, 70, and 80% higher than they were just a few years ago. This has been a disaster for people, for the middle class, but for every class. On top of that, we have millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and jails, from mental institutions and insane asylums. And they're coming in and they're taking jobs that are occupied right now by African Americans and Hispanics and also unions. Unions are going to be affected very soon. And you see what's happening. You see what's happening with towns throughout the United States. You look at Springfield, Ohio. You look at Aurora in Colorado. They are taking over the towns. They're taking over buildings. They're going in violently. These are the people that she and Biden let into our country. And they're destroying our country. They're dangerous. They're at the highest level of criminality. And we have to get them out. We have to get them out fast. I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. I'll do it again and even better.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/harris-trump-presidential-debate-transcript/story?id=113560542
NONRESPONSIVE ANSWERS:
Susmariosep. None of their answers was responsive to the simple question. The two candidates should have answered “Yes” or “No”. Then go on with their discourse. The moderator should have kept the debate on track by telling each of the candidates. “Is your answer “Yes” or “No.”?
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HARRIS AND TRUMP
Harris said that she is a candidate of change. But if things are so good under Biden and Harris, what is there to change? Harris is a promising woman. This does not mean full of hope. This means that she promises that she will do this and do that. But why did she and Biden not do what she is promising during the last 3 years.
This is reminiscent of an attractive young woman in the Philippines which has reputedly the most beautiful women. See https://www.quora.com/What-Asian-country-has-the-best-looking-females She holds your hands, then gently touches your inner thigh, asks you to buy her the latest iPhone, and to petition her as a fiancee, promising that she will take care of you, massage you, cook your meals, and make love with you as often as you like. When you say “Wonderful, let’s go to my room, take a shower together and then go to bed,” she tells you: “When we get to Hawaii, it is more romantic there.”
Trump served as President for 4 years. Inflation was very low. Prices of goods were much lower than they are today. Mortgage rates were lower than now. Most illegal aliens were stopped at the border. There was peace throughout the world. During the debate, he said: “I created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country. I’ll do it again and even better.” Trump had shortcomings. But he had also longcomings.
As pointed out by Jack Heath: “Better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t.” (It is often better to deal with someone you are familiar with, even if he is not the best, than to take a risk with an unknown person who could be worse.)
RECOMMENDATION
To the Republicans: You must fight with the general you have, “warts and all”.
To the Democrats: Beware of overconfidence. It could be an “insidious enemy”. Remember the 2016 post-debate polls showing that Hillary Clinton beat Trump in the debate? Trump won the election.
Atty. Emmanuel Samonte Tipon was a Fulbright and Smith-Mundt scholar to Yale Law School where he was awarded a Master of Laws degree specializing in Constitutional Law. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines. He placed third in the 1955 bar examinations. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, New York, and the Philippines. He practices federal law, with emphasis on constitutional issues, immigration law, and appellate federal criminal defense. He was the Dean and a Professor of Law of the College of Law, Northwestern University, Philippines. He has written law books and legal articles for the world’s most prestigious legal publishers including Thomson West and Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. and writes columns for newspapers. He wrote the case notes and annotations for the entire Immigration and Nationality Act published by The Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co. and Bancroft-Whitney Co. (now Thomson Reuters). He wrote the best-seller "Winning by Knowing Your Election Laws.” Listen to The Tipon Report which he co-hosts with his son Attorney Emmanuel “Noel” Tipon. They talk about immigration law, criminal law, court-martial defense, and current events. It is considered the most witty, interesting, and useful radio show in Hawaii. KNDI 1270 AM band every Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Atty. Tipon was born in Laoag City, Philippines. Cell Phone (808) 225-2645. E-Mail: attorneytipon@gmail.com filamlaw@yahoo.com. Website: https://www.tiponimmigrationguide.com
The information provided in this article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Publication of this information is not intended to create, and receipt by you or reading by you does not establish or constitute an attorney-client relationship.)
What's Up Atty 2024 09 14 Are you better off today
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