Monthly Archives: April 2025

A Step Forward

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The “No Rogue Rulings Act”- has officially passed the U.S. House of Representatives! This law is a major step toward stopping activist judges from blocking the policies American voters voted for.

The law states:

Sec. 1370. Limitation on authority to provide injunctive

“(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), notwithstanding any other provision of law, no United States district court shall issue any order providing for injunctive relief, except in the case of such an order that is applicable only to limit the actions of a party to the case before such district court with respect to the party seeking injunctive relief from such district court and non-parties represented by such a party acting in a representative capacity pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

“(b) If a case is brought by two or more States located in different circuits challenging an action by the executive branch, that case shall be referred to a three-judge panel selected pursuant to section 2284, except that the selection of judges shall be random, and not by the chief judge of the circuit. The three-judge panel may issue an injunction that would otherwise be prohibited under subsection (a), and shall consider the interest of justice, the risk of irreparable harm to non-parties, and the preservation of the constitutional separation of powers in determining whether to issue such an order.

Basically this bill brings us closer to Constitutional rule. A district judge does not have more power than an elected President. These judges have power in their own district–not across the entire country.

Hopefully this bill will get through the Senate in the near future.

Things Are Changing Very Quickly

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On Sunday, Breitbart posted an article about one of the changes the Trump administration has made regarding the Panama Canal.

The article reports:

… Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had one mission on his trip to Panama — to secure a deal to get “first and free” passage for U.S. ships in the Panama Canal, a critical waterway for the United States’ economy and military that was at risk of falling under China’s control.

As the secretary and his team flew the down from Washington on Monday evening to meet with Panama’s leaders, such a deal with Panama was far from certain.

While the U.S. had built the canal in the early 1900s and maintained it for decades before handing it over to Panama, China had in recent years poured money into projects and infrastructure attached to it. As a passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans that handles more than 40 percent of U.S. maritime trade, if China were able to close the canal, it would be a catastrophe for the U.S.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s mission was a success:

On Wednesday, Hegseth delivered opening remarks at the conference, which was co-hosted by the U.S. and Panama.

It was there that Hegseth announced that the U.S. and Panama would sign a declaration providing a framework for U.S. warships and auxiliary ships to travel “first and free” through the canal, in a huge win for the U.S.

Hegseth and Abrego also agreed to an expanded partnership to secure the canal and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperative security activities between the U.S. and Panamanian militaries, which will see the increase of U.S. troops in Panama.

Asked by Breitbart News if he had accomplished everything he wanted to on the trip, a triumphant Hegseth responded, “This trip not only met but exceeded our expectations. A warm welcome from Panama. Great partnership. Spent a lot of time with their troops. I want to thank Panama for what they’ve done in the Darien Gap as well.”

This is a much needed move by the Trump administration.

The Spies We Love?

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On Saturday, The New York Post posted an article about Ming Xi Zhang, known as “Sushi John, Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, NJ. On March 24, Sushi John was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Newark.

The article reports:

Zhang was convicted in April 2024 of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government and sentenced to three years’ probation. In May 2021, he pleaded guilty to having served as an agent of China in 2016 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General.

ICE says he legally entered the U.S. in 2000 but later “violated the terms of his lawful admission.”

…“Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage or export control against the United States is subject to deportation,” said ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris.

Zhang met with Chinese security officials in the Bahamas in 2016 and delivered $35,000 to an unnamed individual in New Jersey, according to NJ.com. He also admitted to twice hosting a Chinese government agent at his Princeton home that fall.

He’s being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center awaiting immigration proceedings, a worker at his restaurant told the Post on Saturday.

“He’s doing good, I mean, given the circumstances,” the worker said. “But yeah, he’s just kind of waiting… to get let out.”

The community surrounding Zhang’s restaurant has apparently rallied around him and his restaurant in the days since his arrest. 

“The whole town has been really supportive,” the worker said. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family . . . everyone’s really supportive.”

What is wrong with Americans? The man was spying for a country that would very much like to eliminate America and its freedom. During World War II, would they have treated a Nazi spy this well?

The Numbers Keep Growing

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On Saturday, Breitbart posted the latest numbers from the Department of Government Efficiency Audit (DOGE) of our federal government. It is very obvious that any oversight on government spending that was supposed to come from Congress or from various inspectors general has not happened.

The article reports:

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has saved U.S. taxpayers roughly $150 billion, according to the latest update.

DOGE updated its website again this week with the latest figures on massive savings for the American people. According to this update, U.S. taxpayer savings now reach $150 billion — up from $140 billion in the last update. That results in a savings of $931.68 per taxpayer.

…The latest wall of receipts displays 7,279 contract terminations totaling $25 billion in savings. For example, it shows a Department of the Interior contract listing Family Endeavors, Inc as the vendor. The description reads:

Office of Refugee Resettlement Influx Care Facility. Influx Care Facility (ICF) for up to 3,000 unaccompanied alien children (UAC). The contract provided facilities and full wraparound child care and case management services.

The cancellation of that contract resulted in $2,902,177,562 in savings, according to DOGE.

DOGE also showcases 9,283 grant terminations totaling $33 billion in savings, as well as 676 lease terminations totaling $400 million in savings.

At the time of this writing, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stood as the federal agency generating the most savings, followed by the Department of Education and General Services Administration. Those generating the least savings include the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, and Department of Veterans Affairs.

How has this waste and fraud continued for so many years without someone becoming aware of it and doing something about it?

The Center Of Fraud

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On Saturday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about the location of a large part of the fraud found in unemployment claims.

The article reports:

On Thursday, the Department of Government Efficiency revealed that three deep-blue states—California, New York, and Massachusetts—were responsible for $305 million, or 80%, of the $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments issued since 2020.

DOGE also reported that 68% of unemployment benefits paid to parolees flagged by Customs and Border Protection as being on the terrorist watchlist or having criminal records were issued in California.

