Filed under: Bureaucracy, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Economy, Education, Intelligence, Law, Media Bias, National Security, Politics, Progressives, Regulation, Statism, The Constitution | Tags: Politics as a Way of Life, Six Hundred Pages, The Washington Swamp
The breathlessly awaited Inspector General’s report has been released, and Singapore has vanished from the news. The report is some 600 pages long, so everybody is frantically trying to read it all very quickly, and only dribs and drabs are getting out. Those who hoped to see James Comey off to jail promptly will be disappointed. It is quite clear that there has been some improper behavior, but how much and who and whether it amounts to anything significant remains to be seen. Be patient.
What is clear is that there is indeed a swamp. Too many people who have been around too long, feel entitled, and have lost their sense of being servants of the people of the United States working to make the country better have got it all backwards. They believe they are in charge, and entitled to run the show. Throw in a goodly mixture of hard left bias learned from the faculties of the nation’s colleges and universities, and you have a glimpse of the problems. The media suffer from the same delusions. It ‘s going to take some real work to put it all back together.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Crime, Domestic Policy, Economics, Economy, Immigration, Intelligence, Law, Regulation, Taxes | Tags: Pure Partisan Politics, The Media, "Fake News"
Here is an article I ran across this morning from The New York Times that is a perfect example of the loony “resistance.” If you want an example of why the president tweets about “fake news”, here you go. Ideally, I would love to see you print it out, take a red pencil, and underline each word and phrase that is poisonously partisan, false, slanted or just plain untrue. So and so “are said to be thinking”— oh yeah? Who said they “are said”? “Last week, Mr Kelly told senators that the White House was “a miserable place to work”— so what? Many people have said or thought that about their workplace many times when exasperated without it being front page news for the NYT. Sometimes work is hard. That’s why they call it “work.”
Anything that can be phrased to carry a negative connotation is. Anything that can be described in a way unflattering to the President is. The entire article is a perfect example of the poisonous possibilities of the pen—how can you attempt to demonize with every word, every unsourced statement, and snide assumption, and still be considered “a reporter.” I almost never read anything in the NYT, but occasionally read the headlines to see if anything has changed. But for East Coast lefties—this is what is happening, and what is real. And this is what the President must face every day. That he only responds by calling some of it “fake news” is really quite amazing.
Donald Trump was considered unfit for the presidency by many, who thought of him as a reality TV star. He did do that for fun for a while. Yet we consider a House or Senate term as an excellent qualification for office. So they voted Yea or Nay a number of times and sat through speeches and hearings and contributed what? In Hillary’s case, I read that her only bill during her term in the senate was to name a new Post Office.
Mr.Trump, on the other hand, built things in New York City and environs, doing battle with zoning bureaucrats, regulators, councilmen, lawyers, unions, mob bosses, city councils, accountants, environmentalists, traffic regulators, pages and pages of regulations, state officials, and who knows what else, and still managed to get things built and make money at it. Sounds like a fairly good course in doing government, but of course doesn’t rate the approval of those who consider him not quite their class, with orange hair and too tanned complexion, and someone who speaks like a person in the construction trades from Queens.
If you did the red pencil thing, or not, now watch the Victor Davis Hanson speech, and think about today’s world. President Trump has surpassed 3% growth, some are expecting it to hit 4% soon. Black unemployment is at the lowest rate ever, and white unemployment is decreasing as well. Business is growing with tax relief and the removal of unnecessary and expensive regulations. The list of accomplishments is growing daily in spite of all the attacks. Tom Steyer is still out there spending millions to try to get the President impeached. And the slowly unwinding story of collusion and Russia and the CIA, Justice, the FBI, the Intelligence Committees of House and Senate, continue to reveal the seamier side of government.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Domestic Policy, Economics, Economy, Foreign Policy, History, Immigration, Intelligence, Law, Media Bias, Politics, Regulation, Taxes, The United States, Unemployment | Tags: 8 Years of Obama, Six Months of Trump, Victor Davis Hanson
A very odd and unappealing opening visual. Here is Victor Davis Hanson speaking at Hillsdale College about the Trump Administration and what is working and why and why not. It’s a little long, but worth every minute. I am a great admirer of Victor Hanson. He thinks clearly, informed deeply by his studies in history and the classics to consider the big picture and how the little events of our times fit in.
It seemed to fit nicely with the absurd New York Times article posted just above. An excellent view of where we are and why. Enjoy.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Education, Free Speech, Freedom, History, Immigration, Intelligence, Politics, Progressives, Regulation, The Constitution, The United States | Tags: Heather MacDonald, The Diversity Officers, What's Wong With Our Colleges?
I always pay attention to Heather MacDonald. She is an outstanding scholar who really digs into her subject. She is an expert on policing because she hangs out in police stations, talks to policemen and city council members and carefully studies the statistics.
