Category: Uncategorized

MIGRANTS OR CITIZENS?

It may not always seem that way, but the federal government has a finite amount of money. It cannot fund everything. So, which group should get preference for assistance, migrants or citizens? Most of you probably think that is a “trick” question. It seems like a no-brainer. Of course, US citizens should get preference when it comes to government largesse.

Unfortunately, under the Biden-Harris Administration (“BH”) that has not always been the case. We have all heard the news reports of illegal immigrants receiving a cornucopia of free stuff, such as food stamps, free lodging in luxury hotels, free flights directly into the US often in the middle of the night, free education, and free medical care, among others. The list of freebies is much more extensive than that, but you get the point. What are the sources of funding for this largesse? Federal? States? Local? I’m not sure, but it is probably from a combination of the three. Meanwhile, some states and local governments are heading for bankruptcy, and the federal government is running deficits that are unsustainable.

In many locales the sheer volume of illegals has overwhelmed social services to the detriment of opportunities for American children, particularly with respect to education, social services, health services, and recreational opportunities. Moreover, the government doesn’t seem to have enough funds or doesn’t care to provide basic services to many military veterans. All too often, the Dems have demonstrated a preference to take care of the needs of illegal migrants over those of American citizens.

In the last few days, in the wake of Hurricane Helene a more unbelievable situation has been exposed. As we all know, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”) is responsible for assisting victims of disasters such as hurricanes. tornadoes, floods, and the like. Typically, these victims are in the most dire of circumstances. They have lost their homes and their personal property. They may need emergency rescue from rubble or flood waters. They may be unable to locate loved ones. They are without basic services such as food, water, shelter, medicine and internet services. As I write this it is being reported that some 700,000 homes and businesses are still without power, approximately one week after Helene passed through. This is unbelievable and unacceptable.

People are overwrought. In short, they are suffering through the worst times of their lives. They need emergency help, and they need it NOW, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, NOW. In times such as this they rely on FEMA to provide those services. Hours matter. Days matter. Often, this is life or death.

That brings us to the current situation, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The following is based on multiple media reports. Helene was one of the most devastating storms in recent years. So far, it ranks as #4 in the US since 1950. It has wreaked havoc and devastation throughout the southeast, affecting six states – FL, GA, NC, SC, TN and VA.

According to published reports at least 200 are known dead, and that number is expected to rise substantially as more bodies are discovered in the rubble and in currently inaccessible areas. Many more are injured or missing. The total damage to property is incalculable at this time. Some houses are buried waist deep in mud. Many cannot or will not be rebuilt. Over 150,000 households have already requested assistance, and according to FEMA spokesman Frank Matranga many more will be doing so. NC Governor Roy Cooper reported that entire towns have been “wiped off the map.” As if that isn’t bad enough many claimants have no or inadequate hurricane damage insurance.

I see two overriding problems. Firstly, FEMA has been slow to provide relief services to many of the areas of devastation, particularly remote areas of North Carolina in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains. As I said, the devastation wrought by Helene was widespread, covering several states including many areas that are relatively inaccessible. That said, FEMA has not done its job. The relief effort appears to be disorganized. People are dying for lack of assistance. FEMA should be doing more.

In the meantime, there have been reports that rather than accepting assistance wherever and whenever it is offered FEMA has actually been slow-walking or even blocking some relief efforts initiated by private citizens. For example, it’s been reported that FEMA has been slow-walking or even blocking Elon Musk’s efforts to restore internet communications in affected areas through his Starlink satellite system. This would be unconscionable.

The other overriding problem is that according to multiple media reports FEMA is running out of funds. It may not have sufficient funds to respond to Hurricane Helene, which is ominous in and of itself. But, even worse, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who supervises the agency, has told reporters that FEMA will not have enough for the rest of the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 – November 30. He stated, “we are expecting another hurricane hitting. …We do not have the funds to make it through the season and what is imminent.”

Biden, Harris and Trump have all toured the area to assess the damage firsthand. Fine, but that is little comfort to those affected. According to Biden it will cost “billions of dollars to deal with this storm and all the communities affected.” Where will the funding come from? It will come from Congress, of course, in the form of a supplemental bill, but the lawmakers will have to act quickly and decisively, two traits they are not known for. Furthermore, Congress will not be back in session until after ED. The leadership will have to figure out a way to get it passed before then. And that is just for Helene. I agree with Mayorkas that we should expect and anticipate other hurricanes before the end of the season.

But that begs the bigger question. Where is the money that is supposed to have been available right now. Congress provides FEMA’s funding every year. The agency gets an operating budget and a disaster relief fund. The funding is to be used to pay for relief from natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like. In addition, the money is to be allocated to pay for rebuilding from past disasters and to protect communities proactively from prospective disasters. When and if its funds run low it can and does request Congress for “immediate needs funding.” Congress recently approved an additional $20 million for this, but apparently it is mostly gone.

One might ask, how could this happen? What is the remedy? Where has the funding gone? Why didn’t FEMA anticipate this shortfall and request sufficient funding before? Why delay until it’s a crisis? Good questions.

Like most everything else, the answer appears to be political. According to the NY Post, Fox News, various GOP politicians, including Donald Trump, and outside observers such as Elon Musk a major reason for the shortfall is that BH have authorized diverting some $641 million in the current year from FEMA’s emergency fund to pay for various services for migrants. During the last two years the figure is reported to amount to around $1.4 billion. According to the NY Post the DHS has admitted that it “allocated” funds from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program for funding migrants’ needs.

If this is correct it is downright scandalous and perhaps illegal. In any event, it is another clear case of the Dem government giving preference to illegal migrants over US citizens. Rep Matt Gaetz has reported that his office has received multiple reports from “whistle blowers” confirming this misuse of funds.

Meanwhile according to multiple media reports FEMA has offered affected families $750 for groceries. That paltry amount won’t begin to cover a family’s needs.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott urged Mayorkas and FEMA to “immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by [Helene]. Put Americans first.” He is not alone. Congressman Jim Jordan was more blunt. “The Biden-Harris administration took more than a billion tax dollars that had been allocated to FEMA for disaster relief and used it to house illegal aliens. … They’ve abandoned American hurricane victims in NC, GA, FL, SC, and TN [and VA].” Their remarks were echoed by many others.

The Dems and their allies in the media deny these allegations, but I believe them. It is plausible to me. All that migrant money had to come from somewhere, and the feds have been known to play games with interagency funding before.

CONCLUSION

This is another example of the incompetence and deception of the BH Administration. They secretly reallocated funds to pay for migrant services. In doing so, they have severely depleted FEMA’s funds. They acted surreptitiously hoping that no one would find out, because they knew it would be very unpopular, very damaging politically, and possibly illegal. Now, it appears that there may not be sufficient funds to care for Americans who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene, and there is a risk that there will not be sufficient funds for prospective natural disasters this year. They figuratively got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

The Dems and their allies in the media are denying this, but they have lied about many other things in the past few years, so I don’t think they should get the benefit of the doubt in this case. I would like Congress to commence an investigation into this matter to ascertain the perpetrators of this gross misuse of funds.

Moreover, we should keep in mind that the election is only one month away. In my last blog I opined that the manner in which KK handles this and the other three serious problems I discussed – the dockworkers’ strike and the wars in Ukraine and the ME – would have a profound effect on the election. She could be a hero or a zero. She dodged a bullet with the dockworkers’ strike with a temporary settlement. Good for her. But so far it appears that her handling of this issue will damage her prospects. Two of the devastated states, Georgia and NC, are swing states, and people will likely remember her incompetence on ED.