The DOGE team found that $59 million in unemployment benefits was paid to 24,500 people listed as over 115 years old. Another $254 million went to 28,000 people between the ages of 1 and 5, while $69 million was distributed to 9,700 people with birthdates more than 15 years in the future.

It is interesting that California, New York, and Massachusetts were responsible for 80 percent of the fraud. Slightly less than one-third of Americans live in California, Texas, Florida or New York. Having a large population makes it more difficult to track every case and makes fraud easier.

The article also notes:

DOGE also reported this week that since 2023, the U.S. Border Patrol (under the Biden administration) has paroled over 6,300 individuals flagged on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist or with criminal records into the country with “minimal screening.” Though their paroles have now been revoked, all received Social Security numbers and could access federal benefits. Among them:

    • 905 received Medicaid, including 4 on the terrorist watchlist ($276K paid out)
    • 41 collected Unemployment Insurance ($42K total)
    • 22 received federal student loans ($280K)
    • 409 got tax refunds in 2024 ($751K)
    • An undisclosed number received SNAP (food stamps)

I believe in helping people, but I also believe that charity begins at home and ideally does not involve the government. If I want to help my neighbor, good for me. However, for the government to take what I have earned and give it to someone who didn’t earn it is not a viable business plan for a nation. As Margaret Thatcher once stated, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”

One Problem With America’s Financial Situation

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On Friday, Breitbart posted an article about some of the abuses in Medicaid, food stamps and income tax returns.

The article reports:

A bombshell report from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) revealed that migrants on the federal government’s “Terrorist Watch List” were able to secure Medicaid after being released into the United States by former President Joe Biden’s administration.

According to DOGE officials, about 6,300 of Biden’s migrants — paroled into the U.S. interior with no immigration status — were either on the Terrorist Watch List or had criminal records and yet were still rewarded work permits and Social Security numbers.

The DOGE report found that 905 of the migrants, including four on the Terrorist Watch List, had been collecting Medicaid benefits totaling $276,000 in American taxpayer dollars. Another 41 were collecting unemployment benefits totaling $42,000.

Similarly, 22 of the migrants received tax refunds in 2024 totaling $751,000 and several more received food stamp benefits.

That’s more than a million dollars that taxpayers should not have had to spend. Americans cannot afford to continue giving money to people who are not American citizens.

As Milton Friedman once stated (article here):

A decade ago, Nobel prize-winning economist Milton Friedman admonished the Wall Street Journal for its idée fixe on open-border immigration policy. “It’s just obvious you can’t have free immigration and a welfare state,” he warned. This remark adds insight to the current debate over immigration in the U.S. Senate.

The article concludes:

This week, DOGE official Antonio Gracias said not only were Biden’s parole migrants taking taxpayer-funded benefits like Medicaid, but thousands were found on a handful of states’ voter rolls.

“We looked at voter rolls and we found that thousands are registered to vote in friendly states. And we looked even further in those friendly states and found that many of those people had actually voted,” Gracias said. “It was shocking to us. If I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it … it is shockingly bad.”

The people who voted illegally need to be deported. They have broken the law in coming here illegally, and they have broken the law by voting.

NPR and PBS: What Should Be Done?

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D

Congress has recently been holding hearings on the National Public Radio (NPR).  The issue is whether NPR, and to a lesser extent, its related television organization Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), are politically biased and whether they should continue to receive federal taxpayer funding.  President Trump has consistently maintained that these two media outlets are consistently against conservative principles and messages and are strongly biased towards supporting leftist ideology.  Let’s take a look at some facts and see what should be done, if anything.

The NPR was created in 1967 by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson, and at the time was totally funded by the federal taxpayer.  NPR consisted of a centralized program content and opinion service that was made available to local affiliated stations throughout the country.  Their offices are in Washington, D.C. and in Culver City, CA, not exactly centers of conservative thought.  Over the years, both NPR and PBS have reduced their dependence on federal taxpayer funding and now receive a majority of their funding from private corporations and individuals.  Consequently, the actual burden on the taxpayer is minimal.

The issue of their left-wing bias is more dramatic and, in many ways, more problematic.  An examination of their management structure is revealing.  Most, if not all, of the members of the board of directors of NPR/PBS are registered Democrats and/or donors.  Their current CEO, Katherine Mayer who testified before a Congressional committee, holds an undergraduate degree in Middle East and Islamic Studies and served in the Hillary Clinton State Department.  The issue of NPR bias has been raised for many years.  In fact, the Reagan administration and Congress in 1983 proposed steps to cease taxpayer funding of NPR because of anti-conservative bias complaints against NPR.  Interestingly, over the years there have been surveys and studies showing that NPR does indeed have a bias as alleged.  In fact, one of their own staff members, Business Editor, Uri Berliner, documented that bias on several occasions.  One occasion was in 2016 when Trump first ran for the presidency.  Another incident occurred during the 2020 election when NPR refused to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story, which many political pundits believe was a major factor in Biden being elected.  Even the present CEO of NPR, Katherine Mayer, admitted during recent testimony that hiding the Hunter laptop story was an act of bias on the part of NPR and should not have happened.  It should be noted that NPR left Twitter after Elon Musk purchased that platform and listed NPR as a government affiliated news source.   Guess, they did not like the truth.   There is also ample evidence to support the accusation that NPR has been pro-Hamas and the Palestinians, in the current conflict with Israel.

As far as the audience for NPR is concerned, a recent poll showed that 87% of listeners are Democrats and only 12% are Republicans.  Clearly, the fact that the broadcast content is favoring one side of the political divide is obvious to the listeners.  Of concern is that many of the local stations that broadcast NPR, are affiliated with universities and the listeners are predominantly college graduates/students.

