Tag Archives: R. Alan Harrop

Saving America:  Private Property

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.   

This is another article on issues essential to the preservation of this nation as we have known it for 250 years. Ownership of one’s property is a key factor in the creation and prosperity of this nation. Private property ownership is currently under threat by those who either, intentionally or unintentionally, are attempting to destroy it. The Founding Fathers were well aware of the fact that private ownership of property was essential to liberty and freedom. Let’s examine why this was so important.

Looking back in history, it is very clear that ownership of property was for centuries the privilege of a chosen few. Vast estates, on which most people labored for food and shelter, were the norm in not only western countries but throughout all the continents. Philosopher John Locke, who had a strong influence on the Founding Fathers, believed that freedom cannot exist when people do not own or control their own property. To quote him, “The great and chief end therefore, of men’s uniting into Commonwealths…is the preservation of their property…and the legislature may not take from any man, any part of his property without his consent.” This includes taxation which is the mechanism by which most people lose their property. Property in this context does not mean just land, but more generally any possessions or wealth.

One of the most interesting factors in history is the contrast between the way North America and South America have developed over the centuries. Clearly, South America had access to more precious metal wealth in gold and silver during the early years of colonization than did North America. However, that advantage did not lead to the economic prosperity that has occurred in North America. What was the critical factor that permitted North America to advance far beyond South America? It was private property ownership. When South America was being colonized, large parcels of land were owned by Spanish aristocrats or by the Spanish government. Colonists were brought over from Spain and other countries to work the owner’s land and mines. Most of the colonists were men. Contrast this with the early settlers in North America who were given their own parcels of land to work and develop. This was similar to what happened in the western United States in the mid-1800s with the Homestead Act, where each settler was given 160 acres of land to farm. The great advantage of private land ownership is that the owners have a vested interest in hard work and initiative to develop that land since they reap the profits and are able to support their families and pass their wealth on to future generations. This notion of private ownership was also seen in small businesses. The importance of property ownership was manifested in the early years of this country where only land owners were permitted to vote, since it was assumed they had the greatest interest in the policies and laws of the country.

Over the years, especially in the twentieth century, it was increasingly the goal of most families to own their own homes. Home ownership did accelerate from the 1930’s onward. The ability of a middle class person to afford a home is the backbone of economic prosperity. Recently, this trend has diminished for several reasons, including the influx of immigrants and excessive government regulation. One factor of increasing concern is the slide towards Marxism, especially by some of the younger generations. Marxism is based on the idea of government ownership–not private ownership. Look at what the communist mayor of New York proposed in creating government owned food stores and expanding government owned housing projects. Rent control is an effective way of forcing private owners of rental property to flee the city. High taxation, generous social benefits, and aggressive government intervention deprive people of their ability to own private property and therefore become increasingly dependent of the government. This gradually deprives them of their freedom and increases the power of the government. Take a look at California as an example– the average home costs over $900,000 compared to the national average of $350.000. The middle class as we have known it cannot survive in California. That is the reason so many people are moving to other states.

So, the bottom line is this. We have to recognize where expanding social welfare programs leads and somehow get this message to younger people. Dependence on government handouts takes money from those who earned it and deprives all of us of our freedoms. Sending children to college in this day and age is getting to be anti-patriotic, given the indoctrination by leftist professors. Learning a useful trade and work skills is an increasingly viable option. Government college loans should be stopped. They only encourage indebtedness and useless majors that do not lead to careers and independence.

Saving America:  Islamist Threat 

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.   

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great nation, we should all be reminded of the warning of President Abraham Lincoln: “that if America is to be destroyed, the source of that destruction will come from within our borders.” Many countries in Europe, especially the United Kingdom and France, are experiencing an existential threat from Islamist immigrants. These immigrants, instead of practicing the values of their host countries, are setting up enclaves which follow Islamist Sharia Law. Let’s examine the nature of this threat since it is coming to our country.

In order to fully understand the nature of this threat, we must go back to the founding of the Muslim religion in the 7th century AD by their prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, who primarily authored the Koran, which like the Bible to Christians, contains rules by which faithful Muslims are required to live. First, anyone who is not a Muslim is considered an Infidel (non-believer), and the Koran specifies that they are the enemy and should be treated as such. Infidels can be executed, enslaved, or subject to paying a fee to be allowed to live in an area controlled by Muslims. The goal is to make the world Islamist, with no exemptions. Since the founding of the Muslim religion, there have been centuries of their attacks against Christian nations and cities. These attacks by Muslims against Christians has been some of the most brutal and savage in world history. The book “Sword and Scimitar” by Raymond Ibrahim documents the horrendous savageness of these attacks which have continued up to the present time. The cruelty and savagery are difficult to read about, but we must understand the reality that we are facing.

Some people may doubt whether this threat still exists in the world today. Well, it does. For example, Christians in Muslim majority countries like Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Iran are currently subject to persecution, sexual violence, and discrimination. The willingness of Muslims to use violence was clearly evident this past January when up to 30,000 Iranians were killed by the government of Iran when they protested against the Islamist regime. It is crucial that we realize that the use of violence against Infidels is encouraged by the Koran. Also encouraged is the sexual abuse of non-Muslim women, which not only is a consistent theme over the centuries, but is happening now. For instance, the UK has experienced a 300% increase in rapes since the dramatic influx of Muslim immigrants. Similarly, in Sweden, 80% of rapes are by immigrants. Essentially, the Muslim faith not only allows, but in many ways encourages, the sexual violence against non-Muslim women who are seen as deserving it.

Another issue is general conduct towards infidels. Muslims are allowed to lie, cheat, break promises, and violate terms of agreements with infidels as they deem necessary to advance Muslim dominance. That is why we should never expect the current Islamist regime in Iran to live up to any agreement they might sign such as nuclear weapon restrictions or stopping support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah. When they chant “Death  to America,” we must take them at their word. Thirteen centuries of Muslim attacks on Christians show they mean exactly what they say.

So, what should we do? First, we must take the threat seriously. Most Muslim immigrants have no intention of assimilating to American values and principles. Second, we must seriously restrict immigration from Muslim majority countries. Third, we must stop allowing Muslims to settle in enclaves where only mosques are allowed and public call to prayer is broadcast publically. Fourth, we must require all Muslims applying for entry into the U.S. or citizenship to renounce Sharia Law.

Freedom of religion in our Constitution was never intended by our Founding Fathers to include religious groups whose objectives are to destroy Christianity and consequently many of the principles that are the basis of our freedoms. We should never compromise with evil.

Saving America: Meritocracy

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Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

This is another article in the series on issues critical to perpetuating America as we have known it for the past 250 years. America was founded on the principle of freedom and the opportunity for all citizens to achieve success in life based on their own hard work, perseverance, and responsible behavior regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or religion. This has earned America the title of the “Land of Opportunity” and is the reason so many people want to immigrate to our country. Sadly, over the past few decades we have been moving away from being a meritocracy (where work and effort determine success) to a system where merit is not rewarded. 

Here are some examples: Promotions in one’s career should be based on a person’s skills and achievements. In many corporations and businesses, promotions are now determined by quotas. A corporation must have the correct percentage of people in various positions based on race and gender. Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI), propagated by the Marxist left, has become a controlling principle that many corporations are following.

 Schools and universities follow similar practices not only in hiring but in grading the achievement of their students. The traditional grading system of A, B, C, D, and F has been either replaced by Pass/Fail or so distorted that very few if any students ever are graded below B. For example, a survey of colleges and universities showed that the Grade Point Average (GPA) was 2.83 in 1983; it is now 3.3. In 1965, 18% of students received an A grade average; it is now up to 62%!

 Another example of not rewarding those who achieve is participation trophies. Instead of giving trophies to the best and most accomplished, everyone gets a trophy. This just reinforces the Marxist principle of equal outcomes regardless of effort and demonstrated ability/achievement. It does not encourage students to do their best and work harder.  It is not the American way!

Marxism started in the mid-1800s, attempting to divide societies by economic class: worker vs owners/managers. That strategy worked in some countries like Russia, but failed in America because we had a middle class with an acceptable standard of living, and, most importantly, opportunities to advance based on a person’s own effort and achievement. The American Dream was a real possibility for most Americans. What are the Marxist leftists attempting now? They are attempting, and in some places succeeding, to divide the country by race and ethnicity. They use the notion of victimization to allow people to blame others for their own failure to achieve. If you are a minority race and not successful, it is because America is inherently racist; and therefore, it is not your fault that you are failing to achieve your dreams. The only solution, according to the Left, is to “fundamentally change America” as Barack Obama stated on many occasions. Transform to what you might wonder? Communism of course. The recent election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a proud communist, has shown how the Left’s strategy is working with a large number of people. This must be stopped if America is to be saved.

 Most, if not all, of the significant technical advances in civilization are made by high achievers who are free to apply their skill and intelligence to creating. America needs to return to recognizing and rewarding achievement at all levels of society. Striving to achieve the best one can is what built this country to the most successful in the history of mankind.  High standards of living are not created by low achievers. It is essential that we instill this principle in the youth of our country if America is to continue the success we have had over the past 250 years.

College? Yes or No

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

Graduation from an accredited four year college has been the aspiration of many high school students; although when I attended high school in the 1960s, it was rarely achieved. About 15% of my high school senior class went on to attend college. Over the years, the percentage of high school students attending college has gone up dramatically. In fact, it has become an expectation for the majority. Recently however, many people have begun to question not only the importance of college but whether the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Let’s take a look. 

