Category Archives: Donald Trump

In a recent opinion piece by Franciscan Sr. Fran Ferder and Fr. John Heagle, they write that many Catholics voted for former President Donald Trump because of his "pro-life" stance. But those Catholics were conned by narcissistic sociopath with patterns of exploiting, lying, blaming, manipulating, entitlement, impulsive behavior and avoiding responsibility. Letters to the editor are edited for length and clarity. You can join the conversation by following the guidelines below.

This validates my four-year nightmare and my feeling of abandonment by the Catholic Church. I have come so close to leaving the church I have devoted my life to. I hope that we can turn the page.

Pope Francis has been a refreshing apostle for Christ. I am sharing this in hopes that people I know will read and take time to reflect.

MARTHA SUE MARTINHouston, Texas

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The article "How Catholics got conned by Donald Trump" is filled with serial falsehoods, half-truths, and subjective opinions unworthy of a Catholic publication.

We knew former President Donald Trump was a playboy, wealthy building contractor and TV producer. However, we were not electing a pastor but a successful businessman we hoped would fix the worst economy in 70 years and America's standing in the world due to Barack Obama getting us into wars, his collusion with Russia, his terrible trade deals, decimation of the military and the disastrous deal with Iran.

To everyone's surprise Trump also became a champion for religious Americans. How did he "con" us by rebuilding the military, ending endless wars, creating jobs for all minorities, protecting our borders, bringing peace to the Middle East, increasing religious freedom, and supporting the sanctity of life? That is simply a vicious cheap shot.

MARIO GOVEIAPerrysburg, Ohio

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I thoughtthis article was well-presented with mostlyeverything that is publicly known about Donald Trump and why he was morally unfit to be elected.

But I have a problem with the title. Electing Trump was no "con job." The obvious facts and facets of who Trump was and his policies were available to every voter before he was elected. His supporters chose to ignore the obvious twice. There is no con with willing support and complicity.

SATHIYA BLYVentura, California

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This is a well-written article. Our lack of true Catholic leadership caused many Catholics to worship Donald Trump like a golden calf.

God created the Catholic Church on earth to change society. God never created a government or endorsed a man-made government to change the world. Never did Christ tell his followers to go to Rome and write manmade laws to change the world.

Yet, many Catholic leaders think protest marches in Washington, D.C., are being Catholic. These same leaders think choosing the right government leaders full fills their role as a leader. We need to evangelize our neighbors and get as many people as possible to listen to the teachings of Christ.

Over 150 years ago, there was a great need for hospitals as our country grew. Catholic nuns created hundreds of hospitals thru out our country and then created excellent nursing schools that exist today. Catholics did not march on Washington, D.C., and demand the government build hospitals. Time for new Catholic leadership in the U.S.

GERALD GROSEKLead, South Dakota

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Sr. Fran Ferder and Fr. John Heagle ask "How do we explain the fact that nearly 57% of white Catholics voted for Trump in this last election?" They offer four answers.

Allow me to add a fifth: racism. Many of the white people who voted for a white supremacist are, to one degree or another, racists, and that includes the "many Catholic bishops" who voted for Donald Trump too.

The necessary changes that need to take place in the U.S. church will never take place at all unless we boldly expose and explore the role that racism has played in white Catholic support for Trump.

JEFFREY JONESHamburg, New York

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In the article, "How Catholics got conned by Donald Trump," the author lists the psychology of Donald Trump, not Catholics.

The main protagonists are the prelates who align themselves with radicalized right wing so-called conservatives starting with Ronald Reagan because it fit their agenda of maintaining the status quo of the church's power structure through subversion of Vatican II by giving them access to the White House and a stream of anti-abortion money used as they wished.

Trump Catholics start with abortion as their reason for supporting the GOP yet end with racist statements with which we've all become familiar. Trump didn't believe in being politically correct so he took his gloves off. Hateful, hurtful, dishonest statements not previously allowed in public discourse were now shouted from the rooftops. Prelates said and did nothing effectively condoning this behavior.

The issue isn't Trump, it's the nature of some humans. It's a part of the U.S. Catholic Church, measured by the percentage of Catholics who voted for Trump, that has been there since the time of segregated churches and neighborhoods. It's not a matter of Trump conning Catholics. It's because that's who some Catholics are.

MICHAEL J. MCDERMOTTTyler, Texas

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Thank you for the carefully written, well-documented article byFran Ferder, a Franciscan sister and a clinical psychologist and Fr. John Heagle.

Too bad most of our American bishops will not read the article and practically none of the lay people who have been taken in by the inept shepherding of our bishops will read the article.

So often as children we were taught about the importance of conscience formation. I found it astounding that clergy in leadership appear to have such poorly formed consciences. They seem to lack the ability that most 10-year-olds have to discern right from wrong, the truth based on evidence as different from a lie or exaggeration and inaccuracies.

They who have preached ad nauseam about "bad habits" seemed not to recognize the ongoing thousands of falsehoods uttered by the person occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Those bad habits created an alternate universe/reality for so many of that individual's followers.

My heart is sick for the gospel so poorly preached and lived by the American Catholic church's leaders today. May we all pitch in and pick up the pieces and live the gospel today.