So, what we have here is a leftist biased media platform that was originally started by the federal government that has morphed into a biased left wing media platform funded mostly by private sources.  While they may be unduly influencing university students and younger people, the conservative audience appears fully aware of what ideology is supported by NPR; and has obviously chosen other media platforms.  There appears to be two options for conservatives.  The first is to cease all federal taxpayer funding as proposed in legislation by Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-TX; or second, to leave the funding in place and use it to apply pressure for a less biased and more balanced programming and content.  Holding NPR accountable to the public as was done in the recent Congressional hearings may be the most effective.  We will see what Congress decides.

Does Anyone Believe Her?

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On Friday, The Daily Wire posted an article about the  Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which passed the House of Representatives on Friday. The SAVE Act requires proof of American citizenship to vote and that all non-citizens be removed from the voting roles. The documents required to prove citizenship are listed in the bill.

Some of the documents listed include:

A form of identification issued consistent with the requirements of the REAL ID Act of 2005 that indicates the applicant is a citizen of the United States.

A valid United States passport.

The applicant’s official United States military identification card, together with a United States military record of service showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.

A valid government-issued photo identification card issued by a Federal, State or Tribal government showing that the applicant’s place of birth was in the United States.

Most people have at least one of these things. However, Hillary Clinton has declared that the bill will make it hard for married women to vote.

The article reports:

On Thursday, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton faced blowback for claiming a GOP bill “threatens” voting access for millions of married women.

Clinton, who is also a former United States senator and first lady, reacted to the House passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to require individuals to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in elections for federal office.

“Update: The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don’t match their birth certificates,” Clinton said. “Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it.”

The article notes:

“Hillary Clinton argues that the SAVE Act ‘threatens voting access’ for ’69 million women whose married names don’t match their birth certificates,’” said Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who introduced a companion version of the bill in the Senate.

“If that were true — and it’s definitely not — the same women would be unemployable as they’d be unable to complete an I-9, which requires proof of citizenship,” he added. “Her argument proves too much, is refuted by the plain text of the bill, and cannot withstand review.”

With a post of his own, Roy alluded to how four Democrats voted in support of the bill and said, “Just show an ID. Why would you not want to verify citizenship?”

The only reason to oppose this bill is that it might limit cheating. Most married women know how to change their name on the appropriate documents when they get married.

Things We Were Told By The Environmentalists That Are Actually Myths

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On April 9th, American Greatness posted an article about the things we have been told by the environmentalists that are simply not true.

This is the list:

(1) We are in a climate crisis – ...There is ample evidence that average global temperatures are not rapidly increasing, if they are even increasing at all. There is also strong evidence that extreme weather events are not increasing but rather that our ability to detect them has improved and that population increases have led more people to live in places that are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather.

(2) There are too many people – …The United Nations now estimates the total global population to top out at around 10 billion people, after which it is projected to decline.

(3) We are running out of “fossil” fuel –…According to the authoritative Statistical Review on Global Energy, based on current consumption, proven reserves could supply oil for 61 years, natural gas for 50, and coal for 208. This grossly understates the big picture, however, because proven and recoverable reserves are being expanded all the time.

(4) Biofuel is renewable and sustainable – …Worldwide, biofuel crops already consume an estimated 500,000 square miles while only offsetting 2 percent of the global consumption of transportation fuel.

(5) Offshore wind energy is renewable and sustainable – Absolutely not. Wind turbine blades, on land or offshore, routinely kill raptors, condors, and other magnificent endangered birds, along with bats and insects. Offshore, there are additional harmful impacts. Electromagnetic fields from undersea cables produce birth deformities in marine life and produce magnetic fields that disrupt the orientation abilities of some fish. Their low-frequency operational noise disrupts sounds made by fish for mating, spawning, and navigating.

(6) Renewables are renewable – …Just the consumption of natural resources to build these renewables is hardly sustainable. For example, using data from the International Energy Agency, geopolitical writer Peter Ziehan calculated the mineral requirements for power generation, comparing renewables to natural gas in terms of kilograms of minerals per megawatt of capacity. Offshore wind: 16,000 kg/MW, onshore wind: 10,000 kg/MW, solar photovoltaic: 7,000 kg/MW, and natural gas: 2,000 kg/MW. Compounding this disparity is the fact that natural gas power plants can operate for 60 years or more, whereas solar installations are operable for 30 years at most, and wind turbines substantially less than that, depending on where they’re situated.

Please follow the link above to read the rest of the myths. The world’s economy runs on fossil fuels, and until the free market (not government subsidies) comes up with something better, fossil fuels will be the center of the world’s economy.

The Latest Inflation Numbers

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On Thursday, The Epoch Times posted an article about the latest inflation numbers.

The article reports:

Falling energy prices helped U.S. inflation cool in March, slowing to its lowest level in six months.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual inflation rate declined to 2.4 percent from 2.8 percent in February, the lowest reading since September.

Economists had penciled in a reading of 2.6 percent.

On a monthly basis, the consumer price index (CPI) fell by a better-than-expected 0.1 percent.

Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, also eased to 2.8 percent. This is the first time that annual core inflation has been below 3 percent since early 2021.

The core CPI increased by 0.1 percent month over month, below the consensus forecast of 0.3 percent.

The article concludes:

Minutes from the March Federal Open Market Committee policy meeting revealed that policymakers are worried about tariff-driven inflation risks.

“Participants assessed that uncertainty around the economic outlook had increased, with almost all participants viewing risks to inflation as tilted to the upside and risks to employment as tilted to the downside,” the meeting summary, released on April 9, reads.

However, based on President Donald Trump’s recent decision to impose a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, many doom-and-gloom projections “can be dialed down a bit,” according to Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.

“The so-called 90-day pause doesn’t remove all uncertainty or potential negative impacts but is helpful,” Hamrick said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“Fears about a huge pickup in inflation and near-term recession risks can be dialed down a bit.”

