The Real Debate Is At The Kitchen Table

On Friday, The American Thinker posted an article about the real debate in this presidential election cycle–it wasn’t on television–it is at the kitchen table.

The article reports:

ABC staged a debate this week.  A presidential debate.  Ostensibly between former president Donald J. Trump and former senator Kamala Harris, but in actuality between Trump and the partnership of Harris and ABC.

There is always media bias.  To some extent, unconscious media bias is unavoidable.  But we don’t expect it to be blatant; the viewer doesn’t expect antics like we saw this week, when the ABC moderators repeatedly declared Mr. Trump’s statements lies, and never called out Ms. Harris’s blatant lies. 

We call it “fact-checking” today, a term coined in social media for when our high-tech overlords punish a writer for stating something with which the gurus disagree.  But it’s not really fact-checking, is it?  It’s an invasion of a conversation, a denial of free speech, a thumb on the scale.  In the case of a presidential debate, it’s electioneering.

And it virtually invalidates the value of our constitutionally protected free press in this process.  ABC’s refusal even to try to act as an impartial host rendered this debate useless.

So let’s look instead at the other debates — millions of them — going on in America, both that day and every day in 2024.

Across the country, there are millions of families shopping in their local grocery store.  More of them must choose the discount grocery compared to five years ago; more must use coupons, or activate their store’s discount app on their cell phones today.

Please follow the link above to read the entire article. When we vote on election day, we need to remember the impact the change of administration in 2020 has had on almost all Americans. Some of the ‘celebrities’ who are supporting Kamala Harris have not been impacted by the economic policies of the past three years–so until everything collapses, the economy is not a concern of theirs. However, the rest of us will be living with the results of the coming election.

The article concludes:

There are many more such debates taking place across America, in the family car, over the kitchen table, or in the bedroom after the kids are asleep, as hardworking everyday American couples try to compromise on some way to get through these hellish years of Bidenflation.

It’s not one mistake, one policy choice, one single culprit. It’s the entire Biden-Harris regime — their executive orders, their agency regulations, their foreign policy, and their general incredibly thoughtless wastefulness, in everything they touch and everything they do.

Every American knows that the election of Kamala Harris would mean four more years of all this.

These are the debates that matter to the American public this week.

These personal, private, tragic debates — as the cost of living has gone up by three, four, five times as much as salaries have — are the debates on the minds of American working families, and small business owners, and retirees, and young adults desperately trying to look ahead to a future that can’t possibly seem promising.

Forget the debate that ABC ruined on Tuesday.

These other conversations, these other tough choices and compromises — these are the debates to which we should be paying attention.

We Can Predict The Future Based On The Past

On Saturday, The American Thinker posted an article pointing out the differences between the Trump administration and the Biden administration in the area of law and order. The contrast is stark. Logically, whichever administration is elected in November will implement policies similar to those they have espoused in the past.

The article reports:

As the November election approaches, the choice between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could not be clearer, especially for working-class Americans and business owners alike.

After four tumultuous years under Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’s administration, where economic policies have faltered and crime rates have surged, Trump’s track record provides a compelling case for his return to the White House.

His administration’s unparalleled support for law enforcement and focus on economic prosperity stand in stark contrast to the failures of the current administration, promising a restoration of safety and stability that America desperately needs.

Under Trump’s leadership, the nation saw a significant decline in violent crime, a trend that reversed under Biden. By 2019, violent crime had fallen for the third consecutive year, with a decrease of over 5 percent since 2016 and a reduction in the murder rate by over 7 percent. This progress was not accidental but the result of deliberate, effective policies.

Trump’s administration launched Operation Legend to combat rising violence in cities, leading to more than 5,500 arrests and demonstrating a robust response to escalating crime.

…Contrast this with the Biden-Harris approach. Under their tenure, the FBI reported a rise in violent crime, exacerbating the struggles of American communities. Their administration’s reluctance to fully back law enforcement agencies has led to weakened public safety and heightened fears among citizens. The surge in violent crime under Biden’s watch starkly contrasts with the progress made during Trump’s presidency.

The article notes:

As we approach the November 2024 election, the choice is clear. Donald Trump’s track record of supporting law enforcement and fostering economic stability stands in stark contrast to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s failed policies. Trump’s administration demonstrated a commitment to restoring safety and order, which directly contributed to economic growth and stability. His policies not only addressed crime effectively but also ensured that businesses and communities could thrive.

Biden-Harris’s administration, with its record of rising violent crime and economic instability, has proven that his approach is not effective. Kamala Harris, as Biden’s successor, promises to continue these failed policies, further undermining public safety and economic prosperity.

For working-class Americans and business owners alike, supporting Donald Trump this November represents a vote for a proven leader who understands the critical link between law enforcement and economic stability. Trump’s track record of reducing violent crime, supporting law enforcement, and fostering a conducive environment for business growth underscores his capability to lead the nation towards a safer and more prosperous future.

This November, you are not only making decisions that will impact your pocketbook, your vote will impact your family’s safety and the safety of your community.

 

Is Germany Still Germany?

On Tuesday, The American Thinker posted an article about the changes in the population demographics in Germany.

The article reports:

According to the data, five percent of the global Syrian population now live in Germany alone, accounting for a “16-fold” increase in just a decade, which works out to be a staggering 1,520% jump in the numbers; here’s the story from a new report by the editorial staff at Remix News:

Ever since the 2015/16 migrant crisis, Syrians have arrived in Germany in ever-increasing numbers, and now number at least 972,000 at the end of 2023, according to Statista. There are 22 million Syrians living in Syria itself, meaning those in Germany represent nearly 1 for every 20 in their native country.

This is extremely rapid growth since 2013 when there were only 60,000 Syrians in Germany. Since then, the population has grown 16-fold.

…[D]espite promises that Syrians would integrate into the German economy, the numbers still tell a very different story, with 513,534 Syrians receiving the German welfare benefit known as citizen’s money (Burgergeld), according to the current data from the Federal Employment Agency. However, even those who are not receiving this payment receive money, housing, and other benefits from the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act.

The article notes:

Germany’s welfare costs are “exploding” while the German citizens bear the brunt—the article reports that the state spent around €50 billion on migrants during 2023, which was a little over 11% of the total annual budget (€445 billion). (486.17 billion in US dollars)

This is not good for Germany. First of all, the costs of providing food, housing, and medical care for these immigrants will far outweigh any contribution they will make to the German economy. Secondly, how can you assimilate that many people into your culture all at the same time?