Historically, college was a place where students would achieve what was called a classical education. That included studying history, cultural heritage and languages, science and mathematics. Many of the early colleges were affiliated with specific religions and included religious instruction as part of the curriculum. Training for specific career skills was infrequent. Gradually the focus of colleges shifted more towards career-path learning such as medicine, engineering, and teaching. A review of common college majors today shows an overwhelming number of college majors, many of which have no specific connection to a particular career. Consequently, many college graduates do not find that they qualify for a specific career or profession when they graduate. Given the increasing cost of college, are these students getting a fair return for their investment?

Nationally, the average cost of private, four-year college tuition is now over $35,000 per year. Public colleges average about $12,000 per year. Cost of room and board, fees and books can add considerably to this cost. Also, since the average student now takes six years to graduate, the actual expense can be much greater. The debt of the average graduate in 2024 was $37,000, with of course many owing much more. The total student debt in this country is now about $1.7 trillion dollars, which is more than the total credit card debt of all Americans. Much of this debt is due to tuition increases that have risen at a rate greatly above inflation and the ease at which government student loans are made available to students encouraging borrowing.

A major concern for many parents is whether attending college is resulting in the indoctrination of their children with leftist/woke ideology. A Gallop poll showed that 48% of college professors were registered Democrats and 6% were registered Republicans. Given these percentages, it is highly likely that the overwhelming number of non-party registered professors also learn sharply to the Left.

Recently, it was revealed that 31% of the students at Harvard were from foreign countries whose values vary dramatically from traditional Americans. Other colleges may not have quite so high percentages of foreign students; however, the 1.1 million foreign students in this country are going somewhere. By the way, of the 1.1 million, Chinese students account for 400.000. The point is that our students are being exposed to influences that may not be consistent with our values and beliefs. The recent rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses shows the result.

The bottom line is that the decision to send a child to college is no longer as simple and straight forward as it once was. Unless a student is seeking a specific career path, parents and students alike should consider alternatives such as community colleges and specific skill training, which for many will produce a better outcome at less cost.

Save America: Public Safety

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

This is the latest article of a series on issues critical to the survival of our nation as we have known it  as we celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary. The topic of public safety is of concern to all Americans and especially to me, since I spent my career as a psychologist in the North Carolina Department of Correction. One of the requirements of correctional psychologists is to assist in determining which inmates are reasonable risks for release back into society and which should stay in prison. This article summarizes some of the essential facts that effect crime and that decision process.

Like many essential things in our country’s history, it is important to look back and see what has worked and what hasn’t. As most people realize, the crime in Democrat run cities and states exceeds that in most more conservatively run places. Let’s examine why. First, it is important to realize that a very high percentage of crimes are committed by a very small percentage of the population.  For example, about 1% of the population commits about 65% of all crimes. Violent crimes are committed by 3% to 5% of the population. Second, 3% to 5% of specific neighborhoods account for over 50% of all crimes of violence. Clearly places you want to avoid if you can. Third, offenders commit many more crimes than those for which they are arrested. Active criminals commit an average of 9 to 17 offenses per year when free in society. Very rarely is a criminal arrested the first time he commits a crime. Think of it as a profession or career, because that’s what it is to the typical criminal. Going to prison is seen by most criminals as a price they have to pay occasionally so they can return to their profession. Fourth, criminal continuity is very common, with most delinquent criminals going on to become adult criminals, while non-delinquent juveniles remain noncriminal all of their lives. Fifth, most criminals when released from prison go on to commit more crimes. For example, 68% of released prisoners are rearrested within 3 years of release, and 82% within 5 years of release. Not very encouraging. You may recall that Governor Cooper released 3500 prisoners before their sentences were completed ostensibly due to the COVID virus. Based on the data above showing an average of 9 to 17 offenses committed each year, the Governor’s ill- advised release accounted for approximately 31,000 to 60,000 crimes. So much for concern about public safety Governor! Sixth, criminals are most likely to commit crimes at the highest rate in early adulthood; and Seventh, the individuals committing the most crimes are those who are members of criminal gangs.

OK, so what do we do about it? It would be great if we could ensure that all children are raised by two parents who instill a conscience that respects right from wrong, and good from evil. Obviously, this is not happening to those who become criminals. Since we cannot control conscience development, the best option is swift arrest, conviction and incarceration. Incarceration not to rehabilitate, which is rare, but rather to remove from society as long as the law allows. The idea of not prosecuting (like in California), suspended sentences and early parole are all threats to public safety. Sentences should increase as the criminal shows a pattern of continued criminal activity. Remember, for every arrest that results in a sentence, the criminal is committing many more that go undetected. It should also be remembered that the dichotomy of property versus violent offenders is not supported by the facts. Many property offenders also commit many acts of personal violence since both types of crime reflect the lack of a moral conscience and no sense of empathy for others.

Instead of reducing sentences, we should go back to the 1980s where sentences were longer and more certain. Incarceration during the young adult ages of criminals has the greatest impact on improving public safety. So, the next time you hear a district attorney, judge or politician talk about reducing what they consider the high incarceration rate in this country, you will know what to do and how to vote. The safety of the citizens should take precedence over sympathy for the criminal.

Saving America: China’s Plan

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop,Ph.D.   

President Trump’s recent trip to Communist China reminds me of how far China has advanced in its effort to undermine and replace America as the dominant nation on the globe. While it is clearly in our interest to engage with China and not allow them to form a stronger coalition with Russia, we must never lose site of the extent they will go to achieve their ultimate goal of domination. President Trump’s use of tariffs, encouraging returning manufacturing to our country, and re-building our military has shown Communist China that he is aware of the threat they pose and is willing to do something about it.

One of the main problems in dealing with China is not only their complex strategy with many tentacles, but historically, our ignoring and doing nothing about their threats. They take advantage of everything they can, while we allow them to get away with it. A couple of examples:  1.)  Birthright citizenship. This ridiculous notion that anyone who happens to be born in our country or one of our territories is automatically a citizen is going to continue to erode our country if not stopped. The Supreme Court has this case before it and is likely to announce its decision in the next few weeks. Let’s hope they do the right thing. China has been sending thousands of pregnant women to not only the continental U.S. but to territories like Guam, where they are merely tourists but give birth and are therefore parents of citizens who can immigrate to America at any time. 2.)  College Students. Although the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has gone down in the last couple of years, the total is still over 260,000. Compare this to only 700 to 800 American students studying in China. As many cases have shown, the students from China are controlled by the Chinese government through their funding, and importantly, threatening their families to ensure that they gather the information on research and other areas while they are here. Many are essentially spies. 3.)  Land and Business Purchases. We have all heard about Communist China purchasing land near our military bases. While some states have attempted to stop this, China continues to buy farmland and food production companies such as Smithfield Foods. Compare this to the impossibility of non-Chinese purchasing land or businesses in China. They do not allow it. 4.)  Purchasing Houses. More recently, it has been revealed that China is behind the purchasing of thousands of single-family homes in many states including California, Texas, Florida and South Carolina. These purchases are done in cash and by companies owned by Chinese nationals. They are targeting houses that young Americans need most to build their lives. In 2025, 36% of single-family homes sold in California were purchased by Chinese companies. Since they offer quick purchases that avoid the uncertain mortgage process, many sellers agree quickly. Why are the Chinese doing this? One reason is that having an American address opens the door to many things that this country has to offer such as a pathway to permanent residence, entry to schools and colleges, etc.

One of the troubling aspects of this situation, as described above, is the clear lack of reciprocity. While we allow foreigners easy access to our real estate and business ownership, China has numerous barriers that make it next to impossible for Americans to do the same. Given all the agreements Communist China has failed to uphold–their theft of intellectual property, hacking into our electronic systems, and of course, their stated goal to replace America as the pre-eminent world power, we must see this for what it is–a planned and concerted effort to infiltrate our country; nothing else explains all of this.

So, what should we do about it? First, stop selling farm acreage to any foreign country. Second, do not allow more Chinese students into the U.S. than American students in China. Third, only citizens should be allowed to purchase residential property, and follow President Trump’s effort to stop large corporations from buying individual homes. All of these items currently owned by Chinese nationals and their corporations must be sold back to Americans. This is the 250th anniversary year; we must get serious about defending our country or we will lose it. We must face the threat that China presents and have the courage to do something about it. Notice that a week after President Trump visits China, Vladimir Putin is invited to do the same. Not a coincidence. China and Russia remain close allies.

Saving America:  Big Brother 

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop,Ph.D.

Beware of good intentions! This is a warning that should be heeded by our elected officials as well as we the citizens of this great country. Many new programs and government directives may intend to solve a problem or even protect the people. However, in the case of the subject of this article the government takes onto itself a potential power over the people which we, the people, would never have agreed to if given the choice.

In 2021, the Democrat controlled Senate added an amendment to an massive Infrastructure bill that funded highway and bridge construction. The amendment, Section 24220, required all automobiles manufactured in the United States beginning in 2026/2027 to contain a monitoring system that was designed to test the functioning of a driver before or even after the person’s vehicle was started and driven. The system is to consist of cameras, sensors, and electronics designed to observe the driver’s eye motions, braking and steering functioning. An algorithm in the vehicle computer will then determine whether the person is fit to drive. I will bet that none of you knew that such a requirement is now required. I sure did not. Apparently, it was put in the large infrastructure bill at the last moment, generally unknown to the public, and not covered by the media that I know of.