The next major inflation report will be the March producer price index, which measures the prices businesses pay for goods and services. Economists pay attention to this gauge as it can serve as a precursor to future inflation trends.

Energy prices are one of the things that fuel inflation. As American becomes energy independent again, the cost of crude oil will continue to drop, gasoline prices will continue to drop, and inflation will gradually come down. Even if OPEC cuts production in an attempt to keep oil prices high, it is quite possible that America will be able to make up for the cut. At that point, OPEC may not want to continue losing revenue because of their production cuts. We are in a very interesting time economically right now. Stay out of debt and pay your bills on time!

Didn’t These People See Jurassic Park?

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On Wednesday, Breitbart reported that a group of scientists in Texas had successfully genetically engineered three dire wolf cubs. This is a breed of wolf that went extinct 10,000 years ago. The wolf breed is distantly related to the grey wolf, but considerably larger.

The article reports:

Podcast king Joe Rogan was blown away by the comeback of the dire wolf as he spoke to Ben Lamm, the co-founder of a company that has used genetic sequencing to give birth to three wolves with genetic relations to an animal that hasn’t been seen for 10,000 years.

The company Colossal Biosciences has wowed the world after using science to recreate the DNA of the dire wolf before bringing the legendary creature back to life in three animals named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.

The article describes the wolves:

“They have this super thick fur, their tail is a little longer, they are taller. They’re 80 pounds right now, and a typical wolf is somewhere between 75 and 100 pounds, for a male, and that’s kind of on the high side. These will probably be 140 pounds, which is what we think. They are also significantly more muscular,” he said.

“Obviously, they’re Arctic white as well,” Lamm added. “You’ll see one of the things that we didn’t know is that we found in the genome that they are white. We did a lot of computational analysis and had a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 73,000-year-old skull. So, we had about 50,000 years of genetic divergence, so you could find things like coat colors and differences in their coat, which we engineered in. We didn’t know what those differences were going to look like, but when you see them, they almost have this mane to them.”

Colossal Biosciences insists that they next want to begin work on reviving long-lost species including the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger.

I am not totally comfortable with this idea. I remember the ‘don’t mess with mother nature’ commercials!

Where Your Tax Dollars Are Going

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On April 10, The Gateway Pundit posted an article about some of the fraud the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is finding in government benefits.

The article reports:

On Wednesday, The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced its findings from an initial survey of unemployment insurance claims since 2020 and uncovered three stunning discoveries regarding unemployment fraud.

…24,500 people over 115 years old claimed $59 million in benefits.

28,000 people under the age of five claimed $254 million in benefits.

9,700 people with birth dates over 15 years in the future claimed $69 million in benefits. In one case, a person with a birthday in 2154 who claimed $41,000 in benefits.

The article concludes:

President Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One last week that DOGE found something “horrible” but refused to elaborate.

“We have found hundreds – think of it – just hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse and waste. They’re still going strong. They found something today that is horrible, it’s horrible,” Trump said.

Was Wednesday’s unemployment fraud the discovery Trump was referencing?

The problem with government benefits is the lack of connectivity between the Washington bureaucracy and the people actually getting the benefits. Ideally, there would be local supervision to determine if a claim was real. I can remember back in the age of dinosaurs when the company I worked for closed, I had to report to the unemployment office weekly to get my check and to search the computers for job opportunities. If a person were required to show up at the local unemployment office, it would be very obvious if they were over 115 years old, under 5 years old, or not born yet.

It seems to me that cleaning out the fraud in some of our government programs might be a serious step on the road to a balanced budget.

Where The Money Has Gone

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On Tuesday, The Daily Caller posted an article about taxpayer dollars wasted annually on outdated federal buildings.

The article reports:

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who leads the Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency (DOGE), opened the hearing by slamming federal agencies for maintaining a bloated real estate footprint. She pledged to continue pushing to “right-size” the federal government’s real estate portfolio.

“Here in D.C., [the Government Accountability Office] found in 2023 that the vast majority of federal agency headquarters buildings were less than 25% occupied — some much less,” Greene said. “Meanwhile, from 2022 to 2024, the backlog of deferred maintenance on the aging buildings the government owns grew from $216 billion to $370 billion. That’s more than one-third of a trillion dollars it will cost to restore them — if we don’t sell them.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has flagged federal property management as a “high-risk” area since 2003. Yet despite two decades of warnings, the Biden administration allowed billions to be spent not only to maintain vacant offices but also on lavish furniture purchases, according to the subcommittee’s review.

The article notes:

David Marroni of the GAO echoed the concern over dysfunction and inertia inside the federal property apparatus.

“The pandemic shined a spotlight on these long-standing problems,” Marroni told lawmakers. “The federal government has held on to too much space and has been too slow in shedding underused properties … Progress has been slow. Agencies were in a wait-and-see mode for too long.”

Marroni said that, for the first time, agencies are being forced to begin tracking actual building utilization data starting this summer.

The  Democrats, as usual, are resisting the cost-cutting measures:

Democrats on the panel said the Trump administration’s rapid disposal plan was ideologically driven and economically reckless.

For the Democrats, even disposing of buildings that are barely used is political. That is why Republicans get elected.

The article concludes:

Republicans fired back. Texas Rep. Pat Fallon cited GAO findings that 17 of the 24 largest federal agencies used less than 25% of their office capacity. Republican South Carolina Rep. William Timmons said the goal was to offload waste and inject new life into dead office space. They cited reforms under the Federal Property Management Act and the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 as a roadmap for future consolidation.

“I guarantee you that a developer — a big bad developer — is going to come in,” Timmons said. “They’ll build this massive building, put housing in it and pay taxes. That’s the highest and best use.”

Greene said the DOGE subcommittee intends to introduce legislation aimed at streamlining the disposal process for surplus federal property and imposing stricter accountability measures for future real estate acquisitions. She also said the subcommittee would work closely with the White House and the GAO to accelerate selloffs and lease terminations.