(Sr.) CAROL ZIEGLER, SNDSouth Euclid, Ohio

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Excerpt from:

Your thoughts on Catholics being conned by Donald Trump - National Catholic Reporter

Emily Schoenbaum said she chose a political theme for her 1009 Montegut St. float house because the Marigny neighborhood is Krewe du Vieux and krewedelusion territory. And even though those two parades arent hitting the streets this year, on account of the coronavirus, she wanted to preserve the spirit of irreverent satire and wackiness that they represent.

Schoenbaum conceived her float house, titled "Trump's Da-mise," back in December, after it was clear the president had been voted out, but before some of his supporters laid siege to the Capitol. The tone of her parody is good natured though it is a bit, uh, biting.

The coronavirus put the kibosh on this years Carnival parades. But fear not, the virus was no match for the Crescent City creative spirit. Fr

The bachelor party-style, inflatable, vinyl girl doll affixed to Schoenbaums roof holds a fishing pole from which dangles a plywood cellphone displaying the Twitter logo that has caught the attention of a plywood version of the 45th president, who has lost his balance and is tumbling toward the gaping jaws of the enormous plywood alligator below.

Munchy, munchy, Schoenbaum said, laughing. With pride of prescience, Schoenbaum pointed out that the joke was born even before Mr. Trump lost his Twitter privileges.

Schoenbaums intention to lampoon Trumps Twitter dependency is clear, but what do the three plywood possums climbing along the porch rails have to do with anything?

Its because I have a family of them living under my house, Schoenbaum said.

'Trump's Da-mise' float house at 1009 Montegut St., combines a former president, possums, Twitter, the Bernie meme and an inflated bachelor party doll in a Louisiana swampscape.

Some onlookers might view the presence of the possums as a visual non sequitur, but others would probably agree that an inflated female angler, a ferocious reptile, a tumbling president and a family of marsupials all somehow fit the surreal 2020 gestalt perfectly. Likewise the plywood Bernie Sanders meme that is a recent addition to the scene.

As all social media devotees well know, a photo of the seemingly withdrawn, mitten-wearing senator from Vermont became an internet sensation soon after Joe Bidens chilly inauguration. And Schoenbaum saw to it that he appeared at her Montegut Street float house too. The Sanders meme seemed to represent anyone whos ever felt theyd been left out in the cold. But most of the time, Schoenbaums Bernie cutout is kept inside behind a window because shes afraid hell be swiped.

Schoenbaum moved to New Orleans from West Virginia in the 1980s in order to attend Tulane University, where she majored in sociology and womens studies. These days shes a house restorer and developer who is not averse to dumpster diving for antique lumber and other materials for use in her restoration projects.

Emily Shoenbaum's float house at 1009 Montegut St., combines a former president, possums, Twitter, the Bernie meme, and an inflated bachelor party doll.

I like to maintain both the integrity and original materials of our unique New Orleans homes, she said.

Schoenbaum said that during a usual Carnival season shed probably take in a couple of Uptown parades, as well as the neighborhood marches, and would spend Mardi Gras under the I-10 overpass on Claiborne Avenue with the Nine Times Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

When she heard about the home decorating craze spreading through the city, she said, Hey, I have an artistic friend who could pull off a house float. Three artistic friends, as it turns out. Linden Keal, Kay Kay Fantasia, and Maya Pen all contributed to the project.

The house has been a crowd pleaser. I really think its boosting peoples spirits, she said. Its distracting in the hum drum.

On Mardi Gras, she said, she plans to toss mini possum toys to passersby from her porch.

Satirical 'Trump's Da-mise' float house at 1009 Montegut St., combines a former president, possums, Twitter, the Bernie meme and an inflated bachelor party doll in a Louisiana swampscape.

The Covington Krewe of House Floats has been created for those who want to decorate their homes or businesses as a Mardi Gras float in order t

Battling the coronavirus blues by jazzing up homes to look like Mardi Gras floats started with one New Orleans woman's idea, but it captured t

South Louisiana gets creative in finding ways to celebrate despite pandemic

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What do Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders and 3 possums have in common? They share a float house - NOLA.com

AdolfHitler used the "Big Lie" strategy to help kill democracy in his country. He had one Big Lieafter another. Hitler used a Big Lieto explain away Germany's defeatin World War I and it set the stage for his meteoric rise in power. He blamed the Jews for Germany's loss, which was patently untrue. He promulgated that lie over and over. And it led to the biggest, and deadliest, lie in history that Jews had to be exterminated.

Donald Trump used multiple Big Liesduring his presidency. It was his propaganda technique. He took a page right out of Hitler's playbook and it almost destroyed American democracy. The sad truth is that many Trump surrogates who remain within our government continue to stoke the remaining embers of the Big Lies.The goal of Trump's lies was to establish him as a dictator devoid of laws, rulesor norms. He wanted absolute power. He wanted to amass greed with impunity. He wanted to be as corrupt and criminal as he wished.

Trump wanted to overturn our democratic way of life. He had no interest in public service. He had no desire to serve and protect the public. In fact, he wanted the public to serve him by acknowledging and accepting his absolute power.

Trump's biggest lie was that the national election was rigged and stolen from him; a lie he telegraphed in 2016. This was totally false, and he knew it. Trump lost fair and square. It was the most open and transparent election in history. There were recounts and more than60 adjudicated lawsuits. No legitimate claims of voter fraud wereever presented by Trump or his allies. But it was this Big Liethat Trump hoped to ride tooverthrow our democracy in order toremain in power. His incitement of the insurrection at the Capitol was a directoutgrowth of this Big Lie.