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VANCE-WALZ DEBATE

Last Tuesday, October 1, the first, and probably only, debate between VP nominees J. D. Vance and Tim Walz was telecast on CBS. The network reported that an estimated 43 million persons watched it. This sounds like a lot, but it was a sizeable decrease from the estimated 58 million who watched the 2020 VP nominee debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris.

For the most part, as one might expect, the post-debate analysis of who won followed along party lines. As I said after the Trump-Harris debate the key is not who “won,” but the post-debate effect on the polls. Often, they are not synchronized. So far, the post-debate polls have moved slightly in favor of Trump, but the race remains extremely close, and an unforeseen external event could be decisive. More on this below.

My analysis and opinion of the debate is as follows:

  1. Both candidates were unusually cordial to one another. There was some animosity but not nearly to the level of other debates. It was almost as if the two of them were going out for a beer after the debate.
  2. In general, Vance seemed more polished, more professional, more presidential and in better command of the facts and issues. On the other hand, Walz came across as uncomfortable, nervous and jittery. A few times he exhibited a “deer in the headlights” look.
  3. Once again, the moderators were biased in favor of the Dem. For example, even though all parties had agreed that the moderators would remain neutral and refrain from fact-checking they did so to Vance on a few occasions. Finally, he had to remind them that it had been agreed beforehand they wouldn’t do so.
  4. I objected to the selection of questions. For example, there was no question regarding the violent protests in 2020 that wreaked destruction on many cities, including Minneapolis. As you may recall, Walz had resisted requesting assistance from the MN National Guard for several days. Moreover, he and his wife kept the windows in their home open the better to see, hear and smell the protests and fires in Minneapolis. How weird was that? There was no mention of Walz’ “stolen valor.” He retired from his Guard unit (essentially quit) when he heard it was going to deploy overseas, which has drawn much rancor from other members of his unit. Finally, there was no question on fracking, which is one of, if not the, key issues in the key swing state of PA. These were all issues on which Harris-Walz was vulnerable. I would have loved to hear Walz’s explanation regarding them.
  5. Walz had two particularly bad moments. He uttered two sound bites that people will remember, even those who did not watch the debate. They will likely be repeated over and over again on social media and in political advertisements. (1) He confused a trip to China with one to Hong Kong. That was when he uttered his soon to be famous “knucklehead” comment. The second one was when he stated he had become “friendly” with “school shooters.”
  6. Walz’s best moment occurred with respect to the 2020 election. Vance was reluctant to acknowledge that Trump had lost, but he did denote that Trump had asked demonstrators going to the capitol to protest “peacefully and patriotically” and that Trump had repeatedly requested additional security, which was denied.
  7. The Dems continue to bring up two issues about which they lie – the 2025 Project and abortion. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of or involvement with Project 2025, and he has reiterated time and again that pursuant to SCOTUS’ recent ruling the issue of abortion has been relegated to each state where the voters will decide that state’s policy. Give it up, already!
  8. Walz was weak regarding the ME conflict. He refused to state that Harris’ support for Israel was “iron clad.” Vance pointed out that there had been no conflicts during Trump’s presidency.
  9. The analyses of most commentators fell along party lines, although the NY Times opined that “Vance dominated the debate,” and some members of CNN’s post-debate round table said they were “disappointed” with Walz’s performance. Full disclosure: CNN disclosed that according to its post-debate instant poll there was no “clear-cut” winner.
  10. On the GOP side, Newt Gingrich was particularly effusive in rating Vance’s performance. He commented that he (Vance) showed “exactly how to do it (the debate).” He added that Vance “handled the [biased] moderators [well] and vindicated Trump’s judgment in picking him [as his running mate.”
  11. The implication was that Harris exhibited poor judgement in selecting Walz. That renewed speculation that PA Governor Josh Shapiro would have been the better choice, but he was passed over to appease the antisemitic leftwing of the party.
  12. Initial post-debate polls have shown a slight movement in favor of Trump, but the race remains extremely close with any advantages in the swing states still within the margin for error. Matt Towery, pollster and Fox News political analyst, declared that Vance had the better performance, and that Trump should receive a “bump” (in the polls).
  13. Robert Cahaly, chief pollster for the Trafalgar Group, was particularly impressed with the manner in which Vance handled the issue of climate change. Vance had pointed out that if Harris and her allies truly cared about the effect of fossil fuels on the environment, they would seek to use American-produced energy as it is much cleaner and more environment-friendly than energy produced elsewhere.

CONCLUSION

I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on the VP debate. All the polls say the election remains a virtual dead heat. There is still a month to go before ED, although early voting has already commenced in some states.

History tells us that a lot can happen between now and ED to influence the election. For example, there are four current events – the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, the war in the ME, the war in Ukraine, and the dockworkers’ strike – any one of which could have a decisive effect. Harris has the chance to boost her candidacy or doom it depending on how she handles them.

Also, there could be some unforeseen event such as a 9/11-style terror attack, another deadly natural disaster or some other unforeseen event. For example, some of you may recall Superstorm Sandy, which occurred on October 29, 2012 and had a significant impact on the 2012 election.

This is a most critical election, and all indications are that it will be historically close and go down to the wire. Stay tuned.

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PETE ROSE

Pete Rose was an enigma. There were two distinct sides to him. On the one hand, he was a highly skilled baseball player, arguably one of the best of his generation. He played the game with a passion that few could match, and his accomplishments, both individually and as part of a team, speak for themselves.

On the other hand, he disrespected the game he loved by breaking the most sacred rule, the rule that goes to the very integrity of the game. He bet on baseball games, even on his own team. When he was caught, he compounded the crime by denying it. As a result, baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti suspended him decreed him to be ineligible for the Hall of Fame for life.

Eventually, he admitted the transgression, but when commissioner Bud Selig asked him why he did it, he replied “I didn’t think I’d get caught.” As a result of his actions and his vehement denials he has remained ineligible for the HOF. More on this later.

Peter Edward Rose was born on April 14, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio. At Western Hills High School in Cincinnati, he excelled in both baseball and football. Upon graduation he was not a highly regarded prospect but fortuitously one of his uncles was a “Bird Dog” scout for the Cincinnati Reds. He convinced the Reds to take a chance on Pete.

Rose progressed rapidly through the minors, and in three years he made the majors. He was a star from the beginning. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1963.

Rose was known for his hustling and aggressive playing style. He was the first player I can remember who sprinted to first base when he was “walked.” Most every other player jogs to the base. This characteristic earned him the amusing nickname “Charlie Hustle.”

Rose played 24 years in the Majors for three teams – the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos. He also managed the Reds for five years (1984-1989). However, he is best known for his tenure with the Reds. He was an integral part of the “Big Red Machine” teams, which dominated the NL during the mid-1970s. The team featured Hall of Famers such as Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench plus Rose, and won the World Series in 1975 and 1976. He was a switch hitter and one of the most prolific ever. His lifetime batting average was .303, which was good but not among the all-time leaders.