An Historic Question

Anyone over the age of sixty remembers the question that pervaded the Watergate scandal–“What did the President know and when did he know it?” That is the question many Americans are now asking about health concerns surrounding President Biden.

On Monday, The American Thinker posted an article about the continuing decline of President Biden.

The article reports:

“What did the president know, and when did he know it?”

This famous question was asked 50 years ago by Sen. Howard Baker about the Watergate scandal.

This eventually brought down President Richard Nixon, leading to the installation of President Gerald R. Ford and his vice president, Nelson Rockefeller.

Neither were elected by the people, they were instead selected by the ruling class.

The article asks:

Should Sen. Baker’s question be asked today, not of the president but his family, handlers, media enablers, and fellow Democrats?

A quote attributed to Mark Twain, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes” may be playing out this summer, rhyming with Nixon’s resignation and an installed president.

Except to President Biden’s family, loyal Democrats, much of the corporate media, and paid Twitter fanboys and fangirls, Biden appears to be suffering from dementia.

There is the caveat and peril of diagnosing someone from afar. This is called the Goldwater Rule over a group of psychiatrists opining on Goldwater’s mental state as the Republican presidential candidate running against Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Recently in a speech in Philadelphia, President Biden thanked Philadelphia for helping him win the race when he ran for Senator. When did Philadelphia vote in Delaware Senate races? This is only one of many recent statements that simply are not logical or coherent.

The article concludes:

President Biden is reportedly functional for only a six-hour window from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Who takes the proverbial 3:00 a.m. phone call? Hunter? Dr. Jill? The confabulating White House press secretary? Has this been the case for Biden’s entire presidency?

Last week in Copenhagen, I was asked by a tour guide, “What’s the matter with your president?”

The world knows Biden is a PINO – president in name only. Who is in charge? Who is making potentially world-altering decisions? And why and for how long has this been covered up?

This is not your crazy uncle kept in his room when you have company. This is the leader of the free world. His policies and decision can make or break countries and civilizations.

What did they know and when did they know it? Will the media ask? Will Congress? Or will it take a special counsel appointed by Trump’s attorney general to ask the question framed around election interference and insurrection? There needs to be a reckoning, with punishment for those running a shadow government in contradiction to the U.S. Constitution.

I expect this charade to end quickly, possibly by the end of the week.

When I Tried To Post The Source Article For This Article On Facebook, It Was Taken Down

On Wednesday, The American Thinker posted an article outlining their strategy for President Trump in the debate.

The article notes:

The first and perhaps only presidential debate between presumed nominees Donald Trump and Joe Biden takes place on June 27 in CNN’s Atlanta headquarters. Home court advantage goes to President Biden.

Is there anyone at CNN, aside from the janitors and cleaning crew, that support Trump? Doubtful. The debate will be moderated by the Trump hating undynamic duo of Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

CNN will mute the microphones, to keep Trump from objecting to Biden’s fabrications, and likely to silence Biden’s gibberish, something occurring with increasing frequency.

No live audience will watch the debates, which will run 90 minutes, two commercial breaks, time for Biden to get a shot of vitamins, stimulants, or whatever keeps him awake and coherent for brief stretches of time.

“CNN said they won’t be allowed to use any props or pre-written notes but will be given paper, a pen and water.”

This gives Biden an advantage as he won’t read instructions like “pause” off the teleprompter.

If Biden is juiced up and can speak in coherent sentences, he will win since expectations for his performance are so low.

…For Trump, if he keeps his cool and acts “presidential”, whatever that means, this will go a long way in assuaging potential voters who like his policies but have their noses out of joint over his brash personality, mean tweets, and name calling.

The question that President Trump needs to ask during the debate is the same question Ronald Reagan asked during his debate with Jimmy Carter, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” We all know the answer to that question.

Please follow the link to the article. It includes a list of things that were stable or beneficial to Americans under the Trump administration that are now a problem for the average American.

This Is How Propaganda Works

On Sunday, Clarice Feldman posted an article at The American Thinker about the rescue of the Israeli hostages. The article also deals with a Ninth Circuit court case about vaccine mandates, but I am going to focus on the rescue and the propaganda surrounding it.

The freeing of the hostages is good news. However, it really messes up the picture that much of the media is trying to paint that portrays Israel as the bad guys and Hamas (the Palestinians) as victims. The thing to remember here is that the hostages were held in the homes of ordinary citizens (obviously working with Hamas). However, somehow a lot of the facts surrounding the rescue are being skewed.

For instance, Reuters reported on June 9:

CAIRO, June 9 (Reuters) – Hamas’ armed al-Qassam Brigades said in a video posted on its Telegram channel on Sunday that three hostages were killed, including a U.S. citizen, in an Israeli military operation on Saturday in which some hostages were freed.

The group did not release the names of those said to be killed, but the video showed what appeared to be three unidentifiable corpses using censor bars over their faces.

“Your captives will not be released unless our prisoners are freed,” the video added.

Just for the record, the prisoners they are referring to are known terrorists in Israeli jails.

The article at The American Thinker noted:

Lieutenant Colonel Arnon Zamora, may he rest in peace, led the team in breaching the building where three hostages were held (Noa was held in another building about 200 meters away). Zamora was injured during the confrontation with the terrorists and later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

    • The hostages were held by Hamas guards in homes of Arab families (Hamas paid the families to hold the hostages — indicating there are no innocent bystanders).
    • The IDF entered Nuseirat in trucks and civilian vehicles with Gazan license plates.
    • Many terrorists from Nuseirat fired upon the IDF, including anti-tank missile fire, resulting in a firefight where many Palestinians were killed.
    • The confrontation occurred near Nuseirat’s market.
    • The rescue vehicle was hit, caught fire, and became stuck.
    • Forces from Brigade 98: Paratroopers, Kfir, Givati Brigade, Golani Reconnaissance Battalion, and Shayetet 13 attacked Nuseirat from multiple directions under heavy bombardment from the Air Force, helicopter fire, Navy ship fire, and artillery fire, successfully bringing the hostages to a waiting helicopter landing zone.
    • The terrorists fired several anti-tank missiles at the helicopters in an attempt to shoot them down — unsuccessfully (the firing was carried out by activists of the Popular Front who claim they hit the helicopter).
    • Noa Argamani told her family: ‘There was knocking on the door — ‘It’s the IDF, we’ve come to rescue you.’