Another Big Liewas that the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax or wasoverblown or exaggerated or was totally contained. Trumpminimized and denied its severity from the beginning. His federal response was weak and passive. Despite the deaths of nearly 400,000 Americans, Trump continued the Big Lieand did almost nothing. For months he didn't even mention the pandemic or the thousands of deaths. Trump did not want the pandemic to ruin his re-election chances. All he cared about was maintaining power. He was cruel and callous aboutthe mounting numbers of cases and deaths. His Big Liesuccessfully muzzled our nation's experts on infectious disease and epidemiology.

A third Big Liewas that the free press is the "enemy of the people" because itproduces "fake news." This lie was long-lasting yet completely false. Trump wanted nooversight and noaccountability, and viewed the press as a threat to the continuation of his power. Let us be clear: The free press is protected by the Constitution and is a defining feature of our representative democracy. Trump's Big Liehere was completely self-serving, disingenuousand false.

So Trump's three Big Lies individually and in combination defined his presidency. His idea of governing was to use propaganda to solidify his grip on power. But more than that, his "Big Lies" reflected his anti-democratic and anti-American beliefs. Trump does not love democracy and does not love our country.

There were many Big Liesspread by Trump during his tenure. His claims that Robert Mueller's investigation was a hoax was a Big Lie.His "perfect" call with the Ukrainian president was a Big Lie.His claim that he wouldsave protections for pre-existing conditions in health care coverage was a Big Lie.In fact, it has been shown that Trump lied more than30,000 times in four years.

It is undeniable that Trump's plan was to ride his Big Liesinto a dictatorship. He is an authoritarian at heart. He is a fascist in his thinking and in his impulses.

Trump's plan was to activate an anti-democratic movement in the country. The way he connected with millions of supporters was through his Big Lies.That was his hook to capture the attention and irrational passion of his supporters. He was the pied piper of Big Lies.

The Republican Party has been complicit with Donald Trump for four years and counting. They have supported his anti-democratic and anti-American Big Lies.Until and unless the party extricates itself from Trump, millions of Americans will continue to believe in their cult leader and his Big Lies.

Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawleyand many others must change course and condemn Donald Trump. They must correct the Big Lies and to this point there is no sign they will do so.If they don't, they will takethe Republican Party down a rabbit hole of darkness, doom and failure.

Here is what should be verbalized by every single Republican: "I condemn Donald Trump.The election was not stolen.He completely botched the response to the pandemic. The free press is crucial to our democracy. The Republican Party needs new leadership tomaintainour democracy." Members of Congress who cannot make this statement openly and loudly should be expelled. Yes, thisshould be a litmus test for our democracy.Democracy cannot truly prevail until Trump and his Big Liesare renounced and defeated. His anti-democratic rhetoric, behavior and intentions cannot continue to circulate like a metastasizing cancer. Trump's propaganda agenda is still alive. His Big Liesmust be repudiated before any healing and unity are even possible.

This is urgent and necessary. Our democratic experiment hangs in the balance.

Excerpt from:

Donald Trump's Big Lies: How millions of Americans were radicalized - Salon

After a tumultuous one-term presidency, a violent insurrection by supporters, and a retirement to Florida, the Trump name has attracted some negative connotations. And his real-estate holdings are feeling the heat: According to Curbed's analysis of a report from real-estate data firm UrbanDigs, Trump-branded Manhattan properties have lost more than 20% of their value since Trump first took office.

UrbanDigs which looked at the seven luxury buildings in Manhattan that still bear the Trump moniker, and three that used to found that even properties that formerly had Trump in their names lost 17% of their value since 2016. By comparison, the overall price per square foot decline in Manhattan over the same period was just 9%.

In 2016, the average price per square foot in seven NYC properties run by his real-estate behemoth, the Trump Organization, was $2,065, according to the report. In 2017, following Trump's election and inauguration, that figure sunk to $1,903; by 2020, it was at $1,619. That's a drop of 21% from its 2016 price.

The average price per square foot for Manhattan properties was $1,995 in 2016, dipping to $1,815 in 2020 a mere 9% decrease, Curbed notes.

Trump Tower, at 721-725 Fifth Ave., is a gilded condos-and-commercial building that includes Trump's own offices and ornate triplex penthouse. His other residential buildings in New York City include Trump International Hotel & Tower on Columbus Circle, Trump Parc and Trump Parc East on Central Park South, the Trump Park Avenue at 502 Park Ave. and Trump Palace at 200 East 69th St. on the Upper East Side, and Trump World Tower at 327 East 47th St. near the United Nations.

The UrbanDigs report also looked at three buildings that used to bear Trump's name along the Upper West Side's Riverside Boulevard, which faces the Hudson River.

A broker with Brown Harris Stevens and a former Trump Tower resident, Mark Cohen, was marketing three adjacent 41st-floor units in Trump Tower during the 2020 election.

The owner decided to temporarily take those units, which had a combined price tag of $9.49 million, off the market. The owner still wanted to sell the apartments, Cohen said, but wanted to wait out all of the news and attention surrounding Trump.

"My seller is not a desperate seller," Cohen said. "So we didn't want to encourage people who might come in with lowball offers."