However, Rose holds numerous MLB records, as well as a bunch of NL and switch-hitting records, too many to name them all here. They include:

  1. Rookie of the Year (1963)
  2. 17 times an All-Star.
  3. An All-Star at five different positions (1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, left field and right field).
  4. Three-time NL batting champion (1968, 1969, & 1973)
  5. Three times a World Series champion (1975, 1976 and 1980).
  6. NL MVP (1973).
  7. World Series MVP (1975).
  8. Two Gold Glove Awards (1969 & 1970).
  9. Silver Slugger Award (1981).
  10. MLB All-Century Team

For all his positive achievements Rose’s playing career was marred by two incidents, which were a direct result of his aggressive style of play:

  1. In Game Three of the 1973 NL Championship Series with the NY Mets he got into a fight with Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson, which incited a bench-clearing brawl. Harrelson was a very popular player, so Mets fans commenced to throwing debris at Rose. The Reds manager, Sparky Anderson pulled his team off the field until order was restored. Generally, Rose was perceived as the instigator and the villain, at least in NY.
  2. During the 1970 All-Star game he barreled violently into catcher Ray Fosse while trying to score bowling him over and separating his shoulder. It was a brutal hit directly onto Fosse’s right (throwing) shoulder. While homeplate collisions were common (unlike now), many observers thought the hit was excessive since the All-Star game was essentially an exhibition game. Fosse always said he had “never [been] hit like that before,” and Rose “never apologized.” Rose was unapologetic. His explanation was “I’ve got to do everything I can to score there.” Again, Rose was the bad guy. Fosse played several more years, but he was never the same player.

As I said, the big stain on Rose’s baseball career was that he bet on baseball games. This is considered to be the worst transgression, because it damages the very integrity of the game. Nothing can be allowed to cause the fans to doubt the integrity of the sport. This attitude dates back to the infamous Chicago Black Sox scandal in which eight Chicago White Sox players were found to have conspired to “throw” the 1919 World Series. Even though the case against some of the players was weak, all eight were banned for life. This set the precedent with respect to gambling on the sport. No warnings. No suspensions. Lifetime ban.

Rose was definitely guilty. At first, he denied it, but MLB had conclusive, overwhelming evidence. Rose was banned for life. Moreover, he is permanently ineligible for the Hall of Fame, although he has managed to earn a living from his notoriety as a former player by selling his autograph at card shows and the like for a fee. He can often be found at Cooperstown during the week of HOF inductions.

Rose’s personal life was characterized by controversy. He was married twice, divorced twice, and fathered four children one of which, Petey, had a brief MLB career. He was accused of statuary rape of a 14-year-old girl. Rose didn’t deny it, but he claimed he didn’t know the girl was a minor. The case was settled out of court and dismissed.

CONCLUSION

Many of Rose’s fans had hoped that he would somehow become eligible for the HOF before he died. While it’s true that in the intervening years MLB’s attitude toward gambling has changed that has not helped Rose’s cause. MLB now actually advertises sports betting parlors, but that applies to the general public, not to players or other persons connected to the game. Some may see that as a distinction without a difference, but it is what it is.

Pete Rose passed away on September 30, 2024. He remains a controversial figure. He also remains ineligible for the HOF.

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ISRAEL TAKES OUT LONGTIME HEZBOLLAH LEADER WITH MASSIVE AIR STRIKE

Over this past weekend, in another act of defiance aimed at the Biden-Harris Administration (“BH”), the UN and all of its other critics throughout the world Israel unleashed multiple massive air attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon killing longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and various additional members of the terror group’s leadership. Among the dead was Nabil Kaouk, who had been viewed as a possible successor to Nasrallah. The attack was so powerful that it leveled six buildings in the vicinity. Israel has now killed seven of Hezbollah’s top leaders in the space of just over one week.

As we know, since the Muslim terror attacks Last October 7 BH has been urging Israel to temper its response. Among other things, BH has repeatedly urged Israel to pursue a “measured” response (whatever that is), publicly criticized President Netanyahu’s aggressive prosecution of the war, called for him to resign, slow-walked military aid, and continually pushed for a cease fire and peace negotiations with a two-state solution (which neither side wants). Israel, as is its wont, has pushed back against what it deems to be unwarranted interference. It has reiterated many times that it will continue to attack aggressively until it has achieved its goal of destroying the fighting capability of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. This attack is the latest iteration.

This attack was the culmination of a long-term intelligence operation. These attacks were very cleverly planned over years. As a result of extensive hacking and surveillance Israel was able to acquire copious amounts of information with respect to Hezbollah’s top leaders, including personal information and their travel routines. For instance, Israeli spies were able to hack various surveillance cameras in Lebanon and even monitor the odometers on their cars. This paid off on Friday as Israel was able to pinpoint Nasrallah’s precise location.

Israel had developed special powerful ordnance specifically designed to penetrate 60 feet underground to where it knew the terrorists were hiding. It deployed approximately 80 tons of these bombs. The terrorists had no clue of the Israelis’ capabilities to penetrate their bunker. They thought they were safe. They were, until they weren’t. Kudos to the Israelis.

Additionally, yesterday, the IDF launched a massive attack against the Houthis. The key targets included the group’s facilities in the vicinity of the ports of Ras Issa and Hodeida and several power plants in the area. This was in retaliation for the Houthis’ attempting to shoot down Netanyahu’s plane on Friday.

CONCLUSION

President Netanyahu characterized Nasrallah’s death as an “historic turning point” in the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.” Perhaps, it was a tad hyperbolic, but there is little doubt that Hezbollah, with its leadership decimated, was dealt a serious blow.

In my opinion, these attacks sent a clear and direct message to the terrorists and Iran, their sponsor, which is that there is no longer any safe hiding place. The world now knows that (1) Israel is capable of launching bunker-buster bombs that can penetrate to the terrorists’ hideouts deep underground; (2) Israel has the technology to enable it to ascertain the whereabouts of them at any time; and (3) Israel has the resolve to use its new ordnance and technology whenever and wherever it chooses.

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KOMRADE KAMALA’S RADICAL TAX PLAN

Komrade Kamala (“KK”) has proposed a radical new tax plan. Like many socialist proposals at first, it appears to be attractive but upon detailed analysis the luster fades rapidly, and the warts become evident. As always, “the devil is in the details” and one must beware of unintended consequences. Read on, and I will explain.

Essentially, KK’s plan is a wealth tax, and its intent is a redistribution of wealth. This is consistent with classic socialist/communist doctrine, which should not be surprising given Harris’ real “core values” that she espoused during her entire political career until she became the Dem nominee for president. Many of its provisions are consistent with the proposed Ultra-Millionaire Tax Bill of 2021, which was sponsored by Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and other far-lefties. That particular bill was not passed for various reasons, but the general idea of it is still popular with the far left.

As I have explained repeatedly, at her core KK is a socialist/communist. Her basic instincts are to replace capitalism and free enterprise with government administration and control in virtually all aspects of one’s life. She has advocated replacing our capitalist economic system, which is based on free enterprise, competition and private sector decision-making, with public sector (government) decision-making. For example, she has been advocating government-administered price controls in the economy to eliminate what she perceives as “price gouging” even though there has been no evidence of it. Similarly, under the guise of providing everyone, including illegal aliens, access to free healthcare she has been advocating an aggressive revamping our healthcare system to a single-payer system that would be administered and controlled by the federal government. Her proposed tax plan would be consistent with those precepts. As we have seen time and time again, anything administered by the government becomes plagued with inefficiency and waste.

Like most tax plans hers is complicated. Moreover, it is too vague and not well reasoned. Even proponents of the general idea should realize that there are a multitude of rough edges that need to be clarified. Like I said above, the devil is in the details and beware of unintended consequences. Below please find my opinions and comments regarding KK’s tax plan.