The article also notes:

Hamas: “We will not surrender”: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh the fat billionaire living in comfort in Qatar fumes after Israel frees hostages.

The AP and CNN keep reporting the Hamas handouts as if true. Indeed, one CNN chyron referred to this as a “release” of the hostages.

Please follow the link to read the article at The American Thinker. Hamas has used propaganda successfully for a long time. Unfortunately many Americans (and much of our government) have believed the propaganda.

That Didn’t Go As Planned!

On Wednesday, The American Thinker posted an article about the latest scientific research on global warming. It doesn’t show what it was expected to show.

The article reports:

A team of “high-powered NASA scientists” has just stumbled upon a very inconvenient truth, and no, I don’t mean that they’ve found new evidence to support the Al Gore fear porn flick, but instead, they’ve discovered that 80% of “global warming” in the last ten years has not been caused by man’s use of natural renewable resources like gas and oil, but “draconian fuel shipping regulations” ostensibly “designed to help prevent global warming.”

From a report by Chris Morrison at The Daily Sceptic:

The world of climate science is in shock following extraordinary findings from a team of high-powered NASA scientists that suggest most of the recent global temperature increases are due to the introduction of draconian fuel shipping regulations designed to help prevent global warming.

Well, well, well, the “cure” is worse than the disease… except there was no disease. Now, I don’t contend that the “cure” is all that bad either, as long as we’re speaking only in the context of the environment; a relatively warm planet (of course, I’m talking within reason here) isn’t a bad thing because it means surviving is easier. But, they think it’s bad, which just goes to show you how ill-equipped these climate “scientist” bureaucrats are at deciding on policy.

Obviously we need to go back to drilling in America and driving cars with gasoline engines!

The article concludes:

“It’s also important to keep in mind that man cannot create atoms. All carbon contained in coal and oil (and wood and anything else which burns) was originally atmospheric CO2 plants split into C and 2 O, using the C for themselves and releasing the Os into the atmosphere. Hence, it’s physically impossible to increase the level of atmospheric CO2 beyond what it was at some point in time in the past where life on this planet already existed.”

Can these greens please stop wrecking literally everything? They love to tell us that “there is no Planet B” and we’re at the precipice of an “existential” crisis…which is half true. It’s not a looming climate disaster though for the majority of the world, but a financial and political disaster—so for the love of all that is good, please step away from the pen of government policy and bureaucracy.

Didn’t Anyone Think This Through?

On Tuesday, The American Thinker posted an article about the demand for copper that the switch to electric vehicles would create.

The article reports:

A team of University of Michigan researchers recently discovered that the amount of copper needed to keep up with the manufactured demand created by the globalist E.V. agenda is “essentially impossible” to generate. On May 16th, Engineering and Technology published an article by Tanya Weaver which covered the results of the new study:

Copper cannot be mined quickly enough to keep up with current policies requiring the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), according to a University of Michigan study.

The study found that renewable energy’s copper needs would outstrip what copper mines can produce at the current rate. Between 2018 and 2050, the world will need to mine 115% more copper than has been mined in all of human history up until 2018 just to meet current copper needs without considering the green energy transition.

To meet the copper needs of electrifying the global vehicle fleet, as many as six new large copper mines must be brought online annually over the next several decades. About 40% of the production from new mines will be required for EV-related grid upgrades.

So what exactly do these numbers look like, in context? Well here’s this, also from Weaver:

[A]n EV requires three to five times more copper than petrol or diesel cars, not to mention the copper required for upgrades to the electricity grid.

‘A normal Honda Accord needs about 40 pounds of copper. The same battery electric Honda Accord needs almost 200 pounds of copper,’ said Adam Simon, professor of earth and environmental studies at the University of Michigan.

‘We show in the paper that the amount of copper needed is essentially impossible for mining companies to produce.’

Wow. Wind mill blades that don’t biodegrade filling up our landfills, solar panels made with toxic chemicals, and now not enough copper to be green. Can we please just go back to fossil fuel. It works and can be used in a way to minimize pollution.

Our Tax Dollars At Work

On Tuesday, The American Thinker posted an article about one way the Biden administration is dealing with the large number of illegal immigrants coming across our southern border–they are bringing them in in other ways so that the numbers crossing the border are smaller!

The article reports:

By the time Joe Biden’s term ends, if it ends, no fewer than 10 million illegal aliens, many of them criminals and the insane, hundreds of thousands of terrorists and spies, even members of China’s military, will be within America’s borders. Terrorist attacks on a previously unimaginable scale are a certainty, so likely even our feckless FBI director is warning of them, surely to cover his bureaucratic posterior. Should Biden steal a second term, America will no longer resemble America. But voting with one’s feet is far from the only way illegals breach our borders with the help of Biden’s Handlers:

The article continues:

That’s 320,000 in 2023 alone to which they’ll admit. The flights, carrying numbers unknown, continue. The information was obtained only by way of FOIA because these flights, usually in unmarked aircraft,  are kept strictly secret and land only at night. The Administration does this through an app that allows illegals to apply for those flights. Unvetted, they are flown directly into America at no cost, bypassing public scrutiny and cameras depicting them freely crossing our “secure” and “closed” borders. Americans forced to evacuate hostile nations due to the foreign policy idiocy of the Biden Administration have to cough up airfare in advance, when the State Department can be roused to arrange a flight or two. Illegals, once here, are routinely flown and bussed across the country to destinations of their choice, also at taxpayer expense.

The article concludes:

What’s next? Giving illegals free room and board, cell phones, work permits, displacing veterans and the needy, taking over school facilities and lying about all of that? Oh. Right. The Administration is already doing that too.

It’s a truism to say America is a nation of immigrants, but never before have we imported them unvetted, by air, with taxpayer dollars from the brokest nation in history. Never before have we not expected them to pay their own way and to assimilate.

When that bill comes due, who will be left to pay it and what with?

This is not helpful to the future of America.

Who Does Student Loan Forgiveness Benefit?