View From The Lair

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SWAG Observations

The other day my compatriot, the esteemed Dr. Alan Harrop, provided an excellent analysis of the purpose and effect of the POTUS tariff strategy. As I have mentioned, Alan covers facts very concisely, rarely delving into conjecture.

I have no such compunction. There is another facet to the tariff strategy that is a bit of a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess), but I offer it with researched background.

Right now, the Federal Reserve is holding interest rates high to defeat inflation, which is a normally accepted practice during normal times. Times are not now normal. Inflation is coming down, but haven’t hit the goal yet. Meantime, the real estate market is stagnant. While 7% mortgage rates are not historically high (my first was a bargain at 9.5%), if anyone has a 2-3% mortgage, they aren’t budging from it. Who can blame them? But there are a lot of those mortgages out there. So those folks are sitting tight. And 7-7.5% can still be a stretch considering the beating that inflation has had on earning power and savings. And the housing demand is bursting.

Other credit demands are out there too. Businesses want to build, to expand, to hire. But money is tight.

Enter the tariffs. By using the tariffs, POTUS can bypass the Fed by using the tariffs to drop the bond market so that capital will then seek other sources of earnings.

POTUS nominated Powell during his first term, along with a number of other nominating mistakes. (Comey? Sessions?) The Fed is an independent agency, beholden to neither the President nor the Congress. But it is hardly non-political. Fed Chair Powell is a denizen of the swamp as much as any of them. So, Powell has done things his way, regardless of what the POTUS wants.  And POTUS does what he needs, regardless of what Powell wants. POTUS wants the dollar to remain the dominant trade currency, for the value of that dollar to slip compared to other countries, and to draw manufacturing resources – money, research, and talent – to the US.

The US is the 800-pound gorilla of the world’s economies. Without us, the rest of the world will grind to a trickle, especially China. Chairman Xi may try to save face, but 30 days of the new tariffs and he will be sweating. 60 Days and he’ll be sweating blood. But he can’t allow US products, especially durable goods like cars, to be imported. The quality differences are just too large. He’s caught between a rock and a hard spot. By squeezing the energy market, PDJT impacts Russia as well.

POTUS has signed the death certificate for globalization. The Swamp, especially the “elites” (I can’t describe Pelosi, Scheemer and company as “elite” with a straight face), are seeing their money train careen off the tracks. And the BullDOGER just keeps uncovering more of their theft.

Remember when President Barack O’Bozo was stumping for Her Majesty Hilarious Clinton, Queen of Chappaqua, and asked just how in the world that then candidate DJT was going to return all those manufacturing jobs? What was he going to do, “wave a magic wand”? It looks like 6-7 trillion dollars is already lined up to build new business in this country, plus many of the formerly domestic companies that fed offshore are coming back. POTUS didn’t need a magic wand. He needed a seriously large cudgel to persuade competing countries to play fair.

And the tariffs are that cudgel.

ciao,

The Snark

Solving An Obvious Problem In North Carolina

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On Tuesday, The Carolina Journal reported that the Senate Agriculture, Energy, and Environmental Committee approved a bill prohibiting the foreign acquisition of land by adversarial nations. This should probably be done on the national level, but a number of states have passed similar laws. I know it’s just a coincidence that much of the farmland that China is buying up is very close to America’s major military installations.

The article reports:

Prohibit Foreign Ownership of NC Land (SB 394) is sponsored by Sens. Bob Brinson, R-Craven, Timothy Moffitt, R-Henderson, and Bobby Hanig, R-Currituck. The bill was voted on favorably by the committee.

“The key purpose of this bill is to both safeguard our agriculture integrity and to protect our national security,” explained Brinson. “This is a state effort to protect national security because food security is national security. This will ensure that North Carolina farmland does not come under international adversarial control and also prevent adversarial nations from acquiring land near sensitive military installations.”

The bill prohibits land acquisition by adversarial nations outlined in the bill: China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, or entities they control. It blocks these foreign entities from owning agricultural lands and lands within 25 miles of a military installation or areas designated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as special-use airspace.

Entities currently owning restricted land before the bill’s effective date must register their holdings with the secretary of state and the attorney general. Foreign entities that acquire restricted land after the bill takes effect are required to divest the property within three years.

The article notes:

The bill also introduces a new deed requirement that mandates an affidavit affirming that the buyer is in compliance and is not affiliated with any prohibited foreign entities. The affidavit is already a standard practice for mortgage loans.

The article concludes:

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, expressed concerns about how this bill would impact Smithfield Foods, now an independent subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate the WH Group. The bill would have minimal impact on the company because existing land holdings are provided for within the bill, and they only have to be registered with the secretary of state and attorney general. Additional land acquisitions would be prohibited. It was pointed out that many of Smithfield’s growers are North Carolinians, so this has not been an issue yet. 

Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, addressed concerns about a provision in the bill requiring the Registers of Deeds office to document the citizenship of both parties to any property transaction, not just transactions addressed by the legislation. It was clarified that while this is, in fact, correct, it is not an enforcement mechanism but a public record transaction mechanism. 

The bill will “protect North Carolina’s farmland, strengthen our national security, and ensure that our critical resources remain in trusted hands,” according to Brinson.

SB 394 received a favorable report and advanced to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

This bill needs to pass.

Slowly Fixing The Fraud

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Yesterday, The Federal Housing Finance Agency released the following statement:

Today, the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (U.S. Federal Housing FHFA) and Fannie Mae issued the following statement:

“In President Trump’s housing market, there is no room for fraud, mortgage fraud, or any other deceitful act that can jeopardize the safety and soundness of the housing industry,” said William J. Pulte, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fannie Mae. “Since my swearing-in, we fired over 100 employees from Fannie Mae who we caught engaging in unethical conduct, including facilitating fraud, against our great company. Anyone who commits fraud against Fannie Mae does so against the American people.”