With respect to the “wealth tax” provision:

  1. According to the Tax Foundation such a tax has never been implemented in the US. A handful of other countries have tried it, but most were forced to abandon it due to unforeseen problems.
  2. The proposal would penalize savers, discourage economic growth, discourage entrepreneurship and investment in start-ups, decrease employment, and increase the trade deficit, among other ramifications.
  3. For starters, according to Wikipedia the paramount issue is that some legal scholars question the constitutionality of such a tax. Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution precludes any “capitation or other direct tax.” Because of this clause in 1895 SCOTUS declared that a federal income tax was unconstitutional. Subsequently, Congress passed the 16th Amendment, which made a federal income tax constitutional, however, the amendment did not cover a “wealth tax.” This matter would have to be resolved or else the proposal would be “dead on arrival.”
  4. Its primary purpose is to eliminate, or at least substantially reduce, the wealth gap by mandating that the uber-wealthy pay their “fair share.” What does that phrase even mean? What would constitute a “fair share?” It is so vague as to be meaningless. Is it a higher percentage? If so, how high? Also, how does one define “wealthy” or “uber-wealthy? I suppose all that depends on one’s economic status and one’s political point of view. But you can see how the murkiness complicates the issue.
  5. It is fashionable, in some quarters to want to punish the rich for being rich. These people want to take away some of their wealth and spread it around. This ignores the fact that income and wealth disparity is a natural consequence of our free market, capitalist system. Some people will always be more ambitious, more industrious, smarter, more willing to take chances to succeed, or just be luckier than others. Our system rewards that. The attitude of the masses should not be to confiscate wealth from the rich, but to aspire to become rich, themselves.
  6. In my view, “equality” means “equal opportunity.” It does not advocate some sort of balancing act where the rich keep giving and the needy keep taking until everyone has an equal amount of wealth. That is fatuous on its face. History tells us it cannot be legislated. Even in Russia there is a small group of rich and superrich persons, and the vast majority are poor.
  7. In the opinion of former Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, the cost of implementation, administration and enforcement of a wealth tax would be extremely expensive, cumbersome and problematic.
  8. How would assets be valued, particularly illiquid ones such as land, a farm, a ranch or a business? In my opinion, this would be the most inequitable and troublesome aspect of KK’s proposal. Taxpayers would be required to pay tax based on an unrealized gain with respect to assets that they had not sold. Therefore, they might be forced to sell their business, farm, ranch, or house to raise the money to pay the tax. This particular provision was most troublesome to the Tax Foundation as well.
  9. Furthermore, who would ascribe a value, the owner, the IRS, a government bureaucrat with limited knowledge of the worth of the asset, or someone else? This would be a particularly troublesome issue.
  10. I presume the IRS would enforce the tax. That would also be problematic. Public confidence in the fairness and competence of the IRS is at an all-time low, and no one would want more government intrusion in their lives.
  11. Inevitably, the wealthy would find and exploit loopholes. They always do. Consequently, there would be contested valuations and lawsuits with all the ancillary problems.
  12. Some wealthy would be tempted to transfer assets out of the country or perhaps relocate. Such people have the wherewithal to do so. The question is would they have the motivation? This became a problem in other countries that had enacted a wealth tax, which ultimately forced them to abandon it. For example, in 2018 France’s President Emmanuel Macron noted that it had resulted in brain drain, loss of jobs, and flight of capital. This could be negated by including an “exit tax” in the proposal, although I’m not sure how it would work or if it would even be legal.
  13. Very likely, it would discourage foreign investment in businesses, real estate and the like.

In addition to the aforementioned wealth tax KK’s tax proposal would raise tax rates on corporations. Presently, thanks to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“TCJA”) enacted during the Trump presidency the US has a very competitive corporate tax rate of 21%. This encourages both domestic corporations to remain in the US and foreign corporations to invest here. That translates to economic growth and lower unemployment.

In addition, the TCJA reduced individual tax rates. Unfortunately, the TCJA is set to expire in 2025, and KK will be unlikely to extend it. Therefore, the corporate tax rate will revert to its pre-TCJA level of 35%. Consequently, corporations will be incentivized to invest elsewhere rather than in the US. Also, corporations typically pass on such tax increases to you, the consumer, in the form of higher prices, which feeds inflation. More bad news, individual tax rates will also revert to pre-UCJA levels, which means a top rate of 39.6%.

CONCLUSION

Frankly speaking, the KK tax plan would be an unmitigated disaster for most individuals and the US economy as a whole. Don’t be seduced by her “mantra of tax the rich” and make them “pay their fair share.” As I said, this is a typical lefty idea. It sounds good on the surface, but it would lead to unforeseen problems in practice. If one takes the time to analyze it in detail the warts become apparent. It’s just a ploy to divert your attention away from the disastrous Biden-Harris economic policies of the last 3 1/2 years.


KK thinks that her plan will raise more revenue to pay off the deficit. In my opinion, it will have the opposite effect. Directly as a result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s wild, irresponsible deficit spending, notably the stimulus packages that were enacted against the advice of even progressive economists, the budget deficit is already projected to exceed $2 trillion this year. Moreover, absent policy changes it is projected to double to $4 trillion within ten years. Folks, this level of spending is unsustainable.

She and her advisors who developed this proposal have demonstrated repeatedly that they know next to nothing about economics and business. It’s astounding but true. History tells us unequivocally that tax increases stifle economic growth, and tax reductions spur economic growth. Growth actually results in increased revenues. Many of you will remember the Reagan Tax Cuts, which illustrate my point. Don’t be gaslighted.

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MY NIGHTMARE

I am living in a nightmare, a horrible, never-ending nightmare from which I fear there will be no waking up. So are all of you, except the difference is I am cognizant of it, whereas many of you are not.

What nightmare, you say? Simply put, we are on the cusp of electing a true Marxist/Communist as president of the US. I never thought I would see the day, but in five weeks I may. We are about to do to ourselves what Russia, China, Germany, Japan, and all of our other enemies through the years have not been able to do. We have repelled all those who would take away our freedoms, who would destroy our way of life.

What no one has been able to do to us, we are about to do to ourselves. Who, you may ask? Why, you may ask? If you don’t know, that is the root cause of the problem. The “who” is easy. It’s Kamala Harris, AKA “Komrade Kamala.” The why is more complicated.

The best answer I can ascertain is that half the country has a deranged, irrational, unwarranted, misguided hatred for KK’s opponent, Donald Trump. Many of them don’t know why they hate him so much; they just know that they do. It’s not necessarily his policies; it’s him, personally. They continue to parrot what they hear from his opponents and the biased media. “He’s evil; he’s a Nazi; he’s Hitler; he’s a threat to democracy; he’s a tool of the Russians; he’s Putin’s pal; if he were to become president, he will be a dictator; he will never leave office.” As I have discussed in previous blogs, these characterizations are preposterous. They have no basis in fact. None. He already was president. You may not have agreed with some or all of his policies. That is your right. But he was not a dictator.

When he lost his bid for re-election he left office voluntarily. Sure, he questioned the veracity of the result, but it was his right to do so, particularly since it was a very close election. This was not unique. I have discussed this issue in a previous blog, and there is no need to repeat it all now. Suffice to say, students of history will recall that many other losers have challenged election results all the way back to Andrew Jackson challenging his defeat by John Quincy Adams in 1824. Hillary Clinton is still claiming she won in 2016. The media doesn’t criticize her for that.