She often writes or speaks about diversity, which is one of my hot buttons. I checked the archives to see how many times I had written about the subject, and was astonished to discover that I’d done so 13 times, the first in 2012. (Just enter “Diversity” in the sidebar over Bob Hope’s head)
You have probably noticed that “Diversity” seems to be a subject at the forefront of the news and conversation. It refers only to race, in spite of the clear fact that race relations, intermarriage, achievement of Blacks and Hispanics is probably better than it has ever been. Although “Diversity” refers only to race, it includes only Blacks and Hispanics. Native Americans are sometimes included when it seems appropriate, but the fact that most tribes captured slaves is never, never mentioned.
It is enough of a subject, however, that claiming Native American ancestry is occasionally helpful in seeking employment. Comanche and Cherokee are favored, Nez Perce or Clackamas not so much. Folks from India are very tech-savvy and besides, Indian food is delicious. Those of Chinese heritage have a different problem, their test scores are so high that if the Ivy League admitted all who qualify, there wouldn’t be places for the rest of us. Whether they are just smarter than we are or whether it’s because they have “tiger moms,” I don’t know.
The idea that “Diversity” is only about race and skin color is not just wrong, but abhorrent. We are all individuals with different attributes, abilities and interests. Theoretically education is supposed to help us develop those. The current theory seems to be that you will be better educated if you have the correct number of people of color in your class.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Domestic Policy, Economics, Economy, Immigration, Intelligence, Law, Media Bias, Regulation, Taxes, The United States | Tags: Liberal Journalists, Progressive Politicians, Word From the Front
An interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal today by a Republican media consultant. He says:
I’m routinely invited to represent the right-leaning view on left-leaning news outlets, including CNN, MSNBC and NPR. Usually I’m invited to appear alongside two liberal panelists, a liberal show host, and a viewing audience rooting for my competitors. I’m not expected to take a dive, but everything is arranged to make it hard for me to win the argument.
He says that waiting in the green room to go on the air. he meets all kinds of liberal journalists, activists, progressive politicians and Hollywood celebrities. And what has he learned from observing these people close up?
Liberals are united in the belief that the election of Donald Trump constituted a cataclysmic anomaly in the political cosmos. They believe in their hearts that this cataclysm was instigated by an outside agent using cyber chicanery. Equally clear is their newfound collective purpose in life—to rectify this horrific reality any way they can. …
The conversations I’ve heard regarding the president’s mental state have been even more bizarre. I’ve heard it all—he is on medication that causes erratic behavior, he has a mental illness, he has been brainwashed or blackmailed by the Russians.
The consequence of this mindset is that President Trump’s successes have not been reported. The historic unemployment numbers, the destruction of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the potential breakthrough with North Korea, no clue.
At The Federalist, Johnathan Tobin writes about the Never Trumpers who find President Trump’s conduct so unpresidential and deeply inappropriate, that they are ready to join forces with liberals to oppose the president in court and in future political campaigns.
But to the hardcore Never Trump remnant, his policies are irrelevant. That fact that he has been arguably among the most conservative presidents in memory and has done things these figures would have supported if any other Republican had carried them out means nothing to them. In their eyes, Trump’s personality and sensibilities are a threat, as one of them told The New York Times, to “the liberal order” and a destroyer of the “norms of democracy.”
They seriously believe that Trump is plotting the end of democracy, and unless there is a successful resistance we are living in the last days of the Weimar republic. His policies are irrelevant. Apparently opposition to the president is more important than lower taxes, a conservative judiciary, ending the Iran Deal and recognizing Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel.
I really don’t understand Trump Derangement Syndrome, though it’s very clear that it really exists. Democrats are inclined to fall in love with their presidents, and loathe Republicans. But presidents are only ordinary men, with all the faults and foibles that go along with being human. Political campaigns are full of excess and hoopla and when we elect someone to the presidency, we can only cross our fingers and hope that they do some of the things we believe to be important. Part of the derangement is, of course that Trump is undoing Obama’s “accomplishments.” The fact that they would not work, were bad ideas, or even big mistakes would make no difference. They’d fix it later. And then, of course, Democrats don’t believe in cutting taxes, or removing regulations. Every Democrat in Congress voted against cutting taxes.
Economic estimates are coming in for the second quarter, and they are all 3.3% and more. Democrats promised us that there was no longer any possibility of getting beyond 2% growth. Trump is horrible is probably not a winning message.
Filed under: Bureaucracy, Capitalism, Crime, Developing Nations, Economy, Education, Europe, Immigration, Intelligence, Law, Politics | Tags: Dangerous Illusions, Globalism and Reality, Immigration
This one is a must watch video. Prager University is doing a wonderful job with their very short videos to teach short classes, and make us think. There are really important subjects out there, and we must, at our peril, pay attention, and give the matter real thought.
Governments can go haywire. European governments have fallen for guilt. Not just undeserved guilt, but guilt that makes no sense. So they pretend. They pretend that that the problems brought by uninvited immigrants must be ignored, so they can pretend they are being nice. It’s hard to take on difficult problems and work out ways to deal with them. It’s easier to avoid any fights and dissension. But the future is out there, waiting to be — what? You can ponder the possibilities.