On Sunday, The American Thinker posted an article about President Biden’s plan to forgive approximately $5 billion more in student debt. The article reminds us that forgiving student debt is simply transferring wealth from those who could not afford to go to college to those who took out loans to go to college.

The article reports:

In a desperate attempt to win votes in the upcoming presidential election in November, President Biden has transferred $153 billion in wealth from middle and lower income-earners to the rich.  How has he done that? Student loan forgiveness is the answer.

In January 2022, Forbes conducted a study that found that a significant portion of student debt belongs to high-wealth households.  Additionally, an article from Brookings emphasizes that student loan forgiveness tends to be regressive, which benefits higher-income individuals more than lower-income ones.  Some studies indicate that students from high-wealth families owe at least 60% of the total student debt.

Students from wealthy or affluent families can qualify for student loans more easily than those from less affluent families.  In the past few years, Biden has forgiven $153 billion in student loans, mainly benefiting high-wealth households.

The article concludes:

So long as we have an authoritarian, Constitution-ignoring dictatorship running this country, we will have no control over our financial well-being.  The Constitution provides that our elected officials rule with the consent of the people.  I didn’t give my consent, nor did my representative in Congress, nor did anyone’s representative in Congress.  This is an authoritarian act solely by President Biden without the consent of the Legislative or Judicial Branch of government.  So much for checks and balances.

This administration continues to add more debt for us to pay and spends our money without limitation, increasing inflation and the national debt with every dollar spent.  Remember, the government has no money of its own.  What it spends is money it collects from the American taxpayer in the form of taxes.  It just spent $153 million without consulting Congress, which the Supreme Court has ruled is unconstitutional.

In pre-Revolutionary times, the people declared that taxation without representation was tyranny.  Will America wake up?

As The Israeli War Continues

As the war in Gaza continues, we need to remember what started the war and what was celebrated in Gaza when the war began. On Friday, The American Thinker posted an article that provides some perspective.

The article reports:

Among the heart-breaking scenes from the Middle-East are video reports showing civilian casualties of the current war.  In the West, we cringe at those images, especially the ones showing small children — dead, grievously wounded, or orphaned.

In Gaza, there seems to be little reciprocity of sympathy.  Newsmax reports that more than seventy percent of Gazans approve of the October 7 attack on Israel, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed, many by unspeakable torture.  More than eighty percent deny that the atrocities were committed, even after watching the videos sadistically, and boastfully, recorded by the terrorists themselves.  This reminds us of the self-contradiction that might be stated as “We did not commit the crimes, and we are glad that we did.”

This is a case of not cognitive dissonance, but rather moral depravity.  It is lethal hypocrisy.  In seeking to justify acts of evil, the evildoers soon discover that neither have they justification for them, nor do they need it.

Antisemites declare that every Jew should be killed.  The rest of us do not have that same genocidal fervor toward Palestinians.  While antisemites insist that there are no innocent Jews, sane people recognize that some Palestinians are indeed innocent of terrorism.  I recall a news item from years ago in which a Palestinian immigrant to the U.S. explained his reason for leaving his homeland: the people there are crazy, he said, and worse, they demand that all Palestinians join with them in their insanity.  We do not want that for our children.  We want them to live.

It should also be noted that the money given to create a self-sustaining economy in Gaza was instead spent on tunnels and weapons. Somehow the focus in Gaza has always been on killing Jews–even the kindergarten classes are involved (article here). As long as Arab children in Gaza are taught that martyrdom and killing Jews are a goal, there is no point in even considering a two-state solution. Gaza must be tightly controlled until that point (if it ever comes) when generational hatred is no longer the dominant way of thinking.

Does The New York Legal System Recognize The Eighth Amendment?

The Eighth Amendment states:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

On February 27th, The American Thinker posted an article explaining how that amendment applies to the New York judgement against President Trump.

The article reports:

On February 16, 2024, a judge in New York State imposed fines totaling just over $360 million on former president Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, and several related Trump companies and trusts in the civil case brought by the New York attorney general.  President Trump’s sons Donald Trump, Jr. and Eric Trump were fined just over $4 million each.  The court imposed additional sanctions, including injunctions against former president Trump; Donald Trump, Jr.; and Eric Trump from serving as officers or directors in New York corporations for specified numbers of years, among other sanctions.

The media reporting on the court’s decision has been massive since the decision was rendered.  However, little or no reporting focused on the constitutionality of the fines under the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  President Trump and his co-defendants all have substantial 8th Amendment “excessive fine” challenges to raise.  In fact, a review of the facts and applicable law reveal that this decision is simply more election interference.

The article concludes:

Applying these factors to the New York court’s decision reveals that the fines are clearly excessive.  There are no victims in the Trump case.  No one was harmed.  Each and every financial institution involved was fully repaid and made money on its loans.  Further, a review of case law in New York demonstrates that there simply are no cases ordering a defendant to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in disgorgement without any victim being deprived of anything.  Finally, just how “reprehensible” is it to obtain loans and credit facilities and then pay the lenders back, in full, on time, in compliance with the agreement?  The answer is, not very.

Once again, a court in New York issued yet another political decision masquerading as justice.  The fines imposed by this New York court on former President Trump and his sons and businesses are grossly and unconstitutionally excessive.  While President Trump and his co-defendants undoubtedly have many defenses to the claims to raise on appeal, chief among them should be a constitutional challenge to these grossly excessive fines.

The U.S. Constitution is an amazing document. It is impartial when followed. My hope is that it will be followed in this case.

What Our College Students Are Studying

On Sunday, The American Thinker reported that the University of North Carolina has decided to cut many areas of their curriculum.

The article reports:

One of the schools in the UNC system, UNC-Greensboro, is in the news these days because of a decision by Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. to cut undergraduate and/or graduate programs in physics, mathematics, computer science, anthropology and nursing, citing “university direction, enrollment patterns, prioritizing faculty time and expertise, and growth opportunities.”

Reaction to the decision to cancel STEM was swift.

Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Charles Bolton resigned in protest of the cuts and the way Gilliam handled communication.

Slated for elimination are undergraduate programs in

    • Geography (just Google everything, right?),
    • Anthropology (that’s about, you know, old stuff), and
    • Physics (Newton and Einstein are dead white males),

as well as graduate programs in:

    • Nursing (hospitals and doctors might disagree),
    • Geography (of course),
    • Mathematics (WaPo’s Travis Meier is applauding this one), and
    • Computational mathematics (calculators from Walmart will do the trick.)