Labelling him as “evil,” “Hitler,” or a “Nazi” is not only false; it is dangerous, provocative, irresponsible, and disrespectful of the memory of the millions whom the Nazis murdered in the Holocaust. One may disagree with some or all of Trump’s policies, but those who label them as those of a Nazi are merely showing their ignorance of what the Nazis really did. Hitler was in a class by himself with respect to “evil.” I trust I don’t need to edify you as to what he did. Finally, one should be careful when one labels an opposing politician as “evil.” Serial killers are evil. Mass murders are evil. Terrorists who murder innocent people are evil. A politician who espouses a different opinion than you is not evil. To label him or her as such gives a deranged, unbalanced person the idea that he has license to murder that person. As a matter of fact, many people believe that was the root cause of the two attempted assassinations of Donald Trump.

On the other hand, most of KK’s supporters, due to ignorance or inattentiveness, are unaware of KK’s true values and policies. Indeed, I have talked to many of them and invariably they don’t have the foggiest notion of most of KK’s policies. No one does, probably not even KK herself. Their reasons are a version of, “well, she seems nice;” or “she would be the first woman of color to be president;” or “she’s better than Joe Biden;” or “she’s not Trump.”

Those are ridiculous reasons. Anyone who votes for her on that basis without understanding her policies and their effect on him or her and the country as a whole is acting irresponsibly. Such a person is making a mockery of the precious and sacred right to vote. It is incumbent upon each of us to do at least a modicum of research so we can vote from knowledge, not ignorance.

I can understand why so many people are being gaslighted. KK rarely speaks in public, and when she does it is highly controlled, highly scripted, with a teleprompter, and with a friendly journalist who will ask softball questions and won’t ask follow-up or clarifying questions. She only speaks in platitudes, slogans, or generalities. She is mendacious. All candidates exaggerate, obfuscate, and twist the facts. She has taken it to an extreme. She downright lies. She knows a compliant media will not challenge her nor fact-check her.

I could write an entire blog on this, but I will give you one glaring example. Abortion has been and still is a “hot button” issue. In fact, it is probably the only issue the Dems have, even if it is specious and spurious at this point. KK is or should be cognizant of this. Nevertheless, she has been claiming that Trump is in favor of a national ban on abortion. That is simply not true. He has never said that. In fact, he has said he supports the recent SCOTUS ruling. Additionally, even if he wanted to it would not be within his power to enact such a ban. Pursuant to the recent SCOTUS ruling it is up to the citizens of each state to decide its own abortion law. There is no longer a standard national abortion policy, nor should there be. No one person or group of persons should be allowed to impose their beliefs on the entire country.

KK won’t disclose any specifics, because she knows that if the voters were aware of what they truly were she would lose in a landslide. So far, with the assistance of a biased media, she is getting away with this strategy. She has been answering all questions with the same canned responses such as she wants to “help the middle class, the rich should pay their fair share [whatever that is], and everyone should have the same opportunity to succeed.” She never explains specifically how she will achieve these goals, nor why she has not done so in the past 3 1/2 years, nor why she isn’t doing so right now. This should tell you that she is, in the words of Joe Biden, “full of malarkey.”

In my opinion, if you’re going to vote for a person who intends to wipe out 275 years of the best political, economic and social system the world has ever seen at least have the facts, at least be aware of what you are doing. In my experience, most of her supporters are not, don’t know, or don’t want to know. As my good friend and loyal reader Rich F. is fond of saying, “my mind’s already made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.”

All they know is they hate Trump. Why? What did he do? What did he say. Many of them don’t know, and they don’t care. They just hate him, and they refuse to vote for him. My friends, that is irrational. They believe that by not voting for Trump they are punishing him. Not true. They would be punishing themselves, as the saying goes, “cutting off their nose to spite their face.”

Yes, Trump would be disappointed. No one likes to lose. But he would quickly recover. He would return to his previous life, which was just fine thank you very much. On the other hand, the rest of us would be left to suffer the consequences, which would not be pretty. Hence, my nightmare.

Our Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their graves. All the people who died for this country in all the wars we have fought for some 275 years would be rolling over in their graves. Your children and grandchildren will be wondering “what in the hell were you thinking.”

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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – DEAL OR NO DEAL

I will spare you the suspense. The answer is NO DEAL.

Since the advent of the Israel-Hamas war the Biden-Harris Administration has been pushing for a cease fire followed by a negotiated peace between Israel and Hamas with a two-state solution. At a cursory glance, this may sound like a reasonable resolution as it would, in theory, free the hostages and stop the killing. However, anyone who understands the root causes of the war and the motivations of Iran, Hamas and the other terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and the Houthis, would realize this is a pipedream. It was doomed from the start. It will never happen. Neither side is motivated to negotiate a peace at the present time, and neither side is in favor of a two-state solution. I will explain below.

In order to comprehend the current mindset of the combatants one must understand the history of the area. Briefly, Muslims and Jews have been fighting over the ME for thousands of years. Each has what it believes is a legitimate claim to the area. Each side considers Jerusalem and the surrounding area to be central and indispensable to its religion. Each refers to the area as The Holy Land. In my opinion, throughout history religion has been one of the most frequent (if not the most frequent) causes of wars.

Israel has been in a constant state of war since even before its founding in 1948. At one time or another it has fought against all of the Arab states in the ME, some of them multiple times, often fighting several states at once. Moreover, it has been a frequent victim of terrorist attacks. Try to imagine what it’s like to live in a constant state of war.

The Arabs’ objective has always been and still is to drive the Jews out of the area, better yet to wipe them out. That is part of Hamas’ charter. Israel’s objective is merely to survive. So far, Israel has won every war despite the heavy odds against it. It fights with a sense of desperation and determination since it knows it cannot afford to lose even one war.

At this point it realizes as do many of us that it must eliminate Hamas entirely as a threat. Otherwise, history tells that prospectively there will another attack, and another, and another, until one time the Arabs will win. If that were to happen Israel would be destroyed. So, Israel is fighting for its very survival. Each side wants total victory. Neither side wants a negotiated peace that will fall short of its objective.

The US has always been a staunch ally of Israel and vice a versa since 1948. They have developed and maintained a symbiotic relationship. The US’s support is vital to Israel’s survival, and Israel has been the US’s only reliable ally in the volatile and strategically critical ME. This goes for every Administration, whether Republican or Democrat, whether liberal or conservative. Every Administration, that is, until now.

BH either don’t understand this or are choosing to ignore it for political reasons. BH have tried to undermine Israel’s war effort from the inception. For example:

  1. Despite the horrific attacks on October 7, they have urged Israel to use “restraint” ignoring the basic tenant that as the attacked country Israel has a right, duty and obligation to retaliate in any manner it sees fit.
  2. They have slow-walked or even withheld aid.
  3. When Israel retaliated in force as any country would they tried to undermine Prime Minister Netanyahu. They even advocated that he resign.
  4. Many considered these actions and others to be blatant and unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of an ally.
  5. By refusing to reinstate the economic sanctions against Iran they have enabled it to continue to wreak havoc in several parts of the world. In fact, it can be argued that presently Iran is the nexus of instability in the world. (a) It is supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis politically, militarily and financially. In addition to Hamas’ attack, Hezbollah has fired some 7,500 rockets at Israel during the war. (Israel retaliated in a small, but clever, way by the “exploding pagers” caper that killed and wounded several Hezbollah terrorists and unfortunately some civilians.) The Houthis have been causing unrest in Yemen. (b) It has been aiding for Russia in its war against Ukraine. (c) It is probably funding all the anti-Israel, antisemitic protests in the US. (d) It is likely engaging in election interference in the 2024 presidential election. It wants Harris to beat Trump because it knows she will be a “soft touch,” whereas Trump will likely reinstate sanctions and curtail its influence in the world. To that end it has hacked the Trump campaign’s website, provided confidential election material to Harris’ campaign, and possibly has been attempting to assassinate Trump.
  6. The White House has been pressuring Israel to accept a series of flawed cease fire and peace deals in order to, it claims, secure the return of the hostages and save military and civilian lives. Everyone agrees with those goals, but the details of each of those deals were extremely disadvantageous to Israel. For example, they would have allowed Iran to continue its destabilizing activities and would have enabled Hamas to retain its fighting capabilities and its leadership, which would have virtually guaranteed another war at some point. Thus, these flawed deals may have forged a temporary peace, but they would not have constituted a permanent solution.
  7. It is clear to me and many others that these actions were politically motivated. It is an election year, and a sizeable section of the Dem Party is pro-Hamas/anti-Israel/antisemitic. BH are trying to placate those people to win an election regardless of the consequences. They are trying to walk a fine line by paying lip service to Israel and its supporters without losing the support of these radicals.