That was before the insurrection.

UrbanDigs looked at the most recent data available for its report, which is the 2020 value of Trump's properties. That is a period during which Trump ultimately lost the election and then repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of President Biden's victory.

As Insider reported after the election, the prices in Trump buildings did falter, but residents and realtors were optimistic about the building's future.

However, the Trump name has been dragged through the mud even more in 2021, after a violent insurrection on the Capitol by Trump supporters left five dead and seemed to throw the peaceful transfer of power into question. Trump became the first president to be impeached twice.

Groups began to cut ties with the Trump Organization, including the Girl Scouts and the city of New York. Apartment owners at the Upper East Side's Trump Palace reportedly met to discuss removing Trump's name from the building, Bloomberg reported.

Cohen said that, in the weeks before the insurrection, he had fielded some phone inquiries from prospective buyers about the Trump apartments he was representing but it felt like they were searching for deals.

"From a practical and business standpoint, I think it was just a smart decision to say, 'Let's wait while all the noise kind of surrounding the building and the brand slows down a bit,'" Cohen said. "And then we can think about what our options are probably in a couple months time or maybe longer."

Cohen said that many of the Trump-branded properties happen to be "really nice buildings." He still thinks that, once more time has passed since the insurrection, Trump Tower pricing will rise.

But even if buyers can score a luxury pad for a discounted price, the current situation makes Trump buildings too taboo.

"If I were choosing to market a new project, the Trump name is probably pretty radioactive right now," Cohen said.

An earlier version of this story said that Trump-branded properties in Manhattan had lost about half, or 51%, of their value between 2016 and 2020. UrbanDigs released that figure in their report but later corrected it, citing a data analysis error. The price per square foot in Trump-branded properties actually dropped 21% in that time period.

Excerpt from:

Donald Trump's Manhattan buildings have lost 21% of their value - Business Insider - Business Insider

Source: Summer Solstice Celebration

The Summer Solstice Celebration, board of directors, staff and artists are starting to cook up festivities and programming for the annual Summer Solstice Celebration! We were there for you last year, drumming and dancing up a virtual parade and festival and we will surely be there for our community again this year for our 47th annual celebration. Times are uniquely challenging right now, and thats why we need a little Summer Solstice dose of happiness and artistic community fun. Of course we will have to be extra creative this year again to navigate 2021 festivities safely, but we have the power of art and community, so weve got this! Its time to put on your creative thinking caps and send us your theme ideas, so we can whip up some Solstice magic!

Submit your theme ideas in any of the following ways by January 29:

The theme will be announced in February and begin recruiting designs for posters and t-shirts soon after!

Stay in touch and learn more at http://www.solsticeparade.com

Want to revisit last years Summer Solstice Celebration virtual parade or artist interviews?

Visit the Summer Solstice Celebration YouTube channel at the link below to re-experience the joy!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7sEfn2wU_ULH1f4a5iX63Q

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Summer Solstice Celebration Invites 2021 Theme Ideas - Santa Barbara Edhat

Read: Preparing your mind for uncertain times

In contrast to hedonia, the Stoic approach is known as eudaimonia, which might be defined as a life devoted to our greatest potential in service of our highest ideals. Stoicism is characterized by the principles of naturalism and moralismchanging the things we can to make life better while also accepting the things we cant change. (The Serenity Prayer is very Stoic.) Dont demand that things happen as you wish, Epictetus wrote in The Enchiridion, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.

Moralism is the principle that moral virtue is to be defined and followed for its own sake. Tell yourself, first of all, what kind of man you want to be, Epictetus wrote in his Discourses, and then go ahead with what you are doing. In other words, create a code of virtuous conduct for yourself and live by it, with no loopholes for convenience.

Epicureans and Stoics are encouraged to focus their attention on different aspects of lifeand death. Epicuruss philosophy suggested that we should think intently about happiness, while for Stoics, the paradox of happiness is that to attain it, we must forget about it; with luck, happiness will come as we pursue lifes purpose. Meanwhile, Epicurus encourages us to disregard death while we are alive, and Epictetus insists that we confront it and ponder it regularly, much like the maranasati meditation in Buddhism, in which monks contemplate their own deaths and stages of decay.

Read: What good is thinking about death?

No research to date asks why some people are naturally more Epicurean and others more Stoic. No doubt there is a genetic component, given the large percentage of personality that sits encoded somewhere in our DNA. But nurture likely also plays a role: In one study, a scholar found that parents who modeled and endorsed eudaimonia had kids who engaged in eudaimonic pursuits. Meanwhile, parents who role-modeled hedonia had kids who grew up to derive pleasure primarily from this model. The implication is pretty clear: If you want children who principally pursue duty and honor, do so yourself. If instead you strive to achieve happiness by minimizing pain, your kids probably will too.

People have argued for centuries about which approach is better for happiness, but they largely talk past one another. In truth, each pursues different aspects of happiness: Epicuruss style brings pleasure and enjoyment; Epictetuss method delivers meaning and purpose. As happiness scholars note, a good blend of these things is likeliest to deliver a truly happy life. Too much of onea life of trivial enjoyment or one of grim determinationwill not produce a life well lived, as most of us see it.

The big question is, therefore, how people can manufacture a good blend in their lives between the two approaches. Here are three ideas.