Some of the courses that remain:

  • African-American and African Diaspora Studies (cutting them would lead to “mostly peaceful” Antifa/BLM demonstrations),
  • Media Studies (better to help Democrats win elections),
  • Communication Studies (“failure to communicate” caused problems in Cool Hand Luke),
  • Peace and Conflict Studies (to help Hamas, Hezbollah … um, negotiate),
  • Liberal and Interdisciplinary Studies (of course), and, your favorite and mine,
  • Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Tuition at UNC Chapel Hill is $8,989 for North Carolina residents and $37,550 for out-of-state students. Admittedly that’s a deal if you are a North Carolina resident, but do you really want to pay that much for a degree that probably isn’t marketable?

Why We Need Accountability For The Money And Weapons We Are Sending To Ukraine

On Monday, The American Thinker posted the following headline:

Foiled Muslim terrorists were set to purchase American weapons from Ukrainian military official for pennies on the dollar

The article reports:

In April of 2022, Reuters ran an article on the status of a particular American munition—thanks to Joe Biden’s willingness to empty American stores for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the war in Ukraine, the stock of Raytheon’s “Stinger” missile was dwindling, and “re-stocking challenges” had appeared on the horizon. A month later, in May, Axios reported this:

The U.S. Army awarded Raytheon Technologies a $624 million contract to produce 1,300 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to replenish its stock after sending around 1,400 of the missile systems to Ukraine in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

The jihadists who planned attacks on cathedrals in Austria and Germany this past Christmas were offered a rocket launcher by an unnamed army official in Ukraine, according to the Austrian news outlet, Exxpress.

The site reported on Wednesday that the German Federal Criminal Police Office had obtained testimony from one of the suspects affiliated with the Islamic State terror cell in the Afghan province of Khorasan (ISPK) that revealed the group had been approached by “a contact who is supposed to fight in the army in the Donetsk Basin” regarding the purchase of a U.S.-manufactured FIM-92 Stinger missile.

It was reported that the Ukrainian national within his country’s military ranks offered to sell the weapon for $5,000 and regularly visits Germany to attempt to sell military equipment on the black market.

The article concludes:

First, the cadaver-in-chief pulls out of Afghanistan in the most asinine and irresponsible of ways, causing the murders of American soldiers and Afghan civilians, and hands billions of dollars over to the terrorist group now running the government; then, he delivers weapons over to one of the most notoriously corrupt government cartels in the history of the world, and those arms somehow make it to the black market, being sold to the very jihadists who have “intensified” thanks to his efforts and foreign policies.

Seriously, what a tangled web—how is it possible that one man can play such a crucial role in crisis after crisis? Well, because that man is Joe Biden.

No more money to Ukraine.

How Safe Is The Covid Vaccine?

On \Wednesday, The American Thinker posted an article about the Covid vaccine and the incidence of heart disease among the people who have taken it.

The article reports:

On August 24, 2021, the secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, issued a memorandum, directing the secretaries of the military departments to “immediately begin full vaccination of all members of the Armed Forces under Department of Defense.”

This mandate was pushed even though Doe v. Rumsfeld (2003) clearly prohibits the DOD from mandating an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) vaccine.

The Military Department leads, instead of doing their due diligence and looking out for their troops, blindly followed and carried out what was arguably an unconstitutional and unlawful order.

The Florida state surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, issued a statement on October 23, 2023 recommending against the COVID-19 booster, based heavily on the risk of subclinical and clinical myocarditis and other cardiovascular conditions.

French study using nationwide hospital discharge and vaccine data has shown “strong evidence of an increased risk of myocarditis and of pericarditis in the week following vaccination against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines in both males and females.”

The article notes:

This leads me to the 248th Marine Corps Birthday Ball on November 10, 2023.  This year at the Ball for the Marine Corps Reserve and Marine Corps Forces, South, the commandant of the Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, was scheduled to be the guest of honor.  However, due to cardiac arrest on October 29, 2023, and a scheduled surgery, his presence had to be canceled.  General Smith is 58, in terrific shape.  He eats well and doesn’t drink.  He is one of the least likely people to ever suffer from cardiac arrest.

…The narrative being pushed is that the commandant has a congenital issue.

We saw the same controlled narrative when actor Jamie Foxx collapsed and was hospitalized.  Damar Hamlin collapsed and was hospitalized.  Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of basketball icon LeBron James, collapsed due to cardiac arrest.  Coincidentally, it was blamed on congenital issues.

It is worth noting that before the COVID 19 “vaccines,” in the European Sports Leagues, there were 29 cardiac arrests a year.  Since the introduction of the “vaccine,” there have been 1,500 cardiac arrests a year, and two-thirds of them have been fatal.  

As I write this, fewer Americans are getting the vaccine or the boosters. Hopefully this trend will continue as there are some valid questions as to the safety of the Covid vaccines. Meanwhile, it would be nice if the healthcare community would be honest about the risks involved.

Some Glitches In The Technology

On Friday, The American Thinker posted an article about a man launching his jet ski into the water at a boat ramp. That really doesn’t sound like an article for The American Thinker until you look into the details.

The article quotes a Facebook post by an organization of firefighters in Hollywood, Florida:

On Sunday Oct 1st, a Tesla Model S [sic] was attempting to back a jet ski into the water at the Polk Street boat ramp, when it lost traction and slid into the inter-coastal [sic]. The salt water reacted with the the [sic] vehicle’s electronics causing them to short, sparking a fire that burned underwater for an extended period of time.

The fire was allowed to burn underwater until it extinguished itself. And even then, it had to be loaded carefully onto a special carrier, and followed by the Fire Engine to the impound lot, where they’ll keep the vehicle isolated for a few days in the very real possibility of re-ignition. EVs have been known to reignite even after the initial fire has been extinguished.

The article also quotes Autoblog:

The wife backs the trailer and jet ski into the water, the husband gets the jet ski into the water. While the husband is on the water on the jet ski, the Tesla begins flashing a warning to the wife to get out of the Model X. The car’s electronically powered doors are closed, and whatever malfunction is occurring won’t permit the doors to open. Apparently, the wife didn’t know about the manual release for the doors, so the husband rocks up and gets her out before the Model X ends up submerged.