Now, if you believe and trust that the federal government and their bureaucrats can be relied upon to never exceed the original intention of such a regulation, then you are living in a dream world. There are numerous instances of regulations being expanded and misused as I am sure you are aware. This reminds me, like many other things done by the Marxist Democrats, of the warnings of George Orwell in his book 1984, where the government increasingly monitors citizens and arrests them when they try to avoid government scrutiny systems. By the way, the estimated additional cost to a new vehicle is over $2,000. Not only is this a clear violation to our right to privacy and personal freedom, but it provides a mechanism by which the government could implement a system in the future where they can control you use of your vehicle whenever they choose. They can already track your location, speed, etc. using GPS technology. Another example, perhaps not quite so draconian, is already in place on diesel vehicles. I own a 2016 Ram 2500 diesel truck that I primarily use for towing an RV. It has a built in Diesel Exhaust System that if not functioning properly will slow the truck down to a maximum of 5MPH if the error in the system is not corrected within 150 miles of the warning light appearing. This happened to me recently, and cost me $3300 for repairs. Interestingly, my local mechanic was not able to repair the system because the required parts were only available through a dealership. No one told me about this infringement on my rights when I purchased the truck.

A couple of efforts have been initiated by few Republican congressman to repeal this regulation. One is HR1137-No Kill Switches in Cars Act that was originally filed by Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Representative Chip Roy of Texas has also been active in trying to have the kill switches removed. Sadly, not all Republicans have supported their efforts. I strongly suggest that you contact your congressional representative and let him know what your position is on kill switches. Remember, the road to totalitarian control is a gradual erosion of your rights and freedoms, often masked by some seemingly positive goal. Trusting government to do what they say is always a bad idea as we saw with the Covid lockdowns and mandatory vaccines.

Saving America:  Indebtedness

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

This is another article in the series on issues vital to our country as we prepare for the 250th anniversary of its founding. There is obviously a growing problem with the soaring national debt, but I also want to address the indebtedness of individuals, which is also a problem, especially for the younger generations. As usual, at the end I will outline some actions that could be taken to deal with these problems.

First, the national debt. If you have never logged into the National Debt Clock, this would be a good time to do so. It provides a running tally of various measures of the country’s financial situation. As of this instant, the U.S. national debt is $ 39.16 trillion and growing by leaps and bounds. This amounts to a $ 357,000 debt for each taxpayer. The interest on the debt has now reached $1.02 trillion per year! This is more than the Dept. of War budget of $935 billion. The highest budget item is Medicare/Medicaid at $1.95 trillion, followed by Social Security at $1.63 trillion. It should be noted that Medicare/Medicaid did not even exist in1960.

The financial health of a country is frequently measured by the ratio of a country’s Gross National Product (GNP; which is the worth of all production) to its total debt. The ratio in 1980 for the U.S. was 34%; now it is 125%, which most economists consider to be unsustainable. For comparison purposes, it would be like owing 125% more than your total income per year. The combined total of expenditures for social programs (including Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security) has now reached $3.58 trillion, which is about 60% of the total budget. If you had any doubts that we are sliding towards Marxism, the figure should resolve those doubts. We are printing money we do not have, or are ever likely to have, like a bunch of drunken sailors, greatly contributing to inflation. Margaret Thatcher, a previous Chancellor of the United Kingdom, once stated correctly that” Marxism continues until they run out of other people’s money,” then it collapses.

Alright, we understand the problem, so what do we do about it? First, we need to stop electing politicians that promise all kinds of free stuff just to get elected. We may need to consider term limits to get them to do the right thing when they are in their last term. A constitutional amendment that requires a balanced budget like those that exist in some states (like North Carolina) would help. Weaning people off free stuff is very difficult if not impossible, but putting limits on how long a person is eligible for each welfare program would help as would enforceable work requirements. Reducing the federal government workforce as President Trump is doing would also help since there are currently 2,568,000 government employees. What is the likelihood any of these actions will be taken? Slim to none. The result if nothing is done is a collapse of the value of the dollar. Not a pleasant prospect to say the least. This is another reason to invest some of one’s savings in precious metals.

Now let’s turn to personal debt. As of April 27, 2026, the total personal debt in the U.S. is $18.8 trillion. The largest portion of the debt is for mortgages, $12.8 trillion; followed by auto loans, $1.64 trillion; student loans, $1.63 trillion, and credit cards, $1.28 trillion. Although the amount of debt is higher for middle aged people, the highest loan defaults are with those from 20 to 29 years old. College tuition is the category of expenses that has gone up the most–at 900%, since 1983. This compares to medical care at 248%, housing at 486%, and gasoline at 192%. I believe that part of the ridiculous increase in tuition was due to the ease at which students could obtain federal student loans as compared to more restrictive private loans that allowed colleges to increase tuition and not lose students. Also, the tremendous increase in foreign students, now at 1.2 million, most of whom pay the highest tuition, has allowed colleges to increase spending. The average college loan balance in the U.S. is $40,000 at 6.5% for 10 years. The average credit card balance is now at $7,220. Approximately, 50% of credit card holders carry a month-to-month balance with interest rates ranging from 20 – 25%. Clearly, indebtedness is increasing especially among the younger age groups.

How can this problem be solved?  Listening to Dave Ramsey and reading his books would help. He stresses the importance of living debt free, which of course requires living within ones means. Making and living by a budget and cutting up credit cards are two of his main messages to the younger generation. There was a time when people used cash or even wrote checks that had to be within the limit of the money you had in your account. This made people face the reality of their fiscal limits. People have to take responsibility for their indebtedness and realize that a satisfying and happy life is not dependent on spending money. Quite the opposite in many ways, since conflict over money has been a major factor in marital stress and divorce.

Saving America:  Do the Opposite of California!

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

The founding fathers were wise in many ways. One of the best things they did was to allow states to operate pretty much independently of each other. As we approach the 250th anniversary of our independence, it is increasingly obvious that some states have gone in dramatically different directions. The result is being reflected in the mass migration from states like California and New York, to states like Florida and Texas. Let’s take a look at what California has done wrong.

Ever since we annexed California, it has been considered the finest state in the country. Starting with the gold rush of 1848, the climate, natural resources, fertile soil, and natural beauty attracted millions of people. These were people who were looking for a place that would allow them to profit from their hard work and provide a future for their families. California was called the “Golden State” for many reasons–not just the gold mines. During the Great Depression in the 1930’s, many people moved to California. Those people became the bedrock of an economy that grew to provide the highest standard of living in the country. By 1950, the population of California was 10 million. They were a reliable conservative Republican state that elected Ronald Reagan to two terms as governor. The public school system was rated the highest in the country, and the standard of living and affordability were unmatched. The hard-working middle class was thriving; it was close to paradise.

Okay, so where are they now and how did they get there? First, they became controlled by Marxist ideologues who fooled the people into accepting destructive ideas like open borders. The elite-like current governor, Gavin Newsom, began a policy of sanctuary cities that morphed into a sanctuary state. Always remember, Marxists do not believe in the sanctity of nation states, rather they believe in global governance where people should be free to relocate to any part of the world that they wish. The result was that the population of California is now over 40 million, many of which are illegal aliens from all over the globe. As expected, this has destroyed the public school system, which has to deal with students who not only do not speak English but have values inconsistent with traditional America. The flood of immigrants has ruined the middle class by working for lower wages and not paying taxes. One of the bedrocks of America is that every person should support themselves.  President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his own weight–and that he shall not be a mere passenger.” California’s leaders have not only ignored this principle, but have overtly made California into a refuge for the irresponsible, the drug addicts, the mentally ill, and other people unwilling or unable to pull their own weight. They are allowed to live in the streets, get free food, and prey on the public. What happened to vagrancy laws?

Another thing that has led to the demise of California is crime. Marxist DA’s refuse to prosecute law breakers and do not even arrest people who steal less than $1,000. California cities have some of the highest crime rates in the country. The cost of living has also risen to the highest in the country. The average price of a home is over twice as much as it is in other states. In addition to this is corruption, Dr. Oz recently reported that Medicaid fraud in Los Angeles is so rampant that one-third of all the funds spent in the entire country on Hospice Care by Medicaid are fraudulently expended in that one city! The total indebtedness of state and local governments in California is over $1.6 trillion. Given all this, is it any wonder that people are fleeing California at monumental rates? In 2025, 225,000 more people left California than arrived. Just hope that they have learned their lesson and do not vote for Marxist Democrats in the states they now reside.

So, the lesson is clear. We must uphold the values and beliefs that made this country successful for 250 years. As Lincoln once said; ”This country will never be defeated by another country, if we are to fall it will be from within.” We owe our children and grandchildren a country that can survive for at least another 250 years. Get out and vote! Support true-conservative, country-loving candidates. The Trump agenda will not survive if we do not get out and support him and his administration. It is very simple, if you voted for Trump in 2024, get out and vote again. You know what to do. Let us all pledge to do what is needed to save this country from Marxist communists.

Saving America:  Artificial Intelligence

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Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D 

Since this year is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, it is an appropriate time to consider some of the major issues facing our country. This article is one of a series that attempts to do just that. The last hundred years or so have seen a dramatic advancement of technology that has had a significant impact on our lives–some good some not so good. In fact, the changes are so fast that many people have difficulty keeping up. From a human intelligence and emotional perspective, there is a limit to how much change we can absorb and adapt to. The age of computers, the internet, and digital processes have improved our lives, yet have presented challenges.