Link:

There Are Two Kinds of Happy People - The Atlantic

Pick of the day: Back

10pm, Channel 4

Anthony Head rocks up at The John Barleycorn playing an ageing hedonistic dude whos long been away seeing the world and is known locally as Charismatic Mike or, as Geoff puts it: Its what you get if you splice Jesus with Clarkson. Charismatic Mike (not to be confused with uncharismatic barman Mike) holds court in the pub, to the annoyance of Andrew (Robert Webb) and the dismay of Stephen (David Mitchell), when it transpires that Mike slept with Stephens mum, Ellen. There are three potential dads, Stephen muses when its also suggested that a certain Crazy Pete might also be the father. Just like Mama Mia!.

i's TV newsletter: what you should watch next

7pm, BBC Two

Ian Hislop joins in a debate about the developments in English due to texting and Twitter, which has led to a stand-off between grammar sticklers and language radicals. The classicist also talks to Shuggie Bain author Douglas Stuart and musician Evelyn Glennie, who is deaf and communicates using touch and vibrations. Beard asks how her life has changed at a time when everyone is communicating through cold, hard screens.

8pm, Channel 4

On the other end of the spectrum to Grand Designs, George Clarke now meets Tim, who plans to make a barn out of discarded windows and old driftwood so that he can get a view of the nearby River Severn (currently blocked by a no doubt necessary flood bank) and novice builder Mandy, who is creating a retirement home in a minivan.

9pm, BBC One

Steve Edge (Benidorm, Phoenix Nights) perhaps had something more glamorous in mind when he signed up to guest in the Caribbean murder-mystery series perhaps playing the owner of a luxury villa or beachside rum shack instead of being stuck in a hospital bed next to Ralf Littles DI Neville Parker. Neville has been hospitalised with an infected sandfly bite after playing volleyball, and the nurse looking after him is found slumped over her desk. Suicide? Not on this show.

9pm, ITV

Anne Hegerty, Mark Labbett and Shaun Wallace better known to The Chase fans as the Governess, the Beast and the Dark Destroyer continue their investigation into different types of intelligence by going head-to-head with child geniuses in the UK. Along the way, they delve deeper into IQ the forthright Hegerty no fan of the tests (My father had an IQ of 161 and he was an idiot) find out about the link between emotional intelligence and creativity, and learn what sleep can reveal about intelligence.

9pm, Sky One

Harry Vanderspeegle is a small-town Colorado doctor except hes really an alien crash-landed on Earth and doing his best to fit in. Harrys no benign ET, however, quite happy to kill anyone who can discern his true identity. This lightly satisfying comic-based black comedy, a sort of Fargo meets Third Rock From The Sun, also finds Harry embroiled in a murder mystery his fish-out-water literal-mindedness fuelling much of the humour, while Alan Tudyk gives an attractive performance as an alien discovering some humanity.

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Whats on TV tonight: Anthony Head joins Mitchell and Webb in a new episode of Back - iNews

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Letter to the editor: Where are Trump's words on riot deaths? - TribLIVE

ANN ARBOR, MI In five days, Eli Savit will be Washtenaw Countys chief prosecutor and he has big plans to reform the countys approach to criminal justice with racial equity in mind.

This marks the first time in nearly three decades theres been turnover in the position. Outgoing Prosecutor Brian Mackie is stepping down after 28 years.

Savit, a 37-year-old attorney and Ann Arbor native elected last month, spoke with The Ann Arbor News/MLive about what people can expect from him and his team.

What day do you officially start on the job and what have you been doing to prepare?

By statute, I take office Jan. 1. Were going to have a ceremonial swearing-in Jan. 2 and then well start in the office Jan. 4.

We were fortunate not to have a general election opponent, which meant we knew we were going to be taking office after the August primary results, and weve been using the past several months to build out transition teams, working in partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders in the community and coming up with policies and partnerships that will really transform the way criminal justice is done in Washtenaw County.

We have a dozen transition working groups ranging across a variety of issue areas. Weve got over 170 folks that have volunteered their time and their expertise ... from law enforcement, from survivor advocacy, from the activist community, civil liberties lawyers, substance-use professionals, really you name it. And Im just so grateful so many folks have come together and really helped us out with the hard work of crafting policies that balance the various weighty considerations that you want to look at when youre engaged in the administration of criminal justice.

Whats foremost on your list of things to tackle as county prosecutor? Do you have a 100-day plan?

Ive got a first-several-weeks plan. The first thing and I said this during the campaign is Im going to be rescinding the zero-tolerance policies (for certain types of crimes) that were maintained by my predecessor.

Zero-tolerance policies prohibit prosecuting attorneys from taking into account the various considerations that should go into any case, really looking at the human story that is at the center of any case involving the criminal justice system.

I just dont believe in treating all cases alike regardless of the factual circumstances underlying them, so Day 1, we are rescinding those policies.

In the first several weeks, I pledge not to continue to seek cash bail in any cases in Washtenaw County. I dont believe in holding people pre-trial based solely on their wealth, and so were going to be rolling out policies around that.

Were going to be rolling out policies with respect to certain drug offenses. You know, marijuana. Ive already made my position clear on entheogenic plants, following up on the Ann Arbor City Council resolution, which made that the lowest law enforcement priority in the city of Ann Arbor.