Conclusion

As I said above, any peace deal that includes a two-state solution is dead on arrival. Neither side is in favor of it. The Israelis want to finish off Hamas as an effective fighting force. Hamas wants to annihilate Israel and all the Jews. It wants all the land “from the river to the sea.” That is their mantra. I say, take them at their word.

BH are either not cognizant of that fact or refuse to acknowledge it. Their ill-conceived, ill-advised policies have prolonged the war and will end up costing more lives. Furthermore, they refuse to comprehend that Iran is the primary instigator of instability in the region and the world at large. They will have to deal with Iran one way or another before any lasting, meaningful peace can be achieved.

So far, this has been another failed BH policy, one of many. It reminds me of that familiar disparaging expression, “everything they touch turns to s**t.”

Many Jews may hate Trump for various reasons, which have been well-chronicled. But one thing is for certain. Right now, he is the best friend Israel has, and its survival may hinge on his winning the election.

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TRUMP RALLY AT NASSAU COLISEUM

On Wednesday, September 17, Trump hosted a massive rally at Nassau Coliseum located in Uniondale, NY. According to multiple media reports there were some 60,000 requests for tickets to the venue. People were lined up outside for hours hoping to get a seat inside. This is typical of every Trump rally. There were seats for only 16,000 fans. The rest were content to watch and listen outside on large viewing screens. According to multiple published reports the crowd was friendly and orderly, and there were no incidents of rowdiness or violence. Most importantly, no assassination attempts.

The primary purpose of Trump’s appearance was to provide a boost to various GOP candidates who are embroiled in tough House of Representatives races in Nassau and Westchester Counties. Additionally, he has hopes of winning NYS. Currently, that seems unrealistic. However, Lee Zeldin, who lost a close gubernatorial race to Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022 denotes that at this point in his campaign a Siena poll reported him to be down 17 points, so I guess anything’s possible.

One significant issue he discussed was Harris’ record with respect to antisemitism, Hamas, and Israel. He asserted that she has done “absolutely nothing” to counteract the “surging” antisemitism in the US. She has not condemned it or even acknowledged it as a problem. Furthermore, she has demonstrated a pro-Hamas/anti-Israel bias with respect to the Middle East. He “challenged” Harris to “disavow the support of all Hamas sympathizers” who are supporting her and her campaign and there are many including some members of Congress. Of course, she will never do that because she needs their support to win, and they are in alignment with her “core beliefs” anyway. I have also discussed this issue in previous blogs, as well as expressed my incredulity as to why any Jew with a sense of history and who believes in the importance of Israel would ever vote for her.

Another key issue was illegal immigration and the border. Anyone who has been paying attention is aware of the failure of the Biden-Harris Administration to deal with this extreme crisis. Harris, the “Border Czar,” has basically denied its existence. She keeps blaming Trump for Congress’ failure to pass the border bill that BH backed, but she doesn’t disclose that the bill contained severe flaws that would have made the crisis worse, not better. She also neglects to acknowledge that BH could resolve the matter immediately by executive order.

Trump’s policy fix for illegal immigration is well-known. Among other things, he has asserted he would finish building the border wall, require illegals to remain in Mexico while awaiting approval to enter the US, halt the flood of fentanyl and other illegal drugs that are killing thousands of Americans, curtail sanctuary cities’ lack of cooperation with the feds, empower ICE to identify and locate the illegal aliens currently residing in the US, and carry out “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” You may say, “how could he do all this? The answer is he did do it, all of it, during his presidency.

One final note on this issue. Yesterday, a whistle blower came forward with some explosive revelations. Testifying before a US House Committee on Homeland Security Aaron Heitke, a retired San Diego Border Patrol Chief disclosed that the BH Administration severely hampered their efforts by, among other things, reducing their manpower. Furthermore, his sector was experiencing an “exponential” increase in “Significant Interest Aliens,” i. e. those with “significant ties to terrorism.” Nevertheless, the BH Administration instructed him not to report this increase, because it “was trying to convince the public that there was no threat at the border.”

It is worth noting that according to the NY Post since Biden was forced out and replaced by Harris Trump and Vance have participated in excess of 70 interviews, press conferences and rallies with a wide variety of audiences and answered a multitude of questions. In contrast, Harris has done three interviews since July 21, that’s right three, all with “friendly” interviewers who ask her general, vague questions with no follow-up and no fact-checking. Walz has been largely MIA. And yet, despite this disparity the polls have continued to report them to be within the margin of error. Moreover, some of them have published contradictory results. For example, yesterday, I saw one poll that reported Harris ahead in Michigan, and another poll taken during the same time period that reported Trump ahead.

The Dem strategy, which I predicted months ago, appears to be working just like it did with Biden in 2020. It is very simple. Hide from the media, say as little as possible, do not answer any questions directly, disguise your far-left policies and beliefs, blame Trump and the GOP for everything, and rely on the media to support you. Also, convince the voters you have changed your views from far-left to moderate, and then after the election you can revert to your true policies. Harris has been insisting that her core values have not changed. Believe her.

The NY Post has denoted that at this rate Harris will have granted the fewest interviews of any major party’s nominee ever. I have discussed this gaslighting strategy, in detail, in previous blogs, and there is no need to regurgitate it here.

Harris has been flip-flopping on virtually all of her policies; the media has let her get away with it; and many, if not most, voters are totally unaware of it. This strategy worked in 2020, and so far, it is working again in 2024. How else can one explain the close polls. I have no doubt that if voters were cognizant of Harris’ true values and policies she would lose in a landslide. You know it; I know it; and, most significantly, her handlers know it.

Even in these softball interviews Harris has had some “awkward” moments, many of which have been well-chronicled in the media. For instance:

  1. On how she would implement her policy of slavery reparations, which she has advocated, she told the National Association of Black Journalists, “We need to speak truth about the generational impact of our history, in terms of the generational impact of slavery, the generational impact of redlining, of Jim Crow laws.”
  2. On how she would bring down prices she told Philadelphia’s ABC outlet, “We as Americans have beautiful character. We have ambitions and aspirations and dreams. But not everyone necessarily has access to the resources that can help them fuel those dreams and ambitions.”
  3. As stated in the Atlanta Journal Constitution with respect to her mandatory gun surrender program, which is a thinly-veiled gun confiscation program, she has stated that “police could walk into the home of legal gun owners to confiscate their weapons.”
  4. Another favorite non-sequitur has been “The children of the community are the children of the community.”
  5. She also has an annoying habit of altering her speech according to her audience. I view this as a demeaning and transparent attempt to identify with the audience.
  6. Lately, she has been answering every question by relating how she was “raised in a middle-class family” (not true) where every household had a neat lawn. Huh?