“I would like to thank Director Pulte for his empowering of Fannie Mae to root out unethical conduct, including anyone facilitating fraud. We hold our employees to the highest standards, and we will continue to do so,” said Priscilla Almodovar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fannie Mae.

In 2016, I posted an article about the 2008 financial crisis. The article included the following video:

The problems at Fannie Mae are not new. I strongly suggest you watch this video. It connects a lot of the dots in terms of who’s who in Washington and the deep state.

Isn’t it time we saw some trials and convictions?

A Promise Fulfilled

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This is great news. On Monday, Red State reported that Vice-President J.D. Vance has fulfilled the promise he made at the Republican Convention and celebrated his mother’s 10th sobriety anniversary at the White House.

The article reports:

It is a truly inspiring and heartwarming story.

Vance’s mother, Beverly “Bev” Aikins, plays a significant role in his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” where she is portrayed as a complex and troubled figure whose struggles profoundly shaped Vance’s life. 

In the book, she is described as a woman caught in a cycle of instability, addiction, and personal turmoil, which mirrors some of the broader challenges he attributes to the “hillbilly” community.

In the 2020 Netflix film adaptation of “Hillbilly Elegy,” directed by Ron Howard, Bev is played by Amy Adams.

“I’m proud to say that tonight, my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober. I love you, Mom,” Vance said as the cheers cascaded down from the crowd in attendance.

Chants of “JD’s mom” could be heard echoing in the arena. That’s when Vance had an idea.

“You know, Mom, I was thinking. It will be 10 years officially in January 2025. If President Trump is okay with that, let’s have the celebration in the White House,” he said.

Journalist Salena Zito reports that Vance, happily, has now been able to fulfill that promise.

“Well, here we are. And you made it, and we made it. And most importantly, you’re celebrating a very, very big milestone,” the Vice President said, according to Zito. “And I’m just very proud of you.”

The article notes:

“A full-circle moment. Not just for her, but for the millions of moms who fought like hell to give their kids a better life,” writes podcast producer James Laverty.

“Who dreamed of something more, even when the world gave them every reason to quit. Not perfection, but a fight,” he added. “And she lives to see the other side, the dreams realized.”

Beverly “Bev” Aikins represents all Americans. We are not perfect. Some of our struggles are more challenging than others, but when we persevere, we win. Mrs. Aikins, you are an inspiration because of who you are and what you have overcome, and your son is an inspiration because of the love and respect he has for you despite the hard times in the past.

States Need To Protect Children–Not Participate In Harming Them

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On Friday, The Federalist reported that the Colorado legislature has introduced a bill that would consider whether a parent affirmed a child’s sexual identity in child custody cases.

The article reports:

Far-left members of the Colorado state House advanced a bill on Tuesday evening that would direct courts considering child custody cases to favor parents who push radical gender ideology and penalize parents who do not “affirm” their child’s identification as “transgender.”

The bill, introduced last Friday night, passed out of the Colorado House Judiciary Committee in a 7-4 vote on Tuesday and heads to the floor for a second reading on April 4.

“House Bill 1312 is an egregious step towards solidifying Colorado as a Trans Sanctuary State. This bill requires a court to give priority consideration for custody to the parent that affirms a child’s gender dysphoria,” Republican state Rep. Jarvis Caldwell told The Federalist. “The parent who disagrees and tries to get the child actual help is now guilty of committing child abuse, referred [to] in the bill as ‘coercive control.’ The bill also ignores other state[s’] court rulings if one parent brings a child to Colorado for gender-affirming care; directly violating Article IV, Section 1, known as the Full Faith and Credit Clause, of the U.S. Constitution.”

These are children. There are reasons we do not allow children to drive, smoke, or drink until they are adults. Children can’t even get their ears pierced without parental consent in some states until they are 18. Some of the medical procedures involved in the transgender process are irreversible. What do you say to a 20-year old woman who joined the trans movement and transitioned as a 10-year old and now realizes she wants to be a woman and be a mother? Becoming a Trans Sanctuary State means that you are codifying child abuse into law.

Time To Settle J-6 Lies Once and For All! (Part 1) 

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Author:  Pastor Daimon – CCTA Chairman

If I hear this phrase one more time, “What about January 6th?” Shut up, already!!! The leftists are riding this horse until he is completely gassed with no rest in sight…until now. This article was another conversation started by a leftist that left herself vulnerable for truth to silence her. She made some of those same, old tired January 6th statements about a “mob” storming the US Capitol Building. In my response, I kindly let her know that she was correct; the Democrats did send a crew to storm the Capitol, and they were violently attacking the US Capitol while many of our friends from our area were still marching to the Capitol Building from President’s Trump’s speech. We personally know medical professionals, crypto currency experts, church members, prominent attorneys, and IT experts that were there on January 6th. One of them just went to the Presidential Inauguration with us and told us the EXACT same story that the others had told us at various times of the events of J-6. You have to find people who were there to get the truth of January 6th.

We also met a young man in a town just one hour drive from here whom the FBI had already put on a house arrest style of probation as a “per-incarceration” punishment for his alleged participation in the January 6th, “so-called “insurrection.” But, once the truth started coming to light after President Trump got involved, the FBI suddenly just dropped everything and disappeared. This young man was baffled and frightened, yet very relieved.

People believing the J-6 hoax must be careful to dig and investigate. On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, the entrance doors of the US Capital were supposed to be unlocked according to their Monday – Saturday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM hours of operation. According to the US Capitol Visitor Center website, not only was this building, also known as the people’s house, supposed to be opened to the public, but all activities are permitted even while business is ongoing including Congressional sessions. Their website reminds all visitors that the US Capital Building is a business working environment and there are guidelines to follow. The following is a paragraph from their website page:

“The U.S. Capitol is a working building for Members of Congress and supporting staff. The Capitol Visitor Center staff are dedicated to making your visit informative and enjoyable. You will be visiting a workplace dedicated to ensuring all are free of discrimination, including harassment, and you are asked to treat all staff members with respect and dignity. Abusive, harassing, discriminatory or threatening language or behavior toward our staff or other visitors will not be tolerated and may result in removal from the building.”