Were going to be rolling out policies to make sure if a case is potentially the subject of racial profiling, were not charging those. And you can expect followups around juvenile justice, around things such as racial disparities in the criminal legal system. Weve got an exciting partnership that were looking forward to announcing around that.

Victoria Burton-Harris will be Washtenaw County's new chief assistant prosecuting attorney under Prosecutor Eli Savit.Courtesy photo

Can you talk about the team youre assembling? How much of the staff from the current prosecutors office will stay on?

Weve brought in, of course, a new chief assistant prosecuting attorney, Victoria Burton-Harris, who Im tremendously excited about. We see eye to eye on effectively everything in the criminal justice system and we ran on very similar platforms. She ran for Wayne County prosecutor and Im just thrilled shes coming on board in Washtenaw County.

Ive got my own leadership team in place, but we are keeping the majority of the folks in the office. We sat down and talked to every person individually and gauged their willingness to move forward with us on a new path, and weve got a number of just dedicated, hardworking professionals that know their craft in the office that I think are really both willing and excited to move in a new direction alongside us.

How many total prosecutors are there and how many are staying?

Theres around 30 in the office and were looking at building out new units, and I would say the vast majority are staying on. Some folks left voluntarily for other opportunities. Of those around-30, weve got about 24-25 staying on.

What is your general philosophy when it comes to criminal justice and in what other ways will you operate differently than the last prosecutor?

We need to do a lot more thinking about what we can be doing to prevent future harm. The truth of the matter is, once a crime has occurred, in a very real sense, the system has already failed ... society has fallen down in some respect.

What were going to be looking at is data-informed and development-informed and health-informed approaches to nudging people off a path they may be on, where they may be a danger to the community, early on, the first time they come into the justice system. That may be connecting people with treatment resources. For young people, it may be just addressing their needs and whats causing them to act up.

A lot of times what young people need more than punishment is just a human connection, mentorship and potentially their basic needs met. And we dont do very well and we havent done very well trying to punish our way out of basic human needs crises or health crises. It hasnt worked and the data shows that.

My priority is, if we are able to avoid stigmatizing somebody with a criminal record, if we are able to avoid putting somebody into jail or prison, and theres not an imminent public safety risk, we should be pursuing the rehabilitative option.

In more serious cases, of course, I do recognize people need to be separated from the community and their actions have demonstrated that. But again, our goal in the criminal justice system should be preventing things from ever getting to that point and thats our lodestar.

The other thing I will say is we really need to take a serious look at the inequities in our justice system and how people are being treated differently because of who they are.

It is no secret Americas criminal justice system, writ large, has tremendous racial disparities. Black people are about six times more likely to be incarcerated in the United States than white people, and thats in a country with the highest incarceration rate per capita in the entire world. And we are not immune from that in Washtenaw County.

Black defendants receive harsher treatment in Washtenaw County courts, study indicates

I believe we need to look that squarely in the face. We cant stick our heads in the sand anymore and pretend as though racial inequities and racial biases in our justice system dont exist.

One of the things were very excited to be rolling out in really the next several days is a partnership with independent, third-party researchers in which we are for the first time going to drill down and both quantitatively and qualitatively identify and address every instance of racially disparate treatment in our justice system and by our prosecutors office.

And where we find instances of racially disparate treatment, we are going to put in place policies and procedures to eliminate them and were going to be totally transparent.

Washtenaw County prosecutor candidate Eli Savit speaks as daily protests continue outside the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Service Center in Pittsfield Township on Friday, May 29, 2019.Jacob Hamilton/Mlive.com

Do you plan to always seek the lowest possible charge in every criminal case?

I plan to always seek the lowest appropriate criminal charge and thats consistent with my belief we should be imposing consequences no more stringent than necessary to protect public safety. But categorically saying well always seek the lowest possible charge you could always charge a murder potentially as a misdemeanor assault, but obviously thats not appropriate given the circumstances. The murder needs to be treated like a murder.

But the corollary to that is we shouldnt be stacking up charges and bringing the highest possible charge just to gain leverage in plea bargaining and just to seek to exact the most pain from the defendant as possible. Its not rehabilitative, sending somebody to jail or to prison for longer than is necessary to ensure public safety. It severely disrupts that persons life, it has cascading consequences on their family, and by the way, it costs taxpayers a lot of money. It costs $40,000 a year at least to lock somebody up in the state of Michigan.

Are there areas where you see potential synergy between your agenda and the Biden administration?

Absolutely. Im really looking forward to whats going to come out of the Biden administration and one thing that has been proposed is a sort of competitive grant fund for states and local governments interested in enacting real criminal justice reforms.

Criminal justice is really a state and local issue, and so the best way the federal government can move the needle is by offering incentives and grants to local communities and states to support doing things differently. Ive heard a number that has been tossed around that this fund could be as much as $20 billion.

We plan, if this comes to fruition, to aggressively go after every source of funding, because Im very cognizant, if the criminal justice system isnt the answer to societal harm, we still need to address it somehow and we need to do that by building up systems outside of the formal criminal legal system to address things like substance use, to address mental health, to address a young person who may be going down the wrong path.

On the campaign trail this year, many of your yard signs were paired with Black Lives Matter signs, yet you were competing against two Black candidates. What do you think set you apart and appealed to those who seek racial justice?