The article concludes:

As the firefighters’ Facebook post also noted, the uniqueness of EV fires is creating a “whole new level of hazard” to fire prevention and fire service apparatuses:

This is an issue with all Electric Vehicles, not just Tesla. And their prevalence is adding a whole new level of hazard to the Fire Service, causing Fire Departments worldwide to rethink how they mitigate electric vehicle emergencies.

If this occurrence isn’t just another datum point in the obvious trend proving that avoiding battery-powered cars is the way to go (for the sake of humanity and the environment), and shoring up the reality that the left always has the stupidest ideas, then I don’t know what is.

This story could have had a very different ending. Thank God that the husband was quick to unlock the door.

 

 

Hudna?

In a recent article, I explained the concept of “hudna.” Basically, the principle is “please stop attacking me so that I can re-arm.” Another tenet of Islam is “taqiyya” which says that it’s okay to lie to infidels for the sake of the advancement of Islam. We are seeing both of these concepts at work after the horrific attack on Israel on October 7th.

On Thursday, The American Thinker reported:

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal published a bombshell report, identifying an arms-trafficking scheme in which “Iran and its allies” have been smuggling heavy weapons and small arms to the jihadi terrorists occupying certain areas of Israel; see the lede below:

Long before Hamas militants burst out of their Gaza stronghold to massacre scores of civilians with handguns and assault rifles, Iran and its allies had accelerated efforts to smuggle weapons into a different part of the Palestinian territories, the West Bank.

What was most explosive though, given current circumstances, is that the arms flowing from the terrorist regimes to the smaller terrorist groups, often comes disguised as aid packages. The authors of the Journal item recount that after the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Iran “began hauling large quantities of weapons to Syria” in shipments disguised as aid; as we see, a “humanitarian crisis” or an “emergency” is a great cover for arming terrorists.

On a separate and totally unrelated note… From a Politico report last week:

The U.S. will send $100 million in aid for humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday.

‘This money will support more than 1 million displaced in conflict affected Palestinians, including emergency needs in Gaza,’ Biden said Wednesday during a speech in Tel Aviv.

We are arming the enemies of Israel while we claim to be supporting them.

 

Dispelling The Myths

On Monday, The American Thinker posted an article about two myths that are fueling the current war in the Middle East.

The first myth–The State of Palestine

The article notes:

The name Judea was changed to Syria Palaestina by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 135, following the Bar Kokhba revolt.  The revolt was a Jewish uprising against Roman rule, and Hadrian crushed it.  It resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Jews.  In an effort to suppress Jewish identity, Hadrian renamed the province.  The name “Palaestina” was derived from the Philistines, a people who had lived in the region centuries earlier.  The addition of the name “Syria” was intended to emphasize the province’s status as a Roman province.  

Renaming was an attempt to render extinct the Jewish nature and history of the land and to humiliate the restive Jews.  It was a reminder of the Roman Empire’s power.  The name Syria Palaestina remained in use until the 7th century, when the region was conquered by the Arabs.

The Arabs ruled until the Crusaders took land back, then lost it to Arabs, who lost it to the Ottomans (a Turkic people) in 1517.  

As a consequence of their loss in WWI, the Turks gave control of the region known as Palestine to the British n 1917.  

Between 1917 and 1920, Palestine was under the control of the British military after their conquest of the region.  

Before moving on:  

    • There never was a Palestinian state or country.  
    • There never was rule by anything called a Palestinian.  
    • The land of Mandatory Palestine was to be the Jewish national homeland in an area occupied continuously by Jews for millennia.  
    • Jewish rule and occupancy antedated the advent of the newcomer religion Islam by millennia.  
    • Mandatory Palestine, set aside for the National Homeland of the Jews, had its territory diminished by around seven eighths, in contravention of their mandatory obligations by the British to create Transjordan (now commonly known as Jordan).  

The second myth:

No state, no nation, no people.  Palestine never existed, hence Palestinians never existed, do not exist.  Full stop.  

…Zuheir Mohsen, leader of the Palestinian terror group As Saiqa, explained in a 1970 interview with James Dorsey for the Dutch newspaper Trouw why the “Palestinian people” had been invented:  

The Palestinian people do not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism.

Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity exists only for tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.  

Not knowing correct history has consequences.

 

The Cost Of Unarmed Citizens

On Saturday, The American Thinker posted an article about some of the events in Israel on October 7.

The article notes:

On October 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel, Inbal Rabin-Lieberman, a 25-year-old security coordinator at the Kibbutz Nir Am settlement located near the Gaza Strip, saved lives because she had a gun.  After the kibbutz came under attack, Inbal hurriedly opened the armory and distributed guns to the twelve-member security team.

She caught the Hamas murderers unawares because they were not expecting to meet armed resistance.  Lieberman killed five terrorists while the others gunned down twenty-five before the Israeli Defense Force arrived.  Because of her actions, Nir-Am was the only settlement bordering the Gaza Strip that did not suffer Israeli casualties during Hama’s attack.

The number of Israelis killed in the terrorist attack is over 1,400.  How many of those deaths could have been averted had more Israelis owned guns? Israel has draconian gun-control laws, worse than those in New York City.  Only three percent (3%) of Israeli citizens own guns (compared to about thirty-two percent (32%) of U.S. citizens). 

The NY Daily News reports that less than one percent (about 0.5%) of New York City residents have legal handguns.  Jews comprise approximately nine percent (9%) of New York City’s population, the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel. 

An attack on America similar to what happened in Israel should be unthinkable, but is it? We have no idea how many terrorists have come through our porous border and what their intentions are. It would be a good idea at this point to have all Americans trained in how to use weapons and having weapons in their homes. Obviously there are some restrictions on that–mentally ill, people convicted of violent offenses, etc., but we need to have an instant, well-trained militia that can be called into action in case of an armed terrorist attack.

When Failure Gets You Promoted

On Monday, The American Thinker posted an article about Gareth Joyce, the CEO of Proterra, a company that manufactured rechargeable buses. The company has received more than $8 billion in seed money given to it by the federal government. The company declared bankruptcy this summer.

The article reports:

Joyce sits on what is known as the ITA, or the International Trade Administration, and according to a Washington Examiner report out today on the matter:

Under the International Trade Administration, the group ‘advises the President of government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.’