Then they ask you to silence your cell phones and use a quiet voice during your visit because the capitol is a working office building…including Congress. Therefore, the entrance doors of the building should have been unlocked…period.

Do you know what this means? SCANDAL!!! And not from President Trump. Even if Congress is in session, then the doors to their chamber only is to be unlocked as it will be off limits to the public during those times. But, why were the exterior entrance doors to the building locked at 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM? Stay tuned for the conclusion of the matter. In the meantime, visit:  visitthecapital.gov and start your own investigation. You will be surprised.

Pay Attention To The People Who Are Opposing The DOGE Cuts

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On Saturday, Stephen Moore posted an article at Hot Air about the opposition to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.

The article reports:

If you haven’t watched the Bret Baier interviews on Fox News with Elon Musk and the other executives who have given their time and expertise to exposing the rampant fraud and inefficiency of our federal government, I urge you to do so.

It will infuriate you — and that’s what we need right now.

These Department of Government Efficiency volunteers are on a patriotic mission to repair our ship of state. They are hunting down the rats and scoundrels who have played us (we the taxpayers) for fools for so many years. It’s the greatest robbery — more than $1 trillion of fraud and corruption — in world history.

Yet too many Democrats are reacting as though Musk himself is the scoundrel.

The “Musk-ateers” have marked nearly 10 million Social Security recipients over the age of 120 as deceased. (How many monthly checks were sent out?) How about $10 billion in rent for empty office buildings? Hundreds of millions of dollars for foreign aid programs that went to “nongovernmental government organizations” and then disappeared down a rabbit hole? Billions of dollars in fraudulent Medicaid spending? A federal workforce that has been MIA for three years?

In the wake of this epic failure of governance, nearly every leading Democrat in Washington has protested: “Elon Musk is going too far.”

The article cites an example of why the Democrats oppose the budget cuts:

Or maybe the real answer is that THEY ARE IN ON THE SWINDLE. This could explain how so many politicians spent their careers in Congress and retired as multimillionaires.

In other words, what is most revealing about the Washington slime that we are waking up to in real time thanks to DOGE is that the waste and fraud is the currency of Washington. It pays the bills, and everyone in the swamp gets their cut. Remember: One third of $7 trillion is the stuff of fortunes.

How else does one explain the $2.7 million that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse allegedly directed/laundered to his wife via a nonprofit environmental group she worked for? This would clearly be graft, but it has gone unpunished.

We are living through the harrowing last scene in a Hollywood murder mystery in which you discover that the chief of police was in on it all along.

The article concludes:

In reality, perhaps the greatest public service of the Musk-ateers is that they have taught voters that Washington should never get another penny of our tax dollars until the sewer is completely drained and the tens of thousands of fraudsters inside and outside of government are put out of business and hopefully behind bars.

I agree.

Tariffs:  Good or Bad?

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D

Well, President Trump has done it again– kept his campaign promise about tariffs and putting America first.  This action, was the most dramatic and far-ranging impactful action by any president in quite some time.  Essentially, the whole world will be affected.  Before we can answer the question of whether these tariffs will be good or bad, we need to examine what they are intended to do.  While we cannot read President Trump’s mind as to his intentions, we can get a pretty good idea from his many comments about the problems facing this country.  Let’s check them out.

First, the national debt, currently at $ 36.8 trillion, which amounts to $93,500 for every man, woman, and child in this country, is clearly unsustainable and growing.  No country has ever survived that much debt without a total economic collapse.  How long do we have to address the debt crisis?  Based on their lack of action, according to most of our elected officials, there is no urgency.  Common sense, which is the guiding principle of the Trump administration, tells us otherwise.  Since the trade deficit with other countries is a major contributor to the national debt, the tariffs are a good place to start, since they directly attack the substantial trade deficit we have with other countries, which is now over $1.2 trillion per year.

Second is the loss of wealth creation.  Until recently, America offered the highest standard of living in the world.  How were we able to achieve this?  Through industrial manufacturing–that’s how.  From the mid- 1800s to the end of World War II, the manufacturing capacity of America was without equal.  A cursory examination of what we were able to produce during World War II shows that our label as the “Arsenal of Democracy” was based on our manufacturing capacity.  Not only did we arm ourselves in record fashion, but we were able to supply our allies, who would have been defeated without our arms supplies.  Converting raw materials into usable products using advanced manufacturing processes is the basis of wealth creation in the modern world.  Where are we now?  Over the past 50 years, we have been losing our manufacturing capacity at an alarming rate.  Hundreds of thousands of manufacturing plants have been closed in this country with the loss of millions of good paying jobs.  Looking back to the 1950s and 60s, it was typical that the man was the bread winner, and on his salary could support a family and own a home.  Now it takes two salaries and the cost of housing is beyond the reach of many.  This decline is primarily due to the globalization of the world economy and the policies that encouraged manufacturing to move to other countries where labor is much cheaper.

Third is national security.  In order to defend ourselves, it is necessary to maintain a strong military, which again relies on advanced technology and manufacturing.  For instance, we have 4 ship-building facilities in this country.  Our most immediate adversary, China, has 24 and leads the world in ship construction, both civilian and military.   Does China have the natural resources they need for their manufacturing?  Of course not–they get them from other countries, including us.  Many of the policies of the Left have contributed to the manufacturing demise–such things as excessive regulations, green energy mandates, DEI, etc. have complicated the operation of manufacturing plants, causing them to relocate to other countries to stay in business.  As we learned during Covid, obtaining medicines and essential medical supplies from other countries is potential social suicide especially in the case of war.