With the advent and use of artificial intelligence (AI), we may be facing the biggest challenge so far. According to the dictionary, artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that develops systems capable of performing tasks typically requiring human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, problem-solving, and perception. In other words, we are creating humans! Now, like all advances in human capacity, for example the automobile, there are going to be disruptions to the existing order of things. We cannot avoid these disruptions if we are to advance as a civilization. However, none of the prior advances had the potential to replace humans that AI has shown. We cannot avoid developing AI for several reasons, not the least of which is national security. China, our most potent adversary, is pursuing the development of AI at a pace that threatens to leave us behind. We cannot let that happen.  For example, the other day there was a news item showing a Chinese made robot winning an extended long-distance race against humans. We are now living in the futuristic world that just a few years ago was science fiction in novels and movies. The question then becomes not whether we should pursue AI, but rather how do we make sure that humans do not become unnecessary and superfluous. As AI advances and is able to create and develop itself, human programmers are of less importance. As a result of that, there isa a reduction of computer programming jobs across many industries. The speed of AI in data searching is astonishing. The potential use in military equipment must be utilized if we are to remain competitive with our adversaries.

There was a recent article outlining an unexpected use of AI that shows how AI has already infiltrated much of our lives. The topic was screening job applicants. Ninety-eight percent of Fortune 500 companies use some form of AI when screening job applicants. The report showed that 43% of the applicants were rejected not because they did not have the required job skills, but rather their submitted resumes did not meet the AI generated format. These applicant’s resumes were never seen by a human. It may be that applicants must rely on AI generated resumes if they are to pass muster with the AI reviewers.

The use of AI in communicating with the public is increasing to the point that one never knows whether you are talking to a person or a robot. I have noticed that in some messages to other persons you may be required to check a box stating you are not a robot! The use of robotic driven automobiles has not only been developed, but these automobiles are now being implemented as taxis in several cities such as San Francisco, Dallas, and San Antonio. Soon we may have robots available to do house work, prepare meals, and do other household chores. What is the impact on the activity of humans as we become more dependent on robots? Perhaps in the near future we will be able to court and select a robot spouse. If you consider this a fantasy, some state legislatures are considering laws that would not allow robots to own property, enter into legal contracts, etc. The goal is to make sure humans are not supplanted by robots and that robots do not have the same rights as humans. This may be necessary.

One of the scariest things is a recent report that developers of an AI system were unable to shut down the system because the AI system refused to comply with the order from the human creator. While we are obviously able to benefit from AI in many ways, we need to be cautious, as AI becomes more capable and intelligent, that we do not create something that will be our undoing in the long run. Humans require the ability to accomplish things in order to maintain self-respect and positive self-esteem. Where will we get this if we are dependent on robots?

Saving America:  Restoring Education

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

Having educated, patriotic citizens is essential to the survival of America as we have known it in our lifetimes. When speaking about the most crucial things needed to save our Republic, George Washington stated, “A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government.  In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?” Let’s take a look and see how we are doing.

In spite of the so-called “No Child Left Behind Act” passed by Congress during the first years of this century, educational achievement has been declining–not improving. In fact, this is the first time in our country’s history where children’s academic achievement is lower than their parents! This is in spite of billions of taxpayer dollars spent on laptops, smart phones and screen learning. Today, 55% of school children spend at least four hours of classroom time on screens and 27% spend at least five hours of classroom time. I can remember about ten years ago that one of the Craven County Commissioners expressed how proud he was that every student received a laptop funded by the county taxpayers. Of course, good intentions do not guarantee good results.

Some might argue, of course, that computer generated learning is preparing children for the modern world. Test scores in reading, math, science and spelling refute that argument. What is critical is how much of the information in the mode of instruction actually is absorbed and expands a child’s thinking and reasoning ability. Why learn arithmetic and multiplication tables when calculators are readily available? Why have human teachers when AI instruction is rapid and readily available? By the way, the decrease in academic achievement is occurring not just in our country but in most other Western countries, some of whom are taking steps to return to more traditional teaching using paper, pencils and teacher instruction. AI gets smarter; we get dumber. I noticed recently that when I initiate an email, I am asked if I want an AI program to assist! Teachers now do not know if a written assignment submitted by a student was written by that student or is an AI derivative. Teachers should go back to requiring the student to hand write the assignment while they are in the classroom. One problem is that very few public schools still teach cursive writing. The professional teacher’s associations will object, but we need to return to instructional techniques that worked for centuries and get the computers and smart phones out of the classroom.

The point that George Washington was making in the quote above needs to be taken seriously. Our schools do not offer sufficient instruction in the value and success of the free enterprise system and the necessity of retaining a representative republic to safeguard our liberties. The last hundred years have clearly proven the unworkability of Marxist inspired socialism and communism. They always produce lowered standards of living, and authoritarian governments that deprive people of their freedom. Yet we have millions of people who have been through our public school systems that don’t realize that Marxist principles are anti-American and vote for people like Mamdani in New York City which will be their undoing and the destruction of our country. A recent survey showed that the majority of high school students could not differentiate a representative republic from a democracy, and that an alarming 62% Americans aged 18 to 29 had a favorable view of socialism! Not good.

I have been and remain an advocate for school choice, including private and homeschools. Anyone who resists supporting school choice in favor of the public school system as it is currently functioning is contributing to the demise of our country. Parents should be able to select the education that agrees with their principles and values. Homeschooling should be encouraged and funded just like public or private schools. We need to get patriotism and traditional learning back in our educational system.

Saving America: Birthrate

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop,Ph.D. 

This is the fourth article I have written on things that need to be done if we are to ensure that America survives for our children and grandchildren as it has for us. It is a debt we must be willing to pay. This topic deals with the absolute requirement that our native population (those born legally to citizens) must reproduce itself to maintain our cultural and political traditions and values. Historically many if not most republics and democracies have failed because they did not pass on to the next generation their essential values and traditions. We must assume that children born to our patriotic citizens are essential to our country and that children born to illegals or visitors are much less likely to practice or value our essential beliefs and traditions. There are exceptions of course.

Let’s look at some facts. The birthrate for American women citizens has been dropping over the past several decades. The birthrate defined as the average number of children born per woman is now at 1.6. In 1960 the birthrate was 3.5. Just to maintain the same population of our country, the birthrate needs to be at least 2.3. A shrinking population will negatively impact the economy by not having enough workers and being unable to support an aging population. Another thing that affects the Americanization of children is whether they are born and raised in two parent families. It is a well-known fact that children raised without two parents are more likely to wind up in prison and less likely to lead a successful life. Again, we are moving in the wrong direction. In 1960 only 5% of all children born in the United States were born to unmarried mothers. Now it is 40%! The data shows that the number of children born to unmarried mothers is a function of race. In 2023, the percentage of children born to unmarried mothers was 12% for Asians, 27% for whites, 54% for Hispanics, and 70% for blacks. In addition, 70% of unmarried mothers were on Medicaid and 60% were on food stamps (SNAP program). It is clear that government programs are supporting and perhaps encouraging the birthing of children out of wedlock. Not good.

OK, now let’s look at the controversial so called “birthright citizenship.” No other country currently grants citizenship to every person born in their country regardless of parents’ citizenship status. None, zero, nada! President Trump has attempted to stop this absurdity by executive order, but like most sensible things he has done, his action has been immediately challenged by the left wing Democrats and has wound up in the Supreme Court. Sadly, with judges like John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, we cannot be sure how they will decide. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution states “All persons born or naturalized in the U.S. and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the U.S. and the state wherein they reside.” This amendment was passed in 1868 when the issue of illegal immigrants did not even exist since we were allowing unrestricted immigration. The amendment was meant to address the efforts of several Southern states to prevent recently freed blacks from obtaining all the privileges of citizenship–including voting. Did the drafters of the 14th amendment intend to allow birthright citizenship to all illegal immigrants and visitors? Not only no, but “Hell no!”

So, what should we do? First, encourage women citizens to have more children. Use tax incentives and programs to assist with childcare costs, or preferably, stay home and raise their own children at least until they are school age. Encourage businesses to offer more part time jobs. Average childcare costs in the U.S. are now at $13,000. per year. If Congress would do their job and terminate all welfare programs to illegals, we would save an estimated $150 billion per year and divert this to supporting our own children. Second, encourage people to marry younger and have more years of birthing children. In the 1960s the average man got married at age 23, now it is over 30. Living together and not being married has become the norm where it used to be strongly discouraged and morally unacceptable. Perhaps increased tax incentives to married couples could be considered. Third, since we apparently need workers for relatively menial jobs that are currently being filled by illegals, we could establish a well-controlled system of allowing temporary work visas for specific numbers of foreign workers that would not allow permanent residence in our country or birthright citizenship for their children or access to welfare programs.

If we do not solve this birthrate problem we will wind up like most European countries which are losing their cultural identity due to insufficient replacement of their populations with their own native-born children.

Saving America: Dependence on Government

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, PH.D.

This is the second article on issues critical to ensuring the continuation of America as we have known it as we celebrate the 250″ year since its founding. As one looks back on the history of this great and unique country, it is evident that a strong tradition of personal independence and self-reliance was critical to America’s success. The Founding Fathers gave us the framework for freedom from government control, which allowed hard working individuals to prosper and improve their standard of living. This became the basis for the so-called “American Dream”, where an individual through perseverance and self-improvement could lift themselves up by their own boot straps and achieve economic success. This is the essence of the free market system. The question is, “Where does America stand in the year 2026 on this critical value and tradition?”

Since the mid-1800s, the ideas of Karl Marx (the basis of communism/socialism) have been the antithesis of personal freedom and self-reliance. Since that time we have witnessed sufficient evidence to judge whether Marx or the Founding Fathers were correct. Communist China, Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela all serve as examples of the failure of communism and its essential element, which is reliance on government rather than on oneself. The Marxist theme “From each according to his ability; to each according to his needs.” sums up how communism takes from hard working successful individuals and gives to everyone else regardless of their effort. To accomplish this requires a strong central, controlling government, which of course is the opposite of the limited government written into our Constitution.

