The debate last night, was more serious. I guess if you do it often enough, the results should get better. The annoying part is the oft repeated proposals without any explanation as to how we will pay for the candidates suggestions. In a way, candidates have historically offered proposals that offer lofty gifts to the voters. So there is nothing new in that, but frankly voters should not be presumed to be stupid or uninformed.

So who did well in last nights debate? Did anyone score a breakthrough in garnering support? What did we learn about the candidates?

One of the first questions was about whether any candidate supported raising the minimum wage? Not one candidate wants to raise the minimum wage. Here we had 8 candidates who are trying to convince people that they care about the Middle Class but not one of them wants to really help where it matters, the pocket books of the damaged and hurting Middle Class. In fact one candidate, Donald Trump, said that wages were too high!

If Donald Trump wins, will he put his assets in a blind trust? Would he not just make more and more money if wages were lowered.

Donald Trump actually put forth a real idea but unknowingly if President Eisenhower’s, “Operation Wetback,” were repeated there would be no need for a wall.

Does anyone really think that with the increasing cost of living in America, our wages are too high?

Here we have supposedly serious candidates, who admit that there is income inequality but other than tax cuts, no one wants to give our wage earners a raise. We have record corporate profits and the top 1 and 1/2 percent continue to do well but alas even though wages have been stagnant since 1974, the candidates want to blame President Obama for our income inequality and increased poverty.

You’ve got to be kidding me, President George W. Bush was heading the ship of state when our ship hit a large mine called the Great Recession. But no, in a fit of amnesia everything is blamed on President Obama. I was surprised that he was not blamed for the current case of a young person who contacted the plague on his watch.

Again and Again, we were told of each candidates terrific tax plan. Does anyone seriously believe that a flat tax of 10 or 15% is going to be fair to all? If you make $50,000 or $75,000 dollars a year without any deductions aren’t they going to be hit harder than a millionaire or billionaire who pays the same percent. Math actually works and we have a graduated tax system to be more fair to all.

We are continually told that if only taxes were lower money would trickle down and people would spend it on buying consumer goods. That idea has been tried before and if you want to see how it works today, look at Kansas. What was thought to be the ultimate Tea Party Heaven of lower corporate and personal income taxes for the wealthy has left Kansans in dire financial distress and deeper in debt but the wealthy are doing fine.

But yes, the wealthy do have accountants who save them money on their taxes. They can afford to live without a home owners deduction on their income taxes. Many homeowners who own homes or who want to own a home, would be hammered severely if they did not get to deduct the interests part of their mortgage on their taxes.

Even the pre-debate had it’s charade. The former Governor and Senator Rick Santorum had the ultimate theft in mind for our veterans the day before Veteran’s Day, by suggesting that we get rid of the Veteran’s Medical benefits and turning it over to the best medical system in the world, private enterprise. Here we are with plenty of veterans not making money and barely getting by offered a solution to their problems by turning the VA over to private enterprise. I think our veterans have given enough already to our country without making it worse by turning them over to a system that a lot of them can not afford.

The ultimate canard offered by the candidates other than Rand Paul was the idea that our military is weak and that it is in need of more ships and more airplanes. We have by far the most expensive and well financed military in the world. We may have fewer ships than we had in 1915, but then carriers were not part of the Navy nor were Stealth Fighters and Bombers. The only way any country attacks us is if they want foreign aid like in the movie, ” The Mouse that Roared.”

The Republican support for Israel and a strong military would help insure that with Putin’s help we guarantee that the End of Times becomes a reality.

It is a joke to think that these candidates who profess to be for the Middle Class are really supportive of anyone other than their financial campaign billionaire supporters.

Voters we are looking at the ultimate flim-flam game. If you want to know what is really going on, follow the money. Robert Mercer and his fellow hedge fund billionaires are funding several candidates. Mercer is hedging his bets by giving a lot of money to both Ben Carson and Ted Cruz. Other Hedge Fund billionaires like James Harris Simon and Paul Singer have put a lot of money in the campaign pot to try to make sure that their taxes go lower. How much money is enough? Don’t we all have a responsibility to our country for providing the opportunity for financial success? Yes, we should all be paying taxes if you can afford to do so.  My fellow Americans don’t believe the charade! If you believe that if only regulations were gotten rid of or if only taxes were lower all things would be made right; I have a bridge for sale. You are suckers if you believe the carnival barkers out there braying and yelling to buy their lies. Government is not the problem, the problem is greed.

As to who did well among the candidates, again, Marco Rubio was the best spoken and clear headed. Trump did his insult a debate performance. Rand Paul picked a fight with Rubio accusing Rubio of not being a conservative. Rubio made him pay for his personal attack. Carly Fiorina, was like a drone, buzzing around repeating the same things as she has said in other debates. Sorry, but I don’t think you can put the IRS rules and regulations on only 3 pages. Governor Kasich was assertive determined to be heard and point out his experience on really cutting government spending and making government more efficient but it appears that not enough people at this time care about experienced leadership. Republicans seem to be ready to hand the Presidency over to an amateur. Would one of the outsiders be nothing other than a Figure Head for the wealthy who would be pulling the strings?

Pull up a chair the race for the nomination for the Republican Party is just getting started!