Fourth is the demise of the middle class.  The discrepancy between the top earners and lower groups has widened considerably.  The American Dream of economic advancement through hard work is seriously ill and getting sicker.  Excessive wealth disparities can lead to resentment and disillusionment that is not good for the unity of the country.

Fifth is unfair treatment by other countries.  If you were able to watch President Trump’s presentation about tariffs, it was clear that we have allowed ourselves to be taken advantage of by many other countries.  The idea of free trade that many economists have been preaching assumes a level of fair play that currently does not exist with many of our trading partners.  The have value-added taxes, forbid the import of certain items, and manipulate the value of their currency in order to maintain a trading advantage..  They get richer; we get poorer!  Pretty dumb on our part, wouldn’t you say?

There are other problems that President Trump hopes to address through the implementation of this ambitious tariff plan.  Obviously, these problems have existed for many years and addressing them is long overdue and will take time to accomplish.  Will there be some pain involved?  Of course–an omelet cannot be made without cracking the egg.   As the Left attacks him for his plan, I have not seen any of them present their own plan to solve this economic crisis.  The Left is quick to criticize, but presenting effective solutions is not something the Leftists ever do.  That is part of the reason we are in this fix.  So, let’s give President Trump’s plan a chance to succeed and support his efforts.  Doing nothing is not acceptable, and thank God we have a President who is dedicated, courageous, and willing to fight for this country he loves.  Many of our other presidents were not.

 

Just One Example Of A Major Problem

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On Sunday, The Daily Caller posted an article about Maryland’s new renewable energy subsidy program. There are a few problems with renewable energy subsidy programs. Many of the companies subsidized with taxpayer money go broke (Solyndra). Many of the people who profit from these programs oddly enough are the people passing the laws that fund these programs. Renewable energy needs to move to the free market where competition can freely find the best and cheapest way to develop and use it.

The article reports:

Democratic Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson is backing legislation to strip trash incinerations from the state’s renewable energy subsidy program — a policy shift that could directly benefit the solar company that now employs him.

Lawmakers are quietly folding the proposal into a broader energy package set for a vote before the legislature adjourns Monday. If it passes, millions in taxpayer-funded renewable energy credits could be redirected from waste-to-energy plants to solar firms like CI Renewables, where Ferguson took a job last year.

Isn’t that a surprise?

The article concludes:

Incinerator operators and labor unions argue the Wheelabrator plant provides union jobs — 65 jobs as of 2019, according to The Real News Network — helps reduce landfill waste and generates baseload electricity, Maryland Matters reported. Removing it from the subsidy program, the operators and unions say, could push the facility toward closure, eliminating local jobs and increasing trash exports to other states.

“[Incineration and solar] are both called renewable energy under the current paradigm in Maryland, but the waste-to-energy incineration issue has been something I’ve been very much against since it started,” Ferguson continued. “I was first elected in 2011 and it was one of the first bills I ever voted on against leadership was when incineration was added as a tier-one renewable source.”

Behind the scenes, lobbyists for waste-to-energy companies are preparing to mount a last-ditch effort to block the bill’s inclusion in the final energy package, according to Maryland Matters.

Politics as usual.

The Broad Impact President Trump’s Tariffs Will Have

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President Trump’s tariffs are about leveling the playing field with the goal of bringing manufacturing back to America. If corporate taxes are low, energy inexpensive and reliable, and the workforce available, that is quite likely to happen. However, there are a lot of other benefits that could come from the tariffs.

On Saturday, The National Pulse reported on some of the possible far-reaching consequences of the tariffs:

The policy pushes toward restoring U.S. industry—steel, autos, manufacturing, and tech—by penalizing foreign-made goods and reducing reliance on market speculation and financial arbitrage.

Significance: If successful, this policy will:

    • Reshore U.S. production jobs;

    • Encourage foreign direct investment into real industry;

    • Lower long-term interest rates to reduce debt costs;

    • Shift the economy from financial engineering back to tangible production;

    • Realign the value of the U.S. dollar to support exports.

? Buried Lede: Trump’s true economic revolution isn’t just tariffs—it’s a bid to de-financialize the U.S. economy, cut Wall Street’s grip, and refocus on real industrial growth. The bond market, not the trade deficit, may be the real target.

…One of the more important secondary policy goals that the Trump White House likely hopes to achieve is a reduction in the 10-year Treasury Bond yield. While most people focus on the Federal Reserve Bank and its interest rate policy, the yield of long-term government bonds impacts interest rates on types of debt held for longer durations, including mortgages, credit cards, and, most importantly, government debt.

The tariffs are anticipated to push the 10-Year Treasury Bond yield lower, meaning the cost of the federal government’s payments servicing the national debt will be reduced. Notably, the inflationary cycle that set in under the Biden government—and was exacerbated by former President Joe Biden’s reckless spending policies—caused the cost to service the debt to increase dramatically and made it difficult for the government to take on any new debt.

The article concludes:

Conversely, after the tariff effects have subsided in the long term, the Trump White House economic team is likely to pursue policies aimed at weakening the dollar’s value to reduce America’s trade deficit. According to a theory proposed by President Trump’s chief economic advisor, Stephen Miran, weakening the dollar will discourage foreign governments through their central banks from moving assets into the United States. Miran argues this would reduce haven demand, where foreign governments move assets into stable economies to avoid domestic volatility. He contends this causes the dollar to be overvalued and subsequently increases America’s trade deficit.

President Trump ran on a platform pledging to transform the United States economy and put American workers first. The tariffs announced on April 2 are a significant step in fulfilling that promise, though the road to achieving an America-First economy still has many obstacles ahead.

Please follow the link to read the entire article. There is a lot more to putting tariffs in place than is generally being reported.