Unfortunately, America over the past hundred years or so has been steadily drifting towards socialism. A few examples standout: First, the implementation of personal income tax in 1913 allowed the government to directly tax the individual. Originally, only the top 1%-3% of workers were subject to paying any tax on their income which could amount to 1% -7% of earnings. The highest percentage of workers paying income tax occurred in 1945 at 60% with a top marginal tax rate of up to 95% of income! The expansion of government taxing of citizens has allowed a tremendous growth of government spending and control over consumption. The size of the federal government has grown far beyond that envisioned by the Founding Fathers and has resulted in government control over much of our lives. The establishment of the so-called “Great Society” in the 1960s by Democrat President Lyndon Johnson opened the door to all kinds of controls from the type of vehicle we drive to the food that we eat. Most of these social programs originally aimed at helping a small number of people who for one reason or another could not help themselves. For example, the food stamp program, now known as SNAP, began in 1964 and served a half a million people. Participants had to purchase the food stamps which allowed them to buy food items at a discount. The federal government in 1974 expanded the program and removed the requirement to purchase the food stamps and received them based on their income. As a result the number of people on food stamps reached 22 million by 1981. As of today, there are over 42 million people receiving food assistance through the SNAP program. This substantial expansion of this program is typical of social programs that may start off small but soon grow making more people dependent on the government. In addition, most of the welfare programs have income limits which discourage an individual from increasing their income since they will no longer be eligible for free stuff.

The impact on the federal deficit has been profound. In the mid- 1950s, federal budget spending on welfare programs was about 5%; now it is 65%! Defense spending has gone down while all other government spending has gone up which accounts for the unsustainable deficit of $39 trillion. No country has ever lasted when their budget deficit reaches such high numbers. America at some point will to face the inevitable. We need politicians that are strong enough to address this budget crisis and stop kicking the can down the road. As British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said,

“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” President Trump has reduced the size of the federal government workforce by about 300,000. More needs to be done. People have to be encouraged to rely on themselves instead of the government. If not, we will find ourselves increasing controlled by the government as we experienced during the Covid epidemic where businesses were closed, people could not gather in groups, and had to wear ineffective face masks. Big government results in loss of freedom, period. Always has and always will.

Saving America: Citizenship

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

This year, the 250th anniversary of the founding of this great country, is not only an opportunity to celebrate what we have achieved, but a reminder of our obligation to future generations of Americans to examine where we are headed in this complex and changing world and what we must do to ensure America’s survival as conceived by the Founding Fathers. We owe this to all those who have sacrificed and worked to build, protect, and defend our country since its founding and especially to all those who fought and died on the battlefield. If history shows us anything, it demonstrates that successful countries cease to exist when they fail to maintain the principles and values that allowed them to succeed in the first place. We cannot allow Complacency and failure to recognize and resist the threats the world presents to destroy America as we have known it.

As I have noted in previous articles and which should be patently clear by now, uncontrolled immigration both legal and illegal presents the greatest threat. As President Lincoln correctly stated; “If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide”; and “ America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” I believe that the issue of who is granted citizenship and the privileges given exclusively to citizens are of the utmost importance to the survival of our country as we have known it for 250 years.

When this country was being founded, we were in need of immigrants to expand and develop the massive land that we had acquired. That is no longer the case. The most important thing now is to maintain the culture and traditions that allowed our country to excel and to provide the greatest standard of living ever known. This was not accomplished by accident, but rather by following principles and values reflective of the Judeo/Christian culture of western civilization. The vast majority of immigrants believed in these values–such as compliance with the law, hard work and independence, reliance on family not government handouts, and most of all freedom of action as long as the rights of others was not trampled upon.

As we have seen in the United Kingdom, the massive immigration from countries all over the world has led to the demise of their culture. The most common name of newborn male children in the UK is Muhammad. We are experiencing a similar and accelerating tribalization in our country by Muslims. This can be seen in various places like Minneapolis and now New York City, where over 38% of residents are foreign born and the announcement of the Muslim call to prayer is broadcast over loud speakers several times a day. This not the American I grew up in. This is not assimilation into our culture; quite the opposite, it is colonization.

Alright, so what do we do about it? First, end birthright citizenship, which should be restricted only to the children of citizens. Second, make the rules for becoming a naturalized citizen stricter. There are now over 26 million naturalized citizens in the U.S., and that number is increasing by over 800,000 per year. We must ensure that naturalized citizens are truly aligned with traditional American values. For example, they should be required to foreswear allegiance to things such as Sharia Law whose principles conflict with ours. Third, only citizens should be counted when forming congressional districts–not the overall census that now includes noncitizens. Fourth, only citizens should be allowed to vote in any election, federal or local. Fifth, only citizens should be eligible for any welfare program. Sixth, only native born citizens shall be eligible to hold public office. Seventh, service in the U.S. military should not automatically qualify a person for naturalized  citizenship.

Now, to some people these measures may seem extreme; however, the crisis facing America requires strong measures if we are to preserve our country.

Remove the Filibuster?

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

There is a legitimate controversy brewing about the U.S. Senate so-called filibuster rule that requires legislation by the Senate to be approved by 60 out of the 100 senators. This is not the rule in the House of Representatives, where a majority of at least one vote is necessary. Some people argue that requiring 60 votes makes it very difficult to pass legislation since in most cases one political party does not have enough senators to meet the filibuster threshold of 60, and therefore the minority is able to block the majority.  Let’s take a look at the issues involved.

First of all, it should be noted that the U.S. Constitution does not require 60 votes out of 100 to pass legislation; it requires only a simple majority of one. The term filibuster refers to the process of a senator taking the floor to speak and continuing in order to block a vote on pending legislation by “talking the bill to death.” In 1841, then senator Henry Clay threatened to introduce a process by which debate could be ended and thereby, forcing a vote. He was not successful. It was not until 1917, that the Senate passed a “cloture “ rule that allowed the Senate to terminate debate with a three-fifths majority of 67. That rule was modified in 1975 to require only 60 votes for cloture. Filibusters over the years have been used to block legislation that most of the people in the country supported, for example, civil rights legislation in the 1950s and1960s. Now they do not even have to stand up and speak for hours; all they have to do is threaten to do it!

As noted above, the filibuster rule allows the minority to block action by the majority. A glaring example today is the “SAVE” Act that is being blocked in the Senate by Democrats. That bill would require all voters in federal elections to show a photo ID and verification of citizenship, which polls show is supported by over 80% of Americans regardless of party affiliation. Herein lies the essential problem where the will of the majority of people is being blocked by the minority political party thereby denying the right of the people to control their government. The recent extended shutdown of the entire federal government for over 40 days by the Democrats is another example. I believe it is fair to argue that a political party winning the Presidency, the majority in the House, and the Senate has demonstrated that the majority of citizens support their platform and should be able to implement the changes voted for by the people. This is what government of the people, for the people and by the people, looks like.

The Democrats have stated that if they win all the branches of government they would add the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as States giving them four more senators; expand the Supreme Court to twelve allowing them to appoint three more socialists to the court; and grant citizenship to all illegal aliens. If this occurs, it will be next to impossible for the conservative majority of people in this country to reassert control over the federal government. Given this stated goal and the country’s fight against a Marxist takeover, it seems clear that we must ensure that the issues of the Republican Party to support this country, especially on its 250th anniversary, are implemented through legislation not just executive orders by President Trump. For example, removing the filibuster would allow the Congress to give President Trump the authority to implement tariffs that are essential to fair trade with other countries. The entire Trump agenda is in jeopardy if it is not confirmed by Congress. Otherwise, the next Democrat President can open the borders, reinstate climate change policies that are neither necessary or helpful, weaken the military, and increase taxes.

I do not believe that the majority of people in this country want this to happen. The filibuster rule must be eliminated; the sooner the better.

The Case Against Legalizing Marijuana

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.   

The effort to legalize marijuana has been accelerating over the past several years. As of today, marijuana is available for medical use in 40 states and for recreational use in 24 states, although not in North Carolina for either. It should also be noted that Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona, Ohio, and Idaho have prominent campaigns to revoke recreational marijuana. Obviously, they are having problems. Here are some of the issues that need to be understood before North Carolina makes a mistake and legalizes marijuana.

The first consideration is the current research on the health impact of marijuana. A recent extensive research project involving more than 60,000 brain scans showed that brain deterioration is significantly accelerated by marijuana use. In fact, more than five times the negative impact of alcohol abuse. The accelerated aging puts marijuana user’s brain condition similar to people with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Induced psychotic reactions are becoming more frequent, resulting in far more emergency room admissions for out-of-control behavior, including violence. Canada has just added new label warnings against marijuana, use especially for younger people. Over 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with marijuana-use disorder. Importantly, researchers at the American College of Cardiology reported a significant increase in heart attacks by marijuana users. In the past 20 years, marijuana use among teenagers has increased by 245%. As of 2022, daily use of marijuana has surpassed daily alcohol use.

Two additional problems have emerged. First, is the fact that the THC (mind altering chemical) in marijuana has increased dramatically over the years. For example, in 1970 THC levels were about 3%, in 1995 the levels were about 5%, and as of 2023 had reached up to 37%. Marijuana concentrates can now reach 60 to 90%! Part of this is the selective breeding of plants as well as the motivation by producers to have a stronger more addictive product. Unlike alcoholic beverages, that are required to specify  alcohol content, when smoking marijuana the user has no way of knowing the actual THC level. In addition, there is the very real possibility that the marijuana dealers have added drugs such as fentanyl, which of course is the leading cause of drug related deaths. The fact that marijuana is the primary gateway drug to more lethal and addictive drugs has always been and continues to be true.

