Paul Luvera Journal

Between 1776 and 1788 Edward Gibbon, an English historian, published six volumes The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He discussed the reasons for the collapse of the Roman Empire and some bear a clear resemblance to the United States today. These include Gibbon's pointing to Rome's  (1) over economic spending and debt (2) over-expansion and military overspending (3) government corruption, political instability and political incompetence (4) economic disparity resulting in a divide between the rich…

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Warning: If you are a Donald Trump supporter you won't like this blog posting.  My friend Mark D. Swendsen, Sr. and I have shared ideas including those dealing with politics. Mark has been a California attorney for four decades and a former hostage negotiator. He has published books and lectured. He has monitored the presidential campaign and Donald Trump. I asked him to comment on the Trump election and here are his views which I share: THE SECOND COMING Donald…

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When Captain Kirk wanted to be transported back to the Starship Enterprise he would command chief engineer Scotty to "Beam me up." The politics in Washington make me feel as if I am on the wrong planet. The political lunacy is like being in an alien world run by beings whose chief goal appears to be to eliminate all government involvement in society. They act like the anarchists of the 1920's whose objective was to eliminate government and create a society…

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I'm continually amazed by the American voter's seemingly lack of concern about truth and honesty. Their willingness to ignore facts in order to maintain existing beliefs or support of political leaders has been demonstrated repeatedly during the presidential campaign and up to the present time. Even when the evidence is clear that they have been lied to they nevertheless too often brush it off as unimportant. One clear example is the Trump accusation about wire tapping during the campaign. Look at…

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The morning after the presidential vote was counted, I was walking in downtown Seattle, hurrying to get back to our hotel when I tripped and fell landing on the sidewalk splitting my lip and breaking a tooth. I had planned to blame it on Donald trump's election because I was upset but, the truth is I was not being careful. A very kind young man, Albert, helped me  up and then walked me the remaining several blocks back to the hotel and made sure I was all right. I was upset enough…

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Lita and I flew to Scottsdale on Monday for some sun and relaxation at our home in Scottsdale. It isn't just a move from Northwest weather to sunny Arizona weather, it is a move from one culture to another. I don't know where to start in explaining what I mean, but let's start with politics for example. Eighty year old Senator John McCain, first elected to the Senate in 1986, is running again for reelection to the United States Senate….

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The Reverend Franklin Graham's  exhortation to Christians regarding their presidential vote was based upon the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. The media  reports: Franklin Graham did not advocate for either Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, but he exhorted those in attendance to research the two parties’ platforms to determine which candidate would nominate Supreme Court justices who would defend religious values. The difference between the parties, he said, was “night and day.” Reverend Graham and the presidential candidates and their…

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I suspect most everyone is very tired of all the politics and hearing about politics. However, after watching last night's Republican convention talk by Donald Trump I can't help but express my fears about the presidential election from my standpoint as a Democrat.I think that most of the political issues that have been discussed and which were reviewed last night at the Republican convention and the talk by candidate Donald Trump relate to issues of values,  self-interest and survivorship. They…

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