The Fearsome Foursome
Noone needs polls to tell us that the country is suffering from four serious maladies/deficiencies.
One: The Economy
Two: Immigration
Three: Crime
Four: Foreign Policy
The Economy
Our federal government has gotten so big, so regulatory, that when it has a slight cold, the rest of us get pneumonia.
Following his radical, political base that he has surrounded himself with, our President has passed his agenda – all based on climate change. We all know from the get-go of his term Biden has put on the kibosh on development and recovery of fossil fuels. Rather quickly the United States became dependent on foreign oil after reaching independence previously.
Our main source of energy -fossil fuels – is again dependent on whatever way the ‘wind’ is blowing in oil-rich/producing countries – particularly the Middle East.
Here, that agenda was/is a double-edged sword. 2021 saw oil and gas prices surge on the world market because the US was no longer exporting the commodity, and because two bills passed a Democratic Congress. Those bills were both budget busters adding trillions to the debt. 60% of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bill was not aimed at infrastructure, e.g., airports, bridges, and highways, but subsidizes solar and wind electrical production. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act was more of the same. Bottom line: 9.3% inflation almost immediately, lower wages, higher interest rates, and supply chain problems. Ordinary people are struggling to pay for basic necessities like food (up some 30%), gasoline (up 35%), and utilities (up 27%). Buying the American dream is out of reach for most. Real disposable income is down 7.5%.
Immigration
Seems like every month, and every year since our President’s “invitation” to foreigners our immigration numbers set new records. The number will approach or surpass 10M in Biden’s four years. That influx, coupled with ‘better than thou’ virtue signaling of “sanctuary” by numerous cities and states, has brought on situations where local citizens are losing their parks, their community centers, and their schools to accommodate these people. What makes it worse is these illegals are not properly vetted – nobody knows who or what they are or have done, are not screened for illness or disease, and admitted at check points by simply saying “asylum.” It’s made worse by our border agents tied up administratively with no time to do their jobs – to patrol. Ergo, we’ve turned the border over to the Mexican drug cartels with smuggling not only drugs, but people in servitude. So we have a nightmare extending to all areas and citizens of the country to deal with addiction, indenture, and death in their communities.
Crime
Starting with the post-George Floyd riots which saw many of our large metro areas under siege and suffering arson and destruction, and under the control of ignorant, ideology bent leaders who adopted a defund the police stance, it has resulted in more violent crimes that have made too many neighborhoods unsafe. Couple that theme with prosecutors who decline to seek consequential justice – and request no bail for crimes and criminals. Car jackings, assaults and robberies have seen many small businesses close their doors and declare bankruptcy. Large companies are simply leaving those areas. The double edge again is the loss of availability of products and the loss of jobs. Organized shoplifting is common in some locales without adequate law enforcement which only exacerbates the problem.
Foreign Policy
With the muddled withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, we saw respect for the Unted States go in the tank. That led to Russia feeling free to invade Ukraine in early 2022. Within three weeks of that invasion, Turkey negotiated a deal between the warring countries, only to be nixed by our current administration. Further, our president decided the Ukraine war was an opportunity to unseat Vladimir Putin from his presidency in Russia. Since then, we have borrowed over $100B to send to and assist a corrupt Ukrainian regime. We had and have no stake in Ukraine – moral or otherwise. It is not an ally, and it doesn’t meet membership requirements for NATO affiliation.
But the Afghan withdrawal and the failed presidential objective for Putin’s removal have emboldened other countries to test our apparent policy of appeasement. We’re left holding out breath on the next move by the Chinese military in the China Sea and in Taiwan.
After paying Iran $6B for the release of 5 prisoners which flies in the face of long-standing policy of the US not paying ransom, lifting all the economic sanctions in place on Iran, and re-opening negotiations on Iran’s nuclear expansion, Iran directed its proxies in Middle East terrorist organizations to attack Israel and US military compounds in the region.
The US is now considered weak by both allies and enemy alike as we employ the unlearned, Neville Chamberlain appeasement approach to our foreign policy. What hurts even more is that assessment is not wrong.
Recent polls indicate Americans are fed up with the stances this administration, this Congress, and numerous states and cities have taken on one or more of the Big Four.
Hopefully leaders from both Parties will soon listen and provide some reasonable and decisive actions to address these four main issues facing the country.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
https://datavisualizations.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/the-biden-inflation-tracker/
SPIDER Bites
This week’s trivia question is: In the United Kingdom, what is the day after Christmas known as? The answer to last week’s question re: the largest country in the world geographically. Russia. It has over 27M square miles in its parameters. Canada is 2nd with just over 16M sq. miles and 60% the size of Russia, 3rd is the USA with 15.9M and 4th, China, 15.4M sq. miles. Brazil is a distant 5th at 13.1M, then Australia, 7.7M and India, 3.3M sq. miles.
Last week’s Super Bowl set a record for the number who watched the Chiefs squeak by the 49ers in overtime – 123M., topping last year’s 115M. Taylor Swift’s attendance likely added to the viewership.
A sophisticated payload was launched to the moon Thursday atop a Space X rocket and should arrive there this Thursday. It will be the first private enterprise to land on the moon.
In June 2021 President Biden banned government employees from having China-owned Tik Tock on government devices, citing it as a threat to national security. Last week the Biden campaign joined Tik Tock. The rules are for thee, not for me.
Water cremation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, is a process that uses a robust alkaline solution to dissolve organic materials, leaving behind bones and other non-organic remains. It’s being touted as an alternative to cremation because it releases less CO2 and ergo, is another “save the planet” proposition on our supposed way to ‘net zero’ by 2050. It still requires heat to get the required 150-degree temperatures.
Meanwhile, a new study from University Western Australia Oceans Institute studied long-lived Caribbean sclerosponges and created an ocean temperature timeline dating back to the 1700s. Other scientists question if data from just one part of the world is enough to capture the immense thermal complexity of our oceans, although ‘scientists’ Al Gore and John Kerry assuredly know it does.
Along with that of President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris’ favorability rating has declined again, with 53% of registered voters holding a negative view of her.
I suppose we should be grateful our Congress is debating things like the impeachment of the Sec. of Homeland Security rather than spending more of the money they/we don’t have.
Auto manufacturers are cutting back on producing EVs because sales fell far short of overzealous market projections, leaving factories half empty. At the same time, those car makers are struggling to meet stricter EPA requirements for gas miles/gallon. Most are ramping up production of hybrids, running on gas and electric batteries. As manufacturers come to their senses, they realize the artificially created market for EVs forgot the most important thing – the customer.
A Democrat won the election for Congress on Long Island last week, defeating a Republican and filling the seat of disgraced Republican Geo. Santos. The winner, Tom Suozzi, ran on stricter border control – an issue that should not be a political one and seriously addressed.
Sadness in Kansas City as two juveniles were arrested for shooting over 20 people and killing one following a parade honoring the Super Bowl champs.
Last September, before the trial began, the judge in the NY Atty. General’s case against Trump ruled Trump had committed fraud by inflating his assets to gain reduced interest rates on loans made to his companies. NY has a rather unique law and expansive law giving the state broad powers over corporations. Last week he ruled Trump must pay over $364M in penalties in a case where there are no plaintiffs or victims of non-payment on loans. Look for more companies to leave NY.
The case against Trump in Georgia has the prosecuting DA tied to a soap opera quandary involving the misuse of state funds with/for a paramour hired to supposedly help prosecute the case. She may be disqualified.