The proponents of legalizing marijuana typically claim that if it is controlled and restricted, the black-market sale of unregulated marijuana will go down. That has not happened. According to Whitney Economics, which analyzes the marijuana industry, the illegal black marketers constitute about 75% of the $100 billion marijuana sold in the U.S. with two-thirds grown domestically. The black marketers can sell at a lower price and the sales cannot be traced. They do not have to pay taxes on sales, nor do they have to comply with environmental regulations when growing their product.

As usual, when illicit money is to be made and is detrimental to the U.S., we must look to the Chinese government. It is well known that they have been supporting criminal organizations that produce and smuggle drugs like meth and fentanyl into our country. What is less well known is how China-backed criminal organizations are now dominating the growing of illegal marijuana on U.S. agricultural land.

So, what should we do. First, North Carolina must continue to say No to legalizing  medical or recreational use of marijuana for the reasons stated above. While some may claim that medical marijuana should be allowed, it should not. There are alternative legal medications for medical problems, and importantly, most states that start off legalizing medical marijuana soon move to legalizing recreational marijuana. Some people will claim that we should treat it like alcohol. Not so. Alcohol is a historical cultural drink that while having negative effects on some people, can be controlled, at least as to potency, and is not a demonstrable gateway to more deadly drugs. We tried to stop alcohol sales during Prohibition which was a complete failure. Marijuana access can and must be stopped. Second, the General Assembly should institute laws that strictly forbid the purchasing of agricultural land by any entities that have traceable connections to China (as we are trying to do with land around military bases). We should not give China a foothold in the illicit marijuana business. We must stop this slide towards drug dependency which will ruin our society if it is allowed to expand. 

Ensuring Electricity Availability

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

During the recent snow event, I received a notice from our electricity supplier, Tideland, to reduce our home use of electricity as much as possible. I have been through a lot of cold and hot weather periods in my life, but this is the first time I was requested to reduce my usage of essential electric power. Another concern was a notice received from Tidewater that they are now billing the amount you pay per kilo-watt hour depending on the time of the day, with the highest rates in the evening. This is alarming for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that this is what has been happening in the failed state of California for years. Not a good state to be following. Like them, we are relying on electricity generated in other states (like Florida) to supply our needs. North Carolina should have the capacity to meet our own needs, now and in the future.

A plentiful, relatively inexpensive supply of electricity is essential to every successful modern civilization. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the demand for electricity is predicted to accelerate far beyond what would be expected with normal population growth. We are now experiencing another negative impact of the leftist Democrat’s forcing our country to address the unproven hoax of climate change being caused by CO2 emissions. In 2009, the Democrat controlled House passed the Clean Air Security Act which would have severely restricted any electricity generation from other than wind and solar. Fortunately, it did not pass the Republican Senate. As usual, the Obama administration had the Environmental Protection Agency implement the same rules and regulations, ignoring the will of the people. As a result, there have been no nuclear plants built since 2007, new coal plants were stopped, and excessive tax money was spent to pay for expensive solar, wind and battery storage. As a result, the U.S. increased electrical energy generating capacity by less than 6% from 2015 to 2024; whereas our closest competitor, Communist China, has increased their capacity in the same time frame by over 120%. The current generating capacity of the U.S. is 4,178 terawatt-hours compared to China’s 8,534. This is at a time when we need as much electricity capacity as possible to compete with China in AI, robotics, cyberspace, and military expansion. This is a recipe for disaster.

Like many other things, President Trump recently announced that he was revoking many of the climate change regulations that have been prevented the expansion of electricity generating capacity that we need, as well as placing high-cost emission standards on vehicles.  He wants more coal fired plants built because it can be done rapidly and cost effectively. China has been building at least on coal fired plant per month. It should be remembered that our coal plants are very clean burning and along with nuclear provide over 60% of our generating capacity. President Trump has also taken steps to stop the construction of windmills anywhere in the country. They are the most expensive form of electric generation and like solar require extensive battery capacity since they produce energy sporadically. For example, Duke Energy, the largest supplier of energy in N.C., has plans to build an 8-acre battery network 20 miles outside of Charlotte. The cost is estimated at over 50 million dollars, and you the tax payer will be responsible for 40%. The energy stored can provide electric power to 30,000 homes for only four hours! Who do we get the batteries from?  You know–China.

Here is what needs to be done. Since Duke Energy has essentially a monopoly on power generating in N.C., the General Assembly should appoint a special committee to conduct an assessment of current and projected future electricity needs and develop a plan that Duke will be required to follow. No more taxpayer funded solar or windmills. The economic future of this state requires our elected officials to make sure that sufficient cost-effective electrical energy is available at all times. It should not be left up to the whims of Duke or any other energy corporation. Without it our safety and security are at grave risk.

Capitalism and Freedom

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

The inaugural speech by socialist/communist  Zohran Mamdani as the new mayor of New York City was revealing in at least two ways. First, swearing on the Koran instead of the Bible is verification that Islamists are out to change our culture, not to assimilate with American culture. Second, his comment that he wants to change New York City culture from “rugged individualism to the warmth of collectivism” is a direct retreat from successful free enterprise capitalism to failed cultural/economic communism. These should serve as a warning to all patriotic Americans.

The fact that he was elected as a known Marxist is disturbing, especially since New York City has been the focal point of our economic system for most of our existence as a free country. It indicates two things. First, the voters in New York City have no clear understanding about the historical failures of communism and the degree to which the free enterprise capitalistic system is essential to their freedom; and/or second, that there are so many of the voters already dependent on the government through various welfare programs that they see the government as their only salvation. A recent search on the internet showed that the exact numbers of people on government handout programs in New York City is unknown and not reported! It did report that the numbers have increased dramatically during the Biden administration. Over half of the recipients of these programs are black and over a quarter are Hispanic.   Government dependency is working for the leftist Democrats, not only in New York City but many other places in the country. The slide to socialism/communism is accelerating.

The connection between free market capitalism and personal freedom is generally not being taught in public schools and especially universities. A book by Milton Friedman (1962) Capitalism and Freedom should be required reading in all public supported schools/universities. He details the essential connection between individual personal freedom of choice and the economy. Freedom does not exist without freedom to make your own decisions. Socialism/communism replaces free choice with government mandates and limits on choice. The government picks and chooses what options you can select. The recent effort by the Biden administration to mandate electric vehicles is a perfect example as the Ford Motor company just found out. Under capitalism, a company that fails to satisfy its customer’s choices will soon go out of business. The free choice of the people is the deciding factor not a decision by some government agency.

Businesses succeed when they provide what the people want and go out of business when they do not. This is the essential power of the people to exercise their freedom of choice. It is a self-correcting process since the people decide who fails and who succeeds. This can lead to some disruptions as companies compete to produce new products that are attractive to their buyers. For example, the creation of the automobile totally disrupted the horse breeding and carriage industries, but the result was a dramatic improvement in freedom of travel.

Creativity and innovation are the cornerstones of the free enterprise system. The resulting advancement in standard of living is mindboggling. In the past one hundred years alone, everyone has:  indoor plumbing, electricity, telephones/cell phones, automobiles, computers, and the internet. In 1900 only 40% of the people lived above the poverty level, now it is over 90%. Free enterprise capitalism is responsible not socialism/communism. China is good at stealing our inventions, but what have they created other than COVID? We must mandate the teaching of the success of free enterprise capitalism into all public funded educational curriculum before it is too late. If not, we could all end up like New York City.

Envy: the Basis of Socialism

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.

Early Christianity classified envy as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. When one looks at the origins of socialism and its manifestation today, envy of successful people and the desire to bring them down is essential to leftist ideology. We must recognize this reality if we are to defeat the left’s desire to destroy our free market system which is the basis of the success of this country.

Karl Marx, the founder of socialism was a failure economically. He did not succeed at any profession or career. He was like most unsuccessful people, envious of the success of others, and actually came to blame them for his own lack of success. Sound familiar? Instead of respecting and praising the hard work and success of others, the socialists want everyone to be equal, and that is what they now call “social justice”. Instead of recognizing the reality that some people are more gifted, motivated, persistent, and hardworking, and realizing that these are often the people who advance society the most, their envy places the blame on these people for all of society’s problems. This is the reason the Left hates rich people and is always talking about “taxing the rich.” Just look at the new mayor of New York City; taxing the rich was one of his main campaign themes as was free transportation, free childcare, rent controls, and other communist themes. He sounds just like Bernie Sanders, historically the longest serving active communist in the Senate, who is always attacking  billionaires while he has enriched himself as a senator.

It is an undeniable fact that no socialist/communist country has ever been successful at improving the standard of living of their people. What they have done is to make their party leaders rich by keeping their people poor and subservient to the government. Successful free market businessmen have enriched themselves by producing goods that advance the living standard of their customers by providing things they want and need. It is a successful mutual free exchange. When the government starts controlling and mandating, the system breaks down. Look what happened recently to the Ford Motor Company when they followed the Biden administration’s push to move to all electric trucks. They lost billions because the demand for these vehicles did not exist among the people at the level needed to sustain production. In socialist/communist countries, the rich people are the party leaders. Look at what has occurred with Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, who in the last two years has reportedly increased her wealth by an estimated 30 million dollars! Did she legally provide any products or services that raised the standard of living of her constituents? No, of course not. Illegally?   Hopefully the Department of Justice will investigate and find out.