None of these responses comes remotely close to answering the questions. I’m not sure what she said, and probably she doesn’t either, but those “word salad” responses are typical. None of the questioners asked a follow-up question. They just nodded sagely and moved on to the next fatuous question.

CONCLUSION

Something must be done to tone down the rhetoric before someone gets killed. This is the most contentious and divisive election I can recall. Trump has already been attacked twice, and he is the obvious primary target, but, in actuality, any politician could be assassinated at any time. No sane person should want that, (note the word “sane.”)

In my view, virtually all of the hate rhetoric has come from the Dems and their supporters and has been aimed at Trump. Much of it has come not from deranged crackpots, but from politicians (such as Biden, Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Chuck Schumer), members of the media (such as The View ladies, Morning Joe and various anchors and guests on CNN and MSNBC), and other “responsible “people who should know better. Even worse, it’s also became a favorite tactic to blame Trump for his own assassination attempts! It is one thing to criticize someone, but it is irresponsible to call someone “evil,” “Hitler” and a “threat to democracy.” For one thing, it is not true. For another, it is disrespectful and insulting to Jews and other victims of the Holocaust. In addition, it actually diminishes the extent of Hitler’s turpitude. It was truly incomparable. I have discussed this in previous blogs, and there is no need to repeat it here.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that 28% of Dems and 17% of all respondents felt America would have been “better off” if Trump had actually been assassinated. That is shocking, but it is a good example of the moral decline of America. I’d like to think that America is better than this. At least, I used to think that, but now I’m not so sure.

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2ND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON TRUMP

This is unbelievable, unacceptable and unprecedented. Just nine weeks after Trump was nearly assassinated while speaking at a rally in Butler, PA there was a second attempt. As you all know by now, on Sunday Trump was playing golf at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, FL. A gunman, armed with an SKS rifle was able to create a sniper’s nest in some bushes bordering the sixth and seventh holes of the course and lie in wait for some 12 hours for Trump to pass by. Only by a stroke of luck was the Secret Service able to thwart him.

An alert SS agent was walking the course one hole head of Trump when he spotted a rifle peeking through some bushes bordering a chain link fence between the sixth and seventh holes. In a matter of minutes Trump would be passing by at which time the would-be assassin would have had a clear shot from some 300 yards away. A shot like that is so easy that the chances of the gunman failing to kill Trump would have been minimal. The agent fired at the man who then fled. An alert private citizen was able to note the license plate on his car, and the police were able to apprehend him in short order.

America is no stranger to assassinations and assassination attempts of presidents and presidential candidates. According to Wikipedia there have been numerous attempted assassinations of both presidents and presidential candidates, too many to list them all here. The first was Andrew Jackson in 1835 while he was president.

According to my research there have been three attempted assassinations of presidential candidates prior to Trump. Teddy Roosevelt and George Wallace were wounded, and RFK was killed. Four sitting presidents have been assassinated. How many can you name? You get bonus points if you can also name the year. See the answers below.

Decent people can take a deep breath that the attempt failed, but there are a multitude of questions that need to be addressed prospectively. For example, according to multiple media outlets:

  1. The area in which the assassin was nesting was well known not only to the SS but also to others as well. Apparently, it has been a favorite hiding place for paparazzi seeking to take surreptitious photographs of celebrities. So why was it left unattended?
  2. Obviously, Trump’s SS protection has been inadequate. Why wasn’t it enhanced after the first attempt on his life?
  3. Is it a problem with manpower, training, funding, planning, leadership, a combination of the foregoing, or something else more sinister? Could certain people who view Trump as a threat to democracy, or worse, be embroiled in a conspiracy to intentionally leave Trump vulnerable? Food for thought.
  4. Routh was able to construct a sniper’s nest and hang out for some 12 hours without being noticed. Why? How?
  5. Security at the Trump National Doral, where Trump also plays frequently, is similarly lacking.
  6. Only the golf course in Bedminster, NJ seems to provide appropriate and adequate security for Trump when he plays there. For one thing, the police restrict public access by closing down nearby roads.
  7. The SS admitted that it failed to “sweep” the golf course beforehand, but it failed to provide a reasonable excuse. In addition, it stated that it didn’t have the resources to protect Trump on a golf course. That is absurd on its face. Many presidents have played golf from Eisenhower to Obama, and the SS managed to protect them just fine.
  8. Why didn’t the SS have a drone on site. It doesn’t take a lot of manpower to operate a drone, and they provide an extra layer of security.
  9. The Palm Beach County sheriff, Ric Bradshaw, disclosed that Trump’s SS detail was “lighter” because he is not the president, only a candidate. This strikes me as illogical, inane, ill-advised, and incredulous, and if true, needs to be rectified immediately. Common sense, which as we all know is not common, holds that Trump is not your typical candidate. He is a controversial figure whose enemies both political and non-political, have vilified him ceaselessly. Therefore, he is much more likely to be attacked. He has been twice already, and the likelihood is there will be more attempts. He definitely needs a higher level of protection.
  10. The federal government claims the SS is short of manpower and money. Biden and Schumer have claimed that Congress needs to pass an appropriations bill to resolve the matter. In the words of Joe Biden, that is pure “malarky.” According to published reports the SS budget is $3.8 billion. Furthermore, if more funds are needed the feds have the power to reallocate funds from other agencies, such as Homeland or the FBI, especially for an “emergency,” which this clearly is. Also, the SS could “borrow” law enforcement personnel from the state or local police. Of course, this would require a certain degree of coordination and cooperation, which, as we saw in Butler, seems to be another deficiency. In my opinion, by the time Congress passed such a bill it would be weeks if not months. The election would be over, and Trump could very well be dead. Besides, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and others have opined that the problem is a “manpower allocation [issue], not a funding issue.” I would agree.
  11. Routh is clearly unbalanced. For instance, he had published a book in which he openly called for Trump’s assassination. Moreover, in April he tweeted that “democracy is on the ballot, and we can’t lose. … You can’t lose if your opponent [Trump] is dead.” Those actions should have landed him on the FBI’s radar. Somehow, it didn’t.
  12. Incredibly, much of the mainstream media has been praising Roof as a “super-citizen” and a “crusader for causes.” Huh?
  13. Where has Mayorkas been? As head of Homeland Security he should have been all over this. He has been MIA, just like he has been regarding the border and everything else for which he is responsible.
  14. The best news I have heard is that Governor Ron DeSantis has directed Florida law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation. He is one person who will get answers, which have been sorely lacking.

I maintain that the continued vilification of Trump by his political opponents and the mainstream media is the chief cause of the two assassination attempts. It is one thing to disagree with him politically. That’s protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, but in my opinion characterizing him as “evil,” a “Nazi,” “Hitler,” or an “existential threat to democracy” as they have done and continue to do crosses the line. Rather than try to calm emotions the Dems and their allies in the media have doubled down on the vitriol. For example, just today, Hillary Clinton referred to Trump as “a danger to our country.” Even worse, various bloviators on CNN and MSNBC blamed Trump and the GOP for the attempted assassination and accused them of trying to “rile up” their political base. Truly, they are suffering from a terminal case of TDS.

In our political system we are free to disagree with political opponents. That does not make them “evil.” These above characterizations merely incite unbalanced persons to violence, which is exactly what we are seeing now. Biden, Harris and their allies in the Dem Party, the media, and elsewhere need to tone it down. It is irresponsible, and furthermore it is not true. Have they forgotten what Hitler did? Maybe so, which is a whole other problem.