I think it was about how our campaign started and who we had at the table. This campaign was not something I decided to enter into by myself. It was not something I decided to enter into after consulting with the local criminal justice establishment.

My campaign really had its genesis in conversations with activists looking for change in the prosecutors office and we sat together and we planned together and we came up with a platform together for how we could change things and move things in a more equitable direction and prioritize racial equity.

And the folks that are at my table and have been at my table from the start of this campaign are largely Black activists that have seen the disproportionate impact the criminal justice system has had on Black communities.

Eli Savit, a candidate for Washtenaw County Prosecutor, speaks outside the Washtenaw County Circuit Court, 101 E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. About two dozen supporters gathered in support of Jacob LaBelle, who faces sentencing on one count each of assault with intent to murder, carrying a concealed weapon and felony firearm.Jacob Hamilton

You have said you want to end the era of mass incarceration, yet one of your opponents said she didnt think the county had a mass incarceration problem with a prison commitment rate of 16% for felons. Whats your assessment?

I dont believe mass incarceration is simply a product of how many people are going to prison or how many people are locked up at any given time.

One of the most influential books I have ever read that really crystalized my thinking around the criminal justice system was the book The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.

In that book, she forcefully made the case, and quite persuasively, we have through our criminal legal system effectively replicated Jim Crow-type policies. Not just because of the fact we are locking up at disproportionate rates minority communities, but because of the collateral consequences that accrue after somebody has served their sentence.

If you look at what Jim Crow did in the south, it prevented Black people from accessing jobs, from accessing housing, from accessing equal educational opportunities. And in a system where we have hugely disproportionate rates of Black people and people of color coming through the system and then going through the other side with a criminal record and a felony record, we have effectively recreated that because a felony record can prevent people from accessing exactly those same things that formal Jim Crow policies prevented Black people from accessing for nearly 100 years.

So, when I hear that statistic around the commitment rate of only 16% for felony convictions, quite frankly, Im a little taken aback. Because look at the other side of that equation. What youre saying there is 84% of the people that have been given felony records and now have this lasting stigma on them that prevents them from moving forward in life, 84% of those you didnt think were dangerous enough to separate from the community.

The question then becomes: Why are we saddling those folks with a felony record? What is the point of that?

The county jail population is already down significantly this year. I sense youre not interested in filling it back up?

Im not. And look, this has been a horrible pandemic, but one silver lining is how its forced us to rethink our jail commitment rates. I think the sheriff and our bench here did an excellent job in response to the actions by the governor to take advantage of the opportunity to thin out our jail population and ensure only those folks that posed a risk to public safety were still sitting in jail. ... I also think during a non-pandemic we should only be holding the people in jail that really need to be there.

What is your response to anyone still concerned youre coming into this role without any prosecuting experience?

I think that is in some ways a plus. I come from a civil rights, public interest background, but Ive also been quite cognizant of what I dont know and Ive surrounded myself with folks on my transition team that come from law enforcement, that are prosecutors, that are former prosecutors and do have that on-the-ground experience but do see the need to do things differently in the justice system.

My chief assistant has significant criminal and family law experience. And everybody else in the office, everybody else on my leadership team who bought into the vision is a prosecutor and has significant prosecutorial experience.

Change is coming, but it is not going to be change that is uninformed or change that doesnt reflect the voices of really a broad swath of the community.