Dependency on the government is the linchpin of socialism. Recent data indicates that about 127 million people in the United States are getting some form of welfare benefits, many, multiple benefits. This represents about 40% of Americans. Question: What is the likelihood that these people will vote for any official who wants to reduce dependence on the government? Answer: None. This is the reason our national debt is not only out of control but will never be paid off. New York City will be a test case to see whether or not our country has gone too far in the communist direction to be brought back. They will follow California, which has a current budget deficit of 18 billion dollars which is expected to grow to 35 billion by 2035. California also recently announced a ballot measure to impose a 5% wealth tax on all individuals and businesses that have assets worth one billion dollars. Several tech companies/owners have threatened to leave the state if the measure is passed in November 2026.

Reversing these trends can only be done by allowing these cities and states to fail. We should not allow the federal government to bail them out. Also, all social welfare programs should be time limited. They are like an untreated cancer that keeps growing. The idea of indefinite government dependence must be stopped. If we fail to address this, the slide to socialism/communism will not only continue, but will accelerate. We are raising generations of people who rely on the government instead of themselves. This amounts to theft from hard working people, since they are the taxpayers.

Affordability: The Next Scam

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, PH.D.  

The leftist Democrats are always looking for some issue, real or not, that they hope will appeal to voter’s emotions and return them to political power so that they can continue the destruction of America. Apparently, “affordability” will be used in the 2026 election year. As is the case in all these political scams, the reality is much different than the picture they want to present.

Look at the recent mayoral race in New York City. Not only was affordability the key issue of the Mandani campaign, but he actually presented no solutions that any sensible economist would say that could solve the problem. Why? Because the communist ideas of price controls, government owned retail stores, and taxing the rich have never worked and will never do so. Free market capitalism is the only system that has ever been shown to improve wealth and standard of living of the people. The troubling issue is why so many gullible people continue to buy into the communist lies.

As in most instances of Leftist propaganda, the youth and those looking to the government for solutions to their problems are the people most easily duped. This is the reason the Leftists have always wanted to lower the voting age and import more immigrants–they can place them on welfare programs and make them wards of the state.

One of the few advantages of getting older is the historical perspective one gains from having lived through various economic conditions. Take for instance mortgage rates. The current mortgage rate around 6% is blamed, in part, for the housing affordability problem. Freddie Mack Mortgage Market survey started tracking the 30-year mortgage rate in 1971, which at that time was 7.3%. The rate went as high as 18.5% in 1981. The average rate from 1971 to the present is 7.8%.  The lowest rates ever recorded were in 2021 at 2.8%; which quickly jumped to 8% during the Biden administration. The abnormally low mortgage rates of 2021 were an aberration not likely to be seen again. These low rates drove up housing prices and expectations, making homes affordable that many people could not have afforded previously.        

There is another issue that needs to be recognized, and that is the idea of living within (preferable slightly below your means). That does not appear to be a value that most young people live by these days. It used to be an American value to live within your income and to save for the future. This was facilitated by the system of paying with cash and or writing checks that required a person to spend no more than was in their checking account. The current digital/credit card systems hide the reality of what a person is spending. That is the reason credit card debt in the U.S. recently reached an all-time record high of $1.23 trillion!

Another contributing factor to overspending is family size. The average number of children per household in the 1950’s was 5.6 children, now it is less than 2. The result is that the youth of our country are used to living at a higher standard than we older people experienced as children. For example, my family rarely if ever went to restaurants, never owned a new car, and did not purchase a home until my parents were in their 40’s. Not unusual. Now, the youth of this country are used to having things the older generation never experienced. Drive by a local high school parking lot and observe the number of new or nearly new cars provided to the students by their parents.

The solution to the affordability issue is encouraging the youth to live within their means, accept the responsibility for their own financial wellbeing, to work hard, reduce or eliminate debt, and save for the future. The Trump economy, if not derailed by the leftist Democrats, will provide more opportunities for the youth to benefit from free enterprise than the failed communist ideology that is being pushed on them could ever do. We must get this message across to our children and grandchildren if we are to continue the economic success of the past 250 years. The idea of voting back in office the Democrats who are responsible for the highest inflation since the 1970’s to solve the problem is total lunacy.

Restoring Discipline in Schools

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.   

Let’s face the facts, the public school system in this country is getting worse–not better. We spend more money per child than any other country, and yet the academic achievement scores are lower now than they ever have been. Obviously, we are doing something wrong, which must be identified and corrected if we are going to turn things around. Another indicator of public-school failure is the large number of parents who are choosing private schools or homeschooling. Also at issue is high teacher turnover, indicating significant dissatisfaction with teaching as a satisfying career. Let’s examine some causes.

In any endeavor when things are getting worse, it is essential to look back and identify changes that were done in the past since not all changes are improvements. Let’s start with student discipline. Clearly, successful classroom instruction depends on the student’s paying attention, completing classroom assignments, not being disruptive to other students, and respecting the teacher. Discipline can only be effective when unacceptable behavior is immediately identified and teachers have the tools to correct the misbehavior. Human behavior is controlled by two things:  reward and punishment. It is just a fact of human nature. In this regard, fortunately, we also learn by observing what happens to others and do not have to experience the consequences directly ourselves.

The first thing that needs correction is doing away with the Obama administration mandate that the rate of disciplinary sanctions for students has to be the same for all races/ethnic groups regardless of differences in their behavior. Funding was threatened to be cut if this was not implemented. The data consistently shows that black students generally misbehave at a higher rate than Hispanics or whites. In one school district report, black students represented 15% of the student body but were 35% of the suspended students.

The Left believes in “soft” responses to crime (just like they have in cities and states they control) and this carries over to school discipline. Again, the Obama administration instituted a program called “Restorative Justice,” which was to be used when dealing with misbehaving students. Instead of administering punishments (like detention and suspension), the schools were required to have discussion meetings with the perpetrators and victims, where the personal and family issues of the perpetrators are discussed as well as how the victim could have acted differently. For example, in one case a student accidentally bumped into another student who reacted by punching him in the face. The victim and perpetrator had to attend a series of counseling sessions. In another example, a middle school student was not disciplined for groping girls because he was a special education student. Fortunately, the Trump administration has issued directives to curtail the restorative justice practice; however, many school systems continue this ridiculous practice. As a result of the Left’s policies, the FBI reports that crime in schools has tripled from 100,810 incidents if 2020 to almost 330,000 in 2024.

We need to go back to classrooms where all students face the teacher (which is not the case now), and give the teachers the authority they need to discipline students–including extra work, detention, and suspension. Also, we need to return to a strict grading process that actually reports the performance of each student instead of the inflated system now where most students get A’s or B’s. Failed students should be required to repeat the grade.

Some states have taken action to return to stricter discipline. More needs to be done. Students cannot learn and teachers cannot teach in a chaotic environment. It should also be remembered that children who do not learn to respect authority and learn self-control are much more likely to grow up and engage in criminal behavior. We are doing them a lifetime disservice by not disciplining them in school.

Interpreting the Constitution

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.   

Even though the U.S. Constitution was written by the Founding Fathers to be a permanent and long-lasting guide to the governance of this country, it was also written to address issues pertinent at that time. The Supreme Court Justices should take this into account when applying the original constitution and subsequent amendments to issues currently facing our country. This does not mean, as some of the far Left believe, that the Constitution is a “living document” subject to all kinds of interpretations, but rather we must fully understand the conditions and context at the time it was written to ensure we are accurately interpreting the intention of the authors.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take a case brought by the Trump administration concerning so-called “Birth Right Citizenship,” which is the notion that allows anyone born in this country to be a citizen. This has been a problem for years and is becoming more so as more people move to this country. There are cases where women from other countries who are already pregnant, travel to this country in order to have their child born here. Illegal aliens give birth to children in this country to ensure that not only the child but its parents and relatives can stay in this country. These are obvious manipulations of the Constitution. It should also be noted that no other country allows this to happen in their country. The Fourteenth Amendment was written and approved right after the Civil War. The intent was to ensure that all persons previously held in slavery would be granted full U.S citizenship and that individual states could not abridge their rights. There is no mention of allowing the children born of persons who are here temporarily or illegally granted automatic citizenship. There is a clause that states: “…and subject to the jurisdiction of (the United States).” One can clearly argue that a person here temporarily or illegally is not under the jurisdiction of the United States since they are citizens of their country of origin. Hopefully, when the Supreme Court rules on this issue this spring, they will rule correctly and restrict birth right citizenship only to children born to American citizens.

Another issue is freedom of religion. Although not yet before the court, we are facing an issue with the growing population of legal and illegal immigrants who are Islamists. The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the federal government from establishing a state religion (i.e. like the Church of England) and interfering with the practice of any religion. In subsequent decisions, the Supreme Court ruled that the right to the free practice of religion must not interfere with public morals or an overriding government interest. For example, the Mormons were prohibited from legally practicing polygamy, which was a key element of their religion, and states are allowed to force inoculation of children to protect public health. It is pretty clear to me that Islamists advocating and practicing Sharia Law are interfering with public morals to the extent that Sharia Law conflicts with American law and morals. Surely when the Founding Fathers advocated for the ability to practice one’s religion, they had in mind religions that reflected Judeo/Christian principles and not any and all religions that existed in the world, or would be created in the future. The lslamist Quron (the basis for Sharia Law) states in several places that its followers can convert you or kill you. That concept is definitely in conflict with public morals. The mass demonstrations in some Islamist countries shouting “Death to America” as well as the brutal killing of Jews in October 2023 by Hamas shows the reality of the threat posed by Islamists.

The solution is to limit the number of immigrants from Islamist countries and require them to renounce their commitment to Sharia Law. If they are not willing to renounce Sharia Law, they should remain in their country of origin. Also, all Islamists here illegally should be deported along with all other illegal aliens. President Eisenhower did this in the 1950s and we must do it now. If we fail to take appropriate action, we will end up like many European countries which are losing their cultural identity. We only want immigrants who want to become Americans since it is the only way to preserve what has made this country great. Also, we should do all we can to encourage natural born American citizens to have more children in order to reverse the declining birthrate, so we do not have to rely on immigrants to maintain our labor force.