If someone received billions of dollars, and still can’t keep a company afloat, then clearly their idea is terrible, or they blow at running a business—or realistically, probably both.

The article concludes:

Furthermore, Proterra’s demise specifically presents like Solyndra under Barack Obama—for more on this, read a blog I wrote on the issue a few weeks back here.

Yet, thanks to a criminal and unconstitutional tax code, and corrupt politicians, I have no say whatsoever in who my seized wealth subsidizes. This is the modus operandi of the Establishment though—Jackass and Elephant alike— running political popularity contests while we foot the bill.

Would you be surprised to learn that Proterra was once recognized by the World Economic Forum as a “Technology Pioneer”? I didn’t think so.

Our government has been hijacked by anti-American interests and foreign operatives keen to sabotage the economic prosperity of America first… which is exactly why Joyce still has a place in Biden’s regime.

If failure gets you promoted, what is the incentive to succeed?

When You Look At The Whole Picture, It’s Scary

On Saturday, The American Thinker posted an article titled,”Stop pretending this is normal.” What a great title. I agree.

The article notes:

The Constitution says we will have a national election in a bit more than a year. That is one of the more certain things and even that is being questioned.

Pundits are pretending that the coming election will happen and that it will happen with all the normal ups and downs. Polls are questionable in normal times. Prognosticating the future can be done with some accuracy in normal times. This is not a normal time.

This is a roller coaster in a freezing tornado: Not normal. It is like the weather, a coupled, nonlinear chaotic not normal system. No prediction beyond the next sunrise is certain. We are in a “hold tight and ride” mode and we do not know when this ride will end. Maybe it will never end. No one can know. Knowing things with certainty is part of normal.

I do machinery vibration analysis. Just before a machine crashes into useless scrap metal, the vibration is said to go nonlinear. A bad military engagement might go sideways. Some say we are going full-Alinsky. We are nonlinear, sideways, full-Alinsky, on steroids and it is nothing like normal.

How not normal is it?

The article reminds us of all things that have happened in the past five years that have no precedent, such as a President who seems to have many age-related problems, a Vice-President whose ability to put a coherent thought together is often in question, corruption at the highest levels that is being ignored both by the Justice Department and the media, energy policies that are hurting Americans, and a totally political prosecution of a leading candidate for President who is not a member of the ruling class. These things are not normal.

The article concludes:

We have mostly-peaceful riots, parents locked out of their children’s medical decisions, and school boards that develop and implement secret curricula out of sight of objecting parents.

We have more than a thousand political prisoners held for years under minor charges for which they were not allowed access to exculpatory evidence. They are accused of an insurrection without weapons or organization.

Target has become a target, and Bud Light has become Bud Not.

The hottest song in America is a conservative protest song. Definitely not normal.

Accurate predictions require normal, and this is anything but normal. Prediction is impossible. It is a full random future. When people say President Trump cannot win or only Ron DeSantis can, or Biden will beat either, they are wild guessing because their guesses are based on normal, and this is anything but normal.

Almost anything is possible, and almost nothing is impossible. If there is something you want to happen, work toward it and hope it happens. It just might happen. No one knows.

Please follow the link to read the entire article. When you see all of what is happening listed together, it is chilling.

Insanity Reigns

Trees play a vital role in preserving our environment.

According to arborday.org, these are some of the ways trees help the environment:

  1. Global forests removed about one-third of fossil fuel emissions annually from 1990 to 2007.
  2. Trees remove pollution from the atmosphere, improving air quality and human health.
  3. Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by more than 50%.
  4. A study of 10 cities found community forests save an average of one life each year. In New York City, trees save an average of eight lives every year.
  5. Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction.
  6. One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people.
  7. More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest
  8. Forested watersheds provide quality drinking water to more than 180 million Americans.

There are many ways that trees improve our lives. Follow the link above to read more. So why is Scotland removing a forest to put up wind mills?

On Sunday, The American Thinker reported the following:

Stupidity is increasingly state-sanctioned.

Since 2000, the Scottish government has felled around 1,700 trees on a daily basis, all to make way for “green” initiatives. Leave it to the government and their leftist abettors to harp on the “destruction of the environment” then chop down literal trees to create barren wastelands—all to make room for obtrusive, industrial, inanimate behemoths that obliterate all sorts of animal populations, and create massive amounts of environmental pollution (in production, maintenance, and disposal).

According to an article by Frank Bergman and posted to Slay News yesterday, the Scottish government’s scheme of systematic deforestation was implemented to “meet the goals” of the climate agenda. Is that not one of the most ludicrous and asinine things you’ve ever heard? Or perhaps, the move is right in line with the climate agenda, because the goal isn’t environmentalism… but rather communistic destruction?

From Bergman:

A Scottish government official has admitted that almost 16 million trees have been cut down in Scotland to make way for ‘green energy’ farms.

The trees were growing on public land and were chopped down so the land could be used for wind turbines.

The admission was made by Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, a member of the ruling left-wing Scottish National Party (SNP).

She estimated that 15.7 million trees had been cut down since 2000 on land currently managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

Bergman also reported that Gougeon said:

‘Where woodland is removed in association with development, developers will generally be expected to provide compensatory planting in order to avoid a net loss of woodland.’

Mother Nature always does things better than we do. It is foolishness to tear down her work and replace it with something that will wear out in a fairly short time and will fail if the temperature is too cold or too hot.

About That Heat Wave

On Sunday, The American Thinker posted an article about the heat wave we have seen this summer. It seems that the mainstream media has somehow forgotten to report on some of the actual causes of the heat wave.

The article reports:

The current heat wave is being relentlessly blamed on increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but there is a much more plausible explanation, one that is virtually endorsed by two of the world’s leading scientific organizations. It turns out that levels of water vapor in the atmosphere have dramatically increased over the last year-and-a-half, and water vapor is well recognized as a greenhouse gas, whose heightened presence leads to higher temperatures, a mechanism that dwarfs any effect CO2 may have.

So, why has atmospheric water vapor increased so dramatically? Because of a historic, gigantic volcanic eruption last year that I – probably along with you — had never heard of. The mass media ignored it because it took place 490 feet underwater in the South Pacific. Don’t take it from me, take it from NASA (and please do follow the link to see time lapse satellite imagery of the underwater eruption and subsequent plume of gasses and water injected into the atmosphere):

The article includes a video of the eruption.