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Semiconductors are one of the modern worlds essential industries, making possible so much of what we rely on or take for granted: internet access, high-speed computers with high-speed memory, even the thermostats that control our air conditioning there isnt much, tech-wise, that doesnt use semiconductor chips.With the end of 2020 in sight, its time for the annual ritual of evaluating the equities for the New Year. Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers has cast his eye on the chip industry, tagging several companies as likely gainers next year.The analyst sees several factors combining to boost demand for chips in 2021, including cloud demand, new gaming consoles, and a market resolution to the future of the PC segment. Overall, however, Rakers expects that memory chips and 5G enabled chips will emerge as the drivers of the industry next year. The analyst expects that semiconductor companies, as a group, will see between 10% and 12% growth over the next 12 months.Thats an industry-wide average, however. According to Raker, some chip companies will show significantly higher growth, on the order of 30% to 40% in year ahead. We can look at those companies, along with the latest TipRanks data, to find out what makes these particular chip makers so compelling.Micron Technology (MU)Among the leading chip makers, Micron has staked out a position in the memory segment. The company has seen its market cap expand to $78 billion this year, as shares have appreciated 32% year-to-date. The surge comes on a product line heaving on computer data storage, DRAM, and flash storage.Look back at 2020, Micron has seen revenues increase each quarter, from $4.8 billion in Q1 to $5.4 billion in Q2 to $6.1 billion in Q3. Earnings came in at 87 cents per share, up from 71 cents in Q2 and 36 cents in Q1.The calendar third quarter was Microns 4QFY20, and the full fiscal year showed a decline due attributed to the COVID pandemic. Revenue came in at $21.44 billion, down 8.4% year-over-year, and operating cash flow fell to $8.31 billion from $13.19 billion in FY19. During this past quarter, Microns 1QFY21, the company announced the release of the worlds first 176-layer 3D NAND chip. The new chip promises higher density and faster performance in flash memory, and the architecture is described as a radical breakthrough. The layer count is 40% higher than competing chips.Looking ahead, Micron has updated its F1Q21 guidance, predicting total revenue of $5.7 billion to $5.75 billion. This is a 10% increase from the previous guidance.Wells Fargo's Aaron Rakers calls Micron his top semiconductor idea for 2021. He points out a deepening positive view on the memory, and in particular the DRAM industry. DRAM accounts for approximately two-thirds of Microns revenue and over 80% of the companys bottom-line profits. In addition, Rakers notes Microns technology execution 1Znm DRAM leadership; recently outlined 1nm ramp into 2021, as well as Microns move to 176-Layer 2nd -gen Replacement Gate 3D NAND to drive improved cost curve. We would also highlight Microns execution on graphics memory (e.g., GDDR6X), Multi-Chip Packages (MCPs), and High-Bandwidth Memory (e.g., HBME2) as positives.In line with these comments, Rakers rates Micron shares a Buy, along with a $100 price target. This figure suggests room for 41% growth in 2021. (To watch Rakers track record, click here)Micron has 24 recent reviews on record, breaking down to 19 Buys, 4 Holds, and 1 Sell, and giving the stock a Strong Buy from the analyst consensus. Shares are priced at $70.96, and recent appreciation has pushed them almost to the $74.30 average price target. But as Rakers outlook suggests, there may be more than just 4.5% upside available here. (See MU stock analysis on TipRanks)Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)With $6.5 billion in total sales last year, and a market cap of $110.7 billion, AMD is a giant company but it doesnt even crack the top five of the worlds largest chip makers. Still, AMD has a solid position in the industry, and its x86 processors provide stiff competition for market-leading Intel (INTC). AMD shares have shown solid growth this year, and are up 101% as 2020 comes to a close.The share growth rides on the back of steady revenue gains since the corona crisis peaked in Q1. AMDs Q3 top line came in at $2.8 billion, up 55% from the $1.8 billion recorded in the year-ago quarter and beating the forecast by 10%. Earnings, at 37 cents per share, were up 220% year-over-year. The company credited the growth to solid results in the PC, gaming, and data center product lines, and boasted that it was the fourth consecutive quarter with >25% yoy revenue growth.AMD announced last month a new product for the scientific research market, the Instinct MI100 accelerator. The new chip is billed as the worlds fasted HPC GPU, and the first such x86 server to exceed 10 teraflops performance.Covering AMD for Wells Fargo, Rakers wrote: We remain positive on AMDs competitive positioning for continued sustained gradual share gains in PCs We also believe AMDs deepening data center GPU strategy with new Instinct MI100 GPUs and the release of RoCM 4.0 software platform could become increasingly visible as we move through 2021. AMDs roadmap execution would remain an important focus 7nm+ Ryzen 4000-series, new RDNA Radeon Instinct data center GPUs (MI100 / MI120), and the 3 rd -gen 7nm+ EPYC Milan CPUsRakers stance supports his Buy rating, and his $120 price target implies a 30% one-year upside to the stock.The Moderate Buy analyst consensus view on AMD reflects some residual Wall Street caution. The stocks 20 recent reviews include 13 Buys, 6 Holds, and 1 Sell. AMD shares are selling for $91.64, and like Micron, their recent appreciation has closed the gap with the $94.71 average price target. (See AMD stock analysis on TipRanks)Western Digital Corporation (WDC)Closing out the Wells Fargo picks on this list is Western Digital, a designer and manufacturer of memory systems. The companys products include hard disk drives, solid state drives, data center platforms, embedded flash drives, and portable storage including memory cards and USB thumb drives. WDC has had a tough year in 2020, with shares down 19% year-to-date. Still, the stock has seen gains in November and December, on the heels of what was seen as a strong fiscal 1Q21 report.That earnings report showed $3.9 billion in revenue, which was down 3% year-over-year, but the EPS net loss, at 19 cents, was a tremendous yoy improvement from the 93-cent net loss in the year-ago quarter. The earnings improvement, which beat the forecast by 20%, was key for investors, and the stock is up 30% since the quarterly report. The company also generated a solid cash flow in the quarter, with cash from operations growing 111% sequentially.Wells Fargos Rakers acknowledges WDCs difficulties in 2020, but even so, he believes that this is a stock which is worth the risk.Western Digital has been our toughest constructive call of 2020 and while we believe calling a bottom in NAND Flash (mid/2H2021?) remains difficult and WDs execution in enterprise SSDs will remain choppy, our SOTP analysis leaves us to continue to believe that shares present a compelling risk / reward. We continue to believe that Western Digital can drive to a ~$7/sh.+ mid-cycle EPS story; however, we continue to think a key driver of this fundamental upside will not only be a recovery in the NAND Flash business, coupled with WDs ability to see improved execution in enterprise SSDs, but also a continued view that WDs HDD gross margin can return to a sustainable 30%+ level, Rakers opined.To this end, Rakers rates WDC a Buy along with a $65 price target. Should the target be met, investors could pocket gains of 29% over the next months Where does the rest of the Street side on this computer-storage maker? It appears mostly bullish, as TipRanks analytics demonstrate WDC as a Buy. Out of 11 analysts tracked in the last 3 months, 7 are bullish, while 4 remain sidelined. With a return potential of 9%, the stocks consensus target price stands at $54.44. (See WDC stock analysis on TipRanks)To find good ideas for tech stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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