Dealing with Narco-Terrorists

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Author: R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.

Not unexpectedly, the leftist Democrats are attacking the Trump administration for their military strikes on drug traffickers attempting to bring deadly drugs into our country. As usual, the Democrats side with the criminals and fail to protect American citizens–just like defunding the police and allowing criminals with up to 70 prior arrests to roam our streets. Fortunately, we have a President who is living up to his promise to protect American citizens. Democrats also continue to resist the efforts of ICE to remove illegal migrants, many of which have prior criminal histories, from our country. Remember that in the 1950s, President Eisenhower deported over 3 million illegals from our country with little or no resistance.

The latest fiasco is the Democrat’s efforts to label Secretary Pete Hegseth as a “War Criminal” based on inaccurate information about an attack on a narco-terrorist boat bringing drugs into our country. The common-sense question you need to ask is whether we have the right to defend our borders from the smuggling of deadly drugs into our country. The answer is obvious to me–especially in light of the thousands of our citizens who have died from these illegal drugs. If another country were using bombs or bullets to kill our citizens, we would know what to do. The fact that the cartels are using illegal and lethal drugs resulting in the same outcome should be considered an attack on our country.

Venezuela, run by Nicolas Maduro, is a communist country aligned with our adversaries Russia, China, and Cuba. Maduro was defeated in the last election, but defied the will of the people of Venezuela and continued in power. Over eight million people have fled from Venezuela during his regime, many of whom have entered our country illegally. Venezuela is one of the largest producers of illegal drugs smuggled into our country and is responsible for the death of thousands of Americans. Given these facts, it is clear to any rational person that Venezuela is a threat to our security. In retaliation, President Trump authorized attacks on these narco-terrorists in September. Narco-terrorists do not qualify for treatment as legitimate combat soldiers under the Geneva Convention during wartime, since they are not members of the legitimate military of a country with whom we are at war, but rather should be considered what they are: terrorists. In order to quality for treatment under the Geneva Convention a combatant must be in uniform and a member of an organized military unit.

By aligning himself with our communist adversaries, Maduro has turned Venezuela from a prosperous country reasonably aligned with our country to a threat in our hemisphere. They have immense oil reserves which should not continue to supply and support our adversaries. The Monroe Doctrine, in place since the early years of our country, clearly states that foreign countries that pose a threat to our security should not be allowed to infiltrate our hemisphere. The Biden administration, as usual, was oblivious to the threat and allowed the situation in Venezuela to deteriorate. President Trump is taking corrective action.

As far as attacking terrorists goes, it should be remembered that President Obama authorized drone strikes and other targeted attacks on known terrorists, killing over an estimated five hundred people some of whom were women and children. The Democrats and the liberal media were silent at the time. Now, since they see a chance to discredit President Trump and his administration, the Democrats and liberal media act shocked and are defending the very criminals who are bringing deadly drugs into our country. If the Democrats had a majority in Congress, they would undoubtedly be pursuing another impeachment of President Trump.

The situation with drugs in our country reminds me of the problem that China experienced in the early part of the last century when many of their citizens were addicted to and dying from opium abuse. They effectively dealt with the serious threat to their national security by implementing the death penalty for suppliers and dealers of opium. Harsh penalties for drug suppliers were effective and always are.
President Trump is once again fulfilling his promise to support and defend the citizens of the United States. He deserves our support.

Christians Targeted in Nigeria

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

While the world has been focused on the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel, an even worse situation has been occurring in the African nation of Nigeria. In this case, Islamists have been attacking and killing Christians (who make up about half of the 227 million people in Nigeria). Not only is this important because of the barbarity and killing, but also because it reflects the reality of the threat that Islamist extremists represent all over the world, including our country. The numbers are staggering, with estimates that over 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 and over 7,000 killed this year alone.

According to a U.N. report, this all started with the rise of Boko Haram, a designated Islamist terrorist group, that kidnapped 270 Christian secondary school age girls in 2014 (91 are still missing or in captivity). Since then, other Islamist groups have joined with Boko Haram in attacking Christians and even destroying thousands of churches. Clearly their goal is to rid Nigeria of all Christians and create a unified Islamist state. While the government of Nigeria is opposing this takeover, it is clear they are not succeeding. The government claims they have “neutralized” over 13,000 terrorists and arrested over 17,000. They also claim that they have rescued over 9,000 Christian kidnapping victims. The continued killing not only shows the ineffectiveness of the Nigerian government security forces, but, importantly, reflects the large numbers of Islamists in Nigeria who are part of this terrorist movement. Nigeria is divided into separate “states” as in the U.S. and twelve of those states have declared that they are now committed to following Sharia Law. It should be remembered that Sharia Law permits, and in some cases encourages, the killing of non-Muslims and those who were once Muslims but changed to another religion. Recently, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-W. Va.) have spoken out about this tragic situation. President Trump has indicated that he is concerned and that military intervention by the U.S. may be needed. We have not heard much, if anything at all, from the fake media or during the Biden administration.

We should note several things. First, the ineffectiveness, once again, of the United Nations in addressing these terrorist activities. Second, the fact that all of these terrorist activities targeting Christians and Jews are exclusively Islamist must be recognized. We do not hear of any terrorist Christian or Jewish groups attacking and wantonly killing Muslims or members of other faiths. That is no accident. Third, Governor Abbott of Texas has recently declared the Council on American Islamist Relations (CAIR) to be a terrorist group due to their close ties to Hamas. Texas is having an ongoing dispute with a group that wants to establish an Islamist enclave in Collin County. Fourth, Governor DeSantis of Florida recently addressed the issue of what he considers excessive legal immigration and the potential impact on the integrity and traditions of our country. He expressed his concern that our country cannot effectively assimilate the large numbers of immigrants, legal and illegal, that we have admitted over the past several decades.

I strongly agree with Governor DeSantis, as I have expressed clearly in a previous article. America for Americans, and only a limited number of those who want to identify as Americans. We finally have a political leader who has spoken out on this issue. We need to encourage others to do the same. The idea that we can accept millions of people from other countries and still maintain our 250 year old identity is a Leftist lie that will lead to the destruction of our country as we have known it. Look what recently happened in N.Y. City.

Dealing with the Islamic Threat Part II 

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Article:  Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.  

In Part I of this article, I noted that there is an important distinction between nationalistic Islamists who want to change our government/culture and Muslims who want to practice their religion but are not dissatisfied with the secular aspects of America. Let’s examine the impact of Islamist immigrants in European countries, where their numbers are much greater (about 8% of their populations) compared to our country (about 2%).

Let’s start off with Sweden, which has been allowing Muslims refugees for several decades into their country which has historically had very little immigration.   Currently. There are about 60 enclaves/neighborhoods in Sweden that are occupied almost exclusively by Muslims. Most of these enclaves follow Sharia law and discourage non-Muslims from entering there or living there. In fact, many of them have erected physical and/or informational barriers to non-Muslims. Some of them have vehicle check points operated by Muslim gangs. They are known as “No-Go” zones where local police rarely if ever enter. One reason the police are reluctant to enter is that the authorities are reluctant to provoke demonstrations, which at times in the past have led to violence. Essentially, the Islamists have taken over these so-called enclaves and are functioning as if they were in a middle- eastern country. Non-Muslims who enter these areas are required to follow Sharia law or face a potential violent reaction. As a result, the crime rate against native Swedes has increased dramatically, especially sex crimes against native born women. In 1975, there were 421 reported rapes in Sweden, in 2024 that has risen to 10,167 which is an astonishing 2300% rise. Sixty three percent of the reported rapes were by immigrants. Immigrants are also 5 times more likely to commit robberies. Similar crime increases have occurred in France, Britain, Austria and Brussels. In Britain, a Muslim group known as “Muslims Against the Crusades,” have identified 12 cities that they plan to occupy and turn into independent micro-states that will operate outside British law. These European countries are being taken over piece by piece by Islamists. This is the opposite of assimilation, where immigrants accept, value, and practice the rules and traditions of their new country. This threatens the very existence of these countries as we have known them.

Is this happening in America? You bet. For example, in Patterson, NJ, which has a large percentage of Muslims, the city council, sheriff’s department, and the local schools are effectively controlled by Muslim immigrants. Recently, a mob tore down the American flag and replaced it with the Palestinian flag and declared Patterson to be the capitol of Palestine in America. This is happening in other cities as well, particularly in Michigan. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, and his administration are fighting against the establishment of a Muslim enclave in Collin County where a Muslim group is trying to establish a community on 400 newly purchased acres of land, called East Plano Islamic Center, funded by Community Capitol Partners. A promotional video shows the President of this group speaking against American law and openly advocating for Sharia law. They plan to establish seven other similar communities. To purchase a dwelling a person must agree to financially support the local Mosque and Islamic private school. According to Governor Abbott, he signed a law several years ago that prohibits replacing American law with Sharia law (as have a few other states). The effectiveness of these efforts has yet to be demonstrated. Texas Congressional Representative Chip Roy, has introduced a bill entitled “Preserving a Sharia-Free America Act,” and Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama has done likewise in the US Senate. Whether either bill will generate enough support, remains to be seen.

We need to learn from what Europe’s experience and take appropriate steps before it is too late. Part III of this article will address what needs to be done, assuming we have enough leaders who recognize the problem and have the courage to take appropriate action. We cannot allow what happened when New York City elected a Marxist Muslim mayor to spread to other areas of our country.  Stay tuned.