The article also notes:

Another scientific paper explains the “net warming of the climate system” on a delayed basis.  NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory further explains:

Volcanic eruptions rarely inject much water into the stratosphere. In the 18 years that NASA has been taking measurements, only two other eruptions – the 2008 Kasatochi event in Alaska and the 2015 Calbuco eruption in Chile – sent appreciable amounts of water vapor to such high altitudes. But those were mere blips compared to the Tonga event, and the water vapor from both previous eruptions dissipated quickly. The excess water vapor injected by the Tonga volcano, on the other hand, could remain in the stratosphere for several years.

This extra water vapor could influence atmospheric chemistry, boosting certain chemical reactions that could temporarily worsen depletion of the ozone layer. It could also influence surface temperatures. Massive volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa and Mount Pinatubo typically cool Earth’s surface by ejecting gases, dust, and ash that reflect sunlight back into space. In contrast, the Tonga volcano didn’t inject large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere, and the huge amounts of water vapor from the eruption may have a small, temporary warming effect, since water vapor traps heat. The effect would dissipate when the extra water vapor cycles out of the stratosphere [Emphases added]

The bottom line here is very simple–we don’t know as much as we think we do, and it is foolish to cripple our economy in the cause of unproven science. We should also note that as we are being asked to cripple our economy to lower our carbon footprint, China is increasing their carbon footprint and building their economy. In what universe does this make sense?

The Fire Hazard The Government Has Failed To Mention

On Thursday, The American Thinker reported that The Fremantle Highway, a boat, is is burning “out of control.”

The article reports:

Seventeen miles offshore from an island belonging to the Netherlands, a nearly 20,000-ton vessel loaded with vehicles is burning “out of control,” and officials are in a race against time; Lea Versteeg, spokesperson for the Dutch coast guard, reportedly said, “we’re currently working out to see how we can make sure that…the least bad situation is going to happen.”

…Given the details of this specific incident and what we know about EVs, all signs point to the culprit being…an electric vehicle! When EV batteries catch fire, they burn hotter and longer than most fires and the fire is “impossible” to snuff out, so mitigation strategies instead focus on “cooling”  (instead of extinguishing) the vulnerable or burning apparatuses. A prominent blog on fire science gives us the working knowledge of an EV battery blaze:

A high-voltage battery is made up of many cells packed tightly together inside a watertight, fire-resistant box. When a single cell fails, it is essentially a small explosive that produces a tremendous amount of gas and heat (1,200 degrees F) in tenths of a second. The failure is an exothermic chemical reaction that does not require oxygen from the atmosphere to sustain itself. The heat released from each individual cell is transferred to the neighboring cells, which causes them to fail as well.

Once a battery cell fails, it is impossible to extinguish the failed cell as the chemical reaction inside the cell happens far too quickly. The only way to stop a thermal runaway is by directly cooling the cells involved to ensure that the failed cell does not cause the cells around it to also fail.

The article concludes:

Worst case scenario, the vessel overturns, and we’re left with millions of pounds of debris littering the sea floor (at a world heritage site no less) and oil spills. Furthermore, what about all the pollution created during the manufacturing process, including the mining for the rare minerals used in EVs, for cars that are now unusable? And, here’s an unanswered question, but since water does next to nothing to cull flames from an EV fire, are first responders spraying any toxic flame retardants onto the ship?

What about the financial ramifications? Versteeg, the spokesperson quoted at the opening, stated that of the nearly 3,000 vehicles on board, only “25” were EVs. These numbers would mean that the EVs on board account for less than one percent of the total load, so if an EV is in fact the origin of the fire, it would show you how substantial the risk is. Ergo, insurance rates would increase (if an insurer even chooses to cover such a hazard), which in turn makes shipping rates rise.

Now as it turns out, this isn’t the first time—last year, a fire ravaged and sank the Felicity Ace; the ship was transporting both electric and non-electric cars. As far as official narratives go, the cause of the fire is still “unclear.”

Are these little “eco-friendly” batteries the catalysts for massive environmental calamities? I’m not a gambler, but if I had to wager, I’d suspect…yes.

It’s time to realize that electric cars are not at present a viable plan to save the environment. If we truly want to save the environment, we might want to consider the fact that China is building a new coal plant every week. Replacing Chinese coal plants with natural gas plants would actually help save the environment.

Losing The Battle Against The Administrative State

On June 24th, The American Thinker posted an article titled, “A Century of Impotency: Conservative Failure and the Administrative State.” I hate that title, but it is true. The article makes the case that Conservatives have failed to restrain the administrative state because they have accepted that it is a necessary governmental innovation required by the complexity of modern society. Please follow the link to read the entire article. It is a long article, but I will quote a few very important points here,

The article notes:

James Landis is widely credited with crafting the theoretical architecture supporting President Roosevelt’s radical reconstruction—and expansion—of the federal government. Landis shrewdly both established and legitimized the regulatory state, including Roosevelt’s creation of new federal administrative agencies, by offering the regulatory state as the solution to the problem of modern governance: the administrative state “is, in essence, our generation’s answer to the inadequacy of the judicial and legislative process.” The Landis premise took concrete shape through Roosevelt’s expansion of the regulatory state, and in doing so, it brought to fruition Woodrow Wilson’s progressive intellectual project: rule by experts, insulated from the popular will

Landis believed the “the administrative process” for which he advocated would “spring from the inadequacy of a simply tripartite form of government to deal with modern problems” because modern problems were simply too large and complex to be entrusted to the system based on the separation of powers instituted by our nation’s founders. Landis framed this innovation as consistent with separation of powers principles because he believed the separation of powers called both for separation but also coordination among the branches, and he saw the administrative state as essential to creating that coordination:

“If the doctrine of separation of power implies division, it also implies balance, and balance calls for equality. The creation of administrative power may be the means for the preservation of that balance, so that paradoxically enough, though it may seem in theoretic violation of the doctrine of the separation of powers, it may in matter of fact be the means for the preservation of the content of that doctrine.”

Please follow the link to read the article for further explanation. I think we have diagnosed the problem. The question is, “What are we going to do about it?”