CONCLUSION

Trump’s haters and opponents have been trying everything to defeat him for nine years for example, falsely accusing him of treason, insurrection and being a threat to democracy, impeachment, rigged Stalin-style “show trials,” imprisonment, disqualifying him from the ballot in certain states, and now assassination. He has prevailed every time, so far. As I said above, there have been two assassination near-misses in just nine weeks. It is clear that the policies and procedures of his SS protection detail are insufficient and need to be addressed. Is anyone doing that? I hope so, but I don’t know.

The impressionable crazies out there will keep trying. We have been lucky so far. The law of averages dictates that we can’t be lucky every time. The assassin only has to be lucky once. I fear that sooner later one of them will succeed in assassinating Trump, and no sane person wants that. Note, I said sane.

One could characterize some of Trump’s critics as deranged, but that is a subject for another blog at another time. By the way, has anyone thought through the constitutional crisis that would result if Trump were, in fact assassinated while still a candidate or if he were the president-elect?

Quiz answer: Abraham Lincoln – 1865; James Garfield – 1881; William McKinley – 1901; and JFK – 1963.

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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY – SEPTEMBER

The following historically-significant events have occurred during the month of September:

9/1/1939 – The Germans invaded Poland marking the beginning of WWII.
9/1/1983 – A Russian fighter jet shot down a Korean civilian airliner that had supposedly strayed off course during a scheduled flight from NY to Seoul.
9/2/1666 – The Great Fire of London began. It destroyed over 13,000 houses, although it is believed that only six lives were lost.
9/2/1789 – Congress established the Department of the Treasury as the third cabinet department.
9/2/1864 – General Sherman captured Atlanta.
9/2/1945 – President Truman declared VJ Day.
9/2/1963 – Alabama Governor George Wallace dispatched state troopers to prevent the integration of Tuskegee High School.
9/3/1783 – Representatives of England and the American colonies signed the Treaty of Paris bringing a formal ending to the Revolutionary War.
9/3/1833 – The “New York Sun” debuted, as the first newspaper to be “hawked” by boys on the sidewalk.
9/4/1609 – Henry Hudson discovered the island of Manhattan. (Do you know the derivation of the name, “Manhattan”)? See below.
9/4/1781 – Felipe de Neve founded El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles (in English, The Town of the Queen of the Angels), or as it is more commonly known, the City of Los Angeles.
9/4/1886 – Geronimo, the last and, perhaps, the most famous, Indian chief, was captured.
9/5/1774 – The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia.
9/5-6/1972 – Terrorists belonging to the Black September faction of the PLA murdered eleven members of the Israeli Olympic Team in Munich.
9/5/1997 – “Mother Teresa” died at age 87.
9/8/1565 – Spain founded the first settlement in America in St. Augustine, FL.
9/9/1776 – The Continental Congress officially changed the name of the “United Colonies” to the “United States.”
9/9/1976 – Chairman Mao Zedong, Communist China’s longtime leader, died.
9/11/2001 – The worst terrorist attack in US history ushered in the War on Terror, which is ongoing. Terrorists hijacked four jumbo jets. Two were flown into the WTC, causing both towers to collapse; one crashed into the Pentagon; and the 4th missed its target (the White House or the Capitol) due to the heroism of some of the passengers on board. Nearly 2,800, mostly civilians, were killed and thousands of first responders have since died or suffered health problems directly related to the attack.
9/12/1953 – Future US President John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, RI.
9/13/1788 – The US Congress chose NY as the capital.
9/13/1814 – Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner while observing the Battle of Fort McHenry from a British prisoner ship in Baltimore harbor.
9/14/1901 – President William McKinley died from gunshot wounds suffered during an assassination attempt eight days previously.
9/15/1935 – The Nazi Germany government enacted the Nuremburg Laws, which deprived German Jews of their citizenship.
9/16/1620 – The Mayflower, with only 102 passengers and a few crew members, departed England for its famous voyage to the New World.
9/16/1908 – William Durant founded General Motors in Flint, MI.
9/17/1789 – The Constitutional Convention approved the US constitution.
9/17/1862 – The Union Army defeated the Confederate Army at Antietam in the bloodiest battle in US military history as approximately 26,000 soldiers died on both sides.
9/18/1947 – The air force was established as a separate branch of the military.
9/19/1893 – New Zealand became the first country to approve women’s suffrage.
9/20/1873 – The NYSE closed for the first time due to the Panic of 1873.
9/20/1973 – Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the much-ballyhooed “Battle of the Sexes.”
9/22/1776 – The British executed Nathan Hale as a spy for the colonials who famously intoned “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
9/22/1862 – President Abraham Lincoln issued the famous Emancipation Proclamation.
9/23/1952 – Vice Presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the famous “Checkers” Speech before a national tv and radio audience.
9/24/1957 – President Eisenhower deployed the National Guard to enforce racial integration in Little Rock, AK.
9/25/1513 – Spanish explorer Vasco de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean.
9/25/1789 – Congress proposed 12 amendments to the US constitution of which ten were eventually ratified as the Bill of Rights.
9/26/1960 – Senator Kennedy and Vice President Nixon participated in the first televised presidential election debate.
9/27/1964 – The Warren commission issued its report that concluded a lone gunman had assassinated President Kennedy.
9/28/1542 – Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo discovered California.
9/28/1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chief Yasser Arafat signed an agreement granting Palestinian self-rule of the West Bank.
9/29/1789 – Congress created the US Army, which consisted of 1,000 soldiers.
9/29/1829 – Britain’s Parliament authorized London’s Metropolitan Police Force. They were nicknamed “Bobbies” after Home Secretary Robert Peel, who was the driving force behind the idea.
9/29-30/1941 – Nazi soldiers perpetrated the infamous Babi Yar massacre at which in excess of 33,000 Jews were murdered.
9/30/1938 – British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned to England brandishing an agreement with Nazi Germany that he asserted guaranteed “peace in our time.”
9/30/1949 – The Berlin airlift concluded after it had successfully thwarted Soviet attempts to blockade West Berlin.

BIRTHDAYS – Rocky Marciano, undefeated heavyweight boxing champion, 9/1/1923; Christa McAuliffe (the first “ordinary” citizen in space), 9/2/1948; Jesse James, celebrated outlaw, 9/5/1847; Darryl Zanuck, movie mogul, 9/5/1902; Marquis de Lafayette, Revolutionary War hero, 9/6/1757; Queen Elizabeth I, 9/7/1533; Ferdinand Marcos, 9/11/1917; James Cleveland (“Jesse”) Owens, winner of four gold medals in 1936 Olympics, 9/12/1913; Walter Reed, 9/13/1851; General John J. Pershing, WWI commanding general, 9/13/1860; James Fenimore Cooper, authored “Last of the Mohicans,” 9/15/1789; William Howard Taft (27th US President), 9/15/1857; Agatha Christie, renowned mystery writer, 9/15/1890; John Marshall, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 9/24/1755; F. Scott Fitzgerald, author, 9/24/1896; George Gershwin, composer, 9/26/1898; Samuel Adams, Revolutionary War leader, 9/27/1722; Enrico Fermi, nuclear physicist, 9/29/1901; Truman Capote, authored “In Cold Blood,” 9/30/1924.

Quiz answer – It is derived from the Indian name, “Mannahatta,” which translates to “the hilly